we all knew it was a conspiracy

now, the king's white house ADMITS IT after REPEATEDLY DENYING IT

so, we are going to sit absolutely still over this travesty too? seems like it, yup

does anyone in the senate or congress have any balls?

White House Backed U.S. Attorney Firings, Officials Say


By John Solomon and Dan Eggen Washington Post Staff Writers Saturday, March 3, 2007; Page A01
The White House approved the firings of seven U.S. attorneys late last year after senior Justice Department officials identified the prosecutors they believed were not doing enough to carry out President Bush's policies on immigration, firearms and other issues, White House and Justice Department officials said yesterday.
The list of prosecutors was assembled last fall, based largely on complaints from members of Congress, law enforcement officials and career Justice Department lawyers, administration officials said...................

Tech Tags: us+attorneys white+house justice+department

ok, a good start

kiley is OUT. it sure appears (from what i've read) he was well aware of the conditions of some at walter reed for a LONG time

these men and women were wounded in the line of duty. they were wounded in an unjust and illegal war. they were wounded for NO REASON, other than the insanity (the rapture - so who gives a flying yoo hoo what happens now. we're ALL going to be destroyed in a matter of months anyway) and the greed (military contractors such has halliburton and of course the OIL OIL OIL) of a FEW in the good ol' white boy network.

i wonder (still) how much redtape there will be before anything gets fixed. how much discussion. how much of this and that. how much meaningless drivel will go on.

JUST FIX WHAT IS BROKEN AND FIX IT NOW. our men and women and their families have suffered enough. FIX IT NOW

Army Secretary Ousted
Second Firing Follows Walter Reed Revelations; Bush Vows a Probe


By Michael Abramowitz and Steve Vogel Washington Post Staff Writers Saturday, March 3, 2007; Page A01
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates fired the secretary of the Army yesterday and President Bush vowed to investigate allegations of substandard treatment of wounded soldiers as the administration scrambled to contain fallout from the scandal over squalid housing and bureaucratic delays in outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
The Army named Maj. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker as the new commander of Walter Reed only a day after picking Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, who had previously commanded the medical center, as the temporary chief. Kiley's selection had angered soldiers and family groups -- and, more important, Gates -- because of their belief that he had been aware of problems at the hospital and done little to address them. Kiley is the current Army surgeon general......................

Tech Tags: robert+gates kevin+kiley walter+reed pentagon francis+harvey

insanity

they relieve someone of his command at walter reed and replace him with kiley. someone who was TOLD OF THE TREATMENT OF INJURED VETS a while ago. someone who (apparently) did NOTHING about it

accountability? my big fat white ass

Chief at Walter Reed Relieved Of Duties In Wake of Press Reports

WASHINGTON The Army said Thursday that the two-star general in charge of Walter Reed Army Medical Center has been relieved of command following disclosures about inadequate treatment of wounded soldiers.Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, who was commanding general of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command as well as Walter Reed hospital, was relieved of command by Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey.........

...........Weightman's duties will be assumed temporarily by Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, the commander of U.S. Medical Command, until a permanent replacement is found, Harvey said. [Reports in the Post and at Salon.com this week revealed that Kiley had been told about some of the problems at Walter Reed long ago. The Post revealed: "In 2004, Rep. C.W. Bill Young and his wife stopped visiting the wounded at Walter Reed out of frustration. Young said he voiced concerns to commanders over troubling incidents he witnessed but was rebuffed or ignored....Beverly Young said she complained to Kiley several times. She once visited a soldier who was lying in urine on his mattress pad in the hospital. When a nurse ignored her, Young said, 'I went flying down to Kevin Kiley's office again, and got nowhere. He has skirted this stuff for five years and blamed everyone else.'"].............

Army Fires Commander of Walter Reed
Former Chief, Also Criticized in Troop-Care Scandal, Temporarily Takes Over


By Steve Vogel and William Branigin Washington Post Staff Writers Friday, March 2, 2007; Page A01
The commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center was fired yesterday after the Army said it had lost trust and confidence in his leadership in the wake of a scandal over outpatient treatment of wounded troops at the Northwest Washington hospital complex.
Army Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, who assumed command of Walter Reed in August, will be temporarily replaced by Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley. But the appointment of Kiley, who had earlier been the facility's commander, surprised some Defense Department officials because soldiers, their families and veterans' advocates have complained that he had long been aware of problems at Walter Reed and did nothing to improve its outpatient care.

Tech Tags: kevin+kiley walter+reed injured+veterans

Marine with Brain Injury refused treatment by VA

click on the link (above) and WATCH THE VIDEO

i'm almost speechless.

Tech Tags: injuired+veterans bob+woodruff marines iraq jeff+landay

they can go to starbucks!

(which by the way, i've never been to and plan NEVER to in the future either)

STARBUCKS? of course heads are not going to roll over this hideous treatment our VETERANS are receiving. it's too late (thank the goddess), the story ALREADY BROKE. our veterans (outpatient) at walter reed are living in squalor. they (not all but some) are 'lost in the system'. they are NOT receiving the care they deserve FOR SERVING THEIR COUNTRY

as i said before (and will continue to say), if i was king george i would grab the collar of the person in charge and say these three magic words

FIX IT NOW

we should all be outraged. we should all not stop screaming until this IS fixed. this and ANY program or treatment for veterans.

US Army denies 'gag orders,' but says patients can 'go to Starbucks' to talk to media

Josh Catone

The US Army is denying yesterday's claims that some patients at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Medical Hold Unit were told not to speak to the media.
Army spokesman Paul Boyce tells Think Progress that patients are free to speak to the media; however, they must receive permission to speak with the press while on hospital grounds.
When questioned further, Boyce told TP that if patients wished to speak to reporters without permission, "They can go to Starbucks."
Think Progress writes, "Asked whether this was a reasonable solution for patients recuperating from physical and mental trauma, Boyce said yes. 'It's just a short trip, and many of them want to get out [of the hospital] anyway.'"
Meanwhile the Army Times reports today that the "Pentagon clamped down on media coverage of any and all Defense Department medical facilities, to include suspending queries for interviews and filming by CNN."
An e-mail intended for spokespeople, titled "Media inquiries related to Walter Reed," was quoted by the Times as saying, "It will be in most cases not appropriate to engage the media while this review takes place," referring to an ongoing investigation of problems at the Walter Reed facility............

Tech Tags: walter+reed pentagon veterans

no one is accountable for the limbo-esque squalor

no one is stepping up to the plate
no one is taking responsibility

our men and women are being sent to a county for NO legitimate reason. they are being wounded (mentally as well as physically) left and right. upon their return (if wounded and sent to walter reed as an OUTPATIENT) they are sent to live in limboesque squalor.

this article makes the picture EVEN WORSE. according to SEVERAL high (military and governmental) sources, THOSE AT THE TOP KNEW ABOUT THE CONDITIONS

how can we do this to those that put their lives on the line FOR THEIR COUNTRY?

how?

someone MUST be accountable and it ALL starts with KING GEORGE and rolls on downhill from there

(oh and that kiley sounds like a REAL GEM. don't know 'em but i'd sure like to meet 'em. i'd have a couple of things i'd like to say to 'em)

Hospital Officials Knew of Neglect
Complaints About Walter Reed Were Voiced for Years


By Anne Hull and Dana Priest Washington Post Staff Writers Thursday, March 1, 2007; Page A01
Top officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, including the Army's surgeon general, have heard complaints about outpatient neglect from family members, veterans groups and members of Congress for more than three years.
A procession of Pentagon and Walter Reed officials expressed surprise last week about the living conditions and bureaucratic nightmares faced by wounded soldiers staying at the D.C. medical facility. But as far back as 2003, the commander of Walter Reed, Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, who is now the Army's top medical officer, was told that soldiers who were wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan were languishing and lost on the grounds, according to interviews....

Kiley lives across the street from Building 18. From his quarters, he can see the scrappy building and busy traffic the soldiers must cross to get to the 113-acre post. At a news conference last week, Kiley, who declined several requests for interviews for this article, said that the problems of Building 18 "weren't serious and there weren't a lot of them." He also said they were not "emblematic of a process of Walter Reed that has abandoned soldiers and their families."........

Tech Tags: walter+reed kevin+kiley wounded+soldiers

why did this twelve year old die?

i'll tell you why, because his family had NO DENTAL INSURANCE. yes, that's right, he died from a bad tooth.

why can't we as human beings understand how each of us DESERVES the right to proper medical care and that does include dental care.

i know many people who WORK FULL TIME and have NO coverage. some of them have children and that means their children aren't covered either. that to me is CRIMINAL.

we are spending BILLIONS on killing people in iraq (don't even tell me ONE of you believes king george and his court actually IS trying to build a 'DEMOCRACY' over there. it's NOT a culture that thrives in a 'democracy'. hell, we ain't thriving in OUR democracy right now either). why can't we use that money (or a large part of it) to care for our nation's elderly AND children?

it's immoral
it's soul-less

to the family and friends of deamonte driver - i am sorry for your loss

For Want of a Dentist
Pr. George's Boy Dies After Bacteria From Tooth Spread to Brain


By Mary OttoWashington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, February 28, 2007; Page B01
Twelve-year-old Deamonte Driver died of a toothache Sunday.
A routine, $80 tooth extraction might have saved him.
If his mother had been insured.
If his family had not lost its Medicaid.
If Medicaid dentists weren't so hard to find.
If his mother hadn't been focused on getting a dentist for his brother, who had six rotted teeth.
By the time Deamonte's own aching tooth got any attention, the bacteria from the abscess had spread to his brain, doctors said. After two operations and more than six weeks of hospital care, the Prince George's County boy died....

best ny post cover?

the nutmeg grater: congratulations lisa and matthew#links

the nutmeg grater: congratulations lisa and matthew#links

i read the original (well one of the original) james cameron articles

and THIS captures my feelings EXACTLY (plus it's wicked funny)

Mary Magdalene: The Ringo of Jesus' Tomb?

The BBC has more news on the claims of world-renowned theologian James Cameron that he has proved that Jesus never rose from the dead.
The new information is scant, but here's the gist: Cameron believes that he has proven that the tomb filled with ten 2,000 old coffins was actually that of Jesus' family. What's his proof? Even though all of the names carved into the ossuaries were common Jewish names at the time, he's putting all his cards on the fact that "Mariameme" (Mary Magdalene, apparently) was buried with "Jesua" (Jesus).
Unveiling his documentary The Lost Tomb of Jesus, Mr Cameron said the chances of finding that combination of names together was like finding a grave marked Ringo next to others marked John, Paul and George.
"Mariamene is Mary Magdalene - that's the Ringo, that's what sets this whole film in motion," he said.
Except, well, wait. Why are we meant to believe Mary Magdalene is the same person as Mariamene? She was simply called Mary in the New Testament.............

Tech Tags: jesus mary magdalene james+cameron

Wicked cool; math, art and Islam

how beautiful is this?

(I have always admired middle eastern artistry. who knew?)

K. Dudley and M. Elliff
MOSAIC SOPHISTICATION A quasi-crystalline Penrose pattern at the Darb-i Imam shrine in Isfahan, Iran.

In Medieval Architecture, Signs of Advanced Math

By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD
In the beauty and geometric complexity of tile mosaics on walls of medieval Islamic buildings, scientists have recognized patterns suggesting that the designers had made a conceptual breakthrough in mathematics beginning as early as the 13th century.
A new study shows that the Islamic pattern-making process, far more intricate than the laying of oneÂ’s bathroom floor, appears to have involved an advanced math of quasi crystals, which was not understood by modern scientists until three decades ago.
The findings, reported in the current issue of the journal Science, are a reminder of the sophistication of art, architecture and science long ago in the Islamic culture. They also challenge the assumption that the designers somehow created these elaborate patterns with only a ruler and a compass. Instead, experts say, they may have had other tools and concepts.......

my sisters and i are being punished

because we don't have the appropriate genitalia. because we speak up for our rights (plan b), because we are WOMEN and NO LESS important than men

and because 'THEY' don't like that

Women's Health Office Funds Cut


By Rick Weiss Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, February 27, 2007; Page A13
When is $4 million really $2.8 million?
One answer is "When you're a woman," as the Labor Department has repeatedly found that women earn about 75 cents for every dollar that men earn for the same work.
But this week's answer is "When you are the Office of Women's Health" within the Food and Drug Administration. That office, which was at the center of a politically damaging storm over the emergency contraceptive "Plan B," just had more than one-quarter of this year's $4 million operating budget quietly removed, insiders say...

............Women's health advocates inside and outside the agency suspect they are witnessing, at least in part, a long-anticipated payback for the trouble the office stirred during the prolonged debate over nonprescription sales of Plan B. .................

this is NOT a good thing

and we had better start worrying about it NOW rather than later. the disappearance of bees is shocking AND dangerous. bees are vital to our existance. is their disappearance NATURAL or did WE have something to do with it???

Honeybees Vanish, Leaving Crops and Keepers in Peril

By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO
VISALIA, Calif., Feb. 23 — David Bradshaw has endured countless stings during his life as a beekeeper, but he got the shock of his career when he opened his boxes last month and found half of his 100 million bees missing.
In 24 states throughout the country, beekeepers have gone through similar shocks as their bees have been disappearing inexplicably at an alarming rate, threatening not only their livelihoods but also the production of numerous crops, including California almonds, one of the nation’s most profitable.
“I have never seen anything like it,” Mr. Bradshaw, 50, said from an almond orchard here beginning to bloom. “Box after box after box are just empty. There’s nobody home.”
The sudden mysterious losses are highlighting the critical link that honeybees play in the long chain that gets fruit and vegetables to supermarkets and dinner tables across the country. .........
.......“Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food,” said Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation..............

michael shank interviews noam chomsky

and as always mr chomsky hits the nail on the head. one of the great minds of our time...........

Chomsky on Why Bush Does Diplomacy Mafia-Style

By Michael Shank, Foreign Policy in Focus. Posted February 26, 2007.

Noam Chomsky explains what he thinks the U.S. will do to Iran, what is really at stake for America in Iraq, and why Palestinians are more likely to uphold their peace agreements than Israelis.
Michael Shank recently interviewed Noam Chomsky, noted linguist and foreign policy expert, on the latest developments in U.S. policy toward Iran, Iraq, North Korea, and Venezuela. Along the way, Chomsky also commented on climate change, the World Social Forum, and why international relations are run like the mafia.
Michael Shank: With similar nuclear developments in North Korea and Iran, why has the United States pursued direct diplomacy with North Korea but refuses to do so with Iran?
Noam Chomsky: To say that the United States has pursued diplomacy with North Korea is a little bit misleading. It did under the Clinton administration, though neither side completely lived up to their obligations. Clinton didn't do what was promised, nor did North Korea, but they were making progress. So when Bush came into the presidency, North Korea had enough uranium or plutonium for maybe one or two bombs, but then very limited missile capacity. During the Bush years it's exploded. The reason is, he immediately canceled the diplomacy and he's pretty much blocked it ever since............

duh

like we really needed a study to come to this conclusion

Gen. Pace: Military capability eroding

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON — Strained by the demands of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is a significant risk that the U.S. military won't be able to quickly and fully respond to yet another crisis, according to a new report to Congress.
The assessment, done by the nation's top military officer, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, represents a worsening from a year ago, when that risk was rated as moderate.
The report is classified, but on Monday senior defense officials, speaking on condition on anonymity, confirmed the decline in overall military readiness. And a report that accompanied Pace's review concluded that while the Pentagon is working to improve its warfighting abilities, it "may take several years to reduce risk to acceptable levels."
Pace's report comes as the U.S. is increasing its forces in Iraq to quell escalating violence in Baghdad. And top military officials have consistently acknowledged that the repeated and lengthy deployments are straining the Army, Marine Corps and reserve forces and taking a heavy toll on critical warfighting equipment.................

richard twohig was injured in the line of duty

the army has NOT approved him for full disability. WHY? why aren't we taking care of our returning veterans? stop all the bullshite. why are we sending BILLIONS to other countries when OUR dedicated men and women WHO VOLUNTEERED to join the service need our help so badly? WHY?

Battle Worn
After he was injured in Iraq, Richard Twohig found himself fighting an unexpected foe: the U.S. Army.


By Paula Span Sunday, February 25, 2007; Page W10
THE SHADES IN RICHARD TWOHIG'S GARDEN APARTMENT ARE DRAWN TIGHT AGAINST THE SUMMER SUN. This is partly because it's 94 degrees in Knoxville, Tenn., this afternoon, but also because light can trigger one of his bad headaches, the kind that make his knees buckle. His kids have grown accustomed to dimmed surroundings........

..........Since he was thrown from a moving armored vehicle in Baghdad in May 2003, and landed on his head, the former Army corporal says he has suffered from near-constant headaches. .....

.........Like any member of the armed forces injured in the line of duty and no longer able to serve, Twohig has been grappling with a complicated disability system that determines whether he merits military retirement. Thousands of other soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are dealing with the same process. .............

Tech Tags: richard+twohig military+disability

sick-making

simply sickening, yet i KNOW these women (well women LIKE them. people like them). judging on appearance NOT what is in one's mind, heart AND soul

good thing i believe in what goes around comes around....

Sorority Evictions Raise Issue of Looks and Bias

By SAM DILLON

GREENCASTLE, Ind. — When a psychology professor at DePauw University here surveyed students, they described one sorority as a group of “daddy’s little princesses” and another as “offbeat hippies.” The sisters of Delta Zeta were seen as “socially awkward.”
Worried that a negative stereotype of the sorority was contributing to a decline in membership that had left its Greek-columned house here half empty, Delta Zeta’s national officers interviewed 35 DePauw members in November, quizzing them about their dedication to recruitment. They judged 23 of the women insufficiently committed and later told them to vacate the sorority house.
The 23 members included every woman who was overweight. They also included the only black, Korean and Vietnamese members. The dozen students allowed to stay were slender and popular with fraternity men — conventionally pretty women the sorority hoped could attract new recruits. Six of the 12 were so infuriated they quit............

Tech Tags: sorority appearances delta+zeta

Loreena McKennitt, a woman who doesn't get her due

if she comes to your city, do go see her. it's well worth it

Loreena McKennitt follows 'Muse' on spring tour

by Tjames Madison LiveDaily Contributor
Celtic folksinger/songwriter Loreena McKennitt (tickets music) will play a month's worth of US headlining dates as she looks to build support for her latest album, last fall's "An Ancient Muse."
The Canadian-born performer will kick off her outing April 19 in Philadelphia. The 21-date trek is scheduled to run through mid-May. Details are included below.
"An Ancient Muse" is McKennit's first new album since 1997's multi-platinum "A Book of Secrets," and she followed it with her first tour since 1998.
McKennitt worked with her usual crew of collaborators on "An Ancient Muse," the singer's seventh full-length album of a recording career that began with 1985's "Elemental." Joining the performer in the studio were Brian Hughes, Donald Quan, Hugh Marsh, Caroline Lavelle and Rick Lazar, as well as "a host of other acclaimed international performers," according to her publicist...............

Tech Tags: loreena+mckennitt celtic+music

wow

if king george and his court put in 1/10th of the research seymour hersh did for this article, WE'D BE OUT OF IRAQ IN A HEARTBEAT

the following new yorker article is long, BUT well worth it - amazing

THE REDIRECTION
Is the Administration’s new policy benefitting our enemies in the war on terrorism?

by SEYMOUR M. HERSH

A STRATEGIC SHIFT
In the past few months, as the situation in Iraq has deteriorated, the Bush Administration, in both its public diplomacy and its covert operations, has significantly shifted its Middle East strategy. The “redirection,” as some inside the White House have called the new strategy, has brought the United States closer to an open confrontation with Iran and, in parts of the region, propelled it into a widening sectarian conflict between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. ........
.............The United States has also given clandestine support to the Siniora government, according to the former senior intelligence official and the U.S. government consultant. “We are in a program to enhance the Sunni capability to resist Shiite influence, and we’re spreading the money around as much as we can,” the former senior intelligence official said. The problem was that such money “always gets in more pockets than you think it will,” he said. “In this process, we’re financing a lot of bad guys with some serious potential unintended consequences. We don’t have the ability to determine and get pay vouchers signed by the people we like and avoid the people we don’t like. It’s a very high-risk venture.”...................

Tech Tags: sunni shiite iraq iran us+policy seymour+hersh syria israel saudi+arabia

the nutmeg grater: more on the meridan humane society#links

the nutmeg grater: more on the meridan humane society#links