$720 million per day for Iraq occupation

$720,000,000.00

It only costs $720 million per day to pay for the occupation of Iraq. Can you think of better ways to spend this money?



"Sign the petition to defund the war, and refund human needs today."

Get Out Your Webcams For FISA

OpenLeft, and particularly Tim Tagaris posting over there, have been providing some excellent coverage on Senator Chris Dodd's patriotic efforts to stand up to any efforts of giving immunity to the criminals that have illegally spied on Americans.

Well played, ACLU. Majority Leader Reid might not have felt a sufficient amount of heat as Americans with computers (the netroots) attempt to intervene on FISA, but I can promise you that articles like this in hometown papers get staffs and Senators to pay attention.

Reid in hot seat over backing of spying bill

Sen. Harry Reid angered liberals in his party last month as he sought to shield telecom companies from liability for their role in the Bush administration's domestic spying program.

As the Senate debates the surveillance issue this week, the criticism of Reid shows that his role is putting him at odds with his party's base.

Kudos to the ACLU for their efforts to attack this odious legislation on another PR front! As another point of attack, "Stop the Spying!" wants you to get out your webcam and participate in a PFAW video effort to get your message out:

Shoot a Video Today!

• Fire up your video cameras and webcams.
• In 60 seconds or less, give your city and state and tell your members of Congress why you want them to oppose telecom immunity.
• Read the Terms of Video Submission, and send your video clips to fisa@pfaw.org, or use the file-sending site YouSendIt to upload your video to the web -- no registration required. YouSendIt will then send your video to us.
• PFAW and partner organizations will send your videos to key decision-makers in Congress, especially those who may be able to use activist video testimonials in hearings or other procedures.

You make the video, and PFAW will do whatever they can to distribute to the powers that be and to the wankers that are fighting against your freedom!

Stop The Spying has some other suggestions on actions you can take to make your voice heard in the FISA debate.


Get this banner for your Blog or website!

BooMan at The Booman Tribune provides a roundup of other sites that are covering this topic:

Here are some links on FISA.

Emptywheel
Kagro X
mcjoan
Glenn Greenwald
digby
Jane Hamsher

These are the patriots that should be representing you in Congress instead of the bought and paid for corporate shills that we have there now.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is addressing the FISA issue as well and has some relevant info posted on their Deeplinks Blog:

With Congress back in session this week and the Presidential season in full swing, the fight to prevent the Bush administration from granting immuniy to the telecoms for illegal spying is heating up once again. Activists and bloggers alike are keeping the heat on.

First, Credo Mobile (formerly Working Assets) urged its members to write to Senators Clinton, Obama and McCain, the three presidential candidates who are still in the Senate and who have said they'd oppose immunity.

The results were tremendous: 67,000 emails were sent to the Senators.

Keep up the pressure on all fronts! This is not a battle that we can afford to lose.

[update] The Liberal Journal provides insight into one VP's seriously twisted view on the topic:

Dick Cheney doesn't rear his ugly head often, but when he does it's always on a topic of critical importance to the Bush agenda. Today, Dick came out "firing" on FISA:

Vice President Dick Cheney prodded Congress on Wednesday to extend and broaden an expiring surveillance law, saying "fighting the war on terror is a long-term enterprise" that should not come with an expiration date.

"This cause is bigger than the quarrels of party and the agendas of politicians," Cheney said. "And if we in Washington, all of us, can only see our way clear to work together, then the outcome should not be in doubt."

Administration allies in Congress not only want the expiring law made permanent but amended to give telephone companies and other communications providers immunity from being sued for helping the government eavesdropping and other intelligence-gathering efforts.

Cheney said such providers "face dozens of lawsuits."

"The intelligence community doesn't have the facilities to carry out the kind of international surveillance needed to defend this country since 9-11. In some situations, there is no alternative to seeking assistance from the private sector. This is entirely appropriate," Cheney said.

Cheney's comments can be summed up as: Don't sue companies that help us expand Big Brother, which will be around forever because the War on Terra is never ending.

Of note concerning this issue: It has nothing to do with lawsuits and everything to do with covering the asses of the politicians that have acted criminally by illegally spying on Americans. Don't let them switch the topic to something as piddly as minor lawsuits that will cost telcoms a minuscule slice of their profits:

The Bush team argue impending financial doom for the telecom industry should lawsuits be permitted to continue. However, at this time, the financial impact is speculative (pdf file) with a market that “seems unconcerned” about the lawsuits filed against telecoms:

For example, when the complaint in Hepting v. AT&T Corp. was filed and when AT&T’s motion to dismiss the suit was denied, AT&T’s stock price remained essentially unaffected. The entirety of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s regulatory system requiring public filings and disclosures is premised on the idea that, when the relevant information is available publicly, the market is the most effective indicator of the value of a corporation. That the stock price of AT&T was unaffected by the suit indicates the market’s determination that the company’s financial footing remains sound, despite the potential liability.

Moreover, telecommunications carriers have survived enormous payouts in class action suits in the past. For example, in September of this year, Sprint received preliminary approval from the court for a $30 million class-action settlement. And in 1994, AT&T agreed to pay a $100 million settlement. Just as they have for the other risks incumbent in their business, telecommunications carriers have liability insurance to protect them in the event of an adverse civil judgment. And if, at some point in the future, a series of judgments comes to present a threat of widespread bankruptcy in the telecommunications industry, the government may take action at that time. But any preemptive liability shield is premature and unneeded.

Thus, should the telecom lawsuits proceed and if damages are awarded by the courts and if the damages are not covered by telecom liability insurance, and if Congress then determines that a bailout is needed for the industry, then Congress has the authority to legislate funding to the industry, thus preserving the plaintiffs’ right to a judicial remedy and the public’s right to a transparent government. As Sen. Feingold notes:

If the companies engaged in such widespread illegal conduct that the damages would be enormous, Congress can intervene to limit the damages. That’s a far more appropriate response than simply giving the companies a free pass for any illegal conduct.

Moreover, if the concern is financial liability, why is the immunity so broad that “cases will be dismissed even if they do not seek money damages but only declaratory and injunctive relief.”

The lawsuit distraction is just that... A distraction from the real issue of the bush illegally spying on Americans. And remember that it is not just the infered "Liberal base of the Democratic party" that is against immunity for these criminals... It is the majority of Americans:

Today the ACLU's Caroline Fredrickson was quoted in The New York Times about Democrats' apparent willingness to capitulate to the administration with the new FISA bill:

"If Senator Reid wanted to win, he would have put the judiciary vote on the floor first,” Caroline Frederickson, director of the Washington legislative office of the American Civil Liberties Union, said. “It seems as if he wants to lose.”

A recent poll found that 57 percent of Americans oppose amnesty for telecoms. If you agree, there's still time to sign our FISA petition, which we'll deliver to Senator Harry Reid tomorrow.

Those of us in the left are not alone on this issue...

“I am a Republican, and at times I’m embarrassed"

No! Not me, silly. Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is embarrassed:

“I am a Republican, and at times I’m embarrassed by the lack of cooperation that this president and his appointees have had with the legislative branch,” said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) in a hearing yesterday. “There is a seething resentment by members of Congress who are Republicans by the fact that this administration has not even cooperated with us.”

Does any one really feel sorry for you and the other Republicans because YOU put that idiot in the White House? Nope! You reap what you have sewn. And you, Dana Rohrabacher, should take personal responsibility for what you and your fellow Republicans have done to this nation. Don't try and play the "bush victimized us!" card... We aren't buying it.

Micheal Weiner Savages the Airwaves

With bigoted views like this, is there any doubt why advertisers are pulling out from buying spots on his radio show?

On the air, he says that Latinos "breed like rabbits", and that America's public schools are "teaching kids in the third grade how to put a condom on a cucumber." He explains that civil rights are a "racket" that is "used to steal only from the white male -- no one else pays the price." He is worried about "degenerates on the left who want to sell Americans on the idea that homosexuality, bisexuality, transsexuality, even sex with animals is normal." He demonizes pot smokers, refers to third-world nations as "turd world nations", and strongly opposes abortion (although his first wife had two while they were married). After the Dixie Chicks spoke ill of President George W. Bush, Savage inexplicably suggested they should be jailed as traitors. "We've all been warned about the dangers of a theocracy", says Savage, "where religious zealots rule. Today in America, we have a she-ocracy where a minority of feminist zealots rule the culture."

Personally, I think his positions on sexuality must be the result of some self-loathing based the reality of some of his, both alleged and documented, past actions and statements:

One of his books was a work of fiction called Vital Signs, in which the protagonist wrestles with his attraction to masculine beauty. "I choose to override my desires for men when they swell in me", Weiner wrote, "waiting out the passions like a storm, below decks." At one time, Weiner self-published his own zines featuring inflammatory pieces about gay sex at San Francisco bathhouses. He was apparently opposed to such things. But he was a friend of beat poet Allen Ginsberg, the very, very out gay author of Howl. In a 1970 letter to Ginsberg, someone signed Michael Weiner described a semi-erotic encounter he had had with another man in Fiji. Weiner says he did not write the letter, though the return address was in Honolulu, where Weiner resided at the time. Savage now describes his one-time friend Ginsberg as "latrine slime," and says that upon hearing of his death, "I clasped my hands together and prayed to God. I said, 'Thank you, God, for answering my prayers. One of the blights of the human race is gone.'"

Perhaps, his statements after Ginsberg's death might be the result of unrequited love? Though, I am not certain how this would explain his attacks on women, like the Dixie Chicks, that stake out strong political positions?

Beyond his flip-flopping sexuality issues are his well documented deficiencies concerning issues ofideology, race - which extends well beyond just the above mentioned Latinos - and religion:

JUST SOME OF SAVAGE'S HATE:

"90 percent of the people on the Nobel Committee are into child pornography and molestation, according to the latest scientific studies" — Listen

Savage advocating "kill[ing] 100 million" Muslims — Listen

Savage on immigrant students' hunger strike: "[L]et them fast until they starve to death. ... Go make a bomb where you came from" — Listen

Citing more sex-change operations, increased lesbian fertility clinics, Savage said of 9-11: "That was God speaking" — Listen

On MLK Day, Savage called civil rights a "racket" designed to steal "white males' birthright" — Listen

To "save the United States," lawmakers should institute "outright ban on Muslim immigration" and on "the construction of mosques" — Listen

U.S. Senate "more vicious and more histrionic than ever, specifically because women have been injected into" it — Listen

"Jimmy Carter is like Hitler" — Listen

"Burn the Mexican Flag!" — Listen

Savage on the tsunami: "I wouldn't call it a tragedy. ... We shouldn't be spending a nickel on this" — Listen

Brave New Films has been conducting a a campaign to get advertisers to drop support of Micheal "Savage" Weiner's outrageous statements on his radio show "Savage nation." So far, four advertisers have buckled under the people's pressure:

Contact his advertisers:

• Geico Insurance (800) 861-8380
• Intuit (TurboTax) - THANK YOU INTUIT!
• Wyeth Consumer Healthcare (Advil, Robitussin, Centrum) (800) 322-3129
• Chattem (Gold Bond, Icy-Hot, Garlique) - THANK YOU CHATTEM!
• ITT Technical Institute - THANK YOU ITT TECH!
• Union Bank of California - THANK YOU UNION BANK!
• Office Depot (800) 463-3768
• Stamps.com
• USO (Support the Troops) (703) 908-6400 *
• USDA (MyPyramid.gov) (888) 779-7264 *

* USO is a non-profit organization that does not pay for its PSA's to air. Although it claims to have no control over when its advertisements air, it has refused to even request that its ads not run during the Michael Savage show.

He also seems to have a reckless tendency of advocating violence against those that he targets for his hate speech, as evidenced in his quotes above and something that his advertisers might want to be made aware of as well.

I suggest that you contact all of these companies and either 1) ask them to stop supporting the hate speech spewed by this bigot by pulling their adds OR 2) thank them for pulling their advertisements from his show already.

And please remember to be polite since you will catch a lot more flies with honey.

But if they refuse to comply or are particularly obstinate in their statements I won't blame you for verbally unloading on them a little. lol

[update] Another advertiser, GEICO, has has agreed to pull their adds.

Contact his advertisers:

• Wyeth Consumer Healthcare (Chapstick, Advil, Robitussin, Centrum) (800) 322-3129
• Stamps.com
• USO (Support the troops) (703) 908-6400 *
• USDA (MyPyramid.gov) (888) 779-7264 *
• Geico Insurance - THANK YOU GEICO!
• Intuit (TurboTax) - THANK YOU INTUIT!
• Chattem (Gold Bond, Icy-Hot, Garlique) - THANK YOU CHATTEM!
• ITT Technical Institute - THANK YOU ITT TECH!
• Union Bank of California - THANK YOU UNION BANK!

* USO is a non-profit organization that does not pay for its PSA's to air. Although it claims to have no control over when its advertisements air, it has refused to even request that its ads not run during the Michael Savage show.

* We are getting reports that some corporations are denying their ads are running. This is not true. Here is just one recent commercial segment with Wyeth (Chapstick) and Stamps.com advertising.

Kucinich on Impeaching Bush

Kucinich announces that he will
introduce articles of impeachment in the
House against bush on January 28th.

Harry Reid Has Got To Go!

Josh Marshall on the upcoming FISA vote that Senator Chris Dodd plans to filibuster:

The handwriting has been on the wall for some time, but it now seems certain that Senate Democrats will pass a new FISA bill that contains retroactive immunity for telecoms, shielding them from lawsuits over their cooperation with the Bush Administration in its far-reaching warrantless wiretapping program.

Via Glen Greenwald:

Harry Reid -- who has (a) done more than any other individual to ensure that Bush's demands for telecom immunity and warrantless eavesdropping powers will be met in full and (b) allowed the Republicans all year to block virtually every bill without having to bother to actually filibuster -- went to the Senate floor yesterday and, with the scripted assistance of Mitch McConnell and Pat Leahy, warned Chris Dodd, Russ Feingold and others that they would be selfishly wreaking havoc on the schedules of their fellow Senators (making them work over the weekend, ruining their planned "retreat," and even preventing them from going to Davos!) if they bothered everyone with their annoying, pointless little filibuster.

To do so, Reid announced that, unlike for the multiple filibusters from Republican colleagues, he would actually force Dodd and company to engage in a real filibuster. This is what Reid said:

[I]f people think they are going to talk this to death, we are going to be in here all night. This is not something we are going to have a silent filibuster on. If someone wants to filibuster this bill, they are going to do it in the openness of the Senate.

That is what Democrats have been urging Reid to do to the filibustering Republicans all year -- in order to dramatize their obstructionism -- but he has refused to make them actually filibuster anything, generously agreeing instead that every bill requires 60 votes. Instead, he reserves such punishment only for the members of his own caucus trying to take a stand for the rule of law and the Constitution, those who are trying finally to bring some accountability to this administration.

As I noted in my post yesterday, Reid had the audacity to send his spokesman, Jim Manley, to falsely claim to the New York Times that "Senator Reid intends to do everything he can to strip immunity from the bill" -- even though the exact opposite is true. Reid is engaged in at least as much maneuvering to ensure that Bush and Cheney get what they want here as McConnell would be willing to do if he were the Majority Leader.

This is beyond ridiculous, and Harry Reid needs to give up the Senate gavel or be stripped of this position by the rest of the party. This is not simply about retroactive immunity for telcoms that acted illegally... This is about a criminal offense and treasonous act that bush confessed to in front of millions of television viewers.

This assault on The Constitution and the Bill of Rights by politicians across the political spectrum must be stopped if democracy and freedom are to survive in the USA.

Chris Dodd prepares for the inevitable showdown:

Speaking to reporters today, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) said that he would again filibuster any bill that a provision in it granting retroactive immunity to the telecoms -- or as he put it, "use every tool at my disposal as a Senator" to stop it. So if you were wondering whether anything has changed since Dodd dropped out of the presidential race, nothing has.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) sent a letter to President Bush today to ask that he support an extension to the existing surveillance bill -- which seems very unlikely to happen. That letter's below.

Go Dodd! Feingold too! And any of the other Senators that understand what this country is really about...

[update] From Nicole Bell at Crooks and Liars:

Unbelievable. So much for doing the people’s work. I’ll echo John last night and say this is an opportunity for the Democratic candidates to show some leadership, since Reid is obviously not going to. Clinton, Obama, Edwards? Where are you? This is a no-brainer to stand up for the American people.

As angry as I am at this news (and trust me, it’s a good thing John doesn’t like swearing in posts, because I’ve got some words for Harry that would make a sailor blush), and as much as I encourage you to contact Harry Reid, I would also ask that you take a deep breath before doing so

I have one word for Harry Reid:

PRIMARY

If the people don't chase you out of Washington, DC with pitchforks in hand before then?

The 935 Things I Hate About You

Most people would call it propaganda:

A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

A war by the bush administration on the American people:

The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.

snip

Bush led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 28 about Iraq's links to al-Qaida, the study found. That was second only to Powell's 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.

They've killed hundreds of thousands of people in an illegal invasion and occupation and it was all a pack of lies...

Shorter Bolton: "Israel Should Act Dumber Than USA"

Everyone's favorite pet neocon, Whiskers the wacko walrus, does a craptacular job spewing pure persian bushit while simultaneously balancing bush's recently NIE-neutered warmongering balls on his nose:

"One can say with some assurance that in the next year the use of force by the United States is highly unlikely," Bolton told AFP on the sidelines of the Herzliya conference on the balance of Israel's national security.

"That increases the pressure on Israel in that period of time... if it feels Iran is on the verge of acquiring that capability, it brings the decision point home to use force," he said.

"ARF! ARF! ARF!""Bushies balls are this BIG!"

Unfortunately for the world, you get "more war" cheerleading from undisclosed Israeli sourcing:

Reacting to Bolton, a “senior Israeli security official” told Agence France-Presse that “one should listen very closely to what Bolton has to say.”

But Israel would have to be as dumb as a box of republican rocks to listen to Bolton's barking at the moon. And America ain't joining you in your three ring circus of propaganda, illegal wars and repeated stupidity:

During his trip to Israel this week for the the Herzliya Conference, Bolton has ratcheted up his criticisms of the report, saying on Sunday that the “illegitimate politicization” of the NIE was “a quasi-coup by the intelligence services.”

An amazing amount of projection there, as anyone in their right mind considers the NIE a cutting off at the knees of the coup by the neoconservative warmongering idiots like Bolton and the illegitimate and extremely politicized bush government.

Karl Rove is coming to a CT school near you...

An excerpt from a Masthead Editorial in The News, Choate's school paper in Wallingford, Connecticut:

Rove in '08: We Think Not

The News deeply objects to the appointment of Mr. Rove to speak this June. At Commencement two years ago on June 4, 2006, Headmaster Shanahan asked graduating seniors to think of their responsibilities to themselves, and to others. He lamented how “responsibility to others and for oneself has been all but forgotten in certain circles.” Mr. Shanahan alluded to various public figures who have been exposed for scandalous activities, noting that in spite of their lack of ethics and sense of responsibility they were all found to be “not guilty.” At that Commencement Mr. Shanahan posed a very important and pressing question: “How can so many moral, ethical and legal laws be broken and still no one is guilty, no one assumes public responsibility for having chosen to do wrong?”

It is ironic that the man who issued those words two years ago has chosen a commencement speaker who has gained infamy in many circles for less-than-ethical decisions and actions.Thus far, Mr. Rove has not been indicted for any major crimes. But, many would argue that he is as culpable for the compromised situation the country finds itself in as any other figure of the Bush administration.

snip

Helping to send the U.S. to war in Iraq is not the only thing Mr. Rove is infamous for. For example, he has acknowledged being a source for an article that disclosed the identity of former C.I.A. officer Valerie Plame (although he did not use her name in conversation). However, the point of this article is not to recount a long list of unethical decisions. Mr. Rove would be a very interesting speaker, and having him give a Special Program address could make sense. However, he is unfit to deliver our graduation address. The point of the graduation ceremonies is to celebrate the seniors and the unforgettable time they have spent at Choate and to bring the community together around the climactic moment on the school calendar. Instead, we will be deeply divided. A graduation speaker should inspire us. More importantly, he should represent the values of the school and serve as a role model for the graduates as they enter the adult world. Rove does neither of those two things.

What kind of message does hosting Mr. Rove send to the student body? Do we wish to condone his behavior? It would seem that students are being told that the ends justify the means. The News urges Mr. Shanahan to reconsider his decision. While it is gracious of Mr. Rove to offer his services as Commencement speaker, The News asks that the school kindly reject the offer.

In another article from their school paper:

Karl Rove is widely believed to have been instrumental in the current administration’s decision to go to war with Iraq. He chaired the White House Iraq Group, which, according to CNN and Newsweek, was created with the objective of publicizing the threat posed to the U.S. by Saddam Hussein prior to the Iraq War.

Additionally, Mr. Rove has been accused of leaking the identity of undercover CIA agent, Valerie Plume, in retaliation for her husband’s op-ed piece in The New York Times that criticized the evidence that the Bush Administration cited as justification for the War in Iraq. Rove has also been accused of corruption and conflicts of interest in cases where he helped shape administration policies on energy while holding stock in energy companies such as Enron.

Although Rove was never formally indicted on any charge, there is widespread anger towards the school administration’s decision to invite Karl Rove to speak on campus. “Beyond the fact that his being a widely believed Federal criminal stands against most of the principles that we claim have on campus, it is more than disappointing that the decision was made with so little consultation of other members of the Choate community and that Mr. Shanahan chose to invite such a divisive figure to say the least,” observed an angry Alessio Manti ‘08, a member of the graduating class.

Obviously, they have been paying attention to politics in their school. Though, they might want to note that outing Valery Plame, likely, had less to do with retribution against her husband, Ambassador Wilson, for his actions on the Niger documents than it does with stolen state secrets, nuclear secrets, being sold on the black market and the outfit that would have been investigating this issue, Brewster Jennings and Associates:

Edmonds had told this newspaper that members of the Turkish political and diplomatic community in the US had been actively acquiring nuclear secrets. They often acted as a conduit, she said, for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s spy agency, because they attracted less suspicion.

She claimed corrupt government officials helped the network, and venues such as the American-Turkish Council (ATC) in Washington were used as drop-off points.

The anonymous letter names a high-level government official who was allegedly secretly recorded speaking to an official at the Turkish embassy between August and December 2001.

It claims the government official warned a Turkish member of the network that they should not deal with a company called Brewster Jennings because it was a CIA front company investigating the nuclear black market. The official’s warning came two years before Brewster Jennings was publicly outed when one of its staff, Valerie Plame, was revealed to be a CIA agent in a case that became a cause célèbre in the US.

But, at least those kids at Choate appear to be on the right track in life, knowing right from wrong, and acting on this knowledge in an ethical manner. For those of you unfamiliar with recent developments in the Plame case, here are some more thoughts to chew on... Some more of Karl Rove's criminal Conservative buddies.

Cue Right Wing Heads Simultaneously Exploding Across the US

Where did all of these rocks come from?

Remnants of Republicans hearing about the latest from the McCain Silly Walk Express, of course! Via ctblogger, Keith Olbermann speculates on McCain/Lieberman for 2008...



ctblogger says to "Get your Dump Joe buttons ready."

Personally? I think Republicans are too greedy to share all of those rocks in their heads with the rest of us. Even so, they already aren't too happy about the prehistoric presidential nominee being in the lead based on the promise of a 100 year occupation of Iraq, and they aren't about to trade a bunch of rocks to add Joe neocon Lieberman to that lead-lined ticket... Even if it would be enough excitement to make David Broder wet himself in glee, Republicans will not do this because it would crack the Republican base even more than it it already is.

They aren't really fighting to win an election in 2008... They are fighting amongst themselves trying to decide how AND if they can keep their base together with this pitiful crop of GOP candidates.

Not Just No...

But... HELL NO!

Last December, Republicans in Congress introduced a resolution noting the significance of Christmas and the Christian faith, which eventually passed, blurring the lines between church and state — and they’re at it again, attempting to rewrite American history and further the lie that America is a Christian nation. Via Secular Coalition for America:

Jan. 11 - Flush with last year’s success in passing H.Res. 847, “Recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian Faith,” Christian nationalists — those who would have the United States be governed as a Christian theocracy — are pushing H.Res. 888, another resolution which promotes a false and distorted Christian nation reinterpretation of our history. Generally, we do not take action regarding resolutions because they are ceremonial in nature and express the non-binding opinion of one chamber. They do not have the force of law. Read on…

Contact your Representatives and tell them to say "NO!" to H. Res. 888.

Where is the US media on this one?

Video via Lukery:



What? Doesn't the US media know how to report on the big stories anymore?

-- Guest BRAD BLOG Op-Ed by Daniel Ellsberg

For the second time in two weeks, the entire U.S. press has let itself be scooped by Rupert Murdoch's London Sunday Times on a dynamite story of criminal activities by corrupt U.S. officials promoting nuclear proliferation. But there is a worse journalistic sin than being scooped, and that is participating in a cover-up of information that demands urgent attention from the public, the U.S. Congress and the courts.

For the last two weeks --- one could say, for years --- the major American media have been guilty of ignoring entirely the allegations of the courageous and highly credible source Sibel Edmonds, quoted in the London Times on January 6, 2008 in a front-page story that was front-page news in much of the rest of the world but was not reported in a single American newspaper or network. It is up to readers to demand that this culpable silent treatment end.

Just as important, there must be pressure by the public on Congressional committee chairpersons, in particular Representative Henry Waxman and Senator Patrick Leahy. Both have been sitting for years on classified, sworn testimony by Edmonds --- as she revealed in the Times' new story on Sunday --- along with documentation, in their possession, confirming parts of her account. Pressure must be brought for them to hold public hearings to investigate her accusations of widespread criminal activities, over several administrations, that endanger national security. They should call for open testimony under oath by Edmonds --- as she has urged for five years --- and by other FBI officials she has named to them, as cited anonymously in the first Times' story.

And this is the time for those who have so far creditably leaked to the Times of London to come forward, accepting personal risks, to offer their testimony --- and new documents --- both to the Congress and to the American press. I would say to them: Don't do what I did and waste months of precious time trying to get Congressional committees to act as they should in the absence of journalistic pressure. Do your best to inform the American public directly, first, through the major American media.

Continue reading this op-ed at BradBlog...

Lukery has some info on Sibel's gallery of rogues that he posted about a couple of weeks ago:

Over at Sibel's website, she has published "Sibel Edmonds’ State Secrets Privilege Gallery" - twenty one photos of people.

Sibel doesn't say anything about the photos - or the people in the photos - but we can reasonably presume that they are the 21 guilty people in her case.

Sibel has broken the photos into three different groups.

The first group contains current and former Pentagon and State Department officials.

Go on... You know you are curious! Could there be prominent neoconservative and republican names like Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, Eric Edelman, Marc Grossman, Brent Scowcroft, Larry Franklin, Dennis Hastert, Dan Burton, Tom Lantos and Roy Blunt involved in these treasonous activities? Who knows?

One year and BUSH IS GONE!

Via Think Progress:

Steve Benen at The Carpetbagger Report reminds us that “after seven painful years, the Bush presidency will end exactly one year from today.”

What a difference a year can make, eh? Of course, we could still shorten his time in office if some Dems would grow a spine...

IMPEACH
The dream that spines are made of!

Swift Reactions to Me?

Surprisingly, the most reasonable conservative Blogger on the intertubes, and an A-lister by any standards, actually knows my name?

Stephen Herron at Drinking Liberally in New Milford reminds us that February 3 is the first anniversary of Blogroll Amnesty Day, which was once one of the darkest days in the blogosphere, but has now been turned into a celebration of the power of smaller blogs. If you are celebrating this day on your blog, send us a link and we'll post it here and send it out to other blogs who are writing about it. Blue Gal, Barefoot Bum, Mike the Mad Biologist, The S.N.A.F.U. Principle and House of the Rising Sons are just a few of the many blogs that plan to celebrate the weekend of February 1 to 3. And skippy and Pharyngula remind us that some blogs, including this one, celebrate Blogroll Amnesty Day all year round. Blogroll us and we'll blogroll you.

Thankfully, and due to his reasonable nature, I do not have to worry about him being some kind of Conservative terrorist coming after me to enact, with all the rabidity of some mindless Michelle Malkin or Freeper inspired act of terror, some retribution for being a -shudder- liberal. Jon Swift is just interested in participating in Blogroll Amnesty Day Celebrations. Some Blogs that appear to be interested in participating in Blogroll Amnesty Day Celebrations may have some minor stipulations on your inclusion to their Blogrolls, such as Pharyngula:

Finally, with some trepidation, I'm also making this an Open Enrollment thread. Do you want to be on the Pharyngula blogroll? It's easy. First, you need a blog with an RSS feed (I do all my blog browsing with a newsreader, so that's an absolute requirement). Second, you need to give me a link to your blog in a comment here. And finally, you have to pass a test demonstrating that you actually read Pharyngula: name your favorite commenter. (That's a cunning way to get more votes in the Molly nominations.)

Reading and voting? I have been known to do that! Others are taking the Skippy and Jon Swift inspired road, like Barefoot Bum:

My blogroll is always open, but in the spirit of the times, I'm actively soliciting reciprocal links. Link to me and (assuming you don't offend my delicate sensibilities) I'll add your blog to my blogroll. Post a comment to this thread telling me about it. I'll also actually link to you in the body of a post, so you'll get that heady Technorati boost.

I cannot be too offensive since I do bath regularly. Other Bloggers, like myself or Blue Gal, may be trying to find a way to take what might be considered a bit of a negative for some Bloggers and turning it into something that is a positive for everyone:

February 3 is the anniversary of the notorious Blogroll Amnesty Day. It is evolving, quite rightly it seems to me, from a vitriolic attack on A-listers into something more celebratory of us B-C-D-and-DD-list blogs.

We'll be celebrating the small blogosphere that day somehow and suggestions as to how to do so are most welcome.

As small as some of us may be, there is strength in numbers. But for whatever reasons you might have, I encourage you to participate in this with the many Blogs that are doing what they can to help build a better Blogtopia. (y! sctp) Even if only to claim that you are doing some work:

jon swift and skippy have been working together (that is to say, jon has been working and skippy has been together) to spread the word throughout blogtopia and yes, we coined that phrase, that national blogroll amnesty day & blogroll bloodbath anniversary remembrance day is fast approaching (feb. 3...tho we intend to celebrate all weekend long).

To show how hard I work, I will cut'n'paste my policy on Blogrolling from a previous post here:

If I am on your Blogroll and you notice that you are not on mine, tell me! I will fix it. Heck... Add me to yours and I will add you to mine. Just drop a note in comments here.

Just make sure to note your Blog's name and link in the comments anywhere on this Blog so I am not sitting around wondering whom to thank and link to... :)

Previously Brewed in New Milford:

Celebrating Blogroll Amnesty Day!

It is a little early but Mike the Mad Biologist brings back an idea that skippy the bush kangaroo and Jon Swift got a lot of people involved in last February after January's link assault by some "A list" Bloggers:

"Speaking of Jon Swift, the start of 2008 seems like a good time to have another Blogroll Amnesty Day. If you're not on my blogroll, and I'm on yours, leave me a link below and I'll add you (note: racists, creationists, and flat-out weirdos won't be accepted). Instructions below the fold.

Please put your blog name on one line, and the url on the second line, like so:

Mike the Mad Biologist
http://scienceblogs.com/mikethemadbiologist/

or give me a line of html code, like so:

Mike the Mad Biologist

Thanks!"

Same goes for this Blog. If I am on your Blogroll and you notice that you are not on mine, tell me! I will fix it. Heck... Add me to yours and I will add you to mine. Just drop a note in comments here.

For me, it doesn't matter whether you are covering local Connecticut stuff, national politics, and or pretty much anything else. And if you click around you should be able to get a link from Mike, John Swift and skippy as well as from here! Four Blogroll links just for being astute enough to add 4 links from your Blogroll... Does it get any better or easier than that?

Some ideas are worth repeating over and over again. It is all about building a better Blogtopia! (y!sctp) I was re-repeating the mantra to left leaning people to "Link Damnit!" in a piece on the "Blog Link Meta Backlash" around the time all of that stuff was going down:

(Here I am with another "Link Damnit!" moment...)

Skippy hops along in Jon Swift's "Liberal Linking Policy" footsteps:

skippy the bush kangaroo:
we got yer 'amnesty' right here

"and who are we to limit political discourse diversity? what's going on here? it's as if the major blogs are trying to emulate the democrats in washington who suddenly forget about their constituents.

(ok, it's not. our metaphors suck tonight. but we're pissed. so cut us some slack.)

ergo, we here at skippy are planning to retaliate by offering real blog amnesty. and here's how it goes:

many smaller blogs link to skippy for one or more of a few reasons: out of politeness, out of a hope that we might notice them and link back, or simply out of the imitation of what it takes to make a good blog. it's the second reason that interests us (we really should have put it as the last reason to be more clear with sentence structure (on the other hand, using less parenthetical phrases in a paragraph would go a long way towards grammatical clarity (too late now))).

to wit: any blog that has linked to skippy and has not received a reciprocal blogroll link will now be included on our roll! all you have to do is notify us in our comments section or email us, and we will happily include you! that will show those big shot elitists too good for the little guy blogs! ha!"

At a time when the bigger Blogs need to be doing more to help build the left community some are, and some aren't. I find it ironic that I posted just last week on Chris Bowers argument that we need to link more effectively:

If everyone on the left works a little harder on this we can turn the tides on on the Google Wars and win. We have already made a lot of inroads since this 2004 picture:

The graphs represent the aggregate linkage going on leading up to the 2004 election. Reds (them) are the Republican bloggers, and Blues (us) are the Democratic bloggers. The full expanation of the graphs particulars are on page 9 of the PDF paper. Basically, the first graph connects dots (blogs) when there is strong linkage between them (+25 during the period), the second one where there is less stronger linkage (+5), and they've a 3rd map that includes all linkage that I've not included.

Between blogs then (not taking into consideration that diaries on #8DailyKos and #17MyDD serve to allow massive coordiantion and spreading of message), there's just a lot more coordination through linking among Republican than there has been with Democratic bloggers, at least on the surface of particular URL's. The other interesting thing I noted was that the blog by George Bush's campaign didn't even make the top 40-- now that's pitiful.

We were less coordinated in '04. But in '06 we did little things a little better. I am sure the more recent graphs would look a lot better. But you know that we can still keep on improving on this.

Remember that every time you link to any site you are, over time, creating a kind of GOOGLEBOMB effect on that site when it comes to site rankings, search results, etc.. Tagging and choice of words that are used to link are important in these cumulitive effects as well.

Now this week... Brilliant at Breakfast has the scoop on how MyDD has become an apologist for those attempting to cut out the links that we need to build the Left:

Shorter Chris Bowers

"We innovate more than you, we hired people to help us, and because we did that there is no place for you lone bloggers anymore -- because WE decide who makes it and who doesn't."

Oh, you really have to read this self-congratulatory drivel to believe it. It's truly amazing to see one blogger fellating the entire Big Name Blogosphere in one post, while at the same time consigning the rest of us to the ranks of the MySpacers.

Kool Kidz Klub indeed.

It's funny how Bowers uses a quote by Jeffrey Feldman to illustrate his point, because as I've mentioned before, I had a very nice conversation about blogging just last week with Mr. Feldman, who seems to be in no way a blog snob. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there is at least one Big Name Blogger who isn't puffed up with his own self-importance.

But with Kos and Atrios making a big show about "culling the blogroll", and Chris Bowers playing "Mine's Bigger" with the rest of the blogosphere, is this really what it's come to? Is this the Revenge of the Nerds come to fruition? Is this the guys who DIDN'T get laid on prom night finally staking their claim to coolness?

If so, are we going to sit by and take it? Are we going to just toil away while guys like Atrios and Kos and Chris Bowers define the rules and brand the rest of us as useless?

What an amazing flip-flop-contortion there Bowers... This leaves me wondering just how committed he really is to the cause.

Jon Swift puts it all in perspective:

I adopted this policy in a spirit of both self-interest and altruism. In the blogosphere links are like capital. By offering links to others, others would be more inclined to offer links to me. But I am also very grateful to those who helped me out by throwing a link my way or adding me to their blogroll when I was just starting out. Now that I am a Large Mammal, according the Truth Laid Bear Ecosystem, I have tried to return the favor by helping out those further down the food chain.

Links are capital! It is the foundation of bringing views from fellow bloggers out of obscurity and into the top of search engine results. And just how much does it cost any blogger to spend some of this valuable capital?

ZIP. Zilch. Zero dollars.

Not even one penny to use the most effective marketing tool that Blogtopia has to offer.

All you have to do is put a few seconds into the act of cut'n'paste into your Blogroll or into a post... And you make a huge difference for everyone in our fight.

As ctblogger commented in an earlier MLN diary of mine on building a better community:

We should all work together to fight the good progressive fight and not be so critical in terms of other people's sites. I read CTBlue, Ed's Daily Rant, CT Local Politics, and the watch sites everyday and I learn something new from all of those guys which I incorporate into my site and that's the way it should be. Learn something from me and I learn something from you.

2006 is going to be a HUGE election year and Connecticut will be ground zero in terms of who controls Congress (2nd, 4th 5th district races). The faster we can all work to get this site up to full-speed, the more national attention it will receive.

He also called me out for not having links to his sites... Which I quickly fixed. lol

2006 is behind us but there are still a lot of common causes that we all share, and we can all help each other in achieving our goals. Linking is the first, easiest AND cheapest way to start.

For more background on all of this: Boston Joe has a Meta diary up x-posted at BooTrib and at MLW covering a bit more of this Meta discussion in a thoughtful way. Both have generated a lot of comments. I usually hate Meta... But this topic is the foundation of what Blogging is all about.

We can do better than we have been doing. And if we keep building on what we already have our numbers (and the fact that we deal in reality) will easily overcome the right wing echo chamber's lies and propaganda.

Start the new year off kicking Blogtopia (y!sctp) up a notch! BAM!

Polling Connecticut on Presidential Candidates

The Hartford Courant has some numbers up from a poll conducted by the Center For Survey Research and Analysis at the University of Connecticut:

McCain's rise is a dramatic turn in a state where former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was the favorite last fall before fading in the early decision states of Iowa, New Hampshire and Michigan.

After being widely written off last year, McCain now is preferred by 39 percent of Republicans, compared with 16 percent for Giuliani and 11 percent for former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, according to the poll by the Center for Survey Research and Analysis at the University of Connecticut.

In the Democratic race, Clinton is favored by 41 percent of Democrats, compared with 27 percent for Barack Obama and 9 percent for John Edwards. One in five Democrats is undecided, an audience Obama is trying to reach with television ads that began Saturday.

You can head over there to get a breakdown of the poll, from the Hartford Courant's Mark Pazniokas.

Iraq by the numbers

Another pissed off veteran, Farnsworth68 at One Pissed Off Veteran, with some stats for you:

Total American dead in the Iraq Illegal Occupation: 2500 2513 2532 2540 2546 2558 2571 2585 2597 2605 2619 2641 2710 2737 2758 2788 2809 2826 2865 2888 2906 2959 3006 3018 3025 3067 3087 3118 3132 3151 3166 3189 3210 3233 3245 3266 3299 3316 3337 3358 3387 3409 3444 3504 3519 3546 3577 3592 3611 3631 3683 3705 3725 3738 3760 3780 3795 3823 3830 3838 3845 3866 3875 3881 3886 3891 3896 3908 3921 3926

Total coalition forces dead: 307
Total Iraqi Dead: 700,000+

You don't hear too much in the media about how we are approaching 4000 dead American kids in this illegal invasion and occupation. And you rarely ever hear anything about the deaths of Iraqis.

Its election time...
Not like these things are important, eh?

These numbers just don't sound good to those flag-pin wearing news boobs when they try to shape the view of the electorate in their push to keep control of the White House in an establishment candidates' control.

Happy talk about the change, that they report on with all of the skills of stenographer in full-tilt propaganda mode, which can even come from Republicans that still support the failed bush agenda of endless war and the only front-runners allowed on the Democratic party side, according to these fantastic analysts in the media with their surreal script, are the ones that toe the Iraq happy talk line.

Obama Takes Nevada in Soap Opera Twist

Hillary Clinton wins the vote count:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton won the Nevada caucuses on Saturday, capturing strong support from women voters and adding a fresh boost of momentum to her campaign as the Democratic presidential race heads to South Carolina, where she is engaged in a fierce battle with her rival, Senator Barack Obama.

snip

The New York senator had 51 percent of the vote to Mr. Obama’s 45 percent, with just over 90 percent of the state’s caucuses reporting. John Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina, faded to a distant third place with 4 percent of the vote.

But Barack Obama wins the delegate count:

Barack Obama released an official statement celebrating a delegate victory. "We came from over twenty-five points behind to win more national convention delegates than Hillary Clinton because we performed well all across the state, including rural areas where Democrats have traditionally struggled," he said.

A current estimate of the national convention delegate count is below, though not all precincts have fully reported.

District 1 Clinton 3, Obama 3

District 2 (Washoe) Clinton 1, Obama 2

District 2 (Rural) Clinton 0, Obama 1

District 2 (Clark) Clinton 1, Obama 1

District 3 (Clark) Clinton 2, Obama 2

At-Large Clinton 2, Obama 1

PLEO Clinton 3, Obama 3

Hillary wins the vote.
Barack wins the delegates.
Or did he really?

Obama partisans don't heart Hillary too much because of tactics, Hillary partisans don't heart Obama trying to get some Edwards love, and Edwards wins a fund raising Bomb but bombs in the Nevada vote. And I am guessing you haven't even thought about adding Super Delegates in the mix yet?

Confused? You won't be after this episode of Soap...



[update] HuffPo is reporting that AP releases that had originally given Hillary Clinton the edge in delegates have flipped the count in Barack Obama's favor in their story:

As Plouffe cast doubt on the accuracy of the caucus results, he also claimed electoral victory. Senator Obama, he argued, actually wound up winning more delegates (13) than Clinton (12).

"On one very important measure, we had a slight lead," said Plouffe. "Just as important as the number is why that is: we showed real strength statewide."

The Associated Press was reporting the numbers flipped, but an AP official on the conference call suggested that Obama's campaign could be right. [Update: The AP has changed its count to reflect a delegate win for Obama, 13-12.]

A Comment on the New Hampshire Recount

I pulled this comment that I felt was well worth sharing from an MLN diary covering a lot of the issues with recounts and the results in New Hampshire:

• A good audit costs about $.26-$.50 per vote cast
  
  
• An Election costs $3.00+per vote
  
  
• Candidates spend $millions of our money on elections
  
  
• The cost of the wrong candidate being elected can be $trillions and thousands of lives.
  
  
• The value of integrity and confidence in elections: Priceless.

because Connecticut voters count: CTVotersCount.org

Recounts can be somewhat expensive, though a pittance compared to the overall cost of the elections, but the real value of them can not be measured in dollars and cents.

NH Recount - 5th Ward Way Off After Hand Count

As the hand recount begins at Dennis Kucinich's request, The Brad Blog was going through recount results as they were coming in:

As mentioned earlier today, NH SoS Bill Gardner told WMUR in NH that "We did nine of the 12 wards in Manchester, and a lot of the votes were exactly the same...Some went up by a vote or two." He didn't, of course, note that a lot of the vote counts (most of them) were off by 5 or more.

And now, the rest of the numbers from the rest of the Manchester wards are coming on. And get a load of Ward 5:

	Diebold Result	Hand Count
CLINTON	683	619
EDWARDS	255	217
OBAMA	404	365

All of the other candidates seem to have lost votes as well. No clue who received them instead...

From another of his posts, and after media reports that "a lot of the votes were exactly the same":

But many more vote counts were not at all the same, ranging anywhere from 5 to 8 votes off in regular cases, across almost all candidates.

And before you say that's no big deal, we'll remind you that in 2004, had just 6 votes per precinct been registered in Ohio for John Kerry instead of George W. Bush, we'd have a different person sitting in the White House right now.

So far, this is not looking very pretty. Not in retrospect, nor in looking forward...