Sunday, May 31, 2009

UPDATE ON THE MURDER OF DOCTOR GEORGE TILLER



Here's a little more information on previous attacks on doctors and clinics.

April 2007: Authorities say Paul Ross Evans placed a homemade bomb in the parking lot of the Austin Women's Health Center in Texas. A bomb squad disposes of the device, which contained two pounds of nails. There were no injuries. Evans was later sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Oct. 23, 1998: Dr. Barnett Slepian is fatally shot in his home in a suburb of Buffalo, N.Y. Militant abortion opponent James Kopp is convicted of the murder in 2003 and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Jan. 29, 1998: A bomb explodes just outside a Birmingham, Ala., abortion clinic, killing a police officer and wounding several others. Eric Rudolph was arrested in May 2003 after several years on the lam. He later pleaded guilty to that incident and the deadly bombing at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He was sentenced in 2005 to two consecutive life terms without parole.
Jan. 16, 1997: Two bomb blasts an hour apart rock an Atlanta building containing an abortion clinic. Seven people are injured. Rudolph is charged by federal authorities in October 1998.
Dec. 30, 1994: John Salvi opens fire with a rifle inside two Boston-area abortion clinics, killing two receptionists and wounding five others. Sentenced to life without parole, he kills himself in prison in 1996.
Nov. 8, 1994: Dr. Garson Romalis, who performs abortions in Vancouver, Canada, is shot in the leg while eating breakfast at home.
July 29, 1994: Dr. John Bayard Britton and his volunteer escort, James H. Barrett, are slain outside a Pensacola, Fla., abortion clinic. Barrett's wife, June, is wounded in the attack. Paul J. Hill, 40, a former minister and anti-abortion activist, is later convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
Aug. 19, 1993: Dr. George Tiller is shot in the arms as he drives out of parking lot at his Wichita, Kan., clinic. Rachelle "Shelley" Shannon is later convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison.
March 10, 1993: Dr. David Gunn is shot to death outside Pensacola, Fla., clinic, becoming the first U.S. doctor killed during an anti-abortion demonstration. Michael Griffin is convicted and serving a life sentence.

HOME-GROWN TERRORISTS

Goddamn fucking right-wing crybaby fascists!

Remember the fucking fit they all threw when the Department of Homeland Security released a report stating that the biggest danger to the security of the United States were from home-grown terrorists from the extreme right?!?! DHS Sec. Janet Napolitano apologized to those hard right wing-nut fascists for what was in that report.

Well, now it looks like that report was right! Just like Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, was a right-wing extremist, so is the fucker, or fuckers, who did this.

From MSNBC:

Report: Kansas abortion physician killed

Image: The body of a shooting victim is removed from the Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kan.
The body of shooting victim Dr. George Tiller is removed from the Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kan., on Sunday.

Controversial doctor was acquitted in March on charges related to his work

WICHITA, Kansas - Wichita police say that abortion provider Dr. George Tiller has been shot and killed at his Wichita church.

Tiller has been among the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortion. His clinic has repeatedly been the site of protests for about two decades.

The Wichita Eagle was reporting on its Web site, Kansas.com, that Tiller, 67, was shot just after 10 a.m. at Reformation Lutheran Church, where he was a member of the congregation. The newspaper reported that witnesses and a police source confirmed Tiller was the victim.

Authorities looking for powder blue Taurus

The New York Times reported Sunday that the shots were fired from a handgun in the church lobby during the morning service. Authorities told the newspaper they were searching for a powder blue Taurus made in the 1990s that had been seen leaving shortly after the shooting. Witnesses told authorities they saw a white man departing.

NBC News affiliate, KSN news, said the Taurus has a Kansas tag of 225BAB that is traced to a residence in Merriam, Kan.

Anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, which has been critical of Tiller, issued the following statement on its Web site Sunday:

"We are shocked at this morning’s disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down. Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning. We pray for Mr. Tiller’s family that they will find comfort and healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ."

Tiller had been acquitted in March of 19 misdemeanor charges stemming from procedures he performed, but moments after the verdict the state’s medical board announced it was investigating allegations against him that are nearly identical to those the jury had rejected.

Prosecutors had alleged that Tiller had in 2003 gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires, but a jury took only about an hour to find him not guilty of all 19 counts.

Claimed prosecution was politically motivated
Tiller, who could have faced a year in jail for even one conviction, stared straight ahead as the verdicts were read, with one of his attorneys patting his shoulder after the decision on the final count was declared. His wife, seated across the courtroom, fought back tears and nodded. The couple had declined to speak to reporters afterward.

Image: George Tiller
Mike Hutmacher / MCT / Newscom file
Dr. George Tiller enters the courtroom Monday, March 23, 2009, on the first day of his jury trial in Wichita, Kansas. He was reportedly shot and killed Sunday at his Wichita church.

Tiller had claimed that the prosecution was politically motivated. An attorney general who opposed abortion rights began the investigation into Tiller’s clinic more than four years ago, but both his successor, who filed the criminal charges, and the current attorney general support abortion rights.

Tiller had been a favored target of anti-abortion protesters, and he testified that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats. His clinic was the site of the 1991 “Summer of Mercy” protests marked by mass demonstrations and arrests. His clinic was bombed in 1985, and an abortion opponent shot him in both arms in 1993.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

WHERE TO SEND THOSE WHO HATE AMERICA......

JUST WHAT DID THE BUSH/CHENEY GOVERNMENT HAVE TO DO WITH 9/11?!?!?

What happened that day needs to be re-investigated.



Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth.



JUST A LITTLE MUSIC........

......by my favorite group.......with one of my favorite tunes....

MANCOW'S WATERBOARDING A HOAX??? WTF?!?!

There's some douchebag at the Gawker (I refuse to post a link here 'cause it's a fucking fascist website) who claims to be an investigative reporter, that is claiming that the waterboarding of Erich "Mancow" Muller was all a hoax, that it was all a put-on. Must be the same kind of "investigative reporter" that Fuks Nuz has working for them.

Here's another interview Keith Olbermann did with Mancow on Countdown:

Friday, May 29, 2009

HOW THE CHRISTO-FASCISTS REALLY WANT MARRIAGE TO BE



Thanks to True Blue Texan for providing the video.

CONSERVATARD PUNDITS IN HYSTERICS

THIS IS FOR THE HOMOPHOBIC RETHUGLICANS AND THE CHRISTO-FASCISTS

This video gleefully stolen from themom at Attentive Aphorist .




Thank you very much themom!

NEW SCARE TACTICS FROM THE PARTY OF TOTAL FAILURE....BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID.....HEH

Oh no....they've run out of ideas....wait a minute, they never had any ideas.
So instead of trying to come up with ideas of their own, it's much easier to scare the public....kinda like the Nazis did to the German public during the 1930's.

From the Rachel Maddow Show:

WTF?!?! PARTISAN WAR ON CAR DEALERSHIPS?!?! MORE RETHULICAN HYPOCRACY!!!

Rushole and his snobby-nob Rethuglican friends are up in arms about the closing of a large number of Chrysler dealerships. They say that certain dealerships have been targeted because they donated money to the campaigns of several Rethuglicans. Nevermind that these same Rethuglicans were the ones who voted against the Bush bailout of the automotive industry. The same ones who virtually said that they didn't care about all the bluecollar workers who would lose their jobs with or without that same bailout.

Here's what Keith Olbermann had on Countdown last night in his What The Fuck section:

Thursday, May 28, 2009

WHAT BARRY AND SONIA ARE UP AGAINST



Gleefully stolen from Gordon at The Brain!

Thanks Gordon!

WHAT!?! NO FILIBUSTER FROM THE PARTY OF NO?!?

All that flag waving and chest pounding from the Party of Immense Failure was all for naught. They figured out that if they filibuster the appointment of Judge Sonia Sotomayor the only thing they will accomplish is the further alienation of the Hispanic voters....of which over 65% voted for Obama in November.

From Alter Net:

It Looks Like GOP Senators Lack the Enthusiasm to Block Sotomayor


While Rush Limbaugh calls Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor a racist and Ann Couler calls for a filibuster, GOP Senators are in a political bind. For a party already shrinking due to demographic changes (and lack of ability to manage any part of the government well) attacking an "up from the Bronx" Latina woman apparently isn't very palatable. Here's the best Republicans can muster:

Charles Grassley: "We need to ask tough questions to learn how this individual views the role of a Supreme Court justice."

Ouch. How about Jeff Sessions? He's attacking with a sports metaphor:

...we must determine if Ms. Sotomayor understands that the proper role of a judge is to act as a neutral umpire of the law, calling balls and strikes fairly without regard to one’s own personal preferences or political views.

But John Cornyn means business. He's making demands. Cornyn says the Obama administration won't get any cooperation unless... unless Sotomayor agrees to answer questions:

...the president has assured me that we will have ample time to give Ms. Sotomayor's record a full and fair review.

Take that Democrats!

You may say this is just typical Senate speak but previous nominees have been attacked immediately out of the gate. Harriet Miers was attacked from the right and left. And when Samuel Alito was nominated instead, Patrick Leahy called the pick "needlessly provocative."

Surely the most recent standard bearer for the GOP, John McCain, could work up some anger sarcasm over Sotomayor:

I congratulate Judge Sonia Sotomayor on her nomination by the President to be an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court,” McCain said. “I look forward to examining her record thoroughly during the Senate confirmation process."

Jim DeMint?

I will withhold judgment about her nomination until she has the opportunity to fully present her views before the Senate

Mitch McConnell?

Senate Republicans will treat Judge Sotomayor fairly.

Olympia Snowe?

a well-qualified woman

The primary strategy of Republican Senators will be to delay the process as long they can (a la Al Franken), hope a smoking gun emerges, and talk a lot about legislating from the bench. Will these GOP Senators be voting for Sotomayor. No, most won't. But, absent some new dirt, don't expect too much fight from them either.



(Hat-tip to tremayne at Open Left)

NEWT(ER) GINGRICH OPENS YAP AND GETS SLAPPED

Gingrich is at it again. Yesterday he opened his fucking ugly yap again and stupid shit came rolling out when he called Obama's SCOTUS pick a racist. And then got smacked by the White House.

From Alter Net:

White House Smacks Gingrich for Calling Sotomayor a Racist

The White House hit back at Newt Gingrich on Wednesday for a twitter post made by the former House Speaker accusing Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor of being a racist.

Early on Wednesday, Gingrich put up a post on twitter rapping Sotomayor for saying that her background as a Hispanic female allowed her to understand cases in a different, better, manner than her white male contemporaries.

"Imagine a judicial nominee said "my experience as a white man makes me better than a latina woman" new racism is no better than old racism."

Asked at the daily briefing to respond to the tweet, spokesman Robert Gibbs offered a bit of thinly-veiled frustration with Gingrich and warned against the escalation of racially heated rhetoric.

"I think it is probably important for anyone involved in this debate to be exceedingly careful with the way in which they've decided to describe aspects of this impending nomination," said Gibbs. "I think when the people of America and the Senate get a chance to look at more than just the blog of a former lawmaker that they will come to the same conclusion as the president did. ... I feel certain that partisan politics will take a back seat to common sense and open-minded decisions based on a full examination of the record, and I think that that's what every Supreme Court and judicial nominee deserves."

Playing up the racial aspect of Sotomayor's candidacy is a dangerous proposition for the conservative community, with the risk of offending wide swaths of Hispanics omnipresent. To this point, the charges of reverse-racism have been primarily trumpeted by non-elected officials. But as Greg Sargent pointed out first, the director of new media for the Republican National Committee, Todd Herman, re-tweeted Gingrich's post, bringing the line of attack ever closer to the rank-and-file GOP.


(Hat-tip to Sam Stein at the Huffington Post)

LIVING IN CHENEYTOWN

TURNING THE TABELS ON THE TORTURE DEBATE

Last week Erich "Mancow" Muller was waterboarded during his radio show from his studio at WLS in Chicago. Tuesday night Keith Olbermann did a video interview with him on Countdown. During that interview, Muller stated that his "friend" Sean Hannity, of Fuks Nuz fame, told him that waterboarding still wasn't torture.

Here are Keith and Rachel Maddow discussing what it's going to take to change how the right looks at waterboarding and what it will take to make them realize that it is torture.




And now here is Keith showing how Alberto Gonzales is trying to blame the Department of Justice for approving the torture that was used.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

ERICH "MANCOW" MULLER ON COUNTDOWN

Remember "Mancow." He's the radio talk-show host who got waterboarded, live, on air.

He was on Countdown with Keith Olbermann last night.




This was stolen from ZIRGAR at Zirgar's Fresh New Brain Squeezin's!

Thanks pal. Didn't tell ya I was stealin' this.

FOX NEWS VS JUDGE SONIA SOTOMAYOR

The audio is the real thing. The video is from Scott Bateman of Video Dog at Salon.


Bateman: Fox News vs. Sonia Sotomayor

Fox News was quick to criticize Obama's Supreme Court pick, citing "unnamed sources" who don't like her. Scott Bateman animates.

OBAMA'S WORLD VS CHENEY'S WORLD

For the last few weeks (seems like forever) Dick "The Evil One" Cheney has been on the offensive trying to get everyone to believe that torture, what the Dickhead says is "advanced interrogation", was all legal and necessary for the safety of America. Even with all the experts who have come forward and said that torture is not only illegal, but doesn't get any more information than standard interrogation tactics....if any at all....the Dickhead stands by what he has been saying and what the Bush administration approved. Hell, even Jesse Ventura, the former governor of Minnesota and a former Navy SEAL said that waterboarding was torture. He should know. Jesse had it done to him during SERE training to become a SEAL.

Dick "The Evil One" Cheney seems to live in his own world, a world no one I know wants to inhabit. Part of that world is the bunker he use to hide in whenever he was afraid of the rest of the world. I wish he'd go back to his bunker and close the door....permanently!

This morning I found a column by Eugene Robinson about the differences between the world of President Barack Obama and that of "The Evil One", Dickhead Cheney. I wasn't going to post the entire column, but couldn't decide what to leave out so it's all here, with all due respect to Mr. Robinson.

Fresh Air Versus a Bunker

By Eugene Robinson

Which reality do you inhabit, Obama World or Cheney World? If it’s the latter, remember that storm clouds are always gathering. Don’t forget your umbrella.

In Obama World, it’s always morning. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the pollen count is low. In Cheney World, it’s perpetual twilight. Somewhere in the distance, a lone wolf howls at the rising moon.

In Obama World, human beings are flawed but essentially decent and rational. Most will behave in a way consistent with enlightened self-interest. In Cheney World, humanity’s defects are indelible and irredeemable. Absent evidence to the contrary, evil should be assumed to lurk in every heart. Better to do unto others before they have a chance to do unto you.

In Obama World, choices are artifacts of reasoning and thus are only as valid as the logic underlying them. Security and freedom, for example, do not have to be seen as an either-or proposition. The nation never came to a fork in the road with one path labeled “torture” and the other labeled “disaster.” In Cheney World, choices are binary and absolute. There’s no wiggle room, no gray area, no time for second thoughts and no debate about how our options are framed. It’s my way or the highway, citizen.

In Obama World, objective fact matters. The failure to find any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq is significant. The absence of any link whatsoever between Iraq and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is relevant. In Cheney World, facts are based more on conviction than evidence. If it’s possible to imagine “nuclear-armed terrorists,” as Cheney did in his speech the other day, then they “exist” at least as a concept—and this conceptual existence justifies torture, among other abuses.

In Obama World, some “threats” can be recognized as no threat at all. Since there has never been an escape from the federal “supermax” prison in Colorado, and since it already houses plenty of terrorists, spies and other miscreants, there’s no real reason to be concerned about transferring any of the Guantanamo inmates, even the worst of the lot, there. But in Cheney World, no threat, however remote, can be definitively ruled out—especially if there’s political hay to be made. And anyway, it’s fun to scare people.

Obama World buzzes with information overload—hundreds of cable channels, zillions of Web sites, constant “tweets” from Twitter. In Cheney World, it’s pretty much Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, all day, every day. It’s like the saying, “I like both kinds of music—country and western.”

In Obama World, Americans have a sense of community and shared purpose. Those upon whom fortune has smiled—through accident of birth, educational opportunity, career-enhancing connections or any other kind of “right place, right time” serendipity—recognize that extending a hand to those who do not enjoy such advantages is not just morally right, but ultimately beneficial to all. They believe that Henry Ford was right to pay his workers the shockingly high sum of $5 a day—so they could afford to buy the cars they were making.

In Cheney World, sharing is for saps. Obtaining great wealth and power has nothing to do with being “fortunate,” whatever that means. It’s all about preparation, focus and hard work. The idea that luck or connections could possibly have anything to do with, say, becoming the lavishly compensated chairman and chief executive of a mega-corporation such as Halliburton? Preposterous and un-American.

In Obama World, America exerts its leadership not just through force but through example. Our nation’s exceptionalism lies in its ideals of freedom, justice and opportunity for all, in its decency and generosity, in its commitment to the rule of law and its zeal for self-improvement, in its willingness to examine its own flaws and work to correct them. These intangibles are backed up by the world’s most powerful military, but it’s the ideals that matter most. When we lose sight of them, we head down the path of inevitable decline.

In Cheney World, ideals are nice and all that, but might makes right. We do what we want. Because we can. You got a problem with that?

Obama World is an exciting place to live right now—not perfect, to be sure, but full of energy and hope. If Dick Cheney wants to stay in his bunker, that’s his business. Others might want to come up for some fresh air.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

A REAL INTERROGATOR SPEAKS AND SHOOTS DOWN DICK "THE EVIL ONE" CHENEY

I found this at Attentive Aphorist, and then promptly proceeded to steal it from themom.



Thanks themom!

IS THE GOP A CULT?

I was reading a post from Gordon over at Alternate Brain about Jesus and waterboarding that he picked up on from Library Grape.

In there he mentioned how the GOP was like a cult.
"One definition of a 'cult' is a religion with no political power. They should all be 'cults'."

Here's a partial list from put out by the International Cultic Studies Association entitled 'Characteristics Associated with Cultic Groups':

The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader and (whether he is alive or dead) regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law.

Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.

The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (for example, members must get permission to date, change jobs, marry—or leaders prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, whether or not to have children, how to discipline children, and so forth).

The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s) and members (for example, the leader is considered the Messiah, a special being, an avatar—or the group and/or the leader is on a special mission to save humanity).

The group has a polarized us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society.

The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members' participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group (for example, [torture,] lying to family or friends, or collecting money for bogus charities).

The most loyal members (the “true believers”) feel there can be no life outside the context of the group. They believe there is no other way to be, and often fear reprisals to themselves or others if they leave (or even consider leaving) the group.

MORE REPUBLICAN HYPOCRISY

The Rethuglicans say they don't want an activist judge on the Supreme Court.

Let's face it, they don't want anyone on the high court who does not fit into the pigeon-hole that a member of said court should fit into.

Yesterday on "Fuks Nuz Sunday" Sen. Jon Kyl, a Rethuglican from Arizona, and Sen. Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Rethuglican disguised as a Democrat both said that a filibuster of any SCOTUS nominee of President Obama was not out of the question.

How things have changed since the Rethuglicans lost control of Congress.

From Campaign for America's Future:

Just four years ago, Senate Republicans were up in arms over the possibility that Democrats might filibuster against the most extreme of President Bush’s judicial nominees. In 2005, conservatives threatened to invoke the “nuclear option,” a parliamentary maneuver in the Senate which would override a filibuster and confirm judicial nominees on a straight majority vote.

At that time, most of the Republicans now in the Senate said that it was wrong, or even unconstitutional, to filibuster a judicial appointment. Our friends at Media Matters have set up a webpage that provides all the relevant quotes. For example:


Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY):

I support a change in the rules of the Senate to allow for an up-or-down vote on judicial nominations. We must not let the minority party circumvent the Constitution, and take away the right of the President to have his judicial nominees voted on by a simple up-or-down vote.

Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS):


There should be no question in anyone's mind about my intentions. I will work in concert with our leader, and with the distinguished Majority Whip, Mr. McConnell, to end filibusters of judicial nominations in the Senate.

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX):

I believe, about the process of reestablishing the precedent of majority rule that had prevailed for 214 years in the Senate, that would say any President's nominees, whether they be Republican or Democrat, if they have the support of a majority of the Senate, will get an up-or-down vote in the Senate. Senators who believe these nominees should be confirmed can vote for them and those who believe they should not be confirmed can vote against them.

John Ensign (R-NV):

We must put an end to this mockery of our system before it becomes impossible to undo the damage. I am sure a lot of Americans believe this is politics as usual. It is not. Filibustering of judicial nominations is an unprecedented intrusion into the longstanding practice of the Senate's approval of judges.

Judd Gregg (R-NH):

There never was a filibuster of a majority-supported judicial nominee until a couple of years ago... It is inconsistent with the Constitution and with the Framers' intent as documented in the Federalist Papers and the notes of James Madison.

Orrin Hatch (R-UT):

All we are asking is the 214-year tradition of the Senate that judicial nominees not be filibustered be followed. That has been the tradition of the Senate up until President Bush became President. All we are asking is that every one of these qualified nominees who have reached the floor receive an up-or-down vote. That is all we are asking.

Many, many more similar quotes are available at the Media Matters website.

So there’s not going to be a filibuster of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, right? Don’t hold your breath!


To read the rest go here.

OBAMA TABS SOTOMAYOR FOR NEW MEMBER OF SUPREMES

Here's the video from this mornings announcement by President Obama of his pick of appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayer to replace retiring Justice David Souter.

The video runs for 25 minutes, but if you haven't seen it, it is worth watching it in it's entirety.



Here's what MSNBC had after Obama's announcement. This runs for just over 10 minutes.

GEN. PETRAEUS BACKS OBAMA ON ENDING TORTURE, CLOSING GITMO

This should really fuck with the Dick & Liz Show that's making the news show circuit.

General David Petraeus, who the conservatards have hailed as the preeminent military man of his generation, has said he stands with President Obama on his decisions to end the use of torture and to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay.

From Alter Net:

Gen. Petraeus Endorses Obama's Plans To Close Gitmo, End Torture

The president also got a boost on Sunday when former Secretary of State Colin Powell came to his defense on both subjects.

spetraeuslarge

General David Petraeus said this past weekend that President Obama's decision to close down Gitmo and end harsh interrogation techniques would benefit the United States in the broader war on terror.

In an appearance on Radio Free Europe Sunday, the man hailed by conservatives as the preeminent military figure of his generation left little room for doubt about where he stands on some of Obama's most contentious policies.

"I think, on balance, that those moves help [us]," said the chief of U.S. Central Command. "In fact, I have long been on record as having testified and also in helping write doctrine for interrogation techniques that are completely in line with the Geneva Convention. And as a division commander in Iraq in the early days, we put out guidance very early on to make sure that our soldiers, in fact, knew that we needed to stay within those guidelines.

"With respect to Guantanamo," Petraeus added, "I think that the closure in a responsible manner, obviously one that is certainly being worked out now by the Department of Justice -- I talked to the Attorney General the other day [and] they have a very intensive effort ongoing to determine, indeed, what to do with the detainees who are left, how to deal with them in a legal way, and if continued incarceration is necessary -- again, how to take that forward. But doing that in a responsible manner, I think, sends an important message to the world, as does the commitment of the United States to observe the Geneva Convention when it comes to the treatment of detainees."

The remarks appear to be the first from Petraeus since the closure of Guantanamo and Bush Administration use of enhanced interrogation techniques became hot-button partisan issues. They couldn't come at a better time for Obama. The president has found himself under intense political heat after the United States Senate soundly rejected his request for funds to shut down the prison. Dueling speeches between Obama and Cheney this past Thursday, moreover, did little to tamp down the controversy over the president's release of memos depicting the legal authorization fro the use of torture.

The president got a boost on Sunday when former Secretary of State Colin Powell came to his defense on both subjects. In conducting his RFE interview, Petraeus because the second figure who garners far more respect and popularity among Republicans than Cheney to offer his backing for Obama's national security plans.


(Hat-tip to Sam Stein at Huffington Post)

OBAMA PICKS JUDGE SONIA SOTOMAYOR FOR SUPREME COURT

Barry has made his pick. Now the battle with the hard-line Rethuglicans begins.

From MSNBC:

Obama to pick Sotomayor for Supreme Court

President to announce his first Supreme Court choice later Tuesday

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama tapped federal appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court on Tuesday, officials said, making her the first Hispanic in history picked to wear the robes of a justice.

If confirmed by the Senate, Sotomayor, 54, would succeed retiring Justice David Souter. Two officials described Obama's decision on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement had been made.

Administration officials say Sotomayor would bring more judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any justice confirmed in the past 70 years.


A formal announcement is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. ET in the East Room of the White House.

Obama had said publicly he wanted a justice who combined intellect and empathy — the ability to understand the troubles of everyday Americans.

Democrats hold a large majority in the Senate, and barring the unexpected, Sotomayor's confirmation should be assured.

If approved, she would join Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the second woman on the current court.

'Newyorkrican'
Sotomayor is a self-described "Newyorkrican" who grew up in a Bronx housing project after her parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico. She has dealt with diabetes since age 8 and lost her father at age 9, growing up under the care of her mother in humble surroundings. As a girl, inspired by the Perry Mason television show, she knew she wanted to be a judge.

A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, a former prosecutor and private attorney, Sotomayor became a federal judge for the Southern District of New York in 1992.

As a judge, she has a bipartisan pedigree. She was first appointed by a Republican, President George H.W. Bush, then named an appeals judge by President Bill Clinton in 1997.

At her Senate confirmation hearing more than a decade ago, she said, "I don't believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance. It says what it says. We should do honor to it."

Notable rulings
In one of her most memorable rulings as federal district judge, Sotomayor essentially salvaged baseball in 1995, ruling with players over owners in a labor strike that had led to the cancellation of the World Series.

As an appellate judge, she sided with the city of New Haven, Conn., in a discrimination case brought by white firefighters after the city threw out results of a promotion exam because two few minorities scored high enough. Ironically, that case is now before the Supreme Court.

Obama's nomination is the first by a Democratic president in 15 years.

His announcement also leaves the Senate four months — more than enough by traditional standards — to complete confirmation proceedings before the Court begins its next term in the fall.

Republicans have issued conflicting signals about their intentions. While some have threatened filibusters if they deemed Obama's pick too liberal, others have said that is unlikely.

Given Sotomayor's selection, any decision to filibuster would presumably carry political risks — Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment of the population and an increasingly important one politically.


Monday, May 25, 2009

THE "TERROR PLOT" THAT WASN'T......PART II

Here's a little more on that bogus "terror plot" that was uncovered in New York this week.

From The New York Daily News:

Girlfriends of accused Bronx wanna-be terrorists defend their men

My man's no terrorist!

The girlfriends of two of the accused Bronx bomb plotters said Saturday their beaus are sweet, sensitive and devoted men who were taken advantage of by an overzealous informant.

"David is the most sensitive man I've ever met," Cassandra McCoy said of her boyfriend, David Williams.

"He has three leatherbound books of poetry, where he writes beautiful books about growing up without a father. He loves kids.

"There's no way that he's the man the government is making him out to be."

Kathleen Baynes said the informant she knew as "Maqsood" plied her boyfriend James Cromitie with cash, free food, rent money and even bags of marijuana.

"This is entrapment," Baynes, 44, said. "They come and hit a brother who is down and out, and tell him they'll give him the world. Maqsood is no different than a pimp or drug dealer sitting on 42nd St."

Baynes said the informant, identified as Shahed Hussain, began stalking Cromitie, 44, even after she told him her boyfriend moved away.

"Maqsood would keep ringing our doorbell, and James would hide behind the sofa," Baynes said.

"I know something wasn't right with Maqsood from the beginning. He would call and say, 'I got lots of money. Anything you need I can give you, sister.'"

A law enforcement source said the informant was not authorized to pay anyone, and even told Cromitie that only those "pure" recruits who did it from their heart could be involved.

"It's all a lie, and the government knows deep down inside that these four men are not terrorists," Baynes said. "We're going to stand together as a family and watch God move mountains."



Here's a few more links to check out:

  • Informant offered liver to Bronx terror suspects bro, sez mom
  • Mosque congregants sketched out by informant who ensnared terror susps
  • Law had wanna-be Bronx jihadists under constant surveillance
  • 'Stupidest man on the planet,' says sister of terrorist wanna-be
  • Homegrown terrorists not slickest operators
  • Daly: Armed with intent but not skills to pull it off
  • Meet the dangerous terrorist dummies
  • Sunday, May 24, 2009

    THE "TERROR PLOT" THAT WASN'T

    Remember those four guys that got busted for plotting to shoot down an airliner and blow up a Jewish Temple? Well it turns out that they were just four "losers" who a creepy Federal informant claiming to represent a Pakistani extremist group used in the same way others have been used since 9/11 to "prove" we are still under a terrorist threat. Just more lies and bullshit to make Cheney look like he's right....which the lying son of a bitch isn't.

    From The Nation:

    Yet Another Bogus 'Terror' Plot

    by Robert Dreyfuss


    By the now, it's maddeningly familiar. A scary terrorist plot is announced. Then it's revealed that the suspects are a hapless bunch of ne'er-do-wells or run-of-the-mill thugs without the slightest connection to any terrorists at all, never mind to Al Qaeda. Finally, the last piece of the puzzle: the entire plot is revealed to have been cooked up by a scummy government agent-provocateur.

    I've seen this movie before.

    In this case, the alleged perps -- Onta Williams, James Cromitie, David Williams, and Laguerre Payen -- were losers, ex-cons, drug addicts. Al Qaeda they're not. Without the assistance of the agent who entrapped them, they would never have dreamed of committing political violence, nor would they have had the slightest idea about where to acquire plastic explosives or a Stinger missile. That didn't stop prosecutors from acting as if they'd captured Osama bin Laden himself. Noted the Los Angeles Times:

    Prosecutors called it the latest in a string of homegrown terrorism plots hatched after Sept. 11.

    "It's hard to envision a more chilling plot," Assistant U.S. Atty. Eric Snyder said in court Thursday. He described all four suspects as "eager to bring death to Jews."

    Actually, it's hard to imagine a stupider, less competent, and less important plot. The four losers were ensnared by a creepy FBI agent who hung around the mosque in upstate New York until he found what he was looking for. Here's the New York Times account:

    Salahuddin Mustafa Muhammad, the imam at the mosque where the authorities say the confidential informant first encountered the men, said none of the men were active in the mosque. ...

    Mr. Cromitie was there last June, and he met a stranger.

    He had no way of knowing that the stranger's path to the mosque began in 2002, when he was arrested on federal charges of identity theft. He was sentenced to five years' probation, and became a confidential informant for the F.B.I. He began showing up at the mosque in Newburgh around 2007, Mr. Muhammad said.

    The stranger's behavior aroused the imam's suspicions. He invited other worshipers to meals, and spoke of violence and jihad, so the imam said he steered clear of him.

    "There was just something fishy about him," Mr. Muhammad said. Members "believed he was a government agent."

    Mr. Muhammad said members of his congregation told him the man he believed was the informant offered at least one of them a substantial amount of money to join his "team."

    So a creepy thug buttonholes people at a mosque, foaming at the mouth about violence and jihad? This is law enforcement? Just imagine if someone did this at a local church, or some synagogue. And the imam says the people "believed he was a government agent."

    Preying on these losers, none of whom were apparently actual Muslims, the "confidential informant" orchestrated the acquisition of a disabled Stinger missile to shoot down military planes and cooked up a wild scheme about attacking a Jewish center in the Bronx.

    It gets even more pathetic:

    The only one of the four suspects who appears to have aroused any suspicion was Payen, a Haitian native who attended the Newburgh mosque. Assistant imam Hamid Rashada said his dishevelment and odd behavior disturbed some members, said the assistant imam, Hamid Rashada.

    When Payen appeared in court, defense attorney Marilyn Reader described him as "intellectually challenged" and on medication for schizophrenia. The Associated Press said that when he was asked if he understood the proceedings, Payen replied: "Sort of."

    Despite the pompous statements from Mayor Bloomberg of New York and other politicians, including Representative Peter King, the whole story is bogus. The four losers may have been inclined to violence, and they may have harbored a virulent strain of anti-Semitism. But it seems that the informant whipped up their violent tendencies and their hatred of Jews, cooked up the plot, incited them, arranged their purchase of weapons, and then had them busted. To ensure that it made headlines, the creepy informant claimed to be representing a Pakistani extremist group, Jaish-e Muhammad, a bona fide terrorist organization. He wasn't, of course.

    It is disgusting and outrageous that the FBI is sending provocateurs into mosques.

    The headlines reinforce the very fear that Dick Cheney is trying to stir up. The story strengthens the narrative that the "homeland" is under attack. It's not. As I've written repeatedly, since 9/11 not a single American has even been punched in the nose by an angry Muslim, as far as I can tell. Plot after plot -- the destruction of the Brooklyn Bridge! bombing the New York Subways! taking down the Sears Tower! bombing the Prudential building in Newark! -- proved to be utter nonsense.

    Friday, May 22, 2009

    "MANCOW" GETS WATERBOARDED......LASTS SIX SECONDS

    Tough guy conservative Chicago radio host Erich "Mancow" Muller had himself waterboarded today to prove it isn't torture. Well....now he says it is torture.

    From Raw Story:

    Conservative radio hosts gets waterboarded, and lasts six seconds before saying its torture

    Chicago radio host Erich "Mancow" Muller decided he'd get himself waterboarded to prove the technique wasn't torture.

    It didn't turn out that way. "Mancow," in fact, lasted just six or seven seconds before crying foul. Apparently, the experience went pretty badly -- "Witnesses said Muller thrashed on the table, and even instantly threw the toy cow he was holding as his emergency tool to signify when he wanted the experiment to stop," according to NBC Chicago.

    "The average person can take this for 14 seconds," Marine Sergeant Clay South told his audience before he was waterboarded on air. "He's going to wiggle, he's going to scream, he's going to wish he never did this."

    Mancow was set on a 7-foot long table with his legs elevated and his feet tied.

    "I wanted to prove it wasn't torture," Mancow said. "They cut off our heads, we put water on their face...I got voted to do this but I really thought 'I'm going to laugh this off.' "

    The upshot? "It is way worse than I thought it would be, and that's no joke," Mancow told listeners. "It is such an odd feeling to have water poured down your nose with your head back...It was instantaneous...and I don't want to say this: absolutely torture."

    "Absolutely. I mean that's drowning," he added later. "It is the feeling of drowning."

    "If I knew it was gonna be this bad, I would not have done it," he said.

    The 42-year-old radio host is no stranger to controversy. In 2005, he was maligned for saying that then-Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean was "vile," "bloodthirsty," "evil" and "should be kicked out of America."


    A LITTLE MUSICAL INTERLUDE FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND

    For your listening pleasure here's The Asylum Street Spankers!







    Thanks to Cats r Flyfishin at Pennsylvania for Change.

    CHENEY'S SPEECH FALSE TO FACT AND REASON

    Here's what Keith Olbermann had to say about the speech yesterday by Dick "The Evil One" Cheney.


    Thursday, May 21, 2009

    RICK "MAN ON DOG" SANTORUM OPENS HIS YAP AND MISOGYNIST CRAP FLOWS OUT.

    Rick "Man On Dog" Santorum was on Fuks Nuz last night talking about how the Rethuglican Parody believes in the stewardship of patrimony.

    Let's see... patrimony according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is defined as....

    1 a: an estate inherited from one's father or ancestor
    1 b:
    anything derived from one's father or ancestors
    2 :
    an estate or endowment belonging by ancient right to a church

    No mention of women at all there. Should we be surprised? Not when it's coming from a misogynist like Rick "Man On Dog" Santorum!

    From
    Think Progress:


    Santorum: ‘Conservatives believe in the stewardship of patrimony.’

    Last night on Fox News, former senator Rick Santorum told Greta Van Susteren that the Republican party “has to stand up for conservative principles.” They have to support the “patrimony” against “a guy named Barack Obama” who wants to upend “our social structure”:

    SANTORUM: The other thing we have to do is we have to stand up and say, look, America — Conservatives believe in the stewardship of patrimony. In other words, there are things in America that are really good, that work, have worked for 200 years. And we have a guy named Barack Obama who’s trying to fundamentally rewrite everything, change our economy, change our social structure, change our economy to something new.

    Santorum also praised the 75 percent of Californians who did not vote in yesterday’s special election, “because they knew enough that they didn’t know enough to vote.” Watch it:


    Part of that “patrimony” that has “worked for 200 years” — besides limited franchise — is apparently the subjugation of women. Santorum has declared that birth control is “harmful to women” and “harmful to society.” And in his book, “It Takes A Family,” he railed against “radical feminists” who “succeeded in undermining the traditional family and convincing women that professional accomplishments are the key to happiness.”



    For the life of me, I can't understand why the hell any women would have ever voted for this ass-hat! He thinks all of you ladies are second class citizens who need to be told what to do and when to do it. He doesn't think any of you should have control over your own bodies!

    63% SAY US HEADING IN RIGHT DIRECTION

    There were two new polls that came out today One, a CNN poll, says that 63% of those polled said the country is heading in the right direction. The other, a biased conservative poll, says that 91% of respondents think President Obama is a Socialist, Marxist, Communist or Fascist.

    The right wing-nut fascist poll was done by Richard Viguerie's Conservative HQ. I refuse to post lying trash like that here, so you'll have to follow the link if you want to see the full results. (Take note the the majority of the respondents were conservatards, not a good cross section of America.)

    Here is what CNN had on their poll, which was a cross section of the American public.


    CNN Poll: Obama moving US in right direction

    From

    WASHINGTON (CNN) — As the Republican Party condemns what they call the Democrats' 'march to socialism', a new national poll indicates that most Americans believe President Barack Obama's policies would move the country in the right direction.

    Sixty-three percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday say they think the policies being proposed by the President would push the nation in the right direction, with 35 percent saying those policies would send the country in the wrong direction.

    But the poll suggests that Americans don't feel the same way about the Republicans. Thirty-nine percent of those questioned say that the policies of GOP Congressional leaders would move the country in the right direction, with a slight majority, 53 percent, saying Republican proposals would move the nation in the wrong direction.

    "The poll indicates that some of Obama's popularity is rubbing off on congressional Democrats," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Even though Nancy Pelosi has a low approval rating and Harry Reid is facing some low numbers in polls taken in his home state, 57 percent think that the policies of the Democratic leaders in Congress would move the country in the right direction. That's not good news for the GOP."

    Four months into Obama's presidency, the country remains in a recession, but the poll indicates that Americans aren't blaming the new president or his party for the country's economic problems so far. Fifty-three percent of those surveyed say the Republicans are to blame, with only one in five saying the Democrats are more responsible for the country's economic conditions.

    The poll also indicates that the jury is still out on Obama's actions to jump-start the economy. Thirty-seven percent of people questioned say that the President's policies have improved economic conditions, 23 percent say they have worsened things, and 40 percent say they have had no effect so far on the economy.

    "Obama has four years to convince the public that his economic policies have worked, but the Democrats in Congress have less than two years to make that connection," says Holland. "Political junkies will be watching that 40 percent to see how they break between now and the midterms."

    The poll's release came just two hours before members of the Republican National Committee approved a resolution calls on the Democratic party to "stop pushing our country towards socialism and governmental control."

    The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey was conducted May 14-17, with 1,010 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

    NANCY PELOSI HAS OBAMA IN HER CORNER....AND JESSE VENTURA

    GINGRICH OPENS HIS FUCKING PIE-HOLE AGAIN

    The Newt, the ultimate hypocrite, needs to STFU!

    MORE REPUBLICAN FAIL

    So much for "demanding that the Democrats re-name the party to Democrat Socialist Party.

    Rethuglican FAIL.....again.

    Wednesday, May 20, 2009

    OH THOSE "CLIMATE CHANGE" PEOPLE

    RUMSFELD DENIES GQ REPORT

    Well of course he does! That whole fucking administration would deny anything and everything to save themselves. That son of a bitch Rumsfeld has been a fucking liar from the start. Why the fuck should we believe his lying ass now!?!

    From the War Room at Salon:

    Rumsfeld denying GQ report

    Through a spokesman, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has responded to GQ's story about his tenure in the Bush administration. In an e-mail to reporters, Keith Urbahn took issue with reporter Robert Draper's contention that Rumsfeld played a part in producing intelligence briefing cover sheets for the president that featured Biblical quotations along with images of American troops in the field:

    The slides in the "World Intelligence Update" were prepared on a daily basis by military personnel serving on the Joint Staff, which reported to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, not the Secretary of Defense. The report was briefed regularly to senior military officials in the Pentagon - only occasionally to the Secretary of Defense and not to the President of the United States.

    Rumsfeld was fully aware that words and actions could be harmful and counterproductive to the war effort. It's safe to say that some of these cover slides could be considered in that category. The suggestion that Rumsfeld would have composed, approved of, or personally shown the slides to President Bush is flat wrong. It did not happen.

    Given that Draper used anonymous sources for this charge as well as for the rest of the innuendo in his piece, one would think he might have at least done a cursory review of the facts. He might then have avoided being taken by people with an axe to grind. When Draper goes back and checks reality against his reporting, he might also check whether GQ is in need of a new gossip columnist.



    In response, Draper e-mailed Politico's Ben Smith to say he's "thoroughly confident" in the accuracy of his story and has "nothing further to add."