Greetings, fellow Freedom Fighters™ and Defenders of Democracy™!
We have another jam-packed edition this week--so much injustice and outrage; so little time! Here are this week’s top stories:
Please be sure to check our “Sign here!” department for important actions ...
... ... Tell Congress to sponsor the Freedom of Choice Act ... that is, unless you think that pregnancy is a crime punishable by death! That's right, gentle Readers: the new abortion ban, which has been upheld by Bush's own not-so-Supreme Court, prohibits late term abortions REGARDLESS of the health of the woman! Ever hear of pre- eclampsia? Full-blown eclampsia? What most American men don't seem to realize is that pregnancy is life-threatening: mothers literally put their bodies and their lives on the line to bear children. Under Roe v Wade, women and doctors at least had the choice not to bring motherless children into the world ... but, now, that's all changed. You know the motto of the neocons, the “Christian” “right,” and the Catholic church: “It doesn't matter how many women--save the fetus at all costs because, hey, it might be male!”
From our mailbag:
... ... Scallion Reader and fellow blogger Dot Calm, whose blog is linked on the sidebar of this blog, sent in a few words from Dennis Kucinich blasting his Democratic colleagues. Representative Kucinich declared the new Iraq spending bill a disaster for the American people; Democrats need to stop fooling themselves into drinking the Bush-flavored kool aid that claims that there are no alternatives to the neocon status quo.
... ... Dot Calm also sent in a link to an article on Media Matters: WaPo's David Broder mislead (read: LIED) in his 17 May column by saying that Bill Clinton “enjoyed” the same Trade Promotion Authority that Bush now has. But in fact, President Clinton was deprived of trade promotion authority for the majority of his time in office. The authority, which expired in 1994 during Clinton's first term, was not renewed by Congress until 2002 -- after Bush entered the White House.
... ... Reader D.F. sent in the Falwell vs Hitler quotation quiz. We of The Scallion can't vouch for the accuracy of the quiz (and, yes, we did check Snopes), but we did find a site that features many genuinely scary Falwell quotations (WARNING: do NOT read them before bedtime!)
... ... D.F. also sent in a stellar article from Pat Buchanan, saying, “When Pat's right, he's RIGHT!” Although Pat Buchanan has been known to agree vehemently with some of Jerry Falwell's scarier quotations, he seems to be right on the money regarding the benighted Bush administration, the ill-conceived Iraq invasion, and the fact that Ron Paul beat the snot out of Rudy Giuliani during the Republican debate. We of The Scallion support any candidate who, like Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich, are not in the pockets of the fascists and corporations.
Interesting found items:
... ... Pope Benedict pisses off indigenous Brazilians by claiming that the peoples of the Americas had a "silent longing" for Christianity and welcomed European priests' arrival and that the church had not imposed itself on the indigenous peoples of the Americas (Editor's note: what an ineffable yutz!! So much for “papal infallibility” ...!)
From AlterNet:
... ... 9/11 American life: $1.8B; Iraqi civilian life: $2k
... ... Just when we thought there were enough wingnuts in the GOP '08 presidential race, Newtie hints that he may be in
... ... Right-wingnut pro-birth terrorist taunts victims from jail: just IMAGINE the media frenzy if he had been ISLAMIC instead of “Christian”!
... ... No tears for Falwell: he leaves nothing but bad memories
... ... Imus brought to light that Black women within Hip Hop are to be ogled in music videos and insulted in the name of free speech, but rarely are they given access to the major media outlets
... ... Starbucks's Ethiopian deal will save the lives of hard-working Ethiopian farmers by paying them more fairly for their coffee crops (Editor's note: unfortunately for the ethical image the company tries to purvey, Starbuck's is now dealing with fall-out from serving cow's milk that is tainted with hormones, antibiotics, and worse!)
... ... To get the billions in AIDS money promised by the U.S. countries like Uganda must indoctrinate its young people in abstinence-only rhetoric
... ... Bush has a new advisor on his Iran policy--the Christian right in the person of James Dobson
... ... Brilliant historian and essayist Chalmers Johnson argues that unless we face up to the tremendous strain our empire is having on America, we will lose our democracy, and then it will not matter much what else we lose
... ... Al Gore has a new book coming out next week, and because he is telling the truth and a Democrat and Progressive leader, Al Gore will be smeared by the right-wing smear machine -- we must respond at the first attack
... ... Baffling Texas Supreme Court ruling may make juries irrelevant (Editor's note: WTF?!??)
... ... Ted Kennedy's one-size-fits-all-medicine Safe Drug Compounding bill could stop your doctor from writing the prescriptions YOU need
... ... “Heroes” TV show offers political messages with comic book feel: no terrorists, but we the people are our nation's worst menace
... ... Greenwald testifies before Congress about CACI's disturbing role in covering up torture
... ... The real GOP agenda behind their new trade deal is revealed and the Democrats are playing right into their hands
... ... Hillary: the corporate candidate
... ... One of the easiest ways to prevent the spread of hospital infections is also one of the most neglected
... ... The attorney scandal's illicit attempt to corrupt the electoral system and swing elections Republican is Watergate without the bagmen
... ... America's largest corporations' overseas subsidiaries are booming even as their American operations stagnate. General Electric expects more than half its revenue this year to come from outside the U.S. for the first time.
... ... The confluence of several events over the past year or so lead to the question: did a true coup d'?at occur in the U.S., and we missed it? (Editor's note: the author may have missed it, but we of The Scallion have been reporting the bloodless coup from its excrementally foul beginning)
... ... Is anyone going to follow up the possible role of Condescending Rice in the Oil-for-Food Scandal--not only when she was with Chevron, but when she also headed Bush's National Security Council? Or will Teflon Condi get off once again?
... ... Gonzo as glorified hit-man: the inJustice Department has rapidly morphed into a haven for "Jihad Joes"
... ... Iraq's resistance groups have offered a series of peace plans that might put an end to the country's sectarian violence, but they've been ignored by the U.S.-led coalition because they're opposed to foreign occupation and privatization of oil
... ... To catch up to where the voters are on energy policy, Democratic presidential candidates still have a big gap to close
... ... Starbucks treats its workers too poorly to deserve the reputation it covets as a responsible, upstanding, environmentally-friendly company
... ... Catholic League head downplays Inquisition's atrocities, yearns to bring it back ... as nonprofit political hit squad?
... ... It looks like the only endangered species that the Bush administration is interested in protecting are its own corrupt appointees
From the Center for American Progress:
... ... Oklohoma insurance commissioner uncovers "widespread misconduct" by a major health insurance provider
... ... Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) slashes state funding for the blind, elderly, and poor
... ... See how much your state pays its governor
... ... Right-wing pundit Robert Novak: "Poor [Attorney General Alberto] Gonzales" is terrible, "but there are a lot of bad people in this administration."
... ... The president of CBS blames Katie Couric's bad ratings on her being a woman rather than the poor quality of the CBS Evening News
... ... Fox News segment on illegal voting features B-roll of only African-American voters
... ... President Bush's executive order on greenhouse gases may "sideswipe the greenhouse gas standards developed by the state of California and adopted by 11 other states."
... ... DoD blocks military members from keeping in touch with friends and family via YouTube and other internet sites for fear that bad news will get back home from Iraq and Afghanistan
... ... Cities worldwide are adopting Clinton Foundation guidelines to cut global warming gases
... ... Eleven states tell a federal court that "the Bush administration failed to consider global warming when setting new gas mileage rules."
... ... Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R): "We ought to double Guantanamo." (Editor's note: YIKES!!!)
... ... As demonstrated by his actions in the World Bank scandal, bank president Paul Wolfowitz shares a managerial style with Chimpie McCodpiece
... ... The House passed an amendment aimed at preventing soldiers from losing custody of their children due to their prolonged absence while fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan
... ... States issuing birth certificates for stillborn babies are stirring up controversy over abortion rights
... ... White House Press Secretary Tony Snow on why it took four years to appoint a war czar: "I don't know." (Editor's note: our media SHOULD be asking, “WHY is Chimpie McCodpiece ABDICATING HIS RESPONSIBILITY AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF BY APPOINTING A WAR CZAR AT ALL?!??”)
... ... MSNBC's Chris Matthews calls out Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) on his dishonest Iraq talking points
... ... Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey's testimony raises serious questions about the FBI's involvement in warrantless domestic spying
... ... More of Gonzo's lies about the attorney scandal are brought to light
... ... While slashing spending on social services, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) staff's salaries are "among the fastest growing in state government."
... ... Gov. Janet Napolitano (D-AZ) and Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) write a letter to President Bush criticizing him for sending their Border Patrol agents to Iraq.
... ... ABC and CBS have not yet reported on Deputy Attorney General James Comey's revelations about the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping.
... ... Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's legal concepts are "at war with the best traditions of American constitutionalism."
... ... Bush's lip service to the military is Republican hypocrisy at its most evil: "Bush budget officials said the administration 'strongly opposes' both the 3.5 percent raise for 2008 and the follow-on increases, calling extra pay increases 'unnecessary.'" (Editor's note: heaven help Chimpie McCodpiece if Scallion staffers ever get within kicking distance of him because we will, to the last patriot among us, kick that mentally defective sadist in the nuts as frequently and as forcefully as possible with our pointiest steel-toed shoes until we are hauled bodily off by the brown shirts!)
From DN!
... ... CorpWatch's Pratap Chatterjee on Iraq's Missing Oil and Halliburton's Houston Send-Off
... ... Displaced, Imprisoned Darfurian Refugee Daoud Ibarahaem Hari On His Return to Darfur to Help Expose the World's Worst Humanitarian Crisis
... ... Philadelphia Court Hearing Could Decide Fate of Imprisoned Journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal
... ... 52 Killed in Iraq; U.S. May Toll Rises to 47
... ... Citing Racist Bias, Attorneys for Mumia Abu-Jamal Urge a Federal Appeals Court to Grant the Former Black Panther a New Trial
... ... George Monbiot: "If We Don't Deal with Climate Change We Condemn Hundreds of Millions of People to Death" (Editor's note: DON'T MISS THIS INTERVIEW! If you read nothing else from this week's issue of The Scallion, PLEASE READ THIS!)
... ... Immigrant Rights Groups Condemn New Senate Proposal to Overhaul Nation's Immigration Laws (Editor's note: the new proposal would create a permanent under-class of Latino and other less-skilled immigrants)
From Democracy For America:
... ... Dennis Kucinich speaks to America for America on Iraq and global warming. Congressman Kucinich hits hard on Iraq: "I voted 100% of the time against funding this war, because I understood that you fund this war you reauthorize it all over again." Kucinich details his comprehensive plan to fight climate change: "to make everything in this country about energy conservation" including international policy and trade agreements.
From Media Savvy:
... ... McCain and the rest of what Der Spiegel calls “the 'pathetic assemblage' of 10 old white men who exhaust themselves with slogans and platitudes” are having big trouble trying to maintain their credibility internationally.
... ... US soldiers will still be able to e-mail home, and army bloggers should still be able to post, but the web may become a quieter place after this week's Pentagon clampdown
... ... On the May 14 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly criticized the Los Angeles Times for not publishing a pro-Factor op-ed in its print edition
... ... Bill O'Reilly threatens police action against radio show callers for mentioning Keith Olbermann's name on air (Editor's note: WTF?!??)
... ... Over 300 scholars, students and media guerrillas are revisiting Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky's groundbreaking "propaganda model" on the eve of its 20th anniversary
... ... Pro-U.S. coup at al Jazeera?!??
... ... Army cracks down on troops blogging (Editor's note: our soldiers are over there being maimed and murdered for what? Our Constitution? Freedom? Truth, justice, and the American way? Nope--they're just fighting for OIL so they can make filthy-rich white men even filthier-richer. They're clearly not fighting for the Truth--gawd forbid we ever see The Truth on American soil!!)
... ... It was fitting to see so much gushing on TV news about Rev. Jerry Falwell in the hours after his death. He and TV news held the same things sacred: fame, soundbites and uninformed fear-mongering.
... ... As Paul Wolfowitz admits defeat at The World Bank and prepares to saddle up and ride off into the sunset, we look at a clip from the film FAIL-SAFE, which portrayed an earlier neocon advocate of preemptive war. Was it a fictional prophecy?
From Greg Palast:
... ... Rove's e-mails prove voter fraud to disenfranchise Democrats
... ... Army of Rove-bots: Captain Iglesias, Obstruction of Justice, and the Theft of 2008
... ... It's a grim day for the Republic when John Ashcroft is the last line of defense of our liberties! (Editor's note: amazingly, A$$crack DID stand up to Chimpco's illegal wiretapping scheme, calling it “unConstitutional”!)
From HuffPo:
... ... Here comes the War Czar--what does that mean?
... ... Rebuilding Greensburg, the town in Kansas that was recently flattened by an F5 tornado, more greenly
Keep the faith and keep fighting: together, we WILL win our nation back!
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Sign here!
Here are important petitions and other actions we of The Scallion invite our Readers to participate in. Quit bitching—start a revolution!
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From AlterNet and NARAL
Tell Congress to sponsor the Freedom of Choice Act!
A few weeks ago, the Supreme Court, reconfigured by President Bush, decided that politicians - not women and their doctors - know what's best for women.
The Court's ruling to uphold the Bush Federal Abortion Ban is a setback for all Americans who support Roe v. Wade!
If you agree that women and their doctors should be trusted to make personal, private, medical decisions without political interference, then please stand with me and fight back.
Ask your members of Congress to cosponsor the Freedom of Choice Act.
The Freedom of Choice Act is the most powerful tool we have to reverse the attack on choice by President Bush's appointees to the Supreme Court. The Act will guarantee in federal law the rights established by Roe v. Wade for every woman in our country.
When the Supreme Court upheld Bush's ban, it gave a green light to the anti-choice movement's plan to unleash even more attacks on safe, legal abortion, with no regard for a woman's health.
As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg said in her dissent, the Court's decision "cannot be understood as anything other than an effort to chip away at a right declared again and again by this Court."
Here's what you should know about this ruling:
The decision effectively reverses Supreme Court precedent and rolls back key protections that have been guaranteed since Roe v. Wade.
A doctor will face criminal penalties of up to two years in prison, even if he or she was acting to protect a woman's health.
Don't let this latest attack on women's fundamental freedom go unanswered! Tell your members of Congress to cosponsor the Freedom of Choice Act today.
Thank you for telling elected officials to stand up for - not attack - our values of freedom and privacy.
Sincerely,
Nancy Keenan
President
NARAL Pro-Choice America
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From the mailbag
Scallion Reader and fellow blogger Dot Calm sent in a few words from Dennis Kucinich on Truthdig:
Not everyone was celebrating the passage of the Iraq spending bill on Friday. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, told Truthdig it’s “a disaster for the American people.” The presidential candidate went on to explain his dissatisfaction with his party: “It’s the same kind of thinking that led us into Iraq— that we didn’t have any alternatives.”
Dot Calm also sent in a link to an article on Media Matters: WaPo's David Broder made a false claim in his 17 May column by saying that Bill Clinton “enjoyed” the same Trade Promotion Authority that Bush now has. But in fact, President Clinton was deprived of trade promotion authority for the majority of his time in office. The authority, which expired in 1994 during Clinton's first term, was not renewed by Congress until 2002 -- after Bush entered the White House.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200705170008
Reader D.F. sent in the Falwell vs Hitler quotation quiz:
http://nom-de-grr.livejournal.com/51142.html
We of The Scallion can't vouch for the accuracy of the quiz (and, yes, we did check Snopes), but we did find a site that features many genuinely scary Falwell quotations (WARNING: do NOT read these before bedtime!):
http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/foulframe.htm
D.F. also sent in a stellar article from Pat Buchanan, saying, “When Pat's right, he's RIGHT!” Although Pat Buchanan has been known to agree vehemently with some of Jerry Falwell's scarier quotations, he seems to be right on the money regarding the benighted Bush administration, the ill-conceived Iraq invasion, and the fact that Ron Paul beat the snot out of Rudy Giuliani during the Republican debate:
http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/PatrickJBuchanan/2007/05/18/but_who_was_right_--_rudy_or_ron
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Interesting things we found in our travels
Tribal Indians in Brazil Condemn Pope Benedict's Message:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D809D115-1128-4092-9BA6-30F716C56052.htm
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From our information clearinghouse
These are items we receive from the countless mailing lists to which The Scallion collectively subscribes. They are worth the effort of at least a good skim.
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From AlterNet
9/11 Life Worth $1.8 million; Iraqi Life, $2,000. What Does It Mean?
By Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com
Using publicly available numbers, one can calculate that the U.S. government values an innocent civilian slaughtered by al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001 at $1.8 million, and an Iraqi civilian killed by Marines at $2,000.
Why an Ultra-Conservative Texas Grandmother Hates the GOP
By Cyrus Dugger, Jordan Fogal, Drum Major Institute
What could make Jordan Fogal, a 61-year-old ultra-conservative Republican grandmother from Texas, refuse to vote for a single Republican in the last election? Two innocent sounding words: mandatory arbitration.
Newt Gingrich leaning toward 2008 presidential run
By Adam Howard
Just when you thought there were enough nuts in the GOP '08 presidential race, Newt hints that he may be in.
Right Wing Abortion Terrorist Taunts Victims From Jail
By Cliff Schecter
Cliff Schecter: Imagine the media frenzy if Eric Rudolph were an Islamic terrorist instead of an anti-abortion obsessed, Christian right killer?
Mike Gravel's Dorm Room Interview [VIDEO]
By Adam Howard
Is this the future of presidential campaigns in America?
No Tears For Falwell
By Lane Hudson
The passing of Jerry Falwell brings up nothing but bad memories.
Hip Hop's (Still) Invisible Women
By Yvonne Bynoe, AlterNet
The recent Don Imus affair brought to light that Black women within Hip Hop are to be ogled in music videos and insulted in the name of free speech, but rarely are they given access to the major media outlets.
Your Local News -- Dateline New Delhi
By Barbara Ehrenreich, AlterNet
With a local news outlet in California recruiting reporters in India, no one can pretend any longer that we have a global monopoly on intellect and innovation.
Trademarking Coffee: Starbucks Cuts Ethiopia deal
By Anton Foek, CorpWatch
Starbucks, the world's largest coffee shop chain, and the Ethiopian government are on the verge of unveiling a deal that the company hopes will end attacks on the company's carefully constructed ethical image.
Fair Labor Laws Would Benefit All Working Americans
By Peter Dreier, Kelly Candaele, TomPaine.com
Another Big Lie: For 30 years, the corporate Right has successfully portrayed American labor as a corrupt "special interest." The truth is that desperately needed labor-law reform will benefit everyone who works for a living.
Africans forced to choose abstinence [VIDEO]
By Adam Howard
To get the billions in AIDS money promised by the U.S. countries like Uganda must indoctrinate its young people in abstinence-only rhetoric.
Bush meets with theocrat Dobson to rally support for Iran policy
By Max Blumenthal
Bush has a new advisor on his Iran policy--the Christian right.
Can We End the American Empire Before It Ends Us?
By Chalmers Johnson, Tomdispatch.com
Brilliant historian and essayist Chalmers Johnson argues that unless we face up to the tremendous strain our empire is having on America, we will lose our democracy, and then it will not matter much what else we lose. Read more
We Guarantee Al Gore Will Be Smeared Next Week
By Dave Johnson, James Boyce, AlterNet
Al Gore has a new book coming out next week, and because he is telling the truth and a Democrat and Progressive leader, Al Gore will be smeared by the right-wing smear machine -- we must respond at the first attack.
Natural Baby, Poisonous World
By Brita Belli, E Magazine
While raising a child more naturally does involve buying more organic and nontoxic products, it's also about fostering the kind of instinctive bond that's so easily lost in our high-stress, pre-packaged world.
A Baffling Texas Supreme Court Ruling Could Make Juries Irrelevant
By Anthony Zurcher, Texas Observer
The Texas Supreme Court must now decide if it will second-guess its decision to second-guess a jury.
The Simpsons Reaches 400th Episode
By Simon Maxwell Apter, TheNation.com
Over 18 seasons and three presidential eras, The Simpsons has paid badly animated homage to all that sucks in America.
Vet Prosecuted for Protesting Military Recruitment in Library
By Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive
A veteran and his wife started putting up 3x5 cards on the window of the room used by recruiters in a library. Then the police came.
New Health Legislation Could Limit Your Doctor's Ability to Write Prescriptions
By Linda Franklin, AlterNet
Ted Kennedy's proposed Safe Drug Compounding Act would encourage one-size-fits-all medicine, putting profits before people.
Heroes: The TV Show with Comic Book Edge and Political Bite
By Annalee Newitz, AlterNet
In the TV show "Heroes" there are no terrorists -- only heroes whose powers go wrong and destroy New York in the process. In other words, the only menace to the United States is its own citizens.
Robert Greenwald on CACI's role in Abu Gharib [VIDEO]
By Adam Howard
Greenwald testifies before Congress about CACI's disturbing role in covering up torture.
Emanuel blocks debate on trade deal
By David Sirota
The real GOP agenda behind their new trade deal is revealed and the Democrats are playing right into their hands.
Hillary: The Corporate Candidate?
By Ari Berman, TheNation.com
If Hillary Clinton really wanted to curtail the influence of the powerful as she says in her speeches, she might start with the advisers to her own campaign, who represent some of the weightiest interests in corporate America. Read more
The Disturbing Truth About Doctors and Your Medical Safety
By Atul Gawande, AlterNet
One of the easiest ways to prevent the spread of hospital infections is also one of the most neglected.
Attorneys Scandal: An Illegal White House-coordinated Effort to Swing Elections to Republicans
By Marie Cocco, Truthdig
Connect the Justice Department dots and you see an insidious effort to corrupt the American electoral system. It's Watergate without the break-in or the bagmen.
Bush May Veto Bill That Would Help Protect Hate Crime Victims
By Allison Stevens, Women's eNews
Women could stand to gain substantially from a law that would expand hate crime definitions to include gender, sexual orientation and disability. But will the legislation stand a chance?
American Corporations Getting Rich Abroad
By Robert B. Reich, TomPaine.com
America's largest corporations' overseas subsidiaries are booming even as their American operations stagnate. General Electric expects more than half its revenue this year to come from outside the U.S. for the first time.
Yolanda King Was More Than Dr. King's Daughter
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, New America Media
Dr. King's daughter, who died today, used her career as an actress to prod, cajole and implore audiences that the best way to keep her father's dream alive was to be active fighters for peace and justice.
Bring Me The Head of Alberto Gonzales!
By Adam Howard
Now that Wolfowitz has resigned, maybe he can convince the Attorney General that he should step down too.
Did We Miss the Coup d' ?at?
By Richard Blair
The confluence of several events over the past year or so lead to the question: did a true coup d'?at occur in the U.S., and we missed it?
Colbert vs. Colbert on the War in Iraq [VIDEO]
By Adam Howard
Stephen Colbert debates his favorite pundit...himself on the War in Iraq.
Massage, Acupuncture, and Yoga May All Be Part of Your Health Plan
By Jennifer Armstrong, Sirens Magazine
Sure, our health care system is messed up. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be taking full advantage of your own plan's benefits. Here are five goodies you should know about.
What Happened to 'Fill the Jails'?
By Sean Gonsalves, AlterNet
For there to be a progressive movement in this country -- an evolutionary leap forward in the way we relate to each other and the environment -- we need massive direct action.
Ghost of Falwell Haunts The GOP [VIDEO]
By Adam Howard
Rachel Maddow thinks that now that Falwell's dead Republicans can finally replace Reagan as their favorite icon.
Condi Rice--Cooked in Oil?
By Barry Lando
Is anyone going to follow up the possible role of Condoleezza Rice in the Oil-for-Food Scandal--not only when she was with Chevron--but when she also headed Bush's National Security Council? Or will Teflon Condi get off once again?
Gonzales: The Glorified Hit Man
By Jayne Lyn Stahl
The Justice Department has rapidly morphed into a haven for "Jihad Joes."
U.S. Imperial Ambitions Thwart Iraqis' Peace Plans
By Joshua Holland, Raed Jarrar
Iraq's resistance groups have offered a series of peace plans that might put an end to the country's sectarian violence, but they've been ignored by the U.S.-led coalition because they're opposed to foreign occupation and privatization of oil. Read more
Why Working Less is Better for the Globe
By Dara Colwell, AlterNet
Americans are working harder than ever before and at a greater cost to the environment. Research suggests that practicing a more simple lifestyle made people happier while using fewer resources.
Surprise: Democratic Presidential Candidates Have Far to Go to Meet Voters' Desires on the Environment
By Robert L. Borosage, Katrina vanden Heuvel, TomPaine.com
To catch up to where the voters are on energy policy, presidential candidates still have a big gap to close.
Greenwald Video Premiere: Impeach Gonzales [VIDEO]
By Robert Greenwald
Let's start using the "I" word -- Impeach.
'Tom Cruise's Church of Hate Tried to Destroy Me'
By Paul Bracchi, The Daily Mail
Last week, people saw a video of BBC reporter John Sweeney losing his mind during an interview with a spokesperson from the "Church" of Scientology. Another reporter says he was harassed after writing about the cult, too.
Workers of the World Unite Against Starbucks
By Liza Featherstone, The Nation
When you pay $4 for a cup of coffee-flavored foamy milk at Starbucks, part of what you're buying is an illusion of environmental responsibility. How they treat their workers is a different story.
The Beginning of the End of Anglo-American Iraq
By Juan Cole
The steady exit of British troops from Iraq will accompany the arrival of the new UK Prime Minister.
Bill Donohue "Tempted" By Thought Of New Inquisition [VIDEO]
By Bruce Wilson
Catholic League head downplays Inquisition's atrocities, yearns to bring it back ... as nonprofit political hit squad?
Bush's Assault on the Endangered Species Act
By Josh Dorner
It looks like the only endangered species that the Bush administration is interested in protecting are its own corrupt appointees.
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From the Center for American Progress
GOOD NEWS
The number of bald eagles in the United States has hit the highest level since World War II.
STATE WATCH
CONNECTICUT: Eight gay couples take the fight for full marriage rights to the state Supreme Court.
CALIFORNIA: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) slashes state funding for the blind, elderly, and poor.
OKLAHOMA: State insurance commissioner uncovers "widespread misconduct" by a major health insurance provider.
POLITICS: See how much your state pays its governor.
BLOG WATCH
THINK PROGRESS: Right-wing pundit Robert Novak: "Poor [Attorney General Alberto] Gonzales" is terrible, "but there are a lot of bad people in this administration."
BOOMAN TRIBUNE: The president of CBS blames Katie Couric's bad ratings on her being a woman rather than the poor quality of the CBS Evening News.
ELECTION CENTRAL: Fox News segment on illegal voting features B-roll of only African-American voters.
BLOG FOR CLEAN AIR: President Bush's executive order on greenhouse gases may "sideswipe the greenhouse gas standards developed by the state of California and adopted by 11 other states."
DAILY GRILL
"The Defense Department began blocking access on its computers to YouTube, MySpace and 11 other Web sites yesterday, severing some of the most popular ties linking U.S. troops in combat areas to their far-flung relatives and friends."
-- Washington Post, 5/15/07
VERSUS
"[T]he military has stepped up its campaign to upload official videos to the Web, including on YouTube, to help portray U.S. combat efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan in a favorable light."
-- Post, 5/15/07
GOOD NEWS
"Sixteen cities around the world will begin cutting carbon emissions by renovating city-owned buildings with green technology under a program spearheaded by former President Clinton's foundation."
STATE WATCH
NEW YORK: "A little-noticed resolution to a case involving same-sex couples from New York will allow dozens of them to be considered legally married in Massachusetts" as well as New York.
RHODE ISLAND: Lawmakers are set to debate three landmark bills on same-sex unions today.
ENVIRONMENT: Eleven states tell a federal court that "the Bush administration failed to consider global warming when setting new gas mileage rules."
IMMIGRATION: Some cities are resorting to radical immigration measures as comprehensive reform stalls in Congress.
BLOG WATCH
THINK PROGRESS: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R): "We ought to double Guantanamo."
CARPETBAGGER REPORT: A retrospective on the life of the late Rev. Jerry Falwell.
DANIEL W. DREZNER: As demonstrated by his actions in the World Bank scandal, bank president Paul Wolfowitz shares a managerial style with President Bush.
TALKING POINTS MEMO: MSNBC host cites spoof website whitehouse.org as a legitimate source live on the air.
DAILY GRILL
"Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years."
-- Rep. Ric Keller (R-FL), 5/15/07
VERSUS
"Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years."
-- Rapper LL Cool J, 1991, in the song "Mama Said Knock You Out"
GOOD NEWS
"The House passed an amendment Wednesday that aims to prevent soldiers deployed to war from permanently losing custody of their children because of the absence."
STATE WATCH
MASSACHUSETTS: Activists are close to killing a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
CALIFORNIA: With minorities comprising 57 percent of the population, California is the most diverse state in the country.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: D.C.'s African-American population continues to decline.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS: States issuing birth certificates for stillborn babies are stirring up controversy over abortion rights.
BLOG WATCH
THINK PROGRESS: White House Press Secretary Tony Snow on why it took four years to appoint a war czar: "I don't know."
CREW BLOG: In a possible criminal violation, the Department of Education may be using private e-mail accounts for official business.
CROOKS AND LIARS: MSNBC's Chris Matthews calls out Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) on his dishonest Iraq talking points.
WAR AND PIECE: Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey's testimony raises serious questions about the FBI's involvement in warrantless domestic spying.
DAILY GRILL
REP. LINDA SANCHEZ: Are there anymore U.S. attorneys that we should know about that were forced out?
ATTY GEN. GONZALES: Congresswoman, it's always been my understanding that this focus has been on the eight United States attorneys that were asked to resign last December 7th and June 14th.
-- Testimony before House Judiciary Committee, 5/10/07
VERSUS
"Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales testified last week that the effort was limited to eight U.S. attorneys fired since last June, and other administration officials have said that only a few others were suggested for removal. In fact, D. Kyle Sampson, then Gonzales's chief of staff, considered more than two dozen U.S. attorneys for termination, according to lists compiled by him and his colleagues, the sources said."
-- Washington Post, 5/17/07
GOOD NEWS
In a 220 to 208 vote, the House yesterday ignored a veto threat from President Bush and "demanded that the administration develop a plan to transfer detainees from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."
STATE WATCH
KANSAS: Kansas plans to increase transparency of spending by placing state records online.
CALIFORNIA: While slashing spending on social services, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) staff's salaries are "among the fastest growing in state government."
IMMIGRATION: Gov. Janet Napolitano (D-AZ) and Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) write a letter to President Bush criticizing him for sending their Border Patrol agents to Iraq.
BLOG WATCH
THINK PROGRESS: Gen. Petraeus: September report on escalation will not say "anything definitive."
MEDIA MATTERS: ABC and CBS have not yet reported on Deputy Attorney General James Comey's revelations about the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping.
TAPPED: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's legal concepts are "at war with the best traditions of American constitutionalism."
ENOUGH: "Why is the Bush administration afraid to punish those responsible for what it calls genocide?"
DAILY GRILL
"We must keep our word, defeat our enemies, and stand behind the American military in its vital mission."
-- President Bush, 1/31/06
VERSUS
"Bush budget officials said the administration 'strongly opposes' both the 3.5 percent raise for 2008 and the follow-on increases, calling extra pay increases 'unnecessary.'"
-- Army Times, 5/16/07
-----
From “Democracy Now!”
* CorpWatch's Pratap Chatterjee on Iraq's Missing Oil and Halliburton's
Houston Send-Off *
A draft report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office Between shows
between 100,000 and 300,000 barrels a day of Iraq's declared oil production
over the past four years is unaccounted for and could have been siphoned off
through corruption or smuggling. The news comes as the Iraqi parliament is
preparing to vote on a new law that would open up Iraq's oil reserves to
multinational oil companies. CorpWatch director Pratap Chatterjee, has
closely monitored the Iraqi oil industry. He speaks to us from Houston --
where Halliburton is preparing to hold its last annual shareholders meeting
in Texas before moving headquarters to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/15/1514256
* Displaced, Imprisoned Darfurian Refugee Daoud Ibarahaem Hari On His Return
to Darfur to Help Expose the World's Worst Humanitarian Crisis *
Daoud Ibarahaem Hari is one of only three Darfuris who have reportedly been
granted refugee status in the United States in the past four years. Daoud
fled Sudan in 2003 after an attack on his village in northern Darfur. Then,
he did something that few of his fellow hundreds of thousands of refugees
have done: He went back to Darfur. In August 2006, he and American
journalist Paul Salopek - a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for the Chicago
Tribune - and their driver were imprisoned in Darfur by the Sudanese
government for 35 days. Daoud endured harsh treatment including torture and
threats to his life. After international pressure, the three were eventually
released.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/15/1515223
* Philadelphia Court Hearing Could Decide Fate of Imprisoned Journalist
Mumia Abu-Jamal *
In Philadelphia, Mumia Abu-Jamal's legal team is preparing for a hearing
that could decide the fate of the imprisoned former Black Panther. Abu-Jamal
has been on death row for 25 years after being convicted of killing a police
officer following a controversial trial before a predominantly-white jury.
On Thursday, the Third Circuit Court Of Appeals will hear oral arguments to
decide whether Mumia gets a new trial, life in prison without parole, or
execution. Hundreds of supporters are planning to rally outside the
courthouse. We're joined by Linn Washington of the Philadelphia Tribune, and
hear a recent audio commentary Mumia recorded behind bars.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/15/1515236
* Headlines for May 15, 2007 *
- 52 Killed in Iraq; U.S. May Toll Rises to 47
- Pentagon Bars Soldiers From YouTube, MySpace Use
- IAEA: Iran Advances Uranium Enrichment
- Deputy Attorney General Steps Down
- Padilla Trial Begins in Miami
- Absentia Trial Resumes in Calipari Killing
- 24 People Killed in Pakistan Hotel Attack
- Hamas Militants Kill 8 Fatah Members
- Brazilian Rancher Appears in Court for Killing of US Nun
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/15/1513256
* Citing Racist Bias, Attorneys for Mumia Abu-Jamal Urge a Federal Appeals
Court to Grant the Former Black Panther a New Trial *
Attorney Robert Bryan says a racist judge and racist jury practices
contributed to the sentencing of Abu-Jamal to death row. Bryan joins us in
New York one day after he argued before the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in Philadelphia.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/18/1429203
* George Monbiot: "If We Don't Deal with Climate Change We Condemn Hundreds
of Millions of People to Death" *
The British journalist and environmentalist discusses his new book "Heat:
How to Stop the Planet Burning." George Monbiot says global warming is "the
great moral issue of the 21st century."
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/18/1429219
* Immigrant Rights Groups Condemn New Senate Proposal to Overhaul Nation's
Immigration Laws *
A bipartisan group of senators have proposed a bill that would allow
undocumented immigrants to continue to work here if they fulfill a number of
requirements, including paying a $5,000 fine and getting a biometric
identification card. The bill would also established a guestworker program
and increase security on the U.S.-Mexican border.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/18/1429231
* Headlines for May 18, 2007 *
- Senate Proposes Overhaul Of Immigration Laws
- Immigrant Rights Advocates Reject Senate Bill
- Israeli Air Strikes Kill 10 Palestinians in Gaza
- Paul Wolfowitz to Resign from World Bank
- Report: Iraq Government On the Verge of Collapse
- Two ABC Journalists Killed In Iraq
- Democrats To Hold No-Confidence Vote for Gonzales
- Students Protest Dan Halutz at Harvard
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/18/1428257
-----
From Democracy For America
Rep. Dennis Kucinich Responds
Kucinich on Global Warming
Kucinich on Iraq
Democracy for America members have been keeping the pressure up on the candidates for President. Starting with a primary petition in January demanding a strong Iraq plan and then again in April calling for action on the climate crisis, many of the democratic candidates have been responding directly to you.
Today, I'm excited to bring you two great responses from Representative Dennis Kucinich:
http://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/kucinich
First, Representative Kucinich details his comprehensive plan to fight climate change. Kucinich wants "to make everything in this country about energy conservation" including international policy and trade agreements.
In the second video, Congressman Kucinich hits hard on Iraq: "I voted 100% of the time against funding this war, because I understood that you fund this war you reauthorize it all over again."
You won't hear responses like this at the primary debates or in a T.V. commercial. The mainstream media acts like it doesn't have time and won't pay attention to the specifics. But we will.
http://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/kucinich
There are many great candidates running for President. It is up to each of us to find the candidate that best represents our views and do everything we can to help them win. A healthy primary challenge will make our eventual nominee stronger and the progressive movement more powerful. That's why DFA brings these videos directly to you as an honest broker in your decision making process. This is NOT an endorsement of Representative Kucinich's campaign. However, if you like what you hear today, you can join his campaign at:
http://kucinich.us
Thank you everything you do,
Tom Hughes
Executive Director
P.S. We will continue pressuring the candidates to take positions and share them directly with you. If your favorite candidate hasn't sent DFA a response yet, please contact the campaign and ask them why not.
-----
From Media Savvy
How to End the Reign of Shock Jocks
By Rory O'Connor
Other than the desire to shock listeners -- and thereby create controversy, grow audiences and sell advertising -- the current spate of repulsive shock-jock gibberish all share something else: a salary from CBS.
Journalists Removed From Iraq Bomb Site
By Ian Black, The Guardian
Iraqi police removed photographers from the site of bomb blasts that killed at least seven people in central Baghdad yesterday in the first use of a controversial new policy restricting media access.
McCain Is Having Image Problems Internationally
By John Burke, Nieman Watchdog
Der Spiegel sees GOP candidates as a 'pathetic assemblage' of 10 old white men who exhaust themselves with slogans and platitudes. Spiegel and other news organizations, all more familiar with McCain than the other candidates, wonder what became of the 'Straight Talk Express.'
Controlling The Bandwidth Of War
By Patrick Jackson, BBC News
US soldiers will still be able to e-mail home, and army bloggers should still be able to post, but the web may become a quieter place after this week's Pentagon clampdown.
O'Reilly Still Touting Factor Producer's Uninformed Analysis Of IU Study
By Media Matters
On the May 14 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly criticized the Los Angeles Times for not publishing a pro-Factor op-ed in its print edition.
Reuters Trustees Say Sale Won't Hurt Journalism
By Eric Pfanner, NY Times
The trustees charged with overseeing the integrity and independence of the Reuters Group endorsed the sale of the company to the Thomson Corporation of Canada on Tuesday.
New Participatory Project: Tracking The 2008 Congressional Primary Elections
By PR Watch
In the last several weeks, PR Watch and SourceWatch/Congresspedia readers have knocked out several collaborative citizen journalism projects, including identifying the party affiliations of members of Congress, tracking the activities of PR firms and getting the contact information for freshman members of Congress.
If The Networks And The Pentagon Hate It, 'Hometown Baghdad' Is Surely Must-see TV
By Gal Beckerman, CJR
The Los Angeles Times reported today on a new Internet sensation, "Hometown Baghdad," a series made up of two-minute segments that chronicle the lives of three young men trying to live normal lives in Iraq.
Web 2.0 Meets Campaign 2008
By By Linda Feldmann, The Christian Science Monitor
Podcasts and videos are among the features found on the interactive websites of US presidential candidates.
Today's Kids Inundated With Ads
CBS News
The partnership looked good on paper: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services teaming up with Dreamworks to use the movie character Shrek to get kids off the couch.
Next Gen Of Wi-Fi Is Planned For Summer
By Jessica Mintz, AP
The next generation of wireless Internet products certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance is expected to hit shelves this summer.
XM Suspends Opie And Anthony
By Paul Bond, Hollywood Reporter
Add Opie & Anthony to the growing list of shock jocks who have behaved badly enough to warrant silencing.
O'Reilly Vs. Olbermann
Bill O'Reilly threatens police action against radio show callers for mentioning Keith Olbermann's name on air. You can call the Radio Factor LIVE at 1-877-9-NO-SPIN from noon to 2 PM ET. Watch Here
What Doesn't Make The News
By Antonia Zerbisias, Toronto Star
Over 300 scholars, students and media guerrillas are revisiting Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky's groundbreaking "propaganda model" on the eve of its 20th anniversary.
Pro-US Coup At Al Jazeera?
By Danny Schechter, MediaChannel.org
Italy's Ukunet reports that there has been a shakeup at Al Jazeera with the removal of Managing Director Wadah Khanfer and the current Executive Board, and control has shifted to Qatar's former Ambassador to Washington, who is described as a close friend of leading US politicians.
Imus' Legal Bluff
By Peter Lauria, NY Post
Don Imus' lawyer, Martin Garbus, reportedly wants to use the radio personality's impending lawsuit against CBS Radio, which hasn't been filed yet, as leverage for reinstatement.
The Army Cracks Down On Troops Blogging
By Paul Rieckhoff, IAVA
Back at home, Americans are finally recognizing what the troops on the ground have been trying to explain for years. But we're not hearing much from the milbloggers anymore, because the Army has been cracking down on the troops blogging from inside Iraq.
Pentagon Defends Move To Block Web Sites
By Reuters
The Pentagon on Thursday defended a decision to block popular Web sites including YouTube and MySpace on U.S. military computers, saying it needed to keep its network clear for operations.
Pentagon's YouTube Ban Fought
By Scott Lindlaw, AP
YouTube's cofounders challenged the Pentagon's assertion that soldiers overseas were sapping too much bandwidth by watching online videos, the military's principal rationale for blocking popular Web sites from Defense Department computers.
YouTube Is Not What It Used To Be
By Antonia Zerbisias, Toronto Star
It doesn't matter that YouTube is one of the biggest things on the Web, with some 40 million visits per month and rising. Google, which bought the video-sharing site last fall for a whopping $1.65 billion (U.S.), was still ripped off.
Is There A Litmus Test For Talk Topics?
By Mark Jurkowitz, PEJ
Sometimes in the talk show universe news is in the eye of the beholder. Or, more accurately, in the eye of whoever holds the microphone.
Falwell And Me
By Jeff Cohen, CommonDreams.org
It was fitting to see so much gushing on TV news about Rev. Jerry Falwell in the hours after his death. He and TV news held the same things sacred: fame, soundbites and uninformed fear-mongering.
Two ABC News Journalists Killed In Iraq
By ABC News
Iraqi journalists were ambushed on their way home from ABC News' Baghdad bureau.
Estonia: Cyber Attacks A Security Threat
By AP
Estonia's defense minister says the massive cyber attacks that have crippled the high-tech country's Web sites are a threat to national security, and that it's possible the Russian government was behind them.
Global Net Censorship 'Growing'
By BBC News
The level of state-led censorship of the net is growing around the world, a study of so-called internet filtering by the Open Net Initiative suggests.
Walter Cronkite Celebrated In Primetime Special
By CBS News
The legendary newsman will be honored With stories and remembrances from the biggest names in news, politics and entertainment in a May 18 primetime TV special.
Neocon Fail-Safe
As Paul Wolfowitz admits defeat at The World Bank and prepares to saddle up and ride off into the sunset, we look at a clip from the film FAIL-SAFE, which portrayed an earlier neocon advocate of preemptive war. Was it a fictional prophecy? Watch Here
------
From Greg Palast
Amy Goodman and Greg Palast Mom's Day broadcast
This Sunday 7pm (EST) - on C-SPAN's Book TV
Amy and Greg have a couple of neo-cons for lunch - recorded live at the LA Book Fest.
Want a taste? Read the Interview with Palast from the Dollars & Sense magazine spring issue about to hit the streets
"I have Karl Rove's emails. No kidding."
Dollars In the new edition of your book, ARMED MADHOUSE, you report on the theft of the 2008 election. How do know what they're doing? Any way to stop them?
Palast: I know because I have Karl Rove's emails. No kidding. He and his team aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. They sent copies of their plans to GeorgeWBush.ORG instead of GeorgeWBush.COM addresses -- and, heh heh, they ended up in my in-box. Who says this job ain't fun?
Dollars Bush fired eight prosecutors. You were behind the scenes on that story long before it broke in the US. What are they still withholding from us?
Palast: Look, it's all about VOTES. You'll see that the prosecutor that Karl Rove insisted in putting in place is a slithery character named Tim Griffin. He's the guy I busted as the spider-mind behind the "caging lists" which purged thousands of Black voters. The prosecutors fired, as you'll see in Armed Madhouse, include those, like David Iglesias in New Mexico, who refused to bring phony cases of fraud against legitimate voters. It's a matter of economics: the Republican party is systematically knocking out lower-income voters; that makes their purges racially biased -- but my data show that's just the effect of hunting down and attacking the ballot power of working class and poor voters. Disenfranchisement is class war by other means.
Dollars Why the hell hasn t the U.S. press covered the story of Bush s vultures, election s theft, Iraq s oil or any of the other stories you've put on the front pages in Europe?
Palast: Robert Kennedy Jr. just complained to the head of ABC News about the blackout on my stories. (ABC has the right to take my stuff from BBC for free.) I'm not holding my breath for an answer. I call it, The Silence of the Media Lambs. We've got loads of terrific investigative reporters in America, but gutless editors. So the suck-ups to power get the choice posts in metropolitan dailies and on the networks.
Think of the punishment inflicted for the crime of investigative reporting. Seymour Hersh told me he was forced out of the New York Times and Bob Parry, the guy who busted open the Iran-Contra story, was pushed out of the Associated Press. On the other hand, Bob Woodward, who had his journalistic tongue up George Bush's rectum, who went from writing 'All the President's Men' to being one of the President's men, is doing just fine.
Dollars & Sense: Many progressives are focused on privatization of the Iraqi economy, including its oil industry, as Bush s real goal for the invasion. But you write about two radically different plans within the administration, the neo-cons versus Big Oil s and Big Oil s plan was the one opposed to privatization. What s going on here? Plus: any update on how privatization and the whole neo-liberal reshaping of the Iraqi economy are going?
Palast: A lot of intelligent folk believe Bush had a secret plan to grab the oil fields of Iraq before the tanks rolled. That's wrong. He had TWO plans. In Armed Madhouse, I show you both -- the result of two years undercover for BBC. The plans conflict. There's the neo-con plan: Privatize -- that is, sell off -- everything, "especially the oil" industry. That's a quote from the 101-page document which I learned was written by the neo-cons. That didn't happen -- because a Jim Baker team -- he's the lawyer for both Exxon and Saudi Arabia -- secretly wrote a 323-page plan that called for CONTROLLING the oil flow, not owning it. The purpose was to LIMIT the supply of oil from Iraq and keep prices high. This would, "enhance [Iraq's] relationship with OPEC" -- the oil cartel. That's a quote from the document you're not supposed to see.
So here it is: the invasion was about LIMITING the flow of oil from Iraq, keeping prices high, not grabbing the oil to bring prices down for your SUV. The secret Baker plan is now the law in Iraq and prices are over $50 a barrel. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
Dollars We ve covered some of the less-told stories of Venezuela under Chavez for example, how he s dramatically expanding the co-operative sector of the economy. Some progressives worry though: is he a populist demagogue, maybe in the Juan Peron mold, or is he really committed to worker autonomy, democracy, and all that good stuff? You ve talked with Hugo Chavez. What s your take?
Palast: Chavez recommends that everyone read my book, so obviously I think he's the greatest statesman since Lincoln. But seriously, folks, what makes the guy an astonishing threat to the Bush World Order is that he insists on keeping the cash from the sale of Venezuela's oil -- shock of shocks! -- in Venezuela! With some lent to the rest of Latin America. Up until now, Venezuela sold us oil then immediately shifted the funds back to the US Federal Reserve. Chavez withdrew the funds from the Fed and, Heaven help us, spent it on building his own nation's economy. Is he a "demogogue"? The word means, spokesman for the people. That he is. Fun trivia: RFK Jr. reminded me that Chavez picked up the line, "Whiff of sulfur" in speaking of Bush from my last book which he had just read.
Dollars You write about how, depending on the price of oil over time, Venezuela s oil could turn out to be a pivot point of huge geopolitical change. Can you explain?
Palast: Internal US Department of Energy analysis (I got my hands on it for BBC; it's in the book) shows that Venezuela, not Saudi Arabia, has the largest reserve of crude. That's a geo-political earthquake.
Dollars & Sense: Are you really convinced that a big devaluation of the Chinese currency would be meaningless in terms of saving U.S. manufacturing jobs by making Chinese exports more expensive? Then why are U.S. policymakers across the political spectrum so obsessed with getting China to devalue its currency?
Palast: You're really asking, Why do politicians feed us bullshit? That's a whole book right there. Both parties are winking and nodding and giggling behind your back that the way to save jobs is to change the value of China's money. It's a brilliant cover for the bi-partisan banging the American worker received with the one-two punch of NAFTA and 'Most Favored Nation' trade status for China. There are 700 Wal-Mart plants in China -- zero in the USA. Hillary Clinton was on the board of Wal-Mart when that shift went into full swing. No wonder she's joining George Bush in talking about baloney like "exchange rates."
Greg Palast is author of ARMED MADHOUSE: From Baghdad to New Orleans -- Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild, by Greg Palast, newly released in an updated, expanded edition; now in paperback. For more info go to www.GregPalast.com
Catch Palast, Randi Rhodes and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - live from New York at http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6C0F65AB2719BDF5
An Army of Rove-Bots -- Captain Iglesias, Obstruction of Justice, and the Theft of 2008
by Greg Palast
Special to The BRAD BLOG | Wednesday, May 16, 2006
The wheels have come off, the engine is on fire and no one is driving, Captain David Iglesias told me yesterday. I d asked the Naval Reserve officer, heading off to duty in Norfolk, why he didn t want his old job back, United States Attorney for New Mexico.
The busted, burning, ghost-mobile he described is the Department of Justice, driven by Alberto Gonzales. Or is Karl Rove at the wheel? Or no one? Whomever, he didn t want to jump back into Bush s Justice Jalopy.
Today, Iglesias is in Washington to pull the junker off the road, meeting with the Office of Special Counsel where Obstruction of Justice may be swirling around in the old oil pan laying on the garage floor.
The ex-prosecutor and I, long, long ago, had both worked for the Attorney General of New Mexico, a state where the snakes have less venom than the politicians.
First, there s Senator Pete Domenici, whose hiss is as smooth as his bite is deadly.
Domenici, softball interviewer Chris Matthews notes, is a nice guy. On TV. However, the Republican Senator s call to Iglesias at his home, just before the 2006 midterm election, asking the prosecutor about filing charges against Democrats in the week before the vote, was downright rude. When the prosecutor replied in the negative, the Senator hung up.
And apparently, the Senator contacted one Monica Goodling who, scribbled on a notepad: Iglesias - Domenici says he doesn t move cases. Oops. Goodling, a political stooge working for Gonzales, was listing the reasons for firing US attorneys. Now, rudeness was no longer the issue. Firing a prosecutor for failing to move cases handcuff citizens at the request of a Senator is Obstruction of Justice.
No wonder Monica took The Fifth.
Of course, the Rove dogsbodies at Justice couldn t tell Congress they fired Iglesias because he wouldn t jump at the Senator s rattle. They reached for another complaint on Monica s list: absentee landlord. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Paul McNulty used absenteeism as the official reason for dismissal. McNulty s resigned.
He should have taken The Fifth .
The problem is that the US Attorney from New Mexico was missing for 40 days because he was on active duty. I guess the White House gang doesn t go to the movies. Iglesias is a celebrity Navy lawyer, the role model for Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men.
Our Mission Accomplished President attacked you for spending time in the US Naval Reserve? I asked Iglesias
Appalling, he said. And illegal. Firing a reserve officer for missing work for active duty violates the Uniform Services Employment Rights and Reemployment Act (USERRA).
Pressuring a prosecutor to bust Democrats and punishing a soldier for deploying are the little felonies, the warm-up crimes, in this caper.
The real crime is the one they are about to commit: The Theft of 2008.
Iglesias told me he was continually being pushed to bring voter fraud cases beginning in 2004. Unfortunately, Iglesias went along with the game, at least at the opening kick-off, holding a press conference just weeks before the Bush-Kerry race, announcing he was setting up a task force with the FBI to hunt down evil voters.
But there were none. It was the old throwing pasta at the wall trick. Something s got to stick. And it didn t, he said.
So Iglesias got the axe. I didn t help them out on their bogus voter fraud prosecutions.
Notably, Iglesias has been signaling these cases were phony-baloney for two years. I got that word from his office in 2005 while reporting for BBC Television on what passes for elections in the USA. But the New Mexico and US press continued to hawk the Republican line of masses of illegal voters, especially illegal immigrants jamming the polling stations.
One thing the American media still has failed to do is to explain why the GOP wanted to bring these cases. In New Mexico, in Arizona, in Georgia and a dozen other states, Republicans were pushing laws requiring voters to have special ID. In 2004, at least a quarter million citizens lost their vote because they didn t bring in the right ID. And which quarter million? Overwhelming, it was Black, Brown and Blue Americans.
Yet, despite this tidal wave of a quarter million fraudulent voters, not one was charged with a crime. Hmmm. Maybe they were innocent. If there s no crime, there s no need for a law to stop the crime. But Republicans don t want to stop voter fraud they want to stop voters. The US press won t tell you that.
But Iglesias wouldn t help. He did the PR stunt but he wouldn t handcuff the innocent. Was he fired for that? His termination was ordered by Tim Griffin, Karl Rove s right-hand hitman.
Were Griffin and Rove punishing Iglesias for not bringing the fake cases? Iglesias said, If his intent was, look what happened with Iglesias, if that was his intent, he s in big trouble. That is obstruction of justice, one classic example.
Figuring out Rove s intent requires crawling inside his head. That s scary and difficult unless you have his office s missing emails. I have 500 of them. How I got them is another story. The key thing is, as I was discussing with my fellow alum of the AG s office, is to explain to a jury the perp s mindset. And these emails show the mad fixation of Griffin and the Rove crew with eliminating voters of the wrong hue.
Most notable were the caging lists naming thousands of voters who lost their vote to GOP challenges, a large proportion of them soldiers sent overseas. Voting rights attorney, law professor Robert F., Kennedy Jr., reviewed the evidence we obtained and concluded, They ought to be in jail for doing this Griffin and his boss Rove both for violating the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
But who would bust them, Bobby? Albert Gonzales?
Is Captain Iglesias just another serviceman caged ?
And where is Griffin today? After Rove had the US Attorney for Arkansas fired, he replaced him with Griffin. The perpetrator became the prosecutor.
And that s the real crime: removing those who won t conspire with the GOP bigs to push the voter ID con and planting their Griffins, expert in election manipulation in place for the 2008 race.
This week, I contacted the office of Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy about the Griffin appointment to which they seemed oddly indifferent. His aide said, Well, Griffin s just an interim appointee.
True, Griffin has promised to leave right after the 2008 election.
Prosecutor-gate is not about Gonzales incompetence. It s not about appointing loyal Bushies. It s not even about firing A Few Good Men.
It s about the 2008 election and changing the Department of Justice the agency charged with protecting voters into an army of Rove-bots programmed to attack them.
You have to see this: The new flash video by White Noise, Be Careful What You Say on the making of the US KGB, which is taken from 'Who's Afriad of Osama Wolf?' -- the first chapter in the new edition of Armed Madhouse.
To see the White Noise video on YouTube go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvRX-PQmLMQ
Watch it on Google video here: http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-7614841975549948776
Or you can download it (as an .mp4 file) here: http://gregpalast.cachefly.net/BECAREFULWHATYOUSAYPART2.MP4
Watch What You Say - Because WE'RE Watching
It s a grim day for the Republic when John Ashcroft is the last line of defense of our liberties.
I didn t know if I should barf or scream or set my hair on fire after watching former Deputy Attorney General James Comey describe how Bush s Chief of Staff Andrew Card and his Tonto, Alberto Gonzales, tried to pry the Constitution from Ashcroft s cold dying hand.
Imagine the scene: Attorney General Ashcroft in intensive care with the two White House enforcers attempting to get him to put his weakening John Hancock on a wiretap program so rancid with illegality even a right-wing pinhead on painkillers could tell it was a bullet hole in the Bill of Rights.
But now let s get beyond the weird episode of ER-meets-Survivor. With Ashcroft resisting, the President did an end-run around the AG to authorize the whacky wiretap program.
Were they really worried about terrorists, the guys who terrorized Ashcroft?
The truth is, the power they sought was not for hunting al Qaeda; after all, wiretaps on Osama s pen-pals have never been challenged.
The key here is the contract. The US Constitution prohibits the government spying on us. So they contracted it out. No-bid billions to ChoicePoint Inc. and other data mining outfits.
What won t come out in the hearings is that this was just one tentacle of a program to create an American KGB, a system of mass snooping which, in the end, didn t catch any bad guys but will be very useful indeed in creating the purge lists that will ensure the re-election of the regime in 2008.
- Greg Palast
Get the full story in Who s Afraid of Osama Wolf? - the first chapter of the new edition of ARMED MADHOUSE: From Baghdad to New Orleans -- Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild. To order the book and for more info go to www.GregPalast.com
You can also join me at:
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/theofficialgregpalast
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From HuffPo
Jon Soltz: Here Comes the "War Czar" -- What Does That Mean?
AP
ABC News is reporting that Lt. General Douglas Lute is going to be named the White House "War Czar."
Those of us who have a rudimentary understanding of the military and Constitution know that there is already a war czar. The position has a different name, though -- commander in chief, or as the president says, 'the commander guy.'
Whatever the name of the position is, this proves the president is throwing in the towel when it comes to directing the military, and is giving up his Constitutional role.
Click here to read more.
ON THE BLOG TODAY
David Kuo: Rudy's "Core Beliefs?"
Chris Kelly: Medved Minute 5/15
Joe Cutbirth: Thanks Jerry, We Hardly Knew Ya
Jane Smiley: Are We Done Yet?
Laurie David: Putting the Green in Greensburg
AP
As severe weather events become more and more frequent, we are constantly reminded of what we can lose in the blink of an eye. Last week, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius shared with me her eerie feelings upon seeing the footprint of an entire town erased in a matter of moments, and also the heartbreaking stories of the Greensburg residents who lost everything.
While it is hard not to dwell on the toll inflicted by the very rare F5 tornado, thoughts immediately turn to rebuilding. While no one questions whether Greensburg should be rebuilt, everyone should take a moment to question how.
I mean, think about it. If we could start over, what would we do differently? Would we take into consideration the cost of global warming in the shape of more and more extreme weather events? Would we make our cities and towns more sustainable? Would we make our homes and businesses more energy efficient so that every homeowner pays less on their bills every month? Would we make commutes as short as possible so that people can walk or bike if they choose? What would we do if we had the opportunity to do it all over?
Click here to read more.
ON THE BLOG TODAY
Harry Shearer: The Template Dies Hard
Andy Borowitz: Next Week's News
Esther Dyson: Release 0.9: The Official Story
Coleen Rowley: The Law School Commencement Speech that Alberto Gonzales Did Not Give
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And now for something you'll really like!
A clever individual called into his local radio station to comment on Bush's abdication of his responsibilities as military commander in chief by appointing his new “war czar,” Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute. The caller remarked that the new war czar's name is perfect for the job, but, based on what our government and corporations are actually doing in Iraq, the caller suggested that Doug change the spelling of his last name to “Loot.”
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Reader R.R. sent in this note from a friend:
Dear friends,
I've published my 3rd book!
"The Complete April Fools RFCs" by Thomas A. Limoncelli and Peter J. Salus
http://www.rfc-humor.com
This is a compilation of the best April Fools jokes created by the
IETF, the group that creates the standards for how the Internet
works. It's pretty technical but fun to read for anyone that is
in software development, system administration, or any kind of
computer geek. A good, cheap, gift for the geek that has everything
and is impossible to shop for.
It is now available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1573980420?tag=tomontime-20
Info about the book: http://www.rfc-humor.com
Order it online! http://www.rfc-humor.com/order.html
Press release info: http://www.rfc-humor.com/press.html
Thanks!
Tom Limoncelli
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An elderly man suffered a massive heart attack. The family drove wildly to get him to the emergency room.
After what seemed like a very long wait, the E.R. doctor appeared, wearing his scrubs and a long face.
“Sadly,” he said, “I'm afraid he is brain-dead, but his heart is still beating.”
“Oh, dear God,” cried the patient's wife, her hands clasped against her cheeks with shock, “We've never had a republican in the family before!!!”
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Don't forget to check out The Dilbert Blog:
posted by The Scallion @ 6:00 PM
