Grenade Attack on Bush Staged?

Georgian Opposition Leader Says Grenade Attack on Bush Was Staged by Authorities

The leader of the Georgian opposition Labor Party said on Thursday that the grenade attack on U.S. President Bush in Tbilisi on May 10 was prepared and staged by Georgia’s secret services in a bid to improve the image of Georgian President Saakashvili and present him as a staunch fighter for democracy.

One Small Step

I was so happy with Senator Frist's decision about stem cells, this is just a small step but a very important one:

In a rare break with President Bush, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on Friday endorsed legislation that would expand federally funded embryonic stem cell research.

Frist, a Tennessee Republican and surgeon who may seek his party's presidential nomination in 2008, endorsed a bill already passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that would overturn the limits on the research Bush imposed in 2001.

Senate leader backs expanded stem cell research

Tucker Carlson and Jon Stewart will go Head to Head

No one can beat Jon Stewart, I have been watching the situation but it cannot hold up to The Daily Show:

Tucker Carlson moves to late-night.

"I told the network back in December or January that we were going to do an 11pm show,"

The first question to Carlson was obvious: Are you ready to go up against Jon Stewart?

"Jon Stewart's got a funny show, Jon Stewart's a funny guy" -- when he's not acting like an associate journalism professor, Carlson said. "I think we're going after a different audience."

Senate Passes Energy Bill

Congress Passes Far-Reaching Energy Bill

I'm not sure about all this emcompasses but they did take the drilling of Anwr out and I guess they are extending daylight savings time by 2 months. In the early 70's when there was another energy crisis they tried this and parents were complaining that their kids had to walk to school in the dark. I wonder if that will happen again?

New Planet?

Astronomical detective work led to the stunning discovery of a large new world beyond Pluto – and hiding in plain sight. The object could be the biggest in the Kuiper belt of rocky objects that orbit the outer reaches of the solar system.

The first data made public about the object suggested the object could be up to twice the size of Pluto, but newly revealed observations indicate the object is about 70% Pluto's diameter.

full story:
New world found in outer solar system

Salaries of TV Dads

This is kind of interesting, the salaries of TV dads based on 2005 rates:

Salaries of America's favorite TV dads



Homer Simpson ~~ Nuclear Safety Inspector ~~ $65,000

Christian Hate?

I don't understand how a religion that teaches love can act like this:

Voters will decide in November whether to repeal Maine's newly enacted gay rights law, the state's chief elections officer said Thursday after qualifying the measure for the ballot.

.....the law would protect people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations and credit based on their sexual orientation....

.....News of the approval was hailed by Christian leaders who are spearheading the campaign.

"Praise the Lord," said Tim Russell of the Christian Civic League of Maine.....

This kind of thing aways makes me think of this song from South Pacific:

“You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught.”

(Richard Rodgers)

Get Out the Vomit Bag

hold it in front of your mouth:

from Powerline:

"It must be very strange to be President Bush. A man of extraordinary vision and brilliance approaching to genius, he can't get anyone to notice. He is like a great painter or musician who is ahead of his time, and who unveils one masterpiece after another to a reception that, when not bored, is hostile."

Now Puke

Southern Family Values

From North Carolina we get:

A Baptist pastor has been accused of sexual exploitation and peeping after investigators found videotapes showing at least 10 women and girls at his church undressing and using the bathroom, a Pitt County sheriff's investigator said Wednesday.

full story:
Pastor charged with secretly taping girls, women

Bush's Favorite Dirty Joke

According to Kinky Friedman and the NYP:

"The only time I ever hit two good balls is when I step on a rake."

Scouts Get Ill in Heat Waiting to See Their Prez who Cancels

The Boy Scouts marched onto the field singing, plopping down in the grass to wait for President Bush. But hours later, the news that Bush couldn't make it was drowned out by sirens and shouts as hundreds fell ill because of the blistering heat.

About 300 people, most of them Scouts, suffered from dehydration, fatigue and lightheadedness Wednesday - just days after four Scout leaders were killed at the national Jamboree while pitching a tent beneath a power line.

Boy Scouts recovering from intense heat

Another One Finger Victory Salute?

I can't tell if Bush is actually flipping the press off or not, if so it is embarrassing that this guy is our president:

Watch the video:

Bush to Press

Shuttle Fleet Grounded

NASA said Wednesday it is grounding future shuttle flights because foam debris that brought down Columbia is still a risk — and might have doomed Discovery if the big chunk of broken insulation had come off just a bit earlier and slammed into the spacecraft.

NASA: No Flights Until Foam Issue Fixed

Leave no Gun Behind

Frist puts NRA bill ahead of all others:

Until lawmakers vote on a top-priority gun rights bill, nothing else
happens in the Senate. And that includes Congress' prized month long
vacation.

That's the way Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has toughened up his
style in the final days before the August break was to begin, learning
from last year to leave no room for gun control advocates to derail
legislation limiting lawsuits against the gun industry.

Senate Leader Takes No Chance on NRA Bill

I Wonder IF Benedict Arnold Was Given a Pay Raise?

Staff Salaries: Who's Making What:

The top pay rate at the White House for senior aides like Chief of Staff Andy Card and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove is now $161,000, according to an internal White House list of staff salaries compiled as of July 1

....Last year, all "assistants to the president" earned $157,000....

Bush Hits New Low

Quinnipiac University National Poll

American voters disapprove of the job President George W. Bush is doing 53 - 41 percent, his lowest approval rating since becoming President.

Is Harry Scary?

Christian Publisher Pans Potter, Presents Bible-Based Comic Alternative

The publisher of the "Truth for Youth" Bible is addressing the dangers of the Harry Potter book series with a new, youth-targeted resource -- a scripture-based comic book.

Now, in the interest of offering more Bible-based, topical truth to kids and adults, Tim Todd has developed a new youth-targeted comic. Its purpose, according to the minister, is to combat the lies hidden inside the phenomenally popular Harry Potter book series.

Sounds Like a FUN Game to Me

Two Iraqis at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison were bitten by dogs as they were being handled by sergeants who were competing to see who could scare more detainees, a witness testified Tuesday.

....Frederick also said he heard both defendants say they were competing, using their dogs, to see how many detainees they could frighten into urinating on themselves.....

Witness: Dogs Bit Abu Ghraib Detainees

The Other Side of the Coin

from Wonkette:

Names and Faces reports on a cheesy Web promotional gimmick for Wedding Crashers that's run afoul of the law--or at least a law in progress. The site's "Crasher Kit" includes a print-your-own-Purple Heart feature, so that you can print out a phony medal and use it, like the Owen Wilson character in the film, to bag unsuspecting maids of honor. But Hershel Gobel, of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, got the film's producers at New Line Cinema to take the feature down.

....That all sounds very worthy and good, but we're hoping we can build on this encouraging precedent. Let's round up the douchetards at last year's GOP convention who distributed the bandaids mocking John Kerry's war wounds (surely tasteless medal parody falls under the law's provisions)......

When Everbody Knows Your Name

This would be like your name being Mudd:

SAUDI ARABIA: BIN LADEN FAMILY REQUESTS SURNAME CHANGE

Roy's Boy in MO get Ethic Complaint Filing

Roy Blunt's (Tom Delay's shadow) son seems to be having some ethics problems here in MO:

The Missouri Ethics Commission announced today that they have referred a complaint filed against Gov. Matt Blunt for violating Missouri’s campaign finance laws to the Attorney General’s office. This is believed to be the first time since the Ethics Commission was formed in 1993 that they have found probable cause to refer an ethics complaint against a sitting governor to a prosecutor.

Commission Refers Ethics Complaint against Matt Blunt for Prosecution

I Bet Bush Handed Them out Talking Points

The U.S. military on Sunday said it was looking into how virtually identical quotations ended up in two of its news releases about different insurgent attacks.

'Enemies of humanity' quote raises Iraq PR questions

I Wonder Where They Would Display This at the "Creation Museum?"

Since creationist insist the world is only around 6,000 years old, I wonder how this woiuld fit in in an exhibit at the Creation Museum:

Ancient phallus unearthed in cave

A sculpted and polished phallus found in a German cave is among the earliest representations of male sexuality ever uncovered, researchers say.

....The 20cm-long, 3cm-wide stone object, which is dated to be about 28,000 years old....

.....Its life size suggests it may well have been used as a sex aid by its Ice Age makers, scientists report.....

Rove is TOAST!

on Ebay:

Anti-War Grannies Try to Enlist to go to Iraq

A group of anti-war senior citizens calling themselves the "Tucson Raging Grannies" say they want to enlist in the U.S. Army and go to Iraq so that their children and grandchildren can come home.

'Raging Grannies' want to enlist, go to Iraq

First Iraq Vet Running for Congress ~~ AND HE'S A DEM

A few months ago, Paul Hackett was flushing out insurgents and avoiding ambushes in Fallujah, Ramadi and other hotspots in Iraq. Today, the Marine is trying to round up votes in small southern Ohio towns like this one.

Hackett, a Democrat, is running in a special election Aug. 2 in a bid to become the first Iraq war veteran elected to Congress.

Full story:
Iraq War Vet Runs for Congress in Ohio

WOW ~~ Plame Memo Marked Top Secret

John Harwood of the Wall Street Journal just announced on Countdown that the Plame Memo that was given to Colin Powell on the flight to Africa was marked TOP SECRET not just secret.

HMM...............

Tanking -- Ahhnold

Wow these Approval Ratings on Arnold Schwarzenegger are really bad:

Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way that Arnold Schwarzenegger is handling his job as governor of California?"

Approve 34
Disapprove 51

Public Policy Institute of California (PDF)

"No Pal Left Behind"

Op-Ed Piece in the SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER:

President Bush likes to talk about high standards, accountability and personal responsibility. While Bush expects students, school systems and future retirees to toe the line, his friends get an easier deal.

.....Schoolchildren, take note. There will still be high standards for you, your teachers and your schools. But at the White House, the rule is a little different: No pal left behind. Unless, of course, he is an out-and-out criminal. That's quite a standard.....

full op-ed:
Leaking Standard: No pal left behind

Confirmed Bush does Rush Job on Nominee to shift attention from "Rovegate"

Bush accelerated his search for a Supreme Court nominee in part because of special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation into the leak of a CIA agent's name, according to Republicans familiar with administration strategy.

Bush originally had planned to announce a replacement for retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on July 26 or 27, just before his planned July 28 departure for a month-long vacation at his Crawford, Texas, ranch, said two administration officials, who spoke on the condition they not be named.

The officials said those plans changed because Rove has become a focus of Fitzgerald's interest and of news accounts about the matter.

Supreme Court Pick Shifts Attention From Rove, Agent Disclosure

Uncle Sam asks for "OLD MEN"

Appears the military are getting more and more desparate for recruits:

The Defense Department quietly asked Congress on Monday to raise the maximum age for military recruits to 42 for all branches of the service.

from the ArmyTimes.com

Theocracy

ChristianExodus.org is moving thousands of Christians to South Carolina to reestablish constitutionally limited government founded upon Christian principles. This includes the return to South Carolina of all "powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States."

WELCOME TO THE CHRISTIAN EXODUS

Governor's Concerned about Guard

Our wonderful voluntary military appears to being going down the tubes via Bush, now the governors are concerned about the National Guard:

he nation's governors are expressing growing concern that the extended deployment of National Guard soldiers in Iraq is depleting troop resources at home, threatening to leave states unable to respond to the natural disasters, civil unrest and other domestic emergencies that traditionally lead governors to call out the Guard.

full story:
Governors Concerned Over National Guard Deployments in Iraq

Quote of the Day

Matt Drudge on his Drudge Report
tried to smear John McCain all last week with blaring headlines about Boobs and Raunchfests. Apparently McCain appeared for a few seconds in a new R rated flick, "Wedding Crashers." When asked about it on Jay Leno, McCain replied:

"In Washington, I work with boobs every day."

What They Do in the Middle of the Night

One thing you can count on in Congress these days. They al ways save the good stuff for the middle of the night.

Almost every piece of controversial legislation that has passed Congress since Texas Republican Tom DeLay consolidated power has been voted on in the middle of the night.

It started a couple of years ago.

At 2:54 a.m. on Friday, March 21, 2003, the House cut veterans benefits by three votes.

At 2:39 a.m. on Friday, April 11, 2003, the House slashed education and health care by five votes.

At 1:56 a.m. on Friday, May 23, 2003, the House passed the Leave No Millionaire Behind tax cut by a handful of votes.

At 2:33 a.m. on Friday, June 27, 2003, the House passed the Medicare privatization and prescription drug bill by one vote.

At 12:57 a.m. on Friday, July 25, 2003, the House eviscerated Head Start, again by one vote.

More

Newspeak

Scary piece from mythofsisyphus.net

An Interview with Orwell

From the Cambridge International Dictionary --

Capitalism -- an economic, political and social system based on private ownership of property, business and industry, and directed towards making the greatest possible profits for successful organizations and people

From the Cambridge American Dictionary --

Capitalism -- an economic system based on private ownership of property and business, with the goal of making the greatest possible profits for the owners

Amazing isn't it? You see the problem. In the rest of the world, capitalism means private ownership where success is financially rewarded. Using America's Newspeak Dictionary, capitalism means private ownership where the OWNERS, and not the company or the employees are the ones entitled to capital, regardless of how badly the business does. Success doesn't even come into play. In America, the owners are entitled to the greatest possible profits, period.

read the full piece:
An Interview with Orwell

A Democracy Man-made

It appears that Bush's Democracy in Iraq had a little America push:

In the months before the Iraqi elections in January, President Bush approved a plan to provide covert support to certain Iraqi candidates and political parties, but rescinded the proposal because of Congressional opposition, current and former government officials said Saturday.

....Mr. Bush, in his public statements, has insisted that the United States will help promote conditions for democracy in the region but will live with whatever governments emerge in free elections

The article cites unidentified former military and intelligence officials who said the administration went ahead with covert election activities in Iraq that "were conducted by retired C.I.A. officers and other non-government personnel, and used funds that were not necessarily appropriated by Congress." But it does not provide details and says, "the methods and the scope of the covert effort have been hard to discern......."

full story:
Plan Called for Covert Aid in Iraq Vote

Did NASA Put Life on Mars?

FAR from discovering life on Mars, Nasa may have put it there. The American space agency believes the two rover spacecraft scuttling across the red planet are carrying bacteria from Earth, writes John Harlow.

The bacteria, bacillus safensis, were found in a chamber in California that had been used to test the rovers. Officials believe it is likely some of the microbes, possibly from scientists’ skin, were on board when the mission left.

full story:
It's one small step for a bug, a giant red face for Nasa

Maybe They Can Start Their Own Little Country and Leave us all Alone!

This would be fine with me:

Plans to reform our government to more Christian-like principals are in the works and we may feel the effects, right here in the Upstate. That is because South Carolina has been chosen as the place for hundreds, even thousands of Christians to move to, in hopes of impacting the government. But people who live here have mixed opinions about the Christian Exodus.

....Here, is South Carolina: the chosen location for the Christian Exodus, a non-profit group organizing Christians to move to the Palmetto State to concentrate the number of Christians in one location with the intent to influence how the state governs......

full story:
Christian Exodus Planned For South Carolina

No "Free Speech" for Military

An Arizona Army National Guardsman whose Web log comments have criticized the Iraq war and who has filed papers to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Jon Kyl, is the subject of a military investigation in Iraq, the Army said Tuesday.

......Clark’s case also illustrates how the military is wrestling with an explosion of opinionated soldier Web logs or “blogs,” and their content at a time when polls show rising public opposition to the war.......

............Clark’s wife, Marisela, said her husband called her Tuesday morning to say he “was not arrested anymore” and told her not to worry about him.“He sounded very different and very sad, but he said, ‘I’m OK,’ “ she said. “But I am really afraid for him.”She said he told her he was arrested for “having a big mouth about his politics.........”

full story:
Guardsman faces probe over blog comments

There is No Global Warming?

Canadian Artic hits 98 degrees:

The sweltering Arctic

Competitive Coach puts Hit on Disabled Player to Win Game!

This is so unbelievable. Can you imagine wanting to win this bad?

A T-ball coach allegedly paid one of his players $25 to hurt an 8-year-old mentally disabled teammate so he wouldn't have to put the boy in the game, police said Friday.

Mark R. Downs Jr., 27, of Dunbar, is accused of offering one of his players the money to hit the boy in the head with a baseball, police said. Witnesses told police Downs didn't want the boy to play in the game because of his disability.

Police said the boy was hit in the head and in the groin with a baseball just before a game, and didn't play, police said.

full story:
Coach Allegedly Paid Player to Hit Boy

Why Do Republican's Hate America

A letter I sent to the local "Republican Rag" we have in our town:

A few months ago Republican Congressman Spencer Bachus called a remark Bill Maher made on his HBO "Real Time with Bill Maher" bordering on Treason! Google Michael Moore and treason and you'll get dozens of sites saying he has committed treason or treasonous acts. The Bush campaign foreign policy adviser Danielle Pletka told Wolf Blitzer on CNN: "I'm glad to know that Michael Moore is giving aid and comfort to the enemy," during the 2004 campaign season.

Now we have the possibility of a person in our government, someone who is in great power and very close to our Commander in Chief, outing a CIA agent. Intentionally ruining the career of an undercover spy, who was working on weapons of mass destruction while our nation is at war on that very issue seems more like treason to me than telling jokes or making movies.Where is the outrage, where is the patriotism from the right? Larry Johnson a former CIA analyst and counterterrorism official and classmate of the CIA agent, Valerie Plame, involved in the outing writes:“The misinformation being spread in the media about the Plame affair is alarming and damaging to the long term security interests of the United States. Republicans' talking points are trying to savage Joe Wilson and, by implication, his wife, Valerie Plame as liars.

That is the truly big lie.……Valerie Plame was an undercover operations officer until outed in the press by Robert Novak. Novak's column was not an isolated attack. It was in fact part of a coordinated, orchestrated smear that we now know includes at least Karl Rove. And so I have to ask, “Why are Republicans so unpatriotic and hate America

Oh God Their Baaacccckkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just Us Sunday II:

Recruiting the African American Vote Republican Style

Great way for wingnuts to recruit the black vote, from the mouth of Rush Limbaugh

from Media Matters

He says the NAACP should be called the NAALCP ~~ National Association for Liberal Colored People

Dad Beats Toddler to Death Thought He was Gay

(Tampa, Florida) A 21 year old Tampa man is charged with murder after his 3-year old son was pummeled into unconsciousness and then died.

Ronnie Paris Jr. went on trial for his own life this week in a Tampa courtroom. The toddler's mother, Nysheerah Paris, testified that her husband thought the boy might be gay and would force him to box.

Nysheerah Paris told the court that Paris would make the boy fight with him, slapping the child in the head until he cried or wet himself. She said that on one occasion Paris slammed the child against a wall because he was vomiting.

full story:
Thought Toddler Gay, Dad Kills Son

General Says National Guard in Iraq Safer than Riding in a Car

The dangers faced by American troops in Iraq have been exaggerated, adding to the difficulty of recruiting soldiers at home, the Army general in charge of National Guard forces said yesterday.

The casualty rate for guardsmen is low compared with any previous armed conflict, Lt. Gen. Steven Blum said.

He said he recognizes that every death is a tragedy for that person's family. "But I lose, unfortunately, more people through private automobile accidents and motorcycle accidents over the same period of time," he added.

Iraq dangers 'misrepresented'

Pope Hates Harry Potter

LifeSiteNews.com has obtained and made available online copies of two letters sent by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was recently elected Pope, to a German critic of the Harry Potter novels. In March 2003, a month after the English press throughout the world falsely proclaimed that Pope John Paul II approved of Harry Potter, the man who was to become his successor sent a letter to a Gabriele Kuby outlining his agreement with her opposition to J.K. Rowling's offerings.

full story:
Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels

Walmart "Edits"

No, you're not smoking something--the cover of

Willie Nelson's new reggae album comes in two separate versions: regular and Wal-Mart.

The cover art of Countryman, released Tuesday, features green marijuana leaves over a red and yellow background and looks similar to a large pack of rolling papers.

However, for those looking to snap up the CD at Wal-Mart's famously rolled back prices, the cover features a palm tree in place of the offending leaves, a change made by Universal Music Group Nashville out of deference to the retailing giant's strict guidelines with regards to lyrics and packaging.

full story:
Wal-Mart Tweaks Willie's Reggae

Missouri rated No. 1 in Slacking at Work

If you're on the job, and you're reading this story, you should probably get back to work. The average worker wastes more than two hours a day, and that's not including lunch, according to a new Web survey by America Online and Salary.com. That means companies spend as much as $759 billion on salaries annually for which they receive no apparent benefit, the research found.

The No. 1 state for wasting time was Missouri, where workers who responded to the survey reported slacking off 3 hours and 12 minutes a day.

full story:
MO. no. 1 in Slacking at Work

Turd Blossom Express

From Huffington Post:

Has the Turd Blossom Express Reached the End of the Line?

The Truth about Valerie Plame

This is a good piece on the Valerie Plame affair by Larry Johnson someone who knew her and was in the CIA with her:

The Big Lie About Valerie Plame

128,000 Civilians Have Been Killed in Iraq

An Iraqi humanitarian organization is reporting that 128,000 Iraqis have been killed since the U.S. invasion began in March 2003.

Mafkarat al-Islam reported that chairman of the 'Iraqiyun humanitarian organization in Baghdad, Dr. Hatim al-'Alwani, said that the toll includes everyone who has been killed since that time, adding that 55 percent of those killed have been women and children aged 12 and under.

full story:
Iraqi civilian casualties

Guard Enlistments Down for 9 Straight Months

I keep reading and hearing this statement from the spokespeople for the military:

"The recruiting environment remains difficult in terms of economic conditions and alternatives," the Army said in a statement released Monday.

What a bunch of horse manure. The economy is crap. No one wants to enlist because of Iraq and getting blown up.

Army Guard Misses Recruiting Goal Again

NY Times Hits Rove Hard Tomorrow

According to Drudge:

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX MON JULY 11, 2005 17:21:08 ET XXXXX

NY TIMES FIGHTS BACK: PLANS FRONT SPLASH ON ROVE; REPORTER SITS IN JAIL

Top editors of the NY TIMES made the decision Monday afternoon to turn up the heat on White House adviser Karl Rove.

The TIMES is planning to lead Tuesday editions with growing calls for Rove's resignation, newsroom sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT, a powerplay in this summer's DC all-star game of high stakes finger pointing and intrigue.

Drudge Report

John Kerry Says "Fire Karl Rove"

Sign the Kerry petition:

Mr. President, despite carefully worded denials, it is now apparent that your most senior advisor discussed the identity of an undercover CIA agent with a reporter. His clear aim was to discredit that agent’s husband who had dared to challenge the administration in the buildup to the war. You cannot remain silent. Fire Karl Rove.

Bush Like Alfred E. Neuman

Hillary says:
"I sometimes feel that Alfred E. Neuman is in charge in Washington." "What Me Worry?"



Right on Hillary

CNN Censored at Guantanamo

Taking up U.S. President George Bush's challenge for reporters to visit the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba, CNN did, but its video was censored.

In response to allegations of prisoner abuse at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba, Bush made the challenge in June, and again Wednesday while in Denmark.

However, a CNN crew that toured the facility was not allowed to see the worst-behaved inmates, who are kept in a block behind a mesh fence.

full story:
CNN video censored at Guantanamo prison

The Bush Legacy ~~ An Endless War on Terror

New York and Washington. Bali, Riyadh, Istanbul, Madrid. And now London.

When will it end? Where will it all lead?

The experts aren’t encouraged. One prominent terrorism researcher sees the prospect of “endless” war. Adds the man who tracked Osama bin Laden for the CIA, “I don’t think it’s even started yet.”

......n fact, says Michael Scheuer, the ex-CIA analyst, rather than move toward solutions, the United States took a big step backward by invading Iraq......

full story:
Experts fear 'endless' terror war
Analysts say al-Qaida is mutating into a global insurgency

This is Winning?

Well I feel a whole lot better, AP reports U.S. wins Global Warming debate. That's sure a win for all of us:

Leaders of the world's wealthy nations appeared to bow to U.S. pressure on climate change, approving a watered-down declaration Friday that avoids setting targets or timetables for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

But in his final speech at the G-8 summit, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that the G-8 countries and five of the world's largest emerging economies China, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa had agreed to work together to counter global warming.

full story:
U.S. Appears to Win Global Warming Debate

Wanted: Turd Blossom ~~ Treason and Perjury

A wanted poster with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove's likeness was tacked up in Adams Morgan (Washington D.C.). Some have speculated that it was Rove who leaked information that blew a covert CIA operative's cover.

Washington Post

7/7/2005

Iraq and Iran Sign Military Deal

I wonder how the Bushites like this:

Former foes Iran and Iraq have said they will sign a military cooperation agreement that will include Iranian help in training Iraq's armed forces.

The agreement marks a considerable advance in relations between the two countries that fought a bitter 1980-1988 war and comes despite repeated US accusations that Iran has undermined security in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

.....Asked about possible US opposition to Iran-Iraq military cooperation, Shamkhani said: "No one can prevent us from reaching an agreement......"

full story:
Iran and Iraq to sign military deal

Schiavo Case Closed Finally

Looks like Jeb lost:

Florida's state attorney said there was no evidence Terri Schiavo's collapse 15 years ago involved criminal activity, and Gov. Jeb Bush on Thursday declared an end to the state's inquiry.

Bush had asked State Attorney Bernie McCabe to investigate Schiavo's case after her autopsy last month. He said he now considers the state's involvement with the matter finished.

"Based on your conclusions, I will follow your recommendation that the inquiry by the state be closed," Bush said in a two-sentence letter.

full story:
No Crime Found In Schiavo Collapse

Saddam Secret Police Being Used Again

RAQI security forces, set up by American and British troops, torture detainees by pulling out their fingernails, burning them with hot irons or giving them electric shocks, Iraqi officials say. Cases have also been recorded of bound prisoners being beaten to death by police.

In their haste to put police on the streets to counter the brutal insurgency, Iraqi and US authorities have enlisted men trained under Saddam Hussein’s regime and versed in torture and abuse, the officials told The Times. They said that recruits were also being drawn from the ranks of outlawed Shia militias.

full story:
West turns blind eye as police put Saddam's torturers back to work

Rehnquist to Resign Tomorrow?

From Capitol Buzz:

Rehnquist Rumors: Senate GOP Predicts Announcement Circa 10AM on Friday

Republicans on the Judiciary Committee have let Senate Dems know that they should be prepared for Rehnquist to make a statement sometime between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. tomorrow morning and not to schedule anything during that time.

We Are All Brits Today!

World Stands With London After Attacks

World leaders condemned the deadly attacks in London Thursday and quickly ordered security stepped up in their own countries, vowing to cooperate to track down the attackers in a globe-spanning pledge of solidarity

full story

Watch What You Say You Could Be Put on a List!

I watched the Al Franken Radio Show on Sundance Channel tonight and heard something quite ominous about asking important questions to our Prez:

TIME White House correspondent John Dickerson said that:

Bennett Roth of the Houston Chronicle had asked at a Press conference, pointing out that the president had encouraged parents to speak to their children about drug abuse -- asked Fleischer, "How much has he (Bush) talked to his own daughters about both drugs and drinking? And given the fact that his own daughter was cited for underage drinking, isn't that a sign that there's only so much effect that a parent can have on their children's behavior?"

Account in Wash Post:

WASHINGTON POST: Sheriff [Ari] Fleischer was on duty Thursday and upset with Houston Chronicle reporter Bennett Roth. Bush that morning urged parents to talk more to their kids about the dangers of drugs. Roth, at Fleischer's daily briefing, asked: "Ari, the president talked about parental involvement today. How much has he talked to his own daughters about both drugs and drinking? And given the fact that his own daughter was cited for underage drinking, isn't that a sign that there's only so much effect that a parent can have on their children's behavior?" Fleischer responded brusquely: "No, I think, frankly, there are some issues where I think it's very important for you all in the press corps to recognize that he is the president of the United States; he's also a father. And the press corps has been very respectful in the past of treating family matters with privacy, and I'm certain that you're going to do so again. I hope so." Fleischer later called Roth to chastise him, telling him his question had been "noted in the building

....After this according to Dickerson Roth was put on a "list" citing this was before guantanamo but still quite frightenting and this was not a good list to be on....

Housing Boom or Bust?

I can't even imagine this:

The crazy California real estate market has come to this: a million-dollar trailer.

A two-bedroom, two-bathroom mobile home perched on a lot in Malibu is selling for $1.4 million. This isn't a greedy seller asking a ridiculous amount no one will pay. (Photo gallery: Mobile home boasts of spectacular views)

Mobile home madness: Prices top $1 million

Me in my Patriotic Skirt!

King George Wrecks his Bike Again!

from Capitol Buzz:

POTUS collided with a police officer during his bike ride. He was about 45 minutes into his ride, Scott said, when the accident occurred. The officer was in a security detail on the grounds of Gleneagles. The President slid on the paved surface, suffering scrapes on his hands and arms that later required treatment and bandaging by his White House physician. The officer was taken to a local hospital as a precaution, Scott said. The extent of his harm wasn't immediately clear, although he might have an ankle injury. The president had been riding -- speed undetermined -- on the road.

United Church of Christ First Church to Support Gay Marriage

The million-strong United Church of Christ (UCC) has become the first major US Christian denomination to come out in support of gay marriage.

The UCC's general synod passed a resolution affirming "equal rights for couples regardless of gender".

The decision is not binding and will not require pastors to marry same-sex couples, though some already do.

full story:
US Church backs same-sex marriage

Gambling

Meth Use no. 1 Problem Say Law Enforcement - Bush Worries More about Marijuana

The crippling reach of methamphetamine abuse has become the nation's leading drug problem affecting local law enforcement agencies, according to a survey of 500 sheriff's departments in 45 states.

...About 90 percent of those interviewed reported increases in meth-related arrests in their counties over the last three years, packing jails in the Midwest and elsewhere.

The arrests also have swamped other county-level agencies that assist with caring for children whose parents have become addicted and with cleaning up toxic chemicals left behind by meth cookers....

....The report comes soon after the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy restated its stance that marijuana remains the nation's most substantial drug problem. Federal estimates show there are 15 million marijuana users compared to the 1 million that might use meth......

full story:
Sheriffs Say Meth Is Top U.S. Drug Problem

The Beginning of the End (I hope) for Limbaugh

I just hope this lying piece of pig poop goes down BIG TIME:

Some of Rush Limbaugh's medical records may be in the hands of prosecutors this week, jump-starting anew the criminal investigation of the conservative talk-show king and ending his 19-month battle to reclaim them.

A judge indicated during a hearing Tuesday that he's nearly done reviewing the seized records. Circuit Judge Thomas Barkdull III asked for evidence bags for the records' transport. "Three of them," he said.

full story:
Limbaugh judge hints at turnover of records

The Cost of War

Palm Beach Post has an interactive map that shows every military man and woman killed in Iraq and Afganistan, quite chilling when you take a look:

Service men, women who have died in Iraq, Afghanistan

Woman Sues NASA for Blasting Comet

Marina Bai has sued the U.S. space agency, claiming the Deep Impact probe that punched a crater into the comet Tempel 1 late Sunday "ruins the natural balance of forces in the universe," the newspaper Izvestia reported Tuesday.

......She earlier told the paper that the experiment would "deform her horoscope.".....

full story:
Astrologer Sues NASA Over Comet Mission

Pediatricians say "Teach Birth Control" in Sex Education

A leading group of pediatricians says teenagers need access to birth control and emergency contraception, not the abstinence-only approach to sex education favored by religious groups and President Bush.

he recommendations are part of the American Academy of Pediatrics' updated teen pregnancy policy.

"Even though there is great enthusiasm in some circles for abstinence-only interventions, the evidence does not support abstinence-only interventions as the best way to keep young people from unintended pregnancy," said Dr. Jonathan Klein, chairman of the academy committee that wrote the new recommendations.

full story:
Pediatricians Decry Abstinence-Only Ed

Some of Us Will Never Look at the Letter "W" the Same!

A free association exercise: Think of a Washington Nationals baseball cap. What's the next thing that pops into your head?

....In the lower concourses of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, the issue is obvious to souvenir vendors. "They say, 'W? Does that stand for Bush?' " said Gary Berned, speaking of fans that visit his kiosk.

Vendor Mike Aman said baseball fans who aren't fans of the president often choose the caps with the "DC" logo, even after he tells them that the team doesn't wear that model during games.....

In D.C., 'W' Spells More Than Baseball
To Partisan Fans, Nationals Logo Infused With Meaning

$100 a Barrel Oil?

Ouch:

Oil 'will hit $100 by winter'

Worst-ever crisis looms, says analyst · Surging demand to keep prices high

Oil prices could rocket to $100 within six months, plunging the world into an unprecedented fuel crisis, controversial Texan oil analyst Matt Simmons has warned.

After crude surged through $60 a barrel last week, nervous investors were pinning their hopes on a build-up in US oil-stocks to depress prices in the coming months.

But Simmons believes surging demand will keep prices bubbling well above $50. 'We could be at $100 by this winter. We have the biggest risk we have ever had of demand exceeding supply. We are now just about to face up to the biggest crisis we have ever had,' he said.

Sandra Day O'Connor Retires Scary Times Ahead

She was always a swing vote, voting about 50 - 5o with the libs and conservatives, if Bush puts in a hard righter it could change alot of things in America:

Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court and a swing vote on abortion as well as other contentious issues, announced her retirement Friday. A bruising Senate confirmation struggle loomed as President Bush pledged to name a successor quickly.

full story:
O'Connor retires from Supreme Court