Archive for June, 2007

I do hope this will prevent L’il Jebbie from ever running, but experience tells me it won’t.

Friday, June 8th, 2007

Here are some of today’s stories from Think Progress…
Time’s up for Gonzales, again.
On May 21, the Senate Judiciary Committee made at least its ninth formal request for documents related to President Bush’s warrantless domestic surveillance program. Committee chiefs Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (D-PA) gave Alberto Gonzales until June 5 to provide answers. […]

When are we going to notice the pods in our basements?!

Friday, June 8th, 2007

Voter Supression?
By Rebecca Carr | Thursday, June 7, 2007, 04:16 PM
The Bush administration engaged in a three-year effort to suppress likely Democratic votes, a new report from the New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice and the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law found.
The liberal-leaning non-profit groups reported that 55 percent of career […]

“So I sez ta him, I sez…

Friday, June 8th, 2007

Bush returns to G-8 summit
By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer 10 minutes ago
HEILIGENDAMM, Germany - An upset stomach forced
President Bush to skip some meetings at an international summit on Friday, but he rejoined the gathering after several hours of bed rest.
“He’s not 100 percent, but he felt well enough to return to the talks,” White […]

Could it be a repeat of the Summer of ‘79…

Friday, June 8th, 2007

The Politico
June 06, 2007
Lynne Cheney, Susan Thomas floated as possible replacements for late Sen. Craig Thomas
Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, is being floated in Senate GOP leadership circles as a possible replacement for the late Sen. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.), who died Monday night. Susan Thomas, the late senator’s wife, has also been […]

“I’m strong ta tha finishk…Cause you can’t diminishk…

Thursday, June 7th, 2007

I’m Tinhorn…the pride-free man.  

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Images: (Tinhorn) CF posted June 4, 2007 (pipe) vegassmokes.com; (hat) partypros.com; (torture chamber) rubinville.com

Thank you!!

Thursday, June 7th, 2007

Senate Begins Real Push on Habeas Corpus
Ari Melber
Today the Senate Judiciary Committee passed an important bill to restore habeas corpus, the sacrosanct Constitutional right to challenge government detention in court, by a vote of eleven to eight.
Habeas corpus was revoked by last year’s Military Commissions Act, which has been assailed as unconstitutional and un-American by […]

Why I find government economic reports a joke…

Thursday, June 7th, 2007

 The title and first paragraph look good, but the other grafs certainly paint a much drearier picture.
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Jobless claims down 1,000 to 309,000 last week
Thu Jun 7, 2007 1:32 PM BST18
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The numbers of U.S. workers signing up for first-time unemployment benefits edged down by 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 309,000, Labor Department data […]

Here’s a story one does not often see.

Thursday, June 7th, 2007

I envision corporate headhunters foraging at Forty Hours Devotions. Who knows? I’d trust priests more if they belonged to the Teamsters or the ILWU. ON THE WATERFRONT would certainly have been a different movie if Karl Malden were Johnny Friendly’s muscle or had run his own con. The Exorcist would probably been far less […]

It seems as if ‘Miss Goodling New Fuse’ is an Iron Moth.

Thursday, June 7th, 2007

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Goodling In Private Email: ‘Send Directly Up To Me, Outside The System’
New Justice Department communications released tonight include an email from Monica Goodling, former counsel to Alberto Gonzales, directing another official to draw up a directive giving her unprecedented authority to hire and fire political staffers. Goodling tells the official, assistant attorney general Paul Corts, […]

Dinner is served, Mr. Vice-President. As you requested…it’s still alive.

Wednesday, June 6th, 2007

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Dick waits impatiently to feed.

(Original AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)
Cheney blocked official’s promotion
By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 53 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Vice President
Dick Cheney blocked the promotion of a Justice Department official involved in a bedside standoff over President Bush’s eavesdropping program, a Senate committee learned Wednesday.
In a written account, former Deputy […]

Prince Bandar + The Bushes…Is it any wonder they’re pals?

Wednesday, June 6th, 2007

BAE accused of secretly paying £1bn to Saudi prince
· Money for ‘marketing services’ on arms deal
· £30m payments a quarter
· Sanctioned by MoD
David Leigh and Rob Evans
Thursday June 7, 2007
Guardian
The arms company BAE secretly paid Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia more than £1bn in connection with Britain’s biggest ever weapons contract, it is alleged today.
A […]

I cannot gloat at the prospect of one’s doing time, but I wonder how many pardons went to juvenile offenders tried as adults during W’s Texas reign?

Wednesday, June 6th, 2007

Libby’s supporters renew call for pardon
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Let’s be philosophical for a moment…
Which of the pictured is responsible for the most deaths?
Scooter Libby, Karla Faye Tucker or–shut my mouth–W?
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Karla Faye was far from an angel, but our president had shown his love of life with his now infamous statement which Ms. Tucker did not […]

Could the sabre-toothed parakeet be next?

Wednesday, June 6th, 2007

SFGate
Scientists Find 24 Species in Suriname
By ARNY BELFOR, Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
A frog with fluorescent purple markings and 12 kinds of dung beetles were among two dozen new species discovered in the remote plateaus of eastern Suriname, scientists said Monday.
The expedition was sponsored by two mining companies hoping to excavate the area for […]

A Chicago reader commented on the mugshot…

Wednesday, June 6th, 2007

 ”It is rather strange to see a photo of a character out of a Melville or Joseph Conrad novel on the internet.”
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Suspect in JFK airport plot surrenders in Trinidad
By Linda Hutchinson-Jafar Tue Jun 5, 7:44 PM ET
PORT OF SPAIN (Reuters) - A fourth suspect in what U.S. authorities said was a plot to blow up […]

She fits in very well.

Tuesday, June 5th, 2007

State Department hit by staff shortage crisis, Rice blamed
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Tue Jun 5, 3:00 PM ET
Saddled by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the State Department faces an acute staff shortage crisis amid “worsening morale,” according to a study which blames Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for the problem.
The report by the influential Foreign Affairs Council, […]

D-I-E-thylene glycol in toothpaste?!!!!!!!

Tuesday, June 5th, 2007

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Are they crazy? Would it be irresponsible to ban sulfuric acid-laced stick deodorant? How about Strychnine Little Liver Pills? Lead-based Turkish Taffy? DDT-flavored potato chips? If these exporters keep this up, they’ll come close to the scientific low-lights of Oklahoma’s two senators.

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China says US warning on toothpaste irresponsible
03 Jun 2007 10:03:27 GMT
Source: Reuters
BEIJING, June […]

“Right, a buffa. The Bush family hadda lotta buffas.”–Willie Cicci

Tuesday, June 5th, 2007

NOTEBOOK: News Conference Minus Queries
Tuesday June 5, 2007 6:16 PM
By JENNIFER LOVEN
Associated Press Writer
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) - On a day when he trumpeted democracy, President Bush noted the vital nature of a free press. Then he got a laugh when the press got stiffed.
Bush joined Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and President Vaclav Klaus […]

So, what else is new?

Tuesday, June 5th, 2007

CALLING THE SHOTS
In Murdoch’s Career,
A Hand on the News
His Aggressive Style
Can Blur Boundaries;
‘Buck Stops With Me’
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How are you fixed for Hades?

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By STEVE STECKLOW and AARON O. PATRICK in London, MARTIN PEERS in Sydney, Australia, and ANDREW HIGGINS in New York
As Rupert Murdoch advances in his bid to buy The Wall Street Journal and its […]

“Napoleon, Gandhi letters expected to fetch $4M at auction” Yahoo News

Monday, June 4th, 2007

Hell, I didn’t realize they had known each other.
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Donne, Napoleon, Gandhi letters auction
By ROBERT BARR, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 48 minutes ago
LONDON - A love letter from Napoleon, words of comfort from John Donne and a plea for tolerance from Mahatma Gandhi are among the treasure of a private collection up for auction […]

The Green Mountain Goys are at it again.

Monday, June 4th, 2007

Vt. secession movement gains traction
By JOHN CURRAN, Associated Press Writer 35 minutes ago
At Riverwalk Records, the all-vinyl music store just down the street from the state Capitol, the black “US Out of Vt.!” T-shirts are among the hottest sellers.
But to some people in Vermont, the idea is bigger than a $20 novelty. They want Vermont […]

We especially want to thank Congress for their complete abandonment of their oversight obligations to the Boy Czar.

Monday, June 4th, 2007

Judge dismisses charges against detainee
By ANDREW O. SELSKY, Associated Press Writer 15 minutes ago
A military judge on Monday dismissed terrorism-related charges against a prisoner charged with killing an American soldier in Afghanistan, in a stunning reversal for the Bush administration’s attempts to try Guantanamo detainees in military court.
The chief of military defense attorneys at Guantanamo […]

Battlin’ Bob Novak, Reporter to the Stars…

Monday, June 4th, 2007

Hatch Act Hatchet Job
By Robert D. Novak
Monday, June 4, 2007; Page A15
A year ago Lurita Alexis Doan, an innovative African American entrepreneur from Northern Virginia, took a big government job: chief executive of the General Services Administration (GSA). After 12 months she is on the ropes. She is the victim of a fiercely partisan Democratic […]

Sharapova survives French Open scare–REUTERS

Sunday, June 3rd, 2007

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Sharapova survives French Open scare
By Patrick Vignal
PARIS, June 3 (Reuters) - World number two Maria Sharapova survived two match points before overcoming Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder 3-6 6-4 9-7 in a gripping fourth-round match on Sunday.
Images: (Sharapova) AFP via ABC Sports; (medicine cabinet) sepwww.stanford.edu; (pumpkin) newsday.typepad.com; (Wilson) images.shopping.msn.com
Please find the tale of horror here.

Lou should know by now that it’s useless to argue with a hippo.

Sunday, June 3rd, 2007

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Lou Piniella argues with third-base umpire Mark Wegner during the eighth inning. (AP photo by Nam Y. Huh) Jun 2, 2007 via Chicago Tribune
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Image: (hippo) A hippopotamus showing its teeth Hippopotamus amphibius. © 1997 Greg and Marybeth Dimijian via tolweb.org

It’ll never replace that ‘open hearth/fondue’ combo from 1969.

Sunday, June 3rd, 2007

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Image: (kitchen) flatlink.ru; (missile silo shield/waffle iron combo) AP Photo via huffingtonpost.

Will it have the Funny Pages?

Sunday, June 3rd, 2007

Bancroft family to meet with Murdoch
Sat Jun 2, 2007 10:46AM EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Representatives of the Bancroft family, which controls Dow Jones & Co. Inc. (DJ.N: Quote, Profile, Research, plan to meet with News Corp. (NWSa.N: Quote, Profile, Research chief Rupert Murdoch on Monday to discuss his $5 billion bid for the company, The […]

Do not read before having morning coffee.

Sunday, June 3rd, 2007

June 3, 2007
New York Times
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After Sanctions, Doctors Get Drug Company Pay
By GARDINER HARRIS and JANET ROBERTS
A decade ago the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice accused Dr. Faruk Abuzzahab of a “reckless, if not willful, disregard” for the welfare of 46 patients, 5 of whom died in his care or shortly afterward. The board suspended his […]

This has the making of bad television.

Saturday, June 2nd, 2007

Judge Halts Award Of Iraq Contract
By Alec Klein and Steve Fainaru
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, June 2, 2007; Page D01
A federal judge yesterday ordered the military to temporarily refrain from awarding the largest security contract in Iraq. The order followed an unusual series of events set off when a U.S. Army veteran filed a protest against […]

Karl’s Konnivin’ Kalkulations…

Saturday, June 2nd, 2007

Rove Linked to Prosecution of Ex-Alabama Governor
TIME MAGAZINE–Friday, Jun. 01, 2007
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By ADAM ZAGORIN/WASHINGTON
In the rough and tumble of Alabama politics, the scramble for power is often a blood sport. At the moment, the state’s former Democratic governor, Don Siegelman, stands convicted of bribery and conspiracy charges and faces a sentence of up to 30 years […]

I’ve checked with epidemiologist, Dr. Charles Berry,

Saturday, June 2nd, 2007

who has diagnosed this man
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as having “rockin pneumonia”
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or, mayb “rollin arthritis,”
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but he “needs a shot of rhythm and blues!”

Media Matters for America
From the May 31 edition of Fox News’ The Big Story with John Gibson:
GIBSON: Now “My Word.” The TB Man story has me completely mesmerized. I’ve been doing this for a […]

Thanks to my pal Jack for the Geyer piece…

Friday, June 1st, 2007

‘I’m the President!’
June 1, 2007 - 7:15am.
Bush’s growing madness shocks even his friends
By DOUG THOMPSON
President George W. Bush’s paranoid megalomania is so rampant that close friends and supporters worry about the man’s sanity and fear he has lost his tenuous grip on reality.
Bush, whose arrogant stubbornness knows no bounds, is so wrapped up in his […]

I thought those ants were eradicated in the LA River back in ‘54!

Friday, June 1st, 2007

From Think Progress…
CDC’s Ability To Respond To Tuberculosis Scare Hampered By Bush’s Budget Cuts

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has been instrumental in dealing with this recent TB case. President Bush has repeatedly lauded their work in public health. From 2001:
I believe — firmly believe that because of the good folks who work in […]

Tom Delay says his adultery was different from Newt’s…

Friday, June 1st, 2007

Come on, Tom. No one asked. Just don’t tell us how to live. Unless…???
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The New Yorker
Letter from Washington
Party Unfaithful
The Republican implosion.
by Jeffrey Goldberg June 4, 2007
Earlier this year, he published a memoir called “No Retreat, No Surrender” (his spokeswoman says that he was not stealing from Bruce Springsteen, and that the phrase has been used […]

Oklahoma Is Not OK as long as Inhofe & Coburn represent the future.

Friday, June 1st, 2007

Pro-DDT group’s director donated to anti-Rachel Carson senator
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RAW STORY
05/31/2007 @ 9:21 am
Filed by Michael Roston
A Republican Senator who successfully prevented the US Senate from honoring the centennial of the birth of environmentalist and Silent Spring author Rachel Carson received campaign donations from a member of the board of directors of a group that sponsors […]