The Downing Street Memo

If you were pissed off that Clinton lied about a blowjob, boy howdy have I got something new for you to be pissed about.

Bush lied about the Iraq war. Can you believe it? Shocking, I know. You know what else is shocking? It's getting NO coverage in the US. None!!



Here's info on the Downing Street memo.

More information on the Downing Street Memo.

If you Blog, join.

And if you really give a shit about this country you'll do something by SIGNING JOHN CONYERS' LETTER

USATODAY.com - White House wants search limits overturned

Why don't they concentrate on getting bin Ladin and stop worrying about what AMERICAN CITIZENS are doing?

USATODAY.com - White House wants search limits overturned:

"Posted 5/28/2005 4:40 AM - Updated 5/28/2005 5:09 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) --The Bush administration asked a federal appeals court Friday to restore its ability to compel Internet service providers to turn over information about their customers or subscribers as part of its fight against terrorism.

The legal filing with the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in New York comes amid a debate in Congress over renewal of the Patriot Act and whether to expand the FBI's power to seek records without the approval of a judge or grand jury."

Analysts behind faulty Iraq intel rewarded

Wow. Do what the administration wants, get promoted. Speak truth to power, get fired. Let's see...George Tennet gets medal of freedom. Rice gets promoted. Rummy keeps his job. Wolfowitz gets promoted. Bolton gets promoted (or at least bush tries).

Analysts behind faulty Iraq intel rewarded - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com: "Army staffers who bolstered tube claim received bonuses"

By Walter Pincus

Updated: 11:29 p.m. ET May 27, 2005
Two Army analysts whose work has been cited as part of a key intelligence failure on Iraq -- the claim that aluminum tubes sought by the Baghdad government were probably meant for a nuclear weapons program rather than for rockets -- have received job performance awards in each of the past three years, officials said."

This Memorial Day Weekend

You need to know the facts

More troop support from Republicans.

European and Pacific Stars & Stripes: "Tricare provision removed from defense budget plan -- amendment would have opened benefits to part-time soldiers "

2 Boca high schools requiring Bible readings over summer: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

2 Boca high schools requiring Bible readings over summer: South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

By Scott Travis - Education Writer - Posted May 26 2005

Fran Eppy was taken aback when she looked at her son's summer reading list. His only requirement was to read passages from the Bible.

The English Department at West Boca Raton High School is asking all incoming 11th-graders to read from the book of Genesis over the summer. Nearby Olympic Heights High School also requires the reading for students in honors 11th-grade English classes."

But it's not OK for college students to read the Koran. " 'The timing couldn't be worse,' says Jody Hardman, a public school teacher who's on campus with her daughter for an orientaton session. 'At a time when we're told we can't say "under God" during the pledge, here's a public school assigning the Koran'." ... "Last week, three students and a conservative Christian organization took their discontent a step further, and filed a lawsuit."

I'm sure the lawsuit was about separation of church and state, yes? Perhaps this same "conservative Christian organization" would file a lawsuit here, too? Nah.

Judge: Parents can't teach pagan beliefs

So, will your particular brand of religion be next? Gays and witches first. Unmarried straights and Methodists next?

Judge: Parents can't teach pagan beliefs: "May 26, 2005

Wicca is related to European tribal nature worship. Wiccans regard living things as sacred and often show a concern for the environment.

They do not worship Satan, but some cast 'spells.' Some worship in the nude as a sign of attunement with nature.

The core value of Wicca states, 'As it harm none, do what you will.'

-- Star report

By Kevin Corcoran
kevin.corcoran@indystar.com

An Indianapolis father is appealing a Marion County judge's unusual order that prohibits him and his ex-wife from exposing their child to 'non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals.'

The parents practice Wicca, a contemporary pagan religion that emphasizes a balance in nature and reverence for the earth.

Cale J. Bradford, chief judge of the Marion Superior Court, kept the unusual provision in the couple's divorce decree last year over their fierce objections, court records show. The order does not define a mainstream religion.
Bradford refused to remove the provision after the 9-year-old boy's outraged parents, Thomas E. Jones Jr. and his ex-wife, Tammie U. Bristol, protested last fall."

This is just stupid

The Hamburger Bill -- otherwise known as The Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act. Aren't there more important things to debate? In case you are even slightly interested, I'd urge you to contact one of the sponsors. There are 83 of 'em.

Poll results

and we let these idiots vote????

USATODAY.com: "USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll results

Poll results are based on telephone interviews with 1,006 national adults conducted May 20-22, 2005."

Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist --- 2005 May 20-22 --- never heard of - 32

Senate Democratic Leader, Harry Reid --- 2005 May 20-22 --- never heard of - 42

How closely have you been following the news about the use of the filibuster on judicial nominations in the U.S. Senate --- 2005 May 20-22 --- not at all - 37

President catapults propaganda

Gotta "catapult" that propaganda. Do you sometimes wonder what it must be like the in the Whitehouse, getting GWBush ready for events like this? "Now George, remember. You have to repeat these phrases so they'll sink in. Soundbites for the TV News. A person has to hear something at least 21 times for them to remember it, and the more you repeat a lie, the more true it becomes. And the more clever the soundbite, the more likely it'll be on TV. So remember, repeat, repeat, repeat. It's all in the propaganda, George, and we gotta catapult it!"

President Participates in Social Security Conversation in New York: "Now, a personal savings account would be a part of a Social Security retirement system. It would be a part of what you would have to retire when you reach retirement age. As you -- as I mentioned to you earlier, we're going to redesign the current system. If you've retired, you don't have anything to worry about -- third time I've said that. (Laughter.) I'll probably say it three more times. See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda. (Applause.) "

Gitmo Guards Accused of Mistreating Koran

So, will Newsweek retract the retraction?
Doubt it.

Will this be the lead story on your local news tonight, or tomorrow, or Friday?
Doubt it.

Will McClellan be asked a question about this during tomorrow's briefing?
Doub it.

Gitmo Guards Accused of Mistreating Koran:
Newly Released FBI Documents Detail Allegations
By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 25, 2005; 4:54 PM
Nearly a dozen detainees at the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba told FBI interrogators that guards had mistreated copies of the Koran, including one who said in 2002 that guards 'flushed a Koran in the toilet,' according to new FBI documents released today.
The summaries of FBI interviews, obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union as part of an ongoing lawsuit, also include allegations that the Koran was kicked, thrown to the floor and withheld as punishment and that guards mocked Muslim prisoners during prayers.

My new favorite pic

N. Korea Won't Rule Out Pre-Emptive Attack

N. Korea Won't Rule Out Pre-Emptive Attack - Yahoo! News: "'The United States should be aware that the choice of a pre-emptive attack is not only theirs,' the North's official news agency quoted the state-run newspaper Minju Joson as saying. 'To stand against force with force is our unswerving method of response.'"


Hmmm. Echos of last August: "We will not sit (with arms folded) to wait for what others will do to us. Some military commanders in Iran are convinced that preventive operations which the Americans talk about are not their monopoly," Shamkhani told Al-Jazeera TV when asked if Iran would respond to an American attack on its nuclear facilties.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend....

Amen Brother Russ!!

His Statement

Statement of Senator Russ Feingold on Tonight's Decision Regarding Judicial Nominees and the Filibuster

May 23, 2005
This is not a good deal for the U.S. Senate or for the American people. Democrats should have stood together firmly against the bullying tactics of the Republican leadership abusing their power as they control both houses of Congress and the White House. Confirming unacceptable judicial nominations is simply a green light for the Bush administration to send more nominees who lack the judicial temperament or record to serve in these lifetime positions. I value the many traditions of the Senate, including the tradition of bipartisanship to forge consensus. I do not, however, value threatening to disregard an important Senate tradition, like occasional unlimited debate, when necessary. I respect all my colleagues very much who thought to end this playground squabble over judges, but I am disappointed in this deal.

The deal is struck

Read it for yourself.

So, Democrats said that they'd allow an "up or down vote" on three, the Republicans agreed to not trash the constitution. There's some discussion about no fillibuster unless there are "extraordinary circumstances."

There will be no "extraodinary circumstance" for to the Republicans. And for the Dems, if Owens isn't, who the fuck really is, ya know?

There is no 'big thing' that the democrats are waiting for. Freepers can't see it yet (judging by their upset) but this really works well for Bush and his Supreme Court.

Scenario: Renquist retires in June. Bush nominates an Owens-like justice. Democrats think it's an 'extreme circumstance' and fillibuster. Republicans call them 'obstructionist' and 'flip floppers' and the republicans win.

Demcrats should have demanded a vote on the fillibuster. If polls are to be believed, Americans didn't want the process mucked with.

Democrats could have laid the republicans bare for their hypocrisy about "the intent of our founding fathers." But no. They put themselves in a position to be whipped again.

Where's Dean??

Calif. groups launch broad anti-gay drive - Yahoo! News

I knew they'd come after us queers first. Who's next?
Calif. groups launch broad anti-gay drive - Yahoo! News: "The language of the proposed amendment is breath-taking in its hostility and sweep,' said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. 'The amendment is the most extreme and mean-spirited of any previously submitted anywhere else in the nation.'
'If passed, this constitutional amendment would result in children losing health insurance they currently have, hospital visitation being revoked and families being hurt,' said Geoffrey Kors, executive director of Equality California."

Guardian Unlimited | US military to build four giant new bases in Iraq

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | US military to build four giant new bases in Iraq: "However, the decision to in vest in the bases, which will require the construction of more permanent structures such as blast-proof barracks and offices, is seen by some as a sign that the US expects to keep a permanent presence in Iraq.
Politicians opposed to a long-term US presence on Iraqi soil questioned the plan.
'They appear to settling in a for the long run, and that will only give fuel for the terrorists,' said a spokesman for the mainstream Sunni Iraqi Islamic party.

Well, that's what the neocons want. They want to "give fuel" to terrorists. They can't keep Americans scared if they don't.

A senior US official in Baghdad said yesterday: 'It has always been a main plank of our exit strategy to withdraw from the urban areas as and when Iraqi forces are trained up and able to take the strain. It is much better for all concerned that Iraqis police themselves.' " Ah, so that's why there's no training going on.

Police: Church sex abuse case may involve 24 children - May 22, 2005

CNN.com - Police: Church sex abuse case may involve 24 children - May 22, 2005: "Police: Church sex abuse case may involve 24 children
Louisiana pastor arrested and charged with child rape
Sunday, May 22, 2005 Posted: 2:35 PM EDT (1835 GMT)
(CNN) -- Police have arrested the pastor of a defunct church in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, his wife and six former congregants in a sexual abuse case involving as many as 24 children, authorities said...CNN does not identify children involved in sex abuse cases and has chosen not to identify adult defendants because they may share family names with the alleged victims."

Are these the "family values" the religious right wants to protect?

UGH

Ok, I know, it doesn't snow here. Still. See the "low" we are supposed to have? That normally happens at about three o'clock in the morning. When we are still out and about -- 9:30, 10:00 p.m., it will still be about 100 degrees. Until October. 4 1/2 months of 100+ degrees every waking moment. It's miserable.

And you thought we were just paranoid lefties

Told ya so. So, will this be the event on which historians will look back and say, "you know -- the United States of America had a great concept, and it worked well for over 200 years. But apathy among the people, and greed by its leaders resulted in the passage of what was then called the 'Real ID Act,' thus signaling the beginning of the end of one of the greatest governing documents in man's history -- the Constitution of the United States of America."

They Really Are Watching You / Ready for your own all-new, sinister ID card, courtesy of Homeland Security? Shudder: "The new law will, according to the Wired News story linked above, require everyone to hand over not one, not two, but fully four types of documentation to renew their driver's license, such as a photo ID, a birth certificate, proof that their Social Security number is legit and something that validates their home address, like a phone bill. DMV employees will then have to verify the documents against giant teeming federal databases and store the documents and a digital photo of you in a database. Isn't that fun? Doesn't that sound gratifying?
What's more, the card's design plan includes multiple openings for the Homeland Security Department to add on whatever features they deem necessary, with or without your knowledge, consent or who the hell cares what you think because we do what we want now please shut the hell up and quit asking questions. "

Conyers responds to "flushgate"

So, Bush puts a bit of the squeeze on Newsweek and they cave. John Conyers responds:

The Stephanie Miller Show: "First, this attempt to tie riots to the Newsweek article stands in stark contrast to the assessment of your own senior military officials. On May 12th, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff had reported on his consultations with the Senior Commander in Afghanistan about whether there was a causal relationship between the Newsweek story and the riots thusly: '[h]e thought it was not at all tied to the article in the magazine.'
...
Second, there is - of course - a sad irony in this White House claiming that someone else's errors or misjudgments led to the loss of innocent lives. Over 1,600 Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis have lost their lives in the Iraq war, a war which your Administration justified by falsely claiming that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. To date, your Administration has consistently blocked Congressional inquiries into whether such claims were the result of intentional manipulation of intelligence or, as you assert, a mere 'failure.'
...
Moreover, your loquacious response to this matter stands in stark contrast to your response to a recently released classified memo comprising the minutes of a July 22 meeting of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his cabinet which calls into question the credibility of assertions made by your Administration in its drive to war. ...When asked about this memo, you claimed that you "don't know about the specific memo" - two and one half weeks after its release and ten days after receiving a letter detailing its contents from 89 Members of Congress (which has still not been answered)
...
Third, the public deserves to know what precisely the White House is asserting with respect to the mistreatment of the Koran by interrogators...The incident where a Koran was allegedly thrown in a toilet was also recounted by a former detainee in a March 26, 2003 article in the Washington Post, and corroborated by another detainee in a August 4, 2003 report by the Center for Constitutional Rights. The question is: are you categorically denying that the mistreatment of the Koran occurred, or are you simply denying the Newsweek report is accurate on hyper technical grounds?"

CNN news on Sunday....

What's on Cnn.com today:
Iran votes to pursue nuclear power

President Vicente Fox says that Mexican immigrants take jobs "that not even blacks want to do."

Clerics threaten holy war over alleged Quran desecrations



A boy joins more than 200 anti-U.S. protesters in Kabul.
(Winning more hearts and minds every day, huh Bush??)

And finally,
Rice makes surprise visit to Iraq. This is what she said:

Rice, making her first visit to Iraq as secretary of state, spoke to hundreds of U.S. troops and diplomats in Baghdad.

"I want you to keep focused on what you are doing here," Rice told the diplomats and troops who gathered in one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces. "This war came to us, not the other way around." (Huh, when, exactly, did Iraq declare war on the United States??)

"The United States, along with the rest of the free world, believed somehow for a number of years that people in this region didn't care about freedom," she said. "We cared about stability. And what we got was neither. We got a malignancy that was growing that came to haunt us on the fine September day" in 2001. (There it is again. That linking of Iraq and Saddam to the attacks of September 11, 2001. Wasn't it our dear President that said "We have no evidence that Saddam was involved in September the Eleventh"? I do believe it was. Condi -- just so you might hear it again -- THERE IS NO LINK BETWEEN IRAQ AND THE TERRORIST ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. You want to take your war to those that actually brought it to us? Go to Saudi Fucking Arabia.)

9-11-01: My Pet Goat; 5-13-05: a bike ride

Press Briefing by Scott McClellan: "Q Scott, yesterday the White House was on red alert, was evacuated. The First Lady and Nancy Reagan were taken to a secure location. The Vice President was evacuated from the grounds. The Capitol building was evacuated. The continuity of government plan was initiated.(emphasis added) And yet, the President wasn't told of yesterday's events until after he finished his bike ride, about 36 minutes after the all-clear had been sent. Is he satisfied with the fact that he wasn't notified about this? "

You really should read all of the press briefing on this issue. Is Bush so irrelevant that he doesn't need to be told that A) an airplane has breached the airspace around the Whitehouse, and B) that his fucking wife was being evacuated????

Finally!!

Wow, May 13 and finally there is the report of the British, fake-the-threat-to-fit-the-war-plan memo that was first reported in England on May 1. Posted it here.

Naturally, this comes out on a FRIDAY when the Base Closures are the big news.

New light on Bush's war plans / By July '02, U.S. set on invasion, British intelligence reported: "New light on Bush's war plans
By July '02, U.S. set on invasion, British intelligence reported
Walter Pincus, Washington Post
Friday, May 13, 2005"

Hindsight is 20/20

Just in case the republicans want to take credit for the great run we had under Clinton. And remember, this quote is from 1993 -- before the Democrats lost the Congress. Think the Republicans worked much more w/ Clinton in the next six years? NOPE.

"All of the Republicans in the Senate, along with a couple of Democrats, voted against the President's budget and economic stimulus package because we believe that his proposals take the American economy in the wrong direction. "

Taliban's leader rejects amnesty offer

The Globe and Mail: Taliban's leader rejects amnesty offer: "Spin Boldak, Afghanistan -- Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar has rejected an offer of amnesty and ordered his men to battle on against U.S. and Afghan forces, a Taliban spokesman said yesterday....U.S. forces have been hunting Mr. Omar and al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden since driving the Taliban from power in late 2001, after the Sept. 11 attacks."

Were we gonna offer amnesty to bin Ladin, too???

Parker Gresham must be home skooled

Parker Gresham of Raleigh, N.C., holds up a sign at the ``Marriage Under Fire'' rally Tuesday, May 10, 2005, behind the Legislative Building in Raleigh. The rally urged legislators to let them vote on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. (AP Photo/Karen Tam)

Real ID stuff, again

Analysis: Governors don't want Real ID

Congress passes Gestapo ID legislation
The REAL ID Act: How It Violates U.S. Treaty Obligations, Insults International Law, Undermines Our Security, and Betrays Eleanor Roosevelt's Legacy

"Habeas Corpus" is a Latin phrase you might hear in cop shows or courtroom dramas. But it's also a key constitutional protection, one that some people here may soon be without.

The "REAL ID" Act: A Real Nightmare For Department Of Defense

CONGRESS IS in danger of passing legislation that could damage immigration policy under the false pretense of enhancing national security.

ACLU Urges Conferees to Remove "Real ID" From Funding Measure; Proposal Attacks the Persecuted, Harms Immigrants

Real ID passes senate UNANIMOUSLY

U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote: "An act making Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, and for other purposes."

Today, I'm changing my party affiliation to Arizona's equivalent of "none." You know, I hung in there as long as I could, but six months into the 2nd Bush term and the democrats have rolled over on...

Gonzales
Rice
Negroponte
Objection to the Certification of the Ohio Electors votes
Bankruptcy Reform

And they'll probably roll over on the Bolton nomination AND the fillibuster. Spineless asses.

H.R. 1268
Title VII -- Additional General Provisions
Division B -- Real ID Acto fo 2005
Section I -- Short Title -- This Division may be cited as the "Real ID Act of 2005"
Title I-- Amdendments to Federal Laws to Protect Against Terrorist Entry.

As noted on the Randi Rhodes message boards, This would not have prevented 9-11, the unibomber, oklahoma city, or any other 'terrorist' attack.

You need to read this.

First, I gotta say that I absolutely love the people on the Randi Rhodes message boards. I find so much great stuff there.

YOU NEED TO READ THIS:
Home from Iraq: "Home from Iraq - Journalist urges Americans to search for truth, freedom' "

This should really scare you.

I know I've mentioned this before, but This should really really really scare you

We've already covered the who ya gonna trust part.

Congress set to impose ID card rules
States would need to verify papers
By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff | May 5, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Congressional negotiators have agreed on a sweeping new system that would nationalize standards for driver's licenses and state identification cards, requiring states to verify the authenticity of every document that people use to prove their identity and show their legal residency.

If the House and Senate both pass the bill next week as expected, by May 2008 every state will be required to contact the issuers of birth certificates, mortgage statements, utility bills, Social Security cards, and immigration papers before granting a driver's license. States will also have to keep copies of those documents for seven years.

Touted as an antiterrorism measure, the Real ID Act would effectively erase laws in nine states that allow undocumented immigrants to obtain standard driver's licenses, which are widely accepted as official identification for boarding airplanes, opening bank accounts, and entering federal courthouses.

''The Real ID Act contains vital border security provisions aimed at preventing another 9/11-type attack by disrupting terrorist travel," said Representative James Sensenbrenner, Republican of Wisconsin, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and the bill's primary author. ''Issuing driver's licenses to anyone, without knowing whether they are here legally or who they really are, is an open invitation for terrorists and criminals to hide in plain sight." (uh, note from little ol' me -- these fucking Real ID Cards would have done nothing to prevent what happened on 9-11-01. The hijackers were here legally)

Existing licenses would remain valid until they expire, and drivers who want to renew would then have to undergo the new identity verification process, Sensenbrenner said. If a state does not comply, its residents will no longer be able to use their driver's licenses for federal government identification.

Sensenbrenner and other House Republicans attached the Real ID Act to a supplemental appropriations bill funding US troops in Iraq that is considered sure to pass. Several senators from both parties objected, and some of them signed a letter to Senate majority leader Bill Frist, Republican of Tennessee, saying they were concerned the bill never received a hearing in either chamber. State governments also warned that it will cause longer lines at motor vehicle bureaus and cost hundreds of millions more than Congress has estimated. (uh, 'nother note from little ol' me -- No Child Left Behind is still not fully funded.)

But after a week of conference negotiations, Republicans from both chambers reached a compromise that leaves most of the bill intact. Among the notable changes, the House backed away from its demand that every state submit its driver information into a single national database that would be shared with Mexico and Canada.

Civil libertarians objected to the national database, saying a shared pool of information would be vulnerable to identity thieves and would effectively create a national ID card. That provision was changed so that each state will maintain its own database. Sensenbrenner said the interstate links would be used only to make sure an applicant does not have a license elsewhere.

But Tim Sparapani of the ACLU said the language of the bill does not include restrictions on how the linked state databases can be used; theoretically, every driver's personal information may still be available for unlimited access.

''They have created a national identification card and an interlinked set of databases whereby every driver's most sensitive personal information can be viewed by potentially thousands of employees and bureaucrats around the country," he said.

Nine states issue regular driver's licenses to people who cannot document their immigration status: Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. Two more -- Utah and Tennessee -- issue special motor vehicle licenses to undocumented immigrants that allow them to drive but cannot be used as ID cards.

The Real ID Act also contains a provision that will allow the Homeland Security secretary to waive any law that would inhibit the building of fencing along US borders. The provision is aimed at completing construction of a 2.5-mile section of fencing along a smuggling route between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, that has been delayed for years by environmental concerns.

Finally, the Real ID Act imposes several changes on the granting of asylum to people fleeing political, religious, or ethnic persecution. It would, for example, give immigration judges greater discretion to reject cases based on the refugee's demeanor. ([i]you can damn well bet that claiming one would be prosectued for their [u]sexual orientation[/u] isn't gonna be a valid reason for asylum, especially with the judges Bush has been able to appoint[/i])

However, the act would also lift some caps on the number of asylum cases allowed each year. And several asylum proposals were taken out in conference after evangelical Christian groups objected that they could hurt legitimate victims. One would have stopped appeals courts from staying a deportation order while they reviewed a rejected applicant's case.

Sensenbrenner originally tried to get the Real ID Act attached to the intelligence overhaul bill in 2004. He allowed it to be removed from that bill after House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Republican of Illinois, and the Bush administration assured him that they would support attaching the act to the first must-pass legislation Congress would take up in 2005.

The bill attracted a range of critics who said it contained flaws that would have been corrected had it undergone scrutiny through a normal legislative hearing instead of being rushed through Congress.

Cheye Calvo, of the National Conference of State Legislatures, said the bill imposes big costs and sets an unrealistic three-year deadline for states without giving them a voice in the process. Congress estimated it will cost about $100 million to purchase the necessary equipment to meet the Real ID Act's demands, but Calvo said the real figure is likely to be $500 million to $700 million.

''We don't have a whole lot of confidence that the money is going to materialize in the federal budget to pay for all these tedious new mandates," Calvo said.

But Sensenbrenner said the security benefits are worth the cost of more clerks and the inconvenience of longer waits at motor vehicle agencies.

''If somebody has to stand in line a few minutes more in order to make sure that the driver's license system is as secure as possible, that's a small price to pay than having thousands or tens of thousands of people killed in a terrorist attack where somebody used a driver's license to get on an airplane," he said.
++++++++

Bath Time

Woman cannot live by politics alone. Today I gave both my pups a bath. I didn't get a chance to take pics of Angel, but I did manage to save Harley's embarrassment for posterity. She really is a good dog.

This is the "getting ready" part.


Harley does not look happy. Not one little bit.


However, she always just jumps right in.


"Are we done yet?"


Angel look out. Next time it's you in pictures, puppy dog!!

"third in command" -- HA -- another Bush aministration LIE

Not that this will ever be reported here in the United States, but....

Captured Al-Qaeda kingpin is case of "mistaken identity" - Sunday Times - Times Online: "May 08, 2005

Christina Lamb and Mohammad Shehzad Islamabad

THE capture of a supposed Al-Qaeda kingpin by Pakistani agents last week was hailed by President George W Bush as "a critical victory in the war on terror". According to European intelligence experts, however, Abu Faraj al-Libbi was not the terrorists' third in command, as claimed, but a middle-ranker derided by one source as "among the flotsam and jetsam" of the organisation.

The article goes on to say that...."Bush called him a 'top general' and 'a major facilitator and chief planner for the Al- Qaeda network" yet this "astonished European terrorism experts, who point out that the Libyan was neither on the FBI’s most wanted list, nor on that of the State Department 'rewards for justice' programme..." and further, 'Although British intelligence has evidence of telephone calls between al-Libbi and operatives in the UK, he is not believed to be Al-Qaeda's commander of operations in Europe, as reported.' "

So, when the Bush administration lies to you, does that make you feel safe? They create a bogeyman to scare you (when there are really scary bogeymen out there that they just let go) and then they make up stories about how they got the bogeyman (when in fact, they are doing nothing to catch the real one). Do all these lies make you feel safe?

Did the leaked Downing Street memo make you feel safer when you read it? Did you read it? Or are you just writing it off as another Dan Rather -type fake or forgery? Are you still able to make excuses and justify your vote for Bush? Can you sleep at night?

Vote for Bush or be excommunicated.

Click here for Windows Media file of local news broadcast

Bush made "intelligence" fit so he could attack Iraq

Yahoo news article
WASHINGTON - A highly classified British memo, leaked in the midst of Britain's just-concluded election campaign, indicates that President Bush decided to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein by summer 2002 and was determined to ensure that U.S. intelligence data supported his policy.

Of course, if you read this article on CNN.com or this article or even this article , all three found by doing a search on "leaked memo" (without the quotes)on the CNN.com site, you wouldn't know it was the same thing. Good ol' GWBush isn't mentioned ONCE in these three articles. "Clinton News Network" and "liberal media" my ass.

BUSH LIED

This is the "highly classified British Memo". It will be reprinted at the bottom of this post, in case the Times takes it down.

Congressman John Conyers wrote a letter to the President, asking for answers. As of right now, 88 other members of Congress have signed onto it.

Can we impeach him yet?????

May 01, 2005
The secret Downing Street memo

SECRET AND STRICTLY PERSONAL - UK EYES ONLY

DAVID MANNING
From: Matthew Rycroft
Date: 23 July 2002
S 195 /02

cc: Defence Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Attorney-General, Sir Richard Wilson, John Scarlett, Francis Richards, CDS, C, Jonathan Powell, Sally Morgan, Alastair Campbell

IRAQ: PRIME MINISTER'S MEETING, 23 JULY

Copy addressees and you met the Prime Minister on 23 July to discuss Iraq.

This record is extremely sensitive. No further copies should be made. It should be shown only to those with a genuine need to know its contents.

John Scarlett summarised the intelligence and latest JIC assessment. Saddam's regime was tough and based on extreme fear. The only way to overthrow it was likely to be by massive military action. Saddam was worried and expected an attack, probably by air and land, but he was not convinced that it would be immediate or overwhelming. His regime expected their neighbours to line up with the US. Saddam knew that regular army morale was poor. Real support for Saddam among the public was probably narrowly based.

C reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.

CDS said that military planners would brief CENTCOM on 1-2 August, Rumsfeld on 3 August and Bush on 4 August.

The two broad US options were:

(a) Generated Start. A slow build-up of 250,000 US troops, a short (72 hour) air campaign, then a move up to Baghdad from the south. Lead time of 90 days (30 days preparation plus 60 days deployment to Kuwait).

(b) Running Start. Use forces already in theatre (3 x 6,000), continuous air campaign, initiated by an Iraqi casus belli. Total lead time of 60 days with the air campaign beginning even earlier. A hazardous option.

The US saw the UK (and Kuwait) as essential, with basing in Diego Garcia and Cyprus critical for either option. Turkey and other Gulf states were also important, but less vital. The three main options for UK involvement were:

(i) Basing in Diego Garcia and Cyprus, plus three SF squadrons.

(ii) As above, with maritime and air assets in addition.

(iii) As above, plus a land contribution of up to 40,000, perhaps with a discrete role in Northern Iraq entering from Turkey, tying down two Iraqi divisions.

The Defence Secretary said that the US had already begun "spikes of activity" to put pressure on the regime. No decisions had been taken, but he thought the most likely timing in US minds for military action to begin was January, with the timeline beginning 30 days before the US Congressional elections.

The Foreign Secretary said he would discuss this with Colin Powell this week. It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even if the timing was not yet decided. But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbours, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran. We should work up a plan for an ultimatum to Saddam to allow back in the UN weapons inspectors. This would also help with the legal justification for the use of force.

The Attorney-General said that the desire for regime change was not a legal base for military action. There were three possible legal bases: self-defence, humanitarian intervention, or UNSC authorisation. The first and second could not be the base in this case. Relying on UNSCR 1205 of three years ago would be difficult. The situation might of course change.


The Prime Minister said that it would make a big difference politically and legally if Saddam refused to allow in the UN inspectors. Regime change and WMD were linked in the sense that it was the regime that was producing the WMD. There were different strategies for dealing with Libya and Iran. If the political context were right, people would support regime change. The two key issues were whether the military plan worked and whether we had the political strategy to give the military plan the space to work.

On the first, CDS said that we did not know yet if the US battleplan was workable. The military were continuing to ask lots of questions.

For instance, what were the consequences, if Saddam used WMD on day one, or if Baghdad did not collapse and urban warfighting began? You said that Saddam could also use his WMD on Kuwait. Or on Israel, added the Defence Secretary.

The Foreign Secretary thought the US would not go ahead with a military plan unless convinced that it was a winning strategy. On this, US and UK interests converged. But on the political strategy, there could be US/UK differences. Despite US resistance, we should explore discreetly the ultimatum. Saddam would continue to play hard-ball with the UN.

John Scarlett assessed that Saddam would allow the inspectors back in only when he thought the threat of military action was real.

The Defence Secretary said that if the Prime Minister wanted UK military involvement, he would need to decide this early. He cautioned that many in the US did not think it worth going down the ultimatum route. It would be important for the Prime Minister to set out the political context to Bush.

Conclusions:

(a) We should work on the assumption that the UK would take part in any military action. But we needed a fuller picture of US planning before we could take any firm decisions. CDS should tell the US military that we were considering a range of options.

(b) The Prime Minister would revert on the question of whether funds could be spent in preparation for this operation.

(c) CDS would send the Prime Minister full details of the proposed military campaign and possible UK contributions by the end of the week.


(d) The Foreign Secretary would send the Prime Minister the background on the UN inspectors, and discreetly work up the ultimatum to Saddam.

He would also send the Prime Minister advice on the positions of countries in the region especially Turkey, and of the key EU member states.

(e) John Scarlett would send the Prime Minister a full intelligence update.

(f) We must not ignore the legal issues: the Attorney-General would consider legal advice with FCO/MOD legal advisers.

(I have written separately to commission this follow-up work.)

Chertoff floats idea of collecting private citizens' information

I know, I know. This makes you feel so much safer.
www.GovExec.com - DHS chief floats idea of collecting private citizens' information (4/29/05): "Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff this week floated an idea to start a nonprofit group that would collect information on private citizens, flag suspicious activity, and send names of suspicious people to his department.
The idea, which Chertoff tossed out at an April 27 meeting with security-industry officials, is reminiscent of the Defense Department's now-dead Total Information Awareness program that sought to sift though heaps of foreign intelligence information to root out potential terrorist activity."

Who you gonna trust w/ your personal data?

LexisNexis data theft grows tenfold
In one of the biggest computer-security breaches ever, personal data on 310,000 people may have been stolen from data broker LexisNexis - nearly 10 times the number first disclosed, the company said yesterday.

Time Warner personnel data tapes 'lost'
New York, NY, May. 3 (UPI) -- A Boston data storage company has apparently lost computer tapes with personal data on some 600,000 current and former Time Warner employees.

The Great Data Heist
In February data aggregator ChoicePoint acknowledged that identity thieves had stolen vital information on 145,000 people. Less than two weeks later Bank of America admitted it had lost backup tapes that held the account information of 1.2 million credit card holders. In March shoe retailer DSW said its stores' credit card data had been breached; the U.S. Secret Service estimated that at least 100,000 valuable numbers had been accessed. More than a month later DSW released the real number: 1.4 million. Reed Elsevier's LexisNexis, a ChoicePoint rival, followed suit, revealing first that unauthorized users had compromised 32,000 identities, then upping the number to 310,000.

Shoppers' data stolen from DSW shoe stores
DSW Shoe Warehouse customers got something they didn't bargain for: their credit information stolen. The theft impacted every South Florida location, and the Dadeland store was the hardest-hit.

Ameritrade Shows Peril of Backup Tapes
Brokerage company Ameritrade has begun warning about 200,000 current and former customers about the loss of a backup tape containing their personal information, officials said this week.

Bank's Tape Loss Puts Spotlight on Backup Practices
The Washington Post reported that the lost data tapes included personal information on 1.2 million federal employees, among them Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).

When the President Talks to God

Free download at iTunes

This is Bright Eyes

"When The President Talks To God"
Bright Eyes

When the president talks to God
Are the conversations brief or long?
Does he ask to rape our women’s' rights
And send poor farm kids off to die?
Does God suggest an oil hike
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
Are the consonants all hard or soft?
Is he resolute all down the line?
Is every issue black or white?
Does what God say ever change his mind
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
Does he fake that drawl or merely nod?
Agree which convicts should be killed?
Where prisons should be built and filled?
Which voter fraud must be concealed
When the president talks to God?

When the president talks to God
I wonder which one plays the better cop
We should find some jobs. the ghetto's broke
No, they're lazy, George, I say we don't
Just give 'em more liquor stores and dirty coke
That's what God recommends

When the president talks to God
Do they drink near beer and go play golf
While they pick which countries to invade
Which Muslim souls still can be saved?
I guess god just calls a spade a spade
When the president talks to God

When the president talks to God
Does he ever think that maybe he's not?
That that voice is just inside his head
When he kneels next to the presidential bed
Does he ever smell his own bullshit
When the president talks to God?

I doubt it

I doubt it

National ID Card

My letter to my senators:

Please do not vote for the "national ID card." I find it highly ironic that measures like this are put in place to "keep us safe" from terrorists. You pass this, bin Ladin wins. It think it's pathetic that we can send people to Iraq to die, but think that here in the States, the freedom they are fighting for is not worth the risk for us.

If safety means surrendering my Constitutional freedoms, I don't want to be safe.

If safety means the federal government in every aspect of my life, I don't want to be safe.

If freedom means that I might die because of a terrorist attack, then let them come.

We are sending tens of thousands of reservists to "fight and die for our freedom." This is not what they are fighting for. If they can die for my freedom, I can because of it.

So, carbon dating is a tool of Satan then?

CNN.com - Evolution on trial in Kansas - May 2, 2005: "Evolution on trial in Kansas
Monday, May 2, 2005 Posted: 12:20 PM EDT (1620 GMT)

TOPEKA, Kansas (Reuters) -- Evolution is going on trial in Kansas.

While many call themselves creationists, who believe that God was the ultimate designer of all life, they are stopping short of saying creationism should be taught in schools.

"We're not against evolution," said Calvert. "But there is a lot of evidence that suggests that life is the product of intelligence. I think it is inappropriate for the state to prejudge the question whether we are the product of design or just an occurrence."