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Thursday, May 17, 2007

DOJ Fails To Help State AGs 

By way of WTF Is It Now?

The Gavel » Blog Archive » Judiciary Hearing on Oil Prices and Market Failure:A Federal Investigation Denied

“We pleaded with Attorney General Gonzales and FTC Chairman Majoras, Platt, [sic] to begin an investigation of the oil industry, and we offered our partnership in that work. All 50 Attorneys General have hands full investigating monopolistic abuses on the part of the oil industry, but we lack the authority, and expertise, and resources of the federal government. And so we invited, we beseeched the federal government to join us in that investigation and so far they have declined to do so.




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Washington Post Criticizes President 

Seems the Washington Post is not too happy with their boy king.

Caller ID - washingtonpost.com



IT DOESN'T much matter whether President Bush was the one who phoned Attorney General John D. Ashcroft's hospital room before the Wednesday Night Ambush in 2004. It matters enormously, however, whether the president was willing to have his White House aides try to strong-arm the gravely ill attorney general into overruling the Justice Department's legal views. It matters enormously whether the president, once that mission failed, was willing nonetheless to proceed with a program whose legality had been called into question by the Justice Department. That is why Mr. Bush's response to questions about the program yesterday was so inadequate.




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Cheney Claims Immunity 

Cheney, others claim immunity to lawsuit
WASHINGTON - Attorneys for Vice President Cheney and top White House officials told a federal judge Thursday they cannot be held liable for anything they disclosed to reporters about CIA employee Valerie Plame or her husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson.



The officials, who include senior White House adviser Karl Rove and Cheney's former chief of staff, Lewis Libby, argued that the judge should dismiss a lawsuit filed by Wilson that stemmed from the disclosure of Plame's identity to the media.



The suit claims that Cheney, Libby, Rove and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage violated the couple's privacy and constitutional rights by publicly revealing Plame's identity in an effort to retaliate against Wilson.




Immunity? Why? Because he's Richard "Go Fuck Yourself" Cheney? Well, quite frankly, &lt;sarcasm gain="high"&gt; sir, &lt;/sarcasm&gt; you can go Cheney yourself. You and your's maliciously disclosed the identity of an undercover CIA agent responsible for preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to terrorists. Be thankful you are not tried for treason.



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Signs Of Turkish Invasion Into Northern Iraq? 

So, according to this, Turkish invasion into Northern Iraq is imminent. So, if you are Iran, do you allow Turkey to grab territory without any action? Or do you make a push with the claim of protecting the Shia in Southern Iraq? Well, I don't know, obviously.

But I do know one thing: with all the saber rattling done over the last year by the Bush administration, Turkey invading Northern Iraq could very well bring us closer to attacking Iran.


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Bush Refuses To Answer 

Dems seek no-confidence vote on Gonzales - Yahoo! News
Asked twice during a news conference Thursday if he personally ordered Gonzales to Ashcroft's hospital room, Bush refused to answer.

"There's a lot of speculation about what happened and what didn't happen. I'm not going to talk about it," Bush said.
I'm sorry, but if he wants to end the speculation, then answer the damn question!

Instead, he ducks out, like the fucking coward he's always been. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the President of the United States.

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Sen. Norm Coleman Wants Gonzales to quit 

Minnesota's senators target AG, Justice Department
WASHINGTON - Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., said Thursday that he would like to see Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resign, calling into question Gonzales' credibility and his ability to focus on his job.

"I don't believe that Gonzales has the type of leadership that the department needs," he said.

Coleman also said he was disturbed by the revelation that former Minnesota U.S. Attorney Thomas Heffelfinger was on two firing lists, but Coleman didn't think there needs to be an investigation into why.
Oh, sure, no need to investigate the use of the federal justice system to interfere and influence elections with false claims of voter fraud. And while we are at it, let's just chuck the whole checks and balances component out the damn window. No need to interfere with a fascist leader like Bush, whom we are to trust beyond all reason and sanity. What the hell, let's just all get fitted for a waterboard. Make it easy on the bastards. That will give them more time for a few drinks before engaging in some enhanced interrogation techniques.

Seriously, Norm, old buddy, old pal, you must have experienced some nerve damage when all that dental work was performed.


Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Remembering Jerry Falwell 

The Rev. Jerry Falwell -- longtime foe of GLBT people, women, and those who thirst for justice and equality -- died today.

When I heard the breaking news, my reaction shocked me. I wept.

I met the man. (Read about it here.) Saw him preach from the pulpit of his magnificent Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, VA. Talked with him. Found him funny, interestingly enough. I never approved of his positions, his statements, his actions, what he did to the American political landscape. I am well aware of the human cost much of his ministry caused -- and told him so to his face. We were able to disagree without being disagreeable, which I see as a good thing.

This does not change the fact that the right-wing televangelist and Moral Majority founder disappointed me on a human level numerous times. Neither do his unchristian activities erase the fact that his ministry has done good as well. A fair person must note that too.
And now, suddenly, he's dead. How could anyone with a heart not react with sadness on some level?

In various places on the net, I've been reading people's reactions to the news. Won't link to them -- I don't want to call anyone out or make them feel bad or attract people to come and bash me for daring to feel sadness.

So I'll just say this and then go sit quietly for a while: Yeah, Jerry Falwell did some fucked-up, downright evil things in the name of Jesus. Enormously hideous and horrible things. He was virulently homophobic, a onetime (?) segregationist, a proponent of the traditional man-in-charge relationship model, and more. All true. All terrible. This should not, must not be forgotten.

Still, that's no justification for dancing on his grave. ANY death is a diminishment of the human family. We debase ourselves when we engage in hideous schadenfreude, and I'm seeing way too much of it today. It's devastating. And it's wrong.

Why are humans so damned cruel?

Rest in peace, Rev. Falwell. May your successor achieve more success than you did in embracing all of God's children. May those you harmed, if they still live, find healing and justice. And may the rest of us remember this:

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Seven times seven times...

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Help Make Me an NPR/PRI Host 

No, I am NOT giving up on Grateful Dread Radio. No way in heck is that happening. But when you've spent a lifetime dreaming about and preparing for working in public radio to do good, positive, progressive, world-changing work and an opportunity so incredible as the Public Radio Talent Quest comes along, you simply have to go for it. Please humor a middle-aged do-gooding journo as she attempts to make a lifelong dream come true. I'm certainly more than qualified for the job, and uniquely so, but frankly, it comes down to votes, and the first cut is massive (only 10 entries from nearly 1000 move on to round two). Please drop by and if you like what you hear, vote for me (and please steer your friends and associates toward it too). Costs nothing but a couple of minutes and it could -- oh please, oh please, oh please -- change the entire course of my life for the better (and, frankly, would be great for public radio too). Thanks and pax vobiscum!

http://www.publicradioquest.com/node/1068

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