Putting 'Condoms' and 'Al Gore' in the same sentence

I never thought that the time would come when I would have to fuse those two words in a sentence. Leave it up to a free-speech-hating conservative bookDVD-burner to make some news out of Seattle this week. People For The American Way's (PFAW) Right-Wing Watch caught this piece from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

"Condoms don't belong in school, and neither does Al Gore. He's not a schoolteacher," said Frosty Hardison, a parent of seven who also said that he believes the Earth is 14,000 years old. "The information that's being presented is a very cockeyed view of what the truth is. ... The Bible says that in the end times everything will burn up, but that perspective isn't in the DVD." Hardison's e-mail to the School Board prompted board member David Larson to propose the moratorium Tuesday night.

And you thought these people didn't exist anymore? They are alive and well (not mentally however) espousing their horrid beliefs that fly in the face of reality and sanity. After hearing Hardison's complaints, the Federal Way school board did not choose the logical decision of dismissing the loon. Instead the banned An Inconvenient Truth. No, I don't have to repeat that, you can read it again and again if you like.

Hardison's wife is off her rocker as well, listen to this crap:

"From what I've seen (of the movie) and what my husband has expressed to me, if (the movie) is going to take the approach of 'bad America, bad America,' I don't think it should be shown at all," Gayle Hardison said. "If you're going to come in and just say America is creating the rotten ruin of the world, I don't think the video should be shown."

Well isn't she a good wife, supporting her man. You believe what you are told dear and everything will be just fine. Geez, this reminds me of the scene in 'Field of Dreams' at the PTA meeting when Annie Kinsella smacks down the woman in favor of banning books. So I ask you Mr. Hardison, Mr. Failed-City Council-Candidate, are you in favor of the constitution?

Bruno Uses Campaign Money to Play The Stock Market

Who knows how far the Senator Bruno corruption story will go. The other day it was his son being involved in his unethical schemes. Now it turns out he used campaign funds to buy personal stocks. Are you freakin' kidding me? This guy will do whatever it takes to work for the people of New York fulfilling his own greediness and desires. The Daily Gotham asks if this will be enough for NY Republicans to throw him out on his rear-end.

Highly doubtful, greed and corruption seems to be the name of the game as far as I can see. The campaign laws in New York are weak compared to many other states (until Spitzer gets around to it) so Bruno's actions might not be illegal, though certainly unethical to say the least.

From the NY Times:

Complicating Mr. Bruno’s case is the fact that he had personally invested in two of the companies that his campaign accounts bought stock in, and he had financial dealings with the chairman of two others. The accounts Mr. Bruno used in the investments were held by his re-election committee and the State Senate Republicans’ campaign committee.

Last year, the senator’s re-election committee reported losing almost $99,000 on an investment in 2000 in Plug Power Inc., a maker of fuel cells based in Latham, N.Y., in which he also personally owned stock, his financial disclosure reports show. In July 2001, a year after he and his committee bought their shares in Plug Power, Mr. Bruno helped secure $500,000 in state money for a research project involving Plug Power, which has also received state contracts and other government aid.

Incredible! Shouldn't our lawmakers be concentrated on fixing the problems of our state and not their stock portfolios?

Saturday Morning...Cartoon Time!

I used to run to the TV in pajamas to watch Looney Tunes all morning long. Twenty years later I run to the computer to look for these (tip to dhonig at DailyKos):

Giuliani declares Iraq is like New York

Okay, take a deep breath New Yorkers. It seems our former Mayor may have decided to run for President of the loony-bin rather than for the United States of America. An Op-Ed published early this morning by Giuliani and another possible Presidential contender Newt Gingrich in the Wall Street Journal is raising a lot of eyebrows.

First off they realize that civil projects are necessary and that military solutions will not work. Whew, at least they are smarter than the current President. Their main idea is to create a job corps protected by U.S. troops to improve the city with public works and what not. Then they can buy goods with the money they earn and in turn everyone can be happy and peaceful. Why will this work when things have been falling to pieces for the last four years? I'll let them say it in their own words.

There are many lessons from the successful welfare reforms in New York City that can be readily applied in Iraq. In the early 1990s, New York City suffered an average of 2,000 murders a year while more than 1.1 million people--one out of every seven New Yorkers--were unemployed and on welfare. Too many neighborhoods were pervaded by a sense of hopelessness that came from a combination of high crime, high unemployment and despair. "Workfare" proved an excellent method to change this destructive decades-long paradigm. It required able-bodied welfare recipients to work 20 hours a week in exchange for their benefits. In the process, we reasserted the value of the social contract, which says that for every right there is a responsibility, for every benefit an obligation.

Time to wake up boys. Iraq is NOTHING like New York City. Not now, not in the early 90s, not ever! Two thousand murders in a year is a terrible statistic in any city, but in Baghdad the death toll easily top 2,000 each month and is constantly rising! Their solution is utterly implausible because Giuliani and Gingrich are ignoring the reality of what is going on in Baghdad and Iraq.


The picture posted in the WSJ says more than enough regarding the opinion of this piece. Uncle Sam is gloriously bringing aid from the U.S. government (that can't fix it's own cities by the way) to the grateful citizens of Iraq. This is typical 'White Man's Burden' bullshit. The Iraqi people want us to leave as soon as possible. They know we have done far too much in regards to the decimation of their country. It is time to leave now, not to make more of a mess.

Nothing Special about the KSFO Special Broadcast

Personally I couldn't stomach hearing those voices of hate. Morgan, Sussman, et al. are acting like five year olds that are covering their tracks after raiding the cookie jar. The honorable DailyKos blogger abbaanthony managed to listen to an hour of their obfuscations and lies before bowing out. See his take on the broadcast here.

KSFO could not tell the truth if their lives depended on it.

They spent nearly ten minutes talking about how they support Muslims who are Americans and who are trying to build up America and not working to destroy our country. But then they went out of their way to stress that Rep. Ellison was appointed by the House leadership as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. They said that they have lost any confidence in the House because they appointed a Muslim to that post. Let me be clear, they believe it is ok for Muslims to live here, just as long as they do not attempt to enter public life in any noticeable way. Because in reality, they believe there are no true American-Muslims they all want to bring down the country. What bigots!

The opening paragraph really shows what they are all about. There is a better chance that hell will freeze over than the kooks on KSFO become honest and dignified. Of course I didn't expect anything to come from this special broadcast. Like any right-wing station, it was merely a ratings gimmick and a chance to pacify the general public so that the hate and vitriol can continue.

Thanks again to Spocko and Stark for helping to make this big news outside of the blogs. People need to know what rightwing radio hosts are all about.

"Duke" Cunningham Prosecutor fired from U.S. Atty's Office

The Bush Adminstration is well known for keeping its people on board for loyalty. Loyalty is far more important than a job well done or upholding the oath of office. So the reports that are coming about U.S. Atty Carol Lam forced resignation shouldn't be surprising.

The official word is that her job performance has been lacking, yet she has been known to have prosecuted high-level cases such as Randy "Duke" Cunningham's corruption case, corruption surrounding two San Diego Councilmen (one was eventually reversed) and recently taking on the ironic case of the Fence Company that hired illegal immigrants to build the fence along the U.S. - Mexico border.



From the San Diego Union Tribune:

Job performance said to be behind White House firing
By Kelly Thornton and Onell R. Soto
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS

January 12, 2007

The Bush administration has quietly asked San Diego U.S. Attorney Carol Lam, best known for her high-profile prosecutions of politicians and corporate executives, to resign her post, a law enforcement official said.

Lam, a Bush appointee who took the helm in 2002, was targeted because of job performance issues – in particular that she failed to make smuggling and gun cases a top priority, said the official, who declined to be identified because Lam has yet to step down.

Lam has had high-profile successes during her tenure, such as the Randy “Duke” Cunningham bribery case – but she alienated herself from bosses at the Justice Department because she is outspoken and independent, said local lawyers familiar with her policies.

It is possible that her job performance was the issue. Yet what exactly was it about her performance? Was it about taking on high-profile Republicans like the "Dukester" or not prosecuting enough criminals that smuggle guns and drugs? As you might know, the CIA has recently stepped in to push back further investigations into the implications of Cunningham's case. Regardless, it is very interesting how the Adminstration is pushing her resignation under such secrecy (though it is SOP for Bush). If her performance was so bad, why not come out and say it?

The issue certainly perplexes fmr federal prosecutor Michael Attanasio:

“It's virtually unprecedented to fire a U.S. Attorney absent some misconduct in office,” said criminal defense attorney Michael Attanasio, a former federal prosecutor.

“This office has clearly made a priority of investigating and prosecuting white collar offenses and has had occasional success doing so,” he said. “One would think that would be valued by any administration, even if it meant fewer resources were devoted to routine and repetitive border crimes.”

Everything done by Bush is 'virtually unprecedented,' so why should this case be any different. Unless you go along with what Bush says to the letter, your job security is in trouble. Though if you toe the line, screw the country and the troops, you can stay for years beyond it is time to be kicked out.

New York City Protests Against War

Our fair city is full of Democrats, somewhere in the range of four to one. So it shouldn't be suprising that there is overwhelming support to leave Iraq and stop the endless cycle of violence that our troops endure on a daily basis. Of course there is widespread dissatisfaction against Bush's war across the country, but hey, this is NYC.

Gothamist covered the protests yesterday:

In the wake of President Bush's Wednesday night address to the country, when he announced that he will send thousands of more soldiers to Iraq, hundreds of people protested the plan. They convened at the tiny island in the middle of Times Square in front of the U.S. Armed Forces recruiting station, with signs like "Stop the funding, stop the war" and "When government lies, Democracy dies" with drivers passing by honking their horns. Some protesters were dressed as Guantanamo prisoners. Of course, there were counter-protesters; one sign said, "Warning: Leftist protesters trying to demoralize our troops." No arrests were reported.

The protest was organized by United for Peace and Justice, which coordinated others across the country yesterday. There will be another, big rally on Saturday, January 27 in Washington, D.C.

New Yorkers will not stand silent while Bush continues to torture and keep us trapped in an unjust war. The passion of the activists exceeds the desire to stay away from the tourist trap that is Times Square. We will do whatever is necessary to stop this President ruthless dictator. So if you couldn't make it yesterday, consider going down to Washington on Jan. 27th for the massive protest United for Peace and Justice is organizing. It is time to stop this madness!

Bush Gets Cool Reception From Censored Soldiers

Now that we are nearly four years into the quagmire that is Iraq, public attitudes are changing towards the war. The American public is now solidly against it. Democrats in D.C. are now against it (Lieberman obviously doesn't count as a Dem). Even moderate Republicans like Smith and Hagel are coming out against it.

The most fervent supporters of the troops have always been the troops. We here on the left care about them and want them home, wingnuts claim to care about them by sticking magnets on their SUVs and wanting more of them to be in harm's way to win an unwinnable war. Yet it is the soldiers' duty to protect his brothers and sisters who fight on the front line. It is their duty to support the commander-in-chief as he leads them into war.

For years the troops gave the President enthusiastic responses. Bush has relied on using our troops as a backdrop to his misbegotten policy blunders to give an illusion of support. On Thursday, January 11th 2007, this wasn't the case.

Except for the grilling Rumsfeld received by soldiers asking for body armor, the troops have been highly supportive of the President and especially when he visits them face-to-face. However yesterday wasn't that day over at Fort Benning.

Buried on page A12 by WaPo:

Soldiers being soldiers, those who met the commander in chief Thursday saluted smartly and applauded politely. But it was hardly the boisterous, rock-star reception Bush typically gets at military bases. During his lunchtime speech, the soldiers were attentive but quiet. Not counting introduction of dignitaries, Bush was interrupted by applause just three times in 30 minutes -- once when he talked about a previous Medal of Honor winner from Fort Benning, again when he pledged to win in Iraq and finally when he repeated his intention to expand the Army.

The soldiers are told to be a good audience for the President, but they do not have to go over the top. Being polite is sufficient for the commanders. However those commanders were still wary of their troops' opinions of Bush and decided to silence them from talking with reporters.

Eventually frustrated journalists were allowed to speak with a few selected soldiers. A hand-picked few hardly represented how these brave men and women feel about the President's recent decision to send the 3rd Brigade Combat Team from the 3rd Infantry Division back to Iraq, two months earlier than previously reported.



Another typical PR move by the White House. The President gets his photos without hearing how the troops really feel about the escalation Bush has saddled our military with. As the military's support for the war plunging, expect more cool responses to come.

David Greene from NPR reported on this story as well, listen to it here.

Greek Terrorist Attack U.S. Embassy in Athens

News reports are still coming in about the latest attack on U.S. interests abroad. According to Reuters a huge explosion ripped through the embassy at 5:55am local time on Friday morning (10:55PM EST).

Reuters:

ATHENS (Reuters) - An explosion ripped through the U.S. embassy compound in central Athens on Friday, a police source said.

It was not clear what caused the blast and there was no immediate word on whether there were any casualties.

Police cordoned off all roads around the embassy.

Police officials at the scene said that whatever caused the explosion damaged the official embassy sign outside the mission, but there was little other indication of the extent of damage inside.

What was that meme Bush was saying about keeping the war in Iraq? Anyways, hopefully no one was seriously hurt and the damage is only to the building.

Update #1

Apparently the blast occurred outside the building and only shattered some glass on the third floor. No one was injured in the blast. This was the first attack on the embassy since a rocket propelled grenade was fired at it on February 15, 1996.

Update #2

Apparently it was a terrorist attack after all, according to the AP:

ATHENS, Greece - An anti-tank shell was fired at the U.S. Embassy early Friday, striking the front of the building but causing no injuries. A senior police official said the blast was an act of terrorism, raising fears of a resurgence of far-left Greek militant groups.

Police cordoned off streets around the heavily guarded building after the explosion shortly before 6 a.m. The shell struck the third floor and smashed glass in nearby buildings.

Investigators were examining what they believed was the device used to fire the rocket shell from a construction site near the embassy.

"This is an act of terrorism. We don't know where from," Attica Police Chief Asimakis Golfis said. "There was a shell that exploded in the toilets of the building ... It was fired from street level."

With Senator Bruno, it's all in the family

Father and son shown here in 2003: NY Times photo

It looks like the Bruno family is in a heap of trouble with federal investigators. The F.B.I. opened up an inquiry last year into the Senator's shady dealings and have now stumbled upon his son's connections to the matter.

From the NY Times today:

The younger Mr. Bruno was instrumental in persuading the wife of Mr. Abbruzzese to pay $90,000 for almost 12 acres on Pond View Way from a partnership involving Senator Bruno, according to an owner of the partnership. Weeks before that November 2004 deal was completed, a Canadian racetrack owner that had hired Kenneth Bruno as a lobbyist formed an advocacy group with Mr. Abbruzzese that would urge an overhaul of the state’s horse racing industry, an issue in which Senator Bruno has been playing a major role.

Kenneth Bruno’s involvement in recruiting buyers for the partnership’s land, including Mr. Abbruzzese’s wife, was critical to reviving a moribund project in which Senator Bruno had a 25 percent stake, according to James D. Featherstonhaugh, a lawyer and lobbyist who also owned 25 percent of the partnership, the First Grafton Corporation.

Peeling the onion that is Republican corruption in New York is worse than shedding tears, it is evidence that things need to change up in Albany. Hopefully these investigations will help Spitzer's quest to reform our state's government. We certainly need it.

Condi Take Two: Don't question President Bush, ever!

Not only does she love Fox News, she loves the President and his 'new' plan even more. Undying loyalty without regard for reality is the standard for the Bush Adminstration.

"It's bad policy to speculate on what you'll do if a plan fails when you're trying to make a plan work."

This is from today's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings. Condi didn't stop there however, she added on that the destabilization of the region had nothing to do with President Bush 'bringing to democracy' to Iraq.

Speaking about the actions of Iran and Syria, which she repeated were destabilizing Iraq and the broader Middle East, Rice said the two states were engaging in "extortion" rather than diplomacy with the United States.

Leave it to her to assess blame on anyone and everyone other than herself and her boss.

George W. Bush: The New Lincoln?

In the run up to last night's speech by the President his supporting pundits went out into media land and tried to compare Bush to Abraham Lincoln. Their reasoning? Bush has been firing generals until hefinds one that wants to win the war. Oy, well at least it wasn't for their orator skills. I've never read transcripts of Lincoln's works that contained 'um' and 'durrr' so that one is off the table.

The Daily Show sums the spin up perfectly, check it out here from Crooks and Liars.