Suggested Reading -- 8/28/07

Raw Story: Study: US preparing 'massive' military attack against Iran
From the story: "...The paper, 'Considering a war with Iran: A discussion paper on WMD in the Middle East' [PDF] -- written by well-respected British scholar and arms expert Dr. Dan Plesch, Director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London, and Martin Butcher, a former Director of the British American Security Information Council (BASIC) and former adviser to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament -- was exclusively provided to RAW STORY late Friday under embargo.

"'We wrote the report partly as we were surprised that this sort of quite elementary analysis had not been produced by the many well resourced Institutes in the United States,' wrote Plesch in an email to Raw Story on Tuesday."

Just what we need, one more military clusterfuck for the next president to clean up.

TIME: The Abu Ghraib Cases: Not Yet Over
From the story: " Following the conviction of a few low-ranking soldiers for their roles in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, Lt. Col. Steven Jordan was found guilty Tuesday by a 10-member jury of only a single charge — failing to obey an order. The case is supposed to be the last of the criminal proceedings concerning this dark chapter of the Iraq war, but sources close to the Abu Ghraib legal drama tell TIME that two key civilians who worked as private contractors in the notorious facility's cell blocks could still face prosecution."

Maybe once we get done with pushing over the fall guys, we can get around to busted those who'd ordered this.

Washington Post: Poverty Rate Declines; Number of Uninsured Hits Record High
From the story: "The nation's poverty rate declined for the first time this decade, but the number of Americans without health insurance rose to a record high of 47 million in 2006, according to Census figures released today."

Translation, "Insurance rates soar beyond the reach of even more americans."

UN News Centre: Iran answers UN agency questions on plutonium programme, says document
From the story: "Iran has addressed the questions of the United Nations nuclear watchdog about its past plutonium programme and both parties now consider that matter resolved, according to a statement posted on the UN agency’s website.

"The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) yesterday published on its website the text [PDF] of a joint work plan on how to resolve outstanding issues between the agency and Iran after a request to do so from Tehran."

Don't expect it to change the tone coming out of the White House, though.

Suggested Reading -- 8/27/07

ACLU: Gonzales Resignation Does Not Pardon President's Abuse of Power, ACLU Says
From the story (link mine): "The American Civil Liberties Union today said U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' resignation requires further congressional investigation into the Bush administration's systematic abuse of power.

"'Alberto Gonzales will follow Mitchell Palmer as one of the worst attorneys general in U.S. history,' said Anthony D. Romero, ACLU Executive Director. 'But Gonzales' resignation doesn't put an end to the widespread abuse of executive powers. The White House may claim that Gonzales' resignation restores the rule of law, but if anything, his departure highlights the need for increased scrutiny and accountability.'"

The piece includes a pretty exhaustive list of abuses by Bush and Gonzo. A very good recap on what all the fuss was about and why it shouldn't end with his resignation.

Reuters: Middle East turmoil could cause world war: U.S. envoy
From the story: "Upheaval in the Middle East and Islamic civilization could cause another world war, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was quoted as saying in an Austrian newspaper interview published on Monday...

"'The (Middle East) is going through a very difficult transformation phase. That has strengthened extremism and creates a breeding ground for terrorism,' [Zalmay Khalilzad] said in remarks translated by Reuters into English from the published German.. 'Europe was just as dysfunctional for a while. And some of its wars became world wars. Now the problems of the Middle East and Islamic civilization have the same potential to engulf the world...'"

Neocons never tire of trying to start huge wars, apparently.

AlterNet: Edwards Goes After the 'Corporate Democrats' -- Is This a Turning Point for His Campaign?
From the story: "Last week, John Edwards fired a broadside against corporate America and, more significantly, 'corporate Democrats,' the likes of which hasn't been heard from a viable candidate with national appeal in decades.

"Edwards is en fuego right now, and if he keeps up the heat, his candidacy will either be widely embraced by the emerging progressive movement or utterly annihilated by an entrenched establishment that fears few things more than a telegenic populist with enough money to mount a credible campaign."

Edwards -- and other dem candidates -- really need to point out how DLCers have led them astray for years, turning them into Republican-Lite. Nice to see him doing it.

DefCon Blog: Texas School Board Rejects Creationism
From the story: "In a victory against the push to insert creationism into public education, last week the Texas State Board of Education said they were against the teaching of intelligent design...

"This is great news, but we will continue to monitor the status of things in Texas, as there remain some board members who, while in the minority, are expected to push for the inclusion of intelligent design in the state’s science curriculum."

So it may be a half-victory, but this is Texas and you take what you can get.

UN News Centre: Afghan opium trade soars to 'frightening' record levels, UN reports
From the story: "Opium production in Afghanistan, a $3-billion-a-year trade accounting for more than 90 per cent of the world's illegal output, soared to frightening record levels this year, concentrated mainly in the strife-torn south where the ousted Taliban, which once banned poppy cultivation, now profits from the drugs trade, the United Nations reported today."

Like any bunch of religious fundamentalists, the Taliban doesn't hesitate to embrace hypocrisy.

Weekend Suggested Reading -- 8/25-26/07

Washington Whispers: Maybe Trading Up Soon at Justice
From the story: "The buzz among top Bushies is that beleaguered Attorney General Alberto Gonzales finally plans to depart and will be replaced by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. Why Chertoff? Officials say he's got fans on Capitol Hill, is untouched by the Justice prosecutor scandal, and has more experience than Gonzales did, having served as a federal judge and assistant attorney general."

Not really sure Skeletor Chertoff would be a step in the right direction, here. In any case, don't get too excited -- it's just a rumor.

Raw Story: Terrorist watch list ineffective, prone to misuse, say privacy advocates
From the story: "Questions have arisen over the United States government's use of its terrorist screening database, reports the Washington Post today.

While the database 'flagged' people as suspected terrorists about 20,000 times in 2006, few were arrested or barred from entering the country as a result of being on the list.

"...From a civil liberties standpoint, privacy advocates are alarmed by the massive amounts of data being collected on the thousands of people being added to this list when relatively few arrests are being made as a result. 'This really confirms the long-standing fear that this list is inaccurate and ultimately ineffective as an anti-terrorism tool,' says David Sobel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, also citing the high possibility of 'false positives.'"

So, not only is it a violation of civil liberties, but it doesn't even work.

Associated Press: Iraq Body Count Running at Double Pace
From the story: "This year's U.S. troop buildup has succeeded in bringing violence in Baghdad down from peak levels, but the death toll from sectarian attacks around the country is running nearly double the pace from a year ago.

"Some of the recent bloodshed appears the result of militant fighters drifting into parts of northern Iraq, where they have fled after U.S.-led offensives. Baghdad, however, still accounts for slightly more than half of all war-related killings - the same percentage as a year ago, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press."

Making progress...

DefCon Blog: Ben Stein the Creationist?
From the story: "Next time you feel the urge to watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off, remember that apparently Ben Stein is a proponent of Intelligent Design. According to a press release put out yesterday, Ben Stein is the star of an upcoming movie, put out by the same studio who produced The Passion of the Christ, called Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed..."

It pays to remember that, despite his minor fame as an actor and game show host, Ben Stein's real claim to fame is as a speechwriter for Richard Nixon. Like most Nixonian figures, Ben's far right wing.

Politico: This is not George W. Bush's convention
From the story: "...The outgoing president's appearance tonight has caused some nervous hand-wringing in Republican circles. Convention organizers have struggled for weeks over the question of how to use the event to spit-shine the Grand Old Party brand yet still pay homage to the president under whose watch it got tarnished."

What a quandry -- how to acknowledge that the GOP's been kissing GWB's ass for six years without admitting that the GOP's been kissing GWB's ass for six years. Suck to be Republican.

TPMMuckraker: Senior DoJ Official Resigns from Civil Rights Post
From the story: "Yet another resignation from the Justice Department. Wan Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, announced today that he'll be leaving at the end of the month, according to a statement from the Justice Department.

"Kim took the helm at the troubled Civil Rights Division in late 2005, just at the tail end of the stormiest period in the Division, when lawyers left the voting rights section, and other sections, in droves. Kim, like his predecessor, Alex Acosta, has never been anywhere near as controversial a figure as Division appointees Bradley Schlozman and Hans von Spakovsky, the two fingered by former Department lawyers as leading efforts to politicize the Division, the voting section in particular."

There sure are a lot of people leaving the Bush administration lately. Especially a big shakeup at Justice.

Maine Sunday Telegram: Kennebunkport Antiwar Protest Attracts 600
From the story: "Separated from Walker's Point by security barricades and a light fog over the cove, about 600 protesters on Saturday called for an immediate end to the Iraq war.

"The rally near the Bush family compound followed a slow, 90-minute march through the town center. It coincided with President Bush's first trip here in two years."

Seems the president is unwelcome pretty much anywhere he goes.

Suggested Reading -- 8/24/07

Morons.org: Superspy says "U.S. Constitution Deadly"
From the story: "'Q. So you're saying that the reporting and the debate in Congress means that some Americans are going to die?

"'A. That's what I mean. Because we have made it so public.'

"The answer was given by current NSA head, Michael McConnell, in reference to his recent testimony before Congress. The part where he testified about that now-legal wiretapping program. (Thanks, Harry & Nancy ;/ )

"And to this I say......

"So F@¢*ing What."

OK, it's not super-newsy, but the post is a good take.

New York Times: More Iraqis Said to Flee Since Troop Increase
From the story: "The number of Iraqis fleeing their homes has soared since the American troop increase began in February, according to data from two humanitarian groups, accelerating the partition of the country into sectarian enclaves.

"Despite some evidence that the troop buildup has improved security in certain areas, sectarian violence continues and American-led operations have brought new fighting, driving fearful Iraqis from their homes at much higher rates than before the tens of thousands of additional troops arrived, the studies show."

Making progress...

New York Times: Mine Owner Has History of Run-Ins on Work Issues
From the story: "If Robert E. Murray accepts a Senate subcommittee’s invitation to testify next month about what went wrong at the Crandall Canyon Mine, he is likely to be questioned about, among other things, adopting a new and riskier mining plan when his company took over the operation last year...

"Although most other industry executives have recognized the threat of climate change and the need for energy conservation, he has been among the few to question the concept of global warming and to openly criticize environmental regulations."

He's also been accused of assaulting an environmentalist and violating federal labor laws.

Raw Story: CIA said to step up operations in Iran as hawks seek to tie Iraq bombs to Tehran
From the story: "In an effort to build congressional and Pentagon support for military options against Iran, the Bush administration has shifted from its earlier strategy of building a case based on an alleged Iranian nuclear weapons program to one invoking improvised explosive devices (IEDs) purportedly manufactured in Iran that are killing US soldiers in Iraq."

As with most fuckwitted, maniacal ideas coming out of the White House, this "go to war with Iran" one comes from Cheney.

ABC News: Congress: For Plane That Won't Fly, $63 Mil Is Enough
From the story: " Millions of dollars later, Congress has effectively killed a military plane program the Pentagon repeatedly rejected, and which never had a successful flight.

"The $63 million Congress poured into the DP2 program over 20 years was not requested by the Department of Defense. Instead, it was mandated through obscure provisions in bills known as "earmarks." Most of those earmarks for the DP2 were inserted by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., in whose district the plane was designed and built, in prototype."

Corruption, thy name is Duncan Hunter.

CQPolitics.com: Embattled GOP Rep. Renzi to Retire From Arizona Seat
From the story: "...Renzi’s announcement ended months of speculation about his status, sparked by a pending federal investigation into his family’s business practices. Though Renzi has denied wrongdoing, an FBI raid in April on a business owned by his wife cast a cloud over his political future and prompted him to surrender his committee assignments ahead of what would have been strong pressure from House Republican leaders to do so"

He won't be missed.

(Return of) Suggested Reading -- 8/23/07

Raw Story: Ex-Bush aides conflate 9/11, Iraq in pro-war ad campaign
From the story: "A collection of former Bush administration officials and allies launched a new advertising campaign that uses injured war veterans or relatives of those killed in action to urge a continuation of the US occupation of Iraq by conflating it with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"'We want to get the message to both Democrats and Republicans: Don't cut and run, fully fund the troops, and victory is the only objective,' said former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer in an interview with USA Today.

Related:
Ex-White House spokesman can't name vet in his own ad. The ex-aide? Ari Fleischer.

Associated Press: Report Finds Iraqi Government Precarious
From the story: "The Iraqi government will become more precarious over the next six to 12 months and its security forces have not improved enough to operate without outside help, U.S. spy agencies conclude in a new assessment of the country's political and military fortunes...

"'Iraqi political leaders remain unable to govern effectively,' the 10-page document, a declassified summary of a more detailed National Intelligence Estimate, concludes. A copy was obtained by The Associated Press in advance of its release Thursday."

Making progress...

Bloomberg: Warner Says U.S. Should Start Withdrawing Troops on Sept. 15
From the story: "Virginia Senator John Warner said President George W. Bush should begin withdrawing troops from Iraq on Sept. 15 to show the Iraqi government that the U.S. commitment there isn't open-ended.

"Bush should announce that 'we will start an orderly, carefully planned, thought-out redeployment,' said Warner, the No. 2 Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee."

The crazy, "yay for war" crowd is getting smaller and smaller.

Think Progress: Right-Wing Operatives Plot To Overthrow Maliki, Replace Him With Reliable Collaborator Allawi
from the story: "he powerful Republican lobbying group of Barbour Griffith & Rogers is plotting an effort to displace Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and supplant him with former interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi...

"...Allawi has been described as “Saddam lite.” In 2004, he handcuffed and blindfolded suspected terrorists and shot them in the head with a pistol."

Just Bush's kinda guy.

Weekend Suggested Reading -- 8/18-19/07

Reuters: Russia and China to hold joint military exercise
From the story: "Troops from Russia, China and Central Asian states will take part in a joint military exercise on Friday designed to show off their alliance's increasing power.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Hu Jintao will join Central Asian counterparts in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to watch the exercise in Russia's southern Ural region that will focus on counter-insurgency."

I think Putin misses the Cold War.

ACLU: In Unprecedented Order, FISA Court Requires Bush Administration to Respond to ACLU's Request That Secret Court Orders Be Released to the Public
From the story: "In an unprecedented order, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) has required the U.S. government to respond to a request it received last week by the American Civil Liberties Union for orders and legal papers discussing the scope of the government's authority to engage in the secret wiretapping of Americans. According to the FISC's order, the ACLU's request "warrants further briefing," and the government must respond to it by August 31. The court has said that any reply by the ACLU must be filed by September 14."

Damned courts still seem to think that there's a Constitution.

McClatchy Newspapers: Commerce, Treasury funds helped boost GOP campaigns
From the story: "Top Commerce and Treasury Departments officials appeared with Republican candidates and doled out millions in federal money in battleground congressional districts and states after receiving White House political briefings detailing GOP election strategy.

"Political appointees in the Treasury Department received at least 10 political briefings from July 2001 to August 2006, officials familiar with the meetings said. Their counterparts at the Commerce Department received at least four briefings — all in the election years of 2002, 2004 and 2006."

The House Oversight Committee is investigating.

Huffington Post: 'What's Wrong with America?'
From the story: "...We've got six coal miners trapped beneath more than 1,500 feet of Utah coal and rock, three brave men who struggled to rescue them are dead and six more are injured.

"And it's not because of an act of God. It's because of the acts of man."

By AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. Workplace safety protections are crumbling as quickly as our infrastructure.

Raw Story: Concern grows over legislation that broadens spying power
From the story: "Intelligence legislation passed earlier this month is angering a growing number of critics who say an end-of-session scramble inadvertently gave the Bush Administration wider spying powers than previously thought.

According to Eric Lichtblau and James Risen of the New York Times, 'by redefining the meaning of "electronic surveillance," the new law narrows the types of communications covered in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, by indirectly giving the government the power to use intelligence collection methods far beyond wiretapping that previously required court approval if conducted inside the United States.'"

You know what would be helpful? If Congress actually bothered to read the crap they sign off on.

Think Progress: McCain: I Was The Greatest Critic Of The Iraq War Over The Last Four Years
From the story: "...It's entertaining, in that I was the greatest critic of the initial four years, three and a half years. I came back from my first trip to Iraq and said, This is going to fail. We've got to change the strategy to the one we’'e using now. But life isn't fair."

What ridiculous bullshit.

Suggested Reading - 8/17/07

Think Progress: Tony Snow Signals His Resignation, Plus 'A Couple' More 'Coming Up In The Next Month'
From the story: "After the recent resignation of Karl Rove, media outlets speculated on what the rest of President Bush's term will look like without 'the Architect.' The President is 'fighting lame duck status,' reported the AP. In response, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow shot back: 'As the president has said many times, he's going to sprint to the tape.'

"But even Tony Snow doesn't want to be around for that sprint. In an interview with the conservative Hugh Hewitt show, Snow signaled that he will not stay until the end of the term. He also mentioned that there are 'probably a couple' of other high-level resignations 'coming up in the next month or so.'"

It begs the question; purge, rats leaving the sinking ship, or something else?

The Nation: The Worst House Speaker in American History
From the story: "...As a man, Hastert was as cruel and uncaring about the fate of the American people he was uniquely empowered to serve as he was about the interns dispatched to the office of Florida Congressman Mark Foley. Hastert's objection to the use of federal funds to rebuild predominantly African-American sections of New Orleans where thousands of homes and lives had been wrecked by Hurricane Katrina -- "It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed" -- was so brutal that he was forced to publicly amend his comments with a claim that "I'm not advocating that the city be abandoned or relocated." But the lack of an adequate response to the needs of New Orleans by Hastert and his colleagues would confirm that the Speaker's initial reaction was a truer expression of his sentiments than the apologia."

As is so often the case, John Nichols hits it outta the park.

Glenn Greenwald: The Padilla verdict
From the story: "...To this day, many people, including myself, cite the Padilla case as the ultimate wake-up call to the true character, the genuine soul, of the Bush administration. Imprisoning a U.S. citizen, on U.S. soil, with no charges of any kind, and then keeping him for years completely incommunicado, is just one of those lines which many people believed would never be crossed in America."

Look at what he was convicted of, then look at all the freedoms that were sacrificed to put this inconsequential man behind bars. A pyrrhic victory in the best light and a loss for individual liberty in the most honest light.

Raw Story: In White House reversal, top general in Iraq will testify on war progress
From the story: "...The White House on Thursday clarified that Petraeus and Crocker would testify publicly before Congress, but their testimony will come before the report is released. White House deputy press secretary Gordon Johndroe told reporters in Crawford, Texas, that Petraeus and Crocker's testimony would not be hampered by an inability to discuss the surge progress report before its release."

This isn't a lot better than the original reporting that they wouldn't testify at all -- now they'll be questioned on a report that no one will have read. The Bush administration; always ridiculous.

USA Today: Medical exodus worsens Iraq's ills
From the story: "An exodus of doctors and nurses from Iraq has caused a staffing shortage at several of the 142 medical clinics that the U.S. government spent $264 million to build around Iraq, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials.

"As many as half of Iraqi doctors have left the country since the U.S. invasion in 2003, according to a recent report by Oxfam International that cited statistics from the Iraqi Medical Association. Some doctors have fled after being targeted because of their religious sect or profession. Others have sought better opportunities in Europe or elsewhere in the Middle East."

In fact, according to Oxfam's report, "40% of all Iraqi professionals, including teachers and engineers, have left the country since the war started."

The Capital Times: County: Impeach Bush, Cheney
From the story: "At the end of a marathon seven-hour session, the Dane County [WI] Board early today became the second county government in the nation to endorse the impeachment of President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney."

This is my county -- whoohoo for me! The first county to endorse impeachment was Tompkins County, NY.

Suggested Reading -- 8/16/07

National Journal: As repair needs mount, highway trust fund faces shortfall
From the story: "The fatal collapse of the 40-year-old Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis into the Mississippi River on August 1 has focused attention on the nation's chronic underinvestment in its aging and ailing infrastructure.

"Now Congress needs to tackle the politically tricky question of where to get the money to improve the transportation system, even as the highway trust fund that pays for it is facing a multibillion-dollar deficit."

Plenty of money for war and abstinence-only programs and a whole list of other useless crap that doesn't stand a chance in hell of ever working, though.

CNN: Iraqi women: Prostituting ourselves to feed our children
From the story: "The women are too afraid and ashamed to show their faces or have their real names used. They have been driven to sell their bodies to put food on the table for their children -- for as little as $8 a day."

I'm pretty much speechless here, the story speaks for itself.

Associated Press: Suicide Rate in Army at a 26-Year High
From the story: "Ninety-nine U.S. soldiers killed themselves last year, the highest rate of suicide in the Army in 26 years of record-keeping.

"Nearly a third of the soldiers who committed suicide did so while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, according to a report released Thursday. Iraq accounted for most of those _ with 27 of the suicides coming from that conflict and three from Afghanistan. Also, there were 948 attempted suicides, officials said, adding that they didn't have a comparison for previous years."

Can we get Lindsey Graham to brag about re-enlistment rates again?

Washington Post: An Early Clash Over Iraq Report
From the story: "Senior congressional aides said yesterday that the White House has proposed limiting the much-anticipated appearance on Capitol Hill next month of Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker to a private congressional briefing, suggesting instead that the Bush administration's progress report on the Iraq war should be delivered to Congress by the secretaries of state and defense."

Wait, are we to believe that the Brilliant Gen. David Petraeus Iraqinus, the Lion of Asia Minor, can't stand up on his own before by a bunch of lilly-livered cut and runners?

Suggested Reading -- 8/15/07

Médecins Sans Frontières: Indian Court Ruling in Novartis Case Protects India as the 'Pharmacy of the Developing World'

From the story: "The landmark decision by the High Court in Chennai to uphold India's Patents Act in the face of the challenge by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis is a major victory for patients' access to affordable medicines in developing countries, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) stated today."

At issue was indian patent law that made generic drugs a cheap alternative for third world nations (indian patents can only be granted to real innovations, not tweaks to existing products, making older versions of drugs patent-free). Novartis' suit was broadly criticized as callous and example of the profit-above-all attitude of big pharma and the corporations-above-people attitude of international trade organizations like the WTO. It's good to see the people take this win.

Think Progress: Petraeus' September Report Will Be Written By The White House

From the story: "...Despite Bush's repeated statements that the report will reflect evaluations by Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, administration officials said it would actually be written by the White House, with inputs from officials throughout the government."

Hell, my money's on the bet that it's already written.

Tondan: Soldier Who Captured Saddam is Sick, But Left to Rot By VA

From the story: "...One VA psychologist diagnosed [Army Spec. Jeans] Cruz with post-traumatic stress disorder. His condition was labeled 'severe and chronic.' In a letter supporting his request for PTSD-related disability pay, the psychologist wrote that Cruz was 'in need of major help' and that he had provided 'more than enough evidence' to back up his PTSD claim. His combat experiences, the letter said, 'have been well documented.' ...None of that seemed to matter when his case reached VA disability evaluators. They turned him down flat, ruling that he deserved no compensation because his psychological problems existed before he joined the Army. They also said that Cruz had not proved he was ever in combat."

Shameful.

Agence France-Presse: 200 massacred in Iraq suicide truck bombings

From the story: "Rescuers dug through the rubble of devastated Iraqi communities on Wednesday after suicide bombers killed more than 200 members of a minority sect in the bloodiest spate of attacks of the war...

"'Everything was destroyed. Houses, buildings, shops. It was horrible. There was a huge number of casualties bleeding all over the place. There were pieces of flesh everywhere. It was a tragedy. Dead people everywhere,' [army Captain Jalal Mohammed] said."

Making progress...

ABC News, The Blotter: DOD Stops Plan to Send Christian Video Game to Troops in Iraq

From the story: "Plans by a Christian group to send an evangelical video game to U.S. troops in Iraq were abruptly halted yesterday by the Department of Defense after ABC News inquired about the program...

"'It's a horrible game,' said the Rev. Timothy Simpson of the Christians Alliance for Progress. 'You either kill or covert the other side. This is exactly what the Osama bin Ladens of the world have portrayed us [as].'"

Score one for the good guys.

TPMMuckraker: Experts Question Legality, Ethics Of Young's Earmark

From the story: "Rep. Don Young (R-AK) has taken the political art form to an ethically questionable level that even some experts in the trenches have never seen. In 2005, Young waited until after the House and Senate passed a transportation bill, but before the president signed it into law, to rewrite a passage that would have granted $10 million for an interstate in Florida. His new wording targeted the money to a much smaller, more specific project to connect Coconut Road to that interstate. It's an unpopular project in the area, but a boon for real estate developer Daniel Aronoff, who held a $40,000 fundraiser for Young in Florida just before the earmark appeared."

Alaska, America's home of corrupt Republican pricks.

Suggested Reading 8/14/07

Raw Story: Kucinich: DLC agenda 'indistinguishable' from Neoconservative agenda

From the story: "...'The Democratic Leadership Council's agenda is indistinguishable from the Republican Neoconservative agenda,' [Kucinich] went on. 'They want to continue to stay in Iraq. They reject the idea of a not-for-profit health care system. ... These analysts are ... trying to keep a politics that really helps support a privileged few at the expense of the many. So I'm the candidate of the people.'"

Good points all.

TPMMuckraker: Rove's Departure: The Hunted Remains The Hunted

From the story: "The New York Times and others weigh in with the obvious: Karl Rove's departure doesn't change a thing with regard to the Democrats' investigations of him. They'll keep pursuing him, and the White House will keep stonewalling with the same sweeping claims of executive privilege. The only thing that changes is that Rove has got to get himself a lawyer."

Clearly, Karl's bullshitting days are nowhere near over.

Associated Press: Iraqi Deputy Oil Minister Kidnapped

From the story (link mine): "Dozens of uniformed gunmen in 17 official vehicles stormed an Oil Ministry compound in Baghdad and abducted a deputy oil minister and three other officials, a ministry spokesman and police said. Outside the capital, two suicide truck bombers separately struck a strategic bridge and a complex housing a small religious minority, killing at least 19 people, police said.

"The attacks came as 16,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops began a new operation north of the Iraqi capital targeting insurgents who have fled a crackdown in the restive city of Baqouba, the military said Tuesday."

This is defined by the Bush administration as "making progress."

Huffington Post: Robert Naiman: U.S. Media Ignores Estimate of 1 Million Iraqi Deaths

From the story: "Yesterday a radio interviewer in South Africa asked me what had been the response of the 'mainstream media in the United States' to Just Foreign Policy's ongoing estimate of the Iraqi death toll from the U.S. invasion and occupation, which on Thursday crossed the one million mark.

"Sadly, I had to report that it has been ignored by mainstream media, even the wire services..."

Proof positive that the argument that we were going to 'save' the iraqis with invasion was bullshit -- the media, Bush, the military, right wing talk radio, etc. clearly don't give a damn about iraqis.

Geeks Are Sexy: Fox News Changes Wikipedia To Smear Rivals; Comprehensive List of Changes

From the story: "...So we went ahead and took a look at other changes to Wikipedia allegedly made by the people from the Fox News offices - the changes originating from IP address "12.167.224.228". (Here's the DNS lookup for 12.167.224.228.) We've done the legwork of poring through all the edits and published a comprehensive list below, omitting corrections of minor errors and clarifications of fact, i.e., the innocuous. The following below are clearly anything but, however..."

The story goes on to list major edits to entries for Keith Olbermann and Al Franken, as well as editing out embarrassing or scandalous entries for Bill O'Reilly, Shepard Smith, and Brit Hume -- among others.

A little on the geeky side, but they list the edits before and after, so you can see what the problem is (via reddit).

Congressional Quarterly: Hastert Planning to Retire at End of 2008, GOP Sources Say

From the story: "After less than a year as a rank-and-file House member, former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert is expected to call an end to a political career that made him the longest serving Republican Speaker in the history of the House of Representatives."

Hastert is currently in his eleventh term, making his retirement more or less twenty years too late.

Suggested Reading -- 8/13/07

Agence France-Presse: US 'surge' in Iraq 'likely to fail': British lawmakers
From the story: "The US 'surge' of troops in Iraq is likely to fail, a British parliamentary committee said Monday as it delivered a critical report on London's foreign policy in the Middle East.

"'It is too early to provide a definitive assessment of the US "surge" but it does not look likely succeed,' the House of Commons Foreign Affairs committee said in a wide-ranging document. The Commons is Britain's lower parliamentary chamber."

The committee has come to the same conclusion I have; that without political progress in the iraqi govt., military progress is meaningless.

BBC News: US launches new offensive in Iraq
From the story: "US forces in Iraq have launched a new offensive against both Shia and Sunni insurgents, the US military has said.

"Operation Phantom Strike was being staged throughout Iraq, specifically targeting al-Qaeda-linked militants and also Iranian-backed groups, it said. "

That ought to go over well, considering the iraqi govt. is iranian-backed as well.

Ballot Access News: Republican Straw Poll in Ames, Iowa, Has Diminished Turnout
From the story: "Only 13,262 votes were cast in the famous Ames, Iowa straw poll for the Republican presidential race. Last time this event was held, in 1999, there were over 20,000 votes cast..."

The predictions I saw forecasted as many as 40,000 -- the actual votes were roughly a third of that. Republican midwesterners seem pretty damned unexcited about their candidates.

For a more in-depth breakdown of the stats -- turnout, dollars per voter, who spent most per vote, who spent least, etc. -- see Low Turnout and Mike Huckabee Surprise Iowa GOP, an excellent post at RH Reality Check.

Think Progress: Breyer sees assault on reason
From the story: "The Supreme Court's most recent term was a difficult one, Justice Stephen Breyer said Saturday, because he found himself on the losing end of several key cases. After the 9/11, attacks, Breyer said: 'I began to see that the true division of importance in the world is not between different countries. The important division is between those who are committed to reason, to working out things, to understanding other people, to peaceful resolution of their differences... and those who don't think that.'"

Associated Press: Katrina aid goes toward football condos
from the story: "With large swaths of the Gulf Coast still in ruins from Hurricane Katrina, rich federal tax breaks designed to spur rebuilding are flowing hundreds of miles inland to investors who are buying up luxury condos near the University of Alabama's football stadium.

"About 10 condominium projects are going up in and around Tuscaloosa, and builders are asking up to $1 million for units with granite countertops, king-size bathtubs and 'Bama decor, including crimson couches and Bear Bryant wall art."

Predictable...

Suggested Weekend Reading 8/11-12/07

UN News Centre: Climate change could intensify hunger risk in developing world, UN official says
From the story: "Climate change could lead to potential food shortages and increase the risk of hunger in developing countries, the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said today.

"However, industrialized countries could see an increase in their crop yields, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said in a speech in Chennai, India."

Given that second paragraph, how likely do you think it is that industrialized countries will take this seriously?

Associated Press: Romney Wins Iowa GOP Straw Poll
From the story: "The Iowa state fair is taking place in Des Moines, but anyone happening on the Iowa State campus about 35 miles north of the capital city might have thought the venue had changed. Tens of thousands of Republican activists from Iowa and elsewhere braved sweltering temperatures for a day of food, entertainment and speeches by eight presidential candidates who took part in a party find-raiser and straw poll...

"...Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson suffered the biggest disappointment, getting just 1,039 votes in an event he has emphasized for months as critical for his candidacy. Thompson has said he would not continue in the race if he did not finish first or second and a representative of his campaign signaled that Thompson would likely end his campaign."

Take it from a cheeshead -- if Thompson drops out, the nation won't suffer by the loss.

Associated Press: Still No Charges in Fatal Shooting of Bodyguard for Iraqi VP
From the story: "Eight months after the shooting in Baghdad, no one associated with it wants to talk publicly. And no one has been charged.

"It happened on Christmas Eve, when an inebriated employee of North Carolina-based Blackwater USA - the largest supplier of private guards in Iraq - shot and killed a security guard for an Iraqi vice president, according to Iraqi and U.S. officials."

Blackwater -- the unaccountable and unofficial arm of the US military.

Boston Globe: Charged with shady business dealings, Romney fund-raiser resigns
From the story: "Mitt Romney's presidential campaign said today it has accepted the resignation of a major fund-raiser who has been indicted in Maryland for allegedly shady business dealings.

"Alan B. Fabian, 43, a Maryland businessman who was the co-chairman of the campaign's national finance committee, resigned this week, said Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom."

Meanwhile, the fact that Mitt won the straw poll is what's getting all the headlines. Covering corruption is so five minutes ago.

Think Progress: Mugabe cites U.S. program to justify wiretapping law
From the story: "Yesterday, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe 'signed into law the controversial Interception of Communications Bill, which gives his government the authority to eavesdrop on phone and Internet communications and read physical mail.' In order to defend the law, which has been called 'the dictator's tool kit,' Mugabe's spokesperson pointed to President Bush's wiretapping program..."

The Bush administration -- inspiring ruthless dictators worldwide.

Suggested Reading -- 8/10/07

I'm going to add an occasional, recurring post titled, "Suggested reading." Basically, it'll just be short blurbs about news stories I come across, but don't have time to write about. Like "The Stuff I Didn't Get To," it may be an every weekday thing, but I'm not sure yet. Call it a notional experiment.

---

Dallas News: Church won't hold funeral for gay man
From the story: "... The event placed High Point Church [of Arlington, TX] in the cross hairs of an issue many conservative Christian organizations are discussing: how to take a hard-line theological position on homosexuality while showing compassion toward gay people and their families." When 'compassion' and 'belief' can't be reconciled, then the 'belief' is hate. (h/t to thomastallsis at Christianity General)

ACLU Newsroom: ACLU Sues TSA Official, JetBlue for Discriminating Against Passenger Wearing Arabic T-Shirt
From the story: "The American Civil Liberties Union and New York Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit charging that a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) official and JetBlue Airways illegally discriminated against an American resident based solely on the Arabic message on his t-shirt and his ethnicity." The message on the t-shirt? "We Will Not Be Silent," in arabic and english.

Reuters: Americans may cast first votes for 2008 this year
From the story: "Americans may cast some of the first votes in the 2008 presidential election later this year after South Carolina on Thursday moved up its voting calendar to compete with traditional first states Iowa and New Hampshire." Are earlier primaries good for democracy or just an exercise in one-upsmanship?

Think Progress: 'War Czar': Military Draft is on the table
From the story: "In an interview with NPR, the White House's 'war czar' Gen. Doug Lute said that 'it makes sense to certainly consider' a military draft. 'I can tell you, this has always been an option on the table, but ultimately, this is a policy matter between meeting the demands for the nation's security by one means or another.'" Add to this a recent NPR interview of Gen. David Petraeus, where he agrees that "...it will be near impossible to maintain the current troop levels in Iraq because of the strain of multiple deployments..." and we have some worriesome messages sneaking out.