A Year of Sweet Victories

In the dark days after the election of 2004, the mainstream media was touting the making of a permanent rightward shift, and the progressive community was deeply deflated. It was difficult, in those times, to maintain a sense of hope--as corruption, war, lies and injustices large and small loomed all around, and outrage about the Right's assault on our democracy threatened to overwhelm us.

A year later, the dark and menacing clouds that hovered over The Nation's November 2, 2004 cover ("Four More Years") seem to be slowly lifting. Millions of us are organizing, agitating, mobilizing--and there are many hard-fought victories to celebrate.The attempt to destroy Social Security has been successfully blocked, the movement for withdrawal has captured the majority of the public's support, the mainstream media is slowly rousing from its slumbers, the White House's surveillance state is being revealed, there is talk of impeachment in the air, Vice President for Torture Cheney suffered a stinging rebuke when John McCain's torture ban passed, the GOP is mired in corruption and cronyism ( "Jack Abramoff seems to have the whole party on his payroll,"Katha Pollitt writes in her end of year review for The Nation), and scores of local, statewide, and national victories have been won. Here are some of my favorite "sweet victories" of '05--to savor as we head into 2006.

Electoral Reform

Portland, Oregon becomes the first city in the country to approve full public financing of elections.

Connecticut passes the strongest campaign finance reform bill in the country, banning contributions from lobbyists and state contractors. Additionally, the legislation creates a publicly funded election system encompassing all statewide races, including House and Senate seats (also a first).

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Maine becomes the sixth and final New England state to outlaw discrimination against homosexuals in employment, housing, credit, public accommodations, and education.

Residents of Topeka, Kansas rejected Fred "Got Hates Fags" Phelps' attempt to overturn the city's ordinance banning discrimination of gays in municipal hiring. And in the city council primary, Phelps' granddaughter and fellow anti-gay activist, Jael Phelps, lost big to Topeka's first and only openly gay council member, Tiffany Muller.

Massachusetts General Hospital announced the creation of the Disparities Solution Center--the first institution specifically dedicated to bridging the racial gap in health care service.

Iowa's Governor Tom Vilsack restored voting rights to thousands of Iowans, reversing an unjust state law that imposes lifetime disenfranchisement for anyone convicted of a felony. Reform was badly needed in Iowa, where, despite the state's two percent black population, 25 percent of those affected by the disenfranchisement law were African-American--the highest percentage in the country. In March, Nebraska also overturned its lifetime disenfranchisement law for convicted felons, and currently only four states--Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, and Virginia--continue to uphold this absurdly punitive law.

Montana became the fifth state to officially condemn the USA Patriot Act. Joining Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, and Vermont--not to mention more than 375 local governments--Montana's state legislature passed the strongest statewide resolution against the Patriot Act yet.

Environment and Health

California's Safe Cosmetics Bill is signed into law. The bill--which requires manufacturers to disclose to the California's Department of Health Services any product ingredients linked to cancer, mutations, or birth defects--is the first of its kind in America.

Six new Democratic governors--Rod Blagojevich (IL), Jim Doyle (WI), Christine Gregoire (WA), Ted Kulongoski (OR), Janet Napolitano (AZ), and Brian Schweitzer (MT)--joined an earlier three--Jennifer Granholm (MI), Ed Rendel (PA), and Bill Richardson (NM)--in embracing the Apollo Alliance's goal of achieving sustainable American energy independence within a decade.

Colorado passes the Renewable Energy Initiative. A precedent-setting victory for renewable energy, the bill requires the state's largest electric companies to increase their use of renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and small hydro from less than two percent today to 10 percent by 2015. Amendment 37 is expected to save Coloradans $236 million by 2025, create 2,000 jobs, and significantly reduce gas prices in the state.

New York City agrees to issue taxi medallions for hybrid cars, the latest in a string of victories for the "Green Fleets" movement. Earlier, legislators in Charlotte, NC voted to hybridize the city's municipal fleet, and Denver, Seattle, and Madison have also made strides in converting their fleets to green.

Labor and Economic Rights

Vermont, New Jersey, Hawaii, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Wisconsin vote to raise state minimum wages. Meanwhile, the national minimum wage has remained stagnant for nine years, the second longest period in U.S. history.

In California, an Alameda County judge ordered uniform giant Cintas to pay 219 workers more than $1 million of back wages in what is being hailed as a landmark decision. Paul Sonn of NYU's Brennan Center for Justice, called it "the first large scale enforcement effort involving a large group of workers in a class action suit."

Students at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. and Washington University of St. Louis stage protests and convince administrators to provide a living wage for university employees.

After a massive three-year boycott against Taco Bell, Yum Brands Inc.--the world's largest fast-food corporation and the chain's parent company--agrees to improve working conditions for its tomato pickers in Florida, increasing their wages by paying an extra penny per pound of tomatoes picked.

Maryland passes the Fair Share Health Care Act, requiring Wal-Mart and other large companies in the state to provide health benefits for employees. Throughout the year, Wal-Mart Watch and Wake Up Wal-Mart--who helped get the bill passed--wage a tireless campaign to reform Wal-Mart, forcing the retail behemoth into P.R. crisis mode.

Antiwar & Peace Movement

Chicago's City Council votes 29 to 9 to become the largest US city to pass the "Bring Them Home Now" resolution. The Windy City joins Philadelphia, San Francisco, Sacramento and more than fifty other municipalities that have called for withdrawal.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus--comprised of the strongest anti-war voices in Washington--gets in gear, hiring Hill veteran Bill Gould as its first full-time staffer.

The United Methodist Church and the Union for Reform Judaism pass resolutions calling for withdrawal.

Let's dance, sing and laugh on New Year's eve-and celebrate these victories and the organized efforts behind them. But let's also admit that there's little time for pause. Much important work remains to be done and many critical battles loom ahead for all those who wish to rebuild America into a country we can be proud of once again. (As of January 2006, The Nation will chronicle "Sweet Victories" as a regular feature in the magazine. If you have a victory you'd like to share with us, please write to nationvictories@gmail.com. And with many thanks to my co-conspirator on this project--writer and documentary filmmaker Sam Graham-Felsen.)

Comments (275)

1. All good news and an excellent way to look back on the year. (Wonder what the "Tighty-Righties will piss and moan about in this list...)

   Posted by leftofcenter at 12/30/2005 @ 3:26pm

2. Cheering for impossible goals, without any plan to achieve them, seems to be the weakness of the left. Lets have a plan for how to achieve energy independence in 10 or 20 years. It is not impossible, but the choice will be between a dramatic lowering of life styles, as energy use per capata is one of the best current indicators of quality of life, and the use of nuclear power to make up for the reduction of the use of fossel fuels that the left wants.

   But, the left is unwilling to face these choices and blathers without any data about the use of conservation, or wind or solar power as if any of these have any chance of making up for the demands of an increasing world population, demands from the 3 ard and forth worlds for higher percapa energy use, and this is half of the world's population today.

   And, regardless of all of the benefits of conservation, and non nuclear, non fossel fuel energy sources (wind, geo, solar in all forms) there is no conceivable combination of these that will make up for the demands from the thrid world (China and India, and the rest) and the forth and fifth (Africa) to increase their use, and not use nuclear power, or have wars over the available remain fossel sources.

   And, in less than 100 years, there will be no fossel fuels of consequence left. It is nuclear or fight not over availabe sources of energy, but to kill off the others population to stop their energy demands so that the avialable non nuclear sources are enough to stablize the remainer of the world at a standard of energy consumpution per capta, about 20% of the developed world now. That means no air conditioning, little heat, not much electricity, no cars, and very little affordable transport.

   S0 will the left grow up and address these real limits, certainly the right is loath to do so. Why is the left so reluctant??

   Is is because the truth is so daunting that the current generation of poloticians think that they will leave the difficult choice until there is a total crisis, and then the left will back off their anti nuclear stance, when their homes are dark and cold in the winter, and dark and sweltering in the summer.

   Perhaps, but then that makes the left no better than those on the right that they are all to happy to attach, but never offer a solution of substance. The nation wails about the Bush admistration's ethics, and yet they defended a purjuror in the white house.

   And, it bit them. Gore would have won as a sitting president, which is why the republican controled senate would not remove Clinton from office. And, the Democrats, always ready to attack the ethics of others, demonstrated that theh have no ethics when it comes to their own. And, they wonder why the public sees no difference.

   No plans, no ethics, just carping.

   You can do better, why not try.

   Posted by rwe9 at 12/30/2005 @ 3:49pm

3. RWE9: No plans, no ethics, just carping.

   Get real. We may not look organized, but this battle is being fought and won on all fronts--and there are many. If you don't see that you're not looking at the big picture. You see "disorganized", "weak" and "no ethics"; we see a guerrilla war without the ham-handed tactics of Karl Rove and the rest of the partisan ugliness from the right. We're not weak--just better than that.

   Another accomplishment: Electronic voting is finally getting the attention it deserves thanks to the GAO report and its acknowledgment of manipulation.

   Posted by ayoeckel at 12/30/2005 @ 4:17pm

4. I thought it only fair to inject a brief summary of conservative successes in 2005. It may not have been a great year for conservatives, but I will take our successes over all the ones listed by KVH.

   Chief Justice John Roberts

   UN Ambassador John Bolton

   Secretary of State Condi Rice

   Bush's speeches in November and December

   Governor Arnold Schwarzennegar vetoes Gay Marriage Bill and Illegal Drivers License Bill.

   The President's and our Military's success in Iraq

   Union membership continues its decline and is in a splintered disarray (i.e. Change to Win Coalition split from AFL-CIO)

   Economic Numbers are solid

   Additional Tax Cuts passed and previous cuts remain in place and more due in 2006

   Congress passed and the President signed CAFTA

   Any media attention that showcased the leftwing nut jobs like Howard Dean, Cindy Sheehan, Dick Durbin, John Conyers, Cynthia McKinney, Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Boxer

   Peter Schweizer's expose "Do As I Say (Not As I Do): Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy

   No further intrusions on 2nd Amendment rights by the ACLU and other Communist organizations

   Conservatives are poised to move in 2006 with restored energy and enthusiasm for more tax cuts, continued military strength and exansion of the war on terrorism, a challenging battle to increase control of Congress in the Nov 06 elections, and a move towards oil independence through winning the fight to drill in ANWR contrary to the desire of liberals to remain captive to foreign interests.

   Yes my liberal/progressive friends, we conservatives are very excited about 2006 and proud to reflect on the successes of 2005.

   Posted by love liberty at 12/30/2005 @ 4:46pm

5. LL,

   You "left" one out.

   Arnold allows for justice to finally be carried out - later Tookie.

   Posted by USAPRIDE at 12/30/2005 @ 4:53pm

6. re FREIHEIT

   I hope I am being obtuse and missing the ironic point in this comment. But if that is the case the point is itself obtuse - so let me say : Jesus man - get a grip. This is such an ignorant comment that it denigrates conversation.

   The "sugar" point may be made. But not in reference to a headline! And...I am quite certain the Nation is not in the pocket of anybody. Make a real point next time.

   Good summary. Much left out - including the sad but necessary unraveling of this administration. But that is for a different article.

   re Sweet victories? Sweet? How insulting to the millions of diabetics in America and the world! How insensitive!

   Not to mention the way our government controls US sugar prices to the detriment of the environment, many developing economies and American consumers!

   Sounds to me the Nation and KVH are in the pocket of the Bush Administration.

   Posted by mhb at 12/30/2005 @ 5:04pm

7. Yeah and it looks like all that illegal spying on US citizens doesn't have a terrorist leg to stand on as the BC regime would rather we not know:

   http://www.insightmag.com/Media/MediaManager/wiretaps_0.htm

   Posted by Bushfools at 12/30/2005 @ 5:05pm

8. Bad news travels fast, mostly on Airforce One. Maybe we'll pluck the mainstream out of the jetstream yet!

   Posted by John Earl at 12/30/2005 @ 5:13pm

9. My goodness. What a hyperbolic opening to an article by Ms. Vanden Heuvel. Here, let's put it all into perspective with a little rewrite;

   In the dark days after the election of 1992, the mainstream media was touting the making of a permanent leftward shift, and the conservative community was deeply deflated. It was difficult, in those times, to maintain a sense of hope--as corruption, war, lies and injustices large and small loomed all around, and outrage about the Left's assault on our integrity threatened to overwhelm us.

   Gee, I wasn't crazy about Bill Clinton, but I wouldn't go about trumping up a general state of mind with at least four, if not eight years to go.

   Perhaps Ms. Vanden Heuvel can just throttle back a bit on the rhetoric and cover the main points with a little less bashing of the other side. It might help her make her points, which have been cast adrift in the Polemic Sea.

   Wow. It's contagious.

   Posted by Ursafilms at 12/30/2005 @ 5:13pm

10. Really starting to doubt my assessment of Ms vanden Heuval as the intellectual I first thought she was.

    I realize "keeping up the troops' morale" is important...but talk about taking chicken s*** and trying to make chicken salad!

    Celebrate Dem victories in 2006 (if they happen)...but don't try this!

    Posted by Mask at 12/30/2005 @ 5:41pm

11. The GAO report on the unsecured computer voting would be good news if the news media and the Democratic Party leadership made certain Americans knew about it. For the great majority, the stolen 2004 election remains 'sour grapes' and a laughable 'conspiracy theory.' The 107 page Gao report's thrust is that the votes at all levels cannot be secured by 2006 election time. This continued national ignorance is the death knell of our political recovery. My little election.solarbus.org bumper sticker has resulted in at least $1300 worth of body damage to my car from three unknown sources. Free speech is dead when Kerry and others are so cowed that they are unable to tell the truth about the 8 million vote shift that reinstalled Bush as president.

    Posted by urthsong at 12/30/2005 @ 6:01pm

12. I believe looking at the progress being made, however small, is forward movement and helps to empower from a negative state of mind, which is currently pervasive with: most non-economically advantaged types, non-terrorist US citizens being spied upon, Katrina affected, 9/11 muffled, those with relatives gone, lost and/or maimed via the ‘elective' Iraq occupation, the voting disenfranchised, and well all those with still a brain in there head that see all the BC lies most BC ‘dictatorship in bloom' regime sycophants are blind to or being too well paid to ignore and support.

    Yep, something positive now and then always helps those willing to fight the good fight against the powers of evil. I'm willing to be positive about getting this great nation back on track. This New Year's wish is that the BC regime comes clean and is exiled to wherever dictators go to-- not Chile or Brazil, oh of course, Saudi Arabia!

    Posted by Bushfools at 12/30/2005 @ 6:03pm

13. Mask,

    We have been in a right-wing stupor since Bush stole the election in 2000. I agree that some of Ms. Vanden Huevel's points aren't things to march in the streets in celebration over, but they are a start. And yes, the 2006 elections are going to be huge.

    There are enough morons out there (like Love Liberty and USAPRIDE) that any victory against global domination, Iraq war crimes, illegal spying, etc. are victories to be proud of.

    Posted by Daniel Rubin at 12/30/2005 @ 6:06pm

14. Conservatives are out trumpeting the poll, which says that 64% of Americans support spying on terrorists if it prevents a terrorist attack. Of course, that isnt what Bush is doing, the FISA system was used for that. The spying that Bush is doing is on people who dont have anything to do with terrorism, and likely focused on those who criticize Bush when his idiocy endangers us.

    Conservatives tout suing the state of California for having too-high fuel efficiency standards, as necessary for getting energy independence for America, and now they tout spying on whistleblowers as necessary for catching terrorists. Getting rid of social security is the only way to save it.

    America is waking up, hopefully it isnt too late, the Libertarians are finally having to choose a real side.

    I predict Bush will get impeached over some trivial offense before the 2006 elections, hes taking everything down with him that wont let go

    Posted by reidsucks at 12/30/2005 @ 6:34pm

15. I dont remember what issue it was, when I created this alias called ReidSucks, he's been doing a good job since then as far as I can recall. I think vowed never to forgive him for it, whatever it was, but now in the post-Bush era Partisanship is #1, Harry Reid is ready to defend America against Conservatives and I forgive Harry Reid for whatever it was that pissed me off.

    Posted by reidsucks at 12/30/2005 @ 6:43pm

16. "Libertarians are finally having to choose a real side."

    Libertarians work for the benefit of only one side: large corporations. They believe they are working for individuals, but every time a libertarian succeeds in eliminating government, corporate influence fills the vacuum. Libertarians are the ultimate corporate stooges.

    Posted by BBatten at 12/30/2005 @ 6:50pm

17. DANIEL RUBEN

    Mask,

    We have been in a right-wing stupor since Bush stole the election in 2000.

    I have?....really?...any proof of that? Oh, and why did I vote for Kerry in 2004? (answer provided if not guessed)

    Posted by Mask at 12/30/2005 @ 6:55pm

18. Posted by FREIHEIT 12/30/2005 @ 6:54pm

    FREI, ever notice how the Left puts full faith and trust in un-elected, faceless, unaccountable GOVERNMENT bureaucrats to run our lives....but thinks corporations are "innately evil", because they're "un-elected, faceless, and unaccountable."

    Posted by Mask at 12/30/2005 @ 6:59pm

19. If you have a government by the people, for the people and of the people, how is anyone who takes part in this civil exercise a "stooge." Libertarians, on the other hand, believe in a philosophy literally crafted by large industrialists in the early '70's as a way to syphon off working class support for progressive issues by hitting them with emotional issues like guns and drugs. Since libertarians have been convinced that our American system of government by the people is tyranny, they are profoundly unamerican. Our founders believed in the collective power of people to make and execute peoples' government for the common good of all. Libertarians don't believe in this great experiment in freedom against tyranny. They are like Tories, but instead of ancient royalty, they worship the modern royalty some call the Corporate Oligarchy.

    Posted by BBatten at 12/30/2005 @ 7:03pm

20. How are the actions of corporations accountable to you, a citizen? They're not. They get hundreds of millions of our tax money a year and they're not accountable to anyone. A public servant is accountable to the public and if that public servant that you might call a bureucrat is accountable to a far greater degree than anyone in the private sector. Why is it that you trust a completely unaccountable corporation which is only there for profit rather than a public servant?

    Posted by BBatten at 12/30/2005 @ 7:06pm

21. The only fundamental reason why Americans don't share some of the freedoms the rest of the industrialized world enjoys is the inordinate, unchecked power of large corporations. Citizens in the rest of the industrialized world, for example, are free to live their lives never having to worry that a medical problem will bankrupt them. The only reason we don't enjoy the right to healthcare is the power of corporations and their stooges, the libertarians.

    Posted by BBatten at 12/30/2005 @ 7:09pm

22. Freiheit- You might be right. The first time it happened, I didn't jump to any conclusions. But I think the keying right above the bumper sticker is a sure thing. The deep dent to the right of the sticker looks pretty suspicious too. Explore the material at http://election/solarbus.org and go to other organizations' web sites from there. You be the judge. Start with the Government Accountability Office report of October 2005 which tried to sit a fence.

    Posted by urthsong at 12/30/2005 @ 7:12pm

23. We've been trying conservative, libertarian ideas for 30 years now. Are our kids smarter? Is the public more informed? Is our infrastructure in great shape? Are people more economically sound and safe? The libertarian would like corporate boards to be free to make decisions regarding your lives without any accountability. I would rather give the power to my elected representatives in the way our Founders agreed would lead to the greatest participation in civil government. Libertarians want to tear down civil government by the people -- this is a profoundly unamerican philosophy.

    Posted by BBatten at 12/30/2005 @ 7:12pm

24. You guys sure love strawmen. I never in any way, shape or form said "corporations are evil." I believe coporations are amoral. I believe they are interested in profits as they should be, but that they shouldn't use civil government as a way to increase profits and they shouldn't have more power than individual citizens. I think it's a crime that our court system treats corporations as individuals -- it's the most egregious case of court activism in the nation's history and it's created many problems for our society. I think corporations have way, way too much political power. But, I never said anyone was "evil."

    Posted by BBatten at 12/30/2005 @ 7:16pm

25. Freiheit, you've got it backwards. You can fire your elected representative if enough of your fellow citizens agree. You can't do squat about a large corporation. Look, I'm not talking about your town's bank or the store on mainstreat. I'm talking about huge corporations on the public dole achieved by aggressive lobbying and huge amounts of money.

    Posted by BBatten at 12/30/2005 @ 7:18pm

26. Freiheit: "Is our infrastructure in great shape? [No, because politicians are constantly in the way]"

    That's an interesting perspective. Who fixes infrastructure if not the government? How could we have possibly risen to a world industrial leader without Rural Electrification? Even conservatives like George Will admit that was a spectacularly effective government program.

    Posted by BBatten at 12/30/2005 @ 7:26pm

27. So, you want to stop purchasing gas? Why don't you stop purchasing electricity as well. "all that's necessary is to stop purchasing" doesn't address the problem: the problem is corporations are too powerful. We don't have to allow them that power. The founders were deeply suspiscious of corporations. Up until the late 19th century, it was a felony for a corporation to give money to a candidate. Corporations had to be disbanded after 40 years up until the late 1880's. We're the people. We ought to be making the rules.

    Posted by BBatten at 12/30/2005 @ 7:29pm

28. Fas·cist n--somebody who supports or advocates a system of government characterized by dictatorship, 'centralized control of private enterprise', repression of all opposition, and extreme nationalism

    So if the large corporations are in bed with the dictator...

    Posted by Bushfools at 12/30/2005 @ 7:36pm

29. Mask- Corporations are not innately evil. But they are innately amoral. Our Revolutionary War was begun primarily over the abuses of British corporate monopoly power. There was a mistake made when our founders did not address national limitations in the Constitution. At the time and up until the Civil War individual states authorized incorporation for limited purposes and for no longer than 40 years. They understood the problems. As corporate abuses continued, Theodore Roosevelt pursuaded our Congress to pass the first anti-trust legislation. But it took the worldwide Great Depression to bring many to an understanding that corporations require limitations. The merging of corporate power and government power was Mussolini's definition of fascism which he preferred to be called corporatism. It was seen by many as the way govenments would go. So it was. So it is. And the grandson of Hitler's Banker, Prescot Bush, who supplied 15% of the funds necessary to begin WW II in Europe and so identified in 1942 by the federal government and US newspapers is now our illegimate president. Eisenhower warned us about the "military-industrial complex." Among those of which he was making reference was the Bush family.

    Posted by urthsong at 12/30/2005 @ 7:45pm

30. Once again a liberal in ranting against the monied power of corporations serves to validate my argument that we will not regain control of our government until we eliminate the Income Tax.

    BBatten echoes the usual leftist/socialist mantra about the stolen tax money. First of all, any taxes paid by corporations are actually paid by consumers. Corporations just pass on the cost. That is part of the inherent wrong of our income tax system.

    Your comments also reflect the inherent problem with the left. It's hunger for other people's money. Your never satisfied unless your spending more and more of other people's money.

    That's part of the intellectual and creative laziness of the left. They can only succeed if they steal from others; hence more and more taxes, bigger and bigger government.

    Posted by love liberty at 12/30/2005 @ 7:49pm

31. Posted by FREIHEIT 12/30/2005 @ 7:41pm Posted by URTHSONG 12/30/2005 @ 7:45pm

    Makes sense to me-- an ‘if the shoe fits sort of thing'. The problem then becomes 'if' this is true and we won't and then can't stop it from moving to its logical conclusion of constant war, no control of the government, no opposition and no civil rights, a dictatorship by any other name would smell as sweet. Progressives need moderates on both sides to test whether this is what's happening now. What if congress tells the BC regime they can't spy without FISA, (which I thought they already had and BC said it was doing, ok lied about), and Bush complies. Does that mean he's not moving at consolidating power? And if he refuses to comply, as he already has, is that proof that's where the BC regime is heading? What kind of proof do you need before it's too late?

    Posted by Bushfools at 12/30/2005 @ 8:14pm

32. RWE

    Greetings from planet Earth, and our best to your brothers and sisters on Melmac, Ork, or whatever backwater planet you're from.

    Here on this planet we believe in energy conservation....that is why state governemts around our country are adopting; hi-lum fluorescent lights, better insulation, geothermal heat pumps, etc. Not because they represent any comprehensve solution, but because such measures do decrease power useage.

    However, with 5% of the world's population unsing 25% of the total energy output, it is indeed true that as 2nd & 3rd world nations aspire to 1st world affluence, there will develop a power deficit that NO source can fill, aside from radical and massive change in energy useage. It is very likely that in the next couple of decades, we will begin to see the rumbling of these changes. The efective "death" of personal internal combustion vehicles could occur, a demand for electricity causing ever-growing stockpiles of nuclear waste which will, without a doubt, be the bane of our great grandchildren many times removed. There are too bright spots in technologies such as fuel cells and nuclear batteries, and yes, solar.

    It is ironic too, that the right (please do not confuse this word with the other "right" as in correct...while they do claim it, it is merely a claim) wails that their "nemesis" (the left) has no plan, while having none of their own...and all the while they are in charge of our entire nation's governmental structure. It is true we had a good leader who lied about a personal issue a time back- a shameful act that did not damage the nation one iota. However, our current leaders surround themselves with corrupt assistants (Rove, Libby), associate with corrupt business (Enron, Halliburton), practice abuse by elected leaders (Frist) and engage in wanton nation-building in the hopes of squeezing more oil out of the sands of the Middle-East (Cheny's "Secret" Energy Task Force) by lies and fabrication (Bush, "Downing Street Memos.")

    So if nothing else, please inform the leaders of your planet, that there is little intelligent life down here if weighed by our actions, and if you have any better ideas we are listening.

    Live Long and Prosper (or Nanoo, nanoo...as the case may be)

    Posted by leftofcenter at 12/30/2005 @ 9:04pm

33. RWE

    Greetings from planet Earth, and our best to your brothers and sisters on Melmac, Ork, or whatever backwater planet you're from.

    Here on this planet we believe in energy conservation....that is why state governemts around our country are adopting; hi-lum fluorescent lights, better insulation, geothermal heat pumps, etc. Not because they represent any comprehensve solution, but because such measures do decrease power useage.

    However, with 5% of the world's population unsing 25% of the total energy output, it is indeed true that as 2nd & 3rd world nations aspire to 1st world affluence, there will develop a power deficit that NO source can fill, aside from radical and massive change in energy useage. It is very likely that in the next couple of decades, we will begin to see the rumbling of these changes. The efective "death" of personal internal combustion vehicles could occur, a demand for electricity causing ever-growing stockpiles of nuclear waste which will, without a doubt, be the bane of our great grandchildren many times removed. There are too bright spots in technologies such as fuel cells and nuclear batteries, and yes, solar.

    It is ironic too, that the right (please do not confuse this word with the other "right" as in correct...while they do claim it, it is merely a claim) wails that their "nemesis" (the left) has no plan, while having none of their own...and all the while they are in charge of our entire nation's governmental structure. It is true we had a good leader who lied about a personal issue a time back- a shameful act that did not damage the nation one iota. However, our current leaders surround themselves with corrupt assistants (Rove, Libby), associate with corrupt business (Enron, Halliburton), practice abuse by elected leaders (Frist) and engage in wanton nation-building in the hopes of squeezing more oil out of the sands of the Middle-East (Cheny's "Secret" Energy Task Force) by lies and fabrication (Bush, "Downing Street Memos.")

    So if nothing else, please inform the leaders of your planet, that there is little intelligent life down here if weighed by our actions, and if you have any better ideas we are listening.

    Live Long and Prosper (or Nanoo, nanoo...as the case may be)

    Posted by leftofcenter at 12/30/2005 @ 9:30pm

34. Ooops...sorry about the duble post......I had hit it before the server went blotto a few minutes back and assumed it didn't make it as my "preview" screeen was still open!

    Posted by leftofcenter at 12/30/2005 @ 9:33pm

35. LL

    Those are your "high points"....wow.

    You put a guy in the UN who doesn't believe in the UN.

    Voted in legislation to ship more jobs overseas.

    Housing is going down, and dunno how you figure economy is solid with natural gas prices out through the roof, unless you are counting the rebuilding of natural disasters in as a "construction boom"

    Bush got say "terrorist" and "9/11" a few more times (Nov, Dec speech-ifying) - you must be SO proud! (How soon they grow up...*sigh*) Pretty soon he'll be able to wipe hisself like a big boy.

    Tax cuts for the rich (Yee-haw...us poor folk are sure singing the praises for that, yessir...not to mention the "debtor's prision" Bankruptcy Reform Bill, and the end of the year cuts to most social programs. Always nice when the gubb'ment thinks of the poor around the holidays!)

    Got them unions on the run...joy for ya'll I bet. Get to cut wages, and decrease benefits. I feel better already! Maybe next year you can work on decreasing the minimum wage too!

    And the crap about "the left in debt to foreign interests"...better look in your own pocket bucko: HERE [houseofbush.com]

    Make sure you lift that Kool-Aid glass high on the New Year's Eve....maybe us "Commies" can outhinks ya next year (WTF are you...a "McCarthy-ite"....I'll bet you believe in a 6,000 year old Earth too dontcha?)

    Posted by leftofcenter at 12/30/2005 @ 9:51pm

36. Freiheit- The public schools across the nation get their textbooks from a few publishers none of which has a liberal bent. The textbooks are notorious for faulty content.

    Posted by urthsong at 12/30/2005 @ 10:40pm

37. Speaking of dark menacing clouds.

    By Michel Chossudovsky, Professor of Economics, University of Ottawa

    http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO201A.html

    A Happy and Healthy New Year to all.

    Posted by Munich at 12/30/2005 @ 10:43pm

38. Did anyone on the right or left ever hear of an economist named Malthus? The fact the he correctly predicted there are limits to population growth and that these predictions are likely to be realized in the 21st century should make us all (right and left) be working harder to make population growth control our highest priority. Bush has cut over 130 million in family planning which will only doom millions more to poverty and misery. The anti-abortion and abstinence pushers are still in control. The right is clueless and sometimes I wonder about the left's pandering to those for open borders and other such bleeding-heart foolishness. At least we who are not right wingnuts are pro-choice, pro contraception, pro sex- ed, and pro understanding the nature of nature by accepting evolution. The ultimate understanding is to know that civilization was a 10,000 year mistake that is getting closer each year to a horrendous self-correction. Many concerns, right and left, pale in comparison to humans destroying the only known planet supporting life.

    Posted by leemiller38 at 12/30/2005 @ 11:24pm

39. For months now, I've been wondering why there are so many right-wing trolls on this obviously lefty website, and I think I may have hit on at least a partial explanation: every single one of them is severely irony-impaired, and think the rest of us are as well. F'rinstance, LL (I will NOT write out his bogus username) doesn't even have an inkling that the list of supposed right-wing "accomplishments" he posted is almost chapter and verse what the left and many moderates hate most about the Bushites. John Bolton he views as a good thing? Do you ever read or view anything but Faux News, LL? John Bolton is world peace's worst nightmare, man! Of course, that makes him an excellent choice in the eyes of that sabre-rattling, chest-thumping, service-dodging pussy in the White House. But if you can't be swayed by reason, look at this undeniable fact: have you noticed how quiet Bush has gotten since the Iraqi elections on the 15th? It didn't quite turn out like he rigged it, did it? The Iraqi people, in a breathtaking exercise of their democratic rights, rejected both of Bush's handpicked puppets - Chalabi and Allawi are toast, dude. And even the master liar and spinner of tales can't find a good lie to tell about that one.

    Broaden your horizons a little - read something besides the Repuke-lickens' talking points - try TruthOut.org, Buzzflash.org, or if you really want a surprise, WatchingAmerica.com - they're good at letting us know what the rest of the world really thinks of us, the stuff that almost never makes it into the MSM over here.

    But no matter what you choose to read or not, stop running those tired-ass numbers on us about what a great president Bush is - he's at least a sociopath, perhaps a genuine psychopath, and it's people like you, who think he's God's gift, who will suffer the most when his perfidy becomes known. If I were a fundamentalist I would be checking up on the signs of the Anti-Christ, because Bush bears some marked similarities to him. Or it, or whatever.

    And to the rest of you - stop feeding the trolls, and maybe they'll eventually get tired of baiting progressives and go jerk off somewhere else.

    Posted by RichMiles at 12/30/2005 @ 11:29pm

40. Sorry, buzzflash.com, not org.

    Posted by RichMiles at 12/30/2005 @ 11:33pm

41. Is Bush-worship a cult? According to International Standards Defining Cultism, It Apparently Is:

    I s Bush-Worship a Cult? [pensitoreview.com]

    Excerpt:

    ...is Bush worship a cult? Check out this list of defining characteristics of a cult from the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) and decide for yourself :

    * The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader and … regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law.

    * Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.

    * Mind-altering practices … are used in excess and serve to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).

    * The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader and … regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law.

    * Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.

    * Mind-altering practices … are used in excess and serve to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).

    * The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel…

    * The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s) and members (for example, the leader is considered the Messiah, a special being, an avatar - or the group and/or the leader is on a special mission to save humanity).

    * The group has a polarized us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society.

    * The leader is not accountable to any authorities…

    * The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members' participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group…

    * The leadership induces feelings of shame and/or guilt in order to influence and/or control members. Often, this is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion.

    * Subservience to the leader or group requires members to cut ties with family and friends, and radically alter the personal goals and activities they had before joining the group.

    * The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members.

    * The group is preoccupied with making money.

    * Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group and group-related activities.

    * Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.

    * The most loyal members (the "true believers") feel there can be no life outside the context of the group. They believe there is no other way to be, and often fear reprisals to themselves or others if they leave (or even consider leaving) the group.

    Posted by RichMiles at 12/31/2005 @ 12:38am

42. Freiheit- Corporations are designed to operate amorally. The regulations were to be made by the governments that gave them their charters. When all bets are off, corporations cannot survive without getting down and dirty too. Business and government needs to be conducted on the basis of honor and trust. Once a man's word was his bond. Now we have an entire generation having been taught to be cut throat and lie. As to what the politicians have been doing, corporate interests and their paid lobbyists have been controlling legislation and much of enforcement. Now that corporate power has put a man in office twice without actually winning the vote. It may not be all corporations. But it is the corporations that have manuvered themselves into power by merging their power with that of the government. That's fascism.

    Posted by urthsong at 12/31/2005 @ 01:23am

43. RICH

    good stuff...

    Posted by leftofcenter at 12/31/2005 @ 01:49am

44. Bushfools, I don't understand your "constant war" comment. Free trade and supply line cooperation across borders is a deterrent to war. Posted by FREIHEIT 12/30/2005 @ 8:29pm | ignore this person

    As we can currently see in Iraq and soon to be Iran or Syria or S. Korea or France... The point being the fascist BC regime has to feed the beast it's become and in order to keep dictatorshiplike power it has to keep making war somewhere without allowing any kind of opposition. Without war BC regime can't squash civil liberties nor convince the feeble minded that it's good to be poor without safety net services, less health insurance, less infrastructure, costs going up/pay going down, while the rich get bigger tax cuts and the only way to get a college education for poor-middle income kids is to join the army and see the war du jour Ever wonder where we'd be if BC regime would not have chosen to occupy Iraq? 100K's less dead and or maimed, 100s of billions less debt, more help for Katrina victims, BC would not have been re-selected, voting machines corrected, no spying on US citizens, 9/11 truth out, and a lot more neocon's in prison-- yep the BC regime 'had' to go into Iraq. Afghanistan would've been too resolved by 2004-- much like Iraq and his dad.

    Posted by Bushfools at 12/31/2005 @ 03:00am

45. Katrina, we should also remember the double defeat of the subversive proponents of "intelligent design" in Dover, Pennsylvania. It was incredibly encouraging to learn that voters there kicked out all eight school-board members (not just a few of them, but ALL EIGHT OF THEM!) who were in favor of teaching "intelligent design" (aka "religion") as science in the local public schools. Then last week the icing was put on the cake (as if the vote wasn't satisfying enough): A republican, church-going judge, John E. Jones, ruled against the proponents of "intelligent design" in Dover, telling them in no uncertain terms that the concept is nothing more than religion masquerading as science. He "decried the 'breathtaking inanity [msnbc.msn.com]' of the Dover policy and accused several board members of lying to conceal their true motive, which he said was to promote religion."

    The Dover story, therefore, is one of the most encouraging of the year for me.

    A final comment: Let the proponents of "intelligent design" preach their totally non-scientifc "science" on the streets or in the incredibly vast number of churches that dot the American landscape (a number that puts the lie to the supposed "siege" on Christianity), where most people (adults, at least) have a choice of listening to them. They have no business trying also to indoctrinate young, captive audiences with their particular view of spiritual reality. Outside of public schools, government institutions and some private businesses, Christians have practically no limitations on their movements or their mouths. They always have and always will pester the hell out of us, at practically every turn, to their heart's content (pun intended). Their true goal in all of this (with "ID science" being merely a false front) was/is, very simply, to gain access to all those captive, impressionable young minds in our public schools. Sadly, Christians of this sort (even if they believe their intentions are "pure") will never be made to understand that they are working against the intentions [nobeliefs.com] of the founding fathers, not for them; and so their efforts to subvert public schools in other parts of the nation will continue for some time to come.

    Posted by Welfl at 12/31/2005 @ 03:37am

46. My comment will be brief and possibly insignificant... As a non-US citizen but an avid yankeephile, I cannot but be thankful to be able to read Ms van Heuvel and joint staff as she is proof that America is not dead yet. Bon courage and many thanks for the hope your hard work, dedication and sheer courage....has sustained us through possibly the darkest hour of your country's sad history. ie I would not rate China's, Russsia's, France's or Britain's National Histories as glorious either. Am a bit emotional here but as an old dying man, I want to hope that the US will soon protect all the world's children, not just this evil Administration and consorts on their shopping spree! As a longtime antiamerican here in Asia. I was never anti-american.I need not be more explicit than this. Sometimes this difference is not appreciated. I said this would be brief. Just a most insignificant thank you from someone who admires your work. Francois

    Posted by francois at 12/31/2005 @ 05:38am

47. Sorry, I may have verbal diarrhea here! Since 2004, the world has been shocked bt your choice of an admin. Notice how the Europeans and Asians have been subdued in their mobilization? None of the mainstream media in western europe and asia have stirred? Look outside! Why??? Is it because the rest of the world is shitless scared of Leviathan? Not its Power, its imbecility in using power. Yes your internal /domestic issues are very important to the rest of the world... How is Ford going to pay pensions to Baby boomers when most of that money belongs to the Chinese and Japanese?

    Britain and France are now paying for their Colonial excesses. I think this is very relevant to this article as a narrow focus, as heartwarming as it is , must, in some way pay lip service to the wider picture.

    Posted by francois at 12/31/2005 @ 05:59am

48. FREHEIT wrote...

    Progressives work for the benefit of only one side: large government

    In Bush's first term, non-defense federal spending rose 36%, and he vetoed not a single spending bill. How this translates into a non-large-government administration is, of course, the thing of fairy tales. If you're truly against large government, fine, but please don't hang the "big government" label over progressives while failing to equally label this administration and its die-hard fans like LOVE LIVERTY as "big government", too.

    Posted by TexasDemocrat at 12/31/2005 @ 09:47am

49. Since 2004, the world has been shocked bt your choice of an admin. Notice how the Europeans and Asians have been subdued in their mobilization? None of the mainstream media in western europe and asia have stirred? Look outside! Why??? Is it because the rest of the world is shitless scared of Leviathan? Not its Power, its imbecility in using power. Posted by FRANCOIS 12/31/2005 @ 05:59am

    As my wife often points out, our system of government is much more durable than one big imbecile, even if he is (pretending to be) Prez of the U.S.

    Posted by DownWithW at 12/31/2005 @ 10:02am

50. The disappointment of 2004 notwithstanding, it's tempting to think the scandals of the present climate will give us a leg up in 2006. Granted, the undeniable debasement of election machinery, especially in Ohio, is still alive and marauding, but the abysmal approval ratings in that sad state for GOP hacks, #1 the gov, can't help but help.

    As I heard on NPR this morning, the GOOP is turning their gunsights on Wisconsin to cover their expected loss in Ohio.

    My opinion is, the Abramoff debacle will unleash more logs from the logjam than anything we've seen so far. What I want to see is Grover Norquist in the slammer, along with Ralph Reed.

    But odds are the tally will be dozens of GOP congress members.

    Fighting Dems, ie., vets of the current atrocity coming back and running, like the very sharp & able Paul Hackett in Ohio, are ready to step in to the vacuum, where the DLC are no more appetizing than the Repugs.

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 12/31/2005 @ 10:53am

51. Thanks, FREHEIT. Let's not also forget that the previous Bush ran up record deficits, and so did Reagan. Who didn't run up record deficits? That's right -- Clinton. So it's been other Republican administrations who've indulged in this "democrat-spending". I would say that if we're actually interested in restrained spending and non-record deficits, we should put a libertarian in the White House -- or bring back Bill C.

    Posted by TexasDemocrat at 12/31/2005 @ 1:14pm

52. LoveLiberty: "That's part of the intellectual and creative laziness of the left. They can only succeed if they steal from others; hence more and more taxes, bigger and bigger government."

    We pay more of our tax dollars in corporate subsidies than we do helping the poor. Your savior wouldn't have agreed with this, would he? How funny to hear accusations of "intellectual laziness" from someone who takes his only marching orders from the bible.

    Freheit, "democrat-spending" has been a myth for about 25 years now. Every single year of the Reagan administration except one, Reagan ended up asking for more money to be spent than the Democratic-controlled congress allocated. Under Reagan, spending went through the roof and our national debt tripled. George HW Bush continued with heavy deficit spending. The size of the federal government grew under Reagan and the first Bush. During the Clinton administration, the size of government shrunk, the deficit became balanced, the debt was reduced. Government has grown in size every year since the second Bush took over and the budget surplus has turned into a record-size debt. So can we put this little conservative-libertarian myth to bed?

    Posted by BBatten at 12/31/2005 @ 1:47pm

53. One of my complaints with conservative ideals v. realities is that they claim that the private sector is the engine that results in the economic good we experience. This justifies tax cuts any time the economy says "Feed me". Unfortunately, the economy is not a clearly definable entity; it is a composite of all that each business and individual accomplishes. And when the economy needs nourishment, it is those businesses and individuals at the bottom that starve first. While there are economic theories to defend or debunk any form of taxation as fuel for the GDP, no theory leads to the feeding of the starving as directly and efficiently as targeted tax/funding programs for those in need.

    It's not the government that the Left is in love with. It is the ideal of government that oversees a system in which all sectors of society have the ability to achieve a sense of personal freedom, security, and comfort. The government for the last several years have made moves to increase the comfort level of those who are most comfortable among us. But they have ceased to pay attention to those who are so far down the ladder that they are barely in view. Those people are thrown the anti-abortion and pro-Christmas bones while the meat goes to our All-American Scrooges who thwart long fought-for labor protections, keep wages tamped down in real terms, and cheerfully plan on spending hundreds of billions on a war which will result in no material or security benefit to those of us who are funding it. From the mismanagement of the 9/11 emergency loan program to the lack of funding for Katrina's aftermath, those on the bottom are getting increasingly little benefit from both the private and public sectors--which is why so many have dropped out of the workforce.

    Sure, LL can concoct his completely insincere list of what I would describe as "Gasps!" for 2005. How any of them will carry this country into a successful future is beyond my imagination. Then again, I'm one of those uncreative Lefties, so certainly my imagination is restricted by my excessive interest in what?...banking and real estate? Louis Vuitton and Bentleys? mergers and outsourcing?

    Happy New Year to all. It's been a while since I've looked forward to a new year as much as I am to 2006.

    Posted by tjbehrens1 at 12/31/2005 @ 1:47pm

54. Frei, you aim for irony but all you achieve is snide remarks

    Posted by johannesrolf at 12/31/2005 @ 1:50pm

55. I think progressives and liberals want just what the Founders wanted: government by the people, for the people and of the people. They certainly didn't want power concentrated in the executive branch, they were very hostile to the very idea of corporations, they didn't want a state religion and they wanted government to be transparent. Today's mainstream conservatism pushes an agenda almost opposite of what the Founders would have wanted.

    Posted by BBatten at 12/31/2005 @ 1:52pm

56. frei:"I am very disappointed at the democrat-like spending habits of this administration, and do not contend otherwise.

    you see that's a snide remark, and a lie to boot, they are the republican like spending habits, as many above porters have shown. your brain is frozen in right wing slogans and you insincerely claim not to be one.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 12/31/2005 @ 2:28pm

57. posters not porters

    Posted by johannesrolf at 12/31/2005 @ 2:29pm

58. osted by BBATTEN 12/31/2005 @ 1:52pm

    Sounds like the perfect synopsis/outline to a 30 sec-1-5 min political commercial that can start playing on all the stations now and until 11/2006. It can state paid by 'Citizens Against Dictatorship in the USA', ok 'Citizens for a Democratic USA'. Whatever happened to all that left over money Kerry didn't use? Progressives/liberals/dem.s need to do now what the neocons did with the swiftboaters except with the truth. Bet all the stations would play it. Well maybe not faux.

    Posted by Bushfools at 12/31/2005 @ 2:44pm

59. your brain is frozen in right wing slogans and you insincerely claim not to be one.

    Posted by JOHANNESROLF 12/31/2005 @ 2:28pm

    Freiheit is a conservative. We expect lies.

    Posted by Will C. at 12/31/2005 @ 2:49pm

60. "Whatever happened to all that left over money Kerry didn't use?"

    That burns & smolders down inside, don't it?

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 12/31/2005 @ 3:00pm

61. I was disappointed have to explain to my youngest daughter what the "Fuck Bush" bumpersticker meant on a car ahead of us a couple of weeks ago. I can handle that kind of interest payment on freedom.

    Posted by FREIHEIT 12/30/2005 @ 7:48pm

    So that was you behind me eh? I kept wondering what's up with all the honking. Then you started smashing your dash with your fists. And you giving me the bird and all.

    I don't know that it necessary to stick your head out the window and scream "fuckin commie freak". Especially woth your daughter sittin right there and all.

    I got a little concerned for you when your bellowed out your cheeks and turned purple...with all that spittle all over the place.I can't imagine that was too good for your blood pressure.

    Control yourself Frei.

    By the way: Fuck Bush

    Posted by doumer at 12/31/2005 @ 3:21pm

62. I won't call KVH's assessment of the year victories either, but I do think the events she refers to are important in that they give confirmation that a new progressive political constituency is beginning to find its legs and gain mass enough that the bureaucratic tendencies in the left reform movement have to acknowledge them. That's important. But, like a fire that's built with flint and steel, we're only talking about a spark as of yet, and it will need to be babied for some considerable time.

    I work with a dissident faction in the NEA, for example, that is attempting outreach to other teacher union activists and working in two areas:

    1. Getting teachers oversight of professional development plans, and political clout inside the communities we serve alongside corporate and political "allies" whose main pressure thus far has been for elimination of any form of teacher labor organizations altogether. We have to defend the contract even as we work to develop more rigorous methods in the class rooms of public schools. Talk about two steps forward, one step back. Every day the tendency faces is one of struggle on two fronts; union bureaucrats and old timers who want tenure but who do not want to learn from younger colleagues who are pro-union, but anxious to be rid of frozen categories in teacher certification, and corporate bureaucrats whose idea of a teaching partnership is writing the union contract for us. It's a long, slow, sustained crawl and watch. But it's a spark, and it needs to be nurtured.

    Draining its energies putting ALL our effort into election campaigns, for example, is bound to lead to further disillusionment for newcomer activists. Practical results on the ground, on the other hand, build confidence, and create the kind of political activism and momentum that can win elections and move beyond elections. Like KVH, I believe that momentum is out there, but would prefer not to use the word "victory". Right now, we're barely treading water. But we are treading, and legislative action is the clearest indicator that our presence is making itself known. As Paulo Freire said, we make the road by walking. As the Teamsters used to sing:

    Inch by inch the longest march can be won, can be won, Many stones to build an arch, singly none, singly none, And by union what we will can be accomplished still, Drops of water turn a mill, singly none, singly none.

    Posted by Legba at 12/31/2005 @ 3:56pm

63. Happy New Year to you!

    Posted by FREIHEIT 12/31/2005 @ 4:22pm

    Thanks...and to you and yours as well.

    Posted by doumer at 12/31/2005 @ 4:27pm

64. Whoah, whoah, whoah. Hold on. While I grasp your point, Freiheit, your comparison of a contentious political discussion that sometimes overslops its bounds with institutionalized oppressions like racism, or anti-religious hatred, is ridiculous. No one here has attacked any position you've taken with anything but ill-chosen words. No one has beaten you, or deprived you of work, or accosted you sexually, or burned down the place where you worship. That's all it ever is. Don't try to compare that shit to racism, or sexism, or anti-religious bigotry. It's not the same thing. Not even remotely. It's just a heated argument between political factions, which can be walked away from any time, unlike black skin, gender, or even cultural reference.

    Posted by Legba at 12/31/2005 @ 5:43pm

65. Positive motivation is good, but then there is negative motivation as well. Perhaps between the two, more people will make prgressive resolutions in the new year that may correct the direction our country is heading in.

    http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/26/shields.terror/index.html

    Posted by Bushfools at 12/31/2005 @ 5:58pm

66. 1. "I am very disappointed at the democrat-like spending habits of this administration, and do not contend otherwise."

    2. Freiheit is a conservative. We expect lies

    3. Can you understand the bigotry and closed-mindedness of your statement? Replace conservative with black, or hispanic, or Islamic, or liberal..

    4. Can you understand the bigotry and closed-mindedness of your statement? Replace democrat with troops, Mom, apple pie, tax cuts . . .

    Try replacing blather with facts.

    Ever heard the name Forbes? He's one of them Right-Wingers, and made his money runnin' a magazine called, uh, Forbes.

    That magazine included this list of best to worst (economically) presidents out of the last 10, not including W whose term is not over. Now close your eyes and guess the order!

    OK, look:

    It's called "Presidents And Prosperity"

    (as usual, the stinky blog engine crashes -- here's the URL:

    http://www.forbes.com/commerce/2004/07/20/cx_da_0720presidents.html

    **Postwar Presidencies Ranked By Six Measures Of Economic Performance, Where 1 Is Best.**

    1 Bill Clinton

    2 Lyndon B. Johnson

    3 John F. Kennedy

    4 Ronald Reagan

    5 Gerald R. Ford

    6 Jimmy Carter

    7 Harry S. Truman

    8 Richard M. Nixon

    9 Dwight D. Eisenhower

    10 George H.W. Bush

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 12/31/2005 @ 6:02pm

67. not to mention the fact that Reagan borrowed more money on MY CHILDREN's credit card than all the presidents before him PUT TOGETHER, then W did it again, ie., more than DOUBLE WHAT RAYGUN did. Does anybody have to pay back those loans?

    Bush is currently borrowing (you might want to sit down if you're standing) a BILLION DOLLARS A DAY. What happens if China decides not to buy any more of our debt tomorrow (never mind cashing in the treasuries they've got)?

    WE'RE TOAST.

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 12/31/2005 @ 6:09pm

68. Gots to be my last post of the year. And speaking of the last year-- guess who's missed a whole year out of the office. So, the National Gaurd 'was' good training. Ok, to be fair I've been out for vacation about a little over a month in that same time period too... HEY!

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/30/AR200512 3001326.html

    Down on the Ranch, President Wages War on the Underbrush Bush Conscripts Aides in Tireless Pursuit of Clearing Ground

    By Lisa Rein Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, December 31, 2005; Page A03

    CRAWFORD, Tex., Dec. 30 -- On most of the 365 days he has enjoyed at his secluded ranch here, President Bush's idea of paradise is to hop in his white Ford pickup truck in jeans and work boots, drive to a stand of cedars, and whack the trees to the ground.

    (Hey but isn't this all rather Freudian?)

    Posted by Bushfools at 12/31/2005 @ 6:24pm

69. yeah, check it out, and remember who said so: not Utne Reader, y'know?

    The point I felt obligated to make was, let's raise a glass to FACTS, and let's hesitate with GREAT CAUTION to get too far out ahead of them. Maybe we could get MATCHING SWEATSHIRTS that say

    FACTS!

    and gather round the old trestle tables down at Morey's and . . .

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 12/31/2005 @ 6:29pm

70. LEEMILLER

    Actually, Malthus INCORRECTLY predicted the limits of growth, which is the reason that modern "environmentalists" use "Neo-Mathusian" plotting.

    Sorry, but even the WORST of the eco-disaster Cassandras don't use Malthus.

    Posted by Mask at 12/31/2005 @ 6:42pm

71. Freheit, I won't deny that an intolerance of political differences has resulted in the brutal suppression of certain political tendencies in other parts of the world, but you'd be hard pressed to find a political tendency in the United States that has been routinely stigmatized across centuries. Discounting socialism and communism, of course, and speaking objectively, our marxist tendencies have always done a fine job of devouring ourselves without assistance from the boojwah state.

    But I'd find it hard to believe if any real danger is posed to conservatism in the United States by generalizations like the one Will made. I think Will's comment was more in the spirit of the comment you made above about burning Moore and Coulter together in good cheer. Throw on some of Chomsky's stuff and I'm in.

    Posted by Legba at 12/31/2005 @ 6:58pm

72. BUSHFOOLS, say what? US corporations in China? Surely you are not saying Bush is a dictator? Please, don't tell me we're going back into Plunger territory!

    Posted by FREIHEIT 12/30/2005 @ 7:41pm | ignore this person

    "Plunger territory?"

    I kind of like the ring of that.

    So Freiheit...what powers would you say that someone who would be considered to be a Dictator might have, that Bush doesn't have?

    Torture? Warrantless Wiretaps? Rigged Elections? Rendition? Attacking others without need for a declaration of war? Stacking the Courts? Reducing Civil Liberties? Reducing Liberties? Obstruction of Justice? Bribery? Treason? Spying On Political Enemies? Killing Political Enemies? Theft?

    What powers would a Dictator enjoy that Bush does not?

    Posted by plunger at 12/31/2005 @ 7:27pm

73. Torture? Warrantless Wiretaps? Rigged Elections? Rendition? Attacking others without need for a declaration of war? Stacking the Courts? Reducing Civil Liberties? Reducing Liberties? Obstruction of Justice? Bribery? Treason? Spying On Political Enemies? Killing Political Enemies? Theft?

    The difference is that DICTATORS apply these strong ointments to members of the MAJORITY.

    Until then they are called PATRIOTS.

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 12/31/2005 @ 7:40pm

74. Thought a little humour might lighten the final hours of 2005. Onto our esteemed leader's foresight and clever use of words:

    "The best place for the facts to be done is by somebody who's spending time investigating it."--Washington D.C., July 18, 2005

    "I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep on the soil of a friend."--Washington D.C., June 29, 2005

    "I think younger workers--first of all, younger workers have been promised benefits the government--promises that have been promised, benefits that we can't keep. That's just the way it is."--Washington, D.C., May 4, 2005

    "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."--Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005

    "We expect the states to show us whether or not we're achieving simple objectives--like literacy, literacy in math, the ability to read and write."--April 28, 2005

    "It's in our country's interests to find those who would do harm to us and get them out of harm's way."--April 28, 2005

    "We look forward to analyzing and working with legislation that will make--it would hope--put a free press's mind at ease that you're not being denied information you shouldn't see."--April 14, 2005

    Posted by doumer at 12/31/2005 @ 7:47pm

75. please refrain from staying off tropics

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 12/31/2005 @ 7:53pm

76. Ladies and Gentlemen: the runner-up............is:

    "Because the--all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those--changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be--or closer delivered to what has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the--like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate--the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those--if that growth is affected, it will help on the red."--Feb. 4, 2005

    Posted by doumer at 12/31/2005 @ 7:59pm

77. Can you understand the bigotry and closed-mindedness of your statement? Replace conservative with black, or hispanic, or Islamic, or liberal..

    Posted by FREIHEIT 12/31/2005 @ 4:58pm

    Oh please, you're breaking my widdle heart. Bigotry implies intolerance. I tolerate you all to well. Tolerance is what got us into the mess we are currently in. We should have stomped all over your sorry asses when my boy Reagan gave power to the evangelic abomination and the corporate ghoul. But we didn't. We tolerated you. Sorry, but those days are over.

    They died the day Sean Hannity wrote that liberalism was no different than communism and fascism.

    They died the day Anne Coulter called me a traitor.

    If I've offended you, than that's my happy new year to you.

    Because you fuckers are going down.

    Posted by Will C. at 12/31/2005 @ 7:59pm

78. Did you get your mords wixed?

    Happy New Year PP!!

    Posted by plunger at 12/31/2005 @ 8:00pm

79. Proud...relax man..just havin a little cheery liberal fun. AND, the winner is:

    "Teach a child to read and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test."

    Posted by doumer at 12/31/2005 @ 8:05pm

80. "mords wixed"?

    No, I just think we need to get back to invading tropical countries. [heh]

    I've heard tell that W is on tape somewhere debating with a clear Connecticut accent and making sense. If so, I'd love to hear it.

    But reading those quotes of Doumer's, I'm losing my ability to believe W is faking it. They're too terribly real.

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 12/31/2005 @ 8:27pm

81. RIO BRAVO:

    I think your New Year's resolution should be:

    "I, Rio Bravo, vow to stop making comments on this board which are devoid of intellectual value, and which are only posted in order to create ill-will, and to stop making ad hominem attacks on everyone who disagrees with me, since they simply illustrate my own ignorance of the world and my own personal intellectual shallowness, allong with my legal and moral relativism."

    Posted by jorcheim at 12/31/2005 @ 8:59pm

82. Family Research Council —

    Is that the bunch that got $1 million from two Russian oil execs [abcnews.go.com], laundered thru a London law firm, in exchange for Tom DeLay leaning on the Kremlin with veiled threats of killing international loans to bail out the Russian economy?

    Oh, no — that was the U.S. Family Network. (My mistake)

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 12/31/2005 @ 9:05pm

83. PROUDPRIMATE:

    There are many examples of Bush back in the 80s talking with a New England accent, and not a faux-Texas accent. He even spoke without his usual malapropisms.

    Posted by jorcheim at 12/31/2005 @ 9:06pm

84. JORCHEIM —

    Where can I get a mouseclick on some of them?

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 12/31/2005 @ 9:07pm

85. Rio

    And we thought the Family Research Council did research on the family.

    An example of another conservative lie.

    Thanks

    Posted by Will C. at 12/31/2005 @ 9:12pm

86. PROUDPRIMATE:

    Lemme see if I can track some down. I just remember hearing him on a tv special a while back. Plus, in Texas, many people still consider him a carpetbagger of sorts.

    Posted by jorcheim at 12/31/2005 @ 9:13pm

87. PROUDPRIMATE:

    Try this link.

    http://www.jimgilliam.com/2004/10/ george_w_bush_is_developing_alzheimers .php

    Posted by jorcheim at 12/31/2005 @ 9:15pm

88. That link is dead, but by Googling the filename, I was able to find a copy at http://www.archive.org/download/BrainTenYrs/BrainTenYrs.mov

    Heck of a difference — only letdown is a black band of timestamp across his mouth (except when he occasionally stands up taller.

    But, maybe that's the answer — it's not an act: its dementia!

    Or wet-brain, more like.

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 12/31/2005 @ 9:41pm

89. He's already got a Texas accent here though, albeit with a rapid-fire delivery. I'd love to hear a Connecticut brogue on him.

    No lie, though, he's sharp as a tack in that Texas Gov debate.

    Where George Wallace turned from a tolerant integrationist to a hell-fire Klansman after one debate, saying "Nobody's ever gonna out-n_____ me again!", apparently either W is in true dementia, or has made a career of appealing to the mentally challenged — who have longed for a champion out of their own ranks.

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 12/31/2005 @ 9:50pm

90. Are we sure Bush is actually that stupid? I think he's pretty savvy, myself. A lack of cultural curiosity or proper English syntax isn't the same as a lack of intelligence, and I'm quite sure George knows those things play in large parts of the country. I think the cat has a certain political genius, myself. He's managed to get around the American public in two national referendums. Just because he isn't eloquent, or is akward at unscripted moments, doesn't mean he's stupid. Besides, I think the idea that he's stupid plays to his advantage. There's a story that Molly Ivins tells about Bush meeting up with another political player in his league, and asking him, "Do you know anything?" to which his partner replied, "Nope, I'm dumber than a post." And Bush said, "Me, too. I don't know a damn thing".

    Which to me, as an old country kid, sounds like "good ol boy" code. I think a lot of us are getting played, because whatever other things I might believe Bush is, I don't believe he's stupid. He might be arrogant, but he isn't stupid.

    Posted by Legba at 12/31/2005 @ 10:14pm

91. LEGBA:

    I never considered W stupid, at all. I believe his "dumb Texas good ole' boy" persona is simply an act, crafted meticulously to make it harder for someone to ascribe to him negative policies. While I doubt he is as in the loop politically as, say, Cheney, or Rove, I doubt highly he is as mentally challenged as he acts. And as such, he's that much more insidious. Like Pacino said in "The Devil's Advocate"... never let them see you coming.

    Posted by jorcheim at 12/31/2005 @ 10:20pm

92. Jerusalem Post reporting US plan to attak Iran

    Posted by vano at 12/31/2005 @ 10:43pm

93. (In honor of Ms vanden Heuval's "victories in 2005"....something to look forward to in 2006...and beyond!)

    (Something to look forward to in 2006 and beyond)

    Inside Politics-Greg Pierce Bill's request

    Former President Bill Clinton sent out an e-mail appeal Wednesday for contributions to his wife's Senate re-election campaign.

    But Mr. Clinton's e-mail "differs sharply from the campaign pitch he made earlier this year: It makes no mention of GOP bogeymen putting Hillary at the top of their hit list," the New York Post reports.

    Mr. Clinton instead moved to shore up Hillary Rodham Clinton's Democratic bona fides, reporter Ian Bishop said.

    Mr. Clinton said: "Whether speaking out on the Senate floor about why this latest congressional budget is so wrong for our country ... or traveling to New Orleans to meet with families still waiting for homes -- and hope -- Hillary is a beacon of strength, intelligence, and generosity of spirit."

    Mr. Clinton added: "And I know something else: Hillary is a fighter."

    The e-mail, sent by the Friends of Hillary campaign committee, asks for a donation to "show the strength of our campaign" before the quarterly fundraising deadline tomorrow.-------

    Posted by Mask at 12/31/2005 @ 11:11pm

94. Jerusalem Post reporting US plan to attak Iran

    Posted by VANO 12/31/2005 @ 10:43pm

    VANO....Scott Ritter said this as well....

    Unfortunately, he said it in February 2005 and said the attack was "already planned" and would come.....in June...2005!

    (Of course, this bit of "insight" wasn't ever mentioned again...and he's never been held accountable for it!)

    Posted by Mask at 12/31/2005 @ 11:13pm

95. The German papers are also mentioning it:

    http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,392783,00.html

    Mask:

    Maybe Ritter & his big mouth made the Bush Crime Family delay their feeding frenzy. Do you think they didn't hear about his prediction? It wouldn't do to dance to his tune, now would it? That it happens at all makes him more right than all of you.

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 12/31/2005 @ 11:57pm

96. Happy New Year to all -- except RIO BRAVO, who's vented his hatred for public-school teachers even though he sure didn't hate them when he was educated by them at tax-payer expense; and who also purportedly hates taxes yet doesn't have a problem with tax-payer-funded corporate welfare!

    Posted by TexasDemocrat at 01/01/2006 @ 12:08am

97. woo-ee! Time for me to stop sayin' "in 2006 we . . ."

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 12:14am

98. FREHEIT, by the way, should be commended for having the willingness to admit reckless spending by this so-called Republican administration. Seems to me the only way we'll rein in this spending is by putting a true-blood libertarian in the White House. I don't agree with everything libertarians stand for, but the true-blood ones are certainly consistent in what they aver -- unlike LOVE LIBERTY, who claims to be a libertarian but who is vastly different from the rest of his ilk by blindly supporting record deficits and a lies-based war so long as his taxes are lowered. Quite pathetic and immoral, this.

    Posted by TexasDemocrat at 01/01/2006 @ 12:16am

99. Libertarians are shockingly insightful on foreign policy especially the uselessness of war.

    I was totally amazed to run across things from the Cato Institute that sounded like Dennis Kucinich.

    Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 12:25am

100. Libertarians are shockingly insightful on foreign policy especially the uselessness of war.

     I was totally amazed to run across things from the Cato Institute that sounded like Dennis Kucinich.

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 12:26am

101. sorry --

     blog crashed on me

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 12:26am

102. RIO BRAVO,

     Yet in "good conscience", you blindly support a war under the flip-flopping guise of "liberating the Iraqi people" when you don't give so much as a rat's ass about the Iraqi people. Pul-fucking-lease, you see-through bigoted hypocrite.

     Posted by TexasDemocrat at 01/01/2006 @ 12:42am

103. we're tolerant of all honest differences like class, race, ethnicity, background, IQ, ... But we are not tolerant of phonies and worse, namely klutz phonies that can't even impersonate a phony, let alone a real person.

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 12:52am

104. DEMONCRAT?

     Wait a minute — WAIT A MINUTE! That's too good. Are you sure you're not Kent Jones impersonating Rio Bravo?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 12:55am

105. Wow — Kent Jones! Hey, I'm a big fan, man. I never miss Rachel. I get the mp3's same day.

     Great news about your new 2-hour format.

     Thanks for puttin' in a few licks with us here on the Nation, big guy.

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 12:57am

106. Wow — it's great to talk to you in person, man. I shook Rachel's hand up at the Maine Dems Picnic last summer.

     I'm goin nuts listening to all these "Best of" shows these past two weeks. I've even been listening to music, just to break the silence.

     So what do you think's our chances of taking back the house this fall?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 01:02am

107. Ha! Ha! Man, you've got them down to a t! Yeah — I picked up that moniker one day on the Pravda Forum. Some dude was Proud Marine, but we were wrangling over evolution, so I picked that up. I happened to have a great pic of an olive baboon that I pulled out for an avatar on the spot.

     Yeah, you know, I'm mighty proud of my ancestors — all the way back to the bacteria that invented the 750 conserved proteins. Did you know, they're so perfect no more recent species has bothered to try to improve on them?

     Are you into biology much, Kent?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 01:06am

108. Kent?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 01:07am

109. losing it eh, Rio?

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:25am

110. if you're really good this year God might do a rebuild for ya

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:26am

111. he's just stepped away from the drawing board to take a rightous dump

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:27am

112. and I mean rightous

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:27am

113. capital R

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:28am

114. he does a modified half squat for the wipe

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:30am

115. care to define that for me

     you seem to know so much

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:31am

116. oh Rio

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:32am

117. you're not scampering are you

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:33am

118. Everybody worships something?

     welcome to the world of men,

     it's very different from you slaves and worshipers

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:34am

119. we don't cower and cry

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:35am

120. I think you confused me with proud primate doofy boy

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:38am

121. you are losing it

     so sad

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:39am

122. and with a fresh new year ahead of you

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:39am

123. one day you can explain that to me from the airvent of your bunker

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:41am

124. i'll be just outside catching some rays

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:41am

125. eating a little cheese

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:41am

126. enjoying the day

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:42am

127. no

     I don't hang with communists

     I take it it's a long family tradition with you

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:44am

128. not suprising

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:44am

129. any other anti-american activities engaged in by the bravo family you'd like to tell us about?

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:46am

130. cause I'm all ears

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:47am

131. oh rio

     this conversation is being monitered

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:48am

132. so that's what they call selling out your country now

     you hide it behind the big guy

     naughty naughty

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:51am

133. RIO

     so you lied to me. They aren't teaching English

     let's see, wasn't someone saying earlier that from conservatives we expect lies

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:56am

134. oh yeah

     that was me

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:56am

135. second example

     thank you twice

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 01:57am

136. well, that's what we would expect from people bent on world domination.

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 02:04am

137. so when do you thaey plan on nuking an American city?

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 02:05am

138. sorry... you,they

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 02:06am

139. not many people are sick enough to raise there children on ship

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 02:07am

140. you guys have that whole doctor evil thing going

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 02:08am

141. now we're back in Nam

     this is definatly going to be an interesting year

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 02:13am

142. he's going...

     going...

     gone

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 02:16am

143. rio

     There aren't any lions roaming around america.

     Get help buddy, Liberty has the numbers

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 02:20am

144. hey RIO

     That's a retread from two threads over. You posted it there what, two hours ago?

     Ha Ha Ha Ha

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 02:32am

145. A guy has a pain in his chest so he goes to the doctor. As he's sitting in the waiting room, he can't keep his eyes off the receptionist: gorgeous body, killer eyes, great rack, unbelievably beautiful. He's sitting there with his mouth hanging open

     Finally she goes Mr. Jones, the doctor will see you now.

     So Mr. Jones goes in, tells the doctor his problem, the doctor runs some tests and tells Mr. Jones to come back in a week for the results

     A week later the guy is sitting in the waiting room again and going crazy over this receptionist: unbelievable body, beautiful face, nice dark tan, low cut blouse. He can barely contain himself.

     Finally she goes Mr. Jones, the doctor will see you now.

     So Mr. Jones goes in and the doctor says, "Mr. Jones we got your test results back and I have some good news and some bad news, which do you want to hear first?" Mr. Jones thinks for a moment and says, "Doc give me the bad news". The doctor says, "Well Mr. Jones, the tests we took showed that you have an aggressive form of Lung cancer and ah, maybe you have six months to live".

     Now Mr. Jones is crushed, stunned, speechless. He's just been told he's going to die, his life is over. A minute or so later he regains his composure and looks up at the doctor and asks with a shaky voice, "So what's the good news?"

     The doctor slides up to him and says, "You saw my receptionist out there right? Mr. Jones has a puzzled look on his face and says, "Yeah, so what?

     The doctor replies, "I'm fucking her"

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 06:05am

146. Man, I leave you people alone for ONE MINUTE (OK, more like several weeks), and it becomes the Will and Rio Show. Looking at the time stamps on your posts makes me wonder about both of you just a little...

     Let me offer a couple of thoughts about the whole "big government vs. small government" mishegoss: The plan for one-party rule in America by the GOP includes the idea of constantly painting the Democrats as the "tax and spend" party, and Reagan and both Bushes have worked/are working it to a T. They have assumed, so far mostly rightly, that voters will not support someone who either promises to raise their taxes, or doesn't promise to LOWER them. In other words, they have relied on the stupidity and intellectual laziness of the American people as pretty much a constant. So, IMHO, here's what will happen in the coming years:

     The next president after W will almost certainly be a Democrat. This is a reflection on how poorly Bush has served the office, but also it's how the cycle of American politics works. When that Dem gets into the White House, very possibly with a majority in at least one house of Congress, he/she is going to see the massive over-spending that has gone on during Bush's tenure, and is going to have no choice but to raise taxes to try to recover some of the damage. Congress will likely go along with this, at least to the extent that it is undeniable that we need more money. Hopefully, he/she will have the good sense also to cut back on some pork-barrel spending and re-fund some social programs that have been hacked nearly to death by Bush et al., but whether or not that is the case, taxes will go up in any Democratic administration that follows 8 years of Bush's fiscal foolishness.

     And then - guess what? The Republicans will, in 2012 and/or 2016, once again run the tired old "Dems are the tax-and-spend party" ruse on America, and enough time will have passed since Reagan and Bush Minor that it probably will work again, and we will very likely have another Republican president who will spend us into the ground while cutting taxes and the whole cycle will start over again. See, Clinton raised taxes, but he also was on the way to eliminating the national debt. Still, we (not ME, but the country) allowed a "small-government" tax-cutting president to get us into the same mess again, to the point where we are in serious danger of, in essence, mortgaging the country to the Chinese and Saudis, and others who do not necessarily have our best interests at heart.

     And the really sad and indeed frightening part of this whole syndrome is that we as a nation KEEP letting this be done to us.

     Have any of you ever looked at a historical graph of the expenditures of the federal government? In 1969, Nixon (and this is not intended as a compliment to him) had $187 billion to work with, was running a war, and still ended up with a small budget surplus. (Nixon was a slow learner in the world-domination game). But imagine that - a total fed budget of only $187B, only 37 years ago. With inflation, that would come to about (I'm guessing here, but my guess is on the high side) $900B in 2006 dollars (assuming an average inflation rate over those years at 3%, it's only $526B, which makes the present situation even worse). Yet with Republican presidents for 25 of those intervening 37 years, our F/Y fed income for 2004 (last year data is currently available) is ONE TRILLION, 880 BILLION, or more than twice as much. And that doesn't even take into account that we're STILL not able to run the government on what we take in, and have a deficit for that year of $412B, or approx. 22% more OUT than IN.

     And here, to me at least, is the real kicker: the ONLY times since 1962 that we have had a budget surplus at the fed level were 1969 and 1998-2001 - all budgets created by Democratic presidents (Johnson in 69 and Clinton in 98-01). And I KNOW Nixon was prez in 69 and Bush Minor in 01 - the budgets were submitted in the previous years.

     Here's a link to the CBO's Historical Budget Data page, where I got all these figures:

     CBO Historical Budget Data [cbo.gov]

     Take special note of the public debt figures in the far-right column.

     So why is it that voters keep believing the "Dems as tax-and-spenders" bullshit? Why can't we as a country live within our means? And why do the Dems let the Repugs run this number on them over and over and over again?

     I'll leave you to mull this over as you nurse your New Years Day hangovers.

     Happy New Year! If the Dems take back either house of Congress in '06, or dare we hope it BOTH houses, Bush and Cheney are TOAST! Remember, if we have a majority in either house, we get to pick the Speaker and the President Pro Tem - which changes the HELL out of the presidential succession list. And don't for a moment think that the Bushies don't know this, and aren't going to pull out their dirtiest tricks so far to prevent it. I'm betting that it's too late, though - the people are seeing through the bullshit, and aren't going to fall for it again. 'Course, I also believe in the Easter Bunny....

     So - it might be a Happy New Year after all.

     Posted by RichMiles at 01/01/2006 @ 10:19am

147. RICHMILES:

     "So why is it that voters keep believing the 'Dems as tax-and-spenders' bullshit?"

     Could it be the same element in Americana that makes this news item appear in the WaPo:

     (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/wat/archive/wat0424 00.htm)

     For example, more than eight in 10 Americans agree that "even today, miracles are performed by the power of God," according to a survey conducted last October by the Princeton Survey Research Associates for the Pew Research Center. Slightly more than one in three adults--36 percent--say they personally "experienced or witnessed" what they considered a miracle, according to a CBS News poll last year.

     Americans are addicted to fantasy! And being sheltered as we are from the grim realities of more exposed parts of the world (even prosperous Europe is kept wakeful by foreign language nations on dozens of borders, where we are only troubled by impotent nations of Hispanics, in most of which we are enforcing dictatorships to a greater or lesser degree.

     It's like Dylan said of the South [bobdylan.com]:

     A South politician preaches to the poor white man,

     "You got more than the blacks, don't complain.

     You're better than them, you been born with white skin," they explain.

     And the Negro's name

     Is used it is plain

     For the politician's gain

     As he rises to fame

     And the poor white remains

     On the caboose of the train

     But it ain't him to blame

     He's only a pawn in their game.

     Americans are fed flattery instead of freedom, and they eat it up, because freedom gives them the willies.

     I know a bit about it -- when I reluctantly faced the fact, after 15 years, that there really is no supernatural, no "God" with whom I had been carrying on a constant dialog all that time (and before to a lesser extent) let me tell you, it was a cold, empty feeling. A feeling Americans just won't face up to. They'd rather give up their actual freedom than their fantasy freedom.

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 10:48am

148. WILL C.:

     Havent' you heard perfect Love cast out all fear!

     Posted by RIO BRAVO

     Is that kind of like

     "perfect whiskey casteth out good sense,

     including fear of car crashes?"

     So much for the "opiate of the people"

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 10:56am

149. Frei, you continue to prattle on about less government spending, yet I have never heard you advocate cutting the monstrous military budget, up 40 % in this Bush reign. what hypocracy!

     Posted by johannesrolf at 01/01/2006 @ 11:02am

150. hypo-cris-y

     >υπο + κρισις = "judging under", ie., "replying" as in a drama-dialogue, but acquiring the connotation of "acting", ie., false appearance

     demo-cracy

     >δημος + κρατειος = "district, province" hence "(local) people" + "mighty"

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 11:19am

151. So then "hypocracy" is a mighty false appearance?

     First the New Year's Eve extravaganza, then the all-night Will and Rio Show. Anyone got any Exedrin?

     Posted by tjbehrens1 at 01/01/2006 @ 12:33pm

152. either that or "rule by the underlings"

     (something to be said for that -- Io! Saturnalia!)

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 12:35pm

153. I came across this entry by Love Liberty ( which he posted a couple days ago as an antipodal argument to what had once long ago been the original theme of this blog ) and thought I would belatedly add to his list of conservative successes with a few he forgot to mention.

     Our military budget is now officially larger than that of the rest of the world combined ! Thanks to our enlightened gun law legislation sixteen times more Americans died from firearm related homicides than the rest of the industrialized world combined ! ( Score: U.S. 30,419. The rest of the world 1,885 ) We have increased our National debt over the last year by exactly four hundred and ninety one billion, one hundred and ninety one million, six hundred and ninety one thousand, five hundred and eighty one dollars and seventeen cents ($491,191,691,581.17 ) ! Our restrictive environmental laws have been further gutted allowing our economy to grow faster. You're doing a heck of a job Gail baby ! We have made FEMA into one of our most successful political patronage agencies for major contributors to the RNC. Once again we successfully resisted all efforts to raise the minimum wage despite a cumulative 24% increase in the rate of inflation since the last time it was raised under the pinko-commy Clinton Administration ! At the same time the richest segment of the population has increased its wealth immesurably !! We have side stepped any intelligent discussion of the staggering problems facing the Nation in part by successfuly focusing attention on such issues as Creationism, Terry Schiavo and "the War on Christmas". Much of the electronic media is in our pocket now and we've been working hard over the last year to bring PBS in line with our four ( 4 ) very partisan Republican appointees to the PBS board of trustees. And only last week we pushed through still another round of tax cuts that affect NOBODY making less than $100k a year.

     But best of all perhaps we have made still further progress in our Orwellian assault on the English language. We were able to continue with the most costly project since the Marshall Plan by simply referring to it as "spreading Democracy" instead of Nation building ( which, of course, Bush campaigned against ). We have increased the budget deficit by over 40 billion dollars and were still able to call it a Deficit Reduction Act and we have successfully argued that we don't torture by redefining torture to exclude waterboarding and beatings and by out sourcing of the really nasty stuff ( like the guy we had boiled alive ) to Syria and Egypt and our "black sites" in Eastern Europe.

     All in all it's been a great year for Conservative successes !

     Posted by Merle Blanc at 01/01/2006 @ 1:18pm

154. MERLE BLANC

     Almost thou persuadest me to be a Self-servative!

     I was just listening to Thom Hartmann, saying (as best I remember):

     "When Reagan came to office, we were the #1 creditor nation and the #1 exporter. Now we are the #1 debtor & importer.

     We have sold off so many of our industries to foreign countries that we can't even make an Abrams tank, a Trident missile, or a (can't remember the third example), without importing parts from China that we don't make anymore. China that blustered about nuking our cities within the past year!"

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 1:42pm

155. a battleship

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 1:43pm

156. Freiheit: Address your concerns to General Electric and Westinghouse.

     Posted by Legba at 01/01/2006 @ 2:27pm

157. Andrew Card pays a visit to John Ashcroft in his hospital bed (doped up following surgery) and shoves a document in his face (which his Deputy has refused to sign) and insist that Ashcroft sign it?

     Stop right there.

     Why is Andrew Card in the middle of this? This is the clearest picture yet that Bush is running his own intelligence operation - completely outside the law.

     Justice Deputy Resisted Parts of Spy Program

     WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 - A top Justice Department official objected in 2004 to aspects of the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program and refused to sign on to its continued use amid concerns about its legality and oversight, according to officials with knowledge of the tense internal debate. The concerns appear to have played a part in the temporary suspension of the secret program.

     The concerns prompted two of President Bush's most senior aides - Andrew H. Card Jr., his chief of staff, and Alberto R. Gonzales, then White House counsel and now attorney general - to make an emergency visit to a Washington hospital in March 2004 to discuss the program's future and try to win the needed approval from Attorney General John Ashcroft, who was hospitalized for gallbladder surgery, the officials said.

     At its outset in 2002, the surveillance operation was so highly classified that even Larry Thompson, the deputy attorney general to Mr. Ashcroft, who was active in most of the government's most classified counterterrorism operations, was not given access to the program.

     That led to uncertainties about the chain of command in overseeing law enforcement activities connected to the program, officials said, and it appears to have spurred concerns within the Justice Department over its use. Mr. Thompson's successor, Mr. Comey, was eventually authorized to take part in the program and to review intelligence material that grew out of it, and officials said he played a part in overseeing the reforms that were put in place in 2004.

     But even after the imposition of the new restrictions last year, the agency maintained the authority to choose its eavesdropping targets and did not have to get specific approval from the Justice Department or other Bush officials before it began surveillance on phone calls or e-mail messages. The decision on whether someone is believed to be linked to Al Qaeda and should be monitored is left to a shift supervisor at the agency, the White House has said.

     http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/01/politics/01spy.html?pagewanted=1

     A shift supervisor has the power to destroy violate your Constitutional rights. A call from the President's Office to the Shift Supervisor is all that is required to spy on ANYBODY.

     IMPEACH.

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 2:29pm

158. Plunger, as bad as it is, you still should give the people of this country the benefit of the doubt. As reactionary as our countrymen can be, I don't believe they'll go along with that sort of intrusion on any mass level for any sustained period of time. You can see how much fuss is being raised just by the auditing of people's telephone calls.

     It is events that teach people, not arguments like this. If it is as you say, the right in this country has definitely bitten off more than it can chew. There is a combative element to the character of people in the United States that will not be tamed by any manipulation of law, and this is true even of many who now consider themselves to be supporters of the Bush dynasty.

     I think it makes sense to raise as much hell as you do. But I think patience should be the watchword here also. As angry as I get, I still believe that the right wing intrusions will be pushed back, and that impeachment, if it occurs, will only be among the more outward phases of a political ferment that is seeking different means of expression. And the forms that it takes, both libertarian and socialist, will be distinctly of U.S. character.

     Posted by Legba at 01/01/2006 @ 2:45pm

159. Legba:

     I appreciate your council. My impatience is derived from the imminent attack on Iran by either Israel or the US, and whatever mayhem follows that. Were a vote on this topic made available the American people today, 95% would vote to refrain from allowing such an attack to move forward.

     Who does this dictator represent?

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 2:59pm

160. LEGBA makes a good point —

     the astonishing overweening arrogance of the Wingers may be our salvation / their undoing.

     There is a definite corrosion of the benefit of the doubt that Bush has had since 9-11. People I meet every day show a definite shift.

     But I still hear people say "we haven't been hit again in four years", especially in the context of excusing wiretaps.

     Without resorting to the very unwieldy and risky rationale of a staged 9-11, ie., the power to withold unpredicted attacks (which I personally am strongly tempted by, if not convinced, as this group knows) it's hard to refute that.

     Another tack is that even though Ramzi Yousef, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Omar Abdel Rahman, and others hit the WTC in '93, maybe there're powers that are now being bought off, the Bin Ladin family / Bush family connection — trace element scenarios can be teased out.

     But these are unsatisfying. I would like some of the bloggers here to address this point.

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 3:01pm

161. So when do we do the 2006 predictions? What about just positive predictions? Like maybe your top 10 ala Nostradamus:

     9. Libby finds god and comes clean on Rove:

     ___a. Rove finds god and comes clean on Cheney.

     ___b. Cheney sees the devil and comes clean on Bush.

     ___c. Bush comes clean and looses accent-- stops stammering!

     10. Condi gets pregnant, and there's no rice, and it's via one of the 4 above, (I'm not the source on this one).

     3. Dem's use overall theme of either you're for the US or you're for the BC regime:

     ___a. Commercials of Bush making totally opposite statements played over and over

     ___b. Showing lots of dividing no uniting

     ___c. List of all the negatives: poor poorer, corruption, incompetence, debt, war, etc.

     2. NSA leaks Bush secret surveillance tape of him stating how he's fooling everyone and it's played on the news over and over

     4. Dem's win both house and senate, (an easy one).

     5. Occupation in Iraq ends by bringing in NATO and Russia/China

     1. Congress grows balls.

     6. Lots more natural disasters:

     ___a. Mega solar flares

     ___b. Earthquakes >9

     ___c. Volcanism-- but we have all our National Gaurd back and that makes a big difference!

     7. Scientists finally find the cause for all the weather changes and they all culminate from the loss of a specific type of tree from a specific location: cedar from Crawford, Texas!

     Posted by Bushfools at 01/01/2006 @ 3:27pm

162. it was a cold, empty feeling.

     Posted by PROUDPRIMATE 01/01/2006 @ 10:48am

     I faced that moment myself many moons ago.

     It was a cold and empty feeling

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 3:28pm

163. You do the math...these are the facts:

     1993 WTC Bombing

     The FBI planted and paid Emad A. Salem in New York and New Jersey to act as an agent provocateur, to recruit, organize and encourage Muslims to bomb the World Trade Center (WTC) in 1993. From March through June 1993 Mr. Salem recruited seven Muslims from the Abu Bakr mosque in Brooklyn and the al-Salaam mosque in Jersey City, where the Muslim cleric Sheik Abdel Rahman preached to incite violence in his terrorist cell. Salem had known Rahman from Egypt. Salem used the seven men to scout targets, plan tactics and obtain chemicals and parts for bombs. Salem also worked in the operation with a Sudanese man named Siddig Ali who was a follower of Abdel Rahman. The plans of the Salem and Rahman group also included bombings of United Nations headquarters in Manhattan and several other buildings, bridges and tunnels in New York

     The FBI supplied a safe house for Salem's group in Queens. At the WTC trial US prosecutors and attorneys acknowledged Mr. Salem's role in organizing the safe house activities, but told the jury "he was merely providing an opportunity" to people who already wanted to commit crimes. According to tapes played at the trial, the FBI and US Attorneys clearly were shown to have intentionally used Salem as a provocateur.

     Michael Chertoff was the US Attorney appointed by HW Bush and retained by Bill Clinton for New Jersey from 1990-1994. As US Attorney for New Jersey Chertoff was deeply involved with the 1993 WTC bombing sting operation using FBI monitoring of the Abdel Rahman and Salem's recruited cell members at the Al Salaam mosque in Jersey City. The US Attorney from New York who worked with Chertoff to prosecute the 1993 WTC bombing case was Patrick Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is also conducting the federal grand jury investigating the illegal outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame, the wife of Ambassador Wilson who investigated claims of uranium acquisition by Iraq. Chertoff and Fitzgerald were fully aware of the statements made by prosecutors admitting that the FBI intentionally had provided the safe house for Salem terrorist recruits.

     Federal trial testimony and tapes revealed that when Salem was asked to assemble the bomb for the WTC, Salem went to the FBI to ask that harmless powder be used to avoid deaths. But FBI and US Attorneys involved essentially cut Salem off and the WTC was bombed killing people in 1993. Testimony by two of Salem's FBI agent handlers, Mr. Anticev, and Mrs. Nancy Floyd, confirmed that their FBI supervisors intentionally refused the agents and Salem's pleas to render the WTC bomb harmless.

     Three years after the 1993 WTC bombing, Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, who prosecutors said helped mastermind the 1993 bombing, was also convicted. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Yousef's uncle and an engineer trained in the US, was named by the FBI and DOJ as another mastermind of the 1993 WTC bombing and the 9-11 attacks. There is evidence known to the FBI and Chertoff that also shows Khalid Mohammed was behind the planning for the OKC bombing with Terry Nichols. Khalid Mohammed was captured in 2003 in Pakistan. Khalid has since been tortured by the CIA with methods reviewed by Alberto Gonzales and Michael Chertoff at DOJ, according to published statements by US authorities, to extract details of Khalid's role in the 1993 WTC and OKC bombings as well as being the architect for the 9-11 attacks.

     Three of the men Salem recruited at the Brooklyn Abu Bakr mosque were allowed by the FBI and US Attorneys to go free and roam the streets. They were Anas and Asad Siddiqy and Mohamed Chafti. They later were seen very close to the OKC bombing in April 1995 with Timothy McVeigh. These three men were arrested on the day of the OKC bombing and then released after intervention by the FBI, DOJ and CIA. The FBI 302 reports of their arrest were kept hidden from the public in the office of FBI OKC bomb task force inspector Danny Defenbaugh until the reports were found and released in early 2001. The witness to the three men in OKC being with McVeigh, Debbie Burdick, was intimidated and coerced by FBI agent Odom to not talk about her eyewitness account during and after OKC bombing federal trials. FBI agent Odom was working with DOJ prosecutors in Denver at the federal trials of McVeigh and Nichols when Odom called Burdick.

     It seems that Khalid Mohammed and Ramzi Yousef had kept in contact with the Siddiqys because a letter from Khalid to the Siddiqys was found on Ramzi's computer when confiscated by the FBI and CIA in the Philippines in January 1995. Plans for the OKC bombing and the 9-11 style attacks were also found on the same computer shortly after Khalid and Ramzi had met in the Philippines with the other OKC bombing participant, Terry Nichols.

     Former Egyptian army sergeant Ali Mohammed was captured and tried in 1998 for his role in the 1993 WTC and the Tanzanian and Kenyan embassy bombings. Ali Mohammed trained the Middle Eastern recruits of the FBI and Chertoff's provocateu, Emad Salem, in bomb making and planting skills for the 1993 WTC bombing. When finally arrested Ali Mohammed was carrying training manuals on how to build and plant bombs in public buildings. Ali Mohammed has also written training manuals along with Mohammed Atef for bin Laden and AlQaeda.

     Ali Mohammed worked for US Special Forces, the CIA and then the FBI all while Ali was close to bin Laden and Dr. Ayman Zawahiri and Khalid Mohammed. In fact with the knowledge of the FBI, Ali Mohammed squired Zawahiri and Khalid around the US and in Oklahoma City in March­April 1995 to survey terror targets and set up terror underground networks.

     Although convicted, the details of Ali Mohammed's plea bargain and detention arrangements with Attorney General Reno are still secret. Ali Mohammed knows a great deal about US sting operations of the FBI, the CIA and US attorneys.

     Chertoff was directly involved in the prosecution of the Moussaoui case and sought to limit the testimony of AlQaeda leaders, bin Alshibh and Khalid Mohammed to such an extent that the federal judge in the case threatened to throw out the case and moved to severely restrict if not kill the government's continuance of the case. Chertoff may have sought to limit the testimony of Khalid Mohammed in the Moussaoui case in part because of torture of Khalid ratified by DOJ attorneys but also because Khalid would be in a position to describe facts pointing to FBI and DOJ foreknowledge information of the 1993 WTC, the OKC and the 9-11 attacks. Chertoff handled the appeal of the DOJ case against Moussaoui in the 4th Circuit court of Appeals now before the Supreme Court. Chertoff with Ashcroft's and now Alberto Gonzales' help may likewise be trying to stifle this type of information from coming out in the Rahman case by the wiretapping and indictment of Lynne Stewart.

     Since Chertoff was the US attorney in New Jersey fully aware of FBI monitoring of Rahman's cell with informants and at a mosque in New Jersey, it is entirely possible that even Chertoff would not want incriminating information brought out by Lynne Stewart in Rahman's trial. The complete story of the roles of Chertoff and Fitzgerald and other US Attorneys with Ali Mohammed, Emad Salem, Yasin, the Siddiqys, Chafti, Melvin Lattimore, and others is one that the DOJ, FBI and Chertoff, Ashcroft and now Gonzales do not want exposed in a federal trial of Rahman represented by Lynne Stewart.

     Protecting Terror Financiers and Nuclear Arms Traffickers

     Dr. Magdy Elamir, a prominent Egyptian neurologist from Jersey City, was sued by New Jersey for skimming over $16 million from an HMO he operated.

     According to a June 20, 2000 article in "The Record" of Bergen County, New Jersey, Michael Chertoff was the defense attorney for Dr. Magdy Elamir.

     The lawsuit alleged that Dr. Elamir "caused more than $5.7 million to be paid by wire transfers to unknown parties where the beneficial owner of the account is unknown."

     An August 2002 Dateline NBC reported that bin Laden funded the HMO owned by Dr Elamir and the money skimmed from the HMO by Dr. Elamir was transferred overseas to fund bin Laden terror activities. The Dateline story was based on intelligence documents furnished by the chairman of the House International Relations Committee Ben Gilman, R-New York. Dr. Elamir also funded the Jersey City Al Salaam mosque led by Muslim cleric Abdel Rahman and his terror cell who helped carry out the 1993 WTC bombing. Recall that while US attorney for New Jersey from 1990 to 1994 Michael Chertoff knew of the FBI use of Emad Salem as a provocateur associated with the Al Salaam mosque and Abdel Rahman.

     After Michael Chertoff took over the DOJ criminal division in June 2001, no DOJ charges were filed against Dr. Magdy Elamir or Mohamed Elamir for their role in trying to buy nuclear weapons for bin Laden in New Jersey. There also was no adequate effort made to apprehend the Pakistani ISI agent Raja Abbas. Because the Diamondback case was handled as a criminal case rather than a counter terrorism case, Chertoff was also in a position to control and limit prosecution and arrests in the Diamondback case so that Magdy Elamir and Mohamed Elamir would not be charged or go to trial.

     Dr. Magdy Elamir has not been arrested by the FBI nor charged or prosecuted by the DOJ under Chertoff even though the intelligence documents provided by Congressmen Gilman show that Dr. Elamir funneled millions of dollars from fraudulent HMO and MRI companies to fund terrorist activities for cleric Abdel Rahman in the 1993 bombing and also for bin Laden.

     9-11 Drugs, Arms Trafficking and Terror Funding

     Attorney General Ashcroft put Chertoff in charge of the entire DOJ investigation of the 9-11 attacks. Chertoff may well have known of the connections of Mohamed Elamir Atta, Mohamed Elamir, and Dr. Magdy Elamir in New Jersey with each other and the 9-11 hijackers, possibly even before the 9-11 attacks.

     The New Yorker described Chertoff's role in the 9-11 investigation on November 5, 2001:

     "Since the September 11th terrorist attacks, Chertoff's office has become the funnel for what is probably the most important criminal investigation in American history, as prosecutors and F.B.I. investigators pour in to seek the boss's approval. …For day-to-day decisions, Chertoff has the last word…"

     Chertoff and the FBI strongly impeded and obstructed the US Customs and Homeland Security operation Greenquest investigating the Saudi, Ptech and other terror money sources for 9-11. The DOJ, Chertoff and FBI were given control of the Ptech investigation and Greenquest based on the agreement signed by Ridge and Ashcroft. To make doubly sure that nothing is done by the backdoor by Homeland Security to reveal the DOJ and FBI sabotage and cover-up of the Ptech investigation and other Saudi backing of terror finances, Chertoff has now been put in place at Homeland Security to replace Tom Ridge.

     http://www.newswithviews.com/Briley/Patrick4.htm

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 3:32pm

164. Will --

     I faced that moment myself many moons ago.

     It was a cold and empty feeling

     But you get used to it. And you come to realize that the Universe is still benign -- more so, really. It's unevolved humans that constitute the malign element in the Universe.

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 3:34pm

165. Thanks Plunger —

     I knew somehow I could count on you. Now to read all that . . .

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 3:35pm

166. It's unevolved humans that constitute the malign element in the Universe.

     Posted by PROUDPRIMATE 01/01/2006 @ 3:34pm

     true, but only because our wisdom isn't required to operate our technology. We are like a child with a new set of drum sticks banging off the edges of the piano keys.

     My mom was pissed when I did that

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 3:40pm

167. PP:

     It's a very long article...but very valuable.

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 3:43pm

168. and its exacerbated by the whack job evngelics that smuggly tell us all that they are focused on CHrist and not the earth.

     then two seconds later start whining and crying about more tax cuts so they can they can overdose on all that the earth can provide

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 3:43pm

169. For Immediate Release Jun 4, 2003

     SENATE WHITEWASHES PROBE OF CHERTOFF

     Judiciary Committee Dodges Responsibility Concerning Former Senate Colleague, Fearing Political Consequences of Honest Investigation

     (Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and abuse, expressed outrage that the Senate Judiciary Committee and its investigative staff of the Majority and Minority, for being derelict in its duty to conduct a full and complete investigation of Mr. Michael Chertoff, a nominee for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and a previous Senate Whitewater Majority Counsel, who is close to senators on the Judiciary Committee. Judicial Watch provided Committee investigators with a detailed chronology of alleged Justice Department misuse of organized crime operatives by the FBI and other U.S. government agencies in the District of New Jersey (among other northeastern U.S. jurisdictions), while Mr. Chertoff served as the U.S. Attorney. The investigators were also provided with a tape of recorded telephone conversations, transcripts, video and public documents as evidence.

     During a two hour meeting with Committee investigators on Thursday, May 29, 2003, Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman, and President Tom Fitton, made a detailed presentation, including audio and video exhibits, with direct evidentiary admissions by an FBI crime operative. Messrs. Klayman and Fitton also presented the staff with a recommended witness list of persons with first-hand knowledge of the alleged crimes. Today's joint press statement from Senators Hatch and Leahy confirms that the Senate Judiciary Committee investigators failed to pursue any of the investigative leads or conduct any meaningful interviews in an effort to unravel the controversy surrounding Mr. Chertoff's actions. Indeed, they merely asked Mr. Chertoff if he is "implicated or not." The investigative staff could not possibly have scratched the surface of the evidence presented to it in merely three working days.

     "The Committee did a fraudulent investigation of serious allegations concerning Mr. Chertoff. The Senators are going to ram his nomination through the process without doing their duty, because to open up this ‘can of worms' would only expose a whole new level of deceit and corruption, that directly touches Hillary Clinton and Justice Department corruption. The Judiciary Committee betrayed its constitutional duty," stated Judicial Watch Chairman Larry Klayman.

     http://www.judicialwatch.org/printer_3498.shtml

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 3:51pm

170. Michael Chertoff and the sabotage of the Ptech investigation

     http://rigorousintuition.blogspot.com/2005/01/michael-chertoff-and-sabot age-of-ptech.html

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 4:09pm

171. Sorry, wrong copy-- left out number 8, it's a long cut/paste and alarmingly 'coincidental'(?). (Plunger-- Great work. I'm still shaving my tongue.)

     So when do we do the 2006 predictions? What about just positive predictions? Like maybe your top 10 ala Nostradamus:

     9. Libby finds god and comes clean on Rove:

     ___a. Rove finds god and comes clean on Cheney.

     ___b. Cheney sees the devil and comes clean on Bush.

     ___c. Bush comes clean and looses accent-- stops stammering!

     10. Condi gets pregnant, and there's no rice, and it's via one of the 4 above, (I'm not the source on this one).

     3. Dem's use overall theme of either you're for the US or you're for the BC regime:

     ___a. Commercials of Bush making totally opposite statements played over and over

     ___b. Showing lots of dividing no uniting

     ___c. List of all the negatives: poor poorer, corruption, incompetence, debt, war, etc.

     2. NSA leaks Bush secret surveillance tape of him stating how he's fooling everyone and it's played on the news over and over

     4. Dem's win both house and senate, (an easy one).

     5. Occupation in Iraq ends by bringing in NATO and Russia/China

     1. Congress grows balls.

     6. Lots more natural disasters:

     ___a. Mega solar flares

     ___b. Earthquakes >9

     ___c. Volcanism-- but we have all our National Guard back and that makes a big difference!

     7. Scientists finally find the cause for all the weather changes and they all culminate from the loss of a specific type of tree from a specific location: cedar from Crawford, Texas!

     8. 2+0+0+6 = 8: With the Life Path of the number 8 you are focused on learning the satisfactions to be found in the material world. The Life Path 8 produces many powerful, confident and materially successful people. You are apt to be very independent, forceful and competitive. Your routine is involved in practical, down-to-earth affairs, and there is relatively little time for dreams and visions. You will want to use your ambitions, your organizational ability, and your efficient approach to carve a satisfying niche for yourself. Most of your concerns involve money and learning of the power that comes with its proper manipulation. This Life Path is perhaps the one that is the most concerned with and desirous of status, as an accompaniment to material success. If you are a positive 8 you are endowed with tremendous potential for conceiving far-reaching schemes and ideas, and also possessing the tenacity and independence to follow them through to completion. In short, you are well-equipped for competition in the business world or in other competitive fields of endeavor. You know how to manage yourself and your environment. You are practical and steady in your pursuit of major objectives, and you have the courage of your convictions when it comes to taking the necessary chances to get ahead.

     The negative 8 can be dictatorial and often suppresses the enthusiasm and efforts of fellow member of the environment. Often, the strength of their own personality excludes close feelings for other people with whom they come in contact. Material gains and rewards often become issues of utmost importance, even to the neglect of family, home and peace of mind. Dedication to success can become an obsession. Emotional feelings are often suppressed by the negative 8, resulting in isolation and loneliness. All Life Path 8 people must avoid discounting the opinions of others.

     http://www.astrology-numerology.com/num-lifepath.html#lp8

     Posted by Bushfools at 01/01/2006 @ 4:13pm

172. Well — ha! — JAYSUS!

     OK, so — gawd! — at least I'm laughing.

     So this is — I'm thinking this is more outrageous than 9-11.

     All right, so, tell me this:

     1. I've heard Lynne Stewart on DN and FSRN since her conviction — has she let on to any of this? Why not? what more does she have to lose?

     2. What is the extent of comprehension on the part of those who eventually pay the ultimate for these adventures, like Terry Nichols? What's in it for him? How much did he see? and Timmy McVeigh never made a peep. Is he dying for Chertoff's gods?

     3. Is white-knight Fitzgerald totally sold-out also?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 4:33pm

173. Klayman I know from NOW with Bill Moyers

     And what does he have to say about Hillary's investment in this — does he lay out what it is she really stands to lose, and how much is known and certain about this?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 4:42pm

174. So now you see the reason for my urgency to expose the entire truth of 9/11. It's the only story that will so outrage the sleeping public.

     Given ALL of the corruption that preceeded it, and was swept quietly under the rug, combined with Chertoff's UNANIMOUS (98-0) appointment to become the Dictator of Homeland Security (in spite of his prior wrong doing) - one must assume that ALL of the criminals are in on the same joke. Clearly, this is a joke.

     When Chertoff was practically responsible for genocide in New Orleans, what was the consequence?

     Remember how Bush rushed out in front of him to take the blame for FEMA and the Department Of Homeland Security?

     Why would that be the first time in GW's life that he accepted responsibility for anything that went wrong?

     When you think about it, Chertoff appears to be the most powerful man in the world. He can do anything he chooses, and get away with it. Not one Senator or Congressman will stand up to him.

     Why?

     The only Organization in the United States that is feared by EVERYONE who holds political office is AIPAC.

     Does he work for AIPAC?

     Is there an elephant in the room?

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 4:46pm

175. When hillary spoke of a "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" - did she mean "Zionist?"

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 4:47pm

176. Remember how Bush rushed out in front of him to take the blame for FEMA and the Department Of Homeland Security?

     you mentioned it, and yes, remember the event

     When hillary spoke of a "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" - did she mean "Zionist?"

     I remember her being raked over the coals once for an unkind ethnic remark about a Jew. But what have they got on her?

     The question I had to learn to ask as a programmer, was "what does this do in actual physical memory?"

     The question I had to learn to ask here is, "What exactly does each player have to lose, and for what slip, and how much does each know of their own part, and their own frailty?"

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 4:56pm

177. OIC — the Briley article is much longer than what you pasted

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 4:58pm

178. 2. What is the extent of comprehension on the part of those who eventually pay the ultimate for these adventures, like Terry Nichols? What's in it for him? How much did he see? and Timmy McVeigh never made a peep. Is he dying for Chertoff's gods?

     Posted by ProudPrimate

     I think the pattern is instructive.

     In the first WTC bombing, an agent provocateur was utilized to recruit those with a predisposition to commit a profoudly evil act against the US government. The skids were greased to the greatest extent possible to enable them to pull it off.

     If the same tactic was used in the OKC bombing, Nichols and McVeigh would simply be of the belief that they pulled off the bombing as they had intended, without a clear understanding of how they managed to get away with it.

     Now looking at 9/11, clearly Mossad played the role of agents provocateur (X 200 so-called "Art Students") who mirrored the activities of the would-be hijackers as they went to flight school and prepared to carry out their mission against the US Government.

     The pattern is clear. Somebody within the US Government (or those who control the policies and the Defense Department of the US Government) wants these attacks to occur. Peace is simply not profitable. You can't very well go out and take over resource-rich countries to grow your Empire unless you are provoked to attack.

     False Flag Terror is at the heart of all of this evil. Who are the False Flag Experts? That's who Chertoff works for.

     They're not done yet. Martial law is coming with the "Homeland Event", which will in-turn serve as the pretext for the bombing of Iran by either Israel or The United States - which are now one in the same.

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 5:03pm

179. Assuming the entire game is rigged, how much did John Kerry pocket to sandbag the election?

     Clearly Hillary has been selected as the next to lose to the GOP in the Presidential elections in 2008. It must be very profitable to lose elections on purpose.

     Bill Clinton's phones were bugged, and they had he and Monica on tape engaging in phone sex. Linda Tripp was an operative, and possibly Monica herself was a "swallow" agent. Lucianne Goldberg is part of the same machine. They blackmailed Clinton. When he submitted to their demands, they let him off the hook and rewarded him with lucrative speaking engagements and God only knows what else.

     Clinton and Bush Senior are now pals, flying all over the world on humanitarian projects? Yeah, right!

     When you take billions of dollars of US Taxpayer money every year, send it to Israel, then round-trip it through AIPAC into the pockets of those who cooperate, while spending a good percentage of the rest to destroy all who oppose you, eventually you own the country.

     You are here.

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 5:12pm

180. If the same tactic was used in the OKC bombing, Nichols and McVeigh would simply be of the belief that they pulled off the bombing as they had intended, without a clear understanding of how they managed to get away with it.

     generations of spooks have taken generations to perfect this sort of media veronica sleight-of-cape — that's not hard to picture

     Now looking at 9/11, clearly Mossad played the role of agents provocateur (X 200 so-called "Art Students") who mirrored the activities of the would-be hijackers as they went to flight school and prepared to carry out their mission against the US Government.

     draping the spiderwebs oh, so carefully, and with plenty of money and a police escort

     They're not done yet. Martial law is coming with the "Homeland Event", which will in-turn serve as the pretext for the bombing of Iran by either Israel or The United States - which are now one in the same.

     Who dares to wear that on their sweatshirt?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 5:16pm

181. You are here.

     which way is "not here" — besides the grave?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 5:19pm

182. Got Passport?

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 5:21pm

183. The "Homeland Event"

     Presumably this is a nuclear weapon detonated within the US.

     Is this a famous quote, "Homeland Event"?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 5:23pm

184. "Got Passport?"

     No, and now I wonder if they'd give me one.

     But the question is, where is outside of this?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 5:24pm

185. It's starting to look an awful lot like the Revelation.

     Who is the beast, Arnold?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 5:27pm

186. Not famous yet...just my take.

     Clearly, Cheney has been advertising the event as inevitable, and has already told us that we will attack Iran immediately when it occurs (regardles of who is to blame). So, if you wanted the US to attack Iran, you'd know exactly how to make it happen.

     Israel has stated clearly that they want Iran bombed. Cheney has stated clearly what it will take for us to do the deed.

     Could it be any more obvious?

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 5:27pm

187. but does that require a nuke on us, or might they go lighter than that? Any hit would probably carry the lemmings along swimmingly . . .

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 5:29pm

188. http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=3969

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 5:31pm

189. I don't think the American psyche can differentiate "small nuke."

     It's an oxymoron.

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 5:34pm

190. So you see the arch(fallen)angel Michael as the prime candidate, eh? Then who's the false prophet? Richard Perle?

     have you read the Revelation and the Gospels?

     "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh."

     it's eerie, don't you think? just a good guess 2000 years ago?

     there's always the possibility that I'd have to rethink my cosmology

     (ah, boy, here we go - <groan!>)

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 5:39pm

191. "It's an oxymoron."

     of course it is —

     but maybe just more thermite?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 5:40pm

192. Fear and Disinformation Campaign The Bush Administration -- through the personal initiative of Vice President Dick Cheney -- chose not only to foreclose the possibility of a public inquiry, but also to trigger a fear and disinformation campaign:

     "I think that the prospects of a future attack on the U.S. are almost a certainty. . . . It could happen tomorrow, it could happen next week, it could happen next year, but they will keep trying. And we have to be prepared." 7

     What Cheney is really telling us is that our "intelligence asset", which we created, is going to strike again. Now, if this "CIA creature" were planning new terrorist attacks, you would expect that the CIA would be first to know about it. In all likelihood, the CIA also controls the so-called ‘warnings' emanating from CIA sources on "future terrorist attacks" on American soil.

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 5:42pm

193. So now you see the reason for my urgency to expose the entire truth of 9/11. It's the only story that will so outrage the sleeping public.

     Posted by PLUNGER 01/01/2006 @ 4:46pm

     Plunger,

     I appreciate your tireless efforts to spread the news of the conspiracies and corruption that run rampant through this administration. But you are wasting your time if you truly believe the sentence above.

     If we have learned anything from the last several (if not all previous) elections, it is that clarity and simplicity take the day. Look at social security. Key Bush objective, but he was unable to distill his message into something that the average citizen (and most non-average citizens) could either understand or care about. Social Security is a known and simple good. The argument for changing it is unknown and complicated, and therefore bad. The War on Iraq, on the other hand, will always have the advantage of having a "them" in the equation, as in us v. them. This is simple. We like to be "us" and we don't like "them".

     Impeachment will never be as simple as it was against Clinton. We saw him point at the camera and lie about his sexual relations. Whatever complexity lay behind that was irrelevant. Impeachment arguments against Bush, however legitimate they might be, are nothing if not complicated. Unless you can package the arguement in a single 100 word paragraph, then you will never see advancement on this issue, even with Dem majorities in the House and Senate.

     This is the same issue we see in election after election. Kerry was absolutely incompetent when it came to presenting a simple message. 100 words. Anything beyond that might as well be time spent digging one's political grave.

     Posted by tjbehrens1 at 01/01/2006 @ 5:48pm

194. With respect to Revelations...clearly the true believers believe it. Those like Falwell want desparately for it to occur during their brief stint on planet earth. Going nuclear is the only way to get there. How on earth a purported "Man Of God" (speaking of oxymorons) can be so twisted as to wish for the end of "end of days" is beyond my comprehension.

     Those who do not share Falwell's beliefs have found it EXCEPTIONALLY CONVENIENT to air the beliefs of these useful idiots to enrich themselves at the expense of these insane motherfuckers who think it's a good thing to cause a nuclear war.

     Wolf Blitzer did a "News" interview with Falwell entitled "Is This The End Of Days?"

     Who came up with that directive to Blitzer's Producers?

     Who benefits from fear & loathing?

     The GOP.

     Israel.

     The Military Industrial Complex.

     Big Oil.

     The Security Industry.

     The Pharmceutical Industry.

     The Banksters.

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 5:53pm

195. Frei, comparing Michael Moore and Ann Coulter? you must be joking, Moore has never descended to the foulmouthed, nasty, racist shit that comes from Coulter, and I challenge you to show otherwise. again your hypocricy stinks to high heaven

     Posted by johannesrolf at 01/01/2006 @ 5:54pm

196. TJBEHRENS1:

     Why are you talking about elections?

     How quaint. It's over.

     You want a compelling message in less than 100 words that would compel all Americans to take to the streets with torches and pitchforks?

     "9/11 - Cheney & Israel Did It."

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 5:58pm

197. it has to be a message they believe

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 6:01pm

198. "With respect to Revelations"

     it's actually "the Revelation" (s.)

     But who'da thunk it in AD 200, that predictions like that one from Luke 21 I mentioned would play out so strongly in 2005?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 6:03pm

199. Thus the need for whistleblowers and evidence.

     The first critical step to acceptance has already occured.

     Bush and his coconspirators have undermined their own credibility.

     The majority of the country assumes Bush is lying now.

     The engine has begun running in reverse.

     When the rats begin to jump ship, it could happen very fast.

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 6:04pm

200. "The majority of the country assumes Bush is lying now."

     That is a solid fact, well attested.

     "When the rats begin to jump ship, it could happen very fast."

     And we need to be on the ball when it bounces, right?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 6:06pm

201. Why are you talking about elections?

     How quaint. It's over.

     You want a compelling message in less than 100 words that would compel all Americans to take to the streets with torches and pitchforks?

     "9/11 - Cheney & Israel Did It."

     Posted by PLUNGER 01/01/2006 @ 5:58pm

     Actually elections come with some regularity, and each cycle provides new opportunities for change. Impeachments come around, um, well...less often. And while our elected doofuses need to be spanked as hard as possible, no impeachment-related spanking is going to be sufficiently harsh to get this country on a course for progress. The conservative stranglehold on DC (whether GOP or Dems) will only be released through the presentation of clear, sane, positive ideas for the future.

     We can rely on Bush hatred only as far as that goes. At a certain point, those of us in opposition of conservative ideals have to propose rather than oppose. Impeachment does not accomplish this.

     Posted by tjbehrens1 at 01/01/2006 @ 6:45pm

202. I generally agree with your assessment, but I have a difficult time ignoring the fact that the electoral process if busted. I can't say with conviction that Bush was ever truly "elected."

     Speaking of conviction...it does have a nice ring to it - in the same sentence with "Bush."

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 6:53pm

203. can we take a break from all these absurd conspiracy rants, or do I have to ignore every single one of them? Israel did not perpetrate 9/11, give us a break. the Reichstag fire was also blamed on the jews and we all know what that lead to, don't we?

     Posted by johannesrolf at 01/01/2006 @ 7:15pm

204. Frei, thanks for clearing that up, now can you draw the consequence of your views at the ballot box?

     Posted by johannesrolf at 01/01/2006 @ 7:44pm

205. OK so Bush is denying he was talking about domestic wiretapping in Buffalo, 2004. 'See there's a difference between FISA, roving wiretaps, Patriot Act and the NSA Program spying domestically!' What the hell does that mean?

     http://nytimes.com/

     Can the BC regime expect the USA public to really buy any of the BC BS when he doesn't even make sense? OK, need hair of the dog-- in order to put up with this shit.

     Posted by Bushfools at 01/01/2006 @ 8:34pm

206. OK this is a little better:

     "But a poll conducted for Mr. Ponemon last month may show that people hold different views on commercial and government privacy issues. Conducted after The New York Times revealed the N.S.A. surveillance, it suggested great concern. Of those polled, 88 percent expressed concern, and 54 percent said they were "very concerned," he said."

     http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/01/weekinreview/01schwartz.html

     Posted by Bushfools at 01/01/2006 @ 8:46pm

207. the Reichstag fire was also blamed on the jews and we all know what that lead to, don't we?

     Posted by JOHANNESROLF 01/01/2006 @ 7:15pm | ignore this person

     Yes we do. It led to the persecution and extermination of those "said" to be to blame. It was a False Flag operation - as you acknowledge.

     In this case, those "said" to be to blame for 9/11 were a group of Arabs, many of whom are still alive. As a result of these unsubstantiated accusations, we are invading muslim countries.

     So what's your point? Are you interested in the truth?

     If as I contend, this administration, in concert with Israel's Mossad, were behind 9/11, and we are blaming Muslims for it, wouldn't your analogy apply to exposing the truth so as to avoid the extermination of an entire race/religion of people?

     Think about it.

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 9:02pm

208. those "said" to be to blame for 9/11 were a group of Arabs, many of whom are still alive.

     of the 19? Where are they and what is the evidence?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 9:16pm

209. Actually, the Reichstag fire was blamed on a Dutch (gentile) Communist, Marinus van der Lubbe

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 9:21pm

210. but indirectly I suppose Hitler blamed every thing on Jews

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 9:25pm

211. Considering that the media had a list of 19 names complete with photographs within a couple days of 9/11, it does seem a bit odd the fact that 1/3 of those accused are in fact still alive - yet this SMOKING GUN goes unreported in the mainstream press.

     Why would anyone choose to believe the original story?

     http://www.americanfreepress.net/10_12_01/STILL_ALIVE__FBI_Mixed_Up_on_T /still_alive__fbi_mixed_up_on_t.html

     http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1559151.stm

     http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/hijackers.html

     http://www.newsgateway.ca/hijackers_still_alive.htm

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 9:29pm

212. yes, i found the BBC piece on my own -- amazing what you find on the web

     Of course, the technology to fly them things sans pilot is already installed in case of emergency, isn't it?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 9:31pm

213. False Flags:

     http://www.waronfreedom.org/lowdownonlondon.html

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 9:35pm

214. With Dov Zakheim's "flight termination" technology - you can crash them wherever you wish...

     How Does Zakheim Fit In ?

     He helped mold the Mid-East policy, and controlled the Pentagon purse strings.

     Thanks to him, Israel, and their militia (Turkey), are awash in F-15's, F-16's, and the latest in offensive and defensive missile systems. Israel has a space program, ICBM's, nukes, and lots more.

     Zakheim, who is a dual Israeli/American citizen and a Shul Rabbi, has stalked the halls of US government for 25 yrs. He has set defense policy which influenced Presidents Reagan, Clinton and Bush Sr. and Jr. This rabid Zionist was the controller of the Pentagon when an audit discovered over a trillion dollars was missing.

     Most of Israel's armament was obtained thanks to him. Squads of US F-16 and F-15 were classified as military surplus and sold to Israel at a fraction of their value.

     Zakheim is a rabid Zionist, who carries an Israel passport and is considered to be one of the top members of the secretive Illuminati . He predicts 9/11 and by sheer coincidence the Pentagon is hit by a remote controlled jet (Zakheim's ' SPC ' corporation is the premier company in the field).

     http://www.sysplan.com/Radar/FTS

     Flight Termination System System Planning Corporation's is proud to offer the Flight Termination System (FTS), a fully redundant turnkey range safety and test system for remote control and flight termination of airborne test vehicles. The FTS consists of SPC's Command Transmitter System (CTS) and custom control, interface, and monitoring subsystems. The system is fully programmable and is flexible enough to meet the changing and challenging requirements of today's modern test ranges.

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 9:38pm

215. what's a trillion dollars among friends?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 9:42pm

216. we need more Mordechai Vanunus

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 9:44pm

217. speaking of false flag, that story of those British commandos in Arab garb that got busted by Iraqi police planting bombs, and then sprung by tanks that destroyed the gaol — that story died an untimely death

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 9:47pm

218. primate, actually the Reichstag fire was blamed on the communists, and it resulted in the arrest of 4,000 communists, and even worse than that the fire resulted in the Hindenburg decree, which declared a state of emergency and gave the governmnet broad powers similar to martial law.

     my apologies for mixing this up

     while the dutch person, a retarded vagrant, was tried and executed for the "crime", an international investigation puts the blame on Heydrich and the SA

     the emergency decree suspended all the basic rights of citizens for the duration of the emergency

     Hitler promised that once the emergency passed all rights were to be restored. we all know how that turned out. americans look out!

     Posted by johannesrolf at 01/01/2006 @ 9:48pm

219. "Israel has a space program"

     Oh, to study the Big Bang?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 9:49pm

220. why not share the BBC piece with us?

     Posted by johannesrolf at 01/01/2006 @ 9:51pm

221. The Department of Defense has come under fire after not being able to account for over $1 trillion dollars in financial transactions, as well as many tanks, missiles, and planes.

     "We are overhauling our financial management system precisely because people like David Walker are rightly critical of it," said Dov Zakheim, the Pentagon's chief financial officer and prime architect of the Defense Department's self-styled fiscal transformation.

     Among the provisions in the 207-page plan, the department is asking Congress to allow Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to replace the civil service system governing 700,000 nonmilitary employees with a new system to be detailed later.

     The plan would also eliminate or phase out more than a hundred reports that now tell Congress, for instance, which Defense contractors support the Arab boycott of Israel and when U.S. special forces train foreign soldiers, as well as many studies of program costs.

     "The Congress has increased defense spending from $300 billion to $400 billion over three years at the same time that the Pentagon has failed to address financial problems that dwarf those of Enron," said Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles, one of the letter's signatories.

     http://gnn.tv/headlines/2958/_1_Trillion_Missing_Military_waste_under_fi re

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 9:51pm

222. Heydrich, the Blond Beast.

     Immediately followed the Ermächtigungsgesetzen, precursor of the USAPATRIOT Act, except it had not yet risen to acronym

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 9:52pm

223. why not share the BBC piece with us?

     Posted by JOHANNESROLF 01/01/2006 @ 9:51pm | ignore this person

     http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1559151.stm

     If 1/3 of the hijackers are still alive, do you still believe the story?

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 9:54pm

224. the BBC piece -- it's the same one Plunger listed above --

     http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1559151.stm

     it's very clean and easy to present to others, as you might imagine.

     The blessed Beeb is still revered above the gummint over there, for veracity.

     I got it from rense.com

     http://www.rense.com/general29/obls.htm

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 9:55pm

225. "said Dov Zakheim, the Pentagon's chief financial officer and prime architect of the Defense Department's self-styled fiscal transformation."

     Shades of David Safavian, spender of all you domestic dough, being led off in handcuffs.

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 9:57pm

226. primate, small german correction, no "en" at the end of "Ermächtigungsgesetz", which came a month later, and with which the coup d'etat was almost complete

     Posted by johannesrolf at 01/01/2006 @ 10:00pm

227. "with a new system to be detailed later."

     I love the end of Guys and Dolls, where they finally get to have their crap game, in the Biltmore Garage.

     Nick the Greek gets down to throw, with two goons behind him, tommy guns at the ready.

     Some little hood next to him says, in shock:

     "Hey, Nick, dese dice ain't got no spots on 'em!"

     "Dat's OK," says Nick,"I remember where da spots are."

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 10:01pm

228. not plural?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 10:01pm

229. striking parallel to Patriot I & II though, eh? Wasn't there something about "Protection of Patriotic Germans" in the declaration?

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 10:03pm

230. So if 1/3 of the purported hijackers are still alive, and our government and our mainstream media have failed to change the original story of 9/11 or make us aware of this fact, isn't that profound? All of the elected officials surely know this much is true. Why are they not speaking of this?

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 10:04pm

231. Now, how long did it take from the time A.H. came on the scene till he had the clamp down tight?

     of course, Germany after the Great War was greatly weakened vis-a-vis its democratic heritage.

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 10:05pm

232. what it had -- never that much, I guess

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 10:05pm

233. "isn't that profound?"

     What does that say for the density of the average citizen?

     Tomorrow, I'm gonna do it: make a label with the PTouch and paste it on the TV in the breakroom:

     "Weapon of Mass Hypnosis"

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 10:07pm

234. "A state of war is not a blank check for the President when it comes to the rights of the nation's citizens," --SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR'S OPINION in a case in which Bush tried to claim the same "inherent authority" to hold U.S. citizens without charge or trial.

     "Big Brother in the form of an increasingly powerful government and in an increasingly powerful private sector will pile the records high with reasons why privacy should give way to national security, to law and order, to efficiency of operation, to scientific advancement and the like." --JUSTICE WILLIAM O. DOUGLAS

     "Emergency does not create power. Emergency does not increase granted power or remove or diminish the restrictions imposed upon power granted or reserved. The Constitution was adopted in a period of grave emergency. Its grants of power to the federal government and its limitations of the power of the States were determined in the light of emergency, and they are not altered by emergency." --JUSTICE CHARLES EVANS HUGHES

     Bush also claims that when Congress authorized him to "use all necessary and appropriate force" against those responsible for the attacks of 9/11, they were really saying that he could ignore the law and spy on Americans without a warrant. Statements made at the time of the authorization dispute that claim:

     "In extending this broad authority to cover those ‘planning, authorizing, committing, or aiding the attacks' it should go without saying, however, that the resolution is directed only at using force abroad to combat acts of international terrorism." --Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), Congressional Record, 9/14/01

     "The body of this resolution is appropriately limited to those entities involved in the attacks that occurred on September 11th…It reiterates the existing constitutional powers of the President to take action to defend the United States, but provides no new or additional grant of powers to the President." --Rep. James McGovern (D-MA), Congressional Record, 9/14/01

     Tom Daschle, Senate Majority Leader at that time, has come forward to say:

     "I did not and never would have supported giving authority to the president for such wiretaps. I am also confident that the 98 senators who voted in favor of authorization of force against al Qaeda did not believe that they were also voting for warrantless domestic surveillance." -- The Washington Post, 12/23/05

     Mr. Daschle went on to explain, "Just before the Senate acted on this compromise resolution, the White House sought one last change…. This last-minute change would have given the president broad authority to exercise expansive powers not just overseas - where we all understood he wanted authority to act - but right here in the United States, potentially against American citizens." The Senate refused the request.

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 10:13pm

235. primate, plural of Gesetz is Gesetze. from what I could determine it was about a year from political candidate to Führer

     Posted by johannesrolf at 01/01/2006 @ 10:14pm

236. Plunger and Johannes,

     The BBC post is very interesting. I tried doing a little searching and found some info that was more extensive and detailed about the six that were alive as of 9/23/01. Seems most likely a matter of stolen passports so that the true identities of many of the 9/11 culprits is unknown. The conspiracy in this case would be a continuation of a longstanding one: dummies ruling the roost at the FBI.

     Posted by tjbehrens1 at 01/01/2006 @ 10:28pm

237. http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=6734

     Cheney's Plan: Nuke Iran Stand athwart the apocalypse, and shout: "No!" by Justin Raimondo

     A recent poll shows six in ten Americans think a new world war is coming: the same poll says about 50 percent approve of the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. Somewhat inexplicably, about two-thirds say nuking those two cities was "unavoidable." One can only wonder, then, what their reaction will be to this ominous news, revealed in a recent issue of The American Conservative by intelligence analyst Philip Giraldi:

     "The Pentagon, acting under instructions from Vice President Dick Cheney's office, has tasked the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) with drawing up a contingency plan to be employed in response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack on the United States. The plan includes a large-scale air assault on Iran employing both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons.

     http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1325140/posts

     Cheney Says Israel Might 'Act First' on Iran NYTimes ^ | January 21, 2005 | DAVID E. SANGER

     Posted on 01/20/2005 8:35:58 PM PST by F14 Pilot

     WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 - Just hours before being sworn in for a second term, Vice President Dick Cheney publicly raised the possibility on Thursday that Israel "might well decide to act first" to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

     In an interview on the MSNBC program "Imus in the Morning," a highly unusual forum for Mr. Cheney, he appeared to use the danger of Israeli military action as one more reason that the Iranians should reach a diplomatic agreement to disarm, noting dryly that any such strike would leave "a diplomatic mess afterwards" and should be avoided.

     http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/664518.html

     Last update - 08:46 01/01/2006 Report: U.S. preparing NATO for possible strike on Iran By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent

     German media sources have recently reported that the Bush Administration is preparing its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies for a potential attack on nuclear sites in Iran.

     The "Der Spiegel" weekly emphasized that "Washington is now sending high level officials to prepare allies for a potential strike, as opposed to conducting talks that just hint at the possibility, which is what has been happening until now."

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 10:28pm

238. Interesting discussion fellas. I can't say whether any of it is true but would it surprise anyone if the guys with the most to gain wouldn't game us?

     With all the corporate mergers that have been going on since our boy Ron was elected, both wealth and power have been concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer people. Blaming a little piss ant country like Israel might be pleasing on some emotional level but there are bigger fish in the pond that are working out of the Caymans and answer to no single government.

     The Middle East is the chessboard, but the players might just be sipping on a nice cool frosty beverage on the beach.

     Anyone for a dip?

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 10:30pm

239. The conspiracy in this case would be a continuation of a longstanding one: dummies ruling the roost at the FBI.

     Posted by TJBEHRENS1 01/01/2006 @ 10:28pm | ignore this person

     Oh, so I guess that solves everything then, eh?

     Nothing to see here...move along.

     This WAS your Republic.

     Thank you for playing.

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 10:30pm

240. primate, the speech which opened the Nuremberg war crimes trials:

     http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/resource/document/DocJac03.htm

     Posted by johannesrolf at 01/01/2006 @ 10:34pm

241. Will said:

     " Blaming a little piss ant country like Israel might be pleasing on some emotional level"

     Not from my perspective. It's disturbing as hell to think we send them $8 billion a year and have lost all control of our foreign policy as a result of AIPAC and their other operatives.

     Posted by plunger at 01/01/2006 @ 10:44pm

242. "primate, plural of Gesetz is Gesetze"

     ah, 'at's right; I knew that

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 10:45pm

243. Not from my perspective. It's disturbing as hell to think we send them $8 billion a year and have lost all control of our foreign policy as a result of AIPAC and their other operatives.

     Posted by PLUNGER 01/01/2006 @ 10:44pm

     My friend

     I wouldn't blame Israeli's for the actions of Americans.

     We must stand for our countrymen's actions on the world stage

     All of us

     There is no escape

     Posted by Will C. at 01/01/2006 @ 10:55pm

244. Robert Jackson -- I'm copying this speech to my PDA to read in bed. Thanks JR

     O'CONNOR, DOUGLAS, HUGHES, Biden, Daschle —

     Might be good to include this, too

     In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

     We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

     Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades.

     In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.

     Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.

     The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present

     and is gravely to be regarded.

     Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.

     It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system — ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free society.

     Eisenhower, Farewell speech, 1961

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 10:57pm

245. night!

     Posted by ProudPrimate at 01/01/2006 @ 10:58pm

246. OK, lets assume that England is partially complicit with a certain element within the US gov for all/most the terror shenanigans going on-- why would they not do the revisionist thing and wipe the site pages producing doubt like:

     http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1559151.stm

     Posted by Bushfools at 01/01/2006 @ 10:59pm

247. Now, Now, Plunger. I didn't mean to be dismissive. I'm well aware of the depths and breadths this administration and its support system have gone to detach us run-of-the-mill citizens from the power that is rightly ours. And while the 9/11 story might contain within it examples of all forms of the transgressions of Bush & Co., its complexity ensures that even a democratically controlled congress will not succeed in present a clear picture of all that happened to the American people.

     With the identity of the living hijackers, I just meant to point out that one is clearly a case of a stolen passport and, thus, this will be the favored excuse by our mindless federal law enforcement agencies. Where is Clarissa Starling when we need her?

     Posted by tjbehrens1 at 01/01/2006 @ 11:10pm

248. And while the 9/11 story might contain within it examples of all forms of the transgressions of Bush & Co., its complexity ensures that even a democratically controlled congress will not succeed in present a clear picture of all that happened to the American people.

     Posted by TJBEHRENS1 01/01/2006 @ 11:10pm | ignore this person

     That's why some of us are working so hard to shove the clear evidence of a conspiracy to commit false flag terrorism right under their noses.

     If you were a prosecutor looking to develop probable cause for a case of conspiracy, the ciscumstancial evidence which is readily available all over the internet would be sufficient.

     Amazingly, those outside the US have a MUCH clearer perspective of what is REALLY going on than most here:

     http://www.countercurrents.org/usa-hassan050405.htm

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 05:56am

249. http://stuartbuck.blogspot.com/2004/04/condi-rices-testimony.html

     Condi Rice's testimony

     The supposed fact-checking of Condi Rice's testimony (issued by the Center for American Progress)

     http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=44887

     leaves something to be desired. Such as completeness and accuracy. For instance, the very first claim is this:

     CLAIM: "We decided immediately to continue pursuing the Clinton Administration's covert action authorities and other efforts to fight the network."

     FACT: Newsweek reported that "In the months before 9/11, the U.S. Justice Department curtailed a highly classified program called 'Catcher's Mitt' to monitor al-Qaida suspects in the United States." Additionally, AP reported "though Predator drones spotted Osama bin Laden as many as three times in late 2000, the Bush administration did not fly the unmanned planes over Afghanistan during its first eight months," thus terminating the reconnaissance missions started during the Clinton Administration. [Sources: Newsweek, 3/21/04; AP, 6/25/03]

     But when you go to the Newsweek story on the "Catcher's Mitt" program, you find this:

     Newsweek has learned that in the months before 9/11, the U.S. Justice Department curtailed a highly classified program called "Catcher's Mitt" to monitor Al Qaeda suspects in the United States, after a federal judge severely chastised the FBI for improperly seeking permission to wiretap terrorists.

     Think that bolded part might be important? After all, the most common complaint about wiretaps post-9/11 has been that the Justice Department has been too eager to violate civil rights by using wiretaps where not justified. Yet it seems that the same people want to blame the Justice Department for cutting back on wiretaps pre-9/11, even where DOJ was apparently responding to a federal court order.

     UPDATE: When I say "the same people," it's not hyperbole. On page 17 of this report issued by the Center for American Progress, the Patriot Act's expansion of wiretap authority is criticized for "sacrificing fundamental civil liberties protections." In this speech to the ACLU reprinted on the Center's site, John Podesta claims that the Patriot Act (he specifically mentions wiretaps) created "infringements of civil liberties unprecedented since the era of COINTELPRO and Watergate." This item

     http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=38356

     from the Center praises former SG Drew Days for saying that the new wiretap powers, among other provisions, caused him "sleepless nights." And this item opposes the FBI's request to be able to wiretap Internet traffic.

     http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=38216

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 06:30am

250. "Every conversation monitored under Bush's warrantless domestic surveillance program is a missed opportunity to get someone who is talking with terrorists off the streets and behind bars.

     Why? Because evidence obtained by Bush's warrantless domestic spying program is probably not admissible in court. Convictions obtained with evidence from this program may be overturned."

     STOP RIGHT THERE! THINK.

     Clearly the Bush Administration knew that to be true. So what EVIDENCE do you have that Bush actually wants potential terrorists prosecuted? How many terrorists have been CONVICTED AND SENTENCED since 9/11?

     Do the math folks. Think like a criminal. The clearest explanation is often right under your nose. False flag terrorism is a TACTIC of the Mossad and the CIA. The terrorists are merely doing the bidding of this administration and their surrogates. Any actual TRIAL with TV CAMERAS and EVIDENCE would blow their entire operation.

     If they really want to arrest AND CONVICT terrorists, they would absolutely follow the letter of the law. They CHOSE not to. Coincidence? NOT!

     What more do you need to know?

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 06:34am

251. Anybody on the Left paranoid enough to think that SOME of the paranoids on the Left (no names needed) are actually plants from "the Cabal" who post various 3000 word cut&pastes...to make the Left seem like a bunch of paranoids?

     LOL!

     Posted by Mask at 01/02/2006 @ 07:07am

252. Here's my predictions for 2006-

     1. Dems retake ONE of the houses of Congress. They throw a bone to the hard-core Bush-hating Left with an investigation or two...but when it comes time for impeachment, they don't follow through because all their polling indicates the MAJORITY of Americans oppose it and it'll backlash on them.

     or

     2. The Dems just make some gains but no majority in either the House or Senate....and CLAIM they're the majority now and we just get more of what we got in 2005...nothing happening in Washington, except a few "pro-business" bill passed with 20-30 Democrats and Bush's judges "scrutinized, but easily passed".

     Posted by Mask at 01/02/2006 @ 07:10am

253. Here Mask... The "Cabal" wants you to read this:

     The "Office Of Special Lies":

     Karen Kwiatkowski, a retired USAF Lt. Col., who was working at the Pentagon wrote; "What seemed out of place was the strong and open pro-Israel and anti-Arab orientation in an ostensibly apolitical policy-generation staff within the Pentagon". She adds, "By August [2002], I was morally and intellectually frustrated by my powerlessness against what increasingly appeared to be a philosophical hijacking of the Pentagon"

     Israeli Military Generals were free to come and go at the Office Of Special Plans without the requirement to record evidence of their visits in the guest register log book.

     ‘'What I saw was aberrant, pervasive and contrary to good order and discipline,'' Kwiatkowski wrote. ‘'If one is seeking the answers to why peculiar bits of ‘intelligence' found sanctity in a presidential speech, or why the post-Saddam (Hussein) occupation (in Iraq) has been distinguished by confusion and false steps, one need look no further than the process inside the Office of the Secretary of Defence'' (OSD).

     Kwiatkowski went on to charge that the operations she witnessed during her tenure in Feith's office, and particularly those of an ad hoc group known as the Office of Special Plans (OSP), constituted ‘'a subversion of constitutional limits on executive power and a co-optation through deceit of a large segment of the Congress''.

     Headed by a gung-ho former Navy officer, William Luti, and a scholarly national-security analyst, Abram Shulsky, OSP was given complete access to reams of raw intelligence produced by the U.S. intelligence community and became the preferred stop, when in town, for defectors handled by the Iraqi National Congress (INC), led by Ahmed Chalabi.

     It also maintained close relations with the Defence Policy Board (DPB), which was then chaired by neo-conservative Richard Perle of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), Feith's mentor in the Reagan administration.

     Perle and Feith, whose published views on Israeli policy echo the right-wing Likud party, co-authored a 1996 memo for then-Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that argued that Hussein's ouster in Iraq would enable Israel to transform the balance of power in the Middle East in its favour.

     The DPB included some of Perle's closest associates, including former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director James Woolsey and former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who played prominent roles in pushing the public case that Iraq represented an imminent threat to the United States and that its was closely tied to al-Qaeda and other terrorist networks.

     ‘'I personally witnessed several cases of staff officers being told not to contact their counterparts at State or the National Security Council because that particular decision would be processed through a different channel,'' Kwiatkowski wrote.

     The CIA's exclusion from this network could help explain why Cheney and his National Security Advisor, I. Lewis Libby, a long-time associate of Wolfowitz, frequently visited the agency, in what analysts widely regarded as pressure to conform to OSP assessments.

     In this case, the prevailing points of view were presumably shaped by neo-conservatives like Feith, Wolfowitz and Perle, and the ‘'intelligence'' provided by the INC.

     Might these three also be referred to as "Zionists?"

     Feith is undersecretary of defense for policy, the third highest position at Defense. As a leading neocon and "hawk" on Middle East questions, he was one of the leading voices urging the war on Iraq. Throughout the years he has shown his strong support for Israel, and even appears regularly at Zionist Organization of America events. He holds tight to the belief that Iran is Israel's archenemy.

     Larry Franklin is suspected of passing a draft national-security presidential directive (NSPD) on Iran to AIPAC, which in turn is suspected of forwarding the classified document to Israel. The directive, which urged the administration to endorse regime change in Tehran, is believed to have been written by Michael Rubin, an up-and-coming neocon attached to the American Enterprise Institute. AIPAC has taken a leading role in discrediting Iran at every possible turn.

     Larry Franklin Case:

     Full name: Lawrence Anthony Franklin

     Occupation: Department of Defense analyst at the Pentagon since 1979 in these offices: Office of the Secretary of Defense, International Security Affairs, Office of Near East and South Asia, Office of Northern Gulf Affairs, Iran Desk

     FBI Case Leaked: 27 August 2004

     Arrested by FBI: Wednesday, 4 May 2005

     Charge: Communicating classified US national defense information to persons not entitled to receive that information; that this information could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nation

     Count 1: Conspiracy to communicate national defense information to persons not entitled to receive it

     Count 2-4: Communication of national defense information to persons not entitled to receive it

     Count 5: Communication of classified information to persons not entitled to receive it

     Count 6: Conspiracy to communicate classified information to agent and representative of foreign government without specific authorization

     Co-conspirators: Former employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Steve Rosen, AIPAC's former policy director, and Keith Weissman, its former senior Iran analyst. Naor Gilon, in charge of policy at the Israeli Embassy in Washington. Uzi Arad, a former Israeli intelligence agent.

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 07:26am

254. http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=7127

     The "Able Danger" data-mining operation that supposedly uncovered the New Jersey cell of the 9/11 plotters was – for some reason yet to be determined – blocked and prevented from apprehending key figures in the plot, according to the testimony of at least three people who have direct knowledge of this matter. Shea's memo opens up a possibility that may relate to (and explain) the "Able Danger" blockage: was surveillance of Arab terrorist groups in the U.S. subcontracted out to the Israelis, with the knowledge and complicity of the CIA, so that "Able Danger" was considered poaching on the Israelis' preserve? Shea cites a piece in The Forward that describes Israeli covert activities in the U.S. as a violation of "a secret gentleman's agreement between the two countries," and avers:

     "The real question today, however, appears to be whether the 'gentlemen's agreement' did indeed prevail here and, because we lacked adequate warning from our surrogates who were keeping the Arabs under surveillance, helped bring us to disaster."

     http://www.antiwar.com/israeli-files.php

     http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7545.htm

     Israeli Company Provides U.S. Wiretaps

     One company reported to be under investigation is Comverse Infosys, a subsidiary of an Israeli-run private telecommunications firm. Comverse provides almost all the wiretapping equipment and software for U.S. law enforcement.

     Custom computers and software made by Comverse are tied into the U.S. phone network in order to intercept, record and store wiretapped calls, and at the same time transmit them to investigators.

     The penetration of Comverse reportedly allowed criminals to wiretap law enforcement communications in reverse and foil authorized wiretaps with advance warning. One major drug bust operation planned by the Los Angeles police was foiled by what now appear to be reverse wiretaps placed on law enforcement phones by the criminal spy ring.

     http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/12/18/224826.shtml

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 07:39am

255. Remember this...well prior to 9/11?

     http://w3ar.com/a.php?k=442

     Read the entire article in the context of all that has occured since.

     excerpts:

     FBI probes espionage at Clinton white house

     The FBI is probing an explosive foreign-espionage operation that could dwarf the other spy scandals plaguing the U.S. government

     Michael Waller • Paul Rodriguez -- Insight magazine

     Monday May 29, 2000 Insight has learned that FBI counterintelligence is tracking a daring operation to spy on high-level U.S. officials by hacking into supposedly secure telephone networks. The espionage was facilitated, federal officials say, by lax telephone-security procedures at the White House, State Department and other high-level government offices and by a Justice Department unwillingness to seek an indictment against a suspect.

     The espionage operation may have serious ramifications because the FBI has identified Israel as the culprit. It risks undermining U.S. public support for the Jewish state at a time Israel is seeking billions of tax dollars for the return of land to Syria. It certainly will add to perceptions that the Clinton-Gore administration is not serious about national security. Most important, it could further erode international confidence in the ability of the United States to keep secrets and effectively lead as the world's only superpower.

     `So what, it's only Israel!' There is a tendency in and out of government to minimize the impact of Israeli espionage against the United States because Israel is a friendly country. That overlooks the gravity of the espionage threat, says David Major, former director of counterintelligence programs at the National Security Council. "This `Don't worry about allied spying, it's okay' attitude is harmful," he warns. "The U.S. should expect that the rest of the world is bent on rooting out its national-security secrets and the secrets that could subject its leaders to blackmail." Minimizing or excusing "friendly spying," he argues, only discourages vigilance and encourages more attacks on U.S. national security. "I'm not outraged by nations that find it in their interests to collect intelligence but by our unwillingness to seriously pursue counterintelligence."

     Major, now dean of the private Center for Counterintelligence and Security Studies, asks: "What price should Israel pay for this? My predictions are that there will be no impact whatsoever. Do we put our heads in the sand or do we take it as a wake-up call?"

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 07:54am

256. For any remaining COINCIDENCE THEORISTS:

     Agency planned exercise on Sept. 11 built around a plane crashing into a building

     Bizarre coincidence? U.S. intelligence agency was planning an exercise involving aircraft crashing into buildings on 09-11-2001

     John J. Lumpkin -- Associated Press Print!

     Wednesday September 11, 2002 Bizarre coincidence?: National Reconnaissance Office scheduled an exercise involving aircraft crashing into buildings on 09-11-2001

     Bizarre coincidence?: National Reconnaissance Office scheduled an exercise involving aircraft crashing into buildings on 09-11-2001 In what the government describes as a bizarre coincidence, one U.S. intelligence agency was planning an exercise last Sept. 11 in which an errant aircraft would crash into one of its buildings. But the cause wasn't terrorism -- it was to be a simulated accident.

     "It was just an incredible coincidence that this happened to involve an aircraft crashing into our facility," Haubold said. "As soon as the real world events began, we canceled the exercise."

     Adding to the coincidence, American Airlines Flight 77 -- the Boeing 767 that was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon -- took off from Dulles at 8:10 a.m. on Sept. 11, 50 minutes before the exercise was to begin. It struck the Pentagon around 9:40 a.m., killing 64 aboard the plane and 125 on the ground.

     The National Reconnaissance Office operates many of the nation's spy satellites. It draws its personnel from the military and the CIA.

     After the Sept. 11 attacks, most of the 3,000 people who work at agency headquarters were sent home, save for some essential personnel, Haubold said.

     An announcement for an upcoming homeland security conference in Chicago first noted the exercise.

     In a promotion for speaker John Fulton, a CIA officer assigned as chief of NRO's strategic gaming division, the announcement says, "On the morning of September 11th 2001, Mr. Fulton and his team ... were running a pre-planned simulation to explore the emergency response issues that would be created if a plane were to strike a building. Little did they know that the scenario would come true in a dramatic way that day."

     GOT PROBABLE CAUSE?

     http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut/allcomments?pid=45895&rpg=7#pid4636 4

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 08:08am

257. The link to the prior AP story is here:

     http://w3ar.com/a.php?k=1065

     Wiretaps?

     http://www.antiwar.com/justin/j121701.html

     ASHCROFT'S COMPLICITY

     But Ashcroft is too busy rounding up Arabs and closing down their organizations to worry about the wholesale penetration of our communications system – including "secure" networks at the White House, the Defense Department, and elsewhere – by our wonderful allies, the Israelis. Cameron cites several unnamed law enforcement agents – concerned about the ominous implications of the Israeli penetration in light of 9/11 – who say that even raising the issue is "career suicide."

     I HOPE YOU'RE SITTING DOWN

     Okay, so the Israelis have the phone lines over at the White House, the Defense Department, the Justice Department, and, for all we know, your local dogcatcher's office bugged to the max. So they have the capability to know where and when practically every phone call in the US, and large sections of the rest of the world, is made, and to whom. As fantastic as it sounds, given the advance of technology and the reputation of the Mossad, I'm willing to believe it. What's really alarming, however, is that, as Cameron reports:

     "On a number of cases, suspects that they had sought to wiretap and survey immediately changed their telecommunications processes. They started acting much differently as soon as those supposedly secret wiretaps went into place."

     BEYOND THE BEGUINE

     The implications of this stunning news go far beyond my original contention: that the Israelis had foreknowledge of the 9/11 attacks and simply failed to let us know the details. For it all depends on the intended target of the wiretaps: was it the Israelis, or Bin Laden's agents? If the former were acting differently after wiretaps were put in place, it means only that the Israelis were using their sources and methods to protect their own: if the latter, it means the Israelis were using their sources and methods to protect the Bin Ladenites. That is a possibility no one – including me – wants to contemplate, and, in all truthfulness, I must confess I cannot believe it. I am forced to concede, however, that, given what we now know, it is possible. Until and unless the government comes clean, we won't know for sure.

     INVESTIGATE THE ISRAELI CONNECTION

     At the end of his second report, Carl Cameron remarked to Brit Hume that the question of the Israeli connection to 9/11 "came up in the select intelligence committee on Capitol Hill today," and "they intend to look into what we reported last night." Naturally, all this is occurring in secret, with the likelihood of a cover-up all but certain. What is needed is a public investigation, and full disclosure of the Israeli role, if any, in 9/11.

     So, when your ENTIRE NSA SURVEILLANCE / WIRETAP SYSTEM IS COMPROMISED BY A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT…and is being used AGAINST you - what do you do?

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 08:26am

258. If, as it appears, the entire system is compromised and the mere act of following FISA results in th information being known instantly by a foreign government, where does that leave us?

     If you can get your head around the concept that the majority of all terrorism is state sponsored false flag terrorism to support geo-strategic goals, and you can appreciate that the biggest actors on the world stage are the US and Israel, and you can clearly see that it will be virtually impossible to SUCCESSFULLY PROSECUTE anyone who might have been spied on without a warrant, what does that say?

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 08:39am

259. Plunger, a couple of things please: One why hasn't the web sites you're linking been cleaned? If the CIA, FBI, NSA, Scotland Yard, MASSUD, AIPAC, ...etc, are so into this-- and I understand their level of techpertise is such that wiping a web site no matter the firewall security code, it will be wiped, hasn't occurred? I've seen a person's whole life record, papers, school transcripts, web site, email, go poof, never existed. Surely getting rid of these sites wouldn't be a problem. Two, you aren't saying that the press is complicit as they haven't taken down their own pages reporting this, but why haven't they followed up if it continues to be unresolved? Have any given a reason why they dropped any of these issues or given updates? OK three things, have you sent this reams of info to the families who lost loved ones in the WTC? I believe they are a powerful group and may have the objectivity now per time to even consider these concerns.

     Just like to say I admire your persistence and dedication to bringing this to the light of day. Keep it up.

     Posted by Bushfools at 01/02/2006 @ 11:14am

260. BUSHFOOLS

     Don't let RESE and PLUNGER get to you, BF.

     They'll lure you in with the "reasonable" stuff....then, when you're hooked....you'll get "Protocols of the Elders of Zion"..."Secret Masters of Tibet"...and Barbara Olson is "alive and well and living at the Secret CIA Celebrity Concentration Camp at Pine Gap, Australia".

     Finally, you end up seeing "Conform", "Submit", and "Obey" in the ice crystals in the Pepsi ads in Time and Newsweek!

     Posted by Mask at 01/02/2006 @ 12:20pm

261. Bushfools:

     The sites that I link to frequently do get taken down after I post the link. When many of these stories initially came out on mainstream sites like ABC News, Fox, Washington Post, etc, they were posted to their sites. Now the only place these stories can be found is on obscure sites which lend the appearance of "conspiracy theory sites" - while in fact they are the only places which have preserved the proof of their original existence. this in and of itself is telling. When you go to any of the older stories on antiwar.com that mention the Dancing Israelis, all of the countless links to mainstream media sources are in fact disabled..."sanitized for your protection." This in and of itself is evidence in my book, though others may have differing opinions. Go here and just look how many of these links have been disabled. That's evidence.

     http://www.antiwar.com/israeli-files.php

     The mainstream press is in fact complicit by removing these stories from their own sites, and the reason they haven't followed up is because they get their instructions from the same place US Congressman and Senators get theirs.

     As for the loved one of those lost on 9/11 - many are very active and already know everything I'm posting here. This isn't rocket science folks, it's all over the Internet. All you need is Google, and a desire to earn back your Republic from those who have hijacked it.

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 12:29pm

262. Mask:

     Explain the story of the dancing israelis with links and facts.

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 12:30pm

263. ABC's 20/20 did a major expose on the Dancing Israelis.

     The following is the link to the original story. Notice that the URL includes the words "whitevan"

     http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/DailyNews/2020_whitevan_020621.html

     Now here is one of the few places you can find the same story mirrored:

     http://www.antichristconspiracy.com/HTML%20Pages/ABCNEWS_com_Were_Israel is_Detained_Sept_11_Spies.htm

     An exact mirror of the original - on a web site that includes the word "Conspiracy" in its name.

     Get the picture?

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 12:36pm

264. ALL LINKS TO CARL CAMERON'S FOX NEWS STORY ON THE ISRAELI SPY RING HAVE BEEN REMOVED AT THE EXPRESS REQUEST OF FOX NEWS.

     http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/spyring.html

     Here is the Washington Posts article about the Israeli Art Student Spy Ring...notice anything wrong?

     http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentI d=A3879-2001Nov22¬Found=true

     Here is an archive:

     http://newsmine.org/archive/9-11/questions/israelis/detained-israelis.tx t

     Systematically - all evidence of these facts is being scrubbed from web sites.

     http://100777.com/node/354

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 12:44pm

265. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7545.htm

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 12:45pm

266. That informationclearinghouse link just posted above...it will not post to the thinkprogress.org website. I can post anything else there I choose, but ANY posting that includes that particular URL is lost in the vapor.

     Coincidence? Try it.

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 12:50pm

267. Cost of America's War in Iraq

     $230,617,079,120

     Number Of Iraqi Civilians Slaughtered In America's War

     100,000 ++

     Number of U.S. Military Personnel Slaughtered (Officially acknowledged) In America's War

     2179

     Lies:

     Infinite

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 12:56pm

268. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8765.htm

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 12:59pm

269. The Secret Government - Bill Moyers:

     http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3281.htm

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 1:01pm

270. Original Fox News Web Posting of 4 Part Carl Cameron Series:

     http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,40679,00.html

     Now You See It, Now You Don't A Note to My Readers by Justin Raimondo December 22, 2001

     For the past week or so, I have been writing about the ominous implications of Carl Cameron's four-part Fox News exposé of Israeli intelligence operations in the US. My most recent column on the subject was posted today (December 21). Cameron's reports are, of course, key to understanding the context of these columns: without them, there is no way to understand either the context or the content of what I have written. We provided links to these reports in the column, and fully expected the links to remain valid, as Fox usually keeps its stories up for a month or so. But not this time….

     The news that Fox had pulled the Cameron reports from its website was, to me, quite surprising. Now, it could be a technical glitch, a mistake, or whatever: after all, one assumes the Fox News people want visitors to their website, and the more the merrier – right?

     Israel's amen corner in the US is vocal, well-organized, and not averse to censorship when it advances their agenda, and so outside pressure on Fox News to pull the series cannot be ruled out. As disturbing as it is to contemplate, it seems that censorship is indeed a strong possibility in this case – that is, Fox News is engaging in self-censorship, for reasons of its own.

     http://www.antiwar.com/justin/j122201special.html

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 1:23pm

271. Nope

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 4:36pm

272. If you pay attention, you'll notice that Rese has a tendency to ignore the comments of others for the most part, and just make his posts available for those who choose to read them and learn. He also rarely provides links to his sources.

     I try to provide links whenever possible, and have a tendency to utilize trolls to my advantage. Whenever challenged about matters pertaining to the Conspiracy required to enable the success of the 9/11 attacks, I respond with so many facts tied to so many links, that the trolls slink off with their tails between their legs, rather than attempt to refute my contentions (as happened here today).

     On this site and many others, I have been attacked by the apologists of Israel and operatives of the ADL and AIPAC, and when I bombard them with facts and links and challenge them to refute my contentions, they either attack me as a person, or simply disappear - in the absence of links and facts to contradict my contentions.

     If you're looking for evidence of a conspiracy - to include Israel in the attacks of 9/11, the evidence exists in the fact that no one...literally no one, can provide any stories or evidence to refute the story of the Dancing Israelis.

     9/11 affected me profoundly, and that particular story opened my eyes to the OBVIOUS. Why would ANYONE celebrate the autrocities of 9/11...particularly within sight of the towers as they collapsed...unless they were celebrating their own victory? That question is clearly radioactive...no one dares respond.

     I have since come to the conclusion that these Mossad Agents were likely involved in the planting of the explosives required to drop the towers on command (explosive residue, $4,000 in cash and boxcutters were found in their van). They would have gained access to the towers under the banner of Urban Movers, who were likely involved in the premature move-out of Zim Shipping, and Israeli shipping company which broke a long-term lease just two weeks prior to 9/11. Ten of Zim's employees remained in the towers on the morning of 9/11 - but evacuated safely when the planes hit.

     What were they doing there?

     Why were Urban Moving Employees Celebrating the atttacks?

     Why did the owner of Urban Moving suddenly flee to Israel in the middle of the night once his employees were captured?

     Why did one of the captured agents fail SEVEN lie detector tests?

     Why did Michael Chertoff merely deport these clearly guilty bastards without any charges after four months of solitary confinement? Is there anything that would piss you off more than to see a group of guys laughing and high fiving as the twin towers fell with all that humanity inside? Is it so hard to understand why I will not let this go without ANY plausible explanation? Is there a good reason why EVERY AMERICAN is not asking the same questions?

     Do you have ANY plausible explanation for this that does not lead to the conclusion that Israel was in some way involved in 9/11? I continue to ask the same question all over the Internet, yet NOBODY can provide any legitimate explanation for what transpired with the story of the Dancing Israelis.

     If you can draw more than one conclusion - let me know how.

     Posted by plunger at 01/02/2006 @ 5:03pm

273. Plunger, I really don't know why they were dancing, maybe it's as you think or maybe it was as simple and still as evil as knowing they didn't have to deliver another set of office furniture all the way up there. Israeli to the NSA politics are complicated. However I think there are probably a lot of folk, most likely a majority of the US and world population, like myself, already extremely suspicious of the current administration, the BC BS regime, a dictatorship in bloom. However, I see some big changes ‘a'comin' with its ability to control key people, media, congress and our nation. Whenever you have these many people thinking it's got to change--normally it does. It's inevitable. Like I predicted in a previous post, 01/01/2006 @ 4:13pm, though tongue somewhat planted in cheek, most of it should be taken to heart. I do not think all the classified stuff is going to come out in the next month or two, or ever, but you'll see a noticeable crack in the force field, esp. by July. Will Bush come clean or clean house? Will he improve his speech; loose the hidden earplug receiver or the fake accent? Just a feeling, but it's an awfully strong one. A big turd ‘Is' hitting the fan. And your posts won't be in vain.

     As I've mentioned before, since I have 2-3 jobs and a single parent, I'm just a busy observer now. Can't post too much. But I'll be clapping in the audience as the curtain comes up.

     Posted by Bushfools at 01/02/2006 @ 5:50pm

274. "It is the heart always that sees before the head can see."

     – Thomas Carlyle

     Posted by Bushfools at 01/02/2006 @ 6:21pm

275. http://www.guerrillanews.com/articles/2003/NSA_Spied_on_U_N_Diplomats_in _Push_for_Invasion_of_Iraq

     Posted by Bushfools at 01/02/2006 @ 9:25pm