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Libby Indicted!
I. Lewis Libby, Chief of Staff and henchman for Dick Cheney has been indicted by Federal Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald on 5 counts, including obstruction, perjury and making false statements in relation to the CIA leak case. Best of all, Fitzgerald made it clear that he is not finished and will continue his investigation, focusing on Rove and other shady figures of Bushco. One down, many more to go. Read the indictment and see the official information on Fitzgerald's site.
Why Bush is unimpeachable
It's a matter of politics, not law. His party controls congress, where articles of impeachment must originate. How likely is it that corrupt GOP leaders will allow a vote to take down one of their own?
Technology as seen through the prisms of history and geography
Greg Downey, Assistant Professor at UW-Madison has quite an interesting concept, and one of which I have thought, although never putting it into defined terms. As someone involved in the hidden labor behind the production of websites, i sometimes wonder how the world perceives what it is I do, if at all.
Cheney told Libby about Plame
This is according to a "lawyer involved in the case". Although this information is in his hands, it's not likely to have been made public by Fitzgerald or his crew. This could indicate a split between Libby and Cheney, or it may be that Karl Rove's lawyer is gunning to make Libby take more of the fall. This also subsequently brings Cheney even more into focus. Are these nasty fellows turning on each other?
Wal-Mart bloats even more
The unscrupulous and greedy retailer plans to open nearly 300 new stores in the next fiscal year. Great news for those seeking low-paying jobs without benefits, or shoppers looking for poorly made goods imported from countries with unfair business practices.
The White House takes on the Onion
With all the sticks the administration currently has in the fire, the timing is at the least odd in the decision to keep "America's finest news source" in line, just so people aren't confused that the comments within may actually have been made by our fearless leader.
Arrest warrant issued for Tom DeLay
Wanted man Tom DeLay will be required to appear for arraignment and to be fingerprinted and have a mugshot taken.
Bush knew Rove was the leaker in 2003. Lied in 2004 when he said he didn't know who leaked. Obstruction of Justice.
According to an article from the New York Daily News, Bush was furious in 2003 when he found out that Karl Rove had been clumsy in leaking Valerie Plame's identity. On June 10, 2004 Bush said he would fire anyone who had leaked Plame's identity, although he already knew it was Rove, yet didn't fire him. The investigation was already ongoing at the time, so hiding this information constitutes obstruction of justice. Read the entry on AmericaBlog for more details.
Rumors of Cheney's resignation
Is this too good to be true? There are a lot of reasons to believe that "Big Time" Dick will go down. If he times an announcement before an indictment, he'll claim it is for "medical" reasons. The beast is rotting from the head down.
Made-up words from the Simpsons
The Simpsons has always had a rich wealth of language of its own. Some expressions have taken on a life of its own, notably "D'oh" and "Worst (insert your own idea here) ever". Now words independent of catch phases have been compiled. I've always liked "cromulent", "embiggen", "Jebus" and "tomacco". I use "meh" all the time. Check out the list and smell you later.
Stella is three months old
Our little star is getting to be a big girl. See her latest pictures.
Lop-sided broadcasts on Armed Forces Radio
It seems that talk radio can only come from the far right when it comes to the taxpayer funded Armed Forces Radio network. A progressive radio show that was to begin today was cancelled. It reeks of retaliation for the exposure of the faked Bush teleconference with soldiers last week.
Cheney may be a target in investigation
It's possible that Dick Cheney may be among those who is under investigation regarding the leak of a CIA agent's identity.
"Bush Braces for a Stormy Week"
One of the few items in the mainstream media about the difficulties that Bush can look forward to in the coming week.
DeLay to be booked
Former Speaker of the House Tom DeLay will likely be fingerprinted and a mugshot taken later this week after being charged with a felony. Even though he tried to get out of the procedure, Judge Bob Perkins in Travis County, Texas apparently decided that DeLay was not more equal than others.
The Nexus of politics and terror
Bloggermann's further analysis of the connection between terrorism threats and the Bush administration. Includes specific examples and dates.
Rove testifies again today, White House has "jitters"
With high level members of the administration under investigation over Plamegate and an all but certain connection upstairs, the atmosphere in the White House is in near panic.
Bush stages phony photo op with troops in Iraq
In another ploy to deceive, Bush's operatives orchestrated a phony photo op for Bush to push his propaganda. This is reminiscent of the way things worked in the Soviet Union.
Terror threats appear "conveniently" for the Bush administration
It appears as though the pre-scripted "Town Hall" meetings arent' the only political theater written by the Republicans. Numerous "terror threats" have coincided with bad news about themselves. The use of fear to distract the public remains one of the administration's most valued ways of pushing aside bad news.
Bush at 2% approval among the nation's blacks
It isn't surprising that Bush is unpopular among black Americans, however just how low is indeed surprising. Just two percent approve of Bush's job in office. That is the lowest number ever for the poll, conducted for NBC News.
Free Fall
Say what you will about him, he certainly is limber when he's being inflexible. Lifelike realism in that the only direction he moves is down.
Kyrgyz Air Base
Looks like the U.S. military air base in Kyrgyzstan is going to stay. Rice made a visit and apparently paid off the right people, so that the base would be allowed to keep on flying missions over Afghanistan. Someone's going to be building an addition on to their dacha this summer.
Freedom from diapers
For those new or soon to be parents out there, there is an alternative to years of diaper dependency. The rest of the world does just fine without diapers, so instead of making the companies who produce them richer, do yourself a favor and get rid of the addiction early. Resources available such as diaperfreebaby.org are helpful for learning how to overcome the diaper.
Waffle-making robot!
The promise of the futuristic world eluded to so frequently in the last century is finally starting to come true. There is now a robot that makes waffles. This is the pinnacle of man's achievement.
New Stella photos!
Take me there right away!
A BBC list of 20 unusual words from other languages
These words don't necessarily have an equivalent in English. Many express ideas that would be tremendously useful in English speech. It would nice to be able to say "There are many 'amakudari'* 'iets door de vingers kijken'** in the Bush administration" and have everyone understand.
*(In Japanese, 'amakudari', literally descent from heaven, describes the phenomenon of being employed by a firm in an industry one has previously, as a government bureaucrat, been involved in regulating.)
**(From Flemish: 'iets door de vingers kijken', literally it means looking at something through the fingers, allowing something illegal or incorrect to happen by conscious inaction.)
Presidential Approval Rating: 37%
A new CBS News poll shows Bush at his lowest ratings ever. Interesting to note is that Americans see Bush as the fourth most important problem in the U.S., ahead of terrorism. This deserves repeating: Bush is considered by the American public to be a bigger problem than terrorism. Also, when it comes to the direction of the country, 69% responded that the country is on the wrong track, the highest number since CBS started asking the question in 1983. In Bush's comprehension of the situation, I'm sure he thinks he's "doin' a heck of a job".
Koppel to leave late night
Sadly, Ted Koppel, anchor of Nightline and one of the last elements of credibility in the mainstream media is leaving the airwaves on November 22.
Bush: God told me to invade Iraq
Does this mean that Bush is passing the buck to God? Can God be accused of war crimes? Just when you thought Bush couldn't get any more insane, there he goes. A BBC series called "Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs" reveals insights into Bush's "moral and religious obligations".
AmericaBlog
A terrific resource for timely news that seldom finds the light of day in the mainstream media, AmericaBlog is at the forefront of the investigations into a wide variety of subjects, including the crooked dealings of DeLay, Rove, Bush and company. Updated constantly and always ahead of the storm, AmericaBlog is at the center of a movement trying to force the mainstream media to become more diligent and responsible.
Be Proud, GOP
Out of 99 voting senators, nine Republicans did not find it reasonable to vote for a bill to reject torture. The senators who support the use of torture are: Wayne Allard - Colorado, Kit Bond - Missouri, Tom Coburn - Oklahoma, Thad Cochran - Mississippi, John Cornyn - Texas, James Inhofe - Oklahoma, Pat Roberts - Kansas, Jeff Sessions - Alabama, Ted Stevens - Alaska. Apparently the religious right and human rights don't mix.
Southwest Airlines fashion police
A woman was booted off a flight for wearing an anti-Bush administration t-shirt.
Top Ten Signs Bush Is Drinking Again
(from Oct. 4, 2005 late Show with David Letterman)
10. "Begins every speech with, 'Dude, I'm so hungover'"
9. "Welcomed John Roberts with awkward, lingering hug"
8. "During recent speech, coughed up a swizzle stick"
7. "Now spells his name 'B-U-S-C-H'"
6. "Appointed Michael Brown head of Zima"
5. "He's been pronouncing words correctly"
4. "Next Supreme Court nominee: Johnny Walker Black"
3. "He's been asking Clinton for 'That hefty girl's telephone number'"
2. "Even the twins are urging him to slow down"
1. "Called a cabinet meeting to discuss 'Laura's dynamite ass'"
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
A new documentary digs into the world of greed to see how it is that Wal-Mart has become so powerful at the expense of the rest of us.
Kenny G is back!
No, not that Kenny G. The good Kenny G. The one who has what some may call an extremely irritating show on WFMU. I call it probably the most original show on radio. His new show is called "Intelligent Design". Be forewarned, if you are a first time listener you may find Kenny's audible art a little difficult to digest.
McDonalds unable to break into rap
McDonalds apparently tried to hip up its image by attempting to bribe rappers to insert Big Macs into the mix. However, their project to entice sellouts backfired.
Will all fired up
Arch conservative George Will is seething over Bush's nomination of Miers to the Supreme Court. It seems that conservatives are just now beginning to find out what the rest of us have known for years: Bush is an idiot.
Energy Hog
Energy prices got you down? Need a second mortgage to fill up your Suburban? Never fear, the Bush administration via the Department of Energy has the solution all wrapped up. Meet The Energy Hog. The Bush administration is betting that playing games with this swine will do a better job of curbing our energy consumption than any tree-hugging higher energy efficiency legislation. DOE, you're doing a heck of a job!
Not looking for a fight
How does a swaggering, tough talking Texan who supposedly shrugs off polls nominate a supreme court justice? Apparently the same way he survived Vietnam: by ducking a fight. Harriet Miers is a Bush crony with insufficient experience and a thin, sometimes contradictory record. This choice has puzzled everyone and infuriated his ultra right-wing base. Curiously, Miers is the person who gave Bush the infamous "Bin Laden determined to strike in US" memo on Aug 6, 2001.
DeLay indicted on new charges
This time it's conspiring to launder money and money laundering. A truculent DeLay whailed that he was a victim of an "abomination of justice". In any case, it seems as though some of his Republican colleagues are none too eager for his return to Washington.
SUV sales slump
There are good things that come with higher gas prices. Bulky SUVs with their enormous appetite for fuel may be finally starting to die off like their similarly sized dinosaur predecessors. Good riddance.
Nicknames a la Dubya
Perhaps Bush's only semi-creative endeavor is the assignment of nicknames to his cronies, enemies and lackies.
Andy Rooney on Iraq
Ordinarily Andy Rooney wastes the time that CBS gives him each week complaining about things that an old guy is prone to complain about. This week however, he actually had something to say.
Beyond DeLay
With Delay out, there are plenty of others deserving of investigation. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington put together a list of the 13 most corrupt members of congress. The LA Times and Daily KOS also have details.
Jack Poppe searches for failure...
Jack has a curious Google search on his site. His directions are below:
"Here is a set of simple instructions that is pretty neat to follow
1)open your internet browser and go to www.google.com
2)type in failure without quotation marks
3)now hit the "I'm feeling lucky" button.
The whole thing is really funny and I think it is a happy accident that happened. To be fair Michael Moore is the # 2 hit on the regular search."
Thanks, Jack!
Is Bush drinking again?
The National Enquirer says he is. Not that the National Enquirer is what one thinks of when considering the model of journalistic ability, but they have been known to be fairly accurate about celebrity scandals. Kudos to the Enquirer for choosing a photo of Bush to accompany the story that has a highly constipated expression.
Conservation by conservatives?!?
Bush quietly asks for conservation, but not so loud as to awaken any of his oil lobby cronies or a nation being force fed SUVs. But how convincing is it for Bush to ask drivers to rotate their tires to save gas when it costs $40,000 per hour for him to fly in Air Force One to Texas? Especially when it's for a Hurricane Rita photo-op in rolled up "workin' man" shirtsleeves, in an effort to boost his sagging poll numbers.
Harriet Miers nominated
Looking to elevate another hack appointee, Bush nominated a lawyer who has never been a judge to the supreme court. Not surprisingly her résumé is underwhelming and her experience is lacking considering this is the highest court in the land. Her main qualifications are that as a woman, on the surface she may be seen as a more logical replacement for O'Connor, she is a Texan, and of course she is a loyal Bush crony. If it seems as though Miers may not be up to the job, you must remember Bush can't learn from past mistakes, (Iraq) because (Brownie) he (Bolton) doesn't (9/11) make (DeLay) any (AWOL).
Tenth Planet "Xena" has a moon
It has been discovered that Xena, aka 2003 UB313, has a satellite that has been dubbed "Gabrielle". Although not at this point officially recognized as a planet, Xena is at 1,700 miles in diameter, larger than Pluto.
DeLay and Frist make history
"The fact that Tom DeLay is under criminal indictment and Senate majority leader Bill Frist is under criminal investigation is a historic first," says Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). "This demonstrates the culture of corruption among the Congressional leadership that has become a cancer on our country." Read more in" The Hammer Gets Hit". Or see what Arianna Huffington has to say about "the crowd that was going to 'restore honor and integrity' to Washington".
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