Not Content Merely To Fuck Little Kids, The Pedophiles' Pals in NY Catholic Charities Now Fucking Them Over Too

via Julius Civitatus, in the comments section of Atrios,

The story broke last spring and received some press coverage: See NY Post story; Guardian story; New York Press story.

New York's HIV experiment

Jacklyn Hoerger's job was to treat children with HIV at a New York children's home.

But nobody had told her that the drugs she was administering were experimental and highly toxic. [--snip--]

In fact it was the drugs that were making the children ill and the children had been enrolled on the secret trials without their relatives' or guardians' knowledge. [--snip--]

One of the homes to which HIV positive children were taken was the Incarnation Children's Center, a large, expensively refurbished red-bricked building set back from the sidewalk in a busy Harlem street.

It is owned by the Catholic church and when we attempted to talk to officials at Incarnation we were referred to an equally expensive Manhattan public relations company, which then refused to comment on activities within the home. [--snip--]

At Incarnation, if a child refused to take the medicines offered, he or she was force-fed through a peg-tube inserted into the stomach.

Gee, it looks like the priests forgot to read their own mission statement, which provides:

To provide a nurturing, home-like setting that provides first-rate care, filled with love and compassion, designed to give each child a longer and better life.

To be ever-mindful of the effects, on child and family alike, that admission to ICC may cause and to do all we can to ensure a positive experience.

To make every effort to improve each child’s health to allow the earliest possible discharge back to a home setting.

Or maybe they just forgot to add the following paragraph to their mission statement,

To help drug companies test highly toxic and occasionally lethal drugs on innocent and defenseless children who have been entrusted to our care so that through our nominally independent "charitable" organization we may earn millions and millions of tax dollars to support our proselytizing mission.

Or words to that effect.

According to the annual report (download pdf here) for The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, these folks received $13,949,000 of funding from "government sources in fy 2003. Your tax dollars at work.

Partisan Labels In Kind

Thinking about BushWorld's love of the phrase Massachussetts Liberal in the last election, we wonder whether Democrats should consider using phrases like 'Bama Bigots and Texas Fryers when caricaturing their opponents. Of course, the Reds will cry foul, but who gives a rat's anus what those whiners think, anyway?

Ridge Raises Ruby Flag

Yahoo! News - Ridge Resigns Homeland Security Post: "Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, whose name became synonymous with color-coded terror alerts and tutorials about how to prepare for possible attack, resigned Tuesday."

Too bad he couldn't have figured out how to keep people on watch lists, explosives and weapons off airplanes. No doubt an executive position at Halliburton and a contract for his memoire, Chartreuse Days and Magenta Nights: My Terror Years, await.

Republican Congress Loses Control of Building Project: Hundreds of Millions Wasted - Pell Grants Slashed

GAO Cites Capitol Facility's Costs, Delays (washingtonpost.com): "Construction of the Capitol Visitor Center could cost as much as $558.6 million before it is completed in late 2006, which would represent a $185 million price increase and a nearly two-year delay in the opening date since work began in 2002, according to a new federal study. [--snip--]

Some analysts say Congress is partly to blame. The GAO noted in a report last year that lawmakers had frequently changed the center's design -- adding security measures and office space, for example -- while failing to adequately track the associated costs.

Steve Ellis, a spokesman for the nonpartisan group Taxpayers for Common Sense, said the architect had become "a convenient whipping boy" for lawmakers who created an "untenable plan" and then failed to keep costs in check.

"Congress has the fiduciary responsibility to oversee this boondoggle in their backyard, and they are conveniently putting their head in the ground and only popping up every time the GAO comes out with another criticism and a cost increase," Ellis said."

Pentagon Fails To Create Effective Iraqi Military Before Elections : G.I.s Will Be In Baghdad For A Decade

The New York Times > International > Middle East > U.S. Officials Say Iraq's Forces Founder Under Rebel Assaults: "Iraqi police and national guard forces, whose performance is crucial to securing January elections, are foundering in the face of coordinated efforts to kill and intimidate them and their families, say American officials in the provinces facing the most violent insurgency. [--snip--]

While Bush administration officials say that the training is progressing and that there have been instances in which the Iraqis have proved tactically useful and fought bravely, local American commanders and security officials say both Iraqi forces are riddled with problems.

In the most violent provinces, they say, the Iraqis are so intimidated that many are reluctant to show up and do not tell their families where they work; they have yet to receive adequate training or weapons, present a danger to American troops they fight alongside, and are unreliable because of corruption, desertion or infiltration.

Given the weak performance of Iraqi forces, any major withdrawal of American troops for at least a decade would invite chaos, a senior Interior Ministry official, whose name could not be used, said in an interview last week."

I.R.C.: Deliberate Torture at Gitmo

The New York Times > Washington > Red Cross Finds Detainee Abuse in Guant�namo: "The International Committee of the Red Cross has charged in confidential reports to the United States government that the American military has intentionally used psychological and sometimes physical coercion 'tantamount to torture' on prisoners at Guant�namo Bay, Cuba."

The team of humanitarian workers, which included experienced medical personnel, also asserted that some doctors and other medical workers at Guantánamo were participating in planning for interrogations, in what the report called "a flagrant violation of medical ethics."

Wouldn't it be nice if human rights types didn't use the same language to describe us as they did to describe Saddam. BushWorld: the people who brought you torture rooms made in the U.S.A.

Lots of G.I.s injured, dying in Iraq

4 Troops Die as Toll Nears Monthly High: "At least four U.S. troops died in Iraq on Monday, and November's toll is approaching the highest of any month since the American-led invasion was launched in March 2003." [--snip--]

The Landstuhl hospital said Monday that about 21,000 U.S. soldiers, most from units sent to Iraq, had been treated there since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.

The hospital did not say how many were combat and how many noncombat injuries. Doctors there had treated 17,878 U.S. troops from Iraq and 3,085 from Afghanistan through Sunday, hospital spokeswoman Marie Shaw said

Reds Pursue "Big Government" Strategy in Courts

Justices Take On Medical Pot Law: "The Supreme Court on Monday confronted a dispute between California's medical marijuana law and federal antidrug policy, with a Bush administration lawyer arguing that the government's zero-tolerance law trumps the state measure."

Yesterday they wanted federal courts to prevent states from allowing gay marriage. Today they want federal courts to prevent states from regulating medical practices. Who knows how much power the federal courts will have when the Reds are done?

Good Luck, Tony

Boston.com / News / World / Latin America/Caribbean / Blair urges dialogue with US on climate: "Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday urged a new international dialogue with the United States on climate change, weeks before Britain takes over the presidency of the G8 group of industrialized nations. 'The most important thing is to try to get a dialogue with America on how we recognize both the scale of the problem on greenhouse gas emissions and a process that enables us to confront and deal with it,' Blair said during a news conference. The United States, the world's biggest polluter, withdrew in 2001 from the Kyoto Protocol, which aims to reduce manmade atmospheric pollutants known as greenhouse gases. Blair has vowed to make tackling global warming a priority of Britain's G8 presidency, but acknowledges there is little prospect of Washington backing the Kyoto Protocol. (Reuters)"

Wouldn't it be nice if the rest of the "free world" didn't use the same language to talk about US pollution policy as they use to talk about Iraq's nuclear policy?

Who Lost Mosul?

Boston.com / News / World / Fear of ethnic conflict charges Mosul unrest: "Such dire predictions failed to materialize in the 18 months following Hussein's fall. But the recent explosion of violence in this ethnically divided northern city has deteriorated to the brink of widespread ethnic conflict."

The rising tensions spilled over last week as the corpses of Iraqi soldiers, many of them Kurds, continued to pile up in the streets of Mosul. Most of them were killed by single gunshots to the head. Some were beheaded. The prime suspects are Arab Islamists allied with local Ba'athists, operating in the Old City on Mosul's west bank.

Another Bad Ruling For Fag-Haters: Pentagon Can't Force Law Schools To Promote Its Discriminatory Policies

Boston.com / News / Nation / Pentagon ordered to halt law school recruiting tactics: "A three-judge panel issued an injunction prohibiting the Pentagon from enforcing the Solomon Amendment, which had compelled Harvard, Yale, Boston College, and many other universities to allow military recruiters on campus despite the fact that the US policy against gays serving openly in the military violates the schools' nondiscrimination rules."

Perhaps the best early warning of a draft will be when the Pentagon abandons its queer-bashing.

No Military Manpower Problems Thanks To Nukes, General Reassures

Yahoo! News - U.S. General Warns Iran Against Exploiting U.S.: "We can generate more military power per square inch than anybody else on Earth, and everybody knows it,' Abizaid said. 'If you ever even contemplate our nuclear capability, it should give everybody the clear understanding that there is no power that can match the United States militarily.'"

Because He Thinks The War in Iraq Is Going So Well, Il Ducetto Forges Ahead With War Plans For Iraq

Yahoo! News - Thwarted U.S. May Seek Lone Push on Iran Sanctions: "Iran escaped U.N. censure over its nuclear program but Washington, which accuses it of seeking an atomic bomb, said Monday it reserved the right to take the case to the Security Council on its own." [--snip--]

Sanders also issued a stern warning to companies, including multinationals, against exporting weapons-related equipment to Iran. The United States "will impose economic burdens on them and brand them as proliferators," she said.

"Except for Halliburton, of course," she mumbled quietly under her breath as she left the podium.

We're Here, We're Queer, Get Used To It My Dear

Yahoo! News - Court Declines to Hear Gay Marriage Case: "The Supreme Court on Monday sidestepped a dispute over gay marriages, rejecting a challenge to the nation's only law sanctioning such unions."

Under bovine excrement file the Red, "republican" argument:

Their attorney, Mathew Staver, said in a Supreme Court filing that the Constitution should "protect the citizens of Massachusetts from their own state supreme court's usurpation of power."

Federal courts, he said, should defend people's right "to live in a republican form of government free from tyranny, whether that comes at the barrel of a gun or by the decree of a court."

Isn't it freeper madness to argue that you have to go to a federal court to get protection from a state court. Especially when you haven't exhausted your state constitutional remedies.

Remember, We're Supposed To Reach Out To The Red States



Alabama Vote Opens Old Racial Wounds: If Wallace could be brought back to life today to reprise his 1963 moment of infamy outside Foster Auditorium, he would still be correct. Alabama voters made sure of that Nov. 2, refusing to approve a constitutional amendment to erase segregation-era wording requiring separate schools for "white and colored children" and to eliminate references to the poll taxes once imposed to disenfranchise blacks.

What If Iraqis Don't Want To Die For BushWorld's Version of Freedom?

Shiites Reject Delay of Election: BAGHDAD, Nov. 27 -- Iraq's Shiite Muslim parties and the religious leadership headed by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani on Saturday rejected a demand by other communities for a delay in nationwide elections scheduled for Jan. 30, in an escalating dispute that magnifies the country's ethnic and sectarian fault lines.

Is it democracy if you have to die to vote?

BushWorld: It's Not Debt If Somebody Else Pays It

Vast Borrowing Seen in Altering Social Security: WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 - The White House and Republicans in Congress are all but certain to embrace large-scale government borrowing to help finance President Bush's plan to create personal investment accounts in Social Security, according to administration officials, members of Congress and independent analysts.

Please, please let some blue 527 run "Harry & Louise" ads on this.

We Will Know They Are Red Christians By Their Hate

from the annals of those who worship a god of fear and hate, via The Raw Story

Informal exorcism at St. Paul Cathedral prompts investigation: "Police are investigating an informal exorcism at the Cathedral of St. Paul, which was directed at gay Roman Catholics and will cost thousands of dollars to clean up, police and church officials said."

They said the ritualistic sprinkling of blessed oil and salt around the church and in donation boxes earlier this month amounted to costly vandalism and possibly a hate crime.[--snip--]

The groups are at odds over gays participating in communion, one of the holiest rites in the church. Earlier this year, about 40 men, members of the group Ushers of the Eucharist, knelt in the aisles at the Cathedral to block Rainbow members from taking communion. [--snip--]

He said salt is used to bless holy water, and the oil, once it is blessed by a bishop, is used for consecrations. By sprinkling the salt and oil, he said, the vandals thought they were making the church holy again. [--snip--]

Just in time for the start of the Christmas shopping season.

Perhaps It's A Coincidence, But ....

Depending on the guest list, post prandial viewing on Thanksgiving at Pudentilla's house consists either of sporting events or classic movies. This year the guest list prefers classic movies. We went to the video store down in the city today and discovered that one cannot obtain, Kiss Me Kate, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady or State Fair. Nor can one obtain, Camelot, A Man For All Seasons, Robin and Marian, Robin Hood (the Errol Flynn version) or the Ghost and Mrs. Muir. We were able to rent North by Northwest and South Pacific.

We will try the other video store after dinner. We did not have problems obtaining classic films during the Clinton administration.

We wish all of you better luck with your post prandial entertainment and a Happy Thanksgiving.

BushWorld: Why Pursue Meaningful But Difficult And Expensive CIA Reform When The Throne Can Just Issue Meaningless Decrees

Bush Wants to Bolster CIA but Doesn't Offer Specifics: "President Bush has ordered what may be a major expansion of the CIA, calling for the beleaguered agency to add thousands of analysts and spies as part of an ongoing buildup in the war on terrorism, according to a White House memorandum released Tuesday."

But the directive set no timetable for the changes and offered no indication that the White House intended to ask Congress for the massive funding increase such a plan would require.

BushWorld: Promoting Democracy and Freedom, One Right Wing Coup at a Time

Boston.com / News / World / Latin America/Caribbean / US knew of 2002 plot on Chavez, papers show: "The US government knew of an imminent plot to oust Venezuela's leftist president, Hugo Chavez, in the weeks before a 2002 military coup that briefly unseated him, newly released CIA documents show, despite White House claims to the contrary a week after the putsch."

Yet the United States, which depends on Venezuela for nearly one-sixth of its oil, never warned the Chavez government, Venezuelan officials said.

Gee, you'd think they were hoping anti-democratic forces would prevail in the country that provides 18% of the country's oil supply. Why, that would make them hypocritical offspring of female canines as well as mendacious bags of excrement.

A Day Late And A Dollar Short

Boston.com / News / Politics / Presidential candidates / Federal office to probe vote procedures: "The US Government Accountability Office is launching an investigation in response to allegations of voting irregularities that emerged in the aftermath of the Nov. 2 election, marking the first response by the federal government to concerns about the vote that have swirled around the Internet over the past three weeks."

Why Didn't We Think Of That?

Republicans Finding Ways To Account For Overhaul (washingtonpost.com): "Republican budget writers say they may have found a way to cut the federal deficit even if they borrow hundreds of billions more to overhaul the Social Security system: Don't count all that new borrowing."

Is this like applying for a mortgage and not mentioning your credit card debt? We wonder why banks don't let us do this. Perhaps because it is not truthful.

Red Values: Lie about your excesses and let someone else pick up the bill.

Istook: Wasn't Me


The New York Times > Washington > Panel Chief Denies Knowing About Item on Inspecting Tax Returns: "Representative Ernest Istook, the chairman of the appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Internal Revenue Service budget, said on Monday that a measure allowing some lawmakers and their staffs to examine Americans' income tax returns had been inserted in a huge spending bill by a staff assistant without his knowledge."

Shouldn't somebody in the SCLM be identifying the staffer responsible (or at least willing to fall on Istook's sword) for this?

The Republican Party takes another stand for more powerful central government and fewer civil liberties.

Bush Fails To Train Enough Forces To Protect Iraqi Electorate

The New York Times > International > Middle East > Iraq Falls Short on Vote Security: "Iraqi officials and American commanders plan to rely on Iraqi security forces to protect 9,000 polling places during the coming elections, but there are far fewer trained security officers than Iraqi officials estimate are needed. Moreover, many have performed poorly in the Sunni Arab areas where the worst violence is expected."

Buyers Remorse

The New York Times > National > Americans Show Clear Concerns on Bush Agenda: "After enduring a brutally fought election campaign, Americans are optimistic about the next four years under President Bush, but have reservations about central elements of the second-term agenda he presented in defeating Senator John Kerry, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll."

Welcome To BushWorld - No Final Numbers So No Recount

Suit Asks for Ohio Recount: "Carlo LoParo, spokesman for Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican, has said results will be certified by Dec. 6. LoParo said Monday that it would not be feasible to conduct a recount because there were no final numbers. "

Presidential Theater Plays Well In Washington, Awaiting Out Of Town Reviews

Boston.com / News / Politics / Hastert's shameful ploy: "Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney personally lobbied two recalcitrant House committee chairmen -- Duncan Hunter of California and James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin -- but to little effect: The continued opposition of these two caused Hastert to abort an expected vote on Saturday."

BushWorld: Hate Crimes Up, Civil Rights Prosecutions Down

Boston.com / News / Nation / Hate-crime figures rise in '03; blacks often targeted, FBI says: "More than 7,400 hate crimes were reported nationwide last year, with more than half of them attributed to racial prejudice and most of that prejudice directed against blacks, the FBI said yesterday." [--snip--]

The report also found more than 1,200 hate crimes based on sexual orientation, including 783 against male homosexuals. That included six murders.

The FBI hate crimes report is drawn from information submitted by more than 11,900 law enforcement agencies around the country. Only about 16 percent of those agencies reported any hate crimes in their jurisdictions during 2003.

The Justice Department, meanwhile, yesterday defended its record of prosecuting criminal civil rights cases after an independent study concluded the number of prosecutions had dropped significantly under President Bush.

Hunting Deer With Semi-Automatic Rifes?

Boston.com / News / Nation / Wis. deer hunting trip turns deadly: "Asked to leave, the trespasser, wearing blaze-orange and carrying a semiautomatic assault rifle, opened fire on the hunters and didn't stop until his 20-round clip was empty, leaving five people dead and three wounded, authorities said. "

If only Blue Staters would understand how deeply Red Staters feel about gun rights.

Leave No Rich Child Behind

Boston.com / News / Nation / US aid for college students slashed: "Nearly a quarter of low- and moderate-income college students who currently qualify for federal Pell grants will see their awards reduced or eliminated under a change in federal rules that Congress allowed in its new spending bill passed over the weekend, according to an estimate from higher education analysts."

Déjà Vu: Globe Says Civilian Experts Want Fewer Troops in Iraq, While Generals Ask For More

Officers See Need For Bigger Iraq Force (washingtonpost.com): "Senior U.S. military commanders in Iraq say it is increasingly likely they will need a further increase in combat forces to put down remaining areas of resistance in the country." [--snip--]

The officers said the exact number of extra troops needed is still being reviewed but estimated it at the equivalent of several battalions, or about 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers. The number of U.S. troops in Iraq fell to nearly 100,000 last spring before rising to 138,000, where it has stayed since the summer.

To boost the current level, military commanders have considered extending the stay of more troops due to rotate out shortly, or accelerating the deployment of the 3rd Infantry Division, which is scheduled to start in January. But a third option -- drawing all or part of a brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division on emergency standby in the United States -- has emerged as increasingly likely. [--snip--]

"Our assessment is that the insurgency remains viable," a senior military intelligence officer here said. "One of the things we see the insurgents doing is moving to areas where we don't have a lot of presence."

Tell The President Not To Be Alarmed

The New York Times > Washington > G.O.P. Says Motive for Tax Clause in Budget Bill Was Misread: "Democratic leaders and senators from both parties expressed outrage on Sunday about an obscure provision in the huge end-of-session spending bill that would allow the chairmen of the Appropriations Committees and their staff assistants to examine Americans' income tax returns."

It took the Roman Senate awhile to assume a posture of complete subservience to its master. We are sure this Republican Senate is working hard to abandon independent habits of mind. Soon these hiccups and glitches will fade in memory.

TV Ratings Suggest Red Christians Have Digestive Track Problems

The New York Times > Business > Media & Advertising > Many Who Voted for 'Values' Still Like Their Television Sin: "In the greater Atlanta market, reaching more than two million households, 'Desperate Housewives' is the top-rated show. Nearly 58 percent of the voters in those counties voted for President Bush."

And in the Salt Lake City market, which takes in the whole state of Utah and parts of Nevada, Idaho and Wyoming, "Desperate Housewives" is fourth, after two editions of "C.S.I." and NBC's "E.R."; Mr. Bush rolled up 72.6 percent of the vote there.

Otherwise why would they be so packed with excrement.

War Crime Are Like Murder

Rules of War Are Ignored in Iraq, Says Red Cross: "The International Committee of the Red Cross is 'deeply concerned' about the killing of noncombatants in Iraq, operations director Pierre Kraehenbuehl said in a statement released late Friday. "

After you start torturing prisoners, murdering noncombatants gets easier and easier.

Let The Facts Not Divert Us From Our Efforts To Bring War To Iran

Extremist Threats Put Netherlands in Turmoil: "
'There's no age limit,' an investigator said. 'If they feel the need to go for jihad, they go. We know there are camps in Pakistan and people are going to them.'"

The Company You Keep

If one were to purchase an audio version of Suetonius' Lives of the Caesars (English translation) from apple's music store, one would be keeping company with those who also purchased downloads of:

Carol King, Moby, Al Franken, U2, Brazil 66 and Sergio Mendes, Arthur Philips, The Cure, The Rolling Stones, Leo Tolstoy, Ladytron, Andrea Parker, Queen, Carl Hiaason, Esa Pecka Salonen, Hélène.

Pudentilla does not dispute the accuracy of the list. But it surely raises the question, "just who is listening to Suetonius on their pods?"

War In Iran Watch

Boston.com / News / World / Hawks push deep cuts in forces in Iraq: "A growing number of national security specialists who supported the toppling of Saddam Hussein are moving to a position unthinkable even a few months ago: that the large US military presence is impeding stability as much as contributing to it and that the United States should begin major reductions in troops beginning early next year." [--snip--]

"I personally think it will start with a drawdown, and that, I suspect, will begin in April," said John Hamre, president of the center for Strategic and International Studies and former deputy secretary of defense in the Clinton administration who remains in close contact with senior Pentagon officials.

Will they come home or march to Tehran?

Pentagon, Which Could Not Defend Pentagon From Al Q, Still Blocking Intel Reform Bill - Bush's Efforts Ineffective Against Rummy et al.

Boston.com / News / Nation / Bush says he'll press intelligence overhaul: "President Bush yesterday said he would work with Congress to pass a bill overhauling the nation's intelligence services for the struggle against Islamist terror networks after Senate majority leader Bill Frist and other prominent Republicans said that the Pentagon and its allies among House GOP leaders were responsible for blocking the bill and that the president needed to get involved. [--snip--]

Bush said he and Vice President Dick Cheney had talked with key members of the House and ''it was clear I wanted the bill passed." He did not respond directly to a question on whether opposition from Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld contributed to the deadlock.[--snip--]

But the military resisted giving up control over multibillion-dollar agencies that collect and analyze data such as satellite imagery and intercepted electronic communications. Congressional negotiators exempted much of those agencies' budgets from the control of the new intelligence director, but opponents still rejected the watered-down proposal, citing fears that confusion about who was in charge could endanger soldiers.


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May We Recommend?

Boffoblog is authored by a friend and colleague of Pudentilla, who actually knows something about politics since he has actually worked in the halls of Congress and now studies the critters who work there as a political scientist. For Pudentilla, for whom everything after Ennodius is journalism, the prospect of knowledge and competence in political commentary is unnerving.

We believe, however, that Boffo's explication of the heretofore unnoticed role of the Macedonian vote in the Ohio election, and the diplomatic chicanary that preceeded it, demonstrates that actually knowing what you're talking about can help.

Welcome to blogtopia (Yes, the much loved marsupial coined the term - and by coincidence today recaps his advice on how to become a famous blogger - ), Boffo.

That Shot You Heard Was The Beginning of This Term's War on The Middle Classes

Bush Plans Tax Code Overhaul (washingtonpost.com): "The changes are meant to be revenue-neutral. To pay for them, the administration is considering eliminating the deduction of state and local taxes on federal income tax returns and scrapping the business tax deduction for employer-provided health insurance, the advisers said."

Last term in Bushworld we just gave lots of money to rich people. This term we are going to tax people who depend on wages (workers) and not tax people who depend on income from investments (rich people). We will pay for this benefit to the rich by taking away the biggest deduction (after the home mortgage) working folks have on their taxes. And we're going to take away incentives that employers have for giving employees health insurance.

We think we understand their plan. They want middle class people to die more quickly. Then the social costs of health insurance would decline, and the job creation numbers would look better.

Heaving What Last Scraps Of Dignity He Has Overboard In Furious Abandon

The New York Times > AP > National > Specter May Pledge Quick Judicial Votes: "Sen. Arlen Specter, a Republican moderate seeking a key chairmanship in a party of conservatives, is drafting a written commitment of quick hearings and votes on President Bush's judicial nominees regardless of their views on abortion, party sources said Thursday."

Gentle Reader we know that judicial appointments situation is quite serious, but as we told our friend Boffo last night, we cannot help it that everytime we read a Specter humiliation story these days, a little voice in our heart sings, "Anita Hill, tee hee hee."

Military: Pentagon Plans To Reduce Falluja Forces Threaten Operation Success

The New York Times > International > Middle East > Military Assessment: Marine Officers See Risks in Reducing U.S. Troops in Falluja: "Senior Marine intelligence officers in Iraq are warning that if American troop levels in the Falluja area are significantly reduced during reconstruction there, as has been planned, insurgents in the region will rebound from their defeat. The rebels could thwart the retraining of Iraqi security forces, intimidate the local population and derail elections set for January, the officers say."

So we spent all this time, suffered all those casualties, and killed all those civilians for nothing? We the alternative is a proper force structure. Now that is scary to contemplate - because under Bush's war plan, we can't have one.

Bush FDA Knew Vaccine Plant Had Problems Since '03

The New York Times > Health > Officials Found Earlier Contamination at Flu Vaccine Plant: "The Food and Drug Administration uncovered contamination and unsanitary conditions in 2003 at a British plant that manufactures the flu vaccine but did not reinspect it until similar problems caused the loss of half the nation's vaccine supply in October, the agency's chief said Wednesday."

Let's hope for a mild strain this year, or a lot of old folks and babies are going to die because the FDA under Bush is utterly incompetent. Culture of life, my aunt fannie.

Bush FDA Incapable Of Protecting Public From Corrupt Drug Companies

FDA Called 'Defenseless' Against Bad Drugs: "The American public is 'virtually defenseless' if another medication such as Vioxx proves to be unsafe after it is approved for sale, a government drug safety reviewer told a congressional committee Thursday. "

But wait. Isn't the purpose of the FDA to protect the public from corrupt drug companies? Not in Bushworld. In Bushworld, Gentle Reader, the FDA facilities the pursuit of more gainful employment with drug companies and trade groups by Bush cronies.

Military Chiefs To Congress: Bush's War Eviscerating Military

On Capitol Hill, Military Warns of Being Under Strain: "Continued fighting in Iraq is straining U.S. forces nearly to the breaking point, even as the Pentagon pumps more than $5.8 billion per month into sustaining its forces there, the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines told Congress on Wednesday. "

In testimony to the House Armed Services Committee, the service chiefs said the military would need considerably more money for Iraq over the next year. The chiefs of the Army and Marines in particular stressed the increasing difficulty of recruiting and retaining soldiers, and then equipping them for combat.

The must be thrilled with the civilians war mongering against Iran.

Still Shilling

What with the Pollack book and this, one would think the Administration was trying to foment popular support for a war in Iran?

U.S. Asserts Iran Seeks Nuclear Missiles: "As he prepares to meet with Iranian officials at an international conference next week in Egypt, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said Wednesday that he had seen information suggesting Iran had been studying ways to adapt nuclear weapons for use on missiles."

Can you imagine how crazy they will have to get to overcome the white noise threshold they created with Iraq?

We Guess All That Talk About Integrity Was So Much Hooey

What do you call people who change a rule designed to promote political integrity the very first time they might have to enforce it?

Boston.com / News / Politics / Charges no longer a bar to leadership: "Emboldened by their election successes, House Republicans changed their rules yesterday to allow majority leader Tom DeLay of Texas to keep his post even if a grand jury indicts him.

House Republicans, in an unrecorded voice vote behind closed doors, changed a 1993 party rule that required leaders who are indicted to step aside. Under the revised rule, an indicted leader can keep his or her post while the Republican Steering Committee, which is controlled by party leaders, decides whether to recommend any action by the full caucus.

Anwer: Hypocrits? Losers?
Suggestions?

End The Tax Exemption For The Pedophile Protectors

Boston.com / News / Nation / Bishops OK initiative on marriage: "The Catholic bishops of the United States, acting one day before the first anniversary of a Massachusetts court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, voted overwhelmingly yesterday to launch a multiyear initiative aimed at bolstering traditional matrimony." [--snip--]

"Already the gay activists are figuring out how to do an end run for the 11 states that passed this marriage ban, to see how they can still get their agenda enacted," said Bishop Victor B. Galeone of St. Augustine, Fla. "I feel we should invest all our energies to get our people mobilized to the most pressing issue, passing an amendment to the Constitution supporting the defense of marriage."

But the bishops decided to stick with the proposal for a project that would result in the publication of a pastoral statement on marriage in 2007, followed by activities such as revising marriage preparation guidelines and running television and radio spots promoting marriage."

Republicans Increase Your Children's Taxes

Boston.com / News / Nation / Washington / Senate votes to let US borrow up to $8.18 trillion: "A divided Senate approved an $800 billion increase in the federal debt limit yesterday, a major boost in borrowing that Senator John Kerry and other Democrats blamed on the fiscal policies of President Bush."

9/11 Program Administrator: Fairness Not A Government Value

Boston.com / News / Nation / Washington / Chief voices doubts on Sept. 11 fund rules: "The families of victims in the Sept. 11 attacks would have been treated more fairly had they all received the same amount from the government's compensation fund rather than sums based on income, the program's administrator said yesterday."

Kenneth Feinberg, special master of the compensation program, recommended in a final report that if Congress ever considers such a program again, it should offer a flat amount to all the victims, regardless of how much they earned, how much life insurance they carried, or their individual family obligations.

Poor Mr. Feinnberg, doesn't he know that in Red America we want the rich to get richer. If we started being "fair" to people who have suffered devasting tragedy, well who knows where that practice could lead.

Bush Sleeps While Putin Accelerates Nuclear Arms Race

CBC News: Russia working on new nuclear weapons: "New nuclear weapons systems being developed in Russia could include a missile designed to defeat the U.S. missile defence shield."

Speaking with senior military leaders in Moscow on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin said research and testing are underway for new missile systems unlike anything in other countries' arsenals."

First Debate:


LEHRER: New question, two minutes, Senator Kerry.

If you are elected president, what will you take to that office thinking is the single most serious threat to the national security to the United States?

[--snip--]

Kerry: Right now the president is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to research bunker-busting nuclear weapons. The United States is pursuing a new set of nuclear weapons. It doesn't make sense.

You talk about mixed messages. We're telling other people, "You can't have nuclear weapons," but we're pursuing a new nuclear weapon that we might even contemplate using.

[--snip--]

Bush: 'll tell you another way to help protect America in the long run is to continue with missile defenses. And we've got a robust research and development program that has been ongoing during my administration. We'll be implementing a missile-defense system relatively quickly.

And that is another way to help deal with the threats that we face in the 21st century.

My opponent opposed the missile defenses."

Homeland Security Department Requires Secret Handshake

via TalkLeft

Homeland Security Employees Required to Sign Secrecy Pledge (washingtonpost.com): "The Department of Homeland Security is requiring thousands of employees and contractors to sign nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from sharing sensitive but unclassified information with the public."

Of course sharing the id of undercover C.I.A. agents with hack partisan columnists when it is to your perceived political advantage is a different matter.

Cops: Ashcroft and Bush Have Made Us Less Safe

via TalkLeft

Yahoo! News - Police scoff at Ashcroft speech: "The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) said that cuts by the administration in federal aid to local police agencies have left the nation more vulnerable than ever to public safety threats. The 20,000-member group also said in a statement that new anti-terrorism duties for local cops - which have come as state and local budgets have declined and historically low crime rates have crept upward - have pushed police agencies to 'the breaking point.'"

What's That Line About the Pot and Kettle?

Right-Wing Wins Take Wind Out of Talk-Show Hosts (washingtonpost.com): "But Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman from Florida who now hosts MSNBC's nightly 'Scarborough Country,' says the challenge for conservative hosts will be to prove 'that we're more than just the Pravda of the right.' He adds, 'I think that's going to be difficult for some people. I honestly don't know what Sean Hannity is going to be able to talk about. If you've been reading off the Republican National Committee's talking points like he has for the past four years, it's going to be hard to be critical of the status quo.'
"

Bush's Army: Now The Hard Part Starts

Troops Climbing First Rung of Steep Ladder (washingtonpost.com): "While at least 38 Marine and Army troops have died in a tough week of house-to-house fighting in Fallujah, that is not the hardest part of the U.S. counteroffensive against the Iraqi insurgency."

More Training, Perhaps?

Armed Group Kidnaps 31 Iraqi Policemen: "An armed group kidnapped 31 Iraqi policemen who were returning training in Jordan, authorities said Wednesday, and a suicide car bomber rammed a U.S. convoy north of Baghdad, killing 10 people, hospital officials said. "

As Bush Promised, It's A New Kind Of War: We Win The "Battles" And The Fighting Continues.

Fallouja's Battle Won, but Fighting Continues: "

'These guys don't die easy,' said Lance. Cpl. Marquel Curtis, as he crouched in a foxhole Tuesday, watching from a safe distance as grenade rounds and heavy machine-gun fire raked the home where the fighters were holed up."

Friends of Future Felons Organize in D.C. - Red Christian Outrage Muted.

Boston.com / News / Politics / Change in rules proposed to protect DeLay's post: "Supporters of House majority leader Tom DeLay proposed a Republican rules change yesterday that would protect the Texan's leadership position if he were to be indicted by a Texas grand jury that already has charged three of his associates."

Who are we supposed to tlak to about values, again?

Suffer The Little Children

Boston.com / News / Local / Priest asks lawmaker to quit choir post: "A Catholic priest at St. Augustine Parish in Andover has asked state Representative Barbara A. L'Italien to step down as cantor and leader of the children's choir because of the legislator's support for abortion rights and gay marriage." [[--snip--]

L'Italien -- who represents parts of Andover, North Andover, Methuen, Haverhill, Boxford, and Georgetown -- said Cleary had telephoned her on Nov. 3, the day after she was reelected, and asked to meet.

The following day, at her kitchen table, Cleary told her that four people had complained about her leading the choir as cantor and about her leading the children's choir, in which her three children sing, because she had voted against the gay marriage ban, L'Italien said. The cantor is the chief singer in a church's choir and leads the congregation in singing.

''I tried to point out that I am against the death penalty, that I've worked with the poor," said L'Italien.

At a second meeting last Thursday, the priest reiterated his plea that L'Italien step down. Again she refused. Cleary said he would send her a written notice this week saying her services are no longer welcome, she said.

''I'm surprised, and I'm saddened," L'Italien said. ''It feels like a big loss."

Baathists Regrouping In Mosul In Strategy Anticipated By Everyone But Bush

Boston.com / News / World / US, Iraqi troops fight to retake control in Mosul: "American and Iraqi troops yesterday fought to reclaim police stations from insurgents who seized control of broad swaths of this sprawling northern city in what a top Kurdish official said was a well-organized Ba'athist resurgence to distract US and Iraqi forces from Fallujah." [--snip--]According to the senior Kurdish official, Sadi Ahmed Pire, Kurdish intelligence and captured insurgents confirm that the Ba'ath Party in Mosul has reconstituted itself and is coordinating attacks in Mosul against Iraqi police, government, and the Kurdish and Christian minorities.

If Pire's assertions are true, they mark an alarming shift toward more control by Ba'athists of an Iraqi insurgency that had so far been dominated by fragmented nationalist groups, local sheiks, and religious jihadi leaders.

Why It Would Be Nice If Bush Were At Least Competent

The New York Times > International > Middle East > Family of Kidnapped Aid Worker in Iraq Mourns After New Video: "l Jazeera, the Arab news network, said today that it had received a video showing a gunman killing a woman believed to be Margaret Hassan, a British-Iraqi aid official kidnapped last month."

And Foreign Travel Plans Plummet

The New York Times > Washington > Bush Nominates Rice to Replace Powell at State Department: "WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 - President Bush today nominated Condoleezza Rice, his national security adviser and for years one of his most trusted advisers, to be the next secretary of state, succeeding Colin L. Powell."

Bush Military Bringing Democracy To Iraq One Atrocity At A Time

Shooting Could Be a War Crime: "The U.S. military has begun an investigation into possible war crimes after an NBC television crew videotaped a Marine fatally shooting a wounded and unarmed Iraqi in a Fallouja mosque, officials said Monday. "

Meanwhile, in a nicely appointed cave on the Pakistan border, Osama muses with his lieutenants. "What would bring us more recruites. Would it be too much to ask that the soldiers who attack the city of mosques hang rosaries from there gun turrets?"

Oh surely not, Sheik Osama. Bush would grant us such a reasonable request.

"Well then perhaps we should ask for soldiers to take R&R in a mosque wearing combat boots."

Oh, Sheik, you ask of Bush nothing that is difficult. You must challenge him.

"Well, if it is not too much, perhaps he could arrange for one of his exhausted and overtaxed soldiers (who surely would not be on the front lines if Bush had provided his military enough men) to shoot a wounded, unarmed prisoner."

Now, Sheik, you are planning boldly. Such a move would not simply infuriate god fearing young Muslim men to hear your call to jihad, it would also sicken and disgust all decent people on the face of the planet.

"Lucky me, I hit the trifecta."

Red Christians To America: 2 + 2 = 5, Because We Said So

Boston.com / News / Nation / Evolution foes see opening to press fight in schools: "A long-running American cultural clash has flared yet again, with a trial in suburban Atlanta this month over teaching evolution in public schools. Several Georgia parents are challenging a local school board's decision to require biology textbooks to include a prominently placed label stating that evolution is ''not a fact.'"

The Globe Poses A Philosophical Question:

Boston.com / News / Nation / A moderate voice leaves the world stage: "The impending departure of Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, with the mutual consent of President Bush, signals the final fadeout of the leading moderate voice on the Bush administration's foreign policy team."

If a moderate speaks in the White House, but everyone refuses to listen, was there ever any moderate influence on White House foreign policy team to fade out in the first place?

From From Brownstein's Keyboard to God's Blackberry

GOP's Future Sits Precariously on Small Cushion of Victory: "Because his margin was so tight, Bush didn't leave the GOP with enough of a cushion to survive even a fraction of that erosion in four years. Even if the GOP in 2008 matches the smallest electoral college fall-off in the past half century � the 99-vote decline between Reagan in 1984 and George H.W. Bush in 1988 � that would still leave the party well short of a majority." [--snip--]

Because his margin was so tight, Bush didn't leave the GOP with enough of a cushion to survive even a fraction of that erosion in four years. Even if the GOP in 2008 matches the smallest electoral college fall-off in the past half century — the 99-vote decline between Reagan in 1984 and George H.W. Bush in 1988 — that would still leave the party well short of a majority.

Your Tax Dollars Working Hard To Undermine the First Amendment

via The Smirking Chimp

Rocky Mountain News: Local: "Some students and parents apparently let the Secret Service and talk-radio stations know they were unhappy with the plan of a trio of students to do a poetry reading of the song [Bob Dylan's Masters of War], accompanied by background music, according to Ron Cabrera, the school's principal."

Leaving aside the unseemliness of it all, ignoring the spectacle of armed agents of the state confronting suburban highschool kids, don't you think they should fire the guy/gal who authorized the trip. Couldn't Joe Bureaucrat have said, "Thanks for the tip, sir/ma'am. We will put this information about adolescents sing an old stoner's Vietnam protest songs in exactly the spot it belongs on our terrorism alerts list."

For lots of fun, Pudentilla recommends that her readers do a google search on the terms "secret service" "highschool," and Bush.

Bush Refuses To Restrain His Own Sejanus

Shake Up at CIA Headquarters Continues (washingtonpost.com): "The two top officials running the CIA's clandestine service resigned this morning, following a series of clashes with director Porter J. Goss's chief of staff." [--snip--]

Kappes's and Sulick's resignation follow a series of confrontations with Goss's new chief of staff, Patrick Murray, the former intelligence committee staff director and a Justice Department official. Sulick complained vigorously to Murray on Nov. 5 about the way he was treating other CIA officials. Murray demanded that Kappes fire Sulick, and Kappes refused.

Memo to Bush: Nero found it more effective to send a note requesting the offendor to commit suicide

The New York Times > Washington > A Watchdog Follows the Money in Iraq: "Now the Army Corps of Engineers is trying to demote Ms. Greenhouse, 60, or push her into retirement. To the surprise of no one who knows her, she is unbowed, charging in a much publicized letter of Oct. 21 that the Corps has shown a pattern of favoritism toward Halliburton that imperils 'the integrity of the federal contracting program.'"

He's A Great President If You Don't Mind Working Until You Die

The New York Times > National > Government Insurer of Pensions Reports Doubling of Deficit: "The deficit in the government program that insures private pensions more than doubled in 2004 to $23.3 billion, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. announced Monday."

Competition For Bagdhad Bob's Job Grows Intense

Fierce Combat Kills at Least 27 in Iraq: "Fierce battles between insurgents and U.S. and Iraqi forces killed at least 27 people Monday in Baqouba and south of Baghdad -- the latest in a wave of clashes that has swept Iraq's Sunni Muslim heartland even as American forces move against the last remaining pockets of resistance in Fallujah. "

A convoy of ambulances and relief supplies trying to enter Fallujah was forced to turn back because the fighting made it too dangerous, the head of the Iraqi Red Crescent said. The Red Crescent and Red Cross have been unable to gain access to people inside Fallujah during more than a week of violence.

Even as the fighting continued in the city, Iraq's interior minister declared victory in the offensive. "Fallujah is no more a safe haven for the terrorists and killers. This thing is over," Falah Hassan al-Naqib told reporters in Baghdad.

The Big Dog, In Retirement, Does More For US economy than Bush

Boom Echoes Of f the Clinton Library: "More than 30,000 people are expected Thursday when former President Clinton opens his $165-million presidential library, and civic leaders say the campus is already functioning as a catalyst for a renaissance here, helping to spur a building boom."

The Window Dressing Boogies Out of Town

Powell Resigning as Secretary of State: "Secretary of State Colin L. Powell has submitted his resignation, a senior administration official said today, and the departures of three other Cabinet members � the secretaries of agriculture, energy and education-were widely expected. The moves open the way for a major shift at the top of the government as President Bush prepares a new administration for his second term."

And Now, A Word From The Non-Reality Based Community

'Saving Private Ryan': A New Casualty of the Indecency War (washingtonpost.com): "But back in 2001, the AFA went after ABC over 'Saving Private Ryan,' filing a complaint with the FCC in hopes it would slap the stations with an indecency fine. In its complaint, the AFA noted the movie's 'violence, bloodshed, language and profanity,' according to a letter of response from the FCC, a copy of which was obtained by The TV Column."

Last week's presidential election also played into Citadel's decision to scrap tonight's unedited broadcast of "Saving Private Ryan" and replace it with the TV movie "Return to Mayberry."

We heard a spokesman for the American Family Association interviewed on the radio last evening. He bragged about the AFA's protest process. Thousand of group members are poised to sign into the AFA web site, sign the group's canned letters of protest to the FCC. The AFA will then forward these letters to the FCC. The spokesman did not state whether AFA members would actually watch Saving Private Ryan before signing the letters.

The AFA's complaint with the movie Saving Private Ryan appears to be with its liberal use of the word "fuck." The ABC spokesman interviewed in the story said the word "fuck" appears 40 times in the movie. The AFA guy also complained about the taking of the Lord's name in vain.

Pudentilla has not herself seen the movie (it was cancelled in Maine as well). She chose not to see it in the theaters or on TV because, well, she's a wimp and can't take very violent movies. All the reviews said that while the movie was excellent and according to WWII vets the most accurate portrayal of actual combat in Hollywood history, it was (perhaps because of its accuracy) a very violent movie. So informed, Pudentilla chose not to see the movie. It's a pity the members of the AFA have such poorly formed personalities that they cannot exercise a similar degree of self-control.

Pudentilla has heard no one assert that the violence in Saving Private Ryan is gratuitous. It seems odd to her, then, that the AFA spokesman on the radio last night complained about the coarse language in the movie. As Pudentilla understands it, the actors in the movie say "fuck," "god damn it" and "son of a bitch" quite frequently as they portray the soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy on DDay. As Pudentilla understands the historical record, this representation of the language used by G.I.s as they attempted landings in horrible seas while German gunners shot at them seems to be historically accurate.

Moreover, according to Pudentilla's cousin Father Martin, who was a missionary priest for most of his adult life, God would not take offense at this use of language by the G.I.'s. Pudentilla comes to this conclusion based on a conversation she had with Father Martin when she was 10 years old. He came to visit on one of his breaks from the mission. The man truly was godly (unlike his brother Monsignor James - but that's another story) and had, as far as Pudentilla could tell, only one vice - golf. All he ever wanted to do when he came to the States was golf. So when he visited, Pudentilla's father threw the family in the car, drove to a lovely golf course and treated everyone to a day on the links. This particular visit, Father Martin decided that Pudentilla was old enough to learn how to play.

God did not endow Pudentilla with the family's golf gene. After a few holes of frustration, Pudentilla realized that Father Martin had been following her as she hacked her way 20 yards at a time up the fairway.

"Pudentilla, you know what you need to do, here, don't you?" he asked. Pudentilla looked at him in confusion and confessed that was precisely what she didn't know.

"You need to say 'damn it'. In fact, what you really need to do is say 'God damn it,' several times very loudly." Pudentilla explained to Father Martin that her parents forebade her to swear and that she didn't think God would like it if a priest encouraged a little girl to swear.

"Ah Pudentilla," Father Martin laughed, "God hates a liar far more than he hates a few cuss words. And the way your golfing, darling, not to swear at all is to tell a very big lie."

Which is why, comparing very small things to very great, Pudentilla concludes that the AFA is utterly wrong and that God didn't mind at all when the soldiers who stormed the beaches at Normandy and who held their lives so cheaply in order to be sure that Hitler would be defeated said, "God damn it," "fuck" and "son of a bitch."

What God thinks of the AFA is another matter. It is not for us to make such judgements. However, we do not think, based on what we have heard and read about the movie and the response of vets to it, that the bravery of those vets was as well commemorated by a showing of Return to Mayberry as it would have been by a showing of Saving Private Ryan. God damn it. Fuck. Sons of bitches.

Vocabulary Problems

The New York Times > Washington > AARP Opposes Bush Plan to Replace Social Security With Private Accounts: "'Republicans in Congress do not like the word 'privatization' because it does not poll well,'' said Michael Tanner, director of the project. 'The word polls more poorly than the actual concept, in part because people do not understand what it means.''"

Perhaps Mr. Tanner could instruct us. We think "privatization of social security" means a boondoggle for Wall Street at the cost of trillions, rather than the less than 2% increase in funding or decrease in benefits that Social Security requires.

Here's an idea for MoveOn. How about ads showing 70 something Americans speaking to 30 something Americans saying, "when we were your age we thought we'd never see a dime of it either. We were wrong. If someone's trying to scare you into changing a program that works well, you should ask how they'll profit from your fear."

Chait: Conservatives are Crazier Than Liberals

Paranoid Past the Fringe: "We're accustomed to thinking of paranoids as residing only on the fringe. But what happens when the fringe takes over a party, and then the country?"

Surprise, Surprise. Bush does nothing to help intelligence reforms he says he favors

Intelligence Reform Looks Like a Lame Duck for Now: "Despite his public support for restructuring the nation's intelligence community, President Bush has done little to ensure that reforms modeled on the recommendations of the bipartisan Sept. 11 commission pass in the coming lame duck session of Congress."

Another defeat for moderate Republican Susan Collins. Too bad the safety of the country matters less to Mr. Bush than the entrenched interests of Pentagon officials, who were unable to prevent Osama from attacking their U.S. headquarters.

Can You Spell Quagmire?



Fallouja Insurgency Chaotic, Persistent

"They just keep coming at us." [--snip--]

"The enemy is right where we want him. He's coming to us," said Lt. Col. Gareth Brandl, commander of the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, which has experienced perhaps the toughest fight of all the units penetrating the city. "And we're killing him." [--snip==]

"They seem to be communicating with each other," said 1st Sgt. Jose Andrade of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, as he crouched on a main street, taking cover. "It makes it harder to get at them." [--snip--]

"The enemy just pops out of anywhere and fires off rounds and RPGs," said Cpl. Adam Golden, 21. "We're just looking to get him when he pops out."

Marines have advanced through more than half of Fallouja. But no one here believed Thursday that the city was close to being under control. [--snip--]

On occasion, guerrillas put up fights for buildings, as was the case when Marines attacked a former Iraqi national guard headquarters. The troops called in tanks and flattened the place.

More frequently, though, key buildings — such as Fallouja's City Hall and various mosques associated with the resistance — have been taken without major battles.

Then, once the Marines are ensconced, the insurgents arrive in waves.

"Getting in here wasn't so hard," Gunnery Sgt. James Cully said of the municipal compound seized largely without a fight Wednesday. "But since we got here the firing hasn't stopped." [--snip--]


"The enemy is like camel spiders," said Lance Cpl. Rajai Hakki, an Alpha Company interpreter. "You try to squash 'em and they crawl to the next spot." [--snip--]

"We have a lot of mosques in our AO [area of operations], and to the best of my knowledge in only one instance did we not receive fire from a mosque," said Capt. Matt Nodine, judge advocate for the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. "These mosques have lost the protections of the Geneva Convention. We are not here to destroy mosques. But the terrorists are using them and we will go after them." [--snip--]

The U.S.-led attacks on mosques have also served to halt the announcements from mosque loudspeakers urging people to resist the Americans. The taped recordings castigating the "infidels" could be heard throughout the first days of the invasion, infuriating Marines."

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words



Unless that word is "crusade" and a billion Muslims see the picture. Then the picture is worth a hell of a lot more than a thousand words.

Words Only A Heterosexual Could Write

Relax, Democrats -- It Won't Be That Horrible: "Worrying is one way for Democrats to fill these slow postelection days. But as much as I like seeing a party that's disappointed me berate itself, I don't think it's going to be as awful as its members fear."

Bush Confused About Purpose of Elections In Iraq

Confusion in White House on Aim of Iraq Election: "Stabilizing Iraq in time for parliamentary elections in January may be the driving force behind this week's military offensive in Fallouja, but there could be some confusion at the White House over just what Iraqis will be voting on." [--snip
"As I reminded our citizens prior to the Afghanistan elections, there's a deep desire in every soul to vote and to be free, and to participate in the presidential elections," he said.

In fact, Iraqis will not choose their president directly. They will be voting to choose a National Assembly of 275 members, which will elect from its members a president and two deputies and write a constitution.

The executive panel, in turn, will select a prime minister, who also must be a member of the Assembly.--]

It's hard work keeping all the lies straight.

State by State

Boston.com / Business / Technology / Biotechnology / Mass. legislators back work on embryonic stem cells: "Legislative leaders voiced new backing for embryonic stem-cell research yesterday, speaking out after Californians voted to spend $3 billion to lure the companies and scientists engaged in the much-debated research."

Psy Ops Take A Holiday

Boston.com / News / Nation / Washington / Threat indicator lowered: "The Department of Homeland Security yesterday lowered the terrorist threat level for five financial institution headquarters in Washington, New York, and New Jersey, and US Capitol police began removing 14 antiterror vehicle checkpoints around the Capitol." [--snip--]

The government is not signaling, however, that the terrorist threat to the nation has passed, because officials believe the danger remains very high, Loy said.

Well the election's over and there won't be another one for two more years. Perhaps we'll be allowed to do some holiday shopping in peace.

Torturers 1: Rule of Law 0

Boston.com / News / Nation / Bush picks chief counsel as next AG: "President Bush yesterday nominated his White House counsel, Alberto Gonzales, to become the nation's attorney general, choosing a man who has drawn both praise and ire for his role in developing the nation's legal response to terrorism." [--snip--]

Democrats and civil libertarians pledged to conduct a spirited and thorough vetting of Gonzales's record, questioning whether the nominee will protect the rights of the accused. Some said they plan to challenge Gonzales on his opinions about the Geneva Conventions and his expanded use of executive privilege to shield more White House documents than previous administrations.

But the 49-year-old former state judge is widely expected to win approval by the Senate, where Democrats have neither the voting power nor the political capital to defeat a Cabinet appointment. [--snip--]

Some conservatives were also pleased that Bush chose to make Gonzales chief law enforcement officer instead of nominating him to the US Supreme Court, where Gonzales's uncertain record on abortion and other social issues has sparked concern among some conservative groups. [--snip--]

''There are concerns with respect to his role with the development of [Iraqi prison] Abu Ghraib policies, the treatment of detainees, and concerns about his role with respect to the Bush administration packing the court with right-wing ideologues, " said Ralph Neas, president of People for the American Way. As White House counsel, Gonzales and his office vetted all of Bush's court nominees.

Pudentilla had thought Mr. Bush nominated Mr. Gonzales in order to piss off European countries who might help us in Iraq (thereby ensuring that the glory is his alone) but would be infuriated by the nomination of man who has rejected the Geneva conventions.

Scorpio, however, suggests a more immediate benefit from Mr. Gonzales' tenure as Attorney General. How likely is it that DOJ will go after mercenaries for torturing Iraqis and Afghanis if defense attorneys can offer memos defending the use of torture written over Mr. Gonzales' own signature in their defense.

Do Ya Think?

Yahoo! News - U.S. Forces Hold 70 Percent of Fallujah: "Most insurgents likely fled the city before the assault began so they could fight elswhere, officers said Wednesday. Iraqi and U.S. commanders had been warning for weeks that they invade Fallujah to re-establish government control."

Bush's Health Care Plan: Ration Vaccines

CDC Announces Plan To Ration Flu Vaccine (washingtonpost.com): "Federal health officials announced a distribution plan yesterday for the remaining 10.3 million doses of flu vaccine, divvying it up to states based on how many high-risk people each has and the number of doses already received."

A Real Shocker: NCLB Helps Middle Class Kids And Screws Poor Kids

High Achievers Leaving Schools Behind (washingtonpost.com): "The legislation is intended to give struggling students the chance to move from high-poverty, low-performing schools, but Fairfax school officials have found that the students who take the transfers generally aren't the ones who need extra help.

Instead, they are like Umaid: higher-scoring students from middle-class homes. The trend, evident in suburban school districts nationwide, means that the receiving schools don't have to augment their remedial programs or worry about test scores dropping. It also means that resources spent on transfer students aren't going to the students who need them most, some educators said."

The Red Christian Agenda

Moderates, Liberals Hear Call to Morality Debate: "'The mainline Protestants, who are now the sideline Protestants, and the secularists like John Kerry were the dominant force in 1960s America,' Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, said last week. 'Their day is over. Ours has arrived.'"

About 22% of all voters said their primary concerns were "moral issues," eclipsing the economy and the war in Iraq. More than half of Bush's voters cited moral issues as the chief reason they voted for him, eclipsing other issues, including terrorism and the economy, according to a Times exit poll.

A poll released Tuesday by the Barna Group, which does polling for religious groups, found that born-again Christians voted for Bush over Kerry by a 62%-to-38% margin. The poll also found that although the "born-again" population constituted 38% of Americans, it represented 53% of the votes cast in the election.

Land said conservative religious believers, including socially conservative Roman Catholics, Jews and evangelical Protestants, expected Bush to deliver on his promises. In addition to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, they "want strict constructionist judges who will reverse Roe vs. Wade — make no mistake about it," Land said, referring to the 1973 Supreme Court decision that affirmed a woman's right to choose abortion under the constitutional right to privacy.

Dear Asshole Prof. Prothero


I write in response to your Boston Globe Op-Ed, in which you stated:

Boston.com / News / Boston Globe / Opinion / Op-ed / Democrats: Get religion!: "Democrats need to learn this vernacular. They need to develop their own cultural politics -- a politics that does not sneer at the deepest commitments of the vast majority of the American people. They need to get right with God. Religion and politics have never been utterly distinct in the United States. To insist otherwise is to cede 'moral values' (and the White House) to conservatives."

Why do you assume that Democrats don't have a cultural politics or a religion. Doesn't the, um evidence, of say the anti-slavery or civil rights movement prove you, oh, I don't know, utterly wrong. Aren't you sneering with disgust at the religious convictions of more than 50 million people simply because they are on the one hand expressed in a different style and on the other hand married to a different political vision than that of the Red Christians.

Democrats have long informed their politics with religious ideals that value the freedom and dignity of the individual. Red Christians have long infused their politics with religious values that have subordinated individual freedom and dignity to patriarchal authority. The fact that Democrats reject Red Christian religious and political values does not make Democrats less religious. Aren't you condescending to Democrats just the way Reds complain that east coast elites condescend to them?

Pudentilla can handle your insults to her religious faith - turn the other cheek and all. But your sloppy analysis is annoying. Some free advice: try thinking before you write.

THE SCLM HAS SPOKEN: HUSH YOU CRACKPOTS IN THE CHEAP SEATS

Boston.com / News / Nation / Internet buzz on vote fraud is dismissed: "Much of the traffic is little more than Internet-fueled conspiracy theories, and none of the vote-counting problems and anomalies that have emerged are sufficiently widespread to have affected the election's ultimate result."

Bush Wants Government Lawyers in the MD's Office of Terminally Ill

Yahoo! News - White House Wants Suicide Law Blocked: "The Bush administration asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to block the nation's only law allowing doctors to help terminally ill patients die more quickly."

We lost a close friend to cancer last year. We think the decision to intervene in this case was inhumane. We note that on federalism grounds, conservatives should be outraged. We wonder whether Justice Rehnquist's confrontation with cancer will shape his attitude towards the rights of the terminally ill.

"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action."
- Auric Goldfinger, in "Goldfinger" by Ian L. Fleming (1908-1964)


Randi Rhodes and a good friend have convinced me that the voter fraud issue in Ohio and Florida is quite serious. Atrios has an appalling list of wards in Ohio that have identical numbers of overvotes. Once, perhaps twice is possible. But this many times is fraud. According to Cannonfire what went on in Florida was even worse. And the shamelessness of it breath taking. They were too fucking lazy to to do it quietly. Or perhaps so fucking arrogant that they want us to know.

Thank You!


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Another Priestly Pedophile Arrested: Fall River Pro-Life Catholics Lose Spokesman to Clink

Boston.com / News / Local / Mass. / Probe of priest continues: "Investigators have found tens of thousands of child pornography images on a laptop computer used by the Rev. Stephen A. Fernandes and are now looking into whether any area children were victimized by the priest at Our Lady of Fatima Church, Bristol County District Attorney Paul F. Walsh Jr. said yesterday."

Well he may prey upon children? but at least he wanted them to be born, right. We hope the "culture of life" folks choke on their own bile.

Bush Faces Legal Obstacles In Efforts To Destroy Due Process, Establish Monarchy

Boston.com / News / Nation / Judge halts legal proceeding at Guantanamo: "'The government has asserted a position starkly different from the positions and behavior of the United States in previous conflicts, one that can only weaken the United States' own ability to demand application of the Geneva Conventions to Americans captured during armed conflicts abroad,' Robertson wrote."

The ruling also rejected the Bush administration's contention that military necessity dictates that suspected terrorists be tried outside the normal rules of evidence to prevent them from seeing classified intelligence. Robertson ruled that Hamdan must see all the evidence against him.

The decision was made five months after the US Supreme Court held that Guantanamo Bay prisoners may challenge their detention in civilian courts, rejecting the Bush administration's contention that the military alone had total authority over them.

Kerry Will Not Go Gently Into That Good Night; Rethugs Scared Shitless

Boston.com / News / Nation / Kerry run in '08 called conceivable: "'He's going to exercise that role and be a voice for the 55 million people who voted for him. The position he's in gives him a bully pulpit.'"

He added, "One of the things that John brings out of this campaign is a tremendous number of people have gotten organized, and that's something we've got to build upon."

Puppy Blogging




Fanueil Hall ("Fanny") on the left and Quincy Market ("Quincy") on the right. Proud to be called Northeastern Liberal Puppies.

Can We Dispense With The Tax Exempt Status Claims Now?

Evangelicals Say They Led Charge For the GOP (washingtonpost.com): "In battlegrounds such as Ohio, scores of clergy members attended legal sessions explaining how they could talk about the election from the pulpit. Hundreds of churches launched registration drives, thousands of churchgoers registered to vote, and millions of voter guides were distributed by Christian and antiabortion groups."

Bush Fails To Defend Homeland

U.S. Unprepared Despite Progress, Experts Say (washingtonpost.com): "The United States remains woefully unprepared to protect the public against terrorists wielding biological agents despite dramatic increases in biodefense spending by the Bush administration and considerable progress on many fronts, according to government officials and specialists in bioterrorism and public health."

We hope the Reds are praying hard, because the guy they voted for isn't working hard enough.

CIA Terrorism Expert: Bush Doesn't Get How Al Quaeda Operates

The New York Times > Washington > Evolving Nature of Al Qaeda Is Misunderstood, Critic Says: "The Bush administration has failed to recognize that Al Qaeda is now a global Islamic insurgency, rather than a traditional terrorist organization, and so poses a much different threat than previously believed, says a senior counterterrorism official at the Central Intelligence Agency." [--snip--]

"The amount of punishment the C.I.A. has delivered to Al Qaeda since 9/11 would have wiped out any other terrorist organization," Mr. Scheuer said. "But this is an insurgent organization.''

"The difference between fighting a terrorist group and fighting an insurgency is one of size," he added. "Yet we still don't know how big it is. We still, today, don't know the order of battle of Al Qaeda."

Another lonely voice from the reality based portion of the populace.

The Pentagon Fails To Provide A Coherent Falluja Narrative To the SCLM

U.S. Troops Advance to Fallouja's Edge: "Although promising a 'decisive' victory, Lt. Col. Michael Ramos, head of the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment, and other commanders acknowledged that many insurgents probably would stash their arms and pretend to be civilians, and return to fight another day.

That tactic has already blunted the effectiveness of recent U.S. offensives in Samarra and elsewhere, where rebels re-emerged after U.S. troops withdrew.

"When they start to lose the battle, [the insurgents] will go to ground and try to blend back in with the civilian population," Ramos said."

Corporate Contributors 1: War on Terror 0

Boston.com / News / Nation / Washington / Fines for terrorism links drop: "Despite the Bush administration's pledge to battle terrorist financing, the government's average penalty against companies doing business with countries listed as terrorist-sponsoring states fell sharply after the Sept. 11 attacks, an Associated Press analysis of federal records shows."

The average penalty for a company doing business with Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Sudan, or Libya dropped nearly threefold, from more than $50,000 in the five years before the 2001 attacks to about $18,700 afterward, according to a computer-assisted analysis of federal records.

The Nazis in Ohio

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer's analysis, the citizens of Ohio amended their constitution last week to prevent gay people from granting their partners power of attorney. Actually, all unmarried couples are screwed, but the queers were in the crosshairs on this one. The straight fornicators happened to be in the fallout of the Reds' rather straightforward assault against the legal rights of citizens who happen to be a distinct minority in their population.

Note that we are not talking about traditional marriage here. The Reds used the political-legal machinery of the state to take away existing rights from a distinct segment of its citizenry. What do we call societies that choose to create a legal underclass? Well, lets see. The Nazis did it to the Jews in 1935 with the Nuremburg laws. The South Africans did it to their black population in 1948 with apartheid laws. Southern Americans did it to their black populations in the 1890s by passing state constitutional amendents which established a segregation regime.

The Red Christians who have joined such dubious ranks, however, are not the worst aspect of the problem, in Pudentilla's opinion. Only 25 to 30 percent of the population believes, like the Red Christians, that loving Jesus requires them to treat gays like untermenchen. The Nazi amendment in Ohio needed more than 50 percent of the vote to pass. The New York Times estimated that it will have received 62 percent of the vote. A far more daunting threat, in Pudentilla's opinion, are Mr. Bush's willing executioners: the percentage of Reds in Ohio who don't believe that their state's new Nuremburg laws are divinely inspired, but instead, are the price they willingly pay for the benefits they believe will flow from Mr. Bush's election. It's not that they personally have anything against queers, you see, but they need the Red Christian vote. The correct term for such a person, we believe, is collaborator.

Some Democratics and some pundits in the SCLM are urging the Democrats to adopt in response to the Red victory the supine pose of the Vichy (the people who accomodated the Nazis and replaced the French motto of "liberty, equality and fraternity," with the motto "work, family and fatherland"). Pudentilla prefers to respond as Winston Churchill responded to the Nazis:

...we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender...

Better dead than Red. Since the success of Ohio's Nazis, that slogan has acquired some substance.