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Category Archives: Polities

Political stuffs

White House Lies About Teleconference

You might have seen or heard about President Bush’s teleconference with 10 U.S. troops and an Iraqi soldier that aired this morning. What you probably do not know is that it was completely scripted.

Why is that surprising? Because afterwards they said it wasn’t scripted.

See, lying doesn’t work very well when there’s a camera filming the truth. Here is CNN’s video coverage of the event (thanks to ThinkProgress):

Allison Barber Training Troops

Afterwards, Allison Barber, the troops’ trainer, insisted that the questions were not rehearsed. With Rove under the magnifying glass, it is like they are not even trying anymore.

Let’s say the resulting press conference did not go well for Scott. Not only did he get grilled for this lie, he tried to connect Iraq to 9/11. When Helen Thomas called him out on that zinger, he attacked Helen. The other reporters were none to fond of that. C&L has the edited video. You can see the full press conference at C-Span.

Update (10-14-2005 12:52am): OneGoodMove is hosting MSNBC’s take of today’s debacle. They did a good job of showing the teleconference, its rehearsal, and the press gaggle aftwerards.

Only Two Percent of African Americans Support Bush

George Bush With FlagThat’s right. From the guy who said that he was the right person to close the racial divide in America. Only 2% of African Americans approve of his leadership.

Black people don’t care about George Bush.

The Nexus of Politics and Terror

This is incredible. You need to watch this.

Olbermann and Nexus of Politics and Terror

Last Wednesday, Keith Olbermann cataloged a series of thirteen terror alerts that coincided with bad political news surrounding the White House on his show Countdown. He questions whether the timing of the alerts was really coincidental.

Letters from a Crony

Miers and BushIt is no hidden secret that George Bush and Harriet Miers are more than just acquaintances. A multitude of news sources have ran stories about the two’s relationship. A few posts down, I discussed that most of this information is found in correspondence between the president and his crony. Just now, The Smoking Gun has released scans of all of the letters they gave to each other. At least those stored by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Now, John, you can see the president’s reference to scatology in his own handwriting.

Democracy in… Action?

This was pretty big news and I meant to post on it earlier. I hope you saw it elsewhere.

Last Friday, October 7th, the House of Representatives agreed to a five-minute vote on the Gasoline for America’s Security Act of 2005. Not only is it a horrible, horrible bill that will destroy our environment for the profit of big business, the House leadership held the five-minute vote open for almost 50 minutes until they could convince three representatives, Wayne Gilcrest (R-MD), C.W. Bill Young (R-FL) and Jim Gerlach (R-PA), to change their minds.

This is a blatant disregard and corruption of democracy.

At the close of the vote, those against the unconcealed abuse of power started chanting “Shame, shame, shame.” It’s pretty chilling to watch.

Nancy Pelosi in Congress

More info at ThinkProgress.

Just a Little Slang Among Buddies?

Harriet Miers ProfileI have received quite a few emails about the latest New York Times article discussing the close relationship between the President and his SCOTUS appointee. The article begins talking about a birthday card Bush sent to Miers on her 52nd birthday that said:

I appreciate your friendship and candor – never hold back your sage advice.

J-Luv, however, caught something that very few news sources have the guts to report. Right after the above line, Bush wrote:

P.S. No more public scatology.

At first, I didn’t believe it. Then I found the Associated Press story confirmed by CBS News and IndyStar.

I got nothin’ to say. Wouldn’t have expected it. John says I need a new category just for this.

If someone can find a copy of the actual card, let me know.

Should We Be Surprised?

N.Y. subway threat tip a hoax (CNN)
NYC Subway Threat Info Not Substantiated (FoxNews)
Fabricated fear (Newsday)
‘No Evidence’ Of NYC Subway Threat (CBS News)
New York City subway threat a hoax (CTV)
New York subway alert ends, plot appears unfounded (Reuters)

It is becoming more than coincidence that whenever bad times hits the government that a terror related event is reported. This is a phenomenon that seems to be concerning the main stream more and more.

Tomorrow on Countdown, Keith Olbermann will be hosting a special feature entitled ‘The Nexus of Politics and Terror.’ Here is how he describes it:

Last Thursday, we spoke of at least 13 coincidences of timing between bad political news for the government and a terror or terror-related event. We will be presenting a special report detailing those and other coincidences on Wednesday night’s edition of this news hour, “The Nexus of Politics and Terror” on COUNTDOWN this Wednesday at 8:00 and midnight Eastern here on MSNBC.

Countdown: Nexus of Politics and Terror

What’s that again about the boy who cried wolf?

Catholic Church Believes Bible Not Totally Accurate

The VaticanIs it cold in here or is hell freezing over?

The Catholic bishops of England, Wales, and Scotland are warning their congregations and those studying scripture not to expect “total accuracy” from the Bible. As for Genesis and creationism, they insist that the scripture cannot be “historical” and, at most, may contain “historical traces”.

In regards to fundamentalism, they also state:

Such an approach is dangerous, for example, when people of one nation or group see in the Bible a mandate for their own superiority, and even consider themselves permitted by the Bible to use violence against others.

500 hundred years too late?

Here are some of the passages the Bishops addressed, as formatted by the Times Online:

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

UNTRUE

Genesis ii, 21-22

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while
he slept he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh;
and the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a
woman and brought her to the man

Genesis iii, 16

God said to the woman [after she was beguiled by the serpent]:
“I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall
bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he
shall rule over you.”

Matthew xxvii, 25

The words of the crowd: “His blood be on us and on our children.”

Revelation xix,20

And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in
its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had
received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped its image.
These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with
brimstone.”

TRUE

Exodus iii, 14

God reveals himself to Moses as: “I am who I am.”

Leviticus xxvi,12

“I will be your God, and you shall be my people.”

Exodus xx,1-17

The Ten Commandments

Matthew v,7

The Sermon on the Mount

Mark viii,29

Peter declares Jesus to be the Christ

Luke i

The Virgin Birth

John xx,28

Proof of bodily resurrection

I have been unable to find an online copy of their document, The Gifts of Scripture. If anyone has one, please let me know.

Bill O’Reilly Equates Irish Immigration to African Enslavement

O'ReillyWhy does this guy still have a show?

On his October 4th national radio show, Bill O’Reilly claimed that the Irish immigration was no different than the Africans entrance to this country.

Here is what he said:

All right. But let me counter that, [caller], and you can comment on my comment. That’s the prevailing wisdom in a lot of the precincts, is that because blacks were in slavery in the United States, they were never able to develop an infrastructure of education and culture to compete with the white majority. That is the prevailing wisdom in lots and lots of places. Let me submit this to you, and then you can comment on it.

My people came from County Cavan in Ireland. All right? And the British Crown marched in there with their henchman, Oliver Cromwell, and they seized all of my ancestors’ lands, everything. And they threw them into slavery, pretty much indentured servitude on the land. And then the land collapsed, all right? And everybody was starving in Ireland. They had to leave the country, just as Africans had to leave — African-Americans had to leave Africa and come over on a boat and try to make it in the New World with nothing. Nothing. And succeeded, succeeded. As did Italians, as did — and I’ll submit to you, African-Americans are succeeding as well. So all of these things can be overcome I think, [caller]. Go ahead.

Sigh. Listen to it for yourself.

Hell Yeah, McCain, Hell Yeah

Senator McCainSenator McCain’s anti-torture amendment passed the senate in a 90-9 vote today!

Hell yeah, McCain!

On the heals of a court order to release more Abu Ghraib footage, this is a huge victory for our country and shows that we are not afraid to stand up to an overzealous president.

In a July 25th press briefing, a reporter asked the following question to Scott McClellan:

Last Thursday the White House threatened to veto the defense bill if it includes standards for the humane treatment of prisoners, drafted by Republican Senator John McCain. And also on Thursday the Pentagon refused to comply with a court order to release photos and videos of prisoner abuse in Iraq. Don’t these documented cases of abuse suggest that the U.S. military should adopt higher standards for the humane treatment of prisoners?

Scott’s response:

We want to make sure that there is nothing that restricts the President’s authority to be able to do what he needs to do to protect the American people and prevent attacks from happening in the first place, and bring to justice those who seek to murder innocent civilians.

Innocent civilians like the innocent taxi driver, Dilawar, tortured to death by Americans who struck him just to hear him cry ‘Allah’?

While the bill still needs to be passed, this amendment is a win for the American people who hold themselves to a higher standard. It’s a win for those who understand that torture under the guise of liberation is not true liberation. And it’s a win for those who realize democracy cannot be forced through the barrel of a gun.

Read the amendment for yourself.