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By Evan Derkacz
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A Republican House member (pictured) was slammed by a Democratic colleague as a "chickenshit thief" after borrowing one of his signs, a Capitol Hill newspaper reports.
 | Election 2006: Bush Really Proud About Allowing Election | for everyone |
Bush Really Proud About Allowing Election
We
missed this on Saturday, because who the hell actually listens to the
President’s Radio Address, but it’s still worth a post because it’s
insane. Here’s an actual quote from Bush on the radio:One freedom that defines our way of life is the freedom to choose our leaders at the ballot box. We saw that freedom earlier this week, when millions of Americans went to the polls to cast their votes for a new Congress. Whatever your opinion of the outcome, all Americans can take pride in the example our democracy sets for the world by holding elections even in a time of war.Yeah, because one thing the United States always does in a “time of war” is cancel elections. Well, okay, not really. We managed to have elections during World War I and World War II and the Korean War and the Cold War and the Vietnam War and the War On Drugs and the War On Christmas, among others.
Jesus Christ, we never figured James Baker III would save democracy ….
Soft-bigotry-of-low-expectations watch [Carpetbagger Report]
President’s Radio Address [White House]
| Iranapalooza: McCain warns Russia, China on Iran | for everyone |
By Reuters
04/28/06 BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A leading U.S. senator warned Russia and China on Friday of damage to their relationship with the United States if they refused to go along with sanctions against Iran.
Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona told a Brussels conference that Iran's nuclear program posed the greatest security threat to the world alongside terrorism.
The U.N. Security Council should impose sanctions including an investment ban, a travel ban and asset freezes on government leaders and nuclear scientists, McCain said.
Asked what consequences there would be if Moscow and Beijing blocked such a move, he told reporters: "Clearly it's going to affect many areas of cooperation between our two countries.
"There will be a reaction in the U.S. Congress."
McCain, a potential White House contender in 2008, said he could not be specific that the areas affected could include trade.
The world's nuclear watchdog said on Friday Iran had flouted a U.N. Security Council call to suspend uranium enrichment and was speeding up its program instead, spurring Western powers to urge tougher U.N. action.
President Bush said he wanted peaceful persuasion to prevail. Iran's president has vowed to spurn any U.N. resolution to stop its professed quest for fuel for atomic power stations -- a front for bomb-making in Western eyes.
McCain said the United States must not rule out military action against Iran as a last resort, saying: There's only one thing worse than military action and that's a nuclear-armed Iran."
McCain did not rule out the possibility of direct U.S. talks with Tehran or Washington's involvement in multilateral negotiations with Iran.
He said Bush had made clear he would explore every possible option and that could include "six-party talks, four-party talks, two-party talks."
McCain added he was not trying to tell the administration what to do.
He said that military action would be very complicated but the United States could not risk a nuclear Iran exterminating Israel.
| Bushapalooza: Guess who know Iraw had no WMD in Fall 2002? | for everyone |
60 Minutes: CIA Official Reveals Bush, Cheney, Rice Were Personally Told Iraq Had No WMD in Fall 2002
Tonight on 60 Minutes, Tyler Drumheller, the former chief of the CIA’s Europe division, revealed that in the fall of 2002, President Bush, Vice President Cheney, then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and others were told by CIA Director George Tenet that Iraq’s foreign minister — who agreed to act as a spy for the United States — had reported that Iraq had no active weapons of mass destruction program. Watch it:
BRADLEY: According to Drumheller, CIA Director George Tenet delivered the news about the Iraqi foreign minister at a high level meeting at the White House.
DRUMHELLER: The President, the Vice President, Dr. Rice…
BRADLEY: And at that meeting…?
DRUMHELLER: They were enthusiastic because they said they were excited that we had a high-level penetration of Iraqis.
BRADLEY: And what did this high level source tell you?
DRUMHELLER: He told us that they had no active weapons of mass destruction program.
BRADLEY: So, in the fall of 2002, before going to war, we had it on good authority from a source within Saddam’s inner circle that he didn’t have an active program for weapons of mass destruction?
DRUMHELLER: Yes.
BRADLEY: There’s no doubt in your mind about that?
DRUMHELLER: No doubt in my mind at all.
BRADLEY: It directly contradicts, though, what the President and his staff were telling us.
DRUMHELLER: The policy was set. The war in Iraq was coming, and they were looking for intelligence to fit into the policy, to justify the policy.
Read the full transcript HERE.
UPDATE: More at CBS News.
| Puffed Rice: Torture Good. Dissent Bad. | for everyone |
By Times Online
Following is the full text of a statement delivered by Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, at Andrews Air Force base in Maryland before her departure on a trip to Europe:
We have received inquiries from the European Union, the Council of Europe, and from several individual countries about media reports concerning US conduct of the war on terror. I wish to respond now to those inquiries, as I depart today for Europe.
The United States and many other countries are waging a war against terrorism. For our country this war often takes the form of conventional military operations in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. Sometimes this is a political struggle, a war of ideas. It is a struggle waged also by our law enforcement agencies. Often we engage the enemy through the co-operation of our intelligence services with their foreign counterparts.
We must track down terrorists who seek refuge in areas where governments cannot take effective action, including where the terrorists cannot in practice be reached by the ordinary processes of law. In such places terrorists have planned the killings of thousands of innocents – in New York City or Nairobi, in Bali or London, in Madrid or Beslan, in Casablanca or Istanbul. Just two weeks ago I visited a hotel ballroom in Amman, viewing the silent, shattered aftermath of one of those attacks.
The United States, and those countries that share the commitment to defend their citizens, will use every lawful weapon to defeat these terrorists. Protecting citizens is the first and oldest duty of any government. Sometimes these efforts are misunderstood. I want to help all of you understand the hard choices involved, and some of the responsibilities that go with them.
One of the difficult issues in this new kind of conflict is what to do with captured individuals who we know or believe to be terrorists. The individuals come from many countries and are often captured far from their original homes. Among them are those who are effectively stateless, owing allegiance only to the extremist cause of transnational terrorism. Many are extremely dangerous. And some have information that may save lives, perhaps even thousands of lives.
The captured terrorists of the 21st century do not fit easily into traditional systems of criminal or military justice, which were designed for different needs. We have to adapt. Other governments are now also facing this challenge.
We consider the captured members of al-Qaeda and its affiliates to be unlawful combatants who may be held, in accordance with the law of war, to keep them from killing innocents. We must treat them in accordance with our laws, which reflect the values of the American people. We must question them to gather potentially significant, life-saving, intelligence. We must bring terrorists to justice wherever possible.
For decades, the United States and other countries have used "renditions" to transport terrorist suspects from the country where they were captured to their home country or to other countries where they can be questioned, held, or brought to justice.
In some situations a terrorist suspect can be extradited according to traditional judicial procedures. But there have long been many other cases where, for some reason, the local government cannot detain or prosecute a suspect, and traditional extradition is not a good option. In those cases the local government can make the sovereign choice to cooperate in a rendition. Such renditions are permissible under international law and are consistent with the responsibilities of those governments to protect their citizens.
Rendition is a vital tool in combating transnational terrorism. Its use is not unique to the United States, or to the current administration. Last year, then Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet recalled that our earlier counterterrorism successes included "the rendition of many dozens of terrorists prior to September 11, 2001".
Ramzi Youssef masterminded the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and plotted to blow up airlines over the Pacific Ocean, killing a Japanese airline passenger in a test of one of his bombs. Once tracked down, a rendition brought him to the United States, where he now serves a life sentence.
One of history’s most infamous terrorists, best known as "Carlos the Jackal," had participated in murders in Europe and the Middle East. He was finally captured in Sudan in 1994. A rendition by the French government brought him to justice in France, where he is now imprisoned. Indeed, the European Commission of Human Rights rejected Carlos’ claim that his rendition from Sudan was unlawful.
Renditions take terrorists out of action, and save lives.
In conducting such renditions, it is the policy of the United States, and I presume of any other democracies who use this procedure, to comply with its laws and comply with its treaty obligations, including those under the Convention Against Torture. Torture is a term that is defined by law. We rely on our law to govern our operations. The United States does not permit, tolerate, or condone torture under any circumstances. Moreover, in accordance with the policy of this administration:
- The United States has respected - and will continue to respect - the sovereignty of other countries.
- The United States does not transport, and has not transported, detainees from one country to another for the purpose of interrogation using torture.
- The United States does not use the airspace or the airports of any country for the purpose of transporting a detainee to a country where he or she will be tortured.
- The United States has not transported anyone, and will not transport anyone, to a country when we believe he will be tortured. Where appropriate, the United States seeks assurances that transferred persons will not be tortured.
International law allows a state to detain enemy combatants for the duration of hostilities. Detainees may only be held for an extended period if the intelligence or other evidence against them has been carefully evaluated and supports a determination that detention is lawful. The US does not seek to hold anyone for a period beyond what is necessary to evaluate the intelligence or other evidence against them, prevent further acts of terrorism, or hold them for legal proceedings.
With respect to detainees, the United States Government complies with its Constitution, its laws, and its treaty obligations. Acts of physical or mental torture are expressly prohibited. The United States Government does not authorise or condone torture of detainees. Torture, and conspiracy to commit torture, are crimes under US law, wherever they may occur in the world.
Violations of these and other detention standards have been investigated and punished. There have been cases of unlawful treatment of detainees, such as the abuse of a detainee by an intelligence agency contractor in Afghanistan or the horrible mistreatment of some prisoners at Abu Ghraib that sickened us all and which arose under the different legal framework that applies to armed conflict in Iraq. In such cases the United States has vigorously investigated, and where appropriate, prosecuted and punished those responsible. Some individuals have already been sentenced to lengthy terms in prison; others have been demoted or reprimanded.
As CIA Director Goss recently stated, our intelligence agencies have handled the gathering of intelligence from a very small number of extremely dangerous detainees, including the individuals who planned the 9/11 attacks in the United States, the attack on the USS Cole, and many other murders and attempted murders. It is the policy of the United States that this questioning is to be conducted within US law and treaty obligations, without using torture. It is also US policy that authorized interrogation will be consistent with US obligations under the Convention Against Torture, which prohibit cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. The intelligence so gathered has stopped terrorist attacks and saved innocent lives – in Europe as well as in the United States and other countries. The United States has fully respected the sovereignty of other countries that cooperate in these matters.
Because this war on terrorism challenges traditional norms and precedents of previous conflicts, our citizens have been discussing and debating the proper legal standards that should apply. President Bush is working with the U.S. Congress to come up with good solutions. I want to emphasize a few key points.
- The United States is a country of laws. My colleagues and I have sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. We believe in the rule of law.
- The United States Government must protect its citizens. We and our friends around the world have the responsibility to work together in finding practical ways to defend ourselves against ruthless enemies. And these terrorists are some of the most ruthless enemies we face.
- We cannot discuss information that would compromise the success of intelligence, law enforcement, and military operations. We expect that other nations share this view.
Some governments choose to co-operate with the United States in intelligence, law enforcement, or military matters. That cooperation is a two-way street. We share intelligence that has helped protect European countries from attack, helping save European lives.
It is up to those governments and their citizens to decide if they wish to work with us to prevent terrorist attacks against their own country or other countries, and decide how much sensitive information they can make public. They have a sovereign right to make that choice.
Debate in and among democracies is natural and healthy. I hope that that debate also includes a healthy regard for the responsibilities of governments to protect their citizens.
Four years after September 11, most of our populations are asking us if we are doing all that we can to protect them. I know what it is like to face an inquiry into whether everything was done that could have been done. So now, before the next attack, we should all consider the hard choices that democratic governments must face. And we can all best meet this danger if we work together.
| Big Brass Balls: Gold Star Award: "Go f*ck yourself, Mr. Cheney!" | for everyone |
by Jackson Thoreau
Dr. Ben Marble, a young emergency room
physician who plays in alternative rock bands and does art on the side,
needs our help. Since he was the one who told Dick Cheney to "go fuck
yourself" on Sept. 8, that's the least we can do.
Marble is a
complex guy, to say the least. Some of the lyrics he writes can be
considered harsh by some – personally what I've heard is very much on
target - but he has a softer side as an organizer of breast cancer
fund-raisers, not to mention an ER doctor.
When he, like
thousands of others, lost his home due to Hurricane Katrina last week,
it was the single most traumatic week of his life. That led to his
Sept. 8 confrontation with the man who best represents the worst of the
most callous, heartless, shittiest administration in U.S. history.
As
Marble explains, he was driving to his destroyed house Sept. 8 in
Gulfport, Ms., when military police refused to allow him to cross a
barricade that was about 200 feet from his home. They forced him to
drive an extra 20 minutes and spend even more on gasoline.
"Thanks
to Dubya Gump and Mr. Cheney, gas is really expensive and extremely
hard to get anywhere Katrina has destroyed," Marble wrote. "So needless
to say, I was extremely aggravated that they wouldn't let me pass."
Suddenly
a long line of dark cars pulled up, and they honked at Marble to back
up to let them through the barricade that supposedly no one could drive
through. That only made Marble madder so he did what most of us would
do – or at least consider doing.
"I waved a middle finger at the caravan," Marble wrote.
After
driving the extra 20 minutes and filming video of destruction along the
way, he made it to his home. Marble overheard a neighbor say that
Cheney was down the street talking to people. That's when he got the
idea to go meet Dr. Evil himself.
"I am no fan of Mr. Cheney
because of several reasons," Marble wrote. "For those who don't know,
Mr. Cheney is infamous for telling Senator [Pat] Leahy 'go fu**
yourself' on the Senate floor. Also, I am not happy about the fact that
thousands have died due to the slow action of FEMA, not to even mention
the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time, i.e. Iraq."
So
Marble asked a couple police officers if he and a friend could walk
down to Cheney. They told him Cheney was "looking forward” to talking
to “the locals.”
"So we grabbed my Canon digital rebel and my
Sony videocamera and started walking down the street," Marble wrote.
"And then right in front of the destroyed tennis court I used to play
on Dick Cheney was giving a pep rally, talking to the press. The Secret
Service guys patted us down and waved the wands over us, and then let
us pass."
As he stood about 10 feet away from Cheney and his
friend and some camera operators from CNN and other media filmed the
scene, Marble suddenly yelled, "Go fuck yourself, Mr. Cheney! Go fuck
yourself, you asshole!"
Hey, at least Marble was polite. After all, he referred to Cheney as “Mr. Cheney.”
"I
had no intention of harming anyone but merely wanted to echo Mr.
Cheney's infamous words back at him," Marble wrote. "At that moment, I
noticed the Secret Service guys with a panic-stricken look on their
faces, like they were about to tackle me, so I calmly walked away back
to my former house."
His friend videotaped a little bit longer
and then came back to Marble’s house. As they were salvaging a few
things from Marble's home, two military police waving M-16's showed up
and said they were looking
for someone who fit Marble's description who had cursed at Cheney.
"I
told them I was probably the person they were looking for, and so they
put me in handcuffs and 'detained' me for about 20 minutes or so,"
Marble wrote. "My right thumb went numb because the cuffs were on so
tight, but they were fairly courteous and eventually released me after
getting all my contact info. They said I had NOT broken any laws so I
was free to go."
So let’s get this straight: A physician with a
newborn baby loses most everything he owns in the hurricane, does what
most of us WANT to do and “echoes” Cheney’s words he spoke on the
Senate floor last year, walks away harmlessly, mission accomplished,
and then once the media cameras leave, he is treated like a foreign
terrorist as Cheney’s goons waving M-16s handcuff him in front of his
destroyed home? Had it not been for the media cameras filming the
initial scene, I doubt Cheney’s goons would have just let Marble go
after 20 minutes.
America, land of the free?
Marble and
his family have been in the media spotlight before, including his wife,
Lisa, and baby, Sofia Grace, who was born shortly after the storm, on
CNN. Marble has also been interviewed in art magazines and the Biloxi
Sun Herald about his concert fund-raisers and musical success — one of
his bands, dR. O, has had at least 20 No. 1 songs on the MP3.com charts.
"The
truth is even with all our losses, we are still luckier than many
people down here because at least we didn't die," Marble wrote. "But I
thought I could try to raise some awareness to the bad policies of the
Dubya Gump administration and also possibly raise some money to replace
the many things we lost, and so I decided I would auction the videotape
my friend shot of the event. I will also grant an interview to the
winner if so desired."
So go to eBay here
and place a bid for this important video to help Marble raise some
needed funds. I have done so and was at least at one time the high
bidder.
Marble also has an Internet site with photographs of some damage in his town at www.HurricaneKatrinaSucked.com. A photo of him is here, and you can also email Marble at clone9@yahoo.com.
Dr. Ben Marble, you rock. May we all return the favor.
| Big Brass Balls: Venezuela Wants Pat Robertson | for everyone |
CARACAS, Venezuela, Aug. 29, 2005
President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that his government may ask the United States to extradite U.S. religious broadcaster Pat Robertson to Venezuela for suggesting American agents should kill him.
Earlier Sunday, Rev. Jesse Jackson offered support for Chavez, saying the televangelist's call for the Venezuelan leader's assassination was a criminal act.
The U.S. civil rights leader, who is on a four-day visit to Venezuela, called Robertson's statements "immoral" and "illegal." He urged U.S. authorities to take action, and said the U.S. government must choose "diplomacy over any threats of sabotage or isolation or assassination."
Sunday, speaking to foreign delegations attending a meeting of the Organization of American States in Caracas, Chavez said Venezuela will "exercise legal action in the United States" against Robertson.
"Calling for the assassination of a head of state is a terrorist act," said Chavez, an outspoken critic of President Bush who has forged strong relations with communist-led Cuba.
"We could even request his extradition," he added.
Chavez told OAS delegates that Venezuela would consider bringing the issue to United Nations if the U.S. government failed to cooperate.
Robertson's comments last week have increased already tense relations between Caracas and Washington. On his TV show "The 700 Club," Robertson said Chavez "is a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil that could hurt us very badly. We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don’t need another 200-billion-dollar war to get rid of one strong-arm dictator. It’s a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."
Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition of America, later issued an apology. "Is it right to call for assassination?," said Robertson, in a statement issued after an international furor over his remarks earlier in the week. "No, and I apologize for that statement. I spoke in frustration that we should accommodate the man who thinks the U.S. is out to kill him."
Last Tuesday, the Bush administration swiftly distanced itself from Robertson's comments. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack called the remarks "inappropriate."
Venezuela has demanded a stronger condemnation of Robertson's remarks.
"We could offer him free psychiatric treatment ... but he could be a lost case" Chavez said sarcastically of Robertson and controversial statements the conservative commentator has made in the past.
Last year, Robertson said President Bush told him before the Iraq invasion: "We're not going to have any casualties," but that "the Lord told me it was going to be (a) a disaster and (b) messy." The White House issued denials.
