Gonzo Resigns, Bush Appoints Interim AG ?

Now that would be very much in keeping with this administration's type of strategies. I believe I heard this idea on Hartmann's show offered by a caller. Basically, the idea is that the administration has planned all along to let Gonzo spew endless sweet nothings to Congress until the mid-summer recess, at which time Gonzo will resign and Bush will appoint an interim Attorney General, just like Gonzo, to serve until Bush's time runs out. Seems like an idea BushCo might appreciate and use with ease.
How absolutely elegant. Please let it not be so.

Compassion

This was e-mailed to a group to which I belong from a friend who recently lost a soul dear to her but who, in thanking the group for their emotional support, found the spirit to send this on:

Compassion a Source of Energy by Thich Nhat Hanh

"Life is precious. It is everywhere, inside us and all around us; it
has so many forms.

The First Precept is born from the awareness that lives everywhere are being destroyed. We see the suffering caused by the destruction of life, and we undertake to cultivate compassion and use it as a source of energy for the protection of people, animals, plants, and minerals.
The First Precept is a precept of compassion, karuna -- the ability to remove suffering and transform it. When we see suffering, compassion is born in us.

It is important for us to stay in touch with the suffering of the world. We need to nourish that awareness through many means -- sounds, images, direct contact, visits, and so on -- in order to keep compassion alive in us. But we must be careful not to take in too much. Any remedy must be taken in the proper dosage. We need to stay in touch with suffering only to the extent that we will not forget, so that compassion will flow within us and be a source of energy for our actions. If we use anger at injustice as the source for our energy, we may do something harmful, something that we will later regret. According to Buddhism, compassion is the only source of energy that is useful and safe. With compassion, your energy is born from insight; it is not blind energy."

http://www.ncf.ca/freenet/rootdir/menus/sigs/religion/buddhism/introduction/precepts/precept-1.html
From: The First Precept: Reverence for Life
by Thich Nhat Hanh

Thank you, Thich Nhat Hanh, for the teaching and, my dear friend, for the exquisite reminder. We are one with the spirits of our departed friends as long as we remember the love we shared.

Yeah,Laura,Afghani women are so much better off now

Laura Bush just loves to brag about how much good we have done for the Afghani women. She is so full of you-know-what. If you want to know how things are for them, check out all the news on RAWA. Here is a little something to chew on, Laura, dear:

Jalalabad: Unable to scrounge together the $165he needed to repay a loan to buy sheep, Nazir Ahmad made good on his debt by selling his 16-year-old daughter to marry the lender's son.

"He gave me nine sheep," Mr Ahmad said, describing his family's woes since taking the loan. "Because of nine sheep, I gave away my daughter." Seated beside him in the cramped compound, his daughter Malia's eyes filled with tears. She used a black scarf to wipe themaway. Despite advances in women's rights and at least one tribe's move to outlaw the practice, girls are traded like currency in Afghanistan and forced marriages are common. Antiquated tribal laws authorise the practice known as "bad" in the Afghan language Dari ­ and girls are used to settle disputes ranging from debts to murder.

Such exchanges bypass the hefty bride price of a traditional betrothal, which can cost upward of $1,000. Roughly two out of five Afghan marriages are forced, says the country's ministry of women's affairs.

So much for being so much better off. And, they are attacked if they vote, bombed if they try to resist, forced to remain at home rather than attend schools, and end up immolating themselves in ever increasing numbers out of despair.You really do not know your ass from your elbow, do you, Laura.

Fab Political Cartoons Contest

I cannot choose. I am trying hard, and laughing hard though they represent something that is really sad, mainly, the negative attitude and actions of this government towards legitimate science. These great cartoons are worth a look and a vote. At least in this election, every vote counts!

It's Time to Vote: Choose Your Science Idol!

Have fun, though I, personally am agonizing over the choice (my sides are splitting).

Three Members of Congress!

That is all they need to start impeachment hearings says Representative John Conyers.
We are so close.
Included in an e-mail today from THE PEN:

...the good news is that the mounting public pressure is having an effect and John Conyers confided that if three more members of Congress sign on to the call for impeachment he will initiate proceedings.

At this point, we really need to push the effort to reach any undecideds. We are so close to making a move to discredit and remove these thugs from office. I, for one, believe that the move must be made, whether it is successful or not. The alternative is accepting things as they are, including the desecration of our Constitution and republic plus another year of horrendous control and destruction by the current administration. Who knows what horror that may bring, and I do mean horror.

Make the calls, send the e-mails and faxes, now, while we may.

Love Among the Wonders

Lush of green envelopes me; no sense does lack reward.
Fragrance touches the nostrils as if to caress;
Sweet coolness on the skin remembers me;
Even the sting of the wing defies forgetfulness.

Mother?

Rocks and sand; all soft and hardness, sprigs of hope in the cracks.
Yellow Light; of warmth, of shimmering delight, of endless strength.
I seek you, Mother; be you green?
Or is your face a cloak of many colours?

Let me touch you, please? But how?
The earth beneath my fingers fills the soul but is not green.
Clouds of dreams speak wonders but are not green.
Hearts on fire renew the vow of life; be they green?

Singing water falls from rocks, breaks on beaches, drops from eaves, spills from eyes.
Perfect Lilacs drench the heart & mind with love, with fragrant flowers sweetly lavender in hue.
The tide does tell of now and then and yet to come with every wave and change.
Swirling the room in waltz, bodies and spirits to the very air...are you there?

Bones vibrate with the music of the moonlight rhapsody.
Birdsong, cello, a gentle breeze upon the cheek do capture me.
Such invitations to excess entangle me, like seaweed with the ocean's wave.
You speak to me in varied cadence endlessly.

Copyright ©2006 Amena Lynn Andersson

My Attitude Towards Nuclear Energy Has Not Changed

I have come to understand that conservation of energy plus use of alternative sources such as wind,water,and solar may not be enough to counter the loss of oil in the not-so-distant future due to the rising usage and need for energy. Sorry, but I do not care. We have created this mess and continue to create it and it is we who must pay for it, one way or another. Changing light bulbs, reducing driving, recycling everything possible, buying alternative vehicles, reducing consumption of everything, not supporting the corporations, etc, etc, all helps. But, it will not be enough for maintaining our current lifestyles in our current world. But, building nuclear plants in the numbers needed to offset the oil and maintain things as they are is not the answer. For one thing, they are the worst source of pollution on the planet, and one of the worst man-made sources of danger on earth.

Read Accidents Dim Hopes for Green Nuclear Option by Brad Knickerbocker and the even better article The Earthquake That Screamed "NO NUKES!!!" by Harvey Wasserman (lower on the same page)which is a very good piece on the current state of the nuclear energy industry and power plants, what has been revealed by the recent volcanic activities to nuke plants located near or on the volcanic lines, and why we should not build more .

Snippet from Wasserman article:

Atomic reactors contribute to global warming rather than abating it. In construction, in the mining, milling and enriching of the fuel, in on-going "normal" releases of heat and radioactivity, in dismantling and decommissioning, in managing radioactive wastes, in future terror attacks, in proliferation of nuke weapons, and much much more, atomic energy is an unmitigated eco-disaster.

To this list we must now add additional tangible evidence that reactors allegedly built to withstand "worst case" earthquakes in fact cannot. And when they go down, the investment is lost, and power shortages arise (as is now happening in Japan) that are filled by the burning of fossil fuels.

It costs up to ten times as much to produce energy from a nuke as to save it with efficiency. Advances in wind, solar and other green "Solartopian" technologies mean atomic energy simply cannot compete without massive subsidies, loan guarantees and government insurance to protect it from catastrophes to come.

Time for change. What I think we must all come to accept really soon is that the change of which I am speaking is a massive loss of life-as-we-know-it, massive conservation efforts, an alteration in viewpoint as to what we really need in order to be happy. We need to live life far more simply, folks, without the appliances, commutes, jet-travel, large homes, multiple vehicles, and endless self-gratifications. We need to put the Earth First and explore life on a personal basis. We need to learn and accept that "stuff" is not where it is at.

White House Shoving its Weight Around Again

So now, according to the Washington Post, the White House says the Justice Department

will never be allowed to pursue contempt charges initiated by Congress against White House officials once the president has invoked executive privilege.

All hail the little king who all can now see clearly with his clothes off, not that he has been wearing much for some time.

Revive the statute for an Independent Counsel? This was a suggestion by Bruce Fine on Randi Rhodes this afternoon. This would be to preserve the separation of powers. But, do we have the time for this, before smiling BushCo pulls something? I am still for the Inherent Contempt method, though I do see the wisdom Of Fine's position. That would assuredly be the best course under normal conditions. But, these are very different times and this is not an ordinary administration; these are dangerous thugs, bullies who like to beat up, torture and kill the innocent, and must be treated as such.

Looks Like Valerie & Joe have been shut down...

...by a Bush appointed judge who dismissed their civil suit. Sorry, guys. There is no justice left in this country, I am afraid, and will not be any until this administration is impeached, all of them, gone.

Here is a great BuzzFlash link on it with a few extra points of interest on this crappy, shithead of a judge:

Valerie Plame's lawsuit dismissed

So, we can do nothing in the courts. The President can make laws without Congress having anything to do with it. The President can arrest, hold without reason or defense counsel or notice for an indefinite amount of time anyone, can assume all property and holdings of anyone who gets in his way, and their friends, there are concentration camps being prepared on American soil, and most of this country continues to watch tv and look the other way. Is it time to leave yet?

New Executive Order from King George

Many thanks to a blogger, Lizmy, on Alternet for this heads up and link to some seriously scary news:

Executive Order: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq


Fact sheet Message to the Congress of the United States Regarding International Emergency Economic Powers Act

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as amended (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)(IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.)(NEA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,

I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, find that, due to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by acts of violence threatening the peace and stability of Iraq and undermining efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq and to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people, it is in the interests of the United States to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13303 of May 22, 2003, and expanded in Executive Order 13315 of August 28, 2003, and relied upon for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13350 of July 29, 2004, and Executive Order 13364 of November 29, 2004. I hereby order:

Section 1. (a) Except to the extent provided in section 203(b)(1), (3), and (4) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(1), (3), and (4)), or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the date of this order, all property and interests in property of the following persons, that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of United States persons, are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported,

withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in: any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense,

(i) to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing, an act or acts of violence that have the purpose or effect of:

(A) threatening the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq; or

(B) undermining efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq or to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people;

(ii) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technical support for, or goods or services in support of, such an act or acts of violence or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; or

(iii) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.

(b) The prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section include, but are not limited to, (i) the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order, and (ii) the

receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

Sec. 2. (a) Any transaction by a United States person or within the United States that evades or avoids, has the purpose

of evading or avoiding, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

(b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

Sec. 3. For purposes of this order:

(a) the term "person" means an individual or entity;

(b) the term "entity" means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization; and

(c) the term "United States person" means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States.

Sec. 4. I hereby determine that the making of donations of the type specified in section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) by, to, or for the benefit of, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order would seriously impair my ability to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13303 and expanded in Executive Order 13315, and I hereby prohibit such donations as provided by section 1 of this order.

Sec. 5. For those persons whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States, I find that, because of the ability to transfer funds or other assets

instantaneously, prior notice to such persons of measures to be taken pursuant to this order would render these measures ineffectual. I therefore determine that for these measures to be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13303 and expanded in Executive Order 13315, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination made pursuant to section 1(a) of this order.

Sec. 6. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order. The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States Government, consistent with applicable law. All agencies of the United States Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of this order and, where appropriate, to advise the Secretary of the Treasury in a timely manner of the measures taken.

Sec. 7. Nothing in this order is intended to affect the continued effectiveness of any rules, regulations, orders, licenses, or other forms of administrative action issued, taken, or continued in effect heretofore or hereafter under 31 C.F.R. chapter V, except as expressly terminated, modified, or suspended by or pursuant to this order.

Sec. 8. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right, benefit, or privilege, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, instrumentalities, or entities, its officers or employees, or any other person.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,

July 17, 2007.

Link to this post here.

We are talking seriously scary here. If our legislators do not respond to this with some serious action immediately, we are yet deeper in the little king's hands. What this order says, basically, is that the Bush administration can confiscate all the property of anyone they want, without notice, simply by defining them as "posing a risk" of undermining the Bush administration's efforts in Iraq. I would think that this would include you and I as wellas the majority of U.S. citizens who have been polling that they the want this war to end, now. And, how about the Senators? Could this be used to bully and cower them to accept whatever BushCo decrees? Same with the Justices, the injustice department, and, every other person in the USA who BushCo wished to intimidate. If you are not worried, you should be.

Take Back the Tap

From food&waterwatch:

Did you know that:

- bottled water contributes to global warming?1

- bottled water is less safe than our tap water?2

- bottled water creates mountains of waste?3

Do something simple to help save the Earth. Ask 10 friends to Break the Habit. The bottled water habit, that is.

Join us as we break the bottled water habit. Click here to sign the No Bottled Water Pledge, and forward it to 10 friends.

Did you know?

[1] It takes more than 47 million gallons of oil to produce plastic water bottles for Americans every year. Eliminating those bottles would be like taking 100,000 cars off the road and 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. "The Real Cost of Bottled Water" San Francisco Chronicle, February 18, 2007 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/
archive/2007/02/18/EDG56N6OA41.DTL

[2] The Environmental Protection Agency requires rigorous testing of tap water to ensure quality. Both regulation and enforcement of bottled water safety is weaker than that of tap water safety. Olson, Erik D. et al. "Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype?" Natural Resources Defense Council

[3] "Upscale Restaurants Shun Bottled Water" ABC News, March 29, 2007 http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=2990824

Been drinking tap water all along so this is no big change for me. For some, it may be so; but, worth it for the environment. We must all agree to put the Earth first if we are to save this planet for the generations to come.

Tonight's the Night (for the filibuster) !

Goddess bless Harry Reid for finally getting the message...the pundits were wrong and the bloggers, right, of course. The people of this country are sick of this war, this administration, and sick of being ignored. We want the war to end, the wanton throwing away of our money to stop, and the ugly Republican shenanigans to stop. I mean President Clinton was made to step down because of "the private, personal blowjob;" but, the Republicans seem to be quite willing to let their own do anything, and I do mean anything, even in diapers, as long as it is low, illegal, immoral, and makes money or at least does not blow any, pun intended. I am really sick to death of the lot of them, from the top man on down.

So let the Republican Senators talk. Let them tell us exactly why they believe that our soldiers should continue to die for an illegal, immoral, and expensive-in-every-way war. Then watch them get defeated at the polls next time 'round.

So, hurrah! for Harry and please keep it up. The country is with you all the way, (giggle).

The New Yorker Says Impeach Cheney Now

Thanks to Dave Pollard of How to Save the World, I read The New Yorker article on Dick Cheney that essentially laid out why we need to act now, not wait out the 1 1/2 years left of his term, to impeach the Vice-President who is doing so much injury to this country and, indeed, the world.

Snippet:

More than anyone else, including his mentor and departed co-conspirator, Donald Rumsfeld, Cheney has been the intellectual author and bureaucratic facilitator of the crimes and misdemeanors that have inflicted unprecedented disgrace on our country’s moral and political standing: the casual trashing of habeas corpus and the Geneva Conventions; the claim of authority to seize suspects, including American citizens, and imprison them indefinitely and incommunicado, with no right to due process of law; the outright encouragement of “cruel,” “inhuman,” and “degrading” treatment of prisoners; the use of undoubted torture, including waterboarding (Cheney: “a no-brainer for me”), which for a century the United States had prosecuted as a war crime; and, of course, the bloody, nightmarish Iraq war itself, launched under false pretenses, conducted with stupefying incompetence, and escalated long after public support for it had evaporated, at the cost of scores of thousands of lives, nearly half a trillion dollars, and the crippling of America’s armed forces, which no longer overawe and will take years to rebuild.

Here is the full article:

The Darksider by Hendrik Hertzberg.

Please let us impeach this piece of powerful puke now, before it is too late and we have nuked Iran.

Kucinich out-polls Democratic front-runners on climate change, global warming

Kucinich always brings them in when they really look at him and his treatment of the issues.

Congressman and Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich out-polled front runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and all but one of the other Democratic candidates in an online poll that asked the question: "Which candidate's position on dealing with the climate crisis do you prefer?"

Only former Senator John Edwards received more votes than Kucinich. Senator Clinton came in third, Senator Obama fourth, and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson fifth. The other candidates were in single digits.

Rest of article is here:

Kucinich out-polls Democratic front-runners on climate change, global warming

Kucinich for President? YES!!!!!!!

Here is why I love this man:

NEW YORK - An angry Dennis Kucinich lashed out at John Edwards on Friday, saying his Democratic rival showed "a consistent lack of integrity" by suggesting fewer candidates should participate in presidential forums and then trying to explain his remark to reporters.
"This is a serious matter and I'm calling him on it," Kucinich, an Ohio congressman, said in a telephone interview Friday. "Whispering, trying to rig an election, then denying what's going on and making excuses. It all reflects a consistent lack of integrity."

Kucinich's comments came after Edwards and Hillary Rodham Clinton were overheard Thursday discussing the possibility of limiting the number of participants in future presidential forums.

In an exchange captured on camera and open microphone by broadcasters after an NAACP forum in Detroit, Edwards approached Clinton onstage and whispered in her ear.

"We should try to have a more serious and a smaller group," Edwards said, and Clinton agreed.

"Our guys should talk," Clinton said, complaining the format had "trivialized" the discussion.

Kucinich, who typically polls in the low single digits, clearly felt the slight was directed at him. All eight Democratic contenders took part in the program, including Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Chris Dodd, Joe Biden, Mike Gravel and Kucinich.

Later Friday, Kucinich sent letters to both Clinton and Edwards challenging them to one-on-one debates, the Kucinich campaign said.

"If you are truly seeking debates where there are fewer participants and where there is more meaningful and serious discourse, this is a great opportunity for us to join together in an open discussion on behalf of the American people," the letter said.

For the rest of the article go here:
Kucinich rips Edwards on Debate Remarks


Why is it so difficult for people to see that Kucinich is the best choice for President?! He speaks truth to power, has always done so, and he is honest, has absolutely great ideas, really wants to end the war, and takes not one dime from corporations so he is free to speak the truth. He is also the only talking to the NAACP.

the moon's favors: our modern and necessary myth

the moon's favors: our modern and necessary myth

Stop the Latest Assault on Our Wolves

The Bush/Cheney Administration has announced two proposals to jumpstart the killing of hundreds of wolves in the Yellowstone area and elsewhere in the Northern Rockies.

Officials in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are now seeking public comment on the agency’s proposal to accept Wyoming’s disastrous wolf management plan and to give Idaho and Wyoming vast new powers to kill wolves -- even while these magnificent animals remain listed under the Endangered Species Act.

The deadline for comments on these two flawed proposals is Monday, August 6th. Please click the link below to fill out the form to send your message to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service right now.

Stop the Assault on Our Wolves

Sad Day the Music Died Update

Court Denies Webcasters' Stay Appeal
By Roy Mark

Webcasters suffered a major blow in their effort to rollback new royalty rates late Wednesday when the U.S. District Court of Appeals denied their appeal for an emergency stay of relief.

The stay would have delayed the July 15 due date for the new royalties, which triple the rates for streaming music over the next three years. The court decision does not preclude the court from ultimately ruling in favor of the webcasters. The May appeal, filed by the Digital Media Association (DiMA), is still pending.

Webcasters claim the new rates are simply unaffordable for many Internet radio stations and will put a number of them out of business.

For the entire article go here.

Just-say-NO-to-HR-811

From Mark Crispin Miller who I heard on Tom Hartmann's Air America, voter caging is still happening and a bad bill, HR 811, must be stopped for the DEMS to maintain their hold on the Legislature and to have a hope to place a DEM in the Presidency in 2008. There is a ton of information at his site in a number of articles as well as a "kit" to "just-say-NO-to-HR-811.

Here is a snippet:

"Unless this point in the legislation has been changed, the bill [as marked up in committee] now stipulates that the e-voting software be available only to 'qualified' individuals, who must sign strict non-disclosure agreements."

(This was an extraordinary change, because the early version of the bill had ordered that such software must be readily available to everyone. See my vlog on this at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQiNJRv42w4.)

And here is Mulder's staggering reply:

"That's not what the bill said when introduced. Therefore, you can take up your concerns with Microsoft and others in the proprietary software industry. During Committee proceedings they lobbied very heavily against the language that was in the bill as introduced and none of you lobbied in favor of the language that was in the bill as introduced, and thus, the software industry won. It's very simple, really."

And,...

...it just so happens that a company called Avante International appears to be headquartered in Holt's district, and that Avante is positioned to make money
if Holt's bill should pass and the machines should all be fitted out with "paper
trails."

Get the kit and JUST SAY NO TO HR 811.

Closer to War With Iran

Thanks to The American Street which led me to Firedoglakewhich led me to Crooks and Liars for the heads-up on this latest development in our really sick Senate's escapades...we are one step closer to war with Iran through passage of the Lieberman Amendment (Goddess, I hate this guy). Oh, goodie. Thanks, guys, we really need this, especially since you just made certain that our returning troops will not be rested or ready for battle and will probably become totally deranged in the fight, to receive no help at home, should they make it back, to sort out their lives and remaining limbs. And, Turkey is amassing on the edge of Iraq stating that their enemies are using our weapons to fight with, and they don't like this much. Ahem.
Wow! What an august bunch of Senators we have.

Levin introduced the actual vote on the Lieberman Amendment by stressing that the Senate stands as one and that Iran had better listen. The final vote: 97 Ayes, 0 Nays.

Christ.

Watch the video and read the sadness here at:

Crooks and Liars and/or one of the other sites I mentioned. Feeling sick, think I'll hit the sack. Hope I wake up in the AM and find this has all been a bad dream.

Inherent Contempt

An idea picked up from the Randi Rhodes show this afternoon from a very astute caller:
Congress should use the process of inherent contempt to compel unruly witnesses to testify and/or to punish them for refusing to testify. Such persons can be arrested immediately and taken to court to face charges. I love it...I would certainly love to see VP Cheney in handcuffs and marched off to court. But, for tomorrow, it is about Miers. Instead of criminal contempt charges, perhaps inherent contempt would be the better way to go.
Here is what inherent contempt is, from Wikipedia:

Inherent contempt

Under this process, the procedure for holding a person in contempt involves only the chamber concerned. Following a contempt citation, the person cited for contempt is arrested by the Sergeant-at-Arms for the House or Senate, brought to the floor of the chamber, held to answer charges by the presiding officer, and then subject to punishment that the House may dictate (usually imprisonment for punishment reasons, imprisonment for coercive effect, or release from the contempt citation.)

Concerned with the time-consuming nature of a contempt proceeding and the inability to extend punishment further than the session of the Congress concerned (under Supreme Court rulings), Congress created a statutory process in 1857. While Congress retains its "inherent contempt" authority and may exercise it at any time, this inherent contempt process was last used by the Senate in 1934, against the Postmaster-General. After a one-week trial in the Senate floor (presided by the Vice-President of the United States, acting as Senate President), the Postmaster-General was found guilty and sentenced to 10 days imprisonment.

The Postmaster General had filed a petition of Habeas Corpus in federal courts to overturn his arrest, but after litigation, the US Supreme Court ruled that Congress had acted constitutionally, and denied the petition in the case Jurney v. MacCracken, 294 U.S. 125 (1945). [1]

Sounds like a good idea to me. certainly one worth serious consideration by Congress.
Thanks Randi, and Randi caller.
Call your legislators, people, and tell them to give it a try. A barrage of calls and e-mails might just do the trick.

What Al Gore Knows

After reading a post at Easy Bake Coven who found the article on Huffington Post concerning Al Gore's resolve (so far) to remain non-political (not run for Pres) in his campaign re global warming, I wrote a response as to why I believe Al Gore is not running:

The man honestly believes that the greatest threat to the planet, not just the country, is global warming and that he can be most effective for change by remaining independent of politics...and, he is right.
This country is a hollow shell, now. It has essentially been allowed to die by its millions of lazy, myopic, self-absorbed, tv-watching citizens.
The corporations are the whole show and they exist outside the confines of country. They do not care what happens to this country or any country as long as the bottom line swells.

Gore may yet run. He has capitalized brilliantly on his independent position to forward the issue of global warming and the need for the entire world to start immediately to work for change so as to lessen the inevitable and painful drama that is coming, which he could not have done from a partisan position. When he feels that he has done all he can from that position, that he may be able to do more as President, he may chose to run. I hope so. And, I hope he choses Kucinich for his VP.

Way to Go, Olympia!

She is one of MY Senators. I did not vote for her (I voted for a Dem who is closer to my politics), but I have always approved of her environmental tendencies. As to her support of the troop withdrawal within 120 days, hurray!



Snowe Embraces Troop Withdrawal Bill

Snowe, R-Maine, joined Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., in co-sponsoring a bill that would require troops to start leaving in 120 days. The bill also would end combat by April 30, 2008.

Took you too long to get here, Olympia, but, at least you finally did and I am proud of you for standing out front of the rest of the Republican crowd. GO MAINE! GO OLYMPIA!

Today's Cartoon from the Cartoonist Group:

Center for American Progress Action Fund
1333 H Street, NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

From My Journal

There were fireflies tonight. The air became magic. Silent, a quiet breeze, just a softness on the cheek, then the gentle, tiny spark of light against the velvet dark, then another, and another.

The peonies nod their delicate pink faces in the breeze,
sharing their uncapturable, heavenly fragrance with the garden.

The tiger lilies have joined the dance to speak of things yellow and black, while the roses join their ruby perfume to the night.

I rejoice in the in the wonder and delight of an evening filled with tiny points of light all in velvet gold against the velvet black of night, points of reference and of sweetness....

Against the horror of a world filled with terror in the black and dreadful violence, utter torture and despair, is there beauty...do they see the fireflies there? I care.

Devastated by the obscenity of war, I watch the flawless night, and wonder is it the same for them, if they are able to watch, can they still see the fireflies? What must we do or is it truly river flow...I feel connected to the souls in pain even if they do not know me. I want their pain to stop so they can love the night again.

Urgent Alert for Those Stateside

Restore Habeas Corpus

This week, the Senate will hold its first up-or-down vote on restoring habeas corpus. Tell your Senators to support the Specter-Leahy amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization bill.

Poor Habeas has been missing since September 2006 when Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA), which stripped the right of habeas corpus for the first time since the Civil War. We have all been searching for him since.

Tell your Senators that it is time to bring back habeas corpus and restore our Constitution.

Small Steps for the Environment, and We Who Eat Chicken

Tyson Foods,the huge producer of all things chicken in the States, has announced that it has:

begun to produce all of its fresh chicken free of antibiotics and is selling the chicken in grocery stores under a "Raised Without Antibiotics" label. An estimated 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the United States are regularly added to the feed of livestock and poultry that are not sick—a practice with serious consequences for our health. Bacteria that are constantly exposed to antibiotics develop antibiotic resistance. This means that when humans get sick from resistant bacteria, the antibiotics prescribed by doctors don't work.

This quote is from FEED, an e-mail digest from the Union of Concerned Scientists (Bless them) which keeps me informed on the latest good and bad news in the world of food. I am happy to hear this as I am in a quandary as to what to eat in these days of mad cow disease, bird flu, and poisonous chicken/turkey fed god knows what from where. This is a small step, but an encouraging one, and I am happy to see it taken. Now if we can just get all the rest of the food suppliers to follow suite!

Good Ole YellowBelly

Truly excellent article on Bush:

A Profile in Cowardice
By Frank Rich
The New York Times

Sunday 08 July 2007

Another Looming ShootOut at the L/E Corral

Looks like this pompous, arrogant on-again,0ff-again executive branch is out for a head-on with the legislative branch over those documents concerning the questionable firings of the US attorneys. It is anyone's guess, imho, as to who will win if there is, indeed, a show-down. Both sides seem to have weak and strong points. Of course, "the good guys" are those seeking to rein-in the runaway executive branch, looking for some accountability and balance.

Notice how many horsey, cowboy oriented references are contained in these words? Somehow seems appropriate. Here's hoping the "good guys" win this one. I worry that if they do not, the republic will truly die and be replaced by the pretend Theocracy, true Corporatocracy of our nightmares. Is it time to move yet?

From Truthout:
White House Will Deny New Request In Attorneys Probe

Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act

This from Defenders of Wildlife:

Wildlife in our warming world got a boost last month as the Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act passed out of committee in the House of Representatives as part of a larger bill on energy and climate change. The legislation now heads to a vote the House floor. The Survival Act provides a vital first step to helping endangered Hawaiian monk seals, polar bears and other wildlife survive the harmful effects of global warming.

If you haven’t already done so, please urge your Representative to support this legislation.

Technorati thingy

Technorati Profile

07/07/2007

Interesting date. I am still unable to take part in Live Earth and am currently pouting. Hope my friends are all enjoying it and making all sorts of green Pledges which they plan to keep.

Concentration Camps in the USA?

I had heard the rumor, but just now came across the link to one strange article on the subject.
Perhaps another reason to have fear of the insane administration in this country. But, not to be cowed...to be alerted and ready to take action to stop any un-American and/or criminal activities by our government.

Here is the link:
CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN AMERICA : ARE THEY FOR YOU ?

Very bizarre stuff, especially the writing at the end of this piece. I do not know what to make of it. Lunatic ramblings? Hallucinations? Visions? Definitely weird. To be taken with a shaker of salt.

A Foreshadowing of the Effects of Net Neutrality

Last night I struggled in vain to watch/listen to the Live Earth Concerts provided by MSN for those stuck at home (or in the woods, as I am) without TV. After a number of tantalizing snippets from Australia, Japan, and China, I finally gave up. It almost made me cry. The Australian groups performing looked to be wonderful and I wished with all my heart to be able to "be there," via satellite images and audio, with them.

I have a dial-up connection, and not always even that. It was one of the bitter choices I had to make when moving away from civilization, or at least, concentrations of it. There is no fast internet where I live except by satellite. Despite cutting trees and putting a huge, heavy dish up on a tall platform on the roof, no adequate signal has as yet been achieved.

Last night got me to ruminating about what it will be like when the death of net neutrality takes effect, when the huge telecoms start adding costs to connection fees, altering speeds for those with or without big money, blocking access to sites they do not like or with whom they are in competition; in other words, uber-controlling the net. Perhaps many of the millions watching Live Earth from the poorer homes of folks who work two jobs (or more) just to survive and feed their families, will not, in future, be able to see or participate in such a program. Perhaps the program itself would not be permitted to air simply because the big providers refuse access.
Perhaps, even if allowing access, the corporations allow only slow-speed versions so that, while they have not blocked access, they have made it virtually impossible to actually see/hear the program.

Losing net neutrality is no small matter. It grieves me that there has been no real fight, as yet, to stop this potential huge loss to free speech and universal access to information in this allegedly free country.

Live Earth Starts Tonight

Thanks to Skippy the Bush Kangaroo for reminding me of the time difference. Live Earth starts for those of us on the East coast at 9:10PM coming from Sydney. I will be listening/watching on streaming audio/video via MSN:


http://www.liveearth.msn.com/

Catch and Release

I thought this a rather good cartoon on the commutation of Libby subject from the Cartoonist Group (sent to me by e-mail from CAPAF, thank you very much).

Gore's Take On The Libby Commutation

Gore spoke on NBC's Today show and was almost, seemingly, simultaneously joined in thought by Thom Hartmann on Air America Radio; both indicated the belief that the Libby commutation of sentence was very curious in that Libby knows all the dirty facts about Bush and Cheney's involvement in the Plame case and had suddenly given up all attempt at defending himself last February, starting smiling all the time (this from Thom), and apparently took the rap without saying boo. It seems suspicious. When Bush set Libby free from the jail sentence but did not give him full pardon (yet), was it further obstruction of justice? This would, I believe, be a felony and further reason to impeach Bush (and Cheney). It is important that Congress not let this go. They must investigate, it is their duty to investigate. Wexler's censure measure will not be enough. This must be investigated in depth.

Watch the video and read about Gore's statement on Think Progress.

Great Camera with New Shots of Mars

Digital photography has changed picture-taking forever. Not just for snap-shot takers, but for space exploration, the detail possible is extraordinary.
Here is a site with the latest pics from Mars. For those of us on dial-up (groan), there is a slow-connection link as well.

Go here: HIRISE

Wiccans dedicate grave at Arlington

Good news for pagans...

By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, July 5, 2007


WASHINGTON — The Rev. Selena Fox said Wednesday wasn’t the first time she visited a Wiccan’s grave site at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. It was just the first time one was identified that way.

“This is the first time the Christian cross and Wiccan pentacle have both been engraved on a tombstone here, and it’s great news for us,” said the senior minister of Circle Sanctuary, a Wisconsin Wiccan community. “It’s recognition we’ve fought for for so long.”

On Wednesday Fox, members of her congregation and other pagans held a consecration ceremony at the grave site of Jan Deanna, a Wiccan minister who passed away more than two years ago.

Her husband, Army Capt. William O’Rourke, passed away nine years earlier and had the Christian cross engraved on his tombstone. But Deanna’s side was left blank, because until May the Department of Veterans Affairs had no symbol to recognize her faith.

Wiccan groups have been pushing for the pentacle as a recognized religious symbol for almost a decade, but efforts have been stymied by paperwork and administrative delays by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

This spring, after new rules from the department and continued unsuccessful lobbying by pagan groups, Circle Sanctuary and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State sued the department for the right to put the symbol on gravestones and plaques.

In May the department settled the suit, agreeing to include it among the 38 other religious symbols permitted for veterans’ memorials. Veterans and military spouses at Wednesday’s event called it an important First Amendment victory.

Retired Army Capt. Richard Briggs, who is working toward becoming a Wiccan military chaplain, said over the years pagan servicemembers have faced discrimination from commanders and other troops, but as people learn more about the religion the military has become more accepting.

“Coming out of the broom closet can be dangerous, but we have to,” he said.

Army Staff Sgt. Frederick Twombly, a member of the 63rd Engineer Support Battalion, helped set up a Wiccan worship community in Baghdad during both of his deployments over to Iraq.

“We had guys from all over, all different units, all different ranks,” he said. “People would look and say, ‘Wait, he’s a major and he’s a Wiccan?’ And then they’d understand that it’s not just some hidden thing.”

The event was designed not just to celebrate the legal victory but also to remember Deanna, who friends called a kind and generous woman. The Rev. Paula Johnson, who belonged to the same worship community in Florida, said she worked with local charities every Christmas to help poor families with gifts for their children.

“A year before she died, she spoke often about not tolerating religious persecution,” Johnson said. “She’s an inspiration to us all.”

Deanna’s tombstone is one of two in the cemetery bearing the symbol; Pfc. Abe Kooiman, a World War II veteran who died in 2002, also left instructions to have his headstone marked once a Wiccan symbol was approved. Fox said at least four other veterans have also had the symbol etched into memorial plaques since the lawsuit was settled.

“And now, I’m hearing from people that are requesting and getting it without me being included in a fight,” she said. “That makes us very, very happy.”


All I can say is, well, it is about time!

Live Earth

I do hope everyone is signed up and ready for (or at least planning to watch and/or listen to) the Live Earth Event, Concerts, Happenings this weekend. Here is the SOS/Live Earth link in case you need it:

Live Earth

As I have no TV and as I am a hermit petrified of going anywhere with strangers, I will try to listen to the MSM streaming audio (on dial-up, ). Or, perhaps I shall be really brave and go visit someone with a TV so I can watch and share Live Earth with someone. Sounds better, does it not? Ah well, we shall see....

Well, I am back...

Been away for quite some time. All sorts of yucky stuff happened including dead computers, total loss of files, deep depression (related to the above but more directly so to the world situation). It took me monstrous time to attempt a comeback. So much lost, but, hey! This is a clean slate and there is work to be done.

I will need to find my old friends, those who are still blogging here and there around the net. This is a daunting mission, but, it will be fun to see who is out there and discover some newbies along the way.

It is summer, the garden is feeding me both food and delight...flowers abound, the rose bush, which made it through the harsh Maine winter, is loaded with fragrant rosy glories and the Peonies' fragrance fills the air. There are Niccotiana plants growing, to delight the senses in a few weeks. The apple tree is loaded with apples (we have wild bees in the neighborhood, not yet touched by the dread and mysterious bee disease) and the fireflies join me in dance each evening. Oh how I love the summer!

Politics are in full flower as well but, as this is my first post and I am angry as a hornet re the current political situation, I think I will leave that to the next post. Need to play a bit first.