I know I'm playing catch-up with the Libby thing, but what was that I heard on NPR last night about how they want to throw the while thing out because Fitz wasn't under the control of the AG and therefore it's unconstitutional? That kinda logic gives me chills cuz it's crazy and creative enough that some fed judge might say: well, gee, I never thought of it like that before.
M |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 5:59 am | #
You forgot to fitz.......
ccmask |
02.24.06 - 6:00 am | #
third, not fitz!
bushworstpresidentever |
02.24.06 - 6:01 am | #
It's just a motion to dismiss, routine, and will be denied.
Daily kos said it best:
nterestingly, Libby's lawyers ominously rumble:
Libby's lawyers warned U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton that he may need to require the Justice Department to turn over records -- including a secret letter from Comey to Fitzgerald -- to determine whether the special counsel's appointment is legal.
Hmmm. A secret letter. Like this? The one found on the DOJ website?
Pitiful. Purely pitiful.
tom -- chicago |
02.24.06 - 6:02 am | #
it's not that he's clueless. it's that it doesn't matter. it doesn't matter because there is no threat. there is no threat because 9/11 was an inside job.
bush did it. and in your heart you know it too.
spearNmagicHelmet |
02.24.06 - 6:03 am | #
Port Insecurity
Presidential Insecurity
Who exactly is running this misadministration?
ccmask |
02.24.06 - 6:03 am | #
bill schneider yesterday on cnn was suggesting this would be the way out for bush -- to have the company call for a delay. looks like that's what they've done.
this has just been an amazing thing to watch play out. what are the chances fredo's approval dives to low-30s. i'm guessing pretty good.
bkny |
02.24.06 - 6:07 am | #
Harriet Miers - Take 2.
muddy |
02.24.06 - 6:09 am | #
"[Libby's lawyers] want to throw the while thing out because Fitz wasn't under the control of the AG and therefore it's unconstitutional"
I heard that too. Redd, at what point do the judges start getting pissed at all the frivolous "shit against the wall tactics"? There must be a point where these maneuvers are counter-productive for Libby's side.
sonate |
02.24.06 - 6:09 am | #
Anybody see VandenHei on Olbermann about the DPW deal? He's Scotty McLellan, Jr. Zero integrity, zero credibility. It's beyond appalling that this man works for what used to be considered a bellwether of journalistic integrity (a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, of course). Put down your pom poms, Jim, and start acting like an actual reporter.
CofM |
02.24.06 - 6:12 am | #
This deal wouldn't go forward if we were concerned about the security for the United States of America."
Just think about that for a moment. Sorry, but I just can't stop laughing: clearly, they're NOT concerned about the security for the United States of America -- and he said it, flat out. Amazing.
dannyboy |
02.24.06 - 6:12 am | #
Stupid or Lying?
Stupid or Lying?
I'll take stupid for 300 Alex.
Paul Dirks |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 6:12 am | #
In my cynical bleeding heart I can't help but feel the call for a delay by the company is just a ploy and Bush expects us all to crawl away and forget about it. And why shouldn't he expect that as that is what a majority of Americans will do. My hope is that this time Bush & Co will have finally gone too far for some folks. But I digress. My first grader got in the car from school yesterday and asked me very forcibly "Mom does the president have to follow the law or is it okay because he is the one who makes the laws...right?"
And here I've been worried and anticipating the sex talk. Geez.
I explained the system of checks and balances to her and I grudingly bought gas from Mobil (because I truly was on E and was coasting on fumes).
She didn't believe me. Where have I failed. My child thinks that an imperial presidency is the norm.
Florida Mom |
02.24.06 - 6:13 am | #
Heard that a level pentagon official stated that DISapproal of the UAE deal would be a threat to national security. How about that for Orwellian "double-think"??? How can you look yourself in the mirror after spouting off this shit?
sonate |
02.24.06 - 6:15 am | #
Redd
You have many valid reasons to bash Bush. This is not one of them.
Did you happen to read editorials in the LA Times, Washington Post and Wall St Journal, amongst others, all supporting Bush's handling of this matter and dimissing criticisms like yours as "idiotic nonsense"?
You're a great partisan. I respect your vigilance. But, by persisting in this way, you invite suspicions of being motivated by a pathological hatred of Bush, misguided jingoism and rank xenophobia.
anthony |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 6:19 am | #
Florida Mom,get your daughter those Schoolhouse Rock videos about government.I had to make my son a chart on a big dry erase board showing the 3 branches of gov't and their jobs before he understood it(he's 11).I also showed him how a bill becomes a law on that same board.You might want to talk to her teacher,something isn't being taught quite right there.
An Angry Old Broad |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 6:21 am | #
Good Morning Redd, Everyone -
"And to all those conservatives who have asked questions about this deal, welcome to the "you are unpatriotic" club. How's it feel to know that your President thinks you ought to just keep your mouth shut and agree with him -- or have your patriotism and love of country questioned by your own government if you don't fall in their line?"
This has been my personal meme since the story broke - and believe me, have had ample opportunity
longtime dittoheads see the nakedness of towing the Rovian line w/this one - whatta shame UAE is providing cover and cooling the situation down
have so enjoyed asking my Repub friends - Why do you hate America ?
cbl |
02.24.06 - 6:22 am | #
Florida Mom | 02.24.06 - 6:13 am |
I agree with An Angry Old Broad | Homepage | 02.24.06 - 6:21 am |
It sounds more like the failure is in the school system, not you.
sonate |
02.24.06 - 6:24 am | #
Anthony- New York has joined Jersey in a lawsuit to stop the sale. The newspapers are part of the Bush Administration. Because I have faith in Jane & Redd, I truly believe that the day Bush does something for the people in this country, they will gladly pat him on the back.
Regarding this quote:
"And so people don't need to worry about security. This deal wouldn't go forward if we were concerned about the security for the United States of America."
snip
Are soldiers dying for nothing or for our security. As for myself, I am starting to believe the 911 conspiracies....
ccmask |
02.24.06 - 6:26 am | #
BUSH FLIP-FLOPS ON PORT SECURITY
There's your meme.
cbl--I too have enjoyed asking Republicans that.
cleter |
02.24.06 - 6:28 am | #
Unfortunately, this deal will go thru -- they don't "learn lessons." They do deals that help them and their friends and that's all they do.
Bush finally said a true thing: he doesn't care about security of the U.S.
They will delay it a week or two, just enough time to "allay the fears" of Congress and go ahead and do it. It's not only tied up with the personal fortunes of two bush insiders, but it's tied to a "free trade" zone that will allow UAE slave labor to produce "made in america" shirts and whatnot.
I feel safer already.
tom -- chicago |
02.24.06 - 6:28 am | #
"pathological hatred of Bush" -- ummmm, can he even say pathological? He is pathological, and yes, after considering long and hard, I just might pathologically (meaning that my genes say I must hate people who hurt others without remorse) 'hate' Bush, given a level of hatred which I have never quite practiced prior to Bush. Not even my ex-husband got my level of dislike for bush and his robotic followers.
To FDL'ers, I am trying to stay current on the topic and I know nothing further about my grandson. But am keeping my mind active by reading all the posts here.
GrandmaJ |
02.24.06 - 6:28 am | #
Anthony re: editorials calling concerns about UAE "idiotic nonsense" - links?
percy |
02.24.06 - 6:30 am | #
Being called idiotic by the WSJ editorial page is a sign that we're on the right track. And after Iraq, Katrina, NSA, Plame, ports, birdshot...if it's pathological hatred we've got, we've got reasons out the yingyang. We want them gone before they fuck things up so bad they can't be fixed.
Is that jingoistic enough for you, anthony?
landreau |
02.24.06 - 6:30 am | #
An Angry Old Broad:
I totally agree. Her class starts each day with a question and they have to read and answer the one that pertains to them. Usually it is something like
I like chocolate ice cream
I like vanilla ice cream
and the child signs their name to the statement or question of their choice.
Yesterday's statements (according to my child) were the following:
I wish George Washington was my president.
I am glad George W. Bush is president.
A little boy named "Jake" who is African American went to sign his name on the W. statement and my kid intervened and said to him
"NO JAKE DON'T. George Bush hates black people." Jake signed up for Washington.
My children had seen Kanye West on TV after Katrina and in all fairness my husband and I did not challenge Kanye's statement.
That being said something is going on in the classroom and it does need to be addressed. I don't understand those statements from yesterday.
I will rent School House Rock. Thanks for the reminder of how great those cartoons are.
Florida Mom |
02.24.06 - 6:30 am | #
Six months? You mean, around the time of the 4th of July holidays, so no one's around to see the final rubber-stamp of approval...?
Wouldn't surprise me a bit.
Jeff (no, the other one) |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 6:33 am | #
Great column today in the SF paper. Mark Morford writes Wed. & Fri. columns and is hysterically funny. Today's is about how a president he compares to a trailer hitch has made the world a darker, more violent, scarier place. It is terrific--read it! http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...2406.DTL&
nl=fix
Vicki |
02.24.06 - 6:35 am | #
Florida Mom:
A teacher asking your kid, in class, whether they support Bush is way scary. I'd talk w/other parents and then schedule a meeting; we raised our kids in Falwell-land and they had to learn early how to stick up for their rights and beliefs. Probably a good lesson but I still resent that they had to learn it so young.
GrannyJ: can't get you and Cody out of my mind. Here's a day full of prayers and hugs.
dannyboy |
02.24.06 - 6:39 am | #
wapo editorial lipsticks up the pig:
How to Lose Friends
On the other hand, the president's job description does not include taking a personal interest in decisions about whether foreign companies based in countries that are America's allies should be allowed to purchase other foreign companies that are based in countries that are America's allies. This is particularly the case when such purchases do not have any discernible impact on American security whatsoever. http://www.washingtonpost.com/
wp...6022301949.html
Remember chinagate? When rethugs went crazy because the clenis personally handed high tech secrets to foreigners? Is it possible a foreign country will get some inside info on US port security because they are on the inside?
hadenough |
02.24.06 - 6:41 am | #
Sonate: Thanks for your support.
I have let myself have a good ten minutes to think about yesterday's conversation with my 6 year old and I realize that there is a bit of a cult of W in that classroom. One of my kid's friends is a little girl who's folks gave so much money to the Republicans that they were invited to a private White House dinner this past Christmas. Of course this friend is going to idolize W. They are six years old for pete sakes and to have one's parents be invited to the White House is the bomb. Well, it the weekend here shortly and time to slow down and really talk but more importantly listen to what my child has to say.
She had been sort of telling us all week that she had changed her mind about George Bush. Her feeling is is that anyone who has lost a little sister can't be bad. I think the teacher read a bio of Bush to the kids.
The only ray of hope for me is that Kanye West has influence her soul a bit as well.
Florida Mom |
02.24.06 - 6:41 am | #
The delay will help Bush a little, but not a lot. New Jersey and New York will both sue to stop the deal, and I don't think that even Karl Rove will be able to strongarm all of those pesky relatives of 9/11 victims who aren't terribly happy about this.
I'm also amused by the fact that the "delay" does not have a specified timeframe. Considering how little time Bush spent on this to begin with, one wonders how much "more" time the UAE will be willing to wait.
Frank Probst |
02.24.06 - 6:43 am | #
Anthony. You're right that by opposing the deal we are in the company of others who do so for xenophobic reasons. And we have to be careful.
But it is also possible to oppose the deal because it is symptomatic of things that we legitimately oppose as liberals. The core issue here is substituting the "efficiencies of the market" for government, and the avalanche of evidence, from every quarter, that no matter what benefits doing that might have in the private sector, the market doesn't automatically work to provide for the common defense or promote the general welfare.
In other words, the evidence is that this was the result of the family relationship between the administration and autocrats in the major oil producing countries of the region. Their mission to make corporations happy in lieu of actually governing is the reason for this.
The enemy of our enemy is not always our friend.
MarkC |
02.24.06 - 6:43 am | #
GrandmaJ,
good to have you among us. Along w/everyone else, hope your family gets some encouraging news about Cody soon
took your advice to heart the last few days and hugged a little longer, spent time w/friends, enjoying the rear deck sun - they're my Repub. friends, so have been enjoying it a little more these past few days - even took the doggies for their walk before the sun came out and I don't 'do' cold - it's Central Tx, what we call the Wimp Chill factor.
Holding you in our hearts, take care
cbl |
02.24.06 - 6:44 am | #
Florida Mom-
I can't believe your child is getting that in 1st grade. Is your area a conservative one? Kids at that age only spout off what they hear at home, and I suspect your teacher is doing back-handed things. I'd have a talk with the teacher to see what the point of this is.
cathy |
02.24.06 - 6:45 am | #
Anthony at 6:19 am --
What part of the "people no longer trust this President to have actually done his job" is xenophobic?
ReddHedd |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 6:45 am | #
Vicki, good article. Thanks for posting the link!
phoebes |
02.24.06 - 6:47 am | #
This deal wouldn't go forward if we were concerned about the security for the United States of America."
dannyboy- I was thinking the same thing. It's ambiguous (although I'm sure Bush doesn't even know what that means).
mpower1952 |
02.24.06 - 6:48 am | #
Anthony is a hit-and-run.
percy |
02.24.06 - 6:49 am | #
Troll Anthony's post : "misguided jingoism and rank xenophobia" was the cornerstone of Bush's rush to War on Iraq. They are truly desperate when those arguments are trotted out against those who dont support The Respected and Beloved Leader... He stirred up the yahoos bigtime and now is shooting them in the face.
Wilson46201 |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 6:49 am | #
Florida Mom, is your child attending a private or public school?
If public, the principal should know exactly what's being taught in the class. If private, I'd yank your kid out of there reeeal fast.
phoebes |
02.24.06 - 6:50 am | #
Cathy:
Florida. Its a pernicious paradise.
That being said last night at choir practise I was talking with another parent from the same school about what happened and his 2nd Grader apparently is coming home with the same glowing review of W.
This is particularly hard for my fellow parent as he is gay. He and his partner have made the decision not to challange "Mark's" views on W. and hope that when he is older he and his Dads can look back on this time in his childhood and laugh.
I'm gonna leave the thead now and write to my 1st grader's teacher. You all are right. This is crazy. I can't let it pass. Everyone be well.
Florida Mom |
02.24.06 - 6:50 am | #
By Evelyn Nieves Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 23, 2006; Page A01
South Dakota lawmakers yesterday approved the nation's most far-reaching ban on abortion, setting the stage for new legal challenges that its supporters say they hope lead to an overturning of Roe v. Wade
The WaPo article continued: The proposal still must be signed by Gov. Mike Rounds (R), who opposes abortion.
The US state of South Dakota has approved a bill to ban most abortions in a move designed to put pressure on the supreme court to overturn its key ruling on the issue.
The measure will make it an offence for doctors to perform any abortion except to save the life of a pregnant woman, according to the Washington Post.
The Boston Globe swallowed the WaPo's error hook, line, and sinker yesterday, publishing its story without any changes, but some sharp-eyed headline writer managed to change the headline to a correct one (S. Dakota Senate passes abortion ban), while still publishing the WaPo's erroneous report in full. http://www.boston.com/news/natio...s_abortion_ban/
Problem is, the WaPo story that is now spreading around the world was wrong. The bill had not yet passed the full legislature. It will be passed this morning. (For example, the Rapid City (South Dakota) Journal reports this morning: "HB1215 is scheduled for a second vote today in the state House of Representatives, where it passed 47-22 last week." http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/...ocal/
news02.txt
Is correcting errors like this under the jurisdiction of the fabulous National Political Editor who has defended Li'l Debbie's failure to correct her own errors, and ignored demands that the WaPo post a simple correction?
I wonder if they'll publish a correction to this story?
If so, nice comparison to the Li'l Debby errors, huh?
If not, maybe a complaint to Li'l Debby's Ombudspersona would be in order?
RE: "And to all those conservatives who have asked questions about this deal, welcome to the "you are unpatriotic" club. How's it feel to know that your President thinks you ought to just keep your mouth shut and agree with him -- or have your patriotism and love of country questioned by your own government if you don't fall in their line?"
Would the Weimar Republic please pick up the white courtesy phone located in the hotel lobby…
I wish the MSM would pick up on the Carlysle/CSX transaction but I haven't seen it mentioned. Of course most people know nothing about Carlysle's tentacles, so I guess it's all a big yawn to them.
Emma |
02.24.06 - 6:51 am | #
feeling so down and pathological
so angry and illogical
thanks for your help oh caring pleader
how could I ever doubt The Leader.
Even when danger flares code red
we are safely by nose led.
citizen k |
02.24.06 - 6:51 am | #
anthony: Despite the fact that you have a few newspaper editorial staffs on your side, a great many people on both sides of the aisle disagree with you. (Oh, and if you want to use newspapers to support an actual argument rather than a cherry-picked argument-from-authority, you should quote bits that support your case, not just say "I read the newspapers and they say you're idiots.")
Your concern about our being suspected of "pathological Bush hatred" is touching, but that ranks up there with Fox News' "well, that's just partisan criticism" as a way of dismissing an opposing argument rather than actually engaging it, and only people who are looking for an intellectually dishonest way to protect their preconceived worldview from cognitive dissonance invoke it.
Face it, serious concerns have been raised by people with access to a lot more information than you or the Wall Street Journal or Washington Post, and concerns have been raised here that are neither jingoistic or xenophobic (check your right-wing sites for those ones). If there truly is nothing to worry about and the Bush administration did do a competent review that produced solid information, then they brought this on themselves by failing to adequately inform the people's representatives, instead opting for their default "it's secret, but trust us" when they have repeatedly failed to earn that trust. So either way it is truly their screwup.
Nice try at the talking points, though.
Redshift |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 6:53 am | #
Hey ReddHedd,
Did you see the Diary at dKos about the Baker-Bots connection? The link is here:
concerning "Anthony" : at least the Heritage Foundation is sending over better trolls. They even used the spellchecker and upper/lower case properly. He even reserved for a later comment the usually-mandatory reference to The Clenis (peace be unto its name!)
Wilson46201 |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 6:59 am | #
Frankly, I think a little UAE-bashing is justified. Even if you put all their links to terrorism, al Queda, and Osama bin Laden aside, you can still criticize this country for being undemocratic. Hell, let's go with antidemocratic. Great Britain is at least a democracy.
P.S. Can someone explain to me why foreign companies are running our ports in the first place? It seems like this should be something that's under control of the (United States) government. That is, after all, why we have things with official-sounding names like Port Authority.
Frank Probst |
02.24.06 - 6:59 am | #
it's not that he's clueless. it's that it doesn't matter. it doesn't matter because there is no threat. there is no threat because 9/11 was an inside job.
bush did it. and in your heart you know it too.
spearNmagicHelmet | 02.24.06 - 6:03 am | #
I'm with you. Just waiting to find out the rationalization. I'm sure it will be tied to taking the necessary, albeit evil, steps to maintain a stable US economy in the long-run.
metricpenny |
02.24.06 - 7:01 am | #
As Rachel Maddow points out tomorrow, the UAE found the grace deep in its heart to make the largest Katrina-aid donation of any nation, just before the deal was approved:
Wonder if Haley Barbour is in charge of distributing this aid?
Professor Foland |
02.24.06 - 7:01 am | #
tomorrow? Yikes, more coffee please! This morning.
Professor Foland |
02.24.06 - 7:02 am | #
The Bush* administration is not a Learning Organization as they teach in most MBA programs these days. They don't improve their "core competencies" , they don't learn from their mistakes er..ah..underachievements.
They perform by rote...and tolerate no deviations from the "message".
Anthony, another drive-by? Your insulting ReddHedd as a "partisan?" Hey pot, meet kettle. You can't carry ReddHedd's jockstrap as a citizen or a true patriot. Your guy who calls it "MY government" and has won two elections via "jingosim," and "rank xenophobia."
Anthony, read this article, it's another one about why EVERYONE told your boss NOT to "occupy" any country in the Middle East.
"Oil Jumps After Blast Reported at Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq Center" http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/...t0_M&
refer=home
John Casper |
02.24.06 - 7:07 am | #
Good! I feel much better now that the UAE, friend to OSB, (USB)contributors to the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole, and moneychangers for the 911 terrorists, are now willing to wait until the President and Congress can clear up their petty disagreement on the issue of OUR safety.
Frank Probst 6:43, from your lips to God's ear "the delay will help Bush a little, but not a lot" and your pointing out that there is no specific time frame for this.
I do worry that this now gives all those congresscritters as well as the President the "cover" they need so they can say. "Well, we have heard the specifics of this underhanded, special favors, secret provisions deal and we are satisfied that our ports are not in jeopardy. Carry on.
Apple Canyon 2 |
02.24.06 - 7:09 am | #
Anthony, another drive-by?
Yes, he is. Posted an hour ago and left. Didn't stick around.
Troll.
Wastes our time.
But trolls seem to have an unerring ability to throw our discussions off track.
I say ignore them. (But we probably won't.)
Prof |
02.24.06 - 7:10 am | #
Mistake in not closing italics properly. My bad.
Prof |
02.24.06 - 7:11 am | #
Yeah, I knew I shouldn't have responded to the concern troll, but it was so much fun this time, and since it doesn't actually take us off topic, it's mostly harmless.
But to get back fully on-topic --
The quote "And so people don't need to worry about security" is very interesting. It's obviously intended to be a "you don't need to worry because Daddy Bush will protect you," and it's striking that the meme is truly flopping.
The way the delay was put forth (first as a trial balloon from a "senior administration official," then from Rove on the record, then as a "voluntary" proposal from the UAE), and Bush's blather surrounding it (including repeating the veto threat), makes it clear that they're thinking they'll do some more briefings and then the deal will go through, not that anyone else gets any say in the decision. (Kind of like what they tried to do with the domestic spying program.) Of course, Bush had the same attitude about his Social Security plan last year, so that doesn't mean it'll actually happen.
In both cases, we need to stay vigilant, but I honestly doubt there is any way they can repackage this one to make it acceptable. The case for there being no security concerns here smells a lot like the WMD case in Iraq, "we made up our minds in advance and claim we decided based on secret information that we can't tell you about."
Redshift |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 7:13 am | #
I think the Bush Crime Family's bottomless greed has finally come around to bite them in the butt.
Portgate is NOT going away.
Sharkbabe |
02.24.06 - 7:14 am | #
on Google News, Portgate has surged ahead of even the awful events in Iraq. Portgate has 3137 stories - Iraq only 2519.
Cheney shooting an old man in the face cracked 4000 stories!
Wilson46201 |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 7:19 am | #
It's blowback time. Hey, Bushie created that boogyman, a Muslum boogyman. So now that Congress has decided to run with his creation, his monster, King George shouldn't be surprised that he gets peppered, so to speak, with his own crap.
freefall |
02.24.06 - 7:20 am | #
I'm sorry. I've been on the road and may have missed the answer to this elemental question:
How the hell is a country that still recognizes THE TALIBAN, the REAL bad guys who harbored terrorists, and doesn't recognize Israel considered for even a moment "an important ally in the war on terror"?
Like brownies are an important ally in the war on zits, I guess.
froggermarch |
02.24.06 - 7:22 am | #
Bush is live on TV at the American Legion where he is conflating Saddam, terrorism, 9/11. Saddam supported terrorists and terrorists struck on 9/11 -- ergo and unspoken: Saddam attacked the USA. Clever catapulting propaganda!
Wilson46201 |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 7:22 am | #
OfT: "Drinks query revives Cheney row"
Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington Friday February 24, 2006 http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/
st...1716748,00.html
I am sorry to report that this GUARDIAN UNLIMITED article does not contain the Capitol Hill Blue claim, that Secret Service reports confirm DeadEye was "inebriated," when he shot Harry. The fact that the Guardian Unlimited would go with a story about DeadEye's drinking, today, however, suggests that they know about the Captiol Hill Blue reports.
John Casper |
02.24.06 - 7:23 am | #
Listen to the hue and cry
O’er ports sold to Dubai.
Won’t affect the safety of the nation,
Is simply more prevarication.
Just another lie!
eckcentric |
02.24.06 - 7:24 am | #
OMG-- cluster on tv now-- I knew on sept 11 that Saddam was our enemy-- wmd's, terra, advancing the cause of freedom, ignoring 12 un resolutions, he is in jail now. murder, destruction, terraists, the terraists will never win against our army, anyone that harbors terraists or supports them is our enemy. Speaking to the American Legion. Please make him go away. Oh yeah, I have the remote.......... peace
angie |
02.24.06 - 7:24 am | #
The spin marketers at the WH are adept at using the great honest human values of so many Americans against them. "Anti Arab" they taunt and in our heart of hearts we wonder, maybe they're right....and feel guilty....and so the basic issue is distorted. If the purchase was a golf course or land for condominiums, there would not be this "backlash" No one is accusing the royal family of Dubai of being involved in a "mushroom cloud" scenario in the USA. The fact remains,however, that Americans have a right to be uneasy until it is explained that this will NOT bring greater access to shipping containers by people who do not wish us well. After all TV images from across the world,visually remind us that many of the blunders of BushCo. seems to have translated into a general anger towards the American people.
jan |
02.24.06 - 7:28 am | #
The clueless excuse is working perfectly.
His administration botches anti-terrorism measures. Big time.
Yet, by simply claiming he didn't know about it, he's already disavowed any and every responsibility.
Eventually, Republicans will feel safe to hide behind his teflon layer of ignorance, and allow this deal to go through without any corrections.
And you know, that Anthony is a great partisan. I respect his vigilance. But, by persisting in this way, he invites suspicions of being motivated by a pathological hatred of Bush critics, misguided jingoism and rank xenophobia. Oh, and being an unapologetic name-caller.
tc |
02.24.06 - 7:28 am | #
Here's the quote from the motion to dismiss about a "secret letter":
This would include Mr. Fitzgerald's apparent request for clarification on the scope of his authority, which triggered Mr. Comey's letter of February 6, 2004, and has never been made public.
The defense is asking for the letter Fitz wrote, not the letter Comey wrote in response.
Not that it will change anything for Libby, but whatever.
TheOtherWA |
02.24.06 - 7:28 am | #
Wilson46201 | Homepage | 02.24.06 - 6:59 am | #
I suppose it should be flattering that they've rated up FDL, but they still need to work on li'l "anthony", maybe backing him with the imperials?
My copy of this morning's LAT op-ed pages makes no reference to the Dubai-ous deal. Yesterday's featured a highly supportive column by - you guessed it - Jonah Goldberg. (Had to be him or Max "Das" Boot, right?)
Nice try, "anthony". Please drop by and let us know if you ever get a real job.
al-Scooter |
02.24.06 - 7:30 am | #
I'd like to think that this will be some sort of lesson learned by this White House, that they need to do their homework on things up front instead of after-the-fact
But Redd, that's hard work! Bushie's already working hard clearing brush. What more do you expect of our fearless *cough cough* leader?
the American Legion was originally set up with a strong openly-Fascist component. This has long persisted -- no wonder Bush is going all-out on the pseudo-patriotism and jingoism in his speech on Iraq. He is whipping up his base bigtime.
But he is selling US ports to Middle Eastern Sheikhs and Emirs ...
Wilson46201 |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 7:35 am | #
Actually when the President heard the proposal to control the ports, he thought they were saying that everything would be controlled by "Dubbya".
"Dubbya Ports World", he said. "I like the sound of that."
He's still trying to figure out what's the freakin' problem.
froggermarch |
02.24.06 - 7:35 am | #
As noted above, The Carlisle Group is up to their armpits in this port deal. Hmm, wonder where that Group has raised its head before?
Before we get into the Trilateral Commission and break out the tinfoil hats, it's also worth pointing out that P&O* is fricking huge, and Dubai aims to be the next Manhatten/London. An arab centre of the modern world, not the modern centre of the arab world as it were. The P&O acquisition is just one stage in this aim.
*I'm loving the way CNN keeps referring to it as The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company or whatever, which no-one has called them for about 80 years. You 'merricuns love you some quaintness, don't you :)
Gridlock |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 7:36 am | #
Florida Mom,
Finally, with all the expertise at FDL I can finally contribute.
I have been teaching Social Studies for 36 years. Presently, I teach Contemporary Issues (Current Events), Sociology, U.S. History, and N. American Geography.
When discussing, I always have the students express their viewpoints. My only rule in any discussion is that they have to respect the viewpoints of their classmates even if they disagree with that particular viewpoint. The students are free to discuss any topic as long as they follow the "respect" rule.
I agree with the previous posters
An Angry Old Broad 6:21
Sonate 6:24
dannyboy 6:39
I would suggest that this is a failure of the teacher and you need to do as dannyboy suggests:
1. Call other parents to see if they have the same feeling you do.
2. Schedule a meeting with the teacher asap.
3. Let the Building Administrator know what you are doing, but talk to the teacher 1st.
4. If the Building Administrator tries to talk you out of the meeting, DO NOT give up. Tell that person "Fine, I will be taking this to the School Board at the next meeting..."
You have valid reasons and the most important one is your child.
Good luck and keep me informed please.
P.S. I am off school today because I have to get ready for our 28 year old daughter's wedding tomorrow. I get to participate in the discussion before we have to leave on our trip.
Apple Canyon 2 |
02.24.06 - 7:38 am | #
How the hell is a country that still recognizes THE TALIBAN, the REAL bad guys who harbored terrorists, and doesn't recognize Israel considered for even a moment "an important ally in the war on terror"?
Like brownies are an important ally in the war on zits, I guess.
froggermarch | 02.24.06 - 7:22 am | #
One very interesting question would be whether the UAE government is an ally in any part of the "war on terror" other than being a base for the war in Iraq. In other words, if you don't buy Bush's lie that Iraq is a front in the "war on terror," is the UAE actually helping fight terrorism?
Redshift |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 7:40 am | #
Redd -- I was too overwhelmed by your essay yesterday afternoon and did not feel equal to commenting. Then I read through the comments and the stories of other women, and was again astonished. There are some extraordinary women -- amazing human beings -- on this blog. It is a privilege to be allowed to listen in. Thanks to all.
Re the ports thing -- I fully support the approach Redd has taken here, and in her previous postings. There is no reason to trust that this Administration did its homework, or complied with the rules, so taking their word for it is not enough. As I read this, Redd has not said that there are no conditions under which the contract is acceptable --only that we don't know and can't trust this Administration to make the call without convincing proof of due diligence and serious independent oversight. Everything else about "those who sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind" is totally justified -- the Administration has earned that on every issue -- and editorials all over the country, including today's Boston Globe and NYT are echoing that today.
scarecrow |
02.24.06 - 7:40 am | #
The moron,
"This deal wouldn't go forward if we were concerned about the security for the United States of America."
That says it all, the fact that the "deal" is going forward.
Likely the truest statement Bush has made yet.
Sky-Ho |
02.24.06 - 7:40 am | #
W is busy talking about democracy in the MidEast. How many people are registered to vote in Dubai?
Wilson46201 |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 7:41 am | #
"UAE found the grace deep in its heart to make the largest Katrina-aid donation of any nation, just before the deal was approved."
Also, from Emma, we find that a Sheik from UAE donated $1 mill to the Bush library.
I think that we've found the "qualifications" used by Shrub for the UAE to run our ports!!
sonate |
02.24.06 - 7:41 am | #
Clueless Sec. of Defense as well
SHUSTER: But when Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was asked about this issue, Rumsfeld said he didn't know anything about it until a few days ago.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I wasn't aware of this until this weekend, as I think is the case with Pete.
By the way, Richard Perle, on Hardball last night, incredibly, continued to paint a rosy picture of the situation in Iraq.
A Rod Serling moment.
ceci |
02.24.06 - 7:42 am | #
GrandmaJ, thoughts are with you and Cody.
As for developments in So. Dark., the website of the So. Dark. Office of Tourism is up again.
It's run by three nice-looking ladies whose bodies have just been claimed for breeding purposes by the Nicolai Ceaucescu's in the So. Dark. state legislature:
Director of the Office of Tourism: Billie Jo Waara
Assistant: Arline Hammer
Team Assistant: Lori Thompson
(pictures at http://sdvisit.com/about/index.asp)
You can e-mail these nice ladies at sdinfo@state.sd.us. I would say it's important to be respectful. while letting them know that, given the risks of having to bear "Dakota “ceausei” . (Visiting pregnant women are just as endangered as So. Dark. residents, of course.)
In Romania, the children born during this "forced childbirth" period were called “ceausei” (Ceausescu’s babies).
Or to quote from lambert strether in last night's comments section: 800-732-5682. Feel free to call them and let them know you won't be travelling to states where daughters who are raped by their fathers can't get the abortion they should have.
Meanwhile, here is the face of women's terror in the So. Dark. House of Representatives -- Roger Hunt, original sponsor of the Ceaucescu bill:
Well, I'll admit that I wanted to hear what cluster had to say about the civil war. Yes, he is clueless. It is wonderful over there, reconstruction is underway, they have free and independent press and talkshows, too! Central banking, schools, open political debate-- yippee! He is optimistic, so do not worry.
When he describes life under the evil dictator Saddam, it sounds better than what they have now .
Then says he spoke with Zal Kalahad, the ambassador this morning and things are fine. poor cluster-- can't even say Zalmay Khalilzad or Sir Galahad.
Coffee time, Big time.
angie |
02.24.06 - 7:42 am | #
W remarks that Hamas must recognize Israel. but but but what about Dubai or Qatar? they haven't recognized the Zionist entity (their words) but they are plucky allies of W !
Wilson46201 |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 7:43 am | #
I've noticed one message component that the administration has managed to get very disciplined on -- clearly the word has gone out from Rove that everyone is to call the company "DP World," not "Dubai Ports World." Unfortunately for them, since they didn't start this discussion, "DP World" seems to have taken hold about as well as "the Constitutional option."
Redshift |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 7:45 am | #
Way to stir the pot and irritate NARAL! Keep up the good work telling the truth and fighting the good fight!
MsAnnaNOLA |
02.24.06 - 7:46 am | #
Free nations are peaceful nations, says Bushie as CNN live-broadcasts his 9/11-terra speech.
Let's consider history: Northern Ireland and the long strife between Protestants and Catholics. What had more influence than anything on bringing this to a stop? I say prosperity, jobs, work for the working classes. MarkfromIreland, I'm interested in your take. Yes, I know the religious differences run deep, but to "act out" those differences in violence, it seems to me, is more a product of poverty than policy.
And the Bushies seem hellbent on driving America's working classes--blue and white of collar--into similar poverty while they hoard and gather wealth to the ultrarich few.
Prairie Sunshine |
02.24.06 - 7:48 am | #
"Has any real work been done on this since 9/11?"
Please! Of course work has been done. The RNC is counting money furiously and redistricting is proceeding in many states. What other items on the to-do list matter?
steve duncan |
02.24.06 - 7:49 am | #
W remarks that Hamas must recognize Israel. but but but what about Dubai or Qatar? they haven't recognized the Zionist entity (their words) but they are plucky allies of W !
Wilson46201 | Homepage | 02.24.06 - 7:43 am | #
Yeah, I thought having both those things happen in the same week was a particularly striking juxtaposition.
Redshift |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 7:50 am | #
Redd -- re the update -- who really knows the story of port security? There were several "experts" on port security on the various news channels last night, but the best by far was a guy interviewed by either Matthews (late in the program) or Olberman (sorry, i can't remember clearly). He tended to minimize the issue of who manages the port operations -- and most commmenters noted that actual security is done by Coast Guard and to some degree, Dept of Home Security. This guy said there is a superior system in Hong Kong, in which all containers entering and leaving the port are checked for drugs and x-rayed -- done by government security personnel associated with the port, not the manager of operations (who manage how cargo is loaded/unloaded and moved around by the longshoremen). It's expensive to do this, he said, but this is what needs to be done. It's not done here to the same degree. Perhaps someone else saw this segment and remember's the guy's name.
scarecrow |
02.24.06 - 7:50 am | #
Bush just said "the American Legion Headquarters here in Washington". Hey stupid fuck -- the National Hdqtrs are here in Indianapolis in a large building paid for by Hoosier taxpayers !
Wilson46201 |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 7:51 am | #
Arthur Silber's piece on the UAE port story is really a must read for everyone here. Please take the time. We don't want to be once again in the situation of those who voted for the Iraq war because they thought they needed political cover. In this case, Dems who are directly attacking the UAE as having ties to terrorism are going to be cornered if and when Iran or Syria becomes our next war target. Fact is, all the terrorist links to UAE are also links to the US, and Reid the shoe bomber was a British citizen! Michelle Malkin is already congratulating Dems for coming on board the racial profiling train. Something to think about.
Beel |
02.24.06 - 7:52 am | #
forgot the best part -
Got my repub friends to write Congressmen/Senators over this -
Of course, in our case it's Cornyn, Hutchison, and TRMPAC Monkeyboy John Carter, but hey, it was the first time ever these folks have written.
Was inspired a couple months back by the "Guerilla Marketing/Impeach" idea on these threads and printed up business cards w/ Congressional Contact info.. Emphasizing how much easier it is w/ internet than the old pen/paper/stamp, mostly pass them out in grocery store lines and at gas station, but lots of my red state friends have been taking them from me w/ interest this week.
put MediaMatters.org on back of card, advising anyone to double check w/them should they be unsure about a representative's stance on a particular issue
cbl |
02.24.06 - 7:54 am | #
is the UAE actually helping fight terrorism?
One assumes we have generally close military and intelligence ties to the UAE, as we do with Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.
Specifics are hard to come by. It seems to be one of those areas that we're just not supposed to worry our pretty little heads about, but trust that our strong defenders are keeping us safe.
Also,....I have the vague recollection that the UAE may have cooperated with the US on the whole rendition/torture thing. Perhaps we have spirited some suspects to the UAE? Unfortunately, I don't have time to research that right now. I could be wrong.
Harold of the rocks |
02.24.06 - 7:56 am | #
On a related topic, "Network" is being re-released next week on DVD. Betcha didn't know it was a documentary, huh?
querido bobo |
02.24.06 - 8:01 am | #
both Midnight Express and Lawrence of Arabia had graphic scenes of MidEastern interrogation techniques -- I doubt if Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia or UAE have upgraded the torture manuals recently...
Wilson46201 |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 8:01 am | #
Frank Probst,
"Can someone explain to me why foreign companies are running our ports anyway?"
This is the question that leads to the exposure of the whole fascist political economy. Under Regan we had a dry run at sellin off assets to cover debt but that was to the Japanese and Uncle Ron stopped the bleeding with a tax increase when enough of his buddies had profited. The difference now is that we have a family of war profiteers (the Walker-Bush folks) behind two holding companies (The Carlyle Group and Haliburton) transferrin cash from the treasury directly to the family coffers to pay for a bogus war and then selling the remaining infrasturcture assets (our ports) to countries that soon won't have any oil to sell us. In addition, the American oil-cash holding companies like Haliburton have been workin for 25 years to control the proliferation of atomic power to replace oil...see Chaney settin up deals with Iran as early as 1995.
The relationship of the Bush family to the oils sheiks, that is "who owns who", is the question that turns on the light to this mess. The only way we get out of this with our country and former representative political system intact is to have Fitz bring RICO charges naming Bush, Chaney, Carlyle, Haliburton AND the Republican Party. The treble damages will bankrupt the whole lot of 'em and we can recapture at least some a the cash thats been stolen.
This ain't tinhat conspiracy stuff (though the aluminum headband is gettin mighty warm)...this is what has been happenin in the country for the last 6 years, planned and organized politically since the first Regan regime (actually, look at the links to the Nixon coup0 attempt). I don't think we have the political strength or infrastructure (free press) left to expose these folks...after all these are the rulin families that have been runnin the institutions of the country for a long time. Fitz is the only potential force that can bring 'em down.
This whole thing is gunna make 1933 Germany look like amature night...
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION!!!
NorskeFlamethrower |
02.24.06 - 8:03 am | #
Why does the cynicin me say this whole port thing can be a learning experience for Rove & Bush to keep control of the Congress (which they know if they lose control of even one side they're up shit's creek!)?
Look at all the rethugs showing how they're not under the thumb of the WH! They're independent-minded and only care for the security of their constituents! See why it's so important to keep them in charge!
Be prepared for a runup of these squabbles between the WH and rethugs in Congress through the summer as we approach November.
Lymond |
02.24.06 - 8:08 am | #
"This whole thing is gunna make 1933 Germany look like amature night..."
NorskeFlamethrower | 02.24.06 - 8:03 am |
I have the same feeling. As Grampa (where has he been?) said, 9-11 was our Reichstag Fire.
sonate |
02.24.06 - 8:08 am | #
The core issue here is substituting the "efficiencies of the market" for government, and the avalanche of evidence, from every quarter, that no matter what benefits doing that might have in the private sector, the market doesn't automatically work to provide for the common defense or promote the general welfare.
MarkC: I couldn't agree more. This used to be conventional wisdom for us dem types, non? Corporatists in government are not just oxy but morons.
froggermarch- Actually when the President heard the proposal to control the ports, he thought they were saying that everything would be controlled by "Dubbya". HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Cleaning the tea off the screen now.
Mommybrain |
02.24.06 - 8:09 am | #
Free nations are peaceful.
Let's see, in the past decade the US has bombed, invaded or attacked:
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, Haiti, Serbia, Somalia, the Sudan..
Any others I am missing?
-GSD
Granite State Destroyer |
02.24.06 - 8:12 am | #
The theme today seems to be "Reap What You Sow". It appears twice on NYTimes OpEd page, Thomas Friedman and the lead editorial, and then Dan Froomkin in Washington Post uses it as his title today. Let the reaping begin.
sharona |
02.24.06 - 8:13 am | #
Juan Cole on cnn now
angie |
02.24.06 - 8:13 am | #
Norske,
You have absolutely no clue what you're talking about.
Seriously, lay off the Ganja.
Windowdog |
02.24.06 - 8:14 am | #
querido bobo | 02.24.06 - 8:01 am | #
I marvel at Chayevsky's prescience everytime I turn on the tv
cbl |
02.24.06 - 8:16 am | #
Lou Dobbs, for the past two days, has been doing one hell of a job dismantling Bush's arguments for selling the ports. He is to have another segement today. Go to CNN and read his transcripts, I mean the man is on fire.
Lou Dobbs, who would have thunk it? Repubs are in some serious crap over this one.
aquarius2 |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 8:18 am | #
CNN is so schizo! They carry an entire speech by W at the American Legion but at least they gave Prof. Juan Cole 5 minutes for an informed comment on Iraq. He says it's a civil war there already but the daytime curfew is a good idea for keeping the lid on the volatile situation.
Hmmm... freedom is not being able to leave your house during daytime ...
Wilson46201 |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 8:19 am | #
GrandmaJ - Sending more light to yours and Cody's heartfires today. XOXOXO
Mommybrain |
02.24.06 - 8:19 am | #
I haven't read all the comments,but is it not the domain of the Coast Guard and Customs to cover port security(perhaps the DEA too?not sure)?
Now,was there not cuts in funding for those agencies?If so,why?If this is SO important,why in the hell would we be cutting the Coast Guard and US Customs funding,especially in a"post 9/11 world"?
An Angry Old Broad |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 8:20 am | #
Now hang on a minute.
If I understand correctly, DPW still intends to go ahead with the merger with P&O. The US ports represent only 10% of the business, and DPW does not consider that a good reason to hold up the rest of the sale.
Apparently, the part of P&O that handles the US port business will be somehow split off from the remainder of the company. So what will be important to look at the details of how that division is made.
Will the remnant company still be owned by the original P&O, separately from DPW? If not, will there be an adequate firewall? Or, will the distinction be in name and orgchart only, with no practical difference from a fully-owned subsidiary?
The devil will be in the details, no? But who pays attention to details these days?
Tortoise |
02.24.06 - 8:21 am | #
From previous discussion on Abortion:
We need to get the Catholic position correct.
1) “Culture of Life” is not Bushspeak. Rather, John Paul II coined it, intending it to include all aspects of human life from birth to death. It includes opposition to abortion, war, capital punishment, as well as declaring that society must take care of the weakest in our communities – in other words, take care of the poor first. The term for this is “preferential option for the poor,” in which we assert that the poor and marginalized must not only be treated fairly, but given preference over the privileged.
2) It is certainly true that much of the opposition to abortion comes from both a fear/hatred of sex and a hatred of women, both of which have been a part of the Christian, and more particularly the Roman Catholic tradition since the beginning. For what it’s worth, within the last half century the Church has conceded that sex is not just for procreation, but also has a “unitive” value, that is, it enables the couple to grow closer together. Thank God for little changes.
3) There is no statistical difference between the birth control practices of Catholics and other religious and non-religious categories in the United States. I don’t know this for a fact, but I suspect that there is no statistical difference between Catholic and non-Catholic rates of abortion. Individual American Catholics have voted by their behavior. And in my experience, many or most parish priests understand and support or at least tolerate this behavior. The problem is the hierarchy, what we call the Magisterium.
4) John Paul II probably represents a problematic strain within the Roman Catholic tradition (and in religious systems in general) to prefer the abstract principle to actual human experience. This is why the actual experience of women with traumatic pregnancies is not taken sufficiently into account.
5) Unfortunately, most life decisions are not between good and bad choices, but rather between two good choices that we must weigh. Although abortion may be a bad choice, it might not always be the worst choice and it might even be a necessary choice.
6) What is the moral/ethical status of the fetus? I’m sure I don’t know. However, I will say this: It is more important than tissue. And a human fetus has greater status than an animal fetus. My evidence? I make an unsupported assumption (which many of us share) that human life has great inherent value. I will also say that the older the fetus, the closer to being human, the greater its value.
7) There is certainly a sense in which we “own” our bodies. We should be able to make choices that concern our bodies. However, many philosophies and religious beliefs affirm that we have larger responsibilities, to our families, our communities, and ultimately to the entire human race and the planet. Many theists also believe that in some sense God owns our very selves.
8) The Church’s teaching on birth control comes from a similar place, and here the disparity between abstract principles and human experience is even more pronounced, and the Catholic assertions get shrill and even silly. It’s not what Monty Python proclaims, “every sperm is sacred,” although in a sense I would probably agree that they are. But everybody recognizes that in human sexual reproduction, as well is in most aspects of nature, the body is profligate – that is, it produces enormous quantities of, in this case, sperm, where only one is actually used. Rather, than arguing that sperm should be accorded rights, the official Church teaches that there should be the possibility of conception in every sex act. That’s right. No masturbation, no use of birth control, no gay sex, no ejaculation outside of a potentially fertile vagina.
I had a friend, a professor, no less, who had fertility problems with his wife. (Why is it the most vociferous proponents of this Church teaching are either the celibate or those with fertility problems?) He had to produce a sperm sample for his doctor, and since he couldn’t masturbate, he planned on making love with his wife using a condom. But because every sex act had to potentially produce a baby, he poked holes in the condom with a pin!
I never got a decent answer from him about the following examples: sex with a post-menopausal woman, sex with a woman without ovaries, sex where the man couldn’t produce sperm.
And the rhythm method sanctioned by the Church (and taught in many parishes) functions by preventing conception during the sex act. Why is that OK?
Pope Paul VI convened a council of theologians and doctors to consider what should be the Church’s response to birth control and they came back to him strongly recommending that the Catholic Church should permit barrier and hormonal birth control methods. He refused their advice and banned all “artificial” methods of birth control.
I have no real conclusion. I feel conflicted by the whole subject. But at the very least, I don’t want to cede culture of life language to President Bush and the wingnuts.
Koheleth |
02.24.06 - 8:23 am | #
Small morning update on Cody -- breathing tube is now pulled. He did well. And there has been no further brain swelling than that occuring yesterday, complicating the exam (after lightening his sedation).
He is still under sedation. But he is moving his legs and arms -- Involuntarily, but still moving. Many other tubes were removed. CT scan this morning looked O.K.
Surgery still a possibility if swelling increase even a little bit. My counsin who is an RN said that tomorrow will show the apex of brain swelling and a much better prognosis of the immediate future can be given. It is a waiting game. Cody has no other injuries -- none. No mark on him at all. Just the injury to the forehead. They say he looks like he is sleeping with a white hat on.
Thanks for keeping me company and the many good wishes and thoughts going our family's way.
P.S. My daughter who has 4 kids of her own is now faced with her decision. She left immediately after the accident to accompnay her brother (Cody's Dad) to the hospital. Her 2 youngest are missing their mother alot, and Daddy is struggling to comfort them. An accident like this affects every single member of a family.
GrandmaJ |
02.24.06 - 8:23 am | #
Redd, am still absorbing your powerful and courageous post from yesterday. It was deeply affecting, and you have my admiration and appreciation.
I also am grateful for Jane's great posts on Naral and PP.
I do expect the portgate issue to fade from the headlines for a bit, not only because they have bought some time but also because at the rate these guys are spawning scandals, surely a new outrage will be revealed and will take over the spotlight by next week.
Maybe it's too much to hope for that any one of these will be the final nail. But I'm starting to believe that the incremental effect of these travesties and floutings of the law ultimately will be just as effective.
LOL! (It would by LMAO but there's a little too much truth to that one!)
P J Evans |
02.24.06 - 8:23 am | #
W had to cut the funding for fighting terrorism here so he could spend vastly more money and lives fighting the terrorists over there...thus the cuts to Coast Guard, port security, etc... it goes to pay for the Operation Iraqi Liberation ...
Wilson46201 |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 8:24 am | #
"The Bush administration can stand by and let all sorts of things happen -- the gutting of Iraqi museums, the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo, genocide in Darfur, Sudan -- but it can't handle the notion that someone else might be playing the terrorism trump card.
So before the White House sent out Karl Rove to signal Thursday that the president is willing to back down on the Dubai ports deal, it dispatched Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England to Capitol Hill to say that the terrorists will win if the U.S. doesn't do the deal straight away. "The terrorists want our nation to become distrustful," England told a U.S. Senate committee. "They want us to become paranoid and isolationist, and my view is we cannot allow this to happen. It needs to be just the opposite."
It's not a bad argument. As the president's critics have long argued, it's important to engage the Arab world in ways that don't involve blunt force. But aside from Karen Hughes' silly listening tours in the Middle East, the White House has usually spurned such talk as psychobabble spewing forth from a pre-9/11 mindset. The difference this time: Lifting a finger to win over hearts and minds is the work of pansies and wimps. Engaging a big corporation? That's the work of a steadfast war president -- at least until he changes his mind."
...up is down, black is white, we are no longer at war with Eurasia, we are now at war with Oceania...
punaise |
02.24.06 - 8:24 am | #
Windowdog,
Come on troll, let's see whatcha got you nazi moron!!
KEEP THE FAITH AND DON"T FUCK WITH ME!!
NorskeFlamethrower |
02.24.06 - 8:24 am | #
... 9/11 was an inside job. bush did it. and in your heart you know it too.
spearNmagicHelmet | 02.24.06 - 6:03 am | #
wow, the aliens really worked you over when they had you up for that probe, eh?
punaise |
02.24.06 - 8:25 am | #
Windowdog
I agree 100% with Norske. Obviously I have no idea what I am talking about either. Perhaps you could explain where our thinking has gone astray?
Tortoise |
02.24.06 - 8:26 am | #
They've done nothing on port security for two reasons:
1. Their only interest is playing politics ("the government" needs to fit down a drain hole, remember.)
2. They know there's no risk (not sure what I do believe about 9/11, but the official story-lines just don't hold up).
I'm much more afraid of the Bushies than Bin Laden (if he's even still alive).
dannyboy |
02.24.06 - 8:27 am | #
You know, the more I look at the state of port security in this country, the more I'm glad that I don't live anywhere near a major port.
You got THAT right. Boy, howdy.
And there are so many, many things coming to a boil now, politically, economically, and ecologically, that it's a wonder the sun still comes up -- and it could be rising over a different point on the horizon very soon. Life is good, but the parameters are oh so changeable and fleeting.
Your point about no one being in control is very telling. But no matter how much we learn, the die was cast when Bush stole the election a second time, or maybe even the first. It'll be a GRAND fight (I follow every day at FDL), but Baltimore will still blow up, abortion will become illegal, housing prices will collapse, and millions will die needlessly here and abroad from wars, poverty, and lack of medical care. I'm not sure a Democratic administration could have made more than a temporary difference, either. The imbalance is in our consciousness and civilization.
And no, this isn't "giving up." Hell, I'm ready to vote again (and again and again), no matter what. I'm even smiling. We do have the power to adapt and change. I just don't think events will play out as conventionally envisioned, not at all.
John |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 8:28 am | #
wow, those are some fortified wheaties you had this morning Norske. I'm still laughing.
angie |
02.24.06 - 8:28 am | #
new thread
Wilson46201 |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 8:30 am | #
Wilson, you are correct. My wife works at Ft. Ben (bldg 1) and we drive by their new digs every morning. We live in McCordsville in Burton's district (oh the shame!). I like Indy somewhat, even though you can't swing a dead cat in a circle without hitting a car with a W sticker on it.
TritoneSub |
02.24.06 - 8:32 am | #
GrandmaJ -- I hope you get continued good news about your grandson. Take care, and please keep us updated as you can.
ReddHedd |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 8:33 am | #
Did Bush mention that if we are having so much success in Iraq, why it was necessary for the destruction of a 1,200 year-old Mosque?
Oh, thats right, shades of Vietnam, "We had to destroy the village in order to save it..."
Apple Canyon 2 |
02.24.06 - 8:34 am | #
Prairie Sunshine | 02.24.06 - 7:48 am | #
The Irish example really isn't germane.
But forgive me if I get a peeve off my chest first:
/* Peeve
I really hate it when people use the label "religious conflict." It's a covenient label but misleading. For reasons to do with British religious history religion in Ireland is often a badge of ethnicity.
If you're Catholic it is highly likely that you're descended from the original Irish. If you're a member of some protestant denomination then it's highly likely that you're descended from the invading English and Scots colonists. It's (Europe's last) conflict between British loyalists and Irish nationalists.
Peeve */
Actually what had far more influence than anything else was:
1) The IRA largely won.
2) The nationalsits will be in a majority within a few years.
You might like to note that while the Republic is now a wealthy and prosperous country the same is far from true of Ulster.Despite vast sums of money poured into it by the UK government and the EU annually Ulster remains a poverty stricken backwater when contrasted with either the Republic or Northern Europe generally.
I can agree with you to the extent that the Nationalist population in Ulster was grossly discrminated against by the Loyalist government in Stormont:
* Not allowed vote.
* Discriminated against in housing.
* Discriminated against in employment.
To give just the best-known examples. I'll also grant that as part of a Bismarckian policy of "Killing Nationalism by Kindness" that the UK central government in Westminster when it started to rule it's last major colony directly instead of via it's Stormont surrogate that mainsteam British politicians were horrified at how the nationalist population had been treated and set out to put matters to rights. They did so because they tend by and large to be decent human beings but also because they were outraged that people whom they saw as British citizens had been treated this way.
The violence in Ulster therefore has its roots in who rules rather than who has money.
markfromireland |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 8:37 am | #
NorskeFlamethrower | 02.24.06 - 8:03 am | # - This link will take you to a page displaying Halliburton's major stockholders: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/mh?s=HAL
Stephen Parrish, CPA |
02.24.06 - 8:39 am | #
There's an in-depth essay on our port security by Stephen E. Flynn (senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of "America the Vulnerable") in the Far Eastern Economic Review. It's called, "Port Security Is Still A House of Cards."
JohnS |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 8:39 am | #
Exactly my thoughts, dannyboy.
Meteor Blades |
02.24.06 - 8:39 am | #
hang in there, GrandmaJ
punaise |
02.24.06 - 8:39 am | #
"Perhaps because the WH is now insisting that the President didn't know anything about the deal at all until the press started asking about it. That Clueless excuse is a political flop, isn't it?"
One thing I haven't seen beat enough was how Bush could be so out of the loop on the ports deal, yet so insistent that any congressional action against it will be vetoed. The Veto threat tells me that Bush has a great deal invested in the Dubai deal going through, particularly given that this veto will be the first of his administration. If he doesn't know anything about the deal, how can he insist on vetoing a threat against it?
Joe Conason has a FABULOUS column at Salon.com about the many ties between the Bushies and UAE.
I'm sorry I'm not talented enough to know how to provide a link here. Perhaps someone else can.
Mauimom |
02.24.06 - 8:48 am | #
Working diligently to change the hearts and minds seemed a little different Wed. night at the Move-On Vigile held on a busy street corner. 3/4ths of the passing motorist showed positive support. That was strange.
cdc |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 8:50 am | #
thanks NF. we've had enough good manners.
mooncalendargirl |
02.24.06 - 8:50 am | #
Bush's strong support of the Dubai ports deal isn't so surprising in light of his family's many financial ties to Arab sheikdoms."
punaise |
02.24.06 - 8:56 am | #
Why is the port deal unsafe.
At first I tended to agree with Kevin on this but yesterday on NPR they had an interview with an english guy that described business in UAI something like this. I rent an appartment with a great view for $1 million dollars then one day without warning the landlord comes up and shows my apprtment to a Russian business man who on the spot offered $2 million dollars and I had to move out that day. This is the way they do business in UAE.
Does that sound like a formula for security?
Stephen Dulaney |
02.24.06 - 9:04 am | #
Port security is generally no better than it was on 9/10/01. And as someone with dozens of relatives within suitcase-nuke range of Charleston harbor, I don't just take this issue seriously, I take it personally.
Also, Windowdog, some documentation of some of Norske's points can be found here.
Lex |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 9:21 am | #
One thing I haven't seen beat enough was how Bush could be so out of the loop on the ports deal, yet so insistent that any congressional action against it will be vetoed. The Veto threat tells me that Bush has a great deal invested in the Dubai deal going through, particularly given that this veto will be the first of his administration. If he doesn't know anything about the deal, how can he insist on vetoing a threat against it?
In short: What is really going on here?
Via Eschaton yesterday, Richard Perle on CBS:
BORGER: Here's one explanation. The president and his senior staff couldn't brief Congress because they didn't know. That's because the panel that makes these calls, the Committee on Foreign Investments, is not run by the high-level Cabinet members listed on its Web site. Those guys usually rubber-stamp decisions made by staffers. Richard Perle is a Bush ally who sat on the panel during the Reagan years.
Mr. RICHARD PERLE (Former Assistant Secretary of Defense): The committee almost never met. And when it deliberated, which it did from time to time, it was usually at a pretty low bureaucratic level.
BORGER: So, is it a joke?
Mr. PERLE: I think it's a bit of a joke if we were serious about scrutinizing foreign ownership and foreign control, particularly since 9/11.
As to why Bush is hanging tough in the face of a bi-partisan firestorm, Sen Warner gives us one clue: The UAE "provides docking rights for more U.S. Navy ships than any other nation in the region. If they say they have not been treated fairly in this, we run the risk of them pulling back some of that support at a critical time of the war."
David Sirota offers up another clue: the Bush administration was simultaneously negotiating a "free" trade agreement with the UAE at the same time it tried to quietly slip this port deal through.
They made a trade off. A business deal for port security. As Robert Parry reports:
"One international businessman who frequently uses the port of Dubai told me that the UAE runs a competent operation which offers a relatively freewheeling approach to commerce that is popular with shipping companies.
You're going to bring the security percentage down by turning the U.S. port operations over to the UAE, said the businessman who asked not be identified. But there's never 100 percent security and the ports have to be run by somebody.
This businessman said bigger factors in the decision to turn the U.S. ports over to the UAE were financial - post-9/11 security precautions had eroded the profitability of the port operations and the UAE was one of the few countries with sufficient resources to invest almost $7 billion to take over the U.S. ports.
While agreeing that the UAE management could increase risks for U.S. security, the businessman said those dangers pale against the security problems created by Bush's occupation of Iraq and other actions that have riled up the Muslim world."
JohnS |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 9:27 am | #
Anthony at 6:19 am --
What part of the "people no longer trust this President to have actually done his job" is xenophobic?
ReddHedd | Homepage | 02.24.06 - 6:45 am | #
Actually Redd
Your question is specious on many levels and does not address my concern about your indiscriminate bashing of Bush.
But to take your question at face value, " the people no longer trust this President..." begs the question: What people? I submit to you that it's at least arguable that if Bush were to face a general election today against any Democrat you care to sacrifice, "the people" would choose him...again!
At any rate, I feel constrained to reiterate how much I appreciate your determined advocacy. And, that you present your views with such humor, sans the unseemly vitriol so many of your commenters spew, makes reading you posts all the more enjoyable.
Jane's pretty good too...
anthony |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 9:51 am | #
About the ports deal: Marcy Kaptur is calling for an investigation into Treasury Sec. John Snow's potential windfall from the deal. The link has been updated, and takes you to both an article and a video link of Kaptur discussing this:
Go back under the bridge...fascist nonsense is not tolerated here. And with reference to whether or not President Stupid would be elected today...READ THE POLLS YOU NAZI MORON!!
Now go take a pill, assume the prenatal position, turn the electric blanket up to 9 and don't try and fuck with the grown-ups again, you mental paraplegeic.
KEEP THE FAITH AND TAKE NO SHIT FROM ANYONE!!!
NorskeFlamethrower |
02.24.06 - 10:19 am | #
How do you go about the country for months giving gratuitously inflammatory warnings about Islam-O-fascism, caliphates, etc., and then act perplexed that people would take this port issue seriously?
bob h |
02.24.06 - 10:36 am | #
Anthony--
(I know there's a new thread but I'm hoping this will stay here)
In fairness, you started your very first comment (that I've seen) with the "ganja" business, so I think your vitriol complaint is a little out of line. I'm willing to grant that you may have meant it in joshing good faith and simply got off on the wrong foot. But really, an insulting first post is what a troll would do. It wasn't entirely unfair to assume so, even if it may have been wrong. Just as in the cocktail party world, it's probably worth being sensitive to the first impression you're giving.
When the King's Men are out talking about aid and comfort to the enemy, and about poisoning their opponents' creme brulees, people who passionately work against this administration can be forgiven for being a little quick to defend themselves.
Hope to see you around.
Professor Foland |
02.24.06 - 10:45 am | #
My apologies, anthony, I misread upthread. You had the "idiotic nonsense" comment, not the "ganja" one. The point stands.
Professor Foland |
02.24.06 - 10:50 am | #
Prifessor Foland,
See my post to Zennurse down stream...I really do appreciate your calm control and admirable patience with trolls. However, as I stated to Zen, we "liberals" have been engagin' these fascists in rational discourse for 75 years and it's only served to legitimize their irrationality and marginalize our own arguments. I think that we need a shitdetector for trolls to be able to tell when they are actually intellectually honest enough to carry on a dialogue...in the absense of such, I will go after any troll that has the stones ta come after me.
Thanx
KEEP THE FAITH AND WATCH YOUR NEIGHBOR'S BACK!!!
NorskeFlamethrower |
02.24.06 - 11:09 am | #
The whole port thing boils down to this:
Dubai Logistics City.
Look 'em up.
Dubai is setting itself up as the major hub of global trade.
Dubai will become the logistics capitol of the global economy.
Dubai is where the action is, so players are falling over themselves to get a piece of it.
wormwood |
02.24.06 - 11:14 am | #
juan cole links don't work
eric silverstein |
02.24.06 - 11:17 am | #
From the Guardian:
...But DP said the takeover would proceed on schedule in spite of the controversy in the US.
The delay in taking control in the US leaves American and British executives in charge of seaport operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.
Dubai Ports, based in Jebel Ali, in Dubai, plans to complete the purchase of P&O on March 2. March 16 will be the final date on which P&O investors will receive the 520p a share that the Dubai company agreed to pay. "It is not only unreasonable but also impractical to suggest that the closing of this entire global transaction should be delayed," DP said in a statement.
That is the correct address. He's either having technical problems, or he's been hit with a hacking attack.
Geoduck |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 11:36 am | #
Okay, okay, I was willing to buy into the notion that national security concerns over Bush's Dubai Ports deal were just partisan politics--and then sit back and enjoy the fun of watching Bush being hoisted by his own national security petard. But then I read THIS from the New York Times: "Dubai has been a way station for contraband, some of it nuclear. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the Pakistani nuclear engineer, made Dubai his transshipment point for the equipment he sent to Libya and Iran because he could operate there without worrying about investigators...." Sure changes things for me. In the administration's latest Charlie Foxtrot, Bush isn't just a politically tone-deaf goof. Turning over any aspect of American port operation or management to a company controlled by the UAE wouldn't only be nuts, it would be an act of treason.
Debunker |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 12:03 pm | #
There's an in-depth essay on our port security by Stephen E. Flynn (senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of "America the Vulnerable") in the Far Eastern Economic Review. It's called, "Port Security Is Still A House of Cards."
JohnS | Homepage | 02.24.06 - 8:39 am
BINGO.
Stephen E. Flynn is the REAL DEAL. A former Coast Guard Commander, with Patrick Fitzgerald-esque intellect and competence. He also testified to Congress (georgia10 quoted from his testimony in her front page Dubai DailyKos Diary within the last week or so), the last time they pretended to pay any attention to this port-security issue, before the November 2004 election, and his testimony is VERY informative.
Mr. Flynn would make an outstanding Director of Homeland Security. He has a firm grasp and thorough understanding of the entire port security problem, and has excellent suggestions and ideas about how to efficiently yet effectively monitor the shipping container loads (I remember thinking when I listened to his testimony that he had the problem already half-solved).
You know, the more I look at the state of port security in this country, the more I'm glad that I don't live anywhere near a major port.
I was going to post a comment about this issue in a thread several days ago, but when thinking about the story I wanted to tell, I realized that it was much too long, so I just let it go. But having just stopped in to FDL for the first time today, and reading ReddHedd's essay, I decided to advantage of this opportunity to vent and rant, because with several new posts since this one, no one is going to read this now anyway. So here goes.
I do live near a major port, in Houston, TX. I live just north of the downtown area, as the crow flies just a few miles from the headwaters of the Houston Ship Channel, one the country's busiest ports.
In the Spring of 2001, months before 9/11 made us acutely conscious of terrorism and mass destruction of buildings, cities, etc., I read an interesting article in the local paper. It was about a group called the World Affairs Council, a private civic affairs group that tries to educate the public about foreign affairs. One of the things they do, or did, I don't know if they still do it, is to organize local discussion groups of ordinary citizens in cities around the country. It cost $20 or so, as I remember, and for that you got a little booklet with essays and article excerpts on 8 topics concerning different world events or policy issues, plus a nifty little world map.
I joined one of the groups meeting at a woman's house not too far away and over the months of March, April and May 2001, we met 8 times and had our discussions. It was not an especially enjoyable experience and I never tried it again. There were about 10 people in our group, and they were all very nice, and fairly articulate, but woefully ignorant about foreign affairs. And not one of them knew how to make a proper argument or case, how to argue from evidence, etc. Instead, they all had firmly held opinions from which it was impossible, not simply to change their minds on, but even to get them to think about in light of new information or evidence or anything else.
One of the last topics we covered was "Should the US build a missile defense shield?" I can't remember now, but I think about half the group said yes and half said no. I was a no. What was depressing was that I couldn't get anyone to think about the basic premise: what is the biggest threat we face today, post Cold War. I explained that Mutually Assured Destruction, while always carrying the whiff implied by its acronym, had seemed to work with regard to the Soviet Union and its tens of thousands of missiles and war heads, and that it was still working with regard to China and its dozens of ICBMs. And then I told them what I thought was a more likely scenario for mass destruction, even though it too was highly unlikely.
I told them I feared a terrorist group getting their hands on a working nuclear warhead or bomb, not a 'dirty' bomb, not a 'suitcase' bomb, but a real city-busting nuke. And then putting it in a container and putting the container on a ship bound for a major American port. Like the one I live so near to. And I added that, however long the odds were that this could happen, I thought there was a greater chance of that than of some kind of nuclear strike via an ICBM, whether from a major power or some "rogue state."
Now, I have no idea what the odds really are of that ever happening. I don't lay awake at night worrying about it. The problems are obvious. First, you have to get the bomb. How easy or hard would that be? A thousand to one odds? A million to one? A billion to one? I don't know, but I do know that the Nunn-Lugar legislation was enacted in the 90s in part to prevent exactly that scenario from being played out, and that this criminally insane administration has been cutting funding for Nunn-Lugar every single year it has been in power.
Then you would have to know how to re-rig it so that you could detonate it in the time and at the place of your choosing, a technologically daunting task I expect, but probably not impossible. But if you got your bomb, and could figure out how to detonate it to your best advantage, the rest, which would be transporting it to the US, should be pretty easy. Out of Karachi perhaps? Or Dubai? Whatever.
Anyway, the point of this story is not to brag about how smart I am, that I figured this to be a plausible nightmare scenario before anyone else. In fact, just the opposite. Why is it that I, a regular Joe, with zero experience in government or in military or intelligence affairs, could foresee this pre 9/11?
The answer is really quite simple. I read a goddamned newspaper every day, I have some bit of curiosity about what's going on out in "the world," and I can use my brain for actual fucking thinking! I can't see the future and I'm certainly no genius, and that's the point - you don't have to be to understand things.
So, my question is, why the f&*k is it that Joe Schmoe from Houston, without any access to classified information, in a pre-9/11 state of consciousness, can still figure this shit out better than our government? All those fancy degrees, the shiny stars on the uniforms, the satellites, the wiretaps, the think tanks, the whole works, and no clue.
They can't turn on a television to see a major city drowning, they don't read newspapers or books, or even, apparently, their own intelligence briefings, they don't study history, they don't know shit from shineola and they don't think it's worth learning the difference. It just makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs WTF!!!!!! Georgie, Dickie, Condi, Donnie, Donnie, Donnie oh Donnie, please all of you! You got your money, your stocks are doing well, you got to play with the shiny toys, you got to act big and tough and spit in the eye of the whole world, but enough. For the love of God, go home now.
It's going to take us decades to clean up this mess, if it even can be cleaned up now.
*ahem* Thank you. I feel much better now.
the cyber ruffian |
02.24.06 - 2:46 pm | #
Let's see, in the past decade the US has bombed, invaded or attacked:
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, Haiti, Serbia, Somalia, the Sudan..
Any others I am missing? GSD
Off the top of my head...Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Syria and Jordan - that was all in 2003 btw. ' whoops, accidents will happen'.
In 2001 they ' bombed' China with their spy plane. I'm pretty sure they have bombed other places like Turkey and what they are doing spray bombing rain forests in South America is not only genocidal - it's ecologically suicidal.
The US are mad bombers and a rogue terror state that must be stopped - BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!
More attacks on the pentagon are absolutely necessary imho. The rabid chimp needs killing. ( just my 2$ )
professor rat |
Homepage |
02.24.06 - 2:57 pm | #
great comments cyber ruffian. nothing changed after 9/11, they just started saying that over and over to justify everything they wanted to do before 9/11.
Beel |
02.24.06 - 3:39 pm | #
...a president loses his ability to govern
How does this affect a president who never had the ability to govern?
Simp |
Homepage |
03.02.06 - 6:41 pm | #
