U.S. diplomat criticizes missteps in Iraq
'Arrogance, and 'stupidity, have hindered U.S. goals, official says

You can lead a republican to the truth, but you can't make him think it...

Nice to make it on. Congrats, Congressman JC. The new blog and website is pretty spiffy looking.

Thanks for the links above. Will definitely pass them on to all.

I attended a meeting this week on the subject of Voter Intimidation/Suppression, with speakers: Rep. Kildee; Inez Brown, Flint City Clerk; MI Dem Chair, Mark Brewer and AG Candidate Amos Williams. I learned that many people have been working hard to ensure the integrity of the election process, but we still have a long way to go.

A couple of points covered that MI voters might find useful: Election Challengers (who should have proper ID, & be limited to two per party with only one being "engaged" at a time) cannot approach and question voters directly. A challenged voter only must answer questions regarding: Age, residency or citizenship that are asked them by the Election Chairman. You have the following rights:

-Right to Vote if Challenged: Ballot will be identified as challenged but will be tabulated along with all other ballots.
-There is no ID requirement in MI (with the exception of a newly registered voter who registered by mail).
-Right to Vote Free from Harassment
-Right to Vote if in Line when Polls Close.
-Right to Vote a Straight Party Ticket
-Right to Use a Sample Ballot/Slate Card -&may take these into polling booth
-Right to Correct Mistakes. You have the right to a new ballot if you make mistakes on your ballot.
-Rights of Felons to vote. Felons have the right to vote if not in prison.

You can call this number to report irregularities at the polling place and to find out where your polling place is: 1-888-DEMVOTE

Congrats Mr. Conyers!

God willing this will be a year for many positive changes. Lets just keep the engine steaming right along through November 7th!

All the BEST!

Glad to be able to get in to the new blog. Looking good so far.

koryannder

I think I like the new site. Don't know whether long-winded types like TIA, Frosted Flake, Max1 or yours truly will have enough room, but time will tell! Meanwhile, best of luck with the new site.

Last words, "Making the President and Vice President lame ducks is good enough for me." Nancy's parting words when asked point blank, "Are the Democrats about Impeachment? Will there be Impeachment."
60 Minutes and Pelosi

"No, impeachment is off the table," she says.

"And that's a pledge?" Stahl asks.

"Well, it's a pledge in the - yes, I mean, it's a pledge. Of course it is. It is a waste of time," she replies.

"Wouldn't they just love it, if we came in and our record as Democrats coming forth in 12 years, is to talk about George Bush and Dick Cheney? This election is about them. This is a referendum on them," Pelosi says. "Making them lame ducks is good enough for me."

Nice to know all is for naught. NO?

Nice to know that wars of aggression are tolerable because it might hurt someone's feelings to hold them accountable for their war crimes.

Nice to know that lying to the public is fashionable when done in State of the Union Speeches.

Congressman Conyers,
This isn't about revenge. It's called accountability.

The town drunk, who happens to be the Commander in Chief, has run unchecked and committed crimes. To hold him accountable for those crimes is not, I repeat, IS NOT revenge. IT'S THE LAW.

She does you and the Democrats a disservice. In time when Impeachment does surface, she and the Democrats will be accused to be the LIARS. "FLIP-FLOPPERS" "CUT & RUNNERS" from the truth. Come '08, you'll be distancing yourself from Pelosi and her rhetoric, or as the Republicans will call her, SPEAKER LIAR OF THE HOUSE.

incidents like this would have drawn huge media attention. Now the government, military, and para-military run around the country looking for terrorists. Welcome to fascism America! This news item comes via this blog.

Did anybody catch catch Jack Cafferty on CNN last night, Sunday, 10/22? He tore Bush and the GOP to shreds for an hour.
transcript here

You can lead a republican to the truth, but you can't make him think it...

koryannder - One of the major GOP "Talking points" is that the Democrats have no ideas. It is, as usual, a lie, but a big enough lie, repeated often enough, becomes a surrogate truth. The flip side of that is that the Administration has ideas, all right, but their ideas are driving the country off a cliff! "Stay the course - " but finance the war on credit, and repay the loans by robbing what's left of the middle class and the poor - and our grandchildren - largely because if they made the wealthy pay their fair share, the donors to the Party would walk, and DEMAND that they get out of foreign adventurism! The government has sunk so far into the morass of pay to play and other forms of corruption that it appears to be unsalvageable. But - here's a good, "Democratic" AND 'democratic' idea. Total Federal Funding of campaigns for Federal Offices! Require that candidates demonstrate support for their candidacies by coming up with $100,000.00 (But no more than $200,000.00) seed money from NO FEWER than 1000 persons! That's enough to separate serious candidates from dilettantes. Then set a cap on federal funds, and ALLOW NO OTHER expenditures. Shorten the campaign season to one month active campaigning, restrict the franking privilege to actual government business, instead of letting it be a stealth campaigning tool, and let the fur fly. Might be interesting.

Surprise! Diebold source code appearing at a mailbox near you.

Comment #18: Chemung is right. Leave well enough alone until after the election. Get the new site up and functioning, work out all the bugs, then migrate on the 9th of November. Make it a four day weekend to work out any glitches.

But hey just my opinion.

Just like it is Nancy Pelosi's opinion that making George and Dick lame ducks is good enough for her. Forget war crimes and trying to steal the country from the people and giving it to the super rich. That was just a crazy, but professional political move.

Perhaps this will be true until they come for her children and grandchildren, put them in uniform to fight the global imperialistic war for terrorization.

But hey, what do I know. I am not a politician or a lawyer. I can't lie half as good as the people in those professions.

Supremely funny...

Those who forget history
Condemn the rest of us to repeat it.

Just so y'all know the latest regurgitations of the FEAR factory's Boogie-man has been released into the air waves, just in time for Halloween, so as to stir up unease and chaos among the populace. Here is what's at Stakes.

Yes, the only thing that scares me more this time of year than Freddy Kruger is the GOP.

And get this, desperation has set in. We are being implored to feel, empathize with the GOP's sense of fright and just FEAR the vote. Sean (ins)Hannity derides the Democratic vote. Democrats need to stay home and not vote.

And of course, we have Rush Limpbaugh reminding all of America that Terrorists vote for Democrats. Yes, another boogie-man. Which way will the Terrorists vote?

The Executive Unitary Decider has proclaimed, "We've never been, 'Stay the Course' "

You decide...

HERE OR HERE.

Bush's Absolute Power Grab

On October 17, George W. Bush signed into law the Military Commissions Act of 2006. This new law gives Bush power similar to that of Stalin or Hitler, and grants agencies within the executive branch powers similar to those of the KGB or Gestapo.

Bush justifies this act by claiming he needs it to fight the "war on terror," but a number of critics, including former counterterrorism officials, have said the administration has greatly exaggerated the threat and used illogical methods to combat terrorism.

...snip...

Future generations will wonder why the U.S. Congress and mainstream press helped Bush build up an imperial presidency and eliminate Constitutional protections. If they're able to sort through the administration's fallacies and lies and clearly see what went wrong with America during this time, they'll wonder why there were so few Molly Ivins's, Keith Olbermann's and Jonathan Turley's.

Coming generations will also ask why by comparison there were so many who failed to notice the obvious holes in Bush's logic and why so many turned a blind eye to his numerous false assertions and cruel policies. They'll wonder why so many supported, whether by direct action or by silence, the Bush administration's changing the fundamental nature of the democratic Republic we were given by America's founders, based on the flimsy excuse of fighting a war on terrorism - a "war" Bush defines falsely and fights ineffectively.

Generations to come might ask why this president who lied so often, about Iraq and other critical matters, was ever entrusted with enough power to damage this country's founding principles and wage endless, unprovoked war on other nations. If Congress and the media would ask these questions now, they might prevent Bush from doing further harm. This might save many lives, prevent much unnecessary suffering and possibly steer this country out of its present darkness.

A MUST READ

Chicago Voter Database Hacked

Another stunning security breach has been exposed in our nation's electoral system, The BRAD BLOG has learned, as the online voter registration database - containing the personal information of some 1.5 million voters in Chicago - has been found to be vulnerable to both downloading and hacking

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3654

This brief article is at CNN's political section

Active troops ask congress to end Iraqi occupation.

Three of the 65 service members who are doing this will be holding a press conference about their actions on Wednesday. They will explain their decision to send "Appeals for Redress" under the Military Whistleblower Protection Act to their members of Congress.

I can't wait to see how the Republicans spin this one. Right now Hannity and Rush are like whirling dirvishes! They'll be spinning off into outer space!

koryannder
Voted yesterday - straight Democratic ticket, natch. I strongly recommend that, in ANY state which has early voting, (on paper!) that everyone who is the least concerned about the integrity of the process take advantage of the "Early vote" feature. At least there will be a record. Now to continue with "Ideas for Democrats" the necessary moves to restore the Nation.

13. (12) above allows for the re-introduction of hemp as a badly needed crop. It is probably the most useful single vegetable crop known to man. Its fiber produces cordage superior to any plastic, excellent paper, thus protecting our vanishing forests, fabrics that don,t wear out, the seeds produce oil that is easily the equal of diesel, besides not burning with the diesel reek, and the defatted seeds are excellent animal fodder. (Also, commercial hemp has a very low cannabinoid content, making it unsuitable for abuse as a drug anyway. The banning of hemp was one of the gravest mistakes ever made by our easily emotionally aroused lawmakers). Also, it is not attacked by pests, and will grow on marginal soil. It could be massively profitable to the farm community, which badly needs a cash crop.

14. Prisons for profit must be eliminated. The fact that the United States has more citizens in jail per capita than any other country is simply disgraceful. Laws requiring imprisonment for what are at worst misdemeanors MUST be repealed. The draconian minimum sentence laws that give judges no leeway must be stricken. And prison manufactories MUST pay at least minimum wage! It is criminal in the extreme to think that the only real growth industry in the US in the last decade has been the Prison Industry! This, in "The Land of the Free!"

15. The mislabeled USAPATRIOT Act must be repealed in toto. It is blatantly unconstitutional from stem to stern, but the present SCOTUS probably would not throw it out, since the Court itself is in large measure anti-constitution. The Act in and of itself has caused untold fear and misery and has played directly into the hands of the terrorists. It has done more to destroy the morale of the nation than 9/11 itself did. (Parenthetically, it could be argued that 9/11 was merely the excuse for jamming this unconstitutional piece of excrement down the Public,s throat, it having been previously prepared by the fascists among us, merely waiting for a good excuse.) Get rid of it.

Has anybody noticed how quiet its been about the role Rove and Libby played in outing Valerie Plame, or is it just my imagination.

Why aren't these men in jail since they both committed a federal crime or is that another one of those "I'm the President and I determine which laws I will follow" (even though I swore up and down to protect and defend the Constitution even as I put it through the food processor)?"

The Worst Congress Ever

...eventually turn to crap...

The Help America Vote Act, orchestrated by a Republican dominated Congress, has set this nation on a course that will reap terrible consequences come Tuesday November 7th, when polling places with untrained workers, set up electronic voting equipment that's more vulnerable than the Titanic on it's maiden voyage. The current Congress, at least the Republican side of the aisle along with those Democrats who caved to the Republican agenda, destroyed that fragile experiment we call Democracy since Bush took office and have thrown it out the window for a totalitarian regime by giving all power to the Executive, George Bush, who deserves to be in jail, not running this country. We may never recover...unless, by the grace of God, the Republican led Congress, by some miracle, is booted out of office (what polls?) and we can remove the stench and the stain left by these "do nothing criminal" Bozos from the halls of Congress.

US Warned of Ballot Box Chaos as Elections Near

"This one really upsets me. We all owe our soldiers a debt of gratitude, especially those who have been wounded in battle. That includes those who have suffered psychological injuries like post-traumatic stress disorder.

Doctors suggest a safe environment, counseling, and sometimes medication for people going through this ordeal. Instead, the GOP leadership is shipping them back out onto the front lines, as this CBS report documents. That's not only horrific for the soldier with PTSD, but it places everybody around him or her at risk.

Wonder how many people with "Support Our Troops" ribbons on their cars know what they're voting for when they vote Republican?"

Disposable Heroes: The GOP,s Mistreatment of Wounded Soldiers

Witness Grilled in CIA Leak Case

Midterm vote may define Rove,s legacy
Big losses could dim aura of Bush's senior adviser

Thanks for your efforts in protecting the vote.

You make us proud.

-
Jodin