Life in OUR America, Volume 5, the Livyjr Files Options

[Livyjr]

And then .....

There is religion ....

Here in OUR America ....

Which has become a faith-based country .....

Thanks to KARL ROVE .....

And George W. Bush .....

And the CHURCH OF BODY MODIFICATION .....

Which KARL ROVE apparently is very wild over .....

And some would say .....

Is running himself ....

From a boiler room .....

Underneath the WHITE HOUSE ....

Down there in the REPUBLICAN BABYLON ....

Of Washington, D.C. ...

AND KARL IS SAID TO BE WILD OVER THIS NEWEST RELIGION ....

Here in OUR America ....

That he is said .....

Or believed ...

To have created ....

Since it brings a lot of younger people .....

Into his "FAITH-BASED REPUBLICAN FOLD" ......

And so .....

Here is an issue that KARL ROVE is just itching to get his REPUBLICAN CONSERVATIVE TEETH into, alright ......

Discrimination against one of his FLOCK is just not going to fly .....

Not while KARL ROVE is in charge of things at the WASHINGTON WHITE HOUSE, anyway .....

And so ...

People up here are expecting a busload of WHITE HOUSE lawyers up here, any day now .....

To jump right on this case .....

As a cause celebre ....

One of George W. Bush's FAITH-BASED INITIATIVES .....

Under a virtual attack .....

Up here ....

This CHURCH OF BODY MODIFICATION ....

That holds out such promise ....

For the youth of OUR America ....

And the REPUBLICAN PARTY, as well ...

WHO IS THE CHAMPION OF FAITH-BASED INITIATIVES ....

Here in OUR America ...

And so ....

"A lost job and a case of faith - Dress code violated right to religious expression, former worker says"

By JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Thursday, August 10, 2006

TROY -- Sarah Yule would love to be the face of her church -- pierced twice, if you don't count the tongue and ears.

And, as of Wednesday, it's a face no longer acceptable at St. Mary's Hospital.

Yule says she was fired from her job at the Catholic hospital because it doesn't recognize her religion -- ordinarily a violation of state and federal civil rights law.

But her situation isn't so simple.

Yule's religion has no formal deity or buildings of worship.

Some of its adherents suspend themselves by hooks dug into their skin.

You can apply to be a minister by e-mail.

Yule, 24, of Waterford, says she is a member of the Church of Body Modification, whose members meet online to share a passion for changing their bodies.

Yule was fired, she said, because she refused to remove her lip ring.

Her case raises questions about government's role in defining religion, employees' rights to exercise it and employers' rights to set standards in the workplace.

The short answer might be that there is no short answer, unless Yule takes the hospital to court, which she vows she will do.

At least one church member has sued and lost, but federal courts avoided ruling on whether the church actually is a religion.

And as Yule -- a savvy woman who admits she is "looking to make history" -- found Wednesday, getting someone to take her case might be its own challenge.

The phone in her living room rang.

A lawyer's assistant told her the attorney would not take the case.

Try, she suggested, lawyers in bigger cities.

"This wouldn't be an issue if I were a Catholic or a Jew or a well-known religion," she said less than 12 hours after she was fired from her job as a receptionist in the hospital's emergency room, where she had worked for two years.

Her lip ring, a 14-gauge hoop, violates the company's dress code.

She was given three options: Take it out, replace it with something transparent or look for another job in the company, Seton Health, according to her account of the 7:30 a.m. conference with hospital officials, 30 minutes before her overnight shift ended.

All three were unacceptable, she said.

The question is whether body piercings are a protected form of religious observance, whether a tongue ring should be given the same protection as a Muslim head scarf under the law.

"It's very sticky," said Stephen Clark, a professor at Albany Law School who specializes in employment, labor and constitutional law.

"It's extremely difficult to pin this thing down, what religion means."

Yule says she worked as a clerk in a dietary section at St. Mary's as a teenager and had several piercings: two in each eyebrow, two in her lip, one in her nose and several in her ears.

Piercing, she says, is spiritual because of the control it gives her over her body.

Even her supervisors supported her, she said.

After about three years, Yule moved away.

She returned to St. Mary's two years ago with fewer piercings and took a job as an overnight receptionist in the emergency room.

Two months ago, Yule decided to pierce her lip and her nose again.

Not long after, she says, she was confronted by a supervisor.

After explaining her beliefs, Yule said she submitted the first of two letters making her case to the human resources department.

In return, she got an updated copy of the hospital's dress code.

According to a spokeswoman, it allows for ear piercings "in moderation," but requires other piercings be removed to maintain a professional environment.

A clause makes exceptions for cultural and religious reasons as long as they don't interfere with the "safe provision of patient care or carrying out the duties of the associate's job," said Pamela Rehak, the hospital spokeswoman.

Rehak declined to comment on Yule's case beyond issuing a written statement that said St. Mary's "is a faith-based organization that encourages and respects spirituality in the workplace."

Courts have shied away from defining religion, said Clark, the law professor.

There is no official list, he said, and many of the prevailing precedents are decades old, set by the U.S. Supreme Court in cases where men said they could not fight in the Vietnam War for religious reasons.

The court found that religion could be defined as "having a belief in a higher power that occupies the same position as God in a more traditional faith," Clark said.

The church describes itself as "a nondenominational congregation that teaches ownership over our own bodies ... not here to offer spirituality to you so much as we are here because of the spirituality that is already in all of us."

It was established in 1999.

E-mails to the church officials and ministers were not returned Wednesday.

The Phoenix address listed on church tax documents on its Web site is now used by a garden design company, said a woman who answered the phone there.

The documents date to 2000.

The church Web site addresses questions about employment and tells people that "this is not a scam" and that they cannot join after they've been fired just to protect their jobs.

If Yule sues, the case might come down to whether a court thinks St. Mary's did enough to accommodate her, as required by state and federal law.

In 2004, a federal appeals court in Boston ruled against Kimberly Cloutier, an employee at a Costco near Springfield, Mass., who sued after she was told her eyebrow ring violated the store's dress code.

A federal court doubted Cloutier's devotion to the church and ruled Costco met its burden by offering a reasonable alternative, covering the ring with a flesh-colored bandage.

The appeals court upheld the decision, saying that allowing Cloutier an exception to the dress code rule would impose an "undue hardship" on the wholesale company.

Yule can file a complaint with the state Division of Human Rights or the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

She says she doesn't know whether she wants money or her job back.

"I just want them to recognize that they did something wrong," she said.

Asked if she would ever remove her piercings, she said:

"Maybe I'll never want to."

"Maybe I'll want to tomorrow."

"But I won't because somebody says I have to."

writer Jordan Carleo- Evangelist can be reached at 454-5445 or by e-mail at jcarleo-evangelist@ timesunion.com

end quotes

How about that KARL ROVE, now, will you .....

That old boy ...

Has just got ...

SOMETHING ...

FOR EVERYONE ...

So long as they'll promise .....

To be a good dues-paying REPUBLICAN in turn .....

And so .....

No wonder they call that old boy the ARCHITECT .....

Building up a church like that ...

All by himself ....

You can see why they would then call him that ...

And so ...

[Livyjr]

And since we are on the subject this morning .....

Of KARL ROVE ....

And his "faith-based" CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN PARTY .....

"GOP Senate hopefuls debate - Obscure candidates attack each other as polls put Democrat far ahead"

By ELIZABETH BENJAMIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Thursday, August 10, 2006

NEW YORK -- Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kathleen Troia "KT" McFarland went straight for the jugular of her GOP primary opponent, John Spencer, in what may be the campaign's only televised debate Wednesday night, attacking both his record as Yonkers mayor and his marriage.

The debate was only the latest in what has been a contentious, mud-slinging campaign as the two little-known Republicans battle for the right to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the general election this fall.

Spencer, a pugnacious Vietnam veteran who is the designated Republican candidate and has been endorsed by the state Conservative Party, sought to take the high road during the debate.

He stressed his staunch conservative views on issues like abortion on which McFarland is more moderate.

He avoided bringing up McFarland's own family troubles and repeatedly tried to turn the focus to Clinton, who he insisted can be defeated despite her double-digit lead over both candidates in polls and fundraising.

But McFarland, a Reagan-era Pentagon official who has never held elected office and has been a stay-at-home mom since 1985, struck at Spencer's personal life in the first 10 minutes of the debate.

She said his relationship with his current wife, Kathy Spring-Spencer, which began when she was his chief of staff and he was married to another woman, raised questions about his "ethical standards."

In McFarland's parlance, the relationship was "an affair" and Spring was Spencer's "secretary," whose salary he "tripled," resulting in his own "financial gain."

McFarland likened Spencer to former President Clinton, who was impeached for lying under oath about extramarital sex.

"Had you been in the military and behaved that way, you would have been court-martialed," McFarland, 55, said to Spencer, 59, who was standing about a foot away from her on stage at the Pace University auditorium.

"Had you been in the federal government and behaved that way, you would have been indicted."

McFarland also accused Spencer of raising taxes and spending while he was mayor -- a post he held from 1996 to 2004 -- and leaving the city with a multimillion-dollar deficit.

"You've taxed and spent like Hillary, and you've behaved like Bill," McFarland said.

Spencer retorted that McFarland and her staff probably "worked for months to get that sound bite."

He called the GOP primary campaign "the most scurrilous I've ever seen."

During the debate, Spencer alternately accused McFarland of telling "half-truths" and lies.

He lambasted McFarland for impugning Spring's career and said she is a "22-year professional who worked for three mayors" of Yonkers.

"Of all people, a woman insulting another woman's career," Spencer said.

"I say to you, Mrs. McFarland, shame on you."

"Shame on you."

According to published reports, Spencer raised Spring's salary from $52,000 to $138,000.

After the debate, Spencer refused to say whether he had had an affair with Spring, with whom he had publicly admitted that he fathered two children while he was in office and still married to his first wife.

"I didn't have an affair; it's the wrong term," Spencer said.

Spencer said he was going through a separation with his first wife, whom he has since divorced, when he was involved with Spring.

He and Spring are now married and have had a third child.

Spencer also said McFarland distorted his record as mayor.

He admitted raising taxes, but said the hike was less than in other cities.

He said Yonkers' economy improved dramatically under him, in part because he cut "onerous" taxes like the mortgage and real estate transfer taxes.

Spencer did not bring up McFarland's personal life, although that has become a campaign issue.

She has weathered criticism for anti-gay statements she made in a 1992 letter to her parents about her brother, who died of AIDS.

She also wrote that her father physically and sexually abused her, her sister and her two brothers when they were young -- an allegation both her father and at least one of her siblings has denied.

It fell to NY1 anchor and debate moderator Dominic Carter to ask McFarland about her past and whether she felt it was relevant to her qualifications for U.S. Senate.

"That's something that happened 50 years ago when I was a child," McFarland said.

"I already talked about that, and I have nothing further to add."

McFarland later said she hoped to debate Spencer again; Spencer said "it's not worthwhile."

In a July 26 Siena poll of likely Republican primary voters, Spencer held a slight 24-18 edge over McFarland, but 58 percent said they didn't know enough about either candidate to have an opinion.

A Siena poll released Monday showed Clinton handily defeating both Spencer -- 58-32 -- and McFarland -- 58-28.

Clinton also has an enormous fundraising lead, with $22 million on hand.

McFarland had $282,131 on hand and $307,590 worth of debt at the end of June, not including the $100,000 she has loaned her campaign.

Spencer had only $646,335 on hand and $301,186 in debt.

The state Democratic Party reacted gleefully to Wednesday's Republican exchange, with spokesman Blake Zeff calling it "more like a Tom & Jerry cartoon than a Senate debate."

Clinton adviser Howard Wolfson refused to respond to McFarland's statements about either the senator or the former president.

But he did comment on Spencer's assertion that McFarland is a "plant" being encouraged and supported by the Clinton campaign to split the Republican vote and make him look bad.

"If we were choosing a candidate, we would have chosen a better one," Wolfson said.

Benjamin can be reached at 454-5081 or by e-mail at ebenjamin@timesunion.com.

[Livyjr]

And since we are still on the subject ...

Of KARL ROVE ....

And his CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN PARTY ....

Here in OUR America .....

As well as the "economy" .....

Which KARL says ....

Is the strongest in the world .....

If not the entire universe .....

Or even the galaxy ....

We have ....

"Report: San Diego finances 'reckless'"

By ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associated Press Writer

Wed Aug 9, 9:46 AM ET

SAN DIEGO - The city recklessly and deliberately mismanaged its finances for years, exhibiting disregard for the law and becoming "Enron-by-the-Sea," according to consultants who investigated how it created a $1.4 billion pension fund shortfall.

San Diego "fell prey to the same type of corruption" that ruined companies including Enron Corp. and WorldCom Inc. and prompted Orange County to file for bankruptcy protection in 1994, said a report by the risk management company Kroll Inc.

"The evidence demonstrates not mere negligence but deliberate disregard for the law, disregard for fiduciary responsibility and disregard for the financial welfare of the city's residents," the report concludes.

The $20 million report, presented at a City Council meeting Tuesday, offers one of the most detailed accounts of how San Diego created its $1.4 billion pension shortfall that has crippled its ability to borrow money.

The shortfall — the gap between the value of its pension assets and its obligation to retirees — soared after the City Council in 1996 and again in 2002 skipped payments to the pension fund and, at the same time, enhanced retirement benefits.

The fiscal meltdown that resulted sparked investigations by the U.S. Justice Department and the SEC in early 2004.

Five former city and pension fund officials were charged with federal fraud and conspiracy in January.

The report outlines a series of recommendations, including creation of an independent audit committee and more authority for the city's chief financial officer.

"You got a second chance here, folks," said one of the authors, former chief SEC accountant Lynn Turner.

"I think it's a marvelous city, but you need to change it from being Enron-by-the-Sea to Emerald-by-the Sea."

The report found that several former city officials likely violated federal securities law and others were negligent.

It says former Mayor Dick Murphy and members of the City Council failed to disclose the extent of the city's problems to bond investors and for "knowingly and improperly" causing the city to violate state and federal law in its collection of sewage fees.

Arthur Levitt, former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, was involved in Kroll's investigation and said the city overcharged homeowners for sewage to subsidize large businesses.

Murphy, a Republican, resigned in July 2005, less than a year after winning a disputed election to a second four-year term.

Mayor Jerry Sanders, a Republican former police chief who was elected last year, said the report "will hopefully put a very unfortunate chapter of this city's history behind us."

The report clears the way for San Diego to complete overdue audits, a key step to returning the nation's eighth-largest city to Wall Street's good graces.

end quotes

The REPUBLICANS ....

ARE ....

BIG BID-NESS ....

And BIG BID-NESS is the REPUBLICANS ....

And mere people ....

Are merely cattle ....

For the REPUBLICANS to herd ....

This way or that .....

Depending on the needs ....

Of BIG BID-NESS ....

WHICH IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ....

AND AMERICA, as well ....

And so ....

Of course they are going to screw the homeowners to the wall .....

With respect to those sewage taxes ...

To subsidize BIG BID-NESS .....

Because what did GOD give the average homeowner to the REPUBLICAN PARTY for, after all ....

BUT FOR THE SCREWING OF THEM ...

Because the REPUBLICANS are not going to screw their own .....

NO REPUBLICAN CAN TALK BAD STUFF ABOUT ANOTHER REPUBLICAN ....

That is not GOD's way ....

And so ...

IF YOU DON'T LIKE BEING SCREWED ....

HERE IN KARL ROVE'S AMERICA ....

YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN BORN A REPUBLICAN ....

And if you weren't ...

Well ...

Hey ...

Suck it up .....

Join KARL ROVE's CHURCH OF BODY MODIFICATION .....

Get yourself some "faith" .....

SEND THE REPUBLICANS A LOT OF MONEY ....

And they'll make you into one ....

And so ...

See how easy it is ....

And that is why ....

They call KARL ROVE ....

THE ARCHITECT

Because he sure is one ....

Building all kinds of things ...

Out of nothing at all ....

Like the WAR IN IRAQ ....

And so ...

[Livyjr]

And staying with the "political" news this morning .....

Since that is what is spewing forth from the "wires" this morning .....

We have .....

"HEY, JACKIE BOY, HEY, JOHNNIE" Sweeney ......

THE REPUBLICAN BIG SHOT .....

From up here where I am .....

And is "HEY, JACKIE BOY, HEY, JOHNNIE" getting a little testy here?

Well ...

Hey ...

Thanks to the miracle of the internet ....

Why don't we go and see .....

"Congressmen trade barbs - Unions back incumbent McNulty and Gillibrand, who challenges Sweeney"

By CATHY WOODRUFF, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Thursday, August 10, 2006

WATERVLIET -- A news conference intended as a forum for labor leaders to announce endorsements of two Democratic congressional candidates Wednesday unexpectedly touched off a rare exchange of political jabs between U.S. Reps. Michael McNulty and John Sweeney.

Speaking near Watervliet Arsenal in McNulty's 21st Congressional District, officials with 14 unions, including the National Federation of Federal Employees, pledged their support for McNulty and Gillibrand, a 39-year-old attorney from Columbia County who is challenging Sweeney in the 20th Congressional District.

Later, the New York State United Teachers added its endorsement for Gillibrand, saying she offers a fresh, clear alternative to Sweeney.

Union officials said their support will bring campaign help, as well as financial contributions.

In a statement, NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan B. Lubin said the organization will provide "feet on the street" with volunteers who will work to get out the vote.

"I'm very excited about the endorsements we received today," Gillibrand said.

"This election is very much about changing the direction the country is going, and having labor support is the kind of support it really takes to defeat an incumbent."

Gillibrand criticized Sweeney, a Clifton Park Republican and former state labor commissioner, for failing to back an increase in the federal minimum wage and other issues important to workers.

When contacted for comment, Sweeney's campaign spokeswoman issued a statement saying Wednesday's endorsements would be newsworthy only if Gillibrand had not been endorsed by NYSUT and the federal employees union.

"They go rank-and-file with Democrats every step of the way" and rarely endorse Republicans, Maureen Donovan said.

Sweeney, she added, has received endorsements from the Greater Capital Region Building Trades Council and the Saratoga Springs Fire Fighters.

She said it was most noteworthy that Gillibrand held her news conference in McNulty's neighboring congressional district.

And with his public appearance and endorsement of Gillibrand, Donovan said, McNulty chose partisan politics over bipartisan cooperation.

"Representative McNulty is supporting an opponent of Congressman Sweeney's that would have no ability to bring home any dollars to the 20th, or 21st district, for that matter," she said.

"Representative McNulty is on the wrong side of this race, and he owes his constituents an explanation as to why he put politics over their interests."

"Gillibrand and McNulty will make a great team of not returning any of New York's tax dollars."

Reached by telephone Wednesday evening, McNulty said:

"I would just point out that my district, in the last Associated Press survey, ranked 45th highest in the receipt of federal funds out of all 435 districts in the country and second-highest in New York state."

"The record speaks for itself."

The location for the news conference was natural, since he also was accepting the unions' endorsements, he said.

Regarding the charge of playing partisan politics, he said:

"I am supporting Democratic candidates for Congress."

"The country is going in the wrong direction domestically and in Iraq."

"I'm supporting candidates who want to change that."

The other unions that endorsed Gillibrand and McNulty on Wednesday are:

Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers;

Communications Workers of America;

Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics & Allied Workers International Union;

Glens Falls Building & Construction Trades Council;

International Association of Machinists, Office & Professional Employees International Union;

Service Employees International Union;

United Auto Workers;

United Food and Commercial Workers;

United University Professions;

Plumbers and Steamfitters Locals 7 and 773;

Public Employees Federation;

Sheetmetal Workers International Association.

Cathy Woodruff can be reached at 454-5093 or by e-mail at cwoodruff@timesunion.com.

[Livyjr]

I don't know, me ....

But I just keeping having this thought .....

That BEFORE ......

America .....

Goes out into the world ....

To shake its mighty finger ....

At other governments ....

For being corrupt .....

MAYBE ....

What America should do first ....

IS GET RID OF THE DAMN STUFF HERE .....

FROM COAST TO COAST ....

And then ....

When that is done .....

IN SUCH A WAY ....

THAT IT IS MORE THAN JUST A BIT OF WINDOW-DRESSING .....

THEN AMERICA CAN HOLD ITSELF .....

OUT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD .....

As an example of something ....

OTHER THAN A RANK HYPOCRITE ....

And so ....

"N.J. officials charged with corruption"

Associated Press
Last updated: 5:56 p.m., Thursday, August 10, 2006

TRENTON, N.J. -- Six state treasury workers were indicted Thursday on suspicion of accepting dinners, entertainment, golf outings and spa treatments from a company hired to collect back taxes.

The state taxation director and his deputy were among those charged, the attorney general's office said.

A state report in December found that treasury managers took more than $65,000 in gifts from Missouri-based OSI Collection Service Inc. from 1999 to 2005.

The company padded its bills by more than $1 million since 2000, but was not sanctioned by the treasury department, state investigators have said.

"New Jersey residents must be able to count on the fact that officials who make decisions on state contracts won't be subject to influence by vendors who offer generous freebies," said Attorney General Zulima Farber.

Those indicted include state Taxation Director Robert K. Thompson and his deputy, Harold A. Fox.

Four other treasury workers and two former OSI officials were also indicted.

They are all charged with official misconduct.

Attorneys for Thompson and Fox did not immediately return phone messages.

They and one other treasury worker have been suspended with pay, said treasury spokesman Mark Perkiss.

All the accused treasury employees will be suspended without pay Friday.

[Livyjr]

And getting back to MS. Hillary for the moment ....

And "SLAMMIN' JOE" Lieberman ......

Who is no longer ....

A DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE ....

For the United States Senate ....

Because he went down to BABYLON ....

And got too close ....

TO THE REPUBLICAN JEZEBEL ....

And so ....

"Connecticut's lessons - Sen. Lieberman's loss has implications for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's primary"

Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Thursday, August 10, 2006

So here's what it requires for the Democrats to get over their more timid instincts and ask the tough questions about Iraq that could set them clearly apart from President Bush and the Republicans in a midterm election year.

Just deny an incumbent senator, loyal to his party and generally progressive on most issues, nomination for a fourth term.

A few hundred thousand votes in Connecticut have done what almost 3,000 American deaths in Iraq could not.

Joe Lieberman isn't gone from the Senate, necessarily.

That much he made clear in a rather defiant and ungracious concession speech Tuesday night.

But he now has to defend a record that includes an unwavering support for the war as he runs as an independent this fall.

His departure from the Senate would be a loss, in many ways.

He's right about the nasty tone that dominates the politics of Washington.

There most certainly is a place for the bipartisan approach he prefers.

On economic and fiscal issues in particular, Mr. Lieberman has been a harsh critic of an administration that may yet be his undoing.

Still, Ned Lamont, a political unknown just a few months ago but now the party nominee, has done the Democrats a considerable service.

He's made it acceptable, even imperative, for a party trying to stave off something teetering too close to impotence and irrelevance to talk about the war in earnest, even at the risk of appearing too far to the political left for many Americans' comfort.

Party leaders, including Sen. Charles Schumer, have embraced Mr. Lamont's victory already, even as it means parting ways with Mr. Lieberman.

It can be fairly said that the November election campaign now starts anew.

A primary election in Connecticut, in the slow days of summer yet, energizes politics just about everywhere.

The same questions can be expected to be raised elsewhere.

Should the United States have gone to war in the first place?

Was President Bush honest about his intentions and motives for going to war?

Can the war be won?

Can peace, or at least an end to bloody sectarian chaos, be secured in Iraq?

Should the United States be making plans to leave?

Here in New York, count on Jonathan Tasini to ask them, even if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton might not be so eager to discuss the war.

Mr. Tasini is on even more of a improbable quest than Mr. Lamont was.

His long-shot candidacy makes Mr. Lamont's easy by comparison.

Mr. Tasini is a one-issue candidate, or quite close to it.

But he has this, at least potentially -- and that part must be emphasized -- on his side.

He has been against the war from the start.

Sen. Clinton voted for it, almost four years ago, and still supports the overall U.S. mission in Iraq.

In a primary that otherwise wouldn't attract much more than a collective yawn from New York Democrats, they can debate the war this fall.

Their state, and their country, will be better for it if they do.

[Livyjr]

And then, of course .....

While there really is no global warming .....

And no climate change, as a result .....

Still .....

The REPUBLICANS ....

Want us to believe .....

That if there possibly could be such a thing .....

Which of course, there can't be ...

Still ...

If there could be .....

Why, by jink .....

There will be all kinds .....

Of new and better BID-NESS opportunities .....

Than there are .....

Even right now ....

With America's economy ....

Being the strongest one that there is ....

In the world ....

And in the galaxy beyond ....

And so ...

If a REPUBLICAN is saying that .....

Well ...

It would seem it would have to be true .....

Because REPUBLICANS don't only tell just one lie ....

And so ....

"Summer sales washed away - Businesses hurt after floods destroy part of Route 23A in Catskills"

By ALAN WECHSLER, Business writer, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, August 8, 2006

HUNTER -- There are few roads in the state as winding, as precipitous and as storied as the Rip Van Winkle Trail.

And now that the route is closed, it is sorely missed.

The Rip Van Winkle refers to a 4-mile stretch of state Route 23A -- about 45 minutes south of Albany -- that climbs from the Hudson Valley into the Catskill Mountains.

And on June 27, after 9 inches of rain fell in one day, part of that road was washed away.

Other communities also suffered in the floods.

In Delaware County, two truckers were killed after the highway they were on collapsed.

In Sullivan County, a teenager was killed when her house was washed away.

Around the Northeast, 15 people died in the deluge.

By comparison, the eastern Catskills region was largely spared -- except financially.

"It's an economic disaster," said Marc Sussman, owner of Mountain Top Clothing in Tannersville.

Summer is the biggest season for these Catskill businesses.

And with Route 23A closed, tourists face a 40-mile detour.

"We thought this was going to be our busiest season," Sussman said.

Instead, he's selling much of his summer stock at 50 percent off just to get it off the rack.

Down the road, Ernie Reale said weekend visits at his Mountain Bike Inn are down 90 percent.

He blamed the state for the mess, saying he thinks Route 23A was the victim of a botched repair job.

Four days before the damage, the state Department of Transportation had completed a $2 million repair job there.

What was supposed to be a three-week closure then, now may last until November.

But the DOT says what failed was a 50-foot retaining wall holding up the road, built of rocks stacked nearly 100 years ago by prison laborers.

The road hugs the banks of a rugged river and it climbs past cliffs and canyons as it gains 1,000 feet from Palenville to the Catskill plateau.

The flood took out a whole lane of the two-lane road, causing a U-shaped washout 50 feet deep.

It turned new concrete decking into chunks of rubble and rebar, with freshly painted guardrails sitting ruined 50 feet below.

DOT spokesman Pete Van Keuren said the road was made to withstand the annual floods commonly seen in the mountains.

"We don't design and construct projects around a worst-case scenario," he said.

"We don't normally get that amount of precipitation."

Now instead of simply repairing the damage, the state wants to rebuild a 400-foot section of road with stronger anchors, larger culverts and a concrete retaining wall.

No cost estimate was available, Van Keuren said.

State officials had contemplated installing a temporary bridge over the gap, but such a repair would not provide enough room for workers to do their job.

The state also decided against having a night crew working on the road, saying there weren't enough places on the precipitous hillside to install lights.

So now, construction workers are on a 12-hour, seven-day-a-week shift to rebuild the road as quickly as possible.

And everyone else has to use the detour.

Businesses do have some options: U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loans, federal disaster grants or part of the $60 million in state flood aid that Gov. George Pataki approved after the disaster.

Under Pataki's program, a business may apply for a grant of up to $20,000 for uncompensated losses.

But the grants are meant to recover flood damage, not lost business due to lack of customers.

And many businesses don't want to take on more debt, even at low interest rates.

In the meantime, businesses persevere.

Story Farm in Palenville -- the downhill end of the closed road -- now sends up a truck of produce once a week to Tannersville so locals can buy its product.

Other stores can do little but lay off staff and wait.

"We just feel like we've been abandoned by the state," said Joe Cavallero, who owns the Twilight General Store, right near the end of the road in Haines Falls.

He said his business is off about 50 percent and he has laid off five of his eight employees because of it.

He's also worried about what is going to happen when the road is repaired.

"All day long is nothing but complaints," he said of his limited customers.

"Even when the road eventually opens, we're afraid we've lost a lot of these people."

Alan Wechsler can be reached at 454-5469 or by e-mail at awechsler@timesunion.com.

end quotes

But wait .....

I thought the REPUBLICANS said .....

That global warming .....

And climate change .....

Were going to be real good ....

For business ....

And so .....

This story ...

Must be made up ....

Out of whole cloth ....

By the LIBERAL MEDIA .....

Just so they can make the REPUBLICANS look bad ....

Which really isn't all that hard to do these days ....

With all of the corruption .....

That they have brought to this state ....

As well as to Washington, D.C. ....

And so ...

[Livyjr]

And speaking of corruption ....

Here is the "ROCK STAR", himself ....

That being New York State Attorney General Eliot "Big EL" Spitzer .....

Who is going to be the next governor of the State of New York ....

And then he is going to be President of America ....

And so ....

You know how it is ....

When you are a politician ....

Here in America ....

WHERE POLITICAL OFFICE IS BOUGHT ....

As much as it is won ....

YOU JUST CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH MONEY ....

And "Big EL" knows that .....

And so ....

"This way, Mr. Spitzer - The gubernatorial front-runner ought to adhere to a higher standard of campaign fundraising"

Albany, New York Times Union
First published: Tuesday, August 8, 2006

Eliot Spitzer is so far ahead at this stage of the campaign for governor in fundraising and public opinion polls that he can afford to ask himself this potentially awkward question:

Why is he taking money from donors who take advantage of a loophole in New York's shamefully porous campaign finance laws that allows for ever larger contributions?

]Ordinarily, no donor can give Mr. Spitzer, or any other candidate, more than $50,100.

If Mr. Spitzer were running for federal office, or municipal office in New York City, his high rolling donors would be hard pressed to get around even lower contribution limits.

The laws allow candidates for statewide office, though, to accept money from individual donors who give the maximum $50,100 and then contribute even more through what are known as limited liability corporations.

The existence of that loophole was first revealed by the Times Union in April.

Mr. Spitzer has accumulated at least $600,000 this way, according to a New York Times report last week.

How can he do that and still come across as such a determined advocate of campaign finance reform?

By hedging his bets, in essence.

Yes, Mr. Spitzer wants much lower legal limits on individual campaign contributions -- as early as, say, his possible race for re-election in 2010.

Mr. Spitzer already had $16.3 million at his disposal as of mid-July.

That's four times as much as both his rivals combined.

For now, however, Mr. Spitzer's campaign will only commit to abiding by the existing law, easily mocked as it is.

That's a frustrating answer from any politician.

From Mr. Spitzer, though, it's downright maddening.

This year's race for governor, and Mr. Spitzer's campaign in particular, is supposed to be all about changing the corrupting ways of Albany and breaking with the pattern of doing business in a way that's merely legal or politically expedient.

Mr. Spitzer can demonstrate what's so different already, by declaring that $50,100 is $50,100 and that slick ways of getting around that limit aren't for him.

No, he's not the only candidate who's taken money that way in this race.

Tom Suozzi, his opponent in the Democratic primary, has done it as well.

So have three candidates for attorney general.

John Faso, the Republican candidate for governor, has not taken money from limited liability corporations.

Two cheers for him.

But back to Mr. Spitzer.

He is such a strong candidate for governor this year for one reason and one reason only.

He has been zealous in his enforcement of the law as New York's attorney general, and impatient with those who try to get around the law.

It's time for him to match his support for campaign finance reform with fundraising that doesn't undermine it.

end quotes

Actually ......

"Big EL" Spitzer .....

Is quite an "ILLUSIONIST" .....

When it comes to "GOVERNMENT REFORM" .....

Yes ....

"Big EL" Spitzer .....

Has gone after some Wall Street firms ...

For doing the "hokey-pokey" .....

With other people's money .....

But as the state's top law enforcement official ....

"Big EL" Spitzer ....

Has been very soft .....

On government corruption ....

Here in New York State ....

Where he is actually perceived ....

As a staunch defender ....

Of the corrupters of government up here ....

And so ....

When it comes to some Wall Street firms ....

Perhaps "Big EL" is a zealot .....

Especially when it gets his name in the papers .....

But with respect to government corruption ....

OFF OF WALL STREET ....

Where it counts to us ....

"Big EL" Spitzer .....

Is seen ....

As being ....

SOFT ...

AS A MARSHMELLOW ....

And so ....

[Livyjr]

DEATH ....

IS NO THREAT ....

TO PEOPLE ....

WHO ARE NOT AFRAID ....

TO DIE .....

BUT EVEN IF ...

THESE (alleged) "OFFENDERS" .....

FEARED DEATH ALL DAY ....

WHO SHOULD BE RASH ENOUGH .....

TO ACT AS EXCECUTIONER?

- Lao Tze, Tao Te Ching

end quotes

Well ...

HHHHHhhhmmmmm .....

There is George W. Bush, of course ....

And Dick Cheney ......

Yes, him, too ....

Dick likes that kind of stuff .....

Especially when it involves women and children ....

The "POST-9/11 MIND-SET" that he talks about so much .....

Which is really a LICENSE .....

Given to him and George W. Bush .....

BY THEMSELVES ....

Pursuant to the UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION ....

So that they can kill whomever .....

Whenever .....

And however .....

And then ....

Of course ...

There is "CON-JOB CONNIE" Rice .....

And Donald "GASBAG" Rumsfeld ....

And .....

And ......

And .....

[Livyjr]

Politics ....

And corruption ...

And POWERFUL MEN ....

"Times Union, politicians square off in lawsuit - Bruno, Silver accused of illegally concealing names of those spending taxpayer money"

By MICHELE MORGAN BOLTON, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union

Last updated: 3:04 p.m., Friday, August 11, 2006

ALBANY -- The Times Union faced off against the state today, arguing before a judge that New York's most powerful political leaders have illegally concealed the names of their colleagues who arranged to spend millions in taxpayer money on their own pet projects.

"They believe they are above the law,'' argued Eve Burton, general counsel for the Hearst Corp., which owns the newspaper.

"The two leaders are subject to FOIL,'' Burton said.

"And if they don't like it, they can change it legislatively.''

The Times Union seeks to have a state Supreme Court justice compel Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to release the names of caucus members and pay legal fees for the lawsuit.

Visiting state Supreme Court Justice Robert A. Sackett of Sullivan County was assigned the case.

The lawsuit accuses Bruno and Silver of violating the state's FOI Law as well as the public's basic right to know how their own money is spent.

Assistant Attorney General Richard Lombardo, who is defending the Assembly and Senate leaders, said the names of lawmakers aren't subject to FOIL, per the state Constitution's speech and debate clause.

He said it was right to redact the names on more than 8,000 member-item initiative forms his office provided, upon request.

"We've given them all the facts the public has a right to know,'' Lombardo told Sackett.

"Simply put, a member's name on a piece of paper doesn't make it FOIL-able.''

end quotes

Don't you just love that arrogance, though .....

And the dripping contempt ....

Coming from out of the mouth ....

Of this arrogant, smarmy state lawyer ....

CONTEMPT .....

For those .....

Who happen to be ....

The citizens of the state ....

For whom these arrogant politicians ....

And mouthy, smarmy state lawyers ....

All work ....

ACCORDING TO OUR CONSTITUTION UP HERE ....

Which is not theirs ....

To do with ....

As they please ....

Which is why there is a lawsuit in this matter ...

And so ....

[Livyjr]

DEATH ....

IS NO THREAT ....

TO PEOPLE ....

WHO ARE NOT AFRAID ....

TO DIE .....

BUT EVEN IF ...

THESE (alleged) "OFFENDERS" .....

FEARED DEATH ALL DAY ....

WHO SHOULD BE RASH ENOUGH .....

TO ACT AS EXCECUTIONER?

- Lao Tze, Tao Te Ching

COMMENTARY BY R.L. WING .....

Lao Tze believed that people are inherently good-hearted, and that to maintain this state they require personal freedom, intellectual independence, and, most important, a life that is free from interference from above.

When the organizational strutures in which people live and work become oppressive, then people will no longer fear death as they reach for freedom.

In the Taoist view, to kill a human being - within the law or outside of it - is an unnatural act that ultimately tears apart the fabric of society.

Lao Tze's analogy in this passage, however, encompasses the damage that leaders will suffer when they exercise authority that does not reside either in themselves or in the organization.

Any laws, restrictions, or punishments that inhibit the natural growth and independent development of the human mind will destroy both the organization and its leaders.

[Livyjr]

COMMENTARY BY R.L. WING .....

Lao Tze believed that people are inherently good-hearted, and that to maintain this state they require personal freedom, intellectual independence, and, most important, a life that is free from interference from above.

When the organizational strutures in which people live and work become oppressive, then people will no longer fear death as they reach for freedom.

To give the Iraqi people ....

Alleged confidence in what is alleged to be .....

Their government .....

It is necessary .....

For OUR government .....

To protect those people .....

Since the government .....

That they are supposed to have confidence in .....

To protect them ....

CAN'T PROTECT THEM .....

And so ....

"Forces to target 4 'hotspots' in Baghdad"

By ROBERT BURNS, Associated Press
Last updated: 4:46 p.m., Saturday, August 12, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The new push by U.S. and Iraqi forces to reverse a rising tide of violence in Baghdad will target four violent "hotspots" in the city, the American general in charge of the plan said Saturday.

Those parts of the city have experienced frequent kidnappings, suicide bombings and revenge killings by Shiites and Sunnis.

Maj. Gen. James Thurman, commander of the Army's 4th Infantry Division, said the renewed push for stability began Aug. 7 in the Dora area of southwestern Baghdad, a notoriously violent part of the city.

He said sweeps of Dora neighborhoods had captured 179 people thus far and killed 25 "terrorists."

The other three targeted districts are Mansour and the Ghazaliyah-Shula areas of western Baghdad and the Azamiyah area in the northeast, he said, adding that the goal is to quell the violence and restore ordinary Iraqis' confidence in their government's ability to provide security and basic services.

"I'm confident, based on what I'm seeing right now, that we've got a positive trend here happening," Thurman said in an interview after joining Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a question-and-answer session with several dozen soldiers, sailors and airmen at Camp Liberty.

"We've got four major hotspots where we've had a lot of sectarian killings," Thurman said.

"And we've got a plan that will zero in on reducing the number of murders, kidnappings, assassinations and car bombs."

Pace, who arrived Saturday from Washington, met with Thurman and other senior American commanders and addressed the troops at Camp Liberty to thank them for their service.

A few of the soldiers in his audience were with the Alaska-based 172nd Stryker Brigade, whose one-year tour of duty in Iraq was extended by four months recently in order to add another 3,500 soldiers to Thurman's force in the capital.

Thurman said he has received another 2,000 extra troops from other units.

Thurman said he now has 32,444 U.S. troops in Baghdad and areas south of the capital, as well as 32,554 Iraqi forces.

Of the U.S. total, about 13,500 are in Baghdad proper, he said.

As recently as a month ago, U.S. officials thought they were going to be able to reduce U.S. troop levels this fall, but Thurman said the rise in strife between different religious groups "had us worried" and prompted him to ask his superiors for more combat power "so we could quell this and once and for all get rid of the people that are causing the problems here."

Thus, the 172nd Stryker Brigade was moved into Baghdad from northern Iraq.

In his remarks to troops at Thurman's headquarters, Pace disclosed that the plan earlier this summer was to reduce the total number of U.S. combat brigades this fall to 12 from the 14 that were operating at the time.

Instead a brigade that had been held in reserve in Kuwait was brought into Iraq and the 172nd was retained even as its replacement -- a brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division -- arrived.

Nonetheless, Pace told reporters traveling with him enroute to Baghdad that he would not rule out U.S. troop reductions this fall.

Pace stopped short of predicting that conditions would improve enough to allow a U.S. troop reduction before year's end, but he said he would be consulting with top commanders this weekend on the outlook for a turnaround in the violence among different religious groups and the need for U.S. troops.

"It's important to always have troop levels on the table" as a subject for discussion, he said.

"We thought as recently as a month or so ago that we were going to be able to come down" in the numbers.

"What changed was the increase in sectarian violence," he added.

Nonetheless, Pace said it was possible that the sect-on-sect violence could be tamped down quickly.

"Their leaders simply could decide to stop it" by telling their people to stop killing each other, he said.

"There is still the potential to reduce the number of troops," he said, although he would not say how soon he thought this could happen.

Earlier this year U.S. officials were hoping to reduce troop levels to 100,000 or less by December, with more significant cuts following in 2007.

The Joint Chiefs chairman, on only his second trip to Iraq this year, also said that Pentagon officials are beginning to think about who might replace Casey, who has been the top commander in Iraq since July 2004.

Pace said Casey would stay for about another six months.

"Certainly you start thinking now" about who should succeed Casey, Pace said.

He offered no names but praised Casey's performance, noting: "He will not be easily replaced."

end quotes

Looking at these numbers above here .....

Of the ratio .....

Of American troops ....

To Iraqi troops ....

Around Baghdad ....

It looks like ....

For every Iraqi troop ....

There is a corresponding American troop ....

To prop up that Iraqi troop ....

And carry that Iraqi troop ....

And maybe keep the Iraqi ....

From running away ....

And so .....

I guess somehow .....

The Iraqi people ....

Are going to get some confidence ....

In their own government out of that .....

Although how that is going to be ....

Remains a mystery to me ....

But then ....

I am not a REPUBLICAN ....

Nor am I a BUSHCO ....

And so ....

I am not "tapped in".....

To how their logic is supposed to be working here ....

With this "math" .....

Which makes it look like .....

The IRAQI government .....

Is just about worthless ...

When it comes ...

To providing basic services ......

And security ...

For what are supposed to be .....

Their own people .....

And so .....

These REPUBLICANS .....

And BUSHCOS ....

Are just too inscrutable for me, here .....

How us doing all the work .....

That the Iraqi government can't do .....

Gives the Iraqi people ....

Confidence ....

In their government ...

Rather than in OUR government ....

Which is doing the Iraqi government's work for it ....

That it is not capable of doing ...

And so ....

This post has been edited by Livyjr: Aug 12 2006, 03:16 PM

[Livyjr]

And here is a story that we all have been waiting for .....

After the United States Supreme Court ....

Has held ...

Based on evidence provided to it ....

By George W. Bush's own lawyers ....

That George W. Bush .....

VIOLATED OUR OWN WAR CRIMES STATUTES .....

George is going to wipe that slate clean ....

BY HAVING HIS REPUBLICANS ....

PASS A LAW ....

SAYING IT NEVER HAPPENED THAT WAY ....

AT ALL ....

THAT WAS ALL JUST A GREAT BIG LIE ....

COOKED UP ...

BY THE LIBERALS ....

ON THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT ....

TO MAKE GEORGE W. BUSH LOOK BAD ...

IN AN ELECTION YEAR ....

And so ...

"Retroactive war crime protection drafted"

By PETE YOST, Associated Press
Last updated: 9:25 p.m., Thursday, August 10, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration drafted amendments to the War Crimes Act that would retroactively protect policymakers from possible criminal charges for authorizing any humiliating and degrading treatment of detainees, according to lawyers who have seen the proposal.

The move by the administration is the latest effort to deal with treatment of those taken into custody in the war on terror.

At issue are interrogations carried out by the CIA, and the degree to which harsh tactics such as water-boarding were authorized by administration officials.

A separate law, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, applies to the military.

The Washington Post first reported on the War Crimes Act amendments Wednesday.

One section of the draft would outlaw torture and inhuman or cruel treatment, but it does not contain prohibitions from Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions against "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment."

A copy of the section of the draft was obtained by The Associated Press.

The White House, without elaboration, said in a statement that the bill "will apply to any conduct by any U.S. personnel, whether committed before or after the law is enacted."

Two attorneys said that the draft is in the revision stage but that the administration seems intent on pushing forward the draft's major points in Congress after Labor Day.

The two attorneys spoke on condition of anonymity because their sources did not authorize them to release the information.

"I think what this bill can do is in effect immunize past crimes."

"That's why it's so dangerous," said a third attorney, Eugene Fidell, president of the National Institute of Military Justice.

Fidell said the initiative is "not just protection of political appointees, but also CIA personnel who led interrogations."

Interrogation practices "follow from policies that were formed at the highest levels of the administration," said a fourth attorney, Scott Horton, who has followed detainee issues closely.

"The administration is trying to insulate policymakers under the War Crimes Act."

The Bush administration contends Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions includes a number of vague terms that are susceptible to different interpretations.

Extreme interrogation practices have been a flash point for criticism of the administration.

When interrogators engage in waterboarding, prisoners are strapped to a plank and dunked in water until nearly drowning.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Congress "is aware of the dilemma we face, how to make sure the CIA and others are not unfairly prosecuted."

He said that at the same time, Congress "will not allow political appointees to waive the law."

Larry Cox, Amnesty International USA's executive director, said that "President Bush is looking to limit the War Crimes Act through legislation" now that the Supreme Court has embraced Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions."

In June, the court ruled that Bush's plan to try Guantanamo Bay detainees in military tribunals violates Article 3.

end quotes

WHAT A BUNCH OF HYPOCRITES .....

THESE BUSHCOS ARE .....

THE "LAW-AND ORDER" BUNCH ....

They call themselves .....

Which is a great big crock of **** ....

Which is apparent .....

To all the candid world now .....

And so .....

RETROACTIVE PROTECTION ...

FROM WAR CRIMES .....

FOR THE BUSHCOS ....

LET'S HAVE IT BE .....

A NATIONAL PRIORITY ....

FOR ALL AMERICANS TO EMBRACE ....

SO WE CAN ALL BE HYPOCRITES, TOO ....

TELLING ALL THE WORLD ....

WITH ONE SIDE OF OUR MOUTH ....

THAT, YES ...

AMERICA IS A NATION OF LAWS .....

BUT WITH THE OTHER ...

THAT ALL THOSE LAWS REALLY DO .....

IS IMMUNIZE ....

THOSE IN THIS NATION ....

WHO COMMIT WAR CRIMES ...

IN GEORGE W. BUSH'S ......

WAR OF TERROR .....

ON THOSE ...

WHO THOUGHTS ...

HE DON'T LIKE ....

And so ....

[Livyjr]

And here we go, once again ....

Elections are coming up this fall ...

The REPUBLICANS ...

Are in trouble .....

What with their CULTURE OF CORRUPTION ....

Down there in BABYLON .....

And their ineptness ....

And the mess they have made out of Iraq .....

And so .....

THE REFRAIN BEGINS .....

ALL OVER AGAIN ....

BECAUSE THE REPUBLICANS REALLY DON'T HAVE ....

ANYTHING ELSE ....

TO HANG THEIR HATS ON ...

OTHER THAN ...

YET ANOTHER ATTEMPT ...

BY THEM ...

TO DISTRACT US .....

FROM THEIR CULTURE OF CORRUPTION ....

AND INEPTNESS ....

AND THE MESS THEY HAVE MADE OUT OF IRAQ ....

BY SCARING US ...

OUT OF OUR WITS ....

AS THEY RUN AROUND SCREAMING ....

AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS ....

TAY-RISTS COMING ......

TAY-RISTS COMING .....

TAY-RISTS COMING .....

TAY-RISTS COMING ......

WE'RE ALL GOING TO BE MURDERED IN OUR SLEEP ....

RUN, RUN, RUN, RUN, RUN .....

ON AND ON AND ON AND ON AND ON ....

DA YADA DA YADA DA YADA, et cetera, ad infinitum ....

2004's REPUBLICAN REFRAIN REPRISED .....

ALL OVER AGAIN .....

UNTIL NOVEMBER COMES ONCE AGAIN ...

And with it, the Congressional elections ....

AND IT CAN'T GET HERE ...

SOON ENOUGH FOR ME .....

WHO AM SICK TO DEATH .....

OF HEARING TAY-RAH, TAY-RAH, TAY-RAH .....

Which sounds just like ...

"THE WOLF IS COMING, THE WOLF IS COMING, THE SKY IS FALLING, THE WOLF IS COMING, THE SKY IS FALLING" .....

And so ....

"Both Parties Claim Edge as Terror Is Reinforced as a Campaign Topic"

By Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, August 11, 2006; Page A12

Democrats and Republicans alike rushed to invoke yesterday's terrorist scare in Britain in congressional campaigns, underscoring how a series of national-security-related developments are refocusing and sharpening the political debate three months before the midterm elections.

Campaigning in Connecticut, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, who lost Tuesday's Democratic primary and is now running as an independent, said the antiwar views of primary winner Ned Lamont would be "taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England."

Rep. Mark Kennedy, the Republican Senate candidate in Minnesota, used the alleged plot as a campaign wedge only hours after it was disclosed.

"The arrests this morning in Great Britain make it clear that now, more than ever, this is an ongoing battle and we need leaders in Washington who remain committed to doing what is right instead of what may be seen as politically advantageous," he said.

To amplify the point, Kennedy endorsed Lieberman over the GOP candidate in the race, Alan Schlesinger.

President Bush offered a similar line, in more understated language, while in Green Bay, Wis., to campaign for a Republican candidate.

"This country is safer than it was prior to 9/11," Bush said with Air Force One behind him.

"We've taken a lot of measures to protect the American people."

"But obviously we're still not completely safe, because there are people that still plot and people who want to harm us for what we believe in."

In what was an apparent reference to this year's controversies over the administration's surveillance programs, Bush told reporters:

"It is a mistake to believe there is no threat to the United States of America."

"And that is why we have given our officials the tools they need to protect our people."

The alleged plot -- with its parallels to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks -- was the latest in a series of events reshaping the campaign in unpredictable ways.

In the past five weeks, Israel went to war with Hezbollah, Bush's top generals warned that Iraq is closer than ever to civil war and Lamont ousted Lieberman in Connecticut's Democratic primary.

The events have emboldened Democrats to challenge Bush more forcefully on national security issues, especially Iraq.

"This latest plot demonstrates the need for the Bush administration and the Congress to change course in Iraq and ensure that we are taking all the steps necessary to protect Americans at home and across the world," said Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).

At the same time, the events have clarified the Republican strategy to make terrorism and the war the backdrop for the battle for Congress.

Both sides argue that they have the edge in this fight.

"It brings all those realities home and brings back some of the memories of 9/11 that got us into the war on terrorism in the first place," said Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds (N.Y.), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Unlike in the 2004 election, when Republicans clearly benefited from the terrorism issue and a general sense of insecurity among many voters, the politics are muddled this year.

The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll, conducted last week, found Democrats with an eight-point edge when people were asked which party they trusted more to handle terrorism issues.

"I can't help but admit that I had a small knot in my stomach this morning," said Democratic pollster Mark Mellman.

"It was eerily familiar."

"But upon reflection, we are in a fundamentally different place in 2006 than we were in 2002 and 2004."

"For two or three generations, Republicans have, in the main, had a very substantial advantage on national security."

"The reality is, they have squandered that advantage in the sands of Iraq."

In the Post poll, 47 percent approved of Bush's handling of the terrorism issue, a 10-point drop from a similar stage two years ago.

But Republican strategists say the polling misses the political significance of the new focus on terrorism and war.

Conservatives are generally unhappy with the party over issues such as immigration and federal spending, but they care more about security matters than any other group, and their motivation to vote Republican may now resurface.

The arrests came as Bush was on a working vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Tex.

Aides said he had been kept informed about the developments in recent days and was briefed at the ranch last weekend.

He spoke with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in a secure videoconference on Sunday, a conversation that the White House at the time described as being about the Middle East, and again Wednesday.

Bush was not aware that the British were about to seize the suspects until Wednesday, White House officials said.

That same day, when Vice President Cheney attacked Democrats after Lamont's victory for being weak on national security, he knew about the British investigation but not that arrests were imminent, the officials said.

Peter H. Wehner, the White House director of strategic initiatives, distributed an e-mail to allies and reporters calling the alleged London plot a "clarifying moment" that should be, as he put it in the subject line, "a reminder of the stakes in this struggle."

He argued that it underscores the fallacy of Democratic attacks on Bush's leadership in the fight against terrorism.

A few hours earlier, the Republican National Committee e-mailed a fundraising letter -- signed by former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani -- that read:

"Only with the financial commitment of patriotic Americans like you can the RNC provide the candidate assistance, campaign programs, registration drives and voter outreach that are absolutely essential for electing Republicans across the nation."

RNC spokesman Brian Jones said that it was mistakenly sent by a low-level staffer and that the RNC regrets the timing.

Baker reported from Green Bay. Staff writer Dan Balz and assistant polling director Claudia Deane contributed to this report.

end quotes

Great Britain is a foreign country .....

With its own sovereignty .....

And its own problems ....

WHICH ARE NOT OURS .....

SINCE WE ARE AMERICANS ...

AND NOT SUBJECTS OF GREAT BRITAIN ....

AND OBVIOUSLY ...

THIS ALLEGED TAY-RAH "SCARE" .....

WAS JUST A SIMPLE POLICE MATTER ...

OVER THERE ...

IN GREAT BRITAIN .....

WHICH THEIR POLICE HANDLED ...

WITH NO TROUBLE AT ALL ...

AS A ROUTINE POLICE MATTER ....

AS THEY ARE PAID TO DO ...

A ROUTINE POLICE MATTER .....

MADE EASY FOR THEM ...

BY THE INDISPUTABLE FACT .....

THAT THESE TAY-RISTS .....

ARE SOME OF THE STUPIDEST PEOPLE .....

ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH ...

WHICH IS WHY .....

IT WAS SO EASY ....

FOR THE BRITISH POLICE ....

TO CATCH THIS CROWD OF THEM OVER THERE ....

IN GREAT BRITAIN .....

WHICH IS NOT AMERICA ...

And so ...

How a routine police matter ...

In Great Britain ....

Which is a foreign country .....

Has any bearing at all ...

ON OUR CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS .....

Is also a mystery to me .....

SINCE WE ARE NOT BRITISH SUBJECTS OVER HERE ....

NOR ARE WE LACKING ...

OUR OWN COMPETENT POLICE FORCE ....

HERE IN OUR OWN COUNTRY ...

DESPITE ALL THIS WHINING, CRYING BLATHER .....

FROM THE WHINING, CRYING CORRUPT REPUBLICANS ....

THAT OUR AMERICA ....

SUPPOSEDLY THE STRONGEST NATION ....

ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH .....

IS IN IMMINENT DANGER ...

OF BEING OVERRUN .....

AND TAKEN OVER ....

LOCK, STOCK AND BARREL ....

BY THIS PACK OF CLOWNS ....

THE BRITISH POLICE JUST ARRESTED ...

AS A ROUTINE POLICE MATTER ...

OVER THERE IN GREAT BRITAIN ....

AND HOW THE WHITE HOUSE ....

IS GIVING GEORGE W. BUSH ....

ANY CREDIT AT ALL ....

FOR HOW THE BRITISH POLICE ...

DO THEIR JOB ...

OVER THERE IN GREAT BRITAIN .....

WHICH IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY ....

THAT GEORGE W. BUSH DON'T OWN ...

OR CONTROL ....

DESPITE ANY STRAY THOUGHTS ....

THAT THE REPUBLICANS MIGHT HAVE ABOUT THAT REALITY ....

IS ANOTHER MYSTERY TO ME ....

ESPECIALLY SINCE GEORGE W. BUSH DIDN'T HAVE DOODLY-SQUAT TO DO WITH THESE ARRESTS ....

OVER THERE IN GREAT BRITAIN ....

WHICH IS NOT AMERICA .....

And so ....

[Livyjr]

And then, of course .....

While there really is no global warming .....

And no climate change, as a result .....

Still .....

The REPUBLICANS ....

Want us to believe .....

That if there possibly could be such a thing .....

Which of course, there can't be ...

Still ...

If there could be .....

Why, by jink .....

There will be all kinds .....

Of new and better BID-NESS opportunities .....

Than there are .....

Even right now ....

With America's economy ....

Being the strongest one that there is ....

In the world ....

And in the galaxy beyond ....

And so ...

If a REPUBLICAN is saying that .....

Well ...

It would seem it would have to be true .....

Because REPUBLICANS don't only tell just one lie ....

And so ....

"Summer sales washed away - Businesses hurt after floods destroy part of Route 23A in Catskills" 
 
By ALAN WECHSLER, Business writer, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, August 8, 2006

HUNTER -- There are few roads in the state as winding, as precipitous and as storied as the Rip Van Winkle Trail.
   
And now that the route is closed, it is sorely missed.

The Rip Van Winkle refers to a 4-mile stretch of state Route 23A -- about 45 minutes south of Albany -- that climbs from the Hudson Valley into the Catskill Mountains.

And on June 27, after 9 inches of rain fell in one day, part of that road was washed away.

"Cities, States Aren't Waiting For U.S. Action on Climate"

By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 11, 2006; Page A01

With Washington lawmakers deadlocked on how best to curb global warming, state and local officials across the country are adopting ambitious policies and forming international alliances aimed at reducing greenhouse gases.

The initiatives, which include demands that utilities generate some of their energy using renewable sources and mandates for a reduction in emissions from motor vehicles, have emboldened clean-air advocates who hope they will form the basis for broader national action.

But in the meantime, some businesses say the local and state actions are creating a patchwork of regulations that they must contend with.

This flurry of action is part of a growing movement among state and local leaders who have given up hope that Congress and the administration will tackle major issues, and are launching their own initiatives on immigration, stem cell research and energy policy.

Last week alone, former president Bill Clinton launched an effort with 22 of the world's largest cities to cut their emissions, while California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ® and British Prime Minister Tony Blair said they will explore trading carbon dioxide pollution credits across the Atlantic.

Recently, 22 states and the District of Columbia have set standards demanding that utilities generate a specific amount of energy -- in some cases, as high as 33 percent -- from renewable sources by 2020.

And 11 states have set goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

California also has passed legislation mandating that automakers reduce their vehicles' carbon dioxide emissions 30 percent by 2016, and 10 other states have committed to adopt the same standards if the law survives a court challenge.

In addition, as many as 10 states in the Northeast are working to establish state-by-state ceilings for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and allow industries such as power plants to trade pollution credits for carbon emissions while cutting greenhouse gas emissions 10 percent by 2019.

California, Oregon and Washington are negotiating a similar pact.

Some local officials said they are pushing ahead with plans because the Bush administration, which has promoted cleaner technology but opposes mandatory curbs on greenhouse gas emissions, has failed to adequately address the problem.

"Like most mayors, I'm disappointed the federal government has not taken more of a lead on this issue, but so be it."

"We're moving forward," said Albuquerque Mayor Martin J. Chavez, who is expanding public transportation in his city and has persuaded some other U.S. mayors to pledge to make their cities' buildings carbon-neutral by 2030, meaning their net carbon dioxide emissions would be zero.

But some experts say there is a political imperative at work, as well.

Tim Profeta, who worked for Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) before leaving last year to direct Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, said local politicians feel greater pressure to address the threat of rising sea levels and other climate-related conditions.

"State and local governments are less removed from their constituents, so they're more responsive to voters' concerns," said Profeta, who sits on North Carolina's climate-change commission and has met with British officials on the subject.

"Climate change is on people's minds, and they're asking for action."

North Carolina state Sen. Charles W. Albertson (D) said he is not "completely convinced" that human activity is causing global warming, but he pushed for the climate-change commission because he worries that environmental changes are threatening his coastal constituents' homes and livelihoods.

"What if it's taking place and we're not doing anything about it?" he asked.

Bush's top environmental adviser, James L. Connaughton, said the president welcomes state and local initiatives because they complement the administration's approach to global warming.

"They're pursuing a portfolio of policies, not a one-size-fits-all policy," Connaughton said in an interview Aug. 4, adding that the United States is also focused on voluntary pacts such as China's pledge to improve its power production efficiency 20 percent by 2010.

"At the end of the day, what matters is performance, and we're all making about the same rate of progress."

Some state officials and environmentalists said their efforts will soon surpass anything Bush has done to combat climate change.

Richard Cowart, who has advised officials on both coasts on carbon-trading systems as a director of the Vermont-based Regulatory Assistance Project, said that together, the two proposed trading systems "represent one of the largest efforts to rein in carbon emissions in the world."

And Dan Becker, global warming director for the Sierra Club, said auto manufacturers will cut emissions now that states representing a third of the country's market are preparing to regulate carbon dioxide.

"Obviously, what we're trying to do is reach a tipping point," Becker said.

"We're probably close to where the car companies will have to cry 'uncle.' "

The automakers are suing to block California's law, however, and the Bush administration may block it on the grounds that it amounts to usurping the federal government's right to set national fuel economy standards.

Margo Thorning, senior vice president of the American Council for Capital Formation, said this array of state regulations could harm the U.S. economy.

"I don't think it's terribly helpful to have the industry wondering what are the car standards in California vis-a-vis the standards in Arizona," said Thorning, whose think tank is funded in part by Exxon Mobil Corp.

"It adds a lot of uncertainty and slows the kind of investment we'd like to see in the U.S."

These overlapping carbon dioxide regulations may force the administration's hand.

Robert E. Busch, PSEG Services Corp. president, said during a Washington panel discussion in February that "you sort of don't blame" environmentalists for pursuing state caps on carbon dioxide, but added, "The answer to this problem is not 50 different approaches to greenhouse gases in the United States."

"That makes no sense at all."

And Richard J. Osborne, vice president of public and regulatory policy at Duke Energy Corp., told a Duke University audience in September that his utility backed federal legislation on climate change because the "patchwork of state actions" might produce "state-by-state chaos."

Clinton, who is establishing an international consortium so cities from Cairo to Los Angeles can bargain for energy-efficient products and trade policy ideas, said state and local experiments could eventually form the basis for federal action on climate change.

"What we need to do is get more case studies," Clinton said in an interview last week, adding that while voters care more about global warming now than when he was president, as for candidates, "unfortunately, it's not one of those issues where if you don't do something about it, you'll get beat."

Some federal officials are participating in the emerging carbon-trading economy: Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) has registered his farm's hardwood trees on the Chicago Climate Exchange, calculating that the 3,440 tons of carbon dioxide absorbed by the trees will trade for more than $15,000.

Matt Petersen, president of the advocacy group Global Green USA, said that over the past decade, he has found state and local officials to be more open to imposing energy efficiency standards on commercial buildings and to renewable-energy tax credits.

Global Green is advising West Hollywood officials on drafting green building standards for new private construction and is lobbying the Louisiana government to give developers an incentive to rebuild New Orleans in an energy-efficient way.

"We had to do a lot of work and hand-holding early on," Petersen said.

"The people who asked the toughest questions are now the biggest advocates."

end quotes

Well .....

There is one thing ....

That George W. Bush .....

And his REPUBLICANS .....

HAVE GIVEN TO US .....

HERE IN OUR AMERICA ...

THAT IS NOT IN DISPUTE .....

AND THAT IS A WORTHLESS FEDERAL GOVERMENT .....

INCAPABLE .....

OF PROVIDING US ....

WITH EITHER BASIC SERVICES ....

IN A TIME OF CRISIS .....

OR SECURITY ...

And so ...

WHOEVER SAID ....

THAT GEORGE W. BUSH ....

HAS DONE NOTHING GOOD ....

FOR OUR AMERICA .....

SINCE GEORGE CAME INTO OFFICE ...

WHAT SEEMS LIKE EONS AGO ....

SEEMS TO HAVE THE "RIGHT" OF THE MATTER ....

WHICH IS SOMETHING TO CONSIDER ....

WHAT WITH CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS ....

COMING UP IN NOVEMBER ....

And so ....

[Livyjr]

"Who's Guilty of 'Petty Partisanship'?"

By E. J. Dionne Jr.
Friday, August 11, 2006; Page A19

Oh my goodness, as Don Rumsfeld might say.

Support for the Iraq war hits a record low, and all the president's hit men decide that it's time to smear their opponents as defeatists who give aid and comfort to the enemy.

Of course they didn't mention the poll on Iraq released by CNN on Wednesday.

As a basis for their guilt-by-association campaign, they used the fact that Democratic voters in Tuesday's Connecticut primary favored antiwar businessman Ned Lamont over Sen. Joe Lieberman.

The gentlemen who have gotten us into a mess in Iraq prefer not to explain how they'll fix things.

They would rather use national security for partisan purposes, and they were all out there on Wednesday, spewing incendiary talking points.

Hey, they may not have sent enough troops to win a war, but they sure know how to win midterm elections.

In a telephone call with journalists, Vice President Cheney came close to suggesting that there is a new political blog out there called "al-Qaeda for Ned."

His words have not received nearly the attention they deserve.

Mourning the fact that Democrats would "purge a man like Joe Lieberman" -- that word "purge" has a nice Stalinist ring, doesn't it? -- our vice president went on to say this:

"The thing that's partly disturbing about it is the fact that, [from] the standpoint of our adversaries, if you will, in this conflict, and the al-Qaeda types, they clearly are betting on the proposition that ultimately they can break the will of the American people in terms of our ability to stay in the fight and complete the task."

The rejection of Lieberman made Cheney wonder if "the dominant view of the Democratic Party" is "the basic, fundamental notion that somehow we can retreat behind our oceans and not be actively engaged in this conflict and be safe here at home."

Wow!

I bet the 145,000 free citizens of Connecticut who voted for Lamont will be shocked to learn that they were really sending signals of "retreat" to "al-Qaeda types."

Then there was Ken Mehlman, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, handpicked by President Bush and Karl Rove.

Speaking in Cleveland, Mehlman couldn't resist starting with a little old-fashioned redbaiting.

He explained Ronald Reagan's defection from the Democratic Party this way:

"He saw the beginning of the end, as a party that had vowed to fight communism became a party that set itself against those who fought communism."

Ah, yes, the party of Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale was nothing but a bunch of anti-anti-communists.

From there it was an easy leap to saying a Democratic Party -- cleverly renamed the "Defeat-ocrat Party" by the RNC chairman -- "that once stood for strength now stands for retreat and defeat."

Translation: Anyone who dares question our botched approach is in favor of surrender.

Finally, from Tony Snow, the White House official who speaks for the president, came this analysis of the Connecticut result:

"It's a defining moment for the Democratic Party, whose national leaders now have made it clear that if you disagree with the extreme left in their party they're going to come after you."

This statement is rooted in a lie -- or, to be polite, fiction.

As Adam Nagourney noted in the New York Times yesterday:

"In fact, the vast majority of Democratic Party leaders supported Mr. Lieberman in the primary and did not endorse Mr. Lamont until after the results were in."

On Time.com, Perry Bacon Jr. noted that Lieberman had the support of "almost the entire Democratic establishment."

And if being against the Iraq war makes you "extreme left," then the administration has succeeded in pushing 60 percent of Americans into that camp.

That's the proportion opposed to the war in the new CNN poll.

When he announced he was running as an independent, Lieberman issued a ringing condemnation of "petty partisanship and angry vitriol."

He denounced those who offered "insults instead of ideas" and said the purpose of politics is "to lift up, not to tear down."

True, and there could hardly be any more offensive examples of petty partisanship than the vitriolic screeds issued by Cheney, Mehlman and Snow -- coming, as they did, just a day before we learned of a new terrorist plot against us.

We'll never achieve authentic bipartisanship until a crowd that has clung to power by dividing us into bitter camps gets the rebuke it deserves.

In the meantime, Lieberman might usefully send a copy of his speech to his friends in the White House.

They divide us at our peril.

postchat@aol.com

[Livyjr]

"Who's Guilty of 'Petty Partisanship'?"

By E. J. Dionne Jr.
Friday, August 11, 2006; Page A19

Oh my goodness, as Don Rumsfeld might say.

Support for the Iraq war hits a record low, and all the president's hit men decide that it's time to smear their opponents as defeatists who give aid and comfort to the enemy.

The gentlemen who have gotten us into a mess in Iraq prefer not to explain how they'll fix things.

They would rather use national security for partisan purposes, and they were all out there on Wednesday, spewing incendiary talking points.

Hey, they may not have sent enough troops to win a war, but they sure know how to win midterm elections.

"U.S. troops among nearly 50 dead in Iraq"

By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press
Last updated: 5:56 p.m., Saturday, August 12, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Police found a dozen bodies trapped in a grate in the Tigris River, and a roadside bomb killed two U.S. soldiers on a foot patrol south of Baghdad Saturday as nearly 50 violent deaths were reported across Iraq.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki banned a Kurdish extremist party from operating in Baghdad in a move seen largely as a gesture to Turkey, which had threatened to send troops across the border to destroy the group's bases in northern Iraq.

Also Saturday, a state commission said nearly 30 top officials of the past two governments have been ordered to appear in court to answer allegations of corruption.

They include former ministers of defense, labor and electricity, the commission said.

The 12 bodies were found in Suwayrah, 25 miles south of Baghdad, at one of a series of metal grates fixed in the river to block debris, Mamoun al-Rubaie of the Kut city morgue said.

All were men between 35 and 45 years old and had been bound, blindfolded and shot in the head or chest, al-Rubaie said.

They appeared to have been the victims of sectarian death squads that operate in the religiously mixed communities in the Baghdad area.

Police also found 15 other bullet-riddled bodies of men who had been handcuffed and blindfolded in six neighborhoods throughout the Baghdad area, police Lt. Mohammed Khayoun said.

Another 21 people were killed Saturday, mostly in Baghdad but also in Hillah, Mosul and Basra.

The roiling violence, especially between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the Baghdad area, has alarmed U.S. commanders, prompting them to order nearly 12,000 more American and Iraqi soldiers into the capital.

The United States currently has about 32,400 troops in Baghdad and areas south of the capital -- of which about 13,500 are in the city proper, Maj. Gen. James Thurman said Saturday.

U.S. and Iraqi officials have said the reinforcements will focus on about four neighborhoods where Sunni residents do not trust the Shiite-dominated Iraqi security forces.

Nevertheless, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he would not rule out significant U.S. troop reductions this year.

Pace, who arrived in Baghdad on Saturday, said such a decision would depend on improvements in the security situation and would come after consultations with U.S. commanders in Iraq.

As part of the renewed security crackdown, the U.S. military Saturday said that 60 men had been rounded up the day before at a funeral in the southern Arab Jabour neighborhood, a mostly Sunni district.

The 60 were believed to include members of an al-Qaida-affiliated cell that "specializes in bomb making" and carried out car bomb attacks in the capital, a U.S. statement said.

Women and children at the funeral were separated from the men and the arrests were made without incident, the statement said without giving any details.

"The group has been reported to be planning and conducting training for future attacks," it said.

"Multiple forms of credible intelligence led the assault force to the location, later determined to be a funeral gathering, where the suspects were detained."

Late Saturday, Iraqi state television announced that 16 "terrorists" had been arrested for allegedly exploding a dozen car bombs in Baghdad and plotting to assassinate relatives of the prime minister in his hometown near Karbala.

The independent Commission for Public Integrity said the corruption allegations had been filed against 39 top officials in the governments of former prime ministers Ayad Allawi and Ibrahim al-Jaafari, according to the commission's spokesman, Ali Shabbout.

Shabbout said the officials include ex-Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan and former Labor Minister Laila Abdul Latif, both of whom served in the Allawi government, and Abdul Muhsin Shalash, the electricity minister under al-Jaafari.

Some have fled the country, but Abdul Latif was released on bail, Shabbout said.

In a brief statement, the government said al-Maliki had banned the Kurdistan Workers Party, a rebel group fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey, from operating in Baghdad.

Al-Maliki told Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the order during a telephone conversation Saturday, the statement said.

It was unclear whether the order would have significant effect on the party, known by its acronym PKK, which is not known to have a major operation in Baghdad.

The party has been fighting Turkish forces since 1984 and is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

The PKK operates clandestine bases in the Kurdish-self ruled provinces of northern Iraq, where central government authority is limited.

Last month, Erdogan said Turkey was moving forward with plans to send troops into northern Iraq to attack PKK bases but was holding talks with the United States and Iraq in an attempt to defuse tensions.

In an interview with the New York Times published Saturday, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, said Iran was encouraging Shiite militias to step up attacks on U.S. forces in retaliation for the Israeli assault on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Shiite Hezbollah is backed by Iran.

Privately, some senior U.S. officials are skeptical the Iranian government is doing more than providing money to select Shiite groups.

Others insist Iran is providing weapons and training to some Shiite factions.

------

Associated Press writers Robert Burns, Qais al-Bashir, Vijay Joshi, Bushra Juhi, Sameer Yacoub, Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Sinan Salaheddin contributed to this report in Baghdad.

[Livyjr]

"Who's Guilty of 'Petty Partisanship'?"

By E. J. Dionne Jr.
Friday, August 11, 2006; Page A19

Oh my goodness, as Don Rumsfeld might say.

Support for the Iraq war hits a record low, and all the president's hit men decide that it's time to smear their opponents as defeatists who give aid and comfort to the enemy.

And as George W. Bush ....

And the ULTRA-RIGHT-WING CONSERVATIVE DICK CHENEY .....

ATTEMPT ...

BY FORCE OF ARMS .....

AND BRUTE STRENGTH .....

AND LET US FACE IT ....

JUST PLAIN BRUTISHNESS ....

IN THE CASE OF CHENEY ....

TO SPREAD ...

THEIR REPUBLICAN CULTURE OF CORRUPTION ...

TO EVERY CORNER OF OUR GLOBE ....

We have .....

"Health minister: 7 Iraqi guards arrested"

By QAIS AL-BASHIR, Associated Press
Last updated: 6:15 a.m., Sunday, August 13, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's health minister, who is aligned to a powerful Shiite militia, claimed Sunday that U.S. forces arrested seven of his personal guards in a surprise pre-dawn raid on his office.

The reason for the alleged arrests was unclear.

Health minister Ali al-Shemari said the soldiers arrived at 3 a.m. Sunday, broke open doors inside the building leading to his office and hauled away the seven men, who were posted there as night guards.

There was no U.S. statement on the claim.

However, a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said Iraqi forces with U.S. advisers searched the ministry after a tip from an Iraqi citizen and took five people into custody for questioning.

"There was no legal warrant, there was no prior warning to the ministry, there was no reason to arrest them."

"It is a provocation," said al-Shemari, a Shiite aligned to the anti-U.S. radical cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, who heads Iraq's biggest Shiite militia, the Mahdi Army.

"We demand that the government and the prime minister put an end to the American military operations," he told The Associated Press.

He said it appeared the seven men were arrested on false accusations made by unknown people.

He did not elaborate.

The health minister was involved in a controversy when a senior health official from Diyala province, a Sunni, disappeared along with his secretary and two guards soon after a meeting with the minister in his office on June 12.

Sunnis claimed Dr. Ali al-Mahdawi, a member of the Sunni-based Iraqi Islamic Party, was kidnapped by Shiite militiamen, possibly the Mahdi Army.

The minister, however, denied the allegations, saying he had interviewed al-Mahdawi for a more senior job, and that the official had left the building after the meeting.

The Mahdi Army, which is modeled along Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas, has emerged as a key force in the majority Shiite community.

It launched two uprisings against the U.S. military in 2004 but adopted a low-profile on the advice of the Shiite clergy.

However, Sunni Arabs believe the militia is responsible for kidnapping and killing thousands of Sunnis since the Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite shrine.

Members of the militia also clashed with U.S. troops last month when they raided an al-Sadr stronghold in Baghdad.

end quotes

I'll tell you something, al-Shemari .....

That if you are looking for things ....

Like "LEGAL WARRANTS" .....

Or "DUE PROCESS OF LAW" .....

Out of this BUSHCO CROWD .....

Who have taken over your country .....

You are just plain flat "P***ING UP A ROPE" .....

As we say over here .....

BECAUSE THE ONLY LAW ...

THAT GEORGE W. BUSH KNOWS .....

COMES STRAIGHT FROM HIS GUT ....

AND IF YOU ARE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HIS CLOACA .....

AS MOST OF US ARE OVER HERE, AS WELL ....

WELL .....

And so ....

[Livyjr]

And since we are on the subject .....

Of the DOMINATION ....

Of the whole-wide world ....

By "GOD'S OWN PARTY" .....

As well as the ruminations .....

Of what goes on .....

Inside of George W. Bush's "GUT" .....

Where his primary thinking is done .....

Before it comes down ...

Like pigeon droppings .....

To land on our heads ....

Let's see what one of his PRIME WATER CARRIERS ......

The one named Pataki .....

From the CORRUPT REPUBLICAN EMPIRE .....

Of New York is up to these days .....

Besides fertilizing fields .....

All across OUR America .....

With his own output ....

ON BEHALF OF "GOD'S OWN PARTY" .....

And so ....

"Pataki campaigns on GOP strengths - Governor visits Iowa, says Republicans must return to basic themes"

By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press
First published: Sunday, August 13, 2006

ANKENY, Iowa -- Republicans can avert a disastrous midterm election this fall by returning to basic conservative themes that set them apart from Democrats, New York Gov. George Pataki said Saturday.

"There will be a lot of change between now and November," Pataki said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"I understand that it will be a tough year, but we have to get back to focusing on what Republicans stand for."

Pataki was visiting Iowa, where he campaigned and raised money for legislative candidates and tested the waters for a possible bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.

As he courted local activists, Pataki sought to counter what many see as his biggest weakness -- the perception that he's a northeastern moderate in a state where the Republican Party is distinctly conservative.

Meeting with hard-core GOP activists, Pataki's theme was anything but moderate, and he said revelations of a foiled terror plot in Britain this week underscore just how quickly the political climate can change.

"National security matters are foremost right now given the events of this week, but we also have to have a strong domestic agenda and I'm confident we can go into November with one," Pataki said.

Most polls in recent months have contained sour news for Republicans, with most voters saying they are unhappy with the war in Iraq and President Bush.

That's led to speculation that Democrats could grab control of Congress, a shift that would greatly complicate Bush's last two years as president.

While Republicans must offer a broader agenda, Pataki said national security will be a major issue in the election, and he said Republicans have a clear edge on that issue.

"We just saw two days ago the fact that terrorists are still out there actively plotting and trying to kill thousands of people and attack us again," Pataki said.

"I think the American people know that the Republicans have a better approach to protecting us."

Pataki's latest visit to Iowa also was an effort to hone a political organization he's beginning to build in the state.

Former Gov. Terry Branstad introduced him, and touted his rural New York roots.

"Even though he's the governor of New York, he's a farm kid," Branstad said.

end quotes

Up here, where I am ...

On Sunday mornings .....

There is a "political discussion" show .....

On the one radio station that I care to listen to .....

And the subject this morning ...

Or one of them, anyway ...

Since there are many .....

Was the REPUBLICAN effort ......

To make POLITICAL HAY ...

Out of what was really a routine police matter .....

Over there in Great Britain .....

Especially here in New York State .....

Where George W. Bush .....

Is about as popular ....

As a child molester .....

At a family picnic .....

And the consensus was .....

THAT BETWEEN NOW ...

AND NOVEMBER ...

WE ARE GOING TO BE ...

HAVING ALLEGED "TAY-RAH ATTACKS" .....

JAMMED RIGHT DOWN OUR THROATS .....

ONE AFTER THE OTHER, NOW ....

BY THE REPUBLICANS ....

AS THEY STRUGGLE .....

TO DISTRACT US .....

FROM THE FACT .....

OF THEIR CULTURE OF CORRUPTION ....

AND THEIR INABILITY .....

TO PROVIDE FOR US ...

BASIC SERVICES ....

IN A TIME OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY ....

SUCH AS HURRICANE KATRINA ....

AND TO PROVIDE FOR US ....

A SENSE OF NATIONAL SECURITY ....

SINCE 9-11 HAPPENED ....

ON THEIR WATCH ....

AND THEY ALLOWED IT TO HAPPEN ....

FOR WHATEVER REASONS ....

And so ...

HERE IS PATAKI .....

THE BUSH "WATER CARRIER" .....

JUMPING RIGHT ON THAT THEME ...

JUST LIKE CLOCKWORK ...

ACCORDING TO THE REPUBLICAN SCRIPT ....

FOR SCARING THE BEJEEPERS OUT OF US .....

BETWEEN NOW .....

AND NOVEMBER ....

SO THAT THEY CAN TRY AND RETAIN COTROL OF CONGRESS .....

WHICH KEEPS THEIR CULTURE OF CORRUPTION THEN FUNCTIONING ....

AS IT HAS SINCE THE YEAR 2000 .....

WHEN GEORGE W. BUSH .....

CAME INTO POWER ...

HERE IN OUR AMERICA ....

AND BROUGHT THAT CULTURE OF CORRUPTION ...

ALONG WITH HIM ...

AS HIS "FAITHFUL COMPANION" .....

HIS "SIGNIFICANT OTHER" ....

HERE IN OUR AMERICA ....

AND IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, AS WELL .....

And so .....

[Snuffysmith]

"The point of public relations slogans like "Support our troops" is that they don't mean anything... That's the whole point of good propaganda. You want to create a slogan that nobody's going to be against, and everybody's going to be for. Nobody knows what it means, because it doesn't mean anything. Its crucial value is that it diverts your attention from a question that does mean something: Do you support our policy? That's the one you're not allowed to talk about.": Noam Chomsky

=
"If those in charge of our society - politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television - can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves.": Howard Zinn, historian and author

=
Four sorrows ... are certain to be visited on the United States. Their cumulative effect guarantees that the U.S. will cease to resemble the country outlined in the Constitution of 1787.

First, there will be a state of perpetual war, leading to more terrorism against Americans wherever they may be and a spreading reliance on nuclear weapons among smaller nations as they try to ward off the imperial juggernaut.

Second is a loss of democracy and Constitutional rights as the presidency eclipses Congress and is itself transformed from a co- equal 'executive branch' of overnment into a military junta.

Third is the replacement of truth by propaganda, disinformation, and the glorification of war, power, and the military legions.

Lastly, there is bankruptcy, as the United States pours its economic resources into ever more grandiose military projects and shortchanges the education, health, and safety of its citizens.": Chalmers Johnson, Sorrows of Empire