Paul, nobody thinks you are taking sides. They are just questioning the motives of Hezballah. I personally question the motives of all involved. But don't let it bother you. One of the reasons this situtation continues to fester is because there is enought blame on both sides....and not enough effort being made to find a solution.

later.

Thank you, Sandy.

You are very kind.

Unfortunately, that one post truly offended me.

When others chimed in, I had to comment.

:)

Re: Posted by Bruno- on July 30, 2006 at 08:52 PM

Bruno said,

I read your rants for the past two days at how evil Israel is and how reasonable Hezbollah is acting in justification.

I have to comment on that posting. It is a lie.

I NEVER said that Israel is evil. I have never stated Hezbollah acted reasonably.

The only thing I said about Hezbollah is that they are fundamentalist Islamist (Shi'a) terrorists. I NEVER attempted to excuse their activities.

My statements are careful and honest.

I am not pro-Hezbollah.

I am not pro-Israel.

I am not an anti-Semite.

When Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995, I drove down to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., stood in line, and signed the memorial book to show my respect for this man. I am not anti-Semitic. To be trite, while I am a married, Caucasian male, I do have several Jewish friends and have had others in the past. I try very hard not to be biased in personal and business relationships, and I fight prejudice in others.

I am pro-innocent civilian.

I understand that today's conflict in Lebanon is "deeply rooted in religious hatred." I cannot use that religious hatred to excuse war crimes.

When the Israeli military killed UN peacekeepers, they were firing on a UN post that was unarmed. They had been told 6 times that the post was being fired on. They knew where it was. When the Hezbollah fired missiles from a location very close to the UN post, the Hezbollah were committing a crime.

When the Israeli military fired missiles at the Hezbollah location very close to the UN post, Israelis were committing a crime.

No targeting analyst should ever have issued a fire order at coordinates near a UN post. No artillery sergeant should ever have fired at coordinates near a UN post.

No targeting analyst should ever have issued a fire order at coordinates near a village occupied by noncombatants unless he KNEW the village was NOT OCCUPIED. Given the fact that Israeli drones completely covered Qana, the Israelis SHOULD HAVE KNOWN the village was occupied. It is INEXCUSABLE to drop leaflets on a village, telling the citizens to leave, and then fire on the village when NO ONE WAS ABLE TO LEAVE.

Israel is a signatory to the Geneva Conventions of 1948.

IT IS A LIE to pretend these WAR CRIMES are excusable based on religious history.

When others chime in to say that Bruno's post was excellent, I am truly offended.

A lie is not an excellent post.

Morning {{Paul}}

I agree with your assessment. I have no problems with Israel defending itself upon attack, but there is a Limit of what amount of defense they should take. They are the Stronger force, thanks to the USA ! And being a hated state in the middle of a country, they should be. But how they use that force tells what kind of people they are, and if they chalk off women and children as part of their targets, well I lose respect for them. Whether Hezbollah is a terrorist group or not, Israel is doing exactly what the US is doing in Iraq - killing civilians and saying, ooops, collateral damage.

The ONLY reason they stopped the firing was because of Outrage by the world over the rubble covering 60 innocent civilians. They will be back to it, if not already.

I think that World opinion on this situation is that Israel is going way too far out, for a couple of captured soldiers. To me, THEY are collateral damage.

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- An international outcry over a bloody Israeli airstrike Sunday disrupted a U.S. peace mission to the region and intensified demands on Washington to back an immediate end to the fighting.

Under intense pressure from the U.S., Israel agreed to an immediate, 48-hour halt in airstrikes on southern Lebanon around midnight Sunday while the military concludes its inquiry into the attack on the south Lebanese village of Qana.

The strike was the bloodiest single incident in 19 days of warfare between Israel and Hezbollah. Among at least 57 dead civilians were 37 children and a large number of women, Lebanese officials said.

http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/hc-mideast0731.artjul31,0,7470262.story?coll=hc-headlines-nationworld

Paul, Bruno's post was excellent. You have been painting him many things over the last week and he has yet to call you a liar.

You have stated that he is biased, and pro Israeli war crimes. His statements have stopped short of insulting you, it would be nice if you could afford him the same consideration.

He has stated that nothing in this situation is ideal and that both sides are not without blame, but his point has always been that Israel is faced with a group of terrorists whose sole mission is to wipe Israel off the planet and they have a right to protect and fight back. Yes, many of their actions seem extreme (at least to me), but it would seem that Hezzbulah doesn't show much value for the lives of the women in children in Lebanon as they continue to use them as shields for their terrorist activities.

Thank you, Pam.

You are my loyal friend, and you also tend to think in an analytical way.

I agree Israel has gone far out of the limits of a "proportional" response. They are accustomed to an unquestioning American support.

When they fired on the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (just a few years ago), I called the Embassy (purely as a private person) and asked one of the staffers if they realized what a public reaction they would cause. The damage to that church is still a memory.

And this morning:

• Civilian casualties in Bint Jbeil showing up today.
• And more Israeli air strikes in spite of the "48-hour" cessation . . .

...............................................................................

War is a cowardly escape from the problems of peace
....................................Thomas Mann (1875 - 1955)

.............................................................................

well, Paul, all I can go by is what I have been seeing and reading. And I go by what the majority of the world is saying, which is -----Israel is FAR going beyond the limits of warfare.

Who CARES if they are Jewish, or Buddists, or Catholics or whatever. We have a country which is killing women and children indiscriminatly and chalking it up to that's fair in War.

It is not right, no matter who is doing it.

an answer and a solution for a conflict so deeply rooted in religious hatred that governments out of the area and in the in the area have been unable to solve for nearly 2000 years. And if you go back before the New Testament thousands of years longer.

You ignore the religious hatred indoctrinated into children by hate filled clerics and post as though reason will work if Israel just rolls over. Have you forgotten that Hezbollah is a unit of the Iran government, totally financed by the Iranian government, and has publicly stated its objective to drive Israel from the middle-east?

They attack then hide behind women and children, build bombs where families live, and use every death they help bring for PR value in the Muslim world.

Have you forgotten Hezbollah is not sanctioned by the Lebanon’s government and holds them hostage to its murderous methodologies?

Innocent people are going to get killed or maimed in war. It is vile, dirty, and filled with pain for the innocent. But errors do occur and do occur more frequently when armies hide behind women and children.

Where is all of your outrage about shrapnel filled rockets blowing up women and children in Israel. Maybe you want to pin a medal on Hezbollah and say good job.

Maybe someday we will all wake up to a smart bomb that knows to only kill the bad guy. But not tomorrow. On this one subject your opinions and hatred expressed towards Israel makes me want to puke.

On Iraq, mark this date. Iraq will divide into three sectors as someone mentioned. Shia Southern Iraq will go to Iran; Sunni Iraq (central-west) will go to Syria, the northern sector to Kurdistan. The north and south have oil. Turkey will fight hard against an independent Kurdistan. This war is just beginning.

Posted by Bruno- on July 30, 2006 at 08:52 PM

Is not most of Bruno's post his opinion? I agree with his assessment of the "situation". Not as directed to you and Willie D, but generally speaking.

As a repost from the previous open thread:

How the Brain Helps Partisans Admit No Gray

Psychological experiments in recent years have shown that people are not evenhanded when they process information, even though they believe they are. (When people are asked whether they are biased, they say no. But when asked whether they think other people are biased, they say yes.) Partisans who watch presidential debates invariably think their guy won. When talking heads provide opinions after the debate, partisans regularly feel the people with whom they agree are making careful, reasoned arguments, whereas the people they disagree with sound like they have cloth for brains.

I've been offended by what some have posted here a time or two as well. I've always tried to open my mind to understanding their "feelings" on certain subjects.

Good morning Esmeralda!

U.S. risks backlash in Mideast

Deadly Israeli assault strikes at core of U.S. foreign policy in region

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14110834/

U.S. Agency Hid Cost Overruns in Iraq, Audit Finds

The U.S. agency responsible for administering $1.4 billion in reconstruction funds in Iraq has sought to hide major cost overruns on high-profile projects from Congress by engaging in questionable accounting maneuvers, according to a federal audit released late Friday.

good morning all; seems to be some impassioned comments here. Benji, I believe your quote is the most important, however. Both sides of any argument should bear it in mind before engaging in any physical altercation. Maybe then, will the blood of innocent civilians (and soldier-don't forget they doing their leaders' fighting) be mitigated.
On a personal note, I visited Monticello Friday. Jefferson was truly an enlightened man who realized that religion should have no role in the affiars of government.

morning all,

just browsing thru. interesting day. the faith based moron playing pres on vacation in FL w/brother. "hard work, hard work." after katrina, he too went on a vacation (fishing) too. not that he should go to the middle east where he'd create more chaos and he's no diplomat...

and now the UN has postponed indefinitely a peace-keeping force to lebannon. so i guess isreal has the green light, smart US bombs, and the carnage will continue indefinitely...more hatred against the US, and of course eventually more US of A taxpayer dollars going to the reconstruction ... added to the chaos in iraq that's already costing us 8 bil a month and many of our finest.

yep, the moron has done it = middle east meltdown = mission accomplished.

Hello, Kristen & everyone else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I found this in a FL paper. Must be for those OH snowbirds.

Blackwell delegates state work as election approaches

Many elections officials have expressed concern that Blackwell is not breaking those ties and making other decisions, said Steve Harsman, president of the Ohio Association of Election Officials and director of the Montgomery County elections board.

Harsman said the decisions have larger ramifications because they set precedents for similar disputes, and officials need guidance because of changes this year to state election law. New rules include changes to how voters can be registered and require voters to present identification at the polls.

"These are critical times, and we need that leadership from Mr. Blackwell," Harsman said.

Back to the grind. Enjoy the morning, everyone.

Paul,

I don't know if you consider me a friend or not but (IMO) you shouldn't take what Bruno said personally.

Debating about Israel/Hezbollah is one thing.
Debating about whether Bruno's posts are excellent is another.

Maybe Bruno's interpretation of you and Domingo is incorrect. If you take Bruno's posts with a grain of salt you might find that everyone here is really your friend.

Time for work.

I owe. I owe. So off to work I go. (whistling)

Decision takes state a step backward

In 1967, a whopping 72 percent of Americans were against interracial marriage. Today, that number has dropped to below 20 percent. It's difficult to imagine what our society would look like today if the Supreme Court had not defied the will of the people and the laws of 16 states to see injustice and replace it with equal protection and equal opportunity.

Re: Posted by Kristen on July 31, 2006 at 10:17 AM

His post said,

I read your rants for the past two days at how evil Israel is and how reasonable Hezbollah is acting in justification.

I never said Israel was (or is) evil.

I never said Hezbollah is acting in a reasonable fashion.

Bruno said:

"Have you forgotten that Hezbollah is a unit of the Iran government, totally financed by the Iranian government, and has publicly stated its objective to drive Israel from the middle-east?"

AND

"Have you forgotten Hezbollah is not sanctioned by the Lebanon’s government and holds them hostage to its murderous methodologies?

AND

"Innocent people are going to get killed or maimed in war. It is vile, dirty, and filled with pain for the innocent. But errors do occur and do occur more frequently when armies hide behind women and children."

I have not forgotten that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. Whether it is supported by Iran or is a native Lebanese phenomenon is irrelevant to any argument except to excuse Israel on emotional grounds. I have never expressed any opinion about the goodness of Hezbollah or of Israel. My postings have attempted to discuss the issue of war crimes and the impact of them on Israel and the USA.

I worked as a senior consulting engineer for high-ranking military officers in the 1980s-on, and I believe I understand basic doctrinal issues surrounding targeting and firing missiles and artillery. As I stated above, it is a war crime to fire on unarmed civilians (noncombatants), irrespective of whether they are being used as shields.

NOTE: Innocent people ARE MUCH LESS LIKELY to get killed or maimed in war if the combatants follow generally understood conventions.

NOTE: I am not defending the egregious crimes that Hezbollah is committing.

HOWEVER: Do you realize that Israel is a signatory to the Geneva Conventions of 1948?

I believe Bruno's posting and yours support talking points being used to defend Israel's activities, some of which are clearly war crimes.

Mark Regev (Isreali spokesman) acknowledged this morning that they should not have targeted innocent civilians. This is the first I have heard from one of their spokespeople to that effect. I have heard Dan Gillman and others argue that Hezbollah hides behind the innocent civilians and therefore, Israel must shoot them anyway (or at least, can be expected to fire) and Israel is therefore not at fault if civilians are somehow killed.

i've been trying to ignore the discourse among everyone here. the nice thing about this blog is we can agree to disagree in a civil manner. so, i might as well include my 2 cents...

the problem is multi... the arrogance on the part of this moron playing president with his name calling "axis of evil" and "terrorists" and off microphone comments plus his more-war attitude swagger vs being what he was suppose to be, a world leader, has heightened the tension in the middle east. ask ourselves, who can we send over there to negotiate? the moron? rice? bolthead? cheney? rumsfield? who in this administration has credibility with not only the middle east, but with europe? who? well, there are two demos, bill clinton and jimmy carter. except, as i've posted before, rove will not allow two demos to be part of any solution.

so the waring sides over there will have two choices...continue or stop. unfortunately for now, it will be the former. the problem i have with all this is seeing our ol' glory being burned in the streets, the hatred of us, and our lost credibility world wide.

wakeup. the way out is thru diplomacy. imagine if we had sent mcdonalds, disney, and the taco bells...we'd changed them from within. bombing them in to democracy? well look at what's been created. everyone there is part of the problem...the biggest problem we have now is the moron on vacation in FL...on second thought, he can stay there with all the stars and others he spoke about today. sorry, maybe that was 25 cents worth?

Posted by Paul on July 31, 2006 at 10:54 AM

Well, if you are going to start to lump me into your diatribe at least I'm in good company.

I have listened to the survivors from the past who were kidnapped by Hezbollah and also previous military officials from Clinton and earlier and Hezbollah has been an extreme terrorist group for some time. I do not know why we didn't declare war on them instead of Iraq. This may be a hard thing to admit for the Dems because of course it will be blamed on clinton. However with a Republican Congress could he have ever had a blanket vote to declare war at will? I doubt it. They were too busy trying to catch him in a lie about sex. When they focus on unimportant matters, such as getting money for their campaigns, this is what we end up with....a mess!

G'mornin Dems. Passionant debate as demonstrated in the posts here is good. Informed debate (with or without passion) is better. We are at a severe disadvantage; we debate with the information made available to us; not necessarily the unmitigated, bare truth. Some of us see from one perspective, others from another. Some of us hold one value above another and therefore debate from, what we consider, a superior position.

Frankly I have yet to decide who I think is more unjustified in their actions. Certainly I do not condone the taking of life. Especially when you consider that war is a political action instigated by mostly faceless people and too often for profit. One can look as deeply into cause and affects of war as the information allows. But the actual killing of a living being is immoral and without justification in the rational mind. The very first act of war does not take place on the battlefield but in the mind of someone with an agenda. There is an element of insanity somewhere.

Paul and Bruno both make excellent points. Perspective and evaluation based on hard to come by truth is all we have. Maybe by continued "cooking" of this some consensus that we can all get our minds around will come out.

?

I wonder just how much of the truth we get from our media in Lebanon. They show us pictures now of the hate they have for America and how much they blame us for Israel bombing them. I think we need to be very precautious with who we let into this country. I think muslim extremism is on the rise.

Bush's fondness for fundamentalism is courting disaster at home and abroad

His opponents point out that while the president zealously champions the rights of the unborn, he is less concerned about the plight of existing American children. The US infant mortality rate is only the 42nd best in the world; the average baby has a better chance of surviving in Havana or Beijing; infant mortality rates are unacceptably high among those who cannot afford adequate healthcare, especially in the African-American community. And, finally, at the same time as Bush decided to veto the stem cell bill, Israeli bombs were taking the lives of hundreds of innocent Lebanese civilians, many of them children, with the tacit approval of the US.

I hope Israel took out the Hezbollah tv and radio broadcast stations.

US begins building treaty-breaching germ war defence centre

The National Biodefence Analysis and Countermeasures Centre (NBACC), due to be completed in 2008, will house heavily guarded and hermetically sealed chambers in which scientists simulate potential terrorist attacks.

To do so, the centre will have to produce and stockpile the world's most lethal bacteria and viruses, which is forbidden by the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. Three years before that treaty was agreed, President Richard Nixon halted the production of US biological weapons at Fort Detrick in Maryland. The same military base is the site for the new $128m (£70m), 160,000 sq ft laboratory.

The cost of prenatal care and newborn care isn't even covered in many health plans. The one I have right now from Blue Cross doesn't include pregnancy. If 40% of America isn't covered, then they don't have anything. It is cost prohibitive to go to the doctor for many. What would be more interesting is just how the uninsured numbers break down. I believe you would see alot of women and children not covered.

Absentees can be a great voting tool. If you know how to work it from a field ops advantage.

For Bold & RoseZ.

Absentee ballot mailing disputed

"The leaders of the Bridgeport [Democratic] Town Committee are interested in stealing this election because they're addicted to absentee ballots," Boyle charged Friday.

I hope the NBACC has better security than their DOD's internet security and don't allow them to take their laptops home.

It's just too easy to slip a cd in one's pocket. I think they should have crts only the way we secured data centers in the past. You can't easily leave work with a crt.

Please explain to me how one defends oneself against people such as Hezbollah and Hamas without inflicting casualities on civilians.They wear no uniforms,they hide among the civilian populace,in fact they do this so they cannot be identified from non combatants.If one waited until they stepped out and said"hey,here i am,shoot me,"one would be dead.

Verily.

Es, Greg Palast's book, Armed Madhouse exposes the many ways that the Repuglithugs manipulate the vote count. The most prevelent is simply throwing away absentee and provisional ballots. Whenever possible Minorities are given provisional ballots which are tossed. We must have someone guarding the hen house from start to finish.

I agree Wap, we have seen these type of fighters since the days of Vietnam and it looks like we would have studied it more thoroughly. We can't fight the same way we fight uniformed troops. Also they use human shields and hide weapons in mosques and homes. This is why we can't blame Israel too much, because we dont' have a better way to wage war. During peaceful times, they fire missiles and cross Israel's border killing and kidnapping their military, so there is no real peace when you are dealing with terrorists.

I voted on ES&S Ivotronic touch screen in the primary for Democratic candidates, and I'm afraid that my vote was just programmed to not count or to count Republican. There is no way that I will ever know. This is so wrong!!!

Please explain to me how one defends oneself against people such as Hezbollah and Hamas without inflicting casualities on civilians

One only had to listen yesterday, to CNN as they played this almost all day long. Several of the segments showed the bldg that Israel MEANT to hit, right next door to the bldg which housed all those women and children.

When asked, the Analysts said "When your accuracy is within such a small distance as this, one shold ALWAYS err on the side of the civilians, and either use something much smaller, OR forget it totally.

Israel chose to take that chance that their missile would hit the bldg next door, and let it go anyways!

this was no case of defending itself. this was a case of pure unadulterated destruction and murder of innocent lives.

I think the Dems need to talk like the women in their plan for America and say that we are going to invest in new American technology for national voting with paper trail, security for all government buildings which includes security of social security numbers and laptops especially banning cds to be carried home, new technology to inspect illegal border crossing for both here in America as well as new Democracies in the middle east that we are fighting for, and a new way of waging war where we send in robots to find landmines or get hit by missiles instead of our youth. The more we innovate, the more we create opportunities for education and research here at home. I think everyone is concerned about the future of America. I think protectionism is a good thing.

Brings to mind George Orwell's commentary on pacifists:

"The majority of pacifists either belong to obscure religious sects or are simply humanitarians who object to taking life and prefer not to follow their thoughts beyond that point. But there is a minority ... whose real though unadmitted motive appears to be hatred of western democracy and admiration for totalitarianism. Pacifist propaganda usually boils down to saying that one side is as bad as the other, but if one looks closely at the writing ... they do not as a rule condemn violence as such, but only violence used in defence of the western countries."

George Orwell, writing in 1945

Pam_that was a tragedy,i agree but it still doesn'tnot answer the question.Hezbollah has time and time again stated publicly that they want the destruction of Isreal and death to the Jews.That is no secret.I repeat,how do you defend yourself against such tactics?

We must have someone guarding the hen house from start to finish.

Posted by letshelpdean on July 31, 2006 at 11:17 AM
Is that like the repug dep. director whose office is next to mine, repug registration clerk who sits outside my office, and the 2 repug board members who have their thumbs on me? You know, we dem election officials are scoundrals. ;p

Posted by MominTN on July 31, 2006 at 11:19 AM

Vote absentee at the office of your county board of elections. Ask the staff if you have all info correctly provided.
There should be a telephone number you can call after the election, but before the official count to verify if your ballot was counted.

Posted by MominTN on July 31, 2006 at 11:25 AM

Help America Vote Act 2002

HAVA more fun, all the time.

Good luck getting any changes.

Israel has had their population, including women and children, attacked by these terrorist organizations for their entire existance. It is hard for them to give others such soft treatment when they have been so mis-treated. This is why we lost the war in Vietnam. We just didn't have the stomach to continuously see innocent lives lost. If it came right down to our own country, would we fight to the death of every last woman and child?

I am really afraid that the Absentee ballots don't get counted until after the election results are posted and the winners are declared.

Posted by MominTN on July 31, 2006 at 11:33 AM

Ask your local board of elections if absentees are counted election night or with the official count.

It's public knowledge.

I hope Israel took out the Hezbollah tv and radio broadcast stations.

Posted by MominTN on July 31, 2006 at 11:05 AM

Fortunately or unfortunately, that would be nearly impossible. They didn't.

Winners can't be declared until the official count.

Election night is not final. The fat lady sings here....that would be this plump dumpling.

And then she is usually dancing in her jammies in the comfort of her home by then.

I hope Israel took out the Hezbollah tv and radio broadcast stations.

Posted by MominTN on July 31, 2006 at 11:05 AM

Fortunately or unfortunately, that would be nearly impossible. They didn't.

Posted by Paul

Why is it impossible? Isn't the location known? Don't they need towers to broadcast?

I believe that in Washington state absentees are counted in the official count because they can be post marked as late as the day of election. But then we also can opt to always vote absentee and some counties are moving to mail only voting.

ES-That used to be the case-now winners are not declared until the supremes declare one.So sayeth the Bush.

Re: Posted by wap on July 31, 2006 at 11:13 AM

Good observation. The military doctrine essentially bans massive weapons; i.e., instead of air attacks from airplanes and missiles, the military force must go in with troops on the ground. That approach is obviously much more expensive, but it does reduce the chances of wounding and killing civilians. It also makes war crimes charges much less credible.

Re: Posted by MominTN on July 31, 2006 at 11:39 AM

Israel knew the location. Hezbollah had prepared hidden transmitters and continued to transmit no matter what Israel tried . . .

Posted by Paul on July 31, 2006 at 11:42 AM

When military strength is projected on the ground they go in with armored vehicles like tanks, APCs, and bulldozers. Narrow streets mean houses get bulldozed. Close encounter firefights mean grenade and rocket fire. Grenade and rocket fire mean building fires. Firefights keep fire trucks away.

Any suggestion that hand to hand combat in an urban setting will produce fewer casualties in circumstances where the army hides behind women and children is nothing short of absurd.

Re: Posted by wap on July 31, 2006 at 11:28 AM

Even better question.

This is probably the crux of the whole battle in Lebanon.

If Israel consciously and carefully follows the Conventions, then their options are limited to "surgical strikes," probably carried out by troops on the ground. Of course, the troops face difficult challenges.

Remember the Russian response to terrorists who had captured an entire school? Beslan is an outstanding example of failure.

Wikipedia says:

On the third day of the standoff, shooting broke out between the hostage-takers and Russian security forces. According to official data, 344 civilians were killed, 186 of them children, and hundreds more wounded.

If a nation like the US is truly concered about human rights in a war, then it must have a prepared infrastructure, a trained and funded special forces organization that takes command and attempts to carry out emergent actions within human rights guidelines.

Before George W. Bush, we did have an effective FEMA and special forces. These have both been damaged by the American terrorists in our government.

It used to be that the US Marine Corps, the Navy Seals, and the Army Special Forces would have been at least partially capable of addressing terrorist activities. Like you, I wonder today . . .

Pious and prochoice

These days, however, the religious abortion-rights movement is playing a greater role in the national debate on abortion. The goal, supporters say, is to retrieve some of the moral authority now monopolized by the opposition-in the words of Lois Powell, a minister in the United Church of Christ, ``to take back the language of life."

I believe that in Washington state absentees are counted in the official count because they can be post marked as late as the day of election. But then we also can opt to always vote absentee and some counties are moving to mail only voting.

Posted by Kristen

I believe there should be some kind of record the Dems should promote like a post office signed receipt, so that we can count up the received votes and see if they are lying.

Good Morning, ALL!

The meltdown continues.

Liebermud was confirmed to be on The Al Franken Show today, and for some reason they have stopped returning Al's calls to set up the time and other details.

So Al is having NED LAMONT instead!

I'll post when Ned is ready to air.

Mark Regev, Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Now on CNN

Regev said "We never said we would impose a complete ceasefire." In an exceptional situaion, Israel would fire.

Of course, Lebanon says Israel hit a truck that was manned by Lebanese Army, not Hezbollah.

CNN Reported:

Israel says the truck was carrying weapons.

In its agreement, Israel had reserved the right to hit targets that it considered an immediate threat.

But the Israeli army said Monday's strikes near the Lebanese village of Tayba were meant to protect ground forces operating in the border area and were not aimed at specific targets.

The Israeli military expressed regret that one of the strikes hit a Lebanese military vehicle outside Tyre, Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was unclear how many people were killed. Earlier, a senior Lebanese Interior Ministry official said the airstrike killed an aide to a Lebanese general and wounded three soldiers. The general survived the attack, the official said.

The IDF said it thought the car was carrying a senior Hezbollah militant involved in directing rocket fire on Israel.

I read that Chavez told Iran that he would support them no matter what. That seems pretty scary with the UN who is going to have to sanction them to try and stop their nuclear program.
Why would we allow a company in Venezuela to provide election equipment and have their hands on our election tabulators?
Why would we allow any country other than the US to lease our ports or run our storage units received there?

I’ve been following a story in the Dallas Morning News over the last few weeks about credit card theft in the Dallas Independent School District.

It would seem that school districts all over the US have issued thousands and thousands of taxpayer financed credit cards with little to no auditing of charges.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to check with your local school board and newspaper to see if thieves are running amok on your taxpayer collected school funds.

The News reported that district credit card spending totals $20 million a year, hardly any of it scrutinized by supervisors and auditors.

After examining records from January 2004 to March 2006, The News found employees using their cards on Christmas Eve, to buy expensive bedroom linens and to pay for other items with unclear educational ties, such as $1,700 in electric scooters.

The News found about $6 million in spending that violated state procurement laws or broke district purchasing contracts.

DISD Credit Card Scandal

Well Paul,i do not even pretend to have the answer but i do think israel has the right to exist and to defend itself agaist enemies who have sworn to destroy it.Perhaps if our nation had a trustworthy foreign policy and a good relation with the U N and the rest of the world we could be of some help.But now? under this jacked up administration? Aw hell, forget it.

Anyone see the rerun of 60 minutes last night?with the ex bodyguard of Osama

Bruno, it's things like that that make the public so disgusted with our government that we don't even want to give them our tax dollars. They take and take and then it is used for things that we do not approve of or thrown out the window. They are unaccountable with our tax dollars.

Posted by MominTN on July 31, 2006 at 12:19 PM

More government red tape.

sigh...why can't the voter be responsible? Go to the office to vote, no need for receipt from the postal service.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Too bad the US postal doesn't allow all election mail for free. It would save my tiny hamlet about $20,000 a year

Forgotten">http://www.guardian.co.uk/syria/story/0,,1834160,00.html">Forgotten army sides with Hizbullah

In Washington, Jerusalem and London there is much talk of the need to get the Lebanese army to move into southern Lebanon and disarm Hizbullah. On the ground there is little to suggest any antagonism. It looks more like mutual sympathy. The notion that the army could forcibly remove Hizbullah's weapons seems fanciful.

All the evidence suggests that in the current conflict it is Hizbullah which is taking the lead; it is Hizbullah which has won popular admiration for its actions. The army's role is marginal.

More user friendly link from 12:42 post

Re: Posted by wap on July 31, 2006 at 12:38 PM

I think we all agree that "israel has the right to exist and to defend itself agaist enemies who have sworn to destroy it."

I believe if we had a "trustworthy foreign policy and a good relation with the U N and the rest of the world," this Lebanon situation would never have happened. Neither Hezbollah nor Isreal would have begun fighting a war . . .

A few points from From Aljazeera. Definitely not pro Israel.

It is not Lebanon fighting Israel it is Hezbollah

Lebanon divided over Hezbollah raid

Split up of Iraq into regions

Turks want to hit Kurdish bases in Iraq.

I think we all agree that "israel has the right to exist and to defend itself agaist enemies who have sworn to destroy it."

I believe if we had a "trustworthy foreign policy and a good relation with the U N and the rest of the world," this Lebanon situation would never have happened. Neither Hezbollah nor Isreal would have begun fighting a war . . .

Posted by Paul

I believe that terrorist organizations have hated America way before Bush was ever elected. They will try to destroy us no matter what our foreign policy is. You cannot negotiate with people whose very existence is to recruit, train, and deploy suicide bombers to destroy people who disagree with them.

I will tell one thing i am sure of-we have 145,000 of our young people in Iraq right now,in more danger than they have ever been.

For what?

Ned LAMONT IS ON FRANKEN NOW!!!!

I just listened to the Diane Rehm program where one of the guests tried to explain "diplomacy" to the Republican "guest". Incredible! The topic was the Mideast and why our "government" won't talk to most of the parties involved.

I don't know when the current administration is going to get it, that we are not the only country in the world, but I hope it's sooner rather than later!

I do believe that the decades old image that Republicans are good at foreign policy can now be put to rest. They can't even lead the country, let alone anything international. We have a "Keystone Cops" Congress. And it's showing. Badly.

One wonders when they read articles like this one:

Israel Created Two of Its Own Worst Enemies-Hamas and Hezbollah.

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002497567&er=deny

And this one is a Canadian View of the situation:

Realities, absurdities of Israel-U.S. policies

The humanitarian and moral crises in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip are the inevitable outcome of Israeli-American exceptionalism elevated to dangerous levels under George W. Bush and now adopted holus bolus by Stephen Harper.

It was a given that Israel would respond to the abductions and killings of its soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon. But there are many theories about how and why its response became so disproportionate that it triggered worldwide condemnation.

NB: The Arab/Muslim world is inflamed; militancy is rising; moderates are marginalized; Islamists are winning wherever America is most involved; and the U.S., the biggest power in the world, and Israel, the biggest power in the region, are driven more and more by insecurity and fear.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1154209809830&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795

I believe in Diplomacy. However if you give in to the demands of nations that sponsor terrorism then it would be a grave sign of weakness that we cannot afford to give.

i love this mel gibson story. i guess i am just getting old and cranky but i love the fact that the guy who was trying so hard not to be seen as an anti-semite like his dad and yet still blame the jews for killing christ ( all of which to me is as likely to be real as the easter bunny putting those brightly colored plastic eggs around my yard ) is blaming the jews for his alcoholism and all the world's woes....i have often said the christians who these days are so ready to embrace the jewish people are most likely to want to do so to suffocate them. from internet weekly:

go to hell mel

Posted By Pam@1:13 p.m.

"driven by insecurity and fear".

what follows?the mushroom cloud?

I am so sick of the following of Hollywood celebs that I don't even listen. Who cares? It has little to say about anything important. They all have their problems, even worse than the average person.

Too bad the US postal doesn't allow all election mail for free. It would save my tiny hamlet about $20,000 a year
Posted by Esmeralda on July 31, 2006 at 12:40 PM

Since congress is provided franking privileges so should the whole primary and final election process. After all, that’s a far better use of our tax dollars than the “talk down to me” BS I get from my congressman and senators.

Re: Posted by Paul on July 31, 2006 at 12:52 PM

Granted Israel has the right to defend herself; however, the way she defends herself is a critical issue.

Israel has established a pattern over the years of pushing the envelope when it comes to human rights of its opponents. Given Israel's history, it is quite understandable Israelis would have limited patience with terrorists but I am afraid I see an unfortunate trend in today's war on Lebanon.

I will refrain from posting more criticisms, but I think world opinion is definitely not favorable to Israel and she might have achieved a consensus with a more diplomatic strategy.

It is very disheartening to see the so-called 48-hour cessation collapsing this afternoon.

-- Sincerely,

golly gee mom i care. mel made a big deal about how you can blame the jews for killing christ but still love them that resonated with armies of christian citizen soldiers in this country and abroad ( remember the radical muslim clerics who loved the passion?) and now we find out that when he has a load on he blames the jews for his dwi and all the world's wars.....we should ignore this. strange.

lets see mom if barbara streisand got a bag on, got pulled over and said " the friggin fudementalists are responsible for infecting our schools with religous fanatasies" would she be villified....even though in this case it is a true statement...

Re: Posted by Benji on July 31, 2006 at 10:43 AM

Thank you very much for your post.

Hi all been catching up on the threads, I have a question: what good is it for both Israel and Hezbollah in Lebannon to fight? Will it really settle anything in the area?

Saudi Arabia still allows the Imums to teach hatred of infidels and americans in some cases to its school children, recently some school books were reworded, but the ideology is still to hate infidels.

Egypt still allows clerics to preach to small children the hate of infidels and the glory of dying for jihad?

I believe both sides Isreal and Hezbollah are a disgrace! THey are both ruled by men. Are the leaders of either on the front line? Do the women have any choice? Especially not with hezbollah. The innocents are dying. THe children are taught to hate. I believe Israel can and should defend itself, I also belive that an on the ground fight would have saved some lives, yes there would be collateral damage and death, Isreal could use its well known and trained hit squads, go in door to door and rut them out, even in the mosques if necesary.

But the bottom line, all this killing is not solving the problem, which is men that controll and want more, and an Ideology that spews hatred.

So I would like to see no fighting - I would like to see them settle the boundaries and build walls 100 feet high, and both countries live in isolation of each other. end of story.

bbl

If you weren't afraid of these Neo-Con Maniacs before, be very, very afraid now! Who knows what they will be capable of with this stuff!

The Secretive Fight Against Bioterror
By Joby Warrick
The Washington Post

Sunday 30 July 2006

The government is building a highly classified facility to research biological weapons, but its closed-door approach has raised concerns.

On the grounds of a military base an hour's drive from the capital, the Bush administration is building a massive biodefense laboratory unlike any seen since biological weapons were banned 34 years ago

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/073106N.shtml

Find gas prices in your area

Good afternoon, all.

Just cruising by.

I see that the Republicans are jacking the working poor around again. They don't get a raise in the minimum wage unless Sam Walton's kids and Paris Hilton get another tax break. I don't see the connection. Why isnt' the MSM asking for an explanation?

The Congressional Republians are just plain mean and corrupt. Do they get free Walmart gift cards and rooms at Hilton Inns for being good little pimps and whores? It's like the Republians are giving the spoiled heirs a free massage while the poor employees get to clean up afterwards for little more than a tip. How sweet.

Why aren't more of these crooks being indicted? We know they have ties to the Abramoff and DeLay gaft machines. Where is the justice, Mr. Attorney General? You're more interested in spying on citizens and torturing suspects than upholding the laws of the land.

The big problem is Iran. Their leader said they will not stop until Israel doesn't exist. He doesn't even believe the Holocaust happened. He came back thru Lebanon from his UN meeting where he learned that the world was going to sanction Iran if he didn't stop with the nuclear program. Then immediately on the day he landed in Lebanon, Hezbollah fired missiles and started this latest war. July 12 I believe was the date. This is Iran's way of fighting against democracies and distracting the world while it continues his nuclear weapons program. They get their muslim terrorist leaders to talk up hate for the west. We fight their terrorists. Iran builds up their weapons and sends them money.
Why we would ever give money to the weak government of Lebanon who praises Hezbollah fighters is beyond me. We try to play both sides of the fence but it doesn't work. They hate us more and more with each bit of propaganda they swallow. How does America win this fight against a religion of terrorism that they breed into their children?
One thing that I have learned in this world is that people that hate you or hate your beliefs will do anything, even pretend to be of the same faith, if they can undermine your successes and ruin your future opportunities. I wouldn't trust any Muslim nation any further than simple trade negotiations for resources that our country has to have. You might ask what it is that we have? We have consumers, we have an endless amount of money that we print, and debt that we accrue. They have to sell their oil to someone. I do not think they want the Chinese or the Venezuelans to educate their young. They also know that American English and business practices are the way for future success of any global company. So they are going to trade with us. And if I had ever had as much power has our government has had, I would have made this country energy independent by now. We can thank our two party system of corruption and big oil robber barons for the situation we are in. If we had never had to depend on the middle east for oil, they would have less reason to terrorize us. I say our government and big oil have lead us down this path of hell, and it is their responsibility to fix it or go to whatever hell the corrupt go to when they die.

Posted by PamB on July 31, 2006 at 02:18 PM

Hi, Pam.

Maybe they are using unborn fetuses and don't want the Fundies to know? I doubt all this super-secret BS will really matter when global warming washes away all the the evidence someday.

These Repubublians keep shooting at shadows instead of dealing with things they can see but prefer to ignore.

With our continued dependence on foreign oil wich only screws up global politics and the environment, bio-terror is the least of our problems. Scientists keep telling them that they must develop alternative fuels ASAP, so what do they do? Cling to their illusions of superpower status and prepare to fight WWIII with Mr. Clean and the TydiBowl Man.

Money and time are a wasting. We're all going down the drain if this nonsence isn't stopped soon. You'd think the wacky weather and inflationary cost of energy/this stupid Iraqi occupation would get through to even the staunchest supporters of these idiots.

gotta go; later.

No they actually think that the big oil companies who are making the greatest profits of any company that ever existed are going to develop other sources of energy. Would you want the robber barons to control our next sources of energy? Do you trust those who have proven to steal from the poor and reward the corrupt?

Grand Jury Probes News Leaks at NSA

Fired Officer Subpoenaed for Aug. 2

By Dan Eggen

Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, July 29, 2006; A02

A federal grand jury in Alexandria is investigating unauthorized leaks of classified information and has issued a subpoena to a fired National Security Agency officer who has acknowledged talking with journalists about the agency's warrantless surveillance program, according to documents released yesterday.

The 23-member grand jury is "conducting an investigation of possible violations of federal criminal laws involving unauthorized disclosure of classified information" under the Espionage Act and other statutes, according to a document accompanying the subpoena.

The demand for testimony from former NSA officer Russell Tice provides a sign of the Justice Department's aggressiveness in pursuing the leak investigation, which follows a series of controversial news reports on classified programs. It also marks the latest potential use of the espionage statute to combat such leaks.

In December, Justice opened a criminal investigation after the New York Times disclosed the existence of the eavesdropping program, which allows the NSA to monitor telephone calls to and from the United States without a court order if one party is linked to suspected of links to terrorist groups. The documents released yesterday do not make it clear whether the grand jury is focused on that report or on some other disclosure.

Tice has publicly identified himself as a possible source for the report, saying that he talked to Times reporters before it was published. He also has said he believes he was fired by the NSA last year because he complained of possible Chinese espionage at the agency, and he has since sought to testify before Congress about "probable unlawful and unconstitutional acts" by the NSA director and other senior administration officials.

Tice said in an interview that he viewed the subpoena as an attempt at intimidation by the government. "This is the king saying, 'How dare anyone challenge my authority and say that I'm a crook or a criminal?' " he said.

The subpoena, dated July 25, requires Tice to appear Aug. 2. It was posted yesterday on the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition's Web site. Tice is a member of the group.

New York Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis said the newspaper has "not been contacted by the government" in the case. A Justice spokesman declined to comment.

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales has said that while prosecutors are focused on the "leakers," he cannot rule out the need to demand testimony from reporters as well. A separate grand jury investigation into the leak of CIA officer Valerie Plame's identity resulted in the jailing last year of one reporter and testimony from her and numerous others.

Journalism and secrecy experts said the Alexandria investigation is another worrisome development for reporters attempting to inform the public about intelligence programs and policies.

"They are playing hardball," said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. ". . . They're rounding up the most likely suspects, getting them to say 'Yes I was a source' or 'No I was not a source,' and then they'll go to the reporters."

Researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report.

© 2006 The Washington Post Company

The big problem is Iran.

Posted by MominTN on July 31, 2006 at 02:35 PM

No, the problem is George W. Bush, too. He likes to cause trouble for other people and then slink away and blame it on others.

There will be no peace anywhere in the world until the warring parties loose their benefactors...on both sides...and are forced to sit down and work out a solution they all can live with. Too much money is being poured into the region in the form of weapons.

It takes two to tango. It isn't just Iran. It's also the US bankrolling this roadshow of death and destruction. Bush and Iran are acting like cheerleaders instead of referees. We need to sit down and have some serious discussions instead of threatening to blow each other up through proxies.

I'm really out of here.

They have a link of their talking points.

repugs tell them to talk the talk

"They are playing hardball," said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. ". . . They're rounding up the most likely suspects, getting them to say 'Yes I was a source' or 'No I was not a source,' and then they'll go to the reporters." © 2006 The Washington Post Company

Posted by Paul on July 31, 2006 at 02:56 PM

Well, I guess it's time somebody took the ball away from them.

good afternoon sandyh and dk2 and all,

dropping back in. this end to a cease fire that never was, no surprise. the moron occupying the white house is both clueless and powerless to broker a deal. sending rice, only to be rejected, confirms that until the "waring folks" broker their own deal, we'll all be caught in their middle. no thanks to the moron, we're already in over our heads with troops and money in iraq. so, for now its headline news in the middle east and all the while are credibility and taxpayer dollars fall in with middle east meltdown.

the solution resides in all of us...use less energy. the solution to a new direction and leadership is to vote and also get out the vote in november.

until then, we're powerless, but not energyless...

isreal, i agree has a right to defend itself, yet to blame iran or syria is the same to blame us for giving isreal the green light and smart bombs. the moron had an agenda and isreal was the tool...except the moron doesn't understand that bombing folks does not lead to democracy while winning the hearts and minds. of course, when you're a tunnel-visioned, faith based moron, there's only you're with me or against me. and right now we've got a lot against us. perhaps i see the glass as half-full... both waring parties will tire of the carnage and stop it themselves...except isreal has lost the minds and the hearts of the middle east folks it did have a month ago.

Museum uses bible to tell earth's history

By DYLAN T. LOVAN, Associated Press Writer

PETERSBURG, Ky. - Like most natural history museums, this one has exhibits showing dinosaurs roaming the Earth. Except here, the giant reptiles share the forest with Adam and Eve.

That, of course, is contradicted by science, but that's the point of the $25 million Creation Museum rising fast in rural Kentucky.

Its inspiration is the Bible — the literal interpretation that contends God created the heavens and the Earth and everything in them just a few thousand years ago...

//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060731/ap_on_re_us/
creation_museum

A new Tower of Babble is erected to the glory of God and the profit of those people who intend take in the suckers who lay down their hard-earned dollars for this sham. Adam and Eve and the five- ton snake/dinosaur will roam the earth again...to love and sin no more?

And I suppose all the proceeds will be tax exempt?

U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) have announced that they intend to place a hold on Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach's nomination to head the Food and Drug Administration, RAW STORY has learned.

The move comes soon after the announcement that Plan B, sometimes called the "morning after pill," may be approved for sale without a prescription, and just one day before a Senate confirmation hearing on the nomination of Eschenbach to head the agency

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Clinton_Murray_to_block_FDA_nominee_0731.html

Gunmen wearing Iraqi police uniforms have kidnapped 26 people in a commercial district in central Baghdad, interior ministry officials have said. Full story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5230834.stm

Re: Posted by SandyH on July 31, 2006 at 03:17 PM

Oh ... This sucks.

NATO troops assumed command Monday of all military operations in southern Afghanistan, as Canadian soldiers came under attack near Kandahar. Full story:

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/07/31/nato-afghanistan.html

Enough is Enough of the Lies and the US troops Deaths!!!

"House and Senate Democratic Leadership, as well as ranking minority members from the national security committees, have written President George W. Bush to call for the phased redeployment of U.S. forces by the end of the year, RAW STORY has learned.

"Far from implementing a comprehensive 'Strategy for Victory' as you promised months ago," Democrats write, "your Administration's strategy appears to be one of trying to avoid defeat."

"Iraqi political leaders must be informed," they go on to say, "that American patience, blood and treasure are not unlimited."

The letter, as acquired by RAW STORY, follows:

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/House_Senate_Democrats_write_Bush_call_0731.html

"And I suppose all the proceeds will be tax exempt?"

SandyH,

why of course...and they should name it "Creation Museum's Land of Fantasy." actually, when bush who also lives in a fantasy, retires or is impeached, he can be one of their guides too!

You know the old saying from President Bush folks: "Mission Accomplished". When I stop to think about things are going I'm still completely astounded that John Kerry isn't our President right now like he should be. Let's just hope the voters will wake up and vote Liberal in November.

Here is how ALL laws should be handled. Put them out to the State voters to vote on!!!

"Amid the often hostile rhetoric that pierces South Dakota’s closely watched abortion debate, a new survey shows that more residents of the largely conservative state oppose a ban on the pregnancy-ending procedure than support it, though that would change if exceptions for cases involving rape and incest were allowed.

According to the statewide poll, conducted for the Argus Leader and KELO-TV in Sioux Falls, 47 percent of voters polled would vote to reject the ban, compared with 39 percent who would vote to keep it. Another 14 percent were undecided.

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060731/NEWS02/60731007

Posted by SandyH on July 31, 2006 at 03:17 PM

That is just one of a series of "Creation" "Museums" all around the world. The one in Florida closed down, (bankrupt, actually), and the REVEREND religious nut job was arrested on federal charges for tax evasion.

So, yeah, those places ARE tax exempt if you cheat the tax man.

Watch Joementum crack up at George Bush's "joke" about not finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

No WMDs? Hilarious!

Syria is raising the readiness level of its army

-- CNN Report

The Syrian President just ordered his military to it's second highest state. The next level is war.

funny the republican party of florida and the national can't shake ms. harris off their boots...

Published Monday, July 31, 2006

Republican Party revoked support for Harris Senate campaign

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON
AP Political Writer

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
The state Republican Party bluntly told Rep. Katherine Harris that she couldn't win this fall's Senate election and that the party wouldn't support her campaign, a letter obtained Monday by The Associated Press shows...

but kathy says-god bless her soul-

"Katherine, though it causes us much anguish, we have determined that your campaign faces irreparable damage," said the letter, which was also signed by national committeewoman Sharon Day and national committeeman Paul Senft. "We feel that we have no other choice but to revoke our support."

Harris said all three were pressured into signing it by "the party elite."

"I knew the background, I knew that pressure was applied," Harris said. "I knew the motivation and I knew the players and I knew they had no choice."

In a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday, Harris had a comfortable lead in the GOP primary race but was behind Nelson by 37 percentage points in a general election matchup.

"I am in the race to stay. I will win the primary. We're excited, we have great momentum and we'll win the general as well," said Harris, who called the release of the letter "an unethical leak."

there was a time when nelson was a maybe for re-election but now it looks like he should glide home freeing up resources of the national party for more interesting battles.

gregg

Harris says she will stay in the race. She is unpopular everywhere, and an all out a-hole.

Maybe she knows something about the final vote count that we don't know.

awww shucks, maybe frist needs to watch a video tape of his holdings to know what they are...his family bizznezz is only selling for 21 billion...how's a guy supposed to keep track of things....

Frist’s foundation trustee role not disclosed
Senate leader says he is unaware of omission on financial disclosure forms

Updated: 15 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Majority Leader Bill Frist hasn’t been following all the Senate’s rules when it comes to disclosing details about his finances.

Frist and his wife are the sole trustees in charge of a family foundation bearing the senator’s name, according to Internal Revenue Service forms. However, he has not been listing that position on his Senate disclosure forms, which are made public every year.

Annual forms detailing lawmakers’ personal finances are supposed to list all positions members of Congress hold outside government. Those include unpaid posts such as serving as a director or trustee of a nonprofit.

bruno, good point maybe she already won and we are the bozos?

"Katherine, though it causes us much anguish, we have determined that your campaign faces irreparable damage," said the letter, which was also signed by national committeewoman Sharon Day and national committeeman Paul Senft. "We feel that we have no other choice but to revoke our support."
Harris said all three were pressured into signing it by "the party elite." Posted by gregg

That's the differance between the two Parties. The Republican "elites" pressure their losers to get out. The Democrat "elites" pressure their losers to stay in. And people wonder why Democrats keep losing.

Posted by Domingo on July 31, 2006 at 05:44 PM

Is there revised code that states the repug (or either party) can replace her should she withdrawl? They might have a better candidate in line.

We are waiting for an indictment and Aug. 23rd to pass here.

Thank God we have rjsnj and others coming in to help! Lieberman coffers rolling in $100,000 per day! Ned is currently matching donations, so if you haven't given, even $5 becomes $10. We HAVE to do this !

"According to the New Haven Register (hat tip Matt at MLN), Lieberman, having no in-state volunteer support whatseover, will be relying on an army of paid workers ($60 a day) to work the last week of the campaign. 4,000 of them.

And it turns out LSG, Tom Lindenfeld's emergency field-campaign-for-hire firm out of D.C., apparently doesn't know the state that well... and doesn't care to learn:

[Sean] Smith said they now have between 200 and 300 volunteers and paid staff, to canvass daily. Democratic workers in New Haven said the campaign told them it hopes to hire up to 4,000 workers by Election Day....

Meanwhile, New Haven Alderwoman Jacqueline James, D-3, said a young, mostly white staff from New Jersey was in charge of canvassing for Lieberman, and that hundreds of people were turned away July 22 after being told the campaign was looking for 16- to 21-year-olds.

The alderwoman estimated 56 young people were hired out of about 500 people who showed up, attracted by the $60 a day fee, or about $800 for the duration.

She said LGS does not know the demographics of the city at all. James suggested that they match inexperienced teens with more savvy workers, but this was rejected.

"They kept saying this is how we do it in New Jersey. I kept telling them, ‘This is not New Jersey,’" said James, who no longer volunteers for Lieberman.

An out-of-state field director running a completely paid GOTV campaign who won't listen to local officials who think they just might know their own state a little better - that's the state of the Lieberman campaign right now. They're hoping their corporate millions paying for an army of $60-a-day kids who don't care about Lieberman will be able to overcome the fact that they have no support on the ground in CT.

Perhaps his new party should be named "New Jersey for Lieberman."

http://lamontblog.blogspot.com/2006/07/army-of-lieberyouth-to-invade-ct.html

Posted by PamB on July 31, 2006 at 06:06 PM

Gee, I kinda know first hand what that's like.

It took me a long time to find this open thread.

If you missed Nancy Pelosi on the floor of the senate today, about the Republicans and the Tricks they are playing with the Minimum wage bill, listen to her here!

http://www.democraticleader.house.gov/

I don't support terrorism. I don't support STUPIDITY either!

Well it's gine from bad to worst. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah lived up to a 48 hour cease fire.

Israel has announced it will expand the war in Lebanon.

Syria announced it is bringing it's troops to a high state of readiness.

Sounds like teh 1980's all over again.

f you missed Nancy Pelosi on the floor of the senate today, about the Republicans and the Tricks they are playing with the Minimum wage bill, listen to her here!
****

Rethugs stink. Kick them all out in 2006.

Well, I honestly have tried to be as fair and unbiased as I can, even while I am so critical of the attacks against civilian targets.

I do not believe Israel's widening this one-sided war is a success strategy. Syria is on the verge of entering the battle, and we actually are the only ally Israel has. With the continuous barriage of picture and reports, Americans will pretty soon back out. Even Republican Senator Chuck Hagel has spoken out for a ceasefire.

ven Republican Senator Chuck Hagel has spoken out for a ceasefire.
****

Chuck Hagel is making sense. This war has the looks of the disaster in the 1980's.

The last time I felt this way was when the IDF attacked the Church of the Nativity. Then, I called (purely as a private person) and spoke with one of the Embassy staffers. This time I am not going to appeal to them.

Is there revised code that states the repug (or either party) can replace her should she withdrawl? They might have a better candidate in line. Posted by Esmeralda

What? Replace her? They haven't had their repub primary yet. If she drops out, folks can just vote for the other repubs. After the primary they're stuck with her and she can't be replaced. That's what the Party "elites" want to prevent from happening. To get her out of the race, they must get her out NOW. But she refuses to drop out.

well i bet the presidunce is getting frustrated. condi gets a cease fire that lasts about ten minutes, the president of iraq seems to be pro-hezbolah but not enough so for his shite preachers and now mel gibson who brought the miracle of the crucifixtion to theaters all around the bible belt turns out to be ...well an anti semite....so i guess the question is " whose side are you on mr. bush, whose side are you on and who is there with you?"

Posted by Domingo on July 31, 2006 at 07:08 PM

Then let her lose the repug primary. Or will she win that one?

If she wins, she must be wanted by those that vote. Let them get what they want. Good and hard.

UNFAIR AND UNBALANCED

whose side are you on mr. bush, whose side are you on and who is there with you?"
****

Bush = Neocons + Corporatists + Dominionists

It doesn't get any worst than that!

Warmongers, financial vampires and End-Of-Days lunatics - that is Bush's base.

just in case anyone thought mel might not be an anti-semite like his holocaust denier father:

Police Report Confirms Gibson's Tirade

- - - - - - - - - - - -

By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ Associated Press Writer

July 31,2006 | LOS ANGELES -- An official police report on Mel Gibson's arrest on drunken driving charges substantiates claims that he made anti-Semitic remarks and threatened a deputy, a law enforcement official said Monday.