Another Casualty of Global Warming

WASHINGTON - A one-two punch of bleaching from record hot water followed by disease has killed ancient and delicate coral in the biggest loss of reefs scientists have ever seen in Caribbean waters.


This reminded of something Stephen Pizzo wrote in his article "Who's Counting the Bush Mistakes?"

"The Environment: Here's a little pop quiz: What happens if all the coral in the world's oceans dies? Answer: Coral is the first rung on the food-chain ladder; so when it goes, everything else in the ocean dies. And if the oceans die, we die.

The coral in the world's oceans are dying (called "bleaching") at an alarming and accelerating rate. Global warming is the culprit. Nevertheless, this administration continues as the world's leading global warming denier. Why? Because they seem to feel it's more cost effective to be dead than to force reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. How stupid is that? And time is running out."

To read the full article Click Here

Bush Knew Pre-war Intelligence Was Wrong- Blamed the CIA

Blame The CIA
The pre-election damage-control effort in response to Wilson's allegations and the broader issue of whether the Bush administration might have misrepresented intelligence information to make the case for war had three major components, according to government records and interviews with current and former officials: blame the CIA for the use of the Niger information in the president's State of the Union address; discredit and undermine Wilson; and make sure that the public did not learn that the president had been personally warned that the intelligence assessments he was citing about the aluminum tubes might be wrong.

My Letter to the Editor at the City Paper-In Response to Fascism

To the Editor:
Examining fascism
Many of the characteristics of Bush administration politics do not fit the traditional Republican form. So what do they fit? Charles Sumner, in his March 29 letter (“Do we have fascism?”, nashvillecitypaper.com), defined fascism and asserted that “there are those who think that we are on the road to a dictatorial fascism.”

In the interest of shedding light on this subject, let’s look at what makes a government fascist. Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, in the spring of 2003 wrote an article in which he defined the 14 characteristics of fascism.

One of these hallmarks of fascism is rampant cronyism and corruption. We saw this during Hurricane Katrina when the negligently unqualified “Heckuva job Brownie” was exposed as a crony as head of FEMA.

Fascism involves an obsession with national security. According to Britt, “fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.” We saw this after 9/11 when our fears were used to get Americans to buy into a war with Iraq, despite that countries lack of involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Most troubling is the disdain for the recognition of human rights. Britt explains, “because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored …” We became painfully aware of this disregard for human rights when the pictures from Abu Ghraib began to emerge.

Out of the 14 characteristics of fascism, almost all have some relevance to what we see happening in the United States today. Bush once said, “If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier — just so long [as] I’m the dictator.” If we have not yet arrived at this system of government, we sit dangerously at the edge of its slippery slopes.

37076
Cecily Friday

To read other City Paper letters to the editor Click Here

To read the letter I was responding to Click Here

Abramoff sentenced to 5 years 10 months for Miami Fraud

MIAMI (Reuters) - Jack Abramoff, a disgraced lobbyist at the heart of a Washington influence-peddling scandal that has rattled top Republicans, was sentenced to nearly six years in prison on Wednesday for fraud in the purchase of a Florida casino cruise line.

This Week on Left Turn with Cecily Friday

Max Blumenthal joins me on the program this evening. His writings have appeared in publications such as the Nation, The American Prospect, Salon.com, the Washington Monthly and is a regular contributor to Huffingtonpost.com. He is a research fellow at Media Matters for America. In addition, He is recognized in his field as having received the Online Journalism Award for best independent feature in 2003 from the Online Journalism Association and the University of Southern California’s Anneberg School of Communications. He’s here to discuss his most recent coverage of the overwhelming reaction, in Los Angeles and elsewhere, to proposed immigration legislation. Join us for the discussion this Wednesday at 7:00 PM CST

To read Max Blumenthal's latest article Click Here

Fitzgerald Will Seek New White House Indictments

These sources work or worked at the State Department, the CIA and the National Security Council. Some of these sources are attorneys close to the case. They requested anonymity because they were not permitted to speak publicly about the details of the investigation.

In lengthy interviews over the weekend and on Monday, they said that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has started to prepare the paperwork to present to the grand jury seeking an indictment against White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove or National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.

TIME: Global Warming Crisis Here

Polar Ice Caps Are Melting Faster Than Ever... More And More Land Is Being Devastated By Drought... Rising Waters Are Drowning Low-Lying Communities... By Any Measure, Earth Is At ... The Tipping Point

Justice Scalia flips the finger in church

BOSTON, March 27 (UPI) -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia startled reporters in Boston just minutes after attending a mass, by flipping a middle finger to his critics.

A Boston Herald reporter asked the 70-year-old conservative Roman Catholic if he faces much questioning over impartiality when it comes to issues separating church and state.

"You know what I say to those people?" Scalia replied, making the obscene gesture and explaining "That's Sicilian."

Baghdad Governor Suspends Cooperation With U.S. Forces

March 27, 2006 -- Baghdad provincial Governor Husayn al-Tahan said he is suspending all cooperation with U.S. forces until an independent investigation is launched into the killing of 20 Shi'a, allegedly in or near a mosque.

NY Times obtains secret memo of Bush, Blair meeting before Iraq war

The New York Times reports that a secret memo from January 2003 reveals that President Bush and Prime Minister Blair agreed to invade Iraq even without U.N. backing, RAW STORY has learned.

Iraq- Administration Abandons Reconstruction

On Feb. 28, the Bush administration announced it would not be providing any significant additional funding for Iraqi reconstruction projects, with the exception of prisons. Yesterday, Daniel Speckhard, the head of the U.S.-led program to rebuild Iraq told the Iraqi government that it "can no longer count on U.S. funds and must rely on its own revenues and other foreign aid." As the United States turns its back on Iraq's reconstruction, it leaves behind a legacy of waste, mismanagement, and misplaced priorities. "There was insufficient systematic planning for human capital management in Iraq before and during the U.S.-directed stabilization and reconstruction operations," noted Iraq's Special Inspector General Stuart Bowen. "Of the 136 water projects first envisioned, only 49, or 36 percent, will be completed. And only 300 of the 425 electrical projects will be completed." Anthony Cordesman at the Center for Strategic and International Studies called the U.S. reconstruction effort "a dismal failure. It hasn't met any of its goals. It's left a legacy of half-built projects, built to U.S. standards, which Iraq doesn't have the capability to maintain."

From the Center for American Progress

CIVIL LIBERTIES - BUSH AGAIN PUSHES 'MIND-BOGGLINGLY EXPANSIVE CONCEPTION' OF EXECUTIVE POWER:

Earlier this month, President Bush released a signing statement on the Patriot Act that "nearly went unnoticed." The legislation "contained several oversight provisions intended to make sure the FBI did not abuse the special terrorism-related powers to search homes and secretly seize papers." Yet in his signing statement on the bill, Bush said he "did not consider himself bound to tell Congress how the Patriot Act powers were being used and that, despite the law's requirements, he could withhold the information." "Past presidents occasionally used such signing statements to describe their interpretations of laws, but Bush has expanded the practice." Late last year, he released a similar statement after signing the torture ban into law that "quietly reserved the right to bypass the law under his powers as commander in chief." New York University law professor David Golove said Bush's propensity for the statements is symptomatic of the White House's "mind-bogglingly expansive conception" of executive power.

From the Center for American Progress

Barbara Bush's Katrina Donation-- to Son

Former first lady Barbara Bush donated an undisclosed amount of money to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund with specific instructions that the money be spent with an educational software company owned by her son Neil.

Wow- When it comes to outright offensive behavior the Bushies never disappoint. I'm sure ol' Barb gave the money to her son, because she didn't want to furthur pollute her beautiful mind with the ugliness of all those down and out poor people from New Orleans that are left with nothing.

GOP Specter Speaks out on Bush Warrantless Spying

WASHINGTON - A vocal Republican critic of the Bush administration's eavesdropping program will preside over Senate efforts to write the program into law, but he was pessimistic Wednesday that the White House wanted to listen.

"They want to do just as they please, for as long as they can get away with it," Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I think what is going on now without congressional intervention or judicial intervention is just plain wrong."

Bush uncle set to earn millions from company that profited from Iraq war

WASHINGTON — As President Bush embarks on a new effort to shore up public support for the war in Iraq, an uncle of the chief executive is collecting $2.7 million in cash and stock from the recent sale of a company that profited from the war.

This Week on Left Turn with Cecily Friday

Joining me on the program this week is Perry Jefferies. He served as a First Sergeant with the Army's 4th Infantry Division in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Often frustrated by the absence of priority on planning and basic Soldier needs, he has spoken out as a member of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. To learn more about this organization Click Here

And in the second half of the program, Marjorie Cohn, professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, President-elect of the National Lawyers Guild, and the US representative to the executive committee of the American Association of Jurists will be on the show. She writes a weekly column for truthout.org. She will be on the program to discuss the latest on the Iraq war in addition to the legal issues surrounding other Bush administration policies. Join us for the discussion on Wednesday at 7:00 PM CST.

To read Marjorie Cohn's latest article Click Here

US Blasted for Creating Terrorism Quagmire on Anniversary of Iraq War

Sydney - Asian newspapers Monday took the United States to task on the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, with one commentator saying it had created the ideal environment for terrorism to fester.

'Iraq was awash in cash. We played football with bricks of $100 bills'

At the beginning of the Iraq war, the UN entrusted $23bn of Iraqi money to the US-led coalition to redevelop the country. With the infrastructure of the country still in ruins, where has all that money gone? Callum Macrae and Ali Fadhil on one of the greatest financial scandals of all time

Insurgents Storm Jail in Iraq's Sunni Heartland

BAGDHAD, Iraq, March 21 — Insurgents returned to old tactics today and stormed a jail in the Sunni heartland at daybreak, killing 18 police officers and freeing all the prisoners inside.

Iraqi police report details civilians' deaths at hands of U.S. troops

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi police have accused American troops of executing 11 people, including a 75-year-old woman and a 6-month-old infant, in the aftermath of a raid last Wednesday on a house about 60 miles north of Baghdad.

How to spot a baby conservative

Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative.

This Week on Left Turn with Cecily Friday

I tested positive for the flu on Monday, so I'll be home recovering this week. No worries though- it's just the regular flu, not the avian variety. But tune in next week when I'll be back in full force.

Retired Supreme Court Justice responds to attacks by right wing Congressmen and warns of dictatorship

I, said O’Connor, am against judicial reforms driven by nakedly partisan reasoning. Pointing to the experiences of developing countries and former communist countries where interference with an independent judiciary has allowed dictatorship to flourish, O’Connor said we must be ever-vigilant against those who would strongarm the judiciary into adopting their preferred policies. It takes a lot of degeneration before a country falls into dictatorship, she said, but we should avoid these ends by avoiding these beginnings.

US rights groups ask courts to end domestic spying

A Center for Constitutional Rights lawyer said on Thursday that U.S. officials had already disclosed enough to prove to a federal judge that the NSA wiretapping involving U.S. citizens was unconstitutional.

"We can file this aggressive motion because we have proof that the spying program is illegal," said CCR staff lawyer Shayana Kadidal. "The bottom line is the defendants have incriminated themselves -- President Bush admitted that he authorized and oversaw an illegal and unconstitutional program."

Republicans on Senate Intelligence Committee Refuse to Investigate Bush's Warrantless Wiretapping

The Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday rejected Sen. Rockefeller's motion to hold hearings to investigate the President's warrantless eavesdropping program by an 8-7, strict party line vote. Yet again, every Senate Republican followed White House instructions not to investigate the President, and this time did so despite the statements of several of those GOP Senators just within the last 8 weeks that such an investigation was urgent and necessary.


Post from fellow blogger Glenn Greenwald

South Dakota's extreme abortion ban is in perfect accord with what the United States has been doing internationally all along.

"Because of the constitutional guarantees embedded in the Roe v. Wade decision, Republican administrations have been unable to completely defund abortion groups in the United States, so they've taken it out on poor women in developing countries, but those policies are coming home," says Steven Sinding, an American who serves as director-general of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), a London-based organization that supports the poor, underserved and marginalized in 180 countries.

Another post from Alternet. Their coverage on this issue has been exceptional.

Abortion Rights Go South by Molly Ivins

South Dakota is so rarely found on the leading edge of the far out, the wiggy, the California-esque. But it has now staked its claim. First to Outlaw Abortion This Century.

This Week on Left Turn with Cecily Friday

Joining me on the program this week is Jeff Teague, President & CEO of Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee. We'll be discussing the latest ruling in South Dakota that outlaws abortion, as well as similar pending legislation in Tennessee, among other issues. Tune in for the discussion Wednesday at 7:00 PM CST

To learn more about Planned Parenthood Click Here

US Marines Block Liberal Sites but not Right Wing Pundits

Block the Media

The wrong kind of media I should say.

Wonkette:

Just to let you know, the US Marines have blocked access to “Wonkette” along with numerous other sites such as...

Wonkette - blocked
O'Reilly -- OK
Air America -- blocked
Limbaugh -- OK
ABC News "The Note" -- OK
Al Franken Show -- blocked
G. Gordon Liddy Show -- OK

Original post at crooksandliars Click Here

Bill Frist threatens to re-structure the Intelligence Committee in order to block NSA hearings

With the March 7 vote looming on Sen. Rockefeller’s motion for the Committee to finally hold hearings to investigate the scope and nature of the Administration’s NSA warrantless eavesdropping on American citizens -- and with several Committee Republicans indicating their intent to vote for hearings -- Majority Leader Bill Frist threatened the Committee yesterday and warned it not to hold any hearings.


Post by fellow blogger Glenn Greenwald

Al Qaeda bragged of infiltrating Emirates government, casting shadow on security of port deal

Al Qaeda bragged of infiltrating the United Arab Emirates government, according to a 2002 letter posted on a U.S. military site and discovered by ThinkProgress.

Highly classified intelligence reports at odds with Bush's justification for Iraq War

Two highly classified intelligence reports delivered directly to President Bush before the Iraq war cast doubt on key public assertions made by the president, Vice President Cheney, and other administration officials as justifications for invading Iraq and toppling Saddam Hussein, according to records and knowledgeable sources.

Video Shows Bush Warned Before Katrina Hit

On the eve of Hurricane Katrina's fateful landfall, President Bush was confident. His homeland security chief appeared relaxed. And warnings of the coming destruction -- breached or overrun levees, deaths at the New Orleans Superdome and overwhelming needs for post-storm rescues -- were delivered in dramatic terms to all involved. All of it was captured on videotape.


The AP has caught Bush red handed lying about Katrina. We all remember him saying "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees"

You can watch the video here

Ex-Official: Iraq Abuses Growing Worse

Human rights abuses in Iraq are as bad now as they were under Saddam Hussein, as lawlessness and sectarian violence sweep the country, the former U.N. human rights chief in Iraq said Thursday.