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David & Goliath
Author: BobR    Date: 03/05/2008 13:16:24

As we continue our march towards the Bush Administration's total usurpation of power, we get yet another bit of bad news. This may not be getting much play in the MSM, but Bush has gutted the Intelligence Oversight Board:
On Friday, the White House issued a new executive order effectively gutting the Intelligence Oversight Board (IOB ), “created in 1976 in the wake of widespread abuses by U.S. intelligence agencies.” Under the order, many of the IOB’s investigative powers will now be transfered to DNI Mike McConnell. “Rather than intelligence agencies reporting their activities to the board for review, they will now report them to McConnell,” the AP notes...

What does this mean? It means that now any abuses will be reported to one man only, who is uniquely indebted to the president for his job, and who most would prefer to have abuses never see the light of day. Perhaps the next move would be to put the head of Monsanto into the FDA to oversee the industry?

It also seems likely that Bush will veto the bill that makes the CIA abide by the same rules as the military:
Mr. Bush is planning to veto a law that would require the C.I.A. and all the intelligence services to abide by the restrictions on holding and interrogating prisoners contained in the United States Army Field Manual. Mr. Bush says the Army rules are too restrictive.

What are these burdens? In addition to a blanket prohibition of torture, the manual specifically bans:

  • Forcing a prisoner to be naked, perform sexual acts or pose in a sexual manner.

  • Placing hoods or sacks over the head of a prisoner, and using duct tape over the eyes.

  • Applying beatings, electric shocks, burns or other forms of physical pain.

  • Waterboarding.

  • Using military working dogs.

  • Inducing hypothermia or heat injury.

  • Conducting mock executions.

  • Depriving a prisoner of necessary food, water or medical care.

Such practices have long been prohibited by American laws and international treaties respected by Republican and Democratic presidents. Mr. Bush, however, declared that he was unbound by the laws of civilization in responding to the barbarism of Sept. 11, 2001. And reports soon surfaced about the abuse of prisoners at detention centers in Afghanistan, the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and secret Central Intelligence Agency prisons.

These two stories dovetail nicely into each other, don't they? ("nicely" as in a nauseatingly familiar pattern...)

So what do we do? Two small Vermont towns have a suggestion. They both have voted to arrest Bush & Cheney:
Voters in two Vermont towns on Tuesday approved a measure that would instruct police to arrest President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for "crimes against our Constitution," local media reported.

The nonbinding, symbolic measure, passed in Brattleboro and Marlboro in a state known for taking liberal positions on national issues, instructs town police to "extradite them to other authorities that may reasonably contend to prosecute them."

If only the rest of America followed suit. If only Congress would let the impeachment bills through.

If only...

 

183 comments (Latest Comment: 03/06/2008 16:44:33 by Raine)
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Comment by velveeta jones on 03/05/2008 13:38:11
I'll entertain the troops, BobR!



A story on GMA this morning had me teary eyed. Ususally I ignore that annoyingly perky Diane and Robin and that smug Chris Cuomo and closeted Sam ...........



But this morning an interview with the Rutgers B'ball coach, the one Imus called the team "Nappy headed Ho's". She has written a book that sounds really good. One of the things that teared me up: Imus had promised to stay in touch with her and support the team, blah blah blah............ Never has.



She has written a book that ALL women should buy: Stand Tall by C. Vivian Stringer:



Work hard, and don’t look for excuses,” Stringer’s parents told her, “and you can achieve anything.” But her faith and perseverance would be tested many times. A gifted athlete, she had to fight for a place on an all-white cheerleading squad in the sixties. In 1981, just as her coaching career was taking off, her fourteen-month-old daughter, Nina, was stricken with spinal meningitis. Nina would never walk or talk again. Still grieving, Stringer brought a small, poor, historically black college to the national championships—a triumph hailed as “Hoosiers with an all-female cast.” In 1991, her husband, Bill—her staunchest supporter, the father of her children, and the love of her life—fell dead of a sudden heartattack, but that same year, she led yet another young team to the Final Four.


Comment by velveeta jones on 03/05/2008 13:42:46
Oh the thing she said that made me start crying was this: that her team had worked so hard and that women have been working for 35 years to bring sports to the (near) same level as men's..........and Imus threw 35 years of work out the window in 34 seconds, reducing women's hardships to a racist/sexist sound-bite. (I paraphase).

Comment by shelaghc on 03/05/2008 13:53:08
What's wrong with this picture?



http://pics.livejournal.com/shelaghc/pic/0008xhhp


Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 14:00:55
Good morning. Cheery Blog there BobR.

Comment by velveeta jones on 03/05/2008 14:09:36
Morning all!!



Kucinich wins Ohio primary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



(A brief sigh of relief)

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 14:12:48
Hillary gained 1 or 2 delegates last night. That is it. I really hoped that last night was going to be the last of the nastiness. :(

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 14:16:20
I cannot believe that Obama even NEEDS to prove his religion.

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 14:21:49
Read MArkos' diaries about this as well.



So total for the night, thus far, is Clinton 187 186 and Obama 185. Not all votes are in, so things will change a bit. But at this point, we have a ridiculously tiny one-delegate lead for Clinton for the night, which could either produce her first delegate victory of the election, or be erased by the rest of the still-not-reported Texas caucuses.



Now according to both the Clinton and Obama campaigns, Obama entered the race with a 159 pledged delegate lead. So with some luck, Clinton ends the night about ... 157 delegates behind.



More problematic for Clinton, is that today's 370 delegates were about 38 percent of the just-shy of 1,000 remaining delegates before Tuesday's contests. That means we just had over 1/3rd of the remaining delegates allocated, with only marginal-to-none gains in the count for Clinton.



So Clinton is running out of states, and even her "big" victory Tuesday is proving little more than a pyrrhic victory.




Comment by Will in Chicago on 03/05/2008 14:26:16
Quote by Raine: I cannot believe that Obama even NEEDS to prove his religion.






He should not have to - however, bigotry - whether on the basis of religion, race, gendor or orientation - is still with us.



If Russ Feingold was the nominee, he would have to prove that he is not part of a Jewish conspiracy to rule the world, is not a puppet of Israel, and would have a lot of crap to deal with from various stereotypes. So, we have to counter the spin of McCain - and yes, Hillary Clinton. She should KNOW that Obama is not a Muslim based on her own campaign research if nothing else. She is being disengenuous.

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 14:27:17
Quote by velveeta jones: Morning all!!



Kucinich wins Ohio primary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



(A brief sigh of relief)
YES! This is wonderful news!!!



Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 14:30:01
I don't know how 3 wins in the past what is it, 16 elections constitutes a comeback, especially when those wins constitute a total sum gain of 1 or 2 delegates.

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 14:32:10
Quote by will in chicago:
Quote by Raine: I cannot believe that Obama even NEEDS to prove his religion.






He should not have to - however, bigotry - whether on the basis of religion, race, gendor or orientation - is still with us.



If Russ Feingold was the nominee, he would have to prove that he is not part of a Jewish conspiracy to rule the world, is not a puppet of Israel, and would have a lot of crap to deal with from various stereotypes. So, we have to counter the spin of McCain - and yes, Hillary Clinton. She should KNOW that Obama is not a Muslim based on her own campaign research if nothing else. She is being disengenuous.
That really blew my mind. (good morning Will!!!)



I also read on the ABC Blog this morning that a clinton supporter actually wore an *Osama for Obama* t-shirt yesterday to one of her rallies.



The guy said he was muslim. It made my stomach turn. When I can find the link again I will post it.



Comment by Will in Chicago on 03/05/2008 14:32:37
I am working on the UNN Daily Headlines. Both Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul beat back primary challenges last night.

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 14:36:02
Quote by Raine:
Quote by will in chicago:
Quote by Raine: I cannot believe that Obama even NEEDS to prove his religion.






He should not have to - however, bigotry - whether on the basis of religion, race, gendor or orientation - is still with us.



If Russ Feingold was the nominee, he would have to prove that he is not part of a Jewish conspiracy to rule the world, is not a puppet of Israel, and would have a lot of crap to deal with from various stereotypes. So, we have to counter the spin of McCain - and yes, Hillary Clinton. She should KNOW that Obama is not a Muslim based on her own campaign research if nothing else. She is being disengenuous.
That really blew my mind. (good morning Will!!!)



I also read on the ABC Blog this morning that a clinton supporter actually wore an *Osama for Obama* t-shirt yesterday to one of her rallies.



The guy said he was muslim. It made my stomach turn. When I can find the link again I will post it.



Here is the link.
ABC News' Kate Snow and Eloise Harper report: A controversial party guest was spotted at Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's election night party in Columbus, Ohio Tuesday.



He was hard to miss. He was the one wearing the "Osama for Obama" t-shirt.



Columbus resident Todd Elbaum told ABC News his friend makes the t-shirts.



Elbaum did not hold back on his views of Obama when he was interviewed by ABC within full view of a Clinton staffer.



"The truth is he was born a Muslim, his father was a Muslim, his mother married a Muslim after divorcing his father. His grandfather was a Muslim. It doesn't matter. But what does matter is when Obama said he was never a Muslim. He was a Muslim. He was born a Muslim. He was a Muslim for six years of his life," Elbaum said.


Comment by Will in Chicago on 03/05/2008 14:37:40
Okay, double post.

Comment by BobR on 03/05/2008 14:39:26
Quote by Raine:

"... He was a Muslim for six years of his life," Elbaum said.





Can ANYONE be considered to be a member of any religion from when they were born until they are 6 years old??

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 14:40:30
HEadline over at Raw Story:



Clinton thanks Karl Rove in Fox News interview... Developing...





I hope the actual story isn't as salacious as that headline.

Comment by TriSec on 03/05/2008 14:40:34
Quote by will in chicago: I am working on the UNN Daily Headlines. Both Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul beat back primary challenges last night.






Well, good for both of them. I wouldn't want Ron Paul as president, but I think he's still an important voice to have in Congress...



And Dennis...well, he just rocks! :metal:





Comment by velveeta jones on 03/05/2008 14:49:51
BobR, your blog post convinces me more and more that if we are not going to hold this administration accountable, then who will we hold accountable? I am strongly convinced to begin my letter writing campaign to have Congress remove the impeachment of Richard Nixon - who was not nearly as crooked as these goons! :angry:



Unimpeach Nixon

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 14:54:14
A very long pause, 7 weeks. we have 7 weeks.







Comment by Will in Chicago on 03/05/2008 14:56:19
Quote by Raine:
Quote by will in chicago:
Quote by Raine: I cannot believe that Obama even NEEDS to prove his religion.






He should not have to - however, bigotry - whether on the basis of religion, race, gendor or orientation - is still with us.



If Russ Feingold was the nominee, he would have to prove that he is not part of a Jewish conspiracy to rule the world, is not a puppet of Israel, and would have a lot of crap to deal with from various stereotypes. So, we have to counter the spin of McCain - and yes, Hillary Clinton. She should KNOW that Obama is not a Muslim based on her own campaign research if nothing else. She is being disengenuous.
That really blew my mind. (good morning Will!!!)



I also read on the ABC Blog this morning that a clinton supporter actually wore an *Osama for Obama* t-shirt yesterday to one of her rallies.



The guy said he was muslim. It made my stomach turn. When I can find the link again I will post it.







Good morning, Raine!! It is pretty disgusting that a Clinton supporter - who should know better - wore an Osama for Obama t-shirt. I would hope that Clinton would repudiate such actions - but I am not holding my breath.

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 14:59:16
Quote by Raine: HEadline over at Raw Story:



Clinton thanks Karl Rove in Fox News interview... Developing...





I hope the actual story isn't as salacious as that headline.


Well it isn't Salacious so much as it is nauseating.
A jovial Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama took to FOX News early Monday to spin their respective performances in Tuesday’s pivotal Democratic primaries – and faced critiques from former Bush ‘architect’ Karl Rove.



Clinton parried a question about her “humanity,” wooing the network she had once decried.



“I have a little secret, which I will only tell Fox, if you promise not to tell anybody else,” she said. “You know what, I really am a human being. I know that’s hard to believe, but it happens to be true.”



Karl Rove “has handed me a note,” added Fox anchor Steve Doocy (the clip takes place at 2:51). “More US presidents have been born in the month of October than any other month. You were born in—?”



“October,” Clinton replied. “Thank you, Karl. I mean the omens are just stacking up. What can I say?”



Asked about a Rush Limbaugh effort to have Republicans vote for Clinton in Texas, Clinton said, “Be careful what you wish for, Rush.”



Obama, meanwhile, noted that he still held a sizable lead among Democratic delegates, despite Clinton’s Tuesday victories in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island.



“It’s going to be hard for her to close the delegate lead,” Obama said. “We expect that we’ll be vigorously contesting all of these states. We are in a very strong position to win the nomination… we’re anxious to pivot to November to have a debate about which direction we want to move the country.”



Rove complimented Clinton’s performance.



“I thought it was good, light—that’s the side of her Americans don’t see much,” he said.



Meanwhile, the onetime Bush adviser attacked Obama, saying he had failed in his three years in the Senate to “achieve big things.”



“He has not done that in his three years in the Senate,” Rove quipped.


Video at the link.

Comment by wickedpam on 03/05/2008 15:00:41
Quote by BobR:
Quote by Raine:

"... He was a Muslim for six years of his life," Elbaum said.





Can ANYONE be considered to be a member of any religion from when they were born until they are 6 years old??




If this were true then I know I've run through the gamet on the Protestant faiths.







Morning btw! :hug:



Comment by livingonli on 03/05/2008 15:07:14
Good morning everyone. Didn't sleep too well.



Something didn't agree with me.

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 15:07:38
And people can live blog over here...









Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 15:08:20
Morning Mala and Liv!







Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 15:10:09
I am not sure what side of the argument is debating today...

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 15:11:26
No MATTER WHAT... PEOPLE MUST MAKE SURE THAT THE REPUBLICANS DO NOT WIN!!!!



GAH! These non voting people make me very nervous. (and I love you all here... please understand that.)

Comment by shelaghc on 03/05/2008 15:11:49
No comments at all about the overly large picture?......



Comment by livingonli on 03/05/2008 15:12:59
Quote by shelaghc: No comments at all about the overly large picture?......



I think no one wanted to quote it. As for me, I'm still just waking up.

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 15:16:00
Quote by Raine: I don't know how 3 wins in the past what is it, 16 elections constitutes a comeback, especially when those wins constitute a total sum gain of 1 or 2 delegates.




I bump this because I think this is important. She won 3 primaries yesterday, but Obama is still something like 500,000 ahead in the popular vote and still ahead in the delegate vote. That couples with the math that it is practically impossible for her to win, I worry about the reality of the race.



Of course I am still waiting to hear about John McCain FEC filings and wether or not he broke the law.



that may change a lot of things, but the OTHER reality is that he can't leave the Public Financing portion of the game until AFTER the convention, so ANY money he is spending now, may very well mean he is breaking federal law.



Comment by wickedpam on 03/05/2008 15:16:48
Quote by Raine: And people can live blog over here...











Ya know I'm not sure I like the format over there. I feel like I'm a fish out of water too.



Comment by BobR on 03/05/2008 15:19:08
Quote by shelaghc: No comments at all about the overly large picture?......



It's large all right... and amusing.

Comment by wickedpam on 03/05/2008 15:19:12
I'm thinking anything anyone has on McCain should hold it until after the conventions it would do more damage then.

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 15:20:11
Wow, that was quite the p/u line there dave in buffalo...

Comment by livingonli on 03/05/2008 15:22:59
CBC report on Canadian Government NAFTA lie;





Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 15:26:36
Quote by shelaghc: No comments at all about the overly large picture?......

I thought the irony was pretty funny! (sorry I was still letting the :coffe: sink into the bloodstream)



Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 15:29:09
Quote by livingonli: CBC report on Canadian Government NAFTA lie;







And yet people will still say he lied.



Comment by velveeta jones on 03/05/2008 15:30:41
The un-impeachment letter writing has begun!! I have already heard from a member of another board/blog of his letter going out. 10 minutes into the campaign and letters have started. Please do your part!!



unimpeach Nixon

Comment by wickedpam on 03/05/2008 15:34:43
Quote by Raine:
Quote by shelaghc: No comments at all about the overly large picture?......

I thought the irony was pretty funny! (sorry I was still letting the :coffe: sink into the bloodstream)







Think it's quite the snapshot for how many food and body issues we have in this county.



Comment by livingonli on 03/05/2008 15:36:40
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by shelaghc: No comments at all about the overly large picture?......

I thought the irony was pretty funny! (sorry I was still letting the :coffe: sink into the bloodstream)







Think it's quite the snapshot for how many food and body issues we have in this county.



This is true. Kind of like an advertisment for bulimia.

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 15:38:04
Quote by velveeta jones: The un-impeachment letter writing has begun!! I have already heard from a member of another board/blog of his letter going out. 10 minutes into the campaign and letters have started. Please do your part!!



unimpeach Nixon


OK!



Comment by livingonli on 03/05/2008 15:38:44
And now a word from Mike Malloy, truthseekers.





Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 15:43:04
:foil: still needs to work on that Barack impression... it is a good start, but ...







Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 15:44:21
OMG, Shweaty Balls, I love to eat your shweaty balls...

Comment by livingonli on 03/05/2008 15:47:56
Quote by Raine: OMG, Shweaty Balls, I love to eat your shweaty balls...


But, are they as good as Chocolate Salty Balls?

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 15:48:37
:banana: A beautiful Day! :banana:



Love this song!

Comment by wickedpam on 03/05/2008 15:51:16
I think I can honestly say - I don't know that I like some of the people on Steph's live blog.

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 15:52:02
Mala:

Comment by Raine on 03/05/2008 15:53:17
Quote by wickedpam: I think I can honestly say - I don't know that I like some of the people on Steph's live blog.
yeah I saw that comment, and I agree, I don't like the whole painting woman as either good or bad like that.



You were right to say something.



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