Friday News Bucket

13 Comments

1. 

   CabinGirl on October 19, 2007 at 8:02 am

   is an idiot: TPM

   Tim Starks of Congressional Quarterly reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) plans to bring the Senate’s surveillance bill up for floor debate in mid-November. That’s despite the hold that Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) plans to place on the measure — something first reported by Election Central’s Greg Sargent.

   The Senate intelligence committee is still marking up the bill behind closed doors, according to staffers. A joint statement from committee leaders Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Kit Bond (R-MO) will follow when the mark-up concludes, but that may not occur today.

   Harry, you suck ass.  Why do you let Republican holds on bill kill legislation, and fight the holds your own party members place on something as heinous as state-sanctioned spying on citizens?  What a sack of crap.

   • 

     dada on October 19, 2007 at 11:51 am

     is a fucking idiot: TPM update this am:

     …as expected, the Senate intelligence committee has passed its surveillance bill. Also as expected, retroactive legal immunity for telecommunications companies complying with President Bush’s warrantless surveillance program is part of the bill. Not exactly as expected: it won’t be the FISA Court that determines who complied with the program. It will be the attorney general:

     The Senate bill would direct civil courts to dismiss lawsuits against telecommunications companies if the attorney general certifies that the company rendered assistance between Sept. 11, 2001, and Jan. 17, 2007, in response to a written request authorized by the president, to help detect or prevent an attack on the United States.
     Suits also would be dismissed if the attorney general certifies that a company named in the case provided no assistance to the government. The public record would not reflect which certification was given to the court.

     FISA court?…bah!  mukasey can be trusted, and leaky likes him.

     at least feingold and wyden are still trying…along with dodd.

     lTMF’sA

     

     • 

       CabinGirl on October 19, 2007 at 12:11 pm

       I stand corrected.  Harry Red is a FUCKING IDIOT (and I think we can safely throw in the word ASSWIPE too).

2. 

   CabinGirl on October 19, 2007 at 8:06 am

   airport screeners missing bombs at an alarming rate: USA Today

   Security screeners at two of the nation’s busiest airports failed to find fake bombs hidden on undercover agents posing as passengers in more than 60% of tests last year, according to a classified report obtained by USA TODAY.

   Screeners at Los Angeles International Airport missed about 75% of simulated explosives and bomb parts that Transportation Security Administration testers hid under their clothes or in carry-on bags at checkpoints, the TSA report shows.

   So, do you think maybe they shouldn’t be spending so much time looking for my shampoo and lipgloss, and focus on looking for more threatening items instead?

   • 

     dada on October 19, 2007 at 11:56 am

     sure, aren’t you?  our diligent border guards are busy, busy, busy…they can’t e expected to find all those fake bombs, they’re too busy keeping such deadly things as underwire bras from wreaking havoc  in courthouses across the homeland, and seizing computer hard drives that might contain…<gasp>…anti-war songs:

     … Guitarist Baffled By Homeland Security’s Seizure Of His Album

     Government snatched up master hard drive containing song files for Chris Walla’s solo LP, which, coincidentally, is politically charged.

     Yes, it seems that recently, Walla’s solo record (which has been scheduled to come out at various points over the past, well, four years) took another step toward oblivion when the master hard drive — containing all song files — was confiscated by Homeland Security at the Canadian border, for reasons not abundantly clear, and sent to the department’s computer-forensics division for further inspection.

     If it sounds like a huge joke, Walla ensures you it isn’t.

     link

     maybe they’re pirating music now?

     busy, busy, busy…running the circus from the monkey cage.

     lTMF’sA

     

     • 

       CabinGirl on October 19, 2007 at 12:14 pm

       If they think underwire bras are wreaking havoc, just wait till they see large-busted women without them…

       and everyone knows that anti-war songs are an enormous threat to our freedoms, don’t they?

       I love the Mencken quotes in your last link, btw.

3. 

   CabinGirl on October 19, 2007 at 8:15 am

   because she appeared intoxicated? GW Hatchet

   A Howard student is suing the University for negligence and medical malpractice because she said she was raped and denied proper care at GW Hospital because she allegedly appeared intoxicated, according to documents filed in D.C. Superior Court.

   The plaintiff, a 19-year-old sophomore, also filed suit against the District, Howard University Hospital and several local doctors. The complaint states she was given a date-rape drug at an off-campus party near Howard and was then denied a rape kit at several hospitals – including GW.

   A rape kit is a collection of bodily fluids and samples taken after a possible sexual assault to help identify the perpetrator. It can include semen, blood and body tissue.

   GW Hospital allegedly denied her treatment because doctors at Howard said she appeared intoxicated, according to court documents.

   Um, if she were drugged, doesn’t it make sense that she would “appear intoxicated”?  Who are these idiots at GW hospital?

4. 

   Alice on October 19, 2007 at 9:02 am

   Cabin, I just want to say thank you for your daily news buckets.  

   Sorry I can’t often contribute to the diary.  Most times the only thing that comes to mind is a witless WTF?!  

   You’re doing a fine, nay – journalistic, job with this series my dear.

   A toast to CabinGirl!

   • 

     CabinGirl on October 19, 2007 at 9:08 am

     Thanks, Alice.  Some days it’s hard to squeeze in the time to put one up, but I’ve been trying to keep up with it on a regular basis. I’m glad you’re enjoying it!

5. 

   dada on October 19, 2007 at 11:59 am

   the long war

   don’t look for any significant decreases in the number of troops on the ground any time soon.  because the regular army and marine corps are nearly depleted, not to mention blackwater’s being kicked out…it’s back to iraq for the national guard:

   Pentagon to alert 8 Guard units for duty

   The Pentagon is preparing to alert eight National Guard units that they should be ready to go to Iraq or Afghanistan beginning late next summer, The Associated Press learned Wednesday.

   The U.S. military is reaching out to more Guard units in an effort to maintain needed troop levels, ease some of the strain on the active duty Army and provide security for ports, convoys and other installations.

   According to defense officials, seven of the units would deploy to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the orders had not yet been signed and the announcement is not expected until the end of this week.

   sfgate

   and what do the iraqis think of BushCo’s…and whoever the next president is…permanent bases?

   ‘Big fat no, N – O for the bases in Iraq’

   The people of Iraq, the parliament, the council of representatives and the government of Iraq, they all say no, big fat no, N-O for the bases in Iraq. No military bases for Iraq because we believe that is in direct encroachment to our soveriegnty, and we don’t need it.

   they still don’t get it…soveriegnty?!…Bwahahahahahahahahahaha

   lTMF’sA

   

   • 

     Gaianne on October 20, 2007 at 2:16 am

     it’s target practice on freeways here in the US?

6. 

   Man Eegee on October 19, 2007 at 12:58 pm

   Something stinks here

   MESA – The leaders of the largest alternative newspaper chain in the nation have been arrested because of a story they authored in their Phoenix publication about grand jury subpoenas, the East Valley Tribune reported.

   Michael Lacey, executive editor of Village Voice Media, and Jim Larkin, CEO of the chain, were arrested at their homes Thursday, the same day their story was published in the Phoenix New Times, a free, weekly alternative paper.

   The story, titled “Breathtaking Abuse of the Constitution,” told how Maricopa County authorities wanted to use grand jury subpoenas to find out who is visiting the New Times’ Web site. The paper reported that authorities also want every story the paper has written about Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio since Jan. 1, 2004 and all the notes, tapes and records of the reporters. – linkage

7. 

   dada on October 19, 2007 at 1:54 pm

   if you’re watching and paying attention to the growing problems and disparity in the economy, this program should be of interest.  bill moyers journal’s latest program is now available for viewing online, transcripts avail as well:

   An American

   Recession?

   Depression?
   HEADING FOR 1929?

   Veteran market watcher Robert Kuttner and Wall Street insider William H. Donaldson give their read of the current economic landscape and discuss the risks of the deregulation of the financial industry…

   Despite record highs on Wall Street this week, investors and economists are not worry free. Many point to similarities between today’s market and the conditions preceding the Stock Market crash of ’29.

   In testimony before the House Committee on Financial Services last week, veteran economic journalist Robert Kuttner talked about these parallels:

   “Your predecessors, over at the Senate Banking Committee, in the celebrated Pecora Hearings of 1933 and 1934, laid the groundwork for the modern edifice of financial regulation. I suspect that they would be appalled at the parallels between the systemic risks of the 1920s and many of the modern practices that have been permitted to seep back in to our financial markets.”

   bill moyers journal

   recommended.

   lTMF’sA