Author: alohaleezy

Okay all you Tribbers. A few of us have been threatening a meetup on the West Coast. This doesn’t mean it is just for West Coasters either. Man Egee, SallyCat, Shirlstar, Diane are all considering it. March is being tossed around if that will work for most. This is very in the planning stage right now but let’s quit talking about it and start planning.

Of course I would love to see it held in San Diego but am very open to up the coast a bit. Let’s get some ideas going but first let’s see if there is a true interest in a  meetup at all. I even read at the Cafe that Supersoling is threatening to grace us with his presence. SO use the thread for ideas, times, places and then we can vote on it in the next week or so.

Looking forward to meeting the Tribe!
[Update] Please vote for one of the following weekends in March in the comments. We will do everything we can to make this happen for all that want to get together. 3/17 or 3/24 or 3/31. Please put VOTE in header of comment. Thank you!

This is it folks. The hearings start this week on Alito and I feel we must do whatever possible to stop this nomination or we will rapidly see our once great country sprially rapidly into that deep dark hole of Fascism. This is it and this is my small little contribution to the cause.

Dear Senator Feinstein,

I write to you today on the subject of Bush’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Justice Alito. Senator, I know you will not prejudge and most likely I will receive the pat form letter/email back from you. I still must try to instill in you how much the future of our country is at stake here.

I write to you not so much for me but for my nine year old grand daughter and the future of her rights as a citizen. There is no doubt in my mind that Alito would help to overturn Roe v. Wade and that he believes that is perfectly legal for the President to spy on US citizens without a warrant.

We cannot stand by and allow the Bush Cabal to stack the Supreme Court for the next thirty years or more with these bigoted, neocons that are rapidly turning our once great nation into a fascist state.

ANyone that votes for this nominee shall lose my support not only financially but with my vote. We need our Democrats to step to the plate and grow a spine and stand up to the Republican propaganda machine run amock. It is the highest form of Patriotism to dessent and to proudly wear the label of obstructionist. The future of our country is at stake here Senator. Please do the right thing and not only vote no but show the Republicans that we are not going to allow this nominee even a hearing until the NSA Spying scandal is investigated.

Thank you Senator for your service to our country. We need now more than ever.

Respectfully,

Del Mar

Let’s keep the heat on!

Another revelation to come out of the Downing Street Memos this morning. AFP has the story here.

“US     President George W. Bush planned to bomb pan-Arab television broadcaster al-Jazeera, British newspaper the Daily Mirror said, citing a Downing Street memo marked “Top Secret”.

The five-page transcript of a conversation between Bush and British Prime Minister     Tony Blair reveals that Blair talked Bush out of launching a military strike on the station, unnamed sources told the daily which is against the war in     Iraq.

The transcript of the pair’s talks during Blair’s April 16, 2004 visit to Washington allegedly shows Bush wanted to attack the satellite channel’s headquarters.

Blair allegedly feared such a strike, in the business district of Doha, the capital of Qatar, a key western ally in the Persian Gulf, would spark revenge attacks.

The Mirror quoted an unnamed British government official as saying Bush’s threat was “humorous, not serious”.

Al-Jazeera’s perspectives on the war in Iraq have drawn criticism from Washington since the US-led March 2003 invasion.

The station has broadcast messages from Al-Qaeda terror network chief     Osama bin Laden and the beheadings of Western hostages by insurgents in Iraq, as well as footage of dead coalition servicemen and Iraqi civilians killed in fighting.

A source told the Mirror: “The memo is explosive and hugely damaging to Bush.

“He made clear he wanted to bomb al-Jazeera in Qatar and elsewhere. Blair replied that would cause a big problem.

“There’s no doubt what Bush wanted to do — and no doubt Blair didn’t want him to do it.”

Another source said: “Bush was deadly serious, as was Blair. That much is absolutely clear from the language used by both men.”

A spokesman for Blair’s Downing Street office said: “We have got nothing to say about this story.”

Makes one wonder what else our whackjob leader wanted to do and had to be talked out of. What I want to know is why so many people that had information such as this have waited far too long to reveal it. If all the information that has come out in the past year had come to light sooner we may have had a different president today.

[Promoted by Susan] MSNBC live now. They are saying the reason is most likely that WH/Bush unwilling to release papers asked for. More to follow when more becomes available.

Who will be the next crony nominated?

Update [2005-10-27 9:35:30 by alohaleezy]: From AP article Bush says””It is clear that senators would not be satisfied until they gained access to internal documents concerning advice provided during her tenure at the White House — disclosures that would undermine a president’s ability to receive candid counsel,” Bush said. “Harriet Miers’ decision demonstrates her deep respect for this essential aspect of the constitutional separation of powers — and confirms my deep respect and admiration for her.”

So, I take a vacation and come back home to find a brouhaha going on here at the pond. That is to be expected from time to time in such politically charged times is it not? It was the opinions and philosophies of many that I thought I knew where they stood that took me by surprise.

I decided that I needed to go back and read FAQ to clarify in my own mind what the mission statement was for this site. I needed that to be clear as I was getting somewhat confused.

In Booman’s own words, for those of you that may have never read FAQ or simply have forgotten I will quote our esteemed host:

Do we here have this common mission in mind? Can we agree to disagree of some issues? Can we find the common ground and work within the Democratic Party to make the changes needed to over throw what we are currently handed from the GOP?

In my ever so humble opinion the future of our country is at stake. The future our children and grandchildren will be straddled with. Can we work together for the betterment of the whole not just the democratic party but for all Americans? I believe we can and believe it is imperative to start now. We cannot afford to wait any longer. The ’06 and ’08 elections will be here before you know it.  

As millions flee the gulf coast of Texas, the horror of piss poor planning hits on the highway where at least 24 seniors lost their lives in a bus fire along the side of the road.

AP article

I am so appalled. How many more people will continue to die? How many more here in the US? How many more in Iraq before this administration is taken out of power? Who of us is next? Where is the fucking outrage?

Each and every day there is another assault on our fellow citizens. Oh well, they were just a bunch of old sick people. Less social security and medicare checks to pay. I HATE this fucking government. I really really do!

Once again the United States has presented a slide show of satellite pictures to “prove their case” that Iran has nuclear capabilities and poses a threat to our National Security. The problem this time around while the United States is crying wolf, no one is apt to believe the “intelligence” as it is too eerliy like that Colin Powell presented almost three years and 2000 Americans later.

WaPo fills us in.

There’s more.
According to the article, “Sept. 13 — With an hour-long slide show that blends satellite imagery with disquieting assumptions about Iran’s nuclear energy program, Bush administration officials have been trying to convince allies that Tehran is on a fast track toward nuclear weapons.”

“The PowerPoint briefing, titled “A History of Concealment and Deception,” has been presented to diplomats from more than a dozen countries. Several diplomats said the presentation, intended to win allies for increasing pressure on the Iranian government, dismisses ambiguities in the evidence about Iran’s intentions and omits alternative explanations under debate among intelligence analysts.”

No alternative explanations? Of course not that wouldn’t be the style of these warmongers.

“Several diplomats said the slide show reminded them of the flawed presentation on Iraq’s weapons programs made by then-secretary of state Colin L. Powell to the U.N. Security Council in February 2003. “I don’t think they’ll lose any support, but it isn’t going to win anyone either,” said one European diplomat who attended the recent briefing and whose country backs the U.S. position on Iran.”

Even our “backers” are skeptical. And why wouldn’t they be after what our President has done and failed to do.

“Several influential nations such as India, Russia, China, South Africa and Brazil share U.S. suspicions about Iran’s intentions. But they maintain profound differences with the Bush administration over how to respond, and are apprehensive about the goals of a U.S. president who has said “all options are on the table,” in dealing with Tehran.

Three years ago, the White House used the same annual gathering to put both Iraq, and the world community on notice. In a toughly-worded speech, delivered six months before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Bush warned that the United States would deal alone, if necessary, with a dictator bent on launching nuclear weapons.”

Will this maniac that has his finger so close to the button destroy the world as we know it? Will he lead us into a nuclear war? Will we allow him to? He has three more years to achieve this insane take over of the Middle East. Calling Pat Lang and Larry Johnson. We need your help now. We MUST stop this insanity before it is too late.

I had heard this rumor a couple of days ago and thought, no, this cannot be! They haven’t even rescued the victims of this catastrophe and KBR is already profiteering? Someone help me here please before I go through the roof.

Read the details WaPo story

“Jan Davis, a spokeswoman for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, said yesterday that KBR would receive $12 million for work at the Naval Air Station at Pascagoula, Miss., the Naval Station at Gulfport, Miss., and Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. KBR will receive $4.6 million for work at two smaller Navy facilities in New Orleans and others in the South.”

Another no bid contract for Cheney? No wonder we haven’t heard anything from him. He has been too busy counting the money he has been making. There needs to be a huge outrage. There needs to be bids for to repair the damage. KBR is still raping our government funds over in Iraq. Will we allow them to continue this raping here?

The mayor of New Orleans has finally had enough of the incompetence from this sham of an administration.
AP article here.

A day before President Bush headed to the hurricane-ravaged South, Mayor Ray Nagin lashed out at federal officials, telling a local radio station “they don’t have a clue what’s going on down here.”

“They flew down here one time two days after the doggone event was over with TV cameras, AP reporters, all kind of goddamn — excuse my French everybody in America, but I am pissed,” Nagin said.

I was wondering how long it would take for this mayor to call these boobs out for their total lack of reality.

And we will continue to see headlines with the following words in them, looting, lawlessness, sniper, unsafe so that this so called democratic government can continue to turn their backs and keep their pockets full on these starving people in the worst disaster in our nations history.

Hello Halliburton no bid contracts.

[Update]Barbara Boxer responds with a letter to George.Boxer

According to the AP this morning the Governor is calling for all people remaining in New Orleans to be evacuated, but she doesn’t say just how that is to be accomplished.

“She said she wanted the Superdome evacuated within two days, but it was still unclear where the people would go.” We’re talking 20,000+ people in the Superdome alone folks.What does she want them to do, SWIM OUT?

 Once again, our leadership is failing the American people in what just may be the worst natural disaster in our history. Once again, there is no plan.While George spends one more day in Crawford, hundreds of people are dying from dehaydration, hunger and drowning. What the fuck does he need to go back to the White House for before going to New Orleans. Brief the Idiot on Air Force one. He will not be going there for two more day?

“I can only imagine that this is what Hiroshima looked like 60 years ago,” said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour after touring the destruction by air.”

I am calling for everyone to start raising the question of the National Guard being in Iraq and our fellow citizens are left out to fend for themselves, with no food, water or a way to get out. This is beyond all comprehension.