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Dardedar
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DAR
A really, really scary article:

Bernanke Deep-Sixes the Dollar to Save Wall Street
Contre Info

Sunday 16 March 2008

In the absence of the authority and political courage required to cut to the quick, the Fed has been reduced to using expedients that - while allowing the extent of losses to remain concealed - postpone the moment of truth and compromise the dollar. To save Wall Street, Bernanke exports the crisis and stokes a global inflationary fever, risking a devastating boomerang: rejection of the dollar as the global reserve currency.

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DAR
Do Republicans, ditto-heads, have a problem with lying and breaking the law?

Will Rush Limbaugh Be Indicted for Voter Fraud?
By Steven Rosenfeld
AlterNet

"As Ohio election officials investigate illegal crossover voting in the 2008 primary, questions arise on Limbaugh's role.

Rush Limbaugh, the nation's top-rated talk radio host, was urging Republicans in Texas and Ohio to skip their party's primary on March 4 and instead cast a vote for Hillary Clinton in order to prolong the fight between her and Barack Obama. And that Tuesday, as media in both states reported, thousands of Republicans did just what Limbaugh and others had suggested - they changed parties to vote for Clinton.

snip...

While this all makes for great talk radio and sounds like fun, there is one catch: What Limbaugh encouraged Republican voters to do in Ohio was a fifth-degree felony in that state, punishable with a $2,500 fine and six to 12 months in jail. That is because in order to change party affiliation in Ohio, voters have to fill out a form swearing allegiance to that party's principles "under penalty of election falsification."

snip...

But Michael Slater of Project Vote, a nonpartisan group that designs voter registration drives for low-income people, said GOP meddling in the Ohio Democratic Primary was a clear-cut example of fraudulent voting,...

"Here we have a real instance of spurring people on to engage in illegal election activities with a real intent to affect the outcome," Slater said. "That is voter fraud. People were encouraged to break the law. They had to declare allegiance to a political party and sign a document under penalty of perjury. Intent is what matters in voter fraud."

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What you don't hear on the TeeVee:

"Something you will notice if you follow the MSM’s coverage of Iraq is that there are literally hundreds of professional pundits lined up to give you their opinion of what’s happening there. The one group of people your media gargoyles will never turn to for an assessment of the situation in Iraq, however, are, well, the Iraqis. Probably because they have an inevitable need to go off-script when asked how grateful they are for our glorious efforts to bomb them into a democracy.

Glenn Greenwald has quotes from a very revealing Charlie Rose episode where this very thing happened:

ROSE: And obviously, what we want to accomplish on this fifth anniversary of the American invasion, or the coalition invasion of Iraq, is how they see it as Iraqis, five years later.

Give me an assessment.

ALI FADHIL: That’s a big question, assessment. Well, basically, probably, I`ll kind of sum it in a few words.

It’s — we have a country where the government is not functioning after five years. We have too many internal problems. And we have the violence increasing day after day.

We have a huge crisis of refugees inside and outside Iraq. We have a total failure of the — of the civilian — the civilian structure and what’s happening inside. We have the sectarian divisions increasing. We didn’t have that before. Now we have it.

So, basically, my assessment is we have a whole nation called Iraq, now it’s wiped out.

CHARLIE ROSE: And Iraq is worse off because the United States came?

ALI FADHIL: It’s worse off because the United States came to Iraq, definitely, and because the United States did all these mistakes in Iraq.

Gasp! How dare they! Those ungrateful bitches!

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"A recent survey that found some Florida teens believe drinking a cap of bleach will prevent HIV and a shot of Mountain Dew will stop pregnancy has prompted lawmakers to push for an overhaul of sex education in the state.

The survey showed that Florida teens also believe that smoking marijuana will prevent a person from getting pregnant. State lawmakers said the myths are spreading because of Florida’s abstinence-only sex education, Local 6 reported.

They are proposing a bill that would require a more comprehensive approach, the report said.It would still require teaching abstinence but students would also learn about condoms and other methods of birth control and disease prevention."

Read on…
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DAR
A view of Iran usually not portrayed in the American media:

Iran in pictures.
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Culture of Corruption:

Republican Offenders dot com has produced a list of 272 Republicans charged with criminal activity, 60 of which are pedophiles. Each name is linked to a group heading of the type of crime alleged or convicted. (Among the categories are rape, bribery and “assorted felonies”.)

The list has to be seen to be appreciated.
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Gonzo Can’t Find A Job

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"Alberto R. Gonzales, like many others recently unemployed, has discovered how difficult it can be to find a new job. Mr. Gonzales, the former attorney general, who was forced to resign last year, has been unable to interest law firms in adding his name to their roster, Washington lawyers and his associates said in recent interviews.

He has, through friends, put out inquiries, they said, and has not found any takers. What makes Mr. Gonzales’s case extraordinary is that former attorneys general, the government’s chief lawyer, are typically highly sought.

"...he left office last August with a frayed reputation over his role in the dismissal of several federal prosecutors and the truthfulness of his testimony about a secret eavesdropping program. He has had no full-time job since his resignation, and his principal income has come from giving a handful of talks at colleges and before private business groups."

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From C & R

From the title of a report from the General Accountability Office on combating terrorism released today:

The United States Lacks a Comprehensive Plan to Destroy the Terrorist Threat and Close the Safe Haven in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

This GAO report may be the most damning condemnation of the Bush administration’s counter-terrorism efforts. The report goes on to say that the Bush administration has failed to develop any plan to address the Al Qaeda threat. Worse, the report finds that Al Qaeda is now able to attack the United States and represents the “most serious” threat to this country.

The report’s opinion of the Bush administration efforts speaks for itself:

The United States has not met its national security goals to destroy the terrorist threat and close the safe haven in Pakistan…

Not only have we not met our goals but we have no plan to meet our goals. Read on…
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The Bonddad Blog
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Today's Markets

"More bad news on the inflation front. First, oil crossed the $115/bbl mark for the first time. Gasoline also settled at a record price (the dollar falling to a new low versus the euro didn't help matters). We also learned the year-over-year CPI rose 4%. Housing continues to struggle as housing starts fell to their lowest level in 17 years. And in the financial world, JPM Morgan's earnings dropped 50% and there are rumors that Merrill's writedowns this month could total $8 billion." LINK
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DAR
Observe as candidate GW Bush lectures Clinton on how to lower oil prices. He tells Clinton how to handle and “Jawbone OPEC” to “Open the Spigots.” Why was he saying this? Because crude was very expensive then. It was about $22 a barrel. LINK

Today crude hit $119. Nearly double what it was a year ago.

“What I think the president ought to do is he ought to get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your spigots. One reason why the price is so high is because the price of crude oil has been driven up. OPEC has gotten its supply act together, and it’s driving the price, like it did in the past. And the president of the United States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price.”
[The New York Times, 9/29/00; George Bush, Republican Primary Debate, Manchester, NH, 1/26/00]

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DAR
A precious new letter to the editor from Jay Cole Jr. Some people might think a letter like this needs to be responded to. I disagree. I think it is perfect like it is. A piece of southern religious art. This is what happens when children inhabit an adult body.

***
"Al Gore agrees with the United Nations that population control is the solution to global warming. He says too many people, using too many resources are heating up the atmosphere. The U.N. has determined that world population should be decreased by at least one-third immediately and more later.

Long ago, it started this reduction through birth control, feminism, homosexuality and war. I reject their plan. I say that plan is environmentally unfriendly. First of all, wars turn nuclear and I can say with certainty that nuclear weapons are anything but environmentally friendly. Carl Sagan's nuclear winter might cool things off for awhile, but if just one nuke exploded on the other side of the world, we will get wind of it on this side.

Secondly, birth control gives a false sense of security to those who are promiscuous, thus bringing disease just like homosexuality and war. Disease is not environmentally friendly either. And thirdly, feminism makes frustrated men and keeps them from a lasting relationship with women, causing both homosexuality and the wars mentioned above. As Linda Ellerbee says, "If we can send one man to the moon, then why can't we send them all?" Well gals y'all have fun. Feel like going to war now? The fact of the matter is that just one large volcano can produce more pollution than every jet airplane, garbage dump and automobile that ever existed. And God alone has control over volcanos, just like earth's total temperature. Only through sin and rebellion against God can man take credit for global warming. But it is God who controls the disasters that come as a result of sin. If man wants to cool the wrath of God and thus protect himself from global warming, then man must repent and acknowledge God in all his ways. That way man can still drive his V-8 automobile to a Bible-teaching church with the air-conditioner on."

Jay Cole Jr.
Fayetteville

NWA online
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Darrel wrote:I think it is perfect like it is. A piece of southern religious art.
DOUG
Yes, art can be made out of dung, although in this case it may be unintentional.
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AP headline:

Strike in Scotland closes major North Sea oil pipeline

"Hundreds of workers at Scotland's only oil refinery on Sunday began a 48-hour strike that has forced BP PLC to shut a pipeline system that delivers almost a third of Britain's North Sea oil." LINK

I wonder if the price of oil is going to go up or down tomorrow?
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Poll: Clinton has better chance than Obama of beating McCain

By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton has a better chance than Barack Obama of beating Republican John McCain, according to a new Associated Press-Ipsos poll that bolsters her argument that she is more electable in the fall than her rival for the Democratic nomination.

The survey released Monday gives Clinton a fresh talking point as she works to convince pivotal undecided superdelegates to side with her in the drawn-out Democratic primary fight.

Clinton, who won the Pennsylvania primary last week, has gained ground this month in a hypothetical head-to-head match up with the GOP nominee-in-waiting; she now leads McCain, 50 percent to 41 percent, while Obama remains virtually tied with McCain, 46 percent to 44 percent.

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White House admits fault on 'Mission Accomplished' banner

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House said Wednesday that President Bush has paid a price for the "Mission Accomplished" banner that was flown in triumph five years ago but later became a symbol of U.S. misjudgments and mistakes in the long and costly war in Iraq.
...

"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended," Bush said at the time. "The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on Sept. 11, 2001, and still goes on." The "Mission Accomplished" banner was prominently displayed above him - a move the White House came to regret as the display was mocked and became a source of controversy.

[Dar insert: "In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."]

After shifting explanations, the White House eventually said the "Mission Accomplished" phrase referred to the carrier's crew completing its 10-month mission, not the military completing its mission in Iraq.

Bush, in October 2003, disavowed any connection with the "Mission Accomplished" message. He said the White House had nothing to do with the banner; a spokesman later said the ship's crew asked for the sign and the White House staff had it made by a private vendor.

[CNN notes: "White House spokesman Scott McClellan told CNN "We took care of the production of it. We have people to do those things. But the Navy actually put it up."
--CNN.com - White House pressed on 'mission accomplished' sign - Oct. 29, 2003]

Now in its sixth year, the war in Iraq has claimed the lives of at least 4,061 members of the U.S. military. Only the Vietnam War (August 1964 to January 1973), the war in Afghanistan (October 2001 to present) and the Revolutionary War (July 1776 to April 1783) have engaged America longer." LINK

DAR
Note: Over 96% of the major causalities have occurred since the speech was given. Link

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Last edited by Dardedar on Thu May 08, 2008 12:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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The Pentagon's $1 Trillion Problem

"For the first three quarters of 2007, $1.1 trillion in Army accounting entries hadn't been properly reviewed and substantiated, according to the Department of Defense's inspector general. In 2006, $258.2 billion of recorded withdrawals and payments from the Army's main account were unsupported. It's as if the Army had submitted multibillion-dollar expense reports without any receipts."

The rest...
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DAR
Read this and thought of Galt.

***
Americans value free time over money: survey

Fri May 2, 11:57 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Having enough free time is more important to most Americans than being rich, according to a new poll.

Only 13 percent of more than 2,400 people questioned in the telephone poll ranked being wealthy as most important to them, while 67 percent ranked free time as their top priority, higher than having a successful career, getting married, and having children.

"Everyone wants free time to do the things they want to do, young, middle-aged or old," said Richard Morin, of the Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project, which conducted the survey.

"So our desire to play unites us."

The poll also showed that people who were university educated valued career success over wealth, as did middle-aged people.

Not surprisingly, those who didn't have money, ranked wealth very highly. This included minorities, first generation Americans and less educated people.

The survey also revealed that a disproportionate number of people under the age of 30 and retirees in the group made $20,000 or less a year.

But the emphasis on wealth lessens with age, with younger people putting value on it but hardly any seniors.

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DAR
I think she's done:

McGovern, former Clinton backer, endorses Obama

By DENNIS GALE

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Former Sen. George McGovern, an early supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton, urged her to drop out of the Democratic presidential race and endorsed her rival, Barack Obama.

After watching the returns from the North Carolina and Indiana primaries Tuesday night, McGovern said Wednesday it's virtually impossible for Clinton to win the nomination. The 1972 Democratic presidential nominee said he had a call in to former President Clinton to tell him of the decision, adding that he remains close friends with the Clintons.

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