August 30, 2006

Keith Olbermann's Commentary

Crooks and Liars
August 30, 2006

Looks like Keith Olbermann has gone and upset the applecart in a recent commentary, which is good for MSNBC; their ratings are up 12 percent overall, 13 percent among viewers 25 to 54 and Keith Olbernmann's ratings are up 37 percent. Olbermann was responding to Rumsfeld's claim in a speech before American Legion that dissent over the US invasion of Iraq is equivalent to appeasing Adolf Hitler.

An excerpt from Olbermann's commentary:

Dissent and disagreement with government is the life’s blood of human freedom; and not merely because it is the first roadblock against the kind of tyranny the men Mr. Rumsfeld likes to think of as "his" troops still fight, this very evening, in Iraq. It is also essential. Because just every once in awhile it is right and the power to which it speaks, is wrong.

In a small irony, however, Mr. Rumsfeld’s speechwriter was adroit in invoking the memory of the appeasement of the Nazis. For in their time, there was another government faced with true peril—with a growing evil—powerful and remorseless. That government, like Mr. Rumsfeld’s, had a monopoly on all the facts. It, too, had the "secret information." It alone had the true picture of the threat. It too dismissed and insulted its critics in terms like Mr. Rumsfeld’s -- questioning their intellect and their morality.

August 29, 2006

Judge OKs Wiretaps In AIPAC Case

New York Sun
August 23, 2006

In an opinion released yesterday, a federal judge said there was plenty of evidence to support federal intelligence-gathering wiretaps and searches in an investigation of two pro-Israel lobbyists charged with conspiring to procure and distribute classified information.

Judge Thomas Ellis III upheld warrants issued by the secrecy-shrouded Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and said the evidence obtained can be introduced against the former employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman.

August 28, 2006

No Evidence Linking Osama bin Laden to 9/11?

Muckraker Report
June 6, 2006

On June 5, 2006, the Muckraker Report contacted the FBI Headquarters, (202) 324-3000, to learn why Bin Laden’s Most Wanted poster did not indicate that Usama was also wanted in connection with 9/11. The Muckraker Report spoke with Rex Tomb, Chief of Investigative Publicity for the FBI. When asked why there is no mention of 9/11 on Bin Laden’s Most Wanted web page, Tomb said, "The reason why 9/11 is not mentioned on Usama Bin Laden's Most Wanted page is because the FBI has no hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11."

Surprised by the ease in which this FBI spokesman made such an astonishing statement, I asked, "How this was possible?" Tomb continued, "Bin Laden has not been formally charged in connection to 9/11." I asked, "How does that work?” Tomb continued, "The FBI gathers evidence. Once evidence is gathered, it is turned over to the Department of Justice. The Department of Justice than decides whether it has enough evidence to present to a federal grand jury. In the case of the 1998 United States Embassies being bombed, Bin Laden has been formally indicted and charged by a grand jury. He has not been formally indicted and charged in connection with 9/11 because the FBI has no hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11."

Humbling of Israeli Troops Shatters Israeli Morale

Times Online
August 27, 2006

Israel's security might now depend on whether a French-led United Nations peacekeeping force proves able to disarm Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. In addition to 7,000 troops already promised by EU states, the UN has received offers from several Muslim countries, some of which do not even recognise Israel.

"We expected a tent and three Kalashnikovs — that was the intelligence we were given. Instead, we found a hydraulic steel door leading to a well-equipped network of tunnels."

August 27, 2006

Man Killed By Train While Riding Lawn Mower

Macon Telegraph
August 27, 2006

A Houston County man going down the railroad tracks on a riding lawn mower was hit and killed by a train early Saturday morning. Anthony Todd Potts, 38, of 809A Ga. 247, was traveling southbound on the Norfolk Southern tracks south of GA. 96 when he was hit by a northbound train at 1:13 a.m., said Cpl. Sean Alexander of the Houston County Sheriff's Office.

"Alcohol is a contributing factor," Alexander said. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

Cpl. Brad Stone of the Houston County Sheriff's Office said investigators have no idea why the man was riding the lawn mower down the tracks in the middle of the night.

Potts was killed instantly and the lawn mower was destroyed beyond recognition, Stone said."

US Investigates Israeli Use Of Cluster Bombs

Guardian Unlimited
August 26, 2006

The US State Department is investigating whether Israel's use of American-made cluster bombs in Lebanon violated an agreement that the weapons not be used in populated areas, officials said yesterday.

'We've heard the allegations that these munitions were used in Lebanon and we're looking into it,' a state department spokesman said yesterday. Another official confirmed that the sale of cluster bombs was conditional on Israel using them only against military targets in the open, away from civilian areas.

Details of that undertaking - dating back to the first sales of cluster munitions in the 1970s - are classified, but they are reported to include a pledge only to use them against organised armies and clearly defined military targets.

Osama Denied Involvement In 9/11 Attacks?

CNN.com
September 17, 2001

Islamic militant leader Osama bin Laden, the man the United States considers the prime suspect in last week's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, denied any role Sunday in the actions believed to have killed thousands.

In a statement issued to the Arabic satellite channel Al Jazeera, based in Qatar, bin Laden said, "The U.S. government has consistently blamed me for being behind every occasion its enemies attack it. I would like to assure the world that I did not plan the recent attacks, which seems to have been planned by people for personal reasons," bin Laden's statement said.

August 26, 2006

Hezbollah Launches Boy Band To Stardom

CNN.com
August 25, 2006

They were struggling in a boy band, working the West Bank wedding circuit and dreaming of stardom. Now the five singers who make up the Northern Band have come a little closer to their goal, with help from an unwitting ally -- Hezbollah guerrilla chief Hassan Nasrallah.

At the height of the Israel-Hezbollah war, the band wrote new lyrics, in praise of Nasrallah, for an old tune. The 'Hawk of Lebanon' song tapped into Nasrallah's huge popularity among Palestinians and became an instant hit. The song is being played on Arab TV networks, used as a ring tone for cell phones, passed around on e-mail and distributed on pirate CDs and tapes.

Cult Leader Gets Date With Executioner

CNN.com
August 24, 2006

A religious cult leader convicted of killing a family of five in 1989 will be executed in October, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Thursday. Jeffrey Lundgren, 56, was convicted of shooting to death a man, his wife and his three daughters who had moved from Missouri in 1987 to follow Lundgren's teachings. He referred to the killings as 'pruning the vineyard.'

Lundgren formed a religious cult after he was dismissed in 1987 as a lay minister of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

August 23, 2006

Israel's President Accused of Rape, Office Raided

Independent Online
August 23, 2006

Israeli police have raided the official residence of President Moshe Katsav and taken away computers and documents in connection with sexual harassment allegations. Detectives will question the 60-year-old today under caution after a female former employee accused him of forcing her to have sexual relations with him.

The President, a Likud politician whose family migrated to Israel from Iran when he was five, could be charged with rape. Police are planning to confront him with the complainant, who is reported to have passed a lie-detector test. They hope to glean more evidence from the computer and papers.

August 18, 2006

FDA Approves Viruses as Food Additive

CNN.com
August 18, 2006

A mix of bacteria-killing viruses can be safely sprayed on cold cuts, hot dogs and sausages to combat common microbes that kill hundreds of people a year, federal health officials said Friday in granting the first-ever approval of viruses as a food additive.

August 16, 2006

Wow Man, I'm Freaking Out

Ann Coulter Is A Deadhead

In a recent interview with Taylor Hill of JamBands.com, Ann Coulter admits:

Taylor Hill: When and how was your first Dead show?

Ann Coulter: I have no recollection of it whatsoever, other than that it was awesome.

I suppose I should act surprised or make the obvious jokes but I won't.

August 14, 2006

Mike Wallace Interviews Ahmadinejad

CBS News
August 13, 2006

"We think that Mr. Bush's team and the parties that support him want to monopolize energy resources in the world. Because once they have that they can impose their opinions, points of view, policies on other nations and, of course, line their own pockets." -Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

August 13, 2006

World Ends August 22nd

Wall Street Journal
August 8, 2006

It seems increasingly likely that the Iranians either have or very soon will have nuclear weapons at their disposal, thanks to their own researches (which began some 15 years ago), to some of their obliging neighbors, and to the ever-helpful rulers of North Korea. The language used by Iranian President Ahmadinejad would seem to indicate the reality and indeed the imminence of this threat.

A direct attack on the U.S., though possible, is less likely in the immediate future. Israel is a nearer and easier target, and Mr. Ahmadinejad has given indication of thinking along these lines. The Western observer would immediately think of two possible deterrents. The first is that an attack that wipes out Israel would almost certainly wipe out the Palestinians too. The second is that such an attack would evoke a devastating reprisal from Israel against Iran, since one may surely assume that the Israelis have made the necessary arrangements for a counterstrike even after a nuclear holocaust in Israel.

In Islam, as in Judaism and Christianity, there are certain beliefs concerning the cosmic struggle at the end of time--Gog and Magog, anti-Christ, Armageddon, and for Shiite Muslims, the long awaited return of the Hidden Imam, ending in the final victory of the forces of good over evil, however these may be defined. Mr. Ahmadinejad and his followers clearly believe that this time is now, and that the terminal struggle has already begun and is indeed well advanced. It may even have a date, indicated by several references by the Iranian president to giving his final answer to the U.S. about nuclear development by Aug. 22. This was at first reported as "by the end of August," but Mr. Ahmadinejad's statement was more precise.

What is the significance of Aug. 22? This year, Aug. 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to "the farthest mosque," usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1). This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.




The Guardian
August 9, 2006

Better cancel those holidays. We now have a date for Armageddon, and it's a week on Tuesday - August 22.

This information comes from no lesser source than the Wall Street Journal, where Bernard Lewis, President Bush's favourite historian, provides the details. (see article extract below)

This sort of quasi-religious scare-mongering always finds a receptive audience in the United States, especially among Christians of the jihadist persuasion. At 90 years old, Professor Lewis may have completely lost his marbles, but he is still feted by the White House (vice-president Dick Cheney was guest of honour at his birthday party in April), and the Wall Street Journal describes him as "a sage". He is credited with coining the phrase "clash of civilisations" back in 1990 and now seems intent on making it a reality.

Nevertheless, Prof Lewis does manage to spot a few drawbacks in his alleged Iranian attempt to obliterate Israel. "An attack that wipes out Israel would almost certainly wipe out the Palestinians too," he writes. This "might well be of concern to the Palestinians", he says, "but not apparently to their fanatical champions in the Iranian government." (He seems to be assuming here that Iran already has a fully primed nuclear arsenal, which is plainly not the case, despite what many Americans imagine.)

So why, exactly, did the Iranians choose August 22 as the date for giving their answer to the US about nuclear development? Probably for bureaucratic convenience. When they promised a reply "by the end of August", they didn't actually use the word "August", but the Iranian equivalent. If you look up the Persian calendar, you'll see that August 22 just happens to be the end of the month known as Mordad.

August 12, 2006

Three Texas Men Arraigned on Terror Charges

AP Wire Service
Filed August 12, 2006

"Three men were stopped before dawn Friday after they purchased 80 cell phones from a Wal-Mart in Caro (Michigan). Police said they found about 1,000 cell phones, mostly prepaid TracFones, in their minivan. The men cooperated with police and the FBI for hours before their arrests Friday afternoon. They said they intended to sell the phones in Texas for a profit."

Tracking Corporate Political Donations

FollowYourMoney.com

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) tracks the origin of all donations to politicians. Follow Your Money gives these donations meaning by tying products and brands to the companies that make those donations. The FEC provides data for every individual contribution from a company-sponsored Political Action Committee (PAC) to other PACs as well as to specific candidates. Follow Your Money recursively aggregates this data to determine the amount each PAC ultimately contributes to each political party. Our database is updated every Monday from the FEC and contains records from 1980 - Present.

Domestic Terrorism Case

Christian Science Monitor
From the December 29, 2003 Edition

"Last month, an east Texas man pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon of mass destruction. Inside the home and storage facilities of William Krar, investigators found a sodium-cyanide bomb capable of killing thousands, more than a hundred explosives, half a million rounds of ammunition, dozens of illegal weapons, and a mound of white-supremacist and antigovernment literature."

August 06, 2006

HR 4379 "We the People Act"

House Resolution 4379
November 17, 2005

I wonder how this one slipped through ... it looks like the death of the fourth amendment; the resolution ensures that "The Supreme Court of the United States and each Federal court shall not adjudicate any claim based upon the right of privacy."

August 03, 2006

Qana attack Hurts US Support for Israel

Haaretz.com
Filed January 8, 2006

It now appears that the military had no information on rockets launched from the site of the building, or the presence of Hezbollah men at the time. The Israel Defense Forces had said after the deadly air-strike that many rockets had been launched from Qana. However, it changed its version on Monday.

The 1992 AIPAC Tape

How AIPAC Influences The US Government

A transcript of the Oct. 22, 1992 conversation with President David Steiner of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) recorded without his knowledge by New York businessman Haim (Harry) Katz. Its existence was first revealed to the Washington Times and its release triggered Steiner's resignation.