"Obviously, Something came up yesterday. My apologies but reality imposes itself on occasion...Now for more of that damnable reality" - Nobody
Christian group to advocate more support for Israel
More than 3,000 pro-Israel evangelical Christians will be in town next week for a "Washington/Israel summit" to push the Bush administration toward stronger support for the Jewish state.
Starting with a banquet July 18 at the Hilton Washington and visits to Capitol Hill the next morning, the inaugural gathering of Christians United for Israel (CUFI) will showcase a deeper cooperation between evangelical Christians and Jews in the face of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's suggestion in October, often reiterated since, that Israel "be wiped off the map."
Organizers say Israeli Ambassador Daniel Ayalon, retired Israeli defense chief Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon and Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman -- all of whom are Jewish -- will be at the dinner. Several members of Congress also are scheduled to attend, including Republican Sens. Sam Brownback of Kansas and Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, both Catholics. Leading evangelicals that have confirmed their invitations include the Rev. Jerry Falwell and Gary Bauer.
Their host will be Texas evangelist the Rev. John C. Hagee, pastor of the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio and author of "Jerusalem Countdown," a 2006 book about a nuclear-armed Iran. "There's a new Hitler in the Middle East," Mr. Hagee said in an interview. "He's talking about killing Jews. He will have the ability to do so with nuclear weapons.
"A veritable who's who in the Dominionist movement...Welcome to Armegeddon" - Nobody
Israel and The Land
The problem is that Israel will not pull back to its pre-1967 borders so long as many Israelis and most evangelical Christians in America continue to believe that present day Jews have a biblical right to all of Arab territory in Palestine. For this reason a biblical examination of the issue is necessary.
A reminder what started the current crisis in the Mideast...
ISRAEL PLANNED CAPTURE OF PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT LONG BEFORE ALLEGED KIDNAPPING
"The detention of Hamas parliamentarians in the early hours of Thursday morning had been planned several weeks ago and received approval from Mazuz on Wednesday. "
IT SEEMS ISRAEL PLANNED DELIBERATE PROVOCATION OF HAMAS AND HIZBOLLAH
A report in the Jerusalem Post today proves very revealing. It claims that, ‘Only weeks ago, an entire reserve division was drafted in order to train for an operation such as the one the IDF is planning in response to Wednesday morning's Hizbollah attacks on IDF forces along the northern border.’[1]
The news is revealing because it was only a little over two weeks ago that Cpl. Gilad Shalit was captured by Palestinian fighters. One needs to ask how the Israelis knew at, or even before, he was captured that it would be taking action against Hizbollah in Lebanon.
Kidnapping and war
Israel has, in essence, declared war on Lebanon and the Palestinians in Gaza after the kidnapping of a few soldiers. But the real kidnappers in the region are the Israelis themselves, who have kidnapped hundreds of Palestinian "suspects":
Who started?
What could otherwise have been expected? That Israel would unilaterally withdraw, brutally and outrageously ignoring the Palestinians and their needs, and that they would silently bear their bitter fate and would not continue to fight for their liberty, livelihood and dignity? We promised a safe passage to the West Bank and didn't keep the promise. We promised to free prisoners and didn't keep the promise. We supported democratic elections and then boycotted the legally elected leadership, confiscating funds that belong to it, and declaring war on it. We could have withdrawn from Gaza through negotiations and coordination, while strengthening the existing Palestinian leadership, but we refused to do so. And now, we complain about "a lack of leadership?" We did everything we could to undermine their society and leadership, making sure as much as possible that the disengagement would not be a new chapter in our relationship with the neighboring nation, and now we are amazed by the violence and hatred that we sowed with our own hands.
My life in Gaza
Ostensibly, this bombing campaign started because of the soldier's capture. To the outside world it might seem like an easy decision for Palestinians: Let the soldier go, and the siege will end. Yet for Gazans, even in the face of this brutal violence, another decision comes, not with ease, but with resolve. He is one soldier who was captured in a military operation. Today, several hundred Palestinian children and women are locked in Israeli prisons. They deserve their freedom no less than he does. Their families mourn their absence no less than his family does. So while Gazans endure Israel's rainstorm, most want the soldier held -- not harmed -- until the women and children are released.
Gaza: Of Mice and Men
Our readers may remember that at the height of withdrawal hullabaloo we called (in Much Ado about Gaza) for everyone to tone down their expectations: an Israeli pull-out is always followed by a push-in, as in a rape scene. Do not expect to see the last of them: an Englishman leaves without bidding farewell, a Jew says his farewells but does not leave, quoth a Jewish joke. Readers of this list and site received, as always, the correct forecast: indeed the Jews came back.
Aggression Under False Pretenses
The current Gaza invasion is only the latest effort to destroy the results of fair and free elections held early this year. It is the explosive follow-up to a five-month campaign of economic and diplomatic warfare directed by the United States and Israel. The stated intention of that strategy was to force the average Palestinian to "reconsider" her vote when faced with deepening hardship; its failure was predictable, and the new overt military aggression and collective punishment are its logical fulfillment. The "kidnapped" Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit is only a pretext for a job scheduled months ago.
the beginning of the end for Israel - mad dog styl
e
Before you bedrock Zionists accuse me of anti-semitism, this is not MY prediction but that of Martin van Creveld, professor of military history at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem as quoted in an article by David Hirst and published in the Observer on Sunday September 21, 2003:
'We possess several hundred atomic warheads and rockets and can launch them at targets in all directions, perhaps even at Rome. Most European capitals are targets for our air force. Let me quote General Moshe Dayan: "Israel must be like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother." I consider it all hopeless at this point. We shall have to try to prevent things from coming to that, if at all possible. Our armed forces, however, are not the thirtieth strongest in the world, but rather the second or third. We have the capability to take the world down with us. And I can assure you that that will happen before Israel goes under.'
Israeli offensive kills 23 in Gaza
Twenty-three people, including nine members of the same family, have been killed as Israeli tanks and troops pushed into the central Gaza Strip.
Israel has pledged to continue the operation, which has already cost the lives of more than 60 Palestinians, until a soldier abducted by Palestinian fighters is freed and crude rocket attacks over the border are stopped.
Palestinian injuries suggest Israel is using chemical weapons in Gaza
Israelis use “unprecedented type of projectiles” on Palestinians
During the course of the Aqsa Intifada, which started in September 2000, the Israeli occupation army used a variety of internationally prohibited weapons, including shells containing depleted uranium, dart shells, which contain thousands of nail-like darts that penetrate the body, as well as gas agents affecting the nervous system.
The Israeli occupation army has refused to comment on the type of weapons it uses against Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel 'is using chemical ammunition'
Retaliation in Lebanon Hits Roads, Bridges
More than 100 aerial attacks in southern Lebanon Wednesday night and early Thursday destroyed a dozen bridges and bombed the road infrastructure and communications network after Hizbullah terrorists killed eight IDF soldiers and abducted two others. One strike hit a vehicle in which two Hizbullah terrorists were traveling.
The world rebuilds it, Israelis destroy it - again and again and again
What's wrong with this picture?
Beit Hanoun's veteran bridge builder shrugged off his latest misfortune: the Israelis destroyed the main span into town three years ago. The European Union rebuilt it. And overnight the Israelis destroyed it again.
Syria Will End Dollar Peg, Moves Reserves to Euros
Syria, under fire from the U.S. for the alleged support of terrorism, plans to end its currency peg to the dollar by year-end to reflect closer trade ties with Europe, central bank Governor Adib Mayaleh said.
US's zero-sum diplomacy toward Iran
On the eve of the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Russia, President George W Bush and his top policymakers openly boast about the US's multilateralist diplomacy toward Iran and, yet, their all-or-nothing approach with respect to Iran's nuclear enrichment program represents a zero-sum pseudo-diplomacy bound to fail.
Iran "can't wait us out" in nuclear dispute - Bush
U.S. President George W. Bush warned Iran on Thursday it did not have an unlimited amount of time to settle the dispute over its nuclear programme.
US blames Iran, Syria for Hizbollah capture
"Church lady...this is your cue babe..." - Nobody
Israel: Hezbollah plans to move abducted IDF soldiers to Iran
Ehud Goldwasser, 31, of Nahariya, and Eldad Regev, 26, of Kiryat Motzkin were abducted Wednesday.
Israeli troops enter Lebanon amid kidnap reports
Israel launched air strikes and sent troops and tanks into southern Lebanon Wednesday, after Hezbollah television said its guerrillas had abducted two Israeli soldiers along the border.
"Interesting that Israel had troops built up in just that spot along the border at just this time...As the church lady used to say "how convenient"...and on which side of the border were these guys captured anyways?" - Nobody
PM Olmert calls Hezbollah border attack an 'act of war'
Olmert, who was to hold an emergency cabinet meeting later Wednesday, said the attack was not an act of terror but an attack by a sovereign state on Israel.
Senior Israel Defense Forces officers said Wednesday that "if the abducted soldiers are not returned we'll turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years."
IDF issuing callup orders for reservists
After IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz concluded his security briefings in the Kiryah in Tel Aviv on Wednesday afternoon, a senior IDF officer said the military was preparing for a large operation against Lebanon. Communities along the northern border had been instructed to prepare accordingly.
Israel hits out at 'act of war'
In a dramatic escalation of Middle East tensions, Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon for the first time in six years. Israeli forces left in 2000 after 22 years of occupation.
Israel threatening to go beyond southern Lebanon - next step of 'A Clean Break' coming soon?:
Israel authorizes 'severe' response to abductions
Israelis Attack Just 10 Miles From Beirut
Israel attacks Beirut's airport
It comes as 27 civilians, including 10 children, were killed in overnight Israeli raids on southern Lebanon.
Israel prepares for widespread military escalation
On the 18th day since the abduction of Corporal Gilad Shalit, the picture has become all the more complex. From limited fighting on a single front (the Gaza Strip), the Israel Defense Forces is now approaching what might evolve into a near outright war on two fronts.
Lebanon seeks Israeli ceasefire
Lebanese ministers have called for a ceasefire with Israel, saying that all means should be used to end "open aggression" against their country.
International calls for restraint are growing, with Russia, France and the EU saying Israel's response to the capture of two soldiers was disproportionate. Meanwhile Israeli jets bombed the main Lebanese army air base in Bekaa Valley. Israel is imposing an air and sea blockade on Lebanon following the two soldiers' capture by Hezbollah.
Israel: $5000 reward for killing gays
A leaflet distributed in several neighborhoods in Jerusalem offered NIS 20,000 to anyone who kills participants in the International Gay Pride Parade scheduled to take place in Jerusalem next month.
Jewish Law And Torture
We all pray for a time when the world will be a peace — but until that time arrives, Jewish law directs the Jewish state and the American nation to do what it takes (no more, but no less, either) to survive and prosper ethically in the crazy world in which we live.
"Erm...WTF does Jewish law have to do with the American nation?" - Nobody
Qatar circulates revised Israel resolution
Acting on behalf of Arab nations, Qatar circulated a revised draft U.N. Security Council resolution Wednesday demanding Israel end its offensive in the Gaza Strip and release the Palestinian officials it has arrested.
The draft, amended to overcome concerns from the United States and France, now includes a direct demand for the release of an abducted Israeli soldier and urges the Palestinians to stop firing rockets at Israel.The Security Council has struggled for almost two weeks on how to respond to Israel's offensive in Gaza.
An earlier draft from Qatar was rejected because several members of the council said it was too biased against Israel.
France and Russia criticise offensive
France and Russia have condemned Israel's attacks on Lebanon, while the US described the offensive as Tel Aviv’s right to defend itself.
Iraqi parliament speaker: Jews finance acts of violence in Iraq
Iraq's parliament speaker Thursday accused "Jews" of financing acts of violence in Iraq in order to discredit Islamists who control the parliament and government so they can install their "agents" in power.
Mahmoud al-Mashhadani hinted that the Americans and Israelis did not want to see officials of Sunni and Shi'ite parties running the country because "this is not their agenda.""They will say that we brought you in a democratic way to the government but you are sectarian people. One of you is killing the other and you don't deserve to become leaders because you are war lords," al-Mashhadani told reporters after a parliament meeting.
"Some people say 'we saw you beheading, kidnappings and killing. In the end we even started kidnapping women who are our honor,"' al-Mashhadani said. "These acts are not the work of Iraqis. I am sure that he who does this is a Jew and the son of a Jew."
Merchants of death in Iraq
Within two minutes the doors of his home were blasted open and "a strange looking group of people" stormed inside, according to Said Walid Ahmed, a 40-year-old teacher who lives in the neighborhood.
"This force is not totally unknown to us here in Fallujah," Ahmed, who witnessed the incident from a nearby house told Inter Press Service (IPS). "They are a special force of Americans that assassinates more people than it arrests.""This force is not totally unknown to us here in Fallujah," Ahmed, who witnessed the incident from a nearby house told Inter Press Service (IPS). "They are a special force of Americans that assassinates more people than it arrests."
Iraqis Call for Timetable, America Cracks Down
Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld paid an unannounced visit to Baghdad today, after telling reporters the Iraqi government is not yet ready to determine the pace of U.S. troop reductions. "We haven't gotten to that point," he said.
So much for Iraqi sovereignty.
US envoy gives Iraq 6 months to curb sectarianism
The U.S. ambassador to Iraq has described sectarian violence as the main threat to stability and, warning of the global risk from an Iraqi civil war, said the government must act to curb it within six months.
More Troops May Be Needed in Baghdad, U.S. General Says
Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the senior American commander in Iraq, said Wednesday that “terrorists and death squads” were responsible for the surge in sectarian killings here in recent weeks, and that there might be a need to move more American forces into the capital to prevent the deadly cycle from worsening.
War Veterans Feeling Stressed, Deserted
Men At One Base Say The Army Is Ignoring PTSD Cases
According to a recent report from the Veterans Administration, more than 50,000 vets from Iraq and Afghanistan are believed to be suffering from mental health problems — nearly half of them from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. It's well documented and, says the Pentagon, well treated both in the field and at home. But CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports that at least in one large military base in Colorado, soldiers are saying members of the Army Command are simply paying lip service, at best, to PTSD — hindering their treatment and upending their careers.
The 2nd Brigade Combat Team in Fort Carson, Colo., is training to go back to Iraq after experiencing some of the fiercest combat last year. The unit lost soldiers at double the rate of other Army posts around the country, including Pfc. Sam Lee, who committed suicide at a Ramadi Army barracks.
In the face of what some are calling an epidemic of PTSD in the military, nearly a dozen soldiers at Fort Carson told CBS News that their cries for mental health either went unanswered or they found themselves subject to unrelenting abuse and ridicule.
Administration Prods Congress to Curb the Rights of Detainees
A day after saying that terror suspects had a right to protections under the Geneva Conventions, the Bush administration said Wednesday that it wanted Congress to pass legislation that would limit the rights granted to detainees.
The earlier statement had been widely interpreted as a retreat, but testimony to Congress by administration lawyers on Wednesday made clear that the picture was more complicated.
The administration has now abandoned its four-year-old claim that members of Al Qaeda are not protected under the Geneva Conventions, acknowledging that a Supreme Court ruling two weeks ago established as a matter of law that they are. Still, administration lawyers urged Congress to pass legislation that would narrowly define the rights granted to detainees under a provision of the Geneva Conventions known as Common Article Three, which guarantees legal rights “recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.”
The maneuvering now under way was prompted by that Supreme Court decision, which struck down the tribunals the administration had established for terror suspects at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Geneva Convention? We Thought You Said Geneva Chocolate
Daniel Dell'Orto, principal deputy general counsel at the Pentagon, said he believes the current treatment of detainees - as well as the existing tribunal process - already complies with Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions."
Remember, these are the detainees who are locked in cages, paraded around naked, sexually humiliated, whose religious beliefs are used to humiliate them, who are water-boarded during interrogations, whom the International Red Cross has said are tortured, and who are force-fed when they try to starve themselves to death. These are the detainees who've, for the most part, never been charged with any crimes, much less been granted fair and speedy trials, and who are being held indefinitely with no explanation or indication to them of what comes next. And this is without mentioning the secret prisons, ghosted prisoners, or rendition.
Battle Looms In Congress Over Military Tribunals
House Republicans signaled a coming clash with the Senate over the future of military tribunals yesterday when Armed Service Committee members indicated they were inclined to give the Bush administration largely what it wants in the conduct of terrorism trials.
The tone at the first House hearing since the Supreme Court tossed out President Bush's tribunals last month was markedly different from Tuesday's Senate hearing, where lawmakers from both parties said they wanted to make significant changes to the White House's plans.
House Republicans warm to Bush's US tribunal plan
The Bush administration, facing a revolt among Senate Republicans over its system for trying foreign terrorism suspects, on Wednesday courted more receptive Republicans on the House side of the U.S. Congress.
Most Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee indicated they would back the administration's push for lawmakers to endorse its system of military commissions for terrorism suspects that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled illegal.
But Democrats on the committee balked, joining some key Republicans and Democrats already resisting the move in the U.S. Senate. They said they would push to revamp President George W. Bush's tribunals for trying detainees to be more like the U.S. military justice system.
"We have an opportunity to do better in terms of worldwide opinion," said Rep. Vic Snyder, an Arkansas Democrat.
Justice Department Lawyer To Congress:˜The President Is Always Right
The Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday heard testimony from Steven Bradbury, head of the Justice Department’s office of legal counsel. When questioned by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) on whether the President’s interpretation of the Hamdan case was right or wrong, Bradbury replied, “The President is always right.”
Ex-Prosecutor Demands Newspaper's Sources
A former federal prosecutor facing criminal charges over his handling of a high-profile terrorism trial demanded Wednesday that the Detroit Free Press reveal its sources as part of his lawsuit against the government.
A lawyer for Richard Convertino, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Detroit, subpoenaed the information from the paper's owner, Gannett Co., based in McLean, Va.
Convertino was the lead prosecutor in the nation's first post-Sept. 11 terrorism trial. He won convictions of three of the four defendants in 2003, but the verdicts were overturned the following year at the request of the government, which said prosecutors had failed to turn over some documents that could have aided the defense.
The Justice Department was investigating Convertino's handling of the terrorism case and two 1990s drug cases when he resigned last year. In March, he was indicted on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making false declarations.
Judge orders Republican off ballot in Senate race
A judge has ruled that a Republican legislator committed petition forgery and ordered him removed from the ballot in a key Senate race.
If upheld on an expected appeal, Judge Kenneth Fields' ruling removing Representative Russell Jones of Yuma from the ballot would deal a major blow to G-O-P hopes of winning a veto-proof majority in the Arizona Legislature.
Fields ruled that Jones engaged in forgery to get a place on the September primary ballot when he signed at least nine petitions as the circulator "knowing that he did not obtain the electors' signature in his presence. "
That finding of petition forgery by a candidate triggered a provision in state law requiring that all the candidate's nominating petitions be disqualified.
Former Republican aide sentenced to 1 year in prison
Michael Tristano, a one-time chief of staff to former Republican House leader Lee Daniels of Elmhurst, was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in prison for assigning legislative staffers to do campaign work on state time.
"I failed both ethically and as a leader," Tristano, 58, told U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle.
Tristano pleaded guilty to a fraud charge in March and admitted that his work to steer state resources to Republican candidates cost Illinois up to $200,000.
The sentencing and court documents reviewed by the Tribune provided new evidence that Daniels has long been a target of the investigation, though he has never been charged.
Two polls say Reed dropping
A withering assault by Cagle, via TV and direct mail, said to be prying voters away from ex-Christian Coalition leader.
The idea of a nationally watched race for lieutenant governor is silly enough. But the fact that the contest could turn on an argument over the minimum wage on an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean is downright incredible.
Two polls out today say that support for Ralph Reed is dropping in the Republican race for lieutenant governor, thanks to a ruthless push on the ground and in the air by Casey Cagle.
Insider Advantage numbers will be out this afternoon. Strategic Vision, a Republican public relations firm, this morning put Cagle on top for the first time, but barely: 42 to 41 percent.
On Monday, Cagle began a coordinated TV ad/direct mail assault on Reed, connecting the ex-Christian Coalition leader to Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s efforts on behalf of the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands.
Texas Tribe Names Abramoff, Reed in Suit
A Texas Indian tribe filed a federal civil suit Wednesday allegingthat ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed and their associates engaged in fraud and racketeering to shut down the tribe's casino.
The Alabama-Coushatta tribe of Livingston, Texas, alleged the defendants defrauded the tribe, the people of Texas and the Legislature to benefit another of Abramoff'sclients _ the Louisiana Coushatta tribe _ and "line their pockets with money."
Republicans want court to hear DeLay case
Texas Republicans want a federal appeals court to quickly resolve a dispute over whether former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay should remain on the November ballot, saying they are running out of time for replacing DeLay with another nominee.
Republicans said in filings sent Tuesday to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans that there are deadlines in late August for replacing DeLay's name. Attorney Jim Bopp asked for an expedited hearing.
DeLay, who is awaiting trial on state charges of money laundering and conspiracy in a campaign finance case, won the Republican primary in March but resigned from Congress in June and said he has moved to Virginia.
"umm...so why are they filing an appeal in New Orleans over a Texas case? Shouldn't it go back to the same district that the ruling was held in?" - Nobody
Bush to return to Ohio on Aug. 2
The president will be at a GOP fundraiser for gubernatorial candidate J. Kenneth Blackwell in Cleveland.
President Bush is expected to return to Ohio on Aug. 2 to headline a fundraiser for Republican gubernatorial candidate J. Kenneth Blackwell, the Ohio secretary of state, at a private residence in the Cleveland suburb of Kirtland Hills.
According to a copy of an invitation to the event, tickets are $1,000 a person or $1,500 a couple for the general reception. The price for a photo opportunity with the president is $10,000, according to the invitation.
The White House and the Blackwell campaign declined to comment on the event.
CT Senate Republican Candidate Reels from Gambling Scandal
That Connecticut Senate race just got even more entertaining:
Expect calls for Connecticut Republican United States Senate nominee Alan Schlesinger to abandon his race to begin in the next several days. Questions are being raised about the former state representative’s gambling habits that have Republicans sounding rattled.
Antiwar Republican enters U.S. Senate race
Rep. Diana S. Urban, R-North Stonington, says she's begun collecting 7,500 signatures in a bid to become a petitioning candidate for U.S. Senate in the November election. The three-term representative, who has taught economics and political science at several colleges, said today that should she be certified as an official candidate, she would campaign against the war in Iraq and advocate government policies that favor "low- and moderate-income people" and small businesses.
Pryce May Pay a Price for Her Role as a House Republican Leader
Representative Deborah Pryce, the highest-ranking Republican woman in the history of the U.S. House, has used her prestige as the party's No. 4 leader to enhance her standing back home, winning 60 percent of the vote two years ago in a central Ohio district that President George W. Bush barely carried.
This year, Pryce, 54, who heads the House Republican Conference, is among several leaders who are finding their highly visible party roles and close association with Bush aren't assets with voters, and who may face the toughest re-election races of their careers.
Other leaders in jeopardy in the November elections include Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, the No. 3 Senate leader; Jon Kyl of Arizona, who heads the Senate Republican Policy Committee; and Representative Tom Reynolds of New York, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
A Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll conducted last month showed registered voters favoring Democratic candidates over Republicans by 49 percent to 35 percent; 54 percent of respondents said they wanted to see Democrats control Congress. The party needs to pick up 15 seats to retake the House and six seats to take the Senate.
Republicans predict victory despite polls
A top Republican lawmaker brushed off bad poll numbers on Wednesday and said his party would surprise analysts and Democrats by strengthening its grip on the U.S. House of Representatives in November elections.
"We have a good story to tell," House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois told reporters as he emerged from a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans, many of whom are worried about their own chances for political survival.
Hastert's prediction of election victory heartened many Republicans, caught others off guard and drew some ridicule.
"Either he is out of touch or has contempt for his audience," said Stu Rothenberg of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report that tracks congressional races.
VoteTrustUSA on Busby/Bilbray Election: 'No Reason to Believe the Official Results are Accurate'
Says Sending Hackable Diebold Voting Machines Home With Pollworkers an 'Egregious Violation of Chain-of-Custody Precautions'
Group says San Diego County ignoring election laws, giving different figures for hand count
According to voting rights activists, the office of San Diego County Registrar of Voters has publicly released three separate quotes for hand counting the ballots in the U.S. House special election in California's 50th Congressional District.
A California voter last week filed paperwork requesting a hand count, after it was reported that Diebold evoting machines used in the county had gone home with poll workers over night, where they were stored in garages and cars. Registrar Mikel Haas has admitted this would violate state laws regarding chain of custody.
New Report Uncovers Stealth Strategy by US Chamber of Commerce to Influence Elections: Examines Documents in Washington State Attorney General Race
A major new report released today by the Center for Justice & Democracy finds that U.S. Chamber of Commerce provides substantial financial and strategic assistance to local front groups to influence state elections, including funding major media buys to smear local candidates.
The report, "The Secret Chamber - The Inner Workings of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Hijacking of an Election," draws from the cache of newly-released papers and deposition testimony uncovered in connection with litigation surrounding the failed 2004 election bid of Deborah Senn for Washington State Attorney General. Senn, a former pro-consumer insurance commissioner, was viciously attacked in an advertising blitz, which contributed to her defeat. It was only later revealed that the ad campaign was funded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its Institute for Legal Reform. Litigation arose after the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission concluded that the ads violated state election law and the participation of the Chamber and the ILR was revealed.
According to author Laurie Beacham, "This report shows that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is involved in an organized, aggressive, covert and nasty effort to infiltrate local election campaigns. While the Chamber tries to disassociate itself from the negative campaigning conducted by its local front groups, it remains actively involved in elections, pursuing all the trimmings of a full-out political campaign."
Chances of Voting Rights Act renewal dim
A conservative backlash to the massive street demonstrations over immigration is aggravating Republican leaders' carefully orchestrated plans to renew the landmark Voting Rights Act before the fall elections.
After Latinos came out in greater force than they have in decades to protest a House-passed immigration bill, conservatives persuaded Republican leaders not to force a vote last month to extend for 25 years the law that requires bilingual ballots in precincts with large non-English-speaking populations.
Leaders move forward on VRA vote despite some GOP unease
Republican leaders will hold a vote on the Voting Rights Act this week, even though they face serious hurdles to renewing the landmark civil-rights legislation.
Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said GOP leaders decided to move forward with a vote on the bill after a two-hour meeting yesterday, which was convened to decide whether to cancel the vote for the second time.
“There are still major lingering questions,” House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) told reporters yesterday during his regular media briefing.Civil-rights groups have been pushing hard for Congress to renew the landmark bill. The NAACP is holding its annual conference in Washington next week and has made renewal of the bill a major priority this year.
House Democrats had already asked for floor time to lament GOP leaders’ decision to cancel a vote on the legislation for the second time this year. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) was organizing floor time for members who experienced discrimination before the landmark 1965 bill was signed into law to tell their tales of racial intolerance.
Santa Cruz residents could vote to impeach Bush
City residents unhappy with the way President George W. Bush is leading the country may have the opportunity to vote for his impeachment in November.
Such a vote, which a group of community activists is seeking to put on the Santa Cruz ballot Nov. 7, would do nothing to actually remove the president from office. Instead, supporters say it would be something more than an opinion poll that would send a message to Washington, D.C.
"He's has broken so many laws, and he doesn't seem to take the laws seriously," said Sherry Conable, a member of Santa Cruz Peace Coalition, one of the local groups organizing the ballot initiative. "He's spied on American people without authorization; he's ignored the Geneva Conventions and the outting of Valerie Plame — all of these things are illegal.
"Conable and others are asking the City Council to put a measure on the November ballot that calls for Congress to begin an immediate investigation into alleged impeachable offenses by the president.
4th Circuit Nominee Boyle: 'Missed' Appearance of Conflict in Four Cases
President Bush's nominee to an appellate judgeship acknowledged missing the appearance of a conflict of interest in four cases in which he is accused of ruling on litigants in whose companies his family held stock.
Mexico vote fraud caught on tape.
Mexico mobilizes to protest controversial vote count
Enron witness found dead in park
Venezuela-Owned Citgo to Stop Selling Gasoline to Hundreds of U.S. Stations
Venezuela-owned Citgo Petroleum Corp. has decided to stop distributing gasoline to some 1,800 U.S. stations, shedding a lackluster segment of its business while forcing the owners of those stations to find other suppliers.
While it may create some logistical headaches for gasoline retailers in the short term, the move should not have any impact on the nation's overall fuel supply.
Citgo, which is wholly owned by Venezuela's state oil company, currently has to purchase 130,000 barrels a day from third parties in order to meet its service contracts at 13,100 stations across the U.S. This is less profitable than selling gasoline directly from its refineries.
Instead, the Houston-based company has decided to sell to retailers only the 750,000 barrels a day that it produces at three U.S. refineries in Lake Charles, La., Corpus Christi, Texas and Lemont, Ill., according to a statement late Tuesday.
Oil Rises to Record in New York, London on Attacks in Nigeria
Crude oil rose to a record in New York and London after a report that militants attacked pipelines in Nigeria this week, heightening concern Africa's largest oil producer faces further delays restoring lost output.
Two pipelines run by Eni SpA's venture in Nigeria were attacked, forcing the company to shut down three pumping stations, a Lagos-based newspaper, the Guardian reported today. The venture, Nigerian Agip Oil Co., may lose as much as 120,000 barrels a day, the newspaper said, citing a company worker it didn't identify.
Oil tops $76 a barrel on international tension
Oil surged to a record high above $76 a barrel on Thursday on renewed worries over supply from major exporter Nigeria and as conflict between Israel and Lebanon heightened international tensions.
Prices also rose as the Iran nuclear dispute appeared to be heading to the U.N. Security Council, North Korea walked out of talks with South Korea and crude inventories in the United States fell more than expected."Geopolitical tensions have stepped up — we are moving on to a new phase in Iran and Israel," said Mike Wittner of investment bank Calyon. "In the end, geopolitical risk is about a current supply disruption getting worse or a new one happening."
Jobless claims rise on summer slowdown
Report says 332,000 people filed for unemployment benefits last week, more than expected.
New applications for U.S. unemployment benefits jumped by 19,000 last week on the back of the traditional summer shutdown at automobile plants, according to government data released on Thursday.Initial claims for state jobless insurance benefits rose to 332,000 in the week ended July 8 from 313,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said. Analysts were expecting new claims to rise to 318,000.
Study: American dream slipping away
The American dream is closer to a hallucinatory hope than a reachable reality, according to a new study presented at The Aspen Institute last week.
With the cost of living rising on several fronts, the majority of Americans surveyed in the study "What Do American Voters Really Want in '06?" said they are not living the dream that the European settlers who first founded this country suggested could be realized through hard work, courage and a determination to improve one's life.
U.S. Trade Deficit Widened to $63.8 Billion in May
Fed adds reserves through 14-day system repos
The Federal Reserve on Thursday said it added temporary reserves to the banking system through $8.0 billion in 14-day system repurchase agreements.Fed funds last traded at 5.25 percent, the Fed's target for the benchmark overnight lending rate.
"The more of something there is the less valuable it is right?" - Nobody
BAYER dumps AIDS infected drugs overseas
Bayer dumped AIDS infected drugs for hemophiliacs (mostly children) in Europe, Asia, and Latin America after it was told by the FDA that it could not sell it here.
"A moment please...JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! IS IT ANY FUCKING WONDER WHY PEOPLE DON"T WANT TO BUY AMERICAN!? MURDEROUS SONS OF BITCHES NEED TO BE STRUNG UP BY THEIR SOFT PARTS AND LEFT TO ROT IN THE SUN!" - Nobody
Disney slashing jobs, film output
Walt Disney Co. will substantially reduce its work force and slash its annual output of films from 18 to eight — cutbacks greater than Hollywood had anticipated, it was reported Wednesday.
Kindergarten to Grad School Loans Boost Bond Market
Getting the money for a U.S. education, whether it's kindergarten or graduate school, increasingly depends on the bond market, where everyone from General Electric Co. to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is rushing to meet record demand for student loans.
"And now we know why they were cutting back on the issuance of Pell Grants..." - Nobody
U.S. Terror Targets: Petting Zoo and Flea Market?
It reads like a tally of terrorist targets that a child might have written: Old MacDonald’s Petting Zoo, the Amish Country Popcorn factory, the Mule Day Parade, the Sweetwater Flea Market and an unspecified “Beach at End of a Street.”
But the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, in a report released Tuesday, found that the list was not child’s play: all these “unusual or out-of-place” sites “whose criticality is not readily apparent” are inexplicably included in the official federal antiterrorism database.
The National Asset Database, as it is known, is so flawed, said the inspector general, Richard L. Skinner, that as of January, Indiana, with 8,591 potential terrorist targets, had 50 percent more listed sites than New York (5,687) and more than twice as many as California (3,212), ranking the state the most target-rich place in the nation.
The database is used by the Homeland Security Department to help divide the hundreds of millions of dollars in antiterrorism grant each year, including the program announced in May that cut money to New York City and Washington by 40 percent while significantly increasing spending for cities including Louisville, Ky., and Omaha.
ACLU lawsuit: U.S. block entry at border via 'ideological exclusion' policy
In a press release issued today, the American Civil Liberties Union charge the government with enforcing an "ideological exclusion" policy to block entry at the border, RAW STORY has found.
"The American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union today released new documents that indicate the government is broadly interpreting and using a controversial Patriot Act power known as the "ideological exclusion" provision to block people from entering the country," the press release reads.
"Feeling safer now?" - Nobody
Transgender man's name change denied
A transgender Rochester man must provide medical evidence to justify his request to change his first name from Sarah to Evan, a local judge has ruled. Allowing Sarah Rockefeller to change his name without evidence "would be fraught with danger of deception and confusion and contrary to the public interest," State Supreme Court Justice William P. Polito, citing a 1976 law journal article, said in his ruling. The ruling has sparked the involvement of the American Civil Liberties Union, which argues that the ruling places an unnecessary burden of proof on transgender individuals that isn't required of others.
Tornadoes touch down north of New York City
Tornadoes were reported to have touched down during a severe storm in Westchester County on Wednesday, just north of New York City, and in Connecticut, the National Weather Service said.
The agency issued a tornado warning for southern Westchester County just ahead of the evening rush hour. Other severe weather watches and warnings were also in effect throughout the metropolitan area.
Up to 9 Inches of Rain Flood Ind., Ohio
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