Breaking News 2

NEW YORK - With the arrest of two men, authorities reportedly have broken up a bomb plot aimed at New York City subways. Investigators stressed that the men never got their hands on explosives, but the suspects allegedly discussed and plotted making a bomb that could be exploded at the 34th Street subway station or on a train pulling into that station.

Officials said there is no evidence the plot was timed to coincide with the Republican National Convention, but the timing of the arrests certainly appears to have happened to get the men in custody before the convention gets under way.

Investigators said the plot never had a chance of coming into fruition. The men never had access to explosives, but they are described as men who were willing participants in a plot -- motivated to jihad -- to set off a bomb in the subways. Attempts to reach spokesmen for the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, the FBI and the New York Police Department were unsuccessful Friday night.

From WNBC in New York.

So, if the guy they were trying to buy explosives from didn't have a sense of responsibility, and not turn them in, they would have blown up the 34th Street station. Sure looks like the NYPD and Homeland Security didn't have a fucking clue.

Can ya spare a dime?

The Agonist has a good post on the crime of being poor in the richest nation on earth which you really should read.

But what got me was something in the comments section from the father of a GI:

I look at my son who joined the army. He gets paid minimal for putting his life on the line 24 hours a day 7 days a week. He is a good kid and is a cavalry scout he leaves next week for urban combat training. He then gets ready to goback to Iraq for his 2 nd tour. On the first tour they got 1 liter bottle of water a day. After that you drank treated water from local sources, they all got dysentary so bad they soiled their clothes and of course there was no laundry. So after he pays his rent and car payment because he wants to live off base near a college campus he has about 250 bucks to last 2 weeks. I could go on but I will not. it is just very sad.

President Chickenhawk honoring our troops. Spineless worm.

And by the way, this is my 1,000th post.

God and the Republicans

Tresy at Corrente has a great piece on the Jesus freak mindset:

[. . .]

Christianity's central challenge to Man is the recognition of his unregenerate nature, that he is at root a creature of fear, selfishness and aggression towards others, with self-deception and hypocrisy lubricating all, consigning him, if not saved, to the certainty of suffering. Leaving aside its prescription, I happen to think its diagnosis not wildly off the mark. The truth about ourselves is not something we get for free, and in fact it's usually not something we really want, because the truth usually gets in the way of the selfish pursuits that occupy most of our waking attention.

We all delude ourselves to varying degrees, but we normally have some face-saving excuse. In politics, there is usually some genuine virtue that partisans can magnify to distract attention from their heroes' flaws and their policies' shortcomings. Even Nixon was a skilled stateman. What makes the Bush Cult scary is the bottomless, willing self-delusion, the eagerness to embrace every new hypocrisy, coupled with a moral certitude completely devoid of any actual moral self-scrutiny. Here is a man devoid of discernible compassion, respect for the truth, basic competence, introspection, honesty, humility, subtlety of mind or personal courage. He is from all appearances, an utterly hollow man whose every action belies the religion he wears on his sleeve. There is not an iota of evidence that he has ever done anything for anyone outside his family in his entire life. He thus presents a test case for all of us, but especially for any Christian who believes in the importance of living in Truth: how low are you willing to go for this man?

[. . .]

You owe it to yourself to read the whole thing.

Breaking News

From NBC News:

A DoD official is under investigation for spying for Israel. As that jerk-off Drudge says;

developing . . .

Update: 19:15:

Matthews is saying it's a "high ranking offcial in the Defense Department". And was involved in giving some of our codes to the israelis.

Update: 04:45 Saturday

(CBS) CBS News has learned that the FBI has a full-fledged espionage investigation under way and is about to -- in FBI terminology -- "roll up" someone agents believe has been spying not for an enemy, but for Israel from within the office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.

60 Minutes Correspondent Lesley Stahl reports the FBI believes it has "solid" evidence that the suspected mole supplied Israel with classified materials that include secret White House policy deliberations on Iran.

At the heart of the investigation are two people who work at The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a powerful pro-Israel lobby in Washington.

The FBI investigation, headed up by Dave Szady, has involved wiretaps, undercover surveillance and photography that CBS News was told document the passing of classified information from the mole, to the men at AIPAC, and on to the Israelis.

CBS sources say that last year the suspected spy, described as a trusted analyst at the Pentagon, turned over a presidential directive on U.S. policy toward Iran while it was, "in the draft phase when U.S. policy-makers were still debating the policy."

This put the Israelis, according to one source, "inside the decision-making loop" so they could "try to influence the outcome."

The case raises another concern among investigators: Did Israel also use the analyst to try to influence U.S. policy on the war in Iraq?

With ties to top Pentagon officials Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith, the analyst was assigned to a unit within the Defense Department tasked with helping develop the Pentagon's Iraq policy.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has been made aware of the case. The government notified AIPAC today that it wants information about the two employees and their contacts with a person at the Pentagon.

AIPAC told CBS News it is cooperating with the government and has hired outside counsel. It denies any wrongdoing by the organization or any of its employees.

An Israeli spokesman said, "We categorically deny these allegations. They are completely false and outrageous." The suspected spy has not returned repeated phone calls from CBS News.

Thanks to Xan at Corrente for the link.

I heart NY

You gotta love this city. Look at the picture. The only ones gawking are obviously tourists. The real New Yorkers could give a shit.

A group of AIDS activists stage a naked protest outside of New York's Madison Square Garden August 26, 2004. The protesters blocked 8th Avenue in midtown Manhattan outside the Garden, site of the Republican National Convention. Law enforcement authorities expect thousands of protesters to descend on the city before the start of the convention on August 30, 2004. REUTERS/Jeff Christensen

Bend over

From Kos:

The Olympic's governing board is pissed at Bush's "arrogance", and they have a way to retaliate -- denying NYC's its 2012 bid for the games.

I have posted a translation of Der Spiegel's article on the topic sent in by reader Hans in the extended entry.

Entire post.

Thanks a lot, President Asswipe. Unlike the Republican convention, the Olympics is something NYC could make money on, you fucking moron. But hey, in Bush World it's called Blue York. We're only here to be exploited. All those God-fearing Jesus freaks in 'Middle America' will love it, the shots from the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State, and all the flag waving. Bush is gonna wrap himself in the aura of 9/11 and turn his back on us as soon as it's over. I swear, if he wins in November, I'm going expat. You can visit the Mrs., her monster, and me in Paris.

Marshall on Greenspan

From Josh Marshall at TPM:

From the AP: "Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Friday that the country will face 'abrupt and painful' choices if Congress does not move quickly to trim the Social Security and Medicare benefits that have been promised to the baby boom generation."

This could use some elaboration.

To the degree there's urgency here, it is because of the mammoth deficits the president has run up. The president runs up a big deficit and now you've got to pay for it with cuts to your Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Where are the president's priorities?

Shouldn't the Kerry campaign be banging this drum? Especially since it's true (only an added benefit these days, I grant you.)

Isn't the Fed Chair supposed to be independent and above partisan politics? Greenspan is a Bush facilitator and should be kicked out at the same time President Nutless Wonder is. I can't believe Andrea Mitchell actually fucks him.

Cat revolt

Atrios' cats have gone on strike:

Friday Cat Blogging

The cats have informed me that they refuse to be photographed until there's a little bit more money thrown into the various begging bowls.

Mars, bitches!

That's why I'm a dog person.

Letter to McCain

Dear Senator McCain,

Let me first say that you will always have my undying respect for your service to this country. As a fellow combat vet, I know the sacrifices you made and can only imagine what you went through at the hands of your captors during the war. Allow me to personally thank you.

The reason I'm writing is because my respect for you is steadily decreasing. After what Bush did to you, to Max Cleland, and now to John Kerry, how can you possibly give this man your support. I realize you are a man of honor, and I know you will always be a Republican, but my God, man, he and his minions are smearing our fellow brothers in arms.

While I would never expect you to publicly renounce the President, a sitting Republican President, I am very surprised you would consent to accompany him on the campaign trail. Let alone have that 'Al and Tipper moment' with him the other day. How can you put aside your principles for this man who has none? For this man who, on the one hand praises our heroes sacrificing themselves in Iraq, and on the other trying to denigrate the service of your brothers in another ill-concieved war. Mr. Kerry's service, Mr. Cleland's service, and your service, Mr. McCain. How can you stand by and send the mixed messages you do? You criticize the Swift Boat Veterans and then go out with Bush and fairly tongue-kiss him.

Please, sir, for the sake of this country, get in touch with your honor and principles that I know you have, and take a stand. It's time for ethical men to do the right thing.

Update: 17:15:

The Angry Bear has more to say on the McCain/Bush relationship.

I'm mizable, right?

From AP:

WASHINGTON - The number of Americans living in poverty increased by 1.3 million last year, while the ranks of the uninsured swelled by 1.4 million, the Census Bureau reported Thursday

It was the third straight annual increase for both categories. While not unexpected, it was a double dose of bad economic news during a tight re-election campaign for President Bush.

Details.

"What's that stuck to the sole of my shoe, Dick?"

"Just po' folks, Dubya. Wipe 'em off on the curb."

Motherfuckers.

A sad statistic

From Kos:

It happened this week almost without notice: The number of Americans killed in Iraq during 2004 now exceeds the number killed in 2003.

More remarkably, the 488 killed thus far this year died in just 239 days (2.04 daily average), while the 482 killed last year died during fully 287 days (1.68 daily average), which means that not only has 2004 been bloodier than 2003 in absolute terms, but in relative terms as well.

Is this progress? Is this stability and safety?

Now, here's the question I really want to ask: How long will it take the media to report this indisputable fact? I mean, can they take even five minutes time from the latest, breathless Swift Boat twist to report the fact that more Americans have died in Iraq this year than last?

My watch shows it's about 4:36 EST. Let's keep an eye on the clock, shall we?

Did someone say, 'mission accomplished'? Rat bastids.

Bush's record

The Farmer at Corrente has this from the AWOL Project:

Summary: Contrary to the spin put out by the White House (and endlessly repeated by the mainstream media) Bush was never transferred to the 9921st Air Reserve Squadron in Alabama. Nor was this "transfer request" an attempt to find somewhere to do training temporarily while Bush worked on an Alabama political campaign in 1972. Instead, Bush was running a scam designed to completely sever his relationship with the Air National Guard, and eliminate the last two years of his obligation to train and serve as a pilot, by joining a unit that had no training, and for which Bush was specifically ineligible.

[. . .]

What George W. Bush was attempting to do was run a scam. He was trying to find a way to "legally desert" his post, by gaming the system under which transfers to Air Reserve Squadrons were processed. In the meantime, while waiting for his scam to come to fruition, Bush blew off months of training that he was required to do under the law, and didn't even bother getting the medical examination required of all pilots, whether they had planes to fly or not.

As we now know, Bush never got the orders that would allow him to forget about fulfilling his obligations to the United States Armed Forces. His little transfer scam didn’t work, and he should have been showing up for training, and maintaining his qualifications as a pilot, throughout the Spring and Summer of 1972.

[. . .]

Read the whole thing here. It'll open your eyes.

Iraq

Lest we forget. From The Talking Dog:

Grand Ayatollah Sistani has returned to try to negotiate and end to violence, as the fun and games continue in Najaf, threatening the Imam Ali Mosque, and hence, the continued existence of civilization. Note somewhere down the CNN report here, the local Iraqi police chief "rounded up" a few dozen journalists working Najaf and called them in to berate them for covering Sadr's Mahdi Army militiamen, and not his Iraqi police. (You see, we brought these people freedom...)

[. . .]

Read the rest.

What a clusterfuck.

Dear George

Kevin Hayden at The American Street writes a letter to President No Nuts:

[. . .]

I put on 12,000 miles per year on a car that gets 24 MPG and my gas in the past year has been about a buck higher, on average, than it was when you took office. So that's $500 a year that went to your buddies in Texas and Saudi Arabia, mostly. It's more than the tax cut I got. I haven't seen gas prices at record highs since, well, since your Daddy was in charge. Fancy that.

I can't afford to get sick anymore. I've only had one job that offered healthcare benefits in the past 20 years. College isn't something I encourage to my kids anymore. They're bright as the sun, but sans scholarships, it's just too much debt to get saddled with so young. "Make rich friends and kiss their asses" is the employment advice I give 'em, because it's the only thing I haven't tried, so maybe it'll work. Can't even marry above my station because I don't know a soul in the station above me, but maybe they'll get lucky there, as well.

[. . .]

Wages seem to be flat for everyone except CEOs anymore, unless they're in Ohio or Michigan or Colorado or Oregon where they're lucky if they just have a job.

Which is the main thing I wanted to write you about. You can't sell it to the worse off folks like most people are, talking so much about corners. I recognize that the oil companies and insurance companies and weapons makers and Saudi Arabia are well past the corner posting record revenues. (6.4% growth to the country whose citizens attacked us on 9/11!)

[. . .]

Go read the whole thing. You have to.

Me on the economy

1) Minimum wage $10.00/hr.
2) Double taxation for all offshore based American companies.
3) A 2 year tax holiday for any corporations that move back onshore and agree to pay their fare share of taxes for 10 years after that. If they move back offshore before then, their assets in this country would be siezed and federalized.
4) A 10 year tax holiday for any corporation inventing a non-polluting alternative technology to replace the internal combustion engine. (It has to produce the same power and torque in the same conditions as the ICE.)
5) A 10 year tax holiday for any corporation who develops a viable way to exploit the Solar System and its mineral wealth.
6) Establish a fair trade 'rulebook' and abide by its rules. The 'rulebook' would contain work regulations, an international minimum wage, environmental and human rights guarantees as well. Nations wanting to join the U.S. Economic Sphere will have to sign on and abide by it as well. Signatories who break the rules would be embargoed and boycotted.
7) Put space exploration in the hands of the private sector. Abolish NASA.
8) Abolish big business associations' political connections. If a group of businesses create a PAC to push their agenda in Washington, they must equally fund an opposition PAC advancing the public good.
9) Streamline the tax code. A guy who took the H&R Block tax course should be capable of caluclating IBM's tax obligation. No more fleets of attorneys looking for every fucking loophole.

I'll think of more, but this is what I'd do right off.

FYVM*, again

Via Democratic Veteran:

New federal rules will ace some 6 million workers out of the overtime pay to which, until now, they have been entitled by law, according to AFL-CIO calculations. Or they will bring a million-plus low-wage workers into overtime eligibility that they have been denied, as the Bush administration sees it.

The reworked regulations are so numerous and complex that no one knows for sure who will win, who will lose or where the balance will lie. It will probably be years until the changes settle and the outcomes are clear.

But if you think this is an administration that would set out to do workers a great big favor and pester employers' bottom lines, you ought to check your zip code. It may be time for you to move back to Earth.

Granted, it is a distinctly novel re-election ploy to cut the take-home of millions and expect to profit politically. But then the Bush White House has more than its share, not only of testosterone, but of chutzpah. (As in that term's classic example: the guy who murders his parents and pleads for mercy as an orphan.)

[. . .]

From the minute he took office and turned national energy policy over to the oil, gas and coal lobbyists, Bush has been the faithful servant of the Business Roundtable, National Association of Manufacturers and U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

He has blocked any boosts in the increasingly laggard minimum wage. He had to be dragooned by worried fellow Republicans in Congress into accepting extensions in unemployment compensation. For him go out of his way to punch up the paychecks of the work-a-day by gimmicking overtime rules would be, let's say, out of character.

[. . .]

Full story.

And there's still working class assholes who say 'I'm voting for Bush'. If you do, you deserve to lose your overtime and, eventually, your job.

[*FYVM=Fuck you very much]

Did we forget something, assholes?

From Reuters via Corrente. Somebody ought to tell President Nitwit to hire a copyright lawyer. Every writer and TV or movie producer knows you can't use other peoples' shit without consent and without paying royalties.

By Karolos Grohmann
ATHENS (Reuters) - The U.S. Olympic Committee has asked the campaign to re-elect President Bush to pull an ad that refers to the Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee said on Thursday.

The ad has angered Olympic officials because they feel it hijacks the Olympic brand -- a registered trademark -- even though it does not display the Games logo.

The U.S. Olympic Committee had asked the Bush election "campaign to withdraw the advertisement they are running," International Olympic Committee spokeswoman Giselle Davies told reporters.

The television advertisement, ahead of the presidential elections in November, does not feature the five Olympic rings -- one of the world's most recognizable images -- but an announcer tells viewers that at "this Olympics there will be two more free nations," referring to the U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq under Bush's presidency.

Afghanistan returned to this year's Games after its Olympic Committee, controlled by the then ruling hard-line Taliban regime, was suspended in 1999 and missed the 2000 Sydney Games.

The IOC reinstated Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

The IOC said no official request had been made for the use of the reference to the Games.

"We own the rights to the Olympic name and nobody asked us," Gerhard Heiberg, head of the International Olympic Committee's Marketing Commission had said on Wednesday.

Ha ha! Dickheads.

Don't piss us off

Ya know, I've always said that fat little troll Denny Hastert is a fucking moron. He's gonna get his ass handed to him next week. From the NY Post via Kos:

August 26, 2004 -- WASHINGTON — New Yorkers yesterday slammed House Speaker Dennis Hastert for claiming the Big Apple was guilty of an "unseemly scramble" for cash after Sept. 11 — and one city councilman demanded he return his FDNY cap.

"I want to let Hastert know we want our FDNY cap back," fumed Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., referring to the baseball cap given to Hastert three years ago when the powerful Illinois lawmaker toured Ground Zero shortly after the 9/11 attacks.

Vallone, along with a slew of other officials and residents, blasted the Republican leader's claims in his new book, "Speaker," which were reported on the front page of yesterday's Post.

Hastert wrote that at the time of the attacks, it was impossible to calculate the cost, continuing, "but already we heard voices asking, 'Who's going to pay for this? How much will it cost?' "

Rep. Jose Serrano (D-Bronx) labeled Hastert's remarks "really sad."

"Hastert is not complaining about the cost of rebuilding Iraq, yet he complains about rebuilding New York?" Serrano said.

In Chicago yesterday, Hastert insisted that the $20 billion Congress provided for New York was adequate — and still took aim at those lawmakers who were calling for more money.

"More was never enough on this," Hastert said.

At Ground Zero, Beth Krumholz, 48, said, "I don't know how you can call it an unseemly scramble for dollars when five buildings were reduced to dust."

Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Queens) pointed out that Florida residents ask for money after the state gets hit by hurricanes.

"I guess it's unseemly to ask for help only if you are a New Yorker."

Fat little turd.

And I guess Rep. Ackerman is oblivious to the fact that NY is a BLUE state.

Update: 16:30:

WTF Is It Now has this:

pResident Bush wants to watch the Republican convention from a New York City firehouse and "bond" with the city's Bravest, officials said yesterday.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is also scouting out firehouses so he can watch it with the heroes of 9/11.

"Both Bush and Schwarzenegger want to bond with city firefighters," said one city official who asked not to be named.

"Any firefighter would welcome a visit from pResident Bush, but maybe [the fascististic little shit] should stop by one of the firehouses Mayor Bloomberg has shut down," said Peter Gorman, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association.

Jebus Christ. What a shameless, hypocritical asstool. I'm speechless

Max, again

While I was at Eschaton, In noticed Atrios reposted the transcript of Max Cleland's speech to the Democratic National Convention. Go read it.

Press failures

Via Atrios from the Columbia Journalism Review:

[. . .]

There have been dozens of press failures during this presidential campaign. But this one, even given the Times' and the Post's belated efforts to get to the bottom of things, has to rank as a low point.

In the end, the whole ball of wax certainly did nothing to help the mainstream press' credibility with what is an increasingly dubious audience.

The most telling comment on that front may well have come from the unlikely duo of Jon Stewart and Ted Koppel, who shared a telecast during the Democratic convention. Koppel, by way of introducing his own viewers to Stewart, complained that "a lot of television viewers -- more, quite frankly, than I'm comfortable with" -- get their news from Stewart's "Daily Show" on Comedy Central. Stewart, almost as if trying to reassure Koppel, responded that his fans were watching him not for news per se, but rather for a "comedic interpretation" of the news. Koppel was unmoved. People watch Stewart "to be informed," Koppel insisted gloomily. "They actually think they're coming closer to the truth with your show."

With that, Stewart pounced. "Now that's a different thing, that's credibility; that's a different animal."

Yes, it is.

Go read the whole thing.

Problem is, the press is lazy, and they've been cowered by the VRWC slinging the 'liberal media bias' phrase around. They let themselves be marginalized, their credibility brought into question, and instead of standing up to it, the news media caved. Big time.

And another thought. The press is part of our national security in a way. The news media protects us (or is supposed to anyway) from threats to our system from within, such as the one who managed to slither under the door of the Oval Office in 2000. If Bush would have received the same press scrutiny Clinton and Monica's DNA received, he would have lost to Gore in a landslide.