‘The American public needs to understand we’re talking about rape and murder here. We’re not just talking about giving people a humiliating experience,’ Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told reporters after Rumsfeld testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee. ‘We’re talking about rape and murder — and some very serious charges.’

“A report by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba on the abuse at the prison outside Baghdad says videotapes and photographs show naked detainees, and that groups of men were forced to masturbate while being photographed and videotaped. Taguba also found evidence of a ‘male MP guard having sex with a female detainee.’

“Rumsfeld told Congress the unrevealed photos and videos contain acts ‘that can only be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhuman.’”

The military later screened some of the images for lawmakers, who said they showed, among other things, attack dogs snarling at cowed prisoners, Iraqi women forced to expose their breasts, and naked prisoners forced to have sex with each other.

In the same period, reporter Seymour Hersh, who helped uncover the scandal, said in a speech before an ACLU convention: “Some of the worse that happened that you don’t know about, ok? Videos, there are women there. Some of you may have read they were passing letters, communications out to their men … . The women were passing messages saying ‘Please come and kill me, because of what’s happened.’

“Basically what happened is that those women who were arrested with young boys/children in cases that have been recorded. The boys were sodomized with the cameras rolling. The worst about all of them is the soundtrack of the boys shrieking that your government has. They are in total terror it’s going to come out.”

Judge Hellerstein said today that publication of the photographs will help to answer questions not only about the unlawful conduct of American soldiers, but about “the command structure that failed to exercise discipline over the troops, and the persons in that command structure whose failures in exercising supervision may make them culpable along with the soldiers who were court-martialed for perpetrating the wrongs.”

(Contents of the videos and pictures that a judge recently ordered released to the ACLU.)

Don’t know if this case is under appeal- but if this stuff comes out- Cheney better buy some body armour.

Excellent report from CNN’s David Shuster on the ‘Iraq - Al Qaeda’ WH propaganda.

This is a must see. The MSM is finally reporting the administrations lies, and — believe it or not — getting it right. Video available at Crooks & Liars:

WMV: http://movies.crooksandliars.c.....-11-12.wmv
QT: http://movies.crooksandliars.c.....HIG-Sh.mov

.

Jane: “All in all the Indian tribes paid Abramoff and Scanlon nearly $80 million to be played off one against another.”

God, these guys scum.

I mean, ok, it’s kind hard to feel much sympathy for the Indian casino owners in the first place, especially when they get into bed with political operatives like Abromoff, Reed, and Cornyn, but the casino owners really ghot screwed on this one.

80. Million. Dollars.

Whatever happened to honor amongst thieves? Whateever happened to “When you get bought, you stay bought”?

This is Texas, fer chrissakes.

.

i know i should be grateful and all
but whre the frig were the msm before thousands died
i stopped donating to npr 3 years agos after being nausiated by cokie roberts’ reporting on don rumsfeld’s christmas party

thats when i realized the p in npr had morphed from pinko to propagandizing pundit

Call For Withdrawal: Montana State Senate President Jon Tester (D-MT) has joined fellow Democratic Senate candidate Paul Richards (D-MT) in calling for the White House to set a schedule for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Explained Tester, “I support our mission in Afghanistan. I support the War on Terror. And I fully support our troops in Iraq and wherever they serve. … The time has come to support our troops by laying out a plan to bring them home

Can anyone explain Montana? They’re a red state- with a dem governor and a dem senate and they are among the leaders in demanding that the troops come home.

Guess I should go visit the place- interesting.

Sorry about the typos. My left hand is is a kind of screwed up. I’ll be seeing a doctor about it this week.

What’s that floating in the water? M

Yeah as long as somebody had to get ripped off I probably care less that it was casino owners, although you think the indian tribes might have a whole lot better ways they could’ve used that money.

The thing that really stinks is how they use the fundies (or “wackos” as they call them) like a loaded weapon, just point and fire for profit. It’s even more deeply cynical than even WE accused them of being.

Goopers use the snake handlers- and the snakehandler “clergy” liberally rape their parishoners.

“Rape of the snakehandler” should make a good movie Jane!!

No one dares take on the snake handler pastors. Many are raking it in with govt grants these days.

They’re sockin it away and have net worths in seven figures.

SOMEONE please expose these scum!

rwcole: “Can anyone explain Montana? They’re a red state- with a dem governor and a dem senate and they are among the leaders in demanding that the troops come home.”

Montana is less a red state than it is a libertian one. Dems can be successful there by focusing on social issues - i.e., not interfering with people’s private lives and decisions - the environment to some extent, support for small businesses, etc.

There’s also a pretty good size working class - miners, slaughterhouses, and the like.

Yeah, it’s red, but not as red as you might think.

BEST. GRAPHIC. EVER.

I’m in awe..

Has anybody tracked all the tentacles
Abramoff has sucked onto————?
How about donar lists of money given
to him. Lets trace the corruption and expose
more politicians and big fat cat contributors.
Been rumored Hastert was on the take from
Ambroff. You see, Delay indicted, maybe
Hastert coming up, and Blount is in deep dodoo. It’s just wonderful watching the
Repugs implode.

thanks John- saw an interview with the gov- and thought he was a pretty good guy.

Yeah, Monk’s blog graphics rock.

Don’t usually repeat posts from previous threads but people were asking how to get involved in local politics and my entry posted after the new thread went up. Hope you don’t mind.
_________________

Regarding Democratic and/or Progressive activity at the state and local level, I think there are grassroots organizations popping up all over the place, in large part because the old Democratic organizations are creaky old fossils that don’t want new blood and can’t seem to change.

I would defintely take a look at DFA (Democracy For America) which is what Dean’s grassroots organization has spun off into. There are numerous DFA groups in Connecticut - and I know that they are active all over the country. Dean was quite focused on getting progressives elected at the local level - in many cases Republicans run unopposed for the school board and other local positions.

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/

What is Democracy for America?

Inspired by the presidential campaign of Howard Dean, Democracy for America (DFA) is a political action committee dedicated to supporting fiscally responsible, socially progressive candidates at all levels of government—from school board to the presidency. DFA fights against the influence of the far right-wing and their radical, divisive policies and the selfish special interests that for too long have dominated our politics.

DFA has a long-term goal to rebuild the Democratic Party from the bottom up—it will take time, but we must start building a base now for the future.
View the candidates that Democracy for America has endorsed in 2005
Read the Democracy for America weblog (updated daily)
Learn the history of Democracy for America
Read press releases from Democracy for America
Subscribe to our RSS feed:

On the DFA home page is a grassroots event finder search engine you can plug your zip code into.
_________________

Also, Moveon.org political action has been focused on building grassroots in every state. You might want to take a look there as well.

http://www.moveon.org/

Montana is the eighth gooperiest state in the nation in terms of approval for President Clusterfuck- 49%.

Montana? What kind of machine do they vote on?

We do not know the honest results of a single election since 2000.

For a long time now I’ve felt that these guys (Bush, Rove, Delay, etc.) got into politics simply to enrich themselves-not even a semblence of “helping ” people to assuage their guilt. I’m not naive, each politician is in it for her or himself, but most actually do help their constituents and communities.

But c’mon. The weaponsmakers are getting richer, the big oil companies are gettin richer, big pharm is making a killing. Bush (or is it really Cheney?) is simply enriching himself and his friends.

I wake up each day and wonder what will today’s horror be? New Iraqui prison photos? Another indictment? Oh, it’s abolish the concept of habeus corpus. What kind of country has a national conversation on whether to torture or not? It’s like some knid of bizzaro alternative universe. How the hell did we get here?

I rewatched “Fargo” last night. One of the final scenes has Frances McDormand driving the the nutjob serial killer to jail when she asks “why did you do it? For a little money?” (pause) “There’s more to life than a little money.”

What a great movie.

rwcole: “Montana is the eighth gooperiest state in the nation in terms of approval for President Clusterfuck- 49%.”

Yeah, I guess in that speculation I gave above, I forgot to mention the inbreeding there…

,

WOoooo Hoooooo…. I’m so glad this casino/abramob story is starting to pay off dividends.

I have to credit Sam Seder (majority report on AAR) with being the first source I heard about this story from about 5 months ago.

Those emails are pretty damning.

Let’s talk about the committee redacting Cornyn’s name in the emails… wtf? Is that standard protocol? That is some serious bullshit right there.

-Monk

Cornyn, Libby, Rove, Delay, Bush, the VP, etc.. all seem to be suffering from memory problems. (Cornyn does not remember being told how to respond.) Perhaps a top notch medical team (not Frist)should check them out. If these guys are having symptoms of Dementia, Alzheimer’s, or other mental infirmary(ies); this could cause the nation to be at serious risk.

Yeah Ted selective amnesia seems to be spreading more rampantly than the bird flu.

Also, Northern and Central California have congressman who are connected to the Abramoff scandal. They all have contributed top dollar to Delay’s legal fund. In fact, Abramoff, in his pre-scandal days called Rep. Doolittle his best friend. Doolittle’s ex-staffer is nonother than Kevin Ring. Doolittle’s wife has worked for Abramoff and her records have been subpoenaed in one of the Grand Jury investigations. She worked and helped put on gala fund raisers for Abramoff’s Capital Athletic Fund. If you wish to see more go to:
http://www.solongjohn.blogspot.com/

dab,
Bingo, the DFA link produced a Lansing meetup coming up in Dec and a Lansing chapter to join, much appreciate that. I was surprised to see Mark Meadows on their MidMich list, that’s the mayor of East Lansing, I met him once but for some reason I thought he was a Repub. A pleasant surprise indeed if this is the same man. Anyhoo, I will join it and plan on attending, should be very interesting. I’m looking for something fresh and innovative to actually join locally and get involved in so this sounds like a perfect place to start. I’ve been on MoveOn’s mailing list for a long time now but didn’t hook up with any of their groups although I do sign petitions of interest that come in.

I really hope that image does not invade my sleep.

bleeech.

I was just over at HuffPo reading the comments on the poll results…

There are a lot less neocon trolls out these past couple or three days, and they ain’t got no stuff… Must be a little depressing to think Bush is Jesus reincarnate and watching him get flushed by that HuffPo crowd ;)

Yeah, I’m with Monk on this - What is McCain’s committee doing redacting anything?! Is this normal? What else, if anything, would McCain know being involved w/ the Indian Affairs committee?

But to the broader point of the post…whoo hoo!

That picture’s great, btw (creepy, but great) - it ranks up there with seeing Bush in spandex (see The Left Coaster)

Here’s an article about Julie Doolittle, Abramoff, and the Capital Athletic Fund. It is good and there are many names mentioned including “Tweety”. It was from their hay day.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.c.....id=1830226

OMG — I almost spewed tea all over my keyboard looking at this pix. Monk, this one is pure gold.

And Jane, I can’t think of two more deserving asshats that Reed and Cornyn to get tied into this mess. Mwee heee. Great report.

RawStory is reporting a hard hitting editorial in the NYT by Frank Rich: “In his Sunday column in the New York Times, Frank Rich excoriates the Bush Administration’s “prewar propaganda blitzkrieg” and it’s policies on torture.”

Blitzkrieg… Uh, that’s something the Nazi’s prefected… Hints of mental craziness in Cheney’s “skulking in the basement” and words like “blizkrieg” … Very interesting.

I think it was susan posted the list of common traits shared by fascists governments… I took the liberty of copying that list and emailing it out across the MSM.

And do please… Keep the letters going to the media… We can’t let up until these guys are looking at additional indictments. We have to keep the press focused on these issues.

http://fusioner.proboards60.co.....1131129004

^^ Media Resource List ^^

I work every email and on-line form every day… Today I sent out three emails across that entire list.

Jane,

Thanks again for the commentary.

I noted a difference in your wording and that of the article you referenced. To me as a reader, the impact was quite different. I didn’t take in the connection to McCan when I first read your article, only when I checked out the original. I doubt that you were trying to soft-pedal it on McCain, but I was struck by how much difference a change in wording can make.

McCain’s Senate Indian Affairs Committee helpfully blocked out Cornyn’s name when the emails were released last week… versus…The Senate Indian Affairs Committee, led by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., blocked out references to Cornyn…”Led by Sen. John McCain” seems to highlight McCain’s role. ???

And, it would be interesting to get your take on something I found in an article about Abramoff: Snake Eyes for ‘Casino Jack’—Enter Jack Abramoff. A onetime producer of B movies—
-

RW:

Sorry about not answering you. I had to step out earlier and do something that wasn’t virtual. It was weird to interact with actual people! ;) But I did see lots of new things I want for Xmas over at the Apple Store, geek that I am.

Anyway, about the Dem structure…

It’s been a while since I’ve been really active in the party, to the point where I went to regular confabs and the like.

In the “old days” when my uncle started out, the party was a well-oiled machine, with plenty of communication between the DNC and the states, who in turn communicated with (in Texas) the county orgs, and even down to precinct type levels for places like Dallas and Houston (although I didn’t have much involvement there, so I may be wrong about that). And of course there was money flowing up and down, as need be.

The communication was not top down, or bottom up–it went up and down, as need be. The DNC pretty much determined the overall platform, but the states sent up info about the rumblings they were picking up. The old DNC understood that DC tended to insulate people from what was going on down on the ground. Used to, the counties and states kept them abreast of sea changes. But…

Sometime after Humphrey ‘68, the party started decentralizing and fracturing. The Southern states were pissed about the way the party handled the race issue, and the Northern states were pissed about it from the other end of the spectrum. States stopped listening to the DNC about what unified image the party wanted to present. It was more or less a revolt within the party.

Then the counties here in Texas were getting mad at the state machine over various issues. Internecine battles were the norm. Old grudges between counties came into the open and became epic battles. But I don’t think Texas was alone. This happened in other states, too. So another revolt happened within the state parties, fracturing the party at that level.

It was a cancer. The entire structure pretty much unravelled into an unholy mess of mini-fiefdoms, the party as you see it today. It has a nominal structure, held over from the old days. But it’s only a shell, a front. The county parties do whatever the hell they want, and the state orgs do what they want, and the DNC does what it wants, and none of them are really talking to each other.

The old way of sending up what was happening in the trenches so that the state and national party could forge a coherent message is gone.

Of course, it’s far more complicated than this, there are lots of other aspects I could go into, but this history of a slow meltdown for a party is pretty much why the Dems are such a mess.

Valley Girl — I wasn’t trying to soft-peddle it, I read that as the committee led by McCain, not the redaction led by McCain, but perhaps I was wrong.

I saw that little tidbit about Cornyn earlier today, didn’t get a chance to post about it, then it slipped my mind — but never fear, our hosts here in this great corner of the internets snatch up every bit of worthwhile good news to be had and offer it up here in a smorgasbord. Thanks, Jane!!!

Really, Cornyn is a good one to see snagged. I think he’s been angling to see if he could get himself a more “prestigious” position amongst the gooper elite — like for instance maybe helping out if Cheney has to step aside for *cough*health reasons*cough*.

Cornyn and all his veiled threats on the judiciary…I’d LOVE to see his ass nailed by the judiciary (as in a *sentencing* hearing) if there’s more slimy stuff under any rocks with his name on them. That would be poetic justice. He could get a room in the Texas Correctional Facility’s new “DeLay Wing.”

How can we find out what this business is about McCain and blacking out Cornyn’s name? Sounds hinky. And here I thought McCain was really enjoying his new role of uncoverer of corruption on the Indian Affairs Committee…

Jane,

Thanks for the quick reply. After I posted, I regretted what sounded like nitpicking. Sorry. I guess I’m just overly sensitized as to what McCain is or isn’t about.

And, what about the Abramoff B movie stuff? ;)
-

“i stopped donating to npr 3 years agos after being nausiated by cokie roberts’ reporting on don rumsfeld’s christmas party”

Kooky Cokie has done more to harm NPR than, well, just about anyone.

After years as an NPR junkie, I now have an almost irrational fear of turning on the radio and encountering her unctuous voice and her bizarre take on the state of the world.

Really, Cornyn is a good one to see snagged. I think he’s been angling to see if he could get himself a more “prestigious” position amongst the gooper elite — like for instance maybe helping out if Cheney has to step aside for *cough*health reasons*cough*.

I don’t want that fucker snagged. I want him strung up and–

Um…

Can you tell he’s one of my Senators?

You know things are bad when Kay Bailey Hutchinson looks sane and approachable in comparison!

He is everything I despise about every average pseudo-folksy elitist sexist racist authoritarin establishment ass-kissing bastard.

I abhor Cornyn with the heat of a thousand suns. And I want him out of government. Forever.

Cough up some more emails, Ralph Reed. Or Abraham Jackoff. Or, better yet, give us what you’re holding over that supercilious bastard’s head, Delay. I know you have the goods on him.

Found a good summary re: Abramoff at http://www.sourcewatch.org/ind.....:_Profiles

—-[snip] Abramoff was soon elected chairman of the College Republican National Committee with the campaign being managed by Grover Norquist and aided by Ralph E. Reed, Jr.. “It is not our job to seek peaceful coexistence with the Left,” Abramoff was quoted as saying in the group’s 1983 annual report, “Our job is to remove them from power permanently.”

[snip] After college, Abramoff had a brief career as a movie producer in Hollywood. From 1986–94 he was president of Regency Entertainment Group, producing such movies as Red Scorpion, an anti-communist film made just after his term with the College Republicans ended.—
-

Me, I copied that fascism list by Susan also, here’s the link to it for anyone who may have missed it:

http://www.haloscan.com/commen.....96/#162091

Shez.inMI | 11.12.05 - 9:29 pm
Thanks very much for posting that link.
And, here’s a distillation, based on the major headings:

1) Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
2) Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
3) Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
4) Supremacy of the Military
5) Rampant Sexism
6) Controlled Mass Media
7) Obsession with National Security
8) Religion and Government are Intertwined
9) Corporate Power is Protected
10) Labor Power is Suppressed
11) Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
12) Obsession with Crime and Punishment
13) Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
14) Fraudulent Elections

Do we perhaps have a 14-point fascist government?
-

You can take this little tidbit to the bank, Jane.

DeLay is a member of Ed Young’s church. His Sunday School class has stopped praying for him since he stopped showing up in the last few weeks. Sunday School emails are all about withdrawing support for DeLay, but that doesn’t go to the top, Mr. Young’s office. Gots me an inside source in Sunday School. LOL

Interesting aside too: Second Baptist Church of Houston became an offshot of First Baptist when a large part of the original congregation wanted to enjoy betting on races popular at the time in Texas. Can’t remember if it was dogs or horses, but that’s still the story that circulates. Mr. Young seems to have forgotten his congregations roots, conveniently.

ccow | 11.12.05 - 9:58 pm
Thanks for the tipoff about Second Baptist. As a result, I found this: http://www.second.org/absolute.....&z=14

—-Second Baptist Family Says “Thank You” to Dr. Young & Jo Beth

On Sunday, August 24, over 20,178 people filled Minute Maid Park for a time of worship and celebration. For the first time since the church became “one church in two locations,” the Second Baptist family gathered together as one body to celebrate Dr.Young’s 25th anniversary as pastor.

In a service rich in music, reflection and testimony, members and guests thanked Dr. Young and Jo Beth for the many ways they have allowed God to use their lives at Second Baptist. The Hon. Tom DeLay, Drayton McLane and Mary Lou Retton-Kelley were among the special guests who participated in the unique celebration.

In a letter read by DeLay, President George W. Bush captured the sentiment of the occasion: “I applaud your years of service with Second Baptist and with the Winning Walk. Your commitment to sharing your faith with others is helping to transform our nation one heart and one soul at a time.”—

I guess Bush was referring to Ed Young, not to Tom DeLay, but it’s hard to tell. ;)
-

BTW, here are members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

Republicans
Chairman John McCain Arizona
Pete Domenici New Mexico
Craig Thomas Wyoming
Gordon Smith Oregon
Lisa Murkowski Alaska
Michael D. Crapo Idaho
Richard Burr North Carolina
Tom Coburn Oklahoma

Democrats
Vice Chairman Byron L. Dorgan North Dakota
Daniel K. Inouye Hawaii
Kent Conrad North Dakota
Daniel K. Akaka Hawaii
Tim Johnson South Dakota
Maria Cantwell Washington

http://indian.senate.gov/members.htm
-

Maybe he care to share the tub with Mr. Falafel…terrorist sympathizer

DURN YOU - I was on my way to bed and I saw that picture-omfg- it’s another night counting rats jumping offda ship. And RALPH REED- that there’s a face that fleeced a million grannies.What a piece of crap. I’m gonna be sooo happy happy when that weaseldickmf goes to the bighouse!
Now I can’t get the smell of sulphur outa my nose! Happens whenever I see all those names together somewhere- like an indictment!
Well, fun’s where you find it
Thanks, I think

F u c k i n g a s t o u n d i n g

The current political situation is all a God plot to turn us lefty bloggers into believing Christians. “Thank you Jesus” indeed. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Yer blogrolled and if ya can make it up to Port Townsend in the summertime I’ll pitch for the growler.

“McCain’s Senate Indian Affairs Committee helpfully blocked out Cornyn’s name when the emails were released last week, but in previous emails it was not.”

Partners in crime,the U.S. Senate. My lasting impression of McCain was from last fall when he finally decided to back his erstwhile nemesis,GW. The look on his face as Chimp hugged him and tried to kiss his cheek was one of utter contempt and self-hatred. Yet hypocrite McCain swallowed whatever passed for his principles and supported the bastard anyway.

Of course,Grover Norquist is up to his eyeballs in the Indian casino scandal and in TraitorGate too. I live for the day when every one of these criminals are exposed.

I love this on Ralph Reed!

Ralphie is evidently going with the defense of “Gee, I didn’t know they were working a scam!”

Why else would somebody give him millions of dollars to petition the AG of a state he doesn’t even live in to shut down its Indian gambling casinos?

Gee Ralphie, maybe you ought to check up on who you are doing business with. A little fact checking would have gone a long way.

How do you spell conspiracy?

Couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.