TPMCafe || Hurricane Protection Budget Cuts Exact a Big Price

TPM Cafe has the complete article that appeared in the New Orleans Times-Picayune on June 8th, 2004 on federal budget cuts that practically halted all work on fortifying the levees around the city. Meanwhile we are hemorraging money for a war that is at best a grotesque mistake.


TPMCafe || Hurricane Protection Budget Cuts Exact a Big Price

Getting Agnostic About 9/11 - Los Angeles Times

Interview with David Ray Griffin, author of "The 9/11 Commission: Omissions and Distortions" -- a book I highly recommend, it is a reasoned, detailed account raising serious questions.
Getting Agnostic About 9/11

Twenty Things We Now Know after 9/11

Twenty Things We Now Know Four Years After 9/11

The New York Review of Books: Iraq: Bush's Islamic Republic

The New York Review of Books: Iraq: Bush's Islamic Republic

Talk of exit stategy

How to Win in Iraq

David Brooks on winning in Iraq

Answer to David Brooks in Letters to the Editor

Military Families May Once Again Lead Us Out of War

Military Families May Once Again Lead Us Out of War:

"'You bet your goddamn dollar I'm bitter. It's people like us who give up our sons for the country,' said a firefighter whose son was killed in action. 'Let's face it: if you have a lot of money, or if you have the right connections, you don't end up on a firing line over there. I think we ought to win that war or pull out. What the hell else should we do -- sit and bleed ourselves to death, year after year?' His wife jumps in to add, 'My husband and I can't help but thinking that our son gave his life for nothing, nothing at all.'"

 

Internet Public Library: Native American Authors

Internet Public Library: Native American Authors

SUV City

Small QT Movie

HALL OF FAME

I'm number one in something!

HALL OF FAME

The Stakeholder:: Waxman on Halliburton & Greenhouse

The Stakeholder:: Waxman on Halliburton & Greenhouse

TIME.com: The Invasion of the Chinese Cyberspies (And the Man Who Tried to Stop Them) -- Sep. 05, 2005 -- Page 1

TIME.com: The Invasion of the Chinese Cyberspies

>>>>the DOSSIER - the War on Terrorism Exposed. Oil - Gas - Terrorism<<<<

Comprehensive resource on why we went to war in Iraq:

the War on Terrorism Exposed. Oil - Gas - Terrorism

Alaska Gyrl in Crawford

Lots of photos from Camp Casey:

Alaska Gyrl in Crawford

Army official who questioned Halliburton deal reported demoted - Yahoo! News

Army official who questioned Halliburton deal reported demoted - Yahoo! News

Martin Sheen speaks out at Camp Casey

Clueless. 'Nuff Said. 

Informed Comment

As we drove back from an attempt on Sheep Mountain, near Pikes Peak, we too heard the strange Darth Vader-like transmission from the prez over Sirius Satellite Radio. Very Weird. Ethereal.... This after we had suffered through an hour of "Revenge of the Sith" yesterday at the "dollar theater" before we walked out in sheer boredom... I hate Star Wars!!


Informed Comment:



"I just heard Bush's audio on CNN concerning the situation in Iraq. I don't know if all the news programs had the same bad feed, but the poor quality of the transmission made Bush sound like Darth Vader, with a faint electronic echo. Sounding like a science fiction villain did not help the credibility of his typically panglossian screed on Iraq.
"

~~ MrWong's Soup'Partments ~~ The Original! ~~ Get Your Apartment Today! TERMINATED! ~~ Thx Roman

~~ MrWong's Soup'Partments ~~ The Original! ~~ Get Your Apartment Today! TERMINATED! ~~ Thx Roman

Aaron Jasinski

Extraordinary musak:

Aaron Jasinski

Return of the Fallen

The Pentagon releases hundreds more "fallen soldiers" after a FOIA request:

Return of the Fallen

Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth

Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth

You already know Christmas trees and Easter eggs were originally Pagan, and you probably know the traditional mid-winter and spring timing of the two holidays was Pagan too. Mildly interesting. Not what you'll find here.

What you'll discover here is that Christianity inherited everything from the Pagans. The core of Christianity -- the worship of a dying Godman who is resurrected, ascends into heaven and brings salvation to mankind -- was also the core of a number of ancient Pagan religions that began in the Near East two thousand years before Jesus.

Subway Life

Subway Life

Experts Warn Debt May Threaten Economy - Yahoo! News

Experts Warn Debt May Threaten Economy

You owe $145,000. And the bill is rising every day. That's how much it would cost every American man, woman and child to pay the tab for the long-term promises the U.S. government has made to creditors, retirees, veterans and the poor.

Matthew R. Simmons "Twilight in the Desert"

"Twilight in the Desert"

Long read, but worth it.... The end of oil and the ramifications....

An excerpt:

MATT: So we have actually now created a pending domestic embargo, and we’re going to be lucky to get through the Summer without some periodic shortages. We probably will, but the odds are probably as high we will have some shortages, and then if we get through the Summer we have a fabulous respite from Labor Day to Thanksgiving, until we hunker to try to figure out how the world gets through the Winter of 2005 and 2006 because oil demand globally could easily go to 86-88 million bpd during the Winter, and that could easily exceed supply by 2-5 million bpd.

JIM: If that was to happen we would almost be looking at $75-80 oil, I suspect.

MATT: No, no, no. Oil prices could easily go up 5-10 times.

The Blog | Justin Frank: Pedaling as Fast as He Can | The Huffington Post

The president is a dry drunk and a moron. He can't help it. That's just the way it is. We're stuck with him. He's "uncurious" and his handlers want to keep him that way. "George, go on vacation. Get out of the way." There is nobody in charge. Maybe Dick Cheney, I guess... Who knows anymore...

The Blog | Justin Frank: Pedaling as Fast as He Can | The Huffington Post

Trekking through war-torn Nepal

Nepal on the brink

The Onion | Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity With New 'Intelligent Falling' Theory

The Onion | Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity With New 'Intelligent Falling' Theory

Bill Moyer, 73, wears a "Bullshit Protector" flap over his ear while President George W. Bush addresses the Veterans of Foreign Wars. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac) 

AlterNet: MediaCulture: The 'Big Lie' on Bush's Nightstand

AlterNet: MediaCulture: The 'Big Lie' on Bush's Nightstand:

"The idea that the President reads anything at all -- much less scholarly tomes -- shows how much contempt his handlers have for the public."

Why Can't I Own a Canadian?

Why Can't I Own a Canadian?:

"Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a radio personality who dispenses advice to people who call in to her radio show. Recently, she said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22 and cannot be condoned under any circumstance."

Good as new, SB accepts an award for 4th in the 50-54 age group, with his 5 hour 15 minute finish. 

Stumbles in... later succumbs to nausea and proceeds to evict all the water he drank for the last two hours of the race.... 

The end. SB rolls in... 

Next day, bright and early and ready for the marathon. 

Looking toward the peak from near Garden of the Gods about 4 P.M. Colorado Springs was swamped with thunder storms and flooding as well. 

It took me a good half an hour to maneuver my Accord up the snowy incline. 

We barely escaped the storm atop the peak, leaving on the last van off the summit. We were forced to wait at Devil's Playground 3 miles down until the Forest Service was able to plow the road... 

Here is the exciting finish for the 1st and 2nd place women... Cindy O'Neill, a local favorite, couldn't quite reel in the winner. 

The clouds roll in... Rebekka nears the finish line.... 

Here comes Rebekka en route to a 4:16 finish. 

Kees Guijt, a good friend of mine, runs to a 2:32 and 6th place finish. 

Ryan Hafer, 19, runs to a 2:21 first-place finish. 

Scott Elliot, 8-time winner of the Ascent, was a reluctant spectator this year on account of a leg injury... 

SB waiting up top. 

Racing for the summit. 

Rebekka before the Pikes Peak Ascent, August 20th. 

Adventure Capitalism and more follies

Adventure Capitalism - The Hidden 2001 Plan to Carve-up Iraq

War on Iraq: Bush's Other Iraq Invasion


Project on Defense Alternatives (PDA)

Welcome to Salt Lake, George

The end of oil -- The Breaking Point By Peter Maass; The New York Times Sunday Magazine

Bush's Watergate?

National Geographic

Hundreds of "petrified hippos," as conservationist J. Michael Fay calls them, throng what's left of a river in Tanzania's Katavi National Park in October of last year. Released this week, the aerial photo is evidence of the increasing human "footprint" that Fay witnessed during the "Megaflyover" -- his seven-month aerial survey of Africa (see map). 

t r u t h o u t - Environmentalists Declare Victory over Wolf Decision

t r u t h o u t - Environmentalists Declare Victory over Wolf Decision

"The wolves are howlin'" in celebration, said Patrick Parenteau, director of the environmental law clinic at Vermont Law School.

The Trillion-Dollar War - New York Times

The Trillion-Dollar War What are we fighting for? Is it worth the money?

Computer experts to review voting machines

Ohio News Now: Computer experts to review voting machines

WAPost: A Boy in his Bubble

In Australia, a headline taunted, "Awkward facts intruding on the Bush 'bubble.' " In India, a newspaper called Sheehan "the Rosa Parks of the anti-war movement." On ABC's "Good Morning America," George Stephanopoulos said that "a lot of Republicans would say . . . that this is the president's Swift boat moment," a reference to Sen. John F. Kerry's tardiness in responding to attacks on his war record during last year's presidential campaign.

Refusal to See Sheehan Is Second-Guessed

Skeptic's Annotated Bible / Quran (Koran) / Book of Mormon

Skeptic's Annotated Bible / Quran (Koran) / Book of Mormon

Whiskey Bar: Slouching Towards the Islamic Republic

Whiskey Bar: Slouching Towards the Islamic Republic

Juan Cole too on the "rule of Sharia" in Iraq:
Prospect of Islamic law in Iraq

And the president's remarks on Iraqi women's rights:

The advance of freedom in the greater Middle East has given new rights and new hopes to women. And America will do its part to continue the spread of liberty.

George W. Bush
Remarks on women's rights
March 12, 2005

Frank Rich: The Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan

The Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan - New York Times

One of the worst album covers of all time.... 

San Diego and Diebold voting machines

Happily we have some forthright citizens who are working to expose the fraud of the Diebold voting chicanery. Beginning with the fraudulent 2000 elections, continuing with the scandal of the elections of 2002 in Georgia, and unbelievably, still obviously evident in the 2004 presidential elections, the Diebold scandal has managed to float below the radar--thanks to an absent MSM.

Citizens Request Recount in San Diego Mayoral Race

 

Nobody is home 

Message I sent to Laura Bush

Hi Laura,

I have a good feeling about you. A good friend of mine is a librarian who has met with you and with your husband. He is an apointee of the administration.

I am a career Air Force officer with more than 23 years of service. I am concerned about our course of action and national strategy. I can't help but agree with Gen Barry McAffrey that "the wheels have come off" our project to establish democracy in Iraq. It seems that we are in a bad stink of throwing good men after bad. Let's stop this nonsense. Please have a heart-to-heart with GW. We have to get out of Iraq.

Sincerely,

Maj Steve Bremner
USAF

Limbaugh loses it

Limbaugh baselessly compared Cindy Sheehan to Bill Burkett: "Her story is nothing more than forged documents" [Media Matters]

Pork butt speaker of the house, Dennis Hastert consorts with his dry drunk pal, GWB. 

Is Bush Out of Control?

Is Bush Out of Control?

Buy beleaguered, overworked White House aides enough drinks and they tell a sordid tale of an administration under siege, beset by bitter staff infighting and led by a man whose mood swings suggest paranoia bordering on schizophrenia.

They describe a President whose public persona masks an angry, obscenity-spouting man who berates staff, unleashes tirades against those who disagree with him and ends meetings in the Oval Office with “get out of here!”

In fact, George W. Bush’s mood swings have become so drastic that White House emails often contain “weather reports” to warn of the President’s demeanor. “Calm seas” means Bush is calm while “tornado alert” is a warning that he is pissed at the world.

Decreasing job approval ratings and increased criticism within his own party drives the President’s paranoia even higher. Bush, in a meeting with senior advisors, called Senator Majority Leader Bill Frist a “god-damned traitor” for opposing him on stem-cell research.

“There’s real concern in the West Wing that the President is losing it,” a high-level aide told me recently.

Live from Crawford

Live from Crawford Ranch (sort of)

How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later

The greatest Science Fiction writer of all time:

How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later

Philip K. Dick, 1978

Science fiction writers, I am sorry to say, really do not know anything. We can't talk about science, because our knowledge of it is limited and unofficial, and usually our fiction is dreadful. A few years ago, no college or university would ever have considered inviting one of us to speak. We were mercifully confined to lurid pulp magazines, impressing no one. In those days, friends would say me, "But are you writing anything serious?" meaning "Are you writing anything other than science fiction?" We longed to be accepted. We yearned to be noticed. Then, suddenly, the academic world noticed us, we were invited to give speeches and appear on panels — and immediately we made idiots of ourselves. The problem is simply this: What does a science fiction writer know about? On what topic is he an authority?

It reminds me of a headline that appeared in a California newspaper just before I flew here. SCIENTISTS SAY THAT MICE CANNOT BE MADE TO LOOK LIKE HUMAN BEINGS. It was a federally funded research program, I suppose. Just think: Someone in this world is an authority on the topic of whether mice can or cannot put on two-tone shoes, derby hats, pinstriped shirts, and Dacron pants, and pass as humans.

Well, I will tell you what interests me, what I consider important. I can't claim to be an authority on anything, but I can honestly say that certain matters absolutely fascinate me, and that I write about them all the time. The two basic topics which fascinate me are "What is reality?" and "What constitutes the authentic human being?"

Did the U.S. Help Saddam Acquire Biological Weapons?

Senator Robert Byrd is a great statesman. Here he makes history in 2002 on the Senate floor. History will show who was right and who was wrong.....:

Did the U.S. Help Saddam Acquire Biological Weapons?

t r u t h o u t - Cartoonists Back Cindy, Slam Bush

t r u t h o u t - Cartoonists Back Cindy, Slam Bush

t r u t h o u t - William Rivers Pitt | Cindy's Victory

Cindy's Victory

"This thing, the wheels are coming off it."

- Gen. Barry McCaffrey, after returning from an inspection of Iraq, 08/12/2005.

They are sunburned and storm-lashed. They sleep in tents that sit along the muddy earth of drainage ditches by the side of the road. They have been heckled by "counter-demonstrators" who chanted "We don't care!" during a rendition of "God Bless America." They have been attacked by fire ants and hassled by local health inspectors. On Thursday morning, at about 5:30am, they were blasted awake by a fourteen-car convoy of Secret Service SUVs which roared through the camp at high speed while leaning on their horns the whole time.

They have been jolted with fear when a local resident fired his weapon into the air several times to make them go away. When the shooter, one Larry Mattlage, was asked why he was firing his gun, he said, "We're going to start doing our war and it's going to be underneath the law. We're going to do whatever it takes." It is safe to say, therefore, that their lives have been threatened.

The thing is, they've already won.

Cindy Sheehan and her ever-growing band of supporters intend to stay in those ditches outside Bush's Crawford "ranch" until he comes out to talk or until August 31st, whichever comes first. If he does not come out by the end of the month, she intends to follow him to Washington and camp out in front of the White House. She and the others have been there for more than a week now, garnering more and more attention from the national and international press. Yes, they are tired. Yes, they are uncomfortable. Yes, they have already won.

PREDICTION

A retired Army Colonel hits the nail on the head with this prediction. Chicago Tribune | PREDICTION

U.S. Lowers Sights On What Can Be Achieved in Iraq

U.S. Lowers Sights On What Can Be Achieved in Iraq

t r u t h o u t - Frank Rich | Someone Tell the President the War Is Over

Frank Rich is back from vacation:

Someone Tell the President the War Is Over

identity theory | we make it up as we go along.

Very cool blog:

identity theory | we make it up as we go along.

SB on the summit of 13,908' Casco Peak, with Mt Elbert, after we had climbed it that morning, in backdrop.