Saturday, April 08, 2006

Get Him Some Depends, Bully Boy's Leaking!

All the leaves are brown,
And the sky is grey.
I've been for a walk
On a winter's day.
I'd be safe and warm,
If I was in L.A.
California Dreamin'
On such a winter's day

That's spelled "grey" by the way. I'm looking at sheet music and that's how they spell it in that.
It's a song, "California Dreamin'", by the Mamas and the Papas and it was written by John Phillips and Michelle Gilliam which is Michelle Phillips' maiden name. I'm opening with it because we all migrated to California for the weekend. :D

Last night we went to see Sir! No, Sir! and that's a documentary about the G.I. resistance to the war in Vietnam in the sixties. I always word it that way, by the way, because my dad would smack me upside my head (upside the butt when I was younger! :D) if I called it the "Vietnam war." Because it was an undeclared war and an illegal war. It was a war and you could call it that in my house but if you were going by like a title you had to say "Vietnam conflict" because that was a big issue -- that it was illegal -- and it's just something that was drilled in all of us growing up. And look where we are today, in another illegal war so maybe more people should have had my dad for a father?

You can go to Sir! No, Sir! for more information on the movie and here are the rest of the dates scheduled for this month:

17 - Preview Screening New York, NY, IFC Center
327 6TH AVE.
NEW YORK CITY, NY
(212) 924-7771
www.ifccenter.comClick here for more details
19 - THE IFC CENTER
327 6TH AVE.
NEW YORK CITY, NY
(212) 924-7771
www.ifccenter.com
28 - THE STARZ FILM CENTER
9th STREET AND AURARIA PARKWAY
DENVER, CO
(303) 893-3456
www.denverfilm.org
28 - THE ORPHEUM THEATRE
216 STATE STREET
MADISON, WI
(608) 255-0605
www.orpheumtheatre.net

Go see the movie if it's playing near you.

Usually, I steer you to something by C.I. and what I want to steer you to this morning isn't up yet. C.I.'s already written it and we all crowded around the computer screen as we woke up to read it this morning. It needed tags and links and Jim asked C.I. to put something in, which C.I. did, but since it wasn't posted, C.I. kept saying that the thing added should really go up at The Third Estate Sunday Review and if it did, it would be the basis for one less feature we'd have to start from scratch on. So Jim was finally persuaded when Dona pointed out to him how much we had to do today. You can read this about the spying coverage in the paper of misrecord and it's worth reading but I really did love the thing that was going up this morning. It still is going up but at least one section's being pulled for us to use in the edition.

So let's do Democracy Now! and these are from Friday's headlines that started the show.

Bush Accused Of OKing Leak of Classified Info
Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff has testified that President Bush authorized him to leak a highly classified intelligence document on Iraq to the press in an effort to defend the administration's decision to go to war. This marks the first time Bush has been linked to the leaking of classified information and raises new questions if Bush was directly tied to the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's grand jury testimony was cited in court papers filed by prosecutors late Wednesday. Libby was indicted in October on charges that he lied to investigators about his role in the outing of Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson who was a vocal critic of the war. On Sept. 30, 2003, President Bush warned against anyone in his administration leaking classified information. "Let me just say something about leaks in Washington. There are too many leaks of classified information in Washington," Bush said. "There's leaks at the executive branch; there's leaks in the legislative branch. There's just too many leaks. And if there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is." On Capitol Hill, Bush was widely criticized by Democrats on Thursday. This is Senator Charles Schumer of New York. "It is increasingly clear that this case goes far beyond Scooter Libby. At the very least, President Bush and Vice President Cheney should fully inform the American people of any role they played in allowing classified information to be leaked," said Schumer. "Did they believe they have the right to do this and if so, in what circumstances? Or is this just something that may have been done to accommodate the president's momentary political needs? According to court documents today, Scooter Libby said that the president authorized the vice president to direct him to disclose classified information to reporters in order to bolster support for the war in Iraq."

Remember Bully Boy playing dumb about the leaks? It may be hard because he plays dumb a lot and sometimes it doesn't seem like he's playing. But after all the chest beating by the Bully Boy, turns out he had some fingers in the whole thing. Wally's "THIS JUST IN! BULLY BOY SAYS 'DO AS I COMMAND NOT AS I DO'" went over just one of Bully Boy's many talks about the leaks and how opposed he is to them so check that out. Bully Boy's been leaking, somebody put him in Depends! :D


Sen. Harkin Urges Democrats To Back Censure of Bush
Meanwhile Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa has admitted in a radio interview that he is embarrassed that more Democrats have not supported Russell Feingold's motion to censure the President for illegally ordering the NSA to conduct domestic spying.

On KPFA yesterday, we heard about a new poll on the Bully Boy. I don't remember which show, sorry. (It may have been more than one.) But the new poll has Bully Boy even more in the toilet and like almost 70% of Americans think he's taken the country down the wrong road. So it's a real tragedy that Democrats don't know how to use their power when they have some. They just want to stand there and stuff. C.I. wrote a thing awhile back and I don't remember where but it was about how standing there while you're in the lead is losing. You can't just go, "I'm in the lead so I will win." You think that in a track meet and you're going to lose. You need to push yourself to win. Right now, if the elections were today, Dems would have control of at least one house of Congress. But if they're just going to spend the time between right now and the election standing still (or watering down what they believe in) then they'll lose the way they did in 2002 and in 2004. Harkin's right about this being embarrassing, they need to start doing stuff. John Kerry had a proposal that's made fun in the New York Times today and I may write about that Monday. But right now, be sure to check out Like Maria Said Paz for Elaine's thoughts and since I already copied and pasted the stuff below into a post this morning, I may beat her in posting this morning! :D

Have a great weekend and right below my tags is Maria's rundown of ten important headlines from Democracy Now! covering the week we're about to finish. I'm going to add something to this. I saved the draft because C.I. yelled, "Save now! Save now!" right as various computers were going down. We were all in the same room and typing away quickly to get our posts completed. I'll leave the original time on this post and I was able to save. Others weren't so lucky. If you're not happy with the amount of posts today, take it up with someone else. Elaine's redoing her post (at an undisclosed location :D) but I don't know who else will attempt to. We're all busy today and we were using our lunch break to eat and write at the same time.


















Bush acusado de autorizar filtración de informacion clasificada

Maria: Buenos dias. De parte de "Democracy Now!" diaz cosas que vale hacer notar este fin de semana. Paz.

Bush acusado de autorizar filtración de información clasificada
El ex jefe de personal del vicepresidente Dick Cheney, declaró que el Presidente Bush lo autorizó a filtrar a la prensa un documento de inteligencia altamente confidencial sobre Irak, en un intento de defender la decisión del gobierno de comenzar la guerra. Este hecho vincula a Bush por primera vez con la filtración de información clasificada y hace surgir nuevas interrogantes con respecto a si Bush estuvo directamente vinculado con la revelación de que Valerie Plame era agente encubierta de la CIA. El testimonio de Lewis "Scooter" Libby ante un gran jurado fue citado en documentos de la corte, presentados por fiscales el miércoles. Libby fue acusado en octubre, por cargos de mentir a los investigadores sobre su participación en la revelación de que Valerie Plame era una agente encubierta de la CIA. Plame es la esposa del ex embajador Joseph Wilson, quien criticó públicamente la guerra. El 30 de septiembre de 2003, el Presidente Bush formuló advertencias contra cualquier persona de su gobierno que filtrara información clasificada. Bush dijo: "Permítanme decir algo sobre las filtraciones en Washington. Hay demasiadas filtraciones de información clasificada en Washington". Y agregó: "Hay filtraciones en el Poder Ejecutivo; hay filtraciones en el Poder Legislativo. Hay demasiadas filtraciones. Y si se produce una filtración en mi gobierno, quiero saber quién es el responsable". En Capitol Hill, Bush fue muy criticado por los demócratas el jueves. El Senador Charles Schumer de Nueva York dijo: "Cada vez queda más claro que este caso va más allá de "Scooter" Libby. Al menos, el Presidente Bush y el Vicepresidente Dick Cheney deberían informar a la población estadounidense de cualquier participación que hayan tenido en permitir la filtración de información clasificada". Y agregó: "¿Creyeron que tenían derecho a hacerlo? Y si es así ¿en qué circunstancias? ¿O simplemente es algo que hicieron para satisfacer las necesidades políticas del Presidente en ese momento? Según los documentos judiciales de hoy, "Scooter" Libby dijo que el Presidente autorizó al Vicepresidente a que le ordenara revelar a los periodistas información clasificada, para incrementar el apoyo a la guerra en Irak".

Comunidades de Wisconsin aprueban medida de retirar soldados
En Wisconsin, dieciocho comunidades aprobaron una medida votada el martes, que solicita a Estados Unidos retirar inmediatamente a todos los soldados de Irak. Seis comunidades rechazaron la medida. El tema fue sometido a votación tras la campaña de base organizada por grupos contrarios a la guerra.

Mujeres británicas afrontan condena de un año en prisión por protestar frente a base militar
En Gran Bretaña, dos abuelas de más de 60 años de edad podrían ser condenadas a hasta un año en prisión, por haber realizado protestas frente a una base militar. Estas mujeres, Helen John y Sylvia Boyes, serán procesadas en virtud de las leyes contra el terrorismo que prohíben todas las protestas frente a bases militares e instalaciones de investigación nuclear.

Camarógrafo iraquí es absuelto pero permanece en prisión
En Irak, un camarógrafo iraquí que trabaja para "CBS News" fue absuelto el miércoles de los cargos que lo mantuvieron un año en prisión. Sin embargo, a pesar de la absolución, el juez ordenó que lo llevaran de vuelta a su celda en Abu Ghraib. El camarógrafo, Abdul Ameer, estaba filmando enfrentamientos en Mosul cuando soldados estadounidenses le dispararon y lo arrestaron. Ameer fue acusado de incitación y de reclutamiento para la insurgencia contra Estados Unidos. El abogado de Ameer, Scott Horton, dijo luego de la audiencia: "Primero me gustaría decir que este ha sido un gran día para la justicia en Irak, creo que ninguna de las personas que haya presenciado los procedimientos de esta mañana pensará que ha sido justo, pero pensemos en otra cosa; en una sala de tribunal de prácticamente cualquier otra parte del mundo, cuando un acusado es absuelto y se determina que es completamente inocente de los cargos presentados en su contra, queda libre a partir de ese momento. Hoy no sucedió eso. Las autoridades estadounidenses aún tienen detenido a Abdul Ameer. Todos debemos enfocarnos en el hecho de que aunque fue totalmente absuelto permanece en prisión, y debemos dirigir nuestras preguntas sobre su liberación a las fuerzas estadounidenses".

Senador Harkin exhorta a demócratas a respaldar censura de Bush
Mientras tanto, el Senador demócrata de Iowa Tom Harkin, admitió en una entrevista radial que se avergüenza de que más demócratas no apoyaran la moción de Russell Feingold para censurar al Presidente Bush, por ordenar ilegalmente a la Agencia de Seguridad Nacional (NSA) que lleve a cabo espionaje interno.

Asesor legal de Nixon, John Dean, pide censura de Bush
En Washington, el ex asesor legal del Presidente Nixon, John Dean, declaró el viernes a favor de censurar al Presidente Bush por ordenarle a la Agencia de Seguridad Nacional que lleve a cabo vigilancia interna sin las órdenes judiciales que exige la ley. Dean habló en la audiencia del Comité Judicial del Senado para discutir los pedidos del Senador Russell Feingold de censurar al presidente. Bruce Fein, un jurista conservador y ex funcionario del gobierno de Reagan, también declaró a favor de la censura. Fein dijo que la afirmación de Bush de que tiene facultad constitucional inherente "no tiene fin". Hasta ahora, Feingold ha recibido poco apoyo de su propio partido, ya que sólo dos demócratas asistieron a la audiencia del viernes: Patrick Leahy de Vermont y Herb Kohl de Wisconsin.

Cardenal de Los Ángeles oficia misa para apoyar a los inmigrantes indocumentados
Mientras tanto en Los Ángeles, el Cardenal Roger Mahoney ofició una misa especial en señal de solidaridad con los inmigrantes indocumentados. Mahoney prometió ordenarle a los curas que ignoren una ley propuesta, debido a que dicha ley convertiría en delito que tanto curas, como trabajadores sociales y trabajadores de la salud, ayudaran a los trabajadores indocumentados. Mahoney dijo: "Bien, estamos en un momento realmente crítico en la historia de inmigración de nuestro país, y tenemos la oportunidad que no hemos tenido en muchos años de aprobar una ley que es humana y justa y que trata todos los asuntos referidos a la inmigración". Dolores Huerta, co-fundadora de sindicato United Farm Workers (Agricultores Unidos), también habló en Los Ángeles: "Es muy bueno que esto ocurra ahora. Estamos viendo el inicio de un nuevo movimiento por los derechos civiles constituido por latinos. Que el Cardenal oficie la misa es un gran apoyo, porque ésta es una organización nacional. Al decir que el Cardenal cometerá desobediencia civil en nombre de los inmigrantes, el Cardenal estará inspirando a otros a hacer lo mismo. Esto repercutirá en Washington". Grupos de inmigrantes de todo el país planean protestas masivas a nivel nacional el lunes.

Subsecretario de Prensa del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional arrestado por seducir a una menor en Internet
Volvemos a Estados Unidos. El Subsecretario de Prensa del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional fue arrestado en Maryland el martes, por intentar solicitar relaciones sexuales con una niña a través de Internet. Brian Doyle fue arrestado luego de haber contactado a través de Internet a un oficial de policía encubierto que se hizo pasar por una adolescente de 14 años de edad. Doyle fue acusado de 23 cargos por utilizar su computadora para seducir a una adolescente y trasmitir materiales perjudiciales a una menor. Según la policía, Doyle se había identificado en sus comunicaciones a través de Internet, y había proporcionado el número de teléfono de su oficina.

Sunitas de las milicias protegerán los barrios
En otras noticias sobre Irak, nuevas estadísticas indican que el número de iraquíes que murieron en marzo en asesinatos de tipo ejecución superó en casi ocho veces al número de iraquíes que murieron en atentados suicidas con bombas, o en atentados con bombas al costado de las carreteras. Esto provocó que muchos iraquíes que anteriormente no estaban involucrados en luchas, ahora porten armas para protegerse. El Financial Times informa que los barrios sunitas de clase media ahora están formando sus propias milicias para contraatacar a las milicias chiítas y a los escuadrones de la muerte.

Estados Unidos no alcanza meta de construir 142 clínicas de salud en Irak
Esta noticia es sobre la reconstrucción de Irak. El "Washington Post" informa que Estados Unidos está lejos de alcanzar su meta de construir 142 clínicas de salud con servicios básicos. El gobierno estadounidense le entregó a la empresa Parsons 200 millones de dólares para terminar el proyecto, pero hasta el momento sólo se han construido 20 clínicas. El sistema de salud de Irak fue devastado por la guerra, y por una década de sanciones impuestas por Estados Unidos.

Maria: Good morning. Now in English, here are ten stories from Democracy Now! Peace.

Bush Accused Of OKing Leak of Classified Info
Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff has testified that President Bush authorized him to leak a highly classified intelligence document on Iraq to the press in an effort to defend the administration's decision to go to war. This marks the first time Bush has been linked to the leaking of classified information and raises new questions if Bush was directly tied to the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's grand jury testimony was cited in court papers filed by prosecutors late Wednesday. Libby was indicted in October on charges that he lied to investigators about his role in the outing of Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson who was a vocal critic of the war. On Sept. 30, 2003, President Bush warned against anyone in his administration leaking classified information. "Let me just say something about leaks in Washington. There are too many leaks of classified information in Washington," Bush said. "There's leaks at the executive branch; there's leaks in the legislative branch. There's just too many leaks. And if there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is." On Capitol Hill, Bush was widely criticized by Democrats on Thursday. This is Senator Charles Schumer of New York. "It is increasingly clear that this case goes far beyond Scooter Libby. At the very least, President Bush and Vice President Cheney should fully inform the American people of any role they played in allowing classified information to be leaked," said Schumer. "Did they believe they have the right to do this and if so, in what circumstances? Or is this just something that may have been done to accommodate the president's momentary political needs? According to court documents today, Scooter Libby said that the president authorized the vice president to direct him to disclose classified information to reporters in order to bolster support for the war in Iraq."

Wisconsin Communities Approve Troop Withdrawal Measure
And in Wisconsin, eighteen communities approved a ballot measure Tuesday that calls on the US to immediately withdraw all troops from Iraq. Six communities voted down the measure. The issue was put on the ballot following a grassroots campaign organized by anti-war groups.

British Women Face One-Year Prison Term For Military Base Protest
In Britain, two grandmothers above the age of 60 years old are facing up to a year in prison for protesting outside a military base. The women, Helen John and Sylvia Boyes, will be prosecuted under anti-terrorism legislation that outlaws all protests at military bases and nuclear research facilities.

Iraqi Cameraman Acquitted, Yet Remains Imprisoned
In Iraq, an Iraqi cameraman working for CBS News was acquitted of charges Wednesday that have kept him in prison for one year. But despite the acquittal, the judge ordered him returned to his cell at Abu Ghraib. The cameraman, Abdul Ameer, was filming clashes in Mosul when US troops shot him and arrested him a year ago Wednesday. He was accused of incitement and of recruiting for the anti-U.S. insurgency. Ameer's lawyer, Scott Horton, commented after the hearing: "I would like to observe first that this is has been a great day for justice in Iraq I think no one who witness the proceedings this morning would think that justice was served there, but let us think about something else - in a court room almost anywhere else in the world when an accused is acquitted, is to determined to be completely innocent of charges brought against him, he walks free from that court room. That didn't happen today. Abdul Ameer is still in detention by the American authorities. We should all focus on the fact even though he was completely acquitted he remains in prison and we should all direct our question to the Americans forces about his release."

Sen. Harkin Urges Democrats To Back Censure of Bush
Meanwhile Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa has admitted in a radio interview that he is embarrassed that more Democrats have not supported Russell Feingold's motion to censure the President for illegally ordering the NSA to conduct domestic spying.

Nixon's Legal Counsel John Dean Calls For Censure of Bush
In Washington, President Nixon’s former legal counsel John Dean testified on Friday in favor of censuring President Bush for ordering the National Security Agency to conduct domestic surveillance without legally required court warrants. Dean spoke at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to discuss Sen. Russell Feingold's calls to censure the president. Also testifying in favor of censure was Bruce Fein, a conservative legal scholar and former Reagan administration official. He said that Bush's claim of inherent constitutional authority "has no stopping point." So far Feingold has received little support from his own party -- only two other Democrats attended Friday’s hearing: Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Herb Kohl of Wisconsin.

Los Angeles Cardinal Offers Mass In Support of Undocumented Immigrants
Meanwhile in Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahoney held a special mass as sign of solidarity with undocumented immigrants. Mahoney has vowed to order priests to ignore a proposed law that would make it a crime for priests, social workers and health care workers to help undocumented workers. "Well, we are at a very critical moment in the history of our country with immigration and we have the opportunity that we haven't had in many years to actually pass a law that is humane and just and deals with all the issues around immigration," Mahoney said. Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers also spoke in Los Angeles: "This is really great right now. We're seeing a new civil rights movement being formed by Latinos. The Cardinal having the mass is such good support because this is such a national organization. When the Cardinal says he's going to commit civil disobedience on behalf of the immigrants, then this is going to inspire others to do the same. This will have an effect on Washington." Across the country immigrant groups are planning for massive nationwide protests on Monday.

DHS Press Secretary Arrested for Online Seduction
Back in the United States, the deputy press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security was arrested in Maryland Tuesday for trying to solicit sexual relations with a child over the internet. Brian Doyle was arrested after he made contact online with an undercover police officer posing as a 14-year old girl. Doyle has been charged with 23 counts for using his computer to seduce a child and transmitting harmful materials to a minor. According to police, he had identified himself in his communications online and given his office phone number.

Sunnis Form Militias To Protect Neighborhoods
In other news from Iraq, new statistics show that nearly eight times as many Iraqis died in March in execution-style killings than in suicide and roadside bombings. This has prompted many Iraqis not previously involved in fighting to begin carrying weapons for protection. The Financial Times is reporting middle class Sunni neighborhoods are now forming their own militias to counter the Shiite militias and death squads.

U.S. Falls Far Short of Goal to Build 142 Health Clinics in Iraq
In news on the reconstruction of Iraq the Washington Post reports the U.S. is far from reaching its goal of building 142 primary health clinics. The U.S. government gave the private company Parsons $200 million to complete the project but so far only 20 clinics have been built. Iraq's medical system has been devastated from the war and a decade of U.S.-imposed sanctions.






sylvia boyes
helen john
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