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• Well, whattya know... could President's Obama's terrifying stimulus package actually be working? • Ever hear of a guy named Ahmed Wali Karzai? No? You should. Not only is he the drug-running brother of Afghan president Hamid Karzai, you're paying his salary. • Say hello to your new military budget, which includes a broad expansion of hate-crimes legislation and scraps a host of overpriced weapons systems (including the ridiculous F-22 fighter). • It's no secret why lying scumbag Joe Lieberman is trying to kill the public option. Now we learn that Evan Bayh - another "blue dog" against the public option - has a little secret of his own (hint: he's married to it). • Congratulations to former Senator Edward Brooke for receiving the Congressional Gold Medal. Well-earned, sir. • And finally - the self-immolation of George W. Bush continues: Tags: asshole, bush, corruption, economy, health care, joe lieberman, jon stewart, politics, rachel maddow
From: Chicago
Mood:  Staphylococcus Epidermidis
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... as some of us guessed it might:  Illinois Sen. Roland Burris admitted today that indicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother asked him for a campaign contribution before the governor appointed Burris to the Senate. The disclosure is "at odds" with Burris' testimony in January when an Illinois House impeachment committee specifically asked if he had ever spoken to Robert Blagojevich or other aides to the now-deposed governor about the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. Another little detail that seems "at odds" (a decorous way of saying " he lied") with testimony Burris gave last month is this little nugget: The affidavit also discloses for the first time that Burris told former Blagojevich advisers Doug Scofield and John Wyma of his interest in the post at a fundraiser in June, and later with Blagojevich chief of staff John Harris, who was arrested with Blagojevich on Dec. 9th. Scofield, Wyma and Harris were among the Blagojevich associates Burris was asked about in his Jan. 8th testimony by state Rep. Jim Durkin, the impeachment committee's ranking Republican. In response, Burris said he had spoken only to Lon Monk, a former Blagojevich aide-turned-lobbyist, last summer about his willingness to take the seat. "This wasn't a couple of questions that I can understand someone may forget, it goes way beyond that," Durkin said today. "To say that he wasn't given the opportunity to explain himself is a load of B.S." So, our newly-minted Senator lied to an impeachment panel about being shaken down, yes. But he also suddenly remembered that he had, in fact, expressed interest in the seat to a couple of other people he previously forgot to mention, including a guy who was arrested. Hey Roland... can you say perjury?Tags: corruption, democrats, lies, loathsome people, politics
From: Land Of Lincoln
Mood:  Pyew
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Newly-elected RNC chairman Michael Steele arranged for his 2006 Senate campaign to pay a defunct company run by his sister for services that were never performed, his finance chairman from that campaign has told federal prosecutors.  The claim about the illegal payment, one of several allegations by Alan B. Fabian, is outlined in a court document Fabian offered prosecutors during plea negotiations on unrelated fraud charges. The allegations outlined four specific transactions. In addition to the payment to Steele's sister, Fabian said that the candidate used money from his state campaign improperly; that Steele paid $75,000 from the state campaign to a law firm for work that was never performed; and that he or an aide transferred more than $500,000 in campaign cash from one bank to another without authorization: • Fabian points to a February 2007 payment by Steele's Senate campaign of more than $37,000 to Brown Sugar Unlimited, the company run by Steele's sister, Monica Turner (former wife of Mike Tyson). Campaign finance records list the expense as having been for "catering/web services." Turner filed papers to dissolve the company 11 months before the payment was received. • Fabian alleges that after the 2006 election, an aide transferred the funds that had been raised for Steele's lieutenant governor campaign - more than $600,000 - out of what had been the campaign's bank account. • Fabian claims that payments to two vendors in 2006 for work on the Senate campaign were made from Steele's state account rather than from his federal coffers. Campaign finance reports show that printers billed the Senate campaign late in 2006. The state campaign paid the bills early the next year - nearly $30,000 to GOP Shoppe and almost $8,000 to Form Masters. The Senate campaign reported several months later that it had been "billed in error." • Fabian also alleges that Steele paid the law firm Baker & Hostetler $75,000 for services that were not provided. The expenditure is listed in campaign finance records as an in-kind contribution to the state Republican Party. Turns out Steele is no stranger to "money trouble." His first race for public office, a 1998 bid for the Republican nomination for state comptroller, ended nearly $35,000 in debt, much of it to his sister. He was fined twice by state officials for missing deadlines to file campaign finance reports and was in debt and had faced foreclosure in 2001, the year before he was selected as Governor Ehrlich's running mate. The state party threw Steele a financial lifeline at the time, awarding him a highly unusual $30,000 "consulting" contract. Tags: corruption, crime, gop meltdown, republican scandal, rumors
From: Chicago
Mood:  What's That Smell?
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(Hat-tip Blue Texan)America's Sleaziest Company strikes again. Halliburton Co., the world's second-largest oilfield-services provider, has agreed to pay $559 million to settle federal charges that employees bribed officials in Nigeria.
It would be the biggest fine by far of a U.S. company in a bribery case, topping the $44 million that Baker Hughes Inc. paid last year related to charges that it paid bribes in Kazahkstan. And of course, wherever there's corruption and malfeasance, Dirty Dick can't be too far away. Former Vice President Dick Cheney was Halliburton's chief executive from 1995 to 2000, and some of the allegations date to that period. Quite a dossier Halliburton has going, there... human trafficking, poisoning our troops, rape, negligent homicide... These bastards make Walmart look like Ben & Jerry's.Tags: corruption, crime, dick cheney, halliburton, loathsome people, oil, republican scum
From: Chicago
Mood: Pyew
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"The evils of government are directly proportional
to the tolerance of the people." - Frank Kent
 Hyperinflation, political intimidation, beatings, abductions, murder... And now this: Relief workers in rural Zimbabwe are reporting that families are mixing their dwindling food supplies with cow dung to keep from starving to death. Caritas Internationalis Secretary General Lesley-Anne Knight said, “Our staff say that people in Zimbabwe are dropping dead on the streets from cholera. They’ve witnessed people mixing cow dung with what’s left of their food to make it go further. This is poverty at its most dehumanizing.” At least 5.1 million people are facing starvation out of a population of 13 million people. Nearly 14,000 cases of cholera have been reported, with 1500+ resulting deaths so far. It’s unknown how people living with HIV and AIDS are surviving without either the necessary medicines or the necessary level of nutrition that is key to the effectiveness of anti-retroviral treatment. The country’s economy and agriculture - along with its education and healthcare systems - have virtually collapsed. Meanwhile, President Robert Mugabe - AKA " The Butcher of Harare" - ends the year much as he began it, living in luxury while the crisis he created threatens to kill hundreds of thousands of his own people and, quite possibly, destabilize the whole of southern Africa. Someone needs to put a bullet in his brain.Tags: africa, cholera, corruption, dictator of the month, disease, loathsome people, starvation, zimbabwe
From: Chicago
Mood:  Disgusted
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The AP has released its Top 10 News Stories of '08...
 ( Here They Are )Stories that almost made the Top 10 included Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than 84,000 people in Myanmar; Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, which wreaked deadly damage in the Caribbean and on the U.S. Gulf Coast; and the seesaw fate of same-sex marriage in California, where a court ruling approving it was later overturned by a ballot measure. Several write-in votes were cast for two late-breaking stories — the indictment of Rod Blagojevich and the efforts of struggling U.S. automakers to get a federal bailout. The alleged financial scam involving Bernard Madoff also was revealed too late to make the ballot. Any other stories missing from the list, IYO?Tags: '08 elections, '08 in review, china, corruption, economy, environment, iraq, natural disasters, oil, politics, terrorism, war
From: Chicago
Mood:  Good Riddance '08
Now Playing: 'Shame, Shame, Shame' - Shirley & Company
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 Well, we've certainly had our share of political skullduggery this year, that's for sure. That in mind, my question to you, dear reader, is... Poll #1312965 Political Scandal of the Year
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 59 Who's the Political Scumbag of the Year? Tags: cheating, corruption, democrats, lies, politics, reader poll, republicans, scandal
From: Chicago
Mood: Inquiring Minds...
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Speaking of bombing the Pentagon, Senator... 
(Hat-tip James Glanz & Michael Luo)Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has presented documents to the Pentagon charging that Florida GOP finance chairman and top McCain fundraiser Harry Sargeant III made tens of millions of dollars in profits over the last four years because his contracting company vastly overcharged for deliveries of fuel to American air bases in Iraq. The contracting company, called the International Oil Trading Company, (IOTC)., was briefly in the news over the summer when a former partner filed a lawsuit against Mr. Sargeant in a Florida circuit court. That man, a Jordanian named Mohammad al-Saleh, is a brother-in-law of King Abdullah II of Jordan. The court papers laid out his assertion that he obtained special governmental authorizations for the company to transport the fuel through Jordan and was then unlawfully forced out by Mr. Sargeant. But the latest claims of impropriety by the company, presented by Waxman to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, go much further. Waxman uses e-mail messages, company documents, Pentagon reports and other information to make the case that Mr. Sargeant repeatedly received contracts to deliver the fuel even though his company was not the lowest bidder. In one case, Waxman asserts that Sargeant’s company submitted the highest of six bids, but received the contract anyway. In fact, Pentagon contracting officers complained that IOTC's prices were unreasonably high and initially said they could not justify giving the work to Sargeant. But for reasons the company was never able to explain, no other American company was given an authorization to transport the fuel. And when the United States Central Command declared that the need for the fuel was urgent, the Pentagon was forced to award the contract to Sargeant’s company. According to the documents, the Pentagon tried to negotiate a lower price with Mr. Sargeant, but he held firm, saying the prices were reasonable "given his expenses." But as a result, Waxman says the company has been paid $1.4 billion on four different contracts for the fuel deliveries and made a profit of $210 million after expenses. Waxman estimated that if the lowest bidder had been awarded the contracts, taxpayers would have saved some $180 million.“Mr. Sargeant’s personal gain from these four contracts may have been $70 million or higher,” Waxman’s letter says. Tags: '08 elections, corruption, john mccain, military stupidity, pentagon, republican corruption
From: Chicago
Mood: Pyew
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 Seven Alaska state employees have reversed course and agreed to testify in an abuse-of-power investigation against Republican Sarah Palin.[...] Lawmakers subpoenaed seven state employees to testify in the inquiry but they challenged those subpoenas. A judge rejected that challenge last week. Because of that ruling, Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg says the employees have decided to testify. Todd Palin, while still not agreeing to testify under oath, has agreed to speak to investigator Timothy Petumenos. Another investigation into Troopergate (launched by the Alaska Legislature) is scheduled to release their findings this Friday, unless successfully stayed by the McCain/Palin campaign. Drill, Baby, Drill ☺Tags: '08 elections, alaska, corruption, gop lizard queens, republican scandal
From: Chicago
Mood:  Good
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(Hat-tip Perrspectives)The implosion of Wall Street this month comes as a triple-dose of bad news for Republican John McCain. No doubt, his daily-changing response to the crisis confirmed McCain's self-proclaimed ignorance of economics. Perhaps even more damaging, America's financial nightmare conjured images of the savings and loan scandal 20 years ago, one in which McCain's close ties to political sugar daddy Charles Keating almost ended his career. And to be sure, flashing back to McCain's 1989 temper tantrum in response to his Keating Five charges can only remind American voters that John McCain is dangerously unfit for the nation's highest office. As Perrspectives detailed previously, McCain's proposal last Thursday to essentially resurrect the Resolution Trust Corporation harkens back to S&L disaster in which he was a central figure. The RTC was an entity signed into law by President George H.W. Bush, which in the 1980s and 1990s ultimately poured $400 billion into hundreds of faltering savings and loan institutions. About $3 billion of that came from the collapse of Charles Keating's Lincoln Financial, the man for whom McCain interceded with federal thrift regulators. While McCain was ultimately admonished by a Senate ethics panel only for "poor judgment," his behavior in response to the white hot press spotlight raises troubling questions about his fitness to lead. As the Arizona Republic recalled in March 2007: On Oct. 8, 1989, The Arizona Republic revealed that McCain's wife and her father had invested $359,100 in a Keating shopping center in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators.
The paper also reported that the McCains, sometimes accompanied by their daughter and baby-sitter, had made at least nine trips at Keating's expense, sometimes aboard the American Continental jet. Three of the trips were made during vacations to Keating's opulent Bahamas retreat at Cat Cay.
McCain also did not pay Keating for some of the trips until years after they were taken, after he learned that Keating was in trouble over Lincoln. Total cost: $13,433.
When the story broke, McCain did nothing to help himself.
"You're a liar," McCain said when a Republic reporter asked him about the business relationship between his wife and Keating.
"That's the spouse's involvement, you idiot," McCain said later in the same conversation. "You do understand English, don't you?"
He also belittled reporters when they asked about his wife's ties to Keating.
"It's up to you to find that out, kids." Ultimately, the paper ran the story. After it broke, McCain held a news conference with his rage in check and calmly answered questions for 90 minutes. (In a preview of the 2008 campaign, McCain's defense was that his wife's finances - and extreme wealth - were separate from his own.) But Republican McCain's response also revealed another disturbing pattern that continues to this day. After launching a furious tirade against the media, McCain sought to forgiveness after the fact. As the Boston Globe described the episode: When reporters questioned the investment, John McCain wrote in his autobiography, he "shouted at them, cursed them, and eventually slammed the phone down on them. It was ridiculously immature behavior." In that same 2002 book, McCain pondered, "I don't know how (The Republic journalists) would have reported the story had I been more civil and understanding or just more of a professional during the interview." Two weeks ago, Joe Klein of Time summed up Republican McCain then and now with his indictment of the nominee's "sleazy ads," predicting: "I just can't wait for the moment when John McCain - contrite and suddenly honorable again in victory or defeat - talks about how things got a little out of control in the passion of the moment. Talk about putting lipstick on a pig." This month's financial meltdown should serve to focus Americans' minds on John McCain's dark role in precipitating the last one 20 years ago. And his hysterical reaction to the charges he faced then should give voters of all stripes pause. For his corruption and out-of-control temper, John McCain can't simply kiss and make up with the American press - or people. As Joe Klein put it, "apology not accepted."
http://www.StopMcCain08.comTags: '08 elections, corruption, john mccain, republican scandal
From: Chicago
Mood:  Register. Vote.
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 Alaska Republicans are the dumbest people in America. Thanks for the Senate seat pick-up in November, numbskulls. P.S. Oh, and thanks for this, too. Tags: '08 elections, alaska, corruption, dumb americans, gop meltdown, republican corruption, republican implosion, ted stevens, wolves
From: Chicago
Mood:  Revved Up
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What the hell happened to the " Maverick"?
...or was he ever really a "maverick" at all?P.S. Investigative journalist, ex-USAF pilot and Vietnam vet Hugh Scott shares seven reasons why no one should vote for McCain (hat-tip ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) wobblerlori)... ... oh, and I'm still waiting for a full MSM investigation of ol' Straight talk's "dealings" with Vicky Iseman (hell, I'll even accept a National Enquirer version). Tags: '08 elections, corruption, crime, jack abramoff, john mccain, lies, republican scandal, youtube
From: Chicago
Mood:  Suspect
Now Playing: 'Hand in My Pocket' - Alanis Morissette
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Hat-tip Vincent FerteySoldiers overthrew Mauritania's first democratically-elected president in a coup today and announced a military junta was taking charge of the northwest African state. Soldiers seized President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi at his palace after he sacked senior army officers during a political crisis in the country, which straddled black and Arab Africa. A "State Council" led by one of the sacked officers, Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz, said Abdallahi was now a "former president" and annulled his previous decree sacking Abdelaziz and the heads of the army and Gendarmerie. The communique, described as the council's "Statement No. 1," was broadcast by Gulf-based Arabic television stations. Abdallahi won Mauritania's first free, fair elections since independence in 1960 last year, taking over from a military government which ousted President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya in a bloodless 2005 coup. Abdelaziz was also instrumental in Taya's overthrow, the last successful coup in Africa, and was No. 2 in the junta. The president's daughter, Amal Mint Cheikh Abdallahi, said the presidential guard came to the residence and took away her father at around 0920 GMT. "We are being kept in the house, forbidden to leave. There are guards posted in the kitchen, the bedrooms, even the showers. The phones have been cut," she said. The prime minister and interior minister had also been arrested, and the country's main airport was closed while soldiers on jeeps with heavy guns stood guard outside government buildings. Police reportedly fired tear gas at a crowd of 50 supporters of Abdallahi in the capital city of Nouakchott. "We are against the military and we are deeply against this coup. We support Sidi to the death," said one of the protesters. The international community, which had widely welcomed last year's democratic elections, broadly condemned today's coup. The Arab League voiced "deep concern," the African Union demanded the return of "constitutional legality" and West African regional heavyweight Nigeria said it would not recognize a government that came to power through unconstitutional means. The United States and United Nations called for a (*yawn*) "return to constitutional rule," while EU Aid Commissioner Louis Michel demanded Abdallahi be restored to power, saying the coup could "put into question our policy of cooperation with Mauritania." Abdallahi dismissed his government in May after criticism over its response to soaring food prices and to a series of attacks by al Qaeda's north African arm. A new government resigned last month in the face of a proposed no-confidence vote, and a replacement cabinet lacked the support of the opposition Union of Forces for Progress (UFP) and Islamist Tawassoul parties included in the previous team. Mauritania, formerly a French colony, is rich in iron ore, copper and gold, and both oil and mining investments have been on the rise recently. Companies such as First Quantum, ArcelorMittal and Industries Qatar all have mining and other projects there. Malaysia's Petronas also runs an offshore crude project there, and French oil giant Total is actively prospecting. Tags: africa, corruption, dictator of the month, greed, islam, military, mining, oil
From: Chicago
Mood:  Cynical
Now Playing: 'Another One Bites The Dust' - Queen
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Y'know, for a guy who's built his political reputation on "straight talk," John Sidney McCain III just seems seedier and more crooked with every passing day... 
(Hat-tip DHinMI)McMaverick has been embarrassed several times over the last few weeks by lobbyists connected to his campaign. Last week, he was forced to fire two lobbyists who had worked for the military junta in Burma. Yesterday, we learned about a lobbyist working for McCain who pimped for the governments of Serbia and Qatar. McCain also had to dismiss one of his top operatives in Virginia, Craig Shirley, renowned for his services to the GOP (including the orchestrated "rescue" of Jessica Lynch in Iraq, as well as the Willie Horton campaign vs. Dukakis in '88). Shirley was simultaneously an official with McCain's campaign and involved in an independent campaign against Democrats. Of course, McCain's handlers are spinning Shirley's dismissal as "a matter of principle," when in fact Shirley was breaking the law by being on both sides of what should be a divide, the candidate campaign, and an independent operation, legally prohibited from coordinating its activities with the campaign. Yet, in an organization jammed full of lobbyists, one name stands above all others: longtime McCain advisor Charlie Black, whose hands are not only filthy, but soaked in blood as well: Tags: '08 elections, corruption, john mccain, politics, republican scandal, republican scum
From: Chicago
Mood: Pyew
Now Playing: 'Stir It Up' - Bob Marley
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(Hat-tip Maple Leaf)McMaverick himself — ever the stalwart defender of the people against the evil special interests of lobbyists — has handpicked the manager of this year's GOP convention. His name is Doug Goodyear, CEO of beltway PR firm DCI, which represents (among many others) General Motors and ExxonMobil. To make matters worse, Newsweek is reporting that back in 2002, DCI accepted almost $350,000 from the military dictators of Burma for representation: [DCI] was paid $348,000 in 2002 to represent Burma's military junta, which had been strongly condemned by the State Department for its human-rights record and remains in power today. Justice Department lobbying records show DCI pushed to "begin a dialogue of political reconciliation" with the regime. It also led a PR campaign to burnish the junta's image, drafting releases praising Burma's efforts to curb the drug trade and denouncing "falsehoods" by the Bush administration that the regime engaged in rape and other abuses. "It was our only foreign representation, it was for a short tenure, and it was six years ago," Goodyear told NEWSWEEK, adding the junta's record in the current cyclone crisis is 'reprehensible." Oh, yessir, Mr. Goodyear, the junta's "record" in the "current crisis" is terrible. That's to say nothing of over four decades of terrorizing its own people. Burma is a place where a political conversation lands you prison time, perhaps forced labor; where peaceful protest lands you a beating and jail if you're lucky, and murder or enslavement if you aren't. The junta has been in power for 46 years. Its human rights record has been heinous for nearly the entire time, most infamously since 1988 — when the results of a general election were ignored and the military raked protesting students with gunfire. The aforementioned "falsehoods" are, sadly, all too true. Anyone who has any knowledge of Southeast Asian affairs understands the depth of the junta's depravity. Apparently Mr. Goodyear either didn't care or, more likely, cared but cared more about hundreds of thousands of greenbacks. Newsweek has more on McCain's choice representing his hypocrisy: Another issue: DCI has been a pioneer in running "independent" expenditure campaigns by so–called 527 groups, precisely the kind of operations that McCain, in his battle for campaign-finance reform, has denounced. In 2004, the DCI Group led a pro-Bush 527 called Progress for America, which was later fined (along with several other 527s on both sides of the political divide) for violating federal election laws. Goodyear, however, says that DCI is "not in the 527 business anymore." Increasing the hilarity, the Newsweek article claims that the other short list candidate who didn't get the job was turned down for fears that his lobbyist connections would produce bad PR: "Ironically, Goodyear was chosen for the post after the McCain campaign nixed Paul Manafort, who runs a lobbying firm with McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis. The prospect of choosing Manafort created anxiety in the campaign because of his long history of representing controversial foreign clients, including Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and Viktor Yanukovich, the former Ukrainian prime minister who has been widely criticized for alleged corruption and for his close ties to Russia's Vladimir Putin—a potential embarrassment for McCain, who in 2007 called Putin a "totalitarian dictator." "The Ukrainian stuff was viewed as too much," says one McCain strategist, who asked not to be identified discussing the matter." So Filipino dictators and Ukrainian crooks are too much, but the murderous Burmese junta is fine n' dandy. Once again, John Sidney McCain III — brave battler of lobbyists — suckles the teat of his self-proclaimed foes for his own political gain. UPDATE: Goodyear just quit. Tags: '08 elections, corruption, john mccain, lies, myanmar, republican hypocrisy
From: Chicago
Mood: Gearin' Up
Now Playing: 'Gumby' - Frank Sinatra, Jr.
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It’s hard to top this suck-up in the irony department... 
(Hat-tip Pam Spaulding)Rod Parsley, founder and president of “The Center for Moral Clarity” and leader of the fringe “ Patriot Pastors” movement was joined at the hip with John Sidney McCain this week as the GOP Tool sought to mend relations with the bible-beating set. Back in February '07, Parsley had a boner after a Michigan court ruled that anyone involved in an extramarital fling can be prosecuted for first-degree criminal sexual conduct. I wonder if he and the divorced serial adulterer McCain discussed the matter... Pastor Rod: “Adultery is a violation of biblical instruction as well as an offense against the other partner in what should be a sacred relationship. Furthermore, the breach of faith is disastrous to children - as well as the broader society,” said Pastor Rod Parsley. “Too many men and women are willing to surrender to passion and desires of the flesh without considering the repercussions of those fleeting moments of pleasure.”
…Adulterous behavior is just as wrong - just as much a sin - as lying, cheating, stealing and murder. Yet in 21st century America, there seems to be few consequences for a “harmless” fling on the side….Perhaps court systems across the nation should treat adultery for what it truly is: lying, cheating and stealing. People For the American Way reports on some other fun facts about Parsley, a man called by The Tool as a “spiritual guide.” • Called hate crimes legislation a “deceptive ploy of [the] liberal, homosexual agenda.”
• Compared Planned Parenthood to the Nazis.
• Declared “I came to incite a riot! Man your battle stations! Ready your weapons! Lock and load!” at a “War on Christians” conference.
• Urged voters to “let the Reformation begin! Shout it like you’re going to carry the blood-stained banner of the cross of Christ the length and breadth of the Buckeye State!” at a political rally. Perhaps it just slipped Pastor Parsley's mind that it was none other than John Sidney McCain - the same guy suspected of getting jiggy with lobbyist Vicky Isseman - who repeatedly cheated on his first wife Carol with a variety of women before eventually dumping her for a much-younger heiress (whose family fortune helped finance his political career). Details, details... Tags: '08 elections, cheating, christian lunatics, corruption, john mccain, republican scandal
From: Chicago
Mood: *chuckle*
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...the more they stay the same. 
(Hat-tip Digby)Middle-aged men having sex with 12- to 15-year-olds was too much for Ben Johnston, a hulking 6-foot-5-inch Texan, so he blew the whistle on his employer, DynCorp, a U.S. contractor doing business in Bosnia. According to the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) lawsuit filed in Texas on behalf of the former DynCorp aircraft mechanic, "...in the latter part of 1999, Johnston learned that employees and supervisors from DynCorp were engaging in perverse, illegal and inhumane behavior [and] were purchasing illegal weapons, women, forged passports and [participating in] other immoral acts. Johnston witnessed co-workers and supervisors literally buying and selling women for their own personal enjoyment, and employees would brag about the various ages and talents of the individual slaves they had purchased." Rather than acknowledge and reward Johnston's effort to get this behavior stopped, DynCorp fired him, forcing him into protective custody by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) until the investigators could get him safely out of Kosovo and returned to the United States. That departure was a far cry from what Johnston imagined a year earlier when he arrived in Bosnia to begin a three-year U.S. Air Force contract with DynCorp as an aircraft-maintenance technician for Apache and Blackhawk helicopters. But allegations of child sex wasn't the only reason for the company to be nervous. ( Read more )Tags: child abuse, corruption, greed, military, military stupidity
From: Chicago
Mood: The Beat(ing) Goes On
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... another sleazy contractor (and his equally sleazy pals in the military) fleecing the American taxpayer: 
(Hat-tip Mike Stobbe)Private contractor Terry Hall is accused of bribing a U.S. Army official to win millions of dollars in business with the military, according to a federal indictment released yesterday. According to the indictment, Hall's companies received more than $20 million in military contracts, but federal prosecutors say he delivered or transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to at least one Army official to get the business. One prosecutor said that evidence suggests Hall made more than $2.5 million in bribe payments, and that there may be another indictment soon. Hall, who has not filed a plea, has been linked to Army Maj. John L. Cockerham - a connection first reported by the San Antonio Express-News, which relied on court documents in confirming that the Army and FBI had been looking into Hall's dealings with Cockerham. Cockerham himself is also accused of bribery, conspiracy, money laundering and obstruction. Prosecutors allege that he, along with his wife and sister, took at least $9.6 million in bribes in 2004 and 2005 while Cockerham was stationed in Kuwait. As for Hall, he's a former Army sergeant who built a career in military contracting. From 2002 to 2004, he worked for the firm Kellogg, Brown and Root (a subsidiary of Halliburton) providing food services at Camp Arifjan, near Kuwait City. He was arrested Thursday near his home. At the detention hearing, court officials decided he would stay in custody at least until another hearing, to be held this week in U.S. District Court in Washington. If convicted of the bribery charge, he faces up to 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and supervised release. Tags: corruption, crime, disgrace, halliburton, military, taxpayer money
From: Chicago
Mood: What Else Is New?
Now Playing: 'Just a Gigilo' - Louis Prima
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(Hat-tip Carnacki/Kos)Well, I thought I'd finally succumbed to Bush Shock Fatigue - the point at which nothing this bloodsucking administration could possibly be involved in would stun me...
( Boy, was I wrong )Tags: bush, cheney, corruption, cost of war, disgrace, halliburton, iraq, support our troops, taxpayer money
From: Chicago
Mood:  Rotten SOBs
Now Playing: 'Oliver's Army' - Elvis Costello
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Color me shocked: A $790 million Defense Department medical services contract goes to Logistics Health, Inc., a company that - just three months ago - hired Bush appointee William Winkenwerder Jr. (who ran medical programs for the Pentagon until his resignation in June) as a consultant. Two other competing companies bid $80 million less and $100 million less, respectively. And it gets even slimier. Check it out: And who heads up Logistics Health? None other than former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, another ex-Bush appointee. "They stacked the deck," said Fran Lessans, president of Passport Health, one of the losing bidders, whose firm lost despite a bid projected over five years to cost nearly $100 million less than Logistics Health's proposal. "It was wired. There is no doubt in my mind." ... Next time you hear the Bush apologists railing against "tax and spend liberals," "bloated welfare programs" and "big government," remember whose side they're really on. Tags: corruption, military, republican corruption, republican hypocrisy, support our troops, taxpayer money, youtube
From: Chicago
Mood: Pyew
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 You know how the hyenas on the right love to snarl about about the corruption in Congress (a Congress that, up until earlier this year, the GOP controlled for 12 years)... and how Congress's approval rating is " even lower than Bush's"? Well, here's a bone they may want to gnaw on as the '08 elections draw near: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has released its third annual report on the most corrupt members of Congress entitled Beyond DeLay: The 22 Most Corrupt Members of Congress... an encyclopedic report on corruption in the 110th Congress documenting the egregious, unethical and possibly illegal activities of the most tainted members of Congress, compiled and analyzed in light of federal laws and congressional rules... The final scorecard? 18 Republicans, 4 Democrats. And for those of you that like dipping into the gory details, the site offers summaries of each member’s transgressions as well as the full-length profiles and accompanying exhibits. And the winners are: • Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-NM) • Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) • Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) • Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) • Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) • Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-CA) • Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) • Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) • Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) • Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-LA) • Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) • Rep. Gary G. Miller (R-CA) • Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV) • Rep. Timothy F. Murphy (R-PA) • Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA) • Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM) • Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) • Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY) • Rep. David Scott (D-GA) • Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL) • Rep. Heather A. Wilson (R-NM) • Rep. Don Young (R-AK) Dishonorable mentions were also awarded to Sen. Larry "Wide Stance" Craig (R-ID) and Sen. David "Huggies" Vitter (R-LA). Congratulations, 'Pugs... and keep up the good work. Tags: '08 elections, congress, corruption, republican hypocrisy, republican implosion
From: Chicago
Mood: Pyew
Now Playing: 'My Funny Valentine' - Billie Holiday
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"Just get me a fucking faith-based thing." - Karl Rove I missed this story when it first broke last October, but it's as timely today - if not more so - than ever. To wit, the Bush administration's use of the Christian Right as political pawns, all the while mocking them behind their backs. Definitely worth watching. Part I: Part II (even better): Half of me celebrates the fact that the fundies got duped (and now, many of them know it). The other half mourns the fact that there is no act too despicable for this administration to employ in furthering their political agenda. P.S. If your interested in reading David Quo's Tempting Faith for yourself, various new & used copies are available here cheap. In the meantime, keep your eye on the ball, kids. Tags: bush, christian right, corruption, karl rove, republican scandals
From: Chicago
Mood: Hardly Surprised
Now Playing: 'Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta' - Geto Boys
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 LOL*. I swear... with a rogue's gallery like Wolfy, Gonzo, Shooter, Turdblossom, The Shoe and - of course - The Commander Guy in our very midst - could any Hollywood screenwriter possibly come up with a more incredible crime saga? ... especially considering that the beatings and deaths in this 6-year series are fuckin' real. P.S. But hey... hope springs eternal, right? * - My apologies to the Soprano Family for the rotten PhotoShop job... and for any mistaken implication that they would ever associate themselves with anyone in the Bush administration.Tags: bush, cheney, condi rice, corruption, dead iraqi civilians, dead u.s. troops, iraq, karl rove, scandal, sopranos, wolfowitz
From: Chicago
Mood:  Cautiously Optimistic
Now Playing: 'Send In The Clowns' - Mel Torme
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 Owned. :) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  Apparently, the dog ate Karl's homework... four years' worth of it. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  Sex, lies & Wolfowitz. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * And speaking of sex (and lies)...  Shock & Ewww. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  You tell 'em, Tom. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  "We're gonna need a bigger bird..."* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  Bush accuses Dems of extending our troops... right before he does it. Nice work as usual, Mr. President. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  Dear Mr. Limbaugh... * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * And finally, amid all the ugliness...  ( Step right this way... )Tags: bush, corruption, karl rove, lies, pretty girls, republicans, scandal
From: Chicago
Mood:  TGIF!
Now Playing: 'When the Levee Breaks' - Led Zeppelin
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 (Hat-tip to Bob Geiger)In a move that should surprise no one (but disgust all but the most loyal BushCO disciples), the White House stealthily announced today that George W. Bush will "recess-appoint" Sam Fox, the GOP lapdog who gave $50,000 to the Swift Boat Liars to help finance their 2004 smear of John Kerry, as the new U.S. Ambassador to Belgium. Fox's nomination was withdrawn last week when it became clear to Bush that Fox, who was instrumental in derailing Kerry's presidential bid, did not have enough votes in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to be confirmed. A recess appointment allows a president to fill vacancies while the Congress is on a break, even if the nominee has already been expressly or implicitly rejected by the Senate. The announcement on the White House web site was conveniently buried in a flurry of other activity, and said simply this: "The President intends to recess appoint... Sam Fox, of Missouri, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Belgium."The move will allow Fox to serve as Ambassador until Bush leaves office, and effectively serves the annals of American political history as the most hideous recess appointment since the White House inflicted John Bolton on the United Nations with the same slimy maneuver. And you can already hear the slack-jawed GOP apologists, can't you? "No law was broken... The president has the right to appoint... Bill Clinton did it..."Save it for the Limbaugh show, you mindless zombies. Being "legal" and being morally and ethically responsible are often two completely different things... something this abominable excuse for a president and his henchmen forgot long before they even took office. I tellya, 2008 can't come quickly enough. Tags: bush, corruption, disgrace, recess appointment, swiftboat
From: Chicago
Mood: Bordering on Pissed
Now Playing: 'Ain't Nobody Home' - BB King
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This video is dedicated to my pal 1angrychristian down in Arkansas, who some of you may remember… EDIT: The BBC pulled the video from YouTube. I found an abridged version here, but there's no telling how long before they yank it.Alas, ol' Christian banned me from his journal, which means I no longer have a trustworthy source for news of the Iraq Liberation, the the leftist war against Christianity or the Tree-Hugging Global Warming Hoax. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  And speaking of global warming… * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  Kicking Sanity’s Ass… ”After discussing this, my class would take a short break so we could all lie down and try to come to terms with the fact this planet is run by motherfucking lunatics...”* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  The b3ta Phallic Logo Awards* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  Dump truck vs. motorcyle… Ladies & gentlemen, place your bets. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  What America needs to know about Rudy Giuliani…  …assuming you already know about John McCain, of course. :) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  Deflowering Ecuador* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  Gee, what a surprise…. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * And finally –  P.S. I'm enjoying the hell out of this. And yeah, it's interactive. Tags: bush, cheney, christian lunatics, corruption, dump truck vs. motorcycle, ecuador, john mccain, phallic logos, pretty girls, rudy giuliani
From: Chicago
Mood: Happy Hour
Now Playing: 'Hummingbird' - BB King
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1 (1.7%)
En Garde
Delighted