● MSNBC's Dan Abrams continued, for the third day in a row, on the Don Siegelman beat today. The former Democratic Alabama Governor, who still sits in jail pending an appeal for his non-violent crime, is alleged to have been railroaded by Karl Rove and political operatives in the state while running for re-election in 2006.
● Siegelman's daughter accuses judge of delaying appeal
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William F. Buckley (bd: the "liberal media" is telling us how "great" William F. Buckley was! And Ronald Reagan, too!):
● William F. Buckley's Legacy: We're Soaking In It. In more concrete terms, Buckley's "respectable conservatism" strives to give more wealth to the wealthy, and more power to the powerful, and a big fat middle finger to everybody else.This agenda is obviously and completely at odds with the desires and needs of at least 99% of the population, so back when America was a democracy, there was no tougher job than making this agenda of greed seem like a "respectable" political "philosophy". And William F. Buckley was better at that job than anyone.
● Nation Mourns Loss of Major Moral Cretin: William F. Buckley.
● Responding to my eulogy to William F. Buckley, some readers noted that Buckley had written a notorious column during the 1980s calling for AIDS victims to be tattooed on their rear ends. For one responder this was eerily reminiscent of Nazi policies.
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News:
● Hey Homeowners, Bush Blames You -- Not Iraq -- for Our Tanking Economy! War on Iraq: Five years into Iraq, Bush denies any link between Americans' economic pain and war spending.
● The Cholesterol Con -- Where Were the Doctors? Health and Wellness: For years, medical studies have challenged the efficacy of cholesterol-lowering drugs. Why are we just hearing about this now?
● A company that allegedly produced sub-standard kevlar for battle helmets used by US troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan continues to receive lucrative government contracts, and Congressional oversight committees need to investigate if the company endangered servicemen and women, veterans' and government ethics activists said Thursday.
● More that 900,000 people are currently listed as suspected terrorists on the US government's "do not fly" list, and that number will grow to beyond 1 million by summer, says the American Civil Liberties Union.
● ACLU website launched to track the almost 1 million "terrorist watch" list!
● FBI documents contradict 9/11 Commission report
● Pelosi Wants Bush Aides Investigated
● Video: Gaza Massacre of Palestinians
● Wired publishes photographs of Abu Ghraib
● WIRED Magazine Publishes Disturbing New Photos From Abu Ghraib (Warning: Graphic Pictures! (bd: Click "next image" above the pictures to leaf through them. Our government is doing this in YOUR name!)
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NEPA:
(click on picture to enlarge)
Grier takes issue with editorial cartoon in The Times Leader
In reference to Mr. Majeski’s editorial cartoon on Feb. 15, to imply that I am preventing conservation in Luzerne County is about as accurate as stating I almost stopped county services late last year.
It is a straw-man argument and a weak one at that. Commissioners Greg Skrepenak and Rose Tucker and Mr. Sam Diaz misled the public regarding the need to borrow excess funds. And at this point, Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla apparently has not taken much time to investigate the bond packages.
Mr. Urban, while vocal when the bond ordinances where passed last November, had the opportunity to file a complaint just as I did, and he did not. If he thought that the bonds were such a bad deal, why did he not get more involved? He had the power and ability to do so and chose not to.
In any event, negotiations between all of the involved parties regarding the purchase of Theta land have not been completed, therefore, it is impossible for me to be holding the deal up. The cartoon is not an expression of opinion, it is a logical fallacy.
Tim Grier's complaint against Luzerne County:
● A proposed ordinance that would place requirements on anyone wanting to stage a protest in the city was not on the agenda Thursday night, but council heard a lot of reasons why the proposal should be dropped. Tim Grier: "Just dump it. Let’s all move on peaceably without having to pay for our rights. If the Secret Service wants this ordinance, tell them no.”
● The teachers called off sick for Thursday classes because they were “ill and demoralized by the treatment they are receiving at the hands of the Scranton Diocese,” according to a union press release.
● Holy Redeemer High School students thinking about staging a walkout in support of teacher efforts to unionize could face disciplinary action, the Diocese of Scranton announced Thursday afternoon.
● The state Department of Public Welfare is investigating the deaths of four children in Luzerne County dating to 2006, including two whose families have been identified as clients of the county’s Children and Youth Services agency.
● Mrs. Big Dan! New Fresh Air Fund leader trying to breathe new life into program
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The 3-Trillion Dollar War...and counting...
ALL YOU IDIOTS OUT THERE, PLEASE READ THIS WORD FOR WORD!!!! BEFORE YOU CALL IN TALK SHOWS, LISTEN TO RUSH LIMBAUGH, FOX NEWS, AND SHIT LIKE THAT!!!!
Democracy NOW! DISH channels 9410 & 9415, DirecTV channel 275:
EXCLUSIVE–The Three Trillion Dollar War: Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard
Economist Linda Bilmes on the True Cost of the US Invasion and Occupation of Iraq
One week after President Bush rejected charges the war in Iraq has hurt the US economy, a new book puts a conservative estimate of the war’s cost at $3 trillion so far. In their first national broadcast interview upon their book’s publication, Nobel laureate and former chief World Bank economist, Joseph Stiglitz, and co-author Linda Bilmes of Harvard University say the Bush administration has repeatedly low-balled the cost of the war—and even kept a second set of records hidden from the American public.
DN! transcript or DN! video
