Blackwater Immunity

I've been covering the civilian-massacre story involving the international security company Blackwater International for months. Its latest, stomach-turning twist is that all of the Blackwater employees who took part in the incident were granted limited immunity by the State Department to further its "investigation" soon after the shootings came to light. With their own statements out of the way, evidentiarily speaking, there is little hope that justice will now be meted out. What is more, the revelation of the immunity has once again revealed the Bush Administration to be grossly incompetent, with the right hand not knowing the work of the left.

The immunity deal was granted in the immediate aftermath of the shooting by State Department officials in Iraq who were under intense pressure to quickly explain what happened in the face of allegations by Iraqi officials that the contractors murdered civilians in cold blood.

News of the immunity deal caught State Department officials in Washington off guard.

"If anyone gave such immunity it was done so without consulting senior leadership at State," a senior State Department official initially told ABC News.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack would not comment directly on the immunity given to the security guards, but said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is determined to hold anybody guilty of wrongdoing accountable.

It is hard to take Secretary Rice seriously on anything now -- does anyone else feel the need to demand to see her Standford degree? -- but I especially feel little confidence in her ability to "hold anybody guilty of wrongdoing accountable" when she can't even govern her own department in such a sensitive matter.

30 October 2007

Of TV, Bees, and Iran

Recently, I noted two PBS programs that I thought readers might find of interest. Both were indeed well done and each was enjoyable.

The first was last week's Frontline program titled Showdown with Iran, blogged on 23 October. Two things of special note emerged from it. First, like many -- indeed most -- other nations in the world, after the events of 9/11, the people of Iran reached out in sympathy and anger at what had happened. There were candlelight marches through Iranian streets denouncing the attacks. What is more, the high clerics of Iran denounced them as well. We -- and here I say "we" by way of the Bush Administration -- squandered all of the goodwill of the world. Here was a Muslim nation, of long-term enmity, reaching out to us and we slapped them back down hard... and all because of the stupid fixation on Iraq. The second item of note in this Frontline program was how very many right wing hawks, including many former members of the Bush White House, are against attacking Iran in the near future. Some rule such an attack out outright. However, all of the others echoed the same point. Namely, that Iran is nowhere near having the capability of actually producing a nuclear weapon and that violently eradicating that capability should only be used as a last resort, meaning years down the road. They all agreed, furthermore, that it should be a decision for the next president, whomever he or she might be.

The second program was this weeks Nature titled Silence of the Bees, originally blogged on 26 October. This one was great... and bleak. It cannot be overstated how much harm is being done to this insect, nor how much said harm can -- and very likely will -- do to us. Most likely, we've yet again brought this peril on ourselves. Our arrogance and self-involvement seemingly know no bounds.

Silence of the Bees premiered last Sunday, but local PBS offiliates often rerun it several times during the week. Again, it is worth your time. Check the link to pursue local listings in your area.

PS: This is totally off topic for this post, but I'm not sure that I'll get to further posts today. In case you were unaware, the Vice President has taken another hunting vacation. So far, he hasn't shot anyone in the face -- or anywhere else as far as I know -- but he did use the services of a hunting club that is still displaying the Confederate flag. Arrogance and stupidity, all wrapped into such a tidy little troll-like package! Very convenient.

30 October 2007

Southwick Confirmed

Earlier, I had asked you to contact your Senators and ask them to vote against the nomination of Leslie Southwick to the Federal bench. Most recently, this call came on October 23rd. I regret to inform you that Southwick was confirmed by the Senate and will take up his life-time position in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The HRC had been leading the charge against the nomination. You can see the organization's reaction here.

29 October 2007

Rudy as King

Josh Marshall over at TPM did a piece today on a bit of history that had slipped my mind. You, however, may remember that after 9/11, when the Rudy Giuliani was scheduled to leave office due to his final term expiring, he attempted to stay in office beyond that date. As Marshall puts it:

To remind everyone, not long after 9/11, as Rudy's term of office was coming to an end, he suggested and briefly pushed for being allowed to remain in office past his term on the argument that in the aftermath of 9/11 his leadership was indispensable and that the new mayor would perhaps have a period of apprenticeship under Rudy to come up to speed on running the city.

What it all comes down to is that I'm not sure there's any example of an elected official simply trying to extend his term of office beyond the legally-sanctioned period on the basis of an alleged emergency simply on the argument that he's indispensable, as Rudy did just after 9/11.

I remember thinking at the time that that was the moment when post-9/11 Rudy really jumped the now-proverbial shark. Rudy, you remember, had been set to leave office a pretty unpopular mayor. He'd just had cancer, dropped out of the senate race, was in the midst of an acrimonious divorce. 9/11, for once the phrase makes sense, changed everything. People who'd never liked him credited him for inspiring leadership in the hours and days after 9/11. But he just couldn't bow out with grace. He had to try to stay in office longer. Even in his moment of greatest triumph, he couldn't resist being who he was.

Marshall had searched for other similar examples of this type of action in American history. While there were examples that patently didn't fit this mold, this was the only one involving an election that no one contested and that everyone thought was above board. To see links to the other, non-conforming examples, follow the links above.

29 October 2007

Silence of the Bees

This weekend's edition of Nature on PBS is titled Silence of the Bees and focuses on Colony Collapse Disorder and its implications both for bees and for humans. It generally first airs on Sunday evenings and you can check the link for local listings. And if you are watching the World Series -- go Rockies! -- tape this and watch it later. Enjoy.

26 October 2007

Rudy Guiliani on Torture

On October 16th, I did a small piece on Mitt Romney and torture. Now, comes this gem from Rudy Guiliani describing the tactic known as "waterboarding."

"I'm not sure it is, either," said Rudy. "It depends on how it's done. It depends on the circumstances. It depends on who does it."

And as for the media, Rudy said they've exaggerated the nature of waterboarding.

"Sometimes they describe it accurately. Sometimes they exaggerate it," Rudy said. "So I'd have to see what they really are doing, not the way some of these liberal newspapers have exaggerated it."

Beyond simple common sense and human decency, I'm going with John McCain on this one. He believes that the advocacy of torture by the United States in any form will only put our soldiers in greater danger. McCain may have lost credibility on most issues over the past two years, but on this point, he is THE MAN. Don't %$#@ with THE MAN.

25 October 2007

WoW on NPR

Anyone who knows me well -- hell, anyone who has pretty much just met me! -- knows that I'm a giant geek. Actually, I'm the Darth Vader of geeks. One of the prime examples of this is that I love video games, which for me means PC games. Massive Multi-player On-line games have been my addiction since 1999. I first played EverQuest for the better part of five years. Now, I've played World of Warcraft for three. I loved EQ and even still dream about playing it (for some reason, I'm almost always running around the Greater Faydark). That said -- and within the bounds of reason I'm thankful to point out -- I'm obsessed with WoW.

I have played WoW almost from the start with the same group of people in what is called a "guild." I'm one of its leaders and I take that role very seriously. Strange among my friends who play, I do not play with my wife, nor do have have any close RL (real life) friends who play with me. Indeed, it is for these RL friends that I'm writing this post, since they all think I'm nuts. Of course, that is only in part due to my need to be a dragon-slaying dwarf, but still.

NPR recently had a nice little piece on WoW. It is a good introduction for those who don't play. Enjoy... and always remember to pick up enough arrows before leaving Ironforge!

23 October 2007

Frontline: Iranian Confrontation

I have previously noted that the Bush Administration seems to be moving in the direction of an armed conflict with Iran. While we lack -- completely -- the forces for a ground campaign against this country, thanks to the Administration's complete cluster-$%#@ in Iraq, bombing their nuclear facilities remains an option. Granted, it would be a horrible, horrible mistake, but that is word "go" to Cheney and Company.

What could be worse for our position within the Islamic/Arabic worlds than to attack another Islamic nation? Iran will be a nuclear state one day. We cannot prevent that. Moreover, it looks like Russia is siding with Iran on these issues, adding to the possible repercussions that will be with us for a long time to come.

Anywho, Frontline will be airing a special, Showdown with Iran, on these issues tonight. No doubt, it will be worth watching.

23 October 2007

FCC & Media Controls

The FCC is once again trying to give away America's airwaves, which are the property of the People. A campaign within the FCC is underway to allow even greater ownership of our broadcasting spectrum by fewer and fewer giant telecommunications companies. This will place further burdens on smaller broadcasters and diminish competition. It will lead to higher prices for consumers and less artistic and scientific innovation within the world of broadcast media. The organization Stop Big Media has created a form to allow you to express your displeasure with these efforts within the FCC to your Members of Congress. You can find the form here.

23 October 2007

Block Southwick Nomination

Back on August 15th, I asked you to contact your Senators and express your disapproval for the nomination of Leslie Southwick to the Federal bench. Now, the nomination is getting closer to a possible final vote and I again ask you to make your views known. The HRC has a form to easily allow you to make your views against Southwick's nomination known. You can find the form here.

23 October 2007

Dumbledore Gay!

Okay, while I often thought that Harry was too whiny and that in many instances it was Hermione who was the real hero, I am a fan of the Harry Potter series of books. This bit of news from Potter author J.K. Rowling just seals the deal. Hogwart's Headmaster Dumbledore is... gay! Well, of course, he is. Just look at the parties he threw, the tables he set, the clothes that he wore! :-)

In other news, look for horrible knee-jerk reactions from the right.

22 October 2007

CIA v. Plame

I've been out of town with my wife for almost a week, but I'm back now and I'm sure that there will be information, not to mention muck, to post. First up is a piece from counter-terrorism agent and intelligence instructor Larry Johnson over at the TPM Cafe. The piece details the CIA's -- read: the Bush Administration's -- attempts to silence Valerie Plame over her pre-2002 years of work at the agency. Her work began for the CIA in 1985 and her career was distinguished. Revelation of its facts -- and we are not talking about its classified facts! -- would be an embarrassment for the president and those who boot-licked for him in this matter. I'm going to quote the whole, short piece because it is worth a read.

Four years and three months after waking up on a Sunday morning and learning that her career as a clandestine intelligence officer was over because of a stupid column by Robert Novak, Valerie Plame Wilson finally gets to meet the public and tell some of her story.

Sunday night she appears on 60 Minutes, and kicks off a book tour that will start Monday morning on the Today Show and include stops at Larry King Live and the Daily Show. Unfortunately, Val cannot be totally forthcoming. I am not talking about revealing sources or methods that would compromise intelligence operations. She is a solid professional and would never entertain such nonsense. But the CIA succeeded in getting a Federal judge to block Val from admitting that she started working with the CIA in September of 1985.

It is as if Rod Serling has returned from the dead with a 21st Century version of the Twilight Zone. The CIA won the initial round in Federal Court and insists Valerie cannot acknowledge working at the CIA prior to February 2002. Because of a pending appeal in her freedom of speech case against the CIA, she cannot say anything about joining the CIA in September of 1985 fresh out of college. She cannot say anything about her initial impression of her Career Trainee classmates–such as Jim Marcinkowski, Brent Cavan, Mike “the Griz” Grimaldi, Precious Flower, and mois. She is proscribed from telling you about wandering the forests of Camp Peary learning land navigation and she certainly will not, at least for now, be able to tell you about being taken hostage and subjected to torture for two days.

Valerie especially cannot tell you about her first tour overseas as a case officer. Ironically, her first boss overseas–Fred Rustmann–has gone on the record and tried early on in this scandal to argue that she was not a NOC (i.e., Non Official Cover officer). But Fred, who was forced out of the CIA and into early retirement because of misdeeds overseas, was not around long enough to learn that after her first tour Val was given the opportunity to become a NOC.

Not only did she get the opportunity. She took full advantage of it and embarked on a career that would change her life in ways she never imagined. She walked away from diplomatic cover and was left naked of the protection normally accorded to diplomats. She had to rely on her wits and tradecraft, and did so successfully for many years, until betrayed by the Bush Administration. But she cannot tell you about that period. At least not now.

Her publisher, Simon and Schuster, came up with a nifty idea to tell the story of the period of service Valerie cannot talk about. They hired Laura Rozen and she interviewed people like me, who served with Valerie. Laura does a great job but it is still a second best solution.

Come Monday you can read for yourself the legal documents surrounding Valerie’s case. They will be posted at www.fairgameplame.com.

We do know this one key thing with certainty–Valerie was not some low level, desk jockey, secretary taking up space and using oxygen at the CIA. The CIA does not prevent such people from telling their story. Nope. Valerie’s very existence as a CIA operative is deemed by the CIA to be so sensitive a topic that she can say nothing about activities prior to February 2002. But she can admit that in February 2002 she was a senior covert operations officer involved in projects that went to the heart of the President’s highest priority–finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Valerie’s identity and ability to carry out that mission during a time of war were compromised by Dick Cheney, Sccoter Libby, Ari Fleischer, and Karl Rove. Their actions were both treasonous and cowardly. Yet the person being penalized and compelled to sacrifice her constitutional right of free speech is Valerie Plame Wilson. The good news is that the American people will finally get to meet the classy, smart lady I served with at the CIA. She achieved her aspiration to be good intelligence officer and still found balance in her life to be a good wife and a good mother. She lost her career and her ability to help support her family. As a nation we have been deprived of her service because of the pettiness and stupidity of the Bush Administration. A successful book tour will be small recompense for the loss Val has experienced. But let’s hope its enough to ensure that Val, Joe, and the kids have a happy, long life.

22 October 2007

Mitt Romney & Torture

In case you missed it, Mitt Romney has just placed Retired General James "Spider" Marks as that national security advisor to his campaign. Marks, for those of you who may not be aware, famously said on CNN that [1] he'd use torture on terrorist even if it was against the law; and [2] he'd do so even though he was of the opinion that torture is poor at getting credible information from its victims.

Looks like another win for the Romney camp and mankind. Sheesh.

16 October 2007

Cheney Documentary

Frontline on PBS is presenting a documentary on Vice President Cheney and his career-long crusade to advance unilateral executive authority. Titled Cheney's Law, it is set to debut on Tuesday night, October 16. Check your local listings for the time in your area.

15 October 2007

Gore: Memory Lane

I brought up the fact yesterday that Al Gore winning the Nobel Peace Prize really forces one to take a moment and visualize where we might be as a nation -- as a planet -- if Gore had become president in 2000. Conservative pundits are in a lather about the award, primarily it has been noted, because Gore's success highlights, in a singular way, Bush's absolute failure.

From Jonathon Chait at the LA Times:

You might wonder why they care so much -- Gore, after all, is obviously not going to run for president, and even some conservatives now concede that global warming is real. The answer is that Gore's triumph is a measure of George W. Bush's disrepute.

Indeed, in the political culture, Gore's role is as a negative indicator of the president's standing. For all the talk of a "new Al Gore," there's nothing new about the man. His public reputation is almost entirely a function of Bush's. [...]

The defensiveness of Gore's critics comes because he is the ultimate rebuke to Bush. Gore, obviously, is the great historic counter-factual, the man who would have been president if Florida had a functioning ballot system. More than that, he is the anti-Bush. He is intellectual and introverted, while Bush is simplistic and backslapping.

From Bob Herbert at the NY Times:

Mr. Bush came to mind because, for all of the obvious vulnerabilities he exhibited in 2000, it was not him but Mr. Gore who was mocked unmercifully by the national media. And the mockery had nothing to do with the former vice president's positions on important policy issues. He was mocked because of his personality.

In the race for the highest office in the land, we showed the collective maturity of 3-year-olds.

Mr. Gore was taken to task for his taste in clothing and for such grievous offenses as sighing or, allegedly, rolling his eyes. It was a given that at a barbecue everyone would rush to be with his opponent.

We've paid a heavy price. The president who got such high marks as a barbecue companion doesn't seem to know up from down. He's hurled the nation into a ruinous war that has cost countless lives and spawned a whole new generation of terrorists. He continues to sit idly by as a historic American city, New Orleans, remains wounded and on its knees. He's blithely steered the nation into a bottomless pit of debt.

America got what it deserved in Bush... twice. Let's hope that we collectively have learned our lesson.

13 October 2007

Gore Gets Nobel Prize

Former Vice President Al Gore, in conjunction with the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has won this years Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to spread awareness about global warming. Perhaps best known in the field for his Academy Award winning film An Inconvenient Truth, Gore has been a champion in this arena since the 1980s. Gore pledge to donate his entire cash prize from the award to the Alliance for Climate Protection. Gore had the following to say upon learning of his win.

I am deeply honored to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This award is even more meaningful because I have the honor of sharing it with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change--the world’s pre-eminent scientific body devoted to improving our understanding of the climate crisis--a group whose members have worked tirelessly and selflessly for many years. We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level.

My wife, Tipper, and I will donate 100 percent of the proceeds of the award to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a bipartisan non-profit organization that is devoted to changing public opinion in the U.S. and around the world about the urgency of solving the climate crisis.

It is impossible to ponder Gore's winning of this award without also evaluating the state of our nation under President Bush, the man who stole the presidency from Gore in the 2000 election. Josh Marshall at TPM wrote on this subject and I have highlighted a bit of text from his piece.

First, before any other yapping and commentary, a big congratulations to Al Gore.

There are several layers of irony and poetic justice wrapped into this honor. The first is that the greatest step for world peace would simply have been for Gore not to have had the presidency stolen from him in November 2000. By every just measure, Gore won the presidency in 2000 only to have George W. Bush steal it from him with the critical assistance of the US Supreme Court. It's worth taking a few moments today to consider where the country and world would be without that original sin of this corrupt presidency.

And yet this is a fitting bookend, with Gore receiving this accolade while the sitting president grows daily an object of greater disapproval, disapprobation and collective shame. And let's not discount another benefit: watching the rump of the American right detail the liberal bias of the Nobel Committee and at this point I guess the entire world. Fox News vs. the world.

And not to forget what this award is about even more than Gore. If half of what we think we know about global warming is true, people will look back fifty years from now on the claims that "War on Terror" was the defining challenge of this century and see it as a very sick, sad joke -- which rather sums up the Bush presidency.

But more than thinking only of what might have been, where can we go from here?

Congratulations to Mr. Gore.

12 October 2007

Iraq War Funding

Ninety members of the House Democratic caucus sent a letter to the president indicating that they will vote "no" for any new funding of the Iraq war except funding specifically to be used for troop withdrawal. This is fully a third of the Democrats in the House and would force the hand of the leadership to take their wishes into account in crafting legislation on the issue. It may not get the job done, but it's a significant start. Here is the text of the letter.

The Honorable George W. Bush
President
United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

Seventy House Members wrote in July to inform you that they will only support appropriating additional funds for U.S. military operations in Iraq during Fiscal Year 2008 and beyond for the protection and safe redeployment of our troops out of Iraq before you leave office.

Now you are requesting an additional $45 billion to sustain your escalation of U.S. military operations in Iraq through next April, on top of the $145 billion you requested for military operations during FY08 in Iraq and Afghanistan. Accordingly, even more of us are writing anew to underscore our opposition to appropriating any additional funds for U.S. military operations in Iraq other than a time-bound, safe redeployment as stipulated above.

More than 3,742 of our brave soldiers have died in Iraq. More than 27,000 have been seriously wounded. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed or injured in the hostilities and more than 4 million have been displaced from their homes. Furthermore, this conflict has degenerated into a sectarian civil war and U.S. taxpayers have paid more than $500 billion, despite assurances that you and your key advisors gave our nation at the time you ordered the invasion in March, 2003 that this military intervention would cost far less and be paid from Iraqi oil revenues.

We agree with a clear and growing majority of the American people who are opposed to continued, open-ended U.S. military operations in Iraq, and believe it is unwise and unacceptable for you to continue to unilaterally impose these staggering costs and the soaring debt on Americans currently and for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Co-signers: Murphy (CT), Jackson, Brown (FL), Thompson (MS), Watt, Meeks, Loebsack, Weiner, Kucinich, DeFazio, Farr, Waxman, Thompson (CA), Lee, Woolsey, Waters, Watson, Frank, Conyers, Filner, Rush, Towns, Clay, Wynn, Delahunt, Holmes-Norton, Butterfield, Solis, Maloney, Nadler, Honda, Cohen, Hare, Napolitano, Hastings, McGovern, Kaptur, Schakowsky, Carson, Linda Sanchez, Grijalva, Olver, Jackson-Lee, McDermott, Markey, Fattah, Pallone, Hinojosa, Stark, Scott (VA), Moran, McCollum, Oberstar, DeGette, Tauscher, Holt, Hinchey, Pastor, Davis (IL), Hall, Velazquez, Rangel, Hodes, Blumenauer, Lynch, Artur Davis, Johnson (GA), Payne, Cleaver, Lewis, Clarke, Abercrombie, Moore(WI), Ellison, Baldwin, Christensen, Scott (GA), Paul, Gutierrez, Welch, Capps, Rothman, Cummings, Tierney, Doggett, Eshoo, and Tubbs-Jones.

If your Member of the House isn't on the list -- and mine sadly was not -- I urge you to write your Congressperson and express your displeasure at the absence of their name. I merely included the letter in my e-mail and told him that he should have been a signatory. You can find contact information for your Member of the House here.

10 October 2007

FISA: Democratic Cowards, P. 3

I noted yesterday how Democrats are rolling over and playing dead on the new FISA legislation before both the House and Senate. They are helping the Bush Administration continue to gut the Constitution... and I simply can't figure out why. Their core base doesn't want them to do it. Moreover, if they would simply frame their case for the public as it should be, I don't think that the public at large would oppose what the more liberal wing of the Democratic party wants incorporated into the bills. Unfortunately, we have -- basically uniformly -- cowards running Congress. To wit, Rep. John Conyers, who heads the House Judiciary Committee, had the following to say about the RESTORE bill at its mark-up hearing, answering both the left and the right:

To those who would claim that this bill is weak on terrorism, I would say that protecting the civil rights and liberties of Americans does not show our weakness, but our strength. What the terrorists fear most is our constitution and our values, and that is what this bill protects.

To those who say that the bill is too weak on civil liberties, I say that if you trust an independent court and have faith in congressional oversight, those liberties will not be jeopardized. That is the premise our democracy was founded on, and that is exactly what this bill does.

The thing of it is that he is right on both counts in the main. We need to protect our Constitution or America simply isn't worth defending. Moreover, Congressional oversight is a big part of that defense, or at least it should be. Unfortunately, it isn't at this time, and having Rep. Conyers simply say that it is doesn't magically make it so. And as a side note, the terrorists -- by and large I think -- don't think of America in Constitutional terms. It makes for a good sound bite, but truly, they have other issues that are far more about them than about us.

10 October 2007

FISA: Democratic Cowards, P. 2

I tried to think of a better way to say this than did David Kurtz at TPM, but couldn't.

Everything you need to know about the Democrats' rolling over on FISA is contained in the bill's name: Responsible Electronic Surveillance That is Overseen, Reviewed and Effective Act of 2007, a.k.a, the RESTORE Act.

It's is so painfully obvious when the Democrats are playing someone else's game, right down to the propagandistic title.

For additional details and analysis on the legislation as it currently stands, see this link. For a summary of the current House bill, see this link. This just in, John Conyers is a spineless tool.

9 October 2007

Tops for Thompson

Fred Thompson announced today that Vice Presidential daughter Liz Cheney -- no, not the gay one, silly! -- and former Senator George Allen (R-VA) would take the roles of co-chairs of his campaign. I don't know much about Cheney other than she's (presumably) not gay and has worked for the Bush Administration. Allen, of course, is the racist of 2006 election "macaca" fame.

Cheney and Allen immediately took the reins of power by announcing that they'd be fielding press questions after tomorrow night's Republican debate... then later announcing that no, in fact, they would not. Really, though, would you want Allen speaking for you?

Nice work, Fred!

8 October 2007

Appendix: We Love You, Baby!

After decades of believing that the appendix is a useless organ, a study has revealed that it may not be so useless after all. From the AP:

Some scientists think they have figured out the real job of the troublesome and seemingly useless appendix: It produces and protects good germs for your gut.

That's the theory from surgeons and immunologists at Duke University Medical School, published online in a scientific journal this week.

...

The function of the appendix seems related to the massive amount of bacteria populating the human digestive system, according to the study in the Journal of Theoretical Biology. There are more bacteria than human cells in the typical body. Most of it is good and helps digest food.

But sometimes the flora of bacteria in the intestines die or are purged. Diseases such as cholera or amoebic dysentery would clear the gut of useful bacteria. The appendix's job is to reboot the digestive system in that case.

The appendix “acts as a good safe house for bacteria,” said Duke surgery professor Bill Parker, a study co-author. Its location - just below the normal one-way flow of food and germs in the large intestine in a sort of gut cul-de-sac - helps support the theory, he said.

I absolutely love that we are still learning stuff like this!

8 October 2007

Surge.... Ding!

Stick a fork in the surge, it's officially done. The Washington Post is reporting that the Iraqi government has officially declared that their government can't get past the sectarian differences within the body itself. As the Post puts it: Iraqi leaders argue that sectarian animosity is entrenched in the structure of their government.

Summing up the state of the surge is TPM:

In other words, the strategic goal of the Surge -- creating the breathing room for political reconcilation -- is one the Iraqi government no longer appears to believe is either credible or realistic. So what we've signed on for is being the permanent armed mediator in the Iraqi domestic quarrel, or perhaps protracted divorce.

8 October 2007

Gutless Democrats

Congressional Democrats are such a disappointment. They are a bunch of spineless, politics-only wusses. Yes, they may be better for the country than their Republican counterparts, but that is like saying that it is better to drown than to burn to death. Either way, you are six feet under and screwed.

First, from Paul Kiel at TPM:

"The scandal at the Department of Justice has gone on long enough," said Rep. Rahm Emmanuel (D-IL) back in March. "Careers have been destroyed and legitimate public corruption cases have been derailed. It is time for accountability -- it is time for the truth."

Six months and several Department senior resignations later, it's a different time. The urgency is gone.

More than two months after the House Judiciary Committee passed contempt resolutions against White House chief of staff Josh Bolten and former counsel Harriet Miers for ignoring committee subpoenas, it's still unclear when, or if, Democrats will hold a vote on the full floor.

The leadership has indefinitely delayed taking up the issue. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) told The Politico last month, “I don’t think anything is going to happen on that for a while,” and couldn't offer a range. Three weeks later, that hasn't changed.

And apparently scheduling concerns are not all that's at issue. A source familiar with the ongoing discussions told TPMmuckraker that getting the leadership to bring the contempt resolutions to the floor at all is an "uphill struggle."

An aide to the Democratic leadership, however, said that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is "committed" to bringing the votes to the floor. When? That's unclear. "We are working with the judiciary committee, consulting with the leadership and will bring it to the floor when we are ready," the aide said.

As we outlined last month, the contempt resolutions against Miers and Bolten constitute just one piece of the stalled push by Democrats to get information from the White House about the U.S. attorney firings. But no other piece is so near a court clash with the White House, which has so far successfully stonewalled the committee's inquiries. The court battle itself is likely to last many months.

The issue, Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) has argued, goes right to the heart of Congress' oversight prerogatives. After Miers didn't even show up to claim executive privilege, Conyers asked, "Are Congressional subpoenas to be honored or are they optional?... If we do not enforce this subpoena, no one will ever have to come before the House Judiciary Committee again."

Second, again from Mr. Kiel at TPM:

Last month, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) had a simple message: the President's nominee for attorney general, Michael Mukasey, wasn't going anywhere until the administration finally handed over documents he'd long been seeking.

But now it appears that things are moving along, though it seems that the administration hasn't handed over anything.

Were I President Bush, I'd be laughing myself silly. Were I Vice President Cheney, I'd be pissing myself, doubled over with laughter.

3 October 2007

ENDA Redux

From the HRC:

Late last week, House leaders announced their decision to change the language of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) so that it only includes sexual orientation and not gender identity. These House leaders have said that they do not have enough votes to move forward with the original fully-inclusive bill.

We are profoundly disappointed by this move, and I want to explain our position and ask you to write your congress member today.

Since 2004, the Human Rights Campaign's policy has been to only support civil rights legislation that is inclusive of gender identity - a policy that was reaffirmed by our Board of Directors in a vote on Monday night.

That's why we fought tirelessly for - and won - Congressional approval for a hate crimes bill that includes gender identity, and have been working for years to pass an inclusive employment discrimination bill.

This year we ramped up our lobby presence on the Hill, helped coordinate broad coalition efforts, and deployed our field team to more than 40 key congressional districts to mobilize unprecedented support for an inclusive ENDA. We secured the active support of corporate America, with more than 50 major companies joining our Business Coalition for Workplace Fairness. Our Religion and Faith Program was instrumental as well, giving voice to thousands of faith leaders across the country. We secured supportive editorials from a record number of newspapers, and with your help we generated hundreds of thousands of constituent contacts to members of Congress, through emails, phone calls, postcards, and thousands of hand-written letters.

However, we're facing a stark reality. The House leadership and bill sponsors are moving forward with a non-inclusive ENDA - even without the full support of our community. They view this as the best opportunity this year to get a successful vote on legislation extending protections to the largest number of people.

I want you to know we made every possible effort to avoid having a non-inclusive bill introduced and we did succeed in helping convince Congressional leaders to delay action on the new bill until later this month.

We now have a window of opportunity to try and line up the votes we need to pass a fully-inclusive ENDA.

We've delivered HRC's message to Congress, but I'm asking you today to send your own message. Your Representative must understand that supporters of equality will not rest until rights are extended to everyone in the GLBT community.

This has been a long battle. HRC first started the quest for ENDA in 1994. We've been pushing for an inclusive bill since 2004. This month, ENDA could pass the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in history.

I implore you to take action today and to forward this message to your family and friends. Working together, I am confident we can pass historic civil rights legislation.

HRC has established an easy-to-use form to allow citizens to vocalize their support to their Congressperson for the full ENDA bill. You can find it here.

3 October 2007

The Nation's Airwaves

In the recent past, there have been several incidents of large telecommunications companies blocking content either send user-to-user or from a third-party provider to an end user. For example, Verizon blocked text messages to its clients sent from the pro-choice group NARAL. The company later claimed it was a glitch and that all future messages would be passed through to the end users that had dealings with NARAL. Similarly, AT&T blocked out parts of a Pearl Jam concert sent to its video phones in which lead singer Eddie Vedder criticized President Bush. Again, a technical glitch was claimed.

Furthermore, as SavetheInternet.com notes:

Both Verizon and AT&T illegally handed over private customer phone records to the National Security Agency. The phone companies first denied it and then started a secret campaign with the White House to gain immunity from any lawsuits.

This pattern of abuse shows that powerful phone companies cannot be trusted to safeguard our basic freedoms. The democratic principles of free speech and open communication are too important to be entrusted to corporate gatekeepers. Whether it's liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, pro-choice or pro-gun, the phone companies can't pick and choose what messages get through.

Censorship by AT&T and Verizon shows us what we can expect in a future where these network gatekeepers gain control over the free flow of information. Congress must reaffirm its commitment to free speech on the Internet, on cell phones, on our airwaves -- everywhere!

Now, in the main, private companies can censor materials at will, absent some contract that prohibits them form doing so. However, these telecommunications comanies operate using our air waves. The communications spectrum in this country belongs to the people of the United States. We have the right to set the rules under which these companies will operate and demand that free speech in the marketplace being upheld. SavetheInternet.com has an easy-to-use form that will enable you to let your Congressional delegation know that you want these companies held accountable in the arena of free speech.

2 October 2007

October Impeachment Reminder

In August, I called for the impeachment of both President Bush and Vice President Cheney. At that time, I asked you to join me in writing letters to several members of the House of Representatives. I noted that I would continue to send such letters until such time as my call was heeded or these men left office. I have made good on my claim by again sending my letters. This is simply a reminder in the hope that you will do the same. For information on the entire matter, as well as sample letters and recipient contact information, see my original blog post here.

2 October 2007