Thursday, March 29, 2007

Bush and Rove Laugh It Up/Yoko Ono in DC


Last night was the annual Radio and Television Correspondents Association Dinner--over 2000 journalists, media people, and government officials (sources and leakers, that is) wearing tuxes or gowns and enjoying themselves at the Hilton. I won't bore you with all my boldface anecdotes from the night (such as talking to actor Jon Voight, father of Angelina Jolie, about his wonderful 1985 film Runaway Train).

The evening was weird. The "entertainment" portion of the night--which included an obligatory self-deprecating routine from the president--began with a brilliant clip from the satirists of JibJab.com titled "What We Call the News." It slammed the media--mainly cable news media--for obsessing with celebrity news (Anna Nicole Smith, Trump, Rosie, etc.) instead of serious matters, such as the war in Afghanistan. It cut close to the bone, and members of the audience--which included the honchos who make the decisions being decried by the JibJabbers--laughed, but not as uncomfortably as perhaps they should have.

Let me sum up the rest of the evening:

Number of jokes George W. Bush made about Dick Cheney: 4

Number of laughs generated by Karl Rove doing a rap song: Thousands

Number of times Bush mentioned the Iraq war: 0

After Bush cracked gags about himself (he said his memoirs will be a "pop-up book"), Cheney, Barack Obama, Jim Webb, he became serious, praising Bob Woodruff, the ABC newsman injured in Iraq; David Bloom, the NBC newsman killed in Iraq; Tony Snow, the White House press secretary whose cancer has returned; and Elizabeth Edwards, John Edwards' wife whose cancer has returned. He then quickly referred to "our men and women in uniform." But he didn't say where those men and women are.

The war in Iraq is certainly no laughing matter and should not be a subject of presidential humor--though Bush (see below) did joke about the missing WMDs at this event three years ago. Yet when Americans are dying overseas, it was creepy to watch Bush yuk it up and then not say anything serious and specific about the men and women who are sacrificing lives and limbs for his failed Iraq policy.

Watching Rove win the guffaws of the assembled was also an unsettling experience. This fellow is responsible for an administration that has done much damage to the nation and the world. He deserves no giggles. To be fair--if we must--he was pulled on to the stage by improv actors who were part of the night's official festivities, and Rove went along with the gag. But when they asked him his name, he said, "Peter Fitzgerald." Was this an arrogant crack? It appeared to be a reference to Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor who investigated Rove in the CIA leak case and came close to indicting him. But Rove escaped Fitzgerald's clutches. And several people I spoke to later in the evening interpreted Rove's inaccurate reference to Fitzgerald as a deliberate put-down. Perhaps. There did appear to be a you-didn't-get-me snideness to the remark.

Rapping and ribbing while the republic slips. This is Washington. And a good time was had by all.

One other note: at a reception before the dinner, former Senator Fred Thompson, the actor who may or may not be a GOP presidential candidate, slapped me on the back and offered a hearty, "Hey there, David." He seemed to be in a jolly mood. (Placing third in a presidential poll without even running will do that to a politician.) "C'mon, get in the race," I told him. "It will make it even more interesting." He just laughed and flashed a big smile. Then I said, "What about that James Dobson?" Earlier in the day, the social conservative leader had been quoted saying that he did not consider Thompson to be a Christian. In response to my question, Thompson shot me a steely look. He said nothing and moved on. I didn't think his anger was directed at me. He seemed damn pissed at Dobson. Which is all the more reason his entrance into the race would shake things up. There's nothing like a good GOP blood feud.

OH, YOKO. My wife, Welmoed Laanstra, and her partner-in-public-art, Nora Halpern, have a new project starting in a few days. As part of Street Scenes: Projects for DC, their series of temporary public art installations, they are bringing Yoko Ono to Washington, and Ono is presenting a citywide project called "IMAGINE PEACE." For this project, she is setting up Wish Trees in various locations (such as the Tidal Basin, where the cherry blossoms are now in bloom). What are Wish Trees? It's a Japanese tradition. People write their wishes--for a better job, for a good night's sleep, for world peace, for whatever--on tags and hang them on the living trees. She is also distributing (free of charge) posters that say "IMAGINE PEACE" and setting up a billboard in downtown Washington (at 7th and G Streets NW) that says the same thing. (Smaller versions of the poster are available in today's issue of The Washington Post's giveaway paper, the Express.



Yoko Ono is regarded by many people as John Lennon's wife (or widow). But she was an accomplished conceptual artist before meeting the Beatle and has carried on her work since his death. For more information on her "IMAGINE PEACE" project, which begins this Monday, and for the locations where you can see the Wish Trees or pick up one of Yoko Ono's (free!) posters, visit the Street Scenes website here.

Posted by David Corn at March 29, 2007 11:12 AM

19 comments:

Saladin said...

I watched a you tube video of rove the rapper. He said he likes to tear the heads off small animals in his free time. I don't think he was kidding.

David B. Benson said...

Saladin --- Then I could use him here as a full time squirrel control officer.

:-)

kathleen said...

Saladin, Capt all. You may all ready be aware of this but the McNulty coming up in the Gonzales scandal is the same "Prosecutor Paul McNulty" in the Aipac/Rosen/ Espionage investigation trial coming up in early June.

Think about it if as reported by Christy over at Firedoglake "Mr. Gonzales was told that the dismissals had cast a cloud over all the U.S. attorneys ofices not only over the prosecutor's who were removed:."

Could this scandal effect McNulty's prosecution of AIPAC AND ROSEN for espionage?

Kristol, Frum, Byron York and others are all for Gonzales being ditched. Is this because they want McNulty gone? Is this a way to undermine the upcoming Aipac/espionage case? Cast a cloud over this upcoming trial?

Evil lurks

capt said...

Up in Smoke



Former Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.) was a major buzz kill when he was in Congress. Termed "the worst drug warrior" on Capitol Hill by the Libertarian Party, he led the charge among conservative Republicans against the drug legalization movement.

Advocates for medical marijuana once blocked the door to his Congressional office in protest, and when he lost a primary race in 2001, the executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project called it "glorious news."

So you might think you've smoked something to hear the latest: Barr just signed up to work for the marijuana lobby.

"You reach the point where you realize the federal government has become so big and so intrusive that it really forces you to take a look at a range of issues in a new light," Barr said in an interview.

As of this month, Barr has signed a contract to lobby for the Marijuana Policy Project. That's the same group that once sued the government over the "Barr Amendment," a law that forbids D.C. residents from legalizing pot for medicinal purposes. Now, Barr said, he may be working to overturn it.

The turn is the latest in Barr’s dramatic political evolution since leaving Congress. In the wake of disagreements with the GOP over privacy and spending issues, he quit the party and officially became a Libertarian in 2006. He has since built a platform as a political commentator, ringing the alarm about what he calls the "curtailment of personal liberties," and he founded an Atlanta-based lobbying and consulting firm called Liberty Strategies.

Nobody seems more surprised about the new arrangement than the folks at the project. Aaron Houston, the group's top lobbyist, said Joe Seehusen, a former Libertarian Party director who once worked at the group, made the introduction. "He said, 'I've got a friend you should talk to, and you won't believe who it is,'" Houston said. "Obviously we're happy to have him with us, and we hope he'll set an example for some of his conservative colleagues."

So far, Barr is working with the group to pare back spending on an anti-drug advertising campaign he said "is not a wise use of federal money," and to forbid federal agents from conducting raids to enforce state drug laws.

Barr said he has only conducted a few Hill visits so far, but "the couple Members I’ve spoken with have actually been very supportive."

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

MPP.org is one of my favorites. Bob Barr? HA! Go figure?



capt

capt said...

Iraq diggers 'contaminated with radiation'



TWO Australian soldiers who served in the first Iraq war have tested positive to depleted uranium (DU) contamination despite assurances from the Federal Government they had not been exposed, an anti-nuclear group said today.

Any such admission from the Government would leave it open to millions of dollars in compensation, said Pauline Rigby, project co-ordinator for the group Depleted Uranium Silent Killer (DUSK).

Urine samples from each of the men, who served in different areas of Iraq, were sent last year for uranium isotope analysis at the JW Goethe University in Germany at a cost of $1200 each under the auspices of DUSK and the Uranium Medical Research Centre (UMRC) in Canada, Ms Rigby said.

The results, now being evaluated for publication next month in two scientific journals, showed both men had tested positive to depleted uranium contamination more than 15 years after their return from the first Gulf War.

Ms Rigby said depleted uranium was the toxic and radioactive waste from the nuclear enrichment process.

Denser and heavier than lead, it is used as a projectile to penetrate heavy bunkers and tanks.

"This is a huge issue about compensation which the Government would be determined they will never pay," Ms Rigby said.

"It's going to be Agent Orange all over again, except this time it's going to be a little bit worse because the mutations go into the general community from blood and organ donations."

A 52-year-old Sunshine Coast man, known only as "Frank" (not his real name), said he was one of those tested.

In 1991, he was an army medic in the mountains of northern Iraq, aiding Kurdish refugees fleeing the persecution of Saddam Hussein's forces.

He cannot work and has suffered skin rashes on his face, arms and neck, swollen joints, chronic fatigue and dizzy spells but his doctor can only treat his symptoms because he is at a loss to explain their cause.

Frank's wife, from whom he is now separated, had cervical cancer and burning semen syndrome, a condition reported by American Gulf War veterans or their sexual partners since returning from the Persian Gulf.

They or their sexual partners have experienced a burning sensation after skin and/or vaginal contact with semen.

But Frank says he only wants recognition from the Government.

"I'm not looking for millions of dollars in compensation," Frank said today.

"I just want to be treated fairly and I want our service recognised so that I can clearly have what I am entitled to and so my children can also seek and receive free of charge any and all testing and be honestly told and informed of where they stand."

A Defence spokesperson said the department had no knowledge of the two men who had allegedly tested positive for DU.

Australia had not used DU munitions since 1990 and Australian personnel were not in "immediate proximity" to sites in Iraq or Afghanistan where DU munitions were used by Australia's coalition partners.

"Accordingly, it is highly unlikely that any ADF personnel received significant exposure to DU residues in Iraq or Afghanistan," the spokesperson said.
More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Gulf War Syndrome?



capt

capt said...

Saudi King Slams ‘Illegitimate Occupation’ of Iraq



Saudi King Abdullah, whose country is a close US ally, on Wednesday slammed the "illegitimate foreign occupation" of Iraq in an opening speech to the annual Arab summit in Riyadh.

"In beloved Iraq, blood is being shed among brothers in the shadow of an illegitimate foreign occupation, and ugly sectarianism threatens civil war," Abdullah said.

He also said that Arab nations, which are planning to revive a five-year-old Middle East peace plan at the summit, would not allow any foreign force to decide the future of the region.

In the past, Saudi leaders including Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal have often criticized US policy in Iraq but have never described its presence there as "illegitimate."

If Arab leaders recover trust in each other and regain their credibility, "the winds of hope will blow on the nation, and then, we will not allow forces from outside the region to determine the future of the region, and only the flag of Arabism will be raised on Arab soil," Abdullah said.


More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Wow, looking at the Iraqi issue - Flip a coin - one side is Iran end up controlling the oil or Arabs (Saudis). Could the Saudis be so clever to assume control of nearly all the oil in the middle east by way of making a monkey out of Crusader Bunnypants?



capt

Anonymous said...

Well, that "cloud" over the U.S. Attorney offices could be a red herring. Frum, York, Kristol et al. could be trying to create the impression that the Rose/Aipac/espionage trial is now tainted because of the firing fiasco and its attendant (imaginary?) "cloud" over all offices.

But, even by today's corrupted standards, lawmakers, former justice officials, former, current, and future U.S. prosecuting attorneys agree that it is imperative to restore credibility to the system, which means that they must show that political interests DO NOT shape the outcome of federal investigations, trials, and appeals.

capt said...

U.S. Attorney Botches Biggest Ever Tax Fraud Case, Keeps Job. Treasury out $100+ Million



The U.S. Attorney Scandal has struck a new victim: the American taxpayer. A judge ruled Wednesday that an epic blunder by federal prosecutors in the largest tax prosecution ever means that the treasury can't recoup at least $100 million in restitution.

Telecommunications entrepreneur Walter Anderson pled guilty to tax evasion, but U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman said the binding plea agreement listed the wrong statute. This problem could have been overcome had prosecutors not failed to include any discussion of probation as is routine in such deals.

Because of the technicality, Judge Friedman said, "I've come to the conclusion, very reluctantly, that I have no authority to order restitution. . . . This is a very poorly drafted agreement.

"The case was prosecuted by the office of the interim U.S. Attorney for D.C., Jeffrey A. Taylor. Taylor was appointed directly by Attorney General Gonzales without Senate confirmation in November 2006 under a provision of the Patriot Act that Congress has recently voted to reverse.

Sure enough, Taylor came straight from the Bush Administration. He served as Counselor to Attorney Generals John Ashcroft and Gonzales for four years prior to his selection. Before that he worked as an aide to Sen. Orrin Hatch, where he actually participated in the writing of the Patriot Act.

Jeffrey Taylor has also given hundreds of dollars to the Republican National Committee and to George W. Bush.

As the acting U.S. attorney for D.C., Taylor has the sole authority to enforce House or Senate subpoenas through citations for contempt of Congress. Even if Taylor actually chooses to prosecute an administration official for refusing to testify - which is highly unlikely - could we trust him not to screw it up?

To be fair, the case was prosecuted in cooperation with Justice Department headquarters, meaning that a slew of other Bush officials were also partly responsible. The only lawyer to catch the mistake was the defense attorney - an assistant public defender - who later noted that "they ought to have been more careful.

"D.C.'s last U.S. attorney, Kenneth Wainstein, was not fired - he was promoted to assistant attorney general for national security. If Jeffrey Taylor keeps up the good work, he may also find himself in greener pastures.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Okay, .1 billion has left the station but before another farthing is lost on the ineptitude of these sorry SOB's how about we get some torches and pitchforks and head to DC?





capt

Saladin said...

The 9/11 Truth Domino Effect
More and more going public everyday with vital information and valuable expertise

Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Thursday, March 29, 2007

The leaking of the until now withheld WTC blueprints this week represents a growing trend of truth seeking individuals putting aside politics and coming forth in an attempt to set the record straight on the defining event of the 21st century.

Below is a by no means extensive list with links that represents how this 9/11 truth domino effect is gathering pace in all walks of life.

100 Senior Military, Intelligence, Law Enforcement, and Government Officials Question the 9/11 Commission Report - http://patriotsquestion911.com/

Around 130 Professors Question the 9/11 Commission Report - http://patriotsquestion911.com/professors.html

Over 100 9/11 Survivors and Family Members Question the 9/11 Commission Report - http://patriotsquestion911.com/survivors.html

Over 70 Entertainment and Media Professionals who Question the 9/11 Commission Report -
http://patriotsquestion911.com/media.html

Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth are constructing their site now - http://ae911truth.org/

Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice - http://stj911.org/index.html

Pilots for 9/11 Truth - www.pilotsfor911truth.org

Group of scientists, engineers and other professionals - http://physics911.net/

Many highly qualified legal scholars believe that the attacks may intentionally have been allowed to happen or even been actively aided and abetted by elements within the United States government:

John Loftus (Former Federal Prosecutor, Office of Special Investigations, U.S. Department of Justice under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan; former U.S. Army Intelligence officer; currently a widely-sought media commentator on terrorism and intelligence services). See http://www.patriotsquestion911.com/#Loftus

Francis Boyle, PhD, LLD (Professor of International Law at the University of Illinois, Champaign; a leading practitioner and advocate of international law; Boyle was responsible for drafting the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989, the American implementing legislation for the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention; Boyle served on the Board of Directors of Amnesty International (1988-1992), and represented Bosnia- Herzegovina at the World Court. He holds a Doctor of Law Magna Cum Laude as well as a Ph.D. in Political Science, both from Harvard University). See http://patriotsquestion911.com/professors.html#Boyle

Richard Falk (Professor Emeritus, International Law, Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University; in 2001 Falk served on the three-person UN Commission on Human Rights for the Palestine Territories, and previously, on the Independent International Commission on Kosovo). See http://patriotsquestion911.com/professors.html#Falk

Burns H. Weston (Bessie Dutton Murray Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus and Director, Center for Human Rights, University of Iowa; Fellow, World Academy of Art and Science. Honorary Editor, Board of Editors, American Journal of International Law). See http://patriotsquestion911.com/professors.html#Weston

C. Peter Erlinder, former president of the National Lawyers Guild. See http://patriotsquestion911.com/professors.html#Erlinder. and http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20041026093059633.

Mark Conrad (Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Troy University; associate General Counsel, National Association of Federal Agents; Retired Agent in Charge, Internal Affairs, U.S. Customs, responsible for the internal integrity and security for areas encompassing nine states and two foreign locations; former Federal Sky Marshall; 27-year U.S. Customs career). See http://patriotsquestion911.com/professors.html#Conrad

Horst Ehmke, PhD (Professor of Law, University of Freiburg; former Minister of Justice (West Germany)). See http://patriotsquestion911.com/professors.html#Ehmke

William G. Weaver, JD, PhD (Director of Academic Programs, Institute for Policy and Economic Development, University of Texas, El Paso, specializing in executive branch secrecy policy, governmental abuse, and law and bureaucracy; former U.S. Army Signals Intelligence officer; author of several books on law and political theory). See http://patriotsquestion911.com/professors.html#Weaver

Gerry Spence (famed trial attorney). See http://www.interlinkbooks.com/BooksN/New_Pearl_Harbor.html

William Veale, Former Instructor of Criminal Trial Practice, Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley 11-year teaching career. Retired Chief Assistant Public Defender, Contra Costa County, California 31-year career. See http://patriotsquestion911.com/professors.html#Veale

"When you grow up in the United States, there are some bedrock principles that require concerted effort to discard. One is the simplest: that our leaders are good and decent people whose efforts may occasionally warrant criticism but never because of malice or venality... But one grows up. ... And with the lawyer's training comes the reliance on evidence and the facts that persuade... After a lot of reading, thought, study, and commiseration, I have come to the conclusion that the attacks of 9/11 were, in their essence, an inside job perpetrated at the highest levels of the U S government."

And of course the most important contributors to the 9/11 truth domino effect are the people.
=============
Yep, the truth is a freight train, no stopping it! GoGoGo people! I believe in truth and eventual justice, even if it isn't as fast as I would like it to be.

Hajji said...

yeah, great...thank the whole f'n press corps for having a good laugh...at the expense of common sense and decency, of course.

Spent a lot of time, since Friday at 1640 ATL time, wanting to let the dogs have at every single msm m-f'er who laugh along at the deathmasters of the politico-sexual orgy that our nation's Capitol has become.

So good to have Grant back, but looking, hearing and feeling the scars he's aquired because of these laughing hyenas of hypocrazy, watching the elation of being home defiled by the dreck of demockrasy's heart is none too easy.

wearing a bracelet now...Sgt. Robert Love 12/01/06, Ramadi...he brought home...black on silver, silver on black. He didn't need it anymore, an Asheville artist made it permanent...black on skin and skin on black to match the wrinkle on his brain...blood on gray matter and blood on gray highway and brown camo cloth pain.

A man who he respected and admired reduced to ink and pigment, enamel and metal and skin and blood and grey matter reflection and muscle memory...

And the joker laughs...and the jesters joke and the emperor's gaping maw opens and closes to the marionette master rhythm...

...nightmare admiration and skin infiltration...fashion accessory matching every atom of my being but nothing I can honorably wear.

I saw bracelets like this as a child...

The names of men...boys to men...

...on the wrists of the hippie chicks who I loved...

Peace and love, tie-dyed flags and names of men who never came home to love and peace.

MIA, POW, KIA...and how about the bracelets for those without arms and anklets for those without legs and head-bands for those without whole brains and masks for those without faces...

How about Robert Young pins for those without fathers and Fred McMurray pins for those without sons?

Jon Benet pins for the lost children and Anna Nicole's face on diapers for the motherless child?

A torn tunic and crushed scales for raped and bleeding Justice...

Pin a picture of me to the stars and stripes, the stars and bars, the "single star" on a field of blue...a man without a country.

-T

Saladin said...

Hajji, it's just one huge ache. God, how do they sleep at night? "Is there anybody out there?"

Our politicians, "Comfortably Numb"

Hello.
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone at home?

Come on, now.
I hear you're feeling down.
Well I can ease your pain,
Get you on your feet again.

Relax.
I need some information first.
Just the basic facts:
Can you show me where it hurts?

There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ships smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're sayin.
When I was a child I had a fever.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I got that feeling once again.
I can't explain, you would not understand.
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.

Ok.
Just a little pinprick. [ping]
There'll be no more --aaaaaahhhhh!
But you may feel a little sick.

Can you stand up?
I do believe its working. good.
That'll keep you going for the show.
Come on its time to go.

There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ships smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I cant hear what you're sayin.
When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse,
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone.
I cannot put my finger on it now.
The child is grown, the dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.

Hajji said...

tonight I've been startled... by a banging noise...

4 times...

In every room that a ceiling fan moves air around the house like jets move bombs around the globe...

Each time the sound of silver, red, white and blue...a yellow ribbon hanging on mylar balloon bouncing...bangin BBBRRRAAANNGING against the blades of another fan in an other room...

"Welcome Home!" it screams.

Home...

Like it is a place you really left...

Like a place you went to save from ???

Like the lakes...the streams...the football fields.

The deer and duck and fish and beautiful girls still run and flap and swim and giggle to your call...

answer them.

Answer them all...

-T

Hajji said...

Saladin,

Comfortably numb...

Loooooong stories....like a 3,000 mile road-trip with skin and blood tires on up-armored muscle cars over a glass-shard highway with no exit...

Pictures that a medical pathology textbook wouldn't publish..."True Detective" magazine would place black squares over the whole page...the whole issue...

For you I'll share a moment...because you were there for him...for them...when he was there in Tal Afar...

We both cried when we read the news from Tal Afar...VBIEDs killing more than 50 maiming many more...

The Iraqi Police...he'd known them name by non-pronounceable name...revenge patrols exacting revenge...sunni and shia self-destruction.

He told me about the kids you'd touched through his hands while he pushed his own mother's grandchildren higher and higher on the swing...

...and he loved them...each one who smiled at the gifts and soaked up any and all hope floated from you to them...

"Bring 'em home...all of 'em...", he said...

"What about the kids?" I asked.

Looking around at the strays in the yard, the kids at the park, the ducks above the falls...

He said...

"We'll find 'em homes..."

I beleive him.

Bring 'em home...all of 'em...

-T

-T

Saladin said...

March 29, 2007
Violations Force Feinstein Military Committee Resignation

A veteran California senator has resigned as chair of a powerful military construction committee after reports that for years she abused her position to award her husband’s companies billions of dollars in government contracts.

During her six years as chair and ranking member of the Military Construction Appropriations subcommittee, Senator Dianne Feinstein annually supervised the appropriation of billions of dollars for specific military construction projects. The San Francisco lawmaker supervised her own staff of military construction experts and she lobbied Pentagon officials to support her favorite projects.

She wielded quite a bit of power and succeeded in steering hundreds of billions of dollars in military contracts to companies partially owned by her wealthy husband, Richard Blum. One company alone earned $792 million from military construction and environmental cleanup projects approved by Feinstein’s committee and another $759 million.

The blatant ethics violation and obvious conflict of interest was first exposed earlier this year by a weekly Northern California publication. The story details how Feinstein voted over the years for appropriations that enriched her husband’s firms and that her top legal advisor also happens to be one of her husband’s longtime business partners; in other words, a financial beneficiary of the senator’s decisions.

No wonder Feinstein, a former San Francisco mayor elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992, is among the wealthiest members of congress. Last year she ranked eighth with a net worth of $42.6 million, boosted by assets she holds with her husband. Most of them are companies that have made their fortune from the very government contracts she has granted them.

Perhaps Feinstein quit her coveted military construction committee position because she is taking her new role as the senate ethics police quite seriously. As the new chair of the Senate Rules Committee Feinstein, for years an ethics violator, is actually in charge of regulating her colleagues’ ethical behavior.
==========
But the people will vote for her yet again when the time comes. This is why nothing ever changes. Lesser of the evils is still evil. Power seems to attract those who should not be allowed anywhere near it.

Saladin said...

US 'no longer technology king'
The US has lost its position as the world's primary engine of technology innovation, according to a report by the World Economic Forum.

The US is now ranked seventh in the body's league table measuring the impact of technology on the development of nations.
==========
Reducing the US to the lowest common denominator.

Saladin said...

Hajji, thank you for telling me that. I am so glad he is home, glad for all of you. What a relief it must be. I can't imagine the anguish Jill must have suffered. You have met my son and his girlfriend. Now they have an 8 month daughter who is an absolute joy. I don't know if I could face what Jill must have faced while Grant was in that hellhole. Please give them a hug for me and tell them both I hope I can meet them someday.

Saladin said...

Capt, I have been getting a strange error message when trying to post. My comment appears but a page comes up telling me it couldn't process my request. I am using IE for this one to see if it is a browser problem with Firefox.

Saladin said...

yep, same problem. Weird.

capt said...

New Thread!