Wednesday News Bucket

18 Comments

1. 

   CabinGirl on February 28, 2007 at 7:21 am

   from his website:

   “I am working to fix the new proposal drafted by several Senate Democrats, which at this point basically reads like a new authorization. I will not vote for anything that the President could read as an authorization for continuing with a large military campaign in Iraq. Deauthorizing the President’s failed Iraq policy may be an appropriate next step if done right, but the ultimate goal needs to be using our Constitutionally-granted power of the purse to bring this catastrophe to an end.”

   I wish all of our other senators had his good sense.

   • 

     Nag on February 28, 2007 at 8:47 am

     Why is it that the ones with good sense can’t bring themselves to run for president? sob.

     • 

       CabinGirl on February 28, 2007 at 9:03 am

       Um, because they have good sense?  🙂

       I was bitterly disappointed when he decided not to run too.

       • 

         idredit on February 28, 2007 at 9:56 am

         I include Al Gore in the ‘good sense not to run for prez’ crowd.

2. 

   CabinGirl on February 28, 2007 at 7:31 am

   it appears to have occurred to the MSM that the attack on Cheney’s plane just mght be another indication of the administration’s failed poicies: NYT

   American officials insisted that the importance of the attack, by a single suicide bomber who blew himself up a mile away from where the vice president was staying, was primarily symbolic. It was more successful at grabbing headlines and filling television screens with a scene of carnage than at getting anywhere near Mr. Cheney.

   But the strike nonetheless demonstrated that Al Qaeda and the Taliban appear stronger and more emboldened in the region than at any time since the American invasion of the country five years ago, and since the Bush administration claimed to have decimated much of their middle management. And it fed directly into the debate over who is to blame…

   … Mr. Cheney said the attack was a reminder that terrorists seek “to question the authority of the central government,” and argued that it underscored the need for a renewed American effort.(Note:  Is he talking about Iran?)

   His critics, on the other hand, said the strike was another reminder of how Iraq had diverted the Bush administration from finishing the job in Afghanistan.

   I knew we could count on them to include Big Dick’s reaction for ‘fair’ balance.

3. 

   CabinGirl on February 28, 2007 at 7:43 am

   poisons celebrities with uncooked food: Reuters/Yahoo

   A Sports Illustrated bash for its annual swimsuit issue has turned into a health scare for stars in Hollywood after a caterer working for celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck may have exposed them to acute Hepatitis A.

   The Los Angeles County health department recommended on Tuesday that anyone who ate uncooked food at the sports magazine’s party on February 14 get treatment by Wednesday to avoid developing the serious liver disease.

   Guests at the party included singer Beyonce Knowles, former Guns N’Roses bassist Duff McKagan, portly “Borat” co-star Ken Davitian, and a slew of models.

   Okaaay…not to make light of this, but are they really that worried about the swimsuit models having EATEN SOMETHING at the party?

   • 

     dada on February 28, 2007 at 12:37 pm

     they coulda used one of these….ya think

     WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Feb. 27 (UPI)

     U.S. scientists have created a handheld sensing system they liken to Star Trek’s “tricorder,” used to analyze the chemical compounds of alien worlds.

     But Purdue University researchers say their system could have more reality-based applications, such as testing foods for dangerous bacterial contaminants and urine for biomarkers that might provide an early disease warning.

     […]

     “We like to compare it to the tricorder because it is truly a handheld instrument that yields information about the precise chemical composition of samples in a matter of minutes without harming the samples.”

     via Raw Story

     no doubt available soon to law enforcement agencies and to your employers whiz quiz aresenal…

     beam me up scotty, there’s no intelligent life down here.

     march on the pentagon: 3.17.07

     Draft Al Gore: 2008

4. 

   Nag on February 28, 2007 at 8:48 am

   

   • 

     CabinGirl on February 28, 2007 at 9:12 am

     Funny, but so sadly true.  They can devote 20 minutes to psychoanalyzing Britney’s haristyle choice, and maybe 3 minutes to the shooting down of helicopters in Iraq.

     • 

       Nag on February 28, 2007 at 9:33 am

       With a newsflash thrown in to describe the condition of Anna Nicole’s body. Makes me nuts.

       • 

         CabinGirl on February 28, 2007 at 9:35 am

         I’m sorry, but that’s just disgusting.  That poor woman: no respect in life, no dignity in death.

         Meanwhile, back in Iraq…

5. 

   Nag on February 28, 2007 at 9:31 am

   Last I heard, there have still been no major resignations over the horrifying conditions for outpatients at Walter Reed. But there IS a shakeup going on:

   Walter Reed patients told to keep quiet

   [snip]

   Soldiers say their sergeant major gathered troops at 6 p.m. Monday to tell them they must follow their chain of command when asking for help with their medical evaluation paperwork, or when they spot mold, mice or other problems in their quarters. [snip]

   The soldiers said they were also told their first sergeant has been relieved of duty, and that all of their platoon sergeants have been moved to other positions at Walter Reed. And 120 permanent-duty soldiers are expected to arrive by mid-March to take control of the Medical Hold Unit, the soldiers said.

   Soldiers in the medical Hold unit have been forced to wake at 6 with inspections at 7am. Punishment. They’ve also been moved to a building that is more inaccessable to the press. The Pentagon has slammed the door on press coverage, even canceling upcoming projects by the Discovery Channel and CNN.

   So, following with the Bush Doctrine of Blaming the Victim, the Pentagon is going to crush complaints and limit press access. They’ll show those damned vets who’s the boss. Any bets on how long (if ever) the actual problems will take to correct? To quote Frank Zappa:

   “Dumb all over… a little ugly on the side”

6. 

   refinish69 on February 28, 2007 at 9:58 am

   (Largo, Florida) Largo city commissioners voted Tuesday night to fire its longtime city administrator less than a week after she disclosed she is embarking on sex reassignment.

   For 14 years Steven Stanton was an admired overseer of the Tama Bay community’s local government. Last week after a local newspaper acting on a tip began asking questions Stanton sat down with the St. Petersburg Times and divulged her status.

   In an interview at Largo City Hall, which also included mayor Pat Gerard, Stanton told the paper she has begun receiving hormone therapy and counseling – a requirement for transitioning.

   http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/02/022707largo.htm

   • 

     CabinGirl on February 28, 2007 at 10:18 am

     More from that piece:

     Stanton, who is married and the father of a teenaged son, said she had not intended to go public until later in the year when her son would be out of town and could not be subjected to the publicity.  She said that plan changed when the Times began asking questions.

     Way to go, bigots.  Fire someone without grounds and brutalize their family with publicity at the same time.

     Family values, my eye.

     • 

       refinish69 on February 28, 2007 at 10:22 am

       It makes me sick.  I did a blog post about it at my blog.  

7. 

   idredit on February 28, 2007 at 10:02 am

   Prince Charles suggests McDonald’s ban

   “The Prince of Wales entered the debate on childhood obesity by appearing to call for a ban on McDonald’s.

   During a tour of the United Arab Emirates, the Prince told a nutritionist that the “key” to remedying childhood obesity was getting McDonalds “banned”.”

   Using a silver fork to put his foot in his mouth, did he?

   • 

     CabinGirl on February 28, 2007 at 10:12 am

     OMG.  Totally clueless, he is.

8. 

   Man Eegee on February 28, 2007 at 1:55 pm

   National Democrats on Tuesday urged Republican Party chairman Mel Martinez (news, bio, voting record) to stop the independent College Republicans from holding “Catch an Illegal Immigrant” events around the country.

   Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean and Ramona Martinez, chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Hispanic caucus, sent a letter to the GOP chairman asking him to put a halt to the events.

   “These despicable tactics have no place in our public discourse or on our college campuses,” the letter said.

   linkage

   There’s so much work to do…