Just a thought

Just a thought...

...but, the Republicans have been pushing the idea that Democrats are weak on terror for some time now and the Ravenstahl Administration just handed them a big fat gift with Luke's "Tailgate."

...even if Mary Beth Buchanan ever makes a case against one or more folks in the Ravenstahl Administration over Tailgate, the DOJ's past selective prosecution of Dems may make the whole thing look "political."

...but, doesn't the DOJ have anything better to do than to troll local blogs for posts on Luke's tailgate?

VISITOR ANALYSIS
Referring Link No referring link
Host Name wdcsun24.usdoj.gov
IP Address 149.101.1.124 [Label IP Address]
Country United States
Region District Of Columbia
City Washington
ISP Us Dept Of Justice
Returning Visits 12
Visit Length 6 mins 42 secs
VISITOR SYSTEM SPECS
Browser MSIE 6.0
Operating System Windows XP
Resolution 1024x768
Javascript Enabled

Navigation Path

Date Time WebPage
3rd October 2007 12:44:50 No referring link
2politicaljunkies.blogspot.com/
3rd October 2007 12:46:36 2politicaljunkies.blogspot.com/
2politicaljunkies.blogspot.com/2007/10/why-does-luke-ravenstahl-hate-america.html#comments
3rd October 2007 12:51:32 No referring link
2politicaljunkies.blogspot.com/

Of course, it could have just been a bored intern surfing the web or they may have a bot that searches for phrases like "Hate America" and "Love Al Qaeda." (Yikes!)

...local bloggers who think it's fine and dandy for a police officer to punch a handcuffed suspect might want to consider that this is the same kind of officer who might act like a dick to someone who jaywalked or had a moving violation or kicked a pigeon -- or if he just thought someone had jaywalked or had a moving violation or kicked a pigeon -- or he thought you had looked at him funny. (Man, I hope neither of you ever serve jury duty because what you've written would tend to make me think that you'd be all "If the cops arrested the defendant than the dude must be guilty" if you ever get on a jury.)

...but, please STFU you local newscasters and weather folk who keep saying we're having "beautiful" weather when it's 90 degrees in October. WTF is wrong with a nice cool, crisp, clear autumn day?

...if the Repugs want to torture folks, you'd think that they'd want to start with whoever designed and approved the following logo for them:
As the Great Orange Satan himself noted:

And yes, this is real, not an extremely clever photoshop job, and truly encapsulates what the Republican Party is all about.

Wide stance? Check.

In Minneapolis? Check.

Prison stripe-wearing? Check.

As for the elephant humping the "2008"...Are they going for a "Still screwing the country in 2008" theme, or is it a reference to hypocritical adulterers like David Vitter and just about the entire Republican presidential field?

All of the above? Check!

Apparently they ran out of space for a collapsing bridge.

Update: Can't you just picture the Daily Show and Colbert Report writers salivating at the possibilities?

.

I'll be hosting for Lynn Cullen next Friday

Lynn's off next Friday so I'll be hosting the show in her place (and my God have mercy on all our souls).

AM NewsTalk 1360 WPTT
Friday, October 12, 2007
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Call in at: 412-333-1360

Regular Friday guest, Jon Delano, will join me along with others to be named at a later date.

What did he know and when did he know it?

I'm trying to get this all straight here.

According to an article in today's Post-Gazette, the agreement which the City signed to get the funds to purchase the Yukon SUV that Lil Mayor Luke used as his personal party mobile stated that:

...all equipment bought with the $59,942 grant "shall be used for only the purposes set forth" in two documents called the Buffer Zone Plans and the Vulnerability Reduction Purchase Plan.

However, we the public cannot know what those exact purposes were because Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is citing national security as an excuse not to release requested portions of the document or even say what was in them (thanks for asking P-G, now sue him for the info!).

Well, how very Bush Administration of him!

Anyone want to guess the likelihood that the agreement stated that one of the "purposes" of the equipment purchased (SUV) was to be a "conveyance for BBQ sauce and charcoal for the purposes of tailgating activities"?

I think not.

But it gets worse.

According to the P-G:

The agreement was signed in March 2006 by then-director for intergovernmental affairs Dennis Regan, who is no longer with the city, and witnessed by Yarone Zober, who is now chief of staff.

So, wait. You're telling me that Lukey's BFF Yarone and his former BFF Denny knew that the grant put a limited use on all equipment but they not only forgot to tell Lukey, they let him drive around in the anti-terrorist equipment?

Moreover, we know from Jon Delano's excellent report on KDKA that Police Chief Nate Harper apparently couldn't wait to get Lukey into the sweet, sweet ride even though he knew that it could not be used for personal recreational activities?

Looks like Sergeant Mona Wallace did use the chain of command to warn everyone from the very start that Lukey was not allowed to take the SUV for a his joyrides, but not only was she repeatedly ignored, she was reprimanded (later rescinded as they probably realized that another payout to a female whistleblower a la Commander Catherine McNeilly wouldn't fly).

Harper is certainly being used as the fall guy on this one, just as he was in the promotions of the police officers with a history of domestic violence, but:

Regan knew
Zober knew
Huss knew

...what are the chances that Lil Mayor Luke didn't know?

And, if Lil Mayor Luke somehow didn't know, what is it about our corrupt city government that no one can say no to anything that our Boy King wants?
.

UPDATE: So now we see from The Burgh Report (who's been on this story like white on rice) that Yarone Zober who knew about the federal restrictions on the Yukon SUV actually rode around in it himself with Mayor Ravenstahl. Yarone Zober should be fired.
.

October 5

People born on this day:

• Chester A. Arthur, 21st President of the United States of America, in 1829
• Robert Goddard, American Rocket Scientist, in 1882
• Larry Fine, one third of the Three Stooges, in 1902
• Ray Kroc, the builder of the McDonalds empire, in 1902
• Vaclav Havel, President of the Czech Republic, in 1936
• Steve Miller, American musician, in 1953
• Bob Geldoff, of the Boomtown Rats, in 1951
• Bernie Mac, American comedian, in 1958
• Me, in 1963

So, I'm gonna take a short break. I'll be back in about a week - don't know how much blogging I'll be doing between now and then.

Dayvoe

TODAY! Emergency rally for kids' health care

From me:

As expected, George W Bush vetoed health care for children yesterday in only his fourth veto ever.

Here's Bush saluting America's kids:

From MoveOn.org:

Health Care for Kids Rally
Just outside of Schenley Plaza
On the corner of Forbes Ave. and Schenely Dr., Oakland
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
04 Oct, 6:00 PM

Click here to RSVP:
http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=40915&&id=11324-1367448-rMQhNL&t=2

If you have kids, definitely bring them, too!

LUKE! The Musical

Regarding Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's recent comments about his joyriding in an SUV that was federally funded with Homeland Security monies:

"But at the end of the day, I'm still going to continue to be who I'm going to be, and go to concerts like I always have, and go to have a drink with my wife in bars. That's what 27-year-olds do and I shouldn't be any different."

I'll see Ms. Mon's Beastie Boys and raise her a Sid Vicious:

The Latest On The "Phony Soldiers" Charge

A youtube response from an actual soldier:

And then what did The Addict do? After admitting he'd not see the ad, he characterized the whole thing with a sort of suicide bombing metaphor:

He discusses his service in Iraq, the wounds he suffered there, and he says to me in this ad, "Until you have the guts to call me a 'phony soldier' to my face, stop telling lies about my service." You know, this is such a blatant use of a valiant combat veteran, lying to him about what I said, then strapping those lies to his belt, sending him out via the media in a TV ad to walk into as many people as he can walk into.

This man will always be a hero to this country with everyone. Whoever pumped him full of these lies about what I said and embarrassed him with this ad has betrayed him. They're not hurting me, they're betraying this soldier. Now, unless he actually believes what he's saying, in which case it's just so unfortunate and sad when the truth of what I said is right out there to be learned.

Turns out that Rush didn't check with McGough on any of this. How do I know? He was on Olbermann and said so:

Rush is a lying weasel.

Night Talk on PCNC

Not really sure where to go with this.

I tried calling into Night Talk tonight. Rose of "Quinn and Rose" was on defending Right Wing radio talkshow hosts against the lies and manipulations of MediaMatters.org. When they started in on Rush ("The Addict") Limbaugh's "phony soldiers" smear I just had to call in to correct Rose's spin on it. She said that Rush had nothing to apologise for, that it was all a lie, taken out of context...blah-blah-blah. You know the drill.

Imagine my surprise, however, when I called in and was told that while they DO have a new studio, they DON'T yet have the speakers hooked up TO that studio. So while they flash the number to call into the show, you can't actually, you know, call in to talk on the air.

I am hoping it's just a technical thing - something to be fixed easily and quickly.

In any event, the upshot (at least at this point) is that if you call in, you give your question or comment to an otherwise very nice sounding voice. She will then relay the question or comment to Pintek who, I guess, can then ignore it if he chooses.

Hardly a healthy debate, doncha think?

Why won't Mike Pintek take questions on the air?

Why does Luke Ravenstahl Hate America and Love Al Qaeda?

Pittsburgh Mayor takes multiple joyrides with Homeland Security federally funded SUV


You know, I didn't want to write about Lil Mayor Luke this morning. I really didn't.

There's so much going on today -- Bush's SCHIP veto, the Emergency Contraceptives for Rape Survivors Bill in the PA House, Seymour Hersh's New Yorker article on the push for war with Iran -- things that I deeply care about and wanted to spend some real time here on.

But, no. Once again I feel compelled to write yet another post about our KID IN A CANDY STORE of a mayor.

I used to think Ravenstahl was merely incompetent and ethically challenged.

Now I think he's outright dangerous.

You cannot have someone as mayor who has no self control.

The Post-Gazette article quotes Ravenstahl and Public Safety Director Michael Huss as saying that Lil Lukey had no idea that the Police Bureau GMC Yukon that he loaded up with friends to go to a Toby Keith concert was assigned to the Intelligence Squad. But, how can that be when it was an open secret that Lukey was using the vehicle? Open enough to be discussed in the comments section of The Burgh Report prior to the Keith concert.

How is it possible that the Mayor, his staff, the Police Bureau and the Public Safety Department did not know what was going on? Not, they'd all have you believe, until a police officer blew the whistle. And once again, while the Police Bureau in this town has no problems promoting wife/child beating cops, they also have no problem trying to punish another female police whistleblower.

There's something really rotten here.

Look, I'm a Democrat. I'm a Democrat who has spent countless hours volunteering for Democratic candidates. I'm a Democrat who has donated hundreds of dollars to Democratic candidates and raised even more by hosting numerous fundraisers in my own home.

But, Luke Ravenstahl, you are forcing me to vote against a Democrat in November.

I will be casting my vote for Mark DeSantis for Mayor.

No Republican running could be as bad as you are.

It simply is not possible.
.

URGENT! Email Your Representative to Support EC Access for Rape Survivors

Emergency Contraception for Rape Victims:

VOTE HAPPENS TODAY!

House Bill 288, the Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies (CARE) Act, will finally have a vote in the Pennsylvania House TODAY!

House Bill 288 requires all Pennsylvania hospitals to provide information about and access to emergency contraception (EC) medication to rape survivors if they request it - a critical tool to empower survivors by giving them a choice when it comes to preventing a pregnancy as a result of assault.

The opposition is flooding House members with emails, and now the women of Pennsylvania need YOU to stand up and do the same. This vote will be extremely close and adding your voice can make the difference.

You can email your rep via NARAL Pro-Choice Pennsylvania or via Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates, but, you have to do it right NOW.

THANKS!

A PA Connection to Blackwater

From Talking Points Memo, we learn that the Erik Prince, the guy who's running the show at Blackwater (aka The World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army), gave money to recent Senate candidate Carl Romanelli.

You remember Carl Romanelli, right? He's the Green Party candidate bought and paid for by some of Lil Ricky Santorum's friends in the Summer of '06 in order to siphon off some votes from Bob Casey.

Didn't work. It cost them a bundle, too. $10,000 from Erik Prince alone.

Here's the rundown at attytood.

By the way, Lil Ricky may be returning. This is from the Trib (so you know it's right):

Say it slowly: Gov. Rick Santorum.

Interesting concept, isn't it?

The former Pennsylvania GOP senator, trounced in his re-election bid last year by seldom-seen Democrat Bob Casey Jr., apparently has grown weary of beating the drums about the ongoing terrorist threat as a senior fellow with the Washington-based Ethics and Public Policy Center.

The American Spectator reported last week that Santorum is seriously mulling a run for governor in 2010, when the race will be wide open. Term limits will force current Gov. Ed Rendell from seeking a third term.

Ah, the Casey-Santorum race. You remember the problems he had with his residency, don't you? So does The Trib:

Of course, a Santorum gubernatorial bid is dependent on the Virginia resident being agreeable to actually living in Pennsylvania again. When he was a senator, you may recall, he found that idea abhorrent.

Good times.

The Mayor Gets Caught. Again.

A lotsa good work out there in the Pittsburgh Blogosphere on this story. I'm just following up on Bram, The Burgher, and Char.

First, get a gander at Rich Lord's story in the P-G.

There seem to be a few of different threads in place here. One is:

Mr. Ravenstahl, who normally uses a black Chevy Impala for official travel, said he made periodic use of a Police Bureau GMC Yukon assigned to the Intelligence Squad through late August.

Which, by the way, is NOT the lede in Lord's story. Then there's this thread:

A Pittsburgh police sergeant who complained that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl improperly used a police vehicle this summer was threatened with reprimand for not following the chain of command, but the punishment was later blocked.

Which is.

Then there's this thread:

Mr. Ravenstahl said he was not aware that the vehicle was paid for with federal Homeland Security funds when he was using it for things like business travel to Harrisburg and for his personal use, including a Toby Keith concert in August.

And this one:

Sources said Sgt. Wallace was concerned that 300 miles were put on the vehicle, it was not available for police use, and it was returned in a messy condition.

Mr. Ravenstahl denied that the vehicle was messy. "Any time we exchange vehicles we always clean it out," he said.

300 Hundred Miles? Not sure how far one can read into it, but the denial was about how messy the SUV was - not about the mileage.

The Burgher points out that readers of that blog have known about this since late July. A commenter posted a comment on 7/20/07 that the Mayor had been spotted in a Yukon.

I have some questions:

• How many times did the Mayor use the Homeland Security Vehicle and for what purpose?
• Where did they go that the SUV was returned with 300 miles on it? According to Google Maps, a trip to Harrisburg is about 200, so a trip there and back would be 400 miles.
• How could Mayor Luke not know that this shiny big SUV was paid for with Federal Funds? Isn't there anyone around to tell him these sorts of things?
• How many more of these stories are there?

Inquiring minds want to know...

GOP - Going the way of the Whigs?

From the AP. Things aren't looking up for God's Own Party, nationally. Poor guys. The major leading indicators point downward for our friends across the aisle.

Fundraising for Republican campaign organizations lags. That is strikingly so in the House, where the party committee spent more than it raised in each of the past two months, reported only $1.6 million in the bank at the end of August and a debt of nearly $4 million.

Democrats reported $22.1 million in the bank and a debt of slightly more than $3 million.

So even with the Rush "phony soldiers" Limbaugh noise machine working for them, they're still having trouble fundraising in the House. Poor guys - no really. I weep for them every day.

Speaking of The Addict, did you see that instead of condemning him (like they did with the Moveon.org ad) some Republicans want to commend him for supporting the troops. I guess those Republicans also believe that only those troops that support Dubya's bloody war are "real" soldiers.

Public Hearing - Drink Tax

Ladies and Gentlemen;

I got an e-mail the other day letting me know that there'll be a public hearing TODAY in the Gold Room, 4th floor of the County Courthouse at 5pm on the proposed "Drink Tax."

Here's the notice.

I haven't spent that much time on the issue so I can't speak to it either direction, for or against. I look forward to learning about the outcome of the hearing.

Spears Ravenstahl Loses Sons’ Custody to Ex-Spouse of Pittsburgh

By MIREYA NAVARRO MARIA IN PGH
Published: October 2, 2007

LOS ANGELES PITTSBURGH, Oct. 1 — Britney Spears Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has lost custody of her two sons the City of Pittsburgh after a Superior Court judge ruled Monday that her ex-husband, Kevin Federline County Executive Dan Onorato, would take custody beginning Wednesday until further order of the court. Ms. Spears Mr. Ravenstahl, the 257-year-old pop star "hot, hip, young" mayor, and Mr. Federline, 29 Onorato, 46, had joint custody of sons Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1 the City, after their divorce little tiff last July. The same judge, Scott M. Gordon, ordered Msr. Spears Ravenstahl last month to undergo random drug and alcohol psychological testing twice a week, having found that she had engaged in “habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol lying and unethical behavior.”

The latest order followed a motion by Mr. Federline’s Onorato's lawyers and was handled in a closed-door hearing, The Associated Press reported. The judge’s order did not state the reason for the change in custody, The A.P. reported, and all transcripts of the proceedings were sealed.

Lawyers for Mr. Federline Onorato and Msr. Spears Ravenstahl did not return calls.

The ruling was the culmination of a rash of bad news for Ms. Spears Mayor Ravenstahl, whose erratic behavior on and off the stage clock, including shaving her head stalking celebrities and diving into the ocean from a public beach in her underwear physically assulting KDKA radio personality Marty Griffin, had cast doubt on heris fitness as a motherayor.

Los Angeles Pittsburgh prosecutors Ethics Board members recently charged Msr. Spears Ravenstahl with misdemeanor counts questions about of hit-and-run driving and driving without a license after she hit another car in a parking lot his taking $27,000 worth of gifts from interested parties (UPMC & the Penguins) in August. And regarding Ravenstahl's one of her former current bodyguards, Tony Barretto the public, spoke out in recent weeks about seeing her take drugs on two occasions in a nightclub those police officers make tens of thousands of dollars in overtime while Ravenstahl stays out until 2:00 AM "working."

Mr. Barretto’s The public's lawyer, Gloria Allred, said Monday that she agreed with the judge’s ruling.

“I believe that removing custody from Msr. Spears Ravenstahl is the shock treatment that Britney Spears Luke Ravenstahl needs,” Ms. Allred said. “Tonyhe public and I believe that she loves needs her children the citizens and that the children citizens also need their motherayor. We hope that this change of custody will give Ms.r Spears Ravenstahl the strong incentive that she needs to get help so that she can one day be the responsible parent mayor that the childrenitizens deserve to have. Either that, or they can vote the punk out in November”

Msr. Spears Ravenstahl was expected to make a flashy artistic comebackake walk in a performance Sept. 9 at the MTV Video Music Awards to the general election, but instead she appeared lethargic and lip-synched wanly. Heris talent campaign manager, Jeff Kwatinetz of the Firm, subsequently dropped herim, saying that “circumstances have prevented us from properly doing our job.”
.

Christine Donohue

Let's face it. Loads of folks go into the polls who have no clue who's running for various judicial offices.

Well, here's a candidate who you should know for November:
She's been named among the:

"Best Lawyers in America"
"Pennsylvania Super Lawyers"
"Top Lawyers in Pittsburgh"
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had the following to say about her when they endorsed her in May:

Ms. Donohue, 54, the daughter of a coal miner and a seamstress, is a graduate of Duquesne University School of Law and has been an accomplished attorney specializing in commercial litigation for leading firms in Pittsburgh. She has been active both in organizations of lawyers and on boards in the community. Ms. Donohue has also acted in a quasi-judicial role as a member of the Disciplinary Board of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline. She is rated "highly recommended" by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Her combination of extensive legal experience and humble roots make for an outstanding nominee.

You can learn more about her at:
http://www.christinedonohue4superiorcourt.com/

And, as someone reminded me in an email today, the Superior Court is often the last court to hear cases because the Supreme Court in Pennsylvania can pick and choose which cases it will hear.

In (dis)honor of Maureen Dowd's misogyny, here's some issues that the Superior Court heard last year that many women may find particularly relevant:

Adoption: 30
Child Support: 212
Termination of Parental Rights: 76
Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights: 161
Custody/Visitation: 241
Divorce: 288
Estate/Probate/Wills/Intestate: 105
Mortgage Foreclosure: 61
Protection from Abuse: 62
Simple Assault: 73
Aggravated Assault: 428
Homicide: 183
Attempted Murder: 23
Murder: 176
Murder 1: 217
Murder 2: 28
Murder 3: 47
Rape: 239
Assault: 24
Involuntary Deviate Sexual Conduct: 108
Harassment: 49

Pssst: She's also the only pro choice woman running in this race.

What a crappy way to start the week!

This doesn't just suck for him. It sucks for all his fans of which I am one of many.

Mean Girls

Maureen Dowd who sank her fangs into Al Gore at every opportunity in 2000 (and how did that work out for the country?) is at it again -- this time with Hillary Clinton.

Here, she smugly quotes Leon Wieseltier:

"Others do not underestimate her relentlessness. As Leon Wieseltier, the literary editor of The New Republic, once told me: “She's never going to get out of our faces. ... She's like some hellish housewife who has seen something that she really, really wants and won't stop nagging you about it until finally you say, fine, take it, be the damn president, just leave me alone."

Yes, Mo, you're still the cool High School Queen Bee who will never let anything stand in her way -- not even a little misogyny -- to get in a cutting remark.

The Loneliest Icelander

Remember a couple of weeks ago when Preznit Bush said "We thank the 36 nations who have troops on the ground in Iraq and the many others who are helping that young democracy” and we all laughed and laughed?

Well, now it's 35.

The Icelandic troop press aide has left the building.

His service is commemorated here:



(h/t to TPM)

12th Annual Banned Books Reading

A reminder.

The Annual Banned Books Reading, brought to you by the good folks at the Pittsburgh chapter of the ACLU, the Carnegie Library, and WYEP, is taking place tonight.

It's free and open to the public.

For some strange and as yet unexplained reason, they've asked me to be the MC.

UPDATE: This was a lot of fun and being master of ceremonies wasn't nearly as frightening as I thought. Did you know that a WHERE'S WALDO book had been banned? Along with the poem "Jabberwocky"? Me neither.

Interspersed in the live readings were video clips of other local Pittsburghers (Bill Peduto and Lynn Cullen included) reading from some other banned material (The Bible, Shel Silverstein and so on).

Read a banned book!

Jack Kelly Sunday

Just a few fact-checks on my good friend Jack Kelly. By the way, I didn't see him at "Off The Record" so whether he was armed that night is a moot point.

Anyway, his column this week. He's writing about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who is, let's face it, a kook. J-Kel calls him a "diminutive despot with the big smirk." On a "writerly" note, I am proud of Jack for resisting the siren call of the double alliteration: "a diminutive despot with the smarmy smile" He just went for a sort of cross-relation [a "diminutive" something contrasting a "big" something else].

Good for him.

Now the curious part. He writes at the end of the column (one hopes he wasn't merely padding it out to the finish):

So how to explain people like Sally Kohn, who wrote on the Daily Kos Web site why she has a "little crush" on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:

"I know I'm a Jewish lesbian and he'd probably have me killed. But still, the guy speaks some blunt truths about the Bush administration that make me swoon."

This could only have been written by someone who doesn't think anything bad could ever happen to her, and who doesn't care that other people are being persecuted.

See, what he's doing here is trying to paint all liberals with this brush. The paragraph immediately preceding this one discusses how the "academic left" and its attraction to "charismatic Communists" (another alliteration) while macabre, is understandable. Here's his plan: Sally Kohn posts at the dailykos, so therefore everyone at the dailykos agrees with her (and presumably has a crush on the diminutive despot) and as the dailykos goes, so goes the American left: The American Left Hearts Ahmadinejad, it says so at the dailykos!

That's what he's trying to do. But the first question is, did our good friend J-Kel accurately quote Ms Kohn? Not by a long shot. She DID write that line about the crush - that much is true. But our Jack followed it with this:

This could only have been written by someone who doesn't think anything bad could ever happen to her, and who doesn't care that other people are being persecuted.

What did Sally follow the crush line with? Here is her dailykos posting. After continuing in the crush groove and saying Ahmadinejad reminds her of Kermit the Frog (huh??) she writes:

I want to be very clear. There are certainly many things about Ahmadinejad that I abhor — locking up dissidents, executing of gay folks, denying the fact of the Holocaust, potentially adding another dangerous nuclear power to the world and, in general, stifling democracy.

But didn't Jack Kelly just say that she didn't care about people being presecuted? Her "crush" seems to be based on the charges he's made against the Bush Administration. Charges she agrees with. For instance (this is from Ahmadinejad's letter to Bush in May):

There are prisoners in Guantanamo Bay that have not been tried, have no legal representation, their families cannot see them and are obviously kept in a strange land outside their own country. There is no international monitoring of their conditions and fate. No one knows whether they are prisoners, POWs, accused or criminals.

European investigators have confirmed the existence of secret prisons in Europe too. I could not correlate the abduction of a person, and him or her being kept in secret prisons, with the provisions of any judicial system. For that matter, I fail to understand how such actions correspond to the values outlined in the beginning of this letter, i.e. the teachings of Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him), human rights and liberal values.

She even points out the disconnect between Ahmadinejad's "flagrantly" (yes, she uses that word) trouncing the rule of law in Iran while criticizing Bush for doing the same.

Something Jack didn't tell you.

I'm not defending sallykohn's blog post, just pointing out how Jack Kelly misrepresented it. In fact I think the silly parts of her blog post, for instance that Ahmadinejad is cuddly like Kermit, are silly enough to sully (see I can do it too!) the rest of the piece.

I'm also not going to defend Ahmadinejad himself. I think he's a kook and a very dangerous kook indeed. But I'd also have to agree with Bill Richardson on this. Ahmadinejad is not the guy in control over there. Richardson also said that while he wouldn't have invited Ahmadinejad, it's a question of academic freedom - and Columbia is free to invite whomever it wants to speak.

Just like Bill O'Reilly.

Banned Books Reading - THIS MONDAY

Ladies and Gentlemen;

Maria already posted about this, but I have to make a slight addition to the news. I'm now HOSTING the program. I'll be the guy introducing each reader and reading the bios to the audience.

And that also means that I'll be the one reading last. So to hear my reading you'll have to sit through the whole thing.

See you there!

Living in the Future

BRUCE! was on The Today Show this morning and he had something to say about the last six or so years while singing his new song "Living in the Future." It's definitely worth a listen:


Springsteen: ‘Living in the Future’

Off The Record - The Final Post

I can report back that the show was great. I laughed, I cried, It was better than Cats.

Some quick thoughts:

• The food in the lobby was very interesting. I had duck for the very first time and I made a couple of trips to the chocolate fountain for dessert, though an astute friend of mine pointed out to me the disconnect of having such high-falootin' food at a fundraiser for a food bank. She's very smart, that astute friend of mine.
• Ken Rice's opening was very very funny. Took potshots at nearly everyone, David Johnson (or more specifically David Johnson's Johnson) included. A couple of Luke jokes in there (Luke's a kid. It's nighttime so no one knows where Luke is now) and so on. He mentioned a few intown blogs (not this one, the sonuvabich). Hat's off to the Angry Drunk Bureaucrat and the Carbolic Smoke Ball for getting mentioned. Rice did call it the "Carbolic Smoke BOMB" though. Hahahaha
• Dan Onorato's pre-show "response" was funny, though not nearly up to Rice's level. He made some Luke jokes, too.
• The show was filled with gags and puns, an on stage birth and a truly disturbing impersonation of Sofie Masloff.
• You haven't lived until you've seen Doug Shields do his "Pirate Bob" impression. That one still has me shivering in me timbers.

Dr. Goddess was there, read what she has to say about the"Dreamgirls" song parody. And I'm not sure, but I think I met Mac Booker last night as well.

Pick Mayor Luke's Campaign Song!

Pick Mayor Luke's Campaign Song

SONG ONE:


SONG TWO:


SONG THREE:


Really, at this point you have to wonder if Ravenstahl has some sort of, um, condition or something....
.

Gov. Richardson was In Town Tonight

Ok, so I was late. I had to work and the earliest I could get to Wholey's was about 20 to 5. But I was late. By the time I arrived Jon Delano and his film crew were packing up to go. Andy Gastmeyer and his crew were already out the door and around the corner. Luckily, Jim O'Toole was still there. He was standing at the door chatting. I asked him for directions to the Pittsburgh Room.

After getting the directions, I walked into the store, between the displays of chilled whole fish, and up one set of stairs, past a table full of big-fish sandwiches, and up a second set of stairs to where Governor Bill Richardson was holding court with a couple dozen twenty-somethings. Pitt Democrats, I later learned. Pitt Dems with a smattering of Pitt Dem Law students.

Great, so I was late and I was at least double the average age in the room. The group, I gotta say, included someone who really really really needed a shower. I couldn't tell who it was, but GEEZ pungent isn't the word. Probably not the best way to meet a guy running for the highest office in the land. But what do I know? The year I graduated college, Ronald Reagan was still President and ABC had just begun broadcasting Moonlighting.

When I walked in, Congressman Mike (did you know they call him "Mad Dog"?) Doyle, Governor Richardson, and Dan Wholey, who's running against Congressman Tim Murphy, sat, chomping on the sandwiches and chatting up the kids.

I caught the tail end of the discussion about FISA and the recent restructuring of the law. "There's no reason not to have judicial review." I heard the Mad Dog Doyle say. Good for him.

Then the conversation turned to war - both present and (possibly) future. Notably Iran. To Richardson, while Iran is a major power in the Middle East, it's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is not. He's kept, according to Richardson, on a very short leash by the Ayatollahs in power. He pressed the idea of diplomacy with the moderate clerics in Iran.

Addressing the college kids in the room, Richardson ended his talk by pointing out 4 legacies that his older generation was leaving them:

• The Debt
• Greenhouse Gasses
• The Social Safety Net
• The Health Care System

And urged them to keep working to "take our country back."

One-on-one he and I discussed the last night's Democratic debate in New Hampshire, FISA, the war and the moveon.org ad. On last night's debate, he said he felt it was his best performance. He was able to differentiate himself from the rest of the pack, he said, on the war.

He said the FISA compromise was "shameful." The only eavesdropping allowed should be done with a court order, he said. The fact that the Congress let the President off the hook wasn't a good thing either. By the way, Bill Richardson is the one who pointed out that:

something is wrong when the New England Patriots face stiffer penalties for spying on innocent Americans than Dick Cheney and George Bush.

When I asked him what, if everything went his way and he's the one taking the oath of office in late January, 2009, would be the first thing he did in office, he said he'd announce a full withdrawal of the troops from Iraq. He'd proposed a Bosnia-type negotiation setup for a partitioning of the country into three parts with an all muslim peacekeeping force to keep the peace. "No one wants an Iraq civil war." He said.

While he disagreed with the moveon ad, he wouldn't have voted for its censure, he said. He still feels that moveon.org is a good organization and that it's good for the democratic process. They made a mistake, he added, and everyone makes mistakes. The outrage coming from the other side of the political aisle is just the Republicans trying to get some mileage out of the story. They want to focus on anything other than the mess they've made of things.

When he was asked later why he seems to have more success reaching out to Republicans than some of the other Democratic candidates, he said he's the best at reaching out and bringing people together. He said it's about "American solutions" not "Democratic solutions" or "Republican solutions."

Smart guy. Loved the fact he called the FISA compromise "shameless." Here's to hoping more Democrats start to feel the same way.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl Needs Your Help!

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl needs your help!

He's managed all on his own to snub an African American group, and a group of women, and another African American group, all in favor of hanging out with rich white guys.


http://kdka.com/video/?id=32302@kdka.dayport.com
You see the problem, right? He's already repeating himself!

If he snubs an LGBT group he would be in danger of possibly snubbing some rich white guy, and this being Pittsburgh and not Philly, it may be difficult for him to find a group of Latinos to snub in time before the November election.

Please help Mayor "Where In The World Is" Luke Ravenstahl find another group of citizens to snub in favor of more rich white dudes.

I'll start off:

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl should next snub ____________ in favor of some rich white guys.

... a group of penniless orphans....

Now it's your turn....

In Honor of Sgt. Omar Mora & Sgt. Yance T. Gray(A Project of Comments From Left Field)

Did you catch this over at Comments from Left Field?

On Monday September 10, 2007 Sgt. Omar Mora and Sgt. Yance T. Gray died in a vehicle accident in western Baghdad, two of seven U.S. troops killed in the incident which was reported just as Gen. David Petraeus was about to report to Congress on progress in the "surge."

Both serving in the Army’s 82nd Airborne, America at large would not come to know Sgt. Gray and Sgt. Mora’s names until August 19th of this year. Omar and Tell joined with five other soldiers to pen a critical OpEd in the New York Times entitled, The War As We Saw It.

In honor of these men please join the bloggers of Comments From Left Field in making a joint contribution on their behalf to the Fisher House. We urge you to give what you can to this noble cause for only in this way can Omar and Tell continue to make the lives of their fellow soldiers better even after their passing. We can think of no honor more fitting of a soldier.

Click here to read the full post at Comments.

More importantly, click HERE to donate.
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Verizon Gags NARAL

From The New York Times:

Saying it had the right to block “controversial or unsavory” text messages, Verizon Wireless has rejected a request from Naral Pro-Choice America, the abortion rights group, to make Verizon’s mobile network available for a text-message program.

Well, isn't that special!

Maybe Verizon isn't the company you want to choose for your own text messaging as they might object to something you write.

Bunch of wankers.

And, isn't it ironic that the text message from NARAL was about a gag rule?

Naral provided an example of a recent text message that it has sent to supporters: “End Bush’s global gag rule against birth control for world’s poorest women! Call Congress. (202) 224-3121. Thnx! Naral Text4Choice.”

The article goes on to talk about how texting has become "an extraordinarily effective political tool."

Unfortunately Verizon seems to have a problem with political free speech and the First Amendment.

If you have a problem with that, maybe you'd want to contact Verizon:

Verizon Communications
Corporate Headquarters
140 West Street
New York, NY 10007

Telephone: 800-621-9900 WAIT! See below***

And, speaking of Verizon’s propensity to gag (and their all around sucky service), if you recall I've blogged previously about my problems with their DSL service and now my main phone line is completely dead (as of yesterday morning or possibly the night before). So if anyone has been trying to call me (and getting a busy signal), you'll need to email me as they can't send anyone out here until tomorrow.

Bunch of wankers.
.

*** So before I hit "Publish Post" I decided I should call Verizon first. The operator at corporate headquarters directed my call to Verizon Landline (800-483-7988) who couldn't take my complaint because it was a "wireless" issue. They gave me the number for Verizon Wireless (800-922-0204).

Verizon Wireless couldn't answer to my complaint so I asked for a corporate complaint line as I'm not trying to complain about wireless service as I don't have wireless service.

Wireless told me that I could go online to complain by going to www.verizonwireless.com and looking for "Executive Relations." I said how ironic it was that a PHONE company did not have a corporate PHONE complaint line, but he didn't much react to that.

I decided instead to go back to their main corporate number (800-621-9900) and explain again to the operator what I was trying to complain about. When she said that they had no PHONE line to speak to someone to complain to about corporate policies. I used my irony line with her and she connected me to someone she claims to be the assistant to the CEO of Verizon (Ivan Seidenberg). So, Judy A. Mitchell, on the off chance that you are Seidenberg's assistant, or whoever you are, that's how I got your voicemail and left my complaint.

A PHONE company with no PHONE complaint line. Again, bunch of wankers.


UPDATE: Fast moving story! "Verizon Reverses Itself on Abortion Messages" HA!

UPDATE 2: A reminder that Verizon shouldn't have been allowed to gag anyone in the first place:

SUPPORT NET NEUTRALITY!
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The Dan Rather Story - It Ain't What You Might Think

If you have a free moment, pop on over to this story at Media Matters. It's on "Rathergate" and it's sure to cause one or more of our local conservative friends (and you know who you are) to blow a few gaskets.

Some choice excerpts. Eric Boehlert starts by asking rhetorically who's more upset by Dan Rather's recent statements about the suit he filed:

Was it executives at CBS News who now face the prospect of reliving one of the network's darkest chapters via endless depositions from a plaintiff who says he won't accept a cash settlement?

Or was it right-wing bloggers, some of whom likely punched their TV sets in frustration watching Rather go on national television and claim, correctly, that nobody has ever proven that the memos he used in his report were fake, and pointing out that the basic facts of the Texas Air National Guard story -- that Bush walked away from his military commitment during the Vietnam War for months at a time--are still not in dispute.

Two things that lotsa folks believe to be true, in fact aren't.

1. The Killian Memos were proven to be forgeries - they weren't.
2. The "Bush skipped out of his Air National Guard duty" story is bogus - it isn't.

Boehlert links to this mediamatters story that itself links to the report from the commission set up to investigate "Rathergate" and quotes the executive summary as saying that the panel:

"identified a number of issues that raise serious questions about the authenticity of the documents and their content," it "has not been able to conclude with absolute certainty whether the ... documents are authentic or forgeries."

So while there are serious questions about the authenticity of the documents, the commission (which included former Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, by the way) wasn't able to prove they were forged.

Point 1.

Point 2 - Boehlert, after some needed criticising of the media's coverage of the story sets up his ending:

And, oh yeah, how do I know the story about Bush evading his military service is true even though bloggers and the mainstream media declared, in the wake of Memogate, that it was not? It's easy. Using Bush's own military records, I'll list 10 glaring discrepancies regarding his fraudulent military service, none of which is based on the disputed memos that were aired by CBS News in 2004. And yes, I'm pretty sure all 10 discrepancies will come as news flashes to the same journalists who mocked Rather last week for having the temerity to suggest his National Guard report was true. [emphasis in original]

Go read them - they're very enlightening.

While you're at it, check out this site and this site and definitely this site.

The story is true - Dan Rather botched it.

George Bush Lied - As If We Needed More Evidence

This story's been floating around for a day or so. Here it is from Editor and Publisher:

El Pais, the highest-circulation daily in Spain, today published what it said was the transcript of a private talk between President George W. Bush and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar on February 22, 2003, concerning the coming U.S. invasion of Iraq. It took place at the ranch in Crawford, Texas.

The conversation took place on the President's ranch in Crawford, Texas. The confidential transcript was prepared by Spain's ambassador to the United States, Javier Ruperez, the paper said.

Bush purportedly said he planned to invade Iraq inf March "if there was a United Nations Security Council resolution or not....We have to get rid of Saddam. We will be in Baghdad at the end of March."

Think Progress has some additional info:

Just a few days later, Bush insisted to the American public that war with Iraq was not a certainty [links in original]

And then gave some examples. For instance on March 3, 2003 dubya said:

I’ve not made up our mind about military action. Hopefully, this can be done peacefully. [emphasis in original

And then on March 8, he said:

We are doing everything we can to avoid war in Iraq. But if Saddam Hussein does not disarm peacefully, he will be disarmed by force. [emphasis in original

Ladies and gentlemen, these are what's known in the biz as lies.

Off The Record VII: Blogged To Death

Just another reminder.

If you can, go see Off The Record tonight.

It's at the Byham dahntahn and tickets start at $20 and the proceeds go to the Pittsburgh Food Bank.

As I wrote here, it looks like it's gonna be very funny. Mayor Luke gets skewered, the Pirates get skewered, the local media gets skewered, you know - the usual suspects get skewered.

None of us, as far as I know, get skewered however. As the Python boys once said, the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.

Anyway, there's singing, there's dancing, there's Dennis Roddy singing and dancing - what's not to love?

How's This for Hypocrisy?

From the McClatchy papers:

President Bush implored the United Nations on Tuesday to recommit itself to restoring human decency by liberating oppressed people and ending famine and disease.

Speaking before the United Nations General Assembly, the president called for renewed efforts to enforce the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a striking point of emphasis for a leader who's widely accused of violating human rights in waging war against terrorism.

Bush didn't mention the U.S. prisons in Afghanistan or at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. practice of holding detainees for years without legal charges or access to lawyers, or the CIA's "rendition" kidnappings of suspects abroad, all issues of concern to human rights activists around the world.

For those of you who don't (or won't) remember, here are some reminders.

At Gitmo, it took a decision by the Supreme Court to change dubya's policy of imprisoning terror suspects indefinitely - without trial or access to lawyers. And that was only a year ago.

The Bush administration has agreed to apply the Geneva Conventions to all terrorism suspects in U.S. custody, bowing to the Supreme Court's recent rejection of policies that have imprisoned hundreds for years without trials.

The Pentagon announced yesterday that it has called on military officials to adhere to the conventions in dealing with al-Qaeda detainees. The administration also has decided that even prisoners held by the CIA in secret prisons abroad must be treated in accordance with international standards, an interpretation that would prohibit prisoners from being subjected to harsh treatment in interrogations, several U.S. officials said.

At Abu Ghraib, well we all know about Abu Ghraib.



And dubya's lecturing the world about human rights?

Blue-Green Mixer Tonight!

Blue-Green Mixer
Tuesday, Sept. 25
5:30-7:30pm
United Steelworkers Bldg. Lobby
Blvd. of the Allies and Stanwix, Downtown


From the Sierra Club:

Relax, unwind and get to know some new faces at our first PA Blue-Green social. Please join us for refreshments and mingle with Steelworkers and Sierra Club members

Refreshments provided—FREE!

The Blue-Green Alliance

The Blue-Green Alliance is a strategic alliance between the Sierra Club and the United Steelworkers. It was founded on the principle that we can have good jobs and a clean environment. Safe workplaces mean healthy neighborhoods, and in a carbon-constrained world, for jobs to be economically sustainable they must be environmentally sustainable.

For more info email randy.francisco@sierraclub.org or call 412-802-6161

GOOD JOBS – A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT – A SAFER WORLD

Your Tax Dollars At Work

I caught this on last night's Countdown. Our favorite whoremonger, Republican Senator David Vitter, was on KO's worst person list last night.

By the way, on that list we also find that the source of the "Petreaus/Betray us" pun is none other than our favorite drug addict, Rush Limbaugh.

Turns out that our John has been busy:

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., earmarked $100,000 in a spending bill for a Louisiana Christian group that has challenged the teaching of Darwinian evolution in the public school system and to which he has political ties.

The money is included in the labor, health and education financing bill for fiscal 2008 and specifies payment to the Louisiana Family Forum "to develop a plan to promote better science education."

The earmark appears to be the latest salvo in a decades-long battle over science education in Louisiana, in which some Christian groups have opposed the teaching of evolution and, more recently, have pushed to have it prominently labeled as a theory with other alternatives presented. Educators and others have decried the movement as a backdoor effort to inject religious teachings into the classroom.

For the record, I had nothing to do with the use of the metaphor "backdoor effort" though I am assuming that in Vitter's case, it would probably cost extra - at least for the lube.

Here's some info on the group itself:

The nonprofit Louisiana Family Forum, launched in Baton Rouge in 1999 by former state Rep. Tony Perkins, has in recent years taken the lead in promoting "origins science," which includes the possibility of divine intervention in the creation of the universe.

The group's stated mission is to "persuasively present biblical principles in the centers of influence on issues affecting the family through research, communication and networking." Until recently, its Web site contained a "battle plan to combat evolution," which called the theory a "dangerous" concept that "has no place in the classroom." The document was removed after a reporter's inquiry.

Gee, I wonder why.

Here's their website, by the way. From it, you can learn many many wondrous things such as the groups core values. One of which is:

We believe that life-long, faithful marriage is the first Human institution ordained by God and therefore, the basic, irreducible building block of society. We believe the value of marriage in a community will determine that community’s health, happiness, productivity and safety.

I wonder what they think of a guy who uses money to hire prostitutes? And what about that $100,000 he just slipped them. Did he leave it in an envelope for them on the dresser when he was done?

Eyes Wide Open

"Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Someone had blunder'd:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

--Tennyson

Off The Record

Here's the P-G's coverage of this year's "Off The Record."

Now in its seventh year, "Off the Record VII" still spoofs the city of Pittsburgh and all that makes us unique. As always, this one-night-only musical extravaganza pokes fun at local politics, politicians and other newsmakers, but this year, it turns its guns on itself. Welcome to "Off the Record VII: Blogged to Death!" a satirical look at local media's attempt to stay afloat on the wave of technology.

And some more info:

Sponsored by the Pittsburgh Newspaper Guild/CWA (mainly writers and artists at the Post-Gazette) and AFTRA (the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), "Off the Record" has raised $131,000 for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, with additional donations going to the two unions' scholarship funds, pediatric AIDS research, Hurricane Katrina victims and the Highmark Caring Place.

Is anyone else planning on going? The tickets start at $20 bucks - that might be a little steep. However (this is from the website):

Your ticket includes the Off The Record VII pre-show (6:30-8pm) and post-show (9:30-10:30) receptions in the Byham lobby. Great food provided by La Prima Expresso, Jenny Lee Bakery, Breadworks, McGinnis Sisters, Legends of the North Shore, Hyeholde, and Whole Foods. There is a cash bar for your enjoyment.

Typical. A cash bar.

See you there!

Nevermind.

From a recent NYTimes editorial:

If you were one of the Americans waiting for Congress, under Democratic control, to show leadership on the war in Iraq, the message from the Senate is clear: “Nevermind.” The same goes for those waiting for lawmakers to fix the damage done to civil liberties by six years of President Bush and a rubber-stamp Republican Congress.

On the Senate filibuster:

We support the filibuster as the only way to ensure a minority in the Senate can be heard. When the cloture votes failed this week, the Democrats should have let the Republicans filibuster. Democratic leaders think that’s too risky, since Congress could look like it’s not doing anything. But it’s not doing a lot now.

And on Republican hypocrisy regarding said filibuster:

The current Republican leadership, now in the minority, has organized its entire agenda around the filibuster. In July, the McClatchy newspaper group reported that Republicans were using the threat of filibuster more than at any other time in the nation’s history.

Remember, this is the same batch of Republican senators who denounced Democrats as obstructionist and even un-American and threatened to change the Senate’s rules when Democrats threatened filibusters in 2005 over a few badly chosen judicial nominees. Now Republicans are using it to prevent consideration of an entire war.

Reminded me of something I read at Huffingtonpost:

If Democrats really want to end the war, and to carry out the job the people sent them to do in November of last year, they need to tell the kinds of stories I'm hearing when I talk to servicemen and women every time I go to the airport, like the 23-year old mother of two who just got sent back for her second tour of duty, who had tears in her eyes as she described what it's like to abandon her three-month old baby and how her older child didn't recognize her when she returned home from her last deployment. If they want to end the war, they should put forward the most responsible bill they can propose, with whatever guidelines or timetables they believe are truly in the best interest of our nation and our soldiers, and if the Republicans filibuster, let them filibuster, and attach the names and faces of every soldier killed or maimed in the meantime to those who are obstructing the will of the people. That's supporting our troops, and that's what will bring this terrible chapter in American history to a close, as Americans start to see on television, live and on camera, who is supporting our troops and who is sending them to their graves while happily spending time with their own families or planning lavish White House weddings for their own children when we are allegedly engaged in a battle for our freedom and civilization. [emphasis added]

Let them filibuster, then glue it to them forever. How difficult is that?

Jack Kelly Sunday

This time, he's writing about Syria. While the whole column isn't about WMD, he begins with it.

I decided, after doing a little research on what's in today's P-G, to take a somewhat different approach. Let's contrast and compare what he's saying about WMD in Syria NOW with what he's said in the past.

Should be fun, no?

Today:

An explosion ripped through a military base near Aleppo in northern Syria July 23, killing 15 Syrian soldiers and dozens of Iranian engineers. Summer temperatures of up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit caused an ammunition dump to "cook off," the Syrian government said.

Since the explosion occurred at 4:30 in the morning, some were skeptical of the government's explanation.

Jane's Defence Weekly is reporting in its Sept. 29 issue that the blast occurred while the Syrians and Iranians were attempting to put a chemical warhead on a Scud C missile. Most of the injuries were caused by the dispersion of nerve and mustard gas.

I'm wondering why he doesn't say whether these chemical weapons were the same weapons that he'd written previously were shipped into Syria before the war.

Take a look. He wrote on February 5, 2006:

Special Republican Guard brigades loaded yellow barrels with the skull and crossbones sign on each barrel onto two airliners from which the seats had been removed, [former Iraqi Air Force General] Georges Sada said. There were 56 flights in all.

After pointing out some skepticism as to Sada's story, he went on to list some other sources telling similar stories of Saddam's WMD being moved into Syria before the war, even ending the piece with:

Those who have bet their political futures that Saddam had no WMD may be starting to sweat.

And then on November 6, 2005 he wrote:

The Iraq Survey Group found no large stockpiles of chemical or biological weapons in Iraq. This could be because no such weapons actually existed.

Or it could be because they were moved to another country between the time Congress authorized the use of force against Iraq and when the war actually began.
"We've had six or seven credible reports of Iraqi weapons being moved into Syria before the war," a senior administration official told reporter Kenneth Timmerman.

And then on May 2, 2004:

...Israel's military chief told an Israeli newspaper there is "no doubt" that Iraq possessed both chemical weapons and the means to deliver them. In the first two days of the war, the United States -- acting on tips from Israeli intelligence -- destroyed the aircraft Saddam had prepared to carry chemical munitions, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon said. The munitions themselves were buried, or transferred to other countries.

"We very clearly saw that something crossed into Syria," he said.

"We have six or seven credible reports of Iraqi weapons being moved into Syria before the war," a senior administration official told Kenneth Timmerman of Insight magazine.

A Syrian intelligence officer, in letters smuggled to an anti-regime activist in Paris, identified three sites in Syria where Iraqi WMD are being stored, Timmerman said. The sites were the same as those identified earlier by a Syrian journalist who defected to Europe.

Note the overlap from the previous article. The bit of information from Kenneth Timmerman was used both times.

And then on February 1, 2004:

But Kay also said there was ample evidence of ongoing WMD programs in Iraq, and programs to build missiles with longer ranges than permitted by U.N. resolutions. There were indications, he said, that some weapons of mass destruction may have been moved to Syria. These statements received little attention from journalists.

And finally this on December 21, 2003:

The recently retired director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. James Clapper, told Agence France Presse in October there was evidence from satellite imagery that Saddam moved WMD into Syria just before the onset of hostilities.

So with all that "evidence" that Saddam's WMD were moved to Syria, why isn't J-Kel connecting the dots and saying they were once Saddam's?

Or if there is evidence they're not, why not say that? Wouldn't that be an even scarier scenario: The stuff the Iranians and Syrians were trying to load onto scud missles was from some other additional source than Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

I wonder why no connection.

EVENTS!

September 22, 2007 -- TODAY!

Blue Print for a Livable Hill
WHAT: Blue Print Community Meeting
WHEN: TODAY! Saturday, September 22, Noon
WHERE: Blakey Program Center, 1908 Wylie Avenue, Pgh PA

A community-driven organization including more than a hundred groups, The One Hill CBA Coalition has a platform designed to make the Hill District a more livable community. Through the Coalition, the Hill District community went through an exhaustive and transparent process to engage residents and stakeholders of the community to give input into this platform for creating a community benefits agreement. These broad platforms will allow the One Hill negotiating team to negotiate in good faith with the SEA to secure a CBA representing the priorities of the community. The Blue Print for a Livable Hill includes: - Master Plan to build a Livable Community, - Livable Hill Community Improvement Fund, - Family Sustaining Jobs and First Source Career Opportunities, - A Community Grocery Store/Economic Anchor, - Community/Multi Purpose Center, - Historic Preservation and Greenspace, - Policy Commitments for a Livable Hill

September 25, 2007

Planned Parenthood Cocktails for a Cause
WHAT: Cocktails for a Cause
WHEN: Tuesday, September 25, 2007, 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
WHERE: Doublewide Grill, 2339 E. Carson St., Pittsburgh PA 15203

Good drinks, good company, good cause! 70% of all beer sales to benefit Planned Parenthood.

September 27, 2007

Off the Record VII: Blogged to Death!
WHAT: Off the Record VII: Blogged to Death!
WHEN: Thursday, September 27, 2007, 8:00 PM
WHERE: Byham Theater, 101 Sixth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

The 7th year of a Pittsburgh comic tradition, in which professional performers, journalists and politicians use comedy and song to satirize Pittsburgh newsmakers like Joe Hardy, Luke Ravenstahl and Cyril Wecht. The emcee is Ken Rice and Dan Onorato offers comic rebuttal, all to raise funds for Greater Pittsburgh Community Food. Tickets: 412-456-6666, $60, $40, $20 http://www.offtherecordpgh.com/Off_The_Record/Home.html

September 28, 2007

Council District 6 Night at PNC Park
WHAT: Council District 6 Night at PNC Park Fundraising Program (Pirates vs. Cardinals)
WHEN: Friday, September 28, 2007, 7:05 PM
WHERE: PNC Park, Pittsburgh PA

Visit PNC Park and support Council District 6, the Central Outreach Resource & Referral Center (COC), and Northside Coalition for Fair Housing through a special fundraising program. Join Councilwoman Tonya D. Payne as she welcomes District 6 to the ballpark. A portion of each ticket will go to support the Central Outreach Resource & Referral Center (COC) and the Northside Coalition for Fair Housing. Tickets available by advance sales only through Chaz Kellem at 412.325.4488. L/R Field Grandstand - $9.00 ($2.00 will be donated), Outfield Box - $20.00 ($5.00 will be donated)

October 1, 2007

12th Annual Banned Books Reading!
WHAT: 12th Annual Banned Books Reading!
WHEN: Monday, October 1, 2007, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, Oakland, Pittsburgh PA

The Pittsburgh Chapter of the ACLU, WYEP 91.3FM and Carnegie Library fight censorship on Monday, October 1st, with the 12th Annual Banned Books Reading, 7 pm at Carnegie Library Lecture Hall. This signature event celebrates free speech and fights censorship. We've lined up some of Pittsburgh's best personalities to read from their favorite banned or challenged works including: David DeAngelo, Dayvoe of 2 Political Junkies Blog. For more information call 412-681-7736 or email bannedbooks@aclupgh.org Free & open to the public.

October 3, 2007

Executive Women's Council Ravenstahl/DeSantis Debate
WHAT: Ravenstahl-DeSantis to Discuss the Issues
WHEN: Wednesday, October 3, 2007, 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM.
WHERE: Duquesne Club, 325 Sixth Avenue (Downtown) Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Cost for all attendees is $28, which includes a full breakfast. Registration is required: http://www.sporg.com/pom/registration?cmd=event_info&event_id=94974 Sponsors: Executive Women’s Council, Women & Girls Fdtn. & Pgh-All. Cty. Women’s Commission

YDAC Meet the Candidate Night: Patrick Dowd
WHAT: YDAC Meet the Candidate Night: Patrick Dowd, City Council Candidate District 7
WHEN: Wednesday, October 3, 2007, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
WHERE: Firehouse Lounge in the Strip District

Meet one of Pittsburgh’s most exciting young candidates. Patrick Dowd took a new excitement to the Pittsburgh Public School Board and soon he will take that excitement to City Hall. Join us for a fun night and meet and learn about Patrick Dowd. This event will be held at the Firehouse Lounge in the Strip District and there will be a $5 cover.

Sierra Club 101
WHAT: Sierra Club 101: An Introduction to Exploring, Enjoying, and Protecting our Planet
WHEN: Wednesday, October 3, 2007, 6:30 - 8:00 PM
WHERE: The Sierra Club Office 3109 Forbes Ave (Oakland), Pgh, PA

At this introductory workshop, you’ll: learn more about the Sierra Club, what we do, and how we do it. Meet other members and activists. Find out about the many ways that you can get involved in protecting our environment. Share your ideas for how we can build an environmental community in the Pittsburgh area. No matter whether you have 15 min. or 15 hours, you can make a difference, and at Sierra Club 101, you’ll learn how. RSVP by calling 412-802-6161 or Email randy.francisco@sierraclub.org

October 12 – 14, 2007

Pennsylvania NOW Annual Convention
WHAT: Pennsylvania NOW Annual Convention
WHEN: Friday - Sunday, October 12 – 14, 2007,
WHERE: Pittsburgh Hilton, 600 Commonwealth Place, Pittsburgh, PA

PA NOW is celebrating both their 35th anniversary AND the 35th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, which mandates equal access for women in education and sports programs. Info & to register: http://members.aol.com/panowconvention

Lib'rul Media? Yea, Right.

Here's something to chew over. It was posted at TalkingPointsMemo.

Last night, news broke that the FBI had been taping phone calls placed to the senior Republican in the United States Senate as part of a bribery investigation stretching back more than a year. In fact, the man alleged to have bribed the senator is cooperating with investigators, and the calls recorded included some he placed at the FBI's behest.

The Washington Post, always eager to cover political stories of national import, ran the news on page A10. Most papers gave it similar prominence, if they ran the item it at all.

Contrast that to the (admittedly luried) tale of Norman Hsu, fronted by papers around the nation. That was a case of a major donor to Democratic figures who turned out (unbeknownst to the politicians to whom he donated) to be a crook and a fraud. That's big news. But when a businessman who is a major donor to Republican politicians turns out to be a crook and a fraud, and some of the nation's senior legislators are revealed to have knowingly accepted his bribes and funneled him earmarks in return, it's hardly worth mentioning.

Where's the outrage?

Yea.

Olbermann's Commentary

MSNBC has the transcript.

Some highlights. Olbermann had just played an ad from the 2006 election cycle, one that said, in essence, vote Republican or the terrorists will kill you. This follows:

Terrorizing your own people in hopes of getting them to vote for your own party has never brought as much as a public comment from you?

The Republican Hamstringing of Captain Max Cleland and lying about Lieutenant John Kerry met with your approval?

But a shot at General Petraeus, about whom you conveniently ignore it, was you who reduced him from four-star hero to a political hack, merits this pissy juvenile blast at the Democrats on national television?

Your hypocrisy is so vast that if we could somehow use it to fill the ranks in Iraq you could realize your dream and keep us fighting there until the year 3000.

The line between the military and the civilian government is not to be crossed.

Go watch it. Keith's recent emergency surgery certainly hasn't dulled his outrage.

DeSantis Open House

A few hours ago I got to watch something the DeSantis Campaign HQ described as a "media open house" though it was really more of a kick-off for the campaign to introduce new volunteers to the folks running the show over there.

There were snacks and beverages and campaign swag for everyone.

And if the quality of brownies and cookies have anything to do with the success of a political campaign, this race is over. Those brownies were stellar, the cookies nearly as good.

Of course campaigns are NOT decided by the quality of the baked goods (no matter how much we'd want them to be). Campaigns are decided on a number of things - one of which is the set of ideas presented to the public. The meme for the DeSantis campaign can, as far as I could tell, be boiled down to one simple word: change.

The HQ itself is a modest set of rooms one floor below from the Republican HQ downtown. I felt rather uneasy, being so close to so many Republicans. It wasn't that bad after a few brownies, to be honest. No one had any horns or a pointed tail - not that I could see, anyway. The walls are freshly painted a calm blue and green. There's a room called the "coalition room" with lists tacked up on the walls of the various groups (business groups, women's groups, gay organizations, and so on) the campaign is looking to reach out to. Another room contained some chairs and a podium. It's where DeSantis can have press conferences in-house.

One of the campaign's communications folks told me they realise in a city that's 5-to-1 Democratic-to-Republican, they're going to have to reach out beyond their party and so they're aiming not only for Republicans, but to independents and to those who just don't want to vote for "the machine." They're looking to convince folks that he's a moderate Republican, that he's not a Santorum or a George W. Bush. In otherwords (and I guess they're mine) no horns or tail.

When DeSantis began to speak to the group, he emphasized that he was the candidate for change and that "something is going on" in the city - the people are looking for change. They want new leadership, he said. A new way of thinking about government. A new anything. When describing the relationship between a city's people and its government, he said one is a reflection of the other - but mid-sentence he corrected himself. Not this government, he said. He wouldn't describe what he thought of the current administration in city hall. "There are children present," he said.

If I had a beef with DeSantis, it was his misuse of the label for the party that's not his. Twice he used the phrase "Democrat mayor" in his brief history of city politics in the 20th ceentury. If he's looking to reach out across the political aisle, he's not going to make things any easier by using the wrong label. It's "Democrat-IC" for the modifyer, not "Democrat."

12th Annual Banned Books Reading!

Hmmm, one of these names looks familiar:



More info at http://www.aclupa.org/events/12thannualbannedbooksreadi.htm

Post-Petraeus Poll Numbers

To listen to the local rightwing blowhards (ok, ok - maybe it's JUST Mike Pintek, I haven't done a complete survey of the field), you'd never know that large majorities of the American People, even after hearing General Petraeus testify before Congress, want the troops to come home and the war to end.

CBS: 68% of those polled would like to see U.S. troops reduced or removed entirely. 51% think the surge had "no impact." 63% think things are going "badly." When Bush describes the situation in Iraq, only a quarter, 24%, think he's being accurate in his description. A full 65% think he's making it sound "better" than it really is (for those keeping score at home, that means that the people think our great and glorious leader is spinning us on Iraq).

I could go on, but I have to go to work.