Mind Vomit by the ikss ~ a journal
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Thursday, May. 20, 2004more about my favorite adminstration ever
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�Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead�
-Lucille Ball
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
--Theodore Roosevelt, 1918
REGISTER TO VOTE
"The time is always right to do what is right"
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
"The "seven social sins": Knowledge without character,
Science without humanity,
Wealth without work,
Commerce without morality,
Politics without principles,
Pleasure without conscience,
Worship without self-sacrifice."
--Gandhi
"We have not inherited the world from our forfathers -
We have borrowed it from our children."
--Kashmiri, proverb
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. helicopter fired on a wedding party in the remote desert near the border with Syria, killing more than 40 people, most of them women and children, Iraqi officials said. The U.S. military said it was investigating. . .
The area, a desolate region populated only by shepherds, is popular with smugglers, including weapons smugglers, and the U.S. military suspects militants use it as a route to slip in from Syria to fight the Americans. It is under constant surveillance by American forces.
Iraqis interviewed [on videotape] said revelers had fired volleys of gunfire into the air in a traditional wedding celebration before the attack took place. American troops have sometimes mistaken celebratory gunfire for hostile fire. . .
Dr. Salah al-Ani, who works at a hospital in Ramadi. . . said people at the wedding fired weapons in the air, and that American troops came to investigate and left. However, al-Ani said, helicopters later arrived and attacked the area. Two houses were destroyed, he said. . .
Lt. Col. Dan Williams, a U.S. military spokesman, said the military was investigating. . . �I cannot comment on this because we have not received any reports from our units that this has happened nor that any were involved in such a tragedy,� Williams wrote in an e-mail in response to a question from The Associated Press.
�We take all these requests seriously and we have forwarded this inquiry to the Joint Operations Center for further review and any other information that may be available,� Williams said.
05/19/04 16:49
� Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
~~~
STONEWALLING ON BIN LADEN/SAUDI FLIGHTS AFTER 9/11
With questions swirling about who authorized allowing relatives of Osama bin Laden to fly out of the country immediately after 9/11, The Hill newspaper is reporting that President Bush is "refusing to answer repeated requests by the September 11 commission" about the matter [1].
Last year, Secretary of State Colin Powell acknowledged that, even as all foreign and domestic flights were grounded after 9/11, the bin Ladens and other wealthy Saudis were allowed to fly out of the United States. He said that "the flights were well-known and it was coordinated within the government" [2].
Yet now, even as White House officials claim that "the [P]resident has fully cooperated with this commission in an unprecedented way" [3], the panel vice chairman Lee Hamilton disclosed that the Administration is refusing to answer any questions on the subject -- even in closed-door meetings with Senators [4]. The President is also still refusing to release 28 pages of the bipartisan 9/11 congressional report about the Saudi Government. That report is known to "depict a Saudi government that not only provided significant money and aid to the suicide hijackers but also allowed potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to flow to Al Qaeda" [5]. Some of that money may have even flowed through Riggs Bank [6], where the President's uncle [7] (and major fundraiser [8]) is a top executive. Nonetheless, the President continues to refer to the Saudi government as "our friend" [9].
Sources:
1. "Who let bin Ladens leave U.S.?", The Hill, 05/18/2004
2. Interview on NBC's Meet the Press With Tim Russert, 09/07/2003
3. Meet The Press transcript, 04/04/2004
4. "Who let bin Ladens leave U.S.?", The Hill, 05/18/2004.
5. "Saudi Government Provided Aid to 9/11 Hijackers, Sources Say", Los Angeles Times, 08/02/2003
6. Riggs Press Release, 05/31/2000
7. Riggs Press Release, 05/31/2000
8. Texans for Public Justice
9. President Bush Vows to Bring Terrorists to Justice, 05/16/2003
Visit Misleader.org for more about Bush Administration distortion
~~~
Pioneering Access
The storyline has become all too familiar these days: Industry bigwigs raise millions to elect George W. Bush and his allies in Congress, then federal environmental rules get "reformed" in ways that save millions for the donor's industry. The latest case study is Richard Farmer, a 2000 Bush Pioneer (raising at least $100,000 for the campaign). His firm benefited from EPA's improved "clarity" (a.k.a. rollback) of a rule on hazardous waste.
Unfortunately, this case has become the pattern over the last four years. With all the environmental rollbacks the Bush Administration has pushed for, it should come as no surprise that many of the Bush Pioneers and Rangers (those raising at least $200,000) have benefited from regulatory changes. Now comes the news that raising $300,000 will earn the moniker "Super Ranger." It will undoubtedly come with an accompanying "super rollback" in another Bush White House.
Read LCV's Report on Bush Administration Paybacks
-- from The Weekly Insider, brought to you by: League of Conservation Voters
~~~
Word of the Day for Thursday May 20, 2004
abecedarian ay-bee-see-DAIR-ee-uhn, noun:
1. One who is learning the alphabet; hence, a beginner.
2. One engaged in teaching the alphabet.
adjective:
1. Pertaining to the letters of the alphabet.
2. Arranged alphabetically.
3. Rudimentary; elementary.
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