The Nightowl Newswrap

I guess there was nothing pressing in the congress yesterday...the wars and health care and the economic collapse have apparently been sorted out, since there is time for silliness like this. Paul Broun, freshman wingnut from Georgia wants the comma removed from the passage of the pledge that reads "one nation, under God." He seems a wee bit obsessed with that phrase - last fall he lauded the "Ten Commandments Commission" for their efforts to further insert religion into the public discourse, saying at the time that he commended them "for their efforts to remind Americans that we are, in fact, 'one nation under God.'"

Home Foreclosure Filings Jump 57% in 12 months and repossessions are up 129% in the last year. - and according to RealtyTrac, the peak has not been reached. "What we're really looking at is ongoing fallout from people overextending themselves to buy homes they couldn't afford and using highly toxic loan products to get into the houses in the first place," said Rick Sharga, vice president of marketing at RealtyTrac, based in Irvine, California. "We're going to see quite possibly a record amount of foreclosure activity in the third or fourth quarter," he added. A record number of loans are going to reset in the next two or three months.

Gallup: Obama leads Clinton, both lead McSame 46%-44% Obama's exercise in blatant honesty doesn't seem to have the "bitter aftertaste" that a bunch of people who won't be voting for any Democrat ever anyway have tried to make out it should. Sounds like someone needs their Wurlitzer tuned.

No doubt about this kids paternity...During a Q&A at Villanova during Hardball's "College Tour" today, a smartass college republican, refering to Hillary having a beer and a bump in a Pennsylvania bar, asked McCain if Hillary was "hitting the sauce" because some bad polling was getting to her. Douchebag Jr. is none other than the son of Douchebag Sr., Steve Doocy. Proving once and for all that the douchebag doesn't fall far from the douchebag tree. Or something.

Speaking of the "College Tour" McCain came perilously close to addressing Iraq realistically when he said "In full disclosure and frankness and candor and straight talk, the Maliki movement to Basra had a very big downside to it. As you know, we saw a thousand police and military desert their posts. But the rest of the military did a pretty good job, did a pretty good job. We did secure the port of Basra. Maybe I’m digging for the pony here." Yes senator, we believe that you are...but I also have to ask, what are the odds of a jackass recognizing a pony if he manages to find one?

Probably not, if this is a portent of things to come.

The Village Voice manned up for all of us. They got their shots, dosed on vitamins, put on full-body-condoms and waded into the fever-swamp of the right blogosphere and examined the various purveyors of wingnuttery and have a rundown for us all. They even developed the "stupid-to-evil" ratio. (Glenn Reynolds pegged out the meter at 5/95, but that won't shock anyone familiar with his body of *ahem* "work.")

Is it September 2007? The Baghdad embassy is ready, the contract specified September 2007 as the completion date.

Obama Rains on Fox News' parade...Addressing a group of veterans today in Pennsylvania,a disabled veteran in the group assembled gave him an American flag lapel pin. He graciously thanked the veteran and then placed it on his lapel, deflating the fetid screeds that were already pouring from a thousand keyboards and the talking heads at Faux Noise.

Bloggers, you have a job to do! PZ Myers is on a mission to googlebomb Ben Stein's totally un-intelligent creationist circle-jerk, Expelled. If you have a blog, figure out a way to insert the following link: [a href="http://expelledexposed.com/"][i]Expelled[/i][/a]. (Of course you know to change [ ] to <> - but if I had written it that way, you know darn well that you would see a clickable link, not the code to use...)

When The Dead Speak, We Should Listen

It's easy to give in to pessimism. I was feeling that way tonight. Then I saw this:

The Rumsfield-Cheney axis has self-destructed right in front of our eyes, along with the once-proud Perle-Wolfowitz bund that is turning to wax. They somehow managed to blow it all, like a gang of kids on a looting spree, between January and July, or even less. It is genuinely incredible. The U.S. Treasury is empty, we are losing that stupid, fraudulent chickencrap War in Iraq, and every country in the world except a handful of Corrupt Brits despises us. We are losers, and that is the one unforgiveable sin in America.

Hunter S. Thompson

The man has been dead over three years, and somehow, he knew.

Gallows Humor

This is a hilarious piece of video:



Here's why this is NOT the same as George W Bush saying "bring 'em on." This Marine is already in harm's way. He's already in the fight. He's already exposed to danger. And he's a swaggering badass who is ready to back it up.

I'm telling you, we do not deserve these good men and women. They are making sacrifices every single day that no one appreciates, and a little gallows humor reminds us that we are not worthy of them unless we work to bring them home and get them out of that meat grinder.

Palfrey Convicted on All Counts

A very angry woman? Looking for possible revenge?

A federal jury has convicted Deborah Jeane Palfrey of running a high-end prostitution ring whose clients included members of Washington's political elite.

Palfrey was found guilty Tuesday of racketeering and money laundering.

Palfrey repeatedly denied that the escort service she ran for 13 years, Pamela Martin & Associates, engaged in prostitution. She said if any of the women engaged in sex acts for money, they did so without her knowledge.

Palfrey caused a sensation last year when she announced that to raise money for her defense, she intended to sell her phone records to any news outlet willing to pay.

Sounds like someone might start talking now that Palfrey is facing serious penalties. I honestly don't think we've heard a fraction of the real story about why she was prosecuted in such a zealous manner. I've long argued that her client list contained the names of people with high security clearances, and that makes the story a national security issue, not a sex and gossip story that should have been pursued differently; as in, OK Ms Palfrey--you now have full immunity. Let's have a clear, open and honest look at your clients and let's see who they are so we can revoke or suspend their security clearances and get to the bottom of what went on here.

I mean, if club-hopping arms-dealing Eurotrash gets a reprieve from having to testify before Congress after screwing the taxpayer out of several hundred million dollars, how do you justify going after Palfrey like this?

But it is a big deal

I am still kinda in shock, trying to get my head around not just the glib dismissal of torture by this president in an interview on ABC last Friday. Torture was pre-authorized like a god-damned elective medical procedure, before the legal opinions were fixed to fit the policy.

"So?" doesn't shock me, not coming from this criminal gang. The collective yawn from the American people, on the other hand, breaks my fucking heart.

The Kansas City Star editorial board writes: "It's shameful that the United States has become, under the Bush administration, a country that tortures prisoners. This is a dark stain on our country's honor and ideals.

"And it was disturbing, although not surprising, to learn this week that top White House officials, from Vice President Dick Cheney on down, were deeply involved in shaping and approving a torture policy -- including giving assent to specific harsh techniques such as waterboarding, according to Associated Press. . . .

"ABC News, which broke the story Wednesday, reported that some of the principals understood the moral swamp into which they were wading.

"'Why are we talking about this in the White House?' Ashcroft is quoted as saying at one meeting. 'History will not judge this kindly.'

"Nor will history judge the American people kindly if we look the other way."

I agree with the Star's Editorial Board.

This is a big deal. This is a huge deal. It cuts to the heart of what defines America.

It was not so long ago that I lived every single day of my life on the front lines of the Cold War, frequently I lived atop hundreds of megatons of instant death and destruction, and sent my husband to work on those doomsday machines every singe day.

We won that one, and the reason we won was we had the more attractive guiding principles. We didn't torture. We didn't send people to gulags. We didn't rig elections. We didn't pledge fealty to authoritarianism in a quest to quiet our irrational fears.

In short, we were just flat out better people. Or at least we fancied ourselves as such, and we thought the white hats looked quite fetching.

I want to be proud again.

I want to be right again. Not me personally. I have been all along, and I have the archives to prove it.

I mean I want America to be right again, as in morally correct.

Hey, Thanks For the Courageous Stand

McCain Media Mancrush in ACTION:

Really, do these people actually believe what they're saying?

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, seemed to give a thumbs down to bipartisan legislation that would greatly expand educational benefits for members of the military returning from Iraq and Afghanistan under the GI Bill.

McCain indicated he would offer some sort of alternative to the legislation to address concerns that expanding the GI Bill could lead more members of the military to get out of the service.

Both Democratic presidential candidates — Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., — have signed on as co-sponsors, and the bill has gained bipartisan support from 55 senators on Capitol Hill. A vote on the proposal is expected before the summer.

But the bill, which would dramatically increase educational compensation for American troops, has run into some unexpected resistance, both at the Pentagon and now from McCain, who has remained silent on the issue, saying he had not studied the bill close enough.

Notice that there are two glaring, incongruous pieces of information in this story that are not tied together and examined.

On the one hand, McCain wants to author his own "some sort of alternative" to the highly popular GI Bill expansion that actual working Senators are pushing. On the other hand, McCain said that he "had not studied the bill close enough."

So which is it? Are you going to come up with an alternative BEFORE you actually look at the issue? If not, are you going to offer up some half-assed piece of vanity legislation that will help you win in November? Or are you going to let lobbyists write the damned thing for you, as is more likely the case, what with the multitude of lobbyists who are calling the shots for you?

When will the media point out that McCain has no idea what's going on in the Senate? When will they point out that for him to try to affect legislation amounts to malpractice because he has no idea what's gone on in committee or in the House?

And why doesn't someone just state the obvious--McCain is helping the Pentagon screw over the troops.

Rebuilding Fire Stations in New Orleans

Pajamadeen is on the case...fire fighters in New Orleans have to turn to celebrities to get help because the government...well, read on:

So, let’s see…We can spend over $2.4 billion a week “rebuilding” Iraq, but we can’t rebuild fire stations in New Orleans?

Help has come, instead, from the kindness of strangers. Actor Denis Leary, who portrays a firefighter on the Rescue Me TV show, formed The Leary Firefighters Foundation in 2000 in response to a Worcester, Massachusetts fire in an abandoned warehouse in his hometown. More than 75 firefighters worked what’s been called “the perfect fire.” Six of them perished, including Jerry Lucey, who was Denis’ first cousin, and Lt. Tommy Spencer, a childhood playmate and high school classmate.

The Leary foundation has provided millions of dollars in equipment and training support to firefighters. After 9/11, the foundation created The Fund for New York’s Bravest to raise money for families of the 343 fallen firefighters. Relying on his entertainment industry connections, Leary created The BASH for New York’s Bravest, which is now an annual star-studded fundraiser. After Hurricane Katrina, FEMA estimated that it would cost millions of dollars and take 10 years to repair and replace the damaged New Orleans fire stations. Last year, a member of the New York District Council of Carpenters, Jerry Cremins, was in New Orleans to pick up his son at Loyola University. He couldn’t believe what he saw. As he told CNN: “It doesn’t translate that well on TV…It was astounding to me that they haven’t been helped out — that local governments and municipalities haven’t held up their obligations. That is basically when citizens have to step in and get the job done.”

Deciding he was just the man to help, Cremins contacted the Leary foundation. Soon, union volunteers and NOFD firefighters were working together. So far, five fire stations have been rebuilt by the volunteers, with two more scheduled to be finished this spring. Cremins himself has made nine trips to the Big Easy, on his own dime and own time. Leary says he got involved because “I gave up on ever hoping that politicians in this country — local, state or federal — would step in to help these guys.” Leary says that some of the firefighters have told him almost-unbelievable stories of bureaucratic red tape and heartlessness. One firefighter spoke of a fire house that had three feet of water in it; he told Leary that when FEMA inspected the fire station, they told the fire department that they’d pay for the hinge on this door below the water line, but the two hinges above the water line they weren’t going to pay for.”

Edward Blakely, who’s in charge of New Orleans recovery efforts, said he appreciates the Leary Foundation’s work but, due to spiralling crime rates in town, the city has focused on rebuilding police headquarters instead. While not complaining, firefighters like to note that not a single firefighter abandoned a post during Hurricane Katrina — unlike many NOPD officers who bailed.

That's right--your fucking government is arguing over which hinges on which particular fucking doors it will fucking pay for. In New Orleans. In America. In April of 2008.

Is it January 20, 2009 yet?

Violence on the upswing

At least fifty people were killed around noon Iraq time as the explosions from two separate car bombings in the recently restive Sunni areas of Ramadi and Baqouba ripped through crowded areas during lunch time.

Blame will surely be laid at the feet of the mysterious specter if al Qaeda, because the attacks were mounted via car bombs.

Forty people were killed and eighty more wounded in Baqouba when a bomb placed outside a government headquarters was detonated. Baqouba is the provincial capital of Diyala province.

Meanwhile, in Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, a suicide bomber exploded his charge outside a popular restaurant. That blast killed 13 people and wounded 14 others, according to hospital and police sources.

The U.S. military pegged the death toll as slightly lower than the Iraqi police, and in the words of a military spokesperson I heard frustration and fear that the situation is rapidly getting out of control again. "These acts are intended to inflict fear into the local population and are just another example of the cruelty of the anti-Iraqi insurgency," said Major Peggy Kageleiry in a statement released to the press.

It all leads me to wonder - did the Sunni's just lay low while aWol moved in the Surge™ troops to buy him enough time to pass the baton off to the next president? Is the civil war resuming after a hiatus, where those fighting it rested up, cleaned their weapons and had some sons? Seems to me like there might be a case to be made for that hypothesis.

Two Quick Updates

The Farm Bill is working its way through the system.

The chairmen of the agriculture committees in the House and Senate have agreed "on the major sticking points of the Farm Bill," reports Barbara Leach of My Rural America, channeling Jerry Hagstrom of CongressDaily, a subscription-only news outlet.

"Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus and House Ways & Means Committee Chair Barney Frank still have to agree on the offsets," Leach writes. "House and Senate conferees still need to vote on various other issues." And there's still a question about whether President Bush will sign the bill, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature.

Club-hopping, arms-dealing Eurotrash gets a reprieve from appearing before Congress:

For those of you waiting to hear from the senior executives behind AEY, Inc., you'll have to wait a little longer. The House oversight committee, which had set a hearing for 22 year-old AEY President Efraim Diveroli, his 25 year-old VP (and masseur) David Packouz, and the company's general manager, also 25, to testify, has indefinitely postponed the hearing.

Packouz's lawyer had informed the committee that his client would be pleading the Fifth unless he received immunity to testify -- something which seems unlikely. So that likely has something to do with the postponement. Diveroli and his boyz are under federal investigation for allegedly lying about the source of the ammunition he provided to the Afghan army.