Our condolences to Jack Cafferty

Sad news to report, as Jack Cafferty’s wife of 35 years, Carol, passed away unexpectedly. CNN has a touching tribute to Carol, but the team here at Crooks and Liars just want Jack to know that our thoughts and prayers are with him. We wish him the very best.

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http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/09/06/our-condolences-to-jack-cafferty/

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Sadism, Cruelty, Torture In The Twin Cities:
Professional Cultural Norms For US Law Enforcement

Over the last week we've seen even the MSM drop the Village kewl kids pose and stand up to criticize the pervasive cruelty, abuse, and illegal use of force "law" enforcement inflicted upon the Twin Cities community. The torture and sadism the[...]

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http://firedoglake.com/2008/09/06/sadism-cruelty-torture-in-the-twin-cities-profe
ssional-cultural-norms-for-us-law-enforcement/

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Midnight Thought on Breaking the Silicon Cage

The key factoid to be used here is the National Petroleum Reserve. 9.1b barrels of oil. As much or more than ANWR (h/t psychbob).The sharp edge of the ax is the fact that everyone who is persuadable hates oil companies and their bloated profits.The tie[...]

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The Island North

Hurricane Ike may have weakened Friday, but the storm is forecast to regain strength and could make landfall in the Florida Keys early next week. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst. If you live in the Keys, this is storm you simply must avoid. A direct hit by a Cat 4 hurricane in that vulnerable region could handily reduce homes and buildings to rubble and sweep any exposed survivors off to sea, never to be seen or heard from again.

Recall the theoretical connection between hurricanes and polar melting discussed here last weekend. Consider that any tropical heat distributed poleward from this year's Atlantic storm season won't be felt for another year or two at least. Guess what happens at the top of the planet?

For the first time in recorded human history, the Arctic is completely surrounded by open water, new satellite images reveal. Using images from NASA, scientists at the University of Bremen in Germany have concluded that both the Northwest Passage over Canada and the Northeast Passage over Russia are now free of ice, making it possible to sail around the North Pole.

There is some debate over just how free the passages have become, but wide agreement on what's driving it locally and where it will lead: Earth and water absorb far more incident sunlight than glistening ice and bright snow, warming the region further and causing even more ice to melt. The process feeds back on itself with ruthless efficiency. The end result is a North Pole completely free of ice in the summer and, eventually, perhaps all year round. And the melting is happening everywhere on the planet, From North to South.

At first glance this dramatic illustration of global warming might appear to reflect poorly on a conservative movement that's spent the last two decades ridiculing climate researchers who predicted it. But wait, this is all great news for John McCain, it always is! By conservative logic -- for lack of a better word -- it boosts their scientific credibility because his controversial running mate is now a trusted expert on anthropogenic polar melting by virtue of proximity. Bill Mahr said it best last night on New Rules, the self parody running rampant through the GOP is evidence that we at Daily Kos put country first. A Vice President Palin would make our work real easy.

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Saturday Night McCain McMusic McDump

A musical celebration of John McCain's disregard for the intellectual property of others."In light of Jackson Browne's lifelong commitment to Democratic ideals and political candidates, the misappropriation of Jackson Browne's endorsement is entirely[...]

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Sarah Palin; Wrong Woman, Woeful Record

video details and more

28 Sarah Palin Facts

copyright ? 2008 Betsy L. Angert

Above the crowd, chants Americans can hear the roar of resentment. The Republicans have weighed in.  Sarah Palin is the saintly small town American.  She has traditional conservative values. And the venom needed to spread the McCain message with a vengeance.  The Grand Old Party says, Sarah Palin is just what they needed to excite the base.  The senior Senator, John McCain, the Republican Presidential pick was too dry, too dull, or too dogmatic.  He did not seem to possess the magnificence of a maverick as he once did.  
If the Republicans were to win the election and retain the White House, as was the plan, they needed a dynamic force to follow or to led the Presidential campaign.  The Grand Old Party found one.  Her name is Sarah Palin.  This lovely lady, a hockey Mom, or, as she say f herself, a bit pull with lipstick has made her mark on history.

Since Sarah arrived on the national political scene Democrats have weighed in as well.  Women perhaps have felt a need to voice their concerns more vehemently.  Countless amongst the gentler sex believed that Governor Palin was chosen  just for them.  The consensus was daughters of Eve had committed to the Hillary Clinton campaign, for the want of a woman in the Oval Office.  However, many would publicly say, that was no the case.  Outraged, prominent persons, in the feminist movement stated what they thought was obvious.

Palin: wrong woman, wrong message
Sarah Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Hillary Clinton. She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger.

Palin's value to those patriarchs is clear: She opposes just about every issue that women support by a majority or plurality. She believes that creationism should be taught in public schools but disbelieves global warming; she opposes gun control but supports government control of women's wombs; she opposes stem cell research but approves "abstinence-only" programs, which increase unwanted births, sexually transmitted diseases and abortions; she tried to use taxpayers' millions for a state program to shoot wolves from the air but didn't spend enough money to fix a state school system with the lowest high-school graduation rate in the nation; she runs with a candidate who opposes the Fair Pay Act but supports $500 million in subsidies for a natural gas pipeline across Alaska; she supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, though even McCain has opted for the lesser evil of offshore drilling. She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger.

~By Gloria Steinem
Los Angeles Times
September 4, 2008

Others, rather than deliver a definitive statement, offered the documentation.  Governor Sarah Palin's record revealed the message that caused many to cringe.  Women, men, all equally read what perhaps Presidential candidate John McCain had not before he chose the person he now touts as the perfect Vice Presidential candidate.  Please peruse the report and then rant, rage, sigh, or cry.  Please share your evaluation of the person who may be the next vice President, or President of the United states of America.

Sarah Palin
Debt Service Increased 69 Percent Under Palin.
In fiscal 2003 - the last fiscal year Palin approved the budget - the total government debt service was $658,662. In fiscal 1996-the year before Palin took control of the budget - the debt service was $390,385. The increase was 69 percent. [Wasilla Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 2003, Table 1]

Palin Left Behind Almost $19 Million In Long-Term Debt, Compared to None Before She Was Mayor.
In fiscal 2003 - the last fiscal year Palin approved the budget - the bonded long-term debt was $18,635,000. In fiscal 1996-the year before Palin took control of the budget-there was no general obligation debt. [Wasilla Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 2003, Table 10]

Long-Term Debt Was $3000 Per Capita When Palin Left, Compared to None Before She Was Mayor.
In fiscal 2003 - the last fiscal year Palin approved the budget-the bonded long-term debt per capita was $2,938. In fiscal 1996 - the year before Palin took control of the budget-there was no general obligation debt. [Wasilla Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 2003, Table 10]

When Palin Left Office, 6.24% of Government Spending Was On Debt Service, Compared to None Before She Was Mayor.
In fiscal 2003-the last fiscal year Palin approved the budget-the ratio of debt service to general government expenditures was 6.24 percent. There was no long-term debt before she took office. [Wasilla Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 2003, Table 11] ??

Palin Signed Ordinance to Issue $15 Million in General Obligation Bonds and Increase the Sales Tax From 2 to 2.5 Percent.
In 2001, Palin signed an ordinance authorizing the city to issue general obligation bonds in the principal amount of $14,700,000 to finance the acquisition and construction of park and recreation capital improvements. The ordinance also increased the sales tax from 2 to 2.5 percent and put the issue on the ballot. After it was adopted by voters, Palin signed an ordinance issuing the bonds. In 2002, Palin signed an ordinance putting the higher sales tax into effect. [Ordinance 01-55 (am), 12/10/2001; Ordinance 02-14 (sub), 4/8/2002; Ordinance 02-49, 8/12/2002]

Palin Was Accused By Stein of Overspending By Approving $5.5 Million Bond; She Replied that It Had Been Approved By Voters.
"Now Stein is urging voters to turn the tables again. He's accused Palin of overspending city money and has been particularly critical of a $ 5.5 million road and sewer bond passed last year by voters. He says the bond payments could make the city vulnerable should the economy turn down. Palin notes residents approved the bond, which she says was needed for critical road work." [Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), 10/5/99]

Palin Said the Reason for the Increased Cost of Government Was Interest on Bonds.
"Sarah rode in on a conservative horse, but the actual cost of government has gone up,'' he said. But Palin says most of the increase is due to the $ 400,000 in interest owed on the road and sewer bonds, a measure she notes the voters approved. Much of the rest is due to some positions now included in her budget that weren't when she first took over, she said. Stein also criticized the $ 5.5 million bond package, which he said will cost too much to pay off and could make the city vulnerable should the economy turn down." [Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), 9/20/99]

• Sarah Palin   Politico.  2007
• pdf Sarah Palin  Politico.  2007
• Palin: wrong woman, wrong message, By Gloria Steinem.  Los Angeles Times. September 4, 2008

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http://www.BeThink.org/showDiary.do?diaryId=1007

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McCain supporter questions whether Obama "loves
his country"

First off, this is deflection from the Republicans. They're desperate to change the subject from McCain's non-vetting of Sarah Palin, putting her a heartbeat away from the presidency when she has no qualifications whatsoever to step foot near the White House. They're also desperate to avoid any discussion of whether McCain is still qualified to take over as commander in chief. He's 72 years old and has had cancer 4 times, and he's starting to look a bit too old for the rigors of the presidency, especially during wartime. So what's the best way to avoid those discussions? Cancel all press conferences and say your opponent doesn't love our country. Which of course raises the question of why John McCain and his supporters are so darn holier-than-thou about who is and isn't a good American. It's one thing for McCain to be a hero, but quite another for him to think of himself as a hero. At some point, I don't think voters are going to warm to someone who thinks so highly of their past that they run around judging others, as if they have the patent on being a good American. Then again, when you're 72 years old and have had 4 bouts of cancer, and bizarrely hire a political novice with no qualifications and no vetting to be your running mate, you have to do what you can to change the subject.

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McCain Throws Aside Free Market Rhetoric,
Embraces Government Bailout Of Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac

In March, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) took a hard line against government economic intervention, saying that it is “not the duty of government to bail out and reward those who act irresponsibly, whether they are big banks or small borrowers.” Watch it:

In what may be the “largest financial bailout” in U.S. history, the federal government is now set to take over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two government-sponsored enterprises that “own or guarantee almost half of the country’s $12 trillion in outstanding home mortgage debt.”

Despite McCain’s supposed opposition to bailing out “those who act irresponsibly,” Senior Policy Adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin has issued a statement supporting the bailout:

John McCain supports the steps needed to keep the financial troubles at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from further squeezing American families and endorses the idea that management and shareholders should not benefit from government backing. While details are not yet available, the actions taken today are consistent with those objectives. Fannie and Freddie have been the poster children for a lack of transparency and accountability, and remind us of the needed reforms to financial markets in general.

Organizations such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are too important to allow to fail. McCain and the Bush administration are willing to throw away their hard-line ideologies when it comes to powerful corporations, but not when it comes to struggling homeowners who also need government intervention. As Center for American Progress Senior Fellow David Abramowitz noted:

There are many good reasons, of course, to act to avert a [financial corporation’s] bankruptcy. … But the reasons are no less compelling when the devastation hits individual Americans directly?home by home, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood?instead of mainly in the boardroom circles in which F. Scott Fitzgerald traveled, and which have changed so little since the Roaring Twenties.

This is now the second major government bailout McCain has backed this year. In March, he supported the Federal Reserve’s $30 billion credit line to finance the takeover of Bear Stearns by JP Morgan.

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http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/06/freddie-mac-mccain/

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Arresting Journalists an Official Policy at the
RNC

St. Paul police chief John Harrington outlined his policy towards reporters covering demonstrations in a September 3 press conference. Arrest first, ask questions later: Harrington told Amy Goodman that the police can't possibly be expected to[...]

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http://cliffschecter.firedoglake.com/2008/09/06/arresting-journalists-an-official
-policy-at-the-rnc/

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Subverting Freedom of Choice and Undermining
Healthcare for Women

Crossposted from ePluribus Media; please read the DailyKos diary cited below.. Thank you.There's an important diary up over on DailyKos, posted by Elise, that you all need to read:19 days before HHS rule changes everythingI've got the opening excerpted[...]

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