Friday Philosophy: Traveling Light

post from Docudharma - Front Page on 11 April 2008 06:00:00 PM. © Docudharma - Front Page

I have traveled light through this world. I intend to depart it lightly as well.I have few things.What stuff would that be? And who of my family do people imagine are going to fight over what I have? Other than my books, my clothes and[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.docudharma.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5935

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

On O'Reilly Factor , Rudov asserted: "Girls just
love to expose themselves"

post from Media Matters for America on 11 April 2008 05:49:26 PM. © Media Matters for America

On the April 10 broadcast of FoxNews' The O'Reilly Factor,author Marc Rudov stated that one reason "the beauty pageant industry isfailing" is because "the contestants are supposed to be good girls,and there aren't good girls," later adding: "[T]here'sno shortage of women who want to put themselves on parade and have men throwmoney at them. That's the reality." Rudov went on to state:"Girls just love to expose themselves. So, you know, if Donald Trump would have MissNude USA, there would be no[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.mediamatters.org/~r/mediamatters/latest/~3/268608626/200804110007

Digg this

Is Saint McCain Beyond Redemption

post from The Liberal Doomsayer on 11 April 2008 05:41:00 PM. © The Liberal Doomsayer

Cenk Uygur tells us the following here?

Reverend John Hagee has called the Catholic Church the "Great Whore." He has said that the Anti-Christ will rise out of the European Union (of course, the Anti-Christ will also be Jewish). He has said all Muslims are trained to kill and will be part of the devil's army when Armageddon comes (which he hopes is soon). John McCain continues to say he is proud of Reverend Hagee's endorsement.

Reverend Rod Parsley believes America was founded to destroy Islam. Since this is such an outlandish claim, I have to add for the record, that he is not kidding. Reverend Parsley says Islam is an "anti-Christ religion" brought down from a "demon spirit." Of course, we are in a war against all Muslims, including presumably Muslim-Americans. Buts since Parsley believes this is a Christian nation and that it should be run as a theocracy, he is not very concerned what Muslim-Americans think.

John McCain says Reverend Rod Parsley is his "spiritual guide."

Well, then, I'm glad these ?men of God? will have an opportunity to communicate these beliefs (with ?straight talk? McCain in tow) to an upcoming gathering of their peers, and that would be at the ?Compassion Forum? at Messiah College in Harrisburg on Sunday the 13th (noted here).

Oh, wait; I just reread this press release, and it notes the following?

Senator McCain has thus far declined the invitation, which is still open.

Gosh, I wonder why.

I mean, I know McCain is the de facto Repug nominee for president and it?s not as if primary votes actually matter to him at this point.

But he?s the candidate of the high-minded, holier-than-thou, values-voters-comprised Republican Party for Christ?s sake (oops ? sorry). How can he even imagine passing up this chance to meet with other spiritual leaders and watch them ~~utterly eviscerate~~ interact with these ~~self-righteous phonies~~ upstanding spiritual counselors?

I?ll ponder this as I turn on my cable news channel this evening and see the thousandth or so rehashing of the Rev. Wright ?scandal? (or perhaps something just as stupid ? and Cenk?s question in the headline is absolutely appropriate).

Read The Full Article:
http://liberaldoomsayer.blogspot.com/2008/04/is-saint-mccain-beyond-redemption.ht
ml

Digg this

Police Find Unidentified Bodies in Mosul

post from IraqSlogger.com on 11 April 2008 05:37:16 PM. © IraqSlogger.com

Police on Friday morning found two unknown bodies in the Mosul al-Jadida district in the west of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the second such incident in the district this month.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/5679

Digg this

A Responsible Plan for Redressing Income
Inequality

post from Open Left - Front Page on 11 April 2008 05:31:32 PM. © Open Left - Front Page

One of the major problems in America today is the growing gap between the rich and not-so-well-off.[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/OpenLeft-FrontPage/~3/268638414/showDiary.do

Digg this

FISA Fight: Republicans Losing Steam

post from Daily Kos on 11 April 2008 05:28:00 PM. © Daily Kos

THe Hill is reporting that House Republicans are looking for a new issue to obstruct:

Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) is expected to announce Thursday that the House GOP floor emphasis will transition away from passing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and earmark reform to "stop the tax hike."

House Republican leaders will make their case to pass a tax bill introduced by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.). Republicans will use procedural floor tactics to force votes on Walberg’s bill, which would make the 2001 tax cuts permanent.

The measure has 125 co-sponsors, none of whom are Democrats....

Michael Steel, a spokesman for Boehner, stressed that the pivot away from security and earmarks was not an indicator that the GOP was giving up pushing for passage of FISA or comprehensive earmark reform.

Having seen direct proof that Republicans can no longer scare the public into voting for them by invoking more and more ridiculous and bogus threats (see Rep. Bill Foster, IL-14), the Republicans have to resort to their usual--lying about taxes.

While we can't declare victory on the issue--the Republicans will use any trick in the book, any parliamentary maneuver they can to get their way and bring the Protect AT&T back--Democrats have gained significant ground. That's what happens when they listen more to their constituents than their consultants, and refuse to cave. What a concept, huh?

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/268593664/7405

Digg this

Feith: Rumsfeld Was Not An Advocate For War, He
Was Just Analyzing Options For War

post from Think Progress on 11 April 2008 05:23:00 PM. © Think Progress

Yesterday, in an interview with Diane Rehm, Iraq war architect Doug Feith — who has been on a campaign to revise the record about the failures in Iraq — vigorously defended Donald Rumsfeld against claims he invaded Iraq without considering the facts. The administration, in fact, was not “hell bent” on war, Feith claimed.

Feith cited a pre-war memo in which Rumsfeld “laid out the strongest case possible not to go to war.” The memo included the prospect of there being no weapons of mass destruction, no link to al Qaeda, and the potential of sparking ethnic strife — proving that Rumsfeld was “analyzing” both sides of the issue:

FEITH: I don?t think that anyone who actually examines the record would come to the conclusion that this administration was hell-bent on war. ? There was an extremely intense effort and a respectful effort made to look at the arguments against going to war. [?]

It?s interesting that Secretary Rumsfeld is viewed as an ?advocate? for war. But he wasn’t advocating. He was analyzing. And he put forward the arguments against war much more strongly than Secretary Powell did, than Director Tenet did, than anybody else in the administration who now likes to put himself forward as a skeptic ever did.

Listen here:

In reality, Rumsfeld was “advocating” for the military invasion of Iraq well before 2003. In 1998, Rumsfeld wrote to President Clinton as a signatory of the neoconservative Project for a New American Century, urging “military action” against Iraq. After 9/11, Rumsfeld pushed again:

– On 9/11, an aide recorded Rumsfeld’s orders, which said, “best info fast. Judge whether good enough hit S.H. [Saddam Hussein] at same time. Not only UBL [bin Laden].”
– “Tasks. Jim Haynes [Pentagon lawyer] to talk with PW [Paul Wolfowitz] for additional support…connection with UBL,” an aide also recorded.

When it came time to vote on the Iraq war in fall 2002, Rumsfeld pressured Congress to authorize force against Iraq as soon as possible:

– “It’s important that Congress send that message before the U.N. Security Council votes,” he said. “Delaying a vote in Congress would send the wrong message, in my view.”

Feith has long shilled for Rumsfeld. Before the war, Feith worked in the Office of Special Plans, Rumsfeld’s intelligence shop that drummed up the threat of Hussein. In 2005, Feith wrote an op-ed titled “The Donald Rumsfeld I Know” in the Washington Post, proclaiming that Rumsfeld “is the opposite of an ideologue.”

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/11/feith-rumsfeld/

Digg this

Roman porn star runs for city hall

post from AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth on 11 April 2008 05:22:00 PM. © AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

God I love Italy :-) And here are her campaign posters that AP didn't bother including in their story. You might recall that in the 1980s, Italy had a porn star in the parliament, good ole Cicciolina.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Americablog/~3/268714806/roman-porn-star-runs-for-
city-hall.html

Digg this

Conyers "Deeply Troubled" by Use of FBI Agents to
Contact Wecht Jurors

House Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers (D-MI) on today's story:

I am deeply troubled by reports of FBI agents contacting former jurors who failed to convict Dr. Wecht. Whether reckless or intended, it is simply common sense that such contacts can have a chilling effect on future juries in this and other cases. When added to the troubling conduct of this prosecution, there is the appearance of a win at all costs mentality. The committee continues to investigate this matter.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TPMmuckraker/~3/268618384/conyers_deeply_troubled_
by_use.php

Digg this

Tavis "cry baby" Smiley leaves Tom Joyner Morning
Show

Paul Farhi at the Washington Post reports that one of Sen. Barack Obama's toughest African American critics has quit his long association with a national radio show after listeners decried his views.

Hillary Clinton and Tavis Smiley speaks to the crowd at the "State Of The Black Union" symposium on February 23, 2008 in New Orleans.
Tavis Smiley kissing up to Hillary Clinton at the "State Of The Black Union" symposium on February 23, 2008 in New Orleans. (Richard Alan Hannon - Getty Images)

Tavis Smiley has resigned as a twice-weekly commentator on the syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show" after 11 years on the air, citing fatigue and a busy schedule in a personal call to Joyner. Joyner disputed that on the air and in his blog, however, writing: "The real reason is that he can't take the hate he's been getting regarding the Barack issue -- hate from the black people that he loves so much."

AAPP: Hey Tavis, If 70-90% of black American voters are going against the candidate that you want to be President, while you kiss up to in public too Team Hillary, sorry buddy, you are on the wrong side of black America. It seems that your can't take the heat, and you know your wrong.

I guess you will be Bill and Hillary's publicist real soon. You should be ashamed of yourself. but then again, there is no shame in your political "GAME."

See Yah!