Has Karl Rove Switched Sides?

Ealier today I was reading Rove Road-Tests Tougher Attack on Democrats.

It was such a hoot I wanted to re-read it but it wasn't as easily accessible from the side bar anymore.

Really you have to read it though (link above). Rove says he wants you to vote Republican because: Democrats will not be gung-ho for killing people or denying you your civil rights. Hey, is the Rovester thinking of jumping parties? Is he working for the D side now?

Welcome aboard, Mr. Rove, (but you're going to have to be less nasty and vicious if you want to stay).

And now there is an article linked from the side bar titled "Democrats Strengthen Chances For Senate"

It looks like our new 'buddy's' efforts are already bearing fruit.

Conservatives Turn Against Another Bush Administration Exposer, and Gays

With the viciousness of trained attack dogs Conservative Christian leaders are attacking after a former staffer revealed that the Bush administration aides laugh at Conservative Christians.

But in fact they are attacking the messenger.

Tony Perkins comes out as the most honest of the Christian leaders quoted by the Washington Post. He notes that the writer of a book being released Monday, by David Kuo, who was once 'deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives' will be destroyed. Someone I know used to use Karl Rove's words a former Faith Based Charity chief's much milder outing of the political uses that the government program serves as tag line in forum posts. I'd repeat it here, but it's way too raunchy for a family oriented blog. (And I've forgotten the exact quote or at least how many time Rove used the "f" word.)

Perkins also says

"I have no misconceptions about how people in the Republican Party and the establishment view social conservatives. They are dismissive. I see how they prefer to work with fiscal conservatives," he said. "Having said that, I see it really as a marriage of convenience. We are not without significant gains by working with this administration."

Yeah, like billions of dollars worth of marriage of convenience.

And the Christian show that will be going on Sunday evening (as noted in the Washington Post article linked here) proves that the Christian conservatives are giving like kind campaign contributions back in their control of the flock with lies. Again they will be smearing gays with dishonest slime.

But this is pretty funny too. Remember how in November 2004 election the RNC talking points repeaters kept saying it was the Democrats' and liberals supposed jocular dismissal of evangelical Christians that cost them the election? This proves that most of the bad things Republicans and their parrots say about those who don't support them and Democratic candidates is something they have dredged up from what they do.

Reporter "Unlawfully Killed" by US Troops

Assistant Deputy Coroner to ask AG to "consider pressing charges".

Excerpt BBC report "Iraq reporter unlawfully killed".

An inquest heard Mr Lloyd was killed by a US bullet near Basra. His interpreter died and his cameraman is missing.

It was told Mr Lloyd, 50 and originally from Derby, was hit while in a makeshift ambulance, having already been hurt by American-Iraqi crossfire.

The coroner is to ask the attorney general to consider pressing charges.

...
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said Mr Lloyd's killing was a "war crime" and this was echoed by Mr Lloyd's widow, Lyn.

In a statement she said: "This was a very serious war crime, how else can firing on a vehicle in these circumstances be interpreted?

"This was not a friendly fire incident or a crossfire incident, it was a despicable, deliberate, vengeful act, particularly as it came many minutes after the initial exchange.

"US forces appear to have allowed their soldiers to behave like trigger happy cowboys in an area where civilians were moving around."
...
He said it was his view the American tanks had been first to open fire on the ITN crew's two vehicles.

He added Mr Lloyd would probably have survived the first bullet wound he received, but was killed as he travelled away in a makeshift ambulance.

Mr Walker said it "presented no threat to American forces" since it was a civilian minibus and was facing away from the US tanks.

"I have no doubt it was the fact that the vehicle stopped to pick up survivors that prompted the Americans to fire on that vehicle," he said.

ITN's editor in chief David Mannion said: "I would also like to say something that I know Terry would have wished me to say.

"Independent, unilateral reporting, free from official strictures, is crucial; not simply to us as journalists but to the role we play in a free and democratic society."

Also recommended:

Cameraman's plea to save Terry Lloyd

Morning News 10-12-06

'Values' Decline As Issue In Ohio. Who's values are they talking about? Not supporting genocide for oil is a definite value. So is making sure children, the sick, and the elderly have food and medical care. It might take a little time, but Ohio always figures it out before some parts of the nation do.

Bush's Newest Wiggle Dance: Playing Fashion Police Bush's wiggle dance first came to my attention when in Georgia -- I think -- (the eastern Europe Country not the eastern US state) the president did a little wiggle dance looking half sheepish and half bored as he always does when quoting speeches supposedly full of concern and compassion that political operatives have written for him. After a few days of media and even liberal groups focusing on the "wiggle dance" I realized that the uproar was on purpose, to distract the public and media from the war (which had partially been a device to distract people from what the Bush administration was doing at home. I'm only mentioning this now because I have found the major serious news sources devoting space usually reserved for serious politics featuring articles on this latest "wiggle dance".


LA Times: Panel Questions Republican on Page Board People ask why wasn't even the other Republican on the page board told of Foley's advances?

Hastert Aides Interest Ethics Panel I predicted a few days ago that they will be pinning the problem on the aides. One aide seems especially vulnerable. Kudos to Jonathan Weisman for pointing out the fact that a couple of Hastert's aides live and commute with Hastert, making it nearly impossible for the Speaker not to know what they know. If they don't get beyond the aides we should demand an independent investigation.

Lidle’s Plane Traveled Along Feared Path Really sad, but they need to show us the passport. If they are not lying to us about that they should be able to show it. Demand to see the passport!

Opponent Phil Angelides Demands, Nurses Buy Equal Time on Schwarzenegger's Tonight appearance. Million dollar spot handed to Schwarzenegger with appearance, but no equal time offered to contending candidate Phil Angelides. California nurses bought spots for their campaign finance reform initiative on the show.

RE: Scandal Sidelines Hastert, Reynolds. Interesting article on how the Foley scandal is affecting the Speaker's, and Republican Campaign Chairman's ability to focus on the election. Basically, I don't know what an appearance from the old bully, Hastert, would matter to a campaign. What is the attraction for hard core Republicans to his snear and snarl. And from what I've heard from Reynolds, he seems to be cut from the same cloth. Notice though that neither one will relenquish the least bit of power.

Political `Tracker' Is Looking for Err TimeArticle was surprisingly snide about political aides that track opponents actions with a digital camera and put the results up on YouTube. Then I realized that this was cutting into the domains of the news media. They are supposed to be able to control the news that gets out to the public. Shame Shame on people getting information out cheaply on You Tube! Less wealthy, less big business supported candidates can get information out to the world without the favor of big business controlled mainstream news. Whatever will the news media do? (Angelides campaign, are you listening? Make some digital of your clownlike opponent in action. Ah, he probably has a couple of steroid goons protecting him from recorders.)

David Broder asks if voters will carry through with their new awareness of the failure of the Bush administration and the Republican controlled Congress on election day. Well asked. We know the Republicans can't be trusted with complete power. We've been paying attention, but will we succumb to the massive Republican operative campaign? When that Republican operative calls you on the phone with his or her lies or comes to your door because they've collected information on you and think you are a good bet to be able to be goaded into voting Republican, will you fall for the lies that they dole out one more time. This might be the last time we have a chance to drag this nation away from empire building. Will we stand our ground or buckle our knees to Republican operatives? Also, let me ask the print news media too whether they will keep the bit of backbone they've found in the last months if the vote is shown to be hacked as some newspapers have shown could happen and may have happened in the past? Or will they buckle under to Karl Rove's pressure to cover up another stolen election if it happens and pass on excuses for the Republicans like they did in 2000, 2002, and 2004.

Amish killings school demolished Maybe we should have sent the Amish to rebuild Iraq. (Not really. They are the last that we should send to that horrible mess, but at least they can get things done -- and fast.) Wp reports that heavy machinery did the job before dawn today (they felt they needed it done quickly). Also noted is that classes will resume in another location (earlier reports had said something about homeschooling, but this way the children can support each other rather than being isolated. I guess the Amish don't think they have to control every little thought of their kids like the homeschoolers do.


High Court in Britain Loosens Strict Libel Law This might free the Guardian and Independent to report, but it also would allow the Telegraph and Murdoch's huge news media machine in the UK to get away with slander more easily it seems. Norm Coleman will love this decision.

Join the Bush administration. Get underlings to do your kid's school projects. What a deal. WP report also shows that former ATF head was apparently trying to design his office into something like a luxury suite. It's good to be on the morally deficient, but politically powerful side, I guess.

Religion-Based Tax Breaks: Housing to Paychecks to Books Crying that they are not highly compensated, clergy have gotten tax breaks on their housing needs (usually c. 1/3 of their income) though other poorly paid non profit employees od not get similar deals, and neither do poorly paid teachers and day care workers. There are many more ways that the American taxpayer help to finance religion in this nation through taxbreaks to clergy too. Read article at link above.


North Korea warns of sanctions reprisals Kim is a crazy and belligerent as Bush. This does look like trouble.
Jim Hoagland weighs in on the same subject but is he talking about the North Korea government or the US?:

North Korea's efforts to blame its crossing of the nuclear-testing threshold on U.S. "economic hostility" would be laughable if the regime weren't led by world-class paranoids and fantasists capable of believing their own odious propaganda.

NY Times: Idaho city officially urges residents to arm themselves

George Will Celebrates the fact that Scwarzenegger is against the United States using the popular vote to elect a president. Why is that not a surprise? Governor Phil Angelides would sign it, like he would have signed the state wide health care coverage law that Schwarzenegger vetoed. BTW, did you hear that Bush quietly "ditched" the Border fence law by pocket veto? (The deadline has now passed and the bill is dead.) And he did it with the consent of Congressional Republicans as shown in this post.

More News on North Korea 10-11-06

Newsweek: North Korea: A Nuclear Threat The link to this article is titled "Did U.S. Provoke N. Korea?" and that is what appears on my blogger in the title bar. And in fact the article appears to answer the question "Did U.S. Provoke N. Korea?" with an affirmative. The writer, Selig S. Harrison is one to know. In other words the Bush adminstration failed us, again.

China says it will back sanctions, but indicates there are limits to what they will agree. Defying the Lil' Emperor? How dare they!

NYTimes: Bush Says No Plans to Attack North Korea There is a video linked to Washington Post articles on North Korea on a Bush press conference, but I can't stand to listen to his clownish speech patterns. (Why would we attack NK anyway? There's no oil there.)

Anthony Faiola, who did the best article on the Thai coup that I read (and posted on at the old blog), has and article, in today's Post titled 'N. Korea Wants U.S. to End 'Hostile Attitude' which confirms Mr. Harrison's assertion as noted above (or vice versa) and reports the the planned actions of other nations.

To take people's minds off their failure in North Korea the Bush administration has announced another year of reduced budget deficits. Funny but they announced the last year of reduced budget deficit just months ago. Anyway a New York Post (owned by News Corp) writer showed in 2004 that the Bush administration lies about its figures. Here's a copy of that article.

Faiola and Joohee Cho report on the effect the DPRK nuclear weapon test has had on the program that allowed the reunification for short times of families that had ended up on opposite sides of the North-South Korean border and showing that the test has created distrust with South Koreans. Interesting pattern here shows a hint of propaganda manipulation in Korea maybe. They certainly aren't getting all the facts on this, but as American we should understand how a government can "gin up a scare". and indeed the New York Times article linked above shows how South Korea is using this somewhat like their 9/11.
Excerpt:

But in Seoul, President Roh Moo Hyun told the South Koreans to brace themselves for a “prolonged” confrontation with North Korea.

Mr. Roh also called the North Korean claim that it has built nuclear weapons because of American threats a ``gross exaggeration.”

``The threat to security the North Koreans are talking about is either nonexistent or a gross exaggeration,” he said. ``It’s unclear whether the North Koreans are deliberately exaggerating the threat or they are ignorant.”

Has Karl Rove visited South Korea lately? Anyone know?

I Was Wrong in Estimate of a Quarter Million Iraqis Dying Because of Invasion and Subsequent Events. The Number is 655,000

The lowest ring of Hell is too good for the neocons and anyone that thinks that this is okay. The second lowest ring is for those people who won't believe these numbers because old white guys will sit on the television and say this is just supposedly "politics".

Well, if truth is supporting one side of the political sprectrum, then you'd better get on that side too.

The picture at the Washington Post says whatever else needs to be said.

BTW, Bush people. Remember that in February 2002 you first identified the fighting in Sudan as being a genocide.

But then instead of saving our nation's strength in diplomacy and military to stop a genocide you decided to commit one.

So now tell me, who exactly is "pro-life"?

RE: "Diverted Attention, Neglect Set the Stage for Kim's Move"

Excerpt Los Angeles Times aricle (title indicated above).

Little more than four years ago, the North Korean nuclear weapons program was largely under lock and key, the threat seen as a fleeting crisis of a previous decade.

North Korea's main nuclear center at Yongbyon, 60 miles north of Pyongyang, was monitored 24 hours a day by U.N. surveillance cameras. International inspectors lived near the site. Seals were in place over key nuclear installations and a nuclear reactor at Yongbyon was gathering dust.

So what went wrong?

The story of Monday's announcement of a nuclear test is one of failed policies, neglect and missed opportunities...

Read rest at site.

The Washington Post notes:

Analysts say Kim has already succeeded in at least one way. With its declaration of a nuclear test, North Korea has made the price of a military solution to the standoff -- something Bush administration officials had largely dismissed given North Korea's arsenal of ballistic missiles and its million-man army -- even higher. Some suggested Monday that it may already be too late to turn back the clock.

Of course if the Bush administration hadn't botched the diplomacy this wouldn't have happened would it? Then again they had John Bolton in charge of WMD proliferation at State during that time. Some job to give a guy who helped steal an election for you isn't it?

RE: "Low Yield Of Blast Surprises Analysts"

Excerpt Washington Post article (title indicated above):

A senior intelligence official called it a "sub-kiloton" explosion detonated inside a horizontal mountain tunnel and said its low yield caught analysts by surprise. "For an initial test, a yield of several kilotons has been historically observed," the official said.

A U.S. government official said the North Koreans, in a call to the Chinese shortly before the test was conducted, said it would be four kilotons. The official said it is possible the explosive yield was as low as 200 tons. France and South Korea both issued sub-kiloton estimates, and officials dismissed as inaccurate an early Russian estimate that the blast resulted from a five-to-15-kiloton explosion.

President Bush said early yesterday that U.S. experts were "working to confirm North Korea's claim." By the end of the day, intelligence officials were still piecing together data and waiting to review intercepted communications that might shed light on what exactly the North Koreans set out to accomplish in the test and how it was conducted.

I was wondering last night if a nuclear test that only produced a 3.5 richter was anything to really boast about.

I should have written something so I could prove it.

We've have relatively small refinery explosions around here that have done more than 3.5 richter. (Small as in they didn't blow up an entire plant or even half of it.) (Actually, luckily we lived 15 miles away when those happened. I suppose I wouldn't be talking about them so calmly if I lived right next door. But what I'm saying is that we felt them 15 miles away, no special instruments needed. That is not the case with a 3.5 earthquake.)

So Jude Wanniski and Gordon Prather were not so far off saying that NK doesn't yet have the technology to properly explode Plutonium.

Still, even a couple of hundred TNT tons of exploding plutonium dropped into Seoul would be a major concern with the fallout I assume. This is not something they can fight off the US with, but still they could do enough damage to our allies nearby to deter us from military action.

The Washington Note's Steve Clemons also points the finger at John Bolton for screwing up the talks with North Korea.

Lettuce Fields' Irrigation Water Contaminated?

RE Washington Post article "Calif. Lettuce Recalled Over E. Coli Concerns" (link below under green or salmon print):

One thing the FDA and CA farmers don't want you to realize is that all leaf crops in CA are grown with ground water pumped up and then supplied to the roots for irrigation according to reports on the spinach crisis. (It was reported once and then disappeared which is what happens to most information that would harm big business in this nation at its best).

Because Central Californian soil is reported to be heavy clay in the leaf crop region and the water table low (at least it was in the years and places I lived there), bacteria cannot make it's way down to 'ground water' (the italicized assessment also came from a news report on the spinach crisis).

Cattle do not enter vegetable crop fields for some various obvious reasons available at a moment's thought. Like in many other places they have their own fields. Also, we do not in general see flooding rains in summer in low land California. Though I have not followed the weather up where the fields are this summer.

Therefore, it seems that the bacteria must have come into the system after coming up again for irrigation.

Restrooms for fieldworkers can be up to 1/4 mile away from the fields and the workers are often pushed to get more picked than ever before for their poor pay. (From report about worker conditions in CA fields).

Make your own inferences from that. Are we finding that allowing American business to abuse their employees is now killing us?

US Allows Sale of Products and Materials Other Nations Deemed to be Hazadous to you Health

Fair Use Excerpt Los Angeles Times article "U.S. Rules Allow the Sale of Products Others Ban":

Destined for American kitchens, planks of birch and poplar plywood are stacked to the ceiling of a cavernous port warehouse. The wood, which arrived in California via a cargo ship, carries two labels: One proclaims "Made in China," while the other warns that it contains formaldehyde, a cancer-causing chemical.

Because formaldehyde wafts off the glues in this plywood, it is illegal to sell in many countries — even the one where it originated, China. But in the United States this wood is legal, and it is routinely crafted into cabinets and furniture.

As the European Union and other nations have tightened their environmental standards, mostly in the last two years, manufacturers — here and around the world — are selling goods to American consumers that fail to meet other nations' stringent laws for toxic chemicals.

Wood, toys, electronics, pesticides and cosmetics are among U.S. products that contain substances that are banned or restricted elsewhere, particularly in Europe and Japan, because they may raise the risk of cancer, alter hormones or cause reproductive or neurological damage.

Michael Wilson, a professor at UC Berkeley's Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, said the United States is becoming a "dumping ground" for consumer goods that are unwanted and illegal in much of the world. Wilson warned earlier this year in a report commissioned by the California Legislature that "the United States has fallen behind globally in the move toward cleaner technologies."

The European Union, driven by consumers' concerns, has banned or heavily restricted hundreds of toxic substances in recent years, invoking its "precautionary principle," which is codified into law and prescribes that protective steps should be taken when there is scientific evidence of risks to public health or the environment.

Thank you Republicans. Now America is the dumping ground for other nations' hazardous products.

The Rumsfeld Doctrine -- Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid

So Bob Woodward is writing a book and aquires a paper showing Rumsfeld's plans for the future, which include the near total transformation of world institutions and the pushing of propaganda on free nations from third world.

Some of these thoughts might not be so scary if it weren't Rumsfeld who has failed his way through two wars so far and seems to have no sense of decency saying them.

But for example of things to fear:

Today the centers of gravity of the conflict in Iraq and the global war on terror are not on battlefields overseas. Rather, the center of gravity of this war are on the centers of public opinion in the U.S. and in the capitals of free nations. The gateways to those centers are the international media hubs and the capitals of the world.