Monthly Archives: October 2009

But seriously…

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Why not have those discussions over dinner with the families and loved ones of those 34 soldiers killed in Afghanistan just in this last month.. Or 81 soldiers over the last two months, or 120 soldiers over the last three months…
(Source: iCasualties.org – U.S. soldier ‘hostile fatalities’ in Afghanistan)

Starting Another Year of War in Afghanistan by Norman Solomon

All cartoons are posted with the artists’ express permission to TPZoo.
Jeff Danziger, Syndicated Political Cartoonist

Grayson to GOP: ‘You are a lie factory’

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From MSNBC’s The Ed Show of October 1, 2009. Ed Schultz interviews Rep. Alan Grayson following his comments on the floor of the House that have the GOP’s panties all in a faux-twist..

SCHULTZ: Congressman, I’m sure you’re aware how they’re pushing back on you. The national Republican campaign has said this about you, they’re going after your character, and I think they’re trumping up a bunch of stuff. But here it is: “This is an unstable man who has come unhinged. The depths of which alan grayson will sink to defend his indensible comments know no bounds. This is an individual who has established a pathological pattern of unstable behavior.” What is your response to that, Congressman? This is character assassination.

GRAYSON: You know what my response is – ‘whatever’. America is sick of you Republican Party. You are a lie factory, that’s all you ever do. Work together with the Democrats to solve America’s problems instead of making stuff up.

Friday News, Views, and Blues

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Here are  some links of note for this Friday, October 2, 2009.

Perhaps the Public Option isn’t dead yet.. Steve Benen of the Washington Monthly has more on a statement made yesterday on the Public Option by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, calling them “encouraging words”, but says it should “be taken it with a grain of salt”.. He goes on to explain.

The problem, of course, is that the “public option” means different things to different people, and Reid conceded yesterday that it’s a “relative term.”

Benen also wrote an interesting post on how REPUBLICANS SURE DO LOVE EMERGENCY ROOMS..

The nation’s unemployment rate reaches the highest level in 26 years. Robert Reich has a really good, honest message: “ The Truth About Jobs That No One Wants to Tell You“. It’s a really smart post, and he’s right.

Chicago was eliminated from the race to host the 2016 Olympics. It’s now between Rio de Janeiro and Madrid.

If you missed this post by Informed Comment’s Juan Cole yesterday, go take a peek: Top Things you Think You Know about Iran that are not True. Professor Cole follows that up with today’s post: “Obama pwns Bush-Cheney on Iran; First day of Talks Yields Significant Confidence-Building Steps“.

Glenn Greenwald writes on yesterday’s meeting with Iran in Geneva: Iran: More accomplished in one day of negotiations than in 8 years of threats.

From Raw Story, a judge says the CIA can cover up destruction of interrogation tapes.

A judge cited national security concerns in ruling Wednesday that the CIA does not have to release hundreds of documents related to the destruction of videotapes of Sept. 11 detainee interrogations that used harsh methods.

Bill O’Reilly suggests Senator Al Franken was elected due to ACORN voter fraud. Franken must be doing something right.. There’s an interesting article at Truthout from September 27th, 2009 called “The Republican War Against ACORN” by Jason Leopold that explains some history. Rachel Maddow also did a segment talking about this: “The Truth About The Lies About Acorn” (from September 24th).

Former McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt is now openly saying it would be “catastrophic” if Palin were to win the Republican nomination in 2012. (Duh…)

I haven’t done one of these Friday posts in a while, so I’m going to throw in a few older links.. If you haven’t read the article in the cover story on Sibel Edmonds in the American Conservative (Who’s Afraid Of Sibel Edmonds), go read it. BradBlog has the story with links to the actual article. Brad has followed her story since the beginning. Since this article came out, both an FBI vet and a CIA vet have come out supporting what she is saying and calling her credible. Interesting how the MSM (Corporate media) has totally ignored this story.. It’s probably one of the biggest stories in decades, and yet it’s like it didn’t even happen.. By the way, Sibel now how her own blog where she posts regularly. It’s called 123 Real Change – “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing”. Check it out. There’s a cartoon by Paul Jamiol featured yesterday.

There’s more ‘shoe-throwing’ going on. This time in Turkey, and at IMF Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

This story was fascinating.. (that is, as long as you aren’t a fundamentalist Christian who still believes the earth is only 6,000 years old..)
Ardipithecus: We Meet At Last:

Some 4.4 million years ago, a hominid now known as Ardipithecus ramidus lived in what were then forests in Ethiopia. Fifteen years ago, Tim White of Berkeley and a team of Ethiopian and American scientists published the first account of Ardipithecus, which they had just discovered. But it was just a preliminary report, and White promised more details later, once he and his colleagues had carefully prepared and analyzed all the fossils they had unearthed. “Later,” it turned out, meant 15 years…

Hot.. I am just really glad that with the evolution taking place over these millions of years, we lost all that gross body hair..

Michael Moore’s film “Capitalism: A Love Story” opens nationwide today. Truthdig has a review.

Jim Hightower talks about Wall Street Plans to Tap into $26 Trillion Life Insurance Market, Cashing in When People Die

The bankers who brought us the disaster of 2008 have created a new financial instrument called “life settlements” — call it morbid capitalism.

Don’t forget, tonight’s music night at TheZoo!

And now for the blues…

Jammin’ The Blues

The Watering Hole: October 2 – 9/11 Aftermath

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This is our open thread. Please feel free to offer your own comments.

On this date in 2001 NATO and the World stood behind US military strikes on Afghanistan in response to events surrounding 9/11. The United States received support from just about all nations, even those subsequently attributed to be members of an “Axis of Evil.” These sentiments were the beginning of the loss of worldwide sympathy for the plight of the United States. The attack on Iraq, directly supported by false intelligence was an action planned before Bush 43 took office:

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Jon Stewart interviews Jon Krakauer

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Jon Krakauer, author of “Into Thin Air“, explains how the Bush administration exploited Pat Tillman’s death for political gain. He discusses his new book on Pat Tillman called “Where Men Win Glory“.

Painful.. Krakauer talks about how General Stanley A. McChrystal was the point man for the coverup. McChrystal is the commander in charge of the war in Afghanistan right now.


Colbert & Stewart’s take on the defeating of the Public Option

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Stephen Colbert says “Send your medical bills to Max Baucus”.

Jon Stewart wants to know why Democrats can’t pass the public option since getting a super majority in the Senate.

I knew that both attempts at passing the ‘Public Option’ were shot down, but what I did NOT know until I watched this video was that the Senate Finance Committee voted to fund abstinence-only education to the tune of $50 million per year through 2014. Huh..?! Gotta love those priorities..

Rep Alan Grayson speaks plain English: The Right is taken aback

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The wingnuts would have us believe the entire issue is Grayson’s use of the word “holocaust.”  No no no, it’s nothing about right wing policies or their bloodthirsty attitude about health care reform.  Not at all!

Over 44,000 dead EVERY YEAR because they don’t have access to health care until it becomes a dire emergency or entirely too late.  What would YOU call it?

Keep up the good work, Rep Grayson.  We’re proud of you.