Priest In Mark Foley Scandal Sued By Former Alter Boy

If it’s not a politician in a sex scandal, it’s the priests who abused them. Looks like the priest accused of molesting Mark Foley is being sued by a former alter boy for the same thing. OK, I know it’s kind of old news that the Catholic Church has been harboring sex criminals for years, but when are they going to come clean and boot them?

More importantly, when is someone going to see this for what it is, conspiracy to cover up the crimes. From my vantage point it might fall under racketeering at the federal level and that could really blur the lines between church and state, but in this case the church is actively involved in committing and concealing criminal acts.

Bush Signing Statement Reserves Right To Another Katrina Disaster

Sometimes the hubris of the Bush White House is stunning. Today is a prime example. In another of his infamous signing statements, Mr. Bush now reserves the right to repeat the failures of Katrina all over again.

Congress went to a lot of trouble to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including a requirement that any director have 5 years experience in the field. Guess what? Bush reserves the right to hire someone equally as unqualified as "Brownie" again! Guess the decider doesn’t like Congress second guessing his decisions?

Bush is determined that nothing will diminish his executive power. Not Congress. Not the courts. Nobody! If this is not shaping up to be a dictatorship I don’t know what is. If you value your nation and your freedom, vote Democratic this November, and pray Diebold hasn’t thrown the election to the GOP.

Bush Wants To Cut And Run IN Iraq Now. Why Won't He Cut And Run From The White House?

So how would you interpret the statement, "if we can’t win, I’ll pull us out." Sounds like "Cut and Run" to me! First of all, I believe we shouldn’t be in Iraq in the first place. We were sold a pack of lies to get us there, and impeachable if not treasonous event, and beyond that we’ve left the country in chaos.

How? Well having no clue or plan as to what to do once we invade would be my first guess. Disbanding the military without having anything for the ex-military to do would be a second clue. Allowing the looting and destruction of the county's infrastructure would be the third guess. I could go on but you probably know the rest.

Now Bush in a speech to conservative journalists says he is willing to cut and run if it looks really bad. How bad is really bad? Do we have to loose another few thousand US troops? Do we have to loose another 100,000 Iraqi civilians? Do we have to have full-blown civil war with daily massacres?

Get a clue Mr. Bush. We have already screwed it up and now you are going to leave the mess for someone else to clean up. Kinda like your life isn’t it. Failed in business after business and left the mess for others. Enough is enough. Leave the White House now. After all you’ve screwed up our country as well, leave the mess for a real statesman and leader to fix. Please, leave now!

US Ranks 53rd In Press Freedom! What Is Happening?

I constantly was told growing up that America is the most free country in the world. We have the highest standard of living, and the most press freedoms of any country in the world.

Well you can imagine my surprise when I discovered we are neither of those things. Looks like we only rank 6th in standard of living. Still in the top 10 but less than Norway, Sweden, Canada, Belgium and Australia. And free press?

Well we rank in a tie with Botswana, Croatia and Tonga in press freedom at a lowly 53 place. That amazes me! We are less free, according to the worldwide press organization Reporters Without Borders, that every nation in the European Union and a large number of former Soviet Republics! Depressing? You bet, but next time you hear some politician lie about our freedom, let he or she know the truth and maybe we can change this.

According to Thomas Jefferson, "…were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter." Time to reclaim our freedom. I’ve had enough and I will vote straight Democratic Ticket this year. Time to send a message to Congress

Another Republican Sex Scandal! Yawn.

Apparently what happens in Las Vegas politics doesn't stay in Las Vegas. Jim Gibbons, Republican Congressman from Vegas was considered a shoe-in for Governor until this latest mess up. A waitress at a seafood restaurant says the Congressman got overly frisky and tried to assault her outside the establishment.

Gibbons says it's a mistake, but the waitress is not backing down. Will the Republicans ever be able to keep it in their pants? Apparently not.

ABC News Reports Possible Election Tampering

Oh now the mainstream press has woken up to the sad fact people in the blog-o-sphere have known for several years. Electronic voting is flawed and prone to trickery. ABC news report that the Diebold machines can be hacked. Duh! BradBlog has been thumping this fact for over a year and few are listening. Now, finally it makes the mainstream with no time left to do anything.

Get on your phone or email and write to your county election officials and demand paper ballots NOW before they can claim it’s too late to print them. Any county that is depending entirely on electronic machines is not a safe place to vote. DEMAND PAPER or maybe even a provisional ballot.

Diebold is in the pocket of the GOP and their machines cannot be trusted. Here in Texas they registered an erroneous 100,000 votes that never took place, in other words had it not been caught the machines could have throw the election.

This one may take storming the gates with pitchforks and torches. If the county refuses to provide paper ballots, go to the press. We must stop this before it is too late.

Diebold Voting Machine Software Stolen!

ALERT! Looks like software for the old Diebold Voting Machines has been stolen. That’ what will happen to this election if hackers with GOP contacts get hold of it too. If there were ever a reason to demand paper ballots this is it.

Ozone Hole Largest Ever Recorded!

Boy the good news just keeps coming! Scientists today announced that the ozone hole over Antarctica is the largest ever recorded. This means that the suns ultraviolet rays can penetrate this area unaltered. For a human, basking in the sunshine on an Antarctic Ice sheet that would mean really quick sunburn, and continued exposure would probably develop skin cancer rapidly.

Luckily, there are few sunbathers at the South Pole. Additionally, since the chemicals that caused the hole have been banned, scientists expect the hole to shrink to negligible size by 2065, just in time for my 115th birthday!

The moral of the story is this; we can do things to reverse problems caused to our climate with decisive and effective regulation. Wake up Bush science deniers! Sign Kyoto and let’s start reducing the CO2 emissions now!

Had enough? Vote Democratic.

Dirty Bomb Scare A Hoax FBI Says

So it was all a hoax according to the FBI who interviewed the man who posted the threat on the internet. Though this ties things up nice and tidy, I still have my doubts. Of course never underestimate the ignorance of people on the internet.

Bush Buys Land In Paraguay. Planning Post-Impeachment Escape?

Is Bush preparing for the aftermath of an impeachment or worse? According to Prensa Latina News Agency he has purchased over 90,000 acres of land in Paraguay near the Brazilian border and close to a US military base.

Wonkette has the details, including a vote by Paraguay to grant immunity to US troops from international prosecution and Jenna Bush making a diplomatic visit to Paraguay’s president.

Hey it worked for Ex-Nazis as a safe haven, why not for American War Criminals like Bush?

UPDATE: Now it looks like Rev. Moon has bought land near W's as well. This is getting strange children.

Judge Orders Cheney Visitor Records Released!

And soon we will know how many times Jack Abramoff really visited Dick Cheney. A judge ordered his visitor records today, an order that could spark a late election season debate over lobbyists' White House access.

There will be more scuffling and claims of executive privilege I am sure, but the truth may indeed come out.

Strange Reports of Dirty Bomb?

CNN has been talking today about dirty bomb threats in the US. After doing a short Google search I found this on a blog that confirms that threat and was pretty disturbing. If you have any info please contact the FBI now.

Related info published in the Sun, a UK newspaper might provide clues to this story. That story says that Adnan El Shukrijumah, who has a £2.5million bounty on his head, is suspected to be in the US.

Not to panic, but this one sounds pretty shady. Further stories show this as a "not credible" threat.

Welcome To The US Senate!

Wow, guess the Sargent at Arms of the Senate must be really interested in the rumors surrounding several Senators. They paid a visit this morning and actually took time to read a few pages. Thanks guys! I always wonder if anyone reads what I post.

Another Gay Closeted GOP Senator ?

Well another GOP member of congress may end up in the Gay Old Party category. Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) is being outed by a gay activist blog and on radio on the Ed Schultz Show.

Craig has voted against Gay Marriage in the past and says he supports "Family Values" which everyone knows is code language for anti-gay measures. Wonder who will be next? (Rick Perry must be squirming in the Governors Mansion right now.)

Remember this is still a rumor, so don't tell anyone!

Note: Howdy US Senate! Saw the Sgt. at Arms was on earlier today looking at this article. Hope you had time to read more.

Ken Lay Conviction Erased!

So now Ken Lay’s conviction is erased. What would happen if he turned up alive somewhere in the world? Would he be scott-free? Keep an eye out for Ken Lay sightings in the near future.

Bush Election Appointee Says System Ripe For Stealing The Election

Rev. DeForest Soaries, a bush appointee in charge of Election Assistance says the system is "ripe for stealing elections". He was appointed by George W. Bush as the first chair of the commission created by the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) after the election farce in Florida that brought Bush into power.

Soaries resigned in April saying he felt deceived by the administration and that they intended no reforms at all. The previously unpublished interview is online here at Bradblog. It is must reading for anyone who has doubts about the fairness of the upcoming election.

Throw Hastert Out Video - Great Stuff

Check out this great TV Spot on YouTube.

Chicken Hawks And Patriots - The List

So for all you folks out there who are wondering about that strong defense the Republicans are always talking about, here is a partial roll-call of the parties and their military service (courtesy of Zonk on AirAmerica blog):

Republicans

• Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
• Tom Delay: did not serve.
• Roy Blunt: did not serve.
• Bill Frist: did not serve.
• Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
• Rick Santorum: did not serve.
• Trent Lott: did not serve.
• Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
• John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
• Jeb Bush: did not serve.
• Karl Rove: did not serve.
• Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." The man who attacked Cleland's patriotism.
• Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
• Vin Weber: did not serve.
• Richard Perle: did not serve.
• Douglas Feith: did not serve.
• Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
• Richard Shelby: did not serve.
• Jon Kyl: did not serve.
• Tim Hutchison: did not serve.
• Christopher Cox: did not serve.
• Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
• Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor.
• George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard; got assigned to Alabama so he could campaign for family friend running for U.S. Senate; failed to show up for required medical exam, disappeared from duty.
• Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role making movies.
• Bob Dornan: Consciously enlisted after fighting was over in Korea.
• Phil Gramm: did not serve.
• John McCain: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.
• Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve.
• John M. McHugh: did not serve.
• JC Watts: did not serve.
• Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem," although continued in NFL for 8 years.
• Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard.
• Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
• George Pataki: did not serve.
• Spencer Abraham: did not serve.
• John Engler: did not serve.
• Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer.

Democrats

• Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
• David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.
• Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
• Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.
• Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
• Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
• John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, Purple Hearts.
• Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
• Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam.
• Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53.
• Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
• Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
• Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons.
• Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars, and Soldier's Medal.
• Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit.
• Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
• Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V.
• Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.
• Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57
• Chuck Robb: Vietnam
• Howell Heflin: Silver Star
• George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII.
• Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but received #311.
• Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy.
• Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
• John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 Clusters.
• Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg
  
  

And for the pundits, politicos and preachers who rant and rave supporting war:

• Sean Hannity: did not serve.
• Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst.')
• Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.
• Michael Savage: did not serve.
• George Will: did not serve.
• Chris Matthews: did not serve.
• Paul Gigot: did not serve.
• Bill Bennett: did not serve.
• Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
• Bill Kristol: did not serve.
• Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
• Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
• Clarence Thomas: did not serve.
• Ralph Reed: did not serve.
• Michael Medved: did not serve.

Eye opening isn’t it?

God, Guns & Gays Tactics Faltering For GOP

Finally there seems to be some kind of crack developing the issue of Gay Marriage for the GOP. A recent story in the NY Times discusses how new ballot measures in 13 states are loosing steam. Seems that the Third "G" of God Guns and Gays may be faltering ni the GOP Playbook.

Speaking of faltering the first "G" might be in trouble as well. In the new tell-all book by former Karl Rove assistant, "Tempting Faith" exposes how Republicans have "duped" the faithful in their campaigns. Additionally, quotes from Karl Rove calling the fundamentalists "nuts" won’t set well with the Religious Right.

That leaves the Gun lobby to hold up the faltering Republican elephant, and somehow I suspect that the NRA vote just won’t carry the elections.

Another GOP Diddling Pages? Jim Kolbe And Pages On Camping Trip

Well now looks like Jim Kolbe, Republican from Arizona is the next up in the gallery of shame. Questions have come up about a camping trip he took with pages 10 years ago. Another neocon in the closet?

NBC has the story, and it sounds like Kolbe may be next to take the perp walk.