Obama With A Whip

Time to start leading with a whip and a clenched fist.

I am so sick of reading about why The Obama Administration is afraid of this and how the don't want to upset that. They lost and it's time to pay the butcher's bill.

If McCain had won and the republicans had the numbers we have, don't you think...wait, we know how the would lead. And it's not about getting even.

If what we think is true about the economy, if what we know is true about our position in the world, if what we know is true about the condition of our education system, and on and on, we don't have the luxury of massaging hurt egos of the Republicans. Think about it, they have Governors who are actually posturing about the stimulus money. They, politically, don't have a clue. They never have cared about the state of the American people, and now in their frenzy to get power back, they show everyone just who they really are.

Booby Jindal Governor of Louisiana, one of the top states as far as poverty is concerned, I believe, and where folk are still trying to recover from Katrina, ACTUALLY said he might refuse the stimulus money. Keep giving us campaign commercials Booby.

This administration needs to follow their gut and do whats right for all of us. Ignore ignorance. Ignore backward thinking. Ignore the Republican party. Hitch them up to your wagon and run them until they bleed from every orifice.

I'm Back

Someone once said, take a break. Clear your head. Maybe go on a vacation.

Well, I took a break. In the midst of clearing my head so I could plan a vacation, I ran face first into an election. But not just any election, the biggest, most anticipated one since I've been around.

And unless you've been on another planet, you know which one I speak of. While doing my little part, I met a lot of tremendous people. Young and old. Of all colors and creeds. And with the anger and enthusiasm like I haven't seen since an April day in 1968 right before all hell broke loose in Avondale(little hometown reference).

We have done something that many of us never thought they would see. But now that it's done, now that all the swearing in, parades, and dancing is done reality is sinking in.

The rethuglicans are who they always were, only wounded and desperate. So desperate their mouthpiece says he wants to see President Obama fail. Now as much as I knew Bush to be a poser and benefactor of theft, I never wanted him to fail. Knew he would but didn't want it. You see, now we know what the phrase "failure is not an option" means. This is where we end up having a failure for president.

So over the last few weeks we have seen rethugs try their darndest toturn an already too small Stimulus into a relic of their past. Laden with tax cuts for wealthy. Well in a move, the likes of which we are just beginning to see, Obama and the Democratic Senators gave them what Obama had already promised to do. And they have nerve to trumpet their victory

Well now is the time to gear up for the next battle. The battle to rid our counrty of these relics of the past. Time to send them packing, never to return. For in the last few weeks they have shown themselves to not have the best interest of the people. So in my opinion, it's time for them to disappear.

Electing Obama was step one. The next step is making rethugs a footnote in history. And I say the sooner the better.

It' My Birthday...

Here's The King, Stevie Wonder on his birthday.

They're Out There...And They're Weird!!!

From The Randi Rhodes Radio Program on 7/30/2008. I was listening and laughing my ass off!

The only problem is he's not alone with that line of thinking. Truly tired!

Is This Why So Many Are Denied Their Disability Claims

Richard Viguerie: Bush White House Hides True Scope of Federal Deficit

MANASSAS, Va., July 29, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ --

The following is a statement by Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, regarding the White House projection of a $482 billion deficit for Fiscal Year 2009:

"The White House has issued figures indicating that President Bush and his enablers in Congress will leave his successor with a budget deficit of $482 Billion for Fiscal Year 2009, which is a record.

How's that for a legacy?

"As shocking as this deficit figure is, that's still not the true scope of our budget woes because it excludes $80 billion in war costs and $227 billion borrowed from the Social Security Trust Fund.

"The real budget deficit is therefore $789 billion.

"Under accounting trickery that would probably land the top officers of a publicly traded company in jail, the money borrowed from the Social Security Trust Fund -- and spent on anything and everything except Social Security payments -- is not counted towards the budget deficit, although it is part of our $9.49 Trillion National Debt.

"It's way past time for Washington politicians to have their own Sarbanes-Oxley.

"But this is how corrupt Washington has become. Besides the dangerous practice of massive deficit spending, which will saddle our children and grandchildren with trillions of dollars of debt, the Bush White House and Congress are conspiring to conceal the true nature and scope of the problem.

"This year's budget deficit will actually be $307 billion worse than the politicians are saying. This fraud on the American people is a conspiracy of silence by both major political parties.

"In stunning hypocrisy, the White House blamed the record budget deficit on the slowing economy and the $150 billion stimulus package passed earlier this year.

"No, Mr. President, the buck stops with you. Stand up and accept the responsibility -- and your legacy -- for massively expanding government."

Taser-Related Death

Statesville suspect dies
after Taser hits in jail

At least two officers are put on administrative duty until SBI can complete its investigation.

By Victoria Cherrie

vcherrie@charlotteobserver.com

Anthony Davidson

A Statesville man died after being shocked multiple times by Tasers at the Iredell County jail over the weekend, sources say.

Anthony Davidson, 29, was unresponsive when he was taken to Iredell Memorial Hospital Saturday afternoon. He was put on life support and died late Sunday night, police said.

His death is the second Taser-related death this year in the Charlotte area. In March, 17-year-old Darryl Wayne Turner, died after Charlotte-Mecklenburg police used a Taser on him at a Food Lion store in Charlotte.

The officers involved in Davidson's arrest – at least two from the Statesville Police Department – were put on administrative duty until the State Bureau of Investigation completes a probe into the incident.

Assistant Chief Tom Anderson of the Statesville Police Department said he was unaware how many officers or deputies may have fired their Tasers and the duration of the shocks.

But a source familiar with the investigation told the Observer that Davidson was shocked at least three times by several different law enforcement officers. Family members told the Observer that police said he had been shocked at least twice.

The incident began about 3 p.m. Saturday at a Statesville grocery store. Employees at the Food Lion on N.C. 115 told police they tried unsuccessfully to stop Davidson from leaving the store with a full cart of groceries after his debit card was declined. He left the parking lot without the groceries, police said.

When officers caught up with Davidson a short time later, he was carrying an Applebee's gift card from the store that hadn't been paid for, Anderson said.

Officers took Davidson to the Iredell County Jail where he appeared before a magistrate on a larceny charge. Davidson was behaving abnormally from the time officers first encountered him, Anderson said.

While being booked, Davidson became “physically aggressive and was communicating loudly,” Anderson said. That's when officers used one or more Tasers to get him “back under control,” police said.

A nurse who screened Davidson afterward told officers he needed further medical screening because he appeared to be “under the influence of some type of impairing substance.”

Paramedics took Davidson to the hospital Saturday. His condition continued to decline and he was unresponsive when he arrived, Anderson said. He was admitted to intensive care and was taken off life support about 10:30 p.m. Sunday.

Statesville police and the sheriff's office are reviewing the incident internally to determine whether the arresting officers followed procedures. The sheriff's office did not return phone calls Monday.

Davidson, who was unemployed, had been in jail previously – mostly on charges such as possessing marijuana, simple assault and misdemeanor larceny, all of which were dropped by a district attorney, according to court documents. In 1999 and again in 2000, he was found guilty of violating a domestic violence protective order. In 2006, he pleaded guilty to driving while impaired, documents show.

Davidson's family said they weren't aware of him using or having a problem with drugs or alcohol.

“He was a very happy, joyful person – the life of the party type of person who lit up a room when he walked in,” said his uncle, Jerry Moore. “Whether he used or had used substances, we don't know.”

They said police told them Davidson fell while being subdued and may have hit his head.

An autopsy is scheduled later this week, Moore said.

Last month, the officer involved in the Charlotte Taser incident was cleared of criminal charges but was suspended for five days for violating the department's policy when he continuously shocked Darryl Turner for 37 seconds, a factor that contributed to his death.

A Taser is a weapon that typically uses compressed nitrogen to shoot two tethered needle-like probes that penetrate skin and deliver an electric shock. It's designed to temporarily subdue a person. Studies suggest that multiple shocks might increase the risk of serious injury, which has prompted some agencies to limit the number of times an officer can shock someone.

Officers are taught to pull and immediately release the Taser trigger to deliver a five-second shock. They may repeatedly pull the trigger in extreme circumstances when necessary to control a suspect. But the goal is to use the minimal force necessary to control a suspect, Anderson said.

Taser-related deaths across North Carolina prompted a coalition to study Taser use. The N.C. Taser Safety Project surveyed the state's 100 sheriff's offices and found that 70 issued Tasers to some or all of its deputies, but many agencies lack clear policies about when and how they should be used.

New York's Finest

ANOTHER ANGLE 30 - 07 - 08

ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you

NATIONAL:



Obama says he'll order review of executive orders (AP)
Barack Obama told House Democrats on Tuesday that as president he would order his attorney general to scour White House executive orders and expunge any that "trample on liberty."



McCain Fails McCain’s Commander-in-Chief Test
Sadly, when it comes to the war in Iraq, it is the Arizona Republican who failed his own commander-in-chief exam. At almost every turn in the run-up to the invasion and the ensuing American occupation, McCain’s judgment was almost always wrong, often disastrously so. From his predictions of a short war, claims U.S. troops would be greeted as liberators and that the U.S. would find weapons of mass destruction to his announcements of mission accomplished, his ongoing confusion over friend and foe in Iraq and so much more, John McCain the would-be wartime president gets failing marks.
Another McCain Involved In Bank Collapse?
Another McCain Gaffe?



Aide to U.S. Senator Jim Webb found dead from apparent gunshot wound



Caught on tape: Army recruiters threaten high school students
Army recruiters aren’t sticking to the program and are bullying and even lying to potential recruits and their families to keep them from dropping out.

Top Advisor to U.S. Military Confirms The War on Terror Is a Hoax: "There is No Battlefield Solution to Terrorism"

A leading advisor to the U.S. military, the Rand Corporation, just released a new study called "How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering al Qa'ida".

The report confirms what we have been saying for years: the war on terror is a hoax which is actually weakening national security (see this, this and this).

As today's press release about the study states:

"Terrorists should be perceived and described as criminals, not holy warriors, and our analysis suggests that there is no battlefield solution to terrorism."

Can we drop the "war on terror" charade now?



Pelosi Says She Would Impeach Bush If Somebody Knew of a Crime He'd Committed

INTERNATIONAL:



Haiti: Mud cakes become staple diet as cost of food soars beyond a family's reach
In Cité Soleil, one of Port-au-Prince's worst slums, making the clay-based food is a major income earner. Mud cakes are the only inflation-proof food available to Haiti's poor.

Brittle and gritty - and as revolting as they sound - these are "mud cakes". For years they have been consumed by impoverished pregnant women seeking calcium, a risky and medically unproven supplement, but now the cakes have become a staple for entire families.

The only thing stopping an exodus are US coastguard patrols, said Herman Janvier, 30, a fishermen on Cap Haitian, a smuggling point. "People want out of here. It's like we're almost dead people."



Russia takes control of Turkmen (world?) gas
Gazprom, Russia's energy leviathan, signed two major agreements in Ashgabat on Friday outlining a new scheme for purchase of Turkmen gas. The first one elaborates the price formation principles that will be guiding the Russian gas purchase from Turkmenistan during the next 20-year period. The second agreement is a unique one, making Gazprom the donor for local Turkmen energy projects. In essence, the two agreements ensure that Russia will keep control over Turkmen gas exports.



BUSH CRIME FAMILY:



Bush Reveals True Reason for War in Push for Iraqi Agreement
All this was laid bare this month as the Iraqi government went on the offensive in its call for U.S. withdrawal by 2010. Far from embracing the desires of a sovereign Iraq, the White House instead feebly attempted to claim Prime Minister Maliki's statement was mistranslated, while the McCain camp argued that Iraqi's really want the U.S. to stay until 2020. Apparently their view of a "free Iraq" is an Iraq that is free to do what we tell them to do.



OP-ED:



Black moments in White continuum
Recently a friend told me there was no such animal as a "white moment." What whites do is a normal part of their system. "How can you call it a moment? It’s the way American society functions," she said. Since then I rephrased white moments into white continuum. There’s more to it than we can see with our eyes. It’s a unified spiritual connection they have with each other that shaped their thought patterns and this has worked for them for hundreds of years. Constant mental focus in many individual white Americans has created an unseemed thread between them that has manifested itself into material reality.

ECONOMY:



Economy hitting the elderly especially hard
“We’re having to put people on waiting lists for home-delivered meals, and we have a waiting list for air conditioners.

SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY:



'Laser jumbo' testing moves ahead
According to an American Physical Society report in 2004, the Airborne Laser could shoot down a typical liquid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from up to 600km away.



HEALTH&FITNESS:



"The Business of Being Born" Documentary

Watch the ad-Media Matters

What Ya Listening TO?

Jean Luc Ponty

Memories of Music Past

Four Cuts from a band I first saw live on the campus of Bowling Green State University in 1972, musical genius.

The first piece is from French TV. And it's the only footage I've ever seen of the first band.

I present YES