NYT: U.S. Proposal in the O.A.S. Draws Fire as an Attack on Venezuela

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Sunday May 22, 2005 · 2:32 PM PDT

2005/05/22 · 14:32

I haven't seen this diaried, but it's worthy of our attention.

Seems Dear Leader wants to see more freeance and peeance in Latin America. And it seems, it's not getting such a warm reception.

By JOEL BRINKLEY
Published: May 22, 2005
WASHINGTON, May 21 - An American proposal to create a committee at the Organization of American States that would monitor the quality of democracy and the exercise of power in Latin America is facing a hostile reception from many countries in part because it is being viewed as a thinly veiled effort to attack Venezuela.

Roger F. Noriega, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs and a principal architect of the proposal, said in an interview this week that he was "not surprised they are seeing this in the context of Venezuela," but he added, "I am determined that it not be regarded as some kind of effort to isolate Venezuela."

And if you believe that, read on.
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Scotty and the IOUs

JoeWPgh

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Monday May 02, 2005 · 5:28 PM PDT

2005/05/02 · 17:28

The Carpetbagger Report brings us this from today's White House presser.

A reporter asked Scott McClellan about the president's belief that the current Social Security system "leaves behind file cabinets full of IOUs." The journalist asked if the president is suggesting that there's a possibly that the government would default on the sovereign debt of the United States. It was a simple question -- the right answer was "no" -- but McClellan refused to cooperate.

"I think that the President, if you'll recall, went to West Virginia and stood in front of the file cabinet to point out to people what the trust fund really is. I mean, most people when they think of a trust fund, I think you would agree, believe that money is being set aside in account, and that it's their money and that they're going to receive that money back. Well, that's not the case. In terms of the so-called Social Security trust fund, it is a file cabinet of paper IOUs. And that's what it is."

Though he didn't call them worthless IOUs, the point seems clear that the Bush admin sees little of value in these IOUs. Read More

David Kay speaks out on Iran.

JoeWPgh

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Monday February 07, 2005 · 1:31 PM PST

2005/02/07 · 13:31

Mr Kay's remarks were so obviously based in common sense and reality that there's not much left to say. Regardless, we should not let this fall into tomorrow's memory trap. At the very least, it's worth uprating this Yahoo item via Reuters Excerpts and poll after the jump.
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Prez Cinton to head UN tsumani relief

JoeWPgh

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Tuesday February 01, 2005 · 12:36 PM PST

2005/02/01 · 12:36

That's the MSNBC headline
This is bound get the wingnuts into a frothing tizzy - as if they need an excuse. Read More

Hypo Rossi to challenge WA Gov vote

JoeWPgh

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Friday January 07, 2005 · 4:41 PM PST

2005/01/07 · 16:41

Didn't see it mentioned, so I thought I'd post it up.

BELLEVUE, Wash. - Republican Dino Rossi and the state Republican Party announced Friday that they would contest the governor's election that gave his Democratic opponent, Christine Gregoire, a 129-vote victory.

I know I shouldn't be surprised by this, but Rossi is setting a new standard for being a 'sore loser'. Read More

More grim news from Iraq

JoeWPgh

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Wednesday December 01, 2004 · 3:49 AM PST

2004/12/01 · 03:49

MSNBC has this from the WashPost.

U.S. generals told of detainee abuse early
Confidential December 2003 report offered warning
By Josh White
Updated: 10:45 p.m. ET Nov. 30, 2004
A confidential report to Army generals in Iraq in December 2003 warned that members of an elite military and CIA task force were abusing detainees, a finding delivered more than a month before Army investigators received the photographs from Abu Ghraib prison that touched off investigations into prisoner mistreatment.

The report, which was not released publicly and was recently obtained by The Washington Post, concluded that some U.S. arrest and detention practices at the time could "technically" be illegal. It also said coalition fighters could be feeding the Iraqi insurgency by "making gratuitous enemies" as they conducted sweeps netting hundreds of detainees who probably did not belong in prison and holding them for months at a time.

Much of this seems familiar, but it's still very troubling. Call it another log on Bush's fire of failure - if it gets it's due media play, that is.
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2 words to usurp the values high ground.

JoeWPgh

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Sunday November 28, 2004 · 6:13 PM PST

2004/11/28 · 18:13

Common decency.

Think I'm silly? Think through any of the outrages of the past four years - Enron, Abu Graib, Swift Boaters, `Purple heart' band-aids. Smearing Richard Clarke, or outing Valerie Plame. there is a moral crisis in this country that can only be described as a lack of common decency.
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Pop culture watch: Wal-Mart `Christians' and Rotor-Rooter Heroes

JoeWPgh

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Wednesday November 24, 2004 · 8:54 PM PST

2004/11/24 · 20:54

I just saw the most amazing show on the Sci-Fi Channel. It's called "Ghost Busters'. What we have here is the quintessential modern republican take on life - as we know it.

Being as it's an original show from Sci-Fi, you would not expect much analytical thought, given that it's an on-going series. No disappointment on this level.

What we have is 2 guys from `Rotor-Rooter' (I kid you not!) with an assembled `team' of experts'. They run around in FBI styled windbreakers, only with their own logo on their backs. (Forgive me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that the FBI favored such stylings to avoid `friendly fire' in confusing scenarios.) I'm not sure of the value of fashion stealth when dealing with the `other side' - but I am convinced no one is shooting bullets.
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Spector survives

JoeWPgh

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Thursday November 18, 2004 · 1:40 PM PST

2004/11/18 · 13:40

In a late afternoon update, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, via AP: Judiciary panel's GOP members back Specter

WASHINGTON -- Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter today won the support of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Republicans to be their chairman next year, surviving complaints from abortion opponents who lobbied to skip over him in favor of a conservative.

JoeWPgh

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Tuesday November 16, 2004 · 8:38 PM PST

2004/11/16 · 20:38

Apparantly there was a bit of a dust up over 'decency' this week on ABC's Monday Night Football.

I did watch the game (well, the first half), and vaguely recollect the 'offensive' passage. It was a tie-in ad for another ABC show, "Desperate Housewives". I shrugged at the time, not the least bit interested in this kind of schlock programming, and forgot all about it. As it turns out - our valiant moral crusaders, and the NFL, are all over it.

The bit consisted of "Desparate Housewives" star, Nicolette Sheridan, dropping her towel and jumping into the arms of Philadelphia Eagle, Terrel Owens. He decides that the opening kick-off can wait.

It gets better, below the fold. Read More

Got my mojo back, and I'm willing to sqaunder it.- Join the NRA!

JoeWPgh

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Wednesday November 10, 2004 · 10:28 PM PST

2004/11/10 · 22:28

For the sake of America - Join the NRA.
Now that I have your attention, let me backtrack to a conversation I had with a repub friend a few days before the election.
He asked, "So, what are you going to do when Bush wins?"
I flippantly replied, "Join the NRA and arm myself heavily"

It was clearly in jest, and I got a laugh from my kool aid chuggin buddy.

But then it occurred to me, that this might be better as a tactic than casual humor. No! Not the arm heavily stuff. Join the NRA. Read More

More Ohio shenanigans

JoeWPgh

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Wednesday October 06, 2004 · 3:03 PM PDT

2004/10/06 · 15:03

This just in From AP.

The controversy surrounds Republican Kenneth Blackwell's recent orders about the type of paper required for mail-in voter registration cards and how election officials should deal with voters who go to the wrong polling place on Nov. 2 in this battleground state.

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