Bush is as bad as it gets... Someone has to stop him..

[charlie c]

Hard to beleive old Dubya is a Yale and Harvard Business school graduate.
Good thing President Cheney is running the show.

Keep the faith for some change in 2008.

[SouthwestRanger]

Soltz: Bush Needs To Resolve Whether Pat Tillman Was Killed For His Political Views

Think Progress | July 30, 2007

Yesterday, Iraq war veteran Jon Soltz wrote on ThinkProgress about Pat Tillman: ?Was the man the White House used to promote the war ordered to be killed because he was becoming increasingly critical of the war in Iraq ??

Last night on MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann noted that ?Corporal Tillman held a number of personal views that were unpopular within the context of the Bush administration, perhaps also within the Army.? Tillman reportedly favored John Kerry in the presidential election, opposed the invasion of Iraq, and had plans to meet with Noam Chomsky .

The Associated Press reported that in the last moments before Tillman died, another soldier was hugging the ground at Tillman's side, and Tillman said, ?Would you shut your [expletive] mouth? God's not going to help you ; you need to do something for yourself, you sniveling ??


The question of whether Tillman was killed for his political views lingers greater than ever. Appearing on MSNBC's Countdown, Soltz said:

We know he was a free thinker. But it leads you to think was this guy killed possibly by people that didn't like his political views or was he killed accidentally?

We had a time in the war when the Abu Ghraib scandal broke in April 2004 in Iraq; we had basically the Iraqi Tet offensive where the Shiite militias rose up and the contractors were burned at the stake; the President was facing the election and he decided not to go into Fallujah for six months. Did they use him to justify, politically, bad policy in Iraq?


The confluence of these factors intensify the need for openness. Despite being warned that Tillman may have died by friendly fire, Bush referenced Tillman in a 2004 speech but made no reference to how he died. The White house has cited executive privilege in refusing to turn over records that would verify how much Bush knew.

Soltz wrote on ThinkProgress that the longer this case lingers, the more damaging it will be to the military: ?Those already in the military will lose faith that the leadership actually gives a **** about them , as the Tillman case becomes a hot topic in chow halls. Morale and confidence in the institution will crumble.?

UPDATE: Some commenters incorrectly understand Soltz's argument to be that the White House had some involvement in or prior knowledge about the death. That is not what is being alleged. Rather, the question is whether Tillman's political views played any role in motivating the person who shot him. And did the administration subsequently cover up the motive for Tillman's death?

[gus danger]

He was shot 3 times in the forehead by U.S. bullets, if that tells you anything!

That seems like pretty clear evidence that it was murder, cold and calculated!

I think the problem was, that they were hand selecting their "heroes" so they could spin everything in Bush's favor, back home.
God help, those who <s>spoke</s> speak out against them!

GD

[SouthwestRanger]

Originally posted by gus danger:

God help, those who <s>spoke</s> speak out against them!

GD

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">CASE IN POINT GUS.....

Couple Terrorized, Assaulted and Arrested For Flying an Upside Down U.S. Flag
Police officer recently returned from Iraq smashed into Kuhn's home, choked husband and then claimed they assaulted him

Prison Planet | July 31, 2007
Alex Jones & Paul Joseph Watson

A North Carolina couple who were terrorized by a police officer who had recently returned from Iraq are now fighting back, after sheriff's deputy Brian Scarborough broke into their house, assaulted them and then arrested the Kuhns for the crime of flying an upside down U.S. flag.




Chancellor Sutler: OOOOH BOOO HOOO !!!!

Mark and Deborah Kuhn of Asheville, North Carolina made headlines last week when they were arrested for flying an upside down U.S. flag, a commonly recognized sign of distress, in their backyard, after police claimed they were violating a statute for "desecration of the flag".

As is supported by the United States Flag Code as well as a similar incident in 2001 , flying the flag upside down is not a mark of disrespect, and in fact is considered by many to be the highest form of patriotism.

However, since 9/11 there have been several cases where individuals have been harassed, intimidated and even arrested for inverting the flag, by those who confuse a love of government with a love of country.


Buncombe County Sheriff's deputy Brian Scarborough had just returned from Iraq and according to the Deborah Kuhn, was sent by his staff Sergeant from the local National Guard to "deal with" the Kuhns after a local resident complained about the flag, a fact that was later admitted on TV news. A National Guard soldier in military fatigues had also previously visited the Kuhn's to harass them about the flag.

"This is a distress signal, we're not trying to desecrate the flag," Kuhn told Scarborough when he told the couple they were violating a statute. Police claimed the messages attached to the flag were the problem, but the notes merely pointed out that the upside down flag represented a distress signal and a warning that the country was in danger.

Even though Kuhn took the flag down, the officer immediately demanded that the couple show their ID's and when they refused told them to put their hands behind their back and was about to arrest them before the couple shut and locked the door.

Scarborough then proceeded to kick the door in, "And the next thing we know, the glass is flying, he unlocks the deadbolt and he comes into our house after us," Kuhn told The Alex Jones Show.

The officer then pursued Mark Kuhn through the house before intercepting him in the kitchen and putting him in a choke hold.

Deborah Kuhn called 911 to report that the officer had broken into the home and was assaulting her husband.

The officer then pulled out pepper spray to which Mark Kuhn responded, "Are you going to spray me in my house?" before Scarborough whipped out his billy club and the Kuhn's ran out of the house into the street, pleading for help from their neighbors.

"Nine police cars showed up, they whipped out the Tasers, they said 'get down we're gonna Taser you' added Kuhn.

The couple were handcuffed, arrested and bundled into a squad car, to the protests of numerous neighbors who demanded to know why the Kuhns were being incarcerated, but were told to leave by police.

Contradicting the police's account of the incident, that Buncombe County Sheriff's deputy Brian Scarborough was injured when the Kuhn's slammed the door on his hand, Deborah Kuhn vehemently maintains that Scarborough smashed the glass of their door with his bare fist before breaking in, a description which is backed up by three other eyewitnesses, one of which appeared on TV later that day.

The Kuhn's are now also being charged with "assault on a government employee" - meaning that the new definition of assault is if a police officer cuts his hand by breaking into your house and putting you in a choke hold - you have assaulted him.

Scarborough claims that Deborah Kuhn slapped him while she was on the phone to the police, but the audio file of the call (listen here ) clearly contradicts this.

They each face over a year in prison.

The Kuhn's case is similar in many ways to that of Kelly Rushing , a man from Lyon County Kentucky, who was arrested and charged for handing out videotapes of Ron Paul videos to police officers. Rushing was later found not guilty of the offence of "terroristic threats" but continues to be harassed by police.

It also mirrors the case of an Alabama man, who was arrested in 2004 for displaying a sign in his yard that read "Our Courts System is a Joke," under the pretext that it was illegal to criticize the authorities.

We are encouraging our listeners and readers to call the following number and remind the officials concerned that this is not Russia or Nazi Germany, and that officer Scarborough's conduct was shameful and an insult to everything America is supposed to stand for.

Scarborough's experience in Iraq of kicking down doors and taking innocent people to camps is not something that should be brought back to America, and the charges against the Kuhns should be dropped immediately along with a formal apology issued.

Sheriff Van Duncan's Office: 828-250-4503

[Ol Sparky]

Day 1558 since MISSION ACCOMPLISHED was declared by the LIAR. [img]mad.gif[/img]

[gus danger]

I don't know how Bush sleeps at night!
How many human lives have been snuffed out because of him,and this "mission" of his?!?!?
[img]frown.gif[/img]
GD

[SouthwestRanger]

Originally posted by gus danger:
I don't know how Bush sleeps at night!
How many human lives have been snuffed out because of him,and this "mission" of his?!?!?
[img]frown.gif[/img]
GD

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cherie, Sparky, and GD...Here's an excerpt from an Old Poem that is very timely....

They say it was a shocking sight
After the field was won, 50
For many thousand bodies here
Lay rotting in the sun;
But things like that, you know, must be
After a famous victory.

"Great praise the Duke of Marlbro' won, 55
And our good Prince Eugene"?
"Why 'twas a very wicked thing!"
Said little Welhelmine;
"Nay?nay, my little girl," quoth he,
"It was a famous victory. 60

"And everybody praised the Duke
Who this great fight did win"?
"But what good came of it at last?"
Quoth little Peterkin.
"Why that I cannot tell," said he, 65
"But 'twas a famous victory."

You can read the rest at

http://www.bartleby.com/106/216.html

[SouthwestRanger]

Bush Confirms He Will Seek More Dictatorial Power !!!!



After securing supreme status for his office and a six month window to implement whatever surveillance methods he wishes, Bush says his work is not yet complete

Infowars.net | August 7, 2007
Steve Watson

While Constitutional experts and even sectors of the corporate mainstream media have denounced the latest power grab by the Bush administration as "unnecessary and highly dangerous", the President himself has confirmed that he will seek even more authority from Congress and will attempt to pass more legislation aimed at granting the government unquestionable power over the people.

Legislation signed Sunday gives the government the green light to install permanent backdoors in communications systems that allow warrantless wiretapping of American citizens, a blatant violation of the 4th amendment.

The administration has a 6 month window in which to impose any surveillance program it chooses and that program will go unchallenged and remain legally binding in perpetuity - it cannot be revoked. Under the definitions of the legislation, Bush has been granted absolute dictator status for a minimum of 6 months, dovetailing with a recent Presidential Decision Directive that also appoints Bush as a supreme dictator during an announced emergency.

The bill was passed on Friday after the president jawboned Congress , saying lawmakers could not leave for their August recess at the weekend unless they "pass a bill that will give our intelligence community the tools they need to protect the United States."

Despite these huge freedom crushing steps, Bush says he is not done:

"While I appreciate the leadership it took to pass this bill, we must remember that our work is not done," Bush said in his Sunday statement . "This bill is a temporary, narrowly focused statute to deal with the most immediate shortcomings in the law."

The statement continues:


"When Congress returns in September the Intelligence committees and leaders in both parties will need to complete work on the comprehensive reforms requested by Director McConnell, including the important issue of providing meaningful liability protection to those who are alleged to have assisted our Nation following the attacks of September 11, 2001."
This basically means that the administration will push for liability for ISP's and cell phone companies in order to head off court cases brought by the ACLU and others, including retroactive protection which would neutralize all attempts to challenge the administration's wiretapping activities spanning back to 9/11.

Constitutional expert and Yale Law Professor Jack Balkin has slammed the statement and pointed out the use of Orwellian doublespeak by Bush whereby he effectively admits to breaking the law and illegally spying on American citizens without actually saying so:

"Apparently 'allegedly helped us stay safe' is Bush Administration code for telecom companies and government officials who participated in a conspiracy to perform illegal surveillance... Because what they did is illegal, we do not admit that they actually did it, we only say that they are alleged to have done it." --------
As the popular left leaning blog Think Progress has pointed out, even the corporate controlled mainstream media has editorialized against the FISA legislation, with the New York Times today calling it an ?unnecessary and dangerous expansion of President Bush's powers.?:

USA Today:

A skittish Congress allowed itself to be stampeded last week into granting the president unfettered surveillance power. When it returns to Washington, it should do what it can to make sure that the sun goes down on this flawed measure.

Washington Post:

To call this legislation ill-considered is to give it too much credit: It was scarcely considered at all. Instead, it was strong-armed through both chambers by an administration that seized the opportunity to write its warrantless wiretapping program into law ? or, more precisely, to write it out from under any real legal restrictions.

The New York Times:

While serving little purpose, the new law has real dangers. It would allow the government to intercept, without a warrant, every communication into or out of any country, including the United States. Instead of explaining all this to American voters ? the minimal benefits and the enormous risks ? the Democrats have allowed Mr. Bush and his fear-mongering to dominate all discussions on terrorism and national security.

The Los Angeles Times:

You know something's wrong with this Congress when a Democratic champion of privacy rights feels compelled to vote for Republican legislation that compromises those rights. That's what California Sen. Dianne Feinstein did last week when she joined a stampede to approve a temporary ?fix? sought by the Bush administration in a law governing electronic surveillance.



San Francisco Chronicle:

No-limits spying is on a roll. In rushed votes, both the House and Senate meekly accepted a White House plan to vastly expand phone and e-mail eavesdropping. The changes were sold as a key step in tracking foreign terrorists and their allies on American soil. But the shift guts any semblance of oversight, leaving the picking and choosing of targets to spy agencies.

The Boston Globe:

The administration maintains that technological changes have created problems with the 1978 law. But never has Bush demonstrated why the terms of that law, which permitted officials to get warrant approvals up to 72 hours after they started a wiretap, are no longer workable. This and other questions could have been answered if Congress had demanded an open debate on the administration's bill. Its failure to do so is a shameful abdication of its own responsibility. It's difficult to maintain a system of checks and balances when one branch simply checks out.

Rocky Mountain News:

Now the authority to approve wiretaps rests with the attorney general - hardly a reassuring prospect given Alberto Gonzales' performance in that office - and the director of national intelligence. ? Given the administration's expansive view of its own powers, this FISA rewrite could allow much wider eavesdropping, with little outside oversight.

Sacramento Bee:

After the 9/11 attacks, President Bush did an end run around the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, which prohibits eavesdropping on Americans without judicial oversight. Instead of going to Congress to change the law, Bush decided to simply monitor without warrants the international phone calls and e-mails of people inside the United States. Six years later, the Bush administration belatedly has gone to Congress. But instead of promoting modernization in the law, the administration has ginned up new fears about terrorist attacks and cowed Congress into passing hasty, ill-considered changes.

Seattle Post Intelligencer :

The redeeming aspect of the political theater involving Americans' rights to privacy is that Congress wrote itself an option for a better ending in six months.

The latest power grabs represent a move to legalize already existing covert programs that are in direct violation of the Constitution of the United States. The neocon administration has brought its crimes out into the open and the puppet Congress, rather than holding it accountable, is actively legalizing criminality.

www.infowars.com

[Ol Sparky]

Day 1568 since MISSION ACCOMPLISHED was declared by the LIAR.

He should grow a little mustache so he'll look even more like Adolf.

[gus danger]

Yup, that would make it easier for "we the people" to see what's staring us in the face!

[img]graemlins/grrr.gif[/img]