:: BoshTang :: Voice of the Free

Today's editorial comics

2005-10-27T15:35:00.000-04:00

Today's editorial comics.

And now for a change some FoxTrot

Abolish social security now !!!

2005-05-25T15:32:00.000-04:00

Social security in its current form should be abolished. Why, you ask? Take a look at the following quote from a social security actuary.

Stephen Goss, the nonpartisan chief actuary of the Social Security Administration, said the nation faces a pinch in 2009 because excess payroll taxes flowing into the program will begin to decline, halting the growth of surplus money that Congress has been tapping to fund other government programs.
full article here

The actuary is suggesting that social security is in trouble because it is failing to fund other government programs. So fix the system not because it is going bankrupt in 2042 but because congress would no longer be able to use the money to fund subsidies for corporations, pork barrel projects and tax cuts for the rich.

Using social security money to fund the general fund is the most regressive form of taxation. Income above $ 90,000 is not subject to the 12.4% social security tax. So the poor pays a higher percentage of their income as taxes than the rich. A person earning 15,000 dollars an year would pay 12.4% of their income as social security taxes. While a person earning 1 million dollars would pay just 1% of their income as social security taxes. This is fine if the money goes to a lock box which would be used to fund social security liabilities in the future. But the money is diverted to the general fund and is squandered by the Congress. No wonder extremists like Krauthammer keep claiming that the social security trust fund is a myth.

So what is the solution? Increasing the social security tax or increasing the income cap on social security would not remove the fundamental regressive nature of the system. One way this unfairness could be addressed is if the income cap is removed. Then the rich will have to pay the same tax that the poor pays. Or we could go with Al Gore’s lock boxes. We lost the best chance to fix the social security when the Supreme Court awarded the 2000 presidential election to ‘W’.

We have a deal

2005-05-23T20:49:00.000-04:00

So finally there is a deal on Filibuster. The Armageddon is averted. Both the left and the right are mad at the decision. So this must be a damn good deal for the republic. Here are some salvoes from both the sides.

First from the left

MyDD

This deal is politically damaging to the Democrats. Owen, Pryor and Brown are all in.

Eschaton

I don't know about you, but I don't like it.

But the right is super pissed...

Captain Ed

So far, no one really has the agreement, but from what I've seen on television up to now, the GOP only got votes for 3 nominees and the Democrats still get to keep the judicial filibuster "under extraordinary circumstances." This is the exact scenario that I foresaw when I heard that the centrists were gathering in the smoke-filled room. They coughed up the Constitution and got guaranteed votes on less than half of their nominees.

Powerline Blog

What a hideous deal! ... .
Someone explain to me why the Republicans haven't been rolled once again. To me, it looks like a pathetic collapse on the part of the Republicans--not the leadership, but Senators like McCain who sold out their party.

Ace of Spades

John McCain is in full peacock mode.

Buzz Blog

This so called "deal" was a retreat from earlier claims that Democrats were willing to approve five of the seven filibustered nominees. Talk about bad negotiating tactics - McCain and company actually lost ground when the GOP held all the cards.

Scared Monkeys

COMPROMISE REACHED! REPUBLICANS SCREWED!

Coming soon to U.S. Senate

2005-05-18T16:34:00.000-04:00

nuke_mushroom.jpeg

This weeks editorial comics

2005-03-18T19:03:00.000-05:00

Social Security

Tom Delay and Republican ethical problems

Budget and Bankruptcy bills

ANWR & Bush oil policy

Media

Bush Appointments

General comics

Trouble with the Irish Republican Army

Gay marriage amendments

China

Baseball : Congress hearings

Syria

Bolton at UN

Atlanta and Wisconsin Shootings

Michael Jackson

Martha Stewart

This weeks editorial comics

2005-03-12T00:43:00.000-05:00

Iraq

Social Security

Bankruptcy Bill

Lebanon

Bolton (U.N)

Martha Stewart

Dan Rather

Others

Mr. Feingold, are you running for something?

2005-03-10T23:59:00.000-05:00

He certainly seems to be courting the bloggers. Check out his post in MyDD diaries. Senator Russ Feingold's post

McCain linked to corporate donations

2005-03-08T12:37:00.000-05:00

This could torpedo McCain’s bid for presidency in 2008. Group tied to McCain accepted money from a corporation regulated by McCain.

A senator promotes a government policy sought by a corporation while a tax-exempt group closely tied to him solicits and gets $200,000 from the same company.

McCain's help to Cablevision Systems Corp. included letting its CEO testify before his Senate committee, writing a letter of support to the Federal Communication Commission and asking other cable companies to support so-called a la carte pricing.

McCain's assistance in 2003 and 2004 was sandwiched around two donations of $100,000 each from Cablevision to The Reform Institute, a tax-exempt group that touts McCain's views and has showcased him at events since his unsuccessful 2000 presidential campaign.

The group also pays McCain's chief political adviser, Rick Davis, $110,000 a year. Cablevision's donations accounted for 15 percent of the institute's fund-raising in 2003, tax records show.

But..

McCain had expressed interest in exploring the a la carte option for years before Cablevision advocated it

A sad day indeed...

This weeks editorial comics

2005-03-04T21:48:00.000-05:00

More below...

From CNN..

From Atlanta Journal constitution...

From Washington Post...

Final breath of the dragon?

2005-03-01T22:32:00.000-05:00

Bush is squandering his political capital faster than you can say lame duck. Right wing attempt to privatize social security has stopped dead on its heels. Now the White House is going for the Hail Mary. Six weeks of intense marketing to convince Americans why their money is safer in the hands of Wall Street.

White House officials are telling Republican lawmakers and allies on K Street that they must begin to overcome opposition to President Bush's proposal for changing Social Security within six weeks, GOP strategists said yesterday.

FCC coming to its senses (atlast)

2005-02-28T17:20:00.000-05:00

U.S. communications regulators Monday rejected complaints that the broadcast of "Saving Private Ryan," a film depicting the U.S. landing in France during World War II, violated indecency limits.

The Federal Communications Commission unanimously decided that ABC television affiliates did not violate indecency regulations when they aired the movie on Veteran's Day in November, despite complaints about profanity and violence.

Power failure brings down wikipedia

2005-02-22T10:49:00.000-05:00

Wikipedia, worlds best encyclopedia, was brought down yesterday by a power failure. You could help wikipedia by donating here.

Bill Maher defines politics

2005-02-20T22:10:00.000-05:00

I love Bill Maher (In a strictly platonic way). I found the following in his website.

DNC Chair : Dean

2005-02-05T16:59:00.000-05:00

Dean has got over 250 endorsements for DNC chair. This would put him over the top.

Republican Presidential Candidate for 2008?

2005-02-05T16:31:00.000-05:00

Who do you think would be the Republican Presidential candidate in 2008. To vote click here. To view the results click here.

Leave a comment if you want to add more candidates to the poll.

Democratic Presidential Candidate for 2008?

2005-02-05T15:01:00.000-05:00

Who do you think would be the Democratic Presidential candidate in 2008. To vote click here. To view the results click here.

Leave a comment if you want to add more candidates to the poll.

Deja vu?

2005-01-31T11:55:00.000-05:00

A word of caution from DailyKos. Vietnam election in 1967.

Geo-Greens??

2005-01-31T02:24:00.000-05:00

Take a look at Tom Friedman's solution for problems in the middle east .

Yes, there is an alternative to the Euro-wimps and the neocons, and it is the "geo-greens." I am a geo-green. The geo-greens believe that, going forward, if we put all our focus on reducing the price of oil - by conservation, by developing renewable and alternative energies and by expanding nuclear power - we will force more reform than by any other strategy. You give me $18-a-barrel oil and I will give you political and economic reform from Algeria to Iran. All these regimes have huge population bubbles and too few jobs. They make up the gap with oil revenues. Shrink the oil revenue and they will have to open up their economies and their schools and liberate their women so that their people can compete. It is that simple.
Thomas Friedman, NY Times

Unfortunately it is not that simple. Number of countries in the regions, including Syria and Jordan, have little or no oil. Both are as bad as any other country in the region in their treatment of women. Free speech and political freedom are unheard of concepts in these countries.

Renewable and alternative energy sources are good solutions for environmental problems. But the problem in Middle East is not environmental, it is political. And a political problem requires a political solution.

Wrong finger?

2005-01-30T17:25:00.000-05:00

Index finger? They should have used the middle finger. It would have sent the correct message to all insurgents.

Future of Iraq

2005-01-30T17:02:00.000-05:00

I am optimistic about the future or Iraq. Why? Free and fair elections could do wonders in a strife-torn region. Initial reports claim 72% polling in Iraq. That is 12% more than the voter turnout in U.S.

A perfect example of the power of elections is the former terrorist infested state of Punjab, India. During 1980 and early 1990s thousands of people died in Punjab as a result of terrorist activities. If the face of insurmountable odds Government of India conducted elections in the state in February 1992. Guess what the tunout was? 21.6%. But within a year of these elections terrorism was a distant memory and Punjab returned to normal. Currently Punjab is one of the most prosperous and fastest growing states in India.

It is my ernest hope that like Punjab, Iraq would also become a shining model of a prospeorus democratic state in the middle east.

Goddammit

2005-01-26T09:58:00.000-05:00

36 U.S. forces killed in Iraq

Condi's confirmation hearings

2005-01-19T10:47:00.000-05:00

My favorite moment during Dr. Rice's confirmation hearing.

Don't listen to Donald Rumsfeld. He does not know what he is talking about.
Senator Joe Biden

Theocracy Alert !!!

2005-01-17T01:46:00.000-05:00

A judge should be evaluated by whether he faithfully upholds his oath to God, not to the people, to the state or to the Constitution.
Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court Justice

Does Harry Reid need to provide more proof for the fact that Justice Thomas is an embarrassment to the Supreme Court.

Update
May be we were too hard on Thomas. Atrios is reporting that the real quote was different. Let us see how it turns out.

PARKER: Just moments before I placed my hand on the Holy Scripture, Justice Thomas soberly addressed me and those in attendance. He admonished us to remember that the worth of a justice should be evaluated by one thing, and by one thing alone: whether or not he is faithful to uphold his oath _ an oath which as Justice Thomas pointed out is not to the people; it's not to the state; it's not even to the Constitution, which is one to be supported, but is an oath which is to God Himself.

German politicians call for ban on swastika

2005-01-16T23:50:00.000-05:00

What I am going to say is surely going to offend a lot of people. Isn't Dixie Flag the same as Swastika? Should we not call the people who embrace to Dixie for what they really are? All the talk about confederate heritage is just another way of downplaying the terrible sin of slavery. You don't see people in Germany talking about their proud Nazi heritage.

But let me make one thing clear. I do NOT support a ban on Dixie or Swastika. I am a champion of liberty and could in no way support a rule that inhibits free speech, even hate speech.

Chinese dissident sympathizer Zhao dies.

2005-01-16T23:34:00.000-05:00

World mourns the death of a great champion of democracy and freedom. It is our earnest hope that flames of freedom are still alive in China.

"W" Legacy : Education ?

2005-01-15T17:14:00.000-05:00

President Bush is probably going to be remembered as the great "Education President". He is planning to push for extension of No Child Left Behind act to High Schools. You may like or dislike him, but Bush without any question has done more to improve basic education in this country than any other president in recent history. Has he done enough? That is another debate.

But remember, this is his second term. He is already being called a lame duck. Let us see if the conservatives in the congress would be willing to accept this increase in education funding.

Unamarried fornication no longer a crime in Virginia

2005-01-15T16:59:00.000-05:00

What? It was a crime?

Our lawmakers in action.

2005-01-11T13:28:00.000-05:00

"When does the program (Social Security) go belly up? 2042. I will be dead by then."

Rep. Rob Simmons (Conn.)

Mississippi libraries ban 'Daily Show' book

2005-01-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

Another instance of censorship gone wild. Even walmart banned it a few months back. May be Jon Stewart would release a version of the book without the offending pages. This book would really help some of the young brats in Mississippi party schools learn about democracy.

Library officials in two southern Mississippi counties have banned Jon Stewart's best-selling "America (The Book)" over the satirical textbook's nude depictions of the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices.
"We're not an adult bookstore. Our entire collection is open to the entire public," Willits said. "If they had published the book without that one picture, that one page, we'd have the book."

Salazar under attack in CO

2005-01-10T01:24:00.000-05:00

Diane Carman of Denver Post does not seem to be happy with Colorado Senator Salazar's backing of fellow hispanic Gonzales for Attorney General.

The writers are wondering what on earth the Democratic senator is doing buddying up to the likes of Alberto Gonzales. Is this the first sign of a Ben Nighthorse Campbell-style defection to the Republican ranks after using the Democratic Party to get elected

Come on Diane, a little bit of non-partisanship in very much needed in this divided country.

Gingrich for president ?

2005-01-08T17:26:00.000-05:00

Newt seems to be exploring his candidacy for President. If he gets the nomination he would be a weak candidate. He brings with him too much baggage. In addition to being a right wing hack he was involved in a sex scandal. Still it would still be interesting to see a Hillary - Newt Gringrich election. Question is, who is more polarizing ?

Many critics of Gingrich has noted that while his party hammered President Bill Clinton over the Lewinsky scandal, that Gingrich himself had a history of what many would consider bad personal conduct. In 1981 Gingrich reportedly informed his first wife, Jackie Battley, that he wanted a divorce just as she had received a diagnosis of cancer. Gingrich and Marianne Ginther were married months later.

Also, during the very time of the Lewinsky scandal, Gingrich was having an extramarital sexual affair with Callista Bisek, a scheduling and assistant hearing clerk on his staff who is 23 years his junior. The affair reportedly began well before Gingrich assumed the speakership in 1994, and continued through his divorce from his wife, Marianne Ginther Gingrich, in 1999. Reportedly, Gingrich's fellow Republicans knew he was engaged in the extramarital relationship and used that knowledge to ease him out of the speakership.

According to the Washington Post, in late 1999, Gingrich reportedly telephoned Marianne in Ohio during Marianne's mother's birthday party to inform her that he "didn't want [her] as his wife any more." For more click here

Republicans to hold on to ethics standards

2005-01-04T01:44:00.000-05:00

Just when you thought the House Republican's were going to self destruct. At least there are still some *real* conservatives left in the Republican party.

House Republican leaders last night abandoned a proposal to loosen rules governing members' ethical conduct, as they yielded to pressure from rank-and-file lawmakers concerned that the party was sending the wrong message. The proposal would have made it more difficult for lawmakers to discipline a colleague for unethical behavior and would have allowed Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) to keep his post if he is indicted by a Texas grand jury that is looking into his campaign finance practices. The sudden reversal came amid growing indications of dissension within the GOP. Just before House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's office announced that the measures were being dropped, the chairman of the House ethics committee issued an unusual statement denouncing the leadership's plan.

Mutiny watch : Israel

2005-01-04T01:25:00.000-05:00

Expect to see more stories like this from Israel as Sharon pushes forward with his aggressive and long overdue plans for unilateral disengagement from Gaza.

The Israeli army says a soldier has been arrested for calling on his comrades to refuse to evacuate a West Bank settlement outpost. It happened the day after settler leaders said hundreds of soldiers might refuse to carry out orders to evacuate Gaza Strip settlers if the government went ahead with its plan to withdraw this year.

Sharon's tenure has been a pleasant surprise to many including me . I expected him to be a right wing hack like Binyamin Netanyahu. Who would have thought the butcher of Sabra and Chatila ( more info ) would initiate a voluntary withdrawal from Gaza? We have never been this close to a lasting solution to the Arab-Israel conflict.

Montana turning blue

2005-01-03T01:07:00.000-05:00

Montana voted for Clinton in 1992. more
Democrats just gained control of the House, Senate and Governor's office. more
The State Supreme Court just ruled that government universities must provide domestic partner benefits for gay couples. more

Is it the light at the end of the tunnel for progressives ?

Republican Rossi wants a re-election in WA

2004-12-30T14:57:00.000-05:00

Somebody remind Rossi that he is in Washington, not Ukraine.

The night before Washington's secretary of state was scheduled to certify Democrat Christine Gregoire as the governor-elect, her Republican rival Dino Rossi called for a complete re-do of the longest, closest governor's race in state history.

"The uncertainty surrounding this election process isn't just bad for you and me -- it is bad for the entire state. People need to know for sure that the next governor actually won the election," Rossi said Wednesday evening, reading from a letter he sent to Gregoire.

The cost of freedom

2004-12-30T14:40:00.001-05:00

Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), chairman of the House foreign-aid Appropriations subcommittee, said last week that Bush would ask Congress for $75-80 billion to supplement the cost of the war. Kolbe and four Democratic lawmakers traveled to Iraq last week.

Congress gave the administration an additional $25 billion earlier this year to bridge a funding shortfall for the last two months of 2004; of that, $23 billion will be spent in 2005. In April 2003, Congress passed a supplemental bill of $78.5 billion, and in November 2003 Congress passed an additional $87 billion, of which $18.4 billion paid for reconstruction in Iraq.

Sham Uzbek Elections

2004-12-28T15:57:00.000-05:00

A second front has just opened in the Frigid Wars (The war between democracies and autocracies). Let us see if we can use repeat Ukraine in Uzbekistan.

"Although minor improvements since the 1999 elections were identified, the mission concludes that the elections did fall significantly short of OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections," an observer mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said.

"Regrettably, the implementation of the election legislation by the authorities failed to ensure a pluralistic, competitive and transparent election," the statement quoted Ambassador Lubomir Kopaj, head of the OSCE mission, as saying.

Washington State Republican "Fishing Expedition"

2004-12-28T15:34:00.000-05:00

Chris Vance, state Republican party chairman, said officials will decide whether to challenge the recount results after studying the voter rolls from King County, a Democratic stronghold that includes Seattle.

Abortion rights under attack in Mississippi

2004-12-28T14:33:00.000-05:00

Anti-abortion activists are resorting to tactics reminiscent of the Nazis. This is one battle we can’t afford to loose.

Tsunami Update

2004-12-28T10:51:00.000-05:00

Note: Some employers match your contributions to charities. So if you put 100 $ the employer would put another 100 $. This way you could double your contributions. Check with your employer and find out which charities are matched by your employer and make a donation to one of those charities.

If you come across any other relief organization please add then to the comments. I will update the main list with that information.

Note: If you are making donations to international relief organizations (like Red Cross or Salvation Army) you could request that your money be spent for a specific purpose (like Tsunami victims in this case ).

International Organizations
ReliefWeb : Best website for information : Maintained by the United Nations
International Red Cross
OxFam UK
Salvation Army
Care
Caritas International

American Organizations
American Red Cross
Care USA
Salvation Army U.S.A
Doctors without borders

Canadian Organizations
Salvation Army Canada
Canadian Red Cross
UNICEF Canada
Oxfam Canada

India
Donate to Indian Prime Minister's relief fund

The best place to give donations is the Indian Prime Ministers relief fund.
Form for faxing the donations

More information about prime ministers national relief fund.
http://pmindia.nic.in/relief.htm

AID India ( Highly recommended)

Aid India Link to Aid Poster (Color, Black and White)
The Association for India's Development (AID), Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization with over 40 chapters in the US. AID has received the highest 4-star rating by Charity Navigator, America's best-known independent evaluator of charities. AID projects and partners have also received several national and international awards and recognitions. AID has assisted in previous disaster relief such as the Gujarat Earthquake (2001), Gujarat Communal Riots (2002) and Bihar & NE India Floods (2004). Contributions to AID Inc. are tax-deductible in the US. Our federal tax-ID is 04-3652609. More information about AID can be found at www.aidindia.org.

Times of India Relief Fund

[Information about making Donations] This is the most read and respected English newspaper in India. They have set up a Tsunami relief fund. They did a pretty good relief job during the last big natural disaster in India. The Gujarat Earthquake of 2001 that killed over 20,000 people. For more info about their activities during 2001 click here.

More links to make donations to India. Click Here

Some Indian NGOs
CRY
Indian Red Cross
Care India

Philippines

Episcopal Relief and Development

Sri Lanka

Please post links in the comments section...

Indonesia

Please post links in the comments section...

Latest Deathtolls. Courtesy CNN

DEATH TOLLS
SRI LANKA
Sri Lankan military authorities report more than 18,000 people killed. Tamil Tiger rebels report 2,000 dead in the territory they hold in the northeast of the country.

INDIA
At least 9,500 killed by waves that flooded the southern coast, official media report.

INDONESIA
News agencies report more than 4,730 killed, many of them in Aceh in northern Sumatra.

THAILAND
Thai authorities report at least 1,000 people dead.

MALDIVES
46 people are dead and more than 70 missing, according to Hassan Sobir, the Maldives high commissioner.

HOTLINE NUMBERS
India: +91 11 2309 3054

Thailand: +66 2643 5262 and 2643 5000

Sri Lanka (residents): +94 11 536 1938
Sri Lanka (tourists): +94 11 243 7061

Maldives: +44 20 7224 2149

Seychelles: +248 321 676

Tsunami Deathtoll crosses 23000

2004-12-27T09:51:00.000-05:00

Latest figures provided by CNN

DEATH TOLLS
SRI LANKA
Sri Lankan military authorities report more than 10,000 people killed. Tamil Tiger rebels report 2,000 dead in the territory they hold in the northeast of the country.
INDIA
At least 6,200 killed by waves which flooded the southern coast, official media report.
INDONESIA
News agencies report more than 4,350 killed, many of them in Aceh in northern Sumatra.
THAILAND
Thai authorities report at least 866 people dead.
MALDIVES
46 people are dead and more than 70 missing, according to Hassan Sobir, the Maldives High Commissioner.

For more news and information about making donations visit. http://www.boshtang.com/2004/12/tsunamis-hit-south-asia-over-10000.html

Yushchenko claims victory

2004-12-26T21:25:00.000-05:00

Hurrah.. We just won the first engagement in the frigid war..

Viktor Yushchenko claimed victory in Ukraine's disputed presidential election before tens of thousands of cheering supporters after he took a clear lead over Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

Yushchenko has 56.52 percent to Yanukovych's 39.67 percent after 54.23 percent of the ballots from yesterday's re-run of last month's canceled second-round vote were counted, the Central Election Committee said early today. Yushchenko won in 17 of Ukraine's 27 regions, including Kiev, the capital, where he took 78 percent of the vote, the committee said.

Tsunamis hit south asia : Over 10,000 feared dead

2004-12-26T18:43:00.000-05:00

9,500+ AND COUNTING

INDIA 3,200
Sri Lanka 3,500 Indonesia 2583
Thailand 310
Malaysia 28
Maldives 10
Myanmar 10

More than 8,500 people were killed when giant waves triggered by a massive earthquake (8.9 on the Richter Scale, source: US Geological Survey), whose epicentre was near the Indonesian island of Sumatra, wiped out coastal areas in south and east Asia on Sunday morning.

It was the most powerful quake in 40 years.

Sri Lanka was the worst hit (2,425 dead), followed by India and Indonesia (more than 1,800 each), Thailand (257), Malaysia (28), Maldives (10) and Bangladesh (2).

Donation Resources

US Red Cross

Some International NGOs

International Red Cross
ReliefWeb
OxFam UK

Some Indian NGOs
http://www.cry.org/index.asp
http://www.aidindia.org/
http://www.indianredcross.org/

Donate to Prime Minister's relief fund
The best place to give donations is the Indian Prime Ministers relief
fund. Link below.
Form for faxing the donations .... http://pmindia.nic.in/formpmnrf.htm

More information about prime ministers national relief fund. http://pmindia.nic.in/fundreliefbody.htm
http://pmindia.nic.in/relieffund.htm

News Sources
Indian ExpressProabably the best source of info
http://www.rediff.com/
http://www.rediff.co.in/
http://www.timesofindia.com/
http://www.hinduonnet.com/
http://www.sify.com/
http://www.samachar.com/

deja vu ??

2004-12-23T11:08:00.000-05:00

Atleast we are "clearly" on the right side this time.

Viet Cong guerilla executed by a south Vietnamese General.

Iraqi election workers executed by insurgents.

Tom Friedman has a good column about the whole situation in Iraq. You can read more here.

Do not be fooled into thinking that the Iraqi gunmen in this picture are really defending their country and have no alternative.... "These so-called insurgents in Iraq are the real fascists, the real colonialists, the real imperialists of our age."They are a tiny minority who want to rule Iraq by force and rip off its oil wealth for themselves. It's time we called them by their real names.

However this war started, however badly it has been managed, however much you wish we were not there, do not kid yourself that this is not what it is about: people who want to hold a free and fair election to determine their own future, opposed by a virulent nihilistic minority that wants to prevent that. That is all that the insurgents stand for.

Kerik quits Guliani partners

2004-12-23T01:32:00.000-05:00

I feel sorry for this man....

The real drug war..

2004-12-23T01:25:00.000-05:00

During the second presidential debate this is what President Bush said in response to a question about reimportation of drugs from Canada.

Now, it may very well be here in December ..., I think there's a safe way to do it.
For more click here.

Apparantly not. Canadian drugs ain't coming home this Christmas. The administration panel that looked into this decided to side with the pharmaceutical companies. With congressional elections two years away none in Washington seems to be concerned about the ordinary folks who are dealing with the 40-60% increase in healthcare costs over the past four years. The President is not going to spend the hard earned political capital on something that would displease his big money donors. The fictitious crisis in social security and the tax reforms is where he is going to cash it in.

On a bipartisan note. The drug companies are fleecing the American consumer with higher drug prices and providing subsidized drugs to Canada and Europe. The administration has to take bold steps and demand those governments also to share the cost of drug development.

FDA warns naproxen (Aleve) users

2004-12-21T13:19:00.000-05:00

This reminds me of the dominos that followed the fall of Enron. Is there something seriously wrong with the drug industry? If these drugs are so harmful, why were they not tested extensively before they were put into the market?

The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to users of the over-the-counter pain reliever naproxen Monday after federal researchers found an increased number of heart attacks and strokes among users.
Naproxen, sold under the brand name Aleve, was part of a study by the National Institutes of Health into whether naproxen or the arthritis drug Celebrex could be used to treat Alzheimer's disease. NIH researchers halted the survey after finding people who took naproxen were 50 percent more likely to have heart attacks or strokes.

Boshtang person of the year : Iraqi Insurgent

2004-12-20T16:57:00.000-05:00

Boshtang person of the year title had only two serious contenders, President Bush and the Iraqi Insurgent. President Bush is without any question the great survivor of the year 2008, winning the re-election in the face of a mounting insurgency in Iraq and a bleak economy. Although his victory is important, the insurgency in Iraq has consequences much farther than the year 2004.

The Iraqi insurgent has brought the war on terror and the neocon agenda to a screeching halt. While the jury is still out on the long term effects of the Iraq war and the ensuing occupation, the insurgency in Iraq has forced all of us to rethink the strategy for winning the war on terror and facing up to the challenges that we are sure to encounter in the new world order. After the fall of Soviet Union, the neocon idea of Pax-Americana has encountered its first road block in the streets of Baghdad and Fallujah. Wolfowitz (whom I consider as the chief neocon strategist) suggested in 1992 that the United States dispatch six divisions to Lithuania if Russia tried to stop the republic's secession. The Bush administration post 9/11 considered U.N a nuisance. If it had not been for the insurgent (and the masses cheering and welcoming us with garlands) we would now be debating the merits of invading Syria or Iran. Maybe in this face of adversity we would develop a smarter and effective way of protecting American interests. The lessons of Vietnam helped us in defeating Soviets in Afghanistan. In the coming years we will have more challenges. Syria, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Lybia, Saudi Arabia, Yemem, Pakistan, North Korea, Cuba, China and list goes on.. But this year definitely belongs to the Iraqi insurgent.

Atrocious : Collective retribution

2004-12-20T15:53:00.000-05:00

The Social Security Administration is rejecting marriage documents issued for heterosexual couples in four communities that performed weddings for gay couples earlier this year. The agency is rejecting all marriage certificates issued in New Paltz, N.Y., after Feb. 27, when the town's mayor began marrying gay couples, according to town officials.

Susie Kilpatrick, 30, of New Paltz, said the local Social Security office told her that no marriage documents issued after Feb. 27 could be used to establish identity because of the gay marriages that took place there earlier this year.

Majority of seniors support medical marijuana

2004-12-18T11:22:00.000-05:00

75 % of seniors support medical marijuana. AARP has a great history of getting the things they want.

Baby taken from murdered mother's womb

2004-12-17T23:57:00.000-05:00

What the heck????

Just when you thought you would not have to hear Greta Van "Tabloid" Sustern harping about Scott and Lacy Peterson .....

Smoking out the New Mexico congresswoman

2004-12-17T15:53:00.000-05:00

This is what happens to whistle blowers in the republican congress.

Furious that Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) voted with Democrats on a controversial bill, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) is pushing to get her removed from his powerful Energy and Commerce Committee. On Sept. 30, nearly five weeks before Election Day, Wilson was the only Republican committee member to vote for a motion that would have forced the Bush administration to release internal cost estimates of the Medicare prescription-drug law. Democrats repeatedly criticized the administration this year for not revealing its cost assumptions on the Medicare bill until after it was signed into law.

The future of democracy in this country would be in serious jeopardy if both the parties start moving to there extremes and turn their backs on moderates.

A House GOP source said Barton is doing what he has to do, suggesting that the chairman needs to get rid of Wilson to send a message to the rest of his panel members that he expects them to be loyal.

Wilson is not afraid to buck GOP leaders. She publicly criticized the change in House rules that would allow House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) to remain in his post if he is indicted. At the time, she said, "As a general matter, we shouldn’t craft the rules of the House because of individual situations."

Cerebrex : Too cautious ?

2004-12-17T14:19:00.000-05:00

First Vioxx, now Cerebrex. Are we being too cautious with these medicines? All drugs have side effects. Drug companies are having a tougher time battling lawsuits than fighting pathogens. Its high time we had some Tort reforms in this country. One wonders what would have happened to Pencillin and Aspirin had personal injury trial lawyers been around when they were discovered.

Susan Collins wants Rumsfeld out

2004-12-16T14:26:00.000-05:00

Prominent GOP senators who want Rumsfeld out..

Susan Collins
John McCain
John Warner
Chuck Hagel
Trent Lott !!! Link

And the list keeps growing.
Throwing Rumsfeld out is the first step in defeating neocons.

Google suggest beta

2004-12-15T18:01:00.000-05:00

Just when you thought Google could not get any better...

http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=1&hl=en

A democrat no more

2004-12-15T16:36:00.000-05:00

Need more proof??

Fox News Channel, Giving 'Em More Zell

Retiring U.S. Sen. Zell Miller joining Fox News

According to FNC "We will plug him in wherever we can use him."

Missile defense test fails.

2004-12-15T16:33:00.000-05:00

Reuters report
20 years after Reagan's SDI star wars is still a matter of fantasies. Spooks and public diplomacy are the solution for fighting terror, not missile defense.

If a fraction of the amount of money pumped into star wars was used for stem cell research we would have cures for diseases that kill more people than any terrorist ever would. Remember Laura Bush's words
"the implication that cures for Alzheimer's are around the corner is just not right, and it's really not fair to the people who are watching a loved one suffer with this disease"

I bet if we spend billions on stem cells for 20 years we would have made some headway in fighting (or at least controlling ) Alzheimer's.

Get Rush Limbaugh off air

2004-12-15T14:43:00.000-05:00

Courtesy Atrios

FCC Action Alert!!!

1. Go to http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/menu/rush.guest.html and find your Limbaugh station.
2. Send an email to fccinfo@fcc.gov with your own version of the following:

On Monday, December 13 in the 2nd hour of his program (1pm EST) broadcast on [CALL SIGN HERE], Rush Limbaugh used the vulgar, sexual term "dick" when referring to a Miss Plastic Surgery pageant. Specifically, Limbaugh said:

"LIMBAUGH: Miss Plastic Surgery. (chuckle) And - I'd - I'd - I - I don't - I don't know what the winner - I - and, oh, I didn't print out both pages, so I don't know what the - I don't know what the winner gets. Probably a certificate to go to San Francisco to have an add-a-dick-to-me operation. "

According to the FCC:

Information regarding the details of what was actually said (or depicted) during the allegedly indecent, profane or obscene broadcast. There is flexibility on how a complainant may provide this information. The complainant may submit a significant excerpt of the program describing what was actually said (or depicted) or a full or partial recording (e.g., tape) or transcript of the material.

In whatever form the complainant decides to provide the information, it must be sufficiently detailed so the FCC can determine the words and language actually used during the broadcast and the context of those words or language. Subject matter alone is not a determining factor of whether material is obscene, profane, or indecent. For example, stating only that the broadcast station "discussed sex" or had a "disgusting discussion of sex" during a program is not sufficient. Moreover, the FCC must know the context when analyzing whether specific, isolated words are indecent or profane. The FCC does not require complainants to provide recordings or transcripts in support of their complaints. Consequently, failure to provide a recording or transcript of a broadcast, in and of itself, will not lead to automatic dismissal or denial of a complaint.

The date and time of the broadcast. Under federal law, if the FCC assesses a monetary forfeiture against a broadcast station for violation of a rule, it must specify the date the violation occurred. Accordingly, it is important that complainants provide the date the material in question was broadcast. A broadcaster's right to air indecent or profane speech is protected between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Consequently, the FCC must know the time of day that the material was broadcast.

May be Yushchenko was not poisoned.

2004-12-13T13:57:00.000-05:00

Codeblueblog has an interesting analysis. There are still a number of unanswered questions about the poison theory.

Return of the iron curtain

2004-12-08T18:39:00.000-05:00

.The iron curtain has not fallen, it has just moved further east.

Speculation is rampant that Ukraine’s Yushchenko was poisoned by Kremlin backed Yanukovich(or Kremlin itself).

Pictures of Yushchenko before and after his treatment in Austria. Only vintage KGB poison can cause such a drastic change in facial appearance.

Pentagon to test missile defese system

2004-12-08T18:32:00.000-05:00

The neo-con solution to terrorism. Missile Defense.

Spitzer Announces his candidacy

2004-12-08T14:15:00.000-05:00

A blue state should have a blue governor. Spitzer has announced his candidacy and he is already leading Pataki by 12 points (Quinnipiac poll).

There has been a lot of speculation that Colin Powell would throw his hat into the ring. This seems unlikely. Every time he takes up an executive position his reputation goes downhill. He should be looking forward to retiring and making lots of money in book deals and lecture circuits.

21st century Nativity Scene

2004-12-08T13:26:00.000-05:00

No liberal would object to this nativity scence.

From left to right: Samuel L Jackson, Hugh Grant and Graham Norton dressed as shepherds, David and Victoria Beckham as Joseph and Mary, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, The Duke of Edinburgh and US President George Bush as the Three Wise Men and Kylie Minogue as the Angel.

Bush as one of the three wise men???????

Troops grill Rumsfeld

2004-12-08T11:48:00.000-05:00

CNN Link

How arrogant can this guy get?

Army Spc. Thomas Wilson of the 278th Regimental Combat Team asked Rumsfeld in a question-and-answer session why vehicle armor is still in short supply, nearly three years after the war in Iraq. "Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to uparmor our vehicles?" Wilson asked. A big cheer arose from the approximately 2,300 soldiers in the cavernous hangar who assembled to see and hear the secretary of defense.

Guess what his reply was.

"You go to war with the Army you have, not the one you might want”

We certainly do not have to continue with an incompetent Defense Secretary. We want a defense secretary who would understand the plight of the soldiers. And this person is not fit for the job. If anybody in the cabinet has to quit it should be him.

“And, the defense chief added, armor is not always a savior in the kind of combat U.S. troops face in Iraq, where the insurgents' weapon of choice is the roadside bomb, or improvised explosive device. "You can have all the armor in the world on a tank and it can (still) be blown up," Rumsfeld said

What a great argument. You are going to get killed anyway. Why bother

White House: Borrowing to revamp Social Security likely

2004-12-07T14:07:00.000-05:00

Aaha.. That was their plan....

..The White House conceded Monday it will likely have to borrow money to pay for the president's proposal to create private accounts for younger workers to revamp Social Security...

http://us.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/12/06/social.security.reform/index.html

High Court Upholds Officer's Firing

2004-12-06T16:36:00.000-05:00

Another setback to First amendment.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-120604scotus_lat,0,4040619.story?coll=la-home-headlines

The justices, in a 9-0 decision, overturned the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which had said a public employee's "off-duty, non-work-related speech" usually cannot be the basis for punishing him.

9-0 ??? And you thought 3 of the justices were liberal?

Ukraine court cancels vote result

2004-12-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/12/03/ukraine.ruling/index.html

....Ukraine's Supreme Court has canceled the country's disputed presidential runoff results and called for a repeat of the second round of voting within three weeks....

Hopefully this will not be the start of a civil war. Let us see if Yanukovych respects this decision.

All inclusive church

2004-12-01T16:13:00.000-05:00

All inclusive church
Not all churches are stuck in the middle ages. Check out this news release.
http://www.ucc.org/news/r112904.htm

The debut 30-second commercial features two muscle-bound "bouncers" standing guard outside a fabled, picturesque church and selecting which persons are permitted to attend Sunday services. Written text interrupts the scene, announcing, "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we." A narrator then proclaims the United Church of Christ's commitment to Jesus' extravagant welcome: "No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here."

But NBC and CBS are refusing to air this commercial.
http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/01/news/fortune500/jesus_ad_ban/

Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples...and the fact that the executive branch has recently proposed a Constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast," the church quoted CBS as saying

And you thought the gay marriage amendment was not making discrimination part of the constitution.

Journalists under attack in China

2004-12-01T15:25:00.000-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/01/opinion/01kristof.html?oref=login

--In fairness, sending journalists to prison for doing their job is not an exclusively Chinese phenomenon. Several American journalists - Jim Taricani of NBC, Judith Miller of this newspaper and Matthew Cooper of Time - may be sent to U.S. prisons in the next month or two for refusing to reveal their sources.--

PA toll workers strike!!!!

2004-11-29T15:29:00.000-05:00

Eighty percent of the strikers are in job classifications that earn, with overtime, nearly $50,000 a year.

This is ludicrous. An engineer who completes a four college degree earns $50,000. (Link). These toll workers are not satisfied with their 50,000 $ salary ???. All they do is sit their glass boxes, extend their hands outside and put some coins in a register. You don't need Ivy League education for this.

Republicans want to do away with filibuster rules

2004-11-29T14:58:00.000-05:00

The founding fathers created the two houses of congress for a purpose. The House with its two year terms and simple majority rules should be representative of the rowdy masses. The Senate with its six year terms and filibuster rules should be a place where people with higher intellect gather to ponder on the various issues affecting the nation. Now the Republicans want to do away with the filibuster rule in Senate. If this move succeeds then the Senate with become another House with all its corruption and partisan bickering.

The filibuster is an important defense of minority rights, enabling democratic government to measure and respect not merely numbers but also intensity in public controversies. Filibusters enable intense minorities to slow the governmental juggernaut. Conservatives, who do not think government is sufficiently inhibited, should cherish this blocking mechanism. And someone should puncture Republicans' current triumphalism by reminding them that someday they will again be in the minority.

Another look at the "moral voter"

2004-11-29T13:02:00.000-05:00

Frank Rich has an interesting column in today's NY Times about the so called moral voter.

Ever since 22 percent of the country's voters said on Nov. 2 that they cared most about "moral values," opportunistic ayatollahs on the right have been working overtime to inflate this nonmandate into a landslide by ginning up cultural controversies that might induce censorship by a compliant F.C.C. and, failing that, self-censorship by TV networks. Seizing on a single overhyped poll result, they exaggerate their clout, hoping to grab power over the culture.

It took a British publication, The Economist, to point out that the percentage of American voters citing moral and ethical values as their prime concern is actually down from 2000 (35 percent) and 1996 (40 percent).

Supreme Court to weigh medical marijuana laws

2004-11-29T11:45:00.000-05:00

Even liberals can exploit state's rights. Lets us see how the Rehnquist supreme court, the champion of state's rights, handles this case.

Thanksgiving with the Bushes

2004-11-25T18:03:00.000-05:00

Why is it that Bush feels more comfortable with a hereditary King rather than a democratically elected president? Bush is hosting the King of Spain for thanksgiving. He is not in talking terms with the President of Spain, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. May be he is hoping America also has a similar system. Hail Her Highness Jenna Bush.

Republican's ripe for picking???

2004-11-24T18:29:00.000-05:00

Rumors had been circulating that Democrats are trying to convince a few Republican's to switch parties. This has gathered momentum after the right wing attempts to block the nomination of Arlen Specter as the Judiciary Committee Chair.

Arlen Specter (PA) , Lincoln Chafee (RI) , Susan Collins (ME) and Olympia Snowe (ME) are the prime targets. Even if all the four switched, Republicans would still have 51 seats in the senate.

Chafee once contemplated switching. All he needs is a good excuse.
http://us.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/09/republicans.chafee.ap/

There are a number of other senators who may consider switching.
John Sununu (NH)
Judd Gregg (NH)
George Voinovich (OH)
John McCain (AZ)

Democrats would require to convince at least 6 senators to switch to get the majority and influence policy. Maybe it is better for the Democrats to server 2 or 4 years in opposition and see the Republicans self destruct.

Still it would be interesting to see how Chafee, Collins and Snow vote when a Bork like (or Bork-lite) supreme court candidate comes along.

Democracy burning in Ukraine

2004-11-24T17:18:00.001-05:00

The consensus is that the polls in Ukraine were fixed. Sadly this is the case with most of the former Soviet republics. Putin has already congratulated the incumbent president for the victory. Remember it was him who put the billionaire owner of Yukos ( and a potential challenger to the throne of Russia) in jail. Read more here

Looks like the former soviet republics are moving from far left communism to far right fascism.

Update : "Election Commission" declares Yanukovych the winner

Update: Protests in the streets. Click here

The challenger, Yushchenko, has his base in Kiev and western Ukraine, a region with closer cultural ties to Europe and where most people speak Ukrainian. He favors further integration with Europe and the West, although he has pledged to pull Ukraine's 1,600 troops out of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.

At least the Bush administration is doing something right. The challenger (Yushchenko) has wowed to pull Ukranian troops from Iraq. Still the American's are supporting him. At least somebody (Powell??) in the administration has sense. Lets hope this would be the kind of foreign policy that we can see from the second Bush admistration.

Republicans fail to pass intelligence reform

2004-11-24T16:18:00.000-05:00

Republican President
Republican House
Republican Senate

They still can't pass the reform 3 years after 9/11... How incompetent can they be??

What the **** is BoshTang?

2004-11-24T07:09:00.000-05:00

Q. What does BoshTang mean?
A. Nothing

Q. Is it your name?
A. No

Q. What do you stand for?
A. Freedom.

Q. What do you mean?
A. Economic and social freedom. Government should have no control over your economic or social decisions.