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Disbanding the Sunni patrols: A backlash brewing?
The last time the U.S. was involved in disbanding large Iraqi military units, things didn't go well - the fateful 2003 decision to dissolve the Iraqi Army proved to be a key strategic blunder that gave a massive boost to the insurgency. This week, the U.S. will try again, transferring control of 54,000 of the 100,000-strong largely Sunni citizen patrols known as the Sons of Iraq (SOI) to a Shi'ite-led government many of them view with suspicion. The rest will remain on the U.S payroll, as part of a phased transfer...
Read The Rest of the Article at Link... The last time the U.S. was involved in disbanding large Iraqi military units, things didn't go well - the fateful 2003 decision t... more -
Palin accepted money from tainted politician
Sadly, another gap between word and deed.
From the article:
"Sarah Palin felt so strongly about the public corruption indictment of a Republican state senator this summer that she urged him to resign — but not strongly enough to return the $1,000 he gave to help elect her governor.
The donation from John Cowdery was one of two from Alaska legislators who contributed to Palin's 2006 campaign weeks after the FBI raided their offices. The sprawling public corruption scandal that followed became a rallying point for candidate Palin, who was swept into office after promising voters she would rid Alaska's capital of dirty politics.
One of the donors is awaiting trial and Cowdery was indicted in July on two federal bribery counts. Palin, now GOP presidential nominee John McCain's running mate, has not returned their donations, according to campaign finance disclosures reviewed Thursday.
Palin's campaign said it was looking into the matter Thursday following repeated requests for comment from The Associated Press.
Over the years, both McCain and Democratic nominee Barack Obama have returned campaign donations tied to corruption, expressing regret in both cases. Obama's campaign says he's given to charity $159,000 tied to convicted Chicago real estate developer Antoin "Tony" Rezko. In the early 1990s, McCain returned $112,000 from Charles Keating, a central figure in the savings and loan crisis, after a Senate ethics inquiry."
Read full article at link. Sadly, another gap between word and deed. From the article: ... more -
Appalachian Voices: Follow the coal money
Want to know how much money your elected representative in Washington, D.C., received from the coal industry? A North Carolina environmental group is pledging to put that information right at your fingertips.
A new Web site tracks and lists the amount of donations that federal politicians receive from coal interests. Follow the Coal Money, at www.followthecoalmoney.org, is the latest salvo in what is turning out to be an increasingly heated battle over the future of coal in the nation's energy policy.
I'm not saying it is a big corporate conspiracy, but what (the money) is being spent for, it is being spent for a good reason, said Matt Wasson, director of programs for Appalachian Voices, which runs the site.
Coal is once again front and center as the nation's top leaders debate energy policy. Both presidential candidates have pledged to take actions to curb global warming, yet at the same time energy use is on the rise, thanks in part to new technology. For example, one Australian study found that a Playstation 3 uses five times the amount of energy as a five-foot high refrigerator.
Coal remains among the cheapest and most abundant energy-producing natural resource. Yet concerns over its environmental impacts have helped stop plans for new coal-burning power plants across the nation.
The coal industry is fighting back by ramping up its public relations efforts. Over the past year it has quadrupled its budget for its primary political campaign, called the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, according to news reports The campaign has run advertisements on TV touting the benefits of coal and maintains its own Web site at www.americaspower.org.
Follow the Coal Money is partly a response to that campaign. Its mission is touted on the front page: As Congress debates how to address two of coal's biggest problems mountaintop removal and global warming you can find out how polluters are influencing lawmakers with their dirty coal money.
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I believe it is simply a given that politicians are too devoid of true moral insight as to understand the amount of damage this form of energy continues to do to the planet and the health and safety of human beings. This is why I have little faith that any sort of comprehensive climate bill will pass in Congress regardless of who sits in the White House. In order for that to happen they would have to have a moral epiphany... or, see that the people have taken it upon themselves to bring the alternate energies we need to sustain ourselves and this planet to market. Solar and wind are booming now, but you won't hear that from the corrupt Congress that continues to collect the money of the coal and nuclear industries while touting how much they are for the environment... even as they work to kill tax incentives for those very alternate energy sources they claim we need.
The site Appalachian Voices put together now allows you to follow the members of Congress who talk out of both sides of their mouths to see how much they are taking from coal and to hold them accountable for it as they are accomplices in the continued erosion of our environment. Hopefully louder voices will be heard on the part of the people knowing they have the power to then tell these representatives that if they continue to side with the destruction of our planet in the form of pollution and it's contribution to climate change that we the people have the power to see to it that they do not serve us any longer. It has to begin with us, because it sure isn't going to begin with them. Want to know how much money your elected representative in Washington, D.C., received from the coal industry? A North Carolina environ... more -
Whaaa???? Ted Stevens wins Alaska primary despite huge bribery indictment????
Lying about gifts you receive from the big oil lobby doens't ruin your political career...
If you live in Alaska!!!!
It still gives you a landslide primary win!!
How will he serve if he wins this election AND goes to prison? Lying about gifts you receive from the big oil lobby doens't ruin your political career... If you live in Alaska!!!! ... more -
Who’s the Ass Rapist?
"Which hunk in a summer movie is a violent, closeted homosexual? The heartthrob snuck into his ex's apartment a few months ago and raped him so violently, the ex ended up in the hospital - and the actor paid him $500,000 to keep his mouth shut."
Now, if the Post is printing this, isn't it saying that it has good information about a brutal rape that's gone unpunished—information it's keeping secret in order to drive up Web traffic and sell papers? And if it's not saying that, isn't it instead saying it will print unfounded bullshit just as long as it's alarming and salacious? New lows every day, people! "Which hunk in a summer movie is a violent, closeted homosexual? The heartthrob snuck into his ex's apartment a few months a... more -
Report: McCain received $881,450 from big oil since he announced support for offsh...
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has made his complete reversal on offshore drilling a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, insisting that expanding offshore drilling into protected areas would lead to more oil supply on the market “within a matter of months” — regardless of the Energy Information Agency’s projection that oil would not reach the market for nearly a decade and “would not have a significant impact” on oil prices.
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Click on the above graph for more details and to access all the in-text links. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has made his complete reversal on offshore drilling a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, insisting that... more -
Salvia Mania
Eight states have already outlawed salvia; Michigan is among 16 other states seeking to criminalize its use and sale.
Translated from Latin, the drug's name means "sage of the seers." A website dedicated to the plant (salvia.net) tells us that its "psychoactive properties have been known to the Mexican Mazatec Indians for ages ..." and that its effects range from uncontrollable laughter to a sense of "profound understanding" to feelings of "total confusion or madness."
"In recent years," the site says, "salvia has become increasingly popular amongst explorers of nonordinary states of consciousness."
Sort of like News Hits itself.
Earlier this year, the Michigan House voted 106-0 to approve House bill 5700, which seeks to criminalize use of the plant by classifying it as a "schedule 1 Narcotic," putting it in the same league as drugs such as marijuana, heroin, ecstasy and LSD. If the bill makes it into law, getting caught just using the stuff could land you in jail for up to a year, with a $1,000 fine to boot.
Although currently legal under federal law, eight states have already outlawed salvia; Michigan is among 16 other states seeking to criminalize its use and sale.
The legislation is currently awaiting approval by the Senate Committee on Health Policy.
The Metro Times contacted Speaker Pro Tempore Michael Sak, the Grand Rapids Democrat who sponsored the original House bill. Asked to explain the specific negative effects associated with salvia, Sak told us that the drug led to "extreme hallucinations, with psychological and physical impact." When we pressed him to be more specific, Sak instructed us to "go to YouTube, and look up 'crazy ass salvia video.'"
We hold the research being done by all the exemplary psychedelic experimenters at YouTube in as high regard as anyone, but we asked Sak if he could produce any literature produced by actual, you know, scientists with medical degrees and things like that. Sak, saying he didn't have any peer-reviewed literature to share with us, suggested we find some on our own.
A search of scholarly journals didn't help much. The Clinical Journal of Psychopharmacology tells us salvia is indeed a hallucinogen, and that its effects are strong. Little else is understood about this member of the mint family. ("For a minty fresh mind!" strikes us as a helluva good advertising slogan, however.)
There are not, as of yet, any rigorous studies showing salvia use leading to mental disorders or physical damage. According to the Associated Press, there's no record of anyone dying while actually on the stuff.
U.S. government statistics put salvia's rate of use among the population far behind most other illegal recreational drugs, such as ecstasy, LSD, marijuana, heroin and cocaine.
During our research, News Hits found a nice story about the issue by Neal McNamara in City Pulse, an alternative newspaper in Lansing. McNamara actually tried the stuff, but reported it didn't really do all that much for him. A little "light euphoria" maybe, but certainly no "purple dragons" or any other heavy head trips.
A major contributor to Sac's 2006 campaign was the Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association.
According to information posted on the Web by the nonprofit National Institute on Money in State Politics, the association was Sak's No. 1 supporter in 2006, giving his campaign $5,948.
Why will no one stand up and say no to criminalization?
We have a voice and a chance to protect this and all of mother earths plants...
Join the conversation and add your thoughts by commenting below. Eight states have already outlawed salvia; Michigan is among 16 other states seeking to criminalize its use and sale. ... more -
Crooks and Liars » Flip-Flopping On Oil Drilling Proves Lucrative For McCain
WaPo:
Campaign contributions from oil industry executives to Sen. John McCain rose dramatically in the last half of June, after the senator from Arizona made a high-profile split with environmentalists and reversed his opposition to the federal ban on offshore drilling.
Oil and gas industry executives and employees donated $1.1 million to McCain last month — three-quarters of which came after his June 16 speech calling for an end to the ban — compared with $116,000 in March, $283,000 in April and $208,000 in May.
McCain said the policy reversal came as a response to rising voter anger over soaring energy prices. At the time, about three-quarters of voters responding to a Washington Post-ABC News poll said prices at the pump were causing them financial hardship, the highest in surveys this decade.[..]
McCain delivered the speech before heading to Texas for a series of fundraisers with energy industry executives, and the day after the speech he raised $1.3 million at a private luncheon and reception at the San Antonio Country Club, according to local news accounts.
“The timing was significant,” said David Donnelly, the national campaigns director of the Public Campaign Action Fund, a nonpartisan campaign finance reform group that conducted the analysis of McCain’s oil industry contributions. “This is a case study of how a candidate can change a policy position in the interest of raising money.”
I’m sure it’s just a coincidence. Of course, John McCain has been getting substantial donations from lobbyists all along. Methinks this report “Embedded or In Bed: John McCain and His Lobbyist Problem” (.pdf) needs to be updated.
BooMan and JedReport has more… WaPo: ... more -
McCain Aide Scheunemann Linked to Bush Library 'Cash for Access' Scandal
We all know the names of professional athletes and actors that have little to do with our lives. Now it is time for us to get to know the corrupt men who have a lot to do with the way this country operates. Let me introduce you to:
Earlier this month, the Sunday Times caught longtime Bush associate Stephen Payne on tape offering access to top Bush administration officials in exchange for “six-figure donations to the private library being set up to commemorate Bush’s presidency.” Payne, who is now being investigated by the Homeland Security Department and the House Oversight Committee, made the offer to Kazakh politician Yerzhan Dosmukhamedov, who is also known as Eric Dos.
The Times reported that Dos had previously worked with Payne to arrange a 2006 visit by Vice President Dick Cheney to Kazakhstan. Dos claims that in exchange for arranging Cheney’s trip, “a payment of $2m was passed, via a Kazakh oil and gas company, to Payne’s firm.” Payne denies that any such arrangement existed.
But the Times reports today that Payne may be lying about his business dealings and that the money may have been funneled through a sister company to Payne’s lobbying firm:
The Sunday Times, however, has discovered the existence of a channel through which funds from the Kazakh government could have been readily transferred.
A sister company to WSP, Worldwide Strategic Energy (WSE), of which Payne is also president, has a subsidiary, Caspian Alliance, which is the sole US representative for KMG.
The Times reports that a top adviser to Sen. John McCain, lobbyist Randy Scheunemann, has direct ties to the company that is alleged to have funneled the funds:
Randy Scheunemann, chief foreign policy and national security adviser to John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, was listed in the WSE brochure as part of its executive team. Scheunemann and Associates, his lobbying firm, is reported as having represented the Caspian Alliance in 2005. We all know the names of professional athletes and actors that have little to do with our lives. Now it is time for us to get to know... more -
Police seize more Olmert papers
Israeli police have raided the Ministry of Industry and Trade as a corruption investigation into Prime Minister Ehud Olmert continues, official radio says.
The raid follows one on Jerusalem's city hall on Monday.
He is suspected of accepting bribes from a American Jewish businessman during his time as Jerusalem mayor and later as a minister.
He has admitted accepting election campaign donations from Morris Talansky but said he took no money for himself.
Police have now seized documents from Mr Olmert's time as both mayor of Jerusalem and minister of industry and trade.
Mr Olmert is already being investigated in several other corruption scandals.
Police questioned Mr Talansky on Monday and have asked him to remain in Israel until later in the month.
Morris "Moshe" Talansky - a New York-based financier - is said to have given hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash to Mr Olmert at a series of meetings in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Mr Olmert said Mr Talansky had helped him raise funds for election campaigns but he insisted everything had been legal.
Mr Talansky has also said all his actions on behalf of Mr Olmert were legal.
Mr Olmert became prime minister in 2006 after being minister for industry and trade from 2003-2006 and mayor of Jerusalem from 1993-2003.
Resignation calls
The accusations have cast doubt on Mr Olmert's ability to negotiate with the Palestinians and there have been growing calls for his resignation.
Mr Olmert has said he would only resign if prosecutors filed criminal charges. Israeli police have raided the Ministry of Industry and Trade as a corruption investigation into Prime Minister Ehud Olmert continues,... more -
Bribes, blackmail, bombs and Britain
To make this clear before the endless details cloud the issue, the story goes a little something like this. Anti-corruption campaigners claim that BAE (an arms dealer) paid bribes to Saudi Arabian royal family members so they could seal the deal on a £43 billion weapons deal. Yes that's 43 BILLION pounds of weapons sold to the Saudis who have been criticised for their human rights records in the past by human rights groups. There have also been recent reports of a woman on trial for witchcraft which has re-awoken the controversy and debate over whether the UK and US should have close ties with the country.
BAE denies the allegations and said the deal was a legal government to government deal. Despite this, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) began investigations into the anti-corruption campaigners' claims. Tony Blair then reportedly applied "irresistible pressure" on the SFO to stop investigating the case on the grounds that British national security would be threatened if they carried on. Hmmmm the anti-corruption campaigners thought.
Internal memos from the SFO showed they had received warnings from the Saudis that "British lives would be lost" if the investigation into the fraud and bribery continued. One Judge who heard the case said it was “just as if a gun had been held to the director’s head" and that the government had caved in to blackmail.
The anti-corruption claim threats of "another 7/7" were issued to stop the deal investigation thus ensuring that huge contracts were secured and to reassure any future arms-buying punter that dealings in Britain are safe. No investigation means no charges of bribery and fraud being brought against BAE and the British government, and if the leaked threats are to be believed it also protects our national security! Let us know what you think about this win win situation. To make this clear before the endless details cloud the issue, the story goes a little something like this. Anti-corruption campaigner... more -
Blair Corruption
The Guardian website today publishes documents exposing the extent of Blair's involvement in strangling the BAE inquiry during the last weeks of his tenure as Prime Minister. The secret papers reveal Lord Goldsmith's attempts to dissuade Blair from meddling with the criminal investigation. The Guardian website today publishes documents exposing the extent of Blair's involvement in strangling the BAE inquiry during th... more
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Bribery
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Bribery
