Retribution

This is where the Internet technology is leading us. While You Tube is bring in the masses, Vimeo is catering for true HD. Both have their usefulness in driving the Internet. In four years time when Barack stands for re election their will be massive changes on the Internet. Barack will be a driving force behind that. I have no doubt the Democrats who have mastered the power of the Internet will continue along that road, as long as Conroy’s firewall doesn’t go ahead we will be part of it. If you think we had good coverage of the election this time. Just wait till four years from now.

Vimeo HD.
http://vimeo.com/hd/page:1

Couldn’t have said it better, really:

Garrison Keillor writes in Salon about Bush leaving the White House “with a big grin in a couple of weeks, his self-esteem apparently fully intact, imagining that his legacy will emerge golden and shining in a hundred years after all of us are deceased. He is one of the cheerfullest idiots you ever saw, a man who could burn down his own house and be happy that the patio was still standing.”

…it cannot happen a moment too soon.

In today’s NY Times, Nicholas Kristoff:

But Israel’s right to do something doesn’t mean it has the right to do anything.

…and he reasons through his antidote to the mindless MSM mantra that “Israel has the right to protect itself”. Yes, but not the right to maim and kill in a frenzy of attacks that will only hasten more moderates into the radical camp.

As Jon Stewart so wittily put it, when Bloomberg waffled on about some guy trying to break down your apartment door as an analogy to the Israeli predicament: “yeah, but we forced the guy to live in the hallway and then pass all these checkpoints every time he wanted to take a crap”

There are plenty of Jews who see Israels descent into militarism and aggressive over-reaction as a large part of the problem, they just don’t get the same amount of airplay as the Zionist neocons and their proxies.

Amnesty International are calling for members of the Bush administration to be prosecuted as soon as possible.

Don’t say we don’t cover the big issues here.
CBS News

Porn Moguls Ask For Bailout.

t’s the water cooler story of the day: “Porn industry seeks federal bailout!”

As CNN reported late yesterday, Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild’s Joe Francis, in a move that has been effective in generating publicity for both, have vowed to “request that Congress allocate $5 billion for a bailout of the adult entertainment industry.”

Flynt spokesman Owen Moogan gave CNN an odd comment explaining the nature of “the take here.”

“…everyone and their mother want to be bailed out from the banks to the big three,” he said. “The porn industry has been hurt by the downturn like everyone else and they are going to ask for the $5 billion. Is it the most serious thing in the world? Is it going to make the lives of Americans better if it happens? It is not for them to determine.”

Continued on CBS News

http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/jim-morin/image_media/840189.html

…Milhous?

Now, that name alone should have set off alarm bells! LOL

CQ Politics.
Obama Pushes Congress to Act Swiftly on Stimulus.

As skeptics** question the size and direction of his economic stimulus plan, President-elect Barack Obama warned Thursday that “a bad situation could become dramatically worse” unless Congress acts swiftly.

“I don’t believe it’s too late to change course, but it will be if we don’t take dramatic action as soon as possible,” he said in remarks at George Mason University. “If nothing is done, this recession could linger for years. The unemployment rate could reach double digits. Our economy could fall $1 trillion short of its full capacity, which translates into more than $12,000 in lost income for a family of four.”

** This should read Neocons and Republicans. You know the guys that created this train wreck in the first place. They want to tell us how to run the economy. 😈

Continued on CQ Politics

KR,

Somehow I doubt that that is the policy. If it had been, they have had 40 years to carry it out. The problems in the region are much more complex than an overarching plan for genocide or relocation.

Having said that, Jordan successfully carried out such a policy in 1970-71. At least 2,000 – and possibly as many as 20,000 – people, mainly Palestinians, died in a few months.

According to Wikipedia, around 5,000 Palestinians have died in the last decade or so as a result of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, along with 1,500 Israelis. Obviously, the Jordanian government’s execution of its master plan was a lot more successful than Israel’s.

The vast majority of people, including national leaders, are driven by events, rather than the other way around. Indeed, the international economic crisis is a very good example. This is something that people should always bear in mind.

The Age.
Australia leading in technology.

Home printers capable of spitting out a colour page in a second are expected to be released around the world this year, made possible by technology developed by a research firm in Sydney.

The new Memjet technology was developed by Silverbrook Research, based in Balmain.

The research company has licensed the technology to Memjet Home and Office, which is working with printer manufacturers to integrate it into new printer models. A working prototype is on display at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Continued in the Age

513 – DG
The main mistaken premise is in relation to the Israel reason for the Israel-Lebanon war.

It had little to do with rockets initially. It was to retrieve two soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Lebanon_War

[‘The conflict began when Hezbollah militants responded to Israeli incursions by firing rockets at Israeli border towns as a diversion for an anti-tank missile attack on two armored Humvees patrolling the Israeli side of the border fence.’]

Further, in viewing the prior history prior to the 2006 war, unlike the Hamas rocket attacks, there was little (if any) rocket attacks by Hezbollah on Israel.

Thus, the current lack of rocket attacks on Israel from Hezbollah, had little if nothing, to do with the Israel/Lebanon war. I also note that rocket attacks continued until the ceasefire.

[‘According to the Winograd Commission Report, the Second Lebanon War was regarded as a “missed opportunity” and that “Israel initiated a long war, which ended without a defined military victory”. The report continued to state that “a semi-military organization of a few thousand men resisted, for a few weeks, the strongest army in the Middle East, which enjoyed full air superiority and size and technology advantages”. Furthermore, Hezbollah’s rocket attacks continued throughout the war and the IDF did not provide an effective response to it. Following a long period of using standoff fire power and limited ground activities, the IDF launched a large scale ground offensive close to the UN Security Council’s resolution which imposed a cease-fire. “This offensive did not result in military gains and was not completed”.’]

I think we are both in agreeance as to the excessive civilian casualties and the points raised in your final two paragraphs 🙂

Imagine a six hour trip with the kids. An Internet radio each with ten to 20 kids stations pre tuned, plus a selection of DVD’s. They’ll never get bored. No more are we there yet?

Chris B,

I would still prefer teleportation. Darn scientists – get on with it, you lazy bastards!

They still have to sort out the problem of teleportation while traveling at warp 9. Apparently it still has a few bugs in it.

They tend to end up back in the past somewhere, 2 or 3 thousand years ago. Very lonely I understand. 😈

Chris B,

I want teleportation to Alpha Centauri implemented in my lifetime. But a booth getting me to work and back each day would be excellent.

As to those test pilots, what a pack of whingers. Did Chuck Yeagar complain when his intestines were being twisted into knots at mach 1?

529 – DG
I note the US abstained again.
There will never be any chance at world peace whilst the neocons are in charge.

Even without them, there is precious little chance.

Ultimately and sadly it doesn’t appear likely in our lifetimes.

However, what we will eventually need is the UN to become the dominant power in charge of world affairs. This can only be done with the support of the veto wielding nations. At present, the system is hopelessly flawed. However, we must remember that we should not throw the baby out with the bath water, and blame a governing body restricted by ridiculous impediments.

3 keys words that prevent world peace
Religion
Nationalism
Neo-conservatism
(I could be cynical and say ‘humanity’)

And of course one of the main obstacles ‘lack of accountability’.
See the despotic reigns of Bush, Howard and Mugabe for countless examples 🙂

Hezbollah are certainly more powerful within Lebanon. But that internal strengthening is paralled by no action against Israel in that same period. From an Israeli perspective, that would seem a good thing.

And I agree with you that the war hurt Israel badly. But as to it being a loss, that is not so clear. (Again, it depends on what any individual defines as winning or losing, I guess.)

It actually looks to me as though Hezbollah have become a more political rather than military organisation. This is what I hoped for Hamas when they were elected to power in the Palestinian elections. I think that there were a number of lessons that Hezbollah learnt from the conflict with Israel, and the main one was that they no longer really want to fight Israel.

As to Israel and this recent conflict, militarily Israel have learnt a lot from their Lebanese experience. Israel are in the process of achieving their military goals and are taking far fewer casualties in doing so. Hamas may win the public relations war here, but their military capacity has been significantly reduced. It will be interesting to see if the same pattern emerges: if Hamas go down the political path instead of the military one.

536 – DG

In the past 5 years prior to the Israel/Lebanon war, incidents between Hezbollah and Israel were minimal. It is hard to draw a causal link between the conflict, to the fact there have been no further incidents.
Just as I would say there is no causal link between the lack of terrorist attacks in the US and the Iraqis and Afghanistan wars.

As to Hezbollah being a political organisation, they had members in the Lebanese government prior to the conflict. They now have a lot more members. Prior to the conflict, there were hopes that the Lebanese had finally escaped Syrian influence and were becoming a better member of the international community. Hezbollah was there but not as prominent as they are now.

I do not want Hezbollah gaining a foothold into the Lebanese government, let alone Hamas gaining a foothold into the Palestine government. However, Israel’s actions whilst not the primary reason, acts as a catalyst. I also would contest that Hezbollah are less likely to fight Israel after the conflict. Their leadership has not changed and they are biding their time.

How can Hamas go any further down the political path? They are the current government 😛
Its also rare for acts of war to lead a country to more moderates in power.

CNN
House to vote on stimulus after inauguration, Pelosi says.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that House committees will begin action on President-elect Barack Obama’s proposed economic recovery package in the next couple of weeks, with a vote in the full House slated for the week after Obama’s inauguration.

Obama will take office January 20.

If that schedule slips, Pelosi, D-California, pledged to cancel the House’s planned weeklong break in mid-February for Presidents Day.

“We are not going home without an economic recovery package,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi said Obama’s plan has broad public support “almost sight unseen,” citing a poll from Politico that says 79 percent of Americans support the president-elect’s plan.

A senior Pelosi aide said discussions about the details are ongoing between the Obama transition team and key leaders. The Ways and Means Committee will focus on the tax piece, approximately $300 billion in tax cuts.

Obama transition aides met with Democrats on that committee Wednesday morning to discuss various proposals, according to another Democratic aide.

The Appropriations Committee is tasked with drafting details on spending hundreds of billions of dollars on infrastructure projects, food stamps and other aid to states.

Continued on CNN

CNN
Obama may reverse Bush policies on stem cells, drilling, abortion.

President-elect Barack Obama could reverse some of President Bush’s most controversial executive orders, including restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, shortly after taking office in January.
Two other executive orders from Bush — one dealing with a so-called “gag” order on international aid organizations regarding abortion, the other with oil and gas drilling on federal lands — also are receiving increased scrutiny.

Obama’s transition team is reviewing hundreds of Bush’s executive orders, according to John Podesta, Obama’s transition co-chair.

New presidents often use executive orders to put their stamp on Washington quickly. Unlike laws, which require months to complete and the consent of Congress, presidents can use their executive authority to order federal agencies to implement current policies.

“Much of what a president does, he really has to do with the Congress — for example, budgeting, legislation on policy — but executive actions are ones where the president can act alone,” said Martha Kumar of the White House Transition Project, a nonpartisan group established to help new presidential administrations.

Obama is expected to use his executive authority to reverse Bush’s order limiting the types of embryonic stem cell research that can receive federal tax dollars.

Continued on CNN

542 CB

I think Obama has it easy.
He just needs to do a blanket reversal of every single one of Bush’s executive orders, and he wouldn’t be too far off.

Bush has been frantically issuing executive orders everywhere. About the only thing he hasn’t done yet is compulsory prayers every where. YET.

All these puritanical bastards trying to prevent Burris and Franken from participating will have some serious questions to answer when the fallout from the Abramoff cesspit hits the oscilating blades connected to an AC squirell cage induction motor suspended from the ceiling.
There is never a dull moment in Seppo politics. They are forever unearthing corruption at it’s best.
Looks like Mr Ring should avoid small aircraft flights as well.

A few Democrats are likely to be caught in the sleaze, Kos reports, but the heaviest fallout figures to land on the GOP. The investigation now appears to be geared toward using Ring as a stepping stone to build cases against a number of Republican luminaries, including John Doolittle, Roy Blunt, Tom DeLay, Karl Rove, and more.

When Ring begins to fully cooperate with investigators–and it appears he will have little choice but to cooperate–some serious dominoes could start to fall.

The biggest domino in our neck of the woods could be the governor of Alabama–and perhaps some of his close associates.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Abramoff-Trail-Might-B-by-Roger-Shuler-090108-606.html

And it looks as if a few Democrats may bite the dust as well.

From a link to the Daily Kos from 547;

These exchanges basically mean that the Department of Justice is sitting on millions and millions of emails and pages of documents. Hell, they have almost 55,000 emails that Kevin Ring sent or received. Add to that thousands of hours of interviews and question sessions with people involved in the scandal. It is a massive pile of evidence that must have many players in the GOP trembling with fear—and sadly, a few Democrats as well. Regardless of their Party each and every one of these players in this scandal needs to be exposed and banished from policy and politics forever. They are dirtballs, each and every one. No exceptions.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/1/2/0828/92837/28/679346

the six Goppers that want to be King Gopper were to front a GOP meeting to air their views. Looks like it was a disaster.

The GOP is Swirling the Drain;

One small problem, which became clear as the secretary called the roll:

No quorum. Not enough Republicans had turned out to allow for the official convening of a meeting.

http://indigentahole.blogspot.com/2009/01/gop-is-swirling-drain.html

As for Obi –
he faces the Perfect Storm – financial meltdown , an escalation of war in the middle-east and a further deterioration of relations betwwen Islam and the West, and enviromental armageddon.
May he be the saviour we need, (but of course he can’t be – even Jesus H,. himself would be hardpressed this time.)

557
ROTFL
What a cracker Gaffy.
“The vision of Lee Kuan Yew” eh?
I’ll bet Catrina is warming up the electrodes in honour of your upcoming visit to the Tickster’s dungeon as I type.

543 Chris B What I meant to say was speed and unlimited download a the two main issues with the broadband Kevin needs to deal with.

Well done Catrina, it couldn’t have gone to a better person. The Three Amigo’s will be spitting chips. After all it was them that gave you the motivation, and now you’ve won a deserving award.

Blagsonofabitch impeached.

Chicago tribune. Link in right column;

SPRINGFIELD — Paving the way for an unprecedented House vote Friday to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a legislative panel unanimously approved a scathing report accusing the two-term Democrat of a wide array of offenses, including criminal corruption and wasting taxpayer money.

Ecky, the reports that do manage to get out of Gaza are so appalling and sickening that there are no words strong enough to condemn this barbarism. Israel’s ugly fascist nature, disguised as ‘self defence’, is there for all the world to see.

We can no longer be “eyeless in Gaza”, or else we are complicit in these shocking crimes.

2.6 million jobs lost in the US in 2008. (Bush’s ‘greatest achievement’?)

It’ll surely be double digits later this year despite Obama’s best efforts to try and defibrilate this comatose economy.

Economists are gaga at the numbers and falling over themselves to find the right adjectives. They are in free fall, and terminal velocity is still a way off yet.

EU Observer
Talking about the EU and the USA.

Merkel and Sarkozy call for global ‘economic security’ council.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy have warned the US not to block attempts to build an international financial regulator, calling for a new economic body similar to the UN’s Security Council.

“I’ve always in my political life been a supporter of a close alliance with the United States but let’s be clear: in the 21st century, a single nation can no longer say what we must do or what we must think,” said Mr Sarkozy at an international symposium in Paris on Thursday (8 January), shortly before US president-elect Barack Obama enters office.

These are the only two conservative governments that continually work in favour of the European Union. No matter witch government is in power in either country they are always working together. There is two reasons behind this. World War One and World War two. Other conservative governments have quite often tried to be far less helpful.

continued in the EU Observer

Not that I’m counting.

Politico.
Warner bucks GOP-ers, backs Holder.

Sen. Arlen Specter and other Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee may want to derail or slow down Eric Holder’s nomination to become the next attorney general, but one of their just departed colleagues is going to bat for the nominee.

Former Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), who just stepped down from the Senate after 30 years in the body, will appear on behalf of Holder during Thursday’s Judiciary Committee hearing, according to Sen. Patrick Leahy’s (D-Vt.) office. Leahy is the chairman of the panel.

Warner and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) will introduce Holder to the Judiciary panel, and they will offer strong support for his nomination to the AG post.

Other witnesses will include former FBI Director Louis J. Freeh; Chuck Canterbury, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police; and John Payton, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

continued on Politico

Politico.
GOP playing tug-of-war on Obama plan.

Minutes after Barack Obama delivered his big economic speech Thursday, the top two Republicans on Capitol Hill popped in front of the TV cameras to say they were ready to work with the president-elect.

Some other members may not be so cooperative.

“There are ways to stimulate the economy. This isn’t one of them,” said Georgia Rep. Tom Price, the incoming chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee.

Obama’s plan is expected to cost at least $775 billion, and Price and other conservative House Republicans are prepared to argue that “this is, at its fundamental base, money that we don’t have.”

continued on Politico

Yes, Chris , this one’s still going. Like the sign says, “We Never Close”. After a few days Cat might shift bookclub to the side column but we’ve got a good few days to run it mainpage ahead of inauguration.

Bottomlinewise, all threads are fully operational.
🙂

The Hill.
Scalpers cash in on Obama’s inaugural parade tix.

Scalpers are making huge profits on $25 presidential inaugural parade tickets that were quickly gobbled up on Friday.

Some of the 5,000 bleacher-seat tickets have already been sold for more than 10 times face value on sites like eBay. It took mere seconds for the $25 tickets to be sold out via TicketMaster on Friday afternoon.
Soon thereafter, several listings popped up on eBay and Craigslist, with some scalpers seeking more than $400 per ticket.

Tcontinued on The Hill

Maybe another one bites the dust?
Political Wire.
Will Voinovich Retire?

Marc Ambinder reports “more unnamed Republicans are suggesting” that two-term Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) “was on the verge of making the decision to step down. Perhaps they’re trying to pressure him to step down; former Rep. Rob Portman would be ready to run to take his place.”

continued on Political Wire

For all the looney left loopies this is a pretty good summary of where they might be at re the imbecile and his mates and war crimes. i sncerely hope they follow it throgh.

Preliminary Memorandum of the Justice Robert H. Jackson Conference on Federal Prosecutions of War Criminals;

An extensive complaint seeking federal prosecution of American officials who ordered, authorized, approved or committed war crimes is currently being prepared. While the complaint is in preparation, the Steering Committee of the Justice Robert H. Jackson Conference is issuing this preliminary memorandum setting forth several of the points to be presented more extensively in the complaint itself……………………………………………………….. At all times the false legal memoranda by civilian lawyers such as Yoo and Steven Bradbury, and by military lawyers such as Diane Beaver, and Mary Walker, were kept as secret as possible. So too the actions of torture and abuse carried out both before and after the false memos were issued. The memos and actions were hidden not just from the public, but also from Congress and, startlingly, from many, perhaps even most, lawyers in the Executive branch who ordinarily would be expected to vet and opine on the memos and actions.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/2/Preliminary-Memorandum-Of-by-Lawrence-Velvel-090109-803.html

The reality is, at the end of the day, in the fullness of time going forward……

Rule No.1 is to use the phrase “going forward” at every opportunity. This has replaced “end of the day” which, sadly, no longer is in common usage in the business world.
“Going forward” is extremely versatile, can be used several times each sentence….

http://business.smh.com.au/business/colour-your-language–no-not-more-swearing-20090109-7dod.html

Sat Jan 10:
http://news.yahoo.com/comics/nonsequitur;_ylt=A0WTUfZbb2hJ838BzALX.sgF

Fri Jan 9:
http://news.yahoo.com/edcartoons/tonyauth;_ylt=AsApmUp_PjwExTuTY47EPiol6ysC

http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/65126

http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/65143
—————————————
“……….the stiffened-spine caucus in the House reached 26 members today: 4 who voted no and 22 voting “present” in a gesture of stoic disapproval.
Compare today’s outcome to 2006, when the combined total of no and present votes was only 12, and we could be seeing a slow but welcome shift of the dialogue towards political leeway for lawmakers to criticize Israel.”
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/01/more_house_members_stand_up_to_israel_than_in_06.php

Article in #586

589
Sorry Chris i knew i had effed up but forgot to go change it.

George Bush Is a Genius;

John Bird and John Fortune (in the guise of George Parr) describes the current War on Terror as a war for oil and why America is waging that battle quite well.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/George-Bush-is-a-Genius-by-The-Liberty-Voice-090109-767.html

591 Gaffhook But you can get an injection for it now days. Sometimes it leaves a nasty rash. 😈

Huffington Post.

Reverting to the role of Republican foil that made him an unpopular figure for many conservatives, John McCain argued on Friday that historical circumstances should compel his GOP colleagues to work closely with Barack Obama.

“There are not many times in history,” he said, “that a president has come to office with as many challenges as the president-elect does and that’s incumbent then upon all of us to try and do all we can to work with him.”

Appearing on Fox News for one of the few times since losing the election, McCain offered a supportive assessments of the president-elect’s agenda. He acknowledged the need to pass a stimulus, but said he would reserve judgment until he saw the final package.

continued on The Huffington Post