Democrats lash Bush for losing Mideast control
Leading Democrats have attacked US President George W Bush for losing control of the Middle East by neglecting specific regional powers and sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on only a brief crisis trip.....more

Morales rekindles revolutionary spirit

Summoning President Evo Morales at dawn to the great hall of the presidential palace, two poncho-clad Indian shamans pour alcohol on coca leaves, candies and a dried llama fetus, and set them on fire....more

Dixie Chicks - Shut Up & Listen

www.shutupandlisten.net

A girls' night out in Detroit

W.Va mill town suffers slow death
Mary Tice drove along Main Street, barely seeing the worn storefronts, the seedy strip clubs, the flashy video poker bars promising better luck....more

What to Read While the Cradle of Civilization Burns
The Middle East is both the birthplace of civilization and, as the globe's largest repository of fossil fuels, the mother's milk of the modern industrialized world....more

Afghanistan close to anarchy
The most senior British military commander in Afghanistan yesterday described the situation in the country as "close to anarchy" with feuding foreign agencies and unethical private security companies compounding problems caused by local corruption....more

Weekend notes: It's not World War 3
This blog is a collection of things that I wrote in the past 48 hours....more

Republicans Reject Ralph Reed's Hypocrisy
For those who still claim that the Jack Abramoff scandal will not "play" politically, the Republican voters of Georgia beg to differ.....more

No, this is not 'our war'
We are not "all Israelis." Some of us still think of ourselves as Americans, first, last and always.
And, no, this is not "our war." It's your war.....more

Republican politics as sideshow
Six weeks ago the Senate rejected a constitutional ban on gay marriage. Last week the House did the same by a vote of 236 to 187. Now that this little partisan sideshow is behind them, maybe Republican congressional leaders will decide to get down to serious business....more

Wouldn't it be ironic...
...if on this coming Monday, former President Bill Clinton pulls a "Joe Biden" and somehow "misses his train to Connecticut"?.....more

The Hippies Behind the Youth Movement
During the 2004 election, the Dean campaign was credited with using the Internet in new ways, reaching out to voters many assumed were college youth, otherwise disconnected from politics....more

Chaos in Cyprus
Lebanese and foreigners have had a difficult time leaving Lebanon since the beginning of Israel's military offensive against Hezbollah. Many of the ships being used for the evacuation effort are badly equipped and horribly overcrowded. But those able to escape face further problems once they reach nearby Cyprus....more

Lebanon Conflict Watched for War Crimes

1982 versus 2006
Many people see no difference between Israel's 1982 Lebanon War and the present war. For example, some Arabs are astounded that the Israeli public is supporting its government and its military moves. Thus the major differences between the two wars must be pointed out: namely, differences in background, objective and modus operandi.....more

'Lebanon crisis an international conspiracy'
The Israeli-Hezbollah conflict threatens to drag Syria, Iran and the US into a regional war....more

Dot-com ambitions live on in (Tampa) Bay area
Millions of people view videos at YouTube every day. Frank Principe believes he can build on the thousands who visit PitBullTV to make a mark as an Internet TV network.....more

U.S. President avoids media after G8 summit
U.S. President George W. Bush was the only G8 leader who refused to talk to the press after the St. Petersburg summit.....more

Bush and African Americans
Given the disaster he ignored in New Orleans? He could rush to DC on a midnight flight to sign the "let's meddle in the Schiavo family's affairs" bill, but couldn't be bothered to cut his six-week vacation short when Katrina hit....more

PULL UP A CHAIR
Pinellas Democrats look for a leader.

When I last checked in with the local Democratic Party organizations (an oxymoron, I know), it was the Hillsborough executive committee that was torn with strife. Today, that divisiveness could be headed to a new home, at the Pinellas Democratic Party....more

Lebanon In Crisis; Bush, Most Democrats In Denial
A little more than a week of Israeli bombing and American neglect has created a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. In a country that just months ago was being written up in travel magazines as one of the world's next great tourist destinations....more

The Spirit of War
At the start of the Iraq war, the British columnist George Monbiot wrote, "They (the American and British governments) have unlocked the spirit of war, and it could be unwilling to return to its casket until it has traversed the world."....more

Bush "Will Be Given More Power to Eavesdrop" in Bill
The dispute over the Bush administration's secret eavesdropping of US citizens has reignited after it emerged the White House had brokered a deal with Congress that critics say gives it even greater flexibility to monitor phone calls electronically.....more

Strip club king goes to church
Hillsborough commission candidate and nonbeliever Joe Redner takes the pulpit....more

IN THE PARTY OF GOD
Are terrorists in Lebanon preparing for a larger war?....more

Adolf Hitler
ORIGINAL Watercolor Artworks, For Sale....more

Family Guy Osama Bin Laden

Smart Girls Need Smart Porn
Sometimes I wonder how I would feel about pornography if I hadn't seen so much of it.....more

Study Finds Worst Performance in Conservative Christian Schools
The Federal Education Department reported Friday that, in reading and math, children attending public schools generally do as well as or better than comparable children in private schools. The exception was in eighth-grade reading, where the private-school children did better.....more

A U.S view: The summer vacation solution
I had a Canadian moment and an American moment within 24 hours of each other while on holiday this week....more

Senator Ted Stevens "Flintstonian" understanding of the Internet.
Murdoch taking MySpace down the tubes

When Alaska Senator Ted Stevens rambled nonsensically about the tubes our information goes through on the Internets we knew there was cause for concern....more

The Last of the "Sewer Socialists"

(Frank) Zeidler, an old-school American socialist who served three terms as the mayor of Milwaukee from 1948 to 1960, and who died last Friday at age 93, never got very far as a presidential candidate.....more

Democrats need a new playbook

Democrats have failed to connect with swing voters not because they don't loudly wear their religion or stand for the wrong things. By and large, Americans support the Democratic side of issues ranging from increasing the minimum wage to universal health care and even legal abortion.....more

"We certainly would not want to have the same kind of democracy as they have in Iraq, I will tell you quite honestly".....President Putin

Watch It Here, The World Laughing At Us

Inside Lebanon
For a newspaper from a city under air attack in a country subject to a military blockade, Lebanon's Daily Star is keeping remarkably positive in the face of the Israeli assault.....more

Five basic reasons that the enormous Roman Empire was destroyed:
1. The dramatic increase of divorce undermined the institution of the family.
2. The imposition of higher taxes undermined the economic stability and vitality of the Empire. Taxes were raised to pay for deficit government spending, to pay for food for all in society and to pay for government-sponsored activities of diversion, such as circuses and sports. Interestingly, as the time of the final collapse drew closer, greater emphasis was placed on sports, to divert the attention of the public from the distressing news of massive trouble within the Empire.
3. The drive for personal pleasure had become very intense, even to the point of obsession. Gibbons noted that, at the very end, sports had become more exciting and brutal.
4. People lost their faith, both religiously and in their government. Paganism gave way to Christianity and the efficient Roman Government gave way to chaos and disintegration.
5. Hidden conspirators were working within the government to secretly destroy it. They worked quietly, invisibly and deceitfully; during the entire time they were secretly dismantling the government of the Roman Empire, they publicly proclaimed their unswerving support of it.

Recognize any of the above 5 points occurring in Western societies today?

Homeless Take Fashion World by Storm

It Grow, Let It Grow, Let It Grow It’s 2006, and yet another style has emerged as the latest trend for fashionable men that may have you thinking twice before your next visit to SuperCuts. .....more

'We're going to open war'
"You wanted open war. We are going to open war," Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah told Hezbollah television....more

U.S. Christian organizations back Lebanon operation
Jewish and pro-Israel Christian groups in both Israel and the United States voiced a chorus of support for the Israel Defense Forces' actions yesterday, the second day of fighting on the northern border....more

"This was certainly an unprovoked attack and Israel has every right to go in and pound them," said Ray Sanders, executive director of Christian Friends of Israel. "

Blood on the streets

In Lebanon, the death toll from three days of air strikes and shelling rose to 65, most of them civilians.....more

US prepares to evacuate nationals from Lebanon

Italy began evacuating its nationals from Lebanon Saturday while the United States, France and the Netherlands prepared to do the same as Israeli planes pounded the country....more

The Hawks All Around Got What They Wanted. May Their God Have Mercy On Them All. As For These U.S. Christian Organizations, Stogie Recommends VIONEX Antimicrobial Soap. It Is Very Good At Getting Blood Off Your Hands.

Atheism

Man in Coma for 19 Years Asks to Go Back to Sleep

In what members of the medical community are calling an unprecedented development, a man who recently awoke from a 19-year coma has asked doctors to put him back to sleep.
At a press conference in Jacksonville, Fla., today, the man, Jason Deloit, 43, told reporters that at first he was excited to be conscious again, “But then I turned on the TV.”....more

Grass Roots Granny Takes on Senior House Republican in Florida Congressional Race

Anybody who is concerned about their individual freedoms needs to sound an alarm. I've been watching our Constitution crumble since 2000, and in January of 2006, after watching more of the President's rhetoric about terrorism and the war in Iraq, I felt compelled to run....more

Samm Simpson For Congress

Fleeing China, Landing in Guantanamo

In 2000, five men left their homes in northern China to escape the prospect of torture and imprisonment. They dreamed of a future in the United States. Caught up in America's war on terror along the way, they instead ended up in Guantanamo. It's been six years since they last saw their families.....more

Lest we forget: Patio 29
Today Chile declared the Patio 29 Cemetary a national monument. This is where many victims of the dictatorship were buried in unmarked graves during the 70s and 80s. Between 1973 and 1990 3,000 Chileans were killed or assassinated and 28,000 --excuse me, that number bears repeating-- twenty-eight thousand people were tortured!......more

Wes Clark Writes a Thank-You Note
I am a proud member of the Democratic Party, and I believe it is our party’s responsibility to support the will of the Democratic primary voters in Connecticut. I personally look forward to supporting the candidate CT voters elect as the Democratic nominee. Though, as an aside, I must say I find it ironic that Senator Lieberman is now planning a potential run as an independent after he continually questioned my loyalty to the Democratic Party during the 2004 presidential primary....more

PRINCES' FURY AT DYING DIANA PHOTO
Sickening crash picture is published for first time

A SICK photo of dying Princess Diana has sparked outrage after it appeared in two magazines. Her two sons, Princes William and Harry, were today said to be "deeply saddened" by the publication....more

Chi editor Umberto Brindani shamelessly bragged: "I published it for a very simple reason - it's never been seen before."

The Work Continues

Another $110 billion down the Iraq sinkhole
[T]he White House reveals that it will ask Congress for another $110 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan early next year.....more

Cost of Iraq War $291 Billion So Far

A Maverick Media Mogul Takes on Mainstream Spinelessness

Mark Cuban is restless, really rich and wants to bring guts to journalism--and he's hired Dan Rather to launch a program on his HDNet channel.....more

Ralph Reed Allegedly Mulled ‘Mortgaging Black People’

The former Christian Coalition leader and current candidate for Lt. Gov. of Georgia reportedly concocted a scheme with lobbyist Jack Abramoff to collect the life insurance payouts of African-Americans in lieu of charging them fees for the duo’s lobbying and consulting services.....more

Most Americans plan to vote for Democrats

Republicans are in jeopardy of losing their grip on Congress in November. With less than four months to the midterm elections, the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that Americans by an almost 3-to-1 margin hold the GOP-controlled Congress in low regard and profess a desire to see Democrats wrest control after a dozen years of Republican rule.....more

No Upside Down Flag in Iowa

Scott Roe was practicing with his band, “Corruption of Blood,” on July 3 at his home in Ottumwa, Iowa. The police came and said he was violating a new city noise ordinance. So that was the end of the practice session.....more

Valerie Plame Wilson

CIA officer Valerie Plame whose identity was leaked to reporters sued Vice President Dick Cheney, his former top aide and presidential adviser Karl Rove on Thursday, accusing them and other White House officials of conspiring to destroy her career.....more

more from Fire Dog Lake

Wilson Support

Israel blockades Lebanon

Israel struck Beirut airport and military airbases and blockaded Lebanese ports on Thursday, intensifying reprisals that have killed 55 civilians in Lebanon since Hizbollah captured two Israeli soldiers a day earlier.....more

"The Blame is Wide"

Beyond Liberals' and Democrats' Obsession with BIG BAD BUSH....more

Senate cuts deal on gulf drilling

The compromise would create a 125-mile no-drilling zone off the Florida Panhandle, while the waters off Tampa Bay would be off-limits to drilling for 234 miles. The protections would last through 2022.....more

Happiest place on Earth

The tiny nation of Vanuatu has topped a new index that measures quality of life against environmental impact, with industrial countries, perhaps unsurprisingly, faring badly....more

Happy Planet Index

Mumbai Blasts: Is the spirit of Mumbai being taken for granted?

It's so easy to say 'the spirit of Mumbai', isn't it? Do whatever you want to the city, it will always bounce back. And it's true. We do have remarkable ability to to block things out and pick our bags the next day and catch the local train to work. But is it ability taken for granted? Have we become so numb that we start considering terrorism as a change of seasons?.....more

Evangelicals Wrong to Endorse Anti-Torture Statement

A conservative Christian leader says the organization known as the National Religious Campaign Against Torture isn't saying anything about torture in places like North Korea, China, and Saudi Arabia -- but instead is focusing its ire upon the U.S. and the Bush administration....more

It's The Conservatism, Stupid

Ask a conservative what the biggest problem in America is today, and you’ll get answers like overtaxation, a sexualized culture, lack of respect for authority, insufficient church-going or big government running amok. But if you then asked the conservative what the real source of the problem was—the beating heart pumping blood to each and all of these socio-politico-cultural wounds—you’d get the same answer: liberalism.....more

German anger at orchestration of visit by Bush to see Merkel Luke Harding in Berlin Wednesday

German soldiers build a razor wire fence in front of the Grand Hotel Kempinski in Heiligendamm, where George Bush will stay on his visit. Thousands of demonstrators are expected to protest tomorrow when George Bush arrives in Germany tonight for a three-day bonding session with its chancellor, Angela Merkel....more

Blaming the Victim, Gaza

Traditionally, British media reporting of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been heavily biased in favour of the United States' major ally in the region, Israel. A 2002 Glasgow University Media Group report found that television broadcasters were six times as likely to present Israeli attacks as "retaliating" or in some way hitting back as Palestinian attacks.....more

Elevated Crosstown lanes: a high-wire act without a net
SUE CARLTON

I have just taken a tour of the soon-to-be-open, state-of-the-art, elevated commuter lanes over the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway in Tampa, and I'm happy to report that nothing fell down.....more

We Could Of Let Trains Do The Same Thing On Tracks Already Laid From Downtown To Brandon. Think Of The Money We Could Have Saved And We Wouldn't Have This Ugly...Thing, Hovering Over The Crosstown.

Molly Ivins: The Politics of Greed

I don’t get it. What’s the percentage in keeping the minimum wage at $5.15 an hour? After nine years? This is such an unnecessary and nasty Republican move. Congress has voted seven times to raise its own wages since last the minimum wage budged.....more

Hugo Chávez
Greg Palast

You’d think George Bush would get down on his knees and kiss Hugo Chávez’s behind. Not only has Chávez delivered cheap oil to the Bronx and other poor communities in the United States. And not only did he offer to bring aid to the victims of Katrina....more

The plot to defeat our liberty

For any form of tyranny to succeed, there have to be people who roll up their sleeves and get the job done. Repression doesn't just happen. It has to be organized, arranged, justified and marketed to a willing populace. In other words, it takes a team.....more

Lieberman's divisive actions don't deserve support

It is one thing for them to back an incumbent Democrat in the primary, but it's quite another for them to even vaguely imply that they may support Lieberman if he runs as an independent. Their unwillingness to say unequivocally that they will back the primary election choice of voters suggests that the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party is becoming increasingly hard to find these days....more

Castro slams 'mad' US change plan

The US and Castro have been foes for nearly 50 yearsCuban President Fidel Castro has called the US secretary of state "mad", following American moves to promote democratic change on the island....more

Florida's Own

"The war in Iraq is shameful," "Whether you're pro or con Bush, you've got to admit it: The guy lied. And he continues to do so. I can't understand why he's just not run out on a rail. To send somebody's kids off and have them killed for no good reason — he's going to have his day in hell for that. I wouldn't want that karma." "When you kill somebody's little sister with a missile, he's going to hate you forever. And the next generation......Tom Petty

www.tompetty.com

'A Republic or an Empire?'

With the electronic voting machines supplied by Republican firms and programmed by Republican operatives, Bush can control election results. Don't bet very heavily that Americans will regain the constitutional protections and democratic accountability that they enjoyed in the 20th century....more

Montana Gov Smacks Down Rightwing on Property Taxes

Folks may be missing the rightwing movement across the states to generate another "tax revolt", this one around the so-called "Taxpayer Bill of Rights" (TABOR) restrictions on government spending....more

Lesson from America

I was looking forward to sharing the Canadian gospel of equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified (LGBT) people. But it was not to be. I didn't get a chance to meet up with the less-than-friendly Americans. I'm referring to the 800,000 supporters of the American Family Association who apparently emailed President Bush to protest my visit.....more

Howard Dean hates America
According To Billy
So Does Superman and Hollywood....more

Is This A Different Reality That I Dont Know About? What Is Wrong With This Guy?

We've got a plan to succeed, a plan for victory, a plan that will enable a new ally in the war on terror to govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself" . . George W. Bush, June 28, 2006

At least 80 Dead in Civil War Bloodbath

Government Forced to Depend on Local Gunmen .....Monday, July 10, 2006...more

What's The Plan George?