How to make the Century really suck:

Bird flu pandemic 'could kill 150m'

A global influenza pandemic is imminent and will kill up to 150 million people, the UN official in charge of coordinating the worldwide response to an outbreak has warned.

David Nabarro, one of the most senior public health experts at the World Health Organisation, said outbreaks of bird flu, which have killed at least 65 people in Asia, could mutate into a form transmittable between people.

Here's a site with updates that I can't understand: H5N1 Cluster in South Sulawesi Increases Pandemic Concerns

H5N1 has clearly evolved and has become markedly more efficient at transmitting among humans, and has done so via recombination. WHO continues to monitor reassortment with human genes, which has never been reported for H5N1 and is conceptually flawed, since the human receptor binding domain resides on the HA protein and swapping away the H gene would eliminate the H5 serotype.

H5 will clearly be resident in humans worldwide.

The resulting major pandemic appears to be accelerating in Indonesia at this time.

That sounds bad in a not good sorta way.

Yep, politicians are aware, and they are also aware that we aren't ready: Harry Reid Weighs In On Pandemic Flu

"Given the very real possibility of an outbreak, its potentially severe consequences, and our relative lack of preparedness, we need to take immediate action on several fronts to prepare this nation and the American people for a potential outbreak and to reduce its impact should it occur.

- rob 4:01 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Racist - the issue isn't abortions - it is the assumption that a black baby would commit a crime.

Bennett: Black Abortions Would Lower Crime

"But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down," said Bennett, author of "The Book of Virtues."

He went on to call that "an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky."

Responding later to criticism, Bennett said his comments had been mischaracterized and that his point was that the idea of supporting abortion to reduce crime was "morally reprehensible."

The truth is humans commit crimes. You want to stop crime abort everyone - Christian, Zen Buddist, Black, White, anyone - and there will be less crime.

And for this statement Bennett wins the 2005 Judge Death award:

- rob 1:21 PM - [PermaLink] -

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And then DeLay said "quite poking me"

Biologists Observe Gorillas Using Tools

For the first time, biologists have documented gorillas in the wild using simple tools, such as poking a stick in a swampy pool of water to check its depth.

Until now, scientists had seen gorillas use tools only in captivity. Among the great apes, tool use in the wild was thought to be a survival skill reserved for smaller chimpanzees and orangutans.

Really sophisticated gorillas using more complicated tools such as Fox News anchors.

- rob 1:07 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Find the Brownie - Journal

Here's some examples:

Candidate: Executive Assistant to the Senior Advisor to the President
Credentials: Jack Abramoff's former executive assistant
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Candidate: GSA Regional Administrator for the Northeast and Caribbean
Qualification: daughter of the chairman of the Conservative Party of New York State

The site's just getting started, I'm sure it is going to be a huge site.

- rob 12:39 PM - [PermaLink] -

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The people behind the liberal blog Shakespeare's Sister are in financial trouble, go click and help out the sister (if you want/can, and even if you can't read the blog).

- rob 10:47 AM - [PermaLink] -

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Okay if there concerned... we should be really damn scared

Republicans See Signs That Pentagon Is Evading Oversight

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Your can't choose your President's Friends

Bush Waives Saudi Trafficking Sanctions

President Bush decided Wednesday to waive any financial sanctions on Saudi Arabia, Washington's closest Arab ally in the war on terrorism, for failing to do enough to stop the modern-day slave trade in prostitutes, child sex workers and forced laborers.

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Bush isn't the only GOP big wig hitting the bottle



Used with permission from the excellent:
2 Political Junkies

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Soldiers still waiting for armor reimbursements - Conflict in Iraq

WASHINGTON - Nearly a year after Congress demanded action, the Pentagon has still failed to figure out a way to reimburse soldiers for body armor and equipment they purchased to better protect themselves while serving in Iraq.

Soldiers and their parents are still spending hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars for armor they say the military won’t provide.

A Pentagon spokesmen noted that the DOD's copy of Quicken only allows them to write checks for procurements out in quantities of one million dollars or more, and that writing checks this small may be difficult for them. He noted they are now working on a $3 billion no bid contract with Halliburton to expedite the repayment to the soldiers and their families (totaling over a million dollars). It looks like it is going to be thousands of checks that need to be written - we're definitely going to need KBR's help on this.

- rob 11:19 AM - [PermaLink] -

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Let Us Count The Ways We Hate Dubya

Just saw this post just a few minutes ago on DailyKos, and it's a pretty good start. It could take the better part of the morning to list all of the things I hate about George W. Bush. Seriously, a comprehensive list could take up a whole blog. Anyway, the first gap in the list that springs to my mind is the whole aircraft carrier flightsuit farce, culminating in "Mission Accomplished."

We've still we've got 3 years left of this administration, and there's a veritable chinese menu of misfortune to choose from: more hurricanes, avian flu, an oil-market shock, and continuing scandals and corruption. All of these things are serious national risks largely due to the incompetence and/or evilness of this whistle-ass administration.

- Edoc 9:27 AM - [PermaLink] -

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Bad Management

Bush wants to run America like a business. And unfortunately he is. (well... some businesses)

We've all encountered the boss who created an environment of fear by his unpredictable behavior. The only thing you could guarantee he would hate to hear was bad news. So you didn't give it to him. How was the project doing? "Fine, fine." Deadlines, budgets, and morale could all go to hell and no one would be brave enough to admit it to the boss. He was shielded by a layer of yes men who weilded zero respect and were feared because they had the boss's ear.

The goal of every employee would become "covering their ass." No one is fired for a bad job, everyone who raises a red flag is. Lying and delaying and misdirecting and playing the blame game become daily tools. The office becomes quite good at it and everyone is startled at the end of each day because for yet another day the heaping pile of crap that is the company had again not been noticed.

But eventually the truth comes out and it all collapses. It is messy.

There are people in the White House that know what is wrong -- they even probably think they know how to make thinks right. But to do so what be risking getting that insane boss Bush's attention. Do they risk there careers or bet that the mess can be hidden until Jaunuary, 2009?

Well its looking like the mess can't be hidden for much longer.

TCS Flashback: Bush was going to run the nation like a corporation

- rob 5:06 PM - [PermaLink] -

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"So this is Christmas... and what have you done"

Perle, Ex-Pentagon Aide, May Face SEC Suit Over Hollinger Role

March 23 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has warned former Pentagon adviser Richard Perle that it may sue him for his role in the alleged looting of Hollinger International Inc., the Chicago-based media company once controlled by Conrad Black.
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At Hollinger, Perle was the only non-management member of the executive committee, which had wide authority to approve transactions. Perle approved deals that let Black and Radler buy Hollinger newspapers for themselves at below-market prices and loan money to companies they controlled, causing at least $10 million in losses, according to the report by Breeden.

Perle told the investigative panel that he viewed his role on the executive committee as a formality, according to the report. He would get packages of documents to sign and ``generally did not even read them or understand the transactions,'' it said.

Richard Perle was TCS's poster child for bad business back in May of 2003.

- rob 4:44 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Actively creating a work force that fears integrity - Today's Army

Reward Corruption
Investigate Honesty
War is Peace too - don't 'cha know.

Officer Criticizes Detainee Abuse Inquiry

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 - An Army captain who reported new allegations of detainee abuse in Iraq said Tuesday that Army investigators seemed more concerned about tracking down young soldiers who reported misconduct than in following up the accusations and investigating whether higher-ranking officers knew of the abuses.

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Bush Running America Like a Business
(well, okay, a badly run business)

Business speak. One can always water down objectives, roles, requirements, and goals to a point where failure is indistinguishable from success. It is a great management technique for those wanting to keep their jobs while simultaniously having no interest in there jobs. Washington D.C. is the Capital of Business Speak.

FEMA's Long-Term "Strategic Plans" - My, How They've Changed

FEMA would conduct "an assessment of the percentage of times that, within 12 hours of a disaster, the agency and its partners act on all identified State and local government requests to meet disaster victims’ needs for water, food, and shelter. The intention is to coordinate the provision of these basic needs within 72 hours of the disaster," among other things. Performance time is also a measure of the restoration of infrastructure to affected areas in this report.
...
By contrast, the Allbaugh Strategic Plan, for fiscal years 2003-2008, reads like the manual for training desk jockeys at a paper clip company. Its emphasis is on quantity - the ability to handle four catastrophic and twelve non-catastrophic disasters at once. Other than saying that a "quick" and "timely" response is ideal, there's no measure of what "quick" means (unlike the hours stated above). A major part of the plan is to slough off responsibility for disasters. Whereas the Witt Strategic Plan was clear and forceful about the role of FEMA, Allbaugh's is all about delegation of duty, with goals of "Shared Responsibility in Managing Disasters" ...
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So, to summarize here, the Strategic Goals of FEMA have shifted from definite measures of effectiveness in emergencies, including the responsibility to feed, hydrate, and shelter victims in the first couple of days after a disaster, to a business-speak that leaves weasel room for any screw-ups. To put it plainly, FEMA had been neutered by the Bush administration, dehumanized and made robotic. Is it any wonder how Michael Brown could sit there today with a straight face and claim he did his job?

Yep, that was from the Rude Pundit being frighteningly unrude.

- rob 3:20 PM - [PermaLink] -

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The Federal Government Indicted!

Flashback: Close, but No Cigar (washingtonpost.com)

Khandker: "I'm sorry, sir, but this is a federal building, and it's against the law of the federal government."

DeLay: "I am the federal government."

But Khandker stood his ground, and DeLay and several cigar-chomping compatriots left for the smoke-filled Caucus Room before the cheesecake course.

- rob 3:10 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Christmas continues

Frist Faces Heat as SEC Orders Formal Investigation

The SEC authorized a formal order of investigation of Frist's sale in June of HCA Inc. shares, people with direct knowledge of the inquiry said yesterday. The order allows the agency's enforcement unit to subpoena documents and compel witnesses to testify, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the order hasn't been made public.

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It's Christmas in September

CNN.com - DeLay indicted, will step aside as majority leader - Sep 28, 2005

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Texas grand jury on Wednesday charged Rep. Tom DeLay and two political associates with conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme, forcing the House majority leader to temporarily relinquish his post.

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Abramoff is like Where's Waldo or John Bolton - he just keeps popping up everywhere.

Because of this it seems only logical that someone would go all the way and go for this connection: Daily Kos: Abramoff and Able danger: Why Atta's face was covered before 9/11 and Able danger dismantled

Abramoff bringing Saudi money to GOP via Atta
I suspect there is another - worse - reason for the cover up: The link of Saudi money, terrorism financial cover ups and GOP fundraising...

The writer admits it is quite a stretch, but it is definitely worth reading anyway, because the facts are disturbing in themselves (the conclusion is beyond disturbing).

- rob 2:11 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Abramoff is a big friend of DeLay and other GOP bigwigs (including Rove) - are some of his other friends also now makeing the news?: Three arrested in gangland-style murder of Suncruz founder 'Gus' Boulis

FORT LAUDERDALE -- Three men were charged with the 2001 gangland-style slaying of Miami businessman Konstantinos ``Gus'' Boulis, whose sale of a casino boat fleet to Jack Abramoff and a partner has led to federal charges against the prominent Washington lobbyist.

- rob 2:06 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Nail them all

We always knew the White House was a house of cards

Who knew a guy named Abramoff held such an important hand?

Demotion of a Prosecutor Is Investigated

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 - The Justice Department's inspector general and the F.B.I. are looking into the demotion of a veteran federal prosecutor whose reassignment nearly three years ago shut down a criminal investigation of the Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, current and former department officials report.

They said investigators had questioned whether the demotion of the prosecutor, Frederick A. Black, in November 2002 was related to his alert to Justice Department officials days earlier that he was investigating Mr. Abramoff. The lobbyist is a major Republican Party fund-raiser and a close friend of several Congressional leaders.

Abramoff and Rove have pretty close ties too.

(and I hope you don't mind the House of Cards, Card game allusion confusion).

- rob 2:03 PM - [PermaLink] -

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What's the old adage?

Those who can't do - Consult?

Brown serving as consultant to FEMA

apologies to consultants everywhere.

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W.R. Grace & Co to those it made sick: "Walk it off"

W.R. Grace to asbestos victims: You're not so sick

LIBBY -- Most of the 870 people under a medical plan for Libby-area residents sickened by asbestos exposure have been sent letters saying they no longer have asbestos-related disease, or may not be as sick as they thought.

About 700 people received the letters this month from HNA/Triveras, administrator of a medical plan for W.R. Grace & Co., which operated a vermiculite mine here until 1990. Some health authorities blame the mine for killing 200 people and sickening one of every eight residents.
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"I've been cured by Grace. It's a miracle," said Bob Stickney, who had been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease.

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I'd like to thank the technorati bot that put TCS as a link on a Washington Post editorial page.

Getting some extra readers -- that's nice.

Getting the phrase: "This Century Sucks - A Fair and Balanced Look at the Continuing Corrupt and Evil Whistle Ass Administration" to show up on The Washington Post web site -- That is very nice. (I had actually forgotten the full title of this site).

For those who don't get the Whistle Ass part (I think this site referred to Bush only as Whistle Ass for months back in 2003):

The story of Sally Baron, a Stoughton woman whose obituary asked that memorial funds go toward the removal of President Bush, was catching hold across the country as her family held memorial services Friday.

Dozens of people from around the United States have written to The Capital Times saying they will make donations to various organizations in her name, and the request was aired on national TV Thursday night.

Baron's story is also being hotly discussed on online bulletin boards, among both liberals and conservatives.

Baron "has become a sort of poster girl for all of us who despise George Bush," wrote Nancy Tonies of Appleton.

Baron raised six children, one of whom died of leukemia at age 21, in the timber and mining country of Iron County. Her husband was crushed and nearly killed in a 1969 mining accident and died seven years ago, shortly before Baron moved to Stoughton.

Her family described how their mother - a waitress, cook and factory assembly worker - was furious with Bush for what she saw as a stolen election and dishonest statements. Baron's favorite nickname for Bush, which she used to shout at the TV, was "whistle ass."

Sally Baron - an American hero.

- rob 9:40 AM - [PermaLink] -

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Who secretly replaced the decaf they normally drink at the NY Times with actual coffee?

Hard Bigotry of No Expectations - New York Times

The president's recent schedule of nonstop disaster-scene photo-ops is reminiscent of the principal of a failing school who believes he's doing a great job because he makes it a point to drop in on every class play and teacher retirement party. And if there ever was an exhibit of the misguided conviction that for some people very little is good enough, it's the current administration spin that the proposed Iraqi constitution is fine because the founding fathers didn't give women equal rights either.

- rob 5:12 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Frist is an amazing doctor.

He watched a video and was able to diagnosis Terry Schiavo this summer, but that was just a warm up -- now he has made blind trusts see: Frist Knew About Blind Trust Investments

WASHINGTON Sep 24, 2005 — Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., was updated several times about his investments in blind trusts during 2002, the last time two weeks before he publicly denied any knowledge of what was in the accounts, documents show.

The updates included stock transactions involving HCA Inc., the hospital operating company founded by Frist's family.
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Frist, asked in a television interview in January 2003 whether he should sell his HCA stock, responded: "Well, I think really for our viewers it should be understood that I put this into a blind trust. So as far as I know, I own no HCA stock"

Frist, referring to his trust and those of his family, also said in the interview, "I have no control. It is illegal right now for me to know what the composition of those trusts are. So I have no idea."

Documents filed with the Senate showed that just two weeks before those comments, the trustee of the senator's trust, M. Kirk Scobey Jr., wrote to Frist that HCA stock was contributed to the trust. It was valued at $15,000 and $50,000.

The power to give sight. I tell you those cats did not die in vain Senator Frist. You are truly Good people - go on and get begatting you crazy kid.

- rob 5:10 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Since I'm not paying NY Times to Read Krugman... I'm thankful someone is

Daily Kos: Paul Krugman Kicks Ass - Knows Where To Find More Mike Browns

A tipster urged me to look for Brownies among regional administrators for the General Services Administration, which oversees federal property and leases.

--snip--

Some of the regional administrators at G.S.A. are longtime professionals. But the regional administrator for the Northeast and Caribbean region, which includes New York, has no obvious qualifications other than being the daughter of the chairman of the Conservative Party of New York State. The regional administrator for the Southwest, appointed in 2002 after a failed bid for his father's Congressional seat, is Scott Armey, the son of Dick Armey, the former House majority leader.

You get the idea. Go ahead, see what - or rather who - you can come up with.

I tell you dressing like Michael Brown will be this year's Scream mask at Halloween.

And its a little more family friendly then that scary Chertoff mask - that's just too scary.


Booo! Give me you candy or I'll... ummm... sit around and do nothing... boooo!

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Bush's Crisis Itinerary at Mercy of Weather, Even Nice Weather

Some leader, he has to ask Condi to go pee, Laura tells him to stop walking like an idiot, and now he runs from nice weather (maybe he needs one of them weather controlling doohickeys - Tin Foil Hat required)

SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 23 - President Bush was supposed to land here on Friday afternoon on the first stop of a tour intended to make clear that he was personally overseeing the federal government's preparations for Hurricane Rita's landfall. But the weather did not cooperate.

It was too sunny.
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Another White House official involved in preparing Mr. Bush's way noted that with the sun shining so brightly in San Antonio, the images of Mr. Bush from here might not have made it clear to viewers that he was dealing with an approaching storm.

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They're talking about popular Haloween costumes right?

TIME.com: How Many More Mike Browns Are Out There?
A TIME inquiry finds that at top positions in some vital government agencies, the Bush Administration is putting connections before experience

A good article, though I think it is fair to ask: Where have you been for the past few years Time?

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Group Lists 13 'Most Corrupt' in Congress

If they just listed 13 corrupt members of Congress I'd say "I can pick names out of a hat too," but they list the 13 Most Corrupt which would actually require a lot of work and judgement calls.

Definitely worth a read.

- rob 4:34 PM - [PermaLink] -

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"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American people."
- Teddy Roosevelt



"Government has a final responsibility for the well-being of its citizenship. If private cooperative endeavor fails to provide work for willing hands and relief for the unfortunate, those suffering hardship from no fault of their own have a right to call upon the Government for aid; and a government worthy of its name must make fitting response."
 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt



"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and Constitutions, but laws must and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."
- Thomas Jefferson



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"All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree."
- James Madison



"I believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, in human liberty as the source of national action, in the human heart as the source of national compassion, and in the human mind as the source of our invention and our ideas. It is, I believe, the faith in our fellow citizens as individuals and as people that lies at the heart of the liberal faith. For liberalism is not so much a party creed or set of fixed platform promises as it is an attitude of mind and heart, a faith in man's ability through the experiences of his reason and judgment to increase for himself and his fellow men the amount of justice and freedom and brotherhood which all human life deserves."
- John F. Kennedy



"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are [a] few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

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"There's nothing wrong with America that can't be fixed by what's right with America." - Bill Clinton.