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November 30, 2005
More Fake News From Bush Administration
Move over Jeff Gannon, make way for the Washington, D.C.-based Lincoln Group (LincolnGroup.com).
Not to be confused with "The Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia," a not for profit group dedicated to the study of Abraham Lincoln (who's site is lincolngroup.org), the Lincoln Group is a PR firm.Hired by the Bush administration (and, therefore, the American taxpayer) the Lincoln Group translates stories written by U.S. "information operations" (PSYOPS) troops and then pays Iraqi news outlets to run them as news.
See story in the Los Angeles Times.
Posted by MJuhre at 04:35 PM | Comments (0)
"Bulletproof" Brooks's Bat Mitzvah Bash is More Than Meets the Eye
Long island businessman David H. Brooks gave his daughter Elizabeth a $10 million bat mitzvah party last weekend, featuring performances by an odd array of artists, including 50 Cent, Tom Petty, Aerosmith, Don Henley , Joe Walsh, Stevie Nicks, Kenny G.
While coverage of the event is relegated to the trivial "glamour and glitz" sections of most news organizations (see these stories: one two, three, four, five ), we at Culture Freak feel there is a more serious story here. (And, as is often the case, we have Rachel Maddow of Air America Radio to thank for alerting us to it.)
Daddy Brooks had the means to give Elizabeth this "Paris Hilton for a Day" coming-out party thanks to Bush's war in Iraq and the American taxpayer.
Brooks is the CEO of DHB Industries, which makes bulletproof vests for the U.S. armed forces.
With an annual salary of only $675,000 (plus an $87,500 bonus), a rather paltry sum compared with that of many other American CEOs, you might wonder how Brooks can afford such gaudy extravagance.
Well salary schmalary. Who needs direct cash compensation? In 2004 Brooks exercised DHB stock options worth almost $70 million and at year's end (Dec. 29, 2004), sold 5 million of his 11 million shares of common stock for a whopping $106.4 million.
I found it very curious that Brooks sold out almost half of his interest in the company just as the stock hit its all-time peak (it began to tumble in 2005, as shown in the chart below). And apparently I'm not the only one.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the matter, according to -- gulp -- FOXNews.com.
Never in my wildest imagination did I think that FOX would agree with me that there is a serious story here behind the People magazine schlock, let alone that it would actually be the news source totip me off to the SEC investigation into insider trading violations, and to the several class action lawsuits filed against DHB, including one that stems from a May 2005 recall by the Marine Corps of DHB-made 5,277 combat vests after some of them "failed a test to determine whether they could stop a bullet." (Two weeks ago, the Pentagon recalled 18,000 more.)
I'm rather taken aback, frankly, that FOX News has apparently investigated and reported much of what I planned to write here myself. If this post suddenly looks a bit disjointed, it's because I was just shocked out of my chair.
At any rate, the point I wish to stress is that Brooks's exploding wealth came thanks to DHB's 100 percent net income growth in 2004, according to Hoovers. DHB's defense contracts more than doubled each year 2001 and 2003 (the only years for which I have available figures).
(go to source)
In fact, so pervasive is DHB in the body armor industry, if you Google "body armor," the first, non-advertised site that appears is DHB's business unit, Point Blank Armor.
While the Pentagon has oft-stated that it did not have the funds to purchase enough body armor for its troops in Iraq, so much so that many soldiers had to buy their own, the CEO of the body armor contractor managed to make more than $100 million in one year, and spend ten percent of that on a party for his daughter the next.
It's just another, obscene example, of how the government-contracted private sector robs the American taxpayer and transfer our wealth to itself and ultimately, to folks as unlikely as Stevie Nicks and 50 Cent. (Another example and yet another.)
The FOX News story on Brooks is so good that I'm posting it in the continuation link below, in case the original disappears.
Rock Stars' Host Faces SEC Investigation
David H. Brooks, the man who laid out $10 million for his daughter's bat mitzvah celebration, has been under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission since last year.
Brooks gained notoriety in the last couple of weeks when it was revealed he had hired Aerosmith, the Eagles, Stevie Nicks, 50 Cent, Ciara, Kenny G and Tom Petty to play at a party for his 13-year-old daughter this past weekend. Brooks took over the two floors of the Rainbow Room for the event, installing hi-tech sound and light equipment.
Many of the acts are managed by Irving Azoff and Howard Kaufman's powerful Los Angeles firm. But what reports of the lavish, over-the-top and some might say completely inappropriate party was who Brooks was, or what trouble he's been in. It's a lot.
He's under a major SEC investigation, as I will report in a moment. That's not all.
His company, DHB, as reported, is a defense contractor that makes bullet-proof vests for the Army. But what published stories did not report was that DHB is now and has been the subject of several class-action suits stemming from, among other things, a government recall of those bullet-proof vests.
In May, the Marine Corps recalled 5,277 combat vests made by a DHB's subsidiary issued to troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Djibouti because of concerns that they failed a test to determine whether they could stop a bullet.
This occurred six months after DHB announced a $100 million contract with the Defense Department on Dec. 23, 2004. The contract, Brooks said at the time, could be worth as much as $500 million.
Coincidentally, Brooks and the insiders at his company sold off about $200 million worth of DHB stock between Nov. 29 and Dec. 29, 2004. Brooks, according to publicly available filings, sold about $186 million himself, not counting another $50 million in sales that had already been planned.
This seems curious to the outsider's eye. Today, DHB sells around $4 a share on the AMEX. Recently, DHB Industries reported it lost $41.7 million in the third quarter of 2005, the result of special charges, stock compensation and research and development costs.
But things were a lot different one year ago today. In fall 2004, the stock began a sudden climb out of the $11-$12 range toward a high of $20. That's where it was on Dec. 23, the same day as the press release announcing the $100 million contract. Brooks and co. had already begun a huge sell off a few days earlier culminating in an even bigger one on Dec. 27.
That's how he was able to bring in Aerosmith and friends for his daughter's party.
Ironically, though, the SEC investigation into DHB had already commenced before that. The company acknowledges being investigated at first for "certain related party transactions between the Company and affiliates of Mr. David H. Brooks (the Company's Chief Executive Officer)."
But they acknowledge that since then, the investigation has widened to matters relating to the Company's reporting and treatment of executive compensation (primarily relating to Brooks).
The SEC investigation also comes from investors learning that Brooks purchased parts for his products made by a company owned by his wife.
Meanwhile, Brooks has also been looking to become the Denise Rich of the Republican party. A quick check of political donations this year shows that Brooks contributed $25,000 this past June to the National Republican Senate Committee.
A spokesman for Brooks, Manuel Rubio, said the company did not comment on their stock price. As for the party, Rubio told me, "I prefer country music."
Posted by MJuhre at 12:24 PM | Comments (0)
November 29, 2005
I Missed the Manhattan Maple Syrup Mystery -- Did you?
On Oct. 28, a cloud of something smelling like maple syrup drifted over Manhattan. It must have happened after I left work, cuz I totally missed it until today. Looks to me that the mystery was never solved. (What is this, the ghost of the Great Molasses Flood of 1919?
See for your self: (1)NYC Bloggers comment. (2)Web search of event.
Posted by MJuhre at 04:05 PM | Comments (0)
Republican Congressman Pleads Guilty to Bribery by Military Contractors
Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif) cried like a little girl yesterday, when he announced he had resigned after pleading guilty to receiving $2.4 million in bribes from military contractors.
Cunningham, who was apparently already pretty well-to-do, and who represented a wealthy, conservative district near San Diego, faces up to 10 years in prison for charges of bribery and income tax evasion. (See LA Times story.)
Wow, who saw this coming? Not me, and I've been waiting with bated breath for a whole slew of Republican Congressmen to go down on bribery charges in an unrelated scandal.
I admit that, Prior to today, Cunningham had not hit my radar. But it is clear that whoever owns dukecunningham.org really dislikes him.
And for good reason: that Grand Old Party (GOP) consertative morality.
When Cunningham's "Flag Protection Amendment" legislation passed last June, the Congressman said "The passage of this legislation today is a victory for every American. The flag has been a bond that has held us together, providing each of us with a sense of common purpose and enabling us to endure when our freedoms were threatened. The American flag is the ultimate symbol of freedom, equal opportunity and religious tolerance."
This crook, this liar -- who gives your tax dollars to military contractors while evading taxes himself, who gives politicians and really all Americans a bad name -- has the audacity to aver that the American people should accept his assault on the first Constitutional Amendment (i.e. to free speech, which indeed pertains to flag burning) in the name of ... freedom. Uh huh.
Well where's your freedom now, "Duke"?
Gone, i'n't it?
Yep. Go directly to jail. Do not pass go.
And stop crying bitch. NEXT!
Posted by MJuhre at 01:23 PM | Comments (0)
November 26, 2005
Extortion, Fraud, Favors, and Bribery: GOP Scandal Update
The Los Angeles Times reports that the following Congressman (all Republicans) are now known to be embroiled in the fraud scandal whose central figure is right-wing lobbyist Jack Abramoff: former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.), and Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio).
Other stories on the emerging Abramoff-Delay scandal:
Baltimore Sun editorial
FOX News (yes)
Posted by MJuhre at 11:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 23, 2005
Bush Planned to Bomb Qatar; Al Jazeera
Bush Wanted to Bomb Al Jazeera headquarters But Tony Blair talked him out of it.
I guess Tony was smart enough to figure out that it would be hard to say we accidentally bombed our ally Qatar, where the the news channel is based.
Officials in Qatar are shocked (but luckily not awed) by the report, first published in Britain's Daily Mirror on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, British officials are threatening legal action against newspapers that report on the story.
Other coverage:
Financial Times story.
Guardian story.
Posted by MJuhre at 03:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
6644 Katrina Victims Still 'Missing' -- Toll Has Changed Little in Two Months
"6,644 are still missing after Katrina; toll may rise" (USA Today)
Surely some of these people are alive somewhere and surely some are dead somewhere. On the latter point, these startling numbers again raise the question, has the actual Katrina death toll been deliberately obscured?
Posted by MJuhre at 02:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Corruption May Bring Down Republican Congressmen
The sun is shining and the birds are singing a lot these days.
Military and intelligence officials are coming forward to announce or, in some cases, leak snippets of truth that outline the Bush-administration lies that lead up to the Iraq war.
While the White House crumbles, things are starting to heat up over on Capitol Hill, as Michael Scanlon starts to name names in a corruption scandal that could bring the House down.
A former aide both to GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Congressman Tom Delay (R-Tex.), each of whom are being investigated for various crimes, pleaded guilty Monday to his role in a conspiracy to bribe U.S. congressman in exchange for political favors and for attempting to defraud four Native American Indian tribes. Ya gotta love that Republican morality.
And he's already singing to save his own ass.
ROCK THE HOUSE
According to Scanlon's plea Robert Ney (R-Ohio), took numerous bribes from Abramoff.
"We've never seen an example as egregious as this with these sums of money, the bilking, the cynicism and linkages," said Thomas Mann, a political analyst at the Brookings Institution. I think you're going to see a string of indictments."
Go to articles:
"Threat of federal charges against DeLay grows"
Financial Times
"Growing corruption scandal threatens to engulf Republicans"
The Guardian
"Rep. Ney becomes example in Abramoff probe"
San Jose Mercury News
Posted by MJuhre at 12:30 PM | Comments (0)
November 22, 2005
Smoking Gun - Pentagon Calls White Phosphorus a 'Chemical Weapon'
Think Progress cites this formerly classified 1995 Pentagon document as proof that "white phosphorus" is a chemical weapon, something which has been much under debate since the U.S. confirmed last week that it used the agent as a weapon in the battle of Fallujah. (If above link goes dead, document is archived here.)
In it the Pentagon itself used that label, when describing atrocities perpetrated by none other than Saddam Hussein:
"Iraq has possibly employed phosphorus chemical weapons against the Kurdish population in areas along the Iraqi-Turkish-Iranian borders," the document reads. "In late February 1991, following the coalition forces' overwhelming victory over Iraq...during the brutal crackdown that followed the Kurdish uprising, Iraqi forces loyal to President Saddam (Hussein) may have possibly used white phosphorus (WP) chemical weapons against Kurdish rebels..." (emphasis mine)
Posted by MJuhre at 04:22 PM | Comments (0)
2409 Bush Boxes and Counting
A friendly, but sad reminder. As of today, 2097 U.S. soldiers dead in Iraq; 312 in Afghanistan.
The Pentagon still won't let you see the Bush Boxes.
Yesterday I saw interviews with two of the 15,568 American soldiers who have been wounded in Iraq. One lost both his legs, the other a hand, an eye, and his nose.
Posted by MJuhre at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)
November 21, 2005
No Escape for Bush in Asia
__________________________________________________________
"I was trying to Escape...It didn't work." George Bush could not have said it better himself. Oh wait. He did!
While speaking to reporters in China, a tired, angry little Bush got huffy with reporters, then tried to flee the room just like he tried to flee his collapsing presidency by taking a trip to Asia.
Both efforts failed, but Bush only got laughed at to his face in the first incident.
I've heard the report a few times on radio, but for print, I may as well lift this dispatch from the North Korea Times, since you don't get to do that every day (nor, likekly, would you want to; need a more 'reliable' source? See the LA Times story, "President Lacks the Key to His Exit Strategy").
At his own press conference the U.S.president bristled when asked by a reporter, 'Respectfully, sir, you know we are always respectful, in your statement this morning with President Hu, you seemed a little off your game, you seemed to hurry through your statement. There was a lack of enthusiasm. Was something bothering you?'Bush replied, 'Have you ever heard of jet lag? Well, good. That answers your question.'
The reporter responded by asking if he could ask another question. The president replied, 'No you may not,' and strode off.
When he reached the doors and tried to open them the president broke into a laugh. One of his aides then came to his rescue and escorted him to the correct doors where he made a hasty escape.
SEE THE CLIP of Bush's failed retreat in this Dutch newscast (.mov file, 900 K; I pulled this from Crooks and Liars, which has two files of the event, one with much better video quality).
Below: In Bush's one reprieve from reality, dumb American president meets smart Asian robot.
Posted by MJuhre at 04:47 PM | Comments (0)
German Spies say Bush Exaggerated WMD Claims; Times Names Hadley in Plame Case
Five senior officials from Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND) have told the Los Angeles Times that in the months before the U.S. attacked Iraq, the Bush administration "repeatedly exaggerated" claims made by the informant known publicly only as 'Curveball' that Saddam Hussein Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
Meanwhile, The Sunday Times (of London -- owned by Rupert Murdoch no less), reported yesterday that National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley was Bob Woodward's source on outed CIA agent Valerie Plame. (The Raw Story first reported this claim Nov. 16.)
Amid the recent chorus of denials by high-placed Bush officials (Condi's, Rummy's) Hadley's answers to the question of whether he was Bob Woodward's source, have thus far been cryptic.
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald will work with a new grand jury (the one that indicted Libby expired) in the Plame leak investigation. As more witnesses are called in to flesh out Hadley's alleged role (or, at least Woodward's), Plamegate looks poised to haunt the Republicans well into the 2006 election year.
Yesterday, Washington Post ombudsman Deborah Howell wrote that Woodward's two-year silence on his role in Plamegate, represented a "deeply serious sin."
"He has to operate under the rules that govern the rest of the staff - even if he's rich and famous," she wrote, adding that Woodward should not have publicly commented on the case on CNN's "Larry King Live" and on National Public Radio without disclosing his knowledge of the CIA leak case.
Posted by MJuhre at 03:47 PM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2005
National Security Advisor Leaked Plame Name; Libby Still Fucked
National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley was one of Bob Woodward's sources on Plame, according to the Raw Story.
At the time of his conversations with Woodward, Hadley was ... Deputy National Security Advisor. For his work in discrediting Joe Wilson, Hadley was promoted to his current position ... after Condoleeza Rice was promoted to Secretary of State, a rewarded for her stellar role in maintaining security in the United States.
Since the news emerged yesterday that Woodward spoke with someone before Libby spoke with Judith Miler, the right-wing media and a prostitute have tried to spin things to suggest that Libby is off the hook.
But guess what? Libby was not indicted for leaking the identity of a CIA agent, but for conspiracy, perjury, and obstruction of justice. So, regardless of who leaked what when, Libby still faces 30 years in the slammer.
And, last and best, the Bush administration may face yet more problems, if it's National Security Advisor is indicted by Patrick Fitzgerald indicts.
Bush can only hide in Ulaanbaatar for so long. By the time he gets back, there will surely be more great news for him.
Posted by MJuhre at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
Under Bush, U.S. Detained 83,000 in War on Terror
Under the Bush America has detained 83,000 People in War on Terror, according to a story in the Chicago Sun Times.
More than 99 percent of those were detained in Iraq or Afghanistan and 68,500 have been released.
This means the government has effectively "disappeared" 14,500 people into its global, black-site prison system in Iraq, Afghanistan, Cuba, Eastern Europe, and other locations. At that rate, the United States will catch up to Argentina in 2009.
It also means that the Bush administration determined it did not have sufficient evidence to suggest that 85 percent of the people it kidnapped were involved in terrorism.
Posted by MJuhre at 04:22 PM | Comments (0)
"Bush Was Right" by The Right Brothers
The right wing will stop at nothing when it comes to spin. A political action committee (PAC) called RightMarch.com, has put together a Green Day-esque song called "Bush Was Right!" by The Right Brothers.
YOU MUST HEAR IT to believe it. I can't do it justice. You can check out the lyrics too, but I urge you to listen to the mp3 first to get the full shock-and-awe effect.
As illustrated in the below excerpt from their site, they are trying to get MTV to play it.
WILL YOU HELP US? We're putting together a "kickin'" music video right now, and we're preparing a HUGE grassroots campaign to get hundreds of thousands of people to request Bush Was Right! on MTV's "Total Request Live" show... leading to our demands for it to be played in regular rotation!If they DON'T -- then we'll hit the media in a BIG way, showing how MTV plays left-wing videos while CENSORING conservative videos!
I wondered for a bit whether this was a real band or some jived-up Karl Rove/Jack Abramoff move, though I leaned toward believing the latter. The proof in the pudding came when I found this October 2004 story by Talon News (the employer of fake journalist/White House hack, and sometime gigolo Jeff Gannon - AKA James Guckert), which says that one of the group's members, Aaron Sain is also a member of the RightMarch.com PAC.
See a PDF of the RightMarch.com ad for the "Bush Was Right" single here.
During the 2004 campaign, the group put out a single about John Kerry called "Welcome To The Waffle House." It's a country song and, save for the new single, so are all the others put together by the group. (A whole slew of their songs, including "Dear Mr. Reagan" and "Hey Hollywood" ("we hear your message and it don't sound good") is available at FreeRepublic.com.)
I'm guessing someone figured out that the powerpop (that's what "Alternative" or "College Rock" when I was coming up) sound might function better as youth propaganda then country. Let's hope they put out an Eminem-style ("8 miles to Baghdad"?) next.
On that note, it is curious to learn that, until he determined it was the smart propaganda move, Sain had no interest in "alternative music" (a musical category I cite reluctantly, but which applies to Green Day, at least in terms of 1990s radio-industry parlance), as shown in this excerpt from June 2004 artricle in the Courier Journal of Florence, Alabama. "In the early ‘90’s Aaron moved to Nashville to pursue his dream of making it in the music business. About that time the music Aaron listened to was phasing out. 'The big hair bands of the 80’s whose music I enjoyed so much, such as Def Leppard, Poison and Bon Jovi, were suddenly just gone. And when the music scene went alternative, I turned to country.' " [And when we realized that most the mass market of idiot teenagers had slightly better taste in music than we did, we thought we'd speak their language in preaching our zipperhead right-wing message.]
The Right Brothers' webmaster (and sometime/ful-time drummer?) is a gent named Dave Culbreath. As the owner of the domain name for the band's Web site, he was the first person I hit upon when I first started trying to figure out who these folks were.
A random aside, in case you needed to know, Culbreath's favorite favorite Extra Value Meal is a "Wendy's #1, with NO TOMATO."
To read the full the Courier Journal article on The Right Brothers:
reprinted from the Courier Journal
June 30, 2004
Get Right or Get Left
By Jill Oliver for the Courier Journal
There is a new force in the music industry, a dynamic duo whose passion is writing and music; they are both from Florence and their time is now. Aaron Sain and Frank Highland are the Right Brothers and their first CD , "For My Country" has just been released for public consumption.
It is more than appropriate that these two writer/musicians call the Renaissance City home considering our city's richly diverse musical heritage. Aaron moved to Florence with his family in the fifth grade and remained here until he began college at Freed Hardeman University. Aaron still calls Florence home and visits his family here; his dad is the preacher at Wood Avenue Church of Christ.
In the early '90's Aaron moved to Nashville to pursue his dream of making it in the music business. About that time the music Aaron listened to was phasing out. "The big hair bands of the 80's whose music I enjoyed so much, such as Def Leppard, Poison and Bon Jovi, were suddenly just gone. And when the music scene went alternative, I turned to country."
That switch to country music set ablaze a passion for songwriting and a hunger for anything he could learn about producing music. Writing incessantly, Aaron was supporting his wife and new baby with graphics design and sales jobs. Though every spare moment was spent in his studio behind their home poring over music and lyrics, Aaron was experiencing no success with the songs he was writing. "In 1993 I decided I'd had enough; it was time to stop chasing a dream. I loaded up all of my equipment and decided to put it in consignment. I got halfway to the store and I just could not go through with it."
"I prayed about it and then turned it over to God,"Aaron explained. With the full support of his wife, he decided to give writing his all for one more year. Within six months of that decision, Aaron had landed a job as a staff writer with a big music company. Several years later, he had a pivotal run-in with an old acquaintance from home - Frank Highland.
Frank was born and raised in Florence and while he and Aaron knew each other casually, they were never close friends. However, like Aaron his obsession with music and writing began at an early age. Frank began playing guitar, and trying to write songs at fifteen. "When I had mastered three chords on the guitar, I began writing songs day and night," said Frank. "I was always writing, even if it was just copying the lyrics to songs on the radio to get a feel for the formula."
While at UNA studying commercial music, Frank wrote a song and sent it to Fame Studios. Though the song was never recorded, Frank was encouraged to learn the big music guys felt his songwriting had potential. And it later opened the door for another song to be recorded by the Mel Tillis Publishing Company.
Frank's degree in Recording Industry Management from Middle Tennessee State University and his passion for writing paid off in 1996 when he landed a job as a songwriter with McGraw Music, Tim McGraw's music company. He also later worked as a staff writer at Music Genesis. During that time Frank met up with Aaron on Music Row, altering the course of the future for both men.
Frank and Aaron booked a time to write together and soon began attending the same church. The terrorist attacks in 2001 affected even the music industry in Nashville. So, when the music company where Frank was working closed, he opened his own swimming pool maintenance business. "I was servicing pools and cutting grass to support my family. And in the evenings I was writing with Aaron at the studio," Frank explained.
The two became best friends whose love for writing and interest in politics began to meld. "We became pretty much addicted to Fox News," said Aaron laughingly. Frank added, "Aaron and I agreed that the standards and values of this country have just plummeted in the last fifteen years. Everything that is right has been called into question; decency is under attack."
Aaron and Frank began writing politically edged songs which express their beliefs and their love for this country.
Three months of late nights turning into early mornings birthed their first album together, The Right Brothers. Frank explained, "We are dedicated to waking up the silent majority, motivating them to make a stand for the conservative principles that were the original premise of this country." Aaron agreed, "We're just preaching to the choir; so many people feel as passionately about America as we do. We hope our music will stir those folks up."
One of the songs, entitled Hey, Hollywood! is their response to the America-bashing actors and actresses who criticize President Bush for taking the war to Iraq. The website, www.rightmarch.com, recently posted a link to the song, and in 72 hours, 15,000 people had downloaded it.
The two artists began to realize that the political landscape is changing. "One of the first songs we wrote for the album was From Here On Out. It is our battle cry," Frank stated. "Being conservative by nature, we both began to take more of an interest in politics during the mid-'90's. We live in the greatest country on earth and it will only stay that way if good people speak their minds, voice their opinions and cast their votes. As the famous saying goes, 'All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.' As for us, political apathy is no longer an option," Frank added.
Like many Americans, the Right Brothers felt inadequate in their ability to express their thanks to our troops. "In some small way we wanted to say what was in our hearts," Aaron said. Frank came to the table with most of the title song, For My Country, already finished. As it turned out I was able to help him finish it". The second verse says, turned on the news first thing this morning, saw where two more soldiers died so I could sleep in peace last night in my country. "That is exactly what happened to me," Aaron said. "I woke up - flipped on the TV and the first words I heard were, 'Two more American soldiers were killed today (last night) in Iraq.' This song seems to be touching people in a special way and we're just thankful to be a part of it."
Aaron and Frank also celebrated the release of their album by shipping a case of CD's to the troops in Afghanistan and the spouses at 101st Airborne in Ft. Campbell, KY.
The CD includes a total of 10 original songs and is being officially released on July 4, although copies may be purchased now from their website at www.therightbrothers.com. Copies may also be obtained by mailing a check or money order for $15 per CD to: The Right Brothers, 628 Brook Drive, Antioch, TN 37013 and they will get a copy right out to you.
For My Country is from the heart and soul of Aaron Sain and Frank Highland to yours. For more information about these two talented native sons, you may visit their website, www.therightbrothers.com
Posted by MJuhre at 02:19 PM | Comments (0)
51 Ways To Lie if You're "Vice" President Dick Cheney
I thank Rachel Maddow for alerting me to this:
Congressman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) has posted a document illustrating the 51 times Cheney has lied about Iraq. (Culture Freak's archived version, if this one should disappear.)
Posted by MJuhre at 01:19 PM | Comments (0)
November 16, 2005
Oil CEOs Lied; Companies Met WIth Cheney's Energy Task Force
I'll let Taylor Marsh and The Washington Post handle this one, but suffice it to say that it's no wonder the Republican Senators did not want the Oil Barrons to testify under oath.
Posted by MJuhre at 04:31 PM | Comments (0)
Did Cheney Leak Plame Name to Bob Woodward?
On Monday, Washington Post assistant managing editor Bob Woodward testified under oath before Patrick Fitzgerald that "a senior administration official told him about CIA operative Valerie Plame and her position at the agency nearly a month before her identity was disclosed."
"Citing a confidentiality agreement in which the source freed Woodward to testify but would not allow him to discuss their conversations publicly, Woodward and Post editors refused to disclose the official's name or provide crucial details about the testimony."
If true, the big news is that Woodward, is now writing his third book on the Bush administration, had conversations about Plame with three Bush administration officials but none of them was Libby nor Rove. "Woodward and editors at the Post refused to identify the official to reporters other than to say it was not Libby," writes the AP. It wasn't Rove either, at least according to Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Karl Rove's legal team.
Let's assume this is true. Who's left?
More to the point, what key members of the Bush administration has Bob Woodward had incredible access to?
Well, Bush and Cheney themselves, for one thing.
Let's take a quick journey back to an article written just over two years ago by The Nation's Eric Alterman:
In his most recent book, Bush at War, Bob Woodward brags that he was given access to the deeply classified minutes of National Security Council meetings. He also noted, not long ago, that the President sat for lengthy interviews, often speaking candidly about classified information. This surprised even Woodward, who observed, "Certainly Richard Nixon would not have allowed reporters to question him like that. Bush's father wouldn't allow it. Clinton wouldn't allow it.'' But George W. Bush does it--breaking the law in the process--and nobody seems to care. Why? Because Woodward plays ball--he reports Bush & Co.'s actions in the same heroic, comic-book cadences they use themselves. Moreover, he doesn't bother weighing any competing claims or seeking to determine whether anything he is spoon-fed might actually be true.
Woodward one of "The President's Men?"
Until recently, I was only mildly skeptical of Woodward's character and integrity (probably thanks to Robert Redford), but I had been surprised at how much slack he seemed to give the Bush administration.
But now I think it's time to kick it up a notch and put him in the same pile as Judy Miller (because, like her, he withheld information on this case for "journalistic integrity"), and GOP shills Robert Novak and William Kristol (the latter, especially, because I am sometimes convinced that Woodward and Kristol may have been separated at birth).
Woodward has verbally downplayed the Plame investigation in numerous interviews over the past year or so, and some have called him an ass-kissing apologist for the Bush administration. Others have gone so far as to call him an
Woodward Quotes on the Plame Leak:"First of all this began not as somebody launching a smear campaign that it actually -- when the story comes out I'm quite confident we're going to find out that it started kind of as gossip, as chatter and that somebody learned that Joe Wilson's wife had worked at the CIA and helped him get this job going to Niger to see if there was an Iraq/Niger uranium deal."
"When the story comes out, I'm quite confident we're going to find out that it started kind of as gossip, as chatter."
"When I think all of the facts come out in this case, it's going to be laughable because the consequences are not that great."
Other Links:
Bob Woodward, Lost in Cronyism? (Oct. 30, 2005)
The Mixed-Up Files of Mr. Bob Woodward Yahoo News Nov. 16, 2005)
Posted by MJuhre at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)
Pentagon Admits to Chemical Weapon Use in Fallujah
After weeks of denial, the U.S. Department of Defense admitted in an interview with BBC news that it used white phosphorus as "an incendiary weapon against enemy combatants" during the battle for Fallujah last year.
An Italian TV news documentary broke the story on November 8.
But for weeks after the broadcast,which led to massive demonstrations at the U.S. embassy in Rome, the Pentagon insisted it had used the agent only for "illumination" and "obscuring troop movement."
The scope of the government denial of its use of "Willy Pete" (white phosphorus) as a weapon reach bizarre proportions on this "Identifying Misinformation" page of "International Information Programs" section of the State Department's Web site. (I archived it here, if that link goes dead. As of this writing, the last update to the page was made Nov. 10.)
Some excerpts:
The fighting in Fallujah, Iraq has led to a number of widespread myths including false charges that the United States is using chemical weapons such napalm and poison gas. None of these allegations are true...U.S. forces have used [phosphorus shells] very sparingly in Fallujah, for illumination purposes. They were fired into the air to illuminate enemy positions at night, not at enemy fighters.
[November 10, 2005 note: We have learned that some of the information we were provided in the above paragraph is incorrect. White phosphorous shells, which produce smoke, were used in Fallujah not for illumination but for screening purposes, i.e., obscuring troop movements and, according to an article, "The Fight for Fallujah," in the March-April 2005 issue of Field Artillery magazine, "as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes..." The article states that U.S. forces used white phosphorous rounds to flush out enemy fighters so that they could then be killed with high explosive rounds.] (Culture Freak archive of "The Fight for Fallujah," if above link goes dead.)
The content on this State Department page is worded very carefully, as might be expected from any crisis-management PR communication. I particularly like the journalistic-like correction on the factual errors. I wonder if they'll eventually issue a correction advising that, in fact, the Pentagon had been lying for two weeks.
The latest spin, and perhaps the best face the government can muster now is that "it was not used against civilians," as Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Barry Venable told reporters.
That claim may not sit well in the public stomach. We now know the military lied about using white phosphorus as a weapon at all, so why should we believe this, especially considering the difference between "enemy combatants" and "civilians" is murky at best?
AGAINST INTERNATIONAL LAW?
Whether it is illegal for the military use of white phosphorus as an anti-personnel (i.e. burn people alive) agent is up for debate.
"White phosphorus is not banned by any treaty to which the United States is a signatory," according to GlobalSecurity.org. "Smokes and obscurants comprise a category of materials that are not used militarily as direct chemical agents."
The chemical falls into this category becuase it was originally used for primarily illumination purposes, including tracer rounds and smoke screens. (That may still be its primary purpose, but I just don't know. The military may have just figured out a way to use it as "legal" chemical weapon, sort of like fuel air explosives.
But, while not explicitly banned, international treaties state that any chemical that can cause harm or death may be classified as a chemical weapon. When a BBC news correspondent pointed this out to Pentagon spokesperson Col. Venable, Venable didn't seem to know how to respond:
BBC: There are suggestions here that if…used in that way, an incendiary weapon such as white phosphorus would be against the various conventions governing the use of weapons during war. Do you disagree?Venable: Cite the conventions.
BBC: The eh…chemical weapons convention.
Venable: "Okay, does it list white phosphorus as a chemical?"
BBC: No it doesn't but it says a chemical weapon can be any chemical which through its chemical action on life processes can cause death, temporary incapacitation or permanent harm.
Venable: But...uh, this is...we're talking white phosphorus.
If the wording of the chemical weapons convention is followed to the letter, Willy Pete is a chemical weapon.
"White phosphorus results in painful chemical burn injuries," according to GlobalSecurity.org. "Phosphorus burns on the skin are deep and painful…The burns usually are multiple, deep, and variable in size. The solid in the eye produces severe injury. The particles continue to burn unless deprived of atmospheric oxygen. These weapons are particularly nasty because white phosphorus continues to burn until it disappears. If service members are hit by pieces of white phosphorus, it could burn right down to the bone..."
Posted by MJuhre at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)
November 15, 2005
TrackBack Ping Spam
It's curious that I should happen to post this now, as I just today had an email exchange with a friend and reader about consumer data mining; i.e. the fact that when you use those "membership discount" cards at your favorite shoppping center or clothing retailer, they track your purchases and sell that information.
A few days ago I got a catalog for "big" men in the mail, and I'm about 90% certain it arrived at my door thanks to my Men's Wearhouse membership card (yes...) that entitles me to free tailoring (each time I lose or gain weight) and once provided me a nifty discount on a tuxedo rental.
"Wow," I thought. "Someone out there knows I'm fat." It wasn't hard to figure out that my name and body measurements had been added to some list and then sold. (See how you, too, can fool the list managers by exchanging your "loyalty card" with that of another consumer. Shop at Safeway? Help Rob convince the store that he's the ultimate shopper).
But this post isn't really about any of that, exactly.
No. This is about a new form of spam; one that apparently utilizes the TrackBack pings of Moveable Type (the engine that drives this, and many another blog) to send automatic marketing messages to a blogger's mailbox.
In a past life I wrote a lot about phishing, identity theft, scams, and information security. In an even more distant past life, I worked as a researcher and investigator in intellectual property and technology law and was often charged with thwarting offshore pirates (not the Somali kind) who had hijacked our clients' Internet domain names, online identities,etc.
So, I generally consider myself to be pretty hip to the latest scams & spams.
But this one was new to me. Over the past several days, I've been getting a bunch o' these things.
__________________________________________________________________
A new TrackBack ping has been sent to your weblog, on the entry 110
(Dems Grow A Pair; GOPs Whine Like Babies).
IP Address: 64.191.73.101
URL: <http://christmas-trees.search-smart.info>
Title: christmas trees
Weblog: christmas trees
Excerpt:
christmas trees
__________________________________________________________________
Each spam says it originates from the IP Address 64.191.73.101 (though I doubt that's true) and links to a different e-commerce site, such as buy aciphex online."
And mine is definitely not the only blog to get these things.
I continue to be amazed by the ever increasing types of e-scams out there -- any new messaging technology that comes along, will soon enough be exploited by criminals and morons. I never understand why these idiots think someone is going to shop at their crappy e-commerce sites because he or she received some random URL...but then I remember the things my dad does.
Hopefully there's no malicious code or anything making its way into Culture Freak. Really, these spams create only a minor annoyance. But, it's annoyance worthy of my posting all the information I can find on the perpetrators.
First, I visited "search-mart.info" site (from the above christmas-trees.search-smart.info) to see what they were all about and the following page came up (the big red arrow is my addition; you'll find out why it's there momentarily).
The Jamaican flag that appears in the address bar, coupled with the multicolored, peacock-like Carnival Casino design, led me to believe this might originate from some rasta gang pulling their version of a 419 scheme. I had my first 419 encounter when I worked for a huge insurance company back in 1997 or so. Need the 411 on 419? Then visit these fine gents at 419 Eater.
Anyway, to make a long story short. I think I'm right. The smart-info domain is owned by some individual or group calling itself..."Rasta Community" and claiming to be in "Deeptown, Ethiopia." I assume this is horse shit, and that he/she/they just picked Ethiopia because rastas worship the late emperor of that state, Haile Selassie I. Also, the only references I can find to any such "Deeptown" is on the Spam Archives of Alden Bates'Weblog.
In a related domain name, CarnivalCasino.com, the owner claimed to be in Antigua. It seemed more likely than Ethiopia and huh, the phone number listed happens to match that of lawyer named Septimus Rhudd, who is listed on the government of Antigua & Barbuda's Directorate of Offshore Gaming site.
That's about all the investigating I have in me today. Perhaps this is all a legal, but annoying e-commerce rather than a 419. And perhaps Mr. Rhudd is not involved at all.
SEARCH-SMART.INFO
Created On:28-Apr-2004 17:12:49 UTC
Last Updated On:21-Oct-2005 07:07:30 UTC
Expiration Date:28-Apr-2006 17:12:49 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Direct Information Pvt. Ltd. (R159-LRMS)
Status:OK
Registrant ID:DI_1335542
Registrant Name:Maximilian Berkovich
Registrant Organization:Rasta Community
Registrant Street1:Ann Karelina street 123
Registrant City:DeepTown
Registrant Postal Code:34543534
Registrant Country:ET
Registrant Phone:+21.43534532
Registrant Email:admin@smokaz.com
Admin ID:DI_1335542
Admin Name:Maximilian Berkovich
Admin Organization:Rasta Community
Admin Street1:Ann Karelina street 123
Admin City:DeepTown
Admin Postal Code:34543534
Admin Country:ET
Admin Phone:+21.43534532
Admin Email:admin@smokaz.com
Billing ID:DI_1335542
Billing Name:Maximilian Berkovich
Billing Organization:Rasta Community
Billing Street1:Ann Karelina street 123
Billing City:DeepTown
Billing Postal Code:34543534
Billing Country:ET
Billing Phone:+21.43534532
Billing Email:admin@smokaz.com
Tech ID:DI_1335542
Tech Name:Maximilian Berkovich
Tech Organization:Rasta Community
Tech Street1:Ann Karelina street 123
Tech City:DeepTown
Tech Postal Code:34543534
Tech Country:ET
Tech Phone:+21.43534532
Tech Email:admin@smokaz.com
Name Server:NS1.SEARCH-SMART.INFO
Name Server:NS2.SEARCH-SMART.INFO
________________________________________
CARNIVALCASINO.COM
Registrant:
Crown solution gaming
6 Temple street
St. Johns, na 99999
AG
Registrar: DOTSTER
Domain Name: CARNIVALCASINO.COM
Created on: 24-JUN-97
Expires on: 23-JUN-15
Last Updated on: 27-JUL-05
Administrative, Technical Contact:
Administrator, Tech admin@easymanaged.com
Crown solution gaming
6 Temple street
St. Johns, na 99999
CY
1-268-460-6184
1-268-460-6183
Posted by MJuhre at 12:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 14, 2005
Iraq is the New Afghanistan, Again
This ain't a clever and pretty post. Sorry. Just the facts ma'am.
It is now clear that last week's hotel bombings in Jordan were perpetrated solely by Iraqis, on the orders of Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, the (Jordanian) leader of "Al Qaeda in Iraq."
Y'know, two years ago the statement "Iraq is the new Afghanistan," might resonate in the popular culture as simply meaning, "whereas last year's war was Afghanistan, this year's is Iraq."
But now, and I'm sure many another editor out there is screaming it loudly (but it can't be screamed loud enough), we have proof of this statement's more important connotation: that whereas before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, that country existed under a brutal, totalitarian regime with few if any instances homegrown terrorism (thanks to the aforementioned brutal regime), it is now, after the U.S. invasion, a lawless landscape, divvied up by warlords and terrorists who use its soil as a recruiting ground, and training ground to export terrorism to other countries.
I told you this wasn't pretty. That sentence was a mouthful, indeed. But everyone who can muster a voice -- in print, on the air, on the Web, or on the local street corner, needs to disseminate this fact to an American public that might otherwise just wade back and forth between its own ignorance and Republican, damage-control talking points.
Good day.
Posted by MJuhre at 12:35 PM | Comments (0)
November 09, 2005
Bear Naked Libby's
No time for blogging lately, and just when the news gets sexy.
If, by chance, you missed it. Scooter Libby wrote a steamy, if not downright sadistic novel called The Apprentice in 1996.
Now out of print, the book's value is soaring on Amazon.com and eBay, with asking prices as high as $2400.
"The book includes incest, a hunter who wonders if he should shag a freshly killed deer while it's still warm, and a girl kept in a cage and raped by a bear to train her to become a prostitute," writes Editor & Publisher.
"Wow, who would have thought that clean living, family values man Scooter Libby was capable of writing such filth," said one reviewer on Amazon, according to a Reuters story.
Reminds one of Bill O'Reilly who, after settling a sexual harassment lawsuit levied against him by an intern last year(for an undisclosed amount of cash, in exchange for her permanent silence on the matter), reintroduced his 1998 novel that is also rife with sexual and violent imagery: Those Who Trespass: A Novel of Murder and Television (and don't forget, of course The O'Reilly Factor For Kids).
But Trespass hasn't quite had the success of Libby's Apprentice. When I last checked Amazon.com (see screen capture), O'Reilly's trash novel was selling for as low as 20 cents.
My question: how many of these "faith and values" conservatives are would-be, or actual rapists and pedophiles dressed up like Jesus? Perhaps Satan only knows, but Air America Radio host Randi Rhodes has created a list.
Posted by MJuhre at 02:09 PM | Comments (0)
November 04, 2005
Dems vs. the "Republican cover-up Congress"
I've had a hard time finding transcripts of some of the surprisingly forward statements that have suddenly come forth from the Democratic leadership. The Dems have finally stated that the White House and the Republican-controlled Congress are in collusion, engaging in a cover-up of lies and misdeeds executed by the Bush administration.
Moreover, I've not even found a single source in the print or Internet news media that even quoted the most important sound bite, when Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said, Tuesday, that "the separation of powers doctrine is something that does not exist in this town," since the Congress takes its marching orders from the White House.
There may be good stories out there that include this coverage, but I just haven't found them.
Thankfully, video of the statements made by Harry Reid and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is amply available, so I've done a little transcribing on my own, just because I feel these statements should be more widely publicized, or at least readily available to the public.
Yesterday Pelosi made the following statements at a press conference:
_____________________
…As you know, this week my colleagues in the Senate had to resort to drastic measures, to demand answers to many unanswered questions about Iraq. The Republican Congress has failed in its responsibility to examine the Administration's conduct of the war in Iraq.
The Republican cover-up Congress refuses to answer questions about the existence of weapons of mass destruction as justification for the Iraq war, the mistakes made in the war's management, and the endless cost of this war in terms of -- first in all, lives and the good health of our troops; secondly, the cost in dollars; third the cost in reputation to our country; and [fourth] the cost to the readiness of our military to protect America.
The second part of the Republican Congress cover-up is in intelligence. They refuse to investigate manipulation and misuse of intelligence for political purposes.
There is no greater danger in the intelligence business, than manipulating intelligence to fit a desired outcome. It undermines national security. It's dangerous to our troops, intelligence operatives, and it's dangerous to the American people, and it's destructive to the intelligence process. If mistakes were made, Americans deserve to know.
Congress has an obligation to make sure that decisions to go to war are based on truth and trust. Democrats have repeatedly asked Congress to investigate what went wrong with the intelligence to justify the war in Iraq.
Congress, again, has an obligation to make sure that decisions to go to war are always made properly – anything less is not supporting our troops.
This Congress, which -- you [journalists] have talked about the culture of corruption and cronyism -- is now also and has been for a long time, the Congress of cover-up.
Later today I'll ask the full House to investigate whether the intelligence that led us into war in Iraq was manipulated. Stay tuned on that.
_____________________
Later in the day Pelosi took these words to the House Floor and took Speaker Hastert to task: "Mr. Speaker, I think it think it brings shame to the House for this Congress to be engaged in a cover-up when it comes to reviewing what's happening in Iraq and I appeal the ruling of the Chair."
Earlier in the week, just prior to calling for a closed session of Congress, Senator Reid tore the White House and his Senate colleagues a new one. The following are excerpts from that speech (see the video).
-------------------------------
As a result of its improper conduct, a cloud now hangs over this administration. This cloud is further darkened by the administration's mistakes in prisoner abuse [and] Hurricane Katrina, and the cronyism and corruption in numerous agencies throughout this administration.
And, unfortunately, it must be said that a cloud also hangs over this Republican-controlled Congress, for its unwillingness to hold this Republican administration accountable for its misdeeds on these issues. During the time that we had a Democratic president – eight years – and when the Democrats were in charge of the [Senate] committees – we were in the majority – oversight hearings were held covering the gamut of what went on in that administration. Today there is not an oversight hearing held on anything…
What has been the response by this Republican-controlled Congress to the administration's manipulation of intelligence? Nothing! Did the Republican-controlled Congress carry out its Constitutional obligations to conduct oversight? No! Did it support our troops by providing to them and their families the answers to many important questions? No! Did it even attempt to force this administration to answer the most basic questions about its behavior? No!
Unfortunately the unwillingness of the Republican-controlled Congress to exercise its oversight responsibilities is not limited to just Iraq.
We see it with respect to the prisoner-abuse scandal. We see it with respect to [Hurricane] Katrina. And we see it with respect to the cronyism and corruption that permeates this administration.
Time and time again, this Republican-controlled Congress has consistently chosen to put its political interests ahead of our national security. They have repeatedly chosen to protect the Republican administration rather than to get to the bottom of what happened and why it happened...
Unfortunately, the Senate committee that should be taking the lead in finding these answers is not...
-------------------------------
Holding a press conference after the closed Senate session, Reid said the following to reporters:
"What we saw Friday with the indictments [of I. Lewis Libby] is only a small glimpse of what has gone wrong with this administration.
Congressional oversight is something I have grown up with…in the House of Representatives I spent most of my time in committees doing oversight of the agencies over which the committees had jurisdiction.
This Republican Senate does no oversight – none! None. It's all part of a plan. They obstruct, they take orders from the White House, they do nothing without getting orders from the White House. The separation of powers doctrine is something that does not exist in this town. (See the video.)
Posted by MJuhre at 04:07 PM | Comments (0)
Bush Approval Rating Free Fall -- The Game
Andy sent in a link to this amazing game along with the words, "this is great...maybe even genius." We couldn't agree more.
I don't know if it was timed to coincide with Bush's free fall in the polls (his approval rating as of yesterday stood at between 35 and 39 percent, while dark lord Dick Cheney's hit an all-time low of at 19 percent!)
Grab Bush by the head or limbs and drag him about like a rag doll, or just let him fall and watch him bounce around. I wasted about an hour doing this. But wasted?
Posted by MJuhre at 11:31 AM | Comments (0)
November 03, 2005
"Order the Tater Tots" Said Brownie, While Katrina Victims Died of Thirst
"Rep. Charlie Melancon, whose district south of New Orleans was devastated by the hurricane, posted a sampling of e-mails written by Federal Emergency Management chief Michael Brown on his Web site on Wednesday." (See full CNN article.)
"...In the midst of the overwhelming damage caused by the hurricane and enormous problems faced by FEMA, Mr. Brown found time to exchange e-mails about superfluous topics," including "problems finding a dog-sitter," Melancon said...
Click here to download a PDF (700k) copy of all the emails Melancon released (or pull it from the original source.)
Or, check out the these Culture Freak favorites, pulled out from the bunch:
Get the tots and a cherry lemonade
Can someone please explain my job to me?
Posted by MJuhre at 01:23 PM | Comments (0)
Rummy's Bird Flu Bonanza
In case you missed it elsewhere, you may want to know that Donald Rumsfeld stands to make millions of dollars thanks to Bush administration policy regarding the latest scare -- the prospect of an avian flu pandemic.
"The prospect of a bird flu outbreak may be panicking people around the globe," writes Nelson D. Schwartz of Fortune magazine but it's proving to be very good news for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other politically connected investors in Gilead Sciences, the California biotech company that owns the rights to Tamiflu, the influenza remedy that's now the most-sought after drug in the world."
Rumsfeld was on Gilead's board of directors from 1988 until he became secretary of defense in 2001, serving as chairman for the last four of those years. He still holds between $5 million and $25 million in company stocks and bonds, according to federal financial disclosures.
"In my years with Gilead, I have witnessed the evolution of one of the industry's premier biotechnology companies," Mr. Rumsfeld said in 1997 when he was named chairman.
Gilead does not currently manufacture Tamiflu, but has licensed the same out to Swiss pharma giant Roche, in exchange for about 10 percent of all sales.
Mufucka Gettin' Paid
The increasing buzz and worldwide fear of a bird-flue pandemic has led to unprecedented orders for Tamiflu in the past six months, increasing Gilead's stock value from $35 to $47 per share. That, Fortune magazine reckons, has rocketed Rumsfeld's already astronomical wealth by at least $1 million already. Last July, the Pentagon itself (Oh snap!) ordered $58 million worth of Tamiflu, according to the article.
On Tuesday, Bush requested $7.1 billion from Congress to address a potentially catastrophic (at least, so they say, who knows?) flu outbreak in the United States, at least $1.2 billion of those funds would go directly to toward Tamiflu production.
"Our goals in seeking this funding are to be able to produce a course of pandemic influenza vaccine for every American within six months of an outbreak," Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt (search) told the Senate Appropriations Committee.
First Halliburton, Now This
"It's all about guns and drugs and oil," said Air America radio's Marc Maron Wednesday, "but drugs is the one we talk the least about, but there are some heavy hitters -- people within [Bush's] Cabinet right now, making a fortune over the potential of millions of people getting sick...That's no surprise obviously."
"Who else has the Tamiflu action? Former Secretary of State [under the elder Bush] George Shultz. He's on the board [of Roche]. Coincidence? How ya feelin'? I'm feeling a little 'floolish.' A little bit. Maybe I need some Tamiflu. Who gets the pay? Rumsfeld Why is it that all these guys are in these businesses?...Doesn't it give you the creeps?...My God, I'm telling you this entire government... is just a money laundering operation, folks. That's all it is. It's a money laundering operation making these guys richer."
Indeed. See last month's post on Dick Cheney's Halliburton wealth.
Posted by MJuhre at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)
November 02, 2005
Other "CultureFreaks"
Today I was alerted to two other Culture Freak blogs out there. Who knew? One "culturefreak" blogger (top image) is from Brazil, while the other looks like some fake...I don't know what...but may be Culture Freak in name only...
On the flip side, there is the Intellectual Comedy Salon, a blog whose name bears no resemblance to ours, but could nonetheless be CF Blog Cabin's twin. Very much my speed, whatever it is.
Posted by MJuhre at 04:26 PM | Comments (0)
Dems Grow A Pair; GOPs Whine Like Babies
Who would have guessed that Harry Reid would grow a pair and catch Bill Frist and the GOP off guard, let alone make them cry like little girls?
Yesterday, in an uncharacteristically brilliant move, Senate Democrats invoked the legislative body's cryptic "Rule 21" to force a closed discussion over the lack of Congressional oversight and examination of the dark tactics employed by the Bush administration to sell its Iraq invasion to the American people (though, for the record -- not this one!). The move forced the GOP to stop obstructing the Senate duty act on the strong evidence of wrongdoing by the White House and investigate the same.
But much more important, of course, the Dems actually blocked the Bush administration's attempt to capture control of the news cycle (after a week of bad news) by parading out its Supreme Court nominee.
"This past weekend, we witnessed the indictment of I. Lewis Libby, the Vice President’s Chief of Staff and a senior Advisor to President Bush. Libby is the first sitting White House staffer to be indicted in 135 years," Minority Leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor, before calling a secret session that totally caught the GOP off guard.
"The Libby indictment provides a window into what this is really about: how the Administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions."
"What has been the response of this Republican-controlled Congress to the Administration’s manipulation of intelligence that led to this protracted war in Iraq? Basically nothing...Unfortunately the unwillingness of the Republican-controlled Congress to exercise its oversight responsibilities is not limited to just Iraq. We see it with respect to the prisoner abuse scandal. We see it with respect to Katrina. And we see it with respect to the cronyism and corruption that permeates this Administration. Time and time again, this Republican-controlled Congress has consistently chosen to put its political interests ahead of our national security. They have repeatedly chosen to protect the Republican Administration rather than get to the bottom of what happened and why..." See Reid's full statements here.
The best part, for my money, is seeing the bully that has stolen our lunch money for five years cry like a little bitch because we learned one of his tricks. I never thought to call the Republicans pussies.
"The United States Senate has been hijacked by the Democratic leadership... They have no conviction. They have no principles...This is a pure stunt." (Hmm, eh, pot calling the kettle black, Bill?) Never, he said, have "I been slapped in the face with such an affront to the leadership of this grand institution." That's because until yesterday, you and your boys were doing the slapping. Well 'wah wah wah.' Don't dish it out if you can't take it cry baby.
Posted by MJuhre at 01:57 PM | Comments (0)
November 01, 2005
Cheney Called to Court in Plamegate Probe
Hopefully, by Thursday the television news pundits will be a little bored with the Alito court nomination, and will have fun showing Cheney arrive to testify. (Reuters story, by way of the Whiskey Bar blog. I had no previous knowledge of Whiskey Bar before it was passed onto me today, but it seems very much my style.)
Posted by MJuhre at 11:26 AM | Comments (0)
Wal*Mart-Written Settlement Over Child Labor is a Sham, Says Federal Inspector
Apparently, Chinese prison labor and 75-year old 'greeters' are no longer enough to maintain those "everyday low low prices"; Wal-Mart needs child forklift operators. Thanks to a sham of a settlement, Wal-Mart will probably get to keep them, since U.S. Department of Labor agreed to give the chain two weeks' notice before further inspecting stores for child labor violations.
"In a scathing 94-page report released Monday, a federal inspector general said there were critical flaws in a controversial U.S. Department of Labor settlement with Wal-Mart over violations of child labor laws in Connecticut and other states -- and that Wal-Mart attorneys had written key provisions of the deal." (Read full story in the Hartford Courant).
The New York Times also has the story (link will probably go dead after a week or so).
Posted by MJuhre at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)