Corporate Reach-arounds

Oh, Just too much to even begin with and it goes on and on.... I want the following saved so up it goes. Like the Finger this admin and their cronies give us.

From Olberman:

And finally, more Republican hypocrisy on the Orwellian “Protect America Act.” When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid offered up by Unanimous Consent a 30 day extension of the revisions to FISA and the PAA so that the Senate could continue to negotiate in good faith. But Senate Minority Leader Mike McConnell objected to the extension, thereby blocking it.

Turned down an act that the President pretends is vital for our safety. Why? Because Republican Leader McConnell said it did not include the total immunity for the telecom companies which helped the administration break the law by spying domestically. “It’s time for us to get serious,” said Sen. McConnell, “and protect the companies and protect us.” Certainly, you misspoke, Senator. Protect America, protect the people. Nah, the Republican Leader in the Senate actually placed his priority (as) protecting the companies. You wouldn’t want to put just a little daylight, would you, Senator, between your party and that concept of fascism?

FUCK YOU WALMART Part Two

Again, Just cut and paste, otherwise I will sink into nothing more then a ranting lunatic.

From http://welcome-to-pottersville.blogspot.com/
______________________________________________________________

I wonder if Hillary still cuts any ice with Wal-Mart’s board of directors?

Yeah, I’m in the zone and am chomping at the bit to type up what little of my novel I had time to write at work today but then I came across this story and was reminded once again that virtually everything in the world is more important than my rock-n-roll novel.

Debbie Shank is a sterling example.

In my three plus years as a political/social blogger, I’ve read and have written about some incredibly outrageous stories that had tempted me to try to alter my DNA so I could no longer be considered human even at the genetic level. Because what Wal-Mart is doing to this family, one that seems to attract tragedy like a magnet attracts iron filings, makes me ashamed to be a terrestrial human.

I’ll give you the abstracts:

Debbie Shank, former Wal-Mart employee, was hit by a semi eight years ago. To this day, she has no short term memory, is incapacitated and will live in a nursing home for the rest of her life. Her husband, just recovering from prostate cancer, has to work two jobs to pay for her medical costs.

Or, should I say her ex-husband, because he divorced her just so she could get more disability benefits.

When Debbie was almost killed by that semi, Wal-Mart’s health insurance paid the medical bills promptly. However, what they didn’t go out of their way to tell Debbie when she first signed on for that coverage was that the company (a self-insured entity, in case you’ve yet to come to that conclusion) reserves the right to recoup all the medical bill money if they receive a settlement, which in this case was $417,000.

When Wal-Mart got wind of it, they immediately sued the Shanks for that amount plus $51,739, making nearly $470,000 in all. The trust fund opened for Debbie now contains roughly $277,000, far short of the money Wal-Mart, which pulled down $90,000,000,000 (that’s ninety billion) in retail sales in their last quarter alone, is trying to squeeze out of them. In fact, Wikinvest states that Wal-Mart’s annual revenue, based on the 2008 fiscal year, would place it in the world’s top 25 nations’ GDP.

If Mr. Shank were to somehow magically pull the other $200,000 out of his ass, not only would the family be broke and unable to pay Debbie’s medical expenses, their 17 year-old son wouldn’t be able to go to college.

Oh, and a year and a half ago their 18 year-old son Jeremy was killed serving in Iraq.

But the law is the law, Wal-Mart’s flaks keep saying, so that means we can and should completely fuck over this tragic family.

Here’s an article from the St. Louis Dispatch. I’ll save you the time in case you’re pressed for it: The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the family’s appeal to overturn the lower court’s decision. A week ago, the right wing, pro-corporation Supreme Court refused to even hear the case without deigning to give an explanation.

If you shop at Wal-Mart, stop. Stop now. Stop bloating these already bloated Bentonville fucks and running buddies of Hillary Clinton and email them, call them, voicemail then, fax them and otherwise tell them why you will no longer shop there. It’ll mean supporting your local economy and merchants but oh well, sacrifices will have to be made. If you’re hurting as much as the Shanks, which is impossible for me to imagine, then compromise and shop at K-Mart.

It’s not very often that even Wal-Mart makes me madder than the GOP (although there may not be a difference) but do not let them maintain this sickeningly cloying and incredibly dishonest PR campaign that bills them as a family-oriented company. Let them know you’re onto them, let them know that you know about what they’re doing to the Shanks and let them know why they’re losing your business (Why stop at costing them $470,000?).

(I can’t find an embed code for this video (the only one on Youtube is for some reason unavailable) but this link will take you to the original CNN.com video.)

FUCK YOU WALMART, JUST FUCK YOU!!!

I just don't have words for this, I just am finished, really.
Fuck these people and their shoddy crappy two-bit products!
From crooksandliars.com
Wal-Mart Sues, SCOTUS Screws Brain Damaged Woman

The family of Deborah Shank has lost its last chance to stop Wal-Mart Stores from recouping hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses from an accident settlement the Shanks hoped to use for her future care in a nursing home.

Last November, the WSJ reported in a front-page story how the retail giant had sued Deborah Shank—a 52-year-old former Wal-Mart employee left permanently brain damaged from a car accident nearly eight years ago—for the money and won. Like most employee health plans, Wal-Mart’s gives it the right to recover medical expenses for accident-related care if a worker also collects damages in an injury suit.

After losing in federal court and again on appeal, the Shanks’ last legal hope was a bid to the U.S. Supreme Court. Yesterday, though, the court announced it wouldn’t take up the case, bringing the matter to a close.
Welcome to the Bush-Wal-Mart America. Corporations trump the common folk every time. Elections matter, vote Democratic in November.

Just what I see...

Nuff Said...

WE DON"T DO THAT part 3

Well, the Decider vetoed the Intelligence Authorization bill, stating that the CIA should not be held to the Army Field manual, which is of course written for dumb 18 year-olds who cannot even drink yet. Fucking asshole!
I forgot where I lifted this, but if you click links you will get where you supposed to.

President Bush Vetoes Prohibition on Torture

March 8th, 2008 by Karina

This morning, President Bush announced he vetoed the House and Senate passed Intelligence Authorization bill because it extended the prohibition on the use of waterboarding and other harsh coercive interrogation techniques that currently applies to the military to the entire Intelligence Community, including the CIA.

On the veto, Speaker Pelosi said:

The intelligence authorization bill invests in human intelligence, counterterrorism operations, and analysis to protect our nation and ensure that policymakers have access to accurate, timely and actionable intelligence. This legislation is a critical component of securing our nation and the President should have signed it into law.

Instead, the President vetoed these essential investments in our intelligence capabilities because this legislation extended the Army Field Manual’s prohibition on torture to Intelligence Community personnel. Failing to legally prohibit the use of waterboarding and other harsh torture techniques undermines our nation’s moral authority, puts American military and diplomatic personnel at-risk, and undermines the quality of intelligence.

In the final analysis, our ability to lead the world will depend not only on our military might, but also on our moral authority. We will begin to reassert that moral authority by attempting to override the President’s veto next week. The world must know that America does not torture.

Military leaders – including General David Petraeus, Commanding General of U.S. forces in Iraq – have publicly stated that these techniques are inhumane, un-American and are not necessary to produce results.

General David Petraeus, Commanding General of Iraq:

“Some may argue that we would be more effective if we sanctioned torture or other expedient methods to obtain information from the enemy. That would be wrong. Beyond the basic fact that such actions are illegal, history shows that they also are frequently neither useful nor necessary. Certainly, extreme physical action can make someone ‘talk;’ however, what the individual says may be of questionable value. In fact, our experience in applying the interrogations laid out in the Army Field Manual….that was published last year shows that the techniques in the manual work effectively and humanely in eliciting information from detainees.” [Open Letter, 5/10/07]

Lt. General Michael D. Maples, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, asked by Sen. Carl Levin if he thinks waterboarding is consistent with the Geneva Conventions:

“No, sir, I don’t.”

Asked if it he believes it’s humane:

“No, sir. I think it would go beyond that bound.”
[Testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, 2/27/08]

Lt. General Harry Soyster, (Ret.) Former Director of Defense Intelligence Agency:

“Experience shows that the field manual’s approaches to interrogation work. The Army Field Manual is comprehensive and sophisticated. It contains all the techniques any good interrogator needs to get accurate, reliable information, including out of the toughest customers.” [2/29/08]

Rear Admiral Donald J. Guter, (Ret.) Judge Advocate General, Navy, Rear Admiral John D. Hutson, (Ret.) Judge Advocate General, Navy, Major General John L. Fugh, (Ret.) Judge Advocate General, Army, Rear Admiral Donald J. Guter, (Ret.) Judge Advocate General, Navy:

“As far as we’re concerned, this shouldn’t be a point the United States should have to debate… There’s no disconnect between human rights and national security…They’re synergistic. One doesn’t work without the other for very long.” [Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 12/10/07]

Maj. General Evan Wallach, (Ret.) Judge Advocate General, Nevada National Guard:

“The United States knows quite a bit about waterboarding. The U.S. government — whether acting alone before domestic courts, commissions and courts-martial or as part of the world community — has not only condemned the use of water torture but has severely punished those who applied it… We know that U.S. military tribunals and U.S. judges have examined certain types of water-based interrogation and found that they constituted torture. That’s a lesson worth learning. The study of law is, after all, largely the study of history. The law of war is no different. This history should be of value to those who seek to understand what the law is — as well as what it ought to be.” [Washington Post, 11/4/07]

Brigadier General David M. Brahms, (Ret.) Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant:

“Waterboarding is inhumane, it is torture, and it is illegal… This is a critically important issue - but it is not, and never has been, a complex issue, and even to suggest otherwise does a terrible disservice to this nation… Waterboarding detainees amounts to illegal torture in all circumstances. To suggest otherwise - or even to give credence to such a suggestion - represents both an affront to the law and to the core values of our nation.” [Letter, 11/2/07]

General Joseph Hoar, (Ret.), General David M. Maddox, (Ret.), Vice Admiral Lee F. Gunn, (Ret.), Vice Admiral Albert Konetzni Jr. Ret.), Maj. General Paul Eaton, (Ret.), Rear Admiral Don Guter, (Ret.), Maj. General Melvyn Montano, (Ret.), Brig. General David Brahms, (Ret.), Brig. General David Irvine, (Ret.), Brig. General Murray Sagsveen, (Ret.), General Paul J. Kern, (Ret.), General Merrill A. McPeak, (Ret.), Lt. General Claudia J. Kennedy, (Ret.), Lt. General Charles Otstott, (Ret.), Maj. General Eugene Fox, (Ret.), Maj. General Fred E. Haynes, (Ret.), Maj. General Gerald T. Sajer, (Ret.), Brig. General James P. Cullen, (Ret.), Brig. General John H. Johns, (Ret.), Brig. General Anthony Verrengia, (Ret.), General Charles Krulak, (Ret.), Admiral Stansfield Turner, (Ret.), Lt. General Donald L. Kerrick, (Ret.), Lt. General Harry E. Soyster, (Ret.), Maj. General John L. Fugh, (Ret.), Rear Admiral John D. Hutson, (Ret.), Maj. General Antonio M. Taguba, (Ret.), Brig. General Evelyn P. Foote, (Ret.), Brig. General Richard O’Meara, (Ret.), Brig. General Stephen N. Xenakis, (Ret.):

“We believe it is vital to the safety of our men and women in uniform that the United States not sanction the use of interrogation methods it would find unacceptable if inflicted by the enemy against captured Americans…The current situation, in which the military operates under one set of interrogation rules that are public and the CIA operates under a separate, secret set of rules, is unwise and impractical…What sets us apart from our enemies in this fight…is how we behave. In everything we do, we must observe the standards and values that dictate that we treat noncombatants and detainees with dignity and respect.” [Letter, 12/12/07]

Philip Zelikow was not interested in pursuing criticisms against Rice

Yes, And Richard Clarke should not be believed!
Fucking BASTARDS!
The one man, who was a professional and was carried over by this dog and pony show, before being demoted, and then ultimately resigning, should not be believed. WHY? Because he continuously warned Rice about the upcoming attack on 9/11 over and over again. Incompetent Fucking Crony bunch of corporate bastards!.
From thinkprogress.org

New York Times reporter Philip Shenon’s new book — The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation — paints a damning portrait of Condoleezza Rice. Shenon argues that Rice was “uninterested in actually advising the President,” but was instead more concerned with being his “closest confidante — specifically on foreign policy — and to simply translate his words into action.”

Today’s Sydney Morning Herald prints an extract from Shenon’s book which provides further details about Rice’s incompetence. “Emails from the National Security Council’s counter-terrorism director, Richard Clarke, showed that he had bombarded Rice with messages about terrorist threats” before 9/11, Shenon writes. Some examples:

“Bin Ladin Public Profile May Presage Attack” (May 3)

“Terrorist Groups Said Co-operating on US Hostage Plot” (May 23)

“Bin Ladin’s Networks’ Plans Advancing” (May 26)

“Bin Ladin Attacks May Be Imminent” (June 23)

“Bin Ladin and Associates Making Near-Term Threats” (June 25)

“Bin Ladin Planning High-Profile Attacks” (June 30)

“Planning for Bin Ladin Attacks Continues, Despite Delays” (July 2)

But 9/11 Commission staff director Philip Zelikow was not interested in pursuing criticisms against Rice. Zelikow — who had worked closely with Rice on the Bush transition team in 2000 and 2001 — “made it clear to the team’s investigators that Clarke should not be believed, that his testimony would be suspect.”

When 9/11 Commission historian Warren Bass uncovered a smoking gun email from Clarke to Rice written on September 4, 2001, which asked, “Are we serious about dealing with the al-Qaeda threat?,” Zelikow reverted to defending Condi. Bass then threatened to resign:

“I cannot do this,” Bass declared… “Zelikow is making me crazy.”

He was outraged by Zelikow and the White House; Bass felt the White House was trying to sabotage his work by its efforts to limit his ability to see certain documents from the NSC files and take useful notes from them. … Bass made it clear to colleagues that he believed Zelikow was interfering in his work for reasons that were overtly political - intended to shield the White House, and Rice in particular, from the commission’s criticism.

The former weapons inspector in Iraq — David Kay — passed word to the 9/11 Commission that he believed Rice was the “worst national security adviser” in the history of the job.

For an unbelievable look into this book check out the article from the Sydney Herald:

They knew, but did nothing

I JUST CAN"T GET ENOUGH OF THIS GUY

Dickwad Glenn Beck, in an interview this week with religious fucktard John Hagee was wondering if Barack Obama is the Antichrist. I mean, really, it's 2008 for fucks sake! Do people really believe this shit?? Do people think some desert religion is true? Anyway, this guy is way off the fucktard meter, why is he on CNN?? Oh, that's right, Money...
From Firedoglake.com:

First Adolph, Now Damien
By: David Neiwert Thursday March 6, 2008 6:00 pm

If you thought the wingnuts had reached their nadir with the comparisons of Obama to Hitler, it's important to remember: when it comes to the right, things can always get worse.

So this week we could find CNN's Glenn Beck, in an interview with religious crackpot John Hagee, wondering aloud if Obama is the Antichrist:

BECK: Let me ask you, and this is -- 'cause I got -- I get so much email on this, and I think a lot of people do, and I've only got a couple of seconds. Then they say "Glenn, you in the media, you've got to wake up. Barack Obama's making people faint and cry and everything else. And he's drawing people in and -- "

There are people -- and they said this about Bill Clinton -- that actually believe he might be the Antichrist. Odds that Barack Obama is the Antichrist?

Note that Beck somehow manages to not just overlook Hagee's many outrageous remarks about other faiths, but also lets Hagee misrepresent the reasons that Catholic activists have called him a bigot: "I have criticized the Catholic Church for its past anti-Semitism. But I have also been very critical of the Protestants and their anti-Semitism, especially as led by Martin Luther," he says. "Standing against anti-Semitism does not make me an anti-Catholic."

In reality, Hagee has done much more than just criticize Catholic anti-Semitism. In his latest book, he writes: "The sell-out of Catholicism to Hitler began not with the people but with the Vatican itself." He also has variously called the church "The Great Whore," an "apostate church," a "false cult system" and ... you guessed it ... "the "anti-Christ."

I guess that's why he told Beck that Obama isn't the anti-Christ. He's already got some other entity in mind.

Not that an ever-incisive observer like Glenn Beck could be bothered to mention this.

Of course, no one really takes Beck very seriously, except for the CNN poobahs who've given him a national megaphone to spew his verbal smegma. But you know how these things work.

In couple of weeks, it'll be on the tongues of the Village Idiots. Look for Tim Russert to grill Obama at some point about whether or not he has 666 tatooed on his ass.

After all, we were treated this week to the vapid maunderings of Maureen Dowd channeling Steve Sailer by depicting the Obama candidacy as being propelled largely by white guilt. And of course, the "Adolph Obama" theme first could be found out in wingnut territory before it came bubbling up in the mainsteam. Thanks to Beck, we've now skipped the fringe step and are broadcasting nutcase ideas to a mainstream national cable TV audience.

Next up: Obama is an alien!