OUT Of The Closets and Into The STREETS!!!!

Yay! New York just signed the Gay Marriage Bill, people, so what are you waiting for? Time to PAR-TAY DOWN!

FTA: "Republican Sen. Stephen Saland, who had been undecided about the bill and was one of the legislators who led the negotiations, announced during the debate on the Senate floor that he would support the bill, effectively giving it the 32 votes it needed to pass."

Everybody be sure to send a thank-you note to Rep. Saland, who will be targeted by homophobes for his support. He did the right thing, and it will cost him unless we all translate our thankyous into support at the polls. Thank you, Rep. Saland, for making this day happen!

TalkingPointsMemo has the details. And be sure to check out their pic of the celebrations at STONEWALL!!! Hai-yaah!

A great big huge gigantinormous thank you to Joshua Micah Marshall of TalkingPointsMemo who brought us this wonderful reportage.

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Mission Accomplished!

We know y'all heard the news last night. Our President announced on the national media that bin Laden had been "taken out" in a surgical strike designed to inflict minimum "collateral damage."

Al Jazeera has the photos if you can stand to see 'em. Bit, uh, strong, so be warned. There was a lot of spontaneous cheering and people waving flags and what-all. Folks gathered around the White House, singing the National Anthem. Firefighters of the NYFD celebrating in Times Square. Cadets at West Point raising such a ruckus, the sleeping inhabitants of nearby areas came awake.

And of course, the media today is full of it. And we mean that in the politest way. No, of course we don't. But we're calling a moratorium on the insults for the nonce. Might as well just sit back and admit that, since the attack on the Twin Towers, we here at La Casa de Los Gatos have been twitchy and oppressed, even if we didn't know it.

The first reaction at the ol' Cathouse was shock. The second was a tremendous sense of relief, as if an invisible hand around one's neck had finally loosed its grip. The third was exultation. But that only lasted a short while. It is unseemly to celebrate death, no matter whose. We are grateful the symbolic scourge is gone, but the sight of people singing and celebrating, regardless of whether they are mujahideen or American civilians, is a little ... unsettling. But we're not going to rain on anyone else's parade. Y'all do what it takes, friends. Just remember to say "Thank you, Mr. President!" over at whitehouse.gov.

And now, for a little light relief. Here's George Dubya Bush's reaction when HE got the news:



Yeeeeeee-HAW!

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What YOU Can Do To Make The Elections Better

In case you didn't already know it, ABC has invited Andrew NotSoBrightBart to give a live election analysis on Tuesday.

Yes, that Andrew NotSoBrightBart. The one who characterizes himself as "Matt Drudge's bitch."

The one who peddled an edited video of Shirley Sherrod that resulted in a wave of wingnut hysteria, with addled teabaggers calling their radio and TV stations to express their horror and outrage that a black woman whose father and uncle had been murdered by white men, once experienced a certain prejudice towards white people. (Of course, they edited out the evidence that she had overcome that prejudice and remains a lifelong friend of the white people in question, who are still very grateful to her for her efforts on their behalf.)

So, if all those incidents in NotSoBrightBart's past bother you — you know, like James O'Keefe pretending he dressed up as a pimp taking Hannah Giles dressed as his ho' to destroy ACORN, an organization that represented poor people and helped them resolve housing disputes and exercise their voting rights — or whipping up race hatred against Shirley Sherrod; or trying to illegally tap the phone of a sitting US Senator; or attempting to set a reporter up for something closer to rape than seduction; you might, you know, want to let ABC know that rewarding a known serial prevaricator and provocateur, and fanning the flames of sectionalism and antipathy right around the elections is, like, not nice at all. And you will kick their fucking asses to the curb. Politely, of course.

Please contact ABC News and voice your opinion:
ABC News
147 Columbus Ave., New York, NY 10023
Phone: 212-456-7777

General e-mail: netaudr@abc.com

Here is a link to Disney Corporate feedback form:

http://cor­porate.dis­ney.go.com­/responsib­ility/feed­back.html

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World: News Summary

What's going on with the 51st State? Apparently, our tax dollars are, once again, paying for more militarism, aggression, war crimes, and the like. The Israeli papers are a lot more upfront and honest about this than our worthless fishwrap and birdcage liners over here.

From an article about the Israeli actions in Gaza:

"Better hit an innocent than hesitate to target an enemy," is a typical description by one unidentified soldier of his understanding of instructions repeated at pre-invasion briefings and during the 22-day operation, from Dec. 27 to Jan. 18.

"If you're not sure, kill. Fire power was insane. We went in and the booms were just mad," says another. "The minute we got to our starting line, we simply began to fire at suspect places. In urban warfare, anyone is your enemy. No innocents."

The 112-page report by Breaking the Silence includes testimonies of 30 soldiers "who served in all sectors of the operation".

Firing at known noncombatants, or at least suspected noncombatants. Thanks to the tax dollars we need so badly to fix our own broken economy.

And what is this bullshit? Israeli warships and submarines schlepping the Suez Canal? Even as the rest of the world is working to bring Iran back into the fold of nuclear supervision? Why does the State of Israel always have to act like a fucking outlaw? And why do they get away with it?

Here we'd like to stress once again that the State of Israel is a criminal, an aggressor, and a bunch of other really bad shit, but that does not, and should not, reflect on the Israeli people, many of whom speak out bravely and call their government to account for its misdeeds. If we were not paying to support the military hawks, Israel would have a greater chance of allowing the doves to speak the truth, and abiding by international laws. The Israeli people, our brothers and sisters in this struggle, do not benefit from the militaristic attitudes of the State any more than the American people benefited from the war in Iraq.

Meanwhile, Spiegel reports "rioting in France" around Bastille Day, with more than 300 cars turned into nice fiery cindery little mementoes. Of course, you have to read most of the article to find the two pertinent facts underlying this explosion of, um, self-expression. FTA:

Violence on the eve of Bastille Day has become a tradition in France and an outlet for disaffected young men to express their anger at French unemployment rates and a failed integration policy for ethnic minorities.

[...]

The Bastille Day riots follow three nights of anarchy on the streets of Firminy near Lyon, as youths protested amid reports of a 21-year-old Algerian man dying in police custody on Wednesday July 8.

[...]

More protestors took to the streets of Paris on July 13, claiming police brutality against activist film director Joachim Gatti who lost his right eye on July 8 -- allegedly having been shot by a police flash-ball gun.

Just skimming the article would leave one with the self-righteous impression that the excitable French, especially those of the younger persuasion, were simply as mad as they had long been reputed to be. Rather than, for example, the fact that the State thinks imposing worse penalties on minorities who have long been left to languish in a second, and more insulting, colonialism is a solution to the valid rage and fury that results as they watch their compatriots murdered and injured by the very instruments of that State. Meanwhile, the little Janus, Sarkozy, celebrated with Manmohan Singh complete with Indian soldiers. India, have you anything to say about these riots?

Only a note from Africa today, from the Republic of the Congo, where Raw Story reports that 66-year-old Denis Sassou Nguesso, who has ruled virtually unopposed in the Congo for the past 30 years, has won the "peaceful, fair, and free" elections. That the elections were "peaceful," so far as such things go in Third World nations, there is little doubt. As to "fair, and free," we at this fine establishment would like to reserve judgment, if only temporarily. When half the population barely has enough to eat, one suspects they will vote for whoever promises or offers food, and leave niceties such as long-term stability, civil rights, mass education, public health, and anti-corruption drives out of the picture.

The Non-Aligned Movement is in summit this week, according to a report from Raw Story. The Movement includes 118 member countries from the developing world, including India, whose Jawaharlal Nehru was the primary impetus behind this association of developing nations, and Egypt, whose Gamel Abdel Nasser was one of the first to respond to Nehru's call.

The body will be seeking to establish better protection for its member nations against the type of global economic meltdown that recently occurred. Also under discussion is the perennial issue of the UN Security Council, which has for decades been dominated by certain nations. On a positive note, Indian and Pakistani representatives to the council will be trying to restart the recently stalled peace talks. Go for it, guys.

When and how will Pakistan dig itself out of the hideous situation in which it currently finds itself? It is, at least in embryo, a failed state. And, it has, as my friend, a VN Vet, says, THE BOMB.

From Russia, Raw Story is reporting the abduction and murder of internationally known human rights activist Natalya Estemirova. Ms. Estemirova worked for Memorial, a Russian NGO. She was shot dead in Ingushetia. Reuters has more information about Ms. Estemirova. FTA:

Estemirova has been at the forefront of efforts to investigate human rights violations and (has) work(ed) for accountability in Chechnya for more than 10 years. Her efforts brought criticism from the Chechen authorities, including the republic's president Ramzan Kadyrov. Forces under his command have been accused of multiple and repeated human rights abuses, including killings, torture, and disappearances, yet few perpetrators have been held to account in Russia. In more than 100 judgments to date, the European Court of Human Rights has found Russia responsible for grave human rights violations in Chechnya, highlighting the lack of accountability for such crimes.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is reported to be outraged at the crime and has ordered a full investigation. This is more likely to yield results than a local government investigation in Chechnya, which is restive, therefore allowing such crimes to be carried out with impunity.

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No Shortage of Teh Stupid

Apparently, the Wah!Poo (aka the Washington Post) has decided to fire Dan Froomkin, one of the best journalists I've found over the past decade or so. To add salt to the wound, they decided to give Paul "Wolfie" Wolfowitz, that neocon hustler schmuck, proven liar, and known war criminal, a guest column this weekend, probably with intent to hire.

What's really interesting about the firing of Froomkin and the hosting of Wolfie is how many people have had a strong reaction thereto. I was very upset and depressed about it yesterday, but after visiting their ombudsidiot's bleagh (just like a blog, only stupider and more pointless) today, found what seemed like at least one thousand angry comments, many from subscribers who've taken the Wah!Poo for decades and swear they will no more.

Whatever. I wrote Dan a thankyou for his terrific work — some days it seemed like he was the only thread of sanity, during the horrible Bush years. And then, because I couldn't resist, I went to the ombudsidiot's bleagh and added a dollop of snark along these lines:

I left here yesterday determined never to return, but was intrigued by a link in a blog I read regularly about the "700 comments" on the firing of Froomkin. I'm glad I swung by for a quick look. It seems as if the number of comments on this page is now a thousand or more. And many, many people share my sentiments about the inappropriateness of, on the one hand, firing Froomkin who exercised true journalistic even-handedness in speaking truth to power, and, on the other, giving column space to yet another tired neocon war criminal and known liar, Wolfowitz. And now that Jane Hamsher has the stats on Wah!Poo readership, it looks as if The Huffington Post is not just drinking your milkshake, but eating your lunch as well. Shoot, it's even sweeping up all the crumbs for later dispersal to the birds. I admired and respected the Washington Post of Katie Graham, although I never agreed with its politics. It was a good paper, though, and earned its laurels. What Fred Hiatt and the Graham scion have done with it leaves it barely fit for fishwrap. Goodbye again, Wah!Poo. Judging from the figures, you'll soon be part of teh Moonie Times anyway.

Feel free to express your wrath, if any, here. If you want to say goodbye to Dan, you'll find him here for another week or so. He's promised to let his readership know where he'll land, and land he will, gracefully, on both feet. It's the Wah!Poo's loss, not his. Their current stable of Op-Ed writers (and stable is an apt term, given the horses' asses they house) includes such non-luminaries as Charles Krauthammer (vile, spittle-flecked, reality-insensible torture-loving neocon); Ramesh Ponnuru (the less said the better); Bill Kristol (fired by the NYT for a tragic divorce from fact); George Will ("teh global warming of my blue jeans, it is teh drama"); and David "You peasants don't need to know that the X industry paid me to tell you Y" Broder; and, who knows, Rush Limbaugh next, unless Wolfie takes the job.

In the meantime, you can find Dan's writing at Nieman Watchdog. If you're a regular reader of Glenn Greenwald's blog at Salon, or any of the big blogs like Firedoglake, HuffPo, Daily Kos, TPM, and the like, there's plenty of lively discussion going on about the issue. Is the Wah!Poo circling the toilet, or already in teh shit?

Mainly, what I'm wondering is, would it be worthwhile to subscribe to the Wah!Poo just to cancel one's subscription on the day Dan leaves? You know, just to really drive home the point that lotsa lotsa people think they're truly well beyond fucked up and, as Molly Ivins used to say, not being driven out of business by the Internet so much as committing suicide like a drunken lemming on crack. But I paraphrase.

Whatever. There isn't room for two reactionary birdcage liners in the city of Washington, D.C., so chances are they're, as some commenter said on Sadly, No!, presenting like a female mandrill in heat in the hope of being acquired by the true neocon schmatta, the Washington Times, affectionately (no, sorry, truthfully, rather) known as The Moonie Times.

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Misogyny: Sometimes, Those Goddamned Women

are just bitches, you know, and it's OK to call them that.

All those Hillary Clinton supporters who are planning to vote for McCain now that Obama has made it mathematically impossible for Clinton to win the nomination? Hope you don't mind that your new candidate and his spokesweasels believe in calling a bitch a bitch. Because GOP consultant Alex Castellanos believes in calling women exactly what they are (in his puny little single-brain-celled mind).

When will you people learn that, to Republicans, it is an acceptable part of the national discourse to denigrate women like this? To date, no declared Democrat has ever thought of referring to women as "bitches." For all its sexism, the Democratic Party has lots of women in its ranks, many of them at the very top.

How many high-ranking women in the Republic Party?



If you think Mr. Castellanos is unacceptly derogatory towards women, please let CNN know that you don't appreciate his sexism. Let him go flap his gums on GOP-supported fora. We don't need him on the public, taxpayer-supported airwaves.

What a schmuck.

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Chris Wallace Turns Away From The Dark Side?

Unbelievable.

Chris Wallace, whose father, Mike Wallace, had the undying respect of most journalists, was initially a great disappointment to those of us at La Casa de Los Gatos. He seemed like the ultimate toady.

In the past week or two, however, he's been gradually distancing himself from the Dark Side, or so it seems.

In his own words:

"I've been watching on and off for a couple of hours and every clip I've seen ends at 'that's a typical white person,' when in fact he's going on to discuss the nature of race in our country, and again, I'm not saying if he had it do over again that he'd necessarily say it that way, but I don't think that he was making a hyper-racial remark."

"I guess I just feel like on a day when he's been endorsed by Bill Richardson, and we have this story about the passports," he added, "I feel like two hours of Obama-bashing may be enough."

The F&F hosts responded to Wallace with vehement defenses, but Wallace said that after Obama had given major speeches this week on race, Iraq, and the economy, his campaign might suggest that "in terms of deflecting attention away from the issues people really want to hear about, maybe it's the media doing it, not Barack Obama."

Raw Story has the video clip. Pass me the smelling salts!

In all fairness, we'd like to say that when the zeitgeist is inclined in a particular direction, it takes a great deal of strength to swim against the tide it generates. Over the past decade or more, the zeitgeist might best be characterized as a confederacy of dunces of the worst sort. A boatfull of rats fighting over scraps in the hold even as their vessel careens towards a deadly falls. The "I've got mine, now screw you" mentality that, in the short term, allowed scummy greedbags like Grover Norquist and Karl Rove to flourish.

And now that we find our government is spying on everything we think, do, and say, going through the files of political "opponents," subverting the Justice Department so that it will do the will of those in power and not safeguard the people and the nation as it should, we understand why so many were afraid to speak up at first. Didn't we all worry about losing our jobs and our homes, being blacklisted, spied on, harrassed?

Now that we are losing our jobs and homes and any flimsy sense of security, as the fragile vessel we call the nation teeters at the lip of the cascade, we are beginning to realise that we can no longer sit quiet. We must speak out, or be damned.

Perhaps that sentiment is beginning to percolate throughout the nation.

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Politics: What's In That Kentucky Water?

Republican Rep. Tim Couch of Kentucky wants to make anonymous comments illegal on the Web. He claims it's to stop online bullying, but he's not going to fine the bullying commenters, he's going to fine the owners/operators of the Web sites on which the bullying comments are posted.

Rep. Couch, maybe you could go back to playing football instead of attempting to legislate? All those steroids and HGH you took back when you were playing professional sports appear to have affected what passes for thought processes in you.

Alright peeps, when are y'all gonna stop electing brain-dead actors and worn-out jocks and pathetic incompetent fratboys to high office?

We have to wonder if the idiot thinks this kind of thing can be enforced, and how he proposes to pay for enforcement? Here we got people shooting each other in the street and schools and homes, and we're gonna have our cops sit in the office and hunt through the, what, fifty million blogs and over 100 million web sites to verify that there are no anonymous comments, or if they exist, they're not the "mean and bullying" type of comments?

Why do Republicans hate free speech? And the Constitution? And America?

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LGBTQ: Yay Denise Simmons!

PageOneQ, source of all news about the Queer Community, reports that the progressive city of Cambridge in Massachusetts has elected its first black and openly lesbian Mayor. Denise Simmons, a city Councilwoman since 2001, is the first black lesbian Mayor in the U.S.

We regard this with a mixture of pride and shame. We're proud that an American city regards competence as more important than a person's private business. If we had behaved that way during the last Presidential elections, we'd have something other than an anthropophagous troglodytish buffoon who can't talk in a straight line in charge of the country.

We're ashamed that it took so long for us to come this far, and that although we can apparently elect a black lesbian Mayor, we still quibble about electing a black President or Vice-President; and we still refuse to grant full equality to folk who happen to be queer, female, or black (or brown, for that matter).

And, to our disgrace, we have yet to elect a transgendered person as Mayor. Unlike the city of Cambridge in England. Ms. Simmons replaces former Mayor Ken Reeves, an openly gay black man.

However, this is a new and healthy trend. If we elect enough Councilmembers, Mayors, Governors, legislators, judges, school board members, and other administrative officials who are openly gay, perhaps we will eventually move towards granting queer (and female and black and brown) people full human rights.

Throwing the current administration of crooks, liars, and bigots out of office and replacing them with progressives like, oh, Dennis Kucinich, or John Edwards, or Barack Obama, or even Hillary Clinton (caveat: we don't consider her a progressive, but she's still an arm, a leg, and a beating heart better than any of the louts on the Republican side of the fence) as our next President would be a good start.

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World: Pakistan - How Long?

Auntie Beeb reports that Pervez Musharraf's government has deployed paramilitary troops to guard wheat supplies around the country. Wheat is a staple food in Pakistan, and Musharraf's government is accusing hoarders and suppliers of manufacturing a crisis in the food supply.

Such crises usually occur when a deeply unpopular government gives people reason to fear for their future. People begin hoarding necessities, like food and petrol. Many flee the country or go into hiding. A substantial black market springs up. Prices go higher, scarcities get worse,and eventually, an enraged populace brings the government down. Or another power player decides the time has come to move and engineers a coup.

Anyone who thinks Musharraf will escape from this with a whole skin has another think coming. One of the reasons Musharraf can yawp about not being impeached is, he's rigging the elections. The other, more significant but never discussed, reason is - Pakistan has a history of executions rather than impeachments.

And Benazir Bhutto's assassination has opened deep ethnic rifts in the failed state of Pakistan. The tribal areas of Baluchistan and the Northwest Frontier provinces have been in open revolt for quite some time now - several decades. And the assassination has caused a break between the Punjabi population and the Sindhi population. Musharraf's status as a mohajjir (immigrant from India) plays into this, with no good consequences foreseeable.
Pertinent snips from Auntie Beeb's article:

The state-run Utility Stores Corporation has been selling flour at the official rate of 18 rupees ($0.30) per kg.

However, the BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Karachi says those queuing up outside are often told that the store has run out of stock.

There have been wheat and rice shortages across South Asia in recent weeks and world prices have reached record highs.

Yet, Musharraf claims that posting paramilitary guards at stores will prevent store owners from selling more than the government permits them to sell. Does that sound good - or sensible - to you?

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2008 Elections: Fawning Lickspittle Predicts Fawning

Unbelievable. Chris Matthews, who couldn't get enough of Fred Thomson's "manly smell," is now predicting that fawning journalists will be coming out of the woodwork to ensure that Hillary Clinton gets the Democratic nomination.

What's more, in his typical misogynistic closeted QUEEN style (Jeezus Mary, Chris, whyn't you just admit the sight of a man gives you a chubby?) he's dithering on endlessly about how

"They'll play on every heartstring. They'll make Hillary a more sympathetic figure," Matthews predicted, saying that between now and Super Tuesday on February 5, the newspapers will fall over themselves to give us "the new Hillary, the softer Hillary, the humble Hillary."

"The fawning journalism is yet to come," concluded Matthews. "It's absolutely predictable. ... Oh, it's coming!"

No, Chris, you're coming, like we can't hear you drooling a mile away. Hillary Clinton has her good points and her bad points, but you - and the rest of the lickspittle Mainstream Media - have only bad points. Nothing good.

You, and your colleagues, have worked hard to ensure that the American people only see those candidates YOU want them to see. No Dennis Kucinich for us, no Ron Paul, no Chris Dodd. You're even trying to hide the fact (successfully, we might add) that John Edwards has climbed steadily in the polls since day one.

You shills of the press corps mocked Ron Paul, as if it was your business to tell us which candidates were worthwhile and which were not. Now you're blowing LoonyTunes McCain like those are the only choices, Obama or McCain.

People, don't let the mainstream media dictate who you should vote for. Look it up for yourself, find out the information, all the information, that you need to make an informed choice. We owe it to ourselves and our future generations not to let the same slimy bucket of worms that sold us George "The Chimperor" and the war that is killing our children, and our friends' children, dictate our choices.

Raw Story has the details and a video clip of that fat sack o'crap hatin' on Hillary. Get real, Matthews. If the politics of this country have become divisive, it's because of you, the lying shills and bootlickers of the "press." Some Fourth Estate. Fifth Column is more like it.

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World: Pinkie Bhutto Update

What a surprise. Not. Bhutto told a supporter in the U.S. via email that if any harm came to her, Musharraf would be responsible for failing to provide adequate security, says Raw Story.

A telling quote from the story:

"Benazir was very concerned by the lack of security that she had on her arrival in Karachi on October 18th," Siegel said. "The circumstances around the attempt on the night of the 18th, the morning of the 19th, was very, very suspicious. ... There was no investigation of that horrendous killing which killed 179 people. She had asked that Scotland Yard and the FBI be brought in for forensic help for the investigation. The government of General Musharraf absolutely refused."

Why refuse top-notch investigators? Unless, that is, you have something to hide.

Raw Story has the video clip of the news program on which this information aired.

Meanwhile, Musharraf's government is now claiming that Bhutto hit her head on a lever in her sunroof while attempting to duck (duck what?), and that caused so severe an injury that her brain oozed out of her skull. Say what? Story's getting less likely by the second, innit?

More interesting -

• Musharraf's security police, who were supposed to be protecting Bhutto, abandoned their posts shortly before her death;
• Doctors at the hospital to which she was taken are now saying there was no evidence of bullet or shrapnel wounds to the head and no bullets in her skull or body;
• No autopsy was performed;
• She is now buried - it may appear that the burial took place with unseemly haste, but it is customary among Muslims to bury as soon as possible after death.

Still, these are some interesting questions, it should be popcorn-worthy to see Musharraf's spokesweasels attempt to answer them.

So far, said spokesweasels have been working hard at drumming up the old bogeyman, al-Qaeda. Sorry, Perv old boy, but if al-Qaeda could assassinate Bhutto when she was under your protection, and in such a public manner, then your intelligence and security people are not doing such a great job at all, don't you think. What's more, why should al-Qaeda target Bhutto now? Much better for them to target you, and wipe her out at their leisure in the ensuing chaos. After all, all she had was a bunch of supporters "willing to die" for her. You have the army, air force, navy, police, ISI, and who knows what-all else.

And, according to Raw Story:

... it remains unclear precisely who was responsible and some speculation has centered on Pakistan's intelligence service, the ISI, its military or even forces loyal to the current president Pervez Musharraf. Rawalpindi, where Bhutto was killed, is the garrison city that houses the Pakistani military's headquarters.

"GHQ (general headquarters of the army) killed her," Sardar Saleem, a former member of parliament, told Shah at the hospital.

Whatever the case, Bhutto's precise cause of death may never be known because of the failure to administer an autopsy. The procedure was not carried out because police and local authorities in Rawalpindi did not request one, according to IBNLive, but the government plans a formal investigation why this was the case.

Perhaps the local authorities were told that they'd better not request an autopsy?

Pervy, we suspect your European and American paymasters - who were definitely backing Bhutto over you, since her corruption merely involved money, not arms, ammo and nuclear weaponry - are not buying your story at all. In fact, since they were working hard and paying top dollar to have her jointly holding power with you, they're probably upset enough to turn the money tap off, old chum. Then where do you go?

Islamic nations are pretty pissed off with you, for sucking up to the Chimperor. And as for the non-Islamic nations, the only ones that have any interaction with you are the U.S. and the U.K. The U.S. is the prime real estate for deposed dictators, but you made little georgie mad, as well as royally pissing off a ton of Pakistani-Americans. Besides, people don't mind paying for the hangman to do their dirty work, but nobody invites him over for dinner.

The jig is up, Pervy. Better get ready for the neck-stretching coming your way. At least we won't have to look at your dreadful rug any more.

Interestingly, the U.S. is beating the drum of al-Qaeda so hard, one can only wonder if the chimperor's people were somehow involved in helping with the assassination. Without telling Dumbwit McFuckpants, of course. I don't think Cheney tells george much of anything, just feeds him the results afterwards and smiles a twisted smile watching the idiot dance as he tries to explain the facts.

Raw Story has some of the details.

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World: Snippets

The Supreme Court of India just overturned the archaic British-era law that prohibits women from working as bartenders. A lucrative new opportunity for women! Details at the NYT.

Approximately 100 children between the ages of five and 15 years have disappeared from displaced persons' camps housing Reang tribespeople. The Reang fled their homes in the neighbouring province of Mizoram under pressure from the majority Mizo tribes. Auntie Beeb states that 5,000 women have also disappeared from various such camps over the past decade. Most of these tribal people are illiterate, and it is believed they were tricked into signing away their parental rights. Their children have reportedly been taken for the sex trade or for cheap labour. Some of the children have apparently been traced to the Ananda Marg, a secretive Hindu cult that is involved in various, often illegal, acvtivities.

China and India are holding joint war games as part of their joint fight against terrorism. Despite a border dispute which once marred their friendly relations, the two great nations are showing every inclination of strengthening their ties.

Workers in Macau protested the lack of democracy in the PRC-controlled island that prevents the workers from enjoying the economic benefits of Macau's current boom. Protests are uncommon in the island, although one occurred earlier this year against the importation of cheap foreign labour.

Lee Myung-bak is the new President of South Korea. Unfortunately, he appears to be a hardliner and a conservative, which means difficulties in improving relations with North Korea. Even more unfortunately, the South Korean National Assembly has voted to appoint a special counsel to look into charges of fraud against Mr. Lee. Although he will not automatically lose his post if convicted (unless for treason), a conviction would weaken both the President-elect and his political party.

Thailand is holding elections this Sunday, the first since the Thai generals ousted the regime of Thaksin Shinawatra. Martial law is still in effect in 31 of the country's 76 provinces, mostly those in the North. The Northern provinces strongly support Thaksin, whose populist policies awoke the sleeping rural giant and brought enormous change to Thailand. Regardless of what happens in the elections, the ultimate result will be a coalition government composed of several different parties.

Jacob Zuma is the new President of South Africa. A great achievement after years of imprisonment by the former apartheid government and many other dangers that he has overcome. However, what does it mean that South Africa's Chief Prosecutor, Mokotedi Mpshe, has just announced that he has a substantive case against Mr. Zuma on charges of criminal corruption, and he is ready to go to court? Either way it bodes ill for the country. If the prosecutor proves his case, Mr. Zuma will be forced to step down and a new head of state must be chosen. If the prosecutor fails to prove his case, it will still mean a lengthy legal battle, and a cloud may continue to hang over the presidency.

Australian police, acting on a tip from Interpol, have arrested 31 men on charges of child pornography. They identified one child as being "at risk" and removed the child from further harm.

Lex the German Shepherd bomb-sniffing dog has officially been released from duty. He is retiring to the home of his former handler's family. His handler was killed on duty in Iraq.

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Human Rights: Burma

Pic courtesty of Auntie Beeb

The International Herald Tribune tells us that Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the U.N.'s special envoy on human rights in Myanmar (Burma) has been invited to that country by the military junta for a discussion next week.

The junta, which seized power in 1988, refused to hand over power to Aung San Suu Kyi's National Democracy League when it won a landslide victory in 1990. Aung has spent 10 of the past 17 years under house arrest.

Things heated up again this year when Buddhist monks led protests against the junta, and the brutal military response caused worldwide reaction. Although the reaction so far has been limited to apparent fainting spells followed by enthusiastic application of fans and smelling salts, one can only hope that eventually governments everywhere will do the right thing (we're looking at you, India, China, Singapore, Malaysia), and let the junta know that its actions are beyond the pale.

According to The Independent, the scale of the protests have the military worried. Major General Hla Htay Win was "permitted to retire," as the junta euphemistically expresses it, for being "too lenient" with protestors in Rangoon. Given that this is the same general who ordered bloody predawn raids on monasteries resulting in the arrest, imprisonment, torture, and beating deaths of many monks, and firing into unarmed crowds of peaceful protestors, one wonders what General Than Shwe, the despotic monster of the dungheap that constitutes the military junta, had in mind.

According to rumours, that worthy (Than Shwe)

... was worried enough as the street protests grew, that he sent his family to safety in Dubai.

"The stories are that he is isolated and that his staff are afraid to give him bad news but we do believe that he is the one to give the orders to crack down, so he is not totally out of touch,'' said Shari Villarosa, the US charge d'affaires in Rangoon.

Meanwhile, Pinheiro, who has been barred from Burma since 2003, had this to say:

... he "welcomes" the invitation to visit Nov. 11-15.

The statement, issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, said Pinheiro noted that the invitation "sends a positive indication of the desire of the authorities to cooperate with his mandate" to investigate human rights in Myanmar.

After getting initial permission last month for the visit, Pinheiro said he would demand access to prisons and try to determine the number of people killed and detained by the military government in September's crackdown on peaceful protesters.

"If they don't give me full cooperation, I'll go to the plane, and I'll go out," Pinheiro said.

Mr. Pinheiro, could you lend one of your testicles to our Democratic party? They seem sadly lacking in that respect.

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Politics: King Bhumipol Of Thailand

Apparently, His Majesty King Rama IX Bhumipol Adulyadej of Thailand recently suffered a stroke, for which he was hospitalized. His doctors report that he is doing better and nervous system irregularities that he had suffered have "returned to normal."

King Bhumipol is the longest-reigning monarch in the world. Our best wishes to His Majesty for continued health and long life. He has led his beautiful country and people through many trials and tribulations and made his nation strong.

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Politics - It's Time To Get Rid Of

This godbag.
Marilyn Musgrave (Repulsive-CObag), has just authored a bill to shoehorn the judaeo-christian deity into everything governmental.

Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO) has introduced a bill that would place on permanent display the Pledge of Allegiance -- with its mention of "one nation under God" -- and the motto "In God We Trust." The bill also would prohibit the Architect of the Capitol from excluding exhibits and materials that contain "a religious reference or Judeo-Christian content."

That would be the same Marilyn Musgrave who dragged troops in uniform into her political activities meant to benefit herself and the GOP alone, at the expense of the troops, who could be charged for such behaviour. According to the Department of Defense (linked PDF), it is against the law for

Members of the Armed Forces [to] attend partisan political events in uniform, even if only as “honorees.” A sharply limited exception is made to provide Armed Forces color guards for national-level political conventions.

For more on Musgrave:

Musgrave has made regulating the bedroom behavior of her fellow Americans the focus of her entire career. An evangelical Christian who married her Bible-camp sweetheart, Musgrave does not believe in the separation of church and state. She entered politics in 1990, running for her local school board on a crusade to end sex education as part of the curriculum. By the time her tenure was over, the schools taught "abstinence only" -- and offending passages in health textbooks had been blacked out. During her eight years in the Colorado legislature, Musgrave continued her moralizing, overcoming two vetoes by the governor to pass a state ban on gay marriage.

check out this Rolling Stone article.

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Iraq War - Looting and Profiteering

In case you're wondering why you're working harder, earning less, and everything around you seems to be turning to poop, it's because the incompetents running the country are pulling stunts like this.

To quote a famous comedian, "Some days it's just not worth chewing through the straps."

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Iraq War - Attacks Inside The Green Zone

Photo from Crimes of War

Jeebus:

A blast ripped through a canteen in the Iraqi parliament complex inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on Thursday, causing casualties, a correspondent for state television said.

Iraqiya television flashed a bulletin at the bottom of the screen but no other details were immediately given about the explosion, which marks a major breach of security in the most heavily guarded site in Iraq.

Mobile telephones and landlines in central Baghdad around the Green Zone were not able to be reached after the blast.

Now, more than ever, I miss Steve Gilliard, whose insightful and trenchant analyses of the Iraq war contributed so much to discussion in the blogosphere.

More good?ness here. It's the beginning of the end. And it has all the hallmarks of standing in a tunnel in pitch blackness, listening to the roar of a swiftly approaching train. A massive, speedy train. With absolutely no indication of the direction it's approaching from, or if there is any safety to be found.

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U.S. Attorney Scandal

It looks as if the White House and the Republic Party have left Abu Gonzales to twist slowly in the wind. He's supposedly cramming for the grilling the Judiciary Committee is bound to lay on his miserable, pathetic, weaselly, lying ass.

At first, I thought, yaknow, they should've come clean. But somewhere on the InnerTubes, I read an excellent argument about why they had to lie and shuffle and shuck and jive around this scandal. They committed a crime, or crimes, and they knew they did. They could not come clean because in order to do so, they would have to make public everything surrounding the firings, and no matter how much lipstick they put on it, it's still a pig. THAT'S WHY THEY LIED AND TRIED TO COVER IT UP. Yup.

Update: 'Twas IrishJim as said it.

A commenter at Firedoglake pointed out some interesting things about the U.S. Attorney scandal:

Paul Krugman noted a couple of weeks ago, for example, that Chris Christie, the former Bush “Pioneer” who is now the U.S. attorney for New Jersey, issued subpoenas as part of an investigation against Sen. Bob Menendez (D) shortly before last year’s election.

* In New Hampshire, Democrats want Congress to investigate whether prosecution of a Republican phone-jamming scheme on Election Day 2002 was intentionally delayed until after the presidential election two years later.

* Did the U.S. Attorney’s office in Pennsylvania intentionally target Bob Casey allies to undermine his Senate campaign against Rick Santorum?

* Why was the career U.S. Attorney in Guam removed in 2002 after he started investigating disgraced GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff?

* Why has Western Pennsylvania’s U.S. attorney, Mary Beth Buchanan, spent a disproportionate amount of her time launching public-corruption investigations against Democrats, while overlooking Republicans?

* In July 2005, the U.S. Attorney in Denver decided not to pursue a matter in which bouncers at a Bush event impersonated Secret Service agents to throw out three law-abiding ticket-holders because of their bumper sticker (the Denver Three controversy). Did politics dictate the decision?

In good news, harpy-in-training Monica Goodling resigned today, only to be told that running away will not save her skanky ass, on which the Democrat-dominated Judicial committee is even now spraypainting a large series of concentric circles.



Puts me in mind of a terrific Gary Larsen cartoon of two deer chatting, one with exactly such an image on its person and the other saying "Bummer of a birthmark, Hal."

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The Truth About Pat Tillman

Finally, the truth is coming out about the death of Pat Tillman, who died in a "friendly fire incident" in Afghanistan:

Nine officers, including up to four generals, should be held accountable for missteps in the aftermath of the friendly fire death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman in Afghanistan , a Pentagon investigation will recommend.

More details available here. I;d like to see them hold four generals accountable. I really would. But in the meantime, is anybody bothering to look into the possible murder of Pfc LaVena Johnson?

LaVena Johnson and Pat Tillman

Her grieving parents are surely just as entitled as Pat Tillman's parents to an inquiry into the injuries that she suffered shortly before she died. Go sign the petition, dammit. Too much of this crap is happening. No one is being held to account. The time has come to do as Molly Ivins said, bang the pots, beat the drums, make a loud noise, raise a ruckus, till we get some answers.

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