US military doctors allegedly aided Abu Ghraib abuses

Great, now we have a bunch of Dr. Mengele's running around the US military.

I'm sure President Bush will first deny it, then say he knew nothing about it, and then do nothing to rectify the situation. We have become the laughing stock of the world due to this president. Now we're even fighting off allegations of Nazi-style medical abuses. This is how far down into the mud Bush has taken our good name since September 11 when the entire world was on our side. Absolutely sickening. If this allegation is credible, somebody should consider war crimes charges against this administration, and frankly the charges should be filed by other Americans (if this is legally possible) to show the world that this is NOT what America, or Americans, stand for.

Doctors working for the U.S. military in Iraq collaborated with interrogators in the abuse of detainees at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, profoundly breaching medical ethics and human rights, a bioethicist charges in The Lancet medical journal.

In a scathing analysis of the behavior of military doctors, nurses and medics, University of Minnesota professor Steven Miles calls for a reform of military medicine and an official investigation into the role played by physicians and other medical staff in the torture scandal.

He cites evidence that doctors or medics falsified death certificates to cover up homicides, hid evidence of beatings and revived a prisoner so he could be further tortured. No reports of abuses were initiated by medical personnel until the official investigation into Abu Ghraib began, he found.

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Kerry says Bush Wavering on Imported Drugs

Good for Kerry. It's a good issue, and it's one on which Bush is starting to waver due to concerns about his re-election. As Chris pointed out the other day on this blog, who exactly is Bush protecting us from by blocking the import of prescription drugs? Bush says it's a safety issue. Safety from whom? All those "poor quality" drugs from Canada and western Europe? I'll bet Bush can't name one. Read the rest of this post...

Senator Kennedy "mistakenly" put on Do-Not-Fly list

Right, we're to believe this is a simple mistake? First off, it's pretty clear that someone put Kennedy on the list as a political ploy. And if not, then the system they use for creating such a list is obviously SERIOUSLY flawed. Either way, an investigation is clearly warranted.

Interestingly, the article denies Kennedy having been put on a do-not-fly list, and claims, rather, that he got caught by one of the warning markers about buying a one-way ticket, buying a last-minute ticket, etc. But at the beginning of the article, it was suggested that Kennedy's name is similar to another "suspicious" name (Osama bin Kennedy?) and that's why he got stopped. So which one is it? Fishy fishy fishy. Read the rest of this post...

Another family-values hypocrite bites the dust

Bush's campaign adviser on Catholics, Deal Hudson, quits over "allegations" of sexual harassment while teaching at Fordham University. According to the clearly-ticked-off adviser, "the matter was satisfactorily resolved long ago." Of course, what the married-with-two-children-Bush-adviser REALLY means is that the school looked into the charges and the professor later surrendered his tenure and left the school - sounds pretty innocent to me.

Of course, my favorite part of the article is this:

He blamed an unidentified reporter from "a liberal Catholic publication" for digging up "information about my personal life" in what he said was an attempt "to embarrass me" for political reasons.

"While I have no intention of being dissuaded by personal attacks, I will not allow lowbrow tactics to distract from the critically important issues in this election," Hudson wrote. "While I remain fervently committed to supporting President Bush's re-election, I think it best that I no longer play a role as an adviser in this year's campaign."

I always love it when a conservative Catholic finds questions over one's family values to be "lowbrow... personal attacks." (My second favorite part of the article? Hudson publishes the journal "Crisis.") Read the rest of this post...

Bush loses track of $8.8bn in Iraq

Reuters:

At least $8.8 billion in Iraqi funds that was given to Iraqi ministries by the former U.S.-led authority there cannot be accounted for, according to a draft U.S. audit set for release soon.

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'The Little Goat' on Amazon

Someone is always thinking out there.

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GOP trying to hide gays and far-right wackos at the convention

This just in... Republican sources tell veteran gay journalist Rex Wockner that the gay and lesbian caucus meeting at the GOP convention will likely NOT be open to the press or public. The similar caucus meeting at the Dem convention WAS open to both press and public. What's the GOP trying to hide?

In that same vein, I've also heard that the GOP is refusing to release the list of names of their delegates. Why? Because, supposedly, so many of the delegates are far-right wackos and they don't want the press to figure it out. More on this as it develops. Read the rest of this post...

Iraqi soccer team to Bush: "He has committed so many crimes"

The Iraqi Olympic soccer team isn't pleased with being used as an election year tool by Bush.

Sadir had a message for U.S. president George W. Bush, who is using the Iraqi Olympic team in his latest re-election campaign advertisements.

"Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," Sadir told SI.com through a translator, speaking calmly and directly. "He can find another way to advertise himself."

Ahmed Manajid, who played as a midfielder on Wednesday, had an even stronger response when asked about Bush's TV advertisement. "How will he meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women?" Manajid told me. "He has committed so many crimes."

"My problems are not with the American people," says Iraqi soccer coach Adnan Hamad. "They are with what America has done in Iraq: destroy everything. The American army has killed so many people in Iraq. What is freedom when I go to the [national] stadium and there are shootings on the road?"

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Sayonara, Mr. President

Reuters:

"Offering more evidence that the nation's economic recovery is losing steam, a closely watched gauge of future business activity fell in July for the second consecutive month."

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Bush to spend vacation without access to top intelligence briefings?

Apparently Bush is going to spend his vacation at Crawford, Texas without access to the most important daily intelligence briefings. Why do I say that? Because Bush has made clear that it's nigh impossible to give such briefings when the recipient is outside of Washington, DC, at least when the recipient is John Kerry. Read on...

1. Bush aides say it's nearly impossible logistically to give the necessary presidential-level intelligence briefings to Kerry since he'll be OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON, DC. Allegedly, it's a considerable drain on our intelligence resources, during this time of high threat, to have them travel outside of DC to give presidential-level intell briefings:

Aides to President Bush and John F. Kerry are sparring over the terms for intelligence briefings for the Democratic presidential nominee, delaying the post-convention overview typically given to the challenger....

A GOP source close to the negotiations said that "the briefing hasn't occurred because Kerry has insisted he doesn't have time for it unless it is done outside of D.C., which is logistically a nightmare for the DCI [director of central intelligence] and [Homeland Security Secretary Tom] Ridge in light of the current threat."

2. Bush is getting ready to go on a week-long vacation to his ranch at Crawford, Texas. Will he not be getting intelligence briefings during his time away from DC "in light of the current threat"? Or is Bush going to require the DCI and Homeland Security director to trudge across the country and waste valuable time that could be spent preventing the next 9/11 attack, simply because Bush wanted YET ANOTHER vacation, a vacation that mattered more to him than jeopardizing the war on terror? Or if they are simply going to "beam" the briefers in via video or something, then why can't they beam them in to Kerry on the campaign trail? The White House will probably argue that the "beaming" equipment is only at the White House, Crawford Ranch, and on Air Force One.

Ah, but no. The president did a campaign stop in Cleveland last month and stayed at a hotel in the city according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer: "campaign and White House officials said Bush was expected to spend the night at a downtown Cleveland hotel." Certainly that downtown hotel isn't wired for classified briefings, so is Bush forsaking those briefings for the campaign trail, or is he forcing senior officials to endure a wasteful "logistical nightmare" to give him briefings while on the campaign trail?

You decide. Read the rest of this post...

"John Kerry Saved My Life"

You knew the Kerry campaign would do it -- they had to. But to me, it shows the Bush campaign is doing its job.

Responding to the swift boat liars for bush, the Kerry campaign is putting a commercial on the air that features the soldier whose life John Kerry saved to earn the Bronze Star. It's no doubt a telling piece that will be effective.

But this is defensive campaigning. Kerry is at a financial disadvantage and must now spend his resources to simply tell the truth about something that, if the GOP had any integrity at all, would never be challenged. Frankly, the Bushies are doing a good job right now. While Kerry is explaining, AGAIN, why he got a medal 30 years ago, the bushies are talking about helping out people in florida and getting ready for their convention. Bush is even talking about importing drugs from Canada.

We should be taking the debate to Bush and never, ever stopping. Why wouldn't the president stand up to people who lie about a decorated war veteran? Why can't we get more money through to Florida more quickly, and why didn't New York ever get the money it was promised? Does bush support getting drugs from canada, or doesn't he? what ever happened to "turn the corner?

oh, and while we're at it, why'd you leave the guard early? did you ever do cocaine, YES OR NO?

Let's just go at this guy and never, ever stop. He's a failure and needs to go. Read the rest of this post...

Alan Keyes likens abortion to terrorism

I guess he stood a slightly better chance of locating a few voters in Illinois than in Maryland but this is going to be a walk in the park for Obama. I didn't think that the Republicans could find a bigger clown than Ditka, but well...

Thanks to Buzzflash for posting this article.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes said Monday that women who choose to undergo abortions and the physicians who perform the procedure are essentially terrorists because "the evil is the same."

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Rising healthcare costs slowing down economy

This is what happens when we let the 1950s dream world Republicans run everything. They have terrorized Americans into thinking that any change in healthcare is Marxist communism and so it's better to let the situation spiral out of control. The market is now deciding that it's too expensive to hire new workers because the costs are cutting into profits. The Republicans won't be happy until everyone pays for healthcare all on their own.

Government data, industry surveys and interviews with employers big and small indicate that many businesses remain reluctant to hire full-time employees because health insurance, which now costs the nation's employers an average of about $3,000 a year for each worker, has become one of the fastest-growing costs for companies. Health premiums are sapping corporate balance sheets even more than the rising cost of energy.

"Health care is a major reason why employment growth has been so sluggish," said Sung Won Sohn, the chief economist at Wells Fargo.

Businesses, meanwhile, are trying all kinds of coping strategies. Some companies have responded by shifting part of the health insurance burden onto their workers or by ratcheting up premiums and deductibles. Some have eliminated coverage for dependents, while others have canceled their medical plans altogether. Many have frozen or reduced wages to compensate for ever bigger health insurance bills.

Phyllis Burlage, an accountant in Millersville, Md., whose clients include several small businesses, said rising health insurance costs were driving some employers to skirt age-discrimination law by hiring only younger workers as a way to reduce premiums. "It's the deep dark secret of small businesses," Ms. Burlage said.

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Who's the liar now? Records contradict Kerry critic story

Let's see how this tool of the right wing attack machine reacts to newly released military records. He was using some pretty strong language in his attacks against Kerry so he better be prepared to receive what he dished out.

The newly obtained records of Larry Thurlow show that he, like Kerry, won a Bronze Star in the engagement and that Thurlow's citation said he also was under
attack, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

The records said Thurlow's actions "took place under constant enemy small arms fire," which Thurlow ignored in providing immediate assistance to the disabled boat and its crew.

Thurlow described Kerry's Bronze Star citation as "totally fabricated," saying "I never heard a shot."

He said he believed his own award would be "fraudulent" if it was based on coming under enemy fire.

Members of Kerry's crew have said Kerry is telling the truth. Rassmann said he has vivid memories of enemies firing at him from both banks.

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Americans return to Paris, John among "most cultivated"

I can now sigh a great relief because we now seem to be beyond the "everything French is bad" days. The numbers haven't yet caught up to pre-9/11 numbers but it is now OK to visit France again.

In its latest report, Paris' tourism office said 21 percent more Germans, 18 percent more Japanese and 13 percent more Americans checked into the city's hotels in the first five months of 2004 compared to a year ago.

But free-spending Americans, typically the most represented nationality among visitors in Paris, are the special target of promoters. The French capital has held events tied to the Fourth of July holiday the last two years trying to attract American tourists.

"The most cultivated Americans were able to look past the differences," said Jean-Claude Demais, head of Normandy's tourist bureau. "But other Americans were told that French people were jerks — and people believed it."

Maybe this is why John also received special perks from Air France? It's not easy being targeted by being wined and dined. Oh the humanity!
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