Oklahoma community members endorse . . .

Statement From John M.Murtagh On Barack Obama's Relationship With William Ayers
ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, John M. Murtagh made the following statement on Barack Obama's relationship with William Ayers:
"When I was 9 years-old the Weather Underground, the terrorist group founded by Barack Obama's friend William Ayers, firebombed my house. Barack Obama has dismissed concerns about his relationship with Ayers by noting that he was only a child when Ayers was planting bombs at the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol. But Ayers has never apologized for his crimes, he has reveled in them, expressing regret only for the fact that he didn't do more.
"While Barack Obama once downplayed his relationship with Ayers, today his campaign took that deceit one step further. Barack Obama now denies he was even aware of his friend's violent past when, in 1995, Ayers hosted a party launching Obama's political career. Given Ayers' celebrity status among the left, it's difficult to believe. The question remains: what did Obama know, and when did he know it? When did Obama learn the truth about his friend? Barack Obama helped Ayers promote his book in 1997, served on charitable boards with him through 2002, and regularly exchanged emails and phone calls with him through 2005. At what point did Barack Obama discover that his friend was an unrepentant terrorist? And if he is so repulsed by the acts of terror committed by William Ayers, why did the relationship continue? Any honest accounting by Barack Obama will necessarily cast further doubt on his judgment and his fitness to serve as commander in chief.
"Barack Obama may have been a child when William Ayers was plotting attacks against U.S. targets -- but I was one of those targets. Barack Obama's friend tried to kill my family."
In February 1970 John Murtagh's father was a New York State Supreme Court justice presiding over the trial of the so-called "Panther 21," members of the Black Panther Party indicted in a plot to bomb New York landmarks and department stores. Early on the morning of February 21, three gasoline-filled firebombs exploded at their home on the northern tip of Manhattan, two at the front door and the third tucked neatly under the gas tank of the family car. The same night, bombs were thrown at a police car in Manhattan and two military recruiting stations in Brooklyn. A few weeks after the attack, the New York contingent of the Weathermen blew themselves up making more bombs in a Greenwich Village townhouse. In late November that year, a letter to the Associated Press signed by Bernardine Dohrn, Ayers's wife, promised more bombings.
Read John Murtagh's Account Of The Weather Underground's Attack

The above is from John McCain and Sarah Palin's campaign. They are the Republican ticket in the presidential race. I was going to note the above because I do believe in victims' rights and, in my state, victims can speak up in court and it's nothing new. The families of victims can speak up. I've been writing about the issue (Weather Underground) so it made sense to note it. It's also in the snapshot but when I mentioned to C.I. I was going to open with it, C.I. said I could 'break the news.' One segment of the community is endorsing John McCain.

They will be voting for John McCain. No one in the Common Ills community will vote for Barack Obama, not after the divisive campaign he and his surrogates have run which has utilized homophobia, sexism and ageism and has ignored huge segments of the population. That's before we even get into the caucus fraud, but you get the idea. The truth is that after Elaine wrote about Barack's statements when she and C.I. attended the Senate run fundraiser as well as about his first townhall in 2005 where he was ticked off and impatient with those wanting to end the illegal war, no one was ever going to vote for him. This community knew he wasn't someone we'd ever vote for because we believe in ending the illegal war and the only thing worse than a War Hawk is a War Hawk who pretends to be a dove.

So community members in Oklahoma have been on the fence and trying to figure out what they were going to do. They know as of this evening. Oklahoma community members are voting for Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin.

In Oklahoma, most of us know, you can't vote for Ralph Nader. He is not on the ballot and the state laws do not allow you to write him in. Ralph isn't the only one not on the ballot. Cynthia McKinney's not on the ballot either. Only two tickets made the ballot: the Republican and the Democratic parties' nominees.

They were considering not voting and they went back and forth over that. They have decided they will vote and that between McCain who supports the war with words and actions and Barack who supports it with actions (while tossing out pretty words), they'll vote for McCain.

One reason is the attacks on Governor Palin. They have been non-stop and Robin Morgan's bulls**t last week was really the last straw.

If Robin Morgan hadn't pulled that little stunt, that non-feminist attack, they would have most likely sat out the presidential election. But this community does not tolerate crap like that. So Robin Morgan decided to deploy sexism (and lies) to attack a woman. Guess what Robin? Oklahoma community members, lifelong Democrats (no third party members there though they would have selected Ralph first and, if he wasn't available, Cynthia McKinney), are going to vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Thanks to Robin.

Robin Morgan should be real proud of herself right about now.

She thought she could order people to vote like she's some sort of field commander and we all take marching orders. Not only could she order, but we're so stupid that she could lie about Palin and we'd just nod along. And we'd never notice how sexist her attack on Palin was.

Robin appears infected by the same mania that's long infected the Cult of Barack.

So Oklahoma community members are now decided. They will be voting and they will be voting for McCain-Palin. C.I. assumed that was where it was headed. (Two Oklahomans participated in Hilda's Mix roundtable Monday night -- done by i.m. since most participants, including Hilda, are deaf -- and the topic of Robin's attack on Sarah Palin was brought up by them repeatedly.) I knew it was being debated by memebers in the state but I assumed they'd announce later on and had no idea what they were going to do. Looking at the roundtable now (published Tuesday morning), I can see that the die was already cast. And I'll assume that C.I. knew it was coming before they announced this evening and that's why McCain was included in the snapshot.

In Oklahoma, you only have the choice of Democrat or Republican. I say that in case any community member is bothered. No one should be because you should always vote for who you want. I don't imagine anyone will be offended or bothered in the community. I'm actually very happy that they're taking that stand.

The sexism is out of control but I honestly thought they'd just decide not to vote. The Kennedy-McCain immigration bill was another reason they cited. C.I. will be interviewing three for the gina & krista round-robin (the interview's already done and will run Friday morning). In addition, Gina and Krista have a number of them scheduled for tomorrow night's roundtable (which will run in Friday's round-robin). So be sure to check out the round-robin.

Congratulations to Oklahoma community members because they thought long and hard on what to do. I'm really proud of them.

And with one group supporting McCain-Palin, C.I. will be including them in snapshots.

I had plans to pair the statement at the top with some other stuff but this really is the news so I'll just leave that for this post.




Closing with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"


Wednesday, October 8, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, attempts to lure back Iraqi refugees fail, tensions continue to escalate between Turkey and northern Iraq, a widow sues the VA, and more.


Starting with the refugee crisis. The UNHCR estimates Iraq has 4.7 million refugees (internal and external). On the heels of Jordan getting the oil gifts from Iraq and deciding to bus and fly some Iraqi refugees out (who did not want to leave), attempts took place in Syria to 'ease out' the Iraqi refugees. AP reports that they were offered "free journeys" by Iraq's Embassy in Damascus but "there have been no takers" and "Adnan al-Shourifi, the commercial secretary at the Iraqi Embassy, said that free convoys and plane tickets would be provided for the returnees, along with about $1,300 in cash to each family from the Iraqi government and $500 from the United Nations." Sudarsan Raghavan (Washington Post) notes that "[o]nly a small fraction [of refugees] have returned," cites the Baghdad neighborhood of Hurriyah where only 325 "of the more than 7,000 Sunni families who fled in late 2006" have returned and notes that "U.N. officials and human rights groups are concerned that a speedy resettlement could touch off new strife, in part because sectarian segregation has helped to reduce violence".


AFP reports that Abdel-Karim Khalaf, Iraq's Interior Ministry spokesperson, stated today, "We have the ability to take over the internal security responsibility in Baghdad if American forces pull out of the city. The Interior Ministry is able to take responsibility for protecitng Baghdad." Erica Goode (New York Times) reports on yesterday's Green Zone press conference staged by the US Deputy Sec of State John Negroponte and Iraq Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zerbair where the two claimed that a SOFA (really a treaty) was coming any time soon." Today at the State Dept, spokesperson Sean McCormack pointed out that he had not said the SOFA would be singed by the end of July ("If you look back in the transcripts, you will find that I did not put a timeframe on it" -- no, he refused to do so; however, the White House put a deadline of July on it). McCormack acknowledged that "others did. Look the discussions are ongoing. And I guess the state of play is that nothing is done until everything is done and not everything is done. Secretary -- Deputy Secretary Negroponte offered some public comments when he held a press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Zerbari, so the discussions continue. And I think that the fact they are taking this long and that the discussions are as intense as they have been over this period of months is an indication of how seriously the Iraqi government takes this, as well as how seriously we take this issue. It's a negotiation between two sovereign states. And our negotiators continue their efforts -- our negotiators as well as the Iraqi negotiatiors." Asked if expected the treaty to be worked by year's end, he replied, "We're still working to get this thing done as soon as possible." December 31st the UN authorization for the occupation expires. This as Jonathan S. Landay, Warren P. Strobel and Nancy A. Youssef (McClatchy Newspapers) report an upcoming National Intelligence Estimate (which may or may not be released prior to the US elections in November) sounds alarms, "The draft NIE, however, warns that the improvements in security and political progress, like the recent passage of a provincial election law, are threatened by lingering disputes between the majority Shiite Arabs, Sunni Arabs, Kurds and other minorities, the U.S. officials said. Sources of tension identified by the NIE, they said, include a struggle between Sunni Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen for control of the oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk; and the Shiite-led central government's unfulfilled vows to hire former Sunni insurgents who joined Awakening groups."

Meanwhile tensions between Turkey and northern Iraq are not going through. The PKK (considered a terrorist organization by many governments including the US) is the source of the conflict. Hurriyet reports Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's Prime Minister, has stated that "a buffer zone in the north of Iraq could be created as a counter measure against terror attacks from this territory." Sabrina Tavernise (New York Times) notes, "Turkey's parliament voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to extend by one year its authorization of military operations against Kurdish separatists in northern Iraq, keeping the door open to future strikes in the region. The approval, by a vote of 497 to 18, had been largely expected, and occurred amid a flurry of attacks in Turkey's largely Kurdish southeast." China's Xinhau explains, "The anger of the Turkish people is mounting after last Friday's deadliest attack that killed 15 Turkish soldiers in Hakkari province, while the Edrogan government and the powerful military have pledged to intensify a campaign to crush the outlawed PKK." Meanwhile Arwa Damon (CNN) visits a PKK camp in the Kurdistan region of Iraq (Qandil Mountains) and speaks with Rengin ("head of a female battallion of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK") who states, "We want a natural life, a society that revolves around women -- one where women and men are equal, a society without pressure, without inequality, where all differences between people are eliminated."

Turning to some of today's reported violence . . .

Bombings?

Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad roadside bombing that wounded two people, a Mosul roadside bombing that claimed the lives of 3 police officers and left six more injured and, in Diyala Province, "a female suicide bomber blew herself up near the Diyala governorate building" claiming the lives of 3 civilians, 1 police officer and 5 Iraqi soldiers. Ernesto London (Washington Post) notes that the death toll has risen to "at least 10 people" and explains, "Since 2003, more than 50 women carried out suicide bombings or were detained before detonating vests packed with explosives in Iraq, according to the U.S. military." CNN adds, "The official said the woman, covered in a traditional black garment known as an abaya, blew herself up near a security checkpoint outside the courthouse."

Shootings?

Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 1 "Christian man" shot dead today in Mosul and 2 shot dead in Mosul yesterday.

Corpses?

Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 1 corpse discovered in Baghdad.

ICCC reports 4180 US service members have died in Iraq since the start of the illegal war with 4 for the month thus far. That count includes Col Michael R. Stahlman whom the Defense Department announced died October 5th "from injuries sustained in a July 31 non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq. . . . The incident is currently under investigation."

Meanwhile a widow brings a lawsuit against the VA. John Latimer (Lebanon Daily News) reports that the wife of Donald Woodward, Tiera Woodward, has brought a $2 million law suit against the Lebanon VA Medical Center for "wronful death and medical malpractice" in the death of her husband who shot himself to death in March of 2006. Donald Woodward was an Iraq War veteran and beginning in July of 2005, the family was attempting to get help for him following a suicide attempt. Latimer notes, "Although he screened positive for depression and PTSD, it was determined that Woodward did not meet the criteria for a 'major depressive order'." Also covering the story, Carrie Cassidy (The Patriot-News) explains, "The lawsuit states that Donald Woodward has also tried to commit suicide three times before he succeeded, though he tried to get help before that . . . The Lenbaon VA staff failed to diagnose him with a 'major depressive disorder' earlier. A psychiatrist eventually diagnosed him with the disorder on Feb. 2, 2006, about a month before he died". The family is united on this, Larry Alexander (Lancaster Online) quotes Donald Woodward's mother, Lori Woodward, stating, "It's in her (his widow's) name, but I'm the one behind it. And we're not going to comment on it until it's settled."

Turning to the US presidential race. On the subject of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers (and Bernardine Dohrn), the McCain-Palin campaign released this statement by John M. Murtagh whose father was an NY State Supreme Court justice:

"When I was 9 years-old the Weather Underground, the terrorist group founded by Barack Obama's friend William Ayers, firebombed my house. Barack Obama has dismissed concerns about his relationship with Ayers by noting that he was only a child when Ayers was planting bombs at the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol. But Ayers has never apologized for his crimes, he has reveled in them, expressing regret only for the fact that he didn't do more.
"While Barack Obama once downplayed his relationship with Ayers, today his campaign took that deceit one step further. Barack Obama now denies he was even aware of his friend's violent past when, in 1995, Ayers hosted a party launching Obama's political career. Given Ayers' celebrity status among the left, it's difficult to believe. The question remains: what did Obama know, and when did he know it? When did Obama learn the truth about his friend? Barack Obama helped Ayers promote his book in 1997, served on charitable boards with him through 2002, and regularly exchanged emails and phone calls with him through 2005. At what point did Barack Obama discover that his friend was an unrepentant terrorist? And if he is so repulsed by the acts of terror committed by William Ayers, why did the relationship continue? Any honest accounting by Barack Obama will necessarily cast further doubt on his judgment and his fitness to serve as commander in chief.
"Barack Obama may have been a child when William Ayers was plotting attacks against U.S. targets -- but I was one of those targets. Barack Obama's friend tried to kill my family."

Deliah Boyd (A Scriverner's Lament) calls out Obama mouthpiece David Axelrod's claim that Barack was just too wet behind the ears to have ever known anything about the Weather Underground: "But Dear Axelrod, I'm suggeting, nay, stating a damned fact -- that Obama's undergrad Poli Sci classes (at freakin' Columbia University, fer cryin' out loud) surely didn't skip the 1960's." Drew Griffin and Kathleen Jonston (CNN) reported last night that "the relationship between Obama and Ayers went deeper, ran longer and was more political than Obama -- and his surrogates -- have revealed, documents and interviews show." Ruth observes, "At this point, the relationship with Mr. Ayers is not even the issue. The issue is how Barack Obama has lied about it repeatedly. Just like he lied about his relationship with Antoin Rezco, he has lied about his relationship with Mr. Ayers."

Cynthia McKinney is the Green Party presidential candidate and, in a new column at Black Agenda Report, she takes on the bailout:

At the precise moment when we couldn't imagine it getting worse, it does. After all, the Democrats, since they acquired majority status in the Congress, delivered funding for George Bush's wars several times. They authorized retroactive immunity for telecoms that helped Bush's Administration illegally spy on us. And they never really considered any alternatives to the basic bailout wish list given to them by Bush and his Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson.
Sadly, I must say that this failure on the part of the Democratic leadership is by far the greatest perfidy of the Democrats yet. I shudder to think what betrayal of the Constitution and the people of this country yet awaits us. I am forced to ask, "What do they stand for?" I think they have shown us time and time again what they stand for, what their values are, and that they are willing to leave the people behind in their quest to acquiesce to what Bush's base asks for. And remember, Bush told us that his base were the haves and the have mores! So, if the Democratic leadership is more loyal to them than they are to the working people in this country, then a new political alignment of historical proportions is taking effect that the working people of this country must recognize.

Reporter Chris Hedges (via Information Clearing House) examines the bailout and notes, "The passing of the $850-billion bailout pulled the plug on the New Deal. The Great Society is now gasping for air, mortally wounded, coughing up blood. It will not recover. It was murdered by the Democratic Party. We are on our own. And don't expect any help from Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who lobbied hard for the bill and voted for it. Ignore their rhetoric. Look coldly at the ballots they cast against us. We, as citizens, have only a handful of representatives left in Washington, most of whom were left sputtering in rage and frustration on the House floor. The sad irony is that some of them were Republican." Hedges goes on to explore the vote and the bailout and to quote US House Rep Dennis Kuccinich explaining of the vote, "It is a direct attack on the American people's ability to be able to stabilize their homes and their neighborhoods. This single vote will define the careers of everyone. We are back to taxation without representation to markets that are openly rigged. We buried the New Deal. Instead of Democrats going back to classic New Deal economics where we prime the pump of the economy and start money circulating among the population through saving homes, creating jobs and building a new infrastructure, our leaders chose to accelerate the wealth of the nation upwards." Hedges juxtaposes Barack's support for the bailout with Barack's voting record and it's a must read article. Last week, Kucinich declared on Democracy Now!, "You know, I'll tell you something that we were told in our caucus. We were told that our presidential candidate, when the negotiations started at the White House, said that he didn't want this in the bill. Now that's what we're told. . . . That he didn't want the bankruptcy provisions in the bill. Now, you know, that's what we were told. And I don't understand why he would say that, if he did say that. And I think that there is a -- the fact that we didn't put bankrptcy provisions in, that actually we removed any hopes for judges to do any loan modifications or any forbearance. There's no moratorium on mortgage foreclosures in here. So, who's getting -- who's really getting helped by this bill? This is a bailout, pure and simple, of Wall Street interests who have been involved in speculation."

You need to remember for that for a number of reasons. The most current has to do with last night's Democratic and Republican presidential candidate debate during which John McCain declared, "As president of the United States, Alan, I would order the secretary of the treasury to immediately buy up the bad home loan mortgages in America and renegotiate at the new value of those homes -- at the diminished value of those homes and let people be able to make those -- be able to make those payments and stay in their homes. Is it expensive? Yes. But we all know, my friends, until we stabilize home values in America, we're never going to start turning around and creating jobs and fixing our economy. And we've got to give some trust and confidence back to America." Katharine Q. Seelye (New York Times) live blogged the debate and noted McCain's proposal was "not somethng that had been proposed. Nor is it clear without further detail how or whether this would work" citing the paper's Jackie Calmes (citing Barack's campaign)? Robert G. Kaiser (Washington Post) doing a post-debate critique noted, "I was taken aback by McCain's opening proposal, which if I understand it correctly would have a huge impact on the housing market, the banks, the holders of securitized mortgages, etc." The proposal was a proposal. Michael Abramowitz (Washington Post) reports that Doug Holtz-Eakin, the campaign's policy advisor, on a morning press conference call, "offered a few more details of the so-called American Homeownership Resurgence Plan, unveiled at the Tuesday night debate, in which a homeowner having difficulty making payments or facing foreclosure would be eligible for an FHA-insured mortgage. He said that some of the money for the new program, which could cost $300 billion, could come from the new $700 billion authority granted the Treasury Secretary to buy distressed assets; he also said some of the funds could also come from existing authority in the Federal Housing Administration." Abramowitz also notes that the Obama campaign is attempting to downplay the proposal by stating Barack was floating something like that publicly back in September. A shame he didn't fight to have it put in the bill -- especially considering he is the party's 'leader' and the Democrats control both houses of Congress. But can't tick off his biggest donors on Wall St. apparently. Alison Fitzgerald and Sharon L. Lynch (Bloomberg News) report Barack's whining the bailout that passed allows this to take place already and quote Holtz-Eakin stating, "It could help literally millions of people. We don't have a precise estimate." The McCain-Palin campaign has posted the text (and audio option) of Doug Hotlz-Eakin's comments:

"Senator McCain last night announced his initiative, the McCain Resurgence Plan, that has four very straightforward goals. Goal number one is to provide direct help to struggling homeowners making sure they can stay in their homes with a manageable mortgage, avoid foreclosures and the damaging impact that has on neighborhoods and property values in that area. It would also, in the process of refinancing, help them with their financial situation and, as a result, give some stability to the household spending in the overall economy.
"Second thing is it would provide, to the mortgage market, lower interest rates. If history was a guide, we'd see a spread of about 160 basis points above government interest rates to the mortgage market. That would put interest rates in the low five percent. Mortgage rates are above that right now. Providing this kind of financing would stabilize housing values and obviously take some stress off the pressures downward in the economy. Having a stabilized housing market would, in turn, combine with the purchase of these mortgages to stabilize the values that are underneath mortgage-backed securities and all the housing-related derivatives that have been plaguing the valuation of balance sheets in the financial sector. And so by starting with the homeowner and working up you accomplish some of the objectives of the financial stabilization plans that we've seen come out of Congress and proposed by the administration in recent weeks. Senator McCain beli eves this is exactly the right kind of policy: provide direct help to homeowners and, at the same time, support the financial markets and keep them from further damaging the availability of credit to Main Street America, one of the real threats to the economy at this point it time.
"The initiative would rely on authorities that have been provided in recent months by the Congress. There's $300 billion worth of refinance capacity at the FHA at this point. That can be combined with the statutory capacity at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are now owned by the federal government for all practical purposes, to purchase mortgages. If Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac bought 80% of the mortgage, you could leverage that $300 billion in financing tremendously. And there's also the $700 billion that was provided to the Treasury by the Congress. There's direct purchase authority in there that would allow to augment these as well, although, it may be useful to reserve that for other purposes.
"Mechanically the initiative is very simple. A homeowner would initiate the process by calling a mortgage broker or other originator and basically saying 'I'd like to refinance my home.' They would start the underwriting process, verify incomes, this is an opportunity as well to make sure the program has in it appropriate checks to make sure that government money is not being given to folks who are not primary homeowners, who don't have adequate income, or otherwise, in the initial purchase of their home didn't provide valid information. These authorities could then be used to retire the existing loan. The FHA would issue a guaranteed thirty year fixed-rate mortgage at a manageable interest rate. The homeowner would stay in the home, their financial burden would be relieved, the valuation of the existing loan would be resolved, there would no longer be a threat of default or diminished capacity to repay. That would stabilize financial markets, and t he taxpayers' contribution would be, in some cases the difference between the values of those two loans, something which would be the necessity for taxpayer contribution.
"Senator McCain thinks this is the best way to go forward. He's obviously been personally very concerned about the problems facing the economy. He has participated, as I think everyone on this call knows, extensively in the process of taking the initial proposal by the administration to directly purchase Wall Street securities shaping it in a way that it was both possible to get it through Congress in a bi-partisan fashion, and also had it augmented with the adequate taxpayer protections, some oversight and transparency. This would take the authorities that have now come through and further target them in a way that he thinks would accomplish the purposes of financial stabilization but also to provide some relief to homeowners, near-term stimulus to the overall economy, and lay out a path where he can then turn to his initiatives in taxes, in energy, healthcare, trade to provide job creation in the American economy and a path forward out of this ter rible crisis."

Tomorrow, Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin will hold a town hall at noon in Waukesha, Wisconsin (Center Court Sports Complex, 815 Northview Boulevard) and the proposal will be addressed there. Foon Rhee (Boston Globe, link has text and video) reports that he raised the issue at a campaign stop in Bethlem, Pennsylvania. Jonathan Newman, Matthew Jaffe and Stu Chamberlain (ABC News' Political Radar, text and video) report Democratic vice-presidential nominee, US Senator Joe Biden, was introduced at a Tampa campaign event today by Jim Pacillo who stated, "Please help me today in welcoming the next vice president of the United States, John McCain!" Also McCain-Palin announce the endorsement of 100 US ambassadors from a group co-chaired by Mark W. Erwin who was supporting Hillary in the primaries (and, disclosue, I know and like Mark and that's probably why I'm putting it in the snapshot). Other endorsements today include the majority of board members on the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce with Jerry Natividad explaining, "I am supporting John McCain because he understands that small businesses are the job engine of America, and he has a real plan for the issues that Hispanic-owned small businesses confront, such as health care. John McCain's plan puts families first, provides them with more choices, and while it cut costs for my business, it allows my company to afford the best medical coverage for my employees." Maria G. Taxman is quoted explaining, "I am very confident John McCain will continue to break down foreign trade barriers, giving Hispanic-American-owned small businesses the opportunity to compete in the global markets. John McCain will promote a strong and growing economy that creates new jobs and increases wages."

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader will speak out on Wall St. next week:

News Advisory FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ryan Mehta, 408-348-0681, rmehta@votenader.org (National HQ); Josh Starcher, 718-909-6343 (Local) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE RALPH NADER TO SPEAK IN NEW YORKWHO: Ralph Nader WHAT: Major Campaign Address WHEN: Thursday, October 16 at 12:00pm WHERE: Federal Hall, 26 Wall St. NYC On Thursday, October 16 at 12:00pm, Ralph will take to the street in front of the NYSE to protest the bailout at Federal Hall, 26 Wall St. NYC. Ralph is the only Presidential candidate who supports jail time, not bail time for Wall Street fat cats, so come hear him speak in the historic Cooper Union after watching the game show debates on TV. He will also comment on the Presidential debates from which he was excluded. In another part of the city, after Ralph speaks in Cooper Union, the two corporate candidates will be debating each other without even mentioning the issues that Ralph will talk about and that matter to the American people. Since 1988, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) has sponsored every presidential debate and kept the discussion empty. Since its inception, the CPD has always been headed by two former chairs of the Democratic and Republican parties. In 1987, the League of Women Voters refused to sponsor any more presidential debates, ìbecause the demands of the two campaign organizations would perpetrate a fraud on the American voter.

Back to the debate. Susan (Random Thoughts) analyzes the debate and will note this section on Barack, "Obama was absolutely incoherent. He would start strong, but then he would wander off on some tangent and constantly ran overtime with his answers. This is going to kill him when people realize he doesn't really know what he is talking about. It was the same problem John Kerry had, but Kerry learned to keep his answers short in the debates with our dictator in 2004."

Rebecca noted that Barack declared war on Social Security, Elaine noted Barack's rush for more war, Mike found the debate a waste of time, Cedric & Wally (joint-post) noted how Barack got his way, Marcia skipped it and noted the crony ways of Barack in Chicago, and Kat explored the liars and cover-up artists in the press

Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney's running mate is Rosa Clemente who has a series of campaign stops coming up including the following:

Rosa Clemente in New York October 9-11Tuesday, 07 October 2008 23:01from Rosa ClementePeace and Hello to all my New York City People:As the billionaires on wall street get bailed out, and more and more people are tired of a two party stranglehold, join me, as I celebrate my electoral independence, I am in town, for three exciting days of campaign activities, attending a press conference for assistance and solidarity for Haiti, marching for the freedom of Politcal Prisoners and Prisoner of War, as well as these media appearances, hope to see you! "The Green Party is not the alternative, it is the imperative!" Rosa A. Clemente, Green Party Vice-Presidential CandidateGritTV, with Laura Flanders, to air Wednesday October 8th, 2008, at 8:00pm & 1:00am ET, on Free Speech TV(DISH Network ch. 9415) www.lauraflanders.comWhere we Live, with Sally O'Brien Thursday October 9th, 2008 at 8:00pm on WBAI 99.5FM, www.wbai.orgThe Truth, with Jeff Johnson on to air on BET Friday October 10th, 2008 at 10:00pm (EST)________________________________________________________________WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 9th, 2008 @ 7pm-10pmTHIS IS AN HISTORICAL MOMENT...BUT ONLY SOME OF IT WILL BE TELEVISED!You are invited to the home of Gloria Mattera & Sean Sweeney and host M1 of dead prezfor light fare, drinks and lively discussion with special guest:Rosa Clemente is a nationally known hip-hop activist, independent journalist, community organizer and Green Party vice presidential candidate. She helped organize the National Hip-Hop Political Convention in 2003, to create a national political agenda for the hip-hop generation.Let's help Rosa and Cynthia raise the funds needed to get their message of peace and justice out to voters throughout the country!Campaign Merchandise will be on hand!Location: 437 2 Street between 6/7 Avenues in Park Slope BrooklynF train to 7 Ave; Q/B to 7 Ave (at Flatbush); R train to Union StRSVP: gmattera@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 718 369-2998________________________________________________________________THURSDAY OCTOBER 9th, 2008 @ 3:30pmOpen Community Forum with Green Party Vice Presidential Nominee ROSA CLEMENTE,to be televised on Manhattan Public Access@ MNN Television StudiosManhattan Neighborhood Network537 West 59th Street,New York, NY 10019(between 10th and 11th Avenues)Green Party VP Candidate -Discusses the Economy, Foreign Policy, Education, Gender Equity, Racism, Social Justice, & the EnvironmentLIVE WITH THE COMMUNITYFeaturing Community Organizations:-Grassroots Artists MovEment (G.A.ME)-UHURU Movement-Brenda Stokely from NY Solidarity Coalition With Katrina / Rita Survivors- La Peña del BronxPerformances:-Hasan Salaam-Video Screening of Final Outlaw's"HIP HOP 4Ever"THIS IS A LIVE TO TAPE EVENT: IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT ALL AUDIENCE MEMBERS ARRIVE AT 3:00PM SHARP!Please Contact: (917) 940-8961 or (917) 239-8992 with Questions or to RSVP for this eventABOUT G.A.ME - The Grassroots Artists Movement (G.A.ME) is a membership organization dedicated to addressing sociopolitical and economic realities facing low-income Black and Latino communities. Galvanizing the influence of hip-hop artists and culture, G.A.ME unites artists and community members to work side-by-side for social justice. G.A.ME runs youth leadership and community development programs that provide tools for positive change.

The Nader team notes:

Ralph Nader is on TV tonight!
Ralph will be on CNN's Late Edition with Wolf Blizter at about 5 p.m. EST this afternoon.
And he'll be on Fox's The O'Reilly Factor with Bill O'Reilly at about 8:25 p.m. EST tonight.
Hope you get a chance to watch.
And remember, this week we're offering a limited number of Ralph's most recent book -- The Seventeen Traditions. (HarperCollins, 2007).
It's a 150-page hard cover classic -- detailing the traditions Ralph grew up with in his home town of Winsted, Connecticut.
For a donation of $100 or more, we'll ship you this Nader classic -- signed by the man himself -- Ralph Nader.
(This offer ends Sunday October 12, 2008 at 11:59 p.m.)
So, donate now.
By the way, the Nader/Gonzalez video team was with Ralph in Winsted, Connecticut last week.
And they put together this neat little peek of Ralph in his hometown.
Take a look.
Pass it around.
And then pick up a copy of The Seventeen Traditions.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Onward to November


iraqthe washington postsudarsan raghavan
ernesto londonomcclatchy newspapersleila fadelnancy a. youssefjonathan s. landaywarren p. strobel
the new york timeserica goode
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john latimercarrie cassidylarry alexanderkatharine q. seelyethe new york timeslike maria said pazkats kornersex and politics and screeds and attitudethe daily jotcedrics big mixmikey likes itruths reportsickofitradlz

Cover up artists and liars

On March 6, 1970, several Weatherman gathered in the basement of a four-story Greenwich Village townhouse, preparing for an upcoming dynamite attack on an officer's dance at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Due to an improperly attached wire, the townhouse exploded. Three Weathermen were killed, including Ayers' then-girlfriend Diana Oughton. Over the next few months the rest of the organization went into hiding.
The townhouse explosion deeply affected the organization, now renamed the Weather Underground Organization (WUO). The WUO still bombed buildings, but they always made sure to issue warnings beforehand to prevent injury. In 1971, they detonated several small bombs around the U.S. Capitol, in protest of the U.S. invasion of Laos. Several more followed: the 1972 Pentagon bombing (for the U.S. bombing of Hanoi); the 1973 bombing of ITT Headquarters in New York (protesting the government-backed coup in Chile); and the 1975 bombing of the U.S. Department of State (escalation in Vietnam).
By 1973, the FBI had launched a full-scale manhunt for the Weather Underground's most wanted members, but was scuttled when the CIA admitted it had conducted illegal investigations. Even the "Days of Rage" arrests were largely dropped because the Chicago Police Department had conducted searches without obtaining warrants.

It's cute to watch the press lie for Barack and that's Claire Suddath doing her part with "The Weather Underground" (Time magazine). She fails to note 1979 was when the last charges were dropped or that Bill Ayers rich daddy bought off Chicago and did so repeatedly while Bill and Bernardine were hiding out. It's always hilarious when Richard Daley speaks up for Bill Ayers. Richard, like his father, is nothing but pure greed. If Ayers' father wasn't rich, he would have gone to jail the way others in Weather did.

Speaking of lies, Anita Dunn is the liar of the week. She's taken the "he was only eight years old!" lie and is now insisting "he was only seven-years-old!" Liar.

I know everyone hates Diane Rehm after the primaries. No problem. The shaky voiced fool brought it on herself. She lied over and over during her 'coverage.' She lied for Barack non-stop and slimed Hillary every chance she got. Last week she and E.J. Dionne were lying on Sarah Palin. I heard about that on a photo shoot today. Some idiot Barack supporter called in to her show last Friday. He said Sarah Palin had talked about 'our friends' "Maliki and Talibani" and the caller was going on how about she didn't know anything and the Taliban was our enemy. Diane didn't correct him and E.J. ran with it. Talabani, pay attention LIAR DIANE REHM, is Jalal Talabani. He is the president of Iraq.

What a tired old fool Diane Rehm is. Her old ass needs to be shoved out the plane with a golden parachute so she can dotter and dither away from the public airwaves. She's nothing but a LIAR.

I laughed so hard at that story but didn't believe it. Then I got back and pulled up her archives. Sure enough, some guy named Joe called in and there was Diane handing off to E.J. so he could run with it.

Who's the idiot? I would say Diane and E.J. if they didn't know that Talabani was the president of Iraq. But the fact of the matter is, when you've got two liars together, it's really hard to excuse their lies under stupidity.

But the NPR ombudsperson should take it up and if Diane wants to claim she was unaware that Iraq's president was Talabani, they should use that as the excuse to get her tired, old ass out the door.

This is Sarah Palin speaking to reporters today about Ayers and Barack, "It's relevant to connect that association he has with Ayers, not so much he as a person Ayers, but the whole situation and the truthfulness and the judgment there that you must question if again he's not being forthright in all of his answers. It makes you wonder about the forthrightness, the truthfulness of the plans he's telling Americans with regards to the economic recovery."

I agree with her. There are two parts. There was his decision to become friends with Ayers. That friendship isn't the end of the world. But there is his deceit and repeated attempts to obscure the relationship.


Closing with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Tuesday, October 7, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces another death, tensions escalate between Turkey and northern Iraq, Barack tries to scramble away from another friend, and more.

As of last weekend, Poland is now officially out of Iraq. The 'coalition' continues to shrink.
Reuters reports Zoran Kojanovski, Macedonia's Defence Minister, declared today that his country's will leave at the end of the year and he stated, "Their mission is over and local authorities there are capable of running their own territory."

From who's leaving to what's going on. The law for provincial elections? Leila Fadel knew what was what but no one else did. Dropping back to Friday's snapshot:In Iraq today . . . confusion. Corinne Reilly (McClatchy Newspapers) reports that the presidency council "has agreed to approve a long-delayed law that will allow most of the country to hold provincial elections early next year, officials said Friday." However, China's Xinhua reports that the "presidential council had not approved the provincial election law passed by the parliament, local media reported Friday." Al Jazeera does not say that they have agreed to pass it, Al Jaezeera states that it is passed. AP also states it has passed and, in fact, signed into law by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani: "Firyad Rawndouzi, a Kurdish lawmaker, told The Associated Press that the three-member panel led by President Jalal Talabani had signed the law Friday and asked the parliament 'to solve the minorities problem'." Article 50 issue was never addressed. It is the one that has been called out by everyone from Iraqi Christians to Moqtada al-Sadr and puts minority representation at risk. Nouri al-Maliki did express some public statements and there is said to have been concern on the part of the presidency council. But if it's signed, it's the law. The Parliament can try to fix it but the law is what was signed by Talabani.

Saturday Sam Dagher (New York Times) reported: "Meanwhile, Iraq's presidency council, made up of the president and his two deputies, issued a statement Friday saying the body had ratified a provincial election law that the Parliament passed 10 days ago. This paves the way for local elections . . ." Today Erica Goode and Stephen Farrell (New York Times) declare, "The law, passed on Sept. 24, still requires the approval of a three-member presidential panel led by President Jalal Talabani before it can take effect, clearing the way for elections to be held in most of the country early next year." Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) explained it yesterday, "That evening a petition of 50 parliament members demanded the law back from the presidency council, lawmakers said. They would add the article to the law before the council decided to pass or reject it." It had not been passed. Despite claims to the contrary. Reuters states today, "Iraq's president and vice presidents have formally approved a long-awaited provincial elections law, paving the way for the vote to take place by Jan. 31 next year." And that the council asked the Parliament to restore Article 50 (minority represenations).

And attempting to cite 'progress' in Iraq today, the State Dept ran into a few problems. Reuters reports US Dept Secretary of State John Negroponte's Green Zone based press conference was the site of a mortar attack shortly before the press conference began. Negroponte was the topic of interest at the US State Dept press briefing yesterday held by Deputy spokeperson Robert Wood who delcared of Negroponte's visit, "The Deputy Secretary -- as you know, he was an Ambassador there. He goes from time to time to check on how things are going on the ground in Iraq. Obviously, the SOFA and the strategic framework agreement will come up in the conversations, but he's not necessarilly there to negotiate. But it's not unusual for the Deputy Secretary to go to Iraq." The press pointed out that the treaty had to be in place by December 31st (when the UN mandate authorizing the occupation ends) and that the White House promised the treaty would be completed in July. Wood replied, "No, I understand your point. You know, this is a -- we're talking about a very complex agreement. This is something that many in the Administration have been working hard on. As you know, there's a team from the United States that's there and that's been working hard on these negotiations. But, yeah, the fact that it slipped, you know, these things happen. But it's important that we get a good agreement for both Iraq and the United States -- you know, one that obviously allows us to operate there in a legal framework and also that upholds Iraqi sovereignty. And those are two very important issues for us." Today CBS and AP cite Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's Foreign Minister, stating that the US and the puppet government are "very close" to finalizing a treaty. Zebari was speaking at the same press conference as Negorponte. Deborah Haynes (Times of London) quotes Zebari stating of the treaty, "This issue needs, I think, some bold political decisions. And we are at that stage. And that's why I suggested that soon you and your colleagues will see hectic political meetings here in Baghdad on this issue to determine the fate of the agreement." Jeffrey Fleishman (Los Angeles Times) adds this perspective, "The negotiations come at critical times for both nations. The emboldened Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, determined to show he is independent of Washington, wants more control over security and is insisting on an American troop withdrawal by the end of 2011. The U.S. is facing a widening financial crisis at home and a public growing wary of the high costs of keeping more than 146,000 soldiers in Iraq."

While the same statements continue to be made, conflicts continue between Turkey and the northern region of Iraq. Monday Ellen Knickmeyer (Washington Post) reported on the air raids Turkey launched Sunday following the deaths of 15 Turkish soldiers. Monday Ibon Villelabeitia (Reuters) reported Turkey continued air strikes. The Turkish Press reports that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of Turkey, declared today that "cross-border operations" would continue. Huriyet quotes him stating, "The sole target of a possible cross-border operation will be the terrorist organization" and that, "The best choice for the regional administration of northern Iraq is to cooperate with us against terrorist elements because the terrorist organization is a cause of regional unrest and tension." Asked about Turkey and the Kurdish PKK on Monday, the State Dept' Robert Wood stated, "Look, the PKK is a terrorist organization. We want to see it go out of business. That's been very clear. And, you know, we've obviously conemned the attack and expressed our concolences to the people of Turkey." In this morning's press briefing, Wood was asked if the US was sharing intelligence with Turkey and he replied, "Well, we do cooperate with the Turks on intelligence with regard to dealing with the PKK. We have good cooperation. We also have good cooperation with Iraqis as well in dealing with some of these issues with regards to the Kurds."

Turning to some of the other reported violence . . .


Bombings?

Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 2 Baghdad car bombings that left five wounded and a Mosul car bombing that claimed 2 lives and left ten people wounded.

Shootings?

Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 1 "shop owner" shot dead in Mosul, 1 "governmental employee" shot dead in Mosul and a "butcher" shot dead in Mosul (with his son left wounded). Reuters notes, "Two minority Christian men were gunned down on Tuesday in northern Mosul."

Corpses?

Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 2 corpses discovered in Baghdad. Reuters notes 2 corpses discovered in Kut.

Today the US military announced: A Multi-National Division -- North Soldier died of wounds sustained from a small-arms fire attack in Mosul, Oct. 7." The announcement bring to 4179 the number of US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war with 3 for the month thus far.

Tonight Dem. presidential nominee Barack Obama and Rep. presidential nominee John McCain debate. Alexander Cockburn (The First Post) observes of last Thursday's debate between the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Senator Joe Biden, and the Republican vice presidential nominee, Governor Sarah Palin, that only Palin has passed the test of the Democratic and Republican candidates: "Palin, despite somewhat excessive folksiness, with 'gosh-darneds' and the like, did look as though she and Todd had spent some time at their kitchen table in the not-too-distan past figuring out how to pay the bills and deciding they couldn't afford health insurance. . . . Alone of the four candidates [Obama, Biden, McCain and herself], she spoke to the fury and fear of Main Street America about the
$700bn bail-out . . . More than once last night, I thought Palin must have been watching re-runs of Reagan's speeches, though decades of deference to Hollywood tycoons made Reagan far more respectful of Wall Street than the Alaskan Governor, who even presumed to introduce the antique phrase 'working class' into the debate."

As noted in yesterday's snapshot, following the New York Times lead on Saturday, Palin has been bringing up Barack Obama's ties to Weather Underground's Bill Ayers. Today on Democracy Now! Amy Goodman lied (it's a lie, the Red Diaper baby damn well knows better), "Obama was eight years old when Ayers was a Weather Underground member." That's how the media's worked it. Obama says it's so it's 'true.' In the debate with Hillary, that was one of the lies regarding Weather Underground that Barack uttered, "And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values doesn't make much sense, George." The press has run with the lie ever since. However, George Stephanopoulos actually asked the question correctly (and that's part of the reason George was attacked by the Cult of Obama), "A gentleman named William Ayers. He was part of the Weather Underground in the 1970s. They bombed the Pentagon, the Capitol, and other buildings. He's never apologized for that." Idiots and liars run with that garbage of eight years old.

Barack was born in August of 1961. Weather Underground is not "Weatherman." Weatherman did the Days of Rage in 1969. Weather Underground emerges with the "Declaration of a State of War" (read by Bernardine Dohrn). You can find a transcription here (as published in Berkeley Tribe, July 31, 1970 and released May 21, 1970). 1970 is when Weather Underground emerges. Prior to that Weatherman existed. 1970 is when the bombings begin and they are not a one-year thing. Barack was prepped for that debate with Hillary, coached to toss out a lie the press could run with and obsesses over: " Look, I'm going to have to respond to this just really quickly, but by Senator Clinton's own vetting standards, I don't think she would make it, since President Clinton pardoned or commuted the sentences of two members of the Weather Underground, which I think is a slightly more significant act." The campaign then prepped all reporters that Bill Clinton had pardoned the two women (there was no pardon) and look for yourself and see who LIED. Did anyone do their own work? No. David Corn, when forced to 'correct' at Mother Jones made a real ass of himself insisting that "commuted" and "pardon" were basically the same thing. No, they are not. But the press went running where Barack told them to do like the good little doggies they are. George Stephanopoulos was correct and most (including Diane Rehm) knew he was correct, it was the 1970s. And yet the liars repeatedly lie (including Diane who's tired ass needs to retire). As Mike pointed out last night, Ben Smith (Politico) can get it right: "On the other hand, Obama's not that young. He started at Columbia University, for instance, in 1981, when their names were certainly in the New York tabloids, which haved always loved the story of upper-middle-class radical cop killers. Kathy Boudin's role in a botched, fatal 1981 Brinks roberry was huge news. Bernardine Dohrn was imprisoned in 1982 for refusing to testify against fellow Weather Underground members. And Ayers' past was hardly a secret in Chicago, where he was regularly quoted as an ex-radical and ex-fugitive."

As Nathaniel Sheppard Jr. explained in "Bernardine Dohrn Gives Up To Authorities in Chicago" (New York Times, December 4, 1980): "Still espousing revolutionary causes, Bernardine Dohrn, the 38-year-old reputed leader of the radical Weather Underground, surrendered to authorities here today, 10 years after going into hiding to avoid Federal and local riot charges. . . . Mr. Ayers was also indicted on Federal charges in connection with the disorders, but the Federal charges against Miss Dohrn, Mr. Ayers and other Weathermen were dropped in 1979 when a court ruled that the Government's evidence had been obtained through illegal telephone wiretaps. . . . An associate of Miss Dohrn said privately that she might have come forward now partly because of fear that her treatment under the administration of Ronald Reagan could be harsher than under the Carter Administration." Joe Boyle (BBC) explains Weather's actions: "From 1970 to 1975 the group bombed police stations and patrol vehicles and court and government buildings. In 1970 there were fatalities - a police officer died from his injuries after a pipe bomb was detonated in a San Francisco police station, while three of the group blew themselves up while building explosives in their New York apartment."
The ever-changing story from Barack. What was the earliest lie? Who knows? One claimed, as Ava and I noted, that all their kids went to school together: "The focus wasn't helped when the Obama campaign attempted to lie that Ayers and Barack were friends because they had children the same age. As The Guardian of London's Daniel Nasaw pointed out Dorhn and Ayers' son Zayd is 30-years-old, Malik is 27-years-old and Chesa Boudin, Kathy Boudin and David Gilbert's son that Ayers and Dorhn raised, is also 27, while Barack and Michelle Obama's daughters 'are 6 and 9, respectively'." Believe it or not, the lie of "kids go to school together" was bought and re-sold by the press without question for months. Geoff Earle (New York Post) quoted Team Obama leader David Axelrod telling CNN that Barack didn't know all this public history. He then repeated the eight-year-old lie. Or maybe, what he's trying to say is Barack doesn't condemn the bombings of the Pentagon and the State Dept which took place after he was eight-years-old? As Elaine pointed out last night, Geoff Earle repeats without question the latest spin. The McCain-Palin campaign issued this statement yesterday:

Does Barack Obama truly expect the American people to believe that he had no idea about his friend's past as the infamous founder of the domestic terror group 'The Weather Underground' or is he just lying? If Obama didn't know in 1995 about the bombings Ayers was responsible for, when did he find out -- because Obama was promoting Ayers' book in 1997, serving on boards with him until 2002, and trading emails and phone calls with him as recently as 2005. If Obama really was unaware of Ayers' radical past, learning the truth doesn't seem to have had any effect on their friendship. Whether Barack Obama is lying to voters about his previous support for higher taxes on the middle class, his votes against funds for American troops in the field or his associations with an unrepentant terrorist, voters are left wondering who Obama is and what he stands for.

Today Athena Jones (NBC) explains, "Reporters pressed Barack Obama's chief strategist David Axelrod on when the senator became aware of William Ayers' radical past during the flight from Asheville, NC to Nashville for tonight's debates. When asked to clarify when it was that Obama learned about Ayers' history of planning bombings to protest the Vietnam War, Axelrod said it was some time after their first meetings but that he did not know the exact moment." Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller (ABC News' Political Punch) add, "The Alaska governor has been blurring what Axelrod said to make it seem as though Obama was claiming that he didn't know about Ayers' history until recently, which is not what Axelrod said. Not that there's been any clear explanation of this relationship forthcoming from the Obama campaign. So when did Obama find out that Ayers had been a member of an organization the FBI called a 'domestic terrorist' group, and had been for years a fugitive from the law?" On the campaign trail today, Palin again raised the issue. Perry Bacon Jr. (Washington Post) quotes her stating in Jacksonville, Florida, "Now our opponent's campaign is claiming for the first time Barack Obama wasn't aware of Ayers' radical background. He didn't know he launched his own political career in the living room of a dometic terrorist? What's next, claiming he didn't know that two of his biggest supporters were running Fannie Mae? . . . Maybe he thought they were just guys in his Washington neighborhood." ABC News' Political Radar includes the next statement, "And since he got called out on his plans to meet unconditionally with terror state leaders like [Iran's President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad, will he now claim he was unaware of his radical backround? Ladies and gentlemen, this election is about the truthfulness and judgment needed in our next president. John McCain has it and Barack Obama doesn't." The McCain-Palin campaign site is highlighting the issue and clicking here takes you to Obama LIAR Anita Dunn now insisting (CNN transcript) that Barack was seven at the time, seven! What a pack of liars. For more McCain-Palin releases on Barack and Bill, click here and here.

And, in more news for Barack, CBS News' Laura Strickler, Sarah Fitzpatrick and Ariel Bashi reported yesterday:

CBS News has learned that two donors to the Obama campaign that gave a total of $7,722 appear to have made their contributions under fake names that look like they were written by a mouse running across a keyboard: Dahsudhu Hdusahfd of Df, Hawaii with the following employer CZXVC/ZXVZXV and Uadhshgu Hduadh listed as living in Dhff, Florida listed their employer as DASADA/SAFASF. CBS News did not find any records of these last names, towns or employers anywhere else. Newsweek reported two questionable Obama donors over the weekend named "Doodad Pro" and "Good Will". Contributions from the two donors Hdusahfd and Hduadh were made on the same day starting on July 16, 2008. Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show the campaign began refunding the donations as early as August 6, 2008. Despite numerous refunds from the Obama campaign, Hdusahfd still has a record of giving a total of $7500 to Obama which is well over the legal limit for the primary and general election of $4600. Hduadh gave $14,200 but the Obama campaign returned all but $222.00.

Ruth noted the CBS news item last night in her round-up of the presidential campaigns. And Kat pointed to the biggest liar or the most uninformed in the press, Jason Szep of Reuters who claimed Weather Underground "was involved in bombings in the 1960s" -- uh, Szep, what bombings are you referring to? McCain and Obama debate tonight or 'debate'. And the other presidential candidates are shut out of the debate. Cynthia McKinney is the Green Party presidential candidate. Kevin Alexander Gray (Progressive via Some Carolina) writes, "McKinney, who served as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives for twelve years, left the Democratic Party last year to join the Greens. In Congress, she had one of the most progressive records. And as a Presidential candidate, she offers up a coherent agenda. In her acceptance speech at the Green Party convention in Chicago on July 12, she denounced what she called 'Democratic Party complicity' in 'war crimes, torture, crimes against the peace' and 'crimes against the Constituion, crimes against the American peopke, and crimes against the global community.' She said, 'Those who delivered us into this mess cannot be trusted to get us out of it.' She told her supporters, 'A Green vote is a peace vote,' and 'A Green vote is a justice vote.'"

Rosa Clemente is Cynthia's running mate. Ralph Nader is the independent presidential candidate and his running mate is Matt Gonzalez. Nader - Gonzalez notes:

Donate $5 to Nader/Gonzalez now.
Why?
To protest the sheer arrogance of the Gallup Organization.
In a recent WSJ/NBC national poll, Ralph Nader pulls 5 percent.
Contrast that to the most recent Gallup national poll, where Nader polls a fraction of one percent.
Why the big difference?
Answer: Gallup, the 800-pound gorilla of the polling world, doesn't list Ralph Nader as one of the Presidential candidates in the primary polling question.
Are you kidding me?
No.
We are not kidding you.
And guess who the Commission on Presidential Debates depends on to do its polling to see which Presidential candidates get to debate before tens of millions of Americans tonight in Nashville?
You guessed it: Gallup.
I called Frank Newport. (pictured above)
Newport is the editor-in-chief at Gallup.
I asked Newport:
Is there an objective standard you use to keep Ralph off your primary polling question?
"No," Newport said.
"We use our internal judgment to decide."
Whoa!
Gallup's "internal judgment" keeps Ralph Nader out of their polling.
So, I tried again.
Any ballpark levels of support Gallup looks to as a threshold?
"No," Newport said.
Again, it was just subject to unidentified "internal judgment criteria."
What a total crock of you know what.
There are some polling agencies -- such as Ipsos/McClatchey and CNN/Opinion Research Corp. -- that include all the major third party candidates.
Not Gallup.
So, we propose two ways to protest Gallup's arrogance in keeping Ralph Nader out of the Gallup polls, thereby denying him the chance of having a chance to debate McCain and Obama.
Protest method number one:
Donate $5, $10, $100 -- whatever you can afford -- up to the legal limit of $2,300 -- to Nader/Gonzalez now.
The stronger we become in October, the more difficult it will be for even Gallup's "internal judgment" to ignore us.
We're in the middle of our October Surprise fundraising drive.
And we need to reach $250,000 by the end of the week.
So, if you haven't donated yet, hit that there contribute button now.
Protest method number two:
Call up Gallup's Frank Newport.
Give him a piece of your mind.
Nader/Gonzalez is on more state ballots (45) than any other independent or third party candidate.
And we're polling five percent and higher in other polls nationwide.
Why is Gallup keeping Ralph Nader out of their polls?
What standards does Gallup use to determine who is included in their Presidential polls?
You can call Newport at: 609-924-9600
Or you can e-mail him directly at: frank_newport@gallup.com
Thank you for your ongoing activism and support.
Onward to November.
Toby Heaps
National Media Coordinator

Though shut out of the corporation's debate between the corporatist candidates, Ralph Nader will be addressing the debate tonight:

News AdvisoryFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Ryan Mehta, 408-348-0681, rmehta@votenader.org (National HQ)PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE RALPH NADER TO RESPOND TO DEBATES IN WINSTEADWHO: Ralph NaderWHAT: Debate responseWHEN: Tuesday, October 7 from 9:00pm until after the debatesWHERE: Founders Hall Auditorium, Northwestern Community College, Park Place Winsted, CT 06098On Tuesday, October 7 starting at 9:00, consumer advocate and Presidential candidate Ralph Nader will be in Founders Hall Auditorium at Northwestern Community College. After the debates, he will give his response and take question about the debates.

iraq
the new york timesnathaniel sheppard jr.
sam daghererica goodestephen farrell
leila fadelmcclatchy newspapers
jake tapper
deborah haynes
the washington postperry bacon jr.
ellen knickmeyer
alexander cockburn
the los angeles timesjeffrey fleishman

Music, etc.

Saturday night my latest CD review went up, "Kat's Korner: Aimee Mann ain't smiling." That follows my two from last week "Kat's Korner: Chris Martin's cold play" and "Kat's Korner: Hold Me Down." I am thinking of doing another one soon (possibly this weekend, possibly the week after) and some e-mails indicate people think it will be Amy Winehouse's Back to Black. While I love that CD, the time to review it passed long before I ever heard it. It is a great CD.

The one I am thinking of reviewing is a new CD that came out recently. I was going through C.I.'s packages intending to help out by opening them and clearing up some of the mail C.I. never has time for and I found a CD by an artist I like (and have reviewed before) that I had no idea was even recording a new album. That is the one I would like to review. For those who want to play Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot, I will say that I previously reviewed a best of by the artist.

I did like Aimee Mann's CD and consider it among the year's best. I also loved Augustana. Coldplay left me cold. XY I liked for about three months and then the flaws became evident. The flaws with Coldplay's latest were evident on first listen. I had always planned to wait until it had some sales underneath its belt so no one could whine, "Your mean review hurt the CD!" It really is an awful CD and Chris Martin's lyrics are dead on arrival.

Augustana I had hoped to review so much sooner. If you're looking for a CD to just rock out to, that's the one. They may be one of the few groups today who know how to do that. Live, they are even better. I'm really impressed with the growth they've already shown since the album's release and I would gladly see them live again.


Are you sick of liars? Me too. Jason Szep of Reuters is a big fat liar:

With the pressure on, Palin is targeting Obama's judgment and character in speeches that include the unsubstantiated charge that the Illinois senator has close ties to Bill Ayers, a former member of the 1960s-era militant Weather Underground
The group was involved in bombings in the 1960s, when Obama was 8 years old. Obama met him in the 1990s when first starting his political career in Chicago and the two served on a board together. Obama has said he knows Ayers only slightly and has denounced his actions with the Weather Underground.

"Involved in bombings in the 1960s"? When does Szep think Weather Underground was active?
C.I. went over this lie in the snapshot today:

In June of 1970, they bombed an NYC police station. The Pentagon's women's bathroom was bombed in the spring of 1972. They smuggle Timothy Leary (after the prison break) out of the country in September 1970. In 1974 alone, they've got at least five bombings including the Department of Health, Education and Welfare in San Francisco (other targes included the AG's office in California and Gulf Oil). Obama wasn't eight-years-old in 1974. 1975 is when they bomb the US State Department, a bank in NYC, and another corporation (Kennecott?). He wasn't eight-years-old in 1975. He wasn't eight-years-old during the bank robbery (when Weather was back in the news even though it wasn't a Weather action), he was in college, just like he was when Bernardine and Bill turned themselves in. Barack declares "I was eight-years-old" and no one must question the Christ-child? I don't think so. I don't play stupid. Now Diane Rehm did last Friday, embarrassing herself repeating the lie, "He was eight years old!" Diane Rehm damn well knows that Weather Underground was not active for only one year. Considering that the bombing wave doesn't even start when Barack's eight-years-old, this lie needs to stop. Barack latches onto it because it's the easy out for him. It's not reality. And if Diane Rehm, for example, really can't remember those days, then it's time to retire. Seriously, the mind is gone if Diane Rehm honestly believes that Barack Obama was just eight-years-old throughout Weather Underground's long history.

Now show me the "1960s" bombings, Szep? I'm so sick of the lies and the liars.

Really, is there a reason that the press can't do their basic job?

Closing with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Monday, October 6, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, cholera continues in Iraq, elections illustrate new problems and CBS News' Laura Strickler makes a fool out of herself and reveals that she struggles with basic math (adding and subtracting) today.


Starting with diplomatic news, Corinne Reilly and Yassem Taha (McClatchy) reported Sunday that a visit to Bagdady ("one-day stop") today by Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Foreign Minister of Egypt "was the first visit to Iraq in nearly 20 years by a high-ranking Egyptian delegation." Mohammed Abbas(Reuters) noted that the minister "promised to reopen an embassy in Baghdad soon". However, it wasn't apparently just a 'friengly' visit. AFP reports, "Egyptian Oil Minister Sameh Fahmi was in Baghdad on Sunday during a surpise visit with Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit" and "Iraq said is has called on Egypt to collaborate in rebuilding the country's oil industry after Cairo announced it was ready to re-establish a diplmatic mission in Baghdad." AFP also quotes Nouri al-Maliki, puppet of the occupation, asking Egyptian companies/corporations "to participate in construction projects and help . . . with their expertise and experience." CNN notes, "In July 2005, militants kidnapped Egypt's ambassador, Ihab al-Sherif, from a Baghdad street and killed him." Today Mary Beth Sheridan (Washington Post) reports Hani Khilaf, ambassadot for the Arab League, visited Baghdad and Sheridan notes, "His arrival ended an embarrassing gap in representation by the Arab League, which groups 21 predominantly Arabic-speaking nations and the Palestinian Authority. The previous ambassador, Mokhtar Lamani, wrote a scathing article after he quit about 'the contrast between the enormous suffering I saw daily in Baghdad and the persistent indifference evident in the Arab League meetings in Cairo'." China's Xinhua quotes Hani Khallaf stating "We need a more active Arab role in Iraq" and notes, "There are three Arab embassies in Baghdad, namely those of Lebanon, Yemen and the Palestinians, and six more Arab countries have the intention to resume diplomatic mission in Iraq, said the AL envoy." Deborah Haynes (Times of London -- in a piece labeled "Analysis") offers, "After almost three decades of war and international isolation, Iraq is crying out for foreign investment and knowledge. A range of state-owned industries, from oil and gas to agriculture and steel, are opening up like never before." Yeah, it's a tag sale in Iraq as the puppet is eager to privatize the people's industries and sell them off to foreign corporations. It's very rare for new markets to emerge in this age of globalization so how very fortunate (sarcasm) that the Iraq War just happened and just happened to result in a puppet leader so willing to oversee the tag sale on Iraqi assets. Meanwhile not all neighbors are as friendly. Qassim Abdul-Zahra (AP) reports Iraq's Parliamentary Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani was flying to Tehran "but the plane was turned away after airport officials were informed dignitaries were on board" and that "Iraqi media earlier had reported that al-Mashhadani was leading a parliamentary delegation on an official visit to mainly Shiite Iran." Also Poland is now officially out of Iraq having ended it's military mission on Saturday.

From diplomacy to elections, Alissa J. Rubin and Sam Dagher (New York Times) note that signs are going up in Salahuddin Province and that a Tikrit meet up with Amar al-Hakim (Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq) and the province's Dept Governor Abdullah Jabarah was televised. Tina Susman (Los Angeles Times) points out, "Even if provincial elections, considered key to balancing power among Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds and others, take place by early next year, the parties now in power probably will come out on top again. That's because of name recognition and their appeal to religious voters." Upbeat estimates of provincial elections insist they will take place in late January at the earliest. That's a big if. The census that was supposed to have taken place never did. The Parliament used the lack of the census to do away with Article 50 which provided seats and representation for minority groups. Nouri al-Maliki waited until after Parliament passed their bill to object to that omission (indicating he was grandstanding and not concerned). The bill went to the three-member presidency council which passed it with the head of the council, Iraq President Jalal Talabani, signing it into law last week. That's where the process stands currently and, though there are estimates, there has been no date set for provincial elections. Qassim Abdul-Zahra (AP) notes Faraj al-Haidari ("independent electoral commission") is hopeful that the elections can take place by January 31st which is the "legal deadline". Elections will not take place in oil-rich Kirkuk but that city is not the only one that will not be voting in provincial elections. Three provinces in the Kurdistan region will not be participating. The three provinces not included are Arbil Province, Dohuk Province and Sulaimaniyah Province. The UN's Secretary-General's Special Representative for Iraq, Staffan de Mistura has stated, "Article 50 is a strong indication Iraq is a nation ready to protect the political rights of minorities as founded in the Constitution. I was surprised and disappointed that Article 50 was not included in the provincial election law. . . . Article 50 has the backing of minority groups, political blocs and UNAMI [UN Assistance Mission for Iraq] and should now be reinstated into the legislation as soon as possible so minorities can participate in upcoming elections to be held sometime before January 31 2009." de Mistura is calling for Article 50 to be reinstated by October 16th. [Audio here at UN News Centre page and a shorter UN Radio report by Donn Bobb here.]

United Nations Radio's Reem Abaza interviewed Said Arikat (UNAMI) about Article 50 (link has text and audio):

ABAZA: So what is UNAMI urging or what is UNAMI asking right now?ARIKAT: We are urging that upon the return of the legislators, the Iraqi Council of Representatives from their Eid al-Fitr holiday that they immediately reintroduce Article 50 into the new election law. So that is what we are urging. The SRSG said that UNAMI in fact shows the concern of all those that expressed the concern such as the Iraqi Prime Minister and so on and calls on all the political blocs in Iraq to reintroduce Article 50 to the law. We are urging that and we are urging that this be done immediately before October 15 so when the independent Electoral High Election Commission convenes and begins accepting nominations. So we are urging then to do so before 15 October. ABAZA: Have you received any reaction from the government or the parliament regarding your position and the possibility of maybe amending or reinserting this article back?ARIKAT: Well, certainly UNAMI has been quite active and quite active and quite busy meeting all different political blocs. I think there is consensus in Iraq that minority rights have to be protected. So I think everybody has a stake in seeing this article reintegrated. We hope that it will find resonance among all the different political blocs and they act immediately upon their return.

Iraqi women are not covered in Article 50. They are, however, running for office. Or were planning to. Kim Game (AP) reports on a teacher who was running until she found out "her name, not just her party" would be listed on the ballot and explains "The change to a so-called open list has scared some qualified Iraqis from running, particularly women. Activists are worried there won't be enough women to meet the 25 percent threshold, or that the parties will just find women to act as figureheads to fill the quota. Said Arikat, a spokesman for the U.N. mission in Iraq, noted that 'some statistics show that when countries move from closed to open lists, women don't fare as well'." The election also raises issues for the refuees -- internal and external. The Brookings Institute's Elizabeth Ferris explores that issue:

Despite the plethora of media covering triumphant Iraqi voters raising ink-stained fingers in the 2005 elections, not all Iraqis bought into the process. Key political groups boycotted the vote and IDPs were not able to make their voices heard. Interestingly though, arrangements were made so that Iraqis living outside the country could register and vote -- and apparently they did so in large numbers. This year the situation has been reversed: those living outside the country are not allowed to vote while provisions have been made for internally displaced Iraqis (those displaced by the violence after April 2003) to participate. Iraqis overseas -- particularly those displaced since the start of the war -- should be able to vote in the upcoming elections. And IDPs should be encouraged to register and to turn out to vote. While mechanisms are in place this time around to ensure IDP voting rights, the Wall Street Journal reports that only 100,000 IDPs have registered to vote in the provincial elections while other sources put the figure even lower. Participation of Iraq's refugees and IDPs in the provincial elections is critical to a legitimate electoral process, national reconciliation, and regional stability. Many of the Iraqi refugees currently living in harsh conditions in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, and the Gulf were displaced because of their religious or political beliefs or because they favored a secular Iraq. To exclude these Iraqis from the process is to let the militias' efforts to rid the country of secularists, intellectuals, Catholics, Yezidis, and many other minority groups win. How IDPs' votes are counted -- or actually where they are counted -- is another key issue in the upcoming elections.

4.7 million is the estimate by the UNHCR for the number of Iraqi refugees. The refugee crisis is very real and it is the largest in the world. al-Maliki could address it but that would be like expecting him to address the lack of potable water in Iraq, right? Instead of addressing it, do like he does with the decaying hospitals -- don't spend any money on new equipments (or repairing elevators so that they actual work), just splash a new coat of paint on the outside and say, "Renovations completed!" The puppet government doesn't care about reality, just how they can manipulate public perception. The Myth of the Great Return gave them four to six weeks of good press -- based on complete and utter lies, but it was good press while it lasted. So now it's apparently time to roll out that wave of Operation Happy Talk again. It's behind the supplying of Iraqi oil to Jordan which has been used as a leverage to cajole Jordan into sending some Iraqi refugees home. The United Nations and the International Red Cross continue to warn against Iraqis returning due to the continued violence. But it's such good p.r. for the puppet government, how can they resist? Sunday, Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) examined a camp for internal refugees in Najaf which was being shut down on orders of the Ministry of Displacement and Migration. Now when the ministry tasked with helping the refugees orders a camp shut down, one would assume it is because housing has been found; however, no housing is being provided. The refugees are being told to return to the areas they left -- left due to violence, death threats, the murder of family members. But the Ministry has decied that these are "fake camps" and that they must be shut down. Tom A. Peter (Christian Science Monitor) reports on Baghdad's Johara Hotel which was, at the start of the illegal war, a place "for freelance reporters, aid workers and activists" but now houses Iraqis "who for one reason or another have been driven from their homes and are still unable to return". Peter explains, "The refugees, predominately from different neighborhoods within Baghdad that are less stable than Karada, represent Sunni, Shiite, and Kurd. Johara says he's never had a problem with ethnic tensions among his guests. His major concern about the refugees is whether they'll continue to make rent every month. While he usually manages to collect, he occasionally has to reduce rates by the equivalent of a few dollars per night." Tina Susman (Los Angeles Times) examines the Shakir family who are planning to leave as omany others of have and the Shakirs will also contribute to what is known as the "brain drain" when they leave -- educated technocrats, doctors, etc. The violence is too much for the family and the father explains, "There is nobody upholding justice here. You live your life according to chance. Anyone can do anything."

Nothing's been done by the puppet government to fix the water or the electricity so it's not surprising people continue to leave (Susman notes over 7,000 more people left Iraq than returned over the summer). al-Maliki sits on billions and refuses to spend it. He stockpiles it and when the puppet is ejected from office, there's a good chance he'll be fleeing with a great deal of the money -- possibly to England where so many who have stolen from Iraq's wealth move? While he sits on the money, cholera outbreaks become a yearly event. WHO did an update at the end of last month (Sept. 29th) and noted that 314 cases had been confirmed, five deaths that were verified and nine provinces were effected. The outbreak isn't over and WHO notes: "Although the outbreak this year appears to be less intense then that of 2007, further waves are still possible. It is therefore too early to consdier the epdemic to be under control. In addition, long-term inadequacies in the area of water and sanitation remain of immediate concern and cholera outbreaks will recur in Iraq until access to safe water and proper sanitation is ensured for all people." Those statements may shock some considering a press conference last month; however, that is the postion WHO is supposed to take. IRIN updates the figures today noting that 418 cases have been confirmed and that six deaths have been verified with 10 provinces effected by the outbreak. Irin quotes Sheik Jawad Kadhim Diwan of Qadissiyah Province explaining that the people in his areas have to utilize the river water because that is all they have, "We call upon the government and the presidential council to save the lives of these people by supplying us with safe drinking water, and to start infrastructure projects as a matter of urgency."


Turning to the US presidential race, Saturday Scott Shane (New York Times) reported some on Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's relationship to Weather Underground member Bill Ayers. Governor Sarah Palin, Republican vice presidential candidate, began noting the relationship following the publication of the story (as did CNN all day Saturday). Laura Strickler of CBS News makes an ASS of herself -- and unlike past media liars on this topic, Strickler isn't hiding a relationship with Weather herself. She is just grossly uninformed as she repeats the lie: "The senator has repeatedly noted that when Ayers committed his domestic acts of terrorism forty years ago, Obama was eight years old." She never questions it. As noted here (and at Third), I know Bill and Bernardine. I'm not in the mood for a press that still can't get their facts right. I think we last dealt with the topic in April and we're just going to cut and paste the points made then:


I'm not sure why people keep repeating that lie. Weather Underground was not a one-year organization. Obama was born in 1961. Weather was active throughout Nixon's presidency (and after) and Bernardine and Bill turned themselves in when Obama was in college. When they turned themselves in, it was front page news, the lead on the evening news broadcasts. It's a nice little lie on Obama's part that what happened happened when he was eight-years-old. But it's a lie none the less and people need to stop repeating it. Myself, I don't include the 1981 Brinks robbery as a Weather action but that's me. Many others do include it as such. (It was actually an action by the Black Liberation Army.) By that time, and news coverage of it certainly saw it as a Weather action since it involved members of the Weather Underground, Obama was in college. What is this nonsense that he was eight-years-old. If you include it (and, again I don't), then Weather was responsible for the deaths of three people (a security guard and two police officers). In June of 1970, they bombed an NYC police station. The Pentagon's women's bathroom was bombed in the spring of 1972. They smuggle Timothy Leary (after the prison break) out of the country in September 1970. In 1974 alone, they've got at least five bombings including the Department of Health, Education and Welfare in San Francisco (other targes included the AG's office in California and Gulf Oil). Obama wasn't eight-years-old in 1974. 1975 is when they bomb the US State Department, a bank in NYC, and another corporation (Kennecott?). He wasn't eight-years-old in 1975. He wasn't eight-years-old during the bank robbery (when Weather was back in the news even though it wasn't a Weather action), he was in college, just like he was when Bernardine and Bill turned themselves in. Barack declares "I was eight-years-old" and no one must question the Christ-child? I don't think so. I don't play stupid. Now Diane Rehm did last Friday, embarrassing herself repeating the lie, "He was eight years old!" Diane Rehm damn well knows that Weather Underground was not active for only one year. Considering that the bombing wave doesn't even start when Barack's eight-years-old, this lie needs to stop. Barack latches onto it because it's the easy out for him. It's not reality. And if Diane Rehm, for example, really can't remember those days, then it's time to retire. Seriously, the mind is gone if Diane Rehm honestly believes that Barack Obama was just eight-years-old throughout Weather Underground's long history. It's just like the issue of pardons and commuted sentences. He says something and the press runs with it. They don't bother to check out. They just start repeating it. That's embarrassing and more indicative of the failures of our modern press than anything else. An argument can be made with their known activities that they were more active from 1973-1975 than at any time in their history and Barack Obama was not eight-years-old then. Considering that the grandmother who raised him was a vice-president in a bank, it's highly unlikely that the bank bombings wouldn't have been the topic of conversation in his grandparents' home while Barack was growing up. If you're the child of a police officer and a police officer is shot anywhere in the US, it gets discussed. Also true of a fire fighter. This is nonsense and he gets away with it because we don't have a working press. We have a group of cheerleaders for Obama (and include Diane Rehm in that, she's far from fair as anyone listening can quickly determine -- she has chosen sides in the Democratic primary) trying to pass themselves off as the press. That's why, despite the fact that Bill Clinton did not pardon Susan Rosenberg and Linda Evans, the press went with that lie over and over and still continues to go with it. It's shameful. The actions did not occur when he was eight-years-old and anyone writing that or stating that is lying. It's that simple. Your historical ignorance is no excuse for your failure to check out the facts. Yeah, if you have the memory of pin cushion, doing your job may entail some work. Too damn bad, that's your job. Try actually doing it for a change.

The facts are the facts and, no Barack, wasn't 8-years-old. Barack lied again today and Laura, you should have called him on it:

"He's a professor at the University of Chicago - ah, Illinois, teaches education, and he engaged in these despicable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old. I served on a board with him. And so now they're trying to use this as guilt by association, and as you said, they've explicitly stated that what they want to do is to change the topic because they don't want to talk about the economy and the failed policies of the last eight years."

"Despicable acts 40 years ago"? He was 8-years-old in 1975? I mean, pick your damn year and figure out when he was 8-years-old. Equally true is when the British press were first asking early in the primaries, the Obama campaign claimed that Barack and Michelle's daughters went to school with Dohrn and Ayers' children -- a BOLD FACED LIE. The domestic press doesn't care to note the ever changing story. Just like they didn't bat an eye when Barack LIED during the debate with Hillary and claimed that Bill pardoned two members of Weather.

Now if he was really so uninvolved with Bill Ayers, pay attention, how did he happen to tell that lie in the debate? You only prep -- with factoids -- on the subjects you are vulnerable on. The uproar from the lunatics at FAIR indicates that the question of his relationship with Bill Ayers was so off-the-wall that no one would have asked it. So if that's the case, why was Barack prepped with a LIE to use for distraction?
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Onward to November
iraq
yassem tahamcclatchy newspaperscorinne reilly
the new york timesalissa j. rubin
sam dagher
the los angeles timestina susmanmcclatchy newspapersleila fadel
elizabeth ferristom a. peterthe christian science monitor