Dipping My Toe

I am dipping my toe in the newsletter waters to see how cold it feels to me.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20060530&articleId=2535
US: Restoring the draft pending before Congress. All young men and women to be conscripted. Global Research 2006 May 30
 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12888600/site/newsweek/
Your vote may not be counted in 2006. MSNBC 2006 May 29
 

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a1_ED8aShBog&refer=us
As US dollar weakens, more nations abandon them as asset holdings - thus adding to the problem. Massive inflation ahead.
Bloomberg Posted 2006 May 27
 

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/may2006/nf20060523_2210.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily
US: Government allows publicly traded companies to lie to the public - in the same of national security, of course. Business Week Posted 2006 May 27

Worst security flaw ever - 3 states invoke Diebold emergency procedures

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Worst security flaw ever - 3 states invoke Diebold emergency procedures
Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 16:43:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: "update@blackboxvoting.org" <update@blackboxvoting.org>
Reply-To: update@blackboxvoting.org
To:

Permission to reprint or excerpt granted, with link to http://www.blackboxvoting.org

- The Oakland Tribune scooped other newspapers yesterday on the story.
- Pennsylvania's Michael Shamos sequestered all Diebold touch-screens.
- California is invoking emergency procedures.
- The state of Iowa is trying to figure out a way to scrub Diebold clean.

Harri Hursti has just come out with Hursti Report II, a Black Box Voting project.

Here it is:
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/BBVtsxstudy.pdf

A second study with 12 more defects will be released Monday May 15.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS?

Back doors were found in three separate levels. They can be used one
at a time or combined for a deep attack that can permanently compromise
the
Diebold touch-screens.

Almost nothing will work to ensure that machines that have already been
delivered have not been contaminated -- the very forensic procedures that
MIGHT identify tampering also wipe clean any evidence.

The procedures being used in Pennsylvania, California, and Iowa will not
necessarily work if the system has already been contaminated. Worse, the
very procedure needed to cleanse the system can just as easily re-contaminate
it.

Next week, Black Box Voting will release recommended solutions in
conjunction with a
recommendation to pull all Diebold touch-screen machines off the shelf.

For more information, visit the following links:

http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/27675.html

and to see what the Diebold lawyers are trying to do to Bruce Funk,
click here:

http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/27671.html
(Scroll past the Georgia cluelessness to a transcript of the retaliatory
meeting held to try to force Funk out of office.)

Diebold lawyers are also retaliating against Stephen Heller, trying to put
him in jail for leaking documents that have been compared in importance to
the actions of famed Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsburg. Click here
for the latest on Heller:

http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/27423.html

and click here to donate to his defense fund:

http://www.hellerlegaldefensefund.com

(Diebold lawyer's vindictiveness has cost Heller his job and very nearly
his home. His courage in fighting for YOUR right to vote needs your support.

* * * * *

Black Box Voting is a nonprofit nonpartisan 501c(3) organization
dedicated to
fighting for your right to accurate and fair elections. We are supported entirely
by citizen donations.

(We realize we just hit you up twice -- But really. Stephen Heller is
one of our
personal heroes, and we put him first for a reason. Please read the
story about
Diebold's attempt to put him in prison for leaking documents showing
they were
planning a criminal defense budget for carrying out actions they had already
been told were illegal.)

If you can support our work (Hursti Reports etc) here's how:

click here: http://www.blackboxvoting.org/donate.html
or mail to:
Black Box Voting, Inc.
330 SW 43rd St Suite K
PMB 547
Renton WA 98055

* * * * *

-Black Box Voting

BBV - Your input needed on local/state political terrain

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: BBV - Your input needed on local/state political terrain
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 09:13:42 -0700 (PDT)
From: "update@blackboxvoting.org" <update@blackboxvoting.org>
Reply-To: update@blackboxvoting.org
To:

Input requested on lay of the land in state politics re: election reform

Black Box Voting goes local a lot. We do field work at the local level.
We get to know public officials at the local level. As a 501c(3) we
don't
focus on lobbying (you have to be a 501c(4) for that.) We currently
have a non-lobbying-related project that depends on knowing the
political landscape in state and local jurisdictions.

We have a project relating to election reform education -- very short
timeline, very high probability of payout on moving the ball forward in
a significant way.

I would like to invite everyone to submit their perceptions of the
political
lay of the land for public officials in your state and county. You can submit
your comments by email to: crew@blackboxvoting.org or post them on
our message board here:
http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/73/27403.html

Which people are the most approachable? Which ones typically impede
election reform? Which ones are on the right committees but seem to be
on the fence?

We're not talking federal. State and local only, please:

I'll start with the obvious:
Ohio: Senator Theresa Fedor -- strong record on reform
California: Senator Debra Bowen -- gutsy record on election reform,
chairs
Senate Elections Committee
Washington: Toby Nixon -- generally approachable on reform, some
concerns about his commitment to oversight by citizens.

This one's important. If you can provide phone numbers for each of their
offices, plus fax, mailing address and email so much the better.
Obviously,
we are working on this in-house as well, but the more eyes on this prize
the better.

No one knows the local political terrain better than the locals.

If you have a relationship with someone who you believe can be helpful,
let us know and we'll provide you with a tool you may find to be
important.

We're going through the network with this rather than publishing the
tool
in public where the vendors and election reform opponents will get their
hands on it. They will anyway, but we 'd like the good guys to have a head
start.

* * * * *

Black Box Voting is a nonprofit, nonpartisan election watchdog organization
supporting entirely by citizen donations.

Due to work on our Web site, our e-services donation button is down but
our PayPal donation button still works, as does our address:
330 SW 43rd St Suite K
PMB 547
Renton WA 98055

We are replacing the nonfunctional eservices button with a more high-
security online donation format. No problems made it through the net,
but after an individual calling himself "Ali Baba" tried repeatedly to hack
into our e-services donation page, we decided to relocate it. Mr. Ali Baba
didn't succeed and we asked them to refer him to the FBI. But we're
relocating the online donations page (PayPal is still working
fine).Black Box Voting

,

To unsubscribe, send an email to: unsubscribe-160264@elabs3.com with the
address: in the subject line.

9/11 Was An Inside Job

Subject: Inside Job

Charlie Sheen on "9/11 Inside Job"  - Charlie Sheen on "9/11 Inside Job"  - should be headlined on all peace & justice websites:
http://www.infowarsmedia.com/audio/200306sheen_comm_free.mp3

The public NEEDS to hear voices they recognize saying what we all know.

Maryland Politics

"On Wednesday, March 1st, 2006, in Annapolis at a hearing on the proposed
Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage, Jamie Raskin, professor
of law at AU, was requested to testify.

At the end of his testimony, Republican Senator Nancy Jacobs said: "Mr.
Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man and a woman. What do
you have to say about that?"

Raskin replied: "Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed
your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place
your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

The room erupted into applause."

BBV Exclusive: Utah testing of the Diebold touch-screen reveals new problems]

Subject: BBV Exclusive: Utah testing of the Diebold touch-screen reveals
new problems
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 08:52:23 -0800 (PST)
From: "update@blackboxvoting.org" <update@blackboxvoting.org>
Reply-To: update@blackboxvoting.org
To: o

Please forward to your lists and blogs, must include link to
http://www.blackboxvoting.org.

Now would be an excellent time to express your support
for Bruce Funk with a letter or email, to demonstrate to
county officials that he has the support of the nation.
Bruce C. Funk - Clerk/Auditor
Fax: (435) 381-5183
95 East Main
Castle Dale, Emery County
Utah 84513
funk@co.emery.ut.us

Emery County Clerk Bruce Funk has been running elections for 23 years.
He was quite content with his optical scan system. The state of Utah
thought
otherwise: On Dec. 27, Funk took delivery on 40 Diebold TSx touch-screen
machines, part of a statewide directive.

"I had concerns about Diebold," says Funk, "but I thought, 'If the state
is going
to mandate it, then I guess they'll assume responsibility if anything
goes wrong.'"

Not so. He soon learned that he will be responsible but the state will
decide
what election system will count the votes.

"YOU'RE GOING TO HATE MY GUTS ON ELECTION DAY"

Funk's concerns escalated when he heard a particularly unusual statement
by Diebold sales rep Dana LaTour.

"Some of you are going to hate my guts on Election Day," she said to the
assembly of elections officials. Later, another Diebold representative
named
Drew was asked what LaTour meant when she said "Some of you are going
to hate my guts..."

"We're going to have problems on Election Day, and we're just going to
have to
work through them," he said.

FAILURES RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE

Shortly after Funk received his "brand new" TSx machines, Diebold helped
him
do acceptance testing. Two of the 40 machines promptly failed the test.
Diebold
arranged to take them away.

The remaining machines showed several defects -- crooked paper feeds
that jam,
memory card bay doors that wouldn't close, parts getting stuck, coming
loose, falling off.

TAKING A CLOSER LOOK

Funk thought it might be a good idea to take a closer inventory.

He booted each machine up to check the battery. Some of the machines
were
marked with little yellow dots, and he got to wondering about that, too.
He studied
the screen messages, and noticed something very odd.

Most machines had about 25 MB of memory available, but some had only 7
MB of
free memory left. One had only 4 MB of available memory. For
perspective, the
backup election file generated by the Diebold TSx is about 7.9 MB. Now
why would
brand new voting machines have used-up memory?

TIME TO GET A MORE IN DEPTH EVALUATION

This prompted Funk to seek an evaluation. He asked Black Box Voting to
help
him analyze his voting system.

After several consultations, Black Box Voting determined that the nature
of the
problems in Emery County might be systemic and might be national in
scope.
Therefore, we arranged for and underwrote the services of Harri Hursti
and
also Security Innovation, Inc.

Neither Funk nor Black Box Voting were prepared for the depth and
breadth of the
problems discovered. Based on these discoveries we will begin with a
series of
articles followed by concise, but more formal reports.

PART I

Hursti quickly determined the three most likely causes of the low memory
problem:

1. There might be completely different software in the machines with low
memory.

2. Some machines might contain different external data

3. Or, some of the machines might have been delivered with natively
different
amounts of memory available.

Hursti approached issue #2 first. If the used memory was due to external
data or
archived election files stored on the system, he reasoned, removing any
such files
would clear the memory. He discovered that some of the machines did
contain test
election data, and he deleted the extra data. This produced only a small
improvement
in available memory, however.

As for issue #1, different programs on the machines -- or, the existence
of something
stored in memory which is hidden, such a find would obviously be
disturbing.

Issue #3, the possibility that some machines had different amounts of
memory left in
their life cycle, is particularly troubling. The technology choice
Diebold made -- memory
storage consisting of flash memory, which is known to degrade over time
-- carries
with it a possibility that used machines will be near the end of their
memory life cycle.
If such machines were delivered to Emery County as "new," this would be
like buying
a "new" car with 100,000 miles already on it.

The only thing that was known about the cause of this problem was that
there were
different amounts of memory. The reason remained to be discovered. In
the course of
evaluating the reason for the low memory, we learned much more about the
TSx.

IS THERE AN INFRA-RED PORT FOR REMOTE COMMUNICATIONS?

Hursti also examined the remote communications capabilities of this
system. He found
no infra-red (IrDA) ports.

"The whole thing here is that it's network aware even when RAS is not
running. You're
not dialing out and it's network aware. And it's actually configured to
use an Ethernet board..
.It's all the time network aware...Perhaps all you need is this Ethernet
cord and a wireless
cord inserted and off you go."

Of course, the software would need to be installed for this kind of
communications.
Unfortunately, we could find no way for elections officials to find out
whether inappropriate
software is in the touch-screen.

"I haven't asked any 'pins' (Personal ID Number). It hasn't been hostile
to me at all.
It's a very friendly guy," Hursti reports.

Hursti made a number of observations about the touch-screen, and
connected it to
his laptop for further "conversation."

In the interest of brevity, we will return to this issue in a later
article in this series.

A "SHOCKING" DISCOVERY

It's common for polling places to have too few outlets for a bank of
voting machines.
The normal cure is to set up hook the computers up in a daisy-chain
configuration, with
one plug to the wall, and the rest of the plugs linking voting machines
together.

Diebold's output plug falls out readily, exposing live 110 volt wall
outlet power on
bare wires.

This happened on every TSx we tested, and presents a significant safety
hazard for
poll workers, especially the elderly. According to Hursti, the
electrocution might only
result in a burned hand, and probably wouldn't be fatal.

This is a design flaw worthy of a general recall for standard consumer
and office electronics.

DIEBOLD: DOWN FOR THE COUNT?

While analyzing the memory storage problem, Hursti discovered a critical
security
hole in the foundation of the touch-screen. Then he found another in the
"lobby,"
and another on the "first floor." Taken together, these present a
potentially catastrophic
security hole.

These are not programming errors, but architectural design decisions.

Black Box Voting is turning the "road map" of the most dangerous
security findings
over to the proper authorities. We won't let anybody sit on this for
very long because
elections are looming and elections officials need to know what to do
now.

A concise and more formal report will be released in a few weeks, and
this will
discuss the procedures for preparing a recovery path for these security
holes.

TWO THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED ALREADY:

1. Source code reviews alone are NOT sufficient. Access to fully
functional
systems MUST accompany source code reviews.

2. Honest election officials and citizens again take the lead in
learning the truth
about voting machines. We ask for maximum public support for Bruce Funk,
who
showed courage and commitment to responsible elections. The important
and
effective work of Utah voting integrity advocates Kathy Dopp
(http://www.uscountvotes.org) and Jocelyn Strait should be applauded by
fellow
activists. They have played an important role to inspire this study in
Utah, which may
in turn assist with efforts in many other states.

* * * * *

Black Box Voting is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501c(3) organization
dedicated to
investigating issues of election accuracy and fairness.

Conducting testing like this carries a particularly staggering expense
load for
a small nonprofit. If you wish to support these efforts, and more like
them, you
can donate by:

clicking http://www.blackboxvoting.org/donate.html

or mail check to:

Black Box Voting
330 SW 43rd St. Suite K
PMB 547
Renton WA 98055

-

To unsubscribe, send an email to: unsubscribe-160264@elabs3.com with the
address: in the subject line.

uni- Perception is Reality

NSC, Cheney Aides Conspired to Out CIA Operative
Scoop.co.nz Mon, 20 Feb 2006 4:16 PM PST
The investigation into the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson is heating up.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00241.htm

This is the news that a news alert on Karl Rove brings up.

White House suffers setback on eavesdropping secrecy; Rove defends program
Ohio News Network Thu, 16 Feb 2006 10:02 PM PST
WASHINGTON A top adviser to President Bush has again defended the administration's warrantless surveillance program.
http://www.onnnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=4515947
 

Prosecutor: Libby Has Evidence He Needs
AP via Yahoo! News Fri, 17 Feb 2006 6:43 PM PST
Granting a former White House aide's demands for classified documents to aid his defense in the CIA leak investigation would torpedo the case, the prosecutor is arguing.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060218/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/cia_leak_5
 

Libby claims Cheney approved classified media leaks
AFP via Yahoo! News Fri, 10 Feb 2006 1:29 PM PST
Indicted former top White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby will argue that Vice President Dick Cheney authorized him to leak classified information in 2003 to bolster the case for the US-led war against Iraq, US news media reports.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060210/en_afp/uspoliticsintelligencemediaprosecuteiraq_060210152038
 

Dick Cheney Is Not Above The Law
The Nation via Yahoo! News Fri, 10 Feb 2006 1:42 PM PST
The Nation -- Twenty-two members of the House have now signed on as co-sponors of the call by Representative John Conyers, D-Michigan, to establish a select committee of the Congress to investigate whether the Bush administration's actions before and after the invasion of Iraq violated Constitutional requirements, statutes and standards in a manner that would merit impeachment of the president
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20060210/cm_thenation/158937_1

Rove Pushed Cheney To Talk
CBS News Thu, 16 Feb 2006 6:34 AM PST
It was President Bush's political enforcer, Karl Rove, who pushed Vice President Dick Cheney to speak publicly about shooting a fellow hunter, sources tell CBS News . Rove worried it was becoming a political problem.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/15/politics/main1318704.shtml
 

Bush Knew Saturday About Hunting Accident
AP via Yahoo! News Mon, 13 Feb 2006 2:48 PM PST
President Bush knew Saturday evening that Vice President Dick Cheney had accidentally shot a hunting companion, but the information wasn't made public until the next day â?” by a private citizen â?” the White House said Monday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060213/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cheney_reporting_the_shooting_4
 

Now it's Cheney in the firing line
The Scotsman: International News Sat, 18 Feb 2006 4:27 PM PST
DICK Cheney did his best to be cheerful, albeit in his characteristically gruff fashion. In his only public engagement last week the vice-president delivered a speech to the Wyoming state legislature.
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=258892006
 

Steve Clemons: David Addington: Where Is Cheney's Architect of Secrecy?
HuffingtonPost Thu, 16 Feb 2006 4:47 PM PST
I've seen Mary Matalin in a photo on the cover of the Washington Post walking with Cheney the day after news hit that the Vice President shot his hunting acquaintance. Matalin's even been out in the press taking a few shots for Cheney. Karl Rove is in the Cheney shooting stories. So is the President's Chief of Staff Andy Card.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-clemons/david-addington-where-is_b_15831.html
 

 Vice President Cheney Interviewed by Fox News
Washington Post Wed, 15 Feb 2006 4:05 PM PST
INTERVIEW OF THE VICE PRESIDENT BY BRIT HUME, FOX NEWS
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/15/AR2006021502005.html?nav=rss_politics/administration0.
 

Story of Cheney shooting doesn't remain the same
The Olympian Mon, 20 Feb 2006 5:44 AM PST
WASHINGTON - "Vice President Dick Cheney said he didn't immediately disclose his hunting accident because he wanted the confusing details to come out right. Instead, authorized accounts came out slowly” and often still wrong.
http://www.theolympian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060220/NEWS/60220004
 

White House gave vice president latitude / Bush and Karl Rove deferred to Cheney on public disclosure
San Francisco Chronicle Tue, 14 Feb 2006 3:36 AM PST
The 78-year-old Texas lawyer who was shot by Vice President Dick Cheney in a hunting accident this weekend was released from intensive care in stable condition Monday, as new details emerged showing the White House allowed Cheney to decide when and how to...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/14/MNG2JH85GS1.DTL&feed=rss.news
 

Arianna Huffington: Dubious About Dubai: Cutting to the Heart of Bush's National Security Hypocrisy
HuffingtonPost Wed, 22 Feb 2006 3:43 PM PST
Getting dressed this morning with C-SPAN in the background, I heard -- only half-paying attention -- someone vehemently criticizing the White House's approval of the ports deal and vowing to return to Washington to demand accountability from the administration. Glancing up, I was stunned to see that the man doing the talking was Rep. Vito Fossella of New York, with an (R) next to his name.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/dubious-about-dubai-cutt_b_16187.html
 

Republican senator says presidential aide under indictment should step down
KRON 4 Bay Area Wed, 22 Feb 2006 12:33 PM PST
WASHINGTON A Republican senator says any presidential aide indicted for allegedly leaking the name of a C-I-A operative should step down.
    Virginia Senator George Allen says, "I do think that's appropriate."
http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=4016819&nav=menu130_2_2
 

The American Debate: Bush's GOP allies are not on board
The Philadelphia Inquirer Wed, 22 Feb 2006 2:40 AM PST
President Bush is having another Harriet Miers moment. You may remember Miers, the Bush loyalist whose Supreme Court nomination infuriated many conservatives and fractured Bush's political base. Now the same pattern is happening again, thanks to a Bush administration decision that will soon put six ports (including Philadelphia's) under the management of a company owned by an Arab nation that has
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/13931744.htm?source=rss&channel=inquirer_nation
 

Ernest Partridge: Perception is Reality
Scoop.co.nz Wed, 22 Feb 2006 2:01 PM PST
Today the many disparate crises of the past have combined into one general systemic crisis, placing the basic structure of the Republic at mortal risk. At the forefront of concern must be the question: Will the Constitution of the United States survive?
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00273.htm
 

Saudis REJECT Bush!!!!!
by: sirius_asskicker  02/22/06 10:17 pm
Msg: 1280263 of 1280266
Apparently they don't want to associate with terrorists.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060223/ts_nm/mideast_rice_dc
 

Sen. Clinton Challenger Spent Big, Then Quit
Los Angeles Times Wed, 22 Feb 2006 1:37 PM PST
WASHINGTON â?” Ed Cox, a millionaire lawyer and son-in-law of President Nixon, spent about $1.1 million of his fortune for the privilege of not running against Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, records show.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-cox19feb19,1,3064109.story?coll=la-headlines-politics
 

You KNOW you are still a republican if:
by: theredqueen2000 (F/Way left of center)  02/22/06 10:22 pm
Msg: 1280271 of 1280276 , 2 recommendations
You are more upset about Brokeback Mountain than Abu Ghraib.
You can’t stand Hilary Clinton’s hair but you have no problem with Tom DeLay’s.
You think Global Warming is no big deal but environmentalists are a major problem.
You support the "war on drugs" but think Rush Limbaugh is being prosecuted unfairly.
You think professional athletes make too much money but Sam Walton’s kids deserve everything they have.
You like the way George Bush walks.
You think Al Gore is "wooden" and Donald Rumsfeld has charisma.
You think CNN is biased but Fox News is neutral.
You like the sound of Newt Gingrich’s voice.
You are sure the United States has the best education and health care systems in the world.
You think Dick Cheney is a straight shooter.
You think Michael Chertoff’s beard makes him look distinguished.
You think the problem with our health care system is lawyers.
You think it was more important to locate Monica Lewinsky’s blue dress than to locate weapons of mass destruction.
You don’t believe "terrorism" has made Rudy Giuliani an incredibly rich man.
You believe freedom of speech covers everything Pat Robertson says and does, but burning a flag should be illegal.
You can be in the same room with Brit Hume.
You have yourself convinced that the country and world are better off now than 5 years ago.
Jimmy Lohman is a musician and human rights lawyer in Austin, Texas, and an occasional contributor to Buzzflash.
 

RJ Eskow: Is The GOP "Shock-The-Vote Gang" Planning to Heist California?
HuffingtonPost Tue, 21 Feb 2006 1:13 AM PST
The usual suspects are slipping into the Golden State. Political season is looming, there's a February chill in the Pacific breeze, and the GOP political 'family' is hard at work. California's appointed (as opposed to elected) Republican Secretary of State has recertified Diebold's voting machines, despite a damning report. Schwarzenegger is hiring a "steely" Karl Rove insider turned Dick Cheney.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/is-the-gop-shockthevot_b_16066.html
 

Ex-Malaysia PM: Abramoff was paid $1.2M for meeting
USA Today Tue, 21 Feb 2006 7:00 AM PST
Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said disgraced U.S. lobbyist Jack Abramoff was paid $1.2 million to organize a meeting between him and President Bush in 2002, but denied the money came from the Malaysian government.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-02-21-abramoff-malaysia_x.htm
 

Ex-Malaysia PM: Abramoff Was Paid $1.2M
ABC News Tue, 21 Feb 2006 5:15 AM PST
Former Malaysian Leader Says Abramoff Was Paid $1.2 Million to Organize Meeting With Bush
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1643757&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
 

Abramoff Paid To Arrange Bush Meeting?
CBS News Tue, 21 Feb 2006 7:04 AM PST
The former prime minister of Malaysia says somebody ? not him or his government ? paid former lobbyist Jack Abramoff $1.2 million to organize a White House meeting with President Bush in 2002.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/21/politics/main1332065.shtml
 

Look who doesn't want to be listed on the "T-axis of Evil" list:
Malaysia's Mahathir denies paying lobyist for Bush meeting
AFP via Yahoo! News Mon, 20 Feb 2006 7:53 PM PST
Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has denied paying US lobbyist Jack Abramoff to set up a meeting with President George W. Bush but said money did not pass through his hands.
 

Anti-war activists plan protests at Rove's city fundraiser
Charleston Daily Mail Mon, 20 Feb 2006 7:20 AM PST
Controversial presidential adviser Karl Rove is coming to Charleston this week, and local protesters are gearing up for his visit. Rove will be here Thursday for a $50-a-ticket fundraiser for the state Republican Party. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Charleston Civic Center.
http://www.dailymail.com/news/News/2006022033/
 

David Sirota: Who Is Really "Weak" On National Security?
HuffingtonPost Mon, 20 Feb 2006 9:01 AM PST
Karl Rove has made no secret of his desire to try to ramrod the 2006 elections into a debate over who is "tough" on national security. And it seems more and more Democrats are frightened to actually have the debate. Oh sure, these Democrats wouldn't tell you that - in fact, many are posturing as tough guys even as they cower in fear of Rove. A few weeks back, it was Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) ,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/who-is-really-weak-on-n_b_16024.html
 

Rove and the New Tory Delegation Melt the Ice
Washington Post Sat, 18 Feb 2006 11:01 PM PST
Three prominent members of Britain's Conservative Party came to Washington last week on a mission to mend supposedly frosty relations with the White House.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/18/AR2006021801055.html?nav=rss_politics
 

Global warmth doubter turns up heat on Bush
International Herald Tribune Sun, 19 Feb 2006 3:08 PM PST
Over the years, a number of writers have visited President George W. Bush, including Natan Sharansky, Bernard Lewis and John Lewis Gaddis. And while the meetings are usually private, they rarely ruffle feathers.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/19/news/bush.php
 

The Ranch Where the Politicians Roam
New York Times Sat, 18 Feb 2006 4:42 PM PST
Vice President Cheney's mishap on the Armstrong Ranch last weekend drew the curtain back on a place that has become a quiet destination for the powerful.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/19/weekinreview/19kornblut.html
 

A symptom of a very sick White House
The Age Sun, 19 Feb 2006 10:18 AM PST
For THOSE who like metaphors, Dick Cheney shooting this old guy who may or may not be his friend is metaphorically irresistible.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/02/19/1140283943935.html
 

Why the quail was the only one not hit by Cheney
Sydney Morning Herald Sun, 19 Feb 2006 10:20 AM PST
The Texas hunting accident proved that the Bush Administration is a lame duck, writes Michael Gawenda. -
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/02/19/1140283944525.html
 

Rove gently declares war on press
Arkansas News Bureau Sat, 18 Feb 2006 1:05 AM PST
Though Win Rockefeller had steered the party out of debt, regulatory fines loomed and daunting challenges remained.
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2006/02/18/JohnBrummett/334246.html
 

VP Accident Tale Filled With Discrepancies
AP via Yahoo! News Sat, 18 Feb 2006 0:52 AM PST
Vice President Dick Cheney said he didn't immediately disclose his hunting accident because he wanted the confusing details to come out right. Instead, authorized accounts came out slowly â?” and often still wrong.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060218/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cheney_fact_check_1
 

RJ Eskow: Shot Through the Heart And You're to Blame: Conservatism as Psychopathology
HuffingtonPost Sat, 18 Feb 2006 11:01 AM PST
The spectacle of a shooting victim forced to apologize for his wounds symbolizes the mental illness the "conservative" movement has become. The fact is, the word "conservative" has become a catch-all label for a group of pigs feeding at a trough. Their lack of conscience has risen to the clinical definition of "sociopathic."
    I've written before on the lack of real conservatism in today's politics, and on the "conservative" principles that I think all progressives should embrace. Glenn Greenwald wrote an excellent piece making a similar point: whatever these characters are, they're not really conservatives.
    Where Glenn and I disagree is in his characterization of today's movement as a "cult of Bush." I think the truth is simpler and sicker than that. People don't slavishly obey and follow every whim of Messrs. Bush (and now Cheney) because they revere them. They do it for a more basic reason: They've got the candy.
    Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld ... they're Mafia bosses doling out the largesse in return for unquestioned fealty. And today's so-called "conservatives" respond in kind. Will Roger Ailes get more exclusive interviews if he peddles the daily GOP lies and spins? As you wish, Godfather. Will Arnold Schwarzenegger become Governor if he pumps for Bush at the convention? Thank you, Don Karl. Will "Straight Talkin'" John McCain be rewarded with a chance to run in 2008 if he forgets what they did to his wife and kid? It' good to kiss the ring again, Mr. President. Let me hug you.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/shot-through-the-heart-an_b_15942.html
 

Arianna Huffington: Karl Rove's Connection to the Cheney Shooting
HuffingtonPost Wed, 15 Feb 2006 3:17 PM PST
Today's New York Times piece about the "palpable" tension between Bush's and Cheney's staffs -- exacerbated but not created by the shooting story fallout -- contains a glaring omission: not a single word about Karl Rove. Yet the handling of the shooting incident has been a Turd Blossom special since the beginning.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/karl-roves-connection-to_b_15750.html
 

Source: Abramoff contacted Rove for client
UPI Wed, 15 Feb 2006 1:33 PM PST
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- A former associate of Jack Abramoff claims the lobbyist contacted presidential adviser Karl Rove to arrange a White House meeting with Malaysian officials.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060215-031420-9610r
 

Abramoff claimed close ties to Rove
Pioneer Press Wed, 15 Feb 2006 8:33 AM PST
WASHINGTON â?” Three former associates of Jack Abramoff said Monday that the now-disgraced lobbyist frequently told them during his lobbying work he had strong ties to the White House through presidential confidant Karl Rove.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/twincities/news/nation/13865857.htm?source=rss&channel=twincities_nation
 

Abramoff Bragged of Ties to Rove
Los Angeles Times Wed, 15 Feb 2006 12:55 PM PST
The disgraced lobbyist helped get Bush to meet the leader of Malaysia, a former associate says.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-na-abramoff15feb15,1,3386314.story?coll=la-headlines-politics&track=mostemailedlink
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-abramoff15feb15,0,4676345.story?track=rss
 

White House: Rove Considered Abramoff a 'Casual Acquaintance'
Ohmynews Wed, 15 Feb 2006 1:06 AM PST
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=311071
 

You know how I like the yahoo message boards to battle against Bush:
MANY Are Coming To Similar Thoughts!
by: mesilla_frank (33/M/New Mexico)  02/22/06 09:35 pm
Msg: 1280223 of 1280300
2 recommendations
I submit DUMYA will have done this country a service by GALVANIZING the many, MANY apathetic types who, previously, couldn't have given a dumb k'putz about politics!
<<I'm glad that Bush is our president!
by: neoconnilingus (34/M) 02/22/06 09:12 pm
Msg: 2563 of 2721, 4 recommendations
Before this scumbag of a president came along I didn't care about politics. Didn't care about freedom. Didn't think about what it meant to be an American. He11, I didn't even vote! But Bush has changed all that. I now see how important our freedom really is. How fragile. How easily taken away by men with only greed in their minds.
Bush has made me a better person. A better American. I care about my own personal ethics now. How I treat others.
America has sunk to a very low point but I believe that it can rise again. But it's going to take us, the American people. >>
 

State of the political theater
The Sanford Herald Mon, 13 Feb 2006 9:17 AM PST
I didn't watch the president deliver Karl Rove's State of the Union speech. Mr. Rove fooled me once in the 2000 campaign. I don't give people a second shot.
http://www.sanfordherald.com/articles/2006/02/13/news/editorial/edit07.txt
 

Good heavens, look at all there is on this:
McClellan Peppered on Cheney
Washington Post Mon, 13 Feb 2006 3:11 PM PST
After accidental shooting on Saturday, it was the White House that got peppered today.

Whittington has deep ties to GOP
CNN.com Mon, 13 Feb 2006 12:20 PM PST
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The man accidentally shot by Vice President Dick Cheney is an avid hunter and a longtime Republican activist who owns the downtown building where the GOP's rise to power in Texas was in large part engineered.

Bush Did Not Learn for Several Hours That Cheney Shot Hunter
New York Times Mon, 13 Feb 2006 11:48 AM PST
The White House has been criticized for not publicly reporting the incident, or details of what happened, even up to today.

Bush Knew Saturday About Hunting Accident
ABC News Mon, 13 Feb 2006 3:28 PM PST
Bush Knew of Cheney's Hunting Accident Saturday, White House Spokesman Says

Questions Persist Over Cheney Shooting
CBS News Mon, 13 Feb 2006 2:45 PM PST
President Bush knew Saturday evening that Vice President Dick Cheney had accidentally shot a hunting companion, but the information wasn't made public until the next day. When it was released, it was by a private citizen, drawing criticism.

Hunting Victim Patriarch of Texas GOP
ABC News Mon, 13 Feb 2006 11:13 AM PST
Man Accidentally Shot by Vice President Cheney While Hunting Is Patriarch of Texas GOP

Delayed reporting of Cheney incident stirs criticism
The Arizona Republic Mon, 13 Feb 2006 2:08 PM PST
WASHINGTON - President Bush knew Saturday evening that Vice President Dick Cheney had accidentally shot a hunting companion, but the information wasn't made public until the next day - by a private citizen - the White House said Monday.&#149; Hunter recovering after Cheney shooting
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0213cheney-reporting13-ON.html

Political heat over disasters rising
The Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News Mon, 13 Feb 2006 0:00 AM PST
Nine months before the November midterm elections, the Republican campaign theme is already clear: It's the terrorism, stupid.
 

Eric Alterman: Laughs for a Snowy Sunday
Huffington Post Sun, 12 Feb 2006 2:15 PM PST
Did this joke ever get published here? Even if it did, what the hell, it's snowy Sunday and when can't you use a good joke. Todd Gitlin sent it to me, but I don't know from whence or where it originates. President Bush was scheduled to worship at a small Methodist Church outside Washington, D.C. as part of Karl Rove's campaign to reverse Bush's rapidly deteriorating approval ratings.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-alterman/laughs-for-a-snowy-sunday_b_15533.html
 

Rove Comes Calling
The Nation via Yahoo! News Fri, 10 Feb 2006 9:08 AM PST
The Nation -- Is the White House coming begging to Senate Minority Leader HarryReid?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20060210/cm_thenation/1558812_1
 

Clinton blasts Bush on war
Sun-Sentinel Fri, 10 Feb 2006 5:05 AM PST
WASHINGTON -- Ignoring GOP criticism that she's too angry for prime time, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton Wednesday walloped Karl Rove and President George W. Bush for "playing the fear card" on terrorism and for failing to kill "the tallest man in Afghanistan," Osama bin Laden.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ny-ushill0209,0,4059951.story?coll=sfla-highschool-soccer-browgs&track=mostemailedlink
 

Congress Stirs to Rein in the President
The Nation via Yahoo! News Thu, 09 Feb 2006 5:49 PM PST
The Nation -- The constitutional crisis facing the United States has only deepened as a result of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's testimony on warrantless domestic spying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20060210/cm_thenation/20060227brecher_1
 

The Wrong Wiretap Debate
Washington Post Tue, 07 Feb 2006 11:27 PM PST
As quickly as you can say the words "Karl Rove," the debate over the National Security Agency's anti-terrorist surveillance program is degenerating into a partisan squabble. Rather than seeking a compromise that would anchor the program in law, both the administration and its critics are pursuing absolutist agendas -- insisting on the primacy of security or liberty, rather than some reasonable
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/07/AR2006020701262.html?nav=rss_nation/special

Global Security Newswire

Again, the wonderful and informational Global Security Newswire!
All credit goes to NTI.

From Oldest to Newest:
Wednesday, February 15, 2006 -- GLOBAL SECURITY NEWSWIRE Today’s Global Security Newswire is now available: http://www.nti.org
QUOTE OF THE DAY
================
I would call it almost a greedy effort to try to have as much of a plutonium production capability for nuclear weapons as possible. -- Institute for Science and International Security President David Albright, on India's intentions toward a proposed U.S.-Indian nuclear technology sharing agreement.
FULL ISSUE
==========
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Critics Slam U.S.-Indian Nuclear Technology Deal http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_15.html#95720923
Iran to Remove Some IAEA Cameras http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_15.html#A1A5107A
China Denies Links to Suspected Nuclear Exporter http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_15.html#41FD3563
New Russian Missile Systems to Combat Terrorism http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_15.html#0830386D
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS
Talks to Prepare for BWC Negotiations Conclude http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_15.html#809EF5F4
Legislation to Improve Biological Attack Readiness Tops U.S. Senate Committee's Agenda
http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_15.html#D6717D0B
Norwegian Woman Treated for Anthrax Exposure http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_15.html#674A8C8D
CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Jordan Chemical Plot Suspects Sentenced to Death http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_15.html#D20DF9A1
Citizens Worried by Russia CW Processing Plans http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_15.html#7676EF1D
U.S. Army Destroys Chemical Weapons in Hawaii http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_15.html#F3586422
Mustard Gas Leak Found at Deseret Chemical Depot http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_15.html#721B9C73
MISSILE DEFENSE
U.S. to Station Aegis Destroyer at Japanese Port http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_15.html#913FE658
------------------

Thursday, February 16, 2006 -- GLOBAL SECURITY NEWSWIRE Today’s Global Security Newswire is now available: http://www.nti.org
QUOTE OF THE DAY
================
Iran is not a nuclear bomb crisis -- it's a nuclear diplomacy crisis. -- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Nonproliferation Director Joseph Cirincione, urging the Bush administration to devote more attention to other nuclear proliferation threats.
FULL ISSUE
==========
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
U.S. Watches Dubai Banks for Proliferation Ties http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_16.html#DB053BB4
Hussein Tapes Reveal Effort to Conceal WMD Information From International Inspectors http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_16.html#D0720CE4
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
State Department Requests Funds to Pressure Iran http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_16.html#83C34010
Satellite Photographs Reveal China's Complex of Underground Nuclear Weapons Facilities
http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_16.html#7BF533D2
Expert Warns of North Korean, Pakistani Nuke Threats http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_16.html#22B791A6
U.S. Energy Department Faults Los Alamos Workers' Complacency for Causing Radiation Contamination http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_16.html#FC1B2424
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS
Consensus Sought at Biological Weapons Talks http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_16.html#4201F069
MISSILE PROLIFERATION
Iran Escalates Missile Testing, Sources Say http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_16.html#5345FDAB
MISSILE DEFENSE
Russia to Upgrade Missile Defense Radar System http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_16.html#D9B3A2D5
Turkey to Complete Missile Shield http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_16.html#75B31550
===================

Friday, February 17, 2006 -- GLOBAL SECURITY NEWSWIRE Today’s Global Security Newswire is now available: http://www.nti.org
QUOTE OF THE DAY
================
Iran is not interested in a deal. ;Iran's interest is in getting its weapons option. -- Former U.S. nonproliferation official Gary Samore, criticizing a proposed compromise to allow Iran to conduct limited uranium enrichment activities.
WEEK IN REVIEW
==============
http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/weekinreview.asp
FULL ISSUE
==========
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
Organization Offers Treaty Implementation Support http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_17.html#0C5DA0B7
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Iran Using Uranium in Centrifuges http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_17.html#A1632BCC
France, India Close to Nuclear Agreement http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_17.html#B378987C
Other Countries Dismiss North Korean Claims That U.S. Sanctions Hold Up Nuclear Talks, Rice Says
http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_17.html#CC7618D0
U.S. Tests Minuteman http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_17.html#AED10087
Bids Sought to Manage Nuclear Lab http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_17.html#6D62493C
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS
Japanese Firms Raided for Selling Potential Biological Weapons Equipment to North Korea
http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_17.html#A58D012D
Groups Aims to Delay Opening of Biological Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Lab
http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_17.html#370F27D1
CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Venezuela Forms Commission to Implement CWC http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_17.html#7BCEE7CC
MISSILE DEFENSE
Poland, NATO Hold Missile Defense Talks http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_17.html#3DFCB64C
---------------------

Wednesday, February 22, 2006 -- GLOBAL SECURITY NEWSWIRE Today’s Global Security Newswire is now available: http://www.nti.org
QUOTE OF THE DAY
================
Scientific codes of conduct are needed] to prevent the life sciences from becoming the death sciences through bioterrorism or biowarfare. -- Ronald Atlas, co-director of the Center for Deterrence of Biowarfare and Bioterrorism at the University of Louisville in Kentucky.
FULL ISSUE
==========
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
U.K. Installs Radiation Detectors at Entry Points http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_22.html#A88BEBA9
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Iran Unwilling to Accept Russian Nuclear Compromise http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_22.html#8260CFDF
Bush Threatens Veto of Legislation Blocking Sale of Control of U.S. Ports to UAE Company
http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_22.html#7972CAD8
South Korea to Push for Resuming Nuclear Talks http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_22.html#2FA3428F
U.S., India to Work on Nuclear Plan http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_22.html#86A01FC6
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS
Scientific Codes of Conduct Inevitable, Experts Say http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_22.html#DB54622F
Democrats Move to Expand Potential Liability of Makers of Bioterrorism Vaccines, Countermeasures
http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_22.html#8B1E7E23
Tests Show Powder Found at NATO Base Not Anthrax http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_22.html#3A753B46
MISSILE DEFENSE
Taiwan to Drop Plans for PAC-3 Acquisition http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2006_2_22.html#69865891

Uni- Bush Spent $1.6 Bil. on 'Spin'

This is a good lead headline.
Mediaweek, Wed, 15 Feb 2006 10:09 AM PST
Bush Spent $1.6 Bil. on 'Spin'
http://mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001996452&imw=Y
The Bush Administration spent $1.4 billion in taxpayer dollars on 137
contracts with advertising agencies over the past two-and-a-half
years, according to a Government Accountability Office report released by
House Democrats today.
http://brandweek.com/bw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001996448&imw=Y
 

Washington Post, Mon, 13 Feb 2006 8:57 PM PST
UPDATE: PREPACKAGED NEWS
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/13/AR2006021301897.html?nav=rss_politics/fedpage
How much is good press worth? To the Bush administration, about $1.6
billion.
 

CBS News, Mon, 13 Feb 2006 4:04 PM PST
GAO: High Media Spending Under Bush
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/13/politics/main1312673.shtml
A new GAO report shows that the Bush administration spent $1.6
billion on media contracts over the past two and a half years. The study
was requested a year ago following reports of "covert propaganda"
programs.
 

Broadcasting and Cable, Mon, 13 Feb 2006 3:11 PM PST
Study Details $1.6B in Govt. Ad/PR Spending
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6307445?display=Breaking+News
The administration has spent $1.6 billion on advertising and public
relations since 2003, including on everything from video news releases
to embroidered bowling bags.
 

AdWeek, Tue, 14 Feb 2006 5:08 AM PST
Bush Spent $1.6 Bil. on 'Spin'
http://adweek.com/aw/national/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001996193&imw=Y
DALLAS The Bush Administration spent $1.4 billion in taxpayer dollars
on 137 contracts with advertising agencies over the past
two-and-a-half years, according to a Government Accountability Office report
released by House Democrats today.
 

The Monterey County Herald, Tue, 21 Feb 2006 10:09 PM PST
Congress on track to be America's last smoke-filled room
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/montereyherald/news/nation/13916963.htm?source=rss&channel=montereyherald_nation
When Rep. Charlie Norwood was diagnosed with a chronic lung disease a
few years back, he followed the orders of his wife, Gloria, and gave
up red meat, chewing tobacco and his favorite cigars.

I trust Rep. Waxman so I follow his actions.

Reuters via Yahoo! News, Tue, 21 Feb 2006 2:36 PM PST
Reports: Drug prices rise under Medicare plan
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060221/us_nm/medicare_dc_1
http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/400683/reports_drug_prices_rise_under_medicare_plan/index.html?source=r_general
Prices for some of the most popular medicines used by seniors have
jumped an average of 4 percent under the new Medicare drug benefit
since it began last month, according to a report released on Tuesday.

Exception:
Medical News Today, Thu, 09 Feb 2006 5:06 PM PST
10-Year Cost Projection For Medicare Drug Benefit Drops From $737B To
$678B, According To New CMS Report
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=37177&nfid=rssfeeds
The net cost to the federal government of the Medicare prescription
drug benefit in 2006 is projected to be $30.5 billion, 20% less than
the government's previous estimate of $38.1 billion, CMS Administrator
Mark McClellan said Thursday at a hearing of the Senate Special
Committee on Aging, the New York Times reports... click link for more
info.
 

RedNova, Mon, 20 Feb 2006 10:25 PM PST
Health Savings Accounts: Boon or Curse?
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/398996/health_savings_accounts_boon_or_curse/index.html?source=r_health
By William Neikirk and Judith Graham Pros & Cons Chicago Tribune
PLUSES * Tax-free accounts could accumulate money over several years and
turn into a sizable health-care nest egg for healthy people with low
medical expenses.
 

consortiumnews.com, Mon, 20 Feb 2006 11:26 PM PST
Bush's Mysterious 'New Programs'
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/022106a.html
ot that George W. Bush needs much encouragement, but Sen. Lindsey
Graham suggested to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales a new target for
the administrationâ?™s domestic operations -- Fifth Columnists,
supposedly disloyal Americans who sympathize and collaborate with the
enemy.
 

WTOL News 11, Mon, 20 Feb 2006 9:19 AM PST
Internal Memo Says Spending Cuts and Extra Work Straining the Social
Security Administration
http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=4462451
WASHINGTON (AP) -- An internal memo says spending cuts and extra work
brought on by the new prescription drug benefit are straining the
Social Security Administration.
 

WTOL News 11, Mon, 20 Feb 2006 9:30 AM PST
Shunning Medicare, Some Seniors Still Turn to Canada for Drugs
http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=4425339
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Some Ohio seniors are still getting medicine from
Canada instead of signing up for the U.S. government's new prescription
drug program.
 

Los Angeles Times, Sun, 19 Feb 2006 0:29 AM PST
Congress Has Yet to Kick the Habit
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-smoking19feb19,0,7986499.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
Smoking is still legal in congressional buildings, despite U.S. norms
and a pending D.C. law.
 

Los Angeles Times, Sun, 19 Feb 2006 0:28 AM PST
Partisan Snub of Republican Katrina Inquiry Now Looks Petty
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-outlook19feb19,0,6404454.column?coll=la-headlines-nation
President Bush, the White House staff, Homeland Security Secretary
Michael Chertoff, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and, of
course, former FEMA director Michael D. Brown all take their lumps in the
report on Hurricane Katrina issued last week by a special committee
of House Republicans.
 

Seattle Times, Sat, 18 Feb 2006 0:16 AM PST
Health savings accounts: the right prescription?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002813063_hsa18.html?syndication=rss
Al Meginnis signed up for a health savings account and an
accompanying high-deductible health-insurance policy last year, and so far he...
 

San Francisco Chronicle, Thu, 16 Feb 2006 3:39 AM PST
Justice Dept.'s role in wiretaps probed / 1st formal investigation
into NSA program may clarify source of dissent
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/16/MNGJRH9E091.DTL&feed=rss.news
The ethics office of the Justice Department has begun a review of the
department's role in the National Security Agency's domestic
eavesdropping, a move that could shed light on internal dissension over the
legal status of the secret program. The...
 

The Western Star, Thu, 16 Feb 2006 4:13 AM PST
Lawmakers: Whistleblower system is broken
http://www.western-star.com/school/content/shared/news/stories/WHISTLEBLOWERS15_COX_W2124.html
WASHINGTON â?” Federal workers on the front lines of detecting
another terrorist attack have virtually no legal protection against
retaliation when they point out graft, incompetence or security holes,
whistleblowers and security experts told a congressional panel Tuesday.
 

RedNova, Wed, 15 Feb 2006 8:29 PM PST
Analysis:Leavitt Grilled on Part D, Budget
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/393169/analysisleavitt_grilled_on_part_d_budget/index.html?source=r_health
By LAURA GILCREST Department of Health and Human Services Secretary
Michael Leavitt found himself in the hot seat Wednesday, defending the
Bush administration's 2006 healthcare budget priorities before the
U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee.
 

The Hill, Tue, 14 Feb 2006 7:34 PM PST
"Shut out" Dems seize on that typo
http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/021506/news5.html
Crying foul over "abuse of the process," House Democrats
yesterday took their first step toward invalidating Republican claims that a
typo in the recently signed budget-reconciliation bill is a mere
technical problem.
 

Take note, Spouse.
Medical News Today, Sun, 12 Feb 2006 8:07 PM PST
Newspapers Examine FDA Leadership, Backlog Of 800 Applications For
Generic Drugs
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=37245&nfid=rssfeeds
The following summarizes two recent news features related to
FDA.Baltimore Sun: The Sun on Saturday examined leadership at FDA, noting
that the agency has "seen no fewer than four interim commissioners over
all but 18 months of the Bush presidency." Most recently, the White
House appointed Andrew Von Eschenbach to be acting FDA commissioner...
click link for more info.
 

Medical News Today, Sat, 11 Feb 2006 4:03 PM PST
Internal E-Mail Indicates Social Security Administration Overwhelmed
In Dealing With Seniors Navigating Medicare Drug
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=37243&nfid=rssfeeds
The Social Security Administration is having difficulty keeping up
with the volume of work created by the new Medicare prescription drug
benefit, and some services provided under the agency might have to be
cut as a result, an SSA official said in a recent e-mail, the Los
Angeles Times reports (Alonso-Zaldivar, Los Angeles Times, 2/4)... click
link for more info.
 

San Francisco Bay Guardian, Wed, 08 Feb 2006 3:34 PM PST
Censored! http://www.sfbg.com/cover_censored.html
Project Censored presents the 10 biggest stories the mainstream media
ignored over the past year.
 

Internal Memo Says Spending Cuts and Extra Work Straining the Social
Security Administration
http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=4462451&nav=5Uai
WASHINGTON (AP) -- An internal memo says spending cuts and extra work
brought on by the new prescription drug benefit are straining the
Social Security Administration.
 

CentralOhio.com, Mon, 06 Feb 2006 8:04 AM PST
City woman vexed by Medicare
http://www.centralohio.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/B6/20060206/NEWS01/602060303/1002&template=B6
WASHINGTON -- Overwhelming response to the new Medicare prescription
drug program is forcing the Social Security Administration to delay
processing applications from Americans seeking disability assistance,
according to an e-mail a congressman made public Friday.
 

Miami Herald, Mon, 06 Feb 2006 1:35 AM PST
New Medicare program a windfall for drug companies
http://www.twincities.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/13789311.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_nation
The new Medicare drug benefit will give drug companies up to $2
billion in extra profits this year because they're no longer required to
pay rebates on drugs bought by the government for the elderly poor.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/13789311.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_nation
 

RedNova, Sun, 05 Feb 2006 11:44 AM PST
FDA Has Backlog of 800 Generics
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/380531/fda_has_backlog_of_800_generics/index.html?source=r_health
By Marc Kaufman The Washington Post WAS
 

RedNova, Sun, 05 Feb 2006 1:44 AM PST
FDA Has Backlog on Generic Approvals
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/380308/fda_has_backlog_on_generic_approvals/index.html?source=r_health
The Food and Drug Administration has a backlog of 800 generic drugs
awaiting approval, the Washington Post reported. Approvals are now
taking about 20 1/2 months, up from just under 20 months in 1999, and
450 drugs were approved last year, 23 fewer than the previous year.
 

Deseret Morning News, Sat, 04 Feb 2006 11:09 PM PST
FDA has backlog of 800 generics
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635181858,00.html
At a time when low-cost generic drugs are being embraced as one of
the few ways to slow skyrocketing health costs, the Food and Drug
Administration has a backlog of more than 800 applications to bring new
generic products to the market an all-time high.
 

North County Times, Sat, 04 Feb 2006 7:22 PM PST
Internal memo says spending cuts, prescription drug benefit straining
Social Security Administration
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/02/05/news/politics/18_48_482_3_06.txt
WASHINGTON -- The Social Security Administration is straining from
spending cuts and extra work brought on by the new prescription drug
benefit, according to internal correspondence from an agency official.
 

uni- Waiting To Be Sent

This has been sitting in 'drafts', waiting to be sent:
Petrodollars and Nuclear Weapons Proliferation
Scoop.co.nz Tue, 14 Feb 2006 3:01 PM PST
Iran has been in the gun-sights of George W. Bush and his entourage from the moment that he was parachuted into the presidency in November 2000 by his father's Supreme Court.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00157.htm
 

UQ Wire: Porter Goss's 'Ignoturn per Ignotius!'
Scoop.co.nz Mon, 13 Feb 2006 1:31 PM PST
Porter Goss's Op-Ed: 'Ignoturn per Ignotius!' The timing of your recent op-ed in the New York Times interestingly coincides with the upcoming congressional hearing by the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations on National Security Whistleblowers.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00130.htm
 

Marjorie Cohn: Spinning Fear
Scoop.co.nz Mon, 13 Feb 2006 1:46 PM PST
The terror's in the room. -CBS Journalist Edward R. Murrow, "Good Night and Good Luck," 1954 The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. -President Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00135.htm
 

Who Will Blow the Whistle Before We Attack Iran?
Scoop.co.nz Mon, 13 Feb 2006 1:46 PM PST
Who Will Blow the Whistle Before We Attack Iran? The question looms large against the backdrop of the hearing on whistleblowing scheduled for tomorrow afternoon by Christopher Shays, chair of the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00136.htm
 

This is a must read! And then pass it around. Copy and print the entire article to pass on.
Swanson: How You -- Yes You -- Can End the War
Scoop.co.nz Mon, 13 Feb 2006 5:16 PM PST
Simple acts and a little courage have worked wonders in the world.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00142.htm
-snip- There is a multitude of ways in which each of us can alter our daily habits to help make this happen. While there may be a value to picking one or two angles of attack and focusing our collective energies there (and while I will recommend some priorities), it is also worthwhile to pursue the many avenues of resistance to the war machine in which every little bit of pressure will help. Different tactics appeal to different individuals and groups, and it is a multifarious movement that will restore the rule of law to the United States and the world. -snip-
    The war in Iraq is a war fought ? among other reasons -- for profits of oil and gas companies. Do what you can to avoid buying those products. If you must buy gas, buy it from CITGO or another company not profiting from the war. Organize and pressure your local and state governments to promote renewable energies and conservation. If you can figure out how to avoid patronizing telecom companies that participated in illegal spying, let everyone know.
    Boycott war profiteers and funders of Bush and his allies, Republican and Democrat. And work with allies overseas to make these boycotts international or to apply labor pressure in countries with strong unions.
    That means boycotting every branch of General Electric, including NBC. It also means boycotting every other major U.S. media corporation, with the possible exception of Knight Ridder, because they have not just profited from the war but have collaborated in producing it.
    And by boycott, I mean not only that you should cancel subscriptions to newspapers that helped sell the war, but also that you should not give a dime to place an advertisement ? no matter how brilliant an advertisement ? on television or in the New York Times. Give your money to responsible media outlets that report the truth for free every day. Support Independent World Television, Free Speech TV, Link TV, Pacifica, Air America, the Nation, In These Times, Truth Out, and the thousands of progressive print, radio, and internet outlets struggling to report the news. -snip-
    Do you have any dollar bills in your wallet? Write "Impeach Bush and Cheney" on each one. Do that with any new ones that pass through your hands.

It appears that Knight Ridder may make some changes. I am waiting to see just what changes they are. If they do not appeal, I will cancel the paper we get.

David Swanson: Debating Impeachment Among Democrats
Huffington Post Sun, 12 Feb 2006 3:30 PM PST
Can you even imagine Republicans, even if they had a minority in Congress, debating whether or not to call for the impeachment of a Democratic president known and documented as guilty of a wide range of high crimes and misdemeanors? In particular, if you can imagine that, can you imagine the Republicans who opposed impeachment arguing that they were doing so for strategic political reasons?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-swanson/debating-impeachment-amon_b_15537.html
 

David Swanson: Bring Regime Change Home
Scoop.co.nz Mon, 06 Feb 2006 4:09 PM PST
Remarks prepared for World Can't Wait rally at White House, Feb. 4, 2006. There are protests outside at least two houses today, the White House and Bush's luxury estate near Crawford, Texas. Bush can run, but he cannot hide.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0602/S00039.htm
 

Steve Cobble: Impeachment = Turnout?
Huffington Post Fri, 03 Feb 2006 9:32 AM PST
Those of us who co-founded AfterDowningStreet.org have long pushed for some sort of "accountability" for the Bush Administration's lies about the war--from hearings to censure to impeachment . Legally and morally, George W. betrayed his oath of office; he has earned impeachment. Now that another Downing Street Memo has surfaced , perhaps even the MSM will want to inquire.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-cobble/impeachment-turnout_b_15059.html
 

Did You Get the Memo?
MetroActive Wed, 08 Feb 2006 10:24 AM PST
Here in Santa Cruz, locals have been screaming about impeaching Bush pretty much from the moment the GOP stole the Florida election in the waning days of 2000. Cruzans have also repeatedly raged against the media machine that so far has failed to take the case for impeaching Bush in the least bit seriously, even though the infamous Downing Street memos , which were leaked to the British press. -snip-
    Yes, Nüz and the rest of Santa Cruz know that the chances of impeaching Bush are horribly slim, given the Republican majority in both houses of Congress and the recent restacking of the Supreme Court. But as AfterDowningStreet.org co-founder David Swanson puts it, "I don't think the Republicans got their current majority by whispering about what they were going to do if they got it. So why should we, when we hold what are majority opinions?"
    Swanson, who speaks in Santa Cruz on Feb. 15 (which happens to be the third anniversary of the 2003 "Stop the War" mobilization that brought 15 million people onto the streets worldwide) says that since launching AfterDowningStreet.org, he's come to see that what's moved the public to oppose the war is all the exposure to the administration's lies.
    "The percentage of people believing that this war was based on lies is unprecedented," says Swanson. "The truth is we may have to impeach Bush and Cheney in order to stop the war. So, we need to shift the emphasis from watching to being citizens. If we push for investigation, for censure, it's of great educational benefit."
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/02.08.06/nuz-0606.html
 

Students To Petition for Bush's Impeachment for Wiretap Abuse
UC Santa Barbara Daily Nexus Tue, 14 Feb 2006 1:59 AM PST
One of UCSBâ?™s newest student organizations wants to impeach President George W. Bush for ordering, without judicial warrants, the placement of wiretaps on the phones of American citizens.
http://www.ucsbdailynexus.com/news/2006/10921.html

=============================================
Letter from Ramsey Clark: Impeachment Means the People Still Have the Power
The New York Times Ad Was a Great Success! Help Place More!
Dear (Me),
Impeachment is the most important issue facing Constitutional government in the United States. Impeachment will determine whether the American people will hold the Bush administration accountable for its High Crimes and Misdemeanors: the supreme international crime -- a war of aggression, rampant militarism, torture, surreptitious laws and treaties, and economic policies that steal from the poor and middle class to further enrich the rich.

Impeachment is also the test that will determine whether We, the People of the United States, still have the power to affect the conduct of our own elected officials and the will to exercise that power.

George Bush seeks $2.77 trillion for the 2007 Fiscal Year budget providing for more military aggression and less education, health care and other programs for the people.

He has nearly three more years to take our country into more wars maybe in Iran, North Korea, Syria, Cuba, Venezuela, or Sudan; three more years to trash the Bill of Rights at home and destroy all respect for the United States abroad; three more years to enrich the rich, impoverish the middle class and poor, undermine the U.S. economy and burden future generations of Americans with burdens they cannot bear.

Our impeachment ad in the New York Times on January 27, 2006 shows we can make a difference. It generated tens of thousands of new votes for impeachment.

The New York Times carried the Impeachment message in the first section, full page, to readers of more than a million copies of the National Edition and the New York Edition of the New York Times.

More newspaper ads, more votes for Impeachment, more organizing and fundraising can make Impeachment a major issue in the 2006 midterm Congressional elections. A committed effort over the next months can move Impeachment to the forefront in the elections and to the floor of the House of Representatives which has the "sole power of Impeachment," and onto the Senate for trial.

Ads in newspapers in Congressional Districts can help activate impeachment organizing to bring the issue home to members and candidates where their election will be decided.
 

Ramsey Clark with Cindy Sheehan at a
January 30 forum on the Impeachment of Bush

Only Impeachment will warn the next Presidents that the American people will hold them accountable if they lawlessly lead us into wars, aggression and criminal acts to control foreign government and exploit their peoples.

Only Impeachment will assure governments and peoples around the world that the American people understand what their government has done, that the American people are strong and good, and have impeached and removed their lawless leaders from office for violating all the principles America has always espoused, and that We, the People of the United States will remain vigilant and see to it that the government of the United States will hereafter seek peace, friendship, equality of nations and peoples, and respect for the human dignity of every child, woman, and man on Earth.

I urge you to enlist now in the Impeachment Movement for the duration, to organize your community in the struggle and to raise and contribute funds essential to secure the Impeachment of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales and other civil officers found to have committed High Crimes and Misdemeanors. Click here to make a donation for the mass advertising campaign to place the NYT impeachment ad in other newspapers and support the campaign for impeachment.
https://secure2.convio.net/pepib/site/Donation?ACTION=SHOW_DONATION_OPTIONS&CAMPAIGN_ID=1102&JServSessionIdr008=8rp4eneyq1.app7b

Sincerely,
Ramsey Clark
==========================================

RegularJoe
Seattle Post - Intelligencer Traffic Wed, 08 Feb 2006 10:49 AM PST
at 2/7/06 6:15 p.m. Gonzales' testimony was a joke. First of all, not sworn in, typical safety net by GOP. Second, he didnt say anything for hours on end. Basically, he used the same argument as before..."We dont break laws, so whatever we are doing is not against the law.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/soundoff/comment.asp?articleID=258645&source=mypi
 

Impeach Bush
The Advocate Messenger Tue, 07 Feb 2006 8:59 AM PST
Nearly all the Republican leadership are either facing indictment or investigation for crimes that include lying to Congress, the UN and the American people to take us into war, outing an undercover CIA agent (working on WMD) as payback, insider trading, criminal conspiracy, money laundering, campaign finance fraud, violations of state election laws and others too numerous to mention.
http://www.amnews.com/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=19355&format=html
 

Bush speech fails to sway loyal Democrats at Nashville bar
Palm Springs and Coachella Valley Local News and Guides Tue, 07 Feb 2006 4:08 AM PST
Last Tuesday night, a group of about 40 hard-core Democrats who live in this bustling country-music capital gathered in The 5 Spot, a neighborhood bar east of downtown, to watch President Bush's State of the Union speech.
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060207/OPINION/602070320/1004
 

Steven Greenstreet: This Divided State
Huffington Post Mon, 06 Feb 2006 5:01 PM PST
The maturity of civil discourse in the United States is in the toilet. Sean Hannity asked a recent guest of his show his opinion on the Danish cartoon controversy. 30 seconds into his guest's response, Hannity blurts out, "I don't care about your liberal point of view." And then later, "You're a disgraceful human being." Wow, what a class act. Unfortunately, this kind of absurd name-calling is not an isolated incident. Every day, the news pundits yell and scream at each other as they try to paint the nation red or blue. Complex issues such as the Iraq war and domestic spying are simplified into punch lines and one-liners. And I believe it was George W. Bush who set the current precedent for getting along with each other: "You're either with us or you're with the enemy."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-greenstreet/this-divided-state_b_15212.html
 

Ex-cop, now public defender, draws ire
San Diego Union-Tribune Sun, 05 Feb 2006 4:04 AM PST
Feb. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE): By most measures, Deputy Public Defender Ed Obayashi has had an unusual career path. For more than 15 years he was a beat cop with the San Diego Police Department. Then he went to law school, earned his degree and entered practice.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20060205-9999-1mi5defender.html
 

Ambition: Why Some People Are Most Likely To Succeed
Time Magazine Sat, 04 Feb 2006 5:12 PM PST
A fire in the belly doesn't light itself. Does the spark of ambition lie in genes, family, culture--or even in your own hands? Science has answers
http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1126746,00.html
 

Blair faces legal test on Trident - from wife's legal firm
Sunday Herald Sat, 04 Feb 2006 4:10 PM PST
REPLACING Trident would fall foul of the UK's international obligations on disarmament, according to colleagues working for Cherie Blair's law firm.
http://www.sundayherald.com/53948
 

US Senate Candidate Sheeler (D - RI) - 'Impeach Bush!'
PR Web Thu, 02 Feb 2006 0:06 AM PST
Carl Sheeler, 45, a Democrat, business owner and Marine Veteran is seeking Lincoln Chafee's seat as well as seeking to unseat "King George" for his violations of the US Constitution. Sheeler alleges that, among other things, he has lied to the public and damaged foreign relations and our Democracy. He expresses leadership is not always popular or a majority opinion, but no operson is above the
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/2/prweb340597.htm
 

Outsider Is Now a Hero For Some
Washington Post Wed, 01 Feb 2006 10:10 PM PST
As the public hearing on his proposal to ban same-sex marriage neared an end Tuesday night, Del. Donald H. Dwyer Jr. stood up and moved into the audience.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/01/AR2006020102146.html?nav=rss_metro
 

Tom Gilroy: W Places Apple On Head, Dares Nation To Shoot it Off
Huffington Post Wed, 01 Feb 2006 8:02 AM PST
If you missed the President's address to the nation last night, here's all you really need to know: he dared us to impeach him. W basically got up there and said, 'I'm the same incompetent buffoon I was 6 years ago, and I'm staying the course. What're you gonna do about it?' He stared the country down and dared us to acknowledge the miles-long lists of crimes and failures trailing behind him
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-gilroy/w-places-apple-on-head-d_b_14927.html