Daily Kos

Tag: Recommended

Mission Actually Accomplished

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 03:07:24 PM PDT

New York Times, 14 October 2001
''If bin Laden takes over and becomes king of Saudi Arabia, he'd turn off the tap,'' said Roger Diwan, a managing director of the Petroleum Finance Company, a consulting firm in Washington. ''He said at one point that he wants oil to be $144 a barrel'' -- about six times what it sells for now.

As you may have heard, oil prices went above $144 this week.

4th Self-Pity Rant by Soon-to-be Blue Star Mom

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 02:24:12 PM PDT

It’s the Fourth of July and while other families are enjoying barbeques and fireworks and family together time, I’m fighting a pity party by making a "movable banner" for my dog and dragging her to a public fireworks celebration to register voters this evening.  

Don’t worry, I promise we’ll be home long before the fireworks start and make her heart pound.

I’m kidless for another fourth and if you sense a little self-pity, yeah, I’m indulging.  It’s not too often but on days like this, I think have every right...  You see, my two boys signed up to serve their country and nothing's been the same since.  

Happy birthday, Malia Obama

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 01:19:01 PM PDT

Short diary to thank Malia Obama, 10, for sharing her birthday with so many others in Butte, Mont.

I'm the father of a 10 year old girl myself. I know how important birthdays are.

Here's my birthday wishes for you. I'll be going to my father in law's later today for a cookout. You and he share a birth date with this country. Born on the 4th of July. And I'm going to be talking to him about you and your father. I hope both you and my father in law have wonderful birthdays.

John Edwards to Debate Karl Rove

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 10:54:56 AM PDT

I apologize for the brevity here, but the prospect is too juicy not to pass along:

GOP strategist Karl Rove and former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards will debate the issues of the presidential campaign Sept. 26 as part of the [University of Buffalo's]  Distinguished Speakers Series, The Buffalo News has learned.

Tickets go on sale later this month.  You can find out more details, including some ticket information, here.

The Mirrors of Reason

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 10:04:57 AM PDT

(Cross posted from Docudharma)

"Modern man likes to pretend that his thinking is wide-awake. But this wide-awake thinking has led us into the mazes of a nightmare in which the torture chambers are endlessly repeated in the mirrors of reason."

Octavio Paz

WE-DO-NOT-TORTURE

Early warning - The time to prepare is now.

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 09:43:04 AM PDT

This article, in the Roanoke Times, should be a heads up to everyone in the country.

Roanoke, Virginia is in a very temperate region, with winter temperatures falling from slightly below 20 degrees and rising to a high of over 100 degrees, with an annual average of between 60 degrees and 80 degrees.

With the startling statement:

No matter how you heat, be prepared for costs to rise significantly this winter.

our local newspaper is delivering a dire warning and begging for people to begin to prepare for the coming Fall/Winter season.

Saying Goodbye ... And a New Beginning

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 07:58:19 AM PDT

I’d like to invite everyone to take a journey with me over the next year and a half.  It’s a farewell to our beloved farm, and the beginning of a new one.  In the course of it, I hope to give y’all a glimpse into the real life of a farm and the practices of sustainable ranching.  And I'll share a few pictures of our farm, including some adorable baby lambs, along the way.

My husband and I have a small, organic (not-certified) farm just outside of Austin, Texas. I bought this place after I graduated law school ten years ago.   I’ll post about my transition from environmental attorney to farmer another day.  For now, suffice to say that I am a student of holistic management and eco-agriculture.  

This diary is cross posted at
La Vida Locavore

Mojo Friday - Yankee Doodle Dandy - Edition

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 07:28:48 AM PDT

I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
A Yankee Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
Born on the Fourth of July

I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart
She's my Yankee Doodle joy
Yankee Doodle came to London
Just to ride the ponies
I am the Yankee Doodle Boy

 
by George M. Cohan

 
Maybe you remember James Cagney playing the role of George Cohan in the movie by the same name. It was another of those films Hollywood put out during WWII to boost morale and patriotism. But, beyond some one born on the Fourth of July what is a Yankee Doodle? I have two ex-BIL's who where born on the Fourth of July, notice I said ex.

Americans with junk insurance head for bankruptcy court

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 06:50:29 AM PDT

Cross posted on Guaranteed Healthcare.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is a part of the United States Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits the United States Congress from making laws "respecting an establishment of religion" (the Establishment Clause) or that prohibit free exercise of religion (the Free Exercise Clause), laws that infringe the freedom of speech, infringe the freedom of the press, limit the right to peaceably assemble, or limit the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Before I tell you about the crushing healthcare burdens destroying Americans of every socioeconomic level, I hope those of you too young to remember, will take a look at this video about how my generation changed the course of a nation.

STAY TUNED SO YOU DON'T MISS ANYTHING!

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 06:28:28 AM PDT

Photobucket


THIS ELECTION IS GOING TO BE A BARN BURNER SO DON'T YOU TURN OFF CNN AND CNBC AND MSNBC BECAUSE IF YOU DO YOU'LL BE REALLY, REALLY SORRY AND YOU'LL BE THE LAST TO KNOW SOMETHING YOU WISH YOU WERE THE FIRST TO KNOW!

SERIOUSLY THIS ELECTION IS ESSENTIALLY TIED AND IF YOU TURN OFF THAT TELEVISION YOU MAY DIE OF "NOT KNOWING SOMETHING" DISEASE WHICH IS VERY PAINFUL AND TOTALLY EMBARRASSING... WORSE EVEN THAN THAT TIME IN HIGH SCHOOL WHEN YOU WENT OUT FOR GYM WITHOUT PUTTING YOUR SHORTS ON.


... a new nation, conceived in liberty

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 04:51:58 AM PDT

and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

ALL MEN.

That should have included Brandon Mayfield, but the FBI lied about his fingerprint. For those lies, and more, it cost us $2 milion.

That should have included Steve Hatfield, but Attorney General Ashcroft called him a person of interest. For those words and more, it cost us $4.6 million.

That should have included John Walker Lindh, but we denied his repeated requests for a lawyer, and we stripped him, blindfolded him, bound him, and held him  in a shipping container.  For that treatment he got 20 years, but it cost us our honesty

That should have included Jose Padila and Yaser Esam Hamdi.  Hell, it should have included Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

we hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. . .

Words, only words . . .

“Help me, please, I’m dying." Updated

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 01:05:00 AM PDT

That was the plea of another casualty of the Iraq occupation.  But it wasn't cried out on the far off battlefields in the deserts of Iraq, it was cried from behind the door of a small home in Pinehurst, NC on June 28th, as the police kicked in the door.  On June 28th, Doc Dywer died of an overdose trying to suppress his demons.  He died at an oh-so-young, but for many combat veterans an oh-so-old 31 years of age, leaving behind an estranged wife and daughter.

But rather than going on to enjoy the public affection for his act of heroism, he was consumed by the demons of combat stress he could not exorcise. For the medic who cared for the wounds of his combat buddies as they pushed toward Baghdad, the battle for his own health proved too much to bear.

"It doesn't mean you have a disorder that is going to be longstanding ... it is not just a federal responsibility, it is a national responsibility." - VA Secretary Peake

Barack-Iraq-Gate: Anatomy of a Media Smear [vid]

Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 10:32:19 PM PDT

Today's media freakout on "refining" provided some great material to expose the bias and stupidity of many in the MSM.

In this video, I focus on the "reporting" of CNN, which pulled a classic case of: "Obama must respond to these allegations because he's facing questions" without noting that CNN was the outfit that had raised the questions in the first place.

Also, just so you've been warned, I've recently begun narrating some of my videos -- and this is one of them. On the bright side, you can find out that I am after all a real person, and that my name really is Jed.


Video links: YouTube | The Jed Report

Secret World Bank Report: Biofuels Causing Food Crisis

Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 08:32:39 PM PDT

Corn ethanol and biofuels production has driven global food prices up 75%, triggering a global food crisis according to a secret World Bank report revealed by the London Guardian. The report was apparently kept secret to protect the United States which is most responsible for the diversion of food to fuel. The World Bank, released a report on Wednesday, July 2, on the jump in food prices without specifying the cause (PDF).

Food prices have accelerated sharply in 2008. Grain prices have more than doubled since January 2006, with over 60% of the rise in food prices occurring since January 2008 (Figure 1). Individual grain staple prices have increased even more, with monthly average wheat prices doubling since January 2006. Rice prices more than tripled between January and May 2008.

Top Comments: Duck & Wabbit Season Edition

Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 07:01:56 PM PDT

Yo! Here at Top Comments we strive to recognize and promote the talent of this community by highlighting outstanding comments found throughout the day by the diarist, and more importantly through nominations made at TopComments at gmail dot com by your fellow Kossacks. Include your username so we can credit you, and send 'em in by 9:45pm Eastern to ensure they make the final diary.

These nominations are subjective, and certainly not complete (as no one can read the complete site on a daily basis!). But we hope they will serve to shine a light where deserved, and to give the reader a good starting point in finding conversation on the site.

Please come in and make yourself at home...

I Dread Tomorrow Night

Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 04:13:46 PM PDT

When I was a kid, I used to love the 4th of July.  My parents raised me to be a patriotic American, one who loves his country even despite her flaws.  Every 4th, we'd pack the whole family up and have a picnic at Stone Mountain Park.  We'd eat sandwiches, toss a frisbee, play gin, and wait for the sun to go down.  Then came the laser show, one which featured outlining, then animating,  the Confederate generals carved into the rock (this is the South, and, unfortunately, Confederate pride will never go out of style).  Then came the fireworks.  A gigantic, ear-splitting fireworks display, made louder by the soundwave echo slamming against the mountain, bound for our tender eardrums.  It was beautiful, true rocket's red glare and mid-air bomb bursts.  

These days I dread the 4th. It's not for the jingoism I was too young to understand as a child, which irks me, but I try not to let other's infantile politics change the spirit of the holiday for me.  The real reason is I'm not much for fireworks anymore.  I haven't been since I came back from Iraq.

Karl Rove has ARRIVED!!

Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 03:44:48 PM PDT

This was the lede 2 hours ago.  This is an attempt to paint Senator Barack Obama as a Waffler.

First let me state CLEARLY, there is no change, there has never been any change, and there will be no change in Barack Obama's position on ending the Iraq war.  He has been saying since he entered the race that after "consultation" with the Generals on the ground, he would issue an order to the Joint Chiefs to prepare an immediate plan to end the war.  He has said it will take 18 months, at the rate of one to two brigades per month, to get the troops home.  He has said it may be necessary to leave a few troops in place to guard the embassy, and finalize the training of Iraqi police and military.  That's what he said, that's what he is saying, and that is what he will do.

That is NOT how the raving Cable Guys and Gals are presenting a deliberate misreading of a statement he made this morning.  And, although we know the press can't do nuance, this has Karl's sticky finger all over it.

Markos, you Blockhead.... let me boil it down for you on FISA

Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 02:59:54 PM PDT

Today Barack Obama wrote:

This was not an easy call for me... It grants retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that may have violated the law by cooperating with the Bush Administration's program of warrantless wiretapping. This potentially weakens the deterrent effect of the law and removes an important tool for the American people to demand accountability for past abuses. That's why I support striking Title II from the bill, and will work with Chris Dodd, Jeff Bingaman and others in an effort to remove this provision in the Senate.

Yet today Markos was a blockhead when he wrote:

Bottom line is that Obama wants to cave on FISA not because of "moving to the center" concerns, but because they are afraid of television ads claiming Obama is inviting terrorists over for BBQ.

Really, did he email you that, because he did send us a message you know...

Poll

Barack Obama's Statement today

50%1907 votes
34%1286 votes
9%343 votes
6%233 votes

| 3769 votes | Vote | Results


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