According to the White House – how health insurance reform will expand and strengthen coverage: * This year, children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance coverage. Once the new health insurance exchanges begin in the coming years, pre-existing condition discrimination will become a thing of the past for everyone. * This
Read on »Posts Tagged: White House
More Abu Graib Photos
For quite some time, the Bush Administration has been withholding the worst of the photos of torture and prisoner abuse at Abu Graib prison, citing concerns about sparking more terrorism if they release the photos. The courts have ordered the remaining photos released by the White House keeps stalling. I think they’re more worried about
Read on »Georgia Vegan Protestors Arrested for writing down License Plate
In Georgia, the Department of Homeland Security was conducting surveillance of anti-war rallies and vegan protests. At the vegan protest, Caitlin Childs, a vegetarian activist, realized that she was under surveillance and wrote down the license place of the DHS agent who was monitoring her. She was then arrested for doing so. Note, this is
Read on »Bush illegal spying finds nothing of value
According to the Washington Post: Intelligence officers who eavesdropped on thousands of Americans in overseas calls under authority from President Bush have dismissed nearly all of them as potential suspects after hearing nothing pertinent to a terrorist threat, according to accounts from current and former government officials and private-sector sources with knowledge of the technologies
Read on »FISA is a SECRET Court
Alberto Gonzales just claimed that the Bush Administration shouldn’t have to get warrants to spy on American citizens because “we’re at war, and there has to be a measure of secrecy.” But the court they get the warrants from, the FISA court, is a SECRET court. They have top-secret clearances, and everything is done quickly
Read on »Iraqi Invasion: A Text Misadventure
Defective Yeti writes a hilarious text adventure game similar to the classic Zork, only you’re George Bush. Naturally, you’re pretty stupid. Iraqi Invasion: A Text Misadventure Revision 88 / Serial number 54892 Oval Office You are standing inside a White House, having just been elected to the presidency of the United States. You knew Scalia
Read on »Bush Asks for Google Users Personal Search Information
And if the last story wasn’t enough to make want to laugh and cry at the same time, try this one: not content with fumbling the ball in Iraq and listening in on you while you talk to your family members in England, the Bush Administration is demanding Google’s search records, according to numerous news
Read on »Jill Carroll and “Negotiating with Terrorists”
Not to lean on Katic Couric this morning, but she deserves this one, too… She had a story this morning on Jill Carroll, the American reporter kidnapped in Iraq by insurgents. She interviewed a fellow journalist (a pretty level-headed guy) about her, and he spoke well of Jill and her style of reporting. And she
Read on »Illegal wiretaps gained no successful information at all
According to the New York Times, today: WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 – In the anxious months after the Sept. 11 attacks, the National Security Agency began sending a steady stream of telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and names to the F.B.I. in search of terrorists. The stream soon became a flood, requiring hundreds of agents to check
Read on »Are we in more danger today than our founding fathers were?
Al Gore makes a damned good point in his recent speech… our founding fathers were tough enough to fight for our country without compromising freedom, so why are we doing it now? Fear drives out reason. Fear suppresses the politics of discourse and opens the door to the politics of destruction. Justice Brandeis once wrote:
Read on »Bite me, George
“I expect there to be an honest debate about Iraq… people can help by making sure the tone of this debate is respectful and is mindful about what messages out of the country can do for morale of our troops… One way people can help as we’re coming down the pike in the 2006 elections
Read on »Secret Pentagon study says body armor could have saved 80% of troops
The New York Times is reporting that a secret pentagon study shows 1,700 troops wouldn’t be dead if they had been given the body armor that they’ve been asking for. Extra Armor Could Have Saved Many Lives, Study Shows By MICHAEL MOSS A secret Pentagon study has found that at least 80 percent of the
Read on »The Truth Comes Out: NSA spying on Christiane Amanpour
Reporters are starting to ask the question… have they been spied in these illegal wiretaps that were done without warrants or judicial oversite. And specifically, one journalist’s name has come up as having been monitored — CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. Americablog.com examines what the ramifications of that might be. NBC confirms that they’re investigating whether Amanpour
Read on »White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan’s mom leaves Republican Party
Scott McClellan’s mother, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, announces she’s leaving the GOP and running for Governor in Texas as an Independent against Republican Gov. Rick Perry.
Read on »Bloggers publishing leaked torture memos
Bloggers around the world are reprinting and publishing leaked memos from former UK ambassador Craig Murray, who divulged information on secret torture programs in Uzbekistan the benefit the United States and the UK. Boing Boing has a complete post on the subject, including links to the leaked memos, and information on a woman who was
Read on »how much brush is on that ranch, anyway?
From three recent White Houlse press briefings: December 27 Good morning. Let me update you on the President’s schedule. Yesterday, after arriving, he went out and did some cutting and clearing brush, and then was at his home on the ranch. December 28 The President had his normal intelligence and daily briefings this morning, and
Read on »blowing up commuter trains, weddings, and churches?
Really? When did this happen? In Crawford, Texas, where Bush is spending the holidays, his spokesman, Trent Duffy, defended what he called a “limited program.” “This is not about monitoring phone calls designed to arrange Little League practice or what to bring to a potluck dinner,” he told reporters. “These are designed to monitor calls
Read on »Take MSNBC’s Survey
MSNBC has a poll you can take on the Bush spy scandal…
Read on »The Dynamic of a Bush Scandal: How the Spying Story Will Unfold (and Fade)
Sadly, Peter Daou’s analysis of the current spying scandal, in the context of the numerous other impeachable offenses the president has committed, is entirely correct. Bush commits a crime, the media fumbles the story, the Republicans front for him, the Democrats back down, the public gets confused, and eventually the story fades and the crimes
Read on »Absolute Power corrupts absolutely
Obsidian wings has some commentary: September 11 started the war. When will it end? Maybe never. Where is the battlefield? The entire world, including the United States. Who is an enemy combatant? Anyone the President says is an enemy combatant, including a U.S. citizen–no need for a charge, no need for a trial, no need
Read on »Local FBI spying on vegan groups
In another article about the domestic spying on left-wing organizations, this time from the New York Times, the article mentions in passing: One F.B.I. document indicates that agents in Indianapolis planned to conduct surveillance as part of a “Vegan Community Project.” Wow. If they’re spying on vegetarians in Indy, what do you think they’re doing
Read on »Bush Illegally spies on US Citizens
According to the New York Times, and later also reported by the Washington Post: Bush Secretly Lifted Some Limits on Spying in U.S. After 9/11, Officials Say Months after the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for evidence
Read on »Bush Dimbulbs
How many Bush administration officials does it take to change a light bulb? None. There’s nothing wrong with that light bulb. There is no need to change anything. We made the right decision and nothing has happened to change our minds. People who criticize this light bulb now, just because it doesn’t work anymore, supported
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