"Current Defense Secretary Robert Gates has scrapped an institution established by his predecessor Donald Rumsfeld to rapidly counter messages in the press that the Pentagon considered negative, according to a report in Friday's Washington Times."The Raw Story | Pentagon kills Rumsfeld 'propaganda' unit
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Ron Paul is the US Military's #1 Choice | Students for Ron Paul"Yes you heard me right. Now that all Q2 financial reports from both sides are publicized we can see who is getting money from where.
It has been no surprise that the contributions from the US Navy, US Army, US Air Force, and US Veterans tends to favor the Republican Party but what might be a little surprising is that Congressman Ron Paul leads the pack overall with more contributions than even Senator John McCain. Here are the numbers (in dollars) as compiled by eaglescout over at TheSpinFactor.com:
NAME: TOTAL [ARMY] [NAVY] [AIRFORCE] [VETERAN]RON PAUL: 23,465 [6,975] [6,765] [4,650] [5,075]
McCain: 15,825 [6925] [6305] [1795] [800]
Romney: 3,551 [2,051] [0] [1500] [0]
Rudy: 2,320 [1,450] [370] [250] [250]
Hunter: 1000 [0] [1000] [0]
Richardson: 800 [50] [750] [0]
Huckabee: 750 [250] [0] [500]
Tancredo: 350 [350] [0] [0]
Brownback: 71 [71] [0] [0]
Thompson: 0 [0] [0] [0]
Units are contributions in dollars by employees of the respective military organizations (all numbers can be found via the FEC Website )."
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"Nearly 12 percent of U.S. Army recruits who entered basic training this year needed a special waiver for those with criminal records, a dramatic increase over last year and more than twice the percentage four years ago, according to new Army statistics obtained by the Globe."Almost 12% of U.S. Army recruits required waivers for criminal records - International Herald Tribune
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"The very first thing we can do, all of us who respond so well to Ron Paul’s message, is recognize that we are brothers and sisters. We already know just by this association that we agree with each other on all the important issues facing this country. We need each other, desperately. If I regret anything about my last attempt to express these thoughts, it’s that I helped feed any divisiveness between people who really should just be joyfully running to hug each other."Liberty For All » Blog Archive » What can I do for Ron Paul?
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"The President's Intelligence Oversight Board -- the principal civilian watchdog of the intelligence community -- is obligated under a 26-year-old executive order to tell the attorney general and the president about any intelligence activities it believes "may be unlawful." The board was vacant for the first two years of the Bush administration."In Intelligence World, A Mute Watchdog - washingtonpost.com
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Charles Shaw Chardonnay, better known as "Two Buck Chuck," beat hundreds of other wines and was named the top prize in a prestigious tasting competition in California.6abc.com: California's Wine Surprise
"The characteristics that we look for in our gold medal winner & a nice creamy butter, fruity & it was a delight to taste," said 2007 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition judge Michael Williams.
The affordable wine beat out 350 other California chardonnays to win the double gold. Second place went to an $18 bottle, and the most expensive wines at the event, at the price of $55, didn't even medal.
To find this prize winner, you need not go to a fancy wine shop or elite retailer. Charles Shaw Chardonnay is mass produced in California and only sold through the quirky Trader Joe's grocery stores.
"We choose to sell good quality wines at $2 a bottle because we think it's a fair price," winemaker Fred Franzia told ABC News' Ryan Owens. "We think the other people are charging too much."
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"President Vladimir Putin signed a decree suspending Russia's participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty due to "extraordinary circumstances ... which affect the security of the Russian Federation and require immediate measures," the Kremlin said in a statement."
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"The nation's largest Catholic archdiocese has settled its abuse casesL.A. archdiocese to pay $660M for abuse - Yahoo! News
for $660 million, by far the largest payout in the church's sexual
abuse scandal, The Associated Press has learned."
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"Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Saturday that the Iraqi army and police are capable of keeping security in the country when American troops leave "any time they want," though he acknowledged the forces need further weapons and training."Iraq PM: Country Can Manage Without U.S. - Forbes.com
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"Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki shrugged off U.S. doubts of his government’s military and political progress on Saturday, saying Iraqi forces are capable and American troops can leave “any time they want.”Crooks and Liars » al-Maliki says US Troops can leave any time they want
One of his top aides, meanwhile, accused the United States of embarrassing the Iraqi government by violating human rights and treating his country like an “experiment in a U.S. lab.”"
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"With President Bush’s popularity scraping bottom in opinion polls, with U.S. casualties rising in Iraq in a force surge that has stretched soldier tours to 15 months, the Bush administration July 10 said it “strongly opposes” key military pay and benefit gains tossed into their fiscal 2008 defense bill."Bigger Military Raise, Better Benefits Hit
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"Howie Klein: Another Republican sex scandal. Rep. David Almond (R-NC) is forced to resign after a "personal complaint" comes to light."AlterNet: Blogs: PEEK: Republican Rep. Exposed Himself to Female Employee, Chased Her Screaming, "Suck It"
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"The phone number for GOP political operative/conservative pundit, John (Jack) M. Burkman Jr. - Principal J.M. Burkman & Associates, Arlington, VA - appears in the database of phone records of the ‘DC Madam.’"Crooks and Liars » GOP Pundit Outed In DC Madam Scandal
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Inhabitat » FLOATING WIND TURBINES IN THE NORTH SEAPowered by ScribeFire.
"The Iraqi government is unlikely to meet any of the political and security goals or timelines President Bush set for it in January when he announced a major shift in U.S. policy, according to senior administration officials closely involved in the matter. As they prepare an interim report due next week, officials are marshaling alternative evidence of progress to persuade Congress to continue supporting the war."Administration Shaving Yardstick for Iraq Gains - washingtonpost.com
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Bill O'Reilly: "We can’t force these people to stop killing each other. They’re either going to do it or they’re not, but now they know. Now they know. They’ve got six months and that’s it. [The O’Reilly Factor, 1/24/07]"Think Progress » TIME’S UP ON ESCALATION
Charles Krauthammer: "And I think we ought to give him and the president the benefit of the gap — of the doubt, give them six months and see if it can be controlled. [Fox News, 1/12/07]"
Bill Kristol: "It’s so irresponsible that they can’t be quiet for six or nine months and say the president has made a decision, we’re not going to change that decision, we’re not going to cut off funds and insist on the troops coming back, so let’s give it a chance to work. You really wonder, do they want it to work or not? I really wonder that. I hate to say this about the Democrats. They’re people I know personally and I respect some of them. Do they want it to succeed or not? [Fox News, 1/21/07]"
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""I took an oath the president, and I take that oath very seriously," Sara Taylor said in answer to a question early in the hearing.TPMmuckraker July 11, 2007 12:57 PM
And right after a break, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) asked her if she was sure about that. "Did you mean, perhaps, you took an oath to the Constitution?" Leahy asked. It was a telling exchange.
"I know that the president refers to the government being his government -- it's not," Leahy reminded her."
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"U.S. Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a proposal to give American troops in Iraq more rest from battle, as Democrats renewed their attempts to change President George W. Bush's Iraq policy."Senate Republicans stop more leave for troops - Yahoo! News
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"The U.S. invasion of Iraq proved that the U.N.'s intel—overruled by the Bush administration—had indeed been correct: Saddam no longer had WMD. But late last month, the U.S. and British governments pushed through the U.N. Security Council a vote to halt funding for UNMOVIC."WMDs: A U.N. Inspection Shutdown - Newsweek Periscope - MSNBC.com
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"In March, the Justice Department's Inspector General revealed that FBI agents had sent a flurry of fake emergency letters to phone companies, asking them to turn over phone records immediately by promising that the proper papers had been filed with U.S. attorneys, though in many cases this was a complete lie."Threat Level - Wired Blogs
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"Through a combination of gung-ho recklessness and criminal behaviour born of panic, a narrative emerges of an army that frequently commits acts of cold-blooded violence. A number of interviewees revealed that the military will attempt to frame innocent bystanders as insurgents, often after panicked American troops have fired into groups of unarmed Iraqis. The veterans said the troops involved would round up any survivors and accuse them of being in the resistance while planting Kalashnikov AK47 rifles beside corpses to make it appear that they had died in combat."'A dead Iraqi is just another dead Iraqi... You know, so what?' - Independent Online Edition > Americas
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“The spirit of volunteerism is thriving in the heartland — but not so much on the coasts. Midwesterners are more likely to volunteer their time than are people elsewhere in the United States, according to a government study released Monday. The highest rates were in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, where more than four in 10 adults volunteered. ‘It’s really about Minneapolis’ commitment to the quality of life,’ said Michael Weber, president and chief executive of Volunteers of America of Minnesota. ‘If you look at the entire society, it says we will give back to the community and take care of our society.’"Midwesterners rate high in volunteerism - The Arizona Republic
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"...these signing statements tend to move authority from the legislative branch to the executive, upsetting our delicate system of checks and balances. Next, these statements grant the president power not given by the Constitution, allowing him to usurp powers of the judicial branch. Finally, the idea of agencies refusing to enforce the law as enacted sets precedent for the type of run away administrative actions our constitution was expressly enacted in order to avoid."Signing Statements Erode Constitutional Balance - by Ron Paul
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“You no doubt remember how the Theopublicans tried to push through a Constitutional amendment to nationalize marriage by forbidding states to allow gay marriage. This was all about the ’sanctity of marriage.’ Allowing gays to marry was defiling and destructive. That’s what they said, these defenders of marriage. One US Senator waxed eloquently about his strong, Christian committment to his God and his family and explained why his country should have the same passion for morality that he does. … This ‘original co-author of the federal marriage amendment’ drove the point home with a photo of him smiling at his wife and child while resting his hand on the head of another child. … The Senator in question was Theopublican moralist David Vitter of Louisiana. He has made a career out of verbal gay bashing and his purported defense of marriage. And apparently at some point while he was defending traditional marriage he was banging hookers on the side.”Classically Liberal: Prostitute degrades self by banging moralistic Senator
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The Denver Post - Bush justice is a national disgraceAs a longtime attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, I can honestly say that I have never been as ashamed of the department and government that I serve as I am at this time.
The public record now plainly demonstrates that both the DOJ and the government as a whole have been thoroughly politicized in a manner that is inappropriate, unethical and indeed unlawful. The unconscionable commutation of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s sentence, the misuse of warrantless investigative powers under the Patriot Act and the deplorable treatment of U.S. attorneys all point to an unmistakable pattern of abuse.
In the course of its tenure since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Bush administration has turned the entire government (and the DOJ in particular) into a veritable Augean stable on issues such as civil rights, civil liberties, international law and basic human rights, as well as criminal prosecution and federal employment and contracting practices. It has systematically undermined the rule of law in the name of fighting terrorism, and it has sought to insulate its actions from legislative or judicial scrutiny and accountability by invoking national security at every turn, engaging in persistent fearmongering, routinely impugning the integrity and/or patriotism of its critics, and protecting its own lawbreakers. This is neither normal government conduct nor “politics as usual,” but a national disgrace of a magnitude unseen since the days of Watergate — which, in fact, I believe it eclipses.
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Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) apologized last night after his telephone number appeared in the phone records of the woman dubbed the “D.C. Madam,” making him the first member of Congress to become ensnared in the high-profile case.
The statement containing Vitter’s apology said his telephone number was included on phone records of Pamela Martin and Associates dating from before he ran for the Senate in 2004.
“This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible,” Vitter said in a statement. “Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling.”
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Army misses recruiting goal again, raises worry - Yahoo! NewsThe U.S. Army, strained by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, missed its recruiting goal for the second straight month in June, indicating a trend that some defense officials on Monday called worrying. The Army will announce the monthly data on Tuesday. Army spokesmen would not discuss the specific figures. But some defense officials said the Army significantly missed its June goal of 8,400 recruits. One official placed the shortfall at about 15 percent, a major gap for a typically strong month when recruiters normally find more willing young people fresh from high
school graduation. “We are fighting a war on two fronts,” one Pentagon official said. “Parental support has declined. That’s a big factor.”
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"U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., introduced legislation [on May 22] that would level the playing field for all in-store, catalog and online retailers so each has the same sales tax responsibilities," states Senator Enzi's website.Official Website of the Libertarian National Committee
While Enzi insists the bill "would not increase taxes," the Sales Tax Fairness and Simplification Act would open the door for states to charge sales tax on Internet sales. In contrast to his statement, a recent C-Net article states that Enzi warned that other taxes may zoom upward if his "mandatory sales tax collection" bill isn't passed."
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