Dear Michelle Bachmann, You Really Belong in The Republican Party

It's Smoot - Halley, you idiot.



Michelle Bachmann is typical of the Know Nothing Republicans. She knows just enough history to know the difference between Teddy Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Although I am not so sure she knows which came first.

Larry Summers Shows Us His Real Stuff

Dear Larry,

You, President Obama's chief economic advisor fell asleep during a meeting with credit card execs yesterday. You defended your White House nap on Sunday, saying that, with a topic "boring enough to put you to sleep," you were just trying to achieve your own American Dream.

Millions of Americans are working two or three jobs to pay credit card bills. Millions of Americans are losing their homes paying credit card and other bills. And you fall asleep because the subject is "boring." You have demonstrated just how out of touch you multizillion-dollar- half- million-dollar-a-year people really are. Believe me, we don't think it is boring at all. We lose sleep trying to pay our bills. Draconian, arbitrary and punitive credit card practices are life and death to us.

Thank you, Larry Summers. You have shown us the true face of the Washington Power Establishment. Asleep in the midst of national crisis.

Sincerely,


NEWSGUY

Dear Readers (Both of You)

Dear Readers,

It's late. I don't want to write anything. I'm tired out from doing nothing all day. Here are a couple of links from the New York Times, about America's torture program.

Paul Krugman pounds Obama for ignoring the importance of prosecuting the torturers.

Frank Rich targets Judge Jay Bybee, who it is now reported is sorry he signed off on torture. Bybee, now a judge on the 9th circuit, should be sorry. I just hope he is a hell of a lot sorrier when he gets his ass impeached and loses his cushy lifetime appointment.

None of the others should be left off the hook, either. Woo, Addington, Cheney, Bush, even Condoleeza Rice, who it is reported, also signed off on sadistic treatment of prisoners. All War Criminals and should be treated as such.

Regards,


Newsguy

A Crack in the Dam Grows Wider

Dear Cheney and Woo and Bybee and George W. Bush and other Team Bush Torturers,

Your days of freedom from prosecution may be over.
Spain is already threatening to indict some of our home-grown American War Criminals.

The crack in the dam opened with the White House release of the Bush Torture Memos, those documents featuring tortured legal language justifying waterboarding, slamming prisoners' heads against walls, tormenting their children with insects, and more.

And now the House Judiciary Committee is preparing to hold hearings on those Torture Memos.

But that's not all.

President Obama himself has said it is up to the Justice Department to decide what to do about investigations and prosecution of the authors of the memos authorizing torture.

But wait, there's more. A report by the Senate Armed Services Committee released today says that torture techniques approved by the Bush administration were based on Chinese Communist techniques. Michigan Senator Carl Levin (D) has written to Attorney General Eric Holder recommending a panel to look more closely at the issues raised by the Torture Memos with an eye to prosecution.

Meanwhile we are waiting for another shoe to drop. That would be the report on torture by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility. Coming soon at a Web site near you. Stay tuned.

How about that, Oval Office Torture Enthusiasts? Feeling a little uncomfortable lately? Looking over your shoulder to see if some FBI boys with the dark glasses and the narrow ties are on your trail? Not booking any overseas flights for fear you might come under arrest by a foreign law enforcement officer?

There's a crack in the dam, and with any luck we may soon experience a full-on flood.

Regards,

NEWSGUY

We Need to Keep the Pressure ON

Dear President Obama,

Many of us were appalled that you would announce no prosecution for Bush era officials engaged in torture. But there has been lots of pressure lately for a reversal of that stance. For example, here is part of a story in today's New York Times:

WASHINGTON — Pressure mounted on President Obama on Monday for more thorough investigation into harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects under the Bush administration, even as he tried to reassure the Central Intelligence Agency that it would not be blamed for following legal advice.

President Obama, in a visit to C.I.A. headquarters on Monday, said employees of the agency would not be prosecuted for taking part in harsh interrogations.

Mr. Obama said it was time to admit “mistakes” and “move forward.” But there were signs that he might not be able to avoid a protracted inquiry into the use of interrogation techniques that the president’s top aides and many critics say crossed the line into torture.

And while Mr. Obama vowed not to prosecute C.I.A. officers for acting on legal advice, on Monday aides did not rule out legal sanctions for the Bush lawyers who developed the legal basis for the use of the techniques.

It is time for everyone to write to our Senators, our Congressional Representatives and the White House. Or call the White House. THey keep track of those calls. (202) 456-1111.

Sincerely,

Newsguy

Hey John Woo, Your Name is Up in Lights! Your Mom Must be SO PROUD!

To John Yoo, War Criminal, you're on a theatre marquee in Oakland, CA



Judge Bybee, you're next.


Regards,


NEWSGUY

LINK to Bush Torture Memos

To all those who continue to support the the War Criminal, (former) President George W. Bush:

Here it is on the ACLU Web site. The George W. Bush torture memos. These constitute the true legacy of the Bush presidency. Torture documented, just as the Nazis documented their torture. Read the Bush torture memos and weep. We knew about all this all along, but we never had the actual smoking gun before.

This makes me ashamed of my country. It makes me ashamed of having had a George W. Bush sitting in the Oval Office. It is making me ashamed that we have a president now, Obama who declares he will not prosecute those who tortured in our name. It makes me ashamed and embarrassed and angry that the torturers will go free without prosecution. And it makes me afraid that someday it will happen again.


The Bush officials listed at The Public Record, include:

....former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; John Yoo, the former Justice Department lawyer who wrote secret legal opinions saying President George W. Bush had the authority to circumvent the Geneva Conventions, Douglas Feith, the former undersecretary of defense for policy; William Haynes II, former general counsel for the Department of Defense; Jay Bybee, Yoo's former boss at the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel and now a Federal judge; and David Addington, chief of staff and legal adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney.

For those who may be a bit fuzzy on the history of the Nazis who invaded a country without cause and practiced torture among its many other war crimes, here is a link to The Nuremberg Trials.

Sincerely,


Newsguy

Letter to the President, Who Says He Won't Prosecute Bush era Torturers

Dear President Obama, You say you don't wish to upset the applecart by prosecuting the Bush era torturers? 

Now it turns out they actually tortured the CHILDREN of suspected terrorists.

 The Raw Story is reporting this story.  I haven't seen it reported on TV news anywhere. And I missed Obberman the other day, but this was his commentary, blasting Obama for not prosecuting those who tortured prisoners in US custody:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Olbermann is right. THe Bush criminals should be prosecuted. Olbermann is a certified liberal. Can you imagine any Republican or conservative criticizing one if its own? Never.

Finally! Top Bush Officials to be Indicted for Torture

Dear Alberto Gonzalez and all your little criminal friends:

You should know about Justice. After all, you were Attorney General of the Bush Justice Department. Or was that the Injustice Department? Well, lookee here, some justice is coming your way.

From The Daily Beast:

Spanish prosecutors will seek criminal charges against Alberto Gonzales and five high-ranking Bush administration officials for sanctioning torture at Guantánamo. By Scott Horton.


Spanish prosecutors have decided to press forward with a criminal investigation targeting former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and five top associates over their role in the torture of five Spanish citizens held at Guantánamo, several reliable sources close to the investigation have told The Daily Beast. Their decision is expected to be announced on Tuesday before the Spanish central criminal court, the Audencia Nacional, in Madrid. But the decision is likely to raise concerns with the human-rights community on other points: They will seek to have the case referred to a different judge.

Wonderful news. Too bad we Americans had to let it to a foreign country to mete out justice. What's wrong with American Justice? Plenty, I am afraid.

Regards,

NEWSGUY

Here is What the Taliban is All About

Dear Pakistan, We give you billions of taxpayer dollars. You are supposed to be a friend of the United States. And yet you cede a part of your country to these religious criminals, the Taliban, who have now revealed themselves in a video shot on a cell phone.

This video shows a 17 year old girl being constrained and whipped by four big brave men. Her crime? Walking outside her house with her father in law. Or refusing to marry some other Taliban creep. Accounts differ.


Nice bunch that Taliban. From the Los Angeles Times story on the Taliban in Pakistan:

Over the last two years, they also burned down nearly 200 schools that provided education to girls and beheaded dozens of local officials and paramilitary troops, terrorizing anyone who dared speak against them.

And this is a country that owns nukes.

NEWSGUY

Obama Follows Bush Policy: No Disclosure in Illegal Wiretaps

Dear Mr. President:

What are you thinking? Defending the illegal Bush wiretapping? More trashing of the 4th Amendment? Giving Cheney and company a free pass? We all thought you were about CHANGE!

From The Raw Story:

President Barack Obama invoked "state secrets" to prevent a court from reviewing the legality of the National Security Agency's warantless wiretapping program, moving late Friday to have a lawsuit that challenged the program dismissed.

In attempting to block a San Fransisco court from reviewing documents relating to the NSA program, the Obama Administration is also protecting other individuals named as defendants in the suit: Vice President Dick Cheney, former Cheney chief of staff David Addington and former Bush Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

The lawsuit was filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

And we thought Obama was all about Change. Protecting these criminals and their criminal activity is not change.

NEWSGUY

Steel Panther in the BIG APPLE!

CONGRATULATIONS, STEEL PANTHER! You have cracked the Big Apple!

I have known the lead singer, "Michael Starr" of Steel Panther since he was a little kid. I knew him by an entirely different name, which is still his real name. I worked in TV with his stepdad.

"Michael Starr" fronts an 80s headbanging longhair rocknroll band. And I got notice from his stepdad that they have finally hit New York City. This is after playing the Sunset Strip and the Southern California casinos and Vegas and other gigs all over the country. They used to be known as "Metal Skool," and also as "Atomic Punks". There is a video of them in the Big Apple on their My Space Page. Don't go there if you are easily offended. They are beyond raunchy.

Funny thing, last night, I just watched (for about the third time) "This is Spinal Tap," a band that reminds me a lot of Steel Panther. Here's one of Steel Panther's songs, "Fat Girl.



If you have ever seen "This is Spinal Tap," you will immediately recognize Steel Panther. Spinal Tap was an imaginary British band that became an actual band issuing real albums.

Steel Panther is a real band patterning itself on some of the rocknroll excesses of the 1980s. They are funny and crude and good musicians. They also have a Web site.

Will Someone Tell the Media That McCain LOST?

I have been seeing way too much of John McCain on television lately. What's with that? As Media Matters notes, the media treated Gore and Kerry like untouchable pariahs when they lost and told them both to shut up after Bush "won" the 2000 and 2004 elections. But McCain, like a bad penny, just keeps turning up in front of the TV cameras. Here's an example:

I Love Republicans. And I Love Their Budget

Dear Republicans,

I adore Rush. I am a big fan of Glen Beck. Michele Bachmann is a fox and a mighty smart fox at that. And that Republican Budget! Did you guys somehow manage to channel Einstein for his superior brain power in order to come up with this absolute gem? No kidding.

To begin with, you want to freeze discretionary spending for the next five years. BRILLIANT! I agree with you and my hero, President Ronald Reagan that Government is the Problem. Get government out of the way, shrink it so small you could drown it in a bathtub. That's the ticket. We don't need more regulation, we need LESS, like the kind of regulation that got us into this mess in the first place. Oh, wait... Well there must be some technical thing I don't understand about regulation. Less regulation, and less government spending, I say. Let's do it the way Herbert Hoover did it. That's going to be the solution.

And then there's tax cuts for all the really really rich people. Good idea. So they can trickle down on us. Trickle, trickle trickle.

Some spoil sports say the super rich tax cuts would cost the government $4 trillion. Four trillion dollars. Well, so what, the super rich people all worked hard to earn their money and they should be allowed to keep it.

the Huffpost reports:

The Republican budget blueprint released last week called for "a marginal tax rate for income up to $100,000 of 10 percent and 25 percent for any income thereafter," which would result in a massive reduction in government revenue and a generous tax break for the wealthy, who currently pay a 35 percent rate.

And then there's this description of the GOP budget from Buzzflash:

...a 53-page journey through Gilded Age unenlightenment and Hooverite Babbittry. Tax cuts galore -- personal tax cuts, corporate tax cuts, a capital gains holiday -- and, naturally, the macroeconomic anaconda of a government spending freeze, excepting, just as naturally, defense.

Well, if the poor and middle class taxpayers don't like paying more taxes under the Republican plan, let them work hard and get rich so they too can qualify for the super rich tax cut. It's the American way.

Thank you Republicans in the House, for showing us exactly what Republicans are made of. Stern 14th Century Stuff.

Regards,


NEWSGUY

(april fool)

AMAZON, Why Are You Visiting Us?

Dear Amazon,

I notice that your people have been lurking on this site. A half dozen or so with ISPs identified as being from Amazon.com have visited this site. Now it is unusual for anyone to visit this site. Almost anyone at all. So why are we all of a sudden getting so many hits connected with Amazon.com ISPs?

We think it may have something to do with the fact that we have identified a scam that purports to be associated with Amazon, but which Amazon is ignoring. Why would Amazon allow scam artists to sully their good names? Beats me.

For details, see below. No not the Cheney crime story. The one below that.

Regards,

NEWSGUY