Majority of Canadians Reject North American Union and Deeper Integration

On the heels of the Leader Summit in New Orleans, the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) received some more bad news as the North American Union agenda appears to be on the ropes especially in Canada. A poll commissioned by the Council of Canadians reveals that the majority of the country wants the Conservative minority government to protect water, energy, and public regulations, and to back off on integration with the United States.

In the poll, a whopping 86 percent of Canadians agree that the SPP should be debated in the House of Commons and submitted to a parliamentary vote.

Senator Coleman co-sponsors troubling, under-the-radar domestic terrorism bill

Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman is the Senate co-sponsor of a little-noticed domestic anti-terrorism bill that could carry us several steps closer to the good old days of the House Un-American Activities Committee and Joe McCarthy. The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act (S.1959) is currently in committee after passing the House last year with no media scrutiny and no real debate by a 404-6 margin. The primary sponsor of the Senate bill is fellow Republican Susan Collins of Maine.

White House defends NAFTA trade agreement, says `There's nothing broken, why fix it?'

"There's nothing broken. Why fix it?" said Dan Fisk, senior director of Western hemisphere affairs for National Security Council. He acknowledged the administration must do a better job of explaining the benefits of the agreement.

Both Clinton and Obama have threatened to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement to pressure Canada and Mexico to negotiate more protections for workers and the environment in the agreement. The accord has removed most barriers to trade and investment among the three countries.

Hear the Six Best Minutes of Tim Robbins' Controversial NAB Speech

Even as he came on stage to give the keynote address at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas, it was obvious that Tim Robbins' remarks had caused controversy backstage. The Academy Award-winning actor and critically acclaimed screenwriter, director and producer first indicated to the audience that he would not be giving his speech. Then, floor agents of the NAB organizers ordered journalists' video cameras turned off.

Feds Use Phone Bills to Get New York Times Sources on NSA Spy Program

Federal investigators are using phone records to figure out which federal officials talked with New York Times reporters about the government's secret wiretapping of Americans without court orders.

In the leak investigation, Justice Department officials are using phone records in an Arlington, Va. federal grand jury proceeding to ferret out James Risen's sources, according to the New York Times.
One presumes the government is using subpoenas or National Security Letters to get Risen or his suspected sources' phone records, then hauling former government officials in front of the grand jury.

Jon Stewart: Blasts Bush Administration on "Enhanced Interrorgation" methods (Video)

Jon Stewart and 'The Daily Show' lambasted, in the lively mix of satire and seriousness Stewart is famous for, President George W. Bush and key past and present members of his administration over their repeated assertions that the United States doesn't use torture against its enemies.

It was revealed last week that both President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney authorized, supported, and knew of the use of torturous tactics such as waterboarding during interrogations of suspected terrorists.

Feds to collect DNA from every person they arrest

The government plans to begin collecting DNA samples from anyone arrested by a federal law enforcement agency — a move intended to prevent violent crime but which also is raising concerns about the privacy of innocent people.

The new regulation would mean that the federal government could store DNA samples of people who are not guilty of any crime, said Jesselyn McCurdy, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union.

More airports to use 'whole body imaging' machines

Some travelers at key airports in New York and Los Angeles may be put through machines that see through clothing and provide a detailed image of a person's body beginning later this week.It's the first expansion of the program since the machines were first put to the test in Phoenix, Arizona.

The "whole body imaging" machines have sparked complaints from privacy advocates.

B.C. transit police stun fare cheaters with Taser

Transit police on SkyTrain stations in Metro Vancouver have used Taser stun guns on passengers who didn't pay the fare and tried to run away, CBC News has learned.Transit police have fired Tasers 10 times since January last year, and three cases involved non-violent suspects, according to internal police reports obtained by CBC News using access to information laws.

In one case, a person ran from transit cops during a check for free-riders and "the Taser was deployed as the subject fled," the documents say. Another person who didn't pay the fare was arrested but "grabbed onto the platform railing and refused to let go … the Taser was deployed."

Senator John McCain's Dickipedia profile (Satire)

John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is the senior United States Senator from Arizona, the presumptive Republican Party nominee in the 2008 presidential election, an angry old man, and a dick.
In the Republican Party, there are two kinds of dicks: those that support the Iraq War but were too cowardly to fight in a war when they had the chance, and, much less common, those that support the Iraq War and did fight in other wars when they had the chance. McCain is the latter kind of dick.

Senator Hillary Clinton's Dickipedia profile (Satire)

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947) is a senator, a presidential candidate, the wife of former president Bill Clinton, and a dick. Though she has claimed to be from New York, Arkansas, Washington, or anywhere else she’s up for election, Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton was actually born in Chicago, Illinois.
Sometimes Rodham, sometimes Clinton, sometimes Rodham Clinton (but never Rodham-Clinton), she has neither kept her maiden name nor fully taken her husband’s, thus allowing her, in true Hillary fashion, to have it both ways whenever the purpose suits her.

Senator Barack Obama's Dickipedia Profile (Satire)

Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. (born August 4, 1961) is a senator, presidential candidate, celebrity politician (or, “celebritician”), and a dick. He has also written the bestselling Dreams of My Father and Audacity of Hope, exactly the kind of books people “casually” leave lying open on their coffee tables right before a cocktail party.
It is important to note that Obama is not so much a dick by virtue of who he is, but rather by what he has chosen to involve himself in (e.g. presidential politics) and the resulting crowd it forces him to deal with (e.g. Joe Biden).
Viewed by many as an “alternative” candidate to “politics as usual,” Obama’s message of hope has coalesced supporters, captivated the electorate, and forced the excruciating protraction of an already lengthy lead-up to what by all accounts stands to be the most unendurable presidential election in U.S. history.

How Republicans, Quietly Hijacked the Justice Department, to Swing Elections (Not Satire)

The GOP may have committed massive vote fraud in plain sight by encouraging widespread voter purges and restricting registration campaigns. The following is an excerpted chapter by Steve Rosenfeld from the new book "Loser Take All," edited by Mark Crispin Miller (Ig Publishing, 2008).

Jim Crow has returned to American elections, only in the twenty-first century, instead of men in white robes or a barrel-chested sheriff menacingly patrolling voting precincts, we are more likely to see a lawyer carrying a folder filled with briefing papers and proposed legislation about "voter fraud" and other measures to supposedly protect the sanctity of the vote.

RFID with longer range to cut network costs

A LOS Angeles start-up says it has developed a way to dramatically increase the range of a popular wireless tracking technology, opening up many new applications for low-cost identification tags.

Closely held Mojix says its enhancements to radio frequency identification (RFID) sharply reduce the cost of setting up wireless networks to cover entire warehouses, stores, distribution centres and yards where heavy equipment is stored.

Such networks can be used to quickly locate goods and track their movements, without having to be close to a scanning device.

Will Ferrell Brings Back Bush Impersonation, Slams Jon Stewart (Video)

Will Ferrell dusted off his George W. Bush impersonation Sunday night to raise money for autism education. The cause, Comedy Central's "Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit For Autism Education," was started by "Saturday Night Live" writer Robert Smigel, who's son is autistic. Ferrell, as Bush, shared reflections of his legacy with host Jon Stewart.

SNL lampoons Petraeus hearings on Iraq (Video)

In last night's Saturday Night Live, a fictitious Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus has his own take on the recent report given on progress in Iraq, particularly the 30,000-troop "surge," to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"The Iraqi National Assembly finally approved a plan to extend its summer vacation by a month...Also, the Sunnis and the Shiites have agreed on a formula to share revenue from embezzled foreign aid and bribes paid to government officials."

TIME MAGAZINE DISCOVERS THAT OBAMA HAD A WHITE MOTHER

Each of us lives a life of contradictory truths. We are not one thing or another. Barack Obama's mother was at least a dozen things. S. Ann Soetoro was a teen mother who later got a Ph.D. in anthropology; a white woman from the Midwest who was more comfortable in Indonesia; a natural-born mother obsessed with her work; a romantic pragmatist, if such a thing is possible.

Ron Paul Questions, General Petraeus Avoids Answering

Ron Paul lays out some tough questions, and only asks for an immediate response to one of them. The question was whether President Bush could bomb Iran without the approval of Congress. However, Petraeus avoids answering, even though surely a Four-Star General should know whether it is legal to bomb a country without the approval of Congress or not.

What Clinton wishes she could say

Why, ask many Democrats and media commentators, won’t Hillary Rodham Clinton see the long odds against her, put her own ambitions aside, and gracefully embrace Barack Obama as the inevitable Democratic nominee?

Here is why: She and Bill Clinton both devoutly believe that Obama’s likely victory is a disaster-in-waiting. Naive Democrats just don’t see it. And a timid, pro-Obama press corps, in their view, won’t tell the story.

It's Obama: Carter and Gore to end Clinton bid

DEMOCRAT grandees Jimmy Carter and Al Gore are being lined-up to deliver the coup de grâce to Hillary Clinton and end her campaign to become president.
Falling poll numbers and a string of high-profile blunders have convinced party elders that she must now bow out of the primary race.

Former president Carter and former vice-president Gore have already held high-level discussions about delivering the message that she must stand down for the good of the Democrats.

The Man Banned by Digg Micheal Rivero of WhatReallyHappened.com

Dale Williams interviews Mike Rivero, webmaster of WhatReallyHappened.com. Most of the content on Mike's site has been banned by Digg. Why the censorship? Find out with this in-depth interview. H.R. 1955 - the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 and the Truth and Freedom Movements are just a few of the topics discussed.

Four Days in Denver

The Democratic Party is closer than it’s ever been to a political nightmare—a deadlocked convention. Though the odds of its actually happening are still remote, the idea is so rich with dramatic possibility that we asked Lawrence O’Donnell Jr., former West Wing writer-producer, to play out a scenario in movie-treatment form. The premise is that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton arrive in Denver, neither having sufficient delegates to gain the nomination nor a decisive majority in the popular vote. And so it’s on…

Wall St banks 'hooked on emergency funds scheme'

Fears are mounting that Wall Street banks are relying too heavily on tens of billions of dollars in loans made available by the US Federal Reserve. Their borrowing levels have rocketed by almost 200 per cent to $38bn (£19bn) a day in just three weeks.

The latest loan data released by the Fed shows that Wall Street banks and investment firms borrowed an average of $38.4bn every day last week, a big jump from the $32.9bn borrowed the week before, but almost three times the $13.4bn borrowed when the emergency scheme was launched on 17 March.

Homeland Security invokes nuclear bomb, as Bush quietly links cybersecurity program to NSA

Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff has dropped the bomb.

At a speech to hundreds of security professionals Wednesday, Chertoff declared that the federal government has created a cyber security "Mahattan Project," referencing the 1941-1946 project led by the Army Corps of Engineers to develop American's first atomic bomb.

U.S. Has Launched a Cyber Security 'Manhattan Project,' Homeland Security Chief Claims

The federal government has launched a cyber security "Manhattan Project," U.S. homeland security secretary Michael Chertoff said Tuesday, because online attacks can be a form of "devastating warfare", and equivalent in damage to "physical destruction of the worst kind."

Zombie Computers Decried As Imminent National Threat

Gangs of thousands of zombie home computers grinding out spam, committing fraud and overpowering websites are the most vexing net threat today, according to law enforcement and security professionals.
Today's botnet herders have hundreds of thousands of computers at their command and use technically sophisticated ways to hide their headquarters, making it easy for them to make millions from spam and credit card theft. They can also be used to direct floods of fake traffic at a targeted website in order to bring down a rival, extract protection money.

"Hyping up non exsistent cyber threats brings record profits to defense contractors" Willy Bova

War on Terror a Boon For Virginia

When three State Dept. contract employees looked into the presidential candidate's passport records, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) didn't ask Condoleezza Rice who the employees were. Instead, he wanted to know who these contract employees worked for. It turned out two worked for Stanley, Inc., an information-technology company in the Washington suburb of Arlington, Va. The other worked for The Analysis Corp., an IT corporation based in the D.C. suburb of McLean, in Fairfax County.

Northern Virginia's Terror Economy Unlikely to Slip Under Next President, Congress

For Northern Virginia, economic anxiety stems from the ballot box and not Wall Street. "There is a wait-and-see attitude as the Bush administration winds down its final year," said Gerald Gordon, director of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. "There could be a dramatic philosophical shift in the new administration."

$3 trillion may be too low

President Bush has tried to give the impression that the $3 trillion dollar estimate of the total cost of the war that we provide in our new book may be exaggerated.

We believe that it is, in fact, conservative. Even the president would have to admit that the $50 to $60 billion estimate given by the administration before the war was wildly off the mark; there is little reason to have confidence in their arithmetic. They admit to a cost so far of $600 billion.

BushCo: An Umpteenth Evaluation

If one were to evaluate -- for the umpteenth time -- George Bush's presidency over the last eight years, it would most likely be graded with a colossal, red, angrily scrawled F, the presidency along with an overarching American policy having been remade in Bush's own fatally imperfect, inconceivably incurious and maddeningly mediocre image.

And -- for the umpteenth time -- any critique of Bush and his illegitimate legacy is not necessarily an attack on Republicans or conservatism or rampant, unchecked capitalism. However, due to their complicity in his ruinous and divisive two terms it comes damn close.

Clive Thompson on Why the Next Civil Rights Battle Will Be Over the Mind

Trolling down the street in Manhattan, I suddenly hear a woman's voice. "Who's there? Who's there?" she whispers. I look around but can't figure out where it's coming from. It seems to emanate from inside my skull. Was I going nuts? Nope. I had simply encountered a new advertising medium: hypersonic sound. It broadcasts audio in a focused beam, so that only a person standing directly in its path hears the message.

  Documents prove FBI has national eavesdropping program that tracks IMs, emails and cell phones

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been routinely monitoring the e-mails, instant messages and cell phone calls of suspects across the United States -- and has done so, in many cases, without the approval of a court.

Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act and given to the Washington Post -- which stuck the story on page three -- show that the FBI's massive dragnet, connected to the backends of telecommunications carriers, "allows authorized FBI agents and analysts, with point-and-click ease, to receive e-mails, instant messages, cellphone calls and other communications that tell them not only what a suspect is saying, but where he is and where he has been, depending on the wording of a court order or a government directive,"

" I wonder if this access could be used for Insider Trading, or spying on political campaigns, or hookers meeting with politicians. Do contract workers have access to this stream of endless data?" Willy Bova

FBI Data Transfers Via Telecoms Questioned

When FBI investigators probing New York prostitution rings, Boston organized crime or potential terrorist plots anywhere want access to a suspect's telephone contacts, technicians at a telecommunications carrier served with a government order can, with the click of a mouse, instantly transfer key data along a computer circuit to an FBI technology office in Quantico.

The circuits -- little-known electronic connections between telecom firms and FBI monitoring personnel around the country -- are used to tell the government who is calling whom, along with the time and duration of a conversation and even the locations of those involved.

Every Click You Make

The online behavior of a small but growing number of computer users in the United States is monitored by their Internet service providers, who have access to every click and keystroke that comes down the line.

The companies harvest the stream of data for clues to a person's interests, making money from advertisers who use the information to target their online pitches.

22 year old "Dude" arms dealer from Miami was a "Minority" owned contracter

When a congressional committee examines how nearly $300 million in government contracts for an arms deal to Afghanistan’s army and police was given to a tiny Miami Beach-based company led by 22-year-old Efraim Diveroli, it is expected to question how the company, AEY Inc., qualifies as minority-owned, as was listed on the application.

DHS ignores civil liberties in domestic spy satellite plan

A controversial plan that would allow domestic law enforcement agencies to use data gathered by US spy satellites still lacks necessary civil liberties and privacy protections, and three Democratic lawmakers are urging Department of Homeland Security Chair Michael Chertoff to established a legal framework for the new plan he promised six months ago.

  McCain economic advisor: Gas prices unrelated to Iraq war

McCain economic advisor Carly Fiorina attempted to dispel those concerns in an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe. Fiorina, who served as CEO of Hewlett-Packard until her dismissal in 2005 over issues relating to the direction of the company, has been suggested as a possible McCain running mate. However, she may not have done her candidate any favor when she stated that skyrocketing gas prices "have nothing to do with the Iraq war."

"The price of gas before Iraq war, $1.25 per gallon. Price of gas now $3.50 per gallon. An increase of over 175% in five years. The inflation rate was 2.5% average over the last 5 years. Cause of price increase, The Iraq War. Political advisor not knowing this, Priceless."...... Move along people nothing to see here, the show is over Mission Accomplished" Willy Bova

Hillary Clinton's Michigan/Florida strategy may be, to Keep the Dispute Alive

Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean's chance of achieving an early compromise on the seating of the 210-member Florida and 156-member Michigan delegations faces a tough hurdle: the strategic importance to the Clinton campaign of keeping the dispute alive and kicking all the way to the convention.

Video of Republican Senator Vitter's car crash, while trying to avoid reporters wanting to know about his testimony in DC Madamn trial

Sen. David Vitter has been having a rough week, and it's only Monday. First, he was listed as a potential witness in the trial of former D.C. Madam Deborah Palfrey. Then, he attempted to scoot out of a town hall forum to avoid questions from the press about his alleged relationship with Palfrey's escorts. The Gonzales Weekly Citizen reports:

Bush administration suspended search and seizure rights following 9/11

Weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Bush administration declared the military exempt from a major plank of the US Constitution's bill of rights, according to a legal memorandum uncovered this week.

The fourth amendment protects Americans from unreasonable searches and seizures. The military exemption, crafted in October 2001 by the justice department lawyers who give legal advice to the president, was cited in a footnote to a 2003 brief on interrogation tactics. That later brief emerged for the first time late Tuesday.

Proof Bush Deceived America

James Risen’s State of War: the Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration, may hold bigger secrets than the disclosure that President George W. Bush authorized warrantless eavesdropping on Americans.

Risen’s book also confirms the most damning element of the British Cabinet Office memos popularly called the “Downing Street memos;” namely, that “the intelligence and the facts were being fixed around the policy.” The result is that it is no longer credible to maintain that the failures in the Iraqi intelligence were the product of a broken intelligence community. The Bush administration deliberately fabricated the case against Iraq, lying to Congress and the American people along the way.

Drug Makers Near Old Goal: A Legal Shield

For years, Johnson & Johnson obscured evidence that its popular Ortho Evra birth control patch delivered much more estrogen than standard birth control pills, potentially increasing the risk of blood clots and strokes, according to internal company documents.

But because the Food and Drug Administration approved the patch, the company is arguing in court that it cannot be sued by women who claim that they were injured by the product — even though its old label inaccurately described the amount of estrogen it released.

This legal argument is called pre-emption. After decades of being dismissed by courts, the tactic now appears to be on the verge of success, lawyers for plaintiffs and drug companies say.

" So basically, a political appointee can approve a drug based on fraudulent Information provided by the drug company, and the drug company can not be held liable when the drugs start killing people. Sounds about par for the course from the Bush administration. Why allow checks and balances like Judicial review of executive branch actions by political appointees, like the head of the FDA. It is not like America was founded on the concept of three equal branches of the government, The Congess, The Courts and the Executive branch" Willy Bova

How Toronto concealed King's killer

Forty years ago, after Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, America's most wanted man was en route to Toronto. James Earl Ray hid in rooming houses on Ossington Ave. and Dundas St. West. for nearly a month. He had been staying in a Memphis flophouse across from the Lorraine Motel – where King was killed that fateful April 4, 1968 – and fled fearing he was set up by a roommate.

Blackwater's Iraq Contract Renewed Despite Investigations

Amid investigations into fatal shootings of civilians and allegations of tax violations, Blackwater USA's multimillion-dollar contract to protect diplomats in Baghdad has been renewed, the State Department said Friday.

A final decision about whether the private security company will keep the job is pending, the department said. Moyock, N.C.-based Blackwater is one of the largest private military contractors, receiving nearly $1.25 billion in federal business since 2000, according to a House committee estimate.

U.S. extends Blackwater's Baghdad work for one year

U.S. private security firm Blackwater's deal to protect American diplomats in Baghdad will be extended for a year while the FBI investigates a 2007 incident in which the company's guards are accused of killing 17 Iraqis, the State Department said on Friday.

Asked whether the Blackwater Baghdad deal could be scrapped if the FBI investigation found wrongdoing, Starr said: "We can terminate contracts at the convenience of the government if we have to."

"I am not going to prejudge what the FBI is going to find in their investigation. I think really, it is complex. I think that the U.S. government needs protective services," he said.

"Currently there are over 150,000 "Private Contracters" in Iraq. That is more than the number of military personel in Iraq. This issue needs to be addressed in the Presidentual campaigns. The contarcting out of our military to Corrupt Coporate Cronies with no bid contracts is a national disgrace. McCain, Obama, and Clinton need to commit to whether they will stop this "Contracting out" of vital National Security functions. What's next getting a Coporate sponser for the war? The Iraq War sponsered by Chevron and Blackwater" Willy Bova

 

The Transcription of the King Family Press Conference on the MLK Assassination Trial Verdict December 9, 1999

Coretta Scott King: There is abundant evidence of a major high level conspiracy in the assassination of my husband, Martin Luther King, Jr. And the civil court's unanimous verdict has validated our belief. I wholeheartedly applaud the verdict of the jury and I feel that justice has been well served in their deliberations. This verdict is not only a great victory for my family, but also a great victory for America. It is a great victory for truth itself. It is important to know that this was a SWIFT verdict, delivered after about an hour of jury deliberation.......

W. F. Pepper - An Act of State The Execution of Martin Luther King

The following is a hypertext transcript of William Pepper speaking on the release of his new book, An Act of State - The Execution of Martin Luther King (Verso, 2003).

Dr. William F. Pepper practices international human rights law from London, convenes a seminar on international human rights at Oxford University, has represented governments and heads of state, and appeared as an expert on international law issues.

Despite denials, military still studying clandestine use of blogs

It was revealed this week by Wired that a study written for the U.S. Special Operations Command in 2006 recommended "clandestinely recruiting or hiring prominent bloggers" in order to promote messages favorable to the military. It also raised the possibility of altering an "enemy blog" by hacking to destroy its credibility or use it to spread false information.

The military has downplayed this study as an "academic exercise," but its conclusions appear to match closely with a strong and growing focus by the Pentagon on what it calls "information warfare."

Clinton releases her tax returns: Bill & Hillary made $109M since leaving White House

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign released her and husband Bill Clinton's tax returns Friday, showing the couple made more than $109 million since leaving the White House in 2001. They donated $10 million to charity and paid nearly $34 million in taxes.

 

Hillary Clinton on the Tonight show with Jay Leno (Video)

Hillary Clinton hit the humor trail Thursday night by dropping in on the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. Though she didn't attempt to go joke-for-joke with Leno by dishing out one-liners like McCain and Letterman, Clinton did attempt to score with her own brand of funny. Entering to none other than the theme from "Rocky," Clinton quickly jumped into a gag about her recent historical embellishments: "I was so worried I wasn't going to make it. I was pinned down by sniper fire,"

Leno, for his part, dropped in a joke about answering the phone at 3 a.m. before the conversation moved on to the election, Bill's temper, and Florida delegates.

Interview with The New York Times' Eric Lichtblau the writer who broke the Warrentless Wiretapping story

Do we really understand the scope of the administration's warrantless wiretapping program?

We've already written a number of times about the new book by New York Times reporter Eric Lichtblau. And on Tuesday, I interviewed Lichtblau, who began reporting on the administration's wireless wiretapping program back in 2004 and won the Pulitzer Prize along with James Risen for breaking the story in December of 2005.

"The Pizza Hut Leads"

In March of 2004, virtually every member of the Justice Department's leadership was prepared to resign over the administration's warrantless wiretapping program. Thanks to former Deputy Attorney General James Comey's testimony, that much is well known. But even as Congress has debated giving the telecoms immunity from civil suits for participation in that program, it's still not understood precisely what was going on that caused such a revolt.

New York Times reporter Eric Lichtblau, who, along with James Risen, broke the warrantless wiretapping story, sheds more light on this episode (while leaving plenty unexplained)

"When the history of the Bush administration is written, the Warrentless Wiretapping story and related illegal Data Mining activities will be seen as High Crimes and Misdemeanors in Hindsight" Willy Bova

 

Jon Stewart Mocks Media Shock: Obama "Bowling For Votes!"(Video)

Stewart mocked the media covering of Barack's "bowling for votes" as huge news — and he singled out anchors John King, Chris Matthews, Sean Hannity, Dan Abrams, Campbell Brown, and Joe Scarborough.

Hillary Clinton: Barack Obama Can't Win (Video)

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and former President Bill Clinton are making very direct arguments to Democratic superdelegates, starkly insisting Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., cannot win a general election against presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Sources with direct knowledge of the conversation between Sen. Clinton and Governer Bill Richardson, D-N.M., prior to the Governor's endorsement of Obama say she told him flatly, "He cannot win, Bill. He cannot win."

Pentagon: Colleges must hand over name

The Defense Department has announced a new get-tough policy with colleges and universities that interfere with the work of military recruiters and Reserve Officer Training Corps programs.

Under rules that will take effect April 28, defense officials said they want the exact same access to student directories that is provided to all other prospective employers.

Maine Gets Real ID Extension; ID Card Issue Punted to Next Administration

Citizens of all 50 states are now free to board airplanes using their driver's licenses -- at least unitl 2010, after the final renegade anti-Real ID state -- Maine -- won a time extension Wednesday from deadlines attached to new federal identification rules.
That means that Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff can now say more secure identification is on the way, while independence-minded states can honestly say they stuck a thumb in the eye of the federal bureaucracy.

Another interview with Governor Jesse Ventura (Audio)

Ventura said that the corporate media were going to continue to cover-up the truth about 9/11, but that the number of credible people speaking out and increasing education and knowledge about the subject would eventually reap dividends.

"We don't want to lose our country, after all it's still our country and until they put us down we have the power," Ventura concluded.

The Governor's bold comments about 9/11 come on the heels of similar views expressed by American icon Willie Nelson during an interview on the same radio show in February.

"Just a comment on the topic of the interview, while I do not agree with all the conclusions that Governor Ventura makes about What Really Happened on 9-11-2007, I firmly believe that the events of September 11th 2001 need to be looked at by the next administration. How come WTC 7 collapsed has never been explained, just to site one obvious example of something that needs closer examination." Willy Bova

McCain does Letterman (Full Video)

During his monologue, Letterman joked that the Arizona senator reminded him of "the guy at the hardware store who makes the keys" and "the guy who can't stop talking about how well his tomatoes are doing."

After Letterman added that McCain looked like "the guy who points out the spots they missed at the car wash," the senator appeared on stage.

"You think that stuff's pretty funny, don't you?" McCain asked, then added: "Well, you look like a guy whose laptop would be seized by the authorities."

McCain also said the host resembled the guy caught smuggling reptiles in his pants, to which Letterman replied, "Don't knock it if you haven't tried it."

The candidate also likened Letterman to the manager of a creepy motel, the guy who enjoys watching his swim trunks inflate in a hot tub and the guy about whom neighbors later say, "He mostly kept to himself."

Jesse Ventura Unloads on Larry King: The Parties, The Chickenhawks, And His Revolution (Video)

Pro-Wrestler-turned-Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura went on Larry King Live Tuesday and unloaded on a variety of topics, including his take on the 2008 presidential candidates, what he's looking for in a commander-in-chief, and whether he plans on running for president. Ventura told King that he thinks it's time for a revolution in the United States, that we are a nation of "lemmings," and that the only difference between the two major political parties and street gangs are that the politicians wear Brooks Brothers suits.

He reserved special judgment for the "chickenhawks" who he said marched the country into war in Iraq.

"Perhas the former Pro Wrestler, Navy Seal, Governor and Rolling Stones bodyguard has a point" Willy Bova

Loyalty to My Country By Bill Richardson

My recent endorsement of Barack Obama for president has been the subject of much discussion and consternation -- particularly among supporters of Hillary Clinton. Led by political commentator James Carville, who makes a living by being confrontational and provocative, Clinton supporters have speculated about events surrounding this endorsement and engaged in personal attacks and insults.

While I certainly will not stoop to the low level of Mr. Carville, I feel compelled to defend myself against character assassination and baseless allegations.

Willy Bova's Zeitgeist for 4-1-2008

On 11-4-2008 America will try to elect a new President. After two elections that any reasonable person would question the results, what are the chances that America will have a fair election come 11-4-2008? The only way America can have a fair election is if either John McCain or Barrack Obama, win by a significant margin. That means, by more than one state folks. Sorry Hillary Clinton fans, it is all over but the crying for her poorly run campaign. The only way Barack Obama will not get the nomination is if he is caught in a hotel room with the Obama girl.

Come November, America will choose between an old American Hero, who will be 72 years young come election day, or a youthful man who speaks like a cross between Robert F Kennedy and Martin Luther King. It will be an easy choice and it will not be very close. No matter which man wins he will do better than the man whom has been President for the last 7 years. A President who may go down in history, as the worst President ever. Unless the self proclaimed "Decider" intended the "Mission" in Iraq, was to Bankrupt America and make War profiteering for "the Decider's" corrupt corporate cronies, America's most profitable enterprise after drilling for oil, unless the Decider's "Mission" in Iraq was too cause a collapse in the American dollar by over 50% in five years, unless the Decider's Mission was $3.50 per Gallon gasoline, unless the Decider's "Mission" in Iraq was supposed to cost 3 trillion dollars and counting, then the Decider's "Mission" has not been "Accomplished". Nor will the "Mission" be "Accomplished" when he leaves office at high noon on 1-20-2009.

History will not be kind to the 43rd President. Hopefully America's 44th President will be one we can be proud of again. Whether it is the soon to be 72 year old, Senator from Arizona, or the junior Senator from Illinois.

Willy Bova's Zeitgeist will be a website, that hopefully will be funny, ironic, and insightful. Zeitgeist is a German word meaning "Spirit of the Times". It is the goal of the stories linked and the original content to reflect "The Spirit of our times". So may the force be with you, because America's Journey over the next 7 month's will be a wild one. There will be Fear, much Fear, there will be Loathing, much Loathing, but there will be joy, come 11-04-2008 for a significant majority of Americans. This election will not be decided by hanging chads, purged minority voters and a 5 to 4 Supreme Court, some of whom where appointed by the candidates father. It will not be decided by a crooked Ohio vote count. Last but not least it will not be decided by "The self proclaimed Decider". This election will be decided by the largest voter turnout in the history of American Democracy.

Willy Bova

The New Apple iRack

Apple's new iRack available everywhere April 1st

"Just Because the recount was rigged, Just because, the vote totals for Ohio were contracted out to a company from Tennessee whoose servers also hosted the Bush/Cheney 2004 re-election website, Just because Poor people had to wait 8 hours to vote, while Wealthy people waited 15 minutes and Just because the ballots were destroyed in violation of federal law before a proper recount could be done, does not mean, that Bush & Cheney stole the 2004 election. " Willy Bova

 

The GOP's cyber election hit squad

Did the most powerful Republicans in America have the computer capacity, software skills and electronic infrastructure in place on Election Night 2004 to tamper with the Ohio results to ensure George W. Bush's re-election?

The answer appears to be yes. There is more than ample documentation to show that on Election Night 2004, Ohio's "official" Secretary of State website – which gave the world the presidential election results – was redirected from an Ohio government server to a group of servers that contain scores of Republican web sites, including the secret White House e-mail accounts that have emerged in the scandal surrounding Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’s firing of eight federal prosecutors.

Are Rove's missing e-mails the smoking guns of the stolen 2004 election?

It has now become widely known that the same web-hosting firm that served a range of GOP websites, including the one for the Republican National Committee, also hosted the official site that Blackwell used to report the Ohio vote count.

The criminal cover-up of Ohio's stolen 2004 election sinks to the fraudulent, the absurd, the pathetic

The illegal destruction of federally protected 2004 election materials by 56 of 88 Ohio counties has become a fraudulent "dog ate my homework" farce of absurd justifications and criminal coverups.

The mass elimination of the critical evidence that could definitively prove or disprove the presumption that the 2004 election was stolen has all the markings of a Rovian crime perpetrated to hide another one. Indeed, under Ohio law, that's precisely what must be presumed here.