US FDA generic drug reviews delayed, report finds

Two things about this report interested me besides the fact generics aren't getting approved quickly enough.

First is the paragraph about "first-in" "first-reviewed". Most of us in our work always will choose the low hanging fruit first. Get the easy stuff out of the way before tackling the complicated stuff, right? Its always worked for me.

Second is the underfunding which seems a hallmark with the moron's administration. Smaller government doesn't always make sense and this is a prime example.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration failed to review on time nearly half the applications from generic drug makers seeking approval to sell cheaper versions of brand-name pharmaceuticals, according to a government report released on Friday.

The report, by the Department of Health and Human Service's Inspector General, also found the FDA approved or tentatively approved 4 percent of generic applications reviewed in 2006, rejecting the majority because they did not meet the agency's standards.

The inspector's office looked at the FDA's review times in 2006 for 989 generic drug applications and found that 46 percent of them were not fully evaluated within the 180-day period allowed by law.

Among a sample of 105 delayed applications, the agency did not even begin to review 70 percent of them until after the 180-day period had ended, the report found.

Part of the problem, the inspector said, is the way FDA officials prioritize applications. The agency reviews them on a "first-in, first-reviewed" policy rather than first tackling clear-cut applications that are not bogged down with patents or exclusivity issues that complicate the process.

The inspector, Daniel Levinson, also noted that generic drug applications have grown more than twice as fast as FDA funding and staffing levels during the past five years.

It takes the FDA a median time of nearly 17 months to approve generic applications, according to the report. [emphasis mine]

Note: Headline links to source.

Trends in Party Identification in Wisconsin

No real point to this other than to be a smart ass.

All during the primaries everyone lamented the media treating each contest as a horse race.

Well what the fuck! Look at the chart. It is a horse race in Wisconsin. Or at least its a horse. Heh.

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Let’s Get Something Straight

Must read IMHO. So much so that I stole the whole fucking post from John Cole. Thank you John. You said it very well.

I liked Tim Russert, even though I thought his BS gotcha nonsense was thorough idiocy and not helping the debate at all. He was a likable guy- friendly, always smiling. I understand it is a loss for the beltway folks, and he had a lot of really good friends and meant a lot to people, and I would be dishonest if I failed to mention that I feel sad by his passing.

MSNBC has been running nothing but a 5 hour (and presumably it will go until 11 pm or beyond) marathon of Russert remembrance. CNN has done their due diligence, and Fox news has spent at least the last half hour talking non-stop about him.
But let’s get something straight- what I am watching right now on the cable news shows is indicative of the problem- no clearer demonstration of the fact that they consider themselves to be players and the insiders and, well, part of the village, is needed. This is precisely the problem. They have walked the corridors of power so long that they honestly think they are the story. It is creepy and sick and the reason politicians get away with all the crap they get away with these days.

Tim Russert was a newsman. He was not the Pope. This is not the JFK assassination, or Reagan’s death, or the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. A newsman died. We know you miss him, but please shut up and get back to work.

Truth is, I had to hunt quite a bit to find Tim smiling. And this picture isn't very good.

Note: Headline links to source.

Taliban attack helps inmates escape Afghan prison

A guard watches over inmates in the
courtyard at Kandahar jail in 2001.
Suspected Taliban militants attacked
a prison in the southern Afghan city
of Kandahar late Friday and freed a
number of prisoners, intelligence and
police officials said. (AFP/File/
Banaras Khan)
Yes, you're memory is correct. That's the same Taliban the moron and other leaders of countries who supplied coalition forces said had been defeated years ago. To all those leaders I say, "Use a fucking dictionary before throwing around words like 'defeated' next time."

"In Afghanistan, coalition forces and their Afghan allies drove the Taliban from power in less than two months."

-- The moron in the White House
-- Addressing US Air Force Academy
-- Graduating class of 2008
-- May 28, 2008

Its comforting to know all those Taliban militants are were behind bars.

Oopsie!

Taliban militants staged a brazen bomb and rocket attack on the main prison in southern Afghanistan late Friday, blowing down the gate and helping hundreds of suspected insurgents flee, officials said. Many police officers were reported killed.

The complex attack included a truck bombing at the main gate, a suicide bomber who struck a back wall and rockets fired from outside, setting of a series of explosions that rattled Kandahar, the country's second biggest city.

A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, said 30 insurgents on motorbikes and two suicide bombers attacked Sarposa Prison and freed about 400 Taliban members.

Abdul Qabir, chief of the Sarposa Prison, also said hundreds of prisoners escaped, but did not provide an exact figure. He said some inmates stayed at the jail, which also held criminals.

Wali Karzai, the brother of President Hamid Karzai who is president of Kandahar's provincial council, said the prison held about 350 suspected Taliban fighters.

He said "all" the prisoners escaped, but also had no specific number. "There is no one left," he said.

BTW, if you search Google News for "Taliban Defeated" you get screen after screen of stories stating the Taliban can not be defeated. Everyone knows it except the idiot and his cabal of neocons. Oh yeah, and John McSame.

Note: Headline links to source.

Cat blogging

Marmosets. Really small marmosets.

American Occupation at the Pump: Is $250 a Barrel Oil on Its Way?

Actually the sub-heading (next paragraph) should probably be asked as a rhetorical question. It appears pretty obvious bombs and other munitions are not the brightest fucking way to provide energy security. To some (neocons) it probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but they got it all wrong as usual.

It's time to ask whether the U.S. military should have anything to do with American energy security.

If you thought things were bad, with a barrel of crude oil at $136 and the oil heartlands of our planet verging on chaos, don't be surprised, but you may still have something to look forward to. Alexei Miller, chairman of Russia's vast state-owned energy monopoly, Gazprom, just suggested that, within 18 months, that same barrel could be selling for a nifty $250. Put that in your tank and ... well, don't drive it. It will be far too valuable.

Think of Miller's sobering prediction as, at least in part, a result of the Bush administration's attempt to "secure" the Middle East and the oil-rich Caspian basin by force in two failing wars (and occupations). Now, imagine for a moment, what his price scenario might be if, as journalist Jim Lobe -- never one to leap from rumors to sensational conclusions -- recently suggested, forces in the Bush administration (and in Israel) in favor of launching an air campaign against Iran are gaining strength. Just the suggestion last week by Shaul Mofaz, an Israeli deputy prime minister, that an attack on Iran is "unavoidable" if that country doesn't halt its nuclear program -- "If Iran continues with its program for developing nuclear weapons, we will attack it. The sanctions are ineffective." -- helped send the price of crude oil soaring. Imagine what an actual air attack might do.

You know that old joke: military justice is to justice as military music is to music; well, someday, not so far into the future, a similar, though far grimmer joke, is likely to be made about Washington's attempts to secure the U.S. oil supply by military means.

Note: Headline links to source.

Obama moves DNC operations to Chicago

Now this is just a little bizarre, no?

HRC kept pounding away at the notion she was better qualified to hit the ground running on day one of the Presidency. Well fuck that. Obama isn't even waiting for the convention before introducing his first major Change™.

It appears the DNC has completely written off HRC for this year and probably for 2012 also.

In a major shakeup at the Democratic National Committee -- and a departure from tradition -- large parts of the committee's operations are relocating to Chicago to be fully integrated with the Obama campaign.

The DNC's political department, housed in Washington, D.C., will be dramatically rebuilt, with staffers offered a choice of moving to Chicago, joining state operations, or staying in Washington, DNC spokeswoman Karen Finney said.

But the power will clearly be shifting to a centralized Chicago hub.

The DNC's key role in coordinating political operations with state parties is expected to largely be taken over and overseen by Obama's senior staff in Chicago, state party officials said.

"This is part of the implementation of the plans Paul [Tewes] discussed last week with the state party chairs," Finney said. "As part of the efforts to fully integrate DNC operations with the Obama campaign here in Washington, in Chicago and in the states, political, field and constituency operations are moving to Chicago to work in the Obama headquarters. The goal is to consolidate these efforts into one operation and effectively drive one national strategy."

People familiar with the plan said that state party staffers paid for under Howard Dean's 50 State Program would be shifted to working for the presidential campaign, at least in targeted battleground states.

The move reflects Obama's desire to maintain an unusually streamlined campaign, as well as his swift and complete takeover of a Democratic Party that isn't always known for its unity. The move may also save the campaign money, as the Obama campaign can use DNC salaries and staff to pay for elements of its organizing campaign and avoid some of the duplication that has often dogged presidential efforts.

I certainly hope this flexing of political muscle isn't a harbinger of
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Top McCain Adviser Traded with Iran [?]

World's only 7 star hotel - Dubai
I've included a question mark above because this really is connecting dots which may or may not have a connection. It is highly suspicious because there are far less costly cities from which the nations surrounding Dubai could be supplied.

Senator John McCain’s Chief Economic Adviser, Carly Fiorina, was CEO of Hewlett-Packard (HP) when the company surreptitiously avoided the trade boycott of Iran. McCain, who recently urged further divestment from Iran, picked Fiorina to be his top adviser on the economy while she is also serving as head of the Republican National Committee Victory Fund. It was under Fiorina’s leadership as CEO that, according to an April 19, 2004, Forbes article titled “Trading With The Enemy,” HP traded with the Iranians.

If you want to get around export controls, just sell the product to a front company in Dubai. The middlemen will take it from there… Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Microsoft, among many other U.S. companies, keep Dubai offices and are favorites these days among Iranian traders in Dubai. (Forbes, 4/19/04)

“The National Jewish Council (NJDC) has been arguing that we should judge candidates based on their voting records and public statements,” said Ira N. Forman, Executive Director of NJDC. “However, McCain and his allies insist on using guilt by association when looking at Democratic candidates. If this is their standard, then we call on them to explain why McCain’s Chief Economic Adviser oversaw the evasion of the American laws prohibiting Iranian trade in her tenure as CEO of HP.”

Note: Headline links to source.

Are you missing a Boeing 727?

This story popped up a couple days ago, but being a lazy ass blogger I didn't mention it. I shall now.

It may take a lot of work, but it seems by contacting Boeing they could determine the original owner. Then start down the ownership chain until they find out who owned it last. Seems pretty fucking straight forward to me.

Vietnamese authorities say they are mystified as to who owns a Boeing 727 which has been abandoned at Hanoi's Noi Bai airport. The plane was flown in from Siem Reap in neighboring Cambodia in late 2007 and has been unclaimed ever since.
An airport official said that they believe the owners could be an airline based in Cambodia. The official said that if it remains unclaimed, the plane will have be scraped [sic]. The plane has a Cambodian flag on its fuselage and is emblazoned with the name Air Dream, but the authorities say they have no information about the airline.

BTW, rather than scrap the goddamn thing they could just give it to me. I'll find a pilot to fly it out of there. Its rather old, but someone would buy it from me.

I'm already working on the advert for it:

For sale - make offer. One used Boeing 727. In proper flying condition. Only flown by little old grandmothers to church (my assumption), but never over economical cruising speed of 865km/h (467kt). Typical two class seating for 94, max seating for 131. More specifications here. Any changes to number of seats is your responsibility, but I can arrange for it. Can also arrange for repainting in livery of your choice at an additional cost. Am assuming its a 727-200, however it may be a 727-100 (no winglets). We can negotiate. No agents. Principals only. I can be reached via this website (email address on sidebar).

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How to parent

There's more than one way to abuse children. This is one of them.

Little boy: Mommy, can't you just walk off breast cancer?
Mom, screaming: No!

--Houston & Broadway

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BITCHSLAP!

Best parade float...EVAH.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Interesting ruling and long overdue, but I just wanted to show the fucking float again.

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay have rights under the Constitution to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts.

The justices handed the Bush administration its third setback at the high court since 2004 over its treatment of prisoners who are being held indefinitely and without charges at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. The vote was 5-4, with the court's liberal justices in the majority.

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An actual letter to the passport office…

U.S. Passport with RFID symbol
Agreed. Ya never know if this is random fictional ranting out of frustration, clever ranting which is also fiction or a true letter. Right now I can relate entirely.

I don’t know if this is true or not, but I can understand the frustration it depicts…..

Dear sir

I’m in the process of renewing my passport, and still cannot believe this. How is it that Radio Shack has my address and telephone number and knows that I bought a t.v. cable from them back in 1997, and yet, the Federal Government is still asking me where I was born and on what date.
For Christ sakes, do you guys do this by hand? My birth date you have on my social security card, and it is on all the income tax forms I’ve filed for the past 30 years. It is on my health insurance card, my driver’s license, on the last eight goddamn passports I’ve had, on all those stupid customs declaration forms I’ve had to fill out before being allowed off the planes over the last 30 years, and all those insufferable census forms that are done at election times.
Would somebody please take note, once and for all, that my mother’s name is Maryanne, my father’s name is Robert and I’d be absolutely astounded if that ever changed between now and when I die!!!!!!
SHIT!

I apologize, I’m really pissed off this morning. Between you an’ me, I’ve had enough of this bullshit! You send the application to my house, then you ask me for my fuckin’ address. What is going on? You have a gang of Neanderthal assholes workin’ there! Look at my damn picture. Do I look like Bin Laden? I don’t want to dig up Yasser Arafat, for shit sakes. I just want to go and park my ass on a sandy beach. And would someone please tell me, why would you give a shit whether I plan on visiting a farm in the next 15 days? If I ever got the urge to do something weird to a chicken or a goat, believe you me, I’d sure as hell not want to tell anyone! Well, I have to go now, ’cause I have to go to the other end of the city and get another fuckin’ copy of my birth certificate, to the tune of $60. Would it be so complicated to have all the services i n the same spot to assist in t he issuance of a new passport the same day?? Nooooo, that’d be too
damn easy and maybe makes sense. You’d rather have us running all over the fuckin’ place like chickens with our heads cut off, then find some asshole to confirm that it’s really me on the goddamn picture - you know, the one where we’re not allowed to smile?! (fuckin’ morons)
Hey, you know why we can’t smile? We’re totally pissed off! Signed - An Irate Citizen.

P.S. Remember what I said above about the picture and getting someone to confirm that it’s me? Well, my family has been in this country since 1776. I have served in the military for something over 30 years and have had security clearances up the yingyang. However, I have to get someone ‘important’ to verify who I am - you know, someone like my doctor WHO WAS BORN AND RAISED IN COMMUNIST CHINA !

Sincerely,

You Sure In The Hell Should Know Who.

BTW, everything about RFID.

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"Big Brother" Presidential Directive: "Biometrics for Identification and Screening to Enhance National Security"

But of course, should Americans hear about this, they'll just say, "If you're innocent you have nothing to worry about." Which is a crock of shit.

Some things:

1. Just how much more power does the idiot need?

2. The fucking greatest thing that could have ever happened to the moron was 9/11. It has given him carte blanche to fuck Americans at every turn and they just take it.

3. Who is going to use all this power if a Democrat takes over the White House? Well that would be his political appointees, silly rabbit.

4. What would be the purpose for wielding such power? That's easy. It would be to make sure the Democrats don't get so powerful as to prevent a Republican from taking back the White House in 2012.

5. How would they do that? By clamping down on any liberals who might champion a Democratic contender in 2012.

So that's your play book, GOP. Memorize it and live it.

The latest Big Brother police state measure emanating from the Bush administration, with virtually no press coverage, is NSPD 59 (HSPD 24) entitled Biometrics for Identification and Screening to Enhance National Security [Complete text of NSPD 59 (HSPD 24) in Annex below [in original - ed]]

NSPD is directed against US citizens.

It is adopted without public debate or Congressional approval. Its relevant procedures have far-reaching implications.

NSPD 59 goes far beyond the issue of biometric identification, it recommends the collection and storage of "associated biographic" information, meaning information on the private lives of US citizens, in minute detail, all of which will be "accomplished within the law":

"The contextual data that accompanies biometric data includes information on date and place of birth, citizenship, current address and address history, current employment and employment history, current phone numbers and phone number history, use of government services and tax filings. Other contextual data may include bank account and credit card histories, plus criminal database records on a local, state and federal level. The database also could include legal judgments or other public records documenting involvement in legal disputes, child custody records and marriage or divorce records."(See Jerome Corsi, June 2008)

The directive uses 9/11 as an all encompassing justification to wage a witch hunt against dissenting citizens, establishing at the same time an atmosphere of fear and intimidation across the land.

It also calls for the integration of various data banks as well as inter-agency cooperation in the sharing of information, with a view to eventually centralizing the information on American citizens.

In a carefully worded text, NSPD 59 "establishes a framework" to enable the Federal government and its various police and intelligence agencies to: "use mutually compatible methods and procedures in the collection, storage, use, analysis, and sharing of biometric and associated biographic and contextual information of individuals in a lawful and appropriate manner, while respecting their information privacy and other legal rights under United States law."

The Directive recommends: "actions and associated timelines for enhancing the existing terrorist-oriented identification and screening processes by expanding the use of biometrics".

"Other Categories of Individuals"

The stated intent of NSPD 59 is to protect America from terrorists, but in fact the terms of reference include any person who is deemed to pose a threat to the Homeland. The government requires the ability:

"to positively identify those individuals who may do harm to Americans and the Nation... Since September 11, 2001, agencies have made considerable progress in securing the Nation through the integration, maintenance, and sharing of information used to identify persons who may pose a threat to national security.

The Directive is not limited to KSTs, which in Homeland Security jargon stands for "Known and Suspected Terrorists":

"The executive branch has developed an integrated screening capability to protect the Nation against "known and suspected terrorists" (KSTs). The executive branch shall build upon this success, in accordance with this directive, by enhancing its capability to collect, store, use, analyze, and share biometrics to identify and screen KSTs and other persons who may pose a threat to national security.

The executive branch recognizes the need for a layered approach to identification and screening of individuals, as no single mechanism is sufficient. For example, while existing name-based screening procedures are beneficial, application of biometric technologies, where appropriate, improve the executive branch's ability to identify and screen for persons who may pose a national security threat. To be most effective, national security identification and screening systems will require timely access to the most accurate and most complete biometric, biographic, and related data that are, or can be, made available throughout the executive branch."

NSPD 59 calls for extending the definition of terrorists to include other categories of individuals "who may pose a threat to national security".

In this regard, it is worth noting that in the 2005 TOPOFF (Top officials) anti-terror drills, two other categories of individuals were identified as potential threats: "Radical groups" and "disgruntled employees", suggesting than any form of dissent directed against Big Brother will be categorized as a threat to America.

In a previous 2004 report of the Homeland Security Council entitled Planning Scenarios, the enemy was referred to as the Universal Adversary (UA).

The Universal Adversary was identified in the scenarios as an abstract entity used for the purposes of simulation. Yet upon more careful examination, this Universal Adversary was by no means illusory. It included the following categories of potential "conspirators":

"foreign [Islamic] terrorists" ,

"domestic radical groups", [antiwar and civil rights groups]

"state sponsored adversaries" ["rogue states", "unstable nations"]

"disgruntled employees" [labor and union activists].

Are you still thinking its a good idea to run for president of your local union or joining Students Against War? Just asking.

Note: Headline links to source.

Single-horned 'Unicorn' deer found in Italy

AP Photo
For those of you who believe in unicorns and those of you who want to believe, we got one for ya.

OK, its a deer and not a horse, but still...

You will never guess what they named it. Yep. Rusty.

Just joking with you.

A deer with a single horn in the center of its head - much like the fabled, mythical unicorn - has been spotted in a nature preserve in Italy, park officials said Wednesday.

"This is fantasy becoming reality," Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, told The Associated Press. "The unicorn has always been a mythological animal."

The 1-year-old Roe Deer - nicknamed "Unicorn" - was born in captivity in the research center's park in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Florence, Tozzi said.

He is believed to have been born with a genetic flaw; his twin has two horns.

Note: Headline links to source.

Tornado kills four at Scout camp

I have a couple questions based on what I've been hearing about mid-west weather and this particular tornado season.

1. Why hold the camp now? I realize camps must be held when kids are out of school, but this season has started off so horribly, couldn't the camp have been postponed a month or so?

2. Why did the parents let their children go?

3. The camp counselors were monitoring tornado warnings?

4. Doesn't the camp have storm cellars?

5. Aren't scouts supposed to "be prepared"?

At least four people were killed and more than 40 injured when a tornado struck a Scout camp in Iowa.

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Hay Belly Nation

For some of you this will be an easier question to answer than for others simply because it wasn't that fucking long ago you experienced it.

Remember when you'd ask you mother if you could do this or that and she would tell you to ask your father who would tell you to ask your mother?

Same circular shit happens in the government.

Mum's the word among federal officials about the health benefits of eating organic foods. The Department of Health and Human Services defers questions about organic foods to the Food and Drug Administration. But the FDA has no policy on organics because it says they're the domain of the Department of Agriculture, which will admit to using the "o-word," but says its mandate is simply to regulate use of the certified organic label, not to judge the relative benefits of organic versus conventional foods.

Note: Headline links to source.

Texas crane cable snaps, killing worker on ground

Rules and regulations regarding large construction cranes is long overdue.

Dallas police say a cable on a crane has snapped, dropping a piece of equipment that killed a worker on the ground.

That story is immediately followed by this headline:

Florida: Father, son escape serious injury in crane collapse

As it stands now regulations, if they exist at all (not always the case), are a patchwork from state to state and in some cases won't be given to crane companies even if they ask for them.

Note: Headline links to source.

House votes to send impeachment resolution to Judiciary Committee

This is a must read for those who think anything will come of Rep Dennis Kucinich's fucking impeachment measure.

If the goddamn Democrats are unwilling to do anything about Cheney, they sure as hell won't do anything about the moron.

That's your representative government at work. Or rather not doing their jobs at all.

The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to send articles of impeachment against President Bush to the Judiciary Committee for review.

[t]he impeachment resolution's sponsor, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, requested a recorded vote on the motion around 3 p.m. Wednesday, and 20 Republicans joined nearly all Democrats in voting to send the impeachment measure to the committee, according to a vote count on C-SPAN.

The motion passed 251-166.

"It is imperative that Members of Congress have a thorough opportunity to read the Articles of Impeachment and study the documentation," Kucinich said in a news release Tuesday. "When they do, I am confident that they will agree that it is both appropriate and necessary for the Judiciary Committee to begin hearings on the Resolution."

Kucinich took to the floor of the House Monday evening to read his 35 articles of impeachment, accusing Bush of war crimes, breaking his oath of office and misleading Americans to launch an illegal invasion of Iraq. The Ohio Democrat said impeachment was the only way to keep Bush from launching another invasion of Iran.

The Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), already has before it articles of impeachment aimed at Vice President Dick Cheney. Since receiving that impeachment measure in November, the committee has done nothing.

Democratic leaders in the House seem determined to block the latest impeachment measure as well, and it remains all-but-impossible that the House would proceed with impeachment hearings before Bush leaves office.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is sticking by her earlier pledge to make sure impeaching Bush and Cheney is an option that remains strictly "off the table."

Of course the Democrats voted to move the measure on, realizing its the equivalent of sending it to the round file. They can look like "heroes" to the electorate with no repercussions to them when the measure simply dies in committee.

Note: Headline links to source.

House Approves New Property Seizure Law

Lets go into the world of insanity and consider this item in Congress.

The moron is a psychopath with almost unlimited dictatorial powers including searches without warrants, no habeas corpus, and the list goes on.

Now he can authorize a search of his political opponents' computers for unlawful intellectual property and seize the computer if they find even one item.

Ah, but what else? He can have his people see what other compromising information is on the computer.

Richard Nixon wouldn't have had to burglarize the fucking Watergate Hotel to gather all the damaging and confidential information he wanted.

The criminals in the federal government are now trying to legalize the seizure of computers and other property under the guise of strengthening intellectual property laws. HR 4279 or the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008 which was recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, will give the government draconian powers to do just this. This legislation gives the government the power to seize property that facilitates the violation of intellectual property laws. The legislation also mandates the formation of a formal Intellectual Property Enforcement Division within the office of the Deputy Attorney General to enforce this madness. In addition, a new office called the Office of the United States Intellectual Property Enforcement Representative is created within the Executive Office of the President. [emphasis mine]

Note: Headline links to source.

Bush and Cheney dictator and psychopath’s checklists are complete: time for impeachment

Bush frustrated by questions from the press.
Of course psychopathic behavior can't be included in Dennis Kucinich's (D-OH) 35 Articles of Impeachment filed against George W. Bush [and others - ed]. A person's being a psychopath doesn't justify impeachment.

Most of us deal with fucking psychopaths on a daily basis (Link is to one example only. Hell I worked for one in highway construction who was also my father). It isn't a terribly uncommon condition, but devastating to the US and the world when that personality is in control of the most goddamn destructive and numerous weapons of war in the world.

And when that person has no respect or compassion for the rule of law, Constitution, Bill of rights, Congress, the American people, the judiciary, international law, Geneva Convention, the environment, international treaties, wildlife, brown people, honesty, other world leaders, nations' sovereignty, women and children its no less damaging. Well that might be overstating the case. He probably won't nuke the US even as a false flag attack justifying bombing Iran. Or would he? Just asking.

I was gonna add no respect or compassion for the poor, but I've stated before the fucking moron has no respect for the wealthy either. He's buying friendship from them and a certain amount of lucre for himself. If there's nothing in it for him he would dump them like McCain (another psychopath) dumped his first wife.

I believe we are all aware now that George W. Bush is a psychopath, with a personality disorder characterised by chronic immoral and antisocial behaviour. It will be his only defence, his mental health problem, if the War Crime Tribunals catch up with him one day. I will go through his psychopath’s checklist later. What is important to keep in mind though, is that his full political agenda has not been entirely played out yet, and before it is over, George W. Bush will certainly present a perfect case of a full flesh dictator. We still have the time to stop him, but we won’t for much longer. So let’s explore what is really happening.

George W. Bush and Dick Cheney dictatorship’s checklist, that I had to quickly establish from many websites, and which is not exhaustive, goes something like this: 1) a leader who holds and/or abuses an extraordinary amount of personal power, 2) the power to make laws without effective restraint by a legislative assembly or a Constitution, 3) cult of personality/megalomania (like when someone states that God has spoken to him and told him to go to war, or when a leader portrays himself as the symbol of patriotism), 4) head of the military, association with the military and wearing a military uniform (which Bush did), 5) repression of political or other opponents without abiding by rule of law procedures or moral and ethical code (threatening and succeeding in shutting up one’s opponents, Bush has been highly successful at this), 6) rule by decree (losing the elections and yet proclaiming oneself the ruler), 7) proclamation of a state of emergency to further one’s agenda (9/11), 8) suspension of civil liberties (several terrorist acts, being able to imprison and convict people without due process, use of torture), 9) control of mass media (Fox Network at the very least, and probably most of the mass media since they are all so quiet about all this), 10) suspension of elections following a large scale false flag/government sponsored terrorism event.

As you can see from my perhaps incomplete checklist, everything has already been accomplished, except for the last item of suspension of elections through a state of emergency. Wikipedia states that modern dictators have usually come to power in times of emergency, and so we can certainly expect that someone as desperate as George W. Bush has shown, in order to remain in power for as long as possible, and by any means possible, must be seeking another state of emergency to establish fully his dictatorship.

It is entirely predictable and likely to happen, it is just a question of time, months at most, probably weeks. One could even argue that elections have already been suspended twice, through cheating in Florida and other States, and manipulation of voting machines. Also that the main false flag/government sponsored terrorism events could be 9/11 and other terrorist acts in London and Spain. All of which point to false flag events.

It is however reasonable to believe that the worse is still to come, because it is the final act standing before absolute dictatorship, and, it is the only way by which George W. Bush and his partners in crime will be able to remain in power past next November. Hence, we already have a dictatorship, although not an absolute one, and it is time to impeach the dictator and his associates before the war agenda against us is complete.

I don’t pretend to know all about psychopathic behaviours and dictators, and perhaps it is a good thing, because then I will speak about it in terms which can reach the collective consciousness. These topics are highly important right now, unfortunately the experts are only able to write about it in terms which limit the reach of their discourse to a few other experts. So they speak together in that language no one can understand, and ultimately they forget to raise the alarm when a perfect text book case shows up in the world and is about to enslave us all. Let’s raise the alarm for them.

George W. Bush psychopath’s checklist is borrowed from Wikipedia under the psychopath’s entry (Dr. Robert D. Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist). Of course, no psychopath is meant to exhibit all of those symptoms, however, the more symptoms you exhibit, the more psychopath you are. It is important to understand that most psychopaths are pathological liars and are quite capable to show a convincing mask of sanity (the title of a book by Dr. Hare). In George W. Bush’s case though (and to a certain extent Dick Cheney), the mask has fallen and there is enough data to prove that most of these factors apply to his personality:

Factor 1: Aggressive narcissism: 1) Glibness / superficial charm, 2) Grandiose sense of self-worth, 3) Pathological lying, 4) Cunning / manipulative, 5) Lack of remorse or guilt, 6) Shallow. 7) Callous / lack of empathy, 8) Failure to accept responsibility for own actions, 9) Promiscuous sexual behaviour. Factor 2: Socially deviant lifestyle: 1) Need for stimulation / proneness to boredom, 2) Parasitic lifestyle, 3) Poor behavioural control, 4) Lack of realistic, long-term goals, 5) Impulsivity, 6) Irresponsibility, 7) Juvenile delinquency, 8) Early behaviour problems, 9) Many short-term marital relationships, 10) Revocation of conditional release.

Note: Headline links to source.

White House Fails Self-Examination

Jack Abramoff
It seems the White House "investigated" itself and, surprise, found nothing irregular.

A glimpse of what "internal review" means to this White House supports the theory that top Bush aides have little interest in self-examination or public disclosure.

After a Sept. 2006 Congressional report based on records from convicted influence peddler Jack Abramoff's lobbying firm revealed 485 contacts between Abramoff and his associates and White House officials, then-press secretary Tony Snow promised White House lawyers would take a "good hard look" at the relationship with Abramoff. "We'll let you know what they found out," Snow said. "That's an important concern, and it's worth looking into."

Four days later, an assistant to political guru Karl Rove was jettisoned from the White House. Susan Ralston, who had worked for Abramoff before Rove, had accepted tickets to nine events from her old boss while providing him information and access.

And with that, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino announced: Our review of the House Government Reform Committee's report is complete. . . . We expect nothing more after our thorough review."

How thorough was that review? A new Abramoff report released by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee yesterday -- this one based on documents and testimony from White House officials -- finds no evidence of any review at all.

Anytime there is no evidence, ya gotta be fucking suspicious, right? Just asking.

Note: Headline links to source.

Iraqi lawmakers say U.S. demanding 58 military bases

Now I can't prove this nor supply any concrete evidence, but I think the idiot's administration and I use fucking different dictionaries when defining sovereignty.

Iraqi lawmakers say the United States is demanding 58 bases as part of a proposed "status of forces" agreement that will allow U.S. troops to remain in the country indefinitely.

Leading members of the two ruling Shiite parties said in a series of interviews the Iraqi government rejected this proposal along with another U.S. demand that would effectively hand over the power to determine if a hostile act from another country is aggression against Iraq. Lawmakers said they fear this power would drag Iraq into a war between the United States and Iran.

"The points that were put forth by the Americans were more abominable than the occupation," said Jalal al Din al Saghir, a leading lawmaker from the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq . "We were occupied by order of the Security Council ," he said, referring to the 2004 Resolution mandating a U.S. military occupation in Iraq at the head of an international coalition. "But now we are being asked to sign for our own occupation. That is why we have absolutely refused all that we have seen so far."

Other conditions sought by the United States include control over Iraqi air space up to 30,000 feet and immunity from prosecution for U.S. troops and private military contractors. The agreement would run indefinitely but be subject to cancellation upon two years of notice from either side, lawmakers said.

How quickly would US lawmakers agree to such terms from, oh, lets say China? And would China even have the temerity to make such demands? Just asking.

But then, China is currently not occupying the US so those may be rhetorical questions.

Note: Headline links to source.

Group Forms To Head Off War on Iran

Tehran, capital of Iran
Thank God, perhaps cooler heads will prevail. And the Iranians will only have to fear Mother Nature who can really be a mother.

Representatives of Left and Right Seek To Push America Into Talks With Tehran An unusual coalition of interest groups from left and right is launching a drive today to head off an American military attack on Iran by pushing America into high-level negotiations with Tehran. The Campaign for a New American Policy on Iran, which bills itself as "transpartisan," consists of more than three dozen organizations, most of them left-leaning, such as the American Friends Service Committee, the Institute for Policy Studies, and the Open Society Policy Center, which is backed by George Soros. However, the campaign also has the backing of a smattering of right-of-center groups, including the American Conservative Defense Alliance, the Libertarian Party, and the American Cause, which is headed by Patrick Buchanan.

Note: Headline links to source.

Traffic Woes (Baghdad)

So how is your commute looking now?

Iraqi traffic is at the whim of U.S. military convoys, Iraqi Army convoys and Iraqi officials. Nearly every politician or that politician's advisors travel with gun toting convoys. They shoot bullets in the air and force traffic to take detours that slow to a crawl.

A fifteen minute drive can take up to two hours depending on road closures and passing VIPs.

Note: Headline links to source.

Jesus Fuck

This guy doesn't like us to politicize him, but I must. Just go to the fucking link.

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This just in….

You're having a bad day?

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Deal with it

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Theology and politics

Here's how theology and politics commingle.

Congress considers a bill. The church doesn't like it.

Although the church is, usually in my estimation, correct they kill it.

This ain't right.

Politicians need to do what they think best for the people without outside influence.

Personal

OMG!!!1!! Wrong fucking image.


This is most likely long overdue.

Where to start?

I'm old. Sixty five years and counting. I've never mentioned this even though you could have easily discovered it had you wanted. I didn't give my age because most under thirty would think I'm senile and unable to elicit any cogent arguments. Shit, even old codgers like me might well think the same. Well that's pure bullshit. My mind is not Swiss cheese...yet. I am viable.

I don't live in the US. Most of my life I did live in Western Washington, but many would not understand how I could harbor feelings and passions about my country if not there. More bullshit.

Its most probable I'll never be allowed to return to the US. I'm too fucking critical of the moron and am on the "no fly" list.

In a matter of weeks I will probably be fucked by the IRS. I've tried my best to reason with them, but to no avail. Hey, maybe I will get to the US! Can't afford to see my children and grandchildren otherwise.

Now I can get on with posting without reservations. Enjoy the graphic of a jeepney.

Two small things. Almost all Jeepnies reference God or Jesus and I have no fucking idea what SCORGEM means.

OK, a third small thing. My real name is Larry which pissed off my maternal grandmother because its a nickname and not a proper name. I was named after Harry James who my mother loved. I asked my mum why she didn't name me Harry James. And typical of my crazy mother she replied, "I don't like the name Harry."

Now you know why I'm not very sane.

Jobless

A commenter left me a missive about how anyone who wanted to work could. Which is just fucking bullshit.

It's a common belief among Republicans and others who have jobs, but it's total nonsense.

My reply:

I rarely disagree with comments, but this is an exception.

YOU ARE WRONG!

I've been turned down for jobs because I was under qualified, over qualified, too old, too young. And I'm a white Anglo male.

I know many who had rejection problems because of no permanent address or a phone number.

They had no permanent address or a phone number because they were fucking unemployed.

I welcome you to the goddamn real world.

Truth is, there's absolutely nothing funny about the graphic.

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Putz.

Jill uses the headline "Putz" because she's more mature and refined than I.

Asshole fits nicely.

But there is another Mrs McCain who casts a ghostly shadow over the Senator’s presidential campaign. She is seldom seen and rarely written about, despite being mother to McCain’s three eldest children.

I'm no fucking saint by any stretch of the imagination.

I was married for many years to a wonderful woman who found it impossible to live with me. Go figure.

That woman stood by me, helped me through university and mothered my three sons. I would never write her off. Anyone who abandons his wife for whatever reason is an asshole.

Note: Headline links to source.

7 dead in stabbing spree in downtown Tokyo

AP Photo
If you haven't been following this which is understandable, but there is a epidemic. Fortunately for you I'm on it.

A man plowed into shoppers with a truck Sunday and then stabbed 17 people within minutes, killing at least seven of them in a grisly attack that shocked a country known for its low crime rate.

The lunchtime violence in the Akihabara district, a popular electronics and video game area, sent thousands of people fleeing.

The assault, which occurred on the seventh anniversary of a mass stabbing at a Japanese elementary school, was the latest in a series of knife attacks that have stoked fears of rising violent crime in Japan.

Note: Headline links to source.

Pudding robbery

Without shame I steal this whole fucking post. You won't believe the ending.

This is just too funny not to share. Excerpted from an article which appeared in the Dublin Times about a bank robbery on March 2.

Once inside the bank shortly after midnight, their efforts at disabling the security system got underway immediately. The robbers, who expected to find one or two large safes filled with cash & valuables, were surprised to see hundreds of smaller
safes throughout the bank.

The robbers cracked the first safe’s combination, and inside they found only a small bowl of vanilla pudding.

As recorded on the bank’s audio tape system, one robber said, “At least we’ll have a bit to eat.”

The robbers opened up a second safe, and it also contained nothing but vanilla pudding. The process continued until all safes were opened.

They did not find one pound sterling, a diamond, or an ounce of gold. Instead, all the safes contained covered bowls of pudding. Disappointed, the robbers made a quiet exit , each leaving with nothing more than a queasy, uncomfortably full stomach.

The newspaper headline read:
IRELAND’S LARGEST SPERM BANK ROBBED EARLY THIS MORNING…

Yes I'm sick, but apparently not the only one out there.

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The Woman Who Married the Eiffel Tower

OK, I'm weird to the extreme(seriously), just ask my sons, X or current wife.

But I would never marry a fucking man made structure of any kind.

Now sheep are a different matter.

I place all of the blame on this with my listening to the Saturday Night soundtrack.

Yes, just shoot me now.

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Waitress Shaved Head for Charity, Got Laid Off

Stacey Fearnall, whose father died of cancer, decided to shave her head for a cancer fundraising event. But when she returned to work at Nathaniels restaurant, where she worked as a waiter, she was laid off:

I have only one inappropriate but consistent comment.

You are ASSHOLES!

Note: Headline links to source.

Sad Kitty

Damn you!

Hey. I'm just kidding. K.

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"No Surrender" vs. Lapel Pins

Yes, I'm a Deepak Chopra fan and thus less than human to many.

One aspect of modern politics has been to elevate the trivial to unheard of heights. By any serious measure Barack Obama holds an enormous advantage over John McCain. His poise, intelligence, and charisma are undeniable, as is the utter ruin of the right-wing agenda with which McCain has many ties. Unfortunately, Obama forgot to wear a flag label pin, and now one has to worry about trivialities reigning supreme once again. Critics have grumbled for decades that soundbites have surpassed informed knowledge of the issues. Taking advantage of this slippage into superficiality, the Republicans turned "liberal" into a dirty word, intelligence into elitism, and the smiling vacuousness of a Ronald Reagan into a prime key for electoral success.

Ya can't argue his logic.

Note: Headline links to source.

Tit for tat

Ya gotta treat New Yorkers like they expect to be treated or not.

Tourist: Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to MoMA from here?
Suit: Fuck you, what do I look...
Tourist, indignantly interrupting: No, fuck you, you motherfucking piece of shit. You don't want to answer, you say "I don't know". All you New Yorkers are a bunch of cock-sucking assholes.
[Suit, stunned, gives directions.]
Bystander to tourist: Where did you learn to do that?
Tourist: The Midwest.

Never give short shrift to the Midwesterners.

--Outside the Guggenheim

Love bite

In my wildest, demented dreams I could never make up this shit.

Note: Headline links to source.

What is Normal in Baghdad?

Please take a moment. Sit down and evaluate your life.

The following is from a link which is sometimes uplifting, but usually depressing.

This is how your life would be were you in Baghdad.

On Wednesday we watched a burning fire and plumes of smoke fill the air from a nearby car bomb. The ambulance lights flashed and the air was filled with the sounds of sirens.

At that point we didn't know if it had hit our favorite restaurant where children play in an outdoor garden and brides favor the beautiful scene for weddings. Next door is the grocery store where I buy my favorite ice cream.

Our security advisor worried about a secondary bombing so he wouldn't let us drive the few blocks to check it out. We waited on a death toll from police and watched the distant flames with sadness. Later we found out just three people were killed and we sighed with relief. Three lives are better than 20 lives lost.

That night I talked to Hussein, one of our Iraqi reporters. We talked about whether or not he would apply for refugee status in the states. He is eligible for a resettlement program that would give him eight months of help in the states because of his dangerous job. Journalists are targeted and killed here.

"They'll ask you if you're afraid," I said. "Are you afraid for your life?"

"I was," he said.

"Are you still?" I asked.

"Not anymore," he said. "I got used to it. Even you got used to it. What if that car bomb was in the United States would it be the same?"

I hung my head. Car bombs, suicide bombings, assasinations [sic] are so common they are the thing of jokes. Yes violence has dropped but it is still here and the most troubling thing is it is normal.

Today we found out a female suicide bomber killed one and injured six in Fallujah. One of our reporters joked that women didn't make good bombers. She'd only gotten one person. We laughed because it is easier than crying

I stole the whole fucking post.

Jesus H Christ with dynamite, these people live with this shit daily.

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Unemployment up because more people want jobs, says Bush

I got this via Ted Compton who got it from Raw Story who got it from CNN who probably got it from an "unidentified source".

Hey, we're all link whores.

Anyway, this is almost priceless. People are unemployed because...they want to work.

WHAT!!!1!!

Here's my take on this. If you found a rhesus monkey with HIV and dandruff, in the late stages of Alzheimer's, a thumb missing and one testicle you could have a better president than the moron you now have.

During an economic speech today, President Bush partly blamed a dramatic rise in unemployment on new workers entering the workforce. Later, in a CNN interview, Bush Labor Secretary Elaine Chao also said that the increase the unemployment rate was "caused in part by a surge of young entrants into the job market."

This is a fucking new phenomenon. Usually there are no young entrants into the job market. The idiot was shocked by this.

Note: For the record, to the best of my limited knowledge, the above anthropoid is both male and in possession of both his balls. This, of course, is pure unadulterated speculation on my part.

Hey, I still wanna have a beer with Bush, but only if he's buying.

Note: Headline links to source.