Laura Rozen has been running an interesting forum on Iran at Mother Jones, which asks: “How likely is a scenario in which the United States or Israel strikes Iran before
Bush leaves office? (Or is the Left falling for the hawks’ propaganda?)”
From Danny Postel, the author of Reading Legitimation Crisis in Tehran: Iran and the Future
of Liberalism and a member of Chicago’s No War on Iran Coalition:
None of us can be certain at this point whether the US or Israel will attack Iran, but I read recent
signs as being just ominous enough that I’d rather err on the side of being too worried than of not being worried enough.
Even that paragon of cool sobriety The Economist now concludes that Israel’s recent maneuvers suggest that it might
not be bluffing. One thing we do know is that the intellectual runway is being slicked for an attack. John Bolton has floated
the suggestion that Israel will attack after the November elections but before the next president takes office, while Daniel
Pipes has evoked the same scenario, only with the US doing the job.
From Yossi Melman, a national security correspondent for Israeli daily Haaretz:
Very, very unlikely. The military and intelligence contingency plans to attack Iran are still in the
making. From the operational point of view, Israel and the US are not ready yet. The supportive political-diplomatic environment
has not been created yet. Attacking Iran is considered by Israeli military and political decision makers as a last resort.
I assume that they and the international community, including the US, are waiting to see the results of next year’s
presidential elections in Iran, to be held in May 2009.
Original Photo on Left-Doctored Photo on Right
Expert Says Missile Photo Appears to Be Doctored
Iran apparently doctored a photograph of missile test-firings and exaggerated
the capabilities of the weapons, according to a defense analyst whose conclusions were backed by photography experts.
On Wednesday, Iran said it test-fired a series of long- and medium-range missiles, escalating the saber rattling over its
nuclear program and frustrating U.S. officials who have cited glimmers of progress in recent weeks. Iranian officials said
in state media that the barrage included a new version of the Shahab-3 missile with a range of 1,200 miles, enough to hit
Israel.
A state-issued photograph, carried by Agence France-Presse and picked up by The Wall Street Journal and other newspapers
for Thursday editions, showed four missiles firing simultaneously. But one of the missiles had apparently been added to the
photo, borrowing elements from the smoke trail and dust clouds from two of the other missiles, skeptics said.
After being shown the photograph, Mark Fitzpatrick of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies told
AFP: "It very much does appear that Iran doctored the photo to cover up what apparently was a misfiring of one of the missiles.
"The whole purpose of this testing was to send a signal, so Iran both exaggerated the capabilities of the missile in their
prose and apparently doctored the photos, as well," Mr. Fitzpatrick said, according to AFP.
In addition, Mr. Fitzpatrick, a former U.S. State Department official, said: "In terms of capability, they claimed the
Shahab-3 could travel 2,000 kilometers carrying a one-ton warhead. This is very unlikely.
"The Shahab-3 normally has a range of 1,300 kilometers, and the range can be extended to 2,000 kilometers, but it would
require a much lighter warhead."
The photo on Iran's Sepah News site was replaced Thursday with an image showing three missiles -- which appear to be the
same as the earlier photo. In place of the fourth missile, however, the photo showed one still on the ground in its launch
position and what appears to be a vehicle nearby.
There was no immediate comment from Iranian government officials on the photos.
According to a U.S. official, analysts determined that Tehran on Thursday launched another weapon, an antiship missile
-- one night after the string of tests.
During a “tele-townhall meeting” last evening, John McCain was asked by a mother of two sons if he believes the nation will one day re-institute the
military draft. It would take an “all-out World War III” to make that happen, McCain responded.
Indeed, if that’s true, then a military draft may indeed be a possibility. McCain himself has suggested we are in a “World War III” confrontation with Iran.
In July 2006, McCain appeared on CNN’s Larry King Live, where he was asked to respond to this quote from Newt Gingrich:
“We’re in the early stages of what I would describe as the Third World War and, frankly, our bureaucracies aren’t responding fast enough. … You’d have to say to yourself this is
in fact World War III. ” Here’s how McCain reacted to that quote:
KING: Senator McCain, do you agree?
MCCAIN: I do to some extent. I think it’s important to recognize that we have terrorist organizations
which — who are dangerous by themselves, are now being supported by radical Islamic governments, i.e., the Iranians,
which makes them incredibly more dangerous because they are trained, equipped, motivated and assisted in every way by the
Iranians.
Last October, President Bush himself warned of a coming “World War III” with Iran. “I’ve told people that if you’re interested in avoiding World War III,” said the President. “It seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from have the knowledge necessary
to make a nuclear weapon.”
Rove Defies Congress Subpoena He refuses to testify about several allegations By Ben Evans
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Former White House adviser Karl Rove defied a congressional
subpoena and refused to testify Thursday about allegations of political pressure at the Justice Department, including whether
he influenced the prosecution of a former Democratic governor of Alabama. Rep. Linda Sanchez, chairman of a House subcommittee,
ruled with backing from fellow Democrats on the panel that Rove was breaking the law by refusing to cooperate — perhaps
the first step toward holding him in contempt of Congress.
The White House has cited executive privilege as a reason he and others who serve or served in the administration should
not testify, arguing that internal administration communications are confidential and that Congress cannot compel officials
to testify. Rove says he is bound to follow the White House's guidance, although he has offered to answer questions specifically
on the Siegelman case — but only with no transcript taken and not under oath.
Lawmakers subpoenaed Rove in May in an effort to force him to talk about whether he played a role in prosecutors' decisions
to pursue cases against Democrats, such as former Alabama Gov. DonSiegelman, or in firing federal prosecutors considered disloyal
to the Bush administration.
Rove had been scheduled to appear at the House Judiciary subcommittee hearing Thursday morning. A placard with his name
sat in front of an empty chair at the witness table, with a handful of protesters behind it calling for Rove to be arrested.
A decision on whether to pursue contempt charges now goes to the full Judiciary Committee and ultimately to House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi.
House Republicans called Thursday's proceedings a political stunt and said if Democrats truly wanted information they would
take Rove up on an offer he made to discuss the matter informally.
The House already has voted to hold two of President Bush's confidants in contempt for failing to cooperate with its inquiry
into whether the administration fired nine federal prosecutors in 2006 for political reasons.
The case, involving White House chief of staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers, is in federal
court and may not be resolved before Bush's term ends in January.
Democrats have rejected the offer from Rove to talk with them informally because the testimony would not be sworn and,
they say, could create a confusing record.
Rove has insisted publicly that he never tried to influence Justice Department decisions and was not even aware of the
Siegelman prosecution until it landed in the news.
Siegelman — an unusually successful Democrat in a heavily Republican state — was charged with accepting and
concealing a contribution to his campaign to start a state education lottery, in exchange for appointing a hospital executive
to a regulatory board.
He was sentenced last year to more than seven years in prison but was released in March when a federal appeals court ruled
Siegelman had raised "substantial questions of fact and law" in his appeal.
Siegelman and others have alleged the prosecution was pushed by GOP operatives — including Rove, a longtime Texas
strategist who was heavily involved in Alabama politics before working at the White House. A former Republican campaign volunteer
from Alabama told congressional attorneys last year that she overheard conversations suggesting that Rove pressed Justice
officials in Washington to prosecute Siegelman.
The career prosecutors who handled Siegelman's case have insisted that Rove had nothing to do with it, emphasizing that
the former governor was convicted by a jury.
T. Boone Pickens is a billionaire oil man and a
career corporate raider who loves George Bush so much he donated $250,000 to his 2004 inaugural ball. He was, and still is,
fully behind the invasion and occupation of Iraq and makes no bones about it. So why is he now pushing for the use of alternative
energy sources like wind and solar in his Pickens Plan?
It might be because he sees the soaring price of gas and how it is crushing the average American and
decided to invest billions of dollars of his own money on a bet that it will pay off. His holdings in natural gas would make his a very healthy
profit, should we convert to using it more. Don’t get me wrong, I support anyone who wants to lower our dependence
on oil and clean up our environment, but if you watch the above video and go to the PP website you’ll see that the environment
doesn’t get much play. In fact, considering his push for OCS drilling, I’d say the environment isn’t the overriding issue, just ridding us of our dependence on
foreign oil.
Carl Pope, Executive Director of The Sierra Club has praised his plan, going so far as to say Pickens
is “out to save America” — and I have no problem with that — but do financial motivations vs. environmental
motivations matter? Should we just be thankful that someone has stepped up to the plate, even if it means that the ultra-wealthy
will once again control our energy resources, or do we strive for more ownership in the future of our own energy policy and
demand more emphasis and accountability on our environment? In the end, will Pickens’ plan even work?
Gas Pains and the Enron Loophole
Time to fight OPEC and speculators By:
JOEL D. JOSEPH Joel D. Joseph is chairman of the Made in the USA Foundation
WASHINGTON-Contrary to popular myths, the price of oil is not magically determined by supply and demand.
The price of oil is manipulated by OPEC (the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) and by speculators.
Other
factors, including the war in Iraq and new demand from India and China, as well as momentum, have contributed to the price
of oil rising so far this year more than 40 percent, to $143 barrel.
Without the war in Iraq, OPEC restrictions on
supply and speculation, the price of oil would be about $50 a barrel, or less. The astronomical price of oil is contributing
to a worldwide recession and adding to the food crisis by increasing the cost of basic grains.
The International Energy
Agency estimates that global demand will rise to 86.8 million barrels a day this year, up from 85.8 million barrels last year,
due largely to booming demand from developing nations such as India and China. This represents an increase of just over one
percent, not a dramatic increase. Certainly not an increase that would justify a price increase of nearly 100 percent in the
last year.
The increased demand from India and China is relatively small compared with the other factors. According
to the U.S. Department of Energy, annual Chinese demand for petroleum has increased over the last five years from 1.88 billion
barrels to 2.8 billion barrels, an increase of 920 million barrels a year or about 2.5 million barrels a day.
This
increase corresponds to the U.S. decrease in oil consumption.
Demand for oil in United States fell about 3 percent
in the first three months of this year. As prices rise the demand will fall. Similarly, the supply of oil should increase
as prices rise, but OPEC has not allowed this to happen.
At the same time, speculation in oil futures has increased.
This is a relatively recent phenomenon. Futures contracts for oil, the Nymex only began trading in 1981. Trading in commodity
futures let speculators buy a crude-oil futures contract by having to pay only a small portion (about 6 percent) of the value
of the contract. For example, at a price of $130 a barrel, this means that a futures trader only has to put up only about
$8 for every barrel, while borrowing the other $122. This ability to leverage commodity futures purchases by up to 16 to 1
helps drive prices to wildly unrealistic levels. Added to this is the momentum of the rise in oil prices—it seems to
keep going up and up with new speculation adding fuel to the fire.
I propose that Congress and foreign governments
end OPEC’s cartel and prohibit speculators from buying and selling oil.
Several Connecticut oil dealers are joining
forces with U.S. Rep. John Larson (D.-Conn.) to support federal legislation that would curb commodities speculation. Larson’s
proposal would forbid people from speculating on oil unless they are an “end user” of the product.
This
would let United Airlines, for example, buy future oil contracts, but would prohibit pension funds and billionaires not in
the oil business from speculating in oil. Speculators have stockpiled the equivalent of more than one billion barrels of oil,
more than any single government, driving the price of oil to record levels.
German leaders have proposed a worldwide
ban on oil trading by speculators, blaming the latest spike in crude prices on manipulation by hedge funds. India has already
suspended futures trading of oil.
Uwe Beckmeyer, transport chief for Germany’s Social Democrats, said his party
would call for joint measures by the G8 powers to prohibit leveraged trading on energy contracts. Mr. Beckmeyer said the last
25 percent rise in the price of oil had nothing to do with underlying supply and demand. “It’s pure speculation,”
he said.
Washington overcame a significant obstacle recently in its attempt to allow lawsuits against OPEC for behaving
like an oil cartel and keeping the price of petroleum artificially high. I participated in an antitrust case against OPEC
30 years ago — the U.S. courts refused to let OPEC be sued in American courts unless Congress expressly allowed it.
Now Congress has done so. The House overwhelmingly approved legislation to bring a lawsuit against OPEC nations for price
fixing. President Bush is opposed to the legislation
because he believes that it will trigger retaliatory measures by OPEC member countries such as Saudi Arabia against American
business interests. While the law still has to be passed by the Senate, the size of the majority in the House —
324 votes in favor versus 84 against — is sufficient to override a Bush veto.
We don’t have to sue OPEC
to get results. The United States and European nations can put pressure on OPEC nations by withholding or revoking World Trade
Organization memberships, or by restricting trade in other products, such as automobiles, oil equipment and aircraft.
African
and Asian nations, which are harmed most by OPEC’s price gouging, can join the chorus as well.
Breaking up OPEC
and reducing speculation are only short-term answers.
In the long run, the United States must be self-sufficient in
energy by using solar, wind and other alternative sources of energy.
Germany, not a country known for its sunny climate,
has more solar panels in place than the United States. Brazil has become self-sufficient in energy and the United States can
do the same.
Liberal Bloggers Accuse Obama of Trying to Win
Election
Nominee Called
Traitor to Democrats' Losing Tradition
The liberal blogosphere was aflame today with new accusations
that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) is trying to win the 2008 presidential election.
Suspicions about Sen. Obama's true
motives have been building over the past few weeks, but not until today have the bloggers called him out for betraying the
Democratic Party's losing tradition.
"Barack Obama seems to be making a very calculated attempt to win over 270 electoral
votes," wrote liberal blogger Carol Foyler at LibDemWatch.com, a blog read by a half-dozen other liberal bloggers. "He must
be stopped."
But those comments were not nearly as strident as those of Tracy Klugian, whose blog LoseOn.org has backed
unsuccessful Democratic candidates since 2000.
"Increasingly, Barack Obama's message is becoming more accessible,
appealing, and yes, potentially successful," he wrote. "Any Democrat who voted for Dukakis, Mondale or Kerry should regard
this as a betrayal."
Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said that he was "sympathetic" to the concerns
of bloggers who worry that their nominee seems stubbornly bent on winning the election, but he warned them that the DNC's
"hands are tied."
"If Sen. Obama is really determined to win, I don't think any of us can talk him out of it," Mr.
Dean said.
Liberal bloggers said that they would be watching Sen. Obama's vice-presidential selection process "very
closely" for signs that he is plotting to win the election.
"Barack Obama still has a chance to pick someone disastrous
as a sign that he wants to lose this thing," Ms. Foyler wrote. "If not, he should brace himself for some really mean blog
posts."
Bush To Attend Olympic Ceremony
President George W Bush will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing
Olympics, the White House says.
Human rights groups and opposition politicians including presidential hopeful Barack Obama had urged Mr Bush to consider
boycotting the ceremony.
Beijing's rights record has come under intense scrutiny since Tibetan protests were suppressed in March.
Troops used force to quell the biggest anti-China demonstrations in Tibetan communities for two decades.
Beijing says rioters killed about 20 people in the unrest, but exiled Tibetan groups accuse security forces of killing
scores of protesters.
'Supporting athletes'
The decision by the US president comes as a key symbolic victory for China and will please leaders and Olympic organisers
there, says the BBC's James Reynolds in Beijing.
Some world leaders are missing the August 8th opening ceremony.
Germany's Angela Merkel is not attending the Olympics. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be in Beijing for the closing
ceremony only.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy says his attendance depends on progress in dialogue between Beijing and the Tibetan government-in-exile.
While it was understood that Mr Bush would go to the Games, no firm plans for the opening had been revealed. White
House spokeswoman Dana Perino announced the US president's decision in a statement.
"He believes he's going to China to support first and foremost our athletes. He sees this as a sporting competition," she
said.
Mr Bush and his wife, Laura, will meet Chinese President Hu Jintao as part of their visit to China, and also visit South
Korea and Thailand, the White House said.
The US announcement comes days after senior envoys of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, held a second round
of talks with a Chinese official in Beijing.
The outcome of the discussions has not been revealed.
Gene Simmons: 'Condoleeza Rice Is Sexy'
KISS rocker Gene Simmons has developed a crush on U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleeza Rice.
The pair met in Sweden in May when they were staying in the same hotel. Kiss were performing in the capital Stockholm and
Rice was meeting with politicians to discuss Iraq.
Simmons was stunned to discover the 53-year-old Republican is a fan of his band, and he reveals they bonded over a private
meeting.
Rice said at the time, "I was thrilled. It was really fun to meet Kiss and Gene Simmons."
And Simmons, who claims to have seduced 5,000 women, adds, "She told me it was OK to call her Condi, and that she was a
fan. I find her very sexy."
Presidential Nominees Issue: Outsourcing
By: David Phillips
July 14, 2008
What
is outsourcing?
The outsourcing of U.S. jobs, often referred to as “offshoring”,
while not new, has become prolific since the advent of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by the Clinton Administration.
The NAFTA agreement integrated Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Job outsourcing has moved from telemarketing jobs and
manual labor jobs (The jobs Bush says Americans don’t want) to highly-skilled and managerial positions. Multinational
Corporate America has been relocating the very jobs that NAFTA and the WTO announced would replace low-paying manufacturing
jobs. The newest wave of job outsourcing is being exercised in accounting and financial services, computer and IT services
along with telecommunications (more jobs Bush says Americans don’t want).
McCain Lies almost daily, but the Main Stream Media gives him a pass by not saying
anything.
Yoda's World will now be posting some of McCain's LIES for you to view each week.
The Fox News Channel, which touts itself as Fair and Balanced, is anything but.
In this video the Fox News Channel shows some of its love for Michelle Obama.
VARIOUS LATE NIGHT QUOTES
f you haven't heard by now, on Fox News the other day, during an interview, Jesse Jackson, not realizing the
mic was open, said some pretty nasty things about Barack Obama. I can't say what he said, I'm paraphrasing, he said he would
like to 'cut his testicles off.' That's paraphrasing, he used another word. Well today, Hillary Clinton commented on the remarks,
by saying, 'I don't know what the big deal is, I say that to Bill at least once a week.'" --Jay Leno
"Jesse 'The Nutcracker' Jackson said, he made the comments when he thought the mic was off. Well that makes
it so much better, does it really! I never would have said that if I thought I was gonna get caught! Here's my question, why
would Jesse Jackson ever go anywhere unless the mic was on? Right? He's Jesse Jackson!" --Jay Leno
"I saw Obama make a speech, and I think Jesse may have gotten to him. Yeah, just take a look at the speech today
[on-screen: stock footage of Obama speaking, but synched to a high-pitched, castrato voice]." --Jay Leno
"Jesse Jackson also said he thought Barack Obama was talking down to black people by lecturing them on things
like fatherhood and being a responsible husband. Jesse thought it was insulting, not only to him, but to his former mistress
and their love child." --Jay Leno
"I don't, I don't think Jesse learned his lesson, today he was overheard saying he wanted to cut off John McCain's
Medicare." --Jay Leno
"Now McCain is coming under fire for comments made by his top economic adviser, former
senator Phil Gramm, who called America 'a nation of whiners' and said the country is only in a 'mental recession.' Just a
mental recession. Like the $5 a gallon gas, and the bank kicking you out of your house -- that's all in your mind!" --Jay
Leno
"This week, Iran test-fired nine missiles, and the White House said this is the sort of thing that could disrupt
the Middle East peace process. Just when things were going so well. We had this big love-fest going! I hope this doesn't,
ruin it, in any way!" --Jay Leno
"And, for the first time in American history, Congress's approval rating has fallen to just 9%, 9%. You don't
know how bad that is - the oil companies are at 12%." --Jay Leno
"Jesse Jackson has a bit of a scandal going on right now, which I've got to address right up front. Yeah, in
case you don't know, last night Fox News aired video of Jesse Jackson where Jackson was caught saying he wants to cut Barack
Obama's nuts off. That's what he said. By the way, for the record, this marks the nicest thing ever said about Barack Obama
on Fox News." --Conan O'Brien
"Jesse Jackson says he's been trying to apologize to Barack Obama for saying he wants to cut his nuts off, but
Obama has not taken his calls. That's the story. Probably Jackson is so mad that Barack won't take his calls that once again,
he's threatened to cut his nuts off." --Conan O'Brien
"John McCain also in the news. At a campaign event yesterday, John McCain refused to answer any questions about
Viagra. That's what he said. Yeah, mainly cause all the Viagra questions came from his wife, Cindy. 'We should just try, just
a little.'" --Conan O'Brien
"Presidential candidate Ralph Nader says that this November he expects to be on the ballot in at least 45 states.
Yeah. Nader's exact quote was 'I hope to screw things up in at least 45 states.'" --Conan O'Brien
"Well, I mentioned at the top of the show, by now everybody's heard about this, the controversial comments by
Jesse Jackson made while he was waiting to appear on a Fox News program. But just to be clear, I think we should all take
a look at those comments, once again. Let's examine them [on-screen: the unaltered Fox footage of Jackson, with captions].
Yeah, well everyone's shocked by that, but what's really incredible is that Fox News says that there's more footage of Jesse
Jackson, that apparently he talked for a while, and the other footage is even more embarrassing. I think we're the first show
to break this, take a look. [on-screen: Jackson footage again, unaltered, until after the 'wanna cut his nuts out' comment.
From there, another voice is synced over footage in stage whisper, captioned and saying: 'I'm gonna take some cutting tools,
to his family jewels. I want him to say ouch, when I deflate his pouch. I'll show no restraint, to that which hangs above
his taint. It's twice as zesty, when I remove the teste. I have no preference, for his vas deferens. Here's one I'm still
working on: When I see Obama, it's a drag, something something, to his pastry bag']" --Conan O'Brien
Churches try a lot of different things to attract new,
young parishioners. Some make TV appeals on a round-the-clock basis. Some offer “youth retreats,” where young
campers often get introduced to the sin of sodomy by a helpful camp counselor. But the Windsor Hills Baptist Church chose
an entirely different path, and I can’t imagine their gimmick being anything but a winner. As you can see here, Windsor
Hills understands perfectly the general tendency of a Jesusistani to be bloodthirsty, and they had the promo guaranteed to
bring in those young Jesusistanis by the busload.
I would absolutely love to hear one of the “faithful”
justify this one. This church sure as hell wasn’t offering up AR-15 rifles for the purposes of rabbit hunting, after
all. The AR-15 as a hunting rifle is only good for hunting the two-legged variety of prey. I’d hate to try to eat a
rabbit that got hit by a round from one of these. Hell, I’d hate to have to try to find enough of the rabbit TO eat.
Praise Jesus, and squeeze off a few rounds at the nearest
America-hating athiest librul. Thanks again, Oklahoma, for yet another story about another bunch of Jesusistan wack jobs.
Is it too late to give Oklahoma back to the Injuns?
After one of its organizers suffered an injury, a church
was forced to cancel a gun giveaway at a weekend youth event.
The Windsor Hills Baptist Church planned the giveaway
as a way to draw new participants to the church’s annual youth conference.
The gun in question: an AR-15 semi-automatic assault
rifle.
Windsor Hills cancelled the giveaway Friday evening
after announcing that Pastor Emeritus Jim Vineyard, who was running the event, had suffered a foot injury and would be unable
to attend.
A video posted on the church’s Web site contains
a shooting competition from the 2007 conference, which also included a gun giveaway.
Church leaders defended the decision to hold the event.
“I don’t want people thinking. ‘My
goodness, we’re putting a weapon in the hand of somebody that doesn’t respect it who are then going to go out
and kill,’” said Bob Ross, the youth pastor at Windsor Hills. “That’s not at all what we’re
trying to do.”
No, of course it isn’t. Every teenager ought to
have a AR-15, along with some indoctrination as to the “Godlessness” of this dirty librul society. It seems like
the perfect path to goodness and decency, doesn’t it?
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