Put That In Your Pipe And Smoke It, Subtitled Valerie Plame Was A Covert Agent

Well, this says it all, now doesn't it!

At the time of the initial unauthorized disclosure in the mdeia of Ms. Wilson's employment relationship with the CIA on 14 July 2003, Ms. Wilson was a covert CIA employee for whom the CIA was taking affirmative measures to conceal her intelligence relationship to the United States.

UPDATE: It's funny how lots of the right wing blogs are denying this to be true! They keep saying if this was TRUE, then Richard Armitage should have been indicted ... oh, how hard my sides ache from laughing. It really doesn't matter what the truth is, the agenda of the Republican right wing is always deny, deny and deny. Valerie Plame was never outed, she arranged for her husband to make the trip to Niger, and Saddam WAS trying to buy yellow cake, but, you know, Plame and Wilson just had it out for Bush, so Wilson just LIED and said the memo was a fake. Yeah, that's the ticket. This little tidbit says it all.

Excuse me? A “Grandfathered Status” of covert. Sorry, no “apples” here. First, the fact is that “if” she held covert status it would have been revealed and protected at the time when Novak notified CIA officials of the story. “Taking measures” my ass. Either she was or wasn’t and that’s what I’ve been saying from the beginning. When Novak called Bill Harlow and Harlow had to hang up and then call back, I told you that was BS. All he had to do was punch her name up in the computer on his desk and he could have told Novak straight out she was protected.

Fact is that she wasn’t. Harlow knew who she was as she had already been stripped of duties for her little scheme sending “honey bunch” to Niger (a rather embarrassing screw up I might add). What is a fact is that having been relieved of duties from CIO a full year prior - in 2002, by June of 2003 she was working in a non-covert status in Langley.

Fact is that Plame still is the key to the real story about her and her rogue buds were trying to pull off prior to the war. This story is simply another bow-shot to keep others off the trail, especially after her false testimony earlier this month.

[snip]

If in fact the documents now produced had any such validity it would have been basically a cake walk to pin a violation of the IIPA on Libby. Hell, with that DC jury they pinned heresay on him, why not? It tells you a lot that there wasn’t any such veracity placed on the documents which translated means the fact that the were written up after the fact didn’t pass the smell test.

The shit from the Republican deniers just never ends. The need to pretend to be "in the know" is so fifth grade.

It's Not A Baseball Game, You Idiot, It's A Presidential Debate

"Fox broadcasts the World Series, too, but is it any less of a World Series because it's on Fox? Ask the fans in St. Louis, or Anaheim, or Boston," the Ohio Democrat said in a statement released by his campaign. "Lets face it, the race for the presidency is the World Series of politics, and here you have three candidates for President who are admitting that not only can they not hit right-handed pitching, they're even afraid to step up to the plate and take a swing. Well, I'm one candidate for President who can hit any pitch anyone throws at me. And I'll be taking the field in Detroit this September with the Congressional Black Caucus."

This is just an idiotic statement. I hope these assholes get their insides rearranged by the FOX guys, who will undoubtedly take every pot shot available. The comparison to baseball really shows that Kucinich knows even less about baseball than he does about politics. There won't be any pitches thrown...FOX is all about "walking." There will be no opportunity to "hit one out of the park" for Kucinich and his fellow Two. It will be four balls, a walk, with NO COMMENT!

Besides, it's not "fear" that has made the other Democratic candidates decline to participate in the debate. The fact that Kucinich would say this proves, pretty much, that he's just one of the little dogs still licking the poop drops of the big dogs that walk before him.

May The Force Be With You

It was thirty years ago today that the force was with me. I attended every premier at the Chinese, except for the last one, which for some reason the powers that be felt it should be held at the newly renovated "Arc" (the old Dome theater). I boycotted that one, out of deference to the many fans that had spent the many nights in front of Grauman's.

Former White House Liason To The Justice Department, Monica Goodling, Testifies

I am watching Monica Goodling to testify. The first question ... who ordered you to place the names of the 9 USA's on the list of USA's that were fired this year. She took the fifth first off, and then Conyers read her the immunity authority.

Monica makes a statement. She claims she never spoke to Karl Rove regarding the replacement plan for USA's. Claims she really does not know why the USA's were on the list. (cough, bullshit, cough). She is admitting to the use of partisan politics in the hiring of personnel.

So, why did she need the immunity? Perhaps because the partisan politics in hiring in her position is a federal offense.

UPDATE:

You know, it is curious. These questions are pretty straightforward, but no one is able to answer them. Lawmakers asked Kyle Sampson about who drew up the list of U.S. Attorneys to be fired and how those names got on the list. Dunno, he said. They asked Alberto Gonzales. Beats me, he said. They asked Paul McNulty. Ask everybody else, he said. They asked Monica Goodling. Ask anybody else, she said.

As Kevin put it, “Goodling is now the latest high-ranking DOJ official to say that, really, she has no idea why those U.S. Attorneys were fired last year, or who made the choices. The list appeared, somehow, but apparently not from any human hand. It’s a miracle!”

Courtesy of The Carptebagger Report.

Graph Showing Rise Of Attacks In Iraq Since 2003

Here is a chart of guerrilla attacks in Iraq since 2003 through April 2007. It is from a GAO document on Iraq, "GAO-07-677 Iraq Electricity and Oil," p. 34. The original is in .pdf format here. I think it says it all. Note that all the activity related to the "surge" seems to have gotten the mayhem nearly back down to what it was in . . . July 2006, that veritable paradise of communal harmony.

Courtesy of Informed Comment.

Man Violates Restraining Order, Has 121 Guns Confiscated, And Comes Back With Machine Gun!

Orlowski, who was going through a divorce, met the man he wanted to kill his wife, daughter and mother-in-law in county jail earlier this year after he'd been arrested a second time for violating a restraining order his wife had taken out against him, according to court documents.

[snip]

In January, Orlowski was arrested at his wife's home and charged with violating the restraining order, domestic assault and battery and unlawful storage of firearms. Police seized 121 guns owned by Orlowski.

Orlowski was arrested a second time a month later at his wife's home, and charged again with violating the restraining order and unlawful possession of a machine gun.

This story is just too absurd for words. I mean, 121 guns? And the guns were confiscated, and he was still caught violating his estranged wife's restraining order with a damn fucking MACHINE GUN? What is wrong with this country where it is acceptable to have those types of guns? Sheesh.

Another Corporate Giant In Action

Thousands of irate street vendors attacked stores set up by Indian giant Reliance Industries in eastern India, saying the new nationwide chain threatens their livelihoods.

Some 5,000 vegetable sellers vandalised three Reliance Fresh stores in Ranchi in the first violence against the firm's plans to build a local version of US retail giant Wal-Mart, police said.

[snip]

The vandalised facilities selling fresh vegetables were among the first to be set up in eastern India by Reliance, which launched its multi-billion-dollar foray into the retail trade last November.

Reliance's retail move comes as domestic and global firms seek to tap India's increasingly affluent middle class, estimated at 300 million, in what commentators have dubbed the "great Indian retail gold rush."

The "Wal-Mart" effect, up close and personal.

Hot Hot Hot

Boy, it's hot tonight. 81 degrees at 9:00 p.m., not your typical Los Angeles May weather.

A little "Hot, Hot, Hot" for ya!

Take A Bus, Please

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) -- Gasoline prices have surged to a record nationwide average of $3.07 per gallon, nearly 20 cents higher than two weeks earlier, oil industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday. The previous record was $3.03 per gallon on Aug. 11, 2006.

That, of course, is supposed to be the national average. Here, at the Bar and Grill, prices were steady through most of April going from $3.21 to $3.27 and then $3.31. After that, it went to $3.35, $3.39, $3.45, and it is sitting pretty at $3.55. That's $0.34 since March 20, 2007.

Let's all make sure we do our part to ensure the CEO's at Exxon and the like make another $60 BILLION in quarterly profits. You all come back to the pump, now, you hear?

Tequila, Anyone? Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! And, no, it's not Mexican Independence Day (September 16).

Live Streaming Of Don Ho Sendoff

I love the internets!

I'm streaming from Waikiki at the Duke Kahanamoku statue, hoping I'll be able to catch some of the celebration sending off Don Ho.

HONOLULU - So many people were expected Saturday for the sunset memorial service on the beach at Waikiki for legendary Hawaiian crooner Don Ho that the city arranged extra buses, parking and traffic control.

As many as 25,000 people were likely to attend, which city officials said would make it one of the largest crowds ever in Waikiki.

It would be very cool if I could enjoy it as it is happening in Hawai'i. I've enjoyed watching the ball drop in Times Square real time, via webcams, and have viewed Mardi Gras in New Orleans as well.

Aloha.

Dancing With My Baby

I was trolling for drinking songs by Xavier Cugat, but this caught my eye.
Anyone that actually knows me, knows I dance. This video is classic... Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. Enough said.

I Ain't Drunk, I'm Just Drinking

My theme song. I don't care what the people are thinking. I ain't drunk, I'm just drinking.

Government Taking A Shit, But I'm Still Here

Really shitty week/weekend .. don't want to talk about it or post about it.
But...this video encapsulates my feelings.