Bush

SF: BUSH ADMIN. LAWYERS FILED A BID MONDAY FOR STAY OF SURVEILLANCE CASE ORDER

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

Lawyers from the Bush administration Justice Department late Monday night asked a federal judge in San Francisco to suspend an order that would have allowed lawyers in a warrantless wiretapping case some access to classified documents.

The Justice Department attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker to stay his Jan. 5 order while the government appeals the order.

by David Swanson, AfterDowningStreet.org

 

Report Says White House Rejected All Advice from Government Agencies
That Torture Was Illegal 

 

An incredible scene today where President George W. Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq to meet with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.  At a press conference with al-Maliki in Baghdad, an Iraqi journalist by the name of Muthathar al Zaidi took off his shoes, stood up, and proceeded to throw his shoes at the head of President Bush:

Filed by RAW STORY

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other members of the Bush administration "conveyed the message that physical pressures and degradation were appropriate treatment for detainees," claims a Senate Armed Services Committee report issued Thursday.

According to the committee, prisoners were tortured in the Iraqi prison Abu Ghraib, the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other US military installations. Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and John McCain (R-AZ) were responsible for the content of the Senate's findings.

"When it comes to money and markets, the worst thing we can do is act like sheep," is how the tagline from "Broke: The New American Dream" starts.  Broke is a new documentary from director Michael Covel which looks at the economy, investing, and retirement in a unique and humorous way.  Covel attempts to cut through the media gloss from talking heads that tell us "everything is ok" and "we've reach the bottom, so time to buy!".  The trailer is below:

As reported in the New York Times today, the chief executives of the nine largest banks met at the Treasury Department to have a meeting with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

All the scare tactics of the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve focused on needing to push the $700 billion through Congress to buy "distressed mortgages" and "ease the credit markets".  So what has the US Government decided to use the first $250 billion of bailout money to purchase?  Direct stock in banks:

The roll call for the bailout package vote on September 29 was just publicly released.  I urge all of you on election day (November 4) to consider this roster closely when going into the voting booth. 

Those who voted "Yes" on bill H.R. 3997 were willing to give away billions of taxpayer dollars despite strong opposition against it. Some have said this was the most vociferious opposition to a bill expressed by the electorate since the time leading up to the military activities in Iraq in 2002. 

In a stunning development, the House of Representatives has voted against the bailout package, by a vote of 228-205.  Everyone expected the bill to fly through without challenge, but more than two-thirds of Republicans voted against it and 40 percent of Democrats.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080929/ap_on_bi_ge/financial_meltdown

The Dow Jones in response has dropped nearly 700 points, and the NASDAQ has shed nearly 8 percent.

If you have not yet seen the proposed legislation to bail out America's financial institutions, I think you should do so.  If you have read the legislation, I'd urge you to call your local Congressional representative and both of your US senators to urge them to not sign this into law.

There are two sections in the proposal which everyone must clearly understand.  First is the following passage in Section 6: