EXTRA EXTRA! Post all about it! (new news thread)

[Andrew_TSKS]

Josh Bolten and Harriet Myers held in contempt over refusals to testify/submit documents re: firing of US attorneys

It is the first time in 25 years that a full chamber of Congress has voted on a contempt of Congress citation.

The action, which Democrats had been threatening for months, was the latest wrinkle in a more than yearlong constitutional clash between Congress and the White House.

The administration has said the information being sought is off-limits under executive privilege, and argues that Bolten and Miers are immune from prosecution.

Still, the resolution would allow the House to bring its own lawsuit on the matter.

If Congress doesn't act to enforce the subpoenas, said Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat, it would "be giving its tacit consent to the dangerous idea of an imperial presidency, above the law and beyond the reach of checks and balances."

[diesel_powered]

OH PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CAN BUSH TRY SOME COWBOY BULLSHIT WITH THIS AND GET NAILED TO THE WALL??

[Andrew_TSKS]

hah, by the end of today the house of representatives had shut down for 10 days in order to make sure that there could be no action on the fisa bill until after its provisions expire. the republicans got pissy, walked out of congress, and went straight out to a press conference on the steps where they complained about it, but there was nothing they could do as the democratic majority had enough of a quorum to pass the resolution on their own.

and i think at this point, everyone who is paying any attention realizes that bush is telling congress that he would rather be unable to act against potential terrorist threats than subject the telecoms that cooperated with the administration in the illegal wiretaps to potential lawsuits. i thought this bluster was going to work--it did work on the senate--but the house is holding strong, and i think bush might end up hoist on his own petard here.

so yeah, big day on capitol hill.

[Nick Ink]

Open Your Eyes...

Korean firm bids to clone dead pets
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/feb/15/stemcells.animalwelfare

[Thermofusion]

Korean firm bids to clone dead pets
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/feb/15/stemcells.animalwelfare

I want out of this century.

[slow west vultures]

you'll have to hack your way out through a whole forest of deranged zombie pets to get your wish. 

[Thermofusion]

One thing I don't understand about the article: will they only clone dead pets?  If I want to clone my dog, do I have to kill him first?  That seems counterproductive.

[Andrew_TSKS]

15 boxes of jfk assassination-related documents found in safe in dallas county courthouse. experts divided on veracity of oswald/ruby transcript.

this is fucking huge, dudes.

[dieblucasdie]

The Mafia?  pfft.  Everyone knows it was the Freemasons.

Seriously though, that's fucking crazy.

[jebreject]

Castro Calls It Quits

[Doctor Bob]

Castro Calls It Quits

This was on the radio news here this morning, and my first thought was 'I wonder if Jeb has heard yet?'

So that's a yes, then.

[diesel_powered]

I KNOW! LET'S INVADE CUBA!

[Andrew_TSKS]

those two things happening on the same day is just weird.

[The_Tourist]

I KNOW! LET'S INVADE CUBA!

he's way ahead of you...

"Bush said Tuesday in Rwanda. 'The United States will help the people of Cuba realize the blessings of liberty.'"

[diesel_powered]

DEMOCRACY: WE DELIVER!

[FreddyKnuckles]

seriously though, hopefully raul will tone down the rhetoric and so will our next president and we can get this embargo lifted.

[Andrew_TSKS]

Bush: "Lift the embargo? Are you crazy?"

on the other hand:

Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and Republican John McCain called for the release of Cuban political prisoners and said the United States should look for ways to encourage democratic reforms in Cuba.

"The United States must pursue an active policy that does everything possible to advance the cause of freedom, democracy and opportunity in Cuba," Clinton said.

Obama said the U.S. must be prepared to take steps to normalize relations with Cuba and to ease the embargo if Cuba's new leaders "begins opening Cuba to meaningful democratic change."

McCain underscored that "freedom for the Cuban people is not yet at hand."

it appears that all of the major candidates for the 2008 election are more open to the idea.

[RavingLunatic]

I KNOW! LET'S INVADE CUBA!

he's way ahead of you...

"Bush said Tuesday in Rwanda. 'The United States will help the people of Cuba realize the blessings of liberty.'"

This reminds me of when Chomsky once talked about the name of the US mission in Afghanistan. First they wanted to call it Crusade something or other, but that was shot down for obvious reasons. Then they wanted to call it Operation Infinite Justice, but that had religious implications they didn't want. Finally they settled on Operation Enduring Freedom. What they didn't notice was that to endure means to suffer. A lot of people in the world have had to endure the kind of "freedom" we like to impose on them.

[jebreject]

Operation Infinite Justice is fucking hilarious

[diesel_powered]

When will the Republicans realize that it wasn't Reagan's sheer force of will () that caused the fall of the iron curtain, but rather the narcotic qualities of the capitalist market? The huddled masses weren't yearning to breathe free, they were yearning for easy credit and Levis.

[dieblucasdie]

Oh man, does Bush even hear what he's saying anymore? 

On Darfur:

BUSH: A clear lesson I learned in the [Rwandan genocide] museum was that outside forces tend to divide people up inside their country and are unbelievably counterproductive.

epic, epic lulz

[Andrew_TSKS]

what? wasn't that a civil war?

[Antero]

what? wasn't that a civil war?

Yep.  I guess it's OPPOSITE DAY for President 19%.

[hannah]

and irony day

[diesel_powered]

He's not in Africa. He's in BIZARRO WORLD.