How George Bush, Joe Barton, Dick Cheney and Tom DeLay Caused the Gulf Oil Spill and Made Sure BP Will Never Be Held Accountable | Crooks and Liars

This is a very interesting article from "Crooks and Liars"-
How George Bush, Joe Barton, Dick Cheney and Tom DeLay Caused the Gulf Oil Spill and Made Sure BP Will Never Be Held Accountable | Crooks and Liars
By karoli Monday Jun 07, 2010 2:00pm



Does everyone remember Dick Cheney's "National Energy Task Force"? The one where meetings were held in secret, and energy policy was set by the foxes in charge of the henhouse? Yeah, I figured you might.
The Center for American Progress has connected the dots between this task force, the Bush Administration energy policies, and Tom DeLay's leadership in the House of Representatives to paint a straight line right back to Cheney & Co. I don't agree with the conclusion of "Cheney's Katrina", so how about we call it "Cheney's Oil Apocalypse" instead?
Setting the stage - May, 2001
Cheney's secret task force releases a 170-page harbinger of death under the title "National Energy Policy" (PDF). One of the pillars of their report is California's supposed energy crisis, helped along by the likes of Enron.
In Chapter Five, several recommendations for increasing domestic energy supplies are made, including:

• The NEPD Group recommends that the President direct the Secretary of the Interior to consider economic incentives for environmentally sound offshore oil and gas development where warranted by specific circumstances: explore opportunities for royalty reductions, consistent with ensuring a fair return to the public where warranted for enhanced oil and gas recovery; for reduction of risk associated with production in frontier areas or deep gas formations; and for development of small fields that would otherwise be uneconomic.
• The NEPD Group recommends that the President direct the Secretaries of Commerce and Interior to re-examine the current federal legal and policy regime (statutes, regulations, and Executive Orders) to determine if changes are needed regarding energy-related activi- ties and the siting of energy facilities in the coastal zone and on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
• The NEPD Group recommends that the President direct the Secretary of the Interior continue OCS oil and gas leasing and approval of exploration and development plans on predictable schedules.

Act One - The Administration complies
First, the SAFE Act is introduced in the House in 2001. It provides for the following (quotes from CAP post):

• Taxpayer funds to reimburse oil companies for the costs of complying with the National Environmental Policy Act (Sec. 6234)
• A suspension of royalties on tens of millions of barrels of oil produced in the Gulf of Mexico—especially from deepwater wells like the one now spewing into the gulf (Sec. 6202)
• Opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling—with expedited leasing, limited judicial review, and lip service to environmental concerns (Div. F, Title V)

Check off one set of recommendations, though it took Cheney and Big Oil until 2003 to get it to a conference committee. Just after the midterms, Republicans guided the bill through the House, with DeLay twisting arms as needed. With Democrats safely in the minority, the conference committee was able to exempt all oil and gas construction activities from the Clean Water Act, force BLM lease approvals within 10 days, grant unprecedented authority to the Department of Interior to fast-track permits, and allocate $2 billion for oil companies to drill in ultra deepwater areas.
A filibuster in the Senate stopped it from becoming law. Then.
Act Two - If at first you don't succeed, try, try again...
In 2004 a second legislative assault on our coastlines was mounted. This time Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) worked with DeLay to get a bill through the House with the assistance of oilman-turned-lobbyist Andrew Lundquist and Abramoff crony Stephen Griles.
CAP reports:

One of the worst elements of what has come to be known as the “Dick Cheney energy bill” had a direct role in eliminating the kind of regulatory oversight that may have prevented the blowout of BP’s Mississippi Canyon 252 well on April 20 of this year. Section 390 of the legislation dramatically expanded the circumstance under which drilling operations could forego environmental reviews and be approved almost immediately under so-called “categorical exclusions” from the National Environmental Policy Act.

There you go. Fast-track approvals by waiving environmental reviews and granting "categorical exclusions". In other words, tell the oil companies like BP that it's totally okay to ride their iron horses out to the wild coastal frontier without regard for safety or environmental damage.
Worth noting: BP liked those categorical exclusions so much they were lobbying as late as April of this year for more of them.
Other gifts to the oil industry included in the Cheney Energy Bill:

• Permanent permit exemptions granted to all oil and gas construction activities for roads, drill pads, pipeline corridors, refineries and compressor stations required under the Clean Water Act.
• Exempted oil companies from paying royalties on oil produced from deepwater wells.
• Created a special exception to the Safe Drinking Water Act for the "hydraulic fracturing process". As CAP notes, this process was invented by Halliburton.
• Mandated a federally-funded study to identify ways that legislation, regulations and local zoning laws impeded development of existing leases and unexplored oil reserves.
• Limited states' voice with regard to projects affecting their coastlines. This also included limiting court action with respect to offshore oil development.
• Reinstated lapsed leases due to nonpayment of royalties and rents.
• Transferred mineral rights of national seashores to private ownership or Texas state ownership in order to allow oil companies to drill under them.

Act Three - It is finished
On August 8, 2005, George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law.
On October 22, 2007 Randall B. Luthi, Wyoming attorney, Cheney cohort and new director of MMS signed a "Finding of No New Significant Impact" (PDF) with regard to Lease Sale 206, also known as the Deepwater Horizon. This finding was the last barrier for BP to cross before plunging equipment 5000 feet under the ocean's surface, using Halliburton fracture techniques to open the well, and beginning the flow of oil which ends as an environmental and economic disaster to Gulf inhabitants. No significant impact, indeed.
Stay tuned for scenes from next year
It's unclear how the Cheney Energy Act will play out in the legal morass yet to come. What we should expect are many challenges by BP lawyers to any effort to claim damages under the Clean Water Act (given the exemptions) as well as challenges for liability beyond cleaning up the spill.
But whatever happens, dear viewers, know this: The responsible parties are George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Joe Barton, and Tom DeLay.
Repeat. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Get the word out. Put the spotlight on the real villains.

"Return To The Wild" Trailer #2

The movie "Return to the Wild" takes an in-depth look at the re-introduction of the gray wolf to the Northern Rockies, the friction it has caused, and the passionate debate it has stirred. The goal of the documentary is to address the issue of how man and predator can co-exist, in the hope of finding a balanced solution that addresses the needs of the ranchers, wildlife supporters, hunters, and most importantly, the wolves themselves. This is just the trailer from the film.

Senator John Barrasso has shown his hand on Kagan!

Yes, Johnny has shown his hand, and it isn't pretty! He doesn't even have a pair of 2's, or any pair for that matter. He should just fold, and go back into his man-cave, and leave the important things to us thinking people!

Oh yes, Johnny Barrasso is at it again.



Why is it that everytime he opens his mouth he shows the world how ignorant he really is about politics? Why John, WHY? Because that is what Johnny does, as he is a talking-point sock-puppet for the right. Yes, Barrasso has Right-winged Talking Points Tourette's, or RTPT. Just watch his 72 videos on YouTube, but do it on an empty stomach, as getting nauseated on a full stomach is not a good idea. Johnny just loves to be on TV, part of his illness!

http://www.youtube.com/user/barrassowyo

Now, constitutional scholar Johnny B. said this bit of vetting wisdom, “In light of the recently passed health-care legislation, I look forward to speaking with Ms. Kagan about the constitutionality of the new health insurance mandate. Her response will shine a light on her fundamental judicial interpretation of the Constitution.” Umm... Sounds a little like he wants Kagan to tell him how she would rule on the mandate, doesn't it?

Now, as a nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy, a nominee really can not discuss an issue, like the healthcare legislation or health insurance mandate in the new law, because there is the possibility that it may come before the Supreme Court in the future, a Supreme Court in which she may be an Associate Justice. Just like previous Justices during their vetting and confirmation hearings. Sure, she can talk in judicial abstracts and philosophies, but she is not going to talk to you about the constitutionally of the health insurance mandate, or any other specific piece of legislation. I think that he thinks that just because he is a doctor, he is the unconfirmed and absolute expert on all healthcare issues and legislation. I don't think so. He has a Chief of Staff, Shawn Whitman who might inform him of the little peculiarities about this vetting process of a nominee for the Supreme Court, and the nomination process. Just a thought. But, who knows Mr. Whitman's bona fides? He has been a Chief of Staff for a Wyoming Senator (He was Chief of Staff for Craig Thomas before he was Barrasso's.) since October 1, 2003, so he seems to have some experience with previous Supreme Court nominees. Maybe he just forgot to tell know-it-all Johnny?

These types of comments that Johnny blurbs out validate my opinion that he is an extremely ignorant Senator, particularly about the law, politics, public policy, proper vetting of possible Supreme Court Justices, etc. How he got to be our Senator just baffles me. Did he have something on those who originally chose him? Initially that is? Or all the people who actually voted for him? Sure he may be smart when it comes to doctoring, as he did go to Georgetown University, but still? The man hasn't a lick of commonsense.

Here he is talking about free speech, and Bill Ayers, and other things.



Remember, there was no uproar on the right when the University of Wyoming named a building after Dick Cheney, just because he donated millions from the blood money he got from Halliburton. Go figure! And let's not forget Wyoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jim McBride said in 3 different e-mails that Ayers’ visit could possibly cost the university “millions” from their big money donors. So, I guess in Wyoming, getting money from politically powerful moneyed right-winged elites trumps free speech at a "Public University". What a warped sense of reality, and the Constitution these fools have.

Sarah Palin- "Read Baby, Read!" If you can?

Palin, who made this comment, "Soldier pay decreases in the midst of overspending elsewhere and government union pay raises? Seriously? What are our priorities?" on her FaceBook Page, actually failed to read the article she was making reference too. This lady is so, so ignorant, and so are her followers. Those who pointed out this discrepancy had their comments deleted, and were then banned from commenting on Palin's FB page. So, all that is left there are fools who haven't read the article, but just follow blindly like the Paliban that they are. Every word is Gospel to them, regardless if it's a lie, or more misinformation. And the 3000+ comments are based on this ignorance. And, FYI- I followed Palin on FB because as the old saying goes, "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."

Here are a few examples:

Conrad O'Connell What else can you expect from obama who is hell bent on turning this country into the United Socialist States of America

Bob McCaig

Obama never served in the Military so he does not understand their needs. This proposal is ridiculous. If you want to start a Healthcare program it should be through the Military. Government Healthcare should also cover all the Veterans who have served in the Military. Does Obama understand he just lost the Military vote?
Dave Barnes I hope our country will last another 2 yrs. and hopefully obama will get voted out. 1 term only for this guy.

Debby Atencio Cotey

There are no words for my disgust on reading this, I will be looking into this deeper, Disgrace and disgust.
Kyle Kilpatrick Why can't those CANCERS (liberals and Democrates just leave people like me alone.

Ed Rice

That's SSOO B.S., to remove $$$$ from our service men & women!! what's wrong with this socialist COMMIE!!
Julie Wynn Malone this makes no sense at all. go ahead and screw the ones that fight for us and our way of life!!!! Obama makes me sick~!~

Donald Given

why doen't he cut he's pay and stop jet set all over the world
Cecil Shelley Instead of giving money to Grech and Brazil shouldn't we being paiying of our debt to China. Cecil

Don Waterfill

Reduce pay, reduce forces, the Musilem Presidents intent of course.

Shannon Moylan Mcclarty

Another example of the Obama Administration's "head up it's ass" syndrome!
John Geiger YEA!!!!! down with the infidels!!!!! Take back Christinanity to Washinton!!!!

Phyllis Weller

Another part of his "hidden agenda" which is becoming crystal clear, he lacks honor and respect for the men and women serving our country.

Betty Foster

Sarah I have been a fan of yours when you ran for Vice President. What a shame the way the Media went after you. I believe they were so afraid of you. Most of what you believe in I also do. PLEASE run for our President, we need you. The United States is going to the dogs(sounds like something you would say.) WE NEED YOU.
and,

Jim Penrod

i heard on fox news obama does plan to cut wages in military obama is a democrat just like clinton did obama will do the same thing .

There are 3000+ more of these types of comments, with all the typo's left in, just like I did here with those comments I posted. But all that suggested she read the article, along with her cult reading the article, were DELETED, and we were banned from making further comments. So much for democracy and freedom of speech in PalinLand. As you can see, their grammar is below average, although there was a poll awhile back that said tea partiers are above average in intelligence, which I find amazing. Above-average for what? A tadpole? I guess when you ask a Paliban/Teabagger if they are smart, at least they will be smart enough to lie (But that comes naturally, as they are constantly lying to themselves about their alternative reality.) and say yes. I think that poll is extremely flawed, just my opinion.

Like myself, there were those who actually read the article she referenced, along with the Washington Post article that was the basis for the Newsmax.com story Palin referenced. And here is where the lies and misinformation begins. Newsmax.com, as some may or may not know is kind of right-leaning, but not as extreme as WorldNetDaily. Their headline read,

"Outrage: Obama Administration Targets Military for Pay Reductions"

Now, no where in their article did they say they were actually getting a reduction, but they did reference the Washington Post article,

"Pentagon asking Congress to hold back on generous increases in troop pay."

But Newsmax.com did say, "The Pentagon wants a pay raise of 1.4 percent for service members next year, an increase based on the Employment Cost Index, which the Labor Department uses to measure private-sector salary increases. Congress, as it has for the past several years, has indicated it favors a slightly bigger bump, of 1.9 percent."
So, the way I read that is that the military will get a raise, unless Congress decides otherwise to give them a larger raise, against the recommendations of the DoD, and Gates., based on the ECI. I see no pay reduction here, but then again I don't have the mental acuity of a Palin, or a Newsmax.com reporter. They just do this to rile up their base of blithering idiots, and get them into some frothing rage-like frenzy.

The Washington Post said, "Health care alone is projected to cost the military $51 billion next year, nearly one-tenth of the Pentagon's budget, excluding the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 2002, wages have risen 42 percent, compared with about 32 percent for the private sector. Housing and subsistence allowances, which troops receive tax-free, have gone up even more.

But Congress -- including members opposed to the wars -- has made clear that it considers military pay and benefits sacrosanct, especially when service members and their families are struggling to cope with repeated deployments to faraway conflicts." and,

The Pentagon wants a pay raise of 1.4 percent for service members next year, an increase based on the Employment Cost Index, which the Labor Department uses to measure private-sector salary increases. Congress, as it has for the past several years, has indicated it favors a slightly bigger bump, of 1.9 percent.

Todd Harrison, a defense budget expert at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said the extra half of a percent may not sound like much, but it would accrue annually and cost about $3.5 billion over the next decade. "If you continue doing it, it becomes a huge burden on the defense budget in the long term," he said.

Other well-meaning programs to support service members and their families have turned into budgetary Frankensteins.

In February, the Pentagon abruptly shut down a new tuition-assistance program for military spouses after it was overwhelmed with applicants. Defense officials had set aside $61 million for the program, which reimburses tuition costs of up to $6,000 per person, but discovered they might need as much as $2 billion to satisfy unexpected demand.

Congress chastised the Pentagon for mismanaging the program, which has since resumed, though defense officials aren't sure how they will pay for it."

Newsmax.com also interpreted the Washington Post articles by saying, "The Obama administration is “pleading” with Congress to give military personnel a much smaller increase in pay than lawmakers have proposed." But, a 1.4% increase is not that much smaller then a 1.9% increase, just my opinion. But 19 paragraphs later they say, "Congress, as it has for the past several years, has indicated it favors a slightly bigger bump, of 1.9 percent." So, on one hand it says slightly bigger, and on the other they say, much smaller. So which one is it? I report, you decide. I'm being fair and balanced. Besides, Newsmax.com just copied word for word portions of the Washington Post article, but just gave the link to the story in the second paragraph, referencing their story. They didn't give credit to WashPo for the parts they copied word for word, but copyrighted it as their own. Go figure.

Palin is just plain dumb, and a liar, but her cult, who do not bother to read the articles, make comments that are absurd at best, and totally ignorant and racist at worse. Are these people our country's future? I sure as hell hope not, because having a theocracy/idiocracy is not what our Founding Fathers wanted, or wished for for our country.

The simple act of researching, and reading the article, either one, albeit Newsmax.com's headline is a major spin on reality, (What else is new?) will let one see that what non-reader Palin stated was wrong. One begins to wonder, when Katie Couric asked Palin what newspapers she read, and she really couldn't answer, except for the idiotic, "I read everything" comment, was it a precursor of what was to come? Is she happy as a pig in shit leading a happy band of ignorant, non-reading, and bias, prejudice, and racist Palinistas? You betcha!

Read! Sarah! Read!

So, remember when Sarah Palin says, "Soldier pay decreases in the midst of overspending elsewhere and government union pay raises? Seriously? What are our priorities?" she is lying again. It is the only thing she knows how to do well, but the sad fact is that there are thousands, if not millions of Americans who actually believe every word she says. It really does not speak well about their intelligence or moral character either. Shame on them for their self imposed ignorance. Reading is fundamental.

Good night and good luck!

I've been away too long!

Well, bet you all thought I was dead, hey? I have to disappoint you, but I am still here. I have this issue with staying focused, and I wander the world wide cyber universe, becoming easily distracted.
So, on my first day back, I'll go with something less serious, as my congressional delegation is at it again, especially WY Senator TV Guy- Dr. John BadAss. I could write a book about how bloody ignorant that man is, but here is the abridged edition- "Idiot".

Now for some fun.

This really is interesting...and now you are smarter.

After reading it, you'll go "Duh,I didn't know that."

'Stewardesses'

Is the longest word typed with only the left hand,

And 'Lollipop'

Is the longest word typed with your right hand.
(Bet you tried this out mentally, didn't you?)

No word in the English language rhymes with
Month, orange, silver, or purple.

'Dreamt' is the only English word that ends in the letters 'MT.
(Are you doubting this?)

Our eyes are always the same size from birth,

But our nose and ears
Never stop growing!
The sentence:
"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog",
Uses every letter of the alphabet.
(Now, you KNOW you're going to try this out for accuracy, right?

The words racecar, kayak, and 'level' are the same whether they are read
left to right or right to left (palindromes).
So is my dog. FredDerf

There are only four words in the English language which end in 'dous':
Tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
(You're not doubting this, are you?)

There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: 'abstemious' and 'facetious.'
TYPEWRITER is the longest word
That can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.
(All you typists are going to test this out)

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
(Some days that's about what my memory span is.)

A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

A snail can sleep for three years.
(I know some people that could do this too.!)

Almonds are a member of the peach family.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
(I know some people like that also)

Babies are born without kneecaps.
They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.

February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

If the population of China walked past you, 8 abreast,
The line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite!

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.

The cruise liner, QE-2 Moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
(Good thing he did that.)

The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.

There are more chickens than people in the world.

Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

Now you know more than you did before!!

America's Wars: How Serial War Became the American Way of Life

Well said. As a veteran who is disabled, I once believed the lies, (This was years ago, but it is a never-ending pattern in American politics, and government.) and was naive to the reality staring me right in the face. I've changed over the last 30 years, and I question everything. It has been so sad over the 8 years in particular, because of my stance against these wars, that I, I have been looked at as unpatriotic, and a traitor. I live in Wyoming, so people of my ilk are frond upon, and a small minority. Lincoln once said, "To stand in silence when one should protest makes cowards out of men." So, I have dealt with many wilsonveteran's for years, and even my early letters to the editor in our local paper have come to fruition. I have become cynical about what our government does on many levels, and I believe we as a country need to question them more often, with greater intensity, and with more force. Americans need to be more open-minded, more educated and informed about our government, and stop listening to the meme produced by them, and repeated back to others as if they were a parrot.

Thanks for your post Austintatious.
About Vietnam
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Help keep wolves out of harms way, Or, Beware of Governor Otter!

Today, the Defenders of Wildlife, filed suit in federal court to challenge the terrible rule that removes vital protections for wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies.

We (We meaning me and Defenders of Wildlife) have a tough legal fight ahead, but our work to save the lives of wolves doesn’t start -- or stop -- at the courthouse doors.

America's wolves were nearly eradicated in the 20th century. Now, after a remarkable recovery in parts of the country, wolves are once more in grave peril.

In Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies-
On March 6th, 2009, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved the Bush Administration's discredited plan to eliminate Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Idaho and Montana -- a decision that could lead to the deaths of more than 1,000 wolves! Take action now to save wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies...

In Alaska-
More than 900 wolves in Alaska have been killed by aerial gunning since 2003, and Governor Palin is pushing to kill even more wolves this year using aerial gunning, poison gas and snares.

In the Southwest-
Misinformation and anti-wolf sentiment runs high, with the few remaining wolves in Arizona and New Mexico at risk of extinction. With only two breeding pairs of Mexican wolves left in the wild, we need sensible, science-based wolf management to ensure the “lobo” will survive -- and thrive -- in the wilds of the Southwest.

While extremists in the region like Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter and the Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition’s Ron Gillette would rather see wolves dead, Defenders of Wildlife is working on the ground in the region to keep wolves alive.

For more than 10 years, Defenders has been the primary conservation organization working with ranchers on the ground to keep wolves away from livestock -- and out of harm’s way.

Wolf depredations are rare, accounting for less than 1% of livestock losses each year. But when livestock is lost, it could mean certain death for a wolf -- or even an entire pack.

With the fate of our wolves in the hands of state officials like Idaho Governor "Butch" Otter, our wolf-saving programs on the ground are especially critical to save their lives right now.

Defenders, in cooperation with ranchers, biologists and federal land managers, has developed several effective, non-lethal strategies to prevent needless wolf deaths.

Turbo fladry -- a simple red flag system of fencing -- keeps wolves out of sheep pastures. Range riders -- modern day cowboys -- ride along with herds, keeping them safe. Guard dogs stay with livestock and keep wolves away. These and other techniques paid for by Defenders are working today to prevent livestock losses and keep wolves alive.

Defenders of Wildlife is working on-the-ground with ranchers, biologists and federal land managers to save the lives of wolves. These non-lethal methods are keeping wolves away from livestock -- and out of harm's way. To support these and other efforts, please visit www.savewolves.org

And let's not forget Wyoming just filed suit because they feel that wolves in Wyoming should be taken off the endangered species list in Wyoming because they feel their plan, for all of Wyoming's 300+ wolves will work. But their plan is based on myths and ignorant propaganda. In Wyoming, where percentage wise, ranchers are over represented on the state level. Less then 5% of Wyoming's GDP is from agri-biz, which includes ranching, and tourism is only second to energy as far as our GDP is concerned. And tourists want to see ? Yes, the answer is wolves. But these fools, like Governor Freundenthal(D) want to list wolves as predators so they can be slaughter in 95% of the state. What is wrong with this wolf management plan? The foxes are in the hen house!

Former Iraq Interrogator Dismantles Cheney's Argument

Matthew Alexander--who writes at VetVoice as Major Matthew--spent some time last week deconstructing former Vice President Dick Cheney's claims about torture.

Dick Cheney says that torturing detainees has saved American lives. That claim is patently false. Cheney's torture policy was directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of American servicemen and women.

Matthew Alexander was the senior military interrogator for the task force that tracked down Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq and, at the time, a higher priority target than Osama bin Laden. Mr. Alexander has personally conducted hundreds of interrogations and supervised over a thousand of them.

"Torture does not save lives. Torture costs us lives," Mr. Alexander said in an exclusive interview at Brave New Studios. "And the reason why is that our enemies use it, number one, as a recruiting tool...These same foreign fighters who came to Iraq to fight because of torture and abuse....literally cost us hundreds if not thousands of American lives."

Sound off at http://bravenewfoundation.org

Here's the clip:

Memorial Day by daisysalter

Memorial Weekend is not just the “beginning of summer” as it has unfortunately become trumpeted in the media and advertising. This is no more clearly indicated than in the chirpy, but oxymoronic greeting, “Happy Memorial Day!” all over the media, Twitter, and even in local communities. People wishing others a “Happy Memorial Day!” do not mean...

read more | digg story

Rick Scott, who helped fund the Swift Boat campaign, now attacks healthcare reform.

Rick Scott, the man behind Conservatives for Patients Rights is uncovered in this ad by HCA.

If one goes to CPRights website, Rick Scott's bio is missing some important parts, which are shown here. But it is the wolf in sheeps clothing that Scott is now using for his latest campaign. He doesn't give a rats' ass about patient rights, as he is more interested in the corporate healthcare profits, something so near and dear to his heart. He is a fraud, but the un and under-educated amongst us, i.e. teabaggers, right-winged fanatics, etc, will buy into his misinformation as they are too f&%king stupid to do the research for themselves. Lemmings going over the cliff comes to mind.

From HuffPo, Firedoglake, and Think Progress.

Check it out for yourself.




From Health Care for America:

Health Care for America Now (HCAN) the nations largest health care campaign launched a new television ad today detailing anti-reform front man Rick Scotts dubious past in the health care industry. The former CEO of Columbia/Hospital Corporation of America was forced to resign in 1997, and Columbia/HCA agreed to pay $1.7 billion in fines and penalties the largest fraud settlement in US history. The hospital corporation pleaded guilty to a litany of criminal and civil charges including lying to the government about how sick patients were so they could collect larger fees.

Now Scott is using his own personal fortune amassed during those years to attack President Obamas health care proposals with false claims and recycled scare tactics. Scott formed a group called Conservatives for Patients Rights and is advertising on national cable outlets like CNN and Fox. While some press have mentioned Scotts past in covering his new multimillion dollar ad push, too many continue to ignore the agenda behind the expenditure.