1984 - More Misinformation From Bush Administration

The blogosphere fired up the pressure when it was first learned NASA was withholding the study showing just how unsafe the air space really is, the Bushies appeared to cave and promised to do the right thing. But alas, the lying liars that they are, they did?a data dump the last day of the year, after purposely scrambling the data to make it unusable.

NASA Gives Glimpse of Air Safety Survey

The results from commercial pilots appeared to reflect in part at least 1,266 incidents in which aircraft flew within 500 feet of each other, generally considered a near miss; at least 1,312 cases where pilots suddenly dropped or climbed inadvertently more than 300 feet in flight; and 166 reports of pilots landing without clearance at an airport with an active control tower. The Associated Press matched the data to the questionnaire that was used to interview pilots and was obtained separately by the AP.

The data also reflected 513 reports of hard landings and 4,267 cases of aircraft hitting birds.

Because NASA scrambled the data, it was impossible to determine whether multiple pilots might be reporting the same incidents, and a key expert said the numbers appeared inflated. NASA also did not present the data so researchers could project survey results to overall safety trends.

The data that NASA released was "intentionally designed to prevent people from analyzing the rates properly and are designed to entrap analysts into computing rates that are much higher than the survey really shows," said Jon Krosnick, a Stanford University professor and survey expert who helped design the project for NASA. He urged NASA to release more of the data needed for a better analysis.

 

UofO stands up to the RIAA

In the Fight Over Piracy, a Rare Stand for Privacy

The record industry got a surprise when it subpoenaed the University of
Oregon in September, asking it to identify 17 students who had made available
songs from Journey, the Cars, Dire Straits, Sting and Madonna on a
file-sharing network.

The surprise was not that 20-year-olds listen to Sting. It was that
the university fought back.

Represented by the state's attorney general, Hardy Myers, the
university filed a blistering motion to quash the subpoena, accusing the
industry of misleading the judge, violating student privacy laws and engaging
in questionable investigative practices. Cary Sherman, the president of the
Recording Industry Association of America, said the industry had seen "a lot
of crazy stuff" filed in response to its lawsuits and subpoenas. "But coming
from the office of an attorney general of a state?" Mr. Sherman asked,
incredulous. "We found it really surprising and disappointing."

No one should shed tears for people who steal music and have to face
the consequences. But it is nonetheless heartening to see a university
decline to become the industry's police officer and instead to defend the
privacy of its students.

The recording industry may not be selling as much music these days, but
it has built a pretty impressive and innovative litigation subsidiary.

In the past four years, record companies have sued tens of thousands
of people for violating the copyright laws by sharing music on the Internet.
The people it sues tend to settle, paying the industry a few thousand
dollars rather than risking a potentially ruinous judgment by fighting in
court.

"People get pushed into settlements," said Fred von Lohmann, a lawyer
with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group. "The Oregon
attorney general is showing what a real fight among equals would look like."

In his filings, Mr. Myers claimed to be looking for a middle ground.

"Certainly it is appropriate for victims of copyright infringement
to lawfully pursue statutory remedies," Mr. Myers wrote last month.
"However, that pursuit must be tempered by basic notions of privacy and due
process."

The recording industry may not be selling as much music these days, but
it has built a pretty impressive and innovative litigation subsidiary.

In the past four years, record companies have sued tens of thousands
of people for violating the copyright laws by sharing music on the
Internet. The people it sues tend to settle, paying the industry a few
thousand dollars rather than risking a potentially ruinous judgment by
fighting in court.

"People get pushed into settlements," said Fred von Lohmann, a lawyer
with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group.
"The Oregon attorney general is showing what a real fight among equals
would look like."

Gotta love that last line, that is what this whole thing is about, the RIAA
is using its huge resources to run people over, first they did it in
congress with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Now they are hammering
on individuals in an attempt to scare kids back into the "record stores".
Doesn't look like this brilliant strategy is working much though.

RIAA - Fascism Disguised As Concern For Artists

Bill Amend was close with his Foxtrot comic this week, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act was purely evil, it was our “democracy” at its worst (those that pay get to play).

However, as the Washington Post points out it is even worse than Jason thinks, now the RIAA states that it is illegal for individuals to copy their legally acquired music CDs into digital format for their own personal use.

It may be time for a complete boycott of all CDs, it would only take few months for them to come around to a rational conclusion and create some reasonable use rules that we can all live with.

I have never shared my very large CD collection on the Internet via a file sharing program, but to be totally honest it has nothing to do with respect for copyrights or fear of the RIAA, it is a rational understanding of the security hazards related to peer to peer file sharing. But do not even try to tell me that I cannot put my 900 CDs on my IPOD for my personal use.

Now, in an unusual case in which an Arizona recipient of an RIAA letter has fought back in court rather than write a check to avoid hefty legal fees, the industry is taking its argument against music sharing one step further: In legal documents in its federal case against Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, Ariz., man who kept a collection of about 2,000 music recordings on his personal computer, the industry maintains that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music into his computer.

The industry's lawyer in the case, Ira Schwartz, argues in a brief filed earlier this month that the MP3 files Howell made on his computer from legally bought CDs are "unauthorized copies" of copyrighted recordings.

"I couldn't believe it when I read that," says Ray Beckerman, a New York lawyer who represents six clients who have been sued by the RIAA. "The basic principle in the law is that you have to distribute actual physical copies to be guilty of violating copyright. But recently, the industry has been going around saying that even a personal copy on your computer is a violation."

RIAA's hard-line position seems clear. Its Web site says: "If you make unauthorized copies of copyrighted music recordings, you're stealing. You're breaking the law and you could be held legally liable for thousands of dollars in damages."

They're not kidding. In October, after a trial in Minnesota -- the first time the industry has made its case before a federal jury -- Jammie Thomas was ordered to pay $220,000 to the big record companies. That's $9,250 for each of 24 songs she was accused of sharing online.

Whether customers may copy their CDs onto their computers -- an act at the very heart of the digital revolution -- has a murky legal foundation, the RIAA argues. The industry's own Web site says that making a personal copy of a CD that you bought legitimately may not be a legal right, but it "won't usually raise concerns," as long as you don't give away the music or lend it to anyone. (link added)

Of course, that's exactly what millions of people do every day. In a Los Angeles Times poll, 69 percent of teenagers surveyed said they thought it was legal to copy a CD they own and give it to a friend. The RIAA cites a study that found that more than half of current college students download music and movies illegally.

The Howell case was not the first time the industry has argued that making a personal copy from a legally purchased CD is illegal. At the Thomas trial in Minnesota, Sony BMG's chief of litigation, Jennifer Pariser, testified that "when an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song." Copying a song you bought is "a nice way of saying 'steals just one copy,' " she said.

But lawyers for consumers point to a series of court rulings over the last few decades that found no violation of copyright law in the use of VCRs and other devices to time-shift TV programs; that is, to make personal copies for the purpose of making portable a legally obtained recording.

As technologies evolve, old media companies tend not to be the source of the innovation that allows them to survive. Even so, new technologies don't usually kill off old media: That's the good news for the recording industry, as for the TV, movie, newspaper and maga?ine businesses. But for those old media to survive, they must adapt, finding new business models and new, compelling content to offer.

The RIAA's legal crusade against its customers is a classic example of an old media company clinging to a business model that has collapsed. Four years of a failed strategy has only "created a whole market of people who specifically look to buy independent goods so as not to deal with the big record companies," Beckerman says. "Every problem they're trying to solve is worse now than when they started."

The industry "will continue to bring lawsuits" against those who "ignore years of warnings," RIAA spokesman Jonathan Lamy said in a statement. "It's not our first choice, but it's a necessary part of the equation. There are consequences for breaking the law." And, perhaps, for firing up your computer.

Who ya gonna call ???? - An Exorcist!

Vatican to create more exorcists to tackle 'evil'

The Roman Catholic Church has vowed to "fight the Devil head-on" by training hundreds of priests as exorcists.

Father Gabriele Amorth, 82, the Vatican's Exorcist in Chief, announced the initiative amid the Church's concerns about growing worldwide interest in Satanism and the occult.

According to plans being considered, each bishop would have a group of priests in his diocese who were specially trained in exorcism and on hand to take action against "extreme Godlessness".

Fr Amorth said: "Thanks be to God that we have a Pope who has decided to fight the Devil head-on.

"Now bishops are to be obliged to have a number of established exorcists for their diocese. Too many bishops are not taking this seriously and are not delegating their priests in the fight against the Devil. You have to hunt high and low for a proper, trained exorcist."

He went on: "Thankfully Pope Benedict XVI believes in the existence and danger of evil, from the time he was in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith."

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the oldest Vatican department, deals with promoting and safeguarding Roman Catholic beliefs.

It was headed by the Pope when he was Cardinal Ratzinger, from 1982 until his election as Pope in 2005.

Fr Amorth said that during his time at the department the Pope warned humanity of the risks it faces from the Devil.

He added: "I remember a meeting we exorcists had with the Holy Father last year, in which he implored us to follow our mission as exorcists."

Fr Paolo Scarafoni, another exorcism expert who lectures at the Vatican, said interest in Sat?nism and the occult had grown as people lost their faith in the Church.

He added: "People suffer and think that the Devil can help solve their problems."

The Vatican is concerned that young people are being exposed to the influence of Satanism through the media, rock music and the Internet.

Under Canon Law 1172 all priests can perform exorcisms. But in reality only a select few are ever called on to do so.

The rite of exorcism involves a series of gestures and prayers to invoke the power of God and stop the "demon" influencing its victim.

Fr Amorth added that Pope Benedict XVI wanted to reinstate use of the prayer said to St Michael the Archangel, believed to be the prime protector against evil.

He said: "The prayer is useful not only for priests but for lay people. For example if a lay person knows someone who is possessed and there is no exorcist available they can intervene by saying this prayer, commanding the demon to leave that person.

The prayer to St Michael the Archangel was sidelined in the 1960s by Pope John XXIII during the Second Vatican Council. It was traditionally recited at the end of Mass.

• A Roman Catholic bishop has caused fury in Spain by claiming that some teenagers "want to be abused".

Bishop Bernardo Álvarez of Tenerife told a newspaper: "There are 13-year-olds who are in agreement and even want it; even, if you don't watch out, provoking you."

A spokesman for the 58-year-old bishop said he had never intended to justify "the abhorrent phenomenon of the sexual abuse of minors."

Last year the Pope stated that rebuilding trust in the clergy was an urgent task.

So the way I read this, the Catholic church is going to Exorcize the Internet, Rock Bands and Television sets??? And the real problem isn’t pedophile priest but precocious 13 year olds who provoke the priests into abusing them?

Iraq Government Uses New Found Veto Power - WTF

Apparently Crazy King George has gone on vacation and left the Iraqi Government in charge of our constitutional processes.

For months President Bush harangued Democrats in Congress for not moving quickly enough to support the troops and for bogging down military bills with unrelated issues.

And then on Friday, with no warning, a vacationing Mr. Bush announced that he was vetoing a sweeping military policy bill because of an obscure provision that could expose Iraq’s new government to billions of dollars in legal claims dating to Saddam Hussein’s rule.

The decision left the Bush administration scrambling to promise that it would work with Congress to quickly restore dozens of new military and veterans programs once Congress returns to work in January.

Those included an added pay raise for service members, which would have taken effect on Tuesday, and improvements in veterans’ health benefits, which few elected officials on either side want to be seen opposing.

Mr. Bush’s veto surprised and infuriated Democratic lawmakers and even some Republicans, who complained that the White House had failed to raise its concerns earlier.

And it gave Democrats a chance to wield Mr. Bush’s support-the-troops oratory against him, which they did with relish.

“Only George Bush could be for supporting the troops before he was against it,” Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, said in a statement, reworking a familiar Republican attack during his unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2004 that he supported the war in Iraq before he turned against it.

The veto was an embarrassment for administration officials, who struggled on Friday to explain why they had not acted earlier to object to the provision, Section 1083 of a 1,300-page, $696 billion military authorization bill. It would expand the ability of Americans to seek financial compensation from countries that supported or sponsored terrorist acts, including Libya, Iran and Iraq under Saddam Hussein.

You got to love Kerry’s shot. But really, now we veto legislation because the Iraqi’s say so?? Or is it really an end round being used to try and push the envelope on recess appointments??

Rudy,Mike, Mitt, John, Fred and Paul- Why I am Terribly Frightened

Frankly I am very concerned about the poor selections the Republican party has in front of them. We need to realize that whomever the Republic party nominee is they have a real chance of being elected(or appointed as “w” was) President.

Following 8 years of Crazy King George this country could be in big trouble.

Look at the choices;

Rudy “Shaggate” Giuliani – The man in running on his record as “Mayor” of NYC….where they were ready to run him out on rail when 9/11 occurred

The man is incapable of a complete sentence that does not include the term 9/11.

He used the NYPD security for his Mistress while Mayor of NYC.

Accepted a position on the Iraq Study Group, then did not bother to show up.

Tried to foist the most corrupt police commission in the history of NYC off on the country as head of Home Land Security.

Used 9/11 to line his pockets with huge cash from some very questionable clients.

Uses code words to pander to the Right Wing Nutjobs, just like he did while mayor in NYC.

Would make Darth Cheney and “W” look like they ran an open co-equal branch of government.

Protects his pedophile priest pal

Willard “Mitt the Morman” Romney – The “say anything” candidate who has sunk he personal fortune into the run for President.

Has some seriously wacko religious beliefs, (note this link takes you to an LDS website) He made them fair game with his little “I am a morman” speech in Dallas.

Said "You can't have freedom without religion, and you can't have religion without freedom."

Has taken both sides of every issue known to man based on his current political environment.

Has evoked such distrust as to actually warrant an anti-endorsement from two of NH leading papers.

Is a life long hunter.

Saw his father walk with Martin Luther King.

Walked with Martin Luther King– a Timeline of the evolving story.

Thinks torture is ok.

Wants to double the size of gitmo

Mike “The Theocrat” Huckabee –

Pressured the board of pardons and paroles into releasing a rapist for strictly political reasons and has lied about his role ever since.

Advocated for mass quarantine of HIV/AIDS victims in 1992 years after the CDC indicated casual contact could not spread AIDS/HIV.

Believes wives should "graciously submit to their husband's sacrificial leadership."

Has some explaining to do about “the hanging dog” episode.

Has gone to extremes to point out that he is the true “Christian” in the race.

Doesn’t have a freaking clue about the rest of the world.

Thinks puns about shooting people are funny

John “I used to be a straight shooter” McCain

Now panders to the Right and is willing to subvert the 1^st amendment to do it.

Thinks Bombing a country is funny

Fred “I am alive, really” Thompson –

Seems he can’t be bothered by campaigning

Knows better than the folks who write the NIEs.

Ron “racist” Paul

Enough Said

I would have voted for McCain had he beaten Bush in 2000, but now I am not so sure. I kind of hope he wins the party nod this time even though he polls the best against the Dems, not that I would support him, but he is the least dangerous of the republicans out there and I lack confidence in the democrats ability to win in 2008 regardless of who the republican candidate is. There is hope however which I will explore soon.

Jim Hightower sends his wishes for the New Year

I enjoy the wisdom of Jim Hightower and I hope that you will also.

Our Police State - Fingerprints For A Traffic Stop

Police Begin Fingerprinting on Traffic Stops

If you're ticketed by Green Bay police, you'll get more than a fine. You'll get fingerprinted, too. It's a new way police are cracking down on crime.

If you're caught speeding or playing your music too loud, or other crimes for which you might receive a citation, Green Bay police officers will ask for your drivers license and your finger. You'll be fingerprinted right there on the spot. The fingerprint appears right next to the amount of the fine.

Police say it's meant to protect you -- in case the person they're citing isn't who they claim to be. But not everyone is sold on that explanation.

"What we've seen happen for the last couple of years [is] increasing use of false or fraudulent identification documents," Captain Greg Urban said.

Police say they want to prevent the identity theft problem that Milwaukee has, where 13 percent of all violators give a false name.

But in Green Bay, where police say they only average about five cases in a year, drivers we talked with think the new policy is extreme.

Oh my, now they have gone off the deep end. This is just plain overkill, soon all newborns will be subject to DNA harvesting, all in the interest of “public safety”, people, this stuff is a slippery slope and we are heading down hill fast.

It has said many times (usually poorly quoted), but ol’ Ben Franklin was right:

“Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

Thanks to The All Spin Zone for pointing this story out.

WWJD about imigration ?

The parable of Christmas–as it recounts Mary’s and Joseph’s search for shelter–concerns itself with, among other matters, how we treat uninvited guests who arrive on our proverbial doorsteps. And the parable’s message is clear as to what to do. As ordained Baptist minister Mike Huckabee–whose new campaign commercial says “no” to sanctuary cities and amnesty, and calls for building a border fence–said in St. Petersburg, the Bible teaches us (as do the best traditions of all major religions and humanist ethical codes) to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

So for those who profess to love God and embrace Jesus and the Bible as their ethical sources, the choice seems obvious: either stop invoking them or, better yet, live up to the principles you claim. This would entail seeing and treating so-called illegals as our brothers, sisters, neighbors, and members of our various communities –as people who are part of us–rather than a “them” to be excluded.

TASER ME ELMO

RJ Matsen St Louis Post-Dispatch December 21, 2007

Thanks to the Moderate Voice for pointing it out.

Dude at least they didn't tase you

Lost a car, found a mess

Prowling the jammed mall lot draws unfriendly attention from security and police.

Larry DiSalvo called Saturday the worst shopping day of his life.

Not even close.

There he stood in the Tyrone Square Mall parking lot, surrounded by three police cruisers and mall security. Police had searched and interrogated him. All the while, DiSalvo said, shoppers gawked, perhaps wondering whom he had killed.

The 57-year-old said he was guilty of one thing: forgetfulness. He lost his 1991 Grand Marquis in a sea of 6,000 parked cars.

But mall security thought he was wandering the parking lot looking for cars to break into.

The result: He's banned from the mall for life.

"They gave me the shopping equivalent of a life term without any parole," the retired real estate agent said. "I'm a mall person. I grew up in malls. I've never in my 57 years on this planet had a problem in a mall.

"Unfortunately," he said, "today my unlucky number came up."

DiSalvo has no apparent criminal record. He said he is an honest Treasure Island resident who has shopped at Tyrone for 14 years without incident. He denied even thinking of breaking into a car.

Tyrone security refused to comment, and mall management did not return calls.

St. Petersburg police said they witnessed no crime, and just issued a trespass warning to DiSalvo at the request of the mall. "It's a decision made by the property owners," said police Sgt. Mark Degan, a shift supervisor. "The officers felt they didn't see any criminal intent," otherwise DiSalvo could have faced arrest.

 

Our Police State - Not All That Different Now

Report: Ex-FBI head Hoover plotted mass arrest

Failed plan involved detaining 12,000 Americans suspected of disloyalty

Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had a plan to suspend the rules against illegal detention and arrest up to 12,000 Americans he suspected of being disloyal, according to a newly declassified document.

Hoover sent his plan to the White House on July 7, 1950, less than two weeks after the Korean War began. But there is no evidence to suggest that President Harry S. Truman or any subsequent president approved any part of Hoover's proposal to house suspect Americans in military and federal prisons.

Hoover had wanted Truman to declare the mass arrests necessary to "protect the country against treason, espionage and sabotage," The New York Times reported Saturday in a story posted on its Web site.

The plan called for the FBI to apprehend all potentially dangerous individuals whose names were on a list Hoover had been compiling for years.

"The index now contains approximately twelve thousand individuals, of which approximately ninety-seven percent are citizens of the United States," Hoover wrote in the now-declassified document. "In order to make effective these apprehensions, the proclamation suspends the writ of habeas corpus."

Habeas corpus is the right to seek relief from illegal detention, and is a bedrock legal principle.

Folks if you don't think this could happen here in the good ol' US of A, think again. I guarantee that 50 years from now, if any records still exist, we will see these same types of plans from this group of fascists.

While it is unclear whether Sinclair Lewis really said it as Ron Paul attributed, the fact still remains "When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross." And folks it's here.

Our Police State - Shut Up Or Get Tased

Use of Taser on disruptive store customer questioned

In a report police are required to prepare after deploying their Tasers, Officer Claudia Wright said she used her weapon on Beeland because the woman was "verbally profane, abusive, loud and irate." Beeland pointed her finger "towards my face" and was waving her arms, the officer wrote.

But is that against the law? And is yelling at a cop considered enough resistance to merit the use of a Taser?

According to an American Civil Liberties Union representative in Orlando, yelling at a police officer and even cussing one out is constitutionally protected speech. And both the ACLU and Amnesty International USA say this incident likely could have been handled differently, adding that?Taser use has become too casual and too common among police officers.

Police Chief Mike Chitwood said if a Taser had not been available, his officer likely would have used other weapons to subdue Beeland.

"I was never raised on Tasers," the chief said. "I used nightsticks and slapjacks."

The chief said Wright initially approached Beeland under the assumption a credit card had been stolen. In the end, it was determined Beeland was using her own card and had committed no crime.

Why does it seem that so many of these situation result in charges against the “tasee” that relate only to their interaction with the police, this woman was guilty of nothing, yet because she vocally defends herself within a minute she is tased, great police work, it’s all about “protect and serve”.

No wonder the officer was quick to tase based on the leadership she must be getting from the Neanderthal that is Police Chief Mike Chitwood.

**Update - I just watched the video from Best Buy.....if ever an officer should be fired this is the case, what the hell was that about, the woman was clearly not threating the officer but backing away the entire time.

And the tasee faces the charges related to the incident, including disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. There clearly should be assault charges filed against the officer.

Romney - I'll Say Anything To Win

ROMNEY DEFENDS MLK MARCH REMARK

Romney says that it depends on what the definition of "saw" is.

A defensive Romney was peppered with questions today on exactly what he meant when he said -- most recently on Meet the Press -- that he "saw" his father march with Martin Luther King Jr. Recent articles have indicated that his father, the late Michigan Gov. George Romney, didn't march with the civil-rights leader.

Admitting that he didn't see the march with his own eyes, he said, "I 'saw' him in the figurative sense."

"The reference of seeing my father lead in civil rights," he said, "and seeing my father march with Martin Luther King is in the sense of this figurative awareness of and recognition of his leadership."

"I've tried to be as accurate as I can be," he continued, smiling firmly. "If you look at the literature or look at the dictionary, the term 'saw' includes being aware of -- in the sense I've described."

The questioning did not relent. "I'm an English literature major," he insisted at one point. "When we say I saw the Patriots win the World Series, it doesn't necessarily mean you were there."

Mitt’s so flustered by being caught with his pants down he’s got the Pats winning the World Series. Boy that’s the calm, cool and collected response to a stressful situation that I expect from a President, not. Boy only two weeks ago the Romney faithful were talking about the “I am a Mormon” speech as the greatest speech since Kennedy, I somehow don’t think it is going to go down in the history books quite that way.

OK Neo-Cons, Step up and support the troops!

Effort Builds to Help 'Forgotten' Troops with PTSD

…veterans advocates say that even if the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs became models for helping troops with mental health problems, it wouldn't help a large category of vets who are already wounded and forgotten. These soldiers and Marines came back from combat, couldn't get adequate help, "flipped out" and misbehaved in some way — and as a result, were kicked out of the military without all the financial and medical benefits that veterans usually receive.

"I think it's an outrage that we have not taken proper care of them," said Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond (R-MO), one of the most influential voices on veterans' affairs. "Too many of these people have been kicked out because of the results of the stress they've been under."

This Must Read(listen) report from NPR’s  Daniel Zwerdling is outstanding, it will move you. It’s time for the war supporters to step up and truly support the troops!! Congrats and thank you to Kit Bond for leading the charge on the republican side of the isle.

College Hockey Keeps Playing Minor League For The NHL

Okposo to leave U hockey program

Gophers star and former first-round pick Kyle Okposo is expected to sign with the New York Islanders.

Sophomore forward Kyle Okposo is leaving the Minnesota men's hockey team, a University athletics department spokesman confirmed this afternoon.

Coach Don Lucia is expected to release a statement around 4 p.m. today. He will offer no further comment, the spokesman said.

Okposo is expected to sign with the New York Islanders, who drafted him in the first-round, seventh overall, in the 2006 NHL entry draft.

A WCHA all-rookie team member last year tallying 30 points in 27 league games, Okposo this season had 11 points through Minnesota's first 18 games. That total was good for third on the team behind Blake Wheeler (15 points) and Ben Gordon (14).

In an exhibition tune-up for the U-20 World Junior Championships on Tuesday night against Western Michigan, Okposo scored a power-play goal helping the United States to a 4-2 victory. Calls to Okposo were not immediately returned.

This blows, when will the NCAA get it right, they need to force the NHL to use the same rules that the NFL uses, if a kid accepts a scholarship he should commit to the program for 3 years, not bail mid-season.

Evil is as Evil does, my Mama always said.

Bush Lawyers Discusse? Fate of C.I.A.Tapes

At least four top White House lawyers took part in discussions with the Central Intelligence Agency between 2003 and 2005 about whether to destroy videotapes showing the secret interrogations of two operatives from Al Qaeda, according to current and former administration and intelligence officials.

The accounts indicate that the involvement of White House officials in the discussions before the destruction of the tapes in November 2005 was more extensive than Bush administration officials have acknowledged.

Those who took part, the officials said, included Alberto R. Gonzales, who served as White House counsel until early 2005; David S. Addington, who was the counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney and is now his chief of staff; John B. Bellinger III, who until January 2005 was the senior lawyer at the National Security Council; and Harriet E. Miers, who succeeded Mr. Gonzales as White House counsel.

It was previously reported that some administration officials had advised against destroying the tapes, but the emerging picture of White House involvement is more complex. In interviews, several administration and intelligence officials provided conflicting accounts as to whether anyone at the White House expressed support for the idea that the tapes should be destroyed.

So just how does Gonzo sleep at night, so or is his head still so far up W’s ass that he has yet to see what damage he has caused this country.

Fascism - Alive and Well at a Wal=Mart Near You

Employers grab accident victims' cash

A collision with a tractor-trailer seven years ago left 52-year-old Deborah Shank permanently brain-damaged and in a wheelchair. Her husband, Jim, and three sons found a small source of solace: a $700,000 accident settlement from the trucking company involved.

After legal fees and other expenses, the remaining $417,000 was put in a special trust. It was to be used for Deborah Shank's care.

Instead, all of it is now slated to go to Deborah's former employer, Wal-Mart Stores.

Two years ago, the retail giant's health plan sued the Shanks for the $470,000 it had spent on her medical care. A federal judge ruled last year in Wal-Mart's favor, backed by an appeals-court decision in August. Now, Deborah's family has to rely on Medicaid and her Social Security payments to keep up her round-the-clock care.

 

I must admit I shop at Wal-Mart do to its location, selection and yes price, but damn, things like this make it harder to justify.

Fight Hunger And Learn Something At The Same Time

Net Game Boosts Vocabulary, Fights Hunger

A computer programmer in Indiana develops FreeRice.com, a game that teaches vocabulary and helps fight hunger. The word game offers four definitions for a word, and clicking on the right definition leads to a donation of 20 grains of rice to the U.N. World Food Programme.

WWW.FREERICE.COM

This is really cool, a great way to improve your vocabulary skills at any level and "do some good" at the same time.

Just a Different Fascist At The Helm of DOJ

Mukasey Rejects Call for CIA Tape Details

Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey today sharply rebuffed congressional demands for details about the Justice Department's inquiry into the destruction of CIA interrogation tapes, saying that providing such information would make it appear that the department was "subject to political influence."

In letters to the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee and others, Mukasey also reiterated his opposition to appointing a special prosecutor to the tapes investigation, saying he was "aware of no facts at present" that would require such a step.

I told you once, then I told you again, we were just trading Fascist at the helm of DOJ.

1984 - This says it all

Bush Secret Shredding Soars

HELL BENT ON DESTRUCTION Shredding contracts during Bush/Cheney
Behold, the Bush Administration in chart form: Federal spending on paper shredding has increased more than 600 percent since George W. Bush took office. This chart, generated by usaspending.gov, the U.S. government's brand spanking new database of federal expenditures, show? spending on "contracts for paper shredding services" going back to 2000. Click here for the full, heartbreaking breakdown. In 2000, the feds spent $452,807 to make unpleasant truths go away; by 2006, the "Cheney Effect" had bumped that number up to $2.9 million. And by halfway through 2007, the feds almost matched that number, with $2.7 million and counting. Pretty much says it all.

This tells us everything we need to know about the Bush administration….. “shred it all or we will likely go to jail” must be the Bushies motto.

Baptism by Torture

Religious practices have often been tied to violence and torture, but this connection is often hidden within public discourse. That is the situation now in the United States with the debate about waterboarding, the religious meanings of which have yet to be articulated and explored.

In the Inquisition, the practice was not drowning as such, but the threat of drowning, and the symbolic threat of baptism. The tortura del agua or toca entailed forcing the victim to ingest water poured into a cloth stuffed into the mouth in order to give the impression of drowning. Because of the wide symbolic meaning of "water" in the Christian and Jewish traditions


It now make so much sense to me why the Religious Right is for Waterboarding.

Why do these people still have jobs?

Failure to supervise Pitt leads to 3 reprimands

One MnDOT manager was suspended without pay and two others were scolded for lax oversight of Sonia Morphew Pitt, the emergency management director who was fired last month.

Three upper managers at the Minnesota Department of Transportation were reprimanded Monday and one was suspended without pay for their failure to adequately supervise former MnDOT employee Sonia Morphew Pitt.

Department of Employee Relations Commissioner Patricia Anderson suspended Transportation Division director Rick Arnebeck for three days without pay. She issued a written reprimand to Maintenance and Security director Steven Lund. Division director Bob Winter received an oral reprimand.

In a strongly worded letter released Monday, Anderson said that Arnebeck's lax oversight in particular had "extremely damaging consequences" for the department and "to a degree, the image of all State employees, which cannot be tolerated."

 

Only in the world of Government employment would these people be able to keep their jobs, but oh boy they got “reprimanded”.  If this happened in the real world, they all would be gone!

 

The Depths The Republic Party Has Sunk To.......

Lecture: All I am Saying is Give War a Chance

Wednesday, December 12, 2007 • 7:30 pm

Student Union Ballroom
Student Union
UMass Amherst Campus
Handicap access available
Directions & Parking

Free Admission

Event web site

Contact: Brad DeFlumeri, President, UMASS Republicans, bdeflume@student.umass.edu, 857-888-6434

Join the UMass Republican Club for yet another lively and edifying political discussion on the costs, necessities, consequences, and benefits of war. A question and answer session will be administered after the initial lecture.

Jonah Goldberg, 38, is a rising star in the conservative intellectual movement as the editor-at-large for National Review Online and a contributing editor for National Review. He is also a contributing writer for the American Enterprise. He writes a nationally syndicated column for Tribune Media Services. Mr. Goldberg has written on politics and culture for the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, Commentary, the Public Interest, the Wilson Quarterly, the Weekly Standard, the New York Post, National Review, Reason, the Women's Quarterly, Food and Wine, The Street.com and Slate.

Folks this is a lecture sponsored by the college republicans at UMass, these are the future leaders of the Republic Party. As depressing as the current crop of leaders of the republic party are this is even scarier.                                                                   

Thanks to the DailyKos for pointing this out and a well written essay!

TimmmHa - Asks the Question

A week ago I posted:

Rudy needs to be asked the following question;

If you are elected President can the American public assume that at some point we will be paying for secret service protection for both the current Mrs. Giuliani (whoever that maybe at the time) and for your current mistress (whoever that maybe at the time)?
**update
Oh and will they be walking her dog also?

Well today Tim Russert stepped up and asked the Adulterous one the question about Secret Service protection for the a President’s Mistress. (hey I would love to think Tiimmmha reads the curlydog blog, but let’s be real here)

Rudy for his part lays the blame for the entire issue at the feet of the NYPD.

Timmha did a pretty lame job of follow up...if it was all so up and up, why the creative accounting to hide it all????

Billy Joel - Christmas in Fallujah

I just downloaded “Christmas in Fallujah”….it rocks!!!!

YahooNews:

Billy Joel has released a new pop single, the anti-war “Christmas in Fallujah.” Just don’t expect to hear his voice on it.

At 58, Joel felt he was too old to sing the song, which was inspired by letters the Piano Man received from soldiers in Iraq. So he gave it to Cass Dillon, a 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Long Island.

“I thought it should be somebody young, about a soldier’s age,” Joel said in a statement on his Web site. “I wanted to help somebody else’s career. I’ve had plenty of hits. I’ve had plenty of airplay. I’ve had my time in the sun. I think it’s time for somebody else, maybe, to benefit from my own experience.”

The song is available at iTunes now. Proceeds go to Homes For Our Troops

Made me listen to Goodbye Saigon again, the young man (Cass Dillon) singing on this track has a bright future ahead!!!

“Christmas In Fallujah”
Lyrics & Music By Billy Joel
Performed By Cass Dillon 2007

It’s Evening In the Desert
I’m tired and I’m cold
But I’m just a solder
I do what I am told

We Came with the Crusaders
to save the holy land
It’s Christmas In Fallujah
and no one gives a damn

And I just got your letter
And this is what I read,
you said I’m fading from your memory
so I’m just as good as dead

We are the armies of the empire
We are the legionnaires of Rome
It’s Christmas In Fallujah
and we ain’t never coming home

We came to bring these people freedom
we came to fight the infidel
there is no justice in the desert
Because there is no god in hell

They say Osama’s in the mountains
deep in a cave near Pakistan
But there’s a sea of blood in Baghdad
A sea of oil in the sand

Between the Tigris and Euphrates
another day comes to an end
It’s Christmas In Fallujah
Peace on earth goodwill to men

It’s Christmas In Fallujah
hallelujah hallelujah(hoorah)
It’s Christmas In Fallujah
hallelujah hallelujah(hoorah)
It’s Christmas In Fallujah
hallelujah hallelujah(hoorah)
It’s Christmas In Fallujah
hallelujah hallelujah(hoorah)

Merry Christmas from Fallujah
hallelujah hallelujah(hoorah)
Merry Christmas from Fallujah
hallelujah hallelujah (hoorah)
hallelujah hallelujah (hoorah)
hallelujah hallelujah (hoorah)
hallelujah hallelujah( hoorah)
hallelujah hallelujah (hoorah)
hallelujah hallelujah (hoorah)

Who was wrong, who was right?
When It’s Christmas in Fallujah

O0-Ra!

Huckabee - 1992 - "AIDS Plague - Must Be Quarantined"

Boy this should be good, can’t wait to hear how he spins this one:

As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. Besides a quarantine, Huckabee suggested that Hollywood celebrities fund AIDS research from their own pockets, rather than federal health agencies.

"If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague," Huckabee wrote.

"It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."

…………………………………….

 

When asked about AIDS research in 1992, Huckabee complained that AIDS research received an unfair share of federal dollars when compared to cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

"In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional federal spending can be justified," Huckabee wrote. "An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor (,) Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding be encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research."

 

Our Tax Dollars at Work

Teenage Birth Rate Rises for First Time Since ’91

The birth rate among teenagers 15 to 19 in the United States rose 3 percent in 2006, according to a report issued Wednesday, the first such increase since 1991. The finding surprised scholars and fueled a debate about whether the Bush administration’s abstinence-only sexual education efforts are working.

The federal government spends $176 million annually on such programs. But a landmark study recently failed to demonstrate that they have any effect on delaying sexual activity among teenagers, and some studies suggest that they may actually increase pregnancy rates.

“Spending tens of million of tax dollars each year on programs that hurt our children is bad medicine and bad public policy,” said Dr. David A. Grimes, vice president of Family Health International, a nonprofit reproductive health organization based in North Carolina.

Robert Rector, a senior research fellow with the Heritage Foundation, said that blaming abstinence-only programs was “stupid.” Mr. Rector said that most young women who became pregnant were highly educated about contraceptives but wanted to have babies.

 

Gee, who would’ve thunk it??? Duh, maybe anyone with half a wit. The part I love is the idiot from the Heritage Foundation, it is all because the young women wanted to have babies.

Another Win For The Good Guys

After a week long trial in the political prosecution of Dr. Catherine Wilkerson the jury found she was NOT GUILTY on all counts.

Victory--Monday 12/03/2007

Defense co-counsel Hugh "Buck" Davis delivered an impassioned closing argument today in the trial of Dr. Catherine Wilkerson that put on full display both the political stakes of the case and the dishonesty of police and prosecution. Attorney Davis pointed out that only one witness, UM custodian Michael Lafleur, ever testified to any overt physical act by Dr. Wilkerson and that testimony was not credible nor was it corroborated by any other of the 19 witnesses. Davis made it clear that the University of Michigan and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie were trying to criminalize speech and protest. Huron Valley Ambulance paramedic supervisor Dean Lloyd was pinpointed as the man who instigated the attack by Ann Arbor Police Officer Kevin Warner on Dr. Wilkerson after she criticized Lloyd's dangerous use of a toxic substance on a man he said he thought was faking (medical records admitted into evidence on Friday indicated that he had suffered a traumatic brain injury). Lloyd, said Davis, told Warner to take away Dr. Wilkerson's free speech rights and "to his everlasting shame," Warner obeyed. In his final remarks, Davis compared Dr. Wilkerson's case with the case of the LS&A 109 who staged a sit-in at the University of Michigan in 1970 against the Vietnam war. Davis pointed out that the LS&A 109 were technically guilty but that jurors had acquitted those he represented because they had acted ethically in opposing the war. By contrast, he argued, jurors today had in their hands the fate of someone who was technically innocent but whom the prosecution was still trying to convict precisely because she had acted ethically. 

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Margaret Connors had the final word in her rebuttal. She defended Dean Lloyd's use of ammonia, arguing that he thought his patient was faking. Connors never acknowledged or, apparently, never understood just how damaging this admission was to her own case. It was clear that she was personally stung by Mr. Davis' remarks; at one point, she even sputtered that she was a doctor, too, because she had a Juris Doctor degree. The mainstay of her presentation involved a large sheet of paper on an easel. The sheet had the statutory elements of the crimes Dr. Wilkerson was accused of, though tellingly "assault" was blacked out. As Connors rehearsed once more the sad, fabricated police and prosecution narrative of the case, she would place a check mark next to each element she had putatively proven. When she was done the sheet had dozens of red check marks on it. But the jury wasn't buying any of it, after four-and-a-half hours of deliberation they returned two verdicts of "not guilty."

 

Hey Rednecks - You Lost The War You Morons

Southern Protestors Unhappy with Thompson and Romney's Flag Remarks      

ABC News' Christine Byun Reports: As GOP presidential hopeful Fred Thompson wrapped his South Carolina campaign visit, he had a small handful of protesters outside his event at a Lexington, South Carolina restaurant.

About four men held confederate flags and signs that said "Honk for Dixie" and "The South Does Not Want Fred Thompson."

The men said they were part of the South Carolina League of the South and speaking out against Thompson and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for recent remarks about something dear to their hearts. At the November 28 CNN/YouTube debate, both candidates said they did not believe the Confederate flag should be flown in a public place. The two Republican hopefuls, who are among the leaders in Palmetto State polls, also said the flag wrongfully divides the country.

"When a Southerner goes bad, we call him a scallywag. Thompson's a scallywag - he deserves no respect," Jim Hanks, who identified himself as a registered Independent, said. A scallywag is a white southerner who supported the federal government during Reconstruction. Hanks also said he was interested in Thompson, but now supports Ron Paul.

The group also lashed out at Romney - who called the flag was "divisive" at the debate - for being a "carpetbagger."

"Most people think the flag is a racist symbol. I would say not in South Carolina, we don't. Not in the South, we don't. We don't vote for people that say negative things about the Confederate flag," Don Gordon, a protestor who wore a Confederate flag tie, said.

The group intends to protest every campaign stop in South Carolina for both candidates.

"Yesterday, we were at Mitt Romney's headquarters because Mitt Romney insulted our flag," Hanks said. "We'll try to be everywhere they are."

I just do not get it, “heritage” they say, is what the confederate flag means to them, heritage of what being LOSERS. Let me say this really slow in little words, you lost the war moron.

 

Living in a bubble - surronded by incompetent staff - Our Next President???

Well the only conclusion to be drawn from this little bit at Politico.com is that Huckabee has shown he has the same ability to surround himself  with incompetent staff and the inability to read a newspaper that George has:

Kuhn: I don’t know to what extent you have been briefed or been able to take a look at the NIE report that came out yesterday ...
 
Huckabee: I’m sorry?

Kuhn: The NIE report, the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. Have you been briefed or been able to take a look at it —

Huckabee: No.

Kuhn: Have you heard of the finding?

Huckabee: No.

Kuhn then summarized the NIE finding that Iran had stopped work on a clandestine nuclear program four years ago and asked if it “adjusts your view on Iran in any sense."

Kuhn: What is your concern on Iran as of now?

Huckabee: I’ve a serious concern if they were to be  able to weaponize nuclear material, and I think we all should, mainly because the statements of Ahmadinejad are certainly not conducive to a peaceful purpose for his having it and the fear that he would in fact weaponize it and use it. (He pauses and thinks) I don’t know where the intelligence is coming from that says they have suspended the program or how credible that is versus the view that they actually are expanding it. … And I’ve heard, the last two weeks, supposed reports that they are accelerating it and it could be having a reactor in a much shorter period of time than originally been thought.

Kuhn: Does the United States face a higher burden of proof on Iran in light of Iraq, in the international community?

Huckabee: Probably so. First time I’ve been asked a question like that. But I think probably so because there is going to be a real anxiety for us to take any type of action without there being some very credible and almost irrefutable intelligence to validate our decision.

Kuhn: And then on the flip side of that. a conservative concern might be, does the United States, might they hedge, might they be timid from taking necessary aggressive action due to the failures of intelligence on Iraq, and our failures in Iraq itself?

Huckabee: I think that’s a possibility as well. And that would be unfortunate if we actually knew we needed to take action but were fearful of doing so because of getting burned in the Iraq situation. That would be a serious challenge for us.

 

1984 - Don't worry we'll tell you what to believe...no wait....uuuh you didn't see anything..err uhh..

We are either victims of the most incredibly inept administration in history, or they are just plain evil and there is some diabolical plot here that we all just fail to fully comprehend.

Let’s see we pound the war drums to drive up the price of oil for Bush's Saudi Masters and the price at the pump to ensure Dick’s hunting buddies huge profits and we keep beating the drum until the gas prices just about push the inflation bubble to bursting on household goods(been grocery shopping lately), meanwhile insisting that we will no longer release unclassified versions of NIEs , then just when its about to really damage the economy we say oops never mind, and watch gas prices fall 20 cents in 24 hours (they did in my neighborhood). Ok so how’s that for some conspiracy theory for you. Either that or Joe is right:

“Are you telling me a president who is briefed every single morning, who is fixated on Iran, is not told back in August that the tentative conclusion of 16 intelligence agencies in the United States government said they had abandoned their effort for a nuclear weapon in ’03?” Biden said in a conference call with reporters.

“That’s not believable,” Biden added. “I refuse to believe that. If that’s true, he has the most incompetent staff in … modern American history and he’s one of the most incompetent presidents in modern American history.”

Deja Vu All Over Again - More Bush Lies

Cheney Tried to Stifle Dissent in Iran NIE

WASHINGTON - A National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran has been held up for more than a year in an effort to force the intelligence community to remove dissenting judgments on the Iranian nuclear program, and thus make the document more supportive of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney’s militarily aggressive policy toward Iran, according to accounts of the process provided by participants to two former Central Intelligence Agency officers.

But this pressure on intelligence analysts, obviously instigated by Cheney himself, has not produced a draft estimate without those dissenting views, these sources say. The White House has now apparently decided to release the unsatisfactory draft NIE, but without making its key findings public.

A former CIA intelligence officer who has asked not to be identified told IPS that an official involved in the NIE process says the Iran estimate was ready to be published a year ago but has been delayed because the director of national intelligence wanted a draft reflecting a consensus on key conclusions — particularly on Iran’s nuclear program.

What is wrong with these people, so long before Bush invoked the threat of WWIII and the Neo-cons started the drum beats of war again, they knew that this was all baseless propaganda. This administration has done what would to most rational people seem to be the impossible, they have made Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seem more credible then the President of the United States, supposed “leader of the free world”.

You absolutely have to ask yourself where is this all going to lead…..the conspiracy theory folks are looking more and more rational everyday, is the goal to create an International Crisis that would allow Bush to stay in office (ala Rudy’s attempt at remaining Mayor after 9/11)

 

This a your retirement dollar....This is your retirement after privitization

While the entire Blogoshere functions on a rather incestuous reposting of one another’s Blog post and commentary on these post I am not a big fan of the “full repost” of another bloggers original post, but folks DailyKos does such a great job on this that here goes:

Congratulations, Citizen!

Back on 2001, right after Inauguration Day, $10,000 of your Social Security funds were placed in a special magic pony account where it would enjoy the explosive benefits of the our surging prosperity, and the Longest Terra-fightin' Expansion in HISTORY... History... history. All of this made possible by cutting taxes on the productive people at the top of the food chain and removing those regulations that prevented our financial institutions from using all their imagination in creating new ways to give... to give you money! We at the Treasury know there was some discussion about not going along with the president's plan, but I think you'll agree that what we've learned over the last seven years is that the president can do anything he wants and no one will do more than talk about stopping him. So we just did it! Say, why not send us a subpoena? That'd be a hoot!

Now, as we close in on the last year of this glorious wondertime, here's a quick report on how your outsourced, privately-managed fund has done.

2002 – Okay, your original $10,000 is now worth $9, 182. But hey, 9/11, ya know? We all have to make some sacrifices. Besides, inflation was so low that you still have $9079 as much buying power as you did the year before. Hustle on off now and shop.

2003 -- Your balance is now $7863. See 9/11. Add in the absolute need to go after Saddam, who we all know was behind it all and is planning to attack the United States with his perfectly maintained massive military, loads of chemical weapons, and nuclear bombs. (Oh yeah, that's $7578 in pre-9/11 dollars, and you're a traitor for even asking.)

2004 -- You're a winner! All those gloomy Gusi have been proven wrong. Your piddly $10,000 original is now $10,042. That's $9,495 in 2001 dollars, but don't thank us now. Just you wait till next year!

2005 -- Eh, call it a push. So you're down to $9,824. Look at how much you've gained since 2003! There's always a silver lining. After all, $9021 original dollars is a lot better than where you were.

2006 – Now you have $10,104, so you're back on top again. And besides, this economy is coiled like a spring! Here it comes... $8922 original dollars after inflation on their way to a million.

2007 – Boom! $11,795 is yours. Everyone who ever said the market wouldn't take care of this thing is proven wrong. Don't say those fund managers weren't worth the $90 million a year we've been paying them, just because they only match the Dow mix. Best of all, when you account for inflation, that's still a $201 gain in only six years. $34 a year. We're completely sure you don’t mind us putting $10K at risk for those kinds of gains.

Just be glad you didn't need to retire in 2002. Or 2003. Or 2004. Or 2005. Or 2006. And be glad you didn't invest at the peak of the market back in the late 90s. $10,000 put in back then would be down by a cool thou when you adjust for inflation. While you're at it, give thanks you chose the right fund. Because if our investors had matched the most widely used index – S&P – rather than the Dow, you wouldn't have that huge gain. See, with the Dow stocks get swapped in and out, and it only matches a little part of the market. The S&P covers a much bigger part of the market, and if you'd invested there, you'd have $10,554 now. Or $9127 in 2001 dollars.

Thank goodness you didn't invest in real estate funds that went pop, or in banks that invested too much in bad debts, or in one of the 75% of mutual funds that underperformed the Dow.

Be really grateful that our fund managers charged you absolutely nothing for this service, because if you'd had to pay the kind of overhead most mutual funds carry, it would have more than carried away your gains, and then some. Fortunately, we knew that there were hundreds of big Wall Street firms out there, willing to help out the American citizen for free. Wall Street is known for being generous like that.

Now that we've made you all this money, how are you going to spend it? We suggest a nice vacation to Europe. You might want to order a few extra traveler's checks. If you're hoping to drop in on Cool Britania, because it'll take about $1,378 to exchange for the same number of pounds that $1,000 would have bought in 2001. The dollar is worth a whole 67% of what it used to be across the channel in Freedomland.

We know that you were considering a vacation home up in Nova Scotia, maybe looking for something around the $150,000 range. And really, that was a great idea in 2001. But if you want to spend the equivalent up there now, you'll need to pony up $234,000 – and that's before you start figuring in the rising cost of homes. So maybe you'd be better off thinking about keeping that money in your own country, right?

With all that, I'm sure you agree that we made the right moves economically. Why, when you consider the explosive rise in home prices, and all the joy our reduced taxes have brought, there are almost half a million new millionaires in this country. And for that, we only have an increase of about 7 million people living in poverty.

Sure, median family income was down about $2,000 from 2001 to 2004, but that was the bad times. We don't have the numbers yet, but we're sure it's soared since then, because as we all know, when the people at the top making their money off the stock market are doing well, that rising tinkle-down stream of Reaganomic voodoo raises all the little boats on a warm yellow tide. Sure, the median family is carrying more of the tax burden than they were back then. Sure, health care costs have destroyed most of the value of your savings. Sure, the average family is working more hours, carrying more debt, and seeing less return.

But we think you'll agree, it was all worth it. After all... more millionaires! Now, about the rest of that Social Security account. Wait till you hear what we've done with that!

(Methodology and sources: prices for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P Index were taken from Google historical stock prices on the day of trading closest to the anniversary of inauguration day. Inflation calculated using the US Department of Labor Consumer Price Index values 15 Nov 2007 update. Exchange rate from the Federal Reserve Statistical Release Jan, 2001 and Nov, 2007. The number of millionaires in the United States is a surprisingly difficult question to answer. CNN Money gives the number as 9.3 million households. Merrill Lynch gives the number at 1.9 million households. That's a huge difference. The number of people in poverty is also an open question. The Census Bureau has their numbers, numbers that others think are drastically undercounted.)