links provided...

    Question, Why are the right wingers again going on and on about John Edwards' affair? I mean really, HOW many prostitution and sex scandals have we seen over the past few years from the right? Duke Cunningham, Jack Abramoff, Randall Tobias, David "likes it in Diapers" Vitter, Mark Foley, Larry Craig. And do they really want to sit and say people who have had extra-marital affairs can't be trusted to be president? Do we have to remind them that John McCain cheated on his first wife, leaving her for his current wife after her life (and appearance) altering accident?
    As the elections draw near, the GOP has already started it's campaign to disenfranchise voters. The first major target on their list, wounded and homeless veterans...
The first large block of voters to be disenfranchised in 2008 are
the wounded warriors from recent wars and homeless veterans living at
hundreds of Department of Veterans Affairs facilities across the
country, according to veterans and voting rights activists.
"President
Bush and Karl Rove are attempting to block voter registration of at
least 200,000 and possibly as much as 400,000 veterans," said Paul
Sullivan, president of Veterans for Common Sense, referring to injured
former soldiers from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in various VA
treatment facilities, veterans living in the VA's nursing homes, and
homeless veterans living in VA shelters...
    Speaking of a criminal GOP, the transcipts of the CIA agent who reported that the White House had the CIA forge documents linking Saddam and 9/11 have been released. It's an interesting read with the names Scooter Libby and Dick Cheney popping up a few times, as well as Douglas Feith. Lie about justification for a war, no biggie. Lie about a Mistress, then it's all over pal.

    A few things from Iraq that bears mentioning. First is about former Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich. Seems he has put together a piece of legislation to keep U.S. Based oil companies from exploiting Iraqi Oil. Anyone else feel a filibuster or Veto coming from these republicans? Second, they want us to leave, like really really bad. In fact, the Iraqi Foreign Minister said Sunday that a timetable for withdraw is a must, for any plans after the U.N. Resolution allowing the U.S. to occupy Iraq to be considered. And so has Iraqi Shiite Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, stating that his ordered disarmament of his fighting units (negotiations such as these, along with an unfortunately successful ethnic cleansing campaign, have more to do with the decreased violence than the Surge) will be temporary if U.S. Forces don't include a timetable for withdraw. Everyone seems to want to kick us out, even Ecuador is following the trend, deciding they want a U.S. Base there used for the "war on Drugs" Bullcrap to close.
    Speaking of a stable Middle East, I guess some of you already heard that two Aircraft Carriers have been deployed to the region. And now things are really bad between Georgia & Russia. There has been issues there for a while now, but we now have Russian security officials stating U.S. manipulation to escelate the conflicts in the region. What?! The U.S. an interventionist nation , meddling in other nations affairs to serve their own purposes? You must be kidding. Apparently they don't have very strong feelings for the west, considering they bombed an oil pipeline that supplies the west during their attacks in the area.
    And while I am on the subject of Oil, Alternet done a short piece on the non-solution to our oil crisis that the republicans are pushing. Currently they are trying to get more areas open to drilling, such as wildlife reserves and coastal waters. But in the Article, the Author points out what no one is mentioning...
...What do the oil companies want out of this?

Oil
companies already hold leases on 68 million acres of public lands but
are NOT drilling. Instead of exercising the opportunities they have,
they are trying to accrue additional drilling leases in the Arctic and
along our coasts. This is not a solution; this is only a continuation
of the same disastrous policies that fail to address our growing crisis.

    The other thing that no one seems to get about "Drilling here", Just because the oil companies drill it here, doesn't make them obligated to sell it here, or use it specifically for our advantage. U.S. demand has actually declined, and increases in demand can be seen in China, India, and the middle east. Do we really want to dig out our oil now, so they can sell it to them, when we may need it in the future?
    Something that everyone is paying attention to, our economy, is near disaster and Bankruptcy says a Budget Committee Republican leader. On top of that, we are being told that our national Defict is around 10 Trillion Dollars. Sadly, that may be a long way off from our real defict, when we actually look at everything...
The "official"
debt of the United States is only around $10 trillion dollars as
of August 6, 2008. This is a manageable number; we could pay it
off in a few decades if we quit buying luxuries like food and clothing,
and take a few other minor economy measures. Unfortunately, the
"$10 trillion" number was produced by government accounting,
which among other things allows one to ignore Social Security, Medicare,
and the new prescription drug benefit. This is like ignoring rent,
food, and utilities in your household budget… it will lead to a
few bounced checks. Our real debt is about ten times higher....
That is enough food for thought for now. Everyone have a good start of the week!