The Hollywood Liberal

By: Jennifer Lynne Ziemann

With just fifty-six hours of training in an intensive course you too can learn how to detect facial behavior that could thwart a terrorist. You too can be a hero! At least that is what the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) would have you believe.
The TSA is stepping up there much scrutinized “behavior detection officer” program in an attempt to keep Americans safe while they travel. As of now they have 600 officers trained and by the end of the year they plan to have a 1,000.
Of course, you got to ask. What, in fifty-six hours of training, could possibly make a person knowledgeable enough to decode the myriad of ticks and facial idiosyncrasies a person can display at any given moment. Does this not require some form of degree in psychology? Or at least a degree in criminal profiling? According to the TSA it does not.
Imagine this, you have taken a trip to Las Vegas sans your husband with a couple of old college buddies. You lose everything; the kid’s college savings, your retirement fund. You are now flying home and you have told your husband that everything is fine. You are sweating, your eyes are shifty, and your hands are shaking. Next thing you know, two burly men approach you. They chat you up and then ask you to come with them. You, being significantly stressed as it is, refuse. You must get home you say. You are then grabbed behind each elbow and escorted away much to your frantic protests.
Habeas Corpus be damned! Ok, so TSA says it is not an actual arrest they just reserve the right to talk to you further based on their authority even if you refuse. They are trained to believe that they can detect slight facial expressions that indicate your lying such as sweating or shifty eyes. They are also looking for behavior such as constantly checking your bags or the people around you, acting in a hesitant manner, or just being nervous which could simply all come from a fear of flying. They claim to be experts in the field of facial profiling based on a mere fifty-six hours of intense training. Certainly a curriculum that would earn them a degree at any major university in psychology.
What about your rights? Your right to not be held by the government for any amount of time without a lawyer present or charges brought against you. Significant evidence? A search warrant? Your accuser? Probable cause? A jury by your peers? This is simply a form of rendition without transportation to a foreign country.
As much as the next citizen, I want to be safe. But to believe that low- paid airport security personnel (starting pay is $31,400) can protect me from the sophisticated terrorist threat President Bush is always screaming about is just ludicrous.
It is time to stop listening to this buffoon and his bought and paid for Congress. It is time for a new government.

From Bill W

HL you have showen that you know nothing about
politics. You keep complaining about the democrats not
doing this or that and YOU voted for them even after
they told you they weren’t going to do anything.

HL Responds
That’s the difference between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats tolerate dissent and opposing ideas, unlike Republicans who insist you are an oath swearing lockstep marching buffoon. That is why a lot of thinking Republicans are leaving the party.

Not to mention that the democrats don’t have enough votes
to over ride a veto so even if they wanted to do
something about this they couldn’t.

Yes you are correct, The obstructionist Republican Senators are filibustering more legislation then any Congress ever, as I pointed out in one of the stories yesterday. Funny how much they bitched and whined when Democrats tried to stop people like Harriet Miers from being nominated to the Supreme Court. So it’s OK when they do it but not OK when someone else does it. Isn’t that just like those whiny little idiots.

As to Bush and Cheney making money on this war you
better look in your own back yard because you are
making money on it to with all of your anti war
articles. So you are no better than the “Big Corps”
and Bush and Cheney.

I am not making any money on the war, I would be here even if there was no war. Making (very little) money fighting against the war is hardly the same thing. See that’s the problem with you Republican trolls, no matter how many times I point out the obvious you never seem to get it, and keep posting the same BS that I already proved wrong time and time again, then you wonder why I delete you absolutely retarded comments.

Oh and on a second note why don’t you let me post any
more? Is it because you can’t counter the truth or
that you don’t want others to hear the truth from the
other side.

Actually I am happy to post any comments from anyone who has an intelligent opinion and not just a lot of profanity and buzz slogans you heard in church or from Bill O’reilly.

Since you only let people that don’t know
the truth post their uninformed responces to your
post.

Oh so the people who post comments on both sides of the aisle on here are uninformed but you are the only genius who has the mental capacity to actually know what you are talking about?

That is just like a Lib to lie to the people and not
want them to know the truth.
I have come to expect nothing less from you and now
know that you only block me because you can’t counter
the truth with anything but lies. If you had nothing
to fear than you would let me post on your site. But
since you can’t defend your side without lieing than
it explains why you wont let me post any more. That is
fine as you have seen I still get on there from time
to time.

Yep, every now and then you may see a really stupid comment on this site, those all come from the troll who spends all day trying to figure out ways around my spam filters. His name is Bill, or is it Proud Conservative, or is it Kill the Islamofacists, its all the same guy.

Have a great dream day.
Bill

You Too
HL

by Michael O’McCarthy

Dear David Bonior:

As you know, many years ago I appeared before the Veteran’s committee and testified specifically about the abuse and neglect suffered by veterans in general and Viet Nam vets in particular. And while I confined my remarks to that subject, I was very conscious of the underlying causes of both the war itself and its manifest impact on American life. Then it was to contain the international communism’s terror. Today it’s to fight Islamic terror. Both, may I suggest, bear a direct causal relation to the foreign policy of the United States and those other European, “developed” nation’s colonial and imperial penetration, occupation, and inappropriate exploitation of “third world” nation’s resources and people.

As a nation we face a worse scenario today because we barely addressed the vet’s issues and did nothing to correct the circumstances which led to the necessity of the hunger strike. That is, an illegal war based on an imperialist foreign policy. Subsequently we relied on Bill Clinton to takeover from where Republican Ronald Reagan had driven us. Clinton simply facilitated an even worse arrangement for our government and the corporations which were moving to own it, as they do this day. Thus, I write you today because we are at another pivotal stage in the history of our nation and I would like clarification on where the Edwards’ campaign stands on those and the following issues.

Read The Whole Letter Here

A couple of days ago we posted the story of Blackwater being kicked out of Iraq. I speculated that it would not take very long at all until they are allowed back in. It only took 3 days, not bad. Once again HL predicts the future successfully. I should have done a comic about it. HL’s Comics has successfully predicted the future dozens of times.

US resumes Blackwater convoys in Iraq

AP
Excerpt
BAGHDAD - American convoys under the protection of Blackwater USA resumed on Friday, four days after the U.S. Embassy suspended all land travel by its diplomats and other civilian officials in response to the alleged killing of civilians by the security firm.

A top aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had earlier conceded it may prove difficult for the Iraqi government to follow through on threats to expel Blackwater and other Western security contractors

HL’s Take
Of course it will be difficult to expel Blackwater. Bush is the king of the world thanks to the Democrats. He gets what he wants when he wants it. Erik Prince the head of Blackwater is good friends with Bush’s father, together they are making Billions. No one is going to stop that.

The only guy who can help out Americans with the right health plan is the only guy not allowed to debate it.

AARP to Kucinich: Drop Dead

Counterpunch
Excerpt
AARP President Bill Novelli is a company man. No, the company is not AARP.

Novelli doesn’t give a damn about AARP or its 38 million members.

If he did, he wouldn’t be selling down them down river by opposing a single payer system that would benefit not just AARP members, but everyone in the country.

Novelli doesn’t give a damn about the health of the nation. What he cares about are the health insurance companies.

Novelli a founder of the giant Porter Novelli corporate public relations firm jumped to AARP in 2000. But he never shed his corporate skin.

Case in point?

On Thursday night, AARP will host a debate in Iowa on the issue of health care. Republicans and Democrats running for President will attend.

Of all of the Democrats and Republicans in the race, guess who is the only one who would put the Novelli’s buddies in the health insurance industry out of business?

Guess who is the only candidate among the Democrats and Republicans who would create a Canadian-style single payer, everybody in, nobody out, no deductibles, no co-pays, no in-network, no out-of-network, streamlined system that would save billions of dollars in administrative costs, deliver a higher quality health care system, and cover everyone?

Yes.

And guess who was not invited to confront Novelli’s corporate brotherhood of profit and death?

You guessed it. Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

Why?

Well, Kucinich would put out of business Novelli’s corporate support system including United Healthcare and Aetna.

Republican Senators Setting New Records for Filibustering
Washington Monthly

Excerpt
GOP FILIBUSTERS….I see that Republicans have successfully filibustered two more bills today: one to give a House seat to the District of Columbia (57-42) and one to restore habeas corpus rights to terrorism suspects (56-43).

That seems like a good excuse to rerun this chart that McClatchy put together a couple of months ago. As you can see, Republicans aren’t just obstructing legislation at normal rates. They’re obstructing legislation at three times the usual rate. They’re absolutely desperate to keep this stuff off the president’s desk, where the only choice is to either sign it or else take the blame for a high-profile veto.

As things stand, though, Republicans will largely avoid blame for their tactics. After all, the first story linked above says only that the DC bill “came up short in the Senate” and the second one that the habeas bill “fell short in the Senate.” You have to read with a gimlet eye to figure out how the vote actually broke down, and casual readers will come away thinking that the bills failed because of some kind of generic Washington gridlock, not GOP obstructionism.

HL’s Take
Of course they wined like babies needing a diaper change when the Democrats tried to use it to block Harriet Miers, and a couple of other times. That is until the spineless democrats agreed not to use the filibuster anymore. Remember that, I think we did a comic about it back on May 24, 2005

     

CEOs, Bush Rangers Rebuff Republicans on War, Widening Deficit
AP

Excerpt
Sept. 21 (Bloomberg) — Dozens of corporate executives who backed President George W. Bush for re-election in 2004, including some of his top fund-raisers, are now helping Democrats running for president.

John Mack, chief executive officer of Morgan Stanley, Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp., and Terry Semel, chairman of Yahoo! Inc., are among some 60 executives writing checks to Democrats such as Senators Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, a review of U.S. Federal Election Commission records shows.

While the vast majority of business leaders still back Republicans for 2008, the stature of some of those donating to Democrats suggests that support may be eroding, seven years into the Bush presidency. Some executives expressed concern over Republican positions on issues ranging from the war in Iraq and stem-cell research to global warming and the fiscal deficit.

The shift in political-spending patterns is “very unusual,” says Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a Washington-based group that advocates campaign-finance reform.

“Normally, if you have dissatisfaction with the administration, you figure out who in your own party you’ll support in the next election,” he says. “You don’t look at other parties.”

The Democratic victory in last November’s congressional elections may have also sparked greater interest in the party. “Money tends to follow people who have power,” Wertheimer says.

`Strong Asset’

Bush sounded unconcerned yesterday that he might adversely affect Republican chances next year. Asked at a White House news conference if he were “an asset or liability” to members of his party seeking election, he replied, “Strong asset.”

Nonetheless, some of his strongest supporters are wavering — or at least hedging their bets

HL’s Take
So some of these top Bush supporters of 2004 are now supporting Democrats. So what has changed since 2004? Republicans were for never ending war then, they still are now. They were for looting the US Treasury then, and they still are now. So why are these big donors giving their money to Democrats now? instead of Republicans? Is it because the Democrats and Republicans are now different? They know that either way the corporate plundering of everything America used to stand for will continue either way. They just look better being agaisnt the biggest failure monkey ever to occupy the Whitehouse.

History Will Not Absolve Us: Leaked Red Cross report sets up Bush team for international war-crimes trial

Excerpt
If and when there’s the equivalent of an international Nuremberg trial for the American perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Guantánamo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the CIA’s secret prisons, there will be mounds of evidence available from documented international reports by human-rights organizations, including an arm of the European parliament-as well as such deeply footnoted books as Stephen Grey’s Ghost Plane: The True Story of the CIA Torture Program (St. Martin’s Press) and Charlie Savage’s just-published Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy (Little, Brown).

While the Democratic Congress has yet to begin a serious investigation into what many European legislators already know about American war crimes, a particularly telling report by the International Committee of the Red Cross has been leaked that would surely figure prominently in such a potential Nuremberg trial. The Red Cross itself is bound to public silence concerning the results of its human-rights probes of prisons around the world-or else governments wouldn’t let them in.

HL’s Take
Of course the Democratic congress has yet to begin a serious investigation. They will never begin any kind of investigation, that is because they are just as guilty as Bush in letting this lie fest continue for over 4 years. The Democrats have the power to stop the War, they just choose not too. The Democrats have the power to stop Bush, they just choose not to. The Democrats could listen to the people that voted them in. They just choose not to.

Federal Approval To Travel WITHIN The US Soon?

Excerpt
Buried in the September 5 issue of the Federal Register, was a notice that Thursday, September 20, the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) will hold public hearings on their so-called Secure Flight Plan.

Come with me into a nightmare world where American citizens will have to obtain permission from the government before they can travel by air in the U.S. Your government (meaning the Department of Homeland Security) is up to no good.

Beginning in February 2008, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will implement their ¨Advance Passenger Information System (APIS),¨ the gist of which is that you will need permission from the United States Government to travel on any air or sea vessel that goes to, from or through the U.S. The travel companies will not be able to issue a boarding pass until you are cleared by DHS. This applies to ALL passengers, US citizens and visitors alike. And how do you get said permission to travel? That´s for your government to know and you to never find out.

HL’s Take
Pretty soon they will just outlaw leaving your home except to go to work, and for alloted shopping time. That would make the cops jobs much easier and give them much more time to harrass innocent citizens. Cities could save lots of money by laying off all those extra cops, who could then go to Iraq to fight the never ending war.

U.S. military cemetery running out of space

Excerpt
OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (Reuters) - A Kansas military cemetery has run out of space after the burial of another casualty of the Iraq war, officials said on Thursday.

“We are full,” said Alison Kohler, spokeswoman for the Fort Riley U.S. Army post, home of the 1st Infantry Division.

HL’s Take
Hey, a cheaper and easier way to alleviate the problem would be to just end the war already.

U.S. Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts, both Kansas Republicans, on Thursday sent a letter to William Tuerk, the under secretary for memorial affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, urging for full funding for a new cemetery for Fort Riley.

Next time you go camping in a US National park, make sure you don’t take a leak outside the outhouses or speak any dissent against the US Government. The agents who control the Forest’s may grab you, hold you down and administer 50,000 volts of electricity to your ass while you yell out “No don’t Taze me bro”

United States Forest Service Purchases 700 TASER X26 Electronic Control Devices

CNN
Excerpt

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 19, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) — TASER International, Inc. (Nasdaq:TASR), a market leader in advanced electronic control devices, today announced that it received an order from the United States Forest Service for 700 TASER(r) X26 electronic control devices and related accessories.

“We are excited about this new additional federal agency purchasing TASER technology to protect life,” said Tom Smith, Chairman and Founder of TASER international. “Traditionally, we have focused law enforcement sales at the local and state level, but we are now seeing acceptance of TASER technology at various federal law enforcement agencies.”

“We have seen a continual marked increase in TASER technology purchases at the federal level following our initial U.S. military approval of a five-year indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract. We are proud that law enforcement within the Departments of Defense, Justice, Homeland Security, Interior, and Agriculture are now relying on TASER devices to protect life.”

HL’s Take
As you may know Tazers have already killed something like 500 people, they are not non-lethal weapons.

Here is another edition of Republican Hypocrisy News of The Day.

Sheriff: U.S. prosecutor in child sex sting attempts suicide

Herald Tribune
Excerpt

DETROIT — A Republican federal prosecutor from Florida who authorities say flew to Michigan for a sexual encounter with a 5-year-old girl tried to hang himself in his jail cell Thursday but was stopped in time, the sheriff said.

John D.R. Atchison, 53, used a sheet in an attempted hanging around 4 a.m., said Sanilac County Sheriff Virgil Strickler.

Another inmate yelled out to jailers, who kept Atchison from hurting himself, Strickler said.

The married father of three is an assistant U.S. attorney based in Pensacola, Fla., and president of a youth sports association in Gulf Breeze.

HL’s Take
Bush fires good Federal Prosecutors for not trying to railroad good Democrats, but this POS is fine and dandy with the Bush administration because he is just like them.

Kucinich: Privatization of Iraqi Oil—Spoils of War to Bush Ally?

Alternet
Excerpt
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 18, 2007) — Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) is seeking answers in the Administration’s involvement in an Iraqi oil deal that appears to benefit a large Republican donor and ally of President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

The recent oil deal between the U.S.-based Hunt Oil Company and the Kurdistan Regional Government raises questions, since Hunt Oil, a privately held oil company based in Texas and its founder, Ray Hunt, have close ties to Vice President Cheney and are large donors to President Bush. The deal also appears to undercut the goal of oil revenue sharing but is predictably consistent with the Administration’s attempt to privatize Iraqi oil assets. Both Hunt Oil Company and Kurdistan are strong allies with the Bush Administration.

“As I have said for five years, this war is about oil. The Bush Administration desires private control of Iraqi oil, but we have no right to force Iraq to give up their oil. We have no right to set preconditions for Iraq which lead Iraq to giving up control of their oil. The Constitution of Iraq designates that the oil of Iraq is the property of all Iraqi people,” Kucinich said.

Dennis Kucinich was giving a speech the other day, in attendance was Jesse Jackson, and other black leaders. during his talk Dennis breaks into song. He’s got a pretty good voice too. have a listen

Here’s a little ditty sung to the tune of “Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean. It also gives you some info on the campaign of Ron Paul

Clinton, Obama, Edwards on ‘the same page’ on health care reform, ‘the wrong page,’ says Kucinich

Dennis for President.com
Excerpt

WASHINGTON,
D.C. – On the issue of health
care, the three leading candidates for the Democratic Presidential nomination are all on the same page: the wrong page, Democratic candidate and Ohio Congressman said today.

“There isn’t one iota’s difference between the plans put forward by Senator Clinton, Senator Obama, and former Senator Edwards because they all keep the for-profit health insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies in control of the health care ystem,” Kucinich said. “The only thing ‘universal’ about their plans is that they universally fail to address the real reason 47 million Americans are uninsured and another 50 million are under-insured: for-profit insurance companies get rich by gouging people and by not paying for health care.”

Kucinich is the co-author and co-sponsor of a bill (HR 676) that would establish a national, not-for-profit health insurance system that would guarantee coverage to all Americans, including medical, dental, vision, mental health, long term care, early child care, and preventative health services. Under the Kucinich plan, there would be no premiums, no deductibles, and no co-pays, and no denials of services. The legislation has been endorsed by the 14,000-member Physicians for a National Health Program, the California Nurses Association, labor union locals, and award-winning film-maker Michael Moore, whose “SiCKO” documentary is a scathing indictment of the for-profit health care industry in the U.S.

HL’s Take
If you want and end to the Iraq war, and universal single payer health insurance from a guy who is not bought and paid for by Corporations, vote for Kucinich. If you want the status quo, vote for any of the other candidates.

Russ Wittenberg was a United States Air Force fighter pilot, who became a civilian Captain with 30 years experience with Pan Am and United. Wittenberg flew 2 of the actual jets that crashed on 9/11. United’s flights 175, and 93. Wittenberg does not believe it is possible for amateures to pull off what the MSM and Bush alleges happened that day. If this guy who does not believe the story why should anyone. Check the video

RUSS WITTENBERG: “I flew the two actual aircraft which were involved in 9/11… Fight number 175 and Flight 93, the 757 that allegedly went down in Shanksville and Flight 175 is the aircraft that’s alleged to have hit the South Tower. I don’t believe it’s possible for… a so-called terrorist to train on a 172, then jump in a cockpit of a 757-767 class cockpit, and vertical navigate the aircraft, lateral navigate the aircraft, and fly the airplane at speeds exceeding it’s design limit speed by well over 100 knots, make high-speed high-banked turns,.. pulling probably 5, 6, 7 G’s… I couldn’t do it and I’m absolutely positive they couldn’t do it.”

Yesterday we ran the story of brutal mercenary outfit Blackwater Security being booted out of Iraq after they finally killed one two many innocent civilians. I said that once Bush and Cheney find out about this that the situation would probably be quickly be reversed. Today Condi Rice (remember her, she is the secretary of state) is apologizing to Al-Maliki, and attempting to keep Blackwater in Iraq. We’ll be back tomorrow with the story about how they will be staying. (Even though it hasn’t happened yet)

Rice apologises for US security firm shootings

Guardian UK
Excerpt· Move to prevent Iraq government expulsions
· Blackwater guards blamed for deaths of eight civilians

he US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, apologised to the Iraqi government yesterday in an attempt to prevent the expulsion of all employees of the security firm Blackwater USA.

The ministry of interior yesterday took the decision to expel Blackwater after eight Iraqi civilians were killed and 13 wounded in Baghdad when shots were fired from a US state department convoy on Sunday.

Diplomats, engineers and other westerners in Iraq rely heavily on protection by Blackwater. The Iraqi decision created confusion on the ground, with uncertainty over whether protection was still available and whether Blackwater staff should leave the country immediately.

Ms Rice called the prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, to apologise for the shooting. They agreed to run a “fair and transparent investigation”, according to a statement from Mr Maliki’s office.

It added: “She has expressed her personal apologies and the apologies of the government of the United States. She confirmed that the United Sates will take immediate actions to prevent such actions from happening again.”

HL’s Take
How is she going to prevent it from happening again? Is she going to ride along with all Blackwater operatives and say “Not now boys” every time one of them aims a gun at a pregnant mother or old man? What a load of crap.

John Kerry was doing a Q&A at an event in Florida, a guy starts asking questions about Kerry conceding the election he won, he then asks if Kerry is a member of Skull & Bones. At that point the cops grab him and mayhem ensues. Kerry says let me answer that, but the cops have different idea. What a country, the guy who gives the Presidency to Skull brother Bush is asked about it and is dragged away and tasered. I guess we have our answers to both questions.

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