Why Am I Not Surprised?

Two-thirds of Ohio counties have destroyed or lost their 2004 presidential ballots and related election records, according to letters from county election officials to the Ohio Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner.

The lost records violate Ohio law, which states federal election records must be kept for 22 months after Election Day, and a U.S. District Court order issued last September that the 2004 ballots be preserved while the court hears a civil rights lawsuit alleging voter suppression of African-American voters in Columbus.

The destruction of the election records also frustrates efforts by the media and historians to determine the accuracy of Ohio’s 2004 vote count, because in county after county the key evidence needed to understand vote count anomalies apparently no longer exists.

"The extent of the destruction of records is consistent with the covering up of the fraud that we believe occurred in the presidential election," said Cliff Arnebeck, a Columbus attorney representing the King Lincoln Bronzeville Neighborhood Association, which filed voter suppression suit. "We’re in the process of addressing where to go from here with the Ohio Attorney General’s office."

"On the one hand, people will now say you can’t prove the fraud," he said, "but the rule of law says that when evidence is destroyed it creates a presumption that the people who destroyed evidence did so because it would have proved the contention of the other side."

Brunner’s office confirmed the 2004 ballots were missing, but declined to comment.

In Violation of Federal Law, Ohio’s 2004 Presidential Election Records Are Destroyed or Missing.

(via AlterNet: Home)

What Are These Mother Fuckers up To Now?

So they issue subpoenas? Perhaps hoping that would obscure the subpoenas that has been served upon them... These people are like gangrene infecting our political life.

Michael Moore says he's been served

Michael Thursday said the Bush administration has served him with a subpoena regarding his trip to Cuba during the making of his new film, "Sicko."

The Oscar-winning filmmaker, who appeared Thursday on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," said he was notified about the subpoena at the network's studios in Burbank, Calif.

"I haven't even told my own family yet," Moore said. "I was just informed when I was back there with Jay that the Bush administration has now issued a subpoena for me."

Moore filmed the trip as part of his film comparing the U.S. healthcare system with government healthcare systems in other countries.

He took three Sept. 11, 2001, emergency rescue workers to Guantanamo Bay "because I heard the al-Qaida terrorists we have in the camps there, detained, are receiving free dental, medical, eye care, the whole deal, and our own (Sept. 11) rescue workers can't get that in New York City."

Moore said the film's distributor, the Weinstein Co., will donate 11 percent of "Sicko's" box-office receipts Aug. 11 to "help these workers and the other workers who need help."

Ama Gonna Get Me An Exemption Too

Best Legislature money can buy!!

BP dumps mercury in lake

Although the federal government ordered states more than a decade ago to dramatically limit mercury discharges into the Great Lakes, the BP refinery in northwest Indiana will be allowed to continue pouring small amounts of the toxic
metal into Lake Michigan for at least another five years.

A little-noticed exemption in BP's controversial new state water permit
gives the oil company until 2012 to meet strict federal limits on mercury
discharges. In documents, Indiana regulators predict the refinery won't be able
to comply and will ask to continue polluting after that date.

Federal records analyzed by the Tribune show BP puts 2 pounds of mercury
into the lake every year from its sprawling plant 3 miles southeast of Chicago
in Whiting, Ind. That amount is small compared with the mercury that falls into
the water from air pollution, but mercury builds up in the environment and is so
toxic that even tiny drops can threaten fish and people.

Ok--This is the Lowest It Can Get...

I hope!

You gotta watch this.

Nucking Futs, or Crazy Like a Fox?

Margin Gallery

Mark your calendars!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Chicago, IL)--Margin Gallery launches “Sojourn,” its first group show, on Friday, September 26 at 915 S. Halsted Street in Chicago. The collective was formed a little over a year ago by N|ma T@r@dji of Evanston. T@r@dji, a co-founder of Hello Artichoke, a cooperative gallery in Los Angeles, sought to replicate that experience here. T@r@dji believes the exuberant scribbles of a seven year-old are as full of wonderment and passion as a Picasso. “What is intrinsic, “ T@r@dji says, “is that participation in art will in all likelihood lead to a better quality of life. “

18 months later, Margin comprises 14 members, whose works embody a range of differences and experiences as widely as the artists themselves. Painting is the medium of choice for artists Sioban Lombardi, Jason Watts, Dellamarie Parilli, Erica Huntzinger and Kris Casey. N|ma T@r@dji and Avisheh Mohsenin express themselves through photography. Eric Steele and Beth Kamhi are sculptors; Linda Logan and Todd Logan explore conceptual art; TW Li and Pate Conaway are interdisciplinary artists; Josh Garrett creates monumental metalwork.

Ted Argiris, the show’s curator, says, “I love working with these artists because they are such a talented and eclectic group. Some are emerging artists, tentatively stepping out of their shells, while others are at mid-career, ready to take on more risk and experimentation.” Argiris says the group is driven by two passions: the drive toward mastery and the freedom to work untrammeled by the imprimatur of a gallery, a “school,” or a fashionable movement.

“Sojourn” represents the initial steps of the Margin Art Gallery and Collective’s first year’s journey. Like insects in amber, these works reflect a process caught in time, forever preserved.

The show runs from September 28 to October 31.
Thursdays and Fridays from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Saturdays from 2-8 pm, Sundays from noon-6:00 pm.
Opening reception Friday, September 28 at 6-11 pm.
Second opening reception Friday, October 12 at 6-9 pm.

For more information about the artists and their works, go to the Margin Gallery Website at www.margingallery.org

Quotable

"You can't expect all the benchmarks
to be met at the beginning of something.
I'm not sure everyone's going to get
an 'A' on the first report."


-- Tony Snow, pretending it just started.

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I Just Cannot get Over this Pisture...

Powered by ScribeFire.

"Gut Feelings" to Make You Worry

It's simply a "gut feeling"... So our entire Homeland Security is based on Chertoff's innards! Now that is progress.

Homeland Security chief warns of 'increased risk’

Fearing complacency among the American people over possible terror
threats, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in
Chicago Tuesday that the nation faces a heightened chance of an attack
this summer.

"I believe we are entering a period this summer of increased risk,"
Chertoff told the Chicago Tribune's editorial board in an unusually
blunt and frank assessment of America's terror threat level.
"Summertime seems to be appealing to them," he said of al-Qaeda. "We do worry that they are rebuilding their activities."

Still, Chertoff said there are not enough indications of an imminent plot to raise the current threat levels nationwide. And he indicated that his remarks were based on "a gut feeling" formed by past seasonal patterns of terrorist attacks, recent al-Qaeda statements, and intelligence he did not disclose.

Oh NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Chicago Tribune - Ellen Warren - Blogs.

After years of less-than-supportive skinny heels, platforms are back in a big way, pumping up pumps, wedges, and sandals with breathtaking, sometimes gravity-defying height.

So Good to See Someone With Balls!!

Sheehan considers challenge to Pelosi

Cindy Sheehan, the soldier's mother who galvanized the anti-war movement, said Sunday that she plans to seek House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's congressional seat unless she introduces articles of impeachment against President Bush in the next two weeks.

Sheehan said she will run against the San Francisco Democrat in 2008 as an independent if Pelosi does not seek by July 23 to impeach Bush. That's when Sheehan and her supporters are to arrive in Washington, D.C., after a 13-day caravan and walking tour starting next week from the group's war protest site near Bush's Crawford ranch.

"Democrats and Americans feel betrayed by the Democratic leadership," Sheehan told The Associated Press. "We hired them to bring an end to the war. I'm not too far from San Francisco, so it wouldn't be too big of a move for me. I would give her a run for her money."

Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said the congresswoman has said repeatedly that her focus is on ending the war in Iraq.

"She believes that the best way to support our troops in Iraq is to bring them home safely and soon," Daly said in an e-mail to the AP. "July will be a month of action in Congress to end the war, including a vote to redeploy our troops by next spring."

The White House declined to comment on Sheehan's plans.

They Never Stop... Do They?

Conservative bloggers try to link Michael Moore to UK terror attempts

In reaction to the terrorist attack on the Glasgow airport in Scotland and seemingly related attempts in London, several conservative bloggers attempted to draw a connection between filmmaker Michael Moore and his film Sicko with the bombers, two of whom appeared to be doctors.

What Are They Waiting For?

American Research Group poll:

I can't get these stupid tables to work with me... I have tried everything I know. So please just scroll the fuck down...

Question:
Do you favor or oppose the US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush?
7/5/07	Favor	Oppose	Undecided
All Adults	45%	46%	9%
Voters	46%	44%	10%
Democrats (38%)	69%	22%	9%
Republicans (29%)	13%	86%	1%
Independents (33%)	50%	30%	20%
3/15/06	42%	49%	9%
Based on 1,100 completed telephone interviews among a random sample of adults nationwide July 3-5, 2007. The theoretical margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points, 95% of the time. Of the total sample, 933 interviews were completed among registered voters.

Question:
Do you favor or oppose the US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against Vice President Dick Cheney?
7/5/07	Favor	Oppose	Undecided
All Adults	54%	40%	6%
Voters	50%	44%	6%
Democrats (38%)	76%	24%	-
Republicans (29%)	17%	83%	-
Independents (33%)	51%	29%	20%
Based on 1,100 completed telephone interviews among a random sample of adults nationwide July 3-5, 2007. The theoretical margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points, 95% of the time. Of the total sample, 933 interviews were completed among registered voters.

Sign the Petition

Welcome to the Campaign for America's Future

American voters elected a new Congress to bury the failed conservative policies of the Bush Era and chart a new course for our nation. The majority in Congress has voted for bold reforms -- including a date to remove troops from Iraq, deep investments in renewable energy, affordable prescription drugs and empowered unions. But a minority of conservatives has blocked these reforms -- pushing their narrow interests, and thwarting the will of most Americans.

It’s time to take the gloves off! Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has the power to force the hand of these conservative obstructionists. Please sign the petition below, and urge Senator Reid to do so.

OSHA offers advice for working in summer heat

OSHA

Every summer, thousands of Americans are hospitalized for heat-related illnesses. Many of these cases are employees who work outdoors where heat stress is potentially dangerous. Now that summer has begun, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is reminding all employers and employees nationwide about its safety and health resources, especially those offering best practices for working in hot weather.

"Every outdoor jobsite faces hazards posed by the sun and heat," said OSHA's Assistant Secretary of Labor Edwin G. Foulke Jr. "We are encouraging employers and employees to take advantage of our published resources that offer sound advice to recognize and prevent heat stress and other heat-related illnesses."

The two most serious forms of heat related illnesses are heat exhaustion (primarily from dehydration) and the more severe heat stroke, which could be fatal. Symptoms include headaches, weakness, nausea and dizziness. Recognizing those warning signs and taking quick action can help prevent a fatality.

Top Ten President Bush Global Warming Solutions

• 10. Instead of "Partly sunny," have weatherman say "Partly cloudy"
  
• 9. Stop using Air Force One for Texas barbecue runs
  
• 8. Replace dangerous CO2 in the atmosphere with more eco-friendly CO1
  
• 7. Encourage people to walk more by distributing free Dr. Scholl massaging gel inserts. Are you gellin'?
  
• 6. Watch Al Gore movie one of these nights instead of "Dukes of Hazzard"
  
• 5. Bob Barker's free. Get him workin' on it
  
• 4. Send more troops to Iraq
  
• 3. I dunno, tax cuts for the rich?
  
• 2. Reduce hot air emissions by canceling "The View"
  
• 1. Resign
  

--Late Night with David Letterman

Is There any Wonder?

Israeli Settlements Exceed Boundaries, Report Says

Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank use only 12 percent of the land allocated to them, but one-third of the territory they do use lies outside their official jurisdictions, according to a new report released today byPeace Now, a dovish advocacy group.

According to the report, based on official data released by the Israeli government following a court order, 90 percent of the settlements sprawl beyond their official boundaries despite the large amount of unused land already allocated to them.

More than 10 percent of the land included within the official jurisdiction of the settlements is owned privately by Palestinians, as is 70 percent of the land the settlements control outside their official boundaries, said the report, whose findings were published today in the Haaretz newspaper.

Neocon

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

Does he get to collect $200?