Women's Rights: Jamie Leigh Jones

This woman has guts. She really does. She's taken a horrible experience and turned it into a blazing fight for justice. I look at her sweet little face and think, if I was her father, brother, husband, boyfriend? Some KBR employees would be sitting around wondering what happened to their gonads.

You know who else has guts? Our newest Senator, Al Franken. Watch him kick KBR's lawyer's ass nine ways to Sunday.

Minnesota, you did the right thing by giving us this wonderful guy. He comes to his committees and hearings PREPARED. He reads everything. And he's sharp as a tack.



Go, Senator Al!

Now I see why the Rethuglicans were so terrified of letting him into the Senate. He does not mealymouth around.

So, Minnesota, all y'all gotta do now is get rid of that batshit-crazy Bachmann and we're, like, on, yaknow?

Damn, he rocks. DiBernardo's going to take a week or two to dislodge that pointy boot from his ass. Serves him right too.

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Politics: Keith Kicks Ass

Ever since our media turned into a ragtag bunch of lickspittles who edit press releases then regurgitate them down the beaks of an apathetic public, we have despaired over the fate of the nation.

Must say Keith Olbermann is a welcome change.



He's right. It's time to impeach. Especially now, since Cheney's fingerprints are all over this manufactured "war" in Georgia. Georgia attacks and kills Russian peacekeepers and bombs South Ossetia which voted for independence over a decade ago in a vote with 95 per cent turnout and 99 per cent in favour of separatism, monitored by UN personnel. Georgia carries out an attempted ethnic cleansing of the tiny Ossetian minority, half of whom have already fled to Russia as refugees. And Saakashvili has the gall to ask the US to intervene on his behalf.

And who the hell created an interrogation room in the White House? This must be investigated.

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Politics: Mmmm, Peach Mint

Vincent Bugliosi makes a convincing case for trying the nasty weasels who have been ruining this country for nigh on a decade now. For murder.

What is wrong with John Conyers and the rest of the House? Nancy must have pictures of Mr. Conyers doing something REALLY bad, for him to fold so easily. Only Dennis Kucinich, the Mighty Munchkin of Justice, speaks for those of us who believe the wrongdoers must be held accountable.

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Politics: "Not-Impeachment" Hearing

Raw Story tells us that on Friday, July 25, at 10 am, the House Judiciary Committee will hear from these witnesses in the scheduled hearing on Gee Dumbya's Imperial Preznitwitcy:

The Honorable Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio)
The Honorable Maurice Hinchey (D-New York)
The Honorable Walter Jones (R-N. Carolina)
The Honorable Brad Miller (D-N. Carolina)
The Honorable Elizabeth Holtzman, Former Representative from New York
The Honorable Bob Barr, Former Representative from Georgia, 2008 Libertarian Nominee for President
The Honorable Ross C. “Rocky” Anderson, Founder and President, High Roads for Human Rights (former Mayor of Salt Lake City)
Stephen Presser, Raoul Berger Professor of Legal History, Northwestern University School of Law
Bruce Fein, Associate Deputy Attorney General, 1981-82, Chairman, American Freedom Agenda
Vincent Bugliosi, Author and former Los Angeles County Prosecutor
Jeremy A. Rabkin, Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law
Elliott Adams, President of the Board, Veterans for Peace
Frederick A. O. Schwarz, Jr., Senior Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law

Rep Conyers assures us that this hearing is not for purposes of impeachment. However, we would like to call attention to a few facts: nearly every single person on this list has, at one time or another, spoken strongly in favour of impeaching G. Dumbya Boosh.

The Mighty Munchkin of Justice, Dennis Kucinich, has been pursuing impeachment tirelessly for some years now. Recently, Rep. Kucinich vowed that he will keep the issue on the table by introducing Articles of Impeachment until he gets his hearing. Well, this looks like his hearing. We know that Rep. Kucinich has shown more courage than the rest of Congress put together &mdash considering that he represents a mostly white, centrist district, he has taken progressive positions throughout his career.

Rep. Maurice Hinchey has been pushing for impeachment since 2005, and risked losing the most recent election because of his unwavering stance against the war in Iraq.

Rep. Walter Jones, the man who gave us "freedom fries," has reversed his position on the war in Iraq several years ago and has since been pushing for a "time horizon" or, in the common parlance, a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. Rep. Jones' district includes Camp LeJeune, which has lost much of the flower of its youth to a bloody, senseless war.

Elizabeth Holzman was on the House Judiciary Committee back in Nixon's day and was instrumental in moving the impeachment of Nixon forward. She has been openly outspoken on the topic of impeaching Bush.

Bob Barr, former Republican Rep from Georgia, now the Libertarian presidential candidate, stated in 2006 that Bush's actions in spying on Americans were illegal. Barr has stated that Congress should have started impeachment proceedings a long time ago.

Rocky Anderson, former mayor of Salt Lake City, was talking about impeachment early in 2007.

Professor Stephen Presser of Northwestern testified before Congress the last time they impeached a President.

Conservative legal scholar and former ADA Bruce Fein has been calling for the impeachment of VP Cheney since 2007.

Vincent Bugliosi, former DA and writer, has just published a book titled The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder. Due to a media-imposed blackout, the book was supposed to die a quiet death. Thanks to the Internet, it took off and has become wildly successful. Whatever else Mr. Bugliosi might be, he is in our humble opinion likely to be strongly for the impeachment of Li'l Boots.

As a high-ranking member of Veterans for Peace, Elliott Adams has been pressing John Conyers and the House Judiciary Committee to impeach Bush for some time.

And Frederick A.O. Schwartz is the author of that fine document, Unchecked and Unbalanced: Presidential Power in a Time of Terror. What say you? Pro-impeachment, or anti?

We're guessing sentiment for impeachment runs high in this crowd. Please do your part. Urge your congresscritter to support Dennis in his attempt to bring the crooks and liars to justice. (And if Dennis is your Congresscritter, pat yourself on the back for having the good sense to have elected him!)

Let Conyers, Pelosi, and the Judiciary Committee know that you support impeachment. You can contact the members of the Judiciary Committee here. AFAIK, there has not been a poll on impeachment since 2005. Sentiment has changed a great deal since then. Perhaps pressuring polling companies to re-examine this issue would be a good idea?

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Politics: Don't Go Away Mad

Just go away.



McClatchy poses the question today of whether Dumbfuck McBlotto, our (decidedly un)esteemed Escutcheon-blot in chief, is "going out with 'a whimper'." Frankly, McClatchy, who gives a fuck? We just want him to go, preferably to a narrow, cramped, poorly-lit prison cell where he can rub the heads of all the baldies he can get his hands on. The sooner the better.

While academics opine on Dim Son's astounding lack of popularity, the common people are watching basic food prices soar out of reach even as the value of their homes, the stability of their corporate employers and their financial institutions, and the value of their currency sink lower than a worm's arsehole.

So, as Maru over at WTF Is It Now? likes to say,

The popular war preznit has regained his footing... oh, I'm sorry, Mr Broder, make that [insert real-life stumblebum's latest stumble]

Considering that the pathetic, wretched little asshole can barely behave in public, it's hardly surprising that that fact seems to be registering with record numbers of his fellow-citizens.

Meanwhile, it's heartening to realize that there are some Republicans with ethics. Stephen Spoonamore, founder and CEO of Cybrinth LLC, an IT policy and security firm, has stepped forward to help an anonymous whistleblower prove that professional slime mold impersonators and cybervote machine manufacturers Diebold improperly interfered in Georgia's 2002 elections.

So we now know we have fucking Diebold to thank for that ambulatory turd, Saxby Chambliss. In case you didn't know, Chambliss prides himself on holding up monies to combat AIDS in Africa, as Cernig points out over on newshoggers. He also doesn't care much for SCHIP, The Endangered Species Act, the fight against global warming, women, life (except for "unborn children," i.e., fetii), environmentalism, science, civil rights, taxes for the rich, bankruptcy for the poor, education (except for school prayer), or pretty much anything except prisons and the death penalty.

In heartening news today, Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki announced his support for Barack Obama's plan for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. In even more heartening news, Chimpy McDumbfuck's pathetic minions sent the news about Maliki's support to the press &mdash by mistake. In even more heartening news, Jowly McGrumpypants (thanks, Maru!) camp issued a succinct evaluation of this news: We're fucked, they said, which makes us really happy, since Gramps McSnarly is the last person to help this poor nation get back on her feet. Shoot, he's having trouble keeping his own. And, he's definitely showing signs of dementia or otherwise eroding mental function, not that his mental function was much to brag about in the first place.

It's also nice to know that McCain is exhibiting a level of fiscal stupidity that reinforces our suspicions about his dysfunction. And to no one's surprise, McCain's elderly, probably racist and certainly ill-informed supporters are displaying a lack of enthusiasm usually reserved for Matlock reruns. Really? It must rub salt in the wound to hear that art collectors believe McGrumpypants artwork is worth nothing, while Obama artwork is selling for tens of thousands of dollars, eh, McJowly? Of course, you'd have to be more than slightly off to find portraits of CottageCheesyJowls McSnarlfester remotely exciting, but hey.

McAncient's inability to keep his festering gob shut may have caused security problems for Obama: Blabberjowls McScarface apparently announced to the press that Obama is expected to be in Iraq this weekend. Hopefully, he'll be greeted with flowers by an adoring population, since he's the only candidate to espouse a definite timeline for the withdrawal of our troops. Of course, when someone else blabbed about a person being in Iraq, McCain was simply furious. But then, the subject of the blabment was his son, not his political rival.

The good news is coming thick and fast today: Multimillionaire whiner Phil Gramm, who just last week told us (before Starbucks announced it was closing a bunch of stores and laying off staff) that we were whiners suffering from a "mental recession," has stepped down from McAncient's campaign. Good. Goodbye, and good riddance, Phil. And quit whining.

Meanwhile, the Mighty Munchkin of Justice has decided to investigate Felon McChimperson and Snarly McCrashcart's minions' surveillance of harmless peace activists and expending much-needed taxpayer money on police officers to do so, instead of fighting crime. But then again, why bother to fight crime when you can turn prisons into a high-paying privatized industry, with the citizen taxpayers doing all the paying.

This is what happens when we elect Democrats, people. Sure, it's going slowly, slower than many of us would like. But let's not forget that the past eight years has been nothing but incompetence, fraud, lies, cheating, hypocrisy, deceit, and the tearing down of this great country. It's gonna take a while to fix the mess, and if we're going to try to hold anyone accountable, it must be done in a way that they cannot overturn. And that takes a little time.

For those who don't want to click the above link, it's to a Washington Post story about the current, Democratic governor of Maryland, who has reversed his Republican predecessor's policy of having the State Police conduct surveillance of peace activists and anti-death penalty protestors. What a waste of taxpayer money!

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Politics: Is It Impeachment By Another Name?

According to Raw Story, Rep. John Conyers, head of the House Judiciary Committe has begun an investigation into the "Imperial Presidency," he says. A hearing is scheduled for July 25th. Conyers has promised to look into these issues:

(1) improper politicization of the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorneys offices, including potential misuse of authority with regard to election and voting controversies;

(2) misuse of executive branch authority and the adoption and implementation of the so-called unitary executive theory, including in the areas of presidential signing statements and regulatory authority;

(3) misuse of investigatory and detention authority with regard to U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, including questions regarding the legality of the administration’s surveillance, detention, interrogation, and rendition programs;

(4) manipulation of intelligence and misuse of war powers, including possible misrepresentations to Congress related thereto;

(5) improper retaliation against administration critics, including disclosing information concerning CIA operative Valerie Plame, and obstruction of justice related thereto; and

(6) misuse of authority in denying Congress and the American people the ability to oversee and scrutinize conduct within the administration, including through the use of various asserted privileges and immunities.

The L.A. Times, which has been tireless in its efforts to kiss the Misadministration's rear-end recently, claims that this is not impeachment.

We realize that many Democrats voted for this Pretzelnitwit's Pet War and they're likely to be, um, smeared? when the fit hits the shan, but you know what? You're gonna get yours anyway, Dems, so you might as well start inching towards impeachment, you spineless fuckers.

Thank the Powers That Be for Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who has not wavered, even when Pelosi threatened him (we haven't forgotten about that, Nancy. We may not get you now, but we hear Hillary Clinton keeps a little book with the names of all the people who have ever crossed her in it. We might consider doing the same. You don't deserve to be in Congress, Ms. "Impeachment is off the table."). He has promised to keep bringing up the issue:

Kucinich had said that if his impeachment article was tabled he would simply propose another one. In June, he spent four hours on the House floor reading his longer resolution into the record, only to see it buried in committee.

Action items, people!

(1) Send Dennis email thanking him for his efforts;

(2) Send Pelosi email telling her to stand by her recent statement on impeachment;

(3) Send Conyers email telling him he must move towards impeachment;

(4) Follow up email to Pelosi and Conyers with phone calls and snail-mail.

If you didn't already know, Netroots Nation (formerly known as YearlyKos), a gathering of online activists, is sponsoring AsktheSpeaker, a forum in which you can pose questions for Nancy Pelosi. On Saturday, June 19th, at 9:00 am, Speaker Pelosi will be responding to those questions. For what it's worth, someone has already asked why impeachment is off the table, and that question is currently in the No. 1 spot. Please read the comments in response to that question, as they're very interesting.

In other news, legal scholar and law professor Jonathan Turley told Keith Olbermann on his program yesterday that there is evidence Jor Jee committed crimes in office and should be impeached. He also took Pelosi to task for failing to move on impeachment.

"An impeachment hearing needs to be focused and it needs to deal with things directly and frankly, as whether the president committed crimes," he continued, "And there is considerable evidence to say that the answer is yes."

Considerable evidence. Sigh. Click the preceding link to see the video clip at Raw Story.

In an article at OpEd News, Ralph Lopez points out the nine Republicans who broke ranks with their party to send Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment to the Judiciary Committee.

Congressman Kevin Brady (TX)

Congressman Wayne Gilchrest (MD)

Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC)

Congressman Don Manzullo (IL)

Congressman Tim Murphy (PA)

Congressman Ron Paul (TX)

Congressman Dave Reichert (WA)

Congressman Christopher Shays (CT)

Congressman Mike Turner (OH)

One of the Republicans, Walter Jones, represents Camp LeJeune in North Carolina, one of the largest Marine bases in the country, and one which has borne heavily the sacrifice of the Iraq War.

At least one of the Republicans who voted Yes on this bill claims that he did so because he wanted the bill to die in the Judiciary committee. Lopez asks that you take action to impeach Bush and Cheney. OpEd has set up a handy-dandy tool. Click on the link to get to it.

If any of the Republicans on this list happens to be your Congresscritter, you might consider contacting them and asking them to support the coming investigation. What the hell, contact them anyway. Let them know what you think, how you feel. It's your duty as a member of the electorate.

Naturally, ImpeachBush.org has a different take on the whole issue, and thanks to The Young Turks for helping me find it. The site cites progressive hero Robert Wexler

“Capitol Hill is buzzing today with major developments regarding our campaign for impeachment hearings for President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Just today, in what could be described as a perfect impeachment storm:

"After stating unequivocally that impeachment "is off the table," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated to CBS News today that the House Judiciary Committee should address the issues that Rep. Kucinich's has raised in his impeachment resolution.... This issue now reaches far beyond the substance of the Judiciary Committee's original inquiry regarding the firing of US Attorneys for political purposes. The crisis at hand relates to our most fundamental laws and of our Constitution. It is, in many ways, more serious than the Constitutional crisis surrounding Watergate."

Now, Nance, we realize you had a good time kicking a certain idiot's ass all over the football field today, but calling him a "total failure" just does not make up for your unwillingness to put the little bastard in the hoosegow along with Unca Dick "Dick teh War Profiteer." It's where he belongs, and your nation will be deeply grateful to watch him frog-marched out of the WH in chains.

Rep. Kucinich has stated that a hitherto unidentified representative of a foreign government which is a U.S. ally will be testifying. Bradblog discusses the impeachment with links and details and a succinct summation by Rep. Kucinich on exactly why impeachment is so important. Go, Mighty Munchkin of Justice!

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Politics: Oh Pleez Oh Pleez Oh Pleez Oh Pleez Oh Yes!

Is there a Deity? Does it hear the pleas of its creation? There's a good case to be made for the existence of a Deity that doth listen to the many prayers for good.

The Chicago Trib announced today that ambulatory scumball and professional sleazebucket impersonator KKKarl Rove has been subpoenaed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee about whether the White House improperly meddled with the Justice Department.

He will testify on 10 July about the illegal firings of U.S. attorneys and the dirty tricks involved in the prosecution of ex-Governor Don Siegelman. Rep. Conyers (D-Michigan) issued a statement that is admirably snarky in tone without departing from the professional standards that we expect of our legislators:

"It is unfortunate that Mr. Rove has failed to cooperate with our requests," Conyers, D-Mich., said in a statement. "Although he does not seem the least bit hesitant to discuss these very issues weekly on cable television and in the print news media, Mr. Rove and his attorney have apparently concluded that a public hearing room would not be appropriate."

We congratulate Michiganders for having the good sense to elect Rep. Conyers and to repeat the proof of their intelligence and discrimination as needed. We beg that portion of the electorate responsible for such abominations as Mitch McConnell (KYnYouPeopleQuitAwreddy), John Boner (R-OhGodNotAgain), John Cornyn (R-TXCutsForTehRich), Lindsay Graham (R-SCuzzball), and their ilk, to follow the example of Michiganders and Do The Right Thing. C'mon, there's gotta be way better candidates in each of your states to replace these pathetic lying weaseling proto-skunks. C'mon!

We are off to put our underroos on our heads and caper about singing "Oh, Frabjous Day! Callooh, Callay," and other such entertainments as reflect our overwhelming joy and delight in these developments.

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Politics: Oh Pleez Oh Pleez Oh Pleez Oh Pleez

Can it be? Will the Democrats finally get up on their hind legs and subpoena that worthless fat turd and shit-impersonator (he'd need a couple of eons of evolution to be able to impersonate humans) KKKarl Rove, and throw his pasty, flabby, tuchus in jail if he fails to comply?

Pleez Mr. Conyers, Pleez Oh Pleez Oh Pleez!

The Birmingham News is reporting in a breaking story today that the Democrats have rejected Rove's offer to flip them off and refuse to testify in person about his role in the Justice Department scandal regarding the firing of attorneys tasked with enforcing the nation's laws, and in the unethical prosecution and imprisonment of former Governor Don Siegelman.

If you have a religious belief, please light a candle/sacrifice a relative/braid flowers in your hair and dance naked around the garden in the moonlight or whatever it is your particular religion prescribes. This vile slimebot must be forced to testify, then prosecuted and jailed for his role in corrupting the very meaning of justice.

If you don't have a religious belief, or just want to express yourself differently, blog the issue, write Conyers and thank him, write your Rep. and thank them for taking this belated and long-awaited stand, or urge them to vote with Conyers to hold Rove responsible. Here is a PDF copy of the letter Conyers sent to the slimebag and his attorney. Read it and dance around the house with your underwear on your head. But draw the blinds first. There's a limit to the tolerance of neighbours and passers-by.

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Iraq: Teh Success Is Killing Us

The WahPoo reports that yesterday provided further evidence of success in Iraq. In fact, that particular day in Iraq was so successful that we may not have an army left at all, if each day to come is exactly like that one.

Shoot, we may not have any Iraqis, either. Then we can just mosey on in there and suck up all the oil for our Hummers. According to the article,

Two bombings killed nearly 60 people Tuesday in parts of Iraq where U.S. and Iraqi forces have claimed significant success in combating Sunni insurgent groups.

Just imagine what the death toll might have been like if we weren't that successful.

Bombings took place in Baquba (Diyala province), Mosul, Ramadi (Anbar province), and Baghdad. Some 82 people were wounded, and the carnage inspired one Iraqi spokesman to add to our treasury of unforgettable quotes this particular remark:

"Half of the dead people are still at the Baqubah morgue because it is so hard to identify their bodies," Jassem said.

Being cursed with an overactive imagination, we're currently searching for our psychoactive meds while speculating on just why identification appears to be so elusive. Possibly, the difficulty of identifying a knee or a wrist is greater if it is no longer attached to the person one might know and love.

What a terrible thing this war is. Day after day, our purported "leaders" lie to us, until even the tinpot soldier in charge of the current efforts (since all the better men were forced out for daring to tell the truth about this misadventure) is forced to admit that no corners have been turned, there is no light at the end of the tunnel, and the "last throes" of the insurgents have persisted for three too many long, weary years even as the U.S. Army is in its last throes thanks to the throe-er's friends and cronies accumulating wealth by winning no-bid contracts to give our military insufficient arms and equipment and poisoning them with bad food and dirty water.

Some people are doing something about it. Some very courageous people. Grateful thanks to those of you speaking out against the war.

Crossposted over at Out of Iraq Bloggers' Caucus

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Politics: Worst Person Lifetime Award

We fully expect the masses to rise as one, crying out that there are more deserving recipients out there for the Worst Person Lifetime Award. But we beg to differ.

Our Worst Person of a Lifetime Award goes to annoying, nasal, preachy, whining, sanctimonious, buttlicker Joseph I. LIEberWhore (I-Me).

Remember when that preachy, irritating, sanctimonious little pantysniffer got on the stage to decry his erstwhile ally and friend's behaviour as "immoral"? Apparently, taking money from big Pharma to fuck your constituents over is not immoral, but consensual sex with a consenting adult is. Apparently, having your wife work as a lobbyist for Big Pharma without registering as such is not immoral, a blowjob is. Who knew? Not Joe, AIPAC's bought and paid-for tool.

And then in 2006, along came Ned Lamont to contest Joe LIEberWHORE for the Connecticult Democratic Primary. And Lamont won. So LIEberman then engaged in an act of thuggery that one would hope never to see in a political campaign. Either deliberately and maliciously, or through sheer incompetence and stupidity, LIEberman caused his own Website to malfunction, and blamed Lamont and unspecified "hackers" for it.

Lamont's people denied any involvement but generously offered to assist the lying whore and his incompetent thugs in resolving the issue, an offer that was declined (one can only wonder why). Now it turns out that shortly after LIEberman and his hunchman Dangerstein made the accusations, the FBI investigated and found that the problem was attributable to the LIEberman campaign itself. It cleared Lamont of wrongdoing.

Did LIEberman reveal this information to anyone? No. Did he apologize to the people he LIEd about? No. Did he retract his lies and smears? Of course not, are you smoking something?

No, the little weasel went on to run as an independent and by means fair or foul ended up winning the Senate seat.

But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? Why, we do believe it is the light of Emptywheel's gaze upon further wrongdoing by the LIEberman campaign?

We've been waiting since 2006 for the issue of LIEberman's slush funds and campaign law violations to be raised with the appropriate bodies.

Yeah, yeah, you ask why we didn't do it ourselves. We only started our political awakening with Hurricane Katrina. By the time Lamont was elected, we were taking our first tiny baby steps. Emptywheel, on the other hand, had cut her teeth on these issues long ago. There is not a better-informed commentator on the Valerie Plame affair.

Let's hope this is the beginning of the end for the LIEberwhore. The buyers' remorse being experienced by Connecticut voters can surely bring this pathetic little putz down. Even if Harry Reid is too pusillanimous a pussy to strip the ratfucker of his committees and assignments. Speaking of which, even as Henry Waxman holds hearing after hearing, uncovering unbelievable wrongdoing in every branch of government, Shillator Joe is flying hither and yon on the taxpayer's dime in support of his good friend and fellow Bush buttlicker, John McCain.

Image from Upper Left

Is this what you expected? Isn't it LIEberman's job to hold inquiries into the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?

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Consumer Alert: Contaminated Chicken

Image from ICHC

If you've switched to poultry because of the nasty video evidence of what the food processing companies are doing that contribute to the recall of over 143 million pounds of ground beef, you ought to know that there's a recall currently under way of chicken contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Warning: Do not click the video link unless you plan to swear off eating beef, or possibly meat, for life. Especially, do not click if you are (a) sensitive; (b) an animal lover; (c) eating, or about to eat.

Some 7.5 tonnes of chicken product — specifically, Discover Cuisine Red Curry Chicken & Jasmine Rice, with a best by date of Dec. 18, including 1.7 tonnes from Inovata Foods of Edmonton — have been recalled.

The product is distributed in 12-oz packages, each bearing the Canadian establishment number Est. 302 inside the Canadian Food Inspection Agency mark of inspection.

The frozen chicken entrees were produced on Oct. 18, 2007, and were exported to the United States. Some 10,368 pounds have been recalled from Costco Wholesale of Issaquah, Wash., and 2,184 pounds from Meijer Distribution Center of Grand Rapids, Mich. Meijer apparently distributed these products in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. If you shopped at these locations in any of the states mentioned, inspect your purchases carefully for the distinguishing marks described.

Meijer representatives said only 21 packages of the potentially contaminated product have been sold, including one each at stores in Holland and Big Rapids, Michigan. If you purchased this product at Meijer, contact them at 800-543-3704.

Do not consume this product. Call Bob McColl of Inovata Foods at 780-454-8665 for instructions on disposal and refunds.

Additionally, The Guardian is reporting that Gourmet Boutique of Jamaica, N.Y., has recalled 6,970 pounds of meat and poultry products bearing the production code GBD 08058 on the package. These products are mostly chicken but also include meatloaf and turkey and were sent to stores in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wisconsin, as well as distribution centers in New York. For more information, call 718-977-1200.

Image from MicrobeLibrary

Listeria monocytogenes can be life-threatening to young children, elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems. So far, the media has been publicizing the food processors' and distributors' line in implying that Listeriosis, which results from infection by Listeria monocytogenes, has few consequences in healthy adults.

They neglect to mention, for example, that listeriosis is dangerous to pregnant women, whose immune systems are suppressed as an effect of pregnancy. And anything that affects the health of a pregnant woman affects the health of the fetus. (Perhaps this will convince those "right-to-a-miserable-life" troglodytes in the hardly-ever-right wing that food safety is important.)

However, a little research reveals how patently untrue that is. From ScienceDirect:

The repeated oral administration of a sublethal dose (5×109colony-forming units) of Listeria monocytogenes for 7 or 10 consecutive days led to the development of severe central nervous system (CNS) lesions in 25% of experimental mice. Histopathological examination of the brain revealed rhombencephalitis and ventriculitis as two distinct inflammatory patterns, resembling those seen in human listeriosis.

Michael Barza, M.D., of Tufts University School of Medicine explores in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) some interesting observations on Listeriosis and milk:

The excretion of L. monocytogenes in cow's milk is well recognized. Cows with listeric mastitis may produce normal-appearing milk containing large numbers of bacteria. Some of the organisms may survive pasteurization and may then grow better than competing species at refrigerator temperatures — a phenomenon called "cold enrichment." Milk may be a particularly effective vehicle because it protects the bacteria from gastric acid.

If you consume milk regularly, you might want to consult this post. Dr. Barza goes on to tell us about the effects of Listeriosis:

as many as 20 per cent of patients with listeriosis may have a cerebritis. The lesions range from macroscopic abscesses to a diffuse encephalitis. A fascinating variant, the "rhombencephalitis syndrome," which involves the pons and medulla, is the human counterpart of circling disease in sheep.

About 25 per cent of patients with listeriosis have a "primary bacteremic form" without evident foci of origin or metastasis. This form, too, occurs mainly in immunosuppressed patients but may also strike pregnant women. Other patients have localized infections such as endocarditis, endophthalmitis, hepatitis, and oculoglandular or cutaneous infection.

Tasty!

In other barfacious news, Heinz Foods is recalling some 40,000 cases of Boston Market brand lasagna with meat sauce, after having discovered that the meat therein is derived from the recent recall of 143 million pounds of beef from a California meatpacker of dubious ethics and inarguable inhumanity. Call Boston Market Frozen Food Consumer Helpline at 1 (800) 488-0050 if you have a question.

Congress has subpoenaed executives of the meat-packing company, Reuters tells us:

Steve Mendell, president of Hallmark/Westland, was invited by the subcommittee to testify at a hearing on February 26 on the role companies play in recalls and food safety, but he did not appear. The subpoena orders Mendell to testify on March 12.

What, is this another personal friend of George W. Bush? He thinks he can do like Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten and just not show up? Mr. Mendell, you have your nerve. If you wanted to evade Congressional oversight, you should have arranged to kill 4,000 U.S. troops and 1 million Iraqis!

Rep. Bart Stupak, Democrat of Michigan, chairs the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations. Members are:

• Diana DeGette, D-CO
  
• Ed Whitfield, R-KY
• Charlie Melancon, D-LA, Vice Chair
• Greg Walden, R-OR
• Henry A. Waxman, D-CA
• Tim Murphy, R-PA
• Gene Green, D-TX
• Michael C. Burgess, R-TX
• Mike Doyle, D-PA
• Marsha Blackburn, R-TN
• Jan Schakowsky, D-IL
• Joe Barton, R-TX (Ex Officio)
• Jay Inslee, D-WA
• John D. Dingell (Ex Officio)

You might want to consider contacting your Rep if s/he is on that list. Doing the people's business requires input from the people. If you want safe, clean food for your family, you can go vegan or vegetarian or produce (and butcher) your own, in your copious free time. If you want safe, clean food for the entire nation, including your family, you need to supervise the people who are monitoring your food supply.

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Economy: Whodunit of Predatory Lending

Eliot Spitzer &mdash a man for whom La Casa de Los Gatos has a deep and abiding respect based on his efforts to fight corruption and stand up for the average citizen &mdash pens a piece in today's WaPoo that should make anybody's blood boil.

If yours doesn't, please repair to the nearest emergency room. You may be dead and just not know it yet.

The gist of the article is that the Bush administration actively intervened to prevent states from protecting their consumers from predatory lending practices. It's bad enough that they just ignored all the warning signs. But to actively worsen the situation? WHAT?

Back when La Casa de Los Gatos had an ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage), we were already suspicious of the whole banking/mortgage hype. Lenders and realtors kept telling us our Casa was worth so much more than we thought it was, and offering us all kinds of fancy instruments and inducements; even offering to overvalue La Casa so that we could get a loan for a larger amount and have a "wraparound" home equity line of credit.

ThePoliticalCat wanted a house for only three reasons, really.

1. Landlords are reluctant to rent to tenants who have pets, especially pets in the plural;
2. We were getting really tired of the whole "pack and move" scenario;
3. We just wanted a place to call our own, where we could hang our art on the walls and let the gatos come in and out as they pleased without worrying about traffic, nasty hoomans, landlords, pet deposits, et cetera ad infinitum ad nauseam.

ARMs, at the time, offered the lowest rates. We refused the interest-only, balloon-payment thingumajigs and opted for something we felt we could afford. It was iffy for a while, but we scrimped and saved and managed despite the rough spots. Thanks to all our dear friends who helped us through them.

Shortly after Chimperor McFuckface got "elected" &mdash no, wait, the asshole was appointed by his daddy's friends, wasn't he? &mdash we got very very nervous. Especially after we noticed that every time the pigball opened his mouth, the Dow dropped a few points. So we set about converting our ARM into a fixed-rate instrument. We agreed to the line of credit the bank offered, but it made us so nervous, we paid it back as soon as we could (we needed it to replace the roof and fix a floor).

Now that we see the pickle half the country is in, we're really really relieved that we did what we did. At the time, everyone thought we were idiots (and told us so regularly) for refusing all that "free money." But ThePoliticaCat knows quite well that nothing in life is free. Any time someone tells you they're about to give you a freebie, check your mouth for a hook and their hand for the line, because they're about to reel you in like the sucker they think you are.

And then to find out that not only did our government ignore the dangerous, foolish, and "oughta-be-illegal" practices of the banking industry, it actually crippled those who would protect the average consumer from being tricked and cheated. Gads, what bastards.

If you bought a house and are facing any kind of woes as a result of predatory lending, for mercy's sake, call your legislators, write them, fax them, and insist that they investigate this further. Here's how to find the worthless Federal Senate whores. Project VoteSmart helps you find the worthless Federal Congress whores. Juan Cabanela helps out Spanish-speaking (and reading) voters. Contact your State legiswhores here:

• Alabama;
• Alaska;
• Arizona;
• Arkansas;
• California;
• Colorado;
• Connecticut;
• Delaware;
• Florida;
• Georgia;
• Hawaii;
• Idaho;
• Illinois;
• Indiana;
• Iowa;
• Kansas;
• Kentucky;
• Louisiana;
• Maine;
• Maryland;
• Massachusetts;
• Michigan;
• Minnesota;
• Missouri;
• Montana;
• Nebraska;
• Nevada;
• New Hampshire;
• New Jersey;
• New Mexico;
• New York;
• North Carolina;
• North Dakota;
• Ohio;
• Oklahoma;
• Oregon;
• Pennsylvania;
• Rhode Island;
• South Carolina;
• South Dakota;
• Tennessee;
• Texas;
• Utah;
• Vermont;
• Washington (State);
• West Virginia;
• Wisconsin

That's all we could find. If anyone knows how to contact legislators from those states not included in the preceding list, please feel free to leave the information and we will update this post accordingly.

Please call your state legislators and ask them about this story. If it's true, then it's really really big and we can't help wondering why it wasn't brought to the public consciousness before this.

Another thing: You might want to contact Rep. Henry Waxman and ask if his committee plans to investigate this ... this ... unbelievable breach of the public trust.


moar humorous pics

And for the love of all that's holy DO NOT vote for Senator John McInsane, as he is bound to continue this fraudulent policy. At least Hickabee, no matter how much I despise his loutishness, is a populist at heart, and would never support such an egregiously bad act.

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Women's Rights: Update on Jamie Leigh Jones

Photo from ChinaDaily.com

Channel WFAA of Dallas/Fort Worth has this update on the Jamie Leigh Jones case. Apparently, all KBR/Halliburton employee contracts contain a clause requiring arbitration instead of litigation of any claims the employee might have against KBR/Halliburton for violation of laws or their rights. This has caused some concern, and Ms. Jones made a good argument at the Congressional hearing today that cases such as hers are ill-served, at best, by arbitration.

WFAA then tells us:

A National Employment Lawyers Association analysis found that an arbitrator ruled in favor of Halliburton 82 percent of the time between Jan. 1, 2003, and March 31, 2007.

Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., has sponsored a bill that would make such agreements invalid in certain cases.

"The deck is stacked against Ms. Jones and others who find themselves trapped in this system, a system that strips citizens of their rights to a jury trial and offers no meaningful avenue of redress," Johnson said.

The rapists, in the course of the rape, ruptured Ms. Jones' breast implants. They must have used a great deal of force - on an unresisting, drugged, unconscious woman. For WHAT?

Jones has started a foundation to help women like herself, more power to her. China Daily reports:

Ten other (female employees of KBR/Halliburton) reported their stories through a foundation Jones began to help women with similar experiences.

[...]

Jones submitted a copy of an affidavit from KBR human resources supervisor Letty Surman to the committee, in which she said she was aware of the work environment.

"During my time as an HR supervisor, I was aware that a lot of sexual harassment went on — it was our major complaint. ... I am aware that Halliburton has a policy of sweeping problems under the rug," Surman said in the affidavit.

And KBR/Halliburton spokesworms have the unmitigated gall to claim that Jones' allegations are 'without merit.'

I gotcher merit right here, you weaselly, stinking, foul, necrotic blivets.

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Women's Rights: KBR Rape Scorecard

So the House Judiciary Committee's appropriate subcommittee held a hearing today, CNN reports, on the complaints filed against KBR, the Halliburton subsidiary that has been the recipient of so much American taxpayer largesse in the form of no-bid contracts in Iraq. Which, we understand, has nothing at all, nothing whatsoever (the point cannot be stressed firmly enough) to do with the fact that the current Vice-President of the U.S.A. was, in a previous incarnation, the CEO of Halliburton. Pure coincidence.

The Justice Department did not even bother to send an attorney to answer the Committee's questions and to look the victim Jamie Leigh Jones in the eye. Incidentally, some of the knuckle-draggier of the knuckle-draggers in that series of tubes comprising the Internets have claimed that Ms. Jones was filing a lawsuit against Halliburton/KBR because she hoped to get money from them.

We at this blog opine as how Ms. Jones would probably settle for beating each and every one of her rapists within an inch of their lives, followed by the administration of similar corrective measures upon each and every official at Halliburton/KBR who was involved in the decision to cover up this crime, up to and including Dick "Head" the Veep himself.

Apparently, Ms. Jones was only 19 at the time the crime occurred. Imagine, if you will, your tender teenaged daughter in the hands of these thugs and you will perhaps understand the simmering rage about this crime and its coverup. Imagine your kid being tossed into a shipping container with no food, water, or telephone because she committed the "crime" of being a girl, a naive young girl in her first job.

Ms. Jones lucked out when one decent human being surfaced among the subhuman slime assigned to guard her. He let her use a telephone, she contacted her father, her father contacted his Congresscritter, Texas Republican Ted Poe.

To his credit, Poe called the State Department and requested immediate intervention. The State Department complied, but turned over the rape kit with the evidence that might have been used to prosecute the rapists - to Halliburton.

Poe testified before the committee, saying:

It is my understanding that an Assistant US Attorney interviewed Jamie and that a State Department Special Agent investigated her case. However, the Department of Justice has not informed Jamie or me of the status of a criminal investigation against her rapists. It is interesting to note that the Department of Justice has thousands of lawyers, but not one from the barrage of attorneys is here to tell us what, if anything, they are doing. Their absence and silence speaks volumes about the hidden crimes of Iraq.

In early 2006, Ms. Jones filed a complaint with the EEOC. The EEOC examined the case and rendered a decision in her favour, writing a Letter of Determination that stated Jamie was sexually assaulted by one or more KBR employees, that physical trauma was apparent, and that KBR’s own investigation “was inadequate and did not effect an adequate remedy.”

Still no action from the Justice Department or the State Department. Two years have passed since the crime occurred, and Halliburton/KBR's only response to multiple allegations of rape (details on the other victim here) has been to attempt to force the cases into arbitration, which means, of course, that there will be no public record that other victims can use to assist their cases (depend on it, there are other victims); no discovery process that Ms. Jones can use to prove her case; and no right to appeal.

At today's hearing, Rep. Poe (a good Texas Republican, for those who are trying to allege that this whole thing is a smear by lefties on the purportedly good name of Halliburton/KBR and the Veep) stated that three other women have since contacted his office with similar allegations.

What, isn't it enough for KBR/Halliburton to be screwing the American taxpayer, the nation of Iraq, the Iraqi people, and deity only knows who else? They have to be raping their own employees too? And then screwing them over with arbitration hearings?

Take the bastards to court, establish their revolting practices, strip them of the right to arbitration, and render a judgment against them big enough for them to feel some real pain. The kind of pain these women, their families, and friends are feeling. That would be justice.

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Politics: Senate Reconsidering Telecoms Immunity

The Senate Judiciary Committee is reviewing the FISA bill that grants retroactive immunity to the telecoms companies that allowed the Misadministration to spy on Americans without a warrant, Raw Story reports. However, the Committee has not yet clearly stated that they will strike down the retroactive immunity provisions, so we can relax and assume that they're weaseling as usual and will give the Chimperor everything he wants, including the right to physically rip our guts out before our loving families' eyes, if he requests it.

The Judiciary Committee meets today to consider the bill.

Senators on the panel will only consider one-third of the bill today, delaying consideration of the retroactive immunity provision for at least a week, a Judiciary Committee spokeswoman said.

[...]

National Journal's CongressDaily, a subscription-only newsletter, reports that a key Democrat on the committee may now be wavering in her support for immunity.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who sits on the Judiciary and Intelligence committees, said she is re-evaluating her support for retroactive legal immunity. She voted to approve it as part of the Intelligence Committee bill. "I did support [immunity] in the intel bill and I'm giving it further thought," she said. (Republican Sen. Arlen)Specter said he does not know if there will be enough votes on the Judiciary Committee to strip the immunity provision.

Keep the pressure up on Di-Fi, folks. Her behaviour in confirming racist judge Leslie Southwick and professional frog-impersonater Mukasey, and her stance on this bill have been utterly disgraceful. She needs to hear from her constituents.

As for Specter:

On Wednesday, he proposed a compromise in which the government would become the defendant in lawsuits aimed at the telecoms.

“I think it’s very important that the courthouse not be closed so there can be a judicial determination to see if there have been any violations of privacy rights,” Specter told The Hill. “I think the telephone companies were good citizens, and should not suffer from what they did. And my idea is to have the government substituted as the party.”

All he's really saying is, let the taxpayer who has been illegally spied on now pay any damages resulting from lawsuits against the telecoms who participated in the illegal spying.

Talk about sticking it to the people! Arlen, you're a schmuck. Step down. Isn't there a decent progressive somewhere in Pennsylvania, someone who will respect the rights of the people and the Constitution, who will run for this putz's seat?

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Politics: Republican Calls Justice Department

on its bullshit.
Richard Thornburgh, head of the Department of Justice under President Reagan and President Bush (the Not_So_Stupid one), yesterday accused none other than our good friend, U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan, of pursuing a politically motivated indictment of a prominent regional Democrat. From Raw Story comes the following report:

Thornburgh also charged that Buchanan avoided prosecuting Republicans within her jurisdiction.

"The fact that no investigation was undertaken stands out when Democrats in the western district of Pennsylvania have been investigated in such a highly visible manner," Thornburgh said.

Republicans on the House Judiciary Panel, however, took issue with Thornburgh's accusations.

"Your testimony . . . is the most pathetic example of innuendo and hearsay that I have seen," said Rep. Ric Keller (R-FL), during the hearing.

Oh, my. Eating our own, Rep Keller?

Thornburgh added:

"The citizens of the United States must have confidence that the department is conducting itself...without actual political influence or the appearance of political influence," Thornburgh said. "Unfortunately, that may no longer be the case."

Mr. Thornburgh obviously specializes in the fine art of understatement. I'd say, given the shenanigans conducted by the brazen weasel and liar Alberto GoneZales at the DOJ for the past X years, including late-night bedside visits to pressure seriously ill officials, firing those refusing to toe the ideological line, appointing obviously unqualified political hacks, and the like, I very much doubt there is a citizen anywhere in the confines of this vast land who has a scrap of confidence left in the DoJ.

Legislators also discussed the case of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman. For the transcript of Thornburgh's testimony, see Raw Story. For a video, see TPM Muckraker.

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Politics - Blackwater, The Pentagon, And Corruption

Good grief. It is to scream loudly and flail about.

Read this. Keep a glass of wine, or better yet, 100-proof vodka, close to hand.

Frank Rich details the extent of Pentagon corruption and dirty practices that have turned Blackwater into the billion-dollar industry it is today. Yark.

Note: The link takes you to The New York Times, which requires registration.

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Iraq - Criminal Probe For U.S. Embassy

Was there anyone on the planet (except, of course, for the 24% of the population who still support Chimpy McTardibus) who didn't know that the "largest U.S. embassy in the world" was nothing but a boondoggle?

Originally priced at $592 million, the project is running late, over cost, and, apparently, criminally shoddy - so says McClatchy, who still employ some real journalists instead of flip-haired idiots like Tim Russert, Katie Couric, and Chris Matthews who are too busy kissing preznitwitial ass to actually ask any questions about, oh, I dunno, where the hell our multi-trillion dollar surplus of the Clinton years has gone?

Sez McClatchy:

The embassy — actually a 104-acre, Vatican-size compound of 21 buildings meant to house and sleep about 1,000 U.S. officials was originally meant to open in June, then in September. Now, due to problems with the sprinkler system, the latest in a series of deficiencies blamed on First Kuwaiti, it remains unclear whether it will be ready for occupancy this year. Golden didn't return phone calls seeking comment.

For a list of all the other problems, click on the previous link.

And look who might be implicated in that "shoddy quality" assertion:

The embassy has been plagued by other deficiencies. The electrical system in the dining facility of a nearby guard camp malfunctioned when it was tested in May. OBO, in a report last month, defended its contractor, First Kuwaiti, and blamed Houston-based KBR, Inc., which was hired to operate the facility.

Well, if ain't the spinoff of Darth Cheney's former company, Halliburton.

And isn't First Kuwaiti under investigation for using slave labour to build the U.S. Embassy? And isn't KBR the same company that served contaminated water to U.S. troops in Iraq? Oh, look, and contaminated food, too!

These people are utterly and completely without shame. They're profiteers, making bucks off a country we invaded illegally and off our own soldiers, too. Hang 'em high.

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Politics - You Lose Money When Cheated

AKA, Department of The Obvious. Was there anybody on the planet (with the exception of the Big Pharma dudes, of course) who didn't hear "Medicare Plan D will not negotiate discounts," who didn't think, "Aha! Shrubby's cronies rip us off again!"

Anyone? Because, guess what, children? They ripped us off again! Yes! To the tune of $15 billion. Fifteen billion dollars of our money went straight from the treasury into the pockets of the drug companies so that Boy George could tell us we can't afford to keep more sick children healthy and covered by insurance for, oh, three years, yeah, that's right. Five billion a year for SCHIP, covering an additional 2-5 million children - can't afford it because, let's see, we already spent over $200 billion on Teh War That Nobody (Except Georgie And Congress) Supports, plus there was that $15 billion we dropped on Grammy's meds 'cause Your Gubmint didn't think Grammy should bargain for discounts.

The Medicare prescription drug benefits offered by private insurers operate with "high administrative costs, sales expenses and profits," the report said.

Staff for Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, chaired by California Rep. Henry Waxman, based their conclusions on proprietary cost and pricing data obtained from 12 insurers that provide drug coverage to more than 18 million Medicare patients.

"The cost and pricing data obtained by the committee reveal that use of private insurers to deliver Medicare drug coverage is driving up costs and producing only limited savings on drug prices," the report said.

I am so fucking furious about this, it's a good thing I am not going out into the world today. Or I'd rip someone's head off for looking at me wrong.

How much more of this lying, weaseling, cheating shit has to come out before we kick these thieves and thugs out of office? Instead, the rabid dogs of the right (wrong!) wing are baying for the blood of the Frost family who have two children with brain damage as the result of an accident and who bravely spoke out for the SCHIP program.

Will these same dogs start baying about how our own government refused to let Medicare negotiate for discounts on medication? I doubt it, somehow.

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Politics - Pasty Maggot Found Out

Pasty maggot and Satan's turd Karl Rove has been outed as the architect of the unwarranted destruction of Alabama governor Don Siegelman. Raw Story reports:

New testimony released yesterday by the House Judiciary Committee reveals details about the alleged involvement of former Bush administration advisor Karl Rove in the prosecution of Democratic Alabama Governor Don Siegelman.

Dana Jill Simpson, a Republican attorney and activist, stated earlier this year that an associate of Rove's had said that the then top White House political strategist had communicated directly with the Justice Department about "pursuing" the former governor via US attorneys.

Raw Story has links to all the other coverage of the issue as well as Ms. Simpson's sworn statement.

All I can say is, "Oh, pleez, oh, pleez, oh, pleez."

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