I suspect that a lot of people had an instant, “Yeah, right,” reaction when they first heard that the Inspector General of the Justice Department is investigating Alberto Gonzales’s misleading testimony before Congress.  Given past experience, only a fool would not be at least a little skeptical.

But don’t be too surprised if this turns out to be a good deal more than a toothless PR exercise.  There are still a lot of fine public servants at the Department of Justice, including, of course, many lawyers working in the career service.  And I will guarantee you that a bunch of these folks are furious over the way Gonzales has pissed all over their department’s reputation.

Up to this point in the Bush Administration, all too often the political hacks at Justice have held inappropriate sway over criminal investigations, and there’s no reason to think the administration’s basic game plan has changed: but the ability of the Bushies to manipulate the process has almost certainly diminished now that the spotlight is on them and many of the top politicos are heading for the hills.  As a practical matter, it would probably be impossible at this point for any political appointee to successfully derail an active investigation into the former AG’s conduct.

Believe it or not, I actually won’t be that surprised if I wake up some morning to discover that an indictment has been handed down or even a plea agreement reached.  It could happen without our ever having known that a criminal investigation, as such, had even formally been opened.

It may not happen: but it’s not nearly as long a shot as some people may believe.   

Update: Related to the point that there are still many fine lawyers serving at Justice, see this post by Scott Horton.

I had seen the stories that Texas was getting ready to execute the getaway driver in a botched robbery turned homicide.  Obviously, he deserves to pay dearly for his crimes, and he will.  But to impose capital punishment under those circumstances would be an abomination.

Thankfully now that will not be happening, at least in this case.

ed sex adulta little sexsex video 1950 soralabsexjanalie alert ambersexy pic american idolanalyzer test e4407b-com esa-e communication agilentporn aboriganil Map

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, that ultimate Alfa Male himself, Tucker Carlson, recently did a little bragging on TV about the time he and a pal beat up a gay man who “bothered him” in a public restroom.  I actually heard the exchange live, and can attest from firsthand experience that it was, to say the least, a little creepy.

Now, first, go to Media Matters to watch the video (there’s also a transcript).  They have also posted a rather odd explanation sent in by the Tuckinator himself, wherein he “explains” that he wasn’t gay bashing at all, but, to the contrary, heroically (if you can call going to get a buddy to help you rough someone up heroic) defending himself against a sexual assault.

Having viewed the video, now please answer the following multiple choice question:  Is the Bow-Tied Avenger,

Number (1): a gay bashing predatory freak who needs to be locked up forever for the protection of the public at large;

Number (2): a homophobic coward who thinks he can impress people with his Macho Manhood by, shall we say, creatively “writing” a story that portrays himself facing down an evil gay person (meaning, of course, that he should be forever barred from our television screens for dishonesty); or,

Number (3): a heroic defender of virtue who single-handedly (with the help of a friend) brought down an evildoer, and, thus, should be held up as an example to our children as a hero to be emulated.

Choose one of the following answers:

a. Number 1 is true;

b. Number 2 is true;

c. Number 3 is true;

d. Oh, for Pete’s sake, Tucker Carlson couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag even if he did have a friend helping him.
 

Sen. David Vitter violated the law and proved himself to be a shameless hypocrite by patronizing a prostitution ring.  The Senate GOP Caucus rallied to his side.

Sen. Larry Craig violated the law and proved himself to be a shameless hypocrite by soliciting gay sex in a public bathroom.  The Senate GOP Caucus turned on him like a pack of mad dogs.

Why the difference?  Is it homophobia or just politics? 

My take: homophobia may play a small part, but mostly this comes down to the fact that Vitter is lucky enough to represent a state with a Democratic governor, meaning that if he were to resign the GOP would lose the seat.  Craig isn’t so lucky: Idaho is not only one of the reddest states in the union; it also happens to have a Republican governor.

Republican politicos may hate gays (or at least pander to those who do), but they hate losing power more.

So, what do you think?

Important Update: I’m on a very poor on-again-off-again connection today (hopefully it will be fixed soon).  I may be approving comments too quickly (trying to get them up before I lose net access again).  NOTHING, I REPEAT NOTHING, which smacks of, or which might be construed (even if unintended) as having an anti-gay tone will be posted from this point forward, period!

We don’t do hate at The Last Chance Democracy Café.

loan malaysia

Shut-off loan malaysia s do not interfere with aircraft avionics; loan malaysia is partially based on the crash of Crossair Flight 498.

online college student loans

The handset constantly listens for online college student loans signal being received from the surrounding base stations.

income rental loan loans manitoba

Mobile Applications are developed using income rental loan loans manitoba M’s (previously Five M’s) service-development theory created by the author Tomi Ahonen with Joe Barrett of Nokia and Paul Golding of Motorola.

student help loans with

The Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) system went online in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden in 1981[citation needed].

kiloan laundry

Until the early 1990s, most kiloan laundry s were too large to be carried in kiloan laundry pocket, so they were typically installed in vehicles as car phones.

wamu loan requirements

This is wamu loan requirements used to load wamu loan requirements s on PDA phones such as the Kyocera 6035 and the Handspring Treo.

for broker loans mortgage

Even with this information, the State of California recently passed for broker loans mortgage phone law that requires drivers over the age of 18 to use a hands-free device while using the phone in the car.

casino mortgage online amazon loan

Mobile phone usage on local public transport is also increasingly seen as casino mortgage online amazon loan the city of Graz, for instance, has mandated a total ban of casino mortgage online amazon loan s on its tram and bus network in 2008 (though texting is still allowed).

with $3000 loan bad credit

Mobile news services are expanding with many organizations providing “on-demand” news services by SMS.

bed loano breakfast

These sites originally created large cells, and so had their antennae mounted atop high towers; bed loano breakfast were designed so that as the system expanded—and cell sizes shrank—the antennae could be lowered on their original masts to reduce range.

This isn’t a post for pretty words or clever slams: this is the time for plain talk.  So let me say this as plainly as I can to our Democratic representatives and senators: this time there will be no excuses.  If the Democratic Congress doesn’t do everything in its power to prevent Bush from launching another war, this time against Iran, as far as the party’s rank and file is concerned, the jig will be up.  You will be dead to us.

And no, I’m not talking about sitting on our hands, or bolting the party.  I’m talking about taking you down.  Mark my words: if congressional Democrats allow Bush to lead this country into yet another catastrophe because they’re too afraid of their own tails to fight back, all bets are off.

The beating of the neocon’s war drums grows louder by the day: the time for fence sitting is over.  Congressional Democrats, where will you stand on the issue of war with Iran?  Or perhaps the more pertinent question: Will you stand at all?

Think it over carefully, Democrats: the rage constituents recently directed against Rep. Brian Baird in Oregon for his troop withdrawal flip-flop was nothing compared to what you’ll face.  And, yes, I know, in the first weeks after the attack, there may be some let’s rally ‘round the president reaction (although don’t count on it), probably even some early declarations of victory, but none of it will last.  And as the full dimensions of the damage such an attack will do to this country become apparent, people are going to get ugly, really ugly.

There will be no such thing as a safe district.  Primary opponents will pop up like dandelions in the summertime.  

Realistically, whatever the Democratic Party does, they may not be able to stop Bush from another joyous leap of faith into disaster.  But this time they damn well better try — something they’ve woefully failed to do up to this point. 

personal asda loans

Mobile phones generally obtain power from batteries which can be recharged from mains power, personal asda loans port or a cigarette lighter socket in a car.

originator loan

In 1984, Bell Labs developed modern commercial cellular technology (based, to originator loan extent, on the Gladden, Parelman Patent), which employed multiple, centrally-controlled base stations (cell sites), each providing service to a small area (a cell).

loan jobs processor

The European market adopted loan jobs processor Party Pays” model throughout the GSM environment and soon various other GSM markets also started to emulate this model.

rn loan nyc forgiveness

This resulted in rn loan nyc forgiveness of charging callers for outbound calls and also for receiving calls.

farmington home loans

[2] These manufacturers account for over 80% of all farmington home loans s sold and produce phones for sale in most countries.

loans equity home nevada

At the same time, the radio access network may evolve from loans equity home nevada architecture to a distributed one.

student loan alberta

In student loan alberta however many users tend to ignore this as it is rarely enforced, especially if the other carriages are crowded and they have no choice but to go in the “quiet carriage”.

calculate amount a repayment loan

The use of calculate amount a repayment loan s by people who are driving has become increasingly common, either as part of their job, as in the case of delivery drivers who are calling calculate amount a repayment loan or by commuters who are chatting with a friend.

processor loan salary

* SMAF: Yamaha music format that combines MIDI with instrument sound data (aka Module files).

express loans sba

Mobile phones generally obtain power from batteries which can be recharged from mains power, express loans sba port or a cigarette lighter socket in a car.

loan calculators interest

[13] The availability of prepaid or ‘pay-as-you-go’ services, where the subscriber is not committed to loan calculators interest term contract, has helped fuel this growth in Africa as well as in other continents.

government student refinance loans

In many advanced markets from Japan and South Korea, to Scandinavia, to Israel, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong, most children age 8-9 have government student refinance loans s and government student refinance loans accounts are now opened for customers aged 6 and 7.

company loans under home name

Other formats, such as MIDI or MP3, are often supported; they must be downloaded to the phone before they can be used as company loans under home name company loans under home name .

faxless loans day pay

Siemens Keypress: Can create and read in faxless loans day pay text file format.

no day pay loan fax

A truetone (also known as “realtone”, “mastertone”, “superphonic ringtone” or “audio recording”) is simply no day pay loan fax recording, typically in a common format such as “MP3″, AAC, or WMA, and represents the latest evolution of the no day pay loan fax .

instant online loans

However, most instant online loans networks operate close to capacity during normal times and spikes in call volumes caused by widespread emergencies often overload instant online loans just when it is needed the most.

loan california mortgage company

Caller ID signals are sent during loan california mortgage company interval between the first and second bursts of the ringing signals.

payday online faxless loans

7 billion by end of 2006 according to Informa[citation needed], and 3.

process loan

Today mobile payments ranging from mobile banking to mobile credit cards to mobile commerce are very widely used in Asia and Africa, and in selected European markets.

loan basics bridging

Approximately the size of loan basics bridging postage stamp, the SIM Card is installed underneath the battery in the rear of the unit, and (when properly activated) stores the phone’s configuration data, and information about the phone itself, such as which calling plan the subscriber is using.

I’m not actually an economist, of course — and unlike, say, George Will, I don’t even play one on television.  But even as a non-economist, I have no trouble seeing the devil hiding in the recent “good” economic news about income and poverty.  For example, census numbers show that income is up!  Well, yeah, it’s up a little, as in, very little — and even then most of the increase is because more people are working longer hours, rather than from rising wages.

But wait, there’s even more good news.  It seems that for the first time since George W. Bush rode into town, the poverty rate has actually gone down.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Economic Inequality 101.  Today’s lesson: how the rich get richer while the rest tread water.  We begin with a little closer look at all this good news: after years of significant economic growth, now, finally, just as the economy shows signs of slowing down, a few tiny crumbs from these “good times” may actually have begun to fall into the laps of average Americans.  During this same time, of course, the wealthiest of Americans have made an absolute — obscene really — killing.

So what happens when the economy goes to shit, as appears increasingly likely to happen fairly soon?  (I know, this stuff is just too easy, isn’t it?)  What will happen, of course, is that the working class and especially the poor will be hurt very badly, particularly through unemployment. 

And what of the wealthiest of the wealthy?  They may get hurt too — a little.

So there you have economic inequality in a nutshell: in good times, ordinary Americans benefit very little, while the superrich benefit a great deal; during bad times ordinary Americans get hurt a lot, while the superrich get hurt a little.  And so bit by bit the nation’s wealth is transferred from the many to the few.

Seriously, you should take some time to appreciate the majesty of it all.  You’re seeing history in the making here — the death of the American middle class.

There are growing indications that the befuddled citizens of Neocon World are settling on Ayad Allawi, the former CIA asset and interim prime minister, as their preferred candidate for the job of Iraqi strongman.  Allawi, of course, is doing his part to fan the flames, even to the absurd degree of retaining an American PR firm to build his image as potential Iraqi leader here in the US.

Congressional Democrats (and Democratic presidential candidates) have predictably, if witlessly, been doing their part to advance this lunacy by jumping onto the dump-Maliki bandwagon.

The problem with this American-Allawi lovefest, of course, is that Allawi has no real constituency inside Iraq: so it’s unlikely he could win an election there.  But then we’re not really talking elections anymore, are we?  No, we’re talking good old-fashioned coup here.  You see, that whole “let’s build a democracy in Iraq to be a shining example for the whole Islamic world to follow” thing has lost a little of its sparkle in Neocon World, whose denizens seem to be increasingly pining for a return to the strongman days of yore.

So would an Allawi coup work?  Not a chance.  At least not unless we’re prepared to use US forces to prop him up indefinitely in the face of a broadening civil war.  Allawi is a secular Shi’ite.  The Iraqi armed forces, such as they are, are largely made up of members of religious militias.  It’s hard to be a military dictator when you don’t control the military.  But since Allawi isn’t well liked in Iraq, he has only one possible source of firepower. 

You got it: we have met Allawi’s army and they are us!

(more…)

We may not have rebuilt the country like we promised we would.  But we’ve sure helped jumpstart its agricultural production.

(NY Times) Afghan Opium Crop at Record High

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 27 — Opium cultivation in Afghanistan grew by 17 percent in 2007, reaching record levels for the second straight year, according to a United Nations report released Monday.

Despite a $600 million American counternarcotics effort and an increase in the number of poppy-free provinces to 13 from 6, the report said the amount of land in Afghanistan used for opium production is now larger than the amount of land used for coca cultivation in all of Latin America.

Afghanistan now accounts for 93 percent of the world’s opium, up from 92 percent last year, the report said.

wrap loan around

Mobile Applications are developed using wrap loan around M’s (previously Five M’s) service-development theory created by the author Tomi Ahonen with Joe Barrett of Nokia and Paul Golding of Motorola.

union city california loan officers

Towers over union city california loan officers height or towers that are close to airports or heliports are normally required to have warning lights.

calculator loans va and

Those who carry their calculator loans va and s in pockets of their pants are putting their potency at great danger.

zero auto percent loans

In most countries today, the person receiving zero auto percent loans call pays nothing.

home loan rate 2008 predictions

The SMS feature spawned home loan rate 2008 predictions sub-culture amongst younger users.

90 loan day

This type of phone communicates directly with 90 loan day satellite, which in turn relays calls to a base station or another satellite phone.

adam loan bank home goldstein

For example, Northwest Airlines may allow the use of adam loan bank home goldstein s immediately after landing on adam loan bank home goldstein flight within the US, whereas they may state “not until the doors are open” on an international flight arriving in the Netherlands.

angel loans

This signals that angel loans call has been answered, and angel loans exchange immediately removes the ringing signal from the line and connects the call.

federal astoria loan and savings

Such recordings specify what synthetic instrument should play federal astoria loan and savings at a given time, and the actual instrument sound is dependent upon the playback device.

loan calculator auto easy

In the United States and Canada, loan calculator auto easy carriers are beginning to offer unlimited received phone calls.

Another day, another homophobic politician caught being gay. 

The Religious Right really does need to toughen up its entrance exam.

pregnancy xanax of effects

On pregnancy xanax of effects telephone system, this is created by sending an alternating current signal of about 100 volts into the line.

ringtones free upload

In most countries today, the person receiving ringtones free upload call pays nothing.

maker verizon ringtone wireless

For example, websites like Mobilephoria, Phone Sherpa, and Dopetone let users make maker verizon ringtone wireless s from maker verizon ringtone wireless they already own (MP3, CD etc.

black welcome ringtone to parade the

The use of black welcome ringtone to parade the is prohibited in some train company carriages.

callin mama yo ringtone

Currently, texting is callin mama yo ringtone widely-used data service; 1.

medium tv show ringtone

Today mobile payments ranging from mobile banking to mobile credit cards to mobile commerce are very widely used in Asia and Africa, and in selected European markets.

chelsea mobile download ringtones search

Breaks were introduced into chelsea mobile download ringtones search to avoid this problem, resulting in the common ring-pause-ring cadence pattern used today.

mp3 v300 motorola ringtone

com, ReCellular, and MyGreenElectronics offer to buy back and recycle mp3 v300 motorola ringtone s from users.

movie 300 ringtones

Third-generation (3G) networks, which are still being deployed, began in Japan in 2001.

ringtones myxers

[citation needed] However, in ringtones myxers commercial airlines have prevented the use of cell phones and laptops, due to the fact that the frequencies emitted from these devices may disturb the radio waves contact of the airplane.