What Melamine Problem?

Just set the standards higher than the level found a few days ago.
Voila.

FDA sets standard for melamine in baby formula higher than level found in US-made product

"The setting of the standard comes days after The Associated Press reported that FDA tests found traces of melamine in the infant formula of one major U.S. manufacturer and cyanuric acid, a chemical relative, in the formula of a second major maker. The contaminated samples, which both measured at levels below the new standard, were analyzed several weeks ago."

Georgian President And Zionist Stooge Finally Admits The Obvious

Saakashvili: we started the war

"For the first time ever, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has admitted that his country started the military conflict in South Ossetia in August. But the Georgian leader is adamant the action was justified. He was testifying before a parliamentary commission investigating the five-day war.
According to Saakashvili, the attack on the South Ossetian capital, which involved night shelling of residential areas with multiple rocket launcher systems, was aimed at protecting Georgian citizens. He said it was a response to Russia’s “intervention” in the region."

Russia says U.S. mercenaries, others fought for Georgia

"Russia has evidence that citizens from NATO member states including the United States and Turkey fought for Georgia in the five-day August war, Russia's top investigator said on Monday."

How Israel Trained and Equipped Georgia's Army

What The Banks Suspect Will Happen Next Year

Financial Disaster Will Lead to Civil Disorder in 2009 or 2010, Says Secret Citibank

"The timing on all this? Sometime in either 2009 or 2010, said the analyst."

Was Mumbai Revenge For India Sinking Pirates?

From CounterPunch

"A senior Indian naval officer has claimed that the attackers (who arrived in a ship, the M V Alpha) were linked to Somali pirates, implying that this was a revenge attack for the Indian Navy’s successful if bloody action against pirates in the Arabian Gulf that led to heavy casualties some weeks ago."

When the carnage first erupted Wednesday I immediately assumed it was yet another false flag by the Mossad, because as the world's most active terrorists the zionists just love their soft and easy targets. But India? Something didn't seem so clear cut, like the mosque bombings in Iraq or all the mayhem around the world blamed on the ethereal Al Qaeda, pretty easily traced back to you know who. But subsequent tidbits allow us to understand some interesting connections.

Apparently it's well understood in the middle east that Israel is behind much of the piracy off of Somali waters. Being such good folks they of course want to destabilize and hurt their arab neighbors, so any shipping they can dissuade from using the Suez Canal and the Red Sea cargo lanes is revenue lost. The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are the waters just north of Somalia. Creating havoc off the coast of Africa will also ensure Islamist movements will come under the big guns of it's good buddy the US.

Ten days ago the Indian warship INS Tabar engaged a "pirate mother ship" and sank it in the Gulf of Aden. There seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding what that ship was doing, with the ostensible owner claiming it was just a fishing trawler but with the Indians saying it was a pirate vessel that fired on them. I can't find any direct evidence linking the ship to the Israelis and the pirates escaped while it sank, but sophisticated communications and logistics scream state sponsorship of hijacking capabilities. Somebody clue me in how bands of renegades can locate and sieze giant oil tankers and negotiate enormous ransoms?

In any event the brownshirt media immediately blamed muslims and "Al Qaeda" for the carnage in Mumbai, reminiscent of how FOX et al knew within minutes of 9/11 who to finger. That to me is a sure sign that the offical story will invariably turn into a fairy tale because the patsy is implanted in the public mind no matter what later evidence shows.

With seemingly senseless innocent slaughter like what happened in India there are always layers of connected reasons - maybe the Israelis decided to teach a lesson for blowing up their pirating operatives or maybe not. Certainly pointing the finger at Pakistanis will go far in exonerating the US for continual barbaric and murderous airstrikes in Pakistan against their ostensible Afghani foes. And it might justify a new war for the ziofascists to profit from. But there's a nagging question of just who the "Deccan Mujahideen" are. A visit by the Pakistan intelligence chief shows just how far they want to go to maintain their innocence. Indian commandos had a surprise waiting for them when they stormed a place where hostages were being held:
"I went into the building late last night," he said. "I got a shock because they were white. I was expecting them to look like us."
That the Jewish center Chabad Lubavitch was attacked doesn't mean zionists weren't involved. There's plenty of evidence in the public domain proving jews will be sacrificed along with any other group to advance the fascist agenda.
Another eyewitness to the widespread carnage:
"Then, the "foreign looking, fair skinned" men, as Mr Mishra remembers them, simply carried on killing."
And another:
"They did not look Indian, they looked foreign. One of them, I thought, had blonde hair. The other had a punkish hairstyle. They were neatly dressed," says Mr Amir."

Since when do devout muslims drink liquor?

"The six terrorists who have made an Israeli family hostage at Nariman House building in Colaba can battle with the security agencies for at least three days without having to worry about food, local residents claimed on Thursday.
“The terrorists came to Colaba on Wednesday evening,” Mukund Shelke, who runs a grocery shop at Colaba Market, said. “Before barging into Nariman House, they had purchased adequate food to last them at least three days,” he said.
“They had purchased around two crates of chicken and liquor worth Rs25,000 from two shops in Colaba,” another resident Joseph D’Mello said. “They then entered the Nariman House building and took the Israeli family captive.”

also - Mystery of the missing British and US casualties

Possibly the Indians actually understand the true perps of this murder spree:

India declines Israeli offer of aid delegation to Mumbai

added - another reason the Israelis have a grudge against India?
Political pressure from who?

India Seeking to Bolster Ties with Iran

"India says it considers its own national interests and wants to develop relations with Iran without being intimidated by political pressure. "Iran and India could develop relations not only in the field of energy but also in new industries, mineral products and banking activities," press tv quoted Indian Ambassador to Iran Manbir Singh as saying Sunday in a meeting at Tehran's chamber of commerce. The minister stressed that India would not let outside political pressure distract the developing relations between the two countries."

also interesting - Mumbai attack: Was Nariman House the terror hub?
"I saw 6 to 7 boats coming in on Wednesday evening and about ten people unloaded many bags from these boats and then gradually took them into the building, Nariman House', Vitthal Tandel, a fisherman in the area said. "The building has many rooms and these are used a s guest houses by travelers, largely Israeli residents. None of us know what their names are", he said."

Mumbai terrorists had been staying at the Jewish Centre (Nariman House) in a guest house for 2 weeks prior to the attacks

Uncooporative Puppet Isn't Long For This World

Karzai Wishes He Could Shoot Down US Planes

"Afghan President Hamid Karzai used a visit yesterday by a United Nations delegation to hit out at the international forces over their conduct in the war, expressing disbelief that after seven years “a little force like the Taliban” is continuing to flourish.
But today the Afghan President took his complaints to a new level, publicly lamenting that he was unable to shoot down the US planes which have been bombarding Afghan villages. Karzai added that if he had a rock attached to a piece of string, he’d use it to try to down the planes, “but that’s not in my hands.”
Hitting out at the war on terror as “unclear,” Karzai criticized “a war which is unclear what it is for, and what we are doing.” Addressing the media after today’s meeting with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer he called for a firm timeline for withdrawal, insisting “this war cannot be endless and forever and the Afghan nation cannot burn in a war of which the end is not clear,” and adding “we did not welcome the international community in Afghanistan so that our lives get worse.”
Karzai warned that if a timeline is not set, he feels Afghanistan has “the right to find another solution for peace and security, which is negotiations.” He also accused international troops of having set up a parallel government."

Things must really be going downhill fast in america's central Asian colony when the handpicked satrap wants to kill your soldiers, but the reality is that the conquerers lost Afghanistan a long time ago. At least the hearts and minds of the Afghans, as indiscriminate slaughter of civilians tends to turn a population against continued occupation. At least the record opium harvest must be making our fascists feel good about their war profiteering efforts even if their public relations efforts tank.
How bad is it with america's forgotten little conquest? Here's Robert Fisk on how the Afghanis don't much care for the Taliban but positively despise what we've subsidized in their country: "The collapse of Afghanistan is closer than the world believes."

2008 Buy Nothing Day Nov 28

Hallelujah! The lord has heard our beseechments!

Holiday retail season may end before it begins

"The holiday shopping season begins Friday with a blitz of early morning specials. For some U.S. merchants, though, it's practically over already.
Piles of jewelry, clothing and electric drills are bypassing store shelves and heading straight to liquidators by the caseload as stores try to save as much cash as they can."

Library-like silence in the stores as Thanksgiving sales fail to draw crowds

The ugly consequences of psychopathic consumerism

Is it just me, or is this much the same as the faithful being trampled during religeous pilgrimages?

After All, They're For Legitimate Journalists Only

Fox News shut out at Obama press conferences

"Fishbowl DC notes that Fox News has not been allowed to ask a question at any of the four press conferences that Barack Obama has held since winning the election."

At least one positive step in the right direction.

Privacy, Circa 1966

Yet More Bizarreness With Sarah

Stopping by a turkey farm to pardon a bird for Thanksgiving she then chatters nonsensically as some guy proceeds to slaughter them behind her, with blood everywhere, as she has her coffee.

Boastful, Monstrous Insanity

It's stuff like this that completely exposes the true reptilian agenda of the psychopathic crew that's fed on misery and death over the years. The dark and fetid resonance from their actions is celebrated as great success by their brain dead minions, and the most sickening figure in all american history soaks up their accolades as if he won a farting contest at the local frat hangout.

To Soldiers, Bush Describes Wide Benefits From 2 Wars

"FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — To thunderous applause from thousands of soldiers, President Bush boasted Tuesday of military successes in Afghanistan and Iraq and said he had helped bring democracy to both countries."

added - a sampling of the moron's "wide benefits".

Sewage Saturates Sadr City

"Spare tires come in handy in Sadr City when lakes of sewage overflow trenches or bubble up from broken underground pipes. Pedestrians pull them from at-ready stacks to create a foot bridge across the excrement.
(...)
“Getting rid of this -- how can I put it delicately -- this waste material has become a dream,” says Kamal Hanjab, 44, the district council chairman. “I fear that when I die, I will be buried in it.”

You know, when human filth like the Bushistas talk about freedom, they're talking about their freedom, When they talk about profit or benefits, they're talking about their own. Grandiose and flowery language only fools the people who want or need to be fooled.

Xtians Continue Their Devolution

The power of jaw juttingness explained.

Ann The Man Coulter Finally Shuts His Piehole

Somebody apparently broke Arthur Coltrane's jaw

High Symbolism Here

Bush pardon list includes bald eagle killer

Cops Sue Taser For Getting Hurt During Training

Poor babies can dish it out, though.

"Several cops got on their knees on a rubber gym mat. Kneeling in a line, they linked arms, interlaced hands, and looked up. All they knew of what comes next is this: It’s going to smart.
This was called the “daisy chain.” It was part of the Metro Police Taser training program, the alternative to hitting a single individual with thousands of volts from the weapon. It was the option officer Lisa Peterson chose, a decision she regrets.
The officers were at a training seminar in November 2003 to learn how to use the newest weapon on their belts, a device the manufacturer claimed would incapacitate a person but not do permanent harm. You can’t really comprehend the Taser, students were told, until you’re Tasered.
So an instructor attached alligator clips to each end of the daisy chain. Two officers became electrical bookends, strung at the shoulder by wires feeding back into a Taser gun. Pull the trigger and the daisy chain shudders, seizes and pitches forward, the pile of police officers becoming a portrait of Taser’s selling point: neuromuscular incapacitation.
In the middle of the chain, hands locked at her sides, Peterson had only her face to absorb the impact. She fell hard on her neck and fast into the rabbit hole — traumatic internal disc disruption, steroid injections, surgical reconstruction, temporomandibular derangement, persistent dizziness, cognitive defects, numbness, vertigo.
Officer Peterson sued Taser International Inc.
So did two other Metro cops who were seriously injured after being shocked with Tasers during other training sessions in 2003. In their lawsuits they say Taser failed to adequately warn the police department of the potential for injury and minimized the risks of being shocked, which officers had been assured was not only safe but advisable.
Peterson is still in litigation. The second officer, Chad Cook, settled with the company last year for an undisclosed amount.
The third officer, John Lewandowski, is dead..."

added - London police reject carrying tasers. Why?
"The Metropolitan police is to boycott the home secretary's plan to arm 10,000 frontline officers with Taser stun guns because of their potential to cause fear and damage public confidence."

Finally, A Panacea For The Soul Crushing Futility Of Every Day Life

New Pain-Inducing Advil Created For People Who Just Want To Feel Something, Anything

"PHILADELPHIA—Wyeth Pharmaceuticals unveiled a new pain-causing line of Advil this week that will help millions of benumbed, hollow consumers to feel at least somewhat alive for up to four hours.

"Advil Release delivers a soothing burst of pain when cold and listless Americans need it most," Wyeth CEO Bernard J. Poussot said during a press conference Monday. "Just two capsules can deliver all-day relief in the form of searing, life-affirming agony; the kind of agony Advil users trust when being a pale specter of humanity adrift in a meaningless and uncaring universe is just not an option anymore."

According to Poussot, the new drug works by delivering a powerful stimulant straight to the brain's pain center, causing an intense stinging sensation all over the body. If taken regularly, the deadening futility of day-to-day life will be temporarily washed away in a flood of blessed and cleansing torment.

"Two fast-acting, long-lasting Advil Release taken three times a day are recommended for anyone who is convinced he or she will never laugh or cry again," Poussot said. "Teenagers who see no difference between being dead or alive, nor why it makes a difference either way, may require twice the suggested dosage."

D&D Geeks Finally Earn A Paycheck

Are Pentagon Nerds Developing Packs of Man-Hunting Killer Robots?

"The Pentagon's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program recently sent out a call for contractors to design a pack of robots whose main purpose would be to track down what the SBIR ominously referred to as "noncooperative human subject[s]."

How does the robot pack decide which human is cooperative and which is not? Welcome to the wonderful, dystopian world of defense pork.

The call immediately raised red flags, as well as philosophical and moral chills, from one end of humankind to the other. Not surprisingly, it was quickly removed from the public Web site before its cyborg spark evolved into a full-fledged paranoia over machine armies and murderous artificial intelligence, the likes of which were previously known only in seminal science-fiction exercises as old-school as Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and Philip K. Dick's stories, "Minority Report" and "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and as new-school as the Star Wars, Terminator and Matrix franchises.

According to the SBIR offer, the "Multi-Robot Pursuit System" would need "a software and sensor package to enable a team of robots to search for and detect human presence in an indoor environment." The robots would be led by a human commander using "semiautonomous map-based control." For good measure, the offer added that there "has also been significant research in the game-theory community involving pursuit/evasion scenarios." According to the offer, the robots should weight a little over 200 pounds apiece, and there should be three to five of them assigned to their human overlord."

Cattle Prod News

Autopsy Says Man Tased Four Times By Cops Died Naturally

"An autopsy says a man who died this summer was tased four times by Bertie County deputies. The report lists Clarence Smith's death as natural.

On July 9th, the 29-year-old Smith died at Bertie Memorial Hospital. He was taken to the hospital after being tased by sheriff deputies, south of Windsor. (...)

The autopsy says there were no drugs found in Smith's system. The medical examiner listed his death as caused by cardiovascular collapse due to acute psychosis. After a review by the Chief Medical Examiner, it says Smith's death was natural"

Check out his "natural injuries" on page 4 of his autopsy report. Is legalized murder what we've come to? Apparently so. Thugs with their toys better beware - there are still plenty of people willing to defend themselves from assault whether the perps wear uniforms or not. If this keeps up we're going to see shootouts in the street. Tasers are torture.

Depression 2009

Depression 2009: What would it look like?

"Lines at the ER, a television boom, emptying suburbs. A catastrophic economic downturn would feel nothing like the last one."

This article tries to envision what our society will be like as the economy disintegrates, but I think it falls way shy of the mark. It's like how people at the turn of the 20th century imagined life would be like 100 years in the future - just the same as they always lived, only more so. You know, giant steamships in the sky and wireless telegraph.
Here we're told we get longer waits in lines and a lot more television watching, but this well intentioned piece wildly misses the point. What we're about to go through is going to be far more traumatic and life changing than eating more Kraft® maccaroni and cheese.
A much better glimpse into a collapsed society can be gleaned from Dmitry Orlov, who experienced the fall of the Soviet Union firsthand and has some extremely important things to tell us about life as the economy disintegrates around us.

Closing the 'Collapse Gap': the USSR was better prepared for collapse than the US

"From what I've seen and read, it seems that there is a fair chance that the U.S. economy will collapse sometime within the foreseeable future. It also would seem that we won't be particularly well-prepared for it. As things stand, the U.S. economy is poised to perform something like a disappearing act. And so I am eager to put my observations of the Soviet collapse to good use.

Americans Robbed By Their Own Banks

The Biggest Bank Heist Ever

"With every passing day of economic woe, the scale of the heist just perpetrated against America's taxpayers by the country's largest banks becomes more apparent.
In the shadow of the presidential election, the nine biggest banks were given $125bn of taxpayer money with the understanding they would send this fresh capital coursing into the economy in the form of loans. It was a plan inspired by Gordon Brown's decision to recapitalise Britain's main banks.
Unfortunately, the US government forgot to get the lending requirement in writing. Instead, the banks are sitting on the money, earning interest and mulling mergers and acquisitions and replenishing bonus pools for their employees. "



I've been on the road since the end of September. Basically my wife and I decided to get out of the deadly rat race and sever ourselves from a doomed economy and find a more pleasant nook to weather the storm. On the way we wanted to travel some but what we found was an economy in virtual free fall all the places we've been. If anyone reading this has seen prices skyrocket where he/she lives, rest assured it's just as bad everywhere else.

The banksters most assuradly know the whole system is collapsing and are doing things I've never experienced before. Trying to tie up loose ends and settle accounts has become a nightmare with road blocks and obstacles every step of the way. They want as much as possible from us and are pulling stunts to trip us up to then penalize us to the maximum extent they can. One missed credit card payment results in interest rates as high as 30%, even if you have a spotless record. They'll even unilaterally raise your rates and hide the fact in the blizzard of paper they stuff in your mailed statements. They want you to default.
Which is probably why it's curiously hard to log onto some sites to take care of business. And why when I tried to call up about it last night some obviously drunk dude slurred that the site was down. It's still down this morning.

Yes, These Men Will Save The World Economy

Financial Meltdown Summit Featured Lavish Dinner Menu, $300 Bottles of Wine

"The White House said the menu included fruitwood-smoked quail with quince gastrique; quinoa risotto; thyme-roasted rack of lamb; tomato, fennel and eggplant fondue; a salad course of endive, baked brie and walnuts; and a pear torte to cap the meal.
Among the wines: bottles of Shafer Cabernet “Hillside Select” 2003 — about $300 per bottle — for the main course and the much cheaper Landmark Chardonnay “Damaris Reserve” 2006 for about $40 per bottle with the appetizer course. The Chandon DEtoile RosDe sparkling wine that accompanied dessert runs around $30 a bottle."

added - A Visual Guide To The Financial Crisis

Poisoning The Well

Turley: Late Bush move 'almost sign of contempt' for election results

"Constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley describes George Bush's intention to finalize 90 last-minute federal regulations, many of them on particularly sensitive issues, as "akin to fouling a water-well ... almost a sign of contempt for the results of the election."
In an appearance Wednesday on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Turley explained, "This is the ultimate dead-hand control. ... What a president can do is, by finalizing a regulation, he can force his successor to go through an entirely new regulatory process that can take years."
"What the means in real terms," Turley noted, "is that you can have an Obama administration that continues to carry out George Bush's directives. And for people who elected Obama for change, that's a particularly obnoxious reality to accept."
Turley explained that the regulations in question are not the same as executive orders, which "are easier to undo. A President Obama can come in with his own superseding executive orders." However, once a federal regulation has been in effect for 60 days it can no longer simply be reversed by presidential action. This means that as of January 20, President Obama will be unable to undo any regulations finalized by November 22."

We see so little of what really goes on behind the scenes in our totally corrupted political system, and all we can do is try to connect the dots and extrapolate.
In my humble opinion, looking back at the "election" process TPTB decided at some point that flipping the votes for McSame just couldn't be accomplished and gave it up, considering the overwhelming revulsion for the current filth in the white house. Even the corporate media whores gave up on the McCain/Palin joke along the way, despite some phony "race tightening" garbage before Nov. 4. The country and the world simply despise the Bushistas and everything they represent.
So what do the scumbags do? They make it almost impossible to reverse the harm done to the nation in the last eight years. It's like a vile, petulant reaction by an infantile frat punk who realizes everybody at the party is laughing at him.

Buy A Chevrolet, Help Them With Their Boners

GM Spends $17 Million Per Year on Viagra

"Lifestyle drugs -- chiefly Viagra -- are costing General Motors $17 million dollars a year and the cost is passed along to car, truck and SUV consumers. The blue pill is covered under GM's labor agreement with United Auto Workers, as well as benefit plans for salaried employees.
GM executives estimate health care adds $1,500 to the price of each vehicle but they do not break out how much of the premium is caused by erectile dysfunction expenses.
GM provides health care for 1.1 million employees, retirees and dependents and is the world's largest private purchaser of Viagra."

Harper's New Cover

added - Let the Trials Begin!

"Amid the euphoria and angst of the Obama apotheosis, the unreality of a mismanaged, two trillion dollar, taxpayer funded bailout of freewheeling capitalists, and the wars of limbo in Iraq and Afghanistan, one little thing is being overlooked.

George W Bush.

The Decider. The psychopath responsible for this appalling mess we're in. The architect of America's ignoble descent into moral darkness. The washed up and universally despised pseudo-despot who reveled in torture, kidnapping and assassination. The War-Monger.

"Bring 'em On!"

"Dead or Alive!"

The raving ignoramus whose words will haunt us forever.

The spoiled child of privilege playing with the lives of our sons and daughters, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, friends and lovers, as if they were his personal toys.

The mass murderer who illegally invaded and occupied a foreign nation, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people, utterly destroying their cities and bridges, power plants and schools, and scattering millions of them to the wind, as if he were GOD!

The Comic Book Madman obsessed with Death, reading CIA memos about Al Qaeda, sending kidnappers and hit teams and drones around the world, anywhere he wanted, to kill his imaginary enemies, while America burned.

The Super Traitor."

Miracle Grow Terrorism

It seems that everything the government does now either is 1. stupid or 2. a ruse to strip our rights, create new criminals and put us under greater surveillance. Maybe I'm not paying enough attention, but I don't seem to notice a wave of nitrate bombings, and so much else can be used for making explosives anyway. If they're pointing to the Oklahoma City event as the reasoning behind this idiocy, then that adds to the subterfuge because the official story about the nitrate bomb is a crock of shit.
So what is this, a War On Gardening?

Homeland Security to regulate popular fertilizer

"Buying ammonium nitrate, a common fertilizer that also could be used to make bombs, would get tougher under a rule proposed by the Department of Homeland Security.
The rule would require sellers and buyers of the fertilizer to register with the department, which would then check their names against the FBI’s terrorist watch list, according to DHS Web site. They would know if they’re in the clear within three days. The department also would address appeals within three days.
The proposed penalty for a violation is $50,000."

Good Advice For Using Plastic For Food Storage

Safest plastics for food and beverages

"Some plastics are safer to eat and drink from than others. Here's a quick guide to help you make informed choices. If you want to dig deeper, take a look at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Smart Plastics Guide (PDF)."

The only plastic containers you should use are recycling numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5, the rest will make a penis grow from your forehead.

Bushistas Promise To Pull A False Flag Attack Before Any Obama Presidency

One would think that according to previous statements by the fascists, an Obama presidency would accommodate those trying to harm this country. So why would "terrorists" jeopardize their supposedly more favored position by attacking a more compliant incoming administration? Or perhaps the whole war on terror is a massive fraud with attacks only coming from domestic enemies for political reasons?

Bush: Terrorists May Attack During Transition

"President Bush has vowed to make an “unprecedented effort” to help with the transition to an Obama Administration. But as the outgoing and incoming administrations prepare for as-orderly-as-possible a handover of America’s assorted wars and other foreign policy challenges, Bush warns that he sees a golden opportunity for a terrorist attack."

added 11/10/08 - Warnings from world leaders all within 72 hours

Mass Murderers Continue War Against Weddings

This happens too frequently to be simple mistakes.

40 Afghan civilians killed as U.S.-led air strike hits wedding party

"KABUL, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 Afghan civilians have been killed and 28 more injured as an airstrike of the U.S.-led Coalition forces hit a wedding gathering in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province, officials and local villagers said Wednesday.

The U.S.-led troops called in gunship helicopters Monday afternoon to retaliate on militants who earlier that day attacked them at Wech Baghtu village in Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar. However, the air bombing hit a wedding party being held near the hilly area where the Taliban insurgents' firing came from, according to locals."

added - More deliberate civilian carnage, and one can only surmise that just like the black op bombings for years in Iraq, it's being done to manufacture enemies to justify US presence in Afghanistan.

At Least Seven Civilians Among 20 Killed in Latest US Strike in Afghanistan

"Just a day after reports emerged that a US air strike against a wedding party in Kandahar earlier in the week killed at least 40 civilians, another US strike in Badghis Province killed at least another 20 people, with at least seven of them reportedly civilians."

added - A big reason the US and Britain won't be leaving Afghanistan any time soon:

Record opium harvest in Afghanistan threatens new heroin crisis in Britain

Sewage Plant Escapes Insulting Name Change

No George Bush Sewage Plant For San Francisco

"SAN FRANCISCO -- Turns out that San Francisco voters didn't think naming a local sewage plant after President Bush was a fitting tribute to the president -- or the plant. Voters on Tuesday rejected Measure R, which would have changed the name of the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant to the George W. Bush Sewage Plant. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, more than 69 percent had voted against the idea. The measure's supporters said it was an appropriate way to memorialize the 43rd president, who they blame for a long list of national woes from the Iraq war to the slumping economy. But some critics had pointed out the name switch would have been unfair -- to the hardworking sewage plant."

OK, Mr. President - Elect

A Mandate to End the War

Let's be clear about the nature and meaning of the mandate we're going to be hearing so much about: "President-elect Barack Obama has a clear mandate to end the Iraq war as expeditiously as possible. His campaign was energized by and differentiated from Hillary Clinton's by his emphasis on correcting that horrific mistake. Hillary equivocated, refused to recant her vote for war, and coyly suggested that we might withdraw only as far as Kurdistan. Obama, on the other hand, pledged to get us out in a year, albeit adding weasel words about "residual" forces guarding our bigger-than-the-Vatican ambassadorial compound. He gained his initial momentum by grabbing on to this issue and holding on for dear life, as the Clintons self-destructed and the economy did, too. Obama arrived at this moment not only on the strength of his pledge to end the present war, but also the implicit promise to refrain from involving us in any further hostilities."

Palin's Parental Ploy

Cheesy, local trailer trash politics + christopathic fervor = psychotic behavior.

Top Ten Clues in the "Who is Trig's Mother" Mystery

"10. No Announcement of Trig’s Birth at Matsu Hospital

9. No Witnesses at Hospital

8. No Baby Pictures of Birth

7. Extraordinary Risks and A Doctor’s Responsibility

6. A Doctor’s Specialty: Teenagers in Trouble

5. The Invisible Pregnancy or “Where are You Carrying This Baby? In Your Pocket?”

4. The Daughter Disappears From School

3. Five Months: Perfect Timing to Confuse the Issue

2. Bristol Under the Bus

1. Accumulation of evidence."