Serves 'em right!

The Raw Story reports that Senator Barack Obama is giving Fox News a bit of the same medicine that the Bush administration freely administered to other news organizations:

According to a "behind the scenes" D.C. blog, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) has "frozen out" reporters from Fox News Channel.

"Sources tell The Sleuth that the Obama camp has 'frozen out' Fox News reporters and producers in the wake of the network's major screw-up in running with the erroneous Obama-the-jihadist story reported by Insight magazine," Mary Ann Akers writes for the Washington Post blog, The Sleuth.

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"I'm still in the freezer," one Fox journalist said, noting that the people at Fox "suffering the most did nothing wrong." (It was "Fox and Friends" host Steve Doocy who aired the Insight magazine piece, which reported that operatives connected to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) found out that Obama, as a child, was educated at a Muslim madrassah in Indonesia.)

Another Fox journalist called the network's airing of the story "unfortunate" for the network's journalists who have to cover Obama and who are being adversely affected despite not being involved in the incident.

Since the madrassah incident, Obama has given interviews to ABC, CNN, CBS and NBC -- pretty much every other network except Fox. Sources close to Obama acknowledged that they're not thrilled to play ball with Fox journalists, but they stopped short of saying they are freezing the network out.
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Yeah, my heart is bleeding with worry about those poor little put-upon Fox News reporters. What ever will they do now that they're being held accountable for their shitty journalism?

Wake up, Fox News, and smell the coffee...

It's being served cold.

One in four

This story really makes me sad...

...and angry!

The Department of Defense reports that suicide has become a huge problem with US forces deployed in Iraq. It appears that 2006 will become the deadliest year for suicides since the war began, with more than one in four non-combat deaths being self-inflicted.

Why doesn't our government see that there is something wrong here?

The pointlessness of the mission is becoming toxic to our brave soldiers. Military personnel are being forced to redeploy to Iraq when they obviously have mental problems. The government is loading them up on tranquilizers and anti-psychotic medications and sending them back, when it's obvious they critically need treatment.

And soldiers are suffering at the hands of other military personnel, with nothing being done to remedy the situation.

Here are some excerpts from this heart-breaking story in the Hartford Courant:

Among the 2006 confirmed suicides was Tina Priest, a 21-year-old soldier from Austin, Texas, who killed herself in Iraq after reporting she was raped by a fellow soldier and then being placed on antidepressants, investigative records obtained by The Courant show. An Army psychologist deemed her stable just days before her death.

[...]

Investigative records show that Priest shot herself in Iraq in March, days after being diagnosed and treated for "Acute Stress Disorder consistent with Rape Trauma Syndrome." The records show she was prescribed the antidepressant Zoloft, the antipsychotic Seroquel and the sleeping aid Ambien.

Her family reported that she was in good spirits before her deployment, the records say. But friends and relatives told investigators that Priest's mental health declined sharply after the rape, and particularly after the soldier she accused was not confined pending his trial.

"Priest stated that she can't do it anymore, that she just wanted everything to be over with," a fellow soldier told investigators, recounting a conversation with Priest days before her death.

In any other situation, Priest's statement "...that she just wanted everything to be over with..." would immediately trigger a sane and compassionate response, such as getting her the help and protection she desperately needed.

But because of the intrinsic lunacy of our wartime policies, Priest was loaded up on medications and returned to active duty. While her attacker roamed freely.

Is it any wonder that Tina felt she didn't have any other way out?

Words can't adequately express my anger about how our broken government allows things like this to happen.

Krayeske Update II

This is an extremely interesting quote from this Krayeske story in the Hartford Courant late today:

State Public Safety Commissioner Leonard Boyle Monday wrote a report defending state police security preparations that included Krayeske among about 10 other individuals -- the rest of whom have not been identified -- "who, because of prior actions or statements, warranted interest if they appeared at the day's events." Boyle said the decision to arrest Krayeske Jan. 3 was completely the responsibility of the Hartford police.

Last week, Hartford police Chief Daryl K. Roberts said Krayeske was arrested not because of the flier, but because he "breached the parade route" -- a charge that Krayeske and at least one other witness already had denied before Nichols surfaced Tuesday with her account.

Apparently there really IS a list of individuals pinpointed for special attention due to their "prior actions", or even "statements(!)" they've made. Its existance has been publicly denied previously.

So, a list was made by the authorities using state resources, then distributed to law enforcement agencies with the express purpose of targeting persons for political reasons without due process or legal justification. I'd sure like to see that list, and find out who are the rest of the "Connecticut Ten".

Of course, the state is going to insist of drawing out this farce to the bitter end.

What an utterly stupid waste of state funds and resources!

Meanwhile, CT Blogger has posted some additional Krayeske video:



UPDATE: Apparently, Hartford Courant columnist Stan Simpson is happy with the Hartford P.D.'s actions, and seems to accept the police department's story at full value. I can't imagine any thinking person taking this tack, especially in light of the outrageous handling of the case which proves (to me, anyway) that they are trying to hide something. I guess Stan is fine with the prospect of being stopped, searched, and possibly arrested if he shows up at a parade and his face is on a flyer the police were given.

Krayeske Update

Image from Fox-61's News Webcast
At his hearing today, Ken Krayeske pleaded "not guilty" to the charges and his case is being continued until March 2nd, and a new witness apparently stepped forward to say that Krayeske didn't even approach the governor.

I'm kind of shocked that they didn't simply drop the charges, but I guess that would be some kind of admission of their guilt, so they're going to try to stick to their guns. Which means this entire situation may become a bellweather "freedom of the press" issue.

And in turn, it may result is serious political damage to Governor Rell.

CT Blogger over at ConnecticutBLOG posted this article and video earlier today:

Finally the lies will be exposed.

Today starts the beginning of freelance journalist/blogger Ken Krayeske's trial. This morning, supporters on Krayeske held a rally in his honor outside Hartford Superior Court. Channel 8 was on the scene and filed this report.

Prank or theft?

Somebody please tell me, just what is going on here?

In today's Hartford Courant, Mark Paznoikas reports on a situation that could be trouble for State Dems.

A Republican legislative leader complained Monday that state Senate Democrats are refusing to fire two employees caught on video rummaging through the desk of a Republican co-worker.

The Legislative Office Building's security cameras recorded the two Democratic employees going through the desk of a Republican aide assigned to the government administration and elections committee.

Under any circumstances, this is a no-no. In a typical office workplace, it's enough to get someone fired. But the Democratic leadership is taking an odd tack by not dismissing the aides:

"It appears at this point to be a case of unprofessional, prank-like behavior," said Patrick Scully, a Senate Democratic spokesman. "We are looking into it fully. If deemed necessary, disciplinary action will be taken."

Democrats pride themselves on taking the moral high road and paying extra attention to fairness in all areas. I can imagine the outcry should the aides have been Republican and the victim a Democrat. I think the phrases "Republican dirty tricks" and "echoes of Watergate" may have been bandied about. So it's a little disturbing to see the Democratic leadership dismiss this incident in such a cavalier manner.

...(House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk) said the two Democratic Senate aides, both men, had created a "hostile work environment" for the female GOP staffer and should be dismissed.

Cafero said the video showed one Democratic aide sitting at the woman's desk after 5 p.m. last week, rearranging papers and examining the contents of file drawers and a bulletin board.

"In my opinion, this was no prank," Cafero told reporters at a hastily called press conference late Monday afternoon. "I don't know what it is."

Cafero said Capitol police examined the surveillance recordings after the woman complained that someone had gone through her desk. Most public areas in the Capitol and Legislative Office Building are under video surveillance, including the open cubicles used by government administration and elections staff.

I think the Democratic Leadership needs to reassess the situation and decide how they would like it handled if Republican aides were guilty of a similar transgression. Then they should lead by example and do exactly that to the guilty parties.

Because otherwise, they're just paying lip service to their idea of justice and fair play.

CFL's Letter to Joe Lieberman

Sue ("Sprinkles" at KOS) posted the official "CFL Letter to Joe" over on DailyKOS.

This is a good opportunity to repost the video of my question to Joe about "his" new party's name.

Evidently he didn't think enough of CFL (or "LFC", for that matter) to make up buttons.

...or even join it.

Ken's Free Speech Rally

Image by Joebob and KennyK
From Ken Krayeske's website "The 40-Year Plan" (it's not really a blog in my opinion because it doesn't have a comments section...hey Ken, would you consider adding that?):

...I have to deal with this arresting mess, and the matter is well out of my hands. In fact, it appears as if it was well out of my hands well before I was ever handcuffed.

The Hartford Courant’s Jon Lender and Edmund Mahoney reported on Friday, Jan. 19 that police circulated a two-page color flier of me – little old me – featuring my current and prior drivers’ license photos and a few paragraphs about me - before the inauguRell parade Jan. 3.

The entire episode is hard to fathom: the front page stories, the evening news bulletins, the phone calls from elementary school friends and the massive support from people I don’t even know –firefighters, entrepreneurs, and normal folks who think what happened is wrong.

Case in point: Friday, Jan. 19 almost 100 people – from the aforementioned Americans to mayoral candidates I. Charles Mathews and Art Feltman to state representative John Geragosian - crowded into La Paloma Sabanera on Capitol Avenue and contributed almost $2,400 for my legal defense fund.

The funds covered the food and beer at the party and the legal fees for my first four court appearances. I was expecting 40 people and $1,000 at most. The turnout overwhelmed me.

Talking to a friend at law school Monday night, she said that I shouldn’t be surprised that so many people came out. The current presidential administration’s encroachment on our civil rights has people concerned. They are looking for a way to fight back, she said.

Yet what happened to me was no worse than what happened to Cliff Thornton’s rights on the campaign trail when he was excluded from the two gubernatorial debates. And what happened was no worse than what happens to any 15-year-old African-American boy every day on the streets of any major city in the United States.

After my arrest, Cliff joked with me that I now knew what it was like to be marked, to be black. I know if I was that black teenager, the media coverage I have been getting would be absent.

So on some level, thrust into this surreal situation, I feel a mantle of responsibility not just to myself, but to the people who came out in droves to support me on Friday night, and to the adolescent wrongly incarcerated for his skin color, the injustice of which will never reach the 6 o’clock news.

With that in mind, then, I want to use this train wreck as an opportunity to rally for free speech before my court date, Tuesday, Jan. 30.

So meet me at 8 a.m. in front of the Connecticut Supreme Court building at 231 Capitol Avenue Tuesday morning for 45 minutes. Bring a sign and show that you think the First Amendment matters.

"Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of Speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble."

Nor shall Gov. M. Jodi Rell, the HPD or the CT State Police.

A few notes about the rally: this is a peaceful rally, so, as Johnny Cash said, don’t take your guns to town. Second, I don’t want to meet at the criminal courthouse because I don’t want to interrupt the daily operation of justice.

For those who want to go into court and watch the proceedings, they are open to the public. Just remember to be on your best behavior, and remember that you will have to pass through a metal detector to enter into the courthouse on Lafayette Street.

In the unlikely event that the state drops the disorderly conduct and interfering with an officer charges against me before the Tuesday, Jan. 30 court date, this rally will be canceled. Check www.the40yearplan.com for more details.

I look forward to seeing you then.

Here's a SOTU memory

Watching last week's State of the Union address reminded me of that classic moment two years ago when George Bush grabbed his busom buddy Joe by the head and gave him a smooch.

That was back when Lieberman pretended to be a Democrat.

Now he doesn't even bother to pretend.



Yes, I took the weekend off. My wife and I went to Newport to enjoy some solitude and the sparse crowds of the off-season. The hotel had wi-fi, but I forced myself to limit my blogging, except to post the previous article while I was waiting for my wife to get ready to go to dinner. Here's a picture I took while we were hiking along the shore:

40 years ago today

It seems like yesterday to me.

I turned eight years of age exactly forty years ago today. Like many other kids my age, I was enthralled and happy about our space program; how we were poised to begin the Apollo series of launches that would set man on the moon. It was an historic time.

(L-R) Roger B. Chaffee, Edward H. White and Virgil I. Grissom
During the afternoon on January 27, 1967, my mom and I were watching TV, when a "Special Report" interrupted the regular progamming to announce a tragic accident at Cape Kennedy. There was a fire in the capsule of Apollo 1, and first reports said the rocket may have blown up on the launch pad. Back in those days, news filtered down much more slowly than it does in today's world of instant messaging and the internet. There was a fire, but it was confined to the capsule, killing the three astronauts within seconds in the pure oxygen atmosphere.

We knew something terrible had happened; something that would change us in some small way forever. Three American astronauts died, the first ever in the United States. My family gave me a birthday party that evening, but it was overshadowed by a feeling of sadness and loss.

And then there was Vietnam.

At the time, our nation was involved in a terrible and costly war. The evening news showed our brave soldiers being killed every single day in a conflict that few people understood and even fewer supported. The public seemed to start to become used to the numbers of Americans listed dead every night.

There were antiwar demonstrations around that time, too. Thousands of Americans, young, old, draft-age kids, woman, children, basically a cross-section of the American people were opposed to the war. The antiwar movement had gained momentum, and wasn't going to go away.

Today, forty years later, we're in another unjust and unpopular war, orchestrated by men with no morals and no guiding principles except greed and hatred. Americans are still dying for a hopeless cause. Just today seven more American troops had their lives wasted in George Bush's war.

So today is another somewhat somber birthday for me. One more birthday that I'll remember for falling on a day during a war that makes no sense at all. One more birthday I'll remember for being a day when good Americans die.

But there is hope. Just today, thousands of concerned and honorable Americans stood together in the freezing air to demonstrate in support of ending our involvement in this war. Much like the 60's and early 70's, there are politicians in DC who insist to withdraw from our involvement in the war would surely lead to disaster.

Those politicians responsible for the war in Iraq obviously learned nothing from the lessons of Vietnam. We pulled out of Vietnam after a 13-year involvement, at the cost of over 50,000 American lives and countless billions of tax dollars, not to mention our nation's loss of prestige, and let the Vietnamese to sort out their own problems.

You know what? We're fine, they're fine. Certainly, they're doing better than they were with us involved there. And we started rebuilding our prestige in the world immediately after withdrawal. Nobody called us quitters or losers. They congratulated us for finally seeing the futility of occupying a nation that doesn't want to be occupied.

The angry, hate-filled men in DC who want us to stay in Iraq obviously learned nothing from our previous mistakes.

Something tells me they'll never learn anything.

“The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.”

- Winston Churchill

I can't believe they're just throwing them away!

In today's Hartford Courant, Ann Marie Somma examines what Connecticut towns are doing with their old lever-style voting machines, now that we'll be using Diebold OS tabulators to count our votes.

It turns out that many machines are going to an ignominious end at the junkyard!

"Middletown sold all 41 of its lever machines to a local recycling company for $50, said Sandra Faraci, the town's Democratic registrar of voters."

Screw that! I want a voting machine for my home.

How cool would THAT be? I'd hold an election every week, on every stupid issue I could think of.

Paper or plastic? Have a election to choose!
Chinese or Italian for dinner? Schedule a referendum.
Who's turn is it to take out the garbage? To the voting booth to decide!

Of course, I'd have to appoint myself Secretary of State, and no election is final until I certify it. Just in case my wife brings in voters from out of area to override my votes.

Anyway, this sad news story is a good excuse for me to repost my video of the Diebold voting machine demonstration by Susan Bysiewicz last September at the Bridgeport City Hall Annex. I've written quite a few posts about these machines, and there are some serious potential problems with them. I'll repost the articles in the coming weeks and elaborate upon them.

But for now, meet the new machine that's replacing our tried and true ol' green monsters: