Just Foreign Policy Iraqi Death Estimator    

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Heading down to the Gold Coast till Wednesday, Getting away from anything GOP

Cristy Stay Safe in Louisiana, I hear they are evacuating anyone without cars to Shreveport today. Monkey and everyone else stay safe, will be watching Gustav closely hoping NewOrleans and Florida are safe, but hoping Gustav trashes the GOP Convention.

Now that would be Poetic Justice, for what Georgie and his administration did, which was nothing when Katrina Hit 3 years ago.

Don't ever forget this was Georgie and McBush, when Katrina hit New Orleans 3 years ago, Mc Bushs' birthday cake, was more important than people drowing in New Orleans









































UNFORGIVABLE

Well Done Christy. Discussion over at DCP

Hey Senator McCain, About Vietnam...
(Ed note: Christy submitted this letter as a foundation to discuss war crimes and why we as a society can't seem to discuss this without being called unpatriotic. We had an interesting chain of emails as a result, and she or I will post those when we can.)

Hey Senator McCain, About Vietnam...

Hello Senator! Just for context, I would like you to know I was not born until 1973, decidedly one of the last years of the Vietnam War, and no, I do not have any living memory of it occurring. I feel grateful to have missed it actually.

However, I am writing to you today in the hopes you could finally settle a few questions I have been asking about Vietnam since my childhood, and for over 30 years now, I have yet to receive any answers. They are not rhetorical questions, nor are they meant to be redundant, yet simply no one will or can provide an actual answer for them. I was hoping you could.

Why did We kill 3 million or so Vietnamese ? What did they die for? Why did over 58,000 of our young men and women die there with them? And can you name one single benefit our nation gained for it? Even just one will do.

Pretty much everyone I have met born after 1973 would really like an answer to these questions. After all these years, it would be nice to finally have answers. But most are too afraid to ask them, because they will be attacked just for asking. For daring to ask, they will be instantly smeared as 'unpatriotic', 'ungrateful', 'unAmerican'.

Why would I ask...? Well, because someone finally should. Why would I ask you? Well, because you were there to help kill them. I know I will be considered offensive for daring to ask, but I figured if you could go over there to help kill them, you would at least know why they had to die. If you can handle torture and a rifle, then surely you should be able to handle these questions easily enough.

I understand you were tortured, and used as Vietcong propaganda for years, but, believe me when I say Sir, that you gave up info to 'the enemy' is completely forgivable. They tortured you. They tortured you because you were sent from all the way around the world, to kill them.

Can you please tell us again why it was you were supposed to be killing them? Because honestly, none of our history books have yet to give a full and rational explanation, and no living person seems to know either. I thought you would, since you speak of it so often.

Now, perhaps I should go ask John Kerry these questions, because he was there as well, also helping to kill these people. And by all accounts, he killed many of them, and, like you, was awarded numerous medals for the whole experience of going over there to kill them for reasons that are still unclear. I would Like Mr. Kerry to know I would welcome his input as well, providing he can actually answer the questions and not divert and dodge behind taboos and pretend I am the offensive one for even asking.

It could be that I am offensive for even asking, but the truth is, I have never killed anyone, nor participated in a mass killing for reasons that can not be understood. You can claim to be the reason I am allowed the freedom to ask , but you will have to prove immediately after doing so that the Vietnamese were capable of taking away such freedoms from me in the first place.

You could question my patriotism, as so many will, instead of answering the questions, but, I have read and understand the United States Constitution so my patriotism is demonstrably stronger than 99.6% of our citizens who have not. In fact, I believe it more patriotic to ask why, then to blindly follow orders and kill people for not one iota of gain or even for a rational reason.

But, for whatever your questions are about my motives, or my ideals, the questions I asked still remain and will remain until someone answers them. What did our nation kill 3 million Vietnamese for? And why exactly did 58,000 of our own die with them?

Tell us why you were willing to kill them. Tell us why they had to be killed. Without lies or talking points, please. Did I mention it must be rational answers, or else they will not be considered answers?

The ones who came after Vietnam have been constantly put off with so many excuses and false spins on Vietnam, the shame of it has become a total joke to those of us whom were supposed to inherit it without question. What the prior generations involved did not ever consider is that anyone born after Vietnam has not one single reason to continue the lies and lame justifications that have been presented in place of actual answers. We are not responsible for the lies began before our births. The ones involved in them are responsible, even now, to this day.

If you can answer these questions, please do. Finally bring to us an understanding of what it is that you are so celebrated for. Make us understand what was so worth being willing to kill or die for. Let us examine the reasons now, before another generation is forced to inherit the confusion and shame of so many unanswered questions.

With Respect
C. Cole

P. S. While you are at it, can you also finally answer the question of weather or not Vietnam was in fact one giant 'war crime' ? Because other countries constantly refer to it as a US war crime, even now, 30 years later.
Christy said:

Sparrows email exchange with me, to better understand why I wrote this.
Sparrow:...The only other comment I have you might take the wrong way. The comment where you want john Kerry to answer...I am only saying that because he was part of Winter's Soldier; he was a war protester back then; he testified before congress (giving the military soldier's anti-war message), and he was attacked by Nixon back then and all the swiftboat liars too. So in my opinion, the portion about kerry would be better stated as sort of what I said above or left out all together.

Christy:

No, I understand what you are saying about Kerry, and I seriously thought about it before adding him, but this is why I did.
To me, John Kerry 'lost' for two reasons, one vote rigging, and two, he could never effectively counter his military record smears because of this very taboo. It is not really his fault but... then again it is.
Even though Kerry was a 'Winter Soldier' even to this day Kerry can not stand up and say ' Vietnam was a war crime, one in which I participated in and was awarded numerous medals for.'
Kerry can never ever be TOTALLY HONEST about Vietnam, because it will be the death of him politically. The reason it will be the death of him is because NO ONE wants to hear the truth. Even as they allude to the facts, they still refuse to put it into proper context. Even those who were not personally involved not responsible will still react to the kneejerk response which is EXACTLY what those responsible want. It keeps them shielded from accountability.
And this is the exact mechanic of the taboo that MUST be broken. This is the exact reason he could never effectively counter the Swiftboaters. And, for all that I think is heroic about John Kerry, his actual 'hero status' is based on his participation in what everyone knows in their hearts was a war crime.
No one with a brain would say 'I'm a war criminal. Vote for me!' so instead they turn criminals into 'heros' and we are all supposed to just go along with it. Like with mcmumbles, to question it is to question not his actual experience, but your own gratitude, your own patriotism, and your own morality.
Frankly I am so sick of the stigma of Vietnam, I really don't care if they are offended. I am offended at what they did in my name and expect me not to talk about. AND I am offended every time someone from another country throws Vietnam in my face to try to and question my nations moral standing. Even to this day, they did the crime, we do the time and that is what to me is offensive.
Leaving 3 million dead for no reason is offensive, I really do not care if mccrazy, John Kerry, or anyone else is outraged at my outrage.
If this crap had been dealt with THEN, it would not still be a problem now 30 years later.
Anyways, that is why I included him. Because it is not really right to put it all on a republican or all on mccrazy. It was all of them, all of us, all of our families. And it is a conversation that is AT LEAST 30 years overdue.
Hugs.C
BTW, the point of this whole article is not really about taking personal responsibility on the part of the soldiers who were used to do the deed. The point is to break the taboo.
The exact same taboo is happening with Iraq. If you don't say 'I Support the Troops' you must be a traitor, so you will say it even knowing fully well that what is happening is a WAR CRIME from the first lie he told.
I do not consider soldiers to be 'war criminals' except in cases were guilt is undeniable. It is the ones giving the orders that are criminal and should be hanged.
However, I was taught from infancy that our soldiers are taught to refuse immoral or illegal orders. Yet how many of them ever actually refuse? They fall in line lest they too are attacked over this same taboo.
If you don't commit this war crime, you must not love Our country.
This MUST NOT be what my kids inherit. I won't let them be used in such a way.
The taboo MUST BE broken. If it is not, then we will have an illegal war every generation until every generation is constantly at war.
The ones depending on the taboo to hold are the ones responsible. They are making money off our blood.
We must stop them, and the best way to do it is break the code words they are using.
If you do post it, it may actually be helpful to post the relevent parts of this email exchange as well to further understand the nature of this discussion.
C
Kangaroo Said:
Vietnam Veterans against MCCain
Excellent Conversation Christy, because today we are living with all Georgie and his Administrations War Crimes. All based, not on fact, but based on lies.

Iraq
Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered In US War And Occupation Of Iraq "1,255,026"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In U.S. War And Occupation Of Iraq 4,150
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cost of U.S. War and Occupation of Iraq
$549,806,567,171For more details, click here. Lie by Lie: The Mother Jones Iraq War Timeline (8/1/90 - 2/14/08) In this timeline, we've assembled the history of the Iraq War to create a resource we hope will help resolve open questions of the Bush era. What did our leaders know and when did they know it? And, perhaps just as important, what red flags did we miss, and how could we have missed them? This is the third installment of the timeline, with a focus on Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, and torture in a time of terror.http://www.motherjones.com/bush_war_timeline/

Scholars: Palin Least Experienced Person On Major-Party Ticket In Modern Era







Scholars question Palin credentials

By & 8/30/08 11:24 AM EST
John McCain was aiming to make history with his pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and historians say he succeeded. Presidential scholars say she appears to be the least experienced, least credentialed person to join a major-party ticket in the modern era. So unconventional was McCain’s choice that it left students of the presidency literally “stunned,” in the words of Joel Goldstein, a St. Louis University law professor and scholar of the vice presidency. “Being governor of a small state for less than two years is not consistent with the normal criteria for determining who’s of presidential caliber,” said Goldstein. “I think she is the most inexperienced person on a major party ticket in modern history,” said presidential historian Matthew Dallek. That includes Spiro T. Agnew, Richard Nixon’s first vice president, who was governor of a medium-sized state, Maryland, for two years, and before that, executive of suburban Baltimore County, the expansive jurisdiction that borders and exceeds in population the city of Baltimore. It also includes George H.W. Bush’s vice president, Indiana Sen. Dan Quayle, who had served in the House and Senate for 12 years before taking office. And it also includes New York Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, who served three terms in the House before Walter Mondale chose her in 1984 as the first woman candidate on a major party ticket
“It would be one thing if she had only been governor for a year and a half, but prior to that she had not had major experience in public life,” said Dallek of Palin. “The fact that he would have to go to somebody who is clearly unqualified to be president makes Obama look like an elder statesman.” And Alaska is a much smaller state than Illinois, the political base of Barack Obama, whom Republicans have repeatedly criticized for being inexperienced, having served nearly four years in the U.S. Senate after eight in the Illinois state Senate. “Not to belittle Alaska, but it’s different than the basket of issues you deal with in big, dynamic states.” Dallek said. Palin has no experience in national office. Before becoming governor in December 2006, she served as a council member and mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, which had a population of slightly more than 5,000 during her time in office. In choosing Palin as his running mate, McCain has reached back to a time when few actually seriously contended that the vice president should be demonstrably prepared to assume the presidency from day one. If elected vice president, Palin would appear to have the least amount of experience in federal office or as a governor since John W. Kern, Democrat William Jennings Bryan’s 1908 running mate, who had served for four years in the Indiana state Senate and then four more as city solicitor of Indianapolis. The Democratic ticket lost to Republican standard bearer William Howard Taft and running mate James S. Sherman by an Electoral College spread of 321-162.
1 2 Next Page >>
6 things the Palin pick says about McCain
1. He’s desperate.
2. He’s willing to gamble — bigtime.
3. He’s worried about the political implications of his age.
4. He’s not worried about the actuarial implications of his age.
5. He’s worried about his conservative base.
6. At the end of the day, McCain is still McCain.

OBAMA FULL SPEECH: Offers Policy Specifics, Goes on Offense v. McCain

You Tube
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Views: 139,196

Desperation First, maybe. Or Pandering First.

Bob Cesca, 08.29.2008
I'm not sure which was more bizarre today. Palin saying "nuclear" with the same "nookular" pronunciation as President Bush or FOX News' Steve Doocy suggesting that she has foreign policy credentials.
LinkHere

Friday, August 29, 2008

OBAMA FULL SPEECH: Offers Policy Specifics, Goes on Offense v. McCain

MCCAIN: SHE'S READY TO BE PRESIDENT

Ex-Halliburton Subsidiary Accused of Human Trafficking in Iraq

AP
Defense contractor KBR Inc. and a Jordanian subcontractor are accused of human trafficking in a federal lawsuit filed in Los Angeles. The suit alleges 12 Nepali men were being transported to Iraq against their will when they were killed in an insurgent attack. The lawsuit filed Wednesday by an attack survivor and family members of victims claims subcontractor Daoud & Partners recruited the men in Nepal to work in hotels and restaurants in Jordan... continua / continued

Chalabi aide arrested on suspicion of Baghdad bombings

Nicholas Spangler and Hussein Kadhim McClatchy Newspapers
U.S. forces have arrested a deputy of Ahmad Chalabi, who was once the Bush administration's favorite Iraqi politician, and implicated him in bombings that killed Americans and Iraqis, Chalabi and Iraqi government officials said Thursday. The U.S. military alleged that the arrested official was working with the "highest echelons" of the Iranian "special groups" criminals, referring to what the U.S. military says are Iranian-backed militias operating in Iraq... continua / continued

Ex-Marine Acquitted Of Slaying 4 in Iraq

CHELSEA J. CARTER, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A former Marine accused of killing unarmed Iraqi detainees was acquitted of voluntary manslaughter Thursday in a first-of-its-kind federal trial. The jury took six hours to find Jose Luis Nazario Jr. not guilty of charges that he killed or caused others to kill four unarmed detainees on Nov. 9, 2004, in Fallujah, Iraq, during some of the fiercest fighting of the war... Prosecutors alleged that Nazario either killed or caused others to kill four unarmed Iraqi detainees in Fallujah during "Operation Phantom Fury," which resulted in house-to-house fighting. Other former Marines testified during the five-day trial that they did not see Nazario kill detainees but heard the gunshots. The case came to light in 2006 when Sgt. Ryan Weemer, Nazario's former squadmate, volunteered details to a U.S. Secret Service job interviewer during a lie-detector screening that included a question about the most serious crime he ever committed. That screening was not admitted at Nazario's trial... continua / continued

Must Watch, Way to go Rachel Maddow

MSNBC Panel: McCain VP Pick Could Be Leaked

The televised broadcasts attracted more viewers than the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, the final 'American Idol' or the Academy Awards

this year
38 million tuned into watch Senator Barack Obama accept the Democratic presidential nomination, according to Nielsen Media Research.

"Mr. Obama’s speech — a historic one given his status as the first African American nominee of a major political party — reached significantly more viewers than the comparable addresses in 2004," The New York Times reports. . "Coverage of John Kerry’s acceptance speech in 2004 had 24.4 million viewers; coverage of George W. Bush’s convention speech that same year drew 27.5 million."

As over 84,000 filled Mile High Stadium to hear Obama in person, according to Nielsen Media Research, the televised broadcasts attracted more viewers than the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, the final 'American Idol' or the Academy Awards this year.

The Times also notes that "the four-night Democratic convention ranks as the most-watched convention of either party, Democratic or Republican, since Nielsen began measuring conventions in 1960."

"Obama's audience might be higher, since Nielsen didn't have an estimate for how many people watched Obama on PBS or C-SPAN Thursday night," the Associated Press adds.
As over 84,000 filled Mile High Stadium to hear Obama in person, and 20,000 outside hoping to get tickets

84,000 got inside to hear Obama speak another 20,000 were outside hoping to get last minuites tickets.

Ahhhhhhh Sarah you are not dealing with dumbass rethugs here


Karen Breslau
Newsweek Web Exclusive
Updated: 2:11 PM ET Aug 29, 2008
When Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin arrived backstage for our NEWSWEEK Women & Leadership Event in Los Angeles last March, John McCain had just wrapped up the GOP nomination. Palin had yet to endorse McCain—she liked Mitt Romney—and as we waited in the green room, I urged her to "feel free" to make some news on stage. She grinned broadly—looking back, I guess it was a grin of the Cheshire Cat variety—and thanked me for the offer.
Once onstage, together with Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, Palin talked about what women expect from women leaders; how she took charge in Alaska during a political scandal that threatened to unseat the state's entire Republican power structure, and her feelings about Sen. Hillary Clinton. (She said she felt kind of bad she couldn't support a woman, but she didn't like Clinton's "whining.")
I joked with her about being on McCain's short list for vice president, and we had a good chuckle. We also talked about the challenges of running a government while also raising a large and young family. At the time, I didn't know that Palin, clad in a loose, dark dress, was seven months pregnant with her fifth child. An aide called me the next day to tell me that Palin would be announcing the pregnancy at home in Alaska and that she had wanted me to know as a courtesy. She was sorry she hadn't mentioned it the night before.
A few weeks later, Palin's son Trig Paxon Van Palin was born prematurely. She and her husband Todd issued a statement saying they knew their fifth child would face "special challenges"—her office later confirmed that Trig had been born with Down syndrome and that the family felt "blessed."


LinkHere
Welcome to the Party of the GOP, anything that is advantageous to oneself, not the constituents.

Romney, Pawlenty: McCain Used Us!

John McCain and Sarah Palin

Did the Wanker even have her vetted, or have they closed the investigation of her already?
Poor Poor McBush Obamas' Convention to much for you?
So John McCain has made the first most important decision of his campaign. The decision that we've all been waiting on pins and needles to hear. He has announced his running mate, the Vice Presidential candidate, who will join him crisscrossing the country. He's chosen Sarah Palin, Republican Governor of Alaska.


Who is Sarah Palin?
Even Republicans, shaking their heads in bafflement, are asking, "Who the heck Sarah Palin?"
Sarah Palin has a strong stance on many issues. (sarcasm tag) She's reliable and runs by the clock. (another sarcasm tag.) She's known as a social conservative who doesn't really know what she's doing, but she's doing it for God.
San Diego.com described her credentials this way:

Her campaign for governor was bumpy. She missed enough campaign appearances to be tagged "No Show Sarah" by her opponents. She was criticized for being vague on issues. But she sold voters on the one product that mattered: herself.

Her Christian faith--Palin grew up attending nondenominational Bible churches--was a minor issue in the race. She told me her faith affects her politics this way: "I believe everything happens for a purpose. In my own personal life, if I dedicated back to my Creator what I'm trying to create for the good . . . everything will turn out fine." That same concept applies to her political career, she suggested.

Vague on the issues?
These are her stances on the issues fromontheissues.org:
Sarah Palin on Corporations
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.
Sarah Palin on Drugs
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.
Sarah Palin on Families & Children
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.
Sarah Palin on Foreign Policy
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.
Sarah Palin on Free Trade
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.
Sarah Palin on Government Reform
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.
Sarah Palin on Immigration
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.
Sarah Palin on Jobs
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.
Sarah Palin on Local Issues
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.
Sarah Palin on Principles & Values
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.
Sarah Palin on Technology
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.
McCain/Palin
No Issues Stance Yet Recorded

What's vague about that?!!
Palin Inhaled
But she has other qualifications that John McCain admired.
She's a hot hockey momma, who knows how to carry her weapons well! (insert sarcasm and contrite sparrow tag.)
Seriously...she's a life long NRA member, belongs to an anti-abortion-rights group called Feminists for Life and opposes civil unions. And best of all, she's a self-proclaimed "hockey mom." So what if she had some youthful indiscretions?! Youthful indiscretions equaling "Yes, I inhaled...when it was legal, but I'm against the legalization of pot now." (No sarcasm tag needed! No fooling!)
Seriously, she claims she smoked marijuana but didn't enjoy it and doesn't smoke it anymore. (What a relief! To have a former cocaine addict pResident replaced by a former pot-head Vice-President.)
Sarah Palin's other claim to fame is what she's done as governor of Alaska. She has broken with the National Republican Party by imposing a profit tax on Alaskan oil companies. And Alaska is rolling in the oil company's dough now! Out of our pocketbooks into Alaska's coiffers... Well, that doesn't endear herself to main-landers or to oil companies either!
She has further angered the oil companies by taking outside bids to drill for Alaskan oil. She endears herself to Alaskans and the oil companies though by saying "Stay off our lawn you radical environmentalists who don't even live in this state!"
Marc Ambinder from the Atlantic said:
Republicans in Congress this June united to defeat a proposed windfall tax on oil companies, deriding it as a bad idea that would discourage investment in U.S. oil exploration. Things worked out far differently in the GOP stronghold of Alaska, a state whose economic fate is closely tied to the oil industry. Over the opposition of oil companies, Republican Gov. Sarah Palin and Alaska's Legislature last year approved a major increase in taxes on the oil industry -- a step that has generated stunning new wealth for the state as oil prices soared.
So that is McCain's first major decision--his VP pick, Sarah Palin.
Maryland GOP Gov. Robert Ehrlich said, "Everybody's surprised," in the pained way one makes such a statement when an unexpected bit of news is not perceived as good," according to the Swamp. "I gotta go digest this choice"
So, now that you see what she's all about, what do you think McCain voters will see in Palin?
By sparrow on August 29, 2008 1:19 PM

LinkHere

What John McCain is Thinking

This week's Time Magazine has an interview with John McCain on the campaign plane in which the Straight Talker is described as "testy." What could be going through his mind?
I need a nap. When is this election going to end? It's like I've been on the campaign trail since they let me out of that prison. I can't stop thinking about that place. Like today sitting here while Time magazine tries to pin me down, make me explain all my so-called contradictions, how can Mr. Straight Talker be campaigning out of the Karl Rove playbook? I won't crack. I didn't crack under Charlie and no pantywaist journalist I pretend to like is getting me off message. I didn't used to have a "message." Just used to talk. Reporters love it. Can't get elected that way.
The V.P. thing has me down. How am I supposed to top Joe Biden? With Tim Pawlenty? His name sounds like a high-fibre breakfast cereal, eat Pawlenty and help your digestion. It'll only remind people I'm old. I'd like to pick Joe Lieberman. That'd be some straight talk. And he'd deliver Florida. Those old Jews down there, they don't like the schvartzes, do they? They don't like Republicans either but they sure like Joe! If only we didn't disagree on everything except Iraq. The base would go crazy if I picked him, damn snake handlers. I'd love to tell the base to screw themselves. I'd love to take Karl Rove and shove him right up the base's...I gotta stop thinking that way...all of his guys are working for me now. I've forgiven him for South Carolina eight years ago, don't need to carry that around. I'll tell you what, he gets me elected that old boy earns a get out of jail free card.
Everyone's telling me choose Mitt, choose Mitt. And see that Ken Doll face staring at me every day asking Mr. President, Mr. President, can I abolish social security, and the whole time he's waiting for me to keel over so he can step in? While I was staring down the Vietcong he was on a Mormon mission to France and I'm supposed to help this pampered, venture capitalist Sears mannequin get a leg up on his dream job? I don't think so. What's a venture capitalist anyway? Note to self: bone up on this economics thing! And who names their son Tagg? It's a dog's name! Tagg Pawlenty! Sounds like dog food. Good thing Tim's son isn't named Tagg. That's one for the plus column. I love Joe Lieberman, though. He'd never name his son Tagg. Tagg Lieberman? It's not right.
Why don't these reporters leave me alone? Didn't I cook ribs for these guys in Sedona? Now they want me to explain the kind of campaign I'm running. A winning one, that's what kind! Sure, I was against torture before I was for it. And I was against Bush's tax cuts before I was for them. And I was for a fair and realistic approach to immigration before I was against it. And health care...I never gave a shit about that. I'm gonna need to say something about it in the debates, though. I gotta ask one of my cardiologists what he thinks. Or maybe I can ask that guy who burned that thing off my face. What was his name? Dr...Dr...never mind.
Why'd I have to marry Cindy? I know she's better looking than the one I ditched, but all that money? Who needs it? Got me into that flap about how many houses I own. I can't remember what color my shirt is and I'm supposed to remember how many houses my rich wife has? They're gonna turn her into Theresa Kerry now, rich, out of touch, why - because she netted a bazillion dollars when Budweiser was sold to the Belgians last month? Good luck! The only thing my voters care about in that sentence is the word "Budweiser." But I like how when this Georgia thing exploded she said she had put in a call to the World Food Bank. Are they distributing Darvon now? The old Johnny Mac woulda launched that zinger on the Tonight Show! But the old Johnny Mac lost to George W. Bush. Laura was a helluva first lady. Gotta keep Cindy away from the pills, don't need that blowing up now that she's gotta compete against Michelle Obama. There's an impressive gal. Looks like she could break Barack in two. How could I be even in the polls with that friggin' pipe cleaner? Four years out of the Iowa state senate and he and I are neck and neck? Guy goes to Paris and gets a quarter of a million people to see him! If I went to Paris, I'd be lucky to get a cab. I miss doing shots with Hillary. Half the country wanted to burn her at the stake. That's my kind of opponent.
Why'd I have to hug George Bush? That picture is everywhere and all I can think of is Sammy Davis, Jr., and Nixon. So depressing. And my face is buried in his armpit, like I'm going in for a sniff, like we're intimate, like we get together, roll crepes and listen to original cast albums. He's patting me on the back and looking out into the audience. I put my country first. I was a POW, and that rich kid, fake cowboy, that Emperor of Horseshit treats me like his gay prop. How many times is that picture going to appear before election day? Millions. So what if I voted along with him 95% of the time. I'm a team player! I thought I knew indignity in North Vietnam, but that was prep school, my friends. Did I just say "my friends" when I was talking to myself? Oops. Good thing no one heard that. Gotta keep the psyche intact for a few more months! When's this interview gonna be over?
It's hard keeping up the straight talk act when I don't believe a word of what I'm saying. I'll put my country first but damn I need that nap.
LinkHere

The VP Choice that Lost the Presidency for McCain

How will this cynicism play with American voters? It is insulting to women to suggest that just "any" woman will do!
I think we will look back at today as the day when the Republicans most certainly lost the Presidency. In choosing Sarah Palin of Alaska for Vice President, the Republicans have made a cynical but clever choice. At least they think it is clever. She is a woman, young (44 years old), a Governor (only two years), a mother (five children), pro-life, and pro-gun. But what is she not? She is NOT pro-choice. She has NO national experience. She has never been under the intense scrutiny of a national campaign. She is under investigation for some incident in Alaska that is messy and personal. She has no international experience. Her experience governing is in a very small state, famous for its "Bridge to Nowhere" kind of political graft. Her Republican colleague in that state, Senator Ted Stevens has been indicted for corruption.
When Republicans and independents go into the voting booth, will they have the confidence to vote for a McCain-Palin ticket, knowing that John McCain has had several recurrences of his skin cancer, and will be the oldest President ever? Can they imagine Sarah Palin stepping into the Oval Office and dealing with all the problems we face right now? The Russians and the terrorists must be quaking in their boots.
It's a slap in the face of other Republican women like Kay Bailey Hutchison, bless her heart, who was forced to stumble through an interview on TV trying to make the case for Palin whom she has never met. There are certainly women in the Republican party who were "in line" for this before Palin. Did the Rovian type advisors to McCain just cynically think that throwing a young attractive inexperienced woman into the mix would satisfy women who long to see a woman president? Women, and Republican women, are not so stupid as to fall for that! It is reminiscent of the Republicans putting up Alan Keyes to run against Barack Obama for the Illinois Senate just because he was black. Voters saw through that pretty quickly.
It's also a slap in the face of Democratic women voters. They don't get Hillary but they get Sarah as the first potential woman President? In fact, I can just hear Biden saying, "Sarah Palin, you are NO Hillary Clinton!" I would imagine that the few remaining Clinton supporters who are wondering if they should support John McCain are even more leery now. There is absolutely no overlap between the positions Hillary Clinton has fought her entire life for and Sarah Palin. The two women are not remotely substitutable. They are as different as they can be.

(80) Katrina Victims Are Buried, 3 Years After

Source: CBS News/AP
Nearly 80 Bodies Entombed In Memorial To Be Dedicated On Anniversary Of 2005 Storm
(CBS/AP) The unclaimed bodies of close to 80 victims of Hurricane Katrina have finally been entombed - nearly three years after the storm - by a group of funeral home owners who said they took it upon themselves to inter the remains because they felt the city and coroner's office were too slow to do so.

Workers scrambled to complete the memorial by Friday's third anniversary of the storm on what was vacant land just five weeks ago. Six mausoleums make up part of the memorial located at the end of a historic streetcar line.

Many believed the fatigued city would have no place to inter the 85 bodies. The city coroner, already grappling with one of the nation's worst murder rates, was placed in charge of the $1.2 million effort last year and progress was slow. The inactivity was seen as another example of the sluggish climate that has characterized the city's rebuilding from the 2005 storm that killed 1,600 people, half of whom were at least 75 years old, according to a new report.

C.C. Johnson, a mortician at Littlejohn Funeral Home, said the remains were entombed Thursday.
LinkHere

Bernie Ward sentenced to seven-plus years for child-porn conviction

SAN FRANCISCO -- Bernie Ward, one of the Bay Area's most prominent radio talk show hosts for 15 years, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison by a federal judge today for distributing child pornography on the Internet.

Ward, 57, pleaded guilty to the felony charge in May and admitted sending between 15 and 150 pornographic images by e-mail, which he maintained were for a research project. Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco imposed a sentence of seven years and three months, rejecting a defense plea for the minimum five-year term required by federal law. Prosecutors had sought a nine-year term.

... Ward's sentence could be reduced by about a year for good behavior in prison. After his release, he will be required for the rest of his life to register with police as a sex offender.

Walker said he would go along with a defense request that Ward serve his time in the minimum-security prison in Lompoc (Santa Barbara County). Prosecutors did not object. The judge gave Ward until noon Friday to turn himself in to federal marshals.
LinkHere

"We are expecting the police to uphold our right to demonstrate, to speak out against the war."

If you thought protests outside 2008's Democratic National Convention were loud and proud, you ain't seen nothing yet. So say organizers preparing for the 2008 Republican National Convention, set to take place in St. Paul, Minnesota. Organizers estimate 50,000 protesters are getting ready to demonstrate outside the RNC, in the largest anti-war protest planned so far this year."We have word that people are coming on busses and carpools, people are flying in from all over the country," said Katrina Plotz, an organizer for an RNC protest group. "We are expecting the police to uphold our right to demonstrate, to speak out against the war."

More than 84,000 people have jammed into Invesco Field at Mile High stadium to hear Barack Obama's historic acceptance speech, city officials say.

84,000 got inside to hear Obama speak another 20,000 were outside hoping to get last minuites tickets.
Nancy Kuhn of Denver's public works department says the figure is based on the number of credentials that were scanned as delegates, individuals and news media entered the football stadium where Obama was accepting the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night.
The stadium normally holds 76,125 people, but additional seats were placed on the football field where the Denver Broncos play

Al Gore Speech at the Democratic National Convention

Sarah Palin: McCain's Vice President

Oil In Alaska?
McCain Picks Palin For VP
"Zero Foreign Policy Experience" ...
Christy said:

Palin? Really? Seriously? Really?
HAHAHAHA! Where's the McPopcorn???
In a press conference this afternoon, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) conceded that someone inside her administration pressured the state's Department of Public Safety to fire State Trooper Mike Wooten, Palin's former brother-in-law, who is now embroiled in a bitter custody battle with Palin's sister.
Palin's statement is the latest in what has come to be known around Alaska as "Wooten-gate." The scandal began on July 11, when Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan was fired from his post with little explanation, a move that quickly raised questions in Alaska.
A few days later, Monegan came forward, stating that he had been pressured by those around Palin to fire Wooten -- but had refused to do so -- a choice that he believes led to his sudden dismissal. Palin denied Monegan's accusations, and a Legislative Council has appointed a special commission to probe the matter.
In today's conference, Palin said that state troopers had taped a phone call from Frank Bailey, Palin's director of boards and commissions whom she appointed last August, in which Bailey inquired about having Wooten fired.
At the press conference today, Palin distanced herself from Bailey's actions claiming that he acted alone, but the recordings suggest that he was acting at her instigation.
Conts.
LinkHere
Chris Kelly, 05.27.2008
The Anchorage Daily News discovered why Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the perfect person to be the next Dick Cheney: She can look you in eye and tell you black is white. Especially when there's oil involved.

Sarah Palin: Obama Response To McCain VP Pick

Barack Obama Campaign Spokesman Bill Burton responds to John McCain's choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate:
"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies -- that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same."
Read more about Sarah Palin here. See videos of her here.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin on Larry Kudlow


Sarah Palin's reaction to the Exxon Valdez verdict:


Alaska Governor Palin addresses Alaskan Independence Party Statewide Convention March 2008

Thursday, August 28, 2008

DOJ Wants Reduced Sentence For Abramoff

Mark Nickolas, 08.28.2008
While today's Gallup poll already showing a clear bounce for Obama, there are a number of very clear obstacles that Republicans are going to have to navigate next week to avoid the specter of a convention drop.

Eight years is enough, Our dreams can be one, Obama says

Obama Speech 45th anniversary MLK "I Have a Dream Speech"

And please let us not forget the 3rd anniversary of Katrina
Obama Speech on 45th Anniversary of I Have a Dream ...
28 Aug 2008 ... Obama Speech on 45th Anniversary of I Have a Dream Speech ... "This is a monumental moment in our nation's history," Martin Luther King III,
...
Martin Luther King "I have a dream"

Cindy's half-sister voting for Obama



EXCLUSIVE: Cindy McCain's Half Sister: "I'm Voting for Barack Obama"
Cindy McCain's half sister is planning on voting for Barack Obama, she tells Usmagazine.com.
"I'm not voting for McCain," Kathleen Hensley Portalski tells Us. "I have a different political standpoint.
"I'm voting for Obama," the Phoenix resident says. "I think his proposals to improve the country are more positive and I'm not a big war believer."
Portalski, 65, and the potential first lady, 54, have the same father: Jim Hensley, the founder of the beer distributor Hensley and Co. that Cindy McCain now chairs.
In an interview with NPR News' All Things Considered last week, Portalski said she felt "like a non-person" after Cindy McCain described herself as an "only child."
Portalski's mother is Hensley's first wife; Cindy McCain's mother, Marguerite Hensley, also had another daughter from her first marriage.
"She's kinda cool, standoffish," Portalski tells Us of her half sister.
Portalski also doesn't expect Cindy McCain to make an effort to reconcile their relationship.
"She never has, and I doubt that she ever will," she tells Us.
Portalski's son Nathan, a 45-year-old aerospace machinist, is also backing Obama.
"I wouldn't vote for John McCain if he was a Democrat," he tells Us. "I would not vote at all before I'd vote for him.
"I question whether Cindy is someone I'd want to see in the White House as first lady," he adds.

Protesters denied access to attorneys, forced to march in leg shackles, ACLU charges

The ACLU issued a stinging rebuke to the Denver Police Department Wednesday, alleging that the department may have violated laws and constitutional rights of protesters arrested outside the Democratic National Convention.

In the letter, obtained by RAW STORY, the ACLU revealed that the police refused those arrested access to attorneys. Police did not let detainees use phones unless they posted their own bonds, and even failed to provide shoes, in one case marching a protester into court in bare feet and leg shackles, according the ACLU.

What's more, police are said to have tricked protesters into pleading guilty, by giving them the impression they had to plead guilty in order to post bond. This meant that no one was allowed to make a phone call unless they plead guilty, thus making it impossible for arrestees to even call a lawyer until admitting guilt.

Most ominously, the ACLU letter claims that protesters were told they would be "facing 'years' in jail for a conviction of a single particular charge."

"In fact, all the charges were municipal court violations that do not carry such penalties," the ACLU added in a footnote.

Charges for arrestees were issued on pre-printed forms, where police were told to "cross out" charges that they were not facing. In many cases, police failed to cross out inappropriate charges, and so the detainee would be charged with "begging, loitering and throwing stones and missiles," the ACLU said.

Nor were protesters even given the chance to back down before they were arrested.
LinkHere

'Time delay inside John McCain's brain,' Dean mocks

THE SUPER BOWL OF SPEECHES

Retribution sought for Lieberman

By Alexander Bolton
Posted: 08/28/08 01:15 AM [ET]
DENVER — Connecticut delegates are demanding that party leaders punish Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democrat-turned-Independent, because of his support of Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the Republican nominee.
For many of them, Lieberman’s plan to speak at next week’s Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., is the latest offense from the man who represented their state as a Democrat in Washington for 18 years.
“There has to be some kind of penalty for this sort of thing,” said Martha Aasen, a delegate from Westport, Conn.
“He’s a traitor to his party,” said Jennifer Just, a delegate from Woodbridge.
But Democratic senators’ anger toward Lieberman has been tempered by the tens of thousands of dollars he has given to their fundraising committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).
Lieberman still heads the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and sits on the prestigious Armed Services Committee by virtue of his association with the Democratic Conference. Although Lieberman now considers himself an Independent, he still sits in on Democratic caucus meetings.

Putin Says Georgia Crisis Provoked By US To Help A Presidential Candidate

Ahhhhh now how could that be Georgie looked into his soul for Gods' sake and found a soulmate, if Georgie could ever be anyones' soulmate Putin says suspects U.S. provoked Georgia crisis
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he suspected unnamed persons in the United States had provoked the conflict in Georgia in an attempt to help a candidate in the U.S. presidential election.
Putin said Moscow suspected that U.S. nationals were present in the war zone in Georgia and the Russian military produced a copy of a U.S. passport it said had been retrieved after a bloody clash between Russian troops and Georgian special forces.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Putin's allegations, made in an interview on CNN, were "patently false" and the U.S. State Department said it was "ludicrous" for the Russians to say they were not responsible for what had happened in Georgia.
In extracts of the interview broadcast on Russian state television, Putin did not say who may have been involved or which of the candidates -- Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain -- was to have been the beneficiary.
The crisis in Georgia flared early this month when Georgian government forces tried to retake the separatist province of South Ossetia and Russia launched an overwhelming counter-attack.
Referring to Russian suspicions that U.S. citizens were actually present on the battlefield on the side of Georgian forces -- accused by Moscow of committing "genocide" during the conflict -- Putin said:
"If that is true, if that is confirmed, then that's really bad. It's very dangerous and a mistaken policy.
"It that was the case, then the recent events could have a American domestic political dimension," he said in the interview.
"If my suspicions are confirmed, in that case the suspicion arises that somebody in the United States has intentionally created this conflict with the aim of making the situation more tense and creating a competitive advantage for one of the candidates fighting for the post of U.S. president." Continued...

WATCH: Republican Iraq War Veteran Submits Obama For Nomination

"Again And Again... John McCain Was Wrong. Barack Obama Was Right"

JOHN KERRY: Dems Will Not Be Swiftboated this Time

BILL CLINTON: Obama is Ready to Be President

JOE BIDEN: Accepts VP Nomination, Blasts McCain

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Anyone notice the background of the stage at the convention, is the Constitution WE THE PEOPLE




*************************************************************************************

Obama nominated by Acclamation on this day Wednesday, August 27, 2008




Obama ratings better than Kerry's after 1st night


Down with Faux, Georgies Propaganda Machine.


Associated PressPublished: Wednesday August 27, 2008

Television viewers showed more interest in the Democratic convention on Monday than they did for the first night of the convention that nominated John Kerry four years ago.

But the Nielsen Media Research ratings didn't offer much good news to the broadcast kingpins.

An estimated 21.4 million viewers watched Michelle Obama's speech about her husband during the 10 p.m. hour Monday on either ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel or MSNBC, Nielsen said. Add in BET and TV One, networks covering the convention for the first time, and the viewership reached 22.3 million. No immediate estimate was available for PBS or CNBC.

The six broadcast or news networks recorded 18.4 million viewers for the first night in 2004, Nielsen said.

NBC led the way this year with 4.9 million viewers, followed by CNN's 4.3 million. ABC had 3.8 million, CBS had 3.5 million, Fox News Channel had 2.9 million and MSNBC had 2.1 million.

It was an achievement for CNN, which had not beaten any broadcast networks in such head-to-head competition before. Four years ago, Fox News Channel beat the broadcasters each night of the Republican convention.

Two of the broadcasters — ABC and CBS — had smaller audiences for their coverage Monday than they had four years ago. The CBS decline was 23 percent, Nielsen said.

Four years ago viewers were much more likely to switch to ABC, CBS or NBC when their coverage began at 10 p.m. But this year, more of the viewers who were watching on cable networks stuck with them — an indication of the further erosion of broadcasters' longtime advantage.

During the 8 to 11 p.m. prime-time, viewership on the three cable networks this year (8.9 million) nearly doubled the 4.8 million figure from four year ago, Nielsen said.

During that period, CNN averaged 3.7 million viewers, Fox had 3 million and MSNBC had 2.1 million. A recent study found that Democratic viewers favored CNN and MSNBC, while Fox had an edge among Republicans.
Iraqi president says US asked Iraq for permission to maintain troop presence
Agrees to pay $383m in damages in suit over Exxon Valdez oil spill.

p.s. Friday is the anniversary of Katrina. Do You Remember

monkey said:

Hey y'all, send your prayers to New Orleans, Gustav could score a bullseye ... again.


http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at2.shtml?5day


p.s. Friday is the anniversary of Katrina.
Kangaroo said:
Maybe that would be justice if everyone was tracking Gustav, for McCains' Convention.

I know, I Know, not a nice thought but that is how I feel.

Poetic Justice. God works in mysterious ways.

New Orleans Considers Evacuation As Gustav Brews

NEW ORLEANS — On the cusp of Hurricane Katrina's third anniversary, nervous Gulf Coast residents watched Wednesday as a storm threatened to strengthen and crash ashore, testing everything the city has rebuilt.
Forecasters warned that Gustav had the potential to grow into a perilous Category 3 hurricane and approach the Gulf Coast by Monday morning _ though cautioned that a storm's track and intensity are extremely difficult to predict several days in advance.
"We know it's going to head into the Gulf. After that, we're not sure where it's heading," said Rebecca Waddington, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center. "For that reason, everyone in the Gulf needs to be monitoring the storm."
City officials were taking no chances, and drawing blueprints of how to evacuate the city if necessary. New Orleans plans to institute a mandatory evacuation order should a Category 3 or stronger hurricane be within 72 hours of the city.

Ohio GOP illegally funneled $495,000 from federal account, top campaign finance official writes

Money went to support Blackwell gubernatorial bid, GOP spokesman says
The Ohio Republican Party funneled $495,000 into an account used to support the candidacy of former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell that should have only been used to support candidates for national office, according to a letter from Ohio's current Secretary of State and a GOP spokesman.
The letter says Ohio's Republican party collected nearly half a million dollars from a federal GOP account in October 2006. They also took in $20,000 from a state GOP account the same month and another $25,000 in November 2007.
The letter doesn't indicate which candidates received the party's largesse. But according a state GOP spokesman, the money supported just one candidate -- former Republican Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. Blackwell ran for governor in 2006, and lost.
Read the letter in pdf format here.
LinkHere

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer ropes them in at convention

Governor Brian Schweitzer (D-MT)

Your guy should win. McCain, a catastrophe waiting to happen, makes even the plutocrats nervous

Bernard Weiner: The Crisis Papers
The high-ranking GOP mole in the Bush Administration -- appalled at his party's extremist nominee -- explains how the Democrats can win the presidency, but it's going to require a LOT of hard work. If the Dems don't organize well on the ground, McCain becomes Bush's third-term.

"There is a very strong possibility that the committee will be unable to complete its investigation before Congress expires.

White House Cannot Delay In Complying With Subpoenas, Federal Judge Rules
WASHINGTON — A federal judge who ruled last month that top White House advisers must comply with congressional subpoenas refused to put that ruling on hold Tuesday while the Bush administration appeals.
The House Judiciary Committee wants to force White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers to testify about the firing of federal prosecutors and the politicization of the Justice Department.
The White House contends that top aides are immune from such subpoenas.
U.S. District Judge John Bates rejected that argument last month but the Bush administration appealed. The White House said it should not have to comply with the subpoenas while the appeal plays out.
Bates, who was appointed by President Bush, said a delay would not be in the public interest.
If a delay is granted, he said, "There is a very strong possibility that the committee will be unable to complete its investigation before Congress expires. That may leave important public concerns regarding the nation's federal criminal justice system unaddressed."
Bates also rejected the core of the government's argument: that it was likely to prevail at the appeals court.

John McCain’s Evolution on Abortion


By: SilentPatriot on Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 2:00 PM - PDT
Back in 2000, during a debate with George W. Bush, Senator John McCain chastised the future President for embracing a Republican platform on abortion that didn’t include exemptions for rape, incest or the health of the mother. Eight years later, and now the GOP nominee for President, McCain has abandoned his own convictions, and is taking a “hands off approach” to the drafting of the new party platform, which will of course not include those crucial exemptions. This video tracks the evolution of McCain’s position from thoughtful and nuanced to simplistic and extremist.

“I have kept a consistent position on right to life. And I haven’t changed my position on even numbered years or have changed because of the different offices I’m running for.”
John McCain: Doing anything necessary to win.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

DNC Protests: Police slam CodePink protester to the ground

Daughter Of Ayers Attack Funder Backs Obama

Tom Matzzie reports on the latest development in Barack Obama Bill Ayers attack ad saga:
Irony of ironies. Harold Simmons, the Texas billionaire and McCain fundraiser behind the incendiary ads attacking Senator Barack Obama, is divisive even in his own family.
It turns out that at least one of Simmons' daughters, Serena Connolly, is a max-out donor to both Senators Clinton and Obama. She wrote her first check to Senator Obama in the 2nd quarter of 2007.
Another Simmons daughter, Lisa Epstein, has donated to Democrats in the past.
Harold Simmons is a Dallas billionaire who maxed out his contribution to John McCain. Obama has asked the Department of Justice to investigate the ad. Campaign finance experts originally suggested the ad violated campaign finance law.
LinkHere
The campaign season's hottest gotcha game -- six degrees of William Ayers -- has suddenly become a bit more complicated for John McCain and the Republican Party.
It turns out that Ayers, a 60s-era radical and former Weathermen member, is linked to GOP Gov. Mark Sanford through their work for the University of South Carolina

Dennis Kucinich at the DNC: Wake Up America!

Only the GOP. Attack the Kids.

New McCain Ad Attacks Obama Kids
Andy Borowitz, 08.26.2008
In the ad, which is being broadcast in key swing states, an announcer intones, "They're the cutest children in the world - but are they ready to lead?"

And WHY is he not in prison yet?

Rove Blasts Michelle Obama’s Patriotism: ‘I Don’t Think She Did Well On Saying I Love America’
In a speech last night at the Democratic convention, Michelle Obama “began a weeklong effort to present her husband — and his entire family — as embodiments of the American dream.” The Houston Chronicle writes, “Despite Republican attempts to paint her as a liberal elitist, she said in her speech that she knows from her family’s struggles and successes ‘that the American dream endures.’”
Totally disregarding Michelle Obama’s repeated efforts throughout her speech to spell out “why she loves her country,” Karl Rove — an informal adviser to John McCain — went on Fox News last night and proclaimed that Obama didn’t show “adequate enough” love for her country:
I don’t think she did too well on saying I love America. That wasn’t adequate enough because, look, people are gonna hear that, and then those that have paid attention to her earlier comments are gonna try and square those two off.
Watch it:

Rove slams Michelle Obama's speech

Juan Williams on Michelle Obama's speech

David Gergen on Michelle Obama's speech

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