Frontline: The Darkside

After 9/11, Vice President Richard Cheney seized the initiative. He pushed to expand executive power, transform America's intelligence agencies and bring the war on terror to Iraq. But, first he had to take on George Tenet's CIA for control over intelligence.

Amid revelations about faulty prewar intelligence and a scandal surrounding the indictment of the vice president's chief of staff and presidential adviser, I Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Frontline goes behind the headlines to investigate the internal war waged between the intelligence community and Richard Bruce Cheney, the most powerful vice president in the nations history.

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Broad Coalition Urges Water Board To Stop Agribusiness Water Pollution

By Dan Bacher

While municipalities, industry and other water users are subject to water quality standards when they discharge waste water into rivers and streams, agribusiness in the Central Valley and other areas of California continue to be exempt from the same pollution controls that others must live by.

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) in July 2003 issued waivers for waste discharges from irrigated farm land, in spite of protests by the Clean Waters/Clean Farms coalition, a wide ranging coalition of fishing, farming and environmental justice organizations.

That waiver, adopted in July 2003 under pressure from powerful San Joaquin Valley agribusiness interests, provided for the establishment of “voluntary coalitions” comprised of farmers to establish voluntary programs to address agriculture’s massive pollution of Central Valley waterways.

The Board, in its meeting in Rancho Cordova on June 22, will vote whether or not to extend these waivers.

House Approves Another $66 Billion for War

I thought it'd take five months and $50 Billion, but it was less than three months and $66 Billion

In the mood for some abstract art? Go here and click the picture

This is from a year ago but I think it's still relevant, because they're still there!

Psalms 59:12

For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.

Isaiah 59:3

For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

SACRAMENTO – In the wake of what privacy advocates are calling the biggest breach ever in terms of the number of Social Security numbers exposed, California State Senator Debra Bowen (D-Redondo Beach) – the author of California’s landmark identity theft prevention laws – urged veterans to take steps to protect themselves from identity theft and renewed her call for national laws mirroring California’s identity theft prevention statutes.

“The 2.3 million veterans who live in California have special rights and tools they can use to avoid becoming identity theft victims, and I hope every one of them who has had their Social Security number released in this latest breach takes the steps necessary to protect themselves,” said Bowen. “If your Social Security number is exposed to criminals, the only effective way to stop them from using it to get loans and credit in your name is to freeze access to your credit reports.”

I didn't realize there were so many Al Qaeda cells in America. I guess we really do need to be afraid...

NSA has massive database of Americans' phone calls
Updated 5/11/2006 10:38 AM ET
By Leslie Cauley, USA TODAY

The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.
The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses across the nation by amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans — most of whom aren't suspected of any crime. This program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations. But the spy agency is using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity, sources said in separate interviews.

CODEPINK SACRAMENTO INVITES YOU TO A MOTHER’S DAY CELEBRATION

CodePINK Sacramento cordially invites you to join with us this Mother’s Day weekend, May 13th and 14th, as we reclaim the original meaning of Mother’s Day.
Time: Sunday, May 14, 2006 - 11:30am PST

CODEPINK SACRAMENTO INVITES YOU TO A MOTHER’S DAY CELEBRATION

CodePINK Sacramento cordially invites you to join with us this Mother’s Day weekend, May 13th and 14th, as we reclaim the original meaning of Mother’s Day.
Time: Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 7:00pm PST

Imagine This (video)

Candidate focuses on veteran needs
A Democrat seeking Doolittle's seat wins Cleland's endorsement.
By John Hill -- Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 2:15 am PDT Tuesday, May 2, 2006

A Democrat who wants to take on Rep. John Doolittle in the conservative 4th Congressional District in November emphasized his military credentials Monday with a speech on the needs of Iraq war veterans and an endorsement from veteran and former Sen. Max Cleland.
Charlie Brown, who served 26 years in the Air Force and retired as a lieutenant colonel, is one of three Democrats seeking his party's nomination for the congressional seat held by Republican Doolittle.

Confessions of a Repentant Republican

"I supported George W. Bush in the presidential election in 2000, believing then that he best reflected my love for America and for our tradition of liberty. I supported the war in Afghanistan. In March of 2003, I believed that the invasion of Iraq was justified based upon pre-war revelations presented to Congress and to the American people. Acordingly, the indictments contained herein apply, first and foremost, to myself.

Inspired by Seymour Hersch's new article The King threw open his eyes when he heard the scream, and with that he threw on his cloak, lit a candle and walked down the hall to Cassandra's apartment door. As he got there, the gatekeepers dog, Syrius, looked up at him as he was beside the door already.

"What is this Syrius? What has happened with our guest?" And with that he knocked on the door. "Cassandra, Cassandra, whatever is troubling you?"

He heard footfalls on the other side, and the door opened.

"Please, forgive me sir, I have the most frightful visions when finally, I can sleep. It is the curse of prophesy, the curse of Apollo."

"But, whatever were you dreaming of?"

"It is more horrid war and bloodshed as I told you earlier, brought on, by, by ... the Red Knight, sir."

He sighs, "He is a good man, he believes in God and I see him praying all the time, how can such a man wish for war?"

"I don't know," said she, "all I have are these acursed visions."

"Let us sit and rest and you can tell me your vision."

"Shi'ite Islam appears to tacitly recognize that marriage and prostitution exist on a continuum, giving religious sanction to an intermediate category of "pleasure marriage" (also called "temporary marriage" and fixed-term marriage")

This Saturday, March 11th, from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm, we'll build upon the spectacular, colorful, energetic gathering of political voices that we had at 16th & Broadway last weekend. (see http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2006/03/1725300.php )

Once again, we'll join forces and hold a major anti-war/anti-Bush/pro-democracy rally, rain or shine.

Saturday's event is the second of three consecutive Saturday rallies at 16th & Broadway. As we approach the third anniversary of the US-led/UN-opposed invasion of Iraq, let's increase the momentum of our demand to end the war!
Time: Saturday, March 11, 2006 - 3:00pm PST

Resolution to Impeach Bush-Cheney Passes 7-3
by Ken Werner, Trinity Plaza Tenants Association (TPTA), 2006-03-03

On Tuesday, February 28, 2006, the City and County of San Francisco became the first large municipality to call for the impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney, by a 7-3 vote. Supervisors Sean Elsbernd, Michela Alioto-Pier, and Sophie Maxwell cast the dissenting votes (Sup. Jake McGoldrick was absent for the vote). Sup. Chris Daly commenced his introduction of Agenda Item 27 with "I initially thought this ... would be a noncontroversial piece of legislation. Perhaps it still is, maybe not-a-unanimous-vote piece of legislation. But if you remember when we took our oath of office we swore to uphold the Constitution."

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By MARGARET EBRAHIM and JOHN SOLOMON, Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON - In dramatic and sometimes agonizing terms, federal disaster officials warned President Bush and his homeland security chief before Hurricane Katrina struck that the storm could breach levees, put lives at risk in New Orleans' Superdome and overwhelm rescuers, according to confidential video footage.

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