Ethics

Here's a little quote that caught our eyes from a rawstory titled "A conversation with Machiavelli's ghost" by Larisa Alexandrovna Published: February 28, 2006

"Can I say something about how I view human nature? I think it will help at least part of this conversation. I have a pretty dim view of human nature, as I think any serious historian must. Most human activities aren't very pretty, most of the time we screw up, it's rare when you find an exceptional person and even in such cases they often fall from grace.

And I'm not sure Machiavelli was wrong when he said that "man is more inclined to do evil than to do good." So I don't have high expectations, and I consider myself fortunate to have lived and worked at a moment when there were several really exceptional leaders in the world, from Reagan and Thatcher to Pope John Paul II to Havel and Walesa and Mandela and so forth. Those moments are rare, and short-lived. You don't see
many outstanding leaders today, in my opinion."

Now some people take the dim view of human nature - but QD generally does not. Nor does QD believe that history is a long forward march to progress. It is more like a knotted and tangled shoe lace which can never be untied.

But this question of how we view humanity is vital and perhaps the real difference between the left and the right. The right seems to believe that mankind is wicked and needs laws to prevent him or her from acting upon his/her own selfish nature. Whereas the "other" side sees mankind as basically good but susceptible to acts of destruction and evil.

But what of the third option, that one that is so disregarded b/c it doesn't trumpet the primacy of the human being - because it asks us to consider mankind beyond good and evil... what if the entire way we view mankind and the world is based on a sense of good and evil that is so hard coded in us we accept it to be fact. What if, indeed, nature and therefore mankind is completely amoral and the idea of "conscious" and "ethics" are merely complicated constructs developed to control individuals?

Is Queenie's Daughter saying there is no difference between right and wrong?

At an abstract level, yes, it is so. There's way more to this conversation - and perhaps we will post on it at length when we get off the clock...

On a related topic - here is a great post fromGlenn Greenwald ...

Dubai Link from the Queen

Remember these two names: John Snow and David Sanborn. Then remember these three companies: Carlyle Group, CSX, and Dubai Ports World.

Whose side is this government on? Queenie suggests that Global George's allegiance lies with cronies from all nations and that the dollar comes before the flag.

George Bush is a traitor, he comes from a long line of traitors and history will remember him as a disgrace to the United States. The question is - will there be a United States in the future?

Maybe the US will be the beard wife for stateless groups of corporate cabals?

These are interesting times, indeed.

Pink makes stink over "Stupid Girls"

Pink: Consumerism diverts us from thinking about women's rights, it stops us from thinking about Iraq, it stops us from thinking about what's going on in Africa — it stops us from thinking in general. I was brought up to question authority, and thank God for that. There's a lot of questions. A lot of people are into this escapism thing and don't want to think, and if you force them to think, you become boring. What can you do? I guess I can make videos. And it goes down a lot easier when it's funny. //more//

Happy Mardi Gras!

Poll: Bush Ratings At All-Time Low

New To US Blog Of Note

http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/
(Tiara Tip Ajaximenides)

NOLA takes a piss out of politics (and hurricanes!)

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - The crowds are smaller at New Orleans' first post-Katrina Mardi Gras parades but there is no shortage of fiendishly satirical wit on floats lampooning public figures and agencies with any connection to the devastating hurricane.
One float on Thursday was festooned with the seal of the "Department of Homeland Insecurity," poking fun at the Department of Homeland Security that oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA has been blasted for its slow initial response to the disaster.
Another was called "Chocolate Divinity," featuring a bust of Mayor Ray Nagin in a send-up of his comments last month about wanting to rebuild New Orleans as a mostly African-American center, or "chocolate city." //more//

Happy Lundi Gras!

Army to Pay Halliburton Unit Most Costs Disputed by Audit
Published: February 27, 2006
The Army has decided to reimburse a Halliburton subsidiary for nearly all of its disputed costs on a $2.41 billion no-bid contract to deliver fuel and repair oil equipment in Iraq, even though the Pentagon's own auditors had identified more than $250 million in charges as potentially excessive or unjustified. //Soource NY Times//

It's almost Mardi Gras - Sing along everyone!

Iko Iko.
- drumstick solo -
My grandma and your grandma, were sittin by the fire,
My grandma told your grandma, I'm going to set your flag on fire,
chorus -
Takin bout hey now, hey now
Iko! Iko! an de'
Jackomo fe no nan e' , Jackomo fe nan e'

Look at my King all dressed in red
Iko! Iko! an de'
I bet you 5 dollars, he kill you dead!
Jackomo fe nan e'
Takin bout ..... hey now, hey now
Iko! Iko! an de'
Jackomo fe no an e' , Jackomo fe nan e'

My flagboy and your flagboy, sittin by the fire,
My flagboy told your flagboy, I'm going to set your flag on fire,
Takin bout ..... hey now, hey now
Iko! Iko! an de'
Jackomo fe no an e' , Jackomo fe nan e'

See that guy all dressed in green, Iko! Iko! an de'
He's not a man, he's a lovin machine!
Jackomo fe nan e'
Takin bout hey now, hey now
Iko! Iko! an de'
Jackomo fe no nane' , Jackomo fe nan e'

- instrumental solo -

Takin bout hey now, hey now
Iko! Iko! an de'
Jackomo fe no ane' , Jackomo fe nan e'

fade........

There is so much we don't know!

Loud Music Helps Drive Ecstasy Brain Damage
A high dose (6mg/kg) of ecstasy alone caused a reduction in the rats' brain activity and that effect was enhanced when loud music was played and lasted for up to five days. The brain activity of rats that received a high dose of the drug but were not exposed to loud music returned to normal within a day.

Want to learn more about Brain Function?

The March to War

TEHRAN, Iran -
Iran offered Wednesday to help finance a Palestinian Authority run by the Hamas militant group, state radio said in a report that brought a quick warning from Israel that it would do all it could legally to stop the Palestinians from receiving the money. //more//

More excuses to invade Iran by the end of March...

Credit Where Credit is Due

President Bush was unaware of the pending sale of shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports to a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates until the deal already had been approved by his administration, the White House said Wednesday. - WAPO

See the Domocrats always get sucked into the specifics and think that the issue is really the point. Republican understand politcs, hoever, and they know that they just have to keep the balls in the air. So now every question becomes "What did the PResident know and when did he know it?" Never do we discuss the issue itself. Never do we say, "Mr. Vice President did you authorize the leak of Valerie Plame's name." "Mr. President why was the federal government so slow in responding to the Katrina disaster and would the response have been so slow if the affected population had been white?" ?Mr. President, if you are thinking of cutting off Aid to Hamas because you believe it promotes terrorism, then why would you make a deal with a state from which many of the Sept. 11 hijackers originated." "Mr. President, what are your plans for the war in Iraq and where are the weapons of Mass Distruction you cited as the cause for war."

Nope. The question is, "What did the president know and when did he know it."
Simple. Pointless and yet a point on which press flacks can be voluble and intent.

Which just goes to prove that developmentally this is a country of babies who can be distracted by a rattle. But you know what. When baby gets hungry enough there is nothing you can do but give it what it wants.

Baby wants the truth and baby wants the troops home. Baby doesn't give a shit who knew what when. Baby knows now and baby wants it fixed. If only the press corps cry like baby all these weapons of mass distraction would be useless.

But for now the Republicans are mastering the twin arts of distraction and deception. Oh were this only a game instead of the future of the universe!

A life less ordinary: everyday graft in WH port grab

WASHINGTON - The Dubai firm that won Bush administration backing to run six
U.S. ports has at least two ties to the White House.

One is Treasury Secretary John Snow, whose agency heads the federal
panel that signed off on the $6.8 billion sale of an English company to
government-owned Dubai Ports World - giving it control of Manhattan's cruise
ship terminal and Newark's container port.

Snow was chairman of the CSX rail firm that sold its own international
port operations to DP World for $1.15 billion in 2004, the year after Snow left
for President Bush's cabinet.
The other connection is David Sanborn, who
runs DP World's European and Latin American operations and was tapped by Bush
last month to head the U.S. Maritime Administration. //more//

What is shocking about this? That the WH is gonna make money off of outsourcing our ports or that the Daily News is breaking the story?

All par for the course, friends.

The Old Gray Lady is in bed with the Man Who Would Be King "George."

And there is gambling in Casablanca...

Scooter turns his lemons into lemon ex-aide

http://www.scooterlibby.com/

Spring training just started and Summers is over!

Report: Summers Set To Resign
Wall Street Journal: President will step down by next TuesdayPublished On Tuesday, February 21, 2006 3:51 AMBy JAVIER C. HERNANDEZCrimson Staff Writer

You didn't think Queenie's Daughter had forgotten Lawrence Summers did you?

Squashed like a bug

Paper Tiger
That would be your right to privacy:
White House Working to Avoid Wiretap Probe
"The White House has praised a plan by Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) to draft legislation that would exempt the NSA program from FISA, while providing for congressional oversight."

On the one hand QD is clear that everything she does is subject to discovery and therefore operates from the premise that she has no secrets. However - she also believes that she has the right to some privacy - especially from the government. Unfortunately, that will all soon change. As part of the wholesale destruction of the American Way of Life, Repugs are reported buckling under pressure from the Wise Guys in the White House.

It's too bad, really, The Constitution seemed like sort of a good idea, but yeah, let's just trash it so we can make some more money.

Psych 101 - Do not reward bad behavior

Negative Attention - IT is still attention.

The US state of Mississippi plans to put the names and faces of convicted sex offenders on roadside billboards.

Why do we keep honoring the vile?

And speaking of being taken over by the Chinese

You are what you eat! Eeeewwwwww.
On the menu today: horse penis and testicles with a chilli dip
By Richard Spencer in Beijing

(Tiara Tip - The Spouse Royal)

Laissez Bon Temps Roulez

Mardi Gras Parade Schedule:
Uptown Only
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24
• Hermes - Uptown
• Krewe d'Etat - Uptown
• Morpheus - Uptown
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25
• Iris - Uptown 11:00 a.m.
• Tucks - Uptown After Iris
• Endymion - Uptown 3:30 p.m.
• Isis - Metairie 6:00 p.m.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26
• Okeanos - Uptown 11:00 a.m.
• Thoth - Uptown After Okeanos
• Mid-City - Uptown 2:00 p.m.
• Bacchus - Uptown 5:15 p.m.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27
• Proteus - Uptown 5:15 p.m.
• Orpheus - Uptown 5:45 p.m.
MARDI GRAS, FEBRUARY 28
• Zulu - Uptown 8:30 a.m.
• Rex - Uptown 10:00 a.m.
• Elks Orleans - Uptown after Rex
• Crescent City - Uptown after Elks

Mandate of Heaven?

Iran would become top supplier of oil to China under deal

So if the US is poised to strike Iran by the end of March '06 and Iran is firming up an alliance with China - what does this mean for the world.
TROUBLE.
We were waiting and wondering when the real issue would emerge and slowly it is spilling into mainstream news.

The Ultimate Battle that the US is gearing up for is a confrontation with China. Why? So simple - all those people we could sell stuff to!
In the name of Democracy, the US will enter into a Battle Royal so that it can increase its market share in the most populated region of the earth.

What the US doesn't know is this: the culture clash will unleash a firestorm this adolescent country is unprepared for.

So, dear readers, start taking you Mandarin lessons OR start making noise to halt the US's steady march to its own demise.

Faith, Grasshopper?

To what extent is political party affiliation a reflection of faith?
Think about it, even with the evangelical movement, organized religion is on the wane (not the secularized variety, mind you) and so to what extent have people replaced their sheep like affection for their church/synagogue/chapel/parish with the donkey and the elephants?

Would this explain the new Gallup Poll which shows how clearly divided the Dumbs and the Repugs are on the question of illegal wire tapping?

It really bodes horribly for the separation of church and state if the state has become the church! The dogma of the party must be repeated and revered lest what - the voter burn in beaurocracy? What sort of control mechanism (ie "fear of God") do these parties have? Isn't it basically vanity? Have people so identified their politics with what in earlier times would have been their religion? It is so frightening to think that there are so many people prepared to accept and repeat rather than reason and opine.

Nothing new in QD's observations. Here is someone who says it much better:
Paulo Freire: Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Hidden In Plain Sight

While everyone is flushing out Dick's quail hunting story - what are we ignoring?

WORLD WAR THREE???
Russia Warns U.S. Against Striking Iran
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Nuclear War against Iran
by Michel Chossudovsky

And since the press is incapable of handling a domestic incident like CHENEYquiDICK how the hell are they going to handle this.

It's too bad really. We live in a time that calls for hero's and all we have are yuppies and neocons; thuggies and whores.

Oh yeah, and "Marginalized Others" or MOTHERS.

MOTHERS are against war. QD doesn't have children, but she is a MOTHER and like all MOTHERS she wants to know ... What will it take to stop these traitors?

You don't have to have eyes in the back of your head to face what is up with these tricky Dicks.

HuffPo Points Aim at Cheney's Story

"This isn't real hunting," one longtime sportsman told me. "This is a Six Flags amusement park version. It's playtime with loaded weapons. Driving around blasting clip-winged birds raised in pens that have been flushed out by ranch employees isn't exactly the stuff of Hemingway is it?"

CHENEYquiDICK or Much Ado About Nothing?

Our favorite part of Cheney's masterfully manipulated mea culpa was that this:

THE VICE PRESIDENT:...I had no idea how serious it was going to be. I mean, it could have been extraordinarily serious. You just don't know at that moment. You know he's been struck, that there's a lot of shot that had hit him. But you don't know -- you think about his eyes.

In a less cynical era we might read that statement differently: but as it stands we read it as the Veep thinking "Oh F*&^ What did he see?"

We also like the immediate distancing from Whittington
Q Would you describe him as a close friend, friendly acquaintance, what --
THE VICE PRESIDENT: No, an acquaintance.
and then repeated use of the word "friend" as in:
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I'm the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend.
and
THE VICE PRESIDENT: My friend, Harry, has been shot

So, you shoot your friendly acquaintace and then you have a staffer call his family? You don't bother to make sure it is done right away:
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I didn't make the calls to his children, so I don't know exactly when those contacts were made.

Not only that but he didn't even have the balls to be the first to tell his boss, or someone at his office:
THE VICE PRESIDENT: The White House was notified, but I did not discuss it directly, myself.

Then there is the new protocol of White House officials - this puts new spin on "listening to your constituency":
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And Katherine suggested, and I agreed, that she would go make the announcement, that is that she'd put the story out.

And Britt Hume: Asking the tough questions...
Q And you -- and I take it, you missed the bird.

We cannot waste any more time of this.
It is so much fluff.
It would be insulting if we were not already insulated against expecting any sort of respect from our public officials.

However, we are sort of laughing at the press. So, for all your obsequious good behavior, your butt kissing of the current administration, your softballing, your accepting shit as shinola ... what's the outcome?

To put it bluntly Press Corps: He'll screw you but he wont kiss you.

Valentine's Day Reading

or "Ain't Nutthin' Sexier Than the Truth"
a gift from QD to her readers - all three of them...

There are several articles about the Nazi Bush connection that we could post right now, but we wont. We'll start real slow and far from home:
This is from the Guardian UK
How Bush's grandfather helped Hitler's rise to power

Here's a little closer to home
Former Federal Prosecutor John Loftus confirms the Bush-Nazi scandal

And here's where we get the idea that maybe there's real smoke to this
fire: The Republic Book VII - PLATO from the Gutenberg Press

"And now I will describe in a figure the enlightenment or unenlightenment of our nature:--Imagine human beings living in an underground den which is open towards the light; they have been there fromchildhood, having their necks and legs chained, and can only see into the den.

At a distance there is a fire, and between the fire and the prisoners a raised way, and a low wall is built along the way, like the screen over which marionette players show their puppets. Behind the wall appear moving figures, who hold in their hands various works of art, and among them images of men and animals, wood and stone, and some of the passers-by are talking and others silent.

'A strange parable,' he said, 'and strange captives.'

They are ourselves, I replied; and they see only the shadows of the images which the fire throws on the wall of the den; to these they give names, and if we add an echo which returns from the wall, the voices of the passengers will seem to proceed from the shadows.

Suppose now that you suddenly turn them round and make them look with pain and grief to themselves at the real images; will they believe them to be real? Will not their eyes be dazzled, and will they not try to get away from the light to something which they are able to behold without blinking?

And suppose further, that they are dragged up a steep and rugged ascent into the presence of the sun himself, will not their sight be darkened with the excess of light? Some time will pass before they get the habit of perceiving at all; and at first they will be able to perceive only shadows and reflections in the water; then they will recognize the moon and thestars, and will at length behold the sun in his own proper place as he is.

Last of all they will conclude:--This is he who gives us the year and the seasons, and is the author of all that we see. How will they rejoice in passing from darkness to light! How worthless to them will seem the honours and glories of the den!

But now imagine further, that they descend into their old habitations;--in that underground dwelling they will not see as well as their fellows, and will not be able to compete with them in the measurement of the shadows on the wall; there will be many jokes about the man who went on a visit to the sun and lost his eyes, and if they findanybody trying to set free and enlighten one of their number, they will put him to death, if they can catch him.

Now the cave or den is the world of sight, the fire is the sun, the way upwards is the way to knowledge, and in the world of knowledge the idea of good is last seen and with difficulty,but when seen is inferred to be the author of good and right--parent of the lord of light in this world, and of truth and understanding in the other.

He who attains to the beatific vision is always going upwards; he is unwilling to descend into political assemblies and courts of law; for his eyes are apt to blink at the images or shadows of images which they behold in them--he cannot enter into the ideas of those who have never in their lives understood the relation of the shadow to the substance.

But blindness is of two kinds, and may be caused either by passing out of darkness into light or out of light into darkness, and a man of sense will distinguish between them, and will not laugh equally at both of them, but the blindness which arises from fulness of light he will deem blessed, and pity the other; or if he laugh at the puzzled soul looking at the sun, he will have more reason to laugh than the inhabitants of the den at those who descend from above.

There is a further lesson taught by this parable of ours. Some persons fancy that instruction is like giving eyes to the blind, but we say that the faculty of sight was always there, and that the soul only requires to be turned round towards the light."

Can we handle the truth?

Posted at Crooks and Liars: by Anonymous (note: QD knows who Anonymous is so source is verified but name is being withheld by the authors request.)

Queenie, its much worse than that; since you brought it up..."Creepiness Factors Surrounding the Bush Clan" or "Tricky Dick Was Bush-League Compared to Chimpy"

The Bush family fortune did not come from oil -- it came from financing the Nazis in WW I. There was an investigation (official record) and I believe some assets were frozen and even seized.In fact, some say the Prescotts and other powerful elites were actually behind Hitler's rise to power in Germany. Think about this – it is a fact that the propaganda techniques had their roots in America. Was Hitler an evil genius or a stupid puppet -- anyone else see some scary possibilities here.

George Bush I namesake and maternal grandfather, George Herbert 'Bert' Walker, was a native of St. Louis, who founded the banking and investment firm of G. H. Walker and Company in 1900. Herbert "Bert" Walker controlled Smith and Wesson. The brownshirts in the streets of 1920s Germany were armed with Smith and Wesson revolvers, which they got for free from Fritz Thyssen (of Thyssen/Krupp), who got them wholesale from Walker.

George’s grandfather, Prescott is responsible for bringing Richard Nixon into politics, set him up, and provided direction and support.George I was involved with the CIA many years before being its director under Gerald Ford. He was involved with the Bay of Pigs. Some believe he has connections, direct or indirect, with JFK assassination. If you do not accept the Warren Commission, and most Americans don’t, then the murder of an elected president was nothing less than a coup d’etat.

It is a verified fact, that the rest of the world accepts though it was never given the press it deserved, that chimpy did not win in 2000 – another coup d’tat?If you think the JFK case is convoluted and full of lies – check of the RFK murder! Most certainly this paved the way for tricky dick to get into the Whitehouse (remember, this is Prescott’s main man). Isn’t this, in many ways, a coup too?

While we’re at it – Martin Luther King’s murder was the result of a conspiracy – at least that is what a judge and jury decided when they heard the evidence. How come the rest of America never heard the evidence?

Nixon could not have possibly resigned over the Watergate burglary -- this is minor league stuff, especially by today's standards. What possibly could have been on that 18-minute gap that cannot be recovered with today's technology? You know that you cannot actually erase your hard-drive this clean. A secretary certainly did not erase these tapes in this matter by herself.

No -- this is not a direct Bush thing, unless there was direct, indirect involvement with JFK murder. Any other speculation as to what was on that tape?The Reagan assassination attempt was done by the son of a close bush family friend -- while Ronald ran as an aggressive, "reform" type in 1980, he became a passive "hands-off" delegate after the assassination attempt.

Coincidence -- Nancy Reagan could not stand the Bushes. If you can accept that there was Bush involvement with the CIA and perhaps even the Reagan assassination attempt, then please look at this link: http://www.mackwhite.com/lennon.html

Neil Bush was a major player in the Savings and Loan scandal -- cost us billions. He told congress that he received million dollar loans that were "forgiven" and that this "happens all the time." Does anyone else think this makes chimpy's Social Security con more reprehensible?Bush Sr. was having breakfast with Bakr bin Laden, brother of Osama, the morning of 9/11, at a Carlyle Group shareholders meeting.

The Bush administration was specifically warned about planes being used as weapons and that “Bin Ladin Determined to Attack US” yet they claimed “who could have known??The Bush administration was specifically warned about the need to rebuild NOLA levees and was specifically warned about Hurricane Katrina, yet they claimed “who could have known?”Is it possible that the Bush family has connections to some of the most disturbing events in the past 100 years?I humbly present this for discussion only, not as fact – “Gemstone” files style, seeking to promote dialog. Anyone got anything else to add?

C'mon QD's readers, we know at least on of you has the scoop on these stories... If you dont want to publish them we will...

Bush sells US Ports to Saudis

United Arab Emirates firm to operate six major U.S. ports
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COMMonday, February 13, 2006
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has approved a deal in which a United Arab Emirates company would operate six major ports in the United States.
A U.S. government panel has determined that the UAE firm, DP World, would not endanger national security. DP World, based in Dubai, has offered $6.8 billion for the purchase of a British firm that operates the ports of Baltimore, Miami, New York, New Jersey, New Orleans and Philadelphia, Middle East Newsline reported.
//more//

While Queenie's Daughter was nursing a very bad mal de tete, her Maman was on the look out for homegrown terrorists, and she's found one at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It is a well known fact that the Bush family worked tirelessly on the side of the Nazi's in WWII and now the Bush's are perpetuating the selling of America to forces unfriendly to the USA. Queenie's Daughter could write for hours about this topic and she could provide you with more chapters and verses than the Bible contains about the treacherous Bush family.

But Queenie's Daughter is an American who comes from a long line of American's who have fought to defend this once great nation and this news has spiraled her into a sadness as mute as it is profound. She is not shocked that there are traitors among us. She is not even shocked that one of the greatest betrayers of the US is the current commander in chief. But Queenie's Daughter is saddened into silence at the realization that the American people are willing to watch as this once great Republic is sold for mere pieces of Judas gold to those who would be her enemies.

Ignorance is the friend of evil and Americans, who seems to pride themselves on plain spoken ignorance, have become the Adolph Eichmann's of the new millenium.

Dear Ancestors hear our plea. Governor Sam Ward (the only colonial governor to refuse to enforce the stamp act), Lt. Col. Sam Ward (who waded hundred of frozen miles to fight courageously at the Battle of Quebec), Sam Ward of Prime, Ward and King (who secured a loan of a million dollars to prevent the failure of the NY banks), Julia Ward Howe (foremother, whose bravery saved countless Armenians from slaughter) - Dear Ancestors, please come to us in this dark hour and give us you strength, courage and hope. How can we be like you and defend this country from those who would sell us to her enemies and who would shoot their friends?

The horror. The horror.

Falling Starr in Frey Fall

Queenie's Daughter and Penthouse magazine are not the only ones to publish fake letters, however, unlike Kenneth Starr, QD and Penthouse have not broken the law...

Prosecutors: Kenneth Starr, lawyer sent fake letters
Lawyers: Bogus letters sent to governor asking to spare client's life
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Lawyers for a death row inmate, including former Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth Starr, sent fake letters from jurors asking California's governor to spare the man's life, prosecutors said Friday.
The jurors denied they thought Michael

More sound off on Shooter Cheney

Contact: Peter Hamm of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, 202-289-5792
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 /U.S. Newswire/

James and Sarah Brady made comments today related to Vice President Cheney's reportedly accidental shooting yesterday in Texas.

"Now I understand why Dick Cheney keeps asking me to go hunting with him," said Jim Brady.
"I had a friend once who accidentally shot pellets into his dog - and I thought he was an idiot."
"I've thought Cheney was scary for a long time," Sarah Brady said. "Now I know I was right to be nervous."

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=60875

Spin, Satire or Plausible Speculation?

What if.....

"In a suprising move, Vice President Dick Cheney took the law into his own hands this weekend and defended the state of Texas' right to enforce rules of emminent domain.

Six years ago, the city of Austin condemned a block of property owned by the family of prominent Texas attorney Harry Whittington. Whittington fought back and after a lengthy legal battle, recently scored a victory from the Texas Supreme Court, which upheld an earlier ruling in Whittington's favor. While the case is not yet completely decided, for now Whittington and his family have prevailed and are well on the way to resecuring their property. After spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, Whittington reveled in his semi-success, and is quoted as saying, "This shows how the judicial system should work if you stay with it."

That is when Vice President Dick Cheney decided to get involved and show Whittington that the Texas law is a little different. This past weekend, Cheney and Whittington went on a hunting trip together to "bag a little Quayle." While deep in the brush, Cheney shot Whittington in the face, neck and chest. Reports from people completely unrelated to the incident indicate that after the shooting Cheney was heard to let out a loud whoop of glee and shout, "Don't mess with Texas." After the incident, Vice President Cheney blamed Whittington for the shooting and refused comment further.

Totally unsubstantiated evidence suggests that the Vice President "Shot that boy to teach him a lesson." It is unclear how badly injured Whittington is or whether he will pursue his legal case in the state of Austion when and if he makes a full recovery."

(note: This is satire. All of this is satire. Well, not quite all of it ... some if it is true: Harry Whittington really is involved with a battle over emminent domain in the state of Texas, he did just recently score a victory from the Texas Supreme Court and the Vice President of the United States really did shoot him during a hunting trip. The rest is satire, or as the author believes, plausible speculation.) File under: Freedom of Speech

Wrong on oh so many levels...

US group implants electronic tags in workers
By Richard Waters in San Francisco
Published: February 12 2006 22:02 Last updated: February 12 2006 22:02
An Ohio company has embedded silicon chips in two of its employees - the first known case in which US workers have been “tagged” electronically as a way of identifying them.

QD does not know where to begin, so she will limit herself to the statement that this is yet one more reason why she prefers self-employment.

Hiding behind the wrong Bush

It could have happened to anyone - but it didn't...
Firedoglake has the whole kit and kaboom-dle regarding the Cheney Friendly Fire incident including feedback from hunters and medical professionals. Suffice it to say: Cheney is the worst kind of hunter, the "blame the victim" line is not only bad form but most likely a lie, and the guy Cheney shot is probably hurt much worse than we are being told.

Poor baffled Scotty McClellan's attempt to cover for the shooter will be up soon ... until then Editor and Publisher has a recap ...

Also this means that the story probably has legs:
"We are concerned when an official of the United States is involved in a shooting and 24 hours passes without official word coming out," said Kathleen Carroll, Associated Press executive editor. "The vice president's office did not choose to announce it, go public with it. We are talking to everyone this morning about what happened, who is responsible, and the issues related to who should say something and why."

Queenie's Daughter wants to make one thing clear. All these years she's been living in Harlem people have been like "Isn't it dangerous?"
Well, we'll just say for the record that living in Harlem, NY is much safer than hanging out with the Vice President of the United States of America!!!

NOTE: as of 2/13/06 1:25 pm EST, Yahoo has taken the Cheney's Chappaquiddick story off it's front page to make room for this important breaking news:Cemetery of Keats, Shelley crumbling in Rome

Here are some Hunting Rules (tiara tip Crooks and Liars).

Fashion Week Note

Queenie's Daughter is not unaware of the fashions of her time, although she may not emulate them nor perhaps approve. Today, however, she is among the fashionistas, slightly by accident and for under five dollars.

You see, several weeks ago, QD acquired from the Good Will a pair of gray wool trousers, originally sold at the Banana Republic (or is it Anne Taylor). The original Good Will price was six dollars, but on this day, the pink tags were half price, and the trousers sported a pink tag! Well, tha pants themselves are not so stylish. They tend to fall into the "high waters" category and they lack a certain flair. Until today. Walking the streets of NYC, QD noticed that the "gaucho pant" is still worn by women of all shapes and sizes and the pants themselves vary from skirty to slimmy to just plain hideous. So, Queenie's Daughter, who owns the most perfect boot ever sold, simply rolled up her gray wool Good Will trousers and BEHOLD! A fashion plate, a smartly dressed daughter of royalty, a chic youngish thing, a vision of sovereign beauty.

And most spectacularly of all, another day goes by with laundry neglected and person well dressed! If the pants are not entirely clean, they do not stink and they look fantastic:)

please note: we tried to link to the best boots, but they are no longer available at LL Bean. They are, we assure you, attractive enough to cause lust, envy and dare we say murder. We shall have to take pains to protect our bewts from desperate fashionistas everywhere!!!!

We are done for the day, so look sharp, roll up your pants, pay attention to politics and stand up (straight!) for yourself.

Why Chicks Rule!

Helen vs. McClellan
"Q: Does the president think he should obey the law? He put his hand on the Bible twice to uphold the Constitution. Wiretapping is not legal under the circumstances without a warrant.
MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, I guess you didn't pay attention to the attorney general's hearing earlier today, because he walked through very clearly the rationale behind this program.
Q There is no rationale --
MR. MCCLELLAN: And Helen, I think you have to ask --
Q -- (inaudible) -- the law.
MR. MCCLELLAN: I think you have ask are we -- well, he's not -- are we a nation at war.
Q That's not the question.
MR. MCCLELLAN: No, that is the issue here.
Q The question is, the point is, there are means for him to go to -- get a warrant to spy on people.
MR. MCCLELLAN: Enemy surveillance is critical to waging and winning war. It's one of the traditional tools of war.
Q But he says he doesn't have running room --
MR. MCCLELLAN: The attorney general outlined very clearly today how previous administrations have used the same authority --
Q That doesn't make it legal.
MR. MCCLELLAN: -- and cited the same -- and cited the very same authority.
Q (Inaudible) -- they broke the law, that's too bad.
MR. MCCLELLAN: And we're going to continue doing everything we can --
Q You know what happened to Nixon when he broke the law.
MR. MCCLELLAN: -- within our power to protect the American people.
This is a very different circumstance, and you know that.
Q No, I don't. "

Hip Hip hurray! Hip Hip Hurray! Hip Hip Hurray!
There is ONE journalist in American Doing her job!

WAY TO GO HELEN THOMAS!!!

The Madness of "King" George

Here's is the immediate source of our concern:

Feb. 13, 2006 issue - In the latest twist in the debate over presidential powers, a Justice Department official suggested that in certain circumstances, the president might have the power to order the killing of terrorist suspects inside the United States. Steven Bradbury, acting head of the department's Office of Legal Counsel, went to a closed-door Senate intelligence committee meeting last week to defend President George W. Bush's surveillance program. During the briefing, said administration and Capitol Hill officials (who declined to be identified because the session was private), California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein asked Bradbury questions about the extent of presidential powers to fight Al Qaeda; could Bush, for instance, order the killing of a Qaeda suspect known to be on U.S. soil? Bradbury replied that he believed Bush could indeed do this, at least in certain circumstances. //full article//

Here is the direction our thoughts are heading:
Say that for the sake of some kind of sense "security" we give up common sense as well as basic freedom and sanction the neocon obsession with their own peculiar brand of "freedom fighting." Say for the sake of argument that we agree that the US needs to help "everyone" fight for freedom (ouch, even for the sake of argument typing that is painful...)

Here's Queenie's Daughters Dilemma: the more we advocate the use of violence for any means, the more we (whomever that may be but in this case the US) becomes exactly the same as the threat we are supposed to be fighting.

So we decide it is okay to kill people who disagree with us in foreign lands, then we extend that and say it is okay to kill people who disagree with us on our own soil. Very basic question: what freedom are we defending? Surely the right to dissent is basic to the American system of freedom - that very freedom we are supposedly defending all over the world. But basically, Bush is saying that if you disagree with him he'll kill you. More importantly he has the right to kill you, he has the Executive Power to kill you anywhere, any time.

This sounds familiar to us. We remember vaguely in our history books some other despot named George trying to take away America's freedom...

It's Monday morning: Do you know your rights as an American? Are you sure you have any?

the reason for rilke

We know we are always coming back to Rilke, but there is a reason. Sometimes it feels like one is walking against a fierce wind making progress so slow it is not progress. This is the time, if you have a biblical turn of mind, of the devil. The devilish details create a quagmire, much like the one we are in in Iraq. This is the time it is easier to give up and say, "It is useless. It doesn't matter."

Then Rilke reminds us,

• "And when you realize that their activities are shabby, that their vocations are petrified and no longer connected with life, why not then continue to look upon it all as a child would, as if you were looking at something unfamiliar, out of the depths of your own solitude, which is itself work and status and vocation? Why should you want to give up a child's wise not-understanding in exchange for defensiveness and scorn, since not-understanding is, after all, a way of being alone, whereas defensiveness and scorn are participation in precisely what, by these means, you want to separate yourself from." tiara tip sfgoth and the Steven Mitchell translation of Letters to a Young Poet.

And so we slog on. Knowing what we seek is internal and can only be won by working through the worries, "I am not good enough" and "I am too good to be true."

At these crucial times Queenie's Daughter urges her readers to think of fragrant Rosemary and remember: we are all children of royalty and already possess the noble blood that will allow each one of us to as reign as kings and queens of peace.

Boehner Beats Blount

Hard Fight: Boehner comes after Delay

From The Boehner who brought you "No Child Left Behind" ...
"Unlike either of his rivals, Boehner came to Congress when Democrats held a majority, and he joined the Gang of Seven, a group of energetic young lawmakers eager to draw attention to a scandal involving the House bank and Democrats.
Boehner won a place in leadership when Republicans gained a majority in 1994, a position that kept him in frequent contact with lobbyists.
But he and DeLay soon clashed, and Boehner lost his leadership post four years later. Boehner became chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee in 2001, and he helped shepherd President Bush's No Child Left Behind education bill through the House. " //more//

ABC in the News

"The reason that the deaths and injuries of the American soldiers don't get as much publicity is because we are by and large banned from seeing it..." Christine Amanpour

Nice rebuttal of the recent criticism of the super-hyped coverage of injured ABC journo's.
Really excellent point...

Seems like no one has seen the footage Doug Vogt was filming when he and Bob Woodruff were injured. Sources say no one is much concerned about it, given their overwhelming concern for the wellbeing of their coworkers. While the sentiment appears quite charming, it is the job of journos to report the news and the hardest part of their job is to function in tough situations. That being said, Queenie's Daughter doubts the accuracy of the "no one's seen the tape" report and is slightly offended at being fed such a poopy line.

The tape is expected to make it to the ABC top suits today, then the decision about whether or not to will air it, edit it, etc. will be made. This could be a big deal and there will be many people unhappy no matter what decision is made. Queenie's Daughter urges ABC to provide the public with all the information they have, and trust the public to have sense enough to make up its own mind. That's What Peter Would Do //more//

Message Deleted

The last Western Union Telegram
Key White House Emails Deleted //stop// OOPS //stop// Emails just happen to pertain to the Valerie Plame case //stop// Gosh //stop// can't believe this dumb luck //stop// we'll do better next time //stop// National Archivist doing a heck of a job //stop// Hugs //stop// Georgie

the story//Digby's Take//firedoglake's comments//Exhibit A

Victorias Dirty Little Secret

How do you spell Victoria's Secret?
M-Y-S-O-G-Y-N-Y

Well the cat is out of the bag, or the boob hath loosed itself from its bra. Queenie's Daughter has long known that Victoria Secret doesn't actually sell Intimate Articles for Women Possessing Great Assets. QD herself is in possession of two such assets and they are neither boostered nor bettered by that particular Victoria. In short, Victoria Secret doesn't sell bras that fit women who really need bras. VS Can push them up and make them look full and ripe, but like a teenage boy has really no idea what to do when confronted with the real thing. Basically Victoria's Secret is good for two things, butt floss and training bras. Of course the contradiction is there: girls in training bras should not be sporting thongs, and women mature enough to wear the thong really should have developed past the point of the itty bitty titty committee harness...

Well, now Victoria Secret, the store that prides itself on making baby boobies look good, EJECTED a woman for using her breast for it's practical purpose: to whit nursing.
Here's the story...

And so Queenie's Daughter proudly endorses the
National Mothers Against Victoria's Secret Movement.
Boycott Boyish Fantasy and Mean Girl Mentality-
EMBRACE THE BOOB and taste what she has to offer!
or
Breasts: Got Milk?

You Go Girl! Cindy gets arrested at SOTU

Peeping Toms Okay says Intel Officer

“Contrary to popular belief, there is no absolute ban on [military] intelligence components collecting U.S. person information,” the U.S.Army’s top intelligence officer said in a 2001 memo that surfaced Tuesday.

So, you can receive information without constraint but are limited to the collection of information. Hair splitting? You betchya. It is as if the government thinks that no one understands their double speak. Actually, we take that back. The Repugs completely get the fact that American's know what is happening to them they are just to apathetic to actually do anything or say anthing about it ... And yes, we meant to imply that "the Government" and "The Republican Party" are one and the same. After last night it is clear that the Democrats have vaporized and all that they left behind are damaging characatures of ineffective novices who whine that they can do better. Wasn't the "We can do better" line part of a recent failed presidental bid? Who was the bright star who sad, "I know, let's recycle failed campaigns - maybe they'll work this time." Sheeeeet, if the repug gov't is watching the Dumocratic party, they are keeping the videos to show at Drunken yuk fests, "Damn those boys are stupid!"

It almost makes the Daughter of Queenie wonder if the Dumbocrats are just Repugs in disguise ... what was that Queenie said recently about the shrub? Oh yes, she called him a member of The Cambridge Four . Maybe that could apply to the Dumbs as well...

So smile and say cheese, cause this is all on the record.

No life is worth more than the other, no matter how famous the face

From the UPI: Some US troops question Woodruff coverage
The Question being, "Why does the injuring of a famous TV celebrity warrant more attention than the soldiers and Iraqi's who are killed every day."

Queenie's Daughter was saddened to hear about the injuries of Bob Woodruff and Doug Vogt just as she is saddened to hear about and think of all the people who have been injured or lost their lives in the name of a dubious Freedom.

From UPI "Here is an incomplete list of American service members who were killed by hostile fire in Iraq that same week that Woodruff and Vogt were hit. The Pentagon does not release the names of the injured.
Spc. Brian J. Schoff, 22, of Manchester, Tenn., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 28, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV.
Sgt. David L. Herrera, 26, of Oceanside, Calif., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 28, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations.
Lance Cpl. Billy D. Brixey Jr., 21, of Ferriday, La., died Jan. 27 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, from wounds received as a result of an improvised explosive device while traveling in a convoy in Afghanistan on Jan. 25.
Lance Cpl. Hugo R. Lopez, 20, of La Habra, Calif., died Jan. 27 at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, from wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Rawah, Iraq, on Nov. 20, 2005.
Staff Sgt. Jerry M. Durbin Jr., 26, of Spring, Texas, died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 25, when an improvised explosive device exploded near his dismounted patrol during combat operations.
Sgt. Joshua A. Johnson, 24, of Richford, Vt., died in Ramadi, Iraq, on Jan. 25, when a rocket propelled grenade struck his vehicle during combat operations.
Staff Sgt. Lance M. Chase, 32, of Oklahoma City, Okla., and Pfc. Peter D. Wagler, 18, of Partridge, Kan., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 23, of wounds sustained that day when an improvised explosive device detonated near their M1A2 Abrams tank during patrol operations.
Sgt. Sean H. Miles, 28, of Midlothian, Va., was killed in action Jan. 24 from small arms fire while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Karmah, Iraq.
Sgt. Matthew D. Hunter, 31, of Valley Grove, W.Va., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 23, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted patrol during combat operations. Sgt. Sean H. Miles, 28, of Midlothian, Va., was killed in action Jan. 24 from small arms fire while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Karmah, Iraq.
Tech.
Sgt. Jason L. Norton, 32, of Miami, Okla. and Staff Sgt. Brian McElroy, 28, of San Antonio, Texas, were killed Jan. 22, when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device while conducting convoy escort duties in the vicinity of Taji, Iraq."

And those are just the Americans...