Happy birthday to the Army today.

via Virtual Matter: A former chief economist in the Labor Department during President Bush's first term now believes the official story about the collapse of the WTC is 'bogus,' saying it is more likely that a controlled demolition destroyed the Twin Towers and adjacent Building No. 7.

Here's the article by Greg Szymanski

Lamar Alexander
Robert Bennett
Christopher Bond
Jim Bunning
Conrad Burns
Saxby Chambliss
Thad Cochran
Kent Conrad-(Democrat)
John Cornyn
Michael Crapo
Michael Enzi
Chuck Grassley
Judd Gregg
Orrin Hatch
Trent Lott
Lisa Murkowski
Richard Shelby
John Sununu
Craig Thomas
George Voinovich

Find your Senators' phone number here, and call them:

What should we call this group? Give me some names. One Democrat, the rest Republicans. That's not surprising. The Party of the _ _ _ _ I'm reminded of a certain Clint Eastwood movie.

AmericaBlog says: That would be 27% of the Republican Senators who refused to oppose lynching, vs. 2% of the Democrats. Enough said.

Atrios says : Pro Lynching

Daily Kos says: Who didn't sign lynching bill?

The Carpetbagger says: Good news, bad news on the lynching apology.

Law Dork says: Dirty Dozen? (Or, uh, 21?)

Orcinus says: Failing in the present. It's an excellent read about the history of the non-anti-lynching bill

The Right wing is mostly silent on this so far today: Al Franken's speech from the Talker's Magazine Party was very popular.

Instapundit links to two others who say- the Supreme Court which owes the apology. And of course a note about Robert Byrd

Update-Kos is reporting that Kent Conrad added his name today to the anti-lynching resolution passed yesterday, making the holdouts an all-GOP cast.

"Should any political party attempt to abolish Social Security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are (xxx)..a few Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 11/8/54

Since my earlier post, everybody is asking for this clip.

Download | play -WMP

Download | play -QT

I started out writing about Rachel Maddow.

via AmericaBlog: I just heard this on ABC News. They're apparently holding the vote late tonight so they won't have to have a real roll-call vote (i.e., individual Senators won't have to vote up or down). The reason? So they can hide the 12 or so Senators who apparently think it's bad politics back home to sign onto a resolution that apologizes for not passing anti-lynching legislation sooner. Apparently, southern Senators fillibustered efforts to pass such legislation for years.

I don't care if they're Democrats or Republicans, I want to know who isn't supporting this legislation. We have a right to know, and to know why anybody in either party would permit the basically-secret vote to take place this evening in order to his who these bigots really are."

I couldn't agree more. These people are despicable.

I've stayed away from it for the most part.

I guess the White House will be happy. It'll keep the 24/7 occupied for another few days and nobody will mention the idiot Duncan.

Blitzer said...it looks like he not showing much emotion...

He looked out of it to me.

Talk Left live blogged the the jury's press conference and has much more: Michael Jackson Verdict

CNN: Gitmo torture claims refuted with chicken dish

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) refutes claims of torture at Guantánamo Bay while displaying various foods.

Download | play -WMP

Download | play -Real Audio

"So the point is that the inmates in Guantánamo have never eaten
better, they've never been treated better and they've never been
more comfortable in their lives."

You have to see this to believe it.

(June 8th
transcript-thanks to The Rude One-for the heads up)
Talking about the Aruba case:

GRACE: You know, Debra Opri, I have been assigned several rape-murder cases, all right? You handle
felony prosecutions, you`re going to get one of those, at least one. Normally, the guy that had sex with the woman just before her death is somehow involved in the death. It`s just common sense, OK? If that is in the defense file, from one of these three guys, this is a very, very unusual arrest of two other suspects. What do you think, Debra?

OPRI: I have to tell you, I just don't think this is a rape-murder case. I don't. My gut is telling me this is part of a transport, a prostitution business with the country of Colombia. I hear too many stories. I know too many people who have gone down to Aruba...

GRACE: Oh, good God, Debra, you heard a story? That is the basis of this theory?

OPRI: Nancy, Nancy, let me finish. There are many instances where women will go down there, that age, that type, blonde-haired, and they are drugged and transported to Colombia, period, bottom line. Those are what the investigation and the facts tell you, and those are the stories. Now, looking at a potential rape-murder, we don't have any evidence. We don`t have anything to give us that result. That`s just your opinion based upon your experience.

I believe, because there's no evidence at this point in time, no body, I`m going to pull away from a murder and go with kidnapping and transport to Colombia.

GRACE: Well, Debra, I don`t entirely disagree with you.

Senate to Atone for Lynching Ban Delays

"The Senate seldom says it's sorry, although it is now ready to officially express its remorse over the failure to outlaw lynching in the United States. A resolution that the chamber was likely to take up Monday voices regret for the Senate's unwillingness for years to pass a law stopping a crime that cost the lives of over 4,700 people, mostly blacks, between 1882 and 1968....read on"

I never realized that it was legal in the first place. How sick is that? The fact that it was then allowed to last until 1968 is unimaginable. Read this exchange if you want to have your stomach turned from History Matters In the following testimony to a House subcommittee, four Southern Congressmen discussed their reasons for opposing what they deemed federal interference in state judicial responsibilities and defend segregation and the “peaceful relations now existing between white man and Negro” in the South. Congressman Charles E. Bennett (Florida) also offered his historical explanation for lynching. read the full transcript.

Try to figure out what group of people are being targeted now. Also, some from the right will try to equate these types of filibusters to what is going on in the judiciary. I doubt they can see how contemptable that comparison is.