monday monday ....

monday was memorial day, monday was a day off from work, I didnt travel back from Massachusetts on monday because i didnt go there... i didnt travel anywhere.. I stayed in NYC...

Monday, i got up early... (all weekend..i got up early) each day about 7:30am.. Combination of going to sleep early and a cat who thinks its 6am. I used the time constructively..Yesterday, i spoke to my sister for a while (something i hadnt done in ages) Saturday, i talked to my dad and brother on the phone. Sunday, i walked and went to the grocery store. Yesterday, i showered and walked to the F train at Prospect Park. along the way, i saw a woman with a cat carrier. She had two little cats under a year old, one about 4 months and one 8 months. She saw a man release the 4 month old one in the park, and when she went to look at the cat, she saw the carrier in the trash, she rescued both of them and was taking them to her vet..

i tried to go to Porto Rico coffee place and it was closed for Memorial Day. i figured it was when i called the order line and they said the office was closed. They didnt mention the store so i went to Gormet Garage anyway. it was almost 1pm and i wanted to check out the street fair at Madison and grand central but i was feeling nauseous and took the bus uptown.. I ended up buying sandles at Modells and went through the street fair..
I saw the cosmetics counter and these three west side women or Long Island women who were treating the asian sales help like they were invisible..I wanted to say something but didnt..Just because they were working, doesnt mean they can be ignored over a 3.00 discount..

i went to 57th street and talked over to carnegie hall and took the train home..

i got home for oprah and made sauteed spinach with garlic and onions over these yam noodles that i bought..

i watched Nanny 911...(forgot it was monday) GO nanny Deb.. teaching communication skills to the MCBarrys who scream scream scream..

then i watched Hells Kitchen.. a chef who humiliates his contestants. the teams of restaurant help all want to win their own restaurant... some have experience, some not,
they had to cook their signature dish, Chef spit, curses and humiliated the cooks attempts,
the two teams had to simulate a restaurant with real diners..
Chef had to approve the dishes going on the floor...

He is mean and humiliating and cruel.. I dont like those shows that humilate people.. i turned off the first week or so of American Idol, i dont think making fun of people is funny.. These contestants, good or bad are trying or think they have talent. They can be told in a way that doesnt degrade them...

Hells kitchen is a disaster piece..

sunday in new york

UGH...I started my day at the seaport...Boy there were a ton of people "touristas" all over lower manhattan yesterday..They were all over the city.. I started at the STrand and bought my neices some books. My neice heather asked me for "freddy the pig" books so i found three books for them....
I ended up at the GAP again.. i bought a black parochial school girl skirt and then needed black and white flip flops to wear with my skirts...

I walked uptown towards chinatown and bought some overpriced grapes and strawberries. I realized i hadnt eaten and needed the strawberries... i walked through little italy where they closed off mulberry street. there were lots of stands and stores where things were on sale and i browsed around and bought replacement sunglasses because i lost my 5 dollar pair.. I stopped to get my super some croisants on spring street and walked over to broadway...

i went to get some flip flops and then hit the Angelica in time for Saving Grace but it was 530 and the producer was speaking and as i was in line..the show was sold out..
i really wasnt that interested in seeing the movie.. so i walked up to 14th and
with my belongings and packages and went to see if i could get a ticket to the screening of Cinderella Man... Sold out said the sign.. I didnt wait in line and didnt want to see CRASH... saw all the rest of the movies (madagascar and starwars)
so i went to Whole Foods for brown rice sushi and came home to do my wash and
watch Desparate Housewives...

sometimes it doesnt work out

Fun blog games

Here are a bunch of games to find out your STAR WARS horoscope or what chinese year you were born- play on

blog games for fun

what is what??

well i was not happy that I lost my stamps, washed my gap passport that will give me savings savings and savings all summer, and that i am without my tax refund

so i called the IRS and they said they cannot reprint the letter.. this woman had me on hold way way way too long while she tried to contact the department that is processing my return with the Error or rejecting my return due to the error..and could not reach them to give me the fax number so i can send it the corrected information.. So i held held held while the 1812 overture blew bombs in my ears.. it sucked...
i couldnt get anywhere so i tried to get my accountant's wife and they have an unpublished number.. I was just so frustrated....and pissed that I pay that MAN way way way too much money to screw up my refund...
i resigned myself that i would deal with it when i get home...i wrote a note and went to see his wife to explain the situation and She came down to my apartment and LOCATED the letter... my accountant came home and i explained it to him and we played along that i didnt have the letter so then i came clean...

so i went with my lost passport to the gap and they replaced it with a shiny new one and they gave me a friends and family card with 15% or 30% off this weekend..
IM IN THE BONUS ROUND..

I then went to see MAdagascar... at the pavillion.. there were millions of kiddies and me ... THe movie plot falls apart at the end but its basically a fun movie..

Its about these animals in the central park zoo.. so you see lots of NYC as a backdrop who get the wunderlust and want more from life so the zebra having a midlife crisis wants to go to the WILD... so to get to the wild you have to take the train at 59th street and go to Grand central terminal and go on the metro north? to CT..

there are lots of adventures they have so they shipped to kenya and the soprano penguins highjack him and they end up in Madagascar.. the Penguins end up in antartica (it sucks) and they reappear...

getting the Animals back to the zoo is the adventure..

teh characters are entertaining and animation fun.. the soundtrack ROCKS..
especially the lemurs who like to move it, move it, move it..move it..
YOU like to move it move it.. you like to move it ... they are sassy little rats..

i then went home with chinese food and walked home..

saturday, i went to the gap and bought a skirt.. the staff are overly helpful and helped me find a shirt and skirt i was looking for.. I went all over the village with the hope of seeing SAVING FACE, a new movie but missed the 530pm.. show.. i stopped to check out the 3rd avenue street fair. I love these street fairs in NYC in summer..
with the sausage and peppers and corn on the cob and backrubs and shit for sale.

I ended up getting a helpful salesgirl at the gap who after arguing with me over the sale of a shirt, ordered a the skirt i wanted and went on to have it sent to me with the discount from the 34th street store in my size..

it started to rain and i went home... to see the REDSOX slammed the Yankees 17-1 and watched a MIGHTY WIND AGAIN...

today, i got up early early and called my sister and mom who had a party at moms yesterday with walks, the played croquet and had a blast.. my sister is taking the kids to Madagascar and Kicking and Screaming at the drive in.. so they can move it move it move it move it..

i went for a walk and shopped for green things and i am going to the seaport and fleet week activities.. and then maybe catch the preview of Cinderella Man or anohter film i want to see.. I want to head through the LES maybe.. maybe..
but no more GAP....

i never found my stamps....

place it in the damn file

Last night when i was walking in the house, i pulled my keys out of my pocket and i dropped a dollar bill...i realized i dropped something else but i couldnt place it..
maybe a 10 dollar bill, maybe a receipt... i looked back and a man picked up something in the middle of the sidewalk... i searched my pockets.. thought thought.. MY NEW BOOK OF STAMPS... Gone..gone gone

then i ran into my account who needed to fill out a correction form to my tax return.. so i asked if he did it.. he said he would send the revised return in.. I said NO NO NO
they want the their form with the two lines corrected NOT ANOTHER RETURN...he hoped he could find the form i gave him... i should have made a copy.. he wished i did.. I have to call the IRS today to get another copy... ALL this is delaying my refund..
I should have made a copy...

the universe is making it a little difficult...among all the happy things that have been happening this week..a little wrench...

kiss it all to the wind and get the IRS to send me a new one.. Buy new stamps and leave it behind

Brooks and Dunn interviewed on Today show

Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks were interviewed on the Today show today about the following: They spoke to the missing statues and read the handwritten random note..
it was weird__________________________________


BROOKS & DUNN'S TROPHIES MISSING

Brooks & Dunn
There was a "trophy-napping" on the night of the ACMs. Last Tuesday in Las Vegas, after winning the ACM award for Duo of the Year, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn decided to go gambling. They left their trophies in the limo, but when they returned, the awards were missing! According to The Tennessean, Brooks & Dunn's manager received a picture via e-mail of the ACM trophies in blindfolds and handcuffs on a mantel next to some bowling trophies. There's a note on the mantel that reads "HELP! Daddy Brooks and Daddy Dunn." The e-mail says: "Respond immediately to confirm that we have made contact." The duo's manager predicts the thief is a Music Row prankster. Word is there will be no ransom offered and the duo wants the trophies back unharmed.

Published on: 05/24/2005

the I have to go NOW bill -will they get my vote

Council Passes a Bill to Shorten the Line at the Ladies' Room


By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: May 26, 2005

With nary a dissenting vote, the City Council yesterday passed sweeping legislation to bring so-called potty parity to the city's bars, sports arenas, movie theaters and other venues at which long lines at the ladies' room have long been a frustrating fact of life.

The measure, called the Women's Restroom Equity Bill, will require all new establishments falling under the terms of the legislation to maintain roughly a two-to-one ratio of women's bathroom stalls to men's stalls and urinals. Existing establishments will have to come into compliance when they undergo extensive renovations, while restaurants, schools, hospitals, and municipal buildings are excluded.

"Today indeed is a very historic day," said Councilwoman Yvette D. Clarke, the bill's chief sponsor. "When we talk about women and their quality of life, one thing that everyone has sort of turned a blind eye to has been our ability to utilize public facilities in a timely manner."

As the roll call vote progressed, the Council's female members were visibly enthusiastic in their praise of the bill - and its male contingent deliberately so.

"It's a good bill, but if there was ever a bill I was afraid of being on the wrong side of, it is this bill," said Councilman Erik Martin Dilan of Brooklyn, voicing a sentiment held by a number of his colleagues. Noting that 60 percent of his constituents are women, Councilman Dilan added, "I really don't want to face them in an election year having to explain my position if I was on the wrong side of this vote."

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg supports the bill and is expected to sign it into law.

The Council also passed a bill expressing its support for legislation pending in Albany to restore city officials' control over local rent and eviction laws, which cover about 2.4 million New York City residents living in rent-controlled and rent-stabilized apartments.

In 2003, the Council passed a resolution favoring such a change in principle, but yesterday's legislation, known as a home-rule message, is a more formal statement of support.

"The city of New York should not have to go up and bargain with upstate representatives to protect our own homes," Council Speaker Gifford Miller said at a news conference before the vote. "We have a duly elected mayor and a duly elected City Council. And the mayor and the City Council ought to be able to get together and make decisions about our homes and our lives."

Every Democratic Council member supported the home-rule message, while the three Republican members voted against it. A return to local control of rent and eviction laws would require the consent of the Assembly, the State Senate and Gov. George E. Pataki. Proponents said the Council's action would put pressure on the city's mayoral candidates, chiefly Mr. Bloomberg, to make the issue more of a priority.

"Does this mean Joe Bruno is going to pass a bill?" asked Michael McKee, a housing advocate, referring to the State Senate's majority leader. "Of course not. This is just the beginning of a campaign, and we're going to make it an issue in the upcoming election."

dreams

i actually think this was two dreams. Sleeping through the night is a challenge with a kitty who has learned HOW to wake me up for attention. She is a smart kitty who learned how to butt my nose and walk on my body and nudge me to give her attention.. So was it the kitty of love and night waking or hot flashes...both

the first dream involved my car. My old dead executive director Cecilia was driving my car and it was left parked in a lot space unlocked and i could see my knapsack in the front seat with the pockets open. It was grey and bumpy like something i owed, leather not my black northface cloth backpack..it was bag from the past. I was not in the car but knew my car was left open. I was furious in the dream and was told that the social worker in the Homeless Prevention Program (where i work now) instructed and was responsible for the instructions to keep my car unlocked.

I approached him in the dream and cornered him and in a direct way, laid him out to the impact of his instructions on the perceived safety of the my car and belongings.

The next scene or dream involved Sr Teresa like character. She was a nun who i worked along side with at St Josephs. She used the agency to get licensed her convent for kids of Bedford Hills (women's prison) inmates. She was unorthodox, dishonest, the agency message was to handle her with kit gloves and she was not confronted on her one sided relationship. She wanted everything and gave good care but participate or contributed nothing to the agency. its was between she and the nuns at st josephs but a minor nightmare to me.

well sr. teresa or a teresa like character approached me about working on visition for his chunky 10 year old boy. I agreeded, the next thing i knew after the visit, she casually said he was coming home with me. before i knew what was going on, i didnt disagree. I asked her HOW long it would be til his mom got him back and she said 6 months. Thinking a minute and in the dream, i thought about my lifestyle, I told her clearly and directly. I could not care for him for any time. The arrangement was for me to be involved in visitation and i never consented to caring for him.
there was a farm setting somewhere here also

i then i had to deal with the boy who seemed happy in his room and after i asked him what he liked to do, play video games, watch tv. i told him he could not stay and but in the dream, i thought maybe i could be his mentor, no i didnt want a weekly committment.

he started to cry hard, and i rubbed his back to help calm him down...
and the alarm clock rang

Capricorn Horoscope for week of May 26, 2005

Capricorn Horoscope for week of May 26, 2005

Verticle Oracle card Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has no tolerance for his children's carelessness with their dirty clothes. His wife Maria Shriver says that if he finds the kids' pajamas and t-shirts lying around, he simply burns them. I urge you to take a page out of the Terminator's book, Capricorn. It's an excellent time to throw parts of your wardrobe into the fire--especially things that may still look OK but no longer suit your style. You know what I mean: the clothes that remind you of the person you used to be but no longer are. Once you've got the blaze started, why not fling in a bunch of other stuff that's outdated, worn out, and weighing you down?

Molly Ivins on the Cheerleader Bill in Texas

Here in Texas, the Can't-Shake-Your-Booty bill passed the House, saving us all from the scourge of sexy cheerleaders. But nothing else is getting done.


Here in the National Laboratory for Bad Government, it's Duck and Cover time -- the Legislature is in session. The Can't-Shake-Your-Booty bill passed the House, saving us all from the scourge of sexy cheerleaders. But nothing else is getting done. The state is being run by people who do not know how to govern. Keep in mind that based on past form, whatever lunacy is going on in Texas will eventually sweep the country.

Rarely are the words of one state legislator worth national attention, but when Senfronia Thompson, a black representative from Houston, stalks to the back mike with a certain "get-out-of-my-way" look in her eye, it's Katie, bar the door. Here is Thompson speaking against the Legislature's recent folly of putting a superfluous anti-gay marriage measure into the state constitution:

"I have been a member of this august body for three decades, and today is one of the all-time low points. We are going in the wrong direction, in the direction of hate and fear and discrimination. Members, we all know what this is about; this is the politics of divisiveness at its worst, a wedge issue that is meant to divide.

"Members, this is a distraction from the real things we need to be working on. At the end of this session, this Legislature, this leadership will not be able to deliver the people of Texas fundamental and fair answers to the pressing issues of our day.

"Let's look at what this amendment does not do: It does not give one Texas citizen meaningful tax relief. It does not reform or fully fund our education system. It does not restore one child to CHIP [Children's Health Insurance Program] who was cut from health insurance last session. It does not put one dime into raising Texas' Third World access to health care. It does not do one thing to care for or protect one elderly person or one child in this state. In fact, it does not even do anything to protect one marriage.

"Members, this bill is about hate and fear and discrimination... When I was a small girl, white folks used to talk about 'protecting the institution of marriage' as well. What they meant was if people of my color tried to marry people of Mr. Chisum's color, you'd often find the people of my color hanging from a tree... Fifty years ago, white folks thought interracial marriages were 'a threat to the institution of marriage.'

"Members, I'm a Christian and a proud Christian. I read the good book and do my best to live by it. I have never read the verse where it says, 'Gay people can't marry.' I have never read the verse where it says, 'Thou shalt discriminate against those not like me.' I have never read the verse where it says, 'Let's base our public policy on hate and fear and discrimination.' Christianity to me is love and hope and faith and forgiveness -- not hate and discrimination.

"I have served in this body a lot of years, and I have seen a lot of promises broken... So... now that blacks and women have equal rights, you turn your hatred to homosexuals, and you still use your misguided reading of the Bible to justify your hatred. You want to pass this ridiculous amendment so you can go home and brag -- brag about what? Declare that you saved the people of Texas from what?

"Persons of the same sex cannot get married in this state now. Texas law does not now recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions, religious unions, domestic partnerships, contractual arrangements or Christian blessings entered into in this state -- or anywhere else on this planet Earth.

"If you want to make your hateful political statements then that is one thing -- but the Chisum amendment does real harm. It repeals the contracts that many single people have paid thousands of dollars to purchase to obtain medical powers of attorney, powers of attorney, hospital visitation, joint ownership and support agreements. You have lost your way. This is obscene...

"I thought we would be debating economic development, property tax relief, protecting seniors' pensions and stem cell research to save lives of Texans who are waiting for a more abundant life. Instead we are wasting this body's time with this political stunt that is nothing more than constitutionalizing discrimination. The prejudices exhibited by members of this body disgust me.

"Last week, Republicans used a political wedge issue to pull kids -- sweet little vulnerable kids -- out of the homes of loving parents and put them back in a state orphanage just because those parents are gay. That's disgusting.

"I have listened to the arguments. I have listened to all of the crap... I want you to know that this amendment [is] blowing smoke to fuel the hell-fire flames of bigotry."

Then they passed the amendment.

Molly Ivins writes about politics, Texas and other bizarre happenings.

dreaming again

i had lots of stops and starts to this dream. its tough that i lose so much of the dream during the waking moments..

i went to sleep about 930pm last night and I was tired and i drifted off to sleep..
I woke with a hot flash around 1130 and again about 100 and again about 3 and 6...(i am working at home so i could get up at 8am)

i remember dreaming and reentering the dream about willie nelson. again i wish i could remember the scene but there were horses and willie nelson and i ended up washing his bus..i had a large sponge and i was cleaning his bus

(willie's bus has a huge mural on the side of a western scene with horses and willie and says the red headed stranger) i was washing the bus and willie winked at me and told me to keep washing

i woke up and went back into the dream and kept washing

another Mary Chapin carpenter dream

I had another dream about mary chapin carpenter last night.. She confided that she had not done "something??" and i also had not done "that same something". we looked at each other and i thought seeing we both hadnt done whatever, lets get to it..

She looked like the early music year Mary Chapin Carpenter

and the next scene was that we were in a cabin lobby setting and she introduced me casually to this woman ( who i knew was her partner of many years) i learned in the dream it was her partner at brown- ( i dont know this to be true or if she ever had a female partner or experience )

.. and then her husband walked in and sat down.. this was the older, more mature ... 47 year old Mary Chapin

I asked MCC in the dream if she views "american Idol" from the perspective of a performer or watches it as entertainment?

i woke up thinking - she and me are we in the dream


how can she not analyze the performer part. She has experienced that part of getting on stage in front of a large audience...

the dream came in snippets

hot flashes wake me at night and i get up a lot.... it doesnt do much for the EBV

Yoda Speaks

YODA : Hard to see, the dark side is. Discover who this assassin is, we must

YODA : Eveything. Fear is the path to the dark side... fear leads to anger... anger leads to hate.. hate leads to suffering.

YODA : A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. I sense much fear in you.

YODA : Our own council we will keep on who is ready. More to learn, he has..

YODA : Always two there are....no more...no less. A master and an apprentice.

YODA Ready, are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained! A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind.

This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh! Excitement. Heh! A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless!

YODA Run! Yes. A Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger... fear... aggression. The dark side are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice.

YODA
So certain are you. Always with you it cannot be done.Hear you nothing that I say?

YODA
No! No different! Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned.

YODA
No! Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.

YODA
Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hm? Mmmm

YODA
And well you should not.For my ally in the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we..... not this crude matter.
(a sweeping gesture)
You must feel the Force around you.

YODA
Concentrate... feel the Force flow. Yes. Good. Calm, yes. Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future... the past. Old friends long gone.)

YODA You will know. When you are calm, at peace. Passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for

YODA
That place... is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go.

YODA
Use the Force. Yes

REminder for me - 10PM channel 13 documentary

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/redhookjustice/

Independent Lens:
Red Hook Justice
Discover how an ambitious Brooklyn community center focuses on problem solving and rehabilitation over jail time.

In 2000, an experimental court opened its doors in Red Hook, Brooklyn, a neighborhood plagued by a cycle of unemployment, poverty and crime. The Red Hook Community Justice Center (RHCJC) is at the center of a legal revolution: the community justice movement, which emphasizes neighborhood-focused problem solving and rehabilitation over punishment and doing time. Instead of jail time, offenders are often sentenced to job training, drug counseling and community service. In RED HOOK JUSTICE, acclaimed filmmaker Meema Spadola provides an up-close examination of the RHCJC, a revolutionary new kind of community court that has served as a model for other courts in cities across the country.

America’s criminal courts are clogged with more than 11 million low-level crimes each year, many of them committed by repeat offenders. The RHCJC was created to stop this revolving door phenomenon by turning around the lives of those who find themselves repeatedly before the bench and healing the surrounding community. RED HOOK JUSTICE profiles the early years of this bold new court. The filmmakers were allowed exclusive access at the RHCJC for nearly two years, capturing vérité scenes of intake interviews in the Center's holding cells, court proceedings, community meetings and other day-to-day workings of the Justice Center.
A young man dressed in a puffy black ski jacket looks forlornly off to the side.

A man in a suit and tie and a young pregnant woman look at a computer screen.

RED HOOK JUSTICE focuses on the dramatic stories of three Red Hook defendants and a handful of staffers at the Center. Anthony and Michael are orphaned teen brothers who have multiple drug arrests and are struggling to get their lives in order, all while resisting the pull of the streets and their family's legacy of imprisonment and death. Letitia, who has sold drugs and worked as a prostitute, gets pregnant shortly after being arrested while trying to buy heroin. She has already lost two children to the foster care system, but if she stays off drugs, she'll have another shot at motherhood.

Featured RHCJC staff include Brett Taylor, a passionate Legal Aid defender who handles a hundred criminal cases at a time and wonders if this new court helps or hurts his clients; Leroy Davis, a court officer who grew up in the Red Hook housing projects; District Attorney Gerianne Abriano, who works to redefine the role of prosecutor and sometimes finds herself in the unlikely position of advocating for drug treatment rather than jail; and Judge Alex Calabrese, the public face of the court who takes a hands-on approach with defendants.

The U.S. Department of Justice has called the Red Hook Community Justice Center "a standard bearer for the entire country." Indeed, today there are three dozen courts like it around the United States, and new justice centers are opening in the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia. RED HOOK JUSTICE is powerful portrait of what this new kind of court can and will mean for communities worldwide.

Update

Filmmaker Meema Spadola shot RED HOOK JUSTICE between 2000 and 2003. In 2005, she reported:

Since the documentary was completed, Anthony has stayed out of trouble, worked sporadically at odd jobs, and had a second child—a little girl—with the mother of his son. He still stops by the Justice Center to visit, and recently came by to very proudly show the Judge a pay stub.

Anthony’s older brother Michael has left Red Hook and lives in the Bronx with his girlfriend and their new baby. He’s working as a bike messenger.

Since the documentary’s postscript, Letitia had another baby. She has not been able to regain custody of her other kids, and has continued to struggle with substance abuse. She occasionally visits the Justice Center to seek services and support.

Brett, Leroy, Gerianne and Judge Calabrese all remain at the Justice Center, and sometimes travel around the country and the world to educate people about community justice.

Since filming ended, Leroy moved back to the Red Hook neighborhood, where he was born and raised. In 2004, Leroy received a Merit Award from New York State’s Chief Judge Judith Kaye to commemorate his work in the Red Hook community, including the “Books & Basketball” program and his mentoring of Red Hook youth.

Brett is marking his fifth year as coach of the Defenders, a co-ed team that is part of the Red Hook Youth Baseball League.

thank you senators 14

the Jedi masters of the senate who reached an agreement on the Judical nominations and perserved the rights of the minority against the expressed wishes of Frist, Delay and Cheney ( sounds like an axis of evil and ethical corruption -the dark side for sure) were
take a few minutes out of your day and email them to thank them

Thank Tom Harkin for offering to stay up all night to listen to the concerns of his IOEAN, Barbara Boxer, Patrick Leahy, and Charles Schumer who all were leaders on the defeating the evil nuclear option

Hail Byrd, Hail Warner, Hail Snow, Hail McCAIN, Hail Nelson, Hail Salazar, Hail Chafee, Hail Inouye, Hail Landrieu, Hail Lieberman, Hail Pryor, Hail Collins, Hail Dewine, HAil Graham


THE GROUP OF 14
Democrats
Robert Byrd (West Virginia)
Daniel Inouye (Hawaii)
Mary Landrieu (Louisiana)
Joseph Lieberman (Connecticut)
Ben Nelson (Nebraska)
Mark Pryor (Arkansas)
Ken Salazar (Colorado)
Republicans
Lincoln Chafee (Rhode Island)
Susan Collins (Maine)
Mike DeWine (Ohio)
Lindsey Graham (South Carolina)
John McCain (Arizona)
John Warner (Virginia)
Olympia Snowe (Maine)

letting go dream

i had a dream at some time last night between night wakings where i got the Message to "let go". I am sure that i heard a prompt of such on TV and that was the Message that Yoda gave to Annikan Skywalker ... he had to let go of what he most fears...
Yoda is the grooviest zen master on the council..

the downing street memo -

ay 22, 2005
17 days since congressional request for investigation.

Nobody wants to go to war. We trust our leaders to shed blood in our name only when absolutely necessary. Two years after the start of the Iraq War, on March 20, 2003, Americans are just learning that our government was dead set on taking our nation to war, even while it claimed to be pursuing diplomacy.

The Downing Street Memo, recently leaked, reveals that President George W. Bush decided to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in summer 2002 and—determined to ensure that U.S. intelligence data supported his policies—"fixed" the intelligence and facts relevent to WMD.

What has come to be known as the Downing Street "Memo" is actually a document containing meeting minutes transcribed during the British Prime Minister's meeting on July 23, 2002. This meeting was held a full 8 months PRIOR to the invasion of Iraq on March 20, 2003. The Times of London printed the text of this document on Sunday, May 1, 2005. When asked about the document's validity, "British officials did not dispute the document's authenticity."As originally reported in the The Times of London, May 1, 2005
____________________________________________

SECRET AND STRICTLY PERSONAL - UK EYES ONLY

DAVID MANNING
From: Matthew Rycroft
Date: 23 July 2002
S 195 /02

cc: Defence Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Attorney-General, Sir Richard Wilson, John Scarlett, Francis Richards, CDS, C, Jonathan Powell, Sally Morgan, Alastair Campbell

IRAQ: PRIME MINISTER'S MEETING, 23 JULY

Copy addressees and you met the Prime Minister on 23 July to discuss Iraq.

This record is extremely sensitive. No further copies should be made. It should be shown only to those with a genuine need to know its contents.

John Scarlett summarised the intelligence and latest JIC assessment. Saddam's regime was tough and based on extreme fear. The only way to overthrow it was likely to be by massive military action. Saddam was worried and expected an attack, probably by air and land, but he was not convinced that it would be immediate or overwhelming. His regime expected their neighbours to line up with the US. Saddam knew that regular army morale was poor. Real support for Saddam among the public was probably narrowly based.

C reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.

CDS said that military planners would brief CENTCOM on 1-2 August, Rumsfeld on 3 August and Bush on 4 August.

The two broad US options were:

(a) Generated Start. A slow build-up of 250,000 US troops, a short (72 hour) air campaign, then a move up to Baghdad from the south. Lead time of 90 days (30 days preparation plus 60 days deployment to Kuwait).

(b) Running Start. Use forces already in theatre (3 x 6,000), continuous air campaign, initiated by an Iraqi casus belli. Total lead time of 60 days with the air campaign beginning even earlier. A hazardous option.

The US saw the UK (and Kuwait) as essential, with basing in Diego Garcia and Cyprus critical for either option. Turkey and other Gulf states were also important, but less vital. The three main options for UK involvement were:

(i) Basing in Diego Garcia and Cyprus, plus three SF squadrons.

(ii) As above, with maritime and air assets in addition.

(iii) As above, plus a land contribution of up to 40,000, perhaps with a discrete role in Northern Iraq entering from Turkey, tying down two Iraqi divisions.

The Defence Secretary said that the US had already begun "spikes of activity" to put pressure on the regime. No decisions had been taken, but he thought the most likely timing in US minds for military action to begin was January, with the timeline beginning 30 days before the US Congressional elections.

The Foreign Secretary said he would discuss this with Colin Powell this week. It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even if the timing was not yet decided. But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbours, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran. We should work up a plan for an ultimatum to Saddam to allow back in the UN weapons inspectors. This would also help with the legal justification for the use of force.

The Attorney-General said that the desire for regime change was not a legal base for military action. There were three possible legal bases: self-defence, humanitarian intervention, or UNSC authorisation. The first and second could not be the base in this case. Relying on UNSCR 1205 of three years ago would be difficult. The situation might of course change.

The Prime Minister said that it would make a big difference politically and legally if Saddam refused to allow in the UN inspectors. Regime change and WMD were linked in the sense that it was the regime that was producing the WMD. There were different strategies for dealing with Libya and Iran. If the political context were right, people would support regime change. The two key issues were whether the military plan worked and whether we had the political strategy to give the military plan the space to work.

On the first, CDS said that we did not know yet if the US battleplan was workable. The military were continuing to ask lots of questions.

For instance, what were the consequences, if Saddam used WMD on day one, or if Baghdad did not collapse and urban warfighting began? You said that Saddam could also use his WMD on Kuwait. Or on Israel, added the Defence Secretary.

The Foreign Secretary thought the US would not go ahead with a military plan unless convinced that it was a winning strategy. On this, US and UK interests converged. But on the political strategy, there could be US/UK differences. Despite US resistance, we should explore discreetly the ultimatum. Saddam would continue to play hard-ball with the UN.

John Scarlett assessed that Saddam would allow the inspectors back in only when he thought the threat of military action was real.

The Defence Secretary said that if the Prime Minister wanted UK military involvement, he would need to decide this early. He cautioned that many in the US did not think it worth going down the ultimatum route. It would be important for the Prime Minister to set out the political context to Bush.

Conclusions:

(a) We should work on the assumption that the UK would take part in any military action. But we needed a fuller picture of US planning before we could take any firm decisions. CDS should tell the US military that we were considering a range of options.

(b) The Prime Minister would revert on the question of whether funds could be spent in preparation for this operation.

(c) CDS would send the Prime Minister full details of the proposed military campaign and possible UK contributions by the end of the week.

(d) The Foreign Secretary would send the Prime Minister the background on the UN inspectors, and discreetly work up the ultimatum to Saddam.

He would also send the Prime Minister advice on the positions of countries in the region especially Turkey, and of the key EU member states.

(e) John Scarlett would send the Prime Minister a full intelligence update.

(f) We must not ignore the legal issues: the Attorney-General would consider legal advice with FCO/MOD legal advisers.

(I have written separately to commission this follow-up work.)

MATTHEW RYCROFT

(Rycroft was a Downing Street foreign policy aide)

[emphasis added]

Notes regarding the document's validity:

"The newly disclosed memo, which was first reported by the Sunday Times of London, hasn't been disavowed by the British government. The British Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

A former senior U.S. official called it "an absolutely accurate description of what transpired" during the senior British intelligence officer's visit to Washington. He spoke on condition of anonymity.

A White House official said the administration wouldn't comment on leaked British documents..."

• Memo: Bush manipulated Iraq intel,
Newsday, May 9, 2005

"British officials did not dispute the document's authenticity..."

• Bush asked to explain UK war memo,
CNN, May 12, 2005

"Since Smith's report was published May 1, Blair's Downing Street office has not disputed the document's authenticity. Asked about them Wednesday, a Blair spokesman said the report added nothing significant..."

• Indignation Grows in U.S. Over British Prewar Documents,
LA Times, May 12, 2005

Rojo

Rojo is my dream feed...

i stumbled upon ROJO a free RSS feed program where you can set up all the link and news you want and can read it in one feel swoop....

all the news you ever want, when you want it at rojo.com

if you were zach, you would smoke pot too

IF your mother committed suicide, you found out that you were a stolen baby, your girlfriend dumps you, your father or the man you think is your father turns out not to be your father and leaves you with Mrs Huber's sister, and you find out that your real name is Dana not zach, you would smoke pot too
_________________

Desperate Housewives' Actor Arrested on Marijuana Charge

By ANTHONY RAMIREZ
Published: May 19, 2005

When more than 17 million of the nation's television households last saw Zach Young, the sullen teenager burdened by secrets on the ABC show "Desperate Housewives," he was being abandoned, or so it seemed, by his sinister father. It was the latest blow in a plot that began with his mother's baffling suicide and continued with his father's descent into murder.

Cody Kasch is accused of smoking marijuana in the East Village.

Yesterday, however, real life itself took a distressing turn. The police announced that Cody Kasch, 17, the actor who plays Zach, had been arrested on a charge of smoking marijuana in public on an East Village street. Mr. Kasch was released by the police and has returned to his home in California.

His manager, Scott Bankston, said that the arrest was a mistake and that Mr. Kasch did not smoke marijuana. He said Mr. Kasch was in the wrong place at the wrong time on "his very first trip to New York."

"He was with a group of kids and one of them was smoking pot, or was about to smoke a joint, when an undercover police officer arrested all of them," Mr. Bankston said. He expressed confidence that the charges would be dropped.

"He's very upset about all this," Mr. Bankston said.

The arrest of Mr. Kasch on the misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession occurred at 10:50 p.m. outside an apartment building on East First Street, a block north of Houston Street. He was given a desk appearance ticket, typically handed out for minor offenses, and told to return to Manhattan Criminal Court on June 20.

Mr. Kasch's arrest comes at a critical time for ABC, which, thanks to "Desperate Housewives" and other shows, has attracted new audiences and critical praise. Mr. Kasch was in Manhattan for what are known as the annual television "upfronts," at which network executives present to advertisers their new fall schedules. An ABC spokeswoman for "Desperate Housewives" declined to comment on the arrest.

Capricorn Horoscope for week of May 19, 2005

Capricorn Horoscope for week of May 19, 2005

Verticle Oracle card Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
Viticulturists have noticed that wine often tastes better if the soil where the grapevines are planted is less than top quality. It seems that when the grapes have to work harder to flourish, they're more robust. I foresee a similar situation for you in the coming weeks, Capricorn. The growing conditions might be less than optimal, but I bet the stuff you produce will be extraordinary.

the weird things i see

i saw a girl with a long skirt and mother dressed in typical hasidic mother wear.. long dress head covering... bit pot belly ( why do they all look like their bellies are sticking up)
well the kid had bandages and regular tape on her ears...
i think she just got em pierced... Couldnt she have gone to the mall and got punched like everyone else..

Dave Matthews in my dreams

last night was better. I didnt have as many hot flashes( sleep interruptions) i had to get up and turn on the fan...Thanks to my friend suzi.. i have small fans in my apartment and i asked the super to put up my ceiling fans. so i have started to find some remedy or needs so i can get a full night sleep..

hot flashes, kitty wake ups, and bathroom breaks ....

i dreamed about dave matthews.. in my dream he appeared not to be bright but i knew he was quite bright. it was a woody rural scene or farm and dave matthews was the centerpeice
(it was alot like charlottesville-)

i am not sure if DM was in my dream or charlottesville because of Mary Chapin Carpenter who is also from that area of the country.. it seems like she was a reference or overall feeling in the dream.
she does have a relationship with DM and to DM ..

it seems in the dream i was in that part of the country.. i didnt talk to DM but observed him with farm animals... chicken eggs and a chicken coop...

i seem to be remembering snippets of the DM dream

make yourself in south park

you can create yourself and friends in a south park character
i did my friend suzi with her red hair, glasses and had her in the forest...
maybe ill make myself later...



http://www.planearium2.de/flash/sp-studio-e.html

dream

let me preface this dream with the fact that i dont sleep through the night. I have been infected by hot flashes that get me up ... they wake me from a sound sleep and i have to get cooler.. I throw off the covers, drink 1/2 a can of cold soda and try to fall asleep..
this has been going on for about 2 weeks and it has taken its toll on my Chronic Fatigue.. because I am now sleep deprived and more fatigued than my ususal chronic fatigue state and i have 10 years of this to look forward to..

so i fell asleep with the food channel on and i dreamed that some cook was assembling food.. they were rolling something like making appetizers.. my friend fay was in the dream..
the cook was wrapping this thing in SEAL...sometimes in CAT..
the seals were going to be cooked in the microwave after being put in tupperware containers, like the ones the cool whip come in
my friend fay was offended that seals would be cooked and used that way ...
(possibly they were cooked live)
i was not upset and really was more ambivalent..

i kept waking up and going back into a different version of the same dream

the cooked seals...

when your mating call ends up in the TIMES

My friend suzi, the avid reader and all round intellectual geek...she sucks down books and magazines, including the New yorker and chili magazine.. you know the type.. Mensa eligible but not antisocial... an educator and writer and with a sense of humor..
she loves popular culture but has no TV..(man, how will she ever know which Iron Chef is which or which Nanny, gets called in to deal with the Dickson's grief) she has to read about stuff on Salon Premium... living in oregon or iowa doesnt help but even so she is keen on Ave Q's latest review and why i should see the Galaxy sci-fi movie
she listens to NPR and reads everything she can get her hands on.. including the NY times..
when she sees the online times today.. she will see her mating call has made it to the science section..

she reports that her favorite mating call is to SING Particle man to her unsuspecting victims... like the mating routine of certain animals species..

maybe TLC or Animal Planet or Discovery or Nature would be interested a segment on How and why Particle Man works as a mating call..
is it the hormones or her loverly voice..?

maybe an academy winning short...on Particle MAN the mating song..

sing on suzi.....

When You Wish Upon an Atom: The Songs of Science


By MICHAEL ERARD
Published: May 17, 2005

Rock music, even of the indie persuasion, tends to avoid science. The Pixies have a song about Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, builder of the Eiffel Tower, and the celebrated geekiness of They Might Be Giants produced "Particle Man" ("Particle man, particle man/doing the things a particle can") and "The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas," among other science-y songs. And the folk-pop duo Kate and Anna McGarrigle made chemistry a metaphor for romance in "NaCl" ("Just a little atom of chlorine, valence minus one/Swimming through the sea, digging the scene, just having fun"). Scientific themes probably show up more often in music videos, as in Thomas Dolby's 1980's hit, "Blinded by Science."

nothing surprises me about TEXAS

Bill on Bawdy Cheers Faces a Dim Future

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: May 16, 2005

AUSTIN, Tex., May 15 (AP) - A bill approved by the State House to ban bawdy cheerleading routines will apparently not be passed by the Senate this year.

The legislation prohibits "overtly sexually suggestive" cheerleading routines at school events. It does not define "sexually suggestive."

The House approved the legislation on May 3 and sent it to the Senate Education Committee, where it is expected to die.

"We have some very important work to do in the next two weeks, and that's not one of them," said State Senator Florence Shapiro, a Republican from Plano who is chairwoman of the Education Committee.

State Representative Al Edwards, a Houston Democrat and sponsor of the bill, has argued that suggestive routines are a distraction and result in pregnancies, dropouts, and the contraction of herpes and H.I.V

random observations

why is Aztec Two steps touring as the Simon and Garfunkel tribute duo?
(the just reunited a few years ago..cant they perform their own stuff)

Its been a shopping weekend.. lots of pants at the GAP.. no one cares if i wear an 8 0r 10 but me.
(i grabbed 8-10 and 12s..) sometimes the 8 fit, sometimes the 10 and sometimes the 12. i bought what fit and what was on sale.

the i went to manhattan.. i saw a friends girlfriend.. She doesnt really speak about much. She asked if i did something to my hair.. I had cut and colored it in september, guess she didnt see me since then.. She asked if i was going to the Boston folk festival.. i told her that september was a long way off and i had to think about more cirrent things..

i then met a man in suit on the subway who had lived in NY.. upper bronx for 5 years and never has been on the subway.. he drives everywhere he needs to go.. from the bronx to manhattan and parks his car there.. he didnt know that you can take the train to the bus.. he spent 60 dollars on a cab to get a 2.00 train ride. He was amazed that the subway was humane..
he was from NJ and as a 5 year resident.. he lost his credibility and i told him he really wasnt a new yorker.. New Yorkers know and take public transportation unless they have all that money to spend..
he is living in the suburbs of westchester..some as NJ

hey is CNN running Patricia Owens for judge commercials- asking for "senators to do their job and vote"
cant they refuse the money? no
cant FOX fun other commericals
i think they are just there to piss off the liberal
same with the Halliburton commericals on CNN
im going back to the "SPAN"
where i can watch the TOM DELAY fest..

dont drink dead water

my friend Elynor used to tell me not to drink water that has been left out overnight. besides the sanitary reasons, she used to believe that "spirits" were attracted to the water and injesting that left out water, would mean that you were injesting the spirits too...

dreams

i dreamed again that Richard, my rather sloppy assistant set up an appointment with this mexican man to show the Preventive Program some computer equiptment or software at 6pm. I ended up having to stick around and watch the presentation even though it was not pertaining to my program. As the Assistant for my program set it up, i was obligated to stay.. Last night, i had the dream again about being obligated to stay even though I had told my assistant that the presentation did not pertain to me and to ensure that the PPRS people were there or not set it up for 6pm..

i am getting up almost hourly with hot flashes and find that i have a lot of different dreams... some i can remember, most not... but reoccurring ones...


i have a big meeting today with the educational specialist where i have to put out and put on the line, my expectations as i take over his supervision... its a pain in teh ass meeting..

good luck or what

i pick up pennies in the street for good luck.. I dont want under ladders.. i am superstitious and i am careful...

i was walking out of weight watchers and heard from above a SPLAT..."it missed me i think to myself".. i look down and start to see it on my shopping bag..and then examine my new light green trench coat...DAMN.. DAMN...

the pigeon shit on my coat.. down the sleeve and arm of my new coat.. I packed it up and put it on the back seat to be thrown in the washer...

i got in the car thinking... what a way to end a day...

THE PIGEON SHIT ON ME....

its good luck they say

i have had a pigeon shit on me three time in my life.. ONce walking to school as a kid and i had to go home and get my hair washed. i was about 8 or so

then once here, walking to the train to go to st josephs... i had to turn around and change and then go to work

and now leaving weight watchers.... the pigeon shit on me

i dont know if its lucky???

anxiety

i went to weight watchers last night and no surprise I gained over 2 pounds.. i knew that my self sabotage from losing the week before and anxiety eating were getting the best of me, so i have something new to work on. I think that i keep on sabotaging myself so i have something to work on.. Why am i not tired of this? or is this it?
i know that this week was anxiety eating..
I am woking up about 4 times a night with sweats and i had a dream that My ex therapist gail prescribed me low dose anxiety medication. I didnt want it at first and then talked myself into taking it because i need it. I went to fill the prescription and the pharmacy had to charge me the rest of my pharmacy deductible so there was some controversy about having my therapist calling multiple months at once or separating out the prescription so i can get one month and cover the deductible and then call in the second so it call be billed and i only have to pay the copay...

gail is not a psychiatrist and cant write scripts but maybe i need low dose anxiety meds...

my life is stressful and i havent slept through the night in weeks.. hot flashes wake you up and you are sweaty... i started going to be at 10pm or 1030 and try to sleep as late as i can...

school is ending, summer is beginning... maybe things will lessen up..
there is so much i want to get done at home and maybe now ill have more time and energy...

horoscope week of may 12th

Capricorn Horoscope for week of May 12, 2005

Verticle Oracle card Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
Scientists believe that sooner or later they will figure out why cancer cells are virtually immortal, and then apply that understanding to keeping normal cells alive much longer, thereby dramatically extending the human life span. I believe you have an analogous opportunity right now, Capricorn: If you decode the success formula of a nemesis, you will give yourself a tremendous boon that will boost your vitality and expressiveness.

Bin ladin's head on a pike and on dry ice? where will they get dry ice in Afganistan

Transcript for May 8
Guests: Gary Schroen, former senior CIA agent, author; James Carville; and Mary Matalin
NBC News
Updated: 11:34 a.m. ET May 8, 2005

PLEASE CREDIT ANY QUOTES OR EXCERPTS FROM THIS NBC TELEVISION PROGRAM TO "NBC NEWS' MEET THE PRESS."



NBC News MEET THE PRESS

Sunday, May 8, 2005

Guests: Gary Schroen, former senior CIA agent, Author of “First In: How seven CIA officers opened the war on terrorism in Afghanistan;”

James Carville, political strategist;

Mary Matalin, political strategist

Moderator: Tim Russert, NBC News

MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: This man, the third ranking al-Qaeda leader, Abu Faraj Al-Libbi, is captured. Why is this man, Osama bin Laden, still on the loose?

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And will this man, North Korea's Kim Jong Il, sell nuclear weapons to al-Qaeda or use them to blackmail the world?

With us, Gary Schroen, a CIA officer for 32 years and author of "First In: An Insider's Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan."

Then: Social Security, John Bolton, Tom DeLay, the Bush second term and the field for 2008. With us for the Democrats, James Carville; for the Republicans, Mary Matalin. The political odd couple square off.

But first, the war on terrorism through the eyes of CIA veteran, now author, Gary Schroen.

Mr. Schroen, welcome to MEET THE PRESS.

MR. GARY SCHROEN: Thank you very much, sir.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me show you this photograph. Here is Abu Faraj Al-Libbi, captured, described as the number-three man in al-Qaeda. How significant was his arrest?

MR. SCHROEN: I think it's significant in two ways, Tim. He is the number-three guy. He replaced Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who was a mastermind of many of the attacks. His arrest will significantly damage the al-Qaeda organization. It's important in a second way because it demonstrates that the Pakistani government and military are willing to go into tribal areas north of Peshawar, where it's most likely that bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahari are hiding.

MR. RUSSERT: Number one and two.

MR. SCHROEN: Number one and two.

MR. RUSSERT: Richard Clark, who headed up counterterrorism for the White House said on Wednesday, "I think the original al Qaeda, the people who attacked us on September 11th, really doesn't exist any more as a threat, as an organization. But there are other organizations out there related to the original al Qaeda, that pose a significant threat."

Do you agree with that?

MR. SCHROEN: To some extent. Bin Laden is isolated, but I believe that he is able to still influence and communicate with his organization. It's true that terrorism has been globalized now in a way after 9/11 that's significant. But bin Laden remains a critical figure for us to focus on and to capture.

MR. RUSSERT: And direct the operation?

MR. SCHROEN: I don't know if he is actually directing it, but his spiritual guidance and his encouragement certainly adds emphasis to attacks around the world and groups around the world operating against us.

MR. RUSSERT: On September 1, 2001, you began a 90-day phaseout retiring from the CIA. Then came the horrific day of 8:46 AM, September 11, 2001. All our lives changed. You were asked to stay on at the CIA. On September 13th, you were summoned to the office of Cofer Black, the head of counterterrorism for the CIA. What did he tell you? What was your mission?

MR. SCHROEN: The mission was to--the first part of it was to go in and link up with the Northern Alliance, formerly headed by Ahmed Al-Massoud, and to win their confidence and their agreement to cooperate militarily with us. They were the only armed force on the ground in Afghanistan opposing the Taliban. The second part of it was, once the Taliban were broken, to attack the al-Qaeda organization, find bin Laden and his senior lieutenants and kill them.

MR. RUSSERT: Kill them?

MR. SCHROEN: Kill them.

MR. RUSSERT: Wasn't it illegal for us to kill foreign leaders?

MR. SCHROEN: I don't think at that point that the--I think the administration had gotten to the point where bin Laden and his guys were fair game.

MR. RUSSERT: As part of war?

MR. SCHROEN: As part of war.

MR. RUSSERT: Mr. Black gave you specific instructions on what he wanted you to bring home.

MR. SCHROEN: That's true. He did ask that once we got bin Laden and killed him, that we send his head back in a cardboard box on dry ice so that he could take it down and show the president.

MR. RUSSERT: Where would you find the dry ice in Afghanistan?

MR. SCHROEN: That's what I mentioned to him. I said, "Cofer, I think that I can come up with pikes to put the heads of the lieutenants on," which is the second part of what he wanted done. "Dry ice, we'll have to improvise."

MR. RUSSERT: Why couldn't you find bin Laden?

MR. SCHROEN: Initially, when we entered Afghanistan, I don't think there was a real clear view back in Washington or in the field as to what we would face there. We were actually behind the lines. We were deep into Afghanistan about 30 miles from the Taliban front lines hosted by this armed force, and it was almost impossible for even Massoud and his organization to operate beyond the limited area that they controlled.

MR. RUSSERT: And so it's just impossible to penetrate.

MR. SCHROEN: At that point, it was and it became very clear to actually go after the al-Qaeda and to get at bin Laden we would have to defeat the Taliban militarily and take them out of the equation.

MR. RUSSERT: Now, you brought with you $3 million in American cash, 100-dollar bills.

MR. SCHROEN: That's correct.

MR. RUSSERT: How many suitcases is that for that amount of money?

MR. SCHROEN: One very big, very heavy suitcase.

MR. RUSSERT: And what did you do with the money?

MR. SCHROEN: We basically used it to assure the leadership of the Northern Alliance that we were serious, that we dispensed the money to allow them to buy equipment, materiel and other things that they needed to bring their forces up to full combat strength.

MR. RUSSERT: We had read at that time that John Walker Lindh, this young American teenager, in effect...

MR. SCHROEN: Yeah.

MR. RUSSERT: ...had become part of al-Qaeda.

MR. SCHROEN: Yeah.

MR. RUSSERT: And the question I asked then and I ask you now is how could an American teenager infiltrate al-Qaeda and not the CIA?

MR. SCHROEN: Well, that question's been asked a lot in discussions: Why don't we infiltrate? But if you actually look at what John Walker Lindh was and where he was at, he was a foot soldier. He was never going to be trusted to do anything other than carry a gun and carry out the most basic orders. He was certainly never going to sit in a council with bin Laden or his senior lieutenants. And in the end, he ended up standing in chest-deep ice cold water in the basement of Qala Jangi prison, a fort there, fighting it out with American forces.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me turn to your book and talk about Mr. bin Laden. "Usama bin Ladin and Ayman al-Zawahiri are hiding somewhere in the tribal areas of Pakistan. They are undoubtedly being assisted by tribal leaders who dislike the Pakistani government and who enjoy the financial rewards bin Ladin brings to them. Winning full Pakistani military cooperation, refocusing military strategy by U.S. forces on the Afghan side of the border, bringing back Special Operations units, and beefing up the number of CIA teams in the border areas would allow for coordinated military operations on both sides of the border. This is the only way to locate and eliminate bin Ladin ..."

Why aren't we doing what you recommend?

MR. SCHROEN: We're--since that was written, I think we've started to pull--there are more Special Forces troops there. We are still shorthanded as far as CIA officers on the ground in those border areas. Again, the demand on personnel, both special operations and military, and CIA in Iraq are huge and it makes staffing there difficult.

We are able to operate effectively on the Afghan side of the border. The problem rests in Pakistan. The Pakistanis' military and intelligence service is very reluctant to go into the tribal areas north of Peshawar, Bashir, Derr and Momad agency. I have a long felt personally that that was where bin Laden went to after they escaped--he and Zawahiri escaped from Tora Bora.

MR. RUSSERT: Do you believe that we know where bin Laden is right now?

MR. SCHROEN: No, we don't know where he's at other than the general area.

MR. RUSSERT: Do you think the Pakistanis have a pretty good sense where he is?

MR. SCHROEN: I think within the military and ISID at a a certain level, they certainly do now where he is.

MR. RUSSERT: ISID being Pakistani Intelligence...

MR. SCHROEN: Pakistani Intelligence Service.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me show you the map of the border area. It's the border 1,640 miles long, the mountainous region about the size of the country of Ireland. And you think up there in the upper right hand corner?

MR. SCHROEN: Upper right hand corner, there is a little--you know, the little jot out there is where Peshawar is, and north of that is a rugged area. It's traditionally been the most hostile area to any kind of government control. The tribals there have made centuries of living smuggling and it's one of the main drug trafficking routes in and out of the country. And bin Laden is very respected and liked in that area.

MR. RUSSERT: And they're protecting him?

MR. SCHROEN: I think they're protecting him for a number of reasons. He is considered to be a Robin Hood-like figure. He has made a, you know, mockery of our efforts to catch him for all these years, and he probably has a nice checkbook that he is writing sizeable amounts of checks for these people hosting him.

MR. RUSSERT: Tom Brokaw interviewed General Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan and talked about capturing bin Laden. Let me show you part of that interview.

(Videotape, May 4, 2005):

MR. TOM BROKAW: Is there a danger for you, personally, and for your government, that if Pakistani troops take down Osama bin Laden in what would probably be a difficult struggle, it would cause an uprising in some of the cities in your country, and in the refugee camps?

GEN. PERVEZ MUSHARRAF: Well, there would be effects, but we shouldn't be so naive as to capture him and then go around telling everyone and going around with him everywhere. I mean, there is a method of dealing with the situation.

MR. BROKAW: But it would be delicate, wouldn't it?

GEN. MUSHARRAF: It would be certainly delicate, not only here but even in the Islamic world.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: Mr. Musharraf: "It would be delicate here in Pakistan and the Islamic world." Is there a distinct possibility that Mr. Musharraf is afraid of capturing Osama bin Laden because he would fear that his government would be toppled?

MR. SCHROEN: In my opinion, that's a real likelihood, that the Pakistanis have cooperated pretty wholesomely in helping us capture a lot of al-Qaeda officers up to Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and this-- the capture of Al-Libbi recently is a significant event but to take on bin Laden, there would be an uproar within that country and around the Islamic world that would really cause the foundations of the Pakistani government to be shaken.

MR. RUSSERT: After Al-Libbi was captured, some citizens in the town told NBC News: "If we had known it was him, we would have protected him."

MR. SCHROEN: I think that's probably very accurate. And if we were able to find bin Laden, and identify that to the Pakistanis, I would suspect that there would be a great reluctance and probably a refusal to move forward. That's my opinion.

MR. RUSSERT: In 1999, we had located bin Laden at a hunting camp where some Arab princes were also hunting with him. And there was a big discussion, debate whether or not to launch cruise missiles and take out bin Laden. Why didn't we do it?

MR. SCHROEN: The debate came down to the fact that we would be using cruise missiles and that this camp would be undoubtedly totally destroyed. There were a number of princes from the United Arab Emirates. This was a camp that was being supported by the UAE government, UAE military; C-130s were supplying these guys with the amenities that they needed. Bin Laden was there. And the debate-- we had the plan, our guys had scoped the camp out, put a beacon down so that we knew it was the exact camp. And then it got into, "Well, what tent does bin Laden sleep in? Where does he eat? Where does he go to the bathroom?" So these kinds of questions dragged on and on for two weeks. And, finally, the administration's decision was not to take the strike because of the collateral damage that would occur.

MR. RUSSERT: This is the Clinton administration?

MR. SCHROEN: Yes.

MR. RUSSERT: You're convinced we could have gotten bin Laden then?

MR. SCHROEN: Absolutely. Our guys had eyes on him. Well...

MR. RUSSERT: And the what-ifs. This was in 1999, two years before 2001.

MR. SCHROEN: Exactly. The what-ifs.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me turn to bin Laden and the president's comments on September 17, 2001. Here's George W. Bush.

(Videotape, September 17, 2001):

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I want him--I want justice. And there's an old poster out West, as I recall, that said "Wanted, Dead or Alive."

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: In December of 2001, the battle of Tora Bora. This is what you write. "In early 2002, in the immediate aftermath of the battle of Tora Bora and the subsequent escape of Osama bin Laden and his chief lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahari, CIA and specially trained U.S. military Special Operations units began to organize teams in the provincial areas east and south of Kabul, along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan."

You have no doubt that bin Laden escaped at Tora Bora?

MR. SCHROEN: No doubt at all. When the first film--videotape that was made--that he made afterwards shows him that he was holding his left side and was probably wounded there in the battle, but every bit of information we had at the time indicated that he had escaped and moved into the Waziristan area which is south of Peshawar.

MR. RUSSERT: How did he get away?

MR. SCHROEN: We had done--followed the same lead we had taken since September of '01 in defeating the Taliban. We were attacking with U.S. military forces against the al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, and we hired local tribal leaders to guard the escape routes into Pakistan. Unfortunately, many of those people proved to be loyal to bin Laden and sympathizers with the Taliban and they allowed the key guys to escape.

MR. RUSSERT: In the heat of the presidential campaign in 2004, John Kerry as part of his stump speech in effect would say things like this. Let's watch.

(Videotape, October 30, 2004):

SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D-MA): As I have said for two years now, when Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda were cornered in the mountains of Tora Bora, it was wrong to outsource the job of capturing them to Afghan warlords who a week earlier were fighting against us.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: Should we have had more U.S. troops in Afghanistan circling Tora Bora to prevent his escape?

MR. SCHROEN: In hindsight that would have been ideal. We fought a special operations war. It was CIA and Army Green Berets on the ground directing the bombing campaign. It was only late in the campaign that U.S. ground forces came in, and the evolution, I think, simply we didn't take it far enough. If we'd have had one more battle after Tora Bora, we probably would have gotten it right.

MR. RUSSERT: Again, in October of 2004, in the presidential campaign, after John Kerry made those charges, General Tommy Franks offered this observation. "We don't know to this day whether Mr. bin Laden was at Tora Bora in December 2001. ...Mr. bin Laden was never within our grasp."

You just disagree with that?

MR. SCHROEN: I absolutely do, yes.

MR. RUSSERT: And President Bush and Vice President Cheney all quoted General Franks, saying: "We don't know if bin Laden was at Tora Bora." You have no doubt.

MR. SCHROEN: I have no doubt that he was there.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me turn again to your book. "The United States is continuing to pour billions of dollars and sacrifice the lives of American soldiers in order to bring peace and democracy to Iraq. This is being done at the expense of Afghanistan. ... Given the total preoccupation with Iraq, I am not confident that the U.S. government will make the policy adjustments necessary to improve conditions for the success of the democratic experiment in Afghanistan, or refocus diplomatic and military efforts back to the South Asia region in order to capture Osama bin Laden and defeat al-Qa'ida. The opportunity to make these changes exists now; if we fail in these efforts, we do so at our peril."

Are you suggesting--do you believe that Iraq is a distraction, a preoccupation, and it is really limiting our ability to capture Osama bin Laden and secure Afghanistan?

MR. SCHROEN: I absolutely do. Afghanistan gets a distant second on all aspects, whether it's going to be military or aid that's going to be given to the country. Afghanistan is--the elections were successful. There is a beginning of democracy there. It's very fragile. The--but I think the entire population wants peace. It's a matter of how they share the pie. And we could do a lot more to bring that democracy to full birth if we would focus more attention, more money on that country.

MR. RUSSERT: Which is more important, do you believe, to the war on terrorism, Afghanistan or Iraq?

MR. SCHROEN: At this point, unfortunately, the Iraqi situation has gotten so large that it's become a major issue that has to be dealt with. I think, though, that ultimately we owe it to Afghanistan and to ourselves to end this al-Qaeda threat there and defeat the Taliban completely and let that country move forward so it doesn't become a safe haven for terrorism again.

MR. RUSSERT: In October of 2003, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld wrote an internal memo where he was opining about terrorists. And he said, "Today we lack metrics to know if we are winning or losing the global war on terror. Are we capturing, killing or deterring and dissuading more terrorists every day than the madrassas and the radical clerics are recruiting, training and deploying against us?"

Let me just there. That's a pretty interesting question. What do you think?

MR. SCHROEN: I think, unfortunately, the attack on Iraq has caused, really, a sort of insurgent rebirth. I mean, there are a lot of more terrorists out there now. People are--they don't have to take their orders from bin Laden. They see this as an international jihad. And I think it is difficult to measure. I think we probably at this point are barely holding our own.

MR. RUSSERT: Can we win the war on terror without winning the hearts and minds of the Islamic world?

MR. SCHROEN: No. I don't think we can. Part of the problem is that we are not hated by these people because of who we are, but the policies that we follow in the Middle East: "occupation" of Saudi Arabia, our policies in Iraq prior to the war, our support for Israel and all. These are issues that burn deeply within the Islamic world.

MR. RUSSERT: Before you go, I want to take advantage of your expertise on another issue. The Robb- Silverman commission--the president--Chuck Robb and Lawrence Silverman, on weapons of mass destruction not being found in Iraq--added this note: "The [Robb-Silverman WMD] commission made it clear it is concerned about the quality of intelligence on nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea. `The intelligence community knows disturbingly little about the nuclear programs of many of the world's most dangerous actors,' the commission reported. `In some cases, it knows less than it did five or 10 years ago.'"

That's pretty chilling.

MR. SCHROEN: It is, especially when you look at--well, Iran is an area that I know well, and it--I think we probably do know less now than we did a few years ago.

MR. RUSSERT: Do you have any doubt that Iran would like to have nuclear weapons?

MR. SCHROEN: Oh, absolutely. They would. They're the strongest supporters for the Palestinian cause. They support the Hamas and the Hezbollah there. They would like to have a nuclear weapon very, very much.

MR. RUSSERT: If Kim Jong Il in North Korea has six nuclear bombs, what are the possibilities that he would, being starved for money, decide to sell a nuclear weapon to al-Qaeda?

MR. SCHROEN: I'm certainly not an expert on Kim Jong Il, but I think that there would be a really strong possibility that he would consider that at any time, if the offer was right.

MR. RUSSERT: And North Koreans and the Iranians, if, in fact, they begin to possess nuclear weapons that can be detonated, the possibility of blackmail against the world?

MR. SCHROEN: Exactly. It's a frightening scenario.

MR. RUSSERT: Is there anything we can do to stop it?

MR. SCHROEN: We--with the Iranians, we'd have to sort of reinvent our diplomatic approach to them and all, and I think that this administration has started that by dealing with the Europeans. But it's a long, hard road. There are no moderates in Iran, really.

MR. RUSSERT: Is there any possibility militarily for us to stop the production in Iran or North Korea?

MR. SCHROEN: I'm not an expert on that. I would think that would be the worst thing we could do, though. If we want to set back our relations with Iran and send them--the last thing we need to do is attack Iran.

MR. RUSSERT: Before you go, will we ever capture Osama bin Laden?

MR. SCHROEN: I think with the capture of Al-Libbi recently--gives some hope that the Pakistanis will cooperate if we put enough pressure on them, and maybe we end up doing it unilaterally but I think we're going to get him within the next three to four months.

MR. RUSSERT: Three to four months.

MR. SCHROEN: Well, that's my hope.

MR. RUSSERT: From your lips to God's ears. Gary Schroen, we thank you very much, and our condolences on the loss of your mom, Fern, on Friday.

MR. SCHROEN: Oh, thank you very much.

who was that man

I was coming home on the subway tonight and gave up the double seat to two chinese women at canal street so they could sit together. i took a seat on the end that was being blocked by a stroller. I looked at him and he was holding a young child. I asked to sit, and he moved the stroller slightly. He started to talk to the man across the aisle from me... There were a group of men with MEXICO paraphenilia... i thought must be a mexican event in Manhattan today... the woman was sitting infront of him, sleeping....
I started to read, then i started to look at the Baby.. the baby dropped his shoe and i bent down to pick it up...i handed it to the man who said thank you... in a broken english....
i asked how old the baby was..... 7 months.. almost.. 6 months and more said the man...
the child's name is david he said after i asked...
he started to talk to me, asking me if i had children.... he said 1, 2, 3.... i said NONE...
he asked if i wanted children.... i said i always wanted children, and he asked why i have never had them...
i told him that it just hasnt happened... he said there is still time
( i am not sure there is still time, but he believed it)
i told him, i work with many many children..... i take care of children, i explained..
he asked me .... how i take care of them... i said like a teacher.... he asked the child who was smiling at me, taken with me ... if the child wanted me to care for him
he asked me how much i charged to care for kids...
i then explained i am a social worker and dont teach children...
he asked me if i ever married.... i said no i have never married... he said there is still time and you never know when ... your time will come

he got off at beverly road with his son David and wife and i wished her a happy mothers day

amos, merle and Bobby vs Terri, brad and REBA

two weeks in a row, i went to saturday night concerts. the first at the Beacon Theater in NYC. The second at the PNC arts center in NJ. the Beacon a theater with walls, THe PNC an out door amphitheater.
The first started with short lines and security goons that checked my bag and allowed in packaged food and an open diet coke. (even i was surprised at the open coke) and they were respectful.. I took my first balcony seat and went to the 2nd floor restroom.. NO line.. later through the night, short lines... the venue sold beer and wine and popcorn and there was no one drunk... once the light went down... there WAS a familiar smell of smoke... Someone was smoking pot.. the security goons told him to put it out... it happened a few more times..
The audience were boomers with their kids, 20 somethings... Old dead fans and long pony tails and leather.. There were run of the market executives in shirts and there were NYC teenagers in their chic soho couture... the enforcers also forced the SRO ticket holders to stand for all three sets..
i came early for Amos lee (who i had seen with Norah jones last summer at jones beach) i skipped norah jones but fell for Amos Lee...
So as uncool as it was to come early at the beacon, i chose to show up... Amos was great.. and then the lights and rearrange the stage for Merle Haggard.. The black hats started to appear and there were more people in the theater.. I guess its fashionable to show up late for Dylan..but for those us there...
Haggard got his props.. the audience were on their feet- A man in his 70s, still singing and writing music.. A man who earned it the hard way... A legend.... A talent...
I was on the edge of my chair.. He was in great voice with a great band of strangers..
his songs included, the Fugative, Mama Tried, Rambling Fever, Unforgettable and a variety of Drinking songs where Booze was the culprit..
I guess it was NY cool to show up at 930 pm only for Dylan... boy did they miss a great set by Haggard...

Then Dylan... ripping through 14 songs with out a word... never really looking up ... covering his catalogue.. Hunched over the piano.... seemed like he really didnt play it sometimes and sometimes, he played it all... harmonic.. piano.. his new performing love..
HIghway 61, Blonde on Blonde, Blood on the Tracks, Love and Theft... all represented..
understanding bobs phrasing is hard... he dribbles the songs out with a loud loud band
Dylan blends into the band... he is one with them...
10 to 11 and an encore starting... Dylan gets in two .... Poor Boy and ends with ALL along the
watchtower... complete with some random dancers in the balcony
i leave thinking.. who is the joker and thief.... Dylan

i got on the train southbound to brooklyn and was home by 1230am

Last saturday, My friend Fay and i went to the PNC arts center in Holmdel NJ for another show of three artists.. the first thing we encountered were Lines lines lines.. Lines to get in, lines to park.. we had to park so far away that we had to drive across the highway and park in the sublet lot B... we had to take a shuttle but opted to hike to the venue.. what seemed like taking forever to the MAIN gate... what main gate... a long long line to get your bag checked... (i had no bag) and because there were lawn seats.... the line was longer... then a line to get your ticketmaster ticket scanned and lines lines for hte restroom... not being able to find the entrance we hightailed it upstairs to find a food court with a restroom with no line..

the show had started and we missed about 2 of Terri Clarks songs... she looked and sounded great... her set covered, Better thing to do, If i were you, poor poor pitiful me (with cowbell)
evertime i cry, girls lie too....
then a break..... seeing it was an amphitheater- i hadnt gotten a chance to see the "show within the show" ... there were plenty of hats, straw hats, black felt hats, there were shirts that displayed NASCAR, Sports teams, and one guy had a shirt that was an american flag..
There was a woman in a fur coat. She also had a purple chenille hat...
Fay and I had no hats...and we missed the tailgate parties in the lot.... i ate a salad at a diner...

as it was an outdoor venue...as the sun set, it got colder and colder... I mocked the women in their winter coats but by nights end... i envied that they had them.. I could have used something more than my NY black turtleneck and black leather jacket... I could have used a second pair of socks...

Brad paisley was next and he and his band -all from NJ? played an hour set... Me neither, he didnt have to be, we danced, im gonna miss her, mud on the tires, Celebrity, and Whiskey lullabye complete with a video screen with Alison Krauss appearing in the duet...

Video screen were filled with images for each artist.... the stories the sang were told in video...
while you watched the artist sing the song... its was a multimedia event actually....

then another break... or more beer breaks... there were lots of high price beverages being consumed at this show and some random dancers were dancing at their seats..

then the stage went dark... and AD for Habitat for Humanity... Whirlpool donates washers and dryers to each HFH home... and they sponsored with the Two HAts and a red head tour...

Reba is not a performer, she is an entertainer... she ripped through her catalogue... speaking with the audience, using the stage and her huge band to move the show along.. She was won over the choir of fans who were there for HER... the brad paisley tesshirts seemed to pale in the face of this performance.... REBA covered a medley of early hits.. and inlcuded, im a survivor,
sisters, heart is a lonely hunter, Take it back, night the lights went out, fear of being alone, want to ride with you, why havent i heard from you, love revival, who ever's in New england, fancy
and for her encore.... Terri joined her for Does he love you with brad playing electric guitar
and all three joined in for " when will i be loved?"

getting back the car, by way of the restroom was an adventure in itself... And then exiting the parking lot ... Fay drove to her home where i had my car parked..

I got in my car at midnight and was home by 1230 am

Fun MERE
STolen from Connorgal's live journal

1. Grab the nearest book
2. Open to Page 123
3. Find the 5th full sentance
4. Post it along with these instructions in your live journal
5. Dont search for the coolest book, just the first near you.


Alfred Kadushin

Supervision in Social Work

page 123

"the general principle might be to grant supervisees as much freedom as is compatible with effecient and effective and equitable implementation of the agency's goal."

walking up to bombs bursting on 3rd ave

My morning paper said genades were blow off on 3rd ave... as i drove thru Manhttan and saw the statue of liberty, empire state and chryler building... i had to remember we are vunerable..
Bloomberg on NPR said Such things as 9-11 happen.. like they were daily occurances..

I will never get used to bombs.... or military in the subway or armed guards in airports..nor do i have to ....

Your losses according to the B*sh Social Security plan

http://schumer.senate.gov/calc/index.html#

Figure yours out youself

Justice in small steps....

Judge Throws Out England's Guilty Plea By T.A. BADGER, Associated Press Writer
6 minutes ago



FORT HOOD, Texas - A military judge on Wednesday threw out Pfc. Lynndie England's guilty plea to prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, saying he was not convinced that she knew her actions were wrong at the time.

Col. James Pohl entered a plea of not guilty for England to a charge of conspiring with Pvt. Charles Graner Jr. to maltreat detainees at the Baghdad-area prison.

The mistrial for the 22-year-old reservist, who appeared in some of the most notorious photographs from the 2003 abuse scandal, kicks the case back to the military equivalent of a grand jury proceeding.

The action came after Graner, the reputed ringleader of the abuse, testified as a defense witness at England's sentencing hearing that pictures he took of England holding a naked prisoner on a leash at Abu Ghraib were meant to be used as a legitimate training aid for other guards.

Other photos showed England standing next to nude prisoners stacked in a pyramid and pointing at a prisoner's genitals.

When England pleaded guilty Monday, she told the judge she knew that the pictures were being taken purely for the amusement of the guards.

Pohl said the two statements could not be reconciled.

"You can't have a one-person conspiracy," the judge said before he declared the mistrial and dismissed the sentencing jury.

Under military law, the judge could formally accept her guilty plea only if he was convinced that she knew at the time that what she was doing was illegal.

By rejecting the plea to the conspiracy charge, Pohl canceled the entire plea agreement.

During defense questioning, Graner said he looped the leash around the prisoner's shoulders as a way to coax him out of a cell, and that it slipped up around his neck. He said he asked England to hold the strap while he took photos that he could show to other guards later to teach them this prisoner-handling technique.

At that point Pohl halted Graner's testimony and admonished the defense for admitting evidence that ran counter to England's plea on the conspiracy charge and one count of maltreating detainees.

The judge did not discuss the other five counts to which England had pleaded guilty.

Graner, who is said to be the father of England's infant son, was found guilty in January and is serving a 10-year prison term for his role in the scandal.

In a handwritten note given to reporters Tuesday, Graner had said he wanted England to fight the charges.

"Knowing what happened in Iraq, it was very upsetting to see Lynn plead guilty to her charges," he wrote. "I would hope that by doing so she will have a better chance at a good sentence."

Graner maintains that he and the other Abu Ghraib guards were following orders from higher-ranking interrogators when they abused the detainees

Capricorn Horoscope for week of May 5, 2005

Capricorn Horoscope for week of May 5, 2005

Studies show that judicious chocolate consumption promotes longevity. People who ingest it three times a month are more likely to live into their 90s than those who either refrain from eating it or else gorge on it frequently. The astrological omens suggest, however, that your health will be well-served by eating 300 percent more than the judicious amount this May, beginning with a virtual orgy of chocolate feasting this week. I recommend that you also seek out other experiences that generate feelings similar to those stirred by a chocolate feast.

who is next martha stewart???

Nike Pulls Products From Sears So They Stay Out of Kmart
By Michael Kahn and Emily Kaiser, Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO/CHICAGO (May 4) - Nike Inc. told Reuters on Tuesday it will pull its products from Sears department stores in a move that effectively blocks discount retailer Kmart from carrying the famous "swoosh" brand.


Analysts saw Nike's move as an attempt to protect its high-end image as Kmart starts selling well-known Sears brands, although the world's biggest athletic shoe maker did not comment on the Sears-Kmart deal.

if you believe

If you believe that every step we take, every event we encounter, every person we meet, every moment we live has a purpose in our growth and expansion..Every time we are late, we may be avoiding an accident or meeting up with another that is meant to cross our path or we theirs... then WHY is it .. that the last thing i heard on air america from Radio Jock..Jerry Springer today as i parked my car- that today is the 35th anniversary of the KENT STATE killings.. He read the names of the 4 young adults who were killed 35 years ago today

Obituary of Von kloberg

Tyrants' Lobbyist, Flamboyant to the End
Von Kloberg Dies After Years as an Image Shaper for the Reviled

By Adam Bernstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 3, 2005; Page A01

As part of Washington's image machinery for more than two decades, Edward von Kloberg III did his best to sanitize some of the late 20th century's most notorious dictators as they sought favors and approval from U.S. officials.

A legend of sorts in public relations circles, he counted as clients Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Samuel K. Doe of Liberia; Nicolae Ceausescu of Romania; the military regime in Burma; Guatemalan businessmen who supported the country's murderous, military-backed government; Mobutu Sese Seko of the former Zaire; and, in a figurative coup of his own, the man who overthrew Mobutu and renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo.


Edward von Kloberg III, shown in 1990, relished the presence of world leaders and was once singled out for
Edward von Kloberg III, shown in 1990, relished the presence of world leaders and was once singled out for "handling clients that no one else will touch." (By Frank Johnston -- The Washington Post)

Von Kloberg embraced the slogan "shame is for sissies" as well as an unabashedly Edwardian style of living. He arrived at balls and galas wearing black capes, and he traveled with steamer trunks. He added the "von" to his name because he thought it sounded distinguished.

In a life full of flamboyance, his end followed form: The District resident, 63, leapt to his death Sunday from "a castle in Rome," a State Department spokeswoman said. Von Kloberg's sister said a lengthy note was found on the body, and U.S. Embassy officials in Rome told her that he committed suicide.

His clients handsomely paid him for his social and diplomatic clout. He often took them to his favorite lunch spot, the Jockey Club, the famed but now defunct restaurant in the Westin Fairfax Hotel. He would get tipped off when first lady Nancy Reagan or some ranking administration figure had made a reservation. Such unofficial meetings often were effective ways to win an audience with U.S. powerbrokers otherwise inclined to close their doors to representatives of reviled regimes.

Von Kloberg expressed no ethical concerns about his work, saying people such as Hussein were U.S. allies at the time. He said he was "utterly fascinated" by the Iraqi leader and returned to the District to "propagandize why they were gassing the Kurds." The reason given, he said, was to prevent Arab fundamentalism from spreading in the Persian Gulf.

"That's pretty awful, isn't it?" he said in an interview. "That's what you had to do for the overall point."

Political pariahs, he said, were like defendants at trial who have a right to legal counsel. By encouraging investment relations between the United States and his clients' countries, he hoped to foster a democratizing influence abroad.

He cited the case of Ceausescu, for whom he won U.S. trade concessions. In return, he said, the dictator permitted the printing of Bibles for the first time in decades and, for a stiff price, allowed Soviet Jews to travel through Romania on their way to Israel.

Edward Joseph Kloberg III was born Jan. 9, 1942, in New York, where his father was an engineer who built housing projects. He added "van" to his surname in the 1960s and decades later changed it to "von" when Arnaud de Borchgrave, the dapper newsman, told him it sounded more distinguished.

Von Kloberg described a pampered upbringing, in which older, female relatives lavished attention on him. His grandmother provided him with an entertaining allowance, which he used while at Princeton University to throw "great parties." However, he flunked out and graduated down the road at Rider College in Lawrenceville, N.J., in 1965.

At American University, he received a master's degree in history -- writing his key papers on the Borgia popes and Mohammed Ali Pasha, the founder of modern Egypt. But his true passion was throwing soirees that won him such admirers as Garnett Stackelberg, the society columnist. He later struck up friendships with Holly Coors, the Republican fundraiser, and Barbara "Bobo" Sears Rockefeller, the ex-wife of a Standard Oil heir.

Hired by American University, he became a key fundraiser and advanced to be the dean of admissions and financial aid.

In 1982, von Kloberg began his public relations and lobbying business, later renamed the Washington World Group. He hired former diplomats and foreign affairs specialists as well as Bennetta B. Washington, wife of former D.C. mayor Walter E. Washington.

He had trouble paying the staff and in 1984 pleaded guilty to faking letters of support from ambassadors in an effort to attain a $60,000 bank loan. He was sentenced to five years of probation and 100 hours of community service. "No money ever changed hands, and I took complete blame," he said in an interview.

Washington is a city of advocates and image enhancers, but only a few have staked their reputations as representatives of despots, dictators and human rights violators. For von Kloberg, the job was a social exercise as well as an all-consuming effort. As he wooed potential clients, he often highlighted his own bad press. There was a lot.

Epithets abounded. The authors of "Washington Babylon," a muckraking book about powerbrokers, wrote: "Even within the amoral world of Washington lobbying, [he] stands out for handling clients that no one else will touch." Washingtonian magazine once named him one of the city's top 50 "hired guns."

By far the most outrageous and lasting public impression of von Kloberg came from a notorious "sting" operation by Spy magazine. For a story the satirical journal titled "Washington's Most Shameless Lobbyist," a staff writer posed as a Nazi sympathizer whose causes included halting immigration to the "fatherland" and calling for the German annexation of Poland.

According to the magazine, von Kloberg expressed sympathy for the fake client -- and her $1 million offer. And then he was drubbed in print. Shortly afterward, he showed up at the opening of Spy's Washington office with a first-aid kit and sported a trench helmet, "so I can take the flak," he announced.

Friends of von Kloberg saw the article as a revolting caricature of a man whose grace and charm were displayed at intimate dinner parties he threw to unite disparate voices -- 3,500 dinners, each with 12 guests, he estimated.

At one gathering, he persuaded Nizar Hamdoon, Iraq's ambassador to the United States and the United Nations under Hussein, to meet Jews for the first time. He also brought together District residents, diplomats, socialites and journalists; many of the latter were fond of his famously accurate news tips.

His voice, said one friend, was marked by an "almost Rooseveltian, high-class accent." He drove enormous black cars and draped foreign medals (Zaire's Order of the Leopard among them) across his tuxedo. At night, he sported one of two favorite black capes: one with red lining, the other with prints of doves.

As was said of the Bloomsbury diarist Violet Trefusis, a writer he admired, von Kloberg had a "taste for outmoded splendors." He believed such flourishes were essential to conducting business with world leaders, the kings and presidents for life whose presence he relished. When they listened to his advice, it was "very invigorating," he said.

Von Kloberg's friends in the diplomatic community did not abandon him, and his success on trade and investment missions helped him rebuild his clientele.

Nor did the Spy article hurt. "You'd be surprised how much business I got as a result," he said.




Some people were untouchable, as far as he was concerned. He said he once turned down work for Somali warlord Mohamed Farah Aideed, who offered $1 million shortly before he was shot to death in 1996. Von Kloberg said there was no potential for "turning around" that country. Among those he wanted to help was Alfredo Stroessner, but he said the long-serving Paraguayan strongman never hired a lobbyist.

Von Kloberg, who "tested" his clients by asking them to pay his first-class airfare along with $5,000 a day, spoke poorly only of one client, the Burmese businessman who "stiffed" him for thousands of dollars in work for the South Asian country.

He had numerous short escapes, flying out of Liberia shortly before a rebel advance and enduring a missile blast at his hotel in Baghdad (a Scud that he said Hussein launched for propaganda purposes).

Von Kloberg was lively and peripatetic, constantly crossing the globe and usually returning calls after midnight. His social calendar was demanding, and he had a rule in case a party was a flop: "As soon as you can, learn all the back exits."

His final years were painful medically. He had cancer, diabetes and the inner-ear condition known as Meniere's disease, which caused a ceaseless ringing sensation. In 2002, he retired after suffering a heart attack during a flight from the Ivory Coast to Paris. He had with him five trunks of luggage, which he claimed before going to the hospital.

Never one to go anywhere unprepared, he phoned The Washington Post months before his death to arrange an interview that he hoped would lead to a better understanding of his life. He said there had been greater challenges and rewards in his career than had he crusaded for a "good" cause.

Survivors include his companion, Darius Monkevicius of Rome; and a sister, Carol van Kloberg of Saratoga Springs, N.Y