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Thursday, October 4, 2007
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Don Surber: "The San Diego Union-Tribune reported 'there were 893 assaults on Border Patrol agents nationwide between Oct. 1, 2006, and Aug. 31, versus 752 for all of the previous year.' In response, the feds are going to arm the agents with more powerful -- air guns. That's right. Air guns, which are law enforcement's answer to the air guitar. Reported the Union-Tribune: 'Border Patrol agents in the agency's San Diego, Yuma and Tucson sectors will soon begin using a more powerful compressed-air gun to fire pepper or ink balls at illegal border crossers during violent confrontations.'"
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
6:54:47 PM 
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Andrew Sullivan comments:
It's perhaps worth reminding some readers that my first response to reports of abuse and torture at Gitmo was to accuse the accusers of exaggeration or deliberate deception. I simply didn't believe America would do those things. I'd also endorsed Bush in 2000, believed it necessary to give the president the benefit of the doubt in wartime, and knew Rumsfeld as a friend. It struck me as a no-brainer that this stuff was being invented by the far-left or was part of al Qaeda propaganda. After all, they train captives to lie about this stuff. Bottom line: I trusted this president in a time of war to obey the rule of law that we were and are defending. And then I was forced to confront the evidence. He betrayed all of us. He lied. He authorized torture in secret, and then, when busted after Abu Ghraib, blamed it on low-level grunts. This was not a mistake. It was a betrayal.
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
6:50:50 PM
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Juan Cole: "British PM Gordon Brown, in Baghdad and Basra for consultations with PM Nuri al-Maliki, with British commanders, and with his US allies, announced that he would withdraw another 1,000 British troops from Basra by Christmas. A majority of the British public wants all the troops out now, but the US is putting enormous pressure on Brown to go slow."
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
7:03:22 AM
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Political Wire: "A new AP-Ipsos survey shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential race with 40% support, trailed by Sen. Barack Obama at 26% and John Edwards at 12%. Among Republicans Rudy Giuliani is in front with 21%, slightly ahead of Fred Thompson and Sen. John McCain, both at 17%, and Mitt Romney at 10%."
Political Wire: "Rudy Giuliani 'leads the race for the GOP presidential nomination, with Republican voters describing him as the field's strongest leader and most electable candidate in the 2008 general election,' according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Giuliani topped the Republican field with 34%, followed by Fred Thompson at 17%, Sen. John McCain at 12%, Mitt Romney at 11% and Mike Huckabee at 8%."
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
6:58:52 AM
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Talkleft: "The Senate approved a $459 billion Pentagon funding bill Wednesday. Included in the package: $3 billion for the 700 mile border fence and $794 million for border security along the Mexico-U.S. border. This is what the Republicans wanted all along. Money for enforcement, none for immigration reform. Did the Dems vote against it? Of course not. The border provisions passed on a vote of 95 to 1."
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
6:56:03 AM
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Captain's Quarters: "It seems as though the Iranians want war with the West more than the West wants war with Iran. British military intelligence reports that the Quds Force, a unit within the Revolutionary Guards, has begun supplying the Taliban with the same kinds of terrorist bombs that have been put to use by al-Qaeda in Iraq."
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
6:54:10 AM
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James Dobson (via the NYT): "Reports have surfaced in the press about a meeting that occurred last Saturday in Salt Lake City involving more than 50 pro-family leaders. The purpose of the gathering was to discuss our response if both the Democratic and Republican Parties nominate standard-bearers who are supportive of abortion. Although I was neither the convener nor the moderator of the meeting, I'd like to offer several brief clarifications about its outcome and implications. After two hours of deliberation, we voted on a resolution that can be summarized as follows: If neither of the two major political parties nominates an individual who pledges himself or herself to the sanctity of human life, we will join others in voting for a minor-party candidate. Those agreeing with the proposition were invited to stand. The result was almost unanimous."
Thanks to SquareState.org for the link.
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
6:51:00 AM
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Here's a look at the 2008 Democratic National Convention from The Denver Post. From the article:
News organizations from the BBC to al-Jazeera already are booking blocks of hotel suites, limousines for their anchors, acres of parking space for their satellite dishes and caterers to feed their high-dollar talent. All this to cover an event that is entirely scripted, prepackaged and expected to provide no suspense whatsoever. Denver City Council President Michael Hancock considers the lack of excitement inside the convention hall a real opportunity. The notoriously impatient media hordes got bored at the 2004 conventions and went looking for stories on the streets of Boston and New York City, he said. Neighborhoods, eateries, tourist attractions and business opportunities all were in the spotlight as the speechifying droned on...
Next month, about 400 producers and members of media advance teams are coming to town to tour the Pepsi Center, book facilities and start spending money. Lotsa money. Bill Mitchell of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau estimated the economic bump from the three-day event at $160 million.
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
6:23:55 AM
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Here's an update about drilling for oil and gas in the Grand Junction and Palisade watersheds from The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article:
Genesis Gas and Oil has had control over its natural gas leases in the Grand Junction and Palisade municipal watersheds on Grand Mesa for a month now, but the company is showing little interest in drilling them. When the Bureau of Land Management granted Genesis leases on 765 acres within Grand Junction's watershed and 11,280 acres within Palisade's watershed in 2006, the agency suspended the leases for a year, giving the company time to create a plan with the communities that would try to assure them drilling won't harm their water supplies. The BLM lifted the suspension on the leases Sept. 1, allowing Genesis to apply for permits necessary to explore for natural gas. So far, Genesis has filed no permit applications with the BLM, and drilling could be years away. "We're still doing in-house evaluation," Genesis Vice President Bob Behner said Wednesday. "My guess is we'll do something out there in the next year. My guess is it wouldn't be in the watersheds." Chances are, he said, Genesis would make moves toward exploring for natural gas on BLM land outside the watersheds...
Before Genesis can drill the watersheds, it must file an application for a permit to drill with the BLM, the approval process for which can take as much as a year or longer, BLM spokeswoman Mel Lloyd said. The agency would conduct an environmental assessment on the potential drilling permit, and the public may be invited to comment, she said. "If we're talking about Genesis and development within the watershed, that's going to be treated with sensitivity to the communities, and nothing's going to get rushed or even (have) the appearance of being rushed," Lloyd said. Genesis' inaction since its lease suspension was lifted surprised few Wednesday. "From the start, they said they would probably start east of the watershed," Palisade Town Manager Tim Sarmo said. Bill Grant, president of Western Colorado Congress, called Genesis' plans good news. "I think every day that watershed is not drilled is a day gained," he said. "Ultimately, we still hope to prevent drilling in the watershed."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
5:59:02 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 11/30/09; 9:29:34 PM.
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