and cancer is scary and it can be terminal but there are cases where it can be treated as well. this is from mary lou aguirre's 'Woman's cancer battle inspires' (fresno bee):

Lorrie Centeno of Madera never thought she would have to battle breast cancer not once, but three times in her 42 years. But she's learned to deal and she's learned to fight.
"When you get knocked down, you just have to get back up," she says.
Lorrie will be among the cancer survivors -- men as well as women -- who will attend the 10th Annual Komen Central Valley Race for the Cure on Saturday at California State University, Fresno.
Up to 75% of the race's net proceeds will remain in Fresno County. The money will pay for breast health education, breast cancer screening and treatment for poor women, according to komencentralvalley.org.
"Isn't my wife beautiful?" asked Arnold Centeno as I shook Lorrie's hand. Other words he used to describe Lorrie are "disciplined," "self-assured," confident" and "inspirational."
Definitely inspirational.
It's hard to believe that Lorrie is recovering from a Sept. 18 double mastectomy. Dressed in jeans, a pink blouse and shoes decorated with the signature pink ribbons, Lorrie has a perfect smile. Slim, nails manicured and with long blond hair, Lorrie has a youthful look.
"If you looked at me, you might think, 'She has it all,' " says Lorrie, who attends Woodward Park Church of Christ in Fresno and has two children, Sommer, 18, and Joshua, 21. "But you never know what people are going through."

early detection makes a difference. this isn't a topic that's easy for me to cover (for obvious reasons) but i've pretty much ignored it (for obvious reasons) my entire blogging career so it's past time i note it. let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'

independent presidential candidate ralph nader was on fox news tonight, on the bill o'reilly show. this is from the transcript:

BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "Personal Story" segment tonight: Although he's not getting much attention this year, Ralph Nader is again running for president and has been closely watching the McCain-Obama race, including the debate last night. Mr. Nader joins us now from Connecticut.
OK. I mean, you heard the program. You know how I feel about this economic chaos, and you saw the candidates last night. What say you?
RALPH NADER, INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I didn't hear the phrase "jail time not bail time" for these Wall Street crooks who have swindled trillions of dollars and then jumped into a golden lifeboat while they tanked their own companies, unemployed workers and loaded up on innocent taxpayers and put it to the pensioners.

You know, don't these guys believe law and order? Crime in the suites. You know, $700 billion blank check bailout without any power given to the shareholders? Without re-regulating these crooks so they can't do it again? This is serious stuff, Bill.
In all of American history I've never seen anything like this. I've never seen more cowardly members of Congress. I've never seen such a toady in the White House. You know, 230 years ago we were 13 colonies under King George III. We're now 50 colonies under King George IV. Time for taxpayer rebellion.
O'REILLY: All right. Bush is certainly culpable on this. But we've got to look forward. And you've got two guys who both say they're change agents. You've got McCain, who has been noted as a tough, feisty guy. I think he's a no spin guy. You've got Obama, who's very smart and has seen poverty, because he worked in poverty in Chicago. They both get up on the national stage, and they don't show a lot of passion for the folks suffering, and I'm trying to figure out why. Do you know?
NADER: One, they're dialing for the same corporate dollars for their campaign. Two, they're not part of the risk. You know, you heard Obama say they're well off, they've got good pensions, they've got secure jobs. And third, the people are not organizing yet. They're really angry, but they're not organized to really put a laser beam on these guys. There is going to be...

this is from joseph cannon's 'Who is Evelyn Pringle and why is the Progressive Mafia trying to silence her?' (cannonfire):

Long-time readers know that I've been encouraging everyone to read the work of Evelyn Pringle, the investigative reporter who spent months looking into Obama's ties to the Illinois "Combine" -- a crook's paradise of unscrupulous businessmen and corrupt pols. Pringle previously had received great applause for her work exposing fraud and thievery in Iraq. She once was someone that the progs liked.

But Obama changes everything.Lefty writers never lacked publication venues when they went after Democrats in the past. Older readers will recall that "progressive" pundits previously expended most of their hatred on Democrats, not Republicans. In the pre-net days, the "Progressive Mafia" (which consisted, in those days, of Cockburn, Vidal, the pre-switch Hitchens and a handful of others) filled many a column railing against Clinton, Dukakis, Mondale, Carter, and so forth. In 2000, Michael Moore and other like-minded dopes demonized Al Gore, thereby forcing us to endure eight years of Dubya. Rags like The Nation and Z Magazine pretty much existed to attack Democrats from the left flank. The New Republic assailed Clinton with such vigor that I started calling it The Newly Republican.But Obama changes everything.Obama may not be criticized. No matter how deep his corruption, Obama may not be criticized. The left had no problem with Michael Moore's portrayal of Al Gore as being somewhere to the right of Mussolini -- but anyone who tells the truth about Barack Holy Obama must be a racist.And so Evelyn Pringle must be silenced.
OpEdNews' Rob Kall is wondering whether to remove Evelyn Pringle's articles because she "“attacked Obama". Kall says she did so because she is a Hillary supporter.

as cyndi lauper once sang, 'money changes everything.' and it certainly changed the 'left'. as my mother-in-law is so fond of saying, 'progressive' is just a fancy little word for the closeted communists to hide behind. and we've witnessed the same behaviors by the closet cases that led to so little support for them when mccarthyism started.

they couldn't count on the democratic party because they'd pissed off the democrats. they'd posed as democrats and told their lies just like they did today on barack.

so when the right went after them, the attitude of dems were 'rot in the hell of your own making.' they really thought the f.d.r. presidency was going to bring them into power. the same way they hitch themselves to the barack obama campaign today.

in neither case would that ever be possible. but they'd pose as dems, do a lot of damage and create the backlash that led to no support from dems when mccarthyism started.

f.d.r.'s administration had enough trouble pushing through needed programs, they didn't have time to deal with all the closet cases insisting to the public that they were dems. and by the time truman takes over, there's no reason to keep babying the closet cases.

the cute little fairytale version of events is that poor little communists were just off on their own doing their thing and joe mccarthy decided to pick on them.

that's not reality.

and then as now, these idiots burned their bridges.

for the republicans, it was a case of panic: these communists are taking over!

there were not that many communists to begin with. but when you find out ___ is a closet communist and so is ____ and they're both posing as democrats, you start thinking the entire democratic party is communist.

the way today, the right would think the entire democratic party was communist except for joe lieberman.

it was a way to make political hay for the republicans, no question. but they were truly afraid of 'subversives.' which is why gays and lesbians were part of the witch hunt as well - a fact that the likes of victor navasky like to pretend never happened.

but the term was 'subversive.' and it did include a witchhunt on gays and lesbians. other than c.i., i don't know of any 1 who's truly explored that online. ava and c.i. included details about a gay man who palled around with both truman and eisenhower and, on the ever of his senate approval to the highest post he'd ever hold - and during republican ike's administration - he suddenly withdrew his name from nomination claiming he was ill. he wasn't ill. he was gay and it was made clear he would be outed as a 'subversive' so he left d.c. and ended up in hollywood where he was a film censor for a major studio. (i believe it was m.g.m. but check with c.i. he remained in the closet there as well. he and his lover had houses with a secret passage between the 2.)

it was the republicans being scared of their own shadow and seeing evil everywhere. (sound familiar?) and it was democrats being damn sick of the closet cases passing themselves off as democrats and attempting to control the democratic party that laid the groundwork for mccarthyism. republicans went after the closet communists (and gays and lesbians) and democrats attitude was they were sick of the closet communists trying to control their party and they'd just let them dangle on their own.

during the witchhunt lives were destroyed. some people were communists and some people were wrongly accused of being that. but both groups suffered. both groups were victims. and, as usual, the big 1s escaped public scrutiny.

op-ed news isn't a site i take seriously. when r.k. decided he was going to go 'professional,' this community was done with that site. but if he's planning on being professional, he might grasp that a tide changer is taking place right now that goes far beyond the november election and that having evelyn pringle's amazing work at his site is a nice thing for him to point to.

i'd be a little less concerned that evelyn questioned the christ-child and a little more aware that having that questioning in my archives would allow me to avoid the need to issue a mea culpa in the following years.

(9:34 p.m. is my time. i'm in the eastern time zone. it was 8:34 at her place in texas.)

i'm so sick of barack obama and his sexism.

i'm voting for ralph nader and if the hypocrite kim gandy hates him (and she does hate him), you know he's got something going for him. this is from team nader:

Nader on CNN, FOX, CNBC and PBS NewsHour Tuesday
Posted by The Nader Team on Monday, October 13, 2008 at 09:11:00 PM
ShareThis
It’s time to bring it on home.
We are within shouting distance of our goal of $250,000 by midnight tonight.
We’re bumping up against the top of our widget.
But we need just one more push.
So, please.
If you haven’t given yet to Nader/Gonzalez, do so now.
Whatever you can afford — $5, $10, $15, $50, $100.
Is there a hero out there who can give $500?
Is there a hero out there who can give $1,000?
Drop it now on Nader/Gonzalez.
We’ve got about four hours to go.
Let’s get it done for Nader/Gonzalez.
And remember, if you donate $100 or more now, we will send you an autographed copy of Ralph’s classic — The Seventeen Traditions (HarperCollins 2007).
This 150-page hardcover book details the seventeen traditions that Ralph grew up with and is the closest thing so far to a Ralph Nader autobiography.

So, don’t miss out on this limited edition offer. (This offer expires tonight at midnight.)
We need just 100 more of you — our loyal supporters — to step up and snap up The Seventeen Traditions.
And we will meet our goal.
So let’s crank it up.
And get it done.
And now, the News Flash!
Tomorrow, Ralph be moving from TV studio to TV studio, breaking the down the walls of enforced media silence.
Ralph will be on CNBC with John Harwood between 2 and 3 p.m. EST.
He will be on CNN with Rick Sanchez at 3:30 p.m. EST.
He will be on the NewsHour on PBS between 6 and 7 p.m. EST.
And he’ll be on Fox with Shepherd Smith at 7:30 p.m. EST.
So, grab your remote, and look out for Ralph.
Tomorrow, Ralph’s the cable guy!
Okay folks.
Let’s kick it in.
And watch that there widget go.
Onward to November
The Nader Team
ShareThis

shake that money maker barack!

okay, i hope you already read ava & c.i.'s 'TV: Some moments should stay undercover' which is amazing, no question. i want to emphasize 1 section on donna brazile:

Our favorite moment was probably when 'regular gal' Donna felt the need to inform Charlie that "I talk to White people, Latinos, everybody." Are your sides aching yet?The same Donna Brazile who declared in May, "Well, Lou, I have worked on a lot of Democratic campaigns, and I respect Paul. But, Paul, you're looking at the old coalition. A new Democratic coalition is younger. It is more urban, as well as suburban, and we don't have to just rely on white blue-collar voters and Hispanics. We need to look at the Democratic Party, expand the party, expand the base and not throw out the baby with the bathwater."

The only response to Donna's claim to to "talk to White people, Latinos, everybody," is to ask, "And do they speak back to you?" Charlie, of course, avoided that obvious question. Then again, maybe Donna was referring to those angry e-mails she's become so infamous for with pithy little sentiments such as "Message to the Base: Stay home."

Donna got off a few truths, to her credit. She noted of Barack, "he's mixed race -- he's bi-racial." (She later referred to him as "half-Black".) She rejected the notion that Ralph Nader cost Al Gore the election in 2000 noting, "Had Al Gore won Tennessee, we wouldn't be having this conversation." She noted the responsibility was Gore's ("Al Gore had to close the deal"), that he was polling low ("he was in the mid-40s") and, "Put Nader aside . . . I didn't fight hard enough." (Donna was the campaign manager of Gore's 2000 run.) But this being Donna Brazile, the hilarity always stands out more than anything else.

And we're were laughing so hard, at the end of the interview, when she gave her credits to Charlie, "I work four jobs, I love it. I write for Roll Call, I'm a syndicated columnist, I teach, I'm on CBS, CNN." Are you laughing too? If not think about what periodical has allowed Donna's tired ass to write for them? That's right, Donna's on PBS and can't even plug Ms. magazine. Doesn't it all seem so fitting? That's gratitude for you and it reminded us of how a DC hostess has christened Donna "The Ass With Sass." Were truer words ever spoken?

'the ass with sass' is hilarious (and i know who the hostess is, by the way) but what i think is just so poetic is that ms. magazine hired the closet case donna brazile and they run her hideous column each issue but brazile can't even give them a plug while on national television. hey, ms. magazine, you got punked.

austin cassidy's independent political report notes:

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader has received the endorsement of Chris Hedges, a journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize when writing for the New York Times. Hedges has previously said that he would vote for Nader because neither Obama nor McCain are unequivocally against continuing the war in Iraq.

that's in the snapshot (about hedges, not the link to austin that just went up 2 hours ago) but i wanted to emphasize it here.

ralph nader is not a losing choice. ralph nader is a solid choice. if you're against the illegal war, he's an outstanding choice. if you're agains the mega-bucks bailout that just passed our spineless and corporate toady congress, he's an outstanding choice.

if you're some 1 who whines and whines for 3 years before a presidential election about how you want a candidate who stands up for the things that matter, you can stop being a whiner and realize that such a candidate is ralph nader or you can betray what you believe in this go-round (again) and go back to whining in 2009. it's your choice. but i'm really not interested in hearing you whine after the election about how barack sold you out.

he's already done that with fisa.

he's already done that with the iraq war.

he sells every 1 out.

do you think he's going to get into the white house and magically transform himself?

if so, that's not 'hope' you've swallowed, that's some hard drugs you've swallowed.

ralph doesn't say 1 thing to 1 group of people and another thing to others. he doesn't suck up to the telecoms because they're financing his political convention (and campaign).

you don't have to wait for a candidate you believe in to emerge, he's already here. ralph nader is some 1 who has repeatedly proven he will stand up. he will not turn tail and run. so if you think your vote matters, then use it in such a way that it can make a difference.

let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post often writes with a good deal of attitude, and his Tuesday column was no exception. In his report on Sarah Palin’s campaign speech in Clearwater, Florida, laced with mocking Palinisms (“darn right,” “betcha”), he wrote that “the self-identified pit bull has been unleashed, if not unhinged.” The “unhinging,” in Milbank’s assessment, came when Palin charged that Obama still has some explaining to do about his relationship with 1960s Weatherman bomber William Ayers.

Milbank also wrote that Palin blamed Katie Couric for her “less-than-successful” CBS interview. Other newspapers reported a more light-hearted Palin response to the dismal interview. The Tampa Tribune, for example, reported that she said: “I shoulda told them I was just trying to keep Tina Fey in business.”

But Milbank’s report triggered Democratic rage across the Internet with his charge that “Palin’s routine attacks on the media have begun to spill into ugliness.” Some in the Clearwater crowd, he wrote, shouted abuse at reporters. Someone yelled “Kill him,” apparently a reference to Ayers; and one person shouted an epithet at a network sound man (apparently the N-word, though Milbank didn’t say) and told him, “Sit down, boy.”

[...]

Milbank’s lone racist at the rally soon became a group (or a mob) of people shouting racial epithets. A New York Times editorial Tuesday (“The Politics of Attack”) misquoted Milbank’s Post column, claiming that one person shouted “Kill him” and “others shouted epithets at an African-American member of a TV crew.” Many blogs followed suit: “Crowd at Palin Rally Hurled Racial Epithets at African American on News Crew,” read the headline at Pensito Review. This was too much for Bob Somerby, the left-leaning blogger at the Daily Howler. Calling Milbank “a highly unreliable chronicler,” Somerby taunted the Times for multiplying racists at the rally: “It’s the power of pluralization!...One example becomes much more powerful when we stick an ‘s’ on the end. In this case, one epithet-shouter turns into a group. How many people were shouting those epithets? The editors let you imagine.”

Friday, October 10, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, another journalist is killed, yesterday's assassination causes more suspicions of the US, Iraqi Christians are targeted says an Archbishop, and more. Yesterday at the White House, spokesperson Dana Perino was asked about Iraqi Christians "losing representation in Iraq's Muslim-dominated legislature" and Perino responded that "I think that that was resolved and the Christians' rights were restored." (Full answer: "I'll check, but I think you should double check, because I think that that was resolved and the Christians' rights were restored.") No, they were not. Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) reported, "a separate bill" will be sent "to parliament to restore" Article 50. The bill may or not pass. But the provincial elections bill, which passed by Parliament, passed the presidency council and was signed into law by Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, eliminated Article 50 which guaranteed representation to religious minorities. Yesterday, Kim Gamel (AP) reported that in Mosul so far this month, 7 corpses of Iraqi Christians have been discovered, notes that a person's religion is listed on the state i.d., that there are approximately 800,000 Iraqi Christians still in the country, and quotes Chaldean Archibishop Louis Sako stating, "We are worried about the campaign of killings and deportations against the Christian citizens in Mosul." The Kurdish Globe reported yesterday that the Yazidis and the Christians continue protesting over the elimination of Article 50 and quotes Jamil Zeito ("head of the Seriaques-Chaldeans Public Council") stating, "We will demonstrate and protest until we achieve autonomous rights for Christians in our districts as well as fair representation for religious minorities, including Christians, in the provincial elections. The protests and demonstrations will not stop till we accomplish our fair rights; ignoring the rights of minorities indicates incomplete democracy in Iraq." And, as AINA reports, the issue has led to protests elsewhere as well such as the Iraqi embassy in Sweden where protestors gathered and Isak Monir ("spokesman for the Chaldean Federation in Sweden") explained, "Since the decision to exclude minorities representatives was taken by the Iraqi parliament the violence against Christians has increased remarkably. The groups who want Iraq cleaned from other ethnic and religious groups maybe felt that they are backed up by the parliament and consequently have begun to kill Christians again. They want a homogeneous Iraq -- cleaned from other ethnic and religious groups." Ethan Cole (Christian Post) notes the 3 Iraqi Christians killed on Tuesday in Mosul and he explains of Mosul "the city is a historic center for Assyrian Christians, who view it as their ancestral homeland. It is home to the second-largest community of Christians in Iraq, after Baghdad." Asia News (via Catholic Today) identifies the dead: More Christian blood in Mosul. On October 7, a father and son were killed in the neighborhood of Sukkar while they were working. Amjad Hadi Petros and his son were killed because "they were guilty of being Christian" in a place where a "systematic persecution" is being seen. In a second attack, recorded in another of the city's neighborhoods, a fundamentalist group broke into a pharmacy and killed an assistant, also of the Christian religion. We also recounted the execution, on Monday, October 6, of Ziad Kamal, a 25-year-old disabled shop owner in the city. The young man owned a store in the neighborhood of Karama: he was taken by an armed group from inside his store and brought to a nearby spot, where he was shot to death. Also, on Saturday, October 4, two more men were barbarously assassinated in two other areas of Mosul: Hazim Thomaso Youssif, 40, was killed in front of the clothing store he owned, while 15-year-old Ivan Nuwya was shot to death in the neighborhood of Tahrir, outside of his house in front of the local mosque of Alzhara. Vatican Radio offers a report: Vatican Radio: Concern is growing once again over violence against Christians in nothern Iraq where, in the last week alone, seven of them have been killed in the city of Mosul. Attacks have tapered off amid a drastic decline in overall violence nationwide but these latest killings have sparked renewed fears. The Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk, Luis Sako, has condemned the violence. Archbishop Sako: In Mosul the situation is terrible especially for the Christians and many families left the city, children cannot go to the school and also people cannot go to work they are staying in their houses. Just a real tragedy for them. I made an appeal to the Mosul population because I am from Mosul -- I lived years in Mosul, in a parish -- and I had many, many relationships with Muslims most of them so I made a call and an appeal. This appeal has been delivered in all the local medias. This could be helpful to encourage Muslim moderates to react and to do something. The United Nations and Peoples Organization notes the Wednesday meeting of the European Parliament of the EPP-ED in Brussles which addressed "Christian Communities in the Muslim World: Iraq". Archbishop of Mosul Basile Georges Casmoussa called the crisis "heartbreaking" and stated Iraq Christians make up 40% of the refugee population despite being only 4% of Iraq's population. He also noted that that "aid was not reaching Christians in Iraq". The report also notes: "Kirkuk was identified as a crucial issue by Ms. Naglaa Elhag, of the IKV Pax Christi organization, in her presentation on 'The Situation of Refugees in Iraq' -- the topic of the final panel. Until this was addressed and Europe adopted a cohesive policy there were few positive signs to be seen in the region Ms. Elhag concluded. Even outside Iraq, Christians continued to find themselves excluded from basic social services and had to face ongoing intimidation and violence. There was also a pressing need to hold the Iraqi government accountable for its failure to adequately protect the Iraqi Christian minority." Marwan Ibrahim (AFP) reports Archbishop Louis Sako declared today, "We are the target of a campaign of liquidation, a campaign of violence. The objective is political. . . . We have heard many words from Prime Minister Maliki, but unfortunately this has not translated into reality. We continue to be targeted. We want solutions, not promises." So, to toss back to Dana Perino, no, "that" was not "resolved." Dana Priest (Washington Post) was online at her paper yesterday afternoon for a discussion with readers and the topic of the National Intelligence Estimate [] was raised. Priest: "The jist of the NIE has been known for a while, since all the reporting that the Washington Post and other major news organizations have been doing over the past year says, basically, the same thing. In this sense, the NIE does not offer a big revelation; it just brings the series of daily intel/military analysis on Afghanistan to a higher level with more visibility. Unlike the days before the Iraq war, many people have access to what's happening in afghanistan and are willing to share it with reporters, in part because they are frustrated it's not getting more attention and they believe it should if, as we have said since 9-11, defeating terrorism is a priority." Wednesday Jonathan S. Landay, Warren P. Strobel and Nancy A. Youssef (McClatchy Newspapers) reported on the upcoming National Intelligence Estimate (which may or may not be released prior to the US elections in November), "The draft NIE, however, warns that the improvements in security and political progress, like the recent passage of a provincial election law, are threatened by lingering disputes between the majority Shiite Arabs, Sunni Arabs, Kurds and other minorities, the U.S. officials said. Sources of tension identified by the NIE, they said, include a struggle between Sunni Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen for control of the oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk; and the Shiite-led central government's unfulfilled vows to hire former Sunni insurgents who joined Awakening groups." At the White House yesterday Dana Perino noted that US Secretary of State Condi Rice has not read the report. Not a slam at Condi, just noting that the report is under wraps. Rice noted she hadn't read it in brief remarks to the press before meeting with Maris Reikstins (Lativian Foreign Affairs Minister) in DC, "Well, in fact, I have actually not seen the NIE. I will -- I assume that we'll be briefed on it shortly. But in any case, we had asked for the intelligence community to take a look. It's important that it do so." The issue of the NIE was raised at Thursday's State Dept press briefing conducted by Sean McCormack who noted, "She [Rice] has not yet seen it, and I don't believe any of the policy makers in the State Department have seen any drafts of this assessment. I would expect at some point that they will be briefed on it." As noted in yesterday's snapshot, Iraqi MP Saleh al-Auaeili was assassinated yesterday. al-Auqaeili had been one of the 30 member Sadr bloc in Parliament. Tensions are high over the assassination and Jeffrey Fleishman (Los Angeles Times) reports overnight fighting in the Sadr City section of Baghdad between, on one side, Sadr supporters and, on the other, Iraqi and US forces. Fleishman also notes that Ahmed Massoudi ("a Sadr spokesman") states, "The occupation sent us a message by staging this attack [the assassination] because of our stance against the agreement." Sam Dagher (New York Times) quotes Sheik Salah al-Obeidi (Moqtada al-"Sadr's chief spokesman") stating, "By killing Ugaili they are silencing a major opponent of the agreement" -- which would be the treaty the White House and the puppet of the occupation want to pretend is a SOFA. Sheik al-Obeidi ties the assassination in with other pressure to push on the treaty including US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte's visit to Iraq this week and he also notes that a demonstration will take place October 18th in Baghdad "against the American presence in Iraq." Ernesto London (Washington Post) quoted MP Ahmad al-Massoudi stating, "We have laid the blame on the occupation forces and the Iraqi government for the martyrdom of [the lawmaker] because the explosion happened in an area that is under the control of" the US military (the Green Zone). Marwa Sabah (AFP) reports that the "[m]ourners shouted anti-American slogans . . . as relatives hugged each other and wept while the wooden coffin of Ogayly was brought out of his home early on Friday draped in the tri-colour Iraqi flag." Khaled Farhan (Reuters) notes a statement released by Moqtada al-Sadr: "The martyr gave most of his time to eject the occupiers. . . . And for this reason the hand of the hateful occupation and terrorism killed him." Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) explains that observers (US and Iraqi) are noting a shift from acts of violence targeting mass numbers of people to assassination attempts "using magnetic bombs, weapons with silencers and bicycle bombs. As provinicial elections approach, some officials worry that assassinations will increase as political parties try to eradicate their competitors." Leila Fadel (McClatchy) quotes the statement by al-Sadr reading, "Here is another star that brightens in the sky of martyrs, of Sadr followers and the sons of Iraq. Another martyr waters the land of Iraq with his blood, a martyr that sacrifices himself for the sake of Iraq and the people of Iraq, a martyr that gave all of his time to expel the occupier and not to sign agreements with him." Tensions in Baghdad also include the ongoing conflict between northern Iraq and Turkey. Hurriyet notes reports coming out stating that Turkey will be "direct talks with the regional administration in the northern Iraq in its fight against the terror organization, PKK". CNN notes that Turkey bombed northern Iraq again today. Reuters provides the catch-up for the latest tensions, "Turkey's parliament on Wednesday approved a government request to extend for another year a mandate to launch military operations against PKK rebels based in northern Iraq from where they are suspected of crossing into Turkey to attack soldiers. Turkish authorities are under mounting pressure after a series of deadly attacks on Turkish security forces and police, which has left more than 20 dead in recent days." Meanwhile the Turkish Daily News offers this observation, "It looks like the [Turkish] government will not bow to pressure from the opposition which calls for a ground incursion to Iraq as well as setting up a security zone in the border." At the US State Dept today, spokesperson Sean McCormack was asked about Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan's statements regarding " a buffer zone in northern Iraq" to prevent attacks by the PKK on Turkey and McCormack replied, "We are working with the Turkish and Iraqi governments on a common problem, and that is the threat of terrorism from the PKK." An October 17th vote for a non-permantnet seat on the United Nations' Security Council will be held and that Turkey is a candidate for that seat. Asso Ahmed (Los Angeles Times) quotes PKK "senior leader" Bozan Takeen declaring in a phone interview "from his hideout in Iraqi Kurdistan," "We are ready and our forces are ready. We are not afraid of them. If they want to attack Iraq's Kurdistan, then the Middle East will turn into a fire ball." Meanwhile Wednesday, in the Green Zone, US Maj Gen Jeffery Hammond declared: Now, take for example, the transition or transfer of the Sons of Iraq to Government of Iraq control. Now, we have two phases to this plan. The first one is the transfer of the Sons of Iraq to the, to the Government of Iraq control, which will include the assumption and the payment of their salaries starting this month in October. We're working very closely with our Iraqi counterparts to make sure this works. The Government of Iraq has committed to accept responsibility for the Sons of Iraq and it's been mandated in the Prime Minister Order No. 118‑C, and we're going to be there to assist in the transfer. We spent the last few weeks working hand in hand with the Iraqi Security Forces, the IFCNR, our Iraqi partners and I'm confident ‑‑ I'm confident this is going to go well. But again, effective this month, the Government of Iraq will start paying the salaries for the Sons of Iraq. Actually . . . Anwar J. Ali, Sam Dagher, Stephen Farrell, Erica Goode and Alissa J. Rubin (New York Times) report on the tensions brewing among the "Awakeing"s including graffiti appearing that is "the motto of a feared paramilitary unit during Saddam Hussein's era": "Allah. Homeland. Salary" -- which "Awakening" Sgt. Alaa al-Janabi ("Dora Awakening") states is "our slogan." al-Janabi goes on to cite that the Iraqi government is not paying them enough money to live on and offer "We're not going to fight again. Unless they make us." Saleh al-Jubori ("a leader of the Awakening Council in Dora") states that "there is no trust between us and the National Police" and, "if the Awakening is let go, Dora will go back to worse than it was before. I hope you don't consider this a threat." And staying with the topic of "worse," Robert Fisk (Independent of London) reports "that secret executions are being carried out in the prisons run by Nouri al-Maliki's 'democratic' government. The hangings are carried out regularly -- from a wooden gallows in a small, cramped cell -- in Saddam Hussein's old intelligence headquarters at Kazimiyah. There is no public record of these killings in what is now called Baghdad's 'high-security detention facility' but most of the victims -- there have been hundreds since America introduced 'democracy' to Iraq -- are said to be insurgents, given the same summary justice they mete out to their own captives." Staying with violence, Reuters notes that 28-year-old journalist Diyar Abbas was shot dead in Kirkuk today joining "at least 135 journalists [who] have been killed in the line of duty since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003." Tuesday the Committee to Protect Journalists featured Robert Mahoney's report on 27-year-old Iraqi journalist Jehad Abdulwahid Hannoon who had surived a shooting in Baghdad and, with help from the international journalism community (including CBS News' Lara Logan), was able to come to the US where he had "successful surgery in a California hospital to repair his bullet-shattered right leg." CPJ notes "135 journalists and 50 support workers" have died in Iraq. Here, we say 185 journalists. "Support workers" are doing a great deal more than that classification implies. So Diyar Abbass becomes at least the 186th journalist to die in Iraq. In some of today's other reported violence . . . Bombings? Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad roadside bombing that claimed 2 lives and left twelve wounded, a Baghdad car bombing claimed 12 lives with twenty-two more wounded, a Mosul roadside bombing that claimed 2 lives and left fourteen wounded. On the Mosul roadside bombing, China's Xinhua cites a police source who explains, "A roadside bomb detonated in the afternoon at a popular marketplace in the Bab al-Tob neighborhood". Corpses? Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 1 corpse discovered in Baghdad. In legal news, mercenaries in Iraq got a setback today. Matthew Barakat (AP) reports that KBR contractor Ira L. Waltrip -- caught with child pornography -- was informed by US District Judge T.S. Ellis III that he wasn't any getting any special breaks and that the argument that Waltrip was doing the same duties soldiers do so should be punished the same way one of them would have been was bunk. The Judge informed Waltrip's attorney that, "He wasn't there because he volunteered. He was there to get some money." Public TV notes. NOW on PBS examines the American Dream as gas prices soar and home values crumble. PBS' Washington Week finds Gwen sitting down with Washington Post's Dan Balz, National Journal's James Barnes, Wall St. Journal's David Wessel and mystery guest Karen Tumulty (Time magazine) who may or may not do her Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte impersonation. Both programs air tonight in some PBS markets, check local listings. Turning to the US presidential race, Cynthia McKinney is the Green Party presidential candidate and Rosa Clemente is her running mate. Rosa has the following upcoming campaign event this weekend in New York: Jericho 10th Anniversary Weekend of Resistance http://www.jerichomovement.com/ Saturday, October 11, 2008 @ 12 Noon Rally at the Harlem State Office Building (Corner of 126th St. & A.C. Powell Blvd.) March through Harlem @ 1 p.m. Closing Rally in Morningside Park @ 2 p.m. Between 112th & 114th near Morningside Ave. entrances Ralph Nader is the independent presidential candidate and Sunday he will be Fairfax, VA to speak at a press conference and rally at Geroge Mason Univeristy beginning at 5:00 p.m. Barack Obama is the Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden is his running mate. As Wally and Cedric noted yesterday, Barack seemed to offer some sort of Born Free/Elsa excuse for his friendship with Ayers whom he called "rehabilitated." Jake Tapper (ABC News) ponders rehabilitation: And Ayers has made it clear that he is unrepentant. ''I don't regret setting bombs,'' Ayers told the New York Times in 2001. ''I feel we didn't do enough.'' Asked if he would do it all again, Ayers said ''I don't want to discount the possibility. I don't think you can understand a single thing we did without understanding the violence of the Vietnam War." In a comic strip that Ayers recently posted on his blog, Ayers tried to explain the "we didn't do enough quote" from seven years ago, writing, "It's impossible to get to be my age and not have plenty of regrets. The one thing I don't regret is opposing the war in Vietnam with every ounce of my being. During the Vietnam War, the Weather Underground took credit for bombing several government installations as a dramatic form of armed propaganda. Action was taken against symbolic targets in order to declare a state of emergency. But warnings were always called in, and by design no one was ever hurt. "When I say, 'We didn't do enough,' a lot of people rush to think, 'That must mean, "We didn't bomb enough s---."' But that's not the point at all. It's not a tactical statement, it's an obvious political and ethical statement. In this context, 'we' means 'everyone.' The war in Vietnam was not only illegal, it was profoundly immoral, millions of people were needlessly killed. Even though I worked hard to end the war, I feel to this day that I didn't do enough because the war dragged on for years after the majority of the American people came to oppose it. I don't think violent resistance is necessarily the answer, but I do think opposition and refusal is imperative." (He doesn't think violent resistance is NECESSARILY the answer?) So today, with today's facts, does Obama think Ayers has been "rehabilitated"? No, he doesn't think so, a source at the campaign tells me. Mike did a press roundup on Barack's Ayers stories last night, Kat called out AP's Philip Elliott who does not seem to grasp the number of "40," Ruth contemplated the press mistakes, Rebecca noted the lack of standards and Marcia congratulates Oklahoma community members (as have Kat, as did Elaine and Mike). Oklahoma community members are supporting the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin. The McCain-Palin campaign has a new TV ad entitled "Ambition" (click here to read more about it): ANNCR: Obama's blind ambition. When convenient, he worked with terrorist Bill Ayers. When discovered, he lied. Obama. Blind ambition. Bad judgment. Congressional liberals fought for risky sub-prime loans. Congressional liberals fought against more regulation. Then, the housing market collapsed costing you billions. In crisis, we need leadership, not bad judgment. JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message. In addition, the Republican ticket notes: Today McCain-Palin 2008 announced that Bill Bruins, a dairy farmer from Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, joined the McCain-Palin Farm & Ranch Team National Steering Committee. Bruins joins a distinguished team of elected officials and leaders in agriculture who share a common goal with John McCain: to provide the leadership necessary to create prosperity in America's rural heartland. "John McCain understands agriculture's need for a comprehensive national energy policy that will combat rising energy costs," Bruins said. "I support John McCain because he will foster greater opportunities for agriculture to thrive in a market-driven society by reducing taxes and government regulations. Most importantly, he understands that reducing trade barriers expands international commerce and increases farmers' income." In addition to serving on the McCain-Palin Farm and Ranch Team National Steering Committee, Bruins joins former Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture Jim Harsdorf as a Wisconsin state co-chair on the Wisconsin McCain-Palin Farm & Ranch Team. "Bill's understanding of agriculture from both state and national public policy involvement makes him a great addition to the McCain-Palin team in Wisconsin," Harsdorf said. "Bill Bruins is a hands-on dairy and crop producer who understands the importance of John McCain's support for free trade, his commitment to reducing the inheritance and capital gains tax on farmers and his plan to reduce high energy costs by pursuing domestic energy sources." The continuing success of American agriculture and the health of America's rural heartland require a leader who understands that productivity and innovation are created by the effort, ingenuity and investment of individual Americans. As president, John McCain will address the key issues facing agriculture and rural America: Establishing a comprehensive energy strategy Controlling taxation and regulation Judicial restraint and preserving property rights Providing a sustainable, market-driven risk management system for farmers Promoting agricultural markets and reducing trade barriers Improving incentives to invest in technology and rural infrastructure Encouraging common-sense conservation and food safety measures Securing America's borders and implementing a fair and practical immigration policy Recognizing the role of agriculture in national security Strengthen America's economic competitiveness by eliminating wasteful government spending The benefits of American leadership in agriculture extend well beyond our borders -- America's contribution to meeting the food, fiber, feed and energy needs of a growing world population through efficient production and technology innovation are critical to our national security. More details on John McCain's statement on "Prosperity for Rural America" can be found on the McCain-Palin 2008 web site at rural.JohnMcCain.com. MCCAIN-PALIN 2008 FARM & RANCH TEAM NATIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE* And finally, Team Nader notes: This morning, as markets around the world are crashing, Nader/Gonzalez is on the rise. And we need your help right now. Here's why: We have a chance over the next week to run inexpensive radio ads. In battleground states all across this country. To expose The Bailout Boys -- Obama and McCain. And to let the American people know that on November 4, they have a choice. The people's candidate -- Independent Ralph Nader. The man who stood against the bailout of Wall Street crooks. And for regulation that would have prevented the current crisis. Here's the problem: We want to run the radio ads from October 21 to Election Day -- November 4. In thirty markets all across this country. Our radio guy tells us he needs the money by Monday to be able to reserve air time for the last two weeks before the election. Throughout this year, when we have asked, you have delivered. Thanks to you, we have not missed one fundraising deadline this year. Now, we are in a corner. Over the past week, you have donated $130,000 to our October Surprise Fund. On our way to our goal of $250,000 by Sunday midnight. Now, to reach our goal, we need 12,000 of you -- our loyal supporters -- to kick in $10 each. We know that many of you have dug deep for the past seven months. So, after you hit that contribute button, pick up the phone and get your friends, relatives, neighbors -- who are angry about the bailout and looking for an independent outlet -- to support the one candidate who has stood with the American people against the corporate criminal elite on Wall street. To give you a sneak preview, we have cut a demo tape. If we reach our goal by Sunday night, we will be professionally producing a version of this demo ad and getting it out to our radio guy in Los Angeles. As the Dow collapses, the Nader/Gonzalez shift the power platform is on the rise. So, donate now -- whatever you can afford -- $10, $100, $1000 -- up to the legal limit of $2,300. Help us fund our nationwide radio ad buy. Inform the American public. There is a choice on November 4. Vote Independent. Vote Ralph Nader for President. Onward to November. The Nader Team iraq ethan cole kim gamel the new york times alissa j. rubin erica goode sam dagher stephen farrell anwar j. ali robert fisk the washington post dana priest leila fadel mcclatchy newspapers nancy a. youssef jonathan s. landay warren p. strobel jeffrey fleishman the los angeles times now on pbs pbs washington week like maria said paz kats korner sex and politics and screeds and attitude the daily jot cedrics big mix mikey likes it ruths report sickofitradlz

i haven't been stricken dead.

what do you know, you can say his middle name.

now i'm fully aware that michelle obama has declared it is 'racism' to say barack's middle name. so if barack were in the hospital, michelle wouldn't give out his middle name to admissions? she wouldn't fill it in our forums?

barack gets in a fender and bender and the police ask his name and what? he screams 'racism!' if they insist upon knowing his middle name?

he wants to be president of the united states.

that's how coddled he's been by the press. he wants to be president of the united states and thinks - like many a junior - he can stamp his feet and say, 'don't call me that!'

where is this sense of entitlement coming from? you have a name. you're an adult and a lawyer. you chose not to change your name. it's your name.

get damn used to it.

in america we're supposed to strive for equality. there has been nothing equal about the press coverage of barack when compared to other candidates and it damn well needs to stop.

william jefferson kennedy. george herbert walker bush. no 1 ever screamed 'racism! you're racist for mentioning their middle names!' neither of those men ever said, 'you can't say my middle name!'

it's time for christ-child to take the same lumps every 1 else does. you think the average boy wants to be called 'francis'? probably not. but when he's an adult, he can change his name if he gets so unhinged by any 1 saying 'francis.'

barack's a grown up - or supposed to be.

he needs to get honest real damn quick.

and the press needs to hold him accountable the way they would any other candidate.

deroy murdock is a right-winger with the hoover institute. i don't care. if the press won't do their damn job then i will highlight deroy murdock's 'Obama's Weathermen pals should worry voters' (seattle post-intelligencer):

Barack Obama's supporters have trivialized his connections to former Weather Underground terrorists William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn. "This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood," Obama told ABC's George Stephanopoulos on April 16. Campaign strategist David Axelrod told CNN Monday that Obama "certainly didn't know the history" of these two barbarians when they hosted a reception for him when he launched his political career.
Obama might not have heard of Ayers and Dohrn's brutality from the '60s through the '80s had they merely tossed a rock or two in anger. But these two went much, much farther.
In 1970, Ayers encapsulated the Weathermen's worldview: "Kill all the rich people. Break up their cars and apartments. Bring the revolution home. Kill your parents." In his 2001 memoir, "Fugitive Days," Ayers brags that he helped blast NYPD headquarters in 1970, the U.S. Capitol in 1971, and the Pentagon in 1972.

in 2007, the nation magazine did their cover story (by christopher phelps) where they were so alarmed that bernardine dohrn was being welcomed by some audiences of today's s.d.s. in 2007. but today? you get idiots like ari berman insisting it's not a story for barack.

but in 2007, it was enough of a damn story for the nation that they made it cover story.

i'm sick of the hypocrisy. i'm sick of the lies.

let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'