carapace – Not your father's america

DID RIGHT-WING SHOCK JOCKS MOTIVATE KNOXVILLE KILLER?

By Joshua Holland, AlterNet

Hateful talk about one’s enemies undermining the nation leads to hateful acts in response.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/93126/

RIGHT-WING PATHOLOGIES REVEALED AFTER ADKISSON SHOOTING AT UNITARIAN CHURCH

By John Dolan, AlterNet

When Free Republic forum posters learned that the gunman was from their own demographic, out came the conservative madness.

http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/93198/

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MISSION ACCOMPLISHED II: THE CORPORATE MEDIA TRIES TO SELL US THAT WE’RE WINNING IN IRAQ

By  Jurassicpork, Brilliant at Breakfast

So how have we beaten or won over the insurgency that we’d created by disbanding the Iraqi Army?

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/waroniraq/93024/

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Combating Terrorism Center at West Point Report on al-Qa’ida Bombers, Bank Accounts, and Bleedout: al-Qa’ida’s Road in and Out of Iraq

July 22, 2008 (126 pages. PDF):

“The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point (CTC) launched the Harmony Project in order to release and analyze documents from the Department of Defense’s classified Harmony Datbase. The Harmony Project unearths and releases documents that reveal the inner-functioning of al-Qa`ida, its associated movements, and other security threats. Harmony documents released by the CTC are always accompanied by an analytical report, but the primary purpose of this process is to make these primary sources available to other scholars. Rather than the final word, CTC Harmony reports should be considered an invitation to further scholarship.”

http://tinyurl.com/6cdaa7  (www.ctc.usma.edu)

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CBS’ Reid didn’t note that experts, including Energy Dept., have rebutted assertion that expanded offshore drilling “will bring prices down”

CBS’ Chip Reid stated, “[Sen. John] McCain says he now supports increased offshore drilling, as do 73 percent of Americans, because, he says, more oil supplies will bring prices down,” and went on to claim, “[Sen. Barack] Obama says offshore drilling harms the environment, and looks to the past, not the future.” But Reid provided no indication that Obama has directly rebutted the suggestion that “increased offshore oil drilling … will bring prices down” by pointing to the conclusion of “most experts, even within the Bush Administration,” that doing so would not affect gas prices for many years.

Read More

http://mediamatters.org/items/200807290003?lid=479052&rid=11750411

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BP profits soar on record oil price

29 Jul 2008

Record crude prices and soaring natural gas prices helped BP on Tuesday to report a 28 per cent rise in second-quarter profits to $9.46bn (£4.74bn), from $7.37bn a year ago. Replacement cost profit, which excludes gains from the value of the company’s crude oil inventories, was up 6 per cent to $6.85bn for the quarter. It rose 23 per cent to $13.44bn for the second half.

At:

http://tinyurl.com/57ks5p  (www.ft.com)

From: CLG News

BP boss warns of more pain for consumers from oil prices –Mr Hayward unveiled another set of bumper profit figures as BP benefited from the soaring oil price.

29 Jul 2008

The chief executive of BP, Tony Hayward, has warned that the long term trend for oil and gas prices spells more pain for consumers. Earlier this year, Mr Hayward said that the era of cheap energy was over, at least for the medium term. Today he added: “Events are playing out even faster than any of us expected.”

At:

http://tinyurl.com/6ydcag  (www.telegraph.co.uk)

From: CLG News

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Perle Linked to Kurdish Oil Plan

29 Jul 2008

Influential former Pentagon official Richard Perle has been exploring going into the oil business in Iraq and Kazakhstan, according to people with knowledge of the matter and documents outlining possible deals. Mr. Perle, one of a group of security experts who began pushing the case for toppling Iraqi president Saddam Hussein about a decade ago, has been discussing a possible deal with officials of northern Iraq’s Kurdistan regional government, including its Washington envoy, according to these people and the documents.

At:

http://tinyurl.com/5dzqn5  (online.wsj.com)

From: CLG News

Iraq Oil Report – ‘U.S. State Dept investigates Iraqi oil contracts’

The State Department’s inspector general is investigating Iraqi oil contracts after four Democratic senators complained that department employees may have encouraged lucrative oil deals between Iraq and several Western companies, Christine Simmons writes for the AP.

Any backstage meddling would have violated Bush administration policy, which has been to discourage such deals until Baghdad passes a [...]

You may view the latest post at

http://tinyurl.com/5b4cgq   (www.iraqoilreport.com)

Iraq Oil Report – ‘Neocon, Perle exploring Iraqi oil business’

Influential former Pentagon official Richard Perle has been exploring going into the oil business in Iraq and Kazakhstan, write Susan Schmidt and Glenn R. Simpson for The Wall Street Journal.

Perle, one of a group of security experts who began pushing the case for toppling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein about a decade ago, has been [...]

You may view the latest post at

http://tinyurl.com/5p6tdc  (www.iraqoilreport.com)

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National Security Archive Update, July 29, 2008 – Concludes Some Missing E-mail May Not Be Preserved on Back-Up Tapes

Magistrate Judge Affirms Recommendation that Court Order White House to Preserve E-mails on Workstations and Portable Media

Concludes Some Missing E-mail May Not Be Preserved on Back-Up Tapes

http://www.nsarchive.org

For more information contact:
Sheila L. Shadmand (Jones Day) – 202/879-3939
Meredith Fuchs – 202/994-7000

Washington, D.C., July 29, 2008 -

Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola of the U.S. District Court today denied a motion by the White House to reconsider his earlier recommendations and reaffirmed his recommendation that the court order the Executive Office of the President (EOP) to search individual workstations used between March 2003 and October 2005 and preserve any e-mails located on those workstations or on portable media used by EOP employees.

In finding that the White House must search and preserve e-mails saved on individual workstations, the magistrate judge’s report recognizes that some e-mails sent or received between March 1, 2003, and May 22, 2003, may not be preserved on existing back-up tapes. In making that finding, he rejected the EOP’s assertions that “substantially all” such e-mails have been saved on those tapes. The magistrate judge declined to order EOP to make forensic copies of workstations that may contain relevant e-mails, however, in light of the fact that the passage of time makes it unlikely that relevant data will still be recoverable from the “slack space” on the workstations.

Magistrate Judge Facciola also determined there was no need for expedited discovery at this juncture because the court’s inquiries already have revealed that “there likely are e-mails not currently being preserved on back-up tapes” and additional information has been made available through ongoing congressional inquiries.

“We are pleased that despite the White House’s plea for reconsideration, the Magistrate Judge stood his ground and recommended that the White House be ordered to locate and preserve emails that may be missing from backup tapes but were saved on individual workstations and portable media devices,” commented Sheila Shadmand, counsel for the Archive. “Each of the Judge’s recent rulings in our favor has brought us one step closer to ensuring that the documentary history of this Administration is not forever lost.”

The National Security Archive originally filed its case against the Executive Office of the President and the National Archives and Records Administration to preserve and restore missing e-mail federal records in September 5, 2007. A subsequent lawsuit filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has been consolidated with the Archive’s lawsuit.

Visit the Web site of the National Security Archive for more information about today’s posting and a complete chronology of the White House e-mail case.

http://www.nsarchive.org

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Study Finds Fewer Immigration Judges, Even Though DOJ Promised More

Monday, July 28, 2008

Greetings from TRAC. Despite a Justice Department promise to seek funds for a substantial increase in Immigration Judges, the number of these judges today is below what it was in 2006, according to a special new report by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). To view the report go to:

     http://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/189/

In a report issued on Monday, the Justice Department’s Inspector General concluded that a major reason the promised increase in Immigration Judges did not occur was illegal political interference in the hiring process.

During the summer and fall of 2006, in a series of press releases, background statements and other documents, the Justice Department said that obtaining funds to hire 40 new immigration judges was a key component of its broad 22-point program “to improve the performance and quality” of the Immigration Courts.  The Administration’s call for changes in the courts was triggered by a series of highly critical appellate level court decisions and studies that found inexplicable disparities in the processing of asylum requests by individual judges.

As the presidential campaign has intensified, the effectiveness and fairness of immigration regulation has become subject to increasing debate. The decline in the number of special judges who interpret and administer the nation’s immigration laws has occurred at the same time as the Justice Department and Congress were boosting Border Patrol staffing. From FY 1998 to FY 2007, for example, the number of Border Patrol agents has almost doubled, increasing from 7,890 to 15,003.

TRAC’s analysis, supported by a two-year grant from the Carnegie Foundation, is the first in a series of studies examining other Justice Department efforts to improve the performance of the nation’s Immigration Court system that currently is dealing with over 350,000 matters a year.
�
David Burnham and Susan B. Long, co-directors
Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse
Syracuse University
Suite 360, Newhouse II
Syracuse, NY  13244-2100
315-443-3563
trac@syr.edu
http://trac.syr.edu

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Borowitz Report – Frequent Flyer Shocker

Obama Leads McCain in Frequent Flyer Miles

Next Trip to Iraq Will Be Free, Aides Say

In what some political insiders are calling a major victory for the presumptive Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) easily surpassed his G.O.P. rival, Sen. John McCain, in total frequent flyer miles for the month of July.

While polls show the two candidates locked in a close electoral race, Sen. Obama’s impressive frequent flyer mile haul this month may put the contest for the most miles out of Sen. McCain’s reach.

“Right now, we are feeling very good about the frequent flyer miles committed to Barack Obama,” said Obama strategist David Axelrod.  “John McCain would basically have to fly to Antarctica and back four times just to be in shouting distance of us.”

Mr. Axelrod said that one benefit of Sen. Obama’s impressive pile of frequent flyer miles was tangible and immediate: “With the miles already committed to him, Barack Obama can take his next trip to Iraq for free.”

In the McCain camp, aides went to great lengths to send the message that they were unconcerned about Sen. Obama’s daunting frequent flyer mile lead, even while privately admitting that the Arizona senator’s recent itinerary may have worked against him.

“Obama was flying to Afghanistan, Jordan and Germany, racking up tons and tons of miles,” one aide said.  “John basically went to Wilkes-Barre and Altoona.”

But the aide was dismissive of Sen. Obama’s impressive edge in frequent flyer miles, arguing that mileage rewards were “meaningless” to the McCain campaign: “If John really needs to fly somewhere, he can just take Cindy’s jet.”

Elsewhere, visit the new www.BorowitzReport.com !

Thanks to an amazing new site redesign, BorowitzReport.com is now the only website you will ever need.  See for yourself at www.BorowitzReport.com .

Upcoming Events

October 22, 2008 at 8:00PM

Countdown to ’08

Andy hosts “Countdown to the Election, with special guests Joy Behar (The View) and Jeffrey Toobin (CNN, bestselling author of “The Nine”)

Location: 92nd Street Y in NYC

For tickets go to www.92y.org

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three thousand words

Tom Tomorrow: Sparky T. Penguin, Private Eye

http://action.credomobile.com/comics/TMW24072908.jpg

Deb Milbrath: … do-nothing congress

http://www.milbrathdraws.com/archives/2008/07/29.jpg

Charlie Daniel: are we liberals?

http://tinyurl.com/5q3w8g (editorialcartoonists.com)

T. Boone Pickens’ ‘clean’ secret – Proposition 10 would put California taxpayers on the hook for his natural gas plan.

By Anthony Rubenstein
July 29, 2008

Texas oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens is pushing a national campaign to make the U.S. “energy independent” through wind power and vehicles that run on natural gas. His blitz of TV ads featuring his own down-home voice has picked up a lot of admiring news coverage. To date, Pickens has yet to explain whose dime will pay for this.

Well, Californians can clarify exactly whose dime it will be: Ours. Along with being the country’s biggest wind power developer, Pickens owns Clean Energy Fuels Corp., a natural gas fueling station company that is the sole backerof the stealthy Proposition 10 on California’s November ballot. This measure would authorize the sale of $5 billion in general fund bonds to provide alternative energy rebates and incentives — but by the time the principal and the interest is paid off, it would squander at least $9.8 billion in taxpayer money on Pickens’ self-serving natural gas agenda.

…

Complete article at:

http://tinyurl.com/5qvarn  (www.latimes.com)

Anthony Rubenstein consults on clean technology, eco-sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

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Obama Doesn’t Sweat. He should. 

by Greg Palast

In swing-state Colorado, the Republican Secretary of State conducted the biggest purge of voters in history, dumping a fifth of all registrations. Guess their color.

In swing-state Florida, the state is refusing to accept about 85,000 new registrations from voter drives – overwhelming Black voters.

In swing state New Mexico, HALF of the Democrats of Mora, a dirt poor and overwhelmingly Hispanic county, found their registrations disappeared this year, courtesy of a Republican voting contractor.

In swing states Ohio and Nevada, new federal law is knocking out tens of thousands of voters who lost their homes to foreclosure.

My investigations partner spoke directly to Barack Obama about it. (When your partner is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., candidates take your phone call.) The cool, cool Senator Obama told Kennedy he was “concerned” about the integrity of the vote in the Southwest in particular.

He’s concerned. I’m sweating.

It’s time SOMEBODY raised the alarm about these missing voters; not to save Obama’s candidacy – journalists should stay the heck away from partisan endorsements – but raise the alarm to save our sick democracy.

And that somebody is YOU. Joining with US, the Palast investigative team. Here’s how:

We have been offered an astonishing opportunity to place the Kennedy-Palast investigative findings on a national, prime-time, major-network television broadcast. Plus, separately, we have an extraordinary offer to create a series of reports for national network radio.

But guess what? The networks will NOT PAY for our public service reports. We have to raise the start-up funds in the next two weeks to film it, record it and get it on the airwaves.

WE need YOU to fund the reports, DISSEMINATE the findings as we post the print, audio and video on the web– and ACT on it.

So, for only the second time this year, I am asking each one of you to make a tax deductible donation to the non-profit, non-partisan Palast Investigative Fund of $500, $150 or $100.

Progressives have complained for years of no opportunity to get the hard, cold sweaty truth on the air. Well, put your money where your heart and soul is.

Donate at least $500, I’ll send you every book I’ve written and every film, signed.

Send $150 and I’ll send you as a gift, a copy of John Ennis’ film Free For All, the brilliant and funny film about the Theft of Ohio.  AND I’ll send you, signed, a copy of my book, Armed Madhouse, plus a copy of the BBC/Democracy Now film investigations, The Election Files and a copy of the spoken word CD Live from the Armed Madhouse all signed.

Donate $100, and I’ll send you 3 copies, one signed to you, of “The Elections Files, “ the best of our BBC/Democracy Now films – including special never-broadcast interviews with Kennedy and fired prosecutor David Iglesias.

I know you’re ponying up for your favorite candidates. But what’s the point of winning folks’ votes IF NO ONE COUNTS THEM?

Please make your donation – today. No corporation, no big foundation, is going to take on this emergency in our democracy. The election’s about to be stolen – for a third time. SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

Donate today (for $1,000 minimum, we’ll list you as a Producer of our next DVD, in gratitude). Why? Because the only way to get the vote-chewing cockroaches out of the voting machinery is to turn on the lights – tell the truth on them. On prime time.

After our team busted the story of Katherine Harris’ attack on innocent Black voters as “felons,” the NAACP sued and won back their rights. The truth CAN make the difference. Yes, we can. Indeed, we HAVE.

Think all votes should be counted in America? Then YOU stand up and be counted. Don’t expect networks or commercial sponsors to pay for your democracy. Feed the truth, donate $100 right now and pass on a copy of the Elections Files to your dippy cousin who thinks Kerry lost fair and square.

Donations from our prior and only request already paid for some of our filming in the Southwest. Don’t let this story be swept under the border.

If you want more information, go to GregPalast.com, or write me directly at GregPalast.com – and hit the button, “contact Greg.”

Pass this on!

Greg Palast is a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellow for Investigative Reporting at the Nation Institute, New York. Read and view his investigations for BBC Television at www.GregPalast.com .

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A Resurgence of Separatist Terrorism in Iraq

AP is reporting: “Suicide bombers, including at least three women, struck Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad and Kurdish protesters in the northern city of Kirkuk on Monday, killing at least 57 people…”

STEVE CONNORS, MOLLY BINGHAM,

steve@meetingresistance.com, http://meetingresistance.com

Connors and Bingham are co-directors of the documentary “Meeting Resistance,” which features interviews with insurgents in Iraq. Connors said today: “Given the political events of the last few weeks it is hardly surprising that a new bombing campaign, once again aimed at creating ethno/sectarian division in Iraq, should begin at this time.

“Iraq — and Baghdad in particular — has just come through one of the darkest periods in its history but, to the surprise of many and the consternation of a few, what has emerged from the violence of the past two and a half years is not a desire toward fragmentation but a re-affirmation by the Iraqi people that they will remain united. This has put the United States and its Iraqi government allies in something of a bind at a time when both administrations face elections that will define whether any of them have a future role in Iraq.

“For five years now Washington has talked about unity in Iraq at the same time as backing an Iraqi administration of Kurds and Shi’a factions that seek to partition the country. It is also worth noting that these separatist factions also have the support of the Iranian regime. Additionally the U.S. has consistently sought to ignore even the existence of the nationalist factions — consisting of the Sadrists, Fadila party, and various non-sectarian-based parties — even though they control a majority in the Iraqi parliament.”

From: Institute for Public Accuracy

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Rand: Nuclear-Armed Regional Adversaries – How Deterrable Are They Likely to Be? Nuclear-Armed Regional Adversaries – How Deterrable Are They Likely to Be?, July 2008,

by David Ochmanek, Lowell H. Schwartz.

“The United States and other members of the international community are striving to convince North Korea, Iran, and other states to forgo the development of nuclear weapons. If they do not succeed, the consequences for U.S. and allied security could be profound. This research brief describes a RAND Project AIR FORCE study on nuclear-armed regional adversaries, which encompasses an examination of the historical record, evaluations of the strategies and statements of potential nuclear-armed regional adversaries, and politico-military gaming. This analysis suggests that future U.S. policymakers and commanders will need to develop and field capabilities that can prevent (rather than simply deter) the enemy’s use of nuclear weapons.”

http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG671.pdf

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ARE WE FACING JUST ANOTHER MARKET PROBLEM OR A SYSTEM COLLAPSE?

By Danny Schechter, AlterNet

Even as foreclosures double, and the price of gas and food rises sharply, it’s been business as usual in newspapers and in Washington.

http://www.alternet.org/workplace/93031/

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USGAO – Bankruptcy Reform:  Dollar Costs Associated with the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005.

GAO-08-697, June 27.

http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-697

Highlights – http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08697high.pdf

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OFFSHORE DRILLING: WE HAVE A CHOICE OF SIMPLE CONFUSION OR OUTRIGHT LIES

By Adam  Siegel, AlterNet

The Democrats are merely a little confused about how to address America’s energy crisis. The Republicans simply lie about it.

http://www.alternet.org/environment/92542/

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EIA, the Nation’s clearinghouse for energy statistics – Today’s Gasoline Prices

Monday, July 28, 2008

RETAIL GASOLINE: (Self Service Prices per Gallon, Including Taxes) This report contains price estimates for gasoline sold in ozone non-attainment areas which require the sale of reformulated gasoline (RFG) as designated by the Environmental Protection Agency, and Conventional areas which includes both attainment areas and carbon monoxide non-attainment areas.

Mogas web site url

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/fwd/wrgp.html

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And now for the important news …. 

By Argus Hamilton

The New York Yankees banned sunblock from Yankee Stadium Sunday, angering their fans. It was to prevent terrorists from bringing in liquid explosives. They reversed the policy the next day when they realized they were imploding the stadium in November anyway. 

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com

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three thousand words

Jeff Danziger: Wall Street, Drunk, Bush, Stock Market

http://tinyurl.com/6557w3  (danzigercartoons.com)

Dana Summer: … harness that wind power!

http://img.slate.com/media/56/080728_ed.gif

Rob Rogers: addictions

http://tinyurl.com/5jw8py  (editorialcartoonists.com)

NEW PULSE POSTED

Monday, July 28, 2008

 

http://www.ornl.gov/news/pulse/pulse_v266_08.html

That’s the url to the July 28, 2008, issue of DOE Pulse. Pulse is a newsletter about accomplishments at the Department of Energy’s national laboratories. Here is some of what you’ll find in this issue:

* Jefferson Lab: Nuclear pairs

* Sandia: Iowa energy storage

* Ames: Supra froth

* Savannah River: Super cleanup microbes

Feature: Berkeley Lab’s gene chips for medical diagnosis

Researcher profile: Oak Ridge’s Jerry Tuskan

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CFTC.gov Enforcement Actions Update

The following enforcement action has been released:

George D. Hudgins

Embezzlement, Wire Fraud, and Money Laundering: George D. Hudgins of Nacogdoches, Texas

CFTC Press Release 5523-08

http://tinyurl.com/68b8ub  (www.cftc.gov)

U.S. Attorney Follows CFTC Civil Complaint with Filing of a Criminal Information Against George D. Hudgins of Nacogdoches, Texas for Operating a Commodities Ponzi Scheme.

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EIA, the Nation’s clearinghouse for energy statistics – Petroleum Supply Annual 2007

Petroleum Supply Annual 2007

The Petroleum Supply Annual, Volume 1 and Volume 2 with 2007 data has been updated to the EIA website on Monday, July 28, 2008.

Petroleum Supply Annual, Volume 1 website:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/fwd/psav1.html

Petroleum Supply Annual, Volume 2 website:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/fwd/psav2.html

Petroleum Navigator:

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_sum_top.asp

EIA Home Page: http://www.eia.doe.gov/

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EIA, the Nation’s clearinghouse for energy statistics – Petroleum Supply Monthly

Petroleum Supply Monthly

The July Petroleum Supply Monthly with May data has been updated to the EIA website on Monday, July 28, 2008.

Petroleum Supply Monthly website:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/fwd/psm.html

Petroleum Navigator:

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_sum_top.asp

EIA Home Page: http://www.eia.doe.gov/

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Industry Gushed Money After Reversal on Drilling –Patrick C. Oxford, whose Texas-based law firm [Bracewell & Giuliani] represents several large oil companies, wrote his first check to McCain on June 27.

27 Jul 2008

Campaign contributions from oil industry executives to Sen. John McCain rose dramatically in the last half of June, after the senator from Arizona made a high-profile split with environmentalists and reversed his opposition to the federal ban on offshore drilling. Oil and gas industry executives and employees donated $1.1 million to McCain last month — three-quarters of which came after his June 16 speech calling for an end to the ban — compared with $116,000 in March, $283,000 in April and $208,000 in May.

At:

http://tinyurl.com/5c2txq  (www.washingtonpost.com)

From: CLG News

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MSNBC’s Witt aired McCain ad without noting misleading claims about visiting wounded troops, Afghanistan hearings, military funding

On MSNBC Live, Alex Witt aired an ad from Sen. John McCain asserting that Sen. Barack Obama “made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn’t allow him to bring cameras.” But in neither segment did Witt or her guests note that Obama reportedly previously visited wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center without the media, or that although Obama decided not to visit Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, he reportedly made phone calls to wounded soldiers there. Nor did they challenge any of the other misleading claims in the ad.

Read More

http://mediamatters.org/items/200807270003?lid=475881&rid=11674460

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STRATCOM Really Needs a New HQ

You would think that with a Defense budget edging close to the $500 billion mark, the country could afford to provide Strategic Command, which controls the United States’ nuclear arsenal, with a functional headquarters.

But, unfortunately that’s not so, according to a committee report on the Senate version of the fiscal 2009 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill, which passed on July 22.

That report says the STRATCOM HQ “is in a severe state of disrepair. Electric service and cooling system failures, as well as flooding and fires, have severely impacted STRATCOM’s ability to carry out its mission.” (Come to think about it, maybe this is a reason Pollett might like to leave STRATCOM for DISA).

The Senate Appropriations Committee added $10 million for a new STRATCOM HQ to Air Force budget. In the meantime it appears the command also could use some bucks to make needed repairs.

How about siphoning off some money from the over budget and long-delayed Capitol Visitors Center, a $621 million project that also includes new offices (presumably with working cooling systems) for members of Congress — who always manage to take care of themselves.

GovExec.com Columns: What’s Brewin’ :

GovernmentExecutive.com

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Congressman Ron Paul’s Texas Straight Talk – The Dangers of Neo-Conservative Economic Policies

 

“The dangers inherent in the foreign policy advocated by the neo-conservatives are well known. While many Americans have become increasingly aware of those dangers, far less attention has been focused on the dangers of neo-conservative economic policies. This issue is of critical importance right now, because many are mistakenly pointing their fingers at the free market as the culprit behind our current economic plight.”

Click here for the full article: 

 

http://www.house.gov/paul/index.shtml

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And now for the important news ….

By Argus Hamilton

Chicago O’Hare Airport officials dispatched ambulances to assist a Mexicana Airlines jet that overshot the runway and crashed into a safety barrier. No one was injured: All 142 passengers parachuted out over California.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/opinion/91987.php

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Three thousand words

Cartoon du Jour – By Khalil: I’m the real conservative in this race!

http://tinyurl.com/5dm7o3 (www.bendib.com)

Jen Sorensen: land of the free

http://tinyurl.com/5jy467  (editorialcartoonists.com)

Ted Rall: quick fixes for the economy

http://picayune.uclick.com/comics/tr/2008/tr080728.gif

Taxpayers for Common Sense: Open The Doors to Congress

OPEN THE DOORS TO CONGRESS
Volume XIII No. 30 – July 25, 2008

A lot of lawmakers have worked towards making government more open and transparent. It follows the time-tested principle of “the more citizens know, the better our government functions.”

Just recently, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) co-sponsored a bill with Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) that would subject another government entity, the Smithsonian Institution, to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). We think it is about time.

The Smithsonian, that venerable institution that holds Dorothy’s ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz, the Spirit of St. Louis, and houses pandas at the National Zoo, has had some accounting problems of late. While seventy percent of the Smithsonian’s funding comes from taxpayers, the Washington Post and others have detailed spending abuses by the former head including a million dollar entertainment budget for his residence.

In the 1990s, court rulings held that the Smithsonian’s status as a “trust” put it outside the scope of FOIA. Considering that in fiscal year 2008 taxpayers provided the Smithsonian with $871 million, the public should be able to peek at their records and documents to better understand where our money is going. So it is high time that the “nation’s attic” be brought under the law.

A natural follow up question is, shouldn’t the Congress that is approving the Smithsonian’s budget also be subject to greater disclosure laws under FOIA?  Because the Congress writes the laws, they conveniently left themselves (and the courts) out of FOIA and this recent bill.

So if you want to find out what the research arm of Congress is digging up – tough luck. Or find out decision making records, congressional correspondence, accounting documents – no dice.

It took a lot of years (eleven) to get a FOIA bill passed in 1966. And it took a lot of public and media pressure to get President Johnson to sign the bill. Now the public needs to put that spotlight on Congress.

Sure, disclosure is getting better and the Thomas web site reveals much of Congress’ work. And recent changes have required some disclosure of earmarks. But there is much more that Congress hides from view and which the public never gets the chance to see.  Even on the earmark front, the Senate slammed the door on revealing letters that describe the beneficiaries of earmarked funds and neither chamber requires lawmakers to disclose all they request, instead of just the earmarks they obtain.

This is not impossible and certainly works with representative democracy. Maybe certain items should be off limits, but that’s true of Executive branch FOIA as well. Several states, such as Florida and Wisconsin, have FOIA-type disclosure laws that require state legislatures to be open. It can be done.

So while we support Sen. Grassley’s efforts to open up the Smithsonian, why stop there? There’s more work to be done to open up the people’s house and make Congress a paragon of transparency.

Going on at Taxpayer.net This Week

TCS Requests Don Young Campaign Remove Misleading Ads

TCS Statement on Don Young Ad Controversy

Bad Contracts Hurting Good People

House Appropriations Committee Starts to Move

House Strongly Opposes Funds for Global Nuclear Energy Partnership

Senate Doubles House Take of Financial Services Earmarks

GAO: Defense Contract Audit Agency Bends to Contractor Pressure

Earmarks for Energy and Water Projects Double in House Legislation

Oppose Attempts to Raid Treasury to Backfill Highway Trust Fund

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Mortgage Bailout

Should Duke Cunningham be Pardoned?

Check out TCS’s Database of 2008 Congressional Earmarks

TCS in the News

TCS was cited in dozens of stories this past week Check them all out in the Headlines About TCS section of our redesigned website.

Notable Quote

“This auditing agency has been exposed as being fundamentally corrupt in the way they issue audits….if we don’t demand that the fox get out of the chicken coop and take care of taxpayer dollars, it’s ultimately our national security at stake.”

–Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) on the Senate floor responding to a recent GAO report revealing serious problems at the Defense Contract Auditing Agency (DCAA).

WEEKLY WASTEBASKET  http://www.taxpayer.net/

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The News-Press – Criminals Were Allowed to Sell Home Loans in Florida, State Official Admits

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080725/NEWS01/80725015/1075
 

The head of a state agency that allowed thousands of criminals to sell home loans in Florida has acknowledged that his office did not follow a screening law, but blamed legislators for failing to provide money to enforce it. That is one of the explanations in a 40-page response to a Miami Herald investigation, which found that more than 10,000 people with criminal records were permitted to work in Florida’s mortgage industry between 2000 and 2007. People who entered the business with criminal records committed nearly $85 million in mortgage fraud, the newspaper reported Sunday.

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OFHEO Releases Mortgage Markets and the Enterprises in 2007

“James B. Lockhart, Director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) released Mortgage Markets and the Enterprises in 2007, an annual research paper that reviews developments in the primary and secondary mortgage markets and the financial performance of government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

“This report is part of OFHEO’s ongoing effort to enhance public understanding of the nation’s housing finance system,” said Director Lockhart. “It details the deteriorating housing markets, higher foreclosures and mortgage market turmoil experienced during 2007 and the increasing role Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are playing in stabilizing the markets.”

http://www.ofheo.gov/media/research/MME2007.pdf

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USGAO – Cayman Islands: Business and Tax Advantages Attract U.S. Persons and Enforcement Challenges Exist.

GAO-08-778, July 24.

http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-778

Highlights – http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08778high.pdf

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CHINA’S ECONOMY TO SURPASS U.S.

The growth of the Chinese economy over the past several years is “no flash in the pan,” according to a new report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. It will surpass the U.S. economy by 2035 and double by mid-century.

Driven by increasing domestic demand rather than by exports, the Chinese economy will be less susceptible to global discontinuities,according to the report, “China’s Rise—Fact and Fiction,” by economist Albert Keidel. The Chinese government has also facilitated economic growth by financing infrastructure and making other public investments.

The prospect of a China that is more economically powerful than the United States will have military implications, Keidel warns. Though China’s military is currently only a fraction of the size of the U.S. military, policy makers should begin planning today for a very different world in 50 years, the report concludes.

SOURCE: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,

www.carnegieendowment.org

DOWNLOAD “China’s Economic Rise—Fact and Fiction”:

www.carnegieendowment.org/files/pb61_keidel_final.pdf

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Times reported that Dems argue “coastal exploration would have no immediate impact on gas prices,” but not that the Energy Dep’t agrees 

The New York Times reported that “leading Democrats” argue “that allowing additional coastal exploration [for oil] would have no immediate impact on gas prices.” But the article did not note that it is not only “leading Democrats” who have pointed out that access to currently off-limit areas would have no immediate impact on prices: The U.S. Department of Energy has estimated that allowing the congressional and executive moratoriums on certain off-shore drilling to expire in 2012 “would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production or prices before 2030.”

Read More

http://mediamatters.org/items/200807250007?lid=475060&rid=11649460

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Iraq Oil Report – ‘Kirkuk oil exports resume following debt payment to Turkey’

Turkey restarted loadings of halted Iraqi oil exports on Tuesday after Iraq paid $50 million of a total $100 million debt, a senior source from the state pipeline company Botas told Reuters.

An Iraq oil ministry official had said earlier Iraq’s Kirkuk oil exports to Turkey had been halted after a Turkish court ordered the stoppage [...]

You may view the latest post at

http://tinyurl.com/56pmvh     (www.iraqoilreport.com)

Iraq Oil Report – ‘Firms line up for Iraqi oil, but outlook murky’

An oil refinery in the once restive and violent city of Haditha is working once again.

The reopening ceremony was attended by Oil Minister Hussein Shahristani who thanked the people of the Province of Anbar, of which Haditha is a major town, for their efforts to restore relative stability.

The refinery was shut due to mounting violence [...]

You may view the latest post at

http://tinyurl.com/6bzpkq  (www.iraqoilreport.com)

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National Security Archive Update, July 22, 2008

Court Agrees to Release of Most Rosenberg Grand Jury Materials, Orders Government to Determine Status of Additional Witnesses

For more information contact:
Tom Blanton/Meredith Fuchs – 202/994-7000
David Vladeck – 202/662-9540

http://www.nsarchive.org

Washington, DC, July 22, 2008 – After hearing arguments today, a federal court in New York decided that the government must release most of the sealed grand jury records from the 1951 indictment of alleged Soviet spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. In response to a petition filed by the National Security Archive and others, the government conceded in a June filing that the Rosenberg case is of “significant historical importance” and therefore said it would not contest the release of testimony of witnesses who have passed away or consented to the disclosure.

On the basis of the government’s concession, Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York said today that he will order release of the testimony of 36 witnesses. Judge Hellerstein reserved ruling on three additional witnesses that appear to be deceased and four witnesses that the government said it could not locate, and ordered the government to make greater efforts to confirm the status of these witnesses.

With regard to several living witnesses that objected to release of their testimony, including David Greenglass, Ethel Rosenberg’s brother, Judge Hellerstein said he would deny the petition for release and allow these materials to remain secret. Finally, he suggested that grand jury materials from the related proceeding against Abraham Brothman and Miriam Moskowitz should be released, but said he will wait to rule until the government determines whether the witnesses are dead or consent to release.

Visit the Web site of the National Security Archive for more information about this case and today’s posting.

http://www.nsarchive.org

                          ==========

And now for the important news ….

By Argus Hamilton

Kansas environmentalists resisted the construction of windmill turbines Friday because they break up the beauty of the prairie. Kansans like it flat. You can stand on your front porch in Kansas and watch your dog run away for a long, long time.
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com

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three thousand words

Jack Ohman: how do you feel about fixer-uppers?

http://images.ucomics.com/comics/tmjoh/2008/tmjoh080725.gif

David Horsey: yo ho ho! a pirate’s life for me!

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/dayart/20080727/335Cartoon20080727.gif

Tom Toles: he’s drying up our supply of enemies

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/uc/20080725/ltt080725.gif

#8 of 10 Reasons You Should Never Have a Religion

May 27th, 2008
by Steve Pavlina

While consciously pursuing your spiritual development is commendable, joining an established religion such as Christianity, Islam, or Hinduism is one of the worst ways to go about it. In this article I’ll share 10 reasons why you must eventually abandon the baggage of organized religion if you wish to pursue conscious living in earnest.

Since Christianity is currently the world’s most popular religion, I’ll slant this article towards Christianity’s ubiquitous failings. However, you’ll find that most of these points apply equally well to other major religions (yes, even Buddhism).

8. Inherited falsehood.

Please tell me you aren’t still practicing the religion you happened to be born into? Surely you’ve outgrown your baby clothes by now. Isn’t it time you also outgrew your baby religion?

What if you were born into a different culture? Would you have been conscious enough to find your way back to your current belief system? Or are your current beliefs merely a product of your environment and not the result of conscious choice?

Many religions are just a mish-mash of what came before. For example, Christianity is largely based on pagan rituals. If those pagan beliefs and rituals had been protected by copyright, Christianity wouldn’t even exist. If you take the time to dig into the roots of Christianity, you’ll encounter various theories that Christianity’s teachings were largely assembled from pre-Christian myths and that Jesus himself was merely a fictional character pieced together from earlier mythical figures. You go, Horus!

Many religious teachers (i.e. priests, rabbis, ministers, etc.) are just brainwashed slaves themselves. They don’t have any real authority and aren’t even aware of the agenda being set by their superiors. This makes them better minions because they actually believe the B.S. they’re spouting and don’t know the truth behind it. A priest, a rabbi, and a minister walk into a bar, but that’s as far as they get. They may interact with the bartender, but they never get to know the guy who owns the bar. They suffer from inherited falsehood just like everyone else.

Is your religion based on the inspired word of God? No more than this article. Just because someone says their text is divinely inspired doesn’t mean it is. Anyone can claim divine inspiration. The top religions are decided by popularity, not by truth.

Even the central figures in major religions didn’t follow the religions that were spawned in their names. If they didn’t swallow the prevailing “wisdom” about gods and spiritual leaders and such, why should you? If you want to be more like the people you worship, then follow their lead by striking out on your own.

Move beyond your baby religion. Consider maturity as a reasonable alternative.

…

Complete article at:

http://tinyurl.com/3t6qcc     (www.stevepavlina.com/blog)

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MCCAIN OPPOSES CONTRACEPTION — PASS IT ON

By Katha Pollitt, TheNation.com

He’s voted against contraception for more than 20 years, and yet doesn’t even care or know enough to explain why.

http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/92281/

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IS THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT LOSING ITS EDGE?

By Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report

James Dobson reconsiders the ‘circumstances,’ goes back on his word and warms up to McCain.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/92244/

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FROM THE DEPT. OF BRIGHT IDEAS: YOUTH PASTOR OFFERS ASSAULT WEAPONS TO GODLY TEENS

By General JC Christian, Jesus’ General

Violence intersecting with faith … nothing new here.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/92154/

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CHRISTIAN-THEMED LICENSE PLATE PROGRAM GOES TOO FAR

By Rob Boston, Church and State

New lawsuit argues that South Carolina’s ‘I Believe’ license. plate favors Christianity over other faiths.

http://www.alternet.org/rights/92828/

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Army Base Cannot Coerce Soldier Trainees To Attend Church Services, Says Americans United

July 23, 2008

Watchdog Group Asks U.S. Department of Defense to Investigate Missouri Army Base That Promotes Baptist Church Proselytism

Americans United for Separation of Church and State today asked the U.S. Department of Defense to investigate an Army base’s practice of coercing soldiers to attend church services during their training.

Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri offers “Free Day Away” as one of only two opportunities for soldiers to leave the base during eight weeks of vigorous Army training. (The other day is the day before graduation, which can be spent with parents and guests.) During “Free Day Away,” trainees are picked up by a bus sent from the Tabernacle Baptist Church of Lebanon, Mo., to participate in a day full of recreational activities, followed by dinner and a required church service.

Trainees are given the impression that the event is sponsored by the Army and that they must attend. If they do not attend, they have to remain on the base and continue with training, while those who attend the event have a break for the day.
 

“We believe that it is of utmost importance that the Army guarantee the constitutional rights of those who risk their lives to protect our freedom,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “And that means ensuring that soldiers have the freedom to practice any faith or no faith at all.

“The coercive religious practices at Fort Leonard Wood are an outrage,” he continued, “and the Department of Defense should put a stop to them immediately.”

During the church service, soldiers are told that they are all sinners who must repent and that they “must be saved now or go to hell.” Soldiers willing to accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior are instructed to step into the aisles of the church and enroll in a six-lesson correspondence course that will lead to their “personal salvation.”

In a 2003 article in the Global Baptist Times, the pastor of Tabernacle Church reported that 270,000 soldiers had participated in the “Free Day Away” ministry since its inception in 1971 and that 47,000 had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. The Tabernacle Church also asks the soldiers to provide their home addresses so members of their families can also be “saved.”

Fort Leonard Wood has promoted this program for the past 36 years and the program is endorsed by the base commander, Americans United learned during its investigation.

Americans United, in its letter, urged Gordon S. Heddell, acting inspector general for the Department of Defense, to conduct a full investigation into the Army’s “Free Day Away” practice.

The letter was prepared by Americans United Senior Litigation Counsel Alex J. Luchenitser and volunteer attorney Howard Sribnick.

Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State  www.au.org

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Court Denies FFRF Standing to Sue over North Dakota’s Subsidy of Christian, Church-Run Juvenile Ranches

July 17, 2008

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a national state/church watchdog, remains committed to ending state subsidy of avowedly Christian juvenile detention facilities in North Dakota, despite a decision by a federal judge yesterday dismissing its lawsuit on lack of standing. The state funds the placement of children in the Lutheran ranches, which actively impose religion on inmates and discriminate against nonChristian juveniles.

http://ffrf.org/news/2008/NDsuit.php

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orangutan

One day the zoo-keeper noticed that the orangutan was reading two books – the Bible and Darwin’s Origin of Species.

Surprised, he asked the ape, “Why are you reading both those books?”

“Well,” said the orangutan, “I just wanted to know if I was my brother’s keeper or my keeper’s brother.”

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three thousand words

(irreligion.org): Atheism is correct (Demotivational Poster)

http://www.irreligion.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/occamsrazorbu0.jpg

ReverendFun.com: DOUBLE DATING WITH EACH OTHER’S SISTERS TURNED OUT TO BE THE MOST AWKWARD THING THAT BOTH GOLIATH AND ZACCHAEUS HAD EVER DONE

http://www.reverendfun.com/2008/07/20080725_pda.gif

Don Addis: church / state

http://ffrf.org/fttoday/2008/april/images/addisstatechurchbenchcartoon.jpg

Minimum Wage Hike

The federal minimum wage will increase 70 cents per hour Thursday to $6.55 per hour.

JOHANNA CHAO KREILICK, jckreilick@uusc.org, http://uusc.org/

Kreilick is program manager for economic justice for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and member of the board of the national Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign. She said today: “The July 24 raise in the minimum wage to $6.55 will help millions of workers deal with the rapidly rising price of gas, food and other basic items. But it’s nowhere near sufficient. The value of the minimum wage is lower now in real dollars than 40 years ago when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in Memphis while fighting for living wages for sanitation workers. Raising the minimum wage is a workers’ rights issue, a women’s issue, a children’s rights issue, and a racial justice issue. The Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign is calling for a minimum wage of $10 in 2010 as the least we can do to make up lost ground and bring the minimum wage closer to an adequate living standard. Let Justice Roll believes ‘A job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it.’ And we’re going to keep working to raise the minimum wage to a living wage in the states and at the federal level.”

From:  Institute for Public Accuracy

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HOW WALL STREET WRECKED YOUR RETIREMENT

By Nicholas von Hoffman, The Nation

People are discovering they have been forced into a system in which others have gambled with their retirement savings and lost it.

http://www.alternet.org/workplace/92658/

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Home sales at 10-year low, jobless claims jump

24 Jul 2008

Jobless claims jumped last week and the pace of existing home sales tumbled to a 10-year low as slowing growth hit hiring and a glut of unsold homes weighed on the real estate market, data on Thursday showed. The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits jumped 34,000 last week, the Labor Department said.

At:

http://tinyurl.com/5bvwvs  (http://www.reuters.com/)

From: CLG News

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State IG to look at U.S. role in Iraq oil deals

By Dan Friedman, CongressDaily

Responding to a request by four Senate Democrats, the State Department’s inspector general has announced an inquiry into the department’s policy on western oil company contracts in Iraq.

“I have initiated a review of the responses provided to Congress recently on issues surrounding oil contracts, oil field development and U.S. policy in Iraq,” Acting State Department Inspector General Harold Geisel wrote in a June 22 letter obtained by CongressDaily.

The letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., John Kerry, D-Mass., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., refers to material State gave the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for its investigation into a deal involving Texas-based Hunt Oil Co., as well as other potential oil contracts.

Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40544&dcn=e_gvet

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Iraq Oil Report – ‘Kirkuk oil exports resume following debt payment to Turkey’

Turkey restarted loadings of halted Iraqi oil exports on Tuesday after Iraq paid $50 million of a total $100 million debt, a senior source from the state pipeline company Botas told Reuters.

An Iraq oil ministry official had said earlier Iraq’s Kirkuk oil exports to Turkey had been halted after a Turkish court ordered the stoppage [...]

You may view the latest post at

http://tinyurl.com/56pmvh     (http://www.iraqoilreport.com/)

Iraq Oil Report – ‘Firms line up for Iraqi oil, but outlook murky’

An oil refinery in the once restive and violent city of Haditha is working once again.

The reopening ceremony was attended by Oil Minister Hussein Shahristani who thanked the people of the Province of Anbar, of which Haditha is a major town, for their efforts to restore relative stability.

The refinery was shut due to mounting violence [...]

You may view the latest post at

http://tinyurl.com/6bzpkq  (http://www.iraqoilreport.com/)

                          ==========

CFTC.gov Enforcement Actions Update

The following enforcement action has been released:

Complaint: Optiver US, LLC, et al.

CFTC Charges Optiver Holding BV, Two Subsidiaries, and High-Ranking Employees with Manipulation of NYMEX Crude Oil, Heating Oil, and Gasoline Futures Contracts provides further details on this action.

http://tinyurl.com/5sakfs  (http://www.cftc.gov/)

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EIA, the Nation’s clearinghouse for energy statistics – This Week in Petroleum (TWIP)

This Week in Petroleum (TWIP) has been updated to the EIA website:

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/twip/twip.asp

You might also be interested in the following product from EIA.

Petroleum Navigator:

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_sum_top.asp

                          ==========

Monthly Energy Review (7/24/2008)

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/contents.html

EIA’s primary report of recent energy statistics:  total energy production, consumption, and trade; energy prices; overviews of petroleum, natural gas, coal, electricity, nuclear energy, renewable energy, and international petroleum; and data unit conversions. See “What’s New”

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/wni.html

in the Monthly Energy Review for a record of changes.  Over the first half of 2008, the average number of rotary rigs in operation in the United States (onshore and offshore) was up 4 percent compared with the first half of 2007 and up 15 percent compared with the first half of 2006; the total number of wells drilled was up 7 percent and 20 percent, respectively; and the total footage drilled was down 3 percent and up 20 percent, respectively.

 

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WSJ’s Drucker fails to note Obama would only increase capital gains taxes on individuals making more than $250,000

The Wall Street Journal’s Jesse Drucker wrote that Sen. Barack Obama has said he will “seek to raise” the capital gains tax to “at least 20%, the rate before the 2003 cut, and possibly higher.” In fact, Obama has said he would not raise the capital gains tax on individuals with income of less than $250,000 — a fact noted by WSJ reporter Tom Herman in an “Ask Dow Jones” Q-and-A.

Read More

http://mediamatters.org/items/200807240008?lid=469712&rid=11527407

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And now for the important news ….

By Argus Hamilton

President Bush and Prime Minister al-Maliki agreed to a time horizon for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq. Let the buyer beware. The trouble with a horizon is that you have to be a member of the Flat Earth Society to think you can ever reach it.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/all_headlines/91524

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three thousand words

Matt Davies: Alms For The Poor Money Managers

http://davies.lohudblogs.com/files/2008/07/0717davies.jpg

Trouble Town (Lloyd Dangle): pickleweed

http://troubletown.com/cartoons/cartoons/ttown.919.gif

Larry Wright: the good news is the guvermint raised the minimum wage …

http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/WrighL/2008/WrighL20080725_low.jpg