SCREW LOOSE NEWS

.
THE WORLD IS A WHACK JOB

YOUTUBE
"Miss USA California Responds To Gay Marriage Question From Perez Hilton"
The two greatest minds of their generation debate gay marriage.



IT AIN'T JUST ME, BABE


METACAFE
"Susan Boyle - Singer - Britains Got Talent 2009 "
There's outer beauty, and then there's inner beauty. There's talk about the human spirit, and then there's the human spirit. There's bimbo's and then there's angels.

Susan Boyle - Singer - Britains Got Talent 2009 - More free videos are here


It's You, Too

'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'

POLITICO
"Miss California: Queen of the GOP"
Fundamentalist Barbie goes to Warshenden, AC. Uh, DC.

' Prejean has taken full advantage of her newfound stardom, becoming an almost hourly fixture on cable news — and Donald Trump, the owner of the Miss USA contest, has also fuel the story by throwing his weight behind it in an effort to promote the pageant and himself. Trump is scheduled to appear on Fox News’s “O’Reilly Factor” Thursday night to discuss the controversy. Prejean is slated for another television appearance Thursday night when she attends the Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards and introduces one of the performers at the award show. She’s also now prominently featured on the website of San Diego Christian College — the school she attended before taking the semester off to prepare for the pageant. The college was founded in 1970 by conservative pastor Tim LaHaye, author of the popular Christian book series “Left Behind.” In a write-up of the controversy, the website highlights a quote from Prejean in which she said, “I knew there were secular judges, but I felt I needed to express my passion for the Lord.” '

THE SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
"People: Brit singing star Susan Boyle gets a makeover"
Uh-oh! What will Perez think???!!!

' We all knew it was coming: Susan Boyle has gotten her makeover. The 47-year-old "Britain's Got Talent" singing sensation, whose dowdy style and gorgeous singing voice won over a cynical crowd and panel of judges on the U.K. talent show, dyed her hair darker and showed off a sleeker style on Friday. Photos of Boyle outside her Scotland home appeared on the cover of the Sun tabloid. It was not known whether the makeover was strictly her own doing, or whether producers at "Britain's Got Talent" were involved. '

YAHOO NEWS
"Woman charged with trying to extort Pitino"
Eh. The woman's a cypher. So's the husband, apparently. Can't even spell!

' The alleged demands were made public Friday in a criminal complaint released shortly after Karen Cunagin Sypher surrendered to federal authorities and made an initial appearance in federal court. Along with the extortion allegations, Sypher is accused of lying to the FBI. Tim Sypher, a longtime Pitino aide, voiced his support for his boss in a statement last week. Divorce papers for the couple have been filed in recent weeks. '

YAHOO NEWS
"Craigslist founder isn't closing 'erotic' section"
Ambitious but lazy prosecutor blames the messenger. Smart cops use Craigslist to find witnesses.

' Craig Newmark contends his site already allows users to flag inappropriate material they believe should be removed. "Sometimes a bad guy of some sort tries to pull a fast one on our site," he said in an interview that aired Friday night on ABC News. "We don't want it there, it's wrong, and that's why we have the help of the general community and the law enforcement community getting rid of things like that." Newmark's comments defied a request by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who asked Craigslist to immediately eliminate photographs in the "erotic services" section, hire staff to screen images and ads that violate the site's terms of service and fine users who violate those terms. Suffolk County prosecutors in Massachusetts said they have placed an ad on Craigslist in an attempt to find other women who may have been victimized by Markoff. '

VOICE OF AMERICA
"Mexico Swine Flu Deaths Spark Concerns Of Global Epidemic "
This is the way the world ends: Not with a bang, but with an "OINK!"

' Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describe the virus as having a unique combination of genetic material from pigs, birds and humans. They say the virus may be completely new, or may have been present for some time, and only now been detected through improved testing and surveillance. '

YAHOO NEWS
"Petraeus: Shippers should consider armed guards"
CENTCOM, doing PR for Blackwater, abdicates responsibility for world sea-lanes, tells US ships to "arm & defend themselves"! Aaaaaarrrrrghghgh!!!!

' Joe Cox, president of the Chamber of Shipping of America, cautioned that deploying armed guards aboard cargo ships could escalate violence if pirates expect a gunfight. "If you asked us two weeks ago, we would say, 'No guns on ships,'" Cox said Friday. "Now the reaction is, 'Let's talk.' That's not a ringing endorsement of going in that direction. But we know, under the current circumstances, something has to be done." The Washington-based trade association represents 32 shipping companies. Cox also called on the government to remain committed to securing the high seas. "We don't want them to abrogate the responsibility," he said. '

WASHINGTON POST
"European Nations May Investigate Bush Officials Over Prisoner Treatment"
Apparently, these goddam socialists believe in the rule of law!

' Many European officials and civil liberties groups said they were disappointed by President Obama's opposition to trials of CIA interrogators who subjected terrorism suspects to waterboarding and other harsh tactics. They said the release last week of secret U.S. Justice Department memos authorizing the techniques will make it easier for foreign prosecutors to open probes if U.S. officials do not. Some European countries, under a legal principle known as universal jurisdiction, have adopted laws giving themselves the authority to investigate torture, genocide and other human rights crimes anywhere in the world, even if their citizens are not involved. Although it is rare for prosecutors to win such cases, those targeted can face arrest if they travel abroad. Martin Scheinin, the U.N. special investigator for human rights and counterterrorism, said the interrogation techniques approved by the Bush administration clearly violated international law. He said the lawyers who wrote the Justice Department memos, as well as senior figures such as former vice president Richard B. Cheney, will probably face legal trouble overseas if they avoid prosecution in the United States. "Torture is an international crime irrespective of the place where it is committed. Other countries have an obligation to investigate," Scheinin said in a telephone interview from Cairo. "This may be something that will be haunting CIA officials, or Justice Department officials, or the vice president, for the rest of their lives." '

.
.

TO POST A COMMENT: CLICK ON "COMMENTS," "Post a Comment" or "# of COMMENTS" just below the SOCIAL BOOKMARKING LINKS (Digg, Delicious, etc), about three inches down from here. Please do comment. Thank you.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM YOUR BLOGGERS:

Suggestion Box & Tip Jar We would like to make over this blog to make it easier to access, to read and to comment on. We would also like to serve our readers better by providing more of what you need and want to see. All serious suggestions will be considered. We hope to move to our own domain in the near future, and we would like to ask for your financial assistance in doing that, and in upgrading our hardware & software. Small one-time donations and larger long-term subscriptions are welcome. Exclusive advertising is also available. If you think we are wasting our time in doing all this, please let us know. If you wish to help us, now is the time. As always, negative bullsh*t from right-wing trolls will be sh*tcanned. Thank you to everyone else. Please send feedback & PayPal contributions to cosanostradamusATexciteDOTcom. Thanks.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS: BRING THEM ALL HOME ALIVE, NOW!

OOOPS! BUSH BRINGS DEMOCRACY TO MIDDLE EAST!

.
BUT HE DIDN'T MEAN IT, HONEST!

WHEN HE SAID "RULE OF LAW," HE DIDN'T MEAN RULE HIM

Now The Rules May Apply To All, Including The Bush Crime Family

Consigliere Cheney better get a few hits out before he leaves office. It seems the Tattaglia's, er, Iraqi's are gunning for him. This breaks all the rules established by the Five Families, er, Bush Administration and the Chalabi Mob, er, government. Bush and Company were to have complete immunity from all prosecutions and lawsuits for all the many, many, many crimes and torts they committed. The puppet government was supposed to maintain their guarantee of that. Now, all of a sudden, they act like they think they are an independent sovereign nation, possibly saddled with an unwelcome and overlong occupation that has had many ill effects. Next, they'll be wanting their country back, and their oil, those mooks! Vito, Gianni, Petraeus, take 'em out!

REUTERS
"Iraqi Shi'ite says Maliki wary of U.S. pact"
Hey, these guys actually think they're a legitimate government, now!

' Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has criticized the draft of a pact that would allow U.S. troops to stay in the country for three years, a senior member of Maliki's ruling Shi'ite alliance said Tuesday. The remarks are the latest sign the draft, agreed last week after months of painstaking talks between Washington and Baghdad, may not survive Iraq's political process intact. "The prime minister said: what (the Americans) have given with the right hand they have taken away with the left hand," said Humam Hamoudi, a senior parliamentarian from the Shi'ite alliance which includes Maliki's Dawa Party. "For example, they said the U.S. forces will withdraw from towns by June 2009 if the security situation permits that. But who will decide that?" Hamoudi told a news conference. "They put terms and conditions into these articles. Those terms will be subjected to veto. This means it is as if they gave nothing. We will try to lift those conditions." '

WORLD PUBLIC OPINION.ORG
"Iraqi Public Opinion on the Presence of US Troops"
These people suddenly think they got rights!

' DR. KULL: Thank you for inviting me to speak. Today I will be addressing the question of how the Iraqi people view the presence of US troops in Iraq and, more importantly, what they want to see happen in the future. As I will demonstrate, the Iraqi people are showing signs of impatience with the pace of US withdrawal. Now one may ask why this matters. Obviously the Iraqi people will not be negotiating the agreements about US forces in Iraq. As long as the government wants US troops there, one may believe that it does not matter what the Iraqi public thinks. However, it does appear that the Iraqi government is paying attention to the Iraqi public. As you probably know, 144 of the 275 members of Parliament signed a letter calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops, citing as a key reason the attitudes of the Iraqi people. This call for a timetable was then reiterated in the June 3rd letter presented to the US Congress from representatives of the Iraqi Parliament. Just in the last few days Prime Minister Maliki has been increasingly aligning himself with this public pressure. This may well be influenced by the prospect of upcoming elections. Thus, if the US government wishes to play a constructive role in the future of Iraq it behooves us to understand better the dynamics of public opinion and thus the forces of the political universe within which Iraqi leaders are operating. Furthermore, Iraqis' attitudes about US forces are likely to affect their readiness to cooperate with coalition efforts to fight the insurgency, or even their readiness to support the insurgency. There is evidence that many Iraqis do support attacks on US troops and that this attitude is related to perceptions of US long-term intentions in Iraq. Thus dealing with these perceptions is critical to the success of the mission. '

TIME MAGAZINE
"Iraqis Balk at a U.S. Troop Deal, but Can They Say Goodbye? "
What, they got political Parties over there, now? Madonn'!

' It would not have surprised Iraq's Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, that tens of thousands of supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr, the populist Shi'ite cleric and militia leader, took to the streets on Saturday to protest a provisional security accord between Iraq and the U.S. Al-Sadr, after all, is an anti-American firebrand, and the Status of Forces agreement under negotiation between Washington and Baghdad would legitimize the continued presence in Iraq of U.S. troops, who have been deployed against al-Sadr's militia. And in March, al-Maliki had ordered Iraqi government forces to drive al-Sadr's Mahdi Army out of Basra. But if Sadr could be expected to have a beef with the proposed agreement, what should be more troubling to al-Maliki is that members of his own coalition are washing their hands of the deal. Until Sunday, the American and Iraqi governments had been inching toward a deal that would create a legal basis for the U.S. military to remain in Iraq once its U.N. mandate expires on Dec. 31. The draft version of the agreement — leaked earlier this month by the American side — also lays out a time line for U.S. withdrawal: American forces would leave Iraqi cities and towns by the end of June 2009 and be stationed on large bases until they're withdrawn from Iraq by the end of 2011. Washington made further concessions as well, allowing American soldiers to be subject to Iraqi legal jurisdiction for crimes committed while off duty and off base. But that wasn't enough to satisfy members of al-Maliki's United Iraq Alliance coalition, who have asked that negotiations be reopened. The problem may be less any one particular provision than it is the agreement itself. Despite the security gains achieved over the past year, most Iraqis want the foreign soldiers to leave — and with provincial elections scheduled for January of 2009, Iraqi politicians don't want their fingerprints on the document. Tellingly, the only politicians at Saturday's meeting of Iraq's security council who did voice full support for the proposed agreement were from the placid Kurdish-controlled region of northern Iraq — where, unlike in the rest of the country, the U.S. army is much loved but little seen. '

WIRED NEWS
"U.S.-Iraq Deal Could Mean Jail Time for Contractors"
Better hide out in Sicily for a while, guys. And watch ya back, hanh?

' Not too long ago, private security contractors in Iraq had a get-out-of-jail-free card; they could run around the country, without a chance in the world that they could be prosecuted for anything they did. A draft of the U.S.-Iraq security deal, now making the rounds in Washington and Baghdad, could change all that. Guns-for-hire in Iraq could suddenly find themselves facing time in an Iraqi prison, if they broke the local laws. The agreement has not been finalized, but it seems to point the way to an eventual drawdown of U.S. combat forces -- perhaps as early as 2012. One of the major sticking points for the status of forces agreement (SOFA) has been the legal status of U.S. troops -- and the contractors they bring in tow. Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he would reserve judgment on the deal until he could more closely review the legal safeguards for service members. "It's critical that our dedicated men and women in uniform serving in Iraq have full legal protections and are not subject to criminal prosecution in an Iraqi judicial system that does not meet due process standards," he said. '

DAR AL HAYAT
"Oil in a Week (International Oil Companies Return to Iraq)"
No. Not the oil! That's OUR freakin' oil!

' The return of international oil companies to Iraq continues to instigate an old debate in this country. Politicians had objected to the presence of foreign firms and the rights they demand through the numerous accusations they had directed at previous governments on this matter. With time, the issue became worse and more complicated, subjecting the country's entire oil policy to accusations which have obstructed the development of this sector in comparison to what neighboring nations have accomplished. Although the issue is still limited to general principles, new developments can be cited, including the role of oil in the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the possibility of adopting an independent oil policy that takes into consideration the interests of Iraq while it remains under occupation, and the issue of transparency during negotiations at a time when corruption prevails on the national level. It was remarkable that the first contract for the development of an Iraqi field since 2003 was signed with a Chinese company followed by another signed with a European party. Ultimately, American contracts with American companies are likely to follow soon, especially when the offers are made for huge fields. It is possible that the ministry of oil has not granted any contracts to American firms by successfully resisting pressures, but the truth is that the country has been under occupation since 2003. Regardless of the occupation, the fact remains that American firms are the largest and the most prominent in the global oil industry such that they are impossible to ignore. Hence, they will eventually play a role in Iraq's oil industry since Iraq has decided to open up to international firms. Once again, what matters here is the nature and conditions of contracts. '

[Cross-posted at Out Of Iraq Bloggers' Caucus.]
.
.

TO POST A COMMENT: CLICK ON "COMMENTS," "Post a Comment" or "# of COMMENTS" just below the SOCIAL BOOKMARKING LINKS (Digg, Delicious, etc), about three inches down from here. Please do comment. Thank you.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM YOUR BLOGGERS:

Suggestion Box & Tip Jar We would like to make over this blog to make it easier to access, to read and to comment on. We would also like to serve our readers better by providing more of what you need and want to see. All serious suggestions will be considered. We hope to move to our own domain in the near future, and we would like to ask for your financial assistance in doing that, and in upgrading our hardware & software. Small one-time donations and larger long-term subscriptions are welcome. Exclusive advertising is also available. If you think we are wasting our time in doing all this, please let us know. If you wish to help us, now is the time. As always, negative bullsh*t from right-wing trolls will be sh*tcanned. Thank you to everyone else. Please send feedback & PayPal contributions to cosanostradamusATexciteDOTcom. Thanks.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS: BRING THEM ALL HOME ALIVE, NOW!

ROCKEFELLER STEALS CHILD

.
WEALTHY DAD ABDUCTS DIVORCE DAUGHTER

FIRST THE OIL, NOW THE CHILDREN?

What Is The World Coming To When The Rich Can Steal Our Children?

It's not bad enough that these filthy oil people "drink our milkshakes." Now, they're drinking our children's milkshakes! With oil and gasoline at an all-time high, I guess they're so rich they think they get away with anything. Maybe it's one last stand for Big Awl before their boy Dubya gets rode atta town on a rail. He can always issue pardons before he goes.

In fact, I predict a wholesale crime spree, as Republicans everywhere rush to cash in their get-out-of-jail-free cards before Bush goes to prison in the Hague. The recent shotgun blasts in an Tennessee Unitarian Church by a right-winger angry at "libruls" may be only the beginning. Dick Cheney and Antonin Scalia will be gunning for moderates, liberals, progressives and radicals wherever they go. Keep yer heads down, folks.

Today is the day to register Republican, if you plan on committing a crime. With gun ownership now mandatory, and failure to own a gun punishable by death, you might as well shoot somebody while you're at it. They're having a Second Amendment Blow-Out Sale at the Justice Department. Dubya will be pardoning all of them, too.

UPDATE: Well, the Rockefeller's now say this kidnapper is not even related to them: He's an impostor, a fakefeller. And you know what happens to those, if you saw "There Will Be Blood." Well, even if you didn't see it, get a clue, there will be blood. It's Shark Week, and the abductor is yachting his way to Bermuda, they say. He'd better stay away from the family's offshore oil rigs. Well.


"Manhunt for missing girl abducted by high society father"


"Police: Man shot churchgoers over liberal views"


"Justice Officials Repeatedly Broke Law on Hiring, Report Says"


"Lock and Load--It's the Law! "
.
.

TO POST A COMMENT: CLICK ON "COMMENTS," "Post a Comment" or "# of COMMENTS" just below the SOCIAL BOOKMARKING LINKS (Digg, Delicious, etc), about three inches down from here. Please do comment. Thank you.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM YOUR BLOGGERS:

Suggestion Box & Tip Jar We would like to make over this blog to make it easier to access, to read and to comment on. We would also like to serve our readers better by providing more of what you need and want to see. All serious suggestions will be considered. We hope to move to our own domain in the near future, and we would like to ask for your financial assistance in doing that, and in upgrading our hardware & software. Small one-time donations and larger long-term subscriptions are welcome. Exclusive advertising is also available. If you think we are wasting our time in doing all this, please let us know. If you wish to help us, now is the time. As always, negative bullsh*t from right-wing trolls will be sh*tcanned. Thank you to everyone else. Please send feedback & PayPal contributions to cosanostradamusATexciteDOTcom. Thanks.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS: BRING THEM ALL HOME ALIVE, NOW!