Lieberman said that he was concerned Bin Laden's demise could inspire an attack along the lines of the Ft. Hood massacre, in which a radicalized individual soldier killed 13 people. He urged Americans to be especially vigilant in reporting any leads to authorities in the coming days.
"This is a classic 'If you see something, say something' moment," he said. "If you see suspicious behavior, call the police immediately -- and that includes if you see suspicious behavior by someone who is a friend or family member."
The CT Democratic Party has decided to issue a "strongly worded letter" of disapproval to Joe Lieberman for his support of Republican presidential candidate John McCain. May we suggest two letters:
Christians and Jews quickly called on Lieberman to reject an invitation to appear again at this year's CUFI conference in Washington. Lieberman refused. He will address the group Tuesday evening and he will likely again praise Hagee and damn the political fallout.
Once again, Joe manages to supremely tick off people of both the Jewish and Catholic faith (which Hagee refers to as "The Great Whore)."
The Senator visits Fairfield University, and embarrasses Connecticut again. WTF?$@!??
To separate religious faith from American public life is unnatural, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew, told a largely Roman Catholic student audience Friday at Fairfield University.
"Faith is part of our strength," he said. Lieberman also told students he is thrilled about having an audience with the pope and defended the continued American role in Iraq after nearly five years of bloodshed.
THIS one??? The one who said of John Hagee, the man who believes Katrina was God's revenge?
Fortunately, you here tonight know that evil will not prevail if good people act. And I know you will not allow Iran and Al Qaeda to triumph over America and Israel.
Patriotism was the topic of two CT newspaper columns today, one by syndicated columnist Cal Thomas and the other by Sarah Littman. Thomas's column, which appeared in The Day of New London, was titled "Joe Lieberman Is a True American Patriot."
If you can stifle your gag reflex long enough to read it, you'll quickly see that Thomas has flipped reality on its head. Thomas defines patriot this way:
The key words are "defends his or her country and its interests with devotion." By this definition Joe Lieberman is a patriot.
By that definition, Lieberman is dunce. Even if he set out to serve America's interests, he's done just the opposite. This war has devastated the American military and the families who serve in it, increased the number of terrorists, ruined America's international reputation, and has cost taxpayers billions of dollars. Not exactly America's best interests. ("Joe Lieberman Is a True American Windbag" or "Cal Thomas Is a True American Idiot" might have been better titles.)
Now, compare the Cal Thomas piece with another column about American patriotism in the Greenwich Time, this one by Sarah Littman. The title is "Recognize the Truth about Waterboarding." This column recalls the moment after 9/11 when "pulling together helped us withstand the grievous blow inflicted by terrorists."
The Islamic jihadists of al-Qaida might have destroyed our buildings and killed almost 3,000 innocent people on 9/11, but no one has done more to destroy our moral values -- and I'm not using this term in the corrupted fundamentalist Christian sense, but rather in terms of what anyone, Jew, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, atheist, whatever, would consider basic human decency -- than this government.
This government says that people like me, who are critical of its methods and its blatant disregard for the Constitution and the laws both of this country and the international community of nations, are unpatriotic, and accuses us of giving "aid and comfort to our enemies." But perhaps this government -- and the people who have bought into its philosophy of, "It's OK if we're the ones who are doing it" -- should take a good hard look in the mirror.
When the President of the United States takes the oath of office, he or she swears to defend the Constitution. It is for the defense of the Constitution that American soldiers risk their lives. True American patriots defend the Constitution - rather than use fear as a means to destroy it. This was the point made by Sarah and completely missed by Thomas.
Ever wonder how much your heating bill goes up each time Joe Lieberman threatens an attack on Iran? Or what happens to gas prices when Chris Shays greenlights a Turkish attack on the Kurds?
Since January of this year, crude oil prices have jumped 40%, and they have more than quadrupled since 2002. While oil producers like Russia, Venezuela, and Middle East countries experience enormous windfall profits, we consumers pay more for heating oil and gasoline, as do American businesses.
The Turkish government has sought parliamentary authority to launch attacks against Kurdish militants, who have long sought their own independent homeland. ...But it is fears that the dispute may escalate and threaten oil output in the wider region - Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia between them account for 20% of global supplies - which have fanned the price rises.
[..] The situation in northern Iraq is just one of a number of geopolitical factors which are causing uncertainty in the market and helping to push prices up.
Iran's push to acquire nuclear power and, many believe, nuclear weapons has sparked concerns it could use its own oil supplies as a bargaining chip in any future showdown.
Barely-veiled threats from the US, suggesting that military action remains a live option, have further accentuated fears.
Many factors account for price increases, including the Iraq War itself, violence in Nigeria, rising energy demands, and a devalued dollar. But as the Washington Post reports, the Iran War risk premium alone may be as high $15 a barrel.
Considering that tension in the Middle East makes oil-producing countries like Russia and Venezuela stronger while sucking money from the American economy (excluding the U.S. oil and arms industries), you would think that our political leaders would try to ease those tensions. But not Lieberman, Shays and the Bush Administration.
Instead of taking measures to end the war and stablize the Middle East, Lieberman, Shays and Bush do the opposite, by voting against, or vetoing, withdrawal timelines and advocating wider-scale attacks. Even worse, these men continue feeding the tensions and funding the war with U.S. tax dollars and American lives.
This amount of stupidity is hard to express in words. But Garry Kasparov, the Russian chess champion, does a nice job of it, below the fold...
Good morning. Today we hold our fifth hearing of this year on the challenge of homegrown Islamist extremism in America ... but not one planned, manned and financed from abroad, like the 911 attacks, but one conceived from within our nation by - as you will soon hear - "unremarkable people" bent on spectacular destruction. [...]
After more than two years of investigation, the NYPD team has mapped out the radicalization process that is taking place in New York City, the United States and elsewhere. Their conclusions are riveting, impressive and disturbing.
What!! Where do these monsters come from?
Violent Islamist ideology can motivate alienated but otherwise "unremarkable" individuals not normally found on law enforcement's radar to commit terrorist acts. Often the Internet is a driver and an enabler of the radicalization process in America...
Turn off your computers. Lock your doors. Are those trick-or-treaters at your door, or home-grown Islamofascists?
After removing the threat of Saddam Hussein, and spending all that money to fight terror, we're not safer after all? No, says Joe: "the threat from homegrown violent Islamist extremism is on the rise in America."
With a Senator like Lieberman constantly reminding me of the terror threat, I don't need terrorists to feel terrorized.
Some Democrats like to point to Lieberman as a "social moderate" because of his votes in favor of some progressive issues. Those who've watched him operate -- like how he derailed the fillibuster of Samuel Alito -- know better.
Well, here's another example of Joe as NOT the social moderate: Lieberman joined Republican Senators and a handful of conservative Democrats in voting to confirm the nomination of right-wing activist judge Leslie Southwick to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. The nomination was confirmed by a vote of 59-38.
This is because Southwick has attempted to turn back the clock on civil rights and labor rights that have been firmly established over past half century.
Judge Southwick's record of consistently ruling against workers seeking compensation for injuries suffered on the job, often in dissent when his colleagues ruled otherwise, raises questions about his fairness and his ability to impartially evaluate worker claims.
People for the American Way opposed Southwick based on his apparent hostility to blacks and gays, if not outright bigotry. As PFAY, explains, Southwick removed a child from the custody of her mother because the mother was gay:
In 2001, Southwick joined a ruling that upheld a chancellor's decision to take an eight-year-old girl away from her mother and award custody to the father, who had never married the mother, largely because the mother was living with another woman in a "lesbian home."
More on Southwick's extremist views, and Lieberman's support of right-wing social policies below the fold...
First, Joe had to step over a prostrate protester in his office to get to work.
"Would someone please, please give me some water?" whimpered the fainting Code Pink demonstrator.
"Get that damned woman out of my way!" roared the impatient Senator. "I have to give another press conference - to let everyone know that things are going beautifully in Iraq!"
(A great report from the front lines of public education in Bridgeport. If only politicians would spent more time talking to actual teachers about what would really make a difference for teaching and learning in public schools - promoted by Maura)
This week our 'priority' school received a second visit from a representative of Cambridge Education, who had flown all the way over from England to finalize a report concerning the progress we've made in two years.
Once again he asked me what money I had received for materials (zero), what support we've had for the expected influx of special education students as a result of the upcoming shutdown of self-contained classes (zip), and other prying questions.
He was impressed that I had found a Hooked on Phonics kit at the Goodwill and installed it in a 5th grade class for a few non-readers. He liked the set of pre-primer books I had grabbed before our reading department tossed them out. Necessity breeds creativity.
So, where was Senator Lieberman during all of this?
Ten miles away, waxing grandiloquently on education!!!!!
Paul Bass has an absolutely blistering op-ed piece in today's Courant. No excerpts because you really have to read it all. (Then use the Courant's E-Mail Story utility to share with your friends.)
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