So this is my idea for what the template should be. The fabu Deek is working on turning it into something useful- but I thought I’d get y’alls opinion.

Watcha think?

QUESTION: The President has been very critical of leakers on a number of subjects throughout his time. And if this information is true, that the President authorized the dissemination of this information, does he feel that it’s appropriate for him to unilaterally — and I know he has the legal authority to declassify information — but it, to some people, gives an appearance that he may not have followed all of the procedures — by letting other Cabinet members know, by letting the CIA Director know, things like that.

Scott McClellan: — The President has been critical about the leaking of classified information. And that view has not changed. Leaking classified information that could compromise our nation’s security is a very serious matter. The President would never authorize disclosure of information that could compromise our nation’s security.

…Now the disclosing, the unauthorized disclosure of classified information relating to a program like the terrorist surveillance program is harmful to our nation’s security. It provides the enemy our play book, and the enemy can adapt and adjust when they learn about our tactics. And General Hayden has talked about how that is harmful to our nation’s security. Others in the administration have talked about how that has been harmful to our nation’s security. So there’s a distinction –QUESTION: So you’re specifically saying no harm done –Scott McClellan: — there’s a distinction between declassifying information that is in the public interest and the unauthorized disclosure of classified information that could compromise our nation’s security.”

These are really questions & answers. Here’s what happens when we shoot everyone up with sodium pentothal.

QUESTION: The President has speechified several times about how evil leaking is, calling it things like “despicable”. Doesn’t this latest revelation suggest that the President is a cynical manipulator who is willing to lie and leak information secretly in order to discredit his opposition without having to be accountable to the American people while holding as classified anything that might make the administration look bad?

Scott McClellan: — you seem to be a little mixed up on your definitions. You have to remember…you’re either with us, or you’re against us. If the information is something we don’t want people to know, like the fact that we’re torturing people, or that the NSA is spying on you, or that Karl Rove is having people assassinated…then that that’s a leak. It’s a shameful thing that gives comfort to our enemies at home & abroad. Enemies like the Democrats & the New York Times. When it’s something that we can use to make people look bad, or bolster our case without having to reveal the parts of the intelligence that suggest we’re full of shit, or maybe get a nice spike in the polls, when it’s something we want to be able to cherry pick the presentation of, we release it privately to a journalist so that no one will know it came from us…that’s a declassification in the interests of national security. The President is against leaks, he opposes unauthorized leaks in the strongest possible terms. He’s for declassification when it serves the public interest (like making the administration look good). See?

Christianity seems to be having a tough week. First this whole “fishapod,” missing link, sort of silver bullet for Darwin naysayers (not that they’ve ever let facts get in the way of a good religious delusion) but now we discover that Judas wasn’t quite the bad guy we might have expected. Seems that Judas betrayed Christ to the Roman authorities at Jesus’ request. A sort of conspiracy for crucifixion.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/07/science/07judas.html

“At issue is a hug Savannah said she got on the playground from a friend named Sophie. Savannah hugged Sophie back. The hugs resulted in Savannah having to write a letter, complete with teacher corrections, that read, “I touch Sophie because she touch me and I didn’t like it because she was hugging me. I didn’t like when she hugged me.”

They’re trying to spin it with discussions of “bear hugs” & complaints that the hug “lifted” one girl off the floor. But after reading the article closely I’m pretty sure the whole thing is about nipping that queer shit in the bud. We can have little lesbians in training doing the PDA story on a playground. Amazing really.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/8491575/detail.html

http://www.judaism.com/display.asp?nt=ajao&etn=IIBHH

I swear…I’m not making this shit up. If you’re ready to begin your child’s conditioning on the implications of a wrathful God…look no further than

Plush Plagues Bag
Includes all 10 plagues!

Ages 3 & up Keeps the kids entertained during Passover. This plush yellow plagues bag contains representations for all of the plagues (not necessarily in the correct order):

A spooky eyed drop of blood
A Frog for frogs—of course
A Giant Lice for lice.
Cow for cattle disease
Black Locust for locusts
A white satin lump of hail
A black cube of darkness
An icky boil on a piece of flesh!
A snarling lion’s head for wild beasts
and last of all a very sad head – for death of the first born.

The frog, lice, cow and locust wriggle and roll their eyes, quiver, buzz and move when you pull their string and are apx 4.5″ long.

No sissy red algae in the Nile science explanations here.

From Salon.com’s Broadsheet (where I first read about it)

Another From Salon.com

From Feministe

And just to gross you out some more- actual text of an email sent by one of the lacrosse team members only a few hours after the rape took place

“To whom it may concern:
tomorrow night, after tonights show, ive decided to have some strippers over to edens 2c. all are welcome.. however there will be no nudity. i plan on killing the bitches as soon as the walk in and proceeding to cut their skin off while cumming in my duke issue spandex.. all in besides arch and tack please respond
41″

Lovely. Just fucking lovely.

This is a rather fantastic blog post about the likelyhood of going to war with Iran. Part of the premise is that when new weapons are available they are described publicly in order to instill fear in the enemy, then those weapons have to be used (can’t just play a game of international chicken now, can we?)

Then, in yet another installment of Do you trust your government, go read this piece in LeMonde Diplomatique right now. Remember Iraq and WMDs? Remember the Al Quaida links? It might be in our best interest to REALLY question the motives of our government for starting yet another war, even if it means letting a totalitarian Islamic government (that is not friendly to us) stay in power. You know, democracy by force is still tyranny.

People all over the country are expressing their shock & outrage over the rape of an exotic dancer by the Duke Lacrosse team (yes…I left the alleged out of there on purpose). I’ll meet them halfway. I’m outraged, but not even a little shocked. Anyone who hasn’t had their head in the ground knows that college parties are extraordinarily dangerous places for women. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has linked heavy drinking to 70,000 cases of sexual assault and acquaintance rape yearly. 55% of gang rapes on college campuses are committed by fraternities, 40% by sports teams, and 5% by others. About 25% of sorority women report having been raped, which is even higher than the general number for women on campus. Could it be that they spend so much time at frats & their parties? There’s also very good reason to believe that these statistics are a dramatic under reporting of the actual number of assaults. Both because victims are often embarrassed, and because colleges proactively attempt to suppress and avoid reporting of rapes on their campuses (can’t be good publicity). So while I’m pissed, I’m really tired of people pretending like this a big shock. Like it’s something rare. Because it’s happening all the time, across the country, people just don’t like to talk about it.

I’m sure everyone will be absolutely astonished to discover that when Libby leaked classified information on a CIA agent, he wasn’t doing as some rouge cowboy. Libby has testified that the leak was “specifically authorized” by George. Can you remember the President’s (fake) outrage over the leak & his (untruthful) promise that the person responsible for the leak would be dealt with?

http://www.thesmokinggun.com//archive/0406061libby1.html

I think the saddest thing is how anti-climactic this is going to be. The whole country knows that the President is a repeated, persistent, & tactical liar. The right has decided that it’s OK to be dishonest as long as it serves their agenda, & left is so weary of shouting & jumping up & down about all the examples of corruption & dishonesty (there are so fucking many) that it’s hard to get excited about yet another example. It’s just so predictable.

Quotes from a question and answer session with the President at Central Piedmont Community College today