Israel prepares for US bombing of Iran on April 6

Parts of Israel will effectively shut down starting April 6, rescue officials will conduct mass evacuation exercises and hospitals and even the Knesset will test their ability to operate during a mock chemical and biological weapons attack, The Jerusalem Post said.

Chuck Hagel: I think it was arrogance and incompetence that put this country in such a hole around the world.

Not sure if he is talking about Iraq, Afghanistan or the US. But can't fault the mans logic.

HAGEL: Sure. I did write those words and I meant it and I still mean it, and I think it was arrogance and incompetence that put this country in such a hole around the world. Arrogance meaning they wouldn't listen to anyone. They didn't listen to our allies. Every major leader in the Middle East that I talked to, and I certainly know the President and others talked to before we invaded Iraq, warned the President, warned the Vice President, warned Secretary Powell not to do this. Even a number of senior Israeli officials warned them not to do it. Members of Congress asked questions, I was among one those, who said wait a minute, slow down, let the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency officials finish their job. Slow this train down. They wouldn't listen to anybody. It was just raw arrogance. Incompetence? I think it was incompetence, they wouldn't look at history, that part of the world. The complications the combustability, they didn't factor in the context of consequences for their actions to get us into a war. I quote Eisenhower in the book, he said this in the 1950s, that America should never put American troops in the Middle East. Don't get bogged down in that kind of a war. Other great leaders have said the same thing. and there was both, in my opinion, arrogance and incompetence that led us into this.

CIA Director has urged his CIA employees to buy liability insurance in order to protect them against lawsuits of their legal acts.

The Associated Press has more. It’s pretty clear that the CIA just wants to cover it’s ass once the DoJ comes to the conclusion that “enhanced interrogation techniques” really just means “illegal torture.” It’s a shame that the CIA, who really does (for better or worse) important work around the world, is put in such a precarious situation by this lawless administration.

War with Iran May Have Begun with Offensive in Iraq

The United States military offensive against Iran may have begun with a swiftly escalating series of operations directed against the Mahdi Army, a Shiite militia led by cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which had been observing a six month old cease-fire.

Russian intelligence sees U.S. military buildup on Iran border

MOSCOW, March 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian military intelligence services are reporting a flurry of activity by U.S. Armed Forces near Iran's borders, a high-ranking security source said Tuesday.

"The latest military intelligence data point to heightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran," the official said, adding that the Pentagon has probably not yet made a final decision as to when an attack will be launched.

He said the Pentagon is looking for a way to deliver a strike against Iran "that would enable the Americans to bring the country to its knees at minimal cost."

He also said the U.S. Naval presence in the Persian Gulf has for the first time in the past four years reached the level that existed shortly before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

APRIL 6 SNEAK ATTACK ON IRAN BY US FORCES PLANNED

OPERATION BITE: APRIL 6 SNEAK ATTACK BY US FORCES AGAINST IRAN PLANNED, RUSSIAN MILITARY SOURCES WARN

General Ivashov calls for emergency session of UN Security Council to Ward off Looming US Aggression



The long awaited US military attack on Iran is now on track for the first week of April, specifically for 4 AM on April 6, the Good Friday opening of Easter weekend, writes the well-known Russian journalist Andrei Uglanov in the Moscow weekly "Argumenty Nedeli." Uglanov cites Russian military experts close to the Russian General Staff for his account.

The attack is slated to last for twelve hours, according to Uglanov, lasting from 4 AM until 4 PM local time. Friday is a holiday in Iran. In the course of the attack, code named Operation Bite, about 20 targets are marked for bombing; the list includes uranium enrichment facilities, research centers, and laboratories.

CIA behind Tibetian revolt

Indeed, with the CIA's deep involvement with the Free Tibet Movement and its funding of the suspiciously well-informed Radio Free Asia, it would seem somewhat unlikely that any revolt could have been planned or occurred without the prior knowledge, and even perhaps the agreement, of the National Clandestine Service at CIA headquarters in Langley -- Asia Times

Q: Do Condoms Help Stop HIV? McCain: "You've stumped me"

thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com — Mr. McCain: “You’ve stumped me...Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.”

Wall Street borrowing $32.9 billion in daily

I never want to hear about 'free market' from another fucking republicant criminal ever again.

Who let this liberal into the church?

The Value of Values

I finished the first part of my presentation on Family Ministry in Milwaukee with a discussion of the importance of values, specifically the need to clarify and promote our values.

First, we took a look at what is probably the most well known statement of our UU values, our Principles and Purposes (along with the sources):

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote
The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Thank God. Because if ChimpCo and falsely imprison a US Governor, he can do it to you.

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman (D), who went to jail in June 2007 on federal corruption charges, “will be released from prison, after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals granted him an appeal bond.” Yesterday, TPMmuckraker reported that the House Judiciary Committee is seeking to hold a hearing where Siegelman will testify about the controversial prosecution that led to his incarceration.

tax and spend republicants

"I can't wait for later.

I booked us the Honeymoon Suite.

How dare you say the Iraq war was doomed to fail?

How dare you say the Iraq war was doomed to fail? I mean of course a group of people who set out to do something unreasonable are going to wind up implementing their agenda poorly. What would a flawlessly-executed but doomed-to-failure war look like?

The war in Iraq cannot fail, it can only be failed. Reader Davis X. Machina

It's an irrational war, sold on irrational claims, continuing irrationally, and its backers are irrational in its defense. the whole thing is perfectly rational, if you accept that each part of it is irrational. Reader cleek