The new reports that NY Police officers had to walk Judi Giuliani's dog have me wondering: Were they walking her dog to keep her from sticking surgical staplers in it? From the New York Post:
Judith Giuliani once demonstrated surgical products for a controversial medical-supply company that used dogs - which were later killed - in operations whose only purpose was to sell equipment to doctors.
The company Judi Giuliani worked for when she demoed surgical staplers on dogs was US Surgical
"It was a horribly cruel, outrageous program," Friends of Animals President Priscilla Feral said about the demonstrations of medical staplers on dogs conducted by U.S. Surgical Corp. employees during Giuliani's tenure there in the late 1970s. Feral said U.S. Surgical's demonstrations on hundreds of dogs each year through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s were done to boost sales, not for medical research or testing.
Judi was excellent at her work, and earned $40,000 a year by the late 70s. But problems arose when animal-rights groups began investigating the way the company sold its products—problems recently pointed out by the New York press. U.S. Surgical used dogs in demonstrations to doctors and hospitals as part of its marketing plan. "Every salesperson at U.S. Surgical was trained for six weeks with dogs at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, and that was really brutal," explains a former employee. "They spent days and days with dogs, taking out the spleen or stomach or the lobe of a lung. Then if the dog started moaning or fidgeted, whoever was closest would push more sedative into him from the syringe. It was horrible. Then the dog would be killed with potassium chloride."
And boy are they pissed. We still want to know: Who called the cops on them?
NY NetRooters Joanne Lukacher and Sari wrote the following summary of the day's events:
As soon as word came out on Friday afternoon, that Senators Schumer and Feinstein had decided to vote in favor of Michael Mukasey's confirmation, our NY Net Roots group started the barrage of emails to one another that seemed to cause actual wisps of smoke to waft out of our computers. Mukasey's testimony about waterboarding and his "tortured" theory about the scope of presidential privilege was, to say the least, disheartening and alarming. We worked through the weekend on a strategy to try and persuade Senator Schumer to change his mind when he voted on Tuesday. Monday was the one day we could try and reach him when he'd be in NYC before heading back to DC to vote on the nomination.
The efforts of the New York group were augmented by the talents of Selise from Massachusetts who assisted Jill Howell in downloading Mukasey's testimony to the Judiciary committee for a video focusing on the nominee’s statements regarding torture and executive privilege. From Jill’s video compilation it became obvious that Mukasey would become a vehicle for providing retroactive immunity for the crimes of the Bush administration. In an effort to follow protocol as much as possible while insisting on a timely meeting prior to the scheduled Tuesday vote, Joanne worked on a cover letter to fax to Schumer's office requesting a meeting and a list of questions to which we wanted a response. The questions addressed the specific specious assertions in Schumers statement announcing his vote, demanding answers as to how Mukasey, who had publicly succumbed to the Bush administration’s tortured theories of executive immunity, had demonstrated, in Schumer’s own words, “strength, independence and integrity.” With the assistance of Siun, Lee who would be unable to attend the Monday meeting worked late into the night on Sunday to compose and fax a press release to AP datebook and first thing Monday morning while some of our group were driving and training to New York City, Julie made a call to the Senator’s Manhattan office to try confirm a meeting with his staff for later that day.
When we arrived at Senator Schumer's office there was a very respectable showing with several groups already gathered outside the building for a scheduled vigil. There were some great signs too - medieval drawings of waterboarding and others shredding the Constitution. Although Julie, who was remembered by the Senatorial staff for her exploits with the video camera on our last visit in May 2006, was initially encouraged that we would get a meeting, ultimately we were turned down, the message conveyed to us by the guard on the reception desk. It seemed that the office was taken aback by the turnout of protestors and were in no mood to try and justify Schumer's vote. The phones were ringing off the hook, besieged by outraged constituents and they were probably quite concerned about any press the scene in front of the building might get.
While, not surprisingly, the event was not covered by the local or national press, we came prepared to be our own media.
Julie interviewed and videotaped the people in front of Schumer's building. The range of folks was great - we had orange jump-suits, black hooded protestors and other folks, young and old, some of whom had travelled long distances to be there. Everybody interviewed in the video is articulate and compelling and pretty fed-up with the "opposition" party which seems to enable Bush and the Republicans at every opportunity.
Enjoy the video - these folks speak for all of us.
Thank you to FDL for posting the video. And Democrats.com included a link to the video in their newsletter article, Harry Reid Confirms Mukasey in "Midnight Massacre".
At midnight on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid betrayed the Constitution and the American people by holding a quick vote to confirm Michael Mukasey despite his refusal to admit waterboarding is torture. And thanks to excellent reporting by Greg Sargent of Talking Points Memo, we now know why.
The vote was 53-40, with six Democrats joining every single Republican - Evan Bayh, Tom Carper, Dianne Feinstein, Mary Landrieu, Ben Nelson, and Chuck Schumer. (Schumer ignored urgent calls and emails from thousands of his constituents, and his staff refused to meet with activists outside his office.) The four Senate Democrats running for President, who were all opposed, were out campaigning - but Reid refused to delay the vote to give them time to return. If he had, there could have been 44 votes for a filibuster to block Mukasey's confirmation.
Reid rushed the vote because he cut a deal with Republicans to avoid delays on the $459 Defense Appropriations bill (not including Iraq funds), so Bush couldn't attack Democrats during the upcoming battle over Iraq funds. In effect, Reid sold the Constitution to the neocons for a talking point.
There is only one way to send a message of outrage that Schumer and Reid will hear, and that is by refusing to contribute to the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC), which Reid controls and Schumer chairs.
Join the Democratic Donor Strike Against DSCC and DCCC http://www.democrats.com/donor-strike-2007
Please join the NY NetRoots google group here: http://groups.google.com/group/stateproject-newyork Or you can email a request to join here: stateproject-newyork at googlegroups.com
In this video, you'll hear the best question submitted for the CNN/YouTube Republican debate ever! One which will most likely not slip by the censors.
Originally posted on DailyKos, here's a second look at this "Video Greeting Card" which was created to congratulate everyone at Yearly Kos for a job well done. The event, the Blogger's Brunch, was broadcast live into Second Life's Progressive Island. Everyone is really enjoying themselves - were you there and can you spot yourself?
I must say again: What an incredibly nice group of people those Progressives are! ;-) To view other events from Yearly Kos as seen in Second Life click "here".
(Music excerpt of "Praise You" from Fatboy Slim's album You've Come A Long Way Baby)
Michelle Malkin has taken it upon herself to harrass a 12 year old boy in retaliation for a speech he gave supporting the S-CHIP program.
From TP: Two weeks ago, the Democratic radio address was delivered by a 12-year old Maryland boy named Graeme Frost. Graeme told his story of being involved in a severe car accident three years ago, and having received access to medical care because of the Children’s Health Insurance Program. He said:
If it weren’t for CHIP, I might not be here today. … We got the help we needed because we had health insurance for us through the CHIP program. But there are millions of kids out there who don’t have CHIP, and they wouldn’t get the care that my sister and I did if they got hurt. … I just hope the President will listen to my story and help other kids to be as lucky as me.
Michelle and other right wing bloggers immediately launched a smear campaign against Graeme and have repeatedly called him at his home asking for details about the family's living arrangements.
But Michelle went a step further. Michelle did a "drive by" of Graeme's father's small business where she corralled a tenant to interrogate him about the Frost family.
From Michelle Malkin's website: 2:50pm Eastern: I just returned from a visit to Frost’s commercial property near Patterson Park in Baltimore. It’s a modest place. Talked to one of the tenants, Mike Reilly, who is a talented welder. He said he had known the Frosts for 10 years. Business is good, he told me, though he characterized Frost as “struggling.” Reilly was an outspoken advocate for socialized health care without any means-testing whatsoever and an insistent critic of the Iraq war.
My, my that must have set her off. So she headed to Graeme's house.
I also passed by the Frosts’ rowhouse. There was an “01 - 20 -09″ bumper sticker plastered on the door and a newer model GMC Suburban parked directly in front of the house. I’ve seen guesstimates of the house’s worth in the $400,000-plus range. Those are high.
She's now obsessed with the value of their house? How many people have bought houses years ago that have increased in value to the point where they couldn't afford to buy them today? And that sticker on the door obviously means they're not Bushies, so in her mind they're fair game.
Michelle is one sick bitch. I wouldn't be surprised if she publishes their address and encourages her readers to harrass them as well. Does the family need a restaining order?
Thank you to BlueGal at Crooks and Liars for posting my video "Right to Life", on their site.
Ken Burn's documentary on WWII, "The War", had some of the first horrific images of that war that have ever been broadcast. He and directors like Brian De Palma with "Redacted", are breaking the rules because we need to know that war is hell. Bush wouldn't know this. Neither would Cheney. That's why sending Americans to die in their war is so easy for them. And that's why we need intelligent, compassionate leadership.
I made the video over a year ago, because I think there is such a disconnect between what war supporters believe and reality. The networks refuse to show us what our tax dollars are paying for in Iraq. If they broadcast the mangled bodies of innocent dead children and our dead soldiers, this war would be over and companies like Cheney's Halliburton would lose money. So corporate media shuts its eyes and ours.
My, my, my Republicans, thou "dost protest too much."
-- From Hamlet (III, ii, 239) Queen Gertrude speaks these famous words to her son, Prince Hamlet, while watching a play at court. Gertrude does not realize that Hamlet has staged this play to trap her and her new husband, King Claudius, whom Hamlet suspects of having murdered his father. She also does not realize that the lady who "doth protest too much" is actually herself, as the Player King and Queen represent King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude. The former will be poisoned (in this play within the play) by the king's brother, as in reality (Hamlet suspects) Claudius killed King Hamlet. Gertrude's statement is in response to the play-Queen's repetitive statements of loyalty to and love of her first husband.
Republicans voted to condemn this ad, yet they voted against condemning ads against other military personnel. Of course, those other military folks were Democrats.
Seems that the Republicans have proven once again that they're phoney hypocrites. No surprise.
Sign the Petition then Donate to MoveOn.org HERE: MoveOn
"I will not be quiet, I will fight back, and I will keep speaking out until Congress forces an exit plan for this awful war."
It seems that Cheney knew it would be too dangerous to invade Iraq and that American casualties would be high. But that was before he was in a position to reap huge profits from such an attack.
Please note, this Administration does not want to have a plan to withdraw from Iraq. If forced by the Democrats to pull out, they would prefer that it proceed very badly. Lives are of no importance to them, the more that are lost, the more chaotic the withdrawal becomes, the more valid their position becomes: that pulling out of Iraq is worse than staying in Iraq.
If Republicans can’t keep this War for Profit going on indefinitely, then many of them want a bloody, horrific end to it, and they will stop at nothing to try to pawn this catastrophe onto Democrats. It’s their only hope of survival.
Editor Jacob Weisberg recently likened Presidential candidate Barack Obama to a serial killer. What the...?
Hey, anyone can make up stories - so I guess he's taking a shot at it. Perhaps Jacob has always had a fondnest for sticking it to people.
Profilers digging into Jacob Weisberg's early days found signs of future immorality everywhere. A source recently claimed, ''There was always a joke between us that he would be the first to accuse a Presidential candidate of resembling a serial killer."
So, if child molesters and Jacob Weisberg are immoral then isn't Jacob just like a child molester? Oh and Jacob, can I call myself a reporter now, too?
You were responsible for the outing of undercover, covert CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson, yet you still maintain a government security clearance. Are there other CIA agents you consider "fair game"?
