A progressive political blog that highlights the infringement of religion upon today’s government.

Most of you may have already seen this but once again The Onion has hit the nail on the head. While us liberals go on and on about womens’ reproductive rights, gay marriage, gun control, the Iraq War, and other important issues the rest of America spends their time on Bullshit. Whether it is Obama’s lapel pin, Hillary’s cleavage, Edwards’ haircut, Blackwater’s friendly new logo, or Al Gore’s weight the conservatives can find no shortage of Bullshit to fill our airwaves.

Poll: Bullshit Is Most Important Issue For 2008 Voters

Ol’ Donald is on the lam today after hastily leaving France on Saturday to avoid being arrested on charges that he ordered and authorized torture of detainees at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay.

International law states that authorities are required to open an investigation when a criminal complaint is filed while the suspect is on French soil. Several human rights groups filed a criminal complaint and the US Embassy rushed Rumsfeld away, possibly across the border to Germany where a case against him was dismissed.

Interestingly, French officials are allowed to chase a fugitive across EU’s open borders so it is a possibility that he did not run far enough. US officials are not disclosing his whereabouts for “security reasons”.

If the United States government has no interest in enforcing the law we should be thankful that others do. Rumsfeld was a key player in so much of the illegal activity that led up to the war in Iraq and during the war. He certainly should be held accountable for what he has done.

Of course, the probability of anything actually happening to him is slim but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

*It is important to note that the French government has not confirmed this report.

As you all know California has recently been struck a terrible blow by raging wildfires which destroyed some 1800 homes. If you have been following the news you undoubtedly know that the political maneuvering started almost as fast as the fires themselves, and spread even faster. Coming from a proud tradition of firefighters I know that the worst thing you can do is politicize what is truly a human tragedy. In these circumstances it is best to simply pull together and help in any way you can, regardless of the politics involved.

Your Part:
We are calling on all our readers to donate or volunteer for the charity of your choice to help out the relief efforts in California. There is a list below with several great organizations that have already done so much. Even a small donation will help out. If you know of any we missed please put them in a comment and we will add them.

Our Part:
As our way of putting our money where our mouth is we will donate all profits from all of October to the Charity of Your Choice. Any charity that is working to help in California is eligible so write in your vote in the comments below. Every penny earned over expenses by this website for October will be donated so make sure you get your vote in by 5:00 on Friday November 2nd as we will be making the donation sometime Friday night.

Charities & Volunteer Opportunities:

Important notice: In the wake of any natural disaster there are those who would take advantage of the natural outpouring of support. Sadly this time is no different, so please wherever you decide to lend your support be careful of fraudulent charities.

1. Habitat for Humanity: - A great group that works to eliminate homelessness and their services are likely to be very valuable as thousands of low income families have lost their homes.
2. Second Harvest: - Extraordinary group that works year round to help more than 25 million low income Americans get the food they need. Find out how to help here.
3. The Salvation Army: - There are many ways to donate to the Salvation Army and right now there will be shortages of everything.
4. California Volunteers: - If you live in the area and are looking for ways to volunteer there is no shortage of need. This group is a great start to get you hooked up with the people who can use your help. You can also make a donation by calling 1-800-750-2858.
5. Tzu Chi Foundation: - A Buddhist group which was founded by Dharma Master Cheng Yen in 1966 because she felt that “lack of love for others” has been the root of many problems in this world. “To save the world, we must begin by transforming human hearts.”
6. San Diego Humane Society and SPCA: - And lastly lets not forget about the animals who need our help as well. The San Diego Humane Society can really use all the help they can get right now. Keep an eye on this page for updates on everything they are doing to help animals affected by the fires.
7. The American Red Cross: - Using the online donation form you can choose the California Wildfires or any other area for your donation. I understand that many have problems with their operations but they are one of the big guys so they needed including. I would highly suggest that you earmark the donation to the California Wildfires if you are concerned with that money being used to support local churches.

There are of course hundreds and hundreds more but we wanted to cover some of the biggest as well as a couple of our favorites. There is a much longer list here, as well as more detailed commentary on the groups policies and practices. If you see any there you feel deserve mention here please list them in the comments.

~ William ~

P.S. Remember we are pledging all profits from October through this Friday to the charity of your choice so don’t forget to vote in the comments section below.

IRIN reported that the estimated 220 children between the ages of 13-17 being held in Iraqi prisons are the victims of routine torture and abuse during interrogations. The issue came to light when the parents of 5 boys who had been released sought assistance for their children who were suffering from the effects of the trauma. Khalid Rabia’a a spokesman for the NGO Prisoners’ Association for Justice stated;

what we found out was shocking..The five children showed signs of torture all over their bodies

The boys had obvious physical signs of torture including cigarette burns on their bodies, and one child who could no longer speak due to the shock sessions he has received. The The PAJ is where the families turned to for help and they immediately called on an intervention by the Iraqi government to stop the abuse immediately.

The Minister of the Interior denied that there was any torture or abuse of children and stated that all children being held were released within 48 hours. A senior official with the Ministry of the Interior, Lt. Col. Ali Khalid Hussein, stated;

Iraq respects human rights conduct for children and adults and our prisons aren’t used for torture. Earlier scandals were reported and those responsible were punished. The accusations are wrong and they cannot prove it

Another senior official in the same ministry told IRIN that there are at least 20 children being held in each of Iraq’s prisons and they are all the victims of torture and abuse. This official spoke on condition of anonymity and provides the PAJ with daily updates.

The PAJ has several informants inside the Iraqi prisons, however; for fear of their safety they will not speak without anonymity therefore cases cannot successfully be tried in court.

IRIN requested to visit the prisons where the abuse is alleged and that request was turned down.

I have looked for any sign of this story in the MSM and haven’t found anything. This is certainly the type of story that not only needs to be covered but which something needs to be done about. There is no reason for children to ever be tortured and it violates international laws to do so. Iraq’s Vice President, Tarek al-Hashimy is joining a campaign beginning in Baghdad to put a stop to this behavior. I feel that the US needs to join with him and make sure that we are not supporting a military that tortures children.

We certainly have influence with the Iraqi military, in fact we train them. Let’s hope that this is not protocol that they have learned from US torturers.

This post originally named: Those Damn Bomb Hugging Conservatives are Ruining my Fiscal Responsibility!

Fiscal responsibility is once again the rallying cry for conservatives as another election cycle heats up. This is nothing new as every four years we are treated with the same ol’ rhetoric and then after elections it is business as usual. What never fails to amaze me is that the so called fiscal conservatives are so gullible they will latch on to anyone who says what they want to hear. It doesn’t take a genius to see the same trends playing out during this election cycle.

Bush and his conservative toadies are ratcheting up the rhetoric as they step up attacks on Senator Clinton for her support of a $1 million dollar earmark to support what they are calling the “hippie museum“. In making these baseless attacks the conservatives and their cronies are proving their hypocrisy as they ignore a much larger, and ethically suspect, earmark by Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky). You see, according to this story from Seeing the Forest, Senator McConnell is supporting a $25 million earmark for a British defense contractor who is under investigation for “longstanding, widespread pattern of bribery allegations.”

So if your a “fiscal conservative” $25 million for a foreign company under criminal investigation is better than $1 million for a museum? Makes sense to me. Never mind that the museum will not only educate but will also help to revitalize an area that has fallen on hard times with the drop in tourism while the other is just another example of Republican corruption and hypocrisy. Maybe one of the conservatives who read this blog can explain how Clinton can be attacked while McConnell gets a free ride?