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02/02/05--10:16: Plame/PropaGannon: Grand Jury Timeline (chan 1608171)

I too have been closely following the Plame/PropaGannon diaries and thought I might contribute something tangential by outlining the status of the grand jury investigation into the Plame leak.

The grand jury investigation began over a year ago (January 22, 2004) and all the big guns have been called in for interviews or testimony. But so far there's no indication that our boy "Jeff" has appeared before the grand jury.

"Among those who are known to have been interviewed by the FBI or testified before the grand jury are Bush White House national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, political adviser Karl Rove, Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff Lewis I. Libby, Republican National Committee consultant Mary Matalin, former Cheney press aide Catherine Martin, White House press secretary Scott McClellan, communications director Dan Bartlett, deputy press secretary Claire Buchan, and former assistant press secretary Adam Levine. Bush and Cheney also have been interviewed, as has Secretary of State Colin L. Powell."

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A13258-2004Nov25





02/14/06--16:04: Bush Love Story - the screenplay (chan 1608171)

In honor of Valentine's Day I present to you...

Bush: Love Story

Scene 1 - Oval Office

[Cue music] -  Where do I begin to tell the story of how great a love can be...

Man:  Be still my thuddering [sic] heart! Your beauty is rapturvating [sic]. Heh heh. Heh heh.
Woman:  At last we are together! [batting eyelashes]





Man and woman draw closer together gazing deeply into each other's eyes for their First.Passionate.Kiss.
[music rising to a crescendo]



More hot romance on the flip...



02/17/06--09:33: Kos Kicks Ass w/photos (chan 1608171)

Last week kos posted a casting call for a commercial for his book, Crashing the Gate.


The concept -- there will be a donkey laying on the ground. There will be a long line of people tugging at the donkey with a rope, trying to get it to move. The donkey won't budge. Some dude (they're threatening to make me do it) will walk down the line up to the donkey, give the animal a look, and then give it a swift kick in the ass to get it moving. (And no, the donkey won't really be kicked.)

Details and pics after the jump.



10/02/06--18:02: SF ACTION: Get Your Rant On! (chan 1608171)

On Thursday October 5th, World Can't Wait has organized protest events in cities across the country.   If you want to participate, check the link for a city near you.  I know people are suspicious of the WCW organization (they don't like Dems for one thing) but that doesn't mean we can't piggyback on their parade.  Our end goal is essentially the same:  DRIVE OUT THE BUSH REGIME!  

My action plan on the flip -->


10/31/06--08:28: Boo! Pombo-Ghoul and Canvassing CA-11 (w/ photos) (chan 1608171)



Bwahahaha...

Last weekend I drove over the hills from Oakland to Dublin, CA. It's a mere 25 miles but I discovered a world apart from my über-liberal San Francisco environs.  

Better know a district on the flip:



01/07/07--15:16: House Oversight & Govt Reform: week in review (chan 1608171)

110th Congress - Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Welcome to the new session!  Congressman Henry Waxman (CA-30) has been officially elected Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.  


One of his first steps was actually changing the committee's name from "Government Reform Committee" to "Oversight and Government Reform Committee" (emphasis on Oversight mine).  

Make the jump to see what else happened in the early days of this session.  




01/15/07--17:50: House Oversight & Govt Reform: week in review (chan 1608171)

Week of 01/08/07

This is the second installment in a series highlighting the activities of the  House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Here I will summarize any news, reports, Investigations, hearings or legislation that pertains to the committee.  When possible, I will also point out any action schedluded for the week ahead (floor votes, hearings, etc.).    

Last week: 01/01/07




01/21/07--13:58: House Oversight & Govt Reform: week in review (CCP) (chan 1608171)

Week of 01/15/07

This is the weekly installment of a series highlighting the events and activities of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Look below the fold for Announcements, Reports, Investigations, Hearings or Legislation that pertains to the Committee.  

Last week: 01/08/07




01/29/07--08:40: House Oversight & Govt Reform: week in review (CCP) (chan 1608171)

This is the weekly installment of a series highlighting the events and activities of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Week Ahead Alert: HEARING
Tuesday, January 30, 2007, 10:00am, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building

Allegations of Political Interference with the Work of Government Climate Change Scientists.  

More info about the hearing and other news below the fold.

Last week: 01/15/07

UPDATE: added witness list for the Hearing




02/05/07--21:35: House Oversight & Govt Reform: week in review (CCP) (chan 1608171)

This is the weekly installment of a series highlighting the events and activities of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.



Week Ahead Alert: Hearings on Waste, Fraud, and Abuse




• Tuesday, February 6: The Impact of CPA Decision-Making on Iraq Reconstruction


• Wednesday, February 7: Iraqi Reconstruction:  Reliance on Private Military Contractors


• Thursday, February 8: Management of Large Homeland Security Contracts:  Deepwater and SBInet


• Friday, February 9: Allegations of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Pharmaceutical Pricing:  Financial Impacts on Federal Health Programs and the Federal Taxpayer



All hearings scheduled to begin at 10:00 am, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building

Previous week: 01/22/07




02/12/07--19:28: House Oversight and Govt Reform: week in review (CCP) (chan 1608171)

This is the weekly installment of a series highlighting the events and activities of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Week Ahead: Hearings Tuesday, February 13: Full Committee hearing on the Executive Branch Reform Act of 2007 and the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2007 10:00 am, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building Wednesday, February 14: Full Committee business meeting on the Executive Branch Reform Act of 2007 and the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2007 10:00 am, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building Thursday, February 15: Full Committee hearing on Iraq Reconstruction: An Overview 10:00 am, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building Thursday, February 15: Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives hearing on The State of FOIA: Assessing Agency Efforts to Meet FOIA Requirements 2:00 pm, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building




02/22/07--17:13: House Oversight & Govt Reform: Going Postal (CCP) (chan 1608171)

This is the weekly installment of a series highlighting the events and activities of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Make the jump for a special "going postal" edition.




02/27/07--18:17: House Oversight and Govt Reform: Week in Review (CCP) (chan 1608171)

This is the weekly review of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.   There wasn't much happening last week because it was 'President's Day District Work Period'.  No hearings were held and no new legislation introduced.  However, there were a few requests to open new investigations and gather information from government agencies.  

Make the jump to read more about these requests, see the schedule of upcoming hearings, and get a sneak preview of the Oversight Plan for the 110th Congress.




03/04/07--19:06: House Oversight & Govt Reform: Oscar Edition (CCP) (chan 1608171)

This is the weekly review of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.   The big news for the upcoming week is the Walter Reed hearing tomorrow morning.  Watch it live on C-SPAN starting at 10:00 AM Eastern.  I'll start a Liveblog unless someone else beats me to it.

Make the jump for more about the Hearing and a special tribute to the once and future President:  Al Gore!




03/12/07--17:16: House Oversight & Govt Reform:  Walter Reed & Review (CCP) (chan 1608171)

This is the weekly review of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.   The big news last week was the Walter Reed hearing: "Is this Any Way to Treat our Troops? The Care and Conditions of Wounded Soldiers at Walter Reed".  

Bigger news for the coming week - Valerie Plame and possibly Patrick Fitzgerald will testify about the disclosure of CIA agent Plame's identity by White House officials.   This will probably be one of the highest rated C-SPAN broadcasts ever.  If you can't get on their stream, I'm sure the Committee website will also have a Webcast.    

Wowza!  Waxman is on a roll...more details below.  




03/18/07--18:33: House Oversight & Govt Reform: Heroes and Goats (CCP) (chan 1608171)

This is the weekly review of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.    Anybody getting tired of hearing about Valerie Plame yet? Well, there's a little more going on than that, so even if you are, come on down!




03/26/07--11:31: Oversight & Govt Reform: Global Warming Part II (CCP) (chan 1608171)

This is the weekly review of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.  Last week the Committee continued its high-powered hearings into Global Warming and is dogging the Bush Administration at every turn.  Check it out...




04/15/07--18:09: House Oversight & Govt Reform: Spring Break (chan 1608171)

This is the weekly review of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.  While the House was on break for the past two weeks (me too!), the Committee was still conducting business.   Keeping an eye on the Bush Administration is hard work!  No rest for the Waxman...





Source: Flickr creative commons




04/22/07--19:41: House Oversight & Govt Reform: misleading information (chan 1608171)

This is the weekly review of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.  

Highlight this week, 4/24: Hearing on "Misleading Information from the Battlefield"  

The hearing will focus on the death of Army Ranger Specialist Patrick Tillman in Afghanistan and the capture and rescue of Army Private Jessica Lynch in Iraq. The Committee will examine why inaccurate accounts of these two incidents were disseminated, the sources and motivations for the accounts, and whether the appropriate Administration officials have been held accountable.

Photos from Wikimedia Commons




04/24/07--06:59: LiveBlog 1: Tillman & Lynch Hearing (chan 1608171)

UPDATE: Unrecommend this diary and Go To Part 2

Misleading Information from the Battlefield

Hearing on Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch

WEBCAST:
Oversight Committee Website

C-SPAN 3




04/30/07--18:28: House Oversight & Govt Reform:  week in review (chan 1608171)

This is the weekly review of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.   Last week's highlights included a hearing about the misinformation lies and propaganda the military used to portray Pat Tillman's friendly fire death and Jessica Lynch's capture and rescue from a hospital in Iraq.  The other big story was the issuing of subpoenas to Condoleezza Rice and to the Republican National Committee for emails related to the US Attorney scandal and other White House shenanigans.

All that and more below...




05/23/07--13:34: Live Blog 11: Goodling - House Judiciary Committee (chan 1608171)

Do NOT Recommend this Diary.  Recommend the Master: Monica Goodling vs. House Judiciary Committee Liveblog

Coverage on:
C-SPAN 3

House Judiciary Webcast




06/23/07--21:12: lolcats vs. lolpresidents (w/plol) ...........Dialup SOLOL (chan 1608171)

OH HAI!  Welcome to Caturday Night Fights.

Tonight's matchup:   lolcats vs. lolpresidents



Ladies and gentlemen... LLLLLET'S GET READY TO LLLLLLOOOOOOLLLL!




10/10/07--18:42: Cognitive Liberty (chan 1608171)

crossposted at Docudharma

Of all the freedoms you have to lose, none is more fundamental than the freedom of thought. 







10/27/07--14:32: Book Review: Sutras of Abu Ghraib (chan 1608171)

The Sutras of Abu Ghraib: Notes from a Conscientious Objector in Iraq Special Note:  Aidan Delgado will be online at Docudharma to talk about the book and his experiences in Iraq. Please join in the conversation - Sunday, October 28th at 9 PM Eastern / 6 PM Pacific




It takes courage to become a soldier and go to war.  It takes more courage to stand up for your principles and do the right thing.  This book is more than just a war story. As Delgado puts it: 

This book is not about who I am and what happened to me, even though you will read about who I am and what happened to me.  It is a story about a struggle that we all face, a story about deciding what you believe is right and upholding that belief to the bitter end, come what may.

Crossposted at Docudharma.




08/12/08--23:24: Glacier Natl Park Photo Essay: Animals (chan 1608171)

Cross-posted at Docudharma.

Glacier National Park, The Crown of the Continent, was established in 1910.  Located in northwest Montana, it adjoins Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada.  The eastern side of the park borders the Blackfeet Nation.  The Blackfeet named the region Backbone of the World.  They sold the land to the US govt. in 1896 for mining purposes but they retained the rights to gather plant foods and medicines and to fish & hunt the animals.  Fortunately, no gold or silver were found so the ecosystem remained fairly pristine over time.  It is still sacred Indian land.


Mountain Goats on Hidden Lake Trail    

Photos were taken with a Canon PowerShot S80 (point & shoot) and have been edited and Photoshopped to adjust the light, sharpness, and color quality.  Click images for a larger version.

 




08/20/08--21:47: Glacier Natl Park Photo Essay II: Water (chan 1608171)

Crossposted at Docudharma.  

Part I:  Animals


St. Mary Lake

Mountains are the "water towers of the world". More than half of the world's fresh water comes from mountain runoff and a large percentage of that runoff is glacial meltwater. The mountain headwaters of Glacier National Park (GNP) drain into the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean, and Hudson Bay watersheds so it is an important source of fresh water for the  North American continent.    




09/08/09--17:15: SF-Oakland Bay Bridge: Unprecedented Construction Feat (chan 1608171)

(cross-posted from Docudharma)

Over Labor Day weekend the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (Bay Bridge, for short) was closed for a seismic retrofit project featuring an unprecedented construction feat. A football field length, double-deck section,  weighing 3,200 tons was excised and a new section slid into place to form an S-shaped detour.  The huge pieces moved verrrrry slowly on specially built rails. A distance of 100 feet took several hours not including delays when the rails needed to be adjusted.  All of this took place 150 feet above ground.  

Here is a picture from a few weeks ago, in preparation for the detour.  The scene is looking west where the East Span of the bridge meets Yerba Buena Island.  The detour is on the left and the old bridge on the right. The connecting piece that was installed this weekend is shown below.


^{from baybridgeinfo.org}