The next attack on the Social Security Trust fund is far more likely than the last one to succeed.  Read more 

Yeah, I know we “knew” these things oh, three years ago or so. But this is why it makes a difference to have Democratic chairs of committees and hearings out in the bright light of day. Because then you know things from the Congressional Record and hear about them from the AP, not dirty fucking hippie bloggers. This piece from the Raleigh NC N&O/AP could be better with some copy editing, so I have taken the liberty of rearranging some paragraphs. The material is otherwise unchanged:

WASHINGTON — After numerous denials, the Pentagon has confirmed that a North Carolina company provided armed security guards in Iraq under a subcontract that was buried so deeply the government couldn’t find it.
The secretary of the Army on Tuesday wrote two Democratic lawmakers that the Blackwater USA contract was part of a huge military support operation by run by Halliburton subsidiary KBR.

Vice President Dick Cheney ran Halliburton before he became vice president.

Would we have seen that sentence, that high up in the story, without a Democratic Congress? Kinda answers itself, don’t ya think? But to continue:  Read more 

Sigh. We tried to warn you, and no one listened. How many vases can there be? Well, Don, at least enough to buy a few bombs to kill American soldiers, it seems:

(Reuters) - Criminal gangs in Iraq and the Middle East are selling forged art works on auction Web site eBay and in antique markets in Britain to help fund terrorism, British police said on Wednesday.

The extent of the scam was not clear but the items, purportedly Iraqi or heirlooms from the region, could each sell for up to a couple of thousand pounds (dollars), according to London police’s Arts and Antiques Unit.

“Archaeological stuff is being exported by the ton-load from Middle Eastern countries and (the money) is going back into the Middle East area and some will inevitably end up in the hands of terrorists,” Detective Constable Ian Lawson told reporters.

“We know for a fact there is a terrorism link.”  Read more