Wanted by the FBI: Diane Rehm and Barbara Slavin

Osama bin Laden (above) is sought by the FBI. Two more should be wanted.










Diane Rehm and Barbara Slavin are wanted for aiding and abetting Osama bin Laden in hiding from the US authorities.

What are we talking about? Friday on Diane's show, Barbara Slavin yet again insisted she knew where bin Laden was and Diane let her again blather on with that claim.



Saturday, the world heard US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates had explained to ABC News (This Week) that the US had no intelligence on where bin Laden was. Gates believes they haven't had any information in "years."



But Barbara Slavin and Diane Rehm know where he is so the question is how do they know where he is? They must be aiding bin Laden! Someone grab the handcuffs!



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Slavin and Rehm do not know where bin Laden is. But they wasted everyone's time on Friday with their nutty conspiracy talk while avoiding the issue of Iraq.

Liar Supreme: Greg Mitchell

We've discovered a new guilty pleasure, call it the Anna Nicole Smith of journalism: Greg Mitchell. His site is to reporting what Anna Nicole Smith was to healthy living. Best of all, if the future of news isn't, in fact, biased pontificating, Mitchell will find himself out in the cold. We've noticed Mitchell before and, back then, we figured he was left (we're left) but we saw him as someone who attempted to be fair. The whole country's gone crazy in the last years, in case you didn't notice, and Greg's gone crazy with it. He writes like a nut job these days and remember that when you visit his site.





He's never got the facts. Which is how he writes about the traumas of a combat veteran who may have killed some people in the US -- even though it appears the service member is not, in fact, a combat veteran. If you're a professional reporter -- and Greg's the editor of Editor & Publisher, you're supposed to nail down those facts before you type your first word. It's how he posts a video he recommends -- even though, as Rebecca pointed out earlier this week, it can't pass the most basic of fact checks.





Like many a crazed zealot, he thinks it's okay to lie about people he disagrees with. That's how he comes to display this ad:











and to write this to go with it: "The Moonie paper, already beset by firings and departure of top editor -- see NYT piece today -- chose to run this ad related to Obama's birth--in Africa."





Can you read? If so, you're already ahead of Greggie. Can you tell the truth? Look at the ad and tell us where it says Barack Obama was born in Africa?





It doesn't say that.





It never says that.





Greg Mitchell's a f**king idiot whose desire to disgrace himself is now starting to rub off on journalism. The ad is by a group which asserts that due to a number of factors (including Barack Obama Senior being a citizen of Kenya which was under British rule) that Barack's birth in the US didn't make him "a natural born citizen." They are asserting that he holds dual citizenship and that he is not qualified by Constitutional interpretations to be president.





You can maintain that they're right or that they're wrong. But you can't assert that the ad proclaims Barack Obama Jr. was born in Africa when it argues no such thing.





Greg Mitchell's supposed to be professional journalist.





He can't even post an ad to his blog and write a single sentence without making a glaring error -- an error so glaring that he's either a complete idiot or he's a liar.





For the record, political speech is protected and if The Washington Times had taken an ad by someone claiming Barack was born on the Moon, we wouldn't have a problem with it. But the fact of the matter is Greg Mitchell is attacking a paper for taking a political ad and to make sure he 'wins' the argument, he has to lie about what the advertisement says. He's a real piece of work. We picture him wondering through the house whining, "My Smurf's itching."





In the meantime laugh that the man, who could so easily lie last week, once said, "But I think the tone of all our coverage on Iraq -- in fact, all our coverage on all subjects -- is not to be partisan or not to be left or right or anything like that. But we believe in the -- what should be the main principle of journalism, besides being accurate and fair, is to be skeptical -- To raise questions, to not take what officials say as the gospel truth -- unless it’s really proven -- if there's documents."

Civil Rights Era Cold Cases

There are a number of cases from the Civil Rights Era that the FBI is still investigating. They need next of kin information to provide updates to the families. We were asked if we'd mind noting this and we're happy to note it.

CIVIL RIGHTS-ERA COLD CASE INITIATIVE: SEEKING VICTIMS' NEXT OF KIN

DESCRIPTION As part of the Civil Rights-Era Cold Case Initiative, the FBI is currently re-assessing more than 100 unsolved or inadequately solved racially motivated homicides from the civil rights era. The FBI intends to notify the victims' families of the results of the investigation. Unfortunately, however, due to the passage of time and the migration of many families, the FBI has been unable to identify the next of kin in 33 cases. The names and circumstances of these victims are listed below in hopes that the public may be able to provide information that can assist the FBI in locating surviving family members. Atlanta Division: A.C. Hall: A.C. Hall was shot and killed on October 11, 1962, in Macon, Georgia, after being identified by a Caucasian woman as the man who stole a pistol from her car. The woman observed a person breaking into her car and the police responded. The officers drove her and her husband through the neighborhood to find the perpetrator. The couple identified Hall as the person who may be responsible and after a foot chase he was shot and killed by the officers. Arthur James Hill: Arthur James Hill was allegedly shot and killed on August 20, 1965, by an individual during an altercation with a group of Caucasian men in Villa Rica, Georgia. One of the men who shot Hill stated that Hill was pulling out a shotgun when Hill was shot. Ernest Hunter: Ernest Hunter was arrested in Savannah, Georgia, on September 13, 1958. Later that day, he was shot and killed by a police officer following an alleged struggle inside the holding cell at the police station. Hunter was arrested after he interfered with the officer's attempts to give Hunter's wife a traffic citation. Maybelle Mahone: On December 5, 1956, a Caucasian male shot and killed Maybelle Mahone in her home in Molena, Georgia. Clarence Horatious Pickett: Clarence Horatious Pickett was beaten by a police officer on December 21, 1957, in Columbus, Georgia, while Pickett was in jail. Pickett died as a result of his injuries on December 23, 1957. Birmingham Division: Nathan Johnson: On May 8, 1966, two police officers in Alabaster, Alabama, stopped Nathan Johnson for driving under the influence of alcohol. Johnson was transported to the station where he allegedly struggled with one of the officers and was shot and killed. William Lewis Moore: On April 23, 1963, William Moore was shot and killed by an individual near Attalla, Alabama. Moore, a postal worker from Baltimore, Maryland, and a former Marine had begun a solo march from Chattanooga, Tennessee, en route to Jackson, Mississippi, to deliver a letter to the governor urging the integration of the University of Mississippi. Johnny Robinson: Johnny Robinson was a 16-year-old African-American who was shot and killed by a police officer in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963, during the aftermath of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Columbia Division: James Waymers: On July 10, 1965, James Waymers was killed in Allendale, South Carolina, after an argument with an individual regarding Waymers' efforts to string electrical wires into the home of an African American. Dallas Division: John Earl Reese: On October 22, 1955, John Earl Reese, a 16-year-old African-American male was shot and killed by two men who fired several rounds into a predominantly African-American café in Gregg County, Texas. Two other African-American females were shot, but survived the attack. Jacksonville Division: Joseph Hill Dumas: On May 5, 1962, Joseph Dumas was killed in Perry, Florida, by a law enforcement officer who may have shot him accidentally during a traffic stop. Dumas and his family were detained during the stop in Taylor County, Florida. Jackson Division: Eli Brumfield: Eli Brumfield was stopped for speeding in McComb, Mississippi, on October 13, 1961. When Brumfield allegedly jumped from his car with knife, he was shot and killed by the police officer. Silas Ernest Caston: Silas Ernest Caston was shot and killed by a law enforcement officer in Hinds County, Mississippi, on March 1, 1964. Jimmie Lee Griffin: Jimmie Lee Griffin's body was discovered on a local highway near Sturgis, Mississippi, on September 24, 1965. Ernest Jells: Ernest Jells was shot to death on October 20, 1963, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, by a police officer after Jells allegedly pointed a rifle at officers who were attempting to arrest him for stealing a banana from a local grocery store. William Henry Lee, aka, John Patrick Lee: Lee's body was discovered near railroad tracks in Rankin County, Mississippi, on February 25, 1965. Lee may have walked away from his disabled vehicle to seek assistance. George Love: George Love was shot and killed near Ruleville, Mississippi, on January 8, 1958, by police officers after Love allegedly shot and seriously wounded a Ruleville night marshal who sought to question Love about a robbery. Neimiah Montgomery: Neimiah Montgomery stopped at a gas station on August 10, 1964, in Cleveland, Mississippi, and asked the attendant to put gas in his car. Montgomery allegedly refused to pay for the gas and attacked the attendant. A police officer shot and killed Montgomery when he arrived on the scene. Jessie James Shelby: Jessie Shelby was shot and killed by a police officer in Yazoo City, Mississippi, on January 21, 1956. Ollie Shelby: Ollie Shelby was shot and killed on January 22, 1965, while he was incarcerated in the Hinds County Jail in Mississippi. Ed Smith: Ed Smith was allegedly shot and killed on April 27, 1958, in State Line, Mississippi. Isaiah Taylor: Isaiah Taylor was shot and killed on June 26, 1964 in Ruleville, Mississippi, by a police officer following a traffic stop. Mobile Division: Hiliard Brooks: On August 13, 1952, Hiliard Brooks was shot and killed by a police officer over a dispute regarding whether or not Brooks paid his bus fare. Rogers Hamilton: On October 22, 1957, one or two men came to Rogers Hamilton's home in Lowndes County, Alabama, and took him out of his house. Hamilton got into the truck with the men. His mother found Hamilton's body in the road. He had been shot and killed. Bessie McDowell: Two men went to Bessie McDowell's home in Andalusia, Alabama, in 1956 to collect a debt from an individual who resided with McDowell. When the individual fled, the men shot into the house and accidentally struck McDowell killing her. James Earl Motley: On November 20, 1966, James Motley was detained by a police officer in Elmore County, Alabama, during a traffic stop. After an alleged altercation with responding officers, he was transported to the police station. He was later found dead in the holding cell. Archie Wooden: Archie Wooden was sixteen years old when he allegedly cut his leg on the branch of a tree and bled to death in 1967 in Camden, Alabama. New Orleans Division: Izell Henry: Two individuals claimed that they found Izell Henry in a roadside ditch about a mile from his home in Greensburg, Louisiana, on July 28, 1954. They transported him to Lallie Kemp Hospital where he was pronounced dead. David Pitts, Albert Pitts, Marshall Johns, Ernest McPharland: On July 23, 1960, an individual shot and killed four of his employees in Monroe, Louisiana. New York Division: Jimmy Powell: On July 16, 1964, Jimmy Powell was fifteen years old when he was shot and killed by a police officer in New York City for allegedly charging at the officer with a knife. San Antonio Division: Preston Bolden: On May 8, 1953, Preston Bolden was found dead in the vicinity of 419 Nolan, in the proximity of the 600 block of North Walnut Street in San Antonio, Texas, near a railroad track. Bolden's neck was broken. Ann Thomas: Ann Thomas' partially-clothed body was found on April 8, 1969, near the intersection of Rotary Street and Hamil in San Antonio, Texas. She had been sexually assaulted and shot four times in the head. Ladislado Ureste: Ladislado Ureste was found on April 22, 1953, by a police officer near Concepcion Park in San Antonio, Texas. He was taken to a local hospital where he died. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION CONCERNING NEXT OF KIN FOR ANY OF THESE VICTIMS, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL FBI OFFICE OR THE NEAREST AMERICAN EMBASSY OR CONSULATE.

ROBERT S. MUELLER, III DIRECTOR FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535 TELEPHONE: (202) 324-3000

Highlights

This piece is written by Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude, Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix, Kat of Kat's Korner, Betty of Thomas Friedman is a Great Man, Mike of Mikey Likes It!, Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz, Ruth of Ruth's Report, Marcia of SICKOFITRADLZ, Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends, Ann of Ann's Mega Dub. and Wally of The Daily Jot. Unless otherwise noted, we picked all highlights.



Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Rolling In It" -- Hey, Barry O, it's only tax payer money, keep burning through it!



"Michelle and Barry wasting our money" -- A point Ann addresses here.



"Kat's Korner: Joni Mitchell's unearthed treasure" -- Kat reviews the live album released by Greenpeace which contains performances by Joni Mitchell, Phil Ochs and bald boy toy James Taylor.



Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "I Am The War Hawk You Have Been Waiting For" -- Isaiah did not one but two comics last week. They were both wonderful and truthful.





"I Hate The War" -- Most requested highlight by readers of this site. C.I. goes over the basics for those late to the party.





"Caprice" and "Flamingo Road" -- Ann and Stan do Friday movie blog posts -- one's reviewing a Doris Day film, the other's reviewing a Joan Crawford one.







"Desiree Needs To Go Rogers" and "Desiree Rogers, get your fanny to Congress" -- Marcia covers the hideous Desiree Rogers.





"Warm Hearts in the Kitchen" -- Trina offers some easy oven fixes that will also keep the kitchen warm in a cold winter.





"barbara ehrenreich’s a damn liar" -- amen, Rebecca, amen.



"Al Gore disappoints again" -- Why does Al Gore adivse others to stand strong when he's so unable to on his owN?



"Carly Simon and my thoughts on the Grammys" & "Grammys" -- Kat and Mike weigh in on the Grammy nominations.





"He's got that old man smell (and nothing else)" & "THIS JUST IN! HE'S DEMENTED!" -- Cedric and Wally take on Greg Mitchell.





"Bob Somerby & the Corn Princess" -- Community member Melanie e-mailed asking for this post by Betty to be highlighted. She wrote, "I love Barbie posts. It always makes me remember my own childhood." For the record, Betty's daughter got the ten Barbies she was promised yesterday.



"Iraq snapshot" and "Depressing time in the House and Senate" and "Iraq snapshot" -- Congressional reporting from C.I. and Kat.



"Brokedown Democracy" -- Isaiah digs into the archives to highlight this take on Bush and Cheney.



"barack makes me sick to my stomach" and "My daughter calls it" and "Barack's awful speech" -- Rebecca, Betty and Mike on Barry O's speech.



"The Curious Mister Erik Prince" -- Elaine on the Blackwater revelations.



"Another blow to equality" -- Ruth covers this blow to marriage equality.



"Counter-insurgency" -- Trina on the counter-insurgency criminals.



"No surprise, Barack doesn't listen to the people" -- Stan breaks it down.





"Look who's attacking medicare!" and "THIS JUST IN! LET THE RATIONING BEGIN!" -- Cedric and Wally on the latest disgusting move by people who better not whine to us when they're out of power.

Truest statement of the week

Principles that were proclaimed so loudly while Bush was president get shoved aside and buried now that a Democrat is president and how do you get your principles back from the dung-pile of selling out?



-- Cindy Sheehan, "You Get What you Vote For!" (Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox).

Truest statement of the week II

I find it interesting that Hayden, who has recommended unqualified support for Obama for some time, fails to note that our primary moral constraint should be ending the slaughter and torture of our victims, whom he doesn't even mention. Like most DP/RP elites, Hayden is apparently concerned only with the costs to US.
Our response to Obama should be exactly what it would have been to McCain: a demand for defunding of the wars/occupations (not just the escalation) and for impeachment of all war criminals, chiel among them the Dear Leader. (We don't need an "exit strategy" any more than we would require one from a foreign power that had invaded us.
Furthermore, we should be demanding the deconstruction of our 1000+ foreign military bases and the return to home (not for reassignment elsewhere) of all personnel.



-- Harry Kershner, "Exit strategy? LEAVE NOW!" (ZMag), Kershner leaves that truest as a comment to Tom Hayden's bad, bad article. Hayden's whored himself out for Barry O and if you doubt it, guess what trash drags itself out of the dumpster to defend Pockmarks On His Soul Tommy from Kershner? Yep, Carl Davidson (please no more e-mails Carl unless you want to make us laugh at you some more).

A note to our readers

Hey --
A long, long edition. But we're done. At last.

First let's talk who helped with this edition:

The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Jess, and Ava,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Trina of Trina's Kitchen,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.

Thanks to all who helped. We missed Dona and Ty (who more than earned time off).

Truest statement of the week -- Cindy was a clear shot. But there weren't a lot of nominees this week due to so many taking the week off due to the holidays -- and due to so few truth tellers.

Truest statement of the week II -- On the plus, it allowed us to highlight this very true remark.


Editorial: Barack The Never Ending Liar -- Exactly what does the left plan to do? This left has been calling out the lies. Others can't make the same claim. They should be ashamed of themselves.

TV: What's the return policy? -- Ava and C.I. did two TV commentaries this week. This was actually edited down (by them) and was much longer. (The extended version runs in Tuesday's Hilda's Mix.)

TV: Good As He's Been To You -- I (Jim) do the headlines for pretty much all the pieces. This is another Ava and C.I. article and when I wrote the headline, I thought it was a McCartney song. It's a Dylan song. They thought I meant to do that. I should kept my big mouth shut.

The Iraq War's British roots -- Trina and Wally helped with this one and Dona did as well but said, "No credit." I'll get to that in a moment. So everyone listed above worked on this piece. It was our big one for the edition.

Roundtable -- We roundtabled because I wasn't sure how Iraq would go and there was a lot to cover. We hadn't written the 'British roots' article yet and I wanted to get C.I. to go over a few things on that to be sure we had them if we didn't anywhere else. Marcia also wanted to address a movie issue so a roundtable was the perfect way to go.

The numbers and the outrage -- Jess, Ava and C.I. wrote this at the last minute. We had forgotten this and were already starting to post.

Don't Steal This Look! -- Rebecca, Ann, Marcia, Ruth, Kat, Betty, Stan, Cedric and Mike wrote this. Elaine went on to sleep. Jess and I were typing up completed pieces and Ava and C.I. were working on their TV commentaries.

When Bully Met Poodle -- This is where Dona came in. She called around four to make sure things were okay (four this morning) and that we didn't need any help. Jess was assuring her everything was okay when she heard Ava and C.I. arguing with me (or me arguing with them). About? Ava and C.I. wanted this article on its own. It was part of the 'British roots' article -- the first paragraph word for word. They argued (a) the article was too long, (b) including this with the article might trivialize the article, (c) making it its own article would mean it would get more attention (which meant more attention for the Iraq Inquiry) and I'm forgetting (d) (and Ava and C.I. say, "We're tired, just finish this note."). So Dona heard us arguing and asked to speak to me. She had one question: "Is it a short feature?" Yeah. "So why are you arguing with them. I'll pretend for just one moment that they're completely wrong and you're 100% right, there's still the issue of variety in lengths. You need to break it up." So that's what happened. Thank you to Dona.

Highlights -- Mike, Elaine, Betty, Rebecca, Kat, Ruth, Marcia, Stan, Cedric and Ann wrote this and we thank them for it.

I think that's everything. Hopefully you found something that made you laugh or enraged you. See you next weekend.


-- Jim, Jess, Ava and C.I.

Editorial: Barack The Never Ending Liar

"If there are still large troop presences in when I take office, then the first thing I will do is call together the Joint Chiefs of Staff and initiate a phased redeployment. We've got to be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in. But military personnel indicate we can get one brigade to two brigades out per month. I would immediately begin that process. We would get combat troops out of Iraq. The only troops that would remain would be those that have to protect U.S. bases and U.S. civilians, as well as to engage in counter-terrorism activities in Iraq."



Who said that?



Barack Obama. September 26, 2007, during the New Hampshire debate.



Remember what he said in Houston February 19, 2008? "I opposed this war in 2002. I will bring this war to an end in 2009. It is time to bring our troops home."







Yes, it was just more of Barack's Chicken Sop For The Soul.



But remember how Tom-Tom Hayden lapped it up like he'd finally married a new meal ticket, panting, "But these were words worth holding the candidate to. The astonishing thing is that antiwar sentiment among Obama's base is running strongly enough to push the candidate forward to a stronger commitment."



Where's Tom-Tom today?



Talking about everything but Iraq. Naturally.



He squeezed all the money and notoriety he could out of the topic and now he's moved on to Afghanistan. No, Tom-Tom never really finishes anything. Even his affairs had to be ended by the women involved.



But what Barack promised was what he promised.



Look, he's a liar and we told you all about that in real time. Unlike Tom Hayden, we told you what Samantha Power told the BBC in March 2008. Tom Hayden stayed silent until July 4, 2008. He lied, he whored, he spread for Barack.



We noted Samantha Power told the BBC that Barack wouldn't be held to any campaign 'promise' if he was elected. We noted it repeatedly over and over.



Tom Hayden noted it once and only once. He found a spine -- on loan -- July 4, 2008 and then he never uttered a peep.



And he's far from alone. Over 11 months ago, Barack Obama was sworn in.



Derrick Z. Jackson (Boston Globe) reported in real time and observed: "The Obama campaign went into a damage control mode that veered into the territory of George H.W. Bush's 1988 Republican nomination speech in which he declared, 'Read my lips: no new taxes.' Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said Obama maintains a 'rock-solid commitment . . . It will be 16 months at the most where you can withdraw combat troops'."



Who's holding anyone accountable today?



Barack eased into the White House determined to break the 'promise' and did. And who's called him out?



Our laughable Nobel Peace Prize winner needs to split that prize with George W. Bush because the plan he's operating under currently is Bush's plan.



While the left was largely silent (well, not silent, United For Pathetic and Juvenile was slobbering all over War Hawk Barry), The Chicago Tribune's Steve Chapman was sounding alarms back in March:



During the campaign, Obama pushed a plan to withdraw one or two combat brigades per month until they were all out. Only two things have changed in Obama's 16-month departure plan: It will take longer than 16 months, and we won't depart.
Instead of May 2010, the target date has been pushed back to August of that year. Nor will he bring back one or two combat brigades each month. Instead, The New York Times reports, Obama plans to withdraw only two between now and December, or one combat brigade every five months.
The administration claims it will speed up the pace of withdrawal next year. But if someone says he's going to sober up tomorrow, it doesn't mean he will definitely do it tomorrow. It just means he definitely won't do it today.



But people continue to project onto Barack. The same crowd that insists the SOFA ends the Iraq War. It does no such thing. We've explained that here over and over. If you're still not getting it, ask yourself why, if Barack's really ending the Iraq War in 2011 (as the lie claims), the US Armed Services Committee hasn't seen the plan -- despite repeatedly asking to see it?



In an analysis at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, what happens after the SOFA is explained as: "Negotiations needed to decide status of U.S. support forces in 2012 and beyond." As we've repeatedly explained, the SOFA existed to replace the UN mandate (the mandate was for the occupation of Iraq -- there was no mandate for the illegal war). The UN mandate had twice caused problems for Nouri al-Maliki when he renewed it. The first time, Parliament objected that he'd done without their input. He swore that wouldn't happen again. He did it again and Parliament passed laws. It wasn't in his interest or the US government's interest to do these yearly updates. So the SOFA covered three years. [The SOFA is a treaty for continued occupation. It is not a treaty to end the Iraq War. As a treaty, it really shouldn't be called a Status Of Forces Agreement.] What happens when the SOFA expires?



The Tom-Toms insist that US forces have to leave. We've stuck to the law an repeatedly explained to you that a contract can be renewed.



As long as our 'brave' 'left' 'voices' stay silent, don't look for Barack to end the Iraq War. Why should he work on that? He lied and he got away with it. He lied and no one's calling him out.