How Cheney Marks Tenth Anniversary of Pretending There Was Reason to Invade Iraq witnessed by Andy Borowitz




HOUSTON (The Borowitz Report)—In a sombre ceremony attended by former members of the Bush administration, the former Vice-President Dick Cheney marked the tenth anniversary of making up a reason to invade Iraq.

The ceremony, held on the grounds of the Halliburton Company headquarters, brought together the former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, and other key members of the lying effort.

Calling the assembled officials “profiles in fabrication,” Mr. Cheney praised them for their decade of dedication to a totally fictitious rationale.

“Making up a reason to invade a country is the easy part,” Mr. Cheney told them. “Sticking to a pretend story for ten years—that is the stuff of valor.”

Mr. Cheney added that their “steadfast charade had raised the bar for all future administrations.”

“When it is time to invade Iran or Venezuela, will the President have the will to make up an entirely fake reason to do it?” he asked. “That remains to be seen.”

The ceremony ended on an emotional note, as Mr. Cheney placed a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown W.M.D.

Former President George W. Bush, who was said to be otherwise engaged, was represented at the event by a nude self-portrait.

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Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/2013/03/cheney-marks-tenth-anniversary

Just in case you are wondering - and missed my previous mention of dates - the finals will start on Thursday the 21st.
The reason is that there is larger exposure overall when weekday and weekend days are involved for the duration.

We have 10 awesome competitors (sadly leaving some wonderful photographs behind)
and I think the finals will be an interesting struggle to behold.

Portman Inspires Other Republicans to Stop Speaking to Their Children (as told by Borowitz)



WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—The decision of Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) to support same-sex marriage after learning that his son was gay has inspired hundreds of other Republican lawmakers to stop speaking to their children immediately, G.O.P. leaders confirmed today.
“I have gathered my caucus and told them, if your kids are going to tell you something that’s going to cost you the next election, it’s better to nip that situation in the bud,” said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). “Just stop talking to them altogether, for heaven’s sakes.”
Speaker Boehner said he was advising his fellow Republicans who were “hell bent on speaking to their children” to keep things superficial: “You can talk about sports. You can talk about the weather. But anything beyond that, your policy should be, ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell.’”

But even as Mr. Boehner laid down the new guidelines for not speaking to one’s children, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) said that the policy “doesn’t go far enough.”
“What if you’re having a conversation with your kids and it turns out they’re in favor of raising the capital-gains tax or banning assault rifles?” he said. “Do what I do—block their calls.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) agreed with his fellow G.O.P. leaders’ words of caution, adding, “Fortunately, none of my children want to talk to me.”

Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/2013/03/portman-inspires-other-republicans-to-stop-speaking-to-their-children.html#ixzz2NowwY3iw

As you can see a little concrete is happening



Here you see the sky and trees reflected in the wet mud


And looking up - the neighbor's kitchen window

Join Me to Kick Off a Mass Movement Against Gun Violence From Your Living Room on Saturday, March 23rd ...a note from Michael Moore

Friday, March 15th, 2013

Friends,

The response to my Newtown letter this week has been overwhelming. It is so very clear to everyone that the majority of Americans have had it with how we as a country have recklessly allowed the NRA and the gun manufacturers to get away, literally, with murder.

That, right now, is going to come to an end.

The "tipping point" against the gun madness has taken place because of the tragic slaughter of 20 little children in Connecticut. This time, the shock and horror didn't subside after a few weeks, as it did after the 30+ massacres since Columbine. This time we haven't been able to shake it from our collective consciousness. This time – and the NRA knows this – this time we the people aren't going to quiet down. We are demanding real action.

In the past few days, a number of people and grassroots groups have suggested to me that we do something to use 'Bowling for Columbine' to rally thousands – millions – to come together and kick off a massive spring action to get gun control laws passed. I love this idea and I have agreed to participate in helping to launch it.

So, next Saturday, March the 23rd, on the 10th anniversary of the evening that 'Bowling for Columbine' won the Academy Award, MoveOn.org is sponsoring a screening with me in New York City and other groups are joining together to ask you and thousands of others to host a nationwide gathering in your homes where you invite friends and neighbors to come over and watch the movie together – and then, afterward, I will join you LIVE, via the Web, in your living rooms to talk to you, take your questions/suggestions and decide what we are all going to do.

I am asking the nearly five million of you who receive this email, plus my 1.5 million followers on Twitter and my nearly 800,000 Facebook friends, to set aside next Saturday night, March 23rd, and invite people over to your home to watch my movie and have a talk with me and others who will lead this mass movement for gun control action.

Over the next few days I will send you more details, but I just wanted to get the word out today, after so many thousands of you have written me via email and Twitter, and ask you to hold the date for next Saturday and start to get the word around to your friends and family. I'll let you know the easiest ways to get a copy of the film for free or nearly free so you can show it in your living rooms. And I'll let you know how to "beam me in" when the movie is over. By the end of that night, my hope is that we will have a peaceful but fierce army of millions making their voices heard to those who represent us on Capitol Hill. We will, instantly, vastly outnumber the NRA and the gun lobby.

And for the sake of our children and the future of this great country, we will win.

Let everyone know – next Saturday, March 23rd, we're all getting together to watch 'Bowling for Columbine' in thousands of "house parties" across America, and I will be there with you, thanks to the wonders of 21st century technology.

See you on the 23rd in your living room! Now is the moment to make this happen.

Michael Moore
MMFlint@MichaelMoore.com
@MMFlint
MichaelMoore.com

all the guest tonight are

Jared Bernstein - Tom Colicchio - Tom Davis - Rachel Maddow - Michelle Rhee

Fri Mar 15, 2013.
Richard Craver/Winston-Salem Journal

John Stumpf, top executive at Wells Fargo & Co., took the reins as the nation’s highest paid banking official after receiving $22.9 million in total compensation in 2012.

The bank reported in a regulatory filing Thursday that Stumpf, its chairman, chief executive and president, did not get a raise in salary at $2.8 million.

However, he received $4 million in nonequity incentive-plan compensation, up $900,000 from fiscal 2011.
The total compensation package for Stumpf in the company's summary compensation table was up 20 percent compared with fiscal 2011.
The Securities and Exchange Commission requires corporations to declare all potential executive compensation even if it is long term, such as pensions and deferred compensation.
Stumpf received restricted stock that the company valued at $12.5 million on the date that the award was granted, which was up about $500,000 from 2011. He also received $15,000 in all other compensation, which was a company 401(k) contribution.

full story here:
http://www.journalnow.com/business/business_news/local/article_23868cea-8d95-11e2-842b-001a4bcf6878.html

The preliminary threads are up in GD


Thread 1
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022510372


Thread 2
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022510391


Thread 3
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022510403


I chose to post them in the order I received them.

Enjoy seeing them and voting, kicking and recommending.
Thank your for your submissions, your interest and your help.

Theme: "A PHOTOGRAPHER'S FAVORITE"

We who take photos sometimes end up with a shot we love and want to show off.
No rhyme or reason to it oftentimes, mostly it is just personal.

It may not fit into the theme of a contest, and we forget about it. So this month we dusted off our archives and pulled out a favorite to post for everybody to see and vote on.

We have 3 preliminary threads, as always. Please take the time to vote in all 3 of them. If the recommendations get to be numerous, I think the threads will come out to the front page, so please recommend and kick the threads.

Poll 1
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022510372

Poll 2
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022510391

We really appreciate your interest and participation, and we love having this opportunity to show off our passion/hobby/love as represented in our photographs.

The preliminaries will run for 3 days. The finals will start on the 21st and run for 3 days.
Then I'll announce the winners.

Skinner has authorized this contest to be run in GD.




I'm coming for you



Curtain



Holding Back the Mist



Dragonfly



San Diego at Night



My First Greenhouse and a TEN foot Tomatoe Tree



get closer



The Sunset Wave



"Breakwall"



"All there is"

Theme: "A PHOTOGRAPHER'S FAVORITE"

We who take photos sometimes end up with a shot we love and want to show off.
No rhyme or reason to it oftentimes, mostly it is just personal.

It may not fit into the theme of a contest, and we forget about it. So this month we dusted off our archives and pulled out a favorite to post for everybody to see and vote on.

We have 3 preliminary threads, as always. Please take the time to vote in all 3 of them. If the recommendations get to be numerous, I think the threads will come out to the front page, so please recommend and kick the threads.

Poll 1
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022510372

Poll 3
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022510403

We really appreciate your interest and participation, and we love having this opportunity to show off our passion/hobby/love as represented in our photographs.

The preliminaries will run for 3 days. The finals will start on the 21st and run for 3 days.
Then I'll announce the winners.

Skinner has authorized this contest to be run in GD.





View To The Barn



Bliss



The Three Amigas



Winter Range



Camden Hills State Park, Maine



Morning Light



Burghers of Calais



Youth




Misty Solitude



A Portrait of Intensity