Once again the administration is in full pursuit of the media for having divulged the 'till then secret operation by which the US searched international banking records held by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) for evidence of terrorist funding.  But the program itself may serve as the small rock that collects more and more snow as it rolls onward.

Government stats on the level of imports into America, for 1996 through March, 2006 (in thousands of $$):

Raw Story has a pre-publication report that GM is about to announce the "downsizing" of one quarter of its employees (some 30,000), through buy-outs, while Delphi will announce later this week that some 9,000 of its employees have taken buy-outs.

All to easily obtain alternative employment at roughly similar wages, don't you think?

Update [2006-6-26 16:52:30 by Lee Russ]:Today's news reports indicate that the 30,000 was on the low side. It's about 35,000 who have taken buy-outs & early retirement.

You can always find out what the Republicans want the general public to hear:  just turn on the tv or radio and listen to the talking points of the day.

But what do they say to each other? To potential converts who explore their web sites?  Are they really "the party of ideas" as they like to tell themselves, or are they "the party of no ideas except distortion and smear?"

Some people think Fux News serves no useful purpose.  Those people would be wrong.  Few people realize that Fux News is owned by the Society To Aid Young Propagandists-In-Greed (this organization can be researched on standard Charitable Organization Indexes by searching for STAYPIG).

Aw! Poor Vize Resident Cheney. Seems he's all mad and pouty-mouthed at some newspapers...

Despite the fact that stories like this just kill me, it does explain something....sort of....

Many are currently attempting to forecast what Residential Advisor Karl "Lex Luthor" Rove has in mind for the fall elections, and so far, based on some stuff he's told folks, look for more of the same....

This afternoon's headlines are full of stories about the State of emergency in Iraq as a result of which:

The Iraqi government declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew on Friday after insurgent gunmen set up roadblocks in central Baghdad and opened fire on US and Iraqi troops just north of the heavily fortified Green Zone.

With just two hours notice, the prime minister ordered everyone off the streets of the capital from 2 pm on Friday until 6 am Saturday [this has apprently been shortened; see below]. US and Iraqi forces also were engaged in firefights with insurgents in the dangerous Dora neighbourhood in south Baghdad.

On our spinning planet, some crap just goes together: politicians and payoffs; elections and red herring issues; Ann Coulter and slimy lies; lies and job statistics.

Every month the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) issues a report on Mass Layoffs for the previous month. Every so often, the President or one of his Spokespeople, like new Press Secretary Tony Snow, reassure the country that the jobs market is just Jim F'ing Dandy.

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