Former Bush Aide says Guantanamo detainees innocent (mostly) and that B.A. knew it.

Lawrence B. Wilkerson, a Republican who was chief of staff to former-Secretary of State Colin Powell, told The Associated Press "There are still innocent people there," "Some have been there six or seven years.", talking about Guantanamo.

"Some 800 men have been held at Guantanamo since the prison opened in January 2002, and 240 remain. Wilkerson said two dozen are terrorists, including confessed Sept. 11 plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was transferred to Guantanamo from CIA custody in September 2006.

"We need to put those people in a high-security prison like the one in Colorado, forget them and throw away the key," Wilkerson said. "We can't try them because we tortured them and didn't keep an evidence trail."

Wilkerson, who flew combat missions as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and left the government in January 2005, said he did not speak out while in government because some of the information was classified. He said he feels compelled to do so now because Cheney has claimed in recent press interviews that President Barack Obama is making the U.S. less safe by reversing Bush administration policies toward terror suspects, including ordering Guantanamo closed.

The administration is now evaluating what to do with the prisoners who remain at the U.S. military base in Cuba.

"I'm very concerned about the kinds of things Cheney is saying to make it seem Obama is a danger to this republic," Wilkerson said. "To have a former vice president fearmongering like this is really, really dangerous.""

Above story is modified, but mainly copy pasted. Read the rest of the story

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090319/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_guantanamo_wrongly_held

By ANDREW O. SELSKY, Associated Press Writer

My take on Cheney,

He should shut up, and go fuck himself.

the workforce

I keep seeing stories that actually do break my heart, but also kind of anger me.
The last one was about a '62 year old college grad' looking for help finding work.
Of course, people must do what they must, and I'm not mad about the fact that this lady wanted to find a job, but it did get me thinking about the notion of people working well into their 70's.
One thing that is true is that there are a limited number of jobs available. There is not a small number, but the number is limited. For every job someone has, there is someone else unable to work. I was talking with my sister about this concept relating to women entering the workforce en masse, but I don't think she caught where I was going with it. I was talking about the reasonably massive influx of workers when women began working more and how it affected the labor market. I was wondering if anyone was discussing the negative influence the increase in supply of labor was having on wages and benefits packages. Also, the fact that we have now an expectation based on living expenses of families with 2 incomes. The days of 1 income households seem to be over. Now I know it depends on the income, but look realistically at what mOST people make.
Anyway this ties in with the 62 year old anecdote above in that it seems that no one ever discusses the negative influence over supply of labor has on our economy. We hear about new job creation, but also that most people can't afford to live without 2 or sometimes 3 jobs, which is 'uniquely American'. I just personally wish that we as a people could stake less of our identities on our jobs/careers, so that workers won't lose themselves when they can actually afford to leave the workforce, thereby opening up opportunities for others, and bringing up the value of labor, by making it more scarce.
I don't know how much of this is making sense right now, and I know I'm not offering a solution. I don't think this has a solution. I just think that is a problem facing us, which will continue, and is worthy of discussion.

All quiet on the western front

Lately I don't have too much to complain about, I see things as going reasonably well.

I have noticed that the Republicans have been trying to assert themselves, though they have no cohesion. They are a cornered dog and are lashing out at those who approach them.

The politics of winning are disabling them now.

The Republican party became an ideological base on social issues, but lost their core values, and are now reaping the benefits of being the party who tries to make us afraid, when we no longer fear.