Vermont Governor Jim Douglas' (R) administration has successfully obtained an administrative order to shut down Vermont Compost Company (VCC), which is a competitor of his brother-in-law's composting operation, Vermont Natural Ag Products.  According to the administrative order, VCC is to cease any and all commercial compost operations and pay a civil fine of $18,000 for operating a commercial operation without an Act 250 permit.

Interestingly, Vermont Natural Ag Products, which operates in a manner similar to VCC, has not been the subject of regulatory enforcement.

Via UPI, h/t to TPM

Stephen Payne, a major GOP fundraiser and international affairs lobbyist, also touted his success in getting an Uzbek opposition leader removed from the U.S. terrorist watch list and issued a U.S. visa.

In light of the news that the terrorist watch list surpassed one million records and 700,000 names, the Stephen Payne story raises several questions:

In response to not-so-subtle political swipes by President George Bush (while addressing the Israeli Knesset), Barack Obama's communication director Robert Gibbs rejected the conclusion of the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that Iran suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003:

"Let's not confuse precondition with preparation," said Gibbs of any talks with Iran. "Obviously these meetings would be full of preparation. But we're not going to sit down and engage Iran, unless or until they give up their nuclear weapons program.

emphasis mine.

A significant spike in grain and commodities prices is driving up the cost of food worldwide and marking the beginning of the collapse of the world economy.  As a result, violent riots have broken out, as described by Vivian Walt (Time, February 27, 2008)

Rocketing food prices — some of which have more than doubled in two years — have sparked riots in numerous countries recently. Millions are reeling from sticker shock and governments are scrambling to staunch a fast-moving crisis before it spins out of control. From Mexico to Pakistan, protests have turned violent. Rioters tore through three cities in the West African nation of Burkina Faso last month, burning government buildings and looting stores. Days later in Cameroon, a taxi drivers' strike over fuel prices mutated into a massive protest about food prices, leaving around 20 people dead.

Here in the U.S., the economic collapse has been "contained" to the housing market and a "few bad apples" (Bear Stearns) in the financial markets, but for how much longer?  Will we see food riots at home?

The Associated Press is reporting today that the FBI continued to illegal spy on Americans in 2006.  The illegal spying, benignly referred to as a violation of civil rights, is conducted through the abuse of national security letters.

The national security letters (NSL) compel (courtesy of The Center for Democracy and Technology) disclosure of information held by "banks, credit companies, telephone carriers, and internet service providers, among others."  In 2000, the FBI issued 8,500 NLS requests.  This number increased to approximately 47,000 requests by 2005, and totaled over 140,000 requests between 2003 and 2005. Today, FBI Director Robert Mueller acknowledged that abuse of the NSL authority continued unabated in 2006, but that the reforms initiated in 2007 would prevent "future lapses."

In response to Brattleboro, VT's ballot measure calling for the arrest of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, patriotic Americans across the country called their contacts within terrorist cells around the world and requested that they attack and kill several thousand wackjobs in Vermont.  These brave men and women also asked that the terrorists cut off the heads of the Brattleboro selectmen, video tape it, and post it on the internet.

Do you think I'm being facetious?  Yeah, just a bit.  But seriously, via yahoo, A.P. reporter John Curran has the story of the many responses that town of Brattleboro officials have received in the wake of their ballot measure and subsequent story on the Drudge Report.

Today's NY Times has the story of a recent string of terrorist attacks in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A rash of attacks on abortion and family planning clinics has struck Albuquerque this month, the first such violence there in nearly a decade....

The attacks came just weeks after the Albuquerque clinic run by a nationally known abortion provider, Dr. Curtis Boyd, was destroyed by arsonists on Dec. 6.

As reported at MSNBC, smoke is billowing out of the Eisenhower Executive Office at the White House.  With the fire apparently centered on the second floor, let's take a look at who uses the Eisenhower Executive Office.

From Whitehouse.gov:

In addition to the Vice President's Office in the West Wing, the Vice President and his staff maintain a set of offices in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB), which is located next to the West Wing on the White House premises. The Vice President's Office in the EEOB is called the Vice President's Ceremonial Office. This restored, historical office served as the Navy Secretary's Office when the EEOB housed the State, Navy and War Departments. Today, the Vice President uses the office for meetings and press interviews.

The 2008 Health Insurance rates offered by my county chamber of commerce arrived in the mail today.  As the owner of a brand new sole proprietorship business, husband and father to three children under five, I start my 2008 fiscal year $9,600 in the hole for a $3000 deductable family policy.  If I chose an HSA with a $3500 deductable, I'll start the year $7,600 in the hole.  And with an HSA, the annual costs are sure to be higher, as I would pay for all doctors visits, drugs, xrays, tests, with no cost-share with the insurer.

Health insurance is a major impediment to owning a small business and shreds the entrepeneurial spirit.  It is not a tax that will come back to in the form of better roads, better education, or a sustainable energy policy.  This is a transfer of wealth, plain and simple.

On NPR this morning, Stephen Hadley, National Security Advisor, let loose this fact (transcript provided in the White House Watch, by Dan Froomkin, Washington Post):

The president has been asking for more information on Iran for the last several years. He's spent a lot of time actually bringing the Iranian analysts in and interacting with them directly, trying to probe, understand what they know. . . .

So here's the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security matters describing a situation where President Bush actively questions Iranian analysts for the past several years.  

The Michael Mukasey nomination vote last night at 11:04 pm has turned into a fiasco for the Democratic Party.  Senator Leahy's office was "surprised" by the scheduled vote, as were many other Democrats, including Senators Clinton, Obama, Biden, and Dodd, who were campaigning for President in other states.

The surprise vote was held specifically to eliminate the potential for a successful filibuster.  Senator Reid knew that a successful filibuster was possible if all Democratic senators were in Washington for the vote.  So he scheduled the vote when he recognized that four "No" votes would be out of town.  The question is why?

Update #1:

According to the Washington Post (buried as the last paragraph in the article), The CIA used the technique on three prisoners after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but has since ceased the practice, officials have said.

Three questions:  1) Which officials said this?  2) If officials are admitting three cases of waterboarding, are they hiding more?  I would assume that the 3 cases involved suspected terrorists that most Americans would consider as deserving, which is why the officials would release this information; 3) has this been previously announced and I just missed it?

All the more reason to vote against Mukasey.

Senator Leahy has announced that he will vote no on the Michael Mukasey nomination when the SJC meets next Tuesday.  His vote is meaningless if he is not working to corral Senator Schumer and Senator Feinstein into the Vote No camp.  If either one of these senators flip to yes on Mukasey, then his vote will mean nothing, as Mukasey will have made it out of Comittee and onto the floor of the Senate, which will vote to confirm him.

More on the flip.

Update #1: Senator Kennedy announced his opposition.  Senator Leahy is to announce his position at a press conference tomorrow in VT.

A.G. nominee Mukasey must be voted down by the Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC).  He is a dangerous nominee, as:

1. He supports the Unitary Executive Theory and believes that the Executive Branch decides the Constitutionality of laws that may inhibit the Executive Branch's Article 2 powers.  This law includes the 4th Amendment prohibiting searches without a warrant.  See here.

2. He will not state that waterboarding is torture and therefore illegal.  See hereand here.

More on the flip.

Senator Leahy comments on the now supposed immunity deal offered to Blackwater's guards:

This fits a well-worn pattern. In this Administration, accountability goes by the boards. That seems to be a central tenet in the Bush Administration — that no one from their team should be held accountable, if accountability can be avoided. That goes equally for misconduct and for incompetence. If you get caught, they will get you immunity. If you get convicted, they will commute your sentence. They are the Amnesty Administration. Dodging accountability corrodes our values and our integrity, which have been real sources of America’s enduring strength.

In his warmongering press conference today, President Bush lowered the bar for attacking Iran and offered a new rational: "

(emphasis mine).

This is clear evidence of President Bush's wet dreams of attacking Iran.  It's also clear evidence that 4th Branch has won the attack versus diplomacy argument that's "supposedly" taken place in the White House.  As with Iraq, the rational shifts until either something sticks or the White House confuses everybody by claiming that their shifting rationals were in fact serious diplomatic efforts.

Today, Senator Leahy released a letterto AG nominee Mukasey in which he outlines ways that everybody can get along.  While the tone of the letter is of cooperation, the guts of the letter indicates capitulation.  Let's look at the 3rd to last paragraph before closing:

In connection with these matters the Judiciary Committee has been seeking the historical legal analysis of the Department of Justice and this Administration.  We have made numerous requests and have even had to subpoena the FISA documents.  I want to know whether you will work with us and provide those materials so that we can examine the legal justifications that have been utilized by this Administration to excuse its conduct

(emphasis mine).

AP bamboozles America into believing the surge is working.  Based on the story published today, headlines across the mainstream media scream:

NY Times: Drop in Violence in Iraq Reported

Washington Post: U.S., Iraqi Civilian Deaths Fall Sharply

MSNBC: Deaths among U.S. forces, Iraqi civilians drop

All this based on a one month decline, which hopefully forms a trend.  But what about this year, compared against previous years?  Take a look on the flip side:

Where:
M   = Mercenaries
LTR = Less Troops Required (cause real troops aren't needed for non-battle stuff like guarding supply lines, diplomats, and reconstruction projects), which allows Republicans, ahem Joint Chiefs of Staff, to say we can fight this war with the only 1/2 as many troops as we really really need).
P2  = Pork Squared (no bid, the best and tastiest kind, of course)
RD  = Donations to Republicans (also 1/2 of P2, thus completing the circle to ignite self sustaining nuclear fission)

FUBAR    = FUCKED UP BEYOND ALL constitutional REPAIR

UPDATE #1:  Based on Joshua Marshall's fine work at TPM today, the Mercenary Equation has been recalculated as:

FUBAcR = (M+LTR+P2+RD)(NTSHMA)

where NTSMA = Nothing to See Here, Move Along.  Or rather, let's hire a Blackwater contractor to conduct the initial investigation of the Blackwater massacre of Iraqi citizens.