Oil War, Oil Democracy...

From Maureen Dowd:

Ahmad Chalabi - convicted embezzler in Jordan, suspected Iranian spy, double-crosser of America, purveyor of phony war-instigating intelligence - is the new acting Iraqi oil minister.

Is that why we went to war, to put the oily in charge of the oil, to set the swindler who pretended to be Spartacus atop the ultimate gusher?

Does anybody still think the path to war wasn't greased by oil?

Oil isn't on the front burner only in Iraq. Mr. Bush and Dick Cheney know that time is running out to pay back the Texas buddies who sent them here with an energy bill. So those two oilmen are frantically pushing one loaded with giveaways to the oil industry at a time when it's already raking in huge profits because of high gasoline prices.

Mr. Bush wanted Iraq to have a democracy like ours. It's on its way, nearing an ethics-free zone where a corrupt official can hold sway and a theocracy can curb women's rights.

They're getting to be more like us every day, and us them. I guess with all the tin-horn dictators in the world, it was inevitable that we produce our own sooner or later, and also inevitable that he spread his brand of "democracy" around the world to the enrichment of his oily accomplices and to the detriment of the rest of us.

Anniversary

The Fixer & Gordon will be a year old in May.

Update

Chapter 11 of Empires is up at creativity . . . finally.

The First Church of Applientology*

Substitute LIBERALS for MUSIC.

This is the CENTRAL SCRUTINIZER . . .

It is my responsibility to enforce all the laws that haven't been passed yet. It is also my responsibility to alert each and every one of you to the potential consequences of various ordinary everyday activities you might be performing which could eventually lead to The Death Penalty (or affect your parents' credit rating). Our criminal institutions are filled with little creeps like you who do wrong things . . . and many of them were driven to these crimes by a horrible force called MUSIC!

Our studies have shown that this horrible force is so dangerous to society at large that laws are being drawn up at this very moment to stop it forever! Cruel and inhuman punishments are being carefully described in tiny paragraphs so they won't conflict with the Constitution (which itself is being modified in order to accommodate THE FUTURE). - The Central Scrutinizer © 1979 Frank Zappa, Joe's Garage, Vol. 1

Zappa was a prophet in my book. This was written over 25 years ago as commentary on the Shi'a revolution in Iran. It could just as well have been written today about the regime currently in power here. A big hat tip to fellow Zappa devotee the CultureGhost for putting my head in the right place.

Zappa on Zappa (from the liner notes):

Desperate nerds in high offices all over the world have been known to enact the most disgusting pieces of legislation in order to win votes (or, in places where they don't get to vote, to control unwanted forms of mass behavior).

We take you now, to a garage in Canoga Park . . .

*Zappa fans will get it immediately

I'll buy it.

Pissed-off Patricia at Blondie's:

Had to stop, turn round and go back to take this picture near Daytona this week.

Unconscionable

This via Badtux:

US marines who suffered the highest casualty rate of any unit in Iraq have revealed that they were so short of soldiers that they used cardboard dummies to fool insurgents into believing that they faced more men.

Company E of the First Marine Division dressed the cutouts in camouflage shirts and placed them in observation posts to trick Iraqi rebels into thinking that they were manned.

[. . .]

I'm so pissed when I read this, I'm almost speechless. All I'll say is, I admire the Jarheads' ingenuity.

Yes!!!!

I was hoping this would be good. Incertus assures us Adams fans that it is. Hear that, David?

And man, was it worth it. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was not completely faithful to the book--what adaptation ever is?--but even though the filmmakers added a new character and additional storyline, they were true to the most important aspect of the novel(s). The one thing I was afraid they wouldn't be able to pull off--the little asides that Adams sprinkled throughout--were handled wonderfully, and served to propel the film along. They left out a couple, probably for ratings purposes--the one on getting drunk (although they kept the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster) and the one about Eccentrica Gallumbits, the triple-breasted whore of Eroticon Six, but I forgive them that because they got the feel so absolutely right.

[. . .]

Can't wait to see this one.

Snowed

Media Matters looks at how clueless our 'free press' is with regard to Bush's Social Security destruction reform:

One day after President Bush's April 28 press conference, the 10 largest U.S. newspapers obscured the full impact of Bush's proposed cuts in Social Security benefits. While some articles failed to note that the proposal would drastically cut benefits for lower-middle-income workers and not just for the wealthy, others neglected to describe the changes as cuts at all, instead repeating the Republican talking point that they would merely slow the rate of growth in benefits. The Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press even falsely reported that low-income workers would receive greater benefits under the Bush plan than under current law.

[. . .]

Link via Atrios.

E-man on Gore

[. . .]

It is no accident that this assault on the integrity of our constitutional design has been fueled by a small group claiming special knowledge of God's will in American politics. They even claim that those of us who disagree with their point of view are waging war against "people of faith."

How dare they?

[. . .]

Eponymous goes over Gore's recent speech and likes what he sees.

Brit Tzedek v'Shalom

I love financial solicitations. If it weren't for folks asking me for money I don't have and probably wouldn't send if I did, all I'd get in the mail would be bills. But sometimes I wonder how some of these outfits get my name.

The title of this post, in words I can understand, is "Jewish Alliance for Justice & Peace" and you can click on it to see their website.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm the farthest thing from anti-semitic as you can get. I grew up in a predominately Jewish community. In fact, so Jewish that on their holidays our school held classes in a phone booth. The local chrome plater specialized in menorahs, and I'm not making that up.

I know many things that other goyim don't know about their faith and their culture, even some things they don't want you to know, such as how to put fresh coffee on top of old grounds to make that delicacy, the Hebrew Rebrew. I know that Manischewitz Fudgey Chewy Brownie mix is vegan. A Yarmulke is not an Israeli motorcycle that a yenta or shiksa rides on the back of.

I know about their religious observances, such as Overpass and its accompanying Cedar; the cleansing of Purina; the eight-day Chatahoochee thing that comes around Christmas, and the Yon Kipper deal, although, what religion has to do with herring is beyond my comprehension. I know that it takes ten Jewish Minions to sit shivering for the lately departed.

Culturally, Rhythmn and Jews by The Klezmatics gets my toes a-tappin', and I put maple syrup on my fried matzos. Chicken soup can cure anything, including minor oil leaks. Home-cured brisket is to die for.

I dated Jewish girls, and their parents weren't thrilled about it. Except for the Rabbi whose daughter was a pal, he liked me. Oy! Go figure.

And every time I see a Bris, I'm positively dazzled. I am amazed at how brave and optimistic they must be to cut off part of their kid's schwanz before he even gets to see it or knows how long it's gonna be.

Despite my world-class knowledge of the things of the Hebrew persuasion, I'm at a loss as to how they got my name. I think there must be a bunch of gonifs out there that sell mailing lists of inappropriate contacts, like the ones who sold me to the Republicans some time back. These folks should ask for their money back.

"L'shanah haba-ah birushala-yim". See ya there, bros. Just don't call me a tightwad.

Note: As silly shit kept popping into my head, I edited and added to this post several times. At some point, thunder rolled and lightning flashed and a stentorian voice, entirely unlike the run-of-the-mill "little voices" that I've grown so fond of, boomed in my mind's ear, "So stop already!". You, dear reader, are the beneficiary.

Heavy G's Stax o' Wax

This is probably the last music list you'll ever see. It's been my experience that when the bandwagon slows down enough for me to jump on, it's because the horse just died.

I do most of my music listening at home. Our rigs have AM/FM and that's it. When we go on long trips, what the hell, I like Mexican music. Country music's country music, whatever the country. My wife's gettin' ready to score a new CD player with a pickup truck wrapped around it, so that might change.

I don't have one of those iPod thingies. I only recently got wireless headphones, which are damn handy when working at HAL or on the shitter. Like a lot of things, though, the batteries go bad at the darndest times!

I've got an Emerson set. AM/FM/cassette-to-cassette/3 CD/turntable. I got it because of the turntable. It'll play my old LP's (toity tree n' a toids for you New Yorkers) but I'm SOL on my 45's and 78's. It holds 3 CD's but I rarely plan that far ahead. I used to use a belt-drive Dual hooked to an amp I built from a Heathkit. The new set is a cheapie, but it beats the shit out of them $30 boom boxes I was using to play CD's and cassettes. FYI, my old Chevy van still has an 8-track set. Heh! The modern electronics are a marvel.

These are albums (yes, I still call 'em that) I've played in the last few days:

Meet Me In Margaritaville-Jimmy Buffett
Life Goes On-Desert Rose Band
Houndog Ramble-LeRoy Mack
My Mother's Voice-Kathy Kallick
Bakersfield Bound-Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen
Follow My Lead-The Fox Family
Live: The Farewell Tour-Cher
Poet In My Window-Nanci Griffith
The Angels Are Singing: A Women's Bluegrass Gospel Collection-Various Artists

Tip: Try the last one during romantic moments. Talk about a religious experience!

Songs from the Depression-The New Lost City Ramblers

I haven't played that one recently, but what the hell, I'll throw it in anyway because it's got one of the best verses in music that ever was:

"Back again! Back again!
We got Franklin Delano Roosevelt back again!
Since Roosevelt's been re-elected,
Moonshine likker's been corrected!
We got legal wine, whiskey, beer, an' gin!"

A plenty good reason why we need a Democratic President, I think, although I would like to add certain herbal products as well.

Music is fun and good for the soul. 'Nuff said.

Yay!!!

I put my money where my mouth was.

[. . .]

50% of the annual fee goes to Animal Population Control Fund. New Yorkers, find out about other good causes you can support this way by clicking here.

[. . .]

I broke down and ordered commemoratve license plates for my truck and they came today.

Get 'em, girl

Tami lays it down:

. . . I want teenage girls who would be affected by it to know - you can go ahead and call me. I'll drive you across state lines, threat of a lawsuit or not . . .

She's fired up and taking a stand. Good on ya, darling.

Turdblossoms

From that crazy bunch at 12th Harmonic:

JW on the Con Job

Why wrack my little pea brain to make stuff up when I've got Wolcott?

The New York Post didn't even put the Bush press con on page one, realizing that Katie Holmes & Tom Cruise (the new Brad & Jen?) and a Phil Rizzuto commemorative medallion took precedence.

So it's seems evident that Bush didn't persuade or energize anyone last night, and today he's at Falls Church, Va, doing another sales pitch, and I wish someone last night had asked the president if it's really an appropriate use of the Commander in Chief's time and the taxpayers' money to be jetting all around the country fielding softball questions from cherry-picked audiences? It's like a revival tour solely for the already converted--a futile, costly sham.

My music

A lot of folks are doing that iPod thing. It's not practical for me at work, for safety reasons mostly, and around the house I usually have the TV going. Every so often I'll throw a disc in, but I don't really listen to recorded music at home. My time is when I'm driving to and from work (average of about an hour each way). I have a 6-CD changer in my little pickup which has a pretty good JBL system. In lieu of the 'Friday iPod Shuffle', this is what's on my stack at the moment.

1-Nine Tonight - Bob Seger
2-Guns N' Roses Greatest Hits
3-Born - Bond
4-Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
5-Songs in the Attic - Billy Joel
6-Tommy - The Who

My little happy Friday dalliance. Eh.

Spam stock may go down...

I'm a big Tom Lehrer fan, and I liked this proposed addition to his work at Are You Effin' Kidding Me?:

We told him nicely: "Please desist."
We even offered an assist
But Kim Jong-Il said, "Screw You, See?"
"We'll make Hawaii DMZ!"
Who's next?

It was Mr. Lehrer who wrote "God made yer eyes to plagiarize", which comes in handy sometimes.

Fuckups

Four letters. NASA.

(CNN) -- NASA will delay the launch of the space shuttle Discovery, the first shuttle to fly since the 2003 Columbia disaster, from May until July because of safety concerns, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said Friday.

Griffin said the decision was made after managers looked at technical reviews over the past 10 days.

"As a result of all that and in looking at the open analysis items and the small fixes that we need to make and some issues that arose during the tanking of Discovery ... the sum of all those things necessitates that we move out six or seven weeks," Griffin said.

[. . .]

Maybe they should have somebody who knows how the fucking thing works running the show over there? Now, I have the utmost respect for engineers. I've worked closely with some of the finest minds at Ford when I was with Motorsport back in my engine building days, but engineers don't know how things really work. Yeah, they can design shit, but they have no clue about how shit is done in the real world. I could tell you stories. Shit working on paper is far different from the fucking thing actually working when you flip the switch.

NASA has done some good shit over the years, don't get me wrong, but the folks running the show over the last two decades have lost their focus. This is something that should be privatized. It'll save the taxpayers a buncha money and progress will be more forthcoming. Let NASA do the happy little research shit, send their little rovers to Mars (though the place is starting to look like a used car lot), and explore space. Let the corporate world develop the cargo and resource-exploitation end of it. They'll do a better job and we won't have to go through the national trauma every time we lose a crew because the engineers can't figure out how to keep the fucking things together.

Con game

This via the Farmer, via Loaded Mouth:

Authorities at Guantanamo Bay staged interrogations of detainees for visiting politicians and generals to give the impression that valuable intelligence was regularly being gathered, according to a former Army translator at the camp.

Former Army Sgt. Erik Saar told CBS television show 60 Minutes that he believes "only a few dozen" of the 600 detainees at the camp were terrorists and that little information was obtained from them.

"Interrogations were set up so the VIPs could come and witness an interrogation ... a mock interrogation, basically," Saar told the program, to air on Sunday. [my emphases]

[. . .]

So, Jesuslanders, how does it feel to be lied to again . . . and again . . .

Oy gevult!

I was lucky enough to be at dinner with the Mrs. and her AA when (p)resident Nutless Wonder was on TV last night. Unfortunately, I got to see the high(low)lights on the news this morning. Yeesh.

Is it me, or should the President of the United States look and act a bit more confidently? I mean, he looked like a 6th grader in front of the class for the first time, shuffling, squirming, losing his train of thought. I've never seen a man in the office of the Presidency look so out of place, so out of his element (which would be clearing brush on his ranch).

Even Jimmy Carter seemed more at ease, even when it was going to shit around him. Nixon looked more confident when he told us 'I am not a crook'. Clinton was even able to look us all in the eye when he said 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman'. And who can forget G.H.W. Bush when he confidently and sternly told us 'read my lips, no new taxes'. I guess the Chimp's discomfort comes from living in a insulated world of sycophants and yes-men and then being thrust before a group of skeptics.

Agree or disagree with any of his predecessors over the past half-century, most of them were aware of the responsibilities and demands of the office and lived up to them, regardless of idealogy. It is quite obvious that our current President is neither aware, nor does he care. In short, he represented the mindset of this nation last night.

This is a nation of scared, uninformed, and undereducated people who, as long as they're being told everything is fine, are happy to go through their days with blinders on until finally, reality comes bursting through in all its clarity. It's becoming clear lately, that's for sure, and more and more folks are opeining their eyes. It's why the 64% of this nation now feels the man is a total fuckup.

I think it's about time to chase the petulant teenagers out of the Congress and 1600 and let the adults straighten this shit out before we're all sunk. The U.S. cannot be run like a Third World dictatorship or a high school where the teachers have suddenly taken leave. If we keep this shit up, we're gonna break America badly enough that she can't be fixed.

Update: 06:00:

Heraldblog, guest blogging at Blogenlust while John moves from S.F. to NYC (our gain, S.F.'s loss), has a good take on the shit-shoveling session last night.

Profits

How were your first quarter earnings?

Whack-a-DeLay

Go have some fun!

update on that hypocritical bastard.

Fuckshitgoddamnit

From DoD Advisories:

Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld will host an armed forces full honor review and award ceremony for Deputy Secretary Defense Paul Wolfowitz at the Pentagon at 11 a.m. EDT, Friday, April 29, 2005.

Why doesn't (p)resident Drizzling Bunghole give him the Medal of fucking Freedom too? Motherfuckers.

Between Iraq and a Hard Place

Excellent article in TomDispatch about the upcoming draft. Long, but well worth it.

But if the draft advocates eventually persuade the administration that a conscripted army is viable, I believe they would still have to overcome a second layer of reluctance among decision-makers in charge of military policy: a fear that the draft will specifically alienate those who currently endorse the war in Iraq (my emphasis). Pro-war partisans rest much of their support of administration foreign policy on the expectation that the January 30 election was a turning point, that the battle of Falluja disabled the resistance, that Iraqi troops will be ready to handle the guerrillas in the not-too-distant future -- and that American troops will soon be brought home at least reasonably victorious. The reinstitution of a draft would constitute an admission that these beliefs are so many illusions. In all likelihood, therefore, any relaxation of the unequivocal opposition to the draft in the administration would indeed precipitate a sharp erosion of the war's already eroding base. Opposition might then reach the critical mass needed to make withdrawal "thinkable."

Bush's imperialistic criminal war is just fine so long as other people's kids have to fight and die for it, huh, you bastards? When your kid has to go, it's time to drop the charade.

Let's let the draft commence and bring the troops home. But not too soon. You want your kid to have a chance to participate in God's Bush's glory, don't you? I do. Even if it kills him. I'm not a nice person on this subject.

Good and Evil on this day in history

Good: On April 28, 1947, a six-man expedition sailed from Peru aboard a balsa wood raft named the Kon-Tiki on a 101-day journey across the Pacific Ocean to Polynesia.

Evil: 4/28/1942: Twelve hundred Berkeley, Calif. residents of Japanese descent report for transport to internment camp.

Dem Dumb Dems

The White-haired Rose of Texas, my darlin' Molly Ivins, goes on about how the GOP continues to screw reg'lar folks and how the Dems continue to let them get away with it.

Being of the populist persuasion, I am a terminal fan of Thomas Frank, who has gone from "What's the Matter With Kansas?" to "What's the Matter With Liberals?" in the current issue of the New York Review of Books, which is a good spot for it.

Those of us in the beer-drinking, pick-up-truck-driving, country-music-listening school of liberals in the hinterlands (That's me - ed.) particularly appreciate his keen dissection of how the Republicans use class resentment against "elitist liberals," while waging class warfare on people who work for a living.

The unholy combination of theocracy and plutocracy that now rules this country is, in fact, enabled by dumb liberals. Many a weary liberal on the Internet and elsewhere has been involved in the tedious study of the entrails from the last election, trying to figure out where Democrats went wrong. I don't have a dog in that fight, but I can guarantee you where they're going wrong for the next election: 73 Democratic House members and 18 Democratic senators voted for that hideous bankruptcy "reform" bill that absolutely screws regular people.

Long list of things that screw regular people. Read.

"The data show that the share of real income growth that has gone to wages and salaries has been smaller than during any other comparable post-World War II recovery period, while the share of real income growth that has gone to corporate profits has been larger than during all other comparable post-World War II recoveries."

In previous recoveries, workers got an average of 49 percent of the national income gains, while corporate profits got 18 percent. This time, the workers are getting 23 percent and the corporations are getting 44 percent -- about one half as much as the share that has gone to corporate profits.

None of that apply to you? Good. Go listen to Tom DeLay give another lecture on moral values.

I'd sooner smack myself repeatedly on the forehead with a ball peen hammer. It would be easier to take and more productive.

Deja Vu All Over Again...

This item caught my interest because I actually got to go to this clusterfuck. From The Baltimore Sun.

FORTY YEARS AGO, on the morning of April 26, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson spoke with a top State Department official about fast-moving events in the Dominican Republic. A popular rebellion was on the verge of toppling a military junta and restoring the country's democratically elected president, Juan Bosch, to power.

"This Bosch is no good," Mr. Johnson said. "He's no good at all," replied Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Mann, who added: "If we don't get a decent government in there, Mr. President, we get another Bosch. It's just going to be another sinkhole."


Two days after that phone conversation, thousands of U.S. Marines landed on the beaches of Santo Domingo. By then, the White House spin machinery was in high gear. When the president went on television to declare that the military action was necessary to rescue U.S. citizens, he didn't mention that nearly all of them had already been evacuated before the Marines arrived.

The invasion of the Dominican Republic turned out to be the first in a modern series of U.S. military interventions that produced quick victories overseas and evident satisfaction at home. The sudden and overwhelming arrival of U.S. troops in Santo Domingo was a prototype for the lightning-strike invasions of Grenada and Panama in the 1980s.

In their phone conversation two days before the Marines landed, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Mann were already planning the post-invasion government of the Dominican Republic.

A tape recording of the discussion conveys large doses of imperial arrogance. "We're going to have to really set up that government down there," the president said, "and run it and stabilize it some way or other."

Forty years later, it's easy to imagine similar conversations in the present-day Oval Office.

As young Marines, we didn't know or give a shit about the politics. We were eager to go somewhere and kick some ass. We assumed it was legit and our government was telling the truth. Please remember that it was the dawn of time as far as public awareness and speedy communication went. I got a real pretty Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal campaign ribbon out of the deal.

Looking back with 20/20 hindsight, we were used as unwitting tools by the administration, as servicemen have always been and will continue to be.

Iraq aside, when I read this article, for some reason Venezuela came to mind.

Hostile Information

From William Rivers Pitt via Truthout:

In this mean and meager time of pre-packaged, pre-processed, corporate-controlled infotainment that passes itself off as 'news, it is a rare and refreshing experience to see and hear a true journalist reporting the facts. I was privileged on Monday night to share a stage in Boston with Dahr Jamail, the intrepid reporter who could not stomach the biased non-news coming out of Iraq after the invasion, and went over there to see and report on what was happening himself.

And report he does. Read for yourself. What's being done in your name will make you angry.

The Pentagon has a phrase for the photos and reports Dahr Jamail was able to bring back to us from his time in Iraq. They call it 'Hostile Information,' otherwise known as unassailable facts that cut violently against the pretty portrait and non-news the American people have been spoon-fed about our occupation of that country.

'Horror' is not a strong enough word to describe what Dahr Jamail showed us on Monday night, what he saw with his own eyes, what almost no American has been allowed to see because 'Hostile Information' is not permitted in George Bush's America.

Bush and his holy cabal look at us like we're mushrooms: keep us in the dark and feed us shit. About everything they do.

Truer words . . .

From Eccentricity:

[. . .]

When you stand on principle and refuse to budge, those who flout principle look like the lowlives they are.

[. . .]

Can I get a Hallelujah? Can I get an Amen?

Catholics going wingnut

Caution! Catholics are not immune from Evangelical wingnuttery. Pam:

WTF?! Do these guys have a death wish for the Catholic church? These allegedly learned Men of God^TM keep uttering insane sh*t like this that makes them look like....ummm...our American Taliban! (Advocate):

[. . .]

Winning . . . not

Pauly:

[. . .]

The U.S. count of major world terrorist attacks more than tripled in 2004, rise that may revive debate on whether the Bush administration is winning the war on terrorism, congressional aides said Tuesday.

[. . .]

Rudeness

Satanic Judges Eat Jesus:

I had to

Courtesy of Pam's House Blend

Unbelievable failures

Ed Naha, a must read:

[. . .]

Oh, sure, the media has helped Bush and his band of merry madmen twist and trample the truth, but you don’t need to be an Einstein to survey the wreckage of this country and conclude that this bunch has been WRONG about EVERYTHING. Not just Iraq. Not just the economy. EVERYTHING. Still, they saunter unscathed through the wreckage, never allowing an unwanted fact trip them up.

[. . .]

Hat tip: Cmdr. Sue

Priorities

With all the problems in this country, Congress sure has their priorities straight. The Sister.

Don't take your guns to town, boys...

Well, just as Florida makes it legal to pre-emptively blow folks to Kingdom Come if they scare you (aka the Bush Doctrine), a real Cowboy State has decided that guns and alcohol don't really mix all that well. From AZ Central:

Gov. Janet Napolitano said no on Monday to mixing guns and alcohol in Arizona nightspots.

The end of an era. No more "Go fer yer hog-leg, Slade! I'm a-callin' ya (hic) out, ya varmint!"

"We're happy she recognized that it's dangerous for our employees and for the industry as a whole," said Miglino, who owns Nixon's at the Esplanade. "It is also exciting for the recognition of the hospitality industry and how important it is to the state. You can't mess with the golden goose, which is tourism in Arizona."

Yeah doggies, blow the sonofabitch to hell and feathers, no more Golden Eggs! I think people vacation in Arizona half hoping to see an Old West shootout. People don't vacation in South Central L.A. for the same reason.

Eric Edwards, executive director of the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police, said, "Guns don't mix with booze any better than driving has."

Duh.

Please keep in mind that it's legal to carry a handgun in Arizona without a permit as long as it's in plain sight. A lot of folks do and nobody freaks out over it. Guns are openly and legally bought and sold at swap meets. Try either one of those in California, go to jail.

While this law seems a little trivial, it shows that Arizona, a notoriously Red State, is slowly changing due to an influx of less-conservative people fleeing California's taxes and up-tight, restrictive laws.

Are you effin' kidding me?*

WASHINGTON - Confronting growing concerns over high energy prices, President Bush on Wednesday will unveil controversial plans to spur construction of new nuclear power plants, provide incentives to buy diesel vehicles and most novel of all: use some old military bases for oil refineries.

[. . .]

Nuclear power.Bush will call on Congress to provide a “risk insurance” plan to insulate the nuclear industry against regulatory delays if they build new nuclear power plants.

[. . .]

Dicknose has gone over the edge. Let me tell you about a little place called Shoreham, Long Island.

Late last month, the people of New York State got quite a bargain: the Shoreham nuclear-power plant on Long Island, complete and almost ready to run, a certified $5.3-billion value for only one dollar.

If you wonder why the plant's owner, the Long Island Lighting Company (Lilco), was willing to sell at such a discount, the answer can be found in that phrase ''almost ready to run.'' All Shoreham lacks is an operating license, for which it has been waiting since its completion in 1984. It doesn't have an operating license because the State of New York and its creature, Suffolk County, have refused to take part in developing the emergency-evacuation plans that are a requisite to securing the license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). . .

This was written in 1988. Know what Shoreham is doing, 17 years later? Nothing. It's falling into the ground. I'm still paying for that white elephant and I will be for about 20 more years. I'm gonna be paying more when the containment begins to fail and they have to sink more money into the place to keep it safe. When people see places like Shoreham, and the money we have to sink into working plants like Indian Point and Yankee in order to protect them from terrorists, they're not gonna want to pay for it. Especially if it does nothing for them in the short-term. Personally, I'm in favor of nuke plants, but in the current post-9/11 climate, it ain't gonna happen. Not in my backyard anyway.

Update: 18:30:

I was listening to (p)resident Drooling Sphincter on the ABC World News talk about 'fixing' the problem of energy dependence. As a mechanic, when I hear the word 'fix' I expect the fucking thing to work when the 'fixing' is over with. So far, everything Chimpy's 'fixed' is broken.

*No relation to RUFNKM.

Progress too slow, say 9/11 panelists

From USA Today:

Congress and President Bush aren't moving fast enough to protect the nation from terrorist attacks, the leaders of the commission that investigated 9/11 said Tuesday.

"We know many of these recommendations are going to be implemented," Kean said. "The question is whether they're going to be implemented before the next attack or after it."

I've been wondering the same thing myself.

Outstanding!

Eponymous. He knows where to get me, with my love of lubricants.

I hope I'm wrong

But why do I get the feeling we're gonna rename Florida the 'O-K Corral'? WaPo:

MIAMI -- It is either a Wild West revival, a return to the days of "shoot first and ask questions later," or a triumph for the "Castle Doctrine" -- the notion that enemies invade personal space at their peril.

Such dueling rhetoric marked the debate over a measure that Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) could sign as early as Tuesday. The legislation passed so emphatically that National Rifle Association backers plan to take it to statehouses across the nation, including Virginia's, over the next year. The law will let Floridians "meet force with force," erasing the "duty to retreat" when they fear for their lives outside of their homes, in their cars or businesses, or on the street.

[. . .]

I hope they don't think I'm going to take my family to DisneyWorld after this goes into effect. Done my time in war zones, ain't walking into one willingly. What the fuck is wrong with you people?

And just a thought before I head out. How many shootings you think there will be during Speed Weeks and Bike Week at Daytona next year? At Spring Break? Can we give Florida back to the Spanish?

Liberalism

Tastes great and less filling. Cmdr. Sue finally made an index page for her continuing series. It behooves one to go read it.

Maybe if ya tell 'em you're Canadian...

The reverberations of Bush's foreign policy are getting more disastrous with each passing day as described in The Onion.

American students traveling abroad confirm the findings of a study indicating that Washington's unilateral approach to foreign policy has seriously undermined Americans' chances of getting laid.

"Unpopular military actions and dismissal of international organizations have galvanized world hostility toward the U.S.," Hapbrook said. "Instead of being inundated with questions about Hollywood and requests to help hot young foreigners practice their English, Americans are being openly scorned in European pubs and cafes. Data taken from a poll of students in December 2004 showed that only a dismal 11 percent had achieved sexual congress with a non-American."

"I'm in Amsterdam—Amsterdam, for Christ's sake—and I'm in the middle of the longest dry spell I can remember," Higgs said. "Last week, I was making out with this Italian girl at a concert. It was all going great until the music ended and she heard my American accent. I swear to God, I went from the cusp of a hand job to, 'Why won't your country sign the Kyoto Treaty?'"

Acknowledging that a large-scale change in American foreign policy is unlikely to occur before the end of the current semester, Hapbrook recommended three tactics for American students frustrated in their attempts to bed foreigners.

"First, pretend you're Canadian whenever you can," Hapbrook said. "But make sure you're not around actual Canadians, because they'll know you're lying and cock-block you. Second, if there are any anti-American protests going on, take care to avoid women carrying signs. Third, focus your itinerary on countries like Ireland and Japan that are still relatively friendly to Americans."

"You may want to write off France altogether," Hapbrook added.

"This affects all of us," Higgs said. "The government has to acknowledge the needs of young Americans. Too many U.S. citizens in foreign lands are spending sleepless, lonely nights jerking off in increasingly filthy sleeping bags. It sucks."

No shit. Why even go to Europe if not for the notoriously uninhibited young women? Museums? History? Different cultures and people? Fabulous scenery? Adventure? Sheep?

Bush may have gone too far this time!

Heh . . . good

Gillard. And everybody thought I stepped on my dick this weekend.

And Blogger sucks WET MONKEY ASS again!

Well, I don't know about this...

I like Jonathan Alter, and I see the wisdom in this piece in Newsweek, but I'm not sure I'm patient enough to want to see it through.

If DeLay goes down, his shamelessness will go with him, which will make it harder to see the GOP's true agenda. Take the assault on federal judges. DeLay first asserted that they must "answer for their behavior" in the Schiavo case. His "apology" consisted of adding: "We set up the courts. We can unseat the courts. We have the power of the purse." At a recent strategy session sponsored by Tony Perkins's Family Research Council and James Dobson's Focus on the Family, discussion focused on getting rid of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which the right wing deems too liberal. Perkins and Dobson reminded the group that they need not impeach judges, they can simply defund them, as DeLay recommends.

But this smelly hypocrisy—assuming it's not found illegal—merely offends the senses. DeLay's views on muscling the judiciary and ending the separation of church and state (which he believes is a fiction) offend the Constitution. That makes it too important to leave to the media and the rest of the Washington scandal machine to remedy. This job belongs to the voters, who can hammer the Hammer by siding against his many acolytes in Congress. Let's make 2006 a referendum on the right wing. For that, DeLay must stay.

Please read the rest, either on the link or Below The Fold.

I see the wisdom in this approach, but being a vengeful sorta guy I want his ass out on the street right now. I think he would be easier to indict that way, as more people would overcome their fear of him and come forward with good scoop on his nefarious, scumbag dealings. I want to see him in Federal Prison, hopefully at Marion IL.

On the other hand, Alter is right: leave him in place to make the whole Republican dirtbag agenda more apparent to even the brain-dead Retard Right and hand 'em their ass in '06.

Oh, what to do? What to do?

Of course, a nice multi-count indictment would solve my conundrum nicely. He might even offer up some of the top brass to lighten his sentence. They might just whisk him away to Gitmo on "national security" grounds. Wouldn't that just beat all?

Yeesh

No shit.

On Bolton

The Poor Man:

. . . He should not be allowed to work in any diplomatic position whatsoever, whether it is ambassador to the UN, negotiating with North Korea, negotiating with Chick Korea, or working the 3rd shift at the customer service window at Safeway. . .

Update: 15:45:

JRH:

. . . It's about time that someone realized that George Bush's nominations for just about any position that opens up are done just to amuse himself and see if he can actually get people who are ridiculously unqualified confirmed to positions of power. He seems to carefully pick the person least qualified for a particular position from his loyal followers. . .

Sense

Echidne:

It has taken me a long time to decide that this article is not a hoax. I so wanted it to be a joke.

It is written by one Ronald E. Williams, an American Talibanist of an extreme kind, and it advocates corporeal punishment of children. No, it doesn't just advocate such punishment, it begs and pleads the parents (the father, obviously, but the mother can be delegated the duty to beat) to really revel in such beatings, to give them a chance to work by sticking at it, for hours if necessary. Why? Because the Bible tells him so. Also because children are inherently bad (why did God make them so?) and need to have their will broken, preferably before they turn twelve months old. No, I am not making this up.

[. . .]

Now, being the only child of a crusty Brit and an artillery horse German, I got disciplined. Boy did I get disciplined. I deserved it too. I was a pain in the ass when I was young. My dad was free with the hand, or to give me a boot in the ass, and mom could pick me off at 30 feet with the wooden spoon, but I never got a beating.

. . . This particular child who came along later in our family was extremely willful and rebellious toward our authority and would often require sessions of correction lasting from one to two hours in length before the will would finally be broken! . . . [my emphasis]

And these folks think this is what Jesus would want?

SNAFU

What have I been bitching about since last year? From Asia Times via Michael Hawkins:

[. . .]

All four military services missed their enlistment quotas last year, according to one analysis, and regular military, reserve and National Guard recruitment levels are at a 30-year low.

With a lack of new troops, the Pentagon has relied heavily on rotations to maintain the 150,000-strong force in Iraq. Yet a Pentagon-funded poll in late 2003 found that 49% of troops did not plan to re-enlist, and that number is likely to be even higher now.

Without a major influx of new recruits, many observers say the option of relying on Reserves and National Guard troops is not sustainable. [my emphases]

[. . .]

One question. Does any general officer in the Pentagon, or another command, have the balls to tell Rummy this is a recepie for disaster? I didn't think so. God, they don't make officers like they used to.

Tell it like it is, Howie

From the WaPo:

Howard Dean may not be running for anything, but his elbows appear to be as sharp as ever.

Since taking over as chairman of the Democratic National Committee earlier this year, the former presidential candidate has been quoted in newspapers making unusually caustic remarks about Republicans.

Dean has suggested that they are "evil." That they are "corrupt." He called them "brain-dead" during a stop in Toronto -- and while the Terri Schiavo case was still in the news. He has tagged Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) as a "liar." Last week, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that he mimicked a "drug-snorting Rush Limbaugh" at an event there.

Dean was noted for his candid and often unpredictable comments during his campaign last year. Then, as now, many Democrats said they don't mind the former Vermont governor's bluntness.

Don't mind? Are you kidding? I, for one, positively welcome it. It's about time somebody started calling these Republican retards what they are! Way to go, Doc!

Pricks

Once again, the Repubs show their paper assholes. Via Big Brass Blog from Common Dreams:

The UN's top human rights investigator in Afghanistan has been forced out under American pressure just days after he presented a report criticising the US military for detaining suspects without trial and holding them in secret prisons.

Cherif Bassiouni had needled the US military since his appointment a year ago, repeatedly trying, without success, to interview alleged Taliban and al-Qa'ida prisoners at the two biggest US bases in Afghanistan, Kandahar and Bagram.

Mr Bassiouni's report had highlighted America's policy of detaining prisoners without trial and lambasted coalition officials for barring independent human rights monitors from its bases.

[. . .]

So how are we any different from some tin-horn dictator in some Third World toilet? Oh yeah, we're a 'superpower' so we have the juice to pull this guy's plug. The Third world despot can only give the U.N. the finger.

Reid rocks

Via Kos, a press release from the Reid camp:

As a matter of comity, the Minority in the Senate traditionally defers to the Majority in the setting of the agenda. If Bill Frist pulls the nuclear trigger, Democrats will show deference no longer.

Invoking a little-known Senate procedure called Rule XIV, last week Democrats put nine bills on the Senate calendar that seek to help America fulfill its promise.

If Republican's break the rules Democrats will use the rule to bring to the Senate floor an agenda that meets the needs of average Americans, such as lowering gas prices, reducing the cost of health care and helping veterans.

"Across the country, people are worried about things that matter to their families - the health of their loved ones, their child's performance in schools, and those sky high gas prices," said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. "But what is the number one priority for Senate Republicans? Doing away with the last check on one-party rule in Washington to allow President Bush, Senator Frist and Tom Delay to stack the courts with radical judges. If Republicans proceed to pull the trigger on the nuclear option, Democrats will respond by employing existing Senate rules to push forward our agenda for America."

Democrats have introduced bills that address America's real challenges. (Details attached)

1. Women's Health Care (S. 844). "The Prevention First Act of 2005" will reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions by increasing funding for family planning and ending health insurance discrimination against women.

2. Veterans' Benefits (S. 845). "The Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2005" will assist disabled veterans who, under current law, must choose to either receive their retirement pay or disability compensation.

3. Fiscal Responsibility (S. 851). Democrats will move to restore fiscal discipline to government spending and extend the pay-as-you-go requirement.

4. Relief at the Pump (S. 847). Democrats plan to halt the diversion of oil from the markets to the strategic petroleum reserve. By releasing oil from the reserve through a swap program, the plan will bring down prices at the pump.

5. Education (S. 848). Democrats have a bill that will: strengthen head start and child care programs, improve elementary and secondary education, provide a roadmap for first generation and low-income college students, provide college tuition relief for students and their families, address the need for math, science and special education teachers, and make college affordable for all students.

6. Jobs (S. 846). Democrats will work in support of
legislation that guarantees overtime pay for workers and sets a fair minimum wage.

7. Energy Markets (S. 870). Democrats work to prevent Enron-style market manipulation of electricity.

8. Corporate Taxation (S. 872). Democrats make sure companies pay their fair share of taxes to the U.S. government instead of keeping profits overseas.

9. Standing with our troops (S. 11). Democrats believe that putting America's security first means standing up for our troops and their families

"Abusing power is not what the American people sent us to Washington to do. We need to address real priorities instead -- fight for relief at the gas pump, stronger schools and lower health care costs for America's families," said Senator Reid.

Windy City Lefty shares my view:

[. . .]

It's beautiful - Reid found a loophole to get these bills placed on the calendar. It's the perfect fuck you to Frist -- if you want to get Bush's extremist judges in, you're going to be the guy who has to cobble together 60 votes to stop some very popular legislation. You probably don't want to be the guy who says no to birth control for the needy and continues to deprive injured vets of benefits they deserve. Plan on trying to shout down fiscal responsibility? Bad call if you ever want to cast yourself as the party of Warren Rudman again. And just think of what all of those Wal-Mart employees are going to do when you shut down a minimum wage hike. Shut down the rest, and you're an anti-troop, anti-education whore to the energy industry. Anyone reading this blog knows that, but the rest of the country has been blissfully ignorant.

[. . .]

Shame on me

Because I've been meaning to say something about this for a week. Yelladog does a great job:

I encourage you to read Bob Herbert's memorial to Marla Ruzicka in the NY Times today.

[. . .]

This wonderful article is balm to my fevered brow in the wake of the vilification of Ruzicka's memory by The Usual Suspects on the Blunt Trauma Right. I suspect that the vision of their own grotesqueness and flaccid failings in life propel much of their venom. It's important for me to remember this when I get exercised enough to start thinking about taking my watch off, rolling up my sleeves and dispensing a little "Mind your manners when you're speaking about a woman, boy" gospel to the pajama brigade.

Perhaps it's sexual envy- one hardly ever sees this kind of venom sprayed hither and yon when a male relief worker dies. But let a principled and nubile young woman die in pursuit of justice, and it's digital scarlet letter time. It reminds me of the fat geeks who, during our freshman year of college, deemed every woman who would not sleep with speak to them to be of one of four types of undesirables: Whore, Dyke, Frigid or Psycho. Add to that list "Traitorous Lefty Bitch," and I think that our toes may have just found the bottom of this cesspool of rage and venom.

[. . .]

This woman was an American hero and her life was shrugged off with nary a thought by the American media. Thank God we voted in favor 'moral values' 6 months ago.

Good question

Maru:

'God's Rottweiler' says he stuck his cold wet nose in the Almighty's ass and prayed not to be elected Pontiff. If God won't answer his prayers, what chance do the rest of us have?

[. . .]

'Splain this

------------------------------------------------------

Bodies of two missing toddlers found, Georgia authorities say -

=========================================

I'm watching the parents being interviewed. Why is it that all these child killings happen in Jesusland? I mean, kids get killed here, but it's usually for some sorta reason (gang activity, drug deals, a girl). Why is it there are so many of the sickos down there? I mean, these are the same folks who say New York is so bad for the reasons I listed above. These are supposed to be Jesus' chosen people, right? Shouldn't the whackjobs be spawned by the Liberal urban areas instead of the 'Moral Majority' ones? I mean, if you follow their logic . . . Oh . . . wait . . . never mind.

Update: 18:00:

In comments, the CultureGhost asked a good question:

Are their stats any higher than the nation as a whole?

Chart here. The short answer, in a state by state comparison, is yes.

Bitches

Heh.

Update: 18:45:

Via Atrios.

I'm worried

For Ol' G.D. From the Frog himself:

Frogs are exploding in Germany. I am not kidding. Here's the story. Exploding frogs (or toads...the story isn't very clear). Don't know what to make of this, except it sounds pretty grotesque.

See what happens when you don't get enough fiber.

Biden my time

Via Suburban Guerrilla:

[. . .]

Meanwhile Sunday, there were hints of a possible compromise. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, told ABC News's "This Week": "I think we should compromise and say to them that we're willing to -- of the seven judges -- we'll let a number of them go through, the two most extreme not go through, and put off this [rule-change] vote." [- WaPo].

I want to like Joe Biden, I really do. I like his manner, and I think he knows foreign policy better than any Senator, but Jesus H. Christ, does he have to offer up his ass every time a fight gets hot? No, Joe, goddammit, no compromise, no quarter, NO FUCKING JESUS-FREAK JUDGES, period.

Holy Crap

Words fail me right now, mostly because I'm rollin' on the floor. Go see the Bumper Dumper. Be sure to take mama to the RV place so they can recommend a strong enough hitch. E-Z Lift, maybe? Thanks, 42.

Wolcott in L.A.

James Wolcott is in L.A. for some books & authors deal at UCLA. Since I'm from L.A., and attended UCLA at one time, I read with interest. He picks right up on the important West Coast stuff, for a New Yorker.

...and fiery-haired goddess Arianna Huffington, who told me my "blowjob" post was a big hit out there. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Blowjobs, as I'm sure many of you are aware, are a vital industry in LA. High price call girls charge up to a $1,000 for the service, awarding the john afterwards with a certificate of authenticity and a cute little keychain as a parting gift. Well, you really should get something extra for spending all that money.

Shit, James, L.A. locals don't pay for 'em. They just say they work for a casting director.

Go read the post. Then scroll down one or come back and click for "An Embarrassment Of Arnolds".

The LA Times and the local news broadcasts out here (which really live down to their nitwit reputation--it's as if the anchors had the Botox injected directly into their brains) are aburst with stories about Arnold in Trouble. His poll numbers have sunk into Bush territory, the unions are running TV ads slamming the governor into the mat, and wife Maria Shriver has jumped in with both scary cheekbones to exercise damage control.

The best deadpan coverage of Arnold Deflated was provided this morning by the LA Times, which discussed fractures and friction in Schwarzenegger's political team as they fight over the oars on the lifeboat.

This is a noteworthy post because of whom the Governator had frontin' for him at a "rally".

I wonder if identifying Tom Arnold as an "actor" wasn't another subtle insertion of LA Times deadpan humor. Arnold does something on screen in The Stupids, McHale's Navy, and Soul Plane, but I'm not sure it could be characterized by even the most charitable as "acting."

One more reason to control illegal immigration. Tom Arnold only got into showbiz because he lost his Iowa meat packing job to someone who would work harder and for less money.

Bolton? Revoltin'!

Since I brought it up in my last post, just below, I'll follow it up. Thank God for news links like Truthout. From Associated Press.

Withdraw or be pushed out by the White House. Survive the test of his professional life. Suffer a rejection by the Senate. That's about what it comes down to for John R. Bolton, President Bush's besieged nominee to be U.N. ambassador.

"This nomination is not doomed, but it's on life support and the plug may well be pulled any day," said Allan J. Lichtman, a political history professor at American University.

"My sense is that he's going down," said Thomas Mann, an expert on Congress and the presidency at the Brookings Institution in Washington. It is not clear, Mann said, whether Bolton would jump or be pushed by the White House.

Who cares? As long as gravity and that sudden stop at the bottom do their stuff!

The Brits are grinding their ax as well. From Newsweek.

But the London story is further evidence that Bolton and the White House have their work cut out for them. On several occasions, America's closest ally in the war on terror, Britain, was irked by what U.S. and British sources say were efforts by Bolton to undermine promising diplomatic openings. Perhaps the most dramatic instance took place early in the U.S.-British talks in 2003 to force Libya to surrender its nuclear program, NEWSWEEK has learned. The Libya deal succeeded only after British officials "at the highest level" persuaded the White House to keep Bolton off the negotiating team. A crucial issue, according to sources involved in the affair, was Muammar Kaddafi's demand that if Libya abandoned its WMD program, the U.S. in turn would drop its goal of regime change. But Bolton was unwilling to support this compromise. The White House agreed to keep Bolton "out of the loop," as one source puts it. A deal was struck only after Kaddafi was reassured that Bush would settle for "policy change"-surrendering his WMD. One Bush official called the accounts of both incidents "flatly untrue" (like, duh! - ed.).

It ain't in the bag yet either way. I'm hopin' Bolton will go down. That cat wouldn't have lasted ten minutes in any of the motorcycle shops I've worked in with a mouth like his, and most of the hairy bastards that populate 'sickle shops would make better ambassadors. And, Bolton: take that little chimp down with ya.

Holy War Sunday

Man, there's a lot of shit flyin' today about this clusterfuck. The Louisville Courier-Journal chimes in about the judge nominees that are the cause of it all. I wouldn't feel safe fighting a fix-it ticket in front of these idiots. Via Truthout.

At the rate things are going in American politics, next week will bring ads by the Noah's Ark Veterans for Truth claiming that the two Democrats on board were actually stowaways, whom God had intended for drowning but who snuck on cross-dressed as gayals.

It should be called, "Injustice Sunday: Demean the holy and foment schism for partisan gain."

Whatever you think of these nominees and the Democrats' filibuster of them, it is not the religious faith they possess, but the judicial qualities they lack -- restraint, balance, experience, respect for law -- that have brought the nation to this sorry point

There's Priscilla Owen, the token white woman and Texas judge whose eagerness to substitute her own values for the rule of law was too much for even Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who rebuked her for it when both served on the same court.

There's Janice Rogers Brown, the token black woman and California judge who believes that our vibrant nation of free-market capitalism -- this economy of Wal-Marts, Pfizers and Enrons and of Googles, Yahoos and Apples; this home of a pitiful $5.15 minimum wage and of a staggering 44 million people without health insurance; this land of soaring CEO pay and declining real wages for workers -- has actually been crushed by the boot of collectivism ever since what she calls the 1937 "triumph of our own socialist revolution."

There's Brett Kavanaugh, who has never tried a case, but rose from Ken Starr's impeachment crusade to become a White House operative.

There's William G. Meyers III, who also lacks trial experience but who has put in plenty of time rabidly fighting against environmental laws and in favor of mining interests.

And there's William Haynes II, whose meager courtroom work is offset by his considerable contribution, as the Defense Department's counsel, to the shameful abandonment of America's deepest legal principles regarding the treatment and rights of prisoners of war and detainees.

It's no wonder their advocates are so intent on diverting attention from their legal limitations, ideological excesses and partisan activism with claims of anti-Christian discrimination.

But religious martyrs, they're not -- nor jurists worthy of the damage their nominations are doing to both politics and religion.

Frist is using the Retardiligious Right and their hatred (a fine christian quality) of "activist judges", you know, the judges who rule by law rather than bigoted pseudo-religious political ideology that fits their demented vision of the future they wish to impose against the rest of us, to further his own personal political ambition, i.e. a presidential campaign. Someone better dab a loop around this idiot and tell him that the 13% of Americans who felt that intervention of Congress in the Schiavo affair was a good thing ain't enough to elect his pathetic ass.

Nah, I take it back; let him run with this deflated football. He's showing his ideology-trumps-reality pipe dream to the American public. A lot of us are getting sick and tired of this religious agenda. Just like it's the Republicans who will pull down DeLay and offensive presidential nominees like Bolton (I hope), it will be the real Christians who will stop this crap because it makes them all look like hateful morons. They have to be the ones who do it. Anyone else would drown under the whine of "religious persecution".

I hope when the God-based bigots and their political users reach the end of their rope, their feet won't quite touch the ground.

Justice Sunday

AMERICABlog:

Remember last fall when Whoopi Goldberg made a joke about Bush at a Kerry fundraiser and the GOP went crazy? Ken "Straight but not on the record" Mehlman called it a "hatefest." The lapdogs in the mainstream media all obediently tagged Kerry with Whoopi's remarks. It was such a scandal....neverminding the fact that Whoopi is a comedian.

The right wingers are always pulling stunts like this, linking comedians to Democratic politicians as if the Dems. are responsible for their acts.

Fast forward to today's radical right wing hatefest: "Justice Sunday - Stopping The Filibuster Against People of Faith." This event is not being hosted by comedians or entertainers. It is sponsored by political professionals who have very close relationships to the White House, the RNC and the GOP leadership in the House and Senate.

[. . .]

They should have renamed it 'Just Us Sunday'. (I owe somebody credit for that, but for the life of me, I can't remember where I saw it. STML*) It's only hate when us Liberal, Commie-Pinko, Baby-killing, Jesus-hating, anal sex-loving, heathens say something against the Repubs. When they engage, they're protecting something. Be it Jesus (whom I doubt needs any protection from Bill Frist), or marriage, or whatever. The American Taliban are gonna have a rude awakening sooner rather than later. (See Gord's post below.) Already there are die hard Repubs I know (who told me I was crazy when I said the Christo-Fascists are taking over 6 months ago) who now see their party as a laughing stock at best and marginalized at worst. I'm willing to wager that if the 'Christian Wing' of the party keeps up this 'God in government' push, many are gonna jump ship in '06.

And just an aside to the Jesus-freaks: Do you actually think God and Jesus need you to protect them from us? If you do, you have an overly high opinion of yourselves, you ignorant assholes. If God's on your side, you can sleep well knowing when He gets tired of my colleagues and me reaming your asses, we'll be smited (smote? smitten?, no not smitten). Remember Noah? The boat? The Animals' Swingers Club? (All them couples reminds me of Plato's Retreat. It does sorta explain the diversity of species' though.) He don't need you to help him out, trust me. Dickheads.

*STML=Short Term Memory Loss

Gannongate revisited

Raw Story via the King:

[. . .]

Guckert [Gannon] made more than two dozen excursions to the White House when there were no scheduled briefings. On many of these days, the Press Office held press gaggles aboard Air Force One—which raises questions about what Guckert was doing at the White House. On other days, the president held photo opportunities.

On at least fourteen occasions, Secret Service records show either the entry or exit time missing. Generally, the existing entry or exit times correlate with press conferences; on most of these days, the records show that Guckert checked in but was never processed out.

In March, 2003, Guckert left the White House twice on days he had never checked in with the Secret Service. Over the next 22 months, Guckert failed to check out with the Service on fourteen days. On several of these visits, Guckert either entered or exited by a different entry/exit point than his usual one. On one of these days, no briefing was held; on another, he checked in twice but failed to check out.

[. . .]

So, he was more than just a plant. It looks like he also had a 'service contract' with someone at the White House. Gord, give that man a buttplug.

F-man=Asshole

I have my moments. Had one this week and I'd like to apologize for it. Not to go into it here, I'll let you hear it from the injured party. My apology is in comments.

Gonna leave this on top today

I know that gloating is premature, but...

Editorial in today's NYTimes:

We are not optimistic, or naïve, enough to call it a trend yet, but there have been signs that some sensible Republicans are starting to realize that the Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, and the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, are vastly overreaching any plausible electoral mandate in their quest for one-party control of every aspect of government and their demands for mute party fealty.

The most striking example was in the Senate, where a few Republicans are starting to resist President Bush's latest demand for unquestioning approval of a high-level nominee who is clearly unsuitable for the job he has been given.

Mr. Bush is still sticking with Mr. Bolton and Mr. DeLay. But Republican concerns undercut his attempt to paint the criticism of both men as partisan. The fast-emerging question for him and the other Republicans is, when they will realize that nothing in the American system provides for the party that wins an election to do whatever it wants, no matter what objections are raised by the minority party or even some of its own members? The point is not lost on American voters: primal party loyalty is no substitute for effective, democratic government.

I've been predicting this for months, even though I claim no credit for thinking it up. I'm glad the media is finally commenting on the elephant they spotted in the room some time ago. Sometimes, I guess it takes being smacked upside the head with a 2x4 to get 'em to do their job. That usually works for me.

Oy!

Just going over site referrals. Imagine my surprise when I find that a Google search for the word "buttplugs" points you to the Brain. Gordon, what have you been up to?

Shameful

The Family Values team is once again showing their true colors. Chimp Co. wants to weaken Clinton's Family Leave legislation, making it harder for people to take time off from work to tend to sick family members. They want the Terri Schiavos of the land to live forever, but they don't want her family to have the time to care for her. Seems that's a burden for Big Business.

I'm so freaking tired of hearing about compassion, religion, and the Culture of Life from these Republicans when they wouldn't have given Mother Mary time off from work to tend to Jesus on the cross. They make me ill, and they ought to be ashamed.

The stench of hypocrisy 5

John at Blogenlust sees a glaring example:

Jeb Bush will be the head of the US delegation at Pope Benedict XVI's inauguration on Sunday, and by the standards of the new pope, I'd like to condemn Jeb's participation in the Holy Communion.

[. . .]

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Yeesh!

A little redesign

No, not the blog, the benefits of retired military. Rob:

[. . .]

Translated...it's getting too expensive to live up to the promises we made to those who serve our nation. Time to "redesign" those promises.

[. . .]

The Bush Doctine: We'll 'support our troops' as long as they're able to pick up a rifle.

But Jesus hates queers

Via Francesca from LA Times:

PASADENA, Texas — Texas lawmakers are considering legislation that could make this the only state to ban gays and lesbians from being foster parents.

Conservatives have pledged to fight for the measure, part of a bill to revamp the state's Child Protective Services agency, despite concerns that as many as 3,000 children could be removed from their homes. [my emphasis]

[. . .]

3000 children torn away from loving homes. Shows ya how concerned the Repubs are about kids. Buncha assholes. What I've found (living in New York, I have a bunch of gay friends), is that some of the best and committed relationships are between gay couples. I know couples who've been together 20, 30, even 40 years, far more than among the hetero couples I know. Some have children, the vast majority whom have turned out bright and well-adjusted, what we'd all consider successes. Now, regardless of what it says about the marginalization of gays, it's what this will do to the children who are torn away from generally loving, nurturing families.

How can anyone say they care about children when they would willingly cause them this type of trauma? I mean, people don't become foster parents (generally) unless they want to give a child a good, stable home and lots of love. With all the child abuse we hear about occurring in the Lone Star State (Andrea Yates, and that other lady who cut off her kid's arms, and others; all 'good Christians'), why would they want to deny these children a loving home? Why would they go out of their way to hurt children in the name of God? Why would they want to reduce in size the pool of kind, caring people willing to open their home to a child who needs one? What Texas Repubs (and the lot of 'em nationally) are attempting to do is not Christian. Ladies and gents, I may be a little heathen but even I know Jesus wouldn't want that. Not the Jesus I learned about.

Thinking gives me a headache

From my dear friend (and cousin-in-law) Encino Man:

It started out innocently enough.
I began to think at parties now and then -- to loosen up.
Inevitably, though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker.
I began to think alone -- "to relax," I told myself -- but I knew it wasn't true.
Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time.

[. . .]

More Below the Fold . . .