Thursday, June 7, 2007
A Republican State Party Chairman Wishes More Terrorist Attacks on U.S. to Prove George W. Bush "Right"
BuzzFlash
Some time back, one of the neoconmen said they needed a "new Pearl Harbor". Well, they got it on 9/11. Their little flying monkey blew it big time by invading a country, for reasons of his own (OIL, MONEY, POWER), that had nothing to do with it, like as if FDR had declared war on Mexico after 7 December '41.
Bush has NEVER been right, is NOT right about it now, and will NEVER be right about his pre-emptive criminal war and occupation of Iraq. It has absolutely minus 100% nothing to do with the fictional, made-up "war on terror" except as the acts have exacerbated feelings against us, thank you George.
And now this dumb-ass Arkie Repug wants more Americans to die in a last-ditch attempt to prove the unprovable. That motherfucker got me so pissed-off I can't see straight, and yet I hear crickets from the media about it.
Then I calmed down and the light came on in my head. The Repuglican 1000-year Reich is over. It is in its Last Throes. They are on a greasy downslope and are desperate to salvage what they criminally engineered and then bungled. Ain't gonna happen...
Unless they attack and kill thousands of Americans themselves. See "Werwolf" and this. Substitute the words 'Constitution', 'rule of law', 'the will of the people', and 'everybody but Repuglicanmongers' for 'Allies'.
Keep your rifles clean.
Yes, Dennis Milligan, the head of the Arkansas GOP, said this just a few days ago, posted in a June 3 article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Now, this is a monstrously barbaric and treasonous statement. It is hard to even begin to wrap one's mind around how it wishes Americans more terrorist attacks to prove Bush is "right" in sending Americans to die and paying hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to war profiteers. To repeat, Milligan is wishing more Americans to die from terrorism on our home soil in order to prove that Bush is doing the "right thing" to prevent such attacks from occurring.
Okay, lift up your jaw.
Now, here's our point. Beyond how Milligan represents the traitorous extremes that Republicans will go to in making excuses for failed policies, have you heard one word of denunciation or alarm from the right wing media echo chamber about the traitor in their midst?
We haven't. Not a peep.
These people are enemies within our midst, whose minds and loyalties to an authoritarian hierarchy of incompetents is more important to them than loyalty to our safety and to our Constitution.
Think of what would have transpired if a Democratic State Party Chairman had said this. It would have been a national media and Republican talking point uproar for days.
But, most importantly, remember this point. This is for real. This is how Republicans think.
They wish us harm in order to prove that they are "right" in pursuing errant policies.
They have lost all sense of real concern for our safety – and are a threat to our well-being.
Some time back, one of the neoconmen said they needed a "new Pearl Harbor". Well, they got it on 9/11. Their little flying monkey blew it big time by invading a country, for reasons of his own (OIL, MONEY, POWER), that had nothing to do with it, like as if FDR had declared war on Mexico after 7 December '41.
Bush has NEVER been right, is NOT right about it now, and will NEVER be right about his pre-emptive criminal war and occupation of Iraq. It has absolutely minus 100% nothing to do with the fictional, made-up "war on terror" except as the acts have exacerbated feelings against us, thank you George.
And now this dumb-ass Arkie Repug wants more Americans to die in a last-ditch attempt to prove the unprovable. That motherfucker got me so pissed-off I can't see straight, and yet I hear crickets from the media about it.
Then I calmed down and the light came on in my head. The Repuglican 1000-year Reich is over. It is in its Last Throes. They are on a greasy downslope and are desperate to salvage what they criminally engineered and then bungled. Ain't gonna happen...
Unless they attack and kill thousands of Americans themselves. See "Werwolf" and this. Substitute the words 'Constitution', 'rule of law', 'the will of the people', and 'everybody but Repuglicanmongers' for 'Allies'.
Keep your rifles clean.
Fright Night II
Marc Cooper on the Repug can'tdidates panderpalooza:
I think Leno said this but I'll steal it: they could have folks call in to vote the candidates off one at a time! It would save a lot of money not having to hold a primary election. Repugs don't like elections anyway. The last man standing would go up against the next President.
How long before Romney does his hair up like Sanjaya?
And they're not going to. These clowns don't give a shit right now about the 70%. They're playing to the 28%. Period. This is PRIMARY politics. Whichever one of 'em can the most ignoramuses to vote for him in the Repuglican't primaries gets to be the nominee. His tune will change big time after that, believe me.
Doesn't matter. This is without a doubt the weakest bunch of dweebs I've ever seen trying to be the President, and I was the Duty NCO who threw the switch when the Good Lord said "Let there be light!"
A 10-ringer with elephants in every one! Sometimes I wish I was a shovel salesman. I'd, er, clean up.
If the DNC had enough good sense, they'd bankroll the Republican Presidential Debates as a weekly, roving, televised Chautauqua. I mean, what more could a Democratic campaign ever ask for than what was seen Tuesday night on CNN? Every major (and almost every minor) Republican contender elbowing each other aside to chide President Bush while simultaneously and unreservedly endorsing his most unpopular policies. An authentic twofer – for the other party, that is.
I think Leno said this but I'll steal it: they could have folks call in to vote the candidates off one at a time! It would save a lot of money not having to hold a primary election. Repugs don't like elections anyway. The last man standing would go up against the next President.
How long before Romney does his hair up like Sanjaya?
I'm not a Republican so I'm no position to judge which candidate came closest to appealing to the party base but none of them made any effort to speak to the some 70% of the American population that by now has had enough of the war.
And they're not going to. These clowns don't give a shit right now about the 70%. They're playing to the 28%. Period. This is PRIMARY politics. Whichever one of 'em can the most ignoramuses to vote for him in the Repuglican't primaries gets to be the nominee. His tune will change big time after that, believe me.
Doesn't matter. This is without a doubt the weakest bunch of dweebs I've ever seen trying to be the President, and I was the Duty NCO who threw the switch when the Good Lord said "Let there be light!"
This was great TV. My TiVo wants to know the next time this circus is scheduled to perform.
A 10-ringer with elephants in every one! Sometimes I wish I was a shovel salesman. I'd, er, clean up.
Air America TV
There's more of these at Rachel Maddow's Campaign Asylum at YouTube. She goes off on all our favorites! Be sure to see the one on Jerry Falwell aka "Yay! The Deadee!" I picked the above video mostly because she's wearing a Bear Flag tee-shirt.
2002 redux
Ooga Booga, the Iranians are coming!
You know, I wouldn't be surprised the Iranians are helping the Taliban, though the majorities in both groups belong to diametrically opposed sects of Islam. I can believe they put their 1000 year old differences aside to fight 'The Great Satan', really I can. If things get worse in Baghdad, I can envision the Shi'ia joining up with the majority-Sunni al-Qaeda, yes I can. The 'enemy of my enemy ...' and all that bullshit.
But, my dear Brian Ross of ABC News, if you're gonna put forth that these enemies have banded together in their fight against us, you might want to quote someone besides 'coalition officials' and 'unnamed sources' and one clown from RAND.
Ross has been the conduit for the WH to release 'damaging' information about Iran in their attempt to broaden their war. If we were really, concerned about Iran's shenanigans in Afghanistan, which we should have seen coming, we wouldn't have wasted so many resources in Iraq and sealed off the Afghani borders, sort of exactly what we failed to do in Iraq.
Sorry, but after 6 years of the Chimp, and the tide of bullshit we've been fighting against, I believe nothing until I see irrefutable proof. Hearsay went out the window with the Iraq invasion.
You know, I wouldn't be surprised the Iranians are helping the Taliban, though the majorities in both groups belong to diametrically opposed sects of Islam. I can believe they put their 1000 year old differences aside to fight 'The Great Satan', really I can. If things get worse in Baghdad, I can envision the Shi'ia joining up with the majority-Sunni al-Qaeda, yes I can. The 'enemy of my enemy ...' and all that bullshit.
But, my dear Brian Ross of ABC News, if you're gonna put forth that these enemies have banded together in their fight against us, you might want to quote someone besides 'coalition officials' and 'unnamed sources' and one clown from RAND.
Ross has been the conduit for the WH to release 'damaging' information about Iran in their attempt to broaden their war. If we were really, concerned about Iran's shenanigans in Afghanistan, which we should have seen coming, we wouldn't have wasted so many resources in Iraq and sealed off the Afghani borders, sort of exactly what we failed to do in Iraq.
Sorry, but after 6 years of the Chimp, and the tide of bullshit we've been fighting against, I believe nothing until I see irrefutable proof. Hearsay went out the window with the Iraq invasion.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Who?
Jon Carroll
Logically, then:
Look for Bush, Cheney, and Rove to disguise themsleves and slip out of the White House in the dead of night so as to not be set upon and savaged by Repuglican't presidential candidates. Tonight would be fine.
"WASHINGTON -- In the past year, lawyers for President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney directed the Secret Service to maintain the confidentiality of visitor logs, declaring them to be presidential records.
"The drive to keep secret the lists of visitors to the White House complex and Cheney's home, the administration says, is essential to ensuring the president and vice president receive candid advice to carry out their duties. The decision made the logs exempt from a law requiring their disclosure to whoever asks to see them."
Logically, then:
Washington -- Lawyers for President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have moved to make the text of all laws initiated or supported by them unavailable to whoever asks for them. The laws will still be available to all people who do not ask for them. Members of Congress will be able to see the laws on a "need to know" basis once they have voted in favor of them.
Washington -- Lawyers for President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have moved to have their names stricken from all public documents. "If the terrorists knew who the president was, they could very easily find out where he lives," said Press Secretary Tony Snow. "They could learn to whom he is married and where his daughters go on vacation. Imagine what they could do with that information!"
Washington -- Lawyers for President X and Vice President Y have asked the lawyers to classify everything that might be described as "information." Said Press Secretary Beta 5: "More than anything, the terrorists want information. They spend their time and resources attempting to acquire it. It is our job to prevent that from happening. I did not make these remarks and I do not exist."
We must ask you not to read this column. Doing so would subject you to stiff fines and harsh penalties. If you are still reading this column, please waterboard yourself until a federal agent arrives to do it for you.
Look for Bush, Cheney, and Rove to disguise themsleves and slip out of the White House in the dead of night so as to not be set upon and savaged by Repuglican't presidential candidates. Tonight would be fine.
'Surge' - Old School
June 6 would not be complete without a post to commemorate the Allied troops who participated in the amphibious and airborne landings in Normandy on that day in 1944 that led to the end of World War II. Personally, I stayed in the womb until three weeks after the fall of Japan and I was sure it was safe to come out...
Battle of Normandy
The estimate of German losses is 210,000 prisoners and 240,000 killed and wounded.
680,200 killed, wounded, and captured in the span of 80 days from 6 June to 25 August, 1944.
The difference between then and now was WWII was fought for the future of mankind, and not for oil, power, and some twerp's ego.
Casualty figures in Bush's War, both civilian and military, are similar in number after 4+ years.
The difference is they are all for naught.
Battle of Normandy
United States:: 29,000 dead, 106,000 wounded and missing;
United Kingdom: 11,000 dead, 54,000 wounded and missing;
Canada: 5,000 dead; 13,000 wounded and missing;
France: 12,200 civilian dead and missing
The estimate of German losses is 210,000 prisoners and 240,000 killed and wounded.
680,200 killed, wounded, and captured in the span of 80 days from 6 June to 25 August, 1944.
The difference between then and now was WWII was fought for the future of mankind, and not for oil, power, and some twerp's ego.
Casualty figures in Bush's War, both civilian and military, are similar in number after 4+ years.
The difference is they are all for naught.
California politics
I was looking for something to commemorate this day in history and through sort of site-owner-planned serendipity found this about CA house races:
D-Day
There's more. I'm glad to see my aptly named congresscritter at the top of the list for replacement next time. If you're interested in California politics, this is a good site to bookmark, I think.
D-Day
OK, on to the Republicans. I'm going to rank them in order of most possible pickup, including their number from the last roundup. I'm also adding the "Boxer number," an excellent system for measuring districts given to me by a reader whose name escapes me. Basically, seeing how Boxer fared in her 2004 re-election against Bill Jones in a particular district is a decent indicator of how partisan it is. If I put "57," that means Boxer received 57% of the vote. Anything over 50, obviously, is good.
1) CA-04 (Doolittle). Last month: 1. Boxer number: 40. John Doolittle's stayed out of the courthouse thus far, but he's clearly damaged goods and the GOP knows it. A number of prominent Republicans have made waves about challenging Doolittle in the primary, including Air Force reservist Eric Egland, a former Doolittle supporter. Schwarzenegger flack and former Bush-Cheney campaign guy Steve Schmidt apparently has his support. In the article, he calls Charlie Brown a "Cindy Sheehan Democrat," which is ludicrous on several levels, but undeniably more effective in that reliably Republican district than we may think. Doolittle believes that he still has majority support, but then again he thinks rogue Democrats in the Justice Department are conspiring against him. Charlie Brown still has a better chance against Doolittle than a fresh face.
There's more. I'm glad to see my aptly named congresscritter at the top of the list for replacement next time. If you're interested in California politics, this is a good site to bookmark, I think.
Libby seeks new trial...at Gitmo
Don Davis
I think it's a good strategy. He'd do at least five years before they bungle his trial and have to let him go.
"That's right, if we get him declared an 'enemy combatant', and tried under the Bush Military Commissions, he has no chance of ever being convicted."
I think it's a good strategy. He'd do at least five years before they bungle his trial and have to let him go.
Playing to the 'base' ...
Unfortunately, I caught a little of the Rethug debate while waiting for Mrs. F's flight to get in from Columbus. After bleaching my eyes and ears, the overwhelming thoughts were;
1) They're playing to the base. The hardcore 28 percenters, the guns, god, and gays crowd. Note to Rethug Presidential candidates: 28% will not get you in the White House.
2) What a buncha fucking idiots. They sound like a buncha fifteen year olds. Is the norm for GOP candidates to have double-digit IQs?
That said, Digby sees the same things:
1) They're playing to the base. The hardcore 28 percenters, the guns, god, and gays crowd. Note to Rethug Presidential candidates: 28% will not get you in the White House.
2) What a buncha fucking idiots. They sound like a buncha fifteen year olds. Is the norm for GOP candidates to have double-digit IQs?
That said, Digby sees the same things:
...
The rhetoric coming out of these guys is really quite extreme, even by GOP standards, but I guess that's just because the front runners are all a bunch of flipflopping hypocrites who have to fake some kind of red-meat qualifications for the base. They've opted for bullying machismo, which is actually quite smart. It's the tie that binds. They certainly have given up on the "law 'n order" platform with their nearly unanimous support for a Scooter pardon -- especially the ex-federal prosecutor Giuliani who couldn't stop whining and twisting his little lace hankie about how unfair it all was.
...
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Dudes ... seriously ...
Dear Preznit Chimpy McFucktard and Congress (Dems included),
You all really suck and we're really fucking pissed. At this point, we're pissed enough to say "fuck the '08 elections, let's string the lot of 'em up and do it ourselves". Seriously, dudes, end this shit soon. You don't have enough troops in the U.S. to put down a revolution.
Regards,
Fixer
You all really suck and we're really fucking pissed. At this point, we're pissed enough to say "fuck the '08 elections, let's string the lot of 'em up and do it ourselves". Seriously, dudes, end this shit soon. You don't have enough troops in the U.S. to put down a revolution.
Regards,
Fixer
Thanks to Maru for the link.
Mega Chimp
Mark Morford
I wouldn't bet against it.
Bush Declares Self 'Mega Decider'
New documents ensure Dubya will rule America, should calamity strike. Free balloons!
It goes something like this: Should any "decapitating event" occur in America that somehow incapacitates the D.C. power structure, should "any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions" take place, well then, all power and decision making would devolve to the White House, which would then attempt to orchestrate our very survival and oversee all essential governmental functions with none other than the president himself as, well, Super-Mega Lord Decider. With extra crayons.
You know, a dictator.
And then boom, the nation goes into lockdown and it's a strict military state and Lynn Cheney starts enjoying sweaty night visions of Dick lumbering purposefully through the White House halls deciding who to nuke next as Dubya quivers in the corner and the flying monkeys prepare the escape pod. Just like in that Will Smith movie! Neat!
After all, Shrub only has a year and a half left in office. Plus, his power has been severely truncated by the Dems. Why would he care to try for such a thuggish, cagey power grab now? What would be the point? Except, you know, to savagely tilt the next election and to further the new 'n' brutal neocon agenda of perpetual war and as a desperate, last-gasp move to prove he actually has the cojones to do something so appalling, so perfectly megalomaniacal, it's sure to rescue his rotten legacy from history's compost pile? I mean, besides that.
I wouldn't bet against it.
Lost in translation
The BEAST has the real lowdown on McCain's walk in the Indiana Baghdad marketplace. Don't miss it! Liquid alert.
Much, much more!
The group nears and enters an outdoor market, the vicinity of which has been thoroughly scanned for possible threats. Soldiers fan out throughout the area. Smiling, McCain approaches a rug seller.
McCain: Hiya partner, I'm John McCain from the United States of America. How's business?
Translator: (in Arabic) This guy is an American senator. Smile and shake his hand or you'll be killed.
Shopkeeper #1: (in Arabic) Wonderful. Can we make this quick? I'm trying to sell some rugs here, because your stupid war has made the money I had saved completely worthless, and I lost my job as an engineer. Generally. My life has gone to hell.
Translator: He says it's an honor to meet you, sir.
Much, much more!
Libby gets 30 months
Good. I hope he gets lots of his old pals for company over the next year or so.
Always tell the truth, boys and girls.
Story at Yahoo!News. "LiveSlam" at Firedoglake.
Always tell the truth, boys and girls.
Story at Yahoo!News. "LiveSlam" at Firedoglake.
Who? Bush? Never heard of him ...
Heh ... Glenn Greenwald:
He might not be, but he's all yours.
And the best part is, he uses the conservative wankers' words against them.
And just an end note: If the situation for the Chimp is really as bad as it seems, wait for Republicans to start bandying the idea of impeachment around as the elections get closer.
The great fraud being perpetrated in our political discourse is the concerted attempt by movement conservatives, now that the Bush presidency lay irreversibly in ruins, to repudiate George Bush by claiming that he is not, and never has been, a "real conservative." ...
He might not be, but he's all yours.
... This con game is being perpetrated by the very same conservatives who -- when his presidency looked to be an epic success -- glorified George W. Bush, ensured both of his election victories, depicted him as the heroic Second Coming of Ronald Reagan, and celebrated him as the embodiment of True Conservatism.
...
And the best part is, he uses the conservative wankers' words against them.
And just an end note: If the situation for the Chimp is really as bad as it seems, wait for Republicans to start bandying the idea of impeachment around as the elections get closer.
Quote of the Day
George at Skippy's:
Nah ...
democrats lose 24 percentage points - now dead even with awol in opinion polls. no one could have imagined that voting a blank check to the megalomaniac against the will of the people would backfire. [my em]
Nah ...
Monday, June 4, 2007
The last yer gonna hear about this. Well, maybe...
This is the post you've all been waiting for, i.e. the LAST about my High School reunion!
The photo shows all the folks who showed up who graduated in the '60s. I was a little disappointed that more didn't, but on the flip side, given the constraints of time at what was basically a dinner party, it was a workable number in terms of having time to chat. We all managed to sit at one table, marked "60s", which was a little ironic: not only did we graduate in that decade, we are all in that decade of our lives! Pictured are grads of '61, '62, and '64. There were probably 200 people at this thing, but the younger squalling brats in their 30s and 40s didn't count.
Notice the lack of, er, light blond hair in the front row. I suspect a little exercise of a woman's prerogative, but it's not nice to speculate on that so I won't.
I have been asked, if not threatened, by a couple of the gals not to say anything, as in zip-point-zilch, nada, bupkis, about them. It's understandable, given that one of them was the only one I would have recognized on the street after all these years - she still looks like her 'Wanted' poster. Not their names, credit card numbers, blood types, or genetic predispositions, and so as not to single them out, ain't gonna be nuthin' 'bout nobody, with the exception of Steve, who told me to knock myself out.
The last time I saw Steve, standing, right, I was a slick-sleeve Private of Marines and he was a Canoe Club Seaman 2d. He went on to retire from the Navy as a Master Chief and now has his own Systems Analysis company. He lives in Virginia, so he gets the mileage trophy for the dinner, which coincided nicely with his Mom's birthday. Might as well have more than one reason to come all the way out West! He and his lovely bride of 39 years took his Mom to Lake Tahoe for a little R&R and came to visit me last week. We had a nice afternoon.
We all had a fine time reminiscing, catching up on our lives, and, sadly, finding out who all is gone. It's amazing to me how folks can remember some of the little things about school days that are long forgotten. I don't mean big things, like having a chair with your name on it in the principal's office, I mean little things, like the time you bent over to pick up a piece of chalk and your pants split! Just a theoretical example, mind you...
I must admit to the whole evening going kinda blurry after one of the ladies told me about riding her Honda 90 around in fishnet stockings and a mini-skirt. I can only assume that was in her beatnik days and not last week. My strong sense of chivalry will forever prevent me from identifying her, of course. (Second from the right - G's Bad Angel)
These folks have all done pretty well for themselves, although to be fair, some of 'em had a pretty good head start, but in the back of my mind was this little nagging suspicion that one or two might have saved up their state crazy checks so as to put on a good appearance, and had a shopping cart in the underground parking. My suspicions were forever put to rest as we waited to ransom off our car keys from the valets. Escalades, Lexuses, and one notable two-seat M-B in an absolutely livid flourescent barracks green! I think ours was the only pickup.
By the way, the '60s group out-partied the youngsters. We were the last to leave. Maybe we just had more trouble getting up...
It was well worth going. I had a great time, and due to the miracle of e-mail, some of us are keeping in touch as we speak.
The venue
The reunion was held at The Regency Club in Westwood. This is the fanciest joint I've been in for a long time. I violated about 2/3 of their dress code. I woulda had a clean sweep if I hadn't got 'The Look' from Mrs. G when I told her I was going to wear my Grateful Dead T-shirt!
They had two chow lines for dinner, salads on both, one with a meat and one with a non-meat terminus. There was also a large table with sushi, which anywhere else would have qualified as a very well-stocked bait shop. The food was excellent, prime rib and rack of lamb, with good sidearms. The non-meat-eaters got noodles. The lines were long and slow, and Steve and I agreed that these cats didn't know squat about runnin' a chow line, nor the patrons how to move through one. I will admit it wasn't exactly like rammin' a metal tray forward and having it come back with God knows what on it...
After greasin' down, I wanted to go have a smoke. While I was rollin' it, I casually mentioned to Mrs. G that I was gonna do something I used to do in school, go smoke in the restroom. 'The Look' again. Scratch that idea. On the theory that if ya wanta get results, ask an enlisted man, I asked one of the young
Now, I lived in L.A. for 35 years, but I had never been on the 18th floor of anything in that town before this. There has been a tremendous amount of development, and such buildings didn't exist when I lived there, except for downtown. It was a lovely clear evening, and I was treated to a spectacular view. The tallest building in West L.A. used to be the Mormon Temple, about a mile away, and I was dead level with the Angel Moroni on the top of it. I got a little vertigo looking over the edge. I'll give you Noo Yawkahs time to quit laughin'...
It's barely possible I was a little under-dressed for that joint. Hell, I went 'Truckee formal', which means I wore socks and zipped up my fly.
My school
I was a little surprised to find that my school has a Wikipedia entry. Be sure to scroll down to 'Notable former students'. The list is nowhere near complete, at least as far as to my day, but I knew the late Meredith MacRae quite well. Click on her name to read about a quality lady.
Well, that's about it. Since this was the first reunion I've been to in 45 years, at this rate look for a post about the next one in 2052.
Cold Cash Coldcocks Congressman
Think Progress
I can think of better places to keep my 'dirty money' than in my freezer! I find a gutted car battery works well, kept under some old tires in the back of the garage.
But seriously, folks, corruption wherever found needs to be dealt with. This is one area where the Repugs are way ahead of us, I'm happy to say.
Federal prosecutors are seeking an indictment today against Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) in a longstanding FBI corruption probe centering on allegations that he took bribes to promote high-tech business ventures in Africa, sources familiar with the investigation said.
If filed, the indictment would cap a long and tumultuous investigation that was stalled for months because of a legal battle over the constitutionality of an FBI raid on Jefferson's office last May. The raid came after the FBI found $90,000 in the freezer of his Capitol Hill home.
I can think of better places to keep my 'dirty money' than in my freezer! I find a gutted car battery works well, kept under some old tires in the back of the garage.
But seriously, folks, corruption wherever found needs to be dealt with. This is one area where the Repugs are way ahead of us, I'm happy to say.
Oh, the irony...
Ironic Times
And a special "Godwin's Law" twofer:
Creation Museum Opens
Features documentary film about Earth's history by Hanna-Barbera.
Archeologists Find 2100-Year-Old Melon
In the back of your refrigerator.
Another Close Bush Adviser Leaves White House
Barney's departure "not related" to recent attorney firings.
And a special "Godwin's Law" twofer:
Army Sending Amputees Back Into Combat
Tactic last used by Germany in April, 1945.
CORRECTION
We erred in ascribing the term "enhanced interrogation" to the Bush Administration. In fact the term was originally used to describe interrogation methods used against insurgents and other civilians by the Nazis in 1942, and later judged to be war crimes. The techniques, and the arguments to justify their use, however, were the same as those used by the Bush Administration. We apologize for any confusion caused by our mistake.
Batshit crazy or the essence of protest?
This is about how the Congressional Dems made me feel when they gave Bush his blank check:
That was Phillip Wellman, Manager of the Mississippi Braves an Atlanta Braves AA operation. Full story «here»
Steve Gilliard woulda loved it!
R.
That was Phillip Wellman, Manager of the Mississippi Braves an Atlanta Braves AA operation. Full story «here»
Steve Gilliard woulda loved it!
R.
Religion and Morality
Most regulars know I have little use for religion. I just can't believe the god the Christians (I use the term to describe all derivatives of Catholicism) claim to worship would allow such a buncha hypocrites to speak in His name. Barbara O'Brien (via Roger Ailes the Good) has an excellent post up on just this subject:
Don't anyone preach morality to me. Not when you have a Bible in one hand and support the Iraq Occupation and the denial of civil rights with the other.
Had to drop the Mrs. at the airport and I'm late for work. See yas later ...
...
In fact, it seems to me that “morality” imposed by religion is often brittle. How often do we hear about religious leaders committing the very sins they rail against? What’s amazing about Ted Haggart’s story is not how unusual it is, but how typical it is. Show me a holy roller who rails against the sins of the flesh, and I’ll show you someone who’s been making unauthorized use of his own body parts. You can almost count on it. The same church that crusades against abortion tries to sweep the molestation of choirboys under the rug. The same ministers who warn against worldliness get mixed up in partisan politics. The Ten Commandments forbid graven images, and the faithful make a graven image of the Ten Commandments. It’s as if there’s a near-total disconnect between what the religious say and what the religious do.
And these examples are not exceptions. Albert Schweitzer was an exception. St Francis of Assisi was an exception. Jim and Tammy Faye are, alas, the rule.
...
Don't anyone preach morality to me. Not when you have a Bible in one hand and support the Iraq Occupation and the denial of civil rights with the other.
Had to drop the Mrs. at the airport and I'm late for work. See yas later ...
Evading taxes ...
We need taxes to make this country work, regardless of what the Rethugs say. Now, my accountant finds me every legal deduction I can take. I have investments in tax-deferred accounts and I do my best to invest where the tax burden is a minimum. That said, my money stays here, in America. I pay whatever taxes I owe (a lot) and don't try to 'hide' assets. Sarah at the Wire has been saying the same thing I have for years, that those who hide their net worth in offshore accounts should be encouraged to move those assets onshore:
...
So when the super-rich use offshore tax havens to avoid paying what they owe in taxes, they’re reneging on their duties as citizens. It seems only fair to me that the consequence of that kind of tax avoidance ought to be loss of citizenship. If it’s more important to someone to avoid paying what they owe in taxes than to continue being an American, then let them keep their money. They can become a citizen of the Cayman Islands or Bermuda or wherever else they store their wealth, and come here on a visitor’s visa – if they can get one. [em in original]
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Sometimes I worry a little about Pop...
Frank Rich longs for the days of Richard Nixon and presidential competence????
I quit worrying after I read it. You will too.
1 of 1000, but it's a start
AfterDowningStreet
Yay for the cadet, but I fear the young Lieutenant faces a career as OIC of the Permanent Latrine Orderly Brigade, and maybe as he ascends the ladder of rank over the next twenty years, maybe all the way to Captain, as CO of the Mess Kit Repair Battalion.
Fat chance. They go to great lengths to insulate themselves from reg'lar folks. With good reason.
spoke with someone who attended the graduation ceremony at West Point where Dick Cheney gave the commencement speech. Cheney then stood on stage and shook hands with each of the 1000 graduates: wait, make that 999. Because one courageous and principled cadet faced Cheney, looked him up and down, decided not to offer his hand and walked on. Cheney was visibly taken aback, and turned to glare after the parting cadet. (We can only imagine the repercussions that this cadet may now face.)
Yay for the cadet, but I fear the young Lieutenant faces a career as OIC of the Permanent Latrine Orderly Brigade, and maybe as he ascends the ladder of rank over the next twenty years, maybe all the way to Captain, as CO of the Mess Kit Repair Battalion.
A West Point cadet is the epitome of honor, duty and respect. That this graduate was willing to show the assembled gathering that he would not deign to honor this dishonorable Vice President with a handshake should have sent tremors of excitement through the crowd. This is probably the first time in six years that anyone has had the temerity and honesty to face down the man whom we could arguably call the Big Evil. Cheney should be getting this treatment from every person he encounters, as should Bush, Gonzales, Rice and the rest of this renegade administration. Of course, these corrupted leaders have insulated themselves from almost any contact with the general public, to the extent of even blocking off the side streets as their armored motorcades (reminiscent of images of dictator governments the world over) take them from home to work. If they were regularly exposed to common Americans they would discover that there are many who would dare to tell them that this emperor has no clothes.
Fat chance. They go to great lengths to insulate themselves from reg'lar folks. With good reason.
Dogs? Art? 2
So the votes are overwhelmingly in favor of my putting military art in the masthead. I enjoy it myself, but also have a soft spot for cute doggies (my day isn't complete until I stop at CuteOverload and the Cheezburger). That said, I put the dog in the sidebar and I'll be changing the art on the masthead weekly ... or something like that.
I plan to be King of the World ...
But that doesn't mean I have the resources to pull it off. These clowns could have planned until the cows came home and they would never have been successful.
Ooga booga! Be afraid, the mean terrorist guys are behind every fire hydrant! Pay no attention to all the other scandals coming to light.
Do they still think people believe this horseshit? I don't know about the rest of you but New Yorkers, you know, the people who actually lived through September 11th, don't scare that easily.
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Four men have been charged with conspiring to blow up jet fuel supply tanks and pipelines at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Homeland Security sources said there is no current threat at the airport and the attack as planned was "not technically feasible." [my em]
...
Ooga booga! Be afraid, the mean terrorist guys are behind every fire hydrant! Pay no attention to all the other scandals coming to light.
Do they still think people believe this horseshit? I don't know about the rest of you but New Yorkers, you know, the people who actually lived through September 11th, don't scare that easily.
Tip o' the Brain to Oliver Willis.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Condolences ...
It is a sad day in Blogtopia. Reprinted in full from The News Blog:
We have lost one of the greats.
Steve Gilliard, 1966-2007
It is with tremendous sadness that we must convey the news that Steve Gilliard, editor and publisher of The News Blog (www.thenewsblog.net), passed away early this morning. He was 41.
To those who have come to trust The News Blog and its insightful, brash and unapologetic editorial tone, we have Steve to thank from the bottom of our hearts. Steve helped lead many discussions that mattered to all of us, and he tackled subjects and interest categories where others feared to tread.
We will post more information as it becomes available to us.
Please keep Steve's friends and family in your thoughts and prayers.
Steve meant so much to us. We will miss him terribly.
- the news blog team
We have lost one of the greats.
My kingdom for a whore ...
The next chapter of my novel The Fourth Estate is up at The Practical Press.
Why I've Been Scarce
Just in case anybody noticed that I haven't been around much lately, I feel an explanation is overdue. First and foremost, we came back from our business meeting last week up to our eyeballs in work, all of it needed yesterday. This is a very good thing and we are grateful, but it is not leaving a lot of time for extra-curricular activities. Second, and almost as important, 2 events in the past couple of weeks have left me feeling jaded. 1st was the Dems cave on the war funding bill. I am beginning to lose hope (with the one bright exception of John Edwards). 2nd was Cindy Sheehan's valedictory, «here», if you haven't seen it.
Somehow, the 2 events occurring in rat-a-tat fashion left me feeling a bit stunned. I am sure that I will get over it and find my rage again, but right now, I'm almost as tired as Cindy of the whole thing. I will try to up my contribution here again over the next few days and maybe events with jar me out of my torpor.
R.
Somehow, the 2 events occurring in rat-a-tat fashion left me feeling a bit stunned. I am sure that I will get over it and find my rage again, but right now, I'm almost as tired as Cindy of the whole thing. I will try to up my contribution here again over the next few days and maybe events with jar me out of my torpor.
R.
VFW steps up to the plate
Speaking as a Life Member of the VFW, I am pleased to report the following.
AP via Yahoo!News
Like, DUH!
I wish someone would inform the media as to the difference between separation, or Expiration of Active Service, and discharge. If the Gyrene was Honorably Discharged like everyone is saying, then he's completed his military obligation and is home free. It doesn't sound like he was if he's still in the inactive reserve. I think the Crotch is just trying to scare him. Marines don't scare real easy, even when the attempt comes from 8th & Eye. What do a buncha fuckin' officers know, anyway?
Eat the apple, fuck the Corps. Semper Fi.
AP via Yahoo!News
The nation's largest combat veterans group on Friday urged the military to "exercise a little common sense" and call off its investigation of a group of Iraq war veterans who wore their uniforms during anti-war protests.
"Trying to hush up and punish fellow Americans for exercising the same democratic right we're trying to instill in Iraq is not what we're all about," said Gary Kurpius, national commander of the 2.4 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars.
"Someone in the Marine Corps needs to exercise a little common sense and put an end to this matter before it turns into a circus," Kurpius said.
"We all know that people give up some individual rights when they join the military," Kurpius said. "But these Marines went to war, did their duty, and were honorably discharged from the active roles. I may disagree with their message, but I will always defend their right to say it."
Kokesh received his honorable discharge after one combat tour in Iraq, but he remains part of the Individual Ready Reserve, a pool of former active duty service members in unpaid, non-drill status.
Kokesh's attorney, Michael Lebowitz, has called the investigation an effort to stifle critics of the Bush administration's Iraq policy.
Like, DUH!
I wish someone would inform the media as to the difference between separation, or Expiration of Active Service, and discharge. If the Gyrene was Honorably Discharged like everyone is saying, then he's completed his military obligation and is home free. It doesn't sound like he was if he's still in the inactive reserve. I think the Crotch is just trying to scare him. Marines don't scare real easy, even when the attempt comes from 8th & Eye. What do a buncha fuckin' officers know, anyway?
Eat the apple, fuck the Corps. Semper Fi.
Giving back to the future
I appreciate all the comments on the post about Sam doing well on her final exam presentation and it got me to thinking about the kids I've mentored in the car business and the talented, promising young women Mrs. F has taken under her wing over the years. I don't know who has reaped more rewards, the Mrs. and I when we see a kid we've worked with become successful or the kids themselves.
It's our way of giving back for our success and it's also a form of investment in the future of our nation and the world. It's not only job training but a chance to bring our progressive outlook on life, and impart some of the lessons we've learned along the way, to the next generation who'll run this planet when we're gone. I don't know how much will stick, but I believe every experience can be learned from.
I encourage everyone to spend some time with a young person. Listen to them and find out what makes them tick and then lend your advice and guidance. Don't preach, don't act like a parent, be their friend and give them the encouragement they need to develop their self-esteem and the knowledge they'll need to deal with the world, whether it be in business or in life, lessons learned young will last a lifetime.
I have had several mentors in my life whose guiding hand and influence has made me a better person and a better mechanic, and I am forever in their debt. Mentor a young person, give them a hand up, teach them how to be good, successful people and the world will reap the reward.
***
And a Sam update: Harry and I were talking this morning and agreed that since her internship is over, and the fact she enjoys working with us, we're gonna put her on staff for the summer. We'll work out her hours when she starts college in fall (if she'll even have the time), but we figured we might as well start paying her. She'll need all the scratch she can get for tuition and books.
It's our way of giving back for our success and it's also a form of investment in the future of our nation and the world. It's not only job training but a chance to bring our progressive outlook on life, and impart some of the lessons we've learned along the way, to the next generation who'll run this planet when we're gone. I don't know how much will stick, but I believe every experience can be learned from.
I encourage everyone to spend some time with a young person. Listen to them and find out what makes them tick and then lend your advice and guidance. Don't preach, don't act like a parent, be their friend and give them the encouragement they need to develop their self-esteem and the knowledge they'll need to deal with the world, whether it be in business or in life, lessons learned young will last a lifetime.
I have had several mentors in my life whose guiding hand and influence has made me a better person and a better mechanic, and I am forever in their debt. Mentor a young person, give them a hand up, teach them how to be good, successful people and the world will reap the reward.
And a Sam update: Harry and I were talking this morning and agreed that since her internship is over, and the fact she enjoys working with us, we're gonna put her on staff for the summer. We'll work out her hours when she starts college in fall (if she'll even have the time), but we figured we might as well start paying her. She'll need all the scratch she can get for tuition and books.
Cross-posted at Fixer & Gordon.
But your timing is off ...
You see, according to the Bugman, sins are all relative. When you committed them, how you committed them, etc. Cliff Schecter at Bob Geiger's, along with the Saturday Toons.
...
According to Tom DeLay, adultery has tiers. Whether or not you've found Jesus, whether or not you're impeaching a president for absolutely no reason, whether or not you smile like a used-car salesman. These all are of major import to Hot Tub Tom...
Lieberman in Iraq ... again
According to Holy Joe, we're "making progress" as he strolls through an Indiana-like market. With all the 'progress' we've made, Iraq should be that "shining city on the hill" 5 times over. Dr. Attaturk says it so well:
...
Y'know if I had a group of armed men surrounding me when I shopped I could get free crap too!
...
Friday, June 1, 2007
Dogs? Art?
See what I get for thinking? I didn't think anybody gave a shit about the little dogs I used to have in the blog title. I came across SFC Peters' work and it moved me and I thought it would be cool to feature the artwork of one of our troops in Iraq. SFC Peters is in Fallujah to be exact. This is primarily a vets issues blog after all.
As I said, I thought nobody gave a shit. I guess some do. Heh ... I'm flattered. Seriously. So, I'll put it to the readers. Cute doggies in BDUs or artwork? Leave your vote in comments and democracy rules. I'll leave voting open until Sunday and I'll make the appropriate adjustments on Monday.
Back later, gotta get the Mrs. from the train.
As I said, I thought nobody gave a shit. I guess some do. Heh ... I'm flattered. Seriously. So, I'll put it to the readers. Cute doggies in BDUs or artwork? Leave your vote in comments and democracy rules. I'll leave voting open until Sunday and I'll make the appropriate adjustments on Monday.
Back later, gotta get the Mrs. from the train.
Gettin' it out in the open. At last.
Seeing the Forest
So...what else is new?
Gee, O'Rally says that like it's a bad thing...
McCain, O'Reilly: It's About Keeping Jews, Blacks and Women Out Of Power
So...what else is new?
..They want to break down the white, Christian, male power structure...
Gee, O'Rally says that like it's a bad thing...
"Rudy jumped into bed with anyone who could afford a rubber"
Matt Taibbi on JulieAnnie. Today's 'must read'.
Just guessin' here, but I think Mr. Taibbi is not Rudy's staunchest supporter.
Rudy giuliani is a true American hero, and we know this because he does all the things we expect of heroes these days -- like make $16 million a year, and lobby for Hugo Chávez and Rupert Murdoch, and promote wars without ever having served in the military, and hire a lawyer to call his second wife a "stuck pig," and organize absurd, grandstanding pogroms against minor foreign artists, and generally drift through life being a shameless opportunist with an outsize ego who doesn't even bother to conceal the fact that he's had a hard-on for the presidency since he was in diapers. In the media age, we can't have a hero humble enough to actually be one; what is needed is a tireless scoundrel, a cad willing to pose all day long for photos, who'll accept $100,000 to talk about heroism for an hour, who has the balls to take a $2.7 million advance to write a book about himself called Leadership. That's Rudy Giuliani. Our hero. And a perfect choice to uphold the legacy of George W. Bush.
Yes, Rudy is smarter than Bush. But his political strength -- and he knows it -- comes from America's unrelenting passion for never bothering to take that extra step to figure shit out. If you think you know it all already, Rudy agrees with you. And if anyone tries to tell you differently, they're probably traitors, and Rudy, well, he'll keep an eye on 'em for you. Just like Bush, Rudy appeals to the couch-bound bully in all of us, and part of the allure of his campaign is the promise to put the Pentagon and the power of the White House at that bully's disposal.
In his years as mayor -- and his subsequent career as a lobbyist -- Rudy jumped into bed with anyone who could afford a rubber. Saudi Arabia, Rupert Murdoch, tobacco interests, pharmaceutical companies, private prisons, Bechtel, ChevronTexaco -- Giuliani took money from them all. You could change Rudy's mind literally in the time it took to write a check. A former prosecutor, Giuliani used to call drug dealers "murderers." But as a lobbyist he agreed to represent Seisint, a security firm run by former cocaine smuggler Hank Asher. "I have a great admiration for what he's doing," Rudy gushed after taking $2 million of Asher's money.
Did Giuliani know the air at the World Trade Center was poison? Who knows -- but we do know he took over the cleanup, refusing to let more experienced federal agencies run the show. He stood on a few brick piles on the day of the bombing, then spent the next ten months making damn sure everyone worked the night shift on-site while he bonked his mistress and negotiated his gazillion-dollar move to the private sector. Meanwhile, the people who actually cleaned up the rubble got used to checking their stool for blood every morning.
Now Giuliani is running for president -- as the hero of 9/11. George Bush has balls, too, but even he has to bow to this motherfucker.
Just guessin' here, but I think Mr. Taibbi is not Rudy's staunchest supporter.
Deportee
So far, it's a slow news day, so I went over to YouTube to watch my favorites and find some new ones. Ain't you the lucky ones!
In light of all the brouhaha about illegal immigration, the upside of which is it's wreckin' the Repuglicants, there's a downside as well. Or maybe another upside: the only thing the Chimp has got anywhere close to right, and his 'base' doesn't want to hear it, even though his corporate cronies want the cheap labor. Heh. The mojados, of course, are caught in the middle. As usual.
This song was written by Woody Guthrie years ago in response to what he felt was racist treatment of the Mexican victims of a plane wreck in Los Gatos, California. Lyrics here.
A beautiful rendition by Arlo Guthrie and Emmylou Harris.
Enjoy. Think.
In light of all the brouhaha about illegal immigration, the upside of which is it's wreckin' the Repuglicants, there's a downside as well. Or maybe another upside: the only thing the Chimp has got anywhere close to right, and his 'base' doesn't want to hear it, even though his corporate cronies want the cheap labor. Heh. The mojados, of course, are caught in the middle. As usual.
This song was written by Woody Guthrie years ago in response to what he felt was racist treatment of the Mexican victims of a plane wreck in Los Gatos, California. Lyrics here.
A beautiful rendition by Arlo Guthrie and Emmylou Harris.
Enjoy. Think.
Fightin' them over there ...
Ah, never mind:
Yes, the American soldier is now a recruiting tool for international terrorism thanks to the Chimp's policies. The thing that's really disturbing is the leader of the world's most powerful nation is ready for a white jacket (the one with really long arms that buckles in the back) and a room with rubber wallpaper:
Sounds like Hitler in his bunker just before the Russians overran Berlin.
Off to work; thank god it's Friday ...
...
Think of what has happened in only the last week in the Middle East. In northern Lebanon, in the long-established Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp, out of the blue arose a new al Qaeda-related insurgent group, Fatah al-Islam. Within days and even hours, the recurring hell of the Middle East was loosed, and refugees poured out of the camp in terror.
There had been none of this kind of terror networking in these northern camps. Indeed, since this camp was established in 1949 to accommodate refugees from northern Palestine after the creation of Israel, it has housed one of the more formal and conservative of peoples.
But it was soon established that these new "insurgents" or "terrorists" – or whatever they really are – had arrived at the camp only recently, that they marched in one day with brand-new weapons, ready to fight.
...
Yes, the American soldier is now a recruiting tool for international terrorism thanks to the Chimp's policies. The thing that's really disturbing is the leader of the world's most powerful nation is ready for a white jacket (the one with really long arms that buckles in the back) and a room with rubber wallpaper:
...
Friends of his from Texas were shocked recently to find him nearly wild-eyed, thumping himself on the chest three times while he repeated "I am the president!" He also made it clear he was setting Iraq up so his successor could not get out of "our country's destiny."
...
Sounds like Hitler in his bunker just before the Russians overran Berlin.
Off to work; thank god it's Friday ...
Great thanks to Walt @ Blondie's.
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