Dear Senator Obama ...

Wrapping yourself in the cloak of religiosity is not gonna get you my vote. As Dodd is moving ahead of the pack, in my book, you're falling behind.

Regards,

Fixer

WTF?

So, some resolution to the B-52 'nuke incident'.

I was in SAC for 2 years. A B-52 base. Being assigned to an aircraft maintenance squadron, I was authorized to be around the nukes themselves, the Air Force's PRP (Personnel Reliability Program), on alert-loaded aircraft (And let me tell you, being a few inches from weapons that could level a city and kill all within is something I never got used to. An ass-puckering experience.). To receive said authorization, I had to undergo a security check equivalent to a cavity search. I think the Air Force was aware of every bowel movement I had since I fell from my mother's womb. Several times a year, drills were run to keep us sharp and up on all safety and security regulations.

... The certification process looks at a person's psychological profile, any medications they are taking and other factors in determining a person's reliability to handle weapons ...

So tell me, have the standards in the Air Force fallen so far that 70 people can choose to disregard protocols in place for 50 years? Do they have any standards at all anymore?

WASHINGTON - The Air Force said Friday it would punish 70 airmen involved in the accidental, cross-country flight of a nuclear-armed B-52 bomber following an investigation that found widespread disregard for the rules on handling such munitions.

...

The missiles were supposed to be taken to Louisiana, but the warheads were supposed to have been removed beforehand.

A main reason for the error was that crews had decided not to follow a complex schedule under which the status of the missiles is tracked while they are disarmed, loaded, moved and so on, one official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.

The airmen replaced the schedule with their own "informal" system, he said, though he didn't say why they did that nor how long they had been doing it their own way.

...

"Their own way"? Are they fucking high? How can they take the handling of nukes so casually?

...

Newton said the flight in question resulted from an "unprecedented string of procedural errors," beginning with a failure by airmen to conduct a required inspection of the missiles before they were loaded aboard the B-52 bomber at Minot. The crew flying the plane was unaware nuclear warheads were on its wing, though it wasn't explained what role they played in the mistake.

...

What the fuck kind of base were they running up there? I'm flabbergasted. I can't believe all these people (from wing commander, to MMS commander, to the load crews) just decided to turn their backs on their duty and obligation. This isn't the Air Force I know. It's an accident waiting to happen.

Saturday whorage

The next chapter of my novel Thirty Days at Zeta is up at The Practical Press.

And a sample of the scintillating, intellectual conversations we have at work.

As always on Saturday morning, pimp your own stuff in comments.

Hey, Idiots ...

And I'm talking about Dems in Congress, it's about time you understood causal relationships. Chris Dodd does. He does something good, like standing up to that shitty FISA bill and he gets money from us.

Senator Dodd's campaign communications director Hari Sevugan tells me that $150,000 in small contributions have poured into Dodd's campaign in the past 24 hours, since his announcement that he will put a hold on--and may even filibuster--a foreign intelligence surveillance bill approved yesterday by the Senate Intelligence Committee ...

As for Harry Reid, since you don't understand why we elected a Dem majority last year, I'm prepared to write you a check matching your donations from the telecom industry for the past five years if it would convince you to do your job. I realize it's a simple Pavlovian training procedure, the same one I use to train my dogs, but I'm hoping it's something you'll understand. You sure as hell don't understand what "doing the right thing" means, maybe money might motivate you to look out for your fellow man as opposed to special interests.

Yes, Harry, $25,000 can be yours (I'll even pay cash). All you have to do is show up at my front door and ask for it. Of course, you'll have to agree to push my agenda, but that's what it's all about, ain't it? (Hey, lobbyists do the same thing in back rooms, but if I gotta bribe ya, I want everyone to know it. You and I can pose for pictures. We can even get one of those 'big checks' made up. You know, the kind they give to the lottery winners? Or, if you want cash, we can get pics of me handing you a briefcase.)

I generally frown on bribery, but it seems dead presidents are the only things that hold your attention. The average guy like me, the majority of Americans, have been ignored by you in favor of people with bucks. We're desperate, Harry, desperate for leadership, and if money will buy it, so be it.

And a note to Dem Presidential candidates: Mr. Dodd just jumped out in front of the rest of you by a length in the effort to get my vote in the primaries. Take note.

And an aside to Mr. Dodd: If you do manage to pull off this filibuster/hold, you'll get the max donation from me (Sorry, but nobody gets money from me before the fact anymore. Prove your worth and you get it, not before)

Real Christians ...

My dad told me about conscientious objectors getting beat up and harassed back when he was in the Army ('50 - '54). Hopefully this guy didn't get the same treatment. It's good to see a Christian actually following Jesus teachings. I respect anyone who actually lives their faith's tenets.

...

"In following Jesus' example, I could not have fired my weapon at another human being, even if he were shooting at me," said Brown, who plans to continue seminary classes he began by correspondence while in Iraq.

...

After all the hypocrisy that's been shoveled upon us over the last few years, this guy's a refreshing change of pace, though it is strange to hear of a CO at a time when there's no draft.

Thanks to Logan for the link.

"Big fat NO!"

Think Progress

Iraq to Cheney: ‘Big fat no’ on bases in Iraq.

The Iraqi government has “put the U.S. on notice” that they do not want permanent U.S. bases in Iraq, CNN reports today. The message was “delivered directly to Vice President Dick Cheney at the White House” by Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffak Al-Rubaie, who told CNN that Iraqis say, “No, big fat no, N-O for the bases in Iraq”:

The people of Iraq, the parliament, the council of representatives and the government of Iraq, they all say no, big fat no, N-O for the bases in Iraq. No military bases for Iraq because we believe that is in direct encroachment to our soveriegnty, and we don’t need it.

Direct to Cheney. Not Bush, Cheney. The Iraqis know what's up.

They'll no doubt get their reply from The Dick soon - "Your sovereignty, my ass. Don't get uppity with me, boy. We're in charge in Iraq and we're going to get your goddam oil and you ain't got a fuckin' thing to say about it. As soon as we do, don't worry, we'll cut your sand-nigger asses loose and you'll be on your own. Then we'll enjoy seeing just how much your countrymen like you."

Flash! Hookers 'do it'...

This is just a bald-faced, shameless attempt to appeal to your (tee-hee!) prurient interests. I know this is 'old news', but apparently that's about what the gals thought Cunningham was too, 'old news'. From TPM Muckraker:

Prosecution Rests in Wilkes Trial

Of course, they closed with the hookers.

Both of the prostitutes told the same story: Wilkes' nephew brought them into the hotel suite. And from there:

"They asked us if we wanted to get naked and get into the Jacuzzi," [Donna] Rozetta said.

"What did you do," prosecutor [Phillip] Halpern asked.

"We got naked and got in the Jacuzzi," Rozetta replied.

Shocking!

Then there's the "Peel me a grape, Cunny Honey..." incident. Heh.

The only question that came to my mind whilst reading this stuff was: after ya get the gals nekkid, where do ya swipe the ATM card?

Update:

Could the Cunning ham deal have anything to do with L'il Fat Denny's early retirement? Gee, ya think?

I think it would be a lot easier for all these Repugs to leave the ship if they took off the rat shields. Heh.

Quote of the Day

From Corrente:

Call (202) 224-6472, and say: "Hi, is this the number I call to get retroactive immunity for my past illegal acts?"
...

That’s Senator Jay Rockefeller’s office. [,,,]

They'll probably reply, "Hell yeah! If you got the money, Honey, we'll fix the crime!"

Spineocrat

"A Spinal Growth Supplement For Democrats"

Beating yourself ...

So, who has their hands in Harry Reid's pocket? This ain't what I call leadership:

Tim Starks of Congressional Quarterly reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) plans to bring the Senate's surveillance bill up for floor debate in mid-November. That's despite the hold that Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) plans to place on the measure -- something first reported by Election Central's Greg Sargent.

...

So how much you wanna bet the telcos bought Harry? After this year's election, I'm changing my party affiliation to 'I'. I've had it with all of them.

Tip o' the Brain to Jane.

Update:

This is how your government works.

...

Let's just describe very factually and dispassionately what has happened here. Congress -- led by Senators, such as Jay Rockefeller, who have received huge payments from the telecom industry, and by privatized intelligence pioneer Mike McConnell, former Chairman of the secretive intelligence industry association that has been demanding telecom amnesty -- is going to intervene directly in the pending lawsuits against AT&T and other telecoms and declare them the winners on the ground that they did nothing wrong. Because of their vast ties to the telecoms, neither Rockefeller nor McConnell could ever appropriately serve as an actual judge in those lawsuits.

...

It's all bullshit. Even the Dems are in some "Big's" (Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Ag, Big Defense, Big Insurance, Big Telco) pocket. They talk a good line but in the end they're not gonna derail the Gravy Train. Until we remove private financing from the electoral process, the Average Joe is gonna get screwed in favor of "Big".

Principle, Decency, and the American Way are circling the bowl, flushed in favor of a yearly "Power Auction". The highest bidder gets to skate. It's disgusting and immoral. It is unAmerican.

Quote of the Day - Drei

Maru:

Bulky, abrasive loudmouth Lynne Cheney says she would be uncomfortable with Hillary Clinton as president — and wishes the Democratic front-runner were more like her own husband, a large, secretive foulmouthed angry black man with a mechanical ticker and no scruples.

...

Heh ...

Stark Raving Truth

I am proud that Pete Stark is a D from the SF Bay Area of CA.

The Repugs are goin' all girly batshit over some of his remarks. One or two of them might have been a skosh over the top, but Rep. Stark is a Hell of a lot more polite than I would have been, which is one of the reasons I'm not in politics.

Indeed!

Stolen from that Philadelphia guy:

...

I'm not supporting anyone - and that's being honest, I really haven't decided who I'm going to vote for - but I always believe in rewarding good behavior.

This is why.

Update:

Thanks to our buddy Lambert for the pic.

Spineless Wimps

Clicking will embiggen it, but why bother?

Or maybe you could try letting Bush's SCHIP veto stand or granting the telecom companies immunity from prosecution for breaking the law by bending over for Bush.

I know there are pols who try to do what's right, but there ain't a nutsack's worth o' balls amongst all the rest of 'em.

Baghdad Déjà Vu All Over Again

Radar

A vintage military guide shows that America has been lost in Iraq since World War II

The Bush Administration didn't have the best information about Iraq before they invaded. If only they had listened to the U.S. military—from fifty years ago. It's all there in A Short Guide To Iraq, a pamphlet issued to GI's on Rat Patrol duty during World War II, helping the Brits protect oil fields and supply lines to the Russians. The White House might have learned some valuable lessons, like don't touch the Iraqis, or look at their women. On the following pages, highlights from the War Department's guidebook, discovered in Southern Methodist University's digital archive.

I'll bet Bush doesn't let SMU put it in his library. Too much - any - info about Iraq is too much.

This old manual is interesting, but all our GIs need now is directions to the exit

"I won't go huntin' with you Dick..."*

Senator Obama on The Tonight Show about one of his black (heh) sheep relatives. Via Raw Story.

Sen. Obama added that he was "OK with" being related to Cheney, but noted that he wasn't eager to be "invited to the family hunting party."

I don't blame him, but I wish I could go hunting with The Dick. I haven't had an accidental discharge for years and I'm due. Well, not with a firearm, anyway.

*From an old country song title.

WWIII 'worth starting'

From Raw Story, with video from today's Today Show:

In an appearance on NBC's Today Show, Air America's Rachel Maddow suggested that President Bush's warning against allowing Iran to acquire nuclear know-how should not be mistaken for a promise that Republicans can be trusted to prevent World War III.

"What he's saying is that World War III is worth starting, if only over the issue of Iran's nuclear know-how -- not even over the issue just of them having weapons," Maddow stated,

I don't know if that's what Bush meant or not, but I don't trust that warmongering sonofabitch as far as I can throw him, except to make bad choices and do the wrong thing

President Bush had indicated in Wednesday's press conference that "if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing [Iran] from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."

"Right now probably the most anti-American country on earth is Pakistan," Maddow continued. "Pakistan not only has a nuclear weapon but has demonstrated that they will proliferate that technology on the black market. The idea that Iran would be cause for World War III but Pakistan's no big worry to us is psychotic."

Remember that Pakistan has nukes because we enabled them to have them. Another brilliant Reagan idea.

While acknowledging that "the administration totally lacks credibility for taking the country to war yet again," Smerconish insisted that "I think historically when the country feels imperiled, the Republican Party benefits. ... It helps the GOP in the '08 cycle."

Maddow responded, "This is good for the country, to know that if you vote for a Republican candidate for president, you are voting for a war with Iran."

A warning to take to heart.

Quotes of the day

From a piece on Bush's press conference the other day at The Swamp:

As for Putin’s plans to remain as prime minister:

"I've been planning that myself,'' Bush joked.

Joked. Yeah, right...

And from 'comments', the Chimp thinking to himself about a reporter asking an actual question:

'He wouldn't be so cocky with a couple electrodes attached to his nut-sac.'

Neither would you, Bushie-boy.

Goalposts ... moving

Froggy hits it on the head:

I haven't said anything about S-CHIP yet, though I support passage of that legislation, but here's what I find interesting about it. For years and years I've been listening to conservatives say, "Well, all these programs are there to help the poor, but what about me? I'm middle class. Why aren't there any programs to help the middle class? After all, we pay for all of these other programs." Okay, so along comes this S-CHIP bill and it will help middle class children, only now we hear, "Well, look at those Frosts. They aren't poor and destitute and starving in the street and they got help from this program. It's wrong, I tell you. These programs, they're for the really, really poor."

...

You know why? Because it's not about getting what others have (the poor getting free health care at the expense of the middle class), it's about denying people what little they do get. The Rethugs don't want to be part of the program, they want to do away with the program altogether.

Update:

Amanda looks at it from another angle:

...

Certainly, chastising people for having children sounds a tad incongruous with the standard issue right wing anti-choice view that puts child-bearing into the “mandatory” category, but really this little passage from Hemingway reveals why they’re not “pro-life” or even “pro-baby”, but anti-choice. Like, any realistic choice. You don’t get a choice to abort that pregnancy but he’s also firmly against your choice to have the baby. Ideally, you’d be constrained to a handful of choices: Kill yourself, abstain from sex your whole life unless you’re a member of the elite class, or just let your babies with medical problems die for lack of care. Luckily, with the handy-dandy anti-choice policies, you’ll be making more whether you want to or not, and eventually some will be tough enough to get out of childhood, and then we’ll know for sure they’re healthy enough to pass the military physical exam, because we’ll be needing them to get the oil out of another country.

Hey, if you don’t like it, you should have chosen your socioeconomic class better when god was letting your pre-born soul in heaven pick your family.

...

Update Zwei:

Cliff Schecter:

I have not usually been one to have litmus tests, but for me, the vote on SCHIP is a litmus test. Not just as to whether you're a Democrat, but a human being.

...

Didn't take long ...

I can imagine what folks would do if they had to ration something like food or gasoline or electricity. This will get worse:

Imagine this: You catch your neighbor breaking the law, something minor, like watering the lawn when there's a water restriction or speeding in your neighborhood. Should you report your neighbor?

...

And when resources are scarce -- for example in the drought zone -- the more neighborly method of finger pointing can get out of hand. In Georgia, citations are delivered daily, as a result of neighbors telling on neighbors

...

Let me tell ya. If the 'Bush Economy' crashes hard a la 1929 (businesses folding on a large scale, 40% unemployment), people are gonna be killing each other in the street over basic conveniences.

And no, after 6 years of Bush, I have no faith in Americans taking the high road in any circumstance.