The Straight (?) Scoop

From an interview with Dan Savage, internationally-syndicated gay sex advice columnist, via AlterNet.

Given the ways in which various conservatives want to legislate the gay community, it seems hard to imagine voting for conservatives if you are gay. How do you respond to gay Republicans?

How do you respond to Republican women? Republican Hispanics? There are some people who are just deeply damaged. Look, I have some gay Republican friends who aren't crazy; I would count Andrew Sullivan among them, but he endorsed Kerry last time out. Not all gay Republicans are crazy or willing to lash themselves to the whale of George Bush.

You look at gay people and all studies show we drink more, we smoke more, we do more recreational drugs. Gay people are more likely to take extreme ill-advised sexual risks. There's a certain self-destructive streak that I don't think has anything to do with homosexuality per se, but has everything to do with the pain that gets wedged into your soul when you internalize the bad things you are told about being gay and punish yourself all your life.

I would add voting Republican when you're gay to that list, along with doing crystal meth and having sex with 40 guys in one weekend. They're both dumbass, self-destructive things to do. A certain number of people are stupid enough to off themselves.

He goes on to discuss conservatives' obsession with sex, hot conservative pundits, and "Spreading Santorum" (God help us all!). Enjoy.

Tonight on NOW

Via Truthout:

NOW reports on the real estate bubble and asks, is it about to burst?

The boom in real estate prices in America is being fueled in part by interest-only mortgages that are flooding the market with easy money for home buyers. Are these mortgages fabulous new financing tools that are helping more Americans buy homes, or are they a dangerous symptom of a housing bubble that is about to pop? On Friday, August 26, 2005 at 8:30 P.M. on PBS (check local listings), NOW travels to California, where housing prices are continuing to explode, to investigate the risks and benefits of new financing vehicles that are enticing buyers into bigger houses than they ever thought they could afford.

Update:

Bill Maher chimes in on the housing bubble in the LATimes:

I don't want to say there's a housing bubble, but I had a refrigerator delivered this morning and a homeless guy offered me $3 million for the box.

And do you know who holds most of our national debt? Asians. The only thing standing between us and foreclosure is the fact that Angelina Jolie is holding most of their children.

But I digress. The point was about how supposedly intellectual, superior coastal elites are the ones dumping thousands into mortgages they can't afford, proving once and for all how much people will pay not to live in Kansas.

What don't Americans get about "you're only rich on paper?" If there's one thing that Republicans schooled in the ways of Wall Street have taught us, it's this: Don't spend money you don't have; spend money other people don't have.

Go read and have some fun.

Squandering our cred

I've said this for a while, though the Wingnut Right doesn't get it. The United States is the only society gullible enough to be swayed so completely by rhetoric. 51% of the populace swallowed all the bullshit Chimpy dished out and went along like sheep, mouthing whatever RNCFox News tells them to.

Other places aren't like this, though to the wingnuts, no other places count. Earth was put here by God for the United States to dominate and administer for the good of the United States. The Neocon dogma plays here (see 'gullability' above), but folks around the world judge us by our actions, not the RNC corporate line.

Digby:

[. . .]

Ackerman breaks down all the reasons why Guantanamo is counterproductive to our national security as well as why it is an immoral, legal and strategic mistake of epic proportions. He very clearly shows how the administration's stubborn "my way or the highway" philosophy has put it at odds with virtually every other country and actually impeded the detention of dangerous people. It seems that the rest of the world isn't willing to throw its constitutions out the window to accomodate us just because we've thrown out ours. And the administration refuses to change anything, including our ineffectual torture techniques and endless detention policies. [my emphases]

[. . .]

Mission Accomplished. In five short years, we've gone from the Leader of the Free World to a pariah nation. Penthouse to the pavement in a historical blink of an eye.

Friday Cattle Dog Blogging

Princess Shayna

I'm gonna bury that camera in the yard, dad!!!!

Free Haiti

Sadly, or as an indictment of me, I do not know enough about the situation in Haiti. I have Haitian friends, but most came to this country decades ago and for one reason or another want to put that episode of their lives behind them. The Dominicans I know don't give much of a shit what happens across the border because they live relatively well and the less they know about Haiti, the better. Thankfully, CN Todd is on this like white on rice.

That's it

Any last scintilla of respect I had for John McCain just went by the wayside. From that crazy broad Wonkette:

John McCain signs on with President Bush's plan to erect a bridge past the 19th century by endorsing the teaching of intelligent design in the nation's public schools. Schools should bring in "all points of view" regarding the origins of the human species, the Arizona senator said--which, we fear, is just the sort of opening Tom Cruise has been waiting for.

[. . .]

He should be wearing a 'Kick Me' sign.

Tony's payoff

The Mirror via Avedon Carol:

TONY Blair is expected to join one of the most exclusive groups of businessmen in the world after he leaves Downing Street.

The PM is being lined up for a highly lucrative position with the Carlyle Group - an American-based investment giant with strong links to the White House and the defence industry.

[. . .]

Another who's sold his soul to the Neocon Devil. Another who's got the blood of Iraq on his hands.

Sweet Dreams

From the Renegade.

Job disapproval

Bark Bark Woof Woof:

[. . .]

Thirty-six percent? Wow. That's as bad as Richard Nixon, right?

Wrong again, buffalo breath! Richard Nixon, in July 1973, at the same point in his presidency as Bush (the summer after his re-election) and at the height of the Watergate revelations (John Dean's testimony before the Ervin committee and the revelation of the White House tapes), was at 39%. In other words, Richard Nixon, one of the more charm-free occupants of the Oval Office, was three points ahead of President Bush.

[. . .]

Could it be the American people are beginning to open their eyes?

Good news

Via Grandpa Eddie concerning Gord's post last week:

AUSTIN, Texas A decorated Marine doesn't qualify as a Texas resident any more because of the time he spent serving in Iraq.

That's what Carl Basham says officials told him when he tried to enroll in Austin Community College.

[. . .]

Eddie has this today:

Former Marine Cpl. Carl Basham is a real Texan.

On Friday, Basham submitted "additional documents" to Austin Community College to meet requirements for a waiver for in-state tuition. Basham was granted in-state status.

The school previously denied Basham the cheaper tuition rate because he lived in Louisiana for a year before joining the military.

[. . .]

I love it when shit works out for somebody who deserves it.

More 'Stans'

As I've said many times before, Iraq would be far better off broken into 3 states (Shi'astan, Sunnistan, and Kurdistan) under a loose central government in Baghdad. This should have been the plan from the beginning, but then all they thought about was 'on to Baghdad'.

I said this at the beginning of the year. Had we any postwar planning, it would have been something worth serious consideration. From Brilliant at Breakfast (which has been missing from my daily blogroll for far too long and I will remedy that after work):

[. . .]

There is no Iraq. There's a country of warring factions cobbled together by the British almost 100 years ago that has been lying in wait like sprinters, waiting for the starting gun, so they could pounce at each other again.

[. . .]

We can thank the British Empire for many of the problems we face today. Their arbitrary gerrymandering of nations under their control was made without regard to ethnic or racial issues. Earlier in the post, Jill quotes Marc Cooper (link at B at B):

. . .

Iraq - thanks to the British colonialists - was always a paper-thin, manufactured state. Only the leaden hand and the willing trigger finger of a tyrant like Hussein could hold the national state together.

. . .

We have neither the stomach or the national will to run Iraq a la Saddam. The neocons wouldn't mind, but the American people in general have had it with Iraq. We can't finish this job and, much as it pains me, I'd have to agree we should leave Iraq post haste. Yes, we should fix what we fuck up but lately I'm of the opinion we've fucked Iraq up too much for us to fix. The Iraqis will do this or they won't, it's up to them. We've given them enough 'help' and it's time to leave. Hopefully, the 3 new 'Stans' might evolve with as little bloodshed as possible.

Blogenlust's Guide to Wingnut Logic

[. . .]

The BJ Corollary:

Anything can be justified absent blow jobs. [matt]

Parallel to the BJ Corollary:

Blow jobs are worse than or equal to any bad act. [matt]

[. . .]

You gotta see this. Liquid Alert: Spit or swallow first.

DSM/Traction

Congressman Jim Leach (R, Iowa) has informed Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D, California) that he will co-sponsor her Resolution of Inquiry into Bush Administration communications with the U.K. about Iraq at the time of the Downing Street Memos . . .

Good news! Read the rest at . . . you know where.

Redundancies

A state Republican committeeman in the Poconos has been charged with molesting a teenage boy at an underage beer party in a Stroudsburg motel, police said Friday.

John R. Curtin, 20, of Stroud Township rented a room Monday afternoon at the Days Inn on Park Avenue and threw a beer party for several boys ages 13 to 17, Stroud Area Regional police said.

[. . .]

Gotta love them 'moral values' from the Party of God. Thanks: Maru.

Good God

E & P via Atrios:

NEW YORK The American Legion, which has 2.7 million members, has declared war on antiwar protestors, and the media could be next. Speaking at its national convention in Honolulu, the group's national commander called for an end to all "public protests" and "media events" against the war, constitutional protections be damned.

"The American Legion will stand against anyone and any group that would demoralize our troops, or worse, endanger their lives by encouraging terrorists to continue their cowardly attacks against freedom-loving peoples," Thomas Cadmus, national commander, told delegates at the group's national convention in Honolulu.

[. . .]

Bush's Brownshirts. Oy. And they're probably all armed too. Silly old men. Dangerous, but stupid. If you're a member and don't agree with this drivel, now's the time to become an ex-member.

Update: 19:00:

DemVet is far more articulate than I.

Dirty Tricksters

Go read how the Federalist Society and Young College Republicans operate, at Truthout.

I have spent the last seven years of my life working cheek-by-jowl next to members of the Federalist Society and the College Republicans. The Federalist Society is a law school student organization that began in the 1970s, and has "adult" chapters throughout the United States. According to the Washington Post and other news reports, its present secret membership lists contain those at the highest levels of the Bush Administration. [1] The same goes for College Republicans, the college campus organization that feeds into the Federalist Society.

Know your enemy.

But, it's un-American not to send more money to rich folks...

If you'd rather your gas money would go to help poor people than rich people, read this piece at Common Dreams:

Citgo is a U.S. refining and marketing firm that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company. Money you pay to Citgo goes primarily to Venezuela -- not Saudi Arabia or the Middle East. There are 14,000 Citgo gas stations in the US. By buying your gasoline at Citgo, you are contributing to the billions of dollars that Venezuela's democratic government is using to provide health care, literacy and education, and subsidized food for the majority of Venezuelans.

Instead of using government to help the rich and the corporate, as Bush does, Chavez is using the resources and oil revenue of his government to help the poor in Venezuela. A country with so much oil wealth shouldn't have 60 percent of its people living in poverty, earning less than $2 per day. With a mass movement behind him, Chavez is confronting poverty in Venezuela. That's why large majorities have consistently backed him in democratic elections. And why the Bush administration supported an attempted military coup in 2002 that sought to overthrow Chavez

I am going to get a Citgo credit card.

I don't care what anybody says about Chavez. I like him. Because of oil, he may actually be able to pull off what Fidel tried to do with sugar cane and cigars.

Find a Citgo station here.

He's running out of rationales

Joe Conason on Bush's latest, lamest, and hopefully last rationale for his war in Iraq:

As 'freedom' routine loses credibility, Bush uses war dead to justify war

Challenged to justify the war in Iraq by his critics -- and in particular by bereaved Gold Star mother Cindy Sheehan -- President George W. Bush has answered with logic that is almost perfectly circular. Speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Salt Lake City on Aug. 22, he explained that our troops must keep fighting and dying in order to justify the sacrifice of those who fought and died before them.

Maureen Dowd weighs in on the same topic:

What twisted logic: with no W.M.D., no link to 9/11 and no democracy, now we have to keep killing people and have our kids killed because so many of our kids have been killed already? Talk about a vicious circle: the killing keeps justifying itself.

Lemme see if I understand this - more kids have to die in vain to honor the ones who have already died in vain so the Chimp won't have to admit they died in vain due to his mistakes and lies. Is that about right?

Making a Permanent Home in the 'Promised Land'

From Media Transparency:

Christian Right's piece of the "Promised Land"

"Israel offers evangelical Christians land near the Sea of Galilee in the hopes of solidifying their support and boosting tourism

After more than 30 years of organizing testimonial dinners for right wing Israeli politicians, handing out checks to Israeli charities, and forming alliances with conservative Jewish leaders and organizations to support Israel, Evangelical Christians may finally be getting a piece of the "Promised Land."

In a move geared toward solving Northern Israel's unemployment crisis, increasing tourism to the country, and solidifying relations with US Evangelical Christians, the Israeli government has offered 35 acres of land on the shore of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) for development by Christian Evangelicals. The Israeli government is hopeful they will build a large conference center, complete with the requisite amenities, to attract hundreds of thousands of evangelical tourists from the US and other countries."

One quote from the article that really jumped out at me:

"Ari Marom, an Israeli official in charge of tourism marketing in the US, told the Financial Times. "The need and desire to strengthen our relationship with the evangelical community and encourage them to visit and support Israel not just from afar but up close, cuts across party lines.""

He may live on an iceberg but . . .

The guy in the fancy suit has got it nailed:

[. . .]

Israel is safer today than it has ever been in its entire existence. Yet, talking to my Israeli coworkers, reading the news from Israel, it seems that the Israeli people themselves haven't got the message, and indeed if you point this out and point out that maybe it's time that the United States quit propping up a failed welfare state in the Middle East by shipping them billions of dollars in aid, and instead force them to reform both economically and politically to live in the modern world rather than as a walled-off garrison state, you're immediately accused of being an anti-Semite who wants to exterminate Jews because everybody in the area hates Jews and wants to destroy Israel.

[. . .]

It's time we got the Israeli spies and provocateurs out of the U.S. government. It's time to rethink our pouring almost $5bn into the Israeli economy every year, especially when we're cutting funding to the VA and other worthy organizations.

Israel has nukes, ladies and gents, and they can damn well protect themselves in the region with that threat alone. I'm tired of fighting Israel's battles and wars while they turn into the Nazis they so despise and stand at our front door with their hands out.

[And you'll notice I didn't use the words 'Israeli' and 'Jew' interchangably as I have been apt to in the past. See, even an old dog can learn a new trick or two.]

Skank

Ann Coulter doesn't like New Yorkers. Fine with me, but don't question our courage:

She says of terrorists, "it's far preferable to fight them in the streets of Baghdad than in the streets of New York (where the residents would immediately surrender)."

Just the same way we surrendered on 9/11, right? I've lived all over the world and I've never met people who rise to the occasion better or faster than New Yorkers. The stories of heroism and courage on that day, not just by cops and firefighters but ordinary citizens (not to mention the heroic exploits and sacrifice from our own 'Fighting 69th' in Iraq and Afghanistan), are too numerous to mention. We'll fight in the streets if we have to and we'll win. I'm tired of skanks and whores talking down about the people in this very blue city. We were the ones attacked on 9/11 and we were the ones who survived and went on. It's assholes like this who use our pain when it suits them yet can put us down when it doesn't. Fuck the lot of them. [Though I wouldn't fuck Ann Coulter with a stolen dick.]

Hat tip: Atrios.

Update: 06:00:

Glen echoes my sentiments almost exactly. Shows ya how New Yorkers think. Don't fuck with us. We'll fuck your collective asses until you choke.

Balls 2

Nancy Pelosi's (D-Brass Ones) grown some. From an email I got from her today:

[. . .]

The answer is simple: We have a cover-up Congress.

Help Us End the Cover-Up Congress Now.

>From the beginning, the Bush White House has claimed the war in Iraq as their exclusive purview: neither Congress nor the American public had any right to criticize, question, or even know about poor pre-war planning.

Congressional Republicans followed in lockstep with the White House. Even as scandals erupted from every corner, they insisted that Congress provide no oversight, demand no answers, and continue writing blank checks for the Administration.

This is just a brief list of wartime scandals that are being covered up - and that a Democratic Congress would promptly get to the bottom of:

- Alleged manipulation of intelligence on Iraq by the White House.
- Allegations against Halliburton and other corporate schemers who appear to have cheated the American taxpayer.
- The role of top Administration officials in prisoner abuse from Abu Ghraib to Guantanamo Bay.
- The apparent diversion of resources from hunting Osama bin Laden to invading Iraq before notifying Congress.
- Misleading assessments of projected costs on veterans' benefits.
- The alleged exposure of a covert officer in retaliation for her husband's whistle blowing on White House intelligence manipulation.

Every American - Republican, Democrat or Independent - deserves answers to these questions. It would seem that the Republicans will do everything they can to keep the truth from us.

[. . .]

It's about time somebody's calling them out. Good on her and I hope she starts cracking the whip. A nice picture comes to mind . . .

Tweaks

Yes, I fucked around with the look a little. Comments, good or bad, solicited. Here at the Brain, we strive for the best blogging environment for all. [cough, cough]

And while I'm at it, has anyone else had problems with Blogrolling lately?

Bullshit

Why does this decorated veteran hate America?

President Dicknose made a speech last night* calling Cindy Sheehan a traitor:

DONNELLY, Idaho (AP) - President George W. Bush charged Tuesday that antiwar protesters like Cindy Sheehan who want troops brought home immediately do not represent the views of most U.S. military families and are "advocating a policy that would weaken the United States."

[. . .]

Link via Maru.

*[Correction: the Idaho speech was today. The pic above is from the Salt Lake speech last night. - F-man]

It's the christian thing to do...

From MSNBC:

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson called on Monday for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, calling him a "terrific danger" to the United States.

I can think of a lot of people a lot closer to home that are a "terrific danger" to the United States, but I want them to at least have a show trial before we hang 'em. I guess I'm not a good enough christian. Thank you, Lord.

Child support

I've been saying this to anyone who tells me 'America supports the world'. No, America supports Egypt and Israel (who do you think is paying for the Gaza pullout perchance?), everybody else can go fuck themselves. The United States is the least charitable of any of the industrialized nations. From the Tart (I prefer the British pronounciation 'taht' as in 'you little tart'.):

Total US international aid is around .21% GNP- still among the lowest ratios of all donor nations . . .

But we can spend $200bn on Iraq and how much on 'Strategic Missile Defense'. All those big promises made at Gleneagles have gone by the wayside it seems:

[. . .]

The G8 agreed to increase aid from rich countries by $48bn a year by 2010. When Tony Blair announced this to parliament, he said that "in addition ... we agreed to cancel 100% of the multilateral debts" of the most indebted countries. He also stated that aid would come with no conditions attached. These were big claims, all of which can now be shown to be false. [my emphasis]

[. . .]

So stop saying we're giving all our money away. We're not, we're wasting it making a mess of the world.

Special note to Bono of U2: I love ya, man, but you're an asshole if you ever take a conciliatory stand toward President Dicknose the way you did in Scotland this year. Bush and Blair played you for a fool.

2009

Tell me they're not gonna reinstate the Draft.

The Dems don't have a plan

Bullshit. Some do. I meant to blog on Russ Feingold's (D-WI) appearance on Press the Meat yesterday but alas, that too fell through the cracks (told ya we were having fun this weekend). Frederick Maryland at Demagogue:

[. . .]

If Dec. 31 of next year isn't enough time for U.S. troops to do the job that Bush believes they're able to do in Iraq, then Republicans should please say so. And Democrats should welcome the opportunity to force GOP leaders to come clean on this.

Let Republicans criticize Feingold's plan. Let them tell the American people that one full year and four months is not enough time for the Pentagon to adequately train Iraqi police and soldiers. (The Pentagon has already been at it for roughly two years.) That kind of attack on Feingold is likely to backfire, exhausting what little patience the public still has for the Iraqi military occupation.

[. . .]

Read it.

Democrat role models

Somebody better put this guy on a leadership committee or two. He's got the right idea.

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson called for "the biggest demonstration this state has ever seen" to protest President Bush's appearance Monday before a national veterans convention.
"This administration has been disastrous to the country," Anderson said Friday. "If people could organize and speak out in an effective manner from the reddest state in the country, that would garner a lot of attention."
In an e-mail Wednesday to about 10 activist leaders, the maverick mayor of Utah's capital called for a diverse demonstration to greet Bush when he speaks to the Veterans of Foreign Wars at the Salt Palace Convention Center. The mayor plans to join the protesters.

[. . .]

Mayor Anderson is a Democrat with spine. I hope some of you take the fucking hint.

Hat tip: King of Zembla.

Obscenities

Go to Church.

For this

We've sacrificed nearly 2000 lives and all our credibility. WaPo via Atrios:

[. . .]

Washington has been pushing hard to stick to a timeline on government-building that would allow for a significant troop withdrawal as soon as early next spring.

Key provisions of the draft would formalize an already autonomous Kurdish state in the north, under a federal system. The rest of the country also would be allowed to form federal systems -- opening the way for the demand by the dominant Shiite Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq [sounds awful Iranian, don't it? - F-man] to create a southern Shiite sub-state out of up to half of Iraq's 18 regions.

Sunnis and others say such a state would be under heavy influence from neighboring, Shiite-ruled Iran. [my emphases}

[. . .]

Yes, Cindy Sheehan and all you other Gold Star Mothers, your children died to create an Iranian puppet state out of a nation who threatened us not one iota. Your President is a murderer.

Updates below the fold . . .

Collective stupid

I told you, my tolerance for stupid evaporated a long time ago. I meant to blog on this over the weekend, but it fell through the cracks. (Actually, the Mrs. and I were having fun this weekend and I forgot.) Digby:

Mary Fowler, 54, Housekeeper

Why do you think gas prices are so high?

From what I've read, they say it's because of the Iraq war. I've also read about alternatives to gas and even automobiles that use alternatives, but for some reason, the big oil companies bought up the patents for that, so it's not just the Iraq war and it's not President Bush's fault. He gets blamed for everything, but it's not his fault. It's just greed from other people. I feel like the president is doing everything he can to help.

[. . .]

So you believe we're acting as peacemakers in Iraq?

Yes and we're protecting the innocent. Muslims want to rule the world. They want to take over the whole world. That's their evil purpose.

[. . .]

Where do you get your information about the war?

The Bible and the 700 Club. I also listen to preachers who know what's going on. Pat Robertson.

[. . .]

What does it mean to be a Republican?

Republicans pick the people who believe like we do.

You mean believe in the Bible?

Yes and godly principles. If we kick god out, we'll be like other countries that have AIDS, sickness and poverty. God created the earth, he created the rules and he knows what's best for everybody.

Unfortunately, we have AIDS, sickness and poverty in this country.

Yes, because we allow homosexuality.

You blame homosexuality for AIDS, sickness and poverty?

Well, sometimes people are innocent. This nation is in trouble. The ACLU are run by communists and funded by communists. What does that tell you? They want to take god away from us.

[. . .]

I'm sorry, but Ms. Fowler and everyone else who thinks the same way are a buncha idiots. This is the 21st Century, you fucking assholes. Wake up and smell the coffee. My German may be coming out, but you people shouldn't be allowed to breed; you're far too stupid. President Miserable Failure shouldn't be a role model to you, he should be a warning.

Losing

Kevin Drum has a post up "Can we win in Iraq?" Maurinsky answers:

[. . .]

It's a trick question, Kevin Drum. We lost the war before a single bomb was dropped. We lost the war when Congress voted to give the incompetent Bush administration authority to invade. (The American people lost in a much larger sense when the 2000 election was stolen.)

Absolutely positively, my dear. America lost big time 5 years ago and the losing continues.

Home boys . . . redux

Good article in The Lone Star Iconoclast via Maru:

[. . .]

Why didn't you stop for five minutes on your way back to the ranch Friday to answer Cindy Sheehan's questions? You made time for a fund-raiser, time to throw the first pitch at a baseball game, time to meet with foreign heads of government - but no time to meet with and answer the questions of a mother whose son was killed in Iraq?

This is what "war presidents" do. There is no vacation from reality.

[. . .]

The Iconoclast is Chimpy's hometown paper. You know, even the biggest bastards around here are treated better by the local papers. Tells ya something, don't it?

Burkas are a small price to pay for democracy

Go read today's posts by James Wolcott.

You Mowed Down His Cross

A powerful letter from 1st Sergeant Perry Jeffries, USArmy Retired, to the dildo who took down the memorial crosses of his friends at Camp Casey. No quotes, just read it.

The Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan

Frank (Pop) Rich lays it on the RS3M* for its despicable campaign against Mrs. Sheehan:

But this time the Swift Boating failed, utterly, and that failure is yet another revealing historical marker in this summer's collapse of political support for the Iraq war.

The public knows that what matters this time is Casey Sheehan's story, not the mother who symbolizes it. Cindy Sheehan's bashers, you'll notice, almost never tell her son's story. They are afraid to go there because this young man's life and death encapsulate not just the noble intentions of those who went to fight this war but also the hubris, incompetence and recklessness of those who gave the marching orders.

THIS summer in Crawford, the White House went to this playbook once too often. When Mr. Bush's motorcade left a grieving mother in the dust to speed on to a fund-raiser, that was one fat-cat party too far. The strategy of fighting a war without shared national sacrifice has at last backfired, just as the strategy of Swift Boating the war's critics has reached its Waterloo before Patrick Fitzgerald's grand jury in Washington. The 24/7 cable and Web attack dogs can keep on sliming Cindy Sheehan. The president can keep trying to ration the photos of flag-draped caskets. But this White House no longer has any more control over the insurgency at home than it does over the one in Iraq.

Be sure to read this one.

*RS3M - Republican Spin, Slime, and Smear Machine

Home boys

The fourth kid from my town died in Iraq this week. I went to school with their parents.

[. . .]

Ruiz, whose 11-month tour of duty was scheduled to end in September, was killed Monday when he was hit by small arms fire in Mosul. His family has made tentative plans for a wake and funeral near the Washington Heights home of his wife Alexa, but they have not scheduled a date yet.

Ruiz is one of 18 soldiers from Long Island who have been killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the fourth graduate of Brentwood High School [F-man's almer mater] to become a casualty.

[. . .]

Murdering bastids.

Stealin' from the Church

I had to. From the lovely Via:

They shoot back

Via Skippy, of course:

[. . .]

The reuse of some object-oriented code has caused tactical headaches for Australia's armed forces. As virtual reality simulators assume larger roles in helicopter combat training, programmers have gone to great lengths to increase the realism of their scenarios, including detailed landscapes and - in the case of the Northern Territory's Operation Phoenix - herds of kangaroos (since disturbed animals might well give away a helicopter's position). The head of the Defense Science and Technology Organization's Land Operations/Simulation division reportedly instructed developers to model the local marsupials' movements and reactions to helicopters. Being efficient programmers, they just re-appropriated some code originally used to model infantry detachment reactions under the same stimuli, changed the mapped icon from a soldier to a kangaroo, and increased the figures' speed of movement. Eager to demonstrate their flying skills for some visiting American pilots, the hotshot Aussies "buzzed" the virtual kangaroos in low flight during a simulation. The kangaroos scattered, as predicted, and the visiting Americans nodded appreciatively . . . then did a double take as the kangaroos reappeared from behind a hill and launched a barrage of Stinger missiles at the hapless helicopter. (Apparently the programmers had forgotted to remove that part of the infantry coding.) The lesson?

[. . .]

I'd sorta like to see deer and bear do this during hunting season.

Update: 16:15:

Fortuitously, Ol' Yella illustrates my point beautifully.

Nutz

[. . .]

Bush is a classic Caligula-type personality: "(He) is preoccupied with fantasies of power and being loved. Such a person requires 'automatic compliance.' He or she is 'exploitative' of others, 'lacks empathy, is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others.' And also 'shows arrogant, haughty behavior or attitudes." "--Has a grandiose sense of self-importance, exaggerates achievements and talent (or lack thereof), expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements." (Diagnostic and Statistical manual: Charasteristics of N.P.D.) The last time the world stage entertained such manifest entitlement and madness was Adolph Hitler. The comparisons are entirely legitimate.

[. . .]

M and T (and Harry Hound) take a look at Bush's mental stability. Stop laughing.

Katyusha Update

Yesterday, in the wake of the news about the rockets widely missing the supposed targets of two U.S. ships in Jordan, I did a post about the type of rockets used and why I thought they missed. I did that one out of my head. I was pretty close, but my info was dated and incomplete. Here's a better look at them.

A letter from Cindy Sheehan

Via Truthout:

I got an email the other day and it said, "Cindy if you didn't use so much profanity ... there's people on the fence that get offended.

And you know what I said? "You know what? You know what, god damn it? How in the world is anybody still sitting on that fence?

If you fall on the side that is pro-George and pro-war, you get your ass over to Iraq, and take the place of somebody who wants to come home. And if you fall on the side that is against this war and against George Bush, stand up and speak out.

After that wishy-washy beginning, she gets down to brass tacks. This gal is my hero. No shrinking violet, that's for sure.

A Fringe Idea With Political Clout

Jon Carroll sounds off on Intelligent (cough) Design:

Intelligent design is not science. It is not even a field of study. It is a belief system wrapped up in "scientific" language. Scientists have been studying the origin and nature of life on earth for at least 4,000 years. In that time, they have come up with a number of hypotheses. Then new evidence has been turned up, and the old hypotheses have been discarded, often reluctantly.

Scientists, like all humans, really hate to discard ideas that they have defended for years. The history of science is a history of unhappy people reluctantly changing their minds. Imagine the person who first realized that the sun was just another star. Terrible, terrible news. It's the universe saying, "You're not special."

The intelligent design people have never suffered such a crisis. They have never changed their minds based on new evidence. That's because they started with the desired results and worked backward.

The intelligent design people don't do mosses. They don't spend 17 years in a laboratory with a glass case full of earthworms. They are indifferent to the symbiotic relationships that create lichen. The intelligent design people are not interested in studying; they are interested in preaching. They do not present papers; they present sermons.

It's not an equal struggle. It's the world scientific community against a few guys with some Web sites and a lot of political clout.

Here's what it's like. Suppose there were a conference on child development and parenting. And some people are saying that children should start early on a rigorous academic program, and others are saying no, they should have real childhoods and be allowed to develop their creative abilities naturally. And some people say that children should get regular allowances, and others say, no, children should always do chores to get money. And some people say children should get complete sex education and access to birth control devices as soon as they reach puberty, and others say no, that just encourages promiscuity and reinforces our society's unhealthy preoccupation with sex.

And then someone says, "We should throw pingpong balls at them. All day, every day, we should throw pingpong balls at our children. It just seems like the right thing to do."

That's the role of the intelligent design people in serious discussions about the nature and the origin of life. They are the pingpong-ball people. They're not even talking about the same thing. They have an agenda. They want to change the subject.

Even their most basic premise is false. The theory of natural selection does not deny the existence of God. It has no opinion on the matter. The theory of natural selection arose from a series of observations and experiments by people who were, for the most part, believing Christians. Faith and science can live very comfortably together, if only someone would give them the chance.

I could probably live with these ID whackjobs and their moronic ideas if they didn't want it to be enshrined in law that everybody else has to be taught to be as ignorant as they are.

Stalin Organs

As we all have no doubt heard by now, Al Qaeda is claiming credit for firing three rockets at the USS Queerbarge Kearsarge. I expressed some doubt at various blogs that it was the target by wondering how they could possibly miss a target that is 600 feet long and rises forty or more feet out of the water at the flight deck, and 150 feet at the superstructure, and is tied to a dock, i.e. parked, to boot

Well, I take it all back. I was just watching Confused News Network and now I know.

The rockets were WWII Russian "Katyusha" missiles. They are deployed from a towed launcher that contains multiple rockets in a rack, maybe twenty of 'em. They're three or four feet long and have no guidance once they leave the launcher. It is an "area fire" weapon and as such is impossible to aim with precision. It is pointed in the approximate direction and angled upward for range in the "I shot an arrow into the air, it fell to earth I know not where" mode. To hit anything with it, the Russians fired thousands of them in a barrage. They make a terrific back blast and a huge cloud of dust when they go off. As soon as it is fired, the truck hooks the launcher up and hauls ass as it is sure to draw counterbattery fire. The U.S. had a very similar weapon.

Wehrmacht soldiers called 'em "Stalin Organs" and they did indeed play a deadly tune.

It's my guess that the rockets were left over from the Soviet Union's involvement in Egypt, but I certainly wouldn't rule out that these fanatics towed them overland from Afghanistan behind a Nissan pickup. Hopeless, but it gave them something to do.

The chance of hitting a specific target with only three antique examples of a crude, even for its time, device is highly dependent on Allah's good intentions towards the mission. It would be like trying to take a shower with three drops of water.

Friday Cattle Dog Blogging

Baby pictures:

Princess Shayna at about 6 months.

None better

Than the Rude One:

[. . .]

See? You get it? It's not that the administration's a bunch of stumblefucks who couldn't wipe their asses with a diagram and feces-finding tissue. It's that the lack of body armor and, oh, say, a plan is exactly what's needed so the troops really suffer for their country. It's a morale builder, not a soul wrecker.

[. . .]

If Dick Cheney is breathing he's lying. Or he's insulting the United States Military once again by comparing them with a bunch of untrained, weakly-armed, barely cohesive bands of citizen-terrorists who were cobbled together to fight against an occupying power. Or he's the most ironic motherfucker in history.

[. . .]

Kinky

Excellent article on Kinky Friedman and his run for governor of Texas in The New Yorker.

Kinky, in his life and work, has always felt most comfortable as an outsider: a Jew in Texas, a Texan in New York, a reactionary in progressive circles, and a progressive in conservative circles. "Too smart for country, too country for the intelligentsia," as the journalist Larry Sloman - better known as Ratso, who in the mysteries plays Watson to Kinky's Sherlock - once put it. In front of a liberal crowd, Kinky throws in as many racist and sexist epithets as he can think of. If it's a country crowd, he uses bigger words and makes fun of rednecks. Naturally, this is part of his political appeal: politicians are always careful to say nothing offensive, whereas Kinky is careful to always say something offensive; he provokes not to stop conversation but to start it. It's a delicate balance, however. As Evan Smith, the editor of Texas Monthly, for which Kinky wrote a column for four years, put it, "If he's too much like the Kinky we all know and love, he risks not being taken seriously - but if he's too serious he risks just being another guy. People will say, 'If I wanted an unfunny guy, I'd vote for one of the actual candidates.' "

Kinky will have to convince voters that he's at least a little serious, and this means convincing them that he is sincere. Willie Nelson, aboard his tour bus just before a show in New Jersey, told me, "They come to hear just how far out is this guy, and I think that's true of any entertainer who is being honest and truthful." Kinky has said that he would appoint Nelson as his energy czar, in order to explore expanding the use of biodiesel, an alternative fuel that Nelson uses in his buses and cars. "They want to know how honest you're gonna be," Nelson said, "and I haven't seen him back off on anything."

I'd love to see him turn Texas politics on its head. Go to Kinky's site and read, then get on his emailing list.

History has a way of repeating itself...

On Aug. 19, 1934, a plebiscite in Germany approved the vesting of sole executive power in Adolf Hitler as Fuhrer.

Of course, that could never happen here...

What We're Fighting For

Just to keep us focused, I present this post at The Poor Man Cafe. He starts by quoting Paul Begala on " Anti-War Imagery and the Iconography of Hate". That's worth a read in its entirety.

Then follows up with a bunch of quotes by wingnut hatemongers. Read 'em and refresh your memory.

They want to destroy everyone who doesn't drink their demon kool-aid, and our nation in the process.

We're fighting for the survival of Democracy and Freedom. Make no mistake about it.

Krugman

[. . .]

Two different news media consortiums reviewed Florida's ballots; both found that a full manual recount would have given the election to Mr. Gore. This was true despite a host of efforts by state and local officials to suppress likely Gore votes, most notably Ms. Harris's "felon purge," which disenfranchised large numbers of valid voters.

[. . .]

Go read. Great thanks to Melanie.

Iraq is lost

This via Wolcott:

It's over. For the U.S. to win the Iraq war requires three things: defeating the Iraqi resistance; establishing a stable government in Iraq that is friendly to the U.S.; maintaining the support of the American people while the first two are being done. None of these three seem any longer possible. First, the U.S. military itself no longer believes it can defeat the resistance. Secondly, the likelihood that the Iraqi politicians can agree on a constitution is almost nil, and therefore the likelihood of a minimally stable central government is almost nil. Thirdly, the U.S. public is turning against the war because it sees no "light at the end of the tunnel."

As a result, the Bush regime is in an impossible position. It would like to withdraw in a dignified manner, asserting some semblance of victory. But, if it tries to do this, it will face ferocious anger and deception on the part of the war party at home. And if it does not, it will face ferocious anger on the part of the withdrawal party. It will end up satisfying neither, lose face precipitously, and be remembered in ignominy.

[. . .]

It looks like Bush has painted himself into a corner. Good. Wait for the terror threat level to go up sometime soon to distract us from the reality once again.

Sign on

Add your name to the Freedom of Information Act request. Jane:

[. . .]

Well here's your chance to bear witness to the fact that you did not go quietly. On Monday the DNC will file a Freedom of Information Act request for documents pertaining to John Roberts' work as a political appointee under the first Bush administration that the White House has so far refused to turn over to the Senators who have asked for them. The request will come from Howard Dean and anyone who wishes to put their name to it. You can read the formal request and add your name here:

[. . .]

Finally! One about Me 'n Fixer!

From Jaime O'Neill:

Because most of the fighting now being done requires far less marching than was once needed, it is only reasonable to propose that perhaps we have arrived at a time in the history of human struggle when the old people can do the fighting.

This guy has never been in the service. It ain't the marching that hurts. It's the running and the hills with a full load. Even at eighteen, I loved those fuckin' Camp Pendleton hills, and they loved fuckin' me! I see his point though: march long enough, you'll get to a hill and have to run up it.

Tapping that pool of warriors should be easy. Aging males are easily the most gung-ho of all warriors.

From Rush Limbaugh and Karl Rove right on down to the guys who write letters to the editors of the nation's newspapers, the fiercest warriors are men over 50, men with expanding waistlines and receding hairlines who would tear the enemy a new one if only they could get up off the sofa in less than three tries.

Besides, many of these older men work out regularly and eat sensibly. The popular wisdom now has it that 60 is the new 40, and 40 is surely young enough to serve in the military.

Guys like Rep. Tom DeLay, for instance, look to be in fine shape and would make good soldiers, I'm sure.

Tom DeLay and me in the same fire team? Sign my aging white ass up! D'ya think they'd notice if the Squad Automatic Weapon bullet holes in him were in the shape of my initials? That there's two belts worth?

So, because these males are really, really angry, why not give them an outlet for all that anger, and soon, while they can still see to fire their weapons?

Yet another social benefit of my proposal is to be found in the potential for saving vast sums of money that would otherwise go toward health care for these aging males.

This is sounding like win-win!

An additional advantage to my proposal is that it would get these men out of the house. As it is, far too many of them, especially those who have retired early, are annoying their wives, are constantly underfoot and are often in the way.

Mrs. G says it's win-win too! She's so supportive.

As an aging man myself, I would readily join the ranks of the aging army, but I think my skills are more valuable here at home, thinking up ideas for victory like the aforementioned proposal.

I think that's the whole problem with war. Old men get pissed off and send young men to fight the stupid wars they start. Maybe if the old farts had to go fight 'em, they'd wise up.

Anyway, go read the whole thing. It's a hoot!

Gotta quit checkin' stuff out late at night. My senses are dulled from the day. I'll post anything!

What's in a name...

Donna Gillespie in the EssEffChron:

It's time for the pro-choice movement to change its name. "Pro choice" is not a slogan to conjure a drumbeat summoning people to march for human rights. "Choice" brings up images of entitlement, of having the leisure to choose. You choose ice cream flavors. Or whether to buy the Prada shoes or the Hermes bag when you can't afford them both.

I propose that we choose a name that resonates with our highest values: "Equal justice for women." "Reproductive rights for all women." "Reproductive justice for women." Or perhaps "full civil rights for women." Whatever term in settled on, it should be something that carries a moral force. We should be saying it with all the passion with which people once said, "Give me liberty or give me death." Yes, it's that kind of issue. The best answer, when anyone asks you if you're for "abortion on demand" is: "Certainly. I'm also for human rights on demand."

Conversely, those who believe in full human rights for women must stop allowing anti-abortion groups to disguise their intentions behind the label "pro-life." I propose that we start calling them what they are -- advocates of forced birth. (my bold)

Let's face it: To force an unwilling woman to give birth is a barbarous act. This is the dark side of the anti-abortion movement that its proponents don't want the public to closely examine. At a recent anti-abortion march here in San Francisco, I saw a baffling placard proclaiming: "Women deserve better than abortion." What, exactly, would that "better" be? For the woman whose birth control has failed her to be put under house arrest for the first six months of her pregnancy, to assure that others' will is done and not hers? We should condemn this with the same righteous fury with which we condemn spousal abuse and rape.

I think she's got a good point. Names and image are all about marketing. The truth doesn't necessarily sell as well as a lie, as we all know from watching the Bush administration at work. I like the term "wingnut whackjobs", f'rinstance, but it may not have broad appeal even though it's the truth.

Mein Kampf

A very big hat tip to Glen.

Bend Over, Marine

This one totally pisses me off. From OhioNewsNow:

AUSTIN, Texas A decorated Marine doesn't qualify as a Texas resident any more because of the time he spent serving in Iraq.

That's what Carl Basham says officials told him when he tried to enroll in Austin Community College.

He's registered to vote in Texas, has a Texas driver's license and does his banking there. But he says officials told him that's not enough to qualify him for the lower tuition Texas residents pay.

That means he'd have to pay around 26-hundred dollars a semester in tuition, instead of about 500 dollars.

Basham did two tours of duty in Iraq.

Officials at the college will only say Basham didn't meet state requirements. They say privacy laws prevent discussing his case.

Those rotten sonsabitches. Go do your duty as you see it, and your reward for risking your ass is a financial penalty for being out of state? Motherfucker!

Why Bush Won't Talk To Cindy

Marjorie Cohn at Truthout:

Why didn't Bush simply invite Cindy in for tea when she arrived in Crawford? In a brief, personal meeting with Cindy, Bush could have defused a situation that has become a profound embarrassment for him, and could derail his political agenda.

Bush didn't talk with Cindy because he can't answer her question. There is no answer to Cindy's question. There is no noble cause that Cindy's son died fighting for. And Bush knows it.

If Bush were to give an honest answer to Cindy Sheehan's question, it would be that her son died to help his country spread US hegemony throughout the Middle East.

But Bush has no intention of ever pulling out of Iraq. The US is building the largest CIA station in the world in Baghdad. And Halliburton is busily constructing 14 permanent US military bases in Iraq.

George Bush knows that he cannot answer Cindy Sheehan's question. There is no noble cause for his war on Iraq.

Bush has got his ass in a crack over this war, and knows that it's starting to cave in. It's all PR now. Any success in the wake of his disastrous decisions depends on an ignorant, cowed press and public, and Mrs. Sheehan's efforts are starting to bring attention to it and convince other anti-war folks that they can come out of the closet and speak up.

I'll be glad to see his hiney out of the vise and his neck in a noose.

Maybe Earth Sucks

Astounding new revelations from The Onion:

KANSAS CITY, KS - As the debate over the teaching of evolution in public schools continues, a new controversy over the science curriculum arose Monday in this embattled Midwestern state. Scientists from the Evangelical Center For Faith-Based Reasoning are now asserting that the long-held "theory of gravity" is flawed, and they have responded to it with a new theory of Intelligent Falling.

The ECFR, in conjunction with the Christian Coalition and other Christian conservative action groups, is calling for public-school curriculums to give equal time to the Intelligent Falling theory. They insist they are not asking that the theory of gravity be banned from schools, but only that students be offered both sides of the issue "so they can make an informed decision."

"We just want the best possible education for Kansas' kids," Burdett said.

"Anti-falling physicists have been theorizing for decades about the 'electromagnetic force,' the 'weak nuclear force,' the 'strong nuclear force,' and so-called 'force of gravity,'" Burdett said. "And they tilt their findings toward trying to unite them into one force. But readers of the Bible have already known for millennia what this one, unified force is: His name is Jesus."

Much more. Go read. Be sure to fasten your seat belt so you don't bounce off the ceiling when God repeals the "law" of gravity.

Gay President

From Jessika:

[. . .]

James Buchanan, our only unmarried President was homosexual. In fact, he wasn't very far in the closet. For many years in Washington, while he was serving as a Democrat in the U.S. Senate, he lived with William Rufus King the Democratic Senator from Alabama. The two men were inseparable, in fact, folks referred to them as "The Siamese Twins".

[. . .]

Seems we've regressed mightily in the last century and a half.

DSM/American side

I've been remiss in not posting this. Hope the Sister can forgive me:

Planning for post-Saddam regime change began as early as October 2001

Washington, D.C., August 17, 2005: Newly declassified State Department documents show that government experts warned the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in early 2003 about "serious planning gaps for post-conflict public security and humanitarian assistance," well before Operation Iraqi Freedom began.

[. . .]

Insanity and World War 3

Great article at Lew Rockwell.com via Melanie:

With every poll showing majorities of Americans both fed up with Bush's war against Iraq and convinced that Bush's invasion of Iraq has made Americans less safe, the White House moron proposes to start another war by attacking Iran. VP Cheney has already ordered the US Strategic Command to come up with plans to strike Iran with tactical nuclear weapons.

[. . .]

The only check on Bush is the lack of US troops. Bogged down in the Iraqi quagmire, US commanders are stating that a third rotation of our exhausted and demoralized troops in Iraq can be avoided only by troop withdrawals by next spring.

[. . .]

Gentle reader, do you realize the danger of having a president so disconnected from reality that he plots to attack Iran - a country three times the size of Iraq - when he lacks sufficient forces to occupy Baghdad and to protect the road from Baghdad to the airport? [my emphasis]

[. . .]

There's more. We are living in Bizarro World.

In the Land of the Stupid

Via the lovely Pudentilla at Skippy's:

Only about half of this year's high school graduates have the reading skills they need to succeed in college, and even fewer are prepared for college-level science and math courses, according to a yearly report from ACT, which produces one of the nation's leading college admissions tests.

The report, based on scores of the 2005 high school graduates who took the exam, some 1.2 million students in all, also found that fewer than one in four met the college-readiness benchmarks in all four subjects tested: reading comprehension, English, math and science. [NYT]

[. . .]

Remember when everybody used to tell Polish jokes? Now they're gonna tell American jokes.

Gaza

All I have to say is this. It's their land, get out.

Paradigm shift

FT.com:

Growing public dissatisfaction with both the war in Iraq and US relations with the Muslim world could soon lead the American public to demand a change of course by the administration, according to a new poll of foreign policy attitudes.

[. . .]

That combination of strong public opinion and the belief that the government is responsible for addressing it makes the Iraq war "the foreign policy issue that most clearly appears to have reached a tipping point", said Daniel Yankelovich, a pollster and chairman of Public Agenda, a nonprofit research group that conducted the poll.

[. . .]

"If the war in Iraq lingers, the standoff with Tehran lasts, and relations with Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Syria remain troubled, the next reading of [the index] could well reveal that the vague apprehension the American public now feels has crystallised into a demand for changes in US foreign policy," he said.

[. . .]

Unbelievably, or maybe not, it took us 5 years to reach this point. Maybe now, most Americans won't fall for the next distraction coming out of 1600.

Deepindahearta, Texas

This is just so good:

CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- Anti-war demonstrators led by the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq will move their campsite closer to President Bush's Texas ranch.

The new site, offered by a sympathetic landowner, is just a mile from Bush's Crawford home.

The landowner is a relative of Larry Mattlage, the local rancher who fired shots into the air Sunday, saying he was preparing for "dove season," said Sheehan, the aggrieved mother.

"This just shows me that the universe is blessing our efforts out here at Camp Casey," she said late Tuesday, referring to the camp named after her 24-year-old son.

[. . .]

Even Chimpy's neighbors are turning on him. Good . . . damn good. Outstanding even. Hat tip to our esteemed colleague and fellow New Yorker Glen.

RudePundit Does Stand-up

From the NYTimes. Thanks, Sis.

Mr. Papa's ruling metaphor is always some form of aggressive to abusive sex. Do you remember that 1970's country hit, "Take This Job and Shove It?" Replace the word "job" with everything from weapons of mass destruction to false information, target someone like Mr. Cheney, Mr. Rove or Mr. Limbaugh, and tell them what to do with it.

The Rude Pundit is a child of Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor and Hunter S. Thompson. Bruce and Richard Pryor were masters of stand-up comedy as political theater. Mr. Thompson was a master of journalism as performance art.

If you know their work you know that in the right hands, fantasy and obscenity are cathartic. They attack hypocrisy, because hypocrisy lulls us. Fantasy charms us and obscenity shocks us.

Sorry I missed it. I hope there's a CD soon.

Fox and the Virgin Mary

This is a 'Liquids Alert'. Swallow or spit before clicking here.

You vill do it, and you vill like it!

My mother's words still ring in my head. That's what I'd hear every time I became . . . difficult. When I read this, I hear those words again.

Pickled Cuckoo Bananas

I must direct you to Mr. H.

The General is Inspired!

Jesus General has come up with a great idea [Link added - F-man]:

Yellow Caucus


Mailed to 15 congresspeople* who are under 42 years old and support the war.

Dear Representative [Name],

Our nation is at war at a time when our military is suffering from a manpower crisis. Recently, the Department of Defense asked Congress to relieve the shortage of recruits by raising the enlistment age to 42.

You voted to support this war and have defended it at every turn. Now it's time for you to do more. The President needs you to champion the recruitment bill in Congress, and the nation needs you to sign up for infantry duty once the bill passes.

Your service in the military will not go unnoticed. If anything, it will enhance your image with voters and your colleagues--think about all the kind things you've said about veterans like John Kerry and Max Cleland over the last few years. Certainly, your peers will honor you in a similar way if you return. If you don't make it back, you can at least rest assured that your family will receive the same treatment as Casey Sheehan's mother.

You've sent thousands of our sons, daughters, husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers to destroy Saddam's weapons of mass destruction...to bring freedom to the people of Iraq...to establish an Islamist theocracy in Iraq. Now it's time for you to answer your nation's call and join them. It's the right thing to do. It's the decent thing to do.

"Mommy, Why Does Gas Cost So Much?"

Peter of Lone Tree over at Blondsense has come across a fascinating website, IAGS (Institute for the Analysis of Global Security), which has a page listing all of the attacks on Iraq's oil pipelines since we "liberated" that country. It's both informative, and depressing at the same time. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom for the map.

For me personally, the most fascinating part of this page was the last sentence on it:

"Saudi Arabia, which has demonstrated its willingness to use its vast oil reserves as a foreign policy tool, has not acted to aid U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq.

Gee, why am I not shocked.

"Supporting" Our Troops

From Daily Kos, and WOAI.com:

Roadside Crosses Memorializing Fallen Soldiers Mowed Down by Pickup

Even pro-Bush demonstrators on Saturday showed respect for the roadside memorial set up by Cindy Sheehan and others honoring those soldier who have died in Iraq.

But one jackass last night evidently had to show them Libruls what kind of "man" he was. Here's a sucker's bet: I bet he never served.

Crawford is Getting Creative

Via Newsday:

Bush neighbors to seek court order


Some residents of the corn and cattle town of Crawford, Texas, are expressing resentment as hundreds of anti-war protesters descend upon President George W. Bush's adopted hometown.

After nine days of watching as one woman's protest has grown into a national event, dozens of the farmers and ranchers neighboring Bush's 1,600-acre Prairie Chapel Ranch plan to petition a county court in nearby Waco, according to one, Pete Martinka. They want to prevent anyone from parking or stopping within two miles of the makeshift campsite erected by Cindy Sheehan, the Vacaville, Calif., woman whose son, Casey, was killed in the war in Iraq.

"She's pitching tents on private property," said Martinka, who lives on a 104-acre ranch near the Bush property.

Sheehan, 48, has become an icon for a revived anti-war movement and her so-called Camp Casey outside the Bush ranch has become a small village. Her demonstration now includes a procession of TV satellite trucks, political operatives and public relations professionals. There are rallies and folk songs.

"People are very fed up," said another neighbor, Sgt. Vernon Harrison, 42, a National Guard nurse who returned from Iraq in February.

Sheehan's son Casey, 24, died in an ambush in Baghdad's Sadr City in April 2004. She said she will stick with her vigil as long as Bush is at the ranch. She said she still wants a face-to-face meeting with the president to seek answers about the war and to demand that U.S. troops in Iraq be brought home. Bush met with Sheehan last year during a visit with relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq.

Low-key, anti-war events continued at Camp Casey, about a mile from the gates of the Bush ranch. Early Sunday, about the time a prayer service was to begin, a neighbor, sheep farmer Larry Mattlage, fired at least one shotgun blast into the air. Sheriff's deputies and the Secret Service rushed to the scene. Mattlage told authorities he was firing at doves, preparing for hunting season that begins Sept. 1 in Texas. He wasn't charged because he fired a gun on his private property, according to the McLennan County Sheriff's Department.


Looks like Texas "justice" is gearing up.

With a hat tip to Americablog.

Washington Post Backs Down

Someone woke up at the Washington Post and realized what a big mistake they were about to make.

From Editor & Publisher:

'Wash Post' Cuts Ties to Pentagon Event After Protests

The Washington Post announced tonight that it will cease its co-sponsorship of the Pentagon-organized Freedom Walk next month. The paper's involvement had drawn heat from within and outside the paper, with a guild committee today calling for the link to end.

The newspaper told the Department of Defense that it was pulling back on its offer of free ads for the event -- a march up the mall ending with a concert by pro-war country singer Clint Black.

"As it appears that this event could become politicized, The Post has decided to honor the Washington area victims of 9/11 by making a contribution directly to the Pentagon Memorial Fund," said Eric Grant, a Post spokesman. "It is The Post's practice to avoid activities that might lead readers to question the objectivity of The Post's news coverage."


Well we already question your "objectivity", genius. But at least now your newspaper will have to work at being a little less obvious about it.

Bubbles 2

My man Dave:

[. . .]

Desperate sellers lower prices. They need that money, and they are afraid prices will go even lower in a hurry. So they'll make deals to sell their property. Others will see that the ones holding out for any decent price are losing their shirts, and lower their prices even faster.

Do you see where this goes? It's called a "panic."

[. . .]

The housing bubble is about to burst, gas prices are at an all time high and going higher daily, and the Iraq situation is going from bad to worse. Ya think the economy is far behind? As the article Dave linked to says:

. . .

This is a story from the Great Depression ... except it is happening right now in Dayton, Ohio.

. . .

Again it's Ohio. A new state slogan: "Fuck us dry and we keep coming back for more."

What would Jesus say?

It seems the folks in Jesusland are getting more unChristian-like by the day. Travis:

[. . .]

You hear that all you South Carolina poor people? You're going to have to stop being so frivolous and thoughtless about your health care choices. I mean, that chemo treatment you're getting--did you even shop around? I'll bet you didn't. I'll bet you just accepted the first offer that came your way. I hear Wal-mart is cutting back prices on cancer treatments. And those emergency room visits. A bit excessive don't you think? Every time there's a serious injury, you just rush into the hospital without stopping to think first whether you could staunch the flow of blood with some household item.

[. . .]

Isn't SC the place where all the Christians want to go and then secede from the Union? To them I say, have at it. Can't wait until it's time to cut you all loose.

VJ-Day Bay Melee

From the EssEff Chron comes this account of VJ-Day on its sixtieth anniversary.

Today is the 60th anniversary of a terrible day in San Francisco's history -- a victory riot that left 11 dead, 1,000 injured and the city's reputation besmirched.

"It was the deadliest riot in the city's history," said Kevin Mullen, a retired deputy chief of police who has written extensively about crime in San Francisco.

The riot, which followed the Japanese surrender announcement by a day, was mostly confined to downtown San Francisco and involved thousands of drunken soldiers and sailors, most of them teenagers, who smashed store windows, attacked women, halted all traffic, wrecked Muni streetcars -- 30 of them were disabled, and one Muni worker was killed. The rioters took over Market Street and refused to leave until military and civilian police drove them away long after nightfall following hours of chaos.

When the war was over, there was a huge sense of relief. The Army military police and the Navy shore patrol and the San Francisco police got official orders: "Let the people do anything within reason,'' The Chronicle reported, "and keep property damage down.''

The first day -- V-J Day -- was like a pleasant round of drinks, a nice feeling. The second day was different.

"If you pull all restraints off and add liquor, that's what happens," said Mullen, the former deputy police chief. "Everybody went nuts. These were not veterans, they were young people who hadn't been in the war. They were not warriors," he said.

They hadn't seen the war, and now they didn't have to. There would be no invasion of Japan, no long casualty lists. These young men would not see combat. So they got drunk. They were all drunk, the reporter Delaplane wrote. One in four, he thought, was "falling down drunk."

Mullen blames the police for what happened. They were not prepared, he said. They had no plan. The result was a riot and many dead people.

A month later, San Francisco held a big parade on Market Street, led by General Jonathan Wainwright, the hero of Corrigedor. Half a million people came to see the real war veterans. There was no trouble.

Since most of those servicemen were getting ready to ship out for the invasion of Japan, scheduled for November, with one million casualties predicted, it's hard to blame them for cuttin' loose. I'd never heard of this before, so I thought I'd share.

My way or the highway

Mustang Bobby:

[. . .]

It never ceases to amaze me how these so-called "conservatives" think that they're both entitled to rule the world and whine about being the victim if they can't have everything exactly the way they see it through their perverted lens of theology, capitalism-on-crack, and fear-mongering.

[. . .]

An excellent post on 'Just-Us Sunday II'. Once again, 'activist judges' are only good if they rule in the Christo-Fascists' favor.

Dog Days in Bumfuck

Billmon's got a good take on Mrs. Sheehan, Hanoi Jane, the wingnut dilemma, and Bush's French-style five week vacation.

It's as good an explanation as any, I guess, although to me the expression "dog days" has always called up images of rabid canines, their muzzles dripping with foam and blood from their own self-inflicted bites, writhing in crazed torment under the blazing sun while their virus-riddled brains gradually turn to mush inside their narrow, wolfish skulls.

Which, more-or-less by coincidence, appears to be the effect that Cindy Sheehan is currently having on conservatives. Except for the gradual part.

In fact, if Cindy really is a front woman for the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy, as the wing nuts now claim, then you'd almost have to conclude that Bush was in on the planning, too. Hauling the entire White House press corps down to Bumfuck, Texas, so they can spend the better part of August playing cowchip bingo, was a move that seems, in hindsight, almost custom-designed to generate massive media coverage of Cindy's protest. In Washington, she'd be just another face in Lafayette Square (the designated "free speech zone" in front of the White House.) In Crawford, she's the only thing making news within a 500-mile radius. That seems like an awfully high political price to pay to move Bush and his imperial retinue from one volcanic pit of heat and humidity to another for five weeks.

The machine can try to demonize Cindy Sheehan. But it can't demonize those questions -- not any more, not when so many others are asking them. Here in the dog days of August, it appears the rabid curs of the authoritarian right have finally met their match, in the form of a middle-aged woman in a sunhat, holding in her hand the metaphorical equivalent of a rolled-up newspaper for wacking bad little GOP doggies (and presidents) on the nose.

Be sure to read this one. It's a hoot, and brings up some stuff about the anti-war sentiment/movement that I hadn't previously considered.

U.S. Marine opens fire outside Mass. nightclub

We can thank George, Dick and Rummy for this story. I'm worried that there's going to be an entire generation messed up thanks to their greed.

From Reuters:
U.S. Marine opens fire outside Mass. nightclub

BOSTON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - A decorated U.S. Marine, who had been treated for post-war stress since serving in Iraq, opened fire outside a Massachusetts nightclub, wounding two people, Boston media reported on Monday.

Daniel B. Cotnoir will be arraigned on Monday on charges of assault and battery with a deadly weapon and assault with intent to murder after the incident early on Saturday in the city of Lawrence, The Boston Globe said.

Cotnoir had complained to police after a crowd of nearly 30 people gathered outside a nightclub and restaurant near his apartment. After someone hurled a bottle that shattered his bedroom window, Cotnoir fired "a warning shot," the newspaper said.

The bullet hit a 15-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man.

"He shot into what he thought was a safe area, but there was some ricochet effects that Mr. Cotnoir never intended," his lawyer, Robert F. Kelley, was quoted as saying.

"It was a military-type response to a threatening situation that was civilian in nature."

Cotnoir, a sergeant awarded the 2005 Marine of the Year by the Marine Corps Times, has been struggling psychologically since returning from Iraq in 2004, Kelley said.

Police were not immediately available to comment.

Sibel Edmonds

The fact that there are no investigations - I will give you an analogy, okay? Say if we decided to have a "war on drugs," but said in the beginning, "right, we're only going to go after the young black guys on the street level." Hey, we already have tens of thousands of them in our jails anyway, why not a few more? But we decided never to go after the middle levels, let alone the top levels . . .

It's like this with the so-called war on terror. We go for the Attas and Hamdis - but never touch the guys on the top.

[. . .]

His Highness directs us to an interview with her at Antiwar.com. The King also has some good links, print, audio, and video.

Blinded by the Right

Pauly has the last installment of an excellent series he's been writing for about a week now (give or take). Read them all:

And conservatives have only themselves to blame. Yeah, yeah, the GOP controls all three branches of the federal government -- that you can probably blame on liberals. But what's conservative about the Bush administration and the Republican-controlled Congress? One, Teaxs greedhead Tom DeLay makes the late spendthrift extraordinaire Tip O'Neill look like a skinflint (no mean feat there, take it from a Bay State native); two, the federal government is larger and more overbearing now than it's ever been (whatever happened to shrinking the government to the point that it could be drowned in a bathtub, otherwise known as the Norquist Doctrine?); three, there's nothing fiscally responsible about cutting taxes while waging war in Iraq (which, I believe, is the first time in America's history that that's happened -- the war profiteering is nothing new, but it's still evil, and in this case profoundly insulting); and four, Social Security may be liberal in its implementation, but it's conservative in its effect -- it helps to preserve a decent standard of living for old people that they deserve anyway (what the hell is conservative, never mind laudable, about altering Social Security in such a way as to risk throwing our senior citizens out in the cold?). This Republican administration and this Republican Congress don't practice conservatism. They practice radicalism. They're neither better than nor different from the Bolsheviks who took over Russia in the early half of the last century.

[. . .]

The self-proclaimed 'bird brain' is far more insightful than he lets on.

Cindy Sheehan, Bill Mitchell and the Lost Boys

This covers another side of Cindy Sheehan's story, and those who have come from all over the country to show their support. From Editor & Publisher:

Cindy Sheehan, Bill Mitchell and the Lost Boys

Reading some of the ample coverage of the Cindy Sheehan protest at the Bush ranch this week, I was shocked to discover that a man I know, who also lost a son in Iraq, had flown to her side. But that wasn't the only surprise.

By Greg Mitchell

(August 11, 2005) -- With the U.S. death toll in Iraq approaching 2,000, and a like number of grieving families, what were the odds that the one father I know personally in that mournful position would end up at Cindy Sheehan's side in Crawford, Texas, this week?

Since he's been protesting the war before it began -- and before he lost his son -- I probably shouldn't have been so surprised.

Yesterday, visiting the Web site of the Lone Star Iconoclast (better known as "George Bush's hometown paper") in Crawford, I came across a firsthand account of a visit by the publisher and editor of that paper, W. Leon Smith, to the Sheehan encampment. She is the woman now famous for demanding to meet with the president to find out from him why her son had to die in Iraq last year, and for what.

Smith, on his suddenly-popular Web site, recounted in Q&A form his interview that day with a man who had also lost a son in Iraq, and had flown in from California to stand with Sheehan.

Lo and behold, the interview subject was none other than Bill Mitchell (no relation), who I interviewed on several occasions last year, and have kept in contact with ever since via e-mail. There was even a picture of the two men chatting, so I finally got to see what Bill looks like: thin, fair, with a moustache.

I'd read a fair amount about Sheehan, and knew Bill's story very well, but still I was shocked when I read in the interview that Mitchell's son Mike had died on the same day, April 4, 2004, as Sheehan's son Casey -- and in the same Sadr City incident.

Read the rest HERE.

Ol' "Gimlet Eye" Speaks...

I direct you all to "War Is A Racket" by Gen. Smedley D. Butler USMC.

WAR is a racket. It always has been.

It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.

In the World War [I] a mere handful garnered the profits of the conflict. At least 21,000 new millionaires and billionaires were made in the United States during the World War. That many admitted their huge blood gains in their income tax returns. How many other war millionaires falsified their tax returns no one knows.

How many of these war millionaires shouldered a rifle? How many of them dug a trench? How many of them knew what it meant to go hungry in a rat-infested dug-out? How many of them spent sleepless, frightened nights, ducking shells and shrapnel and machine gun bullets? How many of them parried a bayonet thrust of an enemy? How many of them were wounded or killed in battle?

It's long. Read it all.

One Mother's Stand

Go read everything on Cindy's Page at Truthout.

Today was George Bush's accountability moment, and he lost. Two young ladies from San Diego drove all night to get to the rally and they had to leave tonight to get back home. One of them said: "Wow, we can drive all the way from San Diego just to meet you and he can't even come down to the end of his driveway to meet with you."

George Bush: you work for me. I pay your salary. Come out and talk to me. Anyway, I have a feeling you are about to be fired!!!

It's basically Mrs. Sheehan's chronicle of events from 5 August up to date. Good background stuff from her point of view.

Someone Tell the President the War Is Over

Go read Frank Rich's Op-Ed.

LIKE the Japanese soldier marooned on an island for years after V-J Day, President Bush may be the last person in the country to learn that for Americans, if not Iraqis, the war in Iraq is over. "We will stay the course," he insistently tells us from his Texas ranch. What do you mean we, white man?

As if the right-wing pundit crackup isn't unsettling enough, Mr. Bush's top war strategists, starting with Mr. Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard Myers, have of late tried to rebrand the war in Iraq as what the defense secretary calls "a global struggle against violent extremism." A struggle is what you have with your landlord. When the war's uber-managers start using euphemisms for a conflict this lethal, it's a clear sign that the battle to keep the Iraq war afloat with the American public is lost.

"Right-wing pundit crack-up". Now, that's a crack-up! Ha!

The priority now is less to save Jessica Lynch (or Iraqi democracy) than to save Rick Santorum and every other endangered Republican facing voters in November 2006.

Thus the president's claim on Thursday that "no decision has been made yet" about withdrawing troops from Iraq can be taken exactly as seriously as the vice president's preceding fantasy that the insurgency is in its "last throes." The country has already made the decision for Mr. Bush. We're outta there. Now comes the hard task of identifying the leaders who can pick up the pieces of the fiasco that has made us more vulnerable, not less, to the terrorists who struck us four years ago next month.

I know this isn't too helpful but Anybody But Bush is at least a starting point. Somewhere along the line, a little accountability (read "revenge") is necessary. I'll vote for the first sonofabitch (ladies included) who promises to indict the Bush cabal.

Coming Home

Florida National Guardsman John Crawford describes his adjustment to civilian life upon his return from Iraq.

Even the best laid plans go awry, and that is what happened with me. While many in my platoon had relatively easy transitions, I found myself within days kept from homelessness only by the hospitality of a friend with a sofa. It was like being at a party and going to the restroom for 15 months and then trying to rejoin the conversation. Everyone and everything had changed without asking me first.

War stories end when the battle is over or when the soldier comes home. That's one way to tell it's a story. In real life, there are no moments amid smoldering hilltops for tranquil introspection. When the war is over, you pick up your gear, walk down the hill and back into the world, where people smile, congratulate you, and secretly hope you won't be a burden on society now that you've done the dirty work they shun.

I wonder how many returning GIs' lives are shattered that don't write it down.

Scapegoating

John via Digby, the new Repub talking points:

In the medium and long term, what happens in Iraq is up to the Iraqis. It is certainly possible that they might forfeit what the Bush administration and America's armed forces have given them: a chance at freedom and the opportunity to live in peace with their neighbors. But if the Iraqis fail, it won't be because liberals stampeded the United States into abandoning them. - Assrocket [my emphasis]

Yeah, far be it for me to forfeit a thorough assfucking.

Mercenaries

I have zero use for anyone who willingly goes into a war zone to make a profit, whether they be private soldiers or truck drivers. Turns my stomach when I think our government is supporting these assholes. I'll go to war in a second to defend my country, but selling your allegiances is abhorrent to me. Read Steve Gillard.

Truth

From Joe Biden (D-MBNA) on Press the Meat.

"The American people are smarter than their leaders."

No fucking shit.

Fatalities in Iraq

If anyone still thinks the insurgency is getting more "desparate", and that we are finally "turning a corner", then check out this flash movie.

With a hat tip to Prairie Weather.