Oaths

The Congressional Hypocritical Oath

"I [state your name] do solemly swear to uphold and defend my elected office at all costs. I promise to desecrate the Constitution, even rape and kill, if required, in the cause furthering my personal gain and retention of power. I further hold that placing the interests of large corporations or interest groups who might employ me or family members now or in the future is paramount and desireable. Their interests are above the interest of those "little people" back in my state or district or our nation. All contributors (of large money) will receive my personal attention and benificence whenever possible to the fullest extent of my ability and office.

I further swear to always be seen in the presence of at least one "disadvantaged" person, and be seen carrying a bible or other religious icon and say "Jesus" or "God" whenever television cameras are within 100 feet of me, so help me Protestant God"

Stolen from DemVet who cannot be any more dead on. Another squid who calls 'em right.

Can we?

. . . Can we please stop pretending that the administration is made up of flawed-yet-honorable characters? . . .

Please?

New moniker

From Digby. "Christocrats".

Truth hurts

George Galloway, the Respect MP, attacked a US Senate committee today for its "schoolboy errors" over claims that Saddam Hussein awarded him lucrative contracts under the UN Oil-for-Food programme.

[. . .]

The subcommittee, chaired by Norm Coleman, the Minnesota Republican, had alleged that Mr Galloway used a charity he established in 1998 to channel funds from allocations of 20 million barrels from 2000 to 2003.

[. . .]

He selected Mr Coleman as the focus of his wrath, adding: "You have nothing on me, Senator, except my name on lists of names from Iraq, many of which have been drawn up after the installation of your puppet government in Iraq.

"Now I know that standards have slipped over the last few years in Washington, but for a lawyer, you are remarkably cavalier with any idea of justice." [my emphasis]

[. . .]

Slapdown, you wingnut bitches. Norm Coleman is an oozing, santorum-leaking asshole.

Update: 14:25:

Atrios(Attaturk) has lots of links.

Photo stamps

I just heard about this:

PhotoStamps are now available to anyone who wants to create their own personal USPS-approved postage. Learn more

You know I'm gonna have the wife take a pic of my ass and I'm gonna put 'em on envelopes that contain bills.

AWOL

From the Independent via Granny:

As the death toll of troops mounts in Iraq and Afghanistan, America's military recruiting figures have plummeted to an all-time low. Thousands of US servicemen and women are now refusing to serve their country.

[. . .]

Now, I don't condone desertion, especially in this age of a volunteer force. Joining the military should be a well thought out process. It's not like going out and getting a job. But I can understand these people not wanting to be used as cannon fodder in an unjust, illegal war. What have Gord and I been saying? Don't you feel it getting Drafty?

More Newsweak

The King:

[. . .]

The Bush administration has just collected Newsweek's scalp, on the grounds that Newsweek's flawed reportage enraged our enemies, resulted in the deaths of 16 (or 17) people, and damaged the hitherto-unblemished reputation for tolerance and goodwill that America, according to Condoleezza Rice, enjoys in the Muslim world. If, however, we assume (as seems inarguable) that the Muslim world is offended less by dubious sourcing than by desecration of its holy book, then, based on the single passage above, the NYT is plainly guilty of the same crimes as Newsweek -- and the Times, needless to say, boasts an even more impressive scalp. Therefore: . . .

[. . .]

Go read. His Highness makes a lot of sense.

Morning thought

From Badtux:

Every life is precious
Until it's born. Then it's just garbage to dump in the woods or allow to die for lack of health insurance. Remember, life is only a right for the unborn. After that, who cares?

Hope

Incredible

I usually don't go to wingnut sites. The idiocy, hypocrisy, and hate turn my stomach even though I realize the Constitution gives them a right to peddle their drivel, just as I do mine. It works for all. But I went to this one thanks to Maru:

(AgapePress) - W.L. Cati, a former Muslim and founder of an evangelical Christian ministry, wants to train fellow followers of Christ how to go boldly into mosques and witness to Muslims.

[. . .]

I hope the Muslims welcome them with firearms. Who the fuck do these people think they are, to try and forcibly impose their faith on others as they try to worship? This is what's wrong with the Jesus freaks. They think the fucking Constitution was written on their behalf and no one else's. Stupid wingnuts.

Good news

From the Sister:

Bells began tolling for same-sex couples in Massachusetts one year ago this week. A year in numbers:

Date same-sex couples began legally marrying: May 17, 2004

Number of same-sex marriages performed in Massachusetts from May 17, 2004, until February 2005: 6,142

[. . .]

[. . .]

It’s amazing how Massachusetts hasn’t spontaneously imploded or turned into 7,840 square miles of nothing but leather bars and Bally’s or been the recipient of a brutal and horrific smiting by God himself.

[. . .]

I think Jesus would be quite pleased.

WTF????

Somehow I deleted my post on my stupid Republican assemblyman when I thought I was deleting a draft copy. Shit. I'll rewrite after dinner.

Use your head

(New York-WABC, May 15, 2005) — In New Jersey, an FBI employee is in serious condition after being run over by her own vehicle.

It happened in Jersey City this morning, when the woman spotted someone being attacked on the street.

Police say when she tried to intervene, the suspect pulled her from her SUV--then ran her over as he escaped in her car.

The vehicle was found later in the afternoon, but the suspect is still on the loose.

Fixer wisdom: If someone approaches you in your car and you're pretty sure they have malicious intent, don't wait until he gets to your door. Throw the fucking car in gear and run him the fuck over. When he's pinned under your wheel, then you get out and find out what the fuck he thinks he's doing.

He gets letters

Whether (p)resident Miserable Failure can read 'em or not is another story:

November 4, 2004

Dear George,

You don’t mind if I call you George do you? When you sent me a letter offering your condolences on the death of my son, Spc. Casey Austin Sheehan, in the illegal and unjust war on Iraq, you called me Cindy, so I naturally assume we are on a first name basis.

George, it has been seven months today since your reckless and wanton foreign policies killed my son, my big boy, my hero, my best-friend: Casey. It has been seven months since your ignorant and arrogant lack of planning for the peace murdered my oldest child. It has been two days since your dishonest campaign stole another election…but you all were way more subtle this time than in 2000, weren’t you? You hardly had to get the Supreme Court of the United States involved at all this week.

You feel so proud of yourself for betraying the country again, don’t you? You think you are very clever because you pulled the wool over the eyes of some of the people again. You think that you have some mandate from God…that you can “spend your political capital” any way that you want. George you don’t care or even realize that 56,000,000 plus citizens of this country voted against you and your agenda. Still, you are going to continue your ruthless work of being a divider and not a uniter. George, in 2000 when you stole that election and the Democrats gave up, I gave up too. I had the most ironic thought of my life then: "Oh well, how much damage can he do in four years?" Well, now I know how much you have damaged my family, this country, and this world. If you think I am going to allow you another four years to do even more damage, then you truly are mistaken. I will fight for a true vote count and if that fails, your impeachment. Also, the impeachment of your Vice President. The only thing is, I'm not politically savvy, and I don't have a Karl Rove to plan my strategy, but I do have a big mouth and a righteous cause, which still mean something in this country, I hope.

All of this lying, fooling, and betraying must be “hard work” George. You really think you know what hard work is?

George, let me tell you what “hard work” really is.

Hard work is seeing your oldest son, your brave and honorable man-child go off to a war that had, and still has, no basis in reality. Hard work is worrying yourself gray and not being able to sleep for 2 weeks because you don’t know if your child is safe.

Hard work is seeing your son’s murder on CNN one Sunday evening while you’re enjoying the last supper you’ll ever truly enjoy again.

Hard work is having three military officers come to your house a few hours later to confirm the aforementioned murder of your son…your first born…your kind and gentle sweet baby.

Hard work is burying your child 46 days before his 25th birthday. Hard work is holding your other three children as they lower the body of their big “baba” into the ground. Hard work is not jumping in the grave with him and having the earth cover you both.

But, Dear George, do you know what the hardest work of all is? Trying to digest the fact that the leader of the country that your family has fought for and died for, for generations, lied to you and betrayed your dear boy’s sense of honor and exploited his courage and exploited his loyalty to his buddies. Hard work is having your country abandon you after they killed your son. Hard work is coming to the realization that your son had his future robbed from him and that you have had your son's future and future grand-children stolen from you. Hard work is knowing that there are so many people in this world that have prospered handsomely from your son's death.

George, I must confess that I and my family worked very HARD to re-defeat you this time, but you refuse to stay defeated. Well, we are watching you very carefully. We are going to do everything in our power to have you impeached for misleading the American people into a disastrous war and for mis-using and abusing your power as Commander-in-Chief. We are going to scream until our last breath to bring the rest of our babies home from this quagmire of a war that you have gotten our country in to: before too many more families learn the true meaning of Hard Work. We know it is going to be an uphill battle, knowing how Republican Congress is, but thanks to you, we know the meaning of Hard Work and we’re not afraid of hard work at all.

The 56,000,000 plus citizens who voted against you and your agenda have given me a mandate to move forward with my agenda. Also, thanks to you and your careless domestic policies, I am unemployed, so this will be my full-time job. Being your political downfall will be the most noble accomplishment of my life and it will bring justice for my son and 1125 (so far) other brave Americans and tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis your lies have killed. By the way, George, how many more innocent Iraqis are your policies going to kill before you convince them that you are better than Saddam? How many more of their cities are you going to level before you consider that they are liberated? If you really had any moral values, or if you were an honorable man at all you would resign. My son was a man who had high moral values and true courage. Humanity lost a bright light on April 04, 2004. I will live the rest of my life missing Casey desperately. Thank you for that, George. Have a nice day.

God Bless America!! We surely need it!

Cindy Sheehan
Broken hearted mother of a True American Hero: Spc Casey Austin Sheehan, KIA 04/04/04 Sadr City, Baghdad

If Ms. Sheehan is half as tough as my mom, Chimpy is in for a rough time. Go get him, darlin.

Thanks to DemVet for the link.

Morons

16 people dead (at least) over half-assed journalism. Morrow is rolling over in his grave.

Thanks to Atrios for the link.

Drivin' makes ya smart

We made it. I'm posting from my sister-in-law's house in beautiful Arroyo Grande. She's got a computer that makes mine look like a wood-burnin' job.

She is busy at the moment making up care packages to send to our troops overseas. They send her e-mail and snail mail, introducing themselves, and she has developed several pen pals. Do you think it helps that she tells 'em she's eighteen, stacked, and loose? She got onto this at Any Soldier.com and it's a good way to support our troops.

You sure can learn a lot listening to the radio whilst drivin' down I-5 through California's central valley. Here's what I learned:

1. There's more different kinds of Mexican music than you can shake a stick at. I like the kind best with accordions, horns, and gritos.
2. What the wingnuts would like to do to us commie Liberal pinko rat bastids that make up all those nasty lies about the saintly Bush, DeLay, etc.
3. Don't put a bird feeder over the picnic table. I think that was on the same station as No. 2.

You are also reminded that there are always those drivers so focused on themselves that they think they absolutely have the right to go twenty miles an hour faster than everybody else, and that if anybody should impede their progress, that person is in the wrong and must move over. At 75mph in the right hand lane, this is hard to do, so they pass on the right anyway. There's not many of those kind of ying-yangs, thank goodness. Occasionally you get to see them pulled over by a cop or wadded into a little ball, but not often enough, dammit.

Later.

Gay-bashing queers

At least according to the inimitable Dave Johnson:

[. . .]

Why else would they be insisting that the presence of gay people risks "luring" straight people to become homosexual? This wouldn't even occur to a person who is not fighting such urges.

[. . .]

Seems to me he's got it exactly right.

I'm flattered

I'll be writing a weekly editorial at Pourquoi Pas.

Butchers

Both of 'em.

Pic courtesy of Skippy

Update: 13:35:

Kevin has more on the murderous Uzbek.

My Air Force

Whatever is ailing the Air Force Academy, and the academy has had its share of ailments over the years, campus pressure on cadets to adopt a particular set of religious beliefs will not cure it. Last year, academy officials promised to do something about widespread complaints of unconstitutional proselytizing of academy students by evangelists whose efforts were blessed by authority figures in the chain of command. An authorized investigation by the Yale Divinity School and local news reports documented numerous instances of pressure on cadets to adopt Christian beliefs and practices. Such pressure came from dozens of faculty members and chaplains, and even the football coach, with his "Team Jesus Christ" banner. [NYT]

[. . .]

I guess I've been putting off commenting on this situation because it hits close to home. One of my closest friends is an instructor at the Academy, another is an alumnus, and several are still active duty officers of the colonel and general officer ranks. My own Air Force career spanned 8 years (6 active, 2 reserve) and I have a great love for my former branch of service. This kills me.

Looking back, I got out in '86, I remember the pressure placed upon us in the enlisted ranks to accept the Evangelical Christian version about how the world works during Basic Training. Needless to say, I never let it affect me. Regular readers know the lack of tolerance I have for proseletyzing and I regularly told people to fuck off or I'd shove their Bible up their ass. After a while, people didn't bother me anymore. Once the Commander of Chaplains (at Lackland AFB, a two-star) told me I should embrace Jesus Christ, that masturbation was a sin, as well as premarital sex. Got a Letter of Reprimand for telling him where to put his Bible too.

I was branded as a troublemaker. Fortunately for me, something like that I wear as a badge of honor. I got a lot of shit jobs, dangerous assignments, and eventually was forced out and into a reserve unit. I never made the connection between that and my religious views (I got into a lot of other trouble), but I'm certain it helped. My answer once, when asked why I wasn't going to church one Sunday, "God and I made a deal, I'd stay out of His way and He'd stay out of mine. It's worked out well for both of us so far", pissed of my CO at 7th Bomb Wing (SAC).

A chaplain at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., who has publicly accused her superiors of using their positions to promote evangelical Christianity among the cadets, says she was fired from an administrative job because of her outspokenness and given orders to ship out to Japan.

An Air Force task force, meanwhile, finished up an investigation at the academy into charges by the chaplain and others that officers there were inappropriately proselytizing the cadets. [Link]

[. . .]

This was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. They're sending this chaplain to Japan now. If I didn't know differently, I'd probably believe the Air Force line that she was being transferred for manning reasons. But I know better. You see, my friend who is an instructor there (an Evangelical Christian) recently got out of orders. This person has been on this tour for close to ten years, far longer than is common and received orders to a posting in the Pentagon. I know the affiliation with the church most of the senior officers attend helped immensely in this person's effort to stay in Colorado Springs.

While I am happy for my friend, in this day and age of 'Stop-Loss' and call-backs the situation is hardly fair. It's time for a purge of the senior leadership at the Air Force Church Academy. Clean 'em all out and replace with officers who can show tolerance toward others' beliefs. This, just like the abuses at Abu Ghraib, is a culture that begins at the top. Trust me, if the officers weren't going along with this (actively or with a wink and a nod), the cadets would not do it on their own. I want my Air Force back.

Update: 10:00:

Reading this over, I think I lost my point. Comes from posting in a blind rage. But my point was, when you told someone to take their Bible and fuck off, word got out and you were left alone. Now, these clowns won't take a 'fuck off' as an answer.