Fox notices!!!!

The Blogswarm makes it to Fox? Believe it or not. See the Sister for details.

History . . . heh

Speaking of paying attention to history. Mr. Cleek notices the wingnuts are already prepared for the book burnings. They have a list.

More on Darfur

A corollary to my post yesterday. Eugene reports on what's . . . better yet what's not (help for the millions of refugees) going on in Sudan.

See

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Horrible

Will over at Pusillanimous Wankers gives us this horrible statistic:

This month Brazil announced that almost 1/5 of the Amazon basin has been cut down. Most of it has been developed into cattle and soybean conglomerates.

[. . .]

Maybe the big shots at all these corporations should spend some time with the Navajo, learning about the concept of stewardship of the only planet we've got.

Absurd and Ironical Too

From the Boston Globe:

When our State Department released in March its own massive annual report of human rights abuses around the world, it was quick to criticize other nations for human rights abuses. The State Department often quotes Amnesty International on other nations' abuses. But there was no self-criticism of our prisoner treatment in the so-called war on terror.

The reason is quite ironic. A year ago, Assistant Secretary of State Michael Kozak said, ''The reason we don't do a report on ourselves is the same reason you wouldn't write investigative reports about your own finances or something; it wouldn't have any credibility. Somebody else needs to do that. It's not that we're against being scrutinized, and indeed we are scrutinized by many other organizations: Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International."

With new allegations of Guantanamo prisoner treatment by the Associated Press, the questions continue about American moral authority. If the chaos continues, what could the Bush adminsitration possibly say next?

I don't know, but it'll probably be another doozie.

Absurdities

WASHINGTON - A human rights group's report about conditions at the U.S. military's prison at Guantanamo Bay is "absurd," President Bush told reporters Tuesday.

[. . .]

Lying sack of shit. The Heretik reveals more injustice:

[. . .]

One detainee who said he was an Afghan refugee in Pakistan accused the country's intelligence service of trumping up evidence against him to get bounty money from the U.S.

[. . .]

Voices

Can be heard! The Sister emailed me this link during the night (video file). CNN's Inside the Blogs picked up on the yesterday's Blogswarm. They didn't go deep enough for my liking, but the Big Brass Alliance got noticed. An excellent start. Good on ya, Sister and good on our contemporaries who've joined the alliance.

Note: It would have been nice if some of the big fish in Left Blogstonia (© Rook) would have signed on to this or at least given it a nod. Do you hear me Atrios? Don't tell me you don't read the Sister. Or is this beneath you at this point? You and your fill-ins wasted enough time on Deep Throat; couldn't spare a line or two for the here and now, could ya? Must be nice becoming one of the 'Liberal Elite'. There are others, but I might as well give the finger to the top guy. Trickle down and all. [Drops pants and moons] KMA, pal. And another thing, if I want a travelogue of Spain, I'll tune in to Rick Steves. Get over yourselves.

Blogswarm

[This will stay on top today]

Current posts begin below this one.

Linkage:

Blogswarm: What it's all about.

Big Brass Alliance: Why we're doing it.

After Downing Street: The memo and info.

John Conyers' petition: Sign it.

[. . .]

Since the terrible tragedy of 9/11, when terrorists struck on American soil to devastating results, there has been an increasing sense that supporting our troops is the province of a particular political party. Our president gravely intoned, in an infamous with-us-or-against-us speech, that those who disagreed with the actions taken by a Republican administration and a Republican-led Congress were siding with the terrorists—a sentiment that came to mean, for many on the Right, that even liberal American patriots who might disagree with the president’s course of action were traitors. Dissent, an important and necessary part of any democracy, was suddenly treasonous.

Bush’s entire presidency has relied on his ostensibly unique ability to “keep America safe.” His reelection campaign exploited 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for every ounce they were worth, with his supporters demeaning the possibility that any other political party could oppose his actions yet still be patriotic Americans. And even many of those who oppose the Iraq War supported the Afghanistan invasion, because its purpose was to eradicate the al-Qaida terrorist network which had perpetrated the 9/11 attacks. So what would it mean if this national security president had never wanted to invade Afghanistan, had never wanted to pursue al-Qaida and its leader Osama bin Laden (who remains on the loose to this day)? What would it mean if Iraq, which contrary to administration claims had no weapons of mass destruction with which to harm America or America’s allies, had been the only target all along? And what would it mean if the case for that war had been conceived out of thin air?

It would mean that we all had all been hoodwinked, including our soldiers who had been sent to die by a president who cared not for bringing to justice those responsible for an attack on American soil, and had cared not for the truth. It would mean a national disgrace.

[. . .]

This is our best chance to begin the process of getting Bush & Co out of the White House prematurely. We have to shame our legislators into putting as much effort into this as they did investigating Clinton and Lewinsky. This is our Whitewater and Interngate, except this really matters.

Special props and kudos to Shakepeare's Sister for her exceptional work getting this diverse bunch of liberals organized. You're the best, darlin'

Sorry

Sorry this place looked like it got hit with a HERF* gun for a while. Somehow, Blogger ate half the code on my template. If I haven't said so in a while, BLOGGER SUCKS WET MONKEY ASS!

*High Energy Radio Frequency. The aliens have 'em.

Santa and the Chimp

Outstanding. Go see.

Hat tip: The Disgruntled Chemist

Just like here

The people who tell the truth are persecuted.

KHARTOUM, Sudan (Reuters) -- Sudan arrested a second aid worker from the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) [Doctors Without Borders] aid agency on Tuesday over a report on hundreds of rapes in the troubled Darfur region, the agency said.

[. . .]

MSF Holland published a report in March detailing about 500 cases of rape during a period of 4 1/2 months in Darfur, where a rebellion has raged for more than 2 years.

The violence has killed tens of thousands and forced more than 2 million from their homes.

[. . .]

Now, if Bush said, "Let's get rid of the despot in Sudan because of the outrages committed there by the Janjawid and government troops", I'd probably go back in to help these people. These are people who need protecting. I'm not talking about the Somalia-type bullshit. A military presence and a diplomatic and economic full-court press. It wouldn't have cost us half of what Iraq has already. Sudan could have been a noble cause and an example of American goodwill and assistance.

Great thanks to RiverRocks for the link.

Et tu, Italy?

Francesca finds the Italian people want to know about the Downing Street memo too:

Italian activists are also starting to press Berlusconi and his administration on the issue of the Downing Street Memo, something that is getting almost zero media attention in Italy (surprise, surprise). The letter linked asks to what extent Berlusconi knew of the intentions of Bush and Blair back in 2002 in terms of invading Iraq. Was Berlusconi aware that Saddam was less of a threat than Libya, N. Korea, or Iran?

[. . .]

People are beginning to see through the load of bullshit that's been shoveled for the last 5 years. Like the profound RJ Eskow says:

. . . I hate cliches, especially this one, but let's hope this is a 'tipping point.' Help us push it until it tips . . .

Who fucking cares?

W. Mark Felt, who retired from the FBI after rising to its second most senior position, has identified himself as the "Deep Throat" source quoted by The Washington Post to break the Watergate scandal that led to President Nixon's resignation, Vanity Fair magazine said Tuesday. [Link]

[. . .]

I give a fuck what happened 30 years ago. I give a fuck who ratted on Nixon. It's over, he's dead, and this guy will be soon. Want to give me a fucking woody? Find me a 'Deep Throat' in the Chimp White House so we can get the current moron the fuck out.

Suck my ass

You wingnut, Jesus-freak assholes.

Donald and Tim Wildmon's AmTaliban American Family Association couldn't succeed with a Disney boycott, so now they are refocusing that message of intolerance and wingnuttery -- and going after Ford.

[. . .]

My boys at Ford:

[. . .]

At Ford Motor Company we recognize that diversity is not only a reality of our global nature, it’s a distinct advantage, and one that we value and embrace. We also know that we can only leverage the benefits of diversity by understanding and respecting the differences among all employees.

[. . .]

Pam has all the details. I'm proud to say I worked for Ford Motor Company as an engine builder for Motorsport Division. It was a great place to work and diversity was encouraged. Good on 'em for having the balls to stand up to these dingbats.

"Unity through Diversity" - The House of Blues

I-I-Ay!

Having just posted a note to the Big Brass Alliance, and making an offer which I am already beginning to regret (See comments at Shakey's Sis), I came across an op-ed in the Boston Globe.

THE IMPEACHMENT of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, under Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution, should be part of mainstream political discourse.

Minutes from a summer 2002 meeting involving British Prime Minister Tony Blair reveal that the Bush administration was ''fixing" the intelligence to justify invading Iraq. US intelligence used to justify the war demonstrates repeatedly the truth of the meeting minutes -- evidence was thin and needed fixing.

President Clinton was impeached for perjury about his sexual relationships. Comparing Clinton's misbehavior to a destructive and costly war occupation launched in March 2003 under false pretenses in violation of domestic and international law certainly merits introduction of an impeachment resolution.

The president and vice president have artfully dodged the central question: ''Did the administration mislead us into war by manipulating and misstating intelligence concerning weapons of mass destruction and alleged ties to Al Qaeda, suppressing contrary intelligence, and deliberately exaggerating the danger a contained, weakened Iraq posed to the United States and its neighbors?"

If this is answered affirmatively Bush and Cheney have committed ''high crimes and misdemeanors." It is time for Congress to investigate the illegal Iraq war as we move toward the third year of the endless quagmire that many security experts believe jeopardizes US safety by recruiting and training more terrorists. A Resolution of Impeachment would be a first step. Based on the mountains of fabrications, deceptions, and lies, it is time to debate the ''I" word.

I don't care what anyone thinks about Ralph Nader. He's on the right side of this deal, and has a still-powerful voice.

If I have to pay off on my offer, maybe a bowl of jalapenos and a quart of Cholula...

Note to the Big Brass Alliance

I am a humble part of this and agree that Bush should be impeached, indicted, tried fairly, and hung on the courthouse steps on his way out of the courtroom.

Ain't gonna happen as long as there's a Republican-controlled Congress.

Work on getting Democrats elected in 2006.

Oops

Via Skippy:

US troops outraged Iraq's new government yesterday by arresting one of the country's foremost Sunni leaders only to release him later and call the whole episode a mistake.

- The Telegraph

[. . .]

Ya know, shit like this doesn't need to happen. I mean, we've been there for two years. We should know who is who by now. One of our objectives (so the White House says) is 'winning hearts and minds'. Hel-lo, McFly, this ain't the way to do it.

River has her own ideas:

. . . The Americans are saying Muhsin was "detained and interviewed", which makes one think his car was gently pulled over and he was asked a few questions. What actually happened was that his house was raided early morning, doors broken down, windows shattered and he and his three sons had bags placed over their heads and were dragged away . . .

[. . .]

Was it meant to send a message to Sunnis? That's what some people are saying. Many people believe it was meant to tell Sunnis, "None of you are safe- even the ones who work with us." It's just difficult to believe this is one big misunderstanding or mistake.

[. . .]

I wouldn't put it past Chimpy Inc. to do it.

More women

In high places. I saw the first of these ads this morning.

Studies show that by age 12, most girls lose interest in math, science and technology and their chance at most future jobs. Girls Go Tech is an initiative to encourage girls to develop an early interest in these subjects and, ultimately, maintain that interest as they grow up to help ensure a more diverse, dynamic, and productive workforce in the future. The PSA campaign highlights the math, science and technology behind everyday life, and encourages young girls to, "Set your sights on math and science. It's a great way to see the world." The PSAs direct viewers to visit www.GirlsGoTech.org, an interactive website which provides activities that encourage girls to become interested in how things work.

- The Ad Council

Personally, I'd like to see more women in the engineering fields. I'd like to see a few more women mechanics too. You should work with the ugly bastids I have to. Yeesh!

Our Honored Dead

As part of your Memorial Day observance, you might want to go here.