Dubious Epidemics

Molly Ivins cuts through the crap yet again.

I believe what we have here is a difference over moral values.

The Republicans are worried about the flag, gay marriage and the terrible burden of the estate tax on the rich. The rest of us are obviously unnecessarily worried about war, peace, the economy, the environment and civilization. Another reason to vote Republican - they have a shorter list.

The Republicans have definitely figured out what appeals to the retards who vote for them. This time around, there may not be as many.

Update:

Bob Geiger on the same subject:

Whether or not any of these bills passes, the GOP is taking a giant gamble five months before the midterm elections: That when the polls open on November 7, Americans will believe that two men getting married, someone, somewhere burning an American flag or some yokel's right to have his Florida carry permit observed in New York has a damn thing to do with the daily, real-life concerns of their families.

They've won this gamble in the past. This time, they will not.

Gee, maybe I'm finally right about something!

Sacrifice

Remember, and think about the sacrifices made that day in a just war.

Quote of the Day*

And as Ron White, comedian and genius compared to these fools, says, "You can't fix stupid."

Go read Jaye's whole post over at Blondie's.

*Now becoming a semi-regular thing...or so it seems...

Dissatisfaction

It seems every day, more of my neighbors to the north are making their voices heard in support of Ned Lamont. I've probably mentioned it, but I lived in Connecticut for 18 months when I got out of the regular AF and joined the Reserves (Westover AFB, Chicopee MA, 59th Aerial Port Sqn.). I fell in love with the state then and I still enjoy going back to visit on one of Mrs. F's antiguing junkets. I wish nothing but the best for them and that means getting Holy Joe out.

He was reading a 2005 commentary in a national newspaper by U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, in which the three-term incumbent wrote that Democrats who harshly criticize President George W. Bush on the Iraq War while the conflict continued "undermine presidential credibility at our nation's peril."

"That was the straw that broke the camel's back," [Bridgeport educator Maximo] Medina said of his fellow Democrat. "It was outrageous."

Medina has since emerged as one of the key supporters of Lieberman's Democratic challenger, Ned Lamont.

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"He gives Bush political cover on many issues," Medina said of Lieberman, who often has been called the president's favorite Democrat. "Lieberman has become a national icon and he's become too big for his britches, and I find a lot of Connecticut folks have noticed that."

He said the time has come for an open dialogue on what it means to be a Democrat. "We want a strong debate on what Connecticut Democrats should be all about," he said.

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Indeed. We should have that debate within the national party as well. I'm not saying Dems should be like Rethug automatons, spouting a party line regardless of the reality, but by golly don't give the Rethugs cover and credibility. It's one of the reasons I'm pushing Ned Lamont's candidacy so hard when I can't even vote for the man. This is more than a local race in one of the most beautiful states in the Union. Ned's our guy. A grassroots, Internet-friendly, progressive candidate for national office. Getting Ned elected will send two messages.

1. Incumbency doesn't mean your seat is guaranteed.

2. Never underestimate us (the netroots/grassroots) again.

Support Ned Lamont the only way we out-of-staters can.

Links thanks to My Left Nutmeg.

"Exceeding his Constitutional authority"

WASHINGTON -- The board of governors of the American Bar Association voted unanimously yesterday to investigate whether President Bush has exceeded his constitutional authority in reserving the right to ignore more than 750 laws that have been enacted since he took office.

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William Sessions , a retired federal judge who was the director of the FBI under both Reagan and President George H.W. Bush , said he agreed to participate because he believed that the signing statements raise a "serious problem" for the American constitutional system.

"I think it's very important for the people of the United States to have trust and reliance that the president is not going around the law," Sessions said. "The importance of it speaks for itself."

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The Chimp has been exceeding his authority since 9/11. It's about time these bottom feeders stopped counting their money for a few minutes to do something about this bullshit.

Great thanks to Maru for the link.

Lurch

Click to embiggen

This is our pal Lurch from Main and Central and Lurch's Page. He's on vacation, traveling around the country, and honored me with a visit today. He's visiting family in the Sierra foothills and made a coupla hunnert mile round trip to do so. Didn't cost him jack shit money-wise, either. He hit the jackpot at some Indian casino somewhere and left a bunch of 'em with nothing left but blankets to sit on! Sweet!

This is the first time that an entity hitherto known to me only in the disembodied typewritten word has presented himself in the flesh, so to speak. In other words, he's the first real live blogger I've ever actually met in person!

We sat on my deck with refreshments and chatted about everything under the Sun that we like: computers, cameras, cars, blogs, our respective locales, life in general - oh, did I mention politics? We dual-computed and showed each other pictures. I conned advised him on a lovely route to take when he heads back east. Death Valley is involved, so if we don't hear from in the next few weeks we'll go look for his bleached bones. Dibs on his Exploder.

He's a nice guy. We had a great visit and he's welcome back any time.

We correspond all the time over these internets with folks we don't know much about: what they look and sound like, where they live, etc. None of that really matters. We find folks far removed from us that are of like mind and intellect, a nation-wide linkage if you will, and we know from this that we are not alone in our thinking. To get to actually meet one of the best of 'em, not to mention actually liking him, was a big thrill.

If he isn't nice to me, I'll show you the other picture I took of him!

What?

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has decided to omit from new detainee policies a key tenet of the Geneva Convention that explicitly bans "humiliating and degrading treatment," according to knowledgeable military officials, a step that would mark a further, potentially permanent, shift away from strict adherence to international human rights standards.

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So how does this make us any better than the Taliban or the Janjawid? This is proof, if you needed any more, the United States has become a tin-horn dictatorship.

Hat tip: Dr. Attaturk

It's Florida...

No offense to the great Lefty bloggers from Florida but, like the military, it's sad commentary on the leadership of the state:

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"I was watching in the living room, and they started showing the pictures of Mohammed Atta and then the others in those photographs," says Hiaasen. "I said, 'I swear to God, those are Florida driver's licenses photographs.' At least nine of them, I believe, and possibly more had lived and worked and trained for their suicide mission here in Florida."

"And I always tell people, 'You think that was an accident? Where's the one place in the United States where the bar of bad behavior is so high that nobody's gonna notice these guys?'" adds Hiaasen. "Nobody's gonna think twice when they walk into a flight school and say, 'I'd like to get on a 757 simulator, but I don't need the part about where you land it. Just teach me how to fly it around.' And pay it in cash, and they say, 'Oh, right this way, Mr. Atta. Sit over here.'

"You know, the one guy, he goes to Minneapolis, he goes to Minnesota to learn and he's in jail in about 25 minutes. First I was surprised, and then it all made sense. It all makes sense when you think about it. Why not? Of course."

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Tip o' the Brain to C&L.

Home schooling

As most of you know, I got a problem with home schooling. Aside from the fact the Jesus freaks have appropriated it as a way to brainwash their kids in the ways of their Jesus (there is nothing more terrifying to me than to see a 6 year old quoting scripture from memory), but it also hinders social development and the development of interpersonal skills when kids aren't exposed to diversity. This story (via our pal John) points up the fact all too graphically:

WASHINGTON, DC - Ten-year old Katie Hulmich has spent most of the last year preparing for 79th National Spelling Bee, which finally got underway in the nation's capitol today. The pint-sized, tow-headed home-schooler has spent ten hours a day for the past eight months preparing for the spelling showdown, and can fire off twenty-five cent words from 'anastomosis' (the union or connection of branches) to 'zedoary' (the dried rhizome of a tropical Asian plant).

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"We thought we had all of the words covered, but then they pull one out of the blue like that," says Katie's mother - and full-time home spelling coach - Beverly Hulmich. "The real challenge for the kids is when they come across a word that they just don't ever use in their daily life." [my em]

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The word was 'friend'. The defense rests.

Update:

Okay, so it was 5 in the morning and I didn't get this was satire. My bad. I still have a problem with home schooling for the reasons mentioned. There are a lot of well-intentioned folks out there but it's still no substitute for the learning experience of just interacting with large, diverse group of peers.

Nothing better to do...

So they're gonna try and push through this gay marriage thing,

WASHINGTON Apr 30, 2006 (AP) - Former Sen. John Danforth says a conservative push to ban gay marriage through a constitutional amendment is silly, calling it the latest example of how the political influence of evangelical Christians is hurting the GOP.

Danforth, a Missouri Republican and an Episcopal priest, made the comments in a speech Saturday night to the Log Cabin Republicans, which support gay rights. He said history has shown that attempts to regulate human behavior with constitutional amendments are misguided.

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that even moderate Repukes don't want, just to shore up the 'base'. It's not like we have any other priorities:

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the now bankrupt government pension bailout program being inundated with private companies shirking their responsibilities.

the $6b a month we're spending in iraq. the $9b that just *poof* disappeared over there.

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new york apparently having no monuments to protect against terrorists and so their homeland security funding was slashed 40%.

hurricane season being upon us again and we still haven't cleaned up the gulf coast from katrina and rita. people are still homeless, jobless and hopeless.

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From the gay couples I know, the Repukes can learn a lot about family values.

Records...

And Ol' Joe-mentum has built up a stellar one over the past 18 years...if he were a candidate for the GOP. Lest we forget, my neighbors:

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I had forgotten how he played the leading role in 1993 to thwart Democrats who tried to close loopholes allowing companies to cook the books on millions of dollars of stock options. Thus began the regulatory abandonment that spawned Enron and its sibling rip-offs.

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How many Connecticut Democrats remember that their senator was one of only two Democrats who voted with Republicans in 1995 to kill a lobbyist-gift ban? Or that he called affirmative action "un-American?" Or that in August 1994 he voted in favor of a proposal by Republican Jesse Helms to cut off all federal money from schools that offer counseling to suicidal gay teens by referring them to gay support groups or in any way suggesting it's OK to be gay?

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And there's much much more. Yes, Holy Joe has built a record any Republican would be proud of. Ned Lamont will build a record a Democrat can be proud of. Joe must go.

Thanks: Atrios

Well, that explains it...

A letter from Skelitor to Senator Clinton about the New York DHS funding cut. Karena's Blog:

George Bush has assured the DHS that NYC will not be a target for a terrorist attack this year. He's got too much on his plate right now whipping up fear in other states. He says that no one cares about the Empire State Building anyway except a few fans of that old movie, An Affair to Remember. Some King Kong fans care about the building, but the latest remake was pretty much a flop.

We will divert the money to Red States this year in an effort to get out the vote. Again, you have nothing to worry about, you are not on our radar screen this year.

Pretty close, I'd say.

So tell me again...

How swimmingly things are going in Iraq:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Masked gunmen stopped two minivans carrying students north of Baghdad Sunday, ordered the passengers off, separated Shiites from Sunni Arabs, and killed the 21 Shiites "in the name of Islam," a witness said.

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Update:

Looking back at this and the quote "in the name of Islam", I get to thinking that, since the beginning of recorded history, more people have been murdered in God's name than for any other reason. So tell me again how benevolent and decent this God guy is, because to me, the history of the human race must be like reality TV, or some sort of entertainment, to him. It seems this genocide and murder sure as hell isn't causing him to lose much sleep at night.

Fucking New York 3

Remember my outrage at the cuts in anti-terror funding to New York and DC? (here and here) Well now I learn about the person who's in charge of making the cuts and reallocations. Do you think she is qualified for the job? Sadly, No!

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The Homeland Security official who signed off on funding cuts for New York and extra cash for the heartland is a small-town gal whose back-door appointment to the job was mired in controversy.

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Tracy Henke, 37, assistant secretary for grants and training, wasn't quickly confirmed by the U.S. Senate after her nomination last year because of allegations she played politics in her previous post.

So an impatient White House appointed her while Congress was in recess, drawing howls of outrage from lawmakers and sparking questions about her qualifications. [my empahses]

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I got a 'back-door appointment' for her. Same one I got for O'Reilly This is what's in charge of Homeland Security funds:

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The Homeland Security bureaucrat who shortchanged New Yorkers' safety by $80 million implied yesterday that guarding a Nebraska cornfield from an Al Qaeda attack is the same as putting a cop with a gun on the Brooklyn Bridge.

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Lawrence knew...

I am a big fan of T.E. Lawrence AKA "Lawrence of Arabia". The Guardian describes how he foresaw today's Iraq mess during WWI.

As British troops went in to Iraq in March 2003, the Iraqi information minister, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, provided some unexpected entertainment at a time of great uncertainty. But some of his claims do not seem so risible now, one of them being: "We have drawn them into a quagmire and they will never get out of it."

Quagmire is the word. Unable to halt the country's descent into a sectarian civil war, and yet reluctant to admit failure and leave a vacuum by withdrawing, we are faced with a terrible dilemma in Iraq today. The situation would be familiar to TE Lawrence, who described in 1920 how clumsy involvement in Iraq had left Britain "in a trap from which it will be hard to escape with dignity and honour".

A good Sunday read in a foreign language - English.

Lawrence was a great man who did great things and then got screwed by his government. We are the lucky recipients of the aftermath of said screwing due to this administration's complete ignorance of, and disregard for, history.

Just as an afterthought, Lawrence was killed whilst riding his latest Brough-Superior, one of the finest motorcycles of its day. If you want to find a really rare one, try to find one he wasn't killed on! It even turned up in an episode of 'Lovejoy'.

Olbermann tears O'Lielly a new one...

One wonders how even a know-nothing Like Falafel O'Loofah could get a fairly well-known piece of history so terribly, completely wrong and air it - twice. Keith Olbermann called 'bullshit' on him big time. Crooks and liars, video and transcript.

Robert Parry also weighs in on this at Consortium News.

If one of those "usual liberal suspects" had said something one-tenth as offensive as O'Reilly's remarks, Fox News surely would have offered up one of its loaded questions, like "Is (fill in the blank) Anti-American or Just Blinded by Hatred of Our Troops?"

O'Reilly's just a self-serving piece of shit who makes way too much money catering to stupid people whom he thinks will buy any crap he cares to lay down, the truth be damned.

Say it ain't so...

Looks like The Farmer is packing it in. He's been one of my favorites since I landed in Blogtopia (y!sctp!).

Up against the wall

These motherfuckers deserve nothing more than a firing squad and to be buried in a pigsty afterward:

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The AP article said that Custer Battles inflated cost claims to $9.8 million for work that actually cost $3.7 million, an increase of 162 percent when the max profit margin is 25 percent. [ed. note: I don't think any company that is looking to profit in a war-torn nation is going to be conservative on the profit margins.] One example of the deliberate overcharging:

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Earlier this year, retired Brigadier General Hugh Tant testified in the war profiteering trial of CB that the contract to distribute Iraq's new currency was "probably the worst I have ever seen in over 30 years" in the Army. He continued:

After Tant spoke of the broken-down trucks delivered on the Custer Battles contract, he testified that Battles responded: "You asked for trucks and we complied with our contract and it is immaterial whether the trucks were operational or not."

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And this guy Custer (yes, he is related to the 'military genius', runs in the family I guess) is a former Army Ranger and Agency operator. He should be 'Abu Ghraibed' before they put the bullet in his head. This is why I have a problem with 'contractors' in a war zone. I give shit what you call 'em, they're mercenaries to me, be they 'security' or truck drivers, and have sold their souls and their honor.

So...

If a white American living in...say...Tennessee possesses weapons of mass destruction, bomb making materials, and a host of other weapons, would you call him a terrorist? Apparently not.

Living Democracy

I'm almost done reading a wonderful book I'd like to share with all you Brainiacs out there.I was reading it and just thinking"wow,now THIS is some good stuff,and just crazy enough that it might work".

It's called Democracy's Edge:Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life by Frances Moore Lappe'. If that name sounds familiar,Lappe' is the author of an old classic,Diet for a Small Planet.Her son Anthony,is one of the creators of the Guerrilla News Network website.Her daughter Anna is also a writer,writing about our food supply,ways to make it healthier,and how the people can wrestle back their food supply from large companies who control most of what we eat and drink.Anna and her mom team up to write quite often.

What I like most about this book(and it's earlier companion piece,Hope's Edge)is Lappe' offers up not just a laundry list of problems facing Our country and telling us how we got into this mess,she gives examples of citizens,just regular folks like you and me,who are actively doing something about these problems. Her basic philosophy is "Democracy is not something we have,it's something we DO". Simple,but true.It's the concept of creating a Living Democracy.And this,dear readers,is something I believe that is missing from how we go about things as the fight to save ourselves heats up.

For way too long,most of America has been convinced that they hold no power in changing"the way things are".We've been convinced,by media,by politicians and their operatives,by CEOs and corporate monopolies,that we have no say.And after all,this is America,we're lucky to live here in freedom and all that,right?It can't be THAT bad,can it?And besides we've limped and leaped along this far,why change how we do things? Well,for one thing,if we don't change how we view ourselves and others,and we aren't willing to try something different once something breaks,Democracy Will Die.It will be lost.Only we can save it.Democracy is a living and breathing entity,it's supposed to change and adapt to suit our needs(wants is another matter entirely,and today those lines are very blurred.Most of America is spoiled rotten,and we behave accordingly too much of the time)not remain stagnant.Our core principles are unmovable,as they should be,but the way we implement and use those principles is key.

Yes it can die,it is dying,we all know it,even if we can't admit it to ourselves.And even if we can admit it,very few solutions are offered up,other than winning elections or running for office. Yes,those things matter too,but to forget that politics and elections are only two tools available is to get in our own way.

As things stand today,it's clear the leaders of our nation do not believe or trust in us.They lie,manipulate us,steal from us,and make damned sure we keep fighting among ourselves so we don't watch what they're doing in secret. They've dumbed us down,peddled and pandered to hatred,fear,shame,and humiliation,forcing us to accept their will,making us irrelevant.

We tend to look at the big picture,and overlook our own backyard.

The ideas and programs highlighted in this book cross party lines,lines of religion,color,and culture.Because really,if you think about it what do we all have in common? Think of it:

1)Basic needs being met.Food,clothing,shelter,healthcare and education are not only for the well off,they are essential to Life,Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

2)A means for each and every one among us to work to provide those basic needs,a Living Wage.This preserves the Dignity of All,nothing is more humiliating than being unable to provide for the needs of yourself and those you love.It's demeaning.A hand up,not a handout.You cannot pull yourself up by a damned bootstrap if you have no boots and no where to get a pair.

3)Education. This is HUGE. Public schools are in trouble,but most of the trouble lies in a series of policies made from a distance that get in the way of children leaving their school years with usable skills.Community involvement is a key to stopping these destructive policies and directing funding TO the classrooms.Things can change on a local level. I know from personal experience,with my intervention and giving dedicated teachers information they could use,our county now has Autism classes in their Special Ed curriculum.I can't take credit for this,it was all the teachers' doing.I just brought them the info and spoke to administrators and board members as an assist. If I had remained silent,many boys(and it is almost exclusively boys who find their way to these classes.In seven yrs I think I've seen two girls in my son's classrooms)wouldn't be getting the help they need.Good ideas are catchy. Our program is based on some excellent work being done in Seattle for autistic children in public schools.One of our teachers went to Seattle on her summer vacation,talked to the teachers there and came back with an excellent Power Point presentation that sold everyone on the idea. We have our problems in this school system(attack of the killer fundies anyone?),but we do have an excellent Special Education program.

4)A safe community.Today we live in fear and mistrust of one another.We've been manipulated to be afraid of some "other"that lurks in the shadows of every street. If we can shed that fear and work together,neighborhoods by extension become safer.Democracy is not a passive exercise.

There's just so much good stuff in this book,it's impossible to condense it all into one post.I got my copy of Democracy's Edge for under 15 bucks at Amazon,a small price to pay to be inspired.

In the coming weeks,I'm going to try to dig up some info on various Living Democracy Projects taking place in various places around the country.And maybe I'll share some of my own ideas.Because really,in the end,the only way to stop feeling helpless is to help.

[Link to purchase book added by yours truly. - Fixer]