Traffic Jam on the Highway to Hell

Oooh! This one made me tingle! Sheila Samples in the Atlanta Free Press. Hmmm. Free Press. What a concept...

"When once a republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil."
- Thomas Jefferson

Evil never runs its course. With each success, it grows stronger, more ghastly and, like Dick Cheney, emerges a bit more from the shadows. Never doubt for a minute that these unfeeling creatures are not evil. They are incapable of compassion, of empathy, of mercy. Their eyes are on the prize of One World rule, and they will have it in spite of — or as a result of — all the chaos and carnage it takes to achieve it. There are no "Imps of the Perverse" among them who will be so overcome with guilt they will break from the pack and run through the populace shrieking, "We're guilty! We did it! We are murderers!"

Cheney and his destructive little sidekick, George Bush, have brazenly committed treasonous acts — left piles of corpses in their wake since the 2000 election coup. If there is a God, they are bound straight for Hell. But they are not alone. They're protected by a merciless axis of courts, congressional conspirators and corporate media who cover up their crimes by issuing a steady barrage of terror threats and a relentless fog of twisted disinformation.

Our government is nothing but a Good Ol' Boys and Girls club, with judges, journalists, legislators and administration jesters whooping it up while pillaging the Treasury, ignoring the cries of their victims, turning a blind eye to millions of slaughtered and displaced innocents, and sending thousands of their own citizens to their deaths. They have mauled, raped and obstructed Justice until that once noble Lady is no longer recognizable.

We can no longer stand on the sidelines waiting for the evil to subside. They must go — all of them — starting at the top with the impeachment of the mad Cheney and Bush and continuing through both houses of Congress where all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are up for election this year.

We've had enough. We not only agree with Vonnegut, but with Lee Iacocca, who pulls no punches in his April 2007 book, "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?" Iacocca asks, "Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course.' Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!"

Yes. Throw the bums out and watch them scatter. And when they do, there will be a traffic jam on the highway to Hell.

Om...*

*Due to 'the first being last' in this forum, see this post.

The Psychopath's "State of the Union": Disguising America's Deep Humiliation

Walter C. Uhler blisters him some chimp ass:

I won't be watching President Bush's "State of the Union" speech tonight. And I'll studiously avoid reading about it tomorrow. Not because Bush is a lame duck - thank God for that. But, because he a megalomaniac and a pathological lair.

You know how it works. Whether it's your friend, relative or acquaintance; whenever you've reached the conclusion that he/she is an inveterate liar, you simply stop listening to him/her, because he/she has lost all credibility and respect.

Actually, Bush never had my respect. Instead, I marveled over how a punk child of privilege could drink and bluff his way through mediocrity and failure - whether it be in college, the Texas Air National Guard, private enterprise (oil, baseball) or as governor of Texas - and still emerge with the belief that "God wants me to be President."

Then he gets down to business. You should only go read.

"Probably final"?!

William Rivers Pitt on the 'SOTU drinking game':

George W. Bush's State of the Union (SOTU) speeches have been the basis for a new kind of drinking game for several years now, basically because the things have always needed some kind of actual substance from somewhere, and because it was a good way to dull the pain of it all. The rules: 1. When he says the word "terra" or "terra-ists," take a drink. 2. When he says "tax cuts," take a drink. 3. When he says "Iraq," take a drink. 4. When he says "nook-yuh-lerr," take a drink and a shot and a good swift kick to the head. Et cetera.

But that's just one night out of the year. Reality has proven to be far more alcoholic in nature. For seven years now, the whole phenomenon of this government has been one long drinking game played out each and every day. The rules of this game? 1. Say the words, "George W. Bush is in charge of the country." 2. Turn off the TV. 3. Just drink.

Sounds familiar, right? Just about everyone has played that game a time or two by now. We have endured seven Bush SOTU speeches as of last night. Seven years worth of lies, carnage, greed, disgrace, failure, ignominy, calamity heaped upon calamity heaped upon calamity for more than two thousand five hundred days now, with three hundred and fifty seven more days still to go.

Seven speeches. Seven years.

No more.

Take your drink. Take your shot. Don't forget your kick to the head: Each and every single one of those comprehensively-debunked claims can still be found on the White House web site.

We have to put up with this man and his people for less than a year, or so most people believe. A story on today's Washington Post front page by Michael Abramowitz, however, reeled off a laundry list of pre-speech challenges for Bush that was capped by this line: "That is the problem Bush faces as he prepares to deliver his seventh and probably final State of the Union address tonight."

"Probably final"?

"Probably final"?!

Drink.

It had fuckin' well better be his 'final'. 1.20.09 is getting to be a sacred number to me, a mantra of the end of the nightmare. It had better happen as scheduled.

Om onetwennyohnine. Om...

Update:

From the WaPo Politics Hour:

(A question from) Washington: Today's front page story on the president's speech tonight states that this will be Bush's "seventh and probably final" State of the Union address. Is there a coup in the works, or is that an error?

...

Peter Baker: Here's the story I was just mentioning. We say "probably final" because in the past, presidents used to give a lame-duck State of the Union address on their way out of office. That hasn't been common in the past few decades, but there's nothing to say he couldn't do that if he chose. We've asked the White House about this and they say they think it's probably his last one too, though they didn't rule anything out entirely.

The reason I took Pitt's piece the way I did is because I don't rule anything out from that prick either.

Om...

Quote of the Day

Scott at LGM:

... liberals who expect a secret socially liberal McCain to emerge from behind a mask of 0% NARAL ratings, votes for Robert Bork, support for complete bans on abortion, etc. are people you definitely want to invite to your next poker game.

...

Off to the shop ...

A week off ...

And I still have no idea who to vote for in the NY primary on 'Super Duper-Most Excellent-Holy Shit-Tsunami-Tuesday".

One thing that keeps popping into my head as I think about it, the one issue that always comes back to nag at me, is 'do I want another Clinton in the White House?' Not that I have a problem with the way Bill ran the show, nor do I think Hillary is unqualified mind you, but the old equation keeps coming back to me. We've had 12 years of House Bush sandwiching 8 years of Clinton, potentially 16 years if Hillary wins.

Am I the only one who feels like we're living in a monarchy?

Maybe it's time for a whole new fresh look at America? The thing about Obama that nags at me too, is that he seems a little too close to God. Hopefully, he reads his scriptures differently than the Rethug Jesus freaks.

I'll probably make up my mind as I stand in the voting booth next week.

Why couldn't Edwards have done better? He's the one I actually have the confidence in to do what is necessary to bring this nation back from the precipice Bush has us perched on. I just hope he'll be able to work in the new administration, regardless of who wins.

So much for fair. If shit were fair, we wouldn't have had to put up with Preznit Drooly McJackhole for the last 7 years. One good thing though (and it will be confirmed this evening), is watching Rudy's slow-motion crash and burn on the Rethug side. Our good pal, UL:

Thrice married serial adulterer and America's 9-11 Mayor's Florida firewall strategy has vaulted him down to fourth place, behind Huckafucknut - and clinging [to] a single-digit lead over fast closing nemesis Ron Paul.

...

Been a long time coming.

Priorities

...

Number of times Bush said terror/terrorist/terrorists: 22

Number of times Bush said Osama: 0

Epic FAIL.

SOTU

A cut & paste re-run, or as Rachel Maddow put it, a 'Groundhog Day speech' - lies, spin, bullshit, my way or the highway, support what I do or you're an enemy of the state and I'll veto it, taking credit for things he hasn't done and spinning failure as success, and, oh yeah, perpetual war and the crimes will continue and he wants immunity for them.

Same old, same old. Limp outta here, ya broke-dick quackerass.

SOTU? STFU.

Mrs. G's commentary: "He's an evil pig."

1.20.09

Indeed!

Via Avedon, Tommy T hits it on the head.

Update:

More toon fun from Sumo.

Oh, the irony...

Ironic Times

Iraq's Parliament Approves New Flag
Old one (bottom) represented Sunnis, Shia, Kurds; new one (top) represents Blackwater, Halliburton.

White House, Congress Agree on $150 Billion Political Survival Package
Bipartisan deal keeps them in office through next election.

President Bush, in Final Year, Considers Legacy
Will he be remembered for Katrina, War in Iraq or the Depression?

Yes.

World Future Society Predicts 1 Billion Millionaires in 2033
And eight billion beggars.

Report: U.S. Scientists Close To Creating Artificial Life
Just waiting for good lightning storm.

The fundies'll have a ball with that one!

Quote of the Day

From Politico on Senator Kennedy's endorsement of Senator Obama. Liquid alert!

“This is the biggest Democratic endorsement Obama could possibly get short of Bill Clinton,” said a high-level Democrat.

If that happens, wear a helmet. The sky will be full of pigs!

And don't forget the endorsement of JFK's cute little pre-school-age daughter Caroline. Yeah, I know, but that's how I remember her...

CBS Falsifies Iraq War History

Robert Parry

There’s a cynical old saying that the victors write the history. CBS’s “60 Minutes” demonstrated how that process works on Jan. 27 in airing Scott Pelley’s interview with the FBI agent who de-briefed former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Just as an aside, it helps if the victors have a written language. For instance, what we know as "The Battle of the Little Big Horn" was (and is) called "The Greasy Grass Fight" by the victors, but they couldn't write it down. Ultimately, of course, they lost the war so we got to call things whatever we wanted to anyway.

In a world of objective reality, a reporter might say that the United States launched an unprovoked invasion of Iraq on March 19, 2003, under the false pretense that Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, even after Iraq had repeatedly – and accurately – announced that its WMD had been destroyed in the 1990s.

In line with Bush’s version of history, “60 Minutes” correspondent Pelley asked FBI interrogator George Piro why Hussein kept pretending that he had WMD even as U.S. troops massed on Iraq’s borders, when a simple announcement that the WMD was gone would have prevented the war.

“For a man who drew America into two wars and countless military engagements, we never knew what Saddam Hussein was thinking,” Pelley said in introducing the segment on the interrogation of Hussein about his WMD stockpiles. “Why did he choose war with the United States?”

The segment never mentions the fact that Hussein’s government did disclose that it had eliminated its WMD. Instead Pelley presses Piro on the question of why Hussein was hiding that fact.

If you missed '60 Minutes' last night, hit the link and watch it. Wait'll you hear why Saddam actually invaded Iran! The old expression about trivial insults, "wars have been fought for less", came true.

Of course, Hussein did tell the U.N. to “come on in, check it out.” But he did so in the real history, not in the faux reality that now governs Washington and pervades America’s top news programs, including “60 Minutes.”

In Pelley’s historical formulation, the question is not why did Bush invade Iraq in violation of international law, causing the deaths of nearly 4,000 American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, but rather “How could [Hussein] have wanted his country to be invaded?”

This strategy of repeating a “big lie” often enough to make it sound true was famously described in the writings of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels during World War II. However, given the relatively free U.S. press, many Americans feel they are protected from “big lie” techniques, counting on journalists to call lying politicians to account.

But that clearly is no longer the case – and hasn’t been for some time. Facing career pressure from well-organized right-wing attack groups, American journalists act more like triangulating politicians, fearful of accusations of “liberal bias” or unpatriotic behavior or softness on terrorism.

To have challenged George W. Bush in July 2003 – when he was near the height of his popularity – or even now with his approval ratings at historic lows would carry career dangers that few American reporters want to risk.

So, discretion – or in this case the acceptance of a lie as truth – is the better part of valor.

Disgusting. So far, the 'media' has been writing the Iraq flusterpluck down as if we will be the 'victors' because that's what they've been told to do by their Masters or risk their plush careers.

If it weren't for a few other-than-mainstream actual journalists, we'd lose this war and think we won a great victory. At least when we slink out of there with our tail between our legs, as we will and as we should, maybe folks will realize why and hopefully not let it happen again. At least until the memory fades.

McCain: Military Imbecile

p m carpenter

What John said was this: "[Romney's] apology is owed to the young men and women serving this nation in uniform, that we will not let them down in hard times or good. That is who the apology is owed to."

It so happened that when I read that I had just put down a marvelous new work on military history: Mark Perry's Partners in Command, an investigation into the working relationship between Generals George C. Marshall and Dwight D. Eisenhower. And the meticulously driven subtext of Perry's work is that both of these incisive military minds and, later, shapers of America's foreign policy, would have been appalled -- absolutely aghast -- at the United States' entry into Iraq.

Both would have left aside the question of apologies, because both, quite simply, would have found the intervention utterly inexcusable -- a betrayal of America's political culture, societal way of thinking, and even common sense.

John McCain -- as that rare political creature, a Republican pol who actually served -- now presents himself as a thoughtful student of military history as well, and therefore as exceptionally qualified to be commander in chief. But Mr. McCain, in rooting for this idiotic war at the start and now advocating an interminable presence, understands nothing of what the true giants of yesteryear understood.

It is John McCain who owes an apology to "the young men and women serving this nation in uniform," for having helped, that is, to spearhead their voiceless entanglement in a lonely and endless war of choice -- one that would have appalled those far deeper thinkers of how and when military means should be used, and how they should not.

I've got nothing to add to that, other than I think he will be the Repug nominee and this country had better have better sense than to vote for endless, mindless, criminal war.

Wave Motors

I think we've all seen some of the new tidal generators installed at various places around the world. It's a damn good idea as long as the ocean rolls in and out. Renewable energy, renewed four times a day. I won't make any jokes about gettin' energy from the ol' in-an'-out. Sure I won't...

Anyway, I was watching a show called "Road Trip: California's Corners" (DVD available) on one of my PBS stations last night, where Huell Howser is doing a series dedicated to finding the exact location of all five corners of my state, and they're not always right where they're supposed to be. His M.O. is to chat up the locals and see various offbeat spots of interest and find the corner via GPS in the last five minutes and plant a little Bear Flag. He was in Imperial Beach whilst looking for the southwest one.

What I found out, besides that the southwest corner of California is at the broken-down old border fence extending a few feet out into the Pacific through which Huell shook hands with a Mexican, was that tidal and wave generation is nothing new. I should have known.

It got me interested, so I googled up the Edwards Wave Motor that was installed on the Imperial Beach Pier in 1909 and discovered that various kinds of these things were all over the place. I discovered this fascinating article on some of the early experiments in this technology.

The upshot was that generally these contraptions didn't work and were dumped in the sea by storms that washed away the piers they were on.

The modern tidal generators rest on the waterway beds, pre-dumped so to speak, but they didn't have the technology to do that in the old days. Those old boys at least gave it a shot back in the infancy of harnessed electricity.

Interest in tidal generation waned for almost a century, but it's perked back up again due to the burgeoning realization ("Lights on in yer head, dipstick!") that burning fossil fuels and fouling the air just to boil water is no longer the best way to run your toaster.

What it takes ...

To get people to give enough of a damn. Father Tyme with a great post on how long it takes to change the inertia of the American people:

It must take a long time for many Americans to understand the basic goings on in life. Most of us knew in 2000 that George Bush would be bad for America. We knew he already was a liar, conniver, deceitful thing that should have been flushed with the condom his daddy should have used.

...

So we gave old Grandpa a vote of confidence and let him tuck us in for 4 more years – by staying home election day. I guess it was easier to stay home and watch TV than go out and vote. No sense in changing things when they’re going so well or rather when things aren’t really affecting most of us; so the TV says. And things are getting better with the war, the economy is doing real well, jobs are up; why change; why vote for someone else; why vote at all?

But deep down inside we knew he wasn’t telling everything to us yet we thought that if things were really bad the newspapers and people on TV News surely would let us know the truth.

...

Much more and spot on. Off to the shop. Happy fucking Monday ...

We knew it ...

35 years ago when I was in grade school.

World demand for oil and gas will outstrip supply within seven years, according to Royal Dutch Shell.

The oil multinational is predicting that conventional supplies will not keep pace with soaring population growth and the rapid pace of economic development.

...

But back then, the powers-that-be said it was just the dirty fucking hippies worrying about nothing (sorta like the global warming debate now). We should have developed an alternative energy source by 1975, Christ, we put a man on the Moon in '69, but Bush, Cheney, and the rest of the robber barons were polishing their act and padding their pockets. Perspective, ladies and germs. It's been seven years since we got Bush. Time flies when your head is in the sand.

Great thanks to Cookie Jill for the link.

Neglect ...

Or, to quote Atrios: "This is another episode of What Digby said."

...

Back in the day when we were all writing about Afghanistan and the Taliban that was common knowledge, conventional wisdom. John Kerry made a big deal in 2004 about Tora Bora and the wild absurdity of pulling the focus away from al Qaeda. People may have thought that was a political ploy but it wasn't. Iraq was a massive distraction and waste of time and money right in the middle of a damned serious problem with Islamic fundamentalism. There's a reason why Jim Webb called it the greatest strategic blunder in modern memory all the way back in '04. It was.

It's possible that this reconstituted Taliban are just a bunch of losers sitting in the mountains with big dreams. But if they actually did assassinated Bhutto (with the help of the Pakistan security services, which is likely) this is no joke. Pakistan is the most unstable nuclear armed country we've ever seen and the potential for catastrophe is actually quite real. The fact that we have the entire US military bogged down in a useless occupation, while the Republican candidates are running around muttering incoherently about staying there for a thousand years or waving the white flag of surrender to al Qaeda in Iraq is further testament to how delusional the GOP remains on this subject.

...

For years, the CIA equipped Osama and his Mujaheddin against the Russians in Afghanistan and we knew how the Paks let them support. Did we think they'd change because we threw a few bucks at them? If that weren't enough, the Brits have a history of getting their ass handed to them in that part of the world. You'd think we'd have learned from those experiences. Heh ... fat chance, but then Hitler didn't learn squat from history either when he got a hard-on for Russia.

The only way to win a war with those people is to kill every last fucking one of them. These are people who hold grudges for hundreds of years (Remember the old Shi'a - Sunni thing?); putting their plans on hold for a few years until the Americans leave is no big thing for them. They waited out the Russians, didn't they? One day, our puppet Karzai will be swinging from a tree and someone more favorable to Pakistan will be installed there. It's just a matter of time.

Sometimes, I wonder where we'd be if President Gore had taken office instead. I wonder how he would have used the 'sympathy capital' we earned on 9/11, or if 9/11 would have even happened. What a waste of 8 years.

Biodh An Deoch Seo 'N Làimh Mo Rùin

I was just taking a little snowy Sunday break from the liars and pontificators and I went and found some nice music. I used to watch the Transatlantic Sessions on Ovation TV before our cable company got bought out by SuddenlyNoLink, who in a startling display of stupidity, ditched it. They used to have Indian, Korean, and all kinds of world music as well. I liked it all. Mrs. G thought (and thinks!) I'm nuts. Who am I to argue...

So now, in a desperate attempt to get out of a "crazy redneck music" bag I've recently found myself in, I present Julie Fowlis with Jenna Reid & Donal Lunny. The pricks disabled the embedding, no doubt in a fit of crass commercialism. There are others I could have posted the videos of, but I like this one.

Note: A wee dram of some smoky adult beverage with the peat still in it will help in your understanding. Maybe not so 'wee'. Perhaps 'Whee!'.

North American solidarity ...

The Canadians can be dumbasses of the same magnitude as we are:

...

Look on the bright side: it means unity. We are forming one great northern continent, unified in our ignorance, led by uninformed dumbasses. Brothers and sisters to the north, welcome!

Travel tips ...

Prepping for Amsterdam. Who knew they had so many hotels?

South Carolina ...

Care less. No, I don't think Obama will run away with it now. I personally think it'll tighten the race. Good. Unfortunately, I think the best John Edwards can do is VP and it looks like he's positioning himself for that. He knows it too. The only thing I know for sure is Bill Clinton should STFU*.

On the Rethug side, I think I'd rather see Romney get the nomination than McCain, just because too many democrats buy in to the 'McCain Fable' and would vote for him over Hillary or Obama. Never underestimate the power of white men to let their sexism and racism boil up at the least opportune times. Hopefully, more Rethugs hate McCain than Dems do. I'd rather Rudy, but he's doing his own crash and burn and probably won't be in the race by the end of February, let alone November.

Unlike most on the left, I certainly don't think a Dem win in November is a sure thing and it might behoove us not to begin gloating prematurely.

Link via Atrios.

Update:

If this is any indication, turnout should be huge in November.

Wow. Estimates had topped out at 350,000. This is a ridiculous improvement over 2004 when just 290,000 voters voted in the Dem primary ...

Good.

Update:

*Greenwald captures my point:

...

But the last few days have changed my view on those matters substantially. The Clintons' strategy has become increasingly trashy, even ugly, and yesterday's remarks by Bill Clinton -- in which he pointedly compared Obama's candidacy to Jesse Jackson's and thus implicitly (though clearly) dismissed South Carolina as a state where the "black candidate" wins, followed up by the Clinton campaign's anonymous branding of Obama as "the black candidate" -- reeked of desperation ...

Time for Bill to head home to Chappaqua and start surfing the intarwebs with his pants around his ankles. He ain't doing Hillary any good anymore.