Molly From Beyond...

Clicking doesn't make any difference. Harrumph!

That ol' gal ain't lettin' a little thing like death stop her, nosirree! She's an inspiration to us all.

Please read a review of her new book here.

Selling off ...

The way the Rethugs are privatizing everything, Communism is beginning to look good.

Sitting here, a whole year ...

Apropos, a couple hundred years later:



"Not one damn thing do we solve ..."

A little advice ...

For Republicans:

We have some advice for the macho-posturing Republican males. If you don't want people to think you are gay, a cross-dresser, adulterer, transsexual, or a child molester, you better become a Democrat or Independent.

Because at the fast pace of sexual perversity being exposed among elected Republican officials -- almost all of whom are invariably publicly and sanctimoniously opposed to gays and adultery -- it's kind of de facto questionable whether any white GOP male who claims to be for "family values" is not a "pervert."

...

Great thanks to Echidne for the link.

Consequences ...

So all you folks who think it would be a nifty idea to open another theater of war in the Middle East, some consequences for you to consider:

...

The more thoughtful military and civilian advisers can rattle off a dozen reasons why an American attack on Iran at this juncture would be foolish in the extreme and risk setting the Middle East afire, including:

Shutting down not only Iran's oil production but Iraq's as well, and possibly triggering Iranian retaliation against the oil production and shipping in Persian Gulf nations. Are we ready for $300-a-barrel oil?

Putting 160,000 U.S. troops and another 125,000 U.S. and foreign contractors in Iraq at much greater risk, as neighboring Iran signals Shiite allies there to begin all-out war against us and sends in its own well-armed guerrillas to lead the attack. Our 250-mile main supply lines in Iraq run through the heart of Shiite-controlled southern Iraq, and they would be cut. If we think we have troubles now with the shaky Iraq national government, which already has snuggled up to Tehran, what would war with Iran bring?

Risking confrontation with the newly oil-rich and energized Russian Federation and President Bush's ex-KGB soulmate, Vladimir Putin. Putin has his hand on the natural gas and oil pipelines that keep our presumed allies in Europe from freezing to death, so it is wise to assume that any support for a U.S. attack on his ally Iran would be slim to none.

...

We can't afford it; in whatever currency you want to measure, economic, military, or political, we're at the end of our rope. The invasion of Iran would put us over the top.

Boy, time sure flies when yer havin' fun...

Today is Me'n Mrs. G's 34th wedding anniversary. The years have gone by like it was only yesterday. We're getting so used to it and blasé about it that we didn't even bother getting each other cards, but we're going out for a nice quiet dinner at Zano's here in town.

As soon as we get all done belchin' that out - on to the next 34!

Dress Rehearsal

BuzzFlash

Martial Law Declared by Musharraf in Pakistan:"The nation's constitution has been suspended, government sources said." Maybe It's a Dress Rehearsal for What Will Happen Here.

Maybe so, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. Bush'll fuck that up like he has everything else in his miserable life, and besides, there aren't enough troops left to do a decent job of it and a lot of them probably wouldn't go along with it.

Love Ride

LATimes

Think Love Ride, and images of Jay Leno and Harley-Davidson race to mind. But a nitro-fueled cacklefest? Flat-track racing? Stunt-rider pyramids?

The Love Ride is looking a little different in 2007. Now in its 24th year, Southern California's annual cruiser mecca is getting a face lift, with a change of venue and a new three-day adjunct called California Bike Week. Instead of the usual 35-mile pilgrimage to Castaic Lake, the 15,000 bikers expected to turn out for the world's largest one-day motorcycle fundraiser this Sunday will head east to the Pomona Fairplex.

That's the venue for two racing events that will take place earlier in the weekend - the All Harley Drag Racing Assn.'s Nitro Drag Races on Friday and Saturday and the Pacific Coast National Flat Track Series Debut Saturday night. It's also the site of weekend-long freestyle stunt shows, demo rides, a 150-vendor trade show and musical performances, including Gregg Allman, who headlines Sunday afternoon.

"We thought: If we can do the racing in Pomona and have the Love Ride at the same venue, it would really focus a lot of motorcycling activity into one venue and turn it all into a much bigger pie," said Oliver Shokouh, Love Ride founder and owner of Harley-Davidson/Buell of Glendale. "The Love Ride is not a Harley lifestyle event but a motorcycle event open to all motorcyclists of all brands. It's about anybody on two wheels."

I mostly put this in as a plug for Oliver. He gave me my first job in the Harley-Davidson field in 1978. At the time, he was living at his brand-new fresh-bought dealership, on the roof I think, and hadn't even brought his family to California yet. He's of Persian descent, from the Middle East. Detroit. He's a helluva good guy.

He spent his last dime getting that dealership. Don't worry about him. He has plenty of dimes now. The Love Ride is his way of giving back and has raised more than $20,000,000 for Muscular Dystrophy and children's charities over the last 24 years.

Go to Harley-Davidson/Buell of Glendale or Love Ride. You'll be glad you did.

Crossposted at the world's other best blog.

What should Bush do if when he leaves office?

Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

In a recent column I speculated on President Bush's post-White House plans. What should he do with himself?

Alice Collins of Oak Lawn has an idea.

"Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, in the wind and snow of winter and the heat and humidity of summer, let him tend to the graves of the almost 4,000 men and women who have given their lives in the debacle of Iraq. They honored their oaths, obeyed their commander-in-chief and sacrificed their lives of promise to a lying, unprincipled warmonger.

"He can begin at the grave of my grandson, Lcpl Jonathan W. Collins, killed in action on 8/8/2004."

Amen.

Bush isn't worthy of the honor of tending the graves of those he sent to die for his lies.

Other than that, Amen.

Saturday whorage

The next chapter of Thirty Days at Zeta is up at The Practical Press.

Let us know what's going on with you in comments.

The 1812

One of my favorite pieces of music, whether it's done like this:

Seiji Ozawa and the Berlin Philharmonic - Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture Part 1

Part 2

or this:

Bond - The 1812

Draft Starts In An Unlikely Place

Me'n Fixer have joked around about how we're likely to meet for the first time tits up under a Humvee in Kuwait. No way Bush's Iraq flusterpluck is going to go on for too much longer without some kind of forced service*, AKA a Draft. It's started, but who knew it would start with the State Department?

Time

At a State department "town hall" meeting on Wednesday, one participant, veteran diplomat Jack Croddy, pointed out the risks of injury and death faced by American diplomats. But he hit closer to the heart of the matter when he told the director general of the Foreign Service, who was leading the meeting, "It's one thing if someone believes in what's going on over there and volunteers, but it's another thing to send someone over there on a forced assignment." On Friday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was traveling, issued a statement saying, "We must go forward with the identification of officers to serve, should it prove necessary to direct assignments. Should others step forward, as some already have, we will fill these new jobs as we have before —with volunteers. However, regardless of how the jobs may be filled, they must be filled."

No wonder, then, that the State Department may resort to a draft to fill its Baghdad roster. The risk to life and limb is real. But the greater worry is that the risks and hardships will be in the service of a cause that is not only frustrating but potentially (HA! - G) futile.

One envisions mass protests like during the Vietnam days, only this time, instead of students, it'll be middle-aged career State Dept. folks.

Note to the protesting State Dept. ladies: This time, don't do the 'no bra' thing. You'll hurt yourselves. And traumatize the rest of us!

*Note to serving members of the military: Didn't know you were gonna be lifers when you signed up, didja? Well, thanks to stop-loss and involuntary extensions, you are.

AGgie Follies

Click to make the ducks even lamer

There's a lot going around today on the AG nomination, including this piece at the WaPo, but BuzzFlash has a good short take:

Bush Goes to Bat for Another "Torture Boy" AG, Using Inane Lies and Deceptions to Justify Mukasey as Transitional DOJ Puppet to a Giuliani Administration. (Mukasey is a Big Bud of Giuliani.) Bush Thinks That We Are Stupid Enough to Believe That Al-Qaeda Would Not Commit a Terrorist Act Because They Don't Know How They Would be Tortured. Explain That to a Suicide Bomber, You Moron.

We'll be better off without an AG for the rest of Bush's term, however long that may turn out to be, than with a Bushbot lawyer who can't commit to what he thinks about waterboarding because he might have to prosecute his boss if he did.

You don't call, you don't write ...

How many times have I said this since we opened up this place?

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The number of foreign visitors to the United States has plummeted since the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington because foreigners don't feel welcome, tourism professionals said Thursday.

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"Travelers around the world feel the US entry experience is among the world's worst," Freeman said, calling on the US government to work with the private sector to make visa acquisition more efficient, the entry process traveler-friendly, and to improve communication.

...

"What affects travel and tourism affects our economy and our image around the world. Travel and tourism is the face of America, whether it's people coming here or Americans going elsewhere," he said.

...

Listen. I'm out of the country twice a year and I started getting this vibe years ago. A lot more Europeans would rather visit Phuket, Thailand than Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Anybody who's had to put up with clearing U.S. customs knows why. For the first time on a cruise, last April I was singled out for 'further interviews' by U.S. Customs in St. Thomas.

The police state mentality and general distrust and disrespect of anyone not speaking English has had a dampening effect on tourism. Along with most everything that defined America, openness and tolerance have been relegated to the trash heap in favor of a false sense of security.

Thank god it's Friday ...

Great thanks to Mr. Philadelphia for the link.

Moving on ...

I can't say I admired Paul Tibbets. I can say I was in awe of the man. I was in awe of the fact he could sleep at night for the past 60 years. I was in awe of the fact he didn't step out of Enola Gay on 6 Aug 1945, chamber a round into his pistol, place the barrel up to his temple, and pull the trigger. I would have.

Brig. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets Jr., the commander and pilot of the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in the final days of World War II, died today at his home in Columbus, Ohio. He was 92.

...

It would seem he had no soul.

Madness as Method

MoDo on The Dick. Hmmm, my choice of words there may have been a slight Freudian slip...

Dick Cheney’s craziness used to influence foreign policy.

Now it is foreign policy.

Cheney seems to enjoy giving the impression that he is loony enough to pull off an attack on Iran before leaving office — even if he has to do it alone, like Slim Pickens riding the bomb down in “Dr. Strangelove” to the sentimental tune of “We’ll Meet Again.” He has even begun referring to his nickname, Darth Vader, noting that it “is one of the nicer things I’ve been called recently.”

I'd love to see Cheney doin' the Slim Pickens number! Maybe we can get the guys at Minot to spirit the nuke out of the warhead. I'd like to see the look on Cheney's face in the split second between the time the damn thing didn't go off and before he 'made his mark on the Middle East', so to speak. But if we can't, I'd almost go along with nukin' Iran if The Dick'd ride 'er down just to be rid of his insane ass. I apologize as well to Mr. Vader for the comparison.

As Pat Buchanan noted on “Hardball,” “Cheney and Bush are laying down markers for themselves which they’re going to have to meet. I don’t see how ... Bush and Cheney can avoid attacking Iran and retaining their credibility going out of office.”

In other words, once our cowboys have talked their crazy talk, they have to walk their crazy walk.

My faith in Pat Buchanan is restored! He thinks B & C have credibility. Yeesh.

They may not have credibility, but they have no sanity either. The fuckers will start WWIII (or IV, or V, or whatever number you care to assign to it) if they can.

They need to go NOW. Whatever it takes.

Why, those ungrateful bastards...

Click if you must

NPR’s “Car Talk” Hosts: No More “Fear-Mongering Bull-feathers” from Automakers

My two favorite radio personalities get political. At, of all places, globalwarming.house.gov:

WASHINGTON (October 30, 2007) – The hosts of National Public Radio’s famed show “Car Talk” have sent a letter to Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and the members of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming backing a 35 mile per gallon fuel economy standard for America’s vehicles that is currently being considered in Congress. In the letter, Tom and Ray Magliozzi, aka Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers, use their renowned wit and vehicle knowledge to knock down the auto industry’s continued resistance to adopt stronger fuel economy standards.

“As any listener knows, Tom and Ray are where common sense begins when it comes to cars, and when they say reaching 35 miles per gallon is feasible and the smart play for the American auto industry, people should listen” said Chairman Markey. “Automakers should stop acting like they’re playing the Tappet Brothers’ game, ‘Stump the Chumps,’ and start supporting higher fuel economy standards in Congress’ energy bill.”

If you've never listened to "Car Talk", you should start. Folks call in with all sorts of questions, and the Tappet Bros' answers range from pretty technical to the likes of "Does it go clankety-clank or tinkle-tankle-tunk?". They're funnier'n shit and know damn near as much about cars as Fixer and Bustedknuckles, whom you can visit along with a certain two-wheel correspondent who only has to know half as much since 'sickles only have half as many wheels thank God and never gets dirty above his elbows, at Fixer & Gordon.

The Air Force Coverup of that Minot-Barksdale Nuclear Missile Flight

If this was a 'mistake' as the Air Force claims, it was made at a very high level.

Dave Lindorff:

"It makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck." -- Pentagon official

There is something deeply disturbing about the Air Force's official report on the Aug. 29-30 "bent spear" incident that saw six nuclear warheads get mounted on six Advanced Cruise Missiles and improperly removed from a nuclear weapons storage bunker at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, then get improperly loaded on a B-52, and then get improperly flown to Barksdale AFB in Louisiana -- a report that attributed the whole thing to a "mistake."

And yet we're asked to believe some low-ranking ground crew personnel at Minot AFB simply walked out of a nuclear weapons bunker with six nuclear armed Advanced Cruise Missiles, not knowing what they were carrying, and labored for eight hours to mount those missiles and their launch pylon on the wing of a B-52 strategic bomber without ever noticing they were armed with nuclear weapons. We're asked to believe that none of those electronic alarms and motion sensors built into the system went off during that whole process.

Vice President Dick Cheney is known to be pressing within the administration for a war with Iran, to be launched before Bush leaves office. According to some reports, Cheney has even, on his own authority (or lack thereof), urged Israel to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, in hopes that Iran might retaliate, thus drawing the U.S. into a war.

Could the nation's war-mongering VP have used his neo-con contacts in the Defense Department or some of the Armageddon-believers in the Air Force to bypass the official chain of command and spring those nukes from their bunker?

Or was there a plan for a so-called "false-flag incident," where a small nuke -- made to resemble a primitive weapon of the type a fledgling nuclear power might construct -- might be detonated at a U.S. target abroad, or even within the U.S.?

These are terrible and terrifying questions to have to ask, but when you have six nuclear weapons go missing, when the military investigation into the incident is so clearly a whitewash or coverup, and when you have a vice president who is openly pressing for an illegal war of aggression against a nation that poses no threat to the U.S., and who, in fact, appears to be conducting his own treacherous foreign policy behind the back of the president and the State Department, these questions must be asked and answered.

They probably won't be, at least while the present criminals are occupying the White House, but I have no trouble at all believing it was a Cheney plan. The question is whether he was just wavin' his weenie or, worse by orders of magnitude, actually intended to use nuclear weapons to start his next failed war. Either way, he should be in prison.

Why Did We Invade Iraq Anyway?

You know the answer, but here's a really good one (long!) page Tomgram on the subject. A definite 5-minute 'must read'.

Why then did the U.S. invade Iraq? Why is occupying Iraq so "vital" to those "national security interests" of ours? None of this makes sense if you don't have the patience to drill a little beneath the surface ? and into the past; if you don't take into account that, as former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz once put it, Iraq "floats on a sea of oil"; and if you don't consider the decades-long U.S. campaign to control, in some fashion, Middle East energy reservoirs. If not, then you can't understand the incredible tenaciousness with which George W. Bush and his top officials have pursued their Iraqi dreams or why - now that those dreams are clearly so many nightmares - even the Democrats can't give up the ghost.

The United States viewed Middle Eastern oil as a precious prize long before the Iraq war. During World War II, that interest had already sprung to life: When British officials declared Middle Eastern oil "a vital prize for any power interested in world influence or domination," American officials agreed, calling it "a stupendous source of strategic power and one of the greatest material prizes in world history."

It is hardly surprising, then, that the new administration, bent on unipolarity anyway and dreaming of a global Pax Americana, wasted no time implementing the aggressive policies advocated in the PNAC manifesto. According to then Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill in his memoir The Price of Loyalty, Iraq was much on the mind of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the first meeting of the National Security Council on January 30, 2001 (my em), seven months before the 9/11 attacks. At that meeting, Rumsfeld argued that the Clinton administration's Middle Eastern focus on Israel-Palestine should be unceremoniously dumped. "[W]hat we really want to think about," he reportedly said, "is going after Saddam." Regime change in Iraq, he argued, would allow the U.S. to enhance the situation of the pro-American Kurds, redirect Iraq toward a market economy, and guarantee a favorable oil policy.

"An American-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein, and the replacement of the radical Baathist dictatorship with a new government more closely aligned with the United States, would put America more wholly in charge of the region than any power since the Ottomans, or maybe even the Romans."

As worldwide demand for hydrocarbons soared, the United States was left with three policy choices: It could try to combine alternative energy sources with rigorous conservation to reduce or eliminate a significant portion of energy imports; it could accept the leverage conferred on OPEC by the energy crunch and attempt to negotiate for an adequate share of what might soon enough become an inadequate supply; or it could use its military power in an effort to coerce Middle East suppliers into satisfying American requirements at the expense of everyone else. Beginning with Jimmy Carter, five U.S. presidents chose the coercive strategy, with George W. Bush finally deciding that violent, preemptive regime change was needed to make it work. The other options remain unexplored.

So how's it all working out? File the results under "World's Stupidest Criminals" - The Bush maladministration couldn't even pull off what amounted to a grand-scale gas station stickup.