Saturday, February 4, 2006
Shades of yesteryear
You see what my friend Lurch and the rest of us old vets do, don't ya? You know the rhetoric by now, don't ya? Fool me once...
Putting it out there
A couple days ago (the last time I was pissed at the Dems), one of the regular commenters here suggested I run for office of some type. One reason is because there are too many pictures floating around of me doing embarrassing shit. When I used to drink a lot, I'd do it more often. Mrs. F, after close to 16 years of marriage (God bless her), doesn't embarrass at all anymore. I could stand on my head in public and make sparks shoot out my ass and she'd just carry on without missing a beat. So I was laughing my ass off when I read PZ Myers is worried about facing his students on Monday. Been there and done that, pal. Hold your head up and be proud, my friend, wear it like a badge of courage.
Contrasts
Scout Prime (another gem I've found recently by the way):
...
King of Jordan-- recognized Katrina'a impact immediately
King of America--never thought levees would break even when his Palace had been told they would.
...............
King of Jordan--glued to TV
King of America--got the DVD 5 days later
...............
King of Jordan--Visited the 9th Ward
King of America--Bypasses unwashed to meet with landed gentry
...
Women haters
I run into a lot of guys like this in the course of my day. Guys who have to make up for their insecurities by treating women like shit. I'm not talking about violence toward women, but guys who dislike and feel castrated by capable, intelligent, opinionated women. Women that turn me on, by the way.
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Ugly as it is to state bluntly, a lot of men enjoy power-tripping on women, and there's evidence for this everywhere you look-from sexual harassment and rape to bizarre inventions like breast implants that function primarily as a signal that the woman owning them will go so far as to mutiliate her body with a painful surgery in order to please men. That breast implants are actually ugly is beside the point-that women suffer so much for men's pleasure is the important message. Take these common cultural attitudes and place anti-choice attitudes, where sex is treated, like PZ said, like a game of Russian roulette where the gun is always pointed at the woman, and I think it's pretty fucking clear what the appeal of "moral" imperatives against contraception is to the bizarro minority of men who believe them. If a woman can't use contraception, every time you fuck her, you're putting her at risk. Pregnant bellies are the fundie version of breast implants-proof to the power-hungry, woman-loathing men that they are the ones with power, that they have so much power over women they can change their bodies.
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Great thanks to Coturnix for the heads up.
Matthews is off his meds...
...Batshit crazy, or on somebody's payroll.
Details. Does NBC want him to be the next O'Reilly or do the Rethugs make his lips move?
On his TV show tonight Chris Matthews suggested, without any proof at all, that maybe liberals or gays were responsible for a series of terrible church burnings last night in central Alabama.
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Details. Does NBC want him to be the next O'Reilly or do the Rethugs make his lips move?
Braintip to C&L.
Words I never thought I'd use
In the same sentence. Radical. Militant. Librarians. At least somebody is standing up for free speech. Thanks to Mark for the pointer.
Friday, February 3, 2006
State of Delusion
Paul Krugman on Bush's oil 'policy'. Via Lettrist.
I just love that guy. Krugman, not Bush. I despise Bush. Go read the rest.
Here's the story on oil: In the State of the Union address Mr. Bush suggested that "cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol" and other technologies would allow us "to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East."
But the next day, officials explained that he didn't really mean what he said. "This was purely an example," said Samuel Bodman, the energy secretary. And the administration has actually been scaling back the very research that Mr. Bush hyped Tuesday night: the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is about to lay off staff because of budget cuts. "A veteran researcher," reports The New York Times, "said the staff had been told that the cuts would be concentrated among researchers in wind and biomass, which includes ethanol."
Why announce impressive sounding goals when you have no plan to achieve them? The best guess is that the energy "plan" was hastily thrown together to give Mr. Bush something positive to say.
What about the rest of the speech? The State of the Union is normally an occasion for boasting about an administration's achievements. But what's a speechwriter to do when there are no achievements?
One answer is to pretend that the bad stuff never happened. The Medicare drug benefit is Mr. Bush's largest domestic initiative to date. It's also a disaster: at enormous cost, the administration has managed to make millions of elderly Americans worse off. So drugs went unmentioned in the State of the Union.
There's a common theme underlying the botched reconstruction of Iraq, the botched response to Katrina (which Mr. Bush never mentioned), the botched drug program, and the nonexistent energy program. John DiIulio, the former White House head of faith-based policy, explained it more than three years ago. He told the reporter Ron Suskind how this administration operates: "There is no precedent in any modern White House for what is going on in this one: a complete lack of a policy apparatus. ... I heard many, many staff discussions but not three meaningful, substantive policy discussions. There were no actual policy white papers on domestic issues."
In other words, this administration is all politics and no policy. It knows how to attain power, but has no idea how to govern. That's why the administration was caught unaware when Katrina hit, and why it was totally unprepared for the predictable problems with its drug plan. It's why Mr. Bush announced an energy plan with no substance behind it. And it's why the state of the union - the thing itself, not the speech - is so grim.
I just love that guy. Krugman, not Bush. I despise Bush. Go read the rest.
Learning from Iceland
I've had the pleasure of visiting Iceland three times*. It is one of the mose beautiful places on the planet and the people are...different (it's the only way I can explain it)...in a very good way. Michael Stickings looks at their State of the Union address. A must-read.
*I should add that I went there in July all three times and temps were in the upper 20s and low 30s. I would not want to be there in February.
High-tech instead of injury and death
LATimes
If it prevents endangering innocent bystanders, crashes, and shootings by adrenaline-and-doughnut-crazed trigger-happy buffoon cops, I'm all for it. Cops today seem to feel that letting a speeder get away from them endangers their Empire. They must 'win' at any cost.
The sporting days of outrunnin' the cops are pretty much over. I won a few and lost a few. I'm glad I got to enjoy them.
Question: "Chief, you said Los Angeles is the car chase capital of the world. What makes it that way?"
Answer: "There are a lot of nuts here."
With that street-cop psychology, Chief William J. Bratton unveiled Thursday a new and decidedly strange weapon in the LAPD's effort to halt high-speed pursuits.
It is an air-propelled miniature dart equipped with a global positioning device. Once fired from a patrol car, it sticks to a fleeing motorist's vehicle and emits a radio signal to police.
Bratton hailed the dart as "the big new idea" and said that if the pilot program was successful, Los Angeles' seemingly daily TV fix of police chases could be a thing of the past.
If it prevents endangering innocent bystanders, crashes, and shootings by adrenaline-and-doughnut-crazed trigger-happy buffoon cops, I'm all for it. Cops today seem to feel that letting a speeder get away from them endangers their Empire. They must 'win' at any cost.
The sporting days of outrunnin' the cops are pretty much over. I won a few and lost a few. I'm glad I got to enjoy them.
"Just like a Caribbean cruise...
...Without the water and the chicks or booze..."
Go see this one at Freeway Blogger. It's a don't miss.
Go see this one at Freeway Blogger. It's a don't miss.
Shit You Can't Make Up: Bush to Lay Off Renewable Energy Researchers
From Kos in toto:
Some people would wait a few days, you know, a decent interval, before pissin' backwards on something they said in a little thing like the SOTU speech. Not these brazen bastards. I must admit, I kinda enjoy shit like this!
We are asked to suffer the Secretary of Energy telling us within 24 hours that Bush lied in his speech about reducing Middle Eastern oil imports. We are asked to suffer oil-state Republicans who once gave away the oil under federal land but who are now tightwads when it comes to subsidizing other fuels.
And, now, we are asked to suffer this:
From today's NYT:
The Energy Department will begin laying off researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the next week or two because of cuts to its budget.
A veteran researcher said the staff had been told that the cuts would be concentrated among researchers in wind and biomass, which includes ethanol. Those are two of the technologies that Mr. Bush cited on Tuesday night as holding the promise to replace part of the nation's oil imports.
Some people would wait a few days, you know, a decent interval, before pissin' backwards on something they said in a little thing like the SOTU speech. Not these brazen bastards. I must admit, I kinda enjoy shit like this!
The Mother of All Downing Street Memos?
David Corn at HuffPo on the memo I posted about last night:
Only if we push it, just like the DSM. It never would have seen the light of day in the media without a little assist and this one is the same kind of deal. It's just another arrow in the quivver of charges against these war criminals.
To be fair, I first heard about this on Keith Olbermann's 'Countdown'. Me and the other fifty people that watch it.
To my thinking, this is a rather big deal. The president of the United States caught conspiring to create a modern-day version of the sinking of the Maine? Talk about an impeachable offense. I'm presuming the memo is legit. It was first obtained by British human rights lawyer Philippe Sands for a new version of his book, Lawless World. Sands is a friend of friends of mine. He is a trustworthy fellow, and I know that last year he did succeed in prying sensitive documents out of the British government concerning the legality -- or illegality -- of the invasion of Iraq. His sources were obviously British officials upset with the war. So my informed hunch is that this document is real. If so, how will the White House respond? Will members of the press corps at 1600 Pennsylvania press the point? This revelation -- which is more shocking than anything in the Downing Street Memos -- should be major news here. But will it?
Only if we push it, just like the DSM. It never would have seen the light of day in the media without a little assist and this one is the same kind of deal. It's just another arrow in the quivver of charges against these war criminals.
To be fair, I first heard about this on Keith Olbermann's 'Countdown'. Me and the other fifty people that watch it.
Recruiting
Blondie has a story about a kid, arrested on drug charges, allowed to enlist in the Air National Guard. The last time I saw this was when I went in (I myself receiving a waiver thanks to a pending conviction for grand theft auto when I was 17), when the military couldn't get anybody to join after Vietnam. Hmmmm...
Another guilty Rethug bastid
Glen tells us all about it.
...A Pentagon contractor put in charge of at least $82 million in reconstruction money earmarked for the Iraqi city of Hilla will plead guilty to conspiracy, bribery, money laundering and other crimes, The New York Times reported on its Web site on Thursday...
More cartoons
Just this to our Muslim friends concerning the hubbub over the cartoon in a Danish paper: You're as fucked up as the Jesus freaks in this country. It's a fucking cartoon. Get over yourselves. It's known as free speech.
Update:
Maurinsky agrees, albeit more 'delicately'. Heh...
Update:
Maurinsky agrees, albeit more 'delicately'. Heh...
Thursday, February 2, 2006
Bush told Blair we're going to war, memo reveals
From the Guardian(UK)
Bush and Blair both got a lotta esplainin' to do.
This is really nothing new, but I'm glad there's more evidence.
About painting US planes in UN colors so Saddam would fire on them, it reminds me a lot of how Hitler started WWII: he killed some political prisoners, put them in Polish uniforms and planted them inside Germany and claimed Poland had invaded.
· PM backed invasion despite illegality warnings
· Plan to disguise US jets as UN planes
· Bush: postwar violence unlikely
A memo of a two-hour meeting between the two leaders at the White House on January 31 2003 - nearly two months before the invasion - reveals that Mr Bush made it clear the US intended to invade whether or not there was a second resolution and even if UN inspectors found no evidence of a banned Iraqi weapons programme.
The memo seen by Prof Sands reveals:
· Mr Bush told the Mr Blair that the US was so worried about the failure to find hard evidence against Saddam that it thought of "flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft planes with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours". Mr Bush added: "If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach [of UN resolutions]".
· Mr Bush even expressed the hope that a defector would be extracted from Iraq and give a "public presentation about Saddam's WMD". He is also said to have referred Mr Blair to a "small possibility" that Saddam would be "assassinated".
· Mr Blair told the US president that a second UN resolution would be an "insurance policy", providing "international cover, including with the Arabs" if anything went wrong with the military campaign, or if Saddam increased the stakes by burning oil wells, killing children, or fomenting internal divisions within Iraq.
· Mr Bush told the prime minister that he "thought it unlikely that there would be internecine warfare between the different religious and ethnic groups". Mr Blair did not demur, according to the book.
The meeting between Mr Bush and Mr Blair, attended by six close aides, came at a time of growing concern about the failure of any hard intelligence to back up claims that Saddam was producing weapons of mass destruction in breach of UN disarmament obligations. It took place a few days before the then US secretary Colin Powell made claims - since discredited - in a dramatic presentation at the UN about Iraq's weapons programme.
Foreign Office lawyers consistently warned that an invasion would be regarded as unlawful. The book reveals that Elizabeth Wilmshurst, the FO's deputy chief legal adviser who resigned over the war, told the Butler inquiry, into the use of intelligence during the run-up to the war, of her belief that Lord Goldsmith, the attorney general, shared the FO view.
Sir Menzies Campbell, Liberal Democrat acting leader, said last night: "The fact that consideration was apparently given to using American military aircraft in UN colours in the hope of provoking Saddam Hussein is a graphic illustration of the rush to war. It would also appear to be the case that the diplomatic efforts in New York after the meeting of January 31 were simply going through the motions, with decision for military action already taken."
Sir Menzies continued: "The prime minister's offer of February 23 to Saddam Hussein was about as empty as it could get. He has a lot of explaining to do."
Bush and Blair both got a lotta esplainin' to do.
This is really nothing new, but I'm glad there's more evidence.
About painting US planes in UN colors so Saddam would fire on them, it reminds me a lot of how Hitler started WWII: he killed some political prisoners, put them in Polish uniforms and planted them inside Germany and claimed Poland had invaded.
Shamelessness
Fuck everybody but me:
About that $70bn you want so you can continue to play 'War Preznit'?
Update:
The cynicism of tax cuts. As Motherlode says:
...
The budget-busting Bush who has destroyed the surplus, exploded the deficit, and increased the size of the federal government by more than thirty percent since coming to office set a record for shamelessness by announcing that the vote "will continue to build on the spending restraint we have achieved." And the Times prints this straight-faced. Ha... [my em]
About that $70bn you want so you can continue to play 'War Preznit'?
Update:
The cynicism of tax cuts. As Motherlode says:
... POND SCUM -- NO, THE FUNGUS THAT FEEDS ON POND SCUM...
Sometimes cartoons make a point without being funny...
This Tom Toles cartoon drew an angry protest from all six members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
WaPo replies in defense of the cartoon.
If the JCS would think back to their younger days when they still had some pride and integrity as soldiers, they might realize that the honorable thing to do would be to take their tanks and ships and planes and grunts 'n shit and forcibly depose this insane criminal administration and return this country to its rightful rule of law under the Constitution. We, the Nation's rightful owners, would be forever grateful to them for once again defeating fascism, and I don't think the rest of the world would mind much either.
WaPo replies in defense of the cartoon.
Talking to Kurtz, Toles cited recent remarks by Rumsfeld about "battle-hardened" troops and "what came soon to mind was the catastrophic level of injuries the Army and members of the armed services have sustained . . . I thought my portrayal of it was a fair depiction of the reality of the situation. I certainly never intended it to be in any way a personal attack on, or a derogatory comment on, the service or sacrifice of American soldiers."
Aravosis from AmericaBlog told E&P: "Now that the Joint Chiefs have addressed the insidious threat cartoons pose to our troops, perhaps they can move on to less pressing issues like getting them their damn body armor."
If the JCS would think back to their younger days when they still had some pride and integrity as soldiers, they might realize that the honorable thing to do would be to take their tanks and ships and planes and grunts 'n shit and forcibly depose this insane criminal administration and return this country to its rightful rule of law under the Constitution. We, the Nation's rightful owners, would be forever grateful to them for once again defeating fascism, and I don't think the rest of the world would mind much either.
Well, that's wrecked
So much for ending that 'oil addiction'.
Not bad, 48 hours before he...say it with me...'flip-flops'.
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First, the Preznit said we'd be reducing our addiction to foreign oil, and backed off that promise yesterday. Now we find he'd already cut the budget for the very alternative fuel initiatives he touted as potential substitutes -- before he ever gave the State of the Union.
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Not bad, 48 hours before he...say it with me...'flip-flops'.
Didn't See It Coming, Again
Maureen Dowd at Topplebush:
You mean there are cultural differences in the Middle East? Who'da thunk it? State Department? CIA? Maybe Habib down at the 7-11 knew, but who asked him?
You mean they might not like what we're doingto for them? Why, the ungrateful bastards! Let's just take our football and go home.
Shit, there's 'cultural differences' between here where I sit and Reno, thirty miles away and I don't need any highly paid advisors to know it. They'd probably be wrong about it anyway.
The more the White House tries to force-feed democracy to tempestuous parts of the world, the more it discovers that you may be able to spin and scare voters in the U.S., but the Middle East is not so easy to manipulate. W. believes in self-determination only if he's doing the determining. Fundamentalists in America like to vote for Mr. Bush, but elsewhere they're violently opposing him.
Like many other presidential candidates I've interviewed, W. said he liked Winston Churchill. But if he really had read Churchill, he would at least have understood that the Middle East never turns out the way you expect. Churchill, who called Iraq "an ungrateful volcano," would not have been surprised by the new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll showing that close to half of Iraqis approve of attacks on American forces.
The State of the Union is a non-event. But Bob Woodruff and his cameraman, Doug Vogt, being blown up by a roadside bomb has forced the media to focus on what the Bushies try to hide -- all the injured and maimed coming home from Iraq.
A more honest TV moment was Christiane Amanpour labeling Iraq "a black hole." The "spiraling security disaster," she told Larry King, had robbed Iraqis of hope, "and by any indication whether you take the number of journalists killed or wounded, whether you take the number of American soldiers killed or wounded, whether you take the number of Iraqi soldiers killed and wounded, contractors, people working there, it just gets worse and worse."
But, hey, how could the Bushies have known that occupying a Middle East country -- and flipping the balance of power from one sect to another -- without enough troops to secure it could go wrong? Who on earth could predict the inevitable?
You mean there are cultural differences in the Middle East? Who'da thunk it? State Department? CIA? Maybe Habib down at the 7-11 knew, but who asked him?
You mean they might not like what we're doing
Shit, there's 'cultural differences' between here where I sit and Reno, thirty miles away and I don't need any highly paid advisors to know it. They'd probably be wrong about it anyway.
California Rep speaks out for all of us
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) today issued the following statement regarding Cindy Sheehan's arrest in the gallery of the House of Representatives before the State of the Union address. Mrs. Sheehan was Rep. Lynn Woolsey's guest to the President's State of the Union address.
"Since when is free speech conditional on whether you agree with the President? Cindy Sheehan, who gave her own flesh and blood for this disastrous war, did not violate any rules of the House of Representatives. She merely wore a shirt that highlighted the human cost of the Iraq war and expressed a view different than that of the President. Free speech and the First Amendment exist to protect dissenting statements like Ms. Sheehan's last night.
"Stifling the truth will not blind Americans to the immorality of sending young Americans to die in an unnecessary war, against a nation that posed no threat to our security. The President's speech last night was yet another attempt to distort history, as he suggested -- once again -- that the 9/11 terrorists came from Iraq. Everyone knows this is not true. We must not be afraid to say that the emperor has no clothes. It's time to bring our troops home."
Please pardon me if my pride in one of my state's congresspersons is showing.
The first
Remember when I said I was going to do what I can to get the Business-As-Usual Dems out of office. The first one in my sights is Holy Joe 'Joementum' Lieberman. Connecticut voters, I'd like to introduce Ned Lamont.
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Ned is considering running because, like most Connecticut Democrats, he is tired of being represented by a senator who is not willing to stand up to the President on the war - and on the rest of his extreme right wing agenda which is so harmful to our country.
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The nation Bush doesn't see
An EssEffChron editorial:
There's stuff in between those quotes as well.
PRESIDENT BUSH'S bemoaning of America's addiction to oil last night was just one measure of his disconnect with the effects of his administration's policies.
Yes, this nation does need to push more aggressively conservation and alternative-energy technologies to break its dependence on oil that is "often imported from unstable parts of the world," as Bush observed in his State of the Union address. Yet this is the same president who began his administration by inviting energy industry executives to meet behind closed doors with Vice President Dick Cheney. It's fair to say the industry recommendations -- many of which were incorporated into the Bush plan -- were not aimed at easing this nation's addiction to oil.
The Bush administration's energy-policy emphasis to date has been on feeding the nation's oil addiction by pushing for greatly expanded drilling on public lands, from the Rocky Mountains to Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
His defense of warrantless eavesdropping was flat-out disingenuous. His suggestion that the Sept. 11 attacks might have been averted if authorities had been able to wiretap two al Qaeda plotters who were making overseas calls was a perfect example of activity for which a warrant would be approved -- assuming U.S. authorities were bothering to keep track of terrorists they knew had entered this country. A Presidential Daily Briefing that declared that bin Laden was "determined to strike" in the United States, perhaps with hijackers -- such as the one sent to Bush on Aug. 6, 2001 -- was plenty of evidence for warrants on known al Qaeda operatives.
There's stuff in between those quotes as well.
Wednesday, February 1, 2006
Iraq Vet shot by pussy cop
LATimes
The cops say they chased these guys because they were speeding. Let's see - two young guys in a Corvette. If I was a young guy with a Corvette, I'd speed, so OK, I'll buy it, but it could have been two young Mexican guys in a Corvette that touched it off as well. We will see.
The guys fucked up by running, sure. I'm sure the cop thought he had a coupla real desperado car thieves.
Shooting somebody is damn serious business, not to be taken lightly. It's obvious the cop didn't take time to aim or Mr. Carrion would be dead. It's as if he panicked. Something failed him at a crucial moment, whether his character or his training I have no idea. Probably both. I don't want people like that running around with a badge and a gun with the power of life and death over me.
I saw the video. All the cop had to do if he was worried was take a step or two backwards to give him time to re-evaluate the situation. If that cop tries to use the "I was scared for my life" defense against an unarmed man who was following orders and didn't appear to be threatening him, then that cop's a fuckin' pussy who doesn't have the necessary intestinal fortitude or judgment skills to be a cop.
Responding to a dramatic videotape of a police shooting, federal officials opened an investigation Tuesday into the conduct of a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy who opened fire on a man who appeared to be following the deputy's order to get off the ground.
At one point, a voice on the tape appears to say "Stay on the ground." A moment later, however, the deputy appears to tell Carrion: "Get up, get up."
"I'm going to get up," Carrion replied as he began to rise from a crouch. As he did so, the deputy, who was standing a few feet away, fired multiple rounds.
Carrion, a U.S. Air Force security officer who had recently returned from duty in Iraq, was hit in the chest, shoulder and leg. He was listed in good condition Tuesday at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton.
The cops say they chased these guys because they were speeding. Let's see - two young guys in a Corvette. If I was a young guy with a Corvette, I'd speed, so OK, I'll buy it, but it could have been two young Mexican guys in a Corvette that touched it off as well. We will see.
The guys fucked up by running, sure. I'm sure the cop thought he had a coupla real desperado car thieves.
Shooting somebody is damn serious business, not to be taken lightly. It's obvious the cop didn't take time to aim or Mr. Carrion would be dead. It's as if he panicked. Something failed him at a crucial moment, whether his character or his training I have no idea. Probably both. I don't want people like that running around with a badge and a gun with the power of life and death over me.
I saw the video. All the cop had to do if he was worried was take a step or two backwards to give him time to re-evaluate the situation. If that cop tries to use the "I was scared for my life" defense against an unarmed man who was following orders and didn't appear to be threatening him, then that cop's a fuckin' pussy who doesn't have the necessary intestinal fortitude or judgment skills to be a cop.
A Religion That Grew From a Lot of Brew
You'll like this one. From today's WaPo:
Go read.
On the South Pacific island of Tanna, beneath a volcano that rumbles and smokes, a guy wearing a fake U.S. Army uniform raises an American flag. Then 40 barefoot men march past, carrying fake rifles made of bamboo, their brown chests decorated with red paint spelling out "USA."
Later, a group of men slinging fake chainsaws sing a homemade hymn: "We've come from America to cut down all the trees so we can build factories."
This isn't a protest or a piece of performance art. It's a religious ceremony held every year on Feb. 15 -- John Frum Day, the high holy day of a South Pacific religion that worships a messiah who is, as Paul Raffaele writes in a wonderfully weird story in the February issue of Smithsonian, "an American god no sober man has ever seen."
"John promised you much cargo more than 60 years ago and none has come," Raffaele said to Chief Isaac. "Why do you still believe in him?"
Chief Isaac smiled and uttered an irrefutable answer: "You Christians have been waiting 2,000 years for Jesus to return to earth," he said, "and you haven't given up hope."
Go read.
Dear Dickhead President Bush
John Murtha writes to Preznit Cowardly Liar the day after the Bullshit Festival State of the Union.
...
This March will mark the beginning of the 4th year of the war in Iraq. In contrast, U.S. involvement in WWI came to an end after 19 months. Victory in Europe was declared in WWII after 3 years 5 months. In the Korean War, a cease-fire was signed after 3 years and 1 month. But after more than three and a half years into the war in Iraq, your administration finally produced what is called a "Plan for Victory" in Iraq.
...
Bush's One Hour Argument With Himself
Everything you would ever want to know about the SOTU v. what really happened, at Think Progress.
Dead Man Talking
Josh Holland puts a hopeful spin on the SOTU blatherfest:
Much description of said zombie-speech follows.
He's right. He should just quit being president cuz it's too hard and go home and clear brush.
George Bush is hanging by a thread. As he gamed his way through his fifth State of the Union Speech last night, it was clear that his is a presidency laying in ruin. Except for a reactionary judiciary that will be his continuing legacy -- pushed past the too-little, too-late efforts of a limp Democratic Party -- Bush has no accomplishments he can look forward to in the next three years.
George is dead, spun-out of spin, yet like his zombie followers he just keeps on talking.
Much description of said zombie-speech follows.
That's it. That's all he had. After five years running the country, without a single policy he could point to that hasn't turned out to be a failure George Bush has only one thing left to say: "My presidency is finished."
He's right. He should just quit being president cuz it's too hard and go home and clear brush.
"Eek! A Protester!"
Following up on Fixer's post, here's Cindy Sheehan's own account of what happened.
It's a good thing she's white. Otherwise, she might might have been shot trying to escape.
I had just sat down and I was warm from climbing 3 flights of stairs back up from the bathroom so I unzipped my jacket. I turned to the right to take my left arm out, when the same officer saw my shirt and yelled, "Protester." He then ran over to me, hauled me out of my seat, and roughly (with my hands behind my back) shoved me up the stairs. I said something like "I'm going, do you have to be so rough?" By the way, his name is Mike Weight.
I wore the shirt to make a statement. The press knew I was going to be there, and I thought every once in awhile they would show me, and I would have the shirt on. I did not wear it to be disruptive, or I would have unzipped my jacket during George's speech. If I had any idea what happens to people who wear shirts that make the neocons uncomfortable, that I would be arrested ... maybe I would have, but I didn't.
I don't want to live in a country that prohibits any person, whether or not he/she has paid the ultimate price for that country, from wearing, saying, writing, or telephoning any negative statements about the government. That's why I am going to take my freedoms and liberties back. That's why I am not going to let BushCo take anything else away from me ... or you.
It's a good thing she's white. Otherwise, she might might have been shot trying to escape.
Democratic Talking Points
Since you guys so suck at getting a message out, I've compiled 10 points that should get you all on the same page and clear some of the dead wood and DINOs [I just realized I wrote RINOs originally. My bad. - F-man] out of the Party
1. There are no such thing as pro-life Democrats. If you classify yourself as 'pro-life' it means you support a principle of the Republican Party. You support the government legislating what your constituents can do with their own bodies. The Democratic Party does not advocate repealing civil rights.
2. If you are against gay rights (marriage included) you are not a Democrat for the same reasons as stated in 1.
3. If you are a 'war hawk', turn in your membership card. The only reason the United States goes to war is to defend our borders and sovereignty, period.
4. For the foreseeable future, the word 'bipartisan' had better not cross your lips. If you've learned anything, being 'bipartisan' only gets you fucked and made to look like fools.
5. You will not say the word 'misled' when describing the President, the White House, the war in Iraq, the Republican Congress, anything Republican. They lied, period. Even if you're not sure, by now we know if the Republicans' lips are moving, they're lying. Evidence of it will surface soon enough.
6. You will end the 'collegial atmosphere' with Republican memebers of Congress. If you are on a talk show and disagree with the resident Rethug, don't say, 'while Mr. X is a friend of mine, blah blah blah'. No, you will say, 'this lying, enabling prick is trying to snow you and the American public by supporting Plan X and is shoveling in the bullshit like the coming of the high tide', or something to that effect. They are not your friends and don't want to 'work with their Democratic counterparts'. They want to crush you and put a Rethug in your seat. Got me?
7. You will never, ever, say you give the Republicans the 'benefit of the doubt'. They've proven they should never be given that benefit again. Assume everything they do has nefarious motives.
8. You will never say the word 'trust' in the same sentence as 'Republicans' unless you're giving reasons not to trust them.
9. If you vote for any bill that puts the interest of industry over environment, you'll be kicked out, period. We've seen when industry and manufacturing of any form is allowed to shape government policy and the results aren't pretty. Same goes if you say you are unsure about Global Warming. Get out.
10. If you ever, ever let that idiot Kaine speak on a national platform again...
Try and get on some of these before the election season goes into full swing.
1. There are no such thing as pro-life Democrats. If you classify yourself as 'pro-life' it means you support a principle of the Republican Party. You support the government legislating what your constituents can do with their own bodies. The Democratic Party does not advocate repealing civil rights.
2. If you are against gay rights (marriage included) you are not a Democrat for the same reasons as stated in 1.
3. If you are a 'war hawk', turn in your membership card. The only reason the United States goes to war is to defend our borders and sovereignty, period.
4. For the foreseeable future, the word 'bipartisan' had better not cross your lips. If you've learned anything, being 'bipartisan' only gets you fucked and made to look like fools.
5. You will not say the word 'misled' when describing the President, the White House, the war in Iraq, the Republican Congress, anything Republican. They lied, period. Even if you're not sure, by now we know if the Republicans' lips are moving, they're lying. Evidence of it will surface soon enough.
6. You will end the 'collegial atmosphere' with Republican memebers of Congress. If you are on a talk show and disagree with the resident Rethug, don't say, 'while Mr. X is a friend of mine, blah blah blah'. No, you will say, 'this lying, enabling prick is trying to snow you and the American public by supporting Plan X and is shoveling in the bullshit like the coming of the high tide', or something to that effect. They are not your friends and don't want to 'work with their Democratic counterparts'. They want to crush you and put a Rethug in your seat. Got me?
7. You will never, ever, say you give the Republicans the 'benefit of the doubt'. They've proven they should never be given that benefit again. Assume everything they do has nefarious motives.
8. You will never say the word 'trust' in the same sentence as 'Republicans' unless you're giving reasons not to trust them.
9. If you vote for any bill that puts the interest of industry over environment, you'll be kicked out, period. We've seen when industry and manufacturing of any form is allowed to shape government policy and the results aren't pretty. Same goes if you say you are unsure about Global Warming. Get out.
10. If you ever, ever let that idiot Kaine speak on a national platform again...
Try and get on some of these before the election season goes into full swing.
Of, by, and for
I don't think so:
It's amazing how a single mom can get under the Chimp's skin so often. It's says something about the Democratic Party when Bush is more scared of Cindy Sheehan than he is of them.
Apparently, you cannot wear a t-shirt in front of the Chimperor Disgustus unless it says "JesusBush Saves".
Ironic that in the place most specifically addressed in the First Amendment (you know that whole "Congress shall make no law" thing) this will get you arrested:
...
It's amazing how a single mom can get under the Chimp's skin so often. It's says something about the Democratic Party when Bush is more scared of Cindy Sheehan than he is of them.
Congress does something right
Dec. 12, 2005 - Military people take pride in looking out for each other - include dogs in that. Bomb-sniffing dog Rex may soon get an early discharge from the Air Force, thanks to his handler, Tech. Sgt. Jamie Dana, and to members of Congress who couldn't resist a heartwarming story.
...
I'm happy to report both Tsgt. Dana and Rex have been discharged together and Rex is now a part of the family, thanks to an act of Congress. I'm also happy to report Sgt. Dana is beginning a new career as a veterinarian. With the dedication she showed to Rex, I have no doubt she'll be a good one. It does my heart good to see this, on several levels.
"Damn, Leroy! That was the fastest margarita I ever did see!"
I like to stir shit up. For years, I've been the guy who puts the outboard motor in the punch bowl, so to speak, but this one takes the cake. Can a big inch V-Twin be far behind?
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Might as well
Mrs. F and I are watching ABC News and they're going on about Alito's nomination. She turns to me and says:
"I might as well get a hysterectomy now. I'd rather do that than give it to this idiot."
Well said, darling.
"I might as well get a hysterectomy now. I'd rather do that than give it to this idiot."
Well said, darling.
Fearless Leader's SOTU: STFU!
We all know what a heck-of-a-job Fearless Leader has done and of course he will get on the TeeVee tonight to tell us about it, platitude after platitude, in his SOTU address. According to CNN Dear Leader's topics will include everything from the insane to the looney:
Shorter SOTU: I've wrapped myself in the Stars and Stripes, God is on my side, so be afraid, very afraid. We're after bin Laden, New Orleans is looking better every day and Iraq is paying for itself. I am your great and powerful Leader so it's OK if I lie to you. (Yay Peggy Noonan.)
Gordon mentioned a SOTU drinking game, but if you watch the actual SOTU, you may just throw up before you have a chance to drink anything.
And the best for last: Wesley Clark offers a superb Democratic rebuttal. Clark's SOTU deserves your time and attention. Good night and good luck.
America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world... The best way to break this addiction is through technology...
There must be calls for Congress to renew the USA Patriot Act and make permanent the tax cuts passed in 2001... and plans to expand tax deductions for medical expenses and allow people to put more money in tax-deductible health savings accounts.
Shorter SOTU: I've wrapped myself in the Stars and Stripes, God is on my side, so be afraid, very afraid. We're after bin Laden, New Orleans is looking better every day and Iraq is paying for itself. I am your great and powerful Leader so it's OK if I lie to you. (Yay Peggy Noonan.)
Gordon mentioned a SOTU drinking game, but if you watch the actual SOTU, you may just throw up before you have a chance to drink anything.
And the best for last: Wesley Clark offers a superb Democratic rebuttal. Clark's SOTU deserves your time and attention. Good night and good luck.
Dear John Kerry
While I'm grateful you showed the good sense and intestinal fortitude to attempt the filibuster, today is not the day to send me an email looking for contributions. K?
For the record
If I ever caught a fellow GI raping another, he'd have a .45 caliber headache. Who the fuck is in charge over there?
Exxon/Mobil
If you're gonna make $36bn in profits, profits mind you, in a year, the least you can do is pump my fucking gas and wash my fucking windshield at no extra charge. Kiss me first, you motherfuckers.
Fox News Fans the Hysteria
Counterpunch has an article on Faux News role in promoting the upcoming war with Iran.
There's that little three-letter word again. Seems to crop up a lot in conjunction with the words "Middle East", doesn't it?
Hell, the damn ragheads don't like us and might sell their oil to China. We can't let 'em do that now, can we? Let's just bomb the livin' crap out of 'em and steal it. It's ours anyway. Jesus said so.
Just a couple of months ago, I would have said that even this administration isn't stupid enough to attack Iran, given the deterioration they have caused to the military, let alone the common sense involved in not doing that.
I've changed my mind. Their little dream world could easily become even more of a nightmare for the rest of us than it already is. They are plenty stupid and evil enough, and they have a stupid and evil enabler in F** Noise to spread the fake word.
A majority of Americans have now been deceived twice on the same issue. Just as there was no evidence that Iraq was developing nuclear weapons, there is no evidence that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. There is nothing but unproven assertions, assertions, moreover, that are contradicted by the evidence that does exist. Americans, it would appear, are so anxious for wars that they welcome being fooled into them.
Why, then, is the American population being whipped up by the Bush administration and Fox "News" into war hysteria against Iran?
Fox is aggressively agitating for war with Iran. On shows such as Hannity and Combs, guest after guest--Newt Gingrich, Ollie North, various retired generals, pundits, and even Democratic politicians--agitate for attacking Iran.
For example, on January 26th and 27th Liberal Democrat Bob Beckel said on Fox that the US must "absolutely" attack Iran if for no other reason than "for the sake of Israel." Democrat Bill Richardson affirmed that "we need to renew and re-strengthen our commitment to Israel." Newt Gingrich said that it is so urgent to attack Iran that it must happen within the next few months. According to Gingrich, Iran not only cannot be trusted with nuclear technology, but also Iranians "cannot be trusted with their oil."
There's that little three-letter word again. Seems to crop up a lot in conjunction with the words "Middle East", doesn't it?
Hell, the damn ragheads don't like us and might sell their oil to China. We can't let 'em do that now, can we? Let's just bomb the livin' crap out of 'em and steal it. It's ours anyway. Jesus said so.
Compared to attacking Iran, attacking Iraq was a small if reckless risk. Nevertheless, the unexpected consequences of the US invasion of Iraq have prevented the Bush administration from achieving its goals.
Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda must be marveling at the rank stupidity of the American people. Maybe Fox "News" only pretends to be the Ministry of War Propaganda for the Bush administration and is really in the employ of al Qaeda.
Just a couple of months ago, I would have said that even this administration isn't stupid enough to attack Iran, given the deterioration they have caused to the military, let alone the common sense involved in not doing that.
I've changed my mind. Their little dream world could easily become even more of a nightmare for the rest of us than it already is. They are plenty stupid and evil enough, and they have a stupid and evil enabler in F** Noise to spread the fake word.
You can't keep a good man down
The guy who had a huge inspirational effect on me and set the stage for Fixer to ask me to grab a bucket and start bailing contribute to the Brain is South Knox Bubba. He's back in the cyberether on two blogs, KnoxViews and Facing South. He's not using his real name, but rather one I think his parents made up.
The guy is worth reading.
The guy is worth reading.
Thanks to CAFKIA for the tip.
Another SOTU game, right after anal sex...
Cookie Christine nails it, so to speak...
Just scroll down to "The Alternative Lifestyles SOTU Address Game" and "The Real State of the Union Address Party Pack". If you don't want to read how butt slammin' yer buddy* is Constitutionally protected and as American as apple pie, just click.
Just scroll down to "The Alternative Lifestyles SOTU Address Game" and "The Real State of the Union Address Party Pack". If you don't want to read how butt slammin' yer buddy* is Constitutionally protected and as American as apple pie, just click.
* Credit for that sensitive phrase goes to Andrew Dice Clay.
Reign of Witches
William Rivers Pitt on the SOTU:
That gives me a great idea of what to do with witches and a stake...anybody got a match?
The state of this union is not good. We are poorer, frightened, faced with the swelling ranks of enemies our leaders have created, and hell-bent to do away with the most precious aspects of our system of government. We are surveilled, propagandized, intimidated. We empower the radicals and disenfranchise the common good. We are fed swill via the television and thus convinced that what they tell us is what we already believe. We are bought, and we are paid for.
The radicals running this country have long desired to destroy the government's ability to govern - they found things like taxes intrusive, which is amusing when one hears them now defending warrantless spying on Americans - and they are well along the path towards success. The budget is destroyed, spent on tax cuts and the Iraq occupation, while millions of Americans suffer the loss of necessary services. The one percent of the one percent is making a killing, and the rest of us are left behind.
If there is hope to be found in all this, it is in the words of Thomas Jefferson, written 208 years ago after the passage of the Sedition Act.
"A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt. If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake."
That gives me a great idea of what to do with witches and a stake...anybody got a match?
The Lie of the Year
The Chimp will be on tonight, giving the Big Lie that will mean nothing 90 days from now. No drinking games for me tonight. I plan to be asleep before he gets on. Thank God they didn't preempt NCIS.
Got the plates, Louie?
David takes us down a road I've passed but never thought of taking. Who needs nukes when you can destroy the economy?
Note to Dems
Unless you voted with Kennedy and Kerry, 'no' on cloture, don't expect any help from me in fall (the DNC gets nothing). At this point it doesn't matter whether you retain your seat or not, not if you basically vote Republican. I'd rather have a Rethug in your seat because this way I won't be disappointed, I won't expect them to stand up for Democratic principles as I expected you to do. You let us down, you let the party down, and you let the United States down in a big way.
This Alito thing showed your true mettle and you should all be ashamed of yourselves. To those Dems who refused to stand up and be counted, I have a list of all of you pinned up in my office. Not only will I not support you, I will work actively against your reelection. If we can't count on you when the chips are down, what the fuck are you there for in the first place? I demand your resignations within 24 hours. Get the fuck out of the Senate and get the fuck out of my face. You're as useless as tits on a bull.
This Alito thing showed your true mettle and you should all be ashamed of yourselves. To those Dems who refused to stand up and be counted, I have a list of all of you pinned up in my office. Not only will I not support you, I will work actively against your reelection. If we can't count on you when the chips are down, what the fuck are you there for in the first place? I demand your resignations within 24 hours. Get the fuck out of the Senate and get the fuck out of my face. You're as useless as tits on a bull.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Buffy and the Cloture Demon
As we all know by now, the effort undertaken by my 2 Senators, Ed Kennedy and John Kerry (wikkid pissahs, both of them), to defeat cloture and allow further debate on Alito's nomination, failed today, 72 ayes to 25 nays. That would be about 20 more nays than I'd have thought possible even one week ago, due in no small part to a powerful netroots movement generated via blogs like this one that mobilized individual citizens to phone, fax, write and even meet with Senators, the TM and others to let them know that we pay attention, we vote, and we care. The 25 Senators who voted nay deserve thanks, help and support. As for the 11 Dems who went along with the repubs: What part of why do you hold on to that Democratic Senate seat if you're just going to vote "yes" to each and every Republican whim do you not understand?
For those few of you who don't know who Buffy is, I'll provide a short intro. "In every generation there is a chosen one... who will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the slayer." Our Buffy knows this is her destiny, and even if she just wants to live a "normal" life, she knows the demons are out there right now so she can't turn her back on the battles. 'Course Buffy is not alone in this, and she and her "missfit" friends form a truly effective demon-smashing, vampire-slaying team, apocalypse now, apocalypse again.
So as Buffy says as she girds up for another fight with evil:
"Now, we can do this the hard way, or... well, actually there's just the hard way".
Yep, there's just the hard way. So let's get on the way, there are demons out there.
Even the Russians
Even the fucking Russians see it. Pravda via Maru:
...
Bush's attitude to the massacre in Darfur, Sudan, is another example of the USA's "success" in the fight for global democracy. When Osama bin Laden was hiding in Sudan, the USA did not think twice to launch missiles and drop bombs on the country. Nowadays, when the US administration spends billions of dollars to maintain the nation's military predominance, the American budget does not have any funds for a peacemaking operation in the region.
...
The George W. Bush 2006 State of the Union Drinking Game
Will Durst
Don't miss this one. Warning: If you try this game with cheap vodka instead of beer, you'll never make it to the end of thelie-fest speech.
6. Whenever George W talks about bi-partisanship, the last person to grab his throat in a choking motion has to eat 4 Li'l Smokies.
7. If either the Vice President Dick Cheney or First Lady Laura Bush are caught napping, last person to sing "Wake Up Little Susie, Wake Up," has to drink three shots of beer.
9. Three shots of beer if he mentions New Orleans. Five shots of beer if he mentions Brownie. Two full beers if he mentions Abramoff.
11. Whenever George W quotes the Bible, last person to fall to their knees and cry "Hallelujah!" drinks two shots of beer.
12. Whenever George W smirks during a standing ovation, take turns drinking shots of beer until the audience sits down. Do it double time if his shoulders shake with silent laughter.
Don't miss this one. Warning: If you try this game with cheap vodka instead of beer, you'll never make it to the end of the
Additions
This is sort of sudden, but I get to make command decisions around here. The lovely Nina who clogs up my comments sections with blog posts of her own (heh) has been asked to blog here instead, freeing up space for others to comment (wink). She'll add her wit and wisdom to what I think is the best team in Blogtopia (y! sctp!). Make her feel at home.
Welcome aboard, darlin'.
Welcome aboard, darlin'.
Enemy of the State
I was told to raise my right hand and was sworn in. Then the interrogation by an assistant to the state attorney general began. She asked questions about my political activities... questions about my political writings. She had copied all of them from the Internet and waved them about with great emotion. She seemed excited by the fact that some of my articles had appeared on a web site that has a four-letter word in its name. Obviously, she thought that this would embarrass me. It did not. I calmly explained to her that I do not have a web site and I have no control over what name other people give to their web sites. I don't know if she believed me or not.
Then the interrogation got even more interesting. She asked questions about my sex life. She asked questions about my marriage that had ended 35 years prior. Then she started to ask detailed questions about the fact that I had been the victim of a brutal rape. The rape, which is irrelevant to this case, had occurred 40, yes 40, years ago during a time when I was working in Florida. By now, it had become very clear to me what was happening. There was no doubt in my mind that this was an attempt to intimidate me."
This lady was rear ended by a vehicle owned by the state. The quoted incident above happened when she gave a deposition in the case against the state. This is unconscionable. Get the whole story and maybe offer her a hand.
Thanks to Michael the Tubthumper for pointing me to this.
Biased Truth
Paul Krugman at Tennessee Guerilla Women:
Pardon me, Mr. Krugman, I know you know a lot more about this shit than I do, but "DUH!"
"How does one report the facts," asked Rob Corddry on "The Daily Show," "when the facts themselves are biased?" He explained to Jon Stewart, who played straight man, that "facts in Iraq have an anti-Bush agenda," and therefore can't be reported.
Mr. Corddry's parody of journalists who believe they must be "balanced" even when the truth isn't balanced continues, alas, to ring true. The most recent example is the peculiar determination of some news organizations to cast the scandal surrounding Jack Abramoff as "bipartisan."
Why does the insistence of some journalists on calling this one-party scandal bipartisan matter? For one thing, the public is led to believe that the Abramoff affair is just Washington business as usual, which it isn't. The scale of the scandals now coming to light, of which the Abramoff affair is just a part, dwarfs anything in living memory.
So the reluctance of some journalists to report facts that, in this case, happen to have an anti-Republican agenda is a serious matter. It's not a stretch to say that these journalists are acting as enablers for the rampant corruption that has emerged in Washington over the last decade.
Pardon me, Mr. Krugman, I know you know a lot more about this shit than I do, but "DUH!"
Big Time
I'm honored to be quoted by the Columbia Journaism Review on my post below concerning Bob Woodruff.
However, it seems they expected me to be delicate. In the next sentence:
I ain't cute, I ain't pretty, and I sure as Hell ain't delicate.
Update:
Shakes not only says it more delicately but better too. Is this link love or what?
"For three years you've been reporting on the casualties as pseudo-TV fiction characters, with your disingenuous false pity for the families. How's it feel now that two of your own will probably be turnips for the rest of their lives? Are you now going to take a realistic look at the waste of lives in the Chimp's folly? I hope so, and I hope you start giving the American people the truth about all we've lost in that dry hole in the sand."
However, it seems they expected me to be delicate. In the next sentence:
Making the same observation, but a bit more delicately, Iggert wonders if this "might just be a way of bringing Iraq a little closer to the backyards of those who don't or have not been able to relate to the war?"
I ain't cute, I ain't pretty, and I sure as Hell ain't delicate.
Update:
Shakes not only says it more delicately but better too. Is this link love or what?
I feel terrible about Woodruff and Vogt - and I feel terrible every single time I read a headline about more troops getting killed or injured, not to mention more Iraqi civilians getting killed or injured. And I get angry when I watch a news anchor blithely reports those deaths or injuries - "Twelve marines died today when a roadside bomb exploded..." - and then segue without irony into a report about President Bush or one of his minions giving a speech on how well the war is going or how we've turned a new corner or how Cindy Sheehan is nothing more than a publicity whore. I don't want to celebrate that this horrific spell of cognitive dissonance might have finally been broken by a tragedy, but, at the same time, I do hope that makes a few people reconsider the ways they've aided and abetted an administration and its war of choice that has caused so many unnecessary deaths.
Re: Bob Woodruff
The impression I get, watching the news heads talk about the incident, is that the news folks are finally realizing this war in Iraq is not a video game and that it just as easily could have been them in the hatch of that APC. It's really something to see them waking up. About time, you motherfuckers. For three years you've been reporting on the casualties as pseudo-TV fiction characters, with your disingenuous false pity for the families. How's it feel now that two of your own will probably be turnips for the rest of their lives? Are you now going to take a realistic look at the waste of lives in the Chimp's folly? I hope so, and I hope you start giving the American people the truth about all we've lost in that dry hole in the sand.
Silence!
NEW YORK: NASA's chief climate scientist has claimed the Bush administration tried to stop him from speaking out after he gave a lecture calling for prompt reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases.
In an interview with The New York Times, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies James Hansen said officials at the agency's headquarters had ordered the public affairs staff to review his lectures, papers, postings on the Goddard website and requests for interviews from journalists.
...
Why do I get the sickening feeling that we are farther along the road to irreversible Global Warming than the Chimp wants us to believe? I'm sure the truth will come out if we ever get the Rethugs out of power.
Enron
The trial begins today. After what the government did to Martha Stewart, these guys should get life sentences. Personally, I'd like to know exactly how much Enron money made it into the Bush and GOP campaign coffers and how much of it was connected to JackOff Abramoff.
Just sayin'.
Just sayin'.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Coverup...revisited
Via AMERICAblog from The Mail:
In the far off distance, I can hear the sound of shit hitting fan.
A White House leak revealing astonishing details of how Tony Blair and George Bush lied about the Iraq war is set to cause a worldwide political storm.
A new book exposes how the two men connived to dupe the United Nations and blows the lid off Mr Blair's claim that he was a restraining influence on Mr Bush.
He offered his total support for the war at a secret White House summit as Mr Bush displayed his contempt for the UN, made a series of wild threats against Saddam Hussein and showed a devastating ignorance about the catastrophic aftermath of the war.
...
In the far off distance, I can hear the sound of shit hitting fan.
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