Backsplash

This Week in Whistleblowing

2006-05-16T11:07:00.000-05:00

Some time this week, I don't know when, a former NSA analyst will be testifying behind closed doors to the Senate Armed Services committee, in which he will lay bare what he knows about the NSA's illegal and unconstitutional activities that involve millions of Americans.

Russell Tice, whose resume lists him as a specialist in space operation systems and "all source collection analysis" testified several months ago before the House Government Reform Subcommittee about the retaliation he had suffered after trying to warn supervisors about suspected security breaches. He stated then that he had more information he wished to share, and offered to meet with them again in private session.

That meeting is taking place this week.

All we know so far is this: "Tice said his information is different from the Terrorist Surveillance Program that Bush acknowledged in December and from news accounts this week that the NSA has been secretly collecting phone call records of millions of Americans. "It's an angle that you haven't heard about yet," he said."

Hmm... a former space operations specialist and all source collection analyst says, "I think the people I talk to next week are going to be shocked when I tell them what I have to tell them. It's pretty hard to believe."

Hmm... you don't think we're being monitored by those handy, anti-theft OnStar systems, do you? You know, those devices in all Cadillacs and certain other GM vehicles that knows when your airbag has deployed and e-mails you when it needs oil... the same devices that can be used to monitor your current conversation and position on a map? Yes, those.

I don't know the more sinister aspects of this, but when you look at how the Republican party uses smear tactics and personal attacks to marginalize their opponents, and how they blame all their failures on the Democrats, it's not hard to imagine that every liberal politician, pundit, personality, organizer and activist is being monitored on a regular basis.

And all this because our President wants to track Americans who are "aginst" him. It's all taken personally and he can't resist the desire to strike back, to draw blood, to get the last word. Just like the vulnerable bully at school, nobody gets away with talkin' shit about him, and just like the war in Iraq, no sacrifice is too great to avenge his weak and failing reputation.

So keep your ears open. I've sent an e-mail to Keith Olberman, the only newsman I trust anymore, asking him to keep his ear to the ground. I have faith that if there is any inkling of information out of these private hearings, Keith will mention it on his show.

Update, thanks to Randi Rhodes: Mr. Tice will be testifying Wednesday the 17th. I will update this site if I hear anything.

The Truthiness Hurts: Misery Accomplished

2006-05-01T12:32:00.000-05:00

If you don't watch "The Colbert Report", then you probably didn't know that Stephen Colbert was the featured speaker at the White House Correspondents Dinner Saturday night in D.C.. And if you get all your news from the television, you would think that the impersonator portraying George Bush as a simple-minded dolt was the highlight of the evening. To some, perhaps...

But the truly startling, hold your breath, Oh My God performance of the night came from right-wing blow-hard Stephen Colbert, who said "If 68% of the people disapprove of what George Bush is doing, doesn't that also mean that 68% of the people approve of what he's not doing?? Think about it - I didn't."

While most comedians who are invited to perform at the dinner take stabs at the President, as well as both parties, and the press' more outrageous pursuits, Colbert focused his contempt directly at Democrats, and accused every press outfit present of destroying America. Except for FOX 'news'. He crowed about the President's resolve, about his decider skills, and blasted the press for reporting the depressing news.

But you know what the funniest part was? The Republicans didn't like it. FOX 'news' is saying that Colbert went over the line, that he wasn't funny, and that everyone present was quite uncomfortable. But what I don't understand is why Laura's act last year, in which she insinuated that Bush was a bad lover and an idiot, was funny and well received. Or why the impersonator this year, who mentioned Bush's 36% approval rating and insinuated that Bush was an idiot over and over again, put the audience at ease and tickled their funny bones.

Colbert did his best to make Bush sound like the greatest leader we've ever had, and touted the right-wing agenda as the most successful plan for peace the world has ever seen.... and for some reason.... the Republicans hated it. Hated it. Perhaps his disturbing portrayal of belief beyond all reason and denial beyond all evidence hit a little too close to home. Perhaps watching someone, who's obviously barking mad, espousing the same beliefs you hold dear is quite disconcerting. Perhaps those who worship false idols simply don't have a sense of humor.

At least not while the President is in the room. After he left, the cameras at C-SPAN continued to record for about 10 minutes, and once everyone began to break up and mingle, every single person in the room was either smiling or laughing, or whispering and giggling to one another.

I hear that certain right wing blogs are very pleased that the crowd failed to respond, but I tend to think that many in the crowd didn't want the President, who was not laughing, to see them laughing. The crowd I saw milling about 3 minutes later were quite happy and appeared to be ready to take the party outside.

If you'd like to see the entire roast, visit Thank You Stephen Colbert and click the links. You can also leave a thank you note, thanking Stephen for showing the President and the world what kind of monsters he's created.

Say Goodbye to the Internet You Know and Love

2006-04-21T13:39:00.000-05:00

I've been waiting for this. When George Bush took office in 2001, he had no idea that the internets and webs would come to embody the true meaning of 'freedom of information'. When George Bush took office in 2001, he thought that all he had to contend with was CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and a few newspapers. He thought that as long as he a had the right people saying the right things, or rather saying little to nothing about the real issues, he could skate through his Presidency and World War III with no one knowing for sure what had happened, no one doubting the administration's integrity or honesty, and everyone believing that wise, experienced heads were running the show.

But thanks to the internets, and a few whistleblowers, we know that every move this administration has ever made has been to further the interests of corporate donors, revive the dormant war machine, and line the pockets of the well-connected; to the detriment of the poor, the middle class, and even those who think they're rich until their taxes come due, then find out that they need to be a LOT richer to catch a break from this government. Thanks to the internets we know that 2,280+ men and women have died in vain, 17,000+ are maimed for life because of revenge, and the Middle East hates us not for our freedoms, but for our policies and hypocrisy.

Thanks to the internets we know that the high and honorable office of President of the United States has been stained and disgraced on a global scale to the point where people who can think farther than their noses and care about a bright future seriously doubt that things will ever be the way they were (during Clinton) ever again.

But soon that's all going to change. Not the lying and looting and finger-pointing and war-mongering; no no - us finding out about it all on the internet is what's going to change. Congress is considering a bill that will allow AT&T and cable providers to "tier" their services, with fast lanes and slow lanes, depending on how much the website/small business/big business can afford. In other words, certain websites will open faster than others, based on how much money they've paid for the privilege. Other websites, that either don't have the money or simply don't believe in blackmail, will open slower (remember dial-up?) or mysteriously not at all.

Already there are reports of tampering:

AOL blocked e-mails from Moveon.org to it's subscribers that mentioned it's partnership with a coalition that opposes AOL's efforts to tax email.

Telus, a Canadian communications giant, was in a labor dispute with it's employees so it blocked access to a website operated by members of the Telecommunications Worker's Union, claiming privacy concerns and accusing them of organizing phone jamming at Telus. The local Civil Liberties Association, accessing the site from a different server, found no such evidence.

But what does this mean to you? Your internet choices are about to be seriously curtailed. Your favorite news site, your favorite blogs, your favorite on-line shopping site, your favorite gaming site, your favorite search engine, may not be able or willing to pay for a fast lane. Those sites will load and process information much slower than sites who have paid who-knows-how-much for good service.

This is just the first step toward censorship on the internet. How will anyone ever find out in the convoluted mess, if sites have been purposely tampered with or how much traffic a slow lane can handle before websites fail to load at all, how much bandwidth is appointed to the "free loaders" and if prices are fair across the board to all sites on a certain tier, and how much money moves under the table.... combine with a little data mining and you've got a delicious recipe for corruption. Republican Corruption Soup - a dirty, complicated recipe with a list of ingredients as long as your arm.

Please sign the petition to Congress supporting network neutrality and make it clear that you want fair and balanced access to any and every website.

Where There's Smoke, There's Fire

2006-04-14T13:02:00.000-05:00

One by one, day by day, voices of dissent are landing like bombshells. I was going to say where they were landing, but then my spider-sense warned me the those two phrases in the same sentence would be a very stupid move on my part, in this climate.

Six retired Generals have now stepped forward to make clear that the failures in this war, and they are many, rest largely on the shoulders of Donald Rumsfeld. They feel that he is responsible to such a degree that he should be ashamed of himself and resign. Notice that only retired Generals have the nerve to attach their names to their statements. These men are not stupid; they know what happens to whistleblowers, naysayers, buzz-killers.

West Point grads are also standing together on this issue of honor, decency and truth, saying this,

"When we West Point graduates took our commissioning oath of office one past June morning, we swore to protect our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The deceitful connivances of the current administration have resulted in a war catastrophic to our nation's interests: politically, economically, militarily, and morally. We now stand to protect our nation from these deceivers. We will not serve their lies."

And now we have Seymour Hersch telling us that senior officers are threatening to resign if Bush doesn't take out the changes that have been made to the Defense Dept's "Nuclear Posture Review Report". This report, issued in January '02, describes under what circumstances nukes could be used to 'compliment other military capabilities'.

It was revised in September '05 to outline specifically that they could be used to strike nuclear facilities and WMD bunkers 'to destroy known enemy stockpiles of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons'. It also includes a new strike plan called CONPLAN 8022 that allows for pre-emptive nuclear strikes against WMD facilities anywhere in the world. Daily Kos has the spine-chilling details.

This is getting bad. Actually it's already bad and it's getting worse. Bush's plan all along has been to invade the entire Middle East, just as every fundamentalist Muslim has predicted, and Iraq was only the first step. China, North Korea, Pakistan, France, and Russia ALL HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS RIGHT NOW. Iran does not and won't for many years.

But Iran has oil. And because of that simple fact, diplomacy will not be an option. And just like the Iraq war, good intel will be ignored (or destroyed), Donald Rumsfeld will tell us that they know where the weapons are - they're north, south, east and west of Tehran, and he'll explain to us once again,

"There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know."

I don't have any real fear that Bush is going to get away with this plan to stay in office indefinitely; too many people are prepared to fight him on it. My fear is that he will strike Iran anyway, knowing that the military doesn't support him, and deliver a mighty Fuck You! to us all, because I fear that he really is that stupid.

Just like Bush didn't let anyone stop him from invading Iraq, nothing will stop him from invading Iran. And then what happens? Will the only people left in the Pentagon with honor and guts resign like they threatened, weakening our entire military infrastructure? Or will they lead their troops to fight and die in another needless war, not for Bush, but for us - the innocents who voted for Kerry and the guilty alike?

Unfortunately, regretably, and to my great sorrow, Bush is the only one who can decide.

Getting Fingered

2006-04-06T13:13:00.000-05:00

Anyone heard anything about Bush's new 2007 budget?? The one that cuts veterans benefits while increasing out-of-pocket expenses for active military personnel? The one that cuts education and Perkins grant funding so that 11,000 will lose aid while college tuition rises? The one that freezes child care subsidies for the 5th year in a row so that 400,000 fewer children will receive aid this year compared to last? The one that makes permanent the tax breaks for the very richest? It's a doozy.

The above chart is very simple to understand. For those who watch FOX "news", the bars between $290 at the bottom and $236 at the top represent the Clinton "entitlement" years.

In another sharp contrast, Bush is about to break the National Debt Clock. Do you realize how much 1 trillion dollars is? If you spent a million dollars a day for a million days, you would spend 1 trillion. That's $1,000,000,000,000. Thanks to congress, our debt ceiling is now around $9,000,000,000,000, and if it goes to $10,000,000,000,000, the clock will not be able to handle it. The clock's owners wonder if they can just do away with the dollar sign and use that spot, because no one ever anticipated that this country would ever let itself fall into such severe debt. While Clinton actually stopped it (only because it couldn't count backwards and subtract money), Bush is actually going to bust it.

And now we have testimony from Scooter Libby that confirms what all smart Democrats knew: Bush and Cheney told Libby to leak classified information to Bob Woodward for his book that would make the run up to war look as scary as possible, and to leak information to Miller and Cooper that would discredit Joe Wilson's whistleblower report. The President and Vice President actively smeared and placed in danger subordinates who tried to prevent this war, and I'm sure right-wing bloggers everywhere are trying to justify it.

Just as Tom Delay said on Hardball Tuesday night, "Democrats are all about spending, Republicans are about the law", it's alarming how easily they lie and mislead and conspire to deceive with Christian chins held high. Their God must be so totally tolerant and benevolent and like, you know, liberal.

Apples to Apples

2006-03-26T14:03:00.000-05:00

In response to a previous post, where I listed the one word descriptions of George Bush from the latest Pew Research Survey, I was double-dared to post Bill Clinton's results from the same survey, in an effort to prove that Bill Clinton was thought less of/disliked/hated as much as George Bush. But what it does instead is remind us of the much higher measure of scrutiny and exploration Clinton's marital ethics received, compared to Bush's actions and the consequences that affect us all; and show us that a President's personal life is nothing compared to two failed wars, a corruption scandal, and trillions of dollars of debt.

July 1996: Out of 610 responses, 33 said Good, 20 Wishy-Washy, 18 Okay, 18 Dishonest, 17 Liar.
August 1998: Out of 503 responses, 42 Liar, 18 Dishonest, 13 Good, 12 Untrustworthy, 10 Good President.

However, to the question, "Do you approve or disapprove of Bill Clinton's handling of his job as President?", the responses were these:

July 1996: 54% job approval
August 1998: 62% job approval

In contrast, Bush's approval numbers taken during the aforementioned survey were:

February 2005: 50% job approval
July 2005: 44% job approval
March 2006: 33% job approval

So take from this what you will. It seems to me that while people didn't like Clinton personally, for committing adultery (as if men have always held other men responsible for their wedding vows), they basically believed that he was doing a good job of steering the ship, paying the bills, and building our economy.

People not only don't like Bush personally, for all the lies, arrogance and greed; they don't like him professionally either. He's wrecked the ship, he's not paying the bills, and he's destroying our economy. He has taken us into war twice, neither objective attained, thousands and thousands dead and maimed. Jobs are moving out of this country faster and faster and the future looks quite bleak after 5 years of Republican stewardship.

Just as Republicans lamented, after exposing Clinton's secrets to the whole world during the Lewinsky scandal, I can't help but wonder, "What will we tell the children" now?

Class Action Suit That Might Affect You

2006-03-22T16:27:00.000-05:00

If you have been a subscriber to People magazine, Time, or Entertainment Weekly between 1998 and 2004. If you ever got screwed into renewing your subscription under false pretenses like I did. Time Warner has agreed to pay up 4.3 million dollars to magazine subscribers who were charged for renewals they did not order, or were tricked into renewing subscriptions they wanted to drop. 108,000 people could be affected. And I'm one of them.

I subscribed to Entertainment Weekly in 2002 by cashing in some air miles. A year later when my subscription ended, I began to get bills for my subscription. I thought, "Why am I just now receiving a bill? I never use the 'bill me later' option", not remembering my air mile transaction. My excuse is that I was working and going to school and moving at the time... and it had happened a year earlier... so I assumed it was a mistake that they would figure out on their own.

I received about 5 more menacing bills and threw them out without a second thought - what're they gonna do? Then I received a yellow envelope of great urgency which said that I was about to be turned over to a collection service... and I began to doubt myself. They were getting serious. I thought that maybe I had never paid them their $86 and maybe they had been billing me the entire year and I had just been throwing them out... and I wrote the check.

So guess what showed up in my mailbox 3 weeks later? An issue of Entertainment Weekly. Followed by another. And another. And it went on for a year, because I had renewed my subscription. Because I was threatened. Of course I had no proof of their threats, so I set my sites on the future, and waited for my subscription to run out. I thought to myself, "I'll write Eat Me or Fuck You on the bill and send it back!" Yeah! That'll show 'em.

This time around, instead of demanding payment, I received a more toned-down 'notice'. I got a 'REACTIVATION FORM' rimmed in yellow. The upper half asked me to 'indicate my re-order volume', but the lower half of solid yellow said SERVICE CONTRACT SUSPENSION between two black bars. It says that it is an URGENT NOTICE. My renewal instructions are 'past due' and my 'contract has been suspended'. I am instructed to 'detach the re-order form and return at once with my remittance'. At a glance, it looks like I owe them something. This isn't a friendly renewal reminder, this is an urgent looking 'notice' that seems to infer that something is 'wrong' with my 'account', hence the 'suspension'. So far it is the only one I have received.

But now I might actually get my $86 back and that is something to crow about. And I thought that there might be others out there, too embarrassed to tell anyone that they fell for such a bald-faced scam that only a bubblehead would go along with... I just wanted to tell you to keep your eyes open for an official looking letter from Time Warner. It might just be money.

Describe the President in One Word

2006-03-16T14:56:00.000-05:00

That's what 700+ people were asked to do in three Pew Research Surveys conducted in February 2005, July 2005, and March 2006. The full lists are available here, as well as many interesting graphs and charts depicting the steady swan dive in support coming from every stripe of voter, in every category of question. I thought you might be interested in hearing the top five words used to describe George W. Bush, and seeing how those words have changed in the course of a year.

February 2005: Out of 761 responses, 38 said Honest, 20 Good, 15 Integrity, 15 Arrogant, 14 Incompetent.
July 2005: Out of 751 responses, 31 Honest, 26 Incompetent, 24 Arrogant, 18 Good, 18 Integrity.
March 2006: Out of 710 responses, 29 Incompetent, 23 Good, 21 Idiot, 17 Liar, 14 Christian.

Some interesting things I noticed from viewing the full lists: Idiot and Liar had always hovered in the top ten, but the term Christian started out 18th on the list in February '05, inched up only to 13th in July '05, and then leaped to 5th place in March... wha?

You could say that more fundamentalist Christians were in on the last survey, and considered Christian a more realistic label than Honest or Integrity or Trustworthy. But you also have to admit that more fed-up, liberal-leaning types also got in on this survey, based on the top five compared to previous top choices.

But what is it about George Bush's record that makes people think he is a Christian? Suddenly, after five years of broken promises and dead Americans, he ascends to the status of Good, Christian?? Is it his flagrant disregard for rivers and trees and the sky, God's only material existence? Is it his flagrant disregard for children between the ages of 1 minute and 18 years and their single mothers? Is it his obscene use of the Lord's name in vain every day as license for his many sins? Is it his pride and greed?

I find it disturbing that the number of people who find George Bush to be Christian is rising rapidly, despite his behavior and policies. Obviously, the secret handshake is all it takes to get inside the gates, and a wink is as good as a nod to a blind man. I believe The He-Man Woman Haters Club was more discriminating. It's sad in a 'Jesus wept' sort of way.

The Mother of All Whistleblowers

2006-03-04T13:31:00.000-05:00

You need to know about Sibel Edmonds. She was hired by the FBI after 9/11 as a translator, and noticed soon after lapses in security, translators with little training and poor language skills mistranslating what they were monitoring, and general mismanagement of information. When she reported her concerns to FBI management she was ignored and eventually fired.

In June 2002 the FBI acknowledged to a Congressional Oversight committee that some of Ms. Edmonds allegations were indeed true. When Sens. Grassley and Leahy contacted the Justice Dept. Inspector General about her allegations and the statements made by the FBI, the letter and the information testified to were all classified retroactively.

Edmonds also testified before the 9/11 commission and within one month, her testimony was retroactively classified once again and committee members were ordered to scrub any information gleaned from her from their notes and websites.

The Brad Blog has the full story, including some of her allegations which include:

Information regarding a documented and confirmed case of a long term FBI Informant and Asset who provided the FBI with specific information and warnings in April and June of 2001 regarding 9/11.

The omission of documented information received in July 2001 regarding blueprints of skyscrapers and building composite information being sent by a group of Middle Eastern men in Nevada to other Middle Eastern countries.

Information omitted and covered up about arrangements made between the State Dept. and certain countries to deport certain Middle Eastern and Central Asian detainees from jails in New Jersey and New York, off the record and without interrogation in November 2001.

Documented cases under FBI counterintelligence surveillance of U.S. government officials from the State Dept. and Dept. of Defense, as well as elected officials, who received regular payments made by state and non-state foreign entities, some of which are known to be involved in criminal operations against U.S. interests and National Security from 1997-2002.

In July 2004 her entire case was dismissed by Judge Reggie Walton, who has issues of his own.

Please sign this petition to implore Congress to hold a joint, bi-partisan Senate and House Judiciary Committee investigation into her allegations that seem to indicate that sloppy management at the FBI and failures to address early warnings contributed significantly to the success of 9/11.

Thanks to the Brad Blog and this ACLU timeline.

Say What You Want About Cher

2006-02-28T08:40:00.000-05:00

She just gave $300,000 to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a fund established to raise money for the new training facility at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio that will house catastrophically injured military personnel and their families during their rehabilitation. The new facility receives no federal funding and exists solely because American citizens opened their wallets for the troops.

She just called in to the Imus in the Morning show, and I didn't hear the whole conversation, but I believe she found out that they were $300,000 away from their $10 million goal and she decided to top it off. Which makes her (as well as my husband and I) more supportive of the troops than all the war profiteers in the Bush administration put together. While they vote to cut even more benefits for our veterans, decent Americans are doing their best to compensate them for their sacrifices.

Despite an administration that insinuates that Americans are unpatriotic and morally challenged, it's the people of this country that make it great, not the leaders who sell our souls for profit.

Attacking the Messenger

2006-02-27T08:54:00.000-05:00

Stephen Heller worked as a word processor at Jones Day International Law Firm, the firm that represents Diebold in California. He found memos that showed that two attorneys for Jones Day had discussed the fact that what Diebold was doing with it's software was illegal. The memos also speculate whether the California Secretary of State had the authority to investigate. There is also documentation that Jones Day told Diebold that what they were doing with their software was illegal.

The memos were exposed in 2004 and the Sec. of State and Attorney General got involved. They ordered Diebold to make specific programming changes and re-submit the new software to the state for approval.

The software was later re-submitted with the assurance from Jones Day that all the problems had been fixed. The release notes proved otherwise. Heller has evidence that shows that Jones Day conspired with Diebold to lie and cover up the fact that the software had not been fixed.

Stephen Heller was charged in Los Angeles Superior Court Wednesday with felony access to computer data, commercial burglary, and receiving stolen property. If convicted on all charges, he could serve up to 3 years 8 months in prison. He would also lose his right to vote.

Peter Soby Jr. has a great article about this at Huffington Post. He is urging everyone who cares about whistleblower's rights to email, call or write the L.A. District Attorney's office. But don't forget that you will be speaking with a branch of law enforcement, so be nice.

Soby Jr. also posted some talking points to focus on:

-Don't prosecute Heller. He is not a criminal.
-Diebold is the criminal. Heller exposed Diebold's criminal activity. He is a whistleblower and should not be prosecuted.
-Diebold's election malfeasance strikes at the very heart of our democratic republic. Without clean elections, we don't have a democracy anymore. Those who expose such crimes should not be prosecuted.

Please contact the L.A. District Attorney at lada@co.la.ca.us

District Attorney's Office
County of Los Angeles
210 West Temple Street, Suite 18000
Los Angeles, CA 90012-3210

Phone: 213-974-3512
Fax: 213-974-1484

Heller should not be imprisoned while the criminal activity at the center of his troubles goes unpunished. We have to show those crooks that we are paying attention to Diebold, that we are paying attention to the treatment of whistleblowers, and that we don't get our news from the television anymore. Make your voice heard.

The New 'I' Word: Insanity

2006-02-23T14:04:00.000-05:00

This Dubai Ports deal is so bizarre that even Republicans are choking on it. For some reason this deal was snuck through without competitive bidding, without Congress' knowledge, and supposedly without George Bush's knowledge either. Yeah, right.

You can assume one of two things from this insanity, and you have to chose one - you can't just not think about it. People not thinking are what got us into this five year nightmare.

1. There is SO much money to be made by the Bush family and their cronys that the risks are worth inflicting upon us. Remember, that much money buys private planes out of any situation, like 6 major U.S. cities bombed simultaneously. Or...

2. There is no terrorist threat.

So which is it? Here we have a President who accuses the Democrats of being weak on security and living in a pre-9/11 world, who then turns around and opens up our already unprotected ports to the government who refused to let us track Al Qaeda's accounts after 9/11. He actually said yesterday, "people don't need to worry about security". This entire deal flies in the face of every terrorist threat he's ever delivered to us.

But the best part is the special exception that was granted the UAE - they won't be required to keep copies of their business records in the U.S. like other foreign companies that own American businesses in this country. In other words, no representative of this country will ever know anything about the financing or associations operating inside OUR OWN PORTS. We'll just have to hope that everything is ok and that Bush's judgment has suddenly taken a turn for the better. Riiiight.

I have a feeling that even the Republicans have had enough. They're finally beginning to realize that Bush is a power-mad Dictator who doesn't care about the future, all he cares about is how much fame, money, and power he can acquire before the game is over. I think that if the Democrats decided to go full steam ahead with impeachment hearings, the Republicans might just quietly step out of the way.

Whistling in the Dark

2006-02-18T16:42:00.000-05:00

I am shocked to find that the biggest news story of this week has barely been mentioned. Actually, I'm not shocked about it considering the Cheney shooting, but I'm having a hard time finding detailed info on the internet that is more than a summary.

On Tuesday several military and intelligence personnel testified under oath before the House Government Reform Subcommittee about the retaliation they had suffered for alerting superiors to waste, corruption and security concerns - Whistleblowing. Since I was too busy to take notes, and no news organization covered it thoroughly, I'm going to have to go on memory which means technical details may be fuzzy or phrased improperly.

Spc. Samuel Provance witnessed widespread abuses at Abu Ghraib and saw young soldiers misrepresented and held responsible while their superiors claimed ignorance. When Abu Ghraib was being formally investigated, he was asked to report only what he had seen, not what he had heard others confess to. When he tried to tell the investigator of other things he knew about, the investigator was not interested. He reported that the U.S. military had captured a young son of an Iraqi general and stripped him naked in front of his father in order to break his father. His security clearance was revoked and his case is still in limbo.

Russell Tice, a former NSA analyst, noticed a co-worker spending late hours on high clearance computers, making frequent trips to Europe and living well beyond her pay grade. He reported his concerns to a superior. The woman's mother turned out to be an even higher level Pentagon employee. She mysteriously came to visit her daughter one day about two weeks later. He was told by the superior he had confided in that it was just a coincidence. Soon after he discovered that he was being followed by the FBI when he doubled back on one of them and confronted them. He was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation and found to be "mentally ill and paranoid" and was eventually "released from duty".

He also made clear that he was aware of other NSA wiretapping activities that "could" affect millions of people that he "wanted to discuss" with members of the committee in closed session because they appeared to him to be illegal and unconstitutional.

Richard Levernier, who worked for the Energy Dept., tried to tell superiors about an inspection he had tried to conduct at a nuclear facility. He was not allowed to conduct his inspection in the way he wanted to, by climbing fences and testing safeguards to perimeter security; he was led through the front door and escorted to the areas he wanted to check. He also tried to report that security was so far away from dangerous areas, that even if alarms were tripped, terrorists could finish their job and escape before security arrived at the scene.

He also testified that there were plans for capturing and detaining an intruder, but none for dealing with a situation where someone enters the facility, locks himself in and blows the place up committing suicide, which is what most terrorists prefer to do.

Once he could get no one to listen to his complaints, he gave an interview to an outside agency. His security clearance was revoked and he eventually resigned.

Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer worked for a secret military unit called Able Danger that identified Mohamed Atta and 3 other 9/11 hijackers before 9/11. Shaffer and several other intel officers were prevented from giving this information to the FBI. Once the 9/11 commission began it's investigation, Shaffer spoke personally with the executive director in October 2003, who denies meeting him.

Soon after, DIA accused him of filing false expense reports totaling $247, accused him of having an affair with one of his aides, and suspended his security clearance in March of '04. Then in September, just 48 hours before he was to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, his clearance was revoked completely.

Good luck finding out anything more about this on the net. Maybe on a blog or two. There's not much at the National Security Whistleblower Coalition, and even less at C-SPAN's site. If anyone can find a transcript or at least a good detailed accounting, let me know so I can link it in this article.

Watching Cable News

2006-02-16T14:15:00.000-05:00

Why are FOX and CNN televising wall-to-wall coverage of this Neil Entwhistle fellow? I've never heard of Neil Entwhistle before, have you? He's not famous. The police think he killed his wife and child, he says he didn't. He coincidentally flew to England the day his family was murdered - that's kind of odd. Maybe that's why the news media is covering it so thoroughly, because his actions at the time of the incident are seen as suspicious.

This comes right along side of Scott McClellan, Mary Matalin, Brit Hume and Dick Cheney saying that Americans are tired of hearing about Cheney's shooting incident and want to get back to the important issues facing Americans. Cheney being famous and notoriously deceptive and frighteningly powerful are just not good enough justifications for wall-to-wall exploration and speculation.

And the White House Press Corps are smarting from being scooped. Yeah that empty, contradictory, "eye witness" statement was a real scoop. Armstrong said she saw Cheney's security detail running toward the scene. "The first thing that crossed my mind was he had a heart problem," she told The Associated Press. So, did she surmise that because Cheney was still standing? Or was it the fact that the Secret Service was running away from Cheney and toward the fallen Whittington?

Any thinking person can see that she was not at the scene. But questioning her story and asking for a better account from Cheney is just the White House Press Corps being mean. Ok. But why are the cable news channels being so mean to Neil Entwhistle? I just don't get it.

A Study in Damage Control

2006-02-13T14:44:00.000-05:00

I just watched Scott McClellan brief the press corps about Dick Cheney's shooting incident. Sometimes I feel so sorry for that guy, being shoved out on the front line with no ammunition. Here are some questions that remain unanswered or unasked:

Why did attending to Whittington's medical needs consume so much of Dick Cheney's time, as well as the members of the hunting party? So much so that no one could communicate to the White House until Sunday morning that Cheney was not shot? The only persons notified of the incident on Saturday were Andy Card, Karl Rove, and Bush; and even then weren't told who the shooter was? Scott McClellan said something to the effect of "Information came slowly as the situation developed."

What needed to develop before Card/Rove/Bush could notify the Press Office? Kudos to David Gregory for asking this one, "Did Cheney not know he had shot someone? What was developing beyond that?"

Who is the fourth person in the hunting party that Scott McClellan at this hour cannot name? Could it be Cheney's personal physician? It's a safe bet considering his condition. Did Cheney's personal physician do anything unethical? Did he try to treat Whittington without seeking additional medical help, so as to avoid any unfortunate news stories?

Was Dick Cheney drunk?

Why did Cheney decide that the Ranch owner should break the story to a local paper the next morning? Who does he think he is, the head of the local school board? None of this makes any sense whatsoever.

Notice that basically no one at the White House knew anything until Sunday morning... therefore they are not responsible for the cockamamie gobbledygook - that's for the Vice President's office to explain. Notice there was no statement from the Vice President's office, nor a representative at the press conference to field questions. Notice that the responsibility of answering questions the White House should have been prepared for, is put on the reporters once again.

It's just another version of "The White House will not comment on an on-going investigation" and "I'm not going to allow you to conduct a fishing expedition" and "This President doesn't believe in looking back."

It makes you wonder how we would have found out if he had been killed... it makes you wonder what the Republicans would be saying if a Liberal had done this, "This is who you want defending your COUNTRY??" It makes you wonder when the only statement from Whittington is, "I won't be commenting on this to the press out of respect for Cheney." What? Not even a humorous anecdote to prove you're not mad? Boy, wouldn't that go a long way to smoothing this over! But strangely, he's already decided that no one needs to hear his account of the incident.

There hasn't been so much secrecy in our government since Nixon. Or the X-Files. I'm beginning to think that Whittington was seriously injured and his survival was in question for many hours. We will find out in the coming weeks. Local police are being questioned and Whittington will be released when he is well enough to leave. If it's simply a matter of digging buckshot out of his hide, he should have been released by now. If he's not released by tomorrow, I think it will be safe to infer that his injuries are pretty severe.

Or, they all saw a UFO.

Intrepid Fallen Heroes

2006-02-11T16:20:00.000-05:00

There is a new state-of-the-art training facility being built at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, to rehabilitate our catastrophically injured military personnel. From what I can tell, and what I've heard, all the money that has been raised for this facility has come from private donors - there is no funding forthcoming from the government, nor Haliburton.

The site will also have Fisher Houses, which exist on nearly every VA medical center in the country to house family members who need to be there. Fisher Houses are privately funded as well.

I don't watch FOX 'news' so I don't know if they're talking about it, but MSNBC is, otherwise I would not have heard of it. So I'm spreading the word to you - if you want to support the troops, visit www.fallenheroesfund.org and at least check it out. I realize you probably haven't heard of it, so judge for yourself. 100% of the money received will go to constructing and equipping the facility; none of it will be used for administrative costs.

Please click the link. Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. You can afford $10, can't you? Just do it.

The Fat Lady Has Been Kidnapped

2006-02-10T10:03:00.000-05:00

I read somewhere on-line, in one of the many blogs I read every day, the proposal that George Bush and Dick Cheney are so power mad, not too mention so comfy as the most powerful men on the planet, that they might actually start a war during the elections so that they might maintain their Godly status. I find this theory very easy to believe, considering who we're talking about.

Amendment 22 to the Constitution states that no man shall serve more than two terms as President. It was established in 1951.

Joint Resolution 24, passed on February 17, 2005, repeals this amendment.

And now we have this truly frightening image that shows a bronze bust that was presented to George W. Bush yesterday. It is engraved at the bottom with this disturbing title "President of the United States 2001 - ".

Now this could be a slam that implies that he may well be impeached before 2009, but somehow I don't think that's the reason that the end of his Presidency is uncertain. And how far of a leap is it to imagine that to a power mad failure, bringing about Armageddon and the Rapture might inspire a sense of grandeur?

It's Like the Olympics Around Here!

2006-02-09T14:15:00.000-05:00

I had no idea that so many countries were visiting U.S. blogs! My new Blog counter says that in the last 24 hours, people from Germany, Italy, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa, Hong Kong, Australia, and Singapore have viewed this very site! Hello to all of you!

I've been wondering all morning, "What they must think of Americans..." after reading all these personal diaries and political blogs and all the downright strange/disturbing sites out there. Not to mention the news in the papers and on television.

So here are a few questions for those of you that feel like answering:

What did you think of Americans before you started surfing these blogs? And have your ideas changed since?

Do you think that most Americans support George Bush? What do you personally think of George Bush?

For those of you who drive on the left side of the road: when someone is coming toward you in a narrow hallway, do you walk on the left? I've always wondered that. Americans seem to walk on the right.

I look forward to hearing your responses. It should be very enlightening.

Speaking Truth to Power

2006-02-08T14:18:00.000-05:00

What is it about white Republicans? Who are they to be offended by statements made at Coretta King's funeral? Who are they to tell black people it was wrong? What the hell?!

First of all let me say that I'm beginning to think that Bush was not invited. Why would the King family invite him? He refused to speak before the NAACP during both campaigns. He's never demonstrated any interest in the causes she stood for: equal rights, peaceful arbitration, helping the poor. He's never reached out to them.

And I really don't think white people realize the HUGE IMPACT Katrina had. It confirmed every belief and suspicion black people had about this President and his sincerity - I'm telling you, Bush was not invited. He needed to go because his poll numbers are lower than whale shit.

Secondly, how could they praise her life and accomplishments without acknowledging the rapid erosion of them these past 5 years?? How could they speak of her at all without speaking with passion about her lifelong struggle to end poverty, war, and racism? If he wants to insert himself into a room full of real people who believe in all the things he doesn't, then it's no wonder he was uncomfortable. Bush invited himself to the wrong place at the wrong time, and it was a big dose of reality, something blacks live with, something Bush has never known.

Third, every representative of the Black race that I've seen on television has said that they found the entire ceremony to be a beautiful, uplifting, inspirational event. How dare the Republican party use this event to make political hay! They didn't want us discussing hope and peace and economic disparity for days on end... now did they?

People who say that the King funeral was used by the Dems to bash Bush obviously don't understand what Coretta Scott King stood for. I can't think of a higher purpose for these proceedings than to speak truth to power, and that is exactly what occurred. Right in front of his wife, his father, and the beloved President Clinton. Coretta wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

What Fascism Is

2006-02-06T18:45:00.000-05:00

Laurence Britt has written a great article called "Fascism Anyone?" Seven Fascist regimes were compared, from Germany to Indonesia, and although they rose up in different times and cultures, they all used the same rhetoric to evoke the darkest fears and passions, and the same tactics to seize as much power as humanly possible.

Clicking on the article and reading the fourteen characteristics in detail will disturb you. In ways I can't put into words at the moment.

Common Characteristics of Fascist Regimes:

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism.
2. Disdain for the importance of human rights.
3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause.
4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism.
5. Rampant sexism.
6. A controlled mass media.
7. Obsession with national security.
8. Religion and ruling elite tied together.
9. Power of corporations protected.
10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated.
11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts.
12. Obsession with crime and punishment.
13. Rampant cronyism and corruption.
14. Fraudulent elections.

I would add:

15. Disdain for natural resources.
16. Rampant, uncontrolled name calling.
16. Rampant, embarrassing nicknames.
17. Widespread fear of sex/women.
18. Always, eventually overthrown.

The article is also available at Randi Rhodes' site.

Dirty Laundry

2006-02-05T19:06:00.000-05:00

You're all familiar with this list:

Tom Delay
Michael Brown
Jack Abramoff
Scooter Libby

All Republicans who have brought shame to the administration. Now there are two more names to add to the list. Not that they'll go down in infamy the way the above mentioned will, but cronies none the less, of George W. Bush, who are being investigated and/or incarcerated for corruption.

The first is NASA Inspector General Robert W. Cobb, appointed by Bush in 2002 after serving as an ethics lawyer in the White House General Counsel. The purpose of Inspector Generals are to "monitor Cabinet departments and larger federal agencies through audits and investigations." Funny thing about this guy is that he is one of nine Inspectors appointed by Bush with no audit experience.

Former and current employees of his own office have filed complaints alleging that he ignored safety and security violations, like the theft of $1.9 billion worth of Space Shuttle data from the "secure" computer system at Marshall Space Flight Center.

For some reason, the link for the whole story at MSNBC is expired, even though the story broke two days ago. Go to MSNBC and enter NASA Inspector General into the search engine. Clicking on the article's title won't work either, but clicking on the tiny "cached pages" worked for me. Good luck.

Criminal #2 is Robert J. Stein Jr., comptroller and funding officer for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, who was responsible for $82 million of reconstruction money despite a previous conviction for felony fraud. Stein stole $2 million in reconstruction money, as well as receiving $600,000 in jewelry and machine guns.

He has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy, bribery, money laundering, conspiracy, and possession of firearms by a felon. Read the whole story here.

There is no amount of shame, greed, or corruption that this administration can't rationalize when it comes from their own. It's always party above country, personal gain above ethics, connections above experience... who can honestly say that our democracy doesn't deserve better?

Malicious Conduct

2006-02-02T15:10:00.000-05:00

I know there's a lot of news out there. I know you heard about the new budget cuts designed to save the federal budget $40,000,000,000 over the next 5 years. The bill passed by only 2 votes Wednesday, because 13 Republicans of conscience thought it so heartless, they voted with the Democrats against it.

If you ever, ever needed one last reason to secretly turn Democrat, please let this be it. This is your private test.

A Congressional Budget Office document estimates that the changes to Medicaid would add $13,000,000 in new costs to the elderly, raising co-payments and deductibles, and would end insurance coverage for 65,000 Medicare enrollees.

Federal Child Support Enforcement will now be underfunded by the State. Federal funding has been completely eliminated. Deadbeat dads everywhere would be celebrating if they knew. Moms everywhere (remember your Mom?) and their dependents (remember No Child Left Behind?) just got left out.

And college students, our future, the young, bright ones who haven't lost hope yet; they will face the hardship of a never-ending student loan payment when the banks start charging them higher interest rates.

What makes this even more sinister is that Senate Republicans are negotiating with the House on extending existing tax cuts for the rich, as well as seeking approval for new ones, adding up to about $60,000,000,000 over 5 years. Which is really only $20,000,000,000 once those damned "entitlement" programs are slashed. Another budget package made sure that private Medicare insurers would realize a savings of $22,000,000,000 over the next 10 years.

How much more do you need to know? I suggest you search for it. This country doesn't deserve this treatment, this disregard and abuse. Randi Rhodes said something one day that really stuck with me, and I don't know if she was quoting someone else or not, but she said, "It's really very simple. The sole purpose of government is to make life better for it's people." This new budget bill is proof that this administration cares only for the welfare of the wealthiest Americans; those with influence in many, many circles.

For many more Americans, for which life was already very hard, it just got a lot harder. Now even greater numbers of elderly will be choosing between meds and food each month. Now, even more young adults will sink into poverty when they get out of college if they don't start earning the big bucks straight away. And more will find out that a catastrophic illness is all that stand between being a Republican and being a Democrat...

There's a funny bumper sticker that says "Religion is What Keeps the Poor from Murdering the Rich". If only it worked the other way around. If only.

Once Again, a Blogger Gets the Story First

2006-01-26T14:32:00.000-05:00

Glenn Greenwald, who's excellent blog Unclaimed Territory is worth bookmarking, broke the story on Tuesday, January 24 that is just now being picked up by the Washington Post and the L.A. Times. What's the story? Bush is lying about his reasons for circumventing FISA, and there are documents to support it.

Unclaimed Territory has the complete and succinct breakdown of the conflicting statements that have come to light that reveal that the administration actually rejected the idea of relaxing the standards under which warrants were obtained for surveillance, and even went so far as to question their constitutionality.

In June 2002, Michael DeWine of Ohio proposed changing the Foreign Intel Surveillance Act to lower the standard for obtaining a warrant from "probable cause" to "reasonable suspicion".

James A. Baker, who is now a lawyer for the Justice Dept. who oversees the group who prepares and presents all applications to the FISA court, was asked to review the proposed changes. He made clear his reservations in this statement.

He begins by praising the Patriot Act for "enabling the government to become quicker, more flexible, and more focused...", he also said that the 72 hour grace period within which a warrant can be requested "has allowed us to make full and effective use of FISA's pre-existing emergency provisions to ensure that the government acts swiftly to respond to terrorist threats."

In response to Rep. DeWine's specific proposal to lower the standards he said that the Justice Dept. was not prepared to support it due to legal and practical issues. He was aware that reaching too far for evidence might just get a real terrorist's case thrown right out of court. Baker said, "The Department's Office of Legal Counsel is analyzing relevant Supreme Court precedent to determine whether a "reasonable suspicion" standard for electronic surveillance and physical searches would, in the FISA context, pass constitutional muster. The issue is not clear cut, and the review process must be thorough because of what is at stake, namely, our ability to conduct investigations that are vital to protecting national security. If we err in our analysis and courts were ultimately to find a "reasonable suspicion" standard unconstitutional, we could potentially put at risk ongoing investigations and prosecutions."

But the best part was this gem: "It may not be the case that the probable cause standard has caused any difficulties in our ability to seek the FISA warrants we require."

Remember that George Bush's consistent and repeated excuse for not going through legal channels is that the process for obtaining a legal warrant is too burdensome and just gets in the way. Yet here we have Baker, the man who oversees the warrant process, saying that tweaking should be avoided. It's working, so don't fix it.

Once again, the stated reasons for Bush's actions are lies. Once again, bloggers have done the footwork, as it were, and did simple Google and Nexus searches and connected the dots. Almost as if it were fun. As if there was something to be won, something to be found, some reward... Who do you want to get your news from? Someone who's done the research, or someone who needs the money?

Preaching to the Choir

2006-01-23T15:12:00.000-05:00

If George W. Bush has a 36% approval rating, and 52% believe he should be impeached, why were 95% of the questioners in Kansas yesterday "fans" of his? The speech itself was galling, hearing him crow about how after 9/11 he knew he had to HUNT, DOWN, THE ENEMY, AND BRING, THEM, TO JUSTICE!, and how the crowd went wild... it was literally stomach turning. Not one person in that room understood that the perpetrator of 9/11 is still free and on the back burner.

The whole charade was another clear example of the manufactured dream that Bush's handlers create for him to live in. When he ventures out of his bubble, the very natural environment itself is manipulated to remove any unpleasant reality. And the scariest part is when he describes the terrorist's motives and goals, it sounds like he's describing his own administration's actions. It gives me chills every time.

The highlight however, was the Iraqi woman, in Manhattan Kansas of all places, screaming, "Thank you George Bush for liberating millions of people!!" She went on for awhile and he actually had the nerve to say, "This is a question and answer session, what's your question?" as if it weren't a sweet drug feeding right into his vein. Not only that, she has two relatives in the Iraqi parliament now who are both female! If she's not a plant, my name isn't Argent Bananahammock.

But the part that made my jaw drop was the Venezuelan woman who asked Bush what he was going to do to help Venezuelan immigrants get work visas. She had a thick accent that Bush couldn't understand at first. He asked her to repeat her question, and then interrupted her to say he wasn't avoiding the question. And then when she rather verbosely spelled out her question more clearly, he interrupted her near the end and said, "Ok got it. I got the question." He then held his fingers about an inch apart and said, "Immigration" and gave a short chuckle, after which the crowd gave a hearty laugh.

It was shocking to me. He was searching desperately through her thick accent for the keyword he would work from, and once he found it he was through listening. He then went on to give the memorized "immigration speech", with no acknowledgment of her specific question at all.

I knew when I saw how the crowd cheered, when I saw how Bush leaned on the podium with one elbow, that he was relaxing, he was letting his guard down. He was on a roll and he was loving it. I also knew that moments like that are when his true self would most likely slip out a crack. And that was it. He thought it was funny, that she went on and on with a carefully-worded, well thought-out question when all she really had to do was stand up and say, "What are your thoughts on immigration?" Silly girl.

Apparently the choir needs to be preached to some more and the rest of us caught a glimpse of Bushworld, where the people cheer at his rhetoric and laugh at his wit. Where victory and success are right around the corner and soldiers die just the way they wanted to. Where never is heard a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day... the rest of us, once again, are left scratching our heads.

Where's the Love?

2006-01-18T06:18:00.000-05:00

Two soldiers in Iraq are reporting, at Soldiers For the Truth, that they are being ordered to leave behind their Dragon Skin body armor, and wear their inferior, government issue body armor into battle, or risk losing their $400,000 SGLI life insurance in the event of their death. If they should survive while wearing their Dragon Skin armor, they will face disciplinary action.

Hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers, have spent their own hard-earned $6000 to buy superior quality Dragon Skin armor manufactured by Pinnacle. Dragon Skin flexible armor is made up of a series of overlapping tiles that are a combination of ceramics, titanium, and ballistic fibers. Unlike their standard issue armor, which holds large ceramic plates, Dragon Skin flexible armor doesn't turn into a bag of gravel after the first impact.

You would think the U.S. military would support the use of superior armor, considering the bad news coming out about Point Blank's armor, including this on page five:

"As early as July 19, 2004, according to memos originally obtained by the Army Times newspaper, the Marine Corps found "major quality assurance deficiencies within Point Blank." One month later, on August
24, 2004, the military rejected two orders from Point Blank after tests revealed that the vests did not meet safety requirements.

But at the time, the military faced a severe shortage of body armor. Under pressure to equip troops, Lt. Col. Gabriel Patricio in November 2004 requested that nine Point Blank orders that did not meet safety requirements be sent to troops overseas. "I understand and accept
the increased risk posed by accepting the reduced protection," Patricio wrote in a memo to the military's head of contracting."

There are actually two armor manufacturers that enjoy huge profits from government contracts to supply armor to our soldiers: Armor Holdings, Inc., and Point Blank Body Armor, which is a subsidiary of DHB Industries.

Clicking on this link will take you to a page on Open Secrets' website, which shows the Top 20 contributors to federal candidates and parties. Notice that Armor Holdings gave $24,734 to the Republican party last year, while DHB Industries gave $25,000.

Defense Review is also a great site, for those of you who will remember this story a week from now and want to check for updates.

When soldiers see stories like this, or should I say live stories like this, and then they see how John Murtha is being smeared for coming out against the President's judgment (gasp!), and how John Kerry was swift-boated for running against the President (no one will ever do that again), and how John McCain was attacked and insulted for doing the same; you have to wonder how they must feel. Every Democratic soldier out there must feel an inch away from being utterly discredited by this administration, if they were ever to run for office, or even if they were to simply speak out against the war once they're out.

As much as this administration likes to accuse liberals of helping the enemy and not supporting the troops, it's obvious that they see our veterans as little more than pawns on a big board. Actions speak louder than words.

Christian Morals, Broke Down

2006-01-09T13:43:00.000-05:00

Your morally ambivalent 18 year old is going to the movies tonight. If you live in Sandy, Utah, you won't have to worry about him running across this film:

"A work of art that's more than just a movie."

"A heartbreaking masterpiece of enraptured tranquility."

Brokeback Mountain is a film about two cowboys who find, amid the sweeping majestic beauty of the west, that they love each other. They deny their feelings and marry and have children, and spend their entire lives wanting only to spend time with each other. This lifestyle eventually ends up destroying one of them.

Larry Miller who owns the Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons has pulled this film from his theater, due I'm assuming, to the likelihood that young men in Sandy, Utah might get "ideas" or worse, aroused. Feelings could get stirred up and glorified that are better left dormant.

There is another movie showing at the Megaplex that might entice a young, morally ambivalent male...

"A tale of two buddies who stumble into a den of violent depravity."

"Begins as an orgy of sex and drugs and descends into brutal, bloody sadism."

"The two Americans quickly find themselves trapped in an increasingly sinister situation that they discover is as wide and as deep as the darkest, sickest recesses of human nature itself."

"The main point is the idea of torture as sport - arbitrary, elaborate, and depraved."

The movie Larry Miller sees no problem with is Hostel. Two college buddies are lured to a Hostel in Russia with the promise of slutty girls and drugs, drugs, drugs. The girls are always half nude and will do anything at all. Suddenly, the two dumb college buddies find themselves being sold themselves, for $25,000 each, to "sweat-soaked psychos" who prey on the innocent so that they may act out their unnatural desires for others.

You've seen the commercials. They either unsettle you, or arouse you. Whichever physiological reaction you experience, you have to admit that a film like this is disturbing and likely to stick with one for awhile. There is already one report of two ambulances needing to respond to viewings of this film.

But apparently Mr. Miller has no problem with impressionable young men "enjoying" the nightmarish depravity of the sick fucks in Hostel. He has no fear that morally ambivalent young men might get so aroused that they begin to fantasize about having that much power and evoking that much fear from someone they hate.

What clutches at his very heart is the thought of young men finding peace with themselves; young men understanding the importance of living a fulfilled life; young men doing what he could never do, perhaps.

I just hope the impressionable, morally ambivalent young men of Sandy don't decide to act out on the desires made real in Hostel. And if they do, I hope that during the experimental phase of cutting on neighborhood cats and dogs, they get it all out of their systems and decide that they don't want to be sadistic monsters after all.

When the Sausage Hits the Fan

2005-12-20T20:27:00.000-05:00

Representative John Conyers has introduced three pieces of legislation, two of which are aimed at censuring (incriminating,) President Bush and Vice President Cheney, and a third creating a fact-finding committee to see if impeachment proceedings are in order.

"In brief, we have found that there is substantial evidence the President, the Vice President and other high ranking members of the Bush Administration misled Congress and the American people regarding the decision to go to war with Iraq; misstated and manipulated intelligence information regarding the justification for such war; countenanced torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and other legal violations in Iraq; and permitted inappropriate retaliation against critics of their Administration.

There is at least a prima facie case that these actions by the President, Vice-President and other members of the Bush Administration violate a number of federal laws, including (1) Committing a Fraud against the United States; (2) Making False Statements to Congress; (3) The War Powers Resolution; (4) Misuse of Government Funds; (5) federal laws and international treaties prohibiting torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment; (6) federal laws concerning retaliating against witnesses and other individuals; and (7) federal laws and regulations concerning leaking and other misuse of intelligence."

That is a quote from the summary of the full report, titled "Constitution in Crisis", which can be found here. There is also a chapter by chapter breakdown here. Take a moment and use this form to contact your Representative and urge them to support the inquiry.

It is going to be a Happy Holiday.

A Must-Read

2005-12-19T19:59:00.000-05:00

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/12/did-bush-domestic-spy-program.html

Bush is not only spying on activists, he's spying on U.S. journalists and their foreign contacts..... that explains everything.

Clear as Hot Air

2005-12-19T14:56:00.000-05:00

It couldn't be more clear. If you take news reports of the F.B.I. spying on civil rights supporters and anti-war protesters found here and here; and add the fact that the administration is doing an end-run around FISA, the court that approves wire-taps within hours, you can clearly see that this administration is once again diverting it's eyes from the ball and wasting time and man-power spying on Americans they have a collective, personal grudge against.

When asked why he was ignoring the FISA court, who has only turned down five wire-tap requests since it's inception in the '60s, George W. Bush said during his press conference today that he needed to protect the country and he needed to move quickly. He implied that FISA was a hindrance in some way.

But FISA is very cooperative and easy to use. It's accepted, and expected, that a wire may need to be tapped right this second; so a party may do so as long as they file a report in 30 days. That's kinda like... say you wanted to rent a car, but you are late for a meeting and the boss is ticked at you already. You could actually just take the car, as long as you returned it with the rental form filled out in 30 days time. That's pretty fucking agreeable and accommodating, don't you think?

Condoleeza Rice on Meet the Press actually tried to imply that we were snuck up on on 9/11, as if there was no intel on Bin Laden, and no Presidential Daily Briefing dated August 6, 2001 entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike Within the United States". She took umbrage with the 9/11 Commission for determining that this administration had not connected the dots. Remember - the dots were there, they just weren't connected because no one was paying attention. You would think the simple fact that now they are all paying attention would lead to some dots being connected. But it follows from her argument that apparently, they are still as clueless and helpless as they were before 9/11, hence the urgent need to spy on protesters.

Now don't get me wrong. Spying is just plain smart, especially during a time of war. Every government does it, and lives are saved as a result. I actually do not have a problem with Muslims in this country with suspected links to Al Qaida being wire-tapped if they make over-seas calls. It's just the smart thing to do. But if that's all this administration is doing, why are they going around the law? Why are they ducking the checks and balances? WHAT are they doing under the table?

Clearly the only reason NOT to comply with this easy to use system of spying called FISA, is because this administration is HIDING SOMETHING. And what they're hiding is that they are spying on Americans based on their political affiliations and level of activism.

And that is a crime.

A Blog Typed Slowly so Republicans Can Read It

2005-12-13T17:34:00.000-05:00

My previous blog entry "We Can't Make Caskets Fast Enough" has been highlighted on two Right wing blogs - neither providing the link to the video that shows the parents, both retired military, who were so upset by the manner of their fallen son's return home.

So Right wing nuts have been responding with "that story is false" and "What parent's story?" because although they came here, they didn't click on the link that shows the REAL news of the story. It's easier to just attack it as if it was just made up or just my opinion.

So then I found this beautiful photograph on Time magazine's site, showing a passenger airliner full of people watching an Honor Guard remove a flag-draped casket from the plane. I posted another blog entitled "This is How it Should Be" and included a link, to show that it is done properly in most circumstances.

So you know what my Right wing fans say now? TWO of them have sent me links, in response to that blog entry, of the very photograph in my link. TWO of them. They didn't even click on the link. They didn't even click on the original video link. They just write and say what they're told.

So to you Republicans out there who just like to pretend you read blogs and follow leads, and like to pretend that you know what's really going on... you are fakers. You're lazy and/or you're afraid to learn. If you think you can maneuver these political blogs with what little you know, you're going to continue to be marginalized as pests.

The Way it Should Be

2005-12-13T09:07:00.000-05:00

In response to the Republicans who didn't read the article, or watch the video I linked, or understand the point of my previous blog, I respectfully present this:

http://www.time.com/time/yip/2005/

Picture #18 is what I would consider the proper procedure for escorting a fallen veteran home.

And I'm only sharing the story conveyed by his parents, who are both retired military. Would you insult them with the same words you directed at me? And why does my concern that our fallen are being ignored, and my desire to have them come home so that they can live to ripe old ages brand me a crazy moonbat?

And to SGT Dave Bailey, thank you for your thoughful response. Yours is the only valid rebuttal I received, and I'm happy to listen to you any time. Thanks for reading my blog and participating in the discussion. And thank you for protecting our country. I'm glad you're home safe.

We Can't Make Caskets Fast Enough

2005-12-12T16:03:00.000-05:00

I can remember, during the clean-up at Ground Zero after 9/11, how cable news programs would break away from their chatter to broadcast the latest flag draped remains of fire-fighters and first responders being carried from the site. All work would stop and everyone would consider for a moment the sacrifice made by that person who spent their life coming to everyone's rescue.

But when was the last time you saw a soldier's flag draped casket being received by an Honor Guard on the news? The images seem to have lost their lustre since they are the direct consequence of George W. Bush's actions, not the Saudi's. I mean Al Qaida - excuse me for being precise.

As much as he tries to blame all these deaths on insurgents and terrorists, his actions and the actions of the Republican owned main stream media reveal their belief that it is most certainly the Bush administration that is trying to hide the blood on their hands. Don't you think that if there was any way to exploit those photos for political gain or to whip the fearful into a lather, they would do it? Of course they would. But they can't. Because a picture is worth a thousand reasons for dissent.

And now we have at least one soldier being shipped home in a cardboard box, in the cargo section of a passenger airliner, to be unloaded by baggage handlers. The story and video can be found here:

http://www.10news.com/news/5504608/detail.html

Apparently we can't make caskets fast enough, and there are no military personnel left in country to carry out even this basic responsibility.

Happy Holidays. And personally, I think baggage handling is a fine and worthy occupation.

F is for Failure

2005-12-06T19:49:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm back. I had to get away for awhile. My head was starting to spin from all the scandal and shame coming out of this White House, and the lack of real reporting in the MSM combined with the indignant mud-slinging coming from the Right was just making me sick. I would sit down to write and I didn't even know where to begin. So I turned off the news (ok not really), skipped right over my DailyKos homepage when accessing the internet, and only skimmed my BuzzFlash alerts for words like "sex", "murder", and "fisting".

But Good God Almighty it must be absolute hell to be George W. Bush right now. And downright embarrassing to be a Republican. Approval ratings for the administration and the Congress are around 39%, America (read: our military) is under attack every day in Iraq because of our occupation, and Usama Bin Laden is a mythic wandering Prophet for predicting all of it.

And NOW, the 9/11 Commission has issued it's final report, giving the Bush Administration an "F" - an actual letter grade written in red somewhere, for it's Failures before and after September 11, 2001.

Now I don't think they seriously started this investigation with clear ideas as to how many points different accomplishments and improvements would earn so that they could actually tally an "A" grade, or decide unequivocally whether a "B-" is really a "C"; but even an instructor who only doles out pats on the head and constructive criticism knows that when a student hands in a blank paper, they have an arrogant prick on their hands.

Here is a President, who ran for re-election SOLELY on the accusation that Kerry would drop the ball on protecting us from future terrorist attacks. He had nothing else to run on. He couldn't crow about the booming economy like Clinton could, he couldn't brag about teachers and cops getting pay raises like Clinton could, he couldn't make us feel that everything was going to be ok like Clinton could; all he could do was terrorize us with grim threats of another attack if we elected the heedful candidate who isn't driven by fear and arrogance.

But now we learn that not one little pinky finger has been lifted to address the failures that contributed to the incinerating of 3,000 innocent Americans. Billions of dollars have disappeared in Iraq, billions of dollars have disappeared from our budget, and our first responders are still working with inadequate equipment and resources. Our ports are still unprotected, cargo that flies on passenger planes is still not x-rayed, our nuclear facilities are still vulnerable, and our electrical grid is still fragile at best. Oh, and soldiers still don't have proper body armor and support.

Four years after Usama Bin Laden attacked America, George W. Bush has done nothing to prevent it from happening again. But don't blame me, I voted for Kerry.

Corrections

2005-09-06T13:27:00.000-05:00

First of all, the post below was posted before it was finished, and due to an HTML glitch, I could not edit it. Therefore, there are spelling and grammatical errors.

Secondly, most of it was compiled from information found on these sites:
http://www.ocnus.net/artman/publish/article_20057.shtml
http://www.nogw.com/shadow.html
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/4/111017/0402

It's an Issue of Accountability

2005-09-05T15:43:00.000-05:00

Isn't George Bush the guy who ran on accountability? Didn't he say that it was time for some accountability in the White House? Didn't he run on the claim that the Democrats would not keep you safe and protect you properly from disaster?

I can't believe the Republican talking points I'm seeing around the web. The guy who replied to my last blog said that Big Government has made local government officials weak. Somehow, I don't think he meant to agree with me.

Here is a timeline that I've seen in many places. I don't visit Republican sites, but somehow, I don't think you'll find it there.

Jan. 2001: Bush appoints Joe Allbaugh, his former chief of staff who has no disaster management experience, to head FEMA.

April 2001: Budget Director Mitch Daniels announces much of FEMA will be privatized. Later that year, FEMA declares that the three most disastrous scenarios we face as a country are a terrorist attack on NY, the big one in San Francisco, and a major hurricane hitting New Orleans.

Dec. 2002: Michael Brown, another man who has no experience in disaster management, is made head of FEMA after Allbaugh decides that there is money to be made in Iraq.

March 2003: FEMA loses it's cabinet level position and is absorbed into the Dept. of Homeland Security. Homeland Security. Feeling secure in your... forget it.

2003: FEMA's preparation and planning functions are reassigned to a new Office of Preparedness and Response. They are reduced to a response and recovery arm of Homeland Security only.

Summer 2004: FEMA denies Louisiana's pre-disaster mitigation funding requests. Jefferson Parish flood zone manager Tom Rodrique said, "You would think we would get maximum consideration... This is what the grant program called for. We were more than qualified for it."

June 2004: Army Corps of Engineers budget for levee construction in New Orleans is slashed.

June 2005: Army Corps of Engineers funding for New Orleans is cut by $71.2 million.

August 28, 2005: LA Governor Kathleen Blanco requests that Bush declare an expedited major disaster for the state. Later that day Bush said, "These declarations will allow federal agencies to coordinate all disaster relief efforts with state and local officials."

Aug. 29: Katrina hits. Bush is briefed by his FEMA head Michael Brown, and then goes to AZ to talk about Medicare and visit John McCain 'cuz it was his birthday.

Aug. 30: New Orleans is flooded, in some places 15', just as predicted. Bush visits a Naval Base Coronado and tells the glassy-eyed crowd that we must stay in Iraq to keep the oil fields from falling into the hands of terrorists.

Aug. 31: Bush returns to the White House and holds a press conference to read a laundry list of supplies that he is sending to New Orleans.

Sept. 1: Bush holds a press conference to assure the nation that gas shortages won't last too long, and that his father and the best President we ever had have been called in to help.

Sept. 2: Five days after Katrina made landfall, a National Guard relief convoy rolls into Louisiana bringing desperately needed drinking water and food. Coincidentally, George Bush arrives simultaneously and appears on televisions everywhere sharing a split-screen with the convoy.

It's all very simple, Bush declared a federal emergency on Sunday, August 28, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency should have automatically dispatched themselves to Manage the Emergency.

Scott McClellan just stated that FEMA was slow to react due to the lack of security in the affected areas. Try not to forget that FEMA is now a small part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Is FEMA Really at Fault?

2005-09-04T12:43:00.000-05:00

Decide for yourselves.
http://www.overspun.com/video/MTP.AaronBroussardX.wmv

Talk About Encouraging the Terrrsts

2005-09-01T10:45:00.000-05:00

Can you imagine the glee in Usama Bin Laden's heart right now? Allah has cut the filthy American oil vampires at their knees by blowing their gas pipelines apart. Allah is truly great and just.

Add to that inspirational fuel the news that George Bush's Homeland Security preparedness is non-existent. There is no contingency plan in place to deal with destruction on a grand scale in the United States. This is very good news.

While George Bush is not responsible for Hurricane Katrina, he is responsible for cutting $71 million from the Louisiana budget last year which was specifically earmarked for the completion of the levee system. Completion.

He is also responsible for hiring a crappy FEMA director, an old buddy named Joe Allbaugh (I think), who didn't organize an evacuation of the poorest people deep in the cities and out in the low lying country. I remember - Katrina came on shore real slow. They knew by at least sunrise the day before that she was coming right for them, and NOTHING was scrambled together. I saw no scrambling. They opened up the Superdome and that's ALL they did for those poor people.

He is also responsible for giving tax breaks to the rich, and waging an unnecessary war, draining our budget surplus that Bill Clinton had built for all of us. There is no money to throw at the situation, the RICH people have it all. If ever there was a time to skim a little off the wealthiest 2% in this country it is now, but do you think that a man like George Bush is going to do that? Do you think that he will even ask the wealthy people of this country to feel just a little pity for the weakest among us, and open up their wallets?! Of course not.

And now many many thousands more of us cannot evacuate our towns and cities if we needed to because there is no gas. Many cities and towns in the southeast are reporting that there is NO GAS. How much longer will it be before there is no food?

So to you Republicans out there who voted this fool into office, this arrogant, immature frat boy fool, thanks a fucking lot. All that whining you've been doing about Democrats and anti-war protesters encouraging the terrorists is now officially the wailings of cry-babies. I don't see how anything could be more encouraging to terrorists that the inactivity and ineffectiveness of this President.

If this is the best you can do, the whole bloody lot of you should be thrown out of office and have your voting rights taken away until you can pass a simple test that proves that you aren't blind, deaf and stupid.

Patriotism vs. Love

2005-08-29T12:49:00.000-05:00

I saw a ribbon magnet on a car today that I hadn't seen before. It was black and it said, "Support our Troops/Bring Them Home". And I thought, "How can the right say that they support the troops, yet feel they should stay in that hellish country where they are being killed every day?"... as if I'd never really thought about it before.

And it struck me that these people are actually more devoted to "God and Country" than they are their children. What else could it be? How can parents of fallen soldiers really truly believe that it's ok? How do they dare say that their son or daughter would prefer, if they could vote on it, to be dead for this "noble cause" instead of alive right now??

Luckily I was sitting at a light because it really hit me in the face. These people are so brainwashed that the connection to their children has somehow been circumvented, hacked into if you will, and the myth of the "noble cause" (big on myth, these people) becomes as dear and EQUALLY important as their very child...

So maybe people like Cindy Sheehan remind them of what "Mom Love" is. She strokes that nerve that they've unknowingly shut themselves off from, she embodies the weakness in them that they can't face. Maybe they're afraid to feel sorrow for the fallen for fear of sliding down that scary, slippery slope to the Democratic side.

Fascinating, no?

What is that Creaking Sound...?

2005-08-25T12:46:00.000-05:00

Could it be the walls protecting the Bush administration weakening under the enormous glare of sunlight? I've been waiting for the pride and arrogance to do what it does naturally, publicly destroy a man. I've been waiting for a few good Republicans of conscience to come forward and say, "I can not follow you down this path any longer, for the sake of my very soul, if not my career." And I believe that once that happens, it's all going to fall apart pretty fast. And then, it's going to get ugly.

Congressman Jim Leach (R) of Iowa has announced that he will Co-Sponsor Congresswoman Barbara Lee's (D) Resolution of Inquiry into the Bush administration's communications with the U.K. prior to the Iraq war. He is the first and only Republican to demand answers to the questions raised by the Downing Street Memos, and he's co-sponsoring!

And now Rick Santorum is saying that he's always been critical of the invasion of Iraq... what? While his office can not produce any public statements to that effect, they did find this:

Â[The] President . . . is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nationÂs armed forces about how long they will be away from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy.Â

I would love to let that stand just the way it is, on it's own merits, but ethics require that I tell you that Rick was talking about the war in Bosnia that Clinton waged in '99. You know, that war in Bosnia that no one refers to because it was such a success that it became a blip in our military history?

I think it's finally beginning to sink in that it's the people, not God, who will smite thee, and I believe we're about to see just which one the Republicans are more afraid of. If Rick Santorum has resorted to lying about his support of this war, I predict that when Congress comes back from recess, you're going to see Republicans jumping over each other to get as far away from BushWorld as possible.

I don't care how loud Bush supporters can scream and cheer at rallies, the majority of Americans see clearly that this President is weak, vengeful, and destructive; and you can BET they're going to vote. If ever there was a moment in history where the people are desperate to take control of their futures it is now. And they're not going to take it lightly.

Camp Casey

2005-08-16T11:05:00.000-05:00

The Republicans are getting desperate in Crawford. Last night under the cover of darkness, someone who felt they needed to defend Bush's honor, mowed down a makeshift memorial of white crosses and American flags at Camp Casey.

The day before, a nearby land-owner who felt the need to defend Bush's honor and get his name in the paper, fired his shotgun in a symbolic gesture of testosterone and hate. He imagines himself to be a real threat and wants others to make note of it.

Several ranchers in the area have gone to City Hall to see if they can get Camp Casey moved farther away. Others are simply driving by shouting profanities. All this directed at a woman who is demanding an answer to a very specific question: What is the Noble Cause of this war?

I agree that this has turned into a total mess. Hundreds of people are camped out in Crawford in a show of support, and reporters from all over the country have come to see first-hand a modern day David standing at the feet of Goliath. A Goliath operated by a man behind a curtain, but a large, stupid, destructive, cruel monster none the less.

But this is what happens when you ignore a "problem". Cindy was a problem that could have easily been dealt with on Day 1. All George had to do was come out and talk to her. Put aside his pride, put aside his hatred of liberals, and just talk to her. But he couldn't do it - either because he doesn't know how to be sincere to a stranger in pain, or because he knows that his lies and his threats of terror don't make sense to thinking people.

George Bush is deathly afraid of thinking people like Cindy Sheehan because they are operating from a foundation of reason and truth, and he doesn't know how to talk to someone on that level; it's just as simple as that.

All of this is George Bush's fault and he has brought it upon himself. For a man who thinks everyone should pay the highest price for their mistakes, dalliances, affairs and follies; he sure is having a hard time walking that walk. In my book, that makes him a fraud and a hypocrite. Republicans will tell you that he's a role model.

Pandora's Box

2005-08-11T11:56:00.000-05:00

It seems to me that if you wanted to introduce creationism into a science class, it would take all of two minutes: "Some believe that God created the heavens and the earth and the trees and the rivers and the animals and Adam and Eve. The Bible is not clear as to how he did this, most believe he just thought it and it happened." Isn't that pretty much it?

Anyone who has taken a biology class and paid attention, knows that as you learn about the seemingly intelligent design of nature, you also learn how fragile it is and how seemingly intelligent humans destroy it every day. I would think that if you followed all the scientific fact with a claim that Christians think God thought it all up, it would further strengthen the belief among our youth that Christians should be ashamed of themselves for being the biggest supporters of the destruction of animal species and rape of our planet. They might just decide that Christians are the biggest hypocrites they've ever seen.

Now to be fair, King George has said that students should receive a well-rounded education that introduces them to all sides and arguments. If we were to follow that edict, we would have to teach Philosophy and Religion on the high school level - which I have no problem with. I think it would be one of the greatest gifts we could give to our young people; the ability to think for themselves, and by learning about the creation myths of other cultures, discover the spiritual dreams and hopes that formed the religions of the world. They would learn that all cultures hold their spiritual beliefs sacred and that none is "right" and none are "wrong"; they all come from the same place - the heart of human beings. They would also learn that we are more alike than we are different.

But somehow I don't think the Christians of this day and age want their religion to be discussed and scrutinized in a framework that includes all sides and arguments. Somehow I don't think they want their children discovering the freedom that is religious freedom; the freedom that is freedom of thought.

If Christians keep pushing religion into the school system, they may end up handing their children a Pandora's box of ideas that will expand their minds far beyond their parents grasp and understanding. And personally, it may be the only way to save this country from the evil, narrow-minded grip it's in right now.

What's Round on Each End, Hi in the Middle, and Crooked All Over?

2005-08-03T15:58:00.000-05:00

You probably heard on the news today, but didn't pay attention, that Paul Hackett, a 43 year old lawyer who just got back from serving in Iraq and is highly critical of the Bush Presidency (even calling him a Son-of-a Bitch), ran for Congress in the 2nd congressional district of Ohio yesterday. Yes, yesterday. The previous congressman vacated his seat to take a cushy job with the Bush administration. The news part is not that he lost to Republican Jean Schmidt.

The news part is that even though Ohio-ans were encouraged to "bury" Hackett by voting for Schmidt, they came closer to putting a Democrat in the seat than they ever had before. In the last congressional election, the 2nd district voted 63% Republican, 37% Democrat. Yesterday they voted 51% Republican, 49% Democrat. Do those numbers look at all familiar to you? Maybe it's just me.

Secondly, Air America radio was all over it. Having stations in the area, they talked it up all day. I'm listening to Air America right now and it seems that Air America radio suddenly went off the air in Cincinnati, half an hour before the polls closed.

Randi Rhodes, which is on tape delay in that area, has verified that she was indeed off the air due to a "fire" at the transmitter. Funny part is, the damage done by the fire, bad enough to kill the signal, was all better 30 minutes later. What the listeners didn't listen to was a live, inspiring interview between Randi Rhodes and the straight talkin' Iraqi vet Paul Hackett. After the interview it was pointed out that he didn't attack or denigrate his opponent even once. It was also mentioned repeatedly that if you get in line before the poll closes, you will be allowed to vote.

Another point of interest is this: it seems that other radio stations transmitting from that... transmitter were on the air during the Air America blackout.

And don't even get me started on voting machines and states voting rights...

Did you know that your right to vote in several states is getting ready to sunset in 2007??? I'm not kidding.

These Fanatics Are the True Enemies of America

2005-08-01T14:02:00.000-05:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/1/11724/72122

I have to warn you, the above article will make you sick if you have a heart beating inside your chest. It is titled "The American Taliban" and it starts with the famous quote by Ann Coulter where she calls for the destruction of all non-Christian cultures.

What follows is a disturbing look at the core values of the religious right. Quote after quote after quote of the most vile, damnable, offensive, obnoxious, hateful, sickening, black-hearted, sinister, blasphemous and down-right evil shit you have ever read.

These are the people who give money by the fistful to Republican campaigns in the hope that they will eventually be able to take over the country and conquer the world.

These are the people who believe that George Bush is their best representative.

Remember as you read it, that these people are followers of the baby Jesus.

So Call Me a Racist

2005-07-31T08:25:00.000-05:00

but when it comes to terrorists, the pundits and the population in general are getting away with saying some pretty horrible things about them as a group. So in the spirit of calling a spade a spade, I say this:

When is our government, specifically our Dept. of Homeland Security, going to seriously address the fact that the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks and the London bombings all share one obvious characteristic? While they sweep records and databases for people involved in Democratic activism and launch secret investigations into their banking practices and social activities, they plan to allow young men of Arab appearance with Muslim names to board our trains and subways without being searched, as long as they are in between passenger #1 and passenger #5 coming through the turnstile.

Why? Because they're more concerned with appearances and bad press than preventing the inevitable second strike. In secret, they admit that they know exactly what a terrorist looks like, and they outline those defining characteristics in their intra-departmental communications with FBI, CIA, and law enforcement in general. But in the glare of sunlight, they claim to be ignorant and optimistic that searching every 5th person will be a good first step to take in preventing a copycat attack; as if to say, "We just don't know who is a terrorist anymore."

That cautious attitude is going to get us killed. But, I must admit, it is par for the course with this administration; doing just the opposite of what appears to be clearly the right approach to solving a problem. Searching white women, who we all know only kill members of their own families and cheating boyfriends, and old black men with canes while allowing 3 foreign looking young men to sail on through is such a perfect example of the asinine decision making that is bringing this country to ruin.

We invade their countries, we put them in special prisons exempt from military law, we abuse them beyond belief, and let their sympathizers board our mass transit because we don't want to rub them the wrong way. It would almost be funny if it weren't so evil.

To My Fans

2005-07-29T08:17:00.000-05:00

I've always thought it was funny when I read a diary blog and they say, "I'm so sorry I haven't posted lately..." as if people tune in every day to read about their latest spat with the boyfriend or to find out the latest cute thing the new kitten did.

But it seems I have two or three fans out there that check in regularly and I just wanted to say that I've had a long, slow death in the family which is why I haven't blogged lately.

But there's one in the works which will be up soon. Unfortunately, I'm tied up today as well so it won't be up until tonight or tomorrow. Believe it or not, I spend several hours on each entry, writing and re-writing. I don't just spew and cry and rant like some people, who shall remain anonymous...

So thanks for checking in on me. I'll be back in the saddle soon.

The CIA Hearing About Karl Rove

2005-07-21T16:47:00.000-05:00

It's time for FOX "news" and besotted Republicans in general to face reality; Karl Rove outed a CIA operative and ruined years of work and endangered a large number of people. It's not a matter of opinion, it's not wishful thinking; it's been testified to. It's a fact.

Well, it's a fact that he outed her. The fact that Karl Rove endangered a large number of people will be testified to tomorrow on Capitol Hill when Rep. Henry Waxman and Sen. Byron Dorgan co-chair a hearing to hear just what damage has been done to the agency and it's operatives. Four former CIA analysts and members of the Defense Intelligence Agency will place their disgust at what Karl Rove did into the public record. The open letter of complaint to Congress that they drafted with seven of their colleagues is available here.

I've been trying not to post about Karl Rove, considering the fact that there is no lack of opinion and information on the subject - I even stopped reading about it for a few days; but there is one small addendum that's not being discussed on the news.

On May 6 2003, Nicholas Kristof writes an article in the New York Times about the 16 bogus words in Bush's 2003 State of the Union address concerning the purchase of Uranium by Iraq.

The State Department, knowing that Ambassador Joe Wilson was the only one who knew that the information was false, did some research.

On June 10 2003, Bush, Rove, Powell, Ari Fleischer and others, fly to Africa and in their possession is a classified State Dept. memo about Valerie Plame. Her identity is in a paragraph marked "TS", meaning that everything in the paragraph is Top Secret. It was also labeled SNF, which stands for Secret No Foreign, meaning that the information was not to be shared with foreign governments even if friendly.

Now we know how Karl Rove found out about Plame. He read the memo and told George the parts he needed to know, and then hatched the plan to intimidate Wilson to keep him quiet - but Wilson was already writing the New York Times piece "What I Didn't Find in Africa" which appeared July 6.

What's interesting is that a memo, circulated among the President and his men, contained anything about Valerie Plame at all... why were the leaders of this country reading a memo about a covert CIA agent...? I mean, why? She obviously was a target before Joe Wilson's article was even published. The wife. The mob isn't even that dirty and low.

Hopefully C-SPAN will carry the hearing tomorrow on one of their three channels. If not, there will be video on their site afterward. Thank God for the little bits of sanity that squeeze through.

Another Piece of the Puzzle?

2005-07-15T15:36:00.000-05:00

Al Franken made a very astute assumption today on Air America...

Remember how John Bolton had requested personal information on several intel analysts, particularly the ones who told the truth flat out instead of twisting it, and the CIA refused his repeated requests in order to protect their employees from his wrath?

Remember also that the reason John Bolton's nomination hasn't moved to the floor yet is because the White House won't turn over documents that show exactly who he was interested in? The White House said, "Well, you name someone and we'll tell you if they're on the list. Honest, we will." Remember?

Wouldn't it be just the funniest thing if Bolton was the other White House source that Novak and Cooper have both referred to? Why else are they stonewalling on the identities of the underlings he was hunting? What if he found out about Valerie Plame, found out that she was the kind of agent that would be denied by this country if she were ever caught... and thought to himself, "What a perfect crime. Get the bastard's wife killed and blame it on terrorists."

All we need now is proof of voting fraud in Ohio and this President could be put in his proper place in history - as the most shameful mistake this country ever made.

But then I could be wrong... but I could sooo easily be right.

Rove's Role

2005-07-14T17:01:00.000-05:00

So how do you feel about Karl Rove?

Do you really think that he's just your average guy, the kind who likes cats and slows down to let someone out in traffic? Do you really think that he is the type of Political Fucking Super Genius Superstar that wouldn't do something innocently on purpose to further his standing with the most powerful men on this planet? People who openly claim to be that naive amaze me - there is no shame anymore, especially among the pious.

Let us not forget that Rove was behind the smearing of John McCain during the 2000 Presidential race. He said that McCain possibly gave away military secrets while being tortured in Viet Nam, possibly lost a good portion of his mind there, and fathered a black child driving his wife to a Vicoden addiction.

He was also behind the phone campaign during the 2004 race that called undecided voters and urged them to get out and vote for Kerry if they truly cared about gay rights and legalizing gay marriage, an issue that was not part of Kerry's platform, but part of Bush's distraction campaign.

Another tidbit worth remembering is that Karl Rove was fired from George Bush Sr.'s administration for spilling secrets to... um... let me think.... oh I remember now, Robert Novak. The first President Bush also publicly lauded Ambassador Joseph Wilson as a fine, upstanding man that he held in the highest regard.

But Bush Jr. sees things differently. Rove is his top advisor and planner because he has proven himself to be effective at getting "the job" done. Methods and integrity are of no concern to this administration. Conversely, Ambassador Joe Wilson has proven himself to be too honest. He's proven that Bush's personal desires and lusts are of no concern to him when it comes to doing his job. Therefore he and his wife are fair game, the new targets. The Mob doesn't even sink that low.

So there's a new petition to sign, insisting that George Bush fire Karl Rove for Treason Against the United States and it's Agents (I'm guessing), sponsored by Air America Radio. The petition requires only your name and email, which they say will not be on the petition itself, and your zip code. I don't know what good it will do, but history will show that Democrats were the true patriots in this first decade of the new century. We tried to respect our President and we tried to persevere under his reign, but there's only so much that our government and our liberty can endure before the people stand up and demand decency from their elected officials and respect.

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." - Sinclair Lewis

I Hate It When They Tease Me

2005-07-09T07:13:00.000-05:00

Doug Clifton, editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, has disclosed that he has a story so hot, that two of his investigative reporters could be jailed and the paper fined if it were published.

Apparently, the information being withheld was "under seal" and was leaked. Lawyers for the paper have advised the editor that this endeavor is just too high risk and they "would lose."

Both reporters, as well as the editor, have said that they would go to jail to protect their source, but do not believe that the paper itself should be punished or fined and therefore are keeping the story under wraps for now.

So what do we know about Ohio? Well, some of the most outrageous claims of blatant voter fraud happened there just last year. The governor Bob Taft and the man who hopes to succeed him are both Republicans, 6 of the 7 justices on the Ohio Supreme Court are Republican, and the CEO of Diebold promised publicly to deliver Ohio to George Bush in November '04, and that's just the stuff I can remember off the top of my head.

For a refresher on that whole mess, read this Free Press article.

Imagine if there were proof that indeed there was intentional manipulation of voting machines in Ohio. Imagine if there were direct connections between officials of the state of Ohio and top administration officials in the Republican party. If I could prove that Republicans stole the election in November, I would jump at the chance, jail or not.

It's time to bring this President to his knees, and it's investigative reporting that is likely to do it. We can only hope that the Cleveland Plain Dealer prints the story, despite threats of punishment, for the greater good of our country.

Of course, I could be wrong. I could be. But I smell a really rotten scandal of monumental proportions here.

Tellin' It Like It Is

2005-07-08T09:29:00.000-05:00

Paul DuNard, English teacher and veteran, gave this speech at Lynwood High School in Lynwood California, at an assembly of 1000 young minds starved for truth and honesty.

In essence, Bush and Crew are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - and that's just his thesis statement.

I'll bet he was on the nation's No Fly list within 24 hours.

Liberal Soldier Threatened with Court Martial for Blogging

2005-07-04T15:34:00.000-05:00

Leonard Clark, a Liberal soldier from the Arizona National Guard, fighting in the streets of Iraq, was called into his commanding officer's office this 4th of July and ordered to take down his blog, in which he criticizes not only the war, but George Bush himself.

Hear it in his own words. And then tonight when you get all misty watching "the bombs bursting in air", remember what soldiers have always died for in the past, and think about what they're dying for now.

What Will Happen to Us?

2005-07-03T06:30:00.000-05:00

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, Sandra Day O'Connor has vacated her seat on the Supreme Court. Combine this with the fact that William Rehnquist is about to retire due to health reasons and you can almost see the Dark Ages approaching on the horizon.

This is what Republicans have been waiting for all their sheltered lives. They've prayed and they've poisoned the children and they've turned deaf ears to the peace-makers and now, the dream of Armageddon is almost here. But wait, there's more. Now God himself has two seats waiting for him on the Supreme Court and as if judgment day were just a fairy tale, the Republicans are absolutely giddy at the prospect of turning back the clock so that heathens can be punished right before their children's very eyes. They may not be able to re-create the fires of Hell, but they can remove all hope from the lives of the wicked, and make them suffer and wail in the streets. The rivers of blood, they're working on.

A wise man would make every effort to put a fair-minded, forward thinking person on the bench to ensure that the majority of the people are represented. A wise man would take into consideration the divisiveness that is tearing our country apart and find ways to bring peace to the troubled. But we don't have a wise man making the important decisions that need to be made. We have a man who has failed at everything he has ever done. We have a man who claims that Jesus is his favorite political philosopher. We have a man who thinks that power and obstinance are the true measures of greatness.

If you think that George W. Bush is going to cut this country some slack and make a decision that everyone can be happy with, then you don't know who you're dealing with. He doesn't care if the average American of indiscriminate faith is "happy". He doesn't care about personal liberty and true freedom. All he cares about is his manhood. He wants power, and he yearns for respect. As long as he can keep the Liberals running from this violation of constitutional rights to that violation of basic ethics, and the fundamentalists marching toward the kingdom and mowing down anyone who delays them; he can work on the dastardly deeds of stealing from the middle class to benefit the wealthy, leaving every child behind, and using troops as human shields in his petty war with Saddam Hussein.

Meanwhile North Korea and Iran are preparing themselves for an invasion from the U.S., and if George Bush decides to butcher the wrong phrase or looks at them funny, they might just decide that a pre-emptive nuclear strike would be perfectly justified.

Our ports and our chemical plants and our nuclear facilities and our food supply and our electrical grid are still unprotected. Kids with half a brain and a little determination are getting into these places and filming it all on videotape.

And we all know how well the troops are supported. The disrespect shown by this administration to the fighting forces is clear and is beginning to affect our overall troop strength.

The one thing we can count on is that George Bush will try to appoint the worst possible choice. He is consistent in one respect - he always gets it wrong. But there is one sliver of good news: Ms. O'Connor is not vacating her seat until a new judge is appointed. Pray that we can hold it off until January 2007 when the new Democratic congress steps in.

I'm reminded of something Ned Flanders once said, "Unfortunately, unlike the Bible, this isn't going to have a happy ending."

What a Waste of Time

2005-06-29T11:06:00.000-05:00

All I heard during George Bush's speech last night were justifications for all the dead and damaged soldiers.

Usama Bin Laden was mentioned twice in the first 5 minutes, after not being mentioned in two years.

9/11 was mentioned 5 times, even though the perpetrators of that attack, the Saudis, have virtually no restrictions on visas to enter this country.

Several attempts were made to link UBL to Iraq. Statements like, "Just like Al Queda, the Iraqi insurgency..." and so on, clearly directed at the faithful who find justification in the slimmest of rationalizations.

He actually said that we were working on bringing them proper sanitation and clean drinking water which is a disgrace considering we have been there for two years and the place is crawling with contractors.

He also explained that the reason we haven't sent more troops to Iraq is because the Generals on the ground say they don't need them. All they have to do is ask, and more troops will of course be deployed. And besides, sending more troops would look bad - it would show the insurgency that we have no confidence in the precious few who are there.

And then there was the embarrassing plea to America's youth to sign up for military service; join the proud and the brave sort of pitch. It was painful.

And then he cried. He got misty and choked up and was barely able to sign off. I really don't know what to say about that... I find it disturbing that our Commander in Chief will cry on cue if it serves his purpose. Especially considering that throughout the speech, he very obviously wore a mask of peace and satisfaction as he sang his accomplishments.

And every time he looked into the camera slinging that keyword with "the smile" chaser, all I could think of was the dead soldiers, the complete lack of understanding of the magnitude of what he has done, and the idiots that he thinks/knows he's talking to. It's galling.

So the whole thing was a complete waste of time. All he said was UBL started all of this, and we have to keep killing and being killed until everyone who wants the U.S. out of their country is dead.

Good news for Halliburton and Blackwater though - 34 Billion has been pledged by other countries for reconstruction.

Billy Graham's Last Crusade... for Hillary

2005-06-27T14:04:00.000-05:00

First of all, let me say that if you've never heard Billy Graham preach, you really missed out on something truly inspiring. Even as a kid I knew that Billy Graham was a true man of God. I don't think there's a Christian out there, even the among the crazy ones, who can find fault with him. Until now.

On Saturday Bill Clinton was invited to make the opening remarks at one of the last "Billy Graham Crusade"s. After taking the stage, Rev. Graham called the Clintons "wonderful friends" and "a great couple". And then, before 80,000 of only the most motivated worshipers (that's less than 1/5 the number of people who signed Sen. Conyers petition about the DSMemo), he said - wait. This needs its own paragraph.

Billy Graham told all the Christians who would hear, that he always thought that Bill Clinton should become an evangelist and let his wife run the country. And I can only assume that he STILL feels that way.

Now the man is not an idiot. He knows that Hillary is considering the Presidency. He also knows that Republicans did their best to burn Bill Clinton alive for his sins, and bury Hillary up to her neck and stone her for her willfulness. And he also knows why the Bush family kisses his ass.

So what on earth was he thinking? I believe that he was trying to communicate to his followers that he, being the wise and respected man that he is, knows the Clintons on a personal, familial level, and finds them to be honest, respectable people worthy of the highest offices.

I'm sure that any fundamentalist Republicans out there who have the guts to revisit the horror of his words, probably blame the fluid on his brain and/or senility. But what I would have given to see the Bush dynasty gathered around the large screen in the family room when he went and had to go say all that.

God Bless Billy Graham. He tried.

Kristen Breitweiser's Letter to Karl Rove

2005-06-24T12:15:00.000-05:00

I really couldn't have said it better. Nastier yes, better no.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/kristen-breitweiser/karl-roves-understandin_3103.html

If only he wouldn't keep saying that Liberals who speak out against "the war" don't "understand" what happened on 9/11. It seems to me, and others who pay attention, that what happened on 9/11 is that 19 Saudi Arabian men from a terrorist group in Afghanistan attacked our country.

The "war" as I "understand" it, is in Iraq and resulted from Bush's desire to bring Iraqis democracy.

I imagine that, among other things, Kristen is sick and tired of being treated like an idiot. I find it personally insulting and I'm not even a victim.

Private Contractors Immune from Prosecution

2005-06-22T06:39:00.000-05:00

More than 35 private security firms and their employees have signed an agreement, authored by L. Paul Bremmer, that protects them from prosecution under Iraqi law. Estimated at 20,000, these contractors provide more support to the U.S. led occupation than the British forces.

It's bad enough that these contractors are making huge salaries compared to our military, who are there only for the love of their country, but now we see that they have free reign to act on any inclination to abuse power.

Now do you see why low level specialists are being prosecuted for crimes in Abu Ghraib? These contractors come in to run things, the lower ranks assume they are in the military chain of command, follow their directives, and take the fall.

So what's to protect our soldiers and U.S. citizens and innocent Iraqis from these outlaws? Well, there is the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act of 2000, but the DoD has not issued regulations necessary to implement it. U.S. prosecution of private contractors is non-existent.

And then there's the fact that most of these private military companies are run by former Diplomats. The Carlyle group is run by George Bush Sr.. It's subsidiary, Diligence, founded by former CIA Director William Webster is now owned by former U.S. ambassador Richard Burt. It's Deputy Chairman, Joe Allbaugh, was George W. Bush's campaign manager in 2000. You don't get much closer than that to the Powers That Be. I don't see much hope that any of them will allow any U.S. law to interfere with their methods.

Bush had no patience for diplomacy, no patience for the Geneva Conventions, and no respect for our soldiers on the ground who have to pay and pay and pay for this war, because it was all about money from the beginning. Soon, due to the failure to lure and trap new recruits, we will be invading countries not with the few and the proud, but with men of questionable background who want to make a lot of money fast.

Republican Survey Results

2005-06-19T10:59:00.000-05:00

My last blog entry, "Question for Republicans" which is just below this one, produced some mildly interesting results.

55 people viewed that entry. Now, going on the assumption that roughly half the population is Republican, you would think that roughly half the people who viewed that question would likely be Republican.

One Republican answered my question, "Do you think the Democrats are unjustified in investigating the Downing Street Memo after what was used to justify the impeachment of Clinton?"

Now there are lots of problems with surveys. You could argue that Republicans don't blog and therefore were not present in the target audience. But anyone who surfs blogs regularly knows that that argument is not true.

You could also argue that the survey was done in a place where the target audience doesn't have an opinion, such as posting a survey about tricked-out Nascar engines in an issue of Cosmo. But anyone who surfs blogs regularly knows that bloggers are extremely opinionated and have a higher than usual desire to make themselves heard.

So all I can take from this survey is that Republicans can not accuse the Democrats of being unreasonable in their pursuit of impeachment hearings because it is completely justified.

So the next time you need to teach your Republican friends when to whine and when to shut up, feel free to throw my question at them. You might save their soul.

A Question For Republicans

2005-06-17T08:23:00.000-05:00

This is a serious question, just to satisfy my curiosity.

A lot of you are saying, "This Downing Street Memo issue is just the Democrats trying to find a way to take down George Bush."

What I'm wondering is, now that you've heard the allegations and understand the seriousness of what you say Bush "might" have done, does the thought cross your mind, "Well, it is pretty shitty what we did to Clinton."?

Do you really find no justification for this pursuit after what the Republicans used to justify their pursuit?

Heads Up

2005-06-16T06:12:00.000-05:00

Today is the day. Senator John Conyers, 89 of his colleagues, and about 10 witnesses are going to hold the first hearing about the Downing Street Memo.

After Republicans announced a new policy of denying all requests from committee Democrats for the use of committee hearing rooms in the Capitol, they conceded to allow them to use a small room in the basement that holds about 40 people. Why did they cop such a sour attitude? Because Sen. Conyers had the nerve to call the meeting a "hearing" and the committee itself was referring to Conyers as "Chairman" during previous "hearings". After Conyers agreed to call it a "forum" and after everyone promised not to call him "Chairman", the Republicans relaxed their rules and said they could play in the basement as long as they behave.

Unfortunately, it will only be televised on C-SPAN 3, but I hear that C-SPAN's website may be streaming it live, and I'm sure that Randi Rhodes will be all over it on her show.

And don't forget the post-forum party afterwards: the massive crowd of Patriots that will march to the White House to deliver their findings to the President personally.

The fun starts at 2:30 eastern.

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

2005-06-16T05:24:00.000-05:00

I missed out on commenting about the Terri Schiavo tragedy when it became everyone's business the first time. But now that it's being dragged out again for public airing, I need to let off a little steam.

What has happened to the American media? It's become soft and lazy and therefore the natural habitat for rich Republican Fundamentalists with high cholesterol. If you don't see the exploitation of the Terri Schiavo issue as the lowest, most vile attempt to further feed the separatist Fundamentalists and drive yet another wedge into our fragile society, then you're not paying attention.

The only thing sicker than the prostitution of Terri, is the vengeance the family is seeking against Michael Schiavo. Now I don't really blame the family... you can't blame a person for how they express grief; but if you think that they aren't being funded, supported, and coached by Republicans then you're naive.

Remember Linda Tripp's merciful makeover soon after she stabbed her young friend in the back? Remember Paula Jones' nose and boob job soon after she tried to bury Bill Clinton? They'll give you w h a t e v e r you want if you'll just help them further their fragile sense of righteousness and power. As long as you give them what they want...

I suspect that the same thing is happening with the Schindler family, to the peril of the Schiavo family. To hell with Them. They are the enemy simply because their moral beliefs are not the same. I don't know if Michael Schiavo claims to be Christian, but he obviously is not the right kind of Christian. And then there's the part where he doesn't further their agenda. Well, actually he did, didn't he?

Now the Schindlers are pursuing a murder investigation, no doubt driven by a team of Upstanding, low-down conservative agenda goons. I see these lives consumed by vengeance and I believe that it is being fed by the depraved and corrupt in the Republican media machine and it is EVIL. I really think that these so-called Christian men truly believe that they are Christians... but I have this funny, silly notion that if I were Satan, I would destroy the world through Christianity. I wouldn't waste time chasing ordinary, take it or leave it souls; I'd get some juicy, feisty Christian souls and make them fearless and stupid and powerful. I told you it was a silly notion.

In closing, I was relieved when Terri finally died and pissed off that I had to be made so painfully aware of it. And I thought of how Terri would have felt if someone had told her how she would die... "You will lie in a bed in the dark, shitting in a bed-pan for 18 years.", "Your twisted blank face will be on everyone's TV screen and your hair will be atrocious." How could her family look at her lying in that bed, ONE INCH from Heaven's door, and find solace? How could Heaven not even be an option? It astounded me to see all those Christians fighting to keep Terri in this horrible existence as if she were being dragged into hell itself. I was, and remain, completely mystified by this "Christianity".

Why Howard Dean is So Scary

2005-06-13T08:44:00.000-05:00

to Republicans: Because he's got great big Balls o' Fire, that's why.

Ever since the Bush administration took office, they have been fighting against The Wimp Factor - the title earned by George Sr. and emblazoned across the cover of Time magazine after the first Gulf War. And it's not just Jr., all the men who helped Sr. earn the Wimp title are back again, fighting for their manhood on the world stage, to the detriment of the world.

Just like Iraq and Afghanistan, where we see what the trampling and elimination of the feminine has brought to their societies; this administration has ignored and shown outright contempt for anything that smacks of feminine tendencies. Cooperation, negotiation, caring about others, feeding and educating children, etc. It seems that religious fundamentalism isn't the only problem shared by our cultures.

Remember how John Kerry was portrayed as weak because he didn't see things as black and white? Right and wrong? Remember how suddenly the word "nuance" provoked smirks from the Right? But to make matters worse, he was/is married to a mouthy, red-blooded woman. A self-authorizing, alpha female who has her own ideas and the will to speak freely. How much more of a woman could Kerry be? How can he carry the torch of world domination if he can't even see the threat posed to society by women like Teresa?

And remember how Edwards was the Breck Girl?

But Howard Dean isn't the weak-kneed, wish-washy type, is he. He says what he means and means what he says, (where have I heard that before..?), and he's not afraid to poke his finger right squarely in the middle of your chest. He's left no room for the Republicans to feminize him, but I predict that we will begin to hear femininely negative words like excitable, irrational, unhinged and distracting used to describe him.

So Dean's tired of being civil and holding the Democrat's hands. So he said the GOP is full of white Christian men. As if Rush and Hannity and O'Rielly haven't said FAR worse, most of it much further from the truth. I've noticed that when Republicans start to focus on what the Democrats are saying, it's usually in direct relation to the fact that Dems are focusing on what Reps are doing. As if what the Dems are saying is more heinous and damaging than the crimes the Reps are actually committing.

I hope Dean teaches the left a thing or two about how to deal with the bully on our playground, and I hope he lights a fire under the Democratic party. We need some fresh air.

You've Got to See It to Believe It

2005-06-11T08:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, during a Senate Hearing on the Patriot Act, Democrats invoked a rule which allows the minority party to hold an extra day of hearings if they feel that their side has not had enough time to present their case.

In the middle of the hearing in which lawyers of recently released Guantanimo detainees were testifying, Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R), Head of the Judiciary, interrupted and said that none of the testimony had anything to do with the Patriot Act and that he was offended by the depths Democrats would stoop to to confuse the issue.

He then thanked everyone for coming, adjourned the meeting, and took the gavel with him as he left. Several Senators were left shouting for a Point of Order as the Republicans all stood up to leave and they were ignored. Instructions were given to shut off the microphones but C-SPAN kept rolling while the remaining Democratic Senators and their witnesses continued shouting their testimony so as to be heard by the one camera-mounted microphone that was still working.

Behold: http://www.dembloggers.com/story/2005/6/10/54149/5115

Read Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's press release here.

Let's Rock and Roll

2005-06-09T14:51:00.000-05:00

Senator John Conyers just announced that there will be a hearing on Thursday, June 16, concerning the Downing Street Memo. At the hearing will be 94 Senators, weapons inspectors, former CIA analysts, Ambassador Joe Wilson whose wife was outed as a CIA agent because he told the truth about the "yellow cake" uranium, and widows and other family of soldiers who have been killed.

After the hearing, the committee will go to Lafayette Park in D.C. to meet with supporters and gather all the petitions that have been signed demanding that George Bush answer questions about the conspiracy to wage war.

And then the whole bloody lot of them are going to March To The White House and Hand the Letter and Petitions To President Bush Personally.

I can't even remember the last time the news made me this happy. It's been since Clinton was in office, I can tell you that.

Actions Have Consequences

2005-06-09T11:16:00.000-05:00

This phrase has been used a lot lately, mostly by the Right as one of the reasons abortions should be denied to women who want them. It's just that one should be saddled with an unwanted child for sinking to such a level as to have sex for pleasure.

It has recently been used by the Bush Administration to squelch information and photos coming out about torture in Abu Ghraib and Guantanimo. Newsweek felt so threatened that it retracted it's Quran in the toilet story even while admitting that they believed their source and the story to be valid. Scott McClellan actually blamed Newsweek for the spike in violence that took place in the following days in Afghanistan and Iraq. Then of course last Friday after everyone had gone home the FBI announced that indeed the story was true, as well as many others involving desecration of the Quran, as anyone with half a brain could have easily assumed. But it's not the torture that bothers our leaders, it's the public knowledge of it.

Notice how the Downing Street Memo is being treated by the media. The Right isn't the least bit upset that W was planning to start a war with Iraq while he lied to their faces about it; nor are they upset that he tricked the Congress into giving him the power to declare war after his unsuccessful, covert bombing campaign (with Britain) that was supposed to get Saddam to strike "first". It's the fact that people are finding out about it that is so deplorable. The fact that Godless America-Haters are questioning the honesty, integrity, morals and ethics of their leader.

George Bush is a train wreck of vengeance and lust for power. Thousands have died because of his failure to address Bin Laden before 9/11 and after, due to his fixation on Iraq. The anger and fervor of this country and our administration after 9/11 encouraged a military that was out for blood. The Geneva Conventions were seen as quaint and not up to speed with these "special" "new" enemies. The Right wing ideologues in power lowered the standards for how we treat enemy combatants and prisoners, putting our soldiers in far greater danger now and in the future.

But it's the Liberal Media's fault, all of it. For exposing it. It's the judgment of the people that is the real fear of this administration, not retribution from God for their sins, but the retribution of the people. They know that if the people find out what kind of men they really are, the people will make them pay for the lives they took. It's almost childlike, the way they believe that if they don't get caught, God won't find out either...

Actions have consequences, Mr. President, and you have no clothes on.

FOX "news"

2005-06-07T12:35:00.000-05:00

I don't watch FOX "news". The only time I do watch it is when I'm feeling plucky and hateful and feel the need to really ignite myself; or when there is an absolute vacuum of news on CNN and MSNBC and want to hear some news. Not that FOX "news" actually reports news, but you know what I mean.

So I had it on in the background today and sort of forgot - makin' a Dagwood; and at the end of a report on the search for that high school student Natalee in Aruba I heard the correspondent say, "Tomorrow her brother and a friend will arrive here in Aruba to help with the search. They will also be bringing with them 1000 prayer bracelets made by Natalee's church group. That's all from Aruba, back to you."

And I thought, "That's kind of an odd thing to add to the end of a news broadcast...." and a moment later I realized I was watching FOX "news". Which reminded me of a blundered attempt to plug God that I witnessed on the same network over a year ago.

Linda Vester was interviewing Dru Shodeen's mother, another tragic missing girl case, and at the very end of the interview, Linda, with her face in a permanent cramp of fear and concern begged, "Tell us, how do you get from one day to the next? Where do you find your strength?", and Dru's mom took a deep breath and said, "I tell myself that no matter what I'm going through, Dru is going through much worse and I have to stay strong so that I can find her."

A clearly disappointed Vester, her face suddenly blank in a, "You're dead to me." stare, responded with, "Very well then." After I stopped giggling I wondered if the commentators at FOX "news" received demerits for failing to invoke God in a story... judging by the look on Linda's face, it was as if she knew it was going to show up on a score card somewhere and she was going to miss out on the gold-plated Christy Lane watch again this year.

It's always been obvious, who the Bush administration and FOX "news" are pandering to at every conceivable opportunity; it's the people in this country who "let go and let God" and live their lives without a thought to anything but faith and hope. And I've seen a LOT of people who live their lives that way and you probably have too. It's not just the Christians or Fundamentalists who respond so well to the dogma, it's the weak and disinterested who think, "Well, I'd better vote for the God candidate just in case there is a heaven", and tell themselves that we're safer then ever before because our soldiers are dying over there instead of over here.

As long as Republicans continue to play the part of Good against the world of Evil, while distracting the masses with futile, divisive issues, we will continue to ignore the significant issues that are affecting our future and the world. Our reputation, our failing environment, the truly barbaric fates of certain cultures, and our children's quality of life. The two gay guys in the grocery store and the girl they've never met who wants to get an abortion - those are the issues that move them to vote.

I'm beginning to think that people should pass a simple true or false Current Events test in order to vote. But truth and lies are ambiguous these days.

It's Time For Some Rid-X

2005-06-02T07:22:00.000-05:00

If ever this country needed a Whistle Blower, a Deep Throat, or even a Linda Lovelace from Bush's past, surely it is now. If ever there was a time when the American people needed to be rescued from the slippery slope of world-wide disaster, surely it is these tragic times.

How many high crimes must be committed before a common denominator is clearly obvious? How many disabled, destroyed Americans does it take to screw in a lightbulb in the dark, lazy minds of so-called Patriots? Thousands and thousands apparently.

If Richard Nixon can be impeached for accepting slush money and bugging the Democratic National Headquarters; and Bill Clinton can be impeached for lying about a private, sexual dalliance; then surely we have cause to pursue impeachment of this President.

I urge you to sign Sen. John Conyers petition to the President in which he and 89 of his colleagues demand answers to the questions raised by the Downing Street Memo, in which it is shown that Bush and Blair not only planned to take the world to war for personal and political reasons, but that they goaded and harassed Saddam Hussein, trying to provoke him into attacking us first, which he would not do. Signing this petition may very will begin the impeachment process of the worst American President in history, George W. Bush.

I'm also beginning to think that perhaps the reason Saddam hasn't been brought to trial yet may be all the evidence showing just what dirty, unlawful tactics we used to provoke and/or encourage him in the recent past....

How much sewage needs to seep up into the yard before we slip and fall face-first into it? How long will the American people continue to lie in it, consoling themselves with, "Well, at least it's my sewage."?

Good News

2005-05-29T15:22:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of CNN, May 25th.

Households with a net worth of $1,000,000 rose 21% last year.
Households with a net worth of $5,000,000 rose 38%.
That amounts to 1.3 million households joining the millionaires club.

I knew things were turning around. Now I can relax a little.

(Interesting news tidbit you probably hadn't heard delayed by my incarceration aboard a cruise ship.)

Numbers

2005-05-16T06:38:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Time Magazine, May 16.

33% - Increase in federal spending during W's first term.

27% - Spending increase over the past DECADE for the 101 biggest domestic programs that the Republican-led Congress vowed in 1995 to eliminate.

$89.4 million - Amount of Iraqi money disbursed by U.S. officials for Iraq reconstruction efforts that auditors say cannot be sufficiently accounted for.

$7.2 million - Additional Iraqi funds disbursed there that cannot be accounted for at all.

6% - Percentage increase from 2003 to 2004 in U.S. Latino employment, primarily in low-skilled jobs, according to a new analysis of government data.

5% - Percentage wage decrease from 2002 to 2004 for Hispanics, the only major ethnic group to experience a decline for two consecutive years.

And to make matters worse, I just heard on Imus that there's a good possibility that Dick Cheney will run for President in 2008... if there is anything that can make me feel worse than I did on November 3rd 2004, it will be confirmation of this. Killing myself gently won't seem like such an alarmist reaction anymore, but a wise one.

Nonessential Personnel

2005-05-14T07:55:00.000-05:00

There is a photograph of President Bush returning from his infamous bike ride Wednesday, and in it he is holding the book "I Am Charlotte Simmons", the bestseller detailing the sex-addled, drunken lives of college students. As if there weren't already enough questions about his activities that morning, I feel that I need to add a few:

How do you read a book while you're bike riding? Well, I would imagine that you can't. The only logical way to do it would be to park your bike under a shady tree and lie in the grass.

Why is he reading a book about decadent youth? Well, it could be that he wants to know what his daughters are up to when they ditch their SS detail. Or, he's trying to remember the glory days when no one expected anything of him. Or, he likes to masturbate outdoors.

Why was he masturbating in the woods during a work day? Well, it may be a simple case of everything was pretty much done the day before. Or, he may just be part-time.

But the bigger question is this: Why was he not informed of the "attack" on his wife/home/hood/country until 72 minutes later? I have some theories:

He told his security detail to bother him under no circumstances.
He wasn't "bike riding" but alone somewhere without his security detail.
Everyone knows that Bush is "nonessential personnel".

We all remember the calm with which the President continued to read My Pet Goat once he learned of the 9/11 attack. That sick look on his face, and there's no other way to describe it, that clearly said, "I am in SOOO much trouble" because he remembered being warned about just such a scenario. How he sat for 11 minutes unable to come up with anything Presidential to do.

It's because he didn't know what to do, but he did know that people with fancy titles and important jobs were handling everything. I read an excerpt from Richard Clark's book that one of his men was actually in the bunker with Cheney and Rice on that day, and after 20 minutes of listening to Cheney et al discuss the shoot down order said, "Don't you think you should call the President?" The low regard for the President's opinions and advice was stunning. It wasn't just me - the members of his own cabinet had no illusions that he might have an idea in his head.

And so that's why the Secret Service didn't bother him on his "bike ride". He was safe and out of the way, brighter bulbs were handling everything, and telling him sooner rather than later would only extend the amount of time they would have to listen to him bitch on the way home. Can you imagine?

"Oh God, Scott McClellan didn't tell David Gregory I was bike riding, did he?"
"I'm afraid he told the whole world, sir."
"Shit! Why didn't he say I was working in my office and went to the bunker with... um... Laura?"
"I don't know, sir. Maybe he was afraid Gregory would ask what orders you gave."
"Shit, can't he make that stuff up by now?"
"I think he's trying to keep his integrity in tact, sir."
"What about MY integrity?! I'm the President!"
"With all due respect, he can't perform miracles, sir."
"Shit! I am in SOO much trouble."

Is there any doubt left in anyone's mind that George Bush is nothing but a figurehead?

File This Under "Double Standards"

2005-05-12T11:51:00.000-05:00

The D.C. U.S. Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that Vice President Dick Cheney does not have to reveal the names and affiliations of the oil lobbyists who participated in the drafting of this nation's Energy Policy.

During the Clinton administration, however, the same court used different rules when evaluating Hillary Clinton's Health Policy Task Force. They decided then that "outside participants who meet within a White House advisory group are 'defacto members' of that group and therefore the public has the right to know who they are."

You could also file this under "Clear Hypocrisy".

Like a Bad Penny

2005-05-08T19:40:00.000-05:00

While we were all listening to the tale of the Runaway Bride, Britain was holding elections and digging up secret memos:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/6/113947/8072

This is an analysis of the memo since the original is very dry. The original memo is linked on that page and the gist of it is this:

A man called "C" who is the head of M16 in Britain attended a meeting at the White House with Tony Blair in the summer of 2002 to discuss war. C took notes which are now being referred to as the "Downing Street Minutes" which say that once the Bush and Blair administrations were told that no one would support a war in Iraq due to the fact that Saddam wasn't threatening his neighbors and his weapons programs were insignificant compared to Libya, North Korea and Iran, they decided as a group to fix the intel and facts around the policy.

It was decided that the best way to do this was to send weapons inspectors into Iraq with such wide-reaching authority and latitude that Saddam would never allow them into his country... but he did. If I'm not mistaken, a second set of rules was invented to be even more stringent and he allowed those inspectors in as well. Soon after, inspectors were removed from the country by our administration because Saddam wouldn't play bad guy and refuse them himself, and the preclusions ensued.

What makes this story true?? What makes this something other than a rumor? The fact that 88 U.S. Senators and Congressman have drafted and signed a letter demanding that President Bush address the findings. There is also this press release.

So I suppose the left was right again. Diplomacy was never an option and the world was lied to. It was all just a huge money-making scheme. We were going to storm in, the Iraqis were going to beg for mercy, Bush's oily friends were going to rebuild the infrastructure and set up their off-shore accounts, Iraqis were going to be the eager new slave labor at the Wal-Marts and Burger Kings, and we were all supposed to be in complete awe of our benevolent, wise leader by election day. *sigh*...it was supposed to be so indemnifying. Thwarted, he was, by the hand of God. Or was it Allah? Ahh....

Now tell me there's a liberal media bias. Go ahead. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who hears about this in the mainstream media.

Gods and Fools

2005-05-05T12:20:00.000-05:00

I was listening to the news today and heard someone talking about Arabs and Hindus and their religious beliefs as if they were slightly silly. It wasn't what they said, but the tone of it. Not that their beliefs should be disregarded, but c'mon... they're not Christian, so who really cares?

And I remember one of the most significant turning points in my life - when I took World Religions class in college, and how my mind just opened up like a lotus (forgive me). I realized that religion and deity and myth are all symptoms of the human condition - it all comes from the same place and affects everyone on the planet.

I had a great religion teacher - a real intellectual beach bum who had figured out a lot of things for himself in 60 years. One thing that stuck in my mind was his lecture on how everything in the world is mind-wrought, or comes from the mind of men. Nature, of course, does not. The rivers and trees and bio-organisms have always been here and always will be. One might say that nature was born in the mind of God, certainly not man. Yet for the most part we show great disrespect for these gifts that were put here for us; but behold how we worship what man has wrought. Including religion.

Myth is a funny thing, it sprouts up everywhere. And the funny part is that cultures who had never even met had almost identical myths. Almost all of them have a great flood, a god impregnating a virgin who then gives birth to a hero who sacrifices himself to save the people, an afterlife, and evil incarnate. Now one could say yet again that this is PROOF that the story is true, but did you know that Christianity is the youngest of the worlds religions; after Zoroastrianism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam? Makes you think, doesn't it?

So when I hear pundits gloss over other religions as if they are simple myths while holding their own religion as actual law, it bothers me that they don't have the education I have. Not to mention that the discussion moves from an endeavor to find unity, to the edge of a cliff and over it.

If only we received a basic High School course in religion, in how we are alike instead of how we are different, we might not be so myopic about life and liberty and actually be able to create a harmonious world for our children.

Should We Lynch Jennifer Wilbanks?

2005-05-03T11:33:00.000-05:00

Should we televise her trial?? Will she get married?? If you don't know who Jennifer Wilbanks is, let me enlighten you.

JUST KIDDING. How could you not know about that total stranger from another state who did something stupid and is suffering national embarrassment on every channel? It's as if all of us should just stop and consider how significant this is... except it's not.

What is significant is the complete lapse of real reporting. Why are we not seeing hour-long "special reports" on how the oil companies are enjoying profits of 800% over two years, or how economists know that social security would be fine if people earning over $90,000 a year paid their share of SS taxes (they are only taxed on the first $90,000 of their income), or how Strom Thurmond holds the record for the longest filibuster in history when he argued against the Civil Rights Bill, or why civilians are walking around in a war zone getting kidnapped and beheaded (answer: Dick Cheney), or why the budget was yanked for R&D on a nuclear detecting device that could be used to scan cargo (answer: company not one of Cheney's holdings)?

What's worse is that the tone of the Wilbanks story has changed dramatically. It's not about her anymore, it's about everyone else and what they went through and what they sacrificed. Although the only thing that separates her from them is that she did something stupid, They are the ones who should be pitied and comforted and compensated for Their ordeal... and there is a disturbing lack of forgiveness and mercy. I can't help but wonder if the media hadn't whipped this story into such a lather if strangers might not feel some compassion for her. But that's long gone. Thanks to wall-to-wall coverage, the nation as a whole has little to no respect for her anymore.

So, is Jennifer being burned as a witch? Yes. Is the Media doing it's job? No. And yes.

If you hold that the media's job is to tell us what we don't know so that we function as an informed, involved society then the answer is No. If you realize that Washington is a cut-throat town where brassy reporters pay dearly for their eagerness to get the real story, then the answer is Yes. Access to press conferences can be yanked away in the wink of an eye in this administration, and you can't tell me that never being allowed to set foot on White House property again doesn't result in a huge pay-cut.

And unfortunately I don't see the situation changing. As long as Bush's corporate friends own the news media and reporters are intimidated, we will continue to hear only the most contrived and impotent of controversies, while the high crimes and debauchery going on right under our noses will remain abstract and immaterial.

Begging Your Pardon, Mr. President, but You Didn't Answer the Question

2005-04-29T11:16:00.000-05:00

Or, Why I Love David Gregory.

David Gregory is the White House correspondent for NBC news that George Bush and Scott McClellan call on grudgingly at Press Conferences, because he's so ahead of the curve. If you have any vague memories of a correspondent that wouldn't let Bush wiggle out of a question, it was probably David Gregory.

Take last night as an example. We all know that Bush, McClellan, Rumsfeld, etc. don't like follow-up questions because A: they think the convoluted, tangled up mess they just choked out was artfully evasive and quite well done in their own opinion and B: they don't want to be nailed down and shown to not have answered the question at all. But follow-up questions are a big No-No at "Presidential Press Conference"s, but that didn't stop David Gregory from demanding an answer to his unanswered question.

This is NOT a quote: "Mr. President, considering that Bill Frist just joined forces with the Family Research Council on Sunday to say that Senators who support the filibuster are "Anti-Faith", I wondered what your thoughts were on the way faith is BEING USED by the right to further their political agendas and persuade people to vote a certain way?" That is not a quote but he did say that faith was "being used" by the right.

Bush went on to say, c'mon - I'll bet you can say them with me. All together now... "I think faith is a very important part of our society", "I get great strength from my faith", "I think faith is a highly personal issue", "We welcome people of all faiths in this country" (goes on to recite memorized list of other faiths). Bush then tried to talk over Gregory's follow-up, but David was persistent, "The question was about faith in politics not about faith in society.", and that's when George got so flustered that he blurted out an obviously "unauthorized" answer to a question he was not "prepared" for; "Well, I think the Democrats who oppose my judicial nominees just have different judicial philosophies. I don't think that just because they oppose my nominees that they're anti-American or anti-faith." Again, that is not a quote.

Thank you, David. In the space of 20 seconds you tore a gash right down the center of the latest distraction cooked up by the far right to sidetrack all the news that the media should be paying attention to.

Today the news story is, "How are Republican Senators reacting to the President's distancing of himself from their agenda?", and that's just so just. The right have been acting as if they have a mandate from their constituents to do whatever they want, but they're finding out slowly but surely that the polls are not with them, and now, not even the President when pressed (ha) on live TV.

If only every reporter would demand answers to their questions instead of letting the President or Rumsfeld or McClellan say what they want to say despite the question, we might not all be left scratching our heads afterward feeling... slightly.... duped.

Take Me Out to the Black

2005-04-26T16:37:00.000-05:00

Tell 'em I ain't comin' back... Any Firefly fans here? Remember the cool sci-fi/western shoot 'em up that was on Friday nights about two years ago? Anybody...?

Well it's about to be a Major Motion Picture and the trailer is here:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/serenity/

You must have Quicktime. No really, it's delicious.

Children as Prey

2005-04-24T15:09:00.000-05:00

What Is The Deal with all the child molesters going mad lately?? It seems that cute, adorable children are disappearing at the rate of 5 per week, at least according to the Amber Alert system. It's almost as if cable news will soon need a 5 minute segment every half hour to update the public on the newest little victims.

Aside from that, what are we as a society going to do to them when we catch them? The First Time? I believe that as soon as medical evidence proves that little Amy was violated and DNA evidence proves who it was, that person should be put in jail or hospitalized permanently. As long as they are watched on a 24 hour basis I'm not really invested in how harsh their punishment is - that's for others to dwell on.

And then I think about people like Michael Jackson. He didn't kill his victims because A: there were too many witnesses around and B: he thought his money would buy all the silence he needed. But the important thing to note here is that he REALLY thinks that he didn't hurt these children... ??

I believe that people who desire children have a chemical imbalance that they can't control. In order for children to be protected these people need to be in some sort of facility where they are housed and kept track of for the rest of their lives.

I'll bet if we stopped jailing everyone caught with marijuana we could afford it.

The Smooshing of Church and State

2005-04-24T11:29:00.000-05:00

Does anyone question anymore the importance of the Separation between Church and State? Do you SEE what's happening? Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has teamed up with the Family Research Council to help get the message out tonight that the Devil is Alive and Well in the Senate, all because decent liberals who want to protect everyone's rights as afforded them in the Constitution are getting in the way of God's Law. Now is that any way for college educated adult, who has taken a vow to uphold the Constitution, to behave?

But this holy missive isn't going to be on TV. The holy message contained therein is not meant for You. Unless Your ass is in church tonight, you'll be left behind. Now it's clear that Frist expects to move the fearful to write to their Senators and vote republican in their local elections and then vote him into the Presidency in 2008, even though every branch of government is about 2/3 republican already; but is it moral to use fear and lies to manipulate the weak? Is it righteous to use the Lord's name in a vain attempt to wrest even more power??

I wonder sometimes how it feels to be George Bush standing in front of a cheering crowd only to know that they're all mislead and/or not very bright? He knows how he got there, and he knows what he's done, and he knows what he plans to do in the future, but the grinning, besotted crowd doesn't have a clue. They haven't learned yet that some people will use the Lord's name in vain to get whatever they want. They're so innocent. They know not what they have done.

I have no doubt that the event will be all over the internet and news tonight and tomorrow, and I have no doubt that when republicans who actually want to uphold the constitution begin to speak out against the Frists and DeLays, they will be turned on not only by their Christian counterparts, they will be smeared by their Christian constituency. You think it's sick being in Fight Club? Watch what happens when you try to get out.

The Bolton Abomination

2005-04-20T12:54:00.000-05:00

Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday successfully delayed the vote on John Bolton for U.N. Ambassador due to the number of complaints that are pouring into the committee. Even though Committee Chair Sen. Lugar tried to call a vote 4 times during the discussion, suggesting that the vote should take place in spite of the misgivings because the President thought he was the right man for the job and then the Democrats could discuss and investigate the allegations all they wanted... I don't think that he thought he was talking to idiots, I think that he really couldn't come up with any other plea. And have you ever seen ANYONE more shifty-eyed?? That was very unsettling.

Bolton is the type of guy who believes that fear and intimidation is the way to "handle" subordinates. And I can only assume that it has worked for him in the past to such success that he's beginning to lose control of the inner demon. He intimidated intelligence analysts to change, leave out, alter intelligence during 2002 and when they refused or went to superiors with the problem, they were visited personally by Bolton and threatened. When their superiors would not fire them Bolton went to higher superiors. Luckily none of the analysts were fired because it is the job of their immediate superiors to hire and fire them, not the job of someone 5 levels of management higher and one department over.

He filed 10 inquiries requesting the identities of two other analysts who had intercepted hot information but they were protected by their superiors. PROTECTED by their superiors from this maniac.

And as it stands now, SO MUCH information has started pouring in from people who have had the misfortune of dealing with him that even a Republican, Sen. Voinovich, has already said that if these allegations are true, he would not vote for him, and therefore the man needed to be investigated.

The important thing to note here is that George W. Bush hand-picked this man for the job. Why is it that EVERYONE Bush promotes and hosts award dinners for have either brought disaster to innocent Americans, or have made a complete mess of something while billions of dollars disappear or is a major ASSHOLE of some sort? And why am I the only one who sees it????!

Where Can You Find the Most Concise List of Liberal Blogs?

2005-04-17T14:38:00.000-05:00

On Republican Overlord Roger Ailes blog http://rogerailes.blogspot.com under "Enemies List". I stumbled upon it the other day and had to laugh. There must be 100 sites listed.

So thanks, Rog, for combing through the 1000's of sites out there and bringing us only the ones you find most unbearable. Your stamp of denial is all the gold-standard I need.

First Day on the Blog

2005-04-15T16:27:00.000-05:00

Greetings, Blog surfers. I'm actually just warming up the keys while I get my pithy profundities together. I feel a strange sense of responsibility having a blog, as if I must be relevant and stimulating... because a blog that's not read is a sad, empty effort. Isn't it?

First of all I'm really scared of the Fundamentalist Christian Right and their agenda. I hear today that Majority Leader Bill Frist has thrown in with a Christian Broadcasting company to create propaganda videos about The Liberals and how they're trying to dissolve Christianity as they know it and how the time is nigh to fight for the Baby Jesus.... which is just one step away from claiming that the END TIMES are upon us, and you know what that means.... yes you do... let that child who went to Sunday School take over your practiced critical thinking skills for a moment...

There will only be evil people who are controlled by the devil, and good people who are controlled by Jesus. The entire world of myriad cultures and beliefs and expressions of love and life will become black and white and instead of strangers coming together for the better good, strangers will stop and judge the others "beliefs" before accidentally treating them with respect. It's happening already and I don't see that it will ever change as long as simple minds are manipulated with emotional language and unproductive arguments. And it scares me.

Has it ever occurred to anyone else that there's going to be multitudes of so-called Christians "left behind" gnashing their teeth while multitudes of so-called sinners are going to be sailing into heaven saying, "I knew it!!!"