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::fuzzy and blue --political musings by a proud Democrat::
::Author::  Name::Tina From::United States Married college graduate and parent who lives in the Mid West View my complete 
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Thursday, August 31, 2006 The Broken Branch of Govt & Silencing Dissent is BushCo's Personal Brand of Fascism  Yeah... that is Betty Bowers with the look of disdain on her face in that pix, but that look perfectly sums up the complete nonsensical spew of a recent testicleless anonymous idiot who likes to stalk my blog. You see, according to this inbred moron, we who dare to discuss and point out the plethora of Neo-Con/ BushCo crimes are what is wrong with America... NOT the actual Neo-Con/ BushCo crimes. I know... he clearly needs the Jaws of Life to remove his head from his ass, but is this kind of thinking any different from what Rummy is spewing? Rummy is telling everyone that if you dare to criticize the war in Iraq, then you are a fascist lover and equal the Nazi appeasers of WWII. See, it is never what they have done or continue to do-- the "real" problem is those of us who dare to speak up. Nice. I'm sure the Taliban, bin Laden and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would be proud. But when it comes to what is ailing America, a new book called The Broken Branch, written by reknown political authors Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, states what some of the real problem currently is: A GOP led Congress that has consciously chosen to do Bush's bidding-- regardless of what disasterous effects that kind of bending over has on America, and a press corps which has been silent about these crimes and has refused to hold their feet to the fire. Here's their CNN interview w/Kitty Pilgrim: PILGRIM: In your book you say, "Congress has had its ups and downs in realizing the intentions of the framers. Sadly, today it is down, very much the broken branch of govt." Now, how is this Congress failing the Amer public? ORNSTEIN: It's failing it in a lot of ways. One is in the process. The rules and norms that govern any institution, now they're stretched beyond belief. Votes that are supposed to take 15 mins take 3 hrs. There's no sense of bringing a bill to the floor after people have taken a look at it, 2000 pg bills come up in the middle of the night w/ nobody having examined them beforehand. There's no oversight of what the executive branch does. And bad process in this case leads to bad policy. PILGRIM: Why is this? Why suddenly? MANN: It didn't develop overnight. The seeds of the problems of the broken branch were planted decades ago. Near the end of the democratic reign in the House, many of these same problems were emerging, but they took on a sort of special form when we had the 1st united Republican govt since Eisenhower. The focus was on passing Bush's program and nothing else mattered. So the major leaders in Congress saw themselves as lieutenants of the president, not as custodians of the first branch of govt, the lynch pin of American democracy, and so they didn't look out for how that process ought to operate, how they ought to stand up to the exec branch. PILGRIM: What should the Amer public do? MANN: It all has to start w/ the voters. ORNSTEIN: We need ethics and lobbying reform desperately. And Congress has just given the back of the hand to that. So, we have got to have members of Congress who will say that we're going to abide by the rules that we have. And frankly, we need a press corps that is even more vigilant that holds them to account, put their feet to the fire. We haven't had as much as we need, in the last few yrs. Wa-wa- what? A press corps that will actually point out and discuss the plethora of Neo-Con/ BushCo crimes so that us voters can make educated voting decisions not based on propaganda? Tsk tsk tsk... I have the feeling Rummy and the testicleless moron blog stalker won't like that, eh? THAT hinders their personal fascism and the spread of their agenda. 
You have to read the transcript or watch Crooks & Liars' video of Keith Olbermann's fierce bitchslap of Rummy and his insane spew of "Iraq war critics = Nazi appeasers."
Go to this site to see how much exactly per household, per person or for the entire nation the war in Iraq is costing us Americans. You can also check by your individual state and your general area. For example: In the entire US, the war is costing $2796 per household. You can also click on these links to get an idea how much of these services we could have paid for instead of paying for this war: PRE-SCHOOL, KIDS' HEALTH, PUBLIC EDUCATION, PUBLIC HOUSING, COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS. If this site doesn't piss you off or make you want to cry, you must not have a pulse... or you are a Repuke... which is a redundant statement since you already don't have a pulse b/c you do not possess a heart.
Rumsfeld: Criticize the Iraq War, and you're just like a Nazi appeaser  Without a doubt, RumSkull is losing it bigtime: Here's the ugly facts: On Tues, 5 troops died in Iraq. That makes 13 troops in 2 days-- since we learned on Mon that 8 troops died. The total for the month of Aug thus far (and we still have 2 more days to go, folks) is 57 US troops killed. That is almost 2 per day. Here's the other ugly facts: An Aug 21/06 CNN poll shows 61% of adults polled say they oppose the war in Iraq. Just 35% of adults polled say they favor the war. Want to see even more poll numbers that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the clear majority of Americans disapprove of the war in Iraq, Bush's handling of the war, and feel that the US should have never launched this war? Then visit Polling Report Com. But what does Sec of Dense have to say about the clear feelings and wants of the majority of Americans?: "Speaking at the natl convention of the Amer Legion, Rummy could have taken the opportunity to address the critical challenges of the war in Iraq: The security situation in Baghdad, mounting US military and Iraqi civilian casualties and out-of-control costs. But instead, he took the opportunity to repeatedly attack (implicitly and explicitly) anyone who dares to criticize the admin's "stay the course" policy: 1.) Rumsfeld recited what he called the lessons of history, including the failure to confront Hitler, and the stupidity of those who tried to 'accomodate Hitler': "I recount this history because once again we face similar challenges in efforts to confront the rising threat of a new type of fascism. Can we truly afford to believe that somehow, some way, vicious extremists can be appeased? But some seem not to have learned history's lessons." So how exactly was Saddam threatening us w/this fascism which you Repukes suddenly love to spew about? (since it is your new buzz word) Seems to most that Saddam kept any and all extremists in check when he was in charge since they knew they'd be executed if they tried to stir up trouble, not to mention the fact that Saddam being in power kept Iran and their Shiia mullahs (which are such a huge threat in Iraq NOW) shaking in their boots since they perceived Saddam to be batshit crazy and believed the hype that he might have WMDs. 2.) Who does Rummy fault? That mythical liberal media, of course: "The problem is that the media have tended to emphasize the negative rather than the positive. More media attention was given to US soldiers' abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib than to the fact that Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith received the Medal of Honor." Uh, that might be b/c we expect soldiers to do the job they took an oath to do. We fully expect them to do the job they took an oath to do w/honor and w/o breaking internatl laws. And besides all that, we don't like to pay for humilitaing sexual, psychological, and physical abuse on our taxpayer dime. Simply put: Rummy and BushCo don't get it and never will. They actually think that if you dare to criticize the execution of this debacle in Iraq, that you hate America, that you somehow mysteriously love our enemies, and that you want to wrap your arms around fascism (even though the current agenda of the Repukes is far more fascist than anything we've seen in a longtime) but why would these morons bother to consult facts? For more of RumSkull's vomitous spew, check out Crooks & Liars video.
If you believe that "the BushCo economy is great for the Middle class & the working poor" then by all means, feel free to shove these harsh facts up your delusional ass (via CNN): "The nation's poverty rate last yr remained unchanged, but that's little comfort because the level is still very high. According to the US Census Bureau, 37 million Americans are now living below the poverty line, defined as having an annual income below/ around $10,000 for an individual or $20,000 for a family of 4. That's more than the entire population of Calif. That translates to this: In the world's biggest economy 1 in 8 Americans and almost 1 in 4 blacks lived in poverty last yr. 2005 was the first yr since Bush took office in 2001 that the poverty rate did not radically increase from the previous yr, yet the story is remarkably consistent: stubborn poverty levels, rising number of uninsured, and income growth that is stagnant at best. Median household income in '05 rose by 1.1%, its first increase since 1999 YET real median earnings of men and women working full time all yr declined. That's right. For men and women, earnings after inflation fell. More women are working full time. More evidence it takes 2 workers to support a single household. Census data also show the number of people w/o health insurance grew to 46.6 million in this country. That translates to this: 15.9% of the population had no health insurance, up from 15.6% in 2004 and the 5th increase in a row. And the number of uninsured children rose. People are not getting the kind of health insurance thru the workplace that they previously did. So most of the increase in our uninsured population is coming from people w/o job-based coverage and from children and families losing coverage from the family worker. That translates to this: Some 17.6% of children under 18 and one in 5 of those under 6 were in poverty, higher than for any other age group. And before anyone wants to attribute these crappy numbers to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Census Bureau says all evidence indicates no-- since both happened so late in '05. And the last time the US saw a decline in poverty was in 2000, the final yr of Bill Clinton's presidency, when it fell to 11.3%.
Shameful and somber Katrina anniversary  Writing this post weighs heavily on my heart. I've been dreading this anniversary, and looking over my posts from Aug 29/05, the 30th, the 31st (posts 2, and 3) thru Sept/05 were heartbreaking to re-read. The morning of Aug 29th, my husband left for work before 6am, and he kept calling me on my cell over the next several passing hrs as he made a trip to Pittsburgh b/c when he reluctantly left me at 6am, I was in tears. You see, New Orleans is a city that is very dear to me, and I had a gnarled pit in my stomach that was twisting into knots that was telling me this was going to be very, very bad. Unfortunately, I was right. Since Sept 11th, I can't recall when an event has made me wring my hands and cry so much. The time that I spent there will forever be important to me, but more so since this city will never be the same again. I am forever thankful that I went there and was able to see and live in that goregously dirty, deafeningly loud, oppressingly hot city that has humidity as thick as soup, murky danger and joyous celebration (oftentimes rolled into one) as electric as a live wire, wealth as gilded as a jeweled crown, and poverty as abominable as a 3rd World ghetto. The response to Katrina was loathsome and utterly shameful. But the lack of progress a full year later (as aptly shown via this YouTube of the coming Katrina documentary The Drive) is criminal. Shortly after midnight when I made my post for Aug 29th of 05, I asked my 2 favorite saints to wrap their arms around New Orleans and protect my beloved city from all harm. I never thought for a second that one full yr later I would still have to make that same prayer to those saints as so many still suffer.
Oh yeah... Iraq is NOTHING like Vietnam, huh?: "Iraqi police reported that locals looted a military base vacated by Brit troops and stripped it of virtually everything removable on Friday, an indication of possible future trouble for US & coalition forces hoping to hand over security gradually to the Iraqi govt. Men, some w/their faces covered, ripped corrugated metal from roofs, carried off metal pipes and backed trucks into building entrances to load them with wooden planks. Many also took away doors and window frames from Camp Abu Naji." Hmm... sound like what happened in Saigon when US troops fled? Oh well... do you think Rummy will dismiss all this away w/this theory?: "Stuff happens. Freedom's untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things. While no one condones looting, on the other hand one can understand the pent-up feelings that may result from....repression and people who've had members of their family killed by that regime, for them to be taking their feelings out on that regime.".... Think so Rummy? Do ya think for 1 second that they might be showing us how they really feel about us and our utter disregard for their people, culture, religion, and nation? And how in the hell can this possibility be explained: "Operation Together Forward is designed to show Iraqis that their local forces are taking charge. But police commandos stationed between 2 rebel strongholds seemed in little mood to fight insurgents who have killed 1000s of their comrades. "We have good training from the Americans. But we are often attacked. The terrorists fire mortars or shoot at us," said Ali Abdul Ghani, pointing to rows of houses opposite his sandbagged checkpt and which provide cover for the guerrillas. "This morning they fired on us during a patrol and I shot back. Now I have to pay for some bullets because I fired too many. It's an Interior Ministry rule. I just want to go back to my hometown," he complained." So in addition to all of the other plethora of massive problems facing Iraqis, now their police are on a bullet ration? And if they exceed the alotted bullet allowance, they have to pay to replace those "wasted" bullets? Oh yeah... nothing spells security like a bullet allowance in the middle of a war against a force as deadly as say a powerful cleric and his Shiia militia, no?
Katherine Harris: The VERY UGLY Face of the always scary American Taliban  Just as the fundamentalist Muslim clerics want all the laws of their nations to be based upon Sharia law and all legislators to be given their stamp of "Muslim" approval, the GOP's American Taliban wants all US laws to be based upon the Bible, and all legislators to be be given their stamp of "Christian" approval. For quite some time I've been posting about the bloodcurdling theocratic similarities between the GOP's American Taliban and the Islamic fundamentalists, and this from DarkSyde sums it up perfectly: "The similarities between fundamentalist Islamic Theocrats and the goals of some of the Neo-Con voting base/ cheerleading squad are both creepy and valid. And, even more disturbing, in both cases these movements rely a great deal on demonizing, or simply creating, enemies to use as distractions and rallying points. Glenn Greenwald has a nice Intro & summary of John Dean's book, Conservatives without Conscience that hits on right-wing paranoia: "What excites, enlivens, and drives Bush followers is the identification of the Enemy followed by swarming, rabid attacks on it. It is a movement devoted to the destruction of its enemies wherever they might be found. ... And it finds new ones, in every corner and seemingly on a daily basis, because it must. That is the food which sustains it.." That is damn scary b/c it is absolutely the truth. And who is trying to be the latest very ugly face of evil for the Religious Fright? Katherine "2000 Election Thief" Harris. To get the entire picture of how chillingly frightening this woman is (... and I ain't talking about that clown makeup of her's) and to get a grasp of how deep Harris' unspeakable hubris and arrogance is, you have to read this interview w/ her in the FL Baptist Witness (here's a sample of the quotes that are truly un-frickin-believable): 1.) "Separation of church and state is a lie we have been told." By whom? That pesky old rag called The Constitution? Funny, but no where in the 6th Amendment does the phrase "a fair trial" appear. But what is clear is that this Amend is setting up the conditions for fair trials: public, speedy, impartial juries, info about the crimes and laws, etc. The Constitution does not specifically say that you have a right to a fair trial, but the rights created only make sense on the premise that a right to a fair trial exists. And if the govt found a way to fulfill all of the above obligations while also making a trial unfair, the courts would hold those actions to be completely unconstitutional. That very same logic applies to the 1st Amendment as well (in additional to the 1st Amend and the Treaty of Tripoli, the Supreme Crt ruling in 1947 upheld the position that a firm wall of separation of church and state exists) and that the principle of "religious liberty" exists in the 1st Amendment, even if those words are not actually there: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." is pretty damn clear, but why would any of that matter to Harris and her ilk? Like the uber-mullahs, they want THEIR brand of religion to be shoved down everyone's throat, to twist and skew all laws-- our sacred Constitution be damned. 2.) "God is the one who chooses our rulers. And if we are the ones not actively involved in electing those godly men and women and if people aren’t involved in helping godly men in getting elected than we’re going to have a nation of secular laws. That’s not what our founding fathers intended and that’s certainly isn’t what God intended." So if God is the one who chooses our rulers, that must mean that God votes. Did God have to fill out a provisional ballot or was God registered properly and was on the voting rolls at the proper precinct? Did God provide proper voting ID? How Harris knows what God intended is beyond me, but I think our Founding Fathers were absolutely crystal clear in their position on the separation of church and state. 3.) "Civil rights have to do with individual rights and I don’t think they apply to the gay issues. I have not supported gay marriage and I do not support any civil rights actions with regard to homosexuality." Wow. What's next? All homosexuals are one-8th human and as such cannot own property or vote? 4.) "If you’re not electing Christians then in essence you are going to legislate sin. They (non-Christians) can legislate sin." For the record, I just wanna know how sin is legislated? Are we going to have laws that force us to commit adultery and steal? No wonder this site exists: This bitch not only is stone cold crazy, but Katherine Harris does suck. UPDATE: This news comes from Floridian Betty Cracker: "The Harris campaign, which is now on its 3rd set of staffers, did issue a clarification after the content of the Baptist Witness interview began circulating in the mainstream press. It wasn't to assure people that Harris understands the meaning of the 1st Amend. Rather, it was to let Jewish voters know that she would remain a staunch friend of Israel despite being a Christian supremacist." Nice, no? Sure she's a friend to Israel... a friend long enough so these freaks can bring about the batshit crazy Rapture, and then you can rest assured it'll be bye-bye Jews.
Read this foreboding article about what exactly the average US consumer is facing in our faltering economy. And it won't just hurt us regular folks... it is going to hurt sellers, vendors and small businesses especially. But always remember: the Repukes claim to care about us average joes and small buinesses. And after reading this from the NYTs, you'll see the odd similarities between the 2 articles and ask yourself: Isn't it heartwarming to see what our BushCo "liberation" has brought the Iraqis? Now, in addition to a raging civil war, little to no electricity or running water, the Iraqis get to suffer under high prices for everything, outrageous gas prices (except they get to wait in loooong lines to pay for their overpriced gas, which is a wee bit strange since they sit on a 3rd of the entire world's oil), they have massive unemployment, skyrocketing prices for basic staples while those lucky enough to work have less than a living wage. And here is what average Iraqis say about their lives, whether they are consumers or vendors: "What’s our life today? We are working only for gas, ice and electricity. There is no savings." and "Most people buy half what they used to. The meat and vegetables sit here and rot." Nice... and with an inflation rate that is now 70% (up from 32% from last yr only)and wages that lag far below the costs of goods, the average Iraqi family-- if lucky enough to avoid being blown up, accidentily shot or wrongly rounded up by our troops, or killed by a secret govt death squad-- is unable to sell or buy basic needed goods, provide needed items for their household, and can't afford to get out from the hole they've fallen into. And yet we wonder why they are not throwing chocolates, flowers, and air kisses at our feet?
First we're shrinking their icecaps... now we're shrinking their polar bear penises  When I read this sentence from this diary to my always pragmatic Hubby: "While global warming is shrinking the Arctic icecaps, industrial pollutants are shrinking the genitals of polar bears," he spun around, sighed and said with despair in his voice: "Jesus, can't a brother get a break?" Hubby added: "All they want to do is roll around in the snow, find some food and get nookie. We're making sure they can't do any of that." Sadly, it's worse than Hubby imagines: "The case of the shrinking penis may not be limited to polar bears as these pollutants may be affecting all marine mammals, including the Arctic fox, killer whale and pilot whales because their bodies "also carry extremely high levels of these contaminants." Moreover, other pollutants have been reported in people (including breastmilk) as well from the eating of Arctic wildlife." In Jan 06, The Independent UK reported that: "A team of scientists from Canada, Alaska, Denmark and Norway have found that the toxic waste from flame retardants, known as polybrominated diphenyls, or PBDEs (chemical compounds commonly used in Europe and North America to reduce the flammability of household furnishings like sofas, clothing and carpets) is creating hermaphrodite Arctic polar bears." Scary? It should be b/c "Greenpeace has an interesting article about the impact of chemicals ingested by people and how it may be related to many diseases and changes, including declining sperm counts and the birth of fewer boys." So to recap: 1) We have the incredible shrinking icecaps, which are causing polar bears to drop like flies from heat exhaustion (be warned... the pix at this link made me so damn sad and pissed off), 2) We have polar bears who are literally starving-- being forced to commit B & E (breaking and entering for those who don't know) so they can scrounge for food in people's cabins AND they are being forced to resort to cannibalism, and 3) We have hermaphrodite polar bears and polar bear's penises shrinking from chemical pollutants, which will make an already low fertility rate for their species plummet even lower. Look people, all they need is snow/ice, unpolluted marine life to feed on, and the ability to do the naked bone dance to continue the species... is that soooo much to ask?
Boo frickety hoo... poor lil Ann the Emaciated Hag Coulter can't handle little things we call reality, history and facts on Hannity & colmes. Maybe we should see if scientists can do a study on Ann to see if chemical pollutants are shrinking her brain?... I'm sure they have already shrunken her penis... or was that just the duct tape she uses to tuck it in?
You'll be happy to know that the new restrictions imposed by DHS on all US flights has not prevented a 21 yr old psychology student from bringing actual TNT / nitroglycerin explosives from Buenos Aires to Houston: "In Buenos Aires, the head of Argentina's Airport Security, told reporters that authorities found "a Coke bottle w/ mud, and inside it was a tube w/ ammonium nitrate, a little bit of dynamite and a detonator." In Houston, KTRK-13 quoted law enforcement sources as saying that the man had a blasting cap, a homemade fuse and a quarter-pound of ammonium nitrate, in addition to the dynamite." Hmm... so we're tossing out bottled water, hair gel, mascara, lip gloss and breastmilk WHY EXACTLY?
Kola Boof says Osama + Whitney?  Ever since I came across Daniel Hopsicker's Welcome to Terrorland, which was published in 2004 and revealed that alleged 9/11 hijacker ringleader Mohamed Atta lived in FL with a blonde stripper, snorted coke, loved pork chops, may have been a drug runner, had these very suspicious ties to Jeb Bush, Katherine Harris, and folks involved in the Iran Contra scandal (for 50 things ya never knew about Atta, click here) I have been a wee bit skeptical of these BushCo claims that supposed Muslim zealots are holier than thou, & exist solely to take us out so they can snag 72 virgins and to have the chance to hate our freedoms. (In fact, if you have ANY questions about the events of 9/11, do yourself a favor and check out Welcome to Terrorland. It dovetails nicely w/the 9/11 movie Loose Change, and the Muslim-Jewish-Christian Alliance for 9/11 Truth highly recommends we check it out, too.) So, the new book by Sudanese/ Egyptian/ American author Kola Boof called Diary of a Lost Girl: The Autobiography of Kola Boof, (via Harper's) which alleges that she was the mistress of Osama bin Laden, doesn't shock me at all. Boof used to write for the soap opera Days of Our Lives, so maybe we should take her w/ a grain of salt b/c being a larger than life drama queen just may be her thing, especially since some say Boof has outright lied about group sex w/Osama & his buddies... bleeegch... gag... let's hope she's lying about that, no? But according to Boof, Osama loved to smoke pot in his hookah, made her dance butt nekked to crappy American music, liked rough sex, and had a fondness for Playboy magazine. The fact that Osama publicly spews rhetoric exactly like the Religious Fright about sexual morality, vices, and virtues yet has secret life of kink, fondness for porn and debauchery merely reinforces what we continue to find out about all Religious Frighters, whether they be of the Christian or Muslim variety: They are absolute hypocrites. But what is shocking to me, is Boof's claim that Osama was obsessed w/ Whitney Houston-- so much so that he wanted to kidnap her and hire people to knock off Bobby Brown. Whitney? For real? Has Osama ever seen those scary-ass pix of Whitney in need of rehab? Personally, I think Osama could have avoided the entire Bobby Brown murder plot and merely allowed Brown to do himself in by tossing him a Hefty Cinch Sack of crack, especially since it was rumored that Osama had a nefarious plan to poison America's coke supply. And given that Boof talks about Osama's penchant for getting high, I have to wonder if Whitney wouldn't have just grabbed her coke spoon, kicked Bobby to the curb, shrugged her shoulders, said "It's not right... but it's okay" since "crack is wack" and willingly latched on to the Osama money/drug gravy train and been his baby tonight.
Now I've let my opinion about crazy-ass Tom Cruise be aired in at least 2 posts... but this insanity from Wonkette about PNAC document signer/ reputed "Valerie Plame bigmouth blabber to Bob Woodward" Richard Armitage is just waaay out there: "Richard Armitage, formerly of the State Dept, is now more or less outed as the first guy to tell the first reporter who Valerie Plame worked for. But much, much, much more interesting is this: WTF was he doing meeting with TOM CRUISE the SAME DAY? Along with two Church of Scientology bigwigs?" Maybe they were plotting to have Valerie Plame beamed up so that civil lawsuit she filed will go bye-bye.
RoryShock is proven correct! Bush does love to drop the presidential air biscuits  Now if you are a regular reader of Rory Shock's, you are well aware that Rory has been telling us for awhile now that Bush loves nothing more a good fart, and freely rips them when the urge strikes him, even in front of the ladies. Well, US News & World Report is backing up that claim: "Let's call it Animal House in the West Wing. He loves to cuss, gets a jolly when a mountain biker wipes out trying to keep up with him, and now we're learning that the first frat boy loves flatulence jokes. A top insider let that slip when explaining why President Bush is paranoid around women, always worried about his behavior. But he's still a funny, earthy guy who, for example, can't get enough of fart jokes. He's also known to cut a few for laughs, especially when greeting new young aides, but forget about getting people to gas about that." Great... so in addition to having shit for brains, we now know for a fact that our esteemed Prez has shit in his pants.
Sweet Jesus on a moped... let's call this Mr. Delusional goes to Washington: When Rockey Vaccarella set out in his FEMA trailer, the original plan was to have the president over for dinner, but the White House said no. Rockey was getting ready to leave the area when he got an invitation to meet the president in the Oval Office. "I just had coffee with Rockey Vaccarella," Bush said. "Rockey lost everything. He and his family had every possession wiped out. And it's time to remember that people suffered." (Yeah, ya would have thought that very thought just might have crossed your mind last August, huh? But you were a lil too busy vacationing, serving cake to John McCain, strumming a guitar, and avoiding that mean old mom Cindy Sheehan.) Rockey said he made the trip to remind Bush that there was still work to be done in the Gulf, but also to thank Bush: "Thank you for the FEMA trailer. Thank you for what you've done. I just wish the president could have another term in Washington. (turning towards Bush) You know, I wish you had another 4 years, man. If we had this president for another 4 years, I think we'd be great." WTF was dropped in your coffee, Rockey? We'd be great? Great as in we'd be in a full blown fascism if he had another 4 yrs? Great as in we'd be knee deep in blood and a natl bankruptcy due to another war or 2 in another 4 yrs? Great as in we'd have achieved the theocratic goal of appointing more wingnut Justices who would make abortion and all contraceptives illegal in another 4 yrs? Great as in we'd all get to watch Bush's kingly coronation on tv in another 4 yrs? Great as in we'd be the full fledged sharecropper society that the Repukes have been envisioning since the time the Dems & FDR "dared" to recognize that Social Darwinism was not an American value that we should embrace? Umm Rockey... here's a tip: Stop drinking out of the Bayou Idiot's cup, and you can take THAT horrific nightmare vision of another BushCo term and shove right it up your FEMA trailer's tailpipe, m'kay?
They are the ones addicted to porn, so now want hotels to ban all porn from rooms  Given the news that I posted about last wk from ChristiaNet that 50% of Christian males polled and 20% of Christian females polled say that they are addicted to porn, I find this latest push by the Religious Fright to force hotel chains to ban porn from their hotel rooms/suites to be laughable at best and downright theocratic at worst since adult movies can be ignored or blocked out by any and all guests not wishing to view them. Notice they are not willing to look within themselves to question WHY exactly their Religious Fright members have such high rates of porn addiction but instead simply want to wipe away the possibility for ANYBODY to watch porn if they choose to? And maybe it's just me, but I would much rather have a travelling businessman be able to call the wife and kids before bedtime, take a shower and spank it to hotel room porn before turning in for the night than have him be forced to "seek a release outlet" elsewhere, no?
I am so proud to have Ohioan Paul Hackett on our team. Watch him hand deliver another Iraq war vet his teeney nuts on a platter on Hardball. And to Chris Matthews credit, he was like a junkyard dog as he sunk his teeth and refused to let up on Van Taylor and his "stay the clusterfuck course" position (Taylor is the only Repub Iraq War vet running for Congress on the GOP side, in TX)... well, of course he's the only Repuke Iraq war vet... their side doesn't actually enlist and fight in the war that they cheerlead, they just sit at home and play Couch Commando.
As TIME asks: Do you want to understand the strange realities of Iraq's escalating civil war? (notice they didn't even bother to use a BushCo nicey-nice word when describing the situation in Iraq? They call it what it is: civil war) we learn that Bush has authorized the Marine Corps to initially recall 2500 troops (and there is no cap in place on the number that can be recalled) to active duty because there are not enough volunteers returning for duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. Hmm, maybe this article in the NYT's about the crumbling state of Afghanistan is contributing to the need for these troops?
As Sean Hannity pouts over the cease-fire, and moronically spews that Israel should drop a nuke on Hezbollah (and that would work out for Israel HOW exactly? I guess the Israelis have some super top secret shield that would protect them from the nuclear fallout since Lebanon is on Israel's border, huh?) please read these 2 article about the Israeli/ Hezbollah conflict that make you wonder "Did the US goad Israel into war with Hezbollah?" ... OR... "Did Israel degrade Hezbollah's rocket capability so that it could not be used to deter a US attack on Iran?"
Now he tells us: Bush admits Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11  Here's how that trainwreck of an "update on the Middle East" press conference went for Capt Clueless: BUSH: Imagine a world in which you had Saddam Hussein, who had the capacity to make a WMD, who was paying suiciders to kill innocent life, who had relations w/ Zarqawi. You know, I’ve heard this theory about, you know, everything was just fine until we arrived in Iraq and -you know, the stir-up-the-hornet’s- nest theory. It just doesn’t hold water, as far as I’m concerned. (raising his voice) The terrorists attacked us and killed 3000 of our citizens before we started the freedom agenda in the Middle East. They were …" QUESTION: What did Iraqi have to do with that? BUSH: What did Iraq have to do with what? QUESTION: The attacks upon the World Trade Center. BUSH: Nothing. . . . .Except for it’s part of — and nobody’s ever suggested in this admin that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. Iraq was a -Iraq- the lesson of Sept the 11th is: Take threats before they fully materialize." (Before they fully materialize? Umm, just like you what DIDN'T do when you got that memo saying "bin Laden determined to crash planes into buildings?) Now I know practically all of us libs knew that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, hell, we've been screaming this from the rooftops for yrs now, but having Bush openly admit this just may slap some sense into the heads of these 64% of people polled by Harris in July '06 who say it is true that Saddam had strong links to Al Qaeda. And while we're at it, maybe we should enlighten the people who are actually in Iraq since a Zogby poll from Feb 28/06 shockingly found this: 85% (that’s eighty-five, folks) of US troops in Iraq think they are there in "retaliation for Saddams role in 9-11" Well, our troops gullibly guzzling this belief down wouldn't have anything to do w/the fact that like Joseph Goebbels, our esteemed Cheney & Feith, and Bush & Rice and 9/11 Commission witness, Judith Yaphe repeatedly spewed the lie THAT somehow Saddam was connected to 9/11, now would it? And I guess Bush's own March 18, 2003 letter to the Speaker of the House to announce the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq that stated this: "Acting pursuant to the Constitution and Public Law 107-243 is consistent with the US and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against internatl terrorists and terrorist orgs, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept 11, 2001." was somehow just simply misconstrued, huh? What's next for the BushCo lies? We will stand down when Iraqis stand up? Err... umm... wait a minute... he already nixed that by also announcing at this press conference that "we will remain in Iraq for as long as he is President."
Liberal Christians & conservative Christians are joining forces against the ridiculous "killing fer Jesus" video games? Who'd a thunk it?
If the NSA crimes didn't raise your hackles enough already, read about these 2 very strange deaths that have ties to secret wiretapping in Europe. Now I'm off to turn on music and the faucets full blast before attempting to have a private conversation in my kitchen w/my own husband.
Holy crap... Bush refuses to consider a "plan B" for the emergency situation in Iraq but he finally admits that he is A-okay with Plan B emergency contraceptive for women over age 18 without a prescription? I wonder if he read this from the Journal of Medical Ethics called "The rhythm method and embryonic death", which postulates that the rhythm method may well be responsible for a much higher number of embryonic deaths than some other contraceptive techniques, blowing that bullshit claim of the Religious Frighters and the Ovary Police outta the water that birth control causes embryos to "die" or... maybe Bush knows for a fact with Jenna and Not Jenna that Plan B is a realistic necessity.
Social Services: Christians need only apply for employment in Bush World  Want to be truly scared of BushCo's "faith-based initiatives" receiving our taxpayer's money? Then please read the op/ed by Robyn Blumner called "Social services under Bush - Only Christians need apply: "Thanks to Pres Bush and his plan to Christianize the nation's provision of social services, one's relationship with Jesus Christ has become a real resume booster. Bush has effectively ushered in affirmative action for the born again. In '05 alone, more than $2 billion in fedrl tax money went to faith-based programs for such services as job placement programs, addiction treatment and child mentoring. Overwhelmingly this money went to groups affiliated w/ Christian religions. This reallocation of social service money from secular agencies to religiously affiliated programs has also resulted in shifting employment opportunities. But some of these new employers have a shocking job requirement: Only Christians need apply. Take for instance the publicly funded Firm Foundation of Bradford, Pa., as a blatant example. The group provides prison inmates w/ job training, something one would think any trained professional could do. Well, think again. The group posted an ad for a site manager. It said that the applicant must be ''a believer in Christ and Christian Life today, sharing these ideals when the opportunity arises.'' Apparently, experience and qualifications are secondary." Imagine all that, will ya? Experience and qualifications are secondary in Bush World? That is simply so shocking... cough... "heckuva job Brownie"... cough, nudge, wink. And I don't know about you, but this scary-ass sentence just chills my blood to the bone: " It said that the applicant must be ''a believer in Christ and Christian Life today, sharing these ideals when the opportunity arises." Oh... so I guess if you want to hang onto that job, you had better be ready to preach, evangelize, and sermonize when the opportunity arises, huh? Read the whole article, and be prepared to NEVER want to give to the Salvation Army again. They are leading the pack on persecuting non-Christians & gays and even ask their employees to list the churches they have attended in the last 10 yrs on their job application.
Hey... join the military: 1) You'll get to be lead by an inept Sec of Defense (nice try there Joe-Judas Loserman... your call for Rummy to resign is a day late and a dollar short), 2) You'll get to see exciting places & kill plenty of people for God knows what reason, 3) You'll be smack dab in the middle of an all out civil war that your nation refuses to acknowledge is an actual civil war-- even though it meets THE definition of a civil war-- and oh yeah... 4) You just might even get to be raped by your military recruiter. Whoa. Where do I sign up?
Another Repuke steps in it bigtime. Here's the lowdown: 1) An illegal land deal (oh, so Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert isn't the only GOPer doing this). 2) Wal-Mart is involved. 3) The Repuke candidate for the Senate, and former Chattanooga mayor Bob Corker, made $4.6 million in this shady land deal. Hmm... I guess the "macaca" just might hit the fan in TN, huh? Speaking of that asshat Sen George Allen (R-VA) and his "macaca"... his own sister ponies up on what a frickin psycho her bro really is.
Please be warned: You may want to bleach your eyes after reading this excellent diary about Thomas Passaro-- a CIA civilian contractor who beat an Afghan detainee to death-- and was merely found guilty of assault on Friday. Guilty of assault when he beat the guy to death w/a flashlight and by repeatedly kicking him? Sheesh... who is this guy's lawyer? Oh... that's right-- This guy only needs one lawyer to get him off of murder charges: Att Gen Alberto "Abu Ghraib-Guantanamo" Gonzales.
Christian Coalition: Plain old EVIL  Now if you live in Ohio, you know that our Sec of State, Repuke J. Kenneth Blackwell, is running for OH gov. Blackwell promised to hand deliver OH to Bush in 04, and helped commit several crimes related to voter fraud to do it. But then again, why be shocked when our Repuke Gov Taft is currently a convict and our gov? But a voter criminal isn't all that Blackwell is. He is also the handpicked candidate of the Christian Coalition: Pastor Rod Parsley's Reformation Ohio and Rev Russell Johnson's OH Restoration Project have both been recruiting "Patriot Pastors" for more than a yr now, and are creating a model for a new generation of theocratic activists as the Falwell/ Robertson generation readies for retirement. They have also been paying for and putting together 30 secs radio ads for Blackwell. Parsley, by the way, is the pastor who helped cover up his own father's sexual harrassment of Naomi Endicott, a World Harvest Church's employee. Visiting this link is scary enough... b/c it documents sex related crimes committed by the Religious Fright for the yr 1992 alone.Can ya imagine what other years look like? OH is the target of a pilot project that they will replicate around the country going into the next round of elections. Time is of the essence to stop this frontal assault on our freedoms by this movement that seeks (as former GOP political strategist Kevin Phillips tells us) to implement an "American Theocracy." Look, they are not primarily about religion - they are in fact a political movement - and their goal is first and foremost about political power, using the tools of electoral democracy. Former congressional candidate and Marine Iraq vet Paul Hackett sees how damned scary these people are, and he's asking for our help: "Here is an indication of the threat we face: according to Parsley: "A new heartbeat is palpitating out of Columbus, OH, and it's hitting the state and reverberating like shock waves across the nation. The only way to be consistently right is to get on the solid foundation that this nation was founded on, the B-I-B-L-E, that's the book for me. Americans must be "Christocrats," becoming citizens of both their country and God's kingdom. And that is not a democracy; that is a theocracy... That means God is in control, and you are not." Nutjobs like this are trying to get Blackwell in office at any cost (including risking their tax exempt status) and Blackwell has already promised them that if he becomes Gov, that he will immediately move foward to make ALL abortions illegal in OH--under ANY circumstances-- and to make it a crime for any OH resident to leave the state to obtain an abortion in another state, and the person who transports her to another state (even her husband or parents) will be facing a 15 yr prison term. So much for the GOP crapola about them being the ones who protect the sanctity of marriage and parental rights of one's children, huh? But honestly, why should that hypocrisy shock us? Here's yet another Repuke and Religious Frighter to be added to the very loooong list compiled by the Armchair Subversive on GOP sex criminals: "Lou Beres, former exec dir of the OR Christian Coalition and former chair of the Multnomah Cnty Republican Party, confessed to police on 2 separate occasions, that he has sexually touched underage girls, includ a teen sister-in-law, according to a police report dated Sept 13, 2005... but mysteriously, no charges were filed: Allegations against Beres surfaced last fall, when 3 of his female relatives (2 daughters and a sister-in-law) contacted the Child Abuse Hotline. The allegations were investigated, but no charges were filed, & now the statute of limitations has passed." Hmm... ya have to wonder, who did this guy pay off? Maybe Beres just believes that it simply isn't a crime if you don't tell. And I'm sure he'd tell us w/a wink and a swarmy smile that Jesus forgives him for these unspeakable acts, b/c he's a real Christian, as are so many of his Coalition GOPers.
CBO: Staying the Course In Iraq will Increase Deficit by $313 billion over next 4 yrs  Here is the definitive "conservatives spend less than Dems" LIE in black and white (via ThinkProgress): The Congressional Budget Office released its budget projections, estimating the deficit will rise to $286 billion in fiscal 2007, up from this yr’s $260 billion projected deficit. Moreover, the long-term outlook remains bleak; total deficits over the next decade are estimated at $1.7 trillion. The CBO offers an analysis of the impact that the Iraq war will have on future deficit numbers based on different policy options we could pursue. They compare the impact on the deficit between a “stay the course” strategy and a phased withdrawal. The numbers make for a strong economic argument for redeployment. A phased withdrawal would save $416 billion on the deficit over the next 4 yrs and $1.28 trillion over the next decade. On the other hand, a strategy of “stay the course” will increase the deficit by $313 billion over the next 4 yrs and $1.3 trillion over the next decade." I can hear Bush and his Repuke sociopaths spewing this soon: "Don’t you see folks? That’s why we have to repeal the estate tax — so that your kids and your kids’ kids will inhert your millions of dollars and be able to pay off this war!"... although I'd rather the soul-less pricks just came foward and said this nugget of truth: "Who cares? YOUR grandchildren ... NOT OUR'S... will pay for it!"
Now I know we've all had a heaping lot on our plates as of late and b/c in Bush World: so many crimes/ so little time... but I have been posting about this issue for at least 2 months now b/c I knew it could potentially be BIG, BAD, and NOT what we needed in Iraq. I posted about it June 19/06, on July 20/06, on July 21/06, and on July 28th, 06. Everytime, it garnered a few comments. I knew it was pretty major b/c Juan Cole has been continually discussing it as of late. Well, the Guardian UK has a major story about this, so maybe America will finally pay attention to this: "Turkey and Iran have dispatched tanks, artillery and 1000s of troops to their frontiers w/ Iraq during the past few weeks in what appears to be a coordinated effort to disrupt the activities of Kurdish rebel bases. Scores of Kurds have fled their homes in the northern frontier region after 4 days of shelling by the Iranian army. Local officials said Turkey had also fired a number of shells into Iraqi territory." Will BushCo use this as an opportunity to launch a war against Iran? Will we defend the Kurds, who have been shit on regularly thru history? Will we fight against our supposed ally Turkey (who is now fully tied in arms w/Iran against the Kurds?) How can we even think about waging war against Turkey & Iran (for oh-so-many tactical, practical, and monetary reasons) but also b/c the the Kurds' PKK-- that's their site link-- (the Kurdish Workers' Party) is listed as a terrorist organization by the US and the EU. I thought Bush was REAL adamant about NOT harboring, supporting, or providing aid/comfort to terrorists? Guess that makes the US claims against Syria & Iran for supporting and supplying arms/ money to Hezbollah NULL and VOID, huh? And isn't it funny... but ya don't hear BushCo squawking about THIS "terrorist organization" growing under his very nose, now do ya? Oh that's right... that's b/c he can't blame this on the Dems and try to twist this into that Repuke crapola that "Dems allow terrorist orgs to flourish on their watch and make Americans unsafe." Guess what Bush, that little clusterfuck of your's in Iraq has gotten worse... and you own every bit if it. This is what happens when moronic idiots who want to get their bloodthirsty rocks off get to wage wars.... but they won't pay the price for their actions. And who will protect our troops from this colassal fuckup?
In Baghdad, the American and Iraqi Armies are erecting walls between ethnic/ religious communities. Gee, I wonder if the wingnuts wanna bet if Ronald Reagan's ghost is spinning in his grave and screaming "Mr Bush... tear. down. this. wall!"
Of course the federal level courts found BushCo's warantless wiretaps unconstitutional b/c THEY ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL. But it is finally high time someone said it all nice and neat and legal-like, huh? But don't fear... this 75 yr old black female judge will be Swiftboated soon enough and she'll be slapped on the Wingnut's "ACTIVIST JUDGE" list now, b/c ya know there is nothing more wild, crazy and loose-cannon than a 75 yr old judge. At least Jack Cafferty gets it right... as usual: "It seems like we are having this discussion about this judge's ruling in the abstract, as though there's no precedent for what the judge decided. The judge upheld the ruling of the FISA crt, which says if you want to wiretap phones, you need a warrant to do so. The law of the land says get a warrant. The actions of the admin have ignored the law of the land in that regard. So it's not a discussion in the abstract. It's not hypothetical. There are laws on the books against what the admin is doing and it's about time somebody said it out loud. This fedrl district judge ruled today Bush is breaking the law by spying on people in this country w/o a warrant. The judge said the prez is violating the 1st and the 4th Amendment to the Constitution and FISA, passed by Congress in 1978, specifically to prevent this kind of abuse of power. It was being done before under Nixon. That's why the FISA crt was created in the 1st place. So what does this mean? It means Bush violated his oath of office, among other things, when he swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States. It means he's been lying to us about the program since it started, when he's been telling us there's nothing illegal about what he's been doing. A court has ruled it is illegal. And it means a 75-year-old black female judge in Michigan has finally stepped in and done the job that Congress is supposed to do, namely oversight of the executive branch of govt. But the Congress is controlled by the Republicans and they are controlled by the president and they have done nothing in the way of oversight." Amen brother Jack... amen.
UK Deputy PM Prescott: Bush is Crap  John Prescott, the UK's Deputy Prime Minister, summed up Pres Bush and his approach to the Middle East in a single word: CRAP (via Independent UK): Prescott's condemnation of Bush could cause a diplomatic row but it will please Labour MPs who are furious about Tony Blair's backing of the US over the bombing of Lebanon. The remark is said to have been made at a private meeting in Prescott's Whitehall office on Tues w/ Muslim MPs and other Labour MPs w/ constituencies representing large Muslim communities. Some of the MPs present said they could not remember Prescott making the remark, but MP Harry Cohen, said Prescott had definitely used the word "crap" about the Bush admin: "Prescott was talking in the context of the 'road map' in the Middle East. He said he only gave support to the war on Iraq b/c they were promised the road map. But he said the Bush admin had been crap on that. We all laughed and he said to an official, 'Don't minute that'." Cohen added: "We also had a laugh when he said old Bush is just a cowboy w/ his Stetson on. But then he said, 'I can hardly talk about that can I?' " Last night, an official from the Deputy PM's office said: " These discussions are intended to be private and remain within the 4 walls. They are private so that there may be frank discussions." Well, whether Prescott said it on the record or or off the record... saying that Bush is crap and his admin's approach to the Middle East is crap is 100% accurate, and I couldn't agree more. At least someone has the clarity of mind to say what so many of us have seen to be true since the yr 2000.
Speaking of Bush administration crap.... check out what Craig Murray, the former Brit Ambassador to Uzbekistan (who was removed from his post for criticizing the UK for committing torture by proxy) had to say about the folied UK bombers: "One thing of which I am certain is that the timing is deeply political. This is more propaganda than plot. None of the alleged terrorists had made a bomb. None had bought a plane ticket. Many did not even have passports, which given the efficiency of the UK Passport Agency would mean they couldn't be a plane bomber for quite some time. In the absence of bombs, airline tickets, and passports, it could be pretty difficult to convince a jury beyond reasonable doubt that individuals intended to go through w/ suicide bombings, whatever rash stuff they may have bragged in internet chat rooms. What is more, many of those arrested had been under surveillance for over a yr - like 1000s of others Nothing from that surveillance had indicated the need for early arrests. Then an interrogation in Pakistan revealed the details of this amazing plot to blow up multiple planes - which, rather extraordinarily, had not turned up in a yr of surveillance. Of course, the interrogators of the Pakistani dictator have their ways of making people sing like canaries. As I witnessed in Uzbekistan, you can get the most extraordinary info this way. Trouble is it always tends to give the interrogators all they might want, and more, in a desperate effort to stop or avert torture. What it doesn't give is the truth." Well, that may be true Murray, but c'mon... there is fear mongering to be done. Mass hysteria to be whipped up. Torturing in the name of liberty. Poll numbers to increase (Murray said): "We then have the extraordinary question of Bush and Blair discussing the possible arrests over the weekend. Why? I think the answer to that is plain. Both in desperate domestic political trouble, they longed for "Another 9/11". The intelligence from Pakistan, however dodgy, gave them a new 9/11 they could sell to the media. The media has bought, wholesale, all the rubbish they have been shovelled. Be skeptical. Be very skeptical" And it appears that former Prez Clinton sees all the rubbish BushCo has been shovelling on this politicized foiled plot and isn't afraid to tell us why he's skeptical: On ABC's "Good Morning America," Clinton got in the current Prez's face, slamming the Bush admin for linking the London bomb plot and the war on terror to the war in Iraq. "The Repubs should be very careful in trying to play politics w/ this London airport thing, because they're going to have a hard time w/ the facts. I don't think the foiling of that London bomb plot has any bearing on our Iraq policy." Oh c'mon Bill... now ya sound like Ned Lamont. Ya know?... the "al Qaida candidate"? Besides, when it comes to playing fear mongering politics for gain, the Repukes do it and it's practically considered a sacrament. Why else would Cheney be telling GOP donors in Arizona the "central front" in the war on terror is Iraq? Clinton, who never mentioned Bush by name, suggested the admin's claims that the UK plot looks like the work of Al Qaeda reveals a flaw in its strategy: "They seem to be anxious to tie it to Al Qaeda. If that's true, how come we've got 7 times as many troops in Iraq as in Afghanistan? Why have we imperiled Pres Hamid Karzai's rule and allowed the Taliban to come back into the southern part of Afghanistan?" Well... you just stop tossing those facts around all willy-nilly now Bill. That is not helping the BushCo fear mongering, ya know? Clinton also said the admin and GOP leaders in Congress had opposed tighter security on cargo containers at ports and airports. Feh. Can we all say Dubai Ports deal all together now, folks? Can we all say cutting the number of airport screeners and cutting $6 million in airport liquid bomb technology scanners? But I just feel sooo safe under GOP dictatorship, that I simply must sign over all of my precious civil liberties in the name of BushCo fascism b/c dammit: Freedom is on the march. Christ on a cracker, here's the next thing I'm waiting to hear from the delusional Repukes: Bush himself-- aided by illegal NSA wiretaps or some such thing-- caught the JonBenet Ramsey murder suspect and all of America's lil beauty pageant queens now finally have Dear Leader to thank for their safety, b/c ya know... since that poor lil girl was brutally murdered when Clinton was Prez, he is somehow responsible.
3400+ Iraqi civilians killed in month of July, but the brand new GOP phrase is Adapt & Win...... NOT Stay the Clusterfuck Course  Ken Mehlman (fresh from crawling out of that DEEEEEP closet of his) delusionally spewed the new GOP catch phrase... no, not Islamo-fascists, but this one: In Iraq, we will ADAPT and WIN. Wow. STAY the COURSE is so last yr, no? Psst... guess what Kenny? When you're sending in 1000s of more troops b/c Iraq has crumbled into a civil war, you are still staying the course. No matter what brand new shiny phrase you wanna wrap it up in. On Tues came news that more Iraqi civilians were killed in July -about 3400- than in any other month of the war, according to Iraqi Health Ministry and morgue statistics, despite a security plan begun by the new govt in June. Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish member of parliament, said: "The US policy has failed both in terms of politics and security, but the big problem is that they will not confess or admit that. They are telling the American public that the situation in Iraq will be improved, they want to encourage positive public opinion (in the US), but the Iraqi citizens are seeing something different. They know the real situation." Othman also said that top American officials spend most of their time in the heavily guarded Green Zone and at large military bases and don't know what's happening beyond. A Shiite parliament Jalaladin al Saghir, offered: "All the American policies have failed because the American analysis of the situation is wrong; it is not related to reality. The slaughtered Iraqi man on the street member named conveys the best explanation for what's happening there. Yet American military and civilian leaders continue to offer generally upbeat assessments." Hmm... seems to me like those Iraqi parliament members sound a bit like Ned Lamont b/c they are pointing out the true state of affairs in Iraq. I wonder when exactly will Cheney start accusing these 2 men of cavorting with al Qaida since they aren't kissing Lieberman's "war happy/ everything is coming up roses in Iraq" ass?
First we find out that airlines are selling the things they confiscate in airports on e-Bay (including even confiscated sex toys) and now bankrupt Northwest Airlines has advised workers, in a 4-pg booklet called "Preparing for a Financial Setback", to fish in the trash for things they like, to take their dates for a walk in the woods instead of dinner and a movie, and to shop in thrift stores in a move to help workers facing the ax save money. Very classy... and so hygienic, no? Mmm... makes me just wanna hop on a NW Airlines flight and gobble down their meals.
As the shaky cease-fire holds and war refugees pick thru the rubble, this Mid East op/ed says that Israel just may have ironically handed Iran protection from war. If this is true, this may have very well saved Rummy's ass b/c if the push for war w/Iran were now vigorously pursued in light of this failed Lebanese war, the angry generals won't have to wing Rummy's ass outta a plane at 30,000 ft and claim it was a heroic accident.
This is so no shocking: "A poll conducted by ChristiaNet.com. (who bills itself as the world's most visited Christian website) indicates a surprising number of Christians are addicted to pornography: 50% of those Christian men and 20% of Christian women polled. Additionally, 60% of the women who answered the survey confessed having "significant struggles w/ lust." 40% admitted to being "involved in sexual sin" in the past yr." Well, ya know, when you spend all of your time obsessing about other people's sex lives and trying to demonize one of the most natural and wonderful acts human beings share, no wonder you're addicted to porn and have a sick relationship w/sex. And they call us libs freaks... puh-leeze.
Admist all of this talk of who won the war between Hezbollah & Israel (WTF? There are really "winners" in this? I am seriously doubting anybody won, no matter what crap Capt Clueless spews out) I came across this op/ed by Norman Birnbaum, who is Prof Emeritus at Georgetown Univ Law Center. He has also taught at the London School of Economics, Oxford, & the Univ of Strasbourg. He is also Jewish, and I think he sees the spooky PNAC/ Neo-Con writing on the wall: "We can be sure that should US Jewish citizens dissent from the community's central item of faith-- that Israel can do no wrong, we will be pilloried. When our gentile fellow citizens express doubt, they are accused of anti-Semitism. Those of us who are Jewish are taxed w/ self-hatred. The assumption by Israel of the role of US enforcer in the Mid East is certainly no guarantee of Israel's survival. The much-celebrated "strategic partnership" is not necessarily permanent. Should the US elite decide that broader strategic interests require curbing or even abandoning Israel, it would not hesitate to do so. And as the US empire crumbles, it is best to urge Israel away from brutal militancy. " I completely agree. The US is using Israel, and once Israel has outserved her purpose, the US will move on to look for a new ally/prey. Look at history. It is what the US has done and will continue to do. But really, what price are the Israelis willing to pay for US "friendship"?
Depleted Uranium, Our Vets & the Iraqis  Now most of us lib bloggers have been painfully aware of the horrific effects of depleted uranium for a while now (more pix here) but I'm impressed that MSNBC has devoted giving space to a 4 page online article about DU. While researching for this post, I came across this article about a 22 yr old Iraq vet who died from a range of cancers, and his mother's fight to find out what killed her son. Read the article... it contains a quote by Lieberman that I find interesting given that Joe-Judas vehemently wants our troops to remain stuck in the clusterfuck we call Iraq, furthering their exposure (as well as generations of exposed and sickened Iraqis to come since DU leaves behind a fine radioactive dust with a half-life of 4.5 billion yrs): Lieberman, co-author of a Senate bill on depleted uranium that passed June 20, said "Other studies have been done on the subject. Those studies concluded there was no evidence that exposure to the metal caused illnesses. It is time for a review by the Pentagon to see if there has been scientific progress that would provide a more accurate and definitive answer to possible links to adverse health. This amendment would require the Pentagon to provide that assessment." But given that the Pentagon flatly refuses to even acknowledge that DU causes any health problems-- despite studies showing otherwise-- do we really think they will suddenly have a change of heart due to a Senate bill?
On Countdown, Keith sums up all the "coincidences" of terror alerts under BushCo. Anyone who can't see that all of these "coincidences" smell to high heaven, must not have a nose on their face.
If you watched the YouTube of Olbermann in the post above, Keith touched upon a very scary possibility that was raised before the '04 election: If a terror threat hits, can elections be postponed? Well, snap your tin foil hats on folks... and be shocked at how easily and well the foil hat fits nowadays in BushWorld, b/c Alex Jones (who predicted on his radio show on July,25, 2001 (YouTube here) that a catastrophic terror attack would hit the US, for more info, visit PrisonPlanet and InfoWars- his radio show's blog site) has made another omnious radio show prediction in light of these hyped up foiled UK bombers. Let's all pray that Alex is wrong... but lately, the tin foil hats have been fitting like a glove.
Oh yeah... I feel soooo much safer under Il Duce Bush's inept & bankrupt leadership. Guess that $306 billion we've pissed away in Iraq could've beefed up our airport security, no?
Maybe it's just me... but dontcha think the ORIGINAL tape of the NASA moonwalk would've been kept in a special & secure place?: "The US govt has misplaced the original recording of the 1st moon landing, including astronaut Neil Armstrong's famous "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." In fact, in all, some 700 boxes of transmissions from the Apollo lunar missions are missing, and have failed to turn up after a yr of searching." Maybe we should put Hoekstra & Santorum on the case... they can find things that NOBODY else on earth can find.
Keep repeating the lies & the GOP will believe it  This weekend, I saw every Repuke sycophant on tv spinning and spewing that the war in Iraq and the foiled UK plot are proof that BushCo has made America safe. I guess they figure if they repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. Joseph Goebbels coined the phrase, and sadly, Repukes usually do gobble down BushCo's lies, hook, line, and sinker. But I have to say: Are they fucking blind? Our situation in the Middle East is abyssmal at best: 1) In Iraq: On Sunday, in Baghdad, at least 62 people were killed/ 140+ were injured due to car bombs and rocket blasts, Iraqi police in the city of Fallujah have simply left due to threats on their lives, and US troops had to perform a night raid at the Iraqi health minister's office, and arrest his guards. The minister and his guards are aligned to a major Shiite militia-the Mahdi Army- (which is modeled along Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas) and has been killing Sunnis w/their Shiia death squads... but remember: it still is not civil war folks. 2) A cease fire has finally been brokered between Hezbollah/ Israel, but not before Beirut was heavily hit again, 100s of innocents were killed and former Hezbollah haters now embrace them and turn their hatred towards Israel and the US for destroying all of Lebanon. And in the middle of all of this, we have Bush stupidly squawking about Islamo-fascists, & somehow, in his retarded mind-- linking together Hezbollah w/the UK shampoo bombers, and spewing out that old and tired lie that only he has made America safer due to his illegal wiretapping (despite the fact that it was legal surveillance, not illegal eavesdropping, that stopped the UK terrorist attacks), his wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and by helping Israel level Lebanon. But the facts are this: Since 9/11, the foiled UK plot and the wars in Iraq & the very forgotten Afghanistan have accomplished next to nothing, unless of course you consider these things accomplishments: 1) We've unleashed extremists that were previously unable to act (rather they be the newly re-energized Taliban back in Afghani soil, or the Shiias/Sunnis in Iraq or al Qaida which is seemingly everywhere), 2) We've spent over $300 billion on these wars, 3) We've killed/injured 1000s upon 1000s of civilians and soldiers, 4) We've made Middle Easterners/ Muslims view us as the aggressor who deserves to have extremist actions unleashed on them as retaliation, 5) We have not made the US one bit safer b/c our ports, airports, and borders are as porous as ever, and we do not have the competence or the money to spend on beefing up security programs b/c our nation is being bled out in Iraq & thru wealthy tax cuts. But again... If you repeat a lie often enough, Repukes will believe it.
As if we didn't already guess this was true, here's proof from the New Yorker and Seymour Hersh that the Bush admin was informed in advance and gave the "green light" to Israel's military strikes against Hezbollah w/ plans drawn up months before 2 Israeli soldiers were seized. The US considered Israel's actions as a necessary prerequisite for a possible strike against Iran, and earlier this summer Israeli officials visited Washington to brief the BushCo on its plan to respond to any Hezbollah provocation and to "find out how much the US would bear". But sadly, as was the case w/invading and occupying Iraq, no real plans of what to do except attack/ invade Lebanon were made by the US or Israel.
At least former Homeland Security director Tom Ridge had sense to blast The Big Dick Cheney for calling Lamont "the al Qaida candidate", but ya have to wonder why isn't CNN's Chuck Roberts blasted for calling Lamont that, too? While I'm sure Fox's noxious Chris Wallace thought he'd make lunchmeat outta Lamont, but it just didn't happen, despite Wallace bringing up the "al Qaida comment". Lamont held his own and answered Wallace's questions articulately, b/c he sums up exactly what this war in Iraq has done to compromise our security. Read the transcript here or watch the YouTube of the interview. Lamont faced the same old wingnut talking pts on Face the Nation, but he held his own there, too. And I want to know why aren't most Americans pissed off that Lamont is called a candidate that is "fringe" and is someone that al Qaida loves, given that 60% of us oppose this war now?
Well, well... Religious Frighter James Dobson (of Focus on the Family) has announced that HE forgives mel Gibson for his anti-Semitic statements. Really Dobson? Are you Jewish? Then big f-ing deal and why in the hell should we care? Oh that's right.... Pat Robertson made it abundantly clear when he had his lengthy meeting w/Israeli PM Olmert this past wk: "I think the people of Israel understand where their friends are, and their friends are evangelical Christians, as Israel does her part in this struggle against Islamo-fascists."...Hey now Pat, people in glass houses shouldn't toss stones... and given that you Christo-fascists will gleefully throw the Jews under the bus once your beloved Rapture happens, I guess that makes your brand of fascism A-okay, huh?
Airlines: One man's trash is another's treasure and will be sold... even Aunt Martha's strap-on  Now in actuality, this pix was taken in downtown NYC, courtesy of the hilarious Timmy Ray, but you'll get the drift quick enough (via MSNBC): "The state of PA is gathering up things travelers have had to give up at airport security checkpts, and then turns a profit by disposing of these castoff items, which it accepts from security contractors at 12 airports in 5 states, by selling them to the highest bidders at online auction site eBay. Two and 1/2 tons of the of miscellany arrives every month, and of that, 98% of it will sell, all to the tune of more than $307,000 since it began in June 2004. (Hmm... ya gotta wonder how much profit is now gonna being made off of all of the dumped makeup, perfume, lotions, and shampoos, huh?) Most of the contraband merchandise is knives, nail clippers and cuticle scissors that were forbidden as carry-on items following the terror attacks of 9/11, but other confiscated items held at the govt warehouse include: piles of Swiss Army knives, chain saws, blenders, hockey sticks, fake grenades, sausage grinders, machetes, Wiffle Ball bats, frosting-encrusted wedding cake servers, fur-lined handcuffs, and a variety of sex toys. Sex toys? Sweet Jesus. The day that I buy a used dildo on e-Bay is the day that I consider having female circumcision performed on a lunch break just for shits and giggles, m'kay?
As more is uncovered about the UK shampoo bombers (and this Buzzflash analysis is perfecto in so very many ways), one thing is crystal clear: BushCo tried and are currently trying to twist this to their political advantage... even going as so far as trying to convince the Brits to arrest the suspects even sooner (via MSNBC): In contrast to previous reports, an attack was not imminent, in fact, the suspects had not yet purchased any airline tickets. Some of the suspects did not even have passports. Yet, a senior British official knowledgeable about the case said Brit police were planning to continue to run surveillance for at least another wk to try to obtain more evidence, but US officials pressured them to arrest the suspects sooner. (Hmm, just in time to help out Loserman before the Tues primary?) The sr Brit official source did say, however, that police believe one of the suspects was ready to conduct a "dry run." Brit authorities had wanted to let him go forward with part of the plan, but the Americans balked. At the WH, a top aide to Bush denied the account. BushCo denies it? That. is. so. shocking. But never fear, just as the US did in the outing of Pakistan's double agent Khan in 2004, if Bush wants it, he threatens and gets it... even if means fucking up a lengthy undercover surveillance project and ultimately screwing up any hope of the suspect being successfully prosecuted in a crt of law: Another US official, however, acknowledges there was disagreement over timing. "The Brit official said the Americans also argued over the timing of the arrest of suspected ringleader Rashid Rauf in Pakistan, warning that if he was not taken into custody immediately, the US would "render" him or pressure the Pakistani govt to arrest him. Brit security was concerned that Rauf be taken into custody "in circumstances where there was due process," according to the official, so that he could be tried in Brit crts. Ultimately, this official says, Rauf was arrested over the objections of the Brits."In fact, according to the Independent UK: The police were rushed into making the arrests after one of the alleged ringleaders - a British citizen, Rashid Rauf - was arrested in Pakistan on Weds, August 9th, US intelligence sources have disclosed. Oh who cares if BushCo fucked up yet another undercover gig for the UK in their honest attempt to stop terrorism? As long as Capt Chimpy McClusterfuck and his inept cabal can strut around like thye actually did something, that is all that matters. Besides, Bush has to somehow get the timing of these arrests to coincide w/ current opposition to the new US/UK extradition treaty that is scheduled for a vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Comm on Sept 7, 2006. I have to wonder if the Bush/Blair phone conversation about the arrests went a lil something like this?
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