When a deal is too good to be true....it most certainly is!

The last time Bush "cut taxes" I was pulling down a 6 figure compensation package and my "share" of the "tax cut" was about $350. I can't remember what I bought with my "windfall", but I'm sure it wasn't much. People in higher income brackets got as much as 100 times that amount or $35,000 (I know, I did the math at the time). If I had received $35,000, I would know what I did with that kind of money...probably invested in my family's future, bought a new car, put a down payment on a new house...you know, the stuff you remember. I bet you would have too. This latest round of "tax cuts" is structured in similar fashion, you get a little, Paris Hilton gets a lot. Here's the question for you and for everyone you know that thinks the current administration and the republican party is taking care of the poor and middle class. Why do you keep allowing Paris Hilton, Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Jenna Bush, Barbara Bush, Dick Cheney, etc. to ride on your dime??? Do you really like these people so much that it's OK with you that they get richer while you just tool along? Most of my friends and I'll bet most of yours don't need food stamps. Is it OK with you that Paris Hilton gets a big break while people who clean toilets at $5.15 an hour lose a benefit that helps them feed their children? Are you that angry at the poor that you cheer the loss of food to children? Big Oil made record profits in Q3 of this year, but poor kids have to go to school hungry? The aftermath of Katrina isn't about black or white, it's about what happens to the poor and middle class when the shit hits the fan. OK, so you can rationalize all of this, you want your $350 bucks. Would you invest that $350 bucks in a company that is up to its ass in red ink run by a chairman who doesn't listen to the stockholders while the chairman is calling for a redistribution of the value of the company from the stockholders to the board of directors? Would you invest in a company where the chairman announces that even though the company is doing poorly, he wants to cut revenues? Even the most brilliant business minds would think that was a pretty crazy thing to do. So why is it OK for your government to follow a leader that does this shit? If you voted for George Bush in 2000 or 2004, ask yourself if you are still happy with your choice...and if you are, why, just a year after the "election" are 6 out of 10 people not happy with him or his cronies? What do you and your other 3 buddies see that the majority of americans don't see?? Are you really better off now than you were 4 years ago? If so, how?

Your Government at Work

Champions of the Rich, Enemies of the Poor and Middle Class

In this week's episode of fuck the poor, the mostly Republican House salvaged the $50 billion spending cut by a vote of 217 to 215 by not drastically cutting the programs for the poor, college students and farmers as much as they wanted to a week earlier. The Senate was a bit kinder to the poor avoiding direct cuts to the beneficiaries of antipoverty programs but allowing arctic drilling which the congress cut from it's spending cut bill. (WaPo)

In the meantime, big oil will continue to reap tremendous profits.

Democratic Senators which proposed a bill to make oil price gouging a federal crime and outlawing market manipulation by major oil companies was defeated by 3 votes. (link)

Earlier yesterday, the Senate rejected, 64-35, a proposal by Democratic Senators Byron Dorgan and Chris Dodd to impose a 50 percent excise tax on oil companies' profits when oil exceeds $40 a barrel, unless profit is reinvested in exploration activities or developing new refineries. An amendment by California Democrat Diane Feinstein and New Hampshire Republican John Sununu to eliminate some tax breaks for large energy companies also was defeated, 51-48. (Bloomberg)

The Senate this week also voted against a way to fix Bush's Folly in Iraq. How dare senators require a timely end to the war. (USA Today)

Today the Senate will debate privacy protections regarding the Patriot Act. Yes, your privacy is still being debated you scaredy cats who willingly gave up your rights after 9/11. (link)

In an effort to keep the rich as wealthy as possible, a Democratic amendment which sought to pay for $60 billion in tax cuts by closing tax loopholes failed in the Senate on Thursday.

The U.S. Senate approved a $60 billion tax-cut measure that spares about 14 million [wealthy] Americans from paying higher rates under the alternative minimum tax. (link) Lawmakers defied a demand by the White House to delete a $4.3 billion tax increase on oil companies in the measure, which passed on a vote of 64-33 shortly after midnight last night. (link)

The tax-cut package would more than wipe out the $35 million in spending cuts the Senate approved earlier this month.

Today's Newsday editorial: "Even for a body composed of professional politicians, the Senate has had quite a week. First it offhandedly punched a hole in the Constitution, and then it sought public accolades for patching up part of the damage it had just caused." Indeed. (read the rest)

OK, so there I've said it and I'm not sorry for saying it!

Ya know the sad thing is that it's not the young who forgot how Goebbels and the boys took control, it's the people who fought them tooth and nail and died fighting them that for the most part voted for the bushistas. It's the greatest generation and the children of the greatest generation that "elected" and "re-elected" these maniacs. It's the people who quietly marched off to war in Vietnam because it was "the right thing to do", and are now sending their kids to do the same in Iraq. We've gotten here because of the "good intentions" of good god fearing, queer hating, racist, but oh so patriotic flag waving, yellow ribbon wearing americans, who listen to Rush Limbaugh's every word and watch Bill O'Reilly spew his venom for big paychecks and whose politics are shaped by CNN and FOX as they sit in their comfy livingrooms drinking their cheap ass beer and watching NASCAR, NFL, and NBA megamillionaires entertain the masses, but won't take a stand like say Muhammad Ali did and say enough! It's the middle class investors who when big oil lies to congress can't get too excited because their portfolios have grown fat from the dividends of their investments in big oil and in the weapons to kill people industry. Wake up america, until we stop sending these pricks to congress and the senate, until we stop buying products who use people like Paul Harvey as a mouthpiece, until we stop driving 20-30 miles a day to and from work alone in a gas guzzler, until we just stop all the crap we've been doing and thinking "Oh, it's OK, I mean how can I make a difference, just me riding the bus won't make a difference, just me investing in socially conscious companies won't make a difference, just me not buying a posture pedic sleep system with my own computerized sleep number, just me, just me, just me!!!!!!!!!! Well, folks, unless you're writing politicians, newsmakers, media princesses and princes, businessmen and women everyday and making them very nervous about being the next bastard hauled before a grand jury, in addition to living a life consistent with your politics, even you (we) are not doing enough...and that's why we're in the mess we find ourselves in today, discussing what we should have been screaming at the tops of our collective lungs during the 2000 election, and from now until the next "election"..if free elections are even possible anymore. Our job is not to convince ourselves, it is to convince the 4 out of 10 poor bastards who still believe the crap that's coming from the pols. And in the end, and hopefully, this manical clown circus is coming to an end, when these thugs are out of office and in exile, we can all start by putting things back together. Maybe...hopefully...and the way we should have been doing it all along. Soap box safely stowed for landing...

Fitzmas, Shit-mas...2 years and bupkis!

Fitzmas came and Fitzmas went, and all I got was a fuckin' Scooter!!! That my friends is total horse shit!!! If nothing else, we know for a fact who "outed" Valerie Plame...Robert Novak. Indict his ass and let him and his lawyers argue the point about reporters rights. This administration has put down the media so much and so often that the media no longer deserves the "right" of innocence. Novak was the first person to say Plame was a CIA agent. We have it on record. We have no one else on record admitting to it, therefore Big Lipped Bob goes down!!! Fuck it, this whole matter is too polite for me. Bob takes up residence with a cell mate named "Big Herman" until Bob comes clean with the public, no testimony behind closed doors, no polite conversation on Sunday morning with other media princes and princesses. I can't believe that in a country which prides itself on the history of free journalism no one, not nobody, not no how has cracked this case. At times I wonder if they teach investigative journalism in school at all anymore?? I'm pissed...and even the Scooter I got has a broken wheel ;-)

This weekend in Fear

OK NYC, it's been a while since you guys had the shit scared out of you. "Unspecified threats against unspecified targets".....when will NYC take back its soul?The Boogie Man lives here!

Fear Runs Americans in 2005 or Only Bush could cause gas shortages in Texas!

As I watched the traffic snarls leaving Houston ("fleeing the wrath of Rita" as I recall hearing) I thought...this is all so unnecessary. What is it about the government telling us to fear everything, and then like children, we hide beneath the covers from the boogie man? Did Texans need a bigger evacuation than New Orleans just to prove they're better, bigger, and by golly more patriotic?? The facts don't prove out the case for panic the government spewed out to the people of Houston. Here's why. Houston, unlike New Orleans is 50 feet or so above sea level. Houston doesn't have water on all sides. Houston is a city mostly built in the latter part of the 20 century on solid ground. Houston's federal dole has not been cut to the bone by the current administration (thanks in part to Tom Delay). Houston's infrastructure is newer, it's roads and highways are a result of 50's and 60's planning, not pieced together over the last 3 centuries. Oh, and the bushistas are heavily invested in Texas oil and gas so are more likely to protect and rebuild it quickly. So why did the feds move more quickly to "panic" everyone when Rita (class 3 hurricane, not class 5) moved closer to Houston? And then, when the storm turned, to "protect" the people of Houston, why didn't the news get to them more quickly? Why did this exercise result in the deaths of people trying to run?? Because the current asshats in the whitehouse feast on fear. I'm not saying for a minute that a cat 3 hurricane wouldn't have caused some nasty damage had it come ashore over Galveston, it didn't come ashore there. And there is damage and there are displaced people in rural Texas and Louisiana (again). But it came ashore closer to Orange Texas, a small city on the TX/LA border, but that just didn't make juicy news. This was the lastest opportunity for the cowards in the whitehouse to pretend to "protect and serve". This exercise was an attempt to "show" that it really is the fault of the Louisiana officials (many Dems) not the feds that what went wrong during and after Katrina wasn't the fault of the bushistas. This is similar to how the asshats in the whitehouse tried to couch the Katrina disaster by saying "Well 4 hurricanes hit florida and things didn't go as bad as they did in New Orleans so it must be the state officials, not us". The difference between New Orleans and Florida is that W takes care of those who got him the job and fuck the rest of us plain and simple....oh, and the governor of Louisiana isn't named bush! And why at the 11th hour did Smirky the Chimp say "I'm going to Texas"? Was he going to get on his pony and lead the charge to stop the big bad wolf?? Or was he still pissed about not completing his vacation and wanted to grab a couple more days?? Now that the storm has passed and unlike New Orleans, Chimpy won't have to stand stage center and assure americans that "We will stay as long as it takes..(thank god somebody told him him to skip the 'cut and run' part of the speech) it will be interesting to see just how this plays out. I think there should be an investigation into this staged event immediately after the media circus ends about Katrina (with Rove assuring everyone that Bush had nothing to do with anything naturally). And finally, if Houston had been kicked to shit by this hurricane, would there have been any question that it would be rebuilt? So why did the msm keep that question about New Orleans on the front pages for a week? Slow news days...I doubt it.

Is the world speeding up, or am I slowing down??

Since last I posted, 104+ more Americans have died fighting for "freedom" in Iraq, New Orleans has been trashed, first by a storm, next by government ineptitude, over 1000 Iraqis (those people so important to us now) have died, the "free" Iraqis still can't agree on a constitution which would include equal rights for women, Iran has moved closer to asserting itself on the nuclear world stage, the Israeli occupation of Gaza has ended, Cindy Sheehan is off the front pages, children in Darfur are still dying by the thousands, Bush is off vacation, another Bush has been arrested for DUI, September 11th has come and gone, Bill Maher continues to give face time to conservative pundits or pundit wanna bes, and a phone call from Dick Cheney can still preserve profits for oil companies by diverting resources for repairing hospitals!
What is it about the world that I am missing??
As the American KIA numbers soared in August I wondered if this was another "Tet Offensive" in the making. Sadly, the number of families receiveing "visits" from uniformed officers from the armed forces will continue until somebody says enough. The polls say that americans who oppose the continued occupation of Iraq exceeds the number of americans who support it. What kind of democracy do we live in where the elected officials don't listen to the people, or where the minority determines when enough lives have been lost in a eog driven folly? Fortunately, the offensive of early august it has not proven to be so, but at what cost to the Iraqi people. Just a few days ago, multiple bombs killed and maimed hundreds on a single day..and for what?? The American backed "parliment" still has not finished a draft of the proposed constitution, a document that was supposed to be done by August 15 or parliment was to have been dissolved and another elected. The draft is a major slap in the face to women's rights, yet we continue to send American women into harms way to fight for the "Iraqi right of self government". Why is Iraq so important, and Darfur is not?? If by now, there is any educated person who doesn't beleive that oil was the issue, they are either dillusional, or a neoconazi to the bone (and yes, I will use nazi to describe them!) As we close useless military bases in the US, we build even more useless bases abroad, and to what end?? What is the government not telling us about potential enemies that require these bases so far from home?? And who do they think these enemies are?? Surely terrorists are not going to attack a heavily armed military base in a way that requires huge investments in personnel and material, that's not the nature of a guerilla war...ask the Londoners. When are we going to acknowledge the fact that Iraq, the effort to "secure" this piece of desert, the lives lost on all sides, the squandering of resources, has less to do with protecting the average American in america than it does with "protecting" oil reserves...the dope of the American culture and profits for big business? What am I missing?
New Orleans...(suck it up, I'm from there, have family there and can speak from first hand experience)
So long neglected, used like a cheap whore by the party crowd, forgotten by social justice advocates, Louisiana drained of its natural beauty by the same oil people who now destroy Iraq for the same fix. Troubling to see government "officials" being told what a great job they're doing "Brownie" by a president who continued to vacation while the city flooded, by an administration who began pointing fingers even before they summoned help, an administration who used this tragedy as they have used every tragedy as a photo op and image builder. Wasn't it odd that the 82nd Airborne (the elite and trained fighters they are) was on patrol in New Orleans while a bunch of middle aged NG guys (just one weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer my ass )from Louisiana are on patrol in Fallujah? What's that about? Another classic example of mismanagement by an inept administration in washington. And if we can lose billions in Iraq, just think what the scammers can do closer to home! I'm not exonorating the people who looted, but have you ever witnessed a breakdown of social order where people did not loot??? Why isn't the security of real assets not a part of any emergency planning? Wanna stop looting? Have enough emergency personnel to conduct search and rescue, AND maintain a presence large enough to secure places where potential looting will occur. Many people will not realize that the places most looted in NO were near housing projects where desparation is a way of life. I know, remember, I lived there. Every time I looked at footage, I could identify those red brick buildings hundreds of yards from the looted areas. And do you think the looters were the people who could afford to evacuate?? No, they were the people left behind to fend for themselves, or turned back into the city when they tried to escape by walking across the bridges into the (predominately white) suburbs. You may have seen the woman running down the street, draped with tennis shoes (many too big for her to wear), and thought what a thief she was, well get a clue, those shoes were most likely converted into dollars to get what she needed right then, or that will be used for food, and essential goods when order is restored. I heard many people say that they didn't have a problem with people looting food or essentials, but they drew the line at the arm loads of clothing and merchandise seen carried off by looters. Well, folks, the people you saw didn't have access to money in the days following the storm and flood, nor is money worth much when you need water and there is none to be had, and converting goods and merchandise into essentials wasn't far behind. These people don't have bank accounts and ATM access. And don't think that they got rich from their looted bounty. They survived until the government got to them with food and water. And if it took a pair of Reeboks traded for food to feed your kids, you would have done it too! If we just had the charity to think these things through. It wasn't the first choice of these people to shit and piss into the flood waters surrounding their homes (or in a corner of the Superdome) it was the necessity created by not having running water in their homes! The pictures you saw were also used to get you to watch a particular network. I saw troops searching a housing project (a mile from my old neighborhood) where "snipers" were firing on emergency crews...none of which were available to substantiate the "reporters" claim and on several different networks, I saw the same guy being frisked. This major sweep produced one guy??? Poor bastard was just looking out for his home. So, bush gets another photo op, blame has been placed, money will be thrown at the problem, let's see what New Orleans is like in 10 years, I'll bet no better off than it was before the storm.
The Iraqi constitution...late, misguided, and too influenced by powers outside of Iraq to make a long term difference. Iraq, without an american presense will not exist in 5 years as it existed prior to the invasion. Will there be an american presense in the new states that make up the old Iraq, you can bet on it..we will leave when the last drop of oil is drained from their sands. Democracy, freedom, liberty for their peoples mean nothing...watch and wait.
Iran...leave it alone, every country has rights, just like every person has certain inalienable rights. If any state abuses those rights or the rights of their neighbors, address the crime AFTER it has been committed. Don't assume that a state will commit a crime...that's what has us bogged down in Iraq...and that's what has a few hundred people trapped in Gitmo...no crime, just the thought that they may commit a crime. Is this is what it takes to keep us safe? Locking a bunch of people without the right of due process? Or for that matter any rights? We've created a couple of hundred Nelson Mandelas and just like Nelson, they will get out some day and they won't just go quietly.
Israel out of Gaza.....GOOD! State sponsored oppression, based on political differences, or religion is wrong. Israel is a Zionist nation, every bit as bad as any nations run by religious "leaders". It isn't like we would invade Israel for being run by rabbis, so why support a double standard elsewhere. If Zionists choose to run Israel, and it is OK with the people of Israel, fine. I just choose not to support religious states no matter what the flavor of their God in the middle east, in Utah, in South Carolina, on the Supreme Court....nowhere!
George Bush can thank his God (and the msm) for making Cindy Sheehan dissappear. Without Katrina, he would still be on vacation and Cindy would still be outside his "ranch". The press hates it when they are forced to give attention to someone or something they didn't find first. Cindy was no exception. The MSM is glad to move on, no matter how right Cindy was. Listen up cowboys..Bush only bought the place in 2000, so it isn't like his blood runs deep along the Brazos. He's not Texas, he's old East Coast snobbery, plain and simple. Give it up and sell your cowboy boots....he's a fake here too!
Starving Africans....until we export the available technology to slow the population growth in Africa, we will send food to starving Africans. We would find it disgusting, unacceptable, inhuman not to send food, so why don't we find it equally disgusting and inhuman to not send them the technology which could help them out of this vicious cycle. I can't remember a time when we haven't sent food to starving Africans, Asians, Haitians, so when are we going to "teach them how to fish" as the addage goes? Under the guise of charity, we continue to commit the greatest crimes against the most helpless people. Why?? Oh, I forgot, we can't make money in Africa or on the Africans. The last time Africans were valuable to us, we were selling them like animals. What's it going to take?? And notice, the crisis doesn't affect all africans. White South Africans don't live in shanty towns. Egypt is an African nation. Libya is an African nation. What's up with that??
It took 4 years for us to get over 9-11...kinda. Without the reps in power, it will be a distant memory in another 5-10. We never have forgotten Pearl Harbor. Can you see the difference now??
Democrats, Liberals, Progressives, whatever else they want to call themselves need to come together on one thing. They are not responsible for creating forums where the other side is allowed to counter their opinions and steal their airtime. Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, etc. never allow the other side to make their point, without a well rehearsed feint or response (direct from the RNC talking points memo faxed to them daily). The "left" (which I doubt actually exists) needs to just tell their side, and let the other side do what they choose. The donnybrook atmosphere of a Bill Maher "discussion" is bullshit. Jon Stewart needs to stop having RNC hacks on his show unless he is willing to take them apart. Enough of pretending to "play fair". Wake up, the other guys are punching below the belt at every opportunity. The average american is not interested in a goody goody fighter, they like the guy who wins! Wake up....it isn't about how you play the game, it's whether you win or lose!
Had Al Gore, or John Kerry walked across the stage and grabbed Bush by the throat and demanded that he explain himself, they would be president. Why is it that Bush gets away with so much?...because everybody agrees that it takes balls to try to run this crap on america, and by running his crap on america, he clearly has balls! If you're gonna have conservative dicks on the panel, Bill, don't let 'em talk, make 'em listen in front of a few million viewers...it's the least you can do to earn your big paycheck!
And finally....about Dick Cheney making a phone call to get pipelines (undoubtably owned by some buddies) back on line prior to getting hospitals' power restored...who the fuck is he anyway?? What was FEMA doing? What was W doing? Clearly this was a circumvention of the appropriate authority, wherever it was. But have you heard much about this??? Nope. Oh, so this was done to keep gas prices down in the Northeast...for whom? The gas price gouge after the storm was just that...price gouging. This wasn't about getting heating oil restored to thousands of east coast residents freezing to death in the middle of winter. It was about driving gas guzzlers. It wasn't about aviation fuel needed to conduct search and rescue, it was about gas prices and oil company profits. Had Dan Quayle done this kinda crap, would the press have "missed" it? Christ, Clinton was impeached for a blow job, but Cheney can deviate resources from emergency services and go un-noticed?? WTF?? So what am I missing?

We're doing it for the children

If I hear that phrase one more time I'm gonna scream! Why is it that everything we do as a nation, every thing anyone in government ever does, and anything anyone running for office ever campaigns on has to do with "doing it for the children...thanks, but my kid doesn't need the load! Avoid wars, avoiding hate, taking constructive action NOW, and just like in real life, living within your means, does more for the children than any hair brained long termed scheme any politician could ever come up with. Ask a banker if it's a good idea to feed your McDonalds habit by using your credit card? As your investment if it's a good idea to borrow money to invest in endless ponzi schemes? It's like people suggesting that we build this great roof to shelter the children, and then realizing down the road that the roof has no foundation and isn't worth the time and effort spent in building it. I think that whenever these bastards say that "doing it for the children" line, they know its a lie from the gitgo! Bastards, bastards all!

Is Bio Terror already happening???

This have been on my mind for quite some time, and with the bombings in Spain, London, Iraq, Bali, it just won't go away. I've done a little research at Earthtrends and done the math. I'll use the recent London bombings, since the numbers are fresh.
As of 2004 there were 55,000 reported cases of hiv/aids in the UK. With 700 wounded to varying degrees, 55 innocents dead, and the 4 bombers, it just seems reasonable that someone(s) injured in those bombings was infected with hiv/aids. In the rush to escape the carnage and help the wounded, is it safe to assume that some others were hit by infected blood and body pieces? If you have an open wound and get hit by flying blood from a person who is hiv positive, in that wound (not as far fetched as you would think in a bomb blast) wouldn't it be likely that you would become infected? Here's my point. Are the wounded being tested for exposure? Among the dead and wounded does the government know who was hiv positive or who had aids? Were the bombers (or any bombers for that matter) hiv positive? My thought goes on about this...use your own imagination to reach the chilling conclusion I have reached. I just don't want to put that thought down in writing for fear of being visited by the Federales...but it's something we have to think about and acknowledge and plan for. It sure is quiet out there about a scenario like this, so it really makes me wonder. If you think bombs are scary, bio terror is REALLY scary...and it might already be happening!

Iraqis less than Londoners...apparently.

Almost 50 Iraqis died over the weekend in a series of bombings. Not on the front pages of the London Times, or the NY Times, or on flashy graphics on FAUX News, no media princes or princesses, no eye witness interviews, or any real 24/7 coverage??? Why is that??? Do 50 Iraqis not "equal" 50 Londoners?? Granted there were people of many nationalities and races on those trains and the bus. But, are there not 50 grieveing families in Iraq today mourning their dead? This IS the problem!!! When "we" start seeing victims of war or senseless attacks as equals, "we" will see progress and cohesion in combating the issues and ending the violence!

I hate those yellow ribbon bumper stickers too!

Finally the backlash is happening
For a while now, I've been hoping, no praying, that at some point, sanity will set in a those magnetic ribbon things that seem afixed to every gas guzzling SUV and "manly" pick-up truck will experience their version of the rapture and just go away. I've seen a few posts on the subject, the latest at Blondesense where the comments are quite good. I started to run amok with a comment and a few suggestions on new slogans, so I decided that maybe I should just post some of my ideas for new ones here. Here they are, please add to the list.
How about "I support Jenna and Barbara enlisting"
How about "If you support the troops, sign up or shut up"
HOw about "I support giving France a public apology because they told us so!"
How about "I support all the Rock and Roll fucks who did the G8 ego concerts going to work in Africa for a few months"
How about "I support people with gas guzzlers who think they're really doing shit by putting little ribbons on the ass end of their gas guzzlers"
How about "I support teaching Bush how to ride a bicycle"
How about "I support bringing the troops home..., from Cuba, the Phillipines, Japan, Germany, Korea, Kosovo, Afganistan, Iraq, and the other 120+ countries we have troops in!"
How about "I support shooting every car with a magnetic ribbon attached to it!"
How about "I support the fact that people with little magnetic ribbons on their cars don't have a clue about supporting the troops!"
How about "I support pornographers at RNCC dinners!"
How about "I support VA benefits, why doesn't Bush?"
This is too easy....

The legitimacy of the Iraqi election is now in question like it wasn't already

OK, I still don't get it, you elect a group and then that group assigns other non elected members to the group???

This article makes me question the legitimacy of the much touted elections? Check it out, you decide...Iraqi Leaders put un-elected Sunnis on constitutional panel

Same shit, different century

I found this piece over at Blondsense this morning. Who knew, one of the most american of american writers was anti war!!

The Flag Is Not Polluted
by Mark Twain [1901]

I am not finding fault with this use of our flag; for in order not to seem eccentric I have swung around, now, and joined the nation in the conviction that nothing can sully a flag. I was not properly reared, and had the illusion that a flag was a thing which must be sacredly guarded against shameful uses and unclean contacts, lest it suffer pollution; and so when it was sent out to the Philippines to float over a wanton war and a robbing expedition I supposed it was polluted, and in an ignorant moment I said so. But I stand corrected. I concede and acknowledge that it was only the government that sent it on such an errand that was polluted. Let us compromise on that. I am glad to have it that way. For our flag could not well stand pollution, never having been used to it, but it is different with the administration.

Check out other great and similar pieces by BlondeSense Liz

Arrested Development

Support the Troops?? What about the children??

This a link to a NY Times article by Arlie Hothschild regarding children incarcerated in prisons guarded by our "Supported Troops". Sick! So we have 18 year old soldiers guarding 8 year old kids undercircumstances that will certainly scar both of them for life. And the world looks on and does nothing. Maybe it's time for the world to step up and say enough. Get your asses out of Iraq or we will move against you. And it won't be in Iraq. We will freeze your assets. We will impose sanctions. We will shut down your bases on our territories. We will do that which you can not defend yourselves against until you stop this maddness. We will cease shipping goods to Wal Mart, K Mart, Target, and all the other partners in this crime. And let your "president" know, that he is not welcome in our countries and if he insists on coming he will be dealt with as the war criminal he is! Oh, and consider yourselves shut out of the oil buying market until you get the Iraqi oil industry back on its feet so it can provide the basis for an economy in that country that can support the reconstruction necessary to make it the livable nation it was before you occupied it! Have a Nice Day!

Bush has questions...how about some answers first

CNN is headlining this Bush wants answers about Iran Prez. Which brings me to some historical questions. What did Manachem Begin do to Palestinians in the name of the State of Israel? Future Peace Prize Winner's History here Phan Van Khai, the recent whitehouse visitor and current Vietnamese PM, did what during the Vietnam War? Werner Von Braun worked for whom during WW2? How many Uzbeks were killed by their leadership (one friendly to the US) in the last 2 months? Name the Nazi artillary company Pope Benedict XVI served with? Why do we trade with the largest remaining communist country in the world, yet impose sanctions on one of the smallest (Cuba)? My point is that the facts appear to be being "fixed" again. There's something in Iran that bush wants....let's see....oh, more oil!!! Why are the questions above any less important than the ones about the new Iranian president or vice versa? We're being set up again. This time, it's only a short hop into Iran from Iraq. Even if this guy was part of that episode, what gives bushit the privilege to question the freely elected president of a sovereign nation? What gives him the right to question the democratic process by which this guy was elected? Hey, it's democracy, spreading across the Middle East, just like you want it to. So sorry you don't get to pick the candidates, and ultimately the leader. This is smelling like a rat already. What a great way to draw attention away from bushit's troubles at home.....take a shot at somebody else. Typical....way typical, and moving in a very bad direction

Another Lie about Bush's speech???

So, who gave the order for the servicemen and women present at the Bush pep rally/lie-fest to not applaud? It's all over the news, so why did the Bush advance team encourage applause at one point??? We're they encouraging these soldiers to disobey orders? Isn't that a crime in itself? I say nobody ordered these guys to keep quiet and until someone comes forward to say otherwise, this crap, this excuse for Bush's speech flopping in front of the very people who he is leading to war based on lies is just an excuse. OK, any takers?? Name the guy who gave the order, interview him, find out why the advance team broke ranks.
OK, who clapped?

His thoughts, my thoughts

OK, so I tried to keep it short, that fact is I could have gone on all night, and I have better things to do. Take a look, my words are in italics his words are the crazier crap on the page.

"We continued our efforts to help them rebuild their country (a country that until our invasion was in pretty good shape economically and physically despite years of sanctions). Rebuilding a country after three decades of tyranny is hard — and rebuilding while at war is even harder. Our progress has been uneven — but progress is being made. We are improving roads, and schools, and health clinics … and working to improve basic services like sanitation, electricity, and water (all of which were pretty OK prior to our invasion). And together with our allies, we will help the new Iraqi government deliver a better life for its citizens." (after the civil war waging right under our noses is over)

"In January 2005, more than eight million Iraqi men and women voted in elections (down from the originally stated 13 million we said immediately after the election seems like they have counting problems too, well, we are trying to share our form of 'democracy') that were free and fair — and took place on time."

"The United Nations is in Iraq to help Iraqis write a constitution (had to after we abolished the old one, including the stuff that we agreed with)and conduct their next elections."

"The principal task of our military is to find (put on a cowboy hat and walk outside the Green Zone, you'll find 'em alright) and defeat the terrorists "(as we have done with Osama Bin Laden...er...well...no and the Taliban in Afganistan...er...well..no )

"Our strategy can be summed up this way: As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down. (except like in Fallujah where standing up got them shot)
(and what about the Afghans?)

"Some Americans ask me, if completing the mission is so important, why don't you send more troops? (wait a minute, what about that Mission Accompllished stuff, ya know, the aircraft carrier, the tight little jumpsuit? If our commanders on the ground say we need more troops, I will send them. But our commanders tell me they have the number of troops they need to do their job. (Has he been listening to the military guys? It doesn't look that way. Why is he telling Tony Blair to send more Brit Troops and encouraging everybody else to step up with more boots on the ground?)
They are doing that by building the institutions of a free society — a society based on freedom of speech, freedom of assembly (oh except for that little tiff earlier today when Iraqis began firing into a group of people demonstrating for better jobs), freedom of religion (because the Christian Right needs room to grow), and equal justice under law. (so long as it isn't Islamic Law)
"And as Iraqis see that their military can protect them, more will step forward with vital intelligence to help defeat the enemies of a free Iraq. (like maybe the occupiers???)

A letter from an Iraqi citizen to American citizens

In Their Own Words:

Dahr Jamail received this letter from an Iraqi who asked him to pass it on to the American people:

From an Iraqi citizen to the American people:

"We always have thought that you are citizens; away from the savageness which controls many people in the world because you suffered from the injustice of your own occupation more than two hundred and fifty years ago. Therefore, you picked up weapons against the occupiers until you forced him to go out of your state which was a great victory for you.

"Naturally, this occupier was giving unreasonable justifications for his stay in your country. Like any occupation, no country ever admit that they occupy some land but always says that they are a liberator of the people who are then unable to govern themselves and so on…

"Such reasons cannot change the origin of occupation.

"Nowadays, your army is occupying our homeland, destroying our homes and killing our men, women, and our children. The occupation is leaving this country full of chaos to the point we are now facing so many disasters, including suffering from looting and robbery.

"Sudden attacks and cruel murders have been perpetrated by your army who then prevent all people from submitting judicial complaints. This encourages all soldiers to kill thoughtlessly without any threat of trial.

"We have seen our Holy Quran desecrated by soldiers, but you continue to say your soldiers do not do what the Mogul and Barbarians did in the lands they occupied.

"Your soldiers did many immoral acts but your government leaders have done even more.

"We, the Iraqi people, do not put the responsibility of this on your shoulders because you are a people and not your government. But when the people have a decision in the fate of their country and decide to go in a direction which only benefits the government, this means that the people are satisfied with their governments’ actions.

"When you elected Mr. Bush for the second time, this was a declaration from you of being satisfied with all his acts in violation of the holiness of a state which shares a place with yours in the United Nations Security Council

"Has the age of occupation returned back to a place where agreements and treaties and international laws which forbid aggression are useless? When the people who chose to defend their land and reject the occupier are then described by your government as a terrorist? How long have you heard that an occupation which continues will have no resistance against it? Do you refer to the patriots of your own country as terrorists in your history books?

"Have you ever heard that there is a peaceful occupation? One that ended in victory for the occupier?

"American people, please remember the land of Iraq and remember the Iraqi people and think of yourselves as if you were in our place. In this way you will realize what Iraqis suffer.

"I am an Iraqi who bears no grudge against any person all over the world. We simply wish that other people may realize our suffering now, especially the people who do not support their thoughtless governments and their aggressive acts. For the people who support these corrupted governments will be responsible for them, and history will hold them responsible for allowing this tragedy to have occurred.

"This will be a shame on their ancestors who will not be able to hide this black page of history.

"Thank to the American people for listening attentively, and I am wishing you reasonableness and the ability to comprehend the truth".

Test of Link Insert Village loses idiot, whitehouse finds idiot

This is a test to insert a link from another page. It's actually a pretty good take down of Rummy....aside from the stuff on the web, all over the web. Can anybody get the goods on this guy?? We need pics of him and Jeff Gannon in the shower together! He's as good as the defense lawyers in the Jacko case. Start saying weird wacky shit, say a lot of it, say it for a long time and confuse the hell out of the folks milling around the blue light at K-mart. Don't go into the light, but check out americablog.