"Higher gas prices are a sign
of a failed presidency."
- Dick Cheney, 1998
"I know people think that this is a vanity job or that I'm the guy that just brings in talent and I'm out of the office three months a year and I only come in once in while, you know, like the real president, but yes, I'm really there."
- Rapper Jay-Z on becoming Def Jam Recording's new president
September 25, 2005 - School's out...thanks to Exxon (apologies to Alice Cooper)
Check this. Because Bush won't deal with high gas prices (you know, since it doesn't help his oil buddies get even richer), red state schools are dealing with budget shortfalls the only way conservatives know: by cutting school short. Georgia is merely using its snow days; Kentucky has decided to give students just a four day week.
Alright, its bad enough conservatives want to teach creationism as science; and to disregard science in any other form (barring, you know, petrochemistry). Its bad enough we don't teach sex to kids, and promote abstinence, which studies show leads to increases in anal sex (hey, not making this up here). Now, given that our students are in the bottom percentile in almost every category compared to othe industrial nations, we want TO SHORTEN THE SCHOOL YEAR. In the South, where our most poorly educated kids are in the first place. What? Republican voters aren't stupid enough already?
Meanwhile, a study shows most Europeans know at least two languages. At home, we struggle to understand why our president can't even speak one. In our schools, conservatives are hellbent on teaching the Bible. No offense, but the story of Jonah ain't exactly gonna land you a programming job. If you want to teach your kids religion, stop watching NASCAR and the NFL long enough to take them to church you heathens.
Bush is actually planning to leave children behind after all. After spouting that he is belatedly taking care of Hurricane Katrina and now, presumably, Rita evacuees/refugees/whatever, he wants to segregate the now homeless kids from the rest. And use vouchers. But you know, nobody should be using the tragedy to push a political agenda.
Speaking of playing politics, Rove and his hand puppet are pushing a guest worker program, presumably to win Latino votes, and to also provide labor for reconstruction projects, further undermining the chances for Gulf Coast residents to have jobs to rebuild their homes. Meanwhile, Bush appoints a member of his administration to investigate how his administration failed in its response to Katrina. Yeah, that's gonna be impartial. Then again, that's not as bad as appointed a former Chevron/Texaco lawyer to the FTC to investigate price gouging by the oil industry.
Hollywood is bending over to conservatives, as evidenced by at least one new movie and the fact that they are screening movies in churches now.
Ah well, at least New Orleans is getting back to normal, despite recent flooding. Want to know how? And want to know what reporters in the city are up to? Check out the following stories by the LA Times, the Australian Age, and the International Herald Tribune amongst dozens of stories about the same strip joint reopening.
Oh, more commentary on whether Bush has fallen off the wagon. Plus, you can bet on the odds of it being true.
Have a good week folks.
September 18, 2005 - BATHroom Break Blues
I'm probably going to focus a little more on personal life stuff soon...this real life crap is just so damn depressing. I do nothing more than report on the fundamentalist psychos trying to bring about the End Times or something and I don't see a light at the end of the tunnel. Sure, I'll point out the obvious stupidity, but given that the email I get is mixed as it is, there may be a change in what gets reported.
In any event, we start off with All in Family: Bush Edition. Seems Jeb's boy is following in the family footsteps by driving drunk and resisting arrest. At least he didn't kill a former dating partner like Aunt Laura. Tasteful arrest document found here. In other addict news, Kate Moss is apparently on cocaine. Yep, somehow there were people that didn't know that. I personally always thought it was heroin.
Katrina aftermath. After Bush gave his speech the other night, the city killed the lights to the area Shrub spoke in. Yep, Potemkin Watch continues. Another story on the crony relief contracts. And one on the GOP refusing to let an independent investigation into the government's failings occur. The state of Mississippi is gearing up to sue all those wonderful private insurance agencies that are trying to duck out of their responsibilities. I mean, look, I'm all about making money and keeping it, but be honest - the top capitalists in this world are just insufferable, inhuman pigs. I'm sure we'll hear more on this. Meanwhile, Bush promises not to allow the rich bear any of the reconstruction burden. Meanwhile, GOP congressmen want to find a dead rich person to justify repealing the estate tax. Vultures.
Slate covers Bush trying to reinvent his presidency. And AlterNet chides the "compassionate" ones for blaming the victims. Plus, bonus story on how Bush is so ineffectual, he has to ask work wife Condi for a bathroom break. Pics here and here.
Compare/Contrast. A couple stories that tickled my funny bone this week. First, we find sexism may be killing men early. Then a story on how more women are turning bisexual. Discuss amongst yourselves. This too is funny. Last year, The Onion wrote up a fake story about Gillette marketing a five-bladed razor. Well, Gillette actually got around to doing it the other day.
To wrap up, an interesting story of how 16 mentally ill men made it out of New Orleans. The Slurpee is apparently 40 years old. Tried that Frawg flavor the other day. Not impressed. As the season heads towards the playoffs, a look at impressive pitching feats. And a very weird tale of static electricity.
September 14, 2005 - Wow, it's about damn time
Quick! Hurry! Take a look outside. Has Hell frozen over? Are pigs flying? No? Hmm...that's strange. Why? Because I swear I read that Bush is taking responsibility for something. I mean, seriously; here's a guy who wouldn't even properly fess up and treat a drug and alcohol addiction. Now he's planning to step up and take criticism for allowing a city to drown? Amazing. Oh, I'm sure he'll duck out and blame someone else eventually, but it's interesting to hear him acknowledge that "something" went wrong and "someone" should be blamed.
Speaking of blame, Mike "heck of a job" Brown resigned (something Bush lied about knowing about) and is presumably going home to cry under his pillow. That said, he's a symbol, not the whole entire of the problem. His acting replacement, David Paulison, is an ex-firefighter. I was kind of excited about his credentials until I heard he was the guy who came up with the "duct tape will save you from biological attack" theory. Yeah, it was him.
Bush keeps getting a free pass for repeating the "dodged a bullet" meme. Then again he kept saying taking month-long vacations keeps his mind crisp. Both fallacies are addressed by DailyKos.
Bush cronies are mopping up on reconstruction contracts. They even get to underpay those who will do the repair work. Paul Krugman asks where else this lethal cronyism exists in our government.
Sigh. The GOP is moving to take advantage of the disaster, using it to push through more perks for the rich and taking away environment protections. Compassion at its best, right? Other kooks weigh in with their delirium as well; including so-called Christians like Robertson.
Lies from Limbaugh. Lies about buses. Doctors who tell Cheney off get cuffed at the barrel of a M-16. Karen Hughes thinks the world is shocked by looters, not by a government that couldn't get its act together to save people. The military is recruiting refugees. Could you at least wait until they get a roof over their heads first?
E.J. Dionne prematurely predicts the end of the Bush era. I mean, I wish he were right, but this goon isn't going down without a fight. Sen. Evan Bayh boosts his chance of my vote for him with this article on how we've failed America with Bush at the helm.
September 12, 2005 - Can you feel the compassion?
Added the above quote that moron DeLay said to three homeless boys in Houston. More stories of hate-mongering preachers calling Katrina a purifying sign from God. Texas Gov. Perry just stands by and let's this filth say it. Conservative radio jerk who calls those who lost their homes "scumbags." FEMA recommends you give your charity money to Pat Robertson. Watch out where your donations go. Seriously, some deity damn Bush for this blatant pandering to our religious extremists. I've linked to Network for Good and Habitat for Humanity. Consider America's Second Harvest as well.
Other miscreants. A Republican congressman wants to cut out the city and state officials and give all relief money to private contractors. What? Halliburton ain't rich ENOUGH from price-gouging us in Iraq? Florida homeowner's associations stop their residents from accepting homeless evacuees. And in Atlanta, one refugee got arrested for panhandling.
Laura Bush is digusted that people who dare accuse Georgie of being racially motivated to ignore the plight of his fellow citizens. To a certain extent I agree with the killer librarian. I'm not sure he himself if racist, just that he surrounds himself with - and panders to - all the racists in this country. And I'm also pretty darn sure he doesn't care about any American who makes less than ten million a year and isn't a Skull & Bones/KKK/700 Club Member, irregardless of skin color.
Critiques on Bush and Nagin in the wake of the hurricane. A Newsweek take on Bush's dilemma.
Here's an important thing I want you to get behind for me. Even though they've delayed rewarding the rich by proposing to eliminate estate taxes, GOP stalwarts are still planning to cut federal student funding by $9 billion dollars later this month. Go here and find out how to express your displeasure with this probably felonious crap. Thanks.
September 9, 2005 - The "What, me worry?" President
"Its not just the anarchy in New Orleans that is appalling people, we've seen numerous talking heads blaming the chaos on the lowest parts of society, that they aren't representative of the USA. I ask how are they measuring this lack of height - money? Social status? Race? And are they not part of America? How a country treats its 'lowest rung' in their time of need says much about the society.
"In many cultures the working class hold community values in a lot higher esteem than the so-called 'better' levels of society. Has rampant free market philosophy infiltrated the American psyche to the extent that anything with no dollar value is worthless? Or perhaps the nanny state has removed people's coping skills.
"We get the uneasy feeling that this is a microcosm of American society, that you have so plundered and devalued the social contract that the USA can no longer be called a truly civilised country. We see George Bush smirking and playing the guitar, vowing his friend's beachfront mansion will be rebuilt and we wonder what has happened to the USA we used to know."
- "Blackpaw", Australian Kuro5hin poster
"Just an observation: when people don't want to play the 'Blame Game'...they're to blame."
- John Stewart, The Daily Show, September 7, 2005
Sorry about the big quotes. I just couldn't get the thoughts across with context while editing it down any further.
A conservative relative of mine sent me a couple detached conservative rants of his own (yes, not all my family has gotten the message that the GOP is more of a threat to them than gay marriage). I'm not saying he even agrees with them, but hell, I had to counter the arguments.
First off, there was this article, originally posted at RightNation.us (and no, you can link that tripe yourself). A very alternate reality timeline develops from the story. I linked back a liberal site timeline and one from a conservative site. Not surprisingly, the facts more or less look the same when the political blinders are taken off. Another miscue from the story has been propagating among the right wing media, that Bush "pleaded" with Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco to declare a state of emergency. The truth is, they had already set up a joint press conference to do just that. Keith Olbermann jumps in as well (video).
No, I'm sorry to say that Bush spent more time strumming on his guitar and eating cake than on acting on this disaster. Nero and Marie Antoinette, all rolled in one.
The other article was to some moron that said the destruction was a sign of the failure of the welfare state. Okay, work this through with me. Over 80% of people left the city of New Orleans, over a majority of the city lived under the poverty line. Of those that remained, the majority followed instructions and went to shelters - woeful unprepared shelters to be sure - as local authorities asked them to. The rest were either already trapped or otherwise unable or unwilling to leave their homes. Mix in the odd jail escapee and gang member and through in a lot of resentment and, yes, there WILL be angry people.
Did EVERY poor person shoot at helicopters? Did EVERY person trapped in New Orleans just sit and wait for someone to tell them what to do? Did EVERY person fail to act in some individual manner? The answer is no, and angry Ayn Rand loving fools should know well enough when to shut up.
Other notes. The Daily Show has already been linked earlier. We also have footage of Cheney get his comeuppance. Hopefully it continues. FEMA head Mike Brown is still under fire. Bush tells Congresswoman Pelosi "Why would I do that?" when asked to fire him for imcompetence. Even Brown's resume is in question.
Laura Bush thinks the hurricane was called Corinna. Now THAT'S compassion! Bush has, in recent days, stopped patients from getting chemotherapy and halted delivery of three tons of food, just by showing up in Louisiana. He also declared a state of emergency IN THE WRONG PART OF LOUISIANA!.
Firemen sent to the affected area are being told to go to sexual harassment classes and then pass out fliers for FEMA. Meanwhile, people die and fires burn in New Orleans.
Going out of town for a couple days to Ogre's wedding. Be back next week. Keep the faith.
September 6, 2005 - They're not ALL idiots
Some conservative bloggers, after days of beating down local and state officials over the failed response to the hurricane (sorry folks, just following the Bush party line) - have discovered that someone screwed up. Well, no, Great Leader Bush can't screw up, so they lay it all at the feet of FEMA director Mike Brown. Which at least put the venom in an appropriate location.
Other conservatives head straight to known waters and blame the tragedy on gays, Israel's pulling out of the Gaza Strip and - yes - Washington state horse sex afficianados. Oh wait, it was the NAACP and rap music.
She never said SHE was compassionate. Barbara Bush visits the refugees in Texas. Some gems from the story: "What I’m hearing which is sort of scary is they all want to stay in Texas." and "And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this is working very well for them." What an ass. Find the audio here.
The military's Northern Command is quietly fuming that it wasn't given the orders it needed to go in as fast as it could have. Meanwhile, Guard units across the country have been given notice they may have to do a turn in New Orleans. And some Guardsmen return home this week to find that home...just isn't there.
After knowing and planning to such an exact disaster, it is striking how much the federal response failed. One blogger asks what else have we planned for? And will we drop the ball when that happens? And, an angry but humorous top 10 list of things Bush could've done better to avoid this situation in the first place.
Keith Olbermann lays into the do-nothings and liars in Washington. "It (the federal government) has just proved that it cannot save its citizens from a biological weapon called standing water." Video here.
Updated images of pre- and post-Katrina New Orleans from GlobalSecurity.org.
September 5, 2005 - Maybe we just call it Survivor Day this year
In other news, Chief Justice Rehnquist died. Never being a fan, I link you to Alan Dershowitz who openly critiques the path of racism and evil taken by this conservative stalwart. To make matters worse, Bush wants to make John Roberts the new chief justice. The only good thing I can say is: at least he didn't pick Scalia.
The Katrina aftermath. Texas and Mississippi are overwhelmed, the latter doubly so with refugees and damage of it's own. Medical, naval, and other military resources sit just outside the affected area or are underused, victims of bureacratic red tape. The army begins relief and combat operations and the collection of the dead in New Orleans begins.
Criticism of the administration continues across the board. Chicago officials, including Mayor Daley, want answers to the slow response and no response to offers of support. Mayor Bloomberg in New York calls the entire response "inadequate." And unless you're some kind of major Bush donor, you'd have to agree. The Times-Picayune calls for the firing of Mike Brown, the head of FEMA, because of - among other things - his "bald-faced lies." Couldn't say it any better myself. The LA Times rips FEMA in general.
Castro tells 1,500 Cuban doctors (among the best in the world) that the US still hasn't accepted his offer of assistance. Yeah kids, he said DOCTORS who are sorely needed right now.
In New Orleans' French Quarter, tribes are emerging and two bars still operate.
In a roundup, a Washington Post story about the failure of response., the Newsweek cover story, plus an article by Jonathan Alter on how to save New Orleans. Mayor Nagin gives a 60 Minutes interview (video) where he calms down a bit. I mean, I figure Bush would just have him thrown into Gitmo if he went at him with full venom as he did earlier this week.
And - uh oh! - the End Times kooks are starting to crawl out of the woodwork. All hail your tin god Bush for helping it along too, you idiots.
September 4, 2005 - Four days, nine months - The Potemkin President
As usual, it takes Bush four days to respond to any non-blatantly-white tragedy (refer to earlier posts concerning tribal school slayings and the Asian tsunami). And even then, the results are him laughing in the face of tragedy and false backdrops of levee repairs and aid stations hastily erected for his visit and quickly torn down upon his departure. This is a game for him, and people still fall for his Potemkin village presidency. He literally visited the disaster area and then went to play golf.
Meanwhile, the city may be left to rot for nine months as water is slowly drained and the city allowed to dry. Before we abandon an iconic American city, maybe you'd like to inform the holdouts protecting the French Quarter and the other pockets left in the city?
As for foreign aid, more stories concerning incoming aid, including some from Axis of Evil star Iran.
At this stage even conservatives can't believe the crap coming out of Bush's mouth and those of his minions. CNN has posted a list of quotes from Bush-appointed officials and those reports and officials on the scene. The difference is striking. Anger increases from newspapers and citizens/officials over the worse-than-botched response. And whatever failure of a legislator and human being I believe him to be, Bill Frist at least showed up in Louisiana and delivered the best thing he could: his medical training.
Other conservatives are looking to exploit Katrina and are looking to put the 2008 party convention there. Now, it THAT isn't shameless pandering, I don't know what is. Meanwhile, Halliburton has already got the job to clean up the Gulf Coast. Amazing, no?
Extra stuff on Condi's shopping debacle and Cheney is too busy vacationing and visiting oilsand facilities to be bothered with a disaster in America.
More on the media growing a spine again and arguing against the official Rose-Colored Glasses view from the Bushites. Ted Koppel rips the FEMA chief (video) and my favorite grumpy old man Jack Cafferty tells it likes he sees it to an oblivious Wolf Blitzer (video). Anderson Cooper confronts Trent Lott (video). Kanye West is on my cool list all of a sudden for telling it like it is during a NBC hurricane relief telethon (video). Shamefully, NBC censored his words for the West Coast rebroadcast. FOX of course wants full-on censorship because of this. Even Geraldo Rivera and Shepard Smith join the side of the angels temporarily and come as close to telling off Sean Hannity as FOX's dictatorial regime allows (video).
The anger increases at Bush, justifiably it seems. Anne Rice on losing New Orleans. The horror of pleas for help via the Times-Picayune blog. The paper has it's own critical words for the president.
Even the Red Cross is being locked out of New Orleans, by Homeland Security according to them. What the hell is this coming to?
September 2, 2005 - Nero had his fiddle, Bush found a gee-tar
"You can do everything for other countries but you can't do nothing for your own people. You can go overseas with the military but you can't get them down here."
- Daniel Edwards, New Orleans refugee
" Don’t tell me 40,000 people are coming here. They’re not here. It’s too doggone late. Now get off your asses and do something, and let’s fix the biggest goddamn crisis in the history of this country."
- Mayor Ray Nagin, New Orleans on the slow response from D.C.
While New Orleans descends into anarchy, Bush channels his inner American Idol
As seen above, on Tuesday Bush couldn't be bothered to deal with the effects of Katrina (the photo links to the Yahoo News image of the story). He wasn't alone in ignoring the situation. His work wife, Condoleeza Rice, spent the day shoe shopping in Manhattan and catching a Broadway show.
Other Republicans are just as unhelpful. Dennis Hastert wants to bulldoze New Orleans and abandon it. African-American Congressman are asking for the compassion from so-called compassionate conservatives.
I heard some country music station DJ whining about how whenever there's a disaster in the world, the US is always there. But where, he was crying, is the help to the wealthiest country in the world? Well, wipe those tears you bigoted freak, France and Russia are at the forefront of the international aid list. Now apologize for all those ugly things you've said about the "frogs" and "russkies" and quietly eat your damn crow. They didn't do it because they had to; they did it because they wanted to.
Bush has also advised against gas price gouging as prices soar above $3.00 a gallon. This apparently does not actually apply to oil companies as Exxon-Mobil and other oil conglomerates report near-record profits over the last quarter. And they call the hurricane victims looters and criminals. One could hope Bush would exemplify his father, who cracked down on illegal profiteering. But caring for American citizens versus corporate donors has never been Junior's strong suit. Don't hold your breath.
Meanwhile Bush keeps giving press conferences. Apparently just to soothe Trent Lott.
“I don’t want to see anybody to anymore more goddamn press conferences. Put a moratorium on press conferences. Don’t do another press conference until the resources are in this city.”
- Mayor Ray Nagin
"I don't treat my dog like that....I buried my dog."
- Daniel Edwards, pointing out a dead woman in a wheelchair, covered only with a blanket
Front Page, New Orleans Times-Picayune, September 2
The mayor of New Orleans is justifiably pissed off and went on the offensive last night on a radio program concerning the hot air and no action coming from Washington (audio and transcript available). Police have been ordered to stop the looting and give up search and rescue operations, a good sign things are going to hell in New Orleans. It is a sad commentary when so much violence exists we have to chose saving the remaining property over the remaining human lives. Reports out of the Superdome tell of anarchy and violence that has no place in our borders. This area is being evacuated as fast as possible now that resources have shown up.
The states say they have enough Guard troops to handle the situation, despite 35-40% of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama Guard units are now currently in Iraq. The Bush administration is also being blamed for drastically cutting the funds given the Army Corps of Engineers to repair and update levees and flood walls. This money, of course, went to Iraq and nebulous Homeland Security programs. Arianna Huffington covers all this in the aptly titled article "Are People Dying Over Here Because We're Fighting Them Over There?" Just a slight play on words of Bush's last half-reasonable argument for invading Iraq.
It gets worse. On October 17, Bush's pro-business bankruptcy "reform" bill goes into effect. Essentially, it makes it almost impossible for an individual to go bankrupt. Businesses, of course, can still file bankruptcy every time it suits them. Democrats had tried to at least put a provision in that would protect those caught in a natural disaster. Republicans would hear nothing of such squeamish human concern and left that out of the bill.
Anderson Cooper can't be bothered with glad-handing, back-slapping politicians of either party. For being Gloria Vanderbilt's kid, he sure is stepping up for the little guy on this one.
"We have long heard claims of compassionate conservatism among out nation's leaders. We now want the compassion."
- Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.)
In the quote above, members on the Congressional Black Caucus are asking the government and private sector to step up and meet its obligations. Given the majority of folks left in New Orleans - poor and black - there are charges of a perceived racism to the whole situation. It is hard to ignore. Look at the slow response, the way people are shown on TV and the media. Case in point. Here is an article that deals with two online photos of people who obtained food. One is black and a "looter." The other picture is of a white guy and a light-ish skinned woman who "found" food. And I bet they "found" their food the same way the "looter" did.
Resources
How to Help
Wall Street Journal Crisis News Tracker
DomeBlog (from the Astrodome)
Times-Picayune site
August 28, 2005 - Not quite rising to the majesty of the office
Here's a fun article about Bush and what happens when you let a failed businessman/hazing-crazy frat boy/male cheerleader/death sentence loving governor the keys to the country. In it we find that I'm a "motherf**king traitor," Cindy Sheehan is a "goddamned bitch," and that decorated VFW members can aspire to be "*ssholes" in the eyes of our nation's leader. Not quite the gravitas you GOP bastards were looking for when you were hoping to get rid of Clinton, I bet.
Oh, and something Dad has been on about since Shrub came onto the scene. It appears that Bush has never actually tried to deal with his alcohol and drug (and apparently snuff film) addictions. He doesn't act like it; quite the opposite. I'll give him points for restraint, but this type of person shouldn't have the stress of a postal clerk's job, much less President of the USA.
More compassionate conservatives on the case. Cindy Sheehan receives chants of "We Don't Care" from what we're told are well-meaning fascist Texans. Utah stations refuse to run ads from the Gold Star Families for Peace group. The quick lesson here is that they hate peace and love war. The state of Georgia is doing everything but reinstating poll taxes to restrict the votes of minorities, immigrants, and the poor.
Credit card company employees must think it cute to change the name of Arabs to "Palestinian Bomber." One affected individual is understandably not amused.
Amongst the fringe creationists are these idiots, who buy up old roadside dinosaurs to use for their "museums" that cover such historical facts like Noah had a pair of T-Rex carnivores on the ark. So, just using that head for a hatrack, huh?
Ann Coulter has decided to just piss off the entire city of New York, blatantly stating that if a foreign power invaded it, the city would just roll over and surrender. Apparently she's never actually BEEN to New York because this is not a sentiment I've heard from anyone who has.
FOXNews' "journalism" allowed for a California family to be "mistakenly" labelled as terrorists. The reporter in question has been fired and the network sort of apologized. Then again, how do you endanger people's lives over false information and then truly find a way to make up for it? George Bush? That's your cue. Then again, this is the network that hungrily endorsed political assassination, that punk Hannity going as far as to say Chavez should have been offed "a long time ago."
What else? Oh there's justification for why Oregon isn't as full of lard butts as the rest of us. They, um, exercise. Riding bicycles mostly.
Good news and bad news for small American towns. The good? Instead of outsourcing away from the US, some companies are being drawn to small towns in depressed areas who will take whatever work they can get. The bad? The Big Grey Dog doesn't stop in the smaller hamlets anymore.
In London, even higher order mammals belong in the zoo.
Have a good week.
August 26, 2005 - Selling our children's future to appease a pack of ignorant bigots
School is in session and more psychotic End Times idiots are moving to replace evolution with some fallacious hoodoo even God wouldn't recognize as creationism. May the Dark Ages mystics burn in hell, or Kansas at least.
But hey, who's to blame them? Their pandering president is out to cover up the truth and replace it with some myths of his own. When a Justice Department official found conclusive data that, yes, cops DO conduct aggressive racial profiling, he was told not to report it. When he complained, he was "transferred."
Another coverup involves data showing that force-teaching non-English speaking kids in English does not work, despite everything to Pat Buchanan crowd would tell you. Actually, HE just wants to exterminate non-whites; Bush just wants to force everyone to speak English. Um, why don't YOU start Shrub.
While not every attendee at the American Legion conference feels about Bush like this guy...
...it's nice to know not every vet is onboard the junta's plan. That said, the Legion writ large has decided that no one should protest the war and will work against anyone who disagrees with Bush. Damn shameful for a group of folks who fought to defend democracy.
That said, most of Bush's remaining support comes from those who have had friends and family in Iraq. Not ME of course, but others who can't see that you can back the armed forces and still find your government in contempt of American lives and ideals.
More reasons to reconsider the Civil War and through the South out of the Union. The bastards are fat. Check out the list of states topping the list. Granted, most of this country needs some serious dieting, but aside from being diseased, hypocritical, undereducated and underemployed layabouts who speak more about fighting for this country than actually doing it (gee, I can guess a few of their role models), they need to lay off the fried foods.
Oh, and take that fatwa starting Pat Robertson with you. Two things about that issue with him calling for the assassination of Venezuelan president Chavez. One: this is EXACTLY the time of behavior we send cruise missiles against radical Muslim clerics for and this moron gets to keep walking the streets. Two: as if you really needed to make us look more like asinine hypocrites in the eyes of the world. Not to mention, gee, someone might want to take Bush out given our total lack of concern for this line of thinking. I mean, I wish the jerk would go retire to his ranch forever, but I don't want to see lunatics lining him up in the crosshairs by any means.
Robertson has done something that smells like an apology...but isn't.
To close, John Stewart's analysis on how Bush makes this stuff up.
August 21, 2005 - Um, the enemy is in the Middle EAST, not Middle America you idiots
So.... Some conservatives have decided to camp out in front of Bush's "ranch" to counter-protest those protesting the war. They say they are doing it to "support the troops." Look, this is simple. If you truly want to leave home, support the troops, and say you are okay with Bush's apocalyptic view of foreign policy, then literally take the advice of one of your cohorts who said, "If I have to sacrifice my whole family for the sake of our country and world, other countries that want freedom, I'll do that." That means, pack your stuff, get out of Crawford, Texas and get your asses over in Iraq where you could potentially actually do some good.
Oh, and this whole "giving people democracy at the barrel of a gun" is entirely anti-thetical to the whole concept of what a democracy is. I know I've said this a dozen times or more, but the lesson isn't sinking in.
And just for the hell of it, a total rant about Iraq.
Rush Limbaugh is in the news again. Apparently, the radio reactionary keeps calling Native Americans "injuns." That's right, he's thinks he's frigging Daniel Boone, and even Boone was more culturally aware than this nitwit ever will be. That's Republicans for ya. Lip service to non-whites...and sometimes not even that.
Republicans are also apparently still crooks. I mean, you knew that, but now you can know that they are outside of the state of Florida too. Gov. Taft of Ohio, one of a long line of race-baiting, freedom-hating Tafts, is apparently in the business of unreported gifts and likely influence peddling. Go figure.
Slipknot is taking on Burger King for basically ripping off their look just to sell frigging chicken fries. Good luck to the boys. If they lose the case, I suppose they can beat up the BK King like they used to do to the clown. I think I'd actually pay to see that.
An inordinate amount of pedophiles seem to be Star Trek fans. Creepy. Makes my Star Wars hobby benign in comparison. No one is accusing SW fans of doing anything more than standing in line in front of the wrong movie theater. By the way, for those you are even remotely interested in joining the club I'm in, here's a link. Alright, geek moment over.
Scientists are considering populating the Great Plains with elephants and lions. Toto, I don't think you should step out of the house in Kansas anymore.
August 17, 2005 - Not just any liars, but stupid liars
Been gone for a long time on work and just plain home issues. No excuses, but back for a sporadic update.
I've been following the story of Cindy Sheehan, the mother who wants to meet with Bush about her son's death. Looks like she's been taking it on the chin this week with gunfire and bad driving from neighborhood Republicans amongst other things, now she's got that idiot Limbaugh suggesting she is making it all up. Now, my take on it. If she originally signed up with the Bush plan and is now disgruntled, good for her for waking up to reality. That said, if her son was on board with Operation: Lie Your Way to Baghdad then she may wish to tone it down a bit and respect his wishes. It sucks for her - not to mention her dead son, but there is a certain amount of respect for the dead that needs to come into play here. For the record, Bush is of the opinion he should "go on with his life" and not be bothered talking to the parents of soldiers his misguided policies have killed.
This tongue-in-cheek article questions how FOXNews would have handled Rosa Parks in the same vein they are bashing Sheehan. Then again, O'Reilly hasn't had much luck with Sheehan as you might imagine.
In the interests of fairness we bring up the idiots from PETA who are now comparing animal cruelty to slavery. They tried this earlier with the Holocaust. Look, I hate the idea of an animal being tortured but there is a long gap between unintentional crowding in a cattle barn and a sea voyage on the Middle Passage. Know the difference and respect the people hurt and killed in those incidents as much as you do an elephant in the P.T. Barnum Circus of Pain.
Other idiots. Bush keeps trying to tie the Iraq war to the War on Terror (aka the "Struggle Against Extremism" this week?). A librarian was suspended because someone else was downloading porn on a library computer. Huh? Eleven-month old babies have been detained by the TSA as potential terrorists on the "No Fly List." Republicans preying on tribes in Texas, closing their casinos then taking money to supposedly open them back up again. Moron Majority leader Jerry Falwell wants people to "Vote Christian," which is a euphemism for Vote for the GOP Dictator.
Speaking of Christianity, the recent issue of Harper's discusses how conservatives have turned a religion of caring and giving to one that endorses self-centered bigotry. The same issue covers the media ignoring every sign last year's election was anything but clean. Go find the magazine itself for more detail on both stories.
Bush may yet do what Y2K didn't for technology disasters with his idiotic plan to change Daylight Saving Time.
Bush is also downplaying the recreational value of our national parks by 90%, paving the way for his lumber company buddies to turn Yosemite, Yellowstone et al into the surface of the moon.
South Carolina Republicans demand beer money from Democrats.
Technology we miss from C|Net. Good picks.
FOXNews can't shake the Aruba thing. Greta VanSusteren is queen of the Holloway case, ignoring ANY other actual issue in lieu of the search for one lost girl. She's not alone, nor is FOX the only network affected, just the one most paralyzed. Then again, as noted here, talking about traitors in the White House isn't what they would chose to discuss. So you kind of see their point.
This is fun. "Dear Red States" is the kind of stuff that won't get this country united again, but seeing as the conservatives keep calling anyone not goose-stepping with Bush a traitor, it won't really hurt things any more than they are either.
In southern Ohio, they play Cornhole. It sounds worse than it really is.
July 11, 2005 - Compassionate, my ass
Our thoughts go out to those affected by the bombings in London last week. I imagine most of you readers feel the same.
That is, unless you are a Republican.
Rush Limbaugh says 40-plus dead is not a "successful" terrorist attack, because it didn't kill enough people. A FOXNews commentator laments that Paris should have gotten the 2012 Olympics because no one would care if Paris got hit. Look, I realize the French go out of their way to tweak our nose most of the time, but I don't wish scores of their citizens dead over it. Then again, I'm not a Republican for reasons like that.
Brit Hume's first thought was that the bombing would be great for his porfolio. Hey, I swear I didn't make that up. Follow the link and read for yourself. Another FOXClone, Brian Kilmeade, thought it was great that all the big leaders at the G8 summit could sit together and share in watching the horror unfolding in London. Look, watching dead commuters being pulled from rubble still doesn't convince most people we were right to invade Iraq, not even if Bush is sitting next to you. As previously stated in about a million other areas, Iraq didn't have a hand in 9/11. The end.
Two stories of conservative sellouts. The first, concerning Robert Novak and how he's probably weaseled a way out of what should be a treason charge. The other, on how Jr. and Jeb have sold out that witch Katherine Harris. Serves her right for trusting those two.
A few human interest stories to end today's posting. One, from the Las Vegas Weekly written by a freelance writer who spent a few days at the Chicken Ranch outside of town. Turn down your puritanical streak and give it a read. The other, inflammatory in other ways, concerns tracking down Steve Bartman, the living embodiment of the Cub Curse.
July 4, 2005 - Feeling your freedom
Happy Independence Day to all of you. I hope you have an opportunity to stop and relax a bit.
First off, the military. Army recruiters have been having a hard time selling patiotism at the cost of misuse by an egotistical despot, but they finally met a recruiting goal this past month. Which goes more to show that they have lowered expectations accordingly rather than rising to the occasion.
And who can blame potential recruits? Military marriages are failing, Republicans have to be arm-twisted by the few remaining Democrats with a backbone to pay for veteran's services, and payday loan scam artists are preying on them. VIPs in Iraq get safer vehicles than the troops. And never mind the whole likelihood of getting shot thing. (Not to mention the "fat recruit" issue.)
BTW, we're expanding Arlington Cemetary to keep up with both the influx of passing WWII vets and the Iraq War dead. And, according to Rumsfeld, we could be fighting insurgents for another 12 years.
Whose fault is this? Well, gee, not the Republicans...or so they say. Which is typical for them as nothing is ever their fault, right? Lying to the American people and authorizing a war that makes us conquering occupiers undermanned, underequipped, and unpopular with just about everybody would have absolutely NO bearing on recruitment. No, they blame Democrats and anyone else who dares to have an opinion counter to Bush's, the media for "only reporting the negative" (yeah, even their puppets at FOX haven't found much good to talk about).
Our entire media establishment is taking it on the chin with this war led by censor happy government officials. It doesn't help that the Supreme Court refuses to assist journalist trying to protect their sources, forcing Time magazine to reveal the information to the government. Meanwhile, Robert Novak, who actually DID out one of our spies, is walking around scot-free. And Karl Rove, who, presumably IS the government leak, has actually increased his public appearances. And yes, this is a non-elected government employee acting as if he is running the country. And in all likelihood he is. All you old-time Hillary Haters can now kindly shut the hell up.
Conservatives are also trying to distract us with an anti-flag burning amendment. Not only is this a bad idea, it's probably un-Constitutional. That said, if such a travesty DOES pass, I really want to see Bush hauled away to prison for flag desecration:
After the morons on the Supreme Court authorized the ability for your house to be mowed down to make room for a new WalMart SuperCenter, Justice Souter's house was targeted for potential demolition. Good luck with that. And God bless you for sticking it to the man.
Speaking of the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor is stepping down. Bush wants a "dignified" approach that allows him to make Alberto Gonzales the Justice BTK. Given that conservatives don't think the Torture King is right-wing enough, there's a list of others, and it ain't that pretty either. Senators are calling for calm and cooperation in the selection process, but as Ted Kennedy best puts it, "We're all hopeful -- again, this is up to the President. If he wants to pick a judge, we want to be able to support him, but if he wants to have a fight about it, then that's going to be the case."
Hmm. Two weird mentions I wanted to point out. Apparently we are negotiating with terrorists in Iraq. Plus we are having single party "conferences" with North Korea. Aren't these violations of two things Bush promised he would NEVER do? Then again, he also said we wouldn't be nation builders. Actually, given the current results, he hasn't broken that promise yet.
Texas. Apparently now good for Mad Cow distribution and teaching kids how to be arsonists. Conservatives at play at the 10th annual Redneck Games.
You all have a good day. Grill up some burger and fries and focus on the good. Maybe I should have said that BEFORE you read all these links. One last humor bit before I go. Discuss amongst yourselves.
