The trouble with torture

When the government tortures it normalizes evil, which conditions everyone to think it is acceptable. It sets a very low price on human worth.

By making excuses for patently evil practices like the torture of human beings, one invites others to follow suit. Should it come as a surprise, then, that evil trickles down?

West Virginia Monsters

Perhaps Rush Limbaugh would claim that these sadistic animals were just, "Having a little fun, these people...just blowing off a little steam"?

Edwards continues leadership

John Edwards is showing leadership at a time when America desperately needs some. His latest speech condemns the muddled approach of the Bush administration to the "War on Terror":

Speech here

My favorite lines are these:

"Saddam Hussein was the threat he knew, so Iraq was the war he waged."

and...

"We need a counterterrorism policy that will actually counter terrorism."

Edwards is now on my short list. While Hillary and Barak spend all their energy avoiding serious discussion Edwards is highlighting his strategy. That's leadership when it matters, which is the only kind that matters.

Here is a short video clip of Edwards talking about the surge and whether it is successful:

Worth noticing

This fact seems worth noticing. General Petraeus was not sworn in when he spoke before Congress. It is therefore an error to say "testified" before Congress:

Story here

911-6

In his latest video message to Americans, a relaxed, Osama taunts:

"The subject of the mujahedeen has become an inseparable part of the speech of your leader and the effects and signs are not hidden. Since the 11th, many of America's policies have come under the influence of the mujahedeen."

Source

Is he talking about Patriot Acts?
Is he talking about Guantanamo and CIA black sites?
Is he talking about suspension of habeus corpus?
Is he talking about signing statements?
Is he talking about a unitary executive?
Is he talking about suppression of the minority vote?
Is he talking about freedom zones?
Is he talking about loyalty oaths?
Is he talking about martial law in New Orleans?

It sounds as if he is bragging about using only 19 people to scare America into abandoning the Constitution.

"If Osama can't stand freedom, then let freedom ring.", I sez, and sez, and sez.

NOTE: The full transcript and video can be read/seen here: Osama Says

Preempting Petraeus

Before general Petraeus goes before Congress and testifies on the happy times in the land of sunshine and lollipops, I advise you to keep these words in mind:

"The ideal subject of totalitarian rule, is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction (i.e., the reality of experience) and the distinction between true and false (i.e., the standards of thought) no longer exist."

- Hannah Arendt -

Fallen heroes?

I often wonder what soldiers returning from Iraq must think of us, particularly when I see a thing like news of 7 more GIs killed in Iraq buried in the back pages of our newspapers.

The president doesn't attend funerals and Donald Rumsfeld had to be forced to sign official letters of condolence with his own hand. I suppose they tell themselves they are busy, important people with many important things to do, when everyone knows they lack the courage to face the consequences of their own decisions.

I know that it helps the president's P.R. if everybody pretends not to see the bodies and the wounded as they are flown back to the US under cover of darkness and under a media blackout, but should we all participate in this P.R. effort?

Should we make it easy for those who lead to take the lives of our young?

Should soldier's families see a nation ignore their sacrifice the way we ignored Cindy Sheehan when she travelled to Crawford?

Are we guilty of recoiling in shame from their sacrifice? Is that why we hide them, bury their loss on our back pages, and fail to honor their sacrifice publicly?

Are we shielding ourselves from funeral fatigue?

If the war is worth it then the sacrifice is something to be proud of, is it not?

Shouldn't we treat returning soldiers cadavers better than the homeless among us? Shouldn't we at least see them, notice them, acknowledge them?

Haven't they become like inconvenient truths to us?

The decider

President Bush told big lies, and lots of 'em, to start this nefarious war in Iraq. His lies were so big and so bold that Americans would rather believe them than believe their president capable of telling such atrocities of deceit. This is what big liars exploit.

Here is a story that points out that George W. Bush knew, because the CIA briefed him, that Saddam Husein did not have weapons of mass destruction:

Big ol' lie told grinnin' in your face

It is important to remember that our president is an embarrassment to Honesty as he flits around generating new big lies about progress in Iraq or the Iranian menace.

The president's word is no good and he sold you a lemon last time, so smarten up.

Dots

Hopefully these dots do not connect logically:

Dot 1: the Pentagon suffered a major breach by hackers reportedly working for the Chinese military earlier this year.

Dot 2: At least 5 nuclear warheads were mistakenly flown on a B-52 from Minot Air Force Base, N.D, to Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

Larry Johnson suggests the more likely explanation that the nukes flown to Barksdale, which happens to be a "jumping off point for Middle East operations", have more to do with Iran than China.

I know the president is incompetent, stubborn, spoiled, petulant, petty, greedy, self-centered, small-minded, arrogant, and a graceless face-landing klutz, but can a man with children be truly a monster?

How could a child come to this?

Roll up!

With September here president Bush wishes to change his F in Iraq to an A in the hearts and minds of the people, or at least the Congress anyway.

The magical mystery tour is dying to take you away,
Dying to take you away, take you away.

Power to the People

I think that since government taxes everyone that it should serve common needs as much as possible and private needs as little as possible.

When government builds roads which benefit everyone I think that is a good public use of public tax money.

When government maintains a military that is used for the common defense then I think that is a good public use of public tax money.

When government maintains the legal code which governs civil society, and by which all are afforded equal treatment and protection, then I think that is a good public use of public money.

Should government decide to use the inherent economies of scale to provide a universal single-payer healthcare system, then I think that would be a good public use of public tax money.

The underlying principle in all these cases is that we all pay and we all benefit. It is not only fair, but it makes economic sense as well.

I think that the founding fathers hoped to secure this type of good governance by giving the common man a participatory role.

It seems to make intuitive sense that a government of the People, by the People, and for the People will exercise the will of the People.

Somehow that seems no longer the case. There seems to be an institutional arrogance in Washington these days, which Condi Rice might call systemic, that politicians know best.

No longer do they hear us, for instance, when we say in a loud clear voice, "Get out of Iraq!", or "Our healthcare system is killing us!", or increasingly "Canada is not an enemy and we don't need a fence".

What happened?

Why does a man of George Bush's limitations feel he can mandate to the rest of us?

It seems like arrogance to me.

Democracy is built upon the premise that the People may not always be right, but they don't forever maintain incorrect or immoral positions. Further, when everyone participates in good faith it is government which reflects the will of the majority, while maintaining the right of any minority to peacefully petition their government for redress. It is fair and balanced just like Fox News.

Slavery was terrible, but didn't it take democracy to break those chains? Didn't it take authors like Harriet Beecher Stowe writing freely to those who could freely choose to read her words, and whose minds were open enough to adopt them?

I think we are abandoning the central tenants of our society at a time during which they will be sorely needed. As surely as oil and water don't mix free society and dogmatic religious dogma don't mix.

These country bumpkins that want to turn America into a Christian theocracy are doing Al Qaeda's work for it, or at least the hardest part, since trading one dogma for another is as easy as changing shoes. People do it all the time. The hard part is building up habits of subservience to over-bearing ideological masters.

Dogmatic faith is mental slavery and shackles the minds of many with one dark chain that binds.

I am glad to see Americans recoil in disgust from America's biggest bumpkin, but wonder what lesson was learned when I see Republicans nutty for Romney.

How about we try someone more scientifically grounded and secular this time, more committed to democracy, and more committed to the laws of the land, and more committed to the right of the people to rule?

Neither Jimmy Carter nor George W. Bush were able to govern well because of their self-righteous certainty. They were too sure they were right because their religious training made them tyrannical towards other views.

That is not to say that either man is a bad person. I am saying they are too closed-minded and reactionary to govern well.

I think anyone belonging to a fundamentalist religion ought to be disqualified as a presidential candidate on the grounds that they are sure to be incapable leaders. It would be best if this were enforced via cultural voting practice.

We need free and open minds in America if we are to repel the Islamic theocrats coming for us. Let us stand together and reject any tyrannical assault upon our freedoms.

Let us choose to worship as we may, or in my case not at all. Let us choose to read what we wish, or in the president's case not at all. Let us take "In God we Trust" off our money and replace it with something we can all support, "Liberty and Justice for all".

Candidate Gravel

Mike Gravel has a response for president Bush's prideful commentary that Iraq is like Vietnam.

Similar similarities

President Bush put the nails in the coffin of his own legacy and all it takes now are a few well-struck blows. Who's next to begin pounding at the nails?

Modus operandi

When president Bush again compared Iraq to Vietnam it reminded me of the time he made fun of John Kerry's purple hearts and silver cross, as if they were Cracker-Jax prizes.

In order to deflect attention from his own war-time "champagne corps" stint and the holes in his service record, president Bush made light of John Kerry's service. The traditional media loved it and the Rush Limbaugh types enjoyed making fun of the man that served his country so admirably during time of war. Rush Limbaugh, of course, didn't serve due to boils on his backside, but that was deemed irrelevant.

I found the whole thing disgusting, but many of my fellow Americans seem to have deemed the strategy vote-worthy.

Should we be shocked that the president is comparing the Iraq war to Vietnam, which was a war that brought "agent orange", "napalm girl", "hippies", and "embassy rooftops" into the American lexicon?

The lessons of Vietnam are referred to as the Powell Doctrine. Colin Powell was marginalized and then tossed aside by the Bush administration in what was perhaps the most ignorant achievement of the Messiah of mismanagement.

The New York Times has written a feisty op-ed with attention paid to the Vietnam analogy. You can read it here.

I think all you need to know about Vietnam is this.

I think all you need to know about Iraq is this.

Democrats I suggest you do not get muddled or confused by the president's attempt to rewrite the past in order to reinterpret the present. What I suggest is that you glom onto his mistake for once and cement the analogy in the minds of Americans. If he wants to be proud of achieving a foreign policy disaster that is the equal of the Vietnam catastrophe then he is like the child crudely changing his F to an A on his report card. The A is not to be congratulated and treated as an achievement in this case is it?

A seat at the table

There are lots of references to tables in politics, this is on the table, that is off the table, we need to give so and so a seat at the table. Rarely does anyone talk about what happens under the table, which is perhaps the best application of table metaphor to politics.

Be that as it may, when John Edwards was recently asked about giving health insurance lobbyists a "seat at the table" he had a crowd-pleasing answer:

See here

APA Cowardice

Recently the A.P.A. (American Psychological Association) failed by wide margin to endorse the following statement:

“Be it resolved that. the roles of psychologists in settings in which detainees are deprived of adequate protection of their human rights, should be limited as health personnel to the provision of psychological treatment.”

Source

Cowardice is the word best suited to describe that institutional stance.

Mary Pipher shows the proper light in which to regard these unhealthy practices, by returning a Presidential Citation. As she put it, "I know that the return of my Presidential Citation from Dr. Koocher will be of small import, but it is what I can do to disassociate myself from what I consider to be a heinous policy."

Only collective willpower and conscience will repel the evil in our midst. Guantanamo is a stain on America's honor. Lose honor and you lose morale. You can see that in action everywhere you look.

The key to success in Iraq is not conformity to the norm, nor blind loyalty to that which is unAmerican. We cannot project democracy abroad if we cannot defend it at home. American Constitutional freedoms and liberty are what is worth fighting for. Without those we are a lost tribe.

Corpocracy

It is time to show you why I provide a handy link to the website of Robert A. G. Monks on this website.

Mr. Monks is an aristocrat that lives his life as if there were more to it than making piles of money into bigger piles of money. He has noticed there are these things all over the world called "people" and that they come in different shapes and sizes. He has also noticed that corporations are harming many of these "people" and thinks they ought to behave better. He has spent a great deal of his personal time advocating for shareholder rights and more accountability from corporations. He feels that corporations have a duty to be good citizens that many aren't fulfilling.

Incredibly, Mr. Monks has shown that transparently run corporations that obey laws are more likely profitable than their corrupt counterparts. This is surprising because stockholders are sometimes willing to excuse corruption in their own portfolios by assuming it will be to their financial gain. Perhaps Enron's collapse has failed to have enough impact as a teaching moment.

So, Mr. Monks would like to change that self-detrimental corporate greedy culture into something better run, more accountable, and subservient to a healthy role in society.

That's the sidewalk version of who he is. If you click the link for his site you can find out about the Cambridge/Harvard education, the boards he's served on, and the companies he is currently running.

But back to our sidewalk...

Mr. Monks was in the movie "The Corporation", which looked at what kind of person a corporation would be if it were a person (it is regarded as such by U.S. law). I won't spoil it for you by telling you the diagnosis, but I will give you a hint and tell you it coincides with something Kurt Vonnegut said about the administration of George W. Bush.

And...Mr. Monks has written a new book called:

Corpocracy: How CEOs and the Business Roundtable Hijacked the World's Greatest Wealth Machine -- And How to Get It Back

I am not familiar with the term corpocracy, but I imagine it is a modern oligarchy where a few wealthy corporations replace a few wealthy elites. An oligarchy is a regime that places money as the highest goal and that certainly sounds like a credible way to describe a corporation.

I hope that the leading democratic candidates plumb Mr. Monks for more than cash donations, since his greatest treasure may come in the form of policy advice. It is all well and good to talk about "Taking back America" (with exclamation points), but focused actions will be needed to turn rhetoric into results.

I look forward to this book and hope you appreciate the tip.

I am reminded of a quote from Teddy Roosevelt who said, "We propose to make it worth while for our business men to develop the most efficient business agencies, but we propose to make these business agencies do complete justice to our own people. We are against crooked business, big or little. We are in favor of honest business, big or little. We propose to penalize conduct and not size."

You can read the entire speech here: Progressive Covenant with the People.

A funny thing happened on the road to Democracy...

President Bush likes to pretend that Iraq is moving towards a free and peaceful and democratic society with a smiling leader duly elected by a free and good-looking populace.

Yet...

If you want to see how widely that is viewed as a joke, then read this article in which Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) "put out a call to have the prime minister of Iraq Nouri al-Maliki removed from his post" (Source)

How do you suppose talk like that would go over if, say, Canada's Premier Ministre Stephen Harper "put out a call to have the president of the United States George W. Bush removed from his post"?

Can you imagine the punditular indignation if some cold-blooded Canadian had the effrontery to suggest such a thing?

It is the enamel-toothed, helmet-haired ones that I feel sorry for. Pundits are having a difficult time believing we aren't "interfering" with the free, democratic, sovereign, and corner-turning state of Iraq without overt fantasy contradictions like this.

Bill On Iraq

"I'm giving it two more months."

- Bill O'Reilly -

Radio Factor
June 20, 2007


Hem. Hem.

Worthy of Karl

I have been waiting for that goodbye that seemed worthy of Karl Rove's tenure. I hoped maybe the Daily Show would mark the occasion appropriately, but their treatment felt flat to me (see here).

I think I have found what I was looking for in this letter written by Garrison Keillor, legendary radio host of Prarie Home Companion.

Getting out of Dodge


I think if Garrison had things like that to say about me I'd be mightily ashamed. He is a national treasure and a good and decent human being.

Garrison, that is, not Karl.

What's wrong with that?

"There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al-Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will."

"We can't send millions and millions of dollars to Pakistan for military aid, and be a constant ally to them, and yet not see more aggressive action in dealing with al-Qaeda."

- Barak Obama -

If you ask me nothing is wrong with that statement, and if you ask Michael Smerconish he'll agree.

The Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden camps and folks in traditional media seem to think saying you want to hunt down and kill Osama bin Forgotten, even if it means offending Pervez Musharraf, is naive.

Naive?

Really?

3,000+ Americans killed on American soil and The Voice of Experience says preserving polite formality is more important than smoking out our committed enemies?

Well call me naive.

Thinking it through

Let's see...

We are fighting a "global war on terrorism". Our pupose seems to chase and harass and otherwise "deny terrorists bases of operation".

Do I have that right?

The US has just designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorists (story here).

Does this thereby place the onus on our armed forces to chase, harass, and otherwise deny the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps a base of operation?

Do you think that president Bush has learned that starting wars is easier than stopping them yet?

I have my doubts.

Leading by example?

I love it when "environmentalists" get called out for opposing renewable energy projects near them. In this satisfying video the Daily Show looks at the politics surrounding a proposed wind farm in Nantucket.

There once was a man from Nantucket

The transitive property

If it is the Truth that sets you free, and Americans are free, then it stands to reason that Americans must know the Truth.

If Osama bin Laden "can't stand freedom", and the Truth sets you free, then it also stands to reason that Osama bin Laden can't stand Truth.

It is now an inescapable conclusion that Osama bin Laden would applaud Mr. Alberto Gonzales' recent testimony before Congress, fraught as it was with contempt of the Truth.

**** This is satire ****

09 August 2007 "Credible" Threat Information Prompts Homeland Security Warning U.S. government boosts threat level for specific agricultural centers U.S. intelligence-gathering operations have obtained "new and unusually specific information" on potential fruit fly attacks on major U.S. agricultural centers, according to Rudi Ohlendorf, the secretary of Agricultural Security Services (A.S.S.). That information prompted the agency to issue a "Code Nightshade" (high risk of tomato attacks) warning for agricultural incubation facilities in Dubuque (IA), Kansas City (KS) and the greater Lake Oconee area (GA). Secretary Ohlendorf noted that, “intelligence reports that triggered this action are themselves unusually specific as to potential targets”, but admitted, "there is no information that indicates a specific time for these attacks beyond the period leading up to our 2008 elections." The heightened security measures, both real and imaginary, that accompany the heightened threat level "create added layers of peeling to an already vigorous onion security effort across the country," Ohlendorf said, at the same time urging citizens to increase their vigilance and "to be on watch, to be aware of heightened insect activity, and to seal your fruit bowls with a layer of duct tape." Ohlendorf asserted, "It will take more than fruit flies to weaken the American spirit or dampen our resolve. Let me be clear: should al Qaida smuggle homosexual fruit flies into our biology maturation facilities our spirit will not be weakened and our resolve will remain powder-dry." Following is the text of Ohlendorf’s remarks, as prepared for delivery: (begin text) Department of Agricultural Security Services Office of the Press Secretary Contact: (426) 668-3733 [Washington, D.C.] August 9, 2007 (Remarks as Prepared) Good afternoon. President Bush has told you, and I have told you, when we have specific credible information, we will share it. This afternoon, we do have new unusually specific, legible information about where al Qaida would like to attack. As a result, today, the United States Government is raising the threat level to Code Nightshade for the agricultural incubation facilities in Dubuque (IA), Kansas City (KS) and the greater Lake Oconee area (GA). Since September 11th, 2001, leaders of our agrarian institutions have demonstrated exceptional leadership in improving its security. However, in light of new intelligence information, we have made the decision to raise the threat level for this sector, in these communities, to bring protective resources to their highest capacity. This will allow us to increase protection in and around those biological nurturing facilities that require it and also raise awareness for employees, residents, customers and livestock. We know from experience that increased physical protection and added vigilance from citizens can thwart a terrorist attack. And that is our goal. Compared to previous threat reporting, which was ambiguous and inaccurate, these intelligence reports have provided a level of detail that is very specific and inaccurate. The quality of this intelligence, based on multiple Fox reporting streams in multiple locations, is rarely seen and is alarming in both the amount and specificity of the information. While we are providing you with this immediate information, we will continue to update you as the situation unfolds. As of now, this is what we know: reports indicate that al Qaida is targeting several specific crops, including tomatos, blueberries, bananas, and citrus, with armies of fruit flies smuggled in through Canada. Let me assure you, actions to further strengthen security around these agricultural incubation facilities are already underway. Additionally, we're concerned about targets beyond the produce sector and are working to get more information. Senior leadership across the department of Agricultural Security Services, in coordination with the White House, the FBI, CIA, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Grange Hall Associations, and 4H clubs, have been in constant contact with the governors, mayors, farmers, immigrant fruit pickers, and homeland security advisors of the affected locations I just named. At this time, there is no information that indicates a specific time for these insect attacks beyond the period leading up to our national elections in 2008. Of course, just because we know where -- but not precisely when -- that does not mean that we cannot take pre-emptive action. Just the opposite: this president, in fact this entire administration, is bold, decisive, and unafraid of ignorant action. We will not cease to act – as our detractors would have us -- simply because our information is incorrect, unreliable, wildly speculative, or implausible. Tired of “swatting at flies” the president has ordered that a giant window-screen be erected to surround the terrestrial United States (not including Alaska or Hawaii) to halt the flow of Iranian insects infiltrating our homeland. Understandably, security measures at each agricultural incubation facility will not be uniform in nature, given the scope and scale of fruit producing structures, access to and from roads and other variables, such as E=mc². But you may expect to see special “free range” zones to secure the perimeters of biological reproduction compounds from unauthorized lemonade merchants; restrictions to affected underground earthworms; security personnel using identification badges and digital photos to keep track of honey bees entering and exiting crop facilitation areas; increased law enforcement presence, and robust screening of hooves, tails, and snouts. These and other security measures, both real and imaginary, create added layers of peeling to an already vigorous onion security effort across the country. So let me be clear: While we have raised the threat level for the agricultural services sector, the rest of the nation remains at an elevated -- or Code Rhetoric -- risk of terrorist attack. Rest assured, the most talented security professionals are working hard to protect all regions of the country and all sectors of our economy from this avian menace. Don’t rest assured, since the horrific day of 9-11, more permanent protections are in place than ever before. You have seen and unseen them. They have become part of our daily life: additional farmland security, including shoe removal, asparagus marshals, hardened tractor doors, and bovine tipping restrictions. You have seen and unseen more visible law enforcement officers on silos, haystacks, and cattle transportation systems. You have seen and unseen increased inspections of our nation's produce, farmers, and immigrant potato pickers. These added security measures mean that from seed to plate; in our public places and cyber spaces; on air, land, and sea; we are safer today than we have ever been from winged insect intruders. We bring you this information today, and, again, will continue to update you if new specific information becomes available. Because with information comes action. There is much we can each do to remain vigilant, to be on watch, to be aware of unusual crop circles, and to report suspicious genetic mutations. And so this afternoon, I ask our citizens for their vigilant fly-swatting arms, as we continue to monitor this horrific situation. I realize that this is sobering news, not just about the intent of our avian enemies, but of their specific plans and methods. This kind of information is the result of the president's leadership in the war against terra. The reports that have led to this alert are the result of offensive intelligence and military operations overseas, as well as strong partnerships with our allies around the world, such as Pakistan. Such operations and partnerships give us insight into the enemy so we can better target our defensive measures here and away from home Insurgent insects should know, in this country, this kind of information, while startling, is not stifling. It will not weaken the American spirit or dampen our resolve. Our resolve is indivisible -- and unyielding -- a weapon infinitely stronger than the plots, plants, and dating habits of those who wish to do us harm. Al Qaida wants to intimidate us and prevent us from enjoying our fruit and exercising the full spectrum of our produce choices. And yet, liberty has no greater protector than the collective will of the American people. So, together let us take inspiration from this strength, and use it to our utmost to keep our great nation safe and insect free. Thank you. (end text) (Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.)

For more information see: Source

What do new FISA rules mean?

Russ Feingold explains what the new FISA rules mean for Americans here. The comments which stand out to me are this one:

The bill the president signed yesterday gives free rein to the government to wiretap all the communications of anyone who happens to be outside the United States, for whatever reason, without court oversight. That includes U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad, U.S. service members in Iraq, or journalists reporting from overseas. And that includes the calls and emails of anyone outside the country to people in the U.S.

and this one:

The sooner that Democrats realize that standing tough on national security doesn't mean giving into the administration, the better off they - and the country - will be.

I am not as willing as Russ to attribute the failure of democratic representatives to perform their oversight duties to bad political advice or misplaced trust in presidential good faith. I think they're systematically building something in Washington that has been seen in the world before. I think fascism is rising. In Kansas the loyalty committees are already forming.

I don't buy this type of argument which posits that democrats in Washington are being led around clueless like horses with blinders on. They have to know what they are building. The only question is why?

The life you lead
You're like a black hole in the noon-day sky.
You're like a flash of fear in a young girl's eye.
And it's hard for me to understand why,
Anyone would care when you die.

You pretend you aren't human at all.
You'll see too late after your fall,
That what you are is what you do,
And not a living soul loves you.

Quick question

Here is a quick question for Bush dead-enders:

If you support Nixonian wiretapping sans oversight for president Bush, will you submit to an unencumbered-by-FISA president Hillary Clinton?

What is good for the goose is good for the gander isn't it?

Faith based policing

Christopher Hitchens is trying to raise American's awareness of the internal threat of religious fanatics. He has given attention to pedophile priests awarded Vatican cover from the law, and he now turns his attention to "Your Black Muslim Bakery's thuggery". That seems wise, since Europe is currently having a devil of a time with "home-grown terrorists".

Terrorists, it seems, are not nice, law-abiding citizens looking to work hard, fit in, and afford a home of their own someday. They take short-cuts. They establish a beach-head and then milk the underground economy for drug and extortion money. Their victims are usually law-abiding citizens looking to work hard, fit in, and afford a home of their own someday.

This is why president Clinton believes you catch terrorists with police work. This is why he put 100,000 more cops on the street. This is why it is important to have equal protection under the rule of law.

Y.B.M.B.

This chronic lack of respect for citizen complaints regarding lawlessness seems matched only in ineptitude by political undersight. In the aftermath of 9/11 (and 7/7) it is a dangerous level of incompetence to maintain.

Mutual insults

Bertrand Russell is one of my favorite philosophers. Rather than drown poor readers like me in an ocean of incomprehensible waves, he manages to state ideas simply and clearly. What could be more entertaining than that?

Today I was rereading an essay of his called, "Ideas that have harmed Mankind". While many things in the essay ring as true today as when they were written, I found the following paragraph topical (president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and president George W. Bush come to mind):

"It is highly probable that if two States equipped with modern armament face each other across a frontier, and if their leading statesmen devote themselves to mutual insults, the population of each side will in time become nervous, and one side will attack the other for fear of the other side doing so. It is safe to assume that a great modern war will not raise the level of prosperity even among the victors."

State of the Union

This graphic summary of the recent democratic debate says a lot and you should let it sink in.

Being Frank with us?

Dick Cheney confuses me whenever he trots out of his undisclosed location to play the Glad Game. My mind cannot juxtapose what I know about him with wild-eyed optimism and form a coherent picture. For instance when he said that, "The Iraq insurgency is in its' last throes", I had to laugh or bust a mental valve.

Maybe, deep down (bunker-down), he is a Pollyanna Whittiern optimist with a sunny disposition that works hard. Perhaps it is remarkable self control which masks this unshakable cheerfulness so thoroughly (WMD in Iraq thoroughly) from his public presence.

Allow me to adorn Mr. Cheney with a top-hat and cane and London suit in your imagination. Picture a stage with a big-band on it and a spotlight on his optimistic countenance. As he snaps his fingers and the band sparks up, picture him grabbing the microphone with both hands and singing:

Just what makes that little old ant
Think hell move that rubber tree plant?
Anyone knows an ant, cant
Move a rubber tree plant.

But hes got high hopes, hes got high hopes
Hes got high apple pie, in the sky hopes


I think that a song and dance routine are all Mr. Cheney has left. I think I preferred the young Cheney to the old, sweaty, rhinestone-covered jumpsuit Cheney. Las Vegas Cheney seems like he's going through the motions trying to dazzle the crowds with celebrity alone these days doesn't he?

Conventional wisdom

Conventional wisdom defends Common Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions with the saying, "What goes around, comes around". When we mistreat prisoners of war, it says, it motivates our enemies to achieve a tat for our tit.

Americans, blessed by God from sea to shining sea, know this and were disgusted by the news that America tortured people. They got angry and the Supreme Court, even stoked as it is with activist judges, decided to uphold the law and ordered the Bush administration to about-face. John McCain, maverick until proven conservative, got involved and passed legislation to revert our army field manuals to their law-abiding days.

All of this was accorded the full attention of the Bush administration, which is to say it was ignored.

The second round of God-blessed torture tantrums has just kicked off with an editorial from Retired Gen. P.X. Kelley (Reagan appointed commandant of the Marine Corps from 1983 to 1987) and Robert F. Turner (former lawyer in the Reagan whitehouse).

Read it here

The infotainment industry continues to portray any dissent of president Bush's policies as the mad ravings of the lunatic left. This is their idea of balance. It gives them contented feelings to do this. They smile when they do this. Pretty, pretty, perfect-teeth and helmet-hair smiles.

The unvarnished truth is America can't abide Bush from sea to shining sea. God bless it.

ADDENDUM: Senator Dianne Feinstein joins Mr. Kelly and Mr. Turner and says it is time to close Guantanamo

What about Saudi Arabia?

You know, I expect, that 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudi Arabian (Details Here).

Do you know that "About 45% of all foreign militants targeting U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians and security forces are from Saudi Arabia" (Details Here)

You know, I expect, that the Bush administration has a very cozy relationship with the Saudis (Details Here).

You know, I expect, that Osama bin Laden himself is Saudi Arabian.

Do you know that

"Two days after the Sept. 11 attacks, with most of the nation's air traffic still grounded, a small jet landed at Tampa International Airport, picked up three young Saudi men and left.

This jet joined a veritable convoy of escaping Saudis and members of Osama bin Laden's family.

Source: TIA admits flight

There seems a rather odd silence concerning Saudi complicity in anti-American terrorist activities.

What's the reason Saudi Arabians can kill American citizens and U.S. soldiers without so much as a peep of protest?

Not only does Saudi Arabia get off blameless, but we seem to be paying them to double the size of their military!

Add to this the fact that we still haven't funded the 9/11 panel's recommendations, and it looks to me like we're financing Islamic fundamentalists while keeping our guard low.

That can't be good.

How to listen to a republican

Bkuhl over at Daily Kos has an interesting article deconstructing the way republicans argue:

Foundations of Conservatism

He outlines three techniques (Straw Man, Red Herring, and the Common Enemy) often employed by republicans anxious to evade a factually-based discourse.

While it is nice to have the techniques laid out on the dissection table there weren't any recommendations for combating them. "Deconstruction without destruction does not address the con", I sez.

Should liberals adopt these tools?

Should one pick up the Red Herring bait or ignore it?

Is this like a game of rock, paper, and scissors where you top a straw man argument with a red herring, perhaps mentioning that Rush Limbaugh is more addicted to drugs than a tie-dyed hippie when discussing single-payer healthcare?

Protection racket update

I recently posted an article called, "Protection racket?", which named several republican lawmakers involved in sexual predation and/or prostitution. Many of these republicans also happened to be publicly preachy about proper moral behavior. That characteristic is what I believe makes them fair game for ridicule.

Already there is a new name to add to the list, that of Coy Privette, a republican from North Carolina that chaired the Christian Action league of North Carolina. Perhaps, at 74, Mr. Privette was confused by the term "action"? Other members of the group did not seem to share his confusion and acted swiftly to pull the chair out from under him.

Here are the details of his arrest: Hookers and Hypocrisy

Again and again complete frauds wind up preaching morality to unsuspecting church-folk. This is no doubt because they are preconditioned to obey the most incredible stories with no evidence whatsoever. They are ripe for the plucking by the opportunistic and corrupt. I see no way to break the cycle until works become more valuable than words.

I believe the lesson expressed as parable is, "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" [Matthew 7:16]

Mr. Privette's current situation is indeed a thorny one. Let us hope that he will turn over a new leaf.

For whom the cat purrs

I am not sure sociologists know why, but for some reason cats are popular with bloggers. The phrase "cat blogging" is used to describe it.

I have stayed away from cat blogging, even though I have cats that are photogenic. For instance this photo portrays the theocratic yoke of a council of clerics which has gone too far. Note the dramatic look in Oliver's eyes:





What lured me into the subject was a recent article in the Boston Globe about a cat named Oscar that seems to detect when death is near for Alzheimer's patients. His response is to jump on their beds and purr:

Story here

Is this an example of cat compassion?

I made a list of other things Oscar could be thinking:

• I call dibs on this bed.
  
• Dying people smell like tuna.
• This one's too weak to kick me off.
• Soon the rats will come and I will be ready.

Any others?

May Oscar forgive me.

Put a face on it

The primary problem with partisan politics is that it is often ideologically driven. Rather than play silly games, president Bill Clinton had a secret to break log-jams. He didn't hide it. Here it is.

Politics is about people.

So, for instance, when it comes to the healthcare debate, which is more of a bottom-feeding-frenzy of lobbyist largess than an honest handling of the issues facing the nation, it might help to put a face on the trouble with the healthcare system we have.

Before Deamonte Driver died of a toothache I never knew such a thing was possible. Apparently the young man, he was only 12, could have been saved by a tooth extraction.

Here are the full details

Here are more details

I expect conservatives would argue that Deamonte died because he had irresponsible parents. For the purposes of debate let us accept the charge as true and address it. If it is true that Deamonte had irresponsible parents is it fair that he should bear the burden of that when his place of birth was an accident of nature? Since Deamonte was a human being, wasn't he entitled to the right to life which conservatives are so willing to protect in the womb? Since his $80 problem became a $250,000 problem which society paid, isn't there an economic argument to be made in Deamonte's favor in this case?

Deamonte is one child. 18,000 Americans die of preventable causes every year. You could also say they they die of preventable congressional inaction every year.

What is wrong when the welfare of a child is less important than the perks of a health-insurance executive?

Why has shame lost it's ability to cut in Washington?

Alberto the bum

If Alberto Gonzales can't show any more respect for his office, his nation, or ranking members of his own party then he ought to be shipped off to some communist nation where he'll fit in better.

I have never witnessed anything as sycophantic, as unpatriotic, as cheapening to the office of the Attorney General or as disrespectful of American law as this

Watch and weep

This is the man president Bush chooses to uphold Justice on his watch?

This just goes to show the level of contempt the Bush administration has for democracy.

Heck of a job Alberto. You make us all so proud.

Flags should be flown upside-down I think.

Criminalizing Dissent?

Funny how we used to have laws and now we have "orders" isn't it? Did I miss something?

Executive Order: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq


RSS Feed White House News

Fact sheet Message to the Congress of the United States Regarding International Emergency Economic Powers Act

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as amended (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)(IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.)(NEA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,

I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, find that, due to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by acts of violence threatening the peace and stability of Iraq and undermining efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq and to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people, it is in the interests of the United States to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13303 of May 22, 2003, and expanded in Executive Order 13315 of August 28, 2003, and relied upon for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13350 of July 29, 2004, and Executive Order 13364 of November 29, 2004. I hereby order:

Section 1. (a) Except to the extent provided in section 203(b)(1), (3), and (4) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(1), (3), and (4)), or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the date of this order, all property and interests in property of the following persons, that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of United States persons, are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in: any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense,

(i) to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing, an act or acts of violence that have the purpose or effect of:

(A) threatening the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq; or

(B) undermining efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq or to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people;

(ii) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technical support for, or goods or services in support of, such an act or acts of violence or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; or

(iii) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.

(b) The prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section include, but are not limited to, (i) the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order, and (ii) the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

Sec. 2. (a) Any transaction by a United States person or within the United States that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

(b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

Sec. 3. For purposes of this order:

(a) the term "person" means an individual or entity;

(b) the term "entity" means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization; and

(c) the term "United States person" means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States.

Sec. 4. I hereby determine that the making of donations of the type specified in section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) by, to, or for the benefit of, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order would seriously impair my ability to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13303 and expanded in Executive Order 13315, and I hereby prohibit such donations as provided by section 1 of this order.

Sec. 5. For those persons whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States, I find that, because of the ability to transfer funds or other assets instantaneously, prior notice to such persons of measures to be taken pursuant to this order would render these measures ineffectual. I therefore determine that for these measures to be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13303 and expanded in Executive Order 13315, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination made pursuant to section 1(a) of this order.

Sec. 6. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order. The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States Government, consistent with applicable law. All agencies of the United States Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of this order and, where appropriate, to advise the Secretary of the Treasury in a timely manner of the measures taken.

Sec. 7. Nothing in this order is intended to affect the continued effectiveness of any rules, regulations, orders, licenses, or other forms of administrative action issued, taken, or continued in effect heretofore or hereafter under 31 C.F.R. chapter V, except as expressly terminated, modified, or suspended by or pursuant to this order.

Sec. 8. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right, benefit, or privilege, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, instrumentalities, or entities, its officers or employees, or any other person.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,

July 17, 2007.

# # #

Source

I expect the power to "block" a person from their possessions will cause Japanese-Americans a modicum of discomfort if they recall the internment camps of WWII. Being separated from their property was one of the thrills of camp life.

Protection racket?

Republicans are often bellowing about family values and offering to protect us, the unwashed masses, from the evildoers that wish to prey on us.

Apparently the offer does not extend to protecting us, the unwashed masses, from the republican lawmakers and sympathizers themselves. That is too bad when you consider the conduct of the following men:

James Dale Guckert (a.k.a Jeff Gannon) was given whitehouse press credentials to ask softball-questions. He, it seems, "... had previously worked as a $200-an-hour gay prostitute who advertised himself on a series of websites with names such as hotmilitary stud.com" (Source).

Ted Arthur Haggard, former evengelical preacher, seems to have solicited a male prostitute and dabbled with drugs (Source). He was exposed by Mike Jones because..."This was a man who talked to Bush once a week. This was a man who actively campaigned against gay marriage. And he could not even abide by his own marriage vows." (Source)

U.S. Representative Mark Foley, crusader against child exploitation, whom "resigned from Congress on September 29, 2006 after allegations surfaced that he had sent suggestive emails and sexually explicit instant messages to teenaged boys who had formerly served as Congressional pages" (Source)

U.S. Senator David Bruce Vitter "In early July 2007, Vitter's phone number was included in a published list of phone records of Pamela Martin and Associates, a company owned and run by Deborah Jeane Palfrey, also known as the "D.C. Madam", which is accused by the U.S. government of being a prostitution service." (Source)

Florida Representative Bob Allen, was arrested on the afternoon of July 11, 2007 at Veterans Memorial Park in Titusville, Florida for solicitation of prostitution. According to published news reports, Allen "offer[ed] to perform oral sex for $20.00" on an African-American male undercover officer inside a public restroom. (Source)

I think the next time a republican town-square moralist comes to defend our purity from corruption that we ought to keep in mind the lessons implicit in the above stories.

To wit, Mitt Romney is the current golden boy of virtue even though he belongs to an organization that was officially racist until June 6, 1978 (Source) and has (like the Catholic church) provided a safe-haven for child molesters (Source).

Here is a look at one of Mitt's latest ads. Could he be another wolf in grandma's bed?

Mad'Moiselle from Armentieres

I have a song book called, "Songs My Mother Never Taught Me" written by John J. Niles and Douglas Moore and published by Macaulay in 1929. It is a song collection of tunes that U.S. troops sang in World War I.

One of the tunes was called "Mad'Moiselle from Armentieres" and is today more commonly called "Hinky Dinky parlez-vous".

Here is a lyric from the original:


Mad'moiselle from Armentieres,
Parlez-vous.
Mad'moiselle from Armentieres,
Parlez-vous.
She got the palm and the Croix de guerre,
For washin' soldiers' underwear,
Hinky-dinky, parlez-vous.


There are other lyrics much more fun and much less printable in polite company. However, tonight I came up with lyrics that fit right in and thought I'd share them in the spirit of fun. You remember fun?


Mad'Moiselle from Armentieres
Parlez-Vous?
Never washed her underwears
Parlez-Vous?
She kept them on both night and day,
except when her husband had gone away.
Hinky-dinky, parlez-vous.

My grandfather fought in WWII and this was one of his favorite songs (it carried over). I hope he enjoys my contribution.

Key judgements of National Intelligence Estimate

One of my favorite things about the internet is the ability to track-down horse's-mouth source material. The recent National Intelligence Estimate has generated a lot of headlines, interpretations, and shouting matches. Here, simply and without comment (but with added highlighting for things which caught my eye), are the key judgements with a link to the source:

Key Judgments

We judge the US Homeland will face a persistent and evolving terrorist threat over the next three years. The main threat comes from Islamic terrorist groups and cells, especially al-Qa’ida, driven by their undiminished intent to attack the Homeland and a continued effort by these terrorist groups to adapt and improve their capabilities.

We assess that greatly increased worldwide counterterrorism efforts over the past five years have constrained the ability of al-Qa’ida to attack the US Homeland again and have led terrorist groups to perceive the Homeland as a harder target to strike than on 9/11. These measures have helped disrupt known plots against the United States since 9/11.

We are concerned, however, that this level of international cooperation may wane as 9/11 becomes a more distant memory and perceptions of the threat diverge.
Al-Qa’ida is and will remain the most serious terrorist threat to the Homeland, as its central leadership continues to plan high-impact plots, while pushing others in extremist Sunni communities to mimic its efforts and to supplement its capabilities. We assess the group has protected or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability, including:

• A safehaven in the Pakistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)

• Operational lieutenants, and its top leadership.

Although we have discovered only a handful of individuals in the United States with ties to al-Qa’ida senior leadership since 9/11, we judge that al-Qa’ida will intensify its efforts to put operatives here.

As a result, we judge that the United States currently is in a heightened threat environment. We assess that al-Qa’ida will continue to enhance its capabilities to attack the Homeland through greater cooperation with regional terrorist groups. Of note, we assess that al-Qa’ida will probably seek to leverage the contacts and capabilities of al-Qa’ida in Iraq (AQI), its most visible and capable affiliate and the only one known to have expressed a desire to attack the Homeland. In addition, we assess that its association with AQI helps al-Qa’ida to energize the broader Sunni extremist community, raise resources, and to recruit and indoctrinate operatives, including for Homeland attacks.

We assess that al-Qa’ida’s Homeland plotting is likely to continue to focus on prominent political, economic, and infrastructure targets with the goal of producing mass casualties, visually dramatic destruction, significant economic aftershocks, and/or fear among the US population. The group is proficient with conventional small arms and improvised explosive devices, and is innovative in creating new capabilities and overcoming security obstacles.

We assess that al-Qa’ida will continue to try to acquire and employ chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear material in attacks and would not hesitate to use
them if it develops what it deems is sufficient capability.

We assess Lebanese Hizballah, which has conducted anti-US attacks outside the United States in the past, may be more likely to consider attacking the Homeland over the next three years if it perceives the United States as posing a direct threat to the group or Iran.

We assess that the spread of radical—especially Salafi—Internet sites, increasingly aggressive anti-US rhetoric and actions, and the growing number of radical, self-generating cells in Western countries indicate that the radical and violent segment of the West’s Muslim population is expanding, including in the United States.

The arrest and prosecution by US law enforcement of a small number of violent Islamic extremists inside the United States—who are becoming more connected ideologically, virtually, and/or in a physical sense to the global extremist movement—points to the possibility that others may become sufficiently radicalized that they will view the use of violence here as legitimate.

We assess that this internal Muslim terrorist threat is not likely to be as severe as it is in Europe, however.

We assess that other, non-Muslim terrorist groups—often referred to as “single-issue” groups by the FBI—probably will conduct attacks over the next three years given their violent histories, but we assess this violence is likely to be on a small scale.

We assess that globalization trends and recent technological advances will continue to enable even small numbers of alienated people to find and connect with one another, justify and intensify their anger, and mobilize resources to attack—all without requiring a centralized terrorist organization, training camp, or leader.

The ability to detect broader and more diverse terrorist plotting in this environment will challenge current US defensive efforts and the tools we use to detect and disrupt plots. It will also require greater understanding of how suspect activities at the local
level relate to strategic threat information and how best to identify indicators of terrorist activity in the midst of legitimate interactions.

Source: National Intelligence Estimate

Secondary Source (PDF): National Intelligence Estimate

Some expert analysis:

Here is a link to analysis by Larry C. Johnson, whom according to his website, "worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism, is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management"

Bush drops ball

Learning from mistakes

Every once in a while I stare with incredulity at some article written by some neocon that makes excuses for the colossal corruption, calamity plagued, unpopular presidency of president Bush.

William Kristol recently laid down a glowing tribute to Mr. Mission Accomplished, Mr. Compassionate Katrina, Mr. Stuck in Iraq, Mr. Unsmoked Osama, Mr. Anthrax got away, Mr. Jobs to China, Mr. Falls on Face, Mr. Chokes on Pretzel, Mr. Republican Albatross, Mr. Delusional, Mr. Out-of-touch, Mr. Albanian Hero, Mr. Bush:

Let's step back...

Mr. Kristol seems incapable of learning that which comes into conflict with his high opinion of his opinions.

Here is what Steve Benen at Talking Points Memo had to say about the article:

An opening for ridicule

I'd like to see Mr. Kristol take an unprotected stroll down the center of Baghdad so he can come to grips with the enormity of his misunderstanding. Perhaps he could then brush his teeth with Chinese toothpaste and relocate to New Orleans.

This isn't just spin; it is a category 5 tornado.

Laughing with Noam

Noam Chomsky has written a gem called, "What if Iran had invaded Mexico?".

Here is a choice quote from the article

"The debate over Iranian interference in Iraq proceeds without ridicule on the assumption that the United States owns the world. We did not, for example, engage in a similar debate in the 1980s about whether the U.S. was interfering in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan, and I doubt that Pravda, probably recognizing the absurdity of the situation, sank to outrage about that fact (which American officials and our media, in any case, made no effort to conceal). Perhaps the official Nazi press also featured solemn debates about whether the Allies were interfering in sovereign Vichy France, though if so, sane people would then have collapsed in ridicule."

And here is a link to the full text:

Armageddon comic relief

Hillarious

You may have heard opponents of universal single-payer healthcare grumble about waiting times in Canada and cite that when it comes to elective, non-life-threatening, medical procedures like hip replacement the U.S. beats Canada and their boogey-man socialist healthcare system.

Well, Paul Krugman decided to do a little checking into that defense and uncovered something truly hillarious.

"the large majority of hip replacements in the United States are paid for by, um, Medicare.

That’s right: the hip-replacement gap is actually a comparison of two government health insurance systems. American Medicare has shorter waits than Canadian Medicare (yes, that’s what they call their system) because it has more lavish funding — end of story. The alleged virtues of private insurance have nothing to do with it."

Source: Paul Krugman

If only U.S. media outlets could find it within their mission to tell a broader story by doing a little myth busting and analysis that went beyond cherry-picking he-said-she-said squabbles. Balance does not pit lies against truth, but opinion against opinion.

There is a reason you must tell the whole truth in a court of law. Sometimes telling a half-truth is fibbing.

Salute

High-school presidential scholars recently handed the president a letter that read:

“As members of the Presidential Scholars class of 2007, we have been told that we represent the best and brightest of our nation. Therefore, we believe we have a responsibility to voice our convictions. We do not want America to represent torture. We urge you to do all in your power to stop violations of the human rights of detainees, to cease illegal renditions and to apply the Geneva Convention to all detainees, including those designated enemy combatants.”

The president is an embarrassment to all but himself and not even the nations kids are willing to pretend otherwise anymore.

Here is more on the story: Amy Goodman

Thanks kids. I wish I could share my smile.

News cycles

Perhaps scholars will one-day wonder why Americans didn't force the resignation of president Bush. They surely will wonder how the Messiah of blunder could blunder and plunder at will. Perhaps they'll scratch their heads as they count the dead, or guffaw at the laws that were broken?

Surely news cycles like this one, where evidence points out that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales perjured himself before Congress, while the AP reports that the Iraq government has missed all political targets, will confound them.

"They had free speech, the right to assemble, the right to bear arms, and mass communication! They had a UN to serve as a brake! They had Congress, an independent branch of government with authority of the purse! They had a free press to examine false statements and shine the light of Truth!", they might exclaim.

And if they could travel back in time, these historical scholars, what would we tell them?

I might tell them the president was too much of a coward to walk among Americans as if they were Albanians. I might tell them about "free speech zones", "Patriot Acts", "loyalty oaths", "Paris Hilton", and "shoppnig malls". I might tell them about "unseen marches" and "unheard protests" and "Rupert Murdoch". I might tell them about "security alerts" and "Rove" and "Coulter" and "neocons".

In the end I'd tell them all the world's not a stage, but mostly reserved seating, and "reality shows" are not particapatory.

More Moore

It was not unexpected to watch CNN libel Michael before speaking to him (accusing him of "fudging his facts") and label him afterwards (calling him "more of a left-wing promoter than Hugo Chavez"). It was disappointing, however, since health care is a matter of life and death for 18,000 Americans per year.

At least four 911's a year

What does media watchdog F.A.I.R. (Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting) have to say about the treatment?:

Action Alert

I often wonder when I see this kind of indecent exposure what kind of world these talking heads want to create.

Is it a world of gated communities, cronyism, exclusive hospitals, and diseased, fearful rabble scratching at the doors?

Is it a world where telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act?

If we don't strive to make the world a better place by alleviating suffering, then where will a better world come from?

If you have to tell lies to make your case in an argument then shouldn't you reevaluate your opinion?

A loud crowing

Volume does not transform a crow into a songbird, but the vocal, strangulated cacklings of a crow do overshadow the artful contributions of the robin.

Ann Coulter is to entertainment as a crow to a robin.
Both feed on death and neither makes a pleasant show.
"Ack! Ack! Gargle. Gargle. Ack!", goes the crow.
"Attack Iraq! Gargle. Gargle. Iran!", goes the Coulter.

NY Times Sounds Off

There is a rather scathing editorial in the New York Times which skewers:

While Mr. Bush scorns deadlines, he kept promising breakthroughs — after elections, after a constitution, after sending in thousands more troops. But those milestones came and went without any progress toward a stable, democratic Iraq or a path for withdrawal. It is frighteningly clear that Mr. Bush’s plan is to stay the course as long as he is president and dump the mess on his successor. Whatever his cause was, it is lost.

Source: The Road Home


Pete Seeger might express the same thing this way...

Any ignorant mule does know
better than to step on a cotton row
but their ain't no mules in Congress, so
plow the fourth one under.

CHORUS:

Plow under, plow under
Plow under
Every fourth American boy.


One fragment of the editorial did trouble me, since it set up a straw-man "democratic candidate" and then attacked him/her as "foolish".

It is possible, we suppose, that announcing a firm withdrawal date might finally focus Iraq’s political leaders and neighboring governments on reality. Ideally, it could spur Iraqi politicians to take the steps toward national reconciliation that they have endlessly discussed but refused to act on.

But it is foolish to count on that, as some Democratic proponents of withdrawal have done [emphasis added].

I sez, "When you've been consistently, publicly, and vocally established on the dumb-side of the bell curve it takes titanic temerity to call the correct answer percentile foolish". If you view the quote through a lens of compassion, you might see a threatened ego lashing out in order to inflate itself, which is something all human beings are capable of and should perhaps be forgiven.

The only task left is to point out that there has been bipartisan support for withdrawal, for timetables, and for outright avoidance, since before the war started (Colin Powell comes to mind).

The partisan fish in this pond swim in the Bush school. Right now they are following each other in circles ignorant of the fact that they are circling the drain.

Touchdown!

If president Bush were a football player something tells me he'd be the type to celebrate his touchdowns before reaching the end-zone. He'd be high-stepping and grinning while unaware that a defender closed in to clobber him.

It is a painful thing to watch, this premature Mission Accomplished celebration. There is a moment where those in the stands, those commentating, those watching on T.V. anticipate the "teaching moment" and cringe.

As the defender's shoulder presses dancing flesh and the ball is stripped everyone watching feels the way I feel now when I see George W. Bush, knocked senseless perhaps, and convinced he's scored.

I am one of those reserved Yankees that can do without the end-zone dancing and strutting altogether. If you ask me it isn't team-spirited and only serves to embolden your opposition, since humiliation breeds resentment.

I can picture quite clearly coach Rove turning cartwheels on the sidelines while running-back Bush goose-steps prematurely, oblivious to the forthcoming whallop. Oblivious before it and after it and confused by the groans from the audience.

Move me

If you want a great mass of people to work together, then that necessitates a common goal or belief.

The "movement" to end the institution of slavery in the United States required a shared belief that slavery was wrong.

Such a movement took time, and dedication, and perseverance. Some people spent their entire lives working, and "moving", society to embrace the idea that all men are created equal and are entitled to certain unalienable rights. Another such movement sought to include women in the full rights zone.

That ability to be a cog in the works of a great purpose escapes me.

I grew up as US napalm landed on Vietnamese children and was influenced by the high moral example which Richard Nixon set. As I grew up I saw religious leaders guilty of raping children protected by a "moral institution". As I grew up I saw Reagan shot and John Lennon shot and a Pope shot and children shot at school.

As an adult I now see ignorance championed and violence adored. I see a world where the rule of law is being abandoned for the rule of the jungle. I see global warming melting our glaciers and affecting our growing seasons. I see bees, upon which so much food depends, dwindling.I see diseases resistant to many drugs attacking humanity.

And I do not feel a part of anything that seems capable of changing all that.

Where did early emancipators find faith in each other and confidence in their direction?

Did they act without hope of success from a sense of duty?

Hope was a stowaway in Pandora's box and according to Studs Terkel it dies last.

How is Hope sown?

Pass the ammunition

Would the N.R.A. support a law forbidding guns from religious property which would forfeit religious institutional status as penalty?

I think that might be a law which could help the US shut down madrassas on American soil, and be an aid in the west in the war on terror.

Will those on the right that seem to reflexively defend dangerous nuts like Branch Davidian David Koresh be tempted to do the same for violence-inspiring Mullahs intent on replacing democracy with Islamic theocracy?

In the following story you can read about "religious students" running around with assault weapons and fighting for Islam.

Blood flows red at mosque

Shouldn't we get ahead of this type of activity and insist religious organizations are outside right-to-bear-arms zones?

Surely peaceful religions have no need of stockpiling weapons?

Independence Day

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Source: Declaration of Independence

WARNING: Reading of above document has been known to cause depression in this, the reign of the avenger of the world's evildoers.

Take a gander at this goose

"[W]e must always maintain the highest ethical standards. We must always ask ourselves not only what is legal, but what is right. There is no goal of government worth accomplishing if it cannot be accomplished with integrity."

- President George W. Bush, 2001 -

This AP story from June 13th, 2007 discusses how important it is to "tough on crime" GOP legislators for "maverick" judges to obey sentencing guidelines established by Congress:

Bush Seeks To Re-Impose Mandatory Minimums


What is the GOP response to a maverick president that flouts a decision by a federal judge consistent with sentencing guidelines in the Lewis "Scooter" Libby case?

The list of GOP leaders not commenting, as of Monday evening, is long: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), who is traveling in Kentucky this week; House Minority Leader John Boehner (Ill.), who is traveling in Russia; Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), the GOP whip; Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), chairman of conference, who is tasked with leading message operations; Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), Kyl's messaging counterpart who chairs the House conference. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), chairwoman of the GOP policy committee, has still not voiced an opinion on Libby's commutation.

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is also silent at this moment, as is Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Specter's counterpart on House Judiciary.

Source

So far I'd call it moral cowardice.

This seems like a natural time for candidate John Edwards to reacquaint Americans to his two Americas theme.

Liars Unite

"It is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before the bar of justice as equals."

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald

"There is overwhelming evidence that Libby lied under oath, not once but on several occasions. People who occupy these types of positions, where they have the welfare and security of nation in their hands, have a special obligation to not do anything that might create a problem."

U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton


"I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison."

President, chief justice of the US supreme court, commander of the armed forces, moral leader, and decider George W. Bush. Praise be to him.

Threat of Hummus

CNN once placed the phrase "Where's Obama" over a photograph of Osama bin Laden. Fox "News" Roger Ailes, perhaps feeling "scooped", tried to blur the line between Obama and Osama with a few off-colored jokes:

Story here

If words which sound alike are now considered synonyms, then I am about to perform a great service for my country.

While making a sandwich I realized that Hummus sounds like Hamas and decided to rush this observation out to you.

Terrorists are hiding in our sandwiches.

You heard it here first.

Heil Mart?

Is Wal-Mart really selling t-shirts emblazoned with Nazi symbolism?

Week 29

Does Wal-Mart feel that it must expand sales into nazi-sympathizer markets?

This can't be true can it?

Belt buckles

Here is a link to a June 25, 2007 Time cover-story with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Bloomberg:

Hiding in plain sight?


Some people are highly alarmed by Arnold's choice of belt buckle, which seems an unwise public choice for the son of a Nazi SA volunteer (a.k.a Storm troopers, or brown shorts).

Does the buckle resemble the Gott mit uns deaths head skull worn by the SS?:

See for yourself

Sometimes things can look bad without being bad, and perhaps this is the case. Perhaps this is just a motorcyclin' accoutrement worn without nefarious intent. Perhaps Arnold didn't mean to scare anybody, either.

Since Mr. Bloomberg was born to a Russian/Polish/Jewish family it seems unlikely Arnold would put his arm around him if he secretly harbored Hitler's hatreds. It also seems unlikely that Mr. Bloomberg would let him.

In fact, maybe we should feel good that the son of a Nazi can warmly embrace a Jewish man on the cover of Time magazine.

The mind's eye

Before setting off to create or obtain something it is very useful, perhaps crucial to success, to formulate a picture in your mind of your achievement in ideal form.

When electing a president it is crucial to success too.

I have here a link to a great speech. A terrific speech. A speech capable of transforming America from misguided to united.

The New Vision

Armed with this fantastic speech you should now go through the candidates one-by-one and form a picture of them speaking it.

You should find that a lot of prospective candidates will be cast aside with this exercise.

The clumsy will not do. The uncharismatic will not do. The rubes will not do. The hucksters will not do. The cynics will not do.

Who is charismatic, and graceful, and optimistic?

Who, in short, is worthy of this speech in your mind's eye?