The Bush recovery

This link takes a look at the economic recovery engineered by the Bush adminstration. It looks like the current recovery is the weakest recovery from a recession in recent history.

Tepid growth

Good news

We're turning the corner:

Battles erupt in Baghdad, at least 13 killed and 55 wounded


George Bush was right after all.

Time flies 

God bless the Eritrean armada.

We all know there is strength in numbers and this principal is what motivates cooperative-minded people to reject the go-it-alone policies of George W. Bush. We see isolation, in fact, as a sign of leadership failure, since one cannot lead without followers.

It seems our coalition has shrunk yet again.

Costa Rica Demands Exit From Coalition

May God bless the Eritrean armada.

The cost of war

If you are one of war's cheerleaders look into the eyes of the fallen and see what you have spent.

If you are one of war's detractors, look into the eyes of the fallen and receive your motivation to keep working.

The Faces of 1,000 Soldiers (Scroll down)

When you finally reach the bottom you'll have a better understanding of my motivation to blog.

Kiss 7,000 more jobs bye-bye

The happy talk:

Bush says economy 'strong and getting stronger'

Economy a castrophic success


The reality:

Delta to slash up to 7,000 jobs

Poverty rising, middle class shrinking, and number of insured declines

EDS to cut 20,000 jobs


Meanwhile, on the horizon:


Insurance premiums rise 11%

Oil prices on the rise after brief decline


I retort, you decide.

A Case Not Yet Closed

Senator Bob Graham claims to have a smoking gun which shows that the Bush administration protected the Saudis involved in 9/11 from investigation.

He has written a new book which explosively charges, "the president coddled the Saudis and pursued a war against Saddam Hussein that only diverted resources from the more important fight against Al Qaeda."

Get out of jail free

Lucky for Bush nobody pays any attention.

When is parody news, and news parody?

Before the RNC got under way the Daily Show produced a video about George Bush's leadership in the war on terror.

It makes you laugh like hell until you realize it isn't a joke. The gag is that every word is true.

Because he says so...

Honoring the fallen

Since George Bush hasn't honored the fallen in Iraq, MoveOn decided to organize some events. Soldiers give a lot for what they ask, and it shouldn't be too much to ask for a little acknowledgement of their sacrifice. Nor should it be too much for the families of the fallen to feel the loss was appreciated.

If you would like to attend or host an event in your area, then check here:

Supporting the troops

If you don't wish to attend anything so formal, simply burn a candle in the window tonight at 8pm. Let's show the troops they are more than a backdrop for a photo opportunity as they have sacrificed 1000 lives in Iraq.

I also suggest performing an action to help visualize the loss. For instance place a penny in a jar for every lost soldier and watch them accumulate. Better yet might be a thousand drops of oil, or a thousand points of light.

George Lakoff on politics

George Lakoff analyzes language, specifically the rhetoric of Republicans and Democrats and tries to fit it into a big picture. I generally find his writing fascinating and expect you will like this article if the other side confuses you:

All in the family

The unwinnable war

11 US soldiers died this weekend in Iraq in a 24 hour period.

Does that sound like turning the corner or success to you?

They didn't die searching for WMDs.
They didn't die removing Saddam from power.
They didn't die hunting Osama bin Forgotten.

So, what did they die for?

1,100 US soldiers were wounded in Iraq in August, the highest total of the war so far.

Does that sound like success to you?


This article highlights the catastrophic portion of our success (to use a Bushism):

The unwinnable war


I'm still waiting for the success portion of our success.

A new low for the party of Richard Nixon

Who said this about George Soros?:

"No other single person represents the symbol and the substance of globalism more than this Hungarian-born descendant of Shylock. He is the embodiment of the Merchant from Venice,"

Answer: GOPAC, an organization that helps elect GOP candidates.

Saying a person is a descendent of Shylock (a character in the Merchant of Venice) is a fancy way to say, "George Soros is a Jewish pig-dog".

Now the House speaker, Dennis Hastert, is calling Soros an illegal drug profiteer, though by making a strong insinuation without a lick of evidence.

Would I be behaving ethically if I were to say, "I don't know where George Bush gets his lavish riches, whether it was from a Nazi supporter named Prescott Bush or not." And if asked to clarify the matter I said, "Well, that's what he's been for a number years – George Bush has been for legalizing corporatism in this country, and Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib are essentially gulags. So, I mean, he's got a lot of ancillary interests out there. ... I'm saying I don't know where groups – could be people who support this type of thing. I'm saying we don't know."

Here is a link to the latest Soros slander:

Crucify him! Crucify him!

The Republican party currently looks like a parade in a cesspool. You might be entertained if you can stomach the smell, but you shouldn't drink the water they sell.

Click picture to learn why 

Bush's camp may cut 1 debate

Arnold would probably call Bush's running away from a debate "girlie man" behavior.

American Idol candidates already get more airtime than Presidential debates. How is that healthy for our democracy?

Cutting and running

Kerry ought to have a field day with this one and I can't wait to hear it.

Choose two: War, Tax-cuts, Compassion

I guess when you go it alone you need to put aside Compassion to pay for your war(s). The Bush administration is now poised to do so by cutting rent subsidies substantially.

Perhaps if President Bush didn't abandon allies as fast as he spent the treasury this wouldn't be happening, but if's and butts aren't candies and nuts.

Deficits matter

I thought President Bush, as a man of faith, believed that "Those who oppress the needy insult their maker."

I guess not.

Mary Cheney's a selfish hedonist

While we're on the topic of GOP gay-bashing Alan Keyes is right on queue. Here is a Republican running for a Senate seat that says homosexuality is "selfish hedonism" and Dick Cheney's daughter Mary (who is lesbian) is a sinner.


Have you no shame, sir, no sense of decency?

I swore a pledge of allegiance to this country that included "liberty and justice for all". I keep my pledges. Some don't.

Burn him/her he/she's a witch/communist/queer

Does anyone else notice similarities between Puritan witch hunting, Joe McCarthy's Communist hunting, and the current round of GOP gay purging?

To wit: Republican US Rep. Edward L. Schrock of Virginia "abruptly announced his retirement" because he is alleged to be gay.

If he were a Democrat, like Barney Frank, he could continue to serve and do so openly. After all, there is no shame in being gay unless you are Republican, in which case you ought to be ashamed to be Republican.

Crucify him! Crucify him!

I confess that it escapes me why anybody would be a gay Republican. To spell it out: your party thinks you are unfit to be of service and is ashamed of you. Wake up before they come after you in the night with flaming torches and blood in their eyes. What do you need writing in the sky? A huge flaming cross on your lawn? Strange fruit hanging in the trees?

For God sakes, man, look at your own damn party platform:

Notice official position on Gay Marriage

Keeping it simple

Click for Iraq analysis 

Another tree falls in the woods

What does Republican General McPeak, who lead the air force during the first Gulf War for H.W. Bush, think of President George W. Bush's leadership (after having voted for him in 2000)?

I was wrong.

Another tree falls in the Republican wood. Can you hear it?

You can get fooled again

Republicans are at it again, and this time it was John McCain giving Michael Moore free prime-time publicity before millions of viewers.

I'm sure Michael loved it. Not only does he get free publicity, but he gets to hear a roomful of Republican's whining.

McCain, Moore, and the GOP

I bet he savors that one for a while to come.