VENT

What she said...

2008-10-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

A priceless rant by one feisty old lady (from Texas) on the subject of Sarah Palin...

http://margaretandhelen.wordpress.com/

Couldn't have said it better myself, you betcha! ;-D

Honor a Champion

2008-02-12T15:57:00.001-08:00

So many people assume, "It can't happen here!" -- that Roe v. Wade will protect a woman's right to choose, in perpetuity.

But that's true only so long as the Supreme Court Justices continue to uphold that decision...and the margin of protection is currently both slim and tenuous.

The current Republican candidats have vowed to turn back the clock and appoint "more Scalias." This would be disatrous for decades to come.
So, think carefully before you shrug and say "Oh, it doesn't matter who I vote for--they're all alike."

On that issue, note that Canada's abortion law was struck down in 1988.

In 2008, in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of that legal decision, a campaign has been launched by a group of pro-choice activists to nominate Dr. Henry Morgentaler for the Order of Canada. Dr. Morgentaler was an early and tireless advocate of choice in the abortion battles.

Dr. Morgentaler has been nominated twice already, and passed over both times. He has recently suffered a stroke and his health is failing. The Order of Canada cannot be awarded posthumously.

Read the article here:
http://tinyurl.com/3azcgg

Here's the urgent part. The Globe & Mail is conducting a poll on the question of whether Morgentaler should receive this award. So far, the 'no' side has received 34,030 votes, while the 'yes' side has only 5150.

Please cast your vote. Here is the URL:
http://tinyurl.com/2ahb8b

Thanks!

Florida still counts

2008-01-31T12:04:00.000-08:00

Thank you Dan Abrams!

finally, someone in the political media who has noticed the (not-so) subtle smearing of Senator Clinton....cheap shots, condescending statements, remarks that diminish her campaign and her career.... and then ignoring her huge win in Florida?!

The excuse presented by the pundit pack is that Clinton's win doesn't matter because there weren't any delegates awarded.

So what? there were hardly any delegates awarded in Iowa or New Hampshire, but those races were covered with breathless, microscopic analysis. In fact there have been polls that got more attention and discussion by the Pundit Pack than Hillary's Florida win. Considering the voters in Florida had to do a little more than merely answer some questions from a pollster, surely their expressed preferences deserve attention when the Pack is braying about momentum and trends.

Jeez. I didn't really have a preference for any of the Democratic front runners -- just looking forward with great anticipation and bated breath to the end of the Bushista era -- but the way the media has been treating Hillary Clinton has pushed me firmly into her camp.

FWIW.

Pot, Kettle, Ted

2008-01-28T18:12:00.000-08:00

How interesting that Ted Kennedy has decided to “turn the page” on the divisive politics of the past... a past he's a big part of.

I wonder if he’s ready yet to shake Jimmy Carter’s hand? That was one of the nastiest ,most divisive Democratic primaries ever, and when the convention confirmed Carter, Teddy couldn’t bring himself to make even a token show of support for the sake of unity.

And now he’s lecturing Bill Clinton?! Unbelievable...except, most people seem to buy into it. Oh well. Repeat something often enough, and people will believe it to be true.

Really, what race issue?!

2008-01-28T18:05:00.000-08:00

I like all the Demo frontrunners, but I'm getting a little tired of the demonizing of Hillary and/or Bill Clinton...for, of all things, "injecting race" into the campaign?!

Oh, give me a break! while Obama carefully positions himself above the fray (somewhere between a pedestal and a halo), his surrogates have been all over TV, asserting that they are shocked -- outraged! that anyone would mention race.

Excuse me. Isn't that one reason Barak Obama has ignited such excitement? Yes, he's a mesmerizing orator and charismatic campaigner and a savvy politician -- but hasn't the media been trumpeting for months now that Barak Obama is the first African-American candidate with a real shot at the White House?

Ever since before the Iowa caucus I'd been reading/hearing the endless analysis about how South Carolina's black voters would probably vote for Obama.

And heck, why shouldn't they? I don't think it means they are voting "against" Clinton, any more than women who vote for her are "against" Obama. When there are very small differences among the Democratic candidates on the issues, people will tend to vote for someone they can identify most with -- the younger black man, the boomer white woman, the populist white guy.

That isn't a sign of a yawning racial divide, except when the media tries to make it one, and the credulous believe them.

Media makes mountains out of muddy molehills

2008-01-26T18:21:00.000-08:00

I've been following the coverage of the primary campaign at first with interest and now with increasing disgust, as the pundits gleefully make mountains out of muddy molehills in the whole Clinton-Obama thing.

I watch the clips, I hear the ads re-played on different political shows [Hardball, Countdown] and all I see is some tough campaigning and a bit of bickering.

So it's a real surprise to then hear the pundits ranting about how this will tear the Democratic party apart! how can they possibly unite again after all the dirty politics, mudslinging, race-baiting, blah-blah.

"Dirty politics" are lies and character assassination, i.e. the Swiftboating against Kerry.
It's breaking and entering, i.e. Watergate.

The sniping between Clinton and Obama? is just campaigning -- it would barely register if the media didn't make such a big hoo-hah about it.

I've actually been impressed that the Democratic frontrunners have said such nice things about each other on occasion, considering they're all competing for the same job.

It's a campaign. They are competitors. They *should* draw comparisions and distinctions.
They *should* call each other out on half truths or misleading accusations.

But they shouldn't have to go around and around in circles over the same relatively insignificant comments just b/c the media keeps analyzing it ad nauseum.

It would be really helpful to the electorate if journalists could focus on the policy issues and plans presented by the candidates, instead of drumming up a phony frenzy.

The "race issue" wasn't one until after New Hampshire, when the pundit pack started wondering, endlessly and almost unanimously, about the so-called Bradley Effect -- just a theory, unproven (and maybe unprovable), but suddenly everything from the Clinton camp that could be interpreted as less than positive about Barak Obama was labeled racism.

Just FYI, I'm a Barak fan, but I like all the Demo candidates, and I'll be happy to vote for any of them. But I'm still trying to understand how Bill Clinton saying it would be a "gamble" to vote for Barak Obama because he has less experience than Hillary, could possibly be considered racist....

...whereas Obama can suggest that he'd need to see Bill Clinton dance before he could fairly evaluate whether Bill is a "brother."

Now, that was a very funny comment, imo (and by the way, I'd pay big bucks to see *that* dance contest! the Democrats should consider it as a possible fundraising event) -- but wasn't Obama making a direct link between race and a racial stereotype? (i.e. blacks are good dancers)

Can you imagine the uproar if someone from the Clinton camp said anything like that?

I realize analyzing the nuances of economic proposals or health care plans or mid-East policy requires much more thought than just repeating the same blather about strategy and is Bill hurting Hill and should Barak have gotten down off his pedestal to reveal (gasp!) he's a politician! etc. etc. etc. -- for one thing, such analysis doesn't lend itself readily to endless sports metaphors.

But I wish the political shows would leave the exaggerations and blowhard stuff to Fox Noise.

Oh, and would someone PLEASE retire the oh-so-cute references to "singing Kumbaya"!? It was clever and amusing and apt the first 5 or 10 times it was used, but now it's really, really stale. Find something new.

What's up, Doc?

2006-12-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

With all the trauma going on in the world, in order to maintain sanity it can be vital to just kick back and laugh once in a while. With that in mind, enjoy the 50 Greatest Cartoons :-)

Evolution of Dance

2006-10-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

Sure, everyone has already seen this vid clip -- but it is so funny and so well-done it deserves another look. Check out the masterful gyrations and comic timing of comedian Judson Laipply as he demonstrates The Evolution of Dance: 50 years in 6 minues.

The Senator George Allen Insultinator

2006-10-05T16:58:00.000-07:00

In the past several months, Senator George Allen (R-Virginia, but hopefully not for much longer) has been performing with remarkable dexterity, inserting his foot in his mouth while simultaneously spewing his particular brand of ignorant racism far and wide -- all during a re-election campaign!

Blacks, Jews, people of color -- Allen has an insult for everyone! just take a spin on the Senator George Allen Insultinator (courtesy of the fine folks at Salon) for a taste of the Allen Attitude.

Allen's racist proclivities are nothing new but the fact that the coverage finally percolated into the national media is a relief to those people who long ago saw through Allen's phony "Virginia Country Boy" schtick (he was raised rich and privileged in California, which might still be a shock to those credulous local voters who bought into his "I'm just a nice simple country boy like y'all" routine).

There was the "mohawk-macaca" flap, wherein Allen called an opponent's campaign volunteer by a racial slur -- then claimed he'd really said "mohawk" because of the guy's haircut (which wasn't) -- and then said he'd just "made up" the word and had NO idea that it was really a deragatory term used towards people of color in the French-Colonial region of Mediterranean North Africa! and it was only a coincidence that Allen's own mother is of French-Tunisian descent, and presumably was familiar with the term and perhaps it is not inconceiveable that she used it around the impressionable Allen often enough for him to dredge it up and casually and publicly insult a young man of Indian descent (who, by the way, happens to be a native Virginian, which is more than Allen can claim).

Speaking of Allen's mother, there was also the revelation that she was Jewish, which apparently was a shock to Allen. His defensive reaction was bewildering and creepy -- asserting vehemently that he'd been raised Christian and liked ham sandwiches.

Ooooo-kay...... and then that was followed by the story of the fun 'n' games with other good ol'boys, in college and on hunting trips, and did he or did he not ever use the "n" word? and how and why did a deer head end up in the mailbox of a black family?

Senator Allen might possibly be the one Republican in Congress right now who is relieved to see the national media spotlight turned to focus on the smarmy escapades of Congressman Mark Foley (R-Florida) and the revelations of the dishonest, rampantly hypocritical, politically self-serving cover-up led by the Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois).

Attention voters: will you please get rid of these guys?

Virtuoso juggling!

2006-09-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

Just for fun and because it's impressive and delightful: check out Chris Bliss and his amazing juggling routine.

Congressional Salaries

2006-09-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

What a great site Legistorm is! at last, information on Congressional staff salaries, which used to be accessible to the public only in D.C., is finally available on-line, for free!

Hmm, interesting -- Senator George Allen (R), whose severe case of foot-in-mouth disease may finally induce fed-up Virginians to give him the boot, paid speechwriter Todd Weiner $2000 in September...guess that's the going rate for trying to spin racist and ignorant commentary by the Senator...

My favorite was the explanation by the Senator's staff that, when Allen called a young man from the opposition campaign "Macaca" he really said "Mohawk" -- because the kid had a mohawk-style haircut.

Not because the Virginia-native college student was of Indian heritage, and "macaca" is a common Mediterranean-North African racial slur for those with brown skin, which Allen might reasonably be expected to know, as his own mother was from French Colonial Tunisia.

No, it was the haircut. And "mohawk" and "macaca" sound SO much alike!

Nice try.

Bush on Global Warmings....

2006-08-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

...or to be more precise, Will Ferrell's inspired rendition of Bush on global warmings[sic].

Visit the Pres as he hangs out on his ranch! be awed by his athletic prowess and fast reflexes! See why he's afraid of books with 'facts'! You'll laugh! you'll cry!

Test Your T.Q.

2006-07-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

OK, this is just fun....look at the 11 photos and match them with their location.

http://www.whirlpad.com/test/tq/

Yes, they are photos of toilets.

No, the "T" in "T.Q." doesn't stand for "toilet," it stand for "travel."

The fun-loving folks at WhirlPad have come up with this rigorous scientific test to determine travel knowledge (or guesswork abilities)

I don't mean to brag, but I will, with my score of 152 :-)

(and I haven't even been to most of these places, and now that I've seen
their facilities I don't want to go...)

"Do you feel loquacious? ..."

2006-07-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

".....Well, do you, punk?!

The winners of the annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest have been announced.
The contest honors the absolute worst opening paragraph for a novel in several categories (the title quote is a sample) Congratulations to the winners -- it takes some good writers to create such fabulously dire paragraphs.

10 Things I Hate About Commandments

2006-05-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

Now, from the producers of the tender love story, Must Love Jaws,
comes the high school comedy 3,000 years in the making.....

10 Things I Hate About Commandments

Coming soon to a theater near you.....if only :-)

Look Who's Looking

2006-05-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

Kinda neat: Google has a new search toy, Google Trends. You can look up who's looking at what, where.

For example: Who's looking for love? According to Google Trends, that would be Philadelphia, which searches the term "love" more than any other city. Maybe that's because Philadelphia is the City of Brotherly Love, or there are a lot of Courtney Love fans in Philly? Who knows, but Philadelphians search for love (at least on Google) more than people in LA or Sydney or Houston or Seattle.

Now let's look up "wasting time...." And....it's Rochester by a long shot, beating out 2nd place 'wasting time' searches from....Philadelphia! Maybe if Philadelphia wasn't wasting so much time searching for love it could take the lead away from Rochester.

Anyway, you get the idea. Have fun :-)

Colbert Skewers Press Corps

2006-05-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

Stephen Colbert was in fine form at the White House Correspondent's Dinner on April 29th. The Comedy Central pseud0-pundit, in his guise of a right-wing administration supporter, lavished (or ravished) the Shrub with obsequious mock praise, complimenting the President for ability to maintain unswerving (i.e. stubborn) beliefs simply by disregarding inconvenient, contradictory facts.

Colbert's sharpest barbs, however, were aimed at the White House press corps -- that elite pack of journalists who have, with only a few exceptions, spent the past 6 years in servile pandering to the Bush White House. Colbert begs Bush to consider him for press secretary, saying he'd be "perfect for the job -- I have nothing but contempt for these people" [the White House press gang].

And then he rolls the 'audition tape' -- skewering a spiritless, somnolent press corps, which only starts to ask the hard questions when the indomitable Helen Thomas pipes up with "Every reason you've given turned out not to be true -- Why did you really want to go to war in Iraq?"

Good question.

Got answers? Got 23 minutes? want to laugh? maybe cry? check out C-SPAN's video of Stephen Colbert's performance at the White House Correspondent's Dinner.

The Heat Is On

2006-05-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

Sneak peek here at "An Inconvenient Truth," a Paramount film based on Al Gore's awesome multimedia presentation on global warming. Preview audiences have been moved to tears by the film, which also presents one of the clearest explanations of global warming.
"Take the Pledge" to see the film on opening weekend, May 26th - 28th.

I'm the Decider (Koo-Koo-Ka-Choo...)

2006-04-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

All together now! a rousing chorus of Bush the Decider:

"I am me and Rummy's he, Iraq is free and we are all together
See the world run when Dick shoots his gun, see how I lie
I'm Lying... "

"Sitting on my own brain, waiting for the end of days
Corporation profits,
Bloody oil moneyI'm above the law and I'll decide what's right or wrong
I am the Egg Head...
I'm the Commander...
I'm the Decider! Koo-Koo-Kachoo ....."

And that's only the first verse...Click here for more of the song :-)

Demagogues, not underdogs

2006-04-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

Sooooooo tired of that particular breed of self-proclaimed Christians-with-a-capital-C who preach intolerance and bigotry and hatred, grabbing more and more power, and still complain loudly about being 'under attack.'

Bill Maher put it pithily with his recent bit on HBO the other night [March 31, 2006]:

People who run everything can't complain that they're underdogs. To whit, this week, there was a highly-attended conference in Washington called "The War on Christians." Because nothing quite says "I'm oppressed," like the opulent Regency Ballroom of the Omni Shoreham Hotel.'

and:

....'Thomas Jefferson called the type of Christian who trumpets his own belief in the divinity of Jesus rather than the morality of Jesus "pseudo-Christians." And that's who's running our country today. And since they thrive so much on turning water into "whining"—and get off on their endless pretend persecution, this Easter season, let's give them what they want. Let's go to the zoo, get some lions, and feed them Tom DeLay.'

Heh. Now, there's a way for Tom DeLay -- one of the nastiest politicos to ever stalk the corridors of power -- to demonstrate his oft-vaunted Christianity. Very traditional, and facing down a lion would be much more convincing than his nauseatingly sanctimonious assertion that he sought guidance from the Lord regarding his decision to drop out of the race his poll numbers showed he was losing.

Check out the full transcript of Maher's monologue.

Road hogs

2006-04-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

Chevrolet's online ad contest unleashed some creativity they didn't expect.
http://news.com.com/1606-2_3-6056633.html?tag=ne.vid

Chevrolet provided the background images, and asked consumers to create ad content for its Chevy Tahoe SUV. The contest attracted a flood of satire ads and the wrath of Chevrolet.

The rules say any attempt to "undermine the legitimate operation of the contest may be a violation of criminal and civil laws."

Hmm, I wonder which laws those would be? something that supersedes the 1st Amendment?

Anyway, here are some Tahoe clips from the contest you won't see on TV.

Quick, watch them before they're yanked!
http://news.com.com/1606-2_3-6056633.html?tag=ne.vid

Once in a lifetime

2006-04-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

Worth staying up late for?

On Wednesday of this week, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00
in the morning, the time and date will be

01:02:03 04/05/06.

That won't happen again in any of our lifetimes.

Thank you...
You may now return to your (normal?) life.

Pentagon delays - Troops die

2006-02-13T12:46:00.000-08:00

A new, high-tech vehicle that destroys roadside bombs has passed a series of military tests, but still hasn't been sent into battle, thanks to bureaucratic delays at the Pentagon and Department of Defense. (See LA Times report February 10, 2006 by Mark Mazzetti)

More than half of U.S. combat deaths in Iraq have been caused by the makeshift (but devastatingly effective) bombs known as IEDs (improvised explosive devices).

Two years ago, the top commander in the Middle East, General John Abizaid, called for the development of a "Manhattan Project" to address the deadly problem.

A remote-control vehicle called the JIN (Joint IED Neutrlizer) has finally been built -- the prototype knocked out 90% of the bombs in testing -- and yet still the Pentagon delays deployment, claming that more testing is necessary.

Why? it works NOW! Why not send a bunch of these life-saving vehicles to protect our troops in the field NOW? If the thing needs some refinements, fine, tinker around with it some more -- but meanwhile use the prototypes we've got! It's already 90% effective, it could save a lot of our troops from being blown up by bombs in paper bags.

The Pentagon brass is harrumphing that Iraq isn't "the place to test unproven technology" [Army Brigadier General Dan Allyn, deputy of the IED task force] -- funny how they don't mind sending unproven troops to be shredded by makeshift bombs.

The Marines got impatient, jumped the testing schedule, and sent some JINs to the Anbar province in western Iraq. They used the JIN vehicle in combat situations, and it worked.

What is the Pentagon waiting for?

Bush-Speak Review

2006-02-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

Here are the the top Bush-isms of 2005

(These would be funnier if we could only dismiss Bush as an idiot -- unfortunately he's the leader of the free world.....)

1. "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." To FEMA director Michael Brown, who resigned 10 days later amid criticism over his handling of the Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. Mobile, Alabama, Sept 2, 2005

2. "See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." Explaining his Communications strategy. Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005

3. "I think I may need a bathroom break. Is this possible?" A note to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a U.N. Security Council meeting. September 14, 2005

4. "This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. And having said that, all options are on the table." Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 22, 2005

5. "In terms of timetables, as quickly as possible - whatever that means." On his timeframe for Social Security Legislation. Washington D.C., March 16, 2005

Bonus: "Those who enter the country illegally violate the law." On Illegal Immigrants or Undocumented Workers Tucson, Ariz., Nov. 28, 2005

You Go Girl

2006-02-08T07:17:00.000-08:00

Republican Representative Heather Wilson, whose subcommittee oversees the National Security Agency, broke ranks with the White House and called for a full Congressional inquiry into the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program.

The congresswoman, who is a veteran and was a member of the first President Bush's national security council, told the New York Times, "The president has his duty to do, but I have mine too." She's the first Republican on either the House or Senate Intel committee to call for an investigation, though she doesn't have the power to start one.

Full story here.

You said it, Charlie!

2006-01-31T16:41:00.000-08:00

Brokeback Review

2006-01-22T20:41:00.000-08:00

For a review of Brokeback Mountain, click here

Bigot Bans Brokeback

2006-01-10T06:43:00.000-08:00

So Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller thinks Brokeback Mountain just isn't 'appropriate' for the audiences of his multiplex in a Salt Lake City suburb. To save them the trouble of making up their own minds, he yanked the movie from his theater. Cowboys in love is just too icky, apparently, when instead the public can go see some slasher gore and violence (Miller didn't yank Hostel from the line-up....that didn't trigger any paternalistic squeamishness on behalf of the community)

What a load. What a coward. What a bigot.

Hey, Larry? grow a pair, why don't you? Try actually, y'know, WATCHING the movie! you might be surprised to discover a teensy kernel of humanity lurking in the general vicinity of your heart 'n' soul and whatever exists of your brain.

Meanwhile, Miller's loss is the gain of other local theater chains, where the movie is doing great box office business. (See Salt Lake Tribune story) And the Utah Film Critics Society has named Brokeback Mountain the year's best movie.

Just saying.

Hockey fans!

2005-12-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

And now for something completely different....

......Any hockey fans out there? maybe some beer league players on you holiday shopping list?
Heads up! there are just 2 days left to acquire the collectible, First Ceremonial Labatt Hockey Beer Bag, now being auctioned to the highest bidder on eBay. Click here for the full story. Bidding is hot, as there is a movement in Canada to reclaim the expatriated bag :-)
100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Save Babies Through Screening Foundation, a national nonprofit charity working to prevent disabilities and early death resulting from disorders detectable through newborn screening.
Click on the link below (or paste it in your browser) to bid on the now famous Labatt Beer Bag.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Labatt-Hockey-Beer-Bag-Previously-Unavailable-in-USA_W0QQitemZ7205155437QQcategoryZ58113QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Vote for Impeachment

2005-12-22T07:32:00.000-08:00

Recently I was scratching my head over a poll taken after Bush's Oval Office speech, showing that something like 41% of Americans still approve of Bush's handling of the war in Iraq (who are these people? don't they read or listen to the news? how can they possibly approve of a trumped-up war based on flagrant lies that has killed thousands, with no end in sight? Since when is it patriotic to support war-profiteering and torture and anarchy? Are they just in denial, or can they really be so gullible as to believe the Shrub's latest speech? Tricky Dick nailed himself with only one line "I am not a crook." But Bush droned on and on with his implausible denials -- we don't torture, the war is going well, etc. etc.)

Anyway, it is reassuring to see the results of this MSNBC poll.

Creationism Is Not Science

2005-12-21T06:54:00.000-08:00

Well, duh. And didn't the Supreme Court rule very clearly, way back in 1987, that creationism cannot be taught in public schools? y'know, because of that whole Constitutional separation of church and state thing.

But neither logic nor the law has ever been a barrier to a certain breed of fundamentalist faithful for whom church and Sunday school are inadequate venues to teach their religion. They persist in trying to ram the tenets of their belief system down the gullets of public school students.

Their latest approach has been to promulgate as a "science" the theory of so-called "intelligent design." The proponents of this theory disingenuously avoid any mention of You-Know-Who, but insist that living beings are so complex, that, golly gee whiz, they couldn't possibly have evolved according to mere scientific principles -- no, they must have been created by an unidentified, nameless (wink wink, nudge nudge) Intelligent Designer.

When this theory was urged on a school district in Dover, Pennsylvania, it caused a rift in the town and eventually landed in the Federal courts. (For a fascinating and colorful report of the case, check out The New Yorker issue of Dec. 5, 2005; click here for a Q & A with the author)

U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III (a Republican and Bush appointee) has just ruled that the school district cannot teach 'intelligent design' as an alternative to evolution, because it is a religious belief -- not a science, but a mere re-labeling of creationism, which relies on the existence of a Christian God. (click here for Washington Post story.)

Well, phew. That's settled. Until the fundamentalists come up with some other disguise for imposing their religious beliefs on scientific education.

C'mon, folks....you don't have to be ignorant to be faithful. Many scientists are devout believers in God. They cite the wonders they discover through science as confirming their belief in a supreme being. But that doesn't stop them from adhering to scientific principles.

Human-kind, whether evolved over millions of years from the primeval ooze or landing fully grown in the Garden of Eden, is possessed of a relatively large brain.

For God's sake (in the literal, not blasphemous, sense) -- use it. Or lose it.

Where's the bumpersticker!?

2005-11-08T09:55:00.000-08:00

A sign recently seen in Washington reads:

"WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE HIM A BLOWJOB SO WE CAN IMPEACH HIM!"

[NEXT DAY: ask and ye shall receive....
bumperstickers now available -- in two colors!
check the Wonkery at http://arachnae.blogspot.com/]

At long last! but hopefully not THE last

2005-10-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

O joy! o (modified) rapture! Let the indictments begin!

And let's hope this is only the first of many. "Scooter" Libby is pretty dang close to the top of the nasty heap of White House warmongers, and a sly, sneaky, mean piece of work is he (despite his gosh-I'm-just-the-boy-next-door-nickname). No wonder he and his boss worked so well together.

And work together they did. Closely. It defies credibility to imagine that lil' ol' Scoot didn't discuss with VP Cheyney every malicious detail of the White House plot to discredit and smear Wilson, the man who revealed that their rational for invading Iraq was bogus, to the point of letting the press know that Wilson's wife was a covert CIA operative.

Sure, it was illegal, but heck -- law, shmaw. "Law 'n' order" is just a Republican slogan to lure sucker voters. Breaking the law is only a bad thing if a Democrat does it. Nothing as trivial as breaking the law interfered with the White House's holy crusade to get back at Saddam Hussein...and then to cover-up the lies they had trumpeted to the guillable American public -- and press -- and Congress.

And cover-up is the heart of the matter. The illegal leaking of the identity of an undercover op is (for reasons I'm not clear on) not what the indictments are charging. The special prosecutor is simultaneously tightening the noose and broadening the investigation, to unmask a conspiracy of lies that led to war.

It's not what they did wrong, it's what they did to cover up what they did wrong that may finally get these guys in trouble.

Why Cheyney isn't being indicted I don't know -- did Scooter fall on his sword, or just trip over his tongue? or was he wallowing in the arrogant presumption that "they" couldn't lay a finger on anyone in the Bush administration?

Arrogant, but not-illogical -- the Bushistas wrap themselves in an aura of invincibility created by a halo cast by the one-true-God shining down on the Bush White House.

Delusional? sure. But it's no delusion that they were aided mightily by the cowering, toothless press 'watchdogs'; a kiss-ass flagwaving Congress; and the short-attention span of the American public (many of whom to this day firmly believe the original lie -- that Saddam Hussein blew up the World Trade Center -- even though the Bush administration later withdrew the false report of nuclear materials which they'd said was the compelling reason to go to war).

Well, thanks to Patrick Fitzgerald and the unknown grand jury, the Shield of Invincibility is wavering. The Teflon on this President is scratched. The press is finally shining a spotlight on the whole mess.

But for how long? It's possible that spinmeister Karl Rove is a trifle off his game these days, waiting for his indictment. On the other hand, desperation might make him even more adept at distracting the press from the real issues.

The White House does, desperately wants to get off this story and sweep Scooter under the carpet. And Bush has another Supreme Court nominee to trot out, not to mention a bunch of tax cuts, not to mention a lot of photo ops with Regular Americans rebuilding after the latest hurricane devastation (has Xena struck yet? Zoe? how the heck many hurricanes are there going to be this year?)

If only the media would have the tenacity of the fighting Irish prosecutor, the public might finally get enough information to convince them that Bush and his administration are dangerous and not to be trusted. (Heck, at least half of us knew that 8 years ago, but some people take longer to convince....;-) )

All together now.....What did Bush know? and when did he know it?

Dubya Stamp

2005-10-15T15:18:00.000-07:00

Anti-Bush joke-of-the-day:

The U.S. Postal service issued a new stamp to honor the presidential achievements of George W. Bush.
In daily use it was shown that the stamp is not sticking to envelopes.
This "malfunction" of the stamp enraged the president and he demanded a full
investigation.

After a month of testing, a special presidential commission made the following findings:

1) The stamp is in perfect order.

2) There is nothing wrong with the applied adhesive.

3) People are spitting on the wrong side.

And now for something completely different...

2005-10-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

....write a novel in 30 days.

November is National Novel Writing Month. Participants in NaNoWriMo register now, and start writing at midnight (local time) on November 1st; the goal is to write a 50,000 word (175 page) novel by midnight, November 30th.

"Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved. Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly."

There are no fees to enter. Winners include everyone who submits 50,000 words by November 30th (word count verified by contest-runners). All winners get an official "Winner" web icon and certificate -- along with immense satisfaction, plus life-time bragging rights for writing a novel in 30 days.

The first NaNoWriMo launched in 1999 with 21 participants and 6 winners.
Last year 42,000 writers participated, and nearly 6,000 made it to the finish line.

So, sign up now! and start procrastinating :-)

Bush Bungling Increases Terrorism

2005-10-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

Bush appointee Larry Diamond, who served as senior advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq in 2004 and is a fellow at the conservative Stanford Hoover Institution, says this about Bush's much-touted "major" speech on the Iraq situation:

"What the speech ignores is the degree to which our intervention in Iraq has stimulated this threat [Al Queda terrorist attacks]. [Bush] fails to acknowledge his own strategic blunders and failures..that have enabled Iraq to become a cesspool of terrorit activity."

Mind you, this is from someone who supported Bush's invasion of Iraq.
See Diamond's book, "Squandered Victory: The American Occupation and the Bungled Effort to Bring Democracy to Iraq."

Meet the Fuckers, Get Thrown Off Flight

2005-10-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

A woman flying from Portland was kicked off a Southwest airlines flight because her anti-Bush [expletive included] t-shirt was considered offensive.

"CNN reports that the shirt depicted images of President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with an expletive-ridden variation of the movie title Meet the Fockers.

In other words (in case you can't decipher CNN's demure code), "Meet the Fuckers."

Sure, it's vulgar (and not as funny as a lot of other anti-Bush t-shirts I've seen), but if other passengers didn't like it they could have stopped staring at the woman's chest.

Southwest claimed it was a "safety" issue, presumably because some passengers were upset. The airline should have kicked those pasengers off the flight for causing such an uproar, instead of the woman wearing the t-shirt.

Well, hey, fuck the first amendment! Let's issue chadors to everyone (male and female) at the boarding gate so no one's sensibilities will be offended by t-shirt sloganeering.

Full story below. And some t-shirts.

Keep your political opinions off your clothing if you plan to fly Southwest Airlines. A woman flying to Portland, Ore., from Los Angeles with a layover at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport was kicked off a Southwest flight after fellow passengers complained about the T-shirt she was wearing. CNN reports that the shirt depicted images of President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with an expletive-ridden variation of the movie title "Meet the Fockers."

Lorrie Heasley, 32, of Woodland, Wash., plans to press a civil rights complaint against Southwest, reports The Associated Press. "I have cousins in Iraq and other relatives going to war," Heasley told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "Here we are trying to free another country, and I have to get off an airplane...over a T-shirt. That's not freedom."

Southwest took the unusual action after several passengers complained about the shirt. After the plane landed in Reno, which was a layover for Heasley and her husband, Ron, who were on their way to Portland from Los Angeles, the couple moved to the front of the cabin. Passengers complained about the shirt. Heasley agreed to cover it with a sweatshirt, but while she tried to sleep, the sweatshirt slipped off, exposing the T-shirt. She was then ordered to wear the T-shirt inside-out or leave. Heasley and her husband left and drove a rental car to Los Angeles.

Southwest rules allow the airline to deny boarding to any passenger whose clothing is "lewd, obscene or patently offensive," notes AP. There are no federal rules about such matters. Heasley claims no one said anything about the shirt while she waited at the gate in Los Angeles or while she boarded the aircraft. It wasn't until she got to Reno that the shirt became an issue.

The American Civil Liberties Union told AP that it "might be problematic" that the airline "changed rules in the middle of a flight." Heasley is requesting that Southwest reimburse her and her husband for the second half of the trip and pay the rental car fees, gasoline costs and hotel bills for the road trip to Portland.

Proclaim your political views with the fine assortment of shirts from The Wonkery. (No guarantees that you'll get kicked off a Southwest flight. Your mileage may vary. )

Prepared for Flu Pandemic?

2005-10-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

The flu pandemic of 1918 (aka The Spanish Flu) wiped out upwards of 50 million people worldwide. Alfred W. Crosby, author of "American's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918," said that it "killed more humans than any other disease in a similar duration in the history of the world."

Now, the NYT reports, after a decade of painstaking research analyzing tissue samples from flu victims preserved in the Alaskan tundra and an army pathology warehouse, scientists have discovered that the 1918 killer flu virus was a type of avian flu, which jumps from infected birds to humans.

The recent bird flu outbreak which has been raising concerns, particularly throughout Asia, has, so far, been restricted primarily to bird-to-human transmission. The fear is that the flu will transform (as flu viruses tend to do) and become highly infectious between people, like the 1918 flu which decimated millions.

Are we ready? not yet, but the administration is getting around to it.

"Bush administration officials have been talking about pandemic flu preparedness for years, and they say they will soon release a pandemic flu plan, in the works for more than a year. Senate Democrats say that the administration is not doing enough, and they are writing their own bills that call for more spending and coordination."

Get it together, guys. Less talk, more action, more vaccines, and a smart, efficient, distribution plan. Please don't hire cronies for this job, OK?

Call your congressional rep to let him/her know you are very aware and deeply concerned about this disaster waiting to happen. Squeaky wheels, do your thing!

Beware Miers -- Anti-Choice, Bush Suck-up

2005-10-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

To those moderates and progressives who might be thinking "Harriet Miers, well, she could be OK because maybe she'll swing our way..." -- WAKE UP!

Fine, maybe she's not as obviously appalling as other possible choices (such as the uber-conservative, vehemently anti-choice Pricilla Owens and Edith Jones). And she is probably a clever lawyer. But her main qualification for this job in the cunning mind of George W. Bush is, apparently, that she is a suck-up...on record as describing George W. Bush as "brilliant."

Well, being a devout Bushista, while of questionable taste, isn't necessarily a disqualification. But her background is a big red flag to anyone with concerns for the future of Roe v. Wade, as Miers has deep, long-standing ties to a conservative Christian church that is resolutely anti-abortion.

Read Molly Ivins characteristically astute analysis of Bush's choice for the Supremes.

Miers would serve on a Supreme Court that may well have to decide the legitimacy and scope of the exercise of powers of her buddy, Dubya. Is torture legal, did Rove commit treason by revealing the name of a covert CIA operative...? Miers was THERE, at the White House, while these decisions were made. Should she be allowed to sit on a Court that may have to rule on their legality?

When will the Democrats fight back, for crying out loud?! We've already given the slippery Roberts a free pass, why roll out the red carpet for another conservative?

These people get to be on the Supreme Court for LIFE, folks.

Sex for Violence -- Obscene

2005-10-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

The military would like us to think that the grotesque behavior of US troops at the Abu Gharib prison was an aberration. The human rights abuses, the violation of the Geneva Convention, the military code of conduct, and hey, just plain decency.....these things happen, and those were just a few rotten apples to tarnish the image of our brave fighting men-and-women.

But the attitude and conduct is more pervasive than they would have us believe. For the past year, our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have been submitting graphic photographs of mangled corpses to a porno website, in exchange for free access to the more typical pornography -- t 'n' a, split beavers, all that stuff.

"For a year now, American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have
been posting photographs of corpses -- insurgent corpses, civilian corpses,unidentifiable piles of guts in various stages of mutilation
-- on the site in return for free access to its porn cache. And these
pictures have in turn drawn thousands of civilian gawkers who find the
sight of laughing soldiers posing with dead bodies at least as titillating
as candid shots of women in flagrante delicto.
Explicit sex, graphic violence. For some guys, they're twin stimuli."(link)

To encourage visitors to the website, the soldier-photographers helpfully label their submissions with such vicious and illiterate captions as "Iraqi Driver Tryed[sic]to Run a Check Point" and "Name This Body Part" and "Destruction of the Afgans [sic] at the Hands of the Marines!"

Ooh-Rah.

[Aside: you'd think a soldier who could figure out how to work a digital camera might be capable of learning how to spell the name of the country where he's killing insurgents, but whatever.]

I won't list the site url here. If you want to find it, read Neva Chonin's full column (SF Chronicle, Oct 2). These are shots of the reality of war, so be advised -- best not to view before breakfast. Or any meal. Or bedtime. There's nothing glorious or noble about it. It's nothing like "a movie," much less the news.

In this country the media, stifled by the Bush administration, is reluctant even to show a respectful, flag-draped coffin. These photos show what's left of human beings after their brains and body parts have been blown apart. Photos taken by U.S. soldiers who represent our country. Taunting, sneering, and traded for photos of lurid sex.

Now, that's obscene.

Harriet Who? Crony for Life

2005-10-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

Feeling the heat with low poll numbers (not to mention pressure from the missus) Dubya has nominated another woman to fill Justice Sandra Day O'Conner's seat on the Supreme Court:

Harriet Miers.

Who? Well, Miers is a White House lawyer, with no judicial experience, but considered capable and hard-working. Her most important credentials however, have to be (1) no paper trail; and (2) her devotion to the Word of Bush.

With no judicial background, there isn't much record to evaluate. An experienced trial lawyer, Miers will dodge and weave past the inevitable questions on her stance on abortion and other hot topics, and the debate will go nowhere because there won't be any Miers-made case law to use as evidence of her opinions (or opinion-making). Miers is undoubtedly a staunch conservative (otherwise she wouldn't be working in the Bush White House) but how much of a judicial activist she is will remain to be seen -- if she is confirmed, she may hew to the center, steer the Court even further to the right, or act as a swing vote the way O'Connor has.

Miers is also known as a devout Bush loyalist, which is probably the most fundamental reason she was selected. No surprise there, considering the Shrub's penchant for surrounding himself by cronies of varying levels of competence. But consider this description from conservative David Frum:

In the White House that hero worshipped the president, Miers was distinguished by the intensity of her zeal: She once told me that the president was the most brilliant man she had ever met.

Great. That's just who we need on the Supreme Court, making decisions and shaping law that will affect our lives for decades -- someone who is dazzled by the, ahem, brilliance of George w. Bush.

NEWS FLASH: Buying Fake News is Illegal

2005-10-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

When the Bush administration doesn't like the news, and can't spin the news, it just rolls up its collective sleeves and goes out and pays (with our tax dollars) to make up the news.

Fake the news. Seems practical. Why wait for actual reporters to spread the Word of Bush when they are so easily distracted by reporting, well, actual news?

But hey, wouldn't that be WRONG? aka "covert propaganda?"

Well, yeah. It is illegal to "convey a message to the public on behalf of the government, without disclosing to the public that the messengers were acting on the government's behalf and in return for the payment of public funds." (GAO)

The rigorously non-partisan Government Accountability Office has delivered a scathing report, condemning the Bush administration's use of tax dollars to disseminate propaganda to the American public, in violation of federal law.

Seems the message about how Bush would "leave no child behind" wasn't being sufficiently touted by the media (what with all the other news to report about cuts in education spending and tax breaks for the wealthy and the hunt for those non-existent WMDs in Iraq).

So the Bush administration, using public funds (over $300,000) paid for favorable coverage, making pay-offs to conservative commentator Armstrong Williams and hiring a P.R. firm to concoct fake "news" stories praising Bush's commitment to education.

(The casting call for "reporters" must have been fun, watching all those auditioning actors try to make that statement without laughing...)

The Bush administration's Justice department lawyers and inspector general of the Education department claimed that it was perfectly OK to produce bogus "news" reports, as long as the facts were true. In other words, there was nothing wrong with hiring someone to pretend to be a reporter hyping Bush's education policies, and airing that "report" to the public as if it were actual news.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Also, illegal. The GAO spelled it out for the administration:

"The failure of an agency to identify itself as the source of a prepackaged news
story misleads the viewing public by encouraging the audience to believe that
the broadcasting news organization developed the information. The prepackaged
news stories are purposefully designed to be indistinguishable from news
segments broadcast to the public. When the television viewing public does not
know that the stories they watched on television news programs about the
government were in fact prepared by the government, the stories are, in this
sense, no longer purely factual. The essential fact of attribution is missing."

Read all about it in today's NYT.

Block Offset Agenda

2005-09-26T16:23:00.000-07:00

You'd think the recent disasters would be a lesson in how important government funding can be for frivolous little things like flood control and emergency relief.

But, no. Apparently it's just another opportunity for the Republican conservatives in Congress to push their agenda to diminish government (as conservative leader Grover Norquist famously phrased it) "down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub."

In the face of looming costs to rebuild flood-devastated regions, a pack of congressional Republicans have launched "Operation Offset" -- a sprawling proposal to gut vital national services, like health care for the poor and elderly, student loans, Amtrak...as well as that perennial target, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (See entire proposal here)

This might be spun as fiscal responsibility -- after all, someone, somehow, has to pay the price for disasters like floods (and Iraq).

But, conspicuously absent from the list of ways to save money are those budget-busting tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest 1% of Americans.

The price tag for post-Katrina recovery is estimated at around $200 billion. Rolling back Bush's 2001 and 2003 tax cuts to the wealthiest 1% of Americans would save us over $300 billion.

Funny how whenever belt-tightening is called for, tax breaks for the richest folks always seem to be exempt from the calculations of the Republican bean counters.

Callous, greedy, and shortsighted.

Stop them before they gain momentum.
Sign the MoveOn petition and let your representative in Congress know -- you're mad as hell and you're not going to take it anymore!

Hurricane Blows Blowhard's Cover

2005-09-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

Or, as Frank Rich so eloquently puts it:

The worst storm in our history proved perfect for exposing this president
because in one big blast it illuminated all his failings: the rampant cronyism,
the empty sloganeering of "compassionate conservatism," the lack of concern for the "underprivileged" his mother condescended to at the Astrodome, the reckless lack of planning for all government operations except tax cuts, the use of spin and photo-ops to camouflage failure and to substitute for action.

Tell it, Frank! (read Rich's sweeping and accurate condemnation of Bush in the full column.)

Old news

2005-09-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

....but dang, it's one of those pictures that's worth thousands of words, and as true now as it was last week (or last year) , so it's going to the top of the page every week.

Tragic Advantage?

2005-09-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

From the New York Times:

Mr. Bush's response to the storm came under withering attack Monday from the Democratic ticket he defeated last November - Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina.
In a speech at Brown University, Mr. Kerry referred to the White House as the "Katrina administration." Asserting that the storm "stripped away any image of competence and exposed to all the true heart and nature of this administration," he said, "The truth is that for four and a half years, real life choices have been replaced by ideological agenda, substance replaced by spin, governance second place always to politics."

Republican officials accused Democrats of trying to take political advantage of a tragedy.

Yeah well we wouldn't want that! That kind of political advantage is reserved for the Republicans and their President, who since the tragedy of 9/11 have fanned flames of fear, incited jingoism, perverted patriotism, and used the excuse of worldwide terrorism to promote a conservative idealogical agenda.

Stoking the desperation of citizens longing for leadership, Bush in the aftermath of 9/11 has invoked the 'war on terrorism' to justify pay-offs to the wealthy, cut-backs to the rest of us, and as a blind for every dangerous failure and misguided program of this disastrous administration.

Taking political advantage of the 9/11 tragedy is why Bush is still president. We're stuck with him and the enormous cost, in lives and dollars, that his agenda has incurred. We get to complain about it, loudly. Maybe now more people will listen.

A bad joke?

2005-09-15T18:29:00.000-07:00

It must be a bad joke. It can't possibly be true....that Bush is appointing his chief political advisor, hatchet-man, and spin-meister KARL ROVE to head up post-Katrina reconstruction?!

"Republicans said Karl Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff and Mr.
Bush's chief political adviser, was in charge of the reconstruction effort,
which reaches across many agencies of government ..." (NYT, 9/15/05)

Based on what, exactly? Rove's vast experience in disaster management, emergency relief, urban planning...oh, wait, he's got NONE of that.

Maybe it's because of Karl's diplomacy, his warmth, his ability to reach out to people across class and racial and economic divides....? No, wait, that would be the Karl Rove in an alternate universe

How about Rove's image of integrity, honesty, decency? Hmm, no, that can't be it, because he's made a career based on lies, distortion, manipulation, and back-stabbing. Plus there was involvement (oh, all right, alleged involvement) in leaking an undercover CIA agent's name to the press, as political payback when the agent's spouse had the audacity to publicly say the Administration was wrong about its WMD claims. Rumors of his indictment persist (some of us have our fingers crossed).

Once again Bush names a political crony to a vital position where he has no experience -- at least, no experience in handling the purported task he's been assigned, the reconstruction of the devastated Gulf region.

On the other hand, Karl Rove does have plenty of experience in other areas, particularly in spinning the news. By placing Rove in charge, Bush signals that this reconstruction is going to be all about repairing Bush's damaged image, never mind people's damaged lives.

Why am I not surprised?

Another News Flash!

2005-09-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

On page 2....Pigs Fly; Cheyney Locates Long-Lost Integrity; Blue Moon Forecast

(thanks to billmon at The Whiskey Bar)

Define "responsibility"

2005-09-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

So Bush finally decided to "take responsibility" for the Katrina Disaster(hurricane) Disaster (relief efforts). As John Kerry said, "The President has done the obvious, only after it was clear he couldn't get away with the inexcusable."

(see the Talking Points report by the indefatigable Josh Marshall)

Clearly this was intended as a demonstration of forceful leadership, but it was an empty gesture. In the same breath that Bush purported to accept "responsibility," he offered qualifiers, excuses, evasions, implicit blame, and obfuscation.

Bush said that he took responsibility, "to the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right." Why the qualifier? The extent to which the federal government, starting at the top, failed in its duties, is exactly what he is responsible for.

Then he says he wants to find out what went wrong -- as if he didn't know? Again, trying to position himself as an innocent bystander in this whole disaster, rather than admitting that he himself did anything wrong (let's check our list, shall we? diverting billions away from flood control, appointing unqualified cronies to jobs with real consequences, delaying the relief efforts with his demonstrable lack of urgency.....)

He slides in a reference to "all levels of government," maintaining the steady drumbeat from this administration that the state and local governments were at fault -- playing the blame game while denouncing it with typical sanctimonious hypocricy.

All the usual spin from the White House flaks. But what is particularly galling is Bush's attempt to link his administration with the rescue, relief, and recovery workers on the ground, who are the ones actually dealing with the mess. After his manful offer to "take responsibility,' (hedged by qualifiers and gutted by blame-shifting), Bush then tried to score points with a gratuitous "defense" of the relief workers, saying

"....I'm not going to defend the process going in, but I am going to defend
the people who are on the front line of saving lives."

Well, gosh, Dubya, that's real courageous of you -- leaping to the "defense" of the Coast Guard, emergency worker volunteers, local police, and all those others who have been highlighted and praised throughout the media as doing a good job (once they got there) under ghastly conditions.
They're not the ones who need any defense, you are -- but I guess you knew that, otherwise you wouldn't have been so eager to shine the spotlight on their indisputably vital efforts and then sidle into that spotlight yourself.

"Taking responsibility" means saying "I did something wrong, I'm sorry, this is what I'll do to make sure it doesn't happen again."
It doesn't mean saying "It's not my fault, I'm not to blame, and hey, instead of talking about what you think I did wrong, let's give a round of applause to those guys, who are doing something right."

Bush was striving for a Harry Truman "the buck stops here" moment, but instead he just passed the buck.

The whole "responsibility" speech was a charade, an empty gesture -- let's hope it wasn't a successful spin. The mainstream media is just starting to remember it's a watchdog, not a craven cur begging for bones from the White House. Hopefully the media will keep yapping at Bush's heels and force some real answers -- and maybe even some genuine accountability?

Don't just roll over and play dead

2005-09-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

It's disheartening to see how many true-blue, die-hard progressives are so willing to give up the fight on Roberts.

"He's going to be confirmed anyway," they shrug. "It could be worse," they theorize. "Maybe he'll move to the center when on the court," they hope, wistfully.

Here's the thing about Roberts -- we could do worse, but we could do better.

OK, fine, he's not a raving theocrat, and he is at least brighter than, say, Clarence Thomas (the guy who keeps deferring to What The Framers Intended, forgetting or ignoring that The Framers intended that guys like Clarence Thomas be counted as only three-fifths of a man)

But Roberts is staunchly right-wing and anti-choice. He's relatively young and apparently healthy. He'll have a long tenure on the Supremes, and a enormous impact on life in this country.

Why should he coast into such a powerful, influential job? Why not evaluate --publicly -- his background, his legal opinions, his personal beliefs, his loyalties, his aversions?

Because all of those elements will be part of every decision he makes on the Supreme Court. And every decision he makes on the Supreme Court will have an effect, one way or another, on our lives.

For the past 6 years the Democrats have been trained to roll over and play dead. And sometimes to beg.

But politically Bush right now is weaker than he's ever been. Why prop him up with the victory of a rubber-stamp confirmation on Roberts? That would just allow Bush to say "Hey, that was easy, now let's appoint a REAL conservative". And believe me, he's got some judges on his short-list who make Roberts look like a....a....moderate! (see, e.g. Washington Post list)

I'm not saying Roberts won't be confirmed. I'm just saying, there is strategic value to opposing his confirmation. Fight the good fight -- instead of just rolling over and playing dead.

Milking Memories

2005-09-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

Check the date -- yes, it's the anniversary of 9/11 on Sunday.

And, right on schedule, Bush is invoking the memories of that horror, which unified a country in shock to create an aura of leadership around a president with no mandate and tepid support at the time.

"Buffeted by criticism, President Bush stirred memories of the 2001 terror
attacks as he hailed the "acts of great compassion and extraordinary bravery
from America's first responders," then as now

A population desperate for a leader -- any leader! -- caused Bush's poll numbers to soar after the 2001 terror attacks, and he's been milking that occasion ever since.

With the current disaster highlighting the flaws in Bush's administration -- the incompetence,t he cronyism, the callous disregard for the 99% of the citizens in this country who are not in his tax bracket, Bush is naturally eager to wrap himself in the mantle of patriotic mourning and the sacrifices of others.

Bush's public support rose dramatically in the days following the attacks of
2001. He linked that time with the present at a ceremony Friday awarding medals
to family members of fire, police and other first responders killed by
terrorists four years ago.
"When America has been challenged, there have always been citizens willing to step forward and risk their lives for the rest of us," the president said. "Over the last 11 days in Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama, we have again seen acts of great compassion and extraordinary bravery from America's first responders."

Compassion? bravery? it's high time Bush followed the example set by ordinary American citizens, instead of the other way around.

(see full AP report)

Hasta la bye-bye, Mike Brown

2005-09-10T06:59:00.000-07:00

So Dubya has finally caved in to the pressure from everyone including his own inner circle, and removed his incompetent, resume-padding, crony Mike Brown from the disaster zone, recalling him to D.C. -- an entirely different kind of disaster zone, where disasters are made (from political manipulation) not born (of natural causes).

Not that he's been fired, mind you. He's still got his job as director of FEMA, where he pulls down a hefty taxpayer-funded income in exchange for making terrible decisions with tragic consequences.

His reaction? Glad to be getting home "for a good Mexican meal and a stiff margarita."

AP report

Chug-a-lug, Mike.

News Flash

2005-09-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

Not really a news flash for many of us, but maybe it's finally dawning on some folks....?

Business as usual...

2005-09-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

So, with damage to New Orleans and surrounding areas becoming daily more obvious, and with relief efforts running hundreds of millions per day; and the total federal cost expected to be $100 - 200 billion ---- what do Republican lawmakers do?

Why, continue with their plan to abolish the estate tax, which will cost the country $70 billion while providing tax relief to those who apparently need it most -- the wealthiest 1% of the nation's households.

But the Republicans do recognize that sacrifices must be made, when the huge federal deficit (ovre $400 billion last year) is worsened by a huge national disaster.S

So they still want to cut funding....for Louisiana flood control! (Really! I couldn't make this up)Republicans insist it is vital to stay "within their budget."
Wash.Post Sept. 7

Apparently flood control isn't a vital priority in that budget, not compared to ensuring that the heirs of millionaires avoid any estate tax.

And, in the spirit of belt-tightening, Republican lawmakers are moving forward on the Bush administration's plan for spending cuts -- in Medicaid payments, student loan programs, farm programs, food stamps, housing and cash assistance to poor families.

Heck, the poor are used to being poor, they probably won't even notice tightening the belt another notch. If they still have belts.

(The Prairie Angel has posted an article which should be required reading by the Republican lawmakers who are so sanctimonious about cutting "entitlements" to the poor. Maybe Bar could read it to her sons. They all might learn something about Being Poor )

Speaking of spin...

2005-09-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

At the height of the hurricane disaster, over 1,000 trained firefighters from Texas, Utah, and around the nation showed up to do urgent search and rescue work in Louisiana -- and were sidelined into an Atlanta conference room to get sexual harassment training and learn how to hand out fliers with FEMA's 800 number (1-800-SCREWUP)
(whoops, no, wait -- that's 1-800-621-FEMA).

The FEMA run by Bush's hand-picked incompetent cronies insisted to the frustrated emergency workers that community relations was a priority.

Meanwhile desperate people were still trapped in flooded attics.

As one Texas firefighter noted, "It's a misallocation of resources. Completely."

A perfect epitaph for the Bush administration, but carved on the tombstones of those who died because of its negligence and incompetence.

On Monday morning, a team of 50 firefighters was finally deployed for action, and quickly "ushered onto a flight headed for Louisiana. The crew's first assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated areas."

The Master of Diaster, spinning misallocation of resources into a photo op to show how many resources were on hand.

The victims must be spinning in their graves -- or will be once their bodies are found and buried.

(Read the full article in the Salt Lake Tribune)

The Master of Disaster

2005-09-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

So the Shrub says he's going to launch an investigation into the failures of the Katrina disaster response.

By which he means, the failures of OTHER people (especially those state-and-local officials, especially if they are Democrats). He still hasn't acknowledged, much less accepted, any of the responsibility for his own (in)actions, despite the fact that his greasy little fingerprints are all over the smoking gun.

He gutted the budget for flood control in Louisiana. He sent vital resources (billions, troops, and equipment) overseas to pour into a war based on a lie and continued on wishful thinking in a state of denial.

He folded FEMA into the burgeoning Department of Homeland Security, where it lost focus and authority and got bogged down in even more bureaucracy.

He rewarded his untalented, inexperienced cronies with powerful jobs they don't know how to handle -- like, allocating and managing manpower and resources in emergencies.

He stayed on vacation while the disaster loomed (4-1/2 weeks wasn't enough already), entertaining himself with light reading on the short-list of right-wing judges to appoint to the Supreme Court, while ducking Cindy Sheehan's anti-war protest.

When the news of the diaster was old news to everyone else, he made the supreme sacrifice, cut short his vacation by two whole days, and flew back to D.C. -- making an extra effort to have the pilot of Air Force One fly below the clouds so he could catch a gander at the devastation.

Once he got back to the Oval Office, Bush leaped into action -- spin control. Posing before the TV cameras, declaring everything was under control (when the American people could see it wasn't) and that help was on the way (days late and still waiting) and besides it wasn't his fault.

Bush promptly unleashed his senior henchmen (Karl Rove, chief political advisor and Dan Bartlett, communications director) to come up with a plan to contain the political damage his administration was incurring. Never mind the damage to peoples' lives, homes, jobs, cities. Let's focus on political damage.

It must be nice for Karl Rove to have something to do other than deal with the lurking questions about blowing a CIA agent's cover as an act of petty political retribution (remember the Plame case? hasn't been in the news much lately, has it?)

And how hard is it for these guys to come up with a political damage-control plan? After all, they've had years of experience.

Lies, denial, and blame the other guy. The usual routine from this White House.

Bush is a master of disaster, when the disaster involved is covering his own ass.

Like mother like son

2005-09-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

For anyone who still thinks of Barb as a sweet ol' granny, check out her comments made upon visiting refugees evacuated to the Houston Astrodome:

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this (she chuckled slightly) -- this is working very well for them."

http://www.reasongonemad.com/blog/

Unbeliveable? Listen to it: http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=25048

Insensitive, arrogant, dismissive, callous, and clueless. Who does that sound like? (I mean, aside from Marie Antoinette) The apple sure didn't fall far from the tree.

Who ya gonna blame....?

2005-09-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

So the Shrub has girded his twiggy loins and responded to the disaster crisis with resolve....the resolve to blame everyone but himself and his incompetent cronies.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9189916/

You can't blame Bush for the lack of preparation and sluggish response to the Katrina disaster. See, it's not HIS fault he diverted billions from the budget in tax cuts for his wealthy pals.
It's not HIS fault he has continued to send vital resources like money and troops and equipment overseas to fight a badly-defined "war" that is sinking into the quicksand.
It's not HIS fault he slashed funding for levee repair and rebuilding, which could have prevented the massive flooding of New Orleans.
It's not HIS fault he folded FEMA into the Department of Homeland Security where it lost its focus and authority.
It's not HIS fault he appointed untalented cronies to head a vital department where experience counts so urgently.
It's not HIS fault he was still on vacation when Hurricane Katrina hit.

No, none of this is Bush's fault. It's all the fault of "state and local government" -- of course! They're Democrats!!!

So far Bush has not blamed Bill Clinton for these problems (maybe it would look a tad inconsistent, considering he just milked a photo op, touting Bill and Pop as fundraisers for disaster relief). But give it time....

My what a big elephant!

2005-09-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

The mainstream media in the US is finally, tentatively (always waiting to see which way the wind will blow!) announcing what everyone has noticed -- that big elephant in the kitchen which everyone had been trying to ignore earlier in the week: what a coincidence that the majority of the desperate, dying victims trapped in squalid, rotting New Orleans were black. I'll bet the government response would have been a hell of a lot more organized and faster if the TV images had been of pathetic blond folk in Charleston suburbs.....

Relay Distress Calls

2005-09-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

US Coast Guard officials are urging that anyone who receives cell phone calls from friends or relatives trapped in the New Orleans area to immediately relay the information to search-and-rescue center in Baton Rouge:
(225) 925-7708, - 7709
(225) 925-3511
(225) 925-7412

NOTE: These numbers are to help the Coast Guard locate and rescue people in distress;
DO NOT use to try and locate family members orfriends who have not been heard from.

Is Hell freezing over?

2005-09-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

I can't recall ever having a thought in common with the generally reprehensible Newt Gingrich. But wonders will never cease:

Even Republicans were criticizing Bush and his administration for the sluggish relief effort. "I think it puts into question all of the Homeland Security and Northern Command planning for the last four years, because if we can't respond faster than this to an event we saw coming across the Gulf for days, then why do we think we're prepared to respond to a nuclear or biological attack?" said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/sns-ap-bush-katrina,1,4602683.story

(Gotta go -- I think I just saw some pigs fly past my window....!)

If you want to help....

2005-09-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

The victims of Hurricane Katrina are in dire straits. If you want to help, you can support the relief and recovery efforts of the Red Cross or one of a host of other volunteer relief agencies doing essentiallife-saving work in this emergency. FEMA (the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency) has posted a list of recommended groups.

How many Bushistas does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

2005-08-31T09:52:00.000-07:00

Ten.

1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed;

2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to
be changed;

3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb;

4. One to tell the nations of the world that they are either for changing
the light bulb or for eternal darkness;

5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for the new
light bulb;

6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a
step ladder under the banner 'Bulb Accomplished';

7. One administration insider to resign and in detail reveal how Bush was
literally 'in the dark' the whole time;

8. One to viciously smear No. 7;

9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had
a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along;

10. And finally, one to confuse Americans about the difference between
screwing a light bulb and screwing the country.

(an oldie but goodie -- and hasn't the number of lightbulb changers gone up since the last time this joke made the rounds?)

Why do Bush vacations end in disaster?

2005-08-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

I'm sure it's just a coincidence that Dubya's extensive vacations at his dirt-ranch in Texas so often end in disaster. I'm sure because I'm not some kinda conspiracy-nut.

But still. 9-11, the flooding of New Orleans..... ? you can't help wondering.

While Dubya kicked back on his annual 5 week break from the rigors of defending his disastrous, muddled, counter-productive, grand plan to protect the Free World from the Evil Evildoers of Evil, his spin-meisters were working overtime.

See, it wasn't really a VACATION, it was a relocation of the work site from the Oval Office, while some heretofore unmentioned renovation work was going on.

[See The Clue Factory http://cluefactory.blogspot.com/ for details. ]

Okey-dokey, whatever you say.

After all the Shrub *must* have been working real hard, because he couldn't spare 10 minutes to meet with anti-war protestor Cindy Sheehan, to explain the 'noble cause' for which her soldier son died.

But wait! here comes a disaster!

No, New Orleans did not "dodge the bullet," even though Hurricane Katrina was a mere level 4 by the time it made landfall and was soon downgraded to a tropical storm. Which means massive flooding, and the city and the region and people trapped there are drowning.

Well, time for the Pres to kick the cow-pies off his boots and spring into action! -- oh wait, isn't he already in action? Working hard every day at the dirt-ranch? Isn't that what they told us?

Guess not, because the spin-meisters have now announced that the President is going to 'cut short' his (5 week) vacation to oversee the disaster relief efforts.

Is that guy dedicated or WHAT?!

Vacation, work, who can tell the difference, when you're the leader of the free world? (The rest of us can tell pretty easily)

The sky really is falling

2005-08-30T18:39:00.000-07:00

...or at least, it is dumping massive rain and ferocious winds on the southeast. Hurricane Katrina has been downgraded to a mere 'tropical storm,' but the natural diaster has left death and destruction and isn't over yet.
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/hurricane_katrina

Natural? not entirely. Hurricanes aren't man-made, of course, but mankind sure helps, when it hurts the global environment. While the Bush Administration continues to pooh-pooh the existence of global warming (ignoring the overwhelming majority of scientific opinion and analysis), it is a fact that unusually high ocean temperatures contribute to unusually powerful storms.

The mainstream media is offering tentative comments about how on the one hand, 90 degree ocean temperatures maybe kinda were pretty high and helped fuel the brutal hurricane; and on the other hand, not so much in Australia, blahblahblah.

Meanwhile levees have broken and the death toll is mounting.

It looks like New Orleans will not join Atlantis as another fabled city drowned by the elements. At least not for a few years yet.

But why do we have to wait? While the Bushistas insist the science isn't "there" yet, and Americans grouse about high gas costs, maybe it's long past time when fuel efficiency standards should be imposed?

As a patriotic American, clinging to a few ideals, I remember that once upon a time we were able to put a man on the moon. Surely there is enough brainpower left in the country to make cars run just as well, without spewing so much pollution? That would go a loooonnngg way to cooling off our overheated globe.

IMO.

VENT.....!

2005-08-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

Because sometimes you just need to let off steam.