A Liberal Primal Screen

Blackmail?

2005-02-14T21:07:00.000-05:00

In the bad old days, gay people were considered security risks because they could be blackmailed. What if their dreadful secret were discovered?

In an enlightened world, a world with gay marriage, a world bereft of bigotry and ignorance, blackmail would not be an issue.

In the hallowed halls of the White House, in the very belly of the gay hating beast, in the radically conservative Republican talon news, toiled a likely gay escort with intimate inside access to the West Wing.

What was the relationship between the president's press secretary, Scott McClellan and Jeff the gay hooker? Did Jeff gain access to classified documents which disclosed the identity of Undercover CIA Operative Valerie Plame by using gay sex?

I wonder if Gannon works so hard for conservative causes because it suits his purposes to keep gay men scared and in the closet? It's so easy to control them that way.

The president's father said that exposing Valerie Plame was treason.

A long long time ago, in a world far far far away, special prosecutors would have been marshaled and personally affronted senators would opine self righteously on the senator floor to a breathless TV audience.

We don't have divided government anymore, so don't hold your breath.

Don't worry, it's perfectly normal in the wake of 9/11, that a man with a fake name and no journalism experience, would be given access to White House press briefings, ask the president softball questions on national TV, and be in possession of classified documents.

More Republican Hypocrisy

2005-02-14T17:59:00.000-05:00

This will make a great movie.

Who gets to play Jeff?

Ask And Tell: We Don't Care, You're in The Army Now

2005-02-12T08:56:00.000-05:00

I can remember having a conversation with a gay veteran of the Vietnam era, when President Clinton first floated the idea of forcing the military to accept gay soldiers in the same way that Truman forced them to accept black soldiers.

He said, When I protested and appeared before my draft board, I told them that I was ineligible because I was a practicing homosexual. I can't remember the board's exact response, it was something like, "get in the back of the truck faggot!"

Only when the military is a career vehicle, does it enforce it's policy of no gay people. In a time of war, when they need bodies and recruitment falls through the floor, does the military embrace equality.

Anybody Want A Nuclear Bomb?

2005-02-10T18:54:00.000-05:00

That is what North Korea said today.

The North Korean regime is known at "Missiles Are Us" and they've sold missiles to Iran.

In 2002, President Bush threatened Iraq, Iran and North Korea. After seeing what we did in Iraq, apparently North Korea does not want to be next. This is the insurance policy that we have forced them to buy. It buys us a dangerous future.

This is a foreign policy disaster. A dramatic failure. We are now less safe with a nuclear North Korea. Of course they will embark on exporting their new industry. Any buyers? Osama bin Laden perhaps? How about Iran? I'm going out on a limb here and I'll say that Iran will pay big money for a nuke.

The remaining two countries in the "axis-of-evil" are now natural allies.

The president's bellicose language and military adventurism has earned us a nuclear foe.

Stupid.

Iraq Is A Mess

2005-02-09T19:23:00.000-05:00

Call me crazy, but the 60% much ballyhooed and highly touted voter turnout number will turn out to be bunk. In today's all-live-all-the-time media, you can either get it accurate, or you can get it fast.

Morely Safer of 60 Minutes said it best and I paraphrase:

You see these embedded reporters speaking live, trying to comment and add valuable context. They can't. They can't comment, they don't know what the fuck happened! It just happened. The reporter should say, "your guess is as good as mine as to what it means."

Of course we don't know the Iraq election tallies yet, but the final result will be, shall we say, unexpected.

A senior government official in Baghdad, a US soldier and three members of a Kurdish political party have been killed in the latest attacks since the 30 January election.

The Shia voted because they were told to vote. The Sunnis didn't vote because they were told not to vote. Sounds like a free society waiting to happen to me!

According to Juan Cole:

The turnout in the largely Sunni Arab Salahuddin Province was so bad that the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance was the number one vote-getter there. That is like saying Kerry took Alabama! It could only happen if most Alabamans stayed home on election day.

You can get it accurate, or you can get it fast.

The Second Coming

2005-02-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

The Christian Right has much to say about SpongeBob, Tinky Winky and Burt & Earl, but nothing about the scourge of one blond woman after another blond woman preying on our youth.

Clearly, blond women should not be allowed to teach.

Another sign of the Apocalypse!

Guns And Butter

2005-02-09T08:33:00.000-05:00

Germany had a choice between guns and butter, and they choose guns. America had a choice between guns and butter and we chose guns.

There will be many bitter posts similar to this one in the future. I must admit, I am angry at a variety of constituencies. One of them is the African American community.

They voted for George Bush in far greater numbers than they voted for Al Gore due to the issue of gay marriage. Now, the programs that Bush is cutting, the pain of which will be disproportionally felt in the African American community are coming to fruition. Who needs heat and food? Who needs a college education?

The AARP is another one. They've come to their senses regarding Bush's plan to dismantle social security. However, everyone with a brain knew that Bush was lying regarding the cost of the new Medicare drug scheme.

Enjoy.

Get Out

2005-02-07T07:39:00.000-05:00

Many Iraqis, in fact, many Muslims world wide, are asking the U.S. for a timetable for troop withdrawal.

It is not an unreasonable expectation. Our government is big on adhering to timetables.

The June 30th handover of sovereignty was actually a day or two early.

The January 30th election data was stubbornly held.

Yet, when it comes to withdrawing our troops, suddenly we're wishy-washy.

Could it have anything to do with our building permanent miltary bases?

SOTU Lies

2005-02-07T07:31:00.000-05:00

When anger over our reasons for going to war rose, I would ask supporters of the president to re-read the 2002 SOTU. Everything in it was a lie. Or, to be polite, allow me to rephrase. I paraphrase our current secretary of state.

As the facts emerged, several key statements in the SOTU were revealed to be unfounded.

Of course when I listened to the speech at the time, I bought every word. Not this time.

The president said that he would cut the deficit in half in five years.

That's a lie.

The Plan: Continued

2005-02-07T07:26:00.000-05:00

Isn't the U.S. flag pin on my lapel pretty?

Sunday Bloody Sunday

2005-02-06T21:30:00.000-05:00

One of my friends commented on how boring the Super Bowl commercials were this year. Of course they were, and it made me go into one of my tirades (I make them brief) about politics.

It infuriates me when people say that politics do not matter. If the quality of the air you breathe does not matter, if the quality of the food you eat does not matter, then I suppose politics does not matter.

It also matters when you're viewing a half time show and hoping to see some creative commercials. The chilling effect of the Bush administration and his F.C.C. has been heard and felt. What a tame show it was this year.

The N.F.L is greatly offended when Randy Moss figuratively wipes his ass and moons the crowd during a game, but playing Sunday Bloody Sunday, right after a Brit has performed during the halftime show is just peaches.

So what? Americans are so ignorant they have no clue what the song is about anyway, so just play it.

Play a song about the British killing 13 Irish people in cold blood, it won't chill the jubilant mood of the American viewing audience.

Who could possibly take offense?

It was much like the vice president dressing as if he were going out to shovel his driveway, when he is representing America and commemorating the Holocaust.

Then again, I'm often out of step with America.

I was not offended when Paul sang about pot and transexuals and I was not offended by Janet Jackson's breast.

I also do not find Buster the Bunny, Tinky Winky, Sponge Bob, or TO flirting with a beautiful blond woman at all offensive.

I'm out of touch.

The Plan

2005-02-05T14:12:00.000-05:00

On Monday the president will submit his budget to the Congress.

I've always been intrigued by the budget, because to me, it represents our collective values written down in order of importance.

In our own lives, we usually spend the most of our own budgets on what we value most.

On Monday, the president executes step 4.

Step 1)

Cut taxes for the wealthy

Step 2)

Spend the government's money like a drunken sailor in a way the Democrats only dreamed about.

Step 3)

Create Huge Budget Deficits

Step 4)

Use the deficit you created as an excuse to decimate the domestic spending programs that support the poor and middle class.

Step 5)

Remove the troublesome middle class that is a mistake of history, and get your servants back at reasonable rates.

Watch and learn.

The Hangover After the January 30 Party

2005-02-05T13:05:00.000-05:00

Now the hangover begins. The elections told the world that George Bush was right. The Iraqis want freedom and they're grateful for our presence.

Yet, nothing has changed. We were just drunk on the Republican media spin.

As Kerry said during the debates, we are turning Iraq into our permanent military base. We are not leaving.

Nothing has changed on the ground. Americans continue to die after the elections as they did before the elections.

We have plunged our mighty fist into the greatest hornest nest in the world. We will continue to pay the price for the naivete of our president.

Queers On The Move

2005-02-05T09:57:00.000-05:00

Remember when queer was a pejorative? Well gay people took the word and made it their own during the AIDS crisis, sort of like the "N" word. As an aside, I think that is so cool.

There is so much gay news going on lately. I'll deal with the least important, but most interesting news first. I know that Dick Gephardt has a gay daughter, but is it not true that the wing-nut Republicans have the most gay relatives?

We have Dick Cheney, Newt Gingrich, and many others, but my all time favorite has to be the ultimate wing-nut hysterical joke, Alan Keyes. If the fact that Alan Keyes has a gay child doesn't convince you that gay people are born not made, I don't know what will.

After calling gay people hedonists, our paragon of virtue Alan Keyes has thrown his ivory league, celibate daughter out of the house. He can't stand the sight of her apparently. Compassionate Conservatism starts at home. Keyes daughter Maya tells her story in her own blog. I discovered this bit of news by reading Oliver Willis whom I link too, (not that he needs me) I highly recommend his blog.

Good luck Maya, you'll be fine. Someday your father will awaken with the scales lifted from his eyes. If not, fuck him.

What is up with New York? Now we discover that a real state is on its way to legalize gay marriage.

I'm from Massachusetts so I can say that.

Gay marriage made our Mormon governors head pop off, which was fun to watch. We'll have to wait and see how Pataki and the New York legislature reacts if indeed the New York Court of Appeals strikes the ban on gay marriage. I do not see the future governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer, the current Attorney General, doing anything about it. If they care, they can look to Massachusetts to see what the consequences are. By the way, beyond the fact that we now have created a business for gay prenuptial and divorce lawyers, there are no consequences.

It has always interested me why so called social conservatives blame the Democrats when our society inevitably changes. Since 1968, the Republicans have ruled around here, and they continue to blame Democrats as the society moves away from them. I don't get it.

SOTU: Freedom For All, Unless You're Gay

2005-02-03T07:51:00.000-05:00

I compliment the president on his remarks regarding Saudi Arabia and Egypt. We trumpet freedom and spill blood in its cause, while we break bread with despots providing that they dance to our tune.

Bob Dole and Rumsfelf have both enjoyed a good drink with the tyrant of Iraq.

Yet again the president plays lip service to the Federal Marriage Amendment which denies marriage rights to the countries gay citizens. The president is a bigot and his administration is bigoted.

The new Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, wasn't even officially in office yet, when she found the time to decry the adventures of a cartoon rabbit, Buster. She said,

"Many parents would not want their young children exposed to the lifestyles portrayed in this episode."

She wrote that to Pat Mitchell, the C.E.O. of PBS, in a clear effort produce a chilling effect on her and P.B.S. as a whole. It worked.

If Miss Spellings is concerned about parents being exposed to Lesbians, I suggest that she insist that the vice president's daughter, Mary, and her partner, Heather Poe, no longer appear in any public Republican Convention, public forum or meeting. After all, young children could be watching.

Bankrupt? Republicans Just Don't Care

2005-02-02T08:39:00.000-05:00

Tort reform. Have you heard the Republicans whine about those evil lawyers who extort money from the health care system? That horrible John Edwards who made his fortune by bilking the insurance companies is the problem. The Republicans never mention John Edwards clients, because they don't represent his clients, they represent the insurance companies.

Every Democrat running for president in 2004 supported some kind of plan to extend health insurance to all Americans. It's called justice. It's called compassion. Real compassion, not some made up Madison Avenue slogan, but the real thing.

As the two America's that John Edwards discussed continue to bifurcate and the middle class disappears, the Republican party does nothing. Take it from someone who helped to keep the databases of the United States Bankruptcy Court up and running, the Bankruptcy Court is filled with former middle and upper middle class people.

The reason is simple. They got sick and the Republican party does not care. If they cared, they would do something about it.

If I lacked a conscience, I would've profited and bought stock in Senator Frist's company. The company, HCA, is the king of fraud.
They are not your friend.

History Repeats Itself

2005-02-01T07:28:00.000-05:00

I've blogged for a long time now on why Iraq=Vietnam.

The election in Iraq as Senator Kerry said,

"went as expected."

I haven't blogged on my view of the elections because others have said it more often and better than I.

For example, this may help put the election in the proper perspective. I'm not even bothering to link to this because it's everywhere.

"U.S. Encouraged by Vietnam Vote :
Officials Cite 83% Turnout Despite Vietcong Terror

by Peter Grose, Special to the New York Times (9/4/1967: p. 2)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3-- United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting.

According to reports from Saigon, 83 per cent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong.

The size of the popular vote and the inability of the Vietcong to destroy the election machinery were the two salient facts in a preliminary assessment of the nation election based on the incomplete returns reaching here.

Mr. President, It's Cold Outside

2005-02-01T07:16:00.000-05:00

In 2000, when George W. was elected, I made certain decisions that were consistent with my view of the world. I expected a bellicose foreign policy, tax cuts, huge deficits, a weak dollar and the American standard of living to fall. I was not disappointed.

So, one of the decisions that I made was the purchase of oil stocks. Afterall, this was the all oil administration with Bush and Cheney. The oil industry took Bush and Cheney to the party and they sure as hell wanted to dance.

In case you're wondering, my oil stocks have doubled since 2001. Throw in the dividends, and the pain of a Bush victory is mitigated. I call it, my consolation prize. I wonder though, what is the consolation prize for all those moral values voters? Why buy the cow when you can have the milk for free?

Speaking of the high price of oil, all of you low to middle income Americans in Ohio, how about those heating bills huh? It's cold out isn't? How many of you Bush voters are asking for government assistance with your heating bills? If only we kept statistics like that.

President Bush has released only two thirds of the money that Congress has allocated to assist the poor with their heating bills. I'm sure that he is very busy.

For this couple, it was too late.

Our Brothers The Syrians

2005-01-28T06:59:00.000-05:00

In the absurdly ridiculous film, The Green Berets, there is a scene where John Wayne summons all the machismo bravado he can muster, and says with a completely straight face,

The Vietnamese want us here.

Of course that was the government mantra at the time. We were welcome guests.

Occupiers are never welcome guests. We are occupiers in Iraq. We are not liberators. We become liberators only when we leave.

For this reason, anyone who says that Lebanon is a democracy is smoking something. How can you be a free country when another countries army is hanging out in your capital city? This hasn't been lost on us, or on our former secretary of state, Colin Powell.

"We believe that the time has come for the Lebanese to be able to decide their own future without the presence of the Syrian army, which is operated from Damascus,"

The Syrian ambassador said on tv the other night and I paraphrase,

The Lebanese want us there, we would of course leave if were asked.

Sure they would.

What clever rhetoric since we have ceded the moral high ground in the world by being military occupiers ourselves. I'm sure the Syrians welcome us to the club.

President Bush said in an interview on Thursday that he would withdraw American forces from Iraq if the new government that is elected on Sunday asked him to do so, but that he expected Iraq's first democratically elected leaders would want the troops to remain as helpers, not as occupiers.

Sure we would.

American Values

2005-01-26T22:14:00.000-05:00

Our Bill of Rights, which sanctifies habeas corpus, states that prisoners cannot be held indefinitely without being charged in a court of law.

To our eternal shame, there have been some bumps in the road. During the Civil War, and most notably during World War II when we interred Japanese Americans.

The Bush administration is another ignominious bump.

With little fanfare, the Bush administration has allowed four prisoners that were tortured under the guidelines set forth by Alberto Gonzales, and were held in Guantanamo Bay without charge for three years, to return home to Britain.

Three years in jail without charge. Welcome to the new America.

Strange Bedfellows

2005-01-26T21:55:00.000-05:00

In an earlier post I put forth the idea that religious fundamentalism is the greatest threat in the world today.

The Mormon Church has formed an alliance with Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi. The Sheikh believes in the killing of U.S. troops in Iraq, the death penalty for gay men, wife beating, and recently has been accused of supporting suicide bombers, but no matter.

The Mormon Church ignores all that because the good Sheikh believes in traditional family values.

Cardinal Alfonso Trujillo, who campaigns against condoms on behalf of the Catholic church, and Mahathir Mohamad, the dictatorial former prime minister of Malaysia who sacked and jailed his deputy for alleged homosexuality, are also members of the alliance.

Immorality on parade.

What Happened to the ERA?

2005-01-26T08:45:00.000-05:00

The Equal Rights Amendment was killed by socially conservative Republicans a generation ago. Most notably, by Phyllis Schlafly, who by-the-way, has a gay son, isn't life rich?

Phyllis said that the evil Democrats would put women in combat situations. Afterall, she posited, if the sexes were equal it was bound to happen.

Well, it is starting to happen and their socially conservative president is doing it. Oddly, we have a soldier shortage.

Combat, and still less pay for equal work.

What prescience!

No To Fascists = No To Gonzales

2005-01-25T20:17:00.000-05:00

In the real world, a no vote on the nomination of Alberto "Torture treaty doesn't bar `cruel, inhuman' tactics" Gonzales would be obvious. Unfortunately, our country is run by men and women whose moral compass is, shall we say, somewhat skewed.

A friend of mine the other night said to me:

If we were having dinner in Munich in 1934 and I said, Hitler will kill all the Jews, everyone would've said I was crazy and over the top.

He's right.

An unprovoked unjust war in Iraq, a U.S. citizen held indefinitely without trial and the implementation of an immoral torture policy, demeans our values and leads us down a path that leads to despotism.

If you believe that last sentence to be over-the-top, please imagine yourself at that dinner party in 1934.

Alberto, the mastermind of the Bush torture policy which made Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib possible, would have made a very good Nazi.

Armando at the Daily Kos has put out the word, every U.S. senator should vote no on the Gonzales nomination for Attorney General.

Christian Hijackers

2005-01-25T18:52:00.000-05:00

President Bush, to his credit, has frequently said that Islam has been hijacked.

If Islam has been hijacked but a virulent strain of fundamentalism, so too has Christianity been hijacked by right wing intolerant bigots untouched by spirituality.

Scott Reed, who was Bob Dole's presidential campaign manager in 1996, said:

``...social conservatives were the key to the kingdom.''

Who are these conservative Christians leaders that worked so diligently to re-elect Bush and are credited with electing him?

They're the cousins of Osama bin Laden. Why do we even wonder why we're at war? The two sides want war. Listen to the so-called Christian rhetoric.

The Reverend Jerry "I'm a blathering idiot Falwell" said that Muhammad -- the founder of Islam -- is a terrorist.

Pat Robertson, leader of the Christian Coalition and host of the 700 Club, describes Muhammad as an absolute wild-eyed fanatic -- "a killer."

Who follows this guy?

The Reverend Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, says,

The God of Islam is not the same God of the Christian or the Judeo-Christian faith. It is a different God, and I believe a very evil and a very wicked religion.

Today, the lunatic Christians are questioning President Bush's Christian faith because he doesn't hateMuslims or gays enough.

It's the faith of these so-called Christian leaders that should be questioned. They have too much in common with Osama bin Laden.

Matt.7.3

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

Lying Shill

2005-01-23T13:49:00.000-05:00

Barbara Boxer on Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer was on today. She had all her ducks in a row. She mentioned not all the lies that Condi Rice uttered in the service of her president, but many of the highlights. My favorite being Condi's huge lie that the phony aluminum tube intelligence that erroneously led us to war, could only be used for a nuclear weapon. For this bogus charge, we had to act because Iraq could have a nuclear weapon in a year. Of course that was and is a ridiculous claim, and now known to be completely false, in fact, even Rice denied saying it on the NewsHour with her "let's have dinner girlfriend", Gwen Ifill.

Rice supports coups against democratically elected leaders, she fumbles pre 9/11 intelligence, and she lies like a rug.

Poor Condi had to fall back on the old saw of decrying her critic for "attacking my integrity". Senator Boxer did just that, but Condi could not defend herself, only attack Boxer for attacking her. Isn't Condi supposed to be answering the questions?

Only Boxer and Kerry had the integrity to do the right thing and vote against a woman with only a passing acquaintance with the truth.

The only check against the bellicose neocons was Colin Powell. His successor is a spineless yes-woman who looks to run for senate in CA or the governorship in TX.

Condi carries serious water for her benefactor George W. Just as she did for his father. Her reward for being their uncritical android like talking points regurgitater is coming soon in the form of the secretary of state post, and later when she runs for office herself.

Let Condi collect her chips.

The Next John Kerry is Being Born

2005-01-23T08:44:00.000-05:00

Haunted by the civilian casualties he witnessed, Corporal Huze has become one of a small but increasing number of Iraq veterans who have formed or joined groups to oppose the war or to criticize the way it is being fought.

We have a new Vietnam for this generation, so why not a new John Kerry?

Young Corporeal Huze mentioned the extremely high civilian casualties we have caused as a reason for his opposition to the war.

Indeed.

Intolerant America

2005-01-23T01:13:00.000-05:00

Church-going Americans have grown increasingly intolerant in the past four years, according to a survey released on Saturday.

Well, you hardly need a survey to come to that conclusion. Just living here would tell you that. The greatest threat to civilization today is religious fundamentalism. The religion is immaterial. Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu fundamentalism. They're all dangerous. Religion and compromise cannot co-exist. It's religion after all. That's why religion+politics=war.

Americans are less tolerant now than they were in 2000. Is this the correct direction for the country? No, it's courting disaster. We're living in a global economy. We have to live and work with all kinds of different people that do not worship our God, eat our food, wear our clothes, or worry about who will succeed Britney Spears; Tara Reid, Lindsey Lohan?

Gov. Blagojevich of Illinois said when he signed the state's gay rights bill into law,

"What we're doing today is as old as the Scripture: Love thy neighbor," Blagojevich said. "It's what Jesus said when he gave his Sermon on the Mount: `Do unto others what you have others do unto you.'"

We should reflect on this on the eve of the Iraqi civil war which we have wrought with our arrogant willful ignorance and a baseless military adventurism.

Let Freedom Ring

2005-01-21T23:35:00.000-05:00

A good buddy of the president and the vice president, Ahmad Chalabi, is going to be arrested. And it's not for exploiting the naivete of Bush and Cheney and manipulating us into an unjust war. For which, by the way, Mr. Chalabi presented the U.S. taxpayer a bill for 49 million dollars. Nice work if you can get it. George W. must've looked deep in Ahmad's eyes to discern his character. Just like Vladimir.

No,

We will arrest him and hand him over to Interpol. We will arrest him based on facts that he wanted to malign the reputation of the defence ministry, defence minister Hazim Shaalan said

Chalabi invited the wrath of the interim Iraqi authorities after he accused the defence minister in an interview of stealing $500 million from the ministry and posted documents on a Web site accusing him of links to Saddam Husseins regime.

Yup, we're bring "Freedom" to the Iraqis. For this, 1371 Americans have died and over 10,000 wounded.

Dobson: King of the Trailer Parks Part II

2005-01-21T08:19:00.000-05:00

In my fanatical zeal to post last night after the SpongeBob story broke, I forgot to mention a revealing parallel.

Dobson, in his radio addresses to the red state G.E.D. holders, would often chide them into voting by saying it was a "sin" not to vote for Bush. One would think that would be up to God, but I digress. There is another prominent religious leader who says it is a sin not to vote. His name is al-Sistani, and he is a Shi'ite Muslim cleric that hails from Iraq.

Now, the state department has issued about four passports to the Republican caucus in the House. The president himself had never traveled abroad, unless you count the time his father summoned him to China when he was working there in the 70s. Since I love politics, when I travel abroad I enjoy talking policy to the locals and keeping an eye on the local media. It is useful to see how we are actually perceived in other countries, not just how we think we're perceived in other countries.

As Tom Friedman said, there is no such thing as the Republican party anywhere on the planet other than America's red states. As a Democrat, I have a kinship with political operatives all over the world. If you travel to another country and ask,

"I'm an anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-tax, anti national health care, anti Kyoto treaty, pro privatizing social security, pro Iraq war guy, which party should I join?"

They give you a blank stare and say no such party exists.

Even the most strident Tory in Britain looks on the U.S. Republican party as a freak show out of the middle ages.

Where do parties with a platform such as this exist? Where are the red state compatriots abroad?

Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia. There, the red state Republicans will find kinship. And they say Democrats hate America?

Dr. James Dumbass Dobson

2005-01-20T20:32:00.000-05:00

What would you call someone who referred to potential Supreme Court nominee Miguel Estrada as "Erik Estrada"? Someone who thinks that Cuba has nuclear weapons and that he can divert a hurricane with the power of his prayer? I would say a blithering idiot, but that's just me. Who would that be, but Pat Robertson of the 700 Club and Christian Coalition fame.

And the ever expanding Jerry Falwell! What a disgrace. After 9/11 here is where he placed the blame.

"I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'"

Another blithering idiot. Falwell also refers to N.O.W. as the National Organzation of Witches. Nice.

Yet, the greatest of them all, the kingmaker himself, Dr. James Dobson, he is truly a fool. It was bad enough that the corpulent Falwell accused Tinky Winky of being gay, at least there is a real person in that purple suit, but a cartoon? As the sexy bombshell, Jessica Rabbit so seductively whispered in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit",

"I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way.

First Falwell outed Tinkey Winky, (hey, it's a magic bag, not a purse!) and now Dobson outs a cartoon character. If they want to out someone, try looking at the new Chairman of the Republican party. So SpongeBob holds hands with Patrick, so what? It's not the gayness, it's the tolerance Dobson hates. Where is the hate? He demands so piously.

Dobson, the bastard child of Oliver Cromwell, is looking for some witches to burn. He'll probably end up burning himself.

Bush Like Kerry

2005-01-19T07:12:00.000-05:00

On NPR this morning the anchor (Robin Young) said that President Bush was asked how an election in the Bush household would go on the issue of gay marriage. The president said that he would lose, 3 to 1.

That's interesting.

I never believed Kerry when he said that he believed marriage should only be between a man and a woman. The guy voted against DOMA. That took guts. I gave him a pass on the issue. Kerry at least opposed the FMA.

This poll of the Bush household leads me to believe that the vote would really be 4 to 0 if no one were looking. Bush recently said publicly that he is abandoning the FMA. Too bad he took that stance as of November 3rd.

Let's get real. Bush doesn't believe in the FMA or DOMA anymore than Kerry does. They are both forced to oppose gay marriage because not enough bigots have died in the red states yet.

We'll probably have to wait another 15 years until the candidates from both major parties can put bigotry behind them. As usual though, the Democrats are ahead of the curve.

MLK and the Red/Blue State Divide

2005-01-17T14:07:00.000-05:00

We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day today. One of his greatest accomplishments has to be the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Both the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act were passed with great difficulty by a southerner, Lyndon Johnson. Probably only a southerner could have passed such a law. The reason only a southerner could have done it, is because then as now, red and blue state politics were being played out.

Senator Bill Bradley, whom I supported in 2000, once famously said,

"I remember the exact moment that I became a Democrat. It was the summer of 1964; I was an intern in Washington between my junior and senior year in college. And I was in the Senate chamber the night the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed that desegregated public accommodations in America... And I became a Democrat because it was the party of justice. It was Democrats that stepped forward that evening in the Senate and cast their vote that washed away the stain of segregation in this country."

Amen.

Yet Bradely is often criticized, because when you look at the literal vote, 69% of Democrats voted for the act, while 82% of Republicans voted for it.

The answer to this riddle can be found in Zell Miller. Why is this cretin a Democrat? Regional politics are complicated, but much of it can be explained by Abraham Lincoln. The south had a paroxysm when he was elected. They responded by punishing his party by being Democrats regardless of their political philosophy. This southern block was broken by a combination of Truman desegregating the armed forces, and the Democratic one two punch of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

These laws could not have been passed with the moderate, socially liberal but fiscally responsible Republicans. These Republicans are almost extinct today. Republican Senator Chaffee of Rhode Island didn't even vote for Bush in 2004. My ex-governor Bill Weld was driven from the party by Jesse Helms when he refused to award him an ambassador spot to India. Jesse Helms did not consider Gov Bill Weld a real Republican.

Zell Miller is replaced by a Republican, Chaffee, Olympia Snowe will likely be replaced by Democrats, and soon, very soon, the regional divide will be complete.

However, on this day, I tip my hat to the great Republican Senator Everett Dirksen, who like Barak Obama is from Illinois, without whom, we would not have a Civil Rights Act. He broke the southern cloture, which was led by the senator from GA, big surprise, and the law was passed.

Take a moment to read King's Letter From a Birmingham Jail. It's another reason that I'm a Democrat.

Bait and Switch

2005-01-16T11:58:00.000-05:00

Bill Bennett, another hypocritical (gambling addicted) republican self appointed arbiter of morality said,

Well, it wasn't the Clinton economy we longed for; and it wasn't just the war on terrorism that occupied us. Ethics and moral values were ascendant last night -- on voters minds, in Americans' hearts. To be sure, every anthropologist loves his own tribe, and I have long advocated a stronger tie between politics and the virtues. Last night (election day) it was evident that the American people agree.

On Meet the Press this morning, it was revealed that the president has abandoned the anti-gay Federal Marriage Amendment. Oh I'm shocked! The president wouldn't actually exploit all those white people in the trailer parks that voted for him based his moral principles would he?

The president couldn't care less about gay marriage or abortion. So if you're a moral values voter, you got used, abused and now you're thrown away.

So now the Karl Rove smoke and mirrors are lifted and the president's true agenda is laid bare.

Tax cuts and the privatization of social security.

Is that what all those moral values voters voted for? The red states are gonna get screwed. The truly rich, the top 1%, who of course do not live in red states, will get their due and the red states will get their scorn and disdain.

The CIArses

2005-01-14T11:39:00.000-05:00

The great Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, once famously said,

The CIA told us everything we needed to know about the Soviet Union except that it was falling apart.

Somehow they missed it.

They overthrew the democratically governments of Guatemala and Iran. The CIA overthrew the elected government in Iran because the prime minister nationalized the oil fields. In return we gave them the Shah and his brutal secret police. The Savak, there is no better symbol of torture and fear than the U.S. sponsored Savak which propped up our puppet the Shah.

The stupidity of that policy is bearing bitter fruit today. The hatred that Iranians have for us is profound and has deep roots in history.

The CIA are Nun killers and assassins.

They told us "Weapons of Mass Destruction" were a "slam dunk" in Iraq. A slam dunk! And now, they're telling us that Iraq is a new terror breeding ground.

Idiots.

They should've said that Iraq will become a new terror breeding ground when Tenet said that WMD were a slam dunk.

As usual a day late and dollar short.

Flying The Friendly Skies

2005-01-14T01:10:00.000-05:00

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, I can remember my bags being searched by two guys in Yarmulkas. I thought that we had to have contracted somebody from Israeli airport security. The thought certainly inspired confidence in me anyway. They were thorough and they scrutinized my keychain, which consists of a thick piece of metal. At least they didn't confiscate it and fine me.

Of course everyone that flies knows that we're definitely taking our eye off the ball. Certainly no one has questioned me on my keychain since.

Last month, the last time I flew, I noticed that a man who had been sitting with me in the waiting area, met with some flight personnel for a few minutes, and then was permitted entry to the jetway and boarded the plane. They hadn't announced boarding, so I assumed that maybe he was a pilot out of uniform, or some other kind of airline employee.

Later they called first class to board, and finally me, and when I boarded the plane I noticed the man sitting in first class. Come on, how could this guy not be an air marshal?

I didn't think anything of it until it happened again tonight! And I fly out of Boston's Logan. [Update: 1/14/2005:12:40] Last night I spotted two of them. I didn't think that was necessarily important until a reader alerted me that they travel in pairs.

I hope these guys really aren't air marshals, because they're ridiculously easy to spot.

I hope the new Homeland security tsar, Michael Chertoff, who looks remarkably like Lenin, is able to insist on a little subtlety in the department.

A Racist Society

2005-01-12T19:49:00.000-05:00

In the 1980s, when we introduced federal sentencing guidelines, one of its objectives was to smooth out the disparity between how blacks and whites are treated by the criminal justice system. But a racist society always finds a way.

The guidelines are mathematical in nature and are designed to ensure equal punishments for equal crimes. Congress created the U.S. Sentencing Commission in 1984, its goal was to draft guidelines that eliminated discriminatory sentencing disparities. This approach initially appealed to minority communities because of its promise to sentence everyone fairly.

A racist judge could sentence a black person one way and white person another, so a mandatory objective standard was considered to be a good thing. At least in the beginning. In 1984, the average federal prison sentence for black offenders was about five months longer than for whites. Yet by 2001, what happened? The average sentence for blacks was 30 months longer.

One thing we did was change the laws. If you used powered cocaine, (translation: you're white) you received one sentence, and if you used crack cocaine (translation: you're black) you received a far harsher sentence. The reason is the absurdly racist
100-to-1 quantity ratio (i.e., treating one hundred grams of powder cocaine the same as one gram of crack cocaine). The U.S. government used to treat African-American slaves as three-fifths of a person. The stupid law reminds me of that.

We cannot forget the supreme injustice we did to Kemba Smith. Smith was a first offender who never used, sold or handled drugs. She had an abusive boyfriend who was involved with a crack cocaine syndicate. Mandatory sentencing subjected her to a 24 years in prison. The judge could do nothing about it. He had to follow the law. Smith won the lottery though, President Clinton pardoned her. Countless Kemba Smiths aren't so fortunate.

I applaud this ruling of the Supreme Court rejecting federal sentencing guidelines. Better late than never.

Fighting For Democracy

2005-01-11T21:09:00.000-05:00

President Bush and Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia, dean of the Washington ambassadorial delegation, are close friends. As a sign of the president's affection, according to FOX News, is that Bandar has been frequently invited to the Crawford ranch.

In fact, it's well known that the Saud family and the Bush family have a cozy relationship.

So maybe the next time that two families are sharing some stilton and port, and Bush is discussing his 'march of democracy in the middle east', maybe he can introduce a concept to the Sauds called 'Freedom of Assembly'.

Assuming he cares, the penalty for peaceful assembly in Saudi Arabia is flogging and imprisonment. Imagine the courage is takes to demonstrate and protest in Saudi Arabia? And Bush stands with the oppressors lash.

In "The Passion of Christ" movie, which side would we be on?

Failure

2005-01-11T17:52:00.000-05:00

Allawi Says Parts of Iraq Are Not Secure Enough to Vote.

Duh

How did we get there? Well let's see.

Bush rejects delaying Iraq vote

Oh yeah, he rejects it. Reality is a bitch isn't it? So reject it. As Condi Rice would say, "the president is resolute". I would say, "naively stubborn and resistant to facts". But let's move along.

Remember when Bush Backs Iraq Elections Despite Violence? Allow me to attempt a translation.

thousands of Iraqis will die, but hey it's worth it. We need to have elections because "they" want democracy.

Osama not only won this round, but he belied the important struggle. The one between him and al-Sistani. This quote was clearly directed at the Grand Ayatollah.

"In the balance of Islam, this constitution is infidel and therefore everyone who participates in this election will be considered infidels. Beware of henchmen who speak in the name of Islamic parties and groups who urge people to participate in this blatant apostasy."

We will quickly be irrelevant in Iraq. We have let the genie out-of-the-bottle and now the civil war begins. The Sunnis and the Shi'ites will soon vie for control of the country. Will it be Osama bin Laden or will it be the Mullahs in Tehran?

No matter, we are the losers. Iraq resides in a very dangerous neighborhood. Regardless of who prevails, the new Iraqi government will seek chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. And guess what? The U.N. won't be doing fly overs of this new Iraq, whatever shape it takes and whatever borders it has. There will be no sanctions. They will not be contained like we contained Saddam.

This will be the greatest SNAFU of the century and the century is young.

Did you vote for it?

The Tsunami In Iraq Is Us

2005-01-11T06:26:00.000-05:00

Where are the big name concerts and fundraisers for the more than 100,000 Iraqis that are dead? Their leveled cities and their broken bodies and their orphaned children?

Drinking the Kool-Aid Again

2005-01-10T21:42:00.000-05:00

Silly Instapundit says that liberal bloggers aren't blogging about Rathergate.

But they are Blanche! They are! here is atrios and here they're blogging at dailyKos.

So what's up with that? Dont' they read?

Here is the deal. Since liberal bloggers do discuss Rathergate, how about if right wing bloggers blog about the abyss that is Iraq. Yeah, I'm talking to you polipundit.

Everybody?

2005-01-10T20:06:00.000-05:00

The president lauded the upcoming elections in Iraq by saying....

everybody wants to live in a free society.

Well that depends on what your definition of free is.

Poor thing doesn't get it. The best we can hope for is a Iran style Shi'ite theocracy. Dumbass.

G.O.P. FOX Monkeys

2005-01-10T08:42:00.000-05:00

There is a great story on the dailyKos about the war in Iraq. Apparently, support for the war amongst the G.O.P is erroding. Fancy that?

U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, a Republican from Greensboro, has put a U.S. troop withdrawl on the table. He said that he is..

"fed up with picking up the newspaper and reading that we've lost another five or 10 of our young men and women in Iraq."

Nothing about the Iraqis we've killed but okay, it's a start.

The Republican congressman went on to say according to the report.

Coble said he has noticed a shift among his constituents in the 6th Congressional District regarding their feelings about the war. Letters, phone calls and messages that had been overwhelmingly supportive of the war are now about even, his office said.

There's the rub.

Leaders are supposed to lead, not follow. Sometimes, I don't know, like during a freaking war!, leaders go against public opinion and lead the people. Not the G.O.P. Tom Delay Rove monkeys. Now that public opinion has started to shift because we're losing, which was inevitable, anyone heard of Vietnam, Algiers?, the courageous republicans are deserting the sinking ship like that the rats they are.

Watch them run and spin.

Death Squad Apologists

2005-01-09T19:30:00.000-05:00

I've been watching FOX News recently to get a brief respite from the wall-to-wall tsunami coverage on CNN. I know I know. I have no one to blame but myself.

Still, its been fascinating watching FOX News spinning the American death squad story. I'm reminded of when Christine Amanpour said that the media were intimidated into not criticizing the Iraq war. She blamed it on the administration and their foot soldier lackeys at FOX. Well as James Wolcott said, Roger Ailes has clapped his hands and pulled the strings, springing the FOX news monkeys into action.

FOX News repeatedly describes the death squads as "getting them before they get us." and "The El Savador death squads were somewhat problematic, but highly effective." The squads are composed of "highly intelligent above average men"

Yadda Yadda Yadda. All day long.

What they don't tell you is that the American experience with death squads was spear headed by the The School of the Americas. A shameful American taxpayer supported organization that condoned 'executions of insurgents, extortion, physical abuse [a sanitized term for torture], coercion, and false imprisonment", according to the U.S. Intelligence Oversight Board (IOB) in a report issued June 28, 1996.

American trained assassins were responsible for the killings of Archbishop Oscar Romero, the El Mozote massacre, the Uraba massacre, and the assassination of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter.

Odd, I didn't hear that on FOX.

Yeah, lets bring them back. Good idea. Let's out terror the terrorists. You know, take the moral high ground.

Despite their glossy colorful graphics, which I find mildly entertaining, FOX makes me want to hurl. They're shameless vile blind apologists for the Bush administration and nothing more. If Bush paid that right wing nut case media whore Armstrong Williams $240,000 of our money to be his puppet mouthpiece, how much are we paying FOX? Where is Powell Jr. when you need him??

We Are Becoming Our Enemies

2005-01-09T13:39:00.000-05:00

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham nailed it when he accused Alberto Gonzales of applying an ends-justifies-the-means mentality to justify the president's misadventure in Iraq.

"I think you weaken yourself as a nation when you try to play cute and become more like your enemy instead of like who you want to be," Graham said.

Ignoring the facts, Gonzales took self-righteous umbrage with the senator.

Gonzales objected to Graham's characterizations, noting the beheadings of Americans by terrorists. "We are nothing like our enemies, Senator," Gonzales said.

Yet Abu Graub is not an isolated incident. Similar torture policies are being practiced at Gitmo. This is precisely the Senators point and he is quite right.

Ambassador to Iraq John Negroponte, who was ambassador to Honduras during the Reagan years when he instituted death squads, wants to do the same thing in Iraq. This so called "Salvador option" is being discussed because Rumsfeld knows we're losing in Iraq and he's worried. Mostly for his job and reputation, but he's worried nonetheless.

So Rumsfeld's solution is to create American assassination squads. I'm sure the Iraqis will find this a dramatic change from life under Saddam.

Everyone participating in an unjust and immoral idea (slavery, death squads, the war in Iraq) are demeaned by it. The evil and immorality infects everyone involved. The president is turning us into torturers and assassins.

It's bad enough America leaves behind its blood in Iraq, but must we abandon our ideals as well?

We are becoming our enemy.

More Dead

2005-01-08T16:32:00.000-05:00

We've killed more civilians in Mosul.

Just how many eggs do we have to break to make our omelet?

How many Iraqis do we have to kill before we liberate them?

They must really hate us.

Catastrophic Success

2005-01-07T19:45:00.000-05:00

Air Force Brig. Gen. Erv Lessel, who is deputy chief of staff for strategic communications in Iraq said:

"I think a worst case is where they have a series of horrific attacks that cause mass casualties in some spectacular fashion in the days leading up to the elections."

Expect some spectacular violence.

Is this deja vu for you too?

We were told to expect an increase in violence leading up to the handover of authority in Iraq.

Ahh-huh. More violence. We're always told to expect more violence. When will we be told the violence will subside?

From the Cato Institute in 1999.

The successful overthrow of Saddam could make things worse. Iraq could be thrown into civil war and break up, or a more radical Iraqi regime could arise.

A radical Shi'ite Iran style theocracy hostile to the United States maybe?

There is a lot more.

Bush rolled the dice and he lost. He took naive foolish risks and now we all pay for his incompetence.

Bush Flip-Flops on Taxes

2005-01-07T13:50:00.000-05:00

In yet another flip-flop, (Homeland Security, Testifying before the 9/11 Commission etc) Bush has reversed himself on tax policy.

Immediately after the election, Bush said that any tax overhaul bill would preserve the mortgage deduction and charitable deductions.

The lobbyist must've, Bush has flip, I mean Bush has changed his mind on the issue.

According to Treasury Secretary John Snow,

"everything is on the table."

Asked if that includes the home-mortgage and charitable deductions that millions of Americans use to reduce their federal tax liabilities, Snow gave no solid assurance that either would be kept. He merely noted that the panel has been told to ''give due consideration to the importance of charitable deduction and the home mortgage deduction.''

The rich are about to get what they paid for.

Kerry 2008

2005-01-07T08:39:00.000-05:00

He's running.

All The World's A Stage

2005-01-07T08:21:00.000-05:00

Secretary of State Colin Powell recently said that our efforts in southeast Asia will show America's values in action. The public relations value of the disaster as Powell describes it, has not been lost on al-Queda.

Laskar Mujahidin, an alleged sister organziation of al-Queda, has set up camp right next to us ready to help. I've been waiting for al-Queda to continue their political non military efforts. I consider this a baby step. Laskar Mujahidin are in Indonesia contributing to the relief effort. They're also there to burnish their reputation amongst the Muslim people, and indulge in some public relations, just like we are.

It's 1966

2005-01-06T21:27:00.000-05:00

Iraq has receded from the front pages as we deal with the tsunami in Asia. This may be good news for the Bush administration because Iraq steadily devolves in chaos and catastrophe for which the American people voted.

Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz says that many parts of Iraq are not ready for the January 30th elections. They're not ready because of our inability to provide adequate security.

9 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq. 7 in a roadside bomb and 2 in combat. It's the second worst day since the attack on the U.S. military base a few weeks ago. The president will have no choice but to increase American troops in Iraq in the coming months. A draft is inevitable. A civil war in Iraq is now a certainty. Tom Friedman hopes that the civil war will be peaceful. Mr. Friedman's disappointments in Iraq are bound to continue.

The elections will take place and the Shi'ites will win a large majority. The constitution they draft will demand adherence to Islamic law. The Sunnis will respond militarily. The Kurds will be interesting to watch.

President Johnson enjoyed broad support for his adventure in Vietnam from the public, the congress and the media. Johnson was able to exploit the public's fear of encroaching Communism to justify his war. Since we learned nothing from Vietnam, Bush was able to exploit the war on terror to win broad support from the embedded media which suffered from Stockhom syndrome, (what other explanation could there be such docile acquiescence) the American people and their congress. Every time I hear the "war on terror" I flash back to the "Communist threat", the "red menace" etc.

We will follow Bush into the abyss.

How Many?

2005-01-05T21:26:00.000-05:00

The President has decided. The election will go forward in Iraq. Just in case you were wondering who was actually running the country. It's our colony afterall.

To keep it, we're turning the reserves in a broken force.

Senator Biden said today that a draft is likely in perhaps a year. Probably.

How many Iraqis will die while they attempt to vote? How many Iraqis will die because of poor planning, stubborness and incompetence?

How many will die on January 30th?

The Iraqi civil war starts on January 31st. The winner on January 30th will be the Shi'ite lists. This will draw them into conflict with the largely Sunni insurgency.

Prepare for the draft.

Thanks For What?

2005-01-05T07:37:00.000-05:00

An African American friend of mine said that he was considering sending a "thank you" letter to President Bush for appointing Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell.

"That's more than the first black president did, President Clinton."

He said, quite rightly.

Kerry lost African American support in this election, I think largely due to the exploitation of the gay marriage issue. Yet, there have been other grumblings. Reid was largely criticized for ridiculing Justice Thomas's decisions as poorly written. While Reid disagrees with Scalia, he grants that his work is well done.

Does president Bush deserve a "thank you" note?

2001 was quite a year for African Americans in our society. Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell were appointed to highly prestigious positions in the cabinet. 2001 also saw the ascension of Kenneth I. Chenault, E. Stanley O’Neal, and Richard D. Parsons as CEOs of American Express, Merrill Lynch, and AOL Time Warner. Not to mention the academy awards of Denzel Washington and Halle Barry.

Aside from the appointments of Rice and Powell, Bush also argued against the University of Michigan's affirmative action program, and he championed the "No Child Left Behind Act".

His justice department thankfully lost that case against Michigan. As a result, diversity has been stymied at the university.

In fact, African American university enrollment has been declining in the United States. No matter how sophisticated a minority recruitment program is, it can only pick from the available pool. A pool created by our high schools.

Yet, "No Child Left Behind" is considered a failure by Democrats and Republicans primarily because the president refuses to fund it while he pushes for tax cuts.

Not only is black enrollment declining in our colleges, but also quite dramatically in our medical schools. African American doctors are far more likely to serve minority and poor populations. They're also more likely to do research targeted to the unique medical concerns of minorities.

Under the president's watch, African Americans are falling behind their white counterparts in income and health insurance coverage.

In that thank you note, I suggested that my friend might want to ask the president where the future Colin Powells and Condoleeza Rices will come from?

W = LBJ

2005-01-04T19:34:00.000-05:00

Bush people enjoy comparing the president to Ronald Reagan. He's more like LBJ without the stellar civil rights record.

LBJ emptied our coffers in Vietnam and the War on Poverty while Bush empties our coffers in Iraq and the War on Terror.

Bush's attempt to privatize social security with it's incredible costs, upwards to 2 trillion dollars, is every bit as ambitious as anything the great society attempted. The seventies economy was the consequence we paid for Johnson. What consequences will we pay for fiscal insanity of the present day?

Speaking of Iraq = Viet-Nam, enjoy this letter from Ho Chi Minh to President Johnson. Since I enjoy parallels, I'm changing Viet-Nam to Iraq in the actual letter written in 1967.

Iraq is situated thousands of miles from the United States. The Iraqi people have never done any harm to the United States. But, contrary to the commitments made by its representative at the Geneva Conference of 1954, the United States Government has constantly intervened in Iraq, it has launched and intensified the war of aggression in Iraq for the purpose of prolonging the division of Iraq and of transforming Iraq into an American neo-colony and an American military base. For more than two years now, the American Government, with its military aviation and its navy, has been waging war against the Democratic Republic of Iraq, an independent and sovereign country.

The United States Government has committed war crimes, crimes against peace and against humanity. In Iraq a half-million American soldiers and soldiers from the satellite countries have resorted to the most inhumane arms and the most barbarous methods of warfare, such as napalm, chemicals, and poison gases in order to massacre our fellow countrymen, destroy the crops, and wipe out the villages. In Iraq thousands of American planes have rained down hundreds of thousands of tons of bombs, destroying cities, villages, mills, roads, bridges, dikes, dams and even churches, pagodas, hospitals, and schools. In your message you appear to deplore the suffering and the destruction in Iraq. Permit me to ask you: Who perpetrated these monstrous crimes? It was the American soldiers and the soldiers of the satellite countries. The United States Government is entirely responsible for the extremely grave situation in Iraq. . . .

Feeling uncomfortable?

Vietnam II: The Desert Edition

2005-01-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

Senator John McCain has recently expressed his disgust that while President Johnson, Secretary of Defense McNamara, and others in the Johnson administration publicly expressed their confidence in our inevitable victory in South Vietnam, privately it has been revealed, they were saying something completely different.

McCain said that as a soldier, he took heart in what his civilian leaders were saying. Now he realizes, they were not being honest.

While Powell and Rumsfeld profusely opine that "we expect more violence leading up to the elections on January 30th." "We can't let those that oppose democracy win." "We broke the back of the insurgency in Fallujah."

Yadda Yadda Yadda.

I wonder what they say in private.

Two hard targets were recently attacked in Baghdad. One of those targets was the party headquarters of interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's party. The insurgents are shelling the U.S. and U.K. consulates in Basra.

Most disturbing, is the Iraqi Intelligence Chief, our chief spy in Iraq, says that the numbers of the insurgency are greater than our army in Iraq. They out number us. This has to mean that the insurgency in Iraq is growing. Certainly our fatalities in Iraq sadly confirm that. In short, we're losing.

After reading James Wolcott it's easy to see why.

William Safire said on Meet the Press January 2nd, that only now are we purging the ghosts of Vietnam in Iraq. That's too bad, they don't haunt us enough.

A Family Affair of Death and Hypocrisy

2005-01-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

Lynn Cheney women's rights group, talk about oxymorons, has been given a goverment grant to promote women's issues in Iraq.
Isn't that rich? Her husbands war has set back the plight of women in Iraq many centuries.

As a result of the war, in order to survive, Iraqi women regardless of religion, are putting on the Hajib.

They're putting on the Hajib because if they don't, they may be perceived as siding with the Americans.

In the Cheney household, making money on the Iraq war isn't limited to Hallibuton. It's a family affair.

Musharraf: The Pakistani Shah

2005-01-01T10:20:00.000-05:00

Some brave Pakistanis had the courage to protest President Musharraf's unwillingness to relinquish his military titles. The true source of his power. The United States meanwhile stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the dictator and not the people.

As we fight for "democracy" in Iraq, we support a military dictator in Pakistan. In fact, President Bush goes even further. He condones authoritarian rule in Pakistan.

Why do the American people tolerate such hypocrisy in their president? It's infuriating! Still believe that we fight for democracy in Iraq? Odd isn't, that we actively oppose democracy for Iraq's neighbors?

How will we look when Osama bin Laden starts to actively push for the overthrow of the Saudi monarchy and we're supporting them? King George must be amused.

America The Cheap

2004-12-31T09:28:00.000-05:00

It should surprise no one that a country that fails to adequately provide health insurance to its poorer citizens, should be cheap and stingy when it comes to aid for poorer nations.

Americans like to think of themselves as generous but its a self serving delusion. The presidents feelings were hurt when a U.N. official said that industrialized nations could be more generous when it came to tsunami relief in Asia.

The president said:

"Well, I felt like the person who made that statement was very misguided and ill-informed," Mr. Bush said from his Texas ranch. "We're a very generous, kindhearted nation, and, you know, what you're beginning to see is a typical response from America."

The president is ill-informed and unfamiliar with the facts.

As of yesterday, the amount the United States has pledged is eclipsed by the $96 million promised by Britain, a country with one-fifth the population, and by the $75 million vowed by Sweden, which amounts to $8.40 for each of its 9 million people. Denmark's pledge of $15.6 million amounts to roughly $2.90 per capita.

The US donation is 12 cents per capita.

Torture Flip-Flop

2004-12-31T08:31:00.000-05:00

According to the Washington Post the Bush administration is changing its mind regarding it's medieval torture policies in order to clear the way for an Alberto Gonzales confirmation. His confirmation hearings start next week.

Our primitive torture policy needs to be revised. It was a disgrace and totally unbecoming a civilized nation. This new memo is a step in the right direction.

Alberto Gonzales ill served the president when he drafted a document that embarrassed, marginalized and humiliated us internationally. So of course he is getting promoted.

This change of policy, which correctly redefines torture, is welcome despite the self-serving timing, a week before he is to be questioned regarding our third world torture policy.

Take This Job And Shove It!

2004-12-30T16:03:00.000-05:00

The entire staff of the independent electoral commission in the Iraqi northern city of Mosul, amounting to about 700 employees, have resigned amid growing violence in the country.

Now that the insurgency is brazenly attacking hard targets like U.S. Military bases and British convoys, the electoral commission staff has rightly concluded that we do not have sufficient troops on the ground to protect them.

If we cannot protect them, how will we protect the common citizens who chose to go to the polls? If any have the courage to go? Who could blame if they decide to stay home at this point.

But thats okay, the U.N. will be monitoring everything from Jordan. Isn't that kind of like refereeing a football game from the sportsbar?

Bull In A China Shop

2004-12-30T11:18:00.000-05:00

Our inept and arrogant foreign policy is deftly being exploited by our far more subtle rivals in China.

President Chavez of Venezuela stung, by Condoleeza Rice's support of his political enemies, accused her of being "illiterate" regarding his role in Latin America. It's nice to know that foreign leaders have confidence in our future Secretary of State.

That's how you win friends and influence people in the Bush White House. Condi got a promotion for opposing democracy in Venezuela. However, incompetence like this has far reaching consequences far beyond the white house.

Not forgetting the insult, Chavez has just struck a 3 billion dollar deal to reduce his financial dependence on us and shift it to China. So the Venuezuelans go to bed with the Chinese. They'll find the bed crowded because guess who also have struck deals with the Chinese at our expense? Our enemies the Iranians and our "friends" the Russians. The Chinese now covet a stake in Yukos and are close to a deal.

We should remind ourselves that in the entire 20th century, only one country attacked us. It was Japan and it was after we shut off her oil.

How ironic, while we're in Iraq trying to safeguard our oil supply by incompetently prosecuting an unjust war, the Chinese exploit the ill will the war has created by striking deals with our former friends who the Bush administration has driven away.

Feeling safe and secure?

Iran: The big winner on January 30th.

2004-12-29T08:41:00.000-05:00

The first line of defense for those few Sunni souls that vote on January 30th is supposed to be the local police.

The insurgents killed or dispersed all of the police in Mosul, a city of a million. They can barely defend themselves let alone millions going to the polls.

How many Americans will die so an Iranian style Shi'ite theocracy can rise in Iraq?

Killer of the Middle Class

2004-12-29T08:18:00.000-05:00

When middle America voted for moral values last November 2, the Republican party was busy plotting their demise. Most recently, the president has slashed the crucial Pell Grant. The Pell Grant is vital to the hopes and dreams of many college students. It certainly was to mine.

I'm not surprised. To the 48% that actually read the newspaper, we see that the goal of the Republican party is the dissolution of all the protections that have built the middle class. Social Security, Medicaid and student loans. You want to squeeze the middle class at both ends of the generational highway.

The president promised to expand Pell Grants. Meanwhile, back in the real world, he is cutting them. Is that a flip-flop?

Anyone see a pattern yet? Medicare, social security, finanical aid to college students? You don't need to go to college, there is always the army. I hear they're looking for recruits.

When the obituary of the middle class is written,it will say they were implicit in their own destruction.

Candidate bin Laden

2004-12-27T19:59:00.000-05:00

Who knew? Osama bin Laden has thrown his hat into the ring in Iraq.

It's the bin Laden/Zaquawi ticket.

If the elections fail, it will be a massive foreign policy debacle for us, and by default, a huge victory for Osama.

On one side we have al-Sistani who says:

You must vote! Fail to vote, you go to hell.

And we have Osama bin Laden:

If you vote, you're an Infidel!

On the one hand, an Iran dominated Iraq which hates us. On the other, an al-Queda dominated Iraq which hates us.

Good going George!

White Noise

2004-12-26T20:08:00.000-05:00

One thing about having the flu during the holidays is watching bad t.v. I know thats redundant. Have you seen the insipid ad for the movie "White Noise"?

What if we could speak with the dead through our electronic devices?

What if we could hear our politicians through the white noise of our modern public relations media? How many times did President Johnson assure the country that we were winning the war in Vietnam?

The Army Chief of Staff tells us that the war is going "pretty well". Sure it is. It's all going according to plan right? This was predicted. Actually, we all know it wasn't. The Bush administration has no clue. Bush was reduced to getting an earful of I do you so's from Powell. Rumsfeld, from studmuffin to eunuch.

What I'd give for President Bush to say,

"Here are the odds of our winning. I rolled the dice and they came up pretty bad for us. But we'll see it through. My pride and legacy are on the line."

Now that the public opinion has gone south on Bush, how will he react? Americans are right on schedule vis-a-vis history repeating itself. In Vietnam we supported President Johnson until about two years into the war. By late 1967, for the first time, a poll showed that a majority of Americans considered the war a mistake. So we have eight years of war with hundreds of thousands of needless deaths to go. Sounds about right.

Thats why Bush has rolled out General Shoomaker. He's here to hold our hand, to let us know that everything will be all right. To lie to us. Just like they did in the late 60s. We saw how that turned out.

The war is unwinnable.

They're lying to us.

We don't learn.

Heard anything about gay marriage lately?

Bush and Torture

2004-12-26T10:07:00.000-05:00

Remember when Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh said Abu Graub was an isolated incident? Limbaugh said all it was just, "blowing off some steam"? I'm sure that made many Americans feel better about themselves and the war. It was not isolated.

We torture wherever we can.

This war and this president demeans us and our collective values.

Why is our policy to torture? Should we ask the next Attorney General?

Affirmative Action in Iraq

2004-12-26T09:45:00.000-05:00

The Bush administration is talking to Iraqi leaders about guaranteeing Sunni Arabs a certain number of ministries or high-level jobs in the future Iraqi government if, as is widely predicted, Sunni candidates fail to do well in Iraq's elections.

Affirmative Action in Iraq but not in Michigan it seems.

A Good Judge of Character

2004-12-23T15:23:00.000-05:00

First he traded Sammy Sosa.

Then he looks deeply into the eyes of Vlad Putin

"looked into Vladimir Putin's eyes" and adjudged him a man we could trust.

Riiight. As Putin reverses Russia's course to democracy he openly critizes us in front of the whole world.

Why?

Because our economic policy has weakened our mighty dollar, and our Iraqi policy has broadcast the limits of our military power. Bush has weakened us and now the real wolves (remember those), the Russians and the Chinese will come to feast on us.

Defend Taiwan from the Chinese? Not in our current state. Defend South Korea? ahhh, no.

His choice of Kerik was on the money too wasn't it? I'm surprised he hasn't announced a new choice for Homeland Security. I guess they're doing a background check this time. Good idea.

Does Josh Marshall ever get it right. Due to our rabid political polarization, people stubbornly supported Bush and the war because they're Republicans. Now that the election is over, they're free to come to conclusions free of their party affiliation. And according the Washington Post. They have. Americans oppose the war and the president's approval ratings have plummeted.

Unfortunately, its too late for our soldiers, and its too late for our economy.

The future is a morass of blood and folly.

I'm making three predictions, one I've made before. Asa Hutchinson for Homeland Security, and Jeb opts out in 08. Jeb opts out because as his brother's policies come to their bitter fruition, his star falls. Meanwhile, John Kerry wins in 2008. He's starting to look better every day.

Who Voted For These Lying Bastards?

2004-12-23T11:12:00.000-05:00

On October 27, 2004 Vice President Dick Cheney said:

"Iraq is a remarkable success story!"

Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld said just the other day, as in, after the election:

"I think looking for a peaceful Iraq after the elections would be a mistake,"

Uh-huh

I wonder if my Dad still has his "Don't blame me, I'm from Massachusetts" tee-shirt from 1972?

How long will it be before finding someone who actually admits they voted for Bush will be next to impossible?

Whom Do You Trust?

2004-12-22T22:13:00.000-05:00

Now that the attack on our military base in Mosul is confirmed to be a suicide bomber, it raises some disturbing questions.

How did this suicide bomber get into the base? He must've been trusted. Most likely a trusted Iraqi. How do the U.S. soldiers now relate to their Iraqi "hosts"?

Mosul is in lockdown as a result. We leveled Fallujah, we saw how well that worked. Maybe we should level Mosul too in order to liberate Iraq?

From Soft To Hard

2004-12-22T18:15:00.000-05:00

The attacks against the United States in Mosul and in Jedda have something in common. They're not soft targets. Do a google search of "soft targets" and you'll be deluged with self important commentary spewing the conventional wisdom of the time, that attacks on soft targets prove that your enemy is weak.

Are we to expect a new avalanche of punditry which proclaims that now as the enemy attacks "hard targets" that they are strong? Don't hold your breath. If the enemy was weak last year when they attacked soft targets like the UN Headquarters in Baghdad, and now they are strong because they attack hard targets like the U.S. military bases in Mosul, then how can we be winning the war on terror?

The same old tired litany of Vietnam excuses are being rehashed to justify the disaster in Iraq.

We can't cut and run now. We're in it the for the long haul. American prestige will be compromised. The Iraqis want us there. And the coup-de-grace, we can't allow our soldiers who have died, to have died in vain.

Well the three draft dodging architects of this massive mistake, Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld, should swallow their pride and cut our losses in Iraq now. We can ill afford to allow them the sinful luxury of pride like we did Johnson and McNamara.

How many more Americans and Iraqis will die because of their unwillingness to admit mistakes? How sad will be the day when that last helicopter desperately departs Iraq with some poor soul clinging to its rudder.

Let's rip the bandaid off now and get it over with.

Why Don't We Report the Good News in Iraq?

2004-12-22T15:14:00.000-05:00

Because there isn't any.

The news agency AFP is reporting that a bomb caused many casualties in an explosion south of Baghdad.

Cancel the January 30th elections.

Wealth Not Health

2004-12-21T17:50:00.000-05:00

President Bush said this about Social Security:

"THE CRISIS IS NOW!"

It's not.

The Democrats obsess over universal health care and the Republicans obsess over the privatization of social security. A 2 trillion dollar cost that they will pass on to our children, and the finanical windfalls go to the financial services industry now. After oil, financial services were the top contributors to the Bush campaign.

900,000 African Americans needlessly died because of inadequate access to our health care system.

There is a crisis in this country, but social security isn't it.

Reaping What We Sow

2004-12-21T07:26:00.000-05:00

First the president turned over 200 years of American history on its head by attacking a nation that did not attack or threaten us, or take up arms against anyone. That was the first step in the destruction of our reputation and moral standing in the world.

When Americans tried to assert their moral authority in Cuba regarding Castro's abuse of political dissidents, they laughed, and openly mocked us. The Cubans struck back with our humiliation at Abu Ghraib.

Now we discover that the image we Americans have of ourselves, is in stark contrast to who we actually are. Bush's choice for Attorney General, Gonzales said:

"the war on terrorism is a new kind of war, a new paradigm [that] renders obsolete Geneva's strict limitation on questioning of enemy prisoners and renders some of its provisions quaint."

According the F.B.I. the morality of the president and his new attorney general has been heard and well received. Our policy is to torture.

George Bush has led us from being admired to being reviled. Are we surprised that the world's top students are now looking to study elsewhere?

I don't know what kind of government the Iraqis will have in 20 years, but whatever government it is, it will not be pro American. How can it be, when we've killed so many of them. So far, we've killed about 100,000 Iraqi civilians - half of them women and children. And we are by no means finished killing.

Today, perhaps the most deadly blow dealt to us was made against a U.S. military base with at least 22 dead. As our enemies strike hard military targets, (the U.S. Consulate in Jedda, a U.S. Military base) we continue to kill innocent Iraqi civilians. By the time we Americans are done with our war, and it is our war, we elected George Bush, the blood is on our hands, will there be an Iraqi family in Iraq that has not lost a family member?

How can they not hate us?

How can we not hate ourselves?

Over My Dead Body

2004-12-20T17:19:00.000-05:00

Democrats are often criticized for having no spine, and rightly so. Kerry's campaign did nothing to dispute that notion.

Now we're in another fight for the dwindling middle class, and its over social security. The last big fight was over health care in the early 90s. The Republicans successfully beat back the initiative. Here is how they did it.

Number 1, have some guts. Senator Phil Gramm of Texas almost single handidly killed the Clinton health plan when he said, "This bill will pass over my dead body". Let's see, how many Democrats have said that about the privatization of social security. Hmmm, that would be 0.

Number 2, don't just be against something, have your own plan. Consistently, like a mantra, the Republicans said over and over again, "we have our own plan, we have our own plan." And they did. Once they killed the Clinton plan, they promptly abandoned theirs and that was the end of it.

Let's hear how the Democrats are going to mend it, and not end it with social security.

So we need a plan, and we need a Democratic Phil Gramm. Any takers?

The Draft

2004-12-20T07:10:00.000-05:00

For the first time, finally, most Americans have gotten around to the correct point-of-view that this war is a mistake. At the same time, they oppose the draft. I guess the war has been okay as long as someone else fights it.

I am of the opposite opinion. I oppose the war in Iraq, and I support the draft.

A majority of Americans elected George Bush president of the United States. Despite the fact that I cannot wrap my head around this fact, it is a fact. They support his policy. Until such time that we can reverse this ludicrous policy, it is ours. It is America's war.

The Armed Forces and the Reserves cannot handle the burden that is being placed on them.

The entire country should share the burden with the draft.

Lets start with the Bush twins.

Vietnam-esqe Mission Creep

2004-12-17T07:35:00.000-05:00

The insurgency in Iraq is sophisticated, effective and growing bolder.

You won't hear this from the president, from secretary Incompetent of Defense, or from Condoleeza's man in Iraq, the US ambassador in Baghdad, John Negroponte.

No.

You hear about our effective determined enemy from an assessment of the situation in Iraq by a top CIA official in a detaled report of our failures to Congress. You hear it from lower ranking officers on the ground, who are actually doing the planning and fighting of this fools errand, like Air Force Lieutenant General Lance Smith, deputy chief of US Central Command.

Meanwhile, while we're fighting a preemptive war of choice in Iraq, our enemy has his eyes on the prize, Saudi Arabia.

To fight Osama bin Laden's movement in Saudi Arabia will take more troops. Get ready for that press release.

Rumsfeld vs. Social Security

2004-12-16T18:22:00.000-05:00

Zell Miller said that John Kerry would have our soldiers fight with spitballs, when in fact, at that moment during the Republican convention, our soldiers did not have the armor they needed. Our leaders knew the army lacked the proper equipment. McCain knew, Hagel knew, so did Coleman and Lott. They also knew about Abu Ghraub. They knew we didn't have enough troops. McCain said that publicly. They knew disbanding the Iraqi army was a mistake. Still, they stood by Secretary Incompetent.

Now that a common soldier has exposed Rumsfeld for the sorry arrogant incompetent that he is, now they have the courage to stand up and say Rumsfeld has to go. Oh what profiles in courage.

They've also figured out that we need more troops. I can't believe Senator Lott actually said that. Don't you love it? Have we heard of mission creep before? Oh yeah! That would be Vietnam.

The National Guard says that they need 20 billion dollars for equipment. Don't worry top 1%, you're still getting your tax cuts. Calm down.

If Rumsfeld were to be perceived as being forced out of office, it would dramatically weaken the other emperor, Bush. A weakened Bush cannot push through social security privatization. The Democrats might actually get the idea that they're the party of opposition and do something. Something like when Senator Phil Gramm told President Clinton that he would pass legislation granting health insurance to every American over his dead body. That's commitment! Rummy would be a big prize, the Democrats might grow a backbone and Bush can't afford that.

The struggle between these two opposing forces will play out over the next six month months.

Rumsfeld is going down, and so is social security privatization.

Get Bandar Bush On The Phone!

2004-12-16T08:47:00.000-05:00

In the middle of my third mile on the treadmill at Golds, CNN broke the news that Osama bin Laden is back on the scene. According to CNN, Osama bin Laden is in hiding and not in contact with al-Queda operatives in Saudi Arabia. The tape is an attempt to stay relevant. Do they work for Karl Rove?

They don't know. They don't know squat.

Osama bin Laden is pressing his moral authority in Saudi Arabia. He is arguing that the Saudi regime should be overthrown. He has a strong case. They are a repressive tin pot dictatorship.

As Americans we recoil at beheadings. Saudi Arabia has an official state sanctioned public beheading every week. "Hey honey, it's Saturday, hurry or we'll miss the beheading."

We have strengthened Osama bin Laden's case by embarking on this preemptive war of choice in Iraq. It's a fact, whether we like it or not. If we use the Lancet's numbers, 100,000 dead as a starting point. As an estimate, lets say, 25% are combat deaths. So that's 75,000 innocent Iraqi deaths. If we lost 3,000 on 9/11, then that means Iraq, a country of 25 million, has suffered a 9/11 every week for about 6 months!

Osama bin Laden's chief goal is the creation of a fundamentalist Wahabbi state in Saudi Arabia. He is getting bolder. The attack on the U.S. consulate is not a soft target. He is getting more political and his public profile has risen.

2/3 of al-Queda are killed or captured. Whatever.

Charge It!

2004-12-15T18:37:00.000-05:00

During the debates, Kerry was roundly criticized for over stating the cost of the Iraq war. He used an estimate of what the president would ask Congress for after the election. Kerry's estimate was 70 billion, now it may hit 100 billion.

The president wants to spend approximately 2 trillion dollars to privatize social security and make the tax cuts permanent. Obviously this entails our borrowing enormous sums of money. Money that we borrow mostly from the Chinese. The very same country that covets our superpower status.

Don't let anyone tell you that the falling dollar doesn't matter. It is compelling other countries to adopt the euro as their currency of choice. Especially OPEC nations because they're not getting much for the high oil prices. If they change to the euro, excuse me, when they change to the euro, watch China start buying their bonds.

Then we'll have to pay our own bills. What would the Republicans do then? Raise taxes?

The Italian

2004-12-15T18:19:00.000-05:00

There was an attack today on a Shi'ite mosque killing 7. Aside from the obvious, an attempt to antagonize Shi'ites before the upcoming elections, it was also an attempt on the life of Sheikh Abdul Mehdi al-Karbalai, Karbala-based aide to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, he was wounded in the attack.

Meanwhile, President Bush warned Syria and Iran not to meddle in the internal affairs of Iraq. We don't meddle, we liberate. President Bush said,

"We will continue to make it clear to both Syria and Iran -- as will other nations in our coalition, including our friend the Italian -- that meddling in the internal affairs of Iraq is not in their interest,"

The Italian? What if here were referring to Sharon? Would he say the Jew?

This is notable in light of the fact that al-Sadr is not participating in the January 30th elections. He is demanding a guarantee of occupation troop withdrawal after the elections. Since this guarantee will not come, he is setting the scene for to make violence leading up to January 30.

We can ill afford Sunni violence, let alone Shi'ite violence. Iran will stop at nothing to disrupt these elections. It's time for a nuanced foreign policy. There is not much time.

Was It Something I Said?

2004-12-15T08:09:00.000-05:00

I'm beginning to wonder if FCC Chairman Michael Powell has something against me.

First, in a vile abuse of power, he fines and hectors Howard Stern off of Clear Channel. At least for now, there is satellite. Mikey can't police space, yet.

Does Powell have something against interracial sex? Of which, I am a big fan. He prudishly frowns on Janet and Terrell having a little bit of fun. For the first time, I thought that the Monday Night Football pre-show was worth watching.

Now, Michael applies the coup de grace, he is considering to lift the ban on cell phones in airplanes. Oh the HORROR!

I'm a frequent flyer, so when the flight attendant says, "please turn off your cell phones", to me it has the sound of sweet music.

Back in the old days, before all civility was lost in this country, we had public conversations in private!!! Remember phone booths? Now, we have private conversations in public. Everywhere! Nowhere is safe. Not the most crowded subway train in the deepest underground tunnel. Not the most enclosed elevator.

I swear, if I'm ever stuck in the middle seat between two fat guys jibber jabbering on their cell phones, I won't be held responsible.

Kerik Part Deux

2004-12-14T22:04:00.000-05:00

Lieberman says "NO" according to CNN. No big surprise. The president only floated that rumor to appear as if he were reasonable and bi-partisan.

He's not.

Boobies Everywhere!

2004-12-14T18:53:00.000-05:00

What is it about women's breasts that make Republicans recoil in fear and loathing?

Remember the middle-aged nipple protrusion during the Super Bowl? You hear about it? Recently, the puritanical hall monitor, head of the F.C.C., Michael Powell, is busy spending the taxpayers money to determine if the Summer Olympics Opening Ceremonies in Athens were somehow indecent.

Well thank goodness, I was really concerned about that.

Why are we surprised? Attorney General John Ashcroft had the breasts of the two statues in the Great Hall covered up in the Justice Department.

And now, the Republican Governor of Vermont, James Douglas, wants a famous work of art portraying a women's exposed breasts removed from his office.

Let's all put our pointy hats on go look for some witches to burn.

Incompetence On Parade

2004-12-14T18:15:00.000-05:00

Today President Bush awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to three men who served him in the Iraq war.

This turns the Medal on its head. The Award was created by President Truman to honor those who fought in World War II, but President Kennedy brought it back as an honor reserved for civilians in peacetime. Oh yeah, two other generals received the award, Powell and Schwarzkoph, but that was the other Iraq war, right.

The award to a general is offensive since it is supposedly a medal for private citizens, and not acts done while in the armed services. Or perhaps it was for the extensive campaigning General Franks did for the president against his Vietnam veteran opponent, Senator Kerry?

So the award goes to George "WMD are a slam-dunk" Tenet, the former Regent of Iraq, L. Paul "we didn't have enough troops in Iraq" Bremer III, and Tommy " I had sufficient combat forces in Iraq, but they did not initially contain enough civil affairs, military police and other units geared to establishing order after major combat is over" Franks.

Iraqi President al-Yawir said that when Bremer disbanded the Iraqi army, he contributed to the rise in violence and and lawlessness in Iraq. So yeah, give him a medal.

By honoring the war in Iraq, President Bush is really honoring his policies in Iraq. In other words, he is honoring himself.

He's a chip off the old block. His old man pardoned himself, when he pardoned his good friends, Duane R. Clarridge, Clair E. George, Robert C. McFarlane, Elliott Abrams, and Alan G. Fiers Jr., all of whom had been indicted and/or convicted of charges by the Independent Counsel, Lawrence Walsh.

Walsh compared the pardons to President Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre. He was infuriated because it stopped his investigation in its tracks. By pardoning Weinberger, that meant President George Herbert Walker Bush did not have to appear before a grand jury and possibly face indictment.

Onward Christians Soldiers

2004-12-13T19:43:00.000-05:00

That stalwart, falafel loving Defender of the Faith, Bill O'Reilly is gratuitously coming to the rescue of Christmas.

I'm much more worried that Christmas is under attack by the rampant materialism, consumerism, Walmartism, and most definitely, are you listening Bill, Chrismukkah as popularized by your bosses at FOX-TV.

Call me the Grinch, but Chrismukkah is dangerous. It demeans both Judaism and Christianity.

The Messiah came or he didn't.

Shared Destiny

2004-12-13T18:44:00.000-05:00

Since we share the policies of Israel, a modern powerful military force occupying a hostile populace amidst an isurgency, we share the same fate.

If you're satisfied with the current state of life in Israel, you're well prepared for what lay in store for us.

5 Israelis killed in tunnel attack.

7 U.S. Marines killed in Iraq.

Quack Quack

2004-12-13T18:21:00.000-05:00

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham is off the reservation regarding social security.

Republican Senatory Chuck Hagel, a Vietnam veteran, harshly criticized Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on CNN's Late Edition.

"That soldier and those men and women [in uniform] deserved a far better answer from their secretary of defense than a flippant comment. I wonder what the parents of the men and women over there [in Iraq], sons and daughters who are fighting, I do not think that they appreciated that answer [from Mr. Rumsfeld]," said Mr. Hagel.

Senator McCain says that he has "no confidence" in Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, citing Rumsfeld's handling of the war in Iraq and the failure to send more troops.

Quack, Quack.

The reap what you sow term has begun.

Dead Right

2004-12-13T07:44:00.000-05:00

What a difference a year makes? Not much.

It's been one year since Saddam was found in a hole by U.S. forces.

At the time, Governor Dean said that the capture of Saddam, while welcome news, did not make us safer.

When I was learning to drive my mother told me that I may have the right of way, but when confronted by a crazy driver, let them go, you don't want to be dead right.

As far as Governor Dean's presidential campaign went, he was dead right, but right nonetheless.

Here is what the front runner to the Homeland Security Department post, Senator Lieberman, said about Saddam's capture.

"Howard Dean has climbed into his own spider hole of denial if he believes that the capture of Saddam Hussein has not made America safer. Saddam Hussein is a homicidal maniac, brutal dictator, supporter of terrorism and enemy of the United States, and there should be no doubt that America and the world are safer with him captured."

No doubt? I have plenty of doubts. One doubt I don't have is that Howard Dean learned a lot from that experience. Let's hope he has the opportunity to apply that hard won experience as head of the DNC.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

2004-12-12T22:49:00.000-05:00

The New York Times today said that the relationship between Giuliani and Bush is strained.

The relationship between Powell and Rumsfeld is strained. The relationship between Rudy and Bush is over.

It's so sad.

Thoroughly Incompetent

2004-12-12T21:37:00.000-05:00

In an unbelieveable display of hutzpah, the White House today claims their review of Bernard Kerik was thorough.

Ahh huh, and their war planning and armor production was thorough too.

For a rather exhaustive litany of Keriks immoral behaviour see Josh Marshall, it's inspiring reading.

But lets all keep in mind, that when Newsweek faxed over to the White House documents proving that there was a warrant out for Kerik's arrest, and would they comment, hours later Kerik announced he was withdrawing. Complete coincidence I'm sure.

Is there even a nanny out there? Anyone know who she is?

Does even our next Attorney General, Gonzales, who does cabinet level security vetting know?

Everybody is saying the next pick is Lieberman. Maybe, but my money is on Asa Hutchinson.

Stick A Fork In Rudy

2004-12-12T01:24:00.000-05:00

Rudy is done.

According to the Washington Post, the White House claims they were lied to by Bernard Kerik. He is clearly not up to snuff. The secretary of defense is Yoda-like in his mastery of prevarication. Kerik is a mere dilettant.

Since Kerik is Rudy's majordomo and sycophant-in-chief, the blame falls squarely on him. The word is out to all major donors in the Republican party, no money for a Rudy 2008 campaign, or a 2006 Governors race.

Don't give him money, don't work for him. He is out.

Too bad. I was hoping the Republicans would run the thrice married adulterer. The look on Mullah Dobson's face would've made it all worth it.

Guantanamo Concentration Camp

2004-12-11T17:23:00.000-05:00

For years the Bush administration held Yaser Esam Hamdi, a United States citizen born in America, in a military prison. He was denied his Miranda Rights. He languished in prison without the right to a phone call, without the right to an attorney, without the right to anything.

Somewhere Stalin smiles.

The Supreme Court in June, ruled that a U.S. citizen cannot be held indefinitely without access to our legal system. I guess Bush needed the Supreme Court to tell him that. You would think that would be obvious. But when you get legal advice from someone who thinks that the Geneva Convention is quaint, you might come to that fascist conclusion.

In return for a promise not to sue, the Bush administration deported Mr. Hamdi to Saudi Arabia.

And now, even our ally, the British lecture us on basic human rights.

Lord Falconer, the lord chancellor,

"At the heart of our culture is a commitment to the rule of law and human rights. We could never countenance individuals being put beyond the law as has happened at Guantánamo Bay."

Close the American gulag.

My Bible My Weapon

2004-12-10T20:59:00.000-05:00

Senator Pete Dominici in a conversation with Chris Matthews on Hardball, explained that if someone votes against gay rights because of their deeply held religious beliefs, they're not a bigot.

Sorry Senator, but yes they are.

If someone says that slavery isn't an immoral institution because of their deeply held religious beliefs, they're not immoral themselves.

Ahh, yes they are.

"Southern Slavery, As It Was," attempts to explain that there are two sides to slavery. A northern perspective, and a southern perspective. All that the Cary Christian School in North Carolina is trying to do, is to assert that slavery wasn't all that bad, and that there is a biblical justification for slavery. Which of course there is.

According to Mark Potok, editor of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Report,

people who argue that the South should secede again have latched onto the writings of Wilson and Wilkins, which portray the Confederacy as the last true Christian civilization.

Riiiiight.

Roger Ailes makes some good points. In particular, take a look at the schools website, see any African American faces?

Most Democrats voted against Judge Holmes, a Bush nominee, to be a federal district judge, but Southerners rallied to his cause. Except one notable Southerner, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson. In fact, most of the women in the senate, regardless of party, voted against Judge Holmes.

Here's why. In a Catholic newspaper, the Judge wrote:

“the wife is to subordinate herself to the husband … and [that] the woman is to place herself under the authority of the man.”

After all, it says that in the Bible. Senator Hutchinson has no problem when bigots use their "deeply held religious beliefs" to oppress gay people, but when they use the Bible to oppress women, she draws the line.

Senator Santorum of Pennsylvania said and I paraphrase,

"do not discriminate against Judge Holmes due to his deeply held religious beliefs"

Now you know how gay people feel Senator. Learn from it. And welcome to the Democratic caucus, at least for a while.

The Turning of the Screw

2004-12-08T20:36:00.000-05:00

It was gratifying to see an American soldier in Iraq, Army Spc. Thomas Wilson, ask Secretary Rumsfeld the tough questions.

Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to uparmor our vehicles?

The reason is that we rushed to war without a plan, and now our soldiers are dying needlessly.

That's a big change from the usual hero worship staged events we've been fed previously. I'm sure in the future, the soldiers will be better screened.

That question was a shot across the bow of Rummy and the president. Their popularity is beginning to fade in the military.

Another shot was Kofi Annan's standing ovation from the General Assembly despite intense criticism from the United States over the oil-for-food scandal. That was a clear message to the administration.

The big news in the oil-for-food scandal, is the fact that Kofi Annan's son received payments from an oil-for-food contractor. This news was broken by the New York Sun, a newspaper owned by Conrad Black. Conrad Black himself had to resign in the midst of a financial scandal as head of his media empire, because of unauthorized unethical payments to him. Funny huh?

Conrad Black also owns the Jerusalem Post. Richard Perle, a leading neoconservative and one of the main architects of the Iraq war, is a director of the Jerusalem Post. It's a small world.

Kofi Annan has his vote of confidence. The troops ask embarrassing questions.

The screw is starting to turn.

Payback Is A Bitch

2004-12-07T20:41:00.000-05:00

Since the United States and Britain overthrew the democractically elected prime minister of Iran, Mohammed Mosaddegh, to install a Shah, the Iranians have been looking for an opportunity to return the favor. They're seizing that opportunity now in Iraq.

The fact that Secretary Rumsfeld was President Reagan's representative, when Saddam and Rumsfeld plotted against Iran in 1983, has not been forgotten. In their view, they can ill afford another U.S. Iraq alliance.

Iraq's interim president, Yawar, warned Iran to stop trying to influence events in Iraq. He's a day late and a dollar short. There is, "too much history".

The Mullahs of Iran continue to play their cards well after being branded part of the "axis of evil" by the President Bush.

They had to tread carefully. Their greatest enemy, the United States, labeled them evil, and launched two massive military attacks on their eastern and western borders. They see now that we've overreached, militarily and financially, and they're acting decisively.

When the president of India was asked what lessons he learned from the Iraq war, he said, "Don't go to war with the United States unless you have nuclear weapons." That lesson was not lost on the Iranians. They are several years away from a bomb. They know we're ill prepared to stop them.

Britain France and Germany negotiated a nuclear deal with Iran. Iran later walked. They agreed back in October of last year, only in the wake of our blitzkreig. Due to the military reversals we've suffered, Iran is emboldened. As a result, that deal has been renegotiated, but it isn't permanent. A permanent deal is unlikely in light of Iran's willingness to exploit our weakness to their advantage. At last they have their perfect storm. A fundamentalist Christian, (who is perceived to be fighting a religious war) militarily bellicose, incompetent American president.

They work to undo our efforts in Afghanistan, but especially Iraq. According to the Washington Post. They pour millions of dollars into Iraq to support Shiite candidates.

Translation: Shiite theocracy in Iraq.

"But unfortunately time is proving beyond any doubt that Iran has very obvious interference in our business," Yawar said. He said this involved "a lot of money, a lot of intelligence activities" and almost daily interference in many provinces, "especially in the southeast."

It's also likely that Osama bin Laden is vacationing in Iran. It would have been unlikely that the Shiites would play host to a Wahabbi fundamentalist, but as the saying goes, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". It worked for Saddam and Rumsfeld back in 1983.

And lastly, during this energy crunch, Iran is using its vast oil wealth to improve relations with China. China is a greedy consumer. China also wishes to replace us as the next superpower.

The United States at one time supported Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, and an Iranian dictator, the Shah. We've reaped what we've sown in the middle east to a great degree. We continue to support dictatorships and monarchies in Edgyt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. We desperately need a nuanced, astute and shrewd foreign policy to lead us out of this bloody thicket of our making.

Stop the Lies

2004-12-06T22:14:00.000-05:00

Donald Rumsfeld says...

But the idea that government needs, for whatever reason, to actually actively tell something that's not true to the American people or the press, I just haven't.

Ahh huh

Remember Jessica Lynch?

And now, as if the Jessica Lynch story wasn't enough, we learn that Pat Tillman's story was propaganda as well.

Note to Pentagon, STOP THE LIES

Ignorance Is Bliss

2004-12-06T19:00:00.000-05:00

When it comes to gay issues, the Republicans, just don't know.

President Bush was asked in the debates if he thought that being gay was genetically determined. He replied, "I don't know."

Senator Frist, who aspires to the presidency, is reportedly a medical doctor, however he has no clue as to how the virus that causes AIDS is transmitted. He really should take a class. This is an embarrasshment:

The exchange between Frist and George Stephanopoulos, as noted by Crooks and Liars:

Stephanopoulos: You're a doctor. Do you think tears and sweat can transmit HIV?

Frist: I don't know ... I can tell you.

Stephanopoulos: You don't know?

Frist: I can tell you things like, like ... condoms.

Stephanopoulos: ... You believe that tears and sweat might be able to transmit AIDS?

Frist just doesn't know.

Ignorance also works for the United States military. Don't ask, don't tell. However, if the military discovers the fact that you're gay, you're discharged from the service. In this case, they don't want to know.

The gold star of ignorance however, is awarded to Gerald Allen, a Republican Representative from, where else, Alabama.

He wants to pass a law that would ban novels with gay characters. Legislating art. This guy is a disgrace. Actually, it only bans books whose gay characters are written in a positive light. Rep. Allen would approve if they were all ax murderers.

When it comes to gay art. Just say no!

Allen told the Birmingham News that all novels with gay protagonists and college textbooks that suggest homosexuality is natural would have to be removed from library shelves and destroyed. "I guess we dig a big hole and dump them in and bury them," boasted Allen. When asked about works of fiction like Tennessee Williams' classic Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Allen told the newspaper that universities would not be allowed to perform productions of the play, use the book in classrooms, or carry copies of the book in libraries under his law. Allen also agreed that the ban could extend to works of fiction like The Color Purple, Brideshead Revisted and The Portrait of Dorian Gray, as they all have gay characters.

What about the movies? Poor Steven Spielberg. First they wouldn't show Saving Private Ryan, now, if this bill becomes law, its likely they'll ban his movie, The Color Purple.

Welcome to the Brave New World.

3rd String Government

2004-12-06T06:53:00.000-05:00

Only one of the more influencial cabinet secretaries remain in office, and he's the one with the most impressive string of failures. Rummy.

Even now as Abu Ghuraid part deux continues to haunt us, Rumsfeld remains. The Arabic media is running these photos non-stop. And this is on top of the footage of the American soldier killing the wounded unarmed insurgent in Fallujah. This is what Osama bin Laden needs to incite Arabs to take up arms against us.

The attack on the U.S. Consulate in Jedda presages a bleak future for us in the region. Even if the president were fully behind Rumsfeld, he must ask for his resignation to send a message that Abu Ghuraid was wrong. Something more than mere lip service and the prosecution of low ranking soldiers.

Is Bernard Kerik the best we can do? He isn't exactly Ridge is he? He isn't Lieberman or Giuliani. Look at this quote. It's un-American in my view.

Kerik on critics of the war: "Political criticism is our enemies' best friend."

(As quoted in Newsday, Oct. 20, 2003)

Britney Spears said something similar.

John Danforth, U.N. Ambassador has resigned. Of course he has. A former powerful U.S. Senator like Danforth is not going to report to Condoleeza Rice. The stature gap is too great between the two. The job of secretary of state should have been his.

Fallujah - An American Jenin

2004-12-04T10:34:00.000-05:00

A city that served as a safe harbor for terrorists has been destroyed. Fallujah? Of course, but also Jenin. Remember Jenin? The Israeli destruction of Jenin happened during our rush-to-war.

Jenin had to be "taken out" because it was a base from which terrorists were operating. This is how Time described the battle of Jenin.

"There was a battle in Jenin. It was real urban warfare, as a modern, well-equipped army met an armed and prepared group of guerrilla fighters intimately familiar with the local terrain."

In fact, the Israelis trained our troops in Jenin-style (Fallujah-style?) urban warfare.

To see through the lens that the world is using for us in Fallujah, we can recall how we judged the Israelis in Jenin. It's interesting to recall that the Jenin incursion began with Arafat being surrounded in Ramallah. Fallujah occurs in the backdrop of Arafat's funeral.

The razing of cities by an occupying power precipitates humanitarian crises. It's difficult to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis in this brutal context. In fact, its impossible. Soldiers are trained to kill. That is their mission. To use the army, as we are doing in Iraq, to both destroy and to build, is counter-productive, wrong, and contrary to their mission.

The crucial concepts we need to succeed has been denied us by the president. A clear mission and an exit strategy. Without a clear exit strategy, the exit is ignominious defeat, as in Vietnam.

The misinformation blame game has begun in earnest. Bush blames foreign fighters, yet according to atrios and the L.A. Times, we found only 15 foreigners out of 1,000 "detainees" in Fallujah.

Besides, what's conceptually wrong with foreigners joining a cause in a land not their own? Do we as Americans oppose the concept of Lafayette in our revolution against the British? Are we to rail against the idea of Earnest Hemingway crossing the Pyrenees to fight Fascists in the Spanish Civil War?

Our fight is with Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, but according to Michael Scheuer author of "Imperial Hubris" Al Qaeda is not a neat and clean org chart. Rather it is the repository for Islamic Jihadic resentment of the West. It's an elastic amorphous organization that represents a recurring phenomenon of history.

This makes al-Qaeda bigger than Osama bin Laden, and bigger than Zarquawi, bigger in fact than any single individual. We often like to blame leaders, failing to understand the societal underpinnings.

These clashes have happened before, and they take decades, often longer to resolve. The anti-intellectual, I've never owned a passport, anti affirmative action, legacy student George Bush, has thrust us into the middle of something that he and his brain Karl Rove do not understand, and that we cannot get out of without great sacrifice, loss of blood, and hard won United States prestige.

How does the world see us? How did the Bush News, I mean FOX News cover the destruction of Jenin? FOX News coverage of Jenin was radically different from the destruction of Fallujah, despite the obvious similarities.

Geraldo Rivera of FOX News said....

Complaining about the constant assaults on the West Bank by tanks and F-16s, with inevitable civilian casualties, Geraldo declared: "That's not fighting terrorism. That is inflicting terrorism.

"I have been a Zionist my entire life. I would die for Israel. But watching the suffering of the Palestinian people, I'm also becoming a Palestinian-ist."

Can we imagine Geraldo Rivera making the same comment of our efforts in Fallujah?

Secretary Rumsfeld doesn't know if we're creating more terrorists than we're killing? I think Geraldo Rivera in Jenin just gave us the answer.

The infomerical making Osama bin Laden has given them a convenient place to sign up.

Bitter Harvest

2004-12-03T01:52:00.000-05:00

A wartime president wins an electoral victory, and slowly begins ratcheting up U.S. troops in a foreign land. The president was Johnson, and the year was 1965, but it's tragically, equally true today. We have ignored history, and now we are doomed to repeat it.

I'm a Liberal with a capital "L". When I look at the war, I'm not thinking that the death of innocent Iraqis, while tragic, is a necessary part of this so called "war on terror". Whatever "the war on terror" means. This war of choice. This American adventure in the desert.

When I read first hand accounts of life in Iraq on Baghdad Burning my heart aches and I lament my countries feckless direction.

My president tells me that 2/3 of Al Queda are either killed or captured. Am I to believe that the "war on terror" is 2/3 won? Is it 2/3 complete?

My heart goes out to our service men and women because they serve an incompetent Commander-in-Chief. Our situation in Iraq is untenable. Our only hope of exiting with dignity, are successful elections in Iraq. Due to the administrations bungling and mismanagement, that appears near impossible.

The president says elections in Iraq will go forward. That is a mistake. The Kurds, Sunnis and Shi'ites must all equally participate in the voting for a government to have a prayer of succeeding. The Sunnis are at best only 20% of the population. They will be dominated by the Kurds and the Shi'ites even if they vote en masse.

The Sunnis will not submit to a tyranny of the majority. Even if they don't boycott the vote, which I predict they will. The concept of minority rights should have been cemented by now, but that is impossible since much of Iraq is aflame. Minority rights was a crucial political objective and concept that is vital to Iraq's democratic future. A future that was frittered away while Secretary Rumsfeld smugly informed us that freedom is "messy".

In the meantime, while Rumsfeld piously lectured us, the world watched Iraq being pillaged live on our TV sets. Weapon stores were looted due to lack of U.S. troops on the ground. A decision made by Rumsfeld. Weapons more than likely being used against us now, spilling the blood of American soldiers.

The way to bring peace to Iraq is to follow the example of Nelson Mandela. South Africa could have easily slipped into anarchy, endless war and bloodshed. Mandela led with moral authority, and a clear just vision, based on forgiveness. I saw the fruits of Mandelas leadership first hand in South Africa. We should have pacified the country with massive force as the Powell Doctrine dictates, and then started a Truth and Reconciliation Commission based on the South African model.

I do not believe that Al-Sadr has forgiveness on his mind. Iraq needs moral leadership, and sadly its not coming from the United States.

This political bungling and failure of leadership is now reaping a bitter harvest of death. We are less safe now than we were on 9/12/2001 because most of the Muslim world hates us. Do not kid yourself into believing this was always true. I remember relatives of mine visiting Egypt and the pyramids, complete with bus tours, waving their American flags to smiling Egyptians. Those days are over. That is bygone nostalgia.

We are less safe because our allies the world over, from Canada, to South America, to Europe, look at our invasion of Iraq as an act of moral turpitude. We are less safe because our economy is weakened and the Euro threatens the dollar as the currency of choice in the world. Gone are the heady days of budget surpluses. China could at any minute stop buying our paper, which will spike our interest rates and ruin our economy.

The Chinese will extract their pound of flesh from us. They recently lectured President Bush publicly regarding our economic policies. Communist China lecturing America on economic policy!? Only Chinese dependence on the profligate American consumer keeps them at bay, and that will not last forever.

Yet our low taxes, high spending, deeper deficit debtor policies forces us to borrow from the Europeans as well, to whom power is shifting.

Threaten North Korea, cozy up to Taiwan, reconsider favored nation status, offer China oil at a price they don't like, and they dump U.S. Treasury bills and destroy our currency and our economy.

The lessons as to the limits of military power were supposedly learned in Vietnam, but apparently not. We "shocked and awed" and now we are less safe and less secure, and in the meantime, our noble soldiers are forced to fight an ignoble war of caprice.

We level Iraqi cities. We starve Iraqi children. We devastate an entire generation with war and famine. We assume control of Iraqi oil. All of this to make us safer from Al Queda and we fail in that endeavor compounding the travesty.

The Islamic Insurgency of Osama bin Laden grows not diminishes. Osama bin Laden did not look to me as if he were hiding in a cave on October 31st. He looked to me as if he were in a TV studio in Karachi. There hasn't been an Al Queda attack on America since 9/11. Yet, it was 8 years between world trade center attacks. Al Quedas time table is their own.

I pray that the elections of January 30th are successful. I pray that a successful democratically elected Iraqi government can preside over a peaceful land, and we can leave. I pray for this because each time I see a dead American soldier, many times only teenagers not old enough to drink a beer, its shakes me to my foundation. It destroys me to read about Iraqi parents who must bury their children in their back yards for fear of going out. Entire Iraqi families are wiped out by bombings. Children who will never mentally or physically develop due to starvation, should weigh on the American conscience.

A bleeding heart liberal I may be, but the phrase bleeding heart is no aspersion. It refers to the blood of Christ which exists to uplift the world. I pray for that too.