Food for thought . . .

"It is not anti-Semitic to criticize the policies of the state of Israel." -- Colin Powell

For the love of the game!

He must have some nekkid pictures of Bush or somethin'!

"Beneath that rough and gruff, no-nonsense demeanor is a good human being who cares deeply about the military and deeply about the grief that war causes."

George W. Bush, speaking of Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Rumsfeld faces Iraq letters row

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Rumsfeld faces Iraq letters row

Kind Ole' King George sent mother a note
when he heard that mother was gone -
It was, I recall, in the form of a scroll,
with gold leaf and all -

And I found it one day, in a drawer
old photographs, hidden away -
And my eyes still grow dim as I saw as
His Majesty signed in own rubber stamp.

When the Tigers Broke Free
Roger Waters (The Wall)

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Gunman kills guitarist on stage

BBC NEWS Entertainment Gunman kills guitarist on stage

We must be doing something right(!?) when we wind up on the front page of the BBC web site. Let's here it for gun culture!!!!

BBC NEWS | Americas | US forces 'hid Iraq prison abuse'

BBC NEWS | Americas | US forces 'hid Iraq prison abuse': "Both documents were dated 25 June 2004. "

The self-proclaimed defenders of truth, democracy, and individual freedom (as long as it suits our interests). Thank god these people are all christian! Otherwise, their concience would drive them to suicide!

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | US rejects climate policy attacks

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | US rejects climate policy attacks

As American citizens, we like to see ourselves as the kind of people who would do the right thing. I think this is what Kerry missed in all the talk about the 'Red States.' I know Bush wouldn't go against his daddy's buddies on this one; I don't have much reason to believe that Kerry would have either. Nader would have been all over this. I believe that Cobb of the Green party (which one?) would have been all over this one as well. Maybe it's time for a new party - the appeal of the Greens without the superimposed righteousness of liberalism. These people are not our friends.

Lest we Forget (Part I)

"If I were an Arab leader, I would never sign an agreement with Israel. It is normal; we have taken their country. It is true God promised it to us, but how could that interest them? Our God is not theirs. There has been Anti-Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They see but one thing: we have come and we have stolen their country. Why would they accept that?"
David Ben Gurion (the first Israeli Prime Minister)

Kettle's Calling the Pot Black Again!

BBC NEWS Middle East US senator calls on Annan to quit

Who else but a Republican (or any other) senator would have the balls to call Annan a profiteer over the war. Where were these calls when we found out that the war in Iraq was based on a lie and the president stonewalled any effort to show otherwise? How's this? They're all dirty! They're all taking turns washing their feet in Iraqi blood.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Ukraine rivals seek end to crisis

BBC NEWS | Europe | Ukraine rivals seek end to crisis

Here's a bit of humor (unless you live in the region). A contested election, wide allegations of voter fraud, and our fearless leader (Bush) chiming in about 'free and fair'. After the last election, we've proven that the stupid truly lead the stupid. I think the pot actually called the kettle 'black!' this time.

Rice picked to be top US diplomat

Rice picked to be top US diplomat
So now we havew it. Powell leaves his post to prime himself for a 2008 presidential bid, and the Dragon Lady gets a promotion. Maybe Kerry will run again and go after Dean's famous 'Confederate flags on the pick-up truck' sect.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | The solution to Afghanistan's opium?

BBC NEWS | South Asia | The solution to Afghanistan's opium?
'Nuff said!

BBC NEWS | Americas | CIA whistleblower sees 'long war'

BBC NEWS | Americas | CIA whistleblower sees 'long war': "antagonism to the US was based on 'a specific set of US policies that have been in gear for 30 years and have not been reviewed, have not been debated, have not been questioned"

Here we go again. This time, at least, Kerry is mentioned as having his head up his ass as well. When politicians say things like 'they are attacking our way of life', they disregard everything. I'm sure some of them don't like our way of life. A lot of fundemental christians don't like our way of life. We have the same end result from 2 different angles. Bush, Clinton, and everyone else who had the power were dead wrong to back Isreal so fervently. If they really wanted to do some good, they would back off support of Isreal 100%; then they will have to deal with the Palistine issue on their own. If there is another war and Isreal wins, fine; if they lose, that's fine, too. America is supposed to be 'by the people, of the people, for the people', but when it comes to foriegn affairs, dollar signs supplant people without pause.

Another Letter to Michael Moore

I love getting your letters, but . . .
I sold my vote to ‘Beat Bush’ with a man that sounded an awful lot like him. I gave into the ‘somebody new’ argument when I could have voted my conscience and worked to build a party that truly reflected my beliefs. A Kerry supporter told me that a vote for Green this time around was a wasted vote – in light of what happened, I would argue that I really wasted my vote on Kerry.

Against My better Judgement

Against My better Judgement, I voted for Kerry. Yes, I am a Demo-holic. I was left with Kerry after the Democrats successfully removed my alternatives from the Ohio ballot, and pulled the same bullshit scare tactics Cheney-style (thanks, Al Franken!) to get the indies to go Democratic. In the mean while, we were all so focused on how bad Bush was that we didn't really care that Kerry was as good as we could put against him. Calls from Michael Moore to the tune of 'sure, he'a a dick, but he's our dick! Get 'em in there!' don't inspire much. So basically the xians got off their ass this time and voted their concience. We, on the other hand, didn't seem to have one.

Can't blame Nader this time - and in the meantime, third party activism has been set back 10 years.

Thank you Kerry, for being so god damned useless. You lost the race to the bottom - Republicrats this time around. Guess we'll all just lament the loss of our favorite Republican president - Bill Clinton.

An open letter to Micheal Moore

You and your friends have a lot to do the next four years. I would say that it’s pretty safe to say that Cheeny (intentional) won’t be elected president in 2008 (maybe), but I would say that it’s time to get to work and get things right this time.

1. It’s time for the Democrats to admit that Nader (or any other 3rd party) did not lose the election for Kerry.
This is very important. The dirty tricks they pulled to keep Nader off the ballot made me sick to my stomach, and it should have made every other Democrat sick, too. When I pulled the lever (pushed the button, really) for Kerry, that thought was foremost in my mind. This was the kind of maneuvering I would expect from the Republicans.

2. George Bush is not a moron.
Sure, he’s not too bright, but he and his appeal were vastly underrated.

3. It’s time to build real alliances with the real Left.
This election was not a referendum to elect Kerry; it was a referendum to beat Bush. If we’ve learned anything, that is not enough. The ‘somebody else’ message is not that powerful a motivator. Let’s face it; Kerry was not the man we needed to go against Bush; no matter what Al Franken says, Kerry voted for the war and the PATRIOT act. I saw your movie, by the way, and noted that NO senator had signed the petition to back the action Gore needed to challenge the election. That certainly included Kerry and Edwards. In fact, I would have been more motivated and excited if Dean (or Edwards) were on the ticket.

4. Educate the voter.
There was so much time and energy wasted on accusing one another about the voting irregularities that it seems no one made it an issue to make sure that people knew their rights and how to ensure them. Get in there and work on laws that make political advertising ON THE PUBLIC airwaves a required service of broadcasters. Shake a few cages, build up a real base, and make sure that the Republicans can’t pull another Florida because people know their rights! Imagine if moveon.org spent a few dollars in each state showing voters how to check their voter registration status?

5. The Democrats need to quit taking it laying down, or move out of the way.
There is a perceived race to the middle; it’s really a race to the right. Kerry wasn’t able to inspire the youth vote because he’s ‘one of them (politicians)’ and they know it. Clinton was able to inspire the slacker generation to get off their ass and into the polls.

6. Democrats need to truly embrace their liberal base.
The reason people vote Nader is because they believe as I do; the two party system is a sham. Bipartisanship is becoming to mean agreeing with the Republicans, and people see that for themselves. The only effort anyone made to the Nader folks was to eliminate him from the ballot in Ohio and try to in Florida. As I said before, it made me ashamed to vote for any Democrat. What the Democrats should be doing (and there’s no way in hell they are going to) is to talk to Nader and the Greens and pick up that undecided. The country was split down the middle with a great big bunch of registered folks still not going to the polls. I’m sure that some folks were just too damn lazy, but what if Kerry made a real effort to Nader to consolidate efforts and pick up those votes? If Nader got high minded and turned him down, Kerry could gain points by the effort alone.

7. Invite the 3rd parties to the debates.
Not all of them; just the ones that have 3% of the public’s ear. The Green Party speaks to people, and the Democrats basically told them to fuck themselves in a fashionable way. When I saw the write in results, I was a little ashamed to see that Nader got 0 votes, and Cobb of the Green Party got only 24. The Democrats knew full well that if Green or Nader were on that ballot in Ohio, they would lose the votes. So they fought hard to keep them off. The result? They stayed home

8. Stop lying about Nader and the Green Party.
I saw the Green Party web site; they sought (and even petitioned) Nader’s candidacy for the Green Ticket. When he decided to run as an independent, they indorsed their own candidate. The Greens did not keep their mouths shut to vote Kerry.

9. Get a message.
The Democrats are poised to be the new Republicans – it’s really time for a change. The left needs to get its message straight and stop looking to the Democrats for leadership. They have proven consistently since 1996 that they just don’t have it anymore to beat the Republicans. There should be a disillusionment scale – it could be used to measure the turnover rate of Democratic and Republican faith in their party. I am willing to bet that the slide looks a whole lot better on the Republican side. That’s because they pull it together when it’s time to go. They are willing to stand behind any dumbass to get where they want. The Left in general is too busy infighting, and when anyone starts making a little money, they forget who they are and protect their interests.

10. Drop the ‘Elitists’.
Okay; Kerry is probably less of an elitist than Bush, but not by much. Both of them are in that realm that makes real people strain their necks when they look up. And I’m sure you know this being from a blue collar family – people who have never had to want for anything don’t understand what it is to be poor, homeless, jobless, or laid off. I know that there are some senators and congress members that know what its all about.

----------------------------------------------

That’s all I have. Usually, my rants never get any further than my blog, but this time, I had to say something. Everyone’s walking around scratching their heads and wondering ‘what happened?’ Bush should have gone down like a sack of doorknobs. Instead, his presidency was actually legitimized, despite everything he and his cronies pulled. We need to make sure this does not happen again.

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Kerry admits US election defeat

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Kerry admits US election defeat

What was the point?
I can't say I'm disappointed. This time, they can't say that Nader spoiled the election. Kerry was just a weak candidate. It's like the Democrats didn't weally want to try to win, and gave up as soon they could. What a waste of time. Against my better judgement, I voted for Kerry. I will never vote Democrat again.

In case you didn't see this . . . .

Bush Quote
This may be his election to loose, but he sure is trying pretty hard to do so. This man is as out of touch with the American public as his father. Or maybe is dumbass country bumkin routine is an act (he did, after all go to Yale).

what barry says

what barry says
This is a really cool presentation, and reminds us all of why we are really in Iraq to day:

Welcome to the Project for the New American Century

It's a New World Order. Feeling secure yet?

Mother Jones: Howard Dean Interview

As usual, the Democrats would have all the left-leaning folks all the crap that the world will end if Bush II is re-elected, Cheney style. What I haven’t seen is any attempt on Kerry’s part to capture that elusive 3% Nader / Green vote. Instead, we get scare tactics and heavy-handed, very anti-democratic tactics to silence the dissenting voices. I for one am really sick of having to swallow my conscience, vote for the Democratic poster boy, then run for the toilet. That’s why I voted for Nader. That’s why I’ll likely vote Green again this year; might as well vote for the alternates before the Republicrats figure out a way to amend the constitution.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Florida 'to list Nader on ballot'

BBC NEWS | Americas | Florida 'to list Nader on ballot'

Democrats are running the same smear campaign against Nader that the Republicans are running against Kerry. It's really a shameful display of democracy!

What happens when the US kills Arab reporters

BBC NEWS Middle East Media spotlight on Baghdad deaths
With every passing day we as a country loose credibility and moral standing. No one in the world (including those deluding themselves) sees our presence as an occupation. Jello Biafra said 13 years ago - "Die, for oil, sucker. sucker. sucker." If Iraq is Orwell's 1984, who is Goldstein now? If 'It's not just about one man,' then Osama bin Laden is Eurasia. Guess they found Hussein too fast . . .

Powell will save us all!!

BBC NEWS Africa Powell declares genocide in Sudan
That was mighty white of him. Good thing the US genocide quota was met, otherwise there would be no reason to hear from the man.

Kerry and Bush play nice with the NRA

The New York Times > Washington > Effort to Renew Weapons Ban Falters on Hill

What a country we live in. Everyone knows that the ban would be extended with the stroke of Pres. Bush's pen, but there'sno way in hell he's going to cross the NRA. In the meantime, Kerry is going to wait until the day the day the ban passes, NOT BEFORE IT PASSES, to decry the failures of the Republican congress over the assault weapons ban. What we have here, citizens, is the typical leadership examples of the people 'we' put into power.

In the meantime, gun manufacturers are already taking advance orders on assault weapons. All of this because no one has the will of character to really stand up for what's right.

This country is home to some amazing contradictions:

• We fight abortion rights and sing 'Save the children while we roll back judicial progress to the 1800s so we can send teenagers to death row.
• We buy cars that average 17 mpg ON THE FREEWAY while complaining about high gas prices.
• We fight and die in a war for oil over a lie about weapons of mass destruction. We look in wonder as Iraqis tell us to go home after liberating them, as if they had forgotten Rumsfeld shaking the hand of Hussein while he executed his own people.
• We gasp in surprise of the fact that a madman nationalist uses the chemical weapons that we sell to him. And we pat ourselves on the back for making the world a safer place, when we are responsible for creating a monster (Al Queda - so we wouldn't get our hands dirty fighting the Russians in Afghanistan) and poking it with a stick.
• We have all but dismissed the Anthrax scare and the fact that it was most likely an 'inside' job.

All of this, and we start a 200 billion dollar war with a threat that grows like cancer and feeds on our rhetoric. I doubt that anyone in the middle east missed Bush's reference to the war on terror as a 'Crusade.'

It really is a wonder that anyone votes at all (but that certainly doesn't mean that you shouldn't!!!!!!)

References
http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/0919/p12s2-woeu.html

Extra Fries

I wish the TV wasn't here. I would buy a hat and pull it over my eyes and hide. God is dead and the end of the world is a hamburger with extra fries.

KR Washington Bureau | 09/01/2004 | Young Republicans support Iraq war, but not all are willing to join the fight

KR Washington Bureau | 09/01/2004 | Young Republicans support Iraq war, but not all are willing to join the fight
Kids, if you're willing to send someone else in harm's way, you'd better be willing to go yourself. If you're not willing to fight and die for your ideology, that's fine; few are. But you shouldn't pick a fight if you're not willing to get your nose bloody. One of the 'Young Republicans' stated that she would go "if there was another Sept. 11" . . . What's the problem? The first one wasn't enough?

George W Bush Speechwriter

George W Bush Speechwriter
This is too much fun! Too bad you can't put together a real 'Bushism'.

Judge Reverses Convictions in Detroit 'Terrorism' Case

The New York Times > National > Judge Reverses Convictions in Detroit 'Terrorism' Case


Here's an interesting bit of news . . . This little tidbit has been in the BBC for two days before the New York Times decided to let the rest of us in on it. The original BBC article (dated 9/1/04) can be found here. I'm sure that the NY Times didn't want to be seen as casting a shadow over the RNC, but the story of the PATRIOT Act (which Kerry voted for and Bush signed) screwing with someone's life AND BEING WRONG about it would garner some front page attention.
Overzealous prosecution is chided by the prosiding judge, Gerald E. Rosen:
"Although prosecutors and others entrusted with safeguarding us through the legal system clearly must be innovative and think outside the conventional envelope in enforcing the law and prosecuting terrorists, they must not act outside the Constitution . . . Unfortunately, that is precisely what has occurred in the course of this case."


These are really scary times anymore. Not only do we have to worry about terrorists, but we also have to worry about those people who are selected to protect us!

FahrenHype 9/11

I had not seen this one before: FahrenHype 9/11 . . .
This will be really good for a laugh! I have to figure out a way to see it without spending any money in support of it. In watching the promotional trailer, I hear a lot of emotional bullying, but not any substance. I suppose that if I were a Right-wing type, I would probably drool over myself to see this one (or at least show it during the RNC to get the message out). I'm sure it's as good as any other movie that goes straight to video.

I am disappointed, though. I do enjoy the antcs of Michael Moore (even though his begging Ralph Nader not to run on Bill Maher(?)'s show was heart breaking). But he is not the Messiah. His movies are reflections of his opinions, illustrated by his skills as a director. But the facts of his movies are just that; facts. I never believe anything I see without a reference, so when I read his books I track down those references and read the source.

Newbie!

Forever and a day I swore to myself I would start a blog. I'm usually to busy to sit and write, but now I will make a real effort. In the meantime, I suggest getting your news from the BBC; everyone on this side of the pond is lying to you. Make it your home page; I promise you will spend an hour at least on the cross-referencing each day.