Rep. Cunningham pleads guilty: Now if we can only get the rest of the GOP to admit it.

CNN.com - Rep. Cunningham pleads guilty to tax violations - Nov 28, 2005: "Rep. Randy 'Duke' Cunningham pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and tax charges and tearfully resigned from office, admitting he took $2.4 million in bribes to steer defense contracts to conspirators."

It's a good day for the American people. A guilty son of a gun gets a little comeupance, we get to see what the GOP are like when they're in power a little bit more clearly, and a grown man cries on TV because he feels sorry for himself.

I'm sure nothing will happen to him and he'll walk away clean (because in our justice system, a Federal Gov't Official who takes bribes is somehow less of a criminal than someone who smokes pot), but today is almost nice enough to make you forget all that.

An Open Letter To Republican Vet

Mr. Vet,

I see that you've got a bone to pick with me and comment moderation. Allow me to elucidate:

You've made a point of coming to my site and leaving comments that are inordinately long and often irrelevant and abusive (emphasis on abusive). Comment moderation is a good way for me to prevent you from posting a litany of ramblings and ad hominem attacks in the comments section.

I'm more than happy to post well thought out comments of yours . . . even some of your not so well thought out comments. But, there are many comments that you leave that are just vicious and irrelevant. Those have no place here.

I view it exactly the same way as allowing someone to start a physical fight with you in your own house: it's just wrong. End of story. You're entitled to your opinion, yes. But, you have no entitlement to post it here in an abusive way. Predictably, the way that you've chosen to deal with our disagreements is through insane and threatening tomes that are irrelavent at best and totally illogical at worst. On my site, those kinds of posts must be moderated: it violates the conditions of civil discourse I would like to maintain on my site.

Once you consistently comment civilly, then I'll be happy to consider deactivating moderation.

On a second note, you seem to suffer under the insane dellusion that liberals ("libtards" as you call them -- no doubt an indication of your sensitivity to mental illness) admire you. To better contextualize this for you, it's important to point out that your viewpoint on the world is extreme at best and just plain inaccurate and dangerous to all of mankind at worst. That said, this isn't a liberal vs. conservative thing. It's a "Republican Vet is very wrong and unable to deal with nuance" thing and needs to be corrected. I don't know a single conservative who has read your blog and thought that your writings represent anything other than the rantings of a madman. You aren't a true conservative. You're a religious fundamentalist and an extremist hiding behind the GOP and military -- giving both a terrible name in the process.

Suffice it to say, this is why you're moderated around here and this is why I'm inclined to speak out against you.

Best,

Laurence

Bullschmidt: When a choice of words is a lie.

Schmidt in war of words:

"Three days after Rep. Jean Schmidt was booed off the House floor for saying that 'cowards cut and run, Marines never do,' the Ohioan she quoted disputed the comments.

Danny Bubp, a freshman state representative who is a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve, told The Enquirer that he never mentioned Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., by name when talking with Schmidt, and he would never call a fellow Marine a coward."

We now beginning to see the patterns of behavior with the GOP in it's truest most native form:

1. Act first, think second.
2. Lie, and hope no one catches you.
3. Hypocrisy isn't something the GOP pays attention to. At all.

But this is truly the best part; this is what she said after being sworn in:

"'I pledge to walk in the shoes of my colleagues and refrain from name-calling or the questioning of character,' Schmidt said then. 'It is easy to quickly sink to the lowest form of political debate. Harsh words often lead to headlines, but walking this path is not a victimless crime. This great House pays the price.'"

It warms my heart to know that the tactics and the ruthless, self-serving nature of the GOP is truly being laid bare for all to see. Thank you Jean Schmidt. Thank you very much.

Dishonest, huh?

Cheney: Some Iraq Critics Are 'Dishonest' - Yahoo! News: "At the same time, Cheney pressed the administration's high-voltage attack on war critics, particularly Senate Democrats who voted in October 2002 to give Bush authority to go to war in Iraq and who now oppose his policy, calling them 'dishonest and reprehensible.'

'The flaws in the intelligence are plain enough in hindsight. But any suggestion that prewar information was distorted, hyped or fabricated by the leader of the nation is utterly false,' Cheney said in a speech to the American Enterprise Institute."

That's totally awesome! I love how the Bush adminsitration can be lying and then lie and totally turn the tables and make everyone else dishonest too. It's like, when they say that the left is lying, everyone on the right totally believes it with all their hearts -- even though the only proof he's got is that he says he didn't lie. Whereas when democrats say that he lied, they've got the fact that they manipulated everything from intelligence to the media to make a case for war on their side.

It's totally crazy in GOP land. Up is down. Right is left. Blue is green. And liars tell the truth.

Even Better Words From Murtha

Murtha Says Americans Agree With Him - Yahoo! News:

"Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio, spoke on the House floor Friday about a phone call she got from a Marine colonel who said, 'cowards cut and run, Marines never do.' Asked about it, Murtha called the comment ridiculous.

'You can't spin this. You've got to have a real solution,' Murtha said. 'This is not a war of words, this is a war.'"

He's absolutely right. Republicans would rather save face by having meaningless votes and making speeches instead of trying to solve the problem at hand. They need to acknowledge that Bush has no idea what he's doing and that there's a mess that needs to be cleaned up. Not politics. Just facts.

Murtha Says it Best

Murtha Says Americans Agree With Him - Yahoo! News: "'We cannot win this militarily. Our tactics themselves keep us from winning,' Murtha said."

Love Love Love . . . Hate Hate Hate

Falwell fighting for holy holiday / He'll sue, boycott groups he sees as muzzling Christmas:

"Evangelical Christian pastor Jerry Falwell has a message for Americans when it comes to celebrating Christmas this year: You're either with us, or you're against us.

Falwell has put the power of his 24,000-member congregation behind the 'Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign,' an effort led by the conservative legal organization Liberty Counsel. The group promises to file suit against anyone who spreads what it sees as misinformation about how Christmas can be celebrated in schools and public spaces."

Christianity is a religion of tolerance and acceptance. It preaches love and compassion. Until it kicks your ass and tears your head off when you disagree with it you sons of bitches! I'm taking you to court!

When Facts Matter

TIME.com: Getting the Lowdown on Iraq -- Nov. 28, 2005 -- Page 1:

"According to two sources with knowledge of the meeting, the Army and Marine officers were blunt. In contrast to the Pentagon's stock answer that there are enough troops on the ground in Iraq, the commanders said that they not only needed more manpower but also had repeatedly asked for it. Indeed, military sources told Time that as recently as August 2005, a senior military official requested more troops but got turned down flat. There are about 160,000 U.S. troops now in Iraq, a number U.S. commanders in the region plan to maintain at least through the Iraqi national assembly elections on Dec. 15."

So, who are going to believe? Pentagon politicos or troops on the ground? We've suspected that Iraq was done on the cheap, and now we're beginning to see that it's absolutely true. Of course, it depends on who you want to believe.

Corruption Is Why Republicans Win: Except When They Lose

Corruption Inquiry Threatens to Ensnare Lawmakers - New York Times:

"The Justice Department has signaled for the first time in recent weeks that prominent members of Congress could be swept up in the corruption investigation of Jack Abramoff, the former Republican superlobbyist who diverted some of his tens of millions of dollars in fees to provide lavish travel, meals and campaign contributions to the lawmakers whose help he needed most."

This is bribery. If proven, it'll be exactly what the country, and indeed the world will need to see and know about the Republican party: it no longer has a soul. The republicans have sold themselves out to the highest bidder, and the people of this country are calling them out on it. Democrats are definitely a part of this too. But this systemic corruption is ingrained in the fiber of the Rebpulican party. They have no other way of doing business these days because they've so totally lost their way (their morals, their sense of what's right), that they can't win without cheating.

They justify it by saying that it's what's right anyway and that everyone else is just complaining. To me, that sounds an aweful lot like people who are more comfortable in a totalitarian state than people who are familiar with democracy.

Let's hope the truth comes out. Let's hope that the GOP is finally exposed for the coorporate, anti-small-guy party that it truly is.

Civil War

House GOP Seeks Quick Veto of Iraq Pullout - Yahoo! News:

"Aware of the scene unfolding across Capitol Hill, Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record), R-Va., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, appealed for 'bipartisanship on the war in Iraq, instead of more political posturing.'"

We all have a common interest here. Why is this being escalated to infighting. Democrats want whats best for our country and so do republicans. We disagree about how this is done. It doesn't mean we need to end civil discourse in government and duke it out 1850s style. We need to remember what it was like when people could work together without being called traitors. We need to come back to the table and to the center and work together.

It's fine when I, or other people who are basically uninolved in these issues get nasty. But when our legislators can't keep it together . . . what the hell is the matter with these people?

Holy Educational Values!

Vatican Official Refutes Intelligent Design - Yahoo! News:

"The Vatican's chief astronomer said Friday that 'intelligent design' isn't science and doesn't belong in science classrooms, the latest high-ranking Roman Catholic official to enter the evolution debate in the United States.

The Rev. George Coyne, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, said placing intelligent design theory alongside that of evolution in school programs was 'wrong' and was akin to mixing apples with oranges."

I beginning to really like Catholics. These guys really know what's up (no pun intended). The thing that's frustrating about all of this stuff is that it's really led by the fundamentalists that are home-grown. They're looking more towards the James Dobsons of the world for guidance on this one . . . which doesn't leave me much hope for schools in those states that decide to teach superstitions instead of science.

The Devil You Know . . . May Not Be the Devil At All

Lexington | Saint Patrick | Economist.com:

"For the past two years the Republican noise machine has been remarkably quiet about Mr Fitzgerald. Now Republicans are starting to crank up the volume against the man from Chicago, accusing him of suffering from an advanced case of “special prosecutor disease”, suggesting that he doesn't know the difference between a legal technicality such as perjury and a real crime, and even suggesting that he has political leanings."

The Economist does a spectacular job of pinning down the conservative hypocrisy at play with the whole Plame-gate affair. They point out the most egregious violations with particular eloquence:

"The third handicap for Republicans is that their arguments during the Lewinsky affair may be thrown back in their faces. How can they moan that Mr Fitzgerald has broadened his inquiry well beyond the original leak, when they supported [Kenneth] Starr's leap from dodgy land deals to oral sex? How can they say that perjury and obstruction of justice are technicalities when, during the Lewinsky affair, they declared that “perjury and obstruction of justice are high crimes and misdemeanours” (Senator Bill Frist) and that “perjury and obstruction of justice are crimes against the state” (Senator Sam Brownback)?"

The above is the reason why this whole investigation has me so gob-smacked; who could ask for anything better but to watch Repbulicans be boiled in their own pudding. They are the ones who championed the leap-frog technicality prosecution (as they call it), and now they have to suffer through their own. But what makes it all the more astounding is that Fitzgerald isn't the partisan the Kenneth Starr was. Moreover, Fitzgerald has been so dignified that he hasn't gone out of his way to grandstand the way that Kenneth Starr did during the whole Lewinsky affair.

I just can't believe that the GOP just walked right into this.

Budget Bris

House Republicans Eke Out Budget Cut - Yahoo! News:

"House Republicans sweated out a victory on a major budget cut bill in the wee hours Friday, salvaging a major pillar of their agenda despite divisions within the party and nervousness among moderates that the vote could cost them in next year's elections.

The bill, passed 217-215 after a 25-minute-long roll call, makes modest but politically painful cuts across an array of programs for the poor, students and farmers."

Good to know that when Repbulicans put their mind to it, they can always find programs for citizens who need assistance and cut it. Rather than address the real problems: that in the past decade alone there has been a nearly a tenfold increase of pork projects in a decade. And Bush has yet to veto a single one. This year alone there have been 13,997 pork projects and Bush has signed every single one of them.

If there is an upside to all of this, it really does show that the only compassionate conservative is a centrist Democrat. Rather than do the hard thing (stop/rescind the pork that Republicans have been legislating now for the past ten years), they cynicaly cut programs for people who have the greatest need.

This all goes back to the short-sightedness of the Republican party: they'd rather build a $400 million prison that costs $40K per prisoner per year to run than a $50 million drug treatment facility that costs $20K per person per year that would preempt the need for a prison at all. It's their philosophy: act now, think about the consequences later. You can see it in everything that they do, everywhere they go. Their legacy is bad planning, destruction of the world around us, and misery to the working man.

Politicians Are So Full of . . . Money

Lawmakers Acted on Heels of Abramoff Gifts - Yahoo! News:


"While Congress investigated Jack Abramoff's efforts to win influence inside government, its members held a secret: Nearly three dozen lawmakers pressed to block a Louisiana Indian casino while collecting large donations from the lobbyist and his tribal clients."

This effects both sides of the aisle, but the influence peddling makes me sick. How is money for access fair in government? Are my interests so much more minor than that of someone who has more money than me?

Why isn't this just called what it is: bribery. The only difference here is that it's been legalized. I know that we're never going to get past the fact that some people have more money than others, but our country is rapidly falling down the slope of corruption. There is too much "money for access" & "money for action" politics being practiced these days . . . I mean, ultimately, any amount of it is just plain wrong.

Shame on you Harry Ried.

Diamonds Are Forever Creating War

'Conflict diamonds' keep fuelling Africa wars - Yahoo! News:

"Trading in 'conflict diamonds' continues to help fund wars in Africa despite a certification system intended to root it out, a British non-governmental group said at the close of a meeting of diamond-trading countries in Moscow."

I wouldn't buy a diamond. Ever. This one's too easy to avoid.

Companies Before People: It's the Republican Way!

CNN.com - Protection for vaccine makers debated - Nov 16, 2005: "People injured by a vaccine against bird flu or anthrax would have to prove willful misconduct to bring a claim for damages against drug manufacturers or distributors, according to legislation being drafted behind the scenes by Republicans.

A 10-page draft of the legislation obtained by The Associated Press says it would be up to the Health and Human Services secretary to declare that such misconduct occurred. If that declaration is made, the case must be heard in federal court.

The measure, which would be included in a spending bill, would bar any punitive damages and limit awards for physical and emotional pain and suffering and other noneconomic damages to a maximum of $250,000."

What more can I say. It's just another example of how Republicans sell you down the river for campaign contributions.

Oil For Food & Money for Access

Oil execs met Cheney task force: WP - Yahoo! News:


Cheney suffers one of his typical mild heart attacks during an award ceremony.

"A White House document shows oil executives met with Vice President
Dick Cheney's 2001 energy task force which critics say secretly formed energy policy favorable to the industry, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

The document, obtained this week by the newspaper, shows that officials from four major oil companies met in the White House complex with Cheney aides who were formulating the Bush administration's energy policy, the report said."

Surprise Surprise. Two oil men in the government and they're meeting with Oil excutives to decide energy policy? And now they're up in arms that because of the way they crafted energy policy -- a policy that resulted in huge windfall profits?

Of course, the idiotic solution they've cobbled together is a "windfall profit tax." See, this is the thing that you can always count on politicians for: no foresight at all.

A Message From Laurence On Lying

I've noticed a lot of hullabaloo on other blogs about how president Bush didn't lie, and how congress had access to the same information that the president did, and how with that information they all unequivocally voted for war with Saddam Huss . . . er, Iraq.

I'd like to take this time to say that it's possible that Bush didn't lie. I'll concede that. But then those who are convinced that he didn't lie face the alternative that he's just a plain bad leader with bad judgement.

"Why does he have to be a bad leader? Certainly better than a lilly-livered Democrat, right?" You ask. Well, because a good leader would have paid attention to the dissenting voices in his own country, his own party, and the world.

Bush was right, sometimes the unpopular thing to do is the right thing: and nothing could be more true when it comes to your own party, loaded with Neo-cons trying to egg you into a war that on balance serves no purpose.

The key thing in that phrase was "on balance." What that means is that the amount you lose is as much or greater than what you gain. So let's do a little of the devil's math, shall we?

1. Liberated Iraq from a Dictator - Very Good
2. Attempting to set up a democracy - Good
3. Ended the administration of a corrupt Oil-for-Food program - Good
4. Asserted our power in the middle east - Jury is still out
5. Opened up a huge window for religious infighting - Not good
6. Accidentally facilitated the creation of "Al Qaeda in Iraq" - Bad
7. In the process of liberating Iraq, killed as many civillians as their Dictator had - Accidental, But Still Bad
8. Perpetuated an image of the US that we're always getting into wars without end - Accidental, But Very Bad
9. Alienated our closest allies and replaced them with less strategic or financially secure allies - Bad
10. Diverted valuable resources away from fighting "the real" war on terror and instead created another front for the war on terror that didn't previously exist - Very Bad

I could go on. So when I say Bush is a liar, it's actually kind of a compliment because the alternative is to say that he's just a fucking idiot without a game plan.

Of course, this ignores the fact that the whole run-up to the war was a political sham that attempted to silence or smear credible critics of the "plan." So, in the sense that Bush & Co. made obvious and deliberate attempts to forcefully shut people up, I also think it's fair to conclude that he lied.

So in the end, I'd have to say that Bush is a lying idiot. K?

Republicans: Breaking Laws Daily for You & Me!

Report Says Ex-Chief of Public TV Violated Federal Law - New York Times:

"The corporation's former chairman, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, who was ousted from the board two weeks ago when it was presented in a closed session with the details of the report, has said he sought to enforce a provision of the Public Broadcasting Act meant to ensure objectivity and balance in programming.

But the report said that in the process, Mr. Tomlinson repeatedly crossed statutory boundaries that set up the corporation as a 'heat shield' to protect public radio and television from political interference.

The report said he violated federal law by being heavily involved in getting more than $4 million for a program featuring the conservative editorial writers of the Wall Street Journal. It said he imposed a 'political test' to recruit a new president. And it said his decision to hire Republican consultants to defeat legislation violated contracting rules."

Gosh, if only we could all be so noble as to have to break laws in order to straighten out that vile public broadcasting entity. I think the problem with Republicans is that they interpret disagreement or at least disharmony with their own views, as being indicative of a bias that needs to be corrected. That's why they're always ranting and raving about the liberal media (when, if you look at the last five years, the media has been quite a cheerleader for Bush & Co.). Do I take that to be bias? Maybe.

What I can say about the CPB is this: if it wasn't political biased before, it is most certainly headed for political bias now. With the addition of political litmus tests for promotion (that Republicans seem to hate in their judges, that's for sure), threats to withhold funding if certain shows with a certain obvious political bias aren't picked up, and bringing in partisan consultants to meddle with programming, there is now most certainly the makings of political bias.

Reminds Me of Communism

Philosophers Notwithstanding, Kansas School Board Redefines Science - New York Times:

"The old definition reads in part, 'Science is the human activity of seeking natural explanations for what we observe in the world around us.' The new one calls science 'a systematic method of continuing investigation that uses observation, hypothesis testing, measurement, experimentation, logical argument and theory building to lead to more adequate explanations of natural phenomena.'"

Sure, and while you're at it, why not redefine what winning a war means, or what literacy means, or what the definition of money is. Honestly, I feel sorry for the people of Kansas. What they don't realize is that they're putting their kids at a disadvantage to everyone in the world who actually believes in reality. Where is the end to all this? Is it just plain religion in schools? Why not open Taliban-style schools where all they can learn is bible study? If that's what the people of Kansas want, then why not? Fuck em.

Hopefully they'll be back to dirt roads, no electricty or running water within the next 50 years . . . and we won't have to worry about them voting then either.

What The Hell? Condoms Actually ARE Effective?!

MoJo Blog:

"The Food and Drug Administration has released a 63-page report that declares, among other things, that latex condoms are effective in preventing pregnancy and in reducing the risk of infection from sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS.
The report will form the basis on new condom packaging in the United States.

The F.D.A.'s report also concludes that latex condoms are less effective against genital herpes, syphillis, and the human papillomavirus than they are against potential pregnancy and other STD's. The human papillomavirus--the leading cause of cervical cancer--has become the subject of a new right-wing campaign to 'protect' girls from being sexually active. There is now a vaccine that can be given to protect against the human papillomavirus, and it is expected to be submitted to the F.D.A. for approval soon. However, it is most effective when given to pre-teen girls, which has some conservatives in a dither. "

Of course it has conservatives in a dither: conservatives are anti-human. It appears to be there goal to have no one ever have sex (unless they've been married by a Christian organization), and that if they must have sex, that they have the most dangerous sex possible (and by that I don't mean using knives, handguns, or grenades -- all of which, incidentally, conservatives consider to be "protection").

So wait, if the FDA considers these items to be effective, should we be teaching our kids this stuff in public school? Nope. Why would we teach kids reality and truth when there's a whole world of "little ring thing" and "intelligent design" we can teach which makes your child (and our future, lest we forget) into a syphilitic, superstitious ignoramous?

Irresponsible is Going to War Without Checking Facts

Bush Takes Fresh Shot at Iraq War Critics - Yahoo! News:
"President Bush, heading to Asia with hopes of improving his image on the world stage, hurled a parting shot at Iraq war critics on Monday, accusing some Democrats of 'sending mixed signals to our troops and the enemy.'

'That is irresponsible,' Bush said in prepared remarks he planned to deliver to U.S. forces during a refueling stop in Alaska."

No, I'd say irresponsible is lying to the American public and then trying to blackmail everyone in the world by saying that if they disagree with the premise of the war and dare to investigate it that they're trying to hurt America. On the contrary, these are people who think that if your reputation is shit, it doesn't really matter what you say. I'm one of those people. Our reputation in the world has been demolished because of this administration.

Some may claim it's because certain politicians are trying to tear our country apart for their own political gain . . . and I couldn't agree more. It's just that Republicans are the culprits. They've spent their time trying to make anyone who disagrees with them seem like a traitor . . . instead of what they truly are: a voice of reason.

In this world, you can't expect that lying and cover-ups will go unnoticed for long. Unfortunately for us as a nation, we'll all pay the price with our credibility in the world.

Thanks a lot, GWB.

Unreasonable Expectations

Big Drug Makers See Sales Decline With Their Image - New York Times:

"'I think there is an overall unreasonable expectation right now that there is such a thing as a risk-free drug,' said Sidney Taurel, chief executive of Eli Lilly & Company."

I think that there is an apparent overall unreasonable expectation that when you take an arthritis drug that you shouldn't have your heart explode a year later. The expectation is that drug companies should make drugs that solve "relatively minor" ailments (as defined by not being life threating and not incapacitating) with drugs that don't cure you by killing you.

What's most annoying about this is that the big drug companies protest universal drug benefits by saying that it would take away from all the wonderful inovation we've come to expect from these companies; what inovation is that? The 24 allergy pill? The 12 hour arthritis pill?

These companies have incentive to create drugs that help the most amount of people for the least amount of research that they can sell at the highest price. That turns out not to be drugs that they claim they'd stop bothering to produce if prices on prescription drug prices were lower (because they're not researching those drugs in the first place). Much of the founding research for the truly miracle drugs occurs at universities, not at these companies.

I don't think they're all bad, these drug companies. I just tend to think that they're selling the image of a miracle and not the miracle itself.

More Santorum: Does This Guy Live in America?

The Diddly Awards:

"Santorum boasted of his knowledge of 'our founding documents' before hitting upon the precise phrase to describe what is destroying the land [America]: 'the pursuit of happiness.'"

Who is trying to destroy America?

GWB Doesn't Lie . . . He Just Doesn't Know Anything

White House declines to totally rule out torture - Yahoo! News:
"In an important clarification of President George W. Bush's earlier statement, a top White House official refused to unequivocally rule out the use of torture, arguing the US administration was duty-bound to protect Americans from terrorist attack."

So, is this lying? Or is it a clarification. When I took symbolic logic, I learned that statements like these were considered logical contridictions . . . in other words, these two ideas (both that We do not torture, and that we do torture where necessary), are incompatible logical statements, and when combined lead to a logical impossibility. Since they're being said by the same administration it is fair to say that either:

a) they're liars.
b) they're really really stupid.
c) they're both stupid and liars.

Nevermind the fact that torture is basically worthless as an intelligence gather technique, this should probably be giving us an indication of the competence of this administration (i.e. none).

War on Terror: Mission Accomplished . . .

CNN.com - 'Bomber confession' shocks Jordan - Nov 14, 2005:

"The televised confession of an Iraqi woman -- accused of planning to be the fourth suicide bomber in last week's deadly attacks in Amman -- has shocked Jordanians, with some expressing joy over her capture and others venting anger over her plans."

Wait . . . okay, just wait a second here. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but Iraq most certainly did not export terrorists to other countries, right? They weren't like Afghanistan, in the sense that they were training terrorists and then sending them all over the world to kill people. They may have had a dictator who took out his frustrations on Kurds and anyone else who was in his way, but he didn't export terrorists that killed totally innocent and uninvolved people. Iraq wasn't founded on re-establishing an Islamic Caliphate, intent on a unified Islamic goverment for all Muslims in the middle east.

But now they are. Nice strategy George. Really worked wonders. I feel safer because of it . . . how about you?

Republicans: Making Flippy Floppy

Beaver County Times Allegheny Times - News - 11/13/2005 - Santorum: Don't put intelligent design in classroom:

"U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum said Saturday that he doesn't believe that intelligent design belongs in the science classroom.

Santorum's comments to The Times are a shift from his position of several years ago, when he wrote in a Washington Times editorial that intelligent design is a 'legitimate scientific theory that should be taught in the classroom.'"

Hey! It turns out that Republicans are politicians too: they know a fair weather friend (and cause) when they see one. Now that Rick Santorum realizes that the majority of people in PA perhaps aren't enamored of living in the "Judeo-Christian Only" education system he favor(ed), and the theocracy that seemed to be not far behind that, he seems to have changed his tune.

The fact is, you can almost always count on a politician's self-preservation to kick in when he realizes he's got a stupid idea . . . too bad "almost always" doesn't include GWB.

What is the definition of "is"? How about the word "liar"?

Asterisks Dot White House's Iraq Argument:

"Bush and his aides had access to much more voluminous intelligence information than did lawmakers, who were dependent on the administration to provide the material. And the commissions cited by officials, though concluding that the administration did not pressure intelligence analysts to change their conclusions, were not authorized to determine whether the administration exaggerated or distorted those conclusions."

<...>

"the only committee investigating the matter in Congress, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, has not yet done its inquiry into whether officials mischaracterized intelligence by omitting caveats and dissenting opinions"

<...>

"there were doubts within the intelligence community not included in the NIE [National Intelligence Estimate]. And even the doubts expressed in the NIE could not be used publicly by members of Congress because the classified information had not been cleared for release."

<...>

"Bush, in his speech Friday, said that 'it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began.' But in trying to set the record straight, he asserted: 'When I made the decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Congress approved it with strong bipartisan support.'

The October 2002 joint resolution authorized the use of force in Iraq, but it did not directly mention the removal of Hussein from power."

So, the fact is that our politicians are lazy, and our president is basically a liar. He and his cronies have made it their business to lie to us, be shown to be liars, and then lie to us again to cover up their initial lies. The sadest thing is that when Bush and his cronies lie to us, it ultimately ends up destroying a national park, killing the men and women of this country, or killing other innocent people elsewhere around the world.

That's not to say that everyone who has been killed since the beginning of time was innocent (my zealous literal republican friends), it just means that at some point, you need to actually figure out the equation of what it's all worth, and ask yourself: how much bad must you do in order to do good? And who gets to decide?

But I digress, the fact is that the Bush administration is a den of liars; a den of liars that will happily lie to you and me about anything to save their own skin.

Just a bunch of goddamn liars.

Global Warming Doesn't Exist Unless Fox Reports On It

calendarlive.com: Fox News displays a green side:

"It's no surprise that environmental activists Laurie David and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are involved in a new documentary about global warming airing this Sunday. But the fact that the special was produced by Fox News is more unexpected."

During an election year, when you can actually make a real policy shift (i.e. kick out republicans who'd rather sell the environment than protect it), Fox decides that they'd rather not tackle the issue that literally effects every human being on this earth, and would rather focus on, well, cheerleading the doofus. Now, when it's too late and republicans control all the branches of government (TAKE THAT LIBERAL MEDIA THOUGHT CONTROL MACHINE!), they decide that maybe there is in fact a serious climate change going on. Too bad it's going to fall on deaf ears in this government: do you realize that the largest donors to the republican party are the industries most responsible for polluting and poisoning our earth?

The problem is the people, policy, and party. Too little too late Fox. Go back to talking about throwing medals away or patriotism, flag burning, or needing more Christianity in our public schools . . . your audience has no interest in anything but the most meaningless, ethereal and insignificant issues in the world in the most intangible and superfluous ways.

Empty Promise Administration . . . Now With No Follow-through

FEMA Has Yet to Reopen No-Bid Contracts - Yahoo! News: "Despite a month-old pledge, the
Federal Emergency Management Agency has yet to reopen four of its biggest no-bid contracts for Hurricane Katrina work and won't do so until the contracts are virtually complete. A promise to hire more minority-owned firms also is largely unfulfilled."

wait . . . they haven't had a plan for follow through since the get-go on anything . . .

Honesty Update: Administration Not Honest Says America

Poll: Most Americans Say Bush Not Honest - Yahoo! News:

"Almost six in 10 now say Bush is not honest, and a similar number say his administration does not have high ethical standards."

So, according to the latest AP-Ipsos poll, Bush and his administration of loony liars aren't exactly earning the public trust these days. Not much of a surprise given that they are dishonest, untrustworthy, and interested only in pushing their agenda right or wrong.

The hilarious claim that Bush is now making (democrats are re-writing history) could only be made by the Bush Administration. News Flash fellas: when you lie about the facts to begin with, the only part that will be recorded in history will be that you were a liar; the lies you told won't be recorded as the accurate history, no matter how much you stamp your feet, pound your desk, or continue to lie to us.

On the positive side, all this understandible outrage against the adminstration may carry over into mid-terms next year and really make these extremist republicans pay the price.

Sadly, experience would lead me to believe that the Democratic leadership won't be able to to focus on what is true and create what it is that they need in order to succeed:

1. The current leadership misled us all. Passing the buck by saying that "I too was misled" is not what a president does. Republicans, in their leadership roles, should pay the price for that: swift exit from office.

2. Democrats must have a plan that doesn't abandon the Iraqi people, but doesn't sink us further into the 7th level of hell that's Iraq.

3. Democrats must affirm that they're not going to legislate morality and religion.

4. Democrats must re-affirm that, in fact, they are the party of the fiscally responsible and won't continue this out-of-control deficit spending. Clinton honed this skill in the party, and it's beginning to show that Republicans are the party of "large-as-hell-big-brother government."

5. Democrats are truly a party that's interested in a unified America, not a party that thrives on fear, deception, and a country divided.

A Loving, God-Fearing Man

CNN.com - Robertson warns Pennsylvania voters of God's wrath - Nov 10, 2005:

"Conservative Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson told citizens of a Pennsylvania town that they had rejected God by voting their school board out of office for supporting 'intelligent design' and warned them Thursday not to be surprised if disaster struck."

What "uniters" the leaders of the Christian right are. Truly a tolerant and accepting bunch. Perhaps the Dover schoolboard should have run on the platform, "Vote for us, or go to HELL! Seriously."

What a wacko.

Seeing the Light

CNN.com - House suspends Alaska drilling push - Nov 10, 2005:

"A solid phalanx of Republican moderates drove House GOP leaders to drop a hotly contested plan to open an Alaskan wilderness area to oil drilling as a sweeping budget bill headed toward a vote Thursday.

A plan to allow states to lift a moratorium on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts was also axed."

We always knew they were there: moderates. People who are capable of recognizing that once you ruin a part of the country by drilling for oil, you've ruined it forever. Maybe also people that realize that drilling in ANWR is just a gift to the oil industry and a kick in the teeth to future generations: it's not going to lower oil prices; it's not going to get us any further energy security.

Perhaps they realize that energy security comes from good, old-fashioned, inovation. The oil economy needs to be ended. We need to become renewable.

Republicans Care About Our National Security

Senator Seeks to Defer Probe of CIA Prison Leak:

"The chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence told Senate leaders yesterday that Congress should hold off on a probe of the disclosure of classified information on secret prisons to The Washington Post until the Justice Department completes its own inquiry.

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) said he will 'respectfully' request that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) back off a strongly worded request that a bicameral investigation into the disclosure be convened immediately. Frist spokeswoman Amy Call said the majority leader had not decided how to respond. 'He always takes what his chairmen say into consideration,' she said."

I'm noticing a trend here: the GOP doesn't really want to investigate matters of national security. Isn't this what they ran on? Isn't this their bread and butter? The GOP is so full of shit.

Out of Touch? Look Who's Talking

'Intelligent-design' school board ousted in Penn - Yahoo! News:

"Voters on Tuesday ousted a Pennsylvania local school board that promoted an 'intelligent-design' alternative to teaching evolution, and elected a new slate of candidates who promised to remove the concept from science classes.

The board of Dover Area School District in south-central Pennsylvania lost eight of its nine incumbents in an upset election that surprised even the challengers, who had been hoping for a bare majority to take control of the board."

Looks like our Republican friends are the ones who are out of step with their neighbors. Their scary, "Jesus will kill you if you don't love him and study the bible in school," way of jamming their values down our throats has been voted out of office. Thankfully. Good to know that some people still believe in democracy.

New Leak in Washington Post: Lott Sums it Up

Eschaton: "Money quote from Lott; 'We can not remain silent. We have met the enemy, and it is us.'"

Honesty, Family Values, Decency and Integrity: Scooter Libby

Scooter Libby novel becomes hot online item - Yahoo! News:

"'Wow, who would have thought that clean living, family values man Scooter Libby was capable of writing such filth,' said one reviewer on Amazon. Another Amazon reviewer noted its 'lavish dollops of voyeurism, bestiality, pedophilia and corpse robbery.'"

Not that I give a shit about Christian values, but I can't believe the crap/pseudo-morality that republicans try to legislate, while when they feel like people aren't watching, they're right up there with the "worst of the worst" (in the morality police sense, of course).

They just make me sick.

Republicans Fail the People And The World

US intel on Iraq-Qaeda ties 'intentionally misleading': document - Yahoo! News: "US military intelligence warned the Bush administration as early as February 2002 that its key source on Al-Qaeda's relationship with Iraq had provided 'intentionally misleading' data, according to a declassified report."

The Bush Admin was so zealous in their desire to go to war, they never thought about the fact that they were writing bad checks to the rest of the world: proving to them now that the administration was just lying. Go on, lie lie lie. lie lie lie lie lie lie lie. lie lie lie.

Apparently it's what this administration has been the best at. Integrity and honor, huh? If this is honor and integrity . . . then I don't think we want it.

Bush Admin Doesn't Lie: Read What He Says

Revision Thing (Harpers.org):

"Revision Thing: A history of the Iraq war, told entirely in lies"

This is a brilliant piece in Harpers that should illustrate the right wing dillusion pretty clearly. It definitely gives you a sense of how strongly partisan you must be in order to believe a word any senior republican says these days: with only their words to tell the story of Iraq, we're left with an image that not only does not, but cannot be reality.

We Don't Torture When We Torture.

Bush Declares: 'We Do Not Torture' - Yahoo! News: "PANAMA CITY, Panama -
President Bush vigorously defended U.S. interrogation practices in the war on terror Monday and lobbied against a congressional drive to outlaw torture.

'There's an enemy that lurks and plots and plans and wants to hurt America again,' Bush said. 'So you bet we will aggressively pursue them but we will do so under the law.'

He declared, 'We do not torture.'"

This is the thing that irks me about this: even if we did allow torture, it has been proven over and over again to do nothing for intelligence gathering. In fact, it's been shown that torture really only assures that people will say whatever it is that they can to get you to stop torturing them. How is it that we, as a nation, can hold our head high when we're unwilling to do what it takes to be a country that has the highest moral ground.

I Always Feel Like, Somebody's Watching Me

The FBI's Secret Scrutiny:

"The FBI now issues more than 30,000 national security letters a year, according to government sources, a hundredfold increase over historic norms. The letters -- one of which can be used to sweep up the records of many people -- are extending the bureau's reach as never before into the telephone calls, correspondence and financial lives of ordinary Americans."

What a wonderful police state we're headed towards. Although it's still a fraction of the population, you do have to be concerned about abuse: at what point have you fractured your values in the name of defending your life such that you're no defending the kind of life that you value?

Bible Thumpers and Tree Huggers in the Same Boat? Finally.

When Cleaner Air Is a Biblical Obligation - New York Times:

"In the latest effort, the National Association of Evangelicals, a nonprofit organization that includes 45,000 churches serving 30 million people across the country, is circulating among its leaders the draft of a policy statement that would encourage lawmakers to pass legislation creating mandatory controls for carbon emissions.

Environmentalists rely on empirical evidence as their rationale for Congressional action, and many evangelicals further believe that protecting the planet from human activities that cause global warming is a values issue that fulfills Biblical teachings asking humans to be good stewards of the earth."

Finally. Something that the evangelicals would like to do that actually matches up with reality. I don't see why it has to be in the bible for it to just an empirical fact: if you can avoid polluting the environment, it is a moral imperative that you do so. But, in this case, I'm glad to see that some of the most conservative people in this country have something in common with some of the most liberal. Too bad in a republican controlled congress and executive branch, we'll continue to get sold down the river to the oil, car, chemical, mining, and logging companies, but I guess that's just the honor and dignity that republicans have brought to government (i.e. money and influence trumps the little guy).

And the Walls Come A tumbling' Down: Iraq

Report Warned Bush Team About Intelligence Suspicions - New York Times:

"A high Qaeda official in American custody was identified as a likely fabricator months before the Bush administration began to use his statements as the foundation for its claims that Iraq trained Al Qaeda members to use biological and chemical weapons, according to newly declassified portions of a Defense Intelligence Agency document."

Respect, dignity and honor have been restored to the White House. While republicans blame democrats for discovering evidence of republican disloyalty and dishonesty to our country, the truth is that you can't lie and fabricate to send our sons and daughters in to battle. You can't. It's just plain wrong. Not least because the house of cards will collapse eventually (maybe if you live in a totalitarian state it won't -- which, ironically, is where the "pro-freedrom" republicans seem to prefer have us all live) and we, the people, will be left to pick up the pieces..

Day Late. Dollar Short.

Bush Orders Staff to Review Ethics Rules - Yahoo! News: "In a memo sent to all White House aides on Friday, the counsel's office said it will hold briefings next week on ethics, with a particular focus on the rules governing the handling of classified information. Attendance is mandatory for anyone holding any level of security clearance."

It's definitely good to do this, but it would have made sense to do it 5 years ago. Not only that, but virtually everyone in his cabinet has worked for government before: aren't they familiar with the rules?

Science is Real. Can you Believe it?

Vatican: Faithful Should Listen to Science - Yahoo! News:

"A Vatican cardinal said Thursday the faithful should listen to what secular modern science has to offer, warning that religion risks turning into 'fundamentalism' if it ignores scientific reason."

Thankfully, there are some religious people who understand that there is a spiritual world and a scientific world. They may even be one in the same. Hopefully this gets reiterated to the rest of the zealots who think that the Bible is literal truth: sorry guys, I hate to break it to you, but right now, you living in the land of the Church of Reality.

Holy Crap!? Another Deluded Conservative!

"No one has polled me yet and until the entire nation is polled, I don't think we can trust these 'numbers.' I think the Nation was polled a year and 2 days ago and President Bush, once again, swept the country." - RV

. . . into the garbage, it seems. Obviously not being familiar with things like math and statistics (since all they teach in our fine southern public schools is that Jesus is Lord, there are these Ten Commandments - 5 of which only apply to Christians, gays are evil, fear your neighbor, the end times are ALWAYS upon us, etc. and that's all you need to know), it wouldn't be surprising to learn that polls would confuse this guy.

What's delightful about this post in particular is that George Bush won against John Kerry. Won by 2.5% points over John Kerry. To put that into perspective, Clinton beat GHWB 5%, in 1996 he beat Bob Dole by 9%, and in 1984 Reagan beat Mondal by 18%.

George Bush also spent about $40 million more than John Kerry during his campaign.

These numbers should give you a sense of the mandate that GWB had from the people: next to none. And the mandate he has now is non-existent. We'd be better with Jenna being president: at least she'd ask questions when she doesn't know the answer.

Anyone who says that this country was anything other than divided right down the middle during the 2004 is not only on drugs, but also selling them.

Fair and Balanced!

Political Wire: Fox News Paid for DeLay's Travel:

"Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) 'filed a report with the Clerk of the House of Representatives indicating he received free travel valued at $13,998.55 from Fox News Sunday"

See, this money helped insure that Fox remained fair AND balanced. It's difficult to do both simultaneously, and sometimes you need to grease a few palms to make that happen. After all, Texas is roughly 110,000 Miles away from New York.

Bush Sidesteps Questions About CIA Leak - Yahoo! News

Bush Sidesteps Questions About CIA Leak - Yahoo! News:

"'The way you earn credibility with the American people is to set a clear agenda that everybody can understand, an agenda that relates to their lives, and get the job done,' he said. 'And the agenda that I'm working on now is one that is important to the American people.'"

If by American People you mean special interest groups that stand to profit off of war, oil, and poisoning our environment. Lest we forget, we also must take it to mean groups that only look to reap rewards for the short term . . . that should pretty much include them all. I've got to hand it to the Bush Admin: they have certainly restored faith that our government is incapable of doing anything properly.

Bush's Popularity Reaches New Low

Bush's Popularity Reaches New Low:

"The dissatisfaction with Bush flows in part out of broad concerns about the overall direction of the country. Nearly 7 in 10 -- 68 percent -- believe the country is seriously off course, while only 30 percent are optimistic, the lowest level in more than nine years. Only 3 in 10 express high levels of confidence in Bush, while half say they have little or no confidence in this administration."

As we all knew beforehand, Bush and the rest of his administration are out of touch with the mainstream of America. They're the guy who drives and drives in the wrong direction and refuses to ask for directions because he wants to "stay the course." Well, his course is leading us to the 7th level of hell . . . which is exactly the the evangelical christians want: to bring about the end times in the bible. "Kooks" is all I can say.

Conservatives Choose Life, Over and Over Again

Bush Admin. Slashing Millions Of Acres Of Endangered Species Habitat... Attempt To Cut 82% Of Sanctuary For Mark Twain Favorite... | The Huffington Post:

"On Thursday, as part of a continued, far-reaching rollback of protected landscapes for scores of imperiled species around the country, federal officials proposed cutting 82% of the celebrated frog's critical habitat."

Wasteful, spralling, middle-eastern-oil-fueled life, of course. Americans must learn to live within their means. All sprawl comes to an end. If you don't believe me, I suggest visiting Detroit sometime. Having lived in SE Michigan, I'd have to say that replacing land with shitty houses and strip malls is fucking dumb.

Baby, Bathwater, Tub, and Reality Out the Window

Senate Backs Drilling in Alaska Refuge - Yahoo! News:

"The Senate insisted Thursday on opening up the Arctic National Wildlife refuge for drilling after being blocked by environmentalists for decades, then voted overwhelmingly to prohibit exporting any of the oil pumped from the region."

It's important to note that everyone already acknowledges that the Oil economy is unsustainable, that ANWR doesn't have enough projected oil resevers to support the US demand for more than a month, and that ANWR itself is irreplaceable. But, this is the Republican way: why plan for tomorrow (or even think about tomorrow) when there is political gain to be had today?

The fact is that no one would even give a shit about what happens in the middle east were it not for oil. The way to get past that is not to consume the tiny puddles of oil that are elsewhere. The way to get past that is to focus on alternatives like ethanol, electric, and nuclear. Hydrogen, although a nice idea, is greenwashing in large part because the primary source of hydrogen is fossil fuels. So when everyone talks about the hydrogen economy, remember that they're really just talking about the oil economy, once removed.

Anyway, you can always rely on Republicans to be backward thinking, corrupt, oil company kick-back mongers. Thanks Guys!

Offensive and Degrading, huh?

14 WFIE, The Tri-State's News Leader: Abercrombie's Racy T-Shirts Causing Ruckus: "State Senator Steve Rauschenberger says he plans to introduce a resolution in the state Senate this week, calling on trendy retailer Abercrombie and Fitch to stop selling a line of racy t-shirts.

The Republican, who is a GOP candidate for governor, says the $24.50 t-shirts are 'offensive' and 'degrading.' He says if the Senate resolution doesn't stop Abercrombie from selling its shirts - he'll lead a boycott of the stores."

If they're so offensive and degrading, then no one will buy them. Why are the GOP so hung up on the stupidest, most pointless things in all of government? All he can think of in this world to be outraged about is a t-shirt. Pathetic. This pretty much covers the modern GOP: middling, anti-democracy, facist federales who need the government to engage in thought and body control.

Evangelicals and neo-cons have ruined the GOP and turned it into the driveling thought-police and the world-police. It used to have a cogent philosophy. No more.