2006/02/27
The Selling of America
Back in the 60s, one of the worst sins you could accuse someone of was "selling out." To Jim Morrison, to sell out was to "trade in your hours for a handful of dimes" — abandon your free lifestyle, retreat to a 9-to-5 job, and generally become a credit-card-carrying member of the "establishment."
We don't hear the term much anymore now that most everybody from that generation sold out long ago.
But these days, Americans are selling out on a grand scale. We're not just selling out personally. We're selling out the entire country.
Common Dreams has a great post today about multinational corporations buying more and more of America. It's not just a matter of pride. Profits that American businesses once put back into the American economy are now being outsourced to foreign countries, just like many of our jobs:
The post includes a long list of US government statistics showing the percentages of foreign ownership of American industries. Here are the industries where foreign ownership is 50% or more:
Is this just the logical extension of the free enterprise system on a global scale, beneficial to us all? Or is it the shameless selling of America, for the enrichment of a few?
We don't hear the term much anymore now that most everybody from that generation sold out long ago.
But these days, Americans are selling out on a grand scale. We're not just selling out personally. We're selling out the entire country.
Common Dreams has a great post today about multinational corporations buying more and more of America. It's not just a matter of pride. Profits that American businesses once put back into the American economy are now being outsourced to foreign countries, just like many of our jobs:
Foreign companies are buying up our water systems, our power generating systems, our mines, and our few remaining factories. All because "flat world" so-called "free trade" policies have turned us from a nation of wealthy producers into a nation of indebted consumers, leaving the world awash in dollars that are most easily used to buy off big chunks of America.
The post includes a long list of US government statistics showing the percentages of foreign ownership of American industries. Here are the industries where foreign ownership is 50% or more:
- Sound recording industries - 97%
- Commodity contracts dealing and brokerage - 79%
- Motion picture and sound recording industries - 75%
- Metal ore mining - 65%
- Motion picture and video industries - 64%
- Wineries and distilleries - 64%
- Database, directory, and other publishers - 63%
- Book publishers - 63%
- Cement, concrete, lime, and gypsum product - 62%
- Engine, turbine and power transmission equipment - 57%
- Rubber product - 53%
- Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing - 53%
- Plastics and rubber products manufacturing - 52%
- Plastics product - 51%
- Other insurance related activities - 51%
- Boiler, tank, and shipping container - 50%
Is this just the logical extension of the free enterprise system on a global scale, beneficial to us all? Or is it the shameless selling of America, for the enrichment of a few?
2006/02/26
Armed with 'Christian Patriot Missiles'
It was a nightmare. Howdy Doody as a charismatic evangelist, brainwashing a peanut gallery of 2,300 children:
Howdy Doody Ok,
boys and girls. If a teacher so much as mentions evolution, or the Big Bang, or an era when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, you put your hand up and you say, Excuse me, were you there? Can you remember that?
Peanut Gallery Yeeeesssss...
Howdy Doody Sometimes people will answer, No, but you weren't there either. Then you say, No, I wasn't, but I know someone who was, and I have his book about the history of the world. [Waving the Bible in the air] Who's the only one who's always been there?
Peanut Gallery God!
Howdy Doody Who's the only one who knows everything?
Peanut Gallery Goooooddd!
Howdy Doody "So who should you always trust, God or the scientists?"
Peanut Gallery Goooooddd!
But it wasn't a nightmare. It was creationism evangelist Ken Ham, a former biology teacher and current full-time nutjob, training children as young as five years old to challenge their teachers about evolution.
Ham is no ordinary nutjob. He's been at this kind of thing for 25 years. His worldwide ministry gives hundreds of talks a year and produces books, movies, and daily radio spots. No wonder roughly half of Americans believe the biblical story of creationism over evolution.
At the heart of this multi-million-dollar creationism extravaganza is a very simple message, stated below in his top-selling alphabet rhyme that begins like this:
Hard to argue with a mindset like that.
Howdy Doody Ok,
boys and girls. If a teacher so much as mentions evolution, or the Big Bang, or an era when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, you put your hand up and you say, Excuse me, were you there? Can you remember that?Peanut Gallery Yeeeesssss...
Howdy Doody Sometimes people will answer, No, but you weren't there either. Then you say, No, I wasn't, but I know someone who was, and I have his book about the history of the world. [Waving the Bible in the air] Who's the only one who's always been there?
Peanut Gallery God!
Howdy Doody Who's the only one who knows everything?
Peanut Gallery Goooooddd!
Howdy Doody "So who should you always trust, God or the scientists?"
Peanut Gallery Goooooddd!
But it wasn't a nightmare. It was creationism evangelist Ken Ham, a former biology teacher and current full-time nutjob, training children as young as five years old to challenge their teachers about evolution.
Ham is no ordinary nutjob. He's been at this kind of thing for 25 years. His worldwide ministry gives hundreds of talks a year and produces books, movies, and daily radio spots. No wonder roughly half of Americans believe the biblical story of creationism over evolution.
At the heart of this multi-million-dollar creationism extravaganza is a very simple message, stated below in his top-selling alphabet rhyme that begins like this:
A is for Adam, God made him from dust
He wasn't a monkey, he looked just like us.
Hard to argue with a mindset like that.
Corruptco Blogfest!
This week is "Corporation Appreciation Week" in blogarama, and more than twenty five blogs have agreed to do posts this week highlighting particularly obnoxious corporate acts. Examples include dumping, safety violations, discrimination, violence, negligence, etc. This week, we hope to continue our efforts to shine a light on those that abuse the public and the planet- shamelessly- for profit and power. All bloggers are welcome to participate, and info can be found at Lose The Noose.Posts can involve personal stories, graphics, photography- and there are no requirements for the number of posts. We just ask that you let us know about it at LTN and perhaps a topic so you can be included in the list. Participants will be listed at Lose The Noose blog monday morning. Blognonymous will be among the participating blogs as well, with a few posts this week. Thank you to Kvatch for lending me the keys to the "digs" this week and to Abi - for agreeing to play in the pond despite the cold water.
Rehabilitating Big Brother
Are we being a little too squeamish about 21st-century surveillance?
Nobody objects to a cop or a security guard keeping an eye on things. But when you replace the human eye with a camera, civil libertarians howl.
Why?
Chicago
has used surveillance cameras at government buildings, train stations, and intersections for a few years. Milwaukee wants to put surveillance cameras in some stores, and Baltimore County, Maryland, requires large malls to install cameras in parking lots. Said Baltimore County Councilman Kevin Kamenetz:
But is it just a benign and necessary step for keeping us safer and more secure, or is it the proverbial slippery slope?
In Houston, the police chief wants to take it a step further — requiring cameras not only in streets and shopping malls, but in apartment complexes and on the grounds of private homes. The chief gave the classic justification:
Ok, pointing a camera at my front door to watch my comings and goings is a little creepy. But what's wrong with putting cameras in more public places — anywhere you would expect to see a cop stationed?
And why stop with cameras? It's now possible to implant tiny, inexpensive transmitter chips into a person to identify him or track his whereabouts. Is that also creepy, or just good, 21st-century common sense?
Police use fingerprints and DNA to determine if a person was at a crime scene. No one objects. Why not go a step further? Instead of using part of a criminal's body as evidence against him, police would simply be using a piece of technology implanted into his body.
The idea of implanting chips into people to identify and track them is chilling. But after seeing the abuses that the Bush administration has gotten away with in the name of safety and security, I have no doubt that the practice will someday become acceptable and routine.
And besides, if you're not doing anything wrong, why worry about it?
Nobody objects to a cop or a security guard keeping an eye on things. But when you replace the human eye with a camera, civil libertarians howl.
Why?
Chicago
has used surveillance cameras at government buildings, train stations, and intersections for a few years. Milwaukee wants to put surveillance cameras in some stores, and Baltimore County, Maryland, requires large malls to install cameras in parking lots. Said Baltimore County Councilman Kevin Kamenetz:
We require shopping centers to put railings on stairs and install sprinkler systems for public safety. This is a proper next step.
But is it just a benign and necessary step for keeping us safer and more secure, or is it the proverbial slippery slope?
In Houston, the police chief wants to take it a step further — requiring cameras not only in streets and shopping malls, but in apartment complexes and on the grounds of private homes. The chief gave the classic justification:
I know a lot of people are concerned about Big Brother, but my response to that is, if you are not doing anything wrong, why should you worry about it?
Ok, pointing a camera at my front door to watch my comings and goings is a little creepy. But what's wrong with putting cameras in more public places — anywhere you would expect to see a cop stationed?
And why stop with cameras? It's now possible to implant tiny, inexpensive transmitter chips into a person to identify him or track his whereabouts. Is that also creepy, or just good, 21st-century common sense?
Police use fingerprints and DNA to determine if a person was at a crime scene. No one objects. Why not go a step further? Instead of using part of a criminal's body as evidence against him, police would simply be using a piece of technology implanted into his body.
The idea of implanting chips into people to identify and track them is chilling. But after seeing the abuses that the Bush administration has gotten away with in the name of safety and security, I have no doubt that the practice will someday become acceptable and routine.
And besides, if you're not doing anything wrong, why worry about it?
2006/02/24
Black Gold
Who says there's no class war in America?
Oil companies posted record profits in the third quarter of last year: For example, ExxonMobil - 75%, Royal Dutch Shell - 68%, and ConocoPhillips - 89%. That's profit.
The oil companies' good fortune just happened to come about in the same quarter that two powerful hurricanes devastated the Gulf Coast. In America, one man's loss is another man's windfall.
Americans paying dearly at the pump raised cries of price gouging. Outraged Washington politicians demanded that oil company executives appear before a Senate hearing to explain themselves. The Senators placed the corporate bigwigs under oath and grilled them for three hours, until the remorseful moguls tearfully apologized for taking advantage of a national calamity.
Ok, I made the last part up. In fact, the Senate never even bothered to put the execs under oath. And at the end of the sham hearing, it was the Senators who limped away with their tail between their legs:
But not every Washington pol is afraid of the big, bad oil companies. Last week, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Republican Joe Barton, launched an investigation of a major oil company for possible antitrust violations:
After Hurricane Katrina shined a spotlight on poverty in America, Hugo Chavez pledged that Venezuela-owned Citgo would provide huge heating-oil discounts — as much as 60% — to low-income Americans this winter.
The program is already in effect in a number of northern states, although it has received very little publicity. It has been so successful, says Democratic Rep. Jose Serrano of New York, that "about 60 members of Congress from all parts of the country...are asking me, 'Can I set up a meeting with Citgo?' to see if they can get this kind of program in their district."
Lowering prices when demand is high? How unAmerican is that? No wonder Pat Robertson wants Chavez killed.
Note: For the next few days I'll be wading in the frog pond with Lily while Kvatch is resting up. And let me tell you — for us non-amphibians, this water is ccccold. So be kind...
Oil companies posted record profits in the third quarter of last year: For example, ExxonMobil - 75%, Royal Dutch Shell - 68%, and ConocoPhillips - 89%. That's profit.
The oil companies' good fortune just happened to come about in the same quarter that two powerful hurricanes devastated the Gulf Coast. In America, one man's loss is another man's windfall.
Americans paying dearly at the pump raised cries of price gouging. Outraged Washington politicians demanded that oil company executives appear before a Senate hearing to explain themselves. The Senators placed the corporate bigwigs under oath and grilled them for three hours, until the remorseful moguls tearfully apologized for taking advantage of a national calamity.
Ok, I made the last part up. In fact, the Senate never even bothered to put the execs under oath. And at the end of the sham hearing, it was the Senators who limped away with their tail between their legs:
[T]he executives, whose companies and parent corporations earned $32.8 billion during the last quarter, provided little beyond what the industry has been saying for weeks: Their profits are huge because the industry is huge; the companies are ready to invest billions of dollars to get more oil; and if Congress tries to punish them by imposing a windfall profits tax, it will only lead to fewer such investments.
But not every Washington pol is afraid of the big, bad oil companies. Last week, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Republican Joe Barton, launched an investigation of a major oil company for possible antitrust violations:
You will be surprised to learn that Barton, one of the top recipients in Congress of campaign donations from the energy industry, is not probing whether ExxonMobil or Chevron or any of the other oil giants engaged in price gouging when gasoline and heating oil costs skyrocketed the past few years.
No, the good congressman has set his sights on the only oil company that actually dared to lower its prices last year - at least for the poorest Americans.
After Hurricane Katrina shined a spotlight on poverty in America, Hugo Chavez pledged that Venezuela-owned Citgo would provide huge heating-oil discounts — as much as 60% — to low-income Americans this winter.
The program is already in effect in a number of northern states, although it has received very little publicity. It has been so successful, says Democratic Rep. Jose Serrano of New York, that "about 60 members of Congress from all parts of the country...are asking me, 'Can I set up a meeting with Citgo?' to see if they can get this kind of program in their district."
Lowering prices when demand is high? How unAmerican is that? No wonder Pat Robertson wants Chavez killed.
Note: For the next few days I'll be wading in the frog pond with Lily while Kvatch is resting up. And let me tell you — for us non-amphibians, this water is ccccold. So be kind...
Democratic Talking Points - Republicans Rig Elections
The evidence of election tampering and the will to tamper with elections mounts...
By now we all know that California Sec. of State McPherson has recertified Diebold's touchscreen voting machines for upcoming elections, a unilateral, possibly illegal move taken without public comment and without waiting for the results of Federal tests that were his reason for decertifying the machines in the first place.
Add to this the fact that Black Box Voting now has the goods on voting irregularities in Palm Beach County, Florida during the 2004 presidential election--Votes date-stamped from October (sometimes up to a month before the election); Votes date-stamped with the year 2010; 1400+ voting-machine resets and recalibrations, executed while the polls were open; Voting program accesses; Log tampering; And on and on...
So it seems we have another simple talking point to add to the Democrat's list for the midterms: Republicans rig elections.
By now we all know that California Sec. of State McPherson has recertified Diebold's touchscreen voting machines for upcoming elections, a unilateral, possibly illegal move taken without public comment and without waiting for the results of Federal tests that were his reason for decertifying the machines in the first place.
Add to this the fact that Black Box Voting now has the goods on voting irregularities in Palm Beach County, Florida during the 2004 presidential election--Votes date-stamped from October (sometimes up to a month before the election); Votes date-stamped with the year 2010; 1400+ voting-machine resets and recalibrations, executed while the polls were open; Voting program accesses; Log tampering; And on and on...So it seems we have another simple talking point to add to the Democrat's list for the midterms: Republicans rig elections.
Future Headlines - Republicans Repeal 22nd Amendment
2006/02/23
Please Welcome Abi To Blognonymous
Tonight we'd like to welcome Abi of Update America to Blognonymous. Abi will join Lily for some guest blogging while Kvatch takes a little break and exits the Blognon-i-pad for some much needed R&R.
The "Ownership Society" Means Foreclosure For Many
President Bush has pointed to the sharp rise in minority home ownership--above 50% in 2004--as a milestone achievement of the "Ownership Society". But remember, every time the administration uses the that term, substitute the words "wealth redistribution to corporations" and you'll have a better idea of what's really going on, and so it is with home ownership.
The N.Y. Times reports on the alarming rate of foreclosure among the nation's poor. Some areas, such as Cuyahoga County, Ohio are seeing 17 percent foreclosure rates largely due to the prevalence of subprime and balloon mortgages where interest rates jump steeply after only a few years. And crippling lending practices aren't limited to the poor and minorities. The mortgage industry is an equal opportunity predator making available all kinds of risky options.
Take the interest-only loan for example, or as we refer to it here at Blognonymous rent with property taxes. This type of financing is tailor-made for people inclined to buy beyond their means and makes up 50% of the loans taken out in frothy urban markets such as the San Francisco Bay Area. Like subprime mortgages, interest-only loans have rates that climb alarmingly after only a few years, putting enormous financial stress on the buyer especially if they've contributed nothing to their principal.
But now the chicken's is comin' home to roost--As the real estate market cools we see the beginnings of another enormous redistribution of wealth in the Bu$hCo era. Banks and lending companies foreclose, taking down-payments, principals, and homes from unlucky minority and urban buyers, and wealth moves once again from the poor and middle-class to the corporations. Of course, no one forces a buyer to buy or to choose a predatory lending instrument, but likewise Bu$hCo has done nothing to regulate these practices because 1) The hot real estate market has propped up the economy for 4 years, and 2) The administration knows who fills it's campaign coffers. I'll give you a hint, it isn't the poor, minorities, or middle-class voters.
The N.Y. Times reports on the alarming rate of foreclosure among the nation's poor. Some areas, such as Cuyahoga County, Ohio are seeing 17 percent foreclosure rates largely due to the prevalence of subprime and balloon mortgages where interest rates jump steeply after only a few years. And crippling lending practices aren't limited to the poor and minorities. The mortgage industry is an equal opportunity predator making available all kinds of risky options.Take the interest-only loan for example, or as we refer to it here at Blognonymous rent with property taxes. This type of financing is tailor-made for people inclined to buy beyond their means and makes up 50% of the loans taken out in frothy urban markets such as the San Francisco Bay Area. Like subprime mortgages, interest-only loans have rates that climb alarmingly after only a few years, putting enormous financial stress on the buyer especially if they've contributed nothing to their principal.
But now the chicken's is comin' home to roost--As the real estate market cools we see the beginnings of another enormous redistribution of wealth in the Bu$hCo era. Banks and lending companies foreclose, taking down-payments, principals, and homes from unlucky minority and urban buyers, and wealth moves once again from the poor and middle-class to the corporations. Of course, no one forces a buyer to buy or to choose a predatory lending instrument, but likewise Bu$hCo has done nothing to regulate these practices because 1) The hot real estate market has propped up the economy for 4 years, and 2) The administration knows who fills it's campaign coffers. I'll give you a hint, it isn't the poor, minorities, or middle-class voters.
2006/02/22
Iraq - Nope, No Civil War Here
The Ruins of Sammara's 'Golden Mosque'
This is one of those horrific moments where I get to say,
"I told you so" and then immediately feel bad about it.
(Update 2006/02/23)
It's getting bloodier. 138 Sunni's dead in reprisals; Many mosques in the Sunni Triangle, attacked; The Sunni have suspended talks with the Shiite and Kurds, the goal of which would have been a unification government.
I give it two months before the Kurds break off and seal their borders.
And BTW...go and read Robot Buddha's excellent post on the subject.
This is one of those horrific moments where I get to say,
"I told you so" and then immediately feel bad about it.
(Update 2006/02/23)
It's getting bloodier. 138 Sunni's dead in reprisals; Many mosques in the Sunni Triangle, attacked; The Sunni have suspended talks with the Shiite and Kurds, the goal of which would have been a unification government.
I give it two months before the Kurds break off and seal their borders.
And BTW...go and read Robot Buddha's excellent post on the subject.
Whither the Big Brass Blog
Hammered by spammers,
Tamiflu and drugs for you,
Organ pumps, other dumps
Keep my posts off their host.
They need a system, I do fear...
I'm losing half my traffic here.
Tamiflu and drugs for you,
Organ pumps, other dumps
Keep my posts off their host.
They need a system, I do fear...
I'm losing half my traffic here.
All Hail the Scalitoson Court
Alito is on the court, and the SCOTUS is gearing up to reconsider the constitutionality of partial birth abortions. Let the rending of clothing and gnashing of teeth begin. But while were all whining about how awful the Scalitoson era will be, let's take breather and consider: The Rehnquist Court made 30 rulings in a decade that limited the power of the federal government, and Alito's appointment is likely to accelerate that trend.
So instead of complaining, maybe we should capitalize. The key is state's rights. Alito is a state's righter, and the plain fact is that no constitutional amendment is going to pass if the blue states don't want it to. ERA didn't, and a Federal gay marriage ban won't either. So I think its time we held the Republican's shoulders to the grindstone of state's rights until they bleed.
California, Michigan hit back at the Feds over medical marijuana. And California, time to counter-sue on the off-shore drilling issue. Get the Scalitoson Court to retire those federal leases permanently.
Oregon won their test case on assisted suicide. So how about the rest of us? Anybody for shoving death with dignity down Bu$hCo's throat?
Air quality standards? Time for a SCOTUS ruling that permanently unchains California and the northeast corridor from burdensome federal meddling. Let CA, NY, MA, NH, NJ, and VT do what they do best, lead the way on air quality.
Federal gay marriage ban? Not for Massachusetts or Hawaii, and it's high time for the rest of us to add full, unequivocal equal protection under the law into our own constitutions.
Family and Medical Leave Act? Pass it in your own state, right frickin' now, and let the red-staters wail loud when Scalitoson takes the federal law away.
Clean water? Forget it. Bu$hCo and Scalitoson don't give a sh*t. So pass it in your own states and let them choke on sludge.
Time to see if conservatives (and especially Alito) can live up to their so-called principles.
So instead of complaining, maybe we should capitalize. The key is state's rights. Alito is a state's righter, and the plain fact is that no constitutional amendment is going to pass if the blue states don't want it to. ERA didn't, and a Federal gay marriage ban won't either. So I think its time we held the Republican's shoulders to the grindstone of state's rights until they bleed.California, Michigan hit back at the Feds over medical marijuana. And California, time to counter-sue on the off-shore drilling issue. Get the Scalitoson Court to retire those federal leases permanently.
Oregon won their test case on assisted suicide. So how about the rest of us? Anybody for shoving death with dignity down Bu$hCo's throat?
Air quality standards? Time for a SCOTUS ruling that permanently unchains California and the northeast corridor from burdensome federal meddling. Let CA, NY, MA, NH, NJ, and VT do what they do best, lead the way on air quality.
Federal gay marriage ban? Not for Massachusetts or Hawaii, and it's high time for the rest of us to add full, unequivocal equal protection under the law into our own constitutions.
Family and Medical Leave Act? Pass it in your own state, right frickin' now, and let the red-staters wail loud when Scalitoson takes the federal law away.
Clean water? Forget it. Bu$hCo and Scalitoson don't give a sh*t. So pass it in your own states and let them choke on sludge.
Time to see if conservatives (and especially Alito) can live up to their so-called principles.
2006/02/21
Reclassification - What's It For?
The MSM and blogsphere are abuzz with news about the reclassification of decades old documents that don't appear to be sensitive and which have no value other than their historical significance.
I'm not going to cover this issue here. Many blogs are hashing out the ramifications, but what I want to know is why? Reclassification is an expensive process, and even once it's done many of these documents are in the public domain already. Finding them, controlling them, or destroying them will be virtually impossible. So, again...why?
I can think of two possible reasons. The paranoid consipiracist in me might see an attempt to smear some good people by catching them with newly reclassified information, but that's probably far fetched. More likely I think, is an administration attempt to do away with information that could be used as a basis for challenging Bu$hCo's unilateral attempt to grab as much power for the executive as possible.
I'm not going to cover this issue here. Many blogs are hashing out the ramifications, but what I want to know is why? Reclassification is an expensive process, and even once it's done many of these documents are in the public domain already. Finding them, controlling them, or destroying them will be virtually impossible. So, again...why?
I can think of two possible reasons. The paranoid consipiracist in me might see an attempt to smear some good people by catching them with newly reclassified information, but that's probably far fetched. More likely I think, is an administration attempt to do away with information that could be used as a basis for challenging Bu$hCo's unilateral attempt to grab as much power for the executive as possible.
Patriot Guard Riders Challenge Phelps and Westboro Baptist
So we all know about Westboro Baptist Church and their leader the Reverend Fred Phelps, and most of have probably read about how these hate-mongering reactionaries go around the country picketing the funerals of soldiers, murdered gays, high school proms and graduations where any tolerance of homosexuals is displayed.
Well now a group of motorcyclists known as the Patriot Guard Riders is traveling the country with the specific purpose of confronting Phelps and his cabal, shielding soldier's families, and providing a loud, visible counterpoint to Westboro protesters. So the question you might ask is, "Would the Riders have shown up at...say...Matthew Shepard's funeral? And if not, why are you highlighting their cause on your blog?"
My answer to that would be: No, I don't believe that the Riders would do the same for a murdered homosexual. But as a motorcyclist myself (bet you didn't know frog's could ride, did you?), I know what kind of commitment is involved in riding 400 miles in wintertime just to confront a bunch of wackos. In addition, though I don't agree with the war, protesting at a dead soldier's funeral is just plain disrespectful. And finally, I applaud anybody who stands up to the pernicious, corrosive rhetoric of a group of loathsome charlatans like Fred Phelps and his followers.
Well now a group of motorcyclists known as the Patriot Guard Riders is traveling the country with the specific purpose of confronting Phelps and his cabal, shielding soldier's families, and providing a loud, visible counterpoint to Westboro protesters. So the question you might ask is, "Would the Riders have shown up at...say...Matthew Shepard's funeral? And if not, why are you highlighting their cause on your blog?"
My answer to that would be: No, I don't believe that the Riders would do the same for a murdered homosexual. But as a motorcyclist myself (bet you didn't know frog's could ride, did you?), I know what kind of commitment is involved in riding 400 miles in wintertime just to confront a bunch of wackos. In addition, though I don't agree with the war, protesting at a dead soldier's funeral is just plain disrespectful. And finally, I applaud anybody who stands up to the pernicious, corrosive rhetoric of a group of loathsome charlatans like Fred Phelps and his followers.
You'll Never Catch Me Coppers
Wow Osama bin Laden has vowed never to be captured alive in a message targeted at a country whose administration has no intention of trying to capture him?Yo...Osama. You can't scare the little kiddies if they know that Baba Yaga is dead.
2006/02/20
Serious Presidential Questions
At Lose the Noose they're blogging about who was the ugliest president, and here at Blognonymous we wanted to know why only crusty Presbyterians get seem to get elected. Well and good.
But Windspike of Educational Whisper has the real question: Who's your favorite President and why? Just like those essays back in school. Think about it, and give him a response.
My response was Harry Truman.
But Windspike of Educational Whisper has the real question: Who's your favorite President and why? Just like those essays back in school. Think about it, and give him a response.
My response was Harry Truman.
Food For Thought - Arms Exports
Permanent Members of the UN Security Council(Can you tell I watched Lord of War this last weekend?)
(Linked from the National Priorities Project, with permission.)
(Linked from the National Priorities Project, with permission.)
Are we ready for an atheist as President?
On this President's Day, an article in the San Francisco Chronicle got me to thinking about Presidents - Mostly crusty, older mainline Protestants or evangelicals, right? Well OK... we've had two Quakers, one Jehovah's Witness, and one Catholic, but for the most part all men of faith. And I don't think that anyone doubts that a Jew or a Mormon could get elected President. I mean Joe Lieberman was on Al Gore's ticket and Mitt Romney (a Mormon) is discussed as a likely presidential contender in 2008.But what about an atheist? Atheists are perhaps the most underrepresented quasi-religious segment of the electorate, and why? Discrimination, though not overt. Americans simply prefer to elect the god-fearing over the godless. As the Chronicle notes:
You can be elected as an openly gay politician in this country, but you can't be elected as an openly atheistic one...Now, I'm an agnostic, but I'd put myself in the same group. In fact, I'd venture that a Muslim has a greater chance of being elected President in this country than an avowed atheist or agnostic. What do the rest of you think?
Lori Lipman Brown, Lobbyist, Secular Coalition
2006/02/19
A Plague On All Acronyms In TUS
On a bright sunny day the POTUS
Went for a talk with the SCOTUS.
Said he... I'm inhibited.
My powers? Too limited.
Now git about changing the COTUS.
Went for a talk with the SCOTUS.
Said he... I'm inhibited.
My powers? Too limited.
Now git about changing the COTUS.
Dept. of Homeland Security, Porn Enforcement Division
Did you know that preventing people from viewing porn is part of the Department of Homeland Security's job? Neither did I, and neither did the librarians at the Little Falls public library in Bethesda, Maryland, but apparently 2 officers from the Montgomery County Homeland Security Department do.
On February 9th they walked into the library and announced that viewing porn is "forbidden" and then tried to escort one of the library's patrons outside because they didn't like his choice of reading material.
Don't you feel safer knowing that you're being protected from terrorists in our midst, especially dirty-minded terrorists?
On February 9th they walked into the library and announced that viewing porn is "forbidden" and then tried to escort one of the library's patrons outside because they didn't like his choice of reading material.Don't you feel safer knowing that you're being protected from terrorists in our midst, especially dirty-minded terrorists?
2006/02/18
He Said What? - Surveillance Taken To A Whole New Level
Lest you think that illegal Federal wiretapping is the only kind of surveillance brewing in the kooky mind of "The Man"--Houston's Chief of Police has a surprise. He's suggested that the solution to understaffed police forces it to place cameras in apartment complexes, downtown streets, shopping malls, and even private homes. In fact, he wants it written into the building codes! I wish I could make this sh*t up, but reality is way more bizarre then even my frog brain can come up with. So now, as a homework assignment, everyone needs to go out and get a copy of Oath of Fealty by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, a great SciFi novel from the late seventies that covers this exact scenario in detail.
The Difference Between Coastal America and Central America
I read a lot of crap about red-state America vs. blue-state America. I've even used such gratuitous distinctions in this blog, but once in a while an example comes along that seems to hammer the point home.
After a week in which Cheney shoots a man; Has his staff delay and spin the incident to reduce the fallout; Limits his interview on the subject to a network that's barely more than a right-wing shill; Gets a public apology from his victim; The one man less deserving of praise than perhaps any other member of the administration goes home to...A standing ovation from his home state's legislature.
I shudder to think of the reaction Cheney would have gotten here.
After a week in which Cheney shoots a man; Has his staff delay and spin the incident to reduce the fallout; Limits his interview on the subject to a network that's barely more than a right-wing shill; Gets a public apology from his victim; The one man less deserving of praise than perhaps any other member of the administration goes home to...A standing ovation from his home state's legislature.I shudder to think of the reaction Cheney would have gotten here.
2006/02/17
Please Welcome Lily To Blognonymous
This evening we say goodbye to Generik of The Generik Brand who gave us many excellent posts, and we're honored to welcome Lily of Lose the Noose and Consider the Boot to Blognonymous.10, Soon To Be Illegal Songs, From The flyPod
On a Friday , I' d usually just give you the random 10 from my iPod and call it an afternoon, but this article at the Electronic Frontier Foundation has got me worried.I recently blogged on how the RIAA wants to substitute Customary Historic Use for Fair Use, and in doing so prevent us from ever using a new technology with music we already own. But not content with that salvo, Big Content is going after technologies and methods that have been legal up until now. The EFF reports that the RIAA is now laying the legal groundwork to declare ripping, burning, and transfer of music you do own to your iPod illegal.
So without further adieu, here a random selection of 10, soon to be illegal songs, from my iPod, and if history is any teacher, I'll soon be sued by the RIAA for a bazillion dollar for ripping my personal CD collection:
Toad the Wet Sprocket - "Pray Your Gods", Fear
Philip Glass - "Anthem - Part 3", Powaqqatsi
Pink Floyd - "Welcome To The Machine", Wish You Were Here
Willie Mae "Big Moma" Thornton - "Laugh, Laugh, Laugh", Hound Dog - The Peacock Recordings
Miles Davis - "Dear Old Stockholm", 'Round About Midnight
Mylene Farmer - "California', Anamorphosee
Alanis Morisette - "Right Through You", Jagged Little Pill
U2 - "Last Night On Earth", Pop
The Future Sound of London - "Expander", Accelerator
Sade - "Paradise", Stronger Than Pride
Spineless Lawmakers Cave on Warrantless Surveillance
In a one-two punch that shows how spineless our lawmakers really are, both the House and Senate have decided to cave to Bush administration demands that illegal surveillance not be investigated.
First up the Senate yesterday decided not to investigate the NSA wiretapping authorization. And what prompted this reversal? According to WaPo merely the Bu$hCo's signaling that it wouldn't make key witnesses available for testimony. But that's not all. Apparently, the Senate is also going to take up the issue of gutting FISA in order to give administration actions legitimacy after the fact, courtesy of Mike DeWine (R. OH).
Next, the House announces that will open it's own probe, and not to be outdone in cravenness by their Senate colleagues, Peter Hoekstra (R. MI) the Intelligence Committee chair, insisted that the probe would be, "...limited in scope, focusing on whether federal surveillance laws needed to be changed and not on the eavesdropping program itself."
So with the exception of one Federal judge that insisted that information about the program be released, the other branches of government are rushing to abdicate their responsibilities. The executive will break the law. The Justice Department will seek out and try the whistle-blowers. The legislative will cover for the executive, and unlike Watergate, this will all happen in full view of the public.
This is what our nation has been reduced to.
HT to Mikevotes at BATCotE for the head's up on the Senate's dropping the ball.
First up the Senate yesterday decided not to investigate the NSA wiretapping authorization. And what prompted this reversal? According to WaPo merely the Bu$hCo's signaling that it wouldn't make key witnesses available for testimony. But that's not all. Apparently, the Senate is also going to take up the issue of gutting FISA in order to give administration actions legitimacy after the fact, courtesy of Mike DeWine (R. OH).
Next, the House announces that will open it's own probe, and not to be outdone in cravenness by their Senate colleagues, Peter Hoekstra (R. MI) the Intelligence Committee chair, insisted that the probe would be, "...limited in scope, focusing on whether federal surveillance laws needed to be changed and not on the eavesdropping program itself."
So with the exception of one Federal judge that insisted that information about the program be released, the other branches of government are rushing to abdicate their responsibilities. The executive will break the law. The Justice Department will seek out and try the whistle-blowers. The legislative will cover for the executive, and unlike Watergate, this will all happen in full view of the public.
This is what our nation has been reduced to.
HT to Mikevotes at BATCotE for the head's up on the Senate's dropping the ball.
2006/02/16
Promoting Democracy in Iran With Diebold
Crackpot Press turns us on to the government's new program to promote democracy (?) in Iran. Yes indeed, a $75 million investment in broadcasts and aid to dissidents.
Does this remind anyone of our recent $2 million investment in getting Fatah reelected in the Palestinian Territories? And we all recall how well that went. So maybe with Iran we should consider something a bit different. How about shipping them 10,000 or so Diebold voting machines?
"Sons of the Prophet! Arnold Schwarzenegger has been elected Supreme Head of the Clerical Council?!"
Does this remind anyone of our recent $2 million investment in getting Fatah reelected in the Palestinian Territories? And we all recall how well that went. So maybe with Iran we should consider something a bit different. How about shipping them 10,000 or so Diebold voting machines?
"Sons of the Prophet! Arnold Schwarzenegger has been elected Supreme Head of the Clerical Council?!"
The Postman Always Sees 'Em First
Netflix subscriber? Yeah, me too. Cool service, huh?
But have you ever had a movie just go missing and then, 3 maybe 4 days later, suddenly disappear from your rental list as if it had been returned. What about the movie that shows up late in a torn package. You say to yourself, "Well, they ship hundreds of thousands of these things per day. The USPS is bound to screw a few up." Right?
WRONG!!!! Read this from New York Magazine, A Stranger In Your Queue
But have you ever had a movie just go missing and then, 3 maybe 4 days later, suddenly disappear from your rental list as if it had been returned. What about the movie that shows up late in a torn package. You say to yourself, "Well, they ship hundreds of thousands of these things per day. The USPS is bound to screw a few up." Right? WRONG!!!! Read this from New York Magazine, A Stranger In Your Queue
2006/02/15
Why Blame It All On Cheney?
Greg Mitchell over at Editor & Publisher has some pointed questions about the role of the alleged president in his supposed subordinate's recent misadventure with a shootin' iron. For instance (but you should really follow the link and read the whole thing):
According to the White House, in its updated timeline, Bush found out that Cheney was the triggerman about 8 p.m. Saturday (from Karl Rove)—and yet in all of the accounts, many conflicting, of how the story emerged the next day, the president is never mentioned as having any role in the disclosure.
The ranch hostess/chief witness Katharine Armstrong first told us that she and her mother made the decision to go public of their own “volition, ” as she put, on Sunday morning, leading to the now-famous phone call to the Corpus Christi newsroom. Later she said that she had run the idea past Cheney on Sunday morning and he approved it, or at least said it was up to her.
Now the official narrative is that he discussed it with her Saturday night and they directed the disclosure “together.”
Note in all this: no mention of the president. What we seem to know for certain is that his press secretary was not told about Cheney’s role until 6 a.m. on Sunday.
In other words, if we accept the White House version of events, Bush was informed about 8 p.m. Saturday—and did not inform his press secretary until the next morning, did not talk to his vice president, in fact, did not seem to have any input on telling or holding the story.
So why isn’t Bush getting hammered for that? Why is so much of the focus on Cheney? The president of the United States, in this version, heard about his veep shooting a man in the face and chest and did not direct him or anyone else to report this to the nation? In fact, based on her original quotes, we might assume that we would have never heard about it at all if Katharine Armstrong had not tipped off the local reporter.
Here are just a couple of off the cuff, on the fly theories about why Preznit Dimwit isn't being questioned harder about this incident and his non-role in it -- for one, you'd have to have a real press corps for that, one that would ask real questions and demand real answers (kind of the exact opposite of what Fox News has been doing for the past five-plus years). For two, you'd have to believe that George Bush really is the Man In Charge, and not just some cheap ventriloquist's dummy with a certain VP's hand up his ass. Gee, folks, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but...
In related news... is it possible that there may have been alcohol involved in this explosive mishap?!? Heaven forfend!!
According to the White House, in its updated timeline, Bush found out that Cheney was the triggerman about 8 p.m. Saturday (from Karl Rove)—and yet in all of the accounts, many conflicting, of how the story emerged the next day, the president is never mentioned as having any role in the disclosure.
The ranch hostess/chief witness Katharine Armstrong first told us that she and her mother made the decision to go public of their own “volition, ” as she put, on Sunday morning, leading to the now-famous phone call to the Corpus Christi newsroom. Later she said that she had run the idea past Cheney on Sunday morning and he approved it, or at least said it was up to her.
Now the official narrative is that he discussed it with her Saturday night and they directed the disclosure “together.”
Note in all this: no mention of the president. What we seem to know for certain is that his press secretary was not told about Cheney’s role until 6 a.m. on Sunday.
In other words, if we accept the White House version of events, Bush was informed about 8 p.m. Saturday—and did not inform his press secretary until the next morning, did not talk to his vice president, in fact, did not seem to have any input on telling or holding the story.
So why isn’t Bush getting hammered for that? Why is so much of the focus on Cheney? The president of the United States, in this version, heard about his veep shooting a man in the face and chest and did not direct him or anyone else to report this to the nation? In fact, based on her original quotes, we might assume that we would have never heard about it at all if Katharine Armstrong had not tipped off the local reporter.
Here are just a couple of off the cuff, on the fly theories about why Preznit Dimwit isn't being questioned harder about this incident and his non-role in it -- for one, you'd have to have a real press corps for that, one that would ask real questions and demand real answers (kind of the exact opposite of what Fox News has been doing for the past five-plus years). For two, you'd have to believe that George Bush really is the Man In Charge, and not just some cheap ventriloquist's dummy with a certain VP's hand up his ass. Gee, folks, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but...
In related news... is it possible that there may have been alcohol involved in this explosive mishap?!? Heaven forfend!!
What If Whittington Dies?
Since no one seems to be getting away from this story--while we wait for the Big Dick's Softball Pitchto be broadcast on FOX--I'd like to pose a simple pair of questions...What if Harry Whittington dies? Will the veep be charged with manslaughter?
(Ok...ok, I've got an observation as well.)
I'm not a hunter, but it seems to me that one could apply a simple rule: If the gun is parallel to the ground, don't pull the trigger!
The Cheney Silence To Be Broken...
The Cheney shooting void is fraught,
With speculation, spin, and thoughts
On why his aim is not so hot,
Which he'll discuss today on FOX.
Interview will be on a Special Report with Bret Hume, recorded at 2:00p and broadcast at 6:00p EST.
With speculation, spin, and thoughts
On why his aim is not so hot,
Which he'll discuss today on FOX.
Interview will be on a Special Report with Bret Hume, recorded at 2:00p and broadcast at 6:00p EST.
Secure Flight Suspended For Being Insecure
After 4 years of work and 150 million dollars, TSA's Secure Flight program is being scrapped, and TSA is going back to the drawing board.
Secure Flight, for those of you who don't follow the daily twists of the Transportation Safety administration, is the government's attempt to take over "no-fly" checks (from the airlines) and to gather enough information so that every single flying passenger can be accurately assessed. But after being upbraided for gathering personal information that they weren't allowed to have, auditors found that TSA's system could be...hacked!
If you need a better bead on my opinion of intrusive government databases, their usefulness, and their dangers, read this or this, but suffice to say TSA might want to stick to guidance and leave the actual checks to the airlines.
Secure Flight, for those of you who don't follow the daily twists of the Transportation Safety administration, is the government's attempt to take over "no-fly" checks (from the airlines) and to gather enough information so that every single flying passenger can be accurately assessed. But after being upbraided for gathering personal information that they weren't allowed to have, auditors found that TSA's system could be...hacked!If you need a better bead on my opinion of intrusive government databases, their usefulness, and their dangers, read this or this, but suffice to say TSA might want to stick to guidance and leave the actual checks to the airlines.
2006/02/14
No Accountability
Lying, spying, denying; torturing people, often for no good reason; starting wars without provocation or cause; digging the country into the biggest economic hole ever seen in the history of America; compromising national security purely for partisan and ideological reasons; bungling emergency responses to the point of criminal negligence; and now, shooting lawyers in Texas without a game stamp: Is there anything that the members of this maladministration can't get away with? They're like Super-Teflon. Nothing sticks, nothing ends up hurting them or even making any person within six degrees of the Preznit or his Major Vice accountable.
Right now there is a bit of noise by some of the members of the Preznit's own party about the NSA flap, and about the response to Hurricane Katrina, but you can bet that in the end it will all turn out to be nothing but smoke and bluster. He'll skate. They'll all skate. There will be some concerned tut-tutting, a few very stern harrumphs, and then it'll be business as usual again. Keep moving, people, nothing to see here.
As for Deadeye Dick, he can shoot a guy, not report the incident for a day, clam up about it when questioned and then ultimately shrug his shoulders and say, "What?" The press and the law and the American people will all reply, "Uh... nothing." And that will be that.
(And now the Designated Decoy has suffered a heart attack -- hearing that, the Veep just grinned and said, "Laugh it off, pal, that's how I handle 'em." Maybe if Chickenhawk Cheney had ever served in the military, he'd know how to handle a gun... just a thought.)
It gets so frustrating seeing these guys blatantly breaking the law and getting away with it. My personal outrage meter has been running in the red for so long I don't know what just plain old anger feels like. The hubris, the arrogance, the impunity with which they operate is staggering; and the fact that so many millions of Americans aren't upset by their actions -- defend them, even! -- is the most frustrating of all.
If George Bush were to attack and rape an elderly nun on the steps of the Capitol building, in full view of Congress, the press and the public, there would be a huge outcry among these people, and it would sound like this: "What is that horrible woman doing to our beloved president?!?"
Right now there is a bit of noise by some of the members of the Preznit's own party about the NSA flap, and about the response to Hurricane Katrina, but you can bet that in the end it will all turn out to be nothing but smoke and bluster. He'll skate. They'll all skate. There will be some concerned tut-tutting, a few very stern harrumphs, and then it'll be business as usual again. Keep moving, people, nothing to see here.
As for Deadeye Dick, he can shoot a guy, not report the incident for a day, clam up about it when questioned and then ultimately shrug his shoulders and say, "What?" The press and the law and the American people will all reply, "Uh... nothing." And that will be that.
(And now the Designated Decoy has suffered a heart attack -- hearing that, the Veep just grinned and said, "Laugh it off, pal, that's how I handle 'em." Maybe if Chickenhawk Cheney had ever served in the military, he'd know how to handle a gun... just a thought.)
It gets so frustrating seeing these guys blatantly breaking the law and getting away with it. My personal outrage meter has been running in the red for so long I don't know what just plain old anger feels like. The hubris, the arrogance, the impunity with which they operate is staggering; and the fact that so many millions of Americans aren't upset by their actions -- defend them, even! -- is the most frustrating of all.
If George Bush were to attack and rape an elderly nun on the steps of the Capitol building, in full view of Congress, the press and the public, there would be a huge outcry among these people, and it would sound like this: "What is that horrible woman doing to our beloved president?!?"
The Day The Floor Drops Out From Under Big Oil
A post at Update America got me to thinking about Big Oil's real impact on the economy. To hear Bu$hCo tell the story, the US can't adhere to any set emissions limits because of the disastrous economic consequences. Translated, Bush means the disastrous consequences for Big Oil. In addition, though Bush mentioned our appetite for fossil fuels (especially foreign oil) in the SotU, he really has no intention of doing anything about it, as demonstrated by three facts:
- The amount of money spent on developing alternative energy sources by the Feds during the Bush administration is practically nothing ($10B), and the announced 22% increase to nothing is still nothing.
- Though they got worried about it later on, the Republican House passed a huge tax cut for Big Oil that then reaped the benefit in the form of record profits.
- The N.Y. Times reports today that Bu$hCo is going to allow Big Oil to pump another $65B worth from Federal lands over the next 5 years and will do nothing to the royalty system that allows Big Oil to essentially do it for free.
Consider... At the height of the California energy crisis, consumers voluntarily cut back their consumption by 14% in the space of a month--that's ONE MONTH--and then held it there.
Now imagine if America as a whole tires of the administration's rhetoric and begins to cut back on it's own. Movements are powerful things, and an overall nation-wide reduction of up to 10% is not unimaginable. But the consequences for our economy in it's current state are incalculable. With no real investment in energy sufficiency, new research, nor alternate fuel sources, Big Oil would have no economic buffer from the full effect of the floor dropping out from under them, and that would be *REAL* economic damage.
Hamas Must Go, Cause Bush Says So
And with them our commitment to spreading Democracy in the Middle East.
The N.Y. Times is reporting that plans to ouster Hamas are far advanced at the highest levels of the US State Department. In cooperation with Israel, the US plans to deprive the Palestinian Authority of money and connections and in doing so make life so hard in the territories that the Palestinians will force Mahmoud Abbas to call new elections.
I should point out that if any nation (or nations) on earth, OPEC for example, tried to interfere with a US election, the howling that we'd do could be heard from space. Of course we already tried that by funding a huge PR campaign for Fatah, and a fat lot of good it did us too.
The N.Y. Times is reporting that plans to ouster Hamas are far advanced at the highest levels of the US State Department. In cooperation with Israel, the US plans to deprive the Palestinian Authority of money and connections and in doing so make life so hard in the territories that the Palestinians will force Mahmoud Abbas to call new elections.I should point out that if any nation (or nations) on earth, OPEC for example, tried to interfere with a US election, the howling that we'd do could be heard from space. Of course we already tried that by funding a huge PR campaign for Fatah, and a fat lot of good it did us too.
2006/02/13
In Defense of Keeping Science and Spirituality Separate
Mike (of Can of Worms) had the second place entry in Blognonymous' "I Love My President Because..." contest, and as a prize, I offered to reprint a post of Mike's choosing. So without further adieu...
In Defense of Keeping Science and Spirituality Separate in American Classrooms
I am a firm supporter of the Bill of Rights. I hold all of my Constitutional rights very dear. I have no qualms with someone for believing or practicing any religion they deem to. I do, however, have a slight problem when people try to bring their personal religious convictions into the element of public science education. I present the following as my argument to why science should remain science in the classroom.
Read more...
In Defense of Keeping Science and Spirituality Separate in American Classrooms
I am a firm supporter of the Bill of Rights. I hold all of my Constitutional rights very dear. I have no qualms with someone for believing or practicing any religion they deem to. I do, however, have a slight problem when people try to bring their personal religious convictions into the element of public science education. I present the following as my argument to why science should remain science in the classroom.
Read more...
One Shot At Changing The Constitution
Cmdrsue recently posed the question, "If you could author one legislative bill guaranteed to be enacted, what would you do?" Well I think that maybe just a simple law isn't thinking big enough. So I want to get some opinions on a slightly narrower topic.
What does everyone want to do law-wise? What does Bu$hCo want to do to preserve the institution of marriage? What do Gary Bauer, Pat Robertson, and Westboro Baptist want after they turn Roe v. Wade into smoldering wreckage? Amend the Constitution!
So, all of you Constitutional scholars, you've got one shot: Amend, repeal, revise--How would you change the Constitution?
What does everyone want to do law-wise? What does Bu$hCo want to do to preserve the institution of marriage? What do Gary Bauer, Pat Robertson, and Westboro Baptist want after they turn Roe v. Wade into smoldering wreckage? Amend the Constitution!
So, all of you Constitutional scholars, you've got one shot: Amend, repeal, revise--How would you change the Constitution?
Katrina - The Probe, The Potshots, The Party
The Probe Stopped Short
Everyone's aware that house Republicans will soon issue their report on the administration's failure to adequately respond to hurricane Katrina, and much is being made of the fact that the report appears not to be a whitewash despite Democrats refusal to take part in the investigation. But, while the MSM covers (to use the report's words) the "national failure", what is left out is the White House's stubborn refusal t provide documents to investigators; the Bush administration's stonewalling; the fact that few Homeland Security officials testified before the committee; and the fact that no specific person, especially not HS Secretary Michael Chertoff, has been held to account for the debacle.
Two Louisiana congressmen though, Charlie Melancon and William Jefferson, are raising these issues in the only paper that will print them, the Times-Picayune.
Bush Senior Angry At How the Kowboy Koward Was Treated
The former President is angry about perceived attacks on his son at Coretta Scott Kings funeral. Successive speakers obliquely assaulted the presidents policies pointing out the inequities of how Bus$Co goes about the business of running this country. First Rev. Joseph Lowery questioned our commitment of billions to the war but little to the poor. Then former President Jimmy Carter asked that the audience recall the faces of Katrina's victims.
Apparently Bush Sr. finds such remarks distasteful, forgetting that respect is earned...as is disrespect.
Revelers Make Light of the Tragedy
In a final swipe at the people who bungled the Katrina response, Krewe du Vieux mocked Ray Nagin, Kathleen Blanco, and others in their portion of the Mardi Gras parade--proving that despite terrible tragedy, compounded by the administration incompetence, the people of New Orleans can't be kept down.
Everyone's aware that house Republicans will soon issue their report on the administration's failure to adequately respond to hurricane Katrina, and much is being made of the fact that the report appears not to be a whitewash despite Democrats refusal to take part in the investigation. But, while the MSM covers (to use the report's words) the "national failure", what is left out is the White House's stubborn refusal t provide documents to investigators; the Bush administration's stonewalling; the fact that few Homeland Security officials testified before the committee; and the fact that no specific person, especially not HS Secretary Michael Chertoff, has been held to account for the debacle.
Two Louisiana congressmen though, Charlie Melancon and William Jefferson, are raising these issues in the only paper that will print them, the Times-Picayune.
Bush Senior Angry At How the Kowboy Koward Was Treated
The former President is angry about perceived attacks on his son at Coretta Scott Kings funeral. Successive speakers obliquely assaulted the presidents policies pointing out the inequities of how Bus$Co goes about the business of running this country. First Rev. Joseph Lowery questioned our commitment of billions to the war but little to the poor. Then former President Jimmy Carter asked that the audience recall the faces of Katrina's victims.
Apparently Bush Sr. finds such remarks distasteful, forgetting that respect is earned...as is disrespect.
Revelers Make Light of the Tragedy
In a final swipe at the people who bungled the Katrina response, Krewe du Vieux mocked Ray Nagin, Kathleen Blanco, and others in their portion of the Mardi Gras parade--proving that despite terrible tragedy, compounded by the administration incompetence, the people of New Orleans can't be kept down.
2006/02/12
Separated at Birth? You Decide
Il Duce(Gratefully filched from The Omnipotent Poobah Speaks)
Return of the Political Commissar
So George Deutsch, Bu$hCo's 24 year old unqualified NASA Zampolit has resigned. Actually that's not really news--a Bush crony is forced to step down when it turns out that his credentials where forged. Nope nothing new under the sun there.
What is news is that the assignment of political commissars by Bu$hCo may not be limited to NASA. Dr. James Hansen, NASA's top climate scientist and the man who spoke out about Deutsch's attempts to silence him, alleges that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists are receive the same treatment. Apparently NOAA insists on having an agency "minder" present when it's scientists speak to journalists.
Stomp one cockroach and you find 100 more.
What is news is that the assignment of political commissars by Bu$hCo may not be limited to NASA. Dr. James Hansen, NASA's top climate scientist and the man who spoke out about Deutsch's attempts to silence him, alleges that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists are receive the same treatment. Apparently NOAA insists on having an agency "minder" present when it's scientists speak to journalists.Stomp one cockroach and you find 100 more.
2006/02/11
The Art of Blog Post Naming
Don't you just love it when a site picks one of your posts without having any clue what you're really about. Here's a link back to Blognonymous from a site called Conservative Think. My link is at mid-page just below the one about the National Review Online. Do you think these bozos actually read what I wrote?