U.S. Reclassifies Many Documents in Secret Review

Just in case you missed this on page 26 of your local rag (if it appeared at all):

"WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 — In a seven-year-old secret program at the National Archives, intelligence agencies have been removing from public access thousands of historical documents that were available for years, including some already published by the State Department and others photocopied years ago by private historians.

"The restoration of classified status to more than 55,000 previously declassified pages began in 1999, when the Central Intelligence Agency and five other agencies objected to what they saw as a hasty release of sensitive information after a 1995 declassification order signed by President Bill Clinton. It accelerated after the Bush administration took office and especially after the 2001 terrorist attacks, according to archives records.

"But because the reclassification program is itself shrouded in secrecy — governed by a still-classified memorandum that prohibits the National Archives even from saying which agencies are involved — it continued virtually without outside notice until December. That was when an intelligence historian, Matthew M. Aid, noticed that dozens of documents he had copied years ago had been withdrawn from the archives' open shelves."

- Scott Shane, NY Times

Just one (cheap) shot

O.K., I held off as long I could. But this Photoshopped pic of Cheney getting an NRA award was just too precious. That's it. No more.

But I still say he was drunk.

Behind the White House's Billion-Dollar Propaganda Push

"In two years, the Bush administration spent $1.6 billion to paint a prettier picture of its failing policies, even as it cut away the social safety net. "

-- Michelle Chen, The NewStandard

Get the details here.

Now, let's review. Bush, yesterday in Florida:

"And that's what this Republican Party stands for. This Republican Party stands for leadership based upon sound principles."

Such as taxpayer supported progaganda.

The (not so) slow slippery slope towards facism

"Last week’s annual Conservative Political Action Conference signaled the transformation of American conservatism into brownshirtism. A former Justice Department official named Viet Dinh got a standing ovation when he told the CPAC audience that the rule of law mustn’t get in the way of President Bush protecting Americans from Osama bin Laden.

"Former Republican congressman Bob Barr, who led the House impeachment of President Bill Clinton, reminded the CPAC audience that our first loyalty is to the US Constitution, not to a leader. The question, Barr said, is not one of disloyalty to Bush, but whether America "will remain a nation subject to, and governed by, the rule of law or the whim of men."

"The CPAC audience answered that they preferred to be governed by Bush. According to Dana Milbank, a member of the CPAC audience named Richard Sorcinelli loudly booed Barr, declaring: "I can’t believe I’m in a conservative hall listening to him say Bush is off course trying to defend the United States."

"A woman in the audience told Barr that the Constitution placed Bush above the law and above non-elected federal judges. [Bob Barr, Bane of the Right? by Dana Milbank, Washington Post, February 11, 2006].

"These statements gallop beyond the merely partisan. They express the sentiments of brownshirtism. Our leader uber alles."

-- Paul Craig Roberts 16 Feb 2006

But we're addicted to oil

From Reuters:

ST. LOUIS (Feb. 17) - Greenland's glaciers are dumping twice as much ice into the Atlantic Ocean now as five years ago because glaciers are moving and melting more quickly, researchers said on Thursday.

This could mean oceans will rise even faster than forecast, and rising surface air temperatures appear to be to blame, the researchers report in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

"This change, combined with increased melting, suggests that existing estimates of future sea level rise are too low," Julian Dowdeswell of the Scott Polar Research Institute at Britain's Cambridge University wrote in a commentary.

"At 1.7 million square km [656,000 square miles], up to 3 km [nearly two miles] thick and a little smaller than Mexico, the Greenland Ice Sheet would raise global sea level by about 7 meters [22 feet] if it melted completely."

The study did not explore what is causing the rising air temperatures in Greenland, but most scientists agree that human activity, notably the burning of fossil fuels, is playing an important role in global warming.

Eric Rignot of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology and Pannir Kanagaratnam of the University of Kansas used satellite data to track the movement of Greenland's glaciers, which slide slowly down to the sea and deposit ice.

They calculated that Greenland contributes about 0.02 inch to the annual 0.1 inch rise in global sea levels.

Since 1996, southeast Greenland's outlet glaciers have been flowing more quickly and since 2000 glaciers farther north have also sped up. Rignot and Kanagaratnam found that ice loss due to glacier flow has increased from 12 cubic miles of ice loss per year in 1996 to 36 cubic miles of ice loss per year in 2005.

"It takes a long time to build and melt an ice sheet, but glaciers can react quickly to temperature changes," Rignot said in a statement. He said the models now used to predict how much ice Greenland will lose, and what effect that will have on sea levels, may underestimate the outcome.

Rising air temperatures are clearly a factor, the researchers told a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which publishes Science.

Over the last 20 years, the air temperature in southeast Greenland has risen by 5.4 degrees F. Warmer air lubricates the bottoms of glaciers, helping them slide faster. "Climate warming can work in different ways, but generally speaking, if you warm up the ice sheet, the glacier will flow faster," said Rignot.

And it may melt even more quickly in years to come, he added. "The southern half of Greenland is reacting to what we think is climate warming. The northern half is waiting, but I don't think it's going to take long," Rignot said.

The Tax Dodgers

The Bush administration and the goose-stepping Congress are corporate America's wet dream. While the Fortune 500 wrap themselves in the flag and use those tax breaks to fund a few more lobbyists on the Hill, read about their true sense of civic responsibility:

"The Decline in U.S. Corporate Taxes and the Rise in Offshore Tax Haven Abuses
Although the corporate income tax rate is still 35 percent, in reality most corporations pay much less. Through the 1990s and even up until the third quarter of 2001, according to the Commerce Department, the effective tax burden for all U.S. companies, public and private, was around 30%. But from the fourth-quarter of 2001 onward, companies have paid out just 20% of their profits in taxes. For publicly traded companies only, the tax burden appears even lower.
The sharp decline in corporate taxes in recent years can be measured in a variety of ways. According to the Congressional Budget Office, between 2000 and 2003 overall corporate income taxes colected by the federal government dropped from $207 billion to $132 billion. Although the federal government reports that the number rose to $ 183.8 billion in 2004, that figure still represents just 9.6 percent of total federal revenues, down almost half-way from the 17 percent rate it stood at in 1970.

"The corporate tax rate is also declining by comparison to the size of the economy (i.e. as a percentage of GDP). According to the Congressional Budget Office’s Historical Budget Data, corporate income taxes declined from 4.2 percent of the GDP in 1967 to 1.2 percent in 2003, rising only slightly to 1.6 percent in 2004.

"Many large multinational corporations pay no taxes at all. According to the GAO more than 60% of U.S. controlled corporations with at least $250 million in assets (representing 93 percent of all corporate assets reported to the IRS) reported no federal tax liability each year between 1996 and 2000, while the economy boomed and corporate profits soared. 71% of foreign-based firms operating in the U.S. during that same period paid no U.S. income taxes. According to Citizens for Tax Justice, 82 of 275 top U.S. corporations paid zero taxes between 2001 and 2003, although they earned $102 billion in pre-tax profits. 46 companies with a combined profit of $42.6 billion paid no federal income taxes in 2003 alone. Instead they received rebates totaling $5.4 billion.

"Offshore Shelter Abuses
The rise of corporate tax haven abuses has contributed significantly to the precipitous decline of corporate taxes raised by the U.S. government in recent years particularly when it comes to U.S. multinationals who are able to shift their pretax income offshore. Martin Sullivan, editor of Tax Notes, reports that U.S. Corporations shifted $75 billion of their taxable profits into tax havens in 2003, depriving the IRS of between $10 billion and $20 billion in expected tax revenues. Sullivan says “the figures provide just one more indication that the U.S. system of taxing international income is nearing a breakdown.” Sullivan, a former Treasury Department economist, based his study on Commerce Department data. (See “Economic Analysis: Profit Shift Out of U.S. Grows, Costing Treasury $10 Billion or More,” Tax Analysts, September 28, 2004)."

There's lot's more where that came from at the Center for Corporate Policy.

Groups That Work Against Corporate Tax Abuses:
U.S. Groups
Citizens for Tax Justice
Citizen Works's Tax Dodgers Page
Taxpayers for Common Sense
Fair Taxes For All
Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
United for a Fair Economy
Outside the U.S./International Groups
Tax Justice Network
New Economics Foundation (UK)
Oxfam Tax Havens page

Lies

Some not-so-random quotes from the President's appearance in Florida to raise money for his party (no doubt paid for by you and me).

"You'll hear them say in Washington, well, we need to balance the budget. And they're right. But then they say, we're going to raise the taxes to balance the budget. I just want to warn you that that's not the way Washington works. It may sound good in the newspapers, but Washington works this way -- if you give them more money they will spend it."

"A tax increase, raising your taxes will mean there is more money to spend in Washington, and this economy isn't going to grow as strong. No, the way to balance the budget is keep pro-growth economic policies in place and be wise about how we spend your money."

"We're getting some things done. One of the commitments this federal government has made is to take care of the elderly. And when we go to Washington, D.C. and the commitment is to take care of the elderly, it seems like to me, we want to make sure we do it in a way that is modern. So we reformed Medicare. And today, seniors are getting modern medicine, thanks to the Republican Party."

"And that's what this Republican Party stands for. This Republican Party stands for leadership based upon sound principles."

I think these fictive sound bites speak for themselves. Delivered, as usual, with only the faithful allowed in to bask in the vacant presence of this charlatan. I can't even tell anymore if the fool believes this tripe or not. The sheep that glowed with adulation in Orlando sure did. This is not my president. At what point will this no longer be my country?

An American story

Here is a fascinating hour BBC documentary by Greg Palast that collates the measurable degree of name privledge and chicanery that accompanied the rise of the Bush family in American politics. It is simultaneously the documentation of the (barely) hidden class system that permeates American life. I challenge every right wing sympathizer to watch this film, and then review the values for which you believe the 21st century Republican party stands. This is not America. This is Skull and Bones. This is country club malfeasance. I challenge everyone of you Bush supporters to ask yourself if these are national values for which YOU stand.

"And it's still rolling along..."

A reminder from Howard Zinn:
"The American system is the most ingenious system of control in world history. With a country so rich in natural resources, talent and labor power the system can afford to distribute just enough wealth to just enough people to limit discontent to a troublesome minority. It is a country so powerful, so big, so pleasing to so many of its' citizens that it can afford to give freedom of dissent to the small number who are not pleased. There is no system of control with more openings, apertures, flexibilities, rewards for the chosen. There is none that disperses its control more complexly through the voting system, the work situation, the church, the family, the school, the mass media - none more successful in mollifying opposition with reforms, isolating people from one another, creating patriotic loyalty."-- from 'A People's History of the United States, first published 1981.

Pretty much your standard ranch stash

Where are they now?

Mike Nesmith

Then:



















Now:














Mike Nesmith's Video Ranch

(By the way, in case you didn't know, the guy put out some mighty fine records after the Monkees broke up).

Enemies of freedom and democracy

WANTED








For crimes against democracy and high treason.
These are the real architects of the destruction of the American republic.
The one in the Oval Office is just their foil.










Rumsfeld and Cheney Revive Their 70's Terror Playbook
by Thom Hartmann

Direct and to the point

The song is by Jim's Big Ego (who are way cool); the graphics by filmstripinternational.com. When their lies, their contempt for the American people, and the American people's willingness to be led blythely down the road to facism fills you with an inchoate rage or a paralyzing sorrow - click here for a cathartic moment.

Oh .. if you find the word "asshole" offensive ... watch it anyway.

What they won't do to try and make you scared

Courtesy of the Brad Blog, watch Keith Olbermann and Gerald Posner unravel Bush's ridiculous L.A. "Liberty" Tower terrorist plot. People, this is how stupid the Neocons think you are! Prove them wrong. Drive this Orwellian nightmare out of Foggy Bottom in 2006 and start impeachment proceedings.

Watch the video here.

Coming soon to a town near you: it's Gulag, Neocon style

"A Halliburton subsidiary has just received a $385 million contract from the Department of Homeland Security to provide 'temporary detention and processing capabilities.' The contract -- announced Jan. 24 by the engineering and construction firm KBR -- calls for preparing for 'an emergency influx of immigrants, or to support the rapid development of new programs' in the event of other emergencies, such as "a natural disaster." The release offered no details about where Halliburton was to build these facilities, or when."
-- Peter Dale Scott, New America Media via Pacific News service

Read the whole scary thing here.

Halliburtin share price 12/31/2001: $12.13
Halliburtin share price 2/8/2006: $74.55

Grandpa Bush just did business with Nazis.
Grandson Bush seems intent on becoming one.

Albert Gonzales' revisionist view of history

Paper ballots, anyone?

Some interesting poll summaries here about the upcoming 2006 elections. Stay tuned. What may we assume about the electoral process in our nation if these results remain static yet Republicans retain control of the Congress after November?

Ask this man.

"I participated in a hoax on the American people"

"In an interview that aired [on Friday, Feb. 3, 2006] on the PBS weekly newsmagazine NOW, Colin Powell's former Chief of Staff Lawrence Wilkerson makes the startling claim that much of Powell's landmark speech to the United Nations laying out the Bush Administration's case for the Iraq war was false.

"'I participated in a hoax on the American people, the international community, and the United Nations Security Council,' says Wilkerson, who helped prepare the address.

"The NOW report, which airs days before the third anniversary of Powell's speech, examines the serious doubts that existed about the key evidence being used by the American government at the very time Powell's speech was being planned and delivered.

"'I recall vividly the Secretary of State walking into my office,' Wilkerson tells NOW. 'He said: "I wonder what will happen if we put half a million troops on the ground in Iraq and comb the country from one end to the other and don't find a single weapon of mass destruction?"' In fact, no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq."
-- Press release from PRNewswire

Full text of interview here.

And now, the real state of the union...

"In the wake of George W. Bush’s State of the Union address, the White House and the Republican-led Congress have moved swiftly to implement a series of budget measures that will slash funding for health care and education while allocating vast new sums for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and tax cuts for America’s wealthy elite.

"The House of Representatives approved a $39.5 billion five-year budget-cutting package on Wednesday. More than half of the savings has been carved out of funding for Medicare and Medicaid, the principal programs that provide minimal health care coverage to the elderly, poor and disabled.

"On Thursday, Congressional sources reported that the White House was preparing to ask Congress for another $70 billion to pay for the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This comes on top of $50 billion approved just last December, and brings the total allocated for these military interventions in little over four years to more than $420 billion, the vast majority of it spent on the occupation of Iraq.

"Before the year is out, the administration will seek yet another supplemental appropriation to pay for the military operations in the two countries. It is anticipated that before the end 2006, the cost of these wars will top the $500 billion mark—ten times the amount estimated by the administration prior to the invasion of Iraq."
-- Bill Van Auken

And you know what they call it? "The Deficit Reduction Act!"

Here's a trenchant analysis from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers.

State of confusion or state of delusion?

Awright, I know I haven't weighed in the Shrub's state of the union address (not that anyone is holding their breath), but, well ... been busy. Mostly I thought it was hilarious, despite the ever-increasing tinge of unreality as the minutes droned on. I mean, we've been hearing much the same horse dooky for the past four years. First, let me direct you to ThinkProgress's great rundown on the unstable fabric of truth that George weaves with the same ease with which Uri Geller used to bend spoons. I couldn't purport to a better job than that. The highpoint for me? Here it is:

courtesy of M.E. Cohen/Humorlink.com

Now, that statement REALLY had the force of conviction! Will Bunch at Attytood even put some new lyrics to the late Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love." And then check out some of the Bushaholics' comments below the song! As if there was anything substantial in that statement from the man whose VP forged energy policy behind closed doors with the oil industry, whose energy bill gave so many subsidies and tax abatements to Big Oil that their windfall profits will become a new paradigm of corporate welfare.

Now, if 52 minutes of "Stay the course" left you feeling a little depressed, take a look at this "alternative" state of the union address. It's a little dated, but no more than the real thing delivered earlier this week.

Is there a political litmus test at Yahoo?

From "Doonesbury" Sunday Jan. 29, 2006:












I find it interesting that this particular strip is conspicuously absent from "myYahoo's" archive of the past 2 weeks (serviced by www.ucomics.com) but is available if you go directly to ucomics.com. Just an oversight, or another meltdown of high tech corporate integrity?

When corporations rule the world

"Exxon Mobil, aided by strong energy prices, disclosed Monday that it had set a record for profits among American companies, reporting $36 billion in annual income. But while most companies would be proud to trumpet record profits, Exxon Mobil did everything it could to play down the news.

"For Exxon Mobil, which also handily widened its lead over Wal-Mart as the company with the largest revenues in the nation, the report was an embarrassment of riches. Anxious about criticism of the results, executives began laying the groundwork months ago to try to prevent a political reaction against the company and the energy industry."
-- Simon Romero and Edmund L. Andrews, The NY Times, full article here.

"Exxon Mobil Corp. urged a federal appeals court Friday to erase a jury's $5 billion judgment against the oil giant for the 1989 Valdez oil spill, one of the country's worst environmental disasters.

"Exxon attorney Walter Dellinger told a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the company should be liable for no more than $25 million in punitive damages. Punitive damages are meant to deter and punish misconduct."
-- David Kravets, Associated Press, full article here.

Exxon Valdez disaster- 15 years of lies

Exxon Mobil's pseudo science web site

"To see full recovery is just going to take a lot longer, I think, than anyone had ever anticipated. We don't even know if there will be complete recovery achieved in the next 10 years."
-- Molly McCammon, Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council (in 1999, 7 years ago)

The official website of the Exxon Valdez victims.

They thought they were free

"What no one seemed to notice ... was the ever widening gap... between the government and the people.

"The dictatorship, and the whole process of its coming into being, was above all diverting... . It provided an excuse not to think for people who did not want to think anyway ... and kept us so busy with continuous changes and 'crises' and so fascinated, yes, fascinated, by the machinations of the 'national enemies,' without and within, that we had no time to think about these dreadful things that were growing, little by little, all around us...

"Each step was so small, so inconsequential, so well explained or, on occasion, “regretted,” that ... one no more saw it developing from day to day than a farmer in his field sees the corn growing. One day it is over his head.

"Each act, each occasion, is worse than the last, but only a little worse. . . . You wait for the one great shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock comes, will join with you in resisting somehow...

"But the one great shocking occasion ... never comes... That’s the difficulty."

-- Milton Mayer, They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1938-45 University of Chicago Press, 1955.

Richard Pombo faces a green avalanche

"Environmental groups nationwide are pooling their funds for a campaign to unseat one of the worst environmental offenders in Congress.

"As Adam Werbach, former president of the Sierra Club, puts it, 'Investing in Pombo's defeat would be as effective as owning the o's in Google.' "In the more than 12 years he's been in Congress, Pombo's district has become home to some of the most horrendous stretches of strip malls and cultureless housing tracts in California. According to the East Bay Express, Pombo's father and uncles have made tens of millions of dollars selling farm and ranch land to developers. And on Pombo's watch, his district also has come to have some of the worst air quality and drinking water in the country." -- Jan Frel, Alternet. Full article here.

Read the California League of Conservation Voters report on Pombo here.

Why Google helps China to censor online searches (and why you should care)

"A few years ago, I walked into an Internet room in Tibet's capital, Lhasa. There were no Chinese soldiers in the room, and no visible government censors nearby. A sign on the wall, however, reminded Web users that even after entering the stateless world of the Web, China's all-seeing eye had not disappeared. 'Do not use Internet,'' the warning instructed crassly, `for any political or other unintelligent purposes.'

"Since then, China's ruling regime has perfected the science of controlling what the Chinese can read or write on the Internet to such a degree that it has become the envy of tyrants and dictators the world over. We might have expected that from a regime that has proven it will do whatever it takes to stay in power. What we never expected was to see Google, the company whose guiding motto reads, 'Don't be evil,' helping in the effort."

-- Frida Ghitis, Miami Herald. Read the rest here.

Who's drinking the kool aid?

"Fantasy may be in fashion. Reality may have been shoved into the shadows on Mr. Bush's watch. The truth is that he is the worst president in memory, and one of the worst of all time. "
-- Bob Herbert, NY Times. Full article here.

BYU professor's group accuses U.S. officials of lying about 9/11

"Last fall, Brigham Young University physics professor Steven E. Jones made headlines when he charged that the World Trade Center collapsed because of 'pre-positioned explosives.' Now, along with a group that calls itself 'Scholars for 9/11 Truth,' he's upping the ante.

" 'We believe that senior government officials have covered up crucial facts about what really happened on 9/11,' the group says in a statement released Friday announcing its formation. 'We believe these events may have been orchestrated by the administration in order to manipulate the American people into supporting policies at home and abroad.'

"Headed by Jones and Jim Fetzer, University of Minnesota Duluth distinguished McKnight professor of philosophy, the group is made up of 50 academicians and others. They include Robert M. Bowman, former director of the U.S. "Star Wars" space defense program, and Morgan Reynolds, former chief economist for the Department of Labor in President George W. Bush's first term. Most of the members are less well-known.

"The group's Web site (www.ST911.org) includes an updated version of Jones's paper about the collapse of the Twin Towers and a paper by Fetzer that looks at conspiracy theories. The government's version of the events of 9/11 — that the plane's hijackers were tied to Osama bin Laden — is its own conspiracy theory, says Fetzer, who has studied the John F. Kennedy assassination since 1992."
-- Elaine Jarvik, Deseret Morning News, full article here.

Catastrophe Looms

"America has become a rogue nation, flying blind, guided only by ignorance and hubris. A terrible catastrophe awaits."

Paul Craig Roberts hits the nail on the head once again. In case you are a first time visitor, Roberts is a long-standing conservative, a former associate editor of the Wall Street Journal, a former contributing editor for National Review, and a former assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury (during the Reagan administration).

"Two recent polls, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll and a New York Times/CBS News poll, indicate why Bush is getting away with impeachable offenses. Half of the US population is incapable of acquiring, processing and understanding information.

"Much of the problem is the media itself, which serves as a disinformation agency for the Bush administration. Fox "News" and right-wing talk radio are the worst, but with propagandistic outlets setting the standard for truth and patriotism, all of the media is affected to some degree.

"Despite the media’s failure, about half the population has managed to discern that the US invasion of Iraq has not made them safer and that the Bush administration’s assault on civil liberties is not a necessary component of the war on terror. The problem, thus, lies with the absence of due diligence on the part of the other half of the population."

Full article here.

Faith

Personally, I could never accept a Jesus who didn't have a finely-honed sense of humor. What about you? Enjoy the video (you'll need the Quicktime plugin for your browser).

You just aren't evil enough, you're semi-evil, you're quasi-evil, you're the margarine of evil, you're the diet soda of evil, just one calarie

That's what friends are for

We did get fooled again

I no longer doubt that the second term of George W. Bush, de facto President of the United States, was obtained via larceny. The evidence is just too over-whelming that the results of the 2004 election were manipulated to give the Republican candidate the slim majority that he clearly did not have in 2000 (I mean, 2 elections in a row settled by the Supreme Court? We couldn't let that happen!). Sadly, a large minority of the citizenry in this country were content to allow this coup d'etat another 4 years of reshaping the world in its narrow vision of corporate ownership and profit through war, seasoned with a healthy dose of fundamentalist Christianity, as long as they can fill their living rooms with 52" plasma TV's and their garages with SUVs.

So why do I bring this up yet again? Because it appears that Mark Crispin Miller's book "Fooled Again," despite having been in Amazon's 292nd place for sales the other day, hasn't received much media exposure or reviews. Read about it here. And then just write me off as another paranoid lefty who hates America while you watch "American Idol" on that bigscreen box.

Right wing scumbag of the week

Y'know, there's so damned many of 'em, we could really do this on a daily basis.

And the winner is:

Glenn Beck, radio talk show host and new CNN talking head.

The ever-smirking Mr. Beck famously referred to Cindy Sheehan as "a pretty big prostitute."

Hmmm, and what do you all a self-professed "Mormon whose politics lean toward libertarian but also promotes traditional family values" who shills lies and excuses for an obscenely corrupt and venal presidential administration?

Sometimes you need a roadmap

Click on image for larger view.
Flowchart courtesy of Skimble.

Abramoff redux. It's THEIR scandal

The spineless media are allowing the right's army of talking heads to spin the "Jackoff" scandals as equal opportunity for the Dems as well as the GOP. Anyone who takes the time to investigate just a little bit will very quickly find out that IT JUST AIN'T SO! Tom Ball of Political Cortex spells out it all out beautifully here, so even the most febrile-brained Bushite can undertand it.

Now, when are we gonna learn about those White House meetings with the Jackster, eh, Georgie?

Loot the Vote

And from Chris Floyd of Empire Burlesque, this disquieting footnote to my previous post:

"Despite the scandals, the indictments, the mounting death count in Iraq, and the ever-deepening unpopularity of Bush and his minions, the Faction's tools for "manufacturing consent" – so ably exposed by Miller – are greased and ready, unchallenged by the clueless, spineless Democrats and the dollar-dazzled media. So look for more "astonishing upsets" and poll-confounding "surprises" in the coming national elections, as brute power rapes reality once again."

Full article here.

One smart conservative

I've earlier lauded Mark Crispin Miller's "Fooled Again" his immensely readable account of chicanery on Election Day, 2004, but when a man of impeccable conservative credentials such as Paul Craig Roberts trumpets a liberal tome, maybe, just maybe its time for centrist America to stop swallowing the dung that spirals out of one party rule in America. Robert has seen through the nonsense of the Neocon dreadnaught and has more to say in these columns:

The Brownshirting of America
The Coming End of the American Superpower
Bush is Cooking Up Two More Wars

Browse Mr. Roberts' archives.

Right for the wrong reasons

Our favorite ethically-challenged pudgy pud of the Neocon death cult, Karl Rove, after playing the invisible man for a while, has come crawling out from under his treasonous rock to announce that "national security" would be the focus of the 2006 Republican campaign. "The United States faces a ruthless enemy, and we need a commander in chief and a Congress who understand the nature of the threat and the gravity of the moment America finds itself in...," spake the senior weasel. I have to agree with Mr. Rove on this one. But it is the Bush administration that is the ruthless enemy, and the only Congress that can "understand the nature of the threat and the gravity of the moment America finds itself in" is one with a Republican minority. This clown needs to be sent to Pluto at 47,000 mph.

Hmmm, sound like anyone we know?

According to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (IVth edition: DSM-IV), narcissism in extremis involves a self-centeredness that makes one oblivious to the emotional existence of others. The DSM-IV defines its pathological extreme (narcissistic personality disorder) as: "A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy."

The DSM-IV further diagnoses a narcissitic personality by the following characteristics:

"Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)

"Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

"Believes that he or she is "'special"' and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)

"Requires excessive admiration

"Has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations

"Is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends

"Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others

"Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her

"Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes"

From "Narcissism, the Public, and the President" by Stephen Soldz

Why we will get fooled again

So, after passing the I-dunno-how-many-at-this-point huge black Hummer with a bulemic soccer mom behind the wheel on my way home from work (this is a very ubiquitous phenomenon in my neck of the woods), I Googled "Are Americans stupid," and thought I'd share some of the best fruits of my labors:
Why Americans Are So Stupid
Not All American Are Stupid
Stupid Evil Bastard
Are Americans Stupid (Or Does It Just Seem That Way?)
Are Americans Stupid?
Americans Stupid? Media to Blame?
Most Americans Are Stupid
Why Europeans Find Americans Stupid
Americans Are Dumb
Are Americans Afraid, Stupid or Preoccupied?
Incredibly Ignorant Americans Caught On Tape This one is my personal favorite!
59 Million Stupid Americans
Americans: Stupid And Militant

Alito's America

Just because he's smart.
Just because he's charming.
Just because he can speak with an even-tempered voice and smile warmly.
Just because.

Remember, the devil's in the details.

If you think the Imperial Presidency is going to save you from the amorphous threat of terrorism, remember that tyrants have consistently used fear to win the hearts and minds of the people that they subjugate.

Educate yourself. Start here.

For your consideration

Hey, remember anthrax?

You know, that toxin laced bacterial powder that turned up in letters addressed to a handful of politicians and journalists?

No perpetrator has ever been caught.

And now, if only for nostalgia's sake (the next section is from Free From Terror),

CONSIDER THESE “COINCIDENCES”

· The anthrax attacks were concurrent with the debate of Bush’s Patriot Act by Congress and the media.

· The Senators who received anthrax letters were trying to amend the Patriot Act to protect civil liberties and the innocent.

· Two Senate democratic leaders received anthrax letters mailed the same day that Senator Feingold blocked an attempt to rush the bill through without discussion or amendments.

· Senator Leahy received an anthrax threat after he expressed reservations about the Bill. As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he managed the debate on the Bill.

· Senate Majority Leader Daschle received the first Senate anthrax letter as he led the opposition to the original version of the Bill.

· After receiving the anthrax letter, Daschle switched from supporting a 2 year limit on the Bill, later defending a 4-year sunset clause as the “appropriate balance.”

· No Republican received an anthrax letter.

· The House and Senate buildings were closed and not reopened until after the Patriot Act was passed.

· The Supreme Court was shut down with an anthrax scare the day after the constitutionally-challenged Patriot Act was signed by President Bush.

· All the contaminated letters contained the Ames strain of anthrax, the DNA of which is traced to the original batch preserved in a university lab in Ames, Iowa. This strain was “weaponized” in Utah into a potent powder with an elaborate secret technique developed at Fort Detrick, Md.[1]

· The FBI failed to interview Ft. Detrick anthrax experts for two months into their investigation, doing it only after the experts complained to the press of gross incompetence on the part of the FBI.

· The FBI allowed the Iowa state lab to destroy the original batch of the Ames strain, making tracing the anthrax type more difficult.

· The FBI overruled local homicide detectives who think that an anthrax expert was murdered, possibly because he knew too much.

There's lots more. Visit the site or just Google "Anthrax conspiracy."

The constant gardener

No tricks, just stupid humans

Last night, on "Late Night," David Letterman told guest Bill O'Reilly that he thought that "60% of what you say is crap."

Way to go, Dave, but you're off by about 40%.

We should have had him

From former CIA agent and cogent Bush administration critic Larry Johnson:

"The book the CIA didn't want you to read, JAWBREAKER by Gary Berntsen, is out and it kills. I've sent Gary a nasty note because his story kept me up till 4 am today. Just couldn't put it down. Gary spent most of this year battling CIA censors, who were refusing to release the book. They insisted on excising parts of the story that have already appeared in other books about CIA operations in Afghanistan written by Steve Coll and another CIA veteran, Gary Schroen.

"Gary Berntsen was the second CIA officer sent to Afghanistan and put in charge of directing the destruction of Al Qaeda and the hunt for Bin Laden. He arrived in the fall of 2001, replacing veteran officer Gary Schroen, who had led the first CIA element into Afghanistan in the immediate aftermath of the 9-11 attacks. Gary 2, i.e., Berntsen, built on Schroen's foundation and played a critical role in directing the offensive that broke the back of the Taliban and scattered Al Qaeda.

"The key news from Gary's book is that we had Bin Laden in our sights but Tommy Franks and JSOC Commander, Dell Dailey, dilly dallied and did not deploy U.S. troops requested by Berntsen to the battle at Tora Bora. We could of had him; we should of had him; but we let Bin Laden get away. "
-- Larry Johnson, No Quarter, full article here.

Murtha's words or Ed Schultz, you are just plain wrong

Ed Schultz, one of the few progressive talk show hosts not affiliated with Air America, was railing this afternoon about Congressman John Murtha's comments concerning whether he would serve in the military today (Murtha said "no."). Murtha, remember, is a 37 year Marine Corps veteran who served with distinction in Vietnam and retired a Colonel. Ed, who has never served in the military, seemed to be stuck in a groove, and couldn't even see the reason in the words of military veterans calling in who argued that, in addition to being honest, Murtha was saying that you cannot separate the mission from the missionary anymore. Bad policy, no service. Ed feels that Murtha went too far, but couldn't seem to articulate a succinct reason why without getting shrill and defensive. I have to sadly agree with one caller who suggested that the right wing media pundits are going to have a field day with Schultz's obstinate denunciation of Murtha's comment. Ultimately, Ed will have done as much to damage the progressive cause as he accuses Murtha of doing.

Ed, you're an upstanding guy and I love your show, but can't you see what the man was really saying? He is saying that to sign up now is to volunteer to be cannon fodder for a failed policy tainted by myriad illegalities and promulgated by a dimwit alcoholic with a Napoleon complex. O.K., well, I'm saying that - but I think that this is the sentiment behind Murtha the Warrior's words. Murtha has earned the right to call it as he sees it, and as caller Ralph (also a vet) tried to tell you yesterday, try and rise above your kneejerk reaction and understand what the Congressman from Pennsylvania was REALLY saying.

We know

Sometimes you just have to laugh

So go ahead and enjoy the latest from JibJab: http://www.jibjab.com/swf/JibJab_205YearEnd.swf, then get productively angry again.

The real war on Christmas

It's Christmas Eve Day. A good time to reflect on the latest nonsense perpertrated by the ever-diminishing Bush base. I'm talking about the so-called "war on Christmas," packaged, sealed and delivered by the pundits that hope that you will forget about the real war in Iraq, the abandonment of New Orleans, and the general malfeasance of a corrupt one-party republic under the titular non-leadership of the Bushwacker. So, in the spirit of the season, I invite you to ruminate on the words of Jesus Christ himself as reported by Luke and Matthew. After reading these, consider then who are the true wagers of the war on Christmas.

"Blessed be ye poor; for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now; for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now; for ye shall laugh."

"But woe unto you that are rich! For ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! For ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! For ye shall mourn and weep."

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth; but I say unto you: Resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away."

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. Thus you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even publicans the same? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more than others? Do not even publicans so?"

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

"No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you: Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat, and the body more than raiment?"

"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."

"Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets."

And to all a good night.

I am indebted to Chris Floyd's Empire Burlesque for sources.

Democrats and Jack Abramoff

The media has been quick to tie Democrats as well as Republicans to the festering, sleazy scandal(s) of Jack Abramoff's purchase of Congressional influence. Well, guess what? According to the Center for Responsive Politics (here and here), only Republicans received contributions directly from Abramoff.

Full story here at Media Matters for America.

The big chill

A senior at UMass Dartmouth was visited by federal agents two months ago, after he requested a copy of Mao Tse-Tung's tome on Communism called "The Little Red Book." Two history professors at UMass Dartmouth, Brian Glyn Williams and Robert Pontbriand, said the student told them he requested the book through the UMass Dartmouth library's interlibrary loan program.
-- Aaron Nicodemus, Standard-Times

Full article here.

Imperious Rex

The detachment, the sangfroid, the sheer seeming indifference with which the Rogue President discussed Iraqi casualties last week revealed a man seriously devoid of a moral base. Listen to his stammering "interview" with that sycophant Brit Hume - it chills one to the bone.

And now, we find that Tiberius Bush has broken the law of the United States, authorizing the unlawful invasion of citizens' right to privacy. He thinks that's his "constitutional authority." Constitutional authority to ignore the ... uh, Constitution.

This man's political party impeached Bill Clinton for an act of illicit - albeit consensual - sex. Apparently, an assault on the republic's democratic traditions is a far less worrisome affront. At least a few Republicans seem to be concerned about the apparent disregard of this administration for the law of the land.

Now, I can't vouch for this next item, but according to Doug Thompson of Capital Hill Blue (he claims that this has been confirmed by three eyewitnesses), the following transpired at a recent White House meeting between Bush and Republican Congressional leaders about renewing the Patriot Act:

"GOP leaders told Bush that his hardcore push to renew the more onerous provisions of the act could further alienate conservatives still mad at the President from his botched attempt to nominate White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.

“'I don’t give a goddamn,' Bush retorted. 'I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way.'”

“'Mr. President,' one aide in the meeting said. 'There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution.'

'Stop throwing the Constitution in my face,” Bush screamed back. 'It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!'”

"Just a goddamned piece of paper!"

Be afraid. Be very afraid. Oh, and isn't it a sin to take the Lord's name in vain?

To hell with "Republican lite"

"Too many Democrats are tiptoeing around the major issues facing our nation, afraid to venture out of the mainstream. This is a big mistake at a time when the nation is begging for true leadership."

In her essay, veteran White House Press Corpswoman Helen Thomas plaintively calls for the minority party to start showing some cohones.

Hillary, are you listening? Stop trying to be Joe Lieberman in drag.

Last night I had the sweetest dream...

Letter from a soldier in Iraq

"Weapons of mass destruction? I’m still looking for them, and if you find any give me a call so we can justify our presence in Iraq. We started the war based on a lie, and we’ll finish it based on a lie. I say this because I am currently serving with a logistics headquarters in the Anbar province, between the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. I am not fooled by the constant fabrication of “democracy” and “freedom” touted by our leadership at home and overseas.

"This deception is furthered by our armed forces’ belief that we can just enter ancient Mesopotamia and tell the locals about the benefits of a legislative assembly. While our European ancestors were hanging from trees, these ancient people were writing algebra and solving quadratic equations. Now we feel compelled to strong-arm them into accepting the spoils of capitalism and “laissez-faire” society. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching Britney Spears on MTV and driving to McDonald’s, but do you honestly believe that Sunnis, Shias and Kurds want our Western ideas of entertainment and freedom imposed on them? Think again.

"I’m not being negative, I’m being realistic. The reality in Iraq is that the United States created a nightmare situation where one didn’t exist. Yes, Saddam Hussein was an evil man who lied, cheated and pillaged his own nation. But how was he different from dictators in Africa who commit massive crimes again humanity with little repercussion and sometimes support from the West? The bottom line up front (BLUF to use a military acronym) is that Saddam was different because we used him as an excuse to go to war to make Americans “feel good” about the “War on Terrorism.” The BLUF is that our ultimate goal in 2003 was the security of Israel and the lucrative oil fields in northern and southern Iraq.

"Weapons of mass destruction? Call me when you find them. In the meantime, 'bring ’em on' so we can get our 'mission accomplished' and get out of this mess."

-- Capt. Jeff Pirozzi, Camp Taqaddum, Iraq in a letter to "Star and Stripes"

Who are they kidding?

Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multinational corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.

HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

The public has a right to know about Hillary Clinton's cattle trades, but George Bush's cocaine conviction is none of our business.

Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness, and you need our prayers for your recovery.

You support states' rights, which means Attorney General Gonzalez can tell states what local voter initiatives they have the right to adopt.

What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

Another view of the "war on terror"

I am not a conspiracy theory aficionado (though my wife thinks I'm a first-class paranoid). However, I do believe that we Americans have incredibly naive concepts of how global politics function. We just don't like to think too much.

Watch the video hyperlinked below, and perhaps you, like me, will find it invading your quiet moments unbidden, tugging at the small, impertinent cynic inside your head that knows, just KNOWS, that the official version of any story is just another canvas for someone's pointed brush. Hopefully, it will shake your tree at least just a little.

In it, two prominent European politicians, Michael Meacher and Andreas von Bulow, express their serious doubts about the official version of the 9/11 story. But before you reject it right out of hand, read the gospel of the reigning neocons, "Project for the New American Century," and their white paper entitled "Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century." On page 63 of the latter is the following: "Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event like a new Pearl Harbor."

Watch it online. Real video is required, and can be downloaded here.

Two by Toles

Courtesy of the The Santa Cruz Comic News

Victory over the American people?

"There could be no doubt about the theme of President Bush's Iraq war strategy speech on Wednesday at the Naval Academy. He used the word victory 15 times in the address; 'Plan for Victory' signs crowded the podium he spoke on; and the word heavily peppered the accompanying 35-page National Security Council document titled, 'Our National Strategy for Victory in Iraq.'

"Although White House officials said many federal departments had contributed to the document, its relentless focus on the theme of victory strongly reflected a new voice in the administration: Peter D. Feaver, a Duke University political scientist who joined the N.S.C. staff as a special adviser in June and has closely studied public opinion on the war.

Despite the president's oft-stated aversion to polls, Dr. Feaver was recruited after he and Duke colleagues presented the administration with an analysis of polls about the Iraq war in 2003 and 2004. They concluded that Americans would support a war with mounting casualties on one condition: that they believed it would ultimately succeed.

That finding, which is questioned by other political scientists, was clearly behind the victory theme in the speech and the plan, in which the word appears six times in the table of contents alone, including sections titled 'Victory in Iraq is a Vital U.S. Interest' and 'Our Strategy for Victory is Clear.'"
--Scott Shane, NY Times 12-5-2005

Victory victory victory victory victory victory victory

Naval cadets at Annapolis show their enthusiastic anticipation of the President's victory speech at the Academy last week.

Top Ten New President Bush Strategies for Victory in Iraq

10. "Make an even larger 'Mission Accomplished' sign"
9. "Encourage Iraqis to settle their feud like Dave and Oprah"
8. "Put that go-getter Michael Brown in charge"
7. "Launch slogan, 'It's not Iraq, it's Weraq'"
6. "Just do whatever he did when he captured Osama"
5. "A little more vacation time at the ranch to clear his head"
4. "Pack on a quick 30 pounds and trade places with Jeb"
3. "Wait, you mean it ain't going well?"
2. "Boost morale by doing his hilarious 'Locked Door' gag"
1. "Place Saddam back in power and tell him, 'It's your problem now, dude'"
---Late Show with David Letterman

Presidential Speak

“I’m a war president.  I make decisions here in the Oval Office in foreign policy matters with war on my mind.”
-- George W. Bush, February 8, 2004

“It’s not a dictatorship in Washington, but I tried to make it one in that instance.”
-- George W. Bush, January 15, 2004, regarding the executive order making federal funds available to faith-based organizations

“It’s hard to be successful if you don’t make something somebody doesn’t want to buy.”
-- George W. Bush, March 9, 2004

Miami's finest in "Shock and Awe 2"

City of Miami Police are planning ''in-your-face" shows of force in public places, saying the random, high-profile security operations will keep terrorists guessing about where officers might be next.

As an example, uniformed and plainclothes officers might surround a bank building unannounced, contact the manager about ways to be vigilant against terrorists, and hand out leaflets in three languages to customers and people passing by, police spokesman Angel Calzadilla said.

''People are definitely going to notice it," Deputy Police Chief Frank Fernandez said Monday. ''We want that shock. We want that awe. But at the same time, we don't want people to feel their rights are being threatened."

Police Chief John Timoney said there was no specific or credible threat of a terror attack in Miami. But he said the city has repeatedly been mentioned in intelligence reports as a potential target. -- The Boston Globe

This, from the man (Timoney) who brought you the assault on free speech during the Free Trade Area of the Americas meeting in downtown Miami, 2 years ago.

Happy Thanksgiving -- from Venezuela

Of the nine major oil companies - currently rolling in windfall profits - that were asked by Congresss to donate some of their record-setting revenues to the poor of America who wil be beset this winter by as much as a 75% increase in heating oil costs, only one stepped up to the plate.

Citgo.

Yes, Citgo has announced that they will offer fuel at discounted rates in Boston as early as this week, said a statement posted Friday on the company's website. "The first phase of the program, in Boston, will offer up to 4.5 million litres of heating oil at accessible rates, representing $10 million U.S. in savings for those sectors," the statement read. Heating oil will be sold later in the Bronx, one of New York's poorest boroughs.

Now, who owns Citgo? Citgo is a subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, and they are following up on a promise by President Hugo Chavez to help poor Americans cut energy costs.

Now, I have no illusions that George W. Bush and his administration give a royal damn about the poor in America (when's the last time you heard ANYONE in Washington talk about the lost city of New Orleans?), but the irony of this hemisphere's most demonized elected president filling the shameful void of our own corrupt corporate culture is well, priceless.

Way to go, Hugo. Chingate, Pat Robertson.

P.S. Maybe that should be "this hemisphere's 2nd most demonized elected president..."

Gee, I wonder why?

The Republican leadership (and I use the term loosely) in the Congress announced yesterday that they won't be so quick to start investigating the source of the leaks about those secret CIA prisons maintained overseas, afterall. One needn't be the brightest bulb to figure out that they have determined that the source of the information was one of their own. Especially as the information was revealed at a Republican only closed door meeting.

This is the unraveling

The off-year 2005 elections, insofar as they represent a mild bell weather of the nation’s temperment, are cause for restrained jubilation. In addition to Democratic victories in two highly heated gubernatorial races, there were many satisfying mayoral race results as well (though, sadly, not in San Diego, while in New York, there was little hope overcoming Mike Bloomberg’s money machine). Far more telling were the defeats of California Governator’s propositions (though electoral reform in Ohio didn’t fare as well – perhaps due to voter confusion). In Dover, Pennsylvania, the creationist agenda was soundly trounced as the school board proponents of the teaching of intelligent design were all voted out of office (not so in Kansas). And plucky Maine defeated a proposition that would have sanctioned discrimination by sexual orientation.

Of course, the right wing will declare the election results of no national significance, as will the right wing bloggers who more and more look like lone voices in the wilderness for the politics of delusion. The real news is that those centrist Americans who always were basically uncomfortable with the social engineering of the Republican majority, who allowed fear to overcome their better judgment, how have grown horrified with the craven ways and means of the Cheney-Rove cabal and their sideshow front man.

Still, we must contend with one party rule in the executive and legislative branches, and a Supreme Court rewritten by ideologues who call themselves strict Constitutionalists. This is no time for progressives to grow complacent. The horrendous $70 billion dollar tax cut for was quietly placed before the Senate yesterday (though further attempts at the assassination of Social Security have just as quietly been dropped).

The battle for 2006 has begun, and the auguries are good. I predict that some sort of faux troop reduction in Iraq will be announced by Rumsfeld as we draw closer to next November, but also that it will be too little and too late.

U.S. used chemical weapons in Iraq

"In soldier slang they call it Willy Pete. The technical name is white phosphorus. In theory its purpose is to illumine enemy positions in the dark. In practice, it was used as a chemical weapon in the rebel stronghold of Fallujah. And it was used not only against enemy combatants and guerrillas, but again innocent civilians. The Americans are responsible for a massacre using unconventional weapons, the identical charge for which Saddam Hussein stands accused. An investigation by RAI News 24, the all-news Italian satellite television channel, has pulled the veil from one of the most carefully concealed mysteries from the front in the entire US military campaign in Iraq."
-- La Repubblica (Rome, in Italian). English translation here.

The shocking video Fallujah - "The Hidden Massacre" can be viewed here, via Tom Feeley's Information Clearing House.

And so it goes. Torture, other violations of the Geneva convention, chemical warfare. We have put on the face of the "enemy." Where is the outrage, America?

Palestinians donate son's kidney for Israeli boy

The family of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy who was killed by Israeli soldiers have donated one of his kidneys to an Israeli boy. "It doesn't matter whether the recipient was a Jew or an Arab," they said.

Ahmed Khatib was shot on Thursday in the West Bank city of Jenin. He was rushed to the emergency room at Rambam hospital in Haifa, but died without recovering consciousness. The army said he had a toy gun, which soldiers mistook for a rifle. The family said he was with a group of boys waving toy guns to celebrate a festival.

Jamil Khatib, his uncle, said the boy's father, Ismail, agreed to the donation after he saw the young Israeli kidney patient. "He had a brother, Shawkat, who died several years ago from kidney failure. He understood what it was like. Shawkat needed a kidney, but he never got one."

The extended Khatib family was divided over the donation. Palestinian prisoners phoned and said they should not give the kidney to the enemy.
-- Eric Silver, The Independent, 7 November 2005

In times of darkness, sometimes there is a ray of light.

Judy in Disguise

"The most intriguing revelation of Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald's news conference last week was his assertion that he would have presented his indictment of I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby a year ago if not for the intransigence of reporters who refused to testify before the grand jury. He said that without that delay, 'we would have been here in October 2004 instead of October 2005.'"
-- Robert Scheer, LA Times. Full article here.

And I wonder who would have been elected president?

Collateral damage

Attention, all right-wing Christians who support the Iraqi war. Watch this video and tell me about your "culture of life."