Friday, October 31, 2003
In honor of Halloween-A really really scary story.....ooooooooooo - :o
holy crap!
why is this in an austrailian newspaper? stupid question yes, i know, but seriously-this is pulitzer stuff if true (duh-if) it seems like a whistleblower story of this magnetude could make any journalist salivate.somebody, ANYBODY, jump on this one!! please!!!
why is this in an austrailian newspaper? stupid question yes, i know, but seriously-this is pulitzer stuff if true (duh-if) it seems like a whistleblower story of this magnetude could make any journalist salivate.somebody, ANYBODY, jump on this one!! please!!!
The sunday shows should be interesting-rummy's making the rounds-trying to prove he still has his mojo i suppose. mostly tho it will be a showcase for the latest spin from iraq. turning from their stance that saddam is insignificant, now the ousted dictator is apparently running the resistance. smart move on the part of the white house actually-rather than let the people see random guerrilla style attacks with no end in sight, which serves to highlight the administration's lack of post war planning, lets pull the war back into focus by bringing back the evil doers we went to war with in the first place. give the war a face again. the trick will be justifying all the previous assertations that there was no way saddam could be coordinating the attacks, which has been the official line for the past six months. watch this snake it's way into the lexicon as a remedy for everything from justification of more funds, to the more immediate chipping away at the anti war stances of some democratic presidential rivals. weather the chipping will be done by the republicans or lieberman- that remains to be seen. have a scary halloween everyone...
A bit of local news gone national. Go Goretti Guerrilas!!!
You'd think by now I'd be so used to whistle-ass' ramblings that they wouldn't enrage me anymore, yet here i sit, yelling at cnn.com.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CNN) -- President Bush Thursday cited the third-quarter growth of the nation's gross domestic product to 7.2 percent as proof his economic plan is working.
"That's the fastest growth we've had in nearly 20 years," Bush said in a speech before workers at Central Aluminum Co., in Columbus. "Exports are expanding, investment is rising, housing construction is growing. The tax relief we passed is working."
YEAH-THE FREAKIN' TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH SURE ARE KICKING ASS HUH?! NEVER MIND THAT EVERY IMPARTIAL ECONOMIST I HEARD YESTERDAY SAID THE GROWTH WAS DIRECTLY LINKED TO THE MIDDLE CLASS TAX CUTS THAT THE DEMOCRATS TACKED ON BEFORE THEY WOULD PASS THE BILL.Please let the democrats stand up and take some credit for this. And please let the voters remember that the GDP can be as high as it wants but so far it hasn't changed the fact that this is shaping up to be a jobless recovery. (of course odds are good that most people won't forget that they don't have jobs when they go to the polls so I won't worry on that second please too much) If I have to hear Bush extolling the virtues of tax cuts for the rich one more time I'm going to throw up.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CNN) -- President Bush Thursday cited the third-quarter growth of the nation's gross domestic product to 7.2 percent as proof his economic plan is working.
"That's the fastest growth we've had in nearly 20 years," Bush said in a speech before workers at Central Aluminum Co., in Columbus. "Exports are expanding, investment is rising, housing construction is growing. The tax relief we passed is working."
YEAH-THE FREAKIN' TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH SURE ARE KICKING ASS HUH?! NEVER MIND THAT EVERY IMPARTIAL ECONOMIST I HEARD YESTERDAY SAID THE GROWTH WAS DIRECTLY LINKED TO THE MIDDLE CLASS TAX CUTS THAT THE DEMOCRATS TACKED ON BEFORE THEY WOULD PASS THE BILL.Please let the democrats stand up and take some credit for this. And please let the voters remember that the GDP can be as high as it wants but so far it hasn't changed the fact that this is shaping up to be a jobless recovery. (of course odds are good that most people won't forget that they don't have jobs when they go to the polls so I won't worry on that second please too much) If I have to hear Bush extolling the virtues of tax cuts for the rich one more time I'm going to throw up.
Thursday, October 30, 2003
Do mine ears decieve me? Do I heard the approaching sound of clucking? Are all the chickens coming home to roost?
Group Says Iraq Contractors Donated Heavily to Bush's Campaign
Please let this impending storm of scandal keep gathering momentum in the news!!!
Group Says Iraq Contractors Donated Heavily to Bush's Campaign
Please let this impending storm of scandal keep gathering momentum in the news!!!
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
An open letter to Senator John Rockefeller (W. Va)-
As an American citizen I want to thank you for doing your job for our country. As someone who feels that our reasons for rushing to war with Iraq were dubious, at best, I fully support your proposed independent inquiry into pre war intelligence , and the White House role in its handling. I believe it is the duty of the members of the legislative and judicial branches of our government to maintain the system of checks and balances set in place by our forefathers, and at this particular time in our nation's history, I feel that it is more important than ever before. The Bush administration has, in my opinion, misled the American people on many issues, using the tragedy of 9/11 to wrap itself in the flag, and shield itself from criticism and questions. They have been allowed to go mostly unquestioned by the media or anyone else by calling them unpatriotic. It is well past time that that changed, and that the administration was finally held under the spotlight of accountability. President Bill Clinton was no less than impeached for lying about a marital infidelity. George W. Bush didn't lead an intern into his office however, he led our nation into war, and I think that if it is shown that he did so, knowingly, under false or exaggerated pretenses impeachment would be getting off light. I applaud your efforts to do the important work the people of West Virgina elected you to do. You do so on behalf of all Americans, not just those in your district and I, for one, thank you. Good luck, keep up the good work, and remember-what's right is not always popular, and what's popular is not always right, but in the end, it is always what's right that matters, and it matters the most when your job is to be the voice of the people who cannot speak for themselves. We the people have been asked to sacrifice, and at the very least, we deserve to know why. Thank you again.
As an American citizen I want to thank you for doing your job for our country. As someone who feels that our reasons for rushing to war with Iraq were dubious, at best, I fully support your proposed independent inquiry into pre war intelligence , and the White House role in its handling. I believe it is the duty of the members of the legislative and judicial branches of our government to maintain the system of checks and balances set in place by our forefathers, and at this particular time in our nation's history, I feel that it is more important than ever before. The Bush administration has, in my opinion, misled the American people on many issues, using the tragedy of 9/11 to wrap itself in the flag, and shield itself from criticism and questions. They have been allowed to go mostly unquestioned by the media or anyone else by calling them unpatriotic. It is well past time that that changed, and that the administration was finally held under the spotlight of accountability. President Bill Clinton was no less than impeached for lying about a marital infidelity. George W. Bush didn't lead an intern into his office however, he led our nation into war, and I think that if it is shown that he did so, knowingly, under false or exaggerated pretenses impeachment would be getting off light. I applaud your efforts to do the important work the people of West Virgina elected you to do. You do so on behalf of all Americans, not just those in your district and I, for one, thank you. Good luck, keep up the good work, and remember-what's right is not always popular, and what's popular is not always right, but in the end, it is always what's right that matters, and it matters the most when your job is to be the voice of the people who cannot speak for themselves. We the people have been asked to sacrifice, and at the very least, we deserve to know why. Thank you again.
Molly Ivins is my hero. her new book, "bushwhacked", is the most informative picture of how our current presidents policies affect ordinary american citizens that i've ever read, and i highly recommend it to everyone, especially people who don't see why anyone would be mad at or dislike the president. that being said, i also highly reccommend her current column in the progressive. all i could think as i read it was "my point exactly!"
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
I've known republicans my whole life. most of the ones i know are sane, reasonable people. i disagree with them on many policy issues etc.-that's the root of political discourse after all. but i have a serious question for any sane, feet on the ground, fiscally conservative republicans out there. i don't care to hear from loony's or dittoheads-i want to hear from reasonable GOP party faithful. Do you really support everything the republican party stands for under bush? I was reading this re-election strategy outline and it occurs to me that, while there is definately some olde thyme republican sentiment in there, alot of it sounds crazy. it sounds like the strategy of a group of people in denial. especially with lines like this...
In the draft memo obtained by The Washington Times, Mr. Gillespie urges Republican leaders to point out that the Democratic Party's share of the electorate is shrinking.
Citing Democratic pollster Mark Penn's finding that "only 32 percent of voters now identify themselves as Democrats," the memo said, "And as the Democratic Party becomes more liberal, elitist and angry, it gets smaller."
ok,ok, but even if those numbers of self identifying dems are right, (i'll presume they are) what about the self identifying bush supporters? those are some numbers i'd like to see.
it 's not shocking that there are relatively few who will wear the party label on our side. ideologically people don't generally want to identify themselves with an established group unless they agree with at least most of what they have to say, and sometimes what the dems have too say is alot to swallow. but people will paint themselves with the brush of what they believe in. and the republicans strategy makes me wonder if they know about groups like republicans for dean ,or, republicans against bush . I remember that the one thing that struck me most as i attended my first dean meetup was the number of self identifying republicans there supporting dean. Then there's the independents , libertarians, and even a few greens. the thing the bush camp would do well to remember is that it's not the number of card carrying democrats that count-it's the countless other registered voters who mantra these days is "anyone but bush in 2004".
In the draft memo obtained by The Washington Times, Mr. Gillespie urges Republican leaders to point out that the Democratic Party's share of the electorate is shrinking.
Citing Democratic pollster Mark Penn's finding that "only 32 percent of voters now identify themselves as Democrats," the memo said, "And as the Democratic Party becomes more liberal, elitist and angry, it gets smaller."
ok,ok, but even if those numbers of self identifying dems are right, (i'll presume they are) what about the self identifying bush supporters? those are some numbers i'd like to see.
it 's not shocking that there are relatively few who will wear the party label on our side. ideologically people don't generally want to identify themselves with an established group unless they agree with at least most of what they have to say, and sometimes what the dems have too say is alot to swallow. but people will paint themselves with the brush of what they believe in. and the republicans strategy makes me wonder if they know about groups like republicans for dean ,or, republicans against bush . I remember that the one thing that struck me most as i attended my first dean meetup was the number of self identifying republicans there supporting dean. Then there's the independents , libertarians, and even a few greens. the thing the bush camp would do well to remember is that it's not the number of card carrying democrats that count-it's the countless other registered voters who mantra these days is "anyone but bush in 2004".
Monday, October 27, 2003
I'm glad to see that my home state and my birth state are both involved in this lawsuit against the EPA . I hate to look like a one trick pony but our government is so deep in the pocket of the energy industry i wouldn't be surprised if this increase in pollution was all an elaborate, mr. burns like scheme to block out the sun with smog so we'll all need to have the lights on all the time. ok, maybe that sounds a bit insane, but so does a "clear skies" initiative that relaxes emissions standards, and a "healthy forests" initiative that promotes cutting down more trees. koo-koo :P . If we go through one more election cycle without campaign finance reform that will close all these legalized bribery loopholes i'm going to start screaming and so should everyone else.
BTW- yes i f-ed up. the debate was on fox news, not CNN, and was held by the congessional black caucus, not rock the vote as i said-that's the next one. i'll make sure i have my shit together next time before i put anything in writing. Sorry.
Did anyone read donald rumsfeld's op-ed in the washington post yesterday? It's nothing very new really, the same rational for the war blah, blah, blah. The only thing that really jumped out at me was his statement that we had to take the war to the terrorists. He wrote that as though it were obviously the only solution to the problem of global terrorism. the fact that that is how he feels isn't what surprises me, not much he said really did surprise me. it did however disappoint me a bit. he frames his argument by pointing to the beruit bombings of 20 years ago, and listing the subsequent anti terror measures and counter measures taken in response to the attacks, then makes his case for war. as i said, not surprising, considering the source, but deeply disappointing. in detailing how every effort to curb terrorism will be subsequently met with a different kind of attack he frames perfectly the argument that war isn't working, but attacking the root of the problem never comes up in his arguement. yes, he closes by saying that "we must lean forward and stop [people] from becoming terrorists in the first place." but that's where he ends. it should be the beginning. the evolution of the problem, as well as how terrorism can be an equalizing factor are both broached, but the possibility of dismantling terrorist networks by attacking the roots of discord in the parts of the world where this brand of hatred grows is never discussed, only the best ways to try and beat it back down from the outside. like i said coming from rummy i'm not remotely surprised that his point of view is militaristic rather than sociological, all i'm saying is there's an argument to be made for that point of view as well, and it needs to be heard. to put it simply-if a pit bull is clamped down on your leg, what's a better way to get him to stop attacking you, hitting him with a rolled up newspaper, or throwing him a steak. i'm no foreign policy expert by a long shot, just someone who thinks that we've had years of hindsight to realize that meeting this type of violence with further violence has only served to breed more terrorism, not discourage it. and if we were truly serious about sowing stable democracy in iraq and afganistan by letting the world share the burdens as well as the rewards, and giving the iraqis a little more credit for knowing what's best for them, baisically if we stopped acting like assholes maybe we could actually get somewhere-not by, as rumsfeld says "bringing the war to the terrorists" but by bringing peace and stability to their violent tumultuous world. just a thought...
Friday, October 24, 2003
I know this link is already up here but since justice league, aka the nine democratic presidential candidates, are once again debating-this sunday at 8 on CNN-I thought i'd put it up again in case anyone has monday off or a serious drinking problem (not me-i have more of a serious drinking "hobby") anyway, again-cheers!
Slate's Democratic Debate Drinking Game
Slate's Democratic Debate Drinking Game
i finally got my images to work and i'd show a good ted rall, but i don't want to cheat anyone out of any money or pay any myself so here's a link to a verry funny cartoon.
Presidential Swap Comix
enjoy!
Presidential Swap Comix
enjoy!
I saw this on Bartcop. Keep the hammer swinging Bart!!
We knew the intelligence had been "sexed up", to borrow a term i love from our british friends, so now that the senate is finally starting to rain fire and brimstone down on the reporters of said bullshit, why am i not hearing wolf blitzer, or anyone for that matter, screaming about this on cnn right now?
Inquiry Faults Intelligence on Iraq
I want this to get the full on media outrage this deserves dammit, so our democratic "leaders" won't stop hammering away at it!
Another thing kids-don't let yourself be distracted with the latest shiny toy they're throwing us to prove the government is awesome-i.e. the anti-spam act. I hate spam as much as the next person, but my hatred of spam is somehow, insanely outweighed by my longing for campaign finance reform, decently funded schools, and universal heathcare. but i'm nutty like that.
Inquiry Faults Intelligence on Iraq
I want this to get the full on media outrage this deserves dammit, so our democratic "leaders" won't stop hammering away at it!
Another thing kids-don't let yourself be distracted with the latest shiny toy they're throwing us to prove the government is awesome-i.e. the anti-spam act. I hate spam as much as the next person, but my hatred of spam is somehow, insanely outweighed by my longing for campaign finance reform, decently funded schools, and universal heathcare. but i'm nutty like that.
Apparently my experiment did not work-but i'll tackle that later. Meanwhile, i read yet another good point in the village voice this week.
Lieberman the Spoiler
I know he's a liberal-hell, i've been getting non-campaign email all week imploring me to call my senators and demand that they vote for the McCain-Lieberman climate stewardship act to undo global warming, so why oh why must he paint his ass red? he's not really a conservative asshole-he's more like the guy who wears a bad toupee to cover an embarrassing bald spot. what he should've done when he was picking apart dean to dig up dirt is actually looked at why he strikes such a chord with democratic voters-because he's not bush light, joe, that's why. and that's exactly what we call you behind your back. :(
Lieberman the Spoiler
I know he's a liberal-hell, i've been getting non-campaign email all week imploring me to call my senators and demand that they vote for the McCain-Lieberman climate stewardship act to undo global warming, so why oh why must he paint his ass red? he's not really a conservative asshole-he's more like the guy who wears a bad toupee to cover an embarrassing bald spot. what he should've done when he was picking apart dean to dig up dirt is actually looked at why he strikes such a chord with democratic voters-because he's not bush light, joe, that's why. and that's exactly what we call you behind your back. :(
Thursday, October 23, 2003
loving this new linking thang-here's a great Dean article from the village voice, which features philly for dean! i actually just got a postcard from the campaign that had a picture of the august philly rally on it and lo and behold, there was my little pin-head in the crowd. i'm famous!
The Army of Dean
The Army of Dean
