To sum up the story, Republican Representative Mark Foley of Florida spent some time last year sending sexually explicit text messages and internet messages to male pages in the House. At least one of the pages came forward and told his representative about it (also a Republican) who then told the House leadership, all Republican. Who then ignored the problem for almost a year, and failed to tell the single Democrat member of the Pages Board about it.
Political Wire has a bit on it.
What's truly sick is that Foley was the chairman of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, and had written laws against the very behavior he was indulging in.
So the Republican House not only knew that a pedophile was in their ranks, they let him chair the caucus against that behavior... for almost a year after they knew that he was a pedophile. Tell me why any sane person would vote for those Republicans ("Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Reynolds (N.Y.) and Reps. Rodney Alexander (R-La.) and John Shimkus (R-Ill.), as well as a senior aide to Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and former Clerk of the House Jeff Trandahl.").
Update: Talking Points Memo has a LOT on this cover-up. It's bad enough to have a pedophile in the ranks, but then to HIDE that fact... those men are all sick.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Paranoia
In Case I Disappear. An editorial which points out that Shrubya can designate anyone as an enemy combatant:
Underneath all this is the definition of "enemy combatant" that has been established by this legislation. An "enemy combatant" is now no longer just someone captured "during an armed conflict" against our forces. Thanks to this legislation, George W. Bush is now able to designate as an "enemy combatant" anyone who has "purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States."
Consider that language a moment. "Purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States" is in the eye of the beholder, and this administration has proven itself to be astonishingly impatient with criticism of any kind. The broad powers given to Bush by this legislation allow him to capture, indefinitely detain, and refuse a hearing to any American citizen who speaks out against Iraq or any other part of the so-called "War on Terror."
If you write a letter to the editor attacking Bush, you could be deemed as purposefully and materially supporting hostilities against the United States. If you organize or join a public demonstration against Iraq, or against the administration, the same designation could befall you. One dark-comedy aspect of the legislation is that senators or House members who publicly disagree with Bush, criticize him, or organize investigations into his dealings could be placed under the same designation. In effect, Congress just gave Bush the power to lock them up.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
RIP Habeas Corpus
Habeas Corpus protect innocent people from unlawful imprisonment. Bush and Congress are now trying to get rid of it so they can hold anyone for as long as they want.
Slowly the neocons chip away at America, soon there will be nothing left of the country I love.
Slowly the neocons chip away at America, soon there will be nothing left of the country I love.
NY Post Interferes with FBI Investigation
All in order to make fun of Keith Olbermann. The NY Post is an example of the worst kind of propaganda machines, churning out tons of garbage for the right-wing smear merchants. And now their insult piece has actually interfered in a federal investigation.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Raise a Glass
Today, we should all raise a glass to Stanislav Petrov, who saved the world in 1983 by thinking instead of simply reacting. Sometimes blindly striking out isn't the best response, and Colonel Petrov proved that on a tense September day.
Thanks to Garrett for the link.
Thanks to Garrett for the link.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Olbermann Tells The Truth Once Again
Olbermann's Special Comment on FOX vs Clinton. Watch the vid or read the transcript. Too bad the people who most need to understand it won't even bother to hear it.
This is Not A Political Blog
I've noticed that the entries in this blog have been picked up by a few news websites that presumably collect posts from political blogs.
While I'm flattered that anyone thinks my rants are worth reading, I'd like to point out that this isn't a political blog, although the majority of posts lately have been politics-related. This is a dumping-place blog for all my thoughts that don't belong elsewhere. When I feel like talking about non-political subjects, I will, and then presumably my extremely non-political posts will end up in lists of very political posts and the readers of those news websites will be left scratching their heads as to why my nonsense has been included.
In addition, there are two contributors to this blog, and the other contributor often prefers to post silly stuff here, not political stuff.
So if you run one of these websites that aggregates political posts, please be aware that this is not a political blog, and will eventually go back to non-political topics. I have no problem with someone sharing links to my posts, but please be aware that I might start talking about anything else at any moment.
While I'm flattered that anyone thinks my rants are worth reading, I'd like to point out that this isn't a political blog, although the majority of posts lately have been politics-related. This is a dumping-place blog for all my thoughts that don't belong elsewhere. When I feel like talking about non-political subjects, I will, and then presumably my extremely non-political posts will end up in lists of very political posts and the readers of those news websites will be left scratching their heads as to why my nonsense has been included.
In addition, there are two contributors to this blog, and the other contributor often prefers to post silly stuff here, not political stuff.
So if you run one of these websites that aggregates political posts, please be aware that this is not a political blog, and will eventually go back to non-political topics. I have no problem with someone sharing links to my posts, but please be aware that I might start talking about anything else at any moment.
An Illustration of How Crappy The US Media Is
Apparently it's far less important for Americans to see at a glance that we are losing/have lost the war in Afghanistan than for the rest of the world. And Annie Leibovitz is far more important than anything about the haven of our bitterest enemies. You know, the ones actually responsible for 9/11. The ones that Shrubya has completely ignored in favor of his war profiteering adventure in Iraq.
I used to think that Korea was the forgotten war. Now I know for sure, Afghanistan is the forgotten war, and most Americans don't even realize we're still over there trying to fight the real terrorists (the ones who actually hurt us, not the ones with imaginary WMD) with a gutted military force. And Newsweek is such a crappy magazine that they aren't even willing to put that very important war on the cover of their American editions. The media in this country should be ashamed.
Delayed Homecoming for 4000 Troops
Homecoming delayed for 4,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. We're stretched so thin over there that the troops get no time off. If you are one of the people who believes this war was needed, it's your duty to sign up and ship out to Iraq.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Linkages
On Bush and torture.
Ah, a reporter actually doing research. YAY!
Being comfortable in your own skin before running for public office.
Iraq for Sale is a movie about the shameless war profiteering done by Bush's buddies.
Iraq War Worsens Terror Threat. As liberals knew all along, going to Iraq before finishing the job in Afghanistan only made the threat of terrorism far worse. Why did Bush and his cronies lie to get us into this insane situation? Well, I suppose the previous link probably explains it. Republicans don't care how many American soldiers die as long as the corporations make huge profits. That's what Republicans value.
Ah, a reporter actually doing research. YAY!
Being comfortable in your own skin before running for public office.
Iraq for Sale is a movie about the shameless war profiteering done by Bush's buddies.
Iraq War Worsens Terror Threat. As liberals knew all along, going to Iraq before finishing the job in Afghanistan only made the threat of terrorism far worse. Why did Bush and his cronies lie to get us into this insane situation? Well, I suppose the previous link probably explains it. Republicans don't care how many American soldiers die as long as the corporations make huge profits. That's what Republicans value.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Quick Links
Support Our Troops.
The Royal Society takes on Exxon.
Why it's called pro-"choice".
Worried about voting on easily hacked machines? Visit VerifiedVoting.org.
The Royal Society takes on Exxon.
Why it's called pro-"choice".
Worried about voting on easily hacked machines? Visit VerifiedVoting.org.
Diebold Machines
Mark Evanier links to a video which shows just how easy it is to break Diebold Voting Machines. It's nine and a half minutes long, and I've already linked to the site it originated at, but this is too important to ignore.
As long as these machines are used in elections, those elections may as well not take place.
As long as these machines are used in elections, those elections may as well not take place.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
The 4th Annual World Stupidity Awards
Okay, how come I've never heard of these before this year's edition? Well, here are the big winners losers. Needless to say, a certain Chief Executive and Commander in Chief and many of his colleagues won many of these.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
It Can Happen Here
A Leash That Slowly Tightens:
Florin was born and raised in Communist Romania and fought his corrupt government tooth and nail just to be free. They imprisoned him, took him outside the purview of any lawyers, any embassies, any churches or otherwise any place he could find representation.Read the rest.
Then they tortured him.
Some nun brought his case to some university students in Hungary and next thing you know, he became a minor cause celebre for Amnesty International.
Letters like mine freed him.
...
"I have seen all this before."
"OK, give me your prediction."
Another long silence.
"I think the same thing will happen as in Romania when I grew up there. It starts with fixed elections. First the 2000 election was fixed and then the 2004 election was fixed. It happened in Communist elections just like it happened here. The people who count the votes are all in the government that's in power. And even when it seems like people have had enough, the tyrant will always somehow come out winning just enough to make your conspiracy theories seem ridiculous. Just like in Romania and Bulgaria of the sixties and seventies, the press may even report problems with elections, but Bush knows that Americans are lazy. I am sorry my friend. Maybe not you. But Americans are lazy and they will not seek their freedoms. Because it is always frightening to fight the government. But you are mistaken if you think you will avoid trouble by going along with the government. One day you will write a letter to the editor and sign your name, and then the next time you are at a train station, they will tell you `you cannot ride'. Or at the airport they will say you cannot get on a plane. Or they will stop you are the border, and just like Romania and the other Communist countries, America will become your prison. When the 2000 elections happened, my 89 year grandmother-in-law asked if we could go back to Bucharest. You see, this smells just like the communists in Europe to her. Corrupt. Incompetent. Totally controlling the media, the elections. Once they have that, and a lazy press, that's it. I mean that's it. They will continue to install an overbearing government where idiots who wear white gloves and badges, low-level-small-paycheck bureaucrats get to stop you at airports and demand to know where you are from and where you are going and what your business is. They will ask if you support the Party, or "who did you vote for?' It will come down to the day when you will see the police jump on someone for no reason and you will turn your heads and act like you have seen nothing. Your neighbor's wife will knock on your door desperately at 3 in the morning and tell you her husband was arrested out of his sleep last night. And she will cry and ask where he is. And you will make her coffee and call the local police and they local gendarme or sheriff or whatever will come by and pat her on the shoulder and will say he was taken by the Feds and they have no idea where he is going."
"You will notice more and more changes. The leash will get shorter, little at a time. And so slowly even you will not protest because you will hardly notice. You will lose your freedoms little at a time. One day you will speak out against the president in hushed tones even at a party. Then you will drive home from the party and steam at yourself for being so much like a little pussy cat. Then you will wonder who heard you."
I-933
Just the impact: Office of Financial Management. I-933, which will go up before Washington State voters in November, is a poorly written and badly designed initiative that would cost the state billions of dollars to just implement it.
The goal of the initiative, if I'm clear on it (and I'm not at all sure I am because it's so badly written) is to make sure that land owners are not adversely impacted by government regulations. But that's not what the thing will do. If Oregon's experience with a similar badly written citizens' law is any indication, this thing will only result in another level of bureaucracy and a whole bunch of lawsuits, costing the taxpayers millions, if not billions, of dollars.
I guess I'm voting "no" on it. As much as I support property rights, we need laws written by people with brains.
I'm slowly but surely moving towards the opinion of my father-in-law, who refuses to vote for any initiatives because writing laws is what we hire lawmakers to do.
The goal of the initiative, if I'm clear on it (and I'm not at all sure I am because it's so badly written) is to make sure that land owners are not adversely impacted by government regulations. But that's not what the thing will do. If Oregon's experience with a similar badly written citizens' law is any indication, this thing will only result in another level of bureaucracy and a whole bunch of lawsuits, costing the taxpayers millions, if not billions, of dollars.
I guess I'm voting "no" on it. As much as I support property rights, we need laws written by people with brains.
I'm slowly but surely moving towards the opinion of my father-in-law, who refuses to vote for any initiatives because writing laws is what we hire lawmakers to do.
Conservatives Don't Understand Irony
Glenn Greenwald points out that Michelle Malkin supports fair trials for terrorists... but has claimed in the past that fair trials for the prisoners in Gitmo is "coddling" terrorists. Strange how her attitude changes when the religion of the terrorists changes. Hypocrisy and Irony, that's the Neocon way.
Political Parties Owe State Money
People in Washington state rightly believe that it is unconstitutional to require voters to declare a party in order to vote. This has led to problems.
I personally refuse to declare a party, which means any votes I make in the partisan races don't count. I figure the political parties should pay for any elections in which only party members are expected to vote, so in my opinion, the parties owe Washington voters a LOT of money for the last few elections, which have required party declaration due to political parties whining.
Update: I got a strange e-mail that asked if that meant I don't vote at all. I should clarify. Washington state voters are only required to declare a party in the primary, and only for partisan races. Those are the items I don't vote on. I vote on everything else, and I vote on everything in the general election. If the voters get their way, I'll soon be able to vote on all races in the primary again.
I personally refuse to declare a party, which means any votes I make in the partisan races don't count. I figure the political parties should pay for any elections in which only party members are expected to vote, so in my opinion, the parties owe Washington voters a LOT of money for the last few elections, which have required party declaration due to political parties whining.
Update: I got a strange e-mail that asked if that meant I don't vote at all. I should clarify. Washington state voters are only required to declare a party in the primary, and only for partisan races. Those are the items I don't vote on. I vote on everything else, and I vote on everything in the general election. If the voters get their way, I'll soon be able to vote on all races in the primary again.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Should We Outlaw E-Voting Machines?
Should We Outlaw E-Voting Machines? Until a company can come up with a system that actually WORKS, yes. Even Fox Propaganda Channel is beginning to wonder, as this MetaFilter link shows. And Diebold isn't the only corrupt e-voting machine company.
I think we should just go to paper ballots that are readable by both humans and machines. I think election day should be a national holiday, not a work day. I think we need to fix our system, instead of letting it get worse and worse.
I think we should just go to paper ballots that are readable by both humans and machines. I think election day should be a national holiday, not a work day. I think we need to fix our system, instead of letting it get worse and worse.
Linkdump
California Energy: what they are doing right, and why it works.
Halliburton: You can have a medal if you don't sue us.
Never has someone parking in a handicapped spot amused so many people.
Dave reminds us of forgotten terror, and links to a number of other political posts.
Pirate jokes.
Talk about dysfunctional families, this one takes the cake.
Halliburton: You can have a medal if you don't sue us.
Never has someone parking in a handicapped spot amused so many people.
Dave reminds us of forgotten terror, and links to a number of other political posts.
Pirate jokes.
Talk about dysfunctional families, this one takes the cake.
Who Are The Prisoners?
MetaFilter on the Gitmo situation. In short, we were told that the people in Gitmo were "enemy combatants", but that was a complete lie. Most of them weren't captured on a battlefield, they were picked up because a neighbor or other informant claimed they were part of the terrorist network. Without any proof or charges, the United States has been holding these people for YEARS. In violation of everything that the US stands for. In direct violation of the US constitution and the foundation of our legal system. Illegally and Immorally. Did I mention that we not only have no proof that any of these people are at all connected to terrorists, but that they've NEVER BEEN CHARGED WITH ANY CRIME?
Why, again, does anyone still support Bush? Why isn't he in prison for his blatantly illegal activities?
Why, again, does anyone still support Bush? Why isn't he in prison for his blatantly illegal activities?
The Torture President
The president's tortured response, an editorial on the mere fact that civilized people shouldn't be debating torture, yet our "President" is not only debating it, but trying to justify it.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Bush Owes Us An Apology
Olbermann again nails it:
The President revealed this last Friday, as he fairly spat through his teeth, words of unrestrained fury directed at the man who was once the very symbol of his administration, who was once an ambassador from this administration to its critics, as he had once been an ambassador from the military to its critics.Read the rest, or watch the video available on the site. Also available at Crooks and Liars.
The former Secretary of State, Mr. Powell, had written, simply and candidly and without anger, that "the world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism."
This President's response included not merely what is apparently the Presidential equivalent of threatening to hold one's breath, but within it contained one particularly chilling phrase.
"Mr. President, former Secretary of State Colin Powell says the world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism," he was asked by a reporter. "If a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former secretary of state feels this way, don't you think that Americans and the rest of the world are beginning to wonder whether you're following a flawed strategy?"
“If there's any comparison between the compassion and decency of the American people and the terrorist tactics of extremists, it's flawed logic,” Bush said. “It's just -- I simply can't accept that. It's unacceptable to think that there's any kind of comparison between the behavior of the United States of America and the action of Islamic extremists who kill innocent women and children to achieve an objective.
Of course it's acceptable to think that there's "any kind of comparison."
And in this particular debate, it is not only acceptable, it is obviously necessary, even if Mr. Powell never made the comparison in his letter.
Some will think that our actions at Abu Ghraib, or in Guantanamo, or in secret prisons in Eastern Europe, are all too comparable to the actions of the extremists.
Some will think that there is no similarity, or, if there is one, it is to the slightest and most unavoidable of degrees.
What all of us will agree on, is that we have the right -- we have the duty -- to think about the comparison.
And, most importantly, that the other guy, whose opinion about this we cannot fathom, has exactly the same right as we do: to think -- and say -- what his mind and his heart and his conscience tell him, is right.
All of us agree about that.
Except, it seems, this President.
With increasing rage, he and his administration have begun to tell us, we are not permitted to disagree with them, that we cannot be right, that Colin Powell cannot be right.
And then there was that one, most awful phrase.
In four simple words last Friday, the President brought into sharp focus what has been only vaguely clear these past five-and-a-half years - the way the terrain at night is perceptible only during an angry flash of lightning, and then, a second later, all again is dark.
“It's unacceptable to think," he said.
It is never unacceptable to think.
Here's A Silly Story
What would you think if there was a camp devoted to teaching children to love their religion and their leader so much that they are willing to die for said religion and leader? Complete with a cardboard cut-out of said leader to worship?
What if I said the camp was in the United States, and the camp is grooming children to be part of a "Christian" God's Army? And Bush is the leader they worship?
It's sick, and it's true. "I want to see them as radically laying down their lives for the gospel as they are in Palestine, Pakistan and all those different places," Pastor Fisher said.
Can "Christian" suicide bombers be far behind? Are they going to make "Christian" girls wear burkas to protect "Christian" boys from impure thoughts? Maybe segregate the schools to protect the boys from girls' evil influence? Oh hey, why educate the girls at all? They should just pump out babies, right? Why don't these "Christians" call themselves what they really are: "Christian" Taliban.
What if I said the camp was in the United States, and the camp is grooming children to be part of a "Christian" God's Army? And Bush is the leader they worship?
It's sick, and it's true. "I want to see them as radically laying down their lives for the gospel as they are in Palestine, Pakistan and all those different places," Pastor Fisher said.
Can "Christian" suicide bombers be far behind? Are they going to make "Christian" girls wear burkas to protect "Christian" boys from impure thoughts? Maybe segregate the schools to protect the boys from girls' evil influence? Oh hey, why educate the girls at all? They should just pump out babies, right? Why don't these "Christians" call themselves what they really are: "Christian" Taliban.
Diebold Machines Not Physically Secure, Either
Boing Boing links to a report on just how easy it is to open a Diebold Voting Machine. Add that fact into the previous facts: Security tape easy to replace, and difficult to see if the "void" shows up, and the machines can been falsified in less than a minute, and you have, once again, a voting machine that isn't a voting machine... it's a tool for whoever controls the voting machines to falsify an election.
Ask for paper. If you "vote" on a Diebold machine, it's worse than not bothering to vote at all.
Ask for paper. If you "vote" on a Diebold machine, it's worse than not bothering to vote at all.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
The Geneva Convention
The Geneva Convention, and here's Article 3, which Shrubya is pretending isn't very clear:
In short: if you can't understand that torture is not allowed under the Geneva convention, you are so stupid that you probably believe torture actually works (it doesn't). There is nothing unclear at all about that section. Only someone completely idiotic or completely evil would think that section isn't crystal clear.
Torture doesn't work. It has never been reliable, and all the "successes" that Shrubya has reported from his torture program have turned out to be false. Each and every one turned out to be people who didn't know anything or who were mentally unstable. Every piece of "evidence" the Shrubya Administration has gotten from torture has led to dead ends and wasted the time of our intelligence agents. Every single time a plot was stopped, it resulted not from torture, but from solid detective work by dedicated agents.
Torture doesn't work. It degrades the tortured and the torturer. It wastes the time of agents who could be doing real work. It turns soldiers into war criminals. It gives the bad guys solid reasons to get more people to hate us. It destroys our standing as a true nation and turns us into a rogue state. And it's plainly EVIL.
George W Bush has stated that he believes in torture. I think that tells us exactly what kind of person he is. He belongs in prison, not in the presidency.
Article 3Emphasis mine.
In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:
1. Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.
To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:
(a) Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
(b) Taking of hostages;
(c) Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment;
(d) The passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.
In short: if you can't understand that torture is not allowed under the Geneva convention, you are so stupid that you probably believe torture actually works (it doesn't). There is nothing unclear at all about that section. Only someone completely idiotic or completely evil would think that section isn't crystal clear.
Torture doesn't work. It has never been reliable, and all the "successes" that Shrubya has reported from his torture program have turned out to be false. Each and every one turned out to be people who didn't know anything or who were mentally unstable. Every piece of "evidence" the Shrubya Administration has gotten from torture has led to dead ends and wasted the time of our intelligence agents. Every single time a plot was stopped, it resulted not from torture, but from solid detective work by dedicated agents.
Torture doesn't work. It degrades the tortured and the torturer. It wastes the time of agents who could be doing real work. It turns soldiers into war criminals. It gives the bad guys solid reasons to get more people to hate us. It destroys our standing as a true nation and turns us into a rogue state. And it's plainly EVIL.
George W Bush has stated that he believes in torture. I think that tells us exactly what kind of person he is. He belongs in prison, not in the presidency.
Evil is As Evil Does
FilkerTom on the Pope and the President, both of whom seem to not understand reality.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Why Are Republicans Trying to Take Credit for Democrat Works?
Kos has the details. First Republican Allen submitted an amendment written by Senator Dick Durbin, with only a single word changed, as his own. Now Republican Burns claims to have co-sponsored an amendment that was sponsored solely by Democrat Senator Max Baucus.
Are Republicans really so desperate to prove that they've done something that they'll lie about stuff that is clearly part of the record?
Why don't the Republicans, WHO CONTROL CONGRESS, just start passing intelligent legislation on their own??!??
Are Republicans really so desperate to prove that they've done something that they'll lie about stuff that is clearly part of the record?
Why don't the Republicans, WHO CONTROL CONGRESS, just start passing intelligent legislation on their own??!??
This is No Election
How Election Day Went Wrong. Massive problems at the Maryland Primary, and not all of them due to Diebold. Thanks to Garrett for the link.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Diebold non-Voting Machines
The Princeton Study on Diebold election machines.
I cannot stress how utterly useless these machines are in a real election. Any election (past, present or future) that uses these machines is simply NOT VALID. The machines are far too easy to hack, and have been designed with deliberate backdoors in the code to make it possible to change election results without any trace.
If you are offered a Diebold machine to vote on, insist on paper. Voting on a Diebold machine is simply not voting at all.
I cannot stress how utterly useless these machines are in a real election. Any election (past, present or future) that uses these machines is simply NOT VALID. The machines are far too easy to hack, and have been designed with deliberate backdoors in the code to make it possible to change election results without any trace.
If you are offered a Diebold machine to vote on, insist on paper. Voting on a Diebold machine is simply not voting at all.
Good News From Iraq
Iraq the Model reports that Iraqi soldiers managed to defuse a huge bomb that was set to go off in downtown Baghdad. Whew! We need more victories like this.
Oil Prices Drop...
...just in time for the election. Hmmm... what was it Shrubya said when he was running for President? Oh yeah, that he would call up his oil buddies and ask them to lower oil prices. Apparently, realizing that his party was in danger of losing the election because people are peeved about oil companies record profits while they can't afford to fuel up, Shrubya did just that. Expect prices to jump again just after the election.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Kipling's Epitaphs
From here:
A DEAD STATESMAN
I could not dig: I dared not rob:
Therefore I lied to please the mob.
Now all my lies are proved untrue
And I must face the men I slew.
What tale shall serve me here among
Mine angry and defrauded young?
Torture Does NOT Work
Matthew Yglesias explains.
Which is all just to say that there are two closely related reasons we find the idea of torture depraved. On the one hand, the deliberate infliction of cruelty is simply a depraved act. On the other hand, though, it's simply the sort of thing that only depraved people do -- as an actual investigative technique, it sucks. It's a way of encouraging people to tell interrogators whatever it is the interrogators already happen to believe.
This is why you don't see torture associated with low-crime jurisdictions. You see it associated with brutal dictatorships seeking to cow the population into submission. You see it associated with purges, witch hunts, and inquisitions. Wherever phony confessions are required as an instrument of policy, you'll find your torture chambers.
...
If you relax your standards enough and look hard enough, in other words, you'll be able to find information to justify just about any conclusion you like. The trouble is that the conclusions you like aren't going to be the conclusions that are accurate.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Why "Misremembering" Is Important
Goldy explains why Mike "Oil Tankers in Puget Sound" McGavick's small misrememberings are important. In short, they are important because McGavick is putting out these falsehoods in the hopes that they will show what a wonderful guy he is... as he's running his entire campaign on personality and not issues.
Osama Runs Our Country?
Osama bin Laden is making our foreign policy decisions now, according to Shrubya. To sum it up: even though Shrubya claims that Osama is unimportant that that Shrubya is just not concerned about him, Shrubya then says we must stay the course in Iraq because to pull out would please Osama. Therefore, de facto, Osama is in charge of our foreign policy.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Bush continues to show Disrespect to Flag
Boing Boing has the image of the President stepping on the United States Flag. Why is it that a man who holds the highest office in the land has no clue how to respect the symbols of his country?
"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a shoe stamping on a symbol of freedom - forever."
This isn't the first time Bush has desecrated the flag, but it is one of the most disgusting displays he's put on. More here.
"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a shoe stamping on a symbol of freedom - forever."
This isn't the first time Bush has desecrated the flag, but it is one of the most disgusting displays he's put on. More here.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Can't Win On Issues?
...Then slam your opponents relentlessly.
Republicans are planning to spend the vast majority of their sizable financial war chest over the final 60 days of the campaign attacking Democratic House and Senate candidates over personal issues and local controversies, GOP officials said.Yup, there's Republicans for you. They can't actually win elections based on what they do (because they are truly awful at running the country), so they dig into the muck to attack people personally. I mean, they couldn't get Clinton on his political record, so they attacked his sex life. It's just standard operating procedure for Republicans: "Oh, I'm screwing up the country and sending thousands of soldiers to die in an illegal war? LOOK, MY OPPONENT HAS SEX!!! What, I'm raising your taxes and making it impossible for you to earn a living wage? LOOK, MY OPPONENT ONCE HAD A HIT OF MARYJANE!!! What, I drove drunk and nearly killed someone once? LOOK, MY OPPONENT IS USING NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING!!! WAAAAAAHHH!!!"
The National Republican Congressional Committee, which this year dispatched a half-dozen operatives to comb through tax, court and other records looking for damaging information on Democratic candidates, plans to spend more than 90 percent of its $50 million-plus advertising budget on what officials described as negative ads.
The hope is that a vigorous effort to "define" opponents, in the parlance of GOP operatives, can help Republicans shift the midterm debate away from Iraq and limit losses this fall.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Cantwell, You Idiot...
...aren't the financial arrangements supposed to be the other way around? Since when do lobbyists OWE politicians favors?
Still, while this is a muddled mess, I suppose it's better than McGavick's consistent lies.
Still, while this is a muddled mess, I suppose it's better than McGavick's consistent lies.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Hopefully the Last on McGavick
Mike "Oil Tankers in Puget Sound" McGavick lied about his arrest for DUI, but I suppose we can almost forgive him for that... he was, after all, drunk as a skunk. But now he's lying about a track meet, apparently to tell a touching story about a life lesson learned on the value of hard work. But the story is total bull, so the life lesson is utter nonsense. And this time, he wasn't drunk, so why is his memory on this one so bad?
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Dove Hunting
Go Dove hunting with Republicans on September 11th! Celebrate the Republican values of death, death, and death!
More on McGavick's Links to Ted Stevens
The PI reports on McGavick's links to Ted Stevens and how poorly he's handling them.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Wait... We're actually FUNDING the Terrorists Now?
Frightening thread on MetaFilter, that makes it clear that Shrubya doesn't care at all about catching the man responsible for 9/11, and is in fact sending aid to Pakistan, which is actively supporting the Taliban and al-Qaida.
What happened to "You're either with us or against us in the fight against terror"?!???
Apparently, Shrubya is with the terrorists.
What happened to "You're either with us or against us in the fight against terror"?!???
Apparently, Shrubya is with the terrorists.
Try Them or Free Them
The Washington Post publishes an editorial from the father of one of the hundreds of Gitmo detainees who HASN'T EVEN BEEN CHARGED WITH A CRIME IN THE FOUR YEARS HE'S BEEN HELD in America's totally illegal prison.
I have no problem with arresting suspected terrorists.
I have no problem with charging them with crimes and putting them on trial.
But I have BIG problems with arresting people and holding them indefinitely with no charges and no trial. This is not the American way. Only facists pull that kind of crap. Why are the leaders of our country acting like facists?
I have no problem with arresting suspected terrorists.
I have no problem with charging them with crimes and putting them on trial.
But I have BIG problems with arresting people and holding them indefinitely with no charges and no trial. This is not the American way. Only facists pull that kind of crap. Why are the leaders of our country acting like facists?
FilkerTom on Propaganda
FilkerTom is a bit peeved about "The Path to 9/11", a piece of crap propaganda movie that completely ignores reality and attempts to blame 9/11 entirely on Clinton.
Monday, September 04, 2006
It's The Economy, too
Mark Evanier explains why the average American doesn't think the economy is as good as the Neocons say it is: because the average American is losing income, despite to so-called "strong" economy.
In the meantime, lets not forget that the oil companies are making record profits... but then, you hire an oil man for president (and vice prez) and it's only natural that the oil executives will be having great years. Shrubya is making sure that the only people that matter to him are happy. The rest of us can go to hell as far as he's concerned, and that's where he's been sending us.
In the meantime, lets not forget that the oil companies are making record profits... but then, you hire an oil man for president (and vice prez) and it's only natural that the oil executives will be having great years. Shrubya is making sure that the only people that matter to him are happy. The rest of us can go to hell as far as he's concerned, and that's where he's been sending us.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Mark Evanier on "Supporting" Our Troops
How should we Support The Troops? Maybe by giving them the equipment and wages they need, and protecting them from predatory lenders...
Friday, September 01, 2006
McGavick Lied?
The Seattle PI reports that McGavick lied about details of his arrest for DUI years ago. He claimed it was a yellow light (it was red) and said he wasn't arrested (he was). In addition, he blew a 0.17 on the Blood Alcohol test 83 minutes after he was arrested. Whoa. It's a wonder he didn't pass out before he could get to his car to drive and try to kill people.
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