D2k
It takes a special kind of human being to ignore the deaths of 2000 men and women, but as we all know by now, President Bush is a special kind of person.
Imagine the consummate hypocrisy of this man, whose lies led a nation of naive and trusting citizens to send their sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, and mothers and fathers to fight -- and die -- in a war that has accomplished absolutely nothing, except to enrich corporate war-profiteers like Halliburton, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, General Electric and a host of others.
In earlier times, corporations like these would have become pariahs in our country. Today they are praised daily by financial pundits who are only able to see profit and greed as the true American virtues.
As for Bush, just as the 2000th American casualty was announced by the Pentagon, our conscience-free President was on the road selling his his usual pabulum about this being a moral war against freedom-hating terrorists and that we will win this war no matter how long it takes.
And his audience today? In yet another staged farce, it consisted of the wives of military officers, whose Stepford-like duty to their military husbands would only allow them to display the utmost respect and allegiance to Bush's every inane utterance.
In the meantime, the families and loved ones of 2000 men and women have been ignored by the man whose own greatest tragedy was having his vacation repeatedly interrupted by the "disgraceful" actions of people like Cindy Sheehan.
Our War on Christmas - A Confession
In American conservatism's endless effort to add absolutely nothing to the national storehouse of wisdom, Fox News talking mouth, John Gibson, has added his own page waster with the explosive title,
The War on Christmas - How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought.
Aside from being one of the worst titles I've ever heard for a book, the grammer is questionable. So here's my question: Shouldn't this really be
How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday is Worse Than you Think? Unless you already considered this wacked notion and dismissed it as just more wingnut hype, your average brain-dead christian probably thinks we liberals are still out to destroy the festival that celebrates the natural expulsion of the fruit of Mary's womb, Jesus.
Still, how could I fail to respond to such an idea. And so I did, in an Amazon review of the book that many others also commented on. Writing under my nom de plume, Justin Case, this is what I
wrote:
This is dangerous information - not for the faint-hearted!, October 23, 2005Reviewer: Justin Case
I must speak out against John Gibson and his inflammatory book, The War on Christmas, etc. Unfortunately, due to his pit bull-like research, Gibson has revealed the previously secret struggle that Christmas-hating liberals have been involved in for nearly 40 years.
While most of his facts are indisputably true, Gibson's history of the so-called Xmasian War fails to examine the true underpinnings of our grievances against Santa Clause and his regime.
With the advent of industrialization at The North Pole -- which due to a lack of infrastructure in the Polar region began later than in most parts of the world -- the highly-regarded Santa Claus style of management began to take on a more exploitative tone. Polar elves had for centuries been the main workforce, but as the Polar middle class grew and prospered, the original elves began to leave the harsh, frigid environment of the North Pole and started moving to warmer climates, most notably Las Vegas.
Back at the Pole, an alarming number of foreign elves were arriving, mostly from third world nations. In addition, ARFTA (Arctic Regions Free Trade Agreement) rules allowed more and more toy making to be done by children in countries like India, China and even the United States, where, fortunately, the true meaning of Christmas was lost decades ago.
When The ELF (Elven Liberation Front) began their insurrection in 1967, liberal knees jerked spasmodically, and with the covert assistance of the anti-Christmas Israeli Secret Service, the American Liberal Cabal declared formal war on Christmas in 1969.
At the time, our declaration was based on incontrovertible evidence that Santa had stockpiled WMD's (nuclear-tipped iceballs) and had used laughing gas on his own people.
Despite Gibson's revelations of our involvement in World Humanistic Terrorism, I want to assure all our comrades and supporters that liberals will never end the struggle against Christmas until all the goddess's children end this blind belief in the dangerous red menace known as Santa Claus.
With dangerous admissions such as these, you can now understand why I used an alias on the massively-accessed Amazon.com. Since viewer statistics for these pages are so low, I have no doubt that my complicity in this plot will remain anonymous.
Discover the Stephanie Miller Show - and be entertained
Funny, smart and beautiful (not necessarily in that order) lefty talk show host, Stephanie Miller, is a recent, happy discovery and a consistently enjoyable
listen in the morning from 9-12 (Eastern).
I first saw Stephanie -- of all places -- hosting a game show on the Oxygen Network; a redo of the old "I've Got a Secret" program. Her show quickly became a favorite while eating breakfast and perusing the morning newspaper. Her quick wit and charm endeared her to me.
So when I found out that she had one of the oldest Prog/Lib radio programs in the country, I had to find out what she was like there.
Let's put it this way. Her show is a morning zoo with the main focus berating hypocritical, immoral and just-plain-stupid Republicans, conservatives, gun-nuts, gay-haters and whoever else needs lampooning.
Her all male posse is good, but they can't keep up with the constant funny patter of Stephanie herself.
She'd be a great addition to
Air America Radio, but it's also good that she is syndicated in her own right. Let's hope more station owners catch her show and regardless of their own political biases, will make a decision to add real entertainment to their lineups.
Also, check out this blog entry from her site,
Quotes from the American Taliban.
If Bush's Brain resigns, will the body follow?
All this talk about Rove, Libby and (God-willing) Cheney resigning has apparently given George Bush a nervous condition as those in the know have observed rather gleefully.
It makes me wonder what will happen if his closest handlers are out of the picture. For years, we've watched his every event, speech and utterance staged...to the point where a male hooker was planted in the White House Press Corps (WHPC) to ask softball questions. The latest White House production occurred last week when one of the stage directors, The Pentagon's Allison Barber, blocked and choreographed a Presidential off-the-cuff question and answer session with some hand-picked troops in Iraq.
We all know by now what happened when the curtain was drawn back and the Wizard was revealed to be nothing more than a country bumpkin with a good memory for learning lines.
But even this showed us that the days are numbered for The Not Ready for World Leadership Players. Would Karl have missed such an obvious gaffe as forgetting that satellite feeds can be intercepted? And would he have not written a slick retort for Press Secretary McClellan in response to a surprisingly feisty WHPC?
No wonder our dear President is feeling the pressure more and more. No one told him that he would have to go it alone! Laura's adoring looks can only go so far. Condi's travelling the world. Mama's in Texas.
Maybe it's time for the George Bush to get reacquainted with his oldest and truest friend, Mr. Jim Beam!
"A conservative civil war"
If there is, in fact,
a conservative civil war going on right now, those of us on the sidelines must ask this question.
If Harriet Miers decides to protect her
padron by withdrawing, or if she is ultimately not approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, what would Bush's response be?
I believe that since the Religious Right have been Bush's most ardent supporters since 2000, he'd crawl back into their arms by selecting a nominee who would be 100% Pat Robertson-approved. And since Robertson and his minions have been praying hard for vacancies to occur, these prayers would finally be answered.
Then, for Reverend Pat, it would be on to praying for the assassination of that nuclear-totin', Castro-lovin', freedom-hatin', corporatocracy-abusin', commie-pinko Hugo Chavez.
Damn! Too little time. Too much to pray for.
There's the beginning of a smile on my face
The blogosphere is abuzz with anticipation about what might befall the White House mafia this week as Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald (a Republican, no less) concludes his investigation into the "Plame Affair".
Perhaps the most optimistic outcome can be found in
Talking Points Memo today. When the names Karl Rove, Andy Card, Scooter Libby and even King of the Undead, Dick Cheney, can be combined with the word indictments, it can only bring joy to the hearts of all us American liberals who have watched futily as these men -- and a host of others -- have come as close as possible to turning this nation into a tyrannical theocracy. But somehow, it seems that the tendency for people like this -- and Tom Delay and Bill Frist -- to see themselves above the law will usually backfire.
To believe, then, that 'outing' a CIA agent without impugnity is an example of hubris that truly amazes me.
It's apparent to me that even 'The Company', in direct contradiction to the powers given them by novelists and moviemakers, was powerless to retaliate for this crime. Instead, it took (what appears to be) an honest federal prosecutor to reign in the crime bosses in the White House.
How far up this will go, only time will tell. Will Cheney be indicted? Will Bush?
One can only smile...and hope.
On a Mission From God
My God, but it frightens me to think that the most powerful leader in the world is hearing things from his Almighty.
It brings to mind those oft-heard news reports of murderers who were certain that God commanded them to slay their victims in one way or another. Now far be it from me to accuse President Bush of being a mass murderer...unless you're obligated to count the 2100+ coalition soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians killed as a result of his obsession with invading Iraq. But who's counting?
Now it has surfaced that in a June 2003 meeting with Abu Mazen, Palestinian Prime Minister, and Nabil Shaath, his Foreign Minister, Bush expressed how he came to invade Iraq, as well as some of God's other plans for him. In an interview with the BBC, Foreign Minister Shaath declared,
"President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, "George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan." And I did, and then God would tell me, "George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq." And I did. And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, "Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East." And by God I'm gonna do it.'"
Later Bush told him: "I have a moral and religious obligation. So I will get you a Palestinian state."
When I read about many of the Old Testament Prophets, they sounded to me a bit more..how can I put it...psychoactively exuberant than the average person. Today, I suspect that some of the more powerful anti-psychotic elixers would quell the commanding voices in their heads. Granted, the Bible would be that much less dramatic without these characters, but let's face it,
meshugana is
meshugana!
So when I hear about a man who spent more years inebriated than his daughters are old getting his orders from the Supreme Universal Commander, it scares me to think we've entrusted the welfare of our planet to this guy. And so far, his record is pretty much of a massive cock-up on whatever level you care to view it. Maybe something's getting lost in the diety to mortal translation.
So George, if you will listen to some advice from a less other-worldly source than what you're apparently used to, I'd say...please come down to earth. Those voices in your head are nothing more than the alcoholic remnants of your years of self-abuse. Us mere mortals must rely for real leadership on some small part of your rational mind that might still be active. But honestly, after five years of waiting for it to surface, we don't hold out much hope.
God willing, however, you'll do right by your earthbound minions yet.
With a Wink and a Nod
In a campaign intended to keep the wingnuts from deserting him, Shrub and his minions have spent the last two days assuring them that his nominee for Supreme Court Justice, Harriet Miers, is a
true believer just like the Shrub himself.
The selection of this true stealth candidate came as a surprise to everyone, but true to form, cronyism reigns in this administration, and who better to fill this important vacancy with but perhaps the most loyal of his subjects.
And what of Harriet Miers herself? Well, let's try a little amateur psychoanalysis.
Ms. Miers is a never-married, self-described feminist who opposes abortion. For the past decade, she has been everything from Bush's personal attorney to White House counsel. It appears from all acounts that her relationship to the Prez is first and foremost in her life. Perhaps it
is her life.
Friends and foes alike express her strong sense of loyalty to the man. Wingnut former White House insider, David Frum, has said of her,
"In the White House that hero worshipped the president, Miers was distinguished by the intensity of her zeal: She once told me that the president was the most brilliant man she had ever met."
Okay, that is perhaps the most frightening statement I've ever heard from a reputedly sane individual. So much so that I would prefer to believe that the woman is less mad...than madly in love!
Think about it. She works day and night with the guy and (to give him his due and his apparent asexuality) he's probably never made any kind of non-professional overture to her. So over the years, her fantasies and admiration have grown into -- as Frum calls it -- hero worship; a hero for whom she would sacrifice anything.
Karl Rove, knowing that in three short years, his reign as President will be over...and always on the lookout for political opportunity, has observed her tendencies and concieves a brilliant plan.
The twin vacancies of The Supreme Court were just the opportunities he needed. The first would have to be someone who was not only an able judge, but one who had an impeccable conservative paper trail. Judge Roberts filled the bill admirably.
But for the second vacancy, he would have the opportunity of a lifetime: the ability to get inside SCOTUS. Deep inside! Who better, then, but a person who had NO paper trail, but had displayed unquestioning loyalty to his wooden protege, the West Texas marionette?
Best of all, no one yet knows what to think about her. Her conservative leanings are well-known, yet when she was announced yesterday, the talking mouths of hate radio and faux television derided the choice as a sign of weakness and an inability to take on the Democrats. This in itself is ludicrous as the Dems have shown little or no spine in the past five years and this didn't seem like the kind of choice that would finally get their backs up.
In fact, the outcry was so uniform that some have suggested that the daily emails that spread like a noxious odor from Rove to Rush to Hannity to Buchanan to Kristol to O'Reilly to Hume and then to the mainstream media executive offices must have outlined the suggested response.
All the while, important statements were being put out by the White House.
Dick Cheney said yesterday on (where else?) the Limbaugh Hatefest, "You'll be proud of Harriet's record, Rush. Trust me. "
"I know her heart," Shrub told a Rose Garden news conference this morning "Her philosophy won't change."
One of the things that totally freaked out the Right Wing Freakazoids yesterday was this statement by Senate Democratic Minority Leader, Harry Reid.
"With so much at stake, we shouldn't rush to judgment about this or any other nominee, but even at this early stage of the confirmation process, I will say that I am impressed by what I know about Harriet Miers."
So what is this about? Who the hell knows? Maybe Reid met her at a White House function and dug her eye shadow. Washington is a strange area where bedfellows can be even stranger.
Nevertheless, I have to believe Bush...this time. She's certainly not going to be an intellectual leader of the Court. Probably more like, dare I say, Clarence Thomas? And Like him, she will probably vote solidly with the Scalia, Thomas et al cartel.
Why? Because more than anything, Ms. Miers won't do anything to upset her Enamorata-In-Chief.
Now...scuse me while I upchuck my lunch. All this talk of love between The Chimp and the spinster has upset my tummy.
Bennett Diction
Everyone in the know knows Bill Bennett.
He's the self-appointed moral arbiter of the nation. His cutely books like "A Book of Values", "A Children's Book of Values" and "A Children's Book of Heroes" were best sellers because his readership would rather take their easy, unself-sacrificing platitudes from a man who's own vices like gambling and now racism would give pause to people who take the New Testament more seriously than Bennett apparently does.
This former Reagan "drug czar" has long been a darling of the "Rightly wrong" and like the most vocal of his ilk, has his own syndicated radio program to add to the din of conservative chatter already on the air.
On Friday, he spoke one of those unfortunate subconscious "but this is what I really think" beliefs over the air when he said, "It's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could - if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down."
College-educated Mr. Bennett apparently didn't take many history classes, because it only takes a superficial knowledge of America to know that with every wave of immigrants, came an associated rise in the criminal activity of America do to the new immigrants. This happened with the Germans, Irish, Italian, Vietnamese and most of the others that found America to be less than the refuge for the tired, the poor and the huddled masses than advertised.
Poverty, the scourge of those at the bottom of the capitalistic ladder, brings with it psychosocial problems that shouldn't take Mr. Bennett that long to recognize. But in his white, upper-class world, thoughts of poor people are such a "bummer". George Bush found this out last month with hurricane Katrina and look what happened to him. A major bummer for the Chimp.
Now, Mr. Bennett is getting his just desserts. The White House is distancing itself from his racist spewings. Editorials across the nation are excoriating him for such utterances and the only person (besides the largely brain-dead crowd at FreeRepublic.com) is his brother, influential Washington attorney, William Bennett.
Poor Bill! It was only two years ago that his moral compass was found to point quite often toward gambling establishments where he admitted to losing at least $8 million over ten years. Now most people these days are pretty laissez faire over gambling, but the irony of the Morality Man with a gambling addiction still amuses many.
And the hypocrites of the Republican Right continue to come out of the woodwork. Just this week, besides Bennett's faux pas, we saw the downfall of Tom Delay and the burgeoning insider trading scandal of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. He was contemplating a run for President in 2008. I guess that dream's gone caput.
As some have quite rightly said, "Time wounds all heels".
