The anti-war groups met in D.C. this past Saturday to protest the United States' involvement in Iraq. There were many speakers and it would be fair to say that some of them had their own agenda; some wanted to oust Aquino from the presidency of the Philippines; others sought independence for Palestine; some called for revolution in this country. The prominent theme, though, was to take activism home and work to end the war on the local level by bringing pressure on representatives and senators.
In contrast the much smaller "Support the Troops" rally had relatively few speakers but kept to its message a bit better. There were verbal attacks of Cindy Sheehan and revulsion at the message of the peace protesters as if they were the opposition, but the two most memorable speakers were the Navajo code talker from WWII and the lady from Maine that makes the effort to greet returning troops, many of whom travel through her state.
The organizers of the Support the Troops rally were reactionaries who managed to enlist the support of some pro-active people while the Peace protest organizers were pro-active but managed to enlist a good number of reactionaries. In other words the peace protest suffered by trying to include every member of the coalition, wile the Support the Troops group benefited by using its most esteemed speakers only.
Other than this contrast in size and organization, the events were complimentary. There is no divergence in the essential message of either group. In the greatest democratic tradition one group protested what it sees as a misuse of U.S. power; the other group stands in support of a strong military presence and the men and women who are that presence--two different messages that are not necessarily in conflict.
So what was the sound bite that CNN used for the entire weekends events? The organizer of the Support the Troops event was spewing his revulsion at the "cut and run" meaning of the anti-war protesters. The fact that most of the protesters were opposed to this war before its inception and the fact that this president does not have an exit strategy seems to have eluded the editors in favor of a hot news story about how the country is divided. If this country is divided it is closely related to the media's disconnection from the people.
I get along with my co-workers and neighbors who sometimes have a different point of view. I can talk to most of them about an issue and generally find some common ground for agreement. I do not think that this is unusual around the rest of the country. I do not get the sense, as in Lincoln's time, that we are a house divided against itself.
The House and Senate are split but is there that much difference between the two giant federalist parties? Accenting the extremes of any issue or group is not a very effective means at getting at the truth of a given issue. You would think that having to deal with the difficulty of presenting a balanced perspective of an administration that is extreme would compel the press to look for moderation in stories that are not necessarily extreme. Nope, the press feeds on division and seldom takes the time to consider the value or real relevance of a story. In fairness I must say that the print media does seem a bit more reflective than its faster paced competitor, television but who reads papers?
The News Hour pitted a peace organizer against a support organizer. The gist of the confrontation was that the country must be fully behind the administration or risk emboldening the insurgency. The other side was for immediate withdrawal. The only function of such a debate is to appeal to the lowest common denominator of the viewing public. Might we have been better served by a more scholarly and less partisan discussion? There will never be a shortage of those who would divide us but I would prefer to see their message in its proper perspective--two lines on page 17.
Page one: We hold these truths to be self evident… We the people… We stand on a great battlefield of that war. We have nothing to fear but fear itself. The real rift stems from our inability to say we any longer; we seem to have to speak for a faction or interest. This tendency skews reality.
As the stem is skewed so screws the society
Before you know it the bow breaks.
If you can' speak to the third person
You can't understand
That a seat at the table don't make you a man.
That all of your riches are so much weight.
That the thing we call freedom is devoid of your hate.
This message was brought to you by the word we.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Monday, September 26, 2005
Where is heaven?
Where is heaven?
Muddy and bloody in Louisiana and Iraq
By John Kaminski
skylax@comcast.net
9/26/05
Our unconfronted fear of death makes us kill all those people.
When you cover up life with myth and ritual, you can't see anything for what it is.
A long time ago I wrote: "We are animals in the sunshine, and we go to parrot school ... "
So we feebly follow the inescapable echoes of our own conditioning and predispositions, and this leads us to the dead end — the species termination — we are now facing.
Those men in European castles whose objective is to cull the herd of its ragamuffin rifraff are also led by their echoes, demented schemes of dominion rotting them from within in the dark shadows of their own putrid souls, but of course that doesn't stop them from ever pandering to the fecklessly faithful on their way to scheduled slaughters.
As high-tech oppression closes in on us from all sides, we seek sanctuary in the loving arms of another, only to see them drift off, the quintessential ship under sail in the turbulent night of human society. It was where you thought it was safe, that shoulder on the pillow. As close to heaven as one can get on this furry plane of existence ....
"What hope, then?" you ask. "We are speeding toward dust. Where is the peace of mind located?"
From my memory, the Chinese guys smile at me; well, smirk, really. "You know what's out there," they chide me. "Walk among the flames and you get burned."
And I am reminded of the way of all living things, only an indiscernible eyeblink in the mind of the universe, or an eternity of misery for those in unfortunate locations wearing unfashionable skin.
Those Chinese guys laugh at the question, "Where is heaven?" Heck, they've been saying the same thing for 2500 years. I love the way they seize up like fat cherubs before spitting out the obvious truth.
"It's right in front of you, always has been, always will be."
The quest for every living human on the planet is: Now that you know that, what will you do about it?
What will you do about your son who put a spittle of bullets into the chest of a kerchiefed Iraqi woman while he was high on Quaaludes and listening to heavy metal on his I-pod? What will you do when he comes home, and his lovely government tells him to do the same thing here, in New Orleans, to keep those mothers who were scrambling for Pampers from looting?
What if your son was one of those British guys who were caught trying to foment violence in Basra, revealing the whole sorry scam of the U.S., Britain and Israel actually causing the very violence they insist they are fighting? Can you say Osama bin Laden? Let’s demand an audit of his CIA pay stubs.
It all fits perfectly if you know about 9-11, and how the American government deliberately sacrificed 3,000 of its own citizens so, in Zbigniew Brzezinski’s words, we could be more autocratic abroad. Even the Israelis’ phony suicide bombing scheme has been exposed, although they’ve taken it on the road with Blackwater mercenaries to Iraq with deadly success. It’s what they do.
Did you ever spend a speck of time thinking about what it was like to be living in the New Orleans Superdome waiting for a bus. Your entire previous life’s possessions were swamped under a chemically poisoned brew, and the only words you heard were, “The bus is coming.”
That’s the promise to the whole world vomited out by the warped robots who control our lives, “The bus is coming.” A bus to nowhere that never comes. That’s humanity’s future, on its present course.
That’s what happened in New Orleans, waiting for that bus (a Halliburton vehicle, I believe). And with her last drowning breath, she cried: “Where is heaven?”
So you rail at the meat grinder carousel as it spins past, crushing and poisoning living beings without a second thought. So far, most of you have not really been caught in it, but when you are, you'll know.
It won't be heaven then, but for some, it still is, now. Work to preserve what's left of what humans, in their small-minded blindness, have destroyed.
For God’s sake, man, use some common sense. If we let these crimes pass unnoticed because we are in some way rewarded for them, then we are only dooming ourselves and our children to more poison.
The real god is time, and we must worship every millisecond of it. Do what you think is right, and don't worry about the consequences. Soon you will learn that actions you can take actually change the future. And one day we will all learn that every single event in each our lives has a tangible and measurable effect on every single bit, in every nook and cranny, in every possible backwater truckstop in the entire universe.
Heaven is a moment. It is now. Go there and do what you can to fix the Garden of Eden. This is no random suggestion. If we don’t fix it, we all die, and soon. The only heaven is to build something that all can use, and that's something we all dearly want. Make it real. And make it kind. The only worthwhile thing human beings really possess is their kindness.
I'm telling you. It's right here, right now. Make it so. Any way you can make it happen is all right by me.
John Kaminski is a writer who lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida whose essays are seen on hundreds of websites around the world. http://www.johnkaminski.com/
Muddy and bloody in Louisiana and Iraq
By John Kaminski
skylax@comcast.net
9/26/05
Our unconfronted fear of death makes us kill all those people.
When you cover up life with myth and ritual, you can't see anything for what it is.
A long time ago I wrote: "We are animals in the sunshine, and we go to parrot school ... "
So we feebly follow the inescapable echoes of our own conditioning and predispositions, and this leads us to the dead end — the species termination — we are now facing.
Those men in European castles whose objective is to cull the herd of its ragamuffin rifraff are also led by their echoes, demented schemes of dominion rotting them from within in the dark shadows of their own putrid souls, but of course that doesn't stop them from ever pandering to the fecklessly faithful on their way to scheduled slaughters.
As high-tech oppression closes in on us from all sides, we seek sanctuary in the loving arms of another, only to see them drift off, the quintessential ship under sail in the turbulent night of human society. It was where you thought it was safe, that shoulder on the pillow. As close to heaven as one can get on this furry plane of existence ....
"What hope, then?" you ask. "We are speeding toward dust. Where is the peace of mind located?"
From my memory, the Chinese guys smile at me; well, smirk, really. "You know what's out there," they chide me. "Walk among the flames and you get burned."
And I am reminded of the way of all living things, only an indiscernible eyeblink in the mind of the universe, or an eternity of misery for those in unfortunate locations wearing unfashionable skin.
Those Chinese guys laugh at the question, "Where is heaven?" Heck, they've been saying the same thing for 2500 years. I love the way they seize up like fat cherubs before spitting out the obvious truth.
"It's right in front of you, always has been, always will be."
The quest for every living human on the planet is: Now that you know that, what will you do about it?
What will you do about your son who put a spittle of bullets into the chest of a kerchiefed Iraqi woman while he was high on Quaaludes and listening to heavy metal on his I-pod? What will you do when he comes home, and his lovely government tells him to do the same thing here, in New Orleans, to keep those mothers who were scrambling for Pampers from looting?
What if your son was one of those British guys who were caught trying to foment violence in Basra, revealing the whole sorry scam of the U.S., Britain and Israel actually causing the very violence they insist they are fighting? Can you say Osama bin Laden? Let’s demand an audit of his CIA pay stubs.
It all fits perfectly if you know about 9-11, and how the American government deliberately sacrificed 3,000 of its own citizens so, in Zbigniew Brzezinski’s words, we could be more autocratic abroad. Even the Israelis’ phony suicide bombing scheme has been exposed, although they’ve taken it on the road with Blackwater mercenaries to Iraq with deadly success. It’s what they do.
Did you ever spend a speck of time thinking about what it was like to be living in the New Orleans Superdome waiting for a bus. Your entire previous life’s possessions were swamped under a chemically poisoned brew, and the only words you heard were, “The bus is coming.”
That’s the promise to the whole world vomited out by the warped robots who control our lives, “The bus is coming.” A bus to nowhere that never comes. That’s humanity’s future, on its present course.
That’s what happened in New Orleans, waiting for that bus (a Halliburton vehicle, I believe). And with her last drowning breath, she cried: “Where is heaven?”
So you rail at the meat grinder carousel as it spins past, crushing and poisoning living beings without a second thought. So far, most of you have not really been caught in it, but when you are, you'll know.
It won't be heaven then, but for some, it still is, now. Work to preserve what's left of what humans, in their small-minded blindness, have destroyed.
For God’s sake, man, use some common sense. If we let these crimes pass unnoticed because we are in some way rewarded for them, then we are only dooming ourselves and our children to more poison.
The real god is time, and we must worship every millisecond of it. Do what you think is right, and don't worry about the consequences. Soon you will learn that actions you can take actually change the future. And one day we will all learn that every single event in each our lives has a tangible and measurable effect on every single bit, in every nook and cranny, in every possible backwater truckstop in the entire universe.
Heaven is a moment. It is now. Go there and do what you can to fix the Garden of Eden. This is no random suggestion. If we don’t fix it, we all die, and soon. The only heaven is to build something that all can use, and that's something we all dearly want. Make it real. And make it kind. The only worthwhile thing human beings really possess is their kindness.
I'm telling you. It's right here, right now. Make it so. Any way you can make it happen is all right by me.
John Kaminski is a writer who lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida whose essays are seen on hundreds of websites around the world. http://www.johnkaminski.com/
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
clown-in-chief
Those who are old enough, will remember the old soviet Union, and their five-year plans, projections, and quotas. They will also remember that the only way to meet the quotas, and therefore avoid punishment, was to lie, and just say they did. The next plan would build on the foundation of the one before. What ultimately happened was that the people and the leaders of the Soviet Union didn't have a clue as to what was real and what was fiction in their economy, their inventories, etc. The whole thing was built on lies and spin.
Which brings us to today. For five years, the bush administration of corrupt cronies and their craven syncophant media allies, have been lying, suppressing facts, spinning numbers, and making them up as they went along. And we know, now, that bush doesn't like bad news, so he has insulated himself in a cocoon of yes men. What ultimately has happened is that I don't think they have a clue anymore what is real and what is fantasy. Hell, little georgie started off in fantasy land, and dug himself in further. And the American people also are clueless thanks to the compliant CCMA.
That certainly puts us in a precarious position. How does one make rational policy decisions about anything when one doesn't even know what the hell is going on, and what resources there are to use? The US, as a country, has become a joke, with bush as clown-in-chief.
On another note, this was e-mailed to me yesterday by a reader, http://www.selltheranch.com/. Take a gander at this.
Which brings us to today. For five years, the bush administration of corrupt cronies and their craven syncophant media allies, have been lying, suppressing facts, spinning numbers, and making them up as they went along. And we know, now, that bush doesn't like bad news, so he has insulated himself in a cocoon of yes men. What ultimately has happened is that I don't think they have a clue anymore what is real and what is fantasy. Hell, little georgie started off in fantasy land, and dug himself in further. And the American people also are clueless thanks to the compliant CCMA.
That certainly puts us in a precarious position. How does one make rational policy decisions about anything when one doesn't even know what the hell is going on, and what resources there are to use? The US, as a country, has become a joke, with bush as clown-in-chief.
On another note, this was e-mailed to me yesterday by a reader, http://www.selltheranch.com/. Take a gander at this.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
more about roberts
in my earlier post, I was too pissed to take the time to look up a better reference to the Hamdan case.
here's another link
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-lubet13sep13,0,1515736.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions
here's another link
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-lubet13sep13,0,1515736.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions
about roberts
So, why are the senators dicking around with this guy? The question I want answered is “Does he have any ethics?” “And does he think a supreme court justice should have ethics.” Or is that unimportant, too?
Back while he was being interviewed for appointment to the supreme court, he was also hearing, and ruling on ‘Rumsfeld vs. Hamdan’. Now, as I understand it, judicial ethics do not allow a judge to hear a case where he is trying to get a job with one of the parties.
So, you figure they’re going to ask that question? The man’s a sleaze. A construct. He’s been groomed by the right-wing for this job. and the media’s going along. You figure the news media will ask? Toss him back, and tell bush to send ‘em another.
see: John Roberts’ Role in the Guantanamo Hunger Strike
Back while he was being interviewed for appointment to the supreme court, he was also hearing, and ruling on ‘Rumsfeld vs. Hamdan’. Now, as I understand it, judicial ethics do not allow a judge to hear a case where he is trying to get a job with one of the parties.
So, you figure they’re going to ask that question? The man’s a sleaze. A construct. He’s been groomed by the right-wing for this job. and the media’s going along. You figure the news media will ask? Toss him back, and tell bush to send ‘em another.
see: John Roberts’ Role in the Guantanamo Hunger Strike
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Friday, September 09, 2005
Jose Padilla - American citizen
Bush's power to detain US enemy combatant upheld
9/9/05
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050909/pl_nm/security_padilla_dc
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush has the power to detain Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen who has been held in a South Carolina military brig for more than three years as a suspected enemy combatant without any charges, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday.
"The exceedingly important question before us is whether the president of the United States possesses the authority to detain militarily a citizen of this country who is closely associated with al Qaeda," wrote appeals court Judge J. Michael Luttig for the three-judge panel.
"We conclude that the president does possess such authority," wrote Luttig, a conservative whom the Bush administration has been considering for a possible Supreme Court nomination...
So. there we are. We live in a dictatorship. When the president can imprison anybody. citizen or not he wants, for as long as he wants, for whatever reason he chooses, can any of us say we are a free people?
"...U.S. officials last year backed off their claim that Padilla was plotting to set off a dirty bomb. They said Padilla had plotted with al Qaeda leaders to blow up apartment buildings by using natural gas. None of the plots was carried out..."
and without even being charged with a crime.
And while we are on the subject. This weekend is the 4th anniversary of the Sep 11 incident. I have two questions for little georgie. Where's the evidence for your claim that Osama bin Laden was reponsible, and where is Osama? I guess just saying we're going to get him "dead or alive" doesn't necessarily make it happen. Reality seems to have a bad habit of intruding on your fantasies, don't it georgie.
9/9/05
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050909/pl_nm/security_padilla_dc
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush has the power to detain Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen who has been held in a South Carolina military brig for more than three years as a suspected enemy combatant without any charges, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday.
"The exceedingly important question before us is whether the president of the United States possesses the authority to detain militarily a citizen of this country who is closely associated with al Qaeda," wrote appeals court Judge J. Michael Luttig for the three-judge panel.
"We conclude that the president does possess such authority," wrote Luttig, a conservative whom the Bush administration has been considering for a possible Supreme Court nomination...
So. there we are. We live in a dictatorship. When the president can imprison anybody. citizen or not he wants, for as long as he wants, for whatever reason he chooses, can any of us say we are a free people?
"...U.S. officials last year backed off their claim that Padilla was plotting to set off a dirty bomb. They said Padilla had plotted with al Qaeda leaders to blow up apartment buildings by using natural gas. None of the plots was carried out..."
and without even being charged with a crime.
And while we are on the subject. This weekend is the 4th anniversary of the Sep 11 incident. I have two questions for little georgie. Where's the evidence for your claim that Osama bin Laden was reponsible, and where is Osama? I guess just saying we're going to get him "dead or alive" doesn't necessarily make it happen. Reality seems to have a bad habit of intruding on your fantasies, don't it georgie.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
something special
NY Fox Affiliate refuses to air anti-Bush campaign ad for local Democrat, AP
By Sara Kugler
Associated Press
September 6, 2005, 4:38 PM EDT
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--campaignaddenied0906sep06,0,6633102.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
NEW YORK -- The Fox affiliate television station rejected a campaign commercial for a Democrat running in a local race, and the candidate alleges it's because the ad slams President Bush.
Brian Ellner, one of nine Democrats running for Manhattan borough president, said the station had agreed to air his ad for the two weeks leading up to the Sept. 13 primary. But Fox 5 pulled out of the deal after it saw the 30-second ad, which features Bush's head superimposed onto a bare torso as the voiceover intones, "He claims he's a uniter, but New Yorkers know the emperor has no clothes."
Ellner's advertisement has already drawn attention because it concludes with a scene in which he throws his arm around his partner of three years, Simon Holloway. His campaign says no openly gay candidates for public office have ever featured their significant others in political advertisements.
Ellner said Tuesday that Fox told the campaign media adviser and the ad buyer that the spot was refused because it was "disrespectful to the office of the president."
WNYW Fox 5 spokeswoman Brandii Toby said, "We're not running the ad." But she said the station had no comment on why the decision was made or who was responsible for it…
So. We’re censoring political ads now? Does anyone really believe anymore that we’re living in a free country? What right does FOX have to dictate the content of a candidate’s ad? We’re not too far away from propaganda all the time. Should we have FOX write their speeches? Should we add the disclaimer “I’m so-and-so and FOX has approved this ad? Has FOX approved this blog? Does the bullshit ever end? how much longer are the American people going to put up with the snatching of their rights? Will FOX even let them know?
By Sara Kugler
Associated Press
September 6, 2005, 4:38 PM EDT
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--campaignaddenied0906sep06,0,6633102.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
NEW YORK -- The Fox affiliate television station rejected a campaign commercial for a Democrat running in a local race, and the candidate alleges it's because the ad slams President Bush.
Brian Ellner, one of nine Democrats running for Manhattan borough president, said the station had agreed to air his ad for the two weeks leading up to the Sept. 13 primary. But Fox 5 pulled out of the deal after it saw the 30-second ad, which features Bush's head superimposed onto a bare torso as the voiceover intones, "He claims he's a uniter, but New Yorkers know the emperor has no clothes."
Ellner's advertisement has already drawn attention because it concludes with a scene in which he throws his arm around his partner of three years, Simon Holloway. His campaign says no openly gay candidates for public office have ever featured their significant others in political advertisements.
Ellner said Tuesday that Fox told the campaign media adviser and the ad buyer that the spot was refused because it was "disrespectful to the office of the president."
WNYW Fox 5 spokeswoman Brandii Toby said, "We're not running the ad." But she said the station had no comment on why the decision was made or who was responsible for it…
So. We’re censoring political ads now? Does anyone really believe anymore that we’re living in a free country? What right does FOX have to dictate the content of a candidate’s ad? We’re not too far away from propaganda all the time. Should we have FOX write their speeches? Should we add the disclaimer “I’m so-and-so and FOX has approved this ad? Has FOX approved this blog? Does the bullshit ever end? how much longer are the American people going to put up with the snatching of their rights? Will FOX even let them know?
Roberts and Gonzalez
With the death of the rehnquist, the bush appointed roberts to chief justice. Now the gonzalez is being rumored to be on the short list to replace O'Connor. I know there will be hearings, and all sorts of things will be asked; abortion, privacy rights, etc. Well, OK. But let's cut to the bottom line.
These men should never be placed on the Supreme Court, in fact, they should never have been given consent for their current positions by the Senate at all. And one overiding reason for each of them trumps anything the bushistas can spin up.
While he was being interviewed for the job of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, roberts joined in a 3-0 decision before the US Court of Appeals in DC. (real ethical)
The ruling was such a sweeping acceptance of the administration's position that one journalist wrote that "Roberts signed on to a blank-check grant of power to the Bush administration to try suspected terrorists without basic due-process protections."
see Presidential Power, Congressional Authority, And Role Of Courts from SaveTheCourt.org
Basically, what roberts reasons is that the president has the right to lock up anyone, including American citizens, indefinitely, without charges, and even keeping the fact secret, for whatever reason he decides on. American citizens? Oh yeah. think Jose Padilla. And remember, one of the provisions of Patriot II that's being sneaked in, says that the president has the right to strip any American of their citizenship for whatever reasons he decides. And all this without any right of judicial review.
And the gonzales? The torture man? What else needs to be said.
"I"[George W. Bush] determine that none of the provisions of Geneva apply to our conflict with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan or elsewhere throughout the world."[43]
He also stated in the document that he had:
"[T]he authority under the Constitution to suspend Geneva as between the U.S. and Afghanistan, but I decline to exercise the authority at this time."[44]
In order that his readers clearly understood, Sy Hersh pointed out that Mr. Bush was determining the detainees had "no inherent protections under the Geneva Conventions" and therefore whatever happened to the detainees, "good, bad, or otherwise," was solely at the discretion of the President of the United States.[45]
Significantly, Alberto Gonzales, (Mr. Bush's choice for Attorney General in the Bush second term), made a false statement to the press and to the American people during the height of the torture scandal in which he asserted:
"The President had "made no formal determination" invoking the Geneva Conventions before the March 2003 invasion of Iraq."[46]
Mr. Gonzales' falsehood was caught when his Memorandum for the President surfaced.[47] The memorandum was dated January 25, 2002, more than a year prior to the invasion of Iraq"
see Bloodguilty Churches by Katherine Yurica
Remember that this is also the man who called the Geneva Conventions "quaint and outdated". How anyone could even think this person should be allowed to even serve as the US Attorney-General is beyond me.
So where are the patriots in the US Senate? Have our Senators become so craven that they can even entertain the thought of these two people sitting on the Supreme Court? Torture and an American dictatorship? Are they insane? The only moral answer to the roberts' appointment and the gonzalez appointment, should it come, is NO FUCKING WAY, find someone else. There are hundreds of thousands of lawyers and jurists in this country, and this drek is the best the bush can come up with?
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Stumbling along
Bush Taps Cheney to Assess Recovery Effort
By James Gerstenzang and Mary Curtius
Times Staff Writer
12:54 PM PDT, September 6, 2005
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-090605katrinadc_lat,0,3464546.story?coll=la-home-headlines
WASHINGTON — President Bush said today he was dispatching Vice President Dick Cheney to the region to assess the recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, amid growing unhappiness in Congress with the government's response.
The Senate Government Affairs Committee announced it would begin an investigation of the government's performance, and Bush said he, too, would look into his administration's response to the storm and the disaster that followed….
I wonder if we’ll see the results of these investigations before the 06 elections. It does seem as if all these so-called “investigations” just happen to finish up just after whatever upcoming election. The white house has already begun the spin that local authorities were to blame for the fiasco. Even though this has been debunked, the Rovian tactic of repeating a lie until it becomes accepted as truth, will probably work again. Katrina will be moved off the front pages, just as the war in Iraq has been. The bush has gotten his photo-ops, and “launched an investigation”. That takes care of that. He really doesn’t care. And neither does the press. They’ll just stumble along with bush to the next event.
We’ll be seeing the heart-warming stories from the president feel-good studios showing us selected potemkins of improvement and individual recovery. And we’ll begin to avoid the real story behind the scenes. The crushing poverty, the racism, the failure of agencies led by political hacks, and the consequences of all that. The growing disparity between the rich and the poor will again be swept under the rug in the discussion of the ‘death tax’.
Remember that tom delay said that the most important thing to do during a war is to cut taxes. I imagine that sentiment holds true for disasters too. Of course, though, trent lott will take the federal funds to rebuild his house, so that little georgie can play on the porch.
And now we can look forward to roberts being enshrined as chief justice. Already he’s being presented as some sort of a saint, and quite possibly also “chosen by God”. That will complete the take-over of our government by the idiot fanatics of the bushista/corporate cult.
So, what’s the point of any sort of compromise with these people? The only moral position is opposition. Fanatics don’t compromise. Ever.
By James Gerstenzang and Mary Curtius
Times Staff Writer
12:54 PM PDT, September 6, 2005
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-090605katrinadc_lat,0,3464546.story?coll=la-home-headlines
WASHINGTON — President Bush said today he was dispatching Vice President Dick Cheney to the region to assess the recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, amid growing unhappiness in Congress with the government's response.
The Senate Government Affairs Committee announced it would begin an investigation of the government's performance, and Bush said he, too, would look into his administration's response to the storm and the disaster that followed….
I wonder if we’ll see the results of these investigations before the 06 elections. It does seem as if all these so-called “investigations” just happen to finish up just after whatever upcoming election. The white house has already begun the spin that local authorities were to blame for the fiasco. Even though this has been debunked, the Rovian tactic of repeating a lie until it becomes accepted as truth, will probably work again. Katrina will be moved off the front pages, just as the war in Iraq has been. The bush has gotten his photo-ops, and “launched an investigation”. That takes care of that. He really doesn’t care. And neither does the press. They’ll just stumble along with bush to the next event.
We’ll be seeing the heart-warming stories from the president feel-good studios showing us selected potemkins of improvement and individual recovery. And we’ll begin to avoid the real story behind the scenes. The crushing poverty, the racism, the failure of agencies led by political hacks, and the consequences of all that. The growing disparity between the rich and the poor will again be swept under the rug in the discussion of the ‘death tax’.
Remember that tom delay said that the most important thing to do during a war is to cut taxes. I imagine that sentiment holds true for disasters too. Of course, though, trent lott will take the federal funds to rebuild his house, so that little georgie can play on the porch.
And now we can look forward to roberts being enshrined as chief justice. Already he’s being presented as some sort of a saint, and quite possibly also “chosen by God”. That will complete the take-over of our government by the idiot fanatics of the bushista/corporate cult.
So, what’s the point of any sort of compromise with these people? The only moral position is opposition. Fanatics don’t compromise. Ever.
It's Good Enough for the Poor
John Nichols
Tue Sep 6, 1:08 PM ET
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=20080
Finally, we have discovered the roots of George W. Bush's "compassionate conservatism."
On the heels of the president's "What, me worry?" response to the death, destruction and dislocation that followed upon Hurricane Katrina comes the news of his mother's Labor Day visit with hurricane evacuees at the Astrodome in Houston.
Commenting on the facilities that have been set up for the evacuees -- cots crammed side-by-side in a huge stadium where the lights never go out and the sound of sobbing children never completely ceases -- former First Lady Barbara Bush concluded that the poor people of New Orleans had lucked out.
"Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this, this is working very well for them," Mrs. Bush told American Public Media's "Marketplace" program, before returning to her multi-million dollar Houston home.
On the tape of the interview, Mrs. Bush chuckles audibly as she observes just how great things are going for families that are separated from loved ones, people who have been forced to abandon their homes and the only community where they have ever lived, and parents who are explaining to children that their pets, their toys and in some cases their friends may be lost forever. Perhaps the former first lady was amusing herself with the notion that evacuees without bread could eat cake.
At the very least, she was expressing a measure of empathy commensurate with that evidenced by her son during his fly-ins for disaster-zone photo opportunities.
On Friday, when even Republican lawmakers were giving the federal government an "F" for its response to the crisis, President Bush heaped praise on embattled Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown. As thousands of victims of the hurricane continued to plead for food, water, shelter, medical care and a way out of the nightmare to which federal neglect had consigned them, Brown cheerily announced that "people are getting the help they need."
Barbara Bush's son put his arm around the addled FEMA functionary and declared, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
Like mother, like son.
Even when a hurricane hits, the apple does not fall far from the tree.
On March 18 [2003], two days before the U.S. invasion, Barbara Bush had an interview with ABC-TV's Diane Sawyer.
''Why should we hear about body bags and deaths and how many, what day it's gonna happen?'' Mrs. Bush declared. ''It's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?''
“Compassionate” indeed! A totally dysfunctional, sociopathic family.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
In the Meantime
Iraq charter update fails as US fights in north
By: Mariam Karouny
on: 06.09.2005 [17:31 ]
http://www.iraq-war.ru/article/62407
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's main Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim sects abandoned efforts to amend a draft constitution on Tuesday and a version rejected by many Sunnis will be printed.
"The talks have ended. We did not reach any agreement on making changes to the draft. It will be printed in the form it was read to the National Assembly last week," Bahaa al-Araji, a member of the parliamentary drafting committee, told Reuters.
[…]
"We are ... very sad that they took this decision even though they know what will happen to this country if they pass it in this form," Saleh al-Mutlak, a senior negotiator for Sunni Arabs, told Reuters.
"If the constitution gets a 'Yes' then Iraqis who reject it will say that the results were falsified. The situation will be bad politically and the security situation might get out of control. If the constitution gets the two thirds 'No' in three provinces, sectarian tension will increase."
"They were really unwise to take this decision."
[…]
While the Katrina disaster grinds on in the Gulf states, there’s still another disaster grinding on in Iraq. The death and destruction continues, and still no coherent reason for the invasion.
The class and racial divisions in America have been laid bare for all to see, and this is the model that bush wants to impose on Iraq in his ‘noble cause’.
So. Let’s stop dancing around it. The bush administration is not only criminal and corrupt, it’s also inept when it comes to dealing with reality. And so the killing in Iraq continues; to ‘honor the sacrifice’ of the earlier dead.
In Iraq, we can see the future of bush’s foreign policies, and in the American Gulf states we can see the future of bush’s domestic policies. We can also see how bush plans to pay for his grandiose fantasies of conquest and domination. The rest of the world’s governments see this too, and are ‘shocked’ as they stare ‘in disbelief’.
'Wash Post' Runs A Key Katrina Correction
By E&P Staff
Published: September 04, 2005 11:30 PM ET
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001054596
NEW YORK In its Sunday edition, the Washington Post quoted a "senior Bush official" who said that "as of Saturday [Louisiana Governor] Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency." This, of course, was meant to make the governor look foolish and spread the blame around for the disastrous response to the disaster, though it was hard to imagine on what grounds the newspaper would quote an unnamed source in this case.
Several hours of blogosphere howling ensued. Later in the day, the Post ran this correction, or rather, 180-degree turn:
"A Sept. 4 article on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina incorrectly said that Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D) had not declared a state of emergency. She declared an emergency on Aug. 26."
you do to me.doc
you do to me
from the rude pundit
…Thus, God's hand was forced to bring out the biggest guns to drive into stark relief the images of God's poorest people, the ones that the rest of us are supposed to care about, the ones who got nary a visit from a presidential candidate last year, the ones who are supposed to disappear like ants into the hill after they've done their work: out of sight, out of mind. God's made this pretty fuckin' simple, God thinks: what you do to the least of these, you know. The last twenty-five years or so have shown that the American government wants God to live in shithole housing with no health insurance, no child care, bare bones job training, no welfare net, facing starvation, violence, and/or imprisonment at every turn. And that's a pretty shitty way to treat God…
http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2005/09/gods-eye-view-of-recent-events-oh.html
Monday, September 05, 2005
Labor Day 2005
It’s been a long time since this holiday shifted from one honoring workers to one that honors capitalism. The ads are filled with Labor Day sales, and not one mention of the workers who make those products. The ones who make ALL the products we use, the roads we drive on, the houses we live in, the sales clerks themselves.
The CCMA certainly would not want to remind Americans that a minimum wage job, worked full-time, at $5.15, pays an annual wage of $10,712. After mandatory deductions for Social Security (because that is certainly way elow the cap of $93,000) of $819.64, that leaves $9,892.53. That’s $190.24 a week. Sure can’t build much of a bank account with that.
We’ve seen what happens to the poor in any emergency. In the past year alone, in just New Orleans, during Ivan and Katrina, they got left behind to fend for themselves. The ultimate, and unwilling, participants in bush’s “ownership society”
And when Congress reconvenes tomorrow, what is their primary concern? Katrina? the plight of the poor? I don’t think so:
from the Washington Post
GOP Agenda in Congress May Be at Risk
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content//article/2005/09/03/AR2005090301065.html
Republican leaders intended to return to work with a dream agenda for small-government conservatives: permanent repeal of the estate tax, an extension of deep cuts to capital gains and dividend taxes, the first entitlement spending cuts in nearly a decade, and the advent of private investment accounts for Social Security…
…House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) said he has every intention of pushing forward with the tax and spending cuts and Social Security legislation. Hurricane-related legislation will not be controversial and "may mean we work on a Friday or two," he said…
******
The president bush has just announced that he is appointing john roberts to the position of Chief Justice. rehnquist died in case you missed it.
During his announcement, bush made mention of the fact that he was confirmed by “unanimous consent” to the Court of Appeals in Wash. DC. And you know the republicans are going to use that fact during confirmation hearings. Now that’s a consequence the democrats didn’t think about when they rolled over for bush.
We’re already witnessing the results of bush’s policies in Iraq, the Gulf states, the economy. In fact, like his businesses, every one of his policies have ended in failure. Spectacular failure in some cases.
So, how about a little opposition? Forget about about your pockets a moment, and think about America. Take a look around. We’re taking the tubes. The American people are done with bush, his policies, and his allies. And the democrats who continually cravenly ally themselves with those polices? Well, they’re done with you. They may not know it yet, and the democrats certainly don’t know that yet. But take a look at what happened in the recent election in Ohio (yeah, Ohio). the republican candidate barely won against a democrat who had the courage to actually oppose the bush and his minions. These are not times for caution.
The CCMA certainly would not want to remind Americans that a minimum wage job, worked full-time, at $5.15, pays an annual wage of $10,712. After mandatory deductions for Social Security (because that is certainly way elow the cap of $93,000) of $819.64, that leaves $9,892.53. That’s $190.24 a week. Sure can’t build much of a bank account with that.
We’ve seen what happens to the poor in any emergency. In the past year alone, in just New Orleans, during Ivan and Katrina, they got left behind to fend for themselves. The ultimate, and unwilling, participants in bush’s “ownership society”
And when Congress reconvenes tomorrow, what is their primary concern? Katrina? the plight of the poor? I don’t think so:
from the Washington Post
GOP Agenda in Congress May Be at Risk
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content//article/2005/09/03/AR2005090301065.html
Republican leaders intended to return to work with a dream agenda for small-government conservatives: permanent repeal of the estate tax, an extension of deep cuts to capital gains and dividend taxes, the first entitlement spending cuts in nearly a decade, and the advent of private investment accounts for Social Security…
…House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) said he has every intention of pushing forward with the tax and spending cuts and Social Security legislation. Hurricane-related legislation will not be controversial and "may mean we work on a Friday or two," he said…
******
The president bush has just announced that he is appointing john roberts to the position of Chief Justice. rehnquist died in case you missed it.
During his announcement, bush made mention of the fact that he was confirmed by “unanimous consent” to the Court of Appeals in Wash. DC. And you know the republicans are going to use that fact during confirmation hearings. Now that’s a consequence the democrats didn’t think about when they rolled over for bush.
We’re already witnessing the results of bush’s policies in Iraq, the Gulf states, the economy. In fact, like his businesses, every one of his policies have ended in failure. Spectacular failure in some cases.
So, how about a little opposition? Forget about about your pockets a moment, and think about America. Take a look around. We’re taking the tubes. The American people are done with bush, his policies, and his allies. And the democrats who continually cravenly ally themselves with those polices? Well, they’re done with you. They may not know it yet, and the democrats certainly don’t know that yet. But take a look at what happened in the recent election in Ohio (yeah, Ohio). the republican candidate barely won against a democrat who had the courage to actually oppose the bush and his minions. These are not times for caution.
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