Friday, September 30, 2005

GAO: Bush Admin. Engaged in "Covert Propaganda" Within U.S.

Read the New York Times account of how the Bush regime was trying to buy favorable publicity for its educational policies, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to spread pro-Bush "news stories".

The dishonesty of the Republicans is relentless, as is their attempt to politically manipulate every issue and every situation.

The Stupidest Things Said About Katrina

Count how many of them come from Bush and his flunkies.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Hunter at DKos Writes What I've Been Thinking

Normally, I'd just give you the link, but this is so good I had to steal it all:

Bush Supporters of the Far Right: Cries from the Lake of Fire
by Hunter

At Blogs For Bush, which bills itself as the Whorehouse... er, "White House" of the Blogosphere, the ever effervescent Mark Noonan writes about the DeLay indictment:



As our Sister Toldjah noted earlier, the "indictment" of Tom Delay is entirely bogus - from what I've read, Tom Delay didn't know about the perfectly legal transaction he is accused of conspiring to make. We have now left entirely the field of normal political conflict and entered a twilight world where fantasy is presented as fact and the only standard of conduct is "will it work?". This is not the actions of a political Party engaged in seeking a majority - it is the action of a Party determined to destroy its opponents entirely and sieze all power for itself...it is, in short, the stuff from which civil wars are made...

I really do urge our Democrats to step back from the edge - you are sitting in a lake of gasoline and you are playing with fire. We on our side will only put up with so much before we start to pay back with usury what we have received. If you can't defeat Tom Delay in the electoral field, then you will simply have to accept him as Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives - and you'd better start accepting political reality before things get really bad.



Mark... may I call you Mark? I feel when someone has shown me the insides of their own rectum, we're pretty much on a first name basis... I have some words for you.

Whitewater. Rush Limbaugh. "Drug Dealer" Bill Clinton. Swift Boats.

Vince Fucking Foster.

Playing with fire, you say? Because the indictments ringing Tom DeLay finally reached up that one, final step from his ring of closest advisers to DeLay himself? Because the SEC has launched a formal investigation into the same behaviors by Bill Frist that put Martha Stewart recently in prison? Because one of the single most visible, highest profile Republican money men has been indicted for fraud, is being investigated for client shakedowns, and has his close business associates being investigated for a mob-connected murder?

What utter cowardice. What pathetic anti-American pedantry. What laughable protestation. The crimes of campaign money laundering, of fraud, of conspiracy, the violation of the laws of the nation, to be answered with stern visions of potential gunfire if Democrats have the audacity to pursue it.

This is the world of the Republican Party, split open like a rotting pumpkin. Crime after crime after crime being investigated, all revolving around the Republican money machine. Every seed connected by the strands of money they share between them. Barely-laundered campaign money passed in the palm of every flabby handshake. Every player in boldface, underlined print in the Rolodex of every other.

And still, this same bottom-tier world of flag-waving supporters still obsessed over an extramarital sex act, but offended to the point of sad, blustering threats at the notion that crimes by gilded and worshipped Republicans are really still crimes.

Your party has set aflame the entire political landscape, and now, once burned, you warn sternly from the branches of a burnt-out tree about "playing with fire". You used the ashes of one of the great liberal cities of America, New York City, as war paint for your own sick, racist dreams. You shudder at a burning flag, yet are willing to snip-and-cut basic tenets of the Constitution as needed or convenient.

And now, you're outraged, not by any of the rest of it, not by anything that has come before, but because a few prominent Republican faces have -- shock of shocks -- been indicted in probes that have spanned years of investigation, and interrogation, and deposition. That, you say, represents the underpinnings of a civil war.

You poor, hollow, blood-painted clowns. Cheering the trials and failures of your country with the same pennants and giant foam hands that you wave at your favorite sports teams. Willing to accept the most outrageous of lies, if they are spoken from your favorite talking heads, and soothe your own notions of America for you, and only for you.

And as for the audacity of Democrats speaking up during this process... the redfaced, flatulent fury with which you declare Republicans off-limits to that which you so gleefully hurl yourself...

Welcome to the world of the politics of personal destruction, you tubthumping, chin-jutting, Bush humping gits. Welcome to the nasty and partisan world that Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Hugh Hewitt, Grover Norquist, Newt Gingrich, Tom DeLay, and a legion of insignificant lowest-rung toadies like yourselves nurtured into fruition daily with eager, grubby hands, and now look upon with dull-faced faux horror.

I know you hate me, and anyone else who dares disturb the thin strands of alternate reality in which George W. Bush is an intellectual giant, Saddam really was responsible for 9/11, the economy is getting better by the minute, and we capture the most very important members of al Qaeda on a weekly basis.

But here's some advice. You'd better start hating me more. This is the world you forged and, unfortunately for you, I'm beginning to take a fancy for it. Welcome to the politics of your own party, finally sprouting from the ground on which you planted the seeds and shat upon them.

Step back from the edge? You poor boy, asleep in the back of the car the whole trip, finally waking up and wondering where you're at.

Swift boats. Aluminum tubes. Niger uranium. "Mushroom clouds". Whitewater.

Vince Fucking Foster.

You can't even see the edge from here. You left it behind a hundred miles back.

So don't give me chest-thumping crap about civil wars, if your politicians are indicted. Don't give me visions of a lake of fire, if all those who find you loathsome refuse to suck at your teats of scientific ignorance in the name of religion, racism in the name of freedom, and corruption in the name of the New World Order.

Get used to the world you have created, and the stench your worshipped heroes have unleashed.


We threaten to fight back and they threaten civil war, part 2. These are the depths to which the modern Republican Party has sunk. This isn't the party of Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, or Eisenhower any more. It's become a grotesque monster, fattening itself on corporate and special interest money, stealing with impunity, spewing out non-stop hate propaganda, and pushing a far-right agenda that threatens to really push this country to civil war. Hunter speaks for a lot us, I think, in his well-expressed rant.

"Baghdad on the Bayou"

Molly Ivins sums up the feeding frenzy that is becoming the New Orleans cleanup.

It's good to know that Bush's friends and various Republican lobbyists can make such a good financial killing on the suffering and death of so many others.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

A Conservative Judgment on Bush

I haven't always agreed with Andrew Sullivan in the past. He said some pretty stupid things after 9/11 (as I guess a lot of us did.) But he has been all over the torture scandal that has implicated Bush, Gonzales, and Rumsfeld. His quote on all this today is outstanding:

If criminal charges be brought against Rumsfeld, so be it. And ultimately, this goes to the Oval Office. Bush has brought the deepest dishonor imaginable on his office. The last president was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice in a civil lawsuit. Our current one has legalized torture in the U.S. military, and is thereby responsible for the deaths from torture of scores and the staining of the military's honor for ever. Which crime is worse?

I couldn't have said it better.

When Will We See Justice?

In the 1990s, right-wing, conservative Republican fanatics made up a host of "scandals" involving Bill Clinton, the vast majority of which were simply conjured up out of thin air. Whitewater is the most notorious one. This is the "scandal" that eventually led Kenneth Starr to brutally violate Bill Clinton's privacy and drag the whole nation into his lurid, bizarre sexual obsessions, embarrassing the whole nation. The entire country was turned upside down over Clinton lying in a civil suit. How many FBI agents were diverted from antiterrorism activities and ordered to devote their time to nailing Clinton on something--anything--to bring down his Presidency? Whenever Clinton did make (hesitant) efforts to strike physically at terrorists, Republicans screamed that he was doing so in an effort to "wag the dog", i.e., divert attention from his problems. Through a campaign of relentless lies and distortions, topped off by a political coup d'etat in Florida by which the Republicans stole the 2000 election from its legitimate winner, Al Gore, the rightwing fanatics seized power. Their atrocious misrule, dishonesty, and incompetence have done incalculable damage to America.

So when will we see justice for all this?

When will we see the conservative Republican criminals who manipulated California's energy crisis brought to justice?

When will Bush buddy "Kenny Boy" Lay go to prison for the Enron collapse/scandal?

When will we see a full mainstream media accounting of the Bush family's LONG history of dishonest business dealings, including those of the "President's" fantastically corrupt, criminal brother Neil?

When will we get some straight answers about the EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS that has gone missing in Iraq, money the Republicans claim is merely an accounting error?

When we will we see prosecutions AT THE HIGHEST level for the hideous and illegal use of barbaric torture against prisoners in the current war?

ANY ONE OF THESE GENUINE SCANDALS IS A HUNDRED TIMES WORSE THAN ANYTHING BILL CLINTON WAS IMPEACHED FOR. It's just that the Republicans are in power now, and much of the news media are in bed with them.

How long, Oh Lord, how long?

Ronnie Earle IS NOT Prosecuting DeLay Because of "Partisan Politics"

Ronnie Earle, the Texas DA who is prosecuting Republican criminal scumbag Tom DeLay, is being portrayed by our subservient, groveling, rightwing-friendly media as a "partisan Democrat" who is unjustly persecuting poor little misunderstood Tommy. (See evidence of the spread of media-driven Republican BS here.) This is a damned lie. Earle is a public servant of impeccable integrity. He has, in fact, prosecuted more Democrats than Republicans, and the record shows it. (Note that SIX of the EIGHT prosecutions on this list are DEMOCRATS.) Over the years, Earle has prosecuted 15 politicians. ELEVEN WERE DEMOCRATS. The attacks on Earle are standard operating procedure for the Rightwing Republican Noise Machine that dominates so much of American life. These attacks are simply attempts to shore up the most utterly corrupt member of the House of Representatives since the 1890s. They can't be allowed to deflect us from the truth: in modern America, in case after case, CONSERVATIVE=CORRUPTION.

(Thanks, Kos.)

TOM DE LAY INDICTED

Finally! A Texas Grand Jury has indicted right-wing Republican criminal Tom DeLay for violating state laws in regard to campaign finance. Read about it here.

I hope that son of a bitch gets nailed HARD.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

"Straight Up Looting"

That's Josh Marshall's reaction to the swarm of Republican-connected lobbyists who are preparing to grab the massive $200 billion Katrina spending that Karl Rove will oversee.

If we don't vote these people out in 2006 and 2008, our country will be pushed farther down the road toward disaster. We have this illusion that America is immortal. It isn't. All societies and political systems go through revolutionary upheavals; eventually, all societies die. Through their greed, selfishness, and fanaticism, the Republicans are pushing America toward a grossly premature death.

They're killing our country. Can I say it any more plainly?

Republican Bag-Man Abramoff Associated With Murderers

My DD has the take on this disturbing new twist to a growing scandal. Abramoff has ties with every big Republican player. He may be connected with outright mobsters. Stay tuned.

Typical Bush Appointee: It's Everyone Else's Fault

Pathetic failure and Bush-appointed FEMA director Mike Brown attempted to pin the blame on the disastrous handling of the Katrina preparations on everyone but himself in testimony given today. Read about his amazing gall here.

Guess he must have learned from his boss.

Monday, September 26, 2005

The Republicans: Party of Theocracy

Right-wing religious fanatics have gained increasing ascendancy in the Republican Party. This highly valuable site documents, in unsettling detail, how much the Republican Party's far right leadership wants to impose its own personal vision on all of us.

The Republicans: Party of Cronyism and Incompetence

Time has an encellent story this week on how Bush and his friends have repeatedly chosen right-wing political hacks and corrupt pals for positions of responsibility in the U.S. Government. Among the key paragraphs:

David Safavian didn't have much hands-on experience in government contracting when the Bush Administration tapped him in 2003 to be its chief procurement officer. A law-school internship helping the Pentagon buy helicopters was about the extent of it. Yet as administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Safavian, 38, was placed in charge of the $300 billion the government spends each year on everything from paper clips to nuclear submarines, as well as the $62 billion already earmarked for Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. It was his job to ensure that the government got the most for its money and that competition for federal contracts--among companies as well as between government workers and private contractors--was fair. It was his job until he resigned on Sept. 16 and was subsequently arrested and charged with lying and obstructing a criminal investigation into Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff's dealings with the Federal Government. (Emphasis added.)

Everywhere you turn, Bush and the Republicans cripple the future of our country.

The Republicans: Party of Corruption

I again take as my example the loathsome Tom DeLay, the #1 Republican criminal in the House (and there's some stiff competition). Check out this list of DeLay's crooked dealings. I'm particularly shocked by the way DeLay fights to protect shocking child labor exploitation.

This son of a bitch presents himself as an exemplary Christian as well, someone who loves to prance around Christian Coalition meetings denouncing the evil liberals. This adds the nauseating stench of hypocrisy to his utter and complete corruption. And who is DeLay's biggest defender? None other than His Fraudulency himself, the Boy Emperor George W. Bush.

The Republicans are run by crooks and liars, and it's really about that simple.
Gone are the days when being a Republican stood for something decent. Now, the Republicans are simply about power and money. And I have a feeling that when most of them do meet Jesus, they're in for one hell of a surprise.

The Republicans: Party of Fiscal Irresponsibility

Another graphic to illustrate the disaster toward which the Republicans are dragging America.




Note the dramatic reduction during Clinton's Presidency and the breath-taking increases under Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II.

It's time to demolish the Republican reputation as the "fiscally responsible" party. That's utter nonsense. How much clearer can the evidence be?

(Chart made by BTower, posted on DKos)

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Pat Tillman's Family Demands JUSTICE and TRUTH

Read this remarkable article about genuine American hero Pat Tillman and his views about the Iraq war. His family is demanding a full accounting of the circumstances surrounding Pat's death, and have so far been stonewalled mightily. Whatever picture you had of Pat Tillman, it will be changed by the time you finish this. He was disgusted with the Bush Administration; he had every right to be.

Want to See How Quickly We're Going Broke?

Check the National Debt meter here. By the way, look at this graph of the National Debt's total as a share of the GDP and see which political party has been driving us toward financial disaster. (Hint: Its last three presidents have been named Reagan, Bush, and Bush.)

Saturday, September 24, 2005

HORRIBLE. Bush Gives Saudis Free Pass on Sexual Slavery

Don't believe me? Check this out. My God, are we so beholden to the Saudis that we will never act against them in any way?

A Comment on Bush's "Success" in the War on Terrorists

What Will Little Ricky Have To Say About This?

Remember when rightwing Republican lunatic Rick Santorum (soon to be ex-Senator from Pennsylvania) blamed pedophile priests in the Boston area on the "culture of liberalism"? Well, it seems that a major priestly pedophilia scandal has erupted in Philadelphia. Hmm. Wonder who Santorum will blame for this?

What Can We Do About the Bush Problem?

Now that the majority of the American people understand that we have a corrupt, dishonest, incompetent clown as president, what are we going to do about the fact that he has three years left in office? Robert Parry has some thoughts on this. To my mind, the whole impeachment scenario just isn't going to happen. The first step must be the election of a Democratic Congress in 2006. After this, what's left of Bush's Presidency and domestic program can be safely strangled, although he will still have dangerous powers in the foreign policy realm.

We must hope and pray for America to survive.

Republican Crooks DeLay and Frist Under Increasing Suspicion

MSNBC has the most recent story about our the ethically bankrupt leaders of the Republican Congress.

DeLay is still the king of corruption, the most crooked American politician of the modern era. Read about his criminality here and here.

In any decent society, DeLay would be in prison--and Frist wouldn't be far behind.

Dump Jerry Weller

My U.S. Representative is, unfortunately, Jerry Weller. Weller is a typical Bush-DeLay robot who votes with numbing regularity for anything the Republican leadership tells him to. His voting record is appalling, as he has voted to weaken or kill Social Security and give tax breaks to big corporations while making it tougher for ordinary people to declare bankruptcy. He has voted against raising federal gas mileage standards. He is utterly in the pocket of Big Oil and the radical religious Right. He is, in short, atrocious. Check out his voting positions here. If anyone deserves to be thrown out in 2006, it's him. And, increasingly, people are sensing it. From today's DKos:

The 11th Congressional District of Illinois is the border territory between the southwest Chicago suburbs and downstate. It includes most of Will County, the fastest-growing of the large suburban Chicago counties, and its county seat of Joliet--politically marginal territory. Farther west, on bluffs above the Illinois River heading down to the Mississippi, are the factory towns of Ottawa and LaSalle and, to the south, Streator; this is LaSalle County, also politically marginal (it was Barack Obama's first Illinois campaign stop after the Democratic National Convention). South of Joliet is Kankakee; this is Republican territory. Redistricting in 2001 removed from the 11th the southernmost townships of Cook County, which were increasingly Democratic, and added two ungainly-looking appendages. One goes west to rural Bureau County; the other heads south at the intersection of I-80 and I-39 and includes most of Bloomington in McLean County, one of the faster-growing Downstate counties. The 2001 redistricting made this district more Republican than its 1990s incarnation; its partisan score is 48.5% Dem. The congressman is Jerry Weller, first elected in 1994. He took 64% in 2002, but only 59% in 2004. With the right candidate, Weller can be defeated.

There is a Democratic contender already. His name is John Pavich. Take a look at his website here. He'd be an enormous improvement on the rightwing robot we have now.

Friday, September 23, 2005

The American People Still Support PUBLIC Education

They are opposed to vouchers and they think their local schools are pretty good. They also want charter schools to be accountable in the same way public schools are. Notice, however, in the poll results how the majority of Americans rate their own kids' schools higher than they rate the nation's schools in general. The anomaly is the result of years of right-wing propaganda and lies about public schools. The more people see the public schools in action for themselves, the more highly they rate them.

I'm a PUBLIC SCHOOL teacher and I'm proud of it. Can you tell?

SUSA 50 State Survey on Bush: 41-57 Negative

Bush, the most unpopular second term president in American history (at this stage), continues to be mired in massive disapproval. Check out these numbers from Survey USA. Even in places like Indiana and Kansas Bush is on the short end of the stick. And 37-61 in Ohio?

Damn, I wish those had been the numbers last November.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Lying Republican Thug Bill O'Reilly Gets His Head Handed to Him

And it was by Phil Donahue, no less. The video is here, via DKos.

To me, the most infuriating part, as you'll see, is when O'Reilly begins shouting and making B.S. accusations against Phil, accusing him of saying something he never said. This is utterly typical of the kind of vile, despicable "debating" tactics O'Reilly uses. O'Reilly is a complete fraud, a Republican huckster who pretends to be on the side of the ordinary person. He's also an emotionally unstable, pathological liar.

BTW, here's the sexual harassment suit filed against O'Reilly last year, courtesy of TSG. Also, you can find the Buzzflash interview with Al Franken, given after he cleaned O'Reilly's clock on C-SPAN in 2003, right here.

Republican Inside Scam Artist Frist

Republican Senate Leader Bill Frist avoided getting clobbered on a decline in stock value by a timely stock sale. Gee, I wonder how he knew the stock was going down? Was it possible that since the stock was in his own family's corporation that he might have known something?

Preparing for the Avian Flu: The Republican Plan

Cut 1.8 billion dollars from the budget of the Centers for Disease Control. This is part of the proposed "offset" to help pay for Katrina.

But increasing taxes on the rich is "off the table".

Stupid, mendacious bastards.

The Spreading Abramoff Scandal

Republican fixer/lobbyist/con artist Jack Abramoff has ties to all the major Republican players in Washington, including officials of the Bush White House and major House Republican criminal Tom DeLay. Well, it looks like the you-know-what is beginning to hit the fan as his seamy activities are being revealed. Read the scandalous details here, courtesy of the Washington Post.

The Republicans and Radical Islam

A troubling collection of evidence concerning the multiple ties between major Republican players and those connected with supporting radical Islamic terrorism. Grover "Drown the Government in the Bathtub" Norquist is mentioned prominently.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Prudent Bear Hints At the "F" Word in Regard to Bush

And no, it ain't what you think. He also has a trenchant analysis of Bush's appalling fiscal recklessness and rampant, unrestrained cronyism. This is a powerful critique. Don't miss it.

The Eerie Echoes of the Past

Dubya is sounding more and more like a desperate LBJ. The AP has the story, via Buzzflash.

Pelosi to Donate ALL Her District's Funds for Katrina Victims; DeLay Gives Up NONE

The difference between the two parties is again made clear. Nancy Pelosi is willing to give up all of the transportation funds marked for San Francisco; Tom DeLay will give up absolutely nothing earmarked for Houston, and it's a lot more in his case.

The conservative philosophy is made manifest once more as well: I've Got Mine, Screw You.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Food Aid for Katrina Victims to Be BURNED

The U.S. Government has declared tons and tons of food aid from Britain and elsewhere to be "unfit" for human consumption, even though the British food is exactly the same kind as is fed to British soldiers in Iraq. The never ending lunacy is here.

The Coming Super Intelligence

Read a fascinating and somewhat chilling interview with Ray Kurzweil on the coming emergence of superior machine intelligence. A lot of people will live to see this come about.

In a way, it's got to be better than what we're dealing with now.

(Via Reality Carnival.)

Bush-run FBI to Divert Agents from Fighting Terrorism to Fighting...Pornography

And not the kind involving kids. They will be fighting the kind marketed to consenting adults. Anti-terrorism resources will now be earmarked for this idiocy.

You think they've gotten about as insane as their going to get, and then...

The Gropenator's Approval Continues to Tank

Check out Ahnold's dismal approval rating in this SUSA poll out. It's pathetic. A mere 32% approval? Whew, that 2006 reelection campaign ain't lookin' too good right now, Arnie.

Rest in Peace, Simon Wiesenthal

One of our era's great men has died. Simon Wiesenthal, Holocaust survivor, Nazi hunter, and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, passed away earlier today at age 96. He bore witness to one of the most terrible crimes in human history and dedicated himself entirely to remembering its victims and seeking justice against their murderers. He was a voice for moral integrity every day of his life.

God Bless You, Mr. Wiesenthal.

UPDATE: Here's the New York Times bio.

Monday, September 19, 2005

How Bush and Rice Let Zarqawi Slip Away

Musab Zarqawi is one of the most vicious and destructive terrorists in the world. He's responsible for more than 1,000 deaths in Iraq. Three times our military had plans to eliminate him, and Condoleeza Rice vetoed them each time. The amazing and disheartening story is here, courtesy of Trey Ellis.

Fareed Zakaria Nails It in Newsweek

He hits Bush and the Republican Congress's fiscal insanity hard:

Whatever his other accomplishments, Bush will go down in history as the most fiscally irresponsible chief executive in American history. Since 2001, government spending has gone up from $1.86 trillion to $2.48 trillion, a 33 percent rise in four years! Defense and Homeland Security are not the only culprits. Domestic spending is actually up 36 percent in the same period. These figures come from the libertarian Cato Institute's excellent report "The Grand Old Spending Party," which explains that "throughout the past 40 years, most presidents have cut or restrained lower-priority spending to make room for higher-priority spending. What is driving George W. Bush's budget bloat is a reversal of that trend." To govern is to choose. And Bush has decided not to choose. He wants guns and butter and tax cuts.

Read the whole article here.

The Right-Wing Controls the Corporate News Media

The damning details are here. From Jack Welch to Disney, it's a shocking story of an America falling more deeply under the control of the most recklessly irresponsible right-wing fanatics imaginable.

Gallup: Bush 40-58 NEGATIVE

Horrendous marks in all categories. Check out the 32-67 DISAPPROVE mark on Iraq as well.

The awakening continues.

Incredible! The Right-Wingers Are STILL Blaming Clinton!!

This time it's for the budget crisis, which is EXCLUSIVELY AND TOTALLY THE FAULT OF GEORGE BUSH AND THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS.

Unbelievable. Just simply unbelievable. These sons of bitches will lie about anything. Well, what do you expect from Bob Livingston? He's the Holier-Than-Thou type that was exposed as an adulterer just before he was to become Speaker. He resigned Congress in disgrace.

Hell, he IS a disgrace.

Sunday, September 18, 2005

The Bush Plan for Rebuilding the Gulf Coast

It's all right here and, as you can imagine, it promises to be a bloody disaster fiscally, with tens of billions of dollars flooding into the hands of Bush's political allies, all under the watchful eye of Commisar Rove.

Pew Poll: Democrats Hold Big Lead in Generic House Ballot

It's a 12 point overall margin, echoing Newsweek's results released earlier. And as Chris Bowers at MyDD notes, these early polls ARE important--they affect recruitment and fund-raising. Notice also in the poll the 2-1 pro-Democratic margin among Independents, and the 18 point lead the Democrats have among younger voters. Note also the 16 point lead among those 65 and older.

To me, the message is clear:

Get the 18-29 year olds MOBILIZED.

Run a Democrat in EVERY ONE of the nation's 435 congressional districts.

Remind the voters about how the REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING TO DESTROY SOCIAL SECURITY.

Remind the voters of how BUSH SCREWED UP IN IRAQ AND NEW ORLEANS.

Remind the voters of REPUBLICAN CORRUPTION AND INCOMPETENCE. Wrap Tom DeLay around the throat of every Republican House candidate in America.

Keep POURING FIRE on the Republicans until we've driven them out of control and back into the minority--where they belong.

By the way, Democrats have a realistic shot at not only defending all their vulnerable Senate seats in 2006, but they've also got a good chance of kicking Republicans out in Pennsylvania (Oh yeah!), Rhode Island, Ohio, Missouri, Montana, and Arizona. They've also got a chance in Tennessee. And if Republican Senators in Maine and Mississippi retire, they've got a chance in those states, too.

Go for it, damn it. Grab control of both houses. Kick Schwarzenegger out in California. Roust the GOP out of the governor's mansion in New York and Florida. Make Tuesday, November 7, 2006 a NIGHTMARE for Bush, Rove, and the Republicans--and a day of long-overdue glory for Democrats across America.

Let's Attack Hannity Where It Hurts

His advertisers. They need to hear LOUD AND CLEAR what we think of people who advertise on filth like Sean Hannity's right-wing hate radio propaganda fest. Hannity is a lying, two-bit, overgrown teenage boy--in other words, a total punk. We need to hit him where it hurts--right in the wallet. While were at it, boycott any company that advertises on Hannity, Limbaugh, and/or O'Reilly.

Hey, I'm not attacking their free speech. Let them pour out any vomit they want.

I'm just not going to pay for it. And neither should you.

Iraq: The New Breeding Ground for Terrorists

Back in January, the CIA issued a report saying that the Iraq War has been an absolute boon to terrorists, providing them with an excellent training opportunity. (Here's The Washington Post's article on this.) In other words, as a result of the incompetence and dishonesty of Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Tenet, Wolfowitz, Rice, and all the rest of this terrible administration's foreign policy leadership, the U.S. finds itself embroiled in a war which is stoking the furnace of terrorism. And remember--the training of terorists is done by targeting the heroic Marines and U.S. Army personnel in Iraq. (Bush and Rumsfeld were warned, you'll recall, that it would take at least twice as many U.S. personnel to secure Iraq as were being planned. General Shinseki, the man who issued this warning, was fired.)

Saddam, however vile and despicable he is (and he is, folks) had no WMDs and no connection to 9/11. He posed no threat to us. The war to overthrow him has pulled resources away from the war in Afghanistan, put our brave, amazingly dedicated men and women in Iraq in grave danger, and has immeasurably strengthened world terrorism.

How long will it take to undo the damage this atrocious administration has inflicted on America, if indeed it can be undone?

Get Him Out!!



Any decent man would have resigned by now. That tells a story just in itself.

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Keep the Blame for the Katrina Mess Right Where It Belongs--On Bush

Kevin Drum reminds us that Rove and his friends in the Ministry of Propaganda are trying their damnedest to twist blame for the Katrina screw up away from Bush and his incompetent clowns and toward the Democrats. Rove will also try to pin blame for screwups in the rebuilding on us as well. Unthinkable? Yes. Unconscionable? Yes. Utterly immoral? Yes. In other words, exactly the kind of garbage Rove would pull. We must be ready to fight back against the inevitable Republican smear campaign. And we can fight back--successfully.

Ten Better Choices Than Rove to Lead Recovery Effort

Here's a good list, courtesy of Jesse Kornbluth.

Actually, any of the approximately 250,000,000 adult Americans could probably do a better job than Rove. And a lot of the kids would, too.

The Nobel Winners Speak: Evolution is a Fact

Thirty-eight Nobel laureates have written to the Kansas State Board of Education urging them to reject the inclusion of "Intelligent Design" (i.e., creationism) in the state's science guidelines.

A blow for sanity and the supremacy of reason. It's good to see.

When Money is Tight, the GOP Response is: Screw the Warriors

There is a myth, believed by many in the military, that Bush is their friend and Bill Clinton "hated" the military.

Maybe this will change some minds.

Lack of armor for humvees. Lack of personal equipment. Cutting military benefits. How in the hell, exactly, does that make Bush the military's "friend"?

Michael Tomasky: What the Democrats Must Do Now

He lays it out in a brilliant article in the new American Prospect. The gist of the argument is this: Bush and his people, through unrelenting, determined lying, are trying to twist the failure of the government response to Katrina--which was overwhelmingly their fault--to their political advantage. They are doing so in part by invoking the same bankrupt ideas conservatives have clung to for decades, namely:

--Poverty is a symptom of moral weakness; the poor should be blamed for
their own plight.

--Corporations know best what public policy should be, and workers' rights
need to be eliminated in order for corporations to function most effectively.

--Religious charities should handle all social dilemmas.

Each of these propositions has been shown--repeatedly--to be pernicious, dangerous nonsense, right-wing fairy tales of the first order. Democrats need to stand up and fight for their values with courage and tenacity. Such values would include:

--A faith in the existence of something called The Common Good, which
conservatives have done so much to try to destroy.

--The dignity and rights of all people, however low on the socioeconomic totem
pole, which conservatives have so often ridiculed.

--Honest, efficient government that plays a positive, constructive role in
American life, an idea that conservatives have demonized for 25 years.

Tomasky and many others are calling for a fighting, courageous Democratic opposition, one that lets the American people know clearly what we stand for, and one which is determined to smash the reign of Republican deception and mean-spiritedness. This is a fight we can win--if we've got the spine to fight it.

Friday, September 16, 2005

The U.S.: Heading Over the Financial Cliff

So now Bush proposes to rebuild the Gulf Coast by a massive infusion of spending while enacting even more tax cuts. I know it seems as if I'm obsessed with this issue, but the insane fiscal irresponsibility of Bush and the Republican Congress is going to haunt the U.S. for decades, blighting the lives of our children and grandchildren. The inimitable Bonddad again enlightens all of us on this critically important issue.

Look, my wife and I are going to be all right. We're in our fifties and we've been blessed. We've got some money safely put away. But I'm worried about my stepkids and my grandchild. You need to be worried, too, if you're younger than I am and/or you've got kids. This putting America's prosperity on the credit card is going to end very, very badly if we don't get a handle on things--soon.

The Bible on the Issue of Rich and Poor

This site has a collection of verses from the Bible covering all aspects of issues related to poverty. Maybe it's too far to go to say that God is a liberal.

But He's sure not a Republican.

Karl Rove Will Head Up the Gulf Coast Recovery Effort?!?!?

Bush's chief political adviser, hitman, and smear expert?!? A known pathological liar and traitor, who will stop at nothing to win, no matter what damage it does to America?? He's going to head up the recovery???

This whole matter is about to turn into an orgy of patronage for the Republicans and big, fat contracts for Bush's business friends. For that, you need Rove. I mean, why appoint someone qualified when you can appoint your top political whore?

I also notice that among the first things Bush did in the aftermath of Katrina was to suspend the Davis-Bacon Act's provisions in regard to paying the prevailing wage to construction workers in the Gulf area. In other words, he cut the pay of the very people who will be needed to help rebuild. Incredible.

By the way, a lot of conservatives are, this morning, barking about the cost of rebuilding New Orleans. They don't mind paying to rebuild Iraq, however. Baghdad, after all, isn't 70% black.

The defeat of these people has become an issue of national survival.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

The Republicans: Perverting the Message of Jesus

Republicans have convinced millions of Americans that screwing the poor is somehow consistent with the Christian message. Nothing could be farther from the truth, as Melinda Henneberger argues eloquently in Newsweek.

And they've also convinced millions of people that George W. Bush, the least empathetic and compassionate man imaginable, is the very symbol of Christian righteousness. Obscene. Just obscene.

Condoleeza Rice is a Liar, Pure and Simple

She said that no one could have imagined that terrorists would slam an airplane into a U.S. landmark when asked about it during the period of the 9/11 investigation. It turns out that warnings of exactly that were circulating years before 9/11. And other security problems were ignored, too.

Liar. Or is it merely ignoramus? Or incompetent?

Typical. If you work for Bush and you screw up big time, you get promoted.

By the way, this information could have been released more than a year ago--you know, before November of 2004. Hmmm. I wonder why Bush's people were so desperate to keep this knowledge from the American people?

Bush and the Republicans Buying Their Way Out of Trouble

And doing it with your money.

And your children's money.

And your grandchildren's money.

Josh Marshall explains.

The Roberts Record: Cause for Rejection

The New York Review of Books has a disturbing, even damning summary of John Roberts' political and judicial activism.

Democratic Senators: VOTE NO ON ROBERTS

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

The People Are Turning Against Him

The evidence is clear, and the evidence is here. For me, the money quote was this:

The poll also contains the following startling finding: The public is now much more likely to think that history will judge Bush a below average president (42 percent) than to think history will see him as above average (19 percent). Wow. Remember when Republicans were talking about putting Bush on Mount Rushmore? I don’t think that’s on anymore. (Emphasis added enthusiastically by me.)

Now, we have an obligation to sweep Bush and his thugs out of office. We need to flush the grisly collection of Republican thieves and looters, far-right Republican religious fanatics who want to dictate the most intimate details of everyone's life, and right-wing Republican sociopaths who are killing this country with debt. For the sake of America's future, as many Republicans need to be swept out of office as is politically feasible next year, and a Democrat must be elected President in 2008.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to turn the term conservative into a dirty word.

Little Ricky Down by 14 Points in Republican Leaning Poll

Soon to be ex-Senator Rick Santorum continues to flounder in a new survey by a poll that's traditionally friendly to right-wingers.

Insultingly, and typically, one of Santorum's supporters from the polling outfit said that voters were confusing Bob Casey with his father, as if Pennsylvanians were too stupid to separate the two mentally.

You know, kind of how Republican voters in 2000 mistook George W. Failure for his father.

Bill Maher: Right on Target

Maher in this piece makes some of the most devastating judgments of George W. Bush that I've ever seen.

Whew. Wish I had said all that.

Republican Criminal Tom DeLay in the Noose?

Two more of his cronies have been indicted in DeLay's money laundering scheme in Texas. I want him nailed on a number of other charges as well, but this will do for a start.

I want to to see that SOB in an orange jump suit.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Bush Cronies Cashing in on New Orleans Disaster

Associates of Bush and his cronies in FEMA are raking in billions of dollars in government contracts for New Orleans reconstruction projects. Halliburton, of course, is lining up at the trough. Former Bush campaign manager Joe Allbaugh also has his greasy hand out.

This is sickening. Enraging. Horrible. What the hell is going on here? It's as if the U.S. is back in the days of the freaking 1890s. And Bush and his people do all this with impunity. They literally don't give a damn what anyone thinks of this.

My God, for the sake of America's survival, we must persuade people to vote Democratic in 2006.

The Oldest Exploding Star

Read an amazing tale from more than 12 billion years ago.

The "2,000 School Buses" Lie Spread by the Right

Rightwing propagandists have been spreading the utter falsehood that New Orleans had 2,000 school buses that could have been used to evacuate flood victims. This article from Media Matters reveals this lie for what it is--a typical, fraudulent, rightwing talking point.

What Have the Conservatives Really Accomplished?

Check this article from Washington Monthly and see what you think. I found it mildly surprising. And encouraging.

Monday, September 12, 2005

The Roundup on Bush Boy

Courtesy of Dan Froomkin. If you're Dubya, read 'em and weep.

Oh wait. He doesn't read.

The "Dean" of the Washington Press Corps Sounds the Warning

I don't always like David Broder, but man oh man does he hit it on the head in this column about the frightening mountain of debt being piled up by the borrow and spend Republicans. Note particularly that the Republicans pushed through authorizations to increase the public debt by $3,000,000,000,000 in just four years. And now they propose more tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the country.

We're headed for disaster with Bush and his Congressional thugs in charge. How many times do sane people have to point it out?!?

The Bush Administration: Cronyism Run Wild

Paul Krugman tells the alternately disgusting and infuriating story here.

Democrats: Think Big for 2006

In late July I wrote a diary in Daily Kos that advocated a broadly based Democratic campaign for the House next year. I said that we should be bold and go for a 75 seat gain. (The original diary is here.) It's not that I realistically think that such a gain will happen; it's just that we increase our odds and force the Republicans to defend more territory. Some people thought I was nuts to propose such a thing.

Now, in Emerging Democratic Majority, I see my opinion echoed. Expand the field in 2006. Don't confine the Democrats to contesting a mere 25 seats. (My motto: no free rides for any Republican, anywhere.)Force the GOP on defense, big time.

And you know, it might work. The most recent Newsweek poll on the Congressional election has the Democrats leading 50-38 in the generic House ballot. If we win by 12 next year, that's blowout country.

Think big; the moment has arrived!

Sunday, September 11, 2005

NEWSWEEK: How Bush Blew It

You owe it to yourself to read Newsweek's account of the incredibly bungled response of Bush and his people to the Katrina disaster. It shows a picture of a cold, indifferent, ignorant president utterly out of touch with the realities his own citizens have to face, a man surrounded by yes-men and toadies who are afraid to bring him any bad news.

The mainstream media are catching on--finally.

9/11, Bush's Failures, and Right Wing Hypocrisy

The fourth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is today. Numerous warnings of an impending attack were ignored. The administration fought desperately to prevent an investigation into the attacks. Osama bin Laden is still not in our custody. Al Qaeda and its allies, in the last four years, have inflicted horrific damage in Indonesia, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Britain. Despite the fact that it has suffered defeats and losses, Al Qaeda continues to spread its cancerous influence in the Islamic world. Imagine if President Gore had allowed this.

A Pakistani nuclear scientist has sold deadly secrets to potential terrorists and has not been brought to justice. Pakistan continues to shelter terrorists. North Korea is building a major nuclear arsenal. Imagine if President Gore had allowed this.

The U.S. war against the terrorists has been stripped of resources by a useless war in Iraq based on false intelligence and outright lies. Almost 2,000 Americans have been killed in this senseless conflict and more than 10,000 others have been wounded. The war is devouring $200 billion a year in resources, and the ultimate outcome of it may be a civil war and a militant Iraqi Islamic state. Imagine if President Gore had done all that.

The truth of the matter is this: if Gore had done these things, O'Reilly, Hannity, Limbaugh, Novak, Mark Steyn, Hugh Hewitt, Britt Hume, the idiots at Town Hall, Free Republic and NewsMax, and every other rightwing bastard among America's commentators would be screaming for his impeachment. Ann Coulter would be calling for his assassination. Savage and Liddy would be in agreement. Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and James Dobson would be publicly damning him. Every rightwing fruitcake in the country would be up in arms. But Gore, of course, is responsible for none of it. It all lies at the feet of George W. Bush, whom the fanatics of the right continue to defend.

It is this complete moral bankruptcy, the sheer two-faced ethical hypocrisy of the right that so disgusts me. The conservatives (if such profligate, reckless deficit mongers can be called such) have to be removed from office for many reasons, but not the least of them is the violence they are doing to the very concept of moral and ethical consistency. It's one of the many ways that Bush and his people are killing the very idea of America.

A Follow Up to the Guy Who Told Cheney Off

The story of Dr. Ben Marble, the guy who shouted "Go f**k yourself" to Cheney, can be read here, courtesy of alert reader Paul Claycomb.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Which of These is Not Like the Others?

Kevin Drum has the answer. Hint: It has to do with the four most recent diectors of FEMA.

Bush's Approval Rating in AP-Ipsos Sinks to a Pathetic 39%

Read all about it here. Also, note the fact that 65% of the country now thinks America is on the wrong track.

So how long until Bush gets us into another war?

How Bush Gutted FEMA

The whole story was published almost a year ago right here. It's a disgusting account of political cronyism and neglect.

The person most responsible for the lack of preparation for the New Orleans disaster and the lousy federal response to it is George W. Bush. Do you hear me, Dubya, you damned fraud, you wanker, you liar, you incompetent? IT WAS YOUR FAULT.

How the Political Press Screwed Al Gore

Here, thanks to Armando at DKos, is the sickening story from Rolling Stone of how America was deprived of the president it should have had by reporters bound and determined to defeat him.

It just makes me freaking crazy when I think of it.

This is How a Real Man (and a Real President) Responds

Daily Kos and the AP have the story of Al Gore's remarkable effort to successfully evacuate 270 Katrina survivors. He wasn't doing it for publicity, and he wasn't doing it for personal glory. He was doing it because it was the right thing to do and he had the means to do it.

What a man! And what a national tragedy it was that this great and good human being was kept out of the White House by a Republican-organized coup in Florida in 2000. The coup was aided and abetted by a vicious rightwing propaganda campaign, a nakedly partisan Republican majority on the Supreme Court, and a degenerate press corps that had, throughout the campaign, magnified every supposed Gore fault while covering up the glaring deficiencies and lies of the least qualified man to ever run for the presidency, George W. Bush.

God bless you, Al!

Friday, September 09, 2005

The Shame of Colin Powell

He admits that his 2003 speech to the UN was a fraud. I was suckered by it, even though I'm a pretty militant Democrat. But I felt that if Powell was presenting the evidence, it had credibility. I was a fool to believe that.

Many years ago I thought Powell might make a good president. Needless to say, those days are long gone.

The Public's Judgment on Bush's "Reflief" Efforts: Failure

True to the form of his entire life, George W. Bush has screwed up again. The verdict of this Pew Research Center Poll confirms it.

Seriously, has this guy ever done anything right, ever?

Except of course, cover his own miserable ass and blame everybody else for his shortcomings?

The Man-Child President

Bull Moose explains what that phrase means.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

I Love It

God help me, I do love it so. (Quoting Patton)

Yes, there's a certain phrase I'd say to Cheney if I got the chance. After all, how often do you get to insult a ventriloquist?

Keith Olbermann's RIGHTEOUS Anger

This is just amazing. Listen to this. This is American social commentary at its best.

And then pass it on.

Take a Look at Kanye West's Protest

The video clip can be found here.

NBC cut him off so fast it made my head spin.

Thanks to Lance Ehlers at Slowcurl.

Yes, Everybody, We ARE Related to the Apes

We and all other primates share a common ancestry. The most recent split in our particular branch of the evolutionary tree was the separation of the hominids and chimpanzees from their common ancestor. More confirmation of this comes from the sequencing of the chimpanzee genome, the story of which can be found here, in the new Economist.

Bush to the Head of FEMA:"Brownie, You're Doing a Heck of a Job."



(Thanks Maryscott.)

This Column Says What Needs to Be Said

Tina Brown hits the nail on the head in this devastating dissection of His Fraudulency George II's screw-up in regard to New Orleans. Her analysis is exactly correct: Bush is a total incompetent in everything except self-preservation.

New Yorkers, who voted overwhelmingly to get rid of Bush last November, already knew this, and something else even worse: Bush doesn't give a damn about what happens to anyone else.

As I've said a hundred times, so I will say again: Bush is not only the worst president in American history, he is the worst man who has ever been president. He's as close to an outright sociopath as we've ever had in office.


And that terrifies the hell out of me.

Destroying Bush's Credibility on National Security

Arianna Huffington nails it hard in this post about Bush's loss of credibility on the matter of "keeping us safe". She urges Democrats to make an issue of this, and I agree. Hit this message over and over: The Emperor Has No Clothes--and Never Did.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

How Bush and Rove See Firemen: As Props for Bush's Photo-Op

This will make you want to throw something through the wall. Bush is using firefighters who volunteered to go to New Orleans to help with the cleanup and rescue effort as extras in his publicity photos. So what if it takes them away from the job they volunteered to do? Bush's PR comes first.

Absolutely outrageous.

Little Ricky's Response: Punish the Victims

Republican slimeball Rick Santorum now proposes punishing people who stay in disaster areas. He's no doubt angered by the all those disgusting Negroes who didn't have the common decency to be rich enough to afford to get out.

I'm going to enjoy seeing that son of a bitch get his ass kicked out of the Senate in November of 2006. I might just videotape him conceding defeat so I can watch over and over, and laugh.

No, They Don't Have Any Shame

The loathesome campaign by Bush and his flunkies to blame everybody but themselves for the hurricane recovery screw-up is high gear. Katrina Vanden Heuvel lays it out straight here.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Think the Bush Administration Will Be Able to Handle the Avian Flu?

Well, you've seen their response to Hurricane Katrina. You've seen their management of post war Iraq. You've seen the way they've handled the Federal budget deficit. You've seen their energy policy. You've seen their efforts to capture Osama Bin Laden. What do you think?

Look in the Damn Mirror, Pal

George Bush has ordered an investigation into his own incompetence. Seems like he wants to know what went wrong in New Orleans. In other words, he wants to be able to blame anyone but himself for this whole relief effort fiasco, or for the failure to fund flood prevention adequately, or for his gutting of FEMA.

Pathetic. And typical.

Mississippi Gets First Dibs on Hurricane Relief

Who cares about all those miserable, wiped out, desperate, poor, African-American people in New Orleans, anyway? Why, Trent Lott's house needs to be rebuilt! The Republican congressional leadership has its priorities.

The Mission of Republican Fanatic Roy Moore

Judge Roy Moore of Alabama is hauling his Ten Commandments monument around the country and with it his bizarre, even delusional interpretation of the Constitution. Read about the man the Republicans cannot ignore, even if they wanted to, right here.

Monday, September 05, 2005

A Strong and Sober Voice Warning of Economic Disaster

If the Web can be considered a circulatory system, sites like Daily Kos, the New York Times, CNN, and others like them are the major arteries. Sites like mine are the microscopically-detected little capillaries, bringing news and opinion to a tiny (but in my view, extremely insightful) audience. But it's when I see articles like this from MyDD, authored by the extraordinary Bonddad, that I wish I were the aorta itself. His message is vital. Please pass this on, my tiny group of friends and readers. This needs to be circulated as widely as possible.

This is an Example of Why I've Been Ranting Lately

The USS Bataan is sitting in the Gulf of Mexico with food, doctors, and fresh water, and no one has ordered it to help in New Orleans. It's just sitting there as people are dying for lack of aid because no one in Washington has had the presence of mind to actually mobilize it for rescue work. The Chicago Tribune has the awful details.

He Was Supposed to Keep Us Safe, Remember?

Cam Kerry weighs in on the staggering incompetence and failure of the Bush Administration.

Security was supposed to be Dubya's strength. It was the principal reason he was "re-elected" last November. But it was all a sham. This country is less secure than it was in January 2001. And many people (about 40% in most polls) still think Bush is doing a good job!! My God, what will it take to get them to see through him? An American city destroyed by a nuclear weapon that Bush's bumbling Homeland Security department let across our borders?

White House Damage Control Campaign Being Coordinated by Rove

The sheer, utter damned lie that local officials in Louisiana, chiefly the Governor, did not issue a State of Emergency warning as Katrina closed in, is being circulated by Karl Rove and his aides, of course. Read about it here.

Another disgusting example of the the cancerous influence Rove is having on our country. Rove is as dangerous and unprincipled a person as has ever had political power in America. Not only a traitor, but a pathological liar and smear artist without equal. There is nothing he will not do, and no act is too low for him. I am convinced that if Rove thought he could get away with it, he'd have people killed.

Oh, I'm sorry. I'm criticizing Dear Leader and his hired toads again. I must be unpatriotic.

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Why We Won't Miss Rehnquist

Alan Dershowitz explains why in this powerful essay. Also, take note of how overgrown teenage boy punk Hannity responded to Dershowitz.


Damned right I did. And I'm proud of it, especially this week.

The Bush Administration Now in Total CYA Mode

Bush and his apologists, flunkies, and suck-ups, are now attempting to shift all blame for the New Orleans disaster to state and local officials. Josh Marshall brilliantly nails that stance for what it is--an outright lie.

This has been the pattern of Bush's entire life. Every screw-up, every failure, every disaster, every bit of suffering inflicted on helpless people is somebody else's fault. This pathetic little SOB never fails to blame everybody but himself. He takes responsibility for nothing. He continues to be a craven little coward--and the worst president in American history.

Labor Day 2005: An Increasingly Angry, Dissatisfied Working Population

Peter Hart's firm has done an extensive survey of the attitudes of American workers, sponsored by the AFL-CIO. Among the eye-opening findings:

--Just 38% of workers are satisfied with the economic situation in the country, with 59% saying that they are dissatisfied. This marks a near reversal in attitudes from the beginning of 2001 when 65% of workers were satisfied and 33% were dissatisfied.

--A majority of workers are now [under the Bush regime] more worried and concerned (54%) rather than hopeful and confident (43%) about achieving their economic and financial goals. Back in 1999, [when we had a real President, Bill Clinton] seven in ten (70%) of workers were hopeful and confident.

--They overwhelmingly reject President Bush’s Social Security proposals.
Two in three (65%) workers say that the country is headed in the wrong direction when it comes to retirement security. Just 24% say that things are headed in the right direction.

--Seven in ten (72%) workers would like to see the federal government guarantee health care coverage for all Americans. This marks a slight increase from 1999 when 68% felt this way, and this belief transcends party affiliation as majorities of Democrats (88%),independents (73%), and Republicans (55%) say that the federal government should guarantee coverage.

And yet...a lot of these same people voted for Bush in 2004. Why? Because the Republicans appealed to fear ("Only Dubya can keep us safe!") and prejudice ("Look at them queers wantin' to get married!"). Couple this with an avalanche of lies about John Kerry ("He's just a traitor who did nothing in Vietnam!") and you have an election close enough for the Republicans to steal.

The Debt Mountain Continues to Grow

I saw a post this morning by bonddad on DKos and it struck me as notable. He's looked at the Bureau of Public Debt site and found that the public debt has risen by $547,000,000,000 in the last 11 months alone. I decided to look at some other figures at some related sites. The debt news is not good.

From 30 September 2000 to now, the public debt has increased by 39.7%, going from 5.674 trillion to 7.929 trillion dollars, an increase of $2,255,000,000,000 since His Fraudulency George II became president via the 2000 coup d' etat.

Perhaps more alarmingly, the amount of our debt held by foreign investors has doubled. In March 2005, foreigners held 1.029 trillion in our debt; in March of this year foreign holdings amounted to 2.037 trillion dollars. Much of this is held by the Chinese.

The Bush Administration's response? Let's cut the estate tax.

The Republicans are killing our country.

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Chief Justice Rehnquist Dies

He had been fighting his cancer, but his health took a turn for the worse in the last couple of days. The New York Times story is here.

(This deserves to be read as well.)

I didn't often agree with William Rehnquist, but he wasn't an ideological fanatic on most issues. I fear that his successor as Chief Justice, will be. The top two choices are (retch) Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Either one would be an absolute disaster, with Scalia being the more dangerous of the two. He already uses his position to attempt to impose his private religious views on the entire nation. Scalia's utter contempt for anyone whose world view differs from his own is deeply threatening to the well-being of our Republic.

And oh joy...Bush gets to pick another Supreme Court justice.

Iraq. New Orleans. Rampant Republican political corruption and incompetence. A still uncaptured Osama Bin Laden. Our terrifying mountain of debt. And now the prospect of a Bush-appointed Chief Justice.

Our country is in crisis.

Are You Freaking KIDDING Me???

This pisses me off. Unreal.

Frank Rich Body Slams Bush on New Orleans

I link to Frank Rich a lot, I know, but when he's so much on the money, as he is here, how can I not?

A Dead-On E-Mail About Bush's Failure in New Orleans

Andrew Sullivan published this e-mail, which he introduced with his own commentary.

THIS SAYS IT ALL: Sometimes an emailer says it better than I ever could. Read this. Read all of it. You know why I endorsed Kerry last time? Not because I liked Kerry or ever dreamed of backing him. I'm not a liberal. I'm not a Bush-hater. I backed the war. Initially, I trusted and supported this president to the hilt at a time of great danger. But I was forced to back Kerry of all people because Bush's gross incompetence at a time of national peril was simply too great a risk to continue. Now we have the proof:

"I've considered myself a socially libertarian, fiscally conservative Republican for a very long time. I got along with the idea that I wasn't going to get a whole lot of help. College wouldn't be free. Job training would cost money and time. And I'm probably a decent example of up-from-not-much.

But after watching what's happening in New Orleans-an American city that I've loved, visited and have always wanted to return to - I can't ever vote for these people again.

Being a Republican means that you expect the government to do just a couple things for you and nothing else. Build a road. Defend us from enemies, foreign and domestic. Stuff that would be a lot less organized if we all had to do it ourselves. Everything else is just gravy.

And as we poured money into Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, I thought, "Right on," because some of that money's bound to fall on my head.

Well, something else would fall on my head first.

I work for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. And that means that if something really catastrophic happens in MY city, and they ask me to stick around, that's the job. We have A and B teams and I'm a disaster recovery specialist on Team A. I've drawn up plans with names like Drawbridge and Smoldering Crater.

Here's what these people would do for me.

They would leave me there to die.

Look at the facts. There's no coordination on the ground right now. The city has no fresh water, no electricity, no services. The floodwater has so much oil and toxins in it that it's flammable.

In psychology they have what is called a fight-or-flight response. When faced with danger, do you subdue it or do you flee? Some of it has to do with risk assessment, but in this case, there is no flight. There is nowhere to run. So flight means die. If my choice was to pull a pistol on a truck driver or Nat, Jarren, Jayson, or any of you dies, that's no choice at all.

I'm not talking about the looters grabbing big-screen televisions and basketball hoops. I'm talking about the ones that are chest-deep in water carrying bottled water and diapers. You can't tell me for three days to be patient, the bus is coming, and they're piling up bodies in the street median.

We have known that this sort of disaster could occur for a century. Hell, the tour bus driver told me about it on the plantation tour. This means that we have been able to envision the stark reality of this occurring for a week-the newspapers all said the storm would hit New Orleans last Thursday.

A week to get buses? A week to get fishing boats? Trucks? This is the United States! I read someone who said, "All the people who weren't bedridden, or had money, or had cars left. The people that are left had none of those things."

There are people tonight who are going to sleep on overpasses for the fourth straight night. There are prisoners who will do the same. There are people dying at a convention center because no one will tell them that no one is coming for them, and the National Guard is protecting the kitchens. There are police officers who are turning in their badges because they've lost everything, have no guidance, and don't want to be shot by a looter.

There are people tonight inside a concrete domed stadium with holes in the roof and no air conditioning who were told the buses are coming today, and they might, or they might not. There is no food. There is no water. There are bodies floating through the neighborhoods.

In the UNITED STATES.

Some people say that you can't hold the President responsible for this. Oh, yes you can. Because when he looked over at John Ashcroft after the jets hit the towers and said, "I want you to make sure this never happens again," it was not meant to be specific to "no more planes hitting large buildings on the East Coast, right, boss." It was meant that no American should have to run for his life through an American city. While Americans may perish in a senseless, unforeseen disaster, we'd save the ones we could.

And the Cabinet appointees were mushwits and he could barely speak a complete sentence and we're sending people overseas for God knows how long to help people who are indifferent at worst and hostile at best, but they were going to protect us. In 2004, that's all a lot of us needed. Well right now, it's obvious that they can't.

Ask yourself this: What if Al-Qaeda blew up the levees instead of the hurricane? Would the response have been any different?

No. It wouldn't. That city flooded in a day. And if it were Las Vegas, I would have been in some operations center watching people try to decide who gets to starve to death and who gets to get on a bus to Los Angeles or Phoenix. And there would be no certainty that I'd be on that bus in time to protect my wife and kids.

But one thing sure would have been different.

They wouldn't have had a whole week to sort it out and know what's coming. They were supposed to KNOW this already. It will have been FOUR YEARS next weekend since someone probably said, "Hey, what if..."

And for that, the whole stack of them should be fired.

I've had it. I'm done. And if the other bunch of assholes can't figure out that what's important is that babies don't starve to death here (and I'm not talking some metaphorical goo-goo thing with school lunches and welfare, but real, actual starving) and we get people out of harm's way, we'll get rid of them too. And so on.

Because this is about leadership, not about bitching on CNN how no one's in charge, or listening to Peggy Noonan furrow her brow at the Governor's performance, or bragging that we've sent in one National Guardsman for every 200 people, or actually having the audacity to say that "we had no idea the levees would break."

Today, I saw my country favorably compared to Indonesia and Thailand, (always our traditional benchmarks of infrastructural success) while the elderly die of thirst in the street. We sneered at France when this happened during a heat wave.

No more."

The Legacy of Grover Norquist



This is what happens when you decide to starve the government of revenue.

This Says It All

Are Journalists in America Finally Getting a Backbone?

Jack Shafer in Slate lays it out for us.

Friday, September 02, 2005

The Mayor of New Orleans Tell It Like It Is

Listen to an angry C. Ray Nagin, Mayor of the devastated city of New Orleans, rip the Federal Government a new one in this compelling radio interview.

He may be exhausted, he may be drenched with sweat, but Mayor Nagin sounds fighting mad to me.

The Right's Mantra: I've Got Mine, Screw You

Amazingly, with everything else that's going on, the Republicans in the Senate are giving priority to the repeal of the estate tax, a move which will not only reduce the government's revenue at a time when it is desperately needed, but deal a body blow to charities across the country.

For years, the Republican right-wing has been waging a particularly dishonest propaganda campaign of sheer damned lies on this issue, calling it the "death tax" instead of what it is, and saying that it routinely ruins farmers and small businessmen--even though they can't find any credible examples of the estate tax having done so. This is a move to consolidate the establishment of permanent ruling class in the United States.

The Center for American Progress has a comprehensive examination of the estate tax here.

Today is the 60th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War

The Japanese surrender took place in Tokyo Bay on the USS Missouri. It was an end to a war that had wiped out between 60 million and 80 million humans.

Let us never forget.

That Denny Hastert: He's All Heart

Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert is just fine with spending hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild Iraq, but thinks that much of New Orleans should simply be bulldozed.

Jackass loser.

Thursday, September 01, 2005



(You can get the t-shirt here. I couldn't steal the image without giving them a plug.)

'No One Can Say They Didn't See It Coming"

Bush and his people cut flood prevention funds for New Orleans by 44% between 2001 and 2005. Details can be found here.

And, check this out.

A Southern Gas Station

Listen to This

A devastating account of the hurricane's impact on coastal Mississippi.

General Clark Talks About Real Leadership

As opposed to the phony, trumped up pseudo-leadership we get from His Fraudulency George II.

Bush Dropped the Ball on New Orleans--Period

You say I'm "politicizing" this disaster? So be it. Editor & Publisher has the story.

Damn it, is there any way this miserable, incompetent, lying, malicious clown hasn't screwed up???