Get Your War On

If you don't subscribe to the shell of what used to be Rolling Stone magazine...you've missed this featured comic. Click the link to see the archives. The above strip was published on 1/17/05

My Recent, Favorite Book's Author is Blogging

"Somewhere in the world a man has abducted a little girl. Soon he will rape, torture, and kill her. If an atrocity of this kind not occurring at precisely this moment, it will happen in a few hours, or days at most. Such is the confidence we can draw from the statistical laws that govern the lives of six billion human beings.
The same statistics also suggest that this girl’s parents believe -- at this very moment -- that an all-powerful and all-loving God is watching over them and their family. Are they right to believe this? Is it good that they believe this?"

The GOP's Jimmy Carter

Inflation fears giving rise to soaring gold prices, an energy crisis and high oil prices, a failed military operation in the Middle East, troubles with Iran, plummeting approval numbers, scatterbrained foreign policy, rising interest rates....well at least Jimmy knows how to hold a hammer.

No Comment

Go Ahead, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Remember when these types of ads were everywhere in the wingnut blogosphere? Ever wonder what has happened to the Iraqi Dinar (as created by the Coalition Provisional Authority) since its inception in October 2003? Well, I did.

Turns out the greatest gain possible from purchasing the Dinar over the last 2 1/2 years would be 1.6% if you were wise enough to buy at its all time low and sell at its all time high. Granted, ads like the one above would point out that 2 1/2 years is a short-sighted window to judge the Iraqi currency, so I'll concede the point. Having said that, I would challenge any of you who still wish to bet on Bush's foreign policy spoils to invest a sizeable chunk of your nest egg in Iraqi Dinars today. What could go wrong? Oh, I dunno. Maybe, just maybe, the notes will be completely worthless when this sham government collapses under civil war. But don't listen to me, listen to your heart and give old Dubya the benefit of the doubt and the security of your retirement fund. I dare ya.

I Have No Words to Add to This

A brilliant piece.

On The Subject of Sy Hersh and "Word Terrorism"

While surfing "hersh" returns, I found this fantastic exchange between Wolf Blitzer, Richard Perle, and former congressman Tom Andrews:

ANDREWS: For example, Wolf, you know, if they have some weapons of mass destruction that they're not willing to destroy, we take them out on a surgical strike. But that's different than invading and occupying for five to 10 years an Arab country...

BLITZER: All right.

ANDREWS: ... in one of the most volatile...

PERLE: Forgive me.

ANDREWS: ... regions of the world.

PERLE: Forgive me. No one is talking about occupying Iraq for five to 10 years. Let's be a little more careful about the statements you make.

ANDREWS: The State Department...

PERLE: I'm sorry.

ANDREWS: The State Department official said two weeks ago that it could be five years.

PERLE: I'm sorry. There is no U.S. plan for anything like that...

------------------------------------------------------------------


BLITZER: All right. Tom, hold on a minute. You know, we are basically all out of time for this segment. But before you go, Richard, I want to give you a chance to respond.

There's an article in the New Yorker magazine by Seymour Hersh that's just coming out today in which he makes a serious accusation against you that you have a conflict of interest in this because you're involved in some business that deals with homeland security, you potentially could make some money if, in fact, there is this kind of climate that he accuses you of proposing.

Let me read a quote from the New Yorker article, the March 17th issue, just out now. "There is no question that Perle believes that removing Saddam from power is the right thing to do. At the same time, he has set up a company that may gain from a war."

PERLE: I don't believe that a company would gain from a war. On the contrary, I believe that the successful removal of Saddam Hussein, and I've said this over and over again, will diminish the threat of terrorism. And what he's talking about is investments in homeland defense, which I think are vital and are necessary.

Look, Sy Hersh is the closest thing American journalism has to a terrorist, frankly.

BLITZER: Well, on the basis of -- why do you say that? A terrorist?

PERLE: Because he's widely irresponsible. If you read the article, it's first of all, impossible to find any consistent theme in it. But the suggestion that my views are somehow related for the potential for investments in homeland defense is complete nonsense.

BLITZER: But I don't understand. Why do you accuse him of being a terrorist?

PERLE: Because he sets out to do damage and he will do it by whatever innuendo, whatever distortion he can -- look, he hasn't written a serious piece since Maylie (ph).

"I was initially hurt by his words" --- Saul Rosenburg (Hurt at Work, 1993)

Worst President Ever Nominates Self For Anti-Christ

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If any of you are still harboring an illusion that the American people possess one single iota of actual or moral influence in our government, don't bother reading Sy Hersch's new article. If you understand that our government has been completely hijacked and is morally bankrupt (but yet you are too lazy to read Sy's article), here are some highlights.

The President has decided (or been convinced) that an imminent war with Iran is assured.

A senior Pentagon adviser on the war on terror expressed a similar view. “This White House believes that the only way to solve the problem is to change the power structure in Iran, and that means war,” he said.

America is likely to use nuclear weapons.

One of the military’s initial option plans, as presented to the White House by the Pentagon this winter, calls for the use of a bunker-buster tactical nuclear weapon, such as the B61-11, against underground nuclear sites.

and....

The attention given to the nuclear option has created serious misgivings inside the offices of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he(a former high-level Defense Department official) added, and some officers have talked about resigning. Late this winter, the Joint Chiefs of Staff sought to remove the nuclear option from the evolving war plans for Iran—without success, the former intelligence official said. “The White House said, ‘Why are you challenging this? The option came from you.’"

The Pentagon adviser on the war on terror confirmed that some in the Administration were looking seriously at this option, which he linked to a resurgence of interest in tactical nuclear weapons among Pentagon civilians and in policy circles. He called it “a juggernaut that has to be stopped.” He also confirmed that some senior officers and officials were considering resigning over the issue.

I believe I just shat myself. Good thing Purblind Jism is there to crack me up.

They, obviously, didn't start the fire.

video

Well at least we know which one had the quicker fork at the family dinner table. Click the video link and throw up the horns.

Democracy is on the way, hitting like a tidal wave
All over the middle east, dictators walk with shaky knees
Don't know what they're gonna do, their worst nightmare is coming true
They fear the domino effect, they're all wondering who's next!

Evidently these idiots are unaware that about a 1/4 million people lost their lives in the Christmas Tsunami. Democracy tidal wave indeed.


Say that reminds me, ever wonder what happened to The Toadies of "Possum Kingdom" fame? Wonder no more.

On The Subject of Prayer

"We may bend but we wont break, we live and die for freedom's sake, our liberty was won by our own hands." (Well, by "won by our own hands" I mean to say: my hands...our hands...umm...hey, check out my mullet/molester mustache combo, pretty patriotic don'tcha think?)

I've rather had it with the Yellow Elephant Brigade. You know who I'm talking about...the time/job/school/church constrained battalion of armchair warriors who "support" our troops with fading, magnetic, dime store bumperstickers and intercessory prayer. (i.e. the legion of pasty men and women who wax nostalgically about service and honor, and are ever ready to give an excuse as to why they chose to maintain their normal life instead of enlisting) They shake their fists at the images on Fox News and label those who question this war as traitors and cowards.

"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." -- Matthew 5:43-44.

What kind of video would Jesus produce?

UPDATE

giggle

Happy Trails Mr. Delay

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"Even though I thought I could win, it was a little too risky," -- Tom Delay

While Fox News analysts mused last night about Delay's pullout and resignation with the time honored talking point of "He always had a knack for counting votes," satirists everywhere lamented the loss of a possible conviction while Delay still held office. Well I, for one, wish nothing more for Tom Delay than all the best in his next career of popsicle stick crafting at a minimum security prison. Happy Trails, Tex. Old exterminators never die, they just fade away...

One final look at the Indictment that started it all. Does anyone else sometimes wish we were in a country where seppuku was still practiced?

Spare Me (McKinney Implodes, Boortz Rallys Hood Wearing Listeners)

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"Rest assured, I am doing the work they sent me to Washington to do. Nothing is going to keep me away from my responsibilities," McKinney told a crowd of supporters in Atlanta on Monday.

Well, except an arrest warrant maybe. Can you effing believe that the NAACP, NOW and Danny "respect my authoriti" Glover are apologizing for this wackjob? Granted, Mckinney's "innappropriate touching" charge is laughable...but as a nationally syndicated radio show host, the riffing of Neil "I'm NOT a Republican because I say so" Boortz probably didn't earn him many chuckles among listeners with a shread of decency.

"I don't blame that cop for stopping her" because "it looked like a welfare drag queen was trying to sneak into the Longworth House Office Building." He added: "That haircut is ghetto trash" and "looks like a ghetto slut." Boortz said he was "absolutely privileged and entitled" to make his comments, based not on his "white privilege," but on his "bald privilege," saying, "I've been enduring jokes about my lack of hair for years," so "I am privileged and entitled to say anything I want about anybody else's hairdo."

No, Im not racist. My best friend is a kinky haired hobag.

Livin' La Vida Lake Worth

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My little town may be one of the most recognized small town in america.

• To political/history/news junkies it is/was home to Nathaniel Brazill , The University of Texas tower sniper Charles Whitman and the infamous Quaker Meeting House

• To surfers it has one of South Florida's best and most contentious breaks.

and,

• To South Florida criminals it is a teasure trove of victims.

You see, we have an illegal immigrant problem here in Lake Worth and [while the nation debates about the perceived problems of illegal immigration (jobs, resource drain, and security)], one big point is being missed. Illegal Immigrants operate in a "cash only" economy and they don't report crimes. Why is this a problem? Let me explain.

Illegal immigrants have a problem. If they are caught without documentation, it is possible that they may be deported. Banks require documentation and because of this, most illegal immigrants don't have a checking account. This means that the cash illegals don't carry on their person gets hidden in their homes and apartments. Because criminals are aware of this, neighborhoods with a high concentration of illegals are preyed upon nightly by burglarers and robbers. To compound this problem, the illegal's lack of documentation keeps them from reporting this crime to the authorities. It's a recipe for the complete breakdown of a neighborhood into a lawless and violent community with depressed property values and the influx of morally reprehensible opportunists.

While xenophobes chant incessantly about wages and food stamp pillaging, our border and southern states are experiencing immigrant community decay. We can't possibly deport our 12 million illegals. No one credible argues to the contrary. Neither can we allow the current situation to persist where illegals remain undocumented victims of a cruel catch 22. We know full well from experience that new laws will never be enforced by the department of Immigration and Naturalization because the well funded business interests who rely on this pool of labor are too influential. George Bush's amnesty (by any other name) solution may be as close to real reform as this government is capable.

UPDATE

The General has an amusing piece on immigration today

"Confirmed Bachelor" Lindsey Graham Throws Hissy, Redecorates History

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Senator Russ Feingold's censure resolution made it to hearing on Friday despite the Chorus of "Nuh Nuh Nuh, I can't hear you...everyone look over there its the Easter Bunny." from the Democratic leadership. Sen. Patrick Leahy joined Senator Feingold at the hearing becoming the only other Senate Democrat within a 200 mile radius. Leahy echoed Feingold's request for censure and at one point even raised his voice.

Senator Lindsey Graham would not be outdone however, and engineered a tactical "hissy fit" counterstrike against Sen. Leahy and former Nixon White House Counsel John Dean. During his offensive Graham alluded to recent watergate scandal developments such as: Nixon authorizing the DNC break-in, Nixon's impeachment, and the "fact" that John Dean went to jail. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas upped the ante and called John Dean "a convicted felon" and suggested that Dean was simply there to promote his book. Surprisingly, neither Graham nor Cornyn mentioned the relevant credentials of the Iran-contra convicted felon, John Poindexter (who recently headed the Total Information Awareness program which is directly linked to the warrantless wiretap program.)