Sharpening our wits on the grindstone of Life

Today is the Day

2008-11-04T07:04:00.004-06:00

I’ve been blogging here since about a year into Bush’s first term. During the run up to the invasion of Iraq, I began to see a dangerous trend in the direction our country was heading, and became increasingly political. I lobbied for change in the 2004 election season, and was appalled that Bush had been elected for a second term, thinking, “How could so many people be so stupid?’

Since then, our country has gone downhill. Our economy is in shambles, we are stuck in a war we had no business being in in the first place, and our constitutional rights have been trampled in the name of “national security”. Basically, we are reaping the consequences of handing our government to crooks, cronies, and power-hungry theocrats.

Today, that changes. The American people have finally woken up and realized that we cannot continue down that path and survive. No more giving preferential treatment to large corporations that send jobs overseas. No more ostracizing anyone who has a dissenting view of what the government should and should not do. No more waiting for opportunities to “trickle down” from those have no intention of, or interest in, sharing those opportunities.

It’s a new day, America. Let’s get it right this time. Our children depend on it.

Outside the campaign

2008-10-20T19:24:00.004-06:00

To get away from the usual rhetoric, I would like to introduce to you the candidates, unadulterated and in their purest forms, from the Alfred E. Smith dinner, in which the honorees are encouraged to comment on themselves, their campaigns, and each other in a most irreverent manner.

Indeed, the occasion has evolved into something of an opportunity for speakers - particularly ones whose mien is typically quite serious - to show, through quips and slightly irreverent humor, that they can poke fun at a political issue, an opponent, or themselves.

Without further ado, I present to you Senator John McCain.

And then, Senator Barack Obama.

Who is the real elitist?

2008-08-24T18:15:00.000-06:00

Obama was born poor, and used what opportunities he had to obtain a top-level education. He then used that education to help the poor in Chicago before he went into local politics.

McCain was born to wealthy parents. His father and grandfather were admirals in the Navy, so that’s where he went. He graduated near the bottom of his class, but was still made a pilot anyway. He crashed his planes repeatedly, and after one of his crashes was captured by the enemy and made a prisoner of war. I am not discounting his time spent as a POW – anyone who serves his country honorably has my utmost respect – but after he returned from that captivity, he dumped his wife for a younger, richer woman and became very wealthy indeed.

When asked, McCain was unsure how many houses he owned. Obama owns one house with his wife.

Obama was born in, and vacations in, Hawaii. McCain met and had an affair with his current wife in Hawaii.

Obama is marries to his first wife, and has two children. McCain divorced his first wife after she got fat and disabled and married a younger rich heiress to a company that pulls in more than $300 million per year. They have various children from both marriages, the most prominent one, Meghan, who is unemployed and blogs for her father’s cause.

Cindy MCain, John’s current wife, tells us that a private jet is the only way to get around Arizona, John’s home state.

I could go on, but just which of these families seems closer to what average Americans are familiar with, and which family seems more elite?

We're never leaving Iraq

2008-07-01T17:34:00.000-06:00

It appears that the Bush administration wants to keep our troops in Iraq forever. Even the Iraqis want us out, but our side is insisting that we have a permanent presence there, along with immunity for our troops and contractors from any criminal acts they may commit. I'm not saying that our beloved troops would commit any crimes against the Iraqi people, but I wouldn't necessarily rule it out for the private mercenaries we have working there.

"The Americans are making demands that would lead to the colonization of Iraq," said Sami al-Askari, a senior Shiite politician on parliament's foreign relations committee who is close to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "If we can't reach a fair agreement, many people think we should say, 'Goodbye, U.S. troops. We don't need you here anymore.'"

It's time to get our troops out of combat there, and the Bush administration seems to be hell bent on preventing that from happening in order to justify their endless war against a country that we had no business being in in the first place.

Schadenfreude

2008-10-24T16:58:00.007-06:00

[shahd-n-froi-duh] – noun: satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.

Origin: 1890–95; G, equiv. to Schaden = harm + Freude = joy
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

I'm not one given to pleasure at others' misfortune, but I've been waiting for this day for a long, long time. After 8 years of arrogance and showboating from this C student, George W. Bush cast his absentee ballot in the presidential election uncerimoniously from his desk today.

As you may recall, he cast his ballots amidst great fanfare in the last two presidential elections. This time: No bluster, no smirking, just quietly and humbly filling out his absentee ballot at his desk and putting it in the mail.

I will proudly cast my ballot at my local polling station, in constrast to this broken shell of a president, and I will enjoy it immensely. And chances are, I will actually cast my vote for the winning candidate this time.

S & H on SNL

2008-09-19T05:41:00.001-06:00

For those of you who missed Saturday Night Live last weekend, here’s a very funny faux announcement from “Sarah Palin” and “Hillary Clinton”. Just the thing to break the post-hurricane blues.

And just for giggles, here is Sarah’s baby name generator. What would Sarah have named you if you had been born into the Palin family? Sorry, Track, Trig, Bristol, Willow, and Piper have already been taken.

The question begs to be asked

2008-09-11T05:39:00.005-06:00

Listing a host of issues on which he said McCain has the same position as President Bush, Obama said, "That's not change."

"That's just calling something that's the same thing something different," Obama continued. "You can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper and call it change. It's still going to stink, after eight years.

"We've had enough of the same old thing."

Houston Chronicle

The question is, if Obama was referring to Palin as the pig, who was he referring to when he talked about the stinky old fish?

Everyone is more Muslim than Obama

2008-06-27T19:12:00.000-06:00

By now, everyone is aware of the highly publicized, racially charged statements from Barack Obama’s Christian pastor, Jeremy Wright. In spite of that, and defying all logic, one in ten Americans still believe that Obama subscribes to the Muslim faith. Among the “proof” of this Muslim affiliation is the picture of Obama taken during his visit to Africa during his 2006 visit.

What I find interesting is that, while Obama made a typically respectful gesture to a people while visiting their culture, this image has been used as proof of his allegiance to a particular faith other than his own. With all due respect to people of Islamic faith, pictures of him garbed in their ceremonial garments are hardly proof of his allegiance to their beliefs.

I ran across a website that shows how other public figures have likewise shown understanding of other cultures, including Islam, and have adorned themselves with the trappings of those cultures.

Join me for a tour of cultural tourists who have “proved” that they are Muslims by adorning themselves in the garb of the cultures they have visited.

First, let’s look at Meghan McCain, John McCain’s daughter. She has accompanied her father on the campaign trial and is blogging her adventures. Here she is with her Mom in a relaxed moment with pillows, but she's sporting a disturbing kaffiyeh, which is a garment that Rachel Ray caught a steaming pile of criticism for wearing in a Starbucks ad as a terrorist-sponsoring symbol.

Then there is the current president, mixing it up with the current head of Saudi Arabia. Since the majority of the 9/11 conspirators were Saudis, we can be assure that this “patriotic” administration would have nothing to do with them, the fact that Georgie would clown around with this guy with a sword is clearly evidence that we embrace the Muslim way of life.

And then there’s the infamous fist bump with Michelle – obviously a tip of the hat to Hamas in Palestine. Unfortunately, dubya’s daddy did the same thing to a notorious communist, Anna Kournikova.

There are many other examples, but you get the idea. Just because Obama dressed in local garb while visiting a friendly nation does not mean he subscribes to their beliefs.

If you still believe this infers a connection to terrorist organizations, I leave you with this disturbing possibility; your house pet sympathizes with our enemies:

Now you can be afraid…

In Memoriam

2008-05-25T14:34:00.006-06:00

On this Memorial Day, I would like to offer specific condolences and gratitude to the families, friends, and Battalion mates of four Marines who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country on May 2, 2008.

These men were members of Combat Logistics Battalion 1, Combat Logistics Regiiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Pendleton, California.

With my utmost respect and gratitude, I honor the following men:

Lance Corporal Casey L. Casanova, age 22,
McComb, Mississippi

Corporal Miguel A. Guzman, age 21,
Norwalk, California
Lance Corporal James F. Kimple, age 21,
Carroll, Ohio

Sergeant Glen E. Martinez,
age 31,
Boulder, Colorado

Words cannot express how sorry I am that their loved ones have to suffer their loss. I know how painful it can be, and can only hope and pray that they recover from this loss. I also hope and pray that our international issues can be resolved without any further loss of life.

Casey, Miguel, James, and Glen – thank you for your service. I know the men and women in your Battalion honor your memory. As will I, for as long as I live.

Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day.
Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
- William Shakespeare (1599)

How Dumb Do They Think We Are?

2008-04-25T13:32:00.000-06:00

Senators McCain and Clinton are proposing a gas tax holiday this summer. On the surface, it sounds like a great idea. Suspend the 18.4 cents per gallon to make the summer travel season a little more palatable to the average Americans who like to vacation during the summer but don’t like the humongous bill when they fill up the tank. Look into the mechanics of these proposals and they make less sense. These proposals are prime examples of the type of pandering to the uninformed that the Bush administration is famous for. In essence, paint a rosy picture of legislation that will not really help the average American. On the contrary, legislation of this type will eventually hurt consumers.

I’m sure that, by taking this position, I will be labeled a “tax and spend” liberal. If so, so be it. Because the money this tax provides does not buy “welfare cadillacs”, or supply emergency healthcare to illegal immigrants. It goes directly into the funds that build and maintain the roads and bridges that Americans rely on to take their vacations and get to work and home each day. By suspending this tax, economists estimate we will lose $6.8 billion in funds designed to repair and improve our highways and bridges.

McCain suggests we transfer money from the General Fund into the Highway Trust Fund to make up the shortfall. Clinton proposes that we levy a windfall tax on the oil companies to make up the difference. Taking money from the General Fund will result in less funding for other programs, and an oil company windfall tax will backfire on consumers. Face it, if we try to slap an extra tax on oil companies for their record profits, they’ll just pass this cost along to consumers. This will have the effect of raising gas prices before the suspension lapses. When the tax returns, the price of gas will go up even more, leaving us worse off than we were before the holiday.

The only presidential candidate that appears to be leveling with us is Barack Obama, who basically says that the gas tax holiday is a bad idea. Economists agree with him, to which Clinton retorts, “I’m not going to put my lot in with economists”. Her response is highly reminiscent of the Bush administration – never mind what the experts say, I know better.

Clinton’s blatant dismissal of expert opinion, along with McCain’s admitted lack of understanding of economic principles, lead me to believe that Obama is the only presidential candidate with our best interest in mind, and stands by his position regardless of any immediate political gain.

I say we pass on this gas tax holiday, and focus instead on legislature that will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and promote alternate sources of energy. It may be more painful today, but in the long will lead to a stronger America that is less reliant on other countries, some of who may not like us very much.

Wyld Card's Coveted Presidential Endorsement

2008-03-04T21:07:00.029-06:00

And now for the endorsement you've all been waiting for:

Wyld Card officially endorses Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential candidate.

Why Obama? As Kinky Friedman's campaign asked back in 2006, why not?

First of all, Obama can make the clutch shot in the paint.

Hillary, not so much.Also, Obama looks good in a hat.
Hillary does not.
But the deciding issue is as important to this author as it is to many other Americans.

Obama likes him some spicy food.

Hillary, please...

Obama/Clinton: the Silly Debate

2008-02-28T19:16:00.005-06:00

Okay, this is my first foray into imbedding video in this blog. I'm a firm believer in the hit-and-miss html philosophy, so this should be an interesting experiment in the newfangled technology that's beyond this humble blogger's expertise.

Fortunately, the subject matter is lighthearted. Please focus your attention on the two Democratic presidential candidates in a photoshopped debate that has no desired outcome other than which looks sillier with giant clown glasses added for effect.

You've seen them, now decide.

The Battle of Lysistrata

2008-01-23T13:51:00.001-06:00

I’ve been a political junkie as long as I can remember, and one of the first websites I discovered on the internet that fed my political addiction was Wonkette. When I started my blog many moons ago, it was one of the first links in my sidebar. It’s still one of my regular click-through sites when I can find time to just browse.

Wonkette has been through many changes, growing from a one-woman show into an integral part of the Gawker universe. Editors and writers have come and gone, and come back again. But never before has Wonkette experienced a reader/commenter mutiny like they did this week.

The drama began with the rehiring on Ken Layne as the editor-in-chief. Ken was the “West Coast Bureau Chief” when I started reading the site, and then he left, I presume to go freelance. Upon his return, he promptly fired one of the readers’ favorite writer, along with an intern and staff photographer, apparently because they didn’t “fit” with Layne’s vision of the site’s future. The writer, Megan Carpentier, had a huge following, and her loyal minions promptly organized a boycott of the site.

Wonkette commenters, or “Wonketteers”, are an eclectic bunch. There are gays and straights, college students and professors, patriots and expatriates, liberals and conservatives. The one thing they all have in common is the ability to see the ridiculousness of the political mindset in our nation’s capital and beyond.

And now they’re irate. Megan Carpentier is a smart, funny, and knowledgeable writer. She has worked as a lobbyist on Capital Hill, and used her inside knowledge to explain the sausage-and-lawmaking process in a witty and sarcastic, yet understandable, manner. She also was not afraid to offend sensibilities. Apparently, these are the traits that don't fit into the Gawker mold. By canning her, however, Wonkette has driven its more intelligent constituents away from the site.

The Wonketteers are currently congregating at a blogspot site called Homofascist’s Army (homofascist was a fixture commenter on Wonkette, and became the defacto leader of the insurrection). Meanwhile, Wonkette’s page hits have dropped by a third, and its comment boards have dropped in participation by half.

I for one will be visiting HF’s site to get my fix of witty political repartee, and encourage everyone else to do the same. Eventually, the Wonketteers will either migrate back to Wonkette or find a new site. In the meantime, HFA will be the place to be. See you there!

Update: Megan, along with several ex-Wonk commenters have migrated over to The Cynics' Party. It's a little more highbrow, a little less silly, and very entertaining. Check it out!

No Civil Liberties Left Behind

2008-02-28T18:55:00.003-06:00

Nancy Pelosi, using her rarely used cojones, finally said “no” to the Bush administration by refusing to allow amnesty to telecom companies for participating in his illegal “spying on America for the good of national security” program. Way to go, Nancy!

Harry Reid, spineless wimp that he is, failed to stand up to Cheney & Company, leaving it up to No Nonsense Nancy to block this piece of fecal matter of legislation that would indemnify Bush’s corporate buddies in any wrongdoing in his relentless war on the rights of American citizens.

This particular American patriot is not against collecting intelligence information, but to grant immunity to anyone who is willing to stomp all over our civil liberties at the request of a renegade administration, particularly corporate entities who contribute generously to the coffers of this administration, is just asking them to stretch the boundaries of ethics in order to gain favor in federal contracts.

Keep in mind that this is the administration that gave no-bid contracts to Halliburton for support services in the Iraq war, and convinced their base that no one else has the resources to provide the services on such a large scale. It also spearheaded the No Child Left Behind program that enriched Bush’s brother Neil and his educational software company under the guise of improving education.

Nancy’s “no” was temporary, however, and merely put off a vote on the permanence of the Protect America Act until August.

Any American that values civil liberty over the ability of the federal government to intrude on individual privacy with no provocation needs to contact his or her congressional representatives and tell them that under no circumstances will we tolerate this intrusion into our private lives.

Do that here. Do it now.

The time has long past when true Americans will idly stand by as their government tramples on their rights in the name of so-called “national security”. It's time to restore our integrity, and reinstate our legacy of "We the people, for the people, and by the people".

Let the games begin!

2008-02-01T19:20:00.000-06:00

The race to the white house is heating up, and the candidates are pulling out all the stops in their attempts to portray themselves as the only candidate that can get you what you want in this knock-down, drag-out slugfest known as the 2008 presidential election.

On the Democratic side, Barack Obama is the media darling, despite his questionable connections with a known Chicago low-life. But hey, what are the chances of being involved in Illinois politics without at least one bottom-feeder tarnishing your image, eh?

Hillary Clinton is his primary opponent, and she is taking advantage of every available option, including Barack’s bad press and her “crying game”, for her personal gain. She’s the consummate politician, just like her hubby, so we don’t know where she really stands at this point.

Yours truly is waiting for their votes on whether or not to include immunity for telecom companies in the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act (FISA) legislation to decide which candidate to support. We all know how Hillary voted to support the war and that Barry took a pass, but now it’s time to put up or shut up, and I want to see how they do.

On the Republican side, John McCain is the media darling, despite the fact that he’s far less conservative than the base. He is way far left on the immigration issue, against torture, and not exactly the fundamentalist’s vision of the next coming of the Messiah. Personally, I respected McCain up until he approved Bush's appointment of Alberto Gonzalez's appointment as Attorney General, even though at the time Gonzalez approved torture as an effective form of information gathering. Since then, the Bush administration has admitted that information achieved through torture is less than accurate.

Mitt Romney is a Mormon, and even though that’s not supposed to matter, you know it does. But he’s a businessman and well versed in the practice of laying off people, so you know he gets a pass from neo-cons who favor outsourcing labor to countries that don’t have the stringent safety and labor laws that we have here.

And then there’s Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul. Huckabee has a following among the born-again crowd, and Chuck Norris, but that’s about it. Ron Paul has a massive following, mostly among the disillusioned who want the government out of your life unless you’re female or gay.

So let the games begin. We’re going to see major mudslinging – first between Hillary and Barry and McCain and Romney, and then between the Republican and Democratic candidates – and then we’ll have the grand standoff in November. We’re in for a major Battle of the Brands.

Regardless, anything result November will be an improvement over what we have right now. Viva la Revolution!

Don't Go Away Mad, Just Go Away

2008-01-22T19:20:00.000-06:00

So Fred Thompson is out of the race for the White House. Once lauded as the next Ronald Reagan, Fred led a sluggish campaign that tried to snare the neo-conservative wing of the Republican Party - to little effect.

You may recognize the Fredneck from the Law and Order teevee show, but if you’re not from Tennessee, you may not realize that Fred has been bouncing around the political scene for decades. He was involved in the investigation leading to the impeachment of Bill Clinton. After serving in the Senate, he became a Washington lobbyist, and eventually landed back on television.

So anyway, Fred thought he could land in the White House by wearing cowboy boots and campaigning in a red pickup truck, but apparently that’s been done, so he’ll go back to being an obscure actor.

Goodbye and good riddance, Fred. You were good for some laughs during the debates, so we’ll try remember you as a footnote in the 2008 presidential elections.

So who's next?

Happy Chrismahanukwanzica to you!

2007-12-25T21:30:00.000-06:00

Peace on Earth!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T21:08:00.000-06:00

Another Bush pardon recipient showing his appreciation.

Trick or Treat!

2007-10-31T23:59:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween!

Here, There Be Pirates!

2007-09-19T00:55:00.000-06:00

Talk Like a Pirate Day be upon us, and the unwashed among who be celebratin’ will be garnishing our vernacular with many a colorful expression.

But as we celebrate the lifestyle of the quasi-heroes of yore, it be good to reflect on the qualities we see in ourselves, and those qualities we imagine we could achieve.

So, to kick things off, I extend a hat tip to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, whose patron saint, the jolly fish, holds sway over these here festivities.

As history tells us, piratin’s nothin’ new in these hereabouts. From Jean Laffite to John Singer to Henry Morgan, the Texas gulf coast be rich in pirate history.

And it hasn’t let up much, either. If yer thinkin’ that piratin’s a thing of the past, then I got some news for ye, mate. Here there be pirates, whether ye see them or not.

Take f’rinstance Ken Lay. Here be a pirate t’make ye proud. He set sail with the crew of the Crooked E and pillaged and plundered more than any man since. Aye, he was a piece of work, he was. Rumor has it he faked his own death, and is wallowing in coins to this day, awaiting his partner, the Commodore-in-Chief, to disappear into the South American wilderness, no one the wiser.

But this is all speculation, mind you, of an idle mind too long at sea.

Another great pirate of the day be Karl “Turdblossom” Rove. This scallywag convinced the colonial government that plunderin’ be sound economic policy, resulting in unprecedented bounty reaped by the predominant merchants of the day. Legend has it that his partner in crime, Dick “the Dick” Cheney, helped him negotiate these commercial treaties, and helped settled the Paraguayan wilderness where the brigands would spend their waning years, sipping rum and basking in the glory days of conquest.

Today, piracy be alive, well, and thriving. So why not join us in a celebration of the cultural magnificence that be piracy? This be the day we get to pretend that we have no conscience.

And then, come November 2008, vote against those who don’t pretend. Granted, none of the examples given are elected officials, but they're the power behind the thrones. Let those in the thrones know that there be no place in America for pillaging and plundering, because for everyone who benefits, there be thousands who suffer.

Piratin’ be fun to pretend, but keep this in mind: Pirates hate civil service – unless there’s something in it for them.

In the meantime...

Arrr!

Six Years After

2007-09-11T21:37:00.000-06:00

Today is the sixth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, so allow me to reflect on just how our lives have changed since that tragic day.

Let’s see, I believe Osama bin Laden was the architect of the attacks, and our president vowed to chase him to the ends of the earth to bring him to justice. How’s that coming along? Not so well, eh?

Instead, we invaded Iraq, which basically had nothing whatsoever to do with the attacks. So how’s that part of the plan going? Well, let see, our president proclaimed “Mission Accomplished” four years ago, yet we’re still there.

May 2003

On Thursday, I visited the USS Abraham Lincoln, now headed home after the longest carrier deployment in recent history. I delivered good news to the men and women who fought in the cause of freedom: their mission is complete and major combat operations in Iraq have ended.

Back in January of this year, when most of the country was pressing the administration to withdraw troops from Iraq, “The Decider” announced he would send even more troops into the meat grinder, calling it a “surge”, as if it were a wave that would wash over the opposition and then recede away from the shores of battle. Nine months later (yesterday) General Petraeus, head soldier over the whole shootin’ match, announced that this “surge” was working, contrary to reports from the Government Accountability Office, a recently declassified portion of the National Intelligence Estimate, and a report to Congress made by Marine Corps General James Jones.

Petraeus claims that violent incidents are down even though, statistically, this summer had been deemed the deadliest summer of the war so far for American soldiers serving in Iraq. He says we shouldn’t draw back from the escalation troop strength until at least next summer (coincidently just before the 2008 elections).

So here we are six years after Al-Qaeda attacked our country, and we’re still fighting Al-Qaeda in a country it wasn’t active in before we invaded. Everyone not associated with the White House believes we’re no safer now than we were on September 10, 2001. There are prominent Americans who blame all Muslims for the attacks and want to bomb their holy lands, and our fearless leaders are planning to invade Iran next even though our military is already stretched to the breaking point.

The Patriot Act has stripped American citizens of many of their civil rights. Torture is an accepted method of intelligence gathering, and citizens can be held indefinitely without charges. And through it all, the Bush administration assures us that all is well and that we’re on the right course of action.

I grieve for those lost on September 11, 2001, and hold them in the utmost regard. However, I cannot support the path we are on now, and neither should anyone who can think without being clouded by emotion from events that happened six years ago. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, did not have the weapons of mass destruction that were promoted as the reason for our invasion, and was not strife with inter-denominational violence as it is now.

It’s time for this war to end. Before any more Americans die. A war that was begun on pretenses can not be allowed to continue on further pretenses. The results of the 2006 election show that the voting public does not support this war. And if the new crop of leaders won’t bring an end to the madness, then we’ll vote them out also.

It’s time, people. Let’s do it right for a change, and make America great again.

Don't Let the Door Hit Ya

2007-08-30T17:00:00.000-06:00

Where the Good Lord Split Ya...

This week we say goodbye to two more rats who are abandoning the U.S.S. Dubya as it slowly sinks toward Davey Jones’ locker. Both of these bozos have been with Bush since his days as governor of Texas, and both have used their arrogance and positions in power to strip the rights and liberties of American citizens. Now that dubya’s chief of staff, Josh Bolton, has announced that anyone who stays with this administration after Labor Day will have to see it through to the end, these may not even be the last two to bail out.

Congress has been trying to get Alberto Gonzales to resign for the past several months. He has stonewalled them during the congressional hearings on the firing of U.S. Attorneys, saying “I don’t recall” more often than he answered any questions. One intrepid attendee at the hearings made quite a splash by counting and displaying the times he uttered the phrase – and this was just on the first day of the hearings.

Gonzales, also known by Bush’s nickname for him, Fredo, is most noted for his support of using torture to extract information from those the administration has deemed possible terrorist sympathizers.

The other partner in crime who’s jumping ship is Karl Rove, orchestrator of all of dubya’s escapades including the run for governor of Texas and two terms as president of these United States. No small feat, that, considering Bush is a complete idiot.

Rove was responsible for the trashing of Vietnam war veteran and former POW John McCain and managed to paint Bush as more of a patriot by avoiding combat in the National Guard. Unfortunately, he also predicted a permanent Republican majority, and we all know how well that worked out.

So let’s give these guys a big buh-bye, and look forward to even more desertions in the coming months.

Happy Independence Day!

2007-07-04T13:11:00.000-06:00

With Liberty and Justice For Some

2007-07-04T12:46:00.000-06:00

On this 231st anniversary of the founding of our nation, the current occupant of the White House demonstrates how much he respects the principles our country was founded upon by thumbing his nose to the American people.

Irve Lewis “Scooter” Libby was found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice in the exposure of CIA agent Valerie Plame. Granted, Libby didn’t actually out Plame, but he lied to investigators to protect his boss, Vice President Richard Cheney, and was found guilty by a court of law and sentenced to 30 months in a federal prison, along with a hefty fine.

Speculation was high that the president would pardon Libby before he served any jail time. The president has that right, although typically they wait until the prison term is served, and it’s rarely done by a president for someone in his own administration.

When Libby lost his appeal this last week to remain free while he appealed the sentence, Bush did one better – he commuted his sentence. If the president had actually pardoned Libby, Scooter couldn’t use the 5th Amendment to refuse to testify against his administration. After all, if one is pardoned, one cannot reasonably argue that one’s testimony would be self-incriminatory.

So as a reward for protecting an obviously guilty administration, Libby doesn’t have to go to prison, and only needs to pay a fine, a tab which will undoubtedly be picked up by friends of Dick and George.

So much for liberty and justice for all.

Talking points for those who defend the administration usually lead off with “Clinton pardoned a lot more people than Bush. Besides, he had sex with that… woman”. But that argument doesn’t fly in the face of reason.

Clinton didn’t run his entire platform on integrity and values. Bush rode into office with promises to clean up government. So far we’ve seen how he cleaned up the government. His cronies, regardless of capability, infuse all branches and levels of government. We all witnessed FEMA’s handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the invasion and occupation of Iraq based on lies and cherry-picked intelligence. The administration announces a terror alert any time the administration needs a distraction or when Bush’s approval rating drops. And now, after vowing to bring anyone who was involved in leaking Plame’s identity to justice, its protecting a high-level administrator who was convicted of just that.

Remember this announcement Bush made in September of 2003?

"There's leaks at the executive branch; there's leaks in the legislative branch. There's just too many leaks. And if there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. And if that person has violated law, the person will be taken care of."

Now, in an example of the diminished ethics of this administration, we see how the person who has violated law has been “taken care of”.

Liberty and justice for all, indeed.

"My Government"

2007-06-13T20:18:00.000-06:00

Sorry, that's not my quote. I can't claim any responsibility for this government, as none of the people I voted for were elected (I live in a red state, after all). No, this was a quote from our president, when discussing the no-confidence vote that never materialized in Congress.

"And they can try to have their votes of no confidence, but it's not going to determine -- make the determination who serves in my government."

"My government". Kinda goes against the "We the people" thing, but in wartime you gotta grant some additional leeway to the Commander-In-Chief. But this seems a little excessive. He's referring to Alberto Gonzales, the Attorney General who promotes torture and has amnesia about the political firing of various State Attorneys General.

The Decider has proclaimed, despite the lowest approval rating of almost any American president, that he doesn't care what the American people think; he's gonna stick to his guns, no matter how hopeless the cause. Even his own base is turning on him because of immigration issues.

This man (a title dubious at best given his National Guard record) has been irrelevant since 2004. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we can get on with rebuilding this democracy of ours and make this country great again.