May 14, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
RIGHT-WING DISLIKE OF HUGO CHAVEZ
A few months ago televangelist Pat Robertson made the astonishing suggestion that Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez should be assassinated. Chavez rankles right-wingers in this country because Chavez has a commitment to improving the lives of ordinary people. His policies, unlike those of George W. Bush, are not designed to enrich the already rich and exploit the poor. This article by John Pilger is at www.commondreams.org:
I have spent the past three weeks filming in the hillside barrios of Caracas, in streets and breeze-block houses that defy gravity and torrential rain and emerge at night like fireflies in the fog. Caracas is said to be one of the world's toughest cities, yet I have known no fear; the poorest have welcomed my colleagues and me with a warmth characteristic of ordinary Venezuelans but also with the unmistakable confidence of a people who know that change is possible and who, in their everyday lives, are reclaiming noble concepts long emptied of their meaning in the west: "reform", "popular democracy", "equity", "social justice" and, yes, "freedom".
The other night, in a room bare except for a single fluorescent tube, I heard these words spoken by the likes of Ana Lucia Fernandez, aged 86, Celedonia Oviedo, aged 74, and Mavis Mendez, aged 95. A mere 33-year-old, Sonia Alvarez, had come with her two young children. Until about a year ago, none of them could read and write; now they are studying mathematics. For the first time in its modern era, Venezuela has almost 100% literacy.
This achievement is due to a national programme, called Mision Robinson, designed for adults and teenagers previously denied an education because of poverty. Mision Ribas is giving everyone a secondary school education, called a bachillerato. (The names Robinson and Ribas refer to Venezuelan independence leaders from the 19th century.) Named, like much else here, after the great liberator Simon Bolivar, "Bolivarian", or people's, universities have opened, introducing, as one parent told me, "treasures of the mind, history and music and art, we barely knew existed". Under Hugo Chávez, Venezuela is the first major oil producer to use its oil revenue to liberate the poor.
IT ISN'T JUST BUSH
The buzzards are circling over the Bush administration, the absolute worst administration in our history. Someone writing a political horror novel couldn't have conceived anything worse than this incompetent, bumbling, corrupt, arrogant man and his pack of neocons. The damage they have done to our country and the world is incalculable. Some of the damage can never be undone, such as the thousands upon thousands of innocent people killed and maimed in Iraq. But if any good can come of this whole nasty business it's the historical lesson. Bush has ripped off the cover of the whole corporate-military-Christian fundamentalist cabal that has dominated the cultural and economic structure of this country. It's a system that exploits the planet, fosters greed, and creates a permanent underclass. It's time not only for Bush and his cohorts to be held accountable; it's time to junk the whole rotten system and start afresh. This article by Mike Whitney is at www.smirkingchimp.com:
There's no place to hide now. 6 years of demagoguery and deception have smashed the Orwellian facade and fueled the public rage. The country is on tender-hooks; one paltry incident away from a citizen revolt and massive political upheaval.
Don't believe it? The fury of the masses is silently brewing just below the surface. The specter of violence is quite real.
Bush's popularity is now somewhere below Nixon's and just above venereal disease; the perfect spot for a draft-dodging poseur whose bravado cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
May 13, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
THE POLITICAL ANGLE
George W. Bush has frequently proved he's capable of anything to suit his own political objectives. Stage a phony riot in Florida to disrupt a vote count during the presidential election of 2000. Call on his buddies on the Supreme Court to steal an election. Use push polling to smear John McCain. Use some Vietnam vets to smear John Kerry's war record. Lie about weapons of mass destruction to get us into a war in Iraq. So it's not unreasonable to think that the latest spy scandal involving the NSA and tracking our phone calls could be used for political ends. It would certainly put a chill on investigative journalists or their sources, for instance, because the information would be there in the NSA database. This article by Robert Parry is at www.consortiumnews.com:
Given George W. Bush’s history of outright lying, especially on national security matters, it may seem silly to dissect his words about the new disclosure that his administration has collected phone records of some 200 million Americans.
But Bush made two parse-able points in reacting to USA Today’s story about the National Security Agency building a vast database of domestic phone calls. “We’re not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans,” Bush said, adding “the privacy of ordinary Americans is fiercely protected in all our activities.”
BUSH'S DESTRUCTION OF THE CIA
When the Supreme Court handed George W. Bush the presidency in 2000 it was like introducing hordes of termites into the basement of our national house. Since then the termites have been chewing and feasting on our foundation and it's getting dangerously close to crumbling. Whether through incompetence or other reasons, Bush didn't prevent the attacks on 9/11. He started a bloody and vicious war in Iraq that has stretched our military too thin. His policies are leading to more nuclear proliferation around the world. And in his attempts to make the CIA a rubber stamp agency he has endangered our intelligence capabilities. This article by Sidney Blumenthal is at www.smirkingchimp.com:
In Goss, Bush found the perfect hatchet man to take vengeance on a despised agency. Now Goss is gone, scandal looms -- and the CIA is ruined.
The CIA is no longer what it used to be. The moment that the destruction of the Central Intelligence Agency began can be pinpointed to a time, a place and even a memo. On Aug. 6, 2001, CIA director George Tenet presented to President Bush his presidential daily briefing, a startling document titled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." Bush did nothing, asked for no further briefings on the issue, and returned to cutting brush at his Crawford, Texas, compound.
In Bush's denial of responsibility after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the search for scapegoats inevitably focused on the lapse in intelligence and therefore on the CIA, though it was the FBI whose egregious incompetence permitted the plotters to escape apprehension. Bush's intent to invade Iraq set up the battle royal that followed.
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
THE POLITICAL ANGLE
George W. Bush has frequently proved he's capable of anything to suit his own political objectives. Stage a phony riot in Florida to disrupt a vote count during the presidential election of 2000. Call on his buddies on the Supreme Court to steal an election. Use push polling to smear John McCain. Use some Vietnam vets to smear John Kerry's war record. Lie about weapons of mass destruction to get us into a war in Iraq. So it's not unreasonable to think that the latest spy scandal involving the NSA and tracking our phone calls could be used for political ends. It would certainly put a chill on investigative journalists or their sources, for instance, because the information would be there in the NSA database. This article by Robert Parry is at www.consortiumnews.com:
Given George W. Bush’s history of outright lying, especially on national security matters, it may seem silly to dissect his words about the new disclosure that his administration has collected phone records of some 200 million Americans.
But Bush made two parse-able points in reacting to USA Today’s story about the National Security Agency building a vast database of domestic phone calls. “We’re not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans,” Bush said, adding “the privacy of ordinary Americans is fiercely protected in all our activities.”
BUSH'S DESTRUCTION OF THE CIA
When the Supreme Court handed George W. Bush the presidency in 2000 it was like introducing hordes of termites into the basement of our national house. Since then the termites have been chewing and feasting on our foundation and it's getting dangerously close to crumbling. Whether through incompetence or other reasons, Bush didn't prevent the attacks on 9/11. He started a bloody and vicious war in Iraq that has stretched our military too thin. His policies are leading to more nuclear proliferation around the world. And in his attempts to make the CIA a rubber stamp agency he has endangered our intelligence capabilities. This article by Sidney Blumenthal is at www.smirkingchimp.com:
In Goss, Bush found the perfect hatchet man to take vengeance on a despised agency. Now Goss is gone, scandal looms -- and the CIA is ruined.
The CIA is no longer what it used to be. The moment that the destruction of the Central Intelligence Agency began can be pinpointed to a time, a place and even a memo. On Aug. 6, 2001, CIA director George Tenet presented to President Bush his presidential daily briefing, a startling document titled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." Bush did nothing, asked for no further briefings on the issue, and returned to cutting brush at his Crawford, Texas, compound.
In Bush's denial of responsibility after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the search for scapegoats inevitably focused on the lapse in intelligence and therefore on the CIA, though it was the FBI whose egregious incompetence permitted the plotters to escape apprehension. Bush's intent to invade Iraq set up the battle royal that followed.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
May 11, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
ANOTHER OUTRAGE
Today USA Today ran the explosive story that major phone companies, with the exception of Qwest, have been giving all our phone records to the NSA. Supposedly, the NSA is just looking for patterns to detect those red-eyed, lurking terrorists out there. We heard months ago from Bush that he sought warrants for any suspected terrorists, but now we learn that was just another big lie. They want to know what we read, who we call, who we get calls from, the websites we visit, what we buy at the grocery store. This is not only an outrageous violation of our right to privacy; it's a total waste of resources. This story is from www.defensetech.com:
It'd be one thing if the NSA's massive sweep of our phone records was actually helping catch terrorists. But what if it's not working at all? A leading practitioner of the kind of analysis the NSA is supposedly performing in this surveillance program says that "it's a waste of time, a waste of resources. And it lets the real terrorists run free."
Re-reading the USA Today piece, one paragraph jumped out:
This kind of data collection from phone companies is not uncommon; it's been done before, though never on this large a scale, the official said. The data are used for 'social network analysis,' the official said, meaning to study how terrorist networks contact each other and how they are tied together.
So I called Valdis Krebs, who's considered by many to be the leading authority on social network analysis -- the art and science of finding the important connections in a seemingly-impenetrable mass of data. His analysis of the social network surrounding the 9/11 hijackers is a classic in the field.
SUSPICIONS ABOUT 9/11
I don't know if we'll ever get the full truth about the 9/11 attacks. You have to wonder how 19 terrorists were able to slink around the entire U.S. intelligence apparatus, hijack four airplanes, and successfully crash three of them in terrorist attacks. We know that the Bush administration had ample warning that something was coming, but chose to ignore the warnings. We know that Bush has based his whole presidency on 9/11. He has justified everything from tax cuts for the rich to warrantless spying as fighting the "war on terror." Is it really just crazy to believe the Bush administration may have had some involvement with the attacks on 9/11? Some world leaders apparently think it's worth investigating. This story by Wayne Madsen is at www.onlinejournal.com:
The first skeptics to question what role the Bush administration played in the 9-11 terrorist attacks were a few cabinet ministers in the governments of America's NATO allies. They included German Science and Technology Minister Andreas Von Bulow and British Environment Minister Michael Meacher. They were joined by Belgian European Parliament Member Paul Lannoye.
However, in recent months the former cabinet ministers have been joined in their skepticism about the "official" version of the 911 events by Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.
In March, Chavez said Venezuela will open an official investigation into the 9-11 attacks. Now, Chavez has been joined by Ahmedinejad, who in a recent letter to President George W. Bush, asked, "Why have the various aspects of the [9-11] attacks been kept secret?" Ahmedinejad indicated that the attacks could not have been carried out without the knowledge of the U.S. "security services."
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
ANOTHER OUTRAGE
Today USA Today ran the explosive story that major phone companies, with the exception of Qwest, have been giving all our phone records to the NSA. Supposedly, the NSA is just looking for patterns to detect those red-eyed, lurking terrorists out there. We heard months ago from Bush that he sought warrants for any suspected terrorists, but now we learn that was just another big lie. They want to know what we read, who we call, who we get calls from, the websites we visit, what we buy at the grocery store. This is not only an outrageous violation of our right to privacy; it's a total waste of resources. This story is from www.defensetech.com:
It'd be one thing if the NSA's massive sweep of our phone records was actually helping catch terrorists. But what if it's not working at all? A leading practitioner of the kind of analysis the NSA is supposedly performing in this surveillance program says that "it's a waste of time, a waste of resources. And it lets the real terrorists run free."
Re-reading the USA Today piece, one paragraph jumped out:
This kind of data collection from phone companies is not uncommon; it's been done before, though never on this large a scale, the official said. The data are used for 'social network analysis,' the official said, meaning to study how terrorist networks contact each other and how they are tied together.
So I called Valdis Krebs, who's considered by many to be the leading authority on social network analysis -- the art and science of finding the important connections in a seemingly-impenetrable mass of data. His analysis of the social network surrounding the 9/11 hijackers is a classic in the field.
SUSPICIONS ABOUT 9/11
I don't know if we'll ever get the full truth about the 9/11 attacks. You have to wonder how 19 terrorists were able to slink around the entire U.S. intelligence apparatus, hijack four airplanes, and successfully crash three of them in terrorist attacks. We know that the Bush administration had ample warning that something was coming, but chose to ignore the warnings. We know that Bush has based his whole presidency on 9/11. He has justified everything from tax cuts for the rich to warrantless spying as fighting the "war on terror." Is it really just crazy to believe the Bush administration may have had some involvement with the attacks on 9/11? Some world leaders apparently think it's worth investigating. This story by Wayne Madsen is at www.onlinejournal.com:
The first skeptics to question what role the Bush administration played in the 9-11 terrorist attacks were a few cabinet ministers in the governments of America's NATO allies. They included German Science and Technology Minister Andreas Von Bulow and British Environment Minister Michael Meacher. They were joined by Belgian European Parliament Member Paul Lannoye.
However, in recent months the former cabinet ministers have been joined in their skepticism about the "official" version of the 911 events by Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.
In March, Chavez said Venezuela will open an official investigation into the 9-11 attacks. Now, Chavez has been joined by Ahmedinejad, who in a recent letter to President George W. Bush, asked, "Why have the various aspects of the [9-11] attacks been kept secret?" Ahmedinejad indicated that the attacks could not have been carried out without the knowledge of the U.S. "security services."
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
May 10, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
BE GONE, FALAFEL BOY
If there's any joy to be found in the dismal Bush years, it's that Bush has been so awful, such an example of Reactionary 101 policies, that he is dragging down right-wing blowhards like Bill O'Reilly. Right-wingers have claimed for some time that we're a conservative nation, and they've used the ascendancy of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity of further evidence that conservatism reigns. Not anymore. The ratings for Fox News are falling in tandem with Bush's own awful polls. This story by Scott Collins is at www.channellive.com:
Late last week, a reliable television industry website, TVNewser.com, reported that in April, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly had his worst month in nearly five years among viewers age 25 to 54, the most coveted audience in TV news.
Although the network still churns out ratings light-years ahead of competitors' and O'Reilly remains cable news' No. 1 host, Fox News' explosive growth appears to be, like the president's 90% approval rating in the days following Sept. 11, a relic from the first Bush term.
THE BUSH CANCER
Back in the Watergate days John Dean told President Nixon that the scandal was a cancer on the presidency. When you look at the Bush family you have to conclude this family is a cancer on the country. Kevin Phillips details many of the Bush family crimes in his book American Dynasty. Bush I was a director of the CIA, which seems to be a personal toy of the Bush family. This article is by Robert Parry at www.smirkingchimp.com:
Since the 9/11 terror attacks, the U.S. government has tried both structural and personnel changes to fix the nation's intelligence services - including now the ouster of CIA Director Porter Goss - but the remedies have failed because they've missed the core problem.
What's wrong with the U.S. intelligence community is that over the past three decades its ethos of telling truth to power has been corrupted by politics to such a degree that George W. Bush now sees the Central Intelligence Agency as virtually his family's fiefdom, with the Langley, Virginia, headquarters even named for his father, George H.W. Bush, a former CIA director.
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
BE GONE, FALAFEL BOY
If there's any joy to be found in the dismal Bush years, it's that Bush has been so awful, such an example of Reactionary 101 policies, that he is dragging down right-wing blowhards like Bill O'Reilly. Right-wingers have claimed for some time that we're a conservative nation, and they've used the ascendancy of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity of further evidence that conservatism reigns. Not anymore. The ratings for Fox News are falling in tandem with Bush's own awful polls. This story by Scott Collins is at www.channellive.com:
Late last week, a reliable television industry website, TVNewser.com, reported that in April, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly had his worst month in nearly five years among viewers age 25 to 54, the most coveted audience in TV news.
Although the network still churns out ratings light-years ahead of competitors' and O'Reilly remains cable news' No. 1 host, Fox News' explosive growth appears to be, like the president's 90% approval rating in the days following Sept. 11, a relic from the first Bush term.
THE BUSH CANCER
Back in the Watergate days John Dean told President Nixon that the scandal was a cancer on the presidency. When you look at the Bush family you have to conclude this family is a cancer on the country. Kevin Phillips details many of the Bush family crimes in his book American Dynasty. Bush I was a director of the CIA, which seems to be a personal toy of the Bush family. This article is by Robert Parry at www.smirkingchimp.com:
Since the 9/11 terror attacks, the U.S. government has tried both structural and personnel changes to fix the nation's intelligence services - including now the ouster of CIA Director Porter Goss - but the remedies have failed because they've missed the core problem.
What's wrong with the U.S. intelligence community is that over the past three decades its ethos of telling truth to power has been corrupted by politics to such a degree that George W. Bush now sees the Central Intelligence Agency as virtually his family's fiefdom, with the Langley, Virginia, headquarters even named for his father, George H.W. Bush, a former CIA director.
Monday, May 08, 2006
May 08, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
BUSH'S DISAPPROVAL RATINGS UP AGAIN
Most polls tend to emphasize favorable ratings for sitting presidents. But since George W. Bush's disapproval ratings are astronomical maybe we should emphasize those. What we see in action is the worst administration in U.S. history and I wouldn't be surprised if Bush's disapproval ratings top those of Richard Nixon. This item comes from www.mydd.com:
Gallup has a terrible new poll for Bush: 31% approve, 65% disapprove. Since the main benefit of the Gallup poll are its trendlines stretching back more than sixty years, here are some facts about this poll in historical perspective:
* A net approval of -34 is worse than the low suffered by either Jimmy Carter (-31) or Bush's father (-31). Only Truman and Nixon ever fared worse. (click for more on this)
* Since 1950, this is the lowest job approval for a President facing midterm elections by more than ten points.
* This is the first poll showing Bush's disapproval to be more than twice the size of his approval.
THE OTHER AMERICA
In the early 1960s Michael Harrington wrote a book called The Other America that showed the insidious and persistent problem of poverty in the United States. The book helped raise JFK's awareness of poverty and may have been partly responsible for the social programs that were enacted in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Those programs did in fact reduce poverty. Since the Republican dominance that began with Ronald Reagan we've seen poverty once again increasing. John Edwards, former Senator and Vice Presidential candidate, is talking about poverty. This article by Peter Dreir and John Atlas is at www.alternet.org:
He has joined a campaign by Unite Here, the union of hotel, restaurant and apparel workers, to pressure hotels around the nation to improve wages for not just 90,000 unionized hotel workers, but also for more than a million nonunion hotel workers. "Can we still really call America the land of opportunity when hotel workers who work full time for profitable hotel companies cannot afford to make ends meet?" Edwards said. "This is not just unjust. It is immoral, and we need to do something about it."
In a speech in Baton Rouge, La., he said Hurricane Katrina made the poor "impossible to ignore."
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
BUSH'S DISAPPROVAL RATINGS UP AGAIN
Most polls tend to emphasize favorable ratings for sitting presidents. But since George W. Bush's disapproval ratings are astronomical maybe we should emphasize those. What we see in action is the worst administration in U.S. history and I wouldn't be surprised if Bush's disapproval ratings top those of Richard Nixon. This item comes from www.mydd.com:
Gallup has a terrible new poll for Bush: 31% approve, 65% disapprove. Since the main benefit of the Gallup poll are its trendlines stretching back more than sixty years, here are some facts about this poll in historical perspective:
* A net approval of -34 is worse than the low suffered by either Jimmy Carter (-31) or Bush's father (-31). Only Truman and Nixon ever fared worse. (click for more on this)
* Since 1950, this is the lowest job approval for a President facing midterm elections by more than ten points.
* This is the first poll showing Bush's disapproval to be more than twice the size of his approval.
THE OTHER AMERICA
In the early 1960s Michael Harrington wrote a book called The Other America that showed the insidious and persistent problem of poverty in the United States. The book helped raise JFK's awareness of poverty and may have been partly responsible for the social programs that were enacted in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Those programs did in fact reduce poverty. Since the Republican dominance that began with Ronald Reagan we've seen poverty once again increasing. John Edwards, former Senator and Vice Presidential candidate, is talking about poverty. This article by Peter Dreir and John Atlas is at www.alternet.org:
He has joined a campaign by Unite Here, the union of hotel, restaurant and apparel workers, to pressure hotels around the nation to improve wages for not just 90,000 unionized hotel workers, but also for more than a million nonunion hotel workers. "Can we still really call America the land of opportunity when hotel workers who work full time for profitable hotel companies cannot afford to make ends meet?" Edwards said. "This is not just unjust. It is immoral, and we need to do something about it."
In a speech in Baton Rouge, La., he said Hurricane Katrina made the poor "impossible to ignore."
Sunday, May 07, 2006
May 07, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
REPUBLICAN POLICIES IN ACTION
George W. Bush keeps saying we have a robust economy, but it's a robust economy only for the people at the top of the economic pyramid. The rest of us are getting clobbered by stagnating wages, higher interest rates, higher state and local taxes, and higher energy costs. Republican economic policies are designed to enrich the few at the expense of the many. This story by By Nell Henderson, Cecilia Kang and Tomoeh Murakami Tse is at www.washingtonpost.com:
Most everybody these days can point to their own list of rising expenses. Electricity, air travel, medical care and even staples such as diapers cost more. Rents are jumping as the housing boom cools, just as property taxes are soaring to reflect the price appreciation of the hotter days.
Plus, interest charges are rising on credit card balances, home-equity lines of credit and adjustable-rate mortgages.
RIGHT WING TALK SHOW HOST ON BUSH
Right-wing pundits have typically fallen in lockstep and parroted the White House talking points as we see one Bush disaster piled upon another Bush disaster. But this talk show host, a guy named Doug McIntyre, has stopped lying for the administration. This item is from www.crooksandliars.com:
Talk Show host Doug McIntyre, has turned on Bush. Will this start to become a trend?
"So, I’m saying today, I was wrong to have voted for George W. Bush. In historic terms, I believe George W. Bush is the worst two-term President in the history of the country. Worse than Grant. I also believe a case can be made that he’s the worst President, period. After five years of carefully watching George W. Bush I’ve reached the conclusion he’s either grossly incompetent, or a hand puppet for a gaggle of detached theorists with their own private view of how the world works."
BUSH'S MISUSE OF SIGNING STATEMENTS
George W. Bush doesn't think the law applies to him. He also conveniently ignores ethical considerations when they are an obstacle. Witness the theft of the 2000 presidential election, or the smearing of John Kerry's war record. Bush declassified intelligence information when that declassified information could be used to out CIA operative Valerie Plame and smear her husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson. He has ignored the Fourth Amendment in authorizing illegal warrantless spying on American citizens. He has allowed "extraordinary rendition" of terrorist suspects so they can be tortured in other countries. The list goes on and on. The latest egregious trampling of the Constitution is the use of "signing statements" to ignore portions of laws that Bush doesn't like. This article by Bob Egelko is at www.sfgate.com:
Civics textbooks say presidents have two choices when Congress passes a bill that's not completely to their liking: They can sign it into law, or they can veto it and let Congress try to override them.
Bush, far more than any of his predecessors, is resorting to a third option: signing a bill while reserving the right to disregard any part of it that he considers an infringement on his executive authority or constitutional powers.
In more than five years in office, the president has never vetoed a bill. But while approving new laws, he has routinely issued signing statements interpreting the legislation in ways that amount to partial vetoes of provisions to which he objects.
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
REPUBLICAN POLICIES IN ACTION
George W. Bush keeps saying we have a robust economy, but it's a robust economy only for the people at the top of the economic pyramid. The rest of us are getting clobbered by stagnating wages, higher interest rates, higher state and local taxes, and higher energy costs. Republican economic policies are designed to enrich the few at the expense of the many. This story by By Nell Henderson, Cecilia Kang and Tomoeh Murakami Tse is at www.washingtonpost.com:
Most everybody these days can point to their own list of rising expenses. Electricity, air travel, medical care and even staples such as diapers cost more. Rents are jumping as the housing boom cools, just as property taxes are soaring to reflect the price appreciation of the hotter days.
Plus, interest charges are rising on credit card balances, home-equity lines of credit and adjustable-rate mortgages.
RIGHT WING TALK SHOW HOST ON BUSH
Right-wing pundits have typically fallen in lockstep and parroted the White House talking points as we see one Bush disaster piled upon another Bush disaster. But this talk show host, a guy named Doug McIntyre, has stopped lying for the administration. This item is from www.crooksandliars.com:
Talk Show host Doug McIntyre, has turned on Bush. Will this start to become a trend?
"So, I’m saying today, I was wrong to have voted for George W. Bush. In historic terms, I believe George W. Bush is the worst two-term President in the history of the country. Worse than Grant. I also believe a case can be made that he’s the worst President, period. After five years of carefully watching George W. Bush I’ve reached the conclusion he’s either grossly incompetent, or a hand puppet for a gaggle of detached theorists with their own private view of how the world works."
BUSH'S MISUSE OF SIGNING STATEMENTS
George W. Bush doesn't think the law applies to him. He also conveniently ignores ethical considerations when they are an obstacle. Witness the theft of the 2000 presidential election, or the smearing of John Kerry's war record. Bush declassified intelligence information when that declassified information could be used to out CIA operative Valerie Plame and smear her husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson. He has ignored the Fourth Amendment in authorizing illegal warrantless spying on American citizens. He has allowed "extraordinary rendition" of terrorist suspects so they can be tortured in other countries. The list goes on and on. The latest egregious trampling of the Constitution is the use of "signing statements" to ignore portions of laws that Bush doesn't like. This article by Bob Egelko is at www.sfgate.com:
Civics textbooks say presidents have two choices when Congress passes a bill that's not completely to their liking: They can sign it into law, or they can veto it and let Congress try to override them.
Bush, far more than any of his predecessors, is resorting to a third option: signing a bill while reserving the right to disregard any part of it that he considers an infringement on his executive authority or constitutional powers.
In more than five years in office, the president has never vetoed a bill. But while approving new laws, he has routinely issued signing statements interpreting the legislation in ways that amount to partial vetoes of provisions to which he objects.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
May 06, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
BIG OIL: DON'T BUILD REFINERIES, MAKE MONEY
George W. Bush and others on the far right have claimed that the astronomical jump in oil and gasoline prices is due to "market forces." It turns out that "market forces" are often manipulated. The evidence is a memo from Chevron in 1995 that suggested less refineries meant more profit. This story is at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12652455/
A Chevron memo is raising suspicion that oil executives intentionally reduced refining capacity in an effort to boost profits. The 1995 memo, obtained by Consumers Union, reads:
"If the U.S. petroleum industry doesn't reduce it's refining capacity, it will never see any substantial increase in refinery profits."
In the last 20 years, 18 of California's 32 refineries have shut down. The industry is now seeing record prices and profits at the pump.
GET RID OF NAFTA
I think "free trade" is vastly overrated. We've heard in the past decade about globalization and all its supposed benefits. As Ross Perot noted, what we're getting is that giant "sucking sound" as jobs get outsourced to cheaper labor markets. It makes life worse here and it doesn't improve the lives of people in other countries. Dramatic evidence of that is Mexico, which has been hammered by NAFTA. I believe that NAFTA is largely responsible for the surge in illegal immigrants we've seen. Get rid of NAFTA, restore some sanity to trade policies, and we'll see a drop in illegal immigration. Molly Ivins takes a look in this column linked at www.commondreams.org:
Dec. 16, 2005, is a day that will live in infamy in the Hall of Fame of Unintended Republican Consequences.
A bunch of the guys were just noodling around in the House of Representatives in Washington, see, kind of fooling around with the idea that they might get some traction out of immigration as a hot-button issue. The old hot buttons have kind of cooled off here lately, with people up in arms about Iraq, oil, health insurance and all this other stuff that makes the boys say, "Who me?" Where's a good divisive social issue when you need one? They weren't that far wrong — some variation on the race card usually works.
Trouble is, they played the card, tried to make every illegal worker in the country a felon and woke up the Sleeping Brown Giant, instead.
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
BIG OIL: DON'T BUILD REFINERIES, MAKE MONEY
George W. Bush and others on the far right have claimed that the astronomical jump in oil and gasoline prices is due to "market forces." It turns out that "market forces" are often manipulated. The evidence is a memo from Chevron in 1995 that suggested less refineries meant more profit. This story is at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12652455/
A Chevron memo is raising suspicion that oil executives intentionally reduced refining capacity in an effort to boost profits. The 1995 memo, obtained by Consumers Union, reads:
"If the U.S. petroleum industry doesn't reduce it's refining capacity, it will never see any substantial increase in refinery profits."
In the last 20 years, 18 of California's 32 refineries have shut down. The industry is now seeing record prices and profits at the pump.
GET RID OF NAFTA
I think "free trade" is vastly overrated. We've heard in the past decade about globalization and all its supposed benefits. As Ross Perot noted, what we're getting is that giant "sucking sound" as jobs get outsourced to cheaper labor markets. It makes life worse here and it doesn't improve the lives of people in other countries. Dramatic evidence of that is Mexico, which has been hammered by NAFTA. I believe that NAFTA is largely responsible for the surge in illegal immigrants we've seen. Get rid of NAFTA, restore some sanity to trade policies, and we'll see a drop in illegal immigration. Molly Ivins takes a look in this column linked at www.commondreams.org:
Dec. 16, 2005, is a day that will live in infamy in the Hall of Fame of Unintended Republican Consequences.
A bunch of the guys were just noodling around in the House of Representatives in Washington, see, kind of fooling around with the idea that they might get some traction out of immigration as a hot-button issue. The old hot buttons have kind of cooled off here lately, with people up in arms about Iraq, oil, health insurance and all this other stuff that makes the boys say, "Who me?" Where's a good divisive social issue when you need one? They weren't that far wrong — some variation on the race card usually works.
Trouble is, they played the card, tried to make every illegal worker in the country a felon and woke up the Sleeping Brown Giant, instead.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
May 04, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
THE FLYPAPER CALLED IRAQ
You think of the La Brea Tar Pits. We know from fossil remains that creatures would get stuck in the oily goo and predators thought they had easy prey until they too became trapped. It's like that with the U.S. in Iraq. We waded in with guns 'ablazin' and now we're stuck. In this article Maureen Dowd compares it to the famous O. H. Henry story "The Ransom of Red Chief." The column is linked at 64.226.238.78/PA/md/md200.shtml
Now we see this classic plotline in the Middle East. The inept captors have become the captives. The country the administration precipitously grabbed and overconfidently took over has ended up trapping, draining, flummoxing and alarming the administration, which is more and more desperate to hand it off and escape.
President Bush said Saturday, "As Iraqis continue to make progress toward a democracy that can govern itself, defend itself, and sustain itself, more of our troops can come home."
And in an interview in the new Vanity Fair, Todd Purdum asks Dick Cheney whether in his "darkest night" he has even "a little doubt" about the administration's course. "No," Vice says. "I think what we've done has been what needed to be done."
But even if they and their 33 percent unshakeable base are still in denial, there's a growing consensus that their plot was hatched, as O. Henry put it, "during a moment of temporary mental apparition" and that we're the Middle East hostages now, to war and oil.
THE CORPORATE GODS
In the United States we're conditioned to pay homage to power, money, and celebrity. We're supposed to stand in awe of rich people like Donald Trump or the CEOs of major corporations. They're the "geniuses" who make capitalism work, we're told. But in recent years when the "geniuses" mess up, it's workers who pay the price. Workers lose their jobs, see their jobs outsourced, or see their wages and benefits slashed. Meanwhile, even CEOs of failing companies rake in huge salaries and perks. This article by Robert Steinback is at www.commondreams.org:
Since the dawn of the Reagan era in 1980, Americans have been conditioned to regard corporate executives as the gods of Western civilization. We view them as knowledgeable and wise because they have survived in the corporate jungle. And if you believe conservative contemporary wisdom, they've triumphed despite the meddling of thickheaded government clods and the sabotage of parasitic and corrupt labor unions.
But one can't blame government for Ford's domestic failures -- never in the history of this nation has there been a more corporation-friendly administration in Washington.
And it's hard to blame laborers for the closure of the Norfolk plant and 18 other Ford and General Motors plants around the country, which will eventually idle some 60,000 workers. All workers do is build the cars -- they're paid the same rate and apply the same expertise whether working on profitable or unprofitable lines. Management decides what cars to build, designs them and sells them. Ford earned $2 billion overall last year, but it lost $1.6 billion on North American operations, prompting the cutbacks.
RUMSFELD GETS AN EARFUL
The speech by Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondents Dinner was a rarity in the Bush administration. It was one time that Bush got confronted with the unpleasant facts about his corrupt and inept administration. He got a similar splash of cold water during the Coretta Scott King funeral. Now Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld couldn't hide in the bubble when he was confronted by a former CIA analyst named Ray McGovern. This article by Shannon McCaffrey is at www.sfgate.com:
Protesters repeatedly interrupted Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld during a speech Thursday and one man, a former CIA analyst, accused him of lying about Iraq prewar intelligence in an unusually vociferous display of anti-war sentiment.
"Why did you lie to get us into a war that caused these kind of casualties and was not necessary?" asked Ray McGovern, the former analyst, during a question-and-answer session.
"I did not lie," shot back Rumsfeld, who waved off security guards ready to remove McGovern from the hall at the Southern Center for International Studies.
With Iraq war support remaining low, it is not unusual for top Bush administration officials to encounter protests and hostile questions. But the outbursts Rumsfeld confronted on Thursday seemed beyond the usual.
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
THE FLYPAPER CALLED IRAQ
You think of the La Brea Tar Pits. We know from fossil remains that creatures would get stuck in the oily goo and predators thought they had easy prey until they too became trapped. It's like that with the U.S. in Iraq. We waded in with guns 'ablazin' and now we're stuck. In this article Maureen Dowd compares it to the famous O. H. Henry story "The Ransom of Red Chief." The column is linked at 64.226.238.78/PA/md/md200.shtml
Now we see this classic plotline in the Middle East. The inept captors have become the captives. The country the administration precipitously grabbed and overconfidently took over has ended up trapping, draining, flummoxing and alarming the administration, which is more and more desperate to hand it off and escape.
President Bush said Saturday, "As Iraqis continue to make progress toward a democracy that can govern itself, defend itself, and sustain itself, more of our troops can come home."
And in an interview in the new Vanity Fair, Todd Purdum asks Dick Cheney whether in his "darkest night" he has even "a little doubt" about the administration's course. "No," Vice says. "I think what we've done has been what needed to be done."
But even if they and their 33 percent unshakeable base are still in denial, there's a growing consensus that their plot was hatched, as O. Henry put it, "during a moment of temporary mental apparition" and that we're the Middle East hostages now, to war and oil.
THE CORPORATE GODS
In the United States we're conditioned to pay homage to power, money, and celebrity. We're supposed to stand in awe of rich people like Donald Trump or the CEOs of major corporations. They're the "geniuses" who make capitalism work, we're told. But in recent years when the "geniuses" mess up, it's workers who pay the price. Workers lose their jobs, see their jobs outsourced, or see their wages and benefits slashed. Meanwhile, even CEOs of failing companies rake in huge salaries and perks. This article by Robert Steinback is at www.commondreams.org:
Since the dawn of the Reagan era in 1980, Americans have been conditioned to regard corporate executives as the gods of Western civilization. We view them as knowledgeable and wise because they have survived in the corporate jungle. And if you believe conservative contemporary wisdom, they've triumphed despite the meddling of thickheaded government clods and the sabotage of parasitic and corrupt labor unions.
But one can't blame government for Ford's domestic failures -- never in the history of this nation has there been a more corporation-friendly administration in Washington.
And it's hard to blame laborers for the closure of the Norfolk plant and 18 other Ford and General Motors plants around the country, which will eventually idle some 60,000 workers. All workers do is build the cars -- they're paid the same rate and apply the same expertise whether working on profitable or unprofitable lines. Management decides what cars to build, designs them and sells them. Ford earned $2 billion overall last year, but it lost $1.6 billion on North American operations, prompting the cutbacks.
RUMSFELD GETS AN EARFUL
The speech by Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondents Dinner was a rarity in the Bush administration. It was one time that Bush got confronted with the unpleasant facts about his corrupt and inept administration. He got a similar splash of cold water during the Coretta Scott King funeral. Now Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld couldn't hide in the bubble when he was confronted by a former CIA analyst named Ray McGovern. This article by Shannon McCaffrey is at www.sfgate.com:
Protesters repeatedly interrupted Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld during a speech Thursday and one man, a former CIA analyst, accused him of lying about Iraq prewar intelligence in an unusually vociferous display of anti-war sentiment.
"Why did you lie to get us into a war that caused these kind of casualties and was not necessary?" asked Ray McGovern, the former analyst, during a question-and-answer session.
"I did not lie," shot back Rumsfeld, who waved off security guards ready to remove McGovern from the hall at the Southern Center for International Studies.
With Iraq war support remaining low, it is not unusual for top Bush administration officials to encounter protests and hostile questions. But the outbursts Rumsfeld confronted on Thursday seemed beyond the usual.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
May 02, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
THIN-SKINNED BUSH
At the White House Correspondents Dinner Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert did a biting piece of satire that touched on almost all the facets of this disgraceful administration. There are reports that George W. Bush was about ready to "blow" as Colbert scored hit after hit. This story by Paul Bedard is at www.usnews.com:
Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert's biting routine at the White House Correspondents Association dinner won a rare silent protest from Bush aides and supporters Saturday when several independently left before he finished.
"Colbert crossed the line," said one top Bush aide, who rushed out of the hotel as soon as Colbert finished. Another said that the president was visibly angered by the sharp lines that kept coming.
"I've been there before, and I can see that he is [angry]," said a former top aide. "He's got that look that he's ready to blow."
VONNEGUT ON THE CLASS DIVIDE
Kurt Vonnegut's great novel Slaughterhouse-Five was copyrighted in 1969. The novel covers a wide range of topics, including torture, being a prisoner of war, and the Allied firebombing of Dresden Germany. I found a passage about the reality of being rich and poor in America that's even more true today. Vonnegut writes:
Americans, like human beings everywhere, believe many things that are obviously untrue, the monograph went on. The most destructive untruth is that it is very easy for any American to make money. They will not acknowledge how in fact hard money is to come by, and, therefore, those who have no money blame and blame and blame themselves. This inward blame has been a treasure for the rich and powerful, who have had to do less for their poor, publicly and privately, than any other ruling class since, say, Napoleonic times.
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
THIN-SKINNED BUSH
At the White House Correspondents Dinner Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert did a biting piece of satire that touched on almost all the facets of this disgraceful administration. There are reports that George W. Bush was about ready to "blow" as Colbert scored hit after hit. This story by Paul Bedard is at www.usnews.com:
Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert's biting routine at the White House Correspondents Association dinner won a rare silent protest from Bush aides and supporters Saturday when several independently left before he finished.
"Colbert crossed the line," said one top Bush aide, who rushed out of the hotel as soon as Colbert finished. Another said that the president was visibly angered by the sharp lines that kept coming.
"I've been there before, and I can see that he is [angry]," said a former top aide. "He's got that look that he's ready to blow."
VONNEGUT ON THE CLASS DIVIDE
Kurt Vonnegut's great novel Slaughterhouse-Five was copyrighted in 1969. The novel covers a wide range of topics, including torture, being a prisoner of war, and the Allied firebombing of Dresden Germany. I found a passage about the reality of being rich and poor in America that's even more true today. Vonnegut writes:
Americans, like human beings everywhere, believe many things that are obviously untrue, the monograph went on. The most destructive untruth is that it is very easy for any American to make money. They will not acknowledge how in fact hard money is to come by, and, therefore, those who have no money blame and blame and blame themselves. This inward blame has been a treasure for the rich and powerful, who have had to do less for their poor, publicly and privately, than any other ruling class since, say, Napoleonic times.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
April 30, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
STEPHEN COLBERT LAMPOONS BUSH
Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert spoke at the White House Correspondent Dinner and blasted Bush, via comedy, for the multitude of lies and incompetence we've seen during the past five years. Bush and wife Laura reportedly weren't amused. Maybe they can get a sense of how the rest of us feel. This story is at www.editorandpublisher.com:
A blistering comedy “tribute” to President Bush by Comedy Central’s faux talk show host Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondent Dinner Saturday night left George and Laura Bush unsmiling at its close.
Earlier, the president had delivered his talk to the 2700 attendees, including many celebrities and top officials, with the help of a Bush impersonator.
Colbert, who spoke in the guise of his talk show character, who ostensibly supports the president strongly, urged the Bush to ignore his low approval ratings, saying they were based on reality, “and reality has a well-known liberal bias.”
BUSH DOESN'T GET CHECKS AND BALANCES
The Founding Fathers deliberately designed a government of checks and balances because they feared the autocratic power of an unchecked executive. George W. Bush has chosen to ignore at least 750 laws because he claims that the "powers of his office" allow him to do so. Tell me why this is not impeachable. This article by Charlie Savage is at www.boston.com:
President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.
Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, ''whistle-blower" protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research.
SLAVERY IN AMERICA IN 2006
This article is about the 40th anniversary of Senator Robert Kennedy's walk with disenfranchised farm workers in Delano, California, right here in the Central Valley. It's also about the terrible wages and working conditions for tomato pickers in Florida. The workers pick tomatoes for big corporations like McDonald's and Chipotle Mexican Grill. Pay for the tomato workers hasn't increased in decades. Some workers are, in effect, slaves of labor contractors. This article by Todd Howland is at www.commondreams.org:
But forty years later, pay and conditions have not improved for farmworkers. The struggle for dignity and rights for farmworkers still continues, and groups like the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) have picked up the torch. A farmworker picking tomatoes in Immokalee earns only 40-45 cents for each 32 pound bucket he or she picks, a rate that has remained stagnant for almost 30 years. This translates to a 65% real wage decrease due to inflation. In order to bring home $50 a worker must pick nearly two tons of tomatoes. The average farmworker income, $7500, is well below the federal poverty line. In Immokalee, Florida, farmworkers are forced to live in decrepit living quarters with floors completely covered with mattresses, paying as much as $160 a week for the privilege to live as CIW leader, and winner of the 2003 RFK Human Rights Award, Lucas Benitez put it, “like sardines.”
Since 1997, thanks largely to investigations by the CIW, the FBI and US Justice Department have prosecuted six slavery cases in Florida’s produce fields in recent years—freeing over 1,000 workers held against their will.
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
STEPHEN COLBERT LAMPOONS BUSH
Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert spoke at the White House Correspondent Dinner and blasted Bush, via comedy, for the multitude of lies and incompetence we've seen during the past five years. Bush and wife Laura reportedly weren't amused. Maybe they can get a sense of how the rest of us feel. This story is at www.editorandpublisher.com:
A blistering comedy “tribute” to President Bush by Comedy Central’s faux talk show host Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondent Dinner Saturday night left George and Laura Bush unsmiling at its close.
Earlier, the president had delivered his talk to the 2700 attendees, including many celebrities and top officials, with the help of a Bush impersonator.
Colbert, who spoke in the guise of his talk show character, who ostensibly supports the president strongly, urged the Bush to ignore his low approval ratings, saying they were based on reality, “and reality has a well-known liberal bias.”
BUSH DOESN'T GET CHECKS AND BALANCES
The Founding Fathers deliberately designed a government of checks and balances because they feared the autocratic power of an unchecked executive. George W. Bush has chosen to ignore at least 750 laws because he claims that the "powers of his office" allow him to do so. Tell me why this is not impeachable. This article by Charlie Savage is at www.boston.com:
President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.
Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, ''whistle-blower" protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research.
SLAVERY IN AMERICA IN 2006
This article is about the 40th anniversary of Senator Robert Kennedy's walk with disenfranchised farm workers in Delano, California, right here in the Central Valley. It's also about the terrible wages and working conditions for tomato pickers in Florida. The workers pick tomatoes for big corporations like McDonald's and Chipotle Mexican Grill. Pay for the tomato workers hasn't increased in decades. Some workers are, in effect, slaves of labor contractors. This article by Todd Howland is at www.commondreams.org:
But forty years later, pay and conditions have not improved for farmworkers. The struggle for dignity and rights for farmworkers still continues, and groups like the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) have picked up the torch. A farmworker picking tomatoes in Immokalee earns only 40-45 cents for each 32 pound bucket he or she picks, a rate that has remained stagnant for almost 30 years. This translates to a 65% real wage decrease due to inflation. In order to bring home $50 a worker must pick nearly two tons of tomatoes. The average farmworker income, $7500, is well below the federal poverty line. In Immokalee, Florida, farmworkers are forced to live in decrepit living quarters with floors completely covered with mattresses, paying as much as $160 a week for the privilege to live as CIW leader, and winner of the 2003 RFK Human Rights Award, Lucas Benitez put it, “like sardines.”
Since 1997, thanks largely to investigations by the CIW, the FBI and US Justice Department have prosecuted six slavery cases in Florida’s produce fields in recent years—freeing over 1,000 workers held against their will.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
April 29, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
BIG OIL'S OBSCENE PROFITS
George W. Bush says he doesn't see any indication of price gouging by the big oil companies as we see gas prices climb and climb. I paid $3.19 a gallon for regular today. We hear all the excuses. We can't build new refineries because of those darned environmentalists! Gas taxes increase the costs! The profit margins aren't really all that good! This article by Daniel Gross is at www.slate.com:
Ordinarily, earnings announcements are an occasion for shameless executive preening. Exceeding analysts' estimates, by even the slimmest margin, is cause for chest-thumping, back-patting, and high-fiving. Good results are touted as evidence of the management team's brilliant strategy, flawless execution, and unwavering commitment. Any negatives, if not ignored entirely, are generally chalked up to things beyond human control.
But not this week in the oil industry. On successive days, the three largest U.S. oil companies, ConocoPhillips (Wednesday), ExxonMobil (Thursday), and Chevron (Friday), have reported huge, blowout quarters. Among them, the trio earned a stunning $15 billion in the first quarter alone. But rather than blare the news, the firms have tried to soft-pedal their record earnings. After all, the timing is less than optimal. Congressmen in Washington are stumbling over themselves trying to do something—anything, by gosh!—about higher gas prices: calling for windfall profit taxes, proclaiming war on price-gouging, and foolishly proposing a $100 tax rebate to help with gas payments. (In other words, taxpayers would borrow money from foreigners like the Saudis in order to send $100 checks to Americans so they can buy more gas from foreigners like the Saudis.)
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BUSH'S NICKNAMES
The media have tried to portray George W. Bush as an ordinary Joe. He's the guy you'd allegedly want to have a beer with. Part of the false charm conveyed by Bush is his proclivity for nicknames. He called Russian Premier Putin "Pootie-Poot." He called former FEMA head Michael Brown "Brownie" and the prince of political darkness, Karl Rove, got dubbed "Turd Blossom." This article by a psychiatrist looks at the dominion implied by someone bestowing nicknames on others. It's another example of Bush's arrogance and sense of superiority. The article by Ronald Pies is at www.smirkingchimp.com:
Such naming rituals go back at least as far as the Hebrew Bible or Tanach, usually called The Old Testament. A change in name, in this ancient biblical context, usually signifies a change in spiritual status or moral character. In the Book of Genesis, we find that after Jacob wrestles with an "angel" or divine messenger, his name is changed to Israel--variously translated as "one who struggles with God" or "turns the head of God." Notably, it is God who changes Jacob's name, as is the case with Abram (re-named Abraham) and Sarai (re-named Sarah). There is a message in this: changing someone's name is a sign of dominion over that individual. Our children do not name us (though they may use unkind nicknames behind our backs)--we name them. The knight does not "dub" the King, Sir So-and-So--it is the king's dominion that allows him to christen the knight.
The rabbis of the Talmudic era were aware that, when mortals misuse such powers, the results can often be destructive. These sages were especially disturbed by the use of derogatory nicknames. The Talmud tells us, "All who descend to Gehenna [Hell] will come [back] up, except three...one who sleeps with a married woman; one who shames his friend in public; and one who calls his friend by a cruel nickname." [Bava Mezia 58b]. Any child who has come home from school in tears, having been taunted with a nickname like "Fatso" or "Butthead", understands the destructive power of such nicknames.
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
BIG OIL'S OBSCENE PROFITS
George W. Bush says he doesn't see any indication of price gouging by the big oil companies as we see gas prices climb and climb. I paid $3.19 a gallon for regular today. We hear all the excuses. We can't build new refineries because of those darned environmentalists! Gas taxes increase the costs! The profit margins aren't really all that good! This article by Daniel Gross is at www.slate.com:
Ordinarily, earnings announcements are an occasion for shameless executive preening. Exceeding analysts' estimates, by even the slimmest margin, is cause for chest-thumping, back-patting, and high-fiving. Good results are touted as evidence of the management team's brilliant strategy, flawless execution, and unwavering commitment. Any negatives, if not ignored entirely, are generally chalked up to things beyond human control.
But not this week in the oil industry. On successive days, the three largest U.S. oil companies, ConocoPhillips (Wednesday), ExxonMobil (Thursday), and Chevron (Friday), have reported huge, blowout quarters. Among them, the trio earned a stunning $15 billion in the first quarter alone. But rather than blare the news, the firms have tried to soft-pedal their record earnings. After all, the timing is less than optimal. Congressmen in Washington are stumbling over themselves trying to do something—anything, by gosh!—about higher gas prices: calling for windfall profit taxes, proclaiming war on price-gouging, and foolishly proposing a $100 tax rebate to help with gas payments. (In other words, taxpayers would borrow money from foreigners like the Saudis in order to send $100 checks to Americans so they can buy more gas from foreigners like the Saudis.)
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BUSH'S NICKNAMES
The media have tried to portray George W. Bush as an ordinary Joe. He's the guy you'd allegedly want to have a beer with. Part of the false charm conveyed by Bush is his proclivity for nicknames. He called Russian Premier Putin "Pootie-Poot." He called former FEMA head Michael Brown "Brownie" and the prince of political darkness, Karl Rove, got dubbed "Turd Blossom." This article by a psychiatrist looks at the dominion implied by someone bestowing nicknames on others. It's another example of Bush's arrogance and sense of superiority. The article by Ronald Pies is at www.smirkingchimp.com:
Such naming rituals go back at least as far as the Hebrew Bible or Tanach, usually called The Old Testament. A change in name, in this ancient biblical context, usually signifies a change in spiritual status or moral character. In the Book of Genesis, we find that after Jacob wrestles with an "angel" or divine messenger, his name is changed to Israel--variously translated as "one who struggles with God" or "turns the head of God." Notably, it is God who changes Jacob's name, as is the case with Abram (re-named Abraham) and Sarai (re-named Sarah). There is a message in this: changing someone's name is a sign of dominion over that individual. Our children do not name us (though they may use unkind nicknames behind our backs)--we name them. The knight does not "dub" the King, Sir So-and-So--it is the king's dominion that allows him to christen the knight.
The rabbis of the Talmudic era were aware that, when mortals misuse such powers, the results can often be destructive. These sages were especially disturbed by the use of derogatory nicknames. The Talmud tells us, "All who descend to Gehenna [Hell] will come [back] up, except three...one who sleeps with a married woman; one who shames his friend in public; and one who calls his friend by a cruel nickname." [Bava Mezia 58b]. Any child who has come home from school in tears, having been taunted with a nickname like "Fatso" or "Butthead", understands the destructive power of such nicknames.
Friday, April 28, 2006
April 28, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
BUSH AND BIG OIL
George W. Bush is displaying his incredible arrogance and lack of concern with ordinary Americans once again. As gas prices climb through the roof, Bush says he doesn't support a windfall profits tax on the big oil companies. This is at a time when oil company profits are setting records. He also continues to lie and claim that we have a strong economy. It's not that strong from where I sit. This article by Jennifer Loven is at news.yahoo.com:
Bush's remarks suggested the former Texas oilman is unlikely to take harsh action against oil companies despite public anger about the rising cost of fuel. Gasoline is averaging $2.92 a gallon across the country, up 69 cents from a year ago, according to AAA's daily fuel gauge report.
With politicians concerned the issue could tilt what are expected to be close midterm elections this fall, the president and many in Congress have been rushing to offer solutions, most of which would offer little immediate relief.
BUSH'S AMAZING ENVIRONMENTAL HYPOCRISY
Everything that sounds progressive from the Bush administration is just the opposite. "The Healthy Forests Initiative" was anything but. "The Clear Skies Initiative" tells polluters to continue to pollute. "No Child Left Behind" does exactly that. Now with soaring gas prices Bush talks about the need to conserve. This column by Mark Morford is linked at www.commondreams.org:
Bush is, after all, a failed oilman. He has done all he can to ensure we will be dependent on the black death for the next two decades, minimum, which is, not surprisingly, the average remaining life span of his favoritest CEO cronies in the oil business. Serve the masters first, the Saudi sheiks second, the American people about, oh, 157th. It is the BushCo way.
No matter. Up in Napa, the president talked about connecting with nature, about getting his heart rate up by getting out there and challenging himself against the rugged terrain. Nature, of course, was unimpressed, sort of neutral on the whole thing, Bush just another animal scratching tracks on her incredibly resilient skin. Nature has a Zen-like quality about such things -- or perhaps more like Vishnu-Brahma-Shiva, creator and preserver and destroyer, watching it all, shrugging, sighing, taking the long view. If nature could talk, she would tell Bush he will be worm food very soon, and by the way, the worms are furious. She would then go back to watching the baby giraffes play in Africa.
UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND INEFFECTIVE
George W. Bush has used the terrorist attacks on 9/11 to justify almost everything his vile administration wants to do. Among the worst things Bush has done has been to trample civil liberties. Bush claims he needs vastly expanded powers to fight the "war on terror." Never mind that no Americans were involved in the attacks on 9/11. Never mind that the hijackers were all in the country legally. Never mind that Bush had numerous warnings, but failed to act. Jim Hightower has a good column linked at www.smirkingchimp.com:
Ironically, this Bush push to place himself above the law is centered on a failed program. The agents who are having to sift through piles of our calls and emails say that nearly all of the sifting is worthless, finding fewer than 10 citizens a year who even warrant further checking. In fact, the Bushites can point to only two "successes." They brag that the spying uncovered a plot to detonate fertilizer bombs in London -- but British officials deny that NSA spying helped uncover the plot. Their other "success" is ludicrous -- they claim to have found a guy who was going to cut down the Brooklyn Bridge. His weapon? A blowtorch. In response to Bush's illegal spying, Congress has been almost comical. After huffing and puffing about doing a deep investigation into the criminality of the program, Senate Republicans abruptly cancelled their plans for public hearings and ran to the White House waving surrender hankies. Last month, they announced that they had negotiated with Cheney, who graciously gave the Senate a grand oversight role. What did they get, specifically? A new subcommittee. TAH-DAH! Now seven senators will be allowed an occasional peek at whatever documents the White House is willing to send to them. In turn, Congress will sanction Bush's secret spying on Americans, letting him snoop on someone for 45 days without having to bother getting a warrant from that pesky FISA court. You can just hear Cheney guffawing back in his cave. Bush's assertion of extraordinary authority has nothing to do with terrorism and everything to do with his and Cheney's mad intent to enthrone the American presidency with "plenary" power -- i.e., unqualified, absolute power.
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
BUSH AND BIG OIL
George W. Bush is displaying his incredible arrogance and lack of concern with ordinary Americans once again. As gas prices climb through the roof, Bush says he doesn't support a windfall profits tax on the big oil companies. This is at a time when oil company profits are setting records. He also continues to lie and claim that we have a strong economy. It's not that strong from where I sit. This article by Jennifer Loven is at news.yahoo.com:
Bush's remarks suggested the former Texas oilman is unlikely to take harsh action against oil companies despite public anger about the rising cost of fuel. Gasoline is averaging $2.92 a gallon across the country, up 69 cents from a year ago, according to AAA's daily fuel gauge report.
With politicians concerned the issue could tilt what are expected to be close midterm elections this fall, the president and many in Congress have been rushing to offer solutions, most of which would offer little immediate relief.
BUSH'S AMAZING ENVIRONMENTAL HYPOCRISY
Everything that sounds progressive from the Bush administration is just the opposite. "The Healthy Forests Initiative" was anything but. "The Clear Skies Initiative" tells polluters to continue to pollute. "No Child Left Behind" does exactly that. Now with soaring gas prices Bush talks about the need to conserve. This column by Mark Morford is linked at www.commondreams.org:
Bush is, after all, a failed oilman. He has done all he can to ensure we will be dependent on the black death for the next two decades, minimum, which is, not surprisingly, the average remaining life span of his favoritest CEO cronies in the oil business. Serve the masters first, the Saudi sheiks second, the American people about, oh, 157th. It is the BushCo way.
No matter. Up in Napa, the president talked about connecting with nature, about getting his heart rate up by getting out there and challenging himself against the rugged terrain. Nature, of course, was unimpressed, sort of neutral on the whole thing, Bush just another animal scratching tracks on her incredibly resilient skin. Nature has a Zen-like quality about such things -- or perhaps more like Vishnu-Brahma-Shiva, creator and preserver and destroyer, watching it all, shrugging, sighing, taking the long view. If nature could talk, she would tell Bush he will be worm food very soon, and by the way, the worms are furious. She would then go back to watching the baby giraffes play in Africa.
UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND INEFFECTIVE
George W. Bush has used the terrorist attacks on 9/11 to justify almost everything his vile administration wants to do. Among the worst things Bush has done has been to trample civil liberties. Bush claims he needs vastly expanded powers to fight the "war on terror." Never mind that no Americans were involved in the attacks on 9/11. Never mind that the hijackers were all in the country legally. Never mind that Bush had numerous warnings, but failed to act. Jim Hightower has a good column linked at www.smirkingchimp.com:
Ironically, this Bush push to place himself above the law is centered on a failed program. The agents who are having to sift through piles of our calls and emails say that nearly all of the sifting is worthless, finding fewer than 10 citizens a year who even warrant further checking. In fact, the Bushites can point to only two "successes." They brag that the spying uncovered a plot to detonate fertilizer bombs in London -- but British officials deny that NSA spying helped uncover the plot. Their other "success" is ludicrous -- they claim to have found a guy who was going to cut down the Brooklyn Bridge. His weapon? A blowtorch. In response to Bush's illegal spying, Congress has been almost comical. After huffing and puffing about doing a deep investigation into the criminality of the program, Senate Republicans abruptly cancelled their plans for public hearings and ran to the White House waving surrender hankies. Last month, they announced that they had negotiated with Cheney, who graciously gave the Senate a grand oversight role. What did they get, specifically? A new subcommittee. TAH-DAH! Now seven senators will be allowed an occasional peek at whatever documents the White House is willing to send to them. In turn, Congress will sanction Bush's secret spying on Americans, letting him snoop on someone for 45 days without having to bother getting a warrant from that pesky FISA court. You can just hear Cheney guffawing back in his cave. Bush's assertion of extraordinary authority has nothing to do with terrorism and everything to do with his and Cheney's mad intent to enthrone the American presidency with "plenary" power -- i.e., unqualified, absolute power.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
April 27, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
BUSH'S RED HERRING
A few years ago California went through the miserable experience of rolling electrical blackouts. Right-wing pundits were quick to put the blame on environmentalists. Environmentalists, they said, wouldn't allow the construction of new power plants. It turned out it wasn't environmentalists who were responsible, but the crooks at Enron who jobbed the electrical market. Now we have George W. Bush and right-wing pundits blaming environmentalists for soaring gas prices. It's the same old lie all over again. This article by Frank O'Donnell is at www.alternet.org:
Bush says:
There has not been a new refinery built in America in 30 years.
The reality is:
In declaring that part of the problem is that we haven't built new refineries in the U.S. in decades, the president is being simply disingenuous. As he well knows from his days in the business, the big oil companies decided for economic reasons that it was more cost-effective to expand existing refineries than build new ones. In fact, they have managed those expansions to avoid a gasoline glut that could lead to lower prices.
MILLIONS OF US WITHOUT HEALTH CARE
Our health care system is a debacle. Most of us depend on getting health care coverage through our jobs. But if you lose your job you also lose your health care unless you can afford to pay into COBRA, which is horrendously expensive. I was downsized for the second time in four years and I'm now one of those millions without health care. Health care is not a privilege; it's a right. If right-wingers want to fulminate about "socialized medicine," so be it. This article by Theresa Agovino is at www.lasvegassun.com:
The percentage of working-age Americans with moderate to middle incomes who lacked health insurance for at least part of the year rose to 41 percent in 2005, a dramatic increase from the 28 percent in 2001 without coverage, a study released on Wednesday found.
Moreover, more than half of the uninsured adults said they were having problems paying their medical bills or had incurred debt to cover their expenses, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based private, health care policy foundation. The study of 4,350 adults also found that people without insurance were more likely to forgo recommended health screenings such as mammograms than those with coverage, and were less likely to have a regular doctor than their insured counterparts.
APPALLING STORIES OF FEMALE IMMIGRANTS
This story talks about the dangers faced by women who seek to illegally immigrate to the United States from Central America or Mexico. According to this story, there is a 99% chance a woman will be raped. Women take birth control pills in advance to avoid getting pregnant as the result of rape. It's absolutely despicable that we have a global economic system that forces anyone to go through these horrors to try for a better life. This story from the Associated Press is at www.nytimes.com:
The increase in women migrants comes as beefed-up border security has funneled migrants through one of the world's most forbidding deserts, and as smugglers adopt increasingly violent tactics.
Some cross with their children. Others leave them behind with relatives. Pregnant women, like Maria Perez, the 18-year-old who gave birth this week, walk for days through the desert in the hope that their children will have a better life as U.S. citizens.
Rape has become so prevalent that many women take birth control pills or shots before setting out to ensure they won't get pregnant. Some consider rape ''the price you pay for crossing the border,'' said Teresa Rodriguez, regional director of the U.N. Development Fund for Women.
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
BUSH'S RED HERRING
A few years ago California went through the miserable experience of rolling electrical blackouts. Right-wing pundits were quick to put the blame on environmentalists. Environmentalists, they said, wouldn't allow the construction of new power plants. It turned out it wasn't environmentalists who were responsible, but the crooks at Enron who jobbed the electrical market. Now we have George W. Bush and right-wing pundits blaming environmentalists for soaring gas prices. It's the same old lie all over again. This article by Frank O'Donnell is at www.alternet.org:
Bush says:
There has not been a new refinery built in America in 30 years.
The reality is:
In declaring that part of the problem is that we haven't built new refineries in the U.S. in decades, the president is being simply disingenuous. As he well knows from his days in the business, the big oil companies decided for economic reasons that it was more cost-effective to expand existing refineries than build new ones. In fact, they have managed those expansions to avoid a gasoline glut that could lead to lower prices.
MILLIONS OF US WITHOUT HEALTH CARE
Our health care system is a debacle. Most of us depend on getting health care coverage through our jobs. But if you lose your job you also lose your health care unless you can afford to pay into COBRA, which is horrendously expensive. I was downsized for the second time in four years and I'm now one of those millions without health care. Health care is not a privilege; it's a right. If right-wingers want to fulminate about "socialized medicine," so be it. This article by Theresa Agovino is at www.lasvegassun.com:
The percentage of working-age Americans with moderate to middle incomes who lacked health insurance for at least part of the year rose to 41 percent in 2005, a dramatic increase from the 28 percent in 2001 without coverage, a study released on Wednesday found.
Moreover, more than half of the uninsured adults said they were having problems paying their medical bills or had incurred debt to cover their expenses, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based private, health care policy foundation. The study of 4,350 adults also found that people without insurance were more likely to forgo recommended health screenings such as mammograms than those with coverage, and were less likely to have a regular doctor than their insured counterparts.
APPALLING STORIES OF FEMALE IMMIGRANTS
This story talks about the dangers faced by women who seek to illegally immigrate to the United States from Central America or Mexico. According to this story, there is a 99% chance a woman will be raped. Women take birth control pills in advance to avoid getting pregnant as the result of rape. It's absolutely despicable that we have a global economic system that forces anyone to go through these horrors to try for a better life. This story from the Associated Press is at www.nytimes.com:
The increase in women migrants comes as beefed-up border security has funneled migrants through one of the world's most forbidding deserts, and as smugglers adopt increasingly violent tactics.
Some cross with their children. Others leave them behind with relatives. Pregnant women, like Maria Perez, the 18-year-old who gave birth this week, walk for days through the desert in the hope that their children will have a better life as U.S. citizens.
Rape has become so prevalent that many women take birth control pills or shots before setting out to ensure they won't get pregnant. Some consider rape ''the price you pay for crossing the border,'' said Teresa Rodriguez, regional director of the U.N. Development Fund for Women.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
April 25, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
IN TEMP WORLD
Today I got to visit another insurance company. This one is a third party administrator. One thing I've learned in recent weeks is that insurance companies love paper. You have brochures and forms inside brochures and forms.
Today the boss lady was miffed that corners on this mass of paper got bent when I tried to get it into an envelope that was a little small. It was a little like trying to get into shoes that are a size too small. We know that the fate of western civilization depends on pristine corners.
Anyone who wants to tell me what a swell economic system we have should have to work as a temp for a just a little while. Try doing these incredibly boring, soul-destroying jobs for no money and then tell me how wonderful our system is.
THEY'RE TIRED OF HEARING BUSH CALLED A LIAR
Today's right-wing screed in The Fresno Bee was about the writer being tired of hearing George W. Bush called a liar. The writer talked about being "nauseous." My response: tough.
Their guy stole the presidential election in 2000. He campaigned as a moderate and has governed as a reactionary. Everything about Bush screams "liar."
What's worse, Bush has the blood of thousands of innocent people on his hands. He was willing to do anything to carry out his his vendetta against Saddam Hussein, including killing thousands of civilians in Iraq, getting thousands of U.S. military killed, and looting our treasury. To me, that's far more reason for nausea.
SHREDDING THE SOCIAL CONTRACT
Since the New Deal there has been a social contract in effect between Americans and the government. There has also been a social contract between working people and corporations, mostly in the form of pensions. With right-wing ideology on the march, we're seeing more of a predatory system developing. The government doesn't want to fund social programs and corporations don't want to pay decent wages or fund pension plans. This is Social Darwinism in action. This article by Beth Shulman is at www.tompaine.com:
General Motors’ announcement that it would no longer provide traditional pensions to its employees hired after 2001 was stunning because of its size. Yet GM is hardly alone in trying to pare down or eliminate conventional pensions. Every day, from healthy companies like Verizon to bankrupt firms like Delphi, there seems to be a new announcement. United Airlines, Bethlehem Steel, Motorola, Lockheed Martin, IBM, Hewlett Packard, along with many other pillars of our economy, have frozen their pension plans, insisting they cannot afford to keep their promises.
The impact of simply wiping out traditional pensions resonates far beyond corporate boardrooms and company shareholders. It’s a unilateral move to cut out a main clause of our social contract, the model that a majority of Americans and their families have relied on for nearly three quarters of a century.
Are we really ready as a society to declare the end of retirement as we know it? In order to retire, must employees now bear all the costs and take all the risks? And at the very least, shouldn’t we have a serious, national conversation before we simply accept a major shift that will have such a significant impact on our economy and the quality of life in our country for generations to come?
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
IN TEMP WORLD
Today I got to visit another insurance company. This one is a third party administrator. One thing I've learned in recent weeks is that insurance companies love paper. You have brochures and forms inside brochures and forms.
It's ironic that I don't have health insurance, but I'm helping send out information about health insurance to people who have it through their jobs.
Today the boss lady was miffed that corners on this mass of paper got bent when I tried to get it into an envelope that was a little small. It was a little like trying to get into shoes that are a size too small. We know that the fate of western civilization depends on pristine corners.
Anyone who wants to tell me what a swell economic system we have should have to work as a temp for a just a little while. Try doing these incredibly boring, soul-destroying jobs for no money and then tell me how wonderful our system is.
THEY'RE TIRED OF HEARING BUSH CALLED A LIAR
Today's right-wing screed in The Fresno Bee was about the writer being tired of hearing George W. Bush called a liar. The writer talked about being "nauseous." My response: tough.
Their guy stole the presidential election in 2000. He campaigned as a moderate and has governed as a reactionary. Everything about Bush screams "liar."
What's worse, Bush has the blood of thousands of innocent people on his hands. He was willing to do anything to carry out his his vendetta against Saddam Hussein, including killing thousands of civilians in Iraq, getting thousands of U.S. military killed, and looting our treasury. To me, that's far more reason for nausea.
SHREDDING THE SOCIAL CONTRACT
Since the New Deal there has been a social contract in effect between Americans and the government. There has also been a social contract between working people and corporations, mostly in the form of pensions. With right-wing ideology on the march, we're seeing more of a predatory system developing. The government doesn't want to fund social programs and corporations don't want to pay decent wages or fund pension plans. This is Social Darwinism in action. This article by Beth Shulman is at www.tompaine.com:
General Motors’ announcement that it would no longer provide traditional pensions to its employees hired after 2001 was stunning because of its size. Yet GM is hardly alone in trying to pare down or eliminate conventional pensions. Every day, from healthy companies like Verizon to bankrupt firms like Delphi, there seems to be a new announcement. United Airlines, Bethlehem Steel, Motorola, Lockheed Martin, IBM, Hewlett Packard, along with many other pillars of our economy, have frozen their pension plans, insisting they cannot afford to keep their promises.
The impact of simply wiping out traditional pensions resonates far beyond corporate boardrooms and company shareholders. It’s a unilateral move to cut out a main clause of our social contract, the model that a majority of Americans and their families have relied on for nearly three quarters of a century.
Are we really ready as a society to declare the end of retirement as we know it? In order to retire, must employees now bear all the costs and take all the risks? And at the very least, shouldn’t we have a serious, national conversation before we simply accept a major shift that will have such a significant impact on our economy and the quality of life in our country for generations to come?
Monday, April 24, 2006
April 24, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
GOOD QUESTIONS
This commentary asks some good questions of George W. Bush. I've often wondered if Bush has any remorse whatever for the death and destruction he has caused in Iraq. I've wondered if he has any feelings at all for the deaths and maimings of so many members of the U.S. military. I've wondered if he thinks about the long-term consequences of attacking Iraq, that he has recruited generations of people who hate the United States. This article by John Brown is at www.commondreams.org:
Mr. President: Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night? Do you? Do you ever wake up sleepless in the middle of the night?
What have you done in Iraq? Do you ever realize, in the middle of the night, what you've done? Do you?
1. You've caused over 2,370 American soldiers to die in an impoverished land that never attacked us. Was that the right answer to 9/11 or the "threat" from Iraq? Do you ever ask yourself that question?
2. Because of your Iraq invasion, thousands of U.S. enlisted personnel are maimed, physically and mentally, for life. What can you tell these victims of your war? That you're honored by their duty towards you, our "mission-accomplished" commander-in-chief?
3. Your decision to go to war has led to the death of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis. Do you have any remorse for this, Mr. President? Or was it that, for you, Iraqis only really deserved to serve as props in "shock and awe" -- your name for your made-for-TV porno/violence program at the beginning of the war, produced and distributed directly into our living rooms by the mainstream media? (Thank you, Fox News.)
PERPETUAL WAR
The war drums are beating again. The Bush administration has been making threatening noises about attacking Iran, including using tactical nuclear weapons. Bush has already launched two wars, and war seems to be to his liking. In this article Arthur Schlesinger Jr. talks about the dangers of "preventive war." The concept flies in the face of American history. The only problem I have with this essay is the reference to Bush as "humane" man. I don't think Bush is the least bit humane. This article is at www.washingtonpost.com:
The Hundred Days is indelibly associated with Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Thousand Days with John F. Kennedy. But as of this week, a thousand days remain of President Bush's last term -- days filled with ominous preparations for and dark rumors of a preventive war against Iran.
The issue of preventive war as a presidential prerogative is hardly new. In February 1848 Rep. Abraham Lincoln explained his opposition to the Mexican War: "Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose -- and you allow him to make war at pleasure [emphasis added]. . . . If, today, he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, 'I see no probability of the British invading us'; but he will say to you, 'Be silent; I see it, if you don't.' "
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
GOOD QUESTIONS
This commentary asks some good questions of George W. Bush. I've often wondered if Bush has any remorse whatever for the death and destruction he has caused in Iraq. I've wondered if he has any feelings at all for the deaths and maimings of so many members of the U.S. military. I've wondered if he thinks about the long-term consequences of attacking Iraq, that he has recruited generations of people who hate the United States. This article by John Brown is at www.commondreams.org:
Mr. President: Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night? Do you? Do you ever wake up sleepless in the middle of the night?
What have you done in Iraq? Do you ever realize, in the middle of the night, what you've done? Do you?
1. You've caused over 2,370 American soldiers to die in an impoverished land that never attacked us. Was that the right answer to 9/11 or the "threat" from Iraq? Do you ever ask yourself that question?
2. Because of your Iraq invasion, thousands of U.S. enlisted personnel are maimed, physically and mentally, for life. What can you tell these victims of your war? That you're honored by their duty towards you, our "mission-accomplished" commander-in-chief?
3. Your decision to go to war has led to the death of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis. Do you have any remorse for this, Mr. President? Or was it that, for you, Iraqis only really deserved to serve as props in "shock and awe" -- your name for your made-for-TV porno/violence program at the beginning of the war, produced and distributed directly into our living rooms by the mainstream media? (Thank you, Fox News.)
PERPETUAL WAR
The war drums are beating again. The Bush administration has been making threatening noises about attacking Iran, including using tactical nuclear weapons. Bush has already launched two wars, and war seems to be to his liking. In this article Arthur Schlesinger Jr. talks about the dangers of "preventive war." The concept flies in the face of American history. The only problem I have with this essay is the reference to Bush as "humane" man. I don't think Bush is the least bit humane. This article is at www.washingtonpost.com:
The Hundred Days is indelibly associated with Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Thousand Days with John F. Kennedy. But as of this week, a thousand days remain of President Bush's last term -- days filled with ominous preparations for and dark rumors of a preventive war against Iran.
The issue of preventive war as a presidential prerogative is hardly new. In February 1848 Rep. Abraham Lincoln explained his opposition to the Mexican War: "Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose -- and you allow him to make war at pleasure [emphasis added]. . . . If, today, he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, 'I see no probability of the British invading us'; but he will say to you, 'Be silent; I see it, if you don't.' "
Sunday, April 23, 2006
April 23, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
THE BUSH TRAIN WRECK
Reality is coming home in Bush world. The administration is making personnel changes, which are akin to putting a Band-Aid on a gaping head wound. Scott McClellan is gone as the presidential spokesliar. Karl Rove has had his duties changed. This administration is the worst combination of arrogance, incompetence, and corruption. It's like the levees breaking in New Orleans. You can only plug so many holes. This article by Mike Carlton is linked at www.makethemaccountable.com:
SYDNEY, NSW, is a long way from Washington DC but, even at this distance, it is clear that the Bush Administration is falling to pieces.
In recent weeks, scanning the political coverage in the mainstream US media and sampling the blogs has been to watch a flood tide ebbing to reveal a rotting, skeletal hulk. It is the George W. Bush ship of fools, stuck in the mud for the world to see in all its mendacity, its incompetence, its faith-based stupidity.
It is possible, at this late stage, that even Bush himself has begun to realise something is wrong. That oddly simian face is ashen, the eyes leaden. The voice is shrill and its tone defensive…
THEY JUST CAN'T HELP THEMSELVES
The Bush administration has talked a good game about national security, but it seems they just can't help themselves when it comes to leaks, especially if the leaks further their agenda or damage political opponents. We see the most dramatic evidence of that with the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame to retaliate against her husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson. Lots of major administration figures are implicated in that leak, most notably I. Lewis Libby and Karl Rove. Even Bush himself has been implicated. Now we learn that Condoleezza Rice is allegedly a part of the Leak Club. This article by Matthew Barakat is at www.makethemaccountable.com:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leaked national defense information to a pro-Israel lobbyist in the same manner that landed a lower-level Pentagon official a 12-year prison sentence, the lobbyist's lawyer said Friday.
Prosecutors disputed the claim.
The allegations against Rice came as a federal judge granted a defense request to issue subpoenas sought by the defense for Rice and three other government officials in the trial of Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman. The two are former lobbyists with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who are charged with receiving and disclosing national defense information.
Defense lawyers are asking a judge to dismiss the charges because, among other things, they believe it seeks to criminalize the type of backchannel exchanges between government officials, lobbyists and the press that are part and parcel of how Washington works…
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
THE BUSH TRAIN WRECK
Reality is coming home in Bush world. The administration is making personnel changes, which are akin to putting a Band-Aid on a gaping head wound. Scott McClellan is gone as the presidential spokesliar. Karl Rove has had his duties changed. This administration is the worst combination of arrogance, incompetence, and corruption. It's like the levees breaking in New Orleans. You can only plug so many holes. This article by Mike Carlton is linked at www.makethemaccountable.com:
SYDNEY, NSW, is a long way from Washington DC but, even at this distance, it is clear that the Bush Administration is falling to pieces.
In recent weeks, scanning the political coverage in the mainstream US media and sampling the blogs has been to watch a flood tide ebbing to reveal a rotting, skeletal hulk. It is the George W. Bush ship of fools, stuck in the mud for the world to see in all its mendacity, its incompetence, its faith-based stupidity.
It is possible, at this late stage, that even Bush himself has begun to realise something is wrong. That oddly simian face is ashen, the eyes leaden. The voice is shrill and its tone defensive…
THEY JUST CAN'T HELP THEMSELVES
The Bush administration has talked a good game about national security, but it seems they just can't help themselves when it comes to leaks, especially if the leaks further their agenda or damage political opponents. We see the most dramatic evidence of that with the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame to retaliate against her husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson. Lots of major administration figures are implicated in that leak, most notably I. Lewis Libby and Karl Rove. Even Bush himself has been implicated. Now we learn that Condoleezza Rice is allegedly a part of the Leak Club. This article by Matthew Barakat is at www.makethemaccountable.com:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leaked national defense information to a pro-Israel lobbyist in the same manner that landed a lower-level Pentagon official a 12-year prison sentence, the lobbyist's lawyer said Friday.
Prosecutors disputed the claim.
The allegations against Rice came as a federal judge granted a defense request to issue subpoenas sought by the defense for Rice and three other government officials in the trial of Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman. The two are former lobbyists with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who are charged with receiving and disclosing national defense information.
Defense lawyers are asking a judge to dismiss the charges because, among other things, they believe it seeks to criminalize the type of backchannel exchanges between government officials, lobbyists and the press that are part and parcel of how Washington works…
Friday, April 21, 2006
April 21, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
SANCTIONING TORTURE
A practice I never heard of before the George W. Bush administration is "extraordinary rendition." It's a way of skirting around U.S. laws against torture. Instead, people are kidnapped, spirited away to regimes that have no objection to torture, and held there. This would be a crime against humanity even against legitimate suspects, but some of these people are innocent. Some people have disappeared entirely. This column by Bob Herbert is linked at www.topplebush.com:
In past years, stories about torture and "the disappeared" have been associated with sinister regimes in South and Central America. The attitude in the United States was that we were above such dirty business, that it was immoral and uncivilized, and we were better than that.
But times change, and we've lowered our moral standards several notches since then. Now people are disappearing at the hands of the U.S. government.
"Below the Radar: Secret Flights to Torture and 'Disappearance' " is the title of a recent Amnesty International report on the reprehensible practice of extraordinary rendition, a highly classified American program in which individuals are seized -- abducted -- without any semblance of due process and sent off to be interrogated by regimes that are known to engage in torture.
OIL COMPANY PROFITS
Gasoline prices in Fresno are soaring again. Prices for regular are back to the level they were after Hurricane Katrina. This would be a burden even if the price hikes were legitimate, but there is evidence the oil companies are deliberately raising prices to increase their already obscene profit margins. Never mind that they're destroying middle class and poor families. This story comes from www.consumerwatchdog.com:
Independent petroleum consultant Tim Hamilton analyzed gasoline price increases from January to April to find that:
* Increases in the "spot" market price of crude oil -- which is the highest price a major oil company would pay for crude oil -- accounted for only 12 cents per gallon. California's percentage sales tax increased fuel prices by another four cents per gallon. More than 40 cents of the 60-cent increase in gasoline prices over 3 1/2 months is attributable to increased refinery and marketing profit margins for the oil companies;
* Neither the MTBE phaseout nor the substitution of ethanol is a serious part of the increase. If the MTBE phaseout or ethanol blending specifically increased costs for oil companies in California, other states in the West using conventional unblended gasoline should be much less affected. Yet Washington State, which uses only conventional gasoline and has similar refinery capacity and crude oil sources, mirrored California's increase;
* The profit increase of 42 cents, on top of record profits last year, means California gasoline will cost consumers approximately $546 million more in April 2006 than in April of last year.
ACTIVE/NEGATIVE PRESIDENTS
Former White House counsel John Dean has an interesting article about the classes some presidential historians use to describe presidents. The worst class is the active/negative presidents. It's no surprise that George W. Bush belongs to that class. This article by John Dean is at www.smirkingchimp.com:
President George W. Bush's presidency is a disaster - one that's still unfolding. In a mid-2004 column, I argued that, at that point, Bush had already demonstrated that he possessed the least attractive and most troubling traits among those that political scientist James Dave Barber has cataloged in his study of Presidents' personality types.
Now, in early 2006, Bush has continued to sink lower in his public approval ratings, as the result of a series of events that have sapped the public of confidence in its President, and for which he is directly responsible. This Administration goes through scandals like a compulsive eater does candy bars; the wrapper is barely off one before we've moved on to another.
Currently, President Bush is busy reshuffling his staff to reinvigorate his presidency. But if Dr. Barber's work holds true for this president -- as it has for others - the hiring and firing of subordinates will not touch the core problems that have plagued Bush's tenure.
That is because the problems belong to the President - not his staff. And they are problems that go to character, not to strategy.
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
SANCTIONING TORTURE
A practice I never heard of before the George W. Bush administration is "extraordinary rendition." It's a way of skirting around U.S. laws against torture. Instead, people are kidnapped, spirited away to regimes that have no objection to torture, and held there. This would be a crime against humanity even against legitimate suspects, but some of these people are innocent. Some people have disappeared entirely. This column by Bob Herbert is linked at www.topplebush.com:
In past years, stories about torture and "the disappeared" have been associated with sinister regimes in South and Central America. The attitude in the United States was that we were above such dirty business, that it was immoral and uncivilized, and we were better than that.
But times change, and we've lowered our moral standards several notches since then. Now people are disappearing at the hands of the U.S. government.
"Below the Radar: Secret Flights to Torture and 'Disappearance' " is the title of a recent Amnesty International report on the reprehensible practice of extraordinary rendition, a highly classified American program in which individuals are seized -- abducted -- without any semblance of due process and sent off to be interrogated by regimes that are known to engage in torture.
OIL COMPANY PROFITS
Gasoline prices in Fresno are soaring again. Prices for regular are back to the level they were after Hurricane Katrina. This would be a burden even if the price hikes were legitimate, but there is evidence the oil companies are deliberately raising prices to increase their already obscene profit margins. Never mind that they're destroying middle class and poor families. This story comes from www.consumerwatchdog.com:
Independent petroleum consultant Tim Hamilton analyzed gasoline price increases from January to April to find that:
* Increases in the "spot" market price of crude oil -- which is the highest price a major oil company would pay for crude oil -- accounted for only 12 cents per gallon. California's percentage sales tax increased fuel prices by another four cents per gallon. More than 40 cents of the 60-cent increase in gasoline prices over 3 1/2 months is attributable to increased refinery and marketing profit margins for the oil companies;
* Neither the MTBE phaseout nor the substitution of ethanol is a serious part of the increase. If the MTBE phaseout or ethanol blending specifically increased costs for oil companies in California, other states in the West using conventional unblended gasoline should be much less affected. Yet Washington State, which uses only conventional gasoline and has similar refinery capacity and crude oil sources, mirrored California's increase;
* The profit increase of 42 cents, on top of record profits last year, means California gasoline will cost consumers approximately $546 million more in April 2006 than in April of last year.
ACTIVE/NEGATIVE PRESIDENTS
Former White House counsel John Dean has an interesting article about the classes some presidential historians use to describe presidents. The worst class is the active/negative presidents. It's no surprise that George W. Bush belongs to that class. This article by John Dean is at www.smirkingchimp.com:
President George W. Bush's presidency is a disaster - one that's still unfolding. In a mid-2004 column, I argued that, at that point, Bush had already demonstrated that he possessed the least attractive and most troubling traits among those that political scientist James Dave Barber has cataloged in his study of Presidents' personality types.
Now, in early 2006, Bush has continued to sink lower in his public approval ratings, as the result of a series of events that have sapped the public of confidence in its President, and for which he is directly responsible. This Administration goes through scandals like a compulsive eater does candy bars; the wrapper is barely off one before we've moved on to another.
Currently, President Bush is busy reshuffling his staff to reinvigorate his presidency. But if Dr. Barber's work holds true for this president -- as it has for others - the hiring and firing of subordinates will not touch the core problems that have plagued Bush's tenure.
That is because the problems belong to the President - not his staff. And they are problems that go to character, not to strategy.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
April 20, 2006
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
NO DOUBT -- WORST PRESIDENT EVER
I really didn't need a group of presidential historians to tell me the obvious, that George W. Bush is the worst president in our history. But historians do have a perspective that many of us don't have. They know far more about past presidents such as James Buchanan than I know, for instance. But the consequences of a really bad president are even worse now than in the time of James Buchanan. In a world bristling with nuclear weaponry, religious and sectarian divisions, economic injustice, and ecological calamity we need a brilliant president in touch with reality. George W. Bush is neither of those things. This article by Sean Wilentz is at www.rollingstone.com:
No previous president appears to have squandered the public's trust more than Bush has. In the 1840s, President James Polk gained a reputation for deviousness over his alleged manufacturing of the war with Mexico and his supposedly covert pro-slavery views. Abraham Lincoln, then an Illinois congressman, virtually labeled Polk a liar when he called him, from the floor of the House, "a bewildered, confounded and miserably perplexed man" and denounced the war as "from beginning to end, the sheerest deception." But the swift American victory in the war, Polk's decision to stick by his pledge to serve only one term and his sudden death shortly after leaving office spared him the ignominy over slavery that befell his successors in the 1850s. With more than two years to go in Bush's second term and no swift victory in sight, Bush's reputation will probably have no such reprieve.
IT'S ALWAYS CLINTON
One of my favorite scenes in the movie "Bull Durham" deals with a veteran pro baseball player played by Kevin Costner telling an up and coming pitcher that the pitcher needs to "learn his cliches." In essence, if you've heard one sports interview you've heard them all. It's pretty much the same with right wing letters to the editor. Any criticism of George W. Bush can be deflected by reverting back to Bill Clinton's fling with Monica. You know, Clinton lied, etc.
Today's conservative classic in The Fresno Bee asserts that letters critical of Bush, Cheney, and Torture Guy Alberto Gonzalez were "taken off the moveon.org website." The correspondent goes on to claim that no substantiation is provided for the lies of the Bushites.
Our writer has obviously heard of the Internet (the reference to moveon.org), but hasn't bothered to check out the mountain of evidence that Bush and company have lied about darned near everything. You could start with the books by former administration insiders Paul O'Neill and Richard Clarke. You could check out the Downing Street Memos. You could follow the story of the Valerie Plame leak. But, of course, all of that is insignificant when compared to the story of Bill and Monica.
FASCISM IN AMERICA
Advocates of the "free market," who typically decry government regulation and oversight, never seem to notice that the "free market" really isn't all that free. A few big players always seem to wind up with the lion's share of the market. President Theodore Roosevelt talked about the "malefactors of great wealth" in his day. For a long time, government put a rein on big corporations and big money. But since the Reagan administration the reins have been loosened. It's disturbing to see an alliance between big business and the government. It means a concentration of wealth that endangers democracy, it means less consumer and worker protection regulation, and it means a government totally unresponsive to the needs of its citizens. This article by Gary Alan Scott is linked at www.makethemaccountable.com:
The influence of Big Money on U.S. elections cannot be underestimated. (See, for example, Greg Palast’s “Jim Crow in Cyberspace” in The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, the work on election fraud by Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman, and the recent articles by Warren Stewart “Do You Know How Your Vote Will be Counted?” and Fred Grimm “Election Official Hammered for Telling the Truth”. The problem with the role of money in a supposedly democratic country is not restricted to the many and all-too regular scandals—such as the Abramoff affair or the conviction of Randy “Duke” Cunningham—nor is the problem restricted to the corruption that has ensnared elected officials and exposed lobbyists as little more than bribes makers and bagmen. (See Geov Parrish, “That Old-Fashioned Corruption,” and Katrina vanden Heuvel’s, “Annals of Outrage I, II, and III) It is, rather, that money, as John McCain famously said, “is the mother’s milk of politics” (at least in the U.S. political system.) The need to raise money at every level, from city to state to federal offices, pollutes and perverts the democratic process.
IMPEACH BUSH
IMPEACH CHENEY
NO DOUBT -- WORST PRESIDENT EVER
I really didn't need a group of presidential historians to tell me the obvious, that George W. Bush is the worst president in our history. But historians do have a perspective that many of us don't have. They know far more about past presidents such as James Buchanan than I know, for instance. But the consequences of a really bad president are even worse now than in the time of James Buchanan. In a world bristling with nuclear weaponry, religious and sectarian divisions, economic injustice, and ecological calamity we need a brilliant president in touch with reality. George W. Bush is neither of those things. This article by Sean Wilentz is at www.rollingstone.com:
No previous president appears to have squandered the public's trust more than Bush has. In the 1840s, President James Polk gained a reputation for deviousness over his alleged manufacturing of the war with Mexico and his supposedly covert pro-slavery views. Abraham Lincoln, then an Illinois congressman, virtually labeled Polk a liar when he called him, from the floor of the House, "a bewildered, confounded and miserably perplexed man" and denounced the war as "from beginning to end, the sheerest deception." But the swift American victory in the war, Polk's decision to stick by his pledge to serve only one term and his sudden death shortly after leaving office spared him the ignominy over slavery that befell his successors in the 1850s. With more than two years to go in Bush's second term and no swift victory in sight, Bush's reputation will probably have no such reprieve.
IT'S ALWAYS CLINTON
One of my favorite scenes in the movie "Bull Durham" deals with a veteran pro baseball player played by Kevin Costner telling an up and coming pitcher that the pitcher needs to "learn his cliches." In essence, if you've heard one sports interview you've heard them all. It's pretty much the same with right wing letters to the editor. Any criticism of George W. Bush can be deflected by reverting back to Bill Clinton's fling with Monica. You know, Clinton lied, etc.
Today's conservative classic in The Fresno Bee asserts that letters critical of Bush, Cheney, and Torture Guy Alberto Gonzalez were "taken off the moveon.org website." The correspondent goes on to claim that no substantiation is provided for the lies of the Bushites.
Our writer has obviously heard of the Internet (the reference to moveon.org), but hasn't bothered to check out the mountain of evidence that Bush and company have lied about darned near everything. You could start with the books by former administration insiders Paul O'Neill and Richard Clarke. You could check out the Downing Street Memos. You could follow the story of the Valerie Plame leak. But, of course, all of that is insignificant when compared to the story of Bill and Monica.
FASCISM IN AMERICA
Advocates of the "free market," who typically decry government regulation and oversight, never seem to notice that the "free market" really isn't all that free. A few big players always seem to wind up with the lion's share of the market. President Theodore Roosevelt talked about the "malefactors of great wealth" in his day. For a long time, government put a rein on big corporations and big money. But since the Reagan administration the reins have been loosened. It's disturbing to see an alliance between big business and the government. It means a concentration of wealth that endangers democracy, it means less consumer and worker protection regulation, and it means a government totally unresponsive to the needs of its citizens. This article by Gary Alan Scott is linked at www.makethemaccountable.com:
The influence of Big Money on U.S. elections cannot be underestimated. (See, for example, Greg Palast’s “Jim Crow in Cyberspace” in The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, the work on election fraud by Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman, and the recent articles by Warren Stewart “Do You Know How Your Vote Will be Counted?” and Fred Grimm “Election Official Hammered for Telling the Truth”. The problem with the role of money in a supposedly democratic country is not restricted to the many and all-too regular scandals—such as the Abramoff affair or the conviction of Randy “Duke” Cunningham—nor is the problem restricted to the corruption that has ensnared elected officials and exposed lobbyists as little more than bribes makers and bagmen. (See Geov Parrish, “That Old-Fashioned Corruption,” and Katrina vanden Heuvel’s, “Annals of Outrage I, II, and III) It is, rather, that money, as John McCain famously said, “is the mother’s milk of politics” (at least in the U.S. political system.) The need to raise money at every level, from city to state to federal offices, pollutes and perverts the democratic process.
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