Rightwing Slayer: 03/01/2003

Monday, March 31, 2003

Famed Journalist Peter Arnett FIRED For Daring To Criticize Bush; Says: Bush's War Plan Has Failed

Peter Arnett, who won a Pulitzer Prize reporting in Vietnam for The Associated Press, and garnered much of his prominence from covering the 1991 Gulf War for CNN, said in an interview aired Sunday that the American-led coalition's war plan had failed because of Iraq's resistance and said strategists are "trying to write another war plan."

Arnett, currently reporting for MSNBC from Baghdad, could now become a target for the blood and oil thirsty fanatics who support this war.

The first Bush administration was unhappy with Arnett's reporting in 1991 for CNN, suggesting he had become a conveyor of propaganda because he refused to report the official whitehouse spin that was fed to him.

He was denounced for his reporting about an allied bombing of a baby milk factory in Baghdad that the military said was a biological weapons plant. The American military responded vigorously to the suggestion it had targeted a civilian facility, but Arnett stood by his reporting that the plant's sole purpose was to make baby formula.

NBC, in a statement Sunday, praised Arnett's "outstanding" reporting from Iraq and said he was trying nothing more than to give an analytical response to an interviewer's questions.

In the interview, Arnett said his Iraqi friends tell him there is a growing sense of nationalism and resistance to what the United States and Britain are doing.

"Clearly, the American war plans misjudged the determination of the Iraqi forces," Arnett said during the interview broadcast by Iraq's satellite television station and monitored by The Associated Press in Egypt. more

I had fogotten about that baby milk factory incident. Now everytime a rightwing dumbass brings up that never proven alleged "pill factory" incident with Clinton I'lll say "But we know for a fact 'Bush the first' bombed a baby milk factory!"

UPDATE: Arnett FIRED by MSNBC more

Speaking of bombing civilian targets: ABC News Reports Iraqi Hospital Bombed

This is so sad. Bruised and bleeding, in need of medical care, the Americans stranded in Iraq's western desert approached the mud-brick town and found the hospital destroyed by bombs.

"Why? Why?" a doctor demanded of them. "Why did you Americans bomb our children's hospital?" Scores of Iraqi townspeople crowded around.

The American's account was the first confirmation of a report last week that a hospital in Rutbah was bombed Wednesday, with dead and injured. They said they saw no significant Iraqi military presence near the hospital or elsewhere in Rutbah. The doctor did not discuss casualties, the Americans said. more

Rightwing Center for Public Integrity: Clinton administration "tossed out on the street."

According to the Associated Press, a study being released today by the Center for Public Integrity has found that more than half of the top 100 officials in the Clinton administrations have stayed in Washington. The study found that 51 lobby the government or work for companies that do.

"This shows systematically what happens to an administration when they're tossed out on the street," said study director Charles Lewis.

Tossed out on the street? I seem to remember Bill Clinton beating a popular war time president in 1992, winning a landslide re-election in 1996, and having a 68% approval rating the day he left office after his second term. Needless to say if not for the 22nd Amendment, Bill Clinton would still be president. And this dumbass says he was tossed out on the street?

And what, may I ask, is the problem with former members of a president's administration working in Washington? If Charles Lewis has a problem with that, surely he sees a similiar problem with all the republican retreads George W. Bush has working for him - like Cheney, Rumsfeld, Perle, and Poindexter. They all served under Reagan and Bush Sr.

Now, if you want to talk about an administration who was tossed out on to the street, let's talk George H.W. Bush!

To express your feelings to Charles Lewis and the Center for Public Integrity, click here

Undercutting the 9/11 Inquiry

" ... Reasonable people might wonder if the White House, having failed in its initial attempt to have Henry Kissinger steer the investigation, may be resorting to budgetary starvation as a tactic to hobble any politically fearless inquiry. The committee's mandate includes scrutiny of intelligence failures and eight other government areas.

"The White House vows that in coming budget initiatives there will be no shortchanging of the nation's duty to face the facts of the tragedy. As things now stand, $3 million budgeted as start-up funding could run out this summer. An estimated $14 million is needed for the task of finding out precisely how the attackers were able to pull off their plot in which nearly 3,000 people died. This seems a bargain given the importance of the mission. By comparison, the inquiry into the shuttle disaster's loss of seven lives may cost an estimated $40 million, and the inquiry into the Whitewater controversy ate up more than $30 million. ..." more

BuzzFlash pointed out recently that the Republican controlled congress spent over $62 million investigating Bill Clinton's genitalia but will only allocate $3 million to investigate the failures leading to 9/11! It's true. Yes it is. The reTHUGlicans are puritanical morons. But a least they spend money on things they feel matter the most - like investigating a blow job instead of the worst terrorist attack ever on American soil!

BUSH AND HITLER: Is History Repeating Itself?

No one expected Hitler to rise to power. He had failed at just about everything he had ever undertaken until he discovered politics. In the world of spin and power plays, a superficial gift of gab and bullish determination could replace intelligence and idealism without missing a beat. Hitler found that the path to the top was short: Just tell a discontent people what they want to hear and make promises you have no intention to keep.

In Hitler's first radio speech after becoming Chancellor on January 30, 1933, he pledged [this is a direct quote from that address] "to revive in the nation the spirit of unity and cooperation" and invoked God's blessing on the German government. (Hitler was a fervent Christian - a fact too many have either forgotten or never knew, thanks to sanitized
school history books). But, the Fuhrer soon proved he had no intention of being a uniter. The Nazis' battle cry throughout their campaign had been "down with the liberals!" Once in office, Hitler made "liberals" (a mass group into which he lumped social democrats, gays, Jews, and any threat to Hitler's model of Christian society) his sworn enemies. more

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"Those of us who care for the direction of the American dream have one job now to do, and that is to begin working toward that election day in November of next year." - Doris Haddock, better known as Granny D., a 92-year-old grandmother who walked across America on behalf of campaign finance reform.

Read her article here

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Reader Can't Bear Pictures Of Dead Iraqi Children

I am a supporter of your site, and tell as many people as I can about it. I'm grateful for the information you provide, BUT, I must say that I can't bear the awful photographs of dead people, ESPECIALLY children. I DON'T want this war sanitized for my protection, believe me, but you are preaching to the choir with these potographs. My assumption is that you want the world to feel the impact of this tragic travesty, and I would agree with that. But I find myself scrolling gingerly, afraid of seeing the horror I already know is happening to the innocent. But the fact that these are the innocent makes the images horrific beyond words. I don't mean to censor. I would just ask you to believe that your audience is already horrified without the sensational images. Thank you for your time, and for the work you do. -- Karen

Karen - I understand your concerns. The pictures disturb me as well. But I don't feel I'm just preaching to the choir. No, I don't think I'm going to change the minds of many conservatives who are mostly concerned with keeping the current Washington regime in power. However, there are "fence sitters" stopping by this site who need an extra push to show them how vile this adminstration's actions are. I believe the pictures speak a thousand words towards bringing more on to our side. As you know, many Americans have the image in their minds that little Iraqi children are running gleefully towards the Americans, welcoming them in. We know that is not the case.

Thanks for your support, Karen. I hope my continued posting of pictures neither of us like to see doesn't deter you from visiting and sending others here, too.

"The President...knows not where he is. He is a bewildered, confounded, and miserably perplexed man. God grant he may be able to show there is not something about his conscience more painful than all his mental perplexity."

The quotation above comes from a speech a young Congressman made on the floor of the US House of Representatives. He was speaking about an ongoing war that was "unnecessarily and unconstitutionally begun by the President of the United States."

His political rivals and the constituants that followed them howled in protest. Traitor! Un-American!

However, that Congressman was eventually elected president.

The war was our war with Mexico and that young congressman who spoke out against the president and his war was Abraham Lincoln.

"The Constitution was born in the bowels of war," says attorny Tim Newcomb. "The framers could have made a wartime exception if they had intended, but the founding generation made no such exception. Therefore, they obviously wanted and believed in spirited debate."

"I think Thomas Jefferson would have said, hang on to your civil liberties, fight off any force that would try to oppress you, that would try to silence you, that would consider dissent disloyalty. I think he would be very aware of the need that we have to have to continue to support people's rights to be different and to express and hold different convictions." - Joyce Appleby, Professor of History, University of California, Los Angeles; Author, Inheriting the Revolution.

"While some people think that dissent is unpatriotic, I would argue that dissent is the highest form of patriotism. In fact, if patriotism means being true to the principles for which your country is supposed to stand, then certainly the right to dissent is one of those principles. And if we're exercising that right to dissent, it's a patriotic act.

One of the great mistakes made in discussing patriotism -- a very common mistake -- is to think that patriotism means support for your government. And that view of patriotism ignores the founding principles of the country expressed in the Declaration of Independence. That is: the Declaration of Independence makes it clear that governments are artificial creations set up to achieve certain ends -- equality, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness -- and when governments become destructive of those ends it is the right of the people in the words of the Declaration, to alter or abolish the government.

In other words, obedience to government certainly is not a form of patriotism. Governments are the instruments to achieve certain ends. And if the government goes against those ends, if the government is not defending our liberties, but is diminishing our liberties, if the government is sending young people into war or making war which is unjustified, well then the government is not following the principles of caring about life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. When the government is taking huge sums of money from education and health, and using that money for military purposes, that's a violation of the principles of the Declaration of Independence. And a government like that cannot be obeyed. To obey a government like that is not being patriotic. At that point, when a government behaves like that, it is the most patriotic thing to disobey the government." - Howard Zinn is an historian and author of A People's History of the United States.

out...

Sunday, March 30, 2003

War Blunders, Ethics Dog Bush Administration

Bush says aides didn't warnhim of stiff Iraq resistance. Same Lame Excuse Again! 'I Didn't Get The Message!'

Here we go again! Have you noticed how Bush always says "I didn't know?" This is really getting tedious.

Remember this from the Associated Press? A former NASA safety official wrote to pRresident Bush last year to warn of "another catastrophic space shuttle accident," but Bush did not see the letter and the writer's plea was rejected - this according to the White House.

Or how about this from the New York Times last May? Attorney General John Ashcroft and the F.B.I. director, Robert S. Mueller III, were told a few days after the Sept. 11 attacks that the F.B.I. had received a memorandum from its Phoenix office the previous July warning that Osama bin Laden's followers could be training at American flight schools, government officials said today. But senior Bush administration officials said neither Mr. Ashcroft nor Mr. Mueller briefed President Bush.

Now comes this. President Bush's aides did not forcefully present him with dissenting views from CIA and State and Defense Department officials who warned that U.S.-led forces could face stiff resistance in Iraq, according to three senior administration officials.

Bush embraced the predictions of some top administration hawks, beginning with Vice President Dick Cheney, who predicted in the weeks before the war with Iraq that Saddam Hussein's regime was brittle and that Iraqis would joyously greet coalition troops as liberators, the officials said.

The dissenting views "were not fully or energetically communicated to the president," said one top official, who like the others requested anonymity. "As a result, almost every assumption the plan's based on looks to be wrong." more

I know it is the adminstration's job to protect the pResident. But this lame ass excuse of "We knew but didn't tell Bush" is getting comical. Is he a security risk? Is he on some "need to know " basis? Are the rest of the guys and gals in his inner circle afraid he'll shoot his mouth off if you tell him everything? The adminstration spends a lot of time trying to counter the belief that George W. Bush isn't real bright. But this strategy of saying "We knew but Bush didn't" is making the boy look real clueless.

Former CIA analyst: US ‘conned into war’
Career Intelligence Medal Winner says pResident was lied to

Middle East expert and former Central Intelligence Agency officer Robert Baer has charged that the American-led war in Iraq is a dire mistake based on false assumptions and faulty information, but that President George W. Bush cannot stop now and leave Saddam Hussein in power after the long emotional and political buildup to the war.

“The American people, Congress, government and president were conned into this war, in the full sense of the word, by neo-conservatives and hawks (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Perle, Wolfowitz) in Washington who sold a false bill of goods. The president was lied to and given erroneous information that was filtered through Iraqi exiles who had not lived in Iraq for 20 or 30 years and had no clear idea of realities inside Iraq. The exiles had no intention of fighting themselves, but wanted the US to fight for them,” he said in an interview.

The 21-year CIA veteran quit the agency in good standing about five years ago, and was given the Career Intelligence Medal for his service. more

Report: Rumsfeld Ignored Pentagon Advice on Iraq

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld repeatedly rejected advice from Pentagon planners that substantially more troops and armor would be needed to fight a war in Iraq, New Yorker Magazine reported.

In an article for its April 7 edition, which goes on sale on Monday, the weekly said Rumsfeld insisted at least six times in the run-up to the conflict that the proposed number of ground troops be sharply reduced and got his way.

"He thought he knew better. He was the decision-maker at every turn," the article quoted an unidentified senior Pentagon planner as saying. "This is the mess Rummy put himself in because he didn't want a heavy footprint on the ground."

It also said Rumsfeld had overruled advice from war commander Gen. Tommy Franks to delay the invasion until troops denied access through Turkey could be brought in by another route and miscalculated the level of Iraqi resistance. more

US war planners accuse Rumsfeld of "micromanaging" Iraq forces: report

"This is tragic. American lives are being lost," one senior planner told the magazine.

Another former intelligence official accused Syria and Turkey of working together "to screw us in the north -- to cause us problems... Syria and the Iranians agreed that they could not let an American occupation of Iraq stand." more

Richard Perle advised firm accused of giving China technology
Scandal could reach as far as the Bush Adminstration

While he headed an influential Pentagon advisory board, Richard Perle advised Loral Space and Communications as it faced government accusations it improperly transferred rocket technology to the Chinese, administration officials said Friday. more

U.S. Led Covert Searches Yield No Banned Weapons

Shortly before the first bombs fell on Baghdad earlier this month, special operations teams from the United States, Britain and Australia swept low over Iraq's western desert to seize four targets of highest priority to the U.S. Central Command. The teams set down at camouflaged structures believed to house chemical warheads, Scud missiles and eight-wheeled transporter-erector launchers, known as TELs.

After short firefights, the teams secured the sites, according to sources briefed on the after-action reports. But the mission turned up nothing. There were "no missiles, no TELs and no chemicals" where blueprints and scale-model terrain tables had directed the teams to look, one knowledgeable official said. more

Iraqi forces begin using suicide bombing as tactic

The suicide bomb that exploded Saturday at a military checkpoint and killed four soldiers fulfilled a promise by Saddam Hussein’s regime to take the deadly tool of terrorists to the battlefield.

"This is just the beginning," Iraq’s vice president, Taha Yasin Ramadan, said Saturday during a televised statement, echoing a statement he made a few weeks before the U.S. invasion began.

In an interview published Feb. 1 in the German newsmagazine Der Speigel, he said Iraq would defy the U.S. military.

"We do not have any long-distance missiles or bomber squadrons, but we will use thousands of suicide attackers, the istishhadiyun, the martyrs. These are our new weapons, and they will be used not only in Iraq," he said in a BBC translation of the interview. more

DISGUSTING! As They Prepare to Possibly Die Horrible Deaths, US soldiers In Iraq Are Asked To Pray For Bush!

They may be the ones facing danger on the battlefield, but US soldiers in Iraq are being asked to pray for President George W Bush.

Thousands of marines have been given a pamphlet called "A Christian's Duty," a mini prayer book which includes a tear-out section to be mailed to the White House pledging the soldier who sends it in has been praying for Bush.

"I have committed to pray for you, your family, your staff and our troops during this time of uncertainty and tumult. May God's peace be your guide," says the pledge, according to a journalist embedded with coalition forces. more

Let's see.. ummmmm... Dear God, please give George Bush a clue! Please save his political ass so I can die a glorious death for his corporate oil buddies...

out...

Saturday, March 29, 2003

Jump To New Stuff

Michael Moore Isn't Through With George W. Bush. Not By A Long Shot!

New Moore Film, 'Fahrenheit 911,' Will Expose Bush Administration's Complicity For 9/11!

Controversial and Oscar winning film director Michael Moore is no fan of republicans or democrats, but he thinks he has the goods on George W. Bush and will present them for the world to see in his new film "Fahrenheit 911." Adding insult to injury, the film is scheduled for release just as election 2004 kicks into high gear!

Variety online is reporting the filmmaker is working a deal with actor Mel Gibson's production company to finance the film, a documentary that will trace the roots of terrorism against the United States. Moore will also spell out dealings between two generations of the Bush and bin Laden families.

"The primary thrust of the new film is what has happened to the country since Sept. 11, and how the Bush administration used this tragic event to push its agenda," Moore said in the Variety report.

Moore said the film "certainly does deal with the Bush and bin Laden ties," and "asks a number of questions that I don't have the answers to yet, but which I intend to find out." The trade paper said Moore has done research for the film for a year.

Moore plans to release "Fahrenheit 911" in time for France's Cannes Film Festival in 2004 -- a release timed before the presidential election that fall.

Moore's latest book, Stupid White Men, currently sits atop The New York Time's best sellers list and is the best selling non-fiction book this year. However, the book was almost never released.

After 9/11, the book's publisher, HarperCollins, was pondering whether the book might be "too offensive" to those who supported George W. Bush. Moore was told that unless he re-wrote large sections of the book (sections mostly dealing with criticisms of Bush), change the title cover, and reimburse the publisher of up to $100,000 so the new version could be reprinted, the HarperCollins would destroy the ENTIRE run of 50,000 copies that had already been printed and he would have to wait over a year to shop the book to other publishers.

Fortunately a group of librarians organized a letter-writing campaign to HarperCollins and, after weighing all their options, decided to release the book unchanged and uncensored on Tuesday, February 19th, 2002.

Though Moore was met with little resistance in filming his Oscar winning documentary "Bowling For Columbine," which also took swipes at the American conservative agenda, the information that 'Fahrenheit 911' will potentially present could set off a political firestorm in Washington - touching both republicans and democrats - but perhaps causing irreparable harm to republicans in particular.

U.S. Missile Kills 58 in Baghdad Market

At least 58 people were killed Friday in a crowded market in northwest Baghdad by coalition bombing. The market was strewn with wreckage and there were bloodstains on a sidewalk. Crowds of mourners wailed and blood-soaked children's slippers sat on the street not far from a crater blasted into the ground. 58 people were killed in the market explosion, but the number is likely to rise because many others were wounded.

"Why do they makes mistakes like these if they have the technology?" asked Abdel-Hadi Adai, who said he lost his 27-year-old brother-in-law Najah Abdel-Rida in the blast. "There are no military installations anywhere near here."

"The women and children were screaming," he said. "We were overwhelmed. What will they hit next? This hospital?"

The Al-Nasr market is in the working-class district of al-Shoala. Witnesses said the bombing took place when the market was at its busiest, around 6 p.m. They said they saw an aircraft flying high overhead just before the blast.

This is exactly the way Bush plans to win over the Iraqi people. Right?

Who Is Protesting This War and This President? The Answer Scares The Hell Out Of Republicans!

The nazis of the conservative right love to paint the current anti-war movement as uneducated and naive. However, the reality is something far different! Two Nobel Peace Prize winners, two bishops and Vietnam War activist Daniel Ellsberg were among those arrested near the White House in antiwar protests Wednesday.

Those arrested included Nobel laureates Mairead Corrigan Maguire of the Northern Ireland Peace Movement and Jody Williams of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, as well as Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of the Detroit archdiocese; Bishop C. Joseph Sprague of the United Methodist Church in the Chicago area; and Dave Robinson, national coordinator of Pax Christi USA, the Catholic peace movement.

On Friday Police arrested monks, priests, rabbis and other clergy in San Francisco for speaking out publically against Bush and the war on Iraq.

"We are here as Jews, Christians, Muslims and Buddhists to proclaim that the world can be healed," Rabbi Michael Lerner said.

A federal official said 83 people were arrested. "This is an extremely broad movement against the war, a movement that transcends all religions," said attorney Kevin Lynema, who was offering legal assistance to the demonstrators. more and more

UNBELIEVABLE! War game was fixed to ensure American victory, claims general

The biggest war game in US military history, staged this month at a cost of £165m with 13,000 troops, was rigged to ensure that the Americans beat their "Middle Eastern" adversaries, according to one of the main participants. General Paul Van Riper, a retired marine lieutenant-general, told the Army Times that the sprawling three-week millennium challenge exercises, were "almost entirely scripted to ensure a [US] win". He protested by quitting his role as commander of enemy forces, and warning that the Pentagon might wrongly conclude that its experimental tactics were working. more

What kind of dumbasses are running this circus! War games rigged so we would win? As American casualties pile up, we'll point to THIS as giving our troops an inflated sense of invincibility and perhaps one reason why the war isn't going as smoothly as planned.

The arrogance and ignorance of this administration is astounding!

Bush Gets His Crusade! Plans Under Way for Christianizing Iraq!

For those who don't know what the Crusades were - they were military expeditions undertaken by European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims. The term and concept of "crusades" to a Muslim is very inflammatory. If you want to see this Iraqi war boil over into the whole middle east, start talking about "christianizing" them. Well...

Two leading evangelical Christian missionary organizations said Tuesday that they have teams of workers poised to enter Iraq to address the physical and spiritual needs of a large Muslim population.

The Southern Baptist Convention, the country's largest Protestant denomination, and the Rev. Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse said workers are near the Iraq border in Jordan and are ready to go in as soon as it is safe. The missionary work is certain to be closely watched because both Graham and the Southern Baptist Convention have been at the heart of controversial evangelical denunciations of Islam, the world's second largest religion. more

HOLY Dumbasses!

out!

Friday, March 28, 2003

Michael Moore Isn't Through With George W. Bush. Not By A Long Shot!

New Moore Film, 'Fahrenheit 911,' Will Expose Bush Administration's Complicity For 9/11!

General Wallace was stating aloud what many soldiers have been saying privately. more

Lawmakers charge White House with stifling anti-war dissent

An increasingly vocal contingent of Congressman are accusing the White House of stifling dissent by those who oppose the war.

"What we're beginning to see is a concerted attempt to attack anyone who dissents," Congressman Sam Farr said at a press conference called Thursday by a group of Senators who feel that the war against Iraq is misguided.

Even among legislators in the Republican party, "there are consequences to pay if you don't go all with the administration's leadership," Farr said, stating that Republicans who voted against the White House budget proposals have been threatened with the loss of coveted committee seats. more

Funny how Bush has to bully people into supporting a war he says is "popular."

"Our Luke Was NOT Executed!" Tony Blair Caught In Major Lie. Says Soldiers Were Executed. "...no conclusive proof!"

The heartbroken sister of ambushed soldier Luke Allsopp insisted last night: "My brother was not executed."

Nina Allsopp hit out at "lies" surrounding his death. Grieving Nina - 29 today - said: "We have been told by the Army that Luke died in action."

"The Colonel from his barracks came around to our house to tell us he was not executed. Luke's Land Rover was ambushed and he died instantly... the Colonel told us he was doing what he could to set the record straight. We are very angry... It makes a big difference to us knowing that he died quickly. We can't understand why people are lying about what happened."

That's an easy one, Nina! Blair is trying to gain support for this illegal war in England by lying about how your soldiers are being treated.

Nina was stunned when she heard Blair had gone on TV to denounce the "executions" of Sapper Luke, 24, and Staff Sgt Simon Cullingworth, 36. Mr Blair, speaking in America, condemned gruesome footage of the dead soldiers shown on Iraqi TV as an act of cruelty beyond comprehension. However, Mr Blair's official spokesman later admitted there was no conclusive proof that the soldiers had been executed.

Top Rumsfeld adviser Richard Perle resigns over ethics. A Republican with ethics problems? NO WAY!

A top adviser to U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and one of the intellectual architects of the war with Iraq resigned his post Thursday amid an ethics controversy.

Richard Perle resigned his chairmanship of the Defense Policy Board but is remaining a member of the board, according to the Pentagon.

"With our nation at war and American troops risking their lives to protect our freedom and liberate Iraq, I am dismayed that your valuable time, and that of others in the Department of Defense and the administration might be burdened by the controversy surrounding my chairmanship of the Defense Policy Board," Perle wrote in a letter Wednesday to Rumsfeld.

Perle, one of George W. Bush's foreign policy advisers during the 2000 presidential campaign, was hired last week by the bankrupt Global Crossing telecommunications company to help it restructure a deal to sell a majority holding in the company to Hutchison Telecommunications and government-run Singapore Technologies Telemedia. The United States government -- particularly the Defense Department and the FBI -- has national security concerns about the deal, according to The New York Times. It would put Global Crossing's fiber optics network -- which the military uses -- under Chinese ownership. more

Is Dick Cheney Next?

While we're discussing ethics violations Bush's administration, I want to point out Vice pResident Dick Cheney. Cheney is receiving $100,000-$1,000,000 a year from Halliburton, the multi-billion dollar company which has won major "clean up" contracts in post-war Iraq.

Souces: Warren Vieth and Elizabeth Douglass, " Ousting Hussein could open the door for U.S. and British firms. French, Russian and Chinese rivals would lose their edge," Los Angeles Times, 3/12/03, p. I:1; Robert Bryce and Julian Borger, "Halliburton: Cheney is still paid by Pentagon contractor, Bush deputy gets Dollars 1m from firm with Iraq oil deal," Guardian (London), 3/12/03, p. 5 (which notes that Halliburton "would not say how much the payments are; the obligatory disclosure statement filled by all top government officials says only that they are in the range of" $100,000 and $1 million. )

This is what a "Pro War" rally looks like! It was sent to my e-mail uncredited. If it is YOUR pic, let me know and I'll gladly give you credit for a job well done!

India Prime Minister Refused To Help Bush

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Thursday told the media how George Bush thrice sought his help in the war on Iraq, and how he refused the American President.

"The US President George Bush has spoken to me three times saying that India must help the USA as Sadaam Hussein had left him with no option but to go for the attack," he told journalists after a dedication programme of the Chakara Nala Patni Watershed Management Plan prepared by the Deendayal Research Institute run by Nanaji Deshmukh here.

Vajpayee told Bush that India believed war was not a solution to any problem and so could not help. India is also trying to consolidate the support of many countries to prevent escalation of the battle between US and Iraq, Vajpayee said. more

Second worker dies of heart attack after smallpox vaccination

A few months back when it seemed the smallpox vaccination was all the rage I made it known that under no circumstances would I get one. Of course, this was just one more reason for the rightwingers I know to call me unpatriotic. Afterall, If it was good enough for Bush, it was good enough for me! But that nagging little 1 - in - some astronomical number will die statistic bothered me a wee bit! Boy, was I glad I wasn't a dumbass!

A second health care worker has died of a heart attack after receiving the smallpox vaccine, and officials are investigating whether vaccinations are to blame for cardiac problems seen in 17 people who have been inoculated. more

See, these two people died - and 17 more got sick - because the unelected smirking frat boy some call "president" scared them into believing Iraq or Al Queda was going to attack us with chemical weapons anyday now.

Just so you know The World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated in 1979, and authorities have not detected a single natural case of the disease in the world.

Duct Tape Redux

Terrified republicans, who recently depleted hardware store shelves of duct tape to thwart would-be terrorists, may now be in a quandry over what to do with all those rolls of the sticky stuff. Never fear! Jim and Tim, the Duct Tape Guys (www.ducttapeguys.com), publishers of "Duct Tape Books" brings the gullible republicans of our great country the answers they seek!

"Because duct tape is gender neutral, may we suggest that gals can end that age-old argument by duct taping the toilet seat down," say the two. "Don't worry guys, you can go right in and duct tape it up."

In addition, always ensure you have a roll of duct tape when you travel, as "a roll of duct tape taped to the dashboard of your car makes a great beer can holder."

One guy "used duct to secure a board five feet outside of his third-story apartment so he could barbecue outdoors."

Hey! Since Jesus said women should be subject to their husbands, when the little woman gets outta hand, you can duct tape her mouth shut! But be careful! If your wife has been hanging out with liberal women you may need that duct tape to reattach your manhood after she shows you what she thinks of your conservative ideas. Now go get her a beer!

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Susan Sarandon Charity Event Canceled After "Three Dozen Complaints."

The United Way of Tampa Bay has canceled an upcoming event featuring actress Susan Sarandon after getting three dozen complaints about her opposition to the war in Iraq. The 56-year-old Academy Award winner was to be the keynote speaker at the April 11 event designed to inspire volunteerism in the community. Her brother, Terry Tomalin, outdoors writer at the St. Petersburg Times, asked her to participate in the event six months ago. But when invitations went out about two weeks ago, the United Way received (36) phone calls, e-mails and letters from donors and other criticizing Sarandon's selection as a speaker because of her anti-war views. Robin Carson, chairwoman of the United Way of Tampa Bay board of directors, said the event had the potential to become "divisive."

Ms. Carson, it's divisive now! You cancelled a major star over 36 complaints? What a dumbass! Why not just admit you don't approve of her politics and are doing this out of spite?

Contact the United Way of Tampa Bay and tell them what rightwing McCarthyists they are!

Main Office: 727-535-3545
Tampa Office: 813-274-0900

e-mail: info@uwtb.org

Reader Provides Clarifications of Iraqi Myths

I was reading one of my favorite none political bulletin boards and was bothered by the degree to which people had bought into the simplified sound bites about the reasons for the conflict. I therefore set off to the excellent search engine at Google.com, to make sure I had heard correctly. Here is what I turned up.

I will support the troops but oppose the war until someone presents me with a single, rational reason for invasion. In the meantime, I will continue to refer to the annexation of Iraq as "Operation Just Because."

Bush says we are at war with Iraq for these reasons:

1. Hussein gassed his own people.

Status: False

The Kurds were killed by Cyanide gas used by the Iranian forces against whom the Iraqis were using mustard gas during the Iran-Iraq war. Source: New York Times

2a. Iraq is pursuing a Nuclear Program as evidenced by their purchase of 81mm tubes.

Status: False

See: Joby Warrick (Washington Post) Friday, January 24, 2003 article on the subject.

Excerpt: "When President Bush traveled to the United Nations in September to make his case against Iraq, he brought along a rare piece of evidence for what he called Iraq's "continued appetite" for nuclear bombs. The finding: Iraq had tried to buy thousands of high-strength aluminum tubes, which Bush said were "used to enrich uranium for a nuclear weapon."... Moreover, there were clues from the beginning that should have raised doubts about claims that the tubes were part of a secret Iraqi nuclear weapons program, according to U.S. and international experts on uranium enrichment. The quantity and specifications of the tubes -- narrow, silver cylinders measuring 81 millimeters in diameter and about a meter in length -- made them ill-suited to enrich uranium without extensive modification, the experts said.

But they are a perfect fit for a well-documented 81mm conventional rocket program in place for two decades. Iraq imported the same aluminum tubes for rockets in the 1980s. The new tubes it tried to purchase actually bear an inscription that includes the word "rocket," according to one official who examined them...

"If the U.S. government puts out bad information it runs a risk of undermining it's case," said David Albright, a former IAEA weapons inspector who has investigated Iraq's past nuclear programs extensively.

"In this case, I fear that the information was put out there for a short-term political goal: to convince people that Saddam Hussein is close to acquiring nuclear weapons."

2b. Iraq tried to buy Uranium for weapons.

Status: False

Excerpt: "March 10 2003 Evidence linking Iraq to a nuclear weapons program appears to have been fabricated, the United Nations'chief nuclear inspector said in a report that called into question United States and British claims about Iraq's secret nuclear ambitions.

Dr ElBaradei also reported finding no evidence of banned weapons or nuclear material in an extensive sweep of Iraq. Sources familiar with the forgery investigation described the faked evidence as a series of letters between Iraqi agents and officials in the central African nation of Niger. The documents had been given to the UN inspectors by Britain and reviewed extensively by US intelligence. The forgers had made relatively crude errors - including names and titles that did not match with the individuals who held office at the time the letters were purportedly written, the officials said." Source: Sydney Morning Herald

3. Iraq has weapons of mass destruction

Status: False

Excerpt: "The source of this news -- which disproves Bush's central assertion that Iraq has a "vast stockpile" of weapons from the Persian Gulf war "that has not been accounted for" -- was Lt. Gen. Hussein Kamel. A son-in-law of Saddam Hussein, Kamel was killed in Iraq in 1996 after smuggling crates of secret information to the U.N. about Iraq's weapons programs.

What Kamel actually said, Barry reports, is "that after the Gulf War, Iraq destroyed all its chemical and biological weapons stocks and the missiles to deliver them."

Kamel's report was "hushed up by the U.N. inspectors," Newsweek says. For its part, the Bush team has conveniently been citing only the part of Kamel's testimony in which he stated that Iraq still had blueprints and equipment for future weapons production." Source: CCMEP

4. Saddam is starving his people.

Status: False

"Inspite of the sanctions, the Hussein government has a ration program which is regarded by the United Nations as the largest and most efficient food-distribution system of its kind in the world. It has also become a strategic tool to maintain popular support over the last decade." Source: Washington Post, Feb. 2, 2003

5. Iraq is likely to use WMD or provide them to terrorists.

Status: False

Source... The head of the CIA!

Excerpt: "Tenet went on to declassify formerly secret evidence given at a closed hearing of the Senate's intelligence committee in which democrat Carl Levin, was told by a 'senior intelligence witness' that the 'probability... would be low' of Saddam initiating a WMD attack. The agent also said the chances were 'pretty high' that Saddam would launch a WMD attack 'if we initiate an attack...'.

Kenneth M Pollack, who worked as a military analyst at the CIA before serving as a top aide on Persian Gulf affairs on President Clinton's National Security Council, said:

'The agency line is that it is basically unlikely that Iraq would give WMDs to terrorists under most circumstances. The Bush administration is trying to make the case that Iraq might try to give WMDs to al-Qaeda under certain circumstances. But what the agency is saying is that Saddam is likely to give such weapons to terrorists only under extreme circumstances when he believes he is likely to be toppled." Source: Sunday Herald

6. Hussein and Iraq were involved in the 9/11 attacks on the US.

Status: False

Excerpt: "On Oct. 7, 2001, Arab TV superstation Al Jazeera aired a video in which Osama Bin Laden suggested that he was fighting for Iraq and Palestine. "One million Iraqi children have thus far died in Iraq although they did not do anything wrong," Bin Laden protested.

"Israeli tanks and tracked vehicles also enter to wreak havoc in Palestine … and we hear no voices raised."

When Powell testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee later that month, he dismissed Bin Laden's claims.

"We cannot let Usama bin Laden pretend that he is doing it in the name of helping the Iraqi people or the Palestinian people," said Powell. "He doesn't care one whit about them. He has never given a dollar toward them. He has never spoken out for them."

That was then but 16 months later, Powell and Bush did a 180 degree turn to try to find an excuse to annex Iraq. Source: MSNBC

Need more? See: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/10/international/middleeast/10TERR.html

Given that the 'excuses' for war are not true, it seems likely that there are ulterior motives in the annexation of Iraq. --- Faun Otter

Thursday, March 27, 2003

Bush White House trying to slow the congresssional 9/11 investigations

Is the Bush White House trying to put the brakes on the congressional panel created last fall to investigate 9-11 attacks? Sources tell TIME that the White House brushed off a request quietly made last week by the 9-11 Commission Chairman Tom Kean, the Republican former governor of New Jersey, to boost his budget by $11 million. Kean had sought the funding as part of the $75 billion supplemental spending bill that the president just requested to pay for war with Iraq. Bush's recent move has miffed some members of the 9-11 panel.

On Tuesday night, the White House sidestepped the issue of why the request wasn't granted in the Iraq spending bill. "We've just recently received the letter and we're reviewing it and we look forward to talking about it with Gov. Kean," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

The latest effort to curtail funding has angered victims of the attacks. Stephen Push, a leader of the 9/11 victims' families, who are closely monitoring the commission, said the White House decision was another in a long line of efforts to water down or shrink the panel's role. "I think the fact that they didn't include it—didn't warn Gov. Kean that they weren't going to include it, didn't return my phone call—suggests to me that they see this as a convenient way for allowing the commission to fail," said Push. "They've never wanted the commission and I feel the White House has always been looking for a way to kill it without having their finger on the murder weapon." Push said the White House has ignored his phone calls and emails for weeks. more

WAIT! According to Bush, Iraq had a hand in the 9/11 attacks ALTHOUGH there is NO evidence to support that position. You would think that if Bush is so sure he is right despite evidence to the contrary he would be happy to fold additional funding for the 9/11 investigation into the Iraq war allocation. Right? I mean... really... right?

FLASHBACK Bush Administration Attempts To Block 9/11 Investigations

"Dick Cheney was on the line, and it wasn’t to chitchat. The vice president rarely calls the Senate leader—a Democrat he dismisses as an 'obstructionist'—so Tom Daschle knew the topic was important when he hurried into his Capitol office. What he heard was a plea, and a warning. The Senate will soon launch hearings on why we weren’t prepared for, and warned about, September 11. The intelligence committee will study the matter, but mostly behind closed doors. Cheney was calling to pre-emptively protest public hearings by other committees. If the Democrats insisted, Bush administration officials might say they’re too busy running the war on terrorism to show up. Press the issue, Cheney implied, and you risk being accused of interfering with the mission. Daschle was noncommittal and, after the call, unmoved. 'Intelligence is just a piece of it,' he said. 'People need to know what happened......" Newsweek magazine, 4 February 2002

"Angry lawmakers accused the White House yesterday of secretly trying to derail creation of an independent commission to investigate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks while professing to support the idea." Washington Post

"For a year, Bush rejected a Blue Ribbon Commission on 9-11. But last week, Bush did a triple back flip. "The change came, NEWSWEEK has learned, after three secret and at times contentious White House meetings between family members and top presidential aides... [where family members fumed] that top government officials had yet to be held 'accountable' ... With family members threatening to go public, the White House had virtually no choice. 'There was a freight train coming down the tracks,' said one White House official. 'They realized how powerful the voices of the families were,' added Democrat Rep. Jane Harman... 'I never want to hear the phrase 'lessons learned' again,' said Sally Regenhard, whose firefighter son was killed in the World Trade Center. 'I want people brought up on charges of malfeasance." Newsweek magazine, 23-Sep-02

Jessica is lost... In Iraq!

A 19-year-old woman who joined the US Army to escape the ravages of the Bush economy was feared to be the first woman soldier to die yesterday. Blonde Jessica Lynch was among 12 soldiers in a US supply convoy ambushed by Iraqi troops. Her parents were left weeping like others in America and Britain as more Coalition victims of the war were identified.

Private Jessica — known as Jessie — only joined up because she could not find a job in her hometown in West Virginia. Lack of jobs and the military service of her older brother Gregory Lynch Jr., led Jessica into the Army, her father said.

The Bush Economy

Iraqi Guerrilla Tactics Were Predicted, Ignored By Bush Administration!

Intelligence analysts at the CIA and Pentagon warned the Bush administration that U.S. troops would face significant resistance from Iraqi irregular forces employing guerrilla tactics, but those views have not been adequately reflected in the administration's public predictions about how difficult a war might go, according to current and former intelligence officials. more

Typical Bush arrogance! Those Iraqis want to be free! They won't oppose us!

Bush Lets Another One Get Way! Al-Qaeda suspect has fled U.S.!

Federal agents hunting for suspected al-Qaeda operative Adnan El Shukrijumah now fear that he has slipped out of the United States.

El Shukrijumah, 27, who once lived in suburban Miami, has been the focus of an intense manhunt since last week when he was identified by the FBI as a possible terrorist organizer who could be plotting strikes against U.S. targets.

But federal law enforcement sources say an extensive search, primarily centered in South Florida, has yielded little information. The lack of evidence leads many senior officials to believe that the Saudi-born man, who holds at least four passports and travels under a half-dozen aliases, is no longer in the United States. more

Reading Assignments:

Bracing for Bush's War at Home click here

GOP hypocrisy in attacks upon Daschle cick here

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More On Michael Moore and the Oscars

It seems that once it was determined Michael Moore would win the Oscar for Best Documentary for Bowling For Columbine, the producers of the awards show prepared themselves for anti-war and anti-bush speeches by supplying stagehands with live microphones. The LA Times and Entertainment Weekly reports that the loud boos heard during Moore's speech did not come from the audience but rather from the sound system speakers. Further, as revealed in an Entertainment Weekly article on the event, most of the audience were all either sitting there nodding, smiling, applauding, or just listening.

Isn't it amazing the lengths being taken to protect this unelected adminstration and those that support it from the true feelings of the country? Michael Moore wrote a wonderful piece for the LA Times. Here is an excerpt:

"We have a fictitious president who was elected with fictitious election results. (If you still believe that 3,000 elderly Jewish Americans -- many of them Holocaust survivors -- voted for Pat Buchanan in West Palm Beach in 2000, then you are a true devotee to the beauty of fiction!) He is now conducting a war for a fictitious reason (the claim that Saddam Hussein has stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction when in fact we are there to get the world's second-largest supply of oil).

Whether it is a tax cut that is passed off as a gift to the middle class or a desire to drill holes in the wilds of Alaska, we are continually bombarded with one fictitious story after another from the Bush White House. And that is why it is important that filmmakers make nonfiction, so that all the little lies can be exposed and the public informed. An uninformed public in a democracy is a sure-fire way to end up with little or no democracy at all.

That is what I have been saying for some time. Millions of Americans seem to agree. My book "Stupid White Men" still sits at No. 1 on the bestseller list (it's been on that list now for 53 weeks and is the largest-selling nonfiction book of the year). "Bowling for Columbine" has broken all box-office records for a documentary. My Web site is now getting up to 20 million hits a day (more than the White House's site). My opinions about the state of the nation are neither unknown nor on the fringe, but rather they exist with mainstream majority opinion. The majority of Americans, according to polls, want stronger environmental laws, support Roe vs. Wade and did not want to go into this war without the backing of the United Nations and all of our allies.

That is where the country is at. It's liberal, it's for peace and it is only tacitly in support of its leader because that is what you are supposed to do when you are at war and you want your kids to come back from Iraq alive." more Michael Moore here

Dreamworks Entertainment Warns Chris Rock Against Bush Bashing!

Here is yet another example of how the corporate media has to protect Bush from critics! Comedian Chris Rock has been strongly advised not to engage in any Bush-bashing during the promotion of his new film Head Of State.

In the movie, Rock 's character is the Democratic party's 2004 presidential contender.

"We are confident Chris knows this is not the appropriate time to make jokes about war and the president," said one top studio source. "We don't want to get Dixie-Chicked, or anything like that, out of the gate. We've invested tens of millions of dollars in the making of the movie and its marketing."

Rock once said of Bush: "He's not stupid, he's just drunk," adding, "All the black people who voted for Bush are both on his cabinet."

Recently on Oprah, Rock cautiously said: "Ah, the war, ah, well, maybe if we Americans really knew what a war meant, ah, then maybe we wouldn't be so eager in waging or supporting it."

Think you know this Iraq War? Take The Quiz!!!!

1. The anti-war movement supports our troops by urging that they be brought home immediately so they neither kill nor get killed in a unjust war. How has the Bush administration shown its support for our troops?

a. The Republican-controlled House Budget Committee voted to cut $25 billion in veterans benefits over the next 10 years.

b. The Bush administration proposed cutting $172 million from impact aid programs which provide school funding for children of military personnel.

c. The administration ordered the Dept. of Veterans Affairs to stop publicizing health benefits available to veterans.

d. All of the above.

2. The anti-war movement believes that patriotism means urging our country to do what is right. How do Bush administration officials define patriotism?

a. Patriotism means emulating Dick Cheney, who serves as Vice-President while receiving $100,000-$1,000,000 a year from Halliburton, the multi-billion dollar company which is already lining up for major contracts in post-war Iraq.

b. Patriotism means emulating Richard Perle, the warhawk who serves as head of the Defense Intelligence Board while at the same time meeting with Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi on behalf of Trireme, a company of which he is a managing partner, involved in security and military technologies, and while agreeing to work as a paid lobbyist for Global Crossing, a telecommunications giant seeking a major Pentagon contract.

c. Patriotism means emulating George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, John Bolton, Tom DeLay, John Ashcroft, Lewis Libby, and others who enthusiastically supported the Vietnam War while avoiding serving in it and who now are sending others to kill and be killed in Iraq.

d. All of the above.

3. The Bush administration has accused Saddam Hussein of lying regarding his weapons of mass destruction. Which of the following might be considered less than truthful?

a. Constant claims by the Bush administration that there was documentary evidence linking Iraq to attempted uranium purchases in Niger, despite the fact that the documents were forgeries and CIA analysts doubted their authenticity.

b. A British intelligence report on Iraq's security services that was in fact plagiarized, with selected modifications, from a student article.

c. The frequent citation of the incriminating testimony of Iraqi defector Hussein Kamel, while suppressing that part of the testimony in which Kamel stated that Iraqi weapons of mass destruction had been destroyed following the 1991 Gulf War.

d. All of the above.

More of this quiz is here

Nazi Rightwinger Takes Offense At Being Called A Nazi! If it quacks like a duck...

Given your almost obsessive use of the term "Nazi" to describe any and every conservative, I am forced to ask - do you really, sincerely believe that conservative ideals and National Socialist ideology are compatable, or can you see that the differences go right to the very core, but hurl the cheap insult in any case, hoping some will be gullible enough to believe it?

I love it when a conservative tries to sound intellectual. This republican reader, like so many that write me, gave a fake e-mail address because he didn't really want a reply to this. Now, many conservatives take a "head in the sand" approach when dealing with history and facts but I believe this guy already thinks he knows the answers to the questions he asked me.

So the question: Do I really believe that conservative ideals and National Socialist ideology are compatable?

Trick question! The reader is referring to the nazis of Germany as the National Socialist party - their official title. The message the reader is trying to convey is because they had the word "socialist" in their name they must have really been left leaning and not conservatives. And since conservatives often try to pin the label of "socialist" on liberals, he's also trying to make an association between nazis and liberals. The truth is history is filled with political movements that give themselves titles that don't accurately portray their philosophy. For example, the German Democratic Republic (which was neither), Vladimir Zhirinovsky's "Liberal Democrat" party (which was neither)
and The Union of Soviet Socialists Republic (the Soviet Union was communist, not socialist.)

So his attempt to tie nazis with liberals is weak and his reasoning doesn't hold water. "Socialism requires worker ownership and control of the means of production. In Nazi Germany, private capitalist individuals owned the means of production, and they in turn were controlled by the Nazi party and state. True socialism does not advocate such economic dictatorship -- it can only be democratic. Hitler's other political beliefs place him almost always on the far right. He advocated racism over racial tolerance, eugenics over freedom of reproduction, merit over equality, competition over cooperation, power politics and militarism over pacifism, dictatorship over democracy, capitalism over Marxism, realism over idealism, nationalism over internationalism, exclusiveness over inclusiveness, common sense over theory or science, pragmatism over principle, and religion over secularism." Definitely NOT socialism. But it does accurately describe the conservative movement in America.

A quick examination of examples of nazi and conservative rhetoric further makes the case for the Nazi and conservative connection:

"I think 'one man, one vote,' just unrestricted democracy, would not be wise. There needs to be some kind of protection for the minority which the white people represent now, and they need and have a right to demand a protection of their rights."
--Pat Robertson, "The 700 Club," 3/18/92

"Die Deutschen Leute verlangen Schutz!" (The German people demand protection!) --Adolph Hitler

"I don't know that atheists should be considered citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."-- George Bush

Hitler often said Jews should not be considered citizens of Germany. Ein Volk-Ein Reich-Ein Fuhrer!-Gott Mitt Eins!

Perhaps the most damning comparison of American conservatives and nazis came from the book Blowback: America's recruitment of Nazis, and its disastrous effect on our domestic and foreign policy by Christopher Simpson (Collier / Macmillan, 1988), in which the author says that "after World War II, Nazi émigrés were given CIA subsidies to build a far-right-wing power base in the U. S. These Nazis assumed prominent positions in the Republican Party's "ethnic outreach committees." Simpson documents the fact that these Nazis did not come to America as individuals but as part of organized groups with fascist political agendas. The Nazi agenda did not die along with Adolf Hitler. It moved to America (or a part of it did) and joined the far right of the Republican Party." more

Also see:

http://home.attbi.com/~slimyslugs/reichstag_fire_and_september_11.htm

So, to answer the reader's last question - I'm not concerned with anyone being "gullible" enough to believe that nazis and republicans are cut from the same cloth. They only have to compare the two to see.

One rightwinger thinks I can't handle the truth!

This is your wake up call, get with the program. You can poke fun at those who feel that you are unpatriotic as a bunch of yokels. Guess again. Alot of educated people, people who are motre ducated than you are serving in the forces today and stationed in Iraq, doing a job that you are too much of a coward to do. Instead of hiding behing the flag, and ranking a decision that scares you half to death, because you didin't have the balls to make it. People like you and Mike Moore are the worst thing for this country, you con people with your tripe and tell them it's for real. I have numerous friend there in Iraq and yes it is for real, yes we are kicking ass, yes we are outside of Bagdad. Why don't you fly there and find out for yourself. See, those of us who had the balls to serve our country instead of abuse it's freedoms know the deal, we know what's real, Too bad non you know the slightest thing about real. This "I know someone who had a friend that was related to a high ranking journalist for Al-Jazeer said........" is the biggest truckload of load of Crap. Get with the PROGRAM, let go of your tree and travel to the southeast, live on a military base, meet the real people of this country.

Only a conservative would put "the truth" in the subject of an e-mail then proceed to only spew his opinion.

You presume so much in your message. And I'm sure Americans in the other regions of this country would take great offense at you implying only those in the southeast are the "real people of this country."

This is what you need to do. First, you need A LOT of money because you can't bribe elected officials without it. Then, you need to contact your congressmen, donate a large some of the money I mentioned to him/her/them and then suggest they introduce legislation that bans speech you disagree with and outlaws political dissent when Republicans are in power. (You're probably ok with dissent if Democrats are running things.)

Finally, organize a grassroots fascist group and lobby to have the First Amendment repealed.

This "if you don't like things go to Iraq" line of thought from your kinds was ignorant to begin with and the more it is repeated, the more you reinforce the public's perception of just how narrow your thinking is.

(note to representatives of Conservative groups reading this: Is this your best and brightest?)

out...

Wednesday, March 26, 2003

Bodies of 500 US, UK soldiers lying in Jacobabad

Do you think the 2001 military operation in Afghanistan went well for the United States? If you support the war on Iraq, do you point to the Afghanistan operation as an example of how successful a republican-led military can be?

Then get this: Around 500 dead bodies of American and British soldiers killed during military operation in Afghanistan after September 11 blitz have been lying in a morgue at Shebhaz Airbase in Jacobabad.

American and British authorities because of fear of strong reaction from their masses had kept the dead bodies of as many as 500 soldiers in a morgue established at Jacobabad Airbase instead of shifting them to their own countries, credible sources informed Online here Tuesday.

The bodies of these soldiers, who were killed during last five months in Afghanistan, were brought from Baghram Airbase and other areas of war-ravaged country, sources disclosed. more

British MP: Motive for the war on Iraq is the eventual partition of the Mideast

In an exclusive interview with Arab News yesterday, British Member of Parliament George Galloway said he had evidence that one motive for the war on Iraq is the eventual partition of the Mideast.

“Here in the Houses of Parliament there are people who have never set foot in an Arab country openly discussing the partition of Gulf states,” he said in a telephone interview from London.

“They talk about whether it should be one country, two countries, three countries, even four countries. They openly discuss changing the boundaries of old countries, creating new countries — removing this and that leader,” he added.

Speaking about George W. Bush, Galloway said that he was unimpressive. However, “the US has stirred up a vast amount of hatred against itself by this swaggering arrogance of the intellectually limited President, roaring like a bull in a bomber jacket in aircraft hangars to young men and women of the American armed forces who, although they know very little of the world, are ready to get out there and kill.” more

Already starting...?

Armageddon Watch: Marines mass on Iranian border

Royal Marines were deployed to Iraq's border with Iran yesterday in a move that will unnerve Teheran's regime, which fears encirclement by American-led forces in Iraq and Afghanistan...

Tensions were illustrated by a succession of border incidents. A rocket struck an Iranian oil refinery depot in Abadan, just across from Basra, on Friday injuring two people while there were reports on Monday that Iranian forces had fired on British troops on the Faw peninsula.

Iran, part of America's "axis of evil", is formally neutral but fears it could be the next target for attack. more

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Michael Moore and The Mysterious Microphone Ploy!

Are the corporate owned television networks altering the sound of entertainment events that turn political? You have to wonder. One instance - reported across the internet but specifically on MSNBC was the American Music Awards from January in which the former president Bush appeared - only to be subjected to mass boos from the audience. MSNBC reported Randy Owen, the lead singer for the band "Alabama", was “pretty shaken” by the crowd’s reaction. The boos from the crowd, however, were not audible in the broadcast, leading some to believe that they were deleted by censors.

When Michael Moore delivered his blast of the Bush Reich at the Oscars, he was, in reality, given a standing ovation and hearty applause. But, to hear the soundbyte presented on the network news, you'd never know it. All you can hear are boos...which, in fact, came from about five people, from eyewitness accounts.

Conversely, when Bush so much as smirks at a public affair, to hear the "mysterious microphones" tell it, every person in the place thunderously cheers and applauds. So when you combine the mysterious microphone effect with skillful editng you can, quite effectively, lie through your teeth.

Example: The network coverage of Moore (all 3 seconds of it) shows Moore briefly, then, while cutting to a handful of stony-faced people, cranks up the volumne on the five booers. The result: a totally false statement. more

Rightwingers using hi-tech means to control the information you and I can see and hear; Al-Jazeera English website experiences hack attack!

Conservatives have always used any means possible to control the flow of information to Americans. They know that if Americans hear both sides of a story, we'll see just how off the conservative agenda is. Lately they've been buying up media outlets to achieve this. But what happens to a free flow of information they cannot buy or control?

Hackers attacked the Web site of Arab satellite television network Al-Jazeera on Tuesday, rendering it intermittently unavailable, the site's host said. The newly launched English-language page, which went live Monday, was hardest hit in a bombardment of data packets known as a denial-of-service attack.

Al-Jazeera, based in the American allie country of Qatar, is an unusually independent and powerful voice in the Arab world. Apparently, they aren't reporting events the way the American right wants them to. more

Hollywood being attacked by dumbass rightwingers with a dumbass agenda. I don't think Hollywood will notice...

Wingers love to whine about actors and musicians speaking out against Bush and the reactionary rightwing agenda. It used to be easier to shut them up. All you had to say was that Hollywood actors were Americans and they qualify for first amendment protection of whatever they want to say.

Then, the nazi scumbags on the right developed a new tactic: Saying "them damn hollywood liberals think they're opinions matter more than anyone elses" became the new rallying cry. The wingers howled that "the common man who disagreed with Hollywood didn't have the same chance to make their voices heard - and they repeated this over and over again on conservative radio talk shows that reach millions of people everyday! THEN someone pointed out to them that their opinions actually reach MORE people than the opinions of those in show business because of the before mentioned conservative talk shows. This STILL didn't sit well with this nazi bunch because, after all, their true agenda is to SILENCE the opposition.

So, now, an organization has a website in which they preach that the hollywood crowd doesn't speak for them. NEWSFLASH! Hollywood has never claimed to speak for you nor do they want to. As Americans, they're speaking for themselves. So, Boycott-Hollywood.us?/ GROW UP! GET A LIFE! Either accept the constitution guarantees every American freedom of speech regardless of his/her influence or (to borrow one of the right's favorite lines) MOVE TO IRAQ!
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I was flooded with e-mail from people asking me to keep this picture up a few more days. OK! Gladly!

Tuesday, March 25, 2003

Update: Senate Slashes Bush's Tax Package to $350B

The Senate unexpectedly reversed itself Tuesday, voting to slash more than half of President Bush's proposed $726 billion tax cut and dealing a blow to the keystone of his economic recovery plan. more

CNN Analysis Says American Casualties in Iraq Could Go As High As 17,000
Retired U.S. Army General Barry McCaffrey: Allies Risk 3000 Casualties in Baghdad link
London Islammemo: thousands of Arab Mujahedeen from Afghanistan enter Iraq to fight for Saddam...
More than 5,000 Iraqis have crossed from Jordan into Iraq over the last week to fight coalition forces... link
"entire Arab world [will] turn against us" - George H.W. Bush link
New York Times Poll: 75% of Americans approve of Armageddon! link

Al Jazeera News: British offices bombed in Lebanon and Ecuador

Explosions damaged parts of British buildings in Lebanon and Ecuador this morning. Tuesday morning’s attack was the first on British assets in Lebanon since the country began invaded Iraq.

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This little Iraqi girl will never have her first crush or first kiss. She'll never have a "sweet 16" party, hang out late with her friends, or have the wedding she has fantasized about since she was six years old... This little girl died so we can have enough gas to put in our cars... You should thank her everyday when you pray for our "christian" president George W. Bush.

Allies Risk 3000 Casualties in Baghdad - Ex-General

The U.S.-led force in Iraq risks as many as 3,000 casualties in the battle for Baghdad and Washington has underestimated the number of troops needed, a top former commander from the 1991 Gulf War said on Monday.

Retired U.S. Army General Barry McCaffrey, commander of the 24th Infantry Division 12 years ago, said the U.S.-led force faced "a very dicey two to three day battle" as it pushes north toward the Iraqi capital.

"In the process if they (the Iraqis) actually fight, and that's one of the assumptions, clearly it's going to be brutal, dangerous work and we could take, bluntly, a couple to 3,000 casualties," said McCaffrey who became one of the most senior ranking members of the U.S. military following the 1991 war. more

George H.W. Bush: "War on Iraq Would Turn Entire Arab World Against Us"

Former President George Bush predicted in 1996 that if the United States were to engage in another war with Iraq, one aimed at overthrowing Saddam Hussein, the "entire Arab world would turn against us" and the U.S. would alienate its allies in the international community.

"To occupy Iraq would instantly shatter our coalition, turning the whole Arab world against us, and make a broken tyrant into a latter-day Arab hero," Bush said in an interview with the BBC marking the five-year anniversary of the Gulf War.

Moreover, Vice President Dick Cheney said at an energy conference six years ago that hundreds of thousands of United States soldiers and Iraqi civilians would die if a war in Iraq were ever fought on the streets of Baghdad. more

No Chemical Weapons Found At Site In Najaf

Remember that "chemical weapons factory" "found" last week that FOX NEWS had an orgasm over? U.S. officials said Monday that no chemical weapons were found at a suspected site at Najaf in central Iraq, U.S. television networks reported.

NBC News reported from the Pentagon that no chemicals at all were found at the site. CNN, also reporting from the Pentagon, said officials now believe the plant there was abandoned long ago by the Iraqis. more

Of course, we KNEW this! We KNEW that the U.S. discovered that abandoned factory in 1991! According to GulfLINK, "Suspect BW Sites in Iraq," DIA, October 1991: "Several sites in Iraq with the capability to produce and store BW weapons. Although the capability exists, no evidence of current production or storage was found. Enclosures. Text 1. Background [deleted] suspected biological warfare sites. Among the sites were the Al-Kindi company, An-Najaf, Taji, the Serum and Vaccine institute, the Agriculture Research and Water Resources Center, and the Ibn Haithan institute...."

So where are all the chemical weapons Bush and company scared us into this war with?

Evidence of Iraq Weapons Remains Elusive

In months of allegation and investigation on the way to war, no firm evidence emerged that Iraq (news - web sites) held weapons of mass destruction. Now it is up to the U.S. invasion force to find such weapons — if they exist.

Coalition commander Gen. Tommy Franks said Monday nothing conclusive has been uncovered thus far, but the U.S. military said it was investigating a chemical plant seized in southern Iraq's Najaf area as a "site of interest."

"It could be difficult to find ... this stuff," Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said a day earlier.

The U.S. and British accusations that Baghdad was hiding chemical, biological or nuclear weapons programs were the reason most commonly cited by Washington for attacking Iraq. The credibility of those claims was undercut, however, by disclosures of forgery and misrepresentation underlying some of them, and by the failure of U.S. intelligence reports to lead U.N. inspectors to any important finds. more

Americans stunned by U.S. casualties, POWs in Iraq

"It doesn't appear to be as easy as the prewar rhetoric had led us to believe."

Crystal Kent was jolted over the weekend by news of U.S. casualties and captured soldiers, signs that the armor of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq might be cracking.

"Now that you see POWs, it feels more real," Kent, 29, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, said on Monday. "I didn't think we'd lose this many people -- it seems like we're not as strong as I thought we were."

The news of deaths and injuries sustained by U.S. and British troops, images of Marines hunkered down in firefights, accounts of Iraqi guerrilla-style attacks and televised
snippets of frightened American prisoners drove home the horrors of war for many.

"It doesn't appear to be as easy as the prewar rhetoric had led us to believe." said Diane Gilleland, 56, a Chicago education executive. more

C'mon, Ms. Gilleland! Go ahead and say it: WE WERE LIED TO!

Who has been organizing recent pro-war rallies? key players in the radio industry — with close links to the Bush administration. DAMN THAT "LIBERAL" MEDIA!

By and large, recent pro-war rallies haven't drawn nearly as many people as antiwar rallies, but they have certainly been vehement. One of the most striking took place after Natalie Maines, lead singer for the Dixie Chicks, criticized President Bush: a crowd gathered in Louisiana to watch a 33,000-pound tractor smash a collection of Dixie Chicks CD's, tapes and other paraphernalia. To those familiar with 20th-century European history it seemed eerily reminiscent of. . . . But as Sinclair Lewis said, it can't happen here.

Who has been organizing those pro-war rallies? The answer, it turns out, is that they are being promoted by key players in the radio industry — with close links to the Bush administration.

The CD-smashing rally was organized by KRMD, part of Cumulus Media, a radio chain that has banned the Dixie Chicks from its playlists. Most of the pro-war demonstrations around the country have, however, been organized by stations owned by Clear Channel Communications, a behemoth based in San Antonio that controls more than 1,200 stations and increasingly dominates the airwaves.

The company claims that the demonstrations, which go under the name Rally for America, reflect the initiative of individual stations. But this is unlikely: according to Eric Boehlert, who has written revelatory articles about Clear Channel in Salon, the company is notorious — and widely hated — for its iron-fisted centralized control.

Until now, complaints about Clear Channel have focused on its business practices. Critics say it uses its power to squeeze recording companies and artists and contributes to the growing blandness of broadcast music. But now the company appears to be using its clout to help one side in a political dispute that deeply divides the nation. more

Democrats with a backbone?

Democratic presidential candidates who tone down their opposition to President Bush's policy in Iraq while the United States is at war "don't deserve to run for president," the Rev. Al Sharpton said yesterday.

"Don't be too cowardly to speak now," said Mr. Sharpton, a candidate himself, before an audience of activists from the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, at their legislative conference blocks away from the Capitol.

The war in Iraq has become the major dividing line for Democratic presidential candidates, with about half of them having expressed support to some degree, and the rest strenuously opposing the president's policy.

Mr. Sharpton said he will follow the tradition of Robert F. Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy and Martin Luther King in continuing to attack the policy that sent the troops to fight.

"We cannot allow the precious blood of Americans to be used in an unwise, unnecessary battle," Mr. Sharpton said.

Meanwhile, The Democratic National Committee is not overly concerned about Sharpton's or Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle's criticism of pResident Bush for leading the United States into war against Iraq.

Reacting to mostly republican criticism leveled against Mr. Daschle after his recent remarks, DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe has issued a memo saying that as "Democrats stand up to President Bush, we must stand up for Democrats."

"Democrats speak out on the war," it states. "As Democratic leaders led by Tom Daschle have fulfilled their constitutional duties by holding President Bush accountable for his actions, Republicans have responded with personal attacks that question the patriotism of Democrats."

The DNC stresses that regardless of what comes out of Republican mouths, Democrats continue to stand behind America's troops.

Monday, March 24, 2003

BASTARDS!

The above picture shows the cruel fate several of our brave men in uniform met while fighting Geoge W. Bush's illegal oil war. The Iraqis that did this are bastards! I hold them responsible! The unelected squatter in the white house and his administration are also bastards for putting these men in this position. Mr. Bush - bring our troops home and develop alternate fuel sources so no more American lives will be lost to make the corporate oil barons in the United States richer!

Thank You, Michael Moore - Someone Has To Say It!

Whore media misrepresents Crowd's Reaction To Moore's Acceptance Speech
Yahoo! Frontpage Headline: Oscars: Michael Moore Booed over Remarks
Actual Story: "...he was both applauded and booed by the assembled celebrities... received a standing ovation from the assembled celebrities...

Politics grabbed center stage at the Academy Awards on Sunday as the winner for best documentary, director Michael Moore, charged President Bush with waging a "fictitious war."

Wagging his finger from the stage as he was both applauded and booed by the assembled celebrities, Moore said, "We are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you."

Moore won for "Bowling for Columbine," a provocative film on the roots of gun violence in America, whose title refers to the Colorado high school where two students massacred 13 people before killing themselves in 1999.

Moore, who received a standing ovation from the assembled celebrities, invited the other nominees for best documentary film to join him onstage in solidarity against the war against Iraq.

"We like nonfiction and we live in fictitious times. We live in a time where we have fictitious election results, that elect a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons," Moore said. more

Full Acceptance Speech:

"On behalf of our producers Kathleen Glynn and Michael Donovan from Canada, I'd like to thank the Academy for this. I have invited my fellow documentary nominees on the stage with us, and we would like to — they're here in solidarity with me because we like nonfiction. We like nonfiction and we live in fictitious times. We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elects a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons. Whether it's the fictition of duct tape or fictition of orange alerts we are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you. And any time you got the Pope and the Dixie Chicks against you, your time is up. Thank you very much."

View Michael Moore's Post Ceremony Press Conference (from a remote source. I can't guarantee this video will remain up at this site.)

Latest Tragic Mistake in Bush's Middle East Folly: U.S. Missile Hits Passenger Bus killing five and injuring 10

A U.S. missile hit a passenger bus carrying Syrian civilians fleeing the war in Iraq, killing five and injuring 10, Syria's official news agency reported Monday. What isn't known at this point is where the bus was hit.

U.S. media is reporting the bus was hit in Iraq as it moved toward the Syrian border. However, the foreign press, including The Pravda in Russia, reports the bus was miles inside the Syrian border:

"The Pentagon’s precision weaponry has once again proved to be as reliable as a sieve on the high seas. As two cruise missiles landed in Turkey, fortunately causing no victims, a third missile flew 100 miles inside Syria, striking a bus. Five people are reported dead and ten injured, according to local sources quoted by western news agencies.

It would appear that the Pentagon needs to give the US forces some more target practice. After shooting down a British warplane, killing its two pilots, now not only have they hit the wrong target, but also the wrong country.

If Donald Rumsfeld’s forces are not capable of using this weaponry, he should either cease using the description “precision” or cease using the weaponry. How many innocent civilians are going to be murdered by the forces of this cold-blooded administration? "

An errant missile also landed in Iran last week...

MUST READ!!! Bush has stampeded America into conflict

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

If the only thing we still have to fear is fear itself, there is more than enough to go around.

When President Roosevelt coined the phrase in his inaugural address in 1933, he used it to banish fear and steel the nation's courage in facing down the Great Depression.

Seventy years later to the month, President Bush is using fear as a weapon, not to build courage among Americans but to stampede them into endorsing a case for a war that has been built literally on a grab bag of possibilities, contingencies, ifs and maybes, of things that haven't happened but could happen, of bad guys who might hit us if we don't hit them first.

This is a created crisis. Now that the crisis is upon us, we can only hope that it passes quickly, with minimum loss of life on either side, and that our native skepticism prevents it from happening again. free registration required to read this story

About that Alleged Chemical Weapons Plant Found in Iraq. It was Actually Discovered 12 years ago, Mr. Bush. Also, Who Will be Planting WMD If Saddam Doesn't Have Them?

Shades Of Word War II: U.S. dismayed as Turkish troops pour into northern Iraq... How long before the Middle East is in flames?

The United States has formally abandoned the prospect of a northern front in the war against Iraq as Turkey has once again balked at cooperating with the U.S. war effort.

But what is looming as a major crisis is the danger that Turkey will militarily pursue its own agenda in northern Iraq.

Washington has been dismayed by the invasion of Turkish troops into northern Iraq. Officials said thousands of Turkish troops have crossed the border into Iraq in an operation that was not coordinated with the United States. more

US accused of hypocrisy over treatment of POWs

Australian leaders have accused the United States of hypocrisy in its criticism of Iraq's treatment of US prisoners of war. Five captured soldiers have been paraded on Iraqi television with the United States military saying it is disgusted by the move.

But Australian Senator Andrew Bartlett says the US has also breached rules on the treatment of prisoners.

"That's a completely inappropriate way to deal with things in a time of war but it is very difficult for the US to credibly call on other nations to follow international law and follow the Geneva Convention when they so flagrantly flout it themselves - not just with this illegal war but what they've been doing at Guantanamo Bay," Senator Bartlett said.

FLASHBACK: Prisoners 'killed' at US base

Two Afghan prisoners were killed while in US custody at their base at Bagram, a military coroner has concluded. The report said "blunt force trauma" had contributed to the deaths. The detainees had spent about a week in the detention facility when they died last December. more

Reader Has First Taste Of The Consitution - And Hates It!

Your total and complete incompetence is illustrated in the picture on the home page of your website. To suggest that the unfourtunate friendly fire casualtys as the troops feeling that the war is unjust and immoral is disgusting and sickening.

Typical republican. No counter argument. No refuting sources. Just insults and emotional outbursts. Well, your e-mail is a bit incoherant but I'll try to get through it. "Unfortunate friendly fire incidents" seem to have become a trademark in Bush wars. I hope you have a toilet handy because if you think my suggestion that many of our soldiers are distracted and feel this war is immoral and unjut, just wait until they themselves start speaking out.

If you want to talk about an unjust war lets talk about Kosovo or Operation Monica Lewinsky.

Kosovo was an intervention in a war already in progress - one in which genocide was the aim of the aggressor. The Iraq situation is an invasion. One sovereign country crossing borders and attacking another unprovoked with no credible justification.

We wouldn't even be in Iraq if Bill Clinton did his job in the first place. The same goes for North Korea and Al Queda.

When Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush sold Saddam Hussein chemical and biological weapons, where was Bill Clinton? When George H.W. Bush failed to stop Saddam Hussein in 1991, where was Bill Clinton? When Ronald Reagan's CIA trained Osama bin Laden, where was Bill Clinton? When Osama bin Laden raised an army of terrorists in response to George H. W. Bush's first Iraq invasion and our military presence in the Middle east, where was Bill Clinton? When North Korea began their nuclear program in the 80s while Reagan and Bush were in office, where was Bill Clinton?

The answer: It doesn't matter, however when Clinton was elected in 1993 he had 12 years of shitty republican foreign policy to clean up.

Yep! Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, Osama bin Laden, Al Queda, and North Korea's nuclear program all began with shitty republican foreign policy.

You say that the arresting of protesters is unpatriotic,

No I don't and never did. I said it was unconstitutional. What's patriotic is a matter of interpretation. What is constitutional is a matter of fact. But just for the record, I think the protestors are VERY patriotic.

All 100,000 of them must have been busy when Clinton bombed Iraq in 1998.

There were plenty of protests then. However, that wasn't a full scale invasion for the purpose of conquering the country. Big difference. And if you were honest with yourself, you'd admit it.

You try to make Tom Dashle look like an honest fair politician when in reality he is the biggest hippocrat in washington and I do have facts to back that up and not just wild conspiracy theries that you use.

Well, then! Where are these facts?

Fortunatly 71% of America supports President Bush and there are only 21% of you usefull idiots out there so there's really no reason for me to even acknowledge this website. "God Bless America"

Yeah. Bush's father had even more support for the first Gulf War but look what happenned to his "support." Tell me why you think 21% of the idiots are "useful," and you've acknowledged this site. Thank you!

And Darwin bless America!

One Reader Calls Bush "Presidente!" But Supports Him! What, Are We Some Banana Republic Dictatorship Now? Wait... Forget I Asked!

Dos George better than uno!!! Long live Presidente George, right-wing conspiracies, love of God, prayer in school, anti-abortion, capital punishment, marriage, morality, truth, capitalism, gun ownership, self-reliance!!! I love this Country!!!!!!

In other words, screw the constitution!

Go to Europe and live you socialist! Why do you think those countries are so f...up? You liberals are either ignorant or stupid.

This country was founded on the ideals expressed in the constitution - ideals you apparantly wish to deny those who see things differently than you. So, if you don't wish to live in such a society, you can leave - you fascist nazi!

Obviously you don't know your Constitution. Your wrong logically and morally.

I have a very keen understanding of the document. Your diatribe on prayer in school, anti-abortion, capital punishment, and gun ownership is unconstitutional. So, explain to me and all the good people reading just WHY I'm wrong logically and morally. I really don't expect an answer...

Our president has the right to employ military action to defend the USA. Iraqi citizens need to be liberated from their murderous dictator you idiot.

To defend the USA from what? When was the last time Iraq attacked or threatened to attack us or our allies? While I agree the current state of the Iraqi citizenry is deplorable, is it our job to liberate them? And will we continue our example of liberating oppressed people around the world? Or just those in countries with large oil supplies? So as not to appear hypocritical, we'll now have to take on Kim Jong-il (North Korea)and King Fahd and Prince Abdullah (Saudi Arabia)- dictators who have been even more oppressive to their people than Saddam and the latter of who are business partners of the Bush family.

We'll also have to take on: Charles Taylor (Liberia), Than Shwe (former Burma, now Myanmar), Teodoro Obiang Nguema (Equatorial Guinea), Saparmurat Niyazov (Turkmenistan), Muammar Gaddafi (Libya), Fidel Castro (Cuba)and Alexander Lukashenko (Belarus) - all of whom have committed crimes equal - or worse - thab Saddam's.

The idea is not for the USA to run the world it's to make the world safer from mass destruction.

Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc. disagrees with you.

http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/opinion/0902/29bookman.html
http://www.newamericancentury.org/

President Bush is not trying to win a populartity contest

Fortunately for him...

and he has exhibited monumental restraint dealing with appeasing pacifist people like you.

Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Amendment I of the US Constitution. That old document is always getting in the way of the conservative agenda!

The liberal left is on it's way out! Pack your bags and move to Europe!!

Wishful Thinking. If current demographic and political trends continue, a new realignment of political power is inevitable, and will sweep Democrats to power. The electorate is becoming increasingly diverse, with growing Asian, Hispanic and African-American populations-all groups that tend to vote Democratic. On the other hand, the number of white Americans, the voting population most likely to favor Republicans, remains static. Further, America's transition from an industrial to a postindustrial economy is also producing voters who trend strongly Democratic.

Clintonism works for you when he's president and allowing Hussein to massacre millions of Kurds and his own people. He's the bastard that put us here now!!!

HA HA! No, see, that happenned during the Reagan/Bush administrations. You show, and not surprisingly, a poor knowledge of recent history.

Sunday, March 23, 2003

America! Is This What You Want For Your Sons And Daughters?

The Incompetence Of Those Waging This War Is Astounding!

The United States Military is, without a doubt, the best trained fighting force the world has ever seen. They have proved it time and time again. However, in a war that will be remembered for the advanced technology employed, we've never witnessed the level of tragic misfires. Perhaps our men in uniform, while compelled to do their duty, are being distracted by the knowledge that this war is immoral and unjustified - and that are unelected leaders will profit personally from the sacrifices our service men and women are making. Consider:

A U.S. soldier was detained Sunday on suspicion of throwing grenades into three tents at a 101st Airborne command center in Kuwait, killing one fellow serviceman and wounding 13, three of them seriously. The motive in the attack "most likely was resentment," said Max Blumenfeld, a U.S. Army spokesman. Resentment of what, Mr. Blumenfeld? more
After "accidently" firing a missile into Iran, A U.S. official said, ""There is no apology. There is nothing to apologize for..." Arrogance! more
A Royal Air Force plane listed as missing after an operation in the Gulf overnight was hit by a US Patriot missile, a US military official said today. ``I can confirm that the British plane was hit by a Patriot,'' an official with the US Central Command said. ``The crew is missing.'' more

War is hell, that is true. But in this case, it is becoming a tragic comedy.

How much longer until we can throw Bush and his gang of thugs out?

Other stories being followed:

50 MARINE CASUALTIES - KGO RADIO
ABC Radio:11 US soliders are POWs!
Sky News showing footage of US soldiers captured by Iraq
MSNBC:Some of the US POWs appeared to hve been EXECUTED? (unconfirmed)
US leaves Pakistan as protest spreads; US embassy in Paris closes
Australian air crew decides not to carry out a mission. "Australian troops aren't blindly following American orders..." Audio link

Matt Drudge Is Such A Rightwing Whore!

This Republican shill disguised as a journalist led off his page this morning with the headline: STARS IN HOLLYWOOD PARTY AS WAR RAGES IN IRAQ. However, the Washington Post story he was referring to had the headline: "As Oscars Near, Hollywood Blasts Iraq War." Quite a difference, huh? The story says "Hollywood launched a another strike against the Iraqi war on Saturday during a politically charged ceremony that could serve as a prelude for even more fireworks at the Academy Awards the next evening... In a star-studded luncheon at the Independent Spirit Awards, the arthouse movie industry's version of the Oscars, celebrities blasted President Bush and the American-led war against Iraq."

Some "party" huh, Drudge? As usual you're trying to incite your rightwing nazi readers. And even if they were "partying," what would be the problem with that? I went out to dinner and a movie last night "as war wages in Iraq." I went shopping at Walmart this morning "as war wages in Iraq." And you continued to write misleading headlines to bolster a grudge you and your narrow minded dumbass nazi drones have against Hollywood "as war rages in Iraq."

Author, filmmaker Michael Moore: "The lesson for the children of Columbine this week is that violence is an accepted means by which to solve a conflict."
Bush a "fictitious president" who was waging "terrorism."

Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, the man behind the popular anti-gun expose "Bowling for Columbine," whose title refers to the Colorado high school where two students massacred 13 people in 1999, said at an pre-Oscar ceremony, "The lesson for the children of Columbine this week is that violence is an accepted means by which to solve a conflict," Moore told the 1,000 attendees gathered under a marquee on Santa Monica Beach as he accepted the Spirit Award for best documentary. "That's the lesson for the kids."

Wearing a badge that said, "Shoot movies, not Iraqis," Moore called Bush a "fictitious president" who was waging "terrorism." more

He later told reporters he had spoken to a number of Oscar nominees who said they planned to acknowledge the war in acceptance speeches if they won in their categories. Moore's film is nominated for a best documentary Oscar, but he said he doubted he would win again on Sunday.

Got my peace pins today!

CLICK HERE!

Friday, March 21, 2003

updated Saturday, 3/22, 7AM

Father of dead U.S. marine: "I want President Bush to get a good look at this, really good look here. This is the only son I had, only son."

WBAL-TV 11 NEWS reporter Noel Tucker spoke with the (now dead in Bush's oil war) Marine's father who lives in northeast Baltimore where family members and neighbors were seen sobbing in the streets, sharing their grief with the family. Friends in the area were seen walking the neighborhood sidewalks crying and hugging each other.

The family spoke with WBAL-TV 11 NEWS Friday afternoon and shared their strong feelings against the war.

As he held a picture of his son, Waters-Bey's father, Michael, said: "I want President Bush to get a good look at this, really good look here. This is the only son I had, only son." He then walked away in tears, with his family behind him. Kenneth, the Marine's only son, was with the family. more, including video

Man Faces Charges of Threatening Senator Daschle's Life. Ashcroft Won't Prosecute!

Lately, reTHUGlicans can only win two ways - rig the vote or kill the opposition. Ask Al Gore and several former democratic elected officials about the former. Ask the families of John and Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Paul Wellstone about the latter. But now our unelected fraud and his reactionary rightwing administration are setting a dangerous precident. Not only is John Ashcroft NOT pursuing the person or persons who sent deadly anthrax through the U.S. mail service - some of which reached Senator Tom Daschle's office - but now they refuse to prosecute a man who has threatened to kill Mr. Daschle - a felony!

On March 8, Spearfish Police Department officers responded to an anonymous 8:30 a.m. 911 phone call in which a male voice stated, "We're going to kill Senator Daschle today." Daschle made a scheduled 1 p.m. appearance in Spearfish on March 8 and he later visited a trade show in Belle Fourche.

Spearfish police traced the call and apprehended Raymond Douglas Howard, then informed the FBI, Secret Service and the Capitol Police of Howard's alleged threat. However, federal prosecutors are declining to prosecute Howard! Does this now mean anyone can threaten the life of our elected officials? Or only if the life threatened is that of a democrat? more

You read about Colin Powell's plagiarized report to the U.N. You read about the falsified Iraq nuclear documents. Yep! Bush has a history of that kind of thing... And here is another one!

"... I had been 'loaned' from the senior staff and state planning officer of the Texas National Guard to the Department of the Army for a series of these special projects after angering George W. Bush by refusing to falsify readiness information and reports; confronting a fraudulent funding scheme which kept 'ghost' soldiers on the books for additional funding, and refusing to alter official personnel records [of George W. Bush].

Gee! Think those "personnel records" of Bush were his military records? more

From The Democratic National Committee: The Republican hypocrisy is breathtaking!

As the military conflict begins, Democrats stand with all of America, united behind our troops as they bravely face the dangers before them. In the months leading up to the conflict in Iraq, Democrats have spoken passionately about their concerns over President Bush's foreign policy.

Predictably, Republicans have tried to use the impending military conflict to score political points.

As Democratic leaders led by Tom Daschle have fulfilled their constitutional duties by holding President Bush accountable for his actions, Republicans have responded with personal attacks that question the patriotism of Democrats.

The Republican hypocrisy is breathtaking. During the 1999 military campaign in Kosovo, dozens of Republicans criticized President Clinton's policies -- even going as far as criticizing the military campaign itself!

See the hypocrisy for yourself. Download our special PDF report: Republican Criticism During Kosovo Conflict. Adobe Acrobat Reader required.

Chemical Weapons Used In First Battles --
By The United States!

After all the dire warnings by the Bush administration and it's dumbass drone supporters about Iraq using chemical weapon, it is the United States that is using them against the Iraqis!

Yesterday US Navy aircraft dropped 40,000 pounds napalm, a US officer has told the The Sydney Morning Herald.

"Dead bodies are everywhere." more

"Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech... or the right of the people peaceably to assemble..."
Amendment I of the Bill Of Rights - The United States Constitution

More than 1,500 protesters arrested in U.S.

The start of war in Iraq triggered one of the heaviest days of anti-government protesting in years, leading to thousands of arrests across the United States and prompting pro-war counter-demonstrations. In San Francisco, police wearing helmets and carrying nightsticks arrested more than 1,300 people Thursday as a shifting mass of thousands of anti-war protesters commandeered the streets and paralyzed the evening commute. more

Will Bush be impeached? Will he be called a war criminal?

Will Bush be impeached? Will he be called a war criminal? These are not hyperbolic questions. Mr. Bush has permitted a small cadre of neoconservatives to isolate him from world opinion, putting him at odds with the United Nations and America's allies.

What better illustrates Mr. Bush's isolation than the fact that he delivered his March 16 ultimatum to the U.N. concerning Iraq from an air base in the Azores, where there was no prospect for massive demonstrations against his policy. Standing with Mr. Bush against the world were Britain and Spain.

The U.S., once a guarantor of peace, is now perceived in the rest of the world as an aggressor. Its victim is a small Muslim nation unable to defend its own air space, much less to project power beyond its borders. If Iraqis attempt to resist invasion, they will be slaughtered.

On the eve of Mr. Bush's ultimatum, it came to light that a key piece of evidence used by the Bush administration to link Iraq to a nuclear weapons program is a forgery. Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has asked the FBI to investigate the origin of the forged documents that the Bush administration used to make its case that Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction.

Secretary of State Colin Powell denies that the Bush administration created the phony documents. "It came from other sources," Mr. Powell told Congress, but he could not identify the source.

As George Santayana said, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to relive it." The administration's use of forged evidence opens Mr. Bush to unflattering comparisons that his enemies will not hesitate to make. They will point out that it was Adolf Hitler's strategy to fabricate evidence in order to justify his invasion of a helpless country. He used S.S. troops dressed in Polish uniforms to fake an attack on the German radio station at Gleiwitz on Aug. 31, 1939. Following the faked attack, Hitler announced: "This night for the first time Polish regular soldiers fired on our own territory." As German troops poured into Poland, Hitler declared: "The Polish state has refused the peaceful settlement of relations which I desired, and has appealed to arms." The German High Command called the German invasion of Poland a "counterattack."

Thanks to his neoconservative cadre, outside the U.S. Mr. Bush is now a disliked and distrusted politician. Mr. Bush's enemies will exploit parallels to "naked aggression." After many decades of U.S. leadership in building an "international order," Mr. Bush's enemies will hold him accountable for his defiance of this order.

As much as those of us who prefer national sovereignty to world government lament the fact, the many decades of appealing to "world opinion" and enlisting it in behalf of our foreign policies has resulted in considerable authority being poured into that nebulous concept. In setting Mr. Bush in opposition to this American creation, neoconservatives have exposed him to serious charges. Democrats, who intended to use allegations about the 2000 Florida vote to destroy Mr. Bush's presidency as illegitimate, now have more deadly ammunition.

Mr. Rockefeller will not be the only one to ask if the forged nuclear documents are part of a Bush administration campaign to deceive the public. Polls show that 50 percent of Americans believe it was Iraqis who hijacked the airplanes and crashed them into the World Trade Towers and Pentagon. Inattention or media incompetence are the likely explanations for this extraordinary misinformation, but some will now blame deception.

Others are already thinking the forged documents are part of a neoconservative campaign to deceive President Bush and win his support for their Middle Eastern policy.

Many perceive Mr. Bush as following a reckless path, one that politicians normally try to avoid at all costs. If Iraq resists and devastating new explosives, which our military has been testing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, are dropped on Baghdad, there will be massive civilian deaths and charges of war crimes fueled by anger at American arrogance. more

GOP to Hammer Democratic War Critics

Congressional Republicans are implicitly challenging the patriotism (No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots. - Barbara Ehrenreich) of some Democrats who have criticized President Bush's war plans, a sign that the divisive politics marking the 108th Congress are unlikely to cease during wartime. (The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself. - Archibald Macleish)

While many foreign leaders and tens of millions of Americans oppose war with Iraq, Bush and GOP congressional leaders are reacting with vitriol to Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (S.D.) for saying this week the president "failed miserably" in his diplomacy, an assessment shared publicly by many other Democrats. (In a democracy, dissent is an act of faith. - J. William Fulbright)

Many Republicans hope to chill criticism of Bush and his Iraq policy by sending a clear and early message that they will come down hard on vocal Democratic dissenters, especially those in positions of national prominence, GOP lawmakers said. (The sharpest criticism often goes hand in hand with the deepest idealism and love of country. - Robert F. Kennedy)

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) this week told Daschle in French to "shut your mouth," and House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), normally reserved in his rhetoric, said Daschle came "mighty close" to providing comfort to the nation's enemies. In an interview yesterday, DeLay said Daschle and other outspoken congressional Democrats are only "emboldening Saddam Hussein" by echoing concerns raised by France and other international critics of Bush's approach. Criticism and dissent are the indispensable antidote to major delusions. ALAN BARTH, The Loyalty of Free Men, 1951. more

Fans boo as U.S. national anthem is played

Isn't it amazing how in just 18 months since 9/11/01, pResident Bush has turned the entire world against us? Fans booed during the playing of the U.S. national anthem before the New York Islanders - Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.

The sellout crowd of 21,273 at Bell Centre was asked to ``show your support and respect for two great nations'' before the singing of the American and Canadian national anthems.

But a significant portion of the crowd booed throughout ``The Star-Spangled Banner'' in an apparent display of their displeasure with the U.S.-led war against Iraq. More than 200,000 people turned out for an anti-war demonstration in Montreal last Saturday. more

More Frequent Updates...

Over the coming weeks, I'll be updating more frequently to provide breaking news on the Iraq war and all domestic and foreign events surrounding it...

Thursday, March 20, 2003

UPDATE: Top White House anti-terror boss resigns!

The top National Security Council official in the war on terror resigned this week for what a NSC spokesman said were personal reasons, but intelligence sources say the move reflects concern that the looming war with Iraq is hurting the fight against terrorism.

Rand Beers would not comment for this article, but he and several sources close to him are emphatic that the resignation was not a protest against an invasion of Iraq. But the same sources, and other current and former intelligence officials, described a broad consensus in the anti-terrorism and intelligence community that an invasion of Iraq would divert critical resources from the war on terror. more

It's WAR! Unelected Fraud Announces Launch of U.S. Military Strikes on Iraq

pResident Bush promised Americans he will use decisive force to win the war with Iraq but, in an admission he has been hesitant to make in the past, cautioned the conflict "could be longer and more difficult than some expect." more

US missiles target Saddam | Bush Orders an Assault and Says Americans Will Disarm Foe

Russian President Putin demands swift end to war on Iraq

Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the United States to stop the war against Iraq, calling the campaign a "serious political mistake."

"If we install the rule of force in place of international security structures, no country in the world will feel secure," he said. "That is why Russia insists on a quick end to military operations." more

Senator Robert Byrd: 'Today I Weep for My Country'

The oldest voice in the U.S. Congress rose on Wednesday to denounce as misguided President Bush's march to war with Iraq.

"I believe in this beautiful country. I have studied its roots and gloried in the wisdom of its magnificent Constitution. I have marveled at the wisdom of its founders and framers. Generation after generation of Americans has understood the lofty ideals that underlie our great Republic. I have been inspired by the story of their sacrifice and their strength.

But, today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed. Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned.

Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination. Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves. We proclaim a new doctrine of preemption which is understood by few and feared by many. We say that the United States has the right to turn its firepower on any corner of the globe which might be suspect in the war on terrorism. We assert that right without the sanction of any international body. As a result, the world has become a much more dangerous place.

We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. We treat UN Security Council members like ingrates who offend our princely dignity by lifting their heads from the carpet. Valuable alliances are split.

After war has ended, the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America's image around the globe.

The case this Administration tries to make to justify its fixation with war is tainted by charges of falsified documents and circumstantial evidence. We cannot convince the world of the necessity of this war for one simple reason. This is a war of choice.

There is no credible information to connect Saddam Hussein to 9/11. The twin towers fell because a world-wide terrorist group, Al Qaeda, with cells in over 60 nations, struck at our wealth and our influence by turning our own planes into missiles, one of which would likely have slammed into the dome of this beautiful Capitol except for the brave sacrifice of the passengers on board.

The brutality seen on September 11th and in other terrorist attacks we have witnessed around the globe are the violent and desperate efforts by extremists to stop the daily encroachment of western values upon their cultures. That is what we fight. It is a force not confined to borders. It is a shadowy entity with many faces, many names, and many addresses.

But, this Administration has directed all of the anger, fear, and grief which emerged from the ashes of the twin towers and the twisted metal of the Pentagon towards a tangible villain, one we can see and hate and attack. And villain he is. But, he is the wrong villain. And this is the wrong war. If we attack Saddam Hussein, we will probably drive him from power. But, the zeal of our friends to assist our global war on terrorism may have already taken flight.

The general unease surrounding this war is not just due to "orange alert." There is a pervasive sense of rush and risk and too many questions unanswered. How long will we be in Iraq? What will be the cost? What is the ultimate mission? How great is the danger at home?

A pall has fallen over the Senate Chamber. We avoid our solemn duty to debate the one topic on the minds of all Americans, even while scores of thousands of our sons and daughters faithfully do their duty in Iraq.

What is happening to this country? When did we become a nation which ignores and berates our friends? When did we decide to risk undermining international order by adopting a radical and doctrinaire approach to using our awesome military might? How can we abandon diplomatic efforts when the turmoil in the world cries out for diplomacy?

Why can this President not seem to see that America's true power lies not in its will to intimidate, but in its ability to inspire?

War appears inevitable. But, I continue to hope that the cloud will lift. Perhaps Saddam will yet turn tail and run. Perhaps reason will somehow still prevail. I along with millions of Americans will pray for the safety of our troops, for the innocent civilians in Iraq, and for the security of our homeland. May God continue to bless the United States of America in the troubled days ahead, and may we somehow recapture the vision which for the present eludes us."

Bush, Allies Now War Criminals Says International Legal Experts

President Bush and his allies are unlikely to face trial for war crimes although many nations and legal experts say a strike on Iraq without an explicit U.N. mandate breaches international law. While judicial means to enforce international law are limited, the political costs of a war that is perceived as illegal could be high for all concerned and could set a dangerous precedent for other conflicts, lawyers say.

The U.N. Charter says: "All members shall refrain ... from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state." It says force may only be used in self-defense or if approved by the Security Council.

Justice Richard Goldstone of South Africa's Constitutional Court, who was the lead prosecutor in U.N. tribunals on the Rwanda genocide and killings in the former Yugoslavia, said the United States risked undermining international law.

"The implications are serious for the future of international law and the credibility of the U.N., both being ignored by the most powerful nation in the world," he said.

In theory, international law could be upheld in several ways, said Louise Doswald-Beck, Secretary-General of the Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists.

"Political leaders in due course could be taken to a national court for an act of aggression," Doswald-Beck said.

Lawyers in the United States, Canada and Britain warned their governments in January that they could be prosecuted for war crimes if military tactics violated humanitarian law. more

FLASHBACK: Spring, 2002: Bush Laid The Groundwork For This Illegal War By Withdrawing U.S. Support For International War Crimes Court...

Last spring, pResident Bush withdrew U.S. support for the international war crimes court at the Hague in the Netherlands out of concern that one day U.S. citizens could be prosecuted for crimes against humanity.

Bush is wrong on international court | Rejecting world court is a mistake | Google: Bush International Court Hague

Documentary of US 'war crimes' shocks Europe

American soldiers have been involved in the torture and murder of captured Taliban prisoners, and may have aided in the "disappearance" of up to 3 000 men in the region of Mazar-i-Sharif, according to Jamie Doran, an Irish documentary film-maker. more

SHOCKING! Rightwing Wacko Supreme Court Judge Scalia addresses wartime constitutional rights

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Tuesday night that government has room to scale back individual rights during wartime without violating the Constitution.

"The Constitution just sets minimums," Scalia said at John Carroll University. "Most of the rights that you enjoy go way beyond what the Constitution requires." more

MUST READ ESSAY: Mr. Bush: I'm Coming for You

I love you and I thank you, for you have shown me who is truly responsible and culpable for the current state of affairs. It is not you. Though it would be easy to make a case against you for bullying the world toward World War III, for threatening all prospects of a peaceful and prosperous future for our nation and for all nations, I will not do so.

You are not to blame. I am. This is what you have shown me, and for this I love you and thank you. You have awakened me to my own responsibility for these gathering storm clouds of misery and calamity.

You have taught me that when I should have been awake, I was asleep. When I should have been involved, I was apathetic. When I should have been paying attention, I was distracted. When I should have been concerned, I was disinterested. When I should have spoken up, I was silent. When I should have been active, I was passive. When I should have stood tall in the name of peace, I crouched meekly. This is what you have taught me. more

Bush Administration to Propose System for Monitoring Internet

The Bush administration is planning to propose requiring Internet service providers to help build a centralized system to enable broad monitoring of the Internet and, potentially, surveillance of its users.

The proposal is part of a final version of a report, "The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace," set for release early next year, according to several people who have been briefed on the report. It is a component of the effort to increase national security after the Sept. 11 attacks. more

Reader Recalls Music Boycott In First Gulf War

Slayer, The Dixie Chicks are not the first Pop group to be boycotted for speaking their views. Remember New Kids On The Block? Back in 1991; Donnie Whalberg
wore a t-shirt that read: WAR SUCKS! This took place at the American Music Awards. Well, NKTOB paid for it. You had flag waving disc jockeys having NKTOB
tape tosses. One DJ wanted to send them over to Iraq. This happened during the First Gulf War. The Dixie Chicks aren't the first; and they won't be the last. Keep up the excellent work!

The Face Of War

Wednesday, March 19, 2003

As the countdown to Bush's illegal war continues, former CBS anchor Walter Cronkite blasts Bush's "arrogance."

The "most trusted man in America," retired CBS Evening News anchor Walter Cronkite, put aside his journalistic impartiality Tuesday night and issued a blistering dissent to President Bush's decision to wage war with Iraq.

At a Drew University forum, Cronkite said he feared the war would not go smoothly, ripped the "arrogance" of Bush and his administration and wondered whether the new U.S. doctrine of "pre-emptive war" might lead to unintended, dire consequences.

"Every little country in the world that has a border conflict with another little country … they now have a great example from the United States," Cronkite, 86, said in response to a question from Drew's president, former Gov. Thomas Kean.

"The arrogance of our spokespeople, even the president himself, has been exceptional, and it seems to me they have taken great umbrage at that," Cronkite said. "We have told them what they must do. It is a pretty dark doctrine."

"We are going to be in such a fix when this war is over, or before this war is over … our grandchildren's grandchildren are going to be paying for this war...
I look at our future as, I'm sorry, being very, very dark. Let's see our cards as we rise to meet the difficulties that lie ahead," he added, in a play on Bush's dismissive remarks about France. more

So, what are the redneck American Nazi Party reTHUGlicans going to do now? Boycott Walter Cronkite like they've tried to do to the Dixie Chicks, Sheryl Crow, and every other famous person who has dared speak out against the unelected fraud?

"The policies [diplomats] are now asked to advance are incompatible not only with American values but also with American interests."

Don't count career U.S. diplomat John Brady Kiesling among those surprised by the administration's failure to rally support among its traditional allies for a war on Iraq. As political counselor assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece, he found himself in charge of explaining U.S. talking points for the war. And late last month, frustrated by an inability to make sense of the administration's need to invade Iraq, Kiesling finally gave up and quit in protest.

"The talking points were pathetic," he says.

Now, after having served 20 years in embassies from Tel Aviv to Casablanca, Kiesling has become the first American diplomat to leave his job in opposition to U.S. policy on Iraq. In a blunt letter dated Feb. 27, Kiesling told Secretary of State Colin Powell, "The policies [diplomats] are now asked to advance are incompatible not only with American values but also with American interests."

Moreover, in the push toward war, "We have begun to dismantle the largest and most effective web of international relationships the world has ever known," wrote Kiesling. "Our current course will bring instability and danger, not security." more

Uh-oh! Gotta boycott U.S. diplomat John Brady Kiesling now, too! Damn! This reTHUGlican rally against unamurcans (dumbass dialect for "unamericans") is getting tedious!

Old lady down the street says "Bush is a madman!"

Yep! You guessed it! Nice old ladies down the streets of America are now unpatriotic! Boycott 'em! And all the sugar cookies with red, white, and blue sprinkles in the world won't make up for what you said about our God given pResident, George W. Bush!

Democrats poised for comeback in 2004? Could be!

Although it is expected that this war will boost the poor approval rating of Bush and Republicans in Congress, as it stands now, Democrats would regain at least the House Of Representatives if the 2004 congressional elections were held today and an unnamed Democrat is nipping at the heels of pResident Bush. (Pollingreport.com)

Watch the new System of a Down video "BOOM!" Directed by Michael Moore. Click here!

A Letter from Michael Moore to George W. Bush on the Eve of War

Dear Governor Bush:

So today is what you call "the moment of truth," the day that "France and the rest of world have to show their cards on the table." I'm glad to hear that this day has finally arrived. Because, I gotta tell ya, having survived 440 days of your lying and conniving, I wasn't sure if I could take much more. So I'm glad to hear that today is Truth Day, 'cause I got a few truths I would like to share with you... more

French Web site to Send Bush Pretzels for Peace

Some dumbass misguided U.S. citizens have turned on French fries and toast to vent their frustration at France's anti-war stance on Iraq. Now the French have joined in the food war -- with pretzels.

A French Web Site is urging people to send pretzels to U.S. President, who fainted and fell off a sofa in January 2002 after gagging on the salty snack. (Some think he was drunk!)

The Web Site, www.bretzelforbush.com, says the pretzels will be stored at a secret location before being sent to the White House in a historic mass action.

The retaliation follows moves by some in the United States to change the names of French fries and French toast to Freedom fries and Freedom toast.

PRETZELS ARE UNPATRIOTIC! BOYCOTT 'EM!

FLASHBACK: Bush was Warned about Pretzel Choking Hazard

An F.B.I. memo dated December 20, 2001 warned president Bush and other White House staffers to chew dry snack foods, such as pretzels, slowly, or risk choking. The memo was distributed in an attempt to avoid “potentially hazardous” scenarios approximately three weeks before the President did indeed choke on a pretzel. While President Bush was not named specifically in the document, sources inside the White House tell The Blue Brick that the Commander In Chief was the target of the memo.

“He (Bush) eats too quickly, especially when he is eating snacks. He gets worried that someone else will get more (snacks) than he is getting, like a little kid does. So, he snarfs down the snack as fast as he can, kind of as a pre-emptive strike. That way, he is sure to get more snacks than anyone else. He especially gets angry if (vice-president) Cheney gets more than he does.” more

U.S. and World Unprepared for Germ Assault -Report

The United States and the rest of the world need to do a lot more to protect people against microbes like the one causing a mysterious and deadly form of pneumonia, as well as more traditional foes like influenza and tuberculosis, experts said on Tuesday. more

Tuesday, March 18, 2003

BREAKING!! Think The Media Will Give You The TRUE Iraq War Story? U.S. THREATENS TO KILL INDEPENDENT REPORTERS IN IRAQ

The Pentagon has threatened to fire on the satellite uplink positions of independent journalists in Iraq, according to veteran BBC war correspondent, Kate Adie. In an interview with Irish radio, Ms. Adie said that questioned about the consequences of such potentially fatal actions, a senior Pentagon officer had said: "Who cares.. ..They've been warned."

According to Ms. Adie, who twelve years ago covered the last Gulf War, the Pentagon attitude is: "entirely hostile to the the free spread of information." more

Also... Should war in the Gulf commence, the Pentagon proposes to take radical new steps in media relations - 'unauthorised' journalists will be shot at. Speaking on The Sunday Show on Ireland's RTE1 last Sunday veteran war reporter Kate Adie said she had been warned by a senior Pentagon official that uplinks, i.e. TV broadcasts or satellite phones, that are detected by US aircraft are likely to be fired on. more

Can we believe ANYTHING this administration does? This policy effectively allows the Bush administration to control the flow of information out of Iraq. They will KILL anyone who tries to report anything they don't want you to see. Orwellian. Pure Orwellian!

PREAMBLE

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED

to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and

to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and

to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and

to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

AND FOR THESE ENDS

to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and

to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and

to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and

to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,

HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS

Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations.

Charter of the United Nations - Preamble

I couldn't help but notice after reading the Preamble of the United Nations that it contradicts the entire Republican party platform. Seriously, all that talk about avoiding war, "equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small," the promotion of "social progress" and tolerance must really scare the hell out of what was once the party of Lincon but has now become the American Nazi Party.

The Bush administration all but admits this by saying the UN will become irrelevant if they don't bow down to Bush and support his oil war. Calling them dumbasses at this point would be an understatement - and far too nice.

Bush Tells Saddam to Leave by Wednesday

After abandoning a U.N. vote he promised to see through (Bush broke a promise? NO!), Bush delivered a 48-hour ultimatum to Saddam Hussein last night - edging to the brink of war. President Bush gave Saddam Hussein until Wednesday to leave his country and told Americans that military confrontation will ultimately make them safer. This contradicts expert intelligence opinion by the CIA, FBI, and foreign intelligence agencies who all agree a spark such as this in the Middle East will lead to terrorist attacks against Americans.

Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle charged that a collapse of the administration's diplomatic efforts had brought an unneeded war.

"I'm saddened, saddened that this president failed so miserably at diplomacy that we're now forced to war," Daschle said in a speech to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. "Saddened that we have to give up one life because this president couldn't create the kind of diplomatic effort that was so critical for our country."

Having abandoned diplomacy at the stubbornly divided U.N. Security Council, Bush set about trying to win over an equally divided American public. A CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll found Americans just about evenly split on whether the United States should unleash military action without a new U.N. vote. Forty-seven percent supported such an action and 50 percent opposed it.

The Top 20 Lies In Bush's Monday Night Speech

Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. This regime has already used weapons of mass destruction against Iraq's neighbors and against Iraq's people.

False. The most lethal weapons ever devised are hydrogen bombs, which we possess, not Iraq. As America and the U.N. has failed to locate a single WMD in Iraq, ‘no doubt’ is a lie.

The regime has a history of reckless aggression in the Middle East. It has a deep hatred of America and our friends. And it has aided, trained and harbored terrorists, including operatives of al Qaeda.

False. There is no evidence of an al-Qaida alliance with Saddam.

The danger is clear: using chemical, biological or, one day, nuclear weapons, obtained with the help of Iraq, the terrorists could fulfill their stated ambitions and kill thousands or hundreds of thousands of innocent people in our country, or any other.

False. This builds on the last lie. As Al-Qaida is not allied with Saddam in any way, I can hardly see Saddam handing them a nuke. Especially since he doesn’t have one.

The United States and other nations did nothing to deserve or invite this threat.

False. Bin Laden has been yelling for years that the U.S. has stationed troops in and meddled with the affairs of Arabic countries. So, yes, the threat is not deserved, but it was certainly invited.

But we will do everything to defeat it. Instead of drifting along toward tragedy, we will set a course toward safety. Before the day of horror can come, before it is too late to act, this danger will be removed.

False. What danger? Al-Qaida? But Al-Qaida isn’t involved with Iraq.

We believe in the mission of the United Nations.

False. Otherwise you would submit to its authority. more

Things To Come...

f course we'll win on the battlefield, probably with ease. I'm not a military expert, but I can do the numbers: the most recent U.S. military budget was $400 billion, while Iraq spent only $1.4 billion.

What frightens me is the aftermath — and I'm not just talking about the problems of postwar occupation. I'm worried about what will happen beyond Iraq — in the world at large, and here at home.

The members of the Bush team don't seem bothered by the enormous ill will they have generated in the rest of the world. They seem to believe that other countries will change their minds once they see cheering Iraqis welcome our troops, or that our bombs will shock and awe the whole world (not just the Iraqis) or that what the world thinks doesn't matter. They're wrong on all counts.

Victory in Iraq won't end the world's distrust of the United States because the Bush administration has made it clear, over and over again, that it doesn't play by the rules. Remember: this administration told Europe to take a hike on global warming, told Russia to take a hike on missile defense, told developing countries to take a hike on trade in lifesaving pharmaceuticals, told Mexico to take a hike on immigration, mortally insulted the Turks and pulled out of the International Criminal Court — all in just two years. more

Mexico 'regrets' imminent war with Iraq; France Says World Against Bush Ultimatum on Iraq

President Vicente Fox said Monday he ''regrets'' the Iraq conflict appeared headed for war but insisted that Mexico's opposition to military action would not strain important relations with Washington.

''Mexico reiterates its support for the multilateral route to solve conflicts and regrets the path to war,'' Fox said in a statement to the Mexican people broadcast on the presidential channel and carried live on some media outlets.

''The international community should have the creativity to ensure that peace prevails,'' he said.

France said on Tuesday the world did not back President Bush's ultimatum to Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq within 48 hours or face military action.

The office of French President Jacques Chirac said in a statement the United Nations Security Council opposed the move, and that ignoring international opinion would carry a "heavy responsibility."

"This unilateral decision is contrary to the wishes of the Security Council and of the international community, who wish to pursue the disarmament of Iraq in accordance with (U.N.) resolution 1441," the Elysee presidential palace said.

"Whatever the objective pursued, France recalls that only the Security Council has the authority to justify the use of force," it added.

out...

Monday, March 17, 2003

War By Week's End?

War fears loom today, as Western nations urge their citizens to leave the Gulf region and U.N. nuclear inspectors are saying they have been advised to pull out of Iraq.

Administration sources said White House officials would be calling many of the 15 Security Council members in a final effort to persuade them to vote for a draft resolution that would give Iraq a few more days to disarm or face military action.

pResident Bush said that Monday would bring "a moment of truth for the world." more

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Walden3 Click Here
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Open Letter to Bush: You Are Disgracing America -- Resign or Be Impeached

Dear George W. Bush,

Congratulations! With your decision to bomb and invade Iraq, you are about to make yourself both an enemy of the state and an international war-criminal.

Everyone has been telling you not to do it, that attacking Iraq -- absent an overt provocation, and without domestic and international consensus behind you -- is neither in America's best interests, nor in the best interests of world order and the global economy.

That everyone includes your father, the former President, along with his security advisors; your top military brass; your longtime allies; the Security Council of the United Nations; the world's major religious leaders; millions of ordinary citizens marching for peace across the world; leaders of Arab and other Muslim countries; an increasing number of conservative and moderate Republicans; etc. etc.

The fact that even with your threat-and-bribe machine working overtime, you couldn't even round up a majority on the Security Council to give some cover to your desire to "shock-and-awe" your way into war should have told you something. Clearly, people are afraid of America's military power, but you wield absolutely no moral authority -- zilch, nada, none. Few wish to follow you into the maw of immorality; few wish to wind up with you in the war-crimes dock at The Hague. more

Updated For 03.17.03

The New American McCarthyism is a feature exclusive to Rightwing Slayer that points out McCarthy-like tactics the American concervative right has been employing against those who do not share their war mongering, faux patriotism, or conservative views. This feature will appear whenever such incidents occur. The first installment was yesterday. If you missed it, scroll down and check it out. Now, today's update.

New American McCarthyism: Anti-France backlash grows ugly

Residents of a quiet, quintessentially American subdivision in Kingwood laughed about "freedom" fries and the petition to rename New Orleans' French Quarter.

They hardly expected their own neighborhood to be invaded by the anti-France backlash spurred by American and French differences over the threat of war with Iraq.

But when Francoise Thomas took out the garbage Saturday morning, she saw the angry red letters spray-painted on the garage door of her townhouse.

"Scum go back to France," it read.

Thomas considers the graffiti a hate crime and is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrator. Thomas has lived in the United States 23 years and made her career as a real estate agent here. She recently retired and plans to stay in Kingwood.

"I love France and I love the U.S.," she said in her slight French accent, adding that she has tried to stay out of politics on Iraq.

Neighbors lambasted the vandal and said they fear it was someone they know.

"Who knows she's from France?" asked Sandra Winkler. "Only the people in the neighborhood." more

New American McCarthyism: Drudge Report wants to know you're favorite anti-war song

If the American rightwing extremists who worship Matt Drudge weren't aware of the current crop of anti-war songs, they are now - which is exactly what Drudge intended.

New American McCarthyism: Atlanta radio station 96Rock's morning team, the Regular Guys, encouraging listeners to attack Sheryl Crow at upcoming concert

Rightwing Slayer has been informed that patriotically correct "The Regular Guys," the morning DJ team on Atlanta radio station 96Rock, is encouraging their listeners to physically attack Sheryl Crow for her anti-war stance at an upcoming concert. Contact 96Rock at 404.325.0960 and tell them what un-American dumbasses "The Regular Guys" are for inciting violence against Sheryl Crow for exercising her first amendment rights.
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NBC Knows What Is More Important To The Network's Viewers - Has The Courage To Delay Bush Speech For Football!

Television viewers watching President Bush speak Sunday on NBC after the Azores summit might have thought they were watching an instant replay of what was on other networks. NBC showed Bush's news conference behind ABC, CBS and the cable news networks.

That was because NBC stations were showing regional coverage of Arena Football League games at the time, except on the West Coast. NBC wanted to wait for breaks in all the football games, said Allison Gollust, spokeswoman for NBC News.

out...

Sunday, March 16, 2003

Thousands Surround White House in Anti-War Protest

Thousands of Americans from more than 100 cities surrounded the White House in a peaceful anti-war protest on Saturday, in perhaps their last chance to dissuade the Bush administration from invading Iraq. Carrying signs with such messages as "Stop Mad Cowboy Disease" above a picture of President Bush, the demonstrators beat drums, sang songs and chanted as they marched from the Washington Monument to the White House and finally to the Justice Department.

"President Bush, listen to your people -- the American people before you today, who say, 'No war in Iraq,"' Howard University student Peta Lindsay told a cheering crowd at a midday rally.

The demonstrators, from throughout the country and across the ideological spectrum, waved flags and placards and chanted slogans like "Send our troops home" and "No Blood for Oil." Some flew rainbow kites with "peace" written on them.

Bush spent Saturday away from Washington at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. But he used his weekly radio address to brace the public for war, saying he saw little hope that Iraq would disarm peacefully.

Despite his absence, police cars kept the demonstrators to a route about a block's width away from the White House.

Gore Speech Reveals Saddam was a Bush Sr. Made Man

In 1992 during the heated campaign for the Whitehouse the mantra for the Clinton/Gore team was “it’s the economy, stupid”, but the assault on Bush the elder could just have easily been targeted toward his administration’s duplicity on Iraq. In September 1992 Senator and Vice Presidential candidate Al Gore addressed the Center for International Policy and articulated a comprehensive dissertation on the inconsistencies, fabrications and collaboration between the Reagan/Bush I administrations and Saddam Hussein.

Republicons.org has acquired a transcript of the speech delivered by Gore and it exhaustively details, in classic Gore fashion, a twelve year history of politically expedience, appeasement and clandestine cooperation with Iraq. Regardless of what one feels about Al Gore politically and personally, his one unimpeachable quality is his being the preeminent policy wonk; he is at the zenith of contemporary political scholarship.

Excerpts from Gore’s speech of September 29, 1992:

President Bush, in his handling of our policy toward Iraq [has shown] poor judgment, moral blindness and bungling policies led directly to a war that should never have taken place. U.S. taxpayers are now stuck with paying the bill for $1.9 billion President Bush gave to Saddam Hussein even though top administration officials were repeatedly told Saddam was using our dollars to buy weapons technology. Bush, of course, believes that the war with Iraq was his finest hour as the organizer and leader of a vast coalition of armed forces, united for the purpose of frustrating the designs of an evil dictator.

But the war with Iraq had deep roots, and if George Bush's prosecution of the war is part of his record, so too is his involvement in the diplomacy which led to it, both in the Reagan/Bush era, and far more so, during his presidency when he accelerated foreign aid and the sale of weapons technology to Iraq -- right up until the invasion of Kuwait -- in spite of repeated warnings that anyone with common sense would have had no difficulty understanding.

Nineteen months ago [January 1991 – the onset of the Iraq war], President Bush called Saddam Hussein a new Hitler who had to be stopped at all costs. Yet today, that same tyrant remains firmly in power, resisting by every means the will of the international community. No wonder so many Americans ask themselves whether our victory over Saddam will ultimately prove an illusion.

George Bush wants the American people to see him as the hero who put out a raging fire. But new evidence now shows that he is the one who set the fire. He not only struck the match, he poured gasoline on the flames. So give him credit for calling in the fire department, but understand who started the blaze.

In September of 1980, Iraq invaded Iran. Iraq was the odds-on favorite to win the war in short order. However, by May 1982, Iraq was clearly in trouble. It had lost a major battle with Iran. Our policy-makers began to imagine Iran under a radical Islamic government emerging as the dominant regional power: a nightmare. I believe that is why, in February 1982, President Reagan took Iraq off the list of states that sponsored terrorism.

By taking Iraq's name off the list, President Reagan opened the way for Iraq to receive US credits through subsidized agricultural loan guarantees and Export-Import Bank credits.

In other words, for strategic reasons, the Reagan/Bush Administration would overlook virtually any unpleasant reality in Iraq, and apparently subvert US laws in order to prop up Saddam Hussein's brutal regime.

George Bush cannot even try to claim ignorance where policy toward Iraq was concerned. Not only was he directly in the loop, he was a principal architect of the policy from its earliest days. For example, in April of 1984, Bush personally lobbied the Ex-Im Bank's chairman--a friend from college days--to disregard the views of his own economists, and extend credits to Iraq. Doubts about Iraq's credit-worthiness were very well-founded. But the overriding issue was whether Iraq could continue to hold on in the war with Iran. That's all that seemed to matter.

In pursuit of that objective, the Reagan/Bush Administration would overlook the fact that it was an Iraq-based group that masterminded the assassination attempt against Israel's ambassador to the UK, which occurred in June 1982. The Reagan/Bush Administration was also prepared to overlook the fact that the terrorist who masterminded the attack on the Achille Lauro and the savage murder of American Leon Klinghoffer fled with Iraqi assistance. Nor did it matter that the team of terrorists who set out to blow up the Rome airport came from Baghdad with suitcase bombs.

Iraq not only stayed off the terrorist list no matter what, but in November 1984, full diplomatic relations were established with the country. The US government continued to exert every effort to channel assistance to Saddam Hussein--even with evidence that he was not only promoting terrorism, but was also pursuing a nuclear weapons program. As early as May of 1985, Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard Perle warned about the suspected diversion of US exports of dual-use technology to the Iraqi nuclear weapons program. But Bush ensured that the flow of technology continued.

In March 1987, Bush again took a prominent role: when Iraq's ambassador complained that our Defense Department was taking too long and being too cautious about export licenses for high tech items, Bush apparently agreed with him that the Defense Department was being capricious and had to get with the program.

There might have been a moment's pause for reflection when Iraqi aircraft intentionally attacked the USS Stark in May 1987, killing 37 sailors -- but the Administration smoothed it over very fast. This was the spring when the Ex-Im Bank staff resisted another $200 million loan for Iraq, but again the loan was granted after Bush again personally intervened to stress its political importance. The loan went through in May, just two days before the attack on the Stark.

Within days of the end of the Iran-Iraq War, Saddam Hussein--seeing that he had gotten away with using poison gas against the Kurds previously--launched additional major gas attacks on them. The war was over, and he was determined to settle accounts. Saddam's attacks created, in addition to the wave of deaths, a flight of about a half million Kurdish refugees.

The outrage and disgust sparked action and ignited an intensification of efforts to pull the plug on US assistance to Saddam Hussein. I myself went to the Senate floor twice demanding tough action. But these efforts were resisted to the bitter end by the Reagan/Bush and Bush/Quayle Administrations. For example, they pulled out all the stops to defeat the Prevention of Genocide Act, after the US Senate had passed it unanimously in September of 1988.

Most significant of all, in [April 1989], the CIA reported to Secretary of State James Baker and other top Bush administration officials that Iraq was clandestinely procuring nuclear weapons technology through a global network of front companies.

Now, in the midst of this flood of highly alarming information, on October 2, 1989, President Bush signed a document known as NSD-26, which established policy toward Iraq under his Administration.

NSD-26 mandated the pursuit of improved economic and political ties with Iraq on the assumption that Iraqi behavior could be modified by means of new favors to be granted. Perhaps so, if this were a state not under the complete control of a single man whose ruthlessness was already totally apparent. The text of NSD-26 blindly ignores the evidence already at the Administration's disposal of Iraqi behavior in the past regarding human rights, terrorism, the use of chemical weapons, and the pursuit of advanced weapons of mass destruction.

It leaps from the page, that George Bush, both as Vice President and President, had done his utmost to make sure that no such sanctions would ever apply to Saddam Hussein. Consequently, the question is unavoidable: why should Saddam Hussein be concerned about a threat of action in the future from the same man who had resolutely blocked any such action in the past? To the contrary Saddam had every reason to assume that Bush would look the other way -- no matter what he did.

In October of 1989, representatives of the Departments of State and Agriculture met to discuss Iraq's diversion of US agricultural credits into the acquisition of US technology for its nuclear weapons program. Later that same month, however, on October 26th, Assistant Secretary of State Kelly sent Secretary Baker a memo jointly written with the State Department's legal counsel, Abe Sofaer, urging that Baker push an additional $1 billion in agricultural loan guarantees for Iraq.

In January of 1990, President Bush issued a determination that exempted Iraq from section 512 of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act of November 1989 prohibiting further loans to Iraq [o]n grounds of "national security".

In February 1990, Saddam Hussein called for the removal of US military forces from the Persian Gulf. And yet, the same month, the Administration actually apologized to Saddam for the content of a Voice of America broadcast criticizing Iraq's human rights record.

On April 12th, at the personal request of Bush, Senators Bob Dole and Alan Simpson -- the number one and number two Republican leaders in the Senate -- travelled to Baghdad and told Saddam Hussein that President Bush was still ready to veto any sanctions bill that Congress might pass.

[I]n July, as Iraqi tanks and soldiers massed on the Kuwaiti border, the Senate tried to pass another sanctions bill against Iraq...and the Administration opposed it. Not only that, but on the eve of the invasion, the Bush/Quayle Administration kept selling Saddam dual- use technology such as sophisticated computers, flight simulators, and equipment to manufacture gun barrels.

President Bush has explicitly denied that his policies enhanced Saddam Hussein's nuclear, biological and chemical capabilities. He denied this, not only in an official report to Congress in the fall of 1991, but as recently as June 13th and July 1st of this year, when Bush said: "We did not enhance Saddam Hussein's nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons capability." But as I have just mentioned, his own Secretary of State knew differently at least as of July 1990.

And incredibly, immediately following the war, President Bush reverted to form. At President Bush's encouragement, an armed resistance to Saddam Hussein sprang up in Iraq. But at the critical moment, it was George Bush's decision to betray that resistance by tolerating Saddam Hussein's use of attack helicopters to put down the rebellions. That was a clear violation of the terms of the ceasefire, and it was a violation we had more than enough power to suppress. (for more, click here...)

New Semi-Regular Feature Starts Today

I have been appaled in recent weeks at the McCarthy-like tactics the American concervative right has been employing against those who do not share their war mongering, faux patriotism, or conservative views. Starting today, I'm going to highlight examples of what I call the New American McCarthyism. Two new ones today plus a reminder of several that has happenned in recent weeks.

NEW! New American McCarthyism: Brawl erupts after song played at rodeo

Talk of war with Iraq has sparked an atmosphere of tension and anxiety. And it may be to blame for a brawl that broke out at the rodeo Thursday night. With some 15,000 to 20,000 folks at the rodeo drinking beer and having fun, things can get a little out of hand at times. It happened when a tape of Lee Greenwood's song Proud To Be An American was playing. Some rodeo fans were standing and others were sitting down. Felix Fanaselle and his buddies chose to remain seated.

"This guy behind us starts yelling at us (because) we're not standing up," said Fanaselle. "He starts cussing at us, telling us to go back to Iraq."

The 16-year-old said the man seated behind him started spitting at him and spilling his beer on him and his friends.

"By the end of the song, he pulled my ear. I got up. He pushed me. I pushed him," said Felix. "He punched me in my face. I got him off me."

When the dust settled, Fanaselle had been handcuffed and released. He and John McCambridge were cited for "mutual combat" and fighting in public. That's a $200 fine. Fanaselle's lawyer says you don't have to stand for a country and western song.

"I guess next time, he'll think maybe we need to stand for the Okie From Muscogee," said attorney Clayton Rawlings. "This is phony patriotism. This man needs to be ashamed of himself for what he did." more

New American McCarthyism: School's Reign Of Terror Over 14 Yr Old Gay Student

An Arkansas teen outed by his high school to his parents, forced by a principal to read Bible passages condemning homosexuality, and ordered not to discuss his sexuality on school property is threatening to take the local school board to court.

“My school forced me out of the closet when I should have been allowed to come out to my family on my own terms and when I thought it was the right time. And now the school has been trying to shove me back into it ever since,” said 14 year old Thomas McLaughlin.

“I’m through with being silenced, and I don’t want this happening to other gay kids at my school.”

The American Civil Liberties Union is representing the teen. In a letter to officials at Jacksonville Junior High School ACLU has demanded that the school stop violating the student's rights and remove all unconstitutional disciplinary actions taken against him from his record by March 21 or face legal action.

On one occasion a teacher called a conference with McLaughlin’s parents and the principal because she objected to his being open about being gay. The meeting was the first time his parents found out he was gay.

On another occasion, a different teacher ordered McLaughlin not to discuss his sexual orientation, saying that she found it “sickening,” and later called his mother to complain about his homosexuality.

When the student disagreed with yet another teacher for calling him “abnormal” and “unnatural” he was ordered to read aloud from the Bible passages that some Christians believe condemns homosexuality.

He was then suspended for two days for telling other students about being made to read the Bible in school. The principal and assistant principal also told McLaughlin that if he told any of his friends why he was suspended, they would recommend that he be expelled. more

Please pass along to me new American McCarthyism examples you find...

Powell furious at Rumsfeld's Europe insults

As America struggles to win United Nations support for deposing Saddam Hussein, new evidence of tension between US Secretary of State Colin Powell and the pro-war "hawks" in the Bush Administration has emerged publicly.

Mr Powell has let it be known that he is furious at Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for negative comments about France and Germany that appear to have stiffened their opposition to a UN resolution authorising war on Iraq.

The head of the US military during the 1991 Gulf War, Mr Powell is also unhappy with Mr Rumsfeld's offhand revelation this week that British forces in the Gulf may not join an invasion. The remark encouraged opponents of beleaguered British Prime Minister Tony Blair, one of America's strongest allies.

"Diplomacy is slipping away and Rumsfeld needs some duct tape put over his mouth," The New York Times quoted an anonymous friend of Mr Powell's as saying. more

A new Newsweek poll shows that while many Americans still support the use of military force in Iraq, confidence in the Bush Administration is wavering

The survey, taken on March 13 and 14, puts approval ratings for President George W. Bush’s handling of the Iraqi situation at 56 percent, down from 60 percent six weeks ago. Bush’s approval rating, meanwhile, has declined to 53 percent, down 8 points from the first week in February. more

Caught In The Net: Comments From The World Wide Web

Need we remind President Bush that had it not been for the French during the Revolutionary War there would not be a United States for God to bless?

The French are the single reason why there is a United States of America (for God to bless). If it were not for the French, we (the U.S.) would still be British!

I know that our fine President (a former cheerleader) has been unable to rally support at home and abroad to secure a mandate on anything, ever (ouch), including support for another Grand Surrender by Sadam. Our last great stance against Sadam was the greatest surrender of all time, it only took 100 hours to defeat his army, an army that was reported to be the third most powerful army in the world, remember?

There is a reason why the same God that you ask to Bless America has given George Bush two ears and only one mouth. The reason is that the President should listen twice as much as he talks. If the President listens to what the world has said, perhaps he could focus his energies on something other than his tactics of "words of mass distraction" intended only to distract our country's attention away from the pathetic economy.

I am raising my children in Concord Massachusetts, where the Revolutionary War began and where the "shot heard round the world" was fired. I have tried to teach my children to listen with both of their ears to everyone and to form their own opinions based on what they have learned.

The French are an easy target to blame for the sad state of Mr. Bush's foreign diplomacy, but they are not the reason why the U.S. is where it is today. Bush has not been able to get support from a single neighboring country to Sadam other than Israel and Turkey, has he? How much money have we paid Israel and Turkey for their support?

Don't forget Mr. President, a fish stinks from the head.

God Bless America!

Tom Goulet
(A Proud Frenchman)

out...

Saturday, March 15, 2003

Forces Aligning Against Bush? Senator questions Bush's Iraq nuke program 'proof' - Requests FBI Documents; Now Ex-CIA Officers Questioning Iraq Data!

Yesterday the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee asked the FBI on Friday to investigate forged documents the Bush administration used as evidence against Saddam Hussein and his military ambitions in Iraq. Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia said he was uneasy about a possible campaign to deceive the public about the status of Iraq's nuclear program. more

Now, A small group composed mostly of retired CIA officers is appealing to colleagues still inside to go public with any evidence the Bush administration is slanting intelligence to support its case for war with Iraq. Members of the group contend the Bush administration has released information on Iraq that meets only its ends — while ignoring or withholding contrary reporting. They also say the administration's public evidence about the immediacy of Iraq's threat to the United States and its alleged ties to al-Qaida is unconvincing, and accuse policy-makers of pushing out some information that does not meet an intelligence professional's standards of proof.

"It's been cooked to a recipe, and the recipe is high policy," said Ray McGovern, a 27-year CIA veteran who briefed top Reagan administration security officials before retiring in 1990. "That's why a lot of my former colleagues are holding their noses these days." more

Yep! Even the CIA knows our joke of a pResident is lying!

Fake Iraq documents 'embarrassing' for Bush! - Sure, He's Embarassed Because He Got Busted!

Intelligence documents that U.S. and British governments said were strong evidence that Iraq was developing nuclear weapons have been dismissed as forgeries by U.N. weapons inspectors.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell referred to the documents directly in his presentation to the U.N. Security Council outlining the Bush administration's case against Iraq.

Responding to questions about the documents from lawmakers, Powell lied, "It was provided in good faith to the inspectors and our agency received it in good faith, not participating ... in any way in any falsification activities." more

Bill Clinton Blasts Bush's Political Mess

Former President Bill Clinton double-dissed President Bush last night, saying his successor in the White House has bungled handling the U.S. economy and the crisis over Iraq.

Clinton, who drew standing ovations from a packed auditorium at the 92nd Street Y on the upper East Side, criticized the administration's economic policies as "wrongheaded" and getting worse. He said the 2001 tax cut turned the surplus he left into a "massive deficit" that he predicted eventually will drive up interest rates and create problems paying for Medicare and Social Security.

"And now they want to give another tax cut," he told the audience of more than 1,000. "It doesn't make sense. We shouldn't do it now." more

Repeal the 22nd Amendment now so we can re-elect Clinton and clean Bush's mess up!

Bush Playing With Lives Again! Says He Won't Endorse Peace In The Israeli-Palestine Conflict Until Yasser Arafat Is Nuetralized. Arafat Hold One Distinction Over Bush - He Was Actually ELECTED To Lead His People...

President Bush yesterday vowed to withhold a detailed Mideast peace plan that endorses statehood for Palestine until its residents confirm a new prime minister who would dilute the power of leader Yasser Arafat. more

This Is What Happens When Religion Creeps Into Public Schools: School's Reign Of Terror Over 14 Yr Old Gay Student

An Arkansas teen outed by his high school to his parents, forced by a principal to read Bible passages condemning homosexuality, and ordered not to discuss his sexuality on school property is threatening to take the local school board to court.

“My school forced me out of the closet when I should have been allowed to come out to my family on my own terms and when I thought it was the right time. And now the school has been trying to shove me back into it ever since,” said 14 year old Thomas McLaughlin.

“I’m through with being silenced, and I don’t want this happening to other gay kids at my school.”

The American Civil Liberties Union is representing the teen. In a letter to officials at Jacksonville Junior High School ACLU has demanded that the school stop violating the student's rights and remove all unconstitutional disciplinary actions taken against him from his record by March 21 or face legal action.

On one occasion a teacher called a conference with McLaughlin’s parents and the principal because she objected to his being open about being gay. The meeting was the first time his parents found out he was gay.

On another occasion, a different teacher ordered McLaughlin not to discuss his sexual orientation, saying that she found it “sickening,” and later called his mother to complain about his homosexuality.

When the student disagreed with yet another teacher for calling him “abnormal” and “unnatural” he was ordered to read aloud from the Bible passages that some Christians believe condemns homosexuality.

He was then suspended for two days for telling other students about being made to read the Bible in school. The principal and assistant principal also told McLaughlin that if he told any of his friends why he was suspended, they would recommend that he be expelled.

In January he was disciplined for talking between classes with a female friend about a boy they both considered “cute.” He was disciplined; his friend was not. more

Short update... BUSY SATURDAY at the homestead!

Friday, March 14, 2003

UPDATE!!!

Senator questions Bush's Iraq nuke program 'proof' - Requests FBI Documents

The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee asked the FBI on Friday to investigate forged documents the Bush administration used as evidence against Saddam Hussein and his military ambitions in Iraq. Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia said he was uneasy about a possible campaign to deceive the public about the status of Iraq's nuclear program. more

Of course, Bush is only lying about forged nuclear documents and not a blow job, so no biggie, right?

Bush 'squanders world's goodwill'

The US had squandered the goodwill shown to it by most of the world after the September 11 attacks through diplomatic bullying and stupidity, the former head of the Royal Australian Air Force has said.

Air Vice-Marshall Ray Funnell today said Australia was unfortunately following the US position on Iraq without question.

"I can see what's behind what (Prime Minister John Howard) is doing, most particularly our alliance with the US," Air Vice-Marshall Funnell told ABC radio.

"But, unfortunately, what he's done is he's followed, almost in lock-step, a man who has demonstrated strategic stupidity, and I refer here to President (George W) Bush."

Marshall also said, "...his nation is divided, most of the world is against him, alliances are crumbling, multinational institutions that have been developed over decades are under enormous pressure... and how do President Bush and his egregious Secretary of Defence (Donald Rumsfeld) react? They react by trumpeting 'we don't need any of you... well, I'm sorry Mr President but you do. If you want to remain leader of the free world you have to be something more than just a military superpower and a diplomatic bully." more

Republican Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., Blamed For Hindering Abducted Child Cases Like Elizabeth Smart's?

Ed Smart — whose 15-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, was returned home safely this week after a nine-month abduction — is demanding that congress pass legislation to help find abducted children, and he blames Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., Wisconsin Republican, for the fact that it hasn't happened yet.

"Jim Sensenbrenner seems to be exhibiting reckless disregard for not only his constituents, but children throughout the country," Mr. Smart said in a statement.

Mr. Smart wants Congress to pass the "Amber Alert" bill, which would allocate money to develop Amber Alert systems in states where they don't exist. Amber Alert is a system that uses local media and road signs to get information on abductions out to the public.

The Senate already passed the Amber Alert bill this year. But Mr. Sensenbrenner, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has insisted on his bill, which includes extra "provisions."

Hate Radio-fueled War Mongering Seaps Into Our Military: Threat To France Found Scrawled On Bomb

Every day, the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity ridicule the French government's stance on Iraq as they call for all things French to be shunned. Just this week, the republican mental giants in congress renamed french fries "freedom fries" in three House office buildings in what some consider a petty culinary rebuke of the French for frustrating their efforts in stealing Iraq's oil.

Now comes this. “Fuque the French” had been scrawled on the side of a bomb by a member of the US Air Force. Painting war graffiti and taunts on bombs and shells is one of the great traditions of warfare. But normally it is the enemy that is the target for the abuse, not a Nato ally. However, senior American officers at this munitions plant in the desert — known colloquially as “Ammo country” — said the French gibe “crossed the line” of acceptability.

You're damn right it did! Are we training our soldiers to be intolerant of international debate? more

Blast From The Past: Remember 'Iraqgate?' Probably Not. Here's a Refresher from April 1993

ABC News Nightline opened last June 9 with words to make the heart stop. "It is becoming increasingly clear," said a grave Ted Koppel, "that George Bush, operating largely behind the scenes throughout the 1980s, initiated and supported much of the financing, intelligence, and military help that built Saddam's Iraq into the aggressive power that the United States ultimately had to destroy."

Is this accurate? Just about every reporter following the story thinks so. Most say that the so-called Iraqgate scandal is far more significant then either Watergate or Iran-contra, both in its scope and its consequences. And all believe that, with investigations continuing, it is bound to get bigger... more

The information in this article is so important to the anti-war movement don't be surprised if it gets scrubbed from the net. I'm saving a copy! Conservatives: Read it and weep...

Bush Scraps His Visit To Blair

George "I'm a Uniter Not A Divider" Bush abandoned plans yesterday to fly to London to support his crisis-hit ally Tony Blair. Bush wanted the last-minute visit to boost morale as Blair tries desperately to get United Nations backing for war in Iraq. But sources said Downing Street advised against the trip because the sight of Bush would anger rebel Labour backbenchers rather than pacify them.

Plus, it isn't known if Bush actually knows where London is... more

Lead, Follow, Or Get The Hell Out Of The Way!

Someone over at the Snopes message forum called me an idiotic ideologue. This person, who says that he or she leans to the left, has a username that is ironically Silence Dogood. Judging by the tone of his post - and the fact that he called me an idiotic ideologue, I can only assume he believes it is best to be silent. Well, I disagree.

People like Silence Dogood are the kind of "left leaners" the rest of us liberals don't need. They are the ones who were silent when a small minority of conservative Americans attempted to remove our last legitimately elected president over a blow job!

People like Silence Dogood are the kind of "left leaners" who were silent when the conservative controlled United States Supreme Court appointed George W. Bush as our pResident.

People like Silence Dogood are the kind of "left leaners" who were silent when republican thugs rioted outside of the residence of Vice President Al Gore, chanting "get out of Dick's house!"

People like Silence Dogood are the kind of "left leaners" who were silent when the news trickled out that George W. Bush was aware something was going to happen in September of 2001.

People like Silence Dogood are the kind of "left leaners" who were silent when it was learned George W. Bush slashed anti-terrorism funding before Spetember 11, 2001.

People like Silence Dogood are the kind of "left leaners" who were silent when the Patriot Act passed that seriously jeopardized our constitutional freedoms.

People like Silence Dogood are the kind of "left leaners" who were silent as the Bush junta began to slowly chip away at women's reproductive freedom.

People like Silence Dogood are the kind of "left leaners" who were silent as Bush beat the drums of war for his oil buddies.

People like Silence Dogood are the kind of "left leaners" who were silent when lie after lie was exposed in Bush's case for war.

People like Silence Dogood are the kind of "left leaners" who are silent as Bush decimates our economy.

People like Silence Dogood are the kind of "left leaners" who are now silent as the dark cloud of fascism creeps over our country. They are like the German people before 1938. They didn't speak up in time.

Idiotic ideologue? Idiotic ideologues are the ones who shouted the loudest, told lies, and rigged the elections to put themselves in power. Idiotic ideologues are the ones who fuel nazi-like attitudes daily on hate radio.

I am no idiotic ideologue, Silence Dogooder. I am a fighter. Perhaps the words "fighter" and "liberal" don't normally go together. Perhaps you feel I'm using the tactics of the very people I'm fighting. But this is the first time in our nation's history that freedom to express new thoughts and ideas is in peril and I will use any tactic I can to incite the silent majority of this country to rise up and defeat this regime. I'm shouting... but unlike my conservative counterparts., I'm armed with the truth. Can you hear me?

So Silence Dogooder and other weak pansy ass "left leaners" - lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way!

Republican Family Values

Former Ku Klux Klan leader and Republican Louisiana state Legislator David Duke was sentenced Wednesday to more than a year in prison and a $10,000 fine for bilking his supporters, mail fraud, and cheating on his taxes.

Former Democratic Governors Receive Award For Shunning Confederate Flag

The Associated Press is reporting that two Southern governors voted out of office after defying constituents over the Confederate flag were named Wednesday to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.

The annual award honored former Govs. Roy Barnes of Georgia and David Beasley of South Carolina.

"They took a strong and unpopular stand, and I think the committee felt that each of them did so knowing that their base of support might be eroded," said John Seigenthaler, chairman of the selection committee and founder of the First Amendment Center in Arlington.

Mr. Seigenthaler said "racism is alive and well in the country" and that the committee wanted to recognize politicians who helped fight racism.

The Dixie Chicks: Cool, Sexy, and Patriotic!

The Dixie Chicks are stirring up controversy with a recent negative comment about President Bush while overseas promoting their current album, Home. The trio performed a live show in London on Monday (March 10th) night, and Natalie Maines told the crowd, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas."

"We've been overseas for several weeks and have been reading and following the news accounts of our government's position," the group explains. "The anti-American sentiment that has unfolded here is astounding. While we support our troops, there is nothing more frightening than the notion of going to war with Iraq and the prospect of all the innocent lives that will be lost."

Maines also says, "I feel the President is ignoring the opinions of many in the U.S. and alienating the rest of the world. My comments were made in frustration and one of the privileges of being an American is you are free to voice your own point of view." more

You tell 'em, Chick! The Bush junta and it's borg-like followers haven't repealed the first amendment yet!

To all the dumbass republicans who keep screaming "If you're ashamed of America, pack your bags and get out!" Well, here is a counter proposal for you. If you are determined to live under a dictatorship where you have none of the constitutional freedoms are founding fathers died for, there are plenty of third world countries where you can live. YOU pack your bags and get out! This is OUR country! We're taking it back in 2004!

Thursday, March 13, 2003

Rumsfeld 'Loose Cannon' as U.S. Woos Allies on Iraq Says Experts

Donald Rumsfeld, one of our unelected nazi fraud's key field marshalls, is doing U.S. foreign policy more harm than good with comments alienating key allies, analysts said. Known for using sharp words about foes and friends alike, Rumsfeld was recently called "his own worst enemy" by Lawrence Korb, the former assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration.

Showing a mastery of dumbassery, Rumsfeld obviously has an acute case of foot-in-mouth disease. Rumsfeld's suggestion on Tuesday the United States might wage war on Iraq without British military participation stirred anger in Britain, Washington's closest ally on Iraq, as the two countries struggle to win international support for possible military action against Baghdad. Rumsfeld has caused headaches for the Bush administration on domestic matters as well, said critics, pointing to comments he made in January that offended some veterans' groups, and his tense relations with many senior U.S. military officers and some members of Congress. more

You've seen the picture (above) of Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam Hussein. Now see the video by clicking here- taken during a meeting where arms sales to Iraq was agreed upon.

Remember The News Story Last Week About The Iraqi Drone That "Could Spread Biological Agents" Over U.S. Cities? Well, It's a Joke! Really!

Neal Boortz, rightwing hate radio wacko and faux libertarian, considered it more than enough grounds to invade Iraq! Saddam Hussein, he said, could have one of these drones smuggled into the United States where an Iraqi terrorist would assemble it, arm it with chemical or biological weapons, and send it on a spraying spree across the country. But like so many other times, and so many other radio Bush booty buddies, Boortz was wrong.

To hear senior Bush administration officials tell it, Iraq's latest pilotless drone has the potential to be one of Saddam Hussein's deadliest weapons, able to deliver terrifying payloads of chemical and biological warfare agents across Iraq's borders to Israel or other neighboring states. It could even, they say, be broken down and smuggled into the United States for use in terrorist attacks.

But viewed up close yesterday by reporters, the vehicle the Iraqis have code-named RPV-30A, for remotely piloted vehicle, looked more like something out of the Rube Goldberg museum of aeronautical design than anything that could threaten Iraq's foes. To the layman's eye, the public unveiling of the Iraqi prototype seemed to lend the crisis over Iraq's weapons an aura less of deadly threat than of farce. For you republicans, "farce" means A light dramatic work in which highly improbable plot situations, exaggerated characters, and often slapstick elements are used for humorous effect. Wait! That sound like the entire Bush record on domestic and foreign issues so far! more

Republicans in Five States Want To Eliminate 2004 Presidential Primaries; Democrat Presidential Contender John Kerry Raises Over $2 Million In One Night

Republican-led legislatures in five states want to eliminate the 2004 presidential primaries. pRresident Bush is unlikely to face any serious opposition in the Republican run-up to the election so any change to the primary would affect the growing field of Democratic candidates. State Democratic lawmakers are crying foul, arguing that their GOP colleagues' motivation is political. Bush won all five of these states in elelction 2000. The five states are Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, Utah, and Colorado. It appears that, with eliminating presidential primaries, these states want to nuetralize Bush's sinking popularity (currently 51%) and make sure Bush wins each state again by supressing the competition. more

Meanwhile, Democratic Presidential frontrunner John Kerry set a record at a fund-raiser Wednesday night at Sheraton Boston where his campaign grossed more than $2 million, organizers claim. The Kerry campaign says it was a record amount raised in single night from donations by individuals.

DON'T Give To Me, But PLEASE Give To The Democratic Party!

There may come a time when I ask for donations for my work at this site. I'm considering a run for a political office and doing that isn't free. But there is something far more important now!

While President Bush continues to ignore the problems America faces at home, he has quietly started his re-election campaign. Bush has already raised tens of millions of dollars for Republicans since he's been in office. And now he has hired ultra-conservative right wing campaign operative Ralph Reed to focus his full energies on Bush's re-election campaign.

The Democratic Party must stop Bush from winning a second term. As the Bush economy continues to falter, Bush pushes on with his reckless tax scheme that would funnel billions of our nation's dollars into the pockets of his special interest donors while draining funds from critical programs that help America's working families. The Democratic Party's only source of income is from individuals like you.

The economy, the environment, protecting seniors, a women's right to choose, and so much more is hanging in the balance of what you and I choose to do between now and 2004. I am choosing to stand up and fight! What will you do? Click here to donate to the Democratic Party!

FBI Probes Fake Evidence of Iraqi Nuclear Plans

The FBI is looking into the forgery of a key piece of evidence linking Iraq to a nuclear weapons program, including the possibility that a foreign government is using a deception campaign to foster support for military action against Iraq.

HA HA! Now THAT's FUNNY! We all know what country is "using a deception campaign to foster support for military action against Iraq." The good ol' USA! more

Iraq’s Nuke Threat Little More Than Myth

Asked about the fake papers by Tim Russert on NBC's Meet the Press, Colin Powell replied blandly: "If that information is inaccurate, fine."

With all due respect to the Secretary, the appropriate word isn’t "inaccurate" —and it isn’t "fine," either. It is horrific to contemplate that someone would fabricate a document to foment a war likely to kill thousands. It is humiliating to think that American intelligence services cannot distinguish a fake of that kind—or, worse still, would consciously pass along such a fake to an international authority. It is troubling to realize that the quality of information used by the President as he prepares for war may be no better than that... It is impossible not to wonder what other lies and myths are being spread to justify this war... more

out...

Wednesday, March 12, 2003

UPDATE!! AUSTRALIA: Gov't Rocked by Resignation of Intelligence Official! Is The Bush Coerced Coalition Crumbling?

The Australian government has been stunned by the resignation of one of its senior intelligence analysts who argues that, based on U.S. and other intelligence information he has seen, there is currently no justification for a war on Iraq.

''I'm convinced a war against Iraq at this time would be wrong. For a start, Iraq does not pose a security threat to the U.S., or to the U.K. or Australia, or to any other country, at this point in time, former Office of National Assessments intelligence analyst Andrew Wilkie said, announcing his resignation late on Wednesday evening.

''I just don't believe that a war at this time would be worth the risk,'' he said.

A critical factor behind Wilkie's resignation was claims made by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to the U.N. Security Council purporting that a link exists between al-Qaeda and Iraq. ''As far as I'm aware there was no hard evidence and there is still no hard evidence that there is any active cooperation between Iraq and al-Qaeda,'' Wilkie told Australia Broadcasting Corp (ABC) television. more

Great Britain Spurns Bush! May Find It Politically Impossible To Commit Its Military To A U.S.-led attack on Saddam Hussein!

Great Britain – America's closest ally – may find it politically impossible to commit its military to a U.S.-led attack on Saddam Hussein. And that could force the United States to go it alone in Iraq. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld hinted as much Tuesday.

"To the extent that they are able to participate that would obviously be welcomed. To the extent they are not, well, there are workarounds," Rumsfeld said.

War in Iraq is now supported by fewer than 20 percent of Britons, and Prime Minister Tony Blair has told Washington he needs U.N. authorization, reports CBS News Correspondent Bill Plante. more

Airlines: Iraq War Could Cost 70,000 Jobs. Bush's Folly Could Cause Irreparable Harm To The U.S. Economy

U.S. airlines could slash 70,000 more jobs and annual losses would reach $10.7 billion if there is a war against Iraq, the biggest domestic carriers said on Tuesday.
The Air Transport Association, which represents major airlines, released the outlook in a report on industry finances and called again for corporate welfare, asking for government help with fuel costs and relief from taxes.

The airline group said that conflict with Iraq lasting 90 days would cost $4 billion in lost revenue, on top of the $6.7 billion the industry is already expecting to lose this year. The airlines said they would have to cut costs aggressively, resulting in 70,000 job losses on top of the 100,000 since Sept. 11, 2001. more

On top of this, a war with Iraq will will add to our already record budget deficit - debts our grandchildren will be paying... Shameful. Simply shameful!

Conflicts Of Interest On Sept. 11 Panel?

The women who fought to create the Sept. 11 commission are all widows of the terrorist attack that day. Some 18 months later, they still don't have an answer: about what happened, what went wrong and what must be done to ensure it never happens again. But, now comes a serious allegation: that the Sept. 11 commission is stacked with members tied directly to the airline industry.

"Here we've got the most important event in America in the past 50 years, the most horrible thing that's happened to Americans, and yet we pick a bunch of people who are connected to the very people who are at the center of the question of who's at fault," says Terry Brunner, a former federal prosecutor who now runs the Aviation Integrity Project in Chicago. "It's ridiculous."

Brunner checked out the commissioners and discovered that out of 10, at least six represent the very companies they're now investigating. more

This is appalling - but what you'll find even more sickening is that the airline industry fought tooth and nail against security measures before 9/11 that may have prevented the terrorist attacks. Now they want to cover it up!

In 1996, President Clinton signed Airport Security measures into law based upon wide-ranging security measures recommended by Vice President Al Gore's aviation security commission. Interestingly, key senators on the Senate Aviation Subcommittee shot down mandated changes recommended by Gore and the White House and instead urged "further study." (Eight of the nine Republicans on the subcommittee had received contributions from the major airlines.)

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Quote I just heard:

CSPAN has become a bunch of ignorant democrats. Your network will become irrelevant soon because I won't listen to it anymore.

A typical Republican grossly overstating her importance.
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Charlie Daniels Redux

After yesterday's story about the woman who was fired for responding to an unsolicited pro-war message from Charlie Daniels that came in her personal e-mail account, I got this great piece of e-mail:

Slayer:

Last night I watched Hannity and Colmes because I was told that a guy I went to school with was going to be on talking about his new song and the controversy surrounding it.

I find it amazing that Sean Hannity was kissing the ass of a guy who is MAKING MONEY off of his new patriotic song...HELLO???

Charlie Daniels is wearing the stars and stripes as a fashion accesory while sending e-mail spam and causing people to lose their jobs? Let's see if I have this right:

Left leaning educated hollywood types who introduce facts and can connect words in a manner that constitutes a proper sentence are ignorant and know not of what they speak?

Right leaning country music singers who push the emotional buttons of average citizens with "patriotic" songs and comments are to be held up as somehow more informed and of higher intelligence than those who oppose G.W. & Charlie's little war?

I'm sorry....bad grammar while selling songs on the back of the worst tragedy in American history is sickening.

Ignorant blustering and flags as fashion on "has been" country singers is not my idea of patriotism.

I think they should both crawl back into the red-neck bars where they belong...and then go to church on Sunday and repent. Oh...they might take George and Sean with them.

J.C. (pissed off in Tennessee)

Whose War? A neoconservative clique seeks to ensnare our country in a series of wars that are not in America’s interest.

I used to tell this joke about Pat Buchanan: Did you know Pat Buchanan was injured in World War II? He fell out of a guard tower! HA HA! See, I was hinting that he was a Nazi. Now, even though he is still far too rightwing for me, he has done us a great service by pointing out just how demented and Nazi-like the current Republican regime is - and who might really be controlling them. Can't say I agree 100%... but I can't really refute it, either. I'll sum it up as food for thought... more

Obviously Oil

Although Dennis Kucinich was aggressively attacked by Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen for suggesting that the preemptive strike on Iraq was based on oil, the Post refused to print the presidential candidate and Ohio Democrat's response. This was especially frustrating, since the Post editorial stance and balance of editorial page columns have been decidedly pro-war. Well, her is Kucinich's response. You need to save it and keep it handy for those times you discussing the Iraq situation with republican dumbass robots. Click Here

THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLICANS by Tarheel

Mine Eyes have seen the bungling of the stumbling moron Bush;
he has blathered all drivel that the neo-cons can push;
he had lost all sight of reason ‘cause his head is up his tush;
The Doofus marches on.

I have heard him butcher syntax like a kindergarten fool;
There is warranted suspicion that he never went to school;
Should we fault him for his policies – or is he Cheney’s tool?
His lies are piling on.

Glory! Glory! How he’ll Screw Ya’!
Glory! Glory! How he’ll Screw Ya’!
Glory! Glory! How he’ll Screw Ya’!
The surplus is now gone.

I have seen him slash all taxes on the billionaires’ lone heir;
As he spends another zillion on an aircraft carrier;
Lets the smokestacks keep polluting – do we really need clean air?
His wreckage will live on.

Glory! Glory! How he’ll Screw Ya’!
Glory! Glory! How he’ll Screw Ya’!
Glory! Glory! How he’ll Screw Ya’!
Your safety net is gone!

Now he’s got a mighty hankering to bomb a hapless state;
Though the whole world thinks its reckless – and there's time to get things straight;
When he doesn’t have the evidence, “We must prevaricate.”
Diplomacy is gone!

Oh, a trumped-up war is excellent; we have no moral bounds;
If the reasons are disputed, we’ll just make up other grounds;
Enraging all the masses – to his brainlessness redounds;
The Doofus marches on!

Glory! Glory! How he’ll Screw Ya’!
Glory! Glory! How he’ll Screw Ya’!
Glory! Glory! How he’ll Screw Ya’!
THE DOOOO... FUSS ... MAR...CHES...ON!

out...

Tuesday, March 11, 2003

BREAKING!!! Buchanan Charges Bush, Neocons With 'Warmongering'

Click here for the story... Very disturbing!

Poll: Britons See Bush as Bigger Threat Than Saddam

The British public sees President Bush as a greater threat to world peace than Iraq (news - web sites)'s Saddam Hussein, a poll published on Tuesday showed. The poll, commissioned by Channel 4 Television, asked 1,000 people whether they believed Bush was a greater threat to world peace than Saddam. Forty-five percent agreed while 38 percent disagreed. Two-thirds of those polled said it would be wrong to attack Iraq while inspectors felt they still had a useful job to do. more

Nashville Woman Fired for Anti-War Letter! The George W. Bush Patriotically Correct Tour Rolls On!

We are now living in a country where the First Amendment means nothing. A country ruled by an unelected president who busses in people to cheer for him during domestic appearances, insists on guaranteed standing ovations at foreign events, and must have scripted press conferences so his answers do not embarass his administration and the Nation.

It has now become a crime to wear t-shirts that read "Give Peace A Chance" and writing an anti-war letter can now get you fired. Tamara Saviano, who worked for Jones Media Networks and Great American Country on Music row for three years, was fired last Friday for responding to an e-mail written by Charlie Daniels.

In his e-mail, Daniels blasts Hollywood and the media for protesting a possible war with Iraq. His publicist, Kirk Webster sent the e-mail to people in the music and media industry. When Saviano got the letter at her personal e-mail address, she wrote Webster and Daniels back outlining her anti-war beliefs. Saviano's exercise of her First Amendment rights apparantly offended Daniels and Webster, who called Saviano's company and whined that she wasn't patriotic. Saviano, however, says it was clear her e-mail expressed her personal beliefs and should not have been interpreted as representing the beliefs of her company.

Webster says Charlie Daniels had nothing to do with Saviano’s firing. Rightwing Slayer says this is just another example of a fanatical society sick with faux patriotism. I was always under the impression that only countries ruled by fascist regimes forced their citizens to support their leader's misguided policies. Haven't we always understood that countries like Nazi Germany and the old Soviet Union had citizen groups who turned those who would not comply into the government?

What kind of place have we become when a woman gets fired for responding logically to a hate-filled diatribe sent unsolicited to her personal e-mail account by a dumbass old coot like Charlie Daniels?

Contact Jones Media here or call them at 303-792-3111 and tell them how un-American they were for firing Tamara Saviano. Demand that they apologize to her and give her her job back!

Pakistan, Bush's Big Muslim Ally In The War On Terror, To Abstain From U.N. Iraq Vote

Pakistan will abstain from voting in the U.N. Security Council on a U.S.-backed resolution approving war with Iraq, a spokesman for the ruling party said Tuesday.
Pakistan, a key Muslim ally in the U.S. war on terror, holds one of 15 seats at the council. Washington must get the backing of at least nine countries for the resolution's approval.

"Pakistan will abstain from the voting" at the U.N. Security Council, said Azeem Chaudhry, a spokesman for the Quaid-e-Azam faction of Pakistan Muslim League. "We will not be giving our opinion" in the council, he said.

Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali said Monday that Pakistan would not support a war against Iraq. more

Better watch out, Prime Minister Jamali! Pakistan could be next on Bush's drive towards world domination... unless...

U.S. Says Iran Is Pursuing Nuclear Arms

Is Iran next on Bush's hit list? The United States, the world's largest nuclear power, on Monday rejected Iran's assertion of peaceful nuclear aims and said the country was "clearly pursuing" nuclear arms. Officials said the Bush administration, who has refused to rule out nuclear strikes against Iraq, was waiting to hear from international inspectors before deciding on a response to disclosures Iran's nuclear program was more advanced than previously thought. more

Find out more about how Esso (Exxon) leads George Bush by the nose

click

Libraries Post Patriot Act Warnings In Defiance Of Bush Administration! Santa Cruz Branches tell patrons That FBI May Spy On Them!

Along with the usual reminders to hold the noise down and pay overdue fines, library patrons in Santa Cruz are seeing a new type of sign these days: a warning that records of the books they borrow may wind up in the hands of federal agents.

The signs, posted in the 10 county branches last week and on the library's Web site, also inform the reader that the USA Patriot Act "prohibits library workers from informing you if federal agents have obtained records about you."

"Questions about this policy," patrons are told, "should be directed to Attorney General John Ashcroft, Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. 20530." more

GOP Consultant Named in Enron Ruling. DUH!

In a controversy that touched White House political adviser Karl Rove, Enron Corp., signed contracts with GOP consultant Ralph Reed worth more than half a million dollars, the Federal Election Commission revealed in a ruling.

Enron paid Reed, the former Christian Coalition leader, about $300,000 before the energy company's collapse.

The payments came to light as part of an FEC inquiry into whether Enron's hiring of GOP consultant Reed was a sham designed to disguise an in-kind contribution from Enron to Bush's presidential effort.

And this surprises anyone? The entire Bush junta is in bed with a couple of strange bedfellows - big oil and the un-christian right. A virtual orgy of dumbassery! more

Price of the 'Liberal Media' Myth

The notion of a “liberal” national news media is one of the most enduring and influential political myths of modern U.S. history. Shaping the behavior of both conservatives and liberals over the past quarter century, the myth could be said to have altered the course of American democracy and led the nation into the dangerous corner it now finds itself. more

Bush the Infallible

It is slowly dawning on people that to understand George W., one must understand his religious impulses, which all evidence suggests are intensely important to him. His views are no different from that of the typical evangelical who absorbed his faith from the American Baptist culture. But they merit closer attention when they are held by an arrogant man with his finger on the button and who is contemplating total war.

Concerning this arrogance, Richard Cohen writes that "Bush's rigidity can come across as smugness. This has always been his least appealing quality, and it was on display, or so I was told, at a lunch he had for network anchors before the State of the Union message. He reportedly came across as cocky, not so much sure of himself as too sure of himself…. Maybe this single-mindedness of the president's is the product of his deep religious belief – the conviction that he has been chosen for the task of decking Hussein."

Christianity once clearly taught that a king who kills innocents and squanders the people's money is endangering his immortal soul. By raising this prospect, bishops and priests and theologians have restrained the war-like behavior of princes from the 4th century on. But what if the prince believes that he is assured of salvation because of his own choice, regardless of what the church says? We have here an entirely different constellation of incentives at work. Might Bush believe there is no eternal price to pay for killing thousands, even millions, in a good cause, since there is nothing he could do to endanger his immortal soul? more

First Clinton/Dole 60 Minutes Debate Propels Show To #1 For The Night; Producer Concerned About Dole's Performance

"I thought Clinton came off fine," says Don Hewitt, 60 Minutes producer. "but Dole, whom I adore and is a marvelous man and we've already discussed it, has to organize his thoughts a little better. I'm not sure he was on point with the contentions Clinton was tossing."

The Nielsens were very much on point for CBS. With 16.9 million viewers, 60 Minutes was the most-watched show of the night and was up 600,000 viewers from March 3.

Though impressed with Clinton's and Dole's respectful restraint, Hewitt wants his debating duo to ramp up the energy a few volts for the "Point/Counterpoint" revival.

"The exchanges can be a little sharper. They bent over backward to be polite, which is all well and good. I'd like them to be less polite without being raucous."

A Quick Look At The Polls...

The latest Ipsos-Reid/Cook Political Report Poll has Bush's approval rating at 51% - the second lowest of his presidency. (47% in July, 2001)

The latest Gallup Poll and CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll says 61% are NOT satisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time. The dissatisfaction figure the day Bill Clinton left office was only 41% with 56% fully satisfied with the country's direction.

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Monday, March 10, 2003

North Korea Test-Fires Missile Into The Sea Of Japan

North Korea test-fired a missile into the sea off its east coast on Monday, South Korea's Defense Ministry said. There had been indications that North Korea was planning to fire a missile. The Pentagon had earlier cited a North Korean warning to ships to stay out of a sector of the Sea of Japan from Saturday to Tuesday.

In response to the threat North Korea poses to the United States, reTHUGlicans insist we have to take Saddam before he reached North Korean threat levels. Of course, what this dumbass logic doesn't cover is while we're doing THAT North Korea will continue to get stronger and become an even greater threat.

Allies unlikely to help pay for second Iraq invasion

Allies who bankrolled most of the first U.S.-led war against Iraq in 1991 will almost certainly not help pay for a second one. Saudi Arabia and Germany, which together picked up an estimated 44 percent of the $61 billion tab for the Persian Gulf war, oppose a new military strike against Saddam Hussein. Japan, which chipped in another $10 billion 12 years ago to defray the costs of the war, has backed the tough U.S. line in the United Nations but plans no comparable contribution to a new war. more

If War Comes

A Guest Editorial By Paul Loeb & Geov Parrish

With millions marching worldwide, we might still avert Bush's war on Iraq. But given one of the most insular administrations in America's history, we may also fail. No matter how powerful our arguments, and the unprecedented breadth and strength of our movement, Bush and his cohorts may still go ahead with a war they've wanted for years. So we're working not only to stop this war, but to lay the groundwork to prevent it from leading to wars on Iran, North Korea, Columbia, Venezuela, Brazil-maybe even France. This means we'll need those now surging into the movement to stick around for the long haul, and not melt away when times get hard.

During the first Gulf War, one arguably more justified, the U.S. peace movement got kicked in the gut. Then as well, major protests surged through American and European cities, hoping to stop the war before it started. But once the war began, mainstream debate over the wisdom of war quickly became supplanted by the insistence that anything other than relentless cheerleading was disloyal to the troops-and to the country. In previous fights against Contra aid and the nuclear arms race, polls said our fellow citizens were with us. But Americans overwhelmingly supported the first Gulf War, because it worked militarily, and because the hundred thousand Iraqis who died were faceless and anonymous. Those who continued speaking out for peace quickly felt marginalized, isolated, and silenced. Some blamed their compatriots for not doing enough. Most quickly retreated into private life, many entering a political cocoon they would stay in for years. Either way, visible public opposition quickly faded.

Yet for some who've been active working for justice and peace ever since, that war was their entry point to involvement. What made the difference between the people who retreated and those who stayed engaged? What will make the difference now that many more ordinary citizens are outraged enough to speak out-opposing both the war and Bush's broader assault on democracy? Those who persisted back then promptly learned that their actions could matter whether or not they produced immediate results. Connecting with fellow activists, they saw themselves as part of a long-term movement for change-fighting for basic principles that mattered more than how fast the
largest military power in human history could crush a relatively small nation whose dictator it had armed and supported. They retained hope and courage even when the political tides seemed to run against them.

So how do we encourage the newly engaged to continue? How do we keep on ourselves, and keep reaching beyond the core converted? History never fully repeats itself, a lesson that the Bush administration seems to forget. But if Bush does go to war despite massive global opposition, the peace movement needs to be prepared for some unsettling possibilities.

The initial military phase may go quickly. Iraq today poses far less of a military threat to American troops than it did in 1991, when the phrase "turkey shoot" came into popular use. The march to Baghdad-following massive bombing of the city and its inhabitants-will likely encounter little substantial opposition; as was true in the first Gulf War, far more U.S. troops will probably die due to cancer from their uranium-enriched arsenals than from any initial Iraqi attacks. But once U.S. troops reach Baghdad, there's major potential for bloody urban warfare, followed by a protracted occupation.

If the war goes well militarily, Americans are likely to rally behind Bush, as their worst fears seem to be averted. The mainline media will praise our President's heroic leadership and largely avoid covering civilian deaths, though tens of thousands will certainly die, if not several hundred thousand. Most Americans will hesitate to speak out, once again fearful of undermining the troops or too discouraged to think it will matter. The administration will brand those who challenge their policies as disloyal and irrelevant cowards.

But the same casualties that our media minimize will be highly visible to the Islamic world. Our planes may "accidentally" bomb Al Jazeera in the first raids, but this will only further inflame the Arab street. Whether through satellite image or word of mouth, Muslims worldwide will hear of the dead and wounded, the fleeing refugees, the destruction of homes, power stations, and sewage plants. Just as our conduct in the first Gulf War helped shift Osama bin Laden from an ally to a murderous foe, so attacking Iraq now will create further enemies, in ways we can only hope we'll never know.

Perhaps the results of this rage will be delayed. But an uglier immediate scenario is also possible-that the attack on Baghdad, and the crackdown on Palestinians that Israel is likely to launch at the same time, will trigger counterattacks on American and allied targets throughout the world-including on U.S. soil. Forgotten in the Bush II administration's relentless propaganda campaign, equating Saddam and his weapons of mass destruction with terror and 9/11, is that many of the actual perpetrators of 9/11 are still out there - quite possibly including Osama bin Laden himself. And Islamic terror groups have been planning for this invasion at least as long as the Pentagon.

If terrorist bombs do go off in Chicago, Des Moines, or Philadelphia, America will no longer simply be conducting an invisible war in a faraway land. We will be at war with an enemy that fights back here at home. If bombs are killing innocent American civilians, most citizens are likely to feel overwhelmed with anger and fear. Just as was true after 9/11, they'll hardly be receptive to the difficult truth that America's own actions will have helped set those terrible events in motion. And that we as well have taken innocent lives, again and again. It will be hard to resist the administration's permanent evisceration of due process, the Bill of Rights, and other inconvenient nuisances. If unprepared, the peace movement risks being isolated and obliterated.

The best way to avoid this nightmare scenario, of course, is to apply enough public pressure - globally and here at home- that the Bush Administration feels unable to proceed with its invasion. Failing that, the anti-war movement needs a Plan B. It needs a message that will play well after an invasion begins, even if terrorist counterattacks begin; it needs a plan for getting that message out to the public despite all the media cheerleading; and it needs a strategy for not only retaining its current massive numbers, but expanding them to the point where we can reverse government policy.

We need to take account of these possibilities now, in our message and approach, doing our best to prevent the coming war, but also anticipating the public mood, so our actions still count no matter what happens. In the face of such grim possibilities, we might begin by connecting the waves of new participants just beginning to speak out with communities of longtime activists. That sounds almost trivial, but there's nothing more demoralizing than staying home in isolation, watching Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld on TV. Even with supportive communities, keeping on will be difficult. But the more disconnected we are, the harder it will be. And if we're connected with enough sympathetic people, we can support each other, pass on alternative perspectives, and talk about all the issues that will remain whether or not Saddam Hussein gets removed from the Baghdad palaces where we helped install and maintain him.

Community also lets us gather to mourn. We did this far too little during the first Gulf War, and suffered as a result. It's sometimes necessary to admit that we feel angry and powerless. Then we can remember that we still have the power to act, and that our actions still matter, even when things seem bleakest. Supportive community reminds us that, whatever men like John Ashcroft may think, true patriotism means engagement, not silence.

This past December, a Seattle antiwar coalition called SNOW gathered 2,000 people from the city and suburbs at a local high school, and divided them in neighborhood groups. The resulting 80 groups are now operating on their own with local facilitators and email listservs. Some are conducting vigils and neighborhood marches, others door-to-door canvassing and handing out yard signs, others peace fairs, petition drives and potlucks. These efforts reach people who'd never go near a downtown march.

We could build this infrastructure at every point we speak out. Our marches and rallies have grown, in nearly every city in the country, to create carnivals of homemade signs, stilt-walkers, puppets, belly-dancers, marching bands, grandmothers, ministers, punks, and all manner of ordinary citizens. But they've also missed opportunities. Speakers have focused, with reason, on how Bush has failed to make the case for a war that will make us less safe, not more. But they've talked little about what it means to work in an ongoing way to address the root causes of the crises we now face. They've taken for granted the need to give people psychological bread for their journey.

Our marches and rallies have also done far too little to connect the tide of new participants to concrete networks that could support their involvement. Some of us are linked with a hundred different groups, juggling endless invitations to act. But most in America, including most participants in the huge recent marches, aren't connected in this fashion. Despite the growing involvement of religious and labor groups, most march as individuals, not through organized institutions. Except when local peace and justice efforts are most visible, those newly involved can easily miss them, particularly if they live, like most Americans, in neighborhoods outside the urban core which is the focus of so much visible alternative politics. When the propaganda barrage escalates into a full-scale blitz, those just beginning to act will find it particularly hard to resist isolation.

But peace movement participants don't have to be disconnected. We now have the technologies to keep people involved. Imagine if at every march, rally, or door-to-door campaign, organizers put major volunteer energy into gathering names, emails, and zip codes, then used the Seattle model to set up local meetings. Organizers could at least do their best to ensure that no one left a major march without knowing about the key local websites that could allow them to plug in and get connected. Integrating the flood of new participants would take serious volunteer energy, but if we can link even a fraction of those just coming in to each other and to existing communities of concern, far more will persist when the going gets tough. That's also an argument for continuing our coordinated local protests, in ways that can keep reaching new communities. Encouraging this kind of connection should be as high a priority as getting people to march to begin with.

If war comes, we'll need to remind ourselves and our fellow citizens that no matter how "well" it goes militarily, it's a betrayal of law and of justice, and an incitement to bitterness and terror. That's why, for all the need to build community, we also need visions sufficiently compelling to help participants new and old keep going no matter what happens. We need to raise these visions to all just beginning to raise their concerns, including those who backed Bush's war in Afghanistan, served in other wars, or even consider themselves honorable Republicans.

Given how continually Bush plays the fear card, we might acknowledge that Americans have some reasons for fear. And then make clear that reckless zealotry and a willingness to make entire populations expendable does nothing to bring real security. That's part of why so many major military figures-like retired Generals Anthony Zinni, Wesley Clark, and even Norman Schwarzkopf-have expressed strong reservations about this war. Think of bin Laden's original vision. His Al Qaeda militants justified their anti-American jihad on three grounds: American military desecration of the Islamic holy land of Saudi Arabia; American support for Israel's brutal military occupation of Palestine; and (despite Al Qaeda's loathing for Saddam Hussein himself) the massive suffering of ordinary Iraqis during the Gulf War and the medieval economic siege, punctuated by occasional bombings, that America has led ever since.

From every indication, bin Laden hoped 9/11 would provoke the United States into perpetrating such atrocities against Muslims to inspire a global Islamic holy war against the Western oppressors. Or at least that it would trigger a regional jihad bringing militant Islam to power in the Middle East. After some initial bows to multilateral restraint, the Bush Administration has complied more fully than bin Laden could ever have dreamed. It has given a blank check to unprecedented levels of Israeli brutality; it has openly plotted for a widespread, permanent military presence in the Middle East; it now proposes to incinerate vast numbers of Baghdad residents just in the first few days of our invasion.

Add to that the renewed American allegiance to brutal dictators from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and all points between; a pointed campaign for America to dominate energy resources in every country with Islamic populations, from Nigeria, to Indonesia, to the Caspian Sea; the re-installation into power of Afghanistan's Northern Alliance warlords; and the targeting of Islamic minority communities in the United States itself. The Bush administration has already handed a wealth of arguments to Islamic terrorist groups worldwide. As an Arab diplomat recently told Reuters, "With Bush as a recruiting sergeant these people will be in business for another generation."

We need to remind people that the terrorists whose attacks Bush has used to give his efforts legitimacy wear no uniform, answer to no central authority, and work from no single national state. And that their efforts were fueled in part by past American actions, like supporting bin Laden in Afghanistan. As a result, their efforts can ultimately be prevented, not by war, but a combination of police work and persuasion - ensuring that such tactics are embraced by dozens, not millions, and then working to render those dozens as ineffectual as possible. Ignoring this not only puts our soldiers at risk, it risks the lives of ordinary Americans at home. We need to talk about this now and if an invasion starts. We need to be clear that those who've rushed to war, not those of us who oppose it, are the real betrayers of trust and security.

From its embrace of might-makes-right and preemptive war, to its rejection of international treaties and norms, to its crude taunting of the elected leaders and populations of America's historic allies, the Bush Administration has taken the United States from being the object of the world's sympathy and solidarity to inspiring global resentment and anger. That, in turn, not only helps isolate the U.S. from its historic allies, it also incites the violent fringe who are willing to kill more innocent American civilians.

Facing crises that have built on own government's actions, we have no magic solutions to resolve every possible global problem. But at any point our country can make the world safer or more dangerous, more respectful or more brutal, more sustainable or more environmentally destructive. And in every one of these choices, this administration is inviting the worst possible consequences. The more we elaborate this, the more we'll have credibility even if the nightmare scenario occurs and 9/11 turns out to be just an
opening act for further death and carnage.

But we can't just appeal to fear. Two themes link the millions who recently marched worldwide: They recognize that war on Iraq would be a practical and moral disaster. And they reject Bush administration's attempts to impose their vision on the world. It means we also need to challenge this administration's raw arrogance, the contempt with which they view not only those who challenge their vision, but also the process of democracy itself. We need to do this in a way that reaches even to those who once called themselves administration supporters. If Saddam's armies fold quickly, we'll need even more to challenge the apostles of empire, who insist that because our armies dwarf those of every other nation, we have the right to impose our will however we choose. We need particularly to resist scenarios where the US turns military victory into regional economic and political dominance.

We might point out that Bush's disregard of world opinion on Iraq has ample precedent. From the moment it took office, this administration has sought more power and less accountability than any U.S. administration in living memory. The assault on democracy began with the 2000 election, emerged early on through Enron-crafted secret energy policies and massive wealth transfers masked as tax reform, and has continued with the gutting of core civil liberties and laws requiring government openness. Since this government's relationship to both the world and its own citizens is bullying arrogance, we need to make challenging that arrogance a central focus.

An ethic of accountability would link the casual way this administration approaches this war's potential human and political consequences, with the ease with which they make other lives and communities expendable. We should connect the dots between Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest, his cuts in every program that serves the poor and vulnerable, and his cavalier dismissal of every major environmental crisis that we face. We need to highlight the broad-spectrum recklessness of such choices, then challenge the distracted powerlessness that makes too many citizens accept in resigned silence whatever is handed down.

When we're challenging this recklessness, we need more than ever to express our vision in human terms, not abstract rhetoric, to put human stories and faces on the issues we address. We need to do this without self-righteousness or ideological abstraction, and with compassion for how easy it is to feel overwhelmed by a world spinning out of control. We need to stand up and not be intimidated.

We also need long-term perspective, for the perseverance that creates real change. Contrary to the prevailing myth, Rosa Parks didn't just step onto a bus in Montgomery, but had been an NAACP activist for a dozen years, part of a supportive community that taught people to persist despite every setback.

Because we can't foresee every twist and turn, we need to view our involvement as a long-term process. If we give up simply because things get difficult, we create self-fulfilling prophecies of despair.

If war comes, it will be particularly important to not berate ourselves or our activist compatriots for having failed to stop it. We did this during the first Gulf War. That was part of what burned people out. We need the faith that if we keep on long enough and keep raising critical questions, our actions will have an impact, in ways we can rarely foresee. We need to remember this even when our efforts appear utterly futile, when we seem to be rolling the proverbial rock up a hill only to watch it roll back again and again.

Even if we succeed, we may never know when our actions are mattering most. The heads of the Eastern European police states insisted their hold on power was secure until almost the moment peaceful revolutions erupted and the Berlin Wall came down. So did the white rulers of South Africa, almost until the moment when Nelson Mandela was freed. During Vietnam, Richard Nixon seriously considered using nuclear weapons and at one point threatened their use - then backed down in the face of the nationwide Moratorium demonstrations and a huge march in Washington DC. Publicly, Nixon responded to the protests by watching the Washington Redskins football game and declaring that the marchers weren't affecting his policies in the slightest-sentiments that fed the frustration and demoralization of far too many in the peace movement.Yet privately, Nixon decided the movement had, in his words, so "polarized" American opinion that he couldn't carry out his threat. Participants had no idea that their efforts may have helped stopped a nuclear attack.

Whatever the impact of our protests on an administration drunk on its own power, they show the rest of the world that vast numbers of ordinary Americans disagree. They help deflect anti-American sentiment, perhaps even violence, away from U.S. citizens. They give us back our dignity as we resist attempts to intimidate and silence us, and they challenge and change us at a personal level.

Global protests have already handed the White House major United Nations setbacks, prompting daily anti-Europe tirades that sound an awful lot like those of a petulant child finally being told "no." If enough ordinary citizens here at home have the courage to keep on saying "no" to reckless actions, there's no telling what we can stop. And if we accompany that "no" with a "yes" that demands a world where humans are treated with respect, there's no telling what we can create. For only by persisting do we have a chance to break the cycles of endless enemies, retaliations, and deaths of ordinary people caught in the crossfire.

Paul Loeb is the author of Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in a Cynical Time (St Martin's Press) and three other books on citizen involvement. See www.soulofacitizen.org. Geov Parrish is a columnist for www.workingforchange.com, the Seattle Weekly, and In These Times.

The First "Clinton/Dole" 60 Minutes Debate: An Analysis

I liked it, sure, but something was missing... or missed. Not sure which. As a Crossfire junkie I wanted to see Bill Clinton and Bob Dole really have a heated debate, a verbal orgy of fact flinging, you know - like they did in '96. But then I realized that even in '96, Bill Clinton and Bob Dole were, well, nice to each other. Screaming matches aren't either of their syles. Sure, Bill has probably raised his voice a few times with Hillary and I'm sure Bob has new found confidence with his viagara, but these two have never been partisan slap masters. That's not to say they aren't partisan...

Bob Dole has always been the kind "father knows best" type in my eyes. soliciting the same respect you'd give to dear old dad even when he's rambling on about thing he knows little about. Bill Clinton, on the other hand, has such a command of the facts he could make a case for drinking expired lumpy milk and you'd believe him. Together, the two have forged a friendship since '96 that crosses party lines. They've probably stayed up late drinking at the bar, discussing old times. I can just hear Mr. Dole know extolling what he would have done with a young intern and that magical blue pill!

As writer Alessandra Stanley noted in her New York Times piece, the arguments may not have been dazzling (though Mr. Dole's argument that troops are poised to occupy Baghdad to defend Americans' inalienable right to lower taxes was certainly an imaginative leap in logic), but both men got a chance to express a sustained thought without interruption. And this is important. With so much street brawling going on on various political talk shows, it was nice to see a gentleman's prize fight.

Now some conservatives are bickering that having a former president appear regularly on a commercial television program is demeaning. Sure, demeaning to the current president because a very large national audience now has the chance to see just how much more intelligent Bill Clinton is than George W. Bush. And when Mr. Clinton gets a bit more comfortable in this 60 Minutes format, he'll further demean Bush and expose the treachery of the republican party to a national audience.

And he'll smile doing it.

out...

Sunday, March 09, 2003

*** Whazzup with this "two top banner ads" thing Blogger is doing? ***

North Korea: We'll put a torch to New York

North Korea would launch a ballistic missile attack on the United States if Washington made a pre-emptive strike against the communist state's nuclear facility, the man described as Pyongyang's "unofficial spokesman" claimed yesterday.

Kim Myong-chol, who has links to the Stalinist regime, told reporters in Tokyo that a US strike on the nuclear facility at Yongbyon "means nuclear war".

"If American forces carry out a pre-emptive strike on the Yongbyon facility, North Korea will immediately target, carry the war to the US mainland," he said, adding that New York, Washington and Chicago would be "aflame". more

If you just skimmed the article excerpt above, you may have missed the point. What North Korea is saying is that if we try to eliminate their nuclear facilities, they'll nuke New York! How did we get from an open and friendly dialogue with North Korea under President Clinton to this? Too much chest thumping by our international embarassment of a pResident, Bush, on Iraq. Bush ignored the true threat to us by focusing on the oil reserves of Iraq. Did you vote for this bozo?

UN launches inquiry into American spying

The United Nations has begun a top-level investigation into the bugging of its delegations by the United States. Sources in the office of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan confirmed last night that the spying operation had already been discussed at the UN's counter-terrorism committee and will be further investigated. more

Gauging War Sentiment in the U.S. and Elsewhere

The seemingly imminent war with Iraq does not lend itself to number-crunching, but there are a few questions that have a numerical aspect to them. One hears repeatedly that 16 of 19 European countries (including the big three of Albania, Bulgaria, and Croatia) support the U.S. position on Iraq. There is the implicit claim that Europe therefore supports the U.S. point of view.

A more modest conclusion is that for a wide variety of reasons the administrations of 16 of 19 European countries have decided to follow the Bush administration's lead. National polls indicate, however, that in almost all these countries there are solid, and in some cases huge, majorities opposed to war at this time. Even in the United Kingdom there is strong popular opposition.

Given the polls, it seems safe to say that the majority of Europeans agree with the minority position of the much-derided French, German, and Belgian governments... the claim that Europe supports the U.S. position on Iraq is misleading at best. more

The Color Purple Author Arrested in War Protest at White House

Acclaimed authors Alice Walker and Maxine Hong Kingston were among a group of 23 women arrested in front of the White House on Saturday as they protested against what they called a misguided march toward war, protest organizers said.

"They were in front of the White House, registering their discontent with the war and the war plans and were arrested by Park Police simply for standing in front of the White House and saying 'no' to war," said Gopal Dayaneni, a spokesman for the anti-war group CodePink which organized the rally.

A spokesman for the U.S. Park Police confirmed that about 25 people had been arrested on the sidewalk in front of the White House for crossing police lines and demonstrating in a closed area.

"The president may pretend that he doesn't want to hear us, he doesn't see us, but believe me eventually he will see us and he will hear us," Walker, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983 for her novel "The Color Purple," told CNN before her arrest. more

Interestingly, Ms. Walker has "lived" through two of America's darkest times. She lived through the post civil war segregated south where conditions were brutal for African-Americans through her book,The Color Purple. Now she is experiencing the beginnings of America's fascist period - a period that will hopefully be cut short in 2004.

out...

Saturday, March 08, 2003

Saturday Afternoon Update...
The Spoiled Unelected Fraud Refuses To Speak To The European Parliament Without A Guarantee Of A Standing Ovation!

Sure! George "Never had to work for anything in my live" Bush can rig polls and press conferences here, but his pouty tantrums carry no weight in Europe! Bush pulled out of a speech to the European Parliament when MEPs wouldn't guarantee a standing ovation. Senior White House officials said the President would only go to Strasbourg to talk about Iraq if he had a stage-managed welcome.

A source close to negotiations said last night: "President Bush agreed to a speech but insisted he get a standing ovation like at the State of the Union address.

"His people also insisted there were no protests, or heckling.

"I believe it would be a crucial speech for Mr Bush to make in light of the opposition here to war. But unless he only gets adulation and praise, then it will never happen."

Mr Bush's every appearance in the US is stage-managed, with audiences full of supporters. It was hoped he would speak after he welcomed Warsaw pact nations to Nato in Prague last November. But his refusal to speak to EU leaders face-to-face is seen as a key factor in the split between the US-UK coalition and Europe.

Idiot. more

Bush Team Forged So-Called Iraq Evidence! They'll Get This War Like They Got The White House - By Lying And Cheating!

What a sad state of affair for the United States of America! Now run by Now run by "never had to work a day in their lives" rich boys, our pathetic leaders only know one way to get what they want when the world refuses to hand it to them - lie and cheat! I'm sure their corporate rich golf buddies at the country club are exclaiming "Good show, my dear boy!"

A key piece of evidence linking Iraq to a nuclear weapons program appears to have been fabricated, the United Nations' chief nuclear inspector said yesterday in a report that called into question U.S. and British claims about Iraq's secret nuclear ambitions.

Documents that purportedly showed Iraqi officials shopping for uranium in Africa two years ago were deemed "not authentic" after careful scrutiny by U.N. and independent experts, Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told the U.N. Security Council. more

You begin to wonder if we can believe anything coming out of the mouth of George W. Bush!

IMPEACH NOW Or We Will Be Paying For George W. Bush's Follies For Decades! CBO Projects $1.8 Trillion Deficit in Bush Budget! Yes, $1.8 TRILLION!

Our unelected fraud's proposed new round of tax cuts and the rest of his budget would produce a string of federal deficits over the coming decade totaling $1.82 trillion, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected on Friday. The bleak forecast, obtained by The Associated Press, could heighten pressure on the Republican-led Congress to shrink the president's tax-cutting plans so lawmakers can produce a budget of their own that charts a course back to eventual balance.

That means our children and their children will be paying out of their asses so Bush's rich corporate buddies can get their tax breaks. Thanks, dumbass!

I'd rather have a president that screws an intern than one that screws the country!

And did all of you notice how this article has to describe the CBO as non partisan? That's so the brainless republican drones don't scream "It's not true, it's a lie... it's the damn liberal media out to get us... eeeeeeeeee... agony! A - GO - NEEEEEEE!
more

Senior Republican Congressman Lashed Out At Bush. "Take Some Responsibility For Your Actions!" Bush? Responsible? HA HA HA HA!

A senior Republican lawmaker, firing back at President Bush for recent statements blaming Congress for underfunding homeland security, accused the White House of factual inaccuracy (something they're good at!) and inadequate communication (Nooo! Really?)

In an extraordinary departure from the public unity that has characterized White House relations with congressional Republicans, House Appropriations Committee Chairman C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) wrote to urge White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. to "be responsible" and "move on from this pointless and harmful debate" over legislation passed last month that included money for "first responders" involved in homeland security.

Bush, accused by Democrats of shortchanging homeland security, last month said the GOP-controlled Congress "did not respond to the $3.5 billion we asked for -- they not only reduced the budget that we asked for, they earmarked a lot of the money" for unrelated programs. Bush said he was "disappointed," and White House officials said Congress provided only $1.3 billion to local governments to combat terrorism, rather than $3.5 billion.

In other words, he blamed someone else. Rightwing talk radio hosts, attempting to direct attention away from Bush's latest screw-up, reminded everyone Friday that Bill Clinton lied about a blow job. more

Bush's Speech Thursday Night Was Scripted! Reporters Were Picked And Told What To Ask! Then Bush Read Predetermined Answers! What A Moron!

Thursday night was amazing for only one reason. Our moron and chief actually fielded questions from reporters at a real press conference - or so we thought. At one point of what has turned out to be a staged event, Bush acknowledged that the news conference was scripted! Bush referred to a list of reporters he was reading from and as he read down the list, he told one reporter to wait to ask his question because "[this] is scripted." Hear it here!

Also, Bush talked and moved like a robot. When a question was asked, he would stare blankly ahead - sometime it seemed like forever - or he would scan whatever notes he had before him (the answers to the questions he knew would be asked?) before he answered.

Does this surprise you?

Dismantling the White House babushka - This Is An Important Article. Read It. Digest It. No, Really. Grab A Drink - You'll Need It!

I am not of the view that Bush, the son, just happened to emerge from his years of inebriation, falling to his knees to embrace the teachings of Jesus and metamorphose overnight into the perfect presidential candidate, an idyllic all-American Mr. Clean.

This was a man went AWOL from military service and thought nothing about joining the sinister Skull and Bones during his student days. This was the grandson of a man who financed and helped supply Hitler's Third Reich. This was a spoiled president's son, who used his influential father's connections to create his own wealth in the oil industry. more

Charlie Daniels: Country Music Star Wannabe Sinks Further Into Irrelevance With His "Soapbox"

When I was 13 years old, I shelled out 12 bucks to see The Atlanta Rhythm Section, The Johnny Van Zandt Band, and The Charlie Daniels Band at the Macon Coliseum. I want my money back!

Daniels, who has become an old coot reminiscent of Uncle Jesse from the Dukes Of Hazzard has a section on his website called "Soapbox" in which he espouses his political beliefs to anyone who cares to read them. No problem there! I respect his First Amendment Rights. The problem is, he doesn't respect anyone elses.

This poor washup never-was seems to have a problem with Hollywood stars (REAL famous people, Charlie - not like you) and average folks speaking their minds if it is contrary to current rightwing ideology. In one of his rants, "An Open Letter To The Hollywood Bunch," Daniels sounds more like an old man who is bitter that the same level of stardom of those he despises escaped him.

He calls the cursed Hollywood liberals a "bunch of pampered, overpaid, unrealistic children" for their stance on Iraq, then proceeds to level all kinds of exaggerated charges against them. Mr. Daniels, no one you name in your piece has said nor implied that we cut the military budget to "just enough to keep the National Guard on hand to help out with floods and fires."

No one has said or implied that we "close down our military bases all over the world and bring the troops home, increase our foreign aid and drop all the trade sanctions against everybody."

But you do call these Hollywood types a "bunch of pitiful, hypocritical, idiotic, spoiled mugwumps" who needs to "get [their] head out of the sand and smell the Trade Towers burning."

This statement reveals a few things about you. One - you don't know what "hypocritical" means. Two - the idiotic one is you if you think there is any connection whatsoever between "the Trade Towers burning" and Saddam Hussein. There is no evidence of it and there is no way you could just "know" it's true. You have plenty of money. Why not use it to do what Bush, Powell, and Blair have not been able to do - prove the connection. If you don't intend to do it, shut up and stop spreading lies!

Here is another Chuckie Daniels quote: "Barbra Streisand’s fanatical and hateful rankings about George Bush makes about as much sense as Michael Jackson hanging a baby over a railing." No, dumbass! Streisand's criticisms of Bush are just above your head. They make no sense to you because you don't have a firm grasp on the issues.

And Charlie, I don't go to redneck truck stops to take surveys of popular opinion as you've suggested. Why? Because a truckstop is a sad representation of a very diverse American population. I already know what pill poppin' Marlboro smokin' flannel wearin' middle aged redneck truck driver types think. They think you are right and that you're a country music star - and don't know which of those opinions is the funniest.

Charlie - you have become the green toothed rightwing narrow minded bigot you sang about in your song "Uneasy Rider."

Friday, March 07, 2003

IMPEACH NOW Or We Will Be Paying For George W. Bush's Follies For Decades! CBO Projects $1.8 Trillion Deficit in Bush Budget! Yes, $1.8 TRILLION!

FBI Whistleblower Coleen Rowley: FBI not ready for new terrorist attacks war with Iraq could trigger

Coleen Rowley, the FBI agent who exposed intelligence failures related to the September 11 terrorist attacks, is now warning that the agency is unprepared for terrorist attacks that could follow a U.S. war against Iraq.

"We are going to have more terrorist attacks in the U.S. as a result, in the short term perhaps, but also in the long term," Rowley told Eyewitness News during an interview Thursday.

In her bluntly worded, 7-pageletter to FBI director Robert Mueller dated February 26, 2003, Rowley said he had a responsibility to warn the White House that the bureau would not be able to "stem the flood of terrorism that will likely head our way in the wake of an attack on Iraq."

Rowley, a 22-year veteran of the FBI, went on to say "what troubles me the most is that I have no assurance that you have made that clear to the president."

Rowley also said in the message that the bureau "should be deluding neither ourselves nor the American people that there is any way the FBI ... will be able to stem the flood of terrorism that will likely head our way in the wake of an attack on Iraq." more | see the video

What The..???? Bush Considers Withdrawing Troops from South Korea

Lemme get this straight. Saddam Hussein has been contained for 12 years - a real threat to no one - and Bush wants pour to a quarter of a million troops in. North Korea is test firing missiles that can possibly reach our west coast, one of their warheads was actually found in Alaska, and they're threatening to restart their nuclear program, and Bush want to remove troops from South Korea? Huh? Someone explain this to me.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Thursday the stationing of U.S. troops near the border with North Korea has become intrusive to South Korea and might be moved out of South Korea altogether. Hmmm... more

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"If we act we will act, and we really don't need... anybody's permission." Bush speaking on Iraq.

On the contrary, Mr. Bush... you need the permission of the American people. And we'll tell you exactly how we feel about it in 2004.

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Poll Shows Bush Would Lose to Democrat in 2004 Election

President Bush would lose narrowly to a Democratic Party candidate if the U.S. presidential election were held now because of concerns about possible war and the economy, according to an opinion poll published on Thursday.

The Feb. 26-March 3 nationwide survey of U.S. voters by Hamden, Connecticut-based Quinnipiac University found that by a 48 percent to 44 percent margin, voters would pick the as yet unknown candidate out of nine Democrats running over the Republican incumbent (That would be George W.Bush!) The survey of 1,232 voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percent.

"This month, we find that an unnamed Democrat would edge out President Bush," said Quinnipiac University Polling Institute director Maurice Carroll. "The political winds are hard to read this early, but we do know that war and a bad economy are not good for anyone, especially sitting presidents." more

Guess it's time for a war... or a code red terra alurt... or maybe they can have someone arrest wild girls at spring break for corrupting our young men's morals! Yeah... that would get everyone back on the team! Wait a minute... wild girls?

Rightwing Florida mayor warns wild girls will be arrested at spring break!

The mayor of America's spring break capital wants nothing to do with wild girls. That's prompted police and the sheriff's office to be on alert, with officers on the lookout for public nudity, lewd acts and disorderly conduct during spring break. Mayor Lee Sullivan, a former police chief himself, warns that if girls go wild in his town, they'll go to jail!

The creators of the "Girls Gone Wild" videos are planning a live pay-per-view broadcast next Thursday from an undisclosed spring break destination. In the videos, college-age women bare their breasts while partying. This is obviously forbidden in John Ashcroft's America.

The "Girls Gone Wild" production crew and tour bus recently arrived in Panama City Beach, Florida. Rightwing Slayer was asked if he wanted to be the guy who handles pouring the water at wet t-shirt contests. I, of course, refused. Coincidently, though, I'll be updating my blog next week from Panama City Beach where I'll be taking care of a sick aunt.

Iraq attack would breach international law, lawyers warn British PM

War with Iraq cannot be justified under international law, a group of leading lawyers warned in a letter to British Prime Minister Tony Blair's office. None of the United Nations resolutions demanding that Iraq disarms would justify an attack, the 16 eminent figures said in the letter, quoted in Friday's Guardian newspaper.

"On the basis of the information publicly available, there is no justification under international law for the use of military force against Iraq," the lawyers said.

The group also hit out at Blair's suggestions that he would ignore an "unreasonable veto" from one or more of the five permanent Security Council members if they blocked a fresh United Nations resolution opening the way to war.

"A decision to undertake military action in Iraq without proper Security Council authorisation will seriously undermine the international rule of law," the letter added. more

Of course, those of us on the left have been saying this for a while now, so it is nice to have legal experts agree with us. Bush, however, won't listen. You know how conservanizis feel about lawyers!

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PLEASE! Would a Republican reading this pipe up ask "Why didn't you protest when Clinton sent troops to Kosovo!"

...c'mon! You know you want to...

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Georgie, Listen To Your Daddy! Bush Sr. Said In 1996 That War With Iraq `Would Turn Entire Arab World Against Us’

Former President George Bush predicted in 1996 that if the United States were to engage in another war with Iraq, one aimed at overthrowing Saddam Hussein, the “entire Arab world would turn against us” and the U.S. would alienate its allies in the international community.

“To occupy Iraq would instantly shatter our coalition, turning the whole Arab world against us, and make a broken tyrant into a latter-day Arab hero," Bush said in an interview with the BBC marking the five-year anniversary of the Gulf War.

Moreover, Vice President Dick Cheney said at an energy conference six years ago that hundreds of thousands of United States soldiers and Iraqi civilians would die if a war in Iraq were ever fought on the streets of Baghdad.

“To have brought the (Gulf) war into the populous Iraqi capital of Baghdad where Hussein is based would have involved a different type of military operation than in the desert, and would have put large numbers of Iraqi civilians and hundreds of thousands of our troops at risk of being killed,” he said. more

out...

Thursday, March 06, 2003

Breaking!!!! Poll Shows Bush Would Lose to Democrat in Election

pResident Bush would lose narrowly to a Democratic Party candidate if the U.S. presidential election were held now because of concerns about possible war and the economy, according to an opinion poll published on Thursday. more

Bush Makes The Call: Pentagon Ready to Strike Iraq Within Days if Bush Gives the Word, Officials Say

The Pentagon has provided George W. Bush with options for an attack against Iraq that could begin within days and without using Turkey as a staging area for American troops in the north, military officials said today.

With the diplomatic negotiations over Iraq appearing to enter a critical final phase, Gen. Tommy R. Franks met yesterday at the White House to discuss war plans with President Bush and his top national security advisers. General Franks reviewed the plans last week with his top Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Special Operations commanders in Qatar.

Bush junta officials said the 75-minute meeting focused on all aspects of the war plan, including alternatives to using Turkey as a staging area for American troops to open a northern front in Iraq.

"If the president of the United States decides to undertake action, we are in a position to provide a military option," General Franks told reporters at the Pentagon after the meeting. more

The elected President of the United States, Al Gore, could not be reached for comment.

FBI Warns Alleged Capture of Key Al Qaeda Figure Could Spark Attacks

The FBI on Wednesday warned U.S. law enforcement officials to be on the lookout for signs of "terrorist planning" in light of the recent arrest of the man said to be Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

In its weekly intelligence bulletin sent out to law enforcement officials across the country, the FBI said the weekend arrest in Pakistan could speed up any attacks that are in the works.

Let me head off any conservanazi email. I'm not saying or implying the arrest was a bad thing. I'm just passing on the FBI's warning. So there!

War On Iraq 'Could Boost Al-Qaeda', MPs warn

A war on Iraq could lead to hundreds more recruits for terror groups like al-Qaeda, an influential group of British MPs has warned. In a report on the war against terrorism, the foreign affairs committee warns the British government that the threat of military action creating instability across the Islamic world must be taken seriously. more

Of course, we've all heard and read from a myriad of sources that attacking Iraq will put us at an elevated risk of terrorist attacks. Collateral damage. Calculated risk. Gotta get that oil!

Bill Clinton Signs With CBS News

According to the Drudge Report, CBS NEWS plans to revive commentary segment 'Point/Counterpoint' on 60 MINUTES -- With Bill Clinton and Bob Dole, beginning this Sunday night.

Protestors gather at Crossgates Mall, Conservanazis show how much they really respect the principles this country was founded on...

The management at Crossgates Mall Wednesday asked the Guilderland Police Department to drop the trespassing charges against a Selkirk man. This came after about 100 protestors descended on Crossgates Mall that afternoon. Their "Mall Walk for Peace" protested the arrest of 60-year-old Stephen Downs, who was charged with trespassing Monday night when he wouldn't leave the mall after he refused to remove his T-shirt bearing a peace message.

Demonstrators upset about the trespassing charge arrived at Crossgates shortly before noon Wednesday wearing similar peace messages. At 12 p.m., they entered the mall together and sat down for lunch at the food court. They said they were doing what Stephen and Roger Downs should have been allowed to do. When a few protestors decided to get a little more vocal, a 55-year-old veteran carrying a sign reading "Remember 9-11" confronted them. The veteran yelled at the protestors and then went so far as to push some of the men! (Slayer's note: If that son of a bitch had shoved me for exercising my First Amendment rights, I would have knocked him on his ass!) more

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During a press conference with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, which took place in the White House on 31 January 2003, George W. Bush said something very interesting:

[Adam Boulton, Sky News (London):] One question for you both. Do you believe that there is a link between Saddam Hussein, a direct link, and the men who attacked on September the 11th?

THE PRESIDENT: I can't make that claim.

THE PRIME MINISTER: That answers your question.

Yo, people! This was just barely a month ago. So either Bush is lying or Colin Powell is lying about a connection. Which is it?

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Must Read Editorial...

I will not stand by and wave a flag as this next generation marches off to war. I will not repeat trite platitudes as these men and women are used up and then abandoned by a U.S. government that has broken faith with its noble principles, that fails to protect its citizens – a U.S. regime that threatens the world with the use of first-strike nuclear weapons...

This president who calls for endless war never stood in battle, never struggled for a livelihood, never learned the lessons of the Christianity he claims – nor of the God he invokes in his power-hungry quest for domination and control. It is he – and the other politicians, generals and armchair warriors – who truly undermine the safety and security of our men and women in the military and who constitute the biggest threat to peace in this world.more

Short update today. I have to take three cats to the vet and, well, that is a big job! So, we'll talk later...

Out...

Wednesday, March 05, 2003

North Korea Missile Warhead Found in Alaska... And We're Invading Iraq?

The warhead of a long-range missile test-fired by North Korea was found in the U.S. state of Alaska, a report to the National Assembly revealed yesterday.

``According to a U.S. document, the last piece of a missile warhead fired by North Korea was found in Alaska, former Japanese foreign minister Taro Nakayama was quoted as saying in the report. ``Washington, as well as Tokyo, has so far underrated Pyongyang's missile capabilities." more

Iraq's missiles, by the way, barely fly 100 miles. Yet Iraq is a threat to our national security and North Korea isn't - if you listen to the rhetoric of our grand imperial reTHUGlican government!

White House Rejects Pope's Iraq Argument

The White House rejected on Tuesday the Vatican's argument that there is no moral justification for a pre-emptive war in Iraq as pResident Bush prepared to meet with a special envoy sent by Pope John Paul II.

The pope has said a war would be a "defeat for humanity" and maintains the conflict would be neither morally nor legally justified. He wants Iraq to be disarmed through methods short of military force.

Actors Guild Warns Against Blacklisting, New McCarthyism

The entertainment industry must not blacklist people who speak out against war with Iraq, the Screen Actors Guild said yesterday.

"Some have recently suggested that well-known individuals who express `unacceptable' views should be punished by losing their right to work," the union said in a statement posted Monday on its Web site.

"Even a hint of the blacklist must never again be tolerated in this nation," the statement added.

The reference was to the Hollywood blacklist of the 1950s, when actors and writers suspected of harboring pro-Communist sentiments were barred from working.

"During this shameful period, our own industry prostrated itself before smear campaigns and witch hunters rather than standing on the principles articulated in the nation's fundamental documents," the statement said. more

Interestingly, the article left out details of the main instigator of the "red scare" that led to the Hollywood blacklisting - Republican Senator and dumbass supreme Joe McCarthy. Today, Republicans are again behind the current movement to silence or discredit Hollywood actors and actresses who speak out against the heavy handed tactics of the Republican party and their current "muslim scare."

Reading assignment: McCarthyism Source 1 | Source 2 and The New McCarthyism

Video: McCarthy hangs his head in shame...This stinging attack on the Senator by the Counsel for the Army effectively ended McCarthyism before a shocked television audience...

Video: McCarthy explains the responsibilties of the Republican Party at the 1952 Convention. Party members cheer wildly...

You've GOT To Be Kidding, Right? Man Arrested for Wearing Peace T-Shirt!

A man was charged with trespassing in a mall after he refused to take off a T-shirt that said "Peace on Earth" and "Give peace a chance."

Mall security approached Stephen Downs, 61, and his 31-year-old son, Roger, on Monday night after they were spotted wearing the T-shirts at Crossgates Mall in a suburb of Albany, the men said.

The two said they were asked to remove the shirts made at a store there, or leave the mall. They refused.

The guards returned with a police officer who repeated the ultimatum. The son took his T-shirt off, but the father refused.

"'I said, `All right then, arrest me if you have to,'" Downs said. "So that's what they did. They put the handcuffs on and took me away."

So... what if the two had been wearing shirts that said Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God? Or how about shirts that said Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men? How would these rightwing mall security guards have responded to making a choice between upholding the words of Jesus Christ and kowtowing to the warmongering George W. Bush?

Protest Letters To MSNBC Draw Savage Response

Michael Savage, the conservative radio host whose hiring by MSNBC has turned him into a national lightning rod, is threatening to lead a boycott against the "slimy, filthy groups" that oppose him.

Accusing them of "Nazism" and "economic terrorism," Savage has told listeners that "these brownshirt groups" live in "mud puddles" and that he may ask the Justice Department to investigate them.

Savage is responding to a letter-writing campaign by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation aimed at pressuring MSNBC into dropping the Savage program, which debuts Saturday. MSNBC executives have agreed to schedule a meeting tomorrow with the group, whose effort is backed by the National Organization for Women.

MSNBC recently cancelled their highest rated program, Donahue. A leaked memo said the network was nervous about Donahue's anti-war and anti-Bush guests.

MSNBC spokesman Alan Winnikoff, confirming that the network has gotten a slew of negative letters and e-mails about Savage, says: "We're asking people to wait and watch the show before jumping to conclusions."

Savage has spoken off "the degenerates on the left who want to sell Americans on the idea that homosexuality, bisexuality, transexuality, even sex with animals is normal." He complains that a "minority of feminist zealots" has "both feminized and homosexualized much of America." On his show he talks about immigrants from "turd world nations" and called the Million Mom March for gun control the "million dyke march."

Savage has threatened to report his critics to the U.S. Justice Department. With the Joe McCarthy wannabe John Ashcroft in charge of it, Savage just might get the results he seeks... more

To join in the boycott of this dumbass rightwing lunatic click here

Listen to Michael Savage say "We need another brave Senator, like (Joseph) McCarthy, whom history has proven to be a loyal patriot... click

Democratic Presidential Contender Howard Dean Says He’ll Wear Liberal Label Proudly

Democratic Presidential hopeful Howard Dean has a message to the media: Go ahead, call him a liberal.

“The press is all writing about Dean is the big liberal of the race,” the former Vermont governor said at a Washington fundraiser. “Well, if being a liberal is balancing the budget, that’s fine with me. And I’ll bet it’s fine with most Americans. If being a liberal is joining Canada and Britain and France and Germany and Japan and Italy and Israel in having universal health insurance for all of its citizens, then you may call me what you want.” more

Have You Seen The E-Mail That Is Making The Rounds?

URGENT ASSISTANCE - FROM USA
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION NEEDED: HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL
FROM: GEORGE WALKER BUSH 202.456.1414 / 202.456.1111 FAX: 202.456.2461
DEAR SIR / MADAM,

I AM GEORGE WALKER BUSH, SON OF THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH, AND CURRENTLY SERVING AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS LETTER MIGHT SURPRISE YOU BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT MET NEITHER IN PERSON NOR BY CORRESPONDENCE. I CAME TO KNOW OF YOU IN MY SEARCH FOR A RELIABLE AND REPUTABLE PERSON TO HANDLE A VERY CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS TRANSACTION, WHICH INVOLVES THE TRANSFER OF A HUGE SUM OF MONEY TO AN ACCOUNT REQUIRING MAXIMUM CONFIDENCE.

I AM WRITING YOU IN ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE PRIMARILY TO SEEK YOUR ASSISTANCE IN ACQUIRING OIL FUNDS THAT ARE PRESENTLY TRAPPED IN THE
REPUBLIC OF IRAQ. MY PARTNERS AND I SOLICIT YOUR ASSISTANCE IN COMPLETING A TRANSACTION BEGUN BY MY FATHER, WHO HAS LONG BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE EXTRACTION OF PETROLEUM IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,AND BRAVELY SERVED HIS COUNTRY AS DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED STATES CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY.IN THE DECADE OF THE NINETEEN-EIGHTIES, MY FATHER, THEN VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, SOUGHT TO WORK WITH THE GOOD OFFICES OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF IRAQ TO REGAIN LOST OIL REVENUE SOURCES IN THE NEIGHBORING ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN. THIS UNSUCCESSFUL VENTURE WAS SOON FOLLOWED BY A FALLING-OUT WITH HIS IRAQI PARTNER, WHO SOUGHT TO ACQUIRE ADDITIONAL OIL REVENUE SOURCES IN THE NEIGHBORING EMIRATE OF KUWAIT, A WHOLLY-OWNED U.S.-BRITISH SUBSIDIARY.

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On Crossfire last night, Rightwinger Robert Novak explained that the problem with this country is that there are too many smart young liberals. He has reason to be concerned. These smart young liberal will soon sweep the old dumbass conservatives out of office!

NOVAK: ... don't worry about those left wingers out there.

SANDERS: I think you have a lot of smart young people out there.

NOVAK: That's what the problem is of the country.

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Dumbass Rightwinger Wants To Boycoot IHOP For Serving FRENCH Toast! Hysterical!

Does the pettiness of the ditto headed dumbass rightwing conservative faux patriotic numbnuts know no limit? There's actually a reTHUGlican that is pressuring IHOP to stop serving french toast! I kid you not! Though I don't have a copy of the letter this moron sent to IHOP, I do have IHOP's reply:

Dear Mr. Murray:

Thank you for taking the time to contact IHOP with your comments. We do not intend to send any political message with our commercials, rather we are simply inviting guests in for a great new product that has been in development for months. French Toast has existed for hundreds of years and while the origin is debated, our understanding is that it was invented near Albany, New York by Joseph French, thus the name. All of the ingredients used in preparation are purchased from American companies if that helps to alleviate any of your concerns. We do appreciate your concerns and thank you for sharing them.

Sincerely,

(name deleted)
Director, Public Relations

Jeez! imagine how STUPID this "Mr. Murray" feels finding out that french toast may be an American creation after all! So, Buns_of_Fire (hey, it's just a nic name!) over at the DU Forum was kind enough to provide us some insight into the tiny warped minds of republicans:

"Okay. French Toast was invented in Albany. Albany is also a city in Georgia. There is also a Soviet Georgia. Until their collapse, the Soviets were our enemies. "Enemies" sounds a lot like "enemas." Some people take coffee enemas (at least Steve McQueen did when he was fighting cancer). As we know, all coffee is grown by Juan Valdez. Juan Valdez has a big moustache. Saddam Hussein has a big moustache, too. Therefore, we have conclusively linked Saddam Hussein to French Toast!
For my next miracle, I will link Osama bin Laden to German pancakes (or Anna Nicole Smith, I haven't decided yet)!

Bwahahahahahahahahahah!!!

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"It's been reported that the FBI is visiting libraries nationwide and checking the reading records of people it finds suspicious. When asked about it, President Bush said 'I've always been suspicious of people who go to libraries." —Conan O'Brien

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More Bad News For The Economy: U.S. Budget Deficit Rising Fast

The federal deficit is growing much more quickly than expected, even before Congress takes up President Bush's tax-cutting proposals and without factoring in the costs of a war in Iraq, Congressional analysts have concluded.

Analysts for the Republican-controlled House Budget Committee have raised their estimates of this year's budget shortfall by about $30 billion, some 15 percent beyond the forecast that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office issued only five weeks ago.

The deterioration appears to stem from the continued weakness of the economy and the stock market, and those problems could remain for a while: many economists predict anemic growth for at least the first half of 2003.

The new projections mean that the government's 2003 shortfall could soar to $400 billion if Mr. Bush's tax cuts are approved and if war costs this year run into the tens of billions of dollars.

They also mean that Mr. Bush will face new pressure either to scale back his proposals for cutting taxes by $1.5 trillion over 10 years, or to rein in favored programs like a military buildup, domestic security and prescription drugs for the elderly. more

Prayer walkout: Republicans Hate America and What It Represents

Two Washington state lawmakers left the floor of the House of Representatives during a prayer by a Muslim religious leader, citing patriotism and a lack of interest.

Republicans Lois McMahan of Gig Harbor and Cary Condotta of East Wenatchee walked to the back of the chamber during Monday's invocation by Mohamad Joban, imam of the Islamic Center of Olympia, the Associated Press reports.

Miss McMahan said she did not oppose having a Muslim deliver the prayer, but did not remain in the chamber because "the religion is the focal point of the hate-America sentiment in the world."

"It's an issue of patriotism," she said.

Mr. Condotta said he was talking to another lawmaker and "wasn't particularly interested" in the prayer. He would not elaborate.

In his prayer, the imam asked for God or Allah to bless the state of Washington, guide the House in making good decisions, America's success in the war against terrorism and world peace, things Republicans aren't really that interested in.

But what if lawmakers had walked out on a christian prayer? Hmmm?

out...

Tuesday, March 04, 2003

CONFIRMED! Bush Spying on U.N. Delegations!

From the Associated Press. America's secretive National Security Agency, according to a memo leaked to the Observer, is monitoring the phones and e-mail of U.N. delegates in New York. Targeted countries include Bulgaria, Chile, Angola, Cameroon, Guinea and Pakistan, whose Security Council votes are considered crucial to the Bush administration's resolution to use force against Iraq. The purpose of spying on these and possibly other delegations is "to provide up-to-the-minute intelligence for Bush officials on the voting intentions of U.N. members regarding the issue of Iraq," according to the published memo. more

Gallup: Dismal Outlook For Bush In 2004. Bush Re-Election Numbers Plummet to 40s. "A rule of thumb for an incumbent is that any figure below the 50% mark signals trouble."

Among registered voters, Bush's support is now at 47%, just 8 points more than the support expressed for an unnamed Democrat. A rule of thumb for an incumbent is that any figure below the 50% mark signals trouble.

The current numbers suggest that the rally effect of 9/11 has greatly diminished. A month after the terrorist attacks, registered voters supported Bush over the unnamed Democratic candidate by 27 percentage points. Today, the margin is just 8 points. more

What prompted Florida Sen. Bob Graham to join the Democratic presidential sweepstakes last week?

According to Newsweek, Graham's experience last year overseeing a joint House-Senate inquiry into the events of 9-11 convinced him to run for President. Graham says he became “outraged” by the intelligence and law-enforcement failures discovered by the inquiry—most of which, he charges, are still being suppressed by the Bush administration. The inquiry’s 400-page report can’t be publicly released because the administration won’t declassify key portions. Graham says the report documents far more miscues by the FBI and CIA than have been publicly revealed, as well as still unpursued leads pointing to “facilitation” of the hijackers by a “sovereign nation.” (Sources say the country is Saudi Arabia.) “There’s been a cover-up of this,” Graham said. (Newsweek)

Consider what you've just read. A senator oversees a congressional inquiry in the events of 9-11 and is so pissed at what he saw he feels the only way to make sure something like that doesn't happen again is to get the bozo some call president out of the White House. And keep in mind as you ponder your feelings for Bush: It is the Democrats who are pushing for these investigations into 9-11 and the Republicans who are against them. Graham already knows the Bush administration is involved in a "massive cover-up." Are you wondering now just how much more the reTHUGlican are hiding from the American people?

You've All Heard That Saddam Hussein Tried To Assasinate George H.W. Bush After He Left Office... But Did It REALLY Happen?

The official story is that in April 1993, Iraqi intelligence agents allegedly tried to assassinate former President Bush during a visit to Kuwait, where he was honored for liberating the country from Iraq. Even though evidence uncovered by Kuwaiti and U.S. investigators at the time was dubious, the CIA and FBI concluded that Iraqi intelligence agents staged an attempt to assasinate the former president. These findings prompted former President Bill Clinton to order a retaliatory missile strike against Iraqi intelligence headquarters in Baghdad on June 26, 1993.

The funny thing (if you can find humor at all in this situation) is the assasination plot may never have happened.

"...Some former intelligence officers and experts on Iraq believe the Kuwaitis may have exaggerated or even concocted the assassination case against the 17 people they arrested to inflame American anger against Iraq.

'It's very possible that the Iraqis tried to get Bush," says Sami G. Hajjar, a former Army War College expert on the Middle East, who says he leans toward that view. "But it wouldn't be at all a surprise if evidence emerged one day that it was staged by the Kuwaits to pump up the Iraqi threat and to ingratiate themselves with the U.S.'

Others have even stronger doubts..." more

He's so dumb, he can't catch terrorists and chew gum at the same time!

Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the supposed mastermind of 9-11, was captured this week as you know. The official story is that he was caught through a joint U.S. and Pakistani operation. However, word is leaking out of various sources that it was, in fact, a lone Pakistani mission that netted Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and that the U.S.'s only role was to take custody of the prisoner.

Of course, it is still very important that Khalid Sheikh Mohammad was caught regardless of who did it. However, as the rightwing pundits on FOX New and MSNBC gloat that Bush has actually scored a victory in the war on terror, just remember: The capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammad may have transpired without our intelligence agents having ever lifted a finger. Thank Darwin for our allies... that is, the few that Bush hasn't already pissed off!

Advisors warn Bush he faces "humiliating" defeat on world stage

Senior aides to President George W. Bush say he faces a humiliating defeat before the United Nations Security Council next week.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, fresh from his latest round of meetings with representatives of countries on the Security Council, delivered the bad news to Bush on Monday.

"You will lose, Mr. President," Powell told Bush. "You will lose badly and the United States will be humiliated on the world stage."

Some White House advisors are now urging the President to back off his tough stance on war with Iraq and give UN weapons inspectors more time.

"We have no other choice," admits one Bush advisor. "We don't have the votes. We don't have the support." more

Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman: 'Bush would be guilty at Nuremburg'

If he launches an attack on Iraq without the approval of the United Nations Security Council, George W. Bush will be guilty of crimes on par with those committed by the infamous Nazi leaders who were tried at Nuremburg in 1948, after World War II.

The law is clear. At Nuremburg, American, British, French and Soviet jurists used international conventions, legal precedent and a global moral consensus to establish a code of conduct deemed the standard for all nations.

Key was the "crimes against humanity" prohibition stemming from the conscious slaughter of six million Jews, leftists, gypsies and others by the Nazi fanatics.

But also crucial was the ban on unprovoked attack by one nation against another. The explosive fuse that set off World War II was the September 1,1939 Nazi attack on Poland, which was unprovoked by any stretch of the military imagination. By all accounts it was an act of aggression and conquest, which led ultimately to as many as 50 million deaths over the next six years. more

Monday, March 03, 2003

Who armed Iraq? A Very Telling and Damning Account - And The Finger Is Pointed At Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush!

Iraq's Weapons Declaration underscores a tragic irony: The United States, the world's leading arms supplier, is taking the world to war to stop arms proliferation in the very country to which it shipped chemicals, biological seed stock and weapons for more than 10 years.

According to the December declaration, treated with much derision from the Bush administration, U.S. and Western companies played a key role in building Hussein's war machine. The 1,200-page document contains a list of Western corporations and countries -- as well as individuals -- that exported chemical and biological materials to Iraq in the past two decades.

Embarrassed, no doubt, by revelations of their own complicity in Mideast arms proliferation, the U.S.-led Security Council censored the entire dossier, deleting more than 100 names of companies and groups that profited from Iraq's crimes and aggression. The censorship came too late, however. The long list -- including names of large U.S. corporations -- Dupont, Hewlett-Packard, and Honeywell -- was leaked to a German daily, Die Tageszeitung. Despite the Security Council coverup, the truth came out.

Even before Sept. 11, historian Chalmers Johnson warned in "Blowback: Costs and Consequences of American Empire": "Arms sales are a major cause of a developing blowback whose price we have yet to begin to pay."

"Blowback," a term first used by the CIA, refers to the unintended consequences of covert policies. "In a sense, blowback is simply another way of saying that a nation reaps what it sows," Johnson wrote. more

The Reagan and Bush I administration's complicity in creating the "monster" George W. Bush now wants removed at all costs is overwhelming. Day after day and night after night rightwing pundits and Republican politicians attempt to deny Saint Reagan's and Daddy Bush's role in arming Saddam. Don't they look like dumbasses?

"Although most Americans may be largely ignorant of what was, and still is, being done in their names, all are likely to pay a steep price -- individually and collectively -- for their nation's continued efforts to dominate the global scene."

Book Review: Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire

As the Bush Administration amasses hundreds of thousands of American troops on Iraq’s borders, sends more than two thousand troops to fight Islamic guerrillas on an obscure island in the Philippines, and prepares for a nuclear showdown with North Korea, reading Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire by Chalmers Johnson is both a revelatory and disturbing experience.

In simple terms, “Blowback” argues that what goes around comes around. And, according to Johnson, that is a frightening prospect.

Blowback is a term invented by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). “It refers to the unintended consequences of policies that were kept secret from the American people,” says Johnson. “What the daily press reports as the malign acts of ‘terrorists’ or ‘drug lords’ or ‘rogue states’ or ‘illegal arms merchants’ often turn out to be blowback from earlier American operations.”

The primary objective of these operations, he argues, is to maintain a global American empire held together by military and financial domination of other countries and, more critically, their markets. In short, we want to own the world.

The Bush Administration, by word and deed, has made it abundantly clear that it envisions a world dominated by one power, the United States, that will enforce a “Pax Americana.” The Administration declared its intentions in the National Security Strategy released Sept. 20, 2001. The policy was actually formulated in 1992 in the last year

of the Bush I administration by Donald Rumsfield, who is now Secretary of Defense; Paul Wolfowitz, who is now Assistant Secretary of Defense; and Richard Perle, a national security advisor; among others...

This strategy dismisses deterrence or containment, a policy successfully used against the former Soviet Union” as a relic of the Cold War. Instead, it favors “convincing or compelling states to accept their sovereign responsibilities.” Naturally, Washington will determine what those “sovereign responsibilities” are...

Our all-but-inevitable war with Iraq, of course, is the most glaring example of the consequences of blowback from previous policies and the dangers of blowback that will result from the war. Citing statistics from the government’s Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Johnson notes that, by 1995, the U.S. provided 49 percent of all global arms exports to 140 odd countries, “90 percent of which were either not democracies or were human rights abusers.” And we often arm opponents in ongoing conflicts -- Iran and Iraq, Greece and Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Israel, China and Taiwan.

“Saddam Hussein of Iraq,” he points out, “the number-one ‘rogue’ leader of the 1990s (and still number one in 2003, according to Bush), was during the 1980s simply an outstanding customer with an almost limitless line of credit because of his country’s oil reserves.” In fact, the U.S., under Ronald Reagan, provided Saddam with the much-ballyhooed Weapons of Mass Destruction that are Bush’s excuse for going to war. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield was a key player in those deals. And, as we all know, Halliburton Corp., with Vice President Dick Cheney as CEO, did a multi-billion dollar business with Iraq after the Gulf War. more

Rightwinger Washington Times Columnist John McCaslin Searches For "Most Absurd Anti-terrorism Security-related Measures."

Have you ever noticed how reTHUGlicans love to point out things they think are absurd wastes of tax payer's money? Washington Times writer and right wing schill John
McCaslin is currently taking submissions from readers for what he thinks are those types of things as they relate to anti-terrorism. For example, US Airways Capt. Thomas Heidenberger, who has lobbied Congress to authorize airline pilots to carry pistols in the cockpits, complains to McCaslin that fellow airline employees bypass security screenings. "These same employees now have unrestricted access to the ramp and to aircraft. How secure is this? What might they be carrying?" He asks.

If they feel the way you do, Captain Heidenberger, they might be carrying guns!

A Marine lieutenant colonel wrote McCaslin from the war front: "Last May, I was ordered to support CJTF-180 and was on my way to Afghanistan from my parent command, Marine Forces, Pacific. The first leg of my trip had me leave from Honolulu International Airport. I had in my possession, and presented to the agent, an official U.S. passport — maroon as opposed to the blue issued to private citizens — my military orders and government-issued tickets. I was also in uniform.

"When I passed through the first screening, I was told to take off my shoes so that they might be inspected. As you can imagine, I attracted a great deal of attention. Here I am, a lieutenant colonel of Marines, in uniform, being subjected to having my shoes off so that they could be examined. I was incredulous."

I'll just bet! Imagine how Al Gore, our elected President, felt when he was searched twice on the same trip last summer! Of course, rightwingers had a hearty laugh at that one! more

Speaking of Al Gore garnering hoots and grins from the right for airport security reasons, he was behind what republicans probably consider the biggest and most absurd anti-terrorism security-related measures ever! In 1996, President Clinton signed Airport Security measures into law based upon wide-ranging security measures recommended by Vice President Al Gore's aviation security commission. Interestingly, key republican senators on the Senate Aviation Subcommittee shot down mandated changes recommended by Gore and the White House and instead urged "further study." (Eight of the nine Republicans on the subcommittee had received contributions from the major airlines.)

"Among those attacking the Gore Commission recommendations, incidentally, was the New Republic, which noted that "two billion dollars a year to guard against terrorism and sabotage" would amount to "a cost per life saved of well over $300 million."

However, because they would not listen to Gore, "the cost of such libertarian dogma must now be measured in thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars." (salon.com)

Incidently, after 9/11, George W. Bush quickly adopted many of Gore recommendations with full support of some of the same senators who shot down the recommendations when Al Gore made them.

Congressional Black Caucus Leads The Debate

The Congressional Black Caucus will host four debates for the Democratic Party's presidential candidates this year, an effort that could bolster the role black voters will play in the 2004 election.

Debate sites will include Detroit, Los Angeles and Jackson, Miss. The fourth site is now being determined, but will be either Baltimore or Philadelphia.

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland Democrat and caucus chairman, says the debates will focus on domestic issues rather than terrorism and war in Iraq.

He said the debates will give candidates a chance to discuss issues "important to not only African-Americans, but ... that are at the center of people's lives. We also believe that these debates will help to educate African-Americans about who the candidates are, energize them to register to vote and in the end, go to the polls on Election Day in record numbers."

The debates are being organized by Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, mother of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

In a report in USA Today, Mr. Cummings called black voters "the most loyal constituency within the Democratic Party." (Washington Times)

Former Treasury Secretary Paul H. O'Neill Shopping Book on Bush Economic Policies

Time magazine is reporting that Former Treasury Secretary Paul H. O'Neill and a journalist are shopping around a manuscript critical of the Bush administration's handling of the economy.

I read that book back in 1992! And I know how it ends - A pResident named "Bush" serves one term in office!

I Think It's Great That Khalid Mohammed Was Captured, But... Wasn't He KILLED In 2002?

Over the weekend Washington and the media were ecstatic that Khalid Mohammed had been captured and Americans everywhere had reason to rejoice! However, news sources reported in 2002 that he had been killed in a shootout in Karachi!

According to the Asia Times Online, ever since the frenzied shootout last month on September 11 in Karachi there have been doubts over whether Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed head of al-Qaeda's military committee, died in the police raid on his apartment.

Certainly, another senior al-Qaeda figure, Ramzi Binalshibh, widely attributed as being the coordinator of the September 11 attacks on the United States a year earlier, was taken alive and handed over to the US. The latest information is that he is on a US warship somewhere in the Gulf.

Now it has emerged that Kuwaiti national Khalid Shaikh Mohammed did indeed perish in the raid, but his wife and child were taken from the apartment and handed over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in whose hands they remain. more

So the questions to be asked are: Do we really have Khalid Shaikh Mohammed? And will this person, whoever he is, "admit" there is an Iraq - bin Laden connection after? It would be awfully convenient!

Sunday, March 02, 2003

UPDATE: Matt Drudge confirms what Rightwing Slayer Suggested This Morning: Words In NSA E-mail Altered For British Spelling. Meaning is still the same. U.S. Is Bugging Security Council Members! more for now... unless Drudge removes the story!

Bush Administration Using Dirty Tricks To Win Vote On Iraq War, Including Bugging Security Council Members! Surprised?

The United States is conducting a secret 'dirty tricks' campaign against UN Security Council delegations in New York as part of its battle to win votes in favour of war against Iraq. Details of the aggressive surveillance operation, which involves interception of the home and office telephones and the emails of UN delegates in New York, are revealed in a document leaked to The Observer.

The disclosures were made in a memorandum written by a top official at the National Security Agency - the US body which intercepts communications around the world - and circulated to both senior agents in his organisation and to a friendly foreign intelligence agency asking for its input.

The memo describes orders to staff at the agency, whose work is clouded in secrecy, to step up its surveillance operations 'particularly directed at... UN Security Council Members (minus US and GBR, of course)' to provide up-to-the-minute intelligence for Bush officials on the voting intentions of UN members regarding the issue of Iraq.

The leaked memorandum makes clear that the target of the heightened surveillance efforts are the delegations from Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Mexico, Guinea and Pakistan at the UN headquarters in New York - the so-called 'Middle Six' delegations whose votes are being fought over by the pro-war party, led by the US and Britain, and the party arguing for more time for UN inspections, led by France, China and Russia. more

Rightwing wacko in disguise Matt Drudge has already issued Republican talking points to counter this embarassment for the party of George W. Bush. At the Drudge Report, Mr. Drudge desperately tries to discredit the story by asking silly questions about it:

WOULD AMERICAN NSA EMPLOYEE SPELL FAVORABLE 'FAVOURABLE', RECOGNIZE 'RECOGNISE' AND EMPHASIZE 'EMPHASISE' IN BRITISH TONGUE?
WOULD NSA REALLY TIME STAMP EMAILS '31/01/2003 0:16' IN EUROPEAN FORMAT?
NAME IN ALLEGED EMAIL IS 'KOZU' AND OBSERVER STORY CLAIMS TO HAVE CONTACTED A 'KOZA'?...

Writers and editors often correct words their readers would consider misspellings. That is is just good journalism! While I share Drudge's initial skepticism, given this administration's track record, I am inclined to believe it is true.

Alleged 9/11 Mastermind Arrested (we think) Is Arrested!

According to the Associated Press, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, was captured Saturday in a raid in Pakistan involving U.S. agents. Good job! Bravo! Now, are you sure he is the mastermind?

In the 17 months since the terrible crimes against humanity that happenned on 9/11, several people have been called "the mastermind of the September 11 attacks." First, there was Osama bin Laden (remember him?) bin Laden, in the hearts and minds of most people, is the mastermind behind 9/11. Then, there is Imad Fayez Mugniyeh (pronounced MOOG-NEE-YEH), a Lebanese Shiite long considered one of the world's most ruthless and elusive killers. The CIA has been tracking him since 1984 when he masterminded the kidnapping in Beirut of CIA station chief William Buckley, apparently on orders from Iran. Now evidence is beginning to mount that Mugniyeh has deep ties to bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network and may have been directly involved in planning the Sept. 11 attacks.

However, it is Khalid Shaikh Mohammed who has been considered the actual mastermind the longest and I'm glad we have him. I just hope his capture doesn't spell the end of the hunt for bin Laden, a man the Bush administration has increasingly pushed into the background as he pursues his oil war on Iraq.

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed One of Two Key Al Qeada members Educated/Trained In The United States During The Reagan/Bush Years

Providing further evidence that Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush left a mess for Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to clean up, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was one of two terrorists trained and/or educated in this country while Reagan and Bush Sr. ran things.

Of course, the events during the Russian/Afghanistan war, when Reagan/Bush's CIA actually trained Osama bin Laden and thousands of other Muslims, is well known. What you might not know is the extent to which some of them were welcome into our country. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the just arrested "mastermind" behind 9/11, spent two years two years earning a mechanical engineering degree at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed graduated in 1986, one of about 30 Muslim students that year.

One of Mohammed's professors, disturbed by the revelation that he taught one of bin Laden's top
lieutenants, said:

"I may have helped give him some background that would help him accomplish the World Trade Center catastrophe," professor David Klett said in a story for CNN.

Klett taught Mohammed thermodynamics, a course he often questions the merits of.

"We cover ... the fundamentals of jet engines and propulsion and chemical reactions, combustion reaction... and those things would have been necessary for them to at least consider when they planned the World Trade Center attack with the airplanes," Klett told CNN.

Another terrorist with a North Carolina connection is Ali Mohammed, an Egyptian born Islamic fundamentalist who graduated as a captain from a Special Forces Officers School at Fort Bragg in 1981 in a program for visiting military officials from foreign countries. He joined the U.S. military in 1986 and received a security clearance for level "secret." He was assigned as a sergeant with the U.S. Army Special Operations at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He also served unofficially as an assistant instructor at the JFK Special Operations Warfare School at Fort Bragg where he participated in teaching a class on the Middle East and Islamic fundamentalist perceptions of the United States.

On November 8, 1990, FBI agents raided the New Jersey home of El Sayyid Nosair, the Egyptian born Islamic militant, following his arrest in the shooting of Rabbi Meir Kahane in New York City. Among the many items found in Nosair's possession were sensitive military documents from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The documents, some of which were classified Secret, contained the locations of U.S. military Special Operations Forces exercises and units in the Middle East, military training schedules, U.S. intelligence estimates of Soviet forces in Afghanistan, a topographical map of Fort Bragg, U.S. Central Command data and intelligence estimates of Soviet force projection in Afghanistan. Appended throughout the documents were Arabic markings and notations believed to be that of Ali Mohammed. Some documents were marked "Top Secret for Training otherwise unclassified". Other documents were marked "sensitive." An FBI prepared inventory contains the entire listing of materials seized from Nosair's residence. Beyond the U.S. military documents, the raid on Nosair's residence produced a veritable treasure trove of terrorist documents, publications and materials. Included were actual plans for destroying skyscrapers in New York.

Investigations concluded that El Sayyid Nosair were given these classified documents by... Ali Mohammed, the Egyptian born Islamic fundamentalist Fort Bragg Special Forces graduate! By that time, Mohammed had already befriended Osama bin Laden in an organization that would evolved into Al Qeada!

Angry Republicans say Bush is screwing his own party

Is the Republican party eating itself? George W. Bush has an interesting political strategy for why his domestic agenda may fail. Blame the Republicans. Makes sense, right? Bill Clinton has been out of office for two years and his hands haven't touched Bush's latest stack of failures. The Democrats are the minority party in Congress so they have little influence on government affairs now. So who else will the "Pass The Buck" pResident blame now? Himself? HA HA! Fat Chance! He now blames his own party!

Bush blames the GOP-controlled Congress for underfunding programs to guard against terrorism. saying they "did not respond to the $3.5 billion we asked for -- they not only reduced the budget that we asked for, they earmarked a lot of the money" for other unrelated programs.

"That was an incredibly stupid thing for the White House to do," a senior House GOP aide complained Thursday.

By accusing House and Senate Republicans of failing to protect the homeland, the president "is saying, in effect, Republicans shortchanged homeland security," says a Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.).

But funding for Homeland Security is not the only place where the President has problems with his party colleagues on the Hill. The White House is sending Cabinet officials out to districts of GOP lawmakers who have doubts about his $695 billion tax cut plan. Their mission: drum up public support.

One Capitol Hill source said House Speaker Dennis J. Hastert, already angry at Bush's remarks, lost his temper when a staffer suggested he go public with his feeling about what Bush said.

"What do you want me to do, call the President a liar? George Bush may screw his party. I don't!" Hastert is reported to have said. more

Of God, and Man, in the Oval Office

The National Council of Churches (NCC), together with a number of peace organizations, recently ran an ad on CNN and Fox in which a bishop of the United Methodist Church, to which President Bush belongs, criticized the Bush administration's relentless war rhetoric. Going to war with Iraq "violates God's law and the teachings of Jesus Christ," said the bishop...

... NCC leaders were frustrated that the president had rebuffed their requests to meet with him to discuss their views. The president apparently believes that he can talk about theology from the bully pulpit without talking to theologians. Which begs the question: When did the president become theologian in chief?...

... And Bush's increasingly religious justification for war with Iraq is disturbing, even frightening, to many. "It bothers me that he wraps himself in a cloak of Christianity," said Lois Elieff. "It's not my idea of Christianity." To them, Bush's use of religious language sounds shallow and far more self-justifying than that of other recent political leaders -- including Bush's father... more

out...

Saturday, March 01, 2003

Iraqi Defector Claimed Arms Were Destroyed by 1995

Up until now, the Bush administration and all the talking heads have based a lot of their arguement for war with Iraq on the words of Iraqi defectors. But now it is revealed that a prominent Iraqi defector credited by President Bush and other senior U.S. officials with helping to reveal the full extent of Baghdad's secret biological, chemical and nuclear weapons told U.N. inspectors in 1995 that the vast majority of Iraq's deadliest weapons had already been destroyed, according to a confidential copy of the notes of the meeting.

Gen. Hussein Kamel, the former head of Iraq's secret weapons program and a son-in-law of President Saddam Hussein, told a United Nations delegation in a secret meeting in Amman, Jordan, on Aug, 22, 1995, that Iraq had halted the production of VX nerve agent in the late 1980s and destroyed its banned missiles, stocks of anthrax and other chemical agents and poison gases soon after the Persian Gulf War.

Former U.N. inspectors said this week that while Kamel provided valuable information, he frequently embellished and lied to enhance his reputation or to preserve illegal weapons programs.

"He was a consummate liar." Former chief U.N. weapons inspector Rolf Ekeus said.

But how has the determination been made about when he is lying and when he is not? We know he has been credited by pResident Bush and other senior U.S. officials with helping to reveal the full extent of Baghdad's secret biological, chemical and nuclear weapons. We are to believe that but not that the weapons have been destroyed?

Let's throw one more curve ball into the game. The current U.N. weapons team hasn't found any biological, chemical or nuclear weapons. This is a fact and matter of public record. So is Hussein Kamel lying about the weapons being destroyed or was he lying when he revealed the information that made him such a reliable source to Bush and other senior U.S. officials? We may never know because he was killed when he returned to Iraq in 1996.

Still, this clouds the situation considerably, huh? more

Is Bush Hiding The Evidence? Excellent Commentary From Eric Alterman!

"One of the Bush administration’s biggest fears is that Saddam Hussein will actually accept its demands and remove its ostensible excuse for a war. Saddam does not seem to be doing that, so the Bushies can relax, but still, every time there is any good news from Iraq regarding disarmament, the administration either ignores it or disparages it. This crucial piece of information seems to have been deliberately buried, but if it can be verified, it could disable entirely the argument for war.

According to Newsweek, ”Hussein Kamel, the highest-ranking Iraqi official ever to defect from Saddam Hussein’s inner circle, told CIA and British intelligence officers and U.N. inspectors in the summer of 1995 that after the gulf war, Iraq destroyed all its chemical and biological weapons stocks and the missiles to deliver them. Kamel’s revelations about the destruction of Iraq’s WMD stocks were hushed up by the U.N. inspectors, sources say, for two reasons. Saddam did not know how much Kamel had revealed, and the inspectors hoped to bluff Saddam into disclosing still more.” " moreand more

Think "Donahue" Was Cancelled Because Of Bad Ratings? Think Again!

MSNBC: "They're scared, and they decided to take the coward's road and slant towards the conservative crowd that watch Fox News."

While the official announcement wasn't a surprise to anyone working at the network, MSNBC officially canceled the primetime show "Donahue" on Tuesday, citing disappointing ratings. But as it turns out, the picture isn't as clear as it initially seems.

While "Donahue" does badly trail both O'Reilly and CNN's Connie Chung in the ratings, those numbers have improved in recent weeks. So much so that the program is the top-rated show on MSNBC, beating even the highly promoted "Hardball With Chris Matthews."

Although Donahue didn't know it at the time, his fate was sealed a number of weeks ago after NBC News executives received the results of a study commissioned to provide guidance on the future of the news channel.

The study claimed that Donahue presented a "difficult public face for NBC in a time of war......He seems to delight in presenting guests who are anti-war, anti-Bush and skeptical of the administration's motives." The report went on to outline a possible nightmare scenario where the show becomes "a home for the liberal antiwar agenda at the same time that our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity."

In other words, Donahue was sacrificed for the sake of the new PC - Patriotic Correctness. McCarthyism is alive and well at MSNBC! more

Kurds: Will Resist Turkish Troops in Iraq. Oh Great! Bush Spends ALL THAT MONEY To Convince The Turks To Participate and The Kurds Say "No WAY!"

Kurdish leaders said Friday they will resist if the United States lets Turks join an invasion of northern Iraq, raising fears American troops will be caught in a generations-old ethnic struggle for control of the strategic border region.

"Our people are going to resist the plan with all the means at their disposal," said Kurdish Deputy Prime Minister Sami Abdul Rahman. "Nothing whatsoever will persuade us to accept an incursion of Turkish forces."

"The answer of our people is a flat no." more

Bill Moyers on Patriotism and the American Flag

The flag... reminds me that it's not un-American to think that war — except in self-defense — is a failure of moral imagination, political nerve, and diplomacy. Come to think of it, standing up to your government can mean standing up for your country. more

I'm Getting LONELY!!!!

Rightwing Slayer is getting so many visitors lately and not just from other blogs that link to me. People are actually seeking out this info in search engines and finding me. You'd think I'd get more more monkey mail but that has kind of tapered off lately. Used to be the monkey mail was of the "hit and run" variety. Conservatives would tell me I'm an idiot or that I was going to burn in hell. Occasionally, someone would actually try to challenge me with Rush Limbaugh talking points but would run away with with their asses in their hands when I completely destroyed their game plan! People, remember, Rush Limbaugh talking points were not designed to be presented to knowledgeable liberals! That's why Limbaugh NEVER has a liberal guest on his show.

So, I'm working on a new concept. Maybe a "National 'Put A Liberal In His Place' Day" in which good hearted and well meaning conservatives can set a liberal on the "right" course. Perhaps some of you can help me with the exact concept. However, I need everyone's help with developing ground rules for the conservative. For example:

1. You can argue the facts but you can't deny the facts exist. For example, if I quote multiple sources to make a point, you can't curl up in a fetal position and scream that the sources are biased and aren't true!
2. Rush Limbaugh (or any talk show host) is NOT a source. No, he is not.
3. The bible is NOT a source. No, it is not.

Suggestions?

Perhaps if enough people really see conservative thought for what it is, we can turn the tide on our evolving fascist regime.

out.. for now. Slow news day!

Rightwing Slayer

Monday, March 31, 2003

Famed Journalist Peter Arnett FIRED For Daring To Criticize Bush; Says: Bush's War Plan Has Failed

Sunday, March 30, 2003

War Blunders, Ethics Dog Bush Administration

Saturday, March 29, 2003

Michael Moore Isn't Through With George W. Bush. Not By A Long Shot!

U.S. Missile Kills 58 in Baghdad Market

Bush Gets His Crusade! Plans Under Way for Christianizing Iraq!

Friday, March 28, 2003

Michael Moore Isn't Through With George W. Bush. Not By A Long Shot!

"Our Luke Was NOT Executed!" Tony Blair Caught In Major Lie. Says Soldiers Were Executed. "...no conclusive proof!"

Top Rumsfeld adviser Richard Perle resigns over ethics. A Republican with ethics problems? NO WAY!

Thursday, March 27, 2003

Bush White House trying to slow the congresssional 9/11 investigations

Wednesday, March 26, 2003

Bodies of 500 US, UK soldiers lying in Jacobabad

Tuesday, March 25, 2003

Al Jazeera News: British offices bombed in Lebanon and Ecuador

Americans stunned by U.S. casualties, POWs in Iraq

Monday, March 24, 2003

BASTARDS!

Thank You, Michael Moore - Someone Has To Say It!

Sunday, March 23, 2003

America! Is This What You Want For Your Sons And Daughters?

The Incompetence Of Those Waging This War Is Astounding!

Friday, March 21, 2003

Man Faces Charges of Threatening Senator Daschle's Life. Ashcroft Won't Prosecute!

Chemical Weapons Used In First Battles -- By The United States!

More than 1,500 protesters arrested in U.S.

Thursday, March 20, 2003

It's WAR! Unelected Fraud Announces Launch of U.S. Military Strikes on Iraq

Senator Robert Byrd: 'Today I Weep for My Country'

The Face Of War

Wednesday, March 19, 2003

As the countdown to Bush's illegal war continues, former CBS anchor Walter Cronkite blasts Bush's "arrogance."

Tuesday, March 18, 2003

BREAKING!! Think The Media Will Give You The TRUE Iraq War Story? U.S. THREATENS TO KILL INDEPENDENT REPORTERS IN IRAQ

PREAMBLE

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED

AND FOR THESE ENDS

HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS

Bush Tells Saddam to Leave by Wednesday

Monday, March 17, 2003

War By Week's End?

Updated For 03.17.03

Sunday, March 16, 2003

Thousands Surround White House in Anti-War Protest

New Semi-Regular Feature Starts Today

Caught In The Net: Comments From The World Wide Web

Saturday, March 15, 2003

Forces Aligning Against Bush? Senator questions Bush's Iraq nuke program 'proof' - Requests FBI Documents; Now Ex-CIA Officers Questioning Iraq Data!

Friday, March 14, 2003

UPDATE!!!

Bush 'squanders world's goodwill'

Thursday, March 13, 2003

Rumsfeld 'Loose Cannon' as U.S. Woos Allies on Iraq Says Experts

DON'T Give To Me, But PLEASE Give To The Democratic Party!

Wednesday, March 12, 2003

Great Britain Spurns Bush! May Find It Politically Impossible To Commit Its Military To A U.S.-led attack on Saddam Hussein!

Tuesday, March 11, 2003

BREAKING!!! Buchanan Charges Bush, Neocons With 'Warmongering'

Nashville Woman Fired for Anti-War Letter! The George W. Bush Patriotically Correct Tour Rolls On!

Monday, March 10, 2003

If War Comes

Sunday, March 09, 2003

North Korea: We'll put a torch to New York

Saturday, March 08, 2003

Bush Team Forged So-Called Iraq Evidence! They'll Get This War Like They Got The White House - By Lying And Cheating!

Friday, March 07, 2003

FBI Whistleblower Coleen Rowley: FBI not ready for new terrorist attacks war with Iraq could trigger

PLEASE! Would a Republican reading this pipe up ask "Why didn't you protest when Clinton sent troops to Kosovo!"

Thursday, March 06, 2003

Bush Makes The Call: Pentagon Ready to Strike Iraq Within Days if Bush Gives the Word, Officials Say

Wednesday, March 05, 2003

North Korea Missile Warhead Found in Alaska... And We're Invading Iraq?

Actors Guild Warns Against Blacklisting, New McCarthyism

Tuesday, March 04, 2003

Gallup: Dismal Outlook For Bush In 2004. Bush Re-Election Numbers Plummet to 40s. "A rule of thumb for an incumbent is that any figure below the 50% mark signals trouble."

Monday, March 03, 2003

Chemical Weapons Used In First Battles --
By The United States!