Important summaries of the War in Iraq that we're "winning"

Read this and tell me Bush isn't living in a goddamn dreamworld.


UNDERNEWS SPECIAL: COSTS OF THE IRAQ WAROCT 4, 2004FROM THE PROGRESSIVE REVIEWEDITED BY SAM SMITH REVIEW INDEX: http://www.prorev.com/ http://www.fpif.org/pdf/reports/IPStransition.pdf[Prepared by the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy In Focus]


KEY FINDINGS 1. U.S. Military Casualties Have Been Highest During the "Transition": U.S. military casualties (wounded and killed) stand at a monthly average of 747 since the so-called "transition" to Iraqi rule on June 28, 2004. This contrasts with a monthly average of 482 U.S. military casualties during the invasion (March 20-May 1, 2003) and a monthly average of 415 during the occupation (May 2, 2003- June 28, 2004).2. Non-Iraqi Contractor Deaths Have Also Been Highest During the "Transition": There has also been a huge increase in the average monthly deaths of U.S. and other non-Iraqi contractors since the "transition." On average, 17.5 contractors have died each month since the June 28 "transition," versus 7.6 contractor deaths per month during the previous 14 months of occupation.3. Estimated Strength of Iraqi Resistance Skyrockets: Because the U.S. military occupation remains in place, the "transition" has failed to win Iraqi support or diminish Iraqi resistance to the occupation. According to Pentagon estimates, the number of Iraqi resistance fighters has quadrupled between November of 2003 and early September 2004, from 5,000 to 20,000. The Deputy Commander of Coalition forces in Iraq, British Major General Andrew Graham, indicated to Time magazine in early September that he thinks the 20,000 estimate is too low; he estimates Iraqi resistance strength at 40,000-50,000. This rise is even starker when juxtaposed to Brookings Institution estimates that an additional 24,000 Iraqi resistance fighters have been detained or killed between May 2003 and August 2004.4. U.S.- led Coalition Shrinks Further After "Transition": The number of countries identified as members of the Coalition backing the U.S.-led war started with 30 on March 18, 2003, then grew in the early months of the war. Since then, eight countries have withdrawn their troops and Costa Rica has demanded to be taken off the coalition list. At the war's start, coalition countries represented 19.1 percent of the world's population; today, the remaining countries with foces in Iraq represent only 13.6 percent of the world's population.
HUMAN COSTS TO THE U.S. AND ALLIES U.S. Military Deaths: Between the start of war on March 19, 2003 and September 22, 2004, 1,175 coalition forces were killed, including 1,040 U.S. military. Of the total, 925 were killed after President Bush declared the end of combat operations on May 1, 2003. Over 7,413 U.S. troops have been wounded since the war began, 6,953 (94 percent) since May 1, 2003.Contractor Deaths: As of September 22, 2004, there has been an estimated 154 civilian contractors, missionaries, and civilian worker deaths since May 1, 2004. Of these, 52 have been identified as Americans.Journalist Deaths: Forty-four international media workers have been killed in Iraq as of September 22, 2004, including 33 since President Bush declared the end of combat operations. Eight of the dead worked for U.S. companies.
SECURITY COSTS
Terrorist Recruitment and Action: According to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, al Qaeda's membership is now at 18,000, with 1,000 active in Iraq. The State Department's 2003 "Patterns of Global Terrorism," documented 625 deaths and 3,646 injuries due to terrorist attacks in 2003. The report acknowledged that "significant incidents," increased from 60 percent of total attacks in 2002 to 84 percent in 2003.Low U.S. Credibility: Polls reveal that the war has damaged the U.S. government's standing and credibility in the world. Surveys in eight European and Arab countries demonstrated broad public agreement that the war has hurt, rather than helped, the war on terrorism. At home, 52 percent of Americans polled by the Annenberg Election Survey disapprove of Bush's handling of Iraq.Military Mistakes: A number of former military officials have criticized the war, including retired Marine General Anthony Zinni, who has charged that by manufacturing a false rationale for war, abandoning traditional allies, propping up and trusting Iraqi exiles, and failing to plan for post-war Iraq, the Bush Administration made the United States less secure.Low Troop Morale and Lack of Equipment: A March 2004 army survey found 52 percent of soldiers reporting low morale, and three-fourths reporting they were poorly led by their officers. Lack of equipment has been an ongoing problem. The Army did not fully equip soldiers with bullet-proof vests until June 2004, forcing many families to purchase them out of their own pockets.Loss of First Responders: National Guard troops make up almost one-third of the U.S. Army troops now in Iraq. Their deployment puts a particularly heavy burden on their home communities because many are "first responders," including police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. For example, 44 percent of the country's police forces have lost officers to Iraq. In some states, the absence of so many Guard troops has raised concerns about the ability to handle natural disasters.Use of Private Contractors: An estimated 20,000 private contractors are carrying out work in Iraq traditionally done by the military, despite the fact that they often lack sufficient training and are not accountable to the same guidelines and reviews as military personnel.
ECONOMIC COSTS
The Bill So Far: Congress has approved of $151.1 billion for Iraq. Congressional leaders anticipate an additional supplemental appropriation of $60 billion after the election.Long-term Impact on U.S. Economy: Economist Doug Henwood has estimated that the war bill will add up to an average of at least $3,415 for every U.S. household. Oil Prices: U.S. crude oil prices spiked at $48 per barrel on August 19, 2004, the highest level since 1983, a development that most analysts attribute at least in part to the deteriorating situation in Iraq. Economic Impact on Military Families: Since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 364,000 reserve troops and National Guard soldiers have been called for military service, serving tours of duty that often last 20 months. Studies show that between 30 and 40 percent of reservists and National Guard members earn a lower salary when they leave civilian employment for military deployment. Army Emergency Relief has reported that requests from military families for food stamps and subsidized meals increased "several hundred percent" between 2002 and 2003.
SOCIAL COSTS
U.S. Budget and Social Programs: The Bush administration's combination of massive spending on the war and tax cuts for the wealthy means less money for social spending. The $151.1 billion expenditure for the war through this year could have paid for: close to 23 million housing vouchers; health care for over 27 million uninsured Americans; salaries for nearly 3 million elementary school teachers; 678,200 new fire engines; over 20 million Head Start slots for children; or health care coverage for 82 million children. A leaked memo from the White House to domestic agencies outlines major cuts following the election, including funding for education, Head Start, home ownership, job training, medical research and homeland security.Social Costs to the Military: In order to meet troop requirements in Iraq, the Army has extended the tours of duty for soldiers. These extensions have been particularly difficult for reservists, many of whom never expected to face such long separations from their jobs and families. According to military policy, reservists are not supposed to be on assignment for more than 12 months every 5-6 years. To date, the average tour of duty for all soldiers in Iraq has been 320 days. A recent Army survey revealed that more than half of soldiers said they would not re-enlist.Costs to Veteran Health Care: About 64 percent of the more than 7,000 U.S. soldiers injured in Iraq received wounds that prevented them from returning to duty. One trend has been an increase in amputees, the result of improved body armor that protects vital organs but not extremities. As in previous wars, many soldiers are likely to have received ailments that will not be detected for years to come. The Veterans Administration healthcare system is not prepared for the swelling number of claims. In May, the House of Representatives approved funding for FY 2005 that is $2.6 billion less than needed, according to veterans' groups.Mental Health Costs: The New England Journal of Medicine reported in July 2004 that 1 in 6 soldiers returning from war in Iraq showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, or severe anxiety. Only 23 to 40 percent of respondents in the study who showed signs of a mental disorder had sought mental health care.
COSTS TO IRAQ
HUMAN COSTS
Iraqi Deaths and Injuries: As of September 22, 2004, between 12,800 and 14,843 Iraqi civilians have been killed as a result of the U.S. invasion and ensuing occupation, while an estimated 40,000 Iraqis have been injured. During "major combat" operations, between 4,895 and 6,370 Iraqi soldiers and insurgents were killed.Effects of Depleted Uranium: The health impacts of the use of depleted uranium weaponry in Iraq are yet to be known. The Pentagon estimates that U.S. and British forces used 1,100 to 2,200 tons of weaponry made from the toxic and radioactive metal during the March 2003 bombing campaign. Many scientists blame the far smaller amount of DU weapons used in the Persian Gulf War for illnesses among U.S. soldiers, as well as a sevenfold increase in child birth defects in Basra in southern Iraq.Rise in Crime: Murder, rape, and kidnapping have skyrocketed since March 2003, forcing Iraqi children to stay home from school and women to stay off the streets at night. Violent deaths rose from an average of 14 per month in 2002 to 357 per month in 2003.Psychological Impact: Living under occupation without the most basic security has devastated the Iraqi population. A poll conducted by the Iraq Center for Research and Strategic Studies in June 2004 found that 80 percent of Iraqis believe that coalition forces should leave either immediately or directly after the election.
ECONOMIC COSTS
Unemployment: Iraqi joblessness doubled from 30 percent before the war to 60 percent in the summer of 2003. While the Bush administration now claims that unemployment has dropped, the U.S. is only employing 120,000 Iraqis, of a workforce of 7 million, in reconstruction projects.Corporate War Profiteering: Most of Iraq's reconstruction has been contracted out to U.S. companies, rather than experienced Iraqi firms. Top contractor Halliburton is being investigated for charging $160 million for meals that were never served to troops and $61 million in cost overruns on fuel deliveries. Halliburton employees also took $6 million in kickbacks from subcontractors, while other employees have reported extensive waste, including the abandonment of $85,000 trucks because they had flat tires.Iraq's Oil Economy: Anti-occupation violence has prevented Iraq from capitalizing on its oil assets. There have been an estimated 118 attacks on Iraq's oil infrastructure since June 2003. By September 2004, oil production still had not reached pre-war levels and major attacks caused oil exports to plummet to a ten- month low in August 2004.
SOCIAL COSTS
Health Infrastructure: After more than a decade of crippling sanctions, Iraq's health facilities were further damaged during the war and post-invasion looting. Iraq's hospitals continue to suffer from lack of supplies and an overwhelming number of patients.Education: UNICEF estimates that more than 200 schools were destroyed in the conflict and thousands more were looted in the chaos following the fall of Saddam Hussein. Environment: The U.S-led attack damaged water and sewage systems and the country's fragile desert ecosystem. It also resulted in oil well fires that spewed smoke across the country and left unexploded ordnance that continues to endanger the Iraqi people and environment. Mines and unexploded ordnance cause an estimated 20 casualties per month.
HUMAN RIGHTS COSTS
Even with Saddam Hussein overthrown, Iraqis continue to face human rights violations from occupying forces. In addition to the widely publicized humiliation and torture of prisoners, abuse has been widespread throughout the post-9-11 military operations, with over 300 allegations of abuse in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantánamo. As of mid-August 2004, only 155 investigations into the existing 300 allegations had been completed.
SOVEREIGNTY COSTS
Despite the proclaimed "transfer of sovereignty" to Iraq, the country continues to be occupied by U.S. and coalition troops and has severely limited political and economic independence. The interim government does not have the authority to reverse the nearly 100 orders by former CPA head Paul Bremer that, among other things, allow for the privatization of Iraq's state-owned enterprises and prohibit preferences for domestic firms in reconstruction.
COSTS TO THE WORLD
HUMAN COSTSWhile Americans make up the vast majority of military and contractor personnel in Iraq, other U.S.-allied "coalition" troops have suffered 135 war casualties in Iraq. In addition, the focus on Iraq has diverted international resources and attention away from humanitarian crises such as in Sudan.
DISABLING INTERNATIONAL LAW
The unilateral U.S. decision to go to war in Iraq violated the United Nations Charter, setting a dangerous precedent for other countries to seize any opportunity to respond militarily to claimed threats, whether real or contrived, that must be "pre-empted." The U.S. military has also violated the Geneva Convention, making it more likely that in the future, other nations will ignore these protections in their treatment of civilian populations and detainees.
UNDERMINING THE UNITED NATIONS
At every turn, the Bush Administration has attacked the legitimacy and credibility of the UN, undermining the institution's capacity to act in the future as the centerpiece of global disarmament and conflict resolution. The efforts of the Bush administration to gain UN acceptance of an Iraqi government that was not elected but rather installed by occupying forces undermines the entire notion of national sovereignty as the basis for the UN Charter. It was on this basis that Secretary General Annan referred specifically to the vantage point of the UN Charter in his September 2004 finding that the war was illegal.
ENFORCING COALITIONS
Faced with opposition in the UN Security Council, the U.S. government attempted to create the illusion of multilateral support for the war by pressuring other governments to join a so-called "Coalition of the Willing." This not only circumvented UN authority, but also undermined democracy in many coalition countries, where public opposition to the war was as high as 90 percent. As of the middle of September, only 29 members of the "Coalition of the Willing" had forces in Iraq, in addition to the United States. These countries, combined with United States, make up less than 14 percent of the world's population.
COSTS TO THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
The $151.1 billion spent by the U.S. government on the war could have cut world hunger in half and covered HIV/AIDS medicine, childhood immunization and clean water and sanitation needs of the developing world for more than two years. As a factor in the oil price hike, the war has created concerns of a return to the "stagflation" of the 1970s. Already, the world's major airlines are expecting an increase in costs of $1 billion or more per month.
UNDERMINING GLOBAL SECURITY AND DISARMAMENT
The U.S.-led war and occupation have galvanized international terrorist organizations, placing people not only in Iraq but around the world at greater risk of attack. The State Department's annual report on international terrorism reported that in 2003 there was the highest level of terror-related incidents deemed "significant" than at any time since the U.S. began issuing these figures.
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS
U.S.-fired depleted uranium weapons have contributed to pollution of Iraq's land and water, with inevitable spillover effects in other countries. The heavily polluted Tigris River, for example, flows through Iraq, Iran and Kuwait.HUMAN RIGHTSThe Justice Department memo assuring the White House that torture was legal stands in stark violation of the International Convention Against Torture (of which the United States is a signatory). This, combined with the widely publicized mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. military and intelligence officials, gave new license for torture and mistreatment by governments around the world.

I mean, for fucks sake!

Kerry beat Bush's ass.

Well, 12 hours after the debates and the Media Powers That Be are already doing their best to obfusicate the following polls taken after the debate by people who actually watched it:

CNN
73% Kerry
21- shrub
MSNBC
64% Kerry
36
Fox
What a shock- no poll about who won?! Fair and balanced my left nut.
ABC
45% Kerry
36%
CBS
89% Kerry
9%
-yet the headlines on CBS say- "Experts rate debate a draw" Assholes.
Kerry did what he needed to do- he CLEARLY and CONCISELY explained how Bush was a stubborn moron who is unable to change his position because he's an ideological nutbar. By the end of the debate Bush was throwing a mini-temper tantrum- making faces, slouching over, pausing for a long long time, struggling even to repeat the 4 or 5 memorized phrases he had in his bag of tricks. OK we know it's hard work. The flip-flopping thing fell on it's face- Kerry answered the "multiple position" theory very well although already this morning the Bush Puppeteers are working like mad to reestablish it.
I still don't like Kerry- but at least he finaly showed he's at least competent enough to pummel the shit out of an unarmed man. That's been my biggest problem all along- I honestly believe my cat should be able to beat Bush quite handily- he's the worst President- possibly in US history. Hiring Clinton's people was the smartest thing Kerry has done- they're earning their no-doubt enormous paychecks.
The VIce-President debate should be fun too. I want to hear the word Halliburton in every sentence Edwards says.

The Cloud inside Bush's Silver Lining

Tonight in the debate our idiot president is going to say things are going well in Iraq. I even believe he believes it.
BUT.
Check this out. (its an NPR audio story)
"We take a close look at the number of soldiers injured in Iraq. More than 7,500 have been wounded in action but 20,000 have become so injured or sick from a variety of causes that they've had to be taken to hospitals in Europe and the United States."

Take off your Rose Colored Glasses President Johnson, er, Bush.

Everyone Loves Scare Tactics

In a story that's becoming all too typical it turns out FOX news is trying to scare students away from voting in the swing state of Arizona. Shocking. A reporter actually said that voting in Arizona if you aren't a permanent citizen is a felony- which is just wrong, especially since the story was being directly targeted to students. Oh, and in case you think it was a slip. There were actually 2 different broadcasts where the stupid threats were made.

First we have endless "alerts", Saddam is totally going to kill us all, Dick says voting for Kerry will cause the terrorists to strike, Soldiers are told not re-upping their service will get them sent to Iraq, and now this.

Am I the only one who wishes they'd stop trying to scare us? It's like the really crappy horror ride at the State Fair- it's not scary- It's mostly just annoying.

Bush calls Iraq War "Catastrophic Success and other stupidity...

That's right. A Catastrophic Success.

Asshole.

And speaking of, the new head of the new Domestic/International Version of the CIA is Porter Goss. The guy who said he wasn't qualified to do the job, until it was offered to him. I just can't fucking believe it. I'm so glad a partisan Bush-head now has the authority to spy on me too. Ashcroft wasn't bad enough don't ya know.

These people want us to be scared of fucking Cat Fucking Stevens. Come the fuck on! Peace Train? The shithead wrote fucking Peace Train!!! And we're supposed to be afraid of him? BAH! Keep your eyes out for Big Bird- I heard he might be a terrorist too!

The Dark Tower VII

For anyone who is even a casual reader- now that Steven King has finished his 7th and final volume of the Dark Tower series- I cannot urge you strongly enough to go to the bookstore- buy the first volume and enjoy what is in my opinion one of the most amazingly complex worlds any fiction writer has channeled. As a writer myself- I'm jealous of his achievement. But in a good way.
As a thing I've been reading for 16 years- since I was 13- I'm sad to see it end. That's two things that have been a large part of my life since the first whiskers poked out of my face that's ended this year- the other being Phish. Bittersweet. Bittersweet.

Oh, and lest I forget- Kerry is still showing cajones. A good sign- Keep it up boy. And go after this jackass Porter Goss too- box the bastard's ears!

Porter Goss as head of the CIA?

OK. This is from Michael Moore. It's Porter Goss openly admitting he shouldn't get the job. But he's still gonna be confirmed.

Assholes.

Oh yeah, he's the first openly political appointee since, guess who? George Senior in the 70's. Nice.

Assholes.

Support the Troops?

In yet another example of the Bush Administration's Bully-Boy tactics the following story popped up on www.prorev.com

DICK FOSTER, ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS - Soldiers from a Fort Carson combat unit say they have been issued an ultimatum - re-enlist for three more years or be transferred to other units expected to deploy to Iraq. Hundreds of soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team were presented with that message and a re-enlistment form in a series of assemblies last Thursday, said two soldiers who spoke on condition of anonymity. . . A Fort Carson spokesman confirmed the re-enlistment drive is under way and one of the soldiers provided the form to the Rocky Mountain News. An Army spokesmen denied, however, that soldiers who don't re-enlist with the brigade were threatened. The form, if signed, would bind the soldier to the 3rd Brigade until Dec. 31, 2007. The two soldiers said they were told that those who did not sign would be transferred out of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team. "They said if you refuse to re-enlist with the 3rd Brigade, we'll send you down to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, which is going to Iraq for a year, and you can stay with them, or we'll send you to Korea, or to Fort Riley (in Kansas) where they're going to Iraq," said one of the soldiers, a sergeant. The second soldier, an enlisted man who was interviewed separately, essentially echoed that view. "They told us if we don't re-enlist, then we'd have to be reassigned. And where we're most needed is in units that are going back to Iraq in the next couple of months. So if you think you're getting out, you're not," he said. The brigade's presentation outraged many soldiers who are close to fulfilling their obligation and are looking forward to civilian life, the sergeant said. "We have a whole platoon who refuses to sign," he said.

North Korean Blast- This is getting ridiculous.

Read this and compare it to this and this. Then there's this early report from Canada that pretty much says it was a nuclear test.

In a nutshell. Now NKorea is saying there was no explosion. There was no mushroom cloud. There was an explosion (even though there wasn't) but it was part of a hydro/electric dam project. An explanation that wasn't offered until 5 days after the incident and no foriegn representatives were allowed to the "site" for a week. Something really stinks on this. I wish Canada or some non-American stooley representative would tell us what's going on.

Fat chance- but I've got my fingers crossed.

FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY!!!!

Well, apparantly the dems have been visiting my blog because it appears Kerry has finally remembered that he's running for President and not wuss-boy of the democratic party. I don't think it's a coincidence that a few weeks after Clinton's people showed up Kerry changed tactics and stopped being a nancy-boy. Clinton was a mediocre Pres. at best, but he knew how to work the system. The Repubs might have kicked him around, but there's little doubt he would've won a third term if he could have run for it. Two days of standing up and calling Bush the lying little prig that he is and W's lead vanishes in the polls. We'll see if Kerry can maintain the track he's on- he's known for great impromptu zingers in debates, so there's hope- such as it is.
We shall see. If Kerry fights this'll be a hell of a race. If he backs down or blinks- he's through.

J R Shrub Dobbs.
whrdina@hotmail.com

fun with photoshop
whrdina@hotmail.com

2 stories apparantly not worth discussing

There are 2 stories that seem ENORMOUS to me that I cannot find any decent information about AT ALL.
First there is the 2 1/2 mile explosion with a mushroom cloud in North Korea that happened LAST Thursday Sept. 9. We've said the explosion wasn't nuclear- but we give no further explanation. NUTS.
Second is Russia. Yesterday Putin essentially gutted the Democratic reforms of the previous decade and a half and returned the country to a Dictatorship. You'd think that would be news. But it isn't. Why? Becuase he took a page from Karl Rove's playbook to do it. Putin is using the Chechnya/terrorist thing to complete revert Russia back to the good old days of one-party rule. We should never forget this guy is an ex-KGB officer.
Both of these stories have one thing in common. They are very damaging to the Bush white house. Korea has been ignored by them and even setting off nuclear explosions in their own country cannot get anyone's attention. The Bushies don't want us to talk about the Putin thing either becuase people might correlate Putin's message with Bush's. An easy thing to do since they are essentially saying the same thing. Terrorism= a battle we must do whatever we have to do in order to win. Including destroying the very ideals that makes the society worth living in in the first place.

why the dems make my head hurt

The following is an email- I get about one a day- just asking me for money.

We are at one of the defining moments of this campaign -- one of those points we will look back on when we win. We will remember that George Bush and Dick Cheney tried to completely ignore reality -- and we will remember that we stood side by side and refused to let them get away with it.
George Bush and Dick Cheney wake up every morning with their fingers crossed, hoping the American people will ignore their miserable record, forget their trail of failures, and fear the future. But with your help, we are going to make sure that the American people see through their bluster and posturing, and see what a mess they have made. true- but it isn't a reason to vote for Kerry.
Please make a contribution to the Democratic Party today:
THERES A LINK HERE I TOOK OUT
George Bush and Dick Cheney have lost over a million jobs, made our health care crisis worse, and turned record budget surpluses into record deficits. They misled America into war, failed to plan for the peace, and are running up a $200 billion bill at the expense of America's middle class taxpayers. again, all true- but Kerry voted for the war and view on tax cuts which are the best thing about his whole gig in my opinion, isn't even mentioned. (For those that don't know he wants to eliminate the tax cut for those who make over 200K a year and leave what meager relief there is for the other 98% of us.)
And now they are acting like they are doing us a favor by standing for re-election. They even have the gall to tell the American people how risky it would be if we turned them out of office.
The biggest risk to America's future is four more years of Bush-Cheney's incompetence, misinformation, and ill intent. It might be risky. There's a few indications that Kerry could be like Lydon Johnson- a believer that the answer to turn around a failing war is to send in more troops.
Don't let Bush, Cheney and the Republican Party run away from their record. Send a "Don't yield an inch" contribution to the Democratic Party right now:
THERES A LINK HERE I TOOK OUT
There are seven critical weeks left in this campaign. There will be moments when everything seems to be going our way -- and times when we will wish events were moving in a different direction. But we will never lose faith. We will never stop working for victory. And we will never yield an inch to our opponents.
Remember this: they are the ones who are hoping and praying that reality does not catch up with them by Election Day. We are the ones who are going to make sure that it does.
The rest of this campaign will be tough. But, we will be tougher. They will throw everything they have at us. But we will give as good as we get. And when the dust settles on Election Day, we are going to pull through to victory. I hope they mean this- cause they've been getting waxed.
Thank you for all you have done to help me, John Edwards and other Democratic candidates. And, most of all, thank you for standing with us through thick and thin. Together, we will win.
Thank you,
Notice that he never once asks for my vote. Like he's entitled to it because the corporate wing of the Dem. party annointed him King.

Of course I prefer Kerry to Bush- but man, it just really bothers me that we're stuck with this damn lesser of two evils thing again.

The logo for the total information awareness office is real. DARPA changed it after getting a lot of flack- I can't see why.
whrdina@hotmail.com

started as a picture of flowers...
whrdina@hotmail.com

spookey abbey
whrdina@hotmail.com

Test Photo from last Phish show in Coventry VT. 

Hiatus Ends

Hey everyone- sorry about the long absence. I've been focusing on finishing a readable draft of Ialtaboath and getting started on the new book- more details on that later. I've been following the politics all along, but its been really frustrating to watch.
Bush and his flunkys are making Nixon look like a guy who likes a fair fight. Not since Max Cleland have they been willing to punch this far South of the border. And you better believe they have an October surprise just waiting to be launched. (As I and many others having been predicting since last year. So why is it working? Because Kerry is a wuss who deserves the drubbing he's going to get. (I'm currently guessing Bush will win by a wide margin 10-15 points. OH CANADA!)
When a draft dodging coke head can make a 3 time purple heart winner look like the bigger liability to US foreign policy- well then that 3 time purple heart winner is a fuckin joke and doesn't deserve to be President.
What's really frustrating isn't the candidates, it's us. The people in this country seem to have their heads so far shoved up their own asses we're nearly inside out. That this base- third grade level of political activity is working on a National Level is terrifying. This whole campaign- on both sides- has been run like a couple of 4th graders running for Student Council President. And what's worse? It's working for Bush. Just repeat crazy things until the media says they are true. Repeat ad nauseum. War in Iraq? We're winning. No we're not- but they say it enough most people believe it. Iraq and al Queda? Connected. No there not- but they say it enough and most people believe it. And on and on.
The coming conflict isn't between people, it's within them. We are all going to have to decide each and every one of us. Do we really want to try to do what so many country's have tried to do before us? Do we really want to rule the entire world by force? Is that really what we want? Cause that's where we're headed. Bush has the same kind of ideological glint in his eye that Stalin and Hitler had- and he's probably going to have 4 more years to think of a good reason to cancel election in 2008. The only plus side to a clear cut Bush victory? The really scary scenarios become less likely- the one's I think everyone is a little afraid of- because they won't be necessary. I think this psychological fear will actually keep quite a few Democratic voters away from the polls this year.
At least for now Shrub seems happy keeping most of his bombs and tanks in other countries... as if that makes it OK.

Democratic Convention '04 --or-- I think I'm gonna puke.

"We don't want to offend anyone or Bush-Bash"

Pathetic.  Wimpy, pathetic, lame, sorry bastards.  You should be ashamed of yourselves.

About 2% of "expected voters" are undecided.  50% of the country doesn't vote at all.
So who does Kerry go after?  The 2% of voters who are somehow so stupid and spineless they haven't been able to figure out if they want Insano Bush to rule the world for 4 more years of scandal and war.
The 50%+ who don't vote, nobody's talking to them at all.  There's several million votes just waiting for John Kerry to remember what party he's in.  Al Gore was prevented from giving the speech he deserved to give, the one where he rips the pretender to the throne a new asshole and gut punches the democratic senatorial leadership who refused to allow the House to combat the Supreme Court's illegal hijacking of the election.  (Se  Farenheit 9/11 for the painful footage of this atroctiy.)  There are a whole lot of us out here who want an ass-kicker.  That's why Mike Moore and John Stewart's Daily Show are so popular.  They're kicking ass, but with vicious humor instead of vicious vitriole. They show their anger, but they use humor which makes it inclusive. I mean these guys are just sitting ducks, every time W opens his mouth what comes out is either a mushmouthed babble or a lie. 
So why don't the Dems court the progressive wing of the party?  The several million of us (80,000 of which are in Florida a key swing state) who either voted for Nader or didn't vote at all becuase no one represents us at all.  And now, even when 95% of the delegates INSIDE the convention center prefer "total withdrawal from Iraq" IMMEDIATLY, not only will the war not be directly criticized, Kerry doesn't even stand for ending the fucking thing. 
Spineless wimpy shithead.  He thinks being a push-over wuss is going to make the 2% think he can be a good strong leader.  He looks like the little boy who tells the bully, "Not only am I not going fight you, I'm going to pretend you don't exist at all and stand here talking about what a nice fella I am."
What are you nuts?  Ask any kid what happens next.  The bully stomps your guts.  You don't have to fight the same way as the bully, but you have to acknowledge the guy's existence. 
Which means we're gonna be stuck with 4 more years.
I'm gonna be sick...

Chomsky

There's a nice Chomsky interview HERE from Germany.  Check it out.  Topics include, propoganda model, why the Bush administration and the press hates democracy and more.

Fear and Deja Vu on the Campaign trail 1972-2004

I just finished re-re-re-reading Hunter Thompson's Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972.  It's one of my favorite all time political books, really cutting through the bullshit and laying open that year's race with a clarity that is belied by Thompson's "crazy guy" public image.  More than anything I think it should be required reading for everyone voting in this year's election. 
Nothing.  And I mean nothing has changed since 1972.  It's the same shit, only this time, instead of getting the McGovern (the only comparison this year would be Kucinichor to a lesser degree Dean) we got Muskie (Kerry), the Old Party Hack that McGovern's candidacy, had he won, was supposed to signal the end of.  See, in spite of recent argument to the contrary, the Democratic party has long had a problem with being afraid of what it is.  It's the alternative to the Republican Party.  At least on paper. 
That means it's unabashedly liberal.  It is concerned with people over profits.  Change and radicalism over stagnancy and fearful conservatism.  It hates big business.  And if big labor becomes another form of big business it should hate big labor too.  The Democratic Party, at least on paper is supposed to be captured by the term "democratic"  which means, for the people. 
John Kerry is Muskie.  McGovern got his clock cleaned by Nixon not because he was a radical candidate but because he was perceived as going to the middle and because of the disastrous mistake that was picking Eagleton as his VP.  He was choked off by his own indecision.  If McGovern was running now, they would've played an audio cut of him clearing his throat or something until he was the laughing stock of the world.  The thing that freaks me out is, in the past the candidates had to hang themselves.  In '04 the media has demonstrated it can kill of candidates over nothing (Dean's WHoo-AAH) or by simply pretending they don't exist (Kucinich)  It's like the very vehicles that McGovern used back in 72 are no longer available.  And that's a shame. 
because Kerry will probably lose too.  For the same reason only from the opposite end.  McGovern lost because he was perceived to be a maverick and then looked just like another politician by the way he handled Eagleton. As a result, no one came out to vote for him.  Kerry's gonna have the same thing happen, only he IS just another politician and everybody knew it from the start.  No one is gonna come out to vote for him.  He's worthless.  He stands for nothing.  He might as well be a republican.  Like Nixon, Bush is gonna lay low.  If he wins re-election I would bet anyone (and give YOU odds) that Bush is going to be impeached by the end of his four years.  If not, we ALL are gonna get what we deserve, an America that is little more than a shell.  A Christian corporate hellhole with us as serfs. 
If John Kerry wins.  It'll just be a corporate hellhole.  What a choice.  What a bummer. 
The more I think about it I'm just gonna vote NO this November.  No to Bush.  No to Kerry.  Even No to Nader who's getting 10 percent of his funding from W's inner circle and still doesn't see that at this point he's working for the Republicans. 
If you didn't understand the bulk of this particular entry, read the F&L '72.  Like Orwell's 1984, it's the truth for today, written decades ago and it's proof that history goes in circles.

“ALL GOOD GOES BAD”
William Hrdina
Commentary about the lot scene at the All-Good Music Festival 2004 at Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown, West Virginia.
July 9-11, 2004 

  
                I could write exclusively about all the positive aspects of the 8th Annual All Good Music Festival because there were a bunch.  The grounds were beautiful- snuggled in the hills of West Virginia maybe 15 miles off the highway.  The weather, infamously terrible for the past seven years, decided to cooperate and it didn’t rain until late Sunday night.  The music was absolutely first-rate with Keller Williams, Medeski, Martin, and Wood, Dark Star Orchestra, the Grey Boy All Stars, and a whole bunch more.  There was a Family area right next to the stage where people with children could camp without having to drag their toddlers a half-mile back and forth to the venue.  On Sunday afternoon, when it got hot, the organizers started selling water for a buck out of the concession stand- a rare show of kindness in our modern corporate wonderland.  All in all, I would say the organizers at Walther Productions did an absolutely fantastic job.
                But there’s another side to the story.  Dark and violent vibes were coursing under our feet, unseen until they lashed out in a single act of violence so heinous it put a pall not only over the festival, but my entire summer. 
                In the midst of what was otherwise a very enjoyable festival I had the dubious distinction of being an eye-witness to a very nasty pistol-whipping; possibly a murder.  I never got word if the kid who got hit died and I haven’t been able to find any mention of the incident in the papers.  I hope he’s OK, but I worked in an ICU for 3 years and if the kid can still spell his name I admit I’d be surprised. 
                Before you get feeling too sorry for this guy, you should know; he brought the gun he was pistol-whipped with.
                I was sitting on the side of the road, selling my sci-fi novel Portal when I saw six guys walking behind another guy who appeared to be completely alone.  It was immediately clear from everyone’s body language the six guys were pissed at the one guy, and the one guy, hunched over and walking fast- certainly wasn’t presenting himself as aggressive in any way.  My first reaction was “What are these assholes doing?”  My sympathy was with the guy walking alone.  Six against one isn’t a fair fight in anyone’s book.
                  Then I began to hear what the six guys were saying and my anger turned to confusion.
                “What the fuck are you doing with that gun on the lot man?”
                “No guns on lot.”
                “Why you got a gun motherfucker?”
                Around this time the kid was passed directly in front of me and I got a clear look into his pocket.  There really was a gun there.  The matte-black rubber handle stuck out just a little bit.  I remember thinking at the time, “I wonder what on earth possessed this guy to bring a gun to a show?”
                The kid with the gun looked really scared.  He kept repeating,  “Leave me alone.  I just want to leave.  I’m leaving.”
                Around this same time the language of the 6 increasingly frantic guys started to get a great deal more threatening.
                “Give up the gun asshole.”
                “Give us the gun motherfucker or we’re gonna kick the shit out of you.”
                That did it.  I knew at that moment something really savage was about to go down.  The worst thing you can do to an outnumbered guy with superior firepower is back him into a corner.  In another testament to the fact this kid wasn’t about starting a confrontation- he tried to run when the threats of violence started.  He didn’t make it far, the six guys chased him and before I could even turn around in my chair to see what was happening the 6 guys were kicking the hell out of the guy with the gun.  It was like Rodney King with feet instead of batons.    
                I clearly remember one guy yelling, “Someone take his gun.  Take his gun.”  He couldn’t take the gun himself because he was busy: kicking this kid in the head.
                By this point I wasn’t sure who I wanted to have the gun less, the kid, who was by himself; or these crazy-violent morons who seemed hell-bent on getting somebody shot in the name of not having weapons on the lot.  The irony was lost on me at the time.  I knew they should’ve done what I was trying to do in the midst of keeping a close eye on what was happening, they should’ve yelled for Security, or even been smarter and got security on the sly.  Instead they had to be heroes in their own puny minds and do the one thing that almost guaranteed something bad would happen.  In a lot of ways they were just reflecting our culture, aping George W. by overreacting to a perceived threat that didn’t really exist.  I don’t know the kid who had the gun, but from his demeanor and the way everything went down, I really doubt that stupid gun ever would’ve seen the light of day if those 6 guys would’ve used their heads.
                After about ten seconds of getting kicked the kid with the gun managed to get to his feet.  His face was a mixture of anger, pain, and most clearly, pure animal terror.   Predictably, he went into his pocket and pulled out the gun.  What happened next really shocked me.  In what would’ve been a neat trick under very different circumstances, the kid closest to the gun reached out and yanked it out of the other kid’s hand like he was stealing candy from a kid on Halloween.  You almost expected the guy to yell, “Yoink!”
                It could’ve been over then. 
                Instead, the new guy with the gun turned it around so that he was holding it by the cylinder.  He reached back behind his head and took a full swing at the newly disarmed guy’s head.  The gun made contact pretty much right between the kid’s eyes.  There was a corresponding crack/thud of metal on bone and blood began to flow.  The pistol whipped and the pistol whipper then ran off in opposite directions.  The entire incident took maybe 25-30 seconds from start to finish. 
                One minute I was having a very nice time, the next I was just happy to be walking away without any bullet holes in my body.  On the grand-scale of violence, what I saw at All Good wasn’t really that big a deal.  After all, no one was actually shot, so things went a lot better than one could’ve reasonably expected.  But that’s out in the world.  I wasn’t out in the world.  I was at a show.
                “We are,” as Jamie Masefield of the Jazz Mandolin Project said on the second day, “…like a secret society.  We come out to these places out in the hills and just do our thing and it’s the greatest thing in the world.”
                He’s right.  But, the problem is, the wrong sort of folks are starting to find out about the password into our post-modern version of the Masons.  They’re getting in with words like, “molly” and “coke” instead of Icculus or Gamehenge.   Music doesn’t have a thing to do with why the hard-drug dealers are at the shows.  They’re at the show to make a lot of money and that’s it.  Gang-style violence and bullshit is inevitably going to follow.  Once the first shooting happens, and we are on a definitive curve in that direction, it’s gonna be too late.  Frankly, I resent the fact I had to witness these morons and their bullshit.  I don’t particularly feel sorry for the kid with the gun- he shouldn’t of been carrying it, and even though I think they’re total morons- I don’t particularly blame the kid’s who tried to take the gun away.  If I was a complete imbecile I probably would’ve done the same thing.
                I don’t know why the kid brought the gun in the first place any more than I know how the six kids who beat the shit out of him found out he had the thing.  But I’ve thought about the entire incident a lot and I think I can make a pretty good guess.
                First, reasons the kid wouldn’t use for bringing the gun.  It wasn’t self defense.  If it was in any way reasonable to think you’d need a gun at a show this single act of violence wouldn’t be so shocking.  It wasn’t because the guy was some aggressive bad-ass who shot people for screwing up his order at the drive-through.  Those sorts of people don’t need to be kicked in the face to spur them into pulling out their pistol, and besides, he tried to run away; that’s just not what a bad-ass guy does.  
                Maybe the kid had a violent past and carried a gun out of a deep seated sense of paranoia.  Possible, but unlikely.  The most coherent reason a guy like the one I saw would carry a gun, is because he was dealing either Molly- so called molecular MDMA, cocaine, or heroin.  Most likely it was coke. Unlike pot or mushrooms, you can carry highly valuable amounts of the powder drugs in your shorts pocket.  Because hard drug dealers generally work on a fronted basis, if the drugs get taken from you, someone’s gonna want their money.  Thus, the gun.
                If the kid was, in fact, a dealer, it would also give a likely reason how the 6 guys found out about the gun.  Maybe they bought some weight and the kid accidentally showed the gun in the transaction.  Maybe one of their buddies saw it under the same conditions and passed the word along.
                Anyone who’s seen a few shows this summer has noticed the ridiculous increase in hard drugs on the lot.  I think it’s important to point out I’m not talking about pot or the hallucinogenic.  I’m talking about the narcotics and the bath-tub drugs.  I’ve even seen and heard an increase in “pharmies.”  Come on people, that’s Rush Limbaugh’s trip.  You want to do the drugs he does?
                Let me break it down for you: 
                Hard Drugs à Much Money
                Much Money àDrug Dealers who don’t give a flying hoo-hoo about music coming to our shows  
                {[(Drug Dealers) + (Much Money)] + Large Market of buyers} à  Pistol Whippings and mayhem
                Pistol Whipping and Mayhem à The death of the scene and nothing but Christina Aguilera on the radio to listen to.
                The solution?
                Don’t buy your hard drugs at shows.  If you have to do Coke, get it from your dealer at home.  It’s that simple.
                It’s like shopping at Wal-Mart. Sure it’s convenient, the prices may even be cheaper, but those benefits don’t come without a flip-side, and that flip-side is packing guns and acting like total morons.  Most importantly, that flip-side couldn’t give a shit less about the music, and when that crucial ingredient is missing, you get the Dead at Deer Creek in ’95.  You get the disaster that was Corporate Woodstock.  And in spite of a nearly perfect effort by the organizers and musicians at All Good, you get pistol-whippings and fights.
                We don’t need cops.  We don’t need anal searches or John Ashcroft.  This is a self-restraint issue.  The Lot is sacred, I know I’m not alone in feeling that my church and my God are best expressed in the music I see at shows and the kindness and coolness I see from people in the lot.  I don’t want to lose that to a bunch of strung out shitheads or the leeches who supply them.
                I’m not the only one who sees the dark clouds on the horizon.  In Trey’s “Why Phish is breaking up for good” interview with Charlie Rose the following exchange took place:
                CHARLIE ROSE: What do you regret about what Phish was and what it became and what it is, and if you look from the beginning to this last concert that will come up...
                TREY ANASTASIO: OK. Do you want my honest opinion about that? I think you do. I`ll tell you what I regret. What I regret is that -- I don`t regret it, but I feel like in the last couple of years it started to become an excuse for people to show up in a given town and party. And it never was that for such a long time.
                Our scene thrives because of the music not because of the drugs.  If you’re at a show to get loaded first and see a concert second, do me a favor- stay home.  You can watch the DVD and I don’t have to get shot. 
  
  
 

Almost, but not quite

Just moved and got my internet reconnnected, but now I'm going back out of town to the ALL GOOD festival in West Virgnia. Should be a real good time. Until then, go see Farenheit 9/11. Then go see it again. Kerry's gonna lose though, as much as I hate to say it. And if he does win, it's gonna be because of F9/11, not becuase of Kerry who chose putter-ass Edwards as VP. Rove is going Edwards an ambulance chaser a million times. Plus, I'm signed up for Kerry's "newsletter" and all I get is anti-Bush stuff and endless begging for money. (2 to 1 in favor of money grubbing) I can't tell you anything about what KERRY is going to do. Which is nothing. I saw him giving a speech saying he was going to create jobs that paid as much as the ones that were sent to mexico. Kerry voted for the damn NAFTA bill. The WTO too, and Iraq, and the Patriot Act, and on and on. So screw him. I'll probably vote for the prick, but don't even try to make me feel good about it.

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
PRESS BRIEFING BY LARRY SPEAKES
October 15, 1982
The Briefing Room
12:45pm EDT

Q: Larry, does the President have any reaction to the announcement - the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, that AIDS is now an epidemic and have over 600 cases?

MR. SPEAKES: What's AIDS?

Q: Over a third of them have died. It's known as "gay plague." (Laughter.) No, it is. I mean it's a pretty serious thing that one in every three people that get this have died. And I wondered if the President is aware of it?

MR. SPEAKES: I don't have it. Do you? (Laughter.)

Q: No, I don't.

MR. SPEAKES: You didn't answer my question.

Q: Well, I just wondered, does the President -

MR. SPEAKES: How do you know? (Laughter.)

Q: In other words, the White House looks on this as a great joke?

MR. SPEAKES: No, I don't know anything about it, Lester.

Q: Does the President, does anyone in the White House know about this epidemic, Larry?

MR. SPEAKES: I don't think so. I don't think there's been any -

Q: Nobody knows?

MR. SPEAKES: There has been no personal experience here, Lester.

Q: No, I mean, I thought you were keeping - MR. SPEAKES: I checked thoroughly with Dr. Ruge this morning and he's had no - (laughter) - no patients suffering from AIDS or whatever it is.

Q: The President doesn't have gay plague, is that what you're saying or what?

MR. SPEAKES: No, I didn't say that.

Q: Didn't say that?

MR. SPEAKES: I thought I heard you on the State Department over there. Why didn't you stay there? (Laughter.)

Q: Because I love you Larry, that's why (Laughter.)

MR. SPEAKES: Oh I see. Just don't put it in those terms, Lester. (Laughter.)

Q: Oh, I retract that.

MR. SPEAKES: I hope so.

Q: It's too late.

From Prorev

Sorry.

I know my blogging has been atrocious. I apologize. I'm pretty much going to be on the road for the rest of this month and I'm in no way rich enough to have some fancy wi-fi connection, so I'll be gone until July. Once I return to home, I will continue my ranting. In the meantime, go to Prorev and read Common Dreams everyday.
Also, I really want to thank all of the really good folks I've met out in the world, shows and music really are good for the soul.
Peace.

NEW BOOK JUST FINISHED

Sorry I've been silent all this time, but I've been concentrating on finishing the 1st draft of my newest (and 4th) novel, Ialtaboath. An accomplishment I just officially achieved a few minutes ago.
I'm really proud of it.

A brief summary:
It's the story of 2 archeologists Nina Adams and Elias Spade, who discover a Gnostic temple in the desert on the outskirts of Cairo and an ex-student of Elias named Harry Bonden who gets involved with a secret religious cult known as The Family. The cult leaders believe there is a great secret connected to the temple Nina and Elias discovered. A secret that challenges our most basic assumptions about God.
Its a rollicking and humorous adventure story that just happens to be about free will and the very nature of our existence.

The Book Tour Begins!

I'll be in Chillicothe Illinois this weekend for Moe.'s Summer Camp with such notables as Keller Williams, Medeski Martin and Wood, and Particle. Cant' wait. I'll be there with books and my new "business cards" so hope there's a lot of sci-fi fans!

Bush Speech Writer

Yes now you too can write Bush's monosyllabic speechs and hear them too! Try it HERE

A Failed Presidency Summed Up in a Single Story

I openly admit I stole this whole cloth from www.dailykos.com which is a terrific blog. This story really kinda sums up what a fucking jerk-off Shrub really is. It's not really an important story, but it's really telling.

Here's the official story line from Crawford:
President Bush took a spill during a Saturday afternoon bike ride on his ranch, suffering bruises and cuts that were visible later on his face just two days before he was to deliver a major prime-time speech on his Iraq policy.
The president was nearing the end of a 17-mile ride on his mountain bike, accompanied by a Secret Service agent, a military aide and his personal physician, Richard Tubb, who treated him at the scene, said White House spokesman Trent Duffy.

"It's been raining a lot and the topsoil is loose," Duffy said. "You know this president. He likes to go all-out. Suffice it to say he wasn't whistling show tunes."

So it's been raining a lot in Crawford, we are told. So here's the recent precipitation levels from Crawford:
May 22: 0"
May 21: 0"
May 20: 0"
May 19: 0"
May 18: 0"
May 17: 0"
May 16: 0"
May 15: 0"
May 14: 0.03"
May 13: 2.79"
May 12: 0"
May 11: 0.15"
May 10: 0"
May 9: 0"
May 13th saw some serious rain, but other than some sprinkles on the 14th, Crawford saw nothing but sun. In the last week alone, the temperature was in the high 80s the entire time.
So rain on the 13th and (barely) 14th was blamed for a Bush fall on the 22nd. As everything else, it wasn't Bush's fault. Nothing is Bush's fault.

Ever.

Liars.

A Much Better Theory

Alex Cockburn, writer for the excellent, counterpunch.org has written a very interesting article on his take of the Ahmed Chalabi reversal of fortune. His theory is, I have to admit, more than a tad bit more likely (not to mention plausible) than my own of yesterday. Read it here.

Congratulations!!!

I just wanted to send Michael Moore my congrats on winning the Palm D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his new movie Farenheit 911! I can't goddamn wait to see it! The best news? Mike says he has every intention of making sure it comes out on DVD before the November Election. If Bushy isn't afraid, he should be.

The Mystery deepens.

The Chalabi web got a whole lot more complicated today. Now it's being (vastly under) reported that he was an agent for Iran, and may have been from the git go. So now comes the really big question. Is he really?
There seems to be two main possiblities to my cynical mind.
One, Chalabi really has put one over on the Rummy and the boys and really is a spy for Iran.
This is the more likely scenario.
Less likely, but still possible, they're doing this to start a war with Iran. This idea is a whole lot scarier and frankly I wouldn't put it past this particular group of thuggo murderers.
Chalabi goes home but finds that he hates it. There's no electricity, the phones don't work, and he needs a big mob of security around him to take a piss. So he agrees to be a fall guy to frame the Iranians and create the first building block in the argument to invade Iran. Again, highly unlikely, but possible, bone-chillingly possible.

Now we KNOW the wheels are coming off

In one of the strangest stories I've heard so far it seems that a joint Iraqi/US force entered Ahmed Chalabi's compound in Baghdad and grabbed a bunch of documents. Chalabi, for those who don't know, is a total scumbag who was the main "source" of fake information about Saddam's "WMD." He's been the guy the US has wanted to put in charge of Iraq since before the war started. He's Cheney and Rummy's guy. Which probably explains why Rummy sounded shocked and dismayed when he walked out of the congressional hearings and into questions about the raid. He stammered and ultimatly dodged the question. Chalabi claims it was the Iraqi faction of the Coalition Provisional Authority who was responsible. That's probably true, they know he's a crook. It's going to be interesting to see how much money we pay the bastard to forgive us.

The Truth Begins to Trickle Out

Rummy Knew. Read the Seymour Hersh article here.
Not surprisingly the Pentagon is Pissed!

On the Road again and an Engagement Announcement
I'm off to Vegas again until next week. Congrats to Vickei on her new job at the field museum and contrats to us for getting "officially" engaged yesterday!!

Oh yeah, fire Rumsfeld!

Important Article to Read!

Everyone should read this article by Robert Fisk. He's a reporter for the UK INdependent and is, in my opinion the man who most deeply reports what is happening in Iraq from the point of view of the Iraqis. This article, is about the torture and the way it has been done, not by dupes, but by pros. It pretty well reflects my opinion on the subject and it's nice to have a more reputable source to make my thoughts sound more, well, reputable.

A few tidbits from the Taguba Report

What follows are direct cut/paste from the report.

(S) I find that the intentional abuse of detainees by military police personnel included
the following acts:
a. (S) Punching, slapping, and kicking detainees; jumping on their naked feet;
b. (S) Videotaping and photographing naked male and female detainees;
c. (S) Forcibly arranging detainees in various sexually explicit positions for
photographing;
d. (S) Forcing detainees to remove their clothing and keeping them naked for several
days at a time;
e. (S) Forcing naked male detainees to wear women’s underwear;
f. (S) Forcing groups of male detainees to masturbate themselves while being
photographed and videotaped;
g. (S) Arranging naked male detainees in a pile and then jumping on them;
h. (S) Positioning a naked detainee on a MRE Box, with a sandbag on his head, and
attaching wires to his fingers, toes, and penis to simulate electric torture;
i. (S) Writing “I am a Rapest” (sic) on the leg of a detainee alleged to have forcibly
raped a 15-year old fellow detainee, and then photographing him naked;
j. (S) Placing a dog chain or strap around a naked detainee’s neck and having a
female Soldier pose for a picture;
k. (S) A male MP guard having sex with a female detainee;
l. (S) Using military working dogs (without muzzles) to intimidate and frighten
detainees, and in at least one case biting and severely injuring a detainee;
m. (S) Taking photographs of dead Iraqi detainees.

a. (U) Breaking chemical lights and pouring the phosphoric liquid on detainees;
b. (U) Threatening detainees with a charged 9mm pistol;
c. (U) Pouring cold water on naked detainees;
d. (U) Beating detainees with a broom handle and a chair;
e. (U) Threatening male detainees with rape;
f. (U) Allowing a military police guard to stitch the wound of a detainee who was
injured after being slammed against the wall in his cell;
g. (U) Sodomizing a detainee with a chemical light and perhaps a broom stick.
h. (U) Using military working dogs to frighten and intimidate detainees with threats
of attack, and in one instance actually biting a detainee.

When asked why the rules in 1A/1B were different than the rest of the wings, SGT
Davis stated: “The rest of the wings are regular prisoners and 1A/B are
Military Intelligence (MI) holds.” When asked why he did not inform his chain
of command about this abuse, SGT Davis stated: “ Because I assumed that if they
were doing things out of the ordinary or outside the guidelines, someone would
have said something. Also the wing belongs to MI and it appeared MI
personnel approved of the abuse.” SGT Davis also stated that he had heard MI
insinuate to the guards to abuse the inmates. When asked what MI said he stated:
“Loosen this guy up for us.” Make sure he has a bad night.” “Make sure he
gets the treatment.” He claimed these comments were made to CPL Granier and
SSG Frederick. Finally, SGT Davis stated that (sic): “the MI staffs to my
understanding have been giving Granier compliments on the way he has been
handling the MI holds. Example being statements like, “Good job, they’re
breaking down real fast. They answer every question. They’re giving out good
information, Finally, and Keep up the good work . Stuff like that.”

They made them do strange exercises by sliding on their stomach, jump up and down, throw water on them and made them some wet, called them all kinds of names such as “gays” do
they like to make love to guys, then they handcuffed their hands together and
their legs with shackles and started to stack them on top of each other by
insuring that the bottom guys penis will touch the guy on tops butt.”

(U) There is a general lack of knowledge, implementation, and emphasis of basic
legal, regulatory, doctrinal, and command requirements within the 800th MP Brigade
and its subordinate units. (Multiple witness statements in ANNEXES 45-91).

However, MG Fast, according to BG Karpinski, routinely denied the board’s recommendations to release detainees in this category who were no longer deemed a threat and clearly met the requirements for
release. According to BG Karpinski, the extremely slow and ineffective release
process has significantly contributed to the overcrowding of the facilities.

The Iraqi guards at Abu Ghraib BCCF) demonstrate questionable work ethics and
loyalties, and are a potentially dangerous contingent within the Hard-Site. These
guards have furnished the Iraqi criminal inmates with contraband, weapons, and
information. Additionally, they have facilitated the escape of at least one detainee.

The various detention facilities operated by the 800th MP Brigade have
routinely held persons brought to them by Other Government Agencies (OGAs)
without accounting for them, knowing their identities, or even the reason for their
detention.

----There is an extensive list of escapes and riots in several Iraqi prisons over the months, the most commonly mentioned extenuating circumstance is lack of adequate training/personell. The section ends with the following:
As I have previously indicated, this investigation determined that there was
virtually a complete lack of detailed SOPs at any of the detention facilities.
Moreover, despite the fact that there were numerous reported escapes at detention
facilities throughout Iraq (in excess of 35), AR 15-6 Investigations following these
escapes were simply forgotten or ignored by the Brigade Commander with no
dissemination to other facilities. After-Action Reports and Lessons Learned, if done
at all, remained at individual facilities and were not shared among other commanders
or soldiers throughout the Brigade. The Command never issued standard TTPs for
handling escape incidents.

Over time, the 800th MP Brigade clearly suffered
from personnel shortages through release from active duty (REFRAD) actions,
medical evacuation, and demobilization. In addition to being severely undermanned,
the quality of life for Soldiers assigned to Abu Ghraib (BCCF) was extremely poor.
There was no DFAC, PX, barbershop, or MWR facilities. There were numerous
mortar attacks, random rifle and RPG attacks, and a serious threat to Soldiers and
detainees in the facility. The prison complex was also severely overcrowded and the
Brigade lacked adequate resources and personnel to resolve serious logistical
problems.

------This is a super important sentence as to where the motivation for the soldier's actions came from:
"This effectively made an MI Officer, rather than an MP Officer, responsible for the MP units conducting
detainee operations at that facility." The soldiers weren't listening to their own bosses, instead they were following Military Intelligence Orders.

During the course of this investigation I conducted a lengthy interview with BG
Karpinski that lasted over four hours, and is included verbatim in the investigation
Annexes. BG Karpinski was extremely emotional during much of her testimony.
What I found particularly disturbing in her testimony was her complete unwillingness
to either understand or accept that many of the problems inherent in the 800th MP
Brigade were caused or exacerbated by poor leadership and the refusal of her
command to both establish and enforce basic standards and principles among its
soldiers.

Also very important not to leave out:
Throughout the investigation, we observed many individual Soldiers and some
subordinate units under the 800th MP Brigade that overcame significant obstacles,
persevered in extremely poor conditions, and upheld the Army Values. We
discovered numerous examples of Soldiers and Sailors taking the initiative in the
absence of leadership and accomplishing their assigned tasks.
The individual Soldiers and Sailors that we observed and believe should be
favorably noted include:
a. (U) Master-at-Arms First Class William J. Kimbro, US Navy Dog Handler,
knew his duties and refused to participate in improper interrogations despite
significant pressure from the MI personnel at Abu Ghraib.
b. (U) SPC Joseph M. Darby, 372nd MP Company discovered evidence of abuse
and turned it over to military law enforcement.
c. (U) 1LT David O. Sutton, 229th MP Company, took immediate action and
stopped an abuse, then reported the incident to the chain of command.

The above listed people are heroes and should be treated as such by the military, the media, and all of us.

Notice that no where is there a single mention of the mercenaries which all parties agree are also present within the Iraqi detention system.

The ACTUAL REPORT

For that small minority of people who like to read things first hand for themselves, here's the now infamous TAGUBA report which is the source of my consternation about the torture of Iraqi prisoners.

So Many Things, So Little Time

I haven't written in a week because I've been at my Uncle's housesitting and he had no internet connection, but that doesn't mean the world stopped spinning. Far from it. Indeed, every time I think we've reached the height of our problems, something comes along that makes it worse. It's getting to the point that I'm starting to wonder if those rumors about Shrub trying to push us into "The Rapture" don't have something to them. I do know that those pictures of the torture of Iraqi prisoners, and the subsequent US reaction to them have done nothing but make the entire situation worse. I suppose we could nuke Fallujah or something, but that's the only way I can think of to make matters worse than they are.
Do me a favor, every time you hear phrases like "civilian contractors" and "private security forces," think one thing, "mercenaries." That's who they are. Hired killers from the US and more disturbingly, south america. That's right, remember all the "training" we did in the 80's (and to a lesser extent in the 90's) of "paramilitary" forces in places like Columbia and El Salvador? Training that led to some of the worst human rights violations in the southern hemisphere? Well, a lot of those folks are now in Iraq, doing what they do best, torturing and killing. IN fact, in terms of sheer troop numbers it goes, US military, UK military, Mercenaries. So much for a "coalition of the willing" yeah, willing to get paid. THe mercenaries make 100,000 a year plus, our troops, who we are supposed to be "supporting" make 30 at the outside. And ALL of the money is coming from the same place, our pockets. It's a sad state of affairs. Also, the mercenaries are in a grey zone as far as the law goes. They're not subject to US law, there is no Iraqi law, and they're not subject to military codes of conduct. According to the people they've arrested in connection with the torture, it was primarily the military Intelligence folks, and the Mercenaries that were "egging on" the despicable behavior. Oh, and since they are downplaying this as much as possible on the news, it should be stressed that the people in these prisons are NOT Iraqi soldiers. They are civilians, swept up in raids and middle of the night black bag jobs, often on little or no evidence of any wrong doing.
I heard Rush say that "this is war and war isn't pretty" in an attempt to justify or at the very least downplay the actions. Like that fat fuck knows what war is like, he's spent not a single minute in a uniform of any type. Neither has Hannity, or any of these other right wing nut jobs. The Pentagon's own report is said to describe the problem as systemic, no matter how much the Shrubsters say it was the act of a few bad apples.
Which brings us to the 25 billion dollars that's "for the troops." Let's save that money and bring them home. Besides, considering the disparity in pay scale between the troops and the mercenaries, most of the cash will make it into the coffers of the mercenary company's not the pockets of the regular military whose families are all too often on food stamps.
Oh and I wanted to repeat something I heard Jenine Garafalo (Sorry if I butchered the name) say on the Daily Show. "At this point, as much as I hate to say it, I consider a vote for Bush to be a character flaw." Amen. I mean how bad do they have to fuck up before you admit Bush is an incompetent ass who's done nothing but make us all LESS safe, not more.

Bush/Cheney and the 9-11 Warren Report, er Commission

It seemed for a while that the 9-11 commission, while a little watered down, might at least share some things in common with what is usually considered an "investigation." The commission stood strong on getting Condi (Alfred E. Newman's Sister- What her worry?) to say something (even if they were lies) to the public. But the commission's overall cave-in (by not having her speak under oath and letting her set the amount of time she would publicly testify) emboldened (Bush word) Shrub and Voldemort (Cheney). They are going to testify tomorrow. But there will be no video. No audio. No transcripts. No notes. Oh yeah, they won't be under oath, and they refused to speak at all unless they got to come as a team.

So, the long and the short of it?
Bush is so stupid, he can't speak alone, not under oath, with absolutely no way for anyone to prove what he said. How is this possible? How can this guy be called "President?" How do his Secret Service guys keep from laughing?

And real quick on the Kerry Military record controversy. I'm not a big fan of the guy, I'm really not. But how is it the man can be criticized by the Shrub White House when Bush was, at the exact same time, sitting in Texas sniffing coke and not showing up for his own "richguy" version of service to his country. I only served in Americorps and what I did was more important than Bush's "protection" of Texas airspace from the Viet Cong. Yet the military supports Bush. Life's full of mysteries, I gotta tell you.

Controlling the Debate

I just want to point a brilliant Orwellian maneuver by Rove and the White House in reference to the "coffin picture" issue. They're evil bastards, but they're really good at what they do.

You notice, in the current debate over whether or not showing pictures of coffins during a war is "disrespectful," a huge question is being completely ignored.
We don't ever see actual dead people. Us or them.
Don't you think if they were showing what was really happening over there; the death, the carnage, the intestines all smeared around, don't you think people would be more than a tad less aloof about the war and about keeping out troops in Iraq?
By making the debate about whether or not we can see coffins on TV we completely go around the issue. People on both sides yell back and forth at one another and we have the appearance of a debate. It's not. It's a distraction just as much as the stupid OJ Simpson... er, Michael Jackson case.
The idea that showing an anonymous coffin on TV is disrespectful to a family is ludicrous at best- it's a coffin. The debate should be about the actual people we (in my opinion) SHOULD be seeing everyday on the news. We should see our soldiers and the Iraqi dead alike.
700+ of our soldiers dead and not a single image of what that really means. These are really dead people. They're not video game figures or extras in a movie. It really pisses me off that people who say they "support the troops" are the same people who think we should censor all of the ickiness of war and focus on the bravado and bullshit that goes along with every imperial enterprise since Rome. War is blood and nastiness and terrible atrocities by its very nature; pretending this isn't the case isn't just disingenuous. It's morally repugnant. The people that do it have a special place in Hell waiting for them. (Or I would think so if I believed in Hell.)
So every time you hear people ranting back and forth at one another about the coffins, don't fall for the mirage. Your watching a magician waving his hands around while the assistant sneaks out of the box. The dead are far too important for us to fall for the smoke and mirrors.
Wait for the battle of Fallujah. There's going to be a bunch of coffins on both sides. It's going to be terrible. And we won't see it. We should. Our taxes are paying for the blood.

OVERWHELMED

There are so many things that are so crazy in the world of politics I almost feel stupid trying to nail down one thing to write about. The list keeps getting longer and longer and I honestly don't understand why even the Repub controlled everything is managing to not react. The fact that Kerry isn't beating Bush by 90 percentage points shows just how terrible a candidate he really is. Is it too late to switch to some guy with a pulse who's not in the back pocket of the special interests? That'd be nice.
Let's just have a partial quick run through.
The Iraq war.
Not for democracy. No WMD. Lying about lead up to war. 700 Million in misappropriated funds a'la Iran Contra. We're threatening to destroy Fallujah completely. Bush hasn't made any mistakes that he can think of, including his claim that Rumsfeld is the Secretary of State. Increased destabilization of US respect all over middle east because of our uncritical support of the only guy crazier than Shrub, Ariel Sharon. They're gonna roll Bin Laden out in October or if not we're going to be "attacked" and we'll never know if it's us or them whose doing it. They're firing people for having the nerve to show pictures that demonstrate people actually die in wars, like this is some kind of surprise. They've still not told us who narced out Valerie Plame. We told Prince Bandar about the war before Shrub told the spegghetti spined Powell. And that's just off the top of my head.
At home.
the environments fucked. the economy is fucked. There are no jobs that pay living wages, no benefits either. In Florida Bush's idiot brother is "fast tracking" graduates who can leave high school without any US history or government classes. That's what we need, LESS educated citizens. Great idea. Every child is being left behind. No bill of rights anymore, except to carry an assault rifle of course. And on and on...

But of course the news media is focusing on Michael Jackson. I mean, it's not like there's anything else to talk about right?

Phish Show Review
4/15/2004 Thursday Night Vegas

My first Vegas show after 10 years of seeing the band and I gotta say I wasn’t impressed. The lot was pretty cool even though there weren’t nearly as many people as I thought there would be in Vegas. For the first time I wasn’t just there to see the show but I also had my first novel Portal, self-published, to sell and found quite happily that I was correct that socially conscious sci-fi could sell on a Phish lot.

I got three tix for 20 bucks each which was really nice, this 42.50 a show thing is ridiculous, they need to play more and charge less- these are rough financial times and the high ticket prices are unnecessarily painful.

The whole show was general admission, a nice touch, but I agree that it was immediately obvious that Chris Kuroda is crucial as the lighting would be just that much off the entire show.

They started with Buried Alive and it was immediately obvious the sound sucked. And I was straight in front of the stage albeit in the balcony. Still, the sound was as bad as in the World Music Theatre here in Chicago and that’s reaaaally bad. I don’t know if the sound was screwy down on stage too but something was definitely going on down there. Even though it sounded like a bad old analog tape the ACDC Bag that followed was great until the end when the sound deteriorated even further. Trey said something about an annoying sound, but I couldn’t be sure what he was saying. He played a crazy distorted note that made me think they were going to bust into BBFCFM but it turned into Limb. The rest of the set list featured the band playing pretty, but very slow jams that sucked the life out of what was initially a very loving crowd. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t really interesting either. The Stash>Timber was cool, but very mellow and again the sound was ick.

Second set was a huge improvement. The sound was 100% better and it must have been apparent down on the stage too because the whole show had a lot more energy. Lights were off badly on several occasions. 46 Days was nice. But the highlight was the 2001>DWD>Free>Scent run which was more than worth the price of admission. Jenn came out and jammed with Trey with a sloppy but fairly humorous rendition of Jay Z’s Girls Girls Girls before returning to finish the Russian influenced portion of Scent. Then they played Secret Smile and Crowd Control the first time I’d seen either live and gotta say, I think Trey’s using his best material with the solo band cause yuck. I actually thought Crowd Control was a bad Cheap Trick cover. They ended with a pretty but standard Traffic Light and encored with a nice Sneakin Sally with a vocal jam that featured the cococut song “They put the lime in the coconut and drink it all up” I’m pretty sure I heard Trey saying “The sound was screwed up” during the end of the vocal jam but half way through traffic light the sound dropped out again and I couldn’t be sure.

After Miami, Vegas was a let down. Oh well, everybody has rough days, they’re still the greatest band in the world and I’ll be there with bells on all summer.

From the same article- Family Values Anyone?

Did Mr. Bush ask his father for any advice? (about iraq) “I asked the president about this. And President Bush said, ‘Well, no,’ and then he got defensive about it,” says Woodward. “Then he said something that really struck me. He said of his father, ‘He is the wrong father to appeal to for advice. The wrong father to go to, to appeal to in terms of strength.’ And then he said, ‘There's a higher Father that I appeal to.’"

BUSH MUST BE IMPEACHED

THIS MUST BE READ TO BE BELIEVED!!!

Bob Woodward's got a new book out. And I'll be damned if he didn't get a second "Watergate" level story. El Shrubo apparently misappropriated funds that Congress was told was going toward the Afghanistan war and funneled it to make war preparations in and around Iraq. This quiet funding initially started 72 days after 9-11.
It's Iran/Contra with the same damn people all over again.

Oh yeah, watch the video clip too. In it Woodward says he asked the shrubster what he thought history would think of him. His response, "History; we won't know, we'll all be dead."
If you're not afraid, you're nuts.

President? What President?

Most Americans get 2 weeks vacation a year. Maximimum. And it's usually not paid, unless you're one of the lucky few who belong to the quickly dissapearing unions.
Yet, according to the Washington Post:

"This is Bush's 33rd visit to his ranch since becoming president. He has spent all or part of 233 days on his Texas ranch since taking office, according to a tally by CBS News. Adding his 78 visits to Camp David and his five visits to Kennebunkport, Maine, Bush has spent all or part of 500 days in office at one of his three retreats, or more than 40 percent of his presidency."

40%. Hey! All you people that still support this jackass. 40% that means four out of every 10 days he was supposed to be at work he was sitting on his ass instead of running the country. How about you? Do you get that many days off? Or are you working your fingers to the bone to keep the damn cable on so you can numb your mind from your shit ass job?

What's the guy gotta do to lose your support? Rape your Mothers? He's killing our soldiers for his oil buddies (cheney), giving our air and water to polluting corporations, and turned our Bill of Rights over to a self righteous prig who can't beat a dead guy in an election (ashcroft). You're not safer. Period. If you think we're safer watch and/or read some news from other countries. Even our allies are pissed at us.

Oh yeah, and for the first time Bremer in Iraq said we might not be able to turn over power to the Iraqis on June 30th even though Shrub was adamant we were turning it over no mattter what just last week in his hilarious press conference of bumbling stupidity.

Bush's Hilariously Inept Press Conference and a Unique Take on The No Child Left Behind Act

OK, Bush’s “press conference yesterday was quite possibly one of the funniest things on TV in the last 10 years. The only problem, it was the leader of the free world talking.
I took notes while he spoke so let’s see what we learned by listening to the densest shrub in history:
The violence in Iraq is casued by 3 groups.
1) Hussein sympathizers. Yeah sure. 2)Islamic militants in Fallujah and Terrorists from other countries. 3) The riots in the south are being incited by al-sadr and his “illegal militia.” He wants to “destroy democratic hopes” and is trying for a “power grab.” The other major cleric “supports us” yet no one from his organization will talk to any American representative.
What it isn’t is a civil war or popular uprising which means that’s exactly what it is.
Most iraqis “oppose dictatorship.” Controversial statement there.
“they want freedom and independence” No shit
“Iraq will be peaceful or it will be a place of violence”
Transfer of sovereignty June 30 and we’re going to hold that date because “We’re not an imperial power” we’re a “liberating power.”
Shrub called the mercenaries “Contract workers”
We’re going to “prevent harm to innocent civilians” even though we will use “decisive force” to maintain order.
He keeps saying coalition forces even though it’s pretty much just US and Britain and mercenaries. He mentions the American embassy that will be opened but he doesn’t mention of how big it is. (It will be the largest embassy in the world.)
He also laid out a timetable for Iraq democracy. Elections for national assembly next january. By dec 15, 2005 iraq will be a democracy. It’s just that simple.
Then he said that Rumsfeld the secretary of state. Nope sorry dumbass.
He looks up for maybe one word per sentence, he’s reading off of a paper with little understanding of what he’s saying. He can barely read the goddamn paper.
Now is the time and Iraq is the place where the Islamic terrorists are fighting “the civilized world” Like in Beirut???? Beirut didn’t have Islamic terrorists.
911 911 911
The terrorists lost an ally in Iraq. LIE LIE LIE LIE The terrorists hated Hussein and he hated them.
So while we’re definitely leaving, we’re not leaving until we’ve won, which will be by June 30th no matter what.
That was just the speech part. Then he started to answer the reporter’s questions and things got really funny.
Vietnam question> He says the Vietnam comparison is false. That’s it. It sends the “wrong message” to the troops.
Freedom is hard to achieve we have “a hard time in our own country achieving freedom” what does that mean? Freedom is easy, it’s opressing people while saying they’re free that’s hard.
He doesn’t make decisions based on polls i.e. the will of the people.
The theme of the entire question and answer period was “we’re changing the world”
He informs us that the generals talk “all the time” Well that’s a relief.
We’re not going anywhere. “They need us there.”
Once we transfer sovereignty we’ll enter a “security agreement.” This is, of course, non-negotiable.
Criticizing iraqi security run by iraqis
Saddam was a threat. Why? He coddled terrorists????
He was threat to region and us
To UN: Either you take care of him we will
We needed to work with people by alienating them
Talking about Iraq and the UN he said Saddam had to “Disarm or face consequences” except he didn’t have anything to disarm so what exactly the hell was he supposed to do?
Then came my second favorite thing Shrub said in the whole speech.
Talking about Iraq he said, “they’re hiding things. If you hide things you are afraid of getting caught because you did something wrong.” This is coming from the most secretive white house in history. According to the man’s own logic Cheney is hiding the Energy policy meeting minutes because he did something wrong.
The Iraqis are pleased we got rid of Saddam BUT they have a fear of making decisions towards liberty.
Then he said the best thing of the whole press conference.
“I wouldn’t be happy if I were occupied either.”
He refused to answer the question if he felt in any way personally responsible about 911.
Our foreign policy was described thusly, “Go on offense and stay on offense to secure the country.”
He CANNOT say he fucked up, on anything. Rove and Condi are looking at Bush like he’s a stupid dumb puppy. On several occasions he’s just babbling for literally minutes on end.
Reporter asks about whether we deserve an apology and will you give them one?
NOPE. He’s sick when he thinks about the death. But he’s not sorry. The person responsible was Osama. He’s not. He keeps calling on John, 3 questions so far.
Then I found out something I didn’t know. In terms of troop numbers we have the most, Britain is second and third? Mercenaries. That’s right, the third largest contributor to troop strength are hired guns who are being paid @ $100,000 a year.
“They (terrorists)want us to leave. We’re not going to leave.”
He calls everyone who criticizes his policies racists by saying that some people don’t think “brown people” are capable of maintaining a democracy. Yes, he actually said “brown people.”
He won’t say why he needs Cheney with him for 9-11 commission. He gets really flustered and pissed off at the reporter who has the nerve to ask.
There’s an eruption and he asks some guy that gives him a meatball question that he then stutters through. You can tell he’s thrown by the Cheney question and he descends into mumbling and babbling again.
Probably going to be his last question
Will it be worth it if you lose your job?
“I don’t plan on losing my job.” I bet you don’t you cheating fuck. But he never says if it’d be worth it or not. He’s looking forward to the campaign. Yeah I bet.
He’s mad that he didn’t have time to plan for the question about what the biggest mistake of his life was. He doesn’t know. He liked Afghanistan. He still would invade iraq even if there’s not weapons. But then he backs up and says that we’re still going to find the weapons. He admits not a single mistake. NOTHING. What a total dick.
Then he’s confident he’s made mistakes-- but he can’t think of a single one. OH MY GOD OH MY GOD. He can’t think of one. The worst administration in US history and he can’t even think of a single mistake he’s made. That’s how self-aware this guy is, he can’t think of a single mistake.
But whatever mistakes he made he says he learned from them.
Can you win the war on terror?
Of course. Number of times a large wountry has won a guerilla war in the modern era: ZERO.
Freedom is the Almighty’s gift to the world.
The almighty the Muslim’s believe in? That almighty? Or what about the Buddhist almighty. Which one?
“I need to learn to communicate better. I will say it as best as I possibly can.”
If he says something, he means it. That’s the end.
What a joke. Anyone who votes for this guy must’ve undergone some kind of lobotomy. But funny, man is he funny.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND- The Football Version

1 All teams must make the state playoffs, and all will win the championship, they will be on probation until they are the champions, and coaches will be held accountable.
2 All kids will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time and in the same conditions. No exceptions will be made for interest in football, a desire to perform athletically or genetic abilities or disabilities…
3 Talented players will be asked to work out on their own, without instruction. This is because the coaches will be using all their instructional time with the athletes who aren’t interested in football, have limited athletic ability or whose parents don’t like football.
4 Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept in fourth, eighth, and 11th grades.
5 This will create a New Age of sports where every school is expected to have the same level of talent, and all teams will reach the same minimal goals. If no child gets ahead, then no child will be left behind.

John Kerry

If you're one of those overzealous Democrats that think John Kerry is the savior of the Democratic party you should read this article by William greedier. Kerry's heading towards corporate whoreship in it's most corrosive form. So the only thing we're going to gain by overthrowing the Fascist-Fundamentalist Christian (as opposed to the regular Christians who are on the whole very nice folks) Shrub Administration is to replace it with a Fascist Corporate Kerry Administration that makes us happy on the less-important social issues but screws us in our ability to make more than $8.00/hour with no benefits. And it's not like the profits are being fairly distributed in the countries the jobs are going to. Those people are being paid even less and 5,000 rich guys are taking all the cash. No matter what you think about whether Nader is right or wrong, the info in this article is why Nader is running.

Book News and a Smidgen about Condi

My novel, PORTAL came in yesterday. The books look great. I'm going to see how they sell and if I can increase my site traffic. If so, I plan to sell the book online through PayPal.
I'll be out of town this week so no new postings. Get to go see Phish in Vegas as well as Vickei's Master's defense. If you're one of the people who're here because they bought a book in Vegas, Welcome, I hope you had a good show.

Real quick,

Condi's a liar.
BEN-VENISTE: Isn't it a fact, Dr. Rice, that the August 6th PDB warned against possible attacks in this country? And I ask you whether you recall the title of that PDB?
RICE: I believe the title was, Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States.
Now, the ...
BEN-VENISTE: Thank you.
RICE: No, Mr. Ben-Veniste ...
BEN-VENISTE: I will get into the ...
RICE: I would like to finish my point here.
BEN-VENISTE: I didn't know there was a point.
RICE: Given that _ you asked me whether or not it warned of attacks.
BEN-VENISTE: I asked you what the title was.
RICE: You said, did it not warn of attacks. It did not warn of attacks inside the United States. It was historical information based on old reporting. There was no new threat information. And it did not, in fact, warn of any coming attacks inside the United States.

See! She's a liar. Not only that, she seems to think the entire US population is dumber than a box of hammers. What's really scary, she might be right.
Oh yeah,
Check this out too! It's a picture of ashcroft made of porno pictures. Now that's a good use of free time!

Kerry and Nader

I am one of the minority of people that doesn't think that John Kerry has the right to my vote simply because the Corporate Arm of the Dems get him nominated. I have, up to this point, been a supporter of Nader. But then, at some point during the day yesterday, I heard a much better idea on the increasingly wonderful Air America radio.
John Kerry should call up Nader and offer him the job of Head of the SEC; (Securities and Exchange Commision) the agency in charge of keeping an eye on corporations. Then, if Nader accepts it, the Progressives in the party know there's someone hardcore going after the Corporados.
If Kerry offers the job publicly, and Nader rejects it, Nader's support evaporates like a glass of water on the sun becuase it shows he's not really concerned with anything other than being president, which isn't a good thing. I think he'd accept the job though, I really do. I know I'd feel better if I knew Kerry was insightful and clever enough to think of this on his own and the fact that neither Ralph's nor Kerry's people haven't yet isn't a good sign for either candidate.

Also, too many people are dying in Iraq. This is getting really scary. Please BRING THE SOLDIERS HOME! NO WAR FOR HALLIBURTON!

I Play Nostradamus

I've been saying this for a couple of months but I just wanted to post it publically so I can say "I told you so" when it happens.
Shrub and company are going to "capture" Osama Bin Laden in September or October. It'll be a big surprise so everyone pretend to be shocked.

How many people have to say it before the Republicans get it through their thick-ass heads?

Yet another report is coming out about Shrub's obsession with Iraq. Sir Christopher Meyer, the ex-British ambassador to Washington has gone public that Bush brought up attacking Iraq in a private dinner with Tony Blair a WEEK after 9-11. Balir reportedly said that Afghanistan was the priority and while Bush agreed, he used the opportunity to say that Iraq should come right after Afghanistan. I personally read a number of reports in July/August of 2002 that made it clear we'd be attacking Iraq in Febuary or March- there were about 50 nurses at the University of Chicago Hospital ICU's that can vouch for me, I drove them nuts talking about it all the time. The repeated statements that Shrub and Company didn't plan on attacking Iraq the minute they walked into office is crap. They're liars and should be put in jail.
First O'Neil. Then Clarke. Now Meyer. Wake up people. Iraq is a scam. Look at gas prices. If you don't think there's a connection between this and that, you're crazy.
Bottom line. I cannot fucking believe the people against this war are being told they're "not supporting the troops." That's a monumentally stupid statement. I want them to come home where it's safe. Where nobody wants to drag them through the streets. The people who Fox news say support the troops want them to stay in a forign country where they're not wanted and don't belong so they can get killed so we can pay 2.50 a gallon for gas and give Halliburton, Cheney, and the Christian Right a new set of silver spoons. Yeah. You support the troops alright.

Sorry about the abnormal degree of name calling, but I'm fed up with the people in this country who just refuse to see that the Shrub has no leaves.