A Canuck Stuck in Muck

It's Hard to Know Which Cliche to Use

2007-10-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

The Mob is calling in all its markers. The chickens are coming home to roost. The sins of the fathers are being visited on the sons. You reap what you sow. You play with fire you get burned. He who laughs last laughs best.

I could go on. With the Democrats in Congress wimping out on immunity for the telecoms for their co-criminality in the NSA and who-knows-what-other domestic spying capers, it comes as no surprise. The telecoms have been passing out their treasure for good reason, to both sides, for good reason: The quid for the quo.

And the Democrats are falling like flies.

An Idea for an Ad

2007-07-18T09:36:00.001-07:00

Here's a modest proposal for an ad spot. No audio. Screen graphic "Support the Troops" for five seconds. Camera then records a succession of real people's faces, who one by one state how they've been affected by the occupation of Iraq... "My father was killed in Faluja" "My sister died in Bakuba" "My brother came back really sick" "My son came back without his legs." "My mother died when her convoy was ambushed in Anbar Province." Screen goes black. Screen graphic reads "Iraq affects each of us." Voice over (perhaps Morgan Freeman) "Iraq affects each of us. And for what? Weapons of mass destruction? [Clip of Bush uttering the 16 words in the SOTU.] (Freeman continues) There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, [Clip of Libby with Cheney and Rumsfeld] and there is abundant evidence to prove that the Bush administration new it and lied to the American people before invading Iraq. 9/11? [Clip of highlight from CIA report, with CIA symbol prominent] The CIA and the 9/11 Commission conclude that there never was an Iraq connection. [Still of Usama bin Laden] Al Quaeda? Al Quaeda didn't exist in Saddam's Iraq. To promote democracy in the Middle East? Diplomacy and fair dealing would have done as much. So, what are our soldiers dying for? An illegal war of aggression against a sovereign nation. You can support the troops by bringing them home and holding President Bush accountable for the unthinkable horror he has unleashed in Iraq." Put that on the internets and watch it burn up the tubes.

Are We There, Yet?

2007-07-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

I thought it was bad enough when we found out about the lies that got us into Iraq (thanks to Amb. Wilson for that revelation).
I thought it was bad enough when CIA NOC Agent Wilson was decloaked by the White House (thanks to Patrick Fitzgerald, USA).
I thought it was bad enough that the US officially condones torture (thanks to, among others, the soldiers in Abu Ghraib Prison, who were later drummed out of the military for following orders).
I thought it was bad enough when the government began secretly recording our telephone conversations (thanks to the NYT, I think).
I thought it was getting a little worse when it became legal to search my home without a warrant, and to arrest me without cause and detain me indefinitely.
Things seemed to be getting a little darker when we found out that the DOJ was being stocked with Republican zombies.
It seemed like it couldn't get any worse when POTUS commuted his buddy "Scooter" Libby's 30-month sentence for obstruction of justice.
Now, it seems, a feckless Congress is finding out that they have no recourse if someone doesn't honor a subpoena.
Is it possible that the rat bastards in Washington had all of this in mind before any of it started?
Historians of Hitler's Germany will no doubt recognize a number of points of similarity.

CHRISTIAN SUPREMACISTS DISRUPT SENATE

2007-07-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

The Christian Supremacists in Congress showed their true colours today, by demonstrating their foundational bigotry. It fits perfectly with what I've been saying about Creationists/Creation Scientists/Intelligent Design adherents--that they are profoundly arrogant when they propound their story of creation, because it denigrates (by ignoring) the myriad other creation stories and beliefs of the world's non-Christians. The Judao-Christian tradition is pervasively bigoted against non-believers. And, as you're well aware, some Christians over the years have perpetrated unconscionable acts against non-Christians (think Crusades, the expulsion of the Jews from Britain and from other European nations in the Middle Ages, the Shoa). I say let the rat bastards yell all they want about the "idolaters". The more they show themselves for what they are, the sooner this country'll be rid of their venomous religion.

Depraved Indifference

2007-04-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

This is taken from the US Legal website.

To constitute depraved indifference, the defendant's conduct must be 'so wanton, so deficient in a moral sense of concern, so lacking in regard for the life or lives of others, and so blameworthy as to warrant the same criminal liability as that which the law imposes upon a person who intentionally causes a crime. Depraved indifference focuses on the risk created by the defendant’s conduct, not the injuries actually resulting.

I just posted over at No Quarter about this. But I want to reiterate: Colin Powell, George Tenet, Dick Durbin, the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, are all guilty of depraved indifference. They all deserve the condemnation of the American people for their failure to tell the truth about the lies promulgated by the Bush administration in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq.

They should all be behind bars.

Link

Grab your torch and pitchfork!

2007-03-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

Where's the hue and cry?
For years I've been asking myself when the American people (those with a reasonable level of critical ability, that is) are going to wake up to the terrible governance, the outrageous dissembling, the dismantling of the Bill of Rights, the obliteration of America's global reputation, the unmitigated gall of the Bush administration. And for years, I've been amazed at the deaf ears turned toward those who tell the truth about the power-crazed, and mostly unelected government in Washington, DC. Even today, 24 hours after Valerie Plame Wilson testified under oath, before a committee of the House of Representatives, that her covert employment by the C.I.A. was revealed by a crass and reckless White House in 2003, the traditional media are missing the really important part of the day's testimony. After Plame Wilson's testimony, a pair of Washington officials bellied up to the front table, one of whom was Dr. James Knodell, director of the Office of Security at the White House. Dr. Knodell's testimony comes down to this: the White House never, ever lifted a finger to determine the source of the leak. Not even for five minutes did they bother to search for the culprit. And, of course, once the criminal investigation was launched, at the behest of the C.I.A. (the injured party that employed Plame Wilson), the White House dummied up and hid behind their old saw that they would do nothing to interfere with an ongoing investigation, least of all mount a co-eval investigation of their own.

So, the Office of the President, the keeper of the Constitution, defender of the Homeland, protagonist of Evil, didn't even break a bead of sweat to find out who had compromised national security in the exposure of an undercover agent. We all, now, know why, from testimony, under oath, in a court of law. I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, his boss, Richard "Deadeye Dick" Cheney, Karl "Turdblossom" Rove, his boss, George "W" Bush, and several others close to those at the top, were responsible for leaking this patriot's name. Why, indeed, would anyone who had perpetrated such a venal crime choose to investigate themselves, leading to the concommitant exposure of their intrigue to a country divided almost 50-50 along party lines.

I can't say as I blame them. But I can certainly hold their feet to the fire now, since Rove and Cheney still hold the highest security clearance. Does this country want to spend another minute with those two cupping our lives in their hands? Of course, everyone knows that if Rove and Cheney lost their security clearance, there'd be no Executive Branch left--"W" will most assuredly not know what to do without their input.

So, now we have crimes layered upon crimes. The crime that was committed when the President promised the country that he'd get to the bottom of the leak story is superimposed on the crime of allowing liers to continue to be privy to the deepest secrets this country possesses, which in turn is a crime plastered over the underlying one of revealing classified information, and knowingly revealing the identity of an undercover agent of the C.I.A.

If ever there was a time, it would be now, to grab your torch and pitchfork.

Will Tweetie be the next one to sing? Or will it be Novak? Or Armitage?

2007-02-02T14:44:00.000-08:00

Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has promised a "surprise" witness next week, as he rounds out the government's case in the I. (guess what that means) Lewis "Scooter" Libby perjury and obstruction of justice trial. I'm going out on a limb with some outrageous possibilities.

What about Robert Novak, to whom Rove is alleged to have blabbed prior to the July 14, 2003 publication of the infamous outing piece? We have every reason to believe Novak would rather stick needles in his eyes than throw Rove under the bus. So, unlikely it'll be Novak.

What about Armitage, former Under-Secretary of State? He's an old pal of Rove's. Arm'y made a Libbyesque effort to give Novak an interview and *cough* 'accidentally' tell Novak that Plame/Wilson sent Ambassador Joe to Niger. To quote Newsweek, "Armitage acknowledged that he had passed along to Novak information contained in a classified State Department memo: that Wilson's wife worked on weapons-of-mass-destruction issues at the CIA. (The memo made no reference to her undercover status.) Armitage had met with Novak in his State Department office on July 8, 2003—just days before Novak published his first piece identifying Plame [and a mere two days after the July 6th Op-Ed by Joe Wilson, the the shit really hit the fan in the WH]." And rumor has it that on June 13, 2003 Arm'y blabbed to Bob Woodward about Ms. Wilson's CIA position and role in sending Ambassador Wilson to Niger [characteristically minus the bit about her covert status]. Yet, again, this wouldn't help Fitz's case against Libby.

Then there's Chris Matthews, the MSNBC poster-boy of punditry. Why him? Because thus far in these proceedings we've heard little, if anything, about Karl Rove's role in the Plame/Wilson outing. Remember that Karl is alleged to have told Tweetie that "the wife" is 'fair game'. [Interesting choice of metaphor, all things considered, since Cheney is the hunter in the White House cadre, and we all know what sorts of things HE considers fair game!] Matthews is an attractive candidate, because he isn't implicated in anything (therefore has no axe to grind; no hidden agenda to be impeached), and because the Rove comment, above all else, speaks of the malice that was focused on Ms. Wilson, and alone of all the evidence thus far produced, is the real smoking gun that says this wasn't just a bunch of political hacks trying to set the record straight, none of whom suspected that a woman working for the CIA could possibly be covert [hard to believe anyone, much less all of them, could be that stoopid]. Rove's comment removes any doubt that this was a calculated set of actions. Even Rove's choice of words speaks volumes: the wife is fair game. Coming, as it did, mere days after Novak's outing, it shows that the real target of their actions was not Wilson, but his wife, for [as they would have it] arranging the trip in the first place.

And there you have it. I'm ready to be edified, and surprised

Midway

2006-11-14T01:44:00.000-08:00

Must be brief, running out of batteries and time.
Some pictures. In no particular order, unfortunately. No time to be artsy.

This is the back patio of the Labri Manor, where I spent all but one night while in Stellenbosch. The body of water in the rear is a "plunge pool", an unheated (by anything but the sun) pool about 1.25 m deep, just for refreshing on a hot day. I was on the patio the last afternoon before leaving, because it was stinking hot. And I used the pool--took the plunge, as it were.

Now I'm waiting at Heathrow Airport, again. It's about 0930 on Tuesday (I think). Virgin Atlantic Flight 019 leaves at 1100. So, not much time, this time, to 'blog'.

After the conference I had a couple of days to look around. Mac (Leila's partner) and I drove into the mountains that frame Stellenbosch, and found a fly-fishing trout farm. It was fairly pretty, as you can see.

Dear Anonymous

2006-11-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

The absence of pictures is due to my inability to use my own computer to accses the internet. Sorry. You'll just have to wait!
I hope you have a good weekend. I'll be home soon.

What An Interesting Couple of Days

2006-11-10T13:04:00.000-08:00

I've been unable to use the guest-house computer for the past two or three days. What a pain. Lots has happened, but I'll only be able to shorthand it now that the news has been accumulating for a couple of days.
It's almost 11 PM. I've just come back from dinner with Iain (my old head of dept) and a couple of his friends. Today was the last day of the conference. Iain's off on an excursion to a cave site where they've got beads and ochre from ~75,000 years ago. It's hugely important, but as always, I'm the only one in the world who's even a little bit sceptical about the dating.
I've met a few very nice people here, and been shunned, for the most part by the rest who have any idea who I am.
I've got some great souvenirs, and I very much look forward to getting home to my family. Thanks for the comments! I have a couple of days here that I'd originally planned for any excursions that might have been on offer. However, the only one was, for logistical reasons, only advertised to a couple of dozen people. So, I'll be able to drive into the mountains and have a look around. It's really beautiful around here.
I'm very, very glad at the results in the election. But I wish I could have been a lot gladder. It doesn't seem right that the Bushies and the Republicans get to have so many Representatives and Senators. Wish the Demos a lot of luck.
I'm really tired, so I'm off to sleep. Please keep a candle in the window so I can find my way home!
Be well.
I'll try to post again tomorrow, and from there on. But it remains to be seen if I can get access to a 'puter.

Mission Accomplished

2006-11-07T15:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my family for the heartwarming comments, and for the news about Ad and Deb. It's really awful news about Ad. Unbelievable! They should probably find out which one of their friends, if any, is a user. That'd be the first place to look, sad to say.
Thanksgiving at D&T's would be fine with me. I'm sorry that the other options don't seem attractive to me.
I gave my presentation today! It went pretty well, considering that many of the images I'd laboriously placed were rotated or squished or in the wrong place altogether. Thanks, Microsoft!
There wasn't much time for questions after my talk, since the session had a late start and my well-timed presentation almost filled the time until the scheduled start of the next talk. However, I've met some very nice people, including, incredibly, a Bill Noble analog who works with one of Iain's old acquaintances, who, believe it or not is a clinical psychologist who works on personality disorders in older adults, and has just published a book on the matter. He's a very nice man, and terribly funny, and I feel as if I've known him all my life (although he may just be very good at makking people feel that way).
Anyhow. I feel pretty good about the day, even though it was not physically comfortable. I must have neglected to put my gut pills in my pile this morning, and by mid morning I was suffering terribly. Luckily there are some very helpful people at the conference center who organized first bicarb of soda, and then managed to get their hands on some antacid tablets. So, by the time I gave my talk, I wasn't feeling like I wanted to puke.
I'm actually looking forward to the rest of the conferencem, both because the venue is a very lovely place, and because there are so many good people that I've managed to hook up with, thanks to Iain.
I'm eating very well, fairly cheaply, and Hazel's gift is providing me with a "last hurrah" that I'll remember for a very long time.
I love you all, and I very much look forward to coming home.
Be well.

Contact

2006-11-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

I met up with my old head of department this morning after breakfast, and we spent a couple of hours at a coffee bar. Iain is checking his email and I'm, well, I'm blogging. The conference welcome is this afternoon, and, as it happens, it's not at the conference center, it's in the center of town, near where I'm staying. I still can't get on the wireless network at the Labri Manor, so I'm posting this from an internet cafe. It's another beautiful day, warm and sunny, and I'll probably end up wandering around the town with Iain, looking for souvenirs to take home.
OK. I'm done for now. I'm going to try to remember to take some pictures and post them later today.
Bye for now.

Safe and Sound

2006-11-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

I made it to Stellenbosch!
It's a very charming little burg. I have a really nice rental car, and one more day before the conference starts. Due to unexpected (always) difficulties with the internet hookup here at my guest house, I'm on a generic terminal and thus cannot upload the very interesting blog that I'd composed for this moment. Ah, well. You'll just have to wait.
Anyway, I'm here.
Bye for just now.

2006-11-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

I'm composing this at London England's Heathrow Airport. I arrived at about 10 AM Friday Greenwich Mean Time. It's now 4 PM, and I'll be here until the scheduled departure for Capetown, at 8 PM. Security precautions are increasingly ridiculous, as I see it. At San Francisco Airport, I had to leave three bottles of water that I took with me for my trip through London to Cape Town. However, even sealed bottles of drinking water wouldn't pass. Then I thought I was going to have to leave the shaving cream I'd purchased on the morning of my departure, since all such items needed to be sealed in a clear plastic bag. A kind security agent figgered out a way to let me through with it. Pointless, really, as Ford said to Arthur, since I had to go through security once again upon landing in London, and here they allow NO liquids, creams, solidified creams, gels, toothpaste, etc. So, I had to jettison my toothpaste, my deodorant, my EXPENSIVE hair fixative, my shaving cream (thanks anyway kind security agent in SF), and my tongue cleaning spray. BUMMED! Moments later I found myself in the biggest shopping mall in existence. Heathrow's international departures area is one gigantic shopping center. I've never seen anything like it! Givenchy, Chanel, Gucci, Harrod's. You name it! It's here. Even Boot's the Chemist, which is a real good thing, since I was now bereft of every item of personal hygeine. So, Boot's cashes in on the security crackdown, and (not knowing when I'd get to a chemist's/drug store after arriving in Cape Town, and hoping not to offend even the animals in the country upon arriving) I had to buy more toothpaste, deodorant, and shaving cream. I decided it wasn't worth it to buy hair stuff, since I just had my hair cut, and despite my well-disguised vanity, would rather have been able to use, decided not to purchase more EXPENSIVE hair schtoff until my return home.
Finally, I was very surprised and pleased that my daughter, now old enough to want to disown me as her own flesh and blood most days, asked me to come by her school at noon on my way out of Santa Cruz. She came out and hugged me like I can't remember her doing for a long time (and repeatedly), and it was enormously satisfying to say "so long" to her in that way. She even left me little notes in my carry-on, which I appreciated more than you can imagine.
Anyone reading this will know who I'm talking about in this post, so I want you to know that I love you all, and I appreciate working and living with you more than any of you can know.
So, without further ado, I'll take you leave now.
I'll get back to you in South Africa!

Saweet! Lamont wins the Connecticut Primary, defeating Lieberman

2006-08-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

What a glorious night this is! I'm not going to say I didn't think much of Joe from the moment he was named as Gore's running mate. And I'm not going to say that Lieberman was a chump for accepting Bush's bush shit when it came time to vote on the use of force bill. Most in the Congress were bitten by the lies and deception. It was afterward, as Joe began to cozy up to the Preznit, and finally declared that if you didn't support POTUS, you were against your country. What an uppercase L loser! I know in my heart that Lieberman will never, ever, understand what just happened. You and I do, and we're going to have to carry the word to the rest of the world. We must find a way to get to the people who don't get it. Ideas?

Posted at NoQuarter 7/27/06

2006-08-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

What a tangled web. I can easily believe every word of it. Why would corrupt politicians care from what source their money comes? What care Republicans if they're contributing to the drug problems in this country--after all, the pusher isn't the problem, it's the amoral addict (snark). Indeed, it would suit the REPOs to have the problem increase, so they could trumpet their repressive tactics on certain, well delineated, segments of the population (if you know what I mean, and I think you do). These guys deserve no better than a watery grave. Come November, let's sink the lot of 'em!

Posted at NoQuarter 6/20/06

2006-08-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

Hi, Larry. Stay feisty! I, on the other hand, am about out of juice. Consider this: POTUS says we're in a War on Terror. Yet he trots around, posturing, fund-raising for his buddies. I am beyond despair, approaching apathy. I can hear the drumbeat of the 'net roots', and I can be thankful that there are thoughtful people like yourself taking the 'point' in this advance. But I feel powerless, and worse. I feel as if, knowing what I know, I am being the world's biggest coward by not grabbing my torch and pitchfork and walking across the country to confront the fascists that run the country. But here I am, afraid that the NSA is gonna 'find' something in my communications that will let them put me away, just for feeling desperate! I don't even rate Cowardly Lion status. At least you stand up to them. Those people the other day who harrangued you for the comment on Rove. . . even they have more guts than me. You don't see me wandering over to the right side and blasting the bastards for their lies. You don't hear me calling up Limbaugh to excoriate him for his lies. Why? Because I don't have a 'voice'. You, Larry, have a voice. People will listen to you--even people who don't want to! So, like it or not, Larry, you and Christy and Jane and John and Kos and Murray and emptywheel and the rest, YOU are going to have to carry the torches and lead the rest of us across the barricades. We are all in a perilous position in this moment. Bush has already suspended Habeas Corpus for whomever he wishes to call a 'terrorist' (just like Hitler), and declared all communications--electronic, paper, or otherwise--fair game (just like Hitler), has said that he doesn't need to listen to what the legislative branch has to say (and his 'signing statements' are tantamount to laws, in and of themselves), which is only a thread's width from saying he can make the laws without the legislative branch (just like Hitler), he's planned concentration camps and already let the (of course) no-bid contract to Haliburton, 'should the need arise' to incarcerate large numbers of illegal aliens and terrorists (just like Hitler), and changed the armed services manual to accommodate instructions as to how to build, maintain, and operate such large incarceration facilties (on, by the way, military bases). We are so close to a fascist dictatorship that I am constantly fearful. We all should be. Like Hitler, Bush has a YES congress. Like Hitler, he has a popular message--kill non-Christians, scapegoat liberals and intellectuals, and homosexuals, and keep women pregnant and quiet (where is Laura, these days? anyone know?). But I dribble on. You and your readers have encouraged me to be engaged, only to be discouraged by the enormity of the situation we face. Where to?

and then this, later that day.

Dear Liberals are oh so very deep!,
Your blindly ethnocentric assertion that assertiveness is "the human ideal" truly underlines the fundamental difference between righties and lefties. Righties don't really give a shit about anybody but themselves and their intellectual peers, while lefties advance the notion of plurality and inclusiveness. I have only one response to your diatribe: Let whomever is without sin cast the first stone, else that person be branded a hypocrite.

Which brought this in response from Liberals are oh so very deep!

"blindly ethnocentric assertion"? lol

Please don't mistake yourself for an insightful intellectual, unless you wish to continue to be an unwitting clown. Which is fine with me, if you so wish btw.

If being assertive isn't the human ideal, what is, agressiveness? To you and your laughably clueless liberal comrades, Iunderstand that it is! :)

Posted at Thinkprogess 5/5/06

2006-08-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

But, but, what’s this got to do with Jack Abramoff? Just kidding. Forni-gate trumps DeLay’s Abramoff ‘problems’, Mehlman’s phone-jamming problems, Frist’s ‘blind-trust’ problems, Ney’s ‘Cunningham’ problems, Cheney’s ‘face-peppering’ problem, Gannon’s problems, Colbert’s ‘chilly-climate’ problems, and my personality disorder all put together!

and this also

In fact (and sorry for this addendum) I think RICO statutes should be invoked at this point, and then the entire federal government can get in on the act! Stiffer penalties for conspiracy, for transporting women for the purposes of prostitution, you name it. Everyone who attended those parties will now be at pains to show cause why they should not be included in a conspiracy indictment.

Posted at TheWashingtonNote 4/26/06

2006-08-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

In other news, the Pentagon is also hoping that, very soon, their new stealth pigs will fly...

Posted at NoQuarter 5/29/06

2006-08-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid you won't like me saying this, Larry. But I must. We are living in a fascist democracy. I know that doesn't sound possible--we usually think of fascism as a totalitarian system. But it needn't be, and in fact it wasn't in 1930s and 1940s Germany or Italy. The Bush administration is right down the line a fascist one, if you logically accept the account of fascism described at http://www.oldamericancentury.org/14pts.htm. When looked at according to this kind of analysis of political systems, there is no way to avoid it. Bush and Co are fascists. We need to treat them as such.

This comment brought this response by Thinker:

Yes, Canuck Stuck in Muck, I see the inside job, 911 an identical pretext to the burning of the Reichstag. In both cases terrorists (or anarchist - defacto terrorists) were blamed, openning the door to extra-ordinary security measures. The aftermath has seen the removal of human rights (as a legal standard) with campaigns against the Jew and Arab respectively. Perhaps it will bring them closer together, now?

Posted at NoQuarter 7/19/06

2006-08-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

I recently found this short essay in a collection of early modern English prose. I think it must be about King George, the mad King, against whom America revolted in the 1770s. I think it resonates in the present day, in America, and it is still capable of inspiring hope that a truly pluralistic, tolerant, fair society can flourish on these shores.

On the King

The King’s public comportment grows more unseemly by the day※His confused oratories do much to obfuscate, and little to illuminate※His demeanor is often churlish; his sincerity lacking entirely※His smirk is ever present※He dissembles without compunction※He lies with impunity※Little care has he for the commoner※His only real care is the fortunate class, the monied class, his barons and his courtiers※He and his barons dispense political favors in return for riches, a use of power which corrupts absolutely※No use has he for parliament, nor for the judges※He has trampled upon Runnymeade’s triumph, and he dares the learned to unseat him, with their words their only weapons※But words, alas, cannot his power usurp※Too well the scholar knows this※Revolt cannot take hold while the King and his court hold sway over the press, the army, and the sheriffs※Reason, often branded treason in this upside-down world, cannot, it seems, triumph over venal emotions and grasping greed※And yet, the only weapon worth wielding is Truth※Truth cannot be detained indefinitely, unless the truth-teller be swept away along with the words, never to be heard from or seen again※Truth holds promise※Truth, alone, can positively affect the course of history※The great Crusaders knew this, and so they locked the Truth away in church liturgy, and clerical rhetoric※The Lord Jesus Christ knew the Truth※Yet this King, this tyrant, knows not the true Jesus Christ—only a vain shadow of His wisdom guides this ruler※Indeed, this King will use the word of God to cow his opponents, and to turn one set of believers against another, and all believers in Christ against those who do not laud Him—the Muslim, the Jew, the Daoist, the Hindu, the Sikh, the Atheist※But such intolerance will not endure, as long as there are those who will speak Truth to Power, as long as there are those with minds open to the Truth, as long as there are Truths that must be told—about this King, about his wars, about his corruption, about his duplicity, about his dissembling※

This elicited the following response from Chris Vosburg

Canuck Amuck, the "On the King" essay sounds a bit like some of our own Thomas Paine's commentary on the King in his more spirited moments.

In fact, one of Tom's observations in Common Sense on hereditary monarchies (like ours, hee hee) has been ringing in my head since the obnoxious fratboy first campaigned for the Presidency in the 90s.

Tom wrote:

"One of the strongest natural proofs of the folly of hereditary right in kings is that nature disapproves it; otherwise she would not so frequently turn it into ridicule by giving mankind an ass for a lion."

Posted at NoQuarter 8/1/06

2006-08-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

Hi, Susan. I gotta admit that I am VERY afraid. This country's on a tightrope in a strong wind wearing flip-flops. More troops to Baghdad the other day. Reckless talk of a 'wider war' involving Syria and Iran. A feeble-minded president on our side, and psychopaths on the other side. The choices we're being offered for our delectation are a) Jihad for the glory of Allah, or b) Armageddon and the end of days, chased with the Rapture, brought to you by Liberty University and the Americans for Tax Reform. Our Secretary of State offers explicit support of the Israeli war crimes in Lebanon by explaining the Israel must "de-fang Hizbollah." De-fang? Even if the Israeli's could (which seems increasingly unlikely) extract every rocket and gun--effectively removing their teeth--Hizbollah would still have two good hands, access to the best brains in the Arab world, and a very understandable thirst for revenge. And what's George gonna do when the wheels start coming off the troop transports and humvees? March to Syria? Wade into Iran? I'm bewildered and afraid. And I have to think that there are so many torture-loving, Arab-hating, CIA rendition backing, Christian Supremacists in this country that there is likely no such thing as a good outcome to this catastrophic so-called GWOT. I'm more afraid now of George effing Bush than I ever was of Al Qaeda and OBL!

Posted at NoQuarter 6/26/06

2006-08-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

Larry,
I'm appalled, as I'm sure are all of your readers. And, I'm sorry, but I return to my repetitive refrain: what's it going to take for us, all of us, to take to the streets with torches and pitchforks. The bastards have lied, and lied, and lied again. The evidence is everywhere. I have said, repeatedly, that I'm not paranoid. But I have to say, the Democrats in Congress are way too quiet about all this. There should not be a day wherein one iota of legislation is passed until the Congress acts on the 'intelligence' we have to hand about the administration's prevarications. Not another bill, not another amendment, until the issues are dealt with. I'm sorry. I think the Democrats are complicit, or completely immoral, to allow the day-to-day legislative business to proceed while our brothers and sisters are dying in Iraq and the warlords are consolidating power in Somalia, and the previously powerful drug lords in Afghanistan become more powerful.
Whom do we appeal to?

Posted at NoQuarter 7/13/06

2006-08-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hey, Larry.
Spot on, as usual. I don't want to change the subject, only to shade it somewhat, with an insight that I had listening to John Dean discussing his new book with Olbermann. Several times I've asked, sometimes in a whiney voice, why people aren't taking to the streets with torches and pitchforks. John Dean's discovery (rather like tripping over an elephant) that there is a voluminous literature on authoritarian personalities and those who follow them, and that almost exclusively authoritarian personalities, and those who follow them, are conservative, in the American sense of the word. Ahah! I said. I knew it! And I did, 'cause I'm an anthropologist, and anthropologists know these things, as do the sociologists who study the phenomenon. However, I hadn't before yesterday made two connections. First, liberals are not susceptible to authoritarianism. Why? Because they question authority. They confront it. They analyze it.They believe in a pluralistic society. They believe in tolerance. All of these characteristics militate against being susceptible to the likes of Hitler, Mussolini and Cheny (Bush is just an accolyte, one of the followers--a mouthpiece, a Charlie McCarthy). And that led me to remember that here, in America (and Canada, and a few other democracies) you don't take to the streets with torches and pitchforks, because it isn't necessary. Just vote the bastards out! Once every four years, the people have that opportunity. Of course, there are apathetic souls who don't exercise their franchise. Dean further revealed that about 23% of the population is either authoritarian, or a follower of the authoritarian personality. That explains why Bush's numbers won't go below 30%. The 'base' is unmovable, intractable, and fervent. They are brutal, and strident, vehement, and vocal followers. They have a common set of enemies (abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research), and they villify and demonize anyone who gets in their way. They brook no dissent. They would rather die than let their leader come to harm, or be taken to task for mistaken and misguided policies, and they do so without question. That's the fundamental difference between Bush's base and the liberal base. Unfortunately (and here's the other insight--make of it what you will), that is precisely the reason that liberals seem (not are--seem) unruly, unfocussed, disorganized, a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off. It's because they don't follow blindly. They don't subscribe to a particular worldview. The Democratic tent is vast, and accepting of dissent. Not so the Republicans, and especially the far-right, Christian Supremacists. So, you, and I and anyone else with a megaphone has to keep up the drumbeat, to (pardon the overworked expression) energize the liberal base. We need them to feel as if their vote counts (notwithstanding vote tampering, which is a whole 'nother issue). And it will count, as long as the truth remains in the national conversation. So, to Hell with Fox, and Rupert, and the NYT and the Mooney press. Keep the truth in view. Speak it loud, and speak it often. It's the only chance we've got.

I've gone on far too long. Thanks for your forbearance.

And, keep fighting the good fight.

Posted at NoQuarter 6/10/06

2006-08-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

I'm very afraid. Not just because the senior Senator from Pennsylvania is a toady in sheep's clothing. First our telephones, then our internet searches, and now, our discussions on myspace or livejournal or you name it are going to be fair game. Call me naive, but until yesterday (metaphorically speaking) I assumed it would be impossible for the all-seeing eye to pick my conversation out of the squillions going on at any one moment. We now know that's not true (well, some of us are slow learners). And it's always been the case that a warrant was needed (at least if the eye wanted to stay on the up and up--unlike Nixon and Hoover). But with Spector and others paving the way for the spying to be done without judicial oversight, the gate's wide open, and any agent with a grudge, or for that matter a Vice-President with a grudge, or anyone in between, has limitless access to our thoughts, our relationships, and our lives. I'm very afraid. And I wonder how the founders managed to convince their compatriots that the need for security doesn't trump the right to privacy. I'm not, nor never have been, a radical. And I don't suggest armed revolt or anything like that. But what are we to do? How do we wake the sleeping giant? We're going to have to be very clever, starting now, to energize people of good will everywhere to put a lasso on the Eye, or we'll soon all be in chains.

Posted at Thinkprogess 7/16/06

2006-08-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

Ms. Kay is at least trying to steer the conversation away from fellating the POTUS. Matthews is a bigger sycophant than Joe Lieberman (and that’s going somewhere). That 43’s grandpappy was a fascist doesn’t surprise me–his son and his grandson are died-in-the-wool fascists, too. When is this country gonna wake up to the reality that we’re living in a fascist state? Too late, I think, is the definitive answer. Google Bush fascism 14 points and see if you don’t agree.

Posted at Thinkprogess 7/11/06

2006-08-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

I’ll admit it. I’m an errant pedant. And I daily lament the passing of the hyphen, not because it’s useless, but I guess it’s because it’s too hard to write prose that can’t be misunderstood. Without the needed hyphen, your headline can equally well be interpreted as follows: The Four Most Overpaid White (i.e. race) House (i.e. Congress) Staffers. I’m afraid that even a term as well know [sic] as the White House needs to be hyphenated when it’s used as a modifier.

Posted at Leftcoaster 6/21/06

2006-08-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

I'm sensing a pattern here. I'm connecting dots, adding 2 plus 2, doing the math, as it were, and the pattern that emerges is not a pretty one (go figure!). Bush says that the Pakistan forces should close the noose on Bin Laden, knowing that it's unlikely to succeed. He say's that the CIA has covered his ass by showing up with the PDB saying the BL is poised to strike. He orders an Al Quaeda madman be tortured, calling him one of the most dangerous terrorists, then calls his 'confessions' actionable intelligence, sending first responders and the rest of us into a fear frenzy. He heard repeated warnings prior to 911 and ignored them. Did he 'enable' 911 so he'd have an excuse to invade Iraq? Did he 'enable' Bin Laden to escape so he'd have a permanent Bogey Man to scare his constituents with? I'm only going where the arrows are pointing. And I'm not liking the destination.

Posted at Highclearing 5/22/06

2006-08-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

You know, we might have expected such bald-faced lies from the shrub administration. Recall that in Feb. 2002, we heard that Rummy was going to create an Office of Strategic Misinformation, from which to disseminate (no doubt) all manner of real-sounding stories, both to dismay the ’enemy’ and (reading between the signs) to position the enemy’s enemies to accept the notion of visiting brutality on the enemy and that enemy’s friends. Here’s the link…http://www.onthemedia.org/otm022302.html

Posted at Findlaw 4/8/06

2006-08-01T12:34:00.000-07:00

Thank You, John Dean

Dear John, Although your words will, no doubt, be lost on the 59 million who voted for POTUS in 2004, and therefore constitutes, to a large degree, preaching to the choir, I still applaud your engagement in the issue of presidential power and selective release of classified information for political gain. If hypocrisy were a federal crime, and you had the clout to actively pursue the truth-twisters on capital hill, we would long since have seen the lot of them in the brig. And that brings up my point in this letter. You don't have the clout. Nor does Kos at dailykos.com, nor Josh Marshall at www.talkingpointsmemo.com, nor Red Head at www.firedoglake.com, nor any of the rest of us. It seems as if, at the moment, only one person wields the power to apply legal pressure on the White House--Patrick Fitzgerald, the prosecutor in the CIA outing investigation. One person with clout. Not the Attorney General. Not the Senate Judiciary Committee (well, they actually have the power, but not the inclination). Not the House. It seems that those who are justifiably incensed at the behavior of POTUS and his ilk are powerless, unless and until there is a Democratic majority in the House and the Senate while the hypocrites are still in office. Thus, we must cross our fingers and hope that historically lethargic Democratic voters flock to their polling stations this coming November and are able to reright the imbalance on Capitol Hill, and rid us of the putrid odor that pervades Pennsylvania Avenue.

Posted at Firedoglake 6/19/06

2006-08-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

I know I should learn to just keep my big mouth shut. But hey, if you’re gonna set me up like this, I’m gonna take the bait. All of the con artists mentioned in your post go together under the rubric of Fascism, at least as that brand of government is characterized by Laurence Britt (and presented at www.oldamericancentury.org/14pts.htm). In fact, the essential difference between Fascism and other isms (including liberalism) is that fascism tends to emphasize the CorporateCons and the TheoCons (something you would never see in communism, or, for that matter in a pluralistic society like we always thought this one was). Britt points out that the government, in favoring corporations, and in essentially welding corporate and government into a seamless fabric, consolidates power in the hands of a VERY few people. It enriches the government and corporations alike. And the preachy theocrats use religion as a form of social control, while ignoring its fundamental tenets in their own lives and dealings. Sound familiar? Privileging the military, obsessing over national security (even inventing situations to engender fear–a favorite trick of Hitler’s, by the way: consider the Reichstag Fire and its aftermath, in which habeas corpus was suspended, all communications were considered open to government scrutiny, and physical searches no longer needed court orders), and disdaining human rights. Fraudulent elections was another favorite technique of fascist thugs. Cronyism, corruption, scapegoating intellectuals and liberals, institutional or de facto control of the media (listening FOX?). Rampant sexism, homophobia. You name it. The Bush regime has it all! I refuse, hereafter, to call them anything but what they very clearly are–fascists.

Posted at Pressthink 4/10/06

2006-08-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

I agree that Murray Waas is the ace, but we shouldn't overlook others with their noses in places they need to be to get the truth out. Although he is relatively quiet about it, hasn't Jason Leopold over at TruthOut.org been chipping away, as well?

Posted on Nexthurrah 6/12/06

2006-08-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

Dear emptywheel,
I see that you're now getting a whiff of Jason Leopold's latest addition, regarding Sealed vs. Sealed. Why do I think this is reminiscent of Spy vs. Spy vs. Spy? Sealed vs. Sealed! It's quite incredible. I hope that Jason understands why you and the other bloggers are being so wary of his claims. If true, this latest suggests that his sources are underlings, and not throughly briefed on the details. Otherwise, they'd have known from the beginning that the original 'indictment' was sealed at both ends, precluding any speedy resolution. Given that the protracted proceedings, which have created this skepticism of Leopold on your part, maybe it's time for Murray to ask some pointed questions of his own sources.
Keep fighting the good fight.

Posted at Nexthurrah 6/13/06

2006-08-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

Dear emptywheel,
I'm disappointed, of course, that Rover won't be hung out to dry--he's dirty, no denying it. And I fervently share your hope that VPOTUS will be dressed down in court. And I'm sad, really, for J. Leopold, who obviously thought he had something important to say. I'm still curious about Sealed v. Sealed, mind you, and I'd like to think that Rover rolled over and tattled on Cheney. And I think you're way smarter than me when it comes to all of this. So, I'll retreat to my little corner, now, and listen to the grown-ups more, and only speak when I'm spoken to. Apologies for any disquiet my attempts at feistiness may have caused you. Take care. And keep fighting the good fight.
C.

I am a bear of little brain

2006-06-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

I was moved this morning to make a comment on this by SusanUnPC at No Quarter. And I know I'm not supposed to cross-post, but I reckon if nobody's reading this, it's only for the record.

Dear Susan,
I'm trying to suppress my fervent hope that Rover rolled over, and that he's fingered the big fish (no, silly, not Bush, Cheney). At this point, that's the only news that would cure the melancholy that settled on me when I saw this mornings posts in the blogoverse.
Having professed to my effort to suppress unfounded hope, I would hasten to add that, indeed, when Fitz says that he does "not anticipate seeking charges" he doesn't mean that Rover isn't as guilty as sin, or that, under different circumstances Fitz wouldn't decide to seek an indictment. It means what it says. And then of course, there's the hope that, after all this time, and long before the right are finished with their "nyah, nyah, Karl's innocent" taunts of the progressives who were waiting for an indictment, there will be Deadeye, at the defense table, looking resolute and defiant while, one by one, his colleagues pile on the logs and Fitz lights the match. Burn, baby, burn.

And later,
SusanUnPC,
This is so complicated that it's hard for this bear of little brain to think about the ins and outs. But here's a thought: Couldn't all of the reports be true? I don't want to sound like an apologist for a possible administration dupe (J. Leopold), or worse (an apologist for my wishful thinking), but even with this morning's news, and the antipathy coupled with skepticism regarding Leopold's lastest claims, couldn't
A) J. Leopold be essentially right, still, in claiming that there is a sealed Grand Jury indictment naming Rove for lying, at the same time as
B) Fitzgerald is saying that he doesn't anticipate seeking charges (in other words he doesn't anticipate unsealing Sealed vs. Sealed) if Rover is a good boy on the stand, at the same time as
C) Luskin says his boy's off the hook, at the same time as
D) Luskin tells Jeralyn over at TalkLeft that Rover did not negotiate, rollover or make any deals, ever (which could easily be an apt description of events if Fitz said simply, "This is my indictment based on slam dunk evidence to the effect that you have lied repeatedly," if Fitz then said to Rove tell the truth on the stand about what you know and it will never be unsealed, which would thus entail, on Rove's part, no negotiating, no rolling over, no dealing, since Fitz offered no room to negotiation, no invitation to roll over on anyone, and no deal--because until and unless Rove refuses to testify or lies again under oath, there is no deal)?

I realize that I'm no lawyer, but I am familiar with the ways that politicians and lawyers split hairs and parse words.

It could all be true.

And Susan said some nice things in response. So, I guess I can put away the tinfoil hat for a time. I just may be getting the hang of it.

Between Iraq and a hard place

2006-06-12T15:57:00.000-07:00

I've blogged before about the fascist administration. But I wanted a way to change the nation's discourse (a girl's gotta dream, don't she?). So, I thought, and I thought and I thought some more. And this is what I came up with. Why do we refer to the robbers and the cheats in the White House and elsewhere as NeoCons or neoconservatives? Those names only rankle the blogoverse. On the other hand, they're badges of courage for the Repugnicans. We do them a service by calling them NeoCons. So, why don't we just call them fascists. Not NeoFascists. Not Hitlerian or Mussoliniesque fascists. Just plain, garden variety fascists, who pump up nationalism with graven images, who have no time for human rights, who demonize liberals and critics alike, who throw obscene amounts of money at the military and use it whenver they get the chance, the sexists, the homophobes, the partners of media, the fearmongers, the insincere (and ungodly) Christians who love power and want all their friends to have money and power galore, with no tolerance of workers, or intellectuals, or the arts, who'd rather see half the country in jail than smoking pot or criticizing them, where croneyism and nepotism flower, and elections are there for the taking. If you don't believe me go read the constantly updated (and by now mountainous) evidence on Oldamericancentury.org.

THE END OF DAYS....

2006-05-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

All of the signs are in place for the end of (the Republican Party's) days. A fearsome flood of lies. A plague of broken promises. The anti-Christ in the person of POTUS. The end of their corrupt world is at hand!

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Handouts

2006-04-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

We don't need the federal government spending $100 on each and every taxpayer. We need a federal government with the guts to tell the oil companies to give us all a fair reimbursement for the obscene profits they're accumulating thanks to the policies of the failed federal government. As if.

POTUS GUILTY OF WAR CRIMES?

2006-04-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

A BRIEF TIMELINE OF EVENTS SURROUNDING THE IRAQ WAR, THE NIE ASSESSMENT, THE OUTING OF VALERIE WILSON, AND THE EVIDENT WAR CRIMES OF G.W. BUSH

February 13, 2002. All credit for this and the following item goes to Larry Johnson. "During his CIA morning brief, Vice President Cheney asks the CIA to find out the truth about an item in the Defense Intelligence Agency's National Military Joint Intelligence Center Executive Highlight (Vo. 028-02) that analyzed a recent CIA intelligence report and concluded that, 'Iraq is probably searching abroad for natural uranium to assist in its nuclear weapons program'. No judgment was offered about the credibility of the reporting. (Senate Intelligence Committee Report [SICR], page 38)."

First part of March, 2002. Again, Larry Johnson, "Vice President Cheney asks his CIA briefer for an update on the Niger issue. Around this time, Ambassador Wilson returns from Niger and is debriefed by two CIA officers from the Directorate of Operations. The officers draft an intelligence report based on Wilson's findings. On 8 March 2002, this intelligence report is disseminated. The CIA rated the report as 'good', because the information responded to at least some of the outstanding questions in the intelligence community (SICR, pp. 43-46). The Senate Intelligence Committee goes to great length to try to impugn Ambassador Wilson, but these facts are clear: Joe Wilson, along with U.S. Ambassador to Niger Barbro Owens-Kirkpatrick's and four-star Marine Corps general, Carleton Fulford, each separately reported that there was no substance to the intelligence report claiming Iraq was trying to buy uranium yellowcake. Even the Senate Intelligence Committee reluctantly reaches the same conclusion [emphasis added]."

IN OTHER WORDS, POTUS, VPOTUS, AND COMPANY UNQUESTIONABLY HAD TO KNOW THAT THEIR ARGUMENT FOR "PREEMPTIVE WAR" IN IRAQ WAS A CROCK OF LIES AND MISREPRESENTATIONS.

May 6, 2002. POTUS withdraws from the treaty to create an International Criminal Court. Senior diplomat Pierre-Richard Prosper states "It frees us [the USA] from some of the obligations that are incurred by signature. When you sign you have an obligation not to take actions that would defeat the object or purpose of the treaty," he said. "What we've learnt from the war on terror is that rather than creating an international mechanism to deal with these issues it is better to organise an international mandate that authorises states to use their unilateral tools to tackle the problems we have."

ALARMS SHOULD BE GOING OFF IN YOUR HEAD RIGHT NOW. POTUS (OR HIS HANDLERS) KNEW THAT IF THEIR PREVARICATIONS WERE EVER DISCOVERED, THEY WOULD BE CONSIDERED WAR CRIMINALS!

Read Larry Johnson for the timetable between May 2002 and January 2003, during which all of the machinations aimed at discrediting Ambassador J. Wilson occurred, involving I. (just call me "Scooter") Libby, R. (just call me "Deadeye") Cheney, and G. W. (just call me "Dubya") Bush.

WE NOW KNOW THAT THEY HAD NO BASIS ON WHICH TO ARGUE THAT THE INTELLIGENCE THEY PROMOTED IN THE RUN-UP TO THE WAR IN IRAQ WAS THE BEST THEY COULD HAVE HAD. INDEED, THEY ACTIVELY SOUGHT AND USED ONLY THOSE ITEMS THAT SUPPORTED THEIR CASE FOR WAR, EVEN IF THERE WAS NOTHING CLOSE TO A CONSENSUS ON ANY ITEM IN THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.

January 28, 2003. POTUS utters the famous sixteen words, "The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

January 31, 2003: According to the NY Times there exists a British government memo indicating that POTUS had made up his mind to invade Iraq, a decision he has vehemently denied ever since.

April 10, 2006: The shoe finally drops. Bush admits he declassified an NIE to 'get the truth out' regarding Niger, Wilson, and his SOTUS. Laughable. If true, why all the cloak and dagger? Why did they need the Office of Special Plans that repackaged raw (and often erroneous) intelligence to support the White House Iraq Group , whose job it was to market the Iraq adventure to the American people? Taken together, the Wilson push-back, the leaked NIE (and others now revealed), the Herculean effort to produce enough fear to confuse and constrain legislators to approve of the use of force once all diplomacy had been exhausted, and so many others, a picture emerges of a pack of lies used to promote a strategic policy long held by Bush and his cronies that the US should extend its hegemony to the Middle East, and in particular, Iraq . It's hard to imagine a stronger case for calling the Iraq attack and occupation anything but unprovoked aggression. And that is a crime against humanity. All we have to do now is have someone with a little clout sew all of the little details together, and send it off to the Hague, and the President of the United States of America will be indicted for war crimes. Oh, and all of this before Iran gets nuked. Wish the world and all its inhabitants luck.

A Crock of Bushit

2006-04-07T12:37:00.000-07:00

Today, White House Press Secretary Scott McLellan said only this about Scooter Libby's contention that POTUS authorized him to relate national security information to Judith Miller of the NY Times:

"there's a distinction between declassifying information that is in the public interest and the unauthorized disclosure of classified information that could compromise our nation's security."

OK. Let's assume, for a moment, that POTUS has unlimited power to declassify at will. Likewise VPOTUS. And let's assume for a moment that the information (the "key findings") contained in the NIE was truly going toward shoring up national security. In other words,

"...the reason why the National -- portions of the National Intelligence Estimate were declassified. It was very much in the public interest. I think what you have to do is balance the public interest with protecting national security information. And at that point in time, what was disclosed in the National Intelligence Estimate provided important historical context for the public debate that was going on about the intelligence. And so ... that's why it went through a process, and there was nothing in there that was being disclosed that would have compromised national security."

If I interpret Mr. McLellan's statement correctly (and remember, he speaks for POTUS), revealing details of the NIE to Judith Miller was in the nation's interest, in the peoples' interests, to refute Joseph Wilson, and to back up the White House's pre-war contention that Saddam Hussein wasn't looking for uranium in Niger. All the better to reassure the public that the US was in Iraq for good reason (or, at any rate, because the intelligence told them so), and thus preclude further interest in the WH's use of pre-war intelligence.

I see two glaring problems with POTUS's position, provided to us by Mr. McLellan. First, and this has been mentioned repeatedly on other blogs, according to Patrick Fitzgerald's Wednesday night filing the information to be imparted to Ms. Miller was highly selective and biased in the government's favor (in other words, although not outright lies, these revelations were, at a minimum, disingenuous). Be that as it may. The White House is entitled to its opinion in such matters. If this were the administration's only act, the behavior could be seen as scurrilous, but certainly not illegal. The other problem I see with POTUS's position (again, as received from Mr. McLellan) is that the once-highly sensitive, national security, classified NIE information, which was considered so vitally important to the nation and the war effort, wasn't the substance of a statement to the nation, or the matter of a press conference, or even, at the time, something Scott McLellan saw fit to mention to the news writers and reporters of America. No. It was so vitally important to national interests--the public interest, to use Mr. McLellan's phrase--that it was imparted as deep background, in the guise of a "former Hill staffer", to only one member of the news media. So vitally important was it that the President told the Vice-President to tell his Chief of Staff to whisper it, on the promise of anonymity (the source of which was to be revealed at no time under penalty of perjury), to one newspaper reporter. Important, indeed. Now, the flaw in this plan of the administration's to get the important word out, to assuage the peoples' fear that they might have been lied to, and to do the nation a service, is that all that subterfuge belies the administation's position, as espoused by Mr. McLellan just this morning.

For, if their intention was to perform a service to the nation, why all the cloak-and-dagger behavior? Why ensure that the information be portrayed as having come from an ex-White House staffmember? You would have thought, wouldn't you, that something so important to the people, and to the war effort, would have been something that President Bush would take credit for, or at least Vice-Presidenty Cheney, or even Scooter Libby. Something so illuminating that it could, in one act, foreclose on further worry about the reason for the war in Iraq, shouldn't it have been marquee material?

I'm left with only one conclusion. They acted improperly. They knew they were acting improperly. They covered up their improper activities. They continue to cover up their improper activities. And they expect us to believe them. Shame on us if we buy this crock of Bushit.

To John Dean: Paging Eliot Ness

2006-04-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

Dear John,
Although your words will, no doubt, be lost on the 59 million who voted for POTUS in 2004, and therefore constitutes, to a large degree, preaching to the choir, I still applaud your engagement in the issue of presidential power and selective release of classified information for political gain. If hypocrisy were a federal crime, and you had the clout to actively pursue the truth-twisters on capital hill, we would long since have seen the lot of them in the brig. And that brings up my point in this letter. You don't have the clout. Nor does Kos, nor Josh Marshall, nor Red Head, nor any of the rest of us. It seems as if, at the moment, only one person wields the power to apply legal pressure on the White House--Patrick Fitzgerald, the prosecutor in the CIA outing investigation. One person with the clout. Not the Attorney General. Not the Senate Judiciary Committee (well, they actually have the power, but not the inclination). Not the House. It seems that those who are justifiably incensed at the behavior of POTUS and his ilk are powerless, unless and until there is a Democratic majority in the House and the Senate while the hypocrites are still in office. Thus, we must cross our fingers and hope that historically lethargic Democratic voters flock to their polling stations this coming November and are able to reright the imbalance on Capitol Hill. Unless, of course, a modern-day Eliot Ness bursts in to rid us of the putrid odor emanating from Pennsylvania Avenue.

INTERESTING TIMES

2006-04-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't much to say tonight. I'm certainly glad DeLay is in the dustbin of legislative history, but I'm not at all certain that we've seen or heard the last of him. I'm worried about POTUS having his sights trained on Iran. They would be a formidable foe. I read yesterday that they are equipped with Mach 2 cruise missiles that are at present impossible to defend against, with a range of 100 miles or so--enough to vaporize anthing in the Persian Gulf (aptly named under the circumstances, I think). I can't shake this feeling of 'impending doom', as Charlie Brown used to say (I believe). Three more years of that fascist POTUS and his venomous snakepit of advisors. Three more years, at least, of slaughter in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wish I had the answer. Getting angry doesn't do any good by itself. Being depressed about it doesn't seem to matter, either. Obsessively clicking around the blogosphere is fruitless, if eminently edifying. I have enough energy (almost) to be engaged, but not enough, it appears, to be effective. Guess I'll just hope that the interesting times we live in are not really the curse I think them to be, and that there'll be lessons learned and slates wiped clean and heroic speeches and even more heroic deeds. All I really have is hope. And that's not such a bad thing.

POTUS's 14 points of light: Fascism on the Potomac

2006-04-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

I never really understood what fascism was all about, except maybe for a sense that it entails secret police, ubiquitous use of party symbolism, intolerance of difference to the extent of institutionalized murder, and imperialist agression. Most of these are visible in any totalitarian system. So what makes fascism Fascism, I wondered? Laurence Britt has as good an explanation as any I've seen. When you ignore the qualities I've mentioned above, along with a few others, because they are shared with other kinds of socioeconomic systems, two characteristics remain. First, corporate power is protected to the advantage of the politicians and the business aristocracy. Second, but equally important, I think, is that religion and government are inextricably related. The government uses religion as a weapon against dissent, to marginalize free thinkers. And government has no compunction about acting in a distinctly un-religious manner when it suits them. If any of this sounds familiar, it should. We are witnessing a political transformation in this country. Not, as the Republicans and the religious right maintain, a union of traditional Christian values and moral imperatives with government, but rather the infliction of de facto fascism on the people of the United States, right under their noses. Welcome to fascist America, everyone. Make yourselves comfortable. But as the shrunken head in the Prisoner of Azkhaban so prophetically announced: "Clench your buttocks. It looks like we're in for a bumpy ride."

LIBBY'S COWARDLY DEFENSE

2006-03-07T13:31:00.000-08:00

Libby the coward. Can't admit that he lied. Can't admit that his superiors broke the law. Can't admit that they have lied, persistently, for years. Instead, he proposes a legal defense that blocks any hope of reaching a just ruling on his innocence or guilt. Bloody coward! Sin cojones. Worse than a weasel. Worse than Grima Wormtongue. Hey, he even looks like Grima in the movie.

It Had to Happen Sooner or Later!

2006-03-03T14:56:00.000-08:00

The Missouri legislature is showing its true Christian Supremacist colours, by proposing that Christianity be declared the state's official religion. Superstitious nonsense, on the one hand; dangerous infringement on individual freedoms on the other. The unmitigated arrogance of these people defies the rational imagination.

One more t'ing (apologies to Columbo)

2006-03-03T10:09:00.000-08:00

5. POTUS, undoubtedly, knows who authorized Valerie Wilson's exposure. He lies when he says he knows nothing, and when he contends that he wants the culprit brought to justice. Lies--first, last, and always.

DEPRAVED INDIFFERENCE!!!!!

2006-03-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

What else can you call it but 'depraved indifference', when you think that POTUS knew Katrina had devastating potential, yet stays on vacation and later denies that he knew anyone who thought the levees could be overtopped or breached. He and his cronies deserve no better than jail time for their despicable behaviour.

CHRISTIAN SUPREMACISTS!

2006-02-28T15:24:00.000-08:00

Brilliant! John Aravosis at AMERICAblog.com nails it! CHRISTIAN SUPREMACISTS! That's what they are! The anti-abortion, anti-homophilia, anti-Islam, anti-pluralism, anti-evolution, anti-science, anti-semite, anti-anything-left-of-extreme-right, pro-death-penalty, pro-Iraq War, pro-torture, pro-warrantless-detention, pro-warrantless-wiretapping, pro-Bush lobby, who are nothing less than extreme-Biblical-literalist-born-again-the-rapture-is-coming-Christian Supremacists, like the so-called American Family Association, have one thing on their mind--total control of the US, its laws, its lawmakers, and its society. Stand up to them now, or this 230-year-long experiment with democracy will crumble like the walls of Jericho.

HOMETOWN HERO OR NEOCON NERO? YOU DECIDE

2006-02-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

4. While on vacation, with New Orleans being pummeled by Hurricane Katrina, but according to POTUS was "dodging a bullet"

(when in fact the Big Easy was up to its eyeballs in toxic-waste-contaminated water), the nitwit president plays the Texas equivalent of a violin.

Hometown hero or neocon Nero? Survey says...Nero.

ROB'S LIST (kinda like Craig's only different), EPISODE 2

2006-02-26T15:31:00.000-08:00

3. Deny any blame, depraved indifference, negligence or lack of oversight in the months before 9/11. The August PDB, which Rice so disdainfully refers to as 'merely historical', comes to mind. "Bin Laden plans to attack tall buildings with airplanes" wasn't clear enough, I guess. Either that, or the WH is afraid to admit a mistake. You think?

These guys are weasels!

2006-02-25T15:36:00.000-08:00

Unbelievable! Katherine Harris, she of Florida 2000 fame, is implicated by Mitchell Wade's plea bargain as a recipient of unlawful campain funds. Quelle surprise!
I hope she burns, too.

Now I Get It...

2006-02-25T06:55:00.000-08:00

China. UAE. Kingdom of Saud. The WH isn't blind or tone deaf or stupid (unbelievable, I know) in selling our ports to the UAE and China. They simply have no choice but to give away the country and its security to the world's rich elite. After all, that same rich elite already own much of it, at least on paper, by virtue of the loans they have made in the form of bond purchases and so on that prop up this bastion of the market. If those oligarchies wanted to, any one of them could probably bankrupt the USA in a moment, by cashing in their chips, so to speak. So the WH, to save their precious economy for their own rich pals, has to cowtow. This is a delicious irony. You thought tax breaks for the rich were heinous. How about 'tax breaks' for the rich countries?

INAUGURALLY SPEAKING

2006-02-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

I hope to compile a list of well-documented offenses, large and small, perpetrated by the blackhearts that took office in January 2001, in the hope that at some point each and every citizen of the USA has, at a minimum, free access to the information.

1. VPOTUS began pressing the intelligence community for evidence linking S. Hussein to A. Quaeda on September 12, 2001, and didn't stop asking until the invasion of Iraq.

2. VPOTUS and cronies Wolfowitz, et al. set up the Office of Special Plans at the Pentagon in the run-up to the Iraq invasion, run by Feith, which collected, culled, conjured and 'corrected' intelligence to remove any semblance of equivocation on the subject of WMDs and S. Hussein's connections to A. Quaeda.

Compiling this list will be a time-transgressive project.

-Rob