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Saturday, September 18, 2004

LORD, GIVE US POOR MORTALS A BREAK FROM THIS UNRELENTING STUPIDITY! 

WHY IS THIS MAN CRYING?

Up until I went and picked up one of my best friends in the whole world at the airport, Wednesday was a particularly bad day for me. The war. The draft. Cheney. It started out not so bad. Check my Wednesday entries. I started out on George W. Bush and National Guard service. Then I tried to get away from news, but a friend showed me the story about the draft and said I had to link to it. I agreed. My friend has two teenagers. Many people are scoffing at the idea that there will be a draft, but I'm not so sure. It pains me to think that a lot of Young Republicans (probably referred to in Cheney memos as "Iran cannon fodder") will be blindly voting for their hero just to be drafted and shipped off to die far away from home.

Then I heard a bit more about the helicopter attack on civilians in Iraq that killed 13? 20? and injured 60 or 70 more. Soon after, I read this Bob Harris post on This Modern World. It has several links about the incident and also his own thoughts as someone who has been traveling in the Middle East recently. Real recently. He was still unpacking when he heard about the attack. I don't remember if I had cried yet, but I got to the end of that story and just let it go.

This section in particular:

"Last week, as you might know, I got lost in a dodgy section of Cairo. Soon, five bright and delightful boys decided to adopt me for a while and walk me to where I was going.

Unless things change, those same boys might want very much to kill me -- and you -- when they grow up."

Read the whole thing.

MORE CHENEY HATE SPEECH

Then I came across this speech from our favorite Bush Administration "uniter" Vice President Richard Cheney:

"I think some have hoped that if they kept their heads down and stayed out of the line of fire, they wouldn't get hit. I think what happened in Russia now demonstrates pretty conclusively that everybody is a target. That Russia, of course, didn't support us in Iraq, they didn't get involved in sending troops there, they've gotten hit anyway."

I wonder if Mr. Cheney has heard that Russia is being subjected to terrorism because of its own policy toward Chechnya, a devastating and long-lasting war that decimated the province. Anybody with any sense should be able to at least consider whether we should study the problems Russia had in subjugating oil-rich Chechnya, a country much smaller in size and population than Iraq.

Let's see. Spain suffered a terrorist attack because they did join in on the War on Terror. And Russia got attacked because they didn't.

Mr. Cheney, some of the adults think it may be a bit more complicated than that.

Especially considering Cheney's own benign view of terrorism when he was CEO of Haliburton. Read "The Greed Factor" from American Prospect. Here's an excerpt for consideration:

"Perhaps even more troubling, at the same time Cheney was doing business with Iraq, he launched a public broadside against sanctions laws designed to cut off funds to regimes like Iran, which the State Department listed as a state sponsor of terrorism. In 1998, Cheney traveled to Kuala Lumpur to attack his own country's terrorism policies for being too strict. Under the headline, 'Former US Defence Secretary Says Iran-Libya Sanctions Act ‘Wrong,’' the Malaysian News Agency reported that Cheney 'hit out at his government' and said sanctions on terrorist countries were "ineffective, did not provide the desired results and [were] a bad policy.'"

So, those Clinton-era policies on terrorism that Bush Administration officials have said were the cause of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001? In 1998, Cheney said they were too strict because they interfered with business.

If Cheney doesn't end up in jail, I don't know how we will be explaining him to future generations without feeling very embarrassed.

EPILOGUE

There were other awful things before I left for the airport in early afternoon. Relatively minor things, but on top of everything else, it all added up. And that was the day I cried sporadically as I walked across campus. And I didn't care who saw me.

Thank God, one of my best friends returned from a long sojourn in Europe and Asia, safe and full of stories.

Peace be with you.

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Friday, September 17, 2004

GIVING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION PERMISSION TO DESTROY YOU... 

(THE TRUTH AND OTHERWISE ABOUT POLLS...)

Even before I started looking into how polls are conducted and how unreliable they are and how easily they can be skewed, I was very suspicious of the polls of the last few weeks. Come on! The war is going badly, the economy is flat (I'll be nice), and nobody in the administration can answer a direct question or assume any responsibility for anything. And that's just for starters!

The American people are not stupid. They are generally suspicious of politicians. But they do not know quite what to make of the Rove-Cheney hate machine and the Fox News Fantasy World. It may have taken my fellow Amerocans awhile to recognize that this is not politics as usual. The operatives of the Bush Administration ... Why go on? Those of you who know, know. Those of you don't know will soon be giving the Bush Administration the permission to destroy you.

But the people as a whole have had it with George W. Bush and his gang of vampires and thugs and crooks.

I could link to several articles on polling but I don't have a lot of time today. So here's one I came across just now that might provide a little insight on what's up with the polls.

I've been crying a lot lately. I walked across campus a few days ago with tears running down my face. If someone had asked me what was wrong, I would have told them. The war goes on and the thugs in the Bush Administration act like its no big deal. They will bring back the draft next year, and some of the people who put George W. Bush back in the White House will be very surprised to find themselves, or their husbands, or their wives, or their children, in the desert in Iraq wondering if they will ever get the chance to punch George W. Bush in the face.

Peace to you all. I pray that George W. Bush will soon look deep inside himself and find the man he could have been, a man who can realize he has been wrong, a man who can admit that the whole adventure was a mistake.

It won't wash away the blood that has been shed because of you, Mr. President, but history will look on you a little more kindly.

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Wednesday, September 15, 2004

WILL THE GOVERNMENT RENEW THE DRAFT IN TIME TO SAVE THE OIL? 

Are you in your late teens or twenties? Do you have children in their late teens or twenties? Do you have any children, no matter how young? Are you a five-year-old boy who might be drafted if the War on Terror is still going on?

Read US Preparing for Military Draft in Spring 2005.

I guess The Vampire (Donald Rumsfeld) meant it when he said 1,000 dead American troops was "relatively small."

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I KNOW ALL THIS PETTY MUCKRAKING ABOUT BUSH'S VIETNAM IS MEAN AND STUPID AND DEGRADING TO US ALL ... BUT IT'S FUN! 

Seriously, I really think the Dems (to be known as the Dums until they wise up) should leave George W. Bush alone on the National Guard issue. After all, THERE'S A WAR ON! A stupid, ill-considered and violent venture planned by a bunch of greedy thugs who have no idea how their nice and tidy little cash cow turned into a horribly bloody and wasteful tragedy. The 1,000 dead American soldiers have been referred to as a "relatively small" number by the Vampire (Donald Rumsfeld), and since Bush has, once again, failed to show any real courage or leadership by saying SOMETHING about that comment, we should assume this is the official government stance.

"Relatively small." Very easy to say, especially if you're not among the dead. As easy as saying "Bring 'em on." They brought it on, alright. They've been bringing it on for over a year. (When George W. Bush was asked what his biggest mistake was, he might have cited this inspirational line. I wonder what the soldiers think of the president inviting the insurgents to attack?)

But I admit, I'm a rather mean-spitrited blogger. And I found a pretty good article that ties up most of the information about the days when George W. Bush was defending Texas from the Viet Cong. Read "Why Bush Left Texas" by Russ Baker from The Nation. You can feel bad about grinning over it. Then we need to get back to exposing the war.

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Monday, September 13, 2004

NEW STRATEGY IN THE REPUBLICAN WAR ON TRUTH: FIRE KERRY'S SUPPORTERS 

Don't you just love human interest stories like this? Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? I guess the boss thinks that 1,000 dead American soldiers in Iraq isn't enough.

If you think 1,000 dead American soldiers in Iraq is too many, vote Kerry/Edwards.

If you think 1,000 dead American soldiers in Iraq is not enough, vote Bush/Cheney ... and start firing the Kerry supporters!

EXTRA! Have you ever heard of Free Republic? They always weigh in with meaningful comments. Read what they had to say about the woman who got fired because she had a Kerry sticker on her car. It's a very enlightening (and dispiriting) revelation on what we are up against.

All you good Republicans, write in to Free Republic and tell them how proud you are of the fine work they are doing in letting the world know that everyone who doesn't agree with them should be fired!

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