Current Events Watch

I suppose Republicans deserve their opportunity to waste precious airtime, too. Of course, it played out on Murdoch’s right-wing propoganda-spewing cable news network, FOX (surprise!), which is a complete waste of the airwaves 24/7/365 anyway, so I guess last night was nothing out of the ordinary. They had their fifth round of debates in New Hampshire, sans NBC’s Law & Order star Fred Thompson who opted, instead, to skip out and make his late-to-the-race presidential bid announcement on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show.

Is it a good idea for a potential leader of the “free world” (well, I’ll let that one go for now) to make such an important announcement on a comedy show? Particularly when fellow-candidates are shoulder to shoulder on the other side of the country answering questions, trying to garner votes?

Maybe so, if you’re Fred Thompson. He’s certainly getting more attention the day after, than any of the debating candidates. Both positive and negative attention, but you know what they say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

Most people certainly don’t associate the name Fred Thompson with his former gig as Senator from Tennessee. (Who knew?) To pop-culture America, he’s simply NYC attorney Arthur Branch on Law & Order. And a damn fine attorney at that! That should win some votes. An actor in the White House is always a fine idea. (Yeah, that whole Reagan thing worked out well.)

So choosing an entertainment venue to announce his intentions probably gave him more exposure to his potential constituents, his TV-dinner fan base, than had he shown up in NH. Smart thinking. He apparently has a good agent.

Taking the Leno route certainly gave his fellow candidates fodder to exercise their standup comedy skills. Republicans can be funny! Or maybe not. At least they tried.

I think Thompson may be one of the smarter candidates, actually, from a strategic standpoint. God knows I certainly don’t want him, or any of his GOP rivals, homesteading at the White House, but as far as being one of the smart cookies, he’s probably at top of the list, Republican or Democrat. We’re already suffering from debate fatigue, and there is well over a year to go before the votes are tallied! Every debate, every question, every answer, same old same old. We’ve heard all of their pat answers on health care. Iraq. Civil liberties. Abortion. Terrorism. Gay marriage. Fill in the blank. Same questions from the moderators, same answers from the candidates. And more of the same to come in every future debate, no doubt.

Except from Fred, of course. In future debates, the other candidates could certainly make do with a cardboard cutout and a pre-recorded tape. Fred, though, no, he’s going to have to define his platform from scratch, and people will listen. And being the new kid on the block, he’s hoping everyone will want him to be their new best friend. They’re bored, already, with their old friends.

Maybe he’s hoping the last one in the pool can stay afloat longer than the others already thrashing about. Of course, I hope he eventually sinks, too, but still, smart move, Freddie. And the Leno stint? Probably genius.

fred thompson, republican debate, 2008 election, presidential election, jay leno

George Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act signed into law in January, 2002 certainly seemed like a good idea. Of course, it has turned out to be an enormous failure. Not such a bad idea in theory, though, and the proposition, during campaign season, no doubt won Dubya some votes. I guess that’s all that matters. Once the votes are tallied and you have a winner (I won’t even get started on that), there’s really no compelling reason to fulfill the promises made to fund such programs, I suppose.

According to what I’ve read from various sources:

The Republican budget for 2006 cut funding for No Child Left Behind by $1 billion.

In the four fiscal years following No Child Left Behind being enacted into law, Bush and the Republican Congress underfunded the law by $40 billion.

Republican funding cuts left three million disadvantaged children behind in public schools; and left over 1.6 million children out of after-school programs.

No big surprise. Anyway, you can do your own research. If you don’t know where to start, feel free to let me know, and I’ll send you some links. I’m really not here this evening to point out why this particular program has been such a major failure. Because, like I said, it’s not a bad idea, if executed properly. (Too bad about that lack of funding thing, but, c’est la vie. Or, more appropriately, c’est la Bush. I guess the money is best spent on, well, illegal wars and stuff.)

The NCLB program should, however, possibly be revisited, revised, and re-prioritized. It certainly needs funding! Because if children are our future, and this is what the current educational system is cranking out, we’re in serious trouble! This video is from the Miss Teen USA pageant that aired earlier this week. Believe it or not, Miss South Carolina, Caitlin Upton, still managed to snag fourth place in the pageant. She did attempt to redeem herself, of course. Her explanation follows the video.

So to prove she’s not really an idiot, she agreed to appear on NBC’s Today show this past Tuesday morning to explain her response:

“Personally, my friends and I, we know exactly where the United States is on a map. I don’t know anyone else who doesn’t. If the statistics are correct, I believe there should be more emphasis on geography in our education so people will learn how to read maps better.”

Great save, Miss South Carolina! Jeez.

caitlin upton, miss teen usa, no child left behind, george bush

My religion is better than yours. My country is better than yours. My race is better than yours. And certainly, my sexual orientation is better than yours, you pervert. You all deserve a good bombing, beating, bashing, thrashing, and in some cases, should just be eliminated altogether.

What is wrong with humankind? From ancient times to current times, it’s always been this way. And I’m not speaking about Bush, for a change. The atrocities occur from both sides of the table. War, hate crimes, you name it. It’ll never end, but it’s a shame. We’re all on this same tiny speck of a planet floating in space, which won’t last forever, by the way, all sharing the same atmosphere. I’m just saying. You’d think at some point throughout the centuries that lessons would have been learned from history, but I guess it must apparently be inherent to hate. We’ll all just need to watch our backs, whichever side of (pick an issue, any issue) we are on, because there will always be someone out to get us.

As Depeche Mode sang back in the day, so succinctly:

“People are people, so why should it be you and I should get along so awfully? So we’re different colors and we’re different creeds, and different people have different needs. It’s obvious you hate me though I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve never even met you so what could I have done?

“I can’t understand what makes a man hate another man. Help me understand.

“Now you’re punching and you’re kicking and you’re shouting at me. I’m relying on your common decency. So far it hasn’t surfaced but I’m sure it exists, it just takes a while to travel from your head to your fists.”

war, hate crimes, hate, religion, politics, humanity

I am very confused. For whom should I cast my next Presidential vote? Frankly, just about anyone would be better than the smirking chimp. But still, I want my vote to count and, at least at this point, I think only the front runners, Hillary and Barack, will have any chance of winning for the Democrats.

I’ll admit I am beginning to get a bit annoyed with the feuding between the two. Of course they both know they’re the most likely candidates as it stands now, so they make a point to bicker with one another. Still, a bit annoying. And although I do like both of them, between the two, I would probably punch Hillary’s chad if I had to choose today, although neither one of them has totally won me over. Too much typical and predictable political rhetoric.

All campaigning politicians spew the same, I know. But even when I agree with something either Clinton or Obama say, I get the impression it’s just another banal platitude.

Here’s the dilemma. When it comes down to the wire, I think I’ll be left to decide between one or the other. Because, like I said, I want my vote to count, and not waste a vote for someone who doesn’t stand a chance in hell. Remember Ralph Nader? I could just as well vote for myself as a write-in, but that wouldn’t be wise.

The two candidates in the race that I agree with most, and both of which I think speak most honestly (probably because they know they really don’t stand a chance and feel free to do so), are Dennis Kucinich and, well, it pains me to say it, but a Republican, Ron Paul. I think he needs to switch parties.

Kucinich is the only candidate who has voted against the war in Iraq and against funding its continuation. I like that. As I’ve pointed out before, he’s also only one of two Dem candidates who support full marriage rights for same sex couples, not just civil unions. I like that, too. The rest of his platform seems pretty spot on, also, in my opinion.

Ron Paul, well, is a Republican, as I said. That pains me, because I do like him. And there are some issues on which I completely disagree with him, like his adamant pro-life stance. But I’ll cut him some slack, he was an OB-GYN for 40 years, delivered lots of babies, so I’m sure that would probably have some pretty major influence on his opinion. However, for the record, those of us who are pro-choice, well, that doesn’t mean that we are pro-abortion or anti-life. We’re simply pro-choice, and want that right protected. Is it that difficult to understand? I am pro-choice but personally anti-abortion. The concepts are not mutually exclusive.

The thing I do like about Ron Paul, though, is best said in his own words in this video, from Real Time With Bill Maher, about this country’s need to rethink international policy. By the way, Bill Maher is one of my heroes, probably more liberal than I am (if that’s possible), and yet even he has become a Ron Paul fan.

ron paul, bill maher, presidential election, election 2008, foreign policy

We invaded a country we had no business attacking in the first place. The country posed no threat, our leaders lied to justify an invasion, and now we have created the quagmire of a full-blown civil war in Iraq.

Then there are the insurgents! The suicide bombers, the bad guys. Yeah, they are bad guys, actually. And gals. Extremism always brings out the worst in folks. George W. Bush comes to mind, as well. But the constant bombardment of the term “insurgents” in the media pisses me off. In countries that are, or were, our friends (there are so few anymore), or even in our own country, folks that would be willing to sacrifice their own lives for sake of country or cause would probably be labeled “freedom fighters” in the media. The difference? Per Merriam Webster:

Insurgent: a person who revolts against civil authority or an established government; especially, a rebel not recognized as a belligerent.

Freedom Fighter: a person who takes part in a resistance movement against an oppressive political or social establishment.

Hmm. Well, the “insurgents” in Iraq have certainly proven to be belligerent, that goes without question. Doesn’t really fit the definition of an insurgent, but it’s as good a name as any to pin on the bad guys by the media and the administration. Sounds evil. Other than the media spin, though, I really don’t see any difference between the two. Except that the insurgents “revolt.”

Revolt: 1: to renounce allegiance or subjection (as to a government)
2 a: to experience disgust or shock b: to turn away with disgust.

So call me an insurgent. Against my own government. Doesn’t mean I’m going to blow myself up and kill innocent people. That would be wrong, and somewhat belligerent, which is very uninsurgent-like according to Merriam-Webster. Probably painful, as well. But I’m not an extremist, unlike this country’s leaders, and a few crazy folks across the pond.

Still, I don’t understand the difference between an insurgent and a freedom fighter. I guess only Republicans know, so I apologize for my ignorance.

The 8 years Reagan was in office represented one of the most bloody eras in the history of the Western hemisphere, as Washington funneled money, weapons and other supplies to right wing death squads. And the death toll was staggering - more than 70,000 political killings in El Salvador, more than 100,000 in Guatemala, 30,000 killed in the contra war in Nicaragua. In Washington, the forces carrying out the violence were called “freedom fighters.” This is how Ronald Reagan described the Contras in Nicaragua: “They are our brothers, these freedom fighters, and we owe them our help. They are the moral equal of our founding fathers.”

iraq war, george bush, insurgent, freedom fighter, suicide bombers, ronald reagan

Thank God this week is over. We’ve got dead miners (come on, by now you know they are), dead rescue workers, Flossie in Hawaii, Dean in Jamaica (more dead folks there, and headed for Texas. Wonder if Crawford is in its path, and if George W. might be taking yet another of his many vacations? If so, maybe next week will be better after all…), a massive earthquake in Peru (lots of deaths there), and the deadliest month in Iraq with the suicide bombings in the northern Kurdish territory (despite Bush’s “troop surge”, keeping things more secure. Yeah, that’s working out really well.)

We still have to cross our fingers about the early Endeavor return on Tuesday because of Hurricane Dean, too, because there is that nasty gash on the shuttle’s belly. Of course, a similar gash killed the entire Columbia crew a few years ago, so maybe next week might not be any better, we’ll just have to wait and see. But, hey, the powers that be decided it wasn’t worth repairing, despite the ability to do so. That’s okay, we should always trust authority.

Pick a finger.

So the world, in general, sucked last week. So did mine. The cat puked on my pillow, and peed on my bedspread. I don’t know why, never happened before. And my washing machine is out of commission. A bit of advice, don’t ever try to handwash a bedspread in the kitchen sink. It doesn’t work out so well. If your washer breaks, grab some quarters and head for the laundromat. I learned my lesson.

Godspeed to the Endeavor crew. Hopefully next week will indeed be better. And if anyone wants a cat, let me know.

Hypocrites are everywhere, in politics, in religion, and we probably ought not trust any of our “leaders”, politically or spiritually. That’s not true, I know, there are some real and honest leaders out there. Somewhere. Cross your fingers and hope for the best.

But when I read yesterday the official White House statement about the multiple suicide bombings in the Kurdish territory of Iraq which killed at least 250 people (and no doubt the number of casualties will continue to rise) as being a “barbaric attack on innocent civilians” I could hardly believe it. This administration is responsible for more than 650,000 innocent Iraqi deaths since we invaded Iraq.

So who’s barbaric?

Of course, George W. Bush refutes that number, only acknowledging 30,000. Even at 30,000, is that acceptable? Not to mention the 3,500 plus of our own soldiers who have been killed. I am supposing that the administration is not considering the numbers of innocent civilians killed due to the civil war we have created within the country, so we’ll only tally the 30,000 or so that we are directly responsible for killing.

Man, you’re as responsible for the deaths of every Iraqi who has died from every Shiite, Sunni or Kurdish attack since your invasion of that country. Thanks for the civil war, George. You’re the man. We’re talking 650,000 deaths, not 30,000, that you are responsible for. You can’t even justify your numbers without stumbling over your own answer to the question. Of course, that’s really no surprise.

Okay. That said (got that off of my chest), it prompted me to consider the hypocrisy of our other political, religious and media figureheads. So I put together a slide show of some that immediately came to mind, at the end of this post.

One of my favorites, and the latest fodder for the late night talk show comedians, is Republican Florida Representative Bob Allen, arrested this summer in a public restroom for offering a male undercover cop $20 if he would let him give him a blow job. Notice in his biography, he’s also into water sports. Wonder how much he’d be willing to pay for that?

Staunch family values supporter, of course, as are all Republicans. Married (I’m sure very happily!), token kid in tow, and so ultra-conservative he wanted to outlaw masturbation! Well, thank God that campaign wasn’t successful, or they could have just locked me up and thrown away the key. But, I guess blow jobs with anonymous men is acceptable, as long as you don’t touch yourself.

Seriously, dude, God gave you hands for a reason. You could have saved yourself $20. And have avoided that whole “being arrested” scene, which probably wasn’t a very pleasant experience.

I’m really sick of all of the two-faced “leaders” that have tried to shove their politics or beliefs down our throats, and govern right and wrong for the rest of us, while trying to hide the skeletons in their own closets.

So here’s what I put together today, my compilation of hypocrites that came to mind. I did the silent movie theme, well, just because I like it.

george bush, bob allen, undercover cop, hypocrites, iraq war

I never thought it would happen, but it’s official, Karl Rove is leaving the White House at the end of the month! It’s been like a parade of departures during this President’s lame duck second term, but I never thought Rove would leave. I thought he’d stick it out.

He’s one of many, of course, who have jumped ship including White House counselor Dan Bartlett, budget director Rob Portman, chief White House attorney Harriet Miers, political director Sara Taylor, deputy national security advisers J.D. Crouch and Meghan O’Sullivan. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, forced out immediately after the election as the war in Iraq dragged on. Finally, he was out of there. Not to mention the first term departures, Ashcroft, Fleischer, Powell.

But I didn’t expect Rove, also known as “Bush’s brain“, to leave. He’s been friends with G.W. and family since the early ’70s, and has been involved in every Dubya campaign from governor to President, calling the shots, making things run, spewing whatever BS it takes to get the job done. Hey, he managed to put an unelected idiot into the White House, so he probably is actually one of the brighter Crayons in the box, and obviously knows how to play the game. Not to mention protecting his own ass, getting off scot-free during the Valerie Plame CIA leak case, and most recently, avoiding the Alberto Gonzales fiasco subpoena because his good bud George W. rejected the subpoena citing “executive privilege.” As usual.

At least he’s leaving, thank God. Too late, of course, but at least one more arrogant, lying, cocky ass is gone. The two biggest arrogant, lying, cocky asses are, of course, still in charge. But I’ll take what I can get.

By the way, has any other President in history had such a mass exodus of cabinet members during their administration? I doubt it, but I could be wrong.

Rove isn’t stupid, he knows when to cut and run, and I’m just glad he’s out, even though his damage has been done. Mission accomplished. He looks like Jabba the Hut from Star Wars, kind of freaks me out.

Finally, Republicans should never rap. Or dance. Particularly Karl “MC” Rove. Valerie Plame and subpoena avoidance aside, this video is enough to justify his resignation. Might I suggest that all other Republican officials consider resignation as well, if this is representative of their party. Pun intended.

karl rove, george bush, iraq war, 2008 election, politics

I was a sophomore in high school when I first read George Orwell’s novel 1984. Well, he missed it by a few years. Pretty close, though, all things considered, since he did write it in the 1940s, so let’s give him some wiggle room. He did apparently have the gift of prophecy, however, because he did get the story right when it came to the future George. George W. Bush. Of course, the novel was fiction, but still…

In the book: The state remained perpetually at war against a vague and ever-changing enemy. A permanent war. Kind of like the undefined and apparently unending “war on terrorism.”

In the book: The government set up the Ministry of Truth, serving as the propaganda arm of the ruling party to spread lies to suit its strategic goals. Kind of like the Office Of Strategic Influence this administration implemented in 2001 before they shut it down due to public outcry. Not that it has really made a difference, the propaganda is still rampant. FOX News.

In the book: The all-powerful leader, Big Brother, demanded the total, unquestioning support of the people. No one dared speak out against him, lest they be met by the wrath of the state. Or, in the words of our current Big Brother, “You are either with us, or against us.”

In the book: Big Brother kept constant tabs on the citizens, using two-way telescreens to monitor people’s every move while at the same time broadcasting party propaganda. Warrantless monitoring of phone conversations, Internet usage, business transactions and library reading records comes to mind. But, hey, the good news is that law enforcement no longer needs to be burdened with such thing as probable cause. Welcome to 1984, folks. Happy New Year.

george bush, george orwell, 1984, iraq war, security

Back to George W. Bush. Okay, he’s a failure as a President, has been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people, an Executive Branch serial killer (I’m entitled to my opinion), spending billions of dollars doing so. Your dollars and mine. All right, let’s move on. We’re stuck with him for now. At least his time is limited, since there’s apparently no chance in hell that he or his sidekick dick, Dick, will be removed from office.

My current Democratic party sucks almost as much as the Republicans, they won’t do anything to get him out of there, but continue to say he needs to go, while voting for and agreeing with everything his administration puts on the table. Know why? They don’t have a friggin’ plan, either. So I’m changing parties, and I’m registering as a Libertarian.

I took a quiz online, and that’s apparently what I am. Then I checked out their platform, and it makes sense to me. I’ll admittedly still vote Democrat in November ‘08, because when it comes down to it, the real choices are between the Rs and Ds. Just a fact. But I’d rather ditch the Democrats as far as my official registration, and at least be able to call myself Libertarian, because the Democrats have kind of let me down.

I do like some of the Democratic candidates. Which is a good thing, considering that we really only have two choices. No Independent, Green Party, Libertarian, Communist, or any other party, has a chance in hell of making it in to office, and votes for any of those obscure candidates could possibly sway the results, and we could end up with more of this same kind of mess. That’s too bad, but it’s the truth.

Which is why we don’t see Independent, Green Party, or even my soon-to-be new party, Libertarian debates. Don’t even think about a Communist debate, can you imagine? So, bottom line, we’re stuck with the elephant or the ass when the day comes, if we want our votes to count. Maybe things will change somewhere down the road, but for now, those are the choices.

But while we still have a Republican in office, and are going to suffer the curse of George W. Bush for the next year and a half, we should at least look at the bright side. We’ll still have another year to enjoy his stupidity, and the idiotic Bushisms. They do make me laugh. As countless as they are, my favorites to date are (although there are surely more to come):

“They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it’s some kind of federal program.” –St. Charles, Missouri, November 2, 2000

“Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYNs aren’t able to practice their love with women all across the country.”–Poplar Bluff, Missouri, September 6, 2004

“We need an energy bill that encourages consumption.”–Trenton, NJ, September 23, 2002

“Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?”–Florence, South Carolina, January 11, 2000

“Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die.”—speaking with reporters on facing the challenges of war, Washington, D.C., Dec. 7, 2006

“You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war President. No President wants to be a war President, but I am one.”—Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 26, 2006

“I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family.”—Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000

Even though we’ll have to endure this monkey for the next year and a half, there will at least no doubt be some entertaining moments.

By the way, it also turns out, according to the online test, that although I’m 100% Libertarian, I’m also 70% Communist. I doubt if that’s an option on the voter registration form, but I’ll check it out.

george bush, democrat, republican, libertarian, bushisms

I’m afraid of bridges, always have been. When I was a kid, a section of a bridge we crossed every Sunday on the way to church collapsed, fell right into the river. Well. That didn’t make me so comfortable on the way to Sunday School. Particularly while they were making the repairs, and we would sometimes have to stop on the bridge while they were diverting traffic. Bridges shake. I remember that.

So in the aftermath of the Minneapolis I-35W bridge collapse, a tragedy, my question is why bother to have inspections if no one pays attention to the reported problems, before they lead to a catastrophe like we witnessed last Wednesday? This is 2007. In 1990, seventeen years ago, inspectors were reporting fatigue cracks in that same bridge, calling it “structurally deficient.” The bridge is 40 years old, really no surprise, I guess. What is a surprise is that nothing was done about the problem at that time.

300,000,000 vehicles are driving across 73,000-plus “structurally deficient” bridges every day. Of course it would be expensive to repair them all, apparently $188 billion dollars. Lots of money. But I’d rather my tax dollars go towards that $188 billion, keeping me out of the water on my way to or home from work, than to the $450 billion spent, to date, on the war in Iraq. Okay, I’ll shut up, that’s another story.

Despite the extensive media attention given to the Minneapolis tragedy, know, too, that there have been several incidents of other bridges inspected and reported to be structurally deficient that have also collapsed in recent years.

If they’re not going to fix the problems that the inspectors identify, I would like to suggest bendier bridges, like the ones built back in the day. Remember the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse? The bridge also known as Galloping Gertie? I don’t either. It was 1940, even my parents weren’t alive at the time. But we’ve all seen the videos. And although the bridge was apparently more screwed up than the existing 73,000 structurally deficient bridges we drive across every day (Galloping Gertie only lasted for four months, from opening ceremony to collapse), at least it managed to maintain “the wave” for a full hour before collapsing. It finally collapsed, of course, due to those 42mph winds. (Good Lord, who hired the engineers for that project?) But, they apparently built it so that it was very bendy. I’ll give them credit for that. I didn’t know concrete and steel could be so flexible. Watch the video below, it really is quite amazing.

If the powers that be are going to completely ignore reported inspection results, and allow the nation’s bridges to get to the point of collapse without doing anything to solve the problems, and just cross their fingers and hope for the best, the least they can do is build them like Gertie, so I might stand a chance of making it to the other side without making a big splash. Or splat, depending on the bridge. The structurally deficient one.

A dog died in the Tacoma incident because he was afraid to get out of the last car on the bridge. Other than the pup, though, no fatalities, everyone else had time to make it to the other side. However wild the trip may have been.

I want bendy bridges like Gertie. Just in case, since nothing else is apparently being done. And yes, bendy really is a word.

bridge collapse, minneapolis bridge, tacoma narrows, government expense, iraq war

I’m a Big Brother fan. The CBS reality show, not the government’s version. And Evil Dick is still in the game. I like Evil Dick, the Big Brother 8 guy. Everyone calls him “Evil Dick”, I don’t know why. I like him. He kind of reminds me of myself. I don’t know exactly what that says about me, but I’m glad he’s still in the competition, and still in the house.

Apparently the other Evil Dick is still in the House, too, the White one. Cheney runs on batteries, though, and they needed to be replaced yesterday. After four heart attacks, quadruple bypass surgery, two artery-clearing angioplasties and an operation to implant a defibrillator six years ago, it was time to replace those defib batteries. And he lived to tell about it! Well, okay. I’m thrilled. He’s like the Energizer bunny.

I wish no ill will to any human being. Even impeachable liars. I really don’t. Glad the Dick made it through with flying colors.

That reminds me, my remote control died. Needs new batteries. But, you know, it hasn’t been working so well anyway, and pretty much sucks. I don’t think replacing the batteries will really solve the problem. Time to get rid of it.

dick cheney, iraq war, impeachment

I have OCD. I really do, but I won’t bore you with the specifics of my particular mental disorder. ADD, nope. RLS, don’t have that, either. Nor do I have OSA, and am not plagued with any other of the many alpha-ailments that I’ve learned about from watching the pharmaceutical company commercials on TV. Who knew? But at least, so far, I have only OCD. Good to know, though, that if I ever do become afflicted with any other ABC malady, I can ask my doctor about (fill in the blank), because there’s no doubt a drug for that.

Acronyms are fun. Easy to remember, and a great marketing tool for the drug companies! Although I don’t know of anything on the market to cure my OCD, there’s a prescription for almost everything else…

Remember our prescription for Iraq’s WMD? “Ask your doctor about Shock and Awe. Side effects may include…” Well, okay, WMD turned out to be a mis-diagnosis. Still left with the side effects, however. Never mind. Sometimes that happens. But guess what? Now we do have, without question, no second opinion needed, AQI! Al Qaeda in Iraq. Which, don’t forget, was not a pre-existing condition. Cause: Invasion and Occupation.

There were so many blatant lies told to justify the Iraq war, one being, in addition to the WMD fabrication, the connection between Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda’s Bin Laden. “Overwhelming evidence“, Cheney said.

Dick.

Nope, didn’t exist. In fact, we then found out it seems the two didn’t even get along so well. Of course they both hated the U.S., but Osama and Saddam certainly weren’t Jihadist bunk buddies, either. I guess if you can’t “smoke ‘em out of their caves in Afghanistan”, you just make up shit as an excuse to bomb another country for absolutely no reason.

And so now we’re left with AQI, and according to this New York Times’ article published today, the government is claiming that the original AQ, the real deal, is expected to cultivate more cooperation with AQI and regional terrorist groups… “Perhaps most significantly, Al Qaeda will probably try to use contacts with a separate group called Al Qaeda in Iraq to foment Sunni extremists, raise resources and recruit operatives for more attacks in the United States.”

Holy Terror, Batman!

I personally think it’s BS, but of course, anything is possible. They are entirely different groups, with no real connection, and I think these comments that the government released today, published not only in the NYT article but in all major media outlets, propagating the fear factor once again, are a follow up to the Michael Chertoff gut-feeling speech that I ranted about a few days ago. His gut feeling that we were going to have an attack this summer! Now the official statement is that we’ll have an attack within the next three years.

Whatever. It’s all propaganda initiated to cause fear, as a distraction from the miserable failures here at home and the corruption of this administration.

Still, our invasion provided, without question, yet another reason for certain folks to hate the U.S., giving organizations like the AQI a fertile environment in which to thrive. As Ron Paul said on Bill Maher (yikes, I’m quoting a Republican! but I like Ron Paul):

“If we think we can do what we want around the world and not incite hatred, then we have a problem. They don’t come here to attack us because we’re rich and we’re free, they come and attack us because we’re over there.”

Exactly. So if there really is a threat of an attack, this summer or within the next three years, who is really to blame? My gut feeling is that we probably need to re-evaluate our Mideast policies and occupations and maybe this threat of attack, whether this summer or within three years (why not make it ten, just to be sure?), won’t be an issue.

If only I could ask my doctor about, well, anything to get rid of GWB. Side effects be damned, can’t be any worse than the disease. I can at least live with my OCD.

al qaeda, al qaeda in iraq, terrorist threat, dick cheney, george bush, terrorism, fear

From what I’ve read about Army Reservist Sergeant Erik Botta, I probably would not be on the same side of the fence politically. Just an assumption. However, I would think that at least most would agree, left or right or straddling said fence, that it is just wrong that the government would actually use the statement “to assure a sharing of exposure to the hazards of combat” to justify his fifth deployment.

The 26-year old has been to Afghanistan once, and to Iraq three times, and was then granted an exemption by the government, after his service, to pursue an engineering degree to work as a senior engineer on Blackhawk and Seahawk helicopters.

Exemption then denied. I guess he simply hasn’t been exposed to enough hazards of combat. Because, out of the blue, here comes notice that he will be re-deployed. For the fifth time, to assure a sharing of exposure to the hazards of combat.

I know I’ve repeated that quote ad nauseum in this particular column. It’s intentional. Because I find that particular statement atrocious, bizarre, and laughable in a morbid sort of way.

I have nothing left to say. I’m quite sure he’s had his share of exposure to the hazards of combat. He’s suing to fight the deployment, but, sorry, Sergeant Botta, you know how things work under this administration:

Botta’s attorney, Mark Waple, said he asked the Army Human Resources Command Wednesday if Botta’s deployment could be postponed until the litigation is settled.

”I got their answer today: No,” Waple said.

iraq, iraq war, afghanistan, deployment, erik botta

Though George W. Bush’s own GOP party is turning against him because of the illegal war in Iraq, he today is still touting his resolve to “stay the course”, and confident that the surge of thousands of new soldiers will ultimately lead to success. (I do find this video amusing, however, and typical Bush.)

Iraq obviously never posed a threat. Had nothing to do with 9/11. And by the way, don’t forget, because of the lies that were told to validate invading Iraq, more of our own soldiers have already been killed than were killed in the attacks on 9/11. Not to mention the 650,000+ innocent Iraqis who have been killed by our invasion of the country. But lest I begin ranting excessively, here are some interesting facts comparing the Iraq invasion with Vietnam.

Both wars were illegal acts of pre-emptive aggression unsanctioned by international law or world opinion, and not declared by Congress. (Constitution, anyone?)

Both wars were based on lies and deception. In Iraq it was weapons of mass destruction. Yeah, that worked out well. In Vietnam, it was the fabricated Gulf of Tonkin incident and the elections mandated by the Geneva agreement that were canceled by Washington.

In both wars, prisoners on both sides were abused. In South Vietnam, thousands of captives were tortured in what were called tiger cages. Vietnamese POWs were often killed; in North Vietnam, some US POWs were abused after bombing civilians. In Iraq, POWs on both sides were also mistreated. It was US soldiers that first leaked major war crimes and abuses. In Vietnam, Ron Ridenour disclosed the My Lai Massacre. In Iraq, it was a soldier who first told investigators about the torture in Abu Ghraib prison.

The US dropped napalm, cluster bombs against civilians and sprayed toxic agent orange in Vietnam. Cluster bombs and napalm-like firebombs were dropped in Iraq.

Both wars claimed to be about promoting democracy. Vietnam staged elections and saw a succession of governments controlled by the US. In the first Iraqi election most said they were casting ballots primarily to get the US to leave.

Vietnam was sold as a war against Communism. Iraq was sold as a part of the global war on terrorism. Neither proved true.

In both wars innocent civilians died in droves.

In both wars the US promised to help rebuild the damages caused by US bombing. In Vietnam, a $2 billion+ presidential reconstruction pledge was not honored. In Iraq, the electricity and other services are still out in many areas. In both wars US companies and suppliers have profited quite handsomely.

iraq war, vietnam war, war profiteering