Current Events Watch

• Christopher Dodd endorses Obama. (Vercaifer)

• Hillary and Barack blame one another for all kinds of stuff during the Ohio debate. (The Huffington Report)

• McCain predicts that Iraq might cost him the election? (Crooks and Liars)

• What does Cuba think of Raul? (Drury University)

• College students claim they were thrown off Southwest flight because they were too pretty. (Breaking News USA)

• Medicare spending could double. (Wall Street Journal)

• MJ’s Neverland set for auction. (Dotspotter)

• White House email system a security risk. (NPR)

• Itunes #2 music selling. (Mac Rumors)

And what current events have piqued your interest?

A few years ago, political scientist Laurence Britt dissected the regimes of the most infamous of all fascists: Hitler, Mussolini, Franco and Suharto.

You have no doubt read or seen this before, but brushing up on history never hurt anyone. There are lessons to be learned from mistakes of the past.

However, considering that for the last eight years Führer Bush has been given nigh on carte blanche to establish the supreme global American Reich, methinks that perhaps some boning up on history might be in order lest we repeat similar electoral faux pas in the future.

I would also wager that it would be safe to anticipate a soon forthcoming revised and newly-updated report from Dr. Larry B. in which he most likely will expand upon his previous list of textbook-case fascists.

Per Britt, the following are the fourteen commonalities shared amongst all foresaid faces of fascism. Let’s review, shall we?

_________________________________________________

Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.

Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

_________________________________________________

Well, we’ve pretty much been able to successfully tick every one of those in defining the reigns of each of the aforementioned. Including, of course, our own dear Mister President.

So study up, people, and let us learn from our and other’s historical mistakes. As a certain wise man once said, “There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” Let’s hope not.

fascism, george bush, fascist regime, patriotism, politics, government

“Well, I think … if you are ever going to go destroy a country or wreak havoc on a country, it would need to be justified.”

These, the words of 28-year-old Jeremy Hinzman, ex-Army paratrooper formerly with the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Carolinian no longer, he’s now hanging out in Toronto, Canada with his wife and kid after loading up the car and making the border-crossing road trip when his application for Conscientious Objector status was rejected by the U.S. military.

Joining the military in early 2001, he completed basic combat training and airborne school at Fort Benning in Georgia. It didn’t take him long to realize that he was participating in something that wasn’t quite right.

At Fort Benning, bayonet training featured this beaut of a chant:

Instructor: “What makes the grass grow?”

Trainees: “Blood, blood, blood!”

Jeremy started to think his enlistment probably wasn’t such a wise decision after all.

On to Fort Bragg, though, to complete his training. He was no slouch, by the way. Awarded the highly coveted expert infantry badge, given only to those who master dozens of tasks involving deadly military skills, he was admired by his superiors for his work ethic.

Then in January of 2002, along with his wife, he began attending meetings of the Religious Society of Friends. Quakers, whose Peace Testimony against participation in war, and against military service as combatants is a major principle.

His newly found pacifism and the birth of his son were among the reasons he cited for applying for Conscientious Objector status in August 2002. A little too late, perhaps, since his unit was deployed to Afghanistan shortly thereafter while his application was still under
consideration. And since his superior officers claimed to have no record of his application, he was ordered to go with.

So off they went, with Hinzman being assigned duty in a non-combat role there while the powers that be mulled over his request. After returning, he learned that his application had ultimately been denied and he was subsequently ordered to return to and serve again with his regular unit.

Then came the edict that it was time to pack the duffel bags once again, rack up some additional frequent flier miles, and head on over to Iraq, proliferating democracy.

Hence the family road trip, due north. A secret journey to avoid an illegal and controversial war, no doubt, since such blatant desertion is a felony punishable by death.

Really. Desertion and even disobedience carry the death penalty in a time of war. I kid you not.

Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 15 offenses can be punishable by death, though many of these crimes — such as desertion or disobeying a superior commissioned officer’s orders — carry the death penalty only in time of war.

So anyway, he applied for refugee status once on Canadian soil. I can’t say that I blame him. I wouldn’t be hankering to return stateside, either, all things considered!

Hinzman’s hearing was held in December of 2004.

The argument was made by him and his attorney that invading Iraq constituted a violation of international law, and that the subsequent occupation violates international human rights, as specified by the Geneva Convention.

They also argued that, in fact, his failure to refuse participation in such illegal activities would clearly be a breach of the Nuremberg Tribunal, turning Hinzman into a potential war criminal.

In March of 2005, Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board determined that he was not a conscientious objector and was thus ineligible for refugee status.

Hinzman’s team challenged, but, alas, a year later in March of 2006, the Federal Court dismissed the request for a review of the previous year’s decision.

A last-ditch effort last month to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada didn’t go so well, either. They refused to even hear the case.

Read Jeremy’s and other war deserters’ commentaries from 2005, about why they opted to hightail it to Canada in lieu of further participation in George W. Bush’s illegal bloodbath that is Iraq.

Of course, thousands of other soldiers have followed suit. These are troops I can unequivocally say that I truly support. What happens to them now that Canada seems to be in cahoots with Bushdom, I don’t know. Still, I admire their bravery and courage to take a stand against the atrocities of this administration. Heroes indeed.

iraq war, soldiers, troops, deserters, jeremy hinzman, anti-war, anti-bush, army deserters, george bush

In case you haven’t heard, we’re in the midst of an ice storm here in the Midwest. Ice is cold, not to mention slippery, so I just stayed in today. All day. Since the power came back on this morning, I’ve spent pretty much most of my time right here, Googling and Stumbling until my eyes have officially glazed over. My ass is kind of numb, too, now that I think about it.

Nonetheless, as one thing led to another, like they do, I happened upon this video of a song I had not heard in quite some time. I was only six years old in 1969 when those three days of peace and music (as well as various other activities) went down at Woodstock, so at the time I was probably fretting mostly about starting the first grade. Full day class, and no more naps. I’m sure I wasn’t so much aware of, much less concerned about, worldly events or the war.

First grade is a distant memory. But as history repeats, and Vietnam on steroids is upon us, I’m certainly old enough now to appreciate this song, decades later, in light of our current (Iraq/n) situation. Outta sight song, and a groovy performance by Country Joe from that historic hippie hoe-down. Far out, man!

iraq war, vietnam war, anti-war, war protest song, anti-war video, woodstock, country joe, country joe mcdonald, country joe & the fish, feel like i’m fixin’ to die rag, iraq, vietnam, war, george bush

I’m suggesting that Dennis Kucinich doles out the $8.99 over at talltall.com for a pair of shoe lift inserts. I’d even chip in for the S&H. Maybe if my favorite wee presidential contender were just a wee bit taller people would pay a wee bit more well-deserved attention to the guy.

I think he and Hillary pretty much see eye-to-eye, if only in the literal sense, but she certainly hasn’t had any problem garnering her fair share of attention. What’s up with that? Of course, she has breasts. If Dennis is averse to height-modifying contraptions, falsies might work just as well. Whatever it takes.

One of his shining moments at the last Democratic debate, when given the rare opportunity to speak, was when he said that, well, yeah, he was the only one of the gang on stage who voted against the Patriot Act … because he read it.

A statement which, if you recall, none of the other contestants even bothered to dispute. I guess there’s no arguing with the truth. Reading is fundamental, as we’ve all been taught, but apparently it’s also optional. BSAlert.com shows the clip of my vertically-challenged pick for Pres taking to task his fellow Commander-In-Chief hopefuls.

I guess his compatriots up there on Capitol Hill didn’t get the hint. Or maybe they simply opted to forego the refresher Reading 101 course in lieu of Advanced Ass-Kissing class. Either way, for whatever reason, the proposed Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act (H.R. 1955/S. 1959), was approved in the House with an overwhelming vote of 404 to 6. Dennis being one of the six because he, of course, reads.

Call this one Patriot Act Part Deux. Constitution? What Constitution?

Speaking last week in New York, Kucinich, when asked about his vote, said, “If you understand what this bill does, it really sets the stage for further criminalization of protest. This is the way our democracy little, by little, by little, is being stripped away from us. This bill, I believe, is a clear violation of the first amendment.” He referred to the bill as the “thought crime bill.”

Enter the Thought Police. Yet another Orwellian prophecy fulfilled. The bill would create a national commission to make legislative recommendations on how to prevent, disrupt and mitigate violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism. Fine. No one wants that kind of behavior, homegrown or otherwise!

However, just like Act I, this proposition is worded quite vaguely, so that those of us who may have radical or “extreme belief systems” might be monitored lest a criminal act should occur. Because I’m critical of the Bush administration, I am suspect. A homegrown terrorist just waiting to happen.

Because I have bad thoughts from time to time about the bastard and his bastardly bastard friends, I am a potential felon. If one actually reads the bill (following the example of Kucinich and his five literate homies), it is obvious that this is one of the most “blatant attacks against the Constitution yet”, to quote RogueGovernment.com.

Dennis reads a lot, apparently. As he pointed out at his little NYC get-together last week, this latest proposal is similar to another bill passed in 2006, the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (who knew?) which also criminalized dissent.

According to that bill, anyone who engages in any activity that would interfere or cause damage to businesses engaged in animal enterprises, could be charged with a felony. This includes acts that could cause a loss of profits to the business. Screw the animals, just don’t fuck with the profits. It’s all about the money, after all. Animal rights activists, beware. Protest = Terrorism.

Only six members of the House were present for that vote. Kucinich was the only one to oppose the bill. He noted that the bill was “written in such a way as to have a chilling effect on the exercise of the constitutional rights of protest.”

We’ll have to wait and see what happens to H.R. 1955 when it makes its way to the Senate, of course. But I’d wager that the results will be similar to last month’s House vote … which means next stop, Dubya’s desk. I guess I’ll just have to work harder at thinking only good thoughts. The Thought Police cometh.

dennis kucinich, patriot act, hr 1955, homegrown terrorism, terrorism, george bush, thought police

I’m surprised that Team Bush didn’t think of this one sooner. Or maybe they did, and simply decided that it would be best to allow adequate passage of time following the big nine-eleven-aught-one calamity for a bit of that national firefighters-as-gods fervor to fade before redrafting their job descriptions, so as not to besmirch their iconic status.

Apparently enough time has now lapsed, the rewrite is complete, and new duties have been assigned. And not everyone is happy about that.

Firefighters, unlike the police, do not need those pesky warrants to enter thousands of homes each year, making them ideal candidates for nipping terrorism in the bud! Although there have been concerns raised of how this might tarnish their image with the public at large, and may, just perhaps, infringe on people’s privacy, firefighters in major cities around the country are being trained to don their terrorist-spotting helmets for the sake of homeland security. Hey, since they are already there, why not have a look around the place?

As part of the program, which started last December, Homeland Security gave secret clearances (surprise!) to nine New York fire chiefs, according to The Associated Press, to be on the lookout for and report anything even hinting at terrorism to the appropriate authorities.

“They’re really doing technical inspections, and if perchance they find something like, you know, a bunch of RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) rounds in somebody’s basement, I think it’s a no-brainer,” said Jack Tomarchio, a senior official in Homeland Security’s intelligence division.

Come to find out, the How To Spot A Terrorist training classes have already been on the agenda for ladder and engine companies at firehouses across the country for the last few years. I guess now it’s just officially sanctioned and governmentally promoted.

Mike German, national security policy counsel to the ACLU and former FBI agent, said the concept is dangerously similar to the Bush administration’s proposal in 2002 to have the mailman, cable guy, TV repairman, or anyone with access to private homes, report suspicious behavior to the FBI. “Americans universally abhorred that idea,” German said.

The ACLU is taking the position that using firefighters as intelligence agents is just another step in the same direction that has been taken since Sept. 11, 2001, in which our privacy rights have been violated and taken away. I tend to agree.

Firstly, I would like to think that any firefighter worth his weight in water, whether or not officially trained in terrorist detection, should probably have the common sense to consider reporting, post haste, any happened-upon stockpile of grenades.

Secondly, if The Anarchist Cookbook is the coffee-table book of choice, particularly if excessively bookmarked and dog-eared, I’d hope that there might be an urgent FYI call patched through to someone who might need to be aware of such things. Sometimes you don’t need no schoolin’ to know when things just ain’t quite right.

Of course, the classes do educate about other, less-obvious things that should be considered suspect as well. Things to look for that, without appropriate training, would probably go unnoticed.

Things that we all might also want to keep in mind before dialing 911 in case a future kitchen mishap results in an out-of-control grease fire.

Even if rocket-propelled grenades have been well-hidden, and inappropriate reading material has been stashed, keep in mind that your hose-wielding savior may well be looking for other, subtle indications of terroristic propensity. Behaviors, for example, that the government would classify as “signs of planning and support for terrorism.”

KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER:

- Be nice. Welcome them warmly into your burning home. If they ask you to unkink the hose, do so. Perhaps follow up by offering them a beverage after the conflagration has been extinguished. They are taught to be alert for a person who is “hostile or uncooperative”.

- Be patriotic. Wave an American flag if one is handy, being careful not to fan the flames, of course. If that’s not an option, burst into song, any patriotic anthem will do. They’ve also learned to pick up on anyone “expressing hate or discontent with the United States.”

- No picture-taking. Resist the urge to take snapshots or video to later upload to your MySpace page. “Still and video cameras” are definitely considered highly suspect. Best to probably squirrel away the cams with the grenade stash ahead of time.

- Be sure your home is well-furnished. If it’s not, you’ll probably be better off to just let the place succumb to the flames. If the fire guys show up and find you have “little or no furniture other than a bed or a mattress”, you’ll no doubt be deemed a potential national threat.

Just some pointers. Better safe than sorry.

homeland security, bush administration, firefighters, terrorism, terrorists, national security, aclu, mike german, jack tomarchio

Don’t get me wrong, I love women (just not in “that” way), but being a card-carrying member of the rainbow tribe, ladies’ undergarments do not interest me whatsoever. A beautiful babe strutting her stuff within arm’s length, clad only in a lacy Victoria’s Secret thong, would do no more for me than if she would have opted for a pair of K-Mart granny panties. I would guess that the granny panties would probably be more comfortable, actually, sans that thong strap riding up the ass all day. Seems to me that that might cause some uncomfortable chafing. Either way, after a lengthy yawn, my inclination would be to ask her to get dressed so we could go grab a cup of coffee.

Still, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that panties have ever necessarily frightened me. I have just chosen to keep my distance. It’s a personal decision. So you can imagine how fortunate I felt when I learned that, thanks to my panty-avoidance lifestyle, I have saved myself from the inevitable power-sapping side effects of a close encounter of the panty kind! With my new-found knowledge, courtesy of Burma’s Than Shwe and his fellow Burmese co-horts, I am certainly counting my blessings. Read on and learn!

Burma’s superstitious generals, particularly junta chief Than Shwe, believe that contact with any item of women’s wear deprives them of their power.

Well, now we know. Thanks to smart ladies around the world, they’ve come together to do their part in eliminating Than Shwe’s brutal military junta rule in Burma (although I’m still thankful for the lesson!) by participating in a Panties For Peace crusade!

Yep, from all over the world, women are FedExing (or MyanmarExing, I really don’t know) packages of panties to Burma and its various embassy outposts, attempting to debilitate the regime. Keep it up, ladies! Who knows which lacy undergarment might just be the final straw to break the camel’s back? Maybe, just maybe, given enough panty-power, Aung San Suu Kyi will be able to take her rightful place as leader. No more torture, no more murder, no more empty monasteries.

So keep it up. I now have even more reason to steer clear of the pantily clad, of course, but at least they might be good for something. In all seriousness, any sort of campaign or activism that keeps this Burma issue (mess) at least in the semi-spotlight, is a good thing. We quickly forget about such things, and move on, without doing anything to cause change.

Speaking of which, let’s keep an eye on this. If this power-sapping, panty-fear theory of Than Shwe’s proves to be true … well, keep some boxes and packaging tape on hand, because we’ll have some important shipping to do. Mail your panties to:

George W. Bush
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

burma, panties for peace, myanmar, military junta, peace campaign, george bush

The other night Wayne Newton and partner Cheryl Burke were voted off of Dancing With The Stars. Danke schoen. No doubt Miss Cheryl was relieved. I know it was only a couple of weeks into the competition, but it seemed like an eternity … the man couldn’t pull off a decent tango if his life depended on it. Even the fake pony tail, paste-on mustache, and his ever-distracting mannequin-like appearance (plastic surgery is no doubt very lucrative) wasn’t enough to divert attention from the fact that the Vegas lounge lizard simply can’t cut a rug. Good riddance, but nice try. Hope he bought a round-trip ticket.

Speaking of distractions, reality TV has certainly captured the nation’s attention. We spend our evenings watching folks dance, sing, invent, build, hand out roses, lose the flab, eat bugs, and form various alliances. Nothing wrong with that, I have my favorites, too. Can’t wait for Simon, Paula and Randy to come back! Not to mention cutie-pie Ryan, hope he makes it out of the closet in time for the season opener.

Meanwhile, real reality easily flies under the radar.

As an abnormally hairy Wayne was being ousted, over on CNN Larry King was interviewing former president of Mexico Vicente Fox. Very good interview, by the way, in case you didn’t Tivo it. The thing that stood out most to me, though, is that this was, as far as I know, the first public acknowledgement made by one of the original party planners, of the grandiose scheme to create the North American Union, merging Canada, the US and Mexico … one mega-nation, indivisible. The better to govern and, of course, trade with you, my dear.

George Bush thought that that would be a fabulous idea, and met with Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin to discuss this most marvelous of plans, both who quickly jumped on board. No more borders! When was that first discussed? Back in 2005. How many people knew about it at the time? How many people know about it two years later? Not as many as were and still are no doubt glued to the tube getting their fix of reality. It happens. We’re easily distracted. Helpful for George, too, to better pursue his agenda with little attention. Best to avoid the naysayers until it’s too late.

I hope the US-Mexico border fence can easily be disassembled and snapped back together a bit farther south, protecting the new union’s southern border from undesirables. As it stands now, the fence would probably hinder construction of the NAFTA-on-steroids Superhighway that is a key part of this plan, to eventually web its way through (former) Mexico, the (former) US of A, and finally throughout (former) Canada. Eventually, of course, because these things take time!

And forget about the Almighty Dollar! That currency exchange rate would be a pain in the ass, particularly if you had a pocket full of pesos and wanted to take a road trip up north. (”See the NAU in a Chevrolet!”) Hail to the Almighty Amero!

There’s really no excuse, with all of the resources available to us lowly peons, for not paying attention to what’s going on in the world and within our government. It should behoove us, indeed, given the track record of Bushco. The White House just keeps its collective fingers crossed about such things, hoping that at least the majority will be so fascinated with who’s going to be evicted this week that such goings-on won’t really get much attention. Then one day, voila! “Hey, folks, look what we did! Oh yeah, and here’s a handful of Ameros to get you started!”, leaving all of us scratching our heads, thinking “WTF?”

Kind of like the Blackwater thing … it wasn’t really ever a secret, but you had to do your own research to find out about it. Never discussed by the administration, never given any media attention. Congress was pretty much in the dark about it, too. (Bush? Leaving Congress out of the loop? Completely unexpected!) Until recently, of course, when the shadow army was outed by some angry Iraqis, growing weary of innocent civilian target practice. Condi has now stepped in, duly investigating, re-evaluating, TCOB!

When something hush hush makes media attention, the reaction by the DC folks is, “Well, we had no idea! We’ll get to the bottom of this, not to worry!” The problem isn’t that they had no idea, it is that we the people had no idea. We weren’t paying attention. They knew about it all along.

I’m not always as diligent as I should be. It’s easy to get caught up in watching a handful of fifth-graders make fools of their grown-up counterparts. Meanwhile, other grown-up fools are planning and conniving things we should really be aware of, things that affect us, things that affect the world, things we aren’t told, and things that we should probably be provided the opportunity to throw in our two cents about. Or whatever that would be in Ameros. If we don’t want to be left in the dark, which is often the master plan, we have to take initiative to stay on top of things. Even if we do so … during the break.

north american union, nau, amero, vicente fox, george bush, nafta, reality tv

Let him go. He seems a little crazy, I’ll admit, but Charles Manson is innocent. It was me! That entire Tate-LaBianca fiasco? My idea. Sorry, Charlie, for the last 30-plus years of incarceration, and for the bad press. I was only six in 1969, but very devious and maniacal for my age. Even though I was 1,629 miles away (helped to avoid suspicion), I managed to pull it off. And you were a great scapegoat, being such a psycho and all. But I confess! The whole thing was my idea.

So I’m finally coming clean … water is very cleansing! Particularly effective when strapped to a board and doused with enough H2O that death by drowning seems inevitable. If they do that to me again, I swear, I’ll confess to every past transgression, and even make up some more stuff if need be. I’ll say whatever they want to hear to make them stop with the waterworks already!

While I’m at it, I’d just as well admit now to stealing that necklace at the mall to give Mom for Christmas, 1978. I don’t want to end up back on the board again, I’m still waterlogged and can hardly catch my breath. Oh, yeah, and I may have played a small part in that Black Dahlia murder thing, too, although that would have been in my previous life. I’m not sure about that one, but why not put every possibility on the table, to cover my ass. That waterboard thing, not to mention those slaps up side the head, was torture!

Well, apparently it’s not really torture. Not according to George W. Bush, responding today to the New York Times article revealing the “secret” Justice Department’s legal opinion from 2005, that authorized the use of painful methods, such as “head slaps, freezing temperatures and simulated drownings known as waterboarding, in combination”, to elicit confessions for whatever atrocities might be suspected. This just months after the December 2004 Justice Department’s opinion that publicly declared torture “abhorrent”.

President Bush defended his administration’s methods of detaining and questioning suspects on Friday, though, saying they are both successful and lawful, and that “this government does not torture people.” Either he doesn’t know what’s going on within his own administration and the agencies that be (which wouldn’t surprise me, actually), or King George is once again assuming that spewing repetitive rhetoric and propoganda will be enough to convince his ignorant subjects that all is well. Prince Cheney certainly backs him up:

Vice President Dick Cheney has confirmed that U.S. interrogators subjected captured senior al-Qaeda suspects to a controversial interrogation technique called “water-boarding,” which creates a sensation of drowning.

Cheney claims that the Bush administration doesn’t regard waterboarding as torture and allows the CIA to use it. “It’s a no-brainer for me,” Cheney said at one point in an interview.

Then there’s this gem:

Vice President Dick Cheney, being interviewed by a Fargo, North Dakota, talk radio show host, agreed with the host’s characterization of waterboarding as a “dunk in the water”

Typical Dick.

One especially cruel form of torture is waterboarding, which simulates drowning, the obvious objective being to force the person being tortured to give his torturers information to avoid death by drowning. The US has a long history of rejecting waterboarding as inhumane and degrading. Of course, that was before the Bush/Cheney regime.

-In 1901, an American soldier was court-martialed and sentenced to 10 years of hard labor for waterboarding a suspected Filipino insurgent.

-After World War II, we treated as war criminals Japanese soldiers who had waterboarded American prisoners.

-We court-martialed an American soldier who had aided in the waterboarding of a prisoner in the Vietnam War.

-The Field Manual of the U.S. Army bans waterboarding.

But that was then, and this is now. We’ve changed our minds. Now, anything goes. “Just admit to (fill-in-the-blank), dammit, and we’ll stop.”

It’s really no wonder that after his CIA waterboarding experience that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed confessed to everything from masterminding a grand total of 31 terrorist attacks, the shining moment being, of course, September 11, 2001, to planning to send several former US Presidents to prematurely meet their Maker! The dead presidents plans were foiled, of course, by international anti-terrorist agencies. (Our own agencies apparently had no clue. Thank God, others around the world were keeping tabs on the welfare of our former presidents … the world loves us!) And not only did KSM mastermind 9/11, he was also behind the Richard Reid shoe bomb thing, and he personally beheaded WSJ reporter Daniel Pearl. Pretty much anything that made the news. Quite an impressive resume.

Khalid was no doubt a bad guy, and probably involved in typical day to day, routine Al-Quaeda, kill-the-Americans plotting, but I doubt very seriously if he is such a mastermind as to have orchestrated such a vast array of terrorist activity. Four years of being held captive and tortured, though … well, he probably decided to ‘fess up to just about anything and everything. Waterboarding makes you talk. He probably would have admitted to the Manson spree as well, had he been questioned about that. Thank goodness it didn’t come up! I was struggling for something horrendous to confess to, and was growing tired of the “dunks in the water.”

torture, waterboarding, water-boarding, waterboard, al quaeda, guantanamo, iraq war, detainees, terrorism, interrogation, charles manson, george bush, dick cheney

George Bush is no doubt having yet another Homer Simpson moment. D’OH, indeed! Now everyone knows about Blackwater. That whole contract killer army thing was supposed be kept secret. Really, it hasn’t been a secret, if people would have been paying attention. The devil is in the details, as they say, and most of the population really doesn’t care about the details, but the Blackwater group has been on the ground in Iraq (not to mention Afghanistan) for the last few years. They also had a brief gig in New Orleans after Katrina, ready to pop a cap at whomever or whatever they felt inclined to target. And with impunity, and immune from prosecution, everyone and everything is a potential target. Woo hoo! Ready, aim, fire.

Blackwater is a mercenary group, given a $20-million-plus no-bid contract (sound familiar?) hired to step in and help kill the bad guys (and the not so bad guys, if they have the notion), so that we don’t have to do it all by our lonesome. The beauty is, we don’t have to tally their casualties in the official count, which keeps the numbers low! Or at least lower. At some point, though, karma happens, and since September the 16th was apparently a slow news day, the massacre of 11 innocent Iraqis by the Blackwater gang made the headlines. Now everyone knows. And knows that they tried to hide it. D’OH!

Better late than never, I suppose, that people finally have no choice but to pay attention to what has been going on for quite some time. Check it out, this certainly isn’t the first incident. It’s just the first incident that brings it all to the forefront. You’ll be surprised. And Mr. Blackwater Chairman, Republican champion, Erik Prince, finally was called to a Congressional hearing to ’splain himself. Well, of course, he says that nothing was amiss. Of course not. He’s got the (again, no-bid) 20-mil contract in Iraq, is a huge Republican party donator, not to mention his board membership in the Christian Freedom International group. So he’s very rich, patriotic, and holy, without a doubt. How could his organization do wrong?

Anyway, according to their website:

“We are a professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations firm who provides turnkey solutions.”

I think some of the recruits must have misunderstood, or perhaps they need a new trainer who can enunciate clearly. Turnkey solutions does, I suppose, sound similar to turkey shoot. (Watch the video, or you won’t have a clue what I’m talking about.) And, remember, this is an oldie, from back in the day, a couple of years ago, when Blackwater was still a secret. Who knows what else has been swept under the carpet between then and now?

blackwater, iraq war, george bush, shadow army, iraqi casualties

“My very eager mother just served us nine pizzas.” That’s how I learned how to remember the planets in the solar system. “A red Indian thought he might eat tobacco in church.” Politically incorrect, perhaps, but that’s how I learned to spell the big word for math. “Found on road dead.” I had a Ford truck once. It had some problems, ‘nuf said.

I do like little memory tricks like that, though. They can sometimes make you seem smarter than you actually be. Are. For example, did you know that 11 x 214 is 2,354? The 11 thing is one of my favorite memory tricks, no calculator needed. If you can’t figure it out, let me know. And yes, 214 was just a random number. Pick a number, any number.

“I’m a dinner jacket”: Ahmadinejad. Okay, so you have to drop a syllable, and make a couple of adjustments in pronunciation, but it still works as an effective memory tool to remember the Iranian president’s last name. Thanks, Whoopi. She mentioned on The View that that’s how she remembered his name: “I’m a dinner jacket.” (Yes, I watch The View.) It certainly stuck with me. His name just rolls off of my tongue now. I thought it might come in handy at dinner parties and such, although, unfortunately, I’ve found that he’s not often the topic of party conversation. Dang it, there’s seldom an opportunity to show off my prowess for namedropping of international leaders. I even come prepared with a way to remember his first name: My mood. “My mood: I’m a dinner jacket.” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Note to self: Alert the Whoop about that one. She no doubt attends more dinner parties than I do, maybe it would come in handy. I like to help out when I can.

So My Mood I’m A Dinner Jacket spoke today at Columbia University, amidst much controversy! Should he have been invited? Should he have been allowed to speak? Posters, demonstrations, all other things aside … my answer is “yes.” That question probably won’t come up in any future dinner party conversation, either, so I’ll just say so here, without even being asked for my opinion.

It’s that simple. Yes, he should have his chance to speak. Look, he was invited by Columbia president Lee Bollinger to speak on campus. Bollinger is a lawyer and a big First Amendment, freedom of speech proponent, so I understand and appreciate where he was coming from in inviting Ahmadinejad to speak. It isn’t like some Irianian madman, with or without requisite dinner jacket, stormed onto campus, demanded a podium, and forced the students at gunpoint to take their seats and pay attention (he’s smart enough to know that he’s not in Iran at the moment.) He had an invitation, and in a way, I admire him for RSVPing and showing up.

Bollinger made it clear from his introduction that he was no fan, however.

He said, “Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator,” adding, “You are either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated.”

Okay, that’s clear enough. And it does take balls to say something like that to your own invitee’s face. So why is everyone up Bollinger’s ass just because he’s giving this guy a forum in which to speak? Sometimes it might be a good idea to actually listen to what these people in the world have to say, how they respond to questions, without a media filter, nutcase or not. If I was a student at Columbia, I would have wanted to be there. Yeah, I think the guy is a weirdo. The Holocaust is a myth? Come on, how can anyone be so stupid? Of course, well-deserved ridicule is in order there. Okay, he’s not playing with a full deck. That’s pretty obvious.

The nuclear thing? Well, I’m not happy about that per se, but maybe they are actually just developing their nuclear program for energy, no weapon in mind whatsoever. Hey, we’ve got lots of nuclear energy plants here. No one made us stop. Of course, even if they do decide to sneak in some sort of bomb thing under the wire, well, we’ve got the nuclear bombs here, too, so we could teach them a lesson. It’s okay for us, just not for them. Not with a madman running the country. Whoops, we’ve got that, too. Never mind.

Then there’s his crazy questioning of the 9/11 attacks, and who is actually to blame. Well, I do question that, myself. Time to put on my dinner jacket. And so he’s not a big fan of Israel, neither am I. Maybe I should just move to Iran. No, wait. They have no homosexuals there, I wouldn’t fit in at all!

In Iran we don’t have homosexuals like in your country,” Ahmadinejad said to howls and boos among the Columbia University audience.

“In Iran we do not have this phenomenon, I don’t know who has told you that we have it,” he said.

Ahmadinejad was challenged during his appearance on Amnesty International figures that suggested that 200 people had been executed in Iran so far this year, among them homosexuals.

All right, I know he’s a crazy dude. I don’t like him or his politics, or the way he runs his country, but he does have the right to speak, particularly in front of a group of college kids who are smart enough to call him on some of his outrageous policies, and put him on the spot, make him accountable. And like I said, he was invited, after all. Sometimes it’s best to hear the words straight from the idiot’s mouth. I really don’t understand the controversy. Good Lord, we’re forced to listen to the idiot running this country every day, and he wasn’t even invited.

Doesn’t really matter, Ahmadinejad’s days are probably numbered anyway. George Bush no doubt has another troop surge in the works, this time swapping out the “Q” for an “N“.

mahmoud ahmadinejad, iran, iranian president, george bush, columbia university

Jerry Falwell would roll over in his grave, might even resurrect (now that’s a scary thought), if helicopters spontaneously began flying over our neighborhoods bombarding residents with soccer balls with images of Jesus Christ. Kicking Jesus in the face? Well, that would be very disrespectful, I suppose. Not to mention tossing JC out of a helicopter in the first place. No doubt gays, lesbians, anti-abortionists, non-Christians and perhaps even teletubby Tinky Winky would be to blame for such a blasphemous scheme.

But, nonetheless, we thought it would be a great idea to do some gifting to the children of Afghanistan by doing just that. Not with the Jesus pic, of course, they probably wouldn’t care. No, we dropped soccer balls from helicopters, displaying flags of countries from all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, which features the shahada, a verse from the Koran, recited in prayer daily, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, and includes the name Allah.

Afghan MP Mirwais Yasini said: “To have a verse of the Koran on something you kick with your foot would be an insult in any Muslim country around the world.”

I’ll admit I don’t really understand why the ball caused such outrage or led to the subsequent protest demonstration. Even as a Christian, I’d scrum with a Jesus soccer ball. Wouldn’t necessarily appreciate it having been dropped on my head from a helicopter, but once here, yeah, I’d play with it.

However, I do think we literally “dropped the ball” in this case. Muslims, we should know by now, are an extremely dedicated religious bunch. Moreso, I’d daresay, than most Christians in the US of A. I would think that had we really been making “significant efforts” to work with the mullahs and Islamic leaders, as we claimed, to understand and respect their culture, we should have known that this was a bad idea. Despite our best intentions.

Heck, even I knew, and I’ve never spoken with a mullah, that Saudi Arabia had complained in the past to the World Cup committee about their flag being on the soccer balls because it was blasphemous to Muslims.

Nice try, though. I know it’s the thought that counts, but better luck next time. However, I’d suggest a change in distribution methods. Haphazardly dropping anything from a copter seems, well, hazardous! You could take out small pets, or even small children, perhaps one for whom the gift was intended. That wouldn’t be good. On the other hand, when the Afghans see a US helicopter overhead they probably run for cover, anyway, since that usually means “Bombs Away!” Not so often “Balls Away.” Still, fly-by gifting isn’t really such a good idea. It certainly wasn’t this time.

afghanistan war, muslims, helicopter soccer balls, afghan children

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

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