Riot In Mexican Congress

Mexico drifts closer and closer to an all out civil war. Seems like they are all the rage worldwide right now and I find it surprising that the US is involved in on half a world away and ignoring one on our border.

Our foreign policy is completely out of whack when we are sparking regional conflicts like Iraq and snubbing a country on the brink of chaos like Mexico. Time that our Congress and President wake up and read the news. Otherwise, we might end up with a refugee flood across our borders instead of a trickle of illegals.

Today in the Mexican Congress there was a riot with lawmakers exchanging blows and throwing chairs to prevent the President elect from addressing the body. His election, widely criticized as questionable has sparked several violent confrontations and a government in exile formed by his opposition.

Iraq In Chaos - Al-Sadir Faction Pulls Out Of Government

Things are happening fast in Iraq. Today the Al-Sadir loyalists pulled out of the government, and Al-Maliki’s summit with Bush is cancelled. Not to be a prophet of doom, but seems like Baghdad is falling into chaos.

As critics have long said, Bush’s scheme in Iraq would lead to chaos and all out civil war, and guess what? IT IS!

Our President is living in a dream world and refuses to see the reality on the ground. He must be removed from office to avoid further disaster here at home. When a person who is supposed to lead the country can’t face facts, we are in trouble. Call your congressperson and demand impeachment now.

Cheney Looking More And More Like Short-Timer

Well the office pools in DC are betting on the number of days Dick Cheney has left before he resigns for "health reasons" or the perennial "to spend more time with my family". I am betting on just over 30 days.

Why? Well, he has become a lead sinker on the line of the Neocons fishing for votes. He is also occupying prime real estate, the VP office. The GOP wants a viable candidate for President in there and not an aging war-horse. My guess is McCain will move comfortably into the office at Bush’s appointment and have a nice place to try for the top. Pretty early to speculate on running mates, but personally I see Condi Rice in there as well. Good combination? Only if you want more of the same disaster we have now.

My money is on a Democrat from Illinois.

Putting Up Christmas Lights Today

Decking the halls, or at least our house today and tomorrow. Putting up hundreds of LED Christmas lights and decorations. I got inspired to do the crazy geek Christmas thing and got software and controllers from Light-O-Rama. If you saw the video of the house with the synchronized lights list year, that's how they do it. Should be a festive season if my neighbors don't drive me out.

Trent Lott Pressures For Rove Resignation

As I predicted, the pressure is on for Karl Rove to resign. Trent Lott, racist Senator from Mississippi has suggested it and many more of the GOP faithful are signing on to the "Dump Rove" bandwagon. I suspect it will be before the first of the year when Mr. Rove decides he needs to spend more time with his family. That will probably be after Bush tells him he’s doing a "heck of a job". That seems to be the GOP version of the Mafia kiss, once you get it, you are a short timer.

That said, you’re doing a heck of a job Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney.

Rumsfeld Authorized Torture At Abu Ghraib

Time to hold people accountable, starting with Rumsfeld! Former Brigadier General Janice Karpinski, who supervised Abu Ghraib prison under the US forces in Iraq, said in an interview with a Spanish newspaper that Donald Rumsfeld authorized the cruel and inhumane torture of prisoners.

If this is true there must be a full investigation and if the evidence shows it, prosecution for war crimes. Rumsfeld may have figured he could retire and step into oblivion, but if he is guilty, he must be called to account for his crimes.

Then, turn to his boss, George W. Bush and find out how much he knew or authorized. The American and Iraqi people must have an explanation.

Shiites Burn Sunni's Alive - Peace Is On The March

Gotta love that old time religion! Shiites grabbed 6 Sunni worshipers as they left a mosque today and doused them with gasoline and set them ablaze. Funny, I have read the Koran and I found nothing about this practice in there. If these guys are acting in the name of their religion, they must be reading a different Prophet.

Of course religious teachings never stopped Christians from lynching blacks in the South not so long ago, so I guess the words of the Prophet Mohammed might go just about as far with his followers. For that we should all morn. Iraq has descended into a crazy religious holy war and our presence is fanning the flames. (OK bad analogy.)

Tragedies like this will only increase as long as we keep our troops as occupiers in a nation in the midst of a civil war, and we do nothing to stop it. We must either become real peace keepers, by actually stopping this kind of stuff, or we should get out. Yes we broke it, and now I suspect no amount of armed force can put it back together again. I would suggest sending Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld over to personally try to stand between the warring factions and stop the war. Needless to say that will never happen, and it would do no good. What it would do is act as a wake up call for our alleged leaders to the gawd awful mess they have made. Somebody has to be made accountable.

Happy Thanksgiving

Here in Texas it’s a slightly warmer than usual Thanksgiving Day. 75 expected to be the high temperature, so no snow on the ground. Still it feels like Thanksgiving. I rose early to put the Turkey in the oven and later my family and friends will gather for the traditional food orgy that accompanies most Thanksgivings in the US.

I am reminded that while we feast much of the world starves. Americans will average over 3500 calories a day in the food we consume. Compare this to sub Saharan Africa where the average is only 2000 calories a day. That alone should be reason enough to give thanks. We are very lucky people.

For those who would challenge that claim saying, "luck has nothing to do with it, it’s hard work that makes us great". I would remind them that the subsistence farmer in South America works harder than most of us and he still barely ekes out a living. For that matter in this country there are hundreds of thousands of people working at minimum wage jobs, barely able to feed themselves without public assistance, and they work hard, very hard.

Hard work is important, but most of us are just plain lucky. Lucky to be born into a family with enough money to send us to school. Lucky to have the contacts and wealth to afford a good university. Lucky to be born with the right skin color or the right sexual organs to be successful with a minimum of obstacles in our way. For that we should be truly grateful, and give thanks.

Most importantly is the way we give thanks. I personally choose to show my gratitude to God and to my fellow human beings by making sure that at least a few people who might go to bed hungry are fed. I shop for several families’ Thanksgiving meal as part of my church benevolence program. I donate to charities to provide food and health care to the poor and underinsured. I pray with all my heart that my country can find a path to help the less fortunate of the world and ease the crippling affliction of hunger.

Not to be didactic, but for me, service is the best form of giving thanks. I only wish I could do more, but that is our lot as human beings. We can never be perfect, but we can strive for perfection and follow our better instincts.

At this festive time of year, I am grateful and wish everyone a joyful and bountiful Thanksgiving.

Jobless Rate Grows By 12,000 Last Week

The jobless rate jumped 12,000 people last week, even after adjustment for seasonal changes. This means that "good economy" Bush brags about is an illusion for at least 12,000 Americans last week. Isn’t it time we started doing something about it? Tax cuts for the rich do nothing to boost the economy. They already have all the Mercedes and Lexus they need and their investments don’t create jobs, only more money for speculators and the markets.

It’s time everyone in this country paid their fair share and helped get us back on track. Write your congressman or you newly elected congressman and let them know how you feel.

Video Of US Troops Teasing Thirsty Children - Not Good PR!

If there is any wonder some Iraqi’s hate us here is a pretty good reason. This video posted on YouTube show soldiers tempting Iraqi children with bottled water, then pulling away before giving it to them. Oh yes! That’s a funny joke! A real knee slapper.



Next time a roadside bomb kills an American GI we should have all the soldiers watch this video. Maybe they will understand why they are not winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. Now before I get a thousand flames on this, I know this may be an isolated incident, but still it should not happen. If we are really there to help the Iraqi’s we should do so without making them grovel, teasing them or showing our cruel nature. Come on guys, you can do better than this. I believe in our troops good nature and best motives. Show these people you give a damn about them and they might return the favor sometime. Who knows, it might save your life?

Federal Judge Orders FBI To Celar Up Facts Surrounding Saudi Secret Flights After 9/11

Well anyone who remembers the accusations that Saudi royals and members of the Bin Laden family were secretly flow out of the US following 9/11 during the time when no air travel was allowed will be happy about this. A federal judge has ordered the FBI to clear up the fogy facts they presented in the 9/11 report.

He said their version of events strained credulity and wants things cleared up. This will play out in the courts but it’s a start to the real facts behind 9/11.

13th District Race In Florida Challenged - Recount or Revote Needed

Well it’s about time! The 13 District Congressional Election in Florida is officially being challenged. This is a district that used no-paper-trail electronic voting machines and had an astounding 15% undervote. Undervote means that voters cast ballots for NEITHER candidate in that district, but voted for other candidates and initiatives. That adds up to 17,000 votes and is way too fishy to go unchallenged.

Remember this is Florida, home of Kathrine Harris and the hanging chads. Elections have been finagled here before and this time it’s going to be brought into the open. The real answer is another election, which is part of what the Jennings camp is seeking. Let’s hope it works. The black box electronic voting machines are way too prone to hacking, tampering and downright fraud with no way to trace the problem.

TV's Kramer Goes On Racist Rant

It’s always sad when someone who you always thought was a funny guy turns out to be not so funny after all. This is the case of Michael Richards, Kramer of "Seinfeld" fame. He was apparently being heckled at a recent live appearance at the Laugh Factory in LA when he absolutely lost it. He starts shouting and calling audience members "nigger" and that is the milder stuff. Most of the audience gets up and leaves in disgust.

How can you blame them? He was not being funny; he was just spewing hate. Frustration or not, there is no excuse for what Richards did, and I hope the management of the Laugh Factory will not ask him to return. Pity that my assumptions about him were wrong. I figured he was a pretty nice guy with a twisted sense of humor. Instead he is trying the grab the title from Mel Gibson for "Bigot of the Year".

McCain Now Anti-Abortion - Massive Flip-Flop!

John McCain has sold his soul to the GOP. Who can I say this? Well look at his recent cuddle-fest with the Bush Junta. He was tarred and feathered by Bush operatives during the primaries and now he’s best buddies. Looks like a deal was made somewhere. Second bit of damning evidence? Now after firmly stating that he was pro choice, he now says he favors overturning Roe Vs Wade.

This is not just a "flip-flop" it’s a blatant move toward the hard right and the Falwell camp. McCain want’s a cozy seat as VP before the 2008 elections, and it doesn’t take a genius to anticipate Cheney stepping down soon to allow a possible contender to get a prized incumbency.

Watch for Cheney to suddenly have "health" concerns and move aside to allow a GOP hopeful to fill his seat. My bet is on McCain, but Condi Rice is another strong contender, unless the whole Bush-Rice affair blows up.

Houston Police Trample Union Picket Line

Houston Police, known in my younger days as pretty durn brutal, are earning their reputation again. They used horses to trample protesting members of the Janitor’s union. How heartless is that. Trample people who earn minimum wage and have no health insurance?

Once again they are doing the bidding of Exxon and Chevron who oppose the union. Call your congressman and stop this crap.

Einstein Was Right!

So Einstein may have been right, even when he doubted himself. New photos and data from the Hubble Space Telescope reveal that much of the universe is filled with what some call "dark energy" and that, in a way, justifies Einstein’s Constant that has given physicists so much to debate for years.

Way too technical to get into here, but this article in the Houston Chronicle explains it pretty well.

America Defeats Hunger – At Least In Double-Speak

According to the Bush Government Hunger is no longer a problem in America. The numbers don’t bear this out but who cares when you are a neocon you can lie about anything. The numbers? 11.9% of Americans had trouble feeding themselves in 2005, but today only 11%! Nice drop, but no hunger? Well actually the government has eliminated the word hunger, people who go to bed at night without having eaten during the day are now no longer "hungry", they have "very low food security".

Genius! Don’t call it hunger and it’s gone! And now we just have to stop calling Bush President and he will be instead, "impersonator of a world leader". I hope a democrat is ready to step in and clean out that office so we can have a real president again.

I'm In Atlanta Today

Attending the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions convention and trade show. Kind of like a big carnival of carnivals and park people. I used to be involved in this business and was invited to attend with friends still doing that line of work. The interesting thing is that the Park business is a barometer of the countries economy and attitudes.

Other than the big companies monopolizing the industry, the prevailing attitude is still good and the show keeps growing. More later and maybe pictures for all your ride junkies.

Rush Limbaugh Finally Over The GOP

Rush Limbaugh may finally be over his affliction with the GOP disease. On his show last week after the elections he made the following remark:

"…people have been asking me how I feel all night long. The way I feel is this: I feel liberated, and I'm going to tell you as plainly as I can why. I no longer am going to have to carry the water for people who I don't think deserve having their water carried. "

Sounds like Rush has finally seen reality and understands that the Bush administration and the Neocons do not have a clue beyond their own nearsighted ideology. Creating his or her own reality has been a miserable failure and now that the fog is lifting even someone as right wing as Rush can see it. The Emperor Bush is naked as a JayBird and it’s time we threw him a towel.

My prediction: Cheney will step down within a year to allow a possible Republican Presidential candidate to have the benefit of incumbency. Karl Rove will be gone in a year and so will most of his Neocon goons.

The rats are leaving the sinking ship of state and it’s about time. Now all we have to do is keep whoever takes the help honest and accountable and firmly based in reality. That will be quite a job in itself.

Fidel Castro In Ailing Health

Fidel Castro will turn 80 next month if his health holds out. Experts suspect he has some sort of cancer that will prove to be fatal in the near future. While the speculation about Cuba’s suture is high, I think it is important to look at their past.

Cuba is a nation that has inflamed American’s since the late 1800’s. There was talk after the Civil War of annexation of the island and after the Spanish-American war it was to become a US protectorate for a period of 20 years. President McKinley abandoned this plan and Cuba gained its independence in 1906.

From that time forward, the US occasionally meddled in Cuban affairs until 1925 when the island nation finally established a stable government. Again in 1933 a military coup changed the islands government again and in 1934 General Batista gained control with the help of the Cuban Army. Later he ran for president and won with broad support from many including the communist party who sought land reforms.

By the 1950’s Batista was loosing power and after it seemed he was destined to loose he next election he initiated another coup and installed himself as President through the use of force. Fidel Castro entered the picture in the early 1950’s with a group of idealistic rebels who sought to overthrow Batista. The ensuing revolution led to Castro being installed as Prime Minister of Cuba in 1959.

He has held onto that position as the leader of Cuba until this year when he temporarily handed over power to his brother for medical reasons. As of 2006 he is the world’s longest-ruling current head of government.

Why is this interesting? Well US presidents from Eisenhower to Bush II have railed against Cuba and it’s policies. We have embargoed and rattled our sabers and to no avail, with the notable exception of getting Russian missiles removed during the "Cuban Missile Crisis".

Today, Cuba trades with most Latin American countries and the European Union. Still the US refuses to deal with one of our closest neighbors. I can only hope that should Fidel Castro die, hat farsighted politicians in the US will seize the opportunity to once again make attempts to normalize relations with Cuba. For too long Fidel has been used as the boogieman to instill fear of negotiations with Cuba. Besides, I hate having to go out of the country to buy fine Cuban cigars.

MSNBC Shows 87% Want Impeachment - Wait A While...

It is an interesting position the Democrats find themselves in. The overwhelming majority of folks surveyed recently by MSNBC want Bush impeached. Yet, Pelosi and Dean say they want no impeachment.

Why? Well, my theory is that as long as the threat of impeachment, and a popular impeachment at that, hangs over Bush’s head, he will be more agreeable to the proposals put forward by the Democratic Senate and House. So, maybe some of the disastrous policies he enacted can be reversed. On balance, that would be worth more than a quickie impeachment.

Does that make me want it any less, not really, but I understand the political leverage it implies and that is a good thing. Now, Democrats, hold your representatives responsible for their work and let’s see some changes now.

By the way, I have already ordered my "Pelosi 2007" bumper sticker. The joke will not be lost on anyone with a little political savvy.

MSNBC Shows 87% Want Impeachment - Wait A While...

It is an interesting position the Democrats find themselves in. The overwhelming majority of folks surveyed recently by MSNBC want Bush impeached. Yet, Pelosi and Dean say they want no impeachment.

Why? Well, my theory is that as long as the threat of impeachment, and a popular impeachment at that, hangs over Bush’s head, he will be more agreeable to the proposals put forward by the Democratic Senate and House. So, maybe some of the disastrous policies he enacted can be reversed. On balance, that would be worth more than a quickie impeachment.

Does that make me want it any less, not really, but I understand the political leverage it implies and that is a good thing. Now, Democrats, hold your representatives responsible for their work and let’s see some changes now.

By the way, I have already ordered my "Pelosi 2007" bumper sticker. The joke will not be lost on anyone with a little political savvy.

Nude Sculptures Are Forbidden In Colorado!

So if you live in Colorado, you probably have a real problem with the human body. It’s dirty! At least according to fundamentalist wackos in Loveland, Co. There the city council has been forced to move a sculpture of three nudes from a public location because children can see it. What?

Guess all those dirty sculptures in the Vatican and all over Paris, London, Rome, Athens will have to be rated PG-17. May God save us all from these idiots.

Ok, so maybe I am being uncharitable, but come on folks, if we start finding porn in every depiction of the human anatomy, then where do we stop? Doe we get everyone to cover themselves from head to toe in black cloth? Funny, this is exactly what is going on in countries like Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan. Does no one see the irony in this crap?

Besides, isn't Colorado home of Ted Haggard?

Rumsfels and Gonzales Charged With War Crimes

So now we know why Bush refused to sign on to the International Court agreement a few years ago! Looks like Germany is filing charges against Gonzo and Rummy for war crimes!

About time someone took their actions seriously. The sad truth is hat probably nothing will come of this unless they travel overseas where they could be arrested if the charges stick. Looks like that 100,000 acres in Paraguay Bush recently purchased may come in handy. Does anyone else see this as analogous to what the Germans did after WW2? Paraguay became home to lots of expatriot Nazis, so why not US war criminals?

Fireworks Fun? Not In Your Butt!

And I thought only Americans did stupid things on video. A UK soldier just returning from Iraq found a party boring and so decided to liven it up by sticking a bottle rocket up his ass. The shaky cell phone video shows the "funny" scene. Not so funny for the soldier. After everyone laughed, he stood up walked a few steps then collapsed, bleeding from his anus.

At the hospital, he was diagnosed with a scorched colon and other internal injuries. He will probably recover, but may have permanent damage. Why are we raising so stupid a generation of folks around the world? Who knows? I personally suspect it comes from people not understanding the difference between reality and fantasy. In other words watching too much TV and figuring out that if they can do it so can you.

Time to show just how dangerous things on TV really are. You rarely see the outtakes where the stunt person is carried away on a stretcher, or how the whole thing was computer generated to avoid the danger. Come on folks, do a little critical thinking!

Mexico City Passes Gay Union Law

It’s pretty telling when Mexico has better protection for the rights of Gay and Lesbians than the US. In a historic move Mexico City passed a resolution providing for protections just short of marriage for homosexual couples. Check the laws in our capitol, and you won’t find anything like that. Sad really, that a city whose population is overwhelmingly Catholic can find a way to give it’s Gay and Lesbian citizens more rights then the US Capital city.

I knew there was a reason why I loved Mexico, even with it's civil unrest and social problems.

Woman Sees Angel At Florida Fair?

And if you believe this one, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

So a woman and her kids go to the Florida State Fair and ride the Ferris Wheel. She takes a digital picture and later discovers a strange shape in the frame. Now most folks would think, hum, well it was night and lots of lights. Maybe a moth flew in front of the camera. Not Catherine Austin. She believes the out-of-focus moth is an angel.

I have no problem with people believing in angels, or anything, but perhaps this story shows us why critical thinking should be taught in our schools. The old standby Occam’s Razor would tell us that the simplest explanation is probably the correct one. Apparently not in Florida.

Gas Prices Start To Rise - Big Surprise!

As expected the price of gas is already rising here in Texas. Just as predicted the elections brought lower prices and once the GOP lost...well you get the idea.

Here are the average numbers from our area here in Dallas:

Last Week:2.039
Today:2.061

(Numbers from Dallasgasprices.com a really cool site!)

Not much so far but watch the. You will see them get higher and higher now that the energy lobby has less power in DC.

If It Looks Like A Duck...And Limps Like A Duck It Must Be Bush

Lame duck President, George Bush is trying to push through the nomination of John Bolton still. He figures he better make hay while the sun shines. It remains to be seen if Congress will go along with a man who proved to be a Jonah to the party during the elections.

Meanwhile, speculation still running high here as to exactally when Karl Rove will resign. Maybe about the time Laura's divorce papers become public?

Ken Mehlman Steps Down! Christmas Is Early This Year!

And the GOP Exodus continues! Ken "I’m Not Gay" Mehlman has announced he will leave as Party Chair at the end of the year. Come on Karl, you can do it. Don’t you want to spend some more time with your family?

My happy feet just can’t stop dancing!

It's Official - Democrats Win The Senate!

As predicted George Allen made his concession speech his afternoon at 3:00pm Eastern time. This officially clears the way for the Democratic Tsunami to wash over Washington and begin to clean out the dirt for good.

Bush is frantically trying to push through a few items that will go nowhere in the next session of Congress and though he speaks of bipartisanship, his actions again show him to be the "liar in chief". Hasty phone calls were the start of trying to force John Bolton down the throats of the US, but that seems to have stalled.

Watch for other quickie surprises before the Dems are sworn in, and most importantly, lets keep this new Congress responsive to the will of the people. They owe us all, and we must hold them accountable.

Let the subpoenas begin!

Prediction: George Allen Concedes Today.

GOP is pressuring Allen to face the facts and step aside. This will return the Senate to Democratic control. Now with that said, let's hope Allen reeally follows through and gives up. His opponent has a 7000+ margin and recounts in Virginia have traditionally been unproductive.

Now if we can just do something about that pesky guy in the White House....send him packing.

UPDATE: MSNBC now says Allen will concede at 3:00pm Eastern time. Looks llike I called this one correct. Now if my hunch that Karl Rove will soon step down to spend more time with his family is correct I will start a new career as a pundit.

Hastert Steps Down, Too!

It feels like an early Christmas! Denis Hastert has said he will step down as well! And he will not seek reelection. Even better!

Rummy Bails Out! Bush Lied Again!

OK, now I really am dancing the Schadenfreude Polka! Rummy has resigned, after Bush assuring us last week that Don Rumsfeld was going to be around another 2 years. Guess whenever Bush says anything it’s a bald-faced lie.

Wonder when he is going to say that he intends to serve out his full term? That would mean he is boarding a plane to Paraguay any minute. Oh, if that wish could come true! But for now, the tie in the Senate and the promising recount in Virginia will have to do.

Personally, I can’t wait for Nancy Pelosi to be sworn in as Speaker of the House! America has spoken, and the message was a big raspberry to Bush and company.

Republicans Loose The House - Bipartisan Government Returns!

Well after dancing for a few minutes last night, I have settled in to watch the lawyers figure out the recounts to decide the senate, either way he people have spoken with a pretty resounding voice. "Enough is Enough!"

Bush awakens to a lame duck presidency and all his dirty tricks and propaganda amount to nothing now. It will be a pleasure to see congress actually deliberate over issues and perhaps a real system of checks and balances will return. Dems picked up more than enough seats in the House to win control and the senate is way too close to call, yet.

Governors are trending blue as well. Democrats took posts from Republicans in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Arkansas and Colorado. In fact for the first time in quite a few years Democrats hold more gubernatorial seats than Republicans do.

Now some real investigations can begin to the corruption of the GOP and the congress can get down to real business and get us out of the mess in Iraq. Impeachment? I doubt it, but some selective prosecutions for crimes would be in order for quite a few folks. Otherwise, reconciliation will work better toward getting the country back in good health.

Waterboarding Torture Demonstrated On Fox News

So as many readers of this blog know I am a member of the Leather/BDSM community. Yea, the "whips and chains" crowd to those unfamiliar with it. Here’s the distinction, what we do in our homes and playrooms is consensual and never intended to do permanent damage to anyone either psychologically or physically. We play by the guidelines of "safe, sane and consensual". That said…

Fox News recently had one of their reporters endure a "waterboarding" to show just what it is. I assume it was designed to show that it was not so bad and wasn’t torture. Guess what? It is! I found I couldn’t watch the activity. It was unsafe, even with the three helpers and it is immoral. Whatever you call it, it is drowning.

The reporter was clearly being handled with kid gloves, and I am sure our detainees are being treated much more intensely. The problems? First the possibility of getting water in the lungs is almost assured if this isn’t done carefully. That leads to pneumonia and can be fatal. The extreme state of panic induced by drowning clearly falls into the cruel punishment category and should not be tolerated by a civilized society.

In truth put in such a circumstance, I would tell whatever lie necessary to get them to stop. So much for getting reliable information from the prisoner!

This has to stop and the people involved need to be brought to trial. After all, we tried and convicted Japanese soldiers after WW2 for this activity and called it War Crimes then. It still is and those responsible for it and its endorsement must be made accountable.

Saddam Calls For Peace And Reconciliation - What?

First off, I think the death penalty is wrong and immoral. That said, today Saddam Hussein appeared in court and made a statement that was amazing. He said, "I call on all Iraqis, Arabs and Kurds, to forgive, reconcile and shake hands…". He invoked the names of both the Prophet Mohammed and Jesus in his statements.

Perhaps the world has shifted on its axis, but apparently faced with the finality of his sentence, Saddam had an epiphany. Too bad the Iraqi court didn’t have one and decided to hang him. I would urge them to look at how South Africa resolved the problems after apartheid. Councils of reconciliation make more sense than vengeance. But, that was South Africa and this is the Middle East.

Seems reconciliation is anathema to Middle Easterners, no matter what their ethnicity or religion. I wonder if it isn’t in the water. Perhaps hey have been drinking from the Dead Sea. Maybe they should try a sip from the water of the Jordan. I seem to remember that just getting doused with it could change people’s lives.

More Illegal GOP Voting Scams Turning Up

GOP dirty trick spread! Now there are voters getting bogus calls telling them they will be arrested if they vote. This is a further expansion of the illegal activity in New Hampshire that brought quick action by the state.

Ken Melman, Karl Rove and the other GOP criminals need to be arrested and tried for trying to defraud the public in this election. If you receive any suspicious calls, telling you to vote in a different place, that you cannot vote or claiming to have information that could prevent you from voting, call your county election officials immediately.

GOP Placing Harrassing Phone Calls To Dem Voters

So just when I thought there were no more Republican dirty tricks this show up and this time it’s a clear violation of the law.

Republican operatives have started placing automated phone calls to Democratic voters posing as Democratic candidates. These call repeat again and again all night long in some cases to piss the voter off enough that they will either not vote or vote Republican.

THIS IS A TRICK, and if you have gotten these calls disregard them they are a scam.

Check out this story on Americablog and see what is going on.

CNN Shows Ease Of Hacking Diebold Machines - Demand Paper Ballots Tuesday!

Demand paper ballots at the polls his Tuesday. If they refuse, call your local TV news crew or the paper and stay until they arrive.

Why so adamant about it? Well check out the story that ran on CNN Friday about the Diebold machines. The actually hacked a machine in just 2 minutes and showed how the election can be stolen with no paper trail. Voting officials are given machines to take home with them before elections because counties have no money for delivery and secure storage of the machines. What the heck is going on?

The story is so amazingly bad that Lou Dobbs just shook his head after hearing it on CNN.

DO NOT VOTE WITH AN ELECTRONIC MACHINE, DEMAND PAPER BALLOTS! IT IS OBVIOUS THAT PEOPLE CAN STEAL THIS ELECTION AND NEVER BE CAUGHT.

US Tries To Bar Prisoners From Discussing Torture

OK, here’s the logic:

I torture you even though it’s illegal.

Then I pass a law that says you can’t have a civilian attorney.

Then I pass a law that says you can’t tell anyone I tortured you.

Now I can torture you and continue to lie that I don’t torture.

Crazy? Nope that’s just what Bush wants to do and it’s so out of the park when it comes to constitutional infractions that it’s laughable. That is if people were not being tortured.

The courts under Bush pressure may rule that revealing techniques used to interrogate prisoners is a breach of national security. What the f$*k is happening in this country? That kind of stuff is right out of Orwell and we can’t allow it to continue. More and more we are moving to the status of "rogue state" and before long we will end up on Amnesty International’s top 10 list. That means we will have become a nation that ranks right up there with North Korea.

Already a poll of people in the UK shows that they fear George Bush more than Kim Jung-Il.

We must stop this juggernaut and get America back to being the bastion of freedom it once was. Vote these bastards out on Tuesday and lets take back our country from the criminals who control it.

Military Newspaper Says Rummy Must Go

So now even the Military Times newspaper is saying Don Rumsfeld should get the boot. I have to wonder when Mr. Bush will start listening and stop denying the reality of the situation. The military is in disarray because the top leader is a liar and failed to plan for the future. Rumsfeld is part of the Bush Cabal, and as such he will be difficult to dislodge, but the truth is he is part of the problem and needs to go.

The other part of the problem is Dick Cheney and George Bush, but dislodging them will have to wait until after the mid-term elections.

Had enough, vote Democratic.

"Tempting Faith" A Revelation And A Great Read

David Kuo, formerly of the Faith Based and Community initiatives office in the White House has written a book that had the media chattering a few weeks ago about how the Bush White House referred to the Evangelical Religious Right as the "nuts". Additional colorful terms were used to describe the far right base that helped elect Bush, but I will forgo those here.

In his interviews, David repeatedly said the book was a story of his faith journey, and after reading it I agree. It is a story of one man’s journey into faith, politics and finally into a kind of epiphany about the politics of Washington and how the Bush White House in particular uses people for it’s own purposes.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found elements of my own faith journey in it. The exception is hat mine was as a gay man and David’s is not. His time as speechwriter for the neocons and policy wonk is fascinating stuff, and though you may or may not be a Christian, it will give you a lot of insight.

In the end David has a recommendation for the Religious Right and I heartily agree. Fasting. Fasting from politics for a couple of years and getting back to the work of Jesus. Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, healing the sick. You know, the stuff Jesus talks about ad nauseum? Funny how the word Christian has become identified with intolerance, greed and politics. Like Mr. Kuo, I have to wonder how the faithful could have strayed so far from the way.

GOP Get Money From Bareback Gay Porn!

I believe it was Jesus who called the Pharisees a "brood of vipers". He was referring to their hypocrisy in flaunting their piousness but actually being far less than holy men.

With all the scandals coming out about the GOP in recent weeks and the latest whopper involving Ted Haggard, the Colorado Evangelical caught with his pants down, what's next?

Surprise, ABC news reports that the Republican National Committee has been accepting money from a prominent gay porn producer. These are the same "vipers" who want to convince us they are against porn and are pure as driven snow. Family Values voters must be shaking their heads and wondering what is going on.

Here's what's going on, the Republicans are playing the religious right like a violin. They have been using and abusing the Evangelical vote for years and finally it's coming home to roost.
The press has woken from their 9/11 induced slumber and its a feeding frenzy with all the hot topics popping up.

Not only are the GOP getting funds from Gay Porn, but it's "bareback" or unsafe sex porn at that featuring military men! Jeff Gannon was only the tip of the iceberg. The GOP is apparently a nest of self-hating, internalized homophobes who have been hiding in the closet. Well guys, come out and shake off that secrecy. It's the 21st century and being gay or lesbian is mainstream. You can be gay and have a good life, go to church and be happy. Really! Get over this GOP denial crap and start living in the light.. and by the way, vote Democratic. The Democrats support being out of the closet.

Evangelical Leader Peeks Out Of Gay Closet.

And so truth starts to peek out of the dark closet of Rev. Ted Haggard. He admits to "some" of the charges. He has been accused of patronizing a gay hustler and using Crystal Meth. Great stuff for a "Man of God".

The sad thing is that the whole problem is his being in the closet to begin with. Had he lived his life openly and honestly, there would be no scandal. I suspect the drug use flowed from the self-hatred that kept him in the closet in the first place.

Time for gay Christians to come out and live openly. It is not only possible to be a gay or lesbian Christian but rewarding. Why take God’s gift of your sexuality and hide it under a basket? (or a closet)

Maybe he should try looking into any of the welcoming and affirming churches, like the MCC or United Church of Christ. He could start by checking my church out.

Rev. Haggard Finds Comfort In The Arms Of A Gay Hustler?

"Oh Lord, deliver us from the closet. For in that darkness the true evil of self hatred and internalized homophobia dwell. Help us to come out, in to the light of truth and the fullness of your grace."

At least that is the prayer Ted Haggard should be praying right now. Seems Rev. Haggard may have been patronizing a Gay hustler who leaked the story to the press. (A charge Haggard denies.) Well another GOP closet case is exposed and all I can say is, have mercy on them. Don't vote for them, but have mercy.

Haggard, whose church décor sounds more like a very exclusive gay bath house has a nation-wide ministry that opposes gay rights and gay marriage. Wasn’t there something about removing a log from your eye before removing the mote from…?

Bush Building Internment Camps In US. Are You Ready For Change Now?

Bush and his Reich are now working to build detainment camps in the US. Fiction? Nope, the sad truth is that the unprecedented Military Commissions Act which remove our traditional right of Habeas Corpus also provides for camps to be built on US soil to hold basically whoever Bush deems an enemy. No evidence needed, no right to appeal, nada, ZIP!

If that doesn’t scare the living s%$t out of you I don’t know what will. Take to the polls, and if you are not given a paper ballot, protest and call the media. Do not let these thugs take over our freedoms. They already are running us toward totalitarianism, and full dictatorship is not far behind.

UPDATE: Check this out about Halliburton building the camps as we speak.

America Near Bottom Of Scale On Privacy

Ah America, the greatest country in the world! We value our freedom, our free press, our standard of living and our privacy. Well , if you read my previous posts you know that free press thing and standard of living are myths. We rank lower than most of the European countries on both, and now there is the privacy issue.

Well looks like we are not number 1 at that either. In fact we are close to the bottom, right along with China, Russia and the UK (camera country). It’s time we stopped believing the myths and started doing something to make our country better. Time to take back our democracy from the companies and politicians who have sold it off to the highest bidder.

Had Enough? Vote Democratic.

Diebold Machines Rigged Again! Fight Back!

Watch the HBO Documentary on voting tonight. It unfortunately is too little too late, because the vote fraud is already afoot. Diebold machines in Dallas have started vote hopping, in other words you pick a Democrat and they show a Republican.

Here is a letter from a voter who had her vote jump from Libertarian to Republican on her machine. Enough is enough. It’s pitchforks and torches time folks. We have to stop this crap and assure real accurate voting. DEMAND A PAPER BALLOT at you polling place. If they won’t give it to you call the press and get them there ASAP. The Republicans and their big business flunkies are going to try to steal this election and hey have to be caught red handed.

Carry your cell phone and call if you see irregularities.

Ann Coulter May Face Prosecution For Voting Fraud

Everyone's favorite right-wing harpie may be facing a few years in prison if she does not cooperate with Palm Beach County's elections officials. It's a developing story and bears watching.

Mac Vs PC Or Was That Democrat Vs GOP?

The web had spawned a lot of creative folks who are using viral-TV to get political messages out. This one created and written by John Kramer, Directed by Jeff Hadick, Produced by Shannon O'Neil, is a great example. Pass it on.

BlogActive Ad Outs Ken Mehlman

This is a dead on parody of the current ads the GOP has been running, and it's a nice way to out Ken Melman, GOP Chairman.

John Kerry Grows Cajones! Rips Bush And GOP A New One!

John Kerry has finally broken free from the political consultants that had him hold his tongue during the campaign in 2004! After the GOP spinners distorted a remark he made about the failed policies of Bush and Company in Iraq, he held a press conference to set the record straight.

His response was passionate and direct and exactly what needs to be said to this bunch of GOP hacks running our country. I only wish he had said this back in 2004. He might have saved hundreds of lives of our soldiers, and the country from the second term of the Bush disaster.

Give ‘em hell John!

Republican Judges Buy Their Seats From GOP Lawmakers

Surprise! Another GOP scandal. Not really much of a surprise. Seems judges have been buying their benches in the GOP. An investigative article in Salon.com shows that GOP appointed judges donated as much as $44,000 to the politicians influential in getting them appointed. I guess this is just another example of everything being for sale in the Republican run government.

Perhaps the best strategy for Democrats is to buy the government back from the GOP. Seems they have set a price on democracy in this once free country and maybe that would be the easiest tactic.

Had enough? Vote Democratic.

Cheney Shredding Documents. Does He Know Something We Don't?

Combine the storry about Bush buying a big chunk of Paraguay with this and you gotta wonder if the rumors aren’t true. Seems Mr. Cheney has a fleet of shredder trucks arriving at the Vice Presidents residence last week. Hummmm? Could he be shredding evidence to avoid war crimes prosecution? Will Bush and Cheney flee the country like third world despots after a revolution?

Keep you eyes open and your votes on paper ballots. Had enough? Vote Democratic.

Republicans Raise Funds From Gay Porn

GOP the party of family values apparently takes money from a major producer of gay porn. I have absolutely no problem with adult films, especially gay ones, but since the GOP has been so sanctimonious about their "family values" and since they have attacked Democrats for the same thing, it’s open season on their hypocrisy.

Had enough? Vote Democratic, and while you’re at it get your friends to do the same.

Priest In Mark Foley Scandal Sued By Former Alter Boy

If it’s not a politician in a sex scandal, it’s the priests who abused them. Looks like the priest accused of molesting Mark Foley is being sued by a former alter boy for the same thing. OK, I know it’s kind of old news that the Catholic Church has been harboring sex criminals for years, but when are they going to come clean and boot them?

More importantly, when is someone going to see this for what it is, conspiracy to cover up the crimes. From my vantage point it might fall under racketeering at the federal level and that could really blur the lines between church and state, but in this case the church is actively involved in committing and concealing criminal acts.

Bush Signing Statement Reserves Right To Another Katrina Disaster

Sometimes the hubris of the Bush White House is stunning. Today is a prime example. In another of his infamous signing statements, Mr. Bush now reserves the right to repeat the failures of Katrina all over again.

Congress went to a lot of trouble to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including a requirement that any director have 5 years experience in the field. Guess what? Bush reserves the right to hire someone equally as unqualified as "Brownie" again! Guess the decider doesn’t like Congress second guessing his decisions?

Bush is determined that nothing will diminish his executive power. Not Congress. Not the courts. Nobody! If this is not shaping up to be a dictatorship I don’t know what is. If you value your nation and your freedom, vote Democratic this November, and pray Diebold hasn’t thrown the election to the GOP.

Bush Wants To Cut And Run IN Iraq Now. Why Won't He Cut And Run From The White House?

So how would you interpret the statement, "if we can’t win, I’ll pull us out." Sounds like "Cut and Run" to me! First of all, I believe we shouldn’t be in Iraq in the first place. We were sold a pack of lies to get us there, and impeachable if not treasonous event, and beyond that we’ve left the country in chaos.

How? Well having no clue or plan as to what to do once we invade would be my first guess. Disbanding the military without having anything for the ex-military to do would be a second clue. Allowing the looting and destruction of the county's infrastructure would be the third guess. I could go on but you probably know the rest.

Now Bush in a speech to conservative journalists says he is willing to cut and run if it looks really bad. How bad is really bad? Do we have to loose another few thousand US troops? Do we have to loose another 100,000 Iraqi civilians? Do we have to have full-blown civil war with daily massacres?

Get a clue Mr. Bush. We have already screwed it up and now you are going to leave the mess for someone else to clean up. Kinda like your life isn’t it. Failed in business after business and left the mess for others. Enough is enough. Leave the White House now. After all you’ve screwed up our country as well, leave the mess for a real statesman and leader to fix. Please, leave now!

US Ranks 53rd In Press Freedom! What Is Happening?

I constantly was told growing up that America is the most free country in the world. We have the highest standard of living, and the most press freedoms of any country in the world.

Well you can imagine my surprise when I discovered we are neither of those things. Looks like we only rank 6th in standard of living. Still in the top 10 but less than Norway, Sweden, Canada, Belgium and Australia. And free press?

Well we rank in a tie with Botswana, Croatia and Tonga in press freedom at a lowly 53 place. That amazes me! We are less free, according to the worldwide press organization Reporters Without Borders, that every nation in the European Union and a large number of former Soviet Republics! Depressing? You bet, but next time you hear some politician lie about our freedom, let he or she know the truth and maybe we can change this.

According to Thomas Jefferson, "…were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter." Time to reclaim our freedom. I’ve had enough and I will vote straight Democratic Ticket this year. Time to send a message to Congress

Another Republican Sex Scandal! Yawn.

Apparently what happens in Las Vegas politics doesn't stay in Las Vegas. Jim Gibbons, Republican Congressman from Vegas was considered a shoe-in for Governor until this latest mess up. A waitress at a seafood restaurant says the Congressman got overly frisky and tried to assault her outside the establishment.

Gibbons says it's a mistake, but the waitress is not backing down. Will the Republicans ever be able to keep it in their pants? Apparently not.

ABC News Reports Possible Election Tampering

Oh now the mainstream press has woken up to the sad fact people in the blog-o-sphere have known for several years. Electronic voting is flawed and prone to trickery. ABC news report that the Diebold machines can be hacked. Duh! BradBlog has been thumping this fact for over a year and few are listening. Now, finally it makes the mainstream with no time left to do anything.

Get on your phone or email and write to your county election officials and demand paper ballots NOW before they can claim it’s too late to print them. Any county that is depending entirely on electronic machines is not a safe place to vote. DEMAND PAPER or maybe even a provisional ballot.

Diebold is in the pocket of the GOP and their machines cannot be trusted. Here in Texas they registered an erroneous 100,000 votes that never took place, in other words had it not been caught the machines could have throw the election.

This one may take storming the gates with pitchforks and torches. If the county refuses to provide paper ballots, go to the press. We must stop this before it is too late.

Diebold Voting Machine Software Stolen!

ALERT! Looks like software for the old Diebold Voting Machines has been stolen. That’ what will happen to this election if hackers with GOP contacts get hold of it too. If there were ever a reason to demand paper ballots this is it.

Ozone Hole Largest Ever Recorded!

Boy the good news just keeps coming! Scientists today announced that the ozone hole over Antarctica is the largest ever recorded. This means that the suns ultraviolet rays can penetrate this area unaltered. For a human, basking in the sunshine on an Antarctic Ice sheet that would mean really quick sunburn, and continued exposure would probably develop skin cancer rapidly.

Luckily, there are few sunbathers at the South Pole. Additionally, since the chemicals that caused the hole have been banned, scientists expect the hole to shrink to negligible size by 2065, just in time for my 115th birthday!

The moral of the story is this; we can do things to reverse problems caused to our climate with decisive and effective regulation. Wake up Bush science deniers! Sign Kyoto and let’s start reducing the CO2 emissions now!

Had enough? Vote Democratic.

Dirty Bomb Scare A Hoax FBI Says

So it was all a hoax according to the FBI who interviewed the man who posted the threat on the internet. Though this ties things up nice and tidy, I still have my doubts. Of course never underestimate the ignorance of people on the internet.

Bush Buys Land In Paraguay. Planning Post-Impeachment Escape?

Is Bush preparing for the aftermath of an impeachment or worse? According to Prensa Latina News Agency he has purchased over 90,000 acres of land in Paraguay near the Brazilian border and close to a US military base.

Wonkette has the details, including a vote by Paraguay to grant immunity to US troops from international prosecution and Jenna Bush making a diplomatic visit to Paraguay’s president.

Hey it worked for Ex-Nazis as a safe haven, why not for American War Criminals like Bush?

UPDATE: Now it looks like Rev. Moon has bought land near W's as well. This is getting strange children.

Judge Orders Cheney Visitor Records Released!

And soon we will know how many times Jack Abramoff really visited Dick Cheney. A judge ordered his visitor records today, an order that could spark a late election season debate over lobbyists' White House access.

There will be more scuffling and claims of executive privilege I am sure, but the truth may indeed come out.

Strange Reports of Dirty Bomb?

CNN has been talking today about dirty bomb threats in the US. After doing a short Google search I found this on a blog that confirms that threat and was pretty disturbing. If you have any info please contact the FBI now.

Related info published in the Sun, a UK newspaper might provide clues to this story. That story says that Adnan El Shukrijumah, who has a £2.5million bounty on his head, is suspected to be in the US.

Not to panic, but this one sounds pretty shady. Further stories show this as a "not credible" threat.

Welcome To The US Senate!

Wow, guess the Sargent at Arms of the Senate must be really interested in the rumors surrounding several Senators. They paid a visit this morning and actually took time to read a few pages. Thanks guys! I always wonder if anyone reads what I post.

Another Gay Closeted GOP Senator ?

Well another GOP member of congress may end up in the Gay Old Party category. Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) is being outed by a gay activist blog and on radio on the Ed Schultz Show.

Craig has voted against Gay Marriage in the past and says he supports "Family Values" which everyone knows is code language for anti-gay measures. Wonder who will be next? (Rick Perry must be squirming in the Governors Mansion right now.)

Remember this is still a rumor, so don't tell anyone!

Note: Howdy US Senate! Saw the Sgt. at Arms was on earlier today looking at this article. Hope you had time to read more.

Ken Lay Conviction Erased!

So now Ken Lay’s conviction is erased. What would happen if he turned up alive somewhere in the world? Would he be scott-free? Keep an eye out for Ken Lay sightings in the near future.

Bush Election Appointee Says System Ripe For Stealing The Election

Rev. DeForest Soaries, a bush appointee in charge of Election Assistance says the system is "ripe for stealing elections". He was appointed by George W. Bush as the first chair of the commission created by the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) after the election farce in Florida that brought Bush into power.

Soaries resigned in April saying he felt deceived by the administration and that they intended no reforms at all. The previously unpublished interview is online here at Bradblog. It is must reading for anyone who has doubts about the fairness of the upcoming election.

Throw Hastert Out Video - Great Stuff

Check out this great TV Spot on YouTube.

Chicken Hawks And Patriots - The List

So for all you folks out there who are wondering about that strong defense the Republicans are always talking about, here is a partial roll-call of the parties and their military service (courtesy of Zonk on AirAmerica blog):

Republicans

• Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
• Tom Delay: did not serve.
• Roy Blunt: did not serve.
• Bill Frist: did not serve.
• Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
• Rick Santorum: did not serve.
• Trent Lott: did not serve.
• Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
• John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
• Jeb Bush: did not serve.
• Karl Rove: did not serve.
• Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." The man who attacked Cleland's patriotism.
• Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
• Vin Weber: did not serve.
• Richard Perle: did not serve.
• Douglas Feith: did not serve.
• Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
• Richard Shelby: did not serve.
• Jon Kyl: did not serve.
• Tim Hutchison: did not serve.
• Christopher Cox: did not serve.
• Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
• Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor.
• George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard; got assigned to Alabama so he could campaign for family friend running for U.S. Senate; failed to show up for required medical exam, disappeared from duty.
• Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role making movies.
• Bob Dornan: Consciously enlisted after fighting was over in Korea.
• Phil Gramm: did not serve.
• John McCain: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.
• Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve.
• John M. McHugh: did not serve.
• JC Watts: did not serve.
• Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem," although continued in NFL for 8 years.
• Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard.
• Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
• George Pataki: did not serve.
• Spencer Abraham: did not serve.
• John Engler: did not serve.
• Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer.

Democrats

• Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
• David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.
• Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
• Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.
• Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
• Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
• John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, Purple Hearts.
• Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
• Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam.
• Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53.
• Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
• Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
• Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons.
• Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars, and Soldier's Medal.
• Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit.
• Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
• Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V.
• Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.
• Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57
• Chuck Robb: Vietnam
• Howell Heflin: Silver Star
• George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII.
• Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but received #311.
• Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy.
• Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
• John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 Clusters.
• Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg
  
  

And for the pundits, politicos and preachers who rant and rave supporting war:

• Sean Hannity: did not serve.
• Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst.')
• Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.
• Michael Savage: did not serve.
• George Will: did not serve.
• Chris Matthews: did not serve.
• Paul Gigot: did not serve.
• Bill Bennett: did not serve.
• Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
• Bill Kristol: did not serve.
• Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
• Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
• Clarence Thomas: did not serve.
• Ralph Reed: did not serve.
• Michael Medved: did not serve.

Eye opening isn’t it?

God, Guns & Gays Tactics Faltering For GOP

Finally there seems to be some kind of crack developing the issue of Gay Marriage for the GOP. A recent story in the NY Times discusses how new ballot measures in 13 states are loosing steam. Seems that the Third "G" of God Guns and Gays may be faltering ni the GOP Playbook.

Speaking of faltering the first "G" might be in trouble as well. In the new tell-all book by former Karl Rove assistant, "Tempting Faith" exposes how Republicans have "duped" the faithful in their campaigns. Additionally, quotes from Karl Rove calling the fundamentalists "nuts" won’t set well with the Religious Right.

That leaves the Gun lobby to hold up the faltering Republican elephant, and somehow I suspect that the NRA vote just won’t carry the elections.

Another GOP Diddling Pages? Jim Kolbe And Pages On Camping Trip

Well now looks like Jim Kolbe, Republican from Arizona is the next up in the gallery of shame. Questions have come up about a camping trip he took with pages 10 years ago. Another neocon in the closet?

NBC has the story, and it sounds like Kolbe may be next to take the perp walk.

Must See Video From ACLU

I was forwarded this flash presentation from the ACLU in my morning email. It is funny and poignant. Take 3 minutes and watch it.

More Sex Scandals In The GOP

I have a little shadenfreude about the Mark Foley thing I admit it, but in the great scheme of things it makes me sad. Foley, a closeted gay man, was living a sham life and acted out by going after vulnerable young men. I do not excuse his behavior, it’s not tolerable, but I understand the reasons he did it.

That said, it seems that the party that waved the flag of decency for so long is finally being examined to see if they live by their words. In other words, do the walk the walk. The answer would seem to be a resounding NO in many cases.

The Washington Post has a list of sex scandal tainted Republicans who are vulnerable because of their actions this year and they all deserve to be examined closely. Remember that this is the party that wraps itself in "family values" and moral decency. They have to be able to withstand the harsh light of examination if they are to uphold that cause. Otherwise, and this is what I really believe, they are just opportunistic hypocrites playing the Fundamentalists for patsies.

More Abuse At Guantanamo Bay

Good Morning! How about another fresh batch of US prisoner Abuses at Gitmo for your morning coffee? Here goes another round of investigations. This time just this September, guards at the Guantanamo base prison bragged of bashing prisoners heads into walls and worse.

Read it and try to keep your breakfast down.

Had enough? Vote Democratic.

In Defense Of Foley Republicans Get Desperate

The Republicans must really be on the ropes. Chris Shays, Republican from Connecticut, tried to invoke the specter of Chappaquiddick in defending Foley from charges of sexual impropriety. Instead of working the tasteless and lame statement makes him seem like he is desperate and grasping at straws.

Republican playbook rule #3: If you can’t blame Clinton (rule #1) or the gays (rule #2) dredge up Chappaquiddick.

This is way beyond sad, it's pathetic.

Don't Miss Circus Roncalli - A European Delight

A note from our recent vacation in Europe. While in Vienna, a city I fell in love with, my partner and I took in a performance by Circus Roncalli. This jewel-box of a circus is the brainchild of artistic director Bernhard Paul, and it is classic European Circus at its best. The tent, wagons and concessions all sparkle like they were transported from the early 1900’s. They are preserved and recreated to museum quality standards, something rarely seen anywhere.

The show was an outstanding example of traditional circus. Hosted by one of the finest clowns in the business, David Larible, the performance was a delight. It included traditional equestrian acts such as liberty horses and dressage. The horsemanship was flawless, and coming from a Texan that is a compliment!

This picture above is the Roncalli tent in front of the Rathaus (City Hall) in Vienna.

One of the highlights was the acrobatic duo of Sorellas. These two incredibly handsome men perform trapeze and acrobatics that rival any in the world while providing a sensual and uniquely masculine aura to the whole act.

By the show’s end, the Viennese audience, predominately adults, were on their feet clapping in rhythm and cheering. The shows encores featured performers pulling members of the audience to the right for a waltz, fitting tribute to the city where the waltz was born. The performance has been held over until October 22 and rightly so. This is not a tourist show, it’s entirely in German and intended for European audiences, but if you ever see the tent, buy a ticket and don’t miss this wonderful experience.

Karl Rove Refers To Evangelicals As "The Nuts"

So what I have always though is proving to be the case. Seems the Republicans have just been using the Fundamentalist Christians as their gofers. In a recent book by David Kuo, "Tempting Faith" the author details how Karl Rove often referred to the Fundamentalists as "the nuts".

Nice way to refer to your base isn’t it? Cynical? How about two faced and fraudulent. Bush uses his alleged faith as a tool to whip up the Christian Right and yet his top aids deride those same people as wackos.

I sincerely hope the Fundamentalists realize that Bush and his party are not friends, they are just users, and the so-called Christian Right is being rightly screwed for GOP gains.

Mexico Tensions High In Oaxaca - This Could Get Ugly

With all the latest sex scandals in Washington, it’s hard to focus on other news. However, my eyes have been on Mexico ever since I spent a year living there back in the 1980’s. Our closest neighbor here in Texas lives in a state of illusion. On the face they present a democratic society with a growing economy and a tourist Mecca. In reality, Mexico is a country of contrasts. The rich are "super-rich" and the poor are dirt-poor and the middle class is struggling to keep its head above water.

Politically it’s about as corrupt as it gets. The last election as flawed by anyone’s estimate, and there is a protest shadow government-in-exile of Andrés Manuel López Obrador supporters who are an unrecconed with force in Mexico’s affairs.

In the state of Oaxaca there is a teacher’s strike that has become a full fledged social reform movement and has filled the streets with protestors day and night. The Mexican Army and Navy are standing by and at any moment things could bet very ugly. Obrador supporters have volunteered to be human shields to protect the protestors and tensions are high.

Meanwhile here in the USA, we get almost no news of this really explosive situation on our doorstep. I pray for peace in Mexico and that the two factions can settle their differences peacefully. Otherwise, we may have a full-fledged revolution just south of the border.

Another Republican Scandal - Richard Pombo And Abramoff

Another corrupt Republican politician? I am shocked! Well, not really. In this latest in a long string of corruption charges, California Republican Congressman Richard Pombo gets caught with his hand in the Jack Abramoff cookie jar, and with evidence staring him in the face continues to deny it.

According to Abramoff billing records he met with Pombo several times and bank records show Pombo received over $35,000 from Abramoff clients, the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe of Massachusetts. You got some ‘splaining to do Ricky!

This case brings to mind the phrase that is on a bumper sticker of my truck, "Had Enough? Vote Democratic".

More Pages Claim Sexual Abuse By Foley

Ah, those online chat rooms and IM’s are really a problem for the GOP. Seems Mark Foley, already disgraced because of his soliciting sexual favors from an underage page is implicated in further hijinks with at least two more pages. Conversations about penis sizes and what they were wearing make up the juicy tidbits of these latest scandals.

The hypocrisy of the GOP is glaring through in this case and as more and more people are implicated as having known this was going on, the polls keep dropping. Wonder what Karl Rove is ginning up to combat this? I suspect no matter what it is it will look very transparent even to the former loyal religious fundamentalists who blindly followed he GOP as the defenders of morality.

Olbermann Calls Bush A Liar. About Time Someone Did.

I rarely watch MSNBC, because most of the time I find their journalism lacking in many ways. The lone exception is their commentator Keith Olbermann, whose straightforward criticism of the Bush administration I find refreshing. His opinions are well thought out and his commentaries are backed up with fact.

His latest is startling in its clarity and bluntness. He calls Bush a liar, and then documents the occasions where the President has fabricated statements and outright lied about his critics. It is refreshing to see someone on TV call it like it is. We have a president who is it of touch with reality and perhaps a compulsive liar to boot.

Check out the video of Olbermann's commentary on Truthout.com. It is 11 minutes of hard hitting stuff that should give every American pause to think and act in November.

Google, YouTube & Wasting Time

So after the news that Google bought the fledgling YouTube, I decided to check it out. After watching people do absolutely stupid things for about a half an hour, I have decided that the average intelligence level of Americans is somewhere below that of a chimpanzee.

Clips of, and I’m being charitable here, idiots trying to slide down slides standing up, jump between buildings, back-flip from moving playground equipment and just beat each other in the face with folding chairs. It’s convinced me of three things:

1. Give an American a video camera and too much time and you will end up with a home made version of Jackass.

2. The basic laws of physics are not being taught to our children in school. Such as, when you jump off a ledge you will not fly, you will fall and most likely hit your head.

3. Watching people hurt themselves is strangely compelling. Kind of like a train wreck in slow motion. You know it’s going to be bad, but you can’t turn away.

All of which proves that I should have invested in Google or YouTube last year. Oh yea, the other thing is, how long before someone sues Google for copyright infringement from all the unauthorized TV clips ending up on YouTube? Guess that investment was not such a good idea.

Stewart/Colbert '08?

Even though I have often thought of adding a Stewart/Colbert 08 bumper sticker to the growing billboard on the tailgate of my truck, I have resisted. A simple "Had enough? Vote Democratic" sticker will do for now. Stewart, the king of fake news, says of the growing phenomenon, "Nothing says 'I am ashamed of you my government' more than 'Stewart/Colbert '08"

As for me, I think having a comedian as president might not be too bad, after all right now we have a clown.

FBI May Have Covered Up Foley Sex Scandal

Looks like the FBI may be involved in covering up the illicit activities of Republican Congressman Foley.

Emails were turned over to the FBI over 2 months ago took no action. Check the video on CNN.

Kid With AK-47 Symptom Of The "Gun Culture"

Every time I hear of another kid pulling a gun at school I have to believe that this is another example of the "Gun Culture" in our country coming home to roost. We can’t continue to keep teaching our kids that settling their problems with guns is OK. Now before anyone goes and responds to this post with a typical NRA rant, hear me out. We teach our kids this deadly message every time we teach them that revenge is the answer to a problem. We teach them this every time we send a criminal to the death chamber. We show them that problems are solved with killing every time we justify wars. We teach them this every time we take them to a violent movie that is rated Parental Guidance. They learn our morals watching the evening news, when they see that problems in the adult world are often settled with violence.

Kids are impressionable and they are smart. They see our morals better than we do and though we may tell them settling matters with a gun is wrong, we often don’t reflect that in our actions. How often in this allegedly Christian country do kids see Jesus teaching of turning the other cheek put into practice?

When was the last time you settled a disagreement with a calm discussion and tried to reach a consensus instead of winning your point? For me it is a struggle, but I keep reminding myself that if I try, really try to follow Jesus teachings I have more success than when I don’t . Maybe the kid in Missouri with the AK-47 will learn that the only question a gun can answer is one with a deadly result. I pray for a day when guns are only used for target shooting and kids can go to school without walking through metal detectors.

Back From Vacation

My partner and I got back from our European vacation last night and I am still recovering from jet lag. One thing stuck out as remarkable and a big surprise. The city of Vienna. Not only is it a remarkable jewel of European art and culture, it is so clean it was shocking. The sidewalks were sparkling and even though there were smokers everywhere, cigarette butts were at a minimum. The mass transit system is so well run and is so comprehensive that very few people drive. The delightful side effect is that Viennese seem to have nice legs, both men and women!

The dirty little secret of Europe is smoking. It seems that everyone smokes. For that, I am grateful for US smoking regulations. Restaurants in Europe are filled with a hanging haze of second hand smoke. It is a wonder the food tastes as good as it does; I can only imagine how it must be in a tobacco free environment.

Luckily the weather was terrific and we only ate a couple of meals inside the whole two weeks.
Politically Europe seems fairly stable, with the exception of Italy. More than once we heard people talking about Mussolini in fond terms. "He wasn’t such a bad guy" was the quote that disturbed me most. We also got to see a Communist parade in Rome protesting the Iraq war among other things. I thought the Communist party had disappeared, but apparently not in Italy, since they hold a few of seats in the Italian Parliament.

More later, now sleeeeeep!

On Vacation For The Next 2 Weeks

Well, I am off on vacation for the next two weeks. I will be learning first hand how Europeans feel about Americans, and hopefully change some opinions on how most Americans feel about our rogue president.

I hope to do some entries from Europe if I can find a friendly internet café and will post photos on my return. With luck I am not on a no-fly list and should be able to get back OK.

Bush Spokespersons Lie On Tape - Continue To Assert Saddam-Zarqawi Connection

It is beyond belief the kind of blatant lies the Bush administration continues to spread about Iraq and Al-Qaeda. The Senate Intelligence Report clearly states that there was no relationship between Saddam and Al-Qaeda, yet Cheney, Snow, and Rice blitz the Sunday talk shows with the lie that they had relations. In fact the committee report states that Saddam considered Zarqawi an enemy and attempted to capture him.

Despite this staring them in the face, the Bush administration toadies make bald-faced lies again and again.

Watch it here.

November is closing in and Karl Rove hints at an October surprise. Ignore it, it will be a lie just like these and perhaps bigger. Vote these bastards out in November so we can start investigations and begin the process of throwing these liars out of office and into jail where they belong.

Ocean Route Opens To North Pole - Now Do You Believe In Global Warming?

Anyone who is in denial about global warming should use this as a wake up call. European scientists sailed a ship from Europe’s northernmost port to the North Pole research station. Hello! That is notable since it has never before been possible.

So here’s to Exxon-Mobile, Bush and all the other idiots who keep denying Global Warming is real. Have a nice glass of melted icecap and settle back for a long hot summer and fall and winter and spring.

White House Blocks Scientific Reports On Global Warming

If reality doesn’t agree with your policies, change it. At least that’s the Republican technique. Now emails released today, show how the White House tried to change science to fit it’s agenda. Global warming inconvenient? Block the reports or pressure scientists to change it for you.

Stay stupid! Vote Republican in November...or get the country back on track and vote these criminals out of office!

Congress Rejects Bush Torture Legalization

As a child I remember that we used to point to nations like the USSR and accuse them of using torture. We called it inhumane and condemned them. Today the US Government is using those same techniques. What changed?

Neocons lie that the world has changed since 9/11 and we must take such measures to protect our citizens. Well here’s a little history, back in the 1960’s the USSR had enough nuclear weapons pointed at us to destroy our civilization forever, and we had enough bombs and missiles aimed at them to wipe out life on the earth. Sounds pretty frightening and extreme to me. Yet we abhorred the use of torture and abided by the Geneva Convention.

Today, post 9/11 we still have thousands of nuclear missiles pointed at the rest of the world, and the USSR is no more. Instead we have small groups of religious zealots who are making political statements with horrible, but very localized attacks on us. Now, we feel it’s OK to use torture?

The Bush administration use of torture constitutes a war crime plain and simple. Now that they have been caught with their hand in the cookie jar, they want to make it legal to avoid prosecution. Well, Congress is finally growing some cajones and saying no way. What really needs to happen is a full investigation and if this administration is found to have violated international treaties, they should be turned over to an international court for war crimes, just as we would insist from any other despotic leader.

Well I am an adult now, and I have put away my childish notions that real justice will prevail. Instead I can only work to defeat these criminals in November and pray that our country can survive the religious zealots that are guiding us today.

Pope Angers Muslims, What Did He Expect?

In years past, though I didn’t agree with the Pope on many issues, I gave him credit for at least having a reasonable point of view and having a high degree of intelligence. The current Pope makes me wonder. First, I am not Catholic, so what the pope declares is of little theological meaning to me. That being said, I am a Christian and the actions of any Christian church affects the way others look at me, even if my beliefs differ considerably.

The current Pope, Benedict XVI came to power with warnings that he was a hard-liner, but never did anyone mention that he had only a loose grasp on reality. The Pope, quoting a 15th-century Byzantine emperor, told his audience at the University of Regensburg: "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

Does he really think these are not "Fighting Words" for Muslims? Is he so out of touch with the world situation that he believes he can spout this medieval tripe and not become the object of rage in the Muslim world? Nonsense, he knows it is a sore spot and was sure to cause inflamed tempers. I believe it’s his agenda to heighten tensions and start a Holy War for real. Remember the Catholic Church was behind the Crusades, and we remember how well those went.

His apologies ring hollow and I sincerely hope someone can pour oil on the troubled waters of this situation before it explodes into a real clash of civilizations. I would say nobody wants that , but recently I am not so sure.

Iraq Failure Laid At Feet Of GOP

Want a high paying government job? Just declare your unwavering loyalty to Emperor George Bush and you’ve got it!

That is the conclusion reached in an article in the Washing ton Post that details how key positions in the rebuilding of Iraq went to unqualified people whose only asset was they loyalty to Bush. N Need an example? Here’s a peach:

The daughter of a Neocon commentator and home-schooled graduate from an evangelical college, was loyal to Bush. The 24-year-old had never worked in finance was sent to reopen Baghdad's stock exchange.
And we wonder why over 9 Billion in US assistance simply disappeared? Incompetence, the measure of all Bush appointees seems to be the culprit.

November is our chance to throw these crooks out of office. Vote Democratic!

California Bans Cell Phone Use While Driving

It seems every time someone in a car comes close to slamming into me they are clutching a cell phone and chatting away instead of watching the road. For a long time he statistics backed the premise that cell phones contribute to accidents on the road, and finally California is doing something about it.

Hands-free systems are not covered so for those who absolutely must spend every minute on a phone babbling, there is hope. Now if only we could get the same law for supermarkets, restaurants, theatres and churches.

Is That A Pump In Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

Seems screeners at Chicago's O'Hare Airport are a little hard of hearing. When one passenger, shy in front of his mother, whispered to screeners that the device in his carry-on luggage was a penis pump, they thought he said penis BOMB and promptly arrested him.

The authorities decided to drop the case today, much to the passengers relief. He was facing 3 years in prison for disorderly conduct. So remember kids, don't carry your penis pumps on airplanes, the guards are pretty stupid, and they might charge you with carrying a deadly sex toy!