Bush Is Trying To Break The Troops - Considering Extending Tour Again

Here's a great idea. You have a stressed out military force that has seen their tours of duty increased several times before. Let's give them another few months, what the hell?

So now the Bushies are saying this tour of duty extension is designed to give them more time at home. Say what?

I guess the sudden upsurge in violence means we're winning?

Lift The Ban On Gays In The Military

Bush Pressures Hurricane Center Director - "Don't Bring Me No Bad News!"

The Bushies love to manipulate reality. In their latest attempt to change reality they are putting pressure on the Director of the National Hurricane Center after he protested the government spending a bundle on a publicity campaign instead of needed budgets for the centers forecasts and equipment. I guess Bush figures if we feel good about the Hurricane season, we won't have to have any warnings or real data. I smell them trying to set the director up for a termination.

Now, if you live in Florida or the Gulf Coast, remember Bush the next time a killer Hurricane comes along. If you voted for the bastard, remember how long it takes to get aid and how you may not have any warning if they penny pinch the budgets of the Hurricane Center. Better yet, join the move to impeach this criminal before he can do any more damage to our country!

Remembering Leonard Matlovich

In 1979, I was part of the Dallas committee to attend the first March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights. My biggest job was helping with the local publicity on the march. I designed and sold buttons, helped with media kits and had the opportunity to meet and get to know Leonard Matlovich.

Lenny was an Air Force Technical Sergeant who won the Purple Heart and Bronze Star in Vietnam...and was discharged for being gay. His face appeared on the covers of national magazines as the topic of gays in the military first reared its head. He became an instant celebrity when he appeared on the cover of Time Magazine and he agreed to lend our cause some of that cache by appearing to promote the march for our Dallas group.

He was a gentle and very bright man. He had already opened a business in California when I met him. His charm and wit as well as his enthusiasm for the topic of Gay Rights really made him a great spokesperson for our cause.

After the 1979 March on Washington, Lenny returned to California to his pizza restaurant and took up his normal life again. I got wind that he was sick in 1986, and later he announced he had HIV/AIDS. Like many gay men in the 1980's Lenny fell victim to the disease that decimated our community.

I was not a close friend of his, just a passing acquaintance, but he was an inspiration to me as an activist. He died on June 22, 1988. Ironically close to Gay Pride Day.

His tombstone bears the epitaph, "When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one." He will always be one of my heroes.

Tom Leppert Elected Mayor Of Dallas, Homophobia Part Of His Success

OK, guess I should put in my 2 cents on the Mayoral election. Ed Oakley, whom I supported ran a clean and good campaign, and as an openly gay candidate he made me proud. His ideas to improve the city of Dallas are tested and have been proven during his terms on the city council. Tom Leppert is an unknown factor. A Highland Park resident until recently, he out spent Oakley and essentially bought the election in South Dallas. North Dallas was assaulted with anti-gay robo-calls which he denies he placed, but who else would benefit from them?

The anti-gay thing was no surprise. It was an easy strategy for the homophobic North Dallas fundamentalist crowd. It’s the South Dallas money politics that bothers me. Look at the history of the black vote in Dallas. Often it was delivered as a bought and paid for commodity by power brokers who would “consolidate” votes in majority black districts. It was old school politics with a reverse Jim Crow twist. Seems like it still works today.

The difference is that this time, South Dallas voters were lured by promises of riches, with no actual proof on the table. Leppert is a businessman, and in today’s culture of the “Idol” rich, he has made promises to bring wealth and prosperity to the poor neighborhoods of Dallas. Strangely he also claimed to be able to improve education. Last time I looked Dallas has an Independent School District and the Mayor has zip for control of that.

Dallas voters have bought the pig in the poke, albeit an apparent rich one, but still a complete unknown quantity. What a pity. Ed Oakley would have been a great mayor for Dallas, but some folks apparently thought who he slept with in his bedroom was more important than the future of the city

Lieberman Party Chair Asks Lieberman To Resign!

It's getting pretty bad when the guy who heads up your own party is calling for you to get the hell out. Seems Connecticut for Lieberman Party Chairman John Orman wants Joe to step down after making reckless and inflammatory statements about using force against Iran. Even his own party ideologues can see this could start a global conflict and is just plain wacko.

Blogging From Tampa Again

Day three in Tampa an I have realized why there aren't more folks wearing leather here. IT'S TOO DAMNED HUMID!

Here in the land of steam, I really think it's always a bad hair day and a bad day for anything but shorts and Hawaiian shirts. No wonder all the retirees here look alike, it's self preservation.

The event is fun and my workshops have been well received. Lots of friendly folks and good company. More later.

Oil Execs Find Little Problem With Turning Humans Into Fuel

Want proof that BIG OIL has no soul, take this case in point. At the recent GO-Expo, Canada's largest petrochemical conference representatives who claimed to be with Exxon and the National Petroleum Council introduced Vivoleum, a new synthetic fuel made from organic waste. In this case the waste they propose using was human bodies. The logic went as follow. Natural disasters kill thousands of people in developing countries, and rather than waste their bodies, they can be turned into fuel through a revolutionary new process. The alleged representatives made their case in front of 300 oil men who simply nodded and listened.

They even lit candles made from (allegedly) Vivoleum, or human flesh. Seems nobody caught on to the guerrilla theatre that was taking place until a video ran with a video tribute to the janitor who requested his body be turned into fuel for research. Turns out it was a prank played by activists.

Grim joke. Yes, but seems the oil execs didn't think it was a joke at first and blythly listened to the scheme. Proof they have no soul and little regard for human life? Seems like it to me. Of course had Dick Cheney been there he would have already made a deal to corner the Vivoleum market.

Blogging In Tampa

I guess it's a sign of my age, but I remember when air travel was fun. They served food, had polite flight attendants and the seats were roomy enough to actually not have to be in intimate contact with the person next to you. Ah the good old days. Of course it was more expensive, but still it was more fun.

I am in Tampa, FL for the Bash on the Bay. Got in late last night and I am still recovering. I thought my workshops were Saturday, but nope, Friday morning at 10:00am! In the vernacular of the locals, "oy!"

Should be a fun day. I am doing the "Playing With Taboos" workshop this morning and it is always fun to do. With luck the group will enjoy it and find something in it they can use.

Off To Tampa For Bash On The Bay

I fly out to Tampa, Florida this afternoon for the Bash on the Bay. It's a gathering of BDSM and leather folk from around the county that has gained momentum in recent years. I will be presenting workshops on a variety of topics all of which involve carrying way too much luggage.

My only hope is that in the future I can find a way to do my speeches and workshops with only the clothes on my back and perhaps a laptop computer. Makes me nostalgic for my days in corporate America. PowerPoint may be boring but it's very compact!

Mr. Wizard, Don Herbert Dead At 89

I grew up watching TV, and aside from Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Wizard was my favorite. Don Herbert had a profound effect on me, and though I never became a scientist, I have had a lifelong interest in science because of him.

Don died today at 89. He will be remembered and missed. I only wish kids today had someone on TV like him to watch and spark their scientific curiosity. I suspect if more kids were raised on Mr. Wizard or someone like him there would be a lot fewer people who dispute evolution today.

In Don's memory, I am making a volcano of baking soda and vinegar in my kitchen sink. Long live science! (Picture Copyright Mr. Wizard Studios)

America More Liberal Than We Realize!

I have long suspected that the majority of Americans don’t know what to call themselves. Some say they are conservative, others claim they are moderate and some say liberal or progressive. In reality when polled about their views most Americans would fall on the left side of the equation. In other words they are much more progressive and/or liberal than they know.

I just finished reading a great report from MediaMatters.org and find their conclusions fascinating. It supports my belief, but much more than I expected. On issue after issue, Americans come down on the liberal side, they just don’t want to call themselves that “L” word. The relentless marketing effort by the Republican party to vilify the word “liberal” has worked pretty well. OK, I understand that not everyone is as open minded as me, but let’s settle on the word “Progressive” for now. When you look at the figures, America is a pretty progressive country.

Here are a few tidbits from the responses mentioned in the report:

• 69% say Government should be responsible for health care coverage for all Americans.
• 75% are willing to pay higher prices for wind or solar generated electricity.
• 83% want stricter laws to protect the environment.
• 65% favor attacking social problems that cause crime as a cure for the problem.
• 60% favor more controls on the guns the public can buy.
• 81% favor a mandatory police permit before buying a gun.
• 89% favor equal rights for gays and lesbians in employment and housing.

Doesn’t sound very conservative to me!

Read the report (pdf)

Protecting America? Army Dumps Toxic Waste & Radioactive Waste Off Atlantic Coast

Who needs terrorists to use WMDs on Americans, the Army is doing it for them. The US Army, US ARMY, admits to dumping thousands of pounds of nerve gas and other toxic agents into the Atlantic off the east coast of the US. Included in this is 500 tones of radioactive waste stuffed in scuttled ships as well as old missiles, land mines and bombs.

Now dolphins and other sea creatures are washing up on shore with signs of mustard gas poisoning. Great job US Army! Protect us from those terrorist dolphins, and while you are at it how about polluting the Atlantic Salmon fisheries as well? This is beyond anything I could have dreamed.

Nuremberg Prosecutor Calls Guantanamo Trials Unfair

When one of the surviving prosecutors at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials speaks, it’s important to listen. Here is a man who not only saw but made history in those trials of the Nazi regime and it’s lackeys. More than once defendants there argued they were only following orders as their defense. It didn’t work then and it won’t work now.

Nuremberg prosecutor Henry King Jr. told Reuters in a interview that the U.S. war crimes tribunals at Guantanamo violate both the spirit and law of the Geneva Convention. In a quote he says, “Robert Jackson, who's the architect of Nuremberg, would turn over in his grave if he knew what was going on at Guantanamo."

I for one take his comments very seriously. For anyone who claims to just be following orders of our President there is no defense. Crimes are crimes, and eventually I have to hope the people instigating them will be brought to justice. The Bushies and their lackeys are not Nazis, but they certainly have taken the dictatorial playbook to heart. Rights are being stripped away daily and for a detainee at Guantanamo, it’s a living hell. No fair trial, no charges and in many cases no shred of evidence of any kind.

As a nation we must stop this and get our elected leaders to do their duty and bring down this regim through impeachment. Enough is enough.

The Gay Bomb? Pentagon Gone Looney Again WIth Your Money!

Just when you thought the idiots running our country couldn’t get any stranger, comes this news. The Pentagon confirms that it was working to develop a “gay bomb”. Hold onto your seats, cause this is really odd. The chemical weapon would cause enemy troops to become irresistibly attracted to each other and thus, break down unit cohesion and cause chaos.

Oh, PULEEZE! What bunch of homophobic assholes are running the Pentagon? Just because guys are gay doesn’t mean they can’t do things together as a group. Look at any gay softball team. Look at any gay political organization. Gays work just fine together and they can be fiercely focused on their purpose.

Time to throw these idiots out of Washington and send them back to the home schools they crawled out of. Write your congressperson and tell them to stop wasting money on the wacko Pentagon projects and start allowing gays to serve in the military.

No Confidence Vote on Gonzales Set For Monday - Call Your Senator

Looks like the Senate will hold a "no confidence" vote on Alberto Gonzales on Monday. I strongly suggest writing and calling your Senator to express your views on this. Gonzales has repeatedly lied to Congress and has attempted to obstruct justice with his evasive and misleading answers to congressional questioning. He needs to resign, but apparently has no conscience, so the next best thing is to tell him he has no credence in the political arena anymore.

Write or call your Senator and let them know how you feel!

Storm Chasing In OK/KS - Blogging From The Road

It's morning in Tulsa. Yesterday we chased weather in northern Oklahoma and Kansas. It was interesting to see a small cell that we had a hunch might do something, blossom into a full grown supercell thunderstorm. The problem was by the time it really got going it was getting dark.

Though there were several "tornado warnings" on the storm, so far there are no confirmed tornadoes from it. I suspect it was only radar indicated. Such is storm chasing, sometimes you get the bear, sometimes you just wander around in the woods.

Ended up here in Tulsa and finally found a TGI Friday's that was open for dinner. Yum! Now sleep at the Days Inn. No pictures on this chase, sorry.

Bush Nominates Wacko Doc For Surgeon General

Once again the incredible radical agenda of the Bushies is evident. Consider the latest abomination, his nominee for Surgeon General. This political hacksaw wrote a paper comparing human genitalia to pipe fittings. He also claims homosexuality is unnatural and unhealthy. The paper was presented to the esteemed medical group, the United Methodist Church's committee to study homosexuality.

Clearly this guy is another ideologue guided by his far right fundamentalist brand of religion. I sincerely hope he is not only bruised during his confirmation hearings, but shown to be the wacko he is and not confirmed at all.

Write your Senator and Congressperson TODAY!

Colbert Strikes Again - NASA Look out!

Stephen Colbert is right on the money again. He spots the director of NASA quietly changing the mission statement of the organization to exclude any mention of protecting the environment.

RFK - Assassinated 39 Years Ago

Yesterday marked the 39th anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy's death. Good time to pause and remember the potential greatness that was lost that day.

ACTION ALERT! Let The Senate Know You Want Habeas Corpus Back

Finally the Senate is showing some balls. Arlen Specter and Patrick Laehy are co-sponsoring the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act (S. 185). This will undo the travesty that the Bush Administration and a Republican rubber-stamp Congress committed with their Military Commissions Act which effectively removed Habeas Corpus from our judicial system.

This act will restore it and guarantee fair trials for all Americans. Let your Senator and other officials know you want this treasured right back in the judicial system where the Constitution put it.

Jackie Mason, Still Kvetching After All These Years

AFter watching Jackie gripe about life and health and health trends, I realize, I am turning into an old kvetching Jew. Go figure?

Surge Not Going Well At All

Things in Iraq are not going well, at least that is the preliminary assessment made by people on the ground. Seems the goal of July for a more peaceful Baghdad is now looking more like September, and even though Joe Lieberman made his trek through a market in a flack vest, it's a mess.

The New York Times has a great article on this whole mess-o-potamia thing, and it looks like we have more deaths to look forward to in coming months. Democrats need to grow some balls and toss the criminal in the White House out before more people die. Bush is killing Americans and Iraqis. He must be impeached now!

Sgt. Pepper's Turns 40

Oh my God I am getting OLD! Seems like just a few years ago when I bought an album that changed music history. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is 40 today.

The enigmatic cover once featured Hitler and Jesus, but they were removed before production.

This and more trivia in the BBC story about the album. I'm just glad I am here for the anniversary!

Clip Art Causes Terror Alert!

Be careful what clip art you use in the next flyer you make, you could be a terrorist. In this world of paranoia we live in seems a flyer with a clip art picture of a bomb set off alarms at a bank. The bank in Ashland, Mass. got part of the fax showing their logo, a bomb and a countdown clock. The remaining part hat did not come through explained the bank promotion it was publicizing.

Seems like anything and everything causes people to assure it's a terrorist threat. Even a cartoon clip art bomb. The terrorists have already won!

Tornado Chasing In The Texas Panhandle

Just got in from two days of chasing in the panhandle of Texas and Oklahoma. Other than spending the night in Liberal, KS, just because the name was so oxymoronic, we spent the time driving. My partner and I managed to cover about 1500 miles in two days, and did see a couple of tornadoes.

The first one was in the Oklahoma panhandle near Guymon, OK. Not much to see and I only got a couple of photos that I will post later. Pretty small funnel and almost transparent with a small dust swirl at the base.

The second one was more dramatic. We were on a storm that formed in west Texas and was moving towards Childress. We followed it south for a while, trying to get a good view and also find a place where we could have good north south road access. Well in that part of Texas roads are in short supply, so we did the best we could. Finally we ended up being chased by the storm and as we drove south from Childress to get out of the rain, a brief funnel formed on the road only 300 yards ahead of us. We watched it continue East across the road and into unpopulated area where it got better organized.

Should have pictures of this soon as well, but I have to get them from our HD Camera since I was driving at the time.

More later.

Impeach Gonzales, What Is The Congress Waiting For?

This new clip from Brave New Films makes a really good case for kicking Gonzo out now!

Glenn Beck Ratings Falling

Glenn Beck, the homophobic hate monger who pollutes CNN on weeknights is pretty much a failure for the cable news network. His ratings are dismal and lower than when he started a year ago. Let's hope CNN decides to cut their losses and dump this bigot.

Cheney Breaks The Law Again!

Dick Cheney is up to his old tricks. This time it's destroying records of who visits him. This is a clear violation of the law and it's time to throw this criminal in jail.

Seems his lawyer visited with the Secret Service back in September and instructed them to stop retaining records of who visits him at his residence. Why? Well so he can do the back room deals without official oversight. He must be stopped. Demand impeachment now!

Tainted Stuffing Fills Cuddly Toys From China

Aw, what a cute little fluffy bear! Well don't get too close to it, seems some stuffed toys from China may contain industrial waste and bacteria or viruses. They are using trash to stuff them with instead of new materials. Additionally, baby clothes may contain toxic chemicals that are not supposed to be there.

Just another testament to low low prices! Guess we get what we pay for? First it was tainted pet food, now it's stuffed toys. What's next? How long will it take our cuckolded government to start cracking down on imports that do not meet safety standards? As long as Bush is in the White House you can bet that won't happen, unless he gets sick from tainted products from China. Here's hoping that will not happen, and our country will come to it's senses before it's too late.

Cindy Sheehan Calls It Quits - Shame On Congress!

Though I do not completely agree with Cindy on this one, I understand her frustration. I personally think trying to create another 3rd party is absurd and will only serve to help the GOP. However, her dissappointment with the Dempocratic majority in Congress is dead on.

Here is Cindy's open letter to Congress:

Dear Democratic Congress,

Hello, my name is Cindy Sheehan and my son Casey Sheehan was killed on April 04, 2004 in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq. He was killed when theRepublicans still were in control of Congress. Naively, I set off on my tireless campaign calling on Congress to rescind George's authority towage his war of terror while asking him "for what noble cause" did Casey and thousands of other have to die. Now, with Democrats in control of Congress, I have lost my optimistic naiveté and have become cynically pessimistic as I see you all caving into as one Daily Kos poster called: "Mr. 28%"

There is absolutely no sane or defensible reason for you to hand Bloody King George more money to condemn more of our brave, tired, and damagedsoldiers and the people of Iraq to more death and carnage. You think giving him more money is politically expedient, but it is a moral abomination and every second the occupation of Iraq endures, you all have more blood on your hands.

Ms. Pelosi, Speaker of the House, said after George signed the new weak as a newborn baby funding authorization bill: "Now, I think thepresident's policy will begin to unravel." Begin to unravel? How many more of our children will have to be killed and how much more of Iraq will have to be demolished before you all think enough unraveling has occurred? How many more crimes will BushCo be allowed to commit whiletheir poll numbers are crumbling before you all gain the political "courage" to hold them accountable. If Iraq hasn't unraveled in Ms.Pelosi's mind, what will it take? With almost 700,000 Iraqis dead and four million refugees (which the US refuses to admit) how could it get worse? Well, it is getting worse and it can get much worse thanks to your complicity.

Being cynically pessimistic, it seems to me that this new vote to extend the war until the end of September, (and let's face it, on October 1st, you will give him more money after some more theatrics, which you think are fooling the anti-war faction of your party) will feed right into the presidential primary season and you believe that if you just hang on until then, the Democrats will be able to re-take the White House. Didn't you see how "well" that worked for John Kerry in 2004 when he played the politics of careful fence sitting and pandering? The American electorate are getting disgusted with weaklings who blow where the wind takes them while frittering away our precious lifeblood and borrowing money from our new owners, the Chinese. I knew having a Democratic Congress would make no difference in grassroots action. That's why we went to DC when you all were sworn in to tell you that we wanted the troops back from Iraq and BushCo heldaccountable while you pushed for ethics reform which is quite a hoot.dn't' you think? We all know that it is affordable for you all to play this game of political mayhem because you have no children in harm's way.let me tell you what it is like:

You watch your reluctant soldier march off to a war that neither you nor he
agrees with. Once your soldier leaves the country all you can do iworry. You lie
awake at night staring at the moon wondering if today will be the day that you
get that dreaded knock on your door. You can'tconcentrate, you can't eat, and
your entire life becomes consumed with apprehension while you are waiting for
the other shoe to drop. Then, when your worst fears are realized, you begin a
life of constant pain, regret, and longing. Everyday is hard, but then you come
up on "special" days.like upcoming Memorial Day. Memorial Day holds double pain
for me because, not only are we supposed to honor our fallen troops, but Casey
was born on Memorial Day in 1979. It used to be a day of celebration for us and
now it is a day of despair. Our needlessly killed soldiers of this war and the
past conflict in Vietnam have all left an unnecessary trail of sorrow and deep
holes of absence that will never be filled.

So, Democratic Congress, with the current daily death toll of 3.72 troops per day, you have condemned 473 more to these early graves. 473 more lives wasted for your political greed: Thousands of broken hearts because of your cowardice and avarice. How can you even go to sleep at night or look at yourselves in a mirror? How do you put behind you the screaming mothers on both sides of the conflict? How does the agony you have created escape you? It will never escape me.I can't run far enough or hide well enough to get away from it.

By the end of September, we will be about 80 troops short of another bloody milestone: 4000, and MoveOn.org will hold nationwide candlelight vigils and you all will be busy passing legislation that will snuff the lights out of thousands more human beings. Congratulations Congress, you have bought yourself a few more months of an illegal and immoral bloodbath. And you know you mean to continue it indefinitely so "other presidents" can solve the horrid problem BushCo forced our world into.

It used to be George Bush's war. You could have ended it honorably. Now it is yours and you all will descend into calumnious history withBushCo.

The Camp Casey Peace Institute is calling all citizens who are as disgusted as we are with you all to join us in Philadelphia on July 4th to try and figure a way out of this "two" party system that is bought and paid for by the war machine which has a stranglehold on every aspect of our lives. As for myself, I am leaving the Democratic Party. You have completely failed those who put you in power to change the direction our country is heading. We did not elect you to help sink our ship of state but to guide it to safe harbor. We do not condone our government's violent meddling in sovereign countries and we condemn the continued murderous occupation of Iraq.

We gave you a chance, you betrayed us.

Sincerely,
Cindy Sheehan
Founder and President ofGold Star Families for Peace.
Founder and Director ofThe Camp Casey Peace Institute
Eternally grieving mother of Casey Sheehan

Polack Joke? They Still Think Tinky Wink Is Gay.

OK, since I have Polish ancestry in me, I can tell polack jokes. If you don't like it, you can suck my kielbasa!

So the polacks are investigating whether Tinky Wink is gay! Pretty funny joke huh? It's not a joke. According to the Washington Post:

"Ewa Sowinska, government-appointed children rights watchdog, told a local magazine published on Monday she was concerned the popular BBC children's show promoted homosexuality."

Just when you thought Jerry Falwell was really dead his specter rises in the Eastern European backwaters and whoopee, the gay witch hunt is on again!

"Creation Museum" Opens In Kentucky

It’s one thing to be ignorant, but it’s another to build a museum to show that ignorance to the world. Apparently that’s the aim of the “Creation Museum” in Petersburg, Kentucky. Theologians and scientists alike will shake their heads at the just plain stupid displays in this monument to silly ideas.

Near the entrance is a diorama of children and dinosaurs playing near each other peacefully. Now this might work in the Flintstones Museum, but to anyone with a brain it’s just dumb. Theologically, a word for word literal interpretation of the Bible is destined to create a crisis of faith. It doesn’t work as a literal work; otherwise there would not be so many conflicts within it. Scientists will tell you that about a million years passed between the last of the dinosaurs and the emergence of humanity. Good thing too, because we would have been easy prey for the giant sauropods.

As a Christian, I find the whole thing insulting and defaming to both Jews and Christians of all stripes. To try to pin my entire faith down to a single book whose contents was codified by a bunch of politicians in the early church is just plain wrong. Add to that disputing both theoretical and empirical evidence of the amazing history of the earth and you really minimize God and God’s power. Fundamentalists who adhere to the literal interpretation of the Bible deceive both themselves and others. I don’t see these folks stoning people who eat shellfish, or killing their children who are disobedient. Neither do I see them making animal sacrifices and observing the Sabbath, so let’s get real. Biblical literalists are just lazy. They’d rather approach religion with a “Big Golden Book of Bible Stories” mentality than actually use the brains God gifted them with and think. The mysteries of creation are a whole lot bigger than this tacky theme park theology in Kentucky. Take a few minutes and scratch the surface of these beliefs and you will find nothing at all.
I guess it is no accident that this mess is in Kentucky. Of course it would probably work just as well here in Texas.

Barack Obama: Truth On Iraq

Obama speaks to McCains accusations. Watch it!

Bush Plants Seeds Of Way Out In Iraq - Anybody Else See This?

Call me crazy, and I am sure some of you will, but I think I heard Bush’s “out” for Iraq in the press conference yesterday. He made it clear that we are there at the request of the Iraqi government and as long as they want us there we will stay.

First of all I don’t think we were there at the request of the government of Saddam, but that’s a different matter. Here is the trick, and I use the word trick because these crooks that run the White House do nothing straightforward. That emphasis on being there at the request of the Iraqi government is the key. If they tell us they no longer want us there, we leave!

If the pressure on Bush to withdraw troops gets too bad, he simply tells the puppet government of Iraq to tell us we are no longer needed. Mission accomplished! Another great deception brought to you by the Bush Administration.

Think about it!

Of Terrorists And French Fries

I remember hearing our dear idiot in chief saying the “terrorists hate us because of our freedom”. Well guess what? They must not hate us as much because that freedom keeps getting more and more limited. A case in point is this story about a blogger in Connecticut who wanted to do a story about the French fries on the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson Ferry. Apparently his nephews loved these greasy treats and he took a picture of them while on his way across the Long Island Sound.

The vendors became suspicious of someone taking a snapshot of their food and the whole thing turned into a nasty “you might be a terrorist” incident. What the hell is happening in this country? Being cautious is one thing but fingering a guy taking pictures of French fries as a terrorist is just plain loopy.

What kind of lame brained terrorist needs reconnaissance photos of the fast food to know how to poison/infect/whatever it? Come on folks, wise up! The climate of fear the Bush folks have fostered is unhealthy and does nothing to make us safer. Common sense precautions are a good thing, but paranoia only shows that the terrorists have succeeded. After all as their name suggests they want to instill terror! Well worrying about a guy taking pictures of French fries is about as terrifying as it gets.

Insurance Companies Ask Neighbors About Your Morality And Lifestyle

Insurance companies. They pretty much run Texas and now the rest of the country as well. Try getting health insurance if you are self employed. It ain't gonna happen. Conditions as minor as childhood asthma can cause the insurance thugs to send you to a "high-risk pool" where you will be charged over $1000 a month for a piss poor policy.

Now it seems that they are going door to door and asking about the "morality and lifestyle" of applicants from their neighbors. Funny, sounds like they are looking for people who are gay or lesbian. I used to think this kind of crap was illegal, but not in the big new world of Bush-o-nomics! If you move to another state you can be red-lined and good luck finding a policy.

Time for national health insurance! People in other countries do OK with it, why not here?

Judge Blocks Farmers Branch Xenophobic Ordinance

So the xenophobic residents of Farmers Branch voted for their "get the wetbacks out" ordinance. Big deal! Looks like a federal judge has blocked the ordinance from going into effect with his finding that plaintiffs against the ordinance which prohibits landlord from renting to illegal aliens will likely be overturned in the courts.

U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay will probably schedule a preliminary injunction hearing in a few weeks. He noted about the measure which passed on May 12, "public approval ... does not guide the court as to whether the Ordinance complies with the law."

Looks like them pesky Meskins are still gonna be invading Farmers Branch. Deal with it FB!

Dems Cave To Bush On Iraq Spending

So Russ Feingold hits the nail on the head again. He calls the Iraq Spending bill that is coming out of the congress a "cave-in" to the administration. All those folks like myself who worked to get Democrats elected to stop the war must be feeling the same way. This was the opportunity to go head to head with Bush and speak for the American people.

Congress whispered instead of shouted, and that will cost them. Moderate Democrats and the few conservative Democrats remaining better watch their backs. True liberals and progressives will line up to challenge them in the primaries.

We need a real progressive Democratic Party not GOP-lite!

What Kind Of Bomb Would Jesus Use?

Seems that the infighting within the Christian Fanatics is escalating. A student of Liberty University was arrested at Jerry Falwell's funeral with home made napalm bombs in his car. He says he intended to use them on the protesters that gathered.

Most notable of the protesters was the Fred Phelp's Westboro Baptist Cult. These folks are certified wackos and apparently think everything wrong in America is due to "fags". They even thought Falwell, one of the most prominent gay bashers around, was not homophobic enough and worthy of protest.

Does anyone else see the similarity between this kind of thing and the stuff going on in the middle east? Fundamentalism fighting itself. Suni vs. Shia, Baptists vs. Wacko Baptists.

If you really want to get angry, check out the WBC's website and have a nice helping of bile.

Godfather IV - Fredo's Revenge

Art imitates life again. Americablog posted this earlier today, very funny.

Bush Divorce Saga Now Involves The Queen?

The latest rumor comes courtesy of the Globe Magazine. Once again the supermarket tabloid features a cover story about the alleged Bush divorce. This time Bush is blasting the Queen of England for meddling in his divorce. This one is so outrageous it had me laughing in the checkout line. I have a vision of the Queen giving George a "motherly" talking to. Maybe that's why he made the gaff and said she had been around since 1776?

So far no one has any facts to back this up, but I keep checking just in case. I think it is another sign of the dissatisfaction of Americans with the Presidency of George Bush. I guess they only wish the rumors were true.

Airport Blogging - Stuck In Traveler's Purgatory

Stuck at Dallas Love Field this morning after all the flights to Amarillo were cancelled because of bad weather in Houston. Go figure.

It's times like these when I am grateful for laptops and wi-fi. Airports have become terminally dull places (pun intended). With all the screening and alleged security there is little room or business for anything other than shoe shine stalls and newsstands.

I have fond memories of the old penny arcade that once graced Love Field Airport. It was in the main terminal and had hundreds of games. Back then it was pinball and shooting galleries. Video games were not even a possibility. Lucky for me, my cousin who our family called "uncle" owned the arcade, and almost every other jukebox or pinball machine in the city. It was pretty nifty for a kid being related to the Pinball Godfather.

Only in later years did I figure he might have been part of the shadowy Jewish Mafia. Consider the evidence. He owned jukeboxes and vending machines, his brother owned the biggest liquor distributor in the city and the other brother was an attorney. All that was missing was prostitution and drugs, but they never dabbled in those.

So now, I am spending the three hours I have to kill blogging and moving from one coffee shop to another. Oh yea, they also eliminated almost everywhere you can sit for free. Capitalism always finds a way to make a buck, even if it is off your tired feet.

Bush Lies Again! Surprised?

So our Liar in Chief has followed Brittany Spears and "done it again". Oops!

That surge of 21,000 or so troops just got bigger, a lot bigger. Now he is asking Congress for an additional $100 million and 46,000 troops. Why haven't you heard of it? Because it is being carried out quietly and in a behind the scenes manner.

How many lies will it take to impeach this criminal? How I wish it was as simple as the Tootsie Roll commercial where the wise old owl lick the Tootsie Pop three times and then bites it.

Shocking Video - Why The Military Wants YouTube Banned

Michael Shaw on his blog gives ample reason why the military wants Youtube out of Iraq. Videos like this are not only graphic, but the audio is shockingly cavalier. Destroying mosques and holy sites, seems to be a lot of fun for our guys. Hope they got the sniper, because I suspect the destruction of the mosque will give rise to at least two dozen more who want to avenge the desecration of the holy site.

I support our troops. I just want them to not have to make these kinds of choices which end up putting them in even worse positions. Bring our troops home now!

(Clip title: Mosque Vs F-18. uploaded: May 16 2007 by max. location: Iraq. Possibly Tajii. Via liveleak)

Mayoral Candidate Leppert Not Even A Resident Of Dallas

Funny that a guy who wants to be mayor of Dallas doesn't even live in the city. Tom Leppert, a candidate who has the dubious endorsement of the Dallas Morning News, wants to be mayor of Dallas but he lives in Park Cities. Talk about absentee landlord scenarios! This rich elitist wants to be the mayor of a city he won't deign to live in. Too déclassé I guess?

Top it off with the fact that Leppert has contributed to both the Bush campaign and the campaign of Pete Sessions, and the real story is clear. He is a Republican stooge. Top that off with the Robo-calls made by an anonymous campaign, (Leppert's) trashing his opponents and trying to "gay bash" Ed Oakley and it's the same dirty tricks the GOP pulls at the national level.

The mayoral race is supposed to be non-partisan, but face it, it's not. Oakley is a democrat and Leppert is a Republican. The real question is do we want the corrupt leadership style of the GOP invading Dallas city management or not. Oakley is a Dallasite, and he has a history of working on the city council and for Dallas interests. Leppert is not a resident and has no allegiance to the city or it's interests.

Ed Oakley is gay. Big deal, that has never been an issue in his years of service to the city and it's citizens and it shouldn't be now. Vote for a candidate who lives in the city and cares about all Dallasites, not a rich CEO who supports the corruption and failed policies that have brought our national politics to the sad state it is in now.

Gonzales Resigning? Rumors Buzzing In DC.

Normally I don't care about rumors in Washington, but I got money riding on this one. I bet my partner that Alberto Gonzales wouldn't last until the end of April, but I later hedged and said mid-May. Well tonight, on a Friday, when all the bad news gets dumped so no one will see it, rumors are buzzing around DC that Gonzo will be calling it quits soon.

Can't be soon enough for me. Also, now many Republicans are calling for his resignation as well. They don't want to have to vote on the "No Confidence" thing next week, and both the House and Senate look ready to hold votes.

Keep your ears open, the other shoe is gonna drop soon!

Wolfowitz To Get $400,000 Bonus! Nice Way To Get Fired.

Sometimes it’s enough to make you really consider socialism. The "billionaires boys club" called American capitalism is rife with corruption on a scale not seen in my lifetime. What else can you call it when CEOs make thousands of times the salary of the lowest paid workers in their corporations? What else but corruption could account for heads of companies that loose millions of dollars, still getting huge salaries and bonuses? Now the world stage has become the site of the latest big bucks extravaganza, and this time it’s going to Paul Wolfowitz!

Yes Paul "I Gave My Girlfriend An Illegal Raise" Wolfowitz is getting a performance bonus of $400,000 from the World Bank in June. WHAT? Yup, seems he’s eligible for it and I suspect that is what the negotiation was about before he resigned. At this point the World Bank would gladly pay him to leave, and apparently that is what they are doing.

My big question is this: "How do I get that kind of job?" I want a job where I can lie and cheat and steal and get caught with my hand in the cookie jar and still get a bonus!

The answer is simple, you have to be born into the right family and go to the right schools. Check out the CEOs of most companies in America. They came from wealth for the most part. They are effectively our royalty. Our founding fathers would be appalled!

Fred Phelps Pickets Jerry Falwell's Funeral! Guess Jerry Didn't Hate Fags Enough.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any nuttier, consider this. Westboro Baptist Church, the Fred Phelps cult, is picketing Jerry Falwell's funeral! So the God Hates Fags guy is picketing the funeral of a guy who hated fags. Go figure.

These wacko hate mongers made a surprise change of plans and decided not to picket the funeral of an Army specialists who was killed in Iraq to picket the Old Time Gospel Hour's founder. I have no idea why, or what they are trying to prove, but the irony is terrific.

Personally I am saddened at Falwell's death. I was hoping someday he would reform and see the hatred and bigotry he spread in the name of Jesus. Guess he will have that conversation in heaven?

Daily Show - Exposes Gonzales Lies

John Stewart once again speaks truth to power. We are lucky to have such prophets among us.

US Sponsored TV Network Broadcasts Anti-Israeli Hate

Americablog reports that the Arabic language TV station that you and I as US taxpayers are funding apparently has no one on staff who screens what is broadcast. A speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah filled with anti-Israeli sentiment was broadcast without question because no supervisor spoke Arabic!

Hummm? Wonder what happened to all those Arabic language specialists? Oh yea, they were fired because they were gay! Don't ask!

Cheney Seeks Immunity In CIA Leak Case

Nothing says guilty like trying to gain immunity from prosecution. Dick Cheney is doing just that. His lawyers are trying to assert he is immune from disclosing to reporters Valerie Plame's status in the CIA. This after denying he was the source of the leak! Oh come on Dick!

Wolfowitz Resigns - Really!

Finally, Paul Wolfowitz has resigned his post as President of the World Bank. It's about f*%king time! HE managed to work out a deal where he thinks he is saving face, even though he is guilty of breaking their rules and giving his girlfriend a big cash bonus.

Now if we can just convince the rest of the criminals in the Bush Administration to resign.....

International Day Against Homophobia - TODAY!

Happy IDAHO! That stands for International Day Against Homophobia, and it's about time. The whole point of the day is to launch a global petition campaign for a proposed United Nations resolution in favor of the universal decriminalization of homosexuality. There are still 70 countries in the world which criminalize homosexuality and 12 of them had the death penalty as punishment.

Check out the IDAHO web site for more details and to help with the petition.

Gravel Calls For Bush Trial And Imprisonment

It’s good to have people like Mike Gravel in the running for Democratic Presidential Nominee. Why? Well he basically has little chance of getting the nomination and so he has little to loose by bringing up the big issues the other candidates are afraid to talk about.

Take his latest foray with the press, when he reaffirmed his statement that President Bush should be jailed for his criminal wrong doings leading up to the Iraq war. You won’t hear any other candidate say that, but it’s what a lot of Americans think.

I say keep talking Mike, and make sure you say it loud enough to let the other candidates know they aren’t off the hook on the big issues. It’s time impeachment was back on the table, and Congress needs to hear it loud and clear!

Dungeon Diary Banned In China!

Well guess we are doing something right. This blog is banned in China. There is a great site for testing the availability of any URL in the People's Republic of China, http://greatfirewallofchina.org/test/. Try it out!

Wolfowitz May Resign This Afternoon! - OR NOT?

So the long embarrassing saga of Paul Wolfowitz may finally be over. Sources at ABC News say he may resign his afternoon. Good riddance to bad rubbish, too bad it didn't happen before we lost all credibility in the World Bank and the world in general.

UPDATE:

Well, looks like ABC is now back peddling on that report. Wolfie is going to force the bank board to vote him out. Once again stubbornness on the part of a Bushie. No surprise there. Hope the World Bank has the cajones to fire the bum!

Gonzales Pressured DOJ To OK Domestic Spying

Now why the hell are our Congresspeople not drafting up impeachment proceedings right this moment. These guys in the Bush Administration are breaking the law over and over again and they must be stopped.

Wolfowitz Curses Up A Blue Streak

I guess I have been giving people too much credit. I figured Paul Wolfowitz would eventually realize his sad situation and resign, but apparently he is not only without shame, he is basically an evil unprincipled bastard. In a tirade of four letter words, Wolfowitz threatened retaliation on World Bank officials if the disputed his orders for pay raises for his girlfriend. Talk about power abuse!

One witness stated that Wolfowitz said regarding the dispute, "If they fuck with me or Shaha, I have enough on them to fuck them too."

Yes that's the kind of leadership the Bushies bring to the table. Sounds like a petulant child who needs a spanking. Pity it's coming from the President of the World Bank.

Former Justice Department Official Details Gonzales Dirty Tricks

If they were kids, the scenario would go like this:

Mom won’t give us what we want so we’ll ask dad, even though he is really busy right now, maybe he will let us do it because he is distracted.

Well it rarely works for kids and it didn’t work for the Bush Administration. Wanting to implement more illegal wiretaps and other sneaking stuff, Alberto Gonzales and Andrew Card try to get what they want by going to John Ashcroft when he was really busy…recovering from pancreatitis. It’s called an "End Run" and it’s the kind of thing the Bushies are expert at. Cant do something with the legal checks and balances, finagle a way around them and do it anyway.

Testimony by former Deputy Attorney General James Comey tells a tale of deceit and dirty tricks on a scale that was threatening to cause a mass resignation in the Justice Department. Eventually all those folks did resign and now we are left with Gonzo and his toadies.

The Washington Post has more of this sickening tale of our lawless President and his wrongdoings.

Jerry Falwell Dead At 73

The man who will long be remembered in the GBLT community as a voice of intolerance and hate has died. Rev. Jerry Falwell was found dead in his office in Lynchburg, VA. His group "The Moral Majority" has been noted as being the galvanizing force behind the election of Ronald Regan and his influence was still felt in Washington.

On a personal note, I am saddened to see this news. I had long hoped that Falwell would someday see the error of his mean spirited preaching and repent. Well, it was a nice dream anyway.

Wolfowitz Still Refuses To Quit - Stubborness, The New Bush Doctrine

I think the word stubborn would best describe the entire Bush legacy. His administration simply will not yield to suggestion, criticism or reality for that matter. Take the latest example, Paul Wolfowitz, beleaguered head of the World Bank. The board of the bank has found him guilty of breaking the rules, of corruption and of doling out favors to his ex-girlfriend. In most cases that would be enough to get a resignation.

People with at least a shred of decency will admit when they are wrong and take the moral high ground and leave the institution before harming it by their mere presence. Not a Bushie! Bushie’s are tenacious. Bushies are stubborn and once they set their mind on something, they will not be dissuaded from their course.

Bush himself displays this same stubbornness in his course in Iraq. Though it is clearly not working and has little chance of success, he insists on "staying the course" simply because if he didn’t he might look vulnerable. Above all, Bushies and Bush for that matter must look good. Performance has nothing to do with their jobs; it’s all about the "look" of success.

Alberto Gonzales, sitting stubbornly before the Senate and House committees steadfastly insisting he knew nothing is another example. A loyal and stubborn Bushie who may be a disastrous failure as an Attorney General, he still "looks good" in the eyes of the White House.

This fetishistic fascination with form over substance is the root problem with the GOP and the White House under Bush. As long as hey can look like they are leaders, that’s all that matters. Well the emperor has no clothes, and the naked incompetence of the Bush folks has started to show through to everyone except those blinded by ideology. Even the press, now merely a shadow of the institution it once was, has seen through the illusions of leadership and has begun exposing the reality of these people.

Now it’s time the American people stood up and demanded that they all just go away. They are bad actors playing roles that are ill suited to their talents. They have committed crimes and shown gross negligence in their duties. Impeachment and prosecution are the only avenues left.

Rejected by eHarmony - Still Gay!

Online dating service eHarmony.com won't help you find a mate if you're gay. The competition just heated up for gay dating business with this ad from Chemistry.com. Check it out.

Deputy Attorney General Resigns, Is Gonzales Next?

Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty will resign according to an AP report. As the second in command under Alberto Gonzales he is he highest ranking member of the Bush Administration to resign over the latest scandal.

It is becoming painfully obvious that Gonzales should follow suit but he has neither the ethical compass nor the courage to admit he is an albatross to the Bush Administration. I have already lost a bet that Gonzo would vacate in April, now money is riding on May.

Dallas Suburb Bans Illegal Aliens

Xenophobia is strong stuff. The fear of "others" apparently can really motivate voters in the Dallas Suburb of Farmers Branch. Saturday voters approved a measure to make renting to illegal aliens a crime. This means landlords are now effectively arms of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, without pay.

I am not surprised that this happened. After all suburbs like Farmers Branch and Plano and Richardson really got booming right after Brown vs Board of Education, in other words "White Flight". White Dallasites moved by the thousands to the homogeneous suburbs so their kids would be spared any diversity in the schools system. Now there is the "Brown Threat"!

Heaven forbid we should have to live in a city with people whose skin is even slightly darker than ours. Heck for that matter why not ban tanning beds, cause they really make it all so confusing?

This is racism plain and simple and though it is wrapped in the guise of solving the immigration "problem" it's really about bigotry. So let's call a spade a spade and just post a nice sign outside Farmers Branch like they used to have in Greenville Texas back in the 1930's "The Blackest Land, the Whitest People!"

Meanwhile, I am going down to the local Mercado and get some really authentic Pan de Dulce for my breakfast. Might even indulge in a good dinner of Sushi tonight. Let the folks in Farmers Branch eat white bread and mayonase sandwiches, I'll take diversity any day.

"Gay Voodoo Limbo Tango and Wango" - OK In Army Playbook

Getting what amounts to a slap on the wrist, former recruiter Marcia Ramode was reassigned after her Email tirade at prospective recruit Corey Andrew. The African-American gay man was contacted by Ramode through Monster.com. When she learned he was gay she began her fountain of invectives in subsequent emails.

Pam's House Blend has the whole nasty thing.

Former State Department Official Accuses Bush and Cheney of High Crimes.

A former aid to Secretary of State Colin Powell says the minor problems of Bill Clinton pale in comparison to the "high crimes and misdemeanors" of Bush and Cheney. Lawrence Wilkerson, former number 2 in the State Department made the statement on Thursday on the NPR program "On Point".

"This administration doesn't know how to effect accountability, in my opinion." Wilkerson said when asked about the possibilities of impeachment. Talking about a historical view of impeachment Wilkerson noted that the founding fathers would probably be surprised that more Presidents hadn’t been removed from office.

Gonzales Ducking and Weaving Again - "I Don't Recall"

Once again Gonzo is playing games with Congress. His answers are vague, with lots of "I don't recalls" peppering his responses. It is no surprise, since his tactic, like that of most Bushies is to never admit anything and keep talking until people get tired of you. And most importantly, never do the right thing and resign!

General Batiste: Bush Not Listening To Generals

This is a profound ad featuring retired General Batiste who quit the Army in protest of the failed policies of the Bush Administration. I only hope it has an effect. This war must end now!

Terrorist Plot Foiled - Bush Still Clueless

So Bush has used the really tired line of "we have to fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here" so many times I want to puke. If he forgot, we already did fight them here on 9/11. Additionally, the idiot masquerading as our President, told us if we leave Iraq, the "terrorists will follow us home."

Guess what? They aren't going to wait for us to leave, they are already here. Six Islamic terrorists were arrested yesterday while plotting a shootout at Fort Dix Army Base. They are here because we are there, not because we are going to leave.

Were they caught with the new provisions in the Patriot Act? Nope, just an alert shopkeeper who saw a really disturbing DVD he was asked to copy for one of the plotters. Later an informant recorded a conversation with more evidence. No wiretaps, Internet snoop or other crap that the Homeland Security folks say is critical involved.

I am grateful that the Justice Department had enough non-political operatives left to catch these guys! Now, lets clean up Washington, DC by throwing the criminals in the White House
out and make America safer for everyone. Impeachment NOW!

World Bank Finds Wolfowitz Guilty - Now Will He Step Down?

Paul Wolfowitz, beleaguered World Bank President has been found guilty of conflict of interest by the bank's board according to the NY Times. Anyone with a shred of dignity and integrity would have stepped down long ago, but Wolfie keeps hanging on.

This seems to be a trend with Bushies, they just won't quit. Over and over they are found to be guilty of doing things that most in government would find so embarrassing they would resign, yet the Bushies just keep on faking it until they are dragged kicking and screaming from their posts.

Wonder if Paul will leave or will they have to take away his keys?

Here's the kicker. Because of Wolfowitz shenanigans and his stubbornness about fessing up to his crimes, the European members of the board are considering taking away the tradition of letting the US pick the next president. Another bold blunder by the Bush administration. Not only will we loose credibility with the World Bank, we will loose the tradition of picking the president. Heck of a job, Wolfie!

Kansas National Guard Unable To Respond To Tornado Due To Iraq War

As I have said previously, I chase storms sometimes. My partner is a dedicated Storm Chaser and I sometimes accompany him on his journeys.

Storm chasing is not anything like the movie version. There are few wild close calls and never any flying cows, but there are some very amazing sights of one of natures most frightening and beautiful phenomena, the tornado.

My partner was away on a chase last week when the town of Greensburg, KS was struck by a devastating EF5 (Enhanced Fujita Scale) Tornado. The storm swept the town away. The governor of Kansas called it one of the greatest disasters the state has ever faced.

Today FEMA is starting their work to send trailers to those who are now homeless, though the thought of living in a trailer in Kansas (part of tornado alley) seems less appealing. Normally the National Guard would be bringing in equipment and supplies to help mitigate the horrible aftermath of the storm, but they cannot. That equipment is in Iraq, fighting a war that has sapped our national will and our treasury.

Once again, America is less safe because of Bush and his insane war. This must stop now!

Grimpoteuthis - Pikachu Look Alike 3 Miles Underwater

Once and a while a science story comes along that is just too nifty to ignore. (Boston Globe Link) Enter Grimpoteuthis, a rare species related to the octopus that bears a striking resemblance to Pikachu. Life imitates art even in the natural world!

This creature was discovered and photographed with a robot camera in the depths of the ocean for a new book, "The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss." Apparently some of the animals in the book have so little known about them that the picture is about all there is.

Pentagon Trys To Spin Combat Stress As Good News!

One of the things that comes with age is the ability to remember a little of the past. I lived through the Vietnam Era and all he crap that went with it. I remember very well hearing returning soldiers speak of the civilians of Vietnam as gooks and slopes. It was a symptom of the stress that they had been under and the awful conditions their commanders sent them into.

Vietnam was a war where you couldn't tell who was the enemy. It could be a woman or a kid who hid the next gun or explosive. Sound familiar?

Iraq is exactally the same today, except they have sand not jungle, and they are involved in not only a civil war but a holy war. In both Vietnam and Iraq, we were in the middle and we didn't belong there. In the case of Iraq, we started a vicious war that has turned into something the critics predicted, a bloody civil/holy war with no good outcome.

Into this mess put our young men and women and what you get is an abundance of stress and problems. It's not because they are weak, it's because they shouldn't be there in the first place. They see the futility of the war and the "no way out" scenario our alleged President has created. No wonder combat related psychological problems are high.

What is unconscionable is the Pentagon trying to spin these problems as positive. Lou Dobbs lays it out for you.

Mission Accomplished - Four Years Later

Tuesday marks the fourth anniversary of the infamous Mission Accomplished photo-op where the president gave the thumbs up to the troops he betrayed. The mission has lasted four more bloody years and after thousands of casualties is still dragging on. Now we find out that all the money spent rebuilding Iraq was wasted on substandard repairs and projects that are already falling apart.

Way to go Georgie!

More Bush Admnistration Names On DC Madam's Sex List

More names from the Bush administration are turning up on the DC Madam's phone records. Seems like a good number of high-profile people used her services, and again the path leads to the White House. Nothing like a good old fashioned sex scandal to bring down a corrupt regime!

Randall Tobias, the head of the US Agency for International Development, has already stepped down for "unspecified reasons" that inside sources say was his inclusion on the Madam's list.

ABC News and Raw Story have lots more.

From RushLimbaugh.com Hate And Racism

These alleged parodies are the kind of hate speech that got Don Imus thrown off the air. I only hope someone will take a closer look at Rush Limbaugh and do the same. His bigotry and racism are every bit as pronounced as Imus and maybe more.

Write his sponsors!

Rush Limbaugh Plays Racist Song

Rush Limbaugh has really done it this time with his playing of the racist "Barak the Magic Negro" song parody on his program. This guy is as bad as Imus and it's time for him to go as well. Not only are listeners angry, but black employees of his show are up in arms, too.

Open Letter To George Tenent

Former intelligence officers with the CIA have written an open letter to George Tenent asking him to donate half his royalties to wounded veterans and their families. Had he spoken up sooner he could have prevented the death and wounding of these fine men and women.

The letter begins:

We write to you on the occasion of the release of your book, At the Center
of the Storm. You are on the record complaining about the “damage to your
reputation”. In our view the damage to your reputation is inconsequential
compared to the harm your actions have caused for the U.S. soldiers engaged in
combat in Iraq and the national security of the United States. We believe you
have a moral obligation to return the Medal of Freedom you received from
President George Bush. We also call for you to dedicate a significant percentage
of the royalties from your book to the U.S. soldiers and their families who have
been killed and wounded in Iraq.

Full text is here.

Bandar "Bush" Playing Hard To Get

Looks like Dubbya's buddy Saudi Prince Bandar has taken Bush off the "A" list. He has been playing hard to get to in recent months and King Abdullah even called the US Invasion in Iraq, "an illegal foreign occupation".

Looks like even our buddies in Saudi Arabia are finding it hard to remain friends with the US under the Bush regime. Bandar's friendship with Bush may have played well here, but in Saudi Arabia it has flopped. Looks like there may be a new script, and it may not include a big friendship with the US.

Thanks President Bush! Now even the last few allies we have are jumping ship. Way to go Georgie!

DC Sex Scandal Leads To White House!

So ABC News just broke the story that the DC Madam who was so much in the news lately has released a list of clients that include…(drum roll please)….members of the White House staff and Pentagon officials!

Finally a sex scandal! Maybe now America will take notice of the rampant corruption of this administration and boot the criminals out of office? Who knows? Read more about it here.

Giuliani Now Opposes Gay Unions After Being For Them

"Whap, whap, whap!" Hear that sound? No that isn't the happy sound of a hot and consensual spanking, it's Rudy Giuliani flip-flopping. Rudy, America's Mayor a flip-flopper? When it comes to Gay Civil Unions he is!

Rudy lived with a gay couple after one of his divorces, and has publicly supported gay rights and civil unions. Now he has seen the light! The light at the end of the Republican presidential tunnel. He now is trying on homophobic views to pander to about the only base the Republicans have left, the Radical Religious Right.

Rudy, you look marvelous in a dress, but the makeup is all wrong!

Max Wells TV Spot - Oh My God It's Bad!

Whoever directed this spot must really hate Max Wells. He looks positively bizarre. The flat lighting and way to close-up shooting style makes him look like an aging Michael Jackson impersonator. His message is lost in the creepy visual and whoever his consultants are, they should be fired.

Of course I am biased. My favorite candidate is Ed Oakley. He's experienced and a progressive politically. I also know the guy, so I guess that influences me too.

Vote in this election, it's important.

Bush Approval Ratings Lowest Ever - 28%

Bush now has the distinction of having the lowest approval ratings of his entire presidency now. A recent Harris poll shows a meager 28% of Americans approve of the job he's doing as president. Heck of a job, Georgie!

Chocolate Being Redefined By FDA

Maybe someday it will be retitled "Willy Wonka & The Trans-Fat/Sugar Substitute Factory"?
If Hersheys and some other big candy companies pull the fast one they are trying with the Republican gutted FDA it might. They are trying to get the FDA to approve a new definition of "chocolate". It will basically cover a reformulated chocolate tasting substance they have developed that is , needless to say, cheaper to produce.

Genuine chocolate companies are fight this, like See's Candies, but since they back doored the measure the public comment time is up today. Let's just hope someone on the Senate or House has a sweet tooth and can fight this because the FDA won't.

Representative Kucinich Calls For Impeachment Of Dick Cheney

Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) Took the floor in the House of Representatives today and spoke the following words:

"Whenever any government official becomes destructive of the founding purposes, that official must be held accountable..."

And with that he introduced Articles of Impeachment for Vice-President Dick Cheney. When asked by a reporter why he is starting with Cheney and not Bush, Kucinich replied, "There is a very practical reason – each and every charge relates to Vice President Cheney's conduct or misconduct in office. It is very important that we start with Mr. Cheney because if we were to start with the President, Mr. Cheney would then become president."

This is, in my opinion a long overdue action and I hope he will receive support for Impeachment in the House.

Reuters Picks Up Cathedral Of Hope Story

It's always nice to see something positive written in the press about he gay and lesbian community, especially when it is about people I know. My church, the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, Texas was featured last month in a Texas Monthly article. Apparently Reuters news service saw it and did their own follow-up, giving our church international exposure.

Since I have rarely written about my church, I though today might be a good day for it. Like many churches we focused on Earth Day today. Our church already recycles, uses energy saving compact florescent and other takes green measures. The congregation has made a commitment to be good stewards of the planet. In my case, or at least that of my partner, it meant buying a hybrid car and using only green energy. We get our power from a company that uses only solar and wind generators.

Aside from that, our congregation has a strong commitment to doing work in the local community. We help clean up the neighborhood around the church, we have health fairs to get free health care and health screenings to low income residents. We do lots of activities that benefit the community at large, as well as the GLBT community.

Oh yea, and we are the largest predominately lesbian and gay congregation in the world. For a church smack dab in the middle of the bible belt that is a pretty good thing. we are currently building a new Interfaith Peace Chapel designed by renowned architect Philip Johnson prior to his death. It will eventually be part of a massive new cathedral building he designed. Not surprisingly, the new building will be "green" and meet the energy saving standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design of the US Green Building Council.

As a member of the United Church of Christ, we are a liberal Christian congregation and welcome people from all walks of life to our services. If you are ever in Dallas, let me know and drop by for a visit.

Contaminated Beef Recalled - 5 States Involved

Normally, I feel pretty safe eating food her in the US, but lately I am really beginning to wonder. There is a recall just issued for frozen beef patties that are contaminated with e-coli. The disease has made children sick in Napa County, California. The problem is that happened two weeks ago and the recall just went out today! The meat was produced in 2006, so this stuff was obviously not carefully inspected. This is another example of the private sector doing a better job than the government. NOT! The FDA has been steadily gutted by the Bushies, allowing the private sector to self-inspect in many cases.

Now if you are concerned about profits, you want as little interference from things like health inspections as possible; slows things down! So, you skimp and you vacillate and people get sick and the gutted Centers For Disease Control take weeks to get the warning out and the FDA waits a week to issue a recall and voila! Sick kids, possible complications in others who have eaten this contaminated meat and all in the name of the bottom line.

Makes me want to grow my own food.

Listen To The Real Veterans - Our People In Iraq

This is one of a series of informational videos featuring real Iraq War Vets. Listen closely to what they have to say. It isn't pretty, and it is very telling about the lack of a real plan for this immoral war.

New Taliban Beheading Video & More Executions In Texas

Another grisly video has surfaced in Afghanistan. This one my be the most graphic yet, showing a 12 year old boy beheading an accused “spy”. The video making the rounds in Pakistan shows a captured Pakistani militant making what appears to be a forced confession. Then he is blindfolded and held down while a boy who appears to be no older than 12 screams about vengeance and hacks through his neck with a knife.

The whole thing is awful, and it is made worse by that call for vengeance. It seems that the remnants of the Taliban, who perpetrated this crime, base their justice system on revenge. Funny thing, so do we. Our system of justice is more sanitized, but no less horrible. No we don’t behead our victims; we kill them nicely with drugs. Here in Texas we kill lots of them, 12 in the first part of this year!

Are we preventing crime? If we are, then Texas should be crime free by now. We execute more people than any other state, so if execution works as a crime prevention method where are the results?

The truth is that execution in Texas is just simple revenge. The old “eye for an eye” thing is big here in the Lone Star State. The problem is that often the people executed are actually innocent, or more often just had really bad lawyers. This makes the execution even worse. What capital punishment has become in Texas is a method of killing the poor and uneducated. This state-sanctioned killing may look more civilized than the brutal stuff in the latest Taliban video, but don’t be fooled. The victims are just as dead.

Jon Stewart Roasts Gonzo

Gonzales Lies, Yet Bush Still Has Full Confidence In Him

After Alberto Gonzales embarrassing testimony yesterday when he uttered the phrase "I don;t recall that" over 50 times, the President announces he has full confidence in the Attorney General. That is a pretty telling statement in my book. Sounds like Bush is either completely clueless or relieved that Gonzales continued his stonewalling and kept his mouth shut.

The most disturbing fact is that by all testimony, Gonzales has repeatedly lied to Congress and yet Bush still "has confidence" in him. I have to wonder what he is protecting? Sounds a lot like Bush has something to hide and Gonzales is complicit in helping him do it.

Personally, I would be much happier if Gonzales did the ethical thing and resigned. Of course ethics are in very short supply in the Bush administration, so I won't get my hopes up.

Chuck Schumer Clubs Gonzales "Like A Baby Seal"

Gonzo isn't doing well at the hearing. A Republican source told a CNN reporter he was being beat "like clubbing a baby seal". This exchange with Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) shows just how poorly Attorney General Gonzales is doing and it isn't good.

Raw Story has a video clip that is painful to watch, especially considering that the Attorney General of the US is supposed to uphold the law. The lies and obfuscation is sickening.

Gonzales Getting Grilled In Senate Hearings

Watching CSPAN today and the testimony of Alberto Gonzales before the Senate Judiciary Committee was like watching a past-his-prime prize fighter get pummeled in the ring. Sometimes they have the stamana to keep standing but they don’t have the sense to just fall down.

Gonzales is being beat up by Republicans and Democrats alike. Neither side seems to believe him and Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma even called for him to resign. Gonzo just won’t give up. Some might find that heroic, but in reality it’s just pathetic. He has no credibility left and yet he refuses to resign from an office where credibility is key.

Whatever happens as a result of these hearings, it is painfully obvious that Gonzales has no friends left in the Senate. More importantly, these hearings give a good idea of just how popular the entire Bush administration is becoming in Congress. When will Bush realize he has become a liability to the Republican party and a disaster for the country.

Rumors Say Dennis Kucinich Will Introduce Articles Of Impeachment

Latest rumor via www.rawsory.com says Dennis Kucinich will introduce articles of impeachment against Dick Cheney next week. Couldn't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

Abstinence Only Sex Education Doesn't Work - Anybody Surprised At That?

The idea that you can teach young people to "just say no" to sex before marriage is not only wrongheaded, its ineffective. That is the conclusion of a study of the governments "abstinence only" education programs.It seems that students who had the "no sex" solution fared the same as students who did not attend classes. In other words these government-sponsored programs have the same effect as no program at all!

So what does the Family Research Council think we should do? Well more of the same that’s what. As a member of a 12-step program I was taught that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results was a good definition of insanity. I think it’s time the folks over at FRC had an intervention. The abstinence only program is a failure, just like most sane people said it would be. Now after spending $176 million a year on this tripe, it’s time to give our young people the real sex education they need and want.

Justice Department Fails To Meet Subpoena Deadline

The showdown has begin. The Department of Justice missed their 2:00pm deadline to turn over documents to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Congress has promised to take all legal actions to get the DOJ to comply with the subpoena.

More soon.

Bush Speech - More Lies About 9/11 And Iraq!

Bush is really desperate. He referred again and again to 9/11 in his speech about Iraq today. He keeps trying to keep the lie alive that Saddam was behind 9/11 or that there were ties to Al Qaeda. Both those lies have been debunked by Bush administration investigators as well as independent sources. Why does he keep lying?

I suspect Bush is incapable of telling the truth about anything. He has to keep the terror level high so people will at least listen to him. Otherwise, we'd all just laugh at him to his face.

His latest crap sounds like the script from the Haunted Mansion in Disney World. "Careful or a ghost will follow you home." Just switch the word ghost for terrorist and that's his pitch. Fight them there so we don;t have to fight them here.

Well just in case anyone is listening to him, we already have fought them here...remember 9/11? And the people we are fighting there are not the same terrorists, they are just combatants in a sectarian civil war. Enough lies Mr. Bush!

Gays Being Executed In Baghdad - Sexual Cleansing

We are allegedly fighting in Iraq to secure the freedom and safety of the Iraqi people. I guess that does not include gay Iraqis? Seems the lovely folks there have been doing a little "Sexual Cleansing" to rid Iraq of gays. Over the past three months over 30 gay men have been found executed in Baghdad.

How do we know it was a gay hate crime? Well they left convenient notes with the bodies warning others of the same fate if they strayed from Islam. Great! Let's defend the rights of Iraqi's to murder gays just like the hate mongers in the US do. Now that's freedom on the fucking march!

Bill Maher On Regent University & DOJ

Bill Maher of HBO's Real Time skewers Bush, Monica Goodling and Pat Robertson in his monologue last week. Watch it here from CrooksandLiars.com.