Happy Mission Accomplished Day

Happy Anniversary Mister Pwesident.




When asked if he felt he spoke too soon a year ago standing under a Mission Accomplished banner just 5 miles off the shore of San Diego, the President today defended his stance, ''We're making progress, you bet''. He stood in the Rose Garden today talking with reporters.

"A year ago, I did give the speech from the carrier saying that we had achieved an important objective, that we had accomplished a mission, which was the removal of Saddam Hussein," Bush said.

"And as a result, there are no longer torture chambers or rape rooms or mass graves in Iraq. As a result, a friend of terror has been removed and now sits in a jail.

Saddam Hussein is in custody while US Soldiers bomb Iraqi cities killing thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens including thousands of women and children. Iraqi wives have been raped, tortured and filmed by US Soldiers in order to make their husbands break down. These photos were found on porn sites on the Internet. Iraqi prisoners have been tortured and forced into sexual positions while being photographed. More and more stories of war atrocities will be coming to light in the coming weeks. Surely it is a great victory that Saddam Hussein is out of power but at what price?

"On balance, I think things are going well," said Rep. Vito Fossella, R-New York, told CNN's "Crossfire" Wednesday. "We've liberated a country; 25 million or so Iraqis now can look forward to democracy and freedoms that we currently enjoy."

Not so fast, Mr. Fossella. The Iraqi's don't see things the way they are reported in the media. A CNN/Gallop poll (2) taken between March 22 and April 9, BEFORE the carnage in Fallujah this month tell us how Iraqi's viewed this war:

47% said attacks against US Soldiers not justified
52% said attacks justified some or all of the time

33% said war had done more good than harm
46% said war done more harm than good.

42% said Iraq was better off because of the war
39% said Iraq was worse off. Given error sample this is a dead heat.

54% said conditions for peace worsened in last 3 months
25% said conditions improved.

54% said gave Bush unfavorable rating
11% said somewhat unfavorable
31% said favorable rating

29% said troops conducted themselves very badly
24% said they acted fairly well
10% said troops acted very well.

67% said troops were not trying to keep ordinary Iraqi's from being killed.
18% said troops were trying a little
11% said they were trying a lot

60% said troops sometimes or often showed disrespect to Iraqi's during home searches.
29% said troops did not.
46% said troops showed little respect for Iraqi women during home searches
39% said troops did not.

41% said the troops were trying only a little to restore basic services
44% said they were not trying at all.

71% said they saw troops mostly as occupiers
19% said they viewed them as liberators.

Asked how they viewed troops at the time of the invasion a year ago, the respondents were split, with 43 percent saying they saw the coalition forces as occupiers and another 43 percent saying they considered them liberators at the time. (2)

But asked, "Thinking about any hardships you might have suffered since the U.S.-Britain invasion, do you personally think that ousting Saddam Hussein was worth it or not?" Sixty-one percent said it was worth it. Twenty-eight percent said it was not, while 9 percent said they were not sure. (2)

Mr Bush wasn't kidding when he reminded us "I also said on that carrier that day, that there was still difficult work ahead." This commentator doubts he had a clue just how much damage his war would cause.

Mr Bush's photo op on the USS Lincoln one year ago turned out to be flawed operation overall. American's were given the impression that the President flew way out to sea to great soldiers on their return from battle when in fact the Lincoln was 5 miles off shore. San Diego-ans were reporting that they could see the ship from the beach.

Bush staggered off the utility warplane with his parachute straps still in position to give the impression that he had an enormous penis. Later he delivered his speech to thank the troops beneath a banner that read, Mission Accomplished. Bush originally said that the troops made it on their way back from battle and later the White House admitted that they had the banner made.

"They are performing brilliantly in their efforts to bring about a free, peaceful Iraq, which is critical to winning the war on terrorism," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said on Thursday.

The White House continues to spin it's tales and the Americans continue to go along. Are we getting dizzy yet?

SOURCES:
1. UN Observer
2. CNN

A Day in the Life

I watched the news last night, Oh Boy
About some Iraqi's we degrade
And oh the news was very sad
Well I just couldn't laugh.
I saw the the photographs.

I saw the News Today Oh Boy
The US media wants to hide the war
A crowd of people turned away
But I just had to look
Having read read the book
I'd love to turn you on.

Woke up, fell out of bed,
Found myself feeling dread.
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup,
And looking up I noticed I was late.

Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke,
A newsman spoke and I went into a dream

Aaaaaaaaah!!!!!

I read the news today oh boy
Thousands of holes in military strategy.
And though the holes holes were rather small
They couldn't count them all.
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the albert hall.
I’d love to turn you on...

Based on A Day in the Life
©1967 John Lennon and Paul McCartney

The Preznit is Glad He Did It

Our Commander in Chief enjoyed Dick Cheney's hand up his ass this afternoon at the 9/11 Commission hearing.

"I'm glad I did it," Bush told reporters in the Rose Garden. "I'm glad I took the time. ... I enjoyed it."

Most homophobes enjoy a good butt f---. American citizens were overjoyed that their very devout Christian leader refused to take an oath with his hand on the Bible before he testified.

"I answered every question they asked," Bush said.

Citizens were thrilled to hear that Mr. Bush answered the questions even though these leaders of the most powerful nation in the world refused to reveal what questions were asked or how they were answered.

"The president was asked the vast majority of the questions and he answered them," Thompson said. "There was no questions the president or vice president did not answer."

Someone give them a lollypop for being such good boys.

"Laughter erupted in the Oval Office from time to time, Thompson told the AP."

American citizens are elated that the Commission Mr. Bush was vehemently opposed to was an easy going interview and that the guys had some laughs. This was very consoling to the families of those who were killed on 9/11. The families were also happy to have been a part of history because this interview was less agressive and less intrusive than the Starr inquisition of President Clinton's sex life. Of course, Christian Americans understand that sexual morality is of greater importance than a failure to stop terrorists from attacking America.

Fighting for Freedom and Democracy

I don't want to believe this is happening. I have read about war atrocities from numerous independent journalists like Dahr Jamail. I tried not to believe it was all true. Do stories like this give John Kerry's anti-war stance some creedence? You decide.

"(CBS)  Last month, the U.S. Army announced 17 soldiers in Iraq, including a brigadier general, had been removed from duty after charges of mistreating Iraqi prisoners.

But the details of what happened have been kept secret, until now.

It turns out photographs surfaced showing American soldiers abusing and humiliating Iraqis being held at a prison near Baghdad. The Army investigated, and issued a scathing report.

Now, an Army general and her command staff may face the end of long military careers. And six soldiers are facing court martial in Iraq -- and possible prison time.

According to the U.S. Army, one Iraqi prisoner was told to stand on a box with his head covered, wires attached to his hands. He was told that if he fell off the box, he would be electrocuted.

It was this picture, and dozens of others, that prompted an investigation by the U.S. Army. On Tuesday, 60 Minutes II asked Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy director of coalition operations in Iraq, what went wrong."

Warning: The photographs are very disturbing.

"It was American soldiers serving as military police at Abu Ghraib who took these pictures. The investigation started when one soldier got them from a friend, and gave them to his commanders. 60 Minutes II has a dozen of these pictures, and there are many more – pictures that show Americans, men and women in military uniforms, posing with naked Iraqi prisoners.

In some, the male prisoners are positioned to simulate sex with each other. And in most of the pictures, the Americans are laughing, posing, pointing, or giving the camera a thumbs-up.

60 Minutes II was only able to contact one of the soldiers facing charges. But the Army says they are all in Iraq, awaiting court martial.

"What can the Army say specifically to Iraqis and others who are going to see this and take it personally," Rather asked Kimmitt, in an interview conducted by satellite from Baghdad.

"The first thing I’d say is we’re appalled as well. These are our fellow soldiers. These are the people we work with every day, and they represent us. They wear the same uniform as us, and they let their fellow soldiers down,” says Kimmitt.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, General. Sure you are. You're appalled that this was made public. Get the damn military out of Iraq at once.

News flash: Jesus Says Rich Are Hellbound ~ Christian Right Fights Back.

Upset Republicans on the religious right gathered today to go over just exactly what Jesus was talking about 2000 years ago. They viewed transcripts of his various speeches and tried to make sense of it all. Angry Democratic heathens protested outside while the Christian right attempted to come up with a reply to their charges that they weren't Christians at all and their public policy was not based on any sound Christian doctrine or Bible facts. The Christian right will once again attempt to derive meaning from Jesus' words that speak to us today.

From Jesus Transcripts: "Looking at his disciples, he [Jesus] said: "Blessed are you who are poor , for yours is the kingdom of God." [ Luke 6:20 ]

Christian Right: I don't see anything about revoking the tax cuts for the wealthy here. Go on.

From Jesus Transcripts: "Sell your possessions and give to the poor . Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." [Luke 12:33 ]

Christian Right: What about those purses JC is talking about? I think he means tax loopholes. Yes that's what he means. We need a constitutional amendment to protect our purses. Oh that first part? You know you can't take everything the Bible says literally.

From Jesus Transcripts: "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor , the crippled, the blind and the lame.' [Luke 14:21 ]

Christian Right: We have food drives and fine Christian women drop off cans of food for sickly, illiterate poor people. They come and pick up bags of food and also come to our monthly "feed the poor" supper at the community center. I don't know what we are supposed to do about those lame people though. Wheelchairs would cost the taxpayer's money and we don't want to ask our constituents to pay any more money in taxes while we are at war.

From Jesus Transcripts: "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor , the crippled, the lame, the blind..." [Luke 14:13 ]

Christian Right: I suppose we could bring in one of those young black children and donate a wheelchair to him. That would be the right thing to do. Someone see about raising some money for a wheelchair.

But we object to bringing lots of poor people to one of our banquets..... after all, they are immoral. They have sex for pleasure and that is disgusting in the eyes of the Lord. Sex must only be had for pro-creation. God has punished them with children who will not learn, children with birth defects and children who grow up and break the law. If they were moral like we are, these things wouldn't happen to them.

Someone look up what Jesus says about sex. Jesus hated sex. I am sure of that. Poor people and heathens do not practice abstinence. If they insist on having sex for pleasure then they must bear the consequences of their behavior and be forced to raise all those children as a punishment from the Almighty... as long as it's not on my dollar. Someone see what Jesus had to say about sex. Rewind that tape.

Devil's Advocate on Christian Right: Jesus doesn't really go into sex all that much sir. He mostly goes on and on about the poor, the disenfranchised, the sick and pharisees, those nasty men who were hypocrites who stuck by the letter of the law while ignoring the needs of others. Sick men, they were. The closest thing I can find to sex is this part... and he repeats it in Mark and Luke as well.

From Jesus Transcripts: "whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." [Matt 5:32]

Christian Right: Someone look up what "Unlawful" means. We cannot ban divorce unless unlawful means that your wife turned into a fat ugly pig. (all laugh) What does Jesus say about abortion?

Devil's Advocate on Christian Right: Nothing about abortion specifically. Like I said, he keeps talking about helping the poor. Do you suppose that helping the poor and disenfranchised might make abortions happen less frequently? Perhaps if they got proper health care and education, people would be more likely to plan their families?

Christian Right: Nonsense, that would cost money. Did anyone notice how ugly those pro-abortion marchers were in Washington last week? In a way, I can see why they wouldn't want to give birth. They would be very ugly children.

But back to business. We don't want to separate our constituents from their hard earned money. They are hard working decent Christians with deep rooted family values. We are at war now with evil doers. The President said that God himself ordered him to rid the world of evil doers.

From Jesus Transcripts: "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles...

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. "

Christian Right: That has nothing to do with war. We are dealing with terrorists. Evil people who hate us because of our freedoms. They killed 3000 of us on 9/11. They must pay before they hurt others. If innocent people get in the way, God will take care of them. God knows his own.

They don't believe in the same God as we do. It is right that we bomb them and teach them that our God is more powerful and is on our side. We have to show the world that we are a Christian nation! We wouldn't be saying "God Bless America" if that were not true.

And nobody is 'perfect'. Redact that part. It must be a mistake in translation.

Devil's Advocate on Christian Right: It kind of looks like Jesus is saying that God is the father of everyone on the planet, both bad and good and he loves them all. He is the same God that everyone worships.

Christian Right: Listen, those Democrats are immoral and they are left wing liberal radicals. Every single one of them. They want to take all our hard earned money and waste in on the environment, on education and waste in on healthcare for everyone. I have benefits already. Why would I want healthcare for everyone?

Devil's Advocate on Christian Right: So that your kids aren't exposed to weird diseases at school from children in families who don't have health care?

Christian Right: My child goes to a proper private Christian school. They don't even have books in our local public school! I want my children to be educated properly so they won't grow up to be immoral and have abortions or rob people. I want them to live long happy lives and have plenty of money in the bank. That's only fair. What's that crap about the environment anyway? Those hippies have too much time on their hands. The air is fine. Corporations are people too. You can't keep putting more restrictions on their emissions. They won't be able to pay their CEO's.

From Jesus Transcripts: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

"For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?'

"He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." "[Matt:31-46]

Christian Right: Well that is exactly how America, a Christian nation behaves. Exactly. Right? All those losers who sit in their hovels on the edge of town. I don't see them doing anything for anyone. Someone arrange for a trip and photographer to accompany me to the hospital and the jail though.. ya know.. just in case.

Get those protesters away from our parking lot. Our American policy is right and just. We are in keeping with Jesus' words. It's as clear as day. Those liberals just want to tax and spend us into oblivion. They are socialists I tell you. If Jesus were alive today, he'd be a Republican. He surely wouldn't approve of all this spending. God only helps those who help themselves you know!

From Jesus Transcripts: Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." [Luke 18:25 ]

Christian Right: Would someone please research this? Find out just how big a needle would have to be in order for an average camel to pass through it's eye.

How Our Foreign Policy is Determined

My Blonde Sense

Remember when the term "dysfunctional family" made the mainstream vocabulary? Originally it was used for dysfunctional families. Then everyone wanted to be from a dysfunctional family even if your worse memory was that you were sent to bed without dinner once or twice. Now the word "dysfunctional" has lost it's impact. We're all dysfunctional.

My prediction: the words "Terrorist" and "Terrorism" are soon to lose their impact. It seems just about anything you can think of is a war on terrorism these days. Anything post 9/11 that Bush is trying to shove down our throats is a war on terrorism. Iraq is supposedly a war on terrorism even though it's not.

As for terrorists, the insurgents in Iraq are "terrorists", not resistors. Women who marched in Washington last weekend are "terrrorists" according to Karen Hughes. Janet Jackson is a terrorist. Anyone who disagrees with this current administration or does not belong to the Coalition of the Willing is a terrorist. Pretty soon we will all be considered terrorists or we will be calling each other terrorists in jest like we called our families dysfunctional. Hell, we'll be calling our childhoods: dysfunctional terrorist training camps.

whatever.

Freedom, My Arse

Just read this entry from independent journalist, Dahr Jamail, in Iraq. I've been reading him for a long time. He doesn't sit in his hotel waiting for official news from the CIA. He goes out and gets it. Read his blog and bookmark it. You probably will have a hard time believing it too. I'm sorry.

Hey They Killed My Soldier! You Bastard!

1 in 4 US Troop Deaths Blamed on Bush Failure to Provide Needed Basic Equipment
I hate to be an "I told you so person". oh well.

I TOLD YOU SO!

"An unofficial study by a defense consultant shows that U.S. soldiers do not have military vehicles, equipment or armor needed for protection against Iraqi uprisings.... consequently that has meant 25% more American casualties in Iraq. The study cites that of the 190 killed by landmines, improvised explosive devices, or rocket-propelled grenade attacks, 'almost all those were killed while in unprotected vehicles... perhaps 1 in 4 of those killed in combat in Iraq might be alive if they had had stronger armor around them.' Additionally, 'thousands more who were unprotected have suffered grievous wounds, such as the loss of limbs.' Bush, however, continues to withhold funding that military officials say is desperately needed to plug shortfalls in armor and protection equipment." Read more

Buck Fush.

Editorial: In the past week I have heard from 4 people who were my friends say that I am over-reacting, being irrational and being too emotional. I have been accused of being ill informed and against this war because I simply don't like Bush's policies and accused of not being "clear thinking". If anyone reads the evidence I have posted and the evidence posted by fellow bloggers on this page, you will see that I am certainly not ill informed. You will see that I don't like Bush's policies because they are legally and morally wrong anyway you look at them unless you are watching Fox news.

The war in Iraq is not the war on terror. Reservists are not supposed to serve for 20 months. The National Guard is supposed to guard us here at home! Our borders are still wide open! Al Qaida is regrouping. Once warring Islamic factions are now united against us. If this sort of information does not alarm you, then you are ignorant or you are simply refusing to face reality. Insanity means that you are living in an alternate world and refusing to see the truth. Sanity means that you do face reality despite how terrible it may be. I am not insane. Look in the mirror. READ. Quit watching TV.

Your president admits that he doesn't read, that he goes to bed early, that he gets an idea in his head and then prays to god to keep him strong. He told a Saudi prince about his war plans before he told Colin Powell. His ideas and his policies are not theologically sound or in keeping with the constitution which he vowed to uphold. He isn't supposed to be mixing religion with politics anyway... but since he decided to do it... he is doing it wrong. This war does does not meet the criteria for a "just war". In fact only one church out of every church in the whole world condoned his war in Iraq: American Southern Baptists.

Bush sent our children to an unjust war to DIE and they are ill equipped! You should be outraged. If you are just sitting there, then you should be ashamed of yourself. I am writing letters daily and calling for action. The presidential race is dead even because Bush is a liar and operates a smear machine against anyone who tries to tell the truth. So just sit there and do nothing and while you are doing nothing, be sure not to even talk to me cause I don't want to hear from you anyway.

TV News Lies: America's Decent into Hell

The latest polls show that most Americans are brainwashed or braindead or simply watch FOX NEWS, the most irresponsible excuse for news that was ever aired on television. Yes, there is the first amendment which grants free speech, but this network spews lies and keeps simple minded American misinformed on a daily basis. Fox News laughs all the way to the bank knowing that most Americans are too caught up with daily life to actually READ and they simply turn on the television for a quick dose of lies.

The president continues to lie saying that Iraq refused to let UN inspectors into Iraq. The president insults my intelligence because I certainly remember him calling the inspectors out of Iraq so he could risk the lives of our children to invade that country. The president continues to equate Iraq with the war on terror which is a lie and he continues to lead Americans to believe that Iraq was a threat to the US which is also a lie. He cares not how he will be remembered in history because he says, "We will all be dead." He has no regard for family values. Family values includes making the world a better place for future generations.

"US public perceptions about former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's alleged ties to Al Qaeda and stocks of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) continues to lag far behind the testimony of experts , boosting chances that President George W. Bush will be re-elected, according to a survey and analysis released on Thursday.

"Despite statements by such officials as the Bush administration's former chief weapons inspector, David Kay; its former anti-terrorism chief, Richard Clarke; former chief United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix, as well as admissions by senior administration officials themselves, a majority of the public still believes Iraq was closely tied to the al-Qaeda terrorist group and had WMD stocks or programmes before US troops invaded the country 13 months ago.

"... Among the 57 per cent of respondents who said they believed Iraq was either "directly involved" in carrying out the 9/11 attacks on New York and the Pentagon or had provided "substantial support" to Al Qaeda, 57 per cent said they intended to vote for Bush and 39 per cent said they would choose his Democratic foe, John Kerry.

"...Among the 40 per cent of respondents, who said they believed there was no connection at all between Saddam and Al Qaeda or that ties consisted only of minor contacts or visits, on the other hand, only 28 per cent said they intended to vote for Bush, while 68 per cent said their ballots would go to Kerry.

"...The latest PIPA study is remarkable because it shows that public perceptions about Iraq, or at least about the threat it posed before the US invasion, are lagging far behind what acknowledged experts have themselves concluded and whose findings have been reported in the mass media.

"Virtually all independent experts and even senior administration officials have concluded since the war that ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda before the war were virtually non- existent, and even Bush himself has explicitly dismissed the notion that Baghdad had a hand in the 9/11 attacks.

"Yet the March poll found that 20 per cent of respondents believe that Iraq was directly involved in the attacks - the same percentage as on the eve of the war, in February 2003.

"Similarly, the percentages of those who believe Iraq provided "substantial support" to Al Qaeda (37 per cent) and those who believe contacts were minimal (29 per cent) are also virtually unchanged from 13 months before. As of March 2004, 11 per cent said there was "no connection at all", up four per cent from February 2003.

"Some - but surprisingly little - change was found in answers to whether Washington had found concrete evidence since the war that substantiated a Saddam-Al Qaeda link. Thus, in June 2003, 52 per cent of respondents said evidence had been found, while only 45 per cent said so last month.

"As to WMD, about which there has been significantly more media coverage, 60 per cent of respondents said Iraq either had actual WMD (38 per cent) or had a major programme for developing them (22 per cent).

"In contrast, 39 per cent said Baghdad had limited WMD-related activities that fell short of an active programme - what Kay as the CIA's main weapons inspector concluded in February - or no activities at all.

"Moreover, the message conveyed by Kay and other experts appears not to be getting through to the public, adds the survey, which found a whopping 82 per cent of respondents saying either, "experts mostly agree Iraq was providing substantial support to Al Qaeda" (47 per cent) or, "experts are evenly divided on the question" (35 per cent).

"Only 15 per cent said it was their impression that "experts mostly agree (that) Iraq was not providing substantial support to Al Qaeda". There was similar confusion with respect to the WMD question: despite all the publicity given Kay's, Blix's, and the findings of other independent experts that Iraq did not have WMD before the war, nearly two-thirds of respondents said they believed that most experts said it did have them (30 per cent) or that experts were evenly divided on the issue (35 per cent).

"The poll found a high correlation between beliefs about pre-war Iraq with support for going to war with Iraq and for the intentions to vote for Bush in November. Among those who perceived experts as saying Iraq had WMD, 72 per cent said they would vote for Bush, and 23 per cent said they would vote for Kerry, while among those who perceived the experts as concluding that Iraq did not have WMD, 23 per cent said they would vote for Bush and 74 per cent for Kerry.

"The opinion of experts was found to be very important in predicting support for Bush or Kerry, as well as support for the war itself, according to Kull. While 38 per cent of a discrete sample within the survey said they believed that Iraq had WMD before the war, the percentage dropped to 21 per cent after they were informed later in the questionnaire that Kay had concluded that Baghdad was engaged only in minor activities for developing WMD.

"Confusion over what the experts are saying, according to Kull, could be due to a number of factors, including the repetition by Bush (most recently in his press conference last week) and other senior officials, such as Vice President Dick Cheney, that Iraq had once used WMD, and the fact that in the electronic mass media, in particular, Iraq is still discussed in the context of the "war on terror".

"In another misperception, 59 per cent of the public believed that world public opinion either favoured Washington going to war (21 per cent) or believed that global views were "evenly balanced" (38 per cent). Only 41 per cent appeared aware that a majority of world public opinion opposed the US-led war.

"Those who were aware or made aware that world opinion opposed the war were more likely to think the decision to attack Iraq was wrong and less likely to support Bush. Those who believed, on the other hand, that world opinion supported the war were substantially more likely to support Bush and think that going to war was correct." -Dawn/The Inter Press News Service.

Television news should be brought to task for their BIASED news and faulty reporting. This includes CNN as well. Yesterday, it was finally reported on CNN that our troops were inadequately armored in Iraq. What have I been screaming about on this blog for months? What has Buzzflash been screaming about for a year? The CCN "journalists" and I use the term loosely were surprised to hear about this. This is appalling. I doubt if Fox News even reported it. And by the way, Fox News did not report the March for Women's Rights in Washington this past weekend. Women don't even count on Fox News. If anyone who reads this watches Fox News, I pity you for your ignorance. If Bush is elected this November, you will get what you deserve.... A lifetime of unjust wars.

Read the Pipa Poll

- The Editor.

Karen Hughes Shut the Hell Up!

From Kos: But it's time for Hughes to put up or shut up. If she's going to be "troubled" by Kerry's war and anti-war heroics while rationalizing away Bush's AWOL pool volleyball adventures, then she needs to show that she -- indeed -- supports Bush's war and his handling of it. And there's no better way to do so than having her 17-year-old son enroll in the Army or Marines when he graduates from High School.

Her son doesn't graduate until Spring 2005, but he can enroll up to a year before his entry date. I did when I enlisted in the Army. And not only should he enlist, but he should do so for a combat arms slot. Not some wussy pencil-pushing gig, but a job that could see combat. Infantry, armor, engineer, airborne, artillery, special forces (like Pat Tillman), or pilot.  

So how about it, Karen? Ready to put your son where your mouth is? And if not, why should other Americans put their sons and daughters through the meat grinder on behalf of your boss' botched war?

Body Armor: Fashion Plates

Robert Kaplan, a foreign correspondent contemplates buying personal body armor. There are many things to take into consideration he finds out such as lightness, color and durability.

"There were other decisions, too. Did I need side plates? I remembered hearing a colonel berate a sergeant in Afghanistan for not having side plates. "Do you want to die, son?" the colonel asked. "Well, sir," the sergeant replied, "my first wife is getting one half of my retirement pension and my second wife the other half, so it's a good question.""

Kaplan wondered about color too. Black was surely out. He was a journalist yet he didn't want to clash with the soldiers. Woodland camouflage is the forest-green pattern used by the U.S. Army in every theater except the Middle East. He liked the tan too and yet the forest green was nice.

"My decision was further complicated by the Marines. They wear digital cammies in a pattern different from the woodland and tricolor designs of the other services. Would they be offended if I wore woodland? "

And ever more considerations such as the bulky groin protection, what kind of tiles because there are tiles and there are TILES. But if your vest is too heavy, you might find yourself taking it off at every opportunity. He finally settle for tan but it was sold out in his size and settled for desert camoflauge. He bought a desert camoflauge helmet but the salesman sent along a woodland helmet for use outside the middle east.

"Everywhere in my odyssey through the world of body armor, salesmen mentioned satisfied customers. It was the unsatisfied customers I worried about. "

Scooped!

I was scooped by Paul Vitello of my local paper, Newsday. He said it just the way I saw it though. Bright man, that Vitello.

"Does Bush support the revival of the draft?

"That is just not something that's under consideration at this time," Scott McClellan told the White House press corps on Thursday.

Does Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld support it?

A draft "is not useful to do at the present time," Rumsfeld told a meeting of newspaper editors earlier in the week.

...They ooze retractability. That the president does not have the revival of the draft under consideration "at this time" is about as reassuring as watching old tape of him saying he had "no war plans on my desk."

...his is a government that seeks every power to open our mail and watch what we do. It plans its wars in secret. It covers its tracks whenever possible - including the sight of the bar-coded coffins from its war of choice in Iraq.

At this time, it is not interested in drafting your children. At this time, the President has no such plans on his desk."

I was also scooped by Breslin in Newsday. My article in the LI Catholic comes out next week though. Breslin is talking to God:

" "So when we pray to bless us against them in a war, and they pray to you to bless them against us in a war, who wins? Who do you listen to?"

"Women praying for their children."

Newsday is off my shitlist.

Let's Play More Connect the Dots

Flashback: 60 Minutes asked Woodward if Bush 2 ever asked Bush 1 for advice: "“I asked the president about this. And President Bush said, ‘Well no,’ and then he got defensive about it,” says Woodward. “And then he said something that really struck me. He said of his father, ‘He is the wrong father to appeal to for advice. The wrong father to go to, to appeal to in terms of strength.’ And then he said, ‘There's a higher father that I appeal to.’"

Bush said in a speech just this week: "The Iraqi people are looking at America and saying are we going to cut and run again? That's what they're thinking as well. And we're not going to cut and run if I'm in the Oval Office. We will do our job." (who was in office the last time Americans cut and ran?)

Today's cartoon in newspaper:
Woman watching preznit on TV.
Preznit: "the Almighty's guiding me"
Woman: "God's lousy at postwar planning"

Flashback: 60 Minutes asked Woodward about Dubya's "intellect" and this was the reply: "“He’s not an intellectual. He is not what I guess would be called a deep thinker,” says Woodward. “He chastised me at one point because I said people were concerned about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction. And he said, ‘Well you travel in elite circles.’ I think he feels there is an intellectual world and he's indicated he's not a part of it … the fancy pants intellectual world. What he calls the elite.”"

So I looked up intellectual:
1. a person who uses the mind creatively
2. of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind; "intellectual problems"; "the triumph of the rational over the animal side of man"
3. involving intelligence rather than emotions or instinct; "a cerebral approach to the problem"; "cerebral drama"
4. Having superior reasoning powers. Able to acquire and retain knowledge.
5. involving the faculty of knowing, perceiving, reasoning, reflecting.
6. developed or chiefly guided by the intellect rather than by emotion or experience : RATIONAL"

I looked up elite again:
1. A slang term used to describe someone who is among the best at what they do.
2. a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual or social or economic status
5. selected as the best; "an elect circle of artists"; "elite colleges"

I looked up Oedipus complex:
a complex of males; desire to possess the mother sexually and to exclude the father; said to be a source of personality disorders if unresolved

Us: a group or class of persons having superior reasoning powers
Bush: Born again Christian, dry drunk, fanatic with crush on mother, hates father for disgracing family by losing 2nd term of presidency and not finishing the job, prefers brawn over brains: IRRATIONAL.

Right Wingers a Big Threat in the USA

Hey I wasn't kidding when I was ranting about something being wrong in our country. The right wing seems to think it owns the right to be patriotic and that it owns the right to the flag. We can thank faux patriots like Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh for fueling hatred for those who espouse peace and justice by calling them traitors and writing books like "Treason" to describe those who don't agree with the President of the US.

I urge all liberals and Democrats to wear American Flag lapel pins and to fly American Flags. We are patriots too. Blogger Orcinus today has a very good piece about A Terrorist who Targets LIberals.

Be afraid, be very afraid for this is the result of an irresponsible media, and irresponsible White House spin, irresponsible Bush commercials on TV and an unjust war. Liberals have been demonized in the media since Bill Clinton's presidency. I find it interesting that Bush keeps calling for democracy and freedom in other countries yet his political party is hell bent on stifling it in our very own country. There is something wrong with this picture.

Terrorists In Drag A Problem

It's common to come across other blogs written rather sarcastically like mine criticizing the powers that be and their ineptitude. But it's uncommon to come across a site like mine written from a Saudi's perspective about the Saudi Kingdom. Our Saudi friend calls it the "Magic Kingdom, where the Religious Police ensure that everything remains as it was in the Middle Ages. His site is called The Religious Policeman. It's very worth a visit. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll learn a thing or two."

In today's news, we learn that Terrorism may abolish the veil. Our friend Alhamedi writes: "It's always an awsome sight when the Imams and religious thinkers of our country start rubbing their two brain cells together, in the hope of igniting a spark. It is just dawning on them that having half the population's faces covered by a veil, might just be a security threat."

Interestingly, back when we were learning more about Afghanistan than I ever wanted to know about, I always suspected that the terrorists were having a free for all under those burkas. There was plenty of room for their AK47's as well.

Long Island Catholic Letter

I really sent this in response to an article about why the war in Iraq was justified!!! Oh my God. Now the Catholics are condoning our murderous actions in Iraq? Well it was one guys opinion but still I think it was wrong to print it in a religious newspaper. Catholics should know better than to condone participation in a "crusade". But it seems even some Catholics are drinking koolaid.

Dear Editor of the LI Catholic,

George Wiegel's column, "Iraq and just war, revisted" horrified me. If I were reading a fundamentalist Christian newspaper or a secular paper, I would have expected this and I would have kept my keyboard shut. We were given the reason that Saddam Hussein was going to use weapons of mass destruction against us for invading Iraq. As it turns out, the "intelligence" was faulty and there were no WMD's. They knew before the war that Iraq did not seek yellow cake from Niger. Now the media and the White House dredge up all sorts of other reasons why it was good that we invaded Iraq to save face, I presume and not let down the families of GI's who were killed. I suppose I commend them on that. Well the real reason for war was ill founded. Thousands of people are dead. One thing that is for sure is that we don't know anything for sure.

Interestingly when I watched Rumsfeld on Face the Nation, he was trying to deny that anyone ever said that the threat to the US was immediate or imminent. (those swift guys on Face the Nation proved to him that he did say those things) Now if this were actually true and we were in imminent danger (although we know it's not), our government simply did not plan this war very well. They demonstrated their total disregard for our soldiers who signed up to defend our country by sending too few troops to Iraq and those troops were not adequately equipped to fight a war in the desert. There was not enough body armor for one thing! The trucks and guns were not fitted for sand conditions. Soldiers were stuck in the sand like sitting ducks. Perhaps if the war were planned better, these minor inconveniences would have been worked out. If in fact Saddam's threat against the US was not imminent as Rumsfeld now asserts, then why didn't we wait and get our plans together and get the troops properly equipped before we invaded Iraq? If the UN was so worried that Saddam's breach of Resolution 1441, then I am sure we could have left it to them to deal with it.

It's been pointed out to me lately that this is the usual way that war is run. Improper planning, not enough ammo, no flak jackets, etc. Well I think it stinks. I think war stinks but if you're going to do it and you are not in imminent danger, then by all means, do it right!

I read in USA Today recently that George Pataki was telling his constituents that it's a good thing we are fighting terrorism in Baghdad rather than here in New York. Well let's see about that. The people who attacked us on 9/11 were not Iraqi's nor was Saddam involved in that attack. Al Qaida didn't bother with Iraq as it was a secular country. Now that Iraq is in shambles, I understand that al Qaida is there now and allying with Iraqi insurgents. Wonderful. Keep spreading the propaganda, Mr. Pataki.

Thousands upon thousands of innocents have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their deaths distress me just as much as the innocent people who died on 9/11. Our soldiers, as well as innocent Iraqi's will be plagued by the results of depleted uranium in the ammunition. What good is it to liberate a country when there is more radiation left in Iraq than thousands of Nagasaki bombs could have left? This is not the type of radiation that occurs in nature. I haven't heard about any US corporations who are interested in cleaning it up. If I am wrong, then I stand corrected.

Wiegel writes:"We also know now that we haven’t found caches of WMD in Iraq. What difference does this make to the moral analysis?"

Well it makes a lot of difference. We weren't in imminent danger of being attacked in the US and yet we dropped bombs on Baghdad. If Dan Rather was able to interview Saddam not long before we waged war, how come we couldn't send in spies or special soldiers to prowl around and catch all the bad guys without blowing innocent people to smithereens? It was even reported that our President felt compelled by God to go to war. Well it just so happens that God told me that pre-emptive war is morally wrong. Was God lying to me? Does Bush have a better pipeline to God than I? We know Bush is interested in pipelines. Does he monopolize all the pipelines in the universe?

How come God tells so many people so many conflicting things? How can we really be sure when God is talking to us? When we feel compelled to wage war and kill thousands of people, is it really God talking to us? Of course not to the last question! We know from the Old Testament that the writers used to pit the blame on God for everything. This is a very naive notion in modern times but not uncommon among fundamentalists who are desperately trying to replace science with the book of Genesis. We know that George Bush had no problem signing execution orders as governor of Texas and he believes that "evil doers" deserve to be killed. Now the President uses God to further his political agenda.

President Bush's religious zeal mixed with politics is frightening to me. Why? Beside his frequent use of the word 'crusade' when speaks about ridding the world of terrorists (who happen to be Moslems) and his implications recently that the bad guys in Iraq have "no soul" are only 2 reasons. (I could write a dissertation on this topic) Is he the leader of the most powerful secular nation in the world with the most nukes or does he think he is one with God? How does he know who has a soul or not? What kind of rhetoric is that from a world leader? But since he brought it up, I'm not sure Mr. Bush is familiar with the Gospels. His God is the angry vengeful God of the Old Testament. The God who needs human sacrifice, constant flattery and fear. I believe that our President forgot about the Sermon on the Mount... among other things.

Most Bible Christians I meet want to go back and forth with me quoting chapter and verse on why Jesus himself would or would not support the war. Who would Jesus bomb, indeed. I think we should leave God out of politics because most people who want to be good Christians just don't get the point of the Bible. This is still a secular nation, like it or not and we know from history that jamming ones religious and moral values down other's throats only backfires. I've always felt that Christian values should be taught by example. If our country thinks we are doing that, then we have set Christianity back about 500 years.

Sincerely,
Me

Run Lady!

The shit is hitting the fan in Fallujah.From The Times:

While administration officials say they would like to carry out a precise attack on an estimated 2,000 hard-core Sunni Muslim insurgents, military officials say there is no way guided missiles or pinpoint bombing can do this job.

Instead, the military is planning swift raids by Marine riflemen — backed by helicopters and gunships — aimed at the insurgents' leaders and their gunmen, while encouraging others in the city to evacuate or stay under cover.

For Mr. Bush, struggling through the most casualty-ridden month in Iraq since the war began 13 months ago, the kind of operation now being contemplated is hardly the sort of painful choice his administration anticipated nearly a year after he declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq and the defeat of Saddam Hussein's government.

The president and his advisers, said officials familiar with the deliberations, are keenly aware that if the operation to root out the insurgents kills many civilians — or simply appears to when reports are broadcast on Arab networks — it could spark uprisings elsewhere around Iraq, from Baghdad even to some Shiite strongholds where tolerance of the American occupation has worn thin.

Whew. They are getting the picture now. It looks really bad when they kill innocent civilians. I know I only have the opinion of half of the country. The other half doesn't care if we kill innocent people and get really mad if you tell them that.

The stakes are too high for us to leave," Bush said on Friday evening at a campaign event in Florida. "This is an historic moment. You see, a free society will be a peaceful society. A free society in the heart of the Middle East will begin to change the world for the better. No, they're trying to shake our will, but America will never be run out of Iraq by a bunch of thugs and killers."

Know something, if I have been wrong all along and Bush has our soldiers kill each and every single evil person and it becomes a truly free society, then I am moving there. Well I can say that cause we know it's never going to happen.

Little Big Men

Maureen Dowd expresses what I am thinking today. She writes:

Washington. It's their reality. We just live and die in it.

In Bushworld, our troops go to war and get killed, but you never see the bodies coming home.

In Bushworld, flag-draped remains of the fallen are important to revere and show the nation, but only in political ads hawking the president's leadership against terror.

In Bushworld, we can create an exciting Iraqi democracy as long as it doesn't control its own military, pass any laws or have any power.

In Bushworld, we can win over Falluja by bulldozing it.

In Bushworld, it was worth going to war so Iraqis can express their feelings ("Down With America!") without having their tongues cut out, although we cannot yet allow them to express intemperate feelings in newspapers ("Down With America!") without shutting them down.

In Bushworld, it's fine to take $700 million that Congress provided for the war in Afghanistan and 9/11 recovery and divert it to the war in Iraq that you're insisting you're not planning.

In Bushworld, you don't consult your father, the expert in being president during a war with Iraq, but you do talk to your Higher Father, who can't talk back to warn you to get an exit strategy or chide you for using Him for political purposes.

In Bushworld, it's O.K. to run for re-election as the avenger of 9/11, even as you make secret deals with the Arab kingdom where most of the 9/11 hijackers came from.

In Bushworld, you get to strut around like a tough military guy and paint your rival as a chicken hawk, even though he's the one who won medals in combat and was praised by his superior officers for fulfilling all his obligations.

In Bushworld, it makes sense to press for transparency in Mr. and Mrs. Rival while cultivating your own opacity.

In Bushworld, you can reign as the antiterror president even after hearing an intelligence report about Al Qaeda's plans to attack America and then stepping outside to clear brush.

In Bushworld, those who dissemble about the troops and money it will take to get Iraq on its feet are patriots, while those who are honest are patronizingly marginalized.

In Bushworld, they struggle to keep church and state separate in Iraq, even as they increasingly merge the two in America.

In Bushworld, you can claim to be the environmental president on Earth Day while being the industry president every other day.

In Bushworld, you brag about how well Afghanistan is going, even though soldiers like Pat Tillman are still dying and the Taliban are running freely around the border areas, hiding Osama and delaying elections.

In Bushworld, imperfect intelligence is good enough to knock over Iraq. But even better evidence that North Korea is building the weapons that Saddam could only dream about is hidden away.

In Bushworld, the C.I.A. says it can't find out whether there are W.M.D. in Iraq unless we invade on the grounds that there are W.M.D.

In Bushworld, there's no irony that so many who did so much to avoid the Vietnam draft have now strained the military so much that lawmakers are talking about bringing back the draft.

In Bushworld, we're making progress in the war on terror by fighting a war that creates terrorists.

In Bushworld, you don't need to bother asking your vice president and top Defense Department officials whether you should go to war in Iraq, because they've already maneuvered you into going to war.

In Bushworld, it's perfectly natural for the president and vice president to appear before the 9/11 commission like the Olsen twins.

In Bushworld, you expound on remaking the Middle East and spreading pro-American sentiments even as you expand anti-American sentiments by ineptly occupying Iraq and unstintingly backing Ariel Sharon on West Bank settlements.

In Bushworld, we went to war to give Iraq a democratic process, yet we disdain the democratic process that causes allies to pull out troops.

In Bushworld, you pride yourself on the fact that your administration does not leak to the press, while you flood the best-known journalist in Washington with inside information.

In Bushworld, you list Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack" as recommended reading on your campaign Web site, even though it makes you seem divorced from reality. That is, unless you live in Bushworld.   

More Newspeak: Wrong is Right

What I always found amazingly ironic is that the Christian right is so darn wrong!

They cry that liberals are so un-Christian when in fact, liberals probably act more Christlike, even if they aren't trying to be, than the Christian right! The right wingers are sooooo opposed to paying taxes to help our least bretheren, they are so quick to judge others and they are just so damn self righteous that this stuff goes against everything Jesus taught! They go to extremes to elect officials who will keep their financial concerns in mind so that they can keep their riches in tact when in fact, riches are exactly what Jesus tells us not to have if we want to enter his kingdom!

What's wrong with this picture?

Did Mr Bush miss that part when he converted from being a drunk to following our Lord? Did he miss the part where Jesus says in his Sermon on the Mount that he fulfilled the Old Testament and gives his followers a new way to live? The way of love, compassion, forgiveness, mercy and JUSTICE?

I would bet you that most Democrats are just as opposed to abortion as Republicans are. I most certainly am NOT pro-abortion. I am pro-life.. but the religious right has twisted and turned and inflicted the minds of Americans with the idea that if you're of the belief that an abortion is between a woman and her doctor and not the GOVERNMENT, then you are automatically a murderer and pro-abortion. This simply has got to stop.

What has to change is society- and on it's own time. Legislating whether or not a woman is entitled to have an abortion is divisive and unfeasible in our secular society. The religious right keeps forgetting that. This is a secular country, like it or not. The Statue of Liberty doesn't say, Give me your tired, your poor etc as long as they are God fearing, Bible thumping Christians, thank you very much. It's also long been proven that shoving any belief system down anyone's throat will only breed contempt in the long run. Education is key to changing societal values.

I'd like to direct you now to a fellow blogger's website, Public Domain Progress, where Michael has set up lots of links to articles and information about Mr Bush Almighty. Please go there because this is important reading. It covers legislation that is being considered.

It is also interesting to read that the Michigan Catholic League is backing heinous legislation that allows healthcare workers to refuse patients based on their personal beliefs and values. Isn't there a hippocratic oath or something? Maybe it's a hypocritical oath now. Just check this out at Jesus' General while I vomit.

Women's March for Rights

Can you believe in this day and age, we still have to fight for rights?

Well sure you can because we are hurtling back through time and space into the middle ages.

Almost a million people showed up for the March for Women's Rights today in Washington DC. Out of 270 million Americans, that was a decent turnout. Senator Clinton this morning reminded women that they didn't have to march for the past 12 years but now our rights are in danger thanks to President Bush. She also encouraged the 50 million women who care about their rights to get out and vote. 50 million women of voting age did not vote in the last election. Can you imagine if all these women actually voted? WOW!

This morning, Karen Hughes, Mr Bush's advisor stated:

"I think that after September 11, the American people are valuing life more and we need policies to value the dignity and worth of every life," she said. "President Bush has worked to say, let's be reasonable, let's work to value life, let's reduce the number of abortions, let's increase adoptions. And I think those are the kinds of policies the American people can support, particularly at a time when we're facing an enemy and, really, the fundamental issue between us and the terror network we fight is that we value every life."

Ya know I am gonna vomit if the Bush administration doesn't quit politicizing 9/11 and throwing the war on terror into the equation. Let's dissect this statement together:

"I think that after September 11, the American people are valuing life more and we need policies to value the dignity and worth of every life..."

Fuck me. People always valued life! 9/11 didn't make us value it more. It made us scared of being KILLED MORE. Where do they get this stuff? WOMEN'S RIGHTS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH 9/11, KAREN, YOU IGNORANT SLUT! If we need policies to value the dignity and worth of every life, then why are we killing thousands of innocents in Afghanistan and Iraq? Why do we allow millions of Americans to work without healthcare benefits, with out proper childcare? Why don't we have national healthcare if we value life? Because Republicans don't want to pay for it. We are the only first world country that doesn't have national healthcare. If you ask a Republican about that, they will say that those other countries have higher taxes. Yeah so? Our propaganda machine tells us that the people in other countries with national healthcare have very bad care. Nonsense. Special interest groups and corporations talk in this country.

"President Bush has worked to say, let's be reasonable, let's work to value life, let's reduce the number of abortions, let's increase adoptions."

Absolutely I agree. But Bush has only "worked to say". This means he has done nothing. He just worked to say..... "Let's work to value life." Well duh. The only way to get people to value life is to change societal values. First change societal values by giving women viable alternatives. How can the government, since it chose to be so political about abortion rights, help to make the changes? Well they can make it easier for unwanted babies to be adopted. There are thousands of couples who are infertile and would love to adopt children. It costs more to adopt a baby than it does to have your own.

Adoption is something that needs to be made available and we should encourage women to have the babies and give them up for adoption. Many women can't afford the proper pre-natal healthcare though so here we are back at the healthcare issue. Unfortunately in my wildest dreams, I can't picture Republicans working on this. Sounds like a Democratic thing to me which of course all the Republicans in congress would vote against simply because it sounds like it would cost money and it was suggested by a Democrat.

"And I think those are the kinds of policies the American people can support, particularly at a time when we're facing an enemy"

This is where Hughes really makes me suspect she is a man. At a time when we are "facing an enemy", it is kind of hard to explain to distraught women with unwanted pregnancies that they should have children. Remember, we don't have any real good alternatives in place at the moment.

"and, really, the fundamental issue between us and the terror network we fight is that we value every life."

Is she saying that if you're pro-choice that you are the enemy? a Terrorist? She is. Isn't she? fucking shit on a stick. But we don't want to pay welfare to women who are poor and get pregnant because that will raise taxes. We don't want to give adequate healthcare to poor pregnant women or working women who don't have national health benefits because that will cost money. How about day care? But we manage to scrape up money to invade Iraq don't we?

Know what really makes me insane? When I watch this bitch on tv being interviewed by Blitzer or some other idiot and she makes these wild statements. The so called "interviewer" couldn't possibly be paying attention to what she is saying because they don't even question her on it. If I were interviewing her, I would have put her on the spot, "Mr, I mean Ms Hughes, are you saying that women who are pro-choice are with the terrorists? Or are you simply implying that they are in fact terrorists?"

Abortion is an issue that should be between a woman and her doctor, not between a woman and her president or congressperson. It is the job of the politician to encourage but not legislate a virtuous society. If I weren't menopausal, I'd be PMS'ing over this stuff non stop.

UPDATE: The President of Planned Parenthood Demand Apology from Karen Hughes! Good.

MORE UPDATE: NY Times: Abortion Rights Advocates Rap Bush Adviser Hughes

Chickenhawks Exposed!

The New Hampshire Gazette has the real scoop about Chicken Hawks

Chickenhawk  n.  A person enthusiastic about war, provided someone else fights it; particularly when that enthusiasm is undimmed by personal experience with war; most emphatically when that lack of experience came in spite of ample opportunity in that person’s youth.

On Being a Liberal Blonde in a bar across the street from Rep Peter King's Headquarters In Massapequa Long Island, NY

Being a blonde, liberal musician has it's ups and downs on LI. Since the weather has been warmer, I've been playing out more and going to more open mics in bars around my island paradise to hone my act. (Tonight I have a big gig in a big club. what to wear.. what to wear?) Somehow bar talk with the locals always turns to politics. Boy have I had some interesting conversations this past week... hmmm... mmmm.

I had one drunk guy come up to me and a couple of folks 2 nights ago (cause we were talking about John Kerry) and he called us bleeding hearts and slurred something like "what'r'yoo'g'nna'doo'bout'the'wrld'yoo'bleeding hearts" Being the blonde I am, I immediately corrected him and told him I was no longer to be called a bleeding heart but an "intellectual elitist" or he could call me "fancy pants" if that was easier. Turns out he was a union man who just found out about Bush's plan to cut overtime pay. But he was a staunch Republican. Always was, always will be. After a bit of yelling (we had to cause he was yelling) we convinced him that Bush didn't give a shit about him and would do away with unions if he could... he seemed to calm down and staggered away.

A little while later another local but regular con dropped over to say hi and make fun of the liberals, we informed him about our new title and he asked us why we are always talking about Bush and why we are such wooses or something like that. This time it was my turn to reply and I simply asked him, "Remember during the Clinton years when you guys were irate and always mad at Clinton?" He confirmed that. I told him, "Well we are 10 times more pissed off at Bush! And there is no more Mr or Mrs Nice Liberal!" He got ascared and went to the john.

Oh this is good.... My friend introduced me to a man who was the dad of her son's friend. We were talking. Her husband came over and started in on the man about the Iraq war.. the man in defense started talking about Hesbolla and Hamas or something... and we were like.. "waaa? We're talking about Iraq here" We then explained that we were intellectual elitists and he didn't have his facts straight and we wouldn't even continue the conversation with such a retard. I think we were a bit drunk too at that point.

Did you see the Man Show episode where they got 2 guys legally drunk.. or even more than legally drunk (used breath-a-lizer) and made them talk about politics? Hilarious.

Another drunk guy at the bar exclaimed "I Hate Fucking Bush"
and then another smart guy, said "You do?"
Then the first drunk guy said, "Wait, I meant George Bush. I like fucking bush but I hate George Bush." We all laughed.

Usually amongst musicians and composers, there is no argument about politics. We usually share information and shocking stories about how we are being fucked sideways without any grease by the right wing. But last night, I was blown away by a particularly talented classical guitarist. He was a stocky Italian guy about 40.. Tony Soprano-ish but what a talent. I played his guitar after the festivities were over and we were talking about music and being classically trained and all that jabber. Somehow, of course, this blonde got to taking about the draft and how I was going to move to Canada. He told me to "Move to France!"

"uh oh" I thought.
"Not one of us!" I thought.
"A koolaid drinker amongst our troops?" I thought.

Suffice it to say, Tony Soprano thought all Muslims should be nuked and they were all evil doers. He can't wait until we invade Syria, France, Iran, Jordan(?)... I asked him about Pakistan and Israel.. and he said, "Yeah, them too" I kind of played along with him for a while about who we should nuke just cause I was so intrigued by his deep down hatred for a whole nation of people and utter disregard for innocent people who got in the way.

I went into my spiel about how come the US couldn't take out Saddam and his henchmen without destroying a beautiful ancient city ripe with historical documents, artwork and architecture.. and he was so matter of fact when he said, "Tough shit". That blew my mind.

The bartender was putting chairs up on the bar so we realized it was time to pee and head home. On the way out, I touched his shoulder and told him again how impressed I was with his musicianship, which was quite gentile and expressive, and I asked him to look into some prozak or zoloft to take some of the edge off his hatred because I could tell that deep down somewhere he had an artistic depth and love of beauty... what a shame. What a shame.

You see it really doesn't matter if some people here vote for Bush cause Kerry is going to take New York State anyway... but this Republican right wing hatred is what really worries me. We used to get along much much better.

Sending Our Young People To Heaven For Oil

A woman was fired today for releasing a picture of coffins returning in a plane from Kuwait. I published the picture on this page a while back if you scroll way down. I feel bad that she got fired. Apparently there was a ban on showing pictures of the coffins because it might upset the families of the fallen (meaning it might hurt support for the war if people saw coffins). Let's face it, the families of the fallen are already devastated. I am devastated for them.

I am also relieved to see the great reverence that is taken by soldiers when handling the remains of their comrades. It really is quite touching. I believe that is what the woman wanted to convey when she took the photos. At Memory Hole you can see the coffins on display.

This whole story just makes me hate our secretive government even more.

Robert Frost He's Not

I'm writing an article about being a dry drunk and the messiah complex and it's really depressing... anyway, in my research I came across this piece from Slate about Rumsfeld's fractured poetry. You know I never really realized just how similar his speech patterns are to our preznit's speech patterns.

Just thought this was worth a laugh (or cry) for my readers.

Slate has compiled a collection of Rumsfeld's poems, bringing them to a wider public for the first time. The poems that follow are the exact words of the defense secretary, as taken from the official transcripts on the Defense Department website .

The Unknown
As we know,
There are known knowns.
There are things we know we know.
We also know
There are known unknowns.
That is to say
We know there are some things
We do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns,
The ones we don't know
We don't know.

—Feb. 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing

Glass Box
You know, it's the old glass box at the—
At the gas station,
Where you're using those little things
Trying to pick up the prize,
And you can't find it.
It's—

And it's all these arms are going down in there,
And so you keep dropping it
And picking it up again and moving it,
But—

Some of you are probably too young to remember those—
Those glass boxes,
But—

But they used to have them
At all the gas stations
When I was a kid.

—Dec. 6, 2001, Department of Defense news briefing

A Confession
Once in a while,
I'm standing here, doing something.
And I think,
"What in the world am I doing here?"
It's a big surprise.

—May 16, 2001 , interview with the New York Times

Clarity
I think what you'll find,
I think what you'll find is,
Whatever it is we do substantively,
There will be near-perfect clarity
As to what it is.

And it will be known,
And it will be known to the Congress,
And it will be known to you,
Probably before we decide it,
But it will be known.

—Feb. 28, 2003, Department of Defense briefing

Will Goodness Prevail or George Bush?

These are terrible times for thinking, feeling people in America. We have a man in the White House claiming to be working for God Almighty. The worst part is that about half the country believes him and drinks of his psychedelic Koolaid. I don't know what the antidote is. They claim that people who work for peace and justice are godless and evil. Everything is reversed now. Hold your courses, peacelovers. Goodness is supposed to prevail over evil isn't it? Or is that just a fairy tale? Well anyway, I'm going to try to be an optimist and hope that goodness will prevail and Bush and his minions will pay for their sins against humanity... or at least just go away and live exile and never be heard from again.

I just want my country back and I'll be happy.

I love this commentary written by Dr. Robert Bowman, USAF Ret. He is a veteran for peace. Just read it because it will make you feel like you are not alone if you are an anti-war person.

Truth About Counter Terrorism

New Yorker Magazine article about John O'Neill and Richard Clarke and their efforts against terrorism.

..."intelligence had been streaming in concerning a likely Al Qaeda attack. "It all came together in the third week in June," Clarke said. "The C.I.A.'s view was that a major terrorist attack was coming in the next several weeks." On July 5th, Clarke summoned all the domestic security agencies—the Federal Aviation Administration, the Coast Guard, Customs, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the F.B.I.—and told them to increase their security in light of an impending attack."

Just read it.

Everything is going well for the coalition. God is on our side. Indeed.

If you asked the Bush administration how we are doing in Iraq, you know what they would say... we are making great strides towards bringing freedom and liberty to the middle east. Well yesterday the Marines only had to kill 9 insurgents in Fallujah. 70,000 residents of Fallujah deserted their city earlier this month in order to seek freedom and liberty. There are 600 residents outside Fallujah trying to get back home but the Marines won't let them in cause they don't have the proper ID. I wonder if they were thinking of their ID when they were packing their bags and running away in the first place?

Rebels and US Troops still clashing in Fallujah. Residents said six unarmed civilians were killed and 10 wounded by U.S. fire. There was no independent confirmation of the toll nor of who was responsible for the casualties. U.S. officials, who say troops do not target civilians, declined comment.

The administration also states the Coalition is not crumbling despite the fact that let's see... Spain is withdrawing troops as well as Honduras and the Dominican Republic. Also thinking about withdrawing are Poland and Thailand. Australia only has 350 troops in Iraq.

A suicide car bomb blasted the Saudi national police headquarters Wednesday, killing at least nine people and wounding 125 others, just days after the United States warned of a terrorist attack.

A suicide car bomb Kill 68 in Basra, Iraq.
Iraqi officials blamed al-Qaida for the bloodiest attack in Basra, a mainly Shiite city, since the U.S.-led occupation began a year ago.
Hmm Al Quaida is in Iraq now. Wonder what made them want to go there?

War is Peace. Death is Life. Terrorism is Liberty.

"Apprentice" Losers: Updated Resume

REUTERS April 13,2004 - Four of the contestants from the NBC reality television series 'The Apprentice' appear in the May issue of 'FHM' magazine. (L-R) are Kristi Frank, Katrina Campins, Amy Henry and Ereka Vetrini, who are featured in a seven-page portfolio in FHM shot by Luciana Pampalone. The women were reportedly offered $250,000 to pose nude for Playboy, but instead the women chose to be photographed by FHM wearing lingerie, and for no payment. None of the women contestants made it to the finale of 'The Apprentice,' which will be televised April 15, 2004 in the United States.

Women never cease to amaze me. Just when I think there is hope, highly educated attractive women will elect to be photographed in their skivvies with a background of cheesy basement quality paneling. And look at all that glare on the paneling. Nice photography. Playboy would have done a better job.

Saudi's on Women... literally

Brutal pieces of shit.

Not only do they fund and harbor terrorists and consort with the Bush Cartel, they beat the shit out of their women and claim that the Koran says it's perfectly ok.

A POPULAR Saudi television host publicly showed her bruised and bloodied face and has shocked her compatriots into openly talking about one of the kingdom's long-hidden problems: violence against women.

..."I know many women in Saudi Arabia are badly beaten and when I recover I will do a program addressing that," she said.

She said she also would try to tackle topics such as rape, which are usually not publicly discussed in conservative Saudi Arabia.

...Ms al-Baz received 13 facial fractures required 12 operations.

I'm speechless.

Are We Safe Yet?

Well no, not exactly... after 2 years, Attorney General John Ashcroft is still going after Greenpeace who protested illegal logging in a Florida port. Meanwhile, our ports are wide open due to a 20 million dollar budget shortfall. That means there are less qualified people watching our borders.

Recently Condi stated that we are in for another terror attack and today Tom Ridge announced that the airports are loosening the rules that allow only ticketed passengers beyond airport security gates.

A Week after Spending Time with Bush, Mubarak Says Arabs Hate US More than Ever!

Safer, my foot.

Shit Shit Shit Shit Shit Shit Shit Shit

From Broadcasting and Cable:

Looks like the S-word might be the next profanity in the sites of indecency foes.
Attorney John Thompson, whose complaints about Howard Stern helped prompt Clear Channel to banish the jock and the FCC to fine the company almost half a million dollars, says he has faxed a complaint to the FCC about Sunday night's 60 Minutes broadcast, in which singer Mary J. Blige uttered an under-her-breath "shit."

Oh my God, stop the presses. What has this country come to? First the tit and now the S-word?

I Am An Elite Intellectual

60 Minutes asked Woodward about Dubya's "intellect" and this was the reply: "“He’s not an intellectual. He is not what I guess would be called a deep thinker,” says Woodward. “He chastised me at one point because I said people were concerned about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction. And he said, ‘Well you travel in elite circles.’ I think he feels there is an intellectual world and he's indicated he's not a part of it … the fancy pants intellectual world. What he calls the elite.”"

Ah f*ck it. I am an elitist. I am not a common person. Half the country is common and feels really good having a regular common person in charge of the most powerful country in the world. It doesn't matter that the POTUS attended Harvard and Yale because he got there because of his dad and not because of his brains. If I had attended either of those schools I would have had to have performed and I'm sure I would have.

I don't believe in political correctness. Some people are smarter than others and some people excel in some areas more than others. I believe it's wrong to hold back our most brilliant and talented people in order to build up those who don't have the same abilities just to make them feel good. That's bullshit. That's why the country is in the mess we are in now. We have insecure bullies running the country.

The leader of the most powerful country in the world with the most nukes is a common man who doesn't think too deeply, goes to bed early, doesn't read, relies on god to tell him what to do and lies to go to war. I am nothing like him. I don't relate to him at all. All those Republican senators and congressmen who stand up for Bush must be pretty dumb too. I look down my nose at those who stand up for Bush.

I'm an intellectual fancy pants elitist. I read, I think, I philosophize. I have many degrees including years studying metaphysics. I'm an accomplished artist. I read and write music. I studied dance and have theater background. I am a classically trained musician on guitar and also play piano. I write poetry. I read the news constantly. I read news from the left and from the right. I contrast and compare and connect the dots. I never take things at face value. I know all about god and the history of god. I even got a masters degree in god. Yeah, I see a shrink because I give a shit and I wrestle with matters of purpose and existence. I believe in peace, justice and freedom. If it means I'm the opposite of George W. Bush to be an elitist, then by all means shout it from the rooftops!

Today's Bible Lesson

There is much talk about the bible lately and especially since our Lord President gets his inspiration and morality from the bible and through prayer with the god of the bible, it is only fitting that from time to time I visit the bible in my blog. You say, "Who the f**k are you, you ditzy blonde to tell me about the bible?" Well I say, "No one really but I know a few things about the bible.. well I probably know more than you so pay attention!" *

If you actually read and study the Bible, you will find that god is a flip flopper just like our beloved president. God in the bible is really quite human and prone to temper flares, revenge, jealousy, hatred, retribution and sometimes mercy if you are on his good side. Interestingly we find that some characters in the bible are punished for being good and some people get away with murder for being bad... and these are the characters that god likes!

Now don't get me wrong, the bible is a cool ancient book to read and study to understand the mind set and customs of ancient people in a certain time and place and their relationship to their god. The people today who try to live by the bible are understandably f**ked up by this because the god of the bible is so very wishy washy and contradicts himself as to what exactly one has to do to please this god who seems to need constant flattery. Bible christians explain however that the bible is infallible somehow and is the literal word of god because the bible says it is so. Figure that one out.

Bible stories are used to teach children about right and wrong and how god will punish naughty children. Let's look at this story:

King James Version, Second Kings 2:23-24
23: And he [Elisha] went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up that way, there came forth little children of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; Go up, thou bald head.
24: And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood and tare forty and two children of them.

This story of course reinforces to all children in ages to come that god will in fact punish you if you call someone a name. This is a wonderful story to tell your children to get them to tow the line. It threatens that wild animals will tear them to bits for calling a man "bald". It also teaches children that if someone calls you a name that you can ask god to smite the name caller. Think of the ramifications of this story!

Now let's visit Extreme Bible Stories and watch the flash video of this wonderful Bible Story! Show it to your children and teach them that god will in fact kill you in you say anything bad to someone else.

Praise and flatter the Lord. Amen.

* BlondeSense holds an MA in theology.

Debates Anyone?

After watching Bush's depressing press conference last Tuesday and Kerry on Meet the Press yesterday morning, I would have to say just this:

BRING ON THE DEBATES!!

And after the debates, any pundits, journalists or politicians who come out publicly who say that Kerry failed or that Bush was brilliant will fall out of favor in the public eye for evermore.

I want to see live debates with tough questions, trick questions by both democrats and republicans. Make it fair. Yeah baby.

More Deception, More Hot Flashes

I am getting a little more than perturbed at the lies of the Bush administration and wondering just how brain dead half of this country is if they still support Bush after the telling books that have come out in the past few months. Tonight I watched CBS' 60 Minutes interview with Bob Woodward about his new book about the Bush Administration and was treated to more heart in mouth shocking stories about our pResident.

Dubya is such good friends with Saudi Prince Bandar that Bandar has promised to lower gas prices in time for Bush's election so that the economy will be good for the November elections. Now honestly, this just seems outright illegal, dishonest and shitty. Not only should Democrats be screaming, Republicans should too. After all they are paying top dollar at the moment to feed their giant SUVs.. how can they possibly vote for this man knowing that they are paying top dollar now as a political ploy?

How is the Bush Cartel going to explain this? I want to hear screaming on Monday and every day until this administration is hung by their balls.

60 Minutes asked Woodward if Bush 2 ever asked Bush 1 for advice: "“I asked the president about this. And President Bush said, ‘Well no,’ and then he got defensive about it,” says Woodward. “And then he said something that really struck me. He said of his father, ‘He is the wrong father to appeal to for advice. The wrong father to go to, to appeal to in terms of strength.’ And then he said, ‘There's a higher father that I appeal to.’"

Waaaaaaa? Holy Shite! Invoke the 25th amendment because this guy is whack. He is listening to voices in his head and running our country based on this? Would something pinch me so I can see if I am awake? I have no problem with people praying and acting according to their personal conscience and beliefs.. but running a country? starting a war? Also I get the feeling that Bush 1 must not be too pleased with his son's actionable items. We also learned tonight that not only did Bush 2 not ask Bush 1 for advice, he didn't tell his whole cabinet about his plans to go to war right away. He kept the Secretary of State, Colin Powell out of the loop. But don't forget from Tuesday night's press conference, Bush thinks that Rumsfeld is Secretary of State. oy.

We are being led straight to hell by a madman. He has the intellect of a pea. Maybe that is why half the country likes him.... 60 Minutes asked Woodward about Dubya's "intellect" and this was the reply: "“He’s not an intellectual. He is not what I guess would be called a deep thinker,” says Woodward. “He chastised me at one point because I said people were concerned about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction. And he said, ‘Well you travel in elite circles.’ I think he feels there is an intellectual world and he's indicated he's not a part of it … the fancy pants intellectual world. What he calls the elite.”"

Holy fucking shit. People who think are elite?
How about dummies who get to go to Yale and Harvard just because they are rich. That would be elite. What a maroon.
And all these conservative senators back this dude? Oh my.

I am praying tonight.

Heavenly father... save us!

Marvels of Technology

I just love these clever online message generators. Now you can create your very own George Bush comix at George Says... You get to pick out the George picture, pick the background and write the sentiment! Is that not fun?

Look at mine!





Go and have some fun. Send me links to your comix!

Really cool online bag store

Today I read over at Orcinus about a very controversial company, Tom Bihn, that makes backpacks, briefcases and messenger bags because their label says:
"Nous sommes desoles que notre president soit un idiot. Nous n'avons pas vote pour lui."
Which translates into:
"We are sorry our president is an idiot. We didn't vote for him."

It's causing a stir among Republicans. But the company assures us that one of the employees put that in there and the label referred to president of Tom Bihn who happens to be Tom Bihn. Sounds kosher to me.

I went over to check out Tom Bihn's website and I just fell in love with this eggplant cafe bag


So I bought it.

UPDATE 4/19: I got a call from Tom Bihn Company and the Cafe Bags are selling like hotcakes since the Freepers dissed their company and called for a boycott. They ran out of eggplant Cafe Bags. I had to get a periwinkle Cafe Bag instead. God Bless America.
~

God Forgive Us

Oh my God
watch this video

Mistakes? Moi?

Watch the video "Mistakes were made" featuring our beloved commander in chief.

"I wish you would have given me this written question ahead of time so I could plan for it. John, I'm sure historians will say, gosh, he could have done it better this way or that way. You know, I just — I'm sure something will pop into my head in the midst of this press conference… I don't want to sound like I made no mistakes. I'm confident I have. I just haven't — just put me under the spot here and maybe I'm not as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with one."

Leno on Bush

Someone sent me these quotes via email. I didn't research them to see if they are true. Interesting though....

"They said that President Bush's war in Iraq has cost the former Spanish Prime Minister his job. So President Bush isn't losing American jobs anymore, he's branching out to other countries." -Jay Leno

"President Bush went out touting his economic record in Ohio last week. Now this is a state that lost 225,000 jobs since Bush took office. You know, if Bush wants to tout his record, he should do it somewhere where the Bush economy has actually created jobs, like India, or Thailand, or China." -Jay Leno

"President Bush says he has just one question for the American voters, 'Is the rich person you're working for better off now than they were four years ago?'" -Jay Leno

"Some sad news, President Bush's lapdog passed away. Gee, I didn't even know Tony Blair was sick?" -Jay Leno


"President Bush said he was 'troubled' by gay people getting married in San Francisco. He said on important issues like this the people should make the decision, not judges. Unless of course we're choosing a president, then he prefers judges." -Jay Leno

"It was reported in the paper that President Bush received a 'warm reception' from the Daytona 500 drivers. Well sure, the drivers had never met anyone who was sponsored by more oil companies than they were." -Jay Leno

"The White House has now released military documents that they say prove George Bush met his requirements for the National Guard. Big deal, we've got documents that prove Al Gore won the election." -Jay Leno

"On 'Meet the Press' yesterday President Bush was asked what he would do if he lost the election and Bush said, ''Phhh, you mean like last time?'" -Jay Leno

"One critic in the L.A. Times said John Kerry looks like he is thinking too much. Well this is one place President Bush has him beat." -Jay Leno

"President Bush released his new $2.4 trillion federal budget. It has two parts: smoke and mirrors." -Jay Leno

"Oscar nominations came out today. Up for best actor, Sean Penn for 'Mystic River,' Jude Law for 'Cold Mountain,' and of course, George W. Bush for 'Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction.'" -Jay Leno

"A Newsweek poll said if the election were held today, John Kerry would beat Bush 49 percent to 46 percent. And today, President Bush called Newsweek magazine a threat to world peace." -Jay Leno

"President Bush said that our kids must be taught how to read. He said if his aides never learned to read, they'd never be able to tell him what's in the newspapers every day." -Jay Leno

"President Bush said that American workers will need new skills to get the new jobs in the 21st century. Some of the skills they're going to need are Spanish, Chinese, Korean, because that's where the jobs went. Who better than Bush as an example of what can happen when you take a job without any training." -Jay Leno

Bush Knew?

Bush Knew

"PresidentBush was told more than a month before the attacks of Sept. 11,2001, that supporters of Osama bin Laden planned an attack within the United States with explosives and wanted to hijack airplanes, a government official said Friday." -- ("Bush Was Warned of Possible Attack in U.S., Official Says," The New York Times,April 10, 2004)

"By the time a CIA briefer gave President Bush the Aug. 6, 2001, President's Daily Brief headlined 'Bin Laden Determined To Strike inUS,' the president had seen a stream of alarming reports on al Qaeda's intentions. . . In April and May 2001, for example, the intelligence community headlined some of those reports 'Bin Laden planning multiple operations,' 'Bin Laden network's plans advancing' and 'Bin Laden threats are real.'" ("Panel Says Bush Saw Repeated Warnings: Reports Preceded August 2001 Memo," The Washington Post, April 13, 2004)

"U.S. Had a Steady Stream of Pre-9/11 Warnings." -- (PBS, Sept. 18, 2002)

"Even though Bush has refused to make parts of the 9-11 report public, one thing is startlingly clear: The U.S. government had receivedrepeated warnings of impending attacks -- and attacks using planes directed at New York and Washington -- for several years. The government never told us about what it knew was coming." -- James Ridgeway, ("Bush's 9-11 Secrets: The Government Received Warnings of Bin Laden's Plans to Attack New York and D.C.," The Village Voice, July 31, 2003)

"George Bush received specific warnings in the weeks before 11 Septemberthat an attack inside the United States was being planned by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, US government sources said yesterday. In a top-secret intelligence memo headlined 'Bin Laden determined to strike in the US', the President was told on 6 August that the Saudi-born terrorist hoped to 'bring the fight to America'. . ." -- ("Bush Knew of Terrorist Plot to Hijack US Planes," the Guardian, May 19,
2002)

"It seems very probable that those in the White House knew much more than they have admitted, and they are covering up their failure to take action. . . After pulling together the information in the 9/11 Report, it is understandable why Bush is stonewalling. It is not verydifficult to deduce what the president knew, and when he knew it. And the portrait that results is devastating." -- John Dean, ("The 9/11 Report Raises More Serious Questions about the White House StatementsOn Intelligence," Findlaw.com July, 29, 2003)

"President Bush and his top advisers were informed by the CIA early last August that terrorists associated with Osama bin Laden had discussed the possibility of hijacking airplanes." ("Bush was Told of Hijacking Dangers," The Washington Post, May 16, 2002)

"TheWhite House said tonight that President Bush had been warned by American intelligence agencies in early August that Osama bin Laden was seeking to hijack aircraft but that the warnings did not contemplate the possibility that the hijackers would turn the planes into guided missiles for a terrorist attack. (''Bush Was Warned bin Laden Wanted to Hijack Planes," The New York Times, May 15, 2002)

"I saw papers that show US knew al-Qaeda would attack cities with airplanes'" -- FBI Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds, ('I saw papers that show US knew al-Qaeda would attack cities with airplanes":Whistleblower the White House wants to silence speaks to Th Independent," The Independent, April 2, 2004)

"The attack will be spectacular and designed to inflict mass casualties against U.S. facilities or interests. Attack preparations have been made. Attack will occur with little or no warning."-- CIA Intelligence Report for President Bush, July, 2001 (60 Days Prior to 9/11)

"I spoke with Congressman Ike Skelton who said that just recently the director of the CIA warned that there could be an attack--an imminent attack--on the United States of this nature. So this is not entirely unexpected." -- NPR Congressional Correspondent David Welna (NPR's Morning Edition, Sept. 11, 2001)

"Israeli intelligence officials say that they warned their counterparts in the United States last month that large-scale terrorist attacks on highly visible targets on the American mainland were imminent." ("Israeli security issued urgent warning to CIA of large-scale terror attacks," The Telegraph, Sept. 16, 2001)

"Family members of victims of the terror attacks say the White House has smothered every attempt to get to the bottom of the outrageous intelligence failures that took place on its watch." ("Bush's 9/11 Cover-up?" Salon.com, June 18, 2003)

"I really think there's nothing more despicable "| for someone to insinuate that the president of the United States knew there was an attack on our country that was imminent and didn't do anything about it." -- Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (" Bush Was Warned of Hijackings Before 9/11; Lawmakers Want Public Inquiry," ABC News, May 16, 2002)

Thanks to Maureen Farrell

:.Connect the Dots.:

Memo Not Specific Enough, Bush Says
President Describes Bin Laden Threat as 'Obvious' Before 9/11

_{By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 12, 2004; Page A01}

President Bush said yesterday that a memo he received a month before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks did not contain enough specific threat information to prevent the hijackings and "said nothing about an attack on America."

In his most extensive public remarks about a briefing he received Aug. 6, 2001, titled "Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US," Bush also said that he "was satisfied that some of the matters were being looked into" by the FBI and the CIA that summer and that they would have reported any "actionable intelligence" to him.

"I am satisfied that I never saw any intelligence that indicated there was going to be an attack on America -- at a time and a place, an attack," Bush told reporters after Easter services in Fort Hood, Tex. "Of course we knew that America was hated by Osama bin Laden. That was obvious. The question was, who was going to attack us, when and where and with what?"

Panel Says Bush Saw Repeated Warnings
Reports Preceded August 2001 Memo

_{By Dana Priest
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 14, 2004; Page A01}

By the time a CIA briefer gave President Bush the Aug. 6, 2001, President's Daily Brief headlined "Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US," the president had seen a stream of alarming reports on al Qaeda's intentions. So had Vice President Cheney and Bush's top national security team, according to newly declassified information released yesterday by the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

In April and May 2001, for example, the intelligence community headlined some of those reports "Bin Laden planning multiple operations," "Bin Laden network's plans advancing" and "Bin Laden threats are real."

Head Spook Sputters
_{By MAUREEN DOWD
NYTIMES
Published: April 15, 2004}

WASHINGTON -If only Osama had faxed an X-marks-the-spot map to the Crawford ranch showing the Pentagon, the Capitol, the twin towers and the word "BOOM!" scrawled in Arabic.

That might have sparked sluggish imaginations. Or maybe not.

Only a couple of weeks after the endlessly vacationing President Bush got his Aug. 6, 2001, briefing with the shivery headline "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.," the C.I.A. chief, George Tenet, and other top agency officials received a briefing about the arrest of Zacarias Moussaoui after his suspicious behavior in a Minnesota flight school. And that had another shivery headline: "Islamic Extremist Learns to Fly."

"The news had no evident effect" on prompting the C.I.A. to warn anyone, according to the drily rendered report of the 9/11 commission's staff, which faults the agency for management miasma and Al Qaeda myopia, citing a failure to make a "comprehensive estimate of the enemy."

Asked by the commission member Timothy Roemer about whether he had shared this amazing news at a Sept. 4 meeting with Condi Rice, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld and Richard Clarke — the meeting on Al Qaeda that Mr. Clarke had been urgently begging for since January — Mr. Tenet said no. Asked if he had ever mentioned it to Mr. Bush in August, during a month of "high chatter and huge warnings," Mr. Tenet said no.

The Man Whose Hair Was Allegedly on Fire told the commissioners that he had not talked to the president at all in August. Mr. Bush was in Texas, and he was in Washington. Or he was on vacation, and the president was in Texas. Quel high alert.

Al Qaeda Unchecked for Years, Panel Says
Tenet Concedes CIA Made Mistakes

_{By Walter Pincus and Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, April 15, 2004; Page A01}

U.S. intelligence services failed to recognize the emergence of the al Qaeda terrorist network until more than a decade after it was founded in 1988, playing down a tide of reports that documented the danger posed by the group, according to findings released yesterday by the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The CIA's Counterterrorist Center never developed a plan to deal with the possibility that terrorists might use airplanes as weapons despite growing evidence during the 1990s that terrorist groups had attempted or were planning such plots, the commission's staff also found.

CIA Director George J. Tenet acknowledged yesterday that he did not brief President Bush, FBI leaders or Cabinet members after he was informed in late August 2001 of the arrest of Zacarias Moussaoui, who would later be charged as a conspirator in the terror attacks. The briefing for Tenet was titled "Islamic Extremist Learns to Fly."

The Times They Are A Changin'

Last Night After Dubya's errr speech.. I went to my favorite watering hole which is right across the street from Rep. Peter King's (R-Massapequa) headquarters... strictly a Republican neighborhood... so it's good for drinking. (I do have give Peter a kudo for voting against impeaching Clinton) Anyway, there are a few of us Dems that hang there and last night for the first time, the drunken Democrats got away with murder! Seriously. The Republicans were almost embarrassed to be Republicans and couldn't come up with anything to defend Bush. The best they could do was to bash Clinton, which as far as we are concerned doesn't count.

Tonight I will be heading back there for the Open Mic Night where I will continue on my Freedom, Justice and Peace tour and play some of my favorite peace songs both past and present. Since I'm so adorable I usually can get away with it in there. heh.

Blonde Views on the Presidential Speech

His tie was a disaster like his speech. It was psychedelic or something. I kept getting hypnotized and I couldn't pay attention to what he was saying. That tie was making weird rainbow patterns on my tv and my retinas started burning up.

Didn't Bill Clinton get the best haircuts though? Man oh man.. Bush is richer and his hair looked like shit. This man flies all over the country and he couldn't stop somewhere for a good hair cut? It was all coarse and uneven. yuk. He is getting grayer but it's not that nice silvery gray. Probably too much sun bleaches it out. Too bad. He looks like a rodent.

Was that an earpiece? Don't tell me that was why he was pausing. He was waiting for Rove to give him the answers?

Didn't someone tell him that Rumsfeld was Secretary of Defense not Secretary of State?

Mr President, how come you have to testify before the 9/11 commission with Dick? "Because the 9-11 commission wants to ask us questions, that's why we're meeting. And I look forward to meeting with them and answering their questions." No, seriously, Mr President, how come? "Because it's a good chance for both of us to answer questions that the 9-11 commission is looking forward to asking us. And I'm looking forward to answering them."
huh?

His suit doesn't have that presidential crispness I have always admired. Nope. Not crisp.

Only one American flag lapel pin tonight?

Yes we knew that Saddam was a bad man. That wasn't the reason given for attacking and occupying Iraq. No I wouldn't like to be occupied either Mr Shrub.

I hope someone gets fired for allowing Shrub to wear that tie though. He gets away with murder that president.. wearing a hypnotic tie, putting Americans to sleep while he rambles on.

"But there was nobody in our government, at least, and I don't think the prior government that could envision flying airplanes into buildings on such a massive scale."
Here we go again. Impeach this man. Puhleeeeeese.

Hey I didn't vote for him.

Thanks Horkulated for pic.

UPDATE 4/19: Check out the Pocket Uhhhhh:Using sounds from King George's April 13th 04 'press conference' where he said little, answered almost no questions, and said uh about 100 times.

August 2001 Revisted

August 2001 Timeline:

President Bush to Spend Much of His Month-Long Vacation Enjoying Peace and Quiet of His 1600-acre Texas Ranch

by Terry Moran ABC World News Tonight August 3, 2001


ELIZABETH VARGAS, anchor: At the White House today, President Bush gathered his Cabinet to mark what he called "six months of accomplishments." The president starts a month-long vacation tomorrow, the longest of any president since Richard Nixon. ABC's Terry Moran reports now from the White House. President GEORGE W. BUSH: Good afternoon. The vice president and I...

TERRY MORAN reporting: (VO) Mr. Bush described his time off as an escape from the cloistered world of Washington.

Pres. BUSH: I'm headed home to the heartland to listen to the American people and to talk about the values that unite and sustain our country.

MORAN: (VO) The president will be spending most of his time on his 1600-acre ranch near Crawford, Texas, where it's very hot, very dry, and very, very quiet. And that's the way George W. Bush likes it.

Mr. ARI FLEISCHER (White House Press Secretary): He'll do a little fishing on the ranch. I'm sure he'll have friends and family over to the ranch. He'll do a little policy. He'll keep up with events.

MORAN: (VO) Unlike many of his fellow baby boomers, Mr. Bush is no workaholic. Reporters who covered him when he was governor of Texas grew familiar with his laid-back approach.

Mr. WAYNE SLATER (Dallas Morning News): George Bush was religious about wanting to take time off.

MORAN: (VO) In that, Mr. Bush is like many other presidents.

President RONALD REAGAN: (From file footage) Well, there's nothing like being in the saddle all day.

Mr. MICHAEL BESCHLOSS (Historian): There's almost no relationship between the number of hours you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office and how good a president you are.

MORAN: (VO) And in the 21st Century, as President Bush has already learned, no president really gets away.

Pres. BUSH: The amazing thing about this job, you know, is the job seems to follow you around.

MORAN: In Texas, the president will get a daily intelligence briefing, and he's planning one or two side trips a week just to keep in the public eye, but mostly, it seems, he'll do what most Americans do on vacation: nothing much. Terry Moran, ABC News, the White House.
******

August 6, 2001- PDB declassified part of 11 1/2 page briefing that was deemed "historical" by Condoleezza Rice at 9/11 hearings. Title: Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US

The following is thefull text of an Aug. 6, 2001, intelligence briefing for President George W. Bush that outlined al-Qaida plans to strike within the United States.

Released APRIL 7, 2004

Declassified and Approved for Release, 10 April 2004

Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US

Clandestine, foreign government, and media reports indicate Bin Ladin since 1997 has wanted to conduct terrorist attacks in the US. Bin Ladin implied in US television interviews in 1997 and 1998 that his followers would follow the example of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef and “bring the fighting to America.”

After US missile strikes on his base in Afghanistan in 1998, Bin Ladin told followers he wanted to retaliate in Washington, according to a ...(redacted portion) ... service.

An Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) operative told an ... (redacted portion) ... service at the same time that Bin Ladin was planning to exploit the operative’s access to the US to mount a terrorist strike.

The millennium plotting in Canada in 1999 may have been part of Bin Ladin’s first serious attempt to implement a terrorist strike in the US. Convicted plotter Ahmed Ressam has told the FBI that he conceived the idea to attack Los Angeles International Airport himself, but that Bin Ladin lieutenant Abu Zubaydah encouraged him and helped facilitate the operation. Ressam also said that in 1998 Abu Zubaydah was planning his own US attack.

Ressam says Bin Ladin was aware of the Los Angeles operation.

Although Bin Ladin has not succeeded, his attacks against the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 demonstrate that he prepares operations years in advance and is not deterred by setbacks. Bin Ladin associates surveilled our Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam as early as 1993, and some members of the Nairobi cell planning the bombings were arrested and deported in 1997.

Al-Qa’ida members -- including some who are US citizens --have resided in or traveled to the US for years, and the group apparently maintains a support structure that could aid attacks. Two al-Qa’ida members found guilty in the conspiracy to bomb our Embassies in East Africa were US citizens, and a senior EIJ member lived in California in the mid-1990s.

A clandestine source said in 1998 that a Bin Ladin cell in New York was recruiting Muslim-American youth for attacks.

We have not been able to corroborate some of the more sensational threat reporting, such as that from a ... (redacted portion) ... service in 1998 saying that Bin Ladin wanted to hijack a US aircraft to gain the release of “Blind Shaykh” ’Umar ’Abd al-Rahman and other US-held extremists.

Nevertheless, FBI information since that time indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.

The FBI is conducting approximately 70 full field investigations throughout the US that it considers Bin Ladin-related. CIA and the FBI are investigating a call to our Embassy in the UAE in May saying that a group of Bin Ladin supporters was in the US planning attacks with explosives.
******


For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 11, 2004

President Bush Speaks to Reporters at Fort Hood, Texas
Remarks by the President to the Travel Pool
Fort Hood, Texas

10:15 A.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Happy Easter to everybody. It's our honor to have celebrated this holy day with family members whose loved one is in Iraq. Fort Hood has made a mighty contribution to freedom in Iraq and to security for the country. I value my time with the family members and those who sacrifice on behalf of the country.

Today I ask for God's blessings for our troops overseas, may He protect them and may He continue to bless our country.

Q Mr. President, could you tell us, did you see the presidential -- the President's Daily Brief from August of '01 as a warning --

THE PRESIDENT: Did I see it? Of course I saw it; I asked for it.

Q No, no, I'm sorry -- did you see it as a warning of hijackers? And how did you respond to that?

THE PRESIDENT: My response was exactly like then as it is today, that I asked for the Central Intelligence Agency to give me an update on any terrorist threats. And the PDB was no indication of a terrorist threat. There was not a time and place of an attack. It said Osama bin Laden had designs on America. Well, I knew that. What I wanted to know was, is there anything specifically going to take place in America that we needed to react to?

As you might recall, there was some specific threats for overseas that we reacted to. And as the President, I wanted to know whether there was anything, any actionable intelligence. And I looked at the August 6th briefing, I was satisfied that some of the matters were being looked into. But that PDB said nothing about an attack on America. It talked about intentions, about somebody who hated America -- well, we knew that.

Yes, Dave.

Q Just to follow up on that, Mr. President. There was, in that PDB, specific information about activity that may speak to a larger battle plan, even if it wasn't specific. So I wonder if you could say what specifically was done, and do you think your administration should have done anything more?

THE PRESIDENT: David, look, let me just say it again: Had I known there was going to be an attack on America, I would have moved mountains to stop the attack. I would have done everything I can. My job is to protect the American people. And I asked the intelligence agency to analyze the data to tell me whether or not we faced a threat internally, like they thought we had faced a threat in other parts of the world. That's what the PDB request was. And had there been actionable intelligence, we would have moved on it.

I'm not exactly sure what you're referring to in the PDB, but if you're referring to the fact that the FBI was investigating things, that's great, that's what we expect the FBI to do.

Q Wasn't that current threat information? That wasn't historical, that was ongoing.

THE PRESIDENT: Right, and had they found something, they would have reported it to me. That's -- we were doing precisely what the American people expects us to do: run down every lead, look at every scintilla of intelligence, and follow up on it. But there was -- again, I can't say it as plainly as this: Had I known, we would have acted. Of course we would have acted. Any administration would have acted. The previous administration would have acted. That's our job.

Q Are you satisfied, though, that each agency was doing everything it should have been doing?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, that's what the 9/11 Commission should look into, and I hope it does. It's an important part of the assignment of the 9/11 Commission. And I look forward to their recommendations, a full analysis of what took place. I am satisfied that I never saw any intelligence that indicated there was going to be an attack on America -- at a time and a place, an attack. Of course we knew that America was hated by Osama bin Laden. That was obvious. The question was, who was going to attack us, when and where, and with what. And you might recall the hijacking that was referred to in the PDB. It was not a hijacking of an airplane to fly into a building, it was hijacking of airplanes in order to free somebody that was being held as a prisoner in the United States.

Okay, thank you all. Happy Easter to everybody. Thank you.

Bush still maintains, "There was nothing in this report to me that said, 'Oh, by the way, we've got intelligence that says something is about to happen in America."

To be continued.....

Bush and Dick Don't want you to see this

7/10/2001 FBI Report warns of terror activity

The Smoking Gun reports:
APRIL 12--Two months before the September 11 attacks, FBI agent Kenneth Williams sent this memo to bureau brass in Washington and New York warning that a cadre of Osama bin Laden disciples might be training at U.S. flight schools in preparation for future "terror activity against civil aviation targets." Williams suggested a nationwide FBI review to determine whether such a "coordinated effort" could be seen in other localities. The Williams memo was roundly ignored, of course, until after the World Trade Center was leveled.
This must be why Ashcroft stopped flying. This is just sickening.

Pray for Bush?

The Preznit has done it again and really went over the top. He wants the troops in Iraq to pray for him since he prays for them.

Thousands of marines have been given a pamphlet called "A Christian's Duty," a mini prayer book which includes a tear-out section to be mailed to the White House pledging the soldier who sends it in has been praying for Bush.

Bush never ceases to amaze me. How millions of Americans can support this man almost makes me lose faith in humankind. While it's nice to pray for each other, I would hope that the freaking POTUS would be doing more than just praying. But from the looks of things in the news lately, that is all he is doing. We're in deep shit, boys and girls.


"I think it's fine, as long as it's Christian prayers. Anything else is un-American" -George W. Bush
UPDATE: Liberal Agit-Prop illustrates it best!

Codpiece in Chief

More on Rice's Testimony

I missed Hardball with Chris Matthews after Condi's testamony last week but I heard about it and I just got hold of the transcript. These 9/11 wives are on the ball. This is the stuff that I want to know also. I am so sick of arguing with people who tell me that the purpose of the 9/11 commission to "Show where the intelligence failures are"... well these sorts of questions would show us exactly where the intelligence failures are!

There is some serious whitewashing going on.

LORIE VAN AUKEN, WIDOW OF 9/11 ATTACK: We also know that people stopped flying domestically. Ashcroft stopped flying. Pentagon officials stop flying the day before September 11. They were warned not fly on September 11. We think San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown was told not to fly. That’s all domestic. You know, everybody keeps telling us how they were focused outward.

Willie Brown should have been dragged in front of the commission first thing for god's sake. Who told him not to fly on 9/11? Why not find out who knew and work backward? CBS News reported on July 26th, 2001 that Ashcroft went fishing using leased aircraft rather than commercial planes because of FBI threat assessments. On July 1, 2001, Sens Dianne Feinstein and Richard Shelby of the Senate Intelligence Committee appeared on Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer and warned of potential attacks by Osama bin Laden. Feinstein: " One of the things that has begun to concern me [is] whether we really have our house in order. Intelligence staff have told me that there is a major probability of a terrorist incident within the next three months ." (CNN interactive) And also from CNN in July 2001 we find out the Dubya didn't stay with other leaders because there was a terrorist threat by Al Qaida. Google searches tell us that there was a threat that Al Qaida was planning to use airplanes as missiles in Genoa. While that was not a domestic plot, it certainly proves that using airplanes as missiles should not have come as a shock to anyone in the Bush administration.

PATTY CASAZZA, WIDOW OF 9/11 ATTACK: And it’s also disingenuous for the national security advisor to say she couldn’t have imagined planes being used as weapons.

In July, the president, Condoleezza Rice, Ari Fleischer, Karen Hughes, and Karl Rove attended the general summit in Italy. The national security advisor of that nation was aware of an assassination attempt to be committed upon our president and the leaders attending that G8 Summit in July.

How do you forget, two months later, the threat of your life, the president’s life, and not think that that threat could actually follow you home to the United States?

...

VAN AUKEN: Well, my first reaction is there’s another part to Condoleezza Rice’s statements, which was that they were focused on traditional hijackings. And they did nothing to thwart a traditional hijacking on that day either.

So when a plane misses its mark in the sky – you have a very crowded Northeast corridor – you can’t have errant planes running around there. Nobody sent up a fighter jet to go see what was happening, not to shoot the plane down, but to intercept it. So I don’t understand, if they were focused on traditional hijackings and even had that as a warning inside the PDB, why they were so slow to respond.

Well duh. Even if we pretend that the FAA didn't figure out that these hijackings were terrorist attacks, how come nothing was done? This 9/11 Commission still seems so suspiciously bogus to me.

KLEINBERG: Right. And the other thing that strikes me is that they’re talking about the FBI and the CIA not speaking to each other. Historically, that has been the case. What I don’t understand is that, considering that we knew that there was this threat, OK, why they didn’t have them in a meeting?

That's what I was thinking also. Isn't it someone's job to mediate between the 2 organizations? Wouldn't it be the National Security Advisor's job? If not, whose job is it? And why, praytell are the conservatives protecting this woman, Condi?

I am still waiting for someone to find out why exactly was the President not whisked out the elementary school on the morning of 9/11 once it was known that the country was under attack. I am still waiting to find out why Airforce One took off without Airforce accompaniment. hmmmm. Did they know something we didn't know? I shudder to think.

Bush on Vacation while the world goes to hell

I watched Bush on TV this morning coming out of church at Ft Hood in Texas. He said "what we're doing in Iraq is right." I am not sure where he is getting his news from. I also watched Senator McCain on Meet the Press reiterate more Bush propaganda about what a bad man Saddam was and how he killed his own people. I found it ironic since our own POTUS in my own opinion is just about as evil as Hussein. But what do I know? I'm just a blonde musician.

Bush also told us this morning on TV that he thanked the lord on bended knee for protecting the US troops. Hmmm. I suppose compared to what a beating the Iraqi's are taking, the US troops are faring better. What really made the steam come out of my ears though was Bush's comment that "We're plenty tough."

Who is this "We"? Certainly not 'vacation-man'. He has spent 40% of his presidency on vacation and that is not including all the time he spends campaigning for his election. This past week was brutal in Iraq. 59+ US soldiers and 900 Iraqis were killed this past week. Bush spent the week vacationing at his ranch. He also explained, "It was a tough week last week." It was? Hosting hunters, bass fisherman and gun people is tough? He should ask the soldiers about how tough it was.

This time in history is not a good time for me to be going through menopause.

I'm Too Pissed for Easter

I'm not a Kerry supporter. Not yet anyway. I liked Dean and Kucinich in the primaries. Now I'm ABB. Anyone but Bush. I have no connections to the Democratic party. I am a registered Republican. I deplore war, guns, shooting and killing unless it's in self defense. I oppose abortion and the death penalty. I consider myself liberal although I am in favor of small government which the Republicans used to aspire to. I would like the government out of my face. I don't like liberal lawyers. They whine and always try to blame other people/corporations for their clients stupidity. But don't get me wrong... I think corporations are evil.

With that out of the way.. let's move on to Rush Limbaugh. What the hell is wrong with that man? Well we know he's a recovering drug addict and I suppose all the drugs messed up his head.. but how can he even think for one minute that the wives of the men who died on 9/11 who are demanding an investigation into the mistakes made leading up to 9/11 have anything to do with supporting John Kerry or that this is politically motivated? What is wrong with this idiot? Before I ever heard of John Kerry, I wanted Bush's ass in a sling for 9/11. I wanted the whole damn government, Republicans and Democrats thrown out so we could start over! They simply fucked up. Everyone hates Americans and it sure as hell isn't because of "our freedoms". What a crock of shit. What the hell is our government up to? What were they doing behind our backs?

Wake up conservatives! There is no liberal agenda. Right wingers are the ones with the agenda. We don't have one... well just one tiny one.. JUSTICE!

Anyway.. since 9/11 happened I have always wondered just why Bush sat in that classroom that fateful day and didn't do a fucking thing. Why didn't the secret service whisk him out of there? I am not being political. I am asking a legitimate question. Cheney got whisked away. Bush sat there. That whole school could have been attacked. How did Bush and his aids know that they were not in danger of being attacked that day? Because they knew of the plot is why. This has absolutely nothing to do with politics as far as I am concerned.

If Republicans would wake up and think for themselves and stop sticking with the party, right or wrong, they would see what I see. Bush knew. There is tons of other evidence that shows that something was up that day.. too many anamolies.. but Bush's behavior alone is enough to make anyone suspicious. Read about it.

I'm just someone who watched the whole thing happen live on TV, who cleaned the ashes of the WTC and it's inhabitants off my furniture for days and weeks after the tragedy.. I was scared shitless I tell you. I was paralyzed. If you don't live in or near NYC then you don't have a clue what it was like for 6 months or so after 9/11. I don't care what you say. You don't know. It was like the gestapo around here. Funerals, soldiers, cops, sirens, road blocks.. you'll never know unless you lived it.

I have morons argue with me that they knew what we felt here in NY. Bullshit. You were all probably thinking, "whew, glad it wasn't here". I don't blame you cause I am thinking that when the next terror attack happens that it happens somewhere else.

Just cause I was scared and didn't go out doesn't mean I wasn't thinking or that my brain stopped working. I was piecing together the puzzle and making tapes of what was on tv and saving articles and researching on the internet. I watched Ari Fleischer lie on TV that night. I knew he was full of shit. I am not stupid. I wasn't sure what I was more scared of.. another terror attack or my government.

Rush Limbaugh, go to hell. This has nothing to do with John Kerry, you bumbling idiot. I am pissed as hell. I want answers too and my husband didn't die in the WTC. And another thing, who cares if John Kerry is rich? Bush is richer. You are probably just as rich and you are a lying hypocrite.

This stinking 9/11 commission should have happened 2 years ago at least and should have been over and done with by now. This is nonsense. I didn't need to relive this. Those 4 wives don't need to relive this either. Especially them. Rush Limbaugh is a fucking drug addict asshole.

Links:
Limbaugh claims 9/11 wives working for Kerry.
What Bush did on 9/11 while we were under attack
Watch Flash Timeline of King George just sitting there in Florida

Bush Spent 40% of Presidency on Vacation

From Washington Post:

"This is Bush's 33rd visit to his ranch since becoming president. He has spent all or part of 233 days on his Texas ranch since taking office, according to a tally by CBS News. Adding his 78 visits to Camp David and his five visits to Kennebunkport, Maine, Bush has spent all or part of 500 days in office at one of his three retreats, or more than 40 percent of his presidency.

"The anti-Bush group America Coming Together issued a news release yesterday noting that Bush was on his ranch on Aug. 6, 2001, when he received a crucial intelligence briefing that was prominent in Rice's testimony yesterday.

"The president and his White House aides have not changed their public claims that the uprising in Iraq is the work of a relatively small number of extremists who will inevitably be crushed. But, in private, Bush is apparently expressing a more grim view. According to the Kremlin, he placed a 20-minute call to Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday, and "serious distress was expressed" about the "escalation of violence." Bush aides refused to discuss the details of the conversation."

If this doesn't deserve an ad by Kerry, I don't know what does. Let's get on the stick Kerry.

Blessed are the Cheesemakers

Thank God they re-released Life of Brian today. It's much more cheerful than Mel's movie.

My son and I are trying to redo some of the family Easter traditions. My son is the only blood relative I have left alive. He's in college so we decided to have some fun with Easter and depict Jesus conquering the monster bug women. Here is our diarama. Enjoy.


Find out about the Carpatho-Rusyn Easter traditions of my ancestors at BlondeSpots. There are some real sick ones.

LIES LIES LIES at 9/11 Commission Today

Condo-LIE-zza said "There was "nothing about the threat of attack in the U.S." in the Presidential Daily Briefing the President received on August 6th."

Then later she said "the title [of the PDB] was, 'Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States.'"

I have steam coming out of my ears today. It was surreal watching Condi lie today. Lying in her crooked teeth.

What does she think? That just because Dubya doesn't read than nobody else does either? She really thinks she can get away with perjuring herself?

She ranted on and on about junk without answering questions straight on. Her voice quivered when she was asked questions by Democrats and smiled as she answered the easy questions by the Republicans. It was a sick sick morning on TV.

If she isn't charged with perjury my head is going to explode.

LINKS
Center for American Progress Fact Check. Read this.
Condi's Testamony


Bush is on Easter Vacation in Crawford and 5 Troops died in Iraq today.

Video Games Are Good

Surgeons who play video games make 37% less mistakes and perform tasks 27% faster than surgeons don't who play video games. I am thinking of having lasik surgery on my eyes and I am going to ask the surgeon how many hours a week he spends playing video games. I knew video games were good for something. I imagine that they are good for soldiers too. I love video games and am the proud owner of a Game Cube. I wonder what good it has done for me? My house is a mess. Since I started blogging, my house is even more of a mess. hmmm.

Don't say anything bad because we are at war. K?

Ted Kennedy in a really pissed off speech called Iraq Bush's Vietnam. I would have to agree with him since the only "good" thing to come out of the "war" is that the Sunnis and the Shiites are united against the US. Bush still insists that terrorists hate our freedoms. Where does he come up with this stuff? I think, purely as a human being, that the Iraqi's hate us for invading and occupying their country.

We have a dictator running our country, but if another country invaded us in order to overthrow Bush and killed our people and blew up buildings, I would probably try to kill the invaders in order to defend myself.

Colin Powell thinks that people, especially Ted Kennedy shouldn't speak out like that when we are in war. Ya know this "we are at war" excuse is getting to me. I suspect that we are at war because the powers that be knew that our Preznit is such a dimwit that a war would be the best diversion.

The quagmire is getting worse. 30 US soldiers died in the last 72 hours. God help George W Bush.

By the way, Republicans are trying to gag squash non profits. Write a letter now and save freedom of speech. I am having a hot flash. Signing off for now.

Afghanistan Won't Go Away Either

oops. Rummy said back in '02 that everything was fine in Afghanistan and it really wasn't. Heroin production which normally was done in Pakistan is being handled right there in Afghanistan and it seems that US troops are enjoying it too. Fire Rumsfeld. Article from New Yorker here.

Depleted Uranium Radiation in Iraq Equals 250,000 Nagasaki Bombs

I've been following the story of Depleted Uranium (DU) for years... especially since my next door neighbor returned from the first Gulf War and suddenly came down with one of the rarest forms of cancer known to man and never worked again. He was a reservist. The Pentagon said that it's studies show that there is no evidence that DU causes serious illnesses. DU is radioactive waste left over from bullets and bombs used by the US. Right now Depleted Uranium Radiation in Iraq Equals 250,000 Nagasaki Bombs. DU remains radioactive for about 4.5 billion years.

Upon impact, DU produces extremely fine uranium oxide dust that is both chemically toxic and radioactive. Easily spread by wind, it is inhaled and absorbed into the human body and absorbed by plants and animals, becoming part of the food chain.

Not only does DU have an effect on returning soldiers from war, look at the effect that DU had on Iraqi children. here and here

Today's NY Daily News has an article about the Army testing returning NY guardsmen for DU. Well it's about time.. but it's a little late.

The soldiers, who returned from Iraq late last year, say they and other members of their company have been suffering from unexplained illnesses since last summer, when they were stationed in the Iraqi town of Samawah.

Dr. Asaf Durakovic, a former Army doctor and nuclear medicine expert who examined and tested the nine men at The News' request, concluded four of them "almost certainly" inhaled radioactive dust from exploded depleted uranium shells fired by U.S. troops.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), after learning of The News' investigation, blasted Pentagon officials yesterday for not properly screening soldiers returning from Iraq.

A 1990 Army study linked DU to "chemical toxicity causing kidney damage." My next door neighbor's kidney's failed one day. They just shut down not long after he returned from the first Gulf War.

Do some reading on DU today. Here are some links and you decide if the US is using illegal weapons of mass destruction on its enemies and its own soldiers.
The Human Cost of Depleted Uranium
Trail of a Bullet
Depleted Uranium Watch
Use of DU is illegal

Shrub says "Fuck You" to New York

He sat in a classroom in Florida while we were under attack on 9/11/01. NORAD stood down. He showed up for a photo op days later at Ground Zero. Now the NYFD won't even pose for a picture with him if their lives depended on it. He wouldn't let EPA divulge to New Yorkers that the air quality after 9/11 was dangerous. He hand picked the 9/11Commission even though he didn't even want one. He spent less on the 9/11 commission than the right wing spent on investigating Clinton's blow job. He exploited 9/11 in his campaign ads. He smears anyone who tells the truth. The RNC is coming to NY in late August-late enough so perhaps he can give his acceptance speech at Ground Zero on 9/11/04. He really really hates NY and we suspect that he knew very well what was going to happen on 9/11 and he let it happen. It was his Pearl Harbor.

In today's Newsday we read:

"In the first round of homeland security funding, in 2003, New York - twice targeted by terrorists, in 1993 and 2001 - received 25 percent of the total of $500 million, which was divided among seven cities. In the 2003 supplemental budget, New York's share had shrunk to 18 percent, and the money was split among 30 cities.

"By last November, the city's share had dwindled to less than 7 percent, and the money was divided among 50 localities. Homeland security money has become another run-of-the-mill pork-barrel patronage operation, like highways.

"In February Bush proposed an increase to $1.4 billion in homeland security funding for so-called high-risk cities. But 50 cities are still designated as high risk, so New York's share is only $94 million - a fraction of what is needed.

"On a per-capita basis, New York State ranks 49th among the states in antiterrorist funding, far below rural, sparsely populated Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota. By one account, New York is also 49th in per capita funding among cities: $5.87 per person. Compare that with $35.80 for Pittsburgh. But then, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge was governor of Pennsylvania. Or look at Florida, where Jeb Bush is governor. Miami gets $52.82 per person. Orlando gets $47.14. "

NYC is always on code orange. There are going to be a lot of protests in NYC in August. Bush will not win NY. I don't know the RNC is bothering to come here. Fuck them right back.

"We Don't Have to Tell the Truth!!!" - Dick and Bush

It looks like Condi will testify before the 9/11 commission.. but only once and you can't call her back. In turn Bush and Cheney will testify together in private and NOT under oath. That's the deal. This menopausal blonde wants to know then why in the fucking hell the Bobsy twins are even bothering to testify and why would anyone even listen if they don't have to tell the truth? What's the use?

¿Quien Es Mas Corrupto: Bush o Nixon?

It seems that John Dean who was jailed for Watergate perjury thinks that Bush is the most corrupt and secretive president and trumps Nixon when it comes to deception. Aw shucks, you're just saying that...

He also accuses Cheney of running a shadow government.

"When it comes to dealing with dissenters and those willing to speak the truth," said Mr Dean, "this administration is putting Nixon to shame."

Read here and here.

GO BUSH!

Looking Back at the Week.

It's Saturday already and here are the lead stories:

Yawing Boy on Letterman Saga Continues
CNN apologized for claiming that the White House was enraged by Letterman's hilarious "George W Bush Invigorating America's Youth" Watch it!

White House Spins The Boy Who Yawned

Letterman's not so sure.

"This whole thing just smells. Doesn't it smell a little bit?" Letterman asked his audience last night.

"I mean, it just seems all just a little too tidy, just a little too neat. And now, the guy, the kid in Florida -- and his old man -- was really upset in the beginning. . . . Well, now everybody down there loves it. Everybody couldn't be happier; everybody thought it was hilarious. So you see, it's just a little too tidy. Stuff like this never ends happily, certainly not happily for me. I was waiting for the lawsuit, I was waiting to be arrested, I was waiting to be beaten to a pulp, and now, oh . . . we couldn't be happier."

The whole thing stinks. It's hard to follow but read about it.

The 17 Year Cicadas are Coming Back
I had to laugh. I was over on AOL and they were sharing recipes for Cicadas.
My cats love cicadas and bring them home to me every summer. They are like toys for cats. They make noise and flap their wings.. much more enticing than field mice. Get facts on cicadas at National Geographic. If you're on AOL, type in keyword: cicada and you will arrive at Cicada Central! LOL

Bush Trying to Fuck up Social Security
I was reading Newsday over breakfast today and this story was buried in the Senior Citizen section. This should be in the headlines. This is absurd. Impeach Bush.

In February, commenting on new Medicare legislation and his proposals to help the uninsured buy insurance, Bush said, "We will help more people to own their own health plans." And in his January State of the Union speech: "Younger workers should have the opportunity to build a nest egg by saving part of their Social Security taxes in a personal retirement account. We should make the Social Security system a source of ownership for the American people."

If the president wins a second term, he can be expected to move aggressively to turn part of Social Security into millions of 401(k)s with their billions of dollars invested in Wall Street. Earlier proposals called for diverting one-sixth of the 12.4 percent in Social Security payroll taxes into private accounts. This time, Bush and advocates of privatization will propose increasing to 50 percent the chunk of Social Security taxes to be shifted to private accounts.

Read about all the deception and lies. It just pisses me off.

Long Island Music Hall of Fame
I was supposed to get involved with this project but didn't. Anyway check out the inductees.

From the "this is important but will get buried files"

"Now it appears not to be the case that it was that solid," Powell said yesterday. "But at the time I was preparing that presentation it was presented to me as being solid."

Powell Expresses Doubts About Basis for Iraqi Weapons Claim
He finally admits that his claims about WMDs were based on faulty evidence. Know what really gets my goat? I am just a regular person and I didn't buy this WMD from the beginning. I am smarter than these A**holes. I should be Preznit.

US Death Toll in Iraq reached 600
Well over half the combat deaths -- 293 -- have been inflicted since May 1 when US President George W. Bush declared an end to major combat operations. 50 were killed in March.

Mass Media

The mass media is responsible for dividing this country.

ORWELL

The more I think about the way things are in this country, the more I think about when we were reading 1984 in high school. I did a Google search and found this interesting piece about Orwell comparing his book to 2004. Just read it.

disgraceful

US Promises Overwhelming Response to Iraq Killings

I don't have much to say. If you click on the picture above you can see and hear a NYTimes gruesome slideshow. If you've already been numbed to violence and gore by "The Passion", you can take it.