Yes, I do have an Opinion About Everything

Show GW the Pictures

2005-09-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

I would like to see GW, Brownie and Chertoff beiing shown footage of the Superdome and asked "When you saw this what did you do?"
"When you saw the Convention Center, what did you do?"
"When you saw the freeway ramp loaded with people what did you do?"
"When you saw the city underwater what did you do?"

I could go on...and that is another tragedy.

*

A Failed Theory

2005-09-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

Volunteerism as solution to big problems has just proven itself a failure.

The Red Cross and the National Guard are not enough to handle the 1 million displaced Americans.

GW said today that the Red Cross has big job ahead of it to transition people out of complete loss of everything, death and destruction of people and communities. He really just lives in bubble, in an reality unto himself and members of his Administration.

That our government did not take other countries up on the immediate offers of help is mind boggling until you realize it is apart of the going it alone philosophy of this Administration and the power structure of the Republican party.

*

Lesson Fron Northern Ireland

2005-07-07T10:50:00.000-07:00

As the Loyalists and IRA have become less relavent they both turned to crime. This is uniting a formerly divided people as they become victims of the violence and is making both groups even less relavent.

Is this the future of Islamic terrorists? At some point in the future when they realize their methods aren't working to change politics, will they use their "skills" for criminal gain and piss their supporters off?

*

Anti_Environmentalist Are A Threat

2005-05-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

GW and his administration have announced today that environmentalist are America's most dangerous domestic terrorists. Not the White Supresmists that KILL people and rob banks.
Not those who hsve destroyed the Pacific Salmon run.

If you are an anti-environmrntalist you are not a threat and your crimes go unsolved or punished.

Welcome to Bush World

*

Social Security Reform or A Jobs Program?

2005-05-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

It seems obvious that GW's "reform" is nothing more than a jobs program for stock brokers.

Last time I looked these folks make money hand over fist, con't want to pay taxes and have
done nothing to insure future customers. With Walmart the nations largest employer, and most
employees make less than $19,000 a year, don't know who is going to replace the highest paid
generation in American history.

I guess the Republicans are now going to replace high paid stock buyers with the Social Security
Trust Fund.....hmmm. They must think we are stupid. Well some people are because they keep
voting for them. Like they are Princes and Dukes who will take of us if we just lavish enough money
on them.

On top of this GW is guarnteeing an 8.5% on any of the choosen few we are going to get pick from.
So why will have to pay a finacial adviser a year fee of some huge amount? If all are going to
have to perform to some standard, again set by the government, to be amongst the choices we people
will be given, again by the government.

It is some kind of weird Soviet-style capitalism.
We have the oligarchs we might as well have the same
shame of a Republic where the individual, left to his or her own choices will make the best choices for
themselves, a strange Liberal theory what America means.

Budget Deficit Threatens US Economy

2005-04-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

Surprise, Alan Greenspan has spoken strongly today of the longterm effect on the US economy of running such a huge budget deficit. what took him so long to speak up!

Coupled with our every expnding trade deficits the future looks dark for America.

How much worse things would be if President Clinton and the 102nd Congress had not acted responsible.

The Republicans currently in charge are responsible for bad and are responsible for everything good.
Like I am stupid.

*

Dissolving the Surpreme Court

2005-04-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

In Equador the President has dissolved the Surpreme Court because the judges weren't agreeing with him

Good thing GW doesn't read the papers because he wont know what is happening unless someone tells him.

As the violence grows one has to side with the Constitution and those willing to defend it.

*

Yes He Really Said That

2005-04-16T22:54:00.000-07:00

"You should really be afraid of unsecure nuclear material."
David Frum, Whitehouse insider in defending Homeland Security
policy that allows those on the Terrorist Watchlist to still buy
guns.

Do you feel safer with these guys incharge?

*

GW & Company Logical

2005-03-30T07:20:00.000-08:00

Just like it is the contractors fault for the lack of electricity in Iraq. They are afraid of beinging attacked and not getting it done, according to the US.

It is not OUR fault for not providing security.

Rumsfeld has just stated we our not able to defeat the insurigence; the Iraqis will have to do that.

He did not even mention that we are why there is an insurigence!

Blame the victim not the rich folks with all the gadets, and started this whole thing.

*

27 in 24

2005-03-28T09:21:00.000-08:00

So the US military has announced 27 murders or homicides in 24 months in Iraq and how ever many we have been iin Afghanistan.

That is just about one person murder or one victim of hoimicide for every 6 or weeks we are occupying these countries.

It is a high price to pay for both sides.

*

Greater Threat Than Terrorism

2005-03-21T08:11:00.000-08:00

So the Deficit is number three on the list of threats to the US economy. Higher than terrorism, but lower than our growing elderly population and the disfunctional US healthcare "system".

That makes GW Bush more of a threat to the US economy than the terrorists his morally and financial bankrupt policies claim to be protecting from.

What GW going to about himself? Maybe we should send to another country and torture him a bit, teach to stop borrowing and spending like a drunken sailor-as Jonh McCain put it.

Clinton was endanger of paying off our national debt. What a change an Adminstration makes.

*

LA: More Dangerous Than Iraq

2005-03-17T08:27:00.000-08:00

Military recuiters are amazed that parents in LA don't want their kids going into the Army, Guard or the Reserves.

On NPR, one recuiter pointed out that the neighborhoods these kids live in she is trying to recuit are more dangerous than Iraq.

Then why aren't we fixing LA.? Why aren't we helping our people? If we can't bring safety and security to parts of America what are we doing going aboard trying to what we can't do here?

*

GW and Taxes

2005-03-12T07:51:00.000-08:00

GW has the nerve to to selling his Social Security "reform" by saying if we don't change the system young people will have to pay higher FICA taxes in the future.

Attention GW: You are borrowing $2 Billion dollars a day., you have cut revenue so young people and the unborn will pay higher tazes to pay off your debt.

Clinton: budget surplus, paid down the National Debt.

*

Selling Wild Horses

2005-03-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

GW has included in his budget the legalizing of sales of wild horses for slaughter, to help balance the budget.

Apparently he never learned the differnece between 1,000s, 10,000s, 100,000s, 1,000,000 and 1,000,000,000.

The US now owns the Japanese, the Chinese and South Koreans and the Brits 7+ Trillion Dollars. Dollars that are worthless every day.

America the small.

*

From the of Mouth of an Idiot

2005-03-08T16:22:00.000-08:00

GW had the nerve to say, out loud, that a country that does not respect the human rights of its own citizens is less likely to respect the rights of its neighbors.....

Attention: President GW Enemy Combatants! You have granted yourself the right as president of the US the power to strip an American of all the rights of citizenship.

You do not respect the human rights of your fellow countrymen, therefore, using your own logic, you can not be trusted to respect the rights of your neighbors.

'nough said.

*

Takes An Occupier to Know An Occupier

2005-02-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

GWs press Sec had the nerve yesterday to warn Syria about occupying Lebenon.

We are liberators and you are occupiers, why the difference because We Say So.

GW must have been a big fan of Dinosaurs when it was on TV.

*

D.O.A.

2005-02-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

Dead On Arrival, GW's budget
As pronounced by a fellow Republican.

Again something Clinton never did. I bet GW feels like a real man.

F.Y.I. Spending on the interest on the debt has surpassed spending on the national defense.

*

Servicing the Debt

2005-02-03T07:55:00.000-08:00

$2 Billion Dollars a Day.

US Taxpayers are paying $2 Billion dollars a day to buy nothing!

Borrow and spend Republicans.

Clinton and the Demos strunk the debt, to the point where Alan Greenspan was worried the US would pay off its debt and what would those do depend on the interest on US Bonds do for income.

Those days are over. Now people talk about what if the US defaults. What a change.

*

$9 billion Dollars Are Missing From Iraq

2005-02-01T20:07:00.000-08:00

Paul Bremmer claims that western style accounting is not doable in the Middle East.

How do all these oil rich countries keep track of the Billions we send them?

It is more crazy talk from the head loon.

*

$280 Billion in Spending On Iraq

2005-01-25T10:08:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah I forgot to add the interest. Since we aren't paying for this war, we don't really know what will be.

I has already cost us our dignity as a nation. 100's of more pages on reports of torture and abuse of US prisoners in Iraq, Afhganistan and other US bases.

People are being hunted down tortured by thier own gov't based on what we are doing. And who is going to complain now; the US. We can not bring up human rights abuses with other countries, we are an abuser of human rights.

Clinton=sex with intern
GWBush=torture by US soldiers

*

Shot in the Head

2005-01-24T09:06:00.000-08:00

That is what two US soldiers did to a female translator working for us!

That's right, just like in Vietnam we have begun killing our allies in Iraq.

One guy got 3 years the other got 18 months.
We paid the family of this women $25,000.

You can't pay off God

*

Punk, Activist or Rebel?

2005-01-18T12:24:00.000-08:00

What's the diffence; punks accept that this is how the system is being run and refuse be a part of it, activists are trying to change the system and rebles are trying to over throw the system.

*

Iran, you're next.

2005-01-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

Now the picture becomes more clear. Iran is in between Iraq and Afghanistan. We are now violating thier soviegnity and will claim that we have been wronged and have to something (like attack) to show them.

Then we will have defacto controll of a huge percent of the world's oil supply.
Now I see; this is how we will stop China and India.
We seize control of the taps and access.
Those countries are so much closer to the middle east and they have something the rest of the world wants.
All we have is dollars. And they are worthless every week.

I wonder if we will just become Mercerinary Nation. Military for hire to the biggest corp interests. hhmm.

*

Iraq-Just A Trainning Operation

2004-12-20T07:58:00.000-08:00

We are learning every day and every step of the way in Iraq.
I certainly hope so.

To say that the Iraqis have to step up and stop the violence we created in their country is beyond the pale.

Why not "prove" your methods of over coming nationwide violence by workig with friendly governments desperate for help in places like Washington DC the murder capital of the US, or Baltimore, or East St. Louis, or Compton or anywhere crank has moved in USA.

Because your methods don't work that is why. And your plan to create a weak client state in Iraq is not working either.

Neither is the war aint won. That Andy Card, GWs spokesman can say this with a straight face speaks volumes.

Since we have won when do the troops come home?

*

9,000 More Pages on Abuse

2004-12-15T19:17:00.000-08:00

Year two as occupiers in Iraq.

The 9,000 pages include accounts of using electricity from transformers, burning and mock execusions of prisoners.

I wonder what new horrors will appear in the pages of abuse reports to come as the years of occupation drag on?

Will they be stunning terrible?

*

An Other Journalist Dead

2004-12-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

Gary Webb is dead. He exposed the facts about how the CIA and Reagan administration allowed the Contras to ship and sell cocaine to fund the Contras.
His book is The Dark Alliance: The CIA, The Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosiion.

The CIA admitted to Congress the they knew the Contras were dealing in cocaine and selling it in the US and did nothing. The CIA actively hide these crimes.
Crack lead to the destruction of so many persons lives, communities and a generation. And we have all lost out on not having these people functioning in the economy.
I guess it has been good for the prison industry and funeral services in Inner City neighborhoods.

What was he working now? I don't believe he pinned some note to his front door and shot himself in the head.

They think we are stupid.

*

Fame and Fortune

2004-12-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

While the US expects the rest of the world to be obssessed with us and our wellfare, they are not.

They are so over our fame and fortune.
Most countries could careless about America or Americans.
The rule of law and regular, competative elections, true capitalism and freedom of concious those are great. What America has become, they have no use for.

*

Not That Different

2004-12-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

More pictures of abused prisoners; this time it is the Navy Seals. The guys who are suppose to know better.

We have been told by the Pentagon that the torture of prisoners was due to the lack of trainning the Reservists had and they were just bad "apples" (apples that walk, talk and sound like people, they even have parents)
So now we know that our best trained soldiers have been abusing people.

They took pictures of themsleves and there victims just like the NAZIs did, just like Stalins hentchmen. Back in May 2003. They must have got the memos from the soon to be Attorney General of the US.
Hope our soldiers like being on the recieving end of this policy change.

Almost thirty years of effort by the good guys in the military has been wiped out by civilian Adminstration "leaders" that either never served or are like GW who sort of served in Alabma on a base of 25 persons and not one person rembers him. Strange, he was there for almost a year.

Officers lieing to the American people on CNN, torture, abuse and trophy taking. One can only imagine how much our soldiers are stealing from the Iraqi people. Haliburton has "lost" one third of the equipment we have paid for, KBR a Haliburton subsidiary, can not account for $2 BILLION in services we have paid for. Half of thier no bid contract.

The greedy folks at the top are killing the goose that laid the golden egg and don't even seem to care. Like they can go to Europe or some other nice plce as America desends into a third world state.

In Europe you have to pay taxes. Which the super rich will accept once they have stolen or gotten thru the transfer of wealth via the tax code everything they can in America.

*

The Worthless Dollar

2004-12-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

The dollar has hit an all time low against the Euro-a currency just a couple of years old.
Does anyone in America wonder what this will mean for the United States of America?

Oil is priced and traded in dollars. The Saudias already said in the spring that as the value of the dollar drops the price of oil have to increase to make up the loss in value.

Multiple questions come to mind: Will oil stop trading in dollars, then the world will be awash in dollars and nothing to spend them on.
Remember the US has stopped producing items the rest of the world wants outside of bad movies and pop music. Look at our trade deficit.

What does it mean for really small countries struggling already and now they can't afford to buy petroleum products. Stay poor and destitue even longer, while you watch our swank and easy lifestyle.
That will win us friends in a ever more dangerous world.
Are we going to have attack the rest of the world when we are broke?
We will just steal wealth from others. I wonder.

*

Billions For Those Who Have The Most

2004-11-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

While the richest people in our country contintue to have the rest of Americas wealth handed to them by the Federal gov't students are having thier Pell Grants cut of elliminated.
Kids whose parents make $35,000 to $40,000 a year will lose thier Pell grants and everyone elxe will get less.

I bet that will help America compete in the world econmy. Oh Yeah we are becoming a nation of low income Wlamart workers so why would anyone need skoolin.

*

Firepower Verses Manpower

2004-11-26T10:34:00.000-08:00

A reporter with the US Army on how we are doing in Iraq.
He has been there for 6 months with on e of the few successful rebuilding efforts in an urban area.
He was on NPR this morning.
Great observatons of efforts by our soldiers to make live better of Iraqis, how this was done and what the future looks like.
He felt that as long as we choose firepower over manpower it was just going to get worse.
Combine that story with the realistic toy guns flooding Baghdad, one can only wonder how we are going to get out of this. Let alone pay for it.

*

Says It All

2004-11-22T12:49:00.000-08:00

How the Republicans run the show says everything you need to knkow about them.

Its not just the underfunding of education, it is how they go about this assualt.
3,000 page, ominbus spending bill droped off on Saturday morning, to be voted on that evening.
Including a change in the law to give chairmen of two or committees the right to spy on our tax records. Wha?

No wonder the Republicans are red, they are acting like the Communist Party in the USSR.

*

My Guess, the CIA

2004-11-20T09:39:00.000-08:00

The lead investigator into the failed coup in Venzula has been murdered.
My guess is that it was the CIA or a front group. Up to its old tricks again.

Same hemisphere, same methods.

This was GW Bush's first coup attempt.
Then it was Iraq, Haiti (that has turned into a living a hell, thank you GW!) and I'm sure Iran is next.

*

Shot in the Head

2004-11-19T08:31:00.000-08:00

Margret Hassan, the head of CARE in Iraq was shot in the head just like the guy in the mosque. Hum. Any connection? Not accordding to the lame US media. But I can think for myself and see a connection.

Oh yeah four Iraqi were found alive in that mosque by our Marines and all four were dead after the Marines killed them. They killed four unarmed, wounded men. One was an old man.

Why not use these methods here at home? Washington DC is the murder capital of the US. Lets bomb it. Mostly black people live there anyway. What difference does it make if we destroy thier homes, businesses and lives; they are black people and we (the white people) need to do something about all these killers terrorizing the captial.

Killing in Mosque

2004-11-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

In an effort to win hearts and minds the US Army has shot a wounded, unarmed prisoners in a Mosque. This "war" is over. These people will hate us for generations.

*

Died Of Natural Causes

2004-11-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

More lies from the humboldt County Jail.
A man arrested on Monday died in the jail but did not from the wounds suffered during an altercation with the guards.

Not even a redneck in Humboldt County believes that crap anymore.

Our first "natural"death" in six months. Better than 10 or 12 year. We finally buildt a new jail so we only kill a couple of small time crimainals a year.

*

I Refuse To Be Lectured

2004-11-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

By Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reily, Newt Gingrich or Bill Bennett....

A glutonous drug addict. a phone sexepert, on his third wife, and a gambler

I will not have this bunch tell me I have no morality.
These guys are hippocryts.

*

Innoncent People Leave or Die

2004-11-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

The leaflet the US is dropping on Fallujah. A city of 100,000 people!

Who is going to kill the innoncent people? Our soilders are now the killers.

I guess this makes some people feel better about themselves, thier President and our country.
I do not. I don't know what to say to God when asked "What did I do to stop the killing of innocent people?"

Not enough.

We have "taken" the hospital because that is where the reports of old men, women and children getting killed came from in April.
Administration people cgot cold feet and called off the military assault. How many more people have died because of this order?
No one in this Adminstration is ever held accountable for thier decisions.

Leading by example; do as we say not as we do. Culture of Life my ass.

*

A Marine commander said on Fox "we are working for the Iraqi governemnt".
Since when did the US mmilitary hire out?

Why Are You Frightened?

2004-11-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

Ghosts The Jam Paul Weller

You Can Have Your Yellow Cake and Eat It Too

2004-11-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

October 7, 2002 GW gave a speach saying Saddam was threat to America and the world; he had germs and poison gas.....

Well not did we learn last week that 380 tons of plastic explosives went missing from a known site while we were incharge there is more.
Former Ambassidor Peter Gallbreth wrote a chilling account of the looting of the Iraq equivalent of the CDC with poeple take balck fever, live HIV and more. With US troops 20 feet away and doing nothing. They did not know this known site and went was in there. They read or speak Aribic and no one was assigned to protect known IAEA sites; we protected the oil ministry, the only thing protected. When Gallbreth told the Lt in charge what was happening his reply was "I hope I have unleashed Armagdon."

Remeber Yellow Cake? The stuff mentioned in a forged letter given to the Italian press that was so poorly done that they turned it over the Italian gov't without publishing it.
A know nuclear site was looted. Yellow cake was dumped on the ground the barrels taken home. We hope it all ended up on the ground.
And an old Chemical Weapons site that was also under the IAEA watch was also looted early on and we are hoping that thier were no active chemical weapons!

The eight Marines killed this weekend and the nine wounded were only in country several weeks.
Shades of Vietnam. Thier commander said they learned some lessons.
Including, that the enemy is willing to die attacking us. Surpprise!
Apparently they did not know this.

*

Emblematic

2004-10-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

The missing weapons cash is so typical of this Administrations handling of the war effort in Iraq.

We went there to secure these weapons because we did not trust Saddam or the IAEA to maintain control of them.

Now they claim it is humanly impossible to have all this stuff. So what are we doing there by ourselves.

Why have you sent our troops off an a task, a part which you are saying is IMPOSSIBLE?

*

Culture Wars

2004-10-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

Is it the Federal or State governements role to determine 'culture' in America?

No! It is the people and how they spend their money and time. The basis of our founding, people know what is best for themselves.

You can keep voting for politicians who promise to change the culture of America but the people keep living the lives some say they want goverment to make illegal.

If you don't like the movies that are made don't spend money on them, if you don't like the cloths don't buy them, if you don't like your nieghbors lifestyle talk to them, convince them they are wrong don't vote for canidates who promise to impose your believes on me!

21st Century Rebel. My rebeliiion involves nonviolence, we will change the world with our most powerful vote, our dollar!

*

Eyewitness to a failure in Iraq

2004-10-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

This is an OpEd by Peter W. Galbraith, a former US ambassador to Croatia, is a fellow at the Center For Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. In the 1980s, he documented Iraqi atrocities against the Kurds for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"This was a preventable disaster. Iraq's nuclear weapons-related materials were stored in only a few locations, and these were known before the war began."

Eyewitness to a failure in Iraq

*

The We're Not Responsible for Any Thing Administration

2004-10-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

Having claimed to be going into Iraq to prevent the distribution of weapons and technology; the Bush Administration is saying they are not responisble for missing 380 Tons (775,000 lbs) of highly stable explosives from Al Qauqa. 1 lb brought down Pan AM flight 107!!

Who knew that when you went in and over threw a standing gov't you would be responsible for what happens in country.

The only person they haven't blamed yet is Clinton and I'm sure by Saturday Cheney will have found some way to "Clinton's faulty, Kerry dangerous, your safer with us incharge, blah, blah, blah....

They really must think we are stupid

*

$70 Billion more US Taxpayer Dollars

2004-10-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Bush Administration is preparing to ask the Congress (us) for $70 Billion more for Iraq and Afghanistan.

That brings the total to $225 Billion US Taxpayer dollars; that we will borrow from the Japenese and Chinese until someone in America is willing to pay for these wars.

Usam Been Forgotten is running us around and causing us to spend our future on poorly planned attacks on terrorism. You know a terroroist when you see or hear about one.

Iraqi oil revenue was going to pay for Iraq. Oh yeah we lost $8 Billion in Iraqi oil revenue and the lack of security caused by us prevents us from pumping more oil.

*

Annual Budget Surplus when Clinton left office: $250 Billion Dollars. Our National Debt was 2.5 Trillion
Annual Budget Defict today $417 Billion Dollars, our National Debt is $4.17 Trillion (not including $2+Billion in IOUs at Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid)

Facts, just the Facts

Not A Good Story For the Whitehouse

2004-10-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

That is the Whitehouse response to the fact that we have let 380 TONS of Explosives disappear form a know weapons site in Iraq. National Security Advisor Condi Rice was notified 30 days ago.

What does this mean for our soldiers?

Apartently the Admin believes that thre are just too many of these weapons stock piles across Iraq for us to guard.
What are we doing there then if it is an impossible mission?

Not enough troops. "We are making reality" the Administration. What kind of reality are they making?

If this is what you want more of, Vote Bush '04

*
Latest looting: Sunday 10/24/04

American weapons experts say their immediate concern is that the explosives could be used in major bombing attacks against American or Iraqi forces: the explosives, mainly HMX and RDX, could produce bombs strong enough to shatter airplanes or tear apart buildings. NY Times 10/25/04
A handful of this stuff can bring down a plane!!
http://nytimes.com/2004/10/25/international/middleeast/25bomb.html?hp&ex=1098763200&en=fd35fdf4b6d46d61&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Bring Them On

2004-10-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

GW Bush July2, 2003

897 US Casualities since. They have responded to GWs challenge.

*

Iraq Coalition Casualties

Baghdad Year Zero (Harpers.org)

2004-10-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

Order 39 and Order 40 are undefensible.
To allow 100% foriegn ownership, 15% flat tax on business and no retension of profits in country is incredibly short sighted.

How do you rebuild a country when the gov't has revenues limited by Order 39. With an unemployement rate above 50%, who is paying income tax? Psyco Supply Side Thinking in Action

Oil Revnues? Oh yeah we can not account for $8 BILLION in IRAQI oil revenues.

Baghdad Year Zero (Harpers.org)

But I Voted

2004-10-22T07:19:00.000-07:00

According to the Administration the Iraqis will be so much better off for having voted.

Car bombs, knappings, limited electricity & clean water, crime and unemployment skyrocketing.....I'm sure voting will make up for all of that.

Having an election, in parts of the country, can not be the be all and end all of our policy.
This has to have been about more than an experiment in Laissez-Faire government that did not turn out.

American Gated Community Thinking Gone Abroad

*

Post-War Planning Non-Existent

2004-10-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

"The possibility of the United States winning the war and losing the peace in Iraq is real and serious," warned an Army War College report that was completed in February 2003, a month before the invasion. Without an "overwhelming" effort to prepare for the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the report warned: "The United States may find itself in a radically different world over the next few years, a world in which the threat of Saddam Hussein seems like a pale shadow of new problems of America's own making."

KR Washington Bureau | 10/17/2004 | Post-war planning non-existent

*

Icon Story

2004-10-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

Funny! from Karrine!

*

Icon Story

A Bad Economy is Good for the Military?

2004-10-19T22:21:00.000-07:00

Col Douglas Macgregor, Army, retired, was on CSAPN today.

I learned a lot.

One of the most interesting things was that in the '90s the military had a "Captian problem".
The best people in the midranks were leaving for the private sector. Remember the private sector; created 22+ million jobs during the Clinton Administration when the Federal gov't wasn't borrowing every dolllar insight.

So a bad economy is good for the military because the options in civilian life are limited.

Col Macgregor recommended going beyond the volunteer military to a truly professional Army.
Six month tours for the Army. He went into the differences in tours and promotion between the Army,the Navy, Air Force and the Marines (they are doing seven month tours from the start).

We can not have our military lose or retain personal depending on the business cycle. We need real career paths.

James Fallows, on the same panel mentioned "the emerging China".
Every dollar we send to China from purchases of goods made in China is building our future rival.
And we are borrowing money from them evryday as our gov'ts dig deeper and deeper holes to get out of.

I recommend this event to anyone who wants to learn about our military, its history, it organization, it personal levels and equipment. Check it out.

*

Hack's Target: Memo for the President-Elect

2004-10-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

Incredible Pictures

2004-10-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

Operation Truth

*

When Market Forces Don't Work

2004-10-18T07:02:00.000-07:00

Twenty years of deregulation and preaching that market forces are the answers to all problem; the flu vaccine shortage has provide an oppurtunity to discuss what we are going to do about needing things that don't making money.

The flu vaccine is difficult to make and unused vaccine can not be used next year because the flu strain changes. Because there is no money in it US companies are not producing vaccines nor investigating new ways to make vaccines.

So how do we, as a society, get a manufacuture to make something we want but we don't want to pay enough for it to make it worth a companies time to produce?

We don't.

We pay for medicine to deal with the symptoms, there's some real money for corporation, hospitailizations for the elderly and very young, Medicare and Medicaid [8 states are already spending more on Medicare and Medicaid than on education! That will pay off in the long run, NOT], lost days at work and more.....

But the Market can address the after sick needs.
There's money in it! That is why market forces have been able to reduce the growth in the cost of heathcare in America.
Healthcare is a product you want consummers to consume less of.
How does the market do this, raise the cost to reduce the number of consummers. That is what I learned in Economics at HSU. And in life.

*

Liberal American and Proud of It

2004-10-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

Liberal-generous, abundant, ample, respectful of the ideas or behavior of others: tolerant Webster's Dictionary

I am a proud American Liberal.

*

We Were Right While Being Left

2004-10-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

We were Right then,
We are Right now.

SunCity-Little Steven and Friends
Ghost-The Jam
We're Doing the Atomic Dance-U2
The Dead Next Door-Billy Idol
Atom Tan-The Clash
Going Underground-The Jam
Life During War Time-The Talkingheads
Straight to Hell-The Clash
Sunday Bloody Sunday-U2
Blue Skin Beast-Madness
Talk to Me-Iam Siam
Mozambique-The Jetzons
Bullshit-Grace Jones
She Needs to Be Tranquilized-(From Life In the European Thearter; Any track off that album)
Get Up Stand Up-Bob Marley
More to come.....

*

How to Spend $461,745 in Tax Payer Dollars

2004-10-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

Page A7 of today's San Fransico Chronicle has an AP story on the Transportation Security Administration awards banquet.

$1,486 for three ballon arches
$1,509 for signs!
$1,850 for seven cakes
$5,196 for offical photos
$81,767 for plaques!
$85,552 for one party planner
Almost $200,000 was spent on travel and lodging for attendees.

543 employees recieved awards.

76% of its employees got bonuses.
76% of anything is the average!

Bonuses that averaged $16,000 MORE than any other federal government agency!!
One award was for LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT!!
In an angency that is TWO YEARS OLD!

The Homeland Security Department's inspector general, Clark Kent Ervin found that of 88 cases reviewed 38% "had no individual recommendation and justification for the performance award."

The finger food , coffee and cake cost $33 per person!

The Republican's want us to trust them with the taxpayers money. Why? They have repeated shown they can not be trusted.

Bags of cash laying around and disappearing at the CPA.
$8 BILLION dollars in Iraqi oil revenue has disappeared.
A projected $5 Billion dollar budget surplus is now a $500 Billion dollar annual budget deficit.
And Sec of Treasury Snow asked Congress to raise the debt celing because we are closing in on borrowing $7.4 TRILLION dollars and need to borrow more.

Like We Are Stupid

*

Who Needs Amphibians Anyway

2004-10-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

Worldwide Report Says Amphibians Are in Peril (washingtonpost.com)

Just because we are 70% water doesn't mean clean water is neccessary.

*

Block the Vote

2004-10-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Block the Vote

What are the Republicans Afraid of?
The People!!

*

GW in Heels?

2004-10-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

After watching a replay of the handshake last night at the debate I believe GW had on lifts.

The difference in high between the two men did not appear to be the same as the first debate.

I believe Kerry is almost six inches taller than GW

You read hear first ;o)

*

GW does math

2004-10-14T07:02:00.000-07:00

"The majority of my tax cut went to the those at the bottom" GW in the debate, while running in 2000 and elsewhere....

53% of GW's tax cut went to the top 10% and 14% went to 60% at the bottom

So the 10% of the people are getting a tax cut split 53% of the total handed back and 60% of the peole get to split 14% of the total....
GW must be using fuzzy math ;o)

How about those proportions for paying back the money borrowed by the Admin?
That is not what we have. The tax burden has shifted to the those in the middle and bottom during this Administration.

If you agree vote Bush '04

factcheck.org

anecdotal info;
my neighbor, a single Mom with three kids got $0 from the last tax cut.
She works full time, if she can get the hours, and make between $15,000 and $29,000 a year. Those folks got $0.
Her Dad, our landlord, got $$.
He gave nothing to his grand kids or daughter. He did not even buy them cloths or school materials.

I guess he did something else with the money that helped the economy more.
The gov't knew this, that is why he got money and his not working hard enough daughter did not.

Picking winners and losers, brought to you by the Republican party

*

FactCheck.org as Recommended by VP Cheney

2004-10-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

FactCheck.org - Annenberg Political Fact Check

FactCheck.org - Annenberg Political Fact Check

*

We are not trying to scare kids.

2004-10-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio. In a debate about the draft last week, Republicans asked why rumors had spread that the Bush administration might be considering a military draft--even after Bush specifically promised that there wouldn’t be one. Were Democrats just trying to scare kids? In an explosive speech Ryan answered their charges:

We are not trying to scare kids. This President’s foreign policy is what is scaring the kids of this country. And people have said today, why are people believing this? Why are people believing this big Internet hoax?

It is the same people who told us that Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11; the same people who told us Saddam Hussein had something to do with weapons of mass destruction; the same people who told us we would be able to use the oil for reconstruction money; the same people who told us we would be greeted as liberators, not occupiers; the same people, the same President who told us the Taliban is gone; the same President who told us that Poland is our ally 2 days before they pull out; the same President who tells us Iraq is going just great; the same President who tells us the economy is going just great; the same people who told us the tax cuts were going to create millions of jobs; the same people who told us that the Medicare program only cost $400 billion when it really cost $540 billion.

So please forgive us for believing what you are saying. Please forgive the students of this country for not believing what you are saying.

*

136 Billion dollars in Tax relief?

2004-10-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

Capitalism is organic; that is why all closed economic systems develop a black market.

It is the nature of business to privatized their profits and publicize their costs.

It is gov't role to prevent the publishing of costs. Not to publicize the profits

Businesses and individuals pay taxes to cover some of the published costs of living.
For items we agreed on in the past; for roads, education, consumer protection and public defense.

Look around the world at countries where people and businesses pay very little in taxes.
We used call these countries the third world.
We are choosing to join the third world and let businesses push the costs of doing business and making profits on to the public.

*

The Unfeeling President

2004-10-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

East Hampton Star - In the News

exerpt:
But he will dissemble feeling. He will say in all sincerity he is relieving the wealthiest 1 percent of the population of their tax burden for the sake of the rest of us, and that he is polluting the air we breathe for the sake of our economy, and that he is decreasing the quality of air in coal mines to save the coal miners' jobs, and that he is depriving workers of their time-and-a-half benefits for overtime because this is actually a way to honor them by raising them into the professional class.

And this litany of lies he will versify with reverences for God and the flag and democracy, when just what he and his party are doing to our democracy is choking the life out of it.

But there is one more terribly sad thing about all of this. I remember the millions of people here and around the world who marched against the war. It was extraordinary, that spontaneous aroused oversoul of alarm and protest that transcended national borders. Why did it happen? After all, this was not the only war anyone had ever seen coming. There are little wars all over he world most of the time.

But the cry of protest was the appalled understanding of millions of people that America was ceding its role as the last best hope of mankind. It was their perception that the classic archetype of democracy was morphing into a rogue nation. The greatest democratic republic in history was turning its back on the future, using its extraordinary power and standing not to advance the ideal of a concordance of civilizations but to endorse the kind of tribal combat that originated with the Neanderthals, a people, now extinct, who could imagine ensuring their survival by no other means than pre-emptive war.

*

11 Disappeared

2004-10-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

The United States of America is disappearing people.

Never in my worst nightmares did believe America would disappear people. What are we afraid of?

Like much of Latin and South America we no longer trust the rule of law and 'the government' is judge, jury, and executioner..... look at Texas where they executed two men while they just found thousands of peices of mishandled evidence.

The United States was created to place the rule of law above individuals. Our founding fathers must be so disappointed in our decliene.

Bush senior installed Pinochet on 9/11, Pinochet disappeared his own people with the support of the CIA
GW Bush is using our 9/11 to disappear people. After the "election" will US citizen begin to disappear too? Because we don't worshop GW Bush?

*

Richard Perle on This American Life

2004-10-11T22:47:00.000-07:00

Richard Perle was Chairman of the Defense Policy Group, a high level civilian advisory board in the Pentagon during the run up to the war in Iraq. And an advocate for the war in Iraq.

"We are doing the best we can given the circumstance we find ourselves in today."

We, the Administration, created the circumstances we find ourselves in today!

"There have been a lot of mistakes; we learn from every mistake." Richard Perle. I'm sure parents of dead and wounded soldiers find this thought comforting.

"Our biggest mistake was not going into to Iraq with significant numbers of Iraqis at our side." Richard Perle
"If we had the 10,000 Iraqis to go in with" Richard Perle.
What Iraqi troops going in with us, from where?

50% increase in attacks on US forces since the turn-off in June.

Richard Perle has blamed the military for loosing Usam Been Forgotten.
He said the military on the ground was responsible for how the "capture" of Usam was handled.
Notice: Clinton is held responsible by some, for the CIA in the field not believing his order to kill Usam (see the 9/11 commission report)

"Its the fault of congress" Richard Perle. His answer to why the supplies have gotten to the new Iraqi defense forces.
Attn. Republicans hold both houses of Congress!

They did not foresee the problems with procurement they are now experiencing?(Aren't these the same guys who compare single payer healthcare to the DMV? Implying service is crappy at the DMV and so would single payer healthcare. May be this philosophy is only situtationally applicable?)

Perle agreed the most profound and preventable mistakes was not doing the two most important jobs in Iraq: one, securing the country, the day after the regime fell and two, training an Iraqi security force.
Richard Perle then said that these were not the kinds of things you blame a President for. Wha?

This is excatly what you hold a predsident responsible for. Especially if he decided that we needed to go war.
You don't hold a King responsible for anything.

*

How Others See Us

2004-10-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

Aljazeera.Net - Bush, Kerry trade charges in debate

*

All Excuses, No Resaons

2004-10-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

According to GW Bush the budget deficit and the national debt are beyond his control.

Bill Clinton took office during a recession, he had the biggest floods in the mid-west in mondern history, a major earthquake in LA, the OK City bombing, 3 currency crisis, Haiti, Bosinia, Kosivo, a budget deficit and more.
He did not make excuses why his approaches to addressing America's challenges did not produce; he did not have to. His programs worked.

GW whines that its not his fault, things are happening in the world.....
He said his post 9/11 tax cut would produce 5.6 million jobs.
Well it has not. 150,000 people join the work force every month. so 150,000 jobs need to be created each just to absorb the new enteries to the job market.

The Clinton adminstration averaged 240,000 jobs per month over the eight years of his presidency. GW Bush's tax cuts for the rich have not delivered.

*

Hacks Target

2004-10-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

SFTT

*

Cost of War

2004-10-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

Rational For the War

So we went into Iraq because of what Saddam wanted to do and Dr. Kahn of Pakistan gets away with an apology for distributing nuclear material, know how and equipment.

I just don't understand the rational.

Cost of War

*

Poverty USA -- Catholic Campaign for Human Development -- A hand up, not a hand out.

2004-10-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

Poverty USA -- Catholic Campaign for Human Development -- A hand up, not a hand out.

GOP Party Monsters: The Machine Ate My Vote

2004-10-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

GOP Party Monsters: The Machine Ate My Vote

Safer?

2004-10-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

Three bombs in Eygpt and one in Paris outside the Indonesian embassy.
We bombed and killed a bunch of people in Iraq yesturday.
They cut the British hostages head off today.
How are we safer?

They are killing people, we are killing people.
I am some how safer?

I just don't understand how I am safer.

Maybe some people feel safer because we are randomly kill people in the general area we believe the real terrorist to be. I don't.

Not only do I not feel safer, I feel terrible we are killing people.
We are ordering our soldiers to kill people.

In footage I saw yesturday you can hear one US soldier say to another to not shoot children usless they have a gun. A little boy of 5 or 6 had wonder outside of his house during the day.
I wonder if the press was not there with a camera if that order would have gone out.
I don't like that I am even wondering about that.
But the reporter said he saw 20 civilians killed the day before; they had gotten caught in the fire fight that was happening on their street, where they lived
If we weren't there we would not be killing civilians.

And Kahn walks free. Kahn of Pakistan really did give nuclear tech to terrorist and states that sponsor terrorists. Why did we not invade Pakistan?
They did what Bus says Saddam wanted to do, at some point in the future,
if he regained his capability.

I feel less safe that the Admin thinks national humiliation (Condi Rice) is enough for his guy.

*

the pink slip protest

2004-10-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

Why was GW Bush so pissed at the last debate?
Why was he so flustered and unable to put together a complete sentence?

It was the three miles of pink slips he had to drive thru to get to the event.

GW rarely hears a desenting voice let alone incountering anyone that disagrees with.

Power to the Pink Slip

*

Now we get the reports

2004-10-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

Where were these reports before the war?
Oh yeah, we were in a hurry and could not look in to what we were doing.

Where was the "Press" before, during and after (is it over?) the war?

The Lies go on Forever and the War Never Ends.....
*

Life at Abu Ghraib

2004-10-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

Life at Abu Ghraib

Not Enough Troops?

2004-10-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

Does anyone need to be told that we did not have enough troops on the ground?

The looting at the very beginning sent the wrong message to the Iraqis and our troops.

One can only imagine what the 10 soldiers brought up on murder charges are thinking.
Did they think they would not get caught?
Did they think they were above the law/there is no law?
Do they wonder what thier country is doing to them?
We are at war.
I'm sure they felt they were doing what had to be done to keep our soldiers safe.

And what is with this saying one thing and then disavowing what you just said because it is in conflict with the Administrations story.

Like we are stupid.
*

Like Father, Like Son

2004-10-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

So its "Hard WorK" being President.
Surprise! Who could have guessed being leader of the free world is a lot of work.

GW had "no idea he would be making these types of decisions four years ago".
What kind of decisions did he think he would be making?

CSPAN replayed the 1992 debate with Bush 41, Perot and Clinton on Saturday.
Bush senior complained that it was tough to read the reports on the recession when questioned about
how the recession had personal effected them.

You don't win votes whinning about the job you are campaigning to have.

*

Theme for the Election

2004-10-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

It is Liberal Democracy vs Radical Fundamentalism, stupid.

Not "folks hate us for our freedom."