Finding Closure

From Information Clearing House: Finding Closure

...it was only five months ago when I was counting days to escape the suffocating madness of Operation Iraqi Freedom II... Whenever I glance at war coverage on a television, or hear the ignorant hate-talk of our blood mongering president, or read the latest death tolls in the news papers my eyes fill with rage and my heart fills with sorrow. It is impossible for me to ignore what is going on in Iraq when I am constantly reminded of the death and carnage, as well as my participation in the war machine...

There is nothing that I feel can alleviate the guilt for being directly involved with our illegal and immoral occupation of Iraq. I ask myself from time to time, “Why was I so afraid to resist the order to go to war? Why didn’t I object to the whole damned thing?” I have been told many times not to be ashamed for my service to this country, but I can’t help a genuine intuition that this war is not designed to promote freedom and our beautiful American way of life, but instead only carried out to proliferate Western imperialism and corporate profits every time a bullet is fired. My guilt is synonymous with the sentiment that I was indeed on the wrong side of the wire.

I know that many Americans are completely unaware of what damage our military is wreaking not only in Iraq, but also on our homeland security. An estimated 100,000+ of innocent Iraqi civilians have perished due to gross negligence at the hand of the US military. Not a single day goes by without a non-combatant man, woman or child being slain due to stray bullets, wildly aimed mortar or rocket rounds, or the use of massively destructive air deployed warheads in urban areas. And as this unjustified war continues to rage with no end in sight, the anti-American sentiment across the world continues to escalate enormously. While in Iraq, I never once saw a terrorist with extreme inclinations for senseless bloodshed, but only angry farmers and shop keepers who for one reason or another wish to end our empirical domination over their homeland. What I saw was an honest insurrection fought by average citizens, a perfect guerrilla war ran by no centralized leadership and with the potential to overcome any obstacle furnished by the conventional coalition forces. By any sensible logic, fighting terrorism with war is only counter-productive and in the long run only adds fuel to the fire. With every insurgent we kill, five more stand in his place. One has to ask how this illegitimate attack on innocent citizens is keeping Americans both at home or abroad safe from the perils of a desperate terrorist attack. One thing that I learned in this war was that the Iraqis are people like you or me. They want the very same things out of life as anyone else in the world. Like everyone, they wish only to raise their families and be merry with friends and enjoy life for all that its worth in a peace and harmony that everyone deserves. But the hardest aspect of this lesson rests in the knowledge that every time a child is murdered, a terrorist is born.

And for all this, you can thank the Bush administration. Not the terrorists, not Bin Laden, not Hussein, not the Taliban. The Bush administration. Death incorporated.

Also, dig this related sentiment on Mike of the North's site.

Halliburton critic is demoted in Army Corps

Halliburton critic is demoted in Army Corps

A high-level contracting official who has been a vocal critic of the Pentagon's decision to give Halliburton Co. a multibillion-dollar, no-bid contract for work in Iraq was removed from her job by the Army Corps of Engineers, effective Saturday.

They accused her of incompetance!?

Well, look here to see just how incompetant she is.

From Information Clearing House:

"More journalists have been killed in Iraq since the war began in March 2003 than during the 20 years of conflict in Vietnam, media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Sunday."

They Lie (surprise...)!

Bush supporters spread lies about Cindy Sheehan!

...And here is the proof.

Could the Bush administration, and their supporters, even exist without lies? I think not. Since day one ("election" day 2000) their reign has been predicated on a foundation of lies. But as far as American history is concerned, the only lies that matter are the ones involving sexual activity.

The Neocons: Liars. Murderers. Thieves. Traitors. "Morally superior."

Venezuela curbs missionaries after Robertson spat

Venezuela curbs missionaries after Robertson spat

"Venezuela's government has temporarily suspended permits for foreign missionaries after a U.S. evangelist said Washington should assassinate President Hugo Chavez."

And why not? For all they know, Robertson could send his people to "take him out," right? After all, American foreign policy includes the assertion that foreign religious leaders employ assasins, so it stands to reason that other countries will think along the same lines. One thing is clear: Pat Robertson is no better than Osama Bin Laden, he's just less accomplished.

Save This Story 8^)

Soon, the Neocons will begin to light the fires, to whip their followers into another frenzy of war, to drum up support for the conquest of Iran. Yes, we all know it's coming. We also know that their excuse (besides "terrorism") will be that Iran has nuclear weapons (actually, Bush said that if another country's leaders even consider a nuclear program, it is reason enough for us to invade them).

Well, with that in mind, lets remember this news item: No Proof Found of Iran Arms Program. Call it a pre-emptive strike against tomorrow's lies.

Liberal Media My A$$...

From a Buzzflash reader:

All The Unreported Bush Scandals

UNreported Bush Scandals with Supporting Web Links

"The media is soooo slanted to the RIGHT and soooo LAME in their coverage, that I have given-up and STOPPED WATCHING ANY "NEWS" on ANY STATION with the exception of C-Span and PBS. I also depend ENTIRELY ON reading my own INTERNET NEWS that I find by non-television Internet websites.

"Proof of UNreported Bush Scandals by The Media CorpSE vs how the media jumps all over Democratic problems:

"They are all over DEMOCRATIC Sandy Berger, non-stop, 24/7, with lame source info: 'he stuffed info into his socks and pants (and we're not talking pant pockets), etc.' Remember ALL the 'Monica 24/7' coverage? Any country could have dropped an atomic bomb on The United States back then, and Monica would still get top billing.

"But when is the last time the major media channels went IN-DEPTH about ANY of these news Bush-Gates?"

Dig this list

I'd hate to see what it would be like if Bush had not restored honor and dignity to the White House...

Real Bushit

(click image)

Latte Talk

At this entry at the Latte blog, a subject that is very dear to me is addressed: national health care. As in: we need it. the republicans don't want us to have it. Why? Because it serves their party to prevent us from having that opportunity. If the Democrats gave us national health care, then people might appreciate it. That would present an obstacle to the republican method of nurturing hatred of all things that are not republican in origin. They would rather see you suffer than see themselves lose power.

Politics...

The Earth Trembles...

As my friend from the north screams again!

(click the image)

US Supports the Halliban with Blood, Flesh and Bone

This happens because this happens.

What else can one say. Some sick bastards, indeed, are running this country right now.

Of course he is a sociopath

Here are a couple of good articles which describe, more eloquently that I could, the pathology of George W Bush: Sociopath. The first article is here, and the second one is here.

I've been observing his behavior and coming to the same conclusion for years, and I know many of you have also. It's terrible that we must live in a world where someone who is subject to this pathology is also the President of the United States.

PMDs: Policies of Mass Destruction

I better copyright this now. I have invented a new term for the Bush administration's policies:

PMD's: Policies of Mass Destruction!

Thank you.

The Definition of "Asshole"...

...is George W Bush. Example: in the article Bush will `go on with life':

President Bush, noting that lots of people want to talk to the president and "it's also important for me to go on with my life," on Saturday defended his decision not to meet with the grieving mom of a soldier killed in Iraq.

"But whether it be here or in Washington or anywhere else, there's somebody who has got something to say to the president, that's part of the job," Bush said on the ranch. "And I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say. But," he added, "I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life."

In his own words, it is important for Bush to ignore this situation and "go on with his life." ...so he can go on destroying the lives of others. When will his followers come to their senses and realize he only regards them as pawns, and their "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor" are just his playthings? Bush is a harvester of souls in the most diabolical sense of the word. I have said it before - if I was a christian, I would be convinced that Bush is the antichrist. Really.

An Excellent Op Ed Piece

Truthseekers, this article is a must-read. Please... it's a short and eloquent description of where "dubya" has delivered us thus far.

UN Accomplishments

Right-wing bloggers and commenters often produce scathing criticisms of the United Nations. They portray the organization as thoroughly corrupt and deliberately evil, whose sole mission is the violent sexual exploitation of children (yes, I have read that in a rightist blog, but I refuse to name them because in my opinion they don't deserve free advertising in my space).

I think it is important to remember what they UN is about and what good they can do in the world. This site lists some United Nations accomplishments & achievements. Now, we all know the UN should always be subject to critique, and most agree that the organization could stand improvement. But why throw the baby our with the bathwater, as they say? Peruse the list and see what you think. I believe the value of the organization (international cooperation) merits saving it, as opposed to the neocon plan to crush it as an obstacle to their American global dominance.

From the "That's Old News" Files:

Borrowed from thoughtcrimes.org:

While Bush Takes His 49th Vacation Trip To Crawford
Precious Leader has so far spent 319 days 'on vacation' in Crawford.

How many vacation days did you get last year?

Jimmy Carter - 79 days
Bill Cinton - 152 days

Bush? 319 days!?

Bush makes $400,000 a year, or $1,123.60 a DAY. So far, we have paid him $347,192.40 to clear brush at his fake ranch.

Not worth it, I say.

You know, Bush always says that everything he does is hard work. He whines about having to do anything, like a spoiled punk who never had to do any real work... "It's too hard! You don't know! Feel sorry for me!" Right-wing bloggers accuse liberals of being lazy, while their leader whimpers and blubbers about "hard work" as a nexcuse for every failing, and spends more time on vacation than any president in history.

What a punk.

Another History Lesson

Georgie's list of accomplishments from before the 2004 election. Remember these good times? I don't think I'll ever forget...

Rules for Being a Republican

These are pretty good... the Rules for Being a Republican! I mean, the repubs always play by the rules, don't they? After all, they're the ones who make up the rules, and change them (or break them) whenever they want!

What Goes Around, Comes Around

A quote in a recent newspaper article caught my eye:

"You don't know the good guys from the bad guys, just like we couldn't in Vietnam... To me, (the insurgents) are cowards, because they can tell us, but we can't tell them."

Very interesting on several levels:

Who do these camoflauged insurgents remind us of? Let me give you a hint: Once upon a time, a ruler named King George sent his soldiers to enforce his will upon the rebellious inhabitants of another land. King George's soldiers wore easily distinguished uniforms, while the indiginous rebels blended into the scenery, fighting as guerillas, demoralizing King George's army and inflicting damage by their use of tactics that were considered brutal, unethical, and unsuited for civilized warfare.

I'm sure that many of King George's soldiers said the same thing as the American soldier in the quote above:

"[They] are cowards, because they can tell us, but we can't tell them."

King George... of England.

The rebels were Americans. What goes around comes around.

Who's the Evil Empire Now?

The article "Oil and Blood" describes what a lot of us have been saying for a long time:

"The Bush administration has no plans to bring the troops home from this misguided war, which has taken a fearful toll in lives and injuries while at the same time weakening the military, damaging the international reputation of the United States, serving as a world-class recruiting tool for terrorist groups and blowing a hole the size of Baghdad in Washington's budget."

"But the whole point of this war, it seems, was to establish a long-term military presence in Iraq to ensure American domination of the Middle East and its precious oil reserves, which have been described, the author Daniel Yergin tells us, as 'the greatest single prize in all history.'"

"What has so often gotten lost in all the talk about terror and weapons of mass destruction is the fact that for so many of the most influential members of the Bush administration, the obsessive desire to invade Iraq preceded the Sept. 11 attacks. It preceded the Bush administration. The neoconservatives were beating the war drums on Iraq as far back as the late 1990's."

"Iraq was supposed to be a first step. Iran was also in the neoconservatives' sights. The neocons envisaged U.S. control of the region (and its oil), to be followed inevitably by the realization of their ultimate dream, a global American empire. Of course it sounds like madness, which is why we should have been paying closer attention from the beginning."

"The point here is that the invasion of Iraq was part of a much larger, long-term policy that had to do with the U.S. imposing its will, militarily when necessary, throughout the Middle East and beyond."

"That should be understood by the people who think that the formation of a permanent Iraqi government will lead to the withdrawal of American troops. There is no real withdrawal plan. The fighting and the dying will continue indefinitely."

So, if anyone is looking forward to this bait-and-switch routine they're calling "troop withdrawal" that might happen sometime near the 2006 elections, think again.

This is not a "war on terror." It is part of America's imperial design. More accurately, PNAC's design, to become the dominant power on the global political stage; in fact, to be come the only power, with all others subservient to us. They want America to exercise complete control over all the world: politically, economically, militarily, culturally, psychologically, morally, sexually, and spiritually. That's one reason, in fact, why they despise the idea of a "united nations" to secure the rights of sovereign nations. The Neocons don't recognize any other country's right to exist (case in point: "There is no such thing as the United Nations. [The international community] can be led by the only real power left in the world and that is the United States when it suits our interest..." John Bolton, 1994 Global Structures Convocation, New York, NY. - the Neocons couldn't get this isolationist creep confirmed as ambassador to the U.N. even when their own party controls all three branches of government(!), so they simply installed him anyway.).

What so many don't seem to understand is that this is not a "war" in the sense that it will be won by one side and then be over. This is just a step in the Neocon's plan to place the world under America's permanent control, forever. The military deployments will not stop; they will continue and increase as Neocon America requires such force to maintain that control. And, since people tend to resist such scenarios, it means permanent war. Forever.

So... who is the evil empire now?

Getting Ready for 2006

All we need to do is win back some seats in congress, and we can take the steps necessary to bring this criminal to justice! You know, if the republicans did not have a majority in the legislative branch, Bush and his gang of thieves would be wearing orange jumpsuits and picking up trash along the highway. Impeach! More info from the link here, here, and here (scroll down).

A Quick One for Friday Night

Lots of talk on the blogs about Bush saying that schools should teach "intelligent design." Well, simply put, Bush is wrong. More accuratetly, Bush is a vile idiot who is thoroughly corrupt, but that's another story.

As for "intelligent design" being taught in school, the fundamentalist wackos need to quit the bullshit double-speak and tell the truth. They want to replace contemporary science with ancient religion. They paid a lot of money to the Bush campaign to buy themselves another president, and they want their pound of flesh. Sure, they can dress it up in lofty pseudo-scientific catchphrases like "intelligent design" all they want, but they can't hide their intentions from those of us who pay attention.

They always try (and succeed, I guess) to portray biology and genetics as "Darwin's theory of evolution," repeating as often as they can their talking point that evolution is a "theory." What pea-brained moron buys this swill? Here is the truth: Darwin's theory of evolution was a theory a hundred years ago. It stopped being a theory a long time ago. The process he described, natural selection, has already been proven through observation. There is no longer a question of theory. It is reality. So, fundamentalists: fucking deal with it.

Besides, natural selection does not stand in opposition to religion, it only attempts to describe the process. But our president is bought and paid for by fundamentalist wacko bible-literalists. The American taliban. Do you want these people controling your president (1, 2, 3)?

Religion and science are two different things. To blur the distinction between them is bad for both. We don't need another Iran- or Afghanistan-style theocracy here. Teach science in school and religion in church, or in a theology class. What's wrong with that? It works better. Besides, most people who hear or read something about the teaching-intelligent-design-in-school issue probably think that "intelligent design" means their religion... but what religion is that?

Fundamentalists, Republicans, Neocons, Bushites, I ask you: Are you going to teach creation beliefs from all of these religions? Because if you don't, then you are total hypocrites! Leave no child left behind: offer a thorough theological philosophy class, or nothing at all. Try to cram fundamentalist christianity down our childrens' throats, and they will grow to despise you and your religion.

Please Tell Me Again How the Neocons Make the World Safer?

Uranium Provision to Alter U.S. Policy

"A provision tucked into the 1,724-page energy bill... would ease export restrictions on bomb-grade uranium... The Burr Amendment - named for its sponsor, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) - would reverse a 13-year-old U.S. policy banning exports of weapons-grade uranium unless the recipients agree to start converting their reactors to use less-dangerous uranium. The Senate rejected the measure last month after critics in both parties warned that it would accelerate the worldwide proliferation of nuclear materials, but a House-Senate conference committee agreed this week to include it in the final bill."

Let's see... if we sell weapons-grade nuclear material to countries against whom we wish to wage war in the future, we can claim we are going to war against them because they have weapons-grade nuclear material. It worked in Iraq, right? We supplied Saddam Hussein with weapons, then declared war against him because he had weapons. Saddam'd if you do, Saddam'd if you don't!