"Conservative" Values?

While the Bush regime has devoted itself to relieving millionaires and billionaires from the burden of paying taxes (and thus shifting that burden onto others to support their spend-and-spend Republicanism), they are busily trying to replace that money (after all, they're still spending it) by cutting necessary services to poor people and children who really need the help. They are cutting funding to foster care, to child support enforcement, to food stamps... honestly, they are deranged if they think that is good for America. Interestingly, while they are cutting food stamps,

"Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, reports hearing from constituents that the Army now includes applications for food stamps in its orientation packet for new recruits."

Sick bastards, indeed.
Source 1, Source 2, Source 3.

Who is Lewis 'Scooter' Libby?

Who is Lewis 'Scooter' Libby?

"Libby was a founding member of the Project for the New American Century. He joined Paul Wolfowitz, William Kristol, Robert Kagan, and others in writing its 2000 report entitled, 'Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategy, Forces, and Resources for a New Century... Libby co-authored the draft of the 'Defense Planning Guidance' with Wolfowitz for then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney in 1992."

He's one of them? The architects of 9/11? Geez. Fry him.

When Reality and Satire Become One

What they said:
Dead Parrot at Center of British Avian Flu Mystery - CME Teaching Brief - MedPage Today

What they meant to say:
'E's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed 'im to the perch 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!

Dig This

I say, Cheney is Satan.

Lest We Forget...

Powerful Government Accounting Office report confirms key 2004 stolen election findings

This story address the subject that was one of the reasons I began blogging in the first place. The Bush regime is illegitimate. I will never forget it, and I will never stop talking about it. The world should always remember what these vile bastards did.

"As a legal noose appears to be tightening around the Bush/Cheney/Rove inner circle, a shocking government report shows the floor under the legitimacy of their alleged election to the White House is crumbling.

"The latest critical confirmation of key indicators that the election of 2004 was stolen comes in an extremely powerful, penetrating report from the General Accounting Office that has gotten virtually no mainstream media coverage.

"The government's lead investigative agency is known for its general incorruptibility and its through, in-depth analyses. Its concurrence with assertions widely dismissed as "conspiracy theories" adds crucial new weight to the case that Team Bush has no legitimate business being in the White House.

"The GAO report now confirms that electronic voting machines as deployed in 2004 were in fact perfectly engineered to allow a very small number of partisans with minimal computer skills and equipment to shift enough votes to put George W. Bush back in the White House.

"Given the growing body of evidence, it appears increasingly clear that's exactly what happened."

This Story Spoke for Itself

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Iraq vote counts 'point to fraud'

Iraq's independent electoral commission says statistical irregularities in last week's referendum could indicate fraud.

Gee, go figure. The neocons have come to town; honesty and integrity will be forever crushed beneath their heels until they are no more.

Lookin' For An Exit...

Even the Generals running the war say we should leave Iraq.

And not only that, but now we're quartering troops in Iraqi homes. In America, this would be a violation of the third amendment of the constitution. But in Iraq, freedom is defined by neocons, so civil rights are suspended until further notice.

Old News Redux: Corruption, Thy Name is Neocon

Cheney's Halliburton stock options rose 3,281% last year... of course.

This story speaks for itself. Dick Cheney is a corrupt war-monger who engineered a bloody, devastating war that is meant to go on forever, to enrich himself and his associates. That vile, contemptible, loathsome, pig could not care less about terrorism, or freedom, or democracy, or about the citizens of any country. He cares only for himself, and his wealth and power. He profits from war! He feeds on the blood and the flesh of those who are killed or maimed to continue his industry. He started this war, and he made sure that he would make a killing off of it. He is in the war business. It is his vocation. Dick Cheney is one of the most obscenely contemptible war criminals of my lifetime, because he does it simply for his own lust for money and power. Feast your eyes on the "conservative values" of the man who is our de facto president.

Are We The New USSR?

Okay, brothers and sisters, I am once again falling behind in my blogging. So, I need to start throwing things out there with brevity and haste, because I have saved a bazillion links to stories that are old news but I just have to say something about them or my head will explode.

Example:

Iraq war now costing $6 billion a monthThe Bush administration is spending about $7 billion a month to wage the war on terror, and costs could total $570 billion by the end of 2010, assuming troops are gradually brought home, a congressional report estimates.

Now, raise your hand if you remember the '80's. Anyone? Remember all that stuff about "winning the cold war"? Well, those of us who were there remember that the cold war was "won" by the US bankrupting the USSR by simply out-spending them. It became a military spending version of keeping up with the Joneses, and the Soviets went bust before we did (barely).

Now, here is the funny part. Bush compares the "war on terror" to the cold war. Only, he doesn't realize that we are now the ones in the Soviets' position. We are on the losing side of this "cold war"! We are the new USSR!

How stupid does one have to be to not realize that terrorist leaders took lessons from history and are following the US's own winning strategy! The action that the American right hails as the victory of the millenia is being used successfully against us! What irony! For God's sake, Osama Bin Laden was trained and armed by us to fight as our soldier against our cold war enemies in Afghanistan!

You know, it's not that I mind when "what goes around comes around"... I just wish we didn't have to suffer the catastrophic results of others' stupidity.

Justice At Last?

Arrest warrant issued, bail set for Tom DeLay

"An arrest warrant was issued on Wednesday and bail set at $10,000 for former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay ahead of his first appearance in court on money laundering and conspiracy charges."

"DeLay has been charged with conspiracy and money laundering in a campaign finance scheme... He could face up to life in prison if convicted."

Maybe, just maybe, justice will prevail for five minutes in my lifetime.

A Little Bushit...

Mike V. points out [another] example of neocon hypocrisy...

Who Are These Neocons I Keep Going On About?

Here is one assessment of what Neocons believe:

"Neocons" believe that the United States should not be ashamed to use its unrivaled power – forcefully if necessary – to promote its values around the world. Some even speak of the need to cultivate a US empire...

That's why they keep getting compared to Hitler.

...Neoconservatives believe modern threats facing the US can no longer be reliably contained and therefore must be prevented, sometimes through preemptive military action...

Live in fear; kill everyone who's different; after you've destroyed the world you'll be safe.

Neocons envision a world in which the United States is the unchallenged superpower, immune to threats...

Um, more with the Hitlerism.

...In the neocon dream world the entire Middle East would be "democratized"...

Yup,it's the Ann Coulter doctrine: invade their countries, force 'em to be just like us or kill 'em.

...Any regime that is outwardly hostile to the US and could pose a threat would be confronted aggressively, not "appeased" or merely contained. The US military would be reconfigured around the world... used in preemptive strikes...

Kill, kill, kill...

Okay, so the Neocons want us to be the new world empire. Why in the hell are so many Americans so enamored of these guys?

Holy Crap!

Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible

THE hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has published a teaching document instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually true.

Wow!

They go on to condemn fundamentalism for its “intransigent intolerance” and to warn of “significant dangers” involved in a fundamentalist approach.

“Such an approach is dangerous, for example, when people of one nation or group see in the Bible a mandate for their own superiority, and even consider themselves permitted by the Bible to use violence against others.”

Go Catholics! Condemn the violence of the past, instead of repeat it!

As examples of passages not to be taken literally, the bishops cite the early chapters of Genesis, comparing them with early creation legends from other cultures, especially from the ancient East. The bishops say it is clear that the primary purpose of these chapters was to provide religious teaching and that they could not be described as historical writing... Similarly, they refute the apocalyptic prophecies of Revelation, the last book of the Christian Bible, in which the writer describes the work of the risen Jesus, the death of the Beast...

Wow, again. Hey, I know they're still going to stick their same-old-same-old for the most part, but this is certainly a step in the right direction. Who knows what's next?

How Typical - !

...I forgot my anniversary! The anniverary of this blog, that is. Yes, it has been over a year since I began blogging Constantly Amazed, Yet Never Surprised. I had planned to do a special post on the day, but oh well.

My very first post was on 9/24/04; it was basically just a test, like most peoples' first posts. But some of my posts from October 2004 really describe why I began doing this. They are "Why Am I Here?" (10/2/04), and "It's Never Too Late to Speak for Change" (10/11/04). You'll also see my little anti-SUV rant which has become even more relevent today!

When you read them, you may be struck by the same conclusion as me: little has changed. Or, more accurately, nothing has improved. Is it any wonder so many of us have gotten so depressed and struggled with writer's block lately (you know who you are, my friends)? Still, we persevere, and we maintain a spark of hope, flickering as it may be.

But among the depressing bits are some real positives that have occurred through blogging. For one thing, I resumed frequent contact with an old friend of mine who also has his own blog, Screams From the Wilderness. I have also met many new friends in cyberspace; like Mochi et al at Liberal Thought, my international friends at Pourquoi Pas?; I contribute posts to both of those blogs. Also, there's Windspike, Romablog, Sar, Via, Overseas Will, Ken, Charone (on hiatus?), and a whole lot of others... you can peruse the blogroll. And, of course, my favorite art blog, ArtBella - I know her, you know 8^)

And, yes, there are a few nemesis out there, too. Right-wingers with whom I have done battle. Some with whom I have found some common ground, like Jack, or Cut To, others who are hopelessly deluded by the neocon hard-sell, and some who are paranoid, xenophobic, selfish, self-righteous hypocrites - the republican base, I think.

What a ride! As I write this, my hit counter is up to 10,392. I certainly hope that before too long, this will become a happy-cheerful-flowers-and-sunshine blog. But until that day comes, I will forge ahead as long as I can, venting my angst about the status quo and doing, well... what we all try to do. Survive.

Is It?

MoxieGrrrl says: This Government Is Done. But, the damage they have done is so enormous, we all may be done, too.

Plunging Into the Bizarro World of Neocon Madness

Just when you think it can't get more bizarre, it does. Constantly. We have democrats defending Bush's pick for the supreme court. We have republicans attacking Bush for making said pick. WTF!?

The first link is more evidence that the democrats are not the solution to the problem. They are better than republicans by a longshot. But they are only a means to an end - an available party that can be used to defeat the neocons - to progressives who want to creat a good and decent society.

The second link is funny and sad. Republicans jumped on the neocon bandwagon, yet they are discovering that even they can find limits to bad behavior. Unbelievable, coming from the party of lies, deceit, debauchery, and hypocrisy; but true.

Too bad neither party will admit that she was chosen as a "get out of jail free card" for the Bush regime. As they are convicted of their various crimes, they need an ally on the supreme court. You see, they couldn't care less about Roe vs Wade, except for the popular support they can muster through exploiting the issue. The reason they like to pack the supreme court with their own "activist judges" is because they keep committing treasonous crimes (anyone remember the Reagan and Bush I administrations?) and getting convicted for them. Miers can either support them, or recuse herself for conflict of interest and leave a tie vote. Evil wins. Again.

George Bush: Delusional Psychotic? Schizophrenic? Or...

...or, a liar-buffoon chosen to front a neocon empire of death whose plans are so thoroughly evil that they know it's better he appear psychotic than reveal the the truth.

Bush: 'God told me to end the tyranny in Iraq'

Nabil Shaath, who was Palestinian foreign minister at the time, said: "President Bush said to all of us: 'I am driven with a mission from God'. God would tell me, 'George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did. And then God would tell me 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq'. And I did. And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, 'Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East'. And, by God, I'm gonna do it."

This is important. The statements attributed to Bush are worthy of the most diabolical, murderous despots throughout history. Think of it. As far back as history records, mad men have claimed themselves to be conduits of divine will, doing His bidding, which inevitably involves laying waste to nations. How many countless thousands, or millions, have been killed and maimed by these types and their poor deluded followers? How many cultures lost? History is awash with bloody atrocities committed at the behest of those who were "told by God" to destroy, destroy, destroy...

Bush has excused his actions by saying that history will judge him, and no one else has a right to do so. Well, certainly it will, and harshly. Unfortunately, history's judgment will also affect those of us who have been swept up in this neocon maelstrom of madness.

Ha Ha! So Republican!

Wine, beer, liquor cash flows into Hatch coffers

Sen. Orrin Hatch, a former LDS bishop who does not drink, has taken more money from wine, beer and liquor groups this year than any other congressional candidate.

That is not all. Hatch, R-Utah, who follows his LDS faith's admonition against smoking, took the fifth-most money this year among all congressional candidates from tobacco interests.

Hatch, who says he also opposes gambling, as does his LDS faith, took the 15th most among Senate candidates this year from gambling interests.

Dave Hansen, Hatch's campaign manager, said Friday, "...if a group wanted to make a contribution because what he is doing in Washington is good for Utah and America, and it is a legal and lawful group, he would accept it... I can't say why they contribute... If they look at [his political activities] and say, 'We like the job he is doing, and even though he doesn't use our products, we may want to make contributions.'"

Meanwhile, Tony Musci, chairman of Common Cause of Utah, an advocacy group concerned about special-interest money in politics, said, "Special interests tend to give money for a reason, not just to be good Americans. It buys them access. It gives them a leg up on whatever they are up against in the legislative process. What are they getting from Sen. Hatch? I mean, Utah doesn't exactly have a big wine or tobacco industry."

Republicans frequently remind us that they are morally superior to all others. That's the ticket they run on, year after year. Yet they continue to demonstrate what hypocrites they are.

Just a Quick First Impression of Bush's Latest...

New Supreme Court nominee's ties to Bush's National Guard scandal

Miers Led Law Firm Repeatedly Forced to Pay Damages For Defrauding Investors

The Harriet Miers Story: DeLay, TRMPAC, Texas Lottery Scandal and Cleansing Bush's Guard Records

Even The Conservative National Review Thinks Bush Crony Miers is An Awful Pick for Supreme Court

More right-wing comments against Miers

Turley: Miers an “Amazingly Bad Choice”

Harriet Miers: The Ultimate Loyalist

In the White House that hero worshipped the president, Miers was distinguished by the intensity of her zeal: She once told me that the president was the most brilliant man she had ever met.

What more can one add? This cronyism is another Bush-style flip-of-the-bird to us all.

Hey, Cool!

I have been added to the bunch of west coast bloggers assembled on the blogroll of a California-based progressive site called Speak Out California! (the blogroll is here here). Local activism, man - a great place start!

Monkey Business over at "Pourquoi Pas?"

Weekend Simian Blogging