More "For The Children"

The latest instance of my worst pet peeve, by way of Steve Gilliard, one of my very favorite blogging curmudgeons:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 - The battle over Social Security has been joined by an unusual lobbyist, a 9-year-old from Texas who has agreed to travel supporting President Bush's proposal.

The boy, Noah McCullough, made a splash with his encyclopedic command of presidential history, earning five appearances on the "Tonight" show and some unusual experiences in the presidential campaign last year. He beat Howard Dean in a trivia contest at the Democratic National Convention and wrote for his local newspaper about his trip to see the inauguration.

"He's very patriotic and very Republican," said Noah's mother, Donna McCullough, a former teacher and self-described Democrat. "It's the way he was born."

In a sign of how far groups go to carry their message on Social Security, Progress for America has signed up Noah, a fourth grader, as a volunteer spokesman. He starts on spring break from James Williams Elementary School in Katy, Tex.


Progress for America, which spent almost $45 million backing Mr. Bush last year, plans to lay out $20 million on Social Security this year. It has spent $1 million on television commercials and is working to send experts around the country. Among them are Thomas Saving, a trustee of the Social Security Trust Fund; Rosario Marin, a former United States treasurer; and one really, really young Republican. Noah will not be eligible to collect Social Security for nearly 60 years.

Noah will travel to a handful of states ahead of visits by the president and will go on radio programs, answer trivia questions and say a few words about Social Security. Though he is obviously not an expert (and not really a lobbyist, either), officials say the effort is a lighthearted way to underline Mr. Bush's message.

"What I want to tell people about Social Security is to not be afraid of the new plan," Noah said. "It may be a change, but it's a good change."

NYT link

When it comes to stage props, the Bush Regime can be as bold as it pleases. It's enough to make Kim Jung Il jealous, those sycophantic handpicked audiences of GOP Faithful.

Probably a good thing, though, because I'd pelt the kid with rotten lettuce if given the opportunity. I'm pretty sure I could make him cry.

Another Final Solution

I wonder if Kansas AG Phil Kline supports the dominionist and reconstructionist movements which would impose genocide on gays & lesbians... and, if not, would he dare say so?


Considering the influence of the religious right on the Bush Regime, it's only fair to point out that Christian Reconstructionists and Dominionists dwell in the ranks of the GOP. If Republicans don't like the light of illumination that makes them scatter like cockroaches, then they should be the first to repudiate those in their own party who would impose a final solution on their fellow citizens.

If you leave a comment, just make sure to read the piece at Kos first, because that's what this image is intended to illustrate. It's time to start pointing out what kind of people are voting Republican and what their intentions are in this new Utopian nightmare of the One Party State.

Attack of the ChristoFascists

Rotten in Kansas

The Kansas attorney general, a staunch opponent of abortion, has demanded the medical records of nearly 90 woman and girls who had late-term abortions, saying he needs the material to investigate crimes.

The two abortion clinics involved in the case say the state has no right to such personal information and are fighting the request in the Kansas Supreme Court.

But Attorney General Phill Kline insisted Thursday he needs the records because he has ``the duty to investigate and prosecute child rape and other crimes in order to protect Kansas children.''

Only yesterday, I commented on the phenomenon of cowards who justify their actions by claiming "Blah blah blah FOR THE CHILDREN," and whaddya know, one shows up just like that.

So don't gimme no guff for saying we live in a Fascist Republic run by our very own American Taliban aka ChristoFascists. The headlines prove it every day. When are Americans going to wake up to the fact the Constitution has been murdered by neoconservates hellbent on theocracy for all?

It's past time to start pushing back hard, people.

My One & Only Cat Blog Post

She's been with me since I rescued her from behind the dryer in my neighbor's garage back in 1973. Aloof, yes, but also cute (obviously), quiet and never causes one bit of trouble. She doesn't even shed.

Crimes against History

Plucked from Invisible Library...

As if their crimes against humanity were not enough:

The plunder of Iraq's treasures

CARACAS - One million books, 10 million documents and 14,000 archaeological artifacts have been lost in the US-led invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq - the biggest cultural disaster since the descendants of Genghis Khan destroyed Baghdad in 1258, Venezuelan writer Fernando Baez told Inter Press Service (IPS).

"US and Polish soldiers are still stealing treasures today and selling them across the borders with Jordan and Kuwait, where art merchants pay up to $57,000 for a Sumerian tablet," said Baez, who was interviewed during a brief visit to Caracas.


Pssst... wanna buy a Sumerian tablet?


The expert on the destruction of libraries has helped document the devastation of cultural and religious objects in Iraq, where the ancient Mesopotamian kingdoms of Sumer, Akkad and Babylon emerged, giving it a reputation as the birthplace of civilization.

His inventory of the destruction and his denunciations that the coalition forces are violating the Hague Convention of 1954 on the protection of cultural heritage in times of war have earned him the enmity of Washington. Baez said he was refused a visa to enter the US to take part in conferences.

In addition, he has been barred from returning to Iraq "to carry out further investigations", he added. "But it's too late, because we already have documents, footage and photos that in time will serve as evidence of the atrocities committed," said Baez, the author of The Cultural Destruction of Iraq and A Universal History of the Destruction of Books, which were published in Spanish.

And so it goes with the reckless Bush malAdministration. But, then, as we already know, the only culture neoCONs regard is American culture - and that only extends to major league baseball and the wild, wild west.

Dangerous Books!

Hugo Zoom posts on the American Library Association's List of Most Challenged Books of 2004



Includes Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Those two entries cast doubts on the ones I've not read, but after checking out reviews of Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War (added to my must read list), I would surmise any book focusing on nonconformity is at risk.

Let's just send all children to huge island where they can be totally insulated from the unpleasantries of life. Then, we can unleash them into society without a clue as to what to expect during adulthood. It's not like they'll be subjecting each other to cruelty, sexuality, political viewpoints or religious pressures in the absence of books with challenging ideas... will they?

the REAL Howard Kurtz

My friend Hugo Zoom says "I watch teevee because I'm waiting for the day Howard Kurtz's toupee falls off."

Here's what Hugo will see:





drum roll, please....







.

Love,


Arvin Hill
Meany Liberal Blogger

Sen. Durbin Calls for Propagandagate Inquiry

File under "It's a god dang miracle!"

From RAW STORY by way of The American Street:

By John Byrne | RAW STORY Editor

The Senate Democratic leadership is privately circulating a letter calling for other senators to join a call for an investigation into discredited White House reporter Jeff Gannon, RAW STORY has learned.

The letter, issued from Minority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL), calls on President Bush to “order a full inquiry” into how a “fake” journalist working for a “sham” news organization got access to the president.

The letter was leaked to RAW STORY this evening. A decision on taking action on Gannon has been brewing for about a week, since Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) called on the White House to turn over all documentation relating to Gannon’s credentialing.

The Senate Democratic leadership is encouraging members to sign onto the letter behind the scenes. As Congress is in recess, Democrats will be calling on members in their home districts before the Senate reconvenes next week.

See RAW STORY for the text of Senator Durbin's letter to the White House.

THANK YOU, SENATOR DURBIN

USAF Visitor(s)

Hey, Ladies & Germs of the USAF! Just wanted to give ya a shout out to say thanks for stopping by my semi-humble blog and offer, for your amusement, this little known fact: I served in SAC's 6th Strat Wing during my single hitch many years ago. Loved the work (KC-135 maintenance) and met a lot of great people but, alas, the military life was not for me.

I thought you'd get a kick outta that.

Television

I was cruising through Suburban Guerilla and Washington Monthly. Susan at SG mentioned something about not paying her cable bill. Kevin Drum at WM made a post about the FOX program 24.

You know the one thing you can always depend on every time the subject of television arises online? Some lefty snot issuing a reprimand for watching it. And, good God on a hamburger bun, those people are irritating to no end.

Their recommendations range from "read a book" to "listen to some music" to "bake a cake" as though TV viewers have never heard of such novel ideas.

Pardon me for asking, but just who the fuck do you think you are to be advising me or anyone else how to spend our time? It's wonderful you think so highly of yourselves, but you are mistaken if you believe your unsolicited suggestion makes you look intelligent. Does the acronym STFU mean anything to you? Because if all you have to say is "Why do you watch that shit?" all you're getting from me is a hearty STFU.

How much you wanna bet these are the same people who actually pay for the privilege of a Modest Mouse ringtone on their phone? Or obsess over maintaining their "six-pack" (or as I call 'em, Fascist Abs)? Or would rather slit their wrists than confess their love of Green Day?

Whatever happened to live and let live. Nobody gets that anymore.

They can DANCE, too!

Clarence Thomas:
White House shuns news hounds in favor of lap dogs

If America's mainstream media really were as liberal as conservatives claim we are, we would be ballyhooing the fiasco of James D. Guckert, a.k.a. Jeff Gannon, with Page 1 banner headlines and hourly bulletins.

Imagine how the conservative choir would sing out if a Democratic White House knocked long-tenured journalists off its press room access lists so that it could give access to a fellow like Mr. Guckert, who dependably asks softball questions because he reports for a partisan Web site that supports the Bush administration.

Imagine how they would question the access given by the Secret Service and the White House press office for two years to a guy who used a driver's license that said James Guckert to get into the White House, then switched to his alter ego of Jeff Gannon.

related commentary at Arvin Hill...

Investigate Propagandagate
NYT Commits JOURNALISM!!!
De-scandalizing Bush
A Lesson in Self-Consumption

Lazy Blogging: Hugo Chavez

I feel like emulating my friend Hugo Zoom today and doing some truly lazy blogging.

From King of Zembla courtesy of The Guardian:

Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, accused George Bush of plotting to assassinate him yesterday, and warned that all Venezuelan oil exports to the US would stop in the event of his death.

"If I am assassinated, there is only one person responsible: the president of the United States," Mr Chavez said during his weekly radio and television show, Hello President . . . .


Mr Chavez accuses the CIA of having a hand in the military coup that briefly deposed him in 2002, and says the US continues to back his political opponents.

The Bush administration has denied involvement in the attempted overthrow, but appeared to give its approval at the time. A prosecutor investigating the coup attempt died last year when his car was booby-trapped with explosives.

The Chavez government suggested the assassination had been carried out by former Venezuelan officers who were involved in the putsch, some of whom now live in exile in America . . . .

Despite the feud between their governments, the two countries' economies remain entwined. Oil is Venezuela's largest export and the US buys about 1.5m barrels a day, making it the fourth-largest supplier of American oil.

Investigate Propagandagate

I won't be online until Tuesday, but I've created a graphic in hopes of helping keep the Guckert-Gannon story alive. Why? Because the conspicuous silence on the part of the so-called "news" media is deafening, and this is a story that cries out for further investigation.

If this same story occurred while Al Gore, John Kerry, Bill Clinton or any other Democrat occupied the White House, the reaction by the corporate press would be the exact opposite of what it is today. There would be no swish of the media broom to sweep this rotten scandal under the rug.

This is an important story. George W. Bush operates the most extensive propaganda operation in American history. He shapes public opinion by appearing before hand-picked sycophantic audiences and pays journalists cold, hard cash to praise specific policy objectives of his administration.


Please don't use the Democratic minority in Congress as an excuse for allowing our elected leaders and the news media to ignore Propagandagate. If Republicans were in the minority and this occurred on a Democrat's watch, they would not think twice about demanding a Congressional investigation. Under similar circumstances, Republicans would be reiterating the importance of "accountability" and "the rule of law" and "security" with regard to this scandal, and so must we.

Feel free to copy the graphic and place it in your sidebar until someone besides Maureen Dowd and Frank Rich acknowledges the betrayal of public trust wrought by George W. Bush. I don't care to whom or what you link the image, but displaying it on your website is a form of protest toward the corporate press which is insisting on burying this story, and the White House which has no compunction about systematically using lies and tricks to fool the American people.

Domestic Tip o'the Day

If you really love yourself and your family, never buy a bagless vacuum cleaner. Cleaning the filter each & every time you use it is a royal pain in the ass.

Proud Texas Liberal

Site update: In the sidebar, you'll find a graphic I've created for my fellow Texans who blog for the betterment of their country. As you can see, it depicts the Lone Star State with a left handprint in the center. For purposes of this post, it is presented below:


Much of the world - or, for that matter, many in America - understandably harbor the false impression Texas is devoid of thinking people who care deeply about America and the world beyond our shores. I'm happy to report they're wrong, and it's important to spread the word there is, indeed, such a creature as the often overlooked Texan of Conscience.

We live in urban and rural areas.

We are rich and poor.

We are white and people of color.

We are college educated and high school dropouts.

We are fighters and peacemakers.

We are lovers of humanity.

We are Proud Texas Liberals.

And we're doing everything in our power to mitigate the damage spawned by the sick regime infecting the world with the dreadful germs of neoconservatism.

To my fellow Texas bloggers of the liberal persuasion, I would encourage you to copy my Proud Texas Liberal graphic and upload it to your image site for inclusion on your blog. Who or what you link to, if anything, is your business, although you are welcome to link to this particular post if you so desire.

Let us state to the rest of the world - and each other - WE EXIST.

WAR CRIMES in Fallujah

The NYT's Judith Miller calls for Americans to defend Corporate News Media's right to lie and blow the cover of a CIA agent. Howard Kurtz and Wolf Blitzer self-righteously assert Bush's fake reporter, Guckert-Gannon, is a victim of the mean lefty blogosphere. ABC's John Stossel points a finger to U.N. peacekeepers impregnating locals and abandoning them.

No one mentions George W. Bush's war crimes.

WHO WILL TELL THE PEOPLE?

Popping over to The Alarmist this a.m., I encountered a link which describes and depicts the aftermath of America's assault on the citizens of Fallujah.

“On 9 November American marines came to our house. My father and the neighbour went to the door to meet them. We were not fighters. We thought we had nothing to fear. I ran into the kitchen to put on my veil, since men were going to enter our house and it would be wrong for them to see me with my hair uncovered.

“This saved my life. As my father and neighbour approached the door, the Americans opened fire on them. They died instantly.

“Me and my 13 year old brother hid in the kitchen behind the fridge. The soldiers came into the house and caught my older sister. They beat her. Then they shot her. But they did not see me. Soon they left, but not before they had destroyed our furniture and stolen the money from my father’s pocket.”

Hudda told me how she comforted her dying sister by reading verses from the Koran. After four hours her sister died. For three days Hudda and her brother stayed with their murdered relatives. But they were thirsty and had only a few dates to eat. They feared the troops would return and decided to try to flee the city. But they were spotted by a US sniper.

Hudda was shot in the leg, her brother ran but was shot in the back and died instantly. “I prepared myself to die,” she told me. “But I was found by an American woman soldier, and she took me to hospital.” She was eventually reunited with the surviving members of her family.

For these Iraqis, pumped full of our bullets while trying to protect their families, there is no freedom or democracy. This is George W. Bush in action; the NeoCon Master Plan in which "freedom" and "democracy" take the form of hot lead from the barrel of gun paid for with our tax dollars.

I could elaborate, but I won't. I'm too sickened and too discouraged and too heartbroken at what my country has become.

related commentary at Arvin Hill: War Crimes... and Me

The LOANERSHIP Society

One my guests here, the wonderfully talented Zen Comix, coined a term that is most worthy of repetition at every opportunity. Yes, it's that brilliant subject line: The Loanership Society.

I mentioned this over at Demagogue so as not to lose this gem of a meme in the shuffle of daily atrocities flooding out of The Beltway, and Frederik Maryland took the bait with some enthusiasm.


As we all know, Bush says "ownership society" because he can't pronounce oligarchy. Well, that, plus the fact his half-wit constituency has no idea what an oligarchy is. Come to think of it, Bush may not know either, although we can be certain Condi mentioned it to him when harping on her favorite subject, Russia.

LOANERSHIP SOCIETY represents the cold, hard truth. How dare Bush and his Republican Congress bankrupt America with tax cuts for the rich only to claim everyone else needs to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps to become an "ownership society."

Well, Mr. Bush, thanks to your recklessness with the American economy, such a feat is impossible. Every dime Bush believes is his and his buddies' is one he stole from our children and our children's children for God only knows how many generations to come.

Bush's "ownership society" is a verbal trick of the worst kind, a propaganda ploy from the vapid, greedy head of Frank Luntz and the Ayn Rand Squad at the CATO Institute. Like everything else oozing forth from the Bush Regime, it's an empty platitude used to hide a disturbing truth; in the this case, one used to serve as a gilded fig leaf to hide a massive deficit which places America's economic security at considerable risk.

If you take one positive thing from my surly blog this weekend, take this:

LOANERSHIP SOCIETY

Rinse. Repeat.
Then REPEAT again and again and again.

Parsing Pentagon Logic

USA Today: Rumsfeld makes case for funding missile defense

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged Thursday that installing a planned missile-defense system would not serve as a deterrent to nations considering such an attack on the United States unless the system works.

It's hard to keep my eyes open in the glare of Rummy's blinding brilliance.

Until now, Rumsfeld and senior military officers have argued that even if the system is not fully functioning, installing it while continuing to test would convince potential foes not to attempt a strike.

I guess he finally figured out it doesn't have to be deployed in order to make a financial killing on it, regardless of whether it ever works (it won't).

The Armed Services Committee also heard testimony from Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He said U.S. military officials in Iraq have determined that insurgents there can conduct up to 60 strikes a day nationwide, with occasional spikes above that.

Do you think they had to use SQL or just MS Excel to figure that out? Is that "can conduct" or are conducting?

Myers also repeated concerns that some Army Reserve units are not at desirable readiness because of equipment shortages that occur when units leave their gear in Iraq.

I PUT A SPELL ON YOU

Rummy's post-lunch news conference.
And whose fault is THAT? Nobody's, as usual in the Bush malAdministration.

The shortages, as well as other strains on the military, could compromise the Pentagon's ability to quickly respond to a major crisis elsewhere in the world, he said.

No fucking kidding? From the sounds of sshhhhhnnnnggggg and claaaanggggg of busy sabers, my guess is that the next "major crisis in the world" -- kinda like the present one -- will be of our own making. Was it Perle or Wolfowitz who remarked, no doubt with hands down their pants, "Real mean go to Tehran." I forget because warmongers all sound alike to me.

Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a committee member, and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said they would introduce legislation to expand the Army by 30,000 troops and the Marines by 3,000. "We don't have the same flexibility and ability to respond to other crises," said Reed, a graduate of West Point.

And how many more crises do we have planned??? Can I see the daily updated list, please? And golly-gee whiz, WHERE ARE THOSE 33,000 TROOPS COMING FROM? I still haven't heard anyone in the GOP say the magic word: DRAFT ...but it sure is getting chilly, ain't it? Time to start hanging the balloons and streamers for that little party.

Hagel said the military's capability to deal with another major war has dropped to a point where troops deployed would be underequipped, undertrained and short on manpower. "When you are too thin, you put your troops in further peril," Hagel said. "You further jeopardize an already jeopardized force."

Well, Chuck, that makes since. But you know what really jeopardizes troops? Brace yourself for the answer: Illegal, immoral and unjustified war and occupation. For some strange reason, those troops you care so much about keep coming home in boxes. Maybe you can put it all together this weekend in between appearances with Tim Russert, Bob Shieffer, and anyone else with a camera.

Their proposal would increase the size of the Army to 532,400 and the Marines to 181,000.

There will NEVER be enough troops or weapons to wage perpetual war, and that's all King Bush is interested in besides looting every nickel in sight for Jenna and Barbara's trust funds.

Match Made in Heaven

GOOD RIDDANCE, Scumbag.
And don't come back.

The very thought that this defeated (in more ways than one) Bush Bootlicker was being considered as DNC Chair just a few short weeks ago tells you everything you need to know about the sorry shape of the Democratic Party -- and more importantly -- exactly what needs to be done to reform it.

To Senators Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer and NEW DNC Chair Howard Dean:

Thank you for fighting for us.
NEVER. STOP. FIGHTING. BACK.

Saluting The Union Jack

Over at Daily Kos, a thoughtful poster whom I can neither remember nor locate via a search there, brought my attention to an organization called Eurolegal Services. Eurolegal is an organization committed to exposing the horrors of neoconservatism not only in America, but on a global scale. While Bush Poodle Tony Blair has been a tragic success in terms of empowering our NeoCon Mob, we are owed a debt to the PEOPLE of the United Kingdom who fought long and hard - and continue the fight - in making the connection between neoconservatism and the global assault on human rights. As with us, the good people at Eurolegal are underfunded and have embarked on a massive and sustained and vital effort to protect their own democracy, as well as serving as an important advocate of global human rights. Please visit them and pitch in if you are able.

We need all the help we can get, and not just from - nor for - our fellow Americans, but the world beyond our shores. Check out their FEEDBACK section for the many comments, supportive and otherwise, from American and other citizens. Although my feedback to them has been published on their site, for purposes of preserving this message, I am posting it here as follows:

As an American who ventured to London a couple of times last year, it was refreshing to be surrounded by so many thoughtful, generous people who see straight through the criminal Bush Administration. I feel that same sense of relief to have found your site.

The work you do here is IMPERATIVE to the safety and security of the world.

It took some time, but when I used to post in The Guardian forums (which I began when Bush was installed by The Dirty Five of the United States Supreme Court), I was adamant in my discussions with UK citizens that they recognize the danger of neoconservatism and the direct threat to *your* system of government. To my great surprise, most listened even if they found it difficult to digest the degree of degredation wrought by neoconservatism. (They understand it much better today, although the hostility within America's borders - the degree of polarization here - is still hard for them to believe.) Still, I was grateful to have a friendly ear to which I could provide ample warning. That's why I was heartbroken when Mr. Blair decided to lend legitimacy in the form of UK military assistance to the United States' illegal, immoral invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Why are the citizens of the United Kingdom tolerating this??? I remain dumbfounded that such a conscientious citizenry prostrates itself to the vanity of Mr. Blair and the thuggery of Mr. Bush. As an American who protested against the invasion and occupation of Iraq, I strongly resent the fact that Mr. Blair rendered moot our calls for peace and restraint. Mr. Blair was just the ticket Bush needed to act with reckless regard toward the global community.

So long as I remain in the United States, I will do what little any one citizen can to mitigate the horrific damage to my own country. Americans of conscience have a weighty legacy to continue -- the struggles of civil rights, human rights and global peace -- despite the fact that we do so at great personal risk as a result of unrestrained governmental power and the lynch mob mentality facilitated by our grossly corrupt American news media.

My wife and I have seriously discussed the possibility of emigrating to friendlier lands where "freedom" and "democracy" are more than empty platitudes which hide the ugly existence of a fascist oligarchy. I remain here for one reason: Our parents are in their seventies. That said, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find I can no longer board a plane as a result of expressing my unequivocal condemnation of American foreign and domestic policies. Because I do so, my own government likely considers me The Enemy, despite the fact that I have never once advocated nor rendered violence as a means of protest.

As a coping measure, I publish a blog which features text and graphic commentary but I feel compelled to hide behind a pseudonym out of fear that one of my fellow citizens will set fire to my home, poison my dog, attempt to deprive me of a livelihood or otherwise inflict harm to my family or myself. This is the neocon idea of "freedom" and "liberty" and "democracy." And believe me when I caution you they are eager to export their success. I have followed politics closely for the better part of three decades and never thought I would live to see such tyranny in America. Damn the rightwing neocons for what they have done to my country and others, and for what they hope to do to yours.

Remain vigilant, my friends. Fight like hell. Demand - en masse - greater accountability from your own government before it turns into the totalitarian monstrosity which I and my fellow citizens must learn to live with... at least until we can leave [caveat: assuming the Fascist Beast proves immortal -- but while we're here, we WILL fight].

AH - USA

NYT Commits JOURNALISM!!!

Okay, now I'm getting very disoriented.

Most people reading this blog will already have a subscription to the online NYT, but if you don't, got to bugmenot.com to snatch an ID and password immediately (or, of course, you can always go ahead and register with your own email address).

Frank Rich hammers ProstiHomoPropagandagate from the PROPAGANDA aspect... while Maureen Dowd tackles ProstiHomoPropagandagate leaning a little stronger on the sex angle.

I've long thought this was more important from the Official White House Propaganda aspect (mostly because I expect hypocrisy from the manipulative gang of criminals stinking up The Executive Branch) -- but to have The NYT nail BOTH vulnerabilities seems most unreal given the current toadies comprising the national press corp.

And considering the many rotten news stories of the day (check out Suburban Guerilla for more than a few atrocities), I'm going to bed now. But, MAN, am I ever looking forward to awaking to the firestorm now that the mainstream media has latched on to this disgustingly - and deliciously - sordid scandal. Today will not be a pleasant one for King Bush... which automatically means my day will be at least a little bit better.

Virtual Ho-Slapping

Okay, my essay isn't done yet. I got a little sidetracked, and you'll see why in a few minutes... if you dare [insert macabre laugh here].

I don't do it often, that is, directly confront the Online Monsters Of NeoConservatism. I've long known it has the potential of being a tremendous waste of time. More often than not, I'm happy to ignore them. But, occasionally, dicing up some wayward faux-Christian Footsoldier of Evil reminds me of the nature of what Americans of conscience are up against.

The objective isn't to change their mind, magically transforming them into something good which they hate with all their being. When I confront the wicked, I do so because for every person who has their mind made up about any particular issue, there are many - whether one, dozens, hundreds, thousands or millions - who do not. They are the ones I seek to engage. This invariably flies right over the empty heads of my eager victims.

You, dear reader, may or may not agree with my view on the possibility of pursuing a better life in a more civilized country. But the very notion that an American citizen would consider emigrating as a result of the Great NeoCon Revolution makes the fascists apoplectic with rage - I suppose because they don't want to be deprived of enjoying The Final Solution firsthand. But if it wasn't that, it would be their tax bill or something else akin to "You kids get outta my yard!"

Don't get me wrong: While I'm here, I will fight for social justice and seek to recover all that we have lost. But how long I remain here, quite frankly, is an open question. There can be little doubt there are legitimate parallels between our contemporary rock and a hard place and that of the Germans watching Hitler's maniacal rise to power. At least Hitler had a syphillitic brain.

As the great Michael O'Donahue often said:
"I think it goes something like this..."

Enjoy. On some tragic, cathartic level, I certainly did.

Grapic du jour

...because the essay I'm working on now is gonna take a while. This is something I put together a long time ago appropos of nothing in particular and everything in general.

A Lesson in Self-Consumption

I love it when the Fascist Machine eats its own.

There are a few reasons I can't help but laugh at the spectacle of gloating wingnuts who so joyfully served as the catalyst in disposing of Eason Jordan.

It is nothing less than an indictment of the Fascist Right and the "news" media that CNN is perceived by anyone as approximating "liberal" when, in fact, it is anything but. Candy Crowley? Wolfman Blitzer? Very funny. At best, CNN essentially ignores major news stories - whether it's the White House's implication in the Gannon/Guckert fake journalism (i.e. Propagandagate) or atrocities committed by American troops in Fallujah and elsewhere. At worst, they never miss an opportunity to present their master, George W. Bush and his bootlicking minions, in gloriously gilded frames. The economy's always coming 'round at CNN, and Junta Boy's poll numbers are always "good". Events in which protestors show up in droves only to be herded into First Amendment Zones (remember when America itself was a First Amendment Zone - oh, those were the days)... they're either overlooked entirely or suffer the slings and arrows of the insider CNN pundits who consistently undercount the numbers of protestors while sneering at their motivations.

CNN has bent over backwards to accommodate its frothing, raving rightwing extremist audience by becoming FOX News. What did they think was going to happen when they cozied up to the Brownshirt Demographic? Invitations to keg parties? Maybe a "Most Favored Fascist News" crown?

Don't think for a second that Eason Jordan is a victim of the web log phenomenon. Eason Jordan is a victim of the very fascism that he helped propagate daily by cultivating an audience of malicious conservatives. So when he presumably remarked - while playing the role of Mr. Important News Guy at the World Economic Forum - that journalists in Iraq had been targeted and killed by U.S. Armed Forces, his overfed chicken came home to roost. That's the thing about truth-telling: If you do it infrequently and then squeak out a true statement like a tepid fart at a wedding reception, it tends to take on the acrid aroma of a calculated lie.

If the red suits at CNN had a micron of integrity, they would have welcomed this controversy and rigorously defended Mr. Jordan's right to speak freely while consorting with other elitists. But how could they? After all, CNN doesn't report freely - and the murder of journalists by Sgt. Hero is a very, very newsworthy story. These are not easy things to square. So, instead, they took the easy route - as did Mr. Jordan, who sought to distance himself from his own remarks.

This is one Fascist Endeavor I welcome with open arms. As their warmonger leader once said, Bring it on. Because for each trophy collected by the nutjobs at Freeptrash Republic and Little Green Footballs, the grossly corrupt Fourth Estate will come a little bit closer to realizing its own folly.

A word of advice to any media folks reading this: Live by the fascist sword today and you may well be disemboweling yourself on it tomorrow. By serving your corporate masters at the expense of the American public, you have alienated the very people who would've once taken a bullet for your right to report - and speak - the truth. So as a result of the obvious contempt you display by thumbing your noses at those of us who know what "liberty" and "freedom" really mean, you're "free" to take that bullet all by yourselves.

Ladies and gentlemen of the press, it's not too late to rehabilitate yourselves by embarking on the gargantuan effort of restoring truth and integrity to your fallen profession. No one else can do it for you. You can't hide behind The Constitution indefinitely while subverting it by your reckless pursuit of Mammon. If you lack the fortitude to risk the wrath of The Fascists you currently serve, then you're in the wrong arena and your talents would be better put to use writing ad copy for Walmart -- but, hey, at least you'd get a promotion in the Social Status Department.

Mending fences...

*quite literally* - with my dad today, so no more blogging until the wee hours. He asked when I planned on showing up, to which I replied as inconspicuously as possible: "Definitely sometime before lunch." Not that I'd try to bilk him out of some enchiladas or anything.



Now go make yourself useful and raise some bloody hell.

Pentagon Falls Down on the Job

More encouraging news from the Cradle of Civilization: Pentagon covers up failure to train and recruit local security forces.

As I mentioned on Dr. Khadduri's blog, the United States had [marginally] better success training South Vietnamese forces, and we all know how that sorry chapter of American history turned out.



I guess I'd better go ahead and download an Iranian flag just in case Bush's approval rating plummets. As I've learned from my government, it's better to be prepared... than not.

De-scandalizing Bush

Is it any surprise the whore press is trying to make the fake reporter scandal at the White House disappear by characterizing it as a gay-baiting story? Nothing to see here, they say; just a bunch of big fat meany liberal bloggers eager to embarass the infallibly heroic George W. Bush.


Unfortunately for the people of the United States, most of whom deserve better, the fake reporter scandal will quickly dissipate as planned because public discussion of Bush's Propaganda Operation is verboten among the talking heads who are paid very well to tell Americans what to think. These blowhards aren't simply aware of the real story -- they are the story, and their conspicuous attempt to mischaracterize the fake reporter scandal is typical of how they regularly succeed in covering up something much more sinister.

To the White House press corp, I have one request. If Osama Bin Laden happens to be in the room with you guys during Bush's next press conference, maybe you could make mention of that, okay? Now, now, now. I know what you're gonna say. "Shame on you, Arvin. How dare you try to use the Beltway press to push your blatant prejudice against Arabs!" And it's not like that, I swear. I'd just like to know if Bin Laden is covering White House press conferences because - guess what - that would be newsworthy. Just like it's newsworthy that J.D. Guckert was likely used to blow the cover of CIA agent Valerie Plame with the help of Karl Rove. You remember Karl Rove, don't you? Sure you do. He's the guy who put the decapitated horse head in your bed when you first got that sweet White House gig.

Lipstick on a Pig: Karl Rove

No matter how strongly Bush's bootlickers in the Royal Punditry proclaim the Guckert story a gay witch hunt led by disgruntled leftists, the real story here is how Bush systematically lies to the American people by using a complex system of propaganda so effective it dwarfs the celebrated marketing accomplishments of Madison Avenue. Considering most of the "news" media is in on this sorry little joke, it's no surprise they don't think you're smart enough to ever hold them accountable for their role in it.

Erlich's Little Freeptrash

I was telling a friend today how my frequent use of the word "fascist" draws considerable criticism from my tighty-righty acquaintances and my lefty allies. When the talk turns to fascism, people are quick to refute my assertion by saying something to the effect of "Oh, well, you know, they're reprehensible but we're not there yet."

No, a throng of Rethuglican staffers pounding on the doors of the Miami-Dade vote recounters in 2000 shouting "SHUT IT DOWN, SHUT IT DOWN" -- what dirtbag Paul Gigot termed The Bourgeois Riot -- gosh, that couldn't be considered fascism.

When Freeptrash Dittoheads were screaming "The Democrats are trying to steal the election," and invoking the term "lock & load" while amping each other up and taking to the streets... only to have Bush Machine Cog James Baker go on television to loudly proclaim, in response to a Florida Supreme Court decision, "THIS WILL NOT STAND" -- no, that couldn't possibly be fascism.

They often go on to tell me - in a pointy-headed academic manner that irritates me to no goddamn end - that fascism was X, Y or Z; not A, B or C. As if the prospect of fascism was simply too ugly to consciously acknowledge; for them, I guess it was. For many, it still is. Because once we start admitting we're living in a Fascist Republic, suddenly there's an imperative to do something about it, and we'll do just about anything to avoid that kind of grave realization. After all, water cannons, tear gas and German shepherds with gnashing teeth aren't exactly what Mr. and Mrs. Joe Citizen want to be confronting on their day off. Just ask someone who was in Birmingham, Alabama circa 1963.

So go to Free Republic, where the neocon foot soldiers bark amongst themselves, and spend some time there - real time like a week or two. Then tell me how "free" that little piece of the republic really is. Tell me they aren't fascists. Just try coming back here saying, "Well, they're actually Pseudo-Fascists" or some such nonsense.

Let's not dance around what they are, these activist thugs the Republican Party is utterly dependent on. They're fascists, and if you can't or won't admit it, then you don't have a fucking clue just how far America has fallen over the last decade. Wait for them to rename the GOP "The Fascist Party" before you jump to any wild conclusions. Go ahead and wait for them to get uniforms - brownshirts, if you will - that say FASCIST in big, bold letters across the back before you decide to wake up and realize who they are, what they've done and what they are doing daily to our country.

Just don't come crying to me when one of 'em burns your house down, spreads nasty rumors about you in your community, poisons your dog or gets you fired because they don't like something you said online or at work or in the grocery store. Oh, you'll have my sympathy, as most suffering people do, but only so much. Because I'm the guy to whom you said "Pfffffft" when told they were rising to prominence and, by God, we had better do something because America was becoming brainwashed in a major way. Riiiiight, Arvin. Whatever you say, man.

Bearing this in mind, I bring you this sordid tale.

A longtime campaign operative of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. resigned his state job yesterday after admitting he had been spreading rumors on the Internet about the personal life of Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley.

Joseph Steffen, 45, said he gave the governor his resignation after questions about his postings on www.FreeRepublic.com, a well-known conservative Web site. The postings discussed O'Malley's marriage.

"The governor had no idea," Steffen said. "I don't even think he knows where the Web site is. If anyone is guilty, it is me. There was no outside influence. It was all me."

The postings about O'Malley from a longtime Ehrlich aide carry particular significance because the mayor is expected to seek the Democratic nomination for governor next year and likely would challenge the incumbent.

The race is expected to be close, and the opposing camps are already jockeying for advantage.

Steffen is a longtime ally of the governor who had worked on several of Ehrlich's congressional campaigns. Democrats say he has earned a reputation in several state agencies as a sharply partisan appointee who was feared as he sought personal information about state workers and demanded that they be fired.

See, this is the kind of thing Democrats are up against on a massive scale, yet they refuse to acknowledge it -- kind of like when John Kerry let the Swift Boat Liars run roughshod over him and every person he sought to represent. (And Kerry thinks he's gonna give it another shot? Fuck you, too, John, you gutless weasel.) These fascist scumbags are so convinced of their own righteousness that they have no problem with the ends justifying the means. Destroying people's livelihoods, reputations, families. They RELISH it. These aren't "a few bad apples" -- they're a population of "bad apples." They worship at the altar not of a Christian god, but of Malice. They are Lee Atwater and Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly through and through. With The Cold War over and no enemy to demonize (remember, the foundation for today's fascist political landscape was laid long before September 11th), they set their sights on you and me. And they won't let up until this country comes crashing down around their ears, which it will.

Remember that the next time you hear "We're not there yet."

Condi Does Europe

Left I On The News relates the "Arrogant Imperialist Quote of the Day." Since I missed the televised footage, I nabbed this AP photo (for context, you know):
Mission Accomplished

"America stands ready to work with
Europe on our common agenda --
and Europe must stand ready
to work with America."
Sorry the above image necessitates brain bleach, but I have journalism to commit. Hey, maybe since fascist buttlick and fake journalist J.D. Guckert aka "Jeff Gannon" has bid farewell to that sweet White House press corp gig, Scott McClellan will be calling me soon. They shouldn't have a problem with my credentials.

Kevin Drum points to another quote of interest:

"I believe that everyone is telling the Iranians that
they're going to have to live up to their international
obligations, or next steps are in the offing. And I
think everyone understands what "next steps" mean."
Well, Condi, you're the one presumably in charge of diplomacy now, so why don't you just spell it out? It'd be great on the job training, though not exactly something one could depend on. Like everything else that oozes forth from the Bush malAdministration, "next steps" can mean one thing today and something very different tomorrow, depending on Karl's canard du jour.

War Crimes... and me.

I read a lot today, but Dahr Jamail's post - see Stories From Fallujah - wherein he interviews a physician who did humanitarian work there - will haunt me forever. If you haven't made the time or effort to read the previous link, I would prefer you simply stop reading right now.

What does it mean to be part of a cog, no matter how small, in the machine which perpetrates war crimes? The systematic murder and torture of noncombatants is enough to make me hate what America has become. We're a nation of sick and defeated people who have voluntarily traded our loftiest ideals for the immediate gratification promised - and betrayed - by our most base instincts.

The roaring, blood-sucking Fascist Beast becomes more efficient by the day while those of us consumed by it present indignant pixels of protest to make ourselves feel better. I'm not sure what disappoints me more: the malice and avarice of The Right, or the flaccid, virtually risk-free resistance put up by the rest of us.

There is a price to be paid for tolerating evil, and we will all continue to pay it for the rest of our lives. I feel swept up in something that I have absolutely no control over, and that feeling of helplessness is a unique - and rarely acknowledged - form of psychological torture that comprises part of that price.

This is the point where some kid gives gloomy old me a brief Chomsky lesson, and reassures himself there is hope, but I believe hope is lost. I've believed it for a while, really, although I occasionally find reason to think myself wrong. It's a hard thing to deal with, this notion that America - our potential for accomplishing great things - is dead in the water. But when we lose our humanity, we lose everything good about ourselves. Reading Dahr Jamail today, I cannot shake the feeling that we are both coroner and deceased, and our death certificate has been signed, sealed and delivered.

It's a shameful time to be an American, and I don't know how to resolve that shame, or if it's even possible.

Gorgeous George vs. George W.

The every vigilant Hugo Zoom points out the uncanny resemblance between George W. Bush: Lion of Baghdad and wrestler Gorgeous George, who was wildly popular in the '50s and '60s:


In terms of cocky attitude and the air of invincibility, the preening pretty boy also reminds me of George W. Bush the mortal... and, yes, he really is mortal despite whatever it is they're preaching in fundamentalist Christian churches - and Capitol Hill - these days.

Jonah Loses His Head

If you haven't been following the collision of fascist bootlicker Jonah Goldberg with Middle East expert and liberal extraordinaire Juan Cole, you're missing the Feel Good Event of the year.

"Alas, poor Jonah. I knew him well enough."

What a pleasure it's been watching Cole draw and quarter the puffy, translucent Goldberg. Hopefully, the next bloviating know-nothing from The Flying Monkey Right is already making preparations to succeed where the human maggot Goldberg failed so miserably. Whoever shows up for the next cage match had better get their affairs in order first.

Most likely, though, the next would-be hired gun is whimpering under a desk at Pepperdine or The American Enterprise Insitute and praying to a merciful God the phone doesn't ring.

Like my sadistic brothers used to say after subjecting me to some cruelty or another, "When you play with the big boys, you're gonna get hurt."

Lion of Baghdad

I'd like to thank Arvin for the invitation to provide some balance here. It took sixty-three emails and five denial of service attacks, but it says something that he was willing to entertain an opposing viewpoint in this wretched Marxist blog. I guess when one's own faction controls every newspaper and broadcast outlet in America, one can afford to be generous.

Like my fellow conservatives, I have a real problem with the way the Liberal Media obsesses over every little firecracker and insurgent sneeze in Iraq, and consistently ignores the many good things going on here. While the pinkos at the New York Times and CBS busy themselves attempting to undermine our brave men and women serving in the so-called Cradle of Civilization, the plain truth is no one can deny President Bush's historic success in improving the lives of the Iraqi people. I guess freedom and democracy aren't impressive to the likes of Dan Rather, Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi, but I ask you: What have they ever done for the average Ali on Haifa Street? Not a damn thing.

When Baghdad Mayor Ali Fadel suggested erecting a statue of President George W. Bush where the statue of Sadaam was spontaneously torn down by exuberant Iraqis on live TV (has it been two years already?), some of our liberal friends ridiculed the idea. That noise you heard was Blue America hissing with contempt. I heard it, and so did many of my freedom-loving friends, but we're used to that kind of behavior from The Hate Left. How awful for them to know President Bush is loved by millions of grateful Iraqi citizens. One cab driver just outside The Green Zone told me George has become the most popular name in the region given to little brown babies born since the liberation.

Funding for a Bush statue was hard to come by in Iraq because most of the post-war capital is being invested in infrastructure such as petroleum facilities and the internets. That's expensive stuff, even in resource-rich Iraq. Fortunately, with help from Rev. Sung Yung Moon and statue designer Tony Blankley of The Washington Post, Mayor Ali Fadel's dream has become a reality.

The photograph below shows me celebrating the christening of the statue, appropriately named "George W. Bush: Lion of Baghdad." An ecstatic Iraqi soldier sits atop The Lion as a fireworks display can be seen in the background. A jubliant crowd chanted DUB-AH-YA, DUB-AH-YA and helicopters flew in formation overhead. I had an appointment at Halliburton, so I didn't get to stay for the whole ceremony, but it was one of the most powerful, poignant moments of my long, rich life.

Iraqis celebrate George W. Bush: Lion of Baghad

It hardly comes as a surprise the Liberal Media refuses to show you pictures of Iraqis paying tribute to freedom and democracy in the streets of Baghdad. But that doesn't make this bitter pill any easier to swallow. Perhaps the only consolation is that history won't be snookered as easily as the American public.

A League Of His Own

Can't beat The Rude Pundit. I knew he wouldn't let me down.

Let's get one thing straight right here, right now, for every right-wing fuck doll in the media who gets up in arms about how "rude" the Democrats were for shouting "No" when Bush stood up last night and said, "Fuck your Social Security. I piss on your retirement": From the Buffalo News on Bill Clinton's 1995 State of the Union speech: "At one point, Republicans even booed. About 20 of them left before Clinton finished talking." What did the Republicans boo for? Because Clinton dared to say that there were some things that government must do.

Even better is his insightful take on John McCain's ironic role in Bush's nomination of Torture, Inc. legal mastermind, Alberto Gonzales, as Attorney General. Not to be missed.


Al Gonzales smirks at U.S. Senators

I have much admiration for The Rude Pundit's caustic style, but it's a good thing I can't write like that, as the the combination of his prose and my aesthetics would be reason enough to get disappeared since The Bush Machine has about as much respect for the First Amendment as they do the Geneva Conventions.

Brooks vs. Freidman

Tom Tomorrow slaps David Brooks. This cartoon had me contrasting Brooks with his colleague Tom Friedman, it's pretty clear they're fraternal twins separated at birth; one bloviater prefering domestic politics and the other a wide-eyed groupie who likes to survey the swank hotels beyond our borders. Despite their boundless self-esteem and astounding generalizations, both suck equally at their jobs.

State of Dysfunction

I was extremely proud of myself for sitting through Bush's press conference last week. Mom couldn't believe I did it and seemed disturbed by my positive tone, which she probably took to mean I'd gone off the deep end. (Yeah, I know what you're thinkin' but I mean the the really deep end.)

"It was like being an alcoholic, going in a bar and not touching a drop," I told her. "No aneurysm. No headache. I didn't throw anything at the TV."

It was a milestone in my ongoing recovery.

Given this Herculean feat, there was little motivation to risk backsliding in an apoplectic fit by watching the Fratboy-In-Chief's State Of The Union address. Instead, I did some file maintenance on the old hard drive. Shortly thereafter, I set out for Washington Monthly when I saw the RSS feed that said "live SOTU blogging." It was less than stellar, but the snarky comments were well worth perusal. Hey, it was either that or watch The WB or UPN because I sure as hell couldn't handle the irony of PBS's special on Auschwitz while a Hitler wannabe was busting a nut on live television. And I still have this wretched headache, so my choices were limited.

But tomorrow's a new day, and I'm hoping like hell The Rude Pundit was masochistic enough to tune in to whatever it was that transpired On The National Stage tonight. The reviews should be chock full o'hilarity.

I did see one mildly amusing and somewhat disturbing thing while avoiding Mr. Bush:

The NYT is apparently disappointed by the absence of a body count. Watch out for those Freudian slips, boys.

What a bunch of ghouls.

No WMDs, but lots of OIL

From that wascally wabbit, Dahr Jamail:

On Dec. 22, 2004, Iraqi Finance Minister Abdel Mahdi told a handful of reporters and industry insiders at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. that Iraq wants to issue a new oil law that would open Iraq's national oil company to private foreign investment. As Mahdi explained: "So I think this is very promising to the American investors and to American enterprise, certainly to oil companies."

In other words, Mahdi is proposing to privatize Iraq's oil and put it into American corporate hands.

According to the finance minister, foreigners would gain access both to "downstream" and "maybe even upstream" oil investment. This means foreigners can sell Iraqi oil and own it under the ground — the very thing for which many argue the U.S. went to war in the first place.

As Vice President Dick Cheney's Defense Policy Guidance report explained back in 1992, "Our overall objective is to remain the predominant outside power in the [Middle East] region and preserve U.S. and Western access to the region's oil."

While few in the American media other than Emad Mckay of Inter Press Service reported on — or even attended — Mahdi’s press conference, the announcement was made with U.S. Undersecretary of State Alan Larson at Mahdi's side. It was intended to send a message — but to whom?

It turns out that Abdel Mahdi is running in the Jan. 30 elections on the ticket of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution (SCIR), the leading Shiite political party. While announcing the selling-off of the resource which provides 95 percent of all Iraqi revenue may not garner Mahdi many Iraqi votes, but it will unquestionably win him tremendous support from the U.S. government and U.S. corporations.

Mahdi's SCIR is far and away the front-runner in the upcoming elections, particularly as it becomes increasingly less possible for Sunnis to vote because the regions where they live are spiraling into deadly chaos. If Bush were to suggest to Iraq’s Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi that elections should be called off, Mahdi and the SCIR's ultimate chances of victory will likely decline.

No way! Can't be! Impossible! I haven't met a neocon yet who's admitted this whole bloody misadventure was about oil. What choice do I have but to believe The Chimperor when he says it's all about freedom -- America's freedom to steal Iraq's oil by force, no matter the cost. It's all about that "free market" - our free market, Baby, so drink up and BE HAPPY for the people of Iraq.

Iraqi Voters Have Spoken

George W. Bush, the first democratically
elected president of Iraq, receives news
of his 52% victory over mostly unknown
Iraqi candidates.