November 22, 2006 ---

Truly a Black Day in History

Chicken Hawks on Tour

However Keith Olbermann manages to dissect the nonsense that Commander Codpiece traveled 8,000 miles to spew. A video clip or written transcript is available via truthout.org at Lessons From the Vietnam War

There the Shrub had the opportunity to share the company of his Canadian protege, Stephen Harper. Stephen Harper, unfortunately was too young to have to evade service in Vietnam. Besides, he grew up in Canada, which used to have the sense to avoid participation in America's ill-advised experiments in Empire Building. But our Stephie certainly tried to show the world that he too, is as tough and swaggering as his idol the First Fool. Just in case Korea wasn't impressed by the likes of China and the USA advising them to halt their nuclear weapons programs, Stephie sent his guy in South Korea to the North to tell the Elvis of the East it's time to smarten up. According to the CBC:

"We've dispatched our ambassador to Pyongyang . . . to deliver a strong message to North Koreans to ask them to cease, to give up their weapons and return to the six-party talks," said David Mulroney, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's adviser on foreign affairs and defence said Saturday.

Actually that guy on the right pretending he is asleep so Stephie will go away is Dave McGraw of The Hammer. He captures well how successful the HarpoCons were with their promise of open accountable government.

"Amazingly, the new Conservative Government managed to live up to their promise almost until they were sworn in. Prime Minister Harper provided Canadians with open, accountable government for a whopping 17 minutes prior to becoming Prime Minister earlier this week, until he successfully lured David Emerson from the Liberal cabinet"

Even our very own little Soup Nazi, Gordon Campbell is over in Asia for the present. El Gordo is in Hong Kong apparently to avoid the 1/2 day to two or three day sitting of the Legislature. The government feels obligated to convene the house to officially approve the appointment of a Children's Advocate (to replace the one that they eliminated in 2002), but if the NDP has any reason to exist, it will take advantage of the house being in session to ask a question or two about some other issues, of which there is no shortage.

But then there is the Prince of Darkness himself, that moves in the shadows commiting misdemeanors, felonies and crimes against humanity rarely seen since since the likes of Joe Stalin and Pol Pot. That charming fellow from Wyoming, Dick Cheney. I don't know about y'all, but I get nervous when he goes unseen for awhile. I expect buildings to fall down, wars to start, spies get outed and new guidelines to be published regarding the almost non-existent limits to torture. On one hand, I really don't like to even have to look at his evil and ugly face, but at least when he is in sight, you kinda know what he is up to, at least partly. If ever they build a hall of fame (or shame) for Chicken Hawks this man should command a special place as the all-time cock 'o the walk of Chicken Hawks.

November 9, 2006 ---

Bye bye, Turd Blossom!

I'm feeling lazy today, and just want to smile, besides Tom Degan from Goshen, New York, pretty well summed up how I feel about what happened Tuesday. Apparently Americans were so tired of the crap from Bu$hCo that the RePugNants couldn't even steal enough votes. It ain't over, but progressives and non-Neo-Cons can be forgiven for just feeling good for at least a day or two. So here's what Tom had to say yesterday morning in a comment on Alternet to a column by a woman in whom Texas can take pride, Molly Ivins.

The Bush Administration Is Dead
Posted by: Tom Degan on Nov 8, 2006 3:33 AM

This is it, kiddies! The most corrupt, incompetent, disastraus administration in the history of the republic is as dead as a doornail. Watch in glee as the rats start fleeing from a sinking ship. At this writing (It is now 6:14 AM) it is unclear which way the Senate will go. This much is certain: If you thought 1974 was an interesting poltical year - fasten your seat belts!

Wow! It was just announced on Imus In The Morning that the bloviating gas bag from Arizona, J.D. Hayworth, has been defeated! This is too good to be true!

These evil bastards are going down. My message to the lower level people within the BULLSHIT White House: Come clean now before it's too late. What do they call it? Turning state's evidence? The sooner you come through with the goods, the more likely you'll get off with a slap on the wrist. Alot of people will be going to prison for a very long time - and that includes the president of the United States! Poor old POTUS is going to have a long time to contemplate the damage and destruction he inflictedd on our country and the planet - a hell of a long time.

Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! I'm positively giddy! Some seriously nasty chickens are going to come home to roost! The Bush White Hous is dead, I tell you! Call the morticians! There is a place in my home town of Goshen, NY called Donovan Funeral Home. They are geniuses at making even the most emaciated bodies look fantastic. The owner of the establishment is a gentleman called Marc Johnson. My advice to the Bush Mob: give Mark a call! Your disgusting, gnarled, cprpse of an administration is going to need all the help it can get! You'll still be as dead as twenty dead dogs but at least you'll look nice. Just a thought.

Pray for peace.

Tom Degan Goshen, NY

November 6, 2006 ---

HarpoCon In Canada
......................wouldn't you think?

No, this isn't about Stephen Harper and his stealth Republicans currently pretending to provide government to Canada. This is the day before the midterm elections in the United States of Greed that all good (oxymoron alert) ReThugs are pretending are about local issues like school bonds and highway pork earmarks. In deference to the estimated one million American citizens in Canada, many of whom vote in the banana republic to the south, the daily more terrorized and lame CBC had a feature on a Toronto based US election voting activist, from the current prime minister's party of choice, of course.

From his Toronto office Mark Feigenbaum (I know, having only heard it on the radio, I first googled Faginbomb), held forth about his confidence that his guys would hold both houses of Congress, basically casting a seal of approval on the Bu$h/Cheney magic with policy both foreign and domestic. Indeed, Mr. Faginbomb must be indeed sacrificing for the greater glory of empire by serving out here in the cold northern colonies instead of enjoying the Republican created paradise to the south - where he, by the way, graduated from Beverly Hills High.

Just while I was thinking how the CBC managed to find a Republican Voter Abroad in a country where Commander Codpiece is even more loathed than in blue states, Mr. Mark addressed that very issue. He managed to subtly insult many of his peer ex-pats by pointing out that many Americans in Canada were undoubtably Democratic voters, seeing as how so many of them came here to avoid Vietnam. He must be young enough to serve, or else he would remember that both parties pursued that illegal war built on lies. That war managed to help destroy a president of each party. Of course he didn't address the fact that since he was willing to serve empire abroad, it begs the question of what's wrong with Iraq? He is a lawyer, they's persecuting war crimnuls in Baghdad. Hell, he wouldn't even have to leave the Green Zone, though he would have to hazard the ride in from the airport. As they probably say "in country" (the denizens of the Green Zone), that road's a killer. Or he could give his legal brain a rest and just kill bad guys, no I can't tell him just which guys they are.

He also didn't address the fact that much more cowardly is the person, (like say "5 Deferments" Cheney, "AWOL from the National Guard Stateside" Bush and even himself hiding out in Toronto while the real action is in Iraq and Afghanistan), who supports the war in principle, but not so much as to personally participate. There is a name for these people, they're called ChickenHawks, cluck, cluck, cluck, Marky my boy. I doubt you are too old, they've gotten much more willing to take older guys, guys with worse criminal records, lower intelligence ratings - hell, I'm sure you would pass muster.

The Reich Wingnuts don't seem to understand there is a difference between avoiding serving in a war because you are opposed to war and avoiding service because it is personally inconvenient.

By the way Mr. Marky, there are people whose families or themselves came to Canada from the US (or other countries) as war resisters that have or are currently serving in either Parliament or various Provincial Legislatures. In Canada we call these people Men or Women of Principle. I call you a chickenhawk with a misplaced sense of entitlement!

Harper's Conservatives are where the chickenhawks flock in these parts.

My greatest hope this morning is that the votes aren't already counted.

Other News at Random

According to yesterday's Daily Mail:

Tony Blair is in a blind panic over the looming threat of being arrested in the police inquiry into the cash-for-peerages scandal, Cabinet sources have revealed

A senior Minister said a 'black cloud' had descended over Downing Street at the growing realisation that the Prime Minister and his closest allies face the risk of being prosecuted over the affair.

According to AP, Cheney to spend Election Day hunting with daughter

Vice President Dick Cheney plans to go hunting on Election Day for the first time since he shot a friend last February -- and this time he's taking his daughter, Mary Cheney.

After all as Mark Morford points out in his wonderful "Notes and Errata" from the other day, Dick Cheney hates so many things he can't even keep track of 'em. But Mark manages to hit the high spots in Dick Cheney Totally Hates You

It has become a national pastime, of sorts, listing all the things and all the events and all types of people -- liberals journalists prisoners suspects foreigners Democrats moderates animals environmentalists trees pacifists 'Nam vets women clean air -- Dick Cheney hates every single day. Even Republicans are a little taken aback by the length of the list.

.....Mark finally gets around to pointing out that Dick even hates......

In fact, it is very easy to go so far as to say that Dick Cheney hates his own boss and president, George W. Bush. Can you not tell?

Oh sure, Dick enjoys how tractable and malleable George is, how easily Dick can get his own nasty agenda items across and how he is often considered the "real" president, the most influential and draconian VP of all time. That makes him feel good, despite how good feelings are complete BS and make him suspicious as hell, which he hates.

But deep down, Dick secretly hates the fact that George is such an easily manipulable dink. And if there's one thing Dick hates, it's dinks.

Saddam verdict opinion differs worldwide Anybody who, unlike Commander Codpiece, realizes that there are different kinds of Muslims and everybody doesn't hate America for its freedom, could see this difference of opinion coming. Commander Cod, needing some kind of milestone going into the election, figured killing the dictator was about as good as he could do. Well, not actually killing him, but sentencing him to death. Even if they did have to rush the trial and eliminate the rest of the defense witnesses to meet the November 7, deadline. I'll admit Saddam was/is a nasty piece of work, but he was their guy and he was proscecuted for retaliating against people who tried to assasinate him. I wonder how the First Fool would have me (and my cronies) treated if we were to try to kill him, and God forbid, fail. Just wondering...........

But a sample of opinion other than Tony SnowBlower and the Preznit might include.

The European Union welcomed the verdict but said Saddam should not be put to death. At the Vatican, Cardinal Renato Martino, Pope Benedict XVI's top prelate for justice issues, called the sentence a throwback to "eye for an eye" vengeance.

In Pakistan, an opposition religious coalition claimed American forces have caused more deaths in Iraq in the past 3 1/2 years than Saddam did during his 23-year rule, and insisted Bush should stand trial for war crimes.

"The hanging of Saddam Hussein will turn to hell for the Americans," said Vitaya Wisethrat, a respected Muslim cleric in Thailand, which has its own Islamic insurgency in the country's south.

The closest to sharing the Preznit's opinion was his buddies in Iran.......

Iran, which fought an eight-year war against Saddam's Iraq and is a bitter opponent of the United States, praised the death sentence and said it hoped that Saddam — denounced by one lawmaker as "a vampire" — still would be tried for other crimes.

Perhaps Paul Craig Roberts, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan Administration hits the nail on the head in Is Bush Next?

Now that Saddam Hussein has been held accountable for his crimes, can we look forward to accountability for George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, John Bolton, Kenneth Adelman, Michael Rubin, Eliot Cohen, and their propagandists in the media, such as Billy Kristol, Victor Davis Hanson, Robert Kagan, David Frum, the Wall St Journal editorial writers, the editors of National Review and the New York Times, and the Fox "News" talking heads?

Tantalizing Tidbit

On November 14 a group of lawyers and other experts will come before the German federal prosecutor and ask him to open a criminal investigation targeting Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales and other key Bush Administration figures for war crimes.

The case will draw on a powerful new argument. The Military Commissions Act of 2006, which the President promoted and recently signed into law, provides retroactive immunity for civilians who violated the War Crimes Act, including officials of the Bush Administration. Such an attempt to provide immunity for their crimes, it will be argued, is in itself evidence of an effort to block prosecution of those crimes. further..........

The new case will introduce other important elements as well. Lawyers who served as advocates, architects and enablers of prisoner abuse policies, like Alberto Gonzales and John Yoo, will be added as defendants. Abuse in Guantánamo will be added to that in Abu Ghraib. The complaint will present new evidence showing responsibility for torture and prisoner abuse at the highest levels of the chain of command.

It's a start!

November 4, 2006 ---

The Bu$h Legacy

Apparently the White House website has been posting a cookbook about how to make your own bomb. Some Repugnant (and retarded) congress critters felt that displaying the plans, specs and such of the nasty Saddam Hussein's nuclear program would kinda make up for no WMDs. The idea that some nerd, or even grown-up scientists or technicians might make use of them was irrelevant compared to showing that in his day Saddam knew how to get stuff (usually by calling his buddy Donald, you know the Rummy grumpy one.)

For a straightforward news story regarding this MSNBC has U.S. pulls Web site said to reveal nuclear guide.

Meanwhile over on the Leftcoast

An administration that refuses to tell its citizens what happened at the Vice President's Energy Task Force; that has systematically screened and pulled public documents out of the public domain to avoid political embarrassment and restrict the public's right to know; that has screened and pulled documents about public health and environmental protection out of the public domain to protect industry; now has such laxity on national security that they have enabled terrorists to learn how to build WMDs.

Shock and Awe for the rest of 'em.

We can do the "Information Extraction" later, after a couple of drinks, you know!

WaPo Cheerleading?

(Bu$h) "The Democrat approach in Iraq comes down to this: The terrorists win and America loses," he said the other day.

Call me naive, but I never thought a president of the United States would stoop so low as to accuse current and prospective members of Congress -- a number of whom, by the way, are decorated war veterans, unlike Bush or anyone in his inner circle -- of being pro-terrorist. But this administration has so lowered the bar on political discourse in this country that it's now more of a limbo stick: How low can you go?