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rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:32:00 +0000

Georgia on My Mind

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:29:00 +0000

From Stupid to Moronic to Evil

Paul Craig Roberts was not only Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under Ronnie Raygun, but was also once an associate editor on the Wall Street Journal. His essay published today at Information Clearing House gives a different view of what's happening in the faraway Georgia from that promoted by the Crawford Caligula and his sychophants in the mainstream media.

.....today, August 9, 2008, as I write, it is the “liberal” Washington Post that has written an editorial urging the US to go to war with Russia.

With its editorial, “Stopping Russia: the US and its allies must unite against Moscow’s war on Georgia,” the Washington Post has established a world record for the maximum number of lies in the minimum number of words.

Except for the Washington Post, the entire world knows that Georgia (the birthplace of Joseph Stalin, not Georgia USA) initiated the aggression that killed Russian peacekeepers and hundreds of civilians in South Ossetia, peacekeepers who were there with the blessing of Georgia and international agreements.

The true facts are available all over the world press. But the “liberal” Washington Post serves up the lie that Russia has attacked Georgia and conceivably plans to conquer all of Georgia. “This is a grave challenge to the United States and Europe,” thunders the Bush Regime’s mouthpiece, aka, “the liberal media.”

Thirsting for blood, the “liberal media” declares: “The United States and its NATO allies must together impose a price on Russia.”

Here we see the combination of idiocy and delusion in one sentence. The United States has proved that it is incapable of occupying Iraq, much less Afghanistan. Russia has a large trade surplus. America’s NATO allies are dependent on Russian natural gas. Yet the “liberal” Washington Post wants a bankrupt US and “its NATO allies” who are dependent on Russian energy “to impose a price on Russia” for defending its peacekeepers!

I would recommend reading the complete article (follow link in title above) which is mainly about the MYTH of a "liberal" media.

He prefaces this essay with one of my favorite quotes from John Stuart Mill:

Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative.

The Clowns of Torture

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:21:00 +0000

If you find yourself strapped to a gurney or appliance moving dolly and see this crew approaching, especially if Condi is outfittted in her thigh high black high heeled boots, you should probably hope that the morphine is just about to kick in real good. According to ABC News:

President George W. Bush's most senior advisers approved "enhanced interrogation techniques" of top al-Qaeda suspects by the Central Intelligence Agency

....../snip

ABC reported that the so-called "principals" discussed interrogation details in dozens of top-secret talks and meetings in the White House.

Then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice chaired the meetings, which took place in the White House Situation Room and were typically attended by a select group of senior officials or their deputies, ABC said.

......./snip

In addition to Rice, the principals at the time included Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell, CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft, the report said.

Not surprising none of the "principals" could be reached for comment on these revelations. John Ashcroft of the lovely tenor voice so easily offended by Lady Justice's bare bosom was quoted by another official as saying at the time -

"Why are we talking about this in the White House? History will not judge this kindly."

No doggy biscuits for you today however Mr. Ashcroft. I'm sure you were fine with what was being proposed actually happening, but only concerned that by discussing it in the "White House" you had all perhaps lost "plausible deniability." But I'm of the impression you are a religious man, John, so in that case God will billet you in the lower reaches when that time comes. I hear torture is kinda the Soup de Jour, everyday, down there, if you catch my drift.

April Fool's Day

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:30:00 +0000

For the last eight years including today, the incumbent in the White House has had the honor of having his very own holiday. It may not be a statutory paid holiday, but it is a time we can reflect on the man it was named after and hopefull laugh a bit rather than the more appropriate gagging and crying. For the First Fool, well this is your day.

I wonder how often the executives over at CNN thank their lucky stars for the existence of Faux News. I mean if it wasn't for Faux, CNN would very likely be the worst, most condescending, most patronizing and in general the biggest chancre on what passes for media in the ~~Land of Nod~~ I mean Amerika. Only Faux can consistently outdo CNN at catering to the lowest common denominator while they guarantee to lower that denominator almost daily.

I guess it shouldn't be surpising that the comment board of the second dumbest channel would attract a somewhat less than intellectually stellar group of commenters. However some genius using the handle xxxxxxxxxx (Mod - name removed to protect the mentally challenged), which come to think of it almost sounds like a real name. Maybe I should look up her phone number and give her a call, just to remind her of the importance of remembering to breathe. Anyway, this is in serious contention for being the very, very, very BEST reason to NOT vote for Obama - ever! Are you ready? Here's the reason, not to vote for Obama!

(He even bowls like a girl. lol)

Remember, you read it here first, that is unless you are a mouth breather that reads the comments over at CNN.

March Madness!

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:55:00 +0000

I'm not talking about the NCAA Tournament with the title of this post. Though the Tournament does signal the start of one of my favorite times of year, for spectator sports. Next come the Stanley Cup Playoffs and then the NBA Championships. Then it is time to get outside away from the tube.

No, I'm talking about the state of the rogue nation to my south, the United States of Greed, or as my youngest son used to call it the "Excited Snakes." I mean it's all crazy madness, the primaries, the economy, the Spitzer takedown and of course anything escaping from the mouth of the First Fool. Not that we don't have our own insanity and inanities in Ottawa, Alberta and Victoria, but that stuff is for another post.

Last week the first big thing was the fall of Eliot Spitzer the Governor of New York. Since he had been the "steamrolling" D.A and Attorney General, excising crime and unethical behavior where ever he found it, including busting "prostitution rings," it was at the least hypocritical for him to be availing himself of the services of a high class prostitute, I assume $4300 still purchases "high class" goods. Of course the fact that it was supposedly suspicious "banking transactions" that led to the discovery of Client #9 (Spitzer), one can only wonder how much his enemies among bankers and on Wall Street may have had to do with the "break" in the case. Greg Palast, as so often he does, provides a somewhat different perspective on the Spitzer Takedown in Eliot's Mess.

While New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was paying an ‘escort’ $4,300 in a hotel room in Washington, just down the road, George Bush’s new Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Ben Bernanke, was secretly handing over $200 billion in a tryst with mortgage bank industry speculators.

Both acts were wanton, wicked and lewd. But there’s a BIG difference. The Governor was using his own checkbook. Bush’s man Bernanke was using ours. ..../snip

Up until Wednesday, there was one single, lonely politician who stood in the way of this creepy little assignation at the bankers’ bordello: Eliot Spitzer.

Who are they kidding? Spitzer’s lynching and the bankers’ enriching are intimately tied. ..../snip

Not all crimes lead to federal bust or even public exposure. It’s up to something called “prosecutorial discretion.”

Funny thing, this ‘discretion.’ For example, Senator David Vitter, Republican of Louisiana, paid Washington DC prostitutes to put him diapers (ewww!), yet the Senator was not exposed by the US prosecutors busting the pimp-ring that pampered him. Naming and shaming and ruining Spitzer – rarely done in these cases - was made at the ‘discretion’ of Bush’s Justice Department.

Or maybe we should say, 'indiscretion.'

A man as smart as Mr. Spitzer demonstrably was (he is "alleged" to have scored perfect on the LSAT)should have known that if he wanted to be in public life AND cavort with prostitutes, he should have joined the Republican Party!

Meanwhile even oily, sleaze-bag, neo-con enabling traitor Robert Novak in his Chicago Sun-Times column hinted at GOP involvement in Spitzer's takedown.

Predicting Spitzer's departure

Republican political operative Roger Stone, Eliot Spitzer's longtime antagonist, predicted his political demise more than three months in advance.

''Eliot Spitzer will not serve out his term as governor of the state of New York,'' Stone said Dec. 6 on Michael Smerconish's radio talk show. He gave no details.

Asked about his possible involvement in Spitzer's fall Stone said, "No comment," but did add that, "My work isn't done there. Just watch."

Just so we don't get the wrong impression of how classy Roger Stone is - he currently runs an anti-Clinton political 527 group, Citizens United Not Timid, a acronym of which, understandably, has sparked fury among liberal groups.

Other forms of the madness to the south will have to wait until another day. Things like the economy (if there still is one by the time I get around to discussing it) or the silliness over the pastor of the church attended by Barack Obama. In the meantime...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy Presidents' Day

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:03:00 +0000

When I was a young lad we used to celebrate Lincoln's birthday on the 12th of February and George Washington's on February 22. In recent times somebody decided to split the difference and celebrate ALL presidents (including the current incompetent and evil example) on the third Monday in February (otherwise known as Black History Month). One good thing about this Presidents' Day in America is that is should be the last with the W as the incumbent - barring the imposition of Martial Law and/or coronations, of course. With a little help from Marty Kaplan (link from title) on the captions - let's celebrate in style.

...one of the most
loathsome,
preening,
hubristic
degradations of the presidency
in all of American history

his guitar-strumming indifference
to Katrina

There are many more ~~high~~lowlights of the Shrub's time in office, but really, it is too easy, so I'll leave it at that. One benefit of the holiday in the USA and parts of Canada is that the North American securities markets are closed for one more day, making it likely that the impending crash will have to wait at least another day. Many of the economic wise men think there is light at the end of the tunnel, unfortunately I fear that it is a train of economic payback that will run over many of the people of the world, including many who had nothing to do with creating the monster we have yet to truly face down.

It's not normal in February for me to want to be in Manitoba, but at least there, today is Louis Riel Day.

So, Happy Louis Riel Day

Treason's Boy Toys

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:51:00 +0000

Some inexplicable streak of masochism prompts me to subject myself to PunkinHead Russert and his supposedly hard hitting political discussion Meet the Press on Sunday morning. It's all I can do to not type that as "Press the Meat" and lose my breakfast as I watch the Punkin' lob softballs at Republicans. Also, I wonder how he lives with himself after being outed by Mary Matalin during the Libby trial as Dick Cheney's go to guy for propaganda campaigns. Pardon me Timmeh, but one would think you would address these concerns sometime on your sorry excuse for a show, but that would only be the case if you and your show were actually.......like.......relevant.

This morning Robert Novak crawled out from whatever rock he lives under to add his wisdom to a discussion focused mainly on the Democratic primary season. I'm always surprised to see Mr. Slime and unctiousness himself, not in jail and all, since he is pretty much a self confessed traitor who in a normal world would be guilty of treason. Then I remember that his treasonous butt buddy, Karl "Turdblossom" Rove, is now a columnist for the New York Times. Yep, that New York Times, the one that used to be a respectable newspaper before it became an enabling broadside for the neo-cons and Zionists. And of course KKKKarl isn't in jail either, even though he had to appear before Patrick Fitzgerald's Grand Jury FIVE times just to correct or obscure the impression that he was lying his face off.

Then I remembered that it is almost Spring in Washington D.C. and Treason is the fashion of the day. The Constitution, that quaint document, went out of style when the thugs on the Supreme Court SELECTED George W. Bush as President, if not before. Since then the secret proliferation of Nuclear weapons to countries that are not only not necessarily friends, but not even necessarily stable, the quashing of any science that could reduce the profits of big oil and other such patriotic(?) concerns have become the business of government. Of course the only constituent of government that matters has become business, well BIG BUSINESS, that is.

Democracy - American Style

The form of democracy practiced in America (see Florida 2000, Ohio 2004 etc.) is catching on around the world. McClatchey, odd man out among the U.S. based media has drawn attention to the fact that the Attorney General has been captured on tape discussing the massive rigging planned for the Pakistani election coming around on the guitar tomorrow. Most likely the US will support the egregiously unpopular and un-democratic Bushareff until he too blows up in their faces like another propped up dictator known as the Shah of that country once known as Persia.

For more on the taping of the Pakistani AG see: Tape caught Pakistani official saying vote will be rigged

One would think Americans would learn, but there's no accounting for arrogance and stupidity. To paraphrase an old cowboy buddy, "You can tell Americans, but you can't tell 'em much!"

Breaking News!

Maybe Michael Vick got off Easy

Suicide Bomber Kills 80 at Outdoor Dog Fight in Afghanistan; Deadliest Attack Since 2001

I sincerely regret any harm
..........done to any dogs by this bombing!

2008 - Could it be Great?

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:06:00 +0000

Today is the anniversary of the famous Battle of New Orleans, which was fought AFTER the war had been ended, too bad those guys didn't know yet. The tune (titled The Eighth of January) was written back in those days and the words to the Johnny Horton song came much later. I tend to remember this war as the one when we (Canadians) burned down Washington D.C. Unfortunately they rebuilt it.

As usual, after Christmas, under cover of winter,another year sneaks up to the plate. The older I get, the shorter they seem and the greater becomes the total of years with which I am familiar. I'm sure 2008 will be a particularly good year for some folks. Those enjoying sweet good love or those making real progress with their careers. For the world in general, it's difficult to be so optimistic. Those who get bombed, blown up or other wise become the victim of war, tyranny and terrorism (and greed), undoubtedly won't have such a great year.

So what might happen this year?

It will be Gee Dubya's last year in charge, barring WWIII and a declaration by Bu$h-Cheney that they must rule for life, to protect us, of course.

Maybe there will be a trial involving the sale of BC Rail, and then again, maybe not. Perhaps Dave Basi will become the new leader of the BC Liberal Party.

Maybe the Canucks will win the Stanley Cup this spring, then again, maybe not.

Maybe Stephen Harper will win his coveted Majority Government. If so, it was nice knowing you Canada, and how many states do we get to be?

Gordon Campbell may utter a true statement and fall over paralyzed, then again, maybe not. His brother Michael hearing the news will go through a whole economic update on GlowBall Tee Vee with his jaw frozen open and stunned into silence.

Canned Waste Paper Producer Can/West might actually report on a news story, then again, probably not, unless it is sensational and/or entertainment oriented.

Maybe Brian Mulroney will write a check for 2.1 million dollars and issue an apology to the Canadian People, then again, probably not.

Perhaps the current re-adjustment or small bubble correction in the US economy will begin to make people nostalgic for the 1930s, especially combined with an attack on Iran or Pakistani implosion and $2-300 a barrel oil. The Straits of Hormuz could be the Tonkin Gulf of the New American Century.

Perhaps I'm just being pessimistic and the seeds for success planted by the Bu$h Administration will germinate and the world will break out in Peace and Prosperity.

Wal-mart will encourage its employees to join the Teamsters, so the family doesn't get swamped in the profits.

Having covered all my bases, I'll take this opportunity to wish you all-

Happy New Year!

One thing I do intend to start using this year is the so far blank "Books" section. I intend to put up books that I like, liked or otherwise recommend. I may or may not say much (or anything) about the book in question. I will start with what is definitely one of the most important books of last year The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein, one of Canada's own.

Another Year-End type of Activity:

This website/blog started back in 2002 as rkewen.com, which was kindly hosted at that time by Tom Clegg. My son Trev had kindly made me a gift of the domain. I started tracking stats/visitors with my own PHP scripts in the Spring of 2003. There was an interruption of the stat collecting when I let the rkewen domain go and moved to the space on my ISP. It took awhile to get the scripts working again as I didn't have access to a version of PHP from this millenium at my new location. As the following chart shows the trend has been generally toward more traffic. Generally the more I update the content here, the more traffic seems to come. I can't explain this recent November however, perhaps when I've looked at more of the information it will make more sense why the visits for November 2007 went literally "off the chart." I haven't posted here since last October.

There is a lot of interesting information among that which I collect, like countries and states where visitors originate as well as the outsourced surveillance firm that didn't seem to have the smarts to follow my move when I changed servers. They appeared, combing through my site once each month, after I had written a non congratulatory letter to The First Fool. Now my feelings are hurt because apparently I'm not important enough to monitor anymore. I keep meaning to send them an e-mail complaining about the lack of attention.

Each year the monthly average of visitors has increased as follows.

2003- 305.13
2004- 330.17
2005- 430.80
2006- 1072.36
2007- 2138.50

Just Say No, or 2 Gaol U Go!

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 17:23:00 +0000

Often things happen in Canada that provoke barely a ripple of notice in the failed state to the south. Generally only things that directly affect America, Americans or involve Americans in Canada or with Canadians. On occasion Canadians are even somehow flattered that the big bully below has blessed us with his acknowledgement.

Since Canada is often portrayed as the North American drug capital, like the Netherlands in Europe or Afghanistan in Asia, it isn't surprising that the New York Times would report on the Leader Of Canada announcing a new (sic) plan on illegal and/or addictive drugs. Since there isn't much of a plan and NOTHING new, it also isn't too surprising that teh Grey Lady only devoted 142 words to this non-event.

Reversing earlier moves to decriminalize marijuana use, Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada announced new legal and spending measures against drug use and distribution on Thursday.

Of the 142 words, almost a third are wasted explaining past policies and actions on this issue taken by the previous Liberal government and others. Of course Harper doesn't want just want to reverse "earlier moves to decriminalize......," but wants to go back to some imaginary former time (like 18XX) when women stayed in the home and sick people were respectful and just died and got out of the way. Actually back in those days most known drugs were legal and if they became a problem were treated as the medical problem that they actually were then and are still.

Clearing up the Confusion:

“Far too long now in Canada, governments have been sending out mixed messages on drugs,” Mr. Harper said Thursday. “Canadians hardly know what the law is anymore.”

Watching our governments at most levels ignoring the law or breaking the law and circumventing due process, it is hardly surprising that we “Canadians hardly know what the law is anymore.”

To make it clear that drug use is illegal in Canada, he said the government would spend about $64 million on antidrug campaigns and increased enforcement, including mandatory sentences for dealers and smugglers.

The one dollar and change per Canadian that the Harp is going to spend ona TREATMENT, PREVENTION and ENFORCEMENT should be all it takes to solve the drug problem. Well I mean when added to the almost twenty dollars per Canadian already being spent on enforcement (policing, courts and incarceration), I'm sure this will make the difference. Someone calculated that the BC share of the treatment monies should easibly fund 10 whole detox beds for ONE WHOLE YEAR!

The Partay's Over!

As Steve-0 said, "The Party is Over," I hope he means the Reform party disguised, ala Buffalo Bob from Silence of the Lambs, in the carcass of the Conservative Party of Canada. Unfortunatedly Steve-0's idea of a dealer is the desparate addict who buys a dime bag and sells two nickels to acquire a hit for himself from the cut. Those making the big money on drugs are insulated from arrest, and with the lawyers they can afford are highly unlikely to go to the Crowbar Hotel, in the unlikely event they are ever arrested. Of course these same kingpins will only make more money as the result of any increased scarcity of supply from the New (not new) Drug Policy from Canada's New (not so new) Government.

The Icing on the Cake:

There will also be increased coordination with the United States, he said.

Gee willikers, ain't that music to our ears? Of course if Steve-0 has his way, we'll be so co-ordinated with the failed state to the south that we'll be part of it.

A Compassionate Conservative, Really!

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 17:47:00 +0000

San Diego County is (or was) a beautiful place blessed with a mild climate, palm trees, wild oak covered hills, citrus and avocado groves, beaches and surf. But when I graduated from high school in the North County, I went to my all night grad party, came home and had a nap and then got up and left, hopefully forever. Indeed the next time I came to San Diego was many years later and not by choice. I came to be arraigned in Federal Court for refusing to go to Vietnam and kill people I had nothing against, that were no threat to me, in their own back yard.

At the time, I was seventeen, I didn't understand really quite why I was so anxious to get out of there, though I was going to the Sierras for the summer and then to university at Santa Barbara. Eventually I came to understand that where I did a lot of my growing up was just too Republican and Reich Wing to suit my nature. In high school we used to be advised to go down to the John Birch Society headquarters to do research, and if you are unfamiliar with that organization, think of a group that makes the Fraser Institute seem like Marxists. In Social Sciences we were assigned to draw a map of the Soviet Union with primary and secondary nuclear targets marked, and not a single parent complained that I ever heard about - BTW, I got an A on my map.

In my community a defense oriented research firm hired a Phd engineer and his wife, also a Phd was offered a position at the local community college, in the end they turned down the positions. You see they were black, and though there was no "official" segregation in my town, they couldn't find a place to live closer than Oceanside, which was too far, not to mention they felt insulted and let's face it, they had other opportunities elsewhere without having to deal with cowboy Jim Crow.

Nowadays when I go south the Orange County line (the northern border) is as far as I will go, unless I need to drive thru the Orange County/San Diego Right Wing Wasteland to get to another country. So I was pleasantly surprised to discover the article linked to above about the Republican Mayor of San Diego who reversed his position on same sex marriage and "decided not to veto a council resolution that would have reversed California's ban on same sex unions." I must admit I was surprised that the council even came up with the resolution in the first place.

A very emotional Jerry Saunders, sometimes on the verge of tears, had the following to say when announcing his change of heart.

"My opinions on this issue have evolved significantly, as I think the opinions of millions of Americans from all walks of life have."

"The arrival of the resolution to sign or veto in my office late last night, forced me to reflect and search my soul for the right thing to do. I've decided to lead with my heart ... and to take a stand on behalf of equality and social justice."

"I just could not bring myself to tell an entire group of people in our community they were less important, less worthy, or less deserving of the rights and responsibilities of marriage," Sanders continued. "The concept of a separate but equal institution is not something I can support."

"I have close family members and friends who are a member of the gay and lesbian community. Those folks include my daughter Lisa as well as members of my personal staff. In the end, I couldn't look any of them in the face and tell them that their relationship, their very lives were any less meaningful than the marriage I share with my wife."

There is little to say after that, as I think he expressed the issue about as well as can be done. I guess I would only suggest that Mr. Saunders look around and he might notice that the Republican Party today isn't the same party that once claimed as members Wayne Morse, Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford or even Barry Goldwater. The Republican party today demonizes gays and same sex marriage for purely political reasons even if they are gay themselves (hi Larry, Mark et.al.) or have a gay daughter (hi Darth Cheney) or gay step-father (hi KKKarl). Can you spell HYPOCRITE? Maybe the next thing to give some thought to is your political label.

Update - September 26

This morning my man, Mark Morford of the sfGate weighed in on Jerry Saunders with The Republican who likes gays. As usual, Mark manages to nail the issue in his inimitable prose.

......Was there really any way in hell a straight white male BushCo-era Republican would dare step up to a live microphone in front of a TV camera in a major American city and honestly admit that, well, he was wrong, and he is very sorry, and he has now officially reversed his position and now fully supports gay marriage.......snip/

Yes, it happened. Just recently, down in San Diego. Jerry Sanders is the politico, and he's apparently very much a (moderate) Republican mayor and a former police chief, and he apparently has a gay daughter no one really knew was gay and members of his mayoral staff are also gay and somehow, some way, both these facts played into his decision to reverse his position on gay marriage and go public in what has to be one of the most honest, humble and heartfelt public displays of ideological evolution by a Republican since ... well, I can't even think of any. Can you?

But truly, it's one thing to read of Sanders' announcement. It's quite another to see and hear it for yourself. Do it. Go to YouTube. See for yourself.

I totally recommend that you go read Mark's entire piece AND check out the youTube video.

Dem Damn Dumb Dems!

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 15:02:00 +0000

From Faux News:

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a measure condemning MoveOn.org for a newspaper ad it ran last week attacking Gen. David Petraeus. The move came as President Bush accused Democrats of cowering to the liberal political action group.

From the Senate Webpage:

Question: On the Amendment (Cornyn Amdt. No. 2934 )
Vote Number: 344)
Vote Date: September 20, 2007, 12:36 PM)
Required For Majority: 3/5)
Vote Result: Amendment Agreed to)
Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 2934 to S.Amdt. 2011 to H.R. 1585 (National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008)
Statement of Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate that General David H. Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate and strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces.

Democrats and DINOs (hi HoJo) who suck

Democrats voting yea

            Baucus MT
            Bayh IN
            Cardin MD
            Carper DE
            Casey PA
            Conrad ND
            Dorgan ND
            Feinstein CA
            Johnson SD
            Klobuchar MN
            Kohl WI
            Landrieu LA
            Leahy VT
            Lieberman CT
            Lincoln AR
            McCaskill MO
            Mikulski MD
            Bill Nelson FL
            Ben Nelson NE
            Pryor AR
            Salazar CO
            Tester MT
            Webb Va

Three Democrats didn't vote, Maria Cantwell, Joe Biden and Barrack Obama. On one hand I think this was an acceptable position and perhaps all dems should have refused to even acknowledge this silly waste of time with a vote. I fear that Obama mainly avoided the vote out of lack of courage and though Hillary isn't my favorite Democratic candidate for Prez, I give her credit for having the jam to vote against this ~~bill~~ ~~amendment~~ meaningless waste of time.

With the country involved in a questionable, quite likely illegal, war based on lies, the economy swirling around on its way down the toilet and the Preznit vowing to veto a bill that will provide health care to millions of poor children - that august body the United States Senate and the craven Republicans who show up only to obstruct anything constuctive found more important issues with which to waste their time and our (well actually your) money. John Cornyn and the rest of the rubber stamp Rethugs, who find nothing distasteful with ads impugning the patriotism of Max Cleland for only leaving three limbs in Vietnam, attacking the war record of John Kerry to make the AWOL frat boy look heroic or accusing John McCain of fathering a black love child, felt that MoveOn.org needed official "condemnation" for impugning General Petraeus in the now famous "General Betrayus" ad in the New York Times.

To them it is irrelevant that the General has allowed himself to be politicized and willingly participated in the dog and pony show designed to reinforce the lie that 9-11 and the Iraq war are related. Just because he can hide behind a chest full of medals he is somehow exempt from criticism, even when he acts as a politician. Well the Draft-Dodger in Chief can wear a flight suit, but that doesn't change the fact that he was an AWOL weenie when he had a chance to "defend freedom." Most of the generals have been either fired or have quit and finally GeeDubya found one who would twist the facts in the manner of this administration who have even said publicly that they "create their own reality." Once General Petraeus agreed to become a shill for the Bush Crime Family, he gave up his military immunity/integrity.

Jane Hamsher has been very direct at pointing out to Democrats the folly of getting tricked, not thinking or whatever and mouthing Rovian type talking points for the RePukes. She really speaks clearly to Elizabeth Edwards in Note to Elizabeth Edwards: Lay Off MoveOn. Yesterday at the Lake, Scarecrow pointed out what wrong with this picture in Early Morning Cuppa Reminders. I would recommend reading both of these posts.

The 22 Democrats (HoJoMomentum doesn't count as a dem - rag)who voted to condemn the truth tellers and provide the most dishonest Administration in my lifetime with a political distraction need a verbal flogging, but before that, they need a few reminders...snip

The American people have been fundamentally betrayed by an incompetent, thoroughly dishonest, and dangerously bellicose Administration. Everyone who is sent forth to speak for this reprehensible regime has eventually become either tainted or co-opted, their reputations shattered. Just ask Colin Powell.

It’s time for Congress to stop condemning free speech by those who tell the truth and start holding the offending regime accountable. Because if you don’t, the American people know how to hold you accountable.

Update from the Left Coaster

On the other hand, note that Nancy Pelosi had the correct answer to John Boehner’s whimpering for a MoveOn vote in that chamber: forget it, we’re going to concentrate on real agenda items, not meaningless dog whistle crap for your base.

Update II

Since posting I came across Blasphemy against the holy name of General Mary Petreus by Phil Rockstroh. It is definitely worth checking out - a couple examples of his excellent snark follow.

One would think that from the cries of (feigned) indignation and calls for repentance arising from conservatives regarding Move-On.org's ad in the N.Y. Times that the liberal-leaning group had not simply questioned the insights and intentions of a public servant, promoting, in a public forum, the policy of an illegal and immoral occupation of a sovereign nation; rather, the folks of Move-On.org had committed blasphemy against the holy name of some revered saint -- General Mary Petreus, Mother of God.

What has an era of conservatism wrought?

Answer: a culture that has all the value, integrity, sustainability and safety as a toy manufactured in China. Apropos, contemporary life, as conceived and manufactured by conservative "values", is shoddily made, toxic and not a lot of fun.

In addition, it has spawned a culture ridden with public relations fabulists and media-savvy confidence artists who tell us that the taste of corporate ass-suck is the ambrosia of the gods. The locked-down, stultifying mindset and ideological barbarianism of present day conservatism is directly linked to the steep decline of the quality of life in the United States.

________ _ ________

The Cool Pic

This photoshop creation started from the illustration by Claire Littlefield, Shaker Jr. H S, in upstate New York. It accompanied a story she wrote "to illustrate what it could be like living with narcolepsy." I hope she doesn't mind my removal of the sleeping girl, adding a few chickens and giving the chickens names. Her story, which is well worth checking out (and the original illustration) is called The Art of Chicken Farming and can be found here.

RePuklicans 20 - Democrats 4

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:04:00 +0000

Here is the current CREW (Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington) list of the most corrupt members of Congress. They've also added two honourable mentions for general moral turpitude and hypocrisy. CREW likes to call this list Beyond Delay! I'm sure there could be a few more ReThugs on the list except that they aren't in Congress because they didn't win re-election or are under indictment or in prison, like Bob Ney, "Duke" Cunningham and of course the old BugMan hisself Tom Delay.

The 22 Most Corrupt Members of Congress:

Members of the Senate:

Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-NM)
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK)
Members of House:

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA)
Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-CA)
Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL)
Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA)
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA)
Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-LA)
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Rep. Gary G. Miller (R-CA)
Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV)
Rep. Timothy F. Murphy (R-PA)
Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA)
Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM)
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ)
Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY)
Rep. David Scott (D-GA)
Rep. Don Young (R-AK)
Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL)
Rep. Heather A. Wilson (R-NM)
Dishonorable Mention: Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID)
Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)

Well, at least the ReThugs don't have a total monopoly, though they certainly seem to excel at corruption. Then, maybe they aren't really corrupt they just believe in real "free enterprise" where everything is for sale, even elections.

I'll Pick Fire for $600, Alex

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 14:54:00 +0000

Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
Robert Frost

In the above picture, fire burns on the Hill of Kronos next to the site of ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games, in southwestern Greece on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2007. Hundreds of fires have ravaged the cradle of Western Civilization in recent days. According to the news website myWay:

A top prosecutor ordered an investigation Monday into whether this summer's arson attacks in Greek forests could be considered terrorism, the Public Order Ministry said............snip

Greece has been ravaged by hundreds of massive wildfires since Friday that have left at least 61 people dead. The country also suffered fires in June and July, although they were not nearly on the same scale.

Government officials have said they suspect at least some of the blazes have been caused by arson.

Trying to add terrorism to the mix seems a little over the top, kinda like something that the skelator, Mikey Chertoff, might do. Anyone accused of starting, especially purposely, any of these fires could be charged with homicide and isn't that a serious enough charge?

Another Rat Jumps Ship

Speaking of Mikey the Skull, Israel's point man in the US, rumor has it that he will be nominated to replace Gone Gonzo as Attorney General following Torture Boy's somewhat surprising resignation (reluctantly accepted by the Draft-Dodger in Chief this weekend).

Maybe it is time for Gonzo to go inspect Gitmo, from the INSIDE of a cell.

I just hope that the next Attorney General is a person who understands the core mission in the Justice Department is not to play politics, it is to enforce the law. And it's to give the president hard advice that he sometimes doesn't want to hear like, 'Mr. President, you can't do that, it's not constitutional'

David Iglesias
Fired Former US Attorney, New Mexico

Over at FireDogLake guest blogger Marisa Trevino discusses what Alberto COULD have been and how he failed Latinos everywhere as well as himself and the Constitution of the United States in He Let Us All Down. Instead of truly following and living the American Dream:

He chose to turn a blind eye to “truth and justice” and the whole world witnessed what a lap dog with a Hispanic surname sounds like when trying to defend acts of torture, or the mistreatment of prisoners, or the firing of nine U.S. attorneys because they had the misfortune of not belonging to the right party.

Someday the names Gonzales, Rove, Cheney and events like Katrina or 9/11 will likely have the same resonance that Boss Tweed, Jimmy Hoffa, Mayor Daley and Tea Pot Dome have today.

Portable Pianoforte

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 13:58:00 +0000

As I was recently reviewing the Revelstoke Times Review I happened upon the picture to the right (The Music Makers). This has to be one of the coolest things I've seen in awhile. As described in the RTR:

Harrisen Kaiser (left) and Al Procyshyn teamed up last week to entertain the crowd at the Farmer’s Market. The piano is mounted on a special frame that allows Kaiser to pedal it around city streets. David F. Rooney/Times Review

This brought to mind an annual event that used to take place in Kaslo many years ago. Every year we would move Dare Guthrie's upright piano out of the back room of the Village Green Cafe and move it up the hill to the Kaslo Arena for the Langham Benefit. While the piano and the bench were in the back of a pickup Bob "Pussy Fingers" Campbell, keyboardist with the Dreaded Whirlies, would tickle the ivories while the truck took a a couple extra laps around downtown for the amusement and entertainment of the locals. Other news from the Times-Review includes:

BC booze sales up

B.C. residents and visitors drank their way through more than 380 million litres of alcoholic beverages in the 12 months ended in June, up more than four per cent from the previous year. (Aug 22 2007)

Great 'cosmic nothingness' Found

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 16:25:00 +0000

Yesterday the BBC, the New Scientist (Sorry! All the sites in the New Scientist network are down for scheduled maintenance today- Aug 25. Please try again tomorrow ) and other websites and publications announced the discovery of a void/empty spot in space at least 1000 times larger than they had expected to exist. Some highlights from the BBC coverage follow below.

Astronomers have found an enormous void in space that measures nearly a billion light-years across. It is empty of both normal matter - such as galaxies and stars - and the mysterious "dark matter" that cannot be seen directly with telescopes. ........snip!

"If you were to travel at the speed of light, it would take you several years to get to the nearest stars in our own Milky Way galaxy; but if you were to go to this hole and enter one side, you'd have to travel for a billion years before you would get to the other side," he told BBC News.........snip!

The void is roughly 6-10 billion light-years away and takes a sizeable chunk out of the visible Universe in its direction.

The team used data from the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory's VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) to make its discovery. The VLA - which stands for Very Large Array - is a collection of 27 radio telescopes in New Mexico.........snip!

The explanation for this may lie in the enigmatic "dark energy" that scientists know so little about but which is said to be accelerating the expansion of the Universe.

"In essence, this latest study gives us a very elegant demonstration of the existence of dark energy in a way which is very convincing," commented Professor Carlos Frenk, the director of the Institute for Computational Cosmology at Durham University, UK.

Update:

While the website WNN (WorldNewsNetwork) claims the following:

The void, which is nearly a billion light years across, is empty of both normal matter and dark matter.

Upon closer examination other scientists have detected what appear to be about a half dozen "man-sized" safes in one corner of the billion light years wide void. Closer inspection yet shows that one of the large man safes contains something which seems to be either a mechanical device or a life form (or some combination of the two) that looks like the object in the illustration to the left.

So science may be on the verge of solving TWO mysteries. First they may have discovered the "dark matter" that is the source of the "dark energy" AND simultaneously perhaps stumbled onto the secret and "undisclosed" location where Dick Cheney stores the control panel with the joysticks that operate the whole world.

Ain't Science Great?

Remember kids, whatever you do..........

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:50:00 +0000

You Tube
Weapon for
Truth

(this is from my man kootcoot,
and is cross posted from FreeSpeechCa.

When I first became aware of You Tube, it seemed like a good idea and Google apparently agreed as their acquisition of the dewy cheeked start-up would soon demonstrate to the world (and the instant moguls who had created You Tube). The nifty little web application seemed like such a handy way for folks to share videos of their cats being endearing or to display their own wacky humor to the world. But I must admit that I am pleasantly surprised at how this baby and totally democratic medium has become a weapon in the war against the Corporate Media and the Lies it tries to promulgate.

Two recent incidents here in Canada demonstrate some early victories against the likes of GlowBall/Canned West and the Faux News Liars of the airwaves and printed news.

The recent protests against the secret agenda of the three North American Clowns at Montebello are the first example I will discuss. I would recommend going over to the Canadian Cynic to pursue an elevated interest in this incident as he has been all over it ever since it happened, telling and showing it like it is/was and de-constructing the reich wingnuts and their blathering around the truth in his Canadian and Cynical style.

What occurred, in short, was that the only "demonstrators" that appeared to be agitating for and promoting violence (and carrying rocks to throw) were confronted by other protesters at which time these "violent types" headed FOR the police lines and were taken into custody, without having their masks removed or removing them themselves. Then mysteriously these dudes(the only violent "bad" actors) were released without charges and their identity remained a mystery as well. When protest organizers and others suggested that these "mystery" men were police provocateurs the representatives for the various cops had this to say:

The RCMP has refused to comment, while Quebec provincial police have flatly denied that its officers were involved in the incident.

It said it is not releasing any names as no charges were laid.

Videotape and still photos then flooded the internet, many of them on You Tube, including some that suggested the "violent" rock toting protesters and the police shopped at the same shoe store and had the same sense of style. Eventually we got this from the Quebec Provincial Police who earlier had denied having any "pretend protesters" planted with the real protesters.

The RCMP and Quebec police force have denied allegations their officers posed as protesters to try to provoke peaceful demonstrators at the recent Montebello summit.

"I confirm (to) you that there is no agents provocateurs in the Surete du Quebec... It doesn't exist in the Surete du Quebec," spokesperson Const. Melanie Larouche told The Canadian Press

Lo and behold, now the story starts changing, since so many people were watching so much actual you know "evidence" and believing their lyin' eyes in spite of the fact that Stephen Harper had told them there were only a half dozen demonstrators. By today the statements from the Pork in Uniform are very different than what they had to say at first (when they didn't realize everyone could see for themselves what had happened). The official story now is:

Quebec admit they went undercover at Montebello protest

Quebec provincial police admitted Thursday that their officers disguised themselves as demonstrators during the protests at the North American leaders summit in Montebello, Que.

The police came under fire Wednesday when protesters accused the force of planting undercover officers in the demonstration to provoke violence. A video surfaced on YouTube that appeared to depict disguised police in the crowd.

The provincial police, in a news release, said its officers went undercover to identify and stop non-peaceful protesters.

Somewhat conveniently the Spokesman for Uniformed Pork didn't mention that the only protesters packing and threatening to throw rocks and wearing masks WERE THE UNDERCOVER COPS. But I guess we shouldn't be surprised by that. Even more amusing, as the Cynic (Canadian variety) points out:

I'm guessing somebody is going to regret not taking the time to come up with a better lie than this one:
Police said that after viewing the clip, they were able to confirm the men were Quebec provincial police officers.

I'm sorry ... the police are saying that they had no idea that the three provocateurs were also police until they watched the YouTube clip? They didn't know that while those three idiots were cavorting around with rocks, while they were being arrested or while they were subsequently being freed without being charged? Not during any of that time!? They're saying that that's how they would normally treat potentially violent demonstrators?

This so needs a public inquiry in the worst way. This isn't even remotely close to being over.

Switching Yard Accident in PG

Prince George Switching Yard (...right!)

Early this month an incident occurred that was described in all the media as an accident in the switching yard in Prince George by CN, the Rail Road that never ran a train that it could keep on the track, in BC at least it seems. According to most reports there was no environmental risk, no REALLY dangerous materials, just a minor accident in the yard putting trains together. BC Mary was the citizen journalist all over this one, and she had the help of some local people in Prince George who posted video clips on You Tube, shared photos with us showing clearly that it was more like a train collision on the mainline, on a bank above the Fraser River, close by parks and residential neighborhoods. Oh yeah, I don't know what qualifies as dangerous materials, but when thick black smoke is rising in the air even higher than the 10-15 meter high flames and water bombers need to be called in to fight the fire it ain't exactly just an overheated break drum on a set of wheels.

Once again the OFFICIAL CN, BC Government, and GlowBall/Canned West story was shown up as the skein of lies that it was, thanks to the internet and the ease of sharing pictures and videos on You Tube. This is why I think You Tube is more than just an amusing little piece of software, rapidly it is becoming one of the average citizen's best weapons in the important battle to defeat the forces that would like to make George Orwell's nightmares come true. This is just one reason that Net Neutrality is so important, the same media conglomerates that control the so-called Main Stream Media can't be allowed to control the internet too, or we might as well just bow our heads and be fitted for our slave collars.

Lord Black's Friday the Thirteenth

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 04:15:00 +0000

I know it is in poor taste to gloat about another's misfortune, but when it is one so arrogant as Conrad Black and the misfortune so self engineered .......well, I can feel a bit of satisfaction without hating myself.

According to the New York Times at 12:04 ET today (registration required):

CHICAGO (AP) -- A federal jury convicted fallen media tycoon Conrad Black and three of his former executives at Hollinger International Inc. Friday of illegally pocketing money that should have gone to stockholders.
Black, 62, was convicted of three counts of mail fraud and one count of obstruction of justice. He faces a maximum of 35 years in prison for the offenses, plus a maximum penalty of $1 million

After thirteen weeks of trial and 75 pages of jury instructions the Chicago jury came back with guilty verdicts on four felonies against Lord Black of Cross Harbour. The Obstruction of Justice charge was pretty much a gimme as Conrad was so arrogantly confident that he was doing no wrong, and even if he was, he was above (or below) the law to such a degree he could blatantly allow himself to be video taped by a surveilance camera as he violated court orders from two countries.

The immediate questions remaining are whether his Peerness will be allowed to roam free until sentencing in November on the current convictions, and the general consensus is probably, although he has had to surrender his British Passport. Then of course, will he get jail time? I would think so as Radler his former partner who turned states evidence got thirty months or so. Speculation is that His Lordship will most likely be given 3 to 8 years, unfortunately (for justice), most likely at Club Fed rather than a real jail full of gang members and Neo-Nazi Aryan Nation types.

Next Thursday is his next court date regarding whether he has to wait for sentencing in jail or not and he is supposed to stay in the Chicago area until then. Of course we know already how much respect Mr. Black has for court orders and he apparently still refuses to entertain the notion that he did anything wrong.

To me this is the question I would ask his Mucky-Muckness: Con(how appropriate that the word Con is in his name)rad, will you be a man like Martha Stewart and Paris Hilton and do your time? Or will you be a wimp like Scooter Libby and weasel out of it somehow? Dana over at the Galloping Beaver put it better than I could without thinking about it for a couple weeks in Conrad Black To Be Pardoned:

George Bush's pardon list acquired another name today.
Black's lawyers will file the appeals and the motion to avoid jail pending the process and then string things out long enough so that the formerly Canadian fascist bastard can be pardoned by the skinny fascist American prick on January 20, 2009.
snip.....
Another day another reason for cynicism.

Even if His Lardship manages to avoid jail, or much jailtime, it appears he may well be in court for the rest of his life - a fate almost as bad as the big house and maybe worse than Club Fed. It is certainly more expensive than jail, and depending on the outcome of the billions of dollars worth of outstanding suits against him, he may need a cell to have a place off of the street to sleep at night. According to the Canadian Press some of the pending actions against Black include:

-Sun-Times Media Group Inc., formerly Hollinger International, is suing Black for US$542 million, accusing him and other former executives of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from the company. Suit alleges they engaged in racketeering, allowing the company to seek triple damages under U.S. anti-corruption laws.
-Toronto-based Hollinger Inc. (TSX:HLG.C) is suing Black, claiming damages of more than US$700 million, including breach of contract, conspiracy, unjust enrichment and unlawful interference with Hollinger's economic interest.
-Sotheby's International Realty Inc. claims Black owes US$557,000 in commission on the sale of his Park Avenue apartment.
-U.S. institutional investor Cardinal Capital is involved in several suits against Black's companies, including a Chicago-based lawsuit alleging federal securities violations filed by a group including a Louisiana teachers' pension fund.
-Canadian investors have launched $4-billion class-action lawsuit against Black, his wife Barbara Amiel Black, David Radler and others, alleging they suffered market losses that may have been caused by the controversies surrounding Black's management.

As well Lardbutt Black is suing pretty much everyone he and his lawyers can think of including, Hollinger International, the US Government and British author Tom Bower, author of Conrad & Lady Black: Dancing on the Edge. So Lord Black can pretty well delete "good-bye" and "see ya later" from his vocabulary of 35 cent words and just tell everyone "See you in Court" as he takes his leave.

So one word of advice Conrad, in stir, don't dress like this,

even at Club Fed. But if you could bring your high maintenance harridan, Lady (cough, cough) Black with you to the joint, she might scare the mean guys more than you could.....just looking out for your fat, greedy, arrogant ass, dude.

Not So Glorious Fourth

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 18:46:00 +0000

Below is what Americans are supposed to celebrate on the Fourth of July. The Declaration of Independence, signed this day in 1776, which led to the creation of the United States of America.

I am posting a reproduction of the original rather than the William Stone engraving of 1823, the most common version seen these days as it is more legible. Somehow though on this Fourth the illegible almost decayed original seems more in keeping with the state of the ideals of the Founding Fathers in the New American Empire under the not so benign rule of a new King George - the Pretender and his Boss - Big Dick.

Under the mal-Administration of the Bu$h Crime Family the goals and dreams of liberty and equality that the great men who signed this document staked their lives on are as faded and almost dust just like the parchment and ink of this once proud and relevant document.

This Fourth of July, rather than a symbol of what you have to celebrate, this document should perhaps serve as instructions for how to get back what is being lost........

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Source Paragraph II of the Declaration of Independence - bolding rHk

What's with South Dakota?

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Sat, 05 May 2007 15:33:00 +0000

South Dakota, the state that recently effectively tried to change its state symbol to a coat hanger (see right), continues to amaze sane people everywhere. Now they are threatening to send the police to consficate Heather Moriah's license plates. You see she got "personalized plates" that aren't obscene or even in poor taste, but they do offend the "Commander Guy."

As the Rapid City Journal describes the situation:

RAPID CITY -- Heather Moriah loves the personalized license plates on her silver Prius encouraging the impeachment of President George W. Bush. The South Dakota Dept. of Motor Vehicles have decided to rescind Heather Morijah's personalized license plates "MPEACHW" because of one reported complaint. The Rapid City residentis the conservation organizer for the West River Office of the Sierra Club.

(Photo by Steve McEnroe, Journal photographer)

But somebody doesn’t agree. And that somebody complained to the state. Now, the South Dakota Division of Motor Vehicles is trying to recall the plates -- which read MPEACHW. And if Moriah doesn’t turn them in voluntarily, the state might send law-enforcement officers to pick them up. Even so, she’s not immediately inclined to cooperate. “I don’t think I’m going to play,” Moriah said Thursday afternoon. “The plate isn’t in poor taste. It‘s not sexual in nature or pornographic. To me, a political message should not be considered offensive.” But Division of Motor Vehicles director Deb Hillmer said Thursday that the law clearly gives the state authority to recall the plates and have them forcibly removed if necessary. And although only one person complained about Moriah’s political statement, that’s all it takes to recall a set of vanity plates, Hillmer said.

Make 'em come and get it Heather, at least that's my opinion. The article in the Journal about this has generated almost 400 comments online, obviously I'm not the only one who finds this absurd. BTW, I agree with your plates, 2000% and yeah, I know that's a pretty large percentage.

KKKarl's Nightmares!

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:23:00 +0000

Since KKKarl and his frontboy, Commander Codpiece, have decided Americans (or anyone on the planet actually) deserve no privacy thanks to the GWOT, I have declared that KKKarl's dreams both nightmares (a still from one appears above) or his more pleasant dreams (see Gannon/Guckert male escort service promotional materials) due to the GWOCC, or the Global War on Climate Change also have no inherent right to privacy. Or to paraphrase the turdblossom hisself, when he was referring to "the wife" of Joe Wilson, his dreams are "fair game" in the ongoing attempt to bring down the largest criminal organization on the face of the earth, otherwise known as the Bush Administration or Crime Family.

"Don't Touch Me!!!"

Suppose you were just cruising along and heard someone scream the words above. Most people would look to see if someone needed help, right? Suppose when you looked to see what was going on you saw this lovely, petite and incredibly musically talented woman (at right). Okay, I know, unless she was playing or singing, you wouldn't know she was so talented, unless you recognized her and knew it was Sheryl Crow.

Then, suppose the only other person around was this guy (KKKarl "turdblossom" Rove, seen at left). Well one could be forgiven for jumping to the apparently incorrect assumption that Sheryl was being harassed, molested or otherwise creeped out by KKKarl. But apparently it would simply be another example of your lyin' eyes doing their thing and in spite of the fact that KKKarl appears to have just crawled out from under the rock which should never have been turned over, it is he that is creeped out by being touched by Sheryl Crow. Maybe he should hire Jeff (Gannon/Guckert) to protect him from such scary creatures. Of course I don't really need to point out that it is more than likely that most American males would consider a dream involving being touched by Sheryl the opposite of a nightmare, and that's all I'll say about that.

In their posting at Huffpo (linked to via posting title) Laurie David and Sheryl Crow describe their "Rove Incident" at the Annual WH Corresspondents Dinner. Perhaps their encounter with Bush's Brain was the highlight this year since the Bush Administration wasn't masochistic enough to invite Stephen Colbert for a second appearance. Maybe the Bushies actually bought Colbert's right-wing O'Reilly schtick and didn't realize what he was about until he was at the table. According to Sheryl and Laurie:

The "highlight" of the evening had to be when we were introduced to Karl Rove. How excited were we to have our first opportunity ever to talk directly to the Bush Administration about global warming. We asked Mr. Rove if he would consider taking a fresh look at the science of global warming. Much to our dismay, he immediately got combative. And it went downhill from there.
....snip (The whole post is short and well worth reading and if you have the time, the approximately 700 comments may well be amusing and of interest as well)
In his attempt to dismiss us, Mr. Rove turned to head toward his table, but as soon as he did so, Sheryl reached out to touch his arm. Karl swung around and spat, "Don't touch me.".............. Unfazed, Sheryl abruptly responded, "You can't speak to us like that, you work for us." Karl then quipped, "I don't work for you, I work for the American people." To which Sheryl promptly reminded him, "We are the American people."
......snip
Drama aside, you would expect as an American citizen to be able to engage in a civil discussion with a public official. Instead, Mr. Rove was dismissive, condescending, and quite frankly a bully.

Today in a followup at Huffpo the women had this to say:

Everywhere we went today, we were asked by everyone from Congresspeople to Capitol Hill police about the "Rove incident." To set the record straight, the other night, we approached Mr. Rove at a dinner designed specifically to encourage conversations between people from different worlds. We were riding a wave of excitement having just come from talking to college students across the country about global warming. Obviously, we were very surprised that Mr. Rove found discussing such an important issue to be insulting. However, rather than continuing to focus on the encounter itself, can we now focus on the urgent need to act on global warming? We would welcome the opportunity to engage directly with the Bush administration in a constructive conversation about solutions to the global warming crisis.

Thanks Ladies! I'll discuss anything with ya'll anytime, and you can touch me anytime, just sayin'..........and Sheryl I'd love to jam and would try to play decent enough to not entirely waste your time - I hope you keep rocking in the Free World as well as playing in the USA. And..........KKKarl........you do remind me of things I've seen scurrying away right after turning over a rock.

A Great Passes (On) in the Night

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:53:00 +0000

Kurt Vonnegut died last night in Manhattan. He hadn't been doing well of late since a fall which did some damage to his head/brain. He wasn't stolen from us in the bud of his youth as in spite of smoking almost steady for decades, he made it to eighty-four years of age.

His last book, in 2005, was a collection of biographical essays, "A Man Without a Country." It concludes with a poem written by Mr. Vonnegut called "Requiem," which has these closing lines:

When the last living thing
has died on account of us,
how poetical it would be
if Earth could say,
in a voice floating up
perhaps
from the floor
of the Grand Canyon,
"It is done."
People did not like it here.

I think between now and my time to go, would be a good time to read again some or all of Mr. Vonnegut's wonderful books. His was a unique and wonderful voice and perspective on our world. Rest in Peace Mr. Vonnegut, and thanks for the writing.

...so it goes!

Let Us Be Lawyers for Jesus!

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 16:14:00 +0000

Charlie Savage in the Boston Globe (boston.com) tells us about Regent Law School in Virginia Beach, the Alma Mater of the new Monica, Monica Goodling. This Monica is the resigned justice department official who has promised to take the fifth in order to avoid "incriminating" herself for stuff she did at work for Abu "Torture Boy" Gonzales at the Department of Justice. I know the Department of Justice "used" to go after criminals, not harbor them, but we are in the reign of the Bu$heviks and even George Orwell would become confused nowadays.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The title of the course was Constitutional Law, but the subject was sin. Before any casebooks were opened, a student led his classmates in a 10-minute devotional talk, completed with "amens," about the need to preserve their Christian values.
"Sin is so appealing because it's easy and because it's fun," the law student warned.
Regent University School of Law, founded by televangelist Pat Robertson to provide "Christian leadership to change the world," has worked hard in its two-decade history to upgrade its reputation, fighting past years when a majority of its graduates couldn't pass the bar exam and leading up to recent victories over Ivy League teams in national law student competitions.
But even in its darker days, Regent has had no better friend than the Bush administration. Graduates of the law school have been among the most influential of the more than 150 Regent University alumni hired to federal government positions since President Bush took office in 2001, according to a university website.

Monica Goodling, (seen at right during better days) with her resignation and threat to invoke the fifth before Congress, has brought, probably unwanted, attention on Pat Robertson's attempt to create lawyers to put Jesus back in charge of America where Pat thinks he belongs. Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin and all those other weirdos were just "liberal" lefties with no concept of the real world of greed, violence and the hopefully soon to come Last Days. Their ongoing attempt to erase the separation between church and state is just one of the Bu$h Crime Family's many attacks on the Constitution and Bill of Rights. They attack science, critics, truth and anything else that tries to get in the way of their greed motivated agenda.

Documents show that Goodling, who has asserted her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid testifying before Congress, was one of a handful of officials overseeing the firings. She helped install Timothy Griffin , the Karl Rove aide and her former boss at the Republican National Committee, as a replacement US attorney in Arkansas.
Because Goodling graduated from Regent in 1999 and has scant prosecutorial experience, her qualifications to evaluate the performance of US attorneys have come under fire. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, asked at a hearing: "Should we be concerned with the experience level of the people who are making these highly significant decisions?"
And across the political blogosphere, critics have held up Goodling, who declined to be interviewed, as a prime example of the Bush administration subordinating ability to politics in hiring decisions.
"It used to be that high-level DOJ jobs were generally reserved for the best of the legal profession," wrote a contributor to The New Republic website . ". . . That a recent graduate of one of the very worst (and sketchiest) law schools with virtually no relevant experience could ascend to this position is a sure sign that there is something seriously wrong at the DOJ."(my emphasis)

You know Washington DC makes sense as a terrorism target until you remember that that is where the Bu$h Administration and the remains of the Do Nothing/Rubber Stamp RePuklican Congress hang out. The terrorists would never want to wipe out their main American allies and enablers. Shooter Cheney, Condomleeza RiceCakes and the preznit are like the recuitment poster boys and girls for the bad, bad, bad, bad, IslamoFascistExtremoTerraDudes.

Another Enemy of the People?

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 18:21:00 +0000

I remember awhile ago when I heard the story of a Catholic father, or brother, that had a difficult time getting back to his parish on the North Coast of BC, it seems his name was on a US based "Terror Watch List." The thing that made it seem especially scary was that the good Irish Catholic had two, given and surname, really common Irish names. It made me wonder that if Father Dicky Doyle is on the Terror Watch List, how many Dickys get obstructed trying to fly every week. Ask Mehar Arar about the ease of being removed from these watch lists, no matter how you got on it to begin with. Heck, Teddy Kennedy was even on one for long enough to be inconvenienced, but then he is a Democrat, or is that Al Democratahbolla?

The following story linked to in the title shouldn't surprise anyone who hasn't been holed up since before Saddam crawled into the "spider" hole.

From the program in "Law and Public Affairs" at Princeton Universtity's own websitecomes this information and more about Walter Murphy.

Walter F. Murphy, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence Emeritus at Princeton University, is among the most distinguished constitutional scholars of the 20th century. A decade after joining the Princeton faculty, he was named the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, succeeding Woodrow Wilson, Edward S. Corwin and Alpheus T. Mason in one of the nation's most prestigious endowed chairs.

In case you suspect Mr. Murphy is a knee-jerk lefty liberal, I should point out he doesn't think much of Roe V. Wade and actually supported Sam Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court to assist his brother in arms Scalia to bring the level of discourse and decisions there ever downward.

In Mr. Murphy's own words, as blogged by Mark Graber at Balkinization Here after the fold, Click on Read more, are the difficulties Mr. Murphy had to deal with as an enemy of the people (well maybe the people in the White House). I've added any italics or bolding in the following.

More

"On 1 March 07, I was scheduled to fly on American Airlines to Newark, NJ, to attend an academic conference at Princeton University, designed to focus on my latest scholarly book, Constitutional Democracy, published by Johns Hopkins University Press this past Thanksgiving."
"When I tried to use the curb-side check in at the Sunport, I was denied a boarding pass because I was on the Terrorist Watch list. I was instructed to go inside and talk to a clerk. At this point, I should note that I am not only the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence (emeritus) but also a retired Marine colonel. I fought in the Korean War as a young lieutenant, was wounded, and decorated for heroism. I remained a professional soldier for more than five years and then accepted a commission as a reserve office, serving for an additional 19 years."
"I presented my credentials from the Marine Corps to a very polite clerk for American Airlines. One of the two people to whom I talked asked a question and offered a frightening comment: "Have you been in any peace marches? We ban a lot of people from flying because of that." I explained that I had not so marched but had, in September, 2006, given a lecture at Princeton, televised and put on the Web, highly critical of George Bush for his many violations of the Constitution. "That'll do it," the man said. "
"After carefully examining my credentials, the clerk asked if he could take them to TSA officials. I agreed. He returned about ten minutes later and said I could have a boarding pass, but added: "I must warn you, they=re going to ransack your luggage." On my return flight, I had no problem with obtaining a boarding pass, but my luggage was "lost." Airlines do lose a lot of luggage and this "loss" could have been a mere coincidence. In light of previous events, however, I'm a tad skeptical."
"I confess to having been furious that any American citizen would be singled out for governmental harassment because he or she criticized any elected official, Democrat or Republican. That harassment is, in and of itself, a flagrant violation not only of the First Amendment but also of our entire scheme of constitutional government. This effort to punish a critic states my lecture's argument far more eloquently and forcefully than I ever could. Further, that an administration headed by two men who had "had other priorities" than to risk their own lives when their turn to fight for their country came up, should brand as a threat to the United States a person who did not run away but stood up and fought for his country and was wounded in battle, goes beyond the outrageous. Although less lethal, it is of the same evil ilk as punishing Ambassador Joseph Wilson for criticizing Bush's false claims by "outing" his wife, Valerie Plaime, thereby putting at risk her life as well as the lives of many people with whom she had had contact as an agent of the CIA. ..."
"I have a personal stake here, but so do all Americans who take their political system seriously. Thus I hope you and your colleagues will take some positive action to bring the Administration's conduct to the attention of a far larger, and more influential, audience than I could hope to reach. "

Update to Friday's Post

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 19:12:00 +0000

So what goes on behind the towering "paywall" at the New York Times, do Mo Dowdy and Frankie Richguy tickle each other as they read Rag's Mag? Well I'm only joking Frank, as you are, alone, almost enough reason to send money to the Times. Then I remember that they handed money to Judith Miller on a regular basis so she could whore for free, as a hobby while she passed on whatever lies her clients of the evening wanted spread about.

Imitation being a very sincere form of flattery and all I was kinda amused to read this in Frank Rich's column in todays Sunday Times!

It can't be lost on those dwindling die-hards, particularly those on the 2008 ballot, that if defending the indefensible can reduce even a politician of McCain's heroic stature to that of Dukakis-in-the-tank, they have nowhere to go but down. They'll cut and run soon enough. For starters, just watch as McCain's GOP presidential rivals add more caveats to their support for the administration's Iraq policy.

I'll admit Mr. McCain put in his shift during Vietnam, unlike his colleagues the Shrub and Shooter Cheney and the like. However, how he has gained respect as some kind of "military expert" is beyond me. Think about it, he spent the first part of his war bombing people he couldn't even see from about 30,000 feet above. Then he finished up as a guest of the enemy at the Hanoi Hilton, and as far as I know didn't even learn Vietnamese, but could have. What did he "tell" Ho Chi Minh? I mean ya'all didn't win that war as I recall and loose lips sink ships. But I forgot, RePukes can out spies, spy for who ever they want and even sell nuclear technology to bad guys. Those things (and bjs) are forbidden only if you happen to be Democratic.

(in)Phamous Photos

rhkewen@yahoo.ca (Rag Machine) — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 15:45:00 +0000

In our world of the 15 second sound bite and constantly repeated and thus imprinted image, certain photographs achieve the rank of becoming icons of idolatry and foolishness. One that certainly comes to mind in that category is the famous picture of Michael Dukakis bravely guiding a tank through some suburban corner of America. That and the picture of relapsed felon Willie Horton pretty well was enough to convince the barely concious American electorate that da Duke didn't have what it takes. Maybe the Duke's picture looks a little more impressive today if you consider that those civilian vehicles in the background "could" harbor an IED. Of course that was before the days of color coded scary alerts.

Who could forget the day Commander Codpiece flew a couple of miles out into the dangerous Pacific to meet with the Aircraft Carrier to celebrate the great victory in Iraq. He wouldn't really, you know, serve in the military or really even fulfill his obligation in the homeguard reserve military, back when the reserve was really about protecting America not policing nasty neighborhoods in Baghdad. If I was GWB (shudder) I would rue the day I got all dressed up with my six extra pairs of wool socks in my pants and took over an Aircraft Carrier full of seamen who probably just wanted to go ashore. It's difficult to speculate about the Chimporer though, he might gaze at photos of that silly, silly and unfortunately tragically silly day and actually tingle with some excitement caused by the dysfunctioning of the synapses in the space between his ears.

Not to be outdone, one of the current weirdos vying to be Preznit has entered his own absurd photo-op for admission to the Weirdo Photo Hall of Shame Archives. In order to prove his assertion that thanks to the "Surge," the streets of the market districts in Baghdad were perfectly safe, he and ~~Captain Queeg~~ ~~gomer~~ Lindsey Graham went shopping. By the way guys, real men don't shop! The Straightalk Express didn't think anyone would notice that they were wearing bullet proof vests, and were accompanied by over 100 heavily armed troops. Also they were escorted by armored humvees, three Blackhawk helicopters and two Apache attack copters with the added protection of having snipers on the rooftops and the district they were in practically sealed off from the rest of Baghdad. I'll go shopping, hell shoplifting, anywhere in L.A. if I can have that kind of posse.

So there we have a brief glimpse in to the family photo duds albums of three highly overtouted pompous asses. One will never be president and another with any luck will never be president. The third, unfortunately IS president, but never should have been and will most likely go unchallenged for the rest of time as the worstest preznit ever (and ever) (and ever Amen - Randy Travis).

Sometimes though a photo can capture that elusive quality called "leadership." I think the secret isn't in the photographer's technique, but in his choice of subject. So to kinda of rinse out our eyes and remind ourselves what leadership might look like, I will end this little missive with a photograph that defines the quality of leadership.

McCain Market Photo Credit:Photo taken April 1, 2007. REUTERS/Sergeant Matthew Roe/10th Public Affairs Operations Center/Handout (IRAQ). detailing by rHk - Sgt Roe is undoubtably still in Baghdad rather than Arizona or the "Green Zone" of Washington D.C., like the StraightTalk Express.