Weekend Update - December 1st

• Oh let's just start off with Jesus. Bible thumpers are boycotting "The Golden Compass" because it's a really cool movie that pisses them off. Mark Morford describes the silliness.
• David Brooks, Lou Dobbs, and their massive egos may not realize this, but we do not have to choose between their flawed economic visions for American and the world. From Common Sense.
• It's clown time at the political circus. Some dude walked into the Clinton campaign office in New Hampshire with a gun and demands to talk to Hillary. Right wing bloogers are having a sarcastic field day. Oh well, it's all in sick fun.
• U.S. war veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have announced they're planning to descend on Washington, DC this March to testify about war crimes they committed or personally witnessed in Iraq.
• The active-duty deaths in Iraq are horrible own their own, but a little reported fact is that 120 war veterans commit suicide every WEEK. Reach out to a veteran today.
• In the history of the American Republic, perhaps no political family has been more protected from scandal than the Bushes. As a matter of fact, the Bush Family gets away with crimes that would land anyone else in jail.
• And just in time for the holiday travel season, check out "Motor Home Racing." (I laughed so much at this one my stomach hurt. Thanks, Brother Michael.)
• And Karl Rove's mouth gets ahead of his brain...or his brain is ahead of his mouth....or whatever. Does he really think he can change history on a whim? When assholes write books, the rest of us try to figure it all out.
• Wolfowitz is a name which the mothers of Iraq use to scare their children, so it should be no surprise that the Bushies, blind as ever to the consequences of their criminal enterprise in Iraq, have called upon this "prime architect of the Iraq War" to fix what has gone wrong with the Iraq War. Makes perfect sense. -Uncle Bob
• For those of you who still admit to voting for BushCo, here's something that should make you cringe. George Bush's legacy: $30,000 from each man, woman, and child in this country. That's what his idiotic adventures have cost us. Like to start a list of things we could have used that money for...?
• George and his motley crew can pack up and go home early if they'd like. Turns out they lied about Iran's nukes, too. Gee, what a surprise.
• And here's this week's Top Ten Conservatives Idiots. Only ten?

Weekend Update - November 24th

• "No Music Day." Music, music, music, whether you want it or not! Kevin Berger expounds on one of my pet peeves. (Uncle Bob)
• As Uncle Bob tries to virtually take over Weekend Update, he implores all of us to read this next one, even though he knows "it's really long." I concur. It's worth reading. "America's History of Bungled Spying."
• Ricks of 'Wash Post': Don't Celebrate Turnaround in Iraq Just Yet. Thomas Ricks of The Washington Post has been one of the level-headed, and accurate, reporters on the Iraq war since its inception. His book "Fiasco" was one of the best on the subject.
• Conservative Prime Minister John Howard, one of the Bush administration's staunchest allies, suffered a humiliating election defeat Saturday at the hands of an opposition leader who has vowed to pull troops out of Iraq.
• Sit down. Think for a moment what would have happened if George Bush was in office during the Cuban missle crisis. Now calm down.
• When Harold Washington, Chicago’s first black mayor, died on Nov. 25, 1987, many of us understood that his death marked the passing of a great man. But while we lamented the negative impact of his loss, few of us had any inkling of the vast political vacuum he would leave behind.
• Impeachment: IF NOT NOW, WHEN?
• Mike Huckabee is not a sane man.
  

Happy Thankswishing

Okay, so I just got back from my sister's place in Lowell, Oregon, and we had a wonderful time eating more than we really should, and it was great to see all the pseudo relatives and friends who hadn't been seen or even remotely thought of since last Thanksgiving, but it was really great to see my sister. Nancy's in her early 70's (how can that be possible?) and has endured two episodes of cancer and a recently detached retina, but actually in all honesty looks fantastic. I love her dearly, but you can't hug your sister too much, so we just traded our usual familial barbs and it was a great time had by all.

I hope you all had a great day. And here's my main question. What the hell do we have to be thankful for? I'm talking on a universal level here, not personal. Anyone out there better off than they were last Thanksgiving? Let's make a list. Number One: I didn't die this year. Number Two: ( )

We've endured seven years of the Bush administration and watched this country go into the proverbial shitter little by little and the only light at the end of the tunnel seems to be our faith that there actually will be an end to this tunnel with all the goddamned hope in the world that it's not the light of an oncoming train. All politics aside here, dear friends, is there any hope for us? I am a Democrat because I believe in the idea that government should take care of the disadvantaged citizens of our country. I believe that the taxes I pay should go to the health and welfare of all American citizens. Social programs. Fix the roads. Repair the bridges. Heal the sick. Cure diseases. Teach the children. Improve the schools. I can't break out of this silly idea that if it's truly MY money they're spending, it should go to a good cause.

I'm not a "Republican Hater." The real Republican party I grew up with in the 50's was a fiscally responsible group of sincerely sincere politicians who truly had the American people's welfare in mind. My whole family were registered Republicans and by gawd when we had Thanksgiving we said "grace" before we ate and thanked the Lord for every wonderful thing we partook of, because it was all so righteous. And to this day, I love Republicans. Because I've figured it out. Republicans are just misguided Democrats. Our friend Michael Moore refers to them as "RINOs." Republicans In Name Only. No matter how much you argue with a RINO, the mantra will always be "because Democrats will raise my taxes."

The cost of the war in Iraq (alone) is approaching $500,000,000,000. (I think I typed that right. It's supposed to represent HALF A TRILLION DOLLARS.) But thank George that he's vetoed bills to increase health coverage to several thousand more poor children. What a waste that would be. Fiscally responsible? The Conservative mind isn't really about money. Nope. They can spend a trillion dollars faster than fat can travel through a goose. The important thing to Conservatives is keeping America free of the evils of "socialized medicine."

At any rate, we have one more year of the Bush Administration to look forward to, and instead of being thankful this season, I find myself wishing it would all end as soon as possible. But you know the old saying - you can wish in one hand and grab a turkey leg in the other...oh never mind.

Weekend Update - November 17th

• Are you sick of being sick? Suffering way too much Bush-induced nausea? Well, tough.


• A lot of Presidential elections are decided by "general comfort level with candidate" as much as anything. This is a fairly coherent description of a fudge, wherein a candidate seems to be taking questions from an audience, but is really staging a scripted event. Nice. Tight. Message. While we expect this crap from Republicans, we do not expect it from Democrats.


• Of all the Iraq-war-themed movies released this fall, this passionate, personal film stands apart, and it stands alone. See it when you can!


• The New York Times says the Democrats have found their voice. Oh really? And what little whiney voice would that be?


• So Pat Robertson endorses Rudy Giuliani, and you watch the CBN all the time, right? And you don't like Rudy Giuliani, and so you want all that money you contributed to CBN back, right? And so what do they do? They give it back! Thank you Jesus.


• Remember during the Vietnam War when deserters could flee to Canada to escape prosecution? Well, Canada says we can't do that anymore. So where do we go now? Costa Rica? Holy Crap!


• The 50 Dumbest Things George Bush Has Ever Said. Only 50?

St. Ronnie and the 11th Commandment

(Arthur comments on a post I sent out last week.)

When Ronald Reagan had the National Guard tossing tear gas at students in Berkeley in around 1970 at the time of the People's Park dispute (Reagan is dead, the park is alive) I happened to be eating lunch on the outside deck at "Reza's" a sort of Iranian/Middle-Eastern joint on Telegraph Avenue. It should be noted that the deck was in the back, not on the street. On the street a determined group of wanna-be martyrs had gone out that sunny afternoon, in the words of the Rolling Stones, "To get their fair share of abuse". Which they did. But so did I and my fellow diners, there for a determinedly apolitical lunch. We climbed over a wall to depart, since leaving by the street entrance seemed like a bad idea.

To say that Ronald Reagan was well-known in California as being a complete dick head is to state the obvious. Unfortunately there were a lot of Californians who had not yet gotten the message. From that I think it is fair to assume that most of the population of California not-so-secretly wishes they were movie stars. Crazy, I know. I can be seen in the movie "The Way West" in a street scene behind the opening credits. Leaving a house of ill-repute. Clearly I have no grounds on which to question the sanity of my fellow Californicators.

But those who were only partially stage-struck always knew that Reagan was a douche. It amazed everyone when he went on to enjoy something after being Governor of California. We thought he should be imprisoned, but our advice was not heeded. Not a nice man. Robbed the poor to enrich the rich. Lied as easily as he read scripts in his movies.

Was he a racist? Oh, probably only to achieve an end. I don't think he cared about anything except making a big impression on people and keeping his nasty little wife happy. She looked like one of those people who could be very, very no fun to live with.

Once he got done being President he probably purposely got Alzheimer's, to escape.

But a great President? A nice guy? A straight-shooter?

Nah, just a self-promoter.

Arthur

Warning From Pakistan!

(Thanks to Brother Michael for this gem....)


This morning, from a cave somewhere in Pakistan, Taliban Minister of Migration, Mohammed Omar, warned the United States and Canada that if military action against Iraq continues, Taliban authorities will cut off America's and Canada's supply of convenience store managers. And if this action does not yield sufficient results, cab drivers will be next, followed by Dell and Sprint customer service reps.

It's getting ugly.

A Salute to "Loveable John," On Veteran's Day

Back in the old days, before Armistice Day became Veterans’ Day, we young Marines were told that the reason November 11th was a holiday was to allow all Marines a day off to sober up from celebrating the Marine Corps Birthday on the 10th of November, and my recollection of some of the more memorable celebrations of that annual event, in Dress Blues and all, is testimony that if this is not a historical fact, it should have been.

Etched in my ancient memory banks, for example, is a picture of stalwart First Sergeant "Loveable John" McIinnis USMC, all buttoned up in Full Dress Blues, toasting the Corps for at least the 19th time at one of our Marine Corps Birthday Balls in the late 50s and falling flat on his back perhaps because his glass had become too heavy to hold in his hand. You can't keep a good man down, as John himself would have said, so after we helped him to his feet, he propped himself against a nearby bulkhead and remained upright for the duration of the celebration.

Years later, Lovable John and I would reunite in Vietnam, John now the sergeant major of an infantry battalion, where his welcoming words were, “Sit down and have a beer, Robert... I want to tell you how this fucking war sucks.”

I have a hunch that many Marine sergeants major embroiled in the quagmire of Iraq might greet an occasional visitor with a similar remark, if the goody-goody-two shoes of the Bushies’ press screening process would allow it to happen. But Marine sergeants major, past or present, are not listened to, unfortunately for the welfare of the nation.

Uncle Bob
Former Sgt. Major, USMC

(Thanks to Uncle Bob for taking this assignment to "write something for Veteran's Day." Uncle Bob is my own personal hero, not just on Veteran's Day, but every day. I salute him, and join with all of you for thanking him and all veterans for their service to our country.)

Weekend Update - November 10th

• The Bush Administration Plans to Blame You for Iraq.


• The Mental Collapse of Poor Joe Lieberman. p m carpenter


• The Viet Nam Memorial, "The Wall," turns 25. A visitor sings, "Looks like we're gonna have to build another wall..."


• Lord save us from this moron: "Some day people are going to look back at this time and day and say, 'Thank God there was a generation that did not lose faith ... because the Middle East is a place free of suiciders,'" Bush said.


• The Myth of the Ticking Time-Bomb.


• The ultra-religious nutcase Pat Robertson says Giuliani presidency appears in Book of Revelation. This is getting better all the time.


• It's official: Bush Derangement Syndrome is now a full-blown epidemic. George W. Bush apparently has reduced more of his fellow citizens to frustrated, sputtering rage than any president since opinion polling began, with the possible exception of Richard Nixon.
• Could smoking pot be good for teenagers? If you follow the White House's twisted logic, the answer could be "yes."

Quote of the Day

Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct. Even the ardent love of liberty will, after a time, give way to its dictates. The violent destruction of life and property incident to war, the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty to resort for repose and security to institutions which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe, they at length become willing to run the risk of being less free....

They [these institutions] would, at the same time, be necessitated to strengthen the executive arm of government, in doing which their constitutions would acquire a progressive direction toward monarchy. It is of the nature of war to increase the executive at the expense of the legislative authority”...

The perpetual menacings of danger oblige the government [of a localized confederacy] to be always prepared to repel it; its armies must be numerous enough for instant defense. The continual necessity for their services enhances the importance of the soldier, and proportionally degrades the condition of the citizen. The military state becomes elevated above the civil. The inhabitants of territories, often the theatre of war, are unavoidably subjected to frequent infringements on their rights, which serve to weaken their sense of those rights; and by degrees the people are brought to consider the soldiery not only as their protectors, but as their superiors. The transition from this disposition to that of considering them masters, is neither remote nor difficult; but it is very difficult to prevail upon a people under such impressions, to make a bold or effectual resistance to usurpations supported by the military power.”

Alexander Hamilton
Federalist #8

Comment of the Week - "Maybe Not End Times, But Surely Odd Times"

(Be sure to check out all the links on this one. We loved it so much we're starting a new feature here, and calling it "Bad Hat Comment of the Week." By the way, Rudy has been called "George Bush With Brains." Holy crap! Thanks, Arthur.)

I love it when Godly Men (who attended a "fully accredited college") are willing to take a stand and say weird things. I love it even more when they hate Rudy Giuliani.

But wait, they also see DEMONIC FORCES taking over "Dickie" Scaife and turning him away from his Clinton-hating days!

And against the Iraq war. Is nothing sacred?

Arthur

Scouting the Dark Side

(Our Official Political Curmudgeon, Arthur in Marin County, comments on the GOP frontrunners at this point, and ends with a comment on Barak Obama.)


Florida, who knew? This is as concise and intelligent a take down of Rudy Giuliani as one could hope for. He is intellectually incurious, dishonest, ambitious and appears willing to say or do anything that will get him elected. Nice.

As I look over the GOP frontrunners I see a host of negatives:

Giuliani: sleazy friends, enjoys wearing women's clothing, serial adulterer, hated by NY Firefighters, fear-mongering moron.

Romney: belongs to a religion many Americans believe is a cult, evangelicals see as a heresy, has a record of self-contradiction.

McCain: some of what we might like about him, others hate, the evangelicals loathe him, he is physically failing before our eyes.

Fred Thompson: appears detached and bored, used to be a lobbyist, Nixon on record as saying he is a dolt.

Huckaby: the GOP's Gomer Pyle, not even the evangelicals find him convincing.

(On Barak Obama:)
Obama won my heart by saying something along the lines of "I'm not running for President so I can be famous. I've been on Oprah, I am not hungry for fame".

Aside from being the oddest thing anyone has said, except a lot of things that Mike Gravel says, it really encapsulates it all, doesn't it? Once you've been on Oprah, what pinnacles are left to conquer?

Actually, aside from being a bit odd, he often makes fairly good sense.

Arthur

Weekend Update - November 3rd

• Poor Hillary. Try as she might, that Clinton smoothtalk stuff sometimes gets her into a bit of trouble. They call it the "Politics of Parsing."
• p m carpenter blasts "Our Co-reigning Antichrists: Shumer and Feinstein."
• Has John Edwards moment arrived? In his own words.
• Heartbreaking: A Soldier's Story - Nowhere To Go.
• Consider poor Rummy. Can't even vacation in France without having to flee or face charges as a war criminal. Is this an image of things to come for all of them?
• Interesting rant: "George W. Bush and Dick Cheney shouldn't be treated like criminals who deserve punishment. They should be treated like psychotics who need treatment."
• Some fundamentalist evangelicals have moved from forecasting Armageddon to actually trying to bring it about.
• Obama opens Saturday Night Live. Hilarious.
• Here's an article in the World Nut Daily saying that we should replace those rebellious State Department people who refuse to serve in Iraq with wounded discharged soldiers. What?
• Just another reason why Dennis Kucinich has my vote.