Fitz the rats!

Remember Nuremberg!

Fitz where are you?

I’d like to know why, in light of what has allegedly happened at Haditha, nobody in the traditional media is picking up on the Hartford Courant’s recent reporting about the abysmal state of the military’s mental health care for soldiers.

The Courant found that they’re giving anti-depressants to the troops and sending them right back to duty without monitoring them or allowing the soldiers to spend even the minimal amount of time required to ensure the drugs are having the desired effect.

If they’re going to talk about soldiers “snapping” shouldn’t they take into account the system that is in place to ensure these things don’t happen? And will somebody please hold Rummy responsible for the system he has in place? It’s his arbitrary troop number that they are trying to maintain.

Sheesh folks, dontchaknow the GC is quaint.

You know, these SOB’s didn’t just get that way, and 911 didn’t spook them into it. These bastards have always been evil. Witness Rumsfeld and Cheney back in the Nixon days. The only difference is, now they have an incurious boy King to run over, and a license to kill - literally!

When you consider the Robber Baron Era, the fact that moneyed interests considered a coup against FDR, the corporate-Nazi ties in the run-up to WWII and Mccarthyism, you come to understand that totalitarianism is only a heartbeat away.

Every generation is called on to fight a great evil. I believe the evil among us is our generation’s fight, not the GWOT.

mccain’s overrated when it comes to military strategy — he’s more suited to the reagan era of invading tiny islands

How can you expect the media to have the time to report on torture and Army Manuals and the BushCo Constitution shredder? Don’t you know that Hillary wore a Lemon Yellow Pantsuit? What could be more important than that?

Cheney and Addington, Cambone and Rummy orchestrated it under the direction of the holy boy king. Somebody ought to ask Condi publically what she thinks since the article says State objects to it. Or ask Wilkerson, Powell, Batiste, Kofi Annan, etc. Or maybe a surviving POW from the previous Gulf War?

McCain and Graham should also be grilled mercilessly, but I expect nothing from them except that w. is protecting us in this post 9/11 world and daddy knows best…

Give me a N
Give me a U
Give me a R
Give me a E
Give me a M
Give me a B
Give me a E
Give me a R
Give me a G

War Crimes!

  “Someone explain to me again why Donald Rumsfeld still has a freaking job as SecDef?”

the title should be “DeafSec”.

Okay. EPU’d for the second time today so I am reposting from the previous thread:

I was tootling around yesterday looking for more information wrt the Toronto Terrorists, of particular interest to me since I live in Toronto. In fact, one of the men picked up in the sweep in 2001 worked at a 7/11 in my neighborhood, so I wanted to see if I recognized anyone.

I didn’t, but I did read some interesting things. Unfortunately, I can’t find the blog where I read this, but here’s the jist.

There has been a lot of talk about the 3 tons of fertilizer these guys bought both in terms of cost and danger.

Apparently the cost is about $1200. Not so expensive if you ask me. So I don’t think deep pockets from AlQaeda were necessary. The men are apparently a tribute band of terrorists.

The amount bought isn’t outrageous, if used for its stated purpose. I read that it would fertilize 50 to 70 acres. [Edit: I was not trying to imply that amount wouldn’t make a dangerous bomb, just that people can and do actually buy that amount, without nefarious purposes in mind.]

Since 2001, it is not made in Canada anymore. You have to import it from the Southern US. All large purchases of the stuff are tracked, so the government forces knew who had this.

In fact, I just read on the http://cbc.ca site that undercover agents sold them harmless chemicals that only looked like ammonium nitrate. So the visions of terrible damage that the government nipped in the bud, are just that — visions.

The 17 people arrested are all 25 or younger (mostly younger), except for a 30 yr old and 43 yr old. Several are protected by young offenders act because they are under 18. Two of them are already in jail (apparently they tried to smuggle guns into Canada).

I am not downplaying what these guys wanted to do, I am trying to point out that they were miles away from actually being able to do it.

They were tracked by security forces, sold fake goods by security forces and then stopped by security forces.

I have to admit I question the timing of the arrests. Stockwell “Doris” Day, the minister responsible is notorious in Canada for his truthy positions and political gaffes.

I would not have put it past him to pull the trigger on this on the order of, or as a favour for the government in the US.

Harper’s government is determined to remold Canada into a nation that the Religious right would be proud of. Making us all scared is just part of that.

Froomkin;
Nobody’s buying Bushes ammendment.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....00879.html

“Someone explain to me again why Donald Rumsfeld still has a freaking job as SecDef?”

Easy. I can explain it. Because Democrats have no balls. Just think, if Rummy were a Democrat, the Repugs would blame him for every single new death in Iraq. There’d be a daily count of the people Bush/Rumsfelf/Cheney killed. And every day, they’d call for his resignation.

Rusmfeld’s directive to exclude the Geneva provisions from the Army field manual is the conclusive piece of evidence that guarantees Rummy’s conviction at The Hague.

How do you spell hipocrite?

MCCAIN…..

How do you define traitor to his values?

McCain……

How do you define someone who DOES NOT defend family values?

McCain….

We’re well on our way to becoming one of those Third World dictatorships we were once all glad we didn’t live in.

I wish I could be more constructive or articulate about this, but it’s just so shameful that I can’t. It would be nice if the ABA could weigh in on this one, too.

Oh, my mood is just getting worse and worse…

McCain has no answer that would not be 180 degrees away from the legislation he sponsored.

And I suppose it is a measure of just how badly he wants to sit in the Oval Office that he has not voluntarily come out in opposition to this latest travesty. Good God, how can McCain expect to have any credibility as a leader, when he fails to be out in front on what many would call a signature issue for him, having been a POW? If he’s going to talk the talk, he HAS TO be able to walk the walk, or he goes from “independent” to “indefensible.” If he doesn’t think his lack of a stand will come back to haunt him, he is living in an alternate reality.

If I remember correctly, there was speculation at the time the legislation was up for a vote that there was wiggle room via reference to the Field Manual - along the lines of “well, they’ll just change the manual so the law doesn’t apply.”

Grrrr.

new Rummy mission: dept. of de fences on de border

explain to me again why Donald Rumsfeld still has a freaking job?

Karl Rove is Bush’s Brain — Cheney and Rumsfeld are his balls.

What does Bush bring to the table? An empty suit, a bad ass frat boy attitude, and a killer codpiece.

Even Tony Cordesman is giving Rummy an F these days. Someone explain to me again why Donald Rumsfeld still has a freaking job as SecDef?

Even if I weren’t omniscient, I would still know the answer to this.

Rumsfield is a master of the art of sounding like you are saying something important without saying anything. In the vernacular, he is a great bullshitter.

You often see these types in the corporate world, where they use put together streams of “terms of art” that sound intelligent if not profound, but are meaningless.

These “Master Bullshitters” speak of “paradigm shifts,” and “asymetries,” and “new dynamics,” of “paradoxes” and “parallaxes,” (yes, I am making myself smile as a type this) of “deltas” and “gammas,” of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle and its relation to all matters of human endeavor, of Sun-Tze and Clausewitz and gazpacho, of “white papers” and “think tanks” with “granularity,” (never forget the granularity, its vitality important) with an assuredness that bewitches the listener - for they speak of the “future,” which of course they understand with absolute clarity, even if you can’t understand what they are talking about, it sounds good, it sounds intelligent, it sounds right.

And most importantly, it is so unintelligible, so confusing, that no one can find a hook upon which to start to criticize it, and even if they could, they are afraid to because the BULLSHIT sounds like GENUIS, and everyone just stands around in awe that a human being could come up with such theories and it doesn’t matter that no one else understands what the “genius” is saying, since they are NOT genuises and who are they to question the Master Bullshitter. Which is the true brilliance of the “Master Bullshitter.” Done right, they are never called on their shit.

And through their mastery of the language and art of bullshit they work their way up the corporate latter, or in this case the political ladder, to the amazement of all who knew them when they were young and though they were NUTS rather than a GENUIS, but to the envy of their b-school friends.

here is link to article cited by Dover Bitch upthead - it is a very tough read

www.courant.com/news/specials/ hc-mental1a.artmay14,0,6150281.story

and did anyone catch the post at Gilliard’s on “Private Pile” an obviously imbalanced young man embarking on his 4th (not a typo!) tour unable to do anything but vacantly smile and clean his weapon ? to Steve’s credit, it was a post written before last week’s reports of atrocities - warning of what was to come in ignoring this within the ranks

Senator McCain, which one of these magnets did you want on your car ?

“Someone explain to me again why Donald Rumsfeld still has a freaking job as SecDef?”

Because BushCo can’t risk the exposure that Senate confirmation hearings would give to the conduct of the war.

Bionic, I just answered you THERE and now I see you HERE. (Post-EPU last thread, I mean. We try . . . )

Excuse me, Mr Rumsfield?
Apparently the post office found this telegram behind an old machine.
It looks to be dated from the late 40’s.
Err,you MIGHT want to take a look at this sir.

Article 3 Geneva Convention.

In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:

1. Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.

To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:

(a) Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;

(b) Taking of hostages;

(c) Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment;

(d) The passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.

2. The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for.

An impartial humanitarian body, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict.

The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of the present Convention.

The application of the preceding provisions shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict.

cbl @ 11:55 am (#21) That link just gets you close. It looks like you somehow added a space. Try this link to the story galler.

Beautiful fugue, EPU — bravo!

In addition to cbl’s link, here’s another from the Courant with more details about the anti-depressants.

I hate blog-pimping, but I just gotta this time.

Also, tonight on Sundance Channel, there is a documentary called “The Human Behavior Experiments” and I cannot recommend enough that you all watch it. It is only an hour long and at the end, you will be able to tell anybody, conclusively, that Rummy and his cohorts are entirely responsible for Abu Ghraib and the environment in Iraq that allows war crimes to occur.

An old joke —

Why is Coors Light like sex on the beach?

Because it’s fucking near water . . .

Why is granularity a bad thing during sex on the beach?

For the same reason it’s a bad thing when Rummy talks about granularity — you’re about to get fucked, and it won’t be pleasant.

goodness, thank you cujo359

New lead story on NYT:

Fed Chief Cites Concerns About Inflation

Dow down 147 and sinking fast.

Anne’s got it right. McCain’s bill was tied to the Army Field Manual requirements on treatment. DoD just changes the field manual, McCain got hosed but it’s hard for him to come out and say how he got hosed — or pull away from Bush just as he’s sucking up.

Pitiful performance

http://www.alternet.org/story/37046

According to a recent Zogby poll, less than half of all Americans agree that “the 9/11 attacks were thoroughly investigated and that any speculation about U.S. government involvement is nonsense.”

Christy, re: update. Nice that the ABA is looking into the signing statements, but,
when the MSM finally gets the nerve to do its job they will let out a chorus shout: “We’ve been asleep at the wheel all this time, but no more, let’s fulfil our sacred trust to the American people and find out what skullduggery President Feingold is up to.”

The we’ll be subjected to months of Tweety exibiting his Pavlovian drool response whenever anyone says zipper.

lotusland @ 23

I did see your response, but didn’t respond to your perspicacious acknowledgement of my wry wit, as I didn’t want to seem too desperate. ;o)

Lotuslander - Since I have no fears of “seeming desperate,” and rather bask in any and all recognition, I thank you for “your perspicacious acknowledgement of my dry wit.”

Rumsfeld the “weaver”…

Q: Mr. Secretary, do you know that Antarctica is a continent? Antarctica is a continent, and you keep saying that there are terrorists from every continent and coalition partners from every continent.

(Cross talk.)

Rumsfeld: Can you assure me there are not? (Laughter.)

Q: No, but you said that there were.

Q: If you would release a list, sir —

Rumsfeld: I stand corrected.

http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=rumsfeld al qaeda antarctica continent&sp=1&prssweb=Search&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-web-t315&SpellState=n-382164826_q-jbU7POYqnSRzJA.2/xIGbwAAAA@@&u=www.defenselink.mil/news/Feb2003/t02282003_t0228sd.html&w=rumsfeld al qaeda antarctica continent&d=Akl3oTmtM4GN&icp=1&.intl=us

Aw pshaw, yawl.

There’s a reason Rummy still has his job. He knows where the bodies are buried. Bush doesn’t dare fire him. He’s stuck with the guy.

And it’s nice to see that McCain is still as big a phony as ever. His “brave” stance on torture was just more posturing. McCain only picks the issues that are no-brainers. To paraphrase Chris Rock, what does the guy want, a cookie? You’re supposed to oppose torture. Duh.

Bionic 34
lotusland @ 23
I did see your response, but didn’t respond to your perspicacious acknowledgement of my wry wit, as I didn’t want to seem too desperate. ;o)

uh oh. some of us (OK, c’est moi) are whistling innocently, trying to look nonchalant, as if their entire façade didn’t just come crumbling down.

Cujo and cbl:

Thanks for the link to the Courant article. It prompts a simple question for Snowman, W, Rummie, Rice, McCain et. al:

Should the military follow Congressional orders to have soldiers assesed for mental illness before sending them into or back to combat? And a follow up: if someone is diagnosed with mental illness, should they be sent into combat nonetheless? What is the liability of the US if it knowingly or through negligence sends mentally ill troops into harm’s way?

And even more fundamentally, if an American soldier acting on sovereign Iraqi territory commits a crime, under which country’s laws should he or she be tried? In other words, can an Iraqi policeman arrest nd an Iraqi court try an American soldier, journalist or contractor? If not, what is the Iraqi recourse when disputes arise? Whine? Armed resistance? War? Shutthefuckup?

Just askin’.

But why only ask McCain? What about some of the other vets running around in political circles?

What does John Kerrey - famous pal of McCain’s and President of Jean Rohe’s alma mater - think of this?

What does Bob Dole think of this?

What does John Murtha think of this?

What does Max Cleland think of this?

What does Daniel Inouye think of this?

Bring back the retired generals, stick a mic in their faces, and let’s hear from them.

And then go to Nobel Peace Prize winners, and ask them. What might Nelson Mandela have to say about this? Elie Wiesel? Jimmy Carter? Shimon Peres? Mikhael Gorbachev? Desmond Tutu?

Then go back to President Bush. “Tell me again how this makes us safer, how this gives us the moral high ground in the war on terror, and how this makes our troops safer should they be captured?

Geeesh!

When Arlo Guthie’s draft board has questions about him, because of his arrest record for littering, they sent him to sit on a bench with other disreputable folks - mother-rapers, father-stabbers, father-rapers, and Arlo. They wanted to know if he had rehabilitated himself after so heinous a crime as littering. “You want to know if I’m moral enough to join the army, burn women and kids’ houses and villages after being a litterbug?”.

That bench had a name: the Group W Bench. It didn’t seem so significant back in the 60s . . . but it makes perfect sense now.

Let’s hear it for Family Values!

i just read this in a mediachannel news alert @ corporate media mergers:
http://www.mediachannel.org/affalert421.shtml
& had to share, esp hunter thompson quote, w/fdlers immediately:

“In many ways, the “market logic” that drove the synergy push, was expressed back in l984 by Mark Fowler, the chairman of Ronald Reagan’s FCC who made clear that broadcasting was NOT then, if it ever was, about serving the public interest.

“Its time to move away from thinking of broadcasters as trustees and time to treat them in the way that almost everyone else in the society does—that is, as a business,” he said. “Television is just another appliance. It is a toaster with pictures.”

Hunter S. Thompson, the late and lamented wordsmith, translated this analysis into a gonzo language everyone could understand concluding, “The TV business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs.”

DOW down 151 points! Why? Because GW Clusterfuck’s debate with Iran has caused oil prices to rise- and because GW Clusterfuck’s mounting deficits are causing inflation that must be attacked through higher fed rates.

So what’s GW Clusterfuck’s reaction? To speak about a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

Gay Marriage, to be clear, has not threatened the security or the economic future of the nation. GW Clusterfuck has.

We are living in Cloud Coo-Coo land.

Fascinating ironies in an article about the history of American observance of the Geneva Conventions here.

[snip]The American military takes the Geneva Conventions seriously. The main provisions of the Conventions are repeated in the rules of combat of the US armed services. Similar rules to govern the conduct of the United States Army during the Civil War have guided the American military since 1863, when a code of 159 articles was drafted by Francis Lieber, a German immigrant who became a professor of law at Columbia University.

In waiving the concern for reciprocity, are they not also admitting (advertising? warning?) that they too are terrorists?

Re: Rummy - what heretic says at 11:56. Besides the fact that W will not ever fire anyone for incompetence, because it would be tantamount to admitting that His Infallibleness made an error in judgment, the WH also knows that enough of their “own” people are disgusted w/Rummy and the conduct of the war that they can’t risk hearings.

And OT, but I sure picked a great weekend to be visiting family and away from my computer - I got a front-page nod from Jane and wasn’t even around to appreciate it! Oh well, it was a good visit.

Leslie in CA - apparently a nod is as good as a wink

rw at 43 — I hear ya. I’ve been walking around pissed off all day. Every time I read another news story, it just gets worse and worse. Cloud Coo-Coo land is as good a description as any of what the GOP is doing to the country and where they are at the moment. And the DOW isn’t done, I’m afraid…

Oops- DOW now down 160 points. GW Clusterfuck continues to babble about gay marriage- a subject that a friend recently said “He doesn’t give a shit about”.

Unfuckingbelievable.

brkily @ 12:24, great HST quote. I do miss that man.

Redd- I am livid.

OK- so GW Clusterfuck has some- well- ungainly political allies. But the leader of the free world has control of his own PRIORITIES- and this incompetent asshole is letting Rome burn while he frets about who gets to say “I DO”. It’s insufferable.

punaise - all we’re missing is a blink and we could sail off in a wooden shoe.

GWB - fiddling while the market burns.

rwcole, great minds and all that.

Dow Jones hates gay marriage amendments. That is the only lesson you can draw from the stock market tanking on the heels of the Bush gay bashapalooza.

-GSD

“DOW down 151 points! Why? Because GW Clusterfuck’s debate with Iran has caused oil prices to rise- and because GW Clusterfuck’s mounting deficits are causing inflation that must be attacked through higher fed rates.”
I totally agree.
OT, the higher the price of oil, the greater incentive/capability everyone in the Middle East, (including Russia) has to make war over the “black gold.”

That series from the Courant leaves you numb.

I was psyched from the Feingold interview until I read them. It is hard to stay pysched for anything after that read, but it makes you more resolute. If we don’t have someone like Feingold in 2008, and I don’t think there are that many like him, then we have turned our back on our responsiblity.

I also got a little psyched earlier, when Hagee stepped up to the plate and his flat statements, written and issued, specifically referred to following the Geneva conventions. As Mora had told them before, to the backing of everyone except Cambone and Haynes, the backing of everyone except Rumsfeld’s proxies.

Then the statements from the officer in charge on the ground come back. “Morals” training. Ethics review. Professional soldiering. Prominently missing - any driveby reference to the Geneva Conventions.

What do they think will ooze into the hole they’ve created?

I always thought Iraq was a mistake bc it was doomed to be a war of occupation - not a strategic strike to address a known or validly suspected threat. Vietnam should have taught all we ever needed to know about wars of occupation. Apparently all it taught is that you don’t war crimes like My Lais if you just make all behavior “legal.”

How many laws of morality do you need to break to qualify for that Addington Memorial Legal Pathfinder’s Badge?

Kneel Cavuto told me so.

-GSD

DOW down 170. GW Clusterfuck putting the final touches on his next gay marriage speech.

The next interest rate hike is being built in as we speak…

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....ke_economy

and everyone will want to read this, if you haven’t seen it yet:
Normalizing the Unthinkable

John Pilger, Robert Fisk, Charlie Glass, and Seymour Hersh on the failure of the world’s press

Leslie in CA 51 - how do you do that blinky thing?

(winging, blinging, and gnawed.)

crawling back under “work” rock now.

Ask anyone if the fuckin government and they will tell you that Clusterfuck’s marriage amendment doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of passing congress. They know it- we know it- even the fucking snakehandlers know it- so now the fucking government- who is in the middle of an economic meltdown and losing a fucking war to boot- shuts itself down for a week of debate on an issue that they fucking well know will never see the light of day..

Our fucking government should be wearing a fucking strait jacket to keep em from playing handball with their own shit!

I can NOT stand the arrogence of this fucking puke.The no good SOB knows he doesnt have the votes to pass this ammendment,does not even care about this amendment,and has to pull the venue with no warning or explanation because it’s a no hitter.He’s just pouring Kool Aid for the funda-mental-ists.Karma has a long memory and very sharp teeth.I hope this bites him right in the ass and leaves a mark.

brkily - that is a really provocative read. A link worth bumping ever so often.

GSD: Dow Jones hates gay marriage amendments. Just when I’m getting too dark to cope — You’re good. Very good.

Mary @ 12:35 pm (#55) - That sentence about the “morals training” reminds me - now that the Geneva Convention is no longer mentioned in the field manuals, what are they going to say at the extra sensitivity courses the DoD is supposedly giving all the soldiers due to the Haditha incident? “Well, the Geneva Convention isn’t mentioned anymore, because the President doesn’t want to be bound by it, but you are. Yes, even though it’s not in the manual.”

Spanky Bernanke scaring the stock traders. Bush is scaring the Fundies….Rummy is scared of the Muslims…they gotta be treated like zombies…one shot to the head fer all of them..kids too.

This is a scared, chickenshit nation….

I have to go peep under my bed for commies and queers and liberals from Massachussetts before I take my nappy pooh.

Color me disgusted with this place.

-GSD

Why the lack of media coverage on, oh, a thousand things, but specifically presidential signing statements and anything and everything about Iraq: it’s perceived by media management as depressing and complicated. If you run these stories it won’t be Happy! news, and people might turn the channel, or not buy the paper, or not renew the subscription, or not read all the way through to page A-24 for the rest of the yellow pantsuit-and-do-they-still-have-sex story. Then advertising rates will go down.

The media is not here as our challenging agents to keep the constitution safe, or as our watchdogs on corruption. Those functions only happen if it sells papers and advertising. We expect far too much. Which is why blogging and Net-centered news reporting is so new, so valuable: it’s pamphleteering on an immediate and massive scale.

punaise - <BLINK>Blink tag</BLINK>

(Thanks, Cujo359. ;-)

Presumably the United States will submit an addendum to its own signing of the Geneva Convention indicating that it no longer expects its own soldiers to be protected from “humiliating and degrading treatment” - that such treatment of US prisoners would be just fine…..

That blinking was mischeviously inserted by me. There’s an ancient and highly deprecated HTML tag to achieve it but it is so incredibly evil and annoying that I will not divulge it here.

“As Gore promotes global-warming movie, a Hillary Rodham Clinton advisor taunts, ‘Run, Al, run!!’ … College Republicans ridicule the movie with Global Warming Beach Parties…”

The next generation of gooper senators and presidents in training.

Why don’t they go to fuckin class and LEARN something?

Per Mary above, corporate media is killing us with references to the Iraq “War.”
It’s an “occupation.” There are no military objectives. Iraq’s civic needs, a police force, a judicial system, prisons,… are not things our armed forces is trained to provide, even if they did speak the language.
OT in WWII my Dad served aboard an LST, “Landing Ship Tank.” My Dad and his buddies, however, had a different name for it, they called it a “Large Slow Target.”
I suspect our Armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have a lot of “targeted” nicknames for what they do, that the corporate media has simply ignored.

Besides, if you fire Rummy you have to find someone else to run the DOD and stick to the agenda. Look how long it took to find a treasury sec. Where you gonna find someone to willingly jump into shit this deep? And not demand massive changes?

The only bit of good news in this –

Oil prices and the DOW are the only externalities that even put a dent in Junior’s bubble.

Nuking Iran? No problemo!!! Watching oil prices go through the roof, because of Clusterfuck’s Iran saber rattling? Whoa, buddy — let’s slow down and talk about this.

The funny thing is, Iran is like a third rail that Commander Codpiece really, really wants to rassle. Every time he gets close or touches it, he gets shocked and backs off. But he can’t help himself — so he touches it again!!!

Steve Soto has a long post on pimping Condi as the architect of the new Iranian diplomatic initiative. I think it’s a little more straightforward — the Preznit is pissed at Cheney and Rummy, for screwing up everything. The hire help is supposed to clean up messes, not drop new ones in Junior’s lap.

http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/007868.php

So, we’re supposed to:

rally around estate tax repeal, so the rich can get richer - meeanwhile, I’m watching my rather pitiful (by comparison) 401(k) lose ground as the market drops…

watch the energy execs get richer and richer, while we become afraid to open the electric bill and cringe every time we have to buy gas…

wonder whenever we pick up the phone or send an e-mail that someone else is listening/watching…

close our eyes to what our Constitution says and - whether we are willing or not - watch our rights get flushed down the toilet…

forget about taking the high road, and being a leader in diplomacy, in favor of guns and torture…

cheer as the rich keep getting richer, but accept that our veterans’ benefits keep getting smaller and smaller…

keep trying to teach our children that there are consequences to the choices we make - meanwhile, no one in the Bush administration suffers any consequences, unless you consider a Medal of Freedom a just “consequence” for ineptitude, negligence and illegal activity…

keep trying to do all the right things, work hard, make do, be good Americans, and pretend that we don’t see that the “rules” are only for people like us…

It’s enough to make a person cry…really.

15 minutes to go…come on 200!

-GSD

Jeesh, the Bush Gay Marriage Party was wierd..they hid Jerry Flawed-well and James “Sponge Bob” Dobson almost as well as they hid Kenny Mehlman and Mary Cheney.

Cujo - exactly. Hagee SAID Geneva Conventions. Everyone since has specifically omitted them. As a result, I believe the morals and ethics training will be Dobson as a guest speaker exhorting them on the immorality of gay marriage and Spongebob. And diversity. Embracing diversity is just a guise for immorality. Definitely the moral thing to do is smite the diverse. Smite smite smite. Then there will be a handout explaining that if the President says it’s legal, it is.

Who knew morality came with a signing statement?

Dover Bitch at 4 — I’ve been wondering why there was no Congressional follow-up on that Hartford Courant article myself. It was amazing journalism — and incredibly detailed. And so much of what is in there dovetails into what we are hearing in bits and pieces from family of Marines at Camp Pendleton (taken with a huge grain of salt, sure, because there’s a huge amount of tension and pressure there at the moment, but still…).

The lack of Congressional oversight on this and so many other issues is showing such a strain in the very people who depend on that balancing between the executive and Congress: the military, the intel agencies, homeland security — all the national security apparatus are showing a definite strain and, in some cases, well beyond that point to breaking in the reserves and national guard, the marines and the army. I’m worried beyond any point that I have ever been in the past.

I keep thinking about the bit in the LOTR where Bilbo talks about feeling like too little butter spread over too much toast, and I can’t help but see how it would feel exactly like that right now for troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The heat of summer is on them, tensions are mounting across the country, and there is no give. And your Commander in Chief and the SecDef wouldn’t admit that they’ve made a bad decision for anything, so you are stuck with the little that you have. And all you can do, day in and day out, is keep your head down and pray you make it back home to your family before an IED or something worse hits you — and hope the same for all the folks in your unit. And I get this queasy feeling in my gut that it is only going to get worse. (Man, am I cranky today or what? Damn it. Sorry gang, I’m just royally pissed about everything today…)

OT, but Boultbee gets his BBQ.

DOW down 206. The president of the United States is in tears- because some of his beloved CHILDREN might grow up in a country where GAY people sign MARRIAGE Contracts.

Looks religious whackos. We know that you are “not of this world” but you really ought to tell your man in the White House that he has a fucking JOB to do!

per rwcole at 12:45, “Global Warming Parties”

Warning, explicit language: Contains GOP talking points.

Rumsfeld Morality Training.

Class I-Rev. Jerry Falwell will exhort the U.S. troops to “blow ‘em all away in the name of the Lord”.

Class II-John Yoo will explore the most efficient way to crush childrens testicles.

Class III-John McCain will teach the art of moral capitulation while maintaining a veneer of independance.

Class IV-Donald Rumsfeld will teach the find art of dismissive doubletalk and studios squinting at critics.

Speaking of butter and toast:

From Feingold’s interview in Christy’s prior thread:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....00236.html

I’ve heard these pundits, they are people that are paid by Democrats, many of them were in the Clinton administration, these are paid political pundits and paid political consultants who make their living coming up [to] the Capitol and telling the Democratic leadership this is a loser. “You can’t do a timetable. You can’t talk about censure. You can’t talk about illegal wiretapping. What you just have to talk about is domestic issues or sort of just talk about homeland security in the sense of port security.”
This is the advice. I’ve heard it given. It is bad advice. It is advice that we got in 2002 and 2004. And we lost because we were perceived as unable to take the tough stands that are needed to change course in the fight against terrorism.
So it is a Washington problem of people listening not to their constituents but of listening to the paid political operatives who run this town.

If he’s not the real deal, he’s at least Parkay.

EPU @ 20
I’ve not engaged in more dry or wry wit as I have been looking for something in response to your post.

A few years ago, program came out that would read such documents filled with “paradigm shifts” and the like and call them on the bull.

The assesment was filled with snark too.

So I went looking for it and it is apropriately enough, called Bullfighter. I downloaded it and copied one of Rummie’s speeches in hopes of ensuing hilarity for all.

Alas it is not to be.

I had to restart my computer to finish the installation and then when I reopened my Word program it got hung up until I uninstalled Bullfighter.

The Gods are conspiring against me today, I fear.

If anyone else wants to give it a try, go ahead.

Okay, this is just freaking hilarious — from an Americablog reader (tea spew warnings in effect):

http://americablog.blogspot.co.....-ever.html

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Oh man, I needed that.

Warning, explicit language: Contains GOP talking points.

JC - ROFL. I needed that. I’ve probably seen less pornography than almost anyone who posts here, but I like that “you know it when you see it” standard and GOP talking points sure fit the bill.

ck @ 73

All the more reason to be concerned about an attack on Iran if you believe that Condi really has him by the codpiece…
~

Here’s what your congress has planned for the balance of their term:

All but one of the Senate Democrats — the exception is Ben Nelson of Nebraska — oppose the same-sex marriage measure and, with moderate Republicans, are expected to block an up-or-down vote, killing the measure for the year. (Watch activists head to Capitol Hill for the fight over gay marriage — 1:47)

Democrats say the amendment is a divisive bow to religious conservatives, and point out that it conflicts with the GOP’s opposition to big government interference.

“A vote for this amendment is a vote for bigotry pure and simple,” said Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, where the state Supreme Court legalized gay marriages in 2003.

Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco, which in 2004 began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples, on Monday denounced Bush’s move as predictable and “stale rhetoric” aimed at rallying conservatives for this year’s midterm elections.

“It’s politics. It’s pandering and it’s placating a core constituency, the evangelicals,” Newsom said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

The House is also expected to take up the measure this year.

Fueled by election-year politics, the gay marriage issue is the most volatile Congress will consider as it returns from a weeklong Memorial Day recess.

Pentagon funding also on congressional plate
Other legislation has better chances for success, particularly a record-size emergency spending bill to continue U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and provide hurricane relief along the Gulf Coast.

The Pentagon says it needs its money — about $66 billion — right away or delays could begin to affect the conduct of the war in Iraq. The Senate added new relief for farmers and other aid to the package, swelling its cost to more than $100 billion. Bush is demanding that the price tag stick within his $92.2 billion request, plus $2.3 billion to combat avian flu.

An agreement could be passed this week.

The House is expected to consider a $32 billion spending bill would give the Homeland Security Department $1.8 billion more in 2007 than this year. It also is likely to send Bush a Senate-approved bill to raise indecency fines tenfold, to $325,000 per violation, for television and radio broadcasters.

An election-year debate on the constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman was never in doubt, however doomed the legislation. As Republicans geared up to defend their majorities in the House and Senate, conservative groups earlier this year let them know that they were dissatisfied with the GOP’s efforts on several social issues, including gay marriage

Christy (77),

That’s what I was trying to email you about last week. The mental health of the troops and how Rummy and his crew have not been held accountable — despite the excellent reporting the in Courant — are a big piece of the story that we on the blog-o-sphere have a duty to bring to the forefront.

It’s a matter of life and death for our country and it’s one of the clearest opportunities for us to take the high ground in the rhetorical battle over which side of the political spectrum actually “supports” the troops rather than using them as a backdrop for photo ops.

These people are putting their lives on the line for us and we owe it to them to make sure they get what they need to survive. And if the traditional media isn’t going to do it, then we have to.

And on top of all that, it’s a fight for accountablility, for how we are perceived in the world and a fight for honor and respectability in how we, as a nation, conduct ourselves when the chips are on the table.

Rummy and co. have sent our troops into hell and expect them to be unaffected. And they think Abu G and Yoo can write an opinion saying hell is really heaven, and that lets them off the hook.

punaise - “You know how to blink, don’t you, Steve? Just put your lids together and . . .”

http://apoeticjustice.blogspot.....mouth.html Dripping Mouth…

John McCain possibly more than anyone has a responsibility to do all he can to stop this government flat out when Geneva Conventions are broken by our military and appropriate actions have not taken place to prevent them from occurring or reoccurring. Instead McCain gets a free pass although he’s certainly aiding this administration in their crimes and helping them along. Similar would be those who stand by and witness a crime but don’t stop it are in some cases also guilty of the crime and as a Senator he certainly caries the blood of his hypocrisy when he props up this administration to further them in more crimes. McCain is in a position of great power and can do more but doesn’t do all he could and is therefore also complacent. Most Americans are shamed by war crimes committed under our government and military and should not allow themselves to be fooled by John McCain any longer.

So it’s not JUST the gay marriage amendment. Congress is also goin to raise the fine on unstrapped breasts. Give em a fuckin payraise!

Dover — you know that I blogged that Courant story earlier, right? It was disturbing — and all the more so with every news story that comes down the pike. Stupid AOL e-mail has been screwy for a week. I sure hope they get whatever glitch fixed that has been cache-ing my e-mails. O.o

JWR: merci

new thread - new Ned !

Two more fucking robocalls from Brian Dildo. Yesterday I got Dicky Cheney AND Laura Bush. How much does one of those robo call machines cost? I’m gonna buy one and program it to call Brian Dildo fifteen times a day with annoying fucking messages. Of course I’m on the do not call list- but the politicians were clever enough to EXCLUDE themselves from the courtesy of leaving me the fuck alone.

Anyone know where to get on of those machines?

OT, but not really: Anybody else heading to the Ned Lamont fund-raiser this evening in Chelsea?

Christy, I know you did. Part of the reason I check this blog every day. You, Jane and the crew are on top of it. Big thanks to you!

But it seems that angle of this story was news for a day and then lost. And it really puts the horror stories coming out now in context.

rwcole - Thinkprogress (and Raw Story) have Snowball equating banning gay marriage with historic civil rights legislation.

That’s one way to cure inflation—use interest rate hikes as a tool to accelerate a hard recession. Prices are bound to drop, eh?

But the stupid fucks don’t get it at all. Don’t they inteview business owners and mangers like me once in a while? OIL, dipshits! It looks like this: Diesel costs = supply delivery cost inflation = higher prices. I raise prices to keep an acceptable margin (i.e. stay in business), the guy I supply raises prices, and so on. But no, lets raise rates, that’ll fix the problem. Bah!

GW Clusterfuck has now butchered 2700 troops in Iraq.

Mary @ 12:54 pm (#82) - I liked Markos and Jerome’s quote from a Republican political strategist in CtG. It goes something like this: When one of our strategists loses an election, we take him out back and shoot him. When yours lose, you keep hiring them, or words to that effect.

“Hello, rest of the media establishment %u2014 wake up, your constitution is calling�