August 2004 Archives

Well, the Republican National Convention is about to start this week in NYC. They've come in guns blazing. Not content to just attempt to pimp and politicize 9/11 for their own gain, they've also planned to leech onto the legacy of Johnny Cash with an auction planned at Sotheby's. Yeah, there are people who seriously object to that.

And, as expected, the protestors are out trying to let Bush know that not everyone is on board his "let's burn the Constitution and get rich off the blood of our soldiers" platform. And of course, some of these protestors are ill-mannered and probably kooky in your eyes. Hell, I probably would agree with you. Then again, most conservatives don't like the KKK but vote the same as those freaks do too.

Bonus convention stat: The GOP is touting a 70% increase in minority representation! That's like saying my amount of Canadian currency doubled when I found a Canuck quarter on the ground this week. It jumped so high because I had so little of it to begin with.

Still trying to figure out what their platform is about but currently, if you plan to vote GOP, you are in favor of:
- drilling in ANWAR because we have no other fuel plan other than petroleum

- giving the rich a permanent tax cut

- messing with the Constitution due to fear of gays (so much for strict constitutionalism)

- "alternative methods of teacher certifications" - whatever that is, but remember this party equates teachers as terrorists

- stem cell research restrictions, and other scientific research restricted across many fields

- no abortion and likely the restriction of birth control as well

- teaching abstinence at the expense of teaching kids sex ed, not as a supplement

- trying to disbar judges who don't think like they do

- and so on and on: less civil liberties, less freedom of choice, less equality of sex and race and pretty much anything that is diffferent than a Jesse Helms/David Duke type

If this is compassionate conservatism, can we just have the mean, rude guys who just wanted to protect their bank accounts back? At least they had a point to their arguments.

Meanwhile, Kerry wants to debate Bush every week. You just know that isn't gonna happen. The economy is officially sluggish again despite Bush's words to the contrary, with a record deficit projected. And American workers are still getting the shaft. Meanwhile Democrats are trying to look out for our Guardsmen and Reservists. Yeah, it stinks like a political ploy, but it beats being ignored by the GOP.

A few views from the Olympics as that wraps up. Finding more important things to do than be labelled a murderer, Colin Powell decided to leave Greece early. Our moronic basketball team salvaged a bronze medal. They deserved less to be honest with you. And one more article about our countrymen in Greece. Reuters has a nice "best performances" article that, from what I saw, is pretty dead on.

One more thing. Since, we're all in this spirit of brotherhood at the moment, why don't we as a nation strip our basketball bronze medals from the NBA all-duds squad and give them to the Iraqis for really knowing how to play your hardest and come just short of unexpected success.

Good news from Iran, where fat boy Muqtada Al-Sadr took his daddy's army and his sizable misplaced ego and left the Iman Ali mosque the other day. Seriously, can we just - in writing - get a UN resolution that condemns anyone who holes up in a church and holds a holy site hostage because they have no other way of establishing a credible threat? First those morons in Bethlehem a couple years ago, and now these idiots. (Edit: Just for fairness sake, I guess we should count the Alamo in there too.)

A few more passing notes. Peoria journalist ponders sending an Illinois Republican to Maryland to run for major office there. Reprehensible behavior by us and those who hate us. Stupid planning by Microsoft. And, just to remind you how conservatives like to control your private lives, Banned Books Week is coming next month and I wanted to let you in on why reading is so damaging to our society. Don't let Harry Potter and Huck Finn destroy democracy. HA!

UPDATE: I am passing this along so that you can all do your part to help our troops out. I doubt neither Mike nor Tim Bowman would agree with all of what I post on this part of the site so do not consider the following being placed here as their consent of my opinions in other subjects. This is me trying to spread the word out and hopefully do our troops a favor. Mike, if you want this pulled, go right ahead and ask and it will be done and I'll address this in another fashion.

What follows is the email I received from Mike Bowman (and his son's follows):

Many of you are aware of the situation with the new up-armored humvees that the Army is sending over to Iraq. Some of you have heard that our boys have a shortage of them, YOU ARE CORRECT. Below is an email that my son sent me about the current situation. Our boys are in danger and they are asking for our help. 

I have been asked to send this to all families in Foxtrot so that they could write and call their Congressman, CNN, FoxNews, or anyone else that can make noise about this issue. Our boys will resume daily patrols next week. This needs action immediately (not my words, my son's and Sgt Miller's). 

You can search for your Congressman at this link - http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/index.html by address. It will list email and fax number as well as mailing address based on your address. Be sure to include our boys unit information if you decide to contact someone about this issue so they will know exactly where we are asking for help. 

Thanks, Mike Bowman

Hey dad,

Here's the low down on the things Sgt. Miller would like you to bitch about, and you can use his name, he gives you permission.

We recently acquired 6 of the 1114 series humvees. Those are the up-armored humvees with the turbo and all the trimmings. The retail on one of these vehicles just to make it is $155,000. Sgt. Miller watched these 6 humvees for a period of 1 month and they were never used. When we attained them we discovered that many of them had deficiencies, which we fixed to our standard. We drove the vehicles for 1 week after fixing them, and then were asked to return them to their rightful place. We was asked if these vehicles were going to be used, and the answer was "probably not". The vehicles belong to the incoming general who is going to take over command. This general is not going to be here for another three weeks, and we were told that when he does get here they were still probably not going to use the humvees. 

As you know Spc. Baldwin was recently sent home due to injuries received during an IED. His team was in an 1114 series that night and the vehicle itself sustained quite a bit of damage. Had it not been for the up-armor on the vehicle, at least 1 if not 2 of our soldiers would have came home in a body bag. Right before I returned from leave a vehicle from ALPHA battery was struck with an IED. All 4 soldiers in that truck would have been killed had they not been driving an 1114. 

Our battery now only has 4 up-armored humvees, which is not enough for us to do our patrols and designated duties at the same time. While I was home a new rule was instated that said anybody leaving the wire must be in an 1114 series humvee, because the 1025 with added armor was unsafe. They have now bypassed that rule and our battery, is being ordered to conduct patrols in the 1025 series humvee. Had the soldiers that got hit by IED's been in 1025's they most likely would not be alive today, we would have at least two dead from our battery, and ALPHA battery would have lost everyone in the truck. Sgt. Miller would like you to do whatever you can with this issue, you can use his name for any of it, and I will definitely not be held responsible this time. I'm not sure what you have to do, but he would like a considerable amount of bitching to be done on his behalf.

Again I say, if we were in 1025's and not 1114's we would have more dead than our battalion does already.

So that's the low down. 

Thanks, Tim

Thanks for bringing this up Tim.

Well, it wasn't hate mail (thankfully) but I did get a contrary note from a visitor who offered up a perspective I hadn't imagined. In case you were not aware of it, this is not a news site. I merely present stories I either think are important, poignant, missed from large-scale coverage or humorous and let you choose to either accept the stories as linked or go run around and try to find out more about it on your own time. I also get my fair share of links from our regular contributors like EvilNed and Mooney, so hey, give it a shot. As long as it's not propaganda I'll at least look it over.

I was also accused of not linking to FoxNews enough. I see them as biased and probably dangerously so, but I went and visited them anyway. Other than linking to an AP story I was already planning to link to (catch it again here just in case it flies off their radar), all I saw was some major spin put on stories concerning condemnation of the Swift Boat Vets ads (unlike every other news agency on the planet, apparently Fox thinks Bush was against their tactics all along). Then there are the ads to meet singles (on a news site?) and the requisite "what to do in case terrorists SPAWN FROM YOUR CLOSET AS IF YOU WERE PLAYING DOOM 3" scare tactic links. Alright, enough of that failed experiment.

News flash. We may have "miscalculated" on Iraq, says George. The larger article is here, wherein he states that people will vote for him because he doesn't change his mind. Look, being stubborn in the face of conflicting reality and facts makes you an idiot, not decisive. Mom taught me that while I was still in short pants. Plus, despite touting an improved economy (not like I've gotten a raise lately), reports show an increase in poverty and the uninsured. To make matters worse, the government released the report early to try to catch lawmakers on vacation. Hmm, concerned it makes all their rosy assessments just so much hot air? I think so.

An unfortunate story on how a father reacted to news of his son's death in Iraq. Our troops are not tin soldiers and their families are having a hard time dealing with the reality of this callous treatment by our government. They are not alone. Apparently two trends are evolving in Iraq. The armed forces are earnestly trying to get out the vote, and soldiers are not all planning to go straight GOP when they do vote.

The Bush campaign is planning to ignore the US Olympic Committee and still run it's ad that pimps the Olympics for political gain. Oh, just to be shallow, a mock loyalty oath. And yes, that's meant to be humorous. A Bush lawyer just happened to be involved with the Swift Boat Mafia and had to quit the campaign.

With the Republican National Convention about to be underway, we assess how NYC is working to stop protestors and not pimp the subject of September 11 too much.

Alright, I plan some fun - or at least less political - posts in the near future. If the powers that be quit screwing up so much where I can allow myself to do so.

Still wavering between Bush and Kerry? Still confused as to what constitutes democracy and who is in favor of it? Let me help.

Looks like you've got a couple options when attempting to see Bush or Cheney give a speech this year. You can either a) sign a loyalty oath, or b) work their phones for them, depending on where you are. Yeah, um, you can call people volunteers if you are forcing them to work, okay?

I'm still baffled on how anyone who is gay can back the GOP. I mean, their platform calls for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Now seriously, even if you don't think marriage should cover any couple in love with each other, ask yourself how a party who wants less government keeps trying to constitutionally ban your ability to read a library book without the FBI knowing it, have private thoughts and personal choices about who you love, what you can do with your body, whether you can protest or just have an opinion contrary to their's. Smacks of social dictatorship to me. And hell, even Cheney is against this one.

I meant to cover this one but I had to get over my high levels of disgust first. Apparently, the Bush campaign is pimping Afghanistan and Iraq and the Olympics in a political ad. This has - naturally pissed off the Iraqi athletes and the entire Olympic movement to date. Of course, who do you send into the thick of a controversy like that? Colin Powell, administration scapegoat. You really have to feel sorry for the guy. he couldn't have actually seen much of this coming.

Seriously, this administration is so messed up, even GOP Congressmen are speaking out against them. And more of a social commentary note than anything, but even Pat Buchanan is against Bush & Co. And seriously, with electoral discrimination on the rise, you'd figure a proven racist like him would be all on that bandwagon.

More to come, but I leave you with a fairly moving piece on the stupidity of airport security checks.

With rumors of massive protests at the upcoming GOP convention, the Republican party has pretty much gone with the playbook and declared anyone who would deign to disagree with Bush as a traitor. According to GOP fascist-pig-in-chief Ed Gillespie, "The line between the official Democratic Party and labor protesters, environmental protesters and antiwar protesters is fairly blurry, and I'm not sure they want to have Democrats engaging in violence in New York against our convention. It would seem disrespectful and antidemocratic." (Emphasis mine.) Excuse me, but killing a thousand soldiers based on innuendo and outright lying to the American people is "disrespectful and antidemocratic." A protest is a constitutionally protected response to bad government. Or did Ashcroft do away with that right too?

The story that irritated me so referred in the previous paragraph is in the New York Times (use refuse and registration as your user name/password).

Then there are the Swift Boat Vets. No matter what the truth is of Kerry's medals - other than they usually don't give out Silver Stars like candy, here we have a bunch of guys who will lie and collude with Bush party officials to try to stop a guy from becoming president who was actually in a combat zone. Bush, meanwhile, can't even be accounted for over a period of months and managed to bail out of his service. Pretty damn weird if you ask me.

And oops, there appear to be ties (image) between the campaign and this group. Not to mention a staffer working both sides. And more vets now are coming out against these guys who can't even keep a story straight, much less have any proof.

The point is, I guess, if this is all the Bush campaign has to argue for the guy to win the election, then seriously, why vote for him at all?

Apparently we are on the lookout for large, alcoholic, Irish-descended, Democratic senators who may potentially have joined Al-Qaeda. At least, that's the DHS' argument for putting Ted Kennedy on the No-Fly list. But wait, he's not the only Democrat on the list. Funny, I always thought Orrin Hatch was more of a threat to our civilization.

My respect for Tony Blair just went up a notch as he refuses to accept a medal from Bush while troops are still in Iraq (read: Mission NOT Accomplished) and for basically not meddling with our democratic process. This has been an ongoing issue between the White House and #10 Downing. Thanks PM!

Here's a weird political report about the advantage of having your name first on a ballot.

Alright, I've been watching the Olympics pretty regularly. It helped that I was out of town and had nothing to do most nights, but still I'd have caught a lot of it. Two major subplots beyond what the press has covered (Michael Phelps, et al).

One, our basketball team sucks. Period. And why the heck are they on a luxury cruise ship when their pathetic butts should be cleaning the toilets of the actual atheletes in Athens? Plus, nobody likes them. I'm all for pulling for the home team; but these clowns are only a sign of what's wrong with our pro league.

Two, and this is way out on a tangent. But in watching women's gymnastics I heard mention that Svetlana Khorkina of Russia is supposedly a model. Now come on. She looks like a giraffe that's been depilated and then fed alum. Plus, she can't even lose graciously. Not even the judges are immune from her fantasy world.

If you haven't been watching, shame on you. Aside from my nitpicking, I've watched some damn fast swimming and some excellent soccer (luckily, where I stayed last week had Telemundo).

I had more stuff to point out, but want to end on a fun note. Here are recent stories on animals and the harm we cause each other. First, we'll start off with dire news that badgers are destroying Stonehenge. Yes, the English do not need those stinking badgers.

Take a moment to recover from that horrible pun and read the following tales of a rabbit and a bear. Plus a variation on the dog ate my homework trick. Thanks to Mooney on the bear story.

Alright, a couple of plugs, one long overdue. I've been reading Reason by Robert Reich, which is maybe the only level-headed political book on the shelves these days. Much recommended, even though I'm only about 50 pages in. On the music scene, I have been forgetting to point out Sevendust's Southside Double-Wide. Thanks to Tom for the referral (that PX must be stocked). Anyways, I can't stop listening to it; probably the best live album I've ever heard. Solid stuff by a solid band.

Hey, our economy is "turning the corner." Wait, no it's not. I guess we're just watching Bush "Moving America Forward." Into what, for whatever reason, we just don't know. What we do know is that our pals the Saudis have decided to open up the oil taps...just in time for the Republican National Convention presumably. Joy.

Speaking of what George has done for us, apparently his damage control people are all over the moment last week when he said he'd consider a national sales tax. Reason being is that it would hit the middle class and poor a lot harder than the wealthy. Which, considering his tax cut strategy, is probably not anything he gives a damn about.

Alan Keyes is running for a Senate seat in Illinois. Which, being from Maryland, makes him uniquely qualified. But don't call him a strict constitutionalist conservative. In fact, he wants to get rid of that whole pesky "public voting for senators" thing. Seems he, like his party, can't trust the American people to do their bidding for them. At least it's more creative than getting the Supreme Court to trump the electorate.

One last article concerning the Olympics and the low profile our citizens (and athletes by extension) are being asked to take in light of the fact that the entire planet is pissed off at us. Thanks George!!! To be fair, it's not just us being jerks. An Iranian judo athlete is refusing to fight an Israeli because...well, he's a Jew. Thanks for making us look better than you silly racist punks Iran!!!

"You know, back in 2000, a Republican friend of mine warned me that if I voted for Al Gore and he won, the stock market would tank, we'd lose millions of jobs, and our military would be totally overstretched. You know what: I did vote for Al Gore, he did win, and I'll be damned if all those things didn't come true."

- James Carville

As you may have noticed, I changed the top quote because, well, you are never going to find a more candid explanation of why George Bush does what he does to us. The Carville quote will hereafter reside on the Archives page.

A special shout-out to Mooney for actually reading the random posts and for pointing me to America Coming Together. These are the guys who helped bring that Will Ferrell ad you may have heard of, and are sponsoring the Vote for Change tour, which is frankly good music working for a good cause. No Vegas dates yet, but it isn't like I've got the time right now anyway.

Kerry is coming to town tomorrow and I'll try to get home in time to catch that (seeing as he'll basically be next door at the Thomas & Mack Center). Bush is coming on Thursday, but he'll likely be spending time ducking questions concerning how Homeland Security "forgot" to warn Las Vegas that terrorists were casing our casinos. Refer back to the top quote. It starts making sense, no?

From the "That's no moon" Department comes Matok from the FES gaming club with this link. Yes, I'm an insufferable Star Wars fan and have even joined a club (which teams up with the FES sometimes) about four years back. Email me for more info - or just to point and laugh I guess.

Good lord we have a lot to cover. Let's keep it fun, shall we? We have Official British Jesters, German driving penalties, safe women drivers (no, I didn't stutter), overtime - the hard way, and our Olympic athletes - the hard way. Bad pun, I apologize.

The War on Terror takes a smile off the faces of travelling Britons and the election campaign makes Bush feed at the trough (thanks to Mooney for the link).

Our society took a few steps back with California leading the charge with inaccurate high school education materials; though, granted, it's not the state's fault. Texas follows with a story we touched on earlier. Instead of dealing with a racial slur, they chose to ignore the entire situation. Smart move, given the "sensitivity" usually shown about such things.

Wouldn't be right to not cover Slate articles cover the Bush as a preacher angle and the backlash of the rich and less fascist when it comes to those famous tax cuts. Gary Trudeau has joined in via the pages of Rolling Stone and through his comic, Doonesbury: