June 2007 Archives

Apparently, Bush's popularity sucks so bad, he's now hanging out with Communists to improve his image. Or something. In any case, he met with the president of Vietnam yesterday, proving again that dollars matter more than democracy.

Think Petraeus still isn't politicized? He now says our troops are liberators again after taking back a few neighborhoods from militias. Meanwhile, we are training and arming the same militias and putting them back on the street as policemen after only eight days. That's one day more than it takes to learn to make a frigging latte at Starbucks.

Other units are allying with militias to take on al-Qaeda. That has to leave a sour taste in your mouth. Meanwhile, the semi-secret mercenary army we have ramps up its activities.

All this as we find out that even after the "surge" has been going on, we still don't control 60% of Baghdad.

Meanwhile, our liberties erode further as the military considers sending special forces out on operations on our own soil. Lovely.

Trent Lott compares Mexicans to goats. Seriously, are we sure he isn't in the Klan?

And GOP Rep. Mark Kirk has finally found a Republican way to support condom use: send the rubbers to Mexico. Less beaners, less illegals is his tagline I guess. Racist SOB.

Some good news from the Senate on raising emissions standards. It isn't much, but nice to see the Democrats doing something positive to reverse the evil Republican trend.

One a lighter note, cops are crushing the cars of street racers and making them watch. I love it.

Plus an article on baseball played at midnight without lights in Alaska. I should try to catch that game sometime.

Off on vacation for a week plus. Mono will be well taken care of and we will be road tripping. Maybe a post or two. Maybe not. We'll all find out I guess.

I really would like an answer for this and I am seriously asking this: why is Tyler Perry considered funny and why does half of everything in movies and TV have something to do with him?

I mean, it's like having Jim Varney as a media mogul.

I don't get it and I wish someone would actually explain this to me. Not that I would learn to appreciate it - that isn't going to happen, trust me - but just so I stop being some confounded by the whole thing.

Well, Bush is veto happy again, this time he is against another stem cell research bill. I mean, you can't have people be healthy; all his pals in the pharmaceutical companies would lose money gouging them.

Plus, we've got genocides, slavery rings, illegal and immoral wars, abuse of women and children, economic disparity writ large, drugs and fundamentalists of all stripes. There's a lot of issue to deal with if you are a religious leader of billions of people. But Benedict doesn't want to concentrate on those piddling issues. Instead, the Vatican has issues a Ten Commandments of Driving or some such idiocy. Seriously.

I miss John Paul II a little more every day.

Speaking of faith and politics, looks like the GOP is embarassed to be believers after putting up with the Rapture Bunny in Chief these past few years. Good, maybe we can collectively marginalize those psycho fundamentalists and get back to worshipping a god that doesn't hate everybody.

A throwaway article but here is what happens to your water bottles once you throw them in the recycling bin. And you are doing that, right?

Apparently, if we run over your car with a tank, we replace it at full value. However, if we shoot your family up, they are only worth $2500 each. At best.

There's nothing even remotely funny about that line of thinking.

Speaking of those screwed by the war, more bad news from Walter Reed and the state (or lack thereof) of mental health available there to our vets.

A hush job concerning the officer who actually wanted to get to the bottom of the crimes at Abu-Ghraib.

Speaking of breaking the law, Bush and his signing statements have allowed him and his cronies to ignore 30% of the laws passed last year. Yay Democracy!

And the Republican National Committee have purposely destroyed possibly over 100,000 emails in efforts to cover up Karl Rove's dirty laundry. I dare any of you fascist fundamentalists to tell me again how holy your Satan Bush is.

Oh, and it isn't like the more liberal bunch is any more sane. Given that Hamas has taken over Gaza, some are pointing the finger exclusively at Israel and the US. Give it a rest. You allow people to elect a terrorist organization, and don't blame them for doing so? I mean, some of the points in the article aren't far off, but there's a whole lot more cynicism in the conclusions than even I am capable of accepting.

Oh, we are almost done looking for those Iraqi WMDs. No, I'm not kidding.

Oh, we have to end on a happy note. Here's news of a flooded out Aussie town geting its critical beer delivering before a State of Origin game. Hell, we can't even rescue our own citizens and pets; the Aussies can go about making sure stranded people at least can hoist a pint.

There's a lesson there somewhere.

First off, Happy Father's Day to all of you out there.

The Pentagon is now considering a course of action that will have them end a practice of asking mental health questions before granting security clearances. Pardon me, but isn't sanity a prerequisite to handling secrets?

This may be in response to news that one in four of our troops now have mental health issues (audio), primarily due to Bush having them occupy Iraqi cities and kicking in the doors of families and occassionally accidentally shooting children. Just a guess on my part. The problem occurs in up to 49% of our National Guard.

The "creationist museum" founder is now being sued by his co-fanatics and has issues with an actor in one of his biblical skits as well.

Turns out we are using the same torture techniques we condemned the Soviets of using in the 1950s (audio). And all kinds of bad news about secret torture prisons in Europe, which the CIA denies of course.

And then there is the issue of ghost detainees, a euphemism for people we've captured, kidnapped, or arrested and hide away from the rest of the world.

But hey, trouble is on the horizon for Bush. He may have cowed Reid and Pelosi into giving in to his war funding, but this may be the last gasp of his "political capital" he scared out of the pansy NASCAR voting public in 2004.

Judges have recently ordered the domestic spying documented be opened to the public.

Another judge ruled that you just can't keep Americans indefinitely detained just because you think he's a terrorist.

If we're lucky, we just might get the concept of rule of law back before the 2020s.

The State Department can't keep enough staff thanks to Bush's girlfriend Condi. Apparently she's a real morale killer.

Bush's moves have been to promised to veto a homeland security bill that would pay our DHS personnel a living wage and hire more Border Patrol officers. Not real security conscious.

Suddenly, the boy is veto happy.

And maybe it is the news that a photo op with Bush now only costs five thousand dollars, down from $25,000. Hell, I'd pay him $20 just to walk away from me.

Or maybe it is the news that New Orleans is now looking to fund its recovery with foreign aid as Bush and his cronies just can't seem to keep their promises.

"(W)hen you see things moving towards success, or when you see signs of success, that there are acts of violence."

- Tony Snow, explaining how Republicans tie anarchy to victory

The Chinese have busted a slavery ring used by a brick kiln factory. I mean, seriously, it is the 21st century. Slavery? To make bricks? Can we just shoot the people behind this and move forward as a species? And yes, I involved capital punishment. Do you really think we can reform people who find slavery cute in this day and age? If so, you are an idiot. Erase them from the gene pool. Trust me, we'll all be the better for it.

Speaking of miscreants toying with people's lives, FEMA allowed insurance companies to overcharge for Katrina repairs even as they denied claims for those who dutifully paid their premiums.

An interview with the Marine who joined al-Jazeera.

Meet uber-moron Roy Pearson, if you haven't already. This piece of crap is suing a Korean family that runs a dry cleaning shop for $54 million dollars over a lost pair of pants. And a judge even allowed this to actually go to court.

The only good news here - aside from maybe losing his frivolous case - is that he could also lose his job over this.

I don't know why it took me so long to get around to reading this, but I'm glad I finally did. The book is Chasing Ghosts by Paul Rieckhoff, founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), which I have commented on before.

Basically, the story is about Rieckhoff's experiences in Iraq in 2003 and how he came about founding the IAVA. Besides being a honest read, it is also a good book to boot.

In any event, get the book, preferably from the organization's site itself.

Sure, our president surrounds himself with torture lovers. He treats the Constitution like common asswipe. He's an addict either drunk with power or totalled on near beer. His party is a bunch of frightened babies scared to death by unemployed Mexicans. But at least they are not as bad as the following:

- The Hadzabe tribe, in Tanzania, is the second oldest culture on the planet. And now a bunch of UAE oil rich bastards have been allowed to buy their homeland and hunting grounds for a weekend getaway. The Tanzanian government is totally cool with this, calling the tribe members "backward" amongst other things.

- And not that Bush's girlfriend Condi is any respected source, but the State Department says that some Arab countries are involved in a modern slave trade. This involves the sex trade to even camel racing.

- Last up, a report on the continuing loss of life and culture in Tibet.

See, aside from being racist, sexist, scared bigots and Rapture bunnies out to destroy democracy here while purporting forcing other countries to have elections at gunpoint, our sick, depraved, immoral leaders aren't that bad.

Well, okay, they're still scumbags. But it could be worse.

I was down in Tucson a few weeks ago and I just couldn't get over how much like a desert it looks. Yeah, I know, duh, right? But seriously, come visit us in Vegas. I mean the sprinklers are on right now outside the apartment at 10pm. The grass is green, we have tons of trees and more are being planted all the time here on campus. And yet, walk down a few building and they have a desert conservation area, then a grass field, then a whole bunch of native vegetation just in case you forgot where you were.

In short, this place is insane.

NPR is covering southern Nevada's water isuues in a series of reports this week.

Our local station, KNPR, covers the subject often, most recently looking at our acquifers.

USA Today recently covered the great western drought as well.

In LA, all citizens have been asked to cut water usage to conserve what water they have by 10 percent. Granted, much of that water comes from the ever-decreasing Lake Mead just to the east of here.

But here in Vegas? Not much except that fountains aren't allowed to run except in a) tourist areas, and b) where rich people hang out. But the sprinkler schedule continues unabated here at the university.

So I'm driving home from work yesterday and Marketplace is on as it usually is for me. At the end of the report is some insipid drivel from Ben Stein about CAFE standards and how bad they are for Joe Sixpack. His argument is this: Hollywood environmentalist types should give up their private jets and yachts before anyone else should have to suffer to address global warming. At face value, not an off-the-wall idea. Indeed, those who haven't already bought Priuses should. That said, the face of Republican Hollywood is Arnold "Gimme Anudder Hummer" Schwarzenegger and John "I Have My Own Private Jet Collection" Travolta. So, you know, maybe ol' Ben is talking out of his ass.

Besides, this isn't about taking Farmer Brown's field use F-150 away, it is about yanking Hummers out of the hands of rich bastards with McMansions in suburbia. Stein is out of his frigging gourd if he thinks that anyone with half a mind (re: non-Repugnican't) couldn't draw that logical conclusion with even a touch of logic.

Just because his screed has merit doesn't mean he actually has a good point. And distraction is good the GOP on oh-so-many levels.

Speaking of pro-farming legislation that the GOP likes, did you know that Scottie Pippen and Paul Allen get massive farm subsidies from our government? Now I can see Pippen sniffing for truffles with that gonzo schnozz and Allen running a server farm, but Eddie Albert they are not. (That's a Green Acres reference for you younguns.)

Forty years ago, Leslie and I probably couldn't have gotten married in most (red) states. Here's to the Loving v. Virginia case.

When Republican senators don't get their way, they just take a swing at people. That's how they teach 'em diplomacy in Alabama I guess. And you wonder how the South lost the Civil War.

To close, how to take down a Russian ninja using two elderly Italians.

A couple reports on how religion affects your views on evolution. This other report shows that not being a Rapture bunny and getting a college education helps in giving you a non-Dark Ages outlook on life.

Plus, these cretins still infest our schools. Yeah, I found another website to troll.

Reuters has been following polygamists around. Here is one of their articles plus some fast facts. Gotta love the marketing though. Their major argument for our acceptance of this crap is that it is akin to the civil rights movement. Hmm? And where were they when the lynching and shooting was occurring? That was about the right to be treated as human beings, not the right to share wives like the Manson family. Get a grip. Really.

Just realized I hadn't posted in awhile. Seems like the uberposting of last month was just a fad. For those who check here regularly, I apologize.

Leslie and I are planning to drive down the Oregon Coast later this month. If you have any favorite haunts to recommend, pop me a message.

Here is a leading Republican and presidential candidate advocating that torture prisons are good. And here is a GOP presidential candidate who talks sense and would be good for that pack of rapture bunnies and racists. Huckabee, the former, is considered an average Republican, Ron Paul, the latter, is the fringe lunatic. Go figure.

The "War Czar" thinks that open debate about the Iraq War is not harmful to the troops despite repeated Republican claims. Careful buddy, you'll be out of a job because you get hired.

Meanwhile, the homophobe Bush wants to be Surgeon General was in charge of providing substandard care for our veterans. Gee, screwing the troops over and being a bigot. He's got all the qualifications to be a top Bush administration official.

Bush is trying to stop folks from halting his illegal wiretapping programs. Meanwhile, he has allowed his girlfriend at the State Department to lift passport restrictions due to, in part, poor preparation. Where have I heard that before? Iraq, maybe? Either way, GREAT JOB of keeping America safe!

Don't go into the water: the sordid history of weapons dumping at sea.

"President Bush is slightly indisposed this morning and will rejoin the working meeting as soon as he can."

- Nicolas Sarkozy, covering up for Bush

So...here's the story. Bush has a few non-alcoholic beers yesterday yucking it up with European leaders and then magically comes down with the stomach flu this morning.

The Daily Mail shows us a little of the events that transpired.

Look, I know the guy is under a lot of stress. I also know you don't get bombed off of 0.5% beer. (I blew up the label and found it is Buckler, made by Heineken. A miserable review here.) That said, the guy is supposedly a recovering alcoholic and though very low, even half a percent is still alcohol, and a sixer of this would be one Oklahoma cold beer.

We also don't know what transpired after (much less before) these pics were taken. Me? I figure Bush is cracking and he got housed last night. Serves him right.

Dad always said you've got to confront your addictions. Bush running away from him and just "giving it to God" without doing any personal redemption apparently isn't cutting it. Idiot. Too bad he's apt to hurt more than just his family with all the power at his disposal.

Ars Technica is hosting an article on a visit to the Creation Museum. Yeah, it is about as bad as you think.

If the article isn't enough there are more pics here.

Look, there is holding onto beliefs, and then there's make believe. Know the difference.

And quit trying to teach this crap to your kids, it excludes them from the entire human race.

NPR is carrying a series on the Six Day War, which happened 40 years ago this week.

Congress is trying to restore the concept of habeus corpus, which the Bushites took away last year. Go here to get your politicians on board with restoring freedoms taken away by the GOP.

More things about the GOP. All their candidates are against gays in the military, even though this hasn't been an issue for those straight military folks who have had to go through the experience.

A bigoted Justice Department official proud of attacking minority groups. Not to mention he is fond of suing people of false voter fraud charges to suppress voter turnout.

FAUXNews can't tell one black politician from another and doesn't really care to properly apologize, explain, or correct itself.

Roger Ailes equates being on FOX to squaring off against al-Qaeda by accusing Democrats of being cowards by not going on the network's debates. Look, I agree both al-Qaeda and FOXNews are bad for America, but the concept of not appearing on Ailes' shitty network is not cowardice, it is to not give your enemies ammunition against you. The true comparison would be to disavow being on al-Jazeera as well as FAUXNews.

Most Recent Sign of the Apocalypse: Line Dancing to Iron Butterfly

Dear Canada,

We're sorry our Disney team won your sport's highest honor. We realize it is embarassing. Hell, I'm ashamed myself.

And we apologize for not letting you win the Cup in 14 years. (Not to mention stealing damn near all your hockey teams and putting them in the desert or swamps. And one baseball team. And do you still have any basketball teams? If so, hand those and the Blue Jays over.)

Seriously, it is total BS. You should be pissed.

You should have come to expect that from us by now though.

Better luck next year.

Signed,
America

"I'm a very well-educated, successful, intelligent person. This is insane to me that I have an armed guard outside my door when I've cooperated with everything other than the whole solitary-confinement-in-Italy thing."

- Andrew Speaker, Human Excrement

If you've been under a rock recently (like I have kinda been), you may have missed the Georgia lawyer who ran around the planet with a dangerous drug-resistant form of TB because, well, because he's too rich to be hindered by such a tiny thing as a low form of plague.

Yeah, he's American. And yes, this should be instructive for you as how the rest of the world sees us. Sure, anyone of any nationality might have done this. But the guy that got caught is a white lawyer from Down South who thought *he* was above such things as worrying about the public welfare.

And now we all will probably have to suffer somehow from his stupidity and those like him.

"Trying to hush up and punish fellow Americans for exercising the same democratic right we're trying to instill in Iraq is not what we're all about."

- Gary Kurpius, National Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars

Contrary to popular belief, I actually do use Internet Explorer from time to time, usually when there's a site that won't resolve otherwise. So, when I was on-call last week I collected a few stories I didn't link in the last post. Since I am thinking about a reboot and since I haven't found a way to save sessions in IE yet, I might as well clear said tabs.

Since the Bushites are all about torture, it has been up for discussion recently. Poor Andrew Sullivan remains torn between his conservative ideals and knowing his politics side with bigots, hatemongers and villians. Therefore he is very careful not to call Bushites Nazis when saying their proposed interrogation methods are basically those of, ahem, Nazis.

O'Reilly AND McCain are racists.

Homeland Security in Alabama deems gay rights groups and anti-war types as terrorists. Then again, no one has ever accused Alabama of being a bastion of democracy. Then again, they went for Bush 56.46% in 2000, and 62.46% in 2004, so as they would say down South, there's your sign. They saw dictatorship and MORE people voted for it.

Bush has nominated a homophobe who wants to "cure" gays for the position of Surgeon General. Bet you miss C. Everett Koop even more now.

Speaking of lousy Republicans, here's a look at the piece of crap we have for governor here in Nevada.

More on the new global warming denier lovefest over coal.

Speaking of denial, did you know the UN is still are paying people to look for WMD in Iraq?

The Bushites are still spreading lies about those who oppose them. In this case, Kansas Governor Kathy Sebelius who got on Bush's ass for dismantling her National Guard and leaving it stretched too thin for emergency response during a tornado last month.

One last note from Cindy Sheehan as she exits the stage.

Plus, how the Justice Department has voided a merger that would have eliminated a conservative newspaper in Charleston, WV. Now, this is not exactly a mass market. Strange how I don't remember this happening when the Houston Chronicle bought out the Post years ago and the politics went the other way.

Strange.

In military news, the VFW is asking the military to back off when it comes to censoring anti-war speech by military servicemen and vets.

At Fort Drum in NY state and Fort Lewis in Washington, the bases are resorting to monthly memorial services as they are now unable to keep up with the demand of offering individual services due to the increase of servicemember deaths due to Iraq.

Meanwhile, we are sending amputees back to Iraq. I do not question the soldier's desire to serve; I question the situation that demands they go back rather than merely allows them to.

Morale is down and the Iraq-trained insurgents are branching out across the Middle East.

Oh joy.

"Conservatives believe that their country can do no wrong, like a teenage girl might feel about Orlando Bloom.

- From an article on DailyKos concerning patriotism

Sorry I've been away for awhile. Had two long weeks, then a fairly hellacious on-call and then basically slept away two days while also celebrating Leslie and my seventy anniversary. So I've been distracted.

Not that things outside my life have been going all that great anyway. And by that, I mean the sordid state of affairs that is the Chicago Cubs. I mean, seriously, all that money blown on tallent that doesn't perform and now fist-fights in the clubhouse. Get it together guys; you are actually making the Yankees look sympathetic.

Well, not to me, but you get the idea.

One new thing, there is now a "creationist museum." Whatever the hell *that* means.

One thing that's the same, O'Reilly: still a racist.

Aside from the quoted article above, a few other tidbits from DailyKos concerning the Taliban, the fall of the Roman Empire and its parallels, a comparison of Iraqi losses in US population terms, and an article on wind energy.

In other environment news, a 1930s program to fund coal plants is about the only New Deal legistlation conservatives like, as long as it gives money to their energy company pals.

This year is currently the hottest year on record. An ExxonMobil is still funding global warming deniers despite promising otherwise. Big Oil lying? Why am I not surprised?

Will sake power the cars of the future? Say it isn't so!

However, here is some hope for the future: a stinkless durian.