There is a God!!

When the President announced the resignation of the Secretary of Defense this morning, the biggest cheers came from the Pentagon!!!

Deja Vu All over again

This morning, White House shill and Fox pretty face Tony Snow stood on the White House lawn and declared flatly that we are winning in Iraq. Kinda reminds me of Bagdad Bob!!

No Global Warming

Sen. James M. Inhofe (Republican, Oklahoma) has stated flatly that global warming is a sham perpeturated on the American public. This in the face of solid scientific and visual proof. I guess he's the Bagdad Bob of the environmental issues facing this country (and the world). The problem is that if you act like an ostrich and put your head in the sand, just remember what part of your anatomy is sticking up! But this is not the first time Inhofe has said something stupid. See www.counterpunch.org Another Oklahoman, Will Rogers, once said that he got his material as a humorist from reading the newspaper and seeing the actions of Congress. He'd be hilarious today!!

Tit for Tat

Gasoline prices at the pump are falling. In some cases it's 20 cents a week. Ain't it grand?! But there's a cloud behind every silver lining. The oil companies are dropping prices to buy the mid-term election for the Republicans (Bush/Cheney = oil men). But, mark my words... you'll pay in the spring if not before. Boy, will you pay!

It's the old shell game, folks

At the American Legion's national conventiion yesterday, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld attacked those who questioned the war in Iraq. He said Iraq was the "epicenter" on the war on terrorism. Hey, Dummy, er, Rummy, you guys caused the war in Iraq. You guys opened the door for the terrorists to come into Iraq to kill our troops. It was the old shell game in the beginning and now you're trying the shell game again. The administration wants link the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to the war in Iraq. Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11. That is a proven fact!

More spin than a Maytag dryer

Bush declared Monday that Hezbollah was the loser in the month-long battle with the Israeli Army. George, do you really think that?! If so, that's more spin than a Maytag dryer. Back in the 1967 War, it was Israel that was the David to the Arab states' Goliath but now the tables have turned. And Hezbollah is still standing after a month in which Israel has decimated the land and livlihood of the Lebanese. But much more important, Israel's failure to deliver a knock-out blow to Hezbollah has given that organization greater cache in the Middle East, if not around the Muslim world. And Israel's devestation of southern Lebanon has converted thousands upon thousands of Lebanese into Hezbollah supporters. And Israel's unquestioning, unswerving supporter, the United States --- the folks who gave Israel the military hardware --- is also looked upon as a loser. George, Hezbollah is now cleaning up physically in southern Lebanon and cleaning up politically --- for the hearts and minds of the people --- everywhere in the Middle East.

The misguided sheep

The evangelical Christians -- not really Christians at all -- are supporting Israel in the conflicts in the Middle East because they believe that by supporting Israel they can affect the Second Coming. In short, they believe they can tip God's hand. They believe they know when the Second Coming will be. But I say they're not really Christians because if they were they would believe God's Word: "You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." - Luke 12:40, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." Mark 13:32-33

I told you so

Israel promises to stop bombing and murdering civilians, but reneges on the promise. But then again, I told you so. See entry for June 28.

The sky is falling, the sky is falling!!!

The Nutcase Rightwing Alliance (NRA), er, the National Rifle Association is back at it again. They write “Using the war on terrorism as a phony excuse, the anti-gunners are fighting for laws that will BAN HANDGUNS, LIMIT THE NUMBER OF GUNS YOU CAN OWN, TAX AMMO, LICENSE, REGISTER AND FINGERPRINT GUN OWNERS… AN VIRTUALLY REPEAL THE SECOND AMENDMENT!” And they name the usual suspects in Congress as those who will outlaw hunting ammo, padlock ranges and declare hunting lands off limits. But they may be successful in the fear and smear campaign, just like they were in 2000. Remember, it’s these folks who help bring you George Bush. And you are, of course, freer, more secure, and better off than you were BB (Before Bush). They may be successful because, as a society, we’re dumber than dirt! I have yet to see such proposed legislation. The NRA will tell a lie and tell it long and loud.... and the sheep (er, public) just nods their heads. A little questioning and a little research is far beyond the ken of the average American.

A Bridge in New York

The Israelis deliberately targeted and killed the UN observers along the Lebanon-Israel border just like they deliberately targeted and killed 34 U.S. Sailors aboard USS Liberty in 1987. If you think Israel is our friend, then I have a bridge in New York I'll be happy to sell you!

King George

The American Bar Association, a non-partisan organization, has declared that George Bush is breaking the law and trashing the Constitution with the signings stating that as King, er, as Commander in Chief, he's not going to follow the laws passed by Congress. Two hundred thirty years ago, the patriots of this country booted out one George; and because he can't run again due to the Constitution, it's time to boot out George followers in 2008. [Perhaps he'll make a signing on that as well!!!]

A great sadness

Well, the Israeli government now has the opportunity to finish the job.... to achieve the final Palestinian solution. And with the U.S. unswerving backing, the people of the U.S. need to be prepared for an unending Global War on Terrorism. Of course, the actions of the suicide bombers not only kill innocent bystanders, but are also killing any chance at all for the Palestinians.

Oh yeah

Burning of Old Glory angers me as well, but as the Supreme Court said, it is a matter of political protest. The Republicans, with their unpopular war, their unsavory behavior and their sucking up to the fanatics in the evangelical ranks, now tried to curry favor with the public by passing a Constitutional amendment prohibiting burning our flag. It failed to pass. Where is Archie Bunker when you need him?

A date that remains in infamy

Thirty-nine year ago today, June 8, 1967 -- another date which will live in infamy --- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of Israel.

The United States had and has been an unswerving ally of that nation and yet Israel wantonly and in cold-blood attacked USS Liberty (AGTR-5), murdering 34 United State Navy personnel.

After this deliberate attack, Israel’s response was “oops,” and they said they didn’t know it was a U.S. ship, even though Liberty was flying a large U.S. flag. And because the U.S. government (Republican or Democrat is immaterial) kowtows to the Israeli lobby, there has been a cover-up and denial. (See the Liberty web site) Ironically, the United States has turned its back on Liberty and a blind eye to the atrocities of the state of Israel ... as it does in the case of Palestinian civilians today.

What a concept!!!

Following the alleged killing of 24 Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines, a commander in Iraq has ordered subordinates to conduct "core warrior values training, highlighting the importance of adhering to legal, moral and ethical standards on the battlefield." Following the scandals in Congress and the dishonesty at the White House, someone should order "core values training, highlighting the importance of adhering to legal, moral and ethical standards" for the members and the administration.

The "Two-State" Solution

The U.S. is now backing the Israeli idea of two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That is, Israel will reset the borders according to it's own desires. There is precedence, you know. The U.S. government creating lands for the Native Americans such a the Apache, the Cherokee, the Dakota, the Iroquois, the Onondaga, the Seminole, the Sioux, etc., etc. How about the Pequods of Connecticut. Never heard of them? The colonists pretty much wiped them out.

Amen!!!

This person has it exactly correct!!! Select

Dumb and Dumber

Good grief! Could we have a government any more imcompetent?! Alienating allies, bashing the UN, Iraq, unable to find Osama bin Laden, fiasco called FEMA, Taliban gaining strength in Afghanistan, gasoline prices, the loss of personal data on 26 million veterans, and the beat goes on. The only thing that might save us would be if our adversaries are dumber than we.

I'll hold onto the truth until you pry it from my dead, cold hands

The NRA is now going to run a series of ads telling America how they -- the NRA -- are going to protect Americans from having their guns seized during national emergencies. The only problem is they've made up this "crisis." But that's the right-wing's way. Make up a lie and tell it often and loud enough and the public will believe you. They did that in the 2000 election and we got George Bush. Do I own a gun? No. Do I care if you own a gun? No. Are you likely to shoot an intruder into your home? No. Are you likely to shoot a friend or loved one? Yes.

Christians only

The Republicans in the House, running scared with so much opposition from the Religious Right, last night slipped language into the $513 Billion defense authorization bill that allows military chaplains to pray in the name of Jesus during public military ceremonies. Evangelical groups such as Focus on the Family, the Christian Coalition and other lobbied vigorously for this language. Jewish, Moslem, and other faith participants in public military ceremonies will have to pray “in the name of Jesus.” We’re fighting a war in Afghanistan which began to topple a theocracy. Now we’re setting one up at home!

Perhaps our last chance

[Note: This is a long post. The subject cannot be treated in one paragraph.]

Tomorrow (May 9), the House of Representatives votes on HR4681, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006. This bill imposes draconian economic and diplomatic sanctions against the Palestinian people for exercising their democratic rights. Every peace-loving American ought to call their representative and urge him or her to vote “no” on this bill.

Now, I recognize that if I’m not in unquestioning support of the government of Israel, if I care at all about the humiliation and oppression of the Palestinian people, I am, according to the Israeli lobby and the U.S. right wing, anti-Semitic. But then I remember that those who opposed the Vietnam war were labeled as anti-American, pinko commie fags. Forty years later, of course, we all know they were right.

But this has nothing to do with religious beliefs. [By the way, people who follow the Jewish religion are not a separate race. Firstly, Judaism is a religion and a culture and secondly, there is but one race on this planet. It’s called “human.”] What this has to do with is Peace.

The board game “Risk” had in its instruction sheet at one time, a discussion that the Middle East was the most crucial area of the world. There would be no peace in the world unless there were peace in the Middle East. And that is the whole crux of the matter.

It is the obvious perception of the Islamic world that the U.S. is in league with Israel in a crusade against Islam. HR 4681 will strengthen that perception. The Israeli-Palestinian issue is directly tied to the Global War on Terrorism in that the actions of the U.S. in its unswervingly supporting the Israeli government and disregard for the rights of the Palestinians lend great credence to the claims of al-Qaeda and other such groups that the U.S. is fighting a crusade against the Moslem world and that the U.S. is assisting Israel in taking the land from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates for Israel's expansion. HR 4681 strengthens al-Qaeda's claims.

I truly believe that the U.S.’s unswervingly support of the Israeli government is a root cause for the attack on the World Trade Center. The WTC was the heart of the U.S. financial industry and I believe that al-Qaeda's view is that industry is owned and operated by the modern day equivalent of Shakespeare’s Shylock.

The defeat of HR 4681 may be our last chance to turn events around so we can find a true and lasting peace in the Middle East, a peace that will benefit the Palestinians and the Israelis.

I fully understand Israel’s desires to ensure their citizens are not blown up by the barbarous acts of the suicide bombers. But why is the Wall not following the 1967 borders? Why are Palestinian farmers being cut off from their fields --- their livelihoods --- Palestinian children being cut off from their schools, and the Palestinians in general being cut off from their medical facilities?

It is only through honest dialogue and negotiations done with integrity will peace in the Middle East be possible. And a lasting and honorable peace in the Middle East will be a decisive blow for victory in the War on Terrorism --- a war that guns and bombs will not resolve.

Osama says

Read today's Washington Post and the transcript from the latest bin Laden tape. According to excerpts of the audiotape broadcast by the al-Jazeera network, he says: "Your aircraft and tanks are destroying houses over the heads of our kinfolk and children in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and Pakistan." Now go back and read what I wrote on 13 March. Of course, no body reads this blog.

Once Upon A Time....

Bush says the government will protect the citizens in case of any price gouging by the oil companies. Let's see, Bush was, uh, oh yeah, an oil man. And Cheney was, uh, oh yeah, an oil man.

Why am I not surprised

Nice going, White House! You screwed up the ceremonies for Chinese President Hu Jintao pretty well. Diplomacy is fraught with symbolism and you guys insulted the leader of a country whose support we need in this world. Of course, you frittered away good will from most of the rest of the world. By why am I not surprised? This administration is shown itself to be incompentent from the blunder in Iraq to the screw up in New Orleans to the gas pump.

Already it starts

The right-wingers are at it once more. Scared to death that Sen. Hillary Clinton may be the Democrat nominee for president in 2008, they are already slinging the mud. Jeannie Moos of CNN looks at the book "I've Always Been a Yankees Fan: Hillary Clinton In Her Own Words" by Thomas D. Kuiper and finds that most of the "quotes" ascribed to Mrs. Clinton are unsubstantiated. It's the right wing and their anonymous (made-up) sources. And the bloggers will pick up on these "quotes" and will be mortified, indignant that Mrs. Clintoin could do such a thing. Then the right-wing media will also chime in reporting on the book and on the blogs. It's the old saw: If you repeat a lie often enough and loud enough, people will pereceive it as truth.

What part of ...

What part of "illegal" is misundertood? What part of "compassion" is too hard to digest?

Cold War Over???!!

Mr. Bush, the self-proclaimed champion of protecting the U.S. way of life, is acting again in a way that makes us scratch our head. This administration continues to support and defend Mr. KGB, Vladimir Putin even though Putin's government provided Iraq with U.S. invasion plans. Russia has taken every step to undermine U.S. efforts across the globe. Yes, Mr. Bush, be sure to support Putin. After all, at the end of the day, it is Russia who wants to be the world's superpower and if that means getting rid of the United States, so be it!

Dėjà vu all over again

The Bush administration has issued its security report. It says that Iran is the most dangerous to the United States, and, that the U.S. retains the right to a pre-emptive attack on any country it deems might be planning to attack the U.S. Interesting. Last week, based on ABC's Brian Ross' report, Bush has declared that Iran is supplying Iraq with IEDs, and for a couple of weeks now, the U.S. continues to warn the world of Iran's WMD. Maybe this doesn't add up to anything, but I'm concerned when UN Abassador John R. Bolton enters the UN headquarters in New York in cammies!!

Neverending story

Once again we see the example of the jack-booted Israeli stormtroopers invading Palestinian territory in a raid against a prison in Jerico. And agin the cycle of violence continues. Amazingly, U.S. monitors, safeguarding the prisoners, departed the prison moments before it was attacked by the Israelis. Yet the U.S. says there was no collusion. See the post of March 13!

All's fair .....not!

Carla Martin, attorney for the Transportation Security Administration, improperly sent transcripts of the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui to seven witnesses in the trial. I'm no lawyer and I don't play one on TV, but to me, that would be tantamount to tainting their testimony. And now the judge has banned the government's witnesses, a move that very well could scuttle the case. Why did Martin do that? Could it be the "any ends justify the means" attitude that seems so prevalent in the Bush administration?

He just doesn't get it!!

Bush keeps saying that we're fighting against people who oppose our way of life. That's nonsense. Osama bin Laden, an extremely wealthy man, can live any way he wishes. The real issue for the terrorists is the United States' absolute and unquestioning support of the Israeli government's policy against the Palestinians. The Israeli government --- the Likud Party --- has the goal of complete displacement --- a diaspora if you will --- of the Palestinian population. Sharon's two state solution is to give the Palestinian's three totally disconnected small pieces of land. These are totally disconnected so they cannot possibly flourish and so will dissicate and be blown in the wind. And the right-wing hawks like Cheney are in total support.

YGTBSM

It is a sad commentary on the tastes of the U.S. public when no-talent Howard Stern earns $500 million for flap-jawing. P.T. Barnum was totally correct!!!

This administration

I tried to write a humorous entry on the incompetency and dishonesty of this administration, but, you know what, "t'ain't funny, McGee!" It's sad. It's pathetic. Deception is the modus operandi. Deception on WMD, on the aftermath of Katrina, on the VP's shooting in Texas. I can only pray that America will be more discerning in 2008!

Sleep on, America, sleep on

Cindy Sheehan was arrested last night while sitting in the people's house wearing a T-shirt imprinted with the number of Iraq war casualties. She was sitting! The Capitol Gestapo arrested her for refusing to cover the T-shirt. Has anyone in this administration ever read: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. " But that's what we have come to expect from this administration: attempting a theocracy, removing dissent, isolating the nation from the rest of the world. And America dozes on.

Just deserts

The huge Hamas win was helped by two entities. One was Fatah who has done nothing to help the Palestinian people, only themselves. The other was the Israelis. The treatment of the Palestinians by the Israelis is not unlike the treatment of Jews by the Nazis.

They're at it again!

When the right-wingers can't defend a their position with a logical, cogent argument, they go for the ad hominem attack. Hey, it worked against the Democrats' cigar-store Indian John Kerry. Now the right-wingers are going after Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who served in combat in Vietnam. A right-wing web site is now questioning the circumstances surrounding the awarding of Rep. Murtha's two Purple Hearts. [See The Washington Post, 14 Jan 2006] My question is has David Thibault served in combat? Of course the attack on Rep. Murtha may cause a buzz for a while. It doesn't matter if it's inaccurate. Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.

Re: the chaplain

Very well stated by Sara Horn at her blog A Greater Freedom.

Let's twist (the truth) like we did last summer

I've been watching the issue of Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt with great interest. I am deeply saddened by media and bloggers who don't take the time or effort to investigate what the truth may be. We have torrents of information spewed at us but not necessarily a drop of fact.

And I'm just as guilty for I accused a blogger of removing my post on her blog. She explained she did not; but she does moderate the postings and mine hadn't been posted as yet. I apologize to her and to readers (?) of this blog.

However that does not change the basic issue. The chaplain said “I’m facing being kicked out because I pray in Jesus’ name.” That is not true. Navy spokesman Lt. William Marks said Friday (Jan. 6) that Chaplain Klingenschmitt had been granted an indefinite extension because he had provided the appropriate “proof of continued or renewed ecclesiastical endorsement.” (Chaplains have to be recommended by their denomination.) Lt. Marks also said Chaplain Klingenschmitt twice had been orally notified of the extension in December, and a written notice of the extension was mailed to him Dec. 22.

Lt. Marks had told the publication Stars & Stripes in December that Chaplain Klingenschmitt (was) still an active-duty sailor in good standing, has no disciplinary action pending, and has not received any punishment for language used in public forums.

This last point is very important. Chaplain Klingenschmitt says he cannot pray in Jesus' name in public while in uniform. Again, not so. But you need to understand what "public" means. If a chaplain has been asked to deliver the invocation or benediction at a commissioning ceremony or a change of command, the Covenant and Code of Ethics of the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces says "When conducting services of worship that include persons of other than my religious body, I will draw upon those beliefs, principles, and practices that we have in common." If the chaplain feels uncomfortable with that, he or she can decline that invitation. But if the chaplain is conducting a service for his or her denomination, Title 10, United States Code, applies.