Conservative...terrorists?

Remember the cover of the New Yorker a couple of weeks back? The basic jist of that was a lampoon on conservative (see:white man shaking and a quakin' because he can't get his big fat dumb ass head around how much our America has changed) paranoia. In what has to be the most hilarious dichotomy in....the history of this country...conservatives think that Senator Obama is a "radical" who spends his time with "other radicals" like William Ayers (see: conservative douche bag fear mongering pundit machine really, really reaching for...something...hee hee) and is going to wield his Che Guevara ways,similar to Harry Potter's wand, and destroy all life in this country as we know it. I only have one thing to say to these imbecilic putzes:

PHYSICIAN, HEAL THYSELF.

Why don't we spend a few moments and take a look at domestic terrorism? Let's start with an oldie, but a goodie...abortion clinic related violence...

Murders

In the U.S., violence directed toward abortion providers has killed 7 people, including 3 doctors, 2 clinic employees, a security guard, and a clinic escort

• March 10, 1993: Dr. David Gunn of Pensacola, Florida was fatally shot during a protest. He had been the subject of wanted-style posters distributed by Operation Rescue in the summer of the year before. Michael F. Griffin was found guilty of Dr. Gunn's murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
• June 29, 1994: Dr. John Britton and James Barrett, a clinic escort, were both shot to death outside of another facility in Pensacola. Rev. Paul Jennings Hill was charged with the killings, received a death sentence, and was executed September 3, 2003.
• December 30, 1994: Two receptionists, Shannon Lowney and Lee Ann Nichols, were killed in two clinic attacks in Brookline, Massachusetts. John Salvi, who prior to his arrest was distributing pamphlets from Human Life International was arrested and confessed to the killings. He committed suicide in prison and guards found his body under his bed with a plastic garbage bag tied around his head. Salvi had also confessed to a non-lethal attack in Norfolk, Virginia days before the Brookline killings.
• January 29, 1998: Robert Sanderson, an off-duty police officer who worked as a security guard at an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, was killed when his workplace was bombed. Eric Robert Rudolph, who was also responsible for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing, was charged with the crime and received two life sentences as a result.
• October 23, 1998: Dr. Barnett Slepian was shot to death at his home in Amherst, New York. His was the last in a series of similar shootings against providers in Canada and northern New York state which were all likely committed by James Kopp. Kopp was convicted of Dr. Slepian's murder after finally being apprehended in France in 2001.

A fourth doctor, George Patterson, was shot and killed in Mobile, Alabama on August 21, 1993, but it is uncertain whether his death was the direct result of his profession or rather a robbery.

Attempted murder, assault, and threats

According to statistics gathered by the National Abortion Federation (NAF), an organization of abortion providers, since 1977 in the United States and Canada, there have been 17 attempted murders, 383 death threats, 153 incidents of assault or battery, and 3 kidnappings committed against abortion providers. The attempted murders were:

• August 19, 1993: Dr. George Tiller was shot outside of an abortion facility in Wichita, Kansas. Shelley Shannon was charged with the crime and received an 11-year prison sentence.
• June 29, 1994: June Barret was shot in the same attack which claimed the lives of James Barrett, her husband, and Dr. John Britton.
• December 30, 1994: Five individuals were wounded in the same-day shootings which killed Shannon Lowney and Lee Ann Nichols.
• December 18, 1996: Dr. Calvin Jackson of New Orleans, Louisiana was stabbed 15 times, losing 4 pints of blood. Donald Cooper was charged with second-degree attempted murder and sentenced to 20 years.^[11]
• October 28, 1997: A physician whose name has not been revealed was shot in his home in Rochester, New York.
• January 29, 1998: Emily Lyons, a nurse, was severely injured in the bombing which also killed Robert Sanderson.
• September 11, 2006 David McMenemy attempted a suicide bombing of a women's clinic in Davenport, Iowa after scouting targets throughout the Midwest. It was later revealed that the targeted clinic did not perform or make referrals for abortions.

Anthrax threats

The first letters claiming to contain anthrax were mailed to U.S. clinics in October 1998, a few days after the Slepian shooting, and since then, there have been a total of 655 such bioterror threats made against abortion providers. None of the "anthrax" in these cases was real.

• November 2001: After the genuine 2001 anthrax attacks, Clayton Waagner mailed hoax letters containing a white powder to 554 clinics. Waagner was convicted of 51 charges relating to the anthrax scare on December 3, 2003.

And where are we on the whole anthrax thing again? And who was targeted? Just saying...

Arson, bombing, and property crime

According to NAF, since 1977 in the United States and Canada, property crimes committed against abortion providers have included 41 bombings, 173 arsons, 91 attempted bombings or arsons, 619 bomb threats, 1630 incidents of trespassing, 1264 incidents of vandalism, and 100 attacks with butyric acid ("stink bombs"). The first clinic arson occurred in Oregon in March 1976 and the first bombing occurred in February 1978 in Ohio. More recent incidents have included:

• October 1999: Martin Uphoff set fire to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, causing US$100 worth of damage. He was later sentenced to 60 months in prison.
• May 28, 2000: An arson at a clinic in Concord, New Hampshire on resulted in damage estimated at US$20,000.
• October 1, 2000: A Catholic priest drove his car into the Northern Illinois Health Clinic after learning that the FDA had approved the drug RU-486. He pulled out an ax before being shot at by a security guard.
• June 11, 2001: A bombing at a clinic in Tacoma, Washington on destroyed a wall, resulting in US$6000 in damages
• July 4, 2005: A clinic Palm Beach, Florida was the target of an arson.
• December 12, 2005: Patricia Hughes and Jeremy Dunahoe threw a Molotov cocktail at a clinic in Shreveport, Louisiana. The device missed the building and no damage was caused. In August 2006, Hughes was sentenced to six years in prison, and Dunahoe to one year.
• September 13, 2006 David McMenemy of Rochester Hills, Michigan crashed his car into the Edgerton Women's Care Center in Davenport, Iowa. He then doused the lobby in gasoline and then started a fire. McMenemy committed these acts in the belief that the center was performing abortions, however Edgerton is not an abortion clinc.
• April 25, 2007: A package left at a women's health clinic in Austin, Texas contained an explosive device capable of inflicting serious injury or death. A bomb squad detonated the device.
• May 9, 2007: An unidentified person deliberately set fire to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
• December 6, 2007: Two unidentified persons set fire to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Mentioned above is Eric Rudolph, the man responsible for the 1996 Olympic bombings. His reason?

Under the protection and auspices of the regime in Washington millions of people came to celebrate the ideals of global socialism. Even though the conception and purpose of the so-called Olympic movement is to promote the values of global socialism, as perfectly expressed in the song Imagine by John Lennon, which was the theme of the 1996 Games even though the purpose of the Olympics is to promote these despicable ideals, the purpose of the attack on July 27 was to confound, anger and embarrass the Washington government in the eyes of the world for its abominable sanctioning of abortion on demand.

The John Lennon mention perfectly exemplifies the complete and utter fucking ignorance of people that think this way. Imagine (hee hee) the level of intellect that these people have that completely misinterprets one of the greatest songs of all time. I guess I would expect nothing less from this type of mindset. Less than zero maybe?

And then we have the Oklahoma City bombings by right wing nutters who were tired of the government as well as a whole host of grievances that sound suspiciously like a certain blog I know. This same blog recently posted a story recounting the "Threshold of Outrage" of 58 year old Jim Adkisson who, last Sunday, stormed into a Tennessee Church, angry at its liberalism and tolerance of homosexual members, killed two people and wounded seven others during a performance of a children's play. Naturally, he had a statement...he targeted the church because

"...of its liberal teachings and his belief that all liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country, and that he felt that the Democrats had tied his country's hands in the war on terror and they had ruined every institution in America with the aid of media outlets."

Hmm...sounds just like that guy I recently met at a Christmas Party who some of you said was an anomaly. Oh, and this is great. Inside Adkisson's house they found "'Liberalism is a Mental Health Disorder' by radio talk show host Michael Savage, 'Let Freedom Ring' by talk show host Sean Hannity, and 'The O'Reilly Factor," by television talk show host Bill O'Reilly.'"

Gee, what a shock.

As I read through Kevin's post regarding the tragedy, I did see a few hints of condemnation but the jist of the post, as well as the comments, was this....DON'T PISS OFF WHITE PEOPLE. And, as BLK noted after he read the post.

Geez, he sounds like a bleeding heart liberal. The poor guy's threshold of outrage was reached. We can hardly blame him. Those damned liberals made him do it. It's society's fault.

What I find to be curious about all of this is I wonder if Kevin has seriously taken a look at the people he criticizes and the people he defends? How blinded can his dogmatic belief system be? If I were him, I would be less concerned about the left and more concerned about his own house, which quite clearly has more shit bags in it. As BLK so eloquently put it to me in a recent email regarding this topic...

Why is personal responsibility abdicated when conservatives commit crimes?

Indeed. This would include Ted Stevens and the Justice Department under President Bush....two topics that will be covered over the next few days.....

The Benefits of Conservative Ideology

For the past eight years, many small businesses, largely made up of Republican voters, have been reaping some pretty big rewards or, more to the point, they have been given a break on their taxes.

And by break, I mean the "hands off" government of George W. Bush has looked the other way when it comes to their payroll taxes. According to a recent AP report, 1.6 million businesses owe 58 billion dollars in back taxes and penalties. This story caught my eye for a couple of reasons. The first was this quote from my Senator, Norm Coleman

Paying taxes isn't an option for hardworking Americans, yet these businesses act like they are exempt from this basic civic responsibility. Employers shouldn't have to worry about whether or money taken from paychecks is being used to line their employers pockets.

First of all, Norm, FUCK YOU! You and your ilk have encouraged this sort of behavior for the last eight years (six for you) and for you to come and say now that this "bad" is terribly disingenuous.

The other thing that I found interesting was how this proves, through hard evidence, how much our country has gone off track from good capitalism. Many of you have said that American businesses aren't like this.....it isn't common...blah blah blah...sucking any corporate leader's cock is patriotic because that is how success is defined...

It is quite clear conservative ideology encourages this sort of behavior. Examples?

• One company that it said had failed to pay $12 million while the owner diverted business money to buy luxury cars, planes and a mansion.
• A construction firm that owed $2.5 million dating back five years was found to be underbidding contracts while using unpaid payroll taxes to subsidize losses.
• A health-care company owing $2.5 million over 30 quarters filed for bankruptcy three times. Around the time of the bankruptcy filings, officers made cash withdrawals from the business of about $700,000.
• A waste-management firm owing $16 million stretched out over 10 years. The business was investigated for hiring illegal immigrants and the owner was arrested for income-tax crimes.

This is what happens when you follow the conservative line of thought regarding business and government. I find it to be hilarious that your average conservative bemoans government corruption and yet quietly chuckles when something like this happens.

So, corruption is OK when it happens the free market?

I Take This Man To Be My Wife

Steve Young is a real estate developer who wrote a column in today's Strib about one of my favorite topics: the "fun" people have in Minnesota. In one beautiful piece of opinion, he summed up what I have been saying for years about the thought process of most people in this state. If they start having too much fun around here, they usually think to themselves the following...

"Wow. I am really having fun. I better ramp this shit back and go do something that makes me fucking miserable like mow my lawn at the cabin or spend a Saturday morning at Menard's and a Saturday afternoon fixing up my house with the shit I bought at Menard's. I know some of my friends are playing a fun sport/going to a ball game/hitting the clubs today/tonight but hey...too much fun is a bad thing. I will not go with them and I will verbally berate anyone who does for having too much fun. It is abnormal. It is abnormal. It is abnormal...."

(sound of Theremin and person slipping into hypnosis)

Steve hits the nail on the head with the following quote from the article:

Ten years ago, I moved with my young children to Minneapolis from Chicago. That summer, and every summer since, when I go to one of the city beaches I am amazed and annoyed with the city officials who turned our natural gift, our city lakes, into large, boring wading pools -- people standing or sitting in the water, hampered by the multitude of antifun rules that the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has imposed over the years.

It really is true, I am sad to say, for those of you readers who hail from other lands. Oh, and did you noticed that he moved from Chicago? A place where they know how to pull the stick out of their collective arses and have a good time.

For the full article click here.

Three Days and Counting...

I have waited all year for the new season of Mad Men and it is three short days away. I fucking love this show. It takes place in the early 1960s...the zenith of Kennedy Era cool. Martinis....grey flannel suits....and chicks in tight skirts with curves in places where most women don't even have places.

Yummy.

Especially yummy is Christina Hendricks, number two on the top five mega fucking hot chick list of yours truly, pictured here with co-star and lead man, Jon Hamm.

Click on the photo if you would like to read more about the show.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Iraq

Before Barack Obama's trip this week to the Middle East, the President of Iraq, Nouri Al Maliki, stated that Iraq wanted US troops out of Iraq. This sentiment was echoed by several members of the Iraqi government.

The reaction from the Bush Administration was bizarre, to say the least. At first, they tried to deny that he said it. Then they vehemently disagreed with him, which is odd, of course, because we are supposedly still there at their invitation. To suggest otherwise would make us an (gasp!) imperial force occupying a foreign land. And we all know that's not true. Can't be. We aren't an empire because when you say "empire" or "imperialism" you can only use the strictest definition (see 18th century dictionary) and any other meaning is liberal hysteria. Lunacy...I tell you....lunacy!

Finally, on Friday, just as Obama was making his way to the Middle East, Bush and al Maliki agreed, via video conference, to a rough outline for withdrawal of US Combat Forces.

Huh?

Pardon me for scratching my head here (and I know I shouldn't in the ever changing, see if you can find the nut under one of these three coconuts approach to foreign policy that is the Bush administration's modus operandi) but I thought if we "cut and run" we would be giving in to the enemy? (Side note: still wondering who the enemy is in Iraq...haven't got an intelligent answer yet other than "bad guys." So, I'm still waiting...)

Apparently, the scuttlebutt is that combat troops will be out of Iraq by 2010. This comes a great disappointment to John McCain who has made his entire campaign about national security and if he loses that talking point then....why should he be president again?

Thus we have the picture to the left. Here we see General David Petraeus giving Barack Obama a personal tour of Baghdad. I look at this picture and really feel all of the wheels in motion regarding Obama's trip to the Middle East. I can't help but grin at the obvious fact that many of our nation's great leaders yearn for a competent, intelligent man to take the reins in these incredibly tough times and they have found him in Senator Obama. They are sick and tired of the buffoonery that has defined the least eight years.

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that they have made their choice.

Are We Stupid?

Last Tuesday, President Bush was all set to deliver a speech on the state of the economy. While he did touch on that subject, the topic he really wanted to talk about was drilling for oil in our own country. My question to all of you is this....why doesn't President Bush just stand up and there and say the following:

I would like to make my friends in the oil industry richer. That is why I want to drill.

DOES HE THINK WE ARE ALL FUCKING STUPID?

Apparently, we are. I just got back from my annual digital exam (yipee!) and as I was waiting to give some blood for a PSA screen, a woman and her mother were sitting next to me having a loud conversation about the economy. The woman said, "If Congress would just let us drill offshore, then all of our problems would be solved. But they won't listen to the President. And now, the Chinese are getting all of that oil."

Setting aside the fact that giving more oil to oil companies is like giving more heroin to drug dealers, the Chinese aren't stealing our oil. This woman obviously spends her time listening to right wing talk radio and watching opinion media like Fox News. Recent assertions by both outlets have proved to be false. Their source was Dick Cheney, who was since recanted his statement and said he was mistaken. Do you think this woman knows about this?

Nope. She has made up her mind. It's all the fault of Congress (aka liberals) and the Chinese. I felt like saying something but it was too early to point out the extraordinary depths of American ignorance.

More of that Liberal Media Crap

Two articles of interest in today's New York Times for those of you who are still on the liberal media kick. They are up Charlie Rangel's ass with a tweaser now and show no sign of letting up. If I were ol'Charlie I would....whine like a baby about how the media are biased. Oh no, wait...that's what the right does all the live long day. Anyhoo, if I were Charles I would find a new place to live and pay what the people he supposedly represents pay (aka his fair share).

Another article discusses Senator Obama's upcoming visit to Iraq and presents several voices who (gasp!) disagree with him about troop withdrawal. In fact, the first person interviewed states unequivocally that the US should not leave. Could the Times be towing the Bush line?

Nah, can't be.

Oh, and by the way, why is it the voices on the left are much quieter in their whining about conservative media?

Liberal Media Watch

Every time I see a story or stories which prove that the media is far from liberal and interested in selling whatever their corporate owned asses are peddling, I am going to start pointing it out. Starting fucking today...which is why you see, at the bottom of this post, tags appearing for the first time. Anyone who does a search for liberal media might be pointed here. From now on, all of you can consider this a repository of information that proves how bullshit the claim is that the media is liberal. Please tell your friends...

Anyway, let's take a look at the New York Times, as an example. Called the "Traitor Times" by many on the right, this is the same newspaper that sat on the wiretap story for a year...a fucking year!...because they were too afraid of Dick Cheney. This is the same newspaper whose reporter, Judith Miller, went to jail because she wouldn't reveal who in the Bush Administration was leaking information about undercover CIA agents.

Now we see they have hired Bill Kristol to be a columnist. And last week they ran a series on Charlie Rangel and his palatial apartment set up. Are there still people out there who consider the New York Times liberal? If so, what is the matter with you?

But the real icing on the cake was the latest issue of the New Yorker. Check out this cover.

Um...what do you think they were trying to accomplish with this cover? Could it be they wanted to.....SELL SOME SHIT?

Once again, I feel totally vindicated. The editors of the magazine say they were trying to lampoon the right's view of the Obamas but it doesn't take a genius to figure out they were just trying to boost sales and raise advertising rates in a struggling economy.

They are pandering, as most members of the media do, to the lowest common denominator, encouraging a tabloid culture whose members exist only on the most paranoid and superficial levels of emotional intelligence.

I see example of this crap everyday and wonder..how does this favor liberal views...exactly?

Morning Chuckle

I opened up my copy of the Strib today and saw something that made me laugh so hard I almost went to Methodist for oxygen. A letter from a reader regarding Rush Limbaugh's new contract with Clear Channel had the following line in it:

Radio shows such as Rush's are the only place that conservatives can get the whole picture. We certainly can't get it from the liberal news media...with the state of Public Radio and Air America, I'm wondering if it isn't just plain jealousy that is causing the complaints.

Putting aside the fallacy of the liberal news media (more on that tomorrow), um..."the whole picture?"

BWAA HAH HA HA BWA HAH HAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Try a PERFECT picture of propaganda. This is just another example of how conservatives can't process new information (see actual scientific proof) and have to go to a source that tells them what they want and need to here. This also proves how Rush's listeners aren't seeking entertainment but what they feel is news. I wonder if this letter writer, and others who feel like him, understand that Clear Channel pays people like Limbaugh to make sure that their corporate interests...Republican interests....are met in Washington. Now that I think about it, this would also be an example of how US Corporations, not the government, are the ones that are really running the show.

I will give him Air America, though. No doubt that has a liberal bias.

But Public Radio? Nope. Just because they report something you don't like, something that is culturally diverse, or something that is from another culture's point of view (see: white fear, paranoia, and insecurity) doesn't make it "liberal." Often dry and even sometimes boring is NPR but liberal?

Well, I suppose when you see enemies around every corner....

Whither Phil and Jesse...

As I have stated many times on this blog, we are in a new era of politics. The rules are different, folks, and many of you, on both the left and the right, don't get it. The American people have had quite enough of the bullshit, thank you very much, and expect more out of their candidates. We have finally started down the right path. Not stellar yet, but down the right path

So it really cracks me up when I see folks who still follow the old way of doing things. I offer as an example the Reverend Jesse Jackson and former Senator Phil Gramm. Jesse Jackson has become a caricature of himself. He sees enemies and "people talking down to black people" around every corner.

Note to Jesse: Barack Obama is black.

And Phil Gramm is really on the ball, isn't he? Our economic problems are all in our head, according to Phil, and we should just "get over it." This is a classic and shining example of how tone deaf conservatives have become in this election regarding what is going on this country. It will ultimately prove to be their undoing.

Jesse and Phil represent the past...the old way of doing business. Both of them look terribly out of step and foolish any time they are put in front of a microphone. And it makes my heart warm to see people recognize them for what they both are...

A joke.

Who's not listening....again?

Kori Schake, a senior policy adviser to John McCain said last week that Senator Obama was not listening the commanders on the ground in Iraq and that all of them have stated that Iraq is the central front in the war. In addition, Al Qaeda has said it is.

Well, golly shucks, Kori, let's please start listening to Al Qaeda for our foreign policy direction. Did it ever occur to you, Senator McCain or any of the other numskulls that support the occupation of Iraq that they want to distract us there while they quietly build up forces in Pakistan? Sheesh....

In actuality, no one in the McCain campaign (or most on the right) are listening to our armed forces. The Pentagon has been saying for the last year that Al Qaeda in Iraq is permanently crippled and all but vanquished. And Ms. Schake's comments came two hours after my new hero, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that additional troops were needed in Afghanistan, lamenting the fact that they were tied down in Iraq.

All of this after a huge spike in causalities in Afghanistan. Are people on the right so bent on being "right" that they can't admit that something has to change-and change now-before another serious attack?

Apparently so.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

A reader down in comments suggested that I respond to a post by just dave from the 14 points of Fascism thread. I want to say right off the bat that I really should do this more often. There are some really great things written in comments every day and from now on, I will take the time to bring them out top more often, as is the case with the post left by just dave.

His post also touches on some things I have wanted to talk about lately so without further adieu, let's break down this little ditty and have some fun.

His first point, in a nutshell:

I extended this to corporations in my comment as well and can provide examples of fascist policies...What party, here and now, looks for that kind of control? Who wants more and more regulation on business? The control looked for by the left should simply leave one gob smacked.

The real problem dave has here is that he is operating under a false paradigm. In 2008, we are not trying to protect business from government...we are trying to protect government (which is us, btw) from business. Take a look at most members of Congress and tell me who has more power...them or the lobbyists? This is true of both Democrats and Republicans. Honestly, does dave think that the US Congress is more powerful right now than Blackwater? KBR? Haliburton? I would like him to illustrate how this might be. What him and others that post here suffer from is corporate dick envy. They view companies such as these as being the way to succeed in life which, ironically, is the exact opposite of the values they purport to represent. I equate their beliefs about corporate America to an eternal school yard crush or blind love-whichever you want.

His second point, in a nutshell:

The media angle we simply will not agree on...it doesn’t matter a lick who “owns” the stations because they’re not the ones on the air talking.... must take people like Dan Rather at their word...

Ah, the "media is liberal" argument. How much money did Rush Limbaugh just get? How long of a contract extension? What are his ratings? What about Fox News? There are plenty of conservative owned media out there with far and wide tentacles that are akin to the so called liberal media. I say so called because it does matter who owns the stations. I challenge dave or anyone else for that matter to find me a liberal on the board of GE or Viacom. Or on any board in "liberal" Hollywood. In addition, compare the media's coverage of the Vietnam war with the current one. Iraq is heavily censored and all of the big networks are told by their corporate masters to not show images that make America look bad. It's bad for business.

His Third Point, in a nutshell:

Human rights… Why didn’t you provide an example? Liberalism cheapens life with policies of abortion and euthanasia.

Really, dave? How many people have we killed in Iraq? How many of them were children? When it comes to the sanctity of life argument, you will get no respect from me as long as you continue with this glaring hypocrisy. I think you need to re-read this post and take another look at these pictures which, btw, the "liberal" media has never showed anywhere and then, please tell me who cheapens life.

As for an example on human rights abuses, how about this one? Didn't you call me "loony" a long time ago for comparing our poor human rights record, under Bush Co, with that of China? Well, I guess your pals have decided that the Chinese method of torture (from 1957!) isn't all that bad and so they stole it. Would you like another one? Chained to the ceiling of an airplane hangar for days. Awesome! That really will show those bad guys....right to bin Laden's door to happily be fitted for a vest. Or about how about another one on the subject of water boarding? And this is from a guy who supports the Iraq War. Dave, we are acting the same way they do...doesn't this bother you at all?

His Third Point, in a nutshell

Religion. We have very different reads on our own history. Seems to me the Pilgrims were seeking religious freedom, not to have religion expunged from their lives. LIL already covered this in fine detail.

I would recommend that dave, and everyone else for that matter, read Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen. The book describes various accounts throughout our history of how we have glorified certain people (e.g. Woodrow Wilson, Stephen Douglas) and how we don't assign blame to anything bad that we have done. It all happens anonymously. It is the most honest account of our own history, which includes religion and government, that I have ever read.

His Last Point, parceled out with commentary:

Yes, I do believe we are safer today under George Bush than we would be under Al Gore or John Kerry. There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind and no way that I could be dissuaded from this fact.

Thanks for proving my point about how open minded the right is when it comes to their thought process.

Here are some facts for dave and other who believe this line of thought, to consider.

Fact #1: President Bush spent the entire month of August, 2001, on vacation. Up to 9-11, he had spent more time on vacation than any other president in that same amount of time.

Fact #2: Al Qaeda attacked us on 9-11.

Fact #3: Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahari are the heads of Al Qaeda.

Fact #4: Both are still at large, nearly 7 years after the attacks, and, according to Bush's own NIE, have rebuilt their capabilities inside of Pakistan, to carry out attacks that would rival or surpass 9-11. This same NIE said that the war in Iraq has made it easier for Al Qaeda to recruit members and train them.

Fact #5: Al Qaeda was not in Iraq before we invaded in March of 2003.

You are supporting a belief, dave, not a fact. And it is a terribly blind one. If Al Gore had spent the entire month of August 2001 on vacation,was handed a report that said "Al Qaeda determined to attack inside US," and did nothing about it, even in light of all of the previous attacks (Cole, Khobar Towers), you and I would be an agreement. As it stands, your statement proves that you are stuck in belief system that ignores key facts, like those mentioned above. Or, perhaps you can't admit when you are wrong, which would make sense because that's how Bush Co acts all the time.

The bad guys say they want to get us…the bad guys have tried to get us but have been thwarted…and the bad guys are on the defensive because we’re not waiting for them to come get us, we’re actively going after them.

No, we're not. If we were, we would have finished the job in Afghanistan (see Gary Berntsen's Jawbreaker), conducted operations inside of Pakistan, and worked with our European allies to crack down on "bad guys" in places like Holland, Denmark, and England. Who are we fighting in Iraq now, dave? The Pentagon said last fall that Al Qaeda is all but eliminated in Iraq. Honestly, what is our mission there? First, it was WMDs. OK, fine. We took care of that. Then it was Hussein. He's dead. Done with that. Then it was Al Qaeda in Iraq. They're finished. And people like you are saying that if we leave now, we will be defeated? By whom?

You seem to constantly search for enemies that aren't there and, oddly, completely ignore the ones that are there and represent a very serious threat. Why is this so?

Clinton, Kerry, Obama are all on record as favoring “talk”, policing agencies and the courts to combat terrorism which is in fact the policy that was in place pre-9/11. How else can this be said? How can it even be debated?

Clinton bombed Al Qaeda when he was in office. He almost killed bin Laden and would've if bin Laden hadn't decided to go somewhere else. Can the same be said of Bush? Both Kerry and Obama want to bomb targets inside of Pakistan. So they aren't all just about talk. But talk is important (see Bush and North Korea). Talking does not mean appeasement. This another great example of your side's Orwellian doublespeak which preys upon the fear of the unknown.

Dave's PS, in a nutshell

I'm finishing this little nugget while watching the Euro2008 Championship. Events like this are great on so many levels. I particularly enjoy the patriotism the fans show throughout the tournament by displaying their flags and singing songs. It is so striking to think that you and your followers would never be at an event like that...would never show that type of pride in their country. How very sad.

Actually, what is sad is how little you understand "me and my followers." I have been to five baseball games this year and loved singing the national anthem every single time. I love this country. I think it is the best on the planet, even with all of its faults. And the faults are the real problem, aren't they? I look at them, reflect, and wonder how can we do better. You ignore them, re-direct, and say, "Fuck you, you are a traitor". As Mark Twain once said, "I support my country all of the time and my government when they deserve it."

Once the embarrassment that is our current administration leaves office, it is my hope that more people will be proud of this country. The real problem here, dave, and I think the Cliff May/Ed Schultz exchange below exemplifies this, is that you are under the impression that your side get exclusive rights to define what is and what isn't patriotic. You, and others on the right, also think, and this really makes sense in juxtaposition with your perceived grasp of patriotism, that you get exclusive rights to define what the Bible means and, in particular, who is and who isn't a Christian.

You don't get to.

Thankfully, there is a whole country full of people out there with different views then your own. Views that are much more reflective than "There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind and no way that I could be dissuaded from this fact." These are the people that are going to restore some since of respectability to America. From now on, when it comes to defining patriotism and Christianity, you are going to have to get through them first, dave.

And me.

One final parting word of advice: I would be careful as to who you define as not having pride in their country. There are plenty of liberals that I know that won't be as nice as I have been. You see, dave, they live in "flyover" country too and they don't take too kindly to people questioning their patriotism.

But, hey, by all means, ignore what I say and please continue to do so. It just means another pile of votes for my guy!

Ed Schultz Opens Up A Can

Normally, I chuckle at all the pundits bickering with each other and I am not the biggest fan of Ed Schultz (McCain is not a war monger) but this clip is fucking money! One very good thing that has come out of the last eight years...especially the last four years...is that the left isn't going to let the right define them any more. Especially in sub moronic and immature way that Cliff May tries to do here.

I say tries because he utterly fails. I really hope the right keeps trying to do this for two reasons. First, it continues to prove that they have a child like understanding of that region of the world. Second, it gives the left a chance to show the country that every time the right pulls this shit, rather than shrinking back like frightened mice, they are going to come back heavy, like a big hard fucking horse cock.

So, please, righties, keep it up! (Pun fully intended)

A Navy Man, eh?

Regardless of who wins the election this fall, our new president is going to have some great people in the armed services to work with in our current ideological conflict. You may recall a post last November regarding General James Conway, head of the Marines and his desire to transfer troops from Iraq to Afghanistan. After a recent trip to Pakistan earlier this month, Admiral Michael Mullen (left), the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, stated that the "epicenter of terrorism is Pakistan."

I know this doesn't jibe with the extraordinarily delusional fantasy of George Bush, Dick Cheney, and their sub moronic supporters (e.g. right wing radio cocks, most conservative bloggers, and some folks who post here) who are still trapped in the single minded belief that Iraq is our best line of defense. Thank God it doesn't and it makes me feel a whole lot better knowing that there are guys like Admiral Mullen on the job. He has also said:

"There appears to be little political progress in Iraq. " (USA Today).

"If [the Iraqis] aren't making progress in [the political] realm, the prospects for movement in a positive direction are not very good. Failure to achieve tangible progress toward [political] reconciliation requires a strategic reassessment." (testimony before Congress).

Each day, we see more and more military leaders saying that without political efforts...ideological efforts...we will not succeed. This is a hard pill to swallow...especially for the crowd that: a) does not have the intellect to understand how to do this and b) is primarily motivated by fear of the "other" and an insecurity stemming from an inability to accept any sort of diversity. We all know who I am talking about.

People like Admiral Mullen are going to be the ones who are going to assist the next president in actually doing something (possibly not a military something) about the real problem we have...the problem we have always had...which is Al Qaeda. They are in Pakistan, folks. We need to get that part of the world and get there soon...with our ideas, our hearts, and even our troops. It's time to win. It's what I have been saying all along and now I have the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff backing my shit up.

Fuck Yeah.