Contributors

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Calling All Ostriches

For those of you who still think that the war in Iraq couldn't possibly be about corporate thievery I submit this article and this article from the New York Times.

The first article tells the story of one Charles M Smith, the senior civilian overseeing the multibillion-dollar contract with KBR during the first two years of the war. He was fired because he refused to sign off on a billion dollars of "questionable" money that KBR charged to the US government. After he was fired, the money was gladly handed over. Gosh, what a shock.

The second article details the other half of why we went to War in Iraq...oil. ExxonMobil, Total, Shell, and BP are all set to take their no bid contracts on June 30th and begin to service the oil wells in Iraq. And there are still people out there that deride those like myself who think oil had anything to do with it?

I'm curious as to what the earth looks like with so many heads buried so deeply in it. Well, I'm sure they'll convince themselves that none of it could be true because it came from the "Traitor" Times. Maybe they should keep on thinking that and, in the meantime, I will be gently preparing their beds in the new asylum of cognitive dissonance they are going to enter in about seven months.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

This Is Wonderful

When I first saw this, I laughed for...oh...about an hour. Then I thought, well, this is an exaggeration. They aren't really like this. Then I watched it again and thought....fucking a right they are! It's time to start admitting the obvious:

Shit smells.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Who Is The Real Tax Man?

I got this graphic, at lleft, courtesy of Robo Cam Guy, who I just saw in St Louis. Unless you make over 2.9 million a year, why on earth would you vote for John McCain? Or any of the antiquated trickle down Republicans?

I know several of you that fall into the first category that are steadfastly Republican. So...you want to pay more in taxes then?

Sunday, June 15, 2008

A Welcome Homecoming

I came home tonight from weekend trip and found this sitting in my email box. It is an article from the Huffington Post regarding War Inc., the new film from John Cusack. It warmed my heart to read the following responses that John got regarding his film.

From Sgt. Brent Sammann (left), an active-duty soldier in the US Army:

I'm a first-hand witness to the exploitation by KBR and other companies lending their services to the war effort -- services us soldiers are fully capable of doing ourselves.... The military is being overcharged by these companies on a regular basis. Also, the poor service and treatment we get from some of their employees who make three times as much as those of us serving our country that are not in it for the money but are trying to make the world a better place for everyone.

From SPC (P) Johnny Rhodes in 3/2 SCR Infantry based in Diyala, Iraq:

After being awake for 3 days I may be a little bit out of it, so excuse any rambling or incoherence on my part. Off the top of my head, I can easily say that KBR in particular is of no help here in my area of Iraq. They do, jobs soldiers could do, get paid way better for it, but the work is almost always substandard.... at any given time there are hordes of these guys tying up the phones and internet, cramming the chow hall, etc. Which makes the soldiers have to wait. And wait. And wait. They also paid way more than me, for a job, I could do with my eyes closed.

From Brenda Clampitt, of Baton Rouge, LA, the wife of a soldier stationed at Camp Adder in Tallil, Iraq:

[My husband] drives the trucks and Humvees and escorts the KBR around where they need to go. He doesn't understand why they get paid way more then he does when [he and his fellow soldiers] are the ones doing the protecting, and are the ones getting shot at and blown up. He has seen soldiers die in front of him; he has seen lives destroyed and the country torn apart. My husband would serve his country whether he got paid or not, that is just how he is. He loves his country and wants to protect it but he sees first hand what is going on over there and he doesn't like it.... I myself am sick and tired of this war. It is dragging on and on and it is all about the money. I am not anti war. But I am FOR everything your movie is about.

The article also references a column in today's New York Times regarding the outsourcing of interrogation to private contractors (??!!?). I have a column coming soon on interrogation. I need to let it simmer a little while longer.

So, based on these quotes, would anyone of you "I just hate Bush" folks want to tell me, now that soldiers are starting to come forward, that there ISN'T any profiteering going on? Or maybe you could tell me what else you need-evidence wise?


Friday, June 13, 2008

Hypocrisy Defned

For those of you who are interested in the purest example of hypocrisy in the history of mankind, check out Kevin Baker' latest posts regarding the Gimto Supreme Court case, Boumediene vs. Bush. As is the norm with folks on the right, rather than putting the blame squarely on the people he supports in Washington (Bush Co) for causing the problem to begin with, he accuses the 5 judges who voted in favor of detainee rights of being activist judges (snore...).

This case would have never happened if our current leaders in the executive branch decided we could hold people without trial and torture the shit out of them. I find it hilarious that the "less government" crowd supports this. Kevin and company have been screeching in fear that a President Obama would create a fascist government with totalitarian control over its people.

Um....dumb assess.....it's already here and you are the biggest cheerleaders of it!!! And they accuse me of having a blind belief system? Good Lord....

Almost as funny is the arrogance that they FEEL that they know more about the Constitution than 5 Supreme Court justices and can't see the political bias of the Bush appointees, Roberts and Alito.

But the real kicker is the quote that Kevin has on the top of his page.....in the banner which defines his site!!!

The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities. - Ayn Rand

Well, I guess if the shoe fits....

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Obama is Pro-Life?

Great article today in the Huffington Post on how Barack Obama is the real Pro Life candidate. Since we all like stats...

Obama could remind the voter that only 11% of sexually active women don't use contraception and from this 11% comes 50 percent of the nation's abortions. Ninety-three percent of the American public strongly favors contraception because of this very reason. Very few voters are aware, however, that not one pro-life organization in the United States supports contraception. Or that instead, pro-life groups have been spearheading campaigns to prevent Americans from accessing birth control. No less than 80% of self-described pro life voters strongly support contraception . Few know that McCain has a long legislative resume devoted to voting against access to contraception and prevention.

So, how does John McCain plan on reducing the number of abortions in the US?


Monday, June 09, 2008

Please Kindly Remove the Pole.

On Saturday, The Minnesota DFL Party endorsed Al Franken to be their candidate for US Senate.

With the rest of the country fully nauseated with conservatives in general and aching to give them the heave-ho, one would think that his path to the Senate would be a cake walk, especially in the only state that voted for Mondale in 1984!

And when he is running against Norm "go with the flow" Coleman. A cinch, right?

Wrong.

We must pause here to note two key facts:
  • He is running in the No Fun Capital of the World (See this article)
  • His path to the Senate has been made much more difficult by the teaming (thanks to very astute conservative pundits) of the high fallutin' right wing, morals crowd with the PC "all porn is degrading to women" dorks who have ten foot poles up their asses.
There's nothing we can do about the first problem. Minnesota has one gigantic fun meter and if it goes over to far to the right...well....it's time to go find something miserable to do because, gol darn it, people shouldn't be allowed to have that much fun!! We can't spend our days playing sports, going to clubs, and having a good time with our friends. We have to spend all of leisure time at either Home Depot-Menards-Sears or using what we bought at Home Depot-Menards-Sears fixing up our houses or.......(smoke coming our of Mark's ears) cabins. (side note: this will be the topic of a future non political post entitled Next Stop: Coffin. Just wanted to give you a preview...)

But the second problem....ah the second problem...that is an issue we can do something about. Personally, I was under the impression that the faux "porn is degrading to women" argument was left behind permanently in the 1980s. Sadly, I was wrong. After several of Franken's old sketches from Saturday Night Live were revisited, as well as a piece he wrote for Playboy in 2000, every self righteous woman with a giant pole up her ass has been screaming at the top of their lungs for his head on a pike.

Ironically, and just as loudly, conservatives like Katherine Kersten and other members of the morality police have also been complaining about Franken and are licking their chops at running against him in the coming months. And why wouldn't they? They have a fairly loud group of uptight dingbats on the left who they can exploit and use to help them win the election. The race between Franken and Coleman is close enough that if the anti-porn lefties don't turn out to vote or vote for a third party candidate, then Coleman will be serving a second term.

I wish I could get both groups in one room and spend an hour with them detailing why the 95 percent of the rest of us wish they would shut the fuck up. Both groups need to realized that....PEOPLE LIKE TO FUCK!! In fact, people need to fuck. It is on the very lowest level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. People also like to talk about fucking, how hot chicks' asses are, and how, on some occasions, it's OK to treat your lover like a plastic fuck doll. Sometimes they even like to write about it or make a joke about it.

And that's just what Al has done. To say that he is a misogynist, and focus on that ad naseaum, is so fucking ludicrous when you compare his Playboy column to....say....Coleman's support of the Iraq War. Why don't we go back and take a look the pictures of the dead children in Iraq? How important does Franken's joke about Leslie Stahl seem now?

It's satire, people. Please lighten the fuck up, remove the pole from your ass, try watching a porn film (I recommend Belladonna's Cock Pigs or Belladonna's Butthole Whores Volume #2-both were made by women) and let's focus on the real issues of the day like Iraq, health care, education, and the economy.

Can we...please?

Friday, June 06, 2008

A Special Dedication

It seems that quite a lot of hoopla has developed as a result of my post regarding GI Bills. In fact, this was a recent comment left regarding said subject.

How can any of you can even listen to what markadelphia says after his embarrassing post regarding McCain's position on the Webb GI bill?

I have to say that this comment is correct. I really didn't do my homework. In fact, I left out several key points and I thank God that someone else out there is more on top of this story than I am. Why doesn't everyone go take a peek at Edward Hume's recent piece on McCain and where he stands on GI Bills and realize how pedestrian my post was?

Some key points:

Over the Memorial Day weekend, Sen. Barack Obama expressed some well-timed astonishment at McCain's opposition, and the two have been feuding about it ever since. The media and pundits seem perplexed, collectively suggesting: That's not the John McCain we know. Which is true: It is the John McCain they don't know. If the media weren't so mesmerized by the McCain image they have long promoted and instead got to know the McCain record, they would realize that there is nothing surprising or inconsistent about his position on the GI Bill.

For years he has opposed legislation that veterans and their advocates deem vital. In doing so, he is simply being true to the contemporary conservative wing of the GOP and its leader, George W. Bush, in opposing social programs and benefits for individuals, even if those individuals happen to be veterans. The only surprise is that anyone finds this surprising.

And facts?

So let's take McCain up on his invitation. Here is how he has stood on recent legislation supported by major veterans organizations:


* On Webb's GI Bill, he expressed opposition, and he was AWOL when it was time to vote on May 22.

* Last September, he voted against another Webb bill that would have mandated adequate rest for troops between combat deployments.

* On a badly needed $1.5-billion increase for veterans medical services for fiscal year 2007 -- to be funded through closing corporate tax loopholes -- he voted no. He also voted against establishing a trust fund to bolster under-budgeted veterans hospitals.

* In May 2006, he voted against a $20-billion allotment for expanding swamped veterans medical facilities.

* In April 2006, he was one of 13 Senate Republicans who voted against an amendment to provide $430 million for veterans outpatient care.

* In March 2004, he voted against and helped defeat on a party-line vote a $1.8-billion reserve for veterans medical care, also funded by closing tax loopholes.

I stand corrected. My post was embarrassing as it left it these key facts. I humbly apologize and fully admit that my writings were lacking in depth. You know what...I....ah....I'll just let Hume finish...

Webb pointed out that there really was no compromise in McCain's proposal because it would have excluded most veterans by offering full education benefits only to those with multiple enlistments, even though 70% to 75% of enlistees leave after one tour.


Compare McCain's stingy standards with the original GI Bill: Any veteran who served 90 days during World War II, in combat or not, earned full benefits. It is Webb's bill that represents the reasonable compromise between the gold standard set for the "greatest generation's" original GI benefits and what is doable in today's economy: a GI Bill that will truly pay for a college education after three years of service, without the onerous payroll deduction.

So here is where the McCain image and reality part company. It is certainly true that his affectionate and respectful rhetoric for America's servicemen and women takes a back seat to no one. But when it comes to improving the health and education of our veterans, McCain's record leaves them stranded by the side of the road.

Oh...no...that's going to leave a mark.


Seriously, though, if you want to bring it to me, as Junior Soprano once said, you're going to have to come heavy, that is, do your fucking research and leave your confirmation bias at the door.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Gently Into That Good Night

Well, it looks like the Hildawg is going to throw in the towel tomorrow, privately, and then on Saturday in public. I really hope that Senator Obama is smart enough to NOT pick her as a VP. She needs to become a nice cheerleader now and wait for the chance to be Senate Majority leader.

As the general election campaign gets under way, make sure to stop by Electoral-Vote.com for all the latest polls and updates on all the other races that are underway. Right now, Obama is up on McCain 287 to 227.

The pundits on the right are coming up with all they can think of to go after Obama. I have to say that so far what they are bringing to the table is laughable. They are so fucking tone deaf and have completely lost touch with the American people. Maybe they never knew to begin with? The central theme on most minds of Americans is the economy. Everything flows from there...Iraq....price of oil...health care etc.

If I were a Republican strategist, I would focus on why Obama's plans won't work in these areas, specifically the economy. Of course, they run the risk of having to explain why conservative ideology has utterly failed in the last 28 years but at least the American people will listen. If they continue to talk about Obama's church, Bill Ayers etc., the votes will continue to pile up for Obama, even in traditionally red states.

The American people are tuning out the right wing douche bag who has a TV show, radio show or blog. After all, how have any of what these fuckers have said helped in any way? Thank God we are finally starting to wake up.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

History

"I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations."

-Senator Barack Obama, June 3, 2008, St. Paul, MN, upon becoming the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

Monday, June 02, 2008

What IS That Smell?

I thought something smelled pretty bad outside yesterday as I was re-shingling my garage roof. It was coming from the southeast and it was a distinct smell...a cross between urine, arm pit sweat, and vomit-with a hint of diarrhea thrown in for seasoning. I couldn't quite figure it out what it was until I opened up the paper this morning.

Karl Rove was in Rochester, Minnesota yesterday at the state Republican Convention.

As I read the report of his speech and criticisms of Obama (more on that in a moment), I was perplexed to discover that there was nary a mention of WHY THIS FUCKING CRIMINAL ASSHOLE ISN'T IN FUCKING JAIL YET!!!!!

Oh, wait. That's right. I forgot the two main rules of America in the last eight years.

Rule #1: Any and all assertions that Rove, Bush, Cheney etc are criminals are to be immediately dismissed as partisan hatred.

Rule #2: When Democrats break the law, they should be punished. When Republicans break the law, it may look they are breaking the law but they really aren't. Don't let your eyes deceive you. Any accusations made towards Republicans are ALL lies made by godless whores who are trying to destroy America with communism.

Silly me. One would think that when someone...

...Breaks a federal law, punishable by death, and reveals the name of am undercover CIA agent, oddly one who was in charge of tracking loose nukes-something I thought was important

...Fires US Attorneys solely on the basis of their unwillingness to fabricate evidence against Democrats in the various states in which they worked

...Exchanges documents using RNC email servers or personal, third party emails in violation of the Presidential Records Act.

...Exercises improper political influence over government decision making such as using the Department of Justice to manipulate the court involved in the prosecution of former Democratic Governor of Alabama Don Siegleman.

....Refuses to respond to a Congressional subpoena regarding #4 and has stated that he will also ignore another subpoena in regards to #2....

that they would be Vito's bitch in San Quentin right now. But not ol' Karl. Oh no. Karl gets a free pass from the same people who laughingly claim to be "tough on crime." These same people, and you know who you are, use the same line of defense that is often employed by high priced defense attorneys, painting the criminal as a victim of some great injustice or bias.

A line of defense that these same people, in what has to be the finest example of pure hypocrisy of I have ever seen, scream about being against all the live long day! Victim culture, my neatly shaved ass!

But by all means, please...continue to defend a piece of shit like Karl Rove and prove to the entire world that your words, regarding toughness on crime, are empty, hollow, and command an immediate loss of respect.

So, as I read Rove's criticisms on Obama as he delivered them to the "tough on crime" crowd, I had to laugh. In fact, I even guffawed! Let's take a look at a couple of them, with commentary of course...

Barack Obama is far out of the mainstream and someone who doesn’t necessarily have the same view of America that you and I do.

Well, this is true...if the mainstream is criminal scumbags and the view of America that he has is one that has him and a few, select others, as above the law.

Naivete and inexperience-a lethal combination.

Ah, the fear card...an oldie but a goodie.

Seriously, though, who is he kidding? Does he think the entire country are a bunch of fucking idiots? The above quote does not accurately describe Senator Obama...it describes President Bush! Take a look at the results of the last eight years...the loss of human life in Iraq...the incompetence of the response to Hurricane Katrina..the horse shit state of the economy and all the problems that go along with that...the complete ignorance of the people who actually attacked us on 9-11....and tell me again...please tell me with a straight face who is naive and inexperienced?

His speech was all the more surreal as it was met with "whoops, cheers, and ovations." Can someone please tell me what all these people are happy about? They're Republicans, right? And that means they deplore government overspending, correct? The Bush Administration has spend so much money that we are in debt up to our eyeballs to China. Our country may never recover its economic status in the world.

His whole speech made me really wonder, though...is this all the Republicans have for the general election? Boy, are they going to be in for rude awakening.

I can't wait.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Ah, (former) Fox News Commentators....

....proving two of my long running points for me. Michelle Malkin, last seen ripping Sally Field for being against wanton death and destruction, recently proved two Markadelphisms in her campaign against Dunkin Donuts:
  • Most conservative pundits (and many Americans for that matter) have a child like understanding of Middle Eastern culture.
  • Conservative portray themselves as being against the "victim" culture and yet still love to play the victim! Hilarious...
Malkin blasted a recent Dunkin Donuts ad, with Rachel Ray, as being pro-jihadist, because Ray is seen wearing a scarf (at left) that, according to Malkin, all the terrorists wear. Gasp!

Dunkin Donuts has now pulled that ads and Malkin thanked them, saying, "It's refreshing to see an American company show sensitivity to the concerns of Americans opposed to Islamic jihad and its apologists."

"Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant (and not-so-ignorant) fashion designers, celebrities, and left-wing icons," she said.

Actually, no.

Amahl Bishara, an anthropology lecturer at the University of Chicago who specializes in media matters relating to the Middle East, said complaints about the scarf's use in the ad demonstrate misunderstandings of Arab culture and the multiple meanings that symbols can take on depending on someone's perspective.

"I think that a right-wing blogger making an association between a kaffiyeh and terrorism is just an example of how so much of the complexity of Arab culture has been reduced to a very narrow vision of the Arab world on the part of some people in the U.S.," Bishara said in a phone interview. "Kaffiyehs are worn every day on the street by Palestinians and other people in the Middle East - by people going to work, going to school, taking care of their families, and just trying to keep warm."

Well, she's a Marxist traitor professor bent on the destruction of all things wholesome and good so what does she know anyway, right?!!??

Actually the real answer behind the scarf picture was given recently by Christian Lander, writer of Stuff White People Like.

White People’s body temperatures do not operate on logical or consistent levels, and because of this white people are often forced to wear clothing combinations that might seem strange or illogical...But without a doubt, the one piece of clothing that helps to regulate white body temperature in all situations is the scarf...A thin cotton t-shirt paired with a scarf to enable maximum temperature control in bars and places with air conditioning.

Hey, that's just what Rachel Ray is wearing!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

GI Bills A Go Go

Andy Tannenbaum, over at electoral-vote.com, had a nice take on the whole McCain versus Webb GI Bill brouhaha.

John McCain celebrated Memorial Day by attacking the new G.I. bill that passed the Senate last week 75 to 22. The bill offers tuition payments and other benefits to veterans after one enlistment. McCain wants the benefits to depend on how long you serve--the longer you serve the more benefits you get. While this position is certainly defensible, it may come back to haunt him. One of the key sponsors of the bill is Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA), himself a Vietnam veteran and an oft-mentioned possible Veep for Obama. If the Democratic ticket ends up being Obama/Webb, Webb is going to spend months saying: "I proposed benefits to help our men and women who fought bravely in Iraq and curmudgeon McCain opposes it." That position will be tough to defend.

I agree. What kind of sense does it make to attack a bill that give more benefits to vets in a time when there is a war that most of the people in this country don't support? As we move into the general election, I think we are going to see more of this tone deafness on the part of John McCain and other conservatives.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Ah, Fox News commentators.....

....helping me to prove my point regarding middle ground every single day:)

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Bust The Joint Out

One of my favorite films of all time is Good Fellas. It stars Robert DeNiro (left), Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci....directed by Martin Scorsesse. The film is essentially a history of the Mob from the 1950s to the 1980s, as seen through the eyes of Henry Hill, a real life mobster turned informant.

During one scene, a restaurant owner goes to Paulie, the mob boss, and asks for financial help with his eatery. Over the next few minutes, we see, very clearly, how the mob operates. Once they get their hooks into an establishment, they can do whatever they want. If the owner can't come up with the monthly kickbacks, it's time to bust the joint out, which basically means they run up a tab n the restaurant's credit, spending as much money as they can before they burn it down for the insurance money. Sometimes they run up the credit even if the guy does makes his payments.

Over the last 45 years this has been the modus operandi of the United States government when it comes to smaller countries. We loan them money and if they can't pay us, we bust the joint out, which, in geo-political terms, means we get to dictate its policy....a policy which is, of course, favorable financially to US corporations. We also get to take whatever goods we want. If the country decides to not listen to us or fuck us over, well....then you get Iraq.

And, if you are a defense contractor who has helped to buy off an entire administration, you can make some serious coin....

Last Thursday, Mary L. Ugone, the Pentagon’s deputy inspector general for auditing, submitted an internal auditing report of 8.2 billion dollars of taxpayer money to a Congressional oversight committee. According to the report, virtually all of the contracts did not follow ANY of the federal rules regarding contract payments and many of them had little or no record of what, if anything, was received. In addition, the report says that there was no accountability in nearly 2 billion dollars of Iraqi assets that were seized and distributed in pallets of cash. No records were kept of these disbursements and no one knows if this figure of 2 billion is even accurate.

As examples of this financial mismanagement, the report offers:
  • a document identified at the top as a “Public Voucher for Purchases and Services Other Than Personal.” It indicates that $320.8 million went for “Iraqi Salary Payment,” with no explanation of what the Iraqis were paid to do.
  • A payment of $11.1 million was paid to IAP, an American contractor, on the basis of a voucher with no indication of what was delivered.
  • a US Treasury check for $5,674,075.00 to pay a company called Al Kasid Specialized Vehicles Trading Company in Baghdad for items that a voucher does not even describe.
  • $6,268,320.07 went to the contractor Combat Support Associates with even less explanation than the item above.
  • a scrawl on a piece of paper says only that $8 million had been paid out as “Funds for the Benefit of the Iraqi People.”
A fucking scrawl on a piece of fucking paper? Are you kidding me?

The report also notes that the preparers were unable to find a clear set of records of payments, by the American Military to its allies, in the amount of 135 million dollars. These payments include 70 million to the UK, 45 million to Poland, and 20 million to South Korea. The auditors made repeated requests to find out what these payments were for and their requests were left unanswered. As the chairman of the Congressional committee Henry Waxman said, " “It sounds like the coalition of the willing is the coalition of the paid — they’re willing to be paid."

Bear in mind that this report, the first of its kind to come directly from the Pentagon (which means it is a primary source-unfiltered by the media), is in ADDITION to the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction report which could not account for 9 billion dollars in cash, last seen on these pallets. Remember this video from a while back?

Of course, this isn't even the best part. Because there were so many contracts to be examined, the auditors only took a representative sample of.......702 of them?!!? Just exactly how many defense contractors are there? And much taxpayer money has actually been wasted if 8.2 billion dollars is representative? Good grief....

I submit that Bush Co has busted the joint out and, stunningly, 28 percent of the voting public think he is an honest guy. I have spent a lot of time over the last few years wondering why this is and then I realized, after spending way too much time getting into the conservative mindset, that the reason for this is so many of them love to show the rest of the country how government is fucked up...even if it is done on purpose! Because then they get to point to reports like this and say, "See? This why we need less government and we need to privatize everything" while quietly masturbating (balls gently cradled of course) at the thought of a small government that lets US Corporations do whatever they want with no oversight.

Isn't that what we fucking have right now?

Apparently, the truth has been ignored or lost to them as this war has largely been run by private industry. There are just as many contractors in Iraq as there are soldiers. And there are private militias (Blackwater) running around doing whatever they want because they aren't accountable to the same laws that our armed forces are.

Take a look at these numbers. Go read the report. It is on the defense departments web site. Do any of you still think that we are in Iraq to "protect freedom?" It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened to this money. It went to our very own little version of the Mob-US Defense Contractors-and President Bush gave them his blessing to do it. This was the plan all along, folks. They knew there was a ton of money to be made in Iraq and they seized the day. Our CEO President really wanted to show, once and for all, that he can be successful in business and make money for his friends, even if it involved fraud. As with the Mob, Bush wanted to be "made."

We are at the point, folks, where we need to protect the government from corporations and not corporations from the government. This report is an excellent example of the sad state we are in. If anyone thinks that the last eight years has seen more government control and that's the problem (as some have intimated to me), they clearly have their heads so far up their ass that they won't need to get their annual colonoscopy this year.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Honoring The Fallen

Today is Memorial Day. If you get the chance, call up a friend or family member of an armed forces service member who lost their life. Tell them how important their lives were and how important they are to you. In our current conflict, this is all the more important.

If you don't know anyone who has lost a loved one in the armed services, take a stroll through your local cemetery and honor the unknown with some kind words and benevolent thoughts. These days, more than any other time, we need to deeply understand the sacrifice that our all volunteer army makes every day.

Here's to the fallen...

Saturday, May 24, 2008

She Almost Had Me

For a brief 24 hour period this week, I considered the possibility of Hillary as the number two on the Democratic ticket. While it is true that I don't like her and think she is just about as wrong for this country as President Bush is, she would help Obama get into the White House. I mulled over the cost of doing business with the Clintons, the concept of keeping your enemies close, and thought that, in the spirit of being open minded, giving her a chance at the VP post might be a good idea.

And then she opened her mouth and I was reminded why she is revolting.

My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don't understand it

I don't really care if she was tired or had a brain fart when she said this...it is just plain wrong. Given the fact that Senator Obama has received hundreds of death threats since declaring his candidacy, this statement is so unbelievably insensitive that there is no way she should be VP.

Obama can win without her and her name should be thrown in the fucking trash heap.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Support the...er...um...troops? (Part Two)

All of you may recall, I wrote a piece back in March of 2007 regarding the poor treatment that returning troops from Iraq have received at the various VA hospitals around the country. Rather than agree that changes needed to be made, many conservatives decided it would be better to use Walter Reed fiasco as an example of how government run health care doesn't really work.

Not really the point...but hey, remember, that is their modus operandi...re-direct, deflect, deny, blame liberals, and shirk all responsibility.

A couple of months back the conservative douche bag pundit machine, led by Bill O'Reilly, decided to come out with the statement that "there aren't that many homeless vets. Liberals like to make a big deal out of a few nutsos who live under bridges."

Actually, there are about 200,000 homeless vets and our government has all but ignored them. Put them together with the large numbers of PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome) patients coming back from our current war in Iraq and what do you get?

A piece of shit administration that does not give a rat's ass about the troops. To them, they are just fodder that facilitates the purpose of making them and their pals rich on oil and defense industry money (side rant: a post is coming soon on this one, boys and girls, from a primary source in the Pentagon, which essentially proves this point).

Adding insult to injury was the vote of no support from John McCain and President Piece of Shit himself regarding Jim Webb's GI Bill. Take a look at what the bill has to offer and tell me....how can anyone honestly say that these douche bags support the troops? This is a bill that enjoys heavy bi partisan support (75 Senators voted in favor of it, including several fiscal conservatives) and offers extraordinary educational opportunities for returning vets. It gives something back to the brave men and women who put their lives on the line for us around the world and John McCain doesn't support it?

So when Senator Obama said this yesterday:

Senator Webb and the leaders of both parties have introduced a 21st century GI bill that would give this generation of returning heroes the same chance at an affordable college education that we gave the greatest generation. I respect Senator John McCain’s service to our country. … but I can’t understand why he would line up behind the president in opposition to this GI bill. I can’t believe he believes it is too generous to our veterans. I could not disagree with him and the president more on this issue. There are many issues that lend themselves to partisan posturing but giving our veterans the chance to go to college should not be one of them.

....how did some conservative react? They accused Obama of mis-characterizing McCain's position, stooping down to a low level, being naive and stupid, and blah blah blah...we are going to hate him no matter what...blah blah blah....

Well, let's take a closer look at McCain's position, shall we?

First of all, he didn't even vote on the bill. He wasn't in town! He doesn't have the balls to vote no on something and then he whines like a baby at Obama for being "naive?" What a dick...

Second, according to Fox News, McCain doesn't like the bill because he has "concerns that offering education benefits as early as the Webb bill allows would discourage people from re-enlisting." So, he wants to keep people in the army longer? Gee, that has worked out really well. Stop-Loss, anyone?

Well, we all know what happens when people get an education. They listen to the Marxist professors propagate lies about all the bad things the United States has done in the world and then they start to (gasp!) question authority. And if that happens (double gasp!), it will be the end of all things wholesome and good (i.e. douche bags stealing tax payer money and using it to steal more money from brown people, killing a few hundred thousand of them in the process).

Give a person an education and what do you have?

The answer comes from my favorite episode of M*A*S*H. The episode, entitled "QuoVadis, Captain Chandler?", tells the story of a bombardier (Chandler) who ends up at the 4077th and says that he is Jesus Christ. He refuses to go back to the front and, as is sometimes the case, Colonel Flagg shows up. Flagg is in Colonel Potter's office with Hawkeye and BJ.

Flagg: Damnit, Colonel, Chandler's turned chicken. All it takes is one GI with a messiah complex and before you know it you'll have hundreds claiming they are Christ and refusing to drop bombs. Then what will have?

BJ: Peace?

Yep.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Great Line

From the comments section, courtesy of BLK:

Two days after Bush lectured the Knesset about "appeasement," Israel began peace negotiations with Syria.This man is completely out of touch with reality. He's like a five-year-old in a perpetual temper tantrum.

It really is true. I am counting the days when our country can lead again as opposed to being an international embarrassment.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

One Note Samba

With another big defeat for Obama in a primary, the "liberal" media are sounding like a broken record. If I hear the words "White" "Middle Class" and "Voters" together on any news station, I turn the channel. Are they that dumb that they can't think of anything else to talk about?

What really cracks me up is that it is simply not true. White middle class voters (d'oh) voted for Obama in Iowa, Wisconsin, Oregon, Idaho, North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado, and yes, even Kansas. They did not vote for him in West Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

Gee, I wonder why. Could it be because that is where the supporting cast of Deliverance makes their home?

And, seriously, are any of those states going to vote for him in the general? Current polls show McCain up in all those states by 20 points.

Conservatives are cracking me up too. Bill Kristol wrote in his column, on Sunday in the New York Times, that he couldn't recall an eventual nominee losing that badly in a primary. Apparently he has a terrible memory because John McCain, THIS YEAR, lost to Huckabee in West Virginia by a score of 52 to 1 percent. And he lost to Romney in Utah by the score of 90 to 1 percent!

Ah, I love that feeling of a douche bag being so completely wrong.