Contributors

Friday, December 29, 2006

The Last Post

This is my last post of the year. I was all set to put up my usual "Best of" for 2006 (it will be up next week) but I was inspired by a recent speech on the Senate floor.

The Republican Senator from Oregon, Gordon Smith, at the end of a "lame duck" session, stood up and spoke from his heart. He had just returned from a trip to Iraq and his words were poignant and straight to the point.

It's worth talking about for two reasons. The first is for me to be humble and admit that I was wrong. It's true. Not all Republicans have hearts black as the night and have the central goal of ruining my children's future.

The second reason is that the tide is finally turning. This complete and utter bag shit that we have all been in the last five years is finally showing some peaks of light. People on the right side of the aisle are starting to question President Bush, broaden their minds, and become people of good faith.

It is words like the ones below that make me feel something I haven't felt in long time.

Hope.

"I have concluded that we are employing strategies that are needlessly getting kids killed."

"I, for one, am at the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way, being blown up by the same bombs day after day,"

"That is absurd. It may even be criminal."

Gordon Smith (R) Oregon, December 7, 2006.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Well Well Well.....

"The most painful aspect of the presidency is the fact that I know my decisions have caused young men and women to lose their lives."

President George W. Bush

Dec 20, 2006


No fucking shit, Sherlock. And isn't that what I have been saying all along?

Monday, December 18, 2006

Smellin' Some Mo

Something must be going on. Three bits of complete and utter vindication in one week!!Normally, I am not one to say I told you so but....

Neocons,

I TOLD YOU SO!!!

.......fuckers.

In the great debate of whether or not our country is being run by regime similar to Hitler's Third Reich, I win and all of you "gee isn't everything wonderful and our country is soooo morally superior " naysayers lose.

Today, The New York Times published the story of two men named Donald Vance and Nathan Ertel. Please click here and read the story.

Wasn't that a pleasant tale?

Scanning through old posts and remembering dinner/bar conversations I have had with conservatives, I recall most of them saying that as long as Americans were not being hauled away and held without representation or trial that our country was not like Nazi Germany. Well, as I predicted, we actually are like that and I am thoroughly disgusted. These two men were wrongly accused and sentenced to jail for no good reason at all.....unless, of course, you count reporting to the FBI that illegal weapons trading has been going on in Iraq. Clearly, in the year 2006, Bush Co does not approve of people trying to do the right thing. Even when they are people who, more than likely, supported the war in the first place so they could make shitload of cash!!

No, no folks. As I have been saying all along, our current leadership will stop at nothing to cover up the shit they have done. We have become a nation of fear mongering buffoons who will go along with anything our government tells us. If anyone out there still believes that these people are "moral," I would seriously consider consulting a neuro surgeon to check for brain damage.

After reading the nauseating account of Donald Vance, I am left with this question: how many more of him are there? Languishing in prison for trying to do something right? And why has taken so long for the "liberal" media to report stories like this? Is it because Vance is the first white, Midwesterner to get fucked over by an ever growing fascist cabal?

Y'know, when the Democrats won last November and Bush looked like someone punched him in the gut, I was willing to try to be nice and work together. I had the insanely silly thought that maybe we could come to some sort of middle road on Iraq and move forward with a plan that benefits everyone.

But after Bush's obvious reluctance to listen to the ISG report and now this story...I think it is time to put the "I" word on the table again.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

That Sweet Smell

What's that I smell in the air? Ah, yes. It's that sweet smell of Markadelphia being totally vindicated. The FEC (Federal Election Commission) has ruled that Swift Boat Veterans and POWs for Truth will pay $300,000 in fines for violating campaign laws in the 2004 election. In the 2004 campaign, the group spent $20.4 million criticizing Kerry's military record in Vietnam. Much of the group's claims about Kerry's service were never substantiated (translation: they lied because they are a bunch of douchebags who will stop at nothing to retain power.)

It does my heart proud to see this group's feet in the fire for all the rotten crap they did two years ago. I recall bitching about it then and neocons saying to me (please imagine a voice similar to Biff from Back To The Future here), "Well, Kerry brought it up...his Vietnam service...it's his own fault." Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot. Democrats can't serve their countries heroically because they are all cowards.

Right....

In addition, MoveON. Org and the League of Conservation voters were fined around $100,000 each for violating campaign laws which I also think is a good thing. The candidates should have to speak for themselves and be judged by their actions.

The other wonderful bit of vindication came from the agent of Joel Zumaya, relief pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. He admitted that one of the reasons he pitched so poorly against the Cardinals in the World Series was because his arm had muscle damage from.....playing video games too much. Apparently Zumaya plays PS2's Guitar Hero 4-6 hours a day.

What a constructive way to pass the time. Maybe he needs to order the shoulder straps they are making for Nintendo players. The New York Times reported yesterday that Nintendo is making a harness of some kind to prevent players from breaking TVs, ceiling fans, and other assorted furniture due to their exuberance and playing various video games.

Wow. What a wonderful place our country has become.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Grab Bag

It's high time for another Grab Bag...I hope you enjoy it

McFuck Off!!
A couple of weeks ago, I was out with a couple of my female friends clubbing. A hot guy walked by and one of the girls turned to turned to the other and said, "Whew! He is a Nasty McHottie!"

Would someone please explain to me the current desire people have to put "Mc" into every single flargin' dumb ass, cute little nickname?

McDreamy, McSteamy, McShasta.....I am going McCrazy here!!! Putting "Mc" in front of any sort of name, noun or any other word makes you sound like you....spend too much time at McDonalds. Please cease and desist with this ridiculous tomfoolery.

I don't think I can take it anymore.



No More Babies
Will all of you please join me in a letter writing campaign to every single TV news network to beg them to stop airing stories about couples who have quintuplets, sextuplets, septuplets or any other insanely silly amount of children at one time?

I am so underwhelemed (to the point of being ecstatic at finding a cure for insomnia) when I turn on the TV and see the latest story of two pasty mouth-breathers who have had 9 kids at once. And while we are at it, can we beg them to PLEASE stop airing conjoined twins stories. I didn't like it when Barnum made a spectacle out of them and I really don't like it now.


The Pace Car
Lately, I have noticed on our lovely highways a new phenemenon: the driver who takes maniacal glee in setting the pace for all of the rest of us. Traveling South on Shady Oak Road recently, a car pulled out in front of me from McDonalds (probably someone who uses "Mc" in cute little nicknames) and then proceded to make sure that he went 30 in a mickey frickin' 40. A line of cars built up behind me, with people honking, at which time he proceded to flip us all the bird. When it widened to two lanes, he purposely moved to stay in front of all of us and continue to go slow. He turned around several times to laugh at the seven or so cars in line. At first I thought he was just a psycho but I have since seen and heard of similar incidents. In fact, a friend of a friend said she enjoyed going slower in front of a bunch of people just to "slow everyone down and relax." I don't know about all of you but I really don't have the time to jack off in my car all fucking day so if you are a "Pace Car," you are a dick.

It's All In The Name
The Democrats should change their name. They should also declare that they are no longer "liberals" as that name has gotten so much bad PR. Their new name should be the Progressive Party of America and they should demand to be referred to as "humanists" and not liberals. All references to Democrats or liberals (and of course all the chiding) would become antiquated and a new paradigm would be born.

Neocons frustration level would be at an all time high. Think of Ann Coulter or Sean Hannity saying, "Well, the Democrats...oops, I mean the Progressives or whatever they are calling themselves now...have done it again with blah blah..." Most Americans would flip the channel before neoncons could even make their point...if they actually had one to begin with.....

The TU Brigade
And finally, sorry ladies, but the jig is up and I am on to you. ALL of you. Over my years of experience with the opposite sex, I have noticed that several of you have expressed a certain reticence with the "from behind" position also quaintly know as doggy style. Just so we are clear, by doggy style I mean vaginal sex from behind, not anal sex.

The universal excuse I have heard over the years is, "Well, I have what's called a tipped uterus so that position makes me uncomfortable." While a tipped uterus can be common in women, this simple fact (according to three doctors I polled along with several ladies) does not mean that doggy style sex should be or is uncomfortable. One particular women I polled has a tipped uterus and likes to have her ass pounded regularly in that position. It happens to be her favorite. Anyway, I am tired of hearing this baloney from you girls. Perhaps your man is too large or you are too tight but there is no medical reason, like a tipped uterus or anything else, for doggy style sex to be uncomfortable. There is, of course, the mental/emotional/psychological one:

The fact that you think you have a fat ass.

First of all, in my opinion, unless your ass is as big as the one pictured at left, chances are you have nothing to worry about. In fact, most women I know think that their butts are too big when, in fact, they look quite yummy to me. Interestingly, all of the women who have told me that they have tipped uteruses (and thus don't like doggy style) ALL have bigger butts which proves my theory to be true. I think that you girls have decided that we men are stupid and you could pull a fast one on us.

Well, we are stupid but that's not the point. You think that you can throw some fancy shmancy female anatomical wizardry at us and then we'll just give up the greatest position in the history of sex? Do you think we are just going to go along with that? Dude, seriously, you have got to get over that "I have a fat ass so I am going to tell a bunch of lies, bullshit and he is a dumb ass male so he will beleive me" thing. Enough with the dishonesty.

Stick that booty up in the air and let your fella rock out!! I can guarentee that he will love it....no matter how "big"you think you are. So, sorry, gals, but it's not going to be that easy anymore. I pride myself on knowing more about female anatomy than every man I know and even most women. I am hear to tell everyone that having a tipped uterus does not automatically and anatomically mean that doggy style is uncomfortable. I will be singing this FACT to the highest mountains and shattering your little ploy of misinformation.

If you don't like to get fucked from behind, just say you don't like it. Or, better yet, talk to your man about why you don't like it and see if he is willing to lift up that left butt cheek with his right hand and put his left hand underneath to work that clit a little bit. This simple action will make you believe in God.

And then maybe then you can learn to enjoy that position.

Friday, December 08, 2006

The Gang Of Ten

Well, the Gang of Ten released their report about Iraq. I am sorry to inform all of you that things in Iraq are "grave and deterioring." The violence is worsening and broadening in its complexity and scope.

What the? Wait just a dol garn minute here. I thought that the media was only reporting the bad news. Do you mean to tell me that former Secretary of State James Baker, the man who singlehandedly ended the Cold War with a walk in the woods, could possibly know what he is talking about? Or any of the other members of the panel with a thousand years of foreign policy experience? Is it possible that these highly intelligent men have gotten it right?

Some interesting points that I thought came out of this report, followed by Markadelphia's usual sarcastic comments.

1. The United States must diplomatically engage other nations in the region such as Syria and Iran in order to help stabilize the situation in Iraq.

Aw, that's bullshit. I thought the WWE form of diplomacy we are currently engaged in was working so well. Dad gummit all, now we have to talk to those frikkin' firners again...I can't understand half of what they are sayin......we need to stick with the "let's pretend to be tough even though we don't really know what to do" approach. C'mon people!

2. The United States Army must increase its trainers from 2000 troops to 15,000 or 20,000 troops to assist the Iraqi Army?

And we haven't been doing this because.....?

3. Combat troops will be out of Iraq by 2008.

Well, it figures that a bunch of old farts and Defeatacrats would write this baloney. None of these people know what the hell they are doing anyway....

Folks, I have to say that I watched the whole presentation on CNN on Wednesday and felt completely and utterly vindicated. Everything that I have said on this blog has come true. President Bush looked like a little boy whose dad's pals just bailed him out of jail for drunk driving. His policy in Iraq has been a disaster from the very beginning and was a course we should not even have taken in the first place.

His initial reactions to the report reveal an attitude of...well, a nine year old boy. "I'm not gonna" is basically what he said to many of their recommendations. What a fucking joke. Is there anyone out there who has any respect for this guy anymore? Good lord...

Thankfully, people with intelligence and good character have come to our commander's and our country's rescue and we now have a plan to move beyond the deep shit we are in right now. Hopefully we are on a path to some sort of resolution. Of course, to hear the neocons sounding off all day on the radio on Thursday one would think that Hugo Chavez wrote the document. The fact that there are still people in this country that think that staying the course and things are fine in Iraq....well, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised.

I look back on the last three and half years and see the neocon's web of unreality unspooling before our very eyes. Even Fox News has finally given up. The day the report was released they spent most of it on the Shuttle launch....which was eventually scrubbed.....what a riot!

Friday, December 01, 2006

Trouble In River City!!!!

Oh no. It has to come to this. Evangelicals are fighting amongst themselves.

It seems that the Christian Coalition of America elected a new President named Dr. Joel Hunter.
Upon his election, Dr. Hunter, a senior Pastor at the Northland Church Group in Florida, had the audacity to........wait for it...... speak of his desire to want evangelicals to follow the path of Jesus Christ more closely. Y'know, that whole bit in the Gospels about serving the poor and maintaining a clean environment.....the stuff that Jesus actually talked about...as opposed to the "let's kill all the fags" and "enslave the whores" parts of the scripture that don't exist at all.

Well, you can imagine what happened after that. Lawdy! Lawdy Lawdy! It was chaos. The Alabama chapter of the Christian Coalition quit. The Mississippi chapter threatened to quit. Some Christian conservatives quietly supported Dr. Hunter but were afraid to speak up....in case they got branded a....LIBERAL! Jerry Falwell, and other evangelicals, fretted over the fact that if Christian Conservatives began allying themselves with these left wing causes, they could...(tearful sniffing here) be brainwashed and brought into the evil cabal of liberalism.

So, the Board of Directors of the Christian Coalition forced Dr. Hunter to step down and now they have to go and elect a whole new president....one that will continue to make up a bunch of shit that Jesus never said and act as God's official mouthpiece on moral judgement.

In a recent interview on CNN, Dr. Hunter spoke of his vision of Christianity in America. He truly wants people to focus on serving the poor (gasp!) and improve the environment (Oxygen! I need oxygen! Can someone get me some O2?). He feels that enough has been said and done about gay marriage and abortion. Christians around the world need to broaden their perspective and look to Christ for guidance. Please click here to watch the full interview:

Dr. Hunter on CNN

My message to the board at the Christian Coalition and the people that support them:

Your party is just about over.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Thank You, Dumb Asses!!!

As we sit down to Thanksgiving dinner this week, let us take the time to thank the people that are the real reason why our nation is going down the toilet. No, it's not the Neocons as many of you would believe. And it's not the Democrats. It's the fucking slobs in the picture to the left.



Can you take a guess at what they are doing?

They are waiting in line at a Best Buy in Richfield, Minnesota to buy a Play Station 3.

What a bunch of losers.

This was the picture, with accompanying story, on the FRONT PAGE of the Minneapolis Star and Tribune last Thursday, November 16th. Wow, that's some real news there, folks! These two dorks waited in line, camping out, for five days to be some of the first people to be able to buy the new video game system. There were similar scenes around the country and in West Bend, Wisconsin a man was injured while trying to get one of the systems at a Wal Mart.

He was running so fast and out of control that he slammed into a pole, head first, and had to be taken to a hospital.

The sight of this mouth breather running into a pole for a fucking video game is, I believe, an excellent metaphor for the United States of America in 2006. We are so dumb that we:

A. Elect a man like George W. Bush
B. don't care about 50 million people who have no health insurance
C. are ambivalent about thousands dying in Iraq and elsewhere in the world
D. are the fattest, stupidest, laziest bunch of slobs on the face of this earth.

Video games are fucking stupid. They are complete waste of time and if these morons that spend days waiting outside for a PS3 spent that time to make the world a better place....the world would be a better place.

I know that my children will be soooo thankful that all the gaming douche bags of the world have their priorities straight. It's a wonderful feeling to realize that the two dicks in the sleeping bags in their little chairs up top are going to be running the country some day. Wonderful.

So, as you sit down to devour your holiday bird, give thanks to the thousands of brain dead sycophants who have elected to waste their time staring at a TV and carrying out frighteningly violent and sick fantasies.

Thank You, Dumb Asses!

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Some Small Hope For Neocons

Yes, it's been a bad week for neocons. Gettin' they shit smacked up and shit. But guess what? All of you single neocons have some hope.

A new dating service just opened up for you and I urge you to take full advantage of the support network offered here.

Here is their commercial

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

A Brief Letter

Dear Mr President,

I know you must feel pretty rotten right now. We have taken back the House and it looks like we are going to take back the Senate if the numbers hold in Virginia and Montana. The people have spoken and they don't like what you are doing in Iraq. With the exception of the kool aid drinkers you still have in the Sixth District in Minnesota, your cult of unreality is finished.

Thank goodness, because I feel that, as a human being, I could not have taken another month in which our brave men and women lost their lives simply because your only true conviction is that of your own vanity. So, I am making you a promise: Work with me and all will be well.

This is going to be difficult for you....actually following the law of our land and all by being overseen by Congress....not to mention having to listen to a woman....but I think you can do it. I think you really need to be my friend right now because I don't think you want to make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I am angry. I have subpoena power now.

So, in closing, think of all the good you will do when you finally lay down your sword of lies, deceit and violence and embrace what it truly means to be Christian:

Humility



Sincerely,

Speaker of The House Nancy Pelosi

Monday, November 06, 2006

One Day To Close

I had this great column planned for the last day before the election but my buddy Bill Maher took the words right out of my mouth.

Don't forget to vote tomorrow!

Friday, November 03, 2006

Once...Twice...Three Times a Thief

As I suspected, it has started. Republicans are doing their damnedest to rig another election. Greg Palast, author of Armed Madhouse, was a recent guest on the Stephanie Miller Show.

According to his report, it seems that some 3-4 million voters are already having trouble with their registrations. And, gosh, what a shock.....88% of them are from minorities and inner cities.

I still think the Democrats are going to take the House but I am going on record right now as saying that if the Republicans manage to hold onto the Senate it will be because of this bullshit....the same bullshit they pulled in 2000 and 2004.




Here is the mp3 for your listening pleasure:

http://www.stephaniemiller.com/bits/2006_1103_palast.mp3

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Maybe Kerry Was Right

See what happens if you don't study and are intelectually lazy...you get stuck in February!!

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Let's Not Get Distracted

I think that we all need to be reminded what is at stake next Tuesday.

And what kind of man John Kerry really is...

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

One Week To Go

Well, we have one week to go until the election of 2006 and I thought I would look into my magic crystal ball and predict the outcome. In addition, I will list who Notes From The Front officially endorses in the major races in Minnesota.

But first, let's start with the prognostications.

The Democrats have more or less won the United States House. They have at least a 30 seat lead that does not include any of the tossups. So, get ready for Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Remember that she will be third in line, behind President Bush and Vice President Cheney, in order of executive power. I know many of you neocons out there are shaking in your boots and pooping your boxers. My advice to you is this: stop listening to the propoganda that your side is vomitously spewing out and listen to what she has to say. It may suprise you and if she follows through on her ideas, they have been way too long in coming.


The Senate, on the other hand, is a different matter. It's going to come down to Missouri, Tennesee, and Virginia. All three of those races are virtually tied. If all the rest of the states sit where they are right now, it will be 49 Democrat and 48 Republican without those three states. So, if the Dems take 2 out of 3, they have the majority. Remember if the end up tied at 50 a piece then the Vice President has the tiebreaking vote. Does anyone out there want Dick Vader to have even more power than he already has?

My prediction is that it will be Missouri and Virginia with Tennessee staying Republican. Clairie McGaskill (D) is running against the biggest horse's ass known to man, Jim Talent (R) in Missouri. I have a few readers in Missouri. Please vote for Claire.

If Jim Talent is the biggest horses ass, then George Allen (R-Virginia) is the biggest douchebag known to man. I have a couple of readers in Virginia as well. Please vote for James Webb and send Allen home for good. Allen's racism, misogyny, and outright psychosis is enough to show how unfit he is to be a leader....not to mention his unwavering support of Bush Co's horrifying national policies is terrifically nauseating.

I like Harold Ford in Tennessee but I just can't see a Democrat winning here. Nonetheless, if you live in Tennessee, get out the vote for Harold!

For an exact breakdown of all of the races I urge you to check out Electoral Vote. Com. This site has all the latest polls, maps, and tons of links to informative articles on the election. Now onto my official endorsements. Each name is hyperlinked to that candidates web site so you can check out their information.

For the US Senate, Notes From the Front officially endorses Amy Kolbuchar. She is one of the best candidates to come out of this state in years. Check out her website for her positions on the issues....all of which are dead-on right.

For District 1, NFTF endorses Tim Walz. How about a 24 year veteran of the Army National Guard weighing in on Iraq?

For District 2, NFTF endorses Coleen Rowley. Scroll down and read my previous post about Coleen.

For District 3, NFTF endorses Wendy Wilde aka MOM. I know this Jim's district but y'know he voted for the Iraq War and still believes that it is a good thing to be there. C'mon, folks, that's just despicable.

For District 4, NFTF endorses Betty McCollum.

For District 5, NFTF endorses Keith Ellison.

For District 6, NFTF endorses (with a loud cheer) Patty Wetterling. This is the tightest race in the state. Please vote for Patty and return some sanity to this district.

For District 7, NFTF endorses Collin Peterson.

For District 8, NFTF endorses James Oberstar. Congressmen Oberstar recently took a tour of his district to hear what people had to say. He found that most of his constituency wanted President Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld fired. Cool.

And I thought I would save the best for last. In the contest for Governor of Minnesota, NFTF officially endorses...Peter Hutchinson! Yes, yes. I know all of you are wondering why I am not voting for Tim Pawlenty aka W of the Northwoods.....

Hee Hee. Just kidding.

Seriously, though. Why is Markadelphia not getting behind his liberal pal Mike Hatch? Well, the answer is simple: Attorney General Hatch went after Medica a couple of years back and decided to try to have my good friend's dad, who is on the board at Medica, thrown in jail. So, it's personal between Mikey and me. I think he is a dick.

And I think Peter Hutchinson is a great guy. His ideas are bright and, most important, independent. Thank God!

So, there you have it. My official predictions and endorsements in the most important election of our time. Folks, get out there and vote. Let's see the same size voter turnout that we saw in 2004.

It's time to take back our country!!

Sunday, October 29, 2006

World Champions

Most of you who know me understand that I have a deep love/obsession with St Louis Cardinals baseball. I hang on every pitch, every hit, every game, every year with the emotion of what can only be described as pure joy. When it comes to the Cardinals, I am very much like a giddy school girl on prom night.

I love baseball. It is the greatest game ever invented and the hardest game to play i.e. it requires tremendous athletic ability. People that play it are right up there, in my eyes, with the likes of John Lennon, JFK, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Any player...any team....are all wonderful but if you wear a Cardinal uniform, you are a god. I have said the following often:

Since baseball is the sport that God plays in heaven with the angels, it is the only sport that she takes the time to watch.

Last night, the Cards, who all season have looked highly average, won the World Series 4 games to 2 against the Detroit Tigers. The video above shows the last pitch and the melee of love which ensued afterwards.

It was fucking awesome.

So many thoughts and emotions ran through my head. I thought of my dad and my grandmother and all the games we watched together. Both of them are no longer with us but I know that they are most assuredly smiling in infinity.....wherever the Great Spirit has taken them.

I thought of my 90 year old grandfather who, in his lifetime, has seen them win all 10 of their World Series rings. They have won in the years 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1982, and 2006. My grandfather was at one of those World Series victories. I don't remember the exact date but he told me about how, when he was just ten years old, he got to see Babe Ruth play at Sportman's Park in October of 1926. Amazing!

I have only seen them win twice in my lifetime. 1982 was a great year but this year, with my man Albert, was something truly special. The last time they went to the Series was just two years ago and they were swept by the Red Sox. Less than a week later, George W. Bush was elected President (for the first time) and my men's volleyball team lost to our arch rivals.

It was a dark time.

This year, in so many ways, the Cardinals atonement for their loss in 2004 shows up all their critics and proudly silences the loudmouths who speak of a supposed National League weakness. Their victory last night represents a harbinger of light...of good things to come in the next week and a half.

So, could it be that the country that I love so much is going to make up for the worst mistake it has ever made?

We will find out on November 7th.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

The Fear Card

Well, neocons are playing the fear card again. Gosh, what a shock. Check this add out and tell me if you know of anyone that would actually buy this line of bullshit.

Laura Ingraham said on her show today that "the terrorists are watching our election and we all know who they want to win."

Really, Laura? Because from where I am sitting the only terrorist attack that occurred on our soil was on Bush's watch. And it has been FIVE FUCKING YEARS and we haven't caught the person behind it yet. To top it all off, reports from Afghanistan say that most foreign jihadists are leaving Iraq (too dangerous with that "non" civil war going on) and are now back helping the Taliban.

Great. Good job, neocons! It looks to me like you are INCREASING the chances of a terrorist attack by your failed policy. Your policies have hurt us, not helped us and they make us weaker. Do you want to know that the Democrats will do if they take back Congress?

Cut off funding for the Iraq War, redeploy troops to Afghanistan (where the actual people that attacked us are hiding), and start kicking diplomatic ass up and down the Middle East which will re-establish our country's street cred.

Do you want to have a strong country? Start listening to people like Jack Murtha (D-PA), a twenty year veteran in the armed forces and Vietnam combat volunteer. His plan, which can be read here, is the only sane idea for Iraq I see coming out of Washington these days.

How anyone can take conservatives seriously anymore, in the face of so many facts to the contrary, completely boggles me...

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

The Second

It looks like the Minnesota Second is now a battleground as Coleen Rowley, the Democratic Challenger, has jumped up 7 points in the polls and now trails Republican incumbent by only 8 points (42 to 50).

Coleen Rowley is a very interesting candidate. I urge you to check out her website here. She is running a campaign that is befuddling Democrats and enraging Republicans. Rowley was listed as one of Time's Women of the Year in 2002 for being one of the only people on our government that was trying to warn us about the 9-11 attacks. She used to be a Republican until she decided that her party had gone off the deep end. The Democrats don't like they way she is running her campaign, citing her stance on immigration is being to far from the party lines.

She also doesn't seem to want to spend as much money as her opponent does. Rowley has consistently wanted to run a campaign on the issues, specifically getting the troops out of Iraq and redeploying them to Afghanistan, a new focus in the War on Terror, increased veteran's rights (something the Bush administration has been quite poor on), and serious immigration reform.

I really like her. It took cahonies to stand up to Bush Co. and tell them how badly they fucked up on 9-11. She is definelty someone I want representing our state in DC.

Folks, if you live in the Second, vote for Coleen!

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Bachmann Part Deux

I can't see why any rational person would vote for someone like Michelle Bachmann. What color is the sky in her world?

Thursday, October 19, 2006

God Called Me

I thought I would post this piece of video to go along with the thread in comments of my last post. This is Michelle Bachman, Republican candidate for the Sixth District in Minnesota, talking about how God called her to run for Congress.

I would like all of you female voters in the Sixth District to note how, according to Bachmann, you (as women) should be SUBMISSIVE TO YOUR HUSBANDS!!

You gotta love that one...



Tuesday, October 17, 2006

How To Ignore Reality 101

Yesterday on the radio I got to hear part of the debate between Patty Wetterling (left) and Michelle Bachman . Wetterling, a Democrat, is running against Bachman, a Republican, in the sixth district in Minnesota. It's been a few years since a politician caused my jaw to drop and transform my mouth into a heckuva fly catcher. I think the last time it happened was when President Bush, less than six months after the 9-11 attacks, said that Osama bin Laden "didn't matter" and "didn't spend too much time thinking about him."




But Michelle Bachman (left) broke the drought when such pearls of wisdom spilled from her mouth as, "Global warming has not been proven to actually be occurring. There is no scientific evidence for it." She also said, "Terri Schiavo was a healthy women who was killed by people who hate life." I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less than pure dribble from the woman that has said that, if elected, she will prosecute any women that has ever had an abortion and put them in jail.

I should really thank Ms. Bachman, though, for showing me exactly why I will NEVER be a conservative: complete and utter ignorance of reality. In listening to her today, it dawned on me how conservatives are just plain wrong on so many issues. Let's take a look at how neocons deal with each issue that is on the minds of voters these days:

Abortion? Just don't have sex. (So realistic.....)
AIDS? Just don't have sex....and don't be gay...(Equally as based in reality as above)
Environmental issues? There are none...everything is fine (contrary to the reams of evidence)
Iraq? No problems there...everything's fine...(600,000 dead people as result of the war)
Education? Kids just need to be tested more...that's all...never mind that everyone learns differently
Economy? Spending? Deficit? Where? Look at the Dow....all is good...
Health Care? Uh, don't get sick and everything will be fine...
Genocide in Africa? So what...they aren't Americans....who gives a fuck?

Up and down the line, neocons refuse to look at fundamental realities of the world. They seem to think that if one ignores a problem, it will go away. Their solutions (if you can even call them that) solve nothing and pander to people who can't handle the difficulties we face. Neocons are good salesmen, though. They sell the "simplicity" because people need to believe the lie. They can't face dealing with reality because it actually requires work and effort.

In other words, conservatives are lazy. They don't want to have to think about an issue and so do many undecided voters, which is why Bush won in 2004. People don't want to hear someone talk about problems (i.e. the Democrats) and present complex, diverse solutions. It's too much work and it also requires too much thought. The current demographics in the Wetterling/Bachman race support my point. In three recent polls, people that are going to vote for Wetterling are college educated or above and people that are going to vote for Bachman have a high school diploma or less.

If you need further evidence of my point, take a look at how Patty Wetterling addresses issues as opposed to Michelle Bachman by following the links below:

Wetterling Solutions

Bachman Solutions

Bachman's issue page reads more like a "Cliff's Notes" version of our nation's problems. I'm sorry, but that offends me. We need comprehensive solutions to these problems so, PLEASE, if you live in the sixth..

VOTE FOR PATTY!!!

Friday, October 13, 2006

The Roof Is On Fire

This week, Professor Kevin Barrett at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has come under fire (again) from the national media for likening President Bush to Adolph Hitler. Howls of protests, calling Professor Barrett a lunatic, can be heard up and down the dial from Fox News' Bill O'Reilly to radio's Rush Limbaugh and all of the other "liberal" media.

Since my heart leaps with joy and glee when neocons get worked up into a lather, I decided to look into this matter myself. There have been a lot of posts in comments on this blog on the similarities between Bush Co and the Nazi Regime. Several people who post here have vehemently refuted such a comparison, calling people who draw such a juxtaposition insane. Some politicos that I have talked to personally say that the current Necon leadership purposefully modeled their approach to seizing power based on Nazi Germany. The question is: how accurate is any of this?

Professor Barrett's main point is that 9-11 was an inside job similar to the burning of the Reichstag in 1933 in Germany. Without reading a single iota of Barrett's research, I went to Wikipedia and looked up what exactly happened at Reichstag. I urge you all to read the full article on Wikipedia. The link is here.

What I read there was appalling.

To sum up, The Reichstag Fire was essentially the beginning of Nazi Germany. On February 27, 1933 authorities were summoned to the Reichstag, Germany's parliament, which was on fire in several places. They found a shirtless man there named Marinus van der Lubbe, a known Communist. Blame was initially placed on him and 3 other Communists who were sent to trial for arson in early March of 1933.

Coincidently, on March 5, 1933 general elections were to be held, at the request of Hitler, to determine whether or not the German constitution should be dissolved, more seats given to Nazis in the government, and Hitler's Enabling Act be passed. This act essentially allowed Hitler to act without the approval of Parliament. Up until this election, the Nazis only had 32 percent of the seats in the government. After the fire and running on a campaign of "see how evil communists can be," the Nazis won 44 percent of the vote. They then proceeded to buy off the other parties in government so they could have the two thirds vote they needed to pass the Enabling Act. And they did.

As the years have gone by, many historians have wondered how such a massive fire could have been started by one man. According to the article, "Considering the speed with which the fire engulfed the building, van der Lubbe's reputation as a mentally disturbed arsonist hungry for fame, and cryptic comments by leading Nazi officials, it is generally believed the Nazi hierarchy was involved in order to reap political gain-and it obviously did."

Does any of this sound familiar to any of you at all?

Look, I'm not saying that Barrett is 100 percent accurate. I still think Al Qaeda was behind the attacks. But he makes a compelling point about the parallels between the Reichstag Fire and 9-11. Think about how strikingingly similar the two incidents are....how each country reacted in the same way, giving unwavering support to the government out of fear....how questions remain about the 9-11 attacks and who knew what and when. Did they let it happen so we, as a nation, would fall in line? And how the elections played out, comparing 1933 to 2002 and 2004, as a result of these actions is quite simply eerie.

I know that some of you will say I am nuts, paranoid, and blah blah blah but I think a lot of these accusations are worthy, at least, of further investigation. They say that those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Currently, I have an extraordinary sense of deja vu.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

The Blast Heard 'Round The World

Last Sunday night, right around the time the St. Louis Cardinals clinched a berth in the National League Championship Series, North Korea successfully tested a nuclear bomb underground. This was a massively destablizing maneuver that threatens, at the very least, the countries of South Korea, Japan, Russia, and China and, at the very most, the entire world. Kim Jong Il (left), the leader of North Korea, has essentially thumbed his nose at the world and, in doing so, has shown the complete and utter failure of diplomacy on the part of the United States for the last 20 years.

The Bush Administration, in particular, has done nothing to stop this and has allowed "diplomacy by proxy" to occur, letting China handle the matter. I don't want to rip Bush Co. too much here because clearly the things that Bush 41 and Clinton did also did not work but does our current leadership know what the word diplomacy even means? I have talked with many people about this over the last few days and most of them want to bomb North Korea. Some think further sanctions are in order. None of the choices seem appealing to me. If we weren't embroiled in the Iraq War, a military option might hold a little more weight.

The way I see it is that we need to take a page from the Reagan playbook and choke off any money going into North Korea so Kim can't pay off his generals. This idea was put forth by by Congressmen Ed Royce (R-Cal) in a recent interview on MSNBC. He feels, as does John Bolton (US ambassador to the UN), that an an interdiction of cargo comes under the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) launched by the U.S. in May 2003. The measure encourages member countries to share intelligence and train to interdict weapons from North Korea, Iran and other states of concern. All ships going in and out of North Korea would be searched and their cargo potentially seized, not just for weapons, but now for everything.

I really think this is the only way to stop this guy. If his generals aren't being paid, then their loyalty will begin to strain considerably and their will be a coup. Now, what if the next person is worse? Well, I think that is a risk we have to take because the other options of doing nothing or bombing them are totally unappealing.

Oh, and if you want to hear the North Korean's side of all this check out their official web site here. There are lovely souvenirs you can purchase there. Whee!!!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

American History

I thought the thread in the last post's comments would be fun to continue after we all watched this highly educational video.

From Wikipedia:

"In response to suggestions that homeowners were at risk from home invasions and would be wise to acquire a firearm for purposes of protection, researcher Arthur Kellermann tabulated in home homicide figures in three cities over several years, and found that the risk of a homicide was in fact higher in homes where a gun was present; his study led to the conclusion drawn by some that the risk of a crime of passion or other domestic dispute ending in homicide when a gun was available was large enough to overwhelm any protective effect the presence of a gun might have against burglaries, home invasions, etc. In seeming confirmation of this conclusion is his little-remarked upon finding that almost all the risk was limited to homes where a handgun was kept both loaded and unlocked, and therefore available for immediate use; apparently, the amount of time and effort required even to just remove a loaded gun from a locked cabinet was sufficient to allow tempers to cool enough to prevent a shooting."

"It has been claimed that Kellerman does not show causation and homes in which firearms are kept may have elevated rates of homicide may simply reflect the incidence of gun ownership in dangerous neighborhoods. However, Kellermann did control for such factors as drug use, neighborhood, domestic violence, and criminal history and still found a significant positive correlation between gun ownership and homicide."

"Some claim that Kellerman does not take into account the incidence of defensive guns uses. However, if guns in the home are often used defensively to deter or scare away criminals then homes with guns in them would have a lower rate of homicide than the homes of non gun owners. As it is, Kellermann found that homes with guns in them higher rates of homicides."

Statistics don't lie. Ask any police officer if they would rather that people had guns in their houses or did not. Most of them see gun deaths everyday and know that it is usually someone you know i.e. a family member that would shoot you. By this indisputable fact, having a gun in your house will increase your chances of being killed. The various stories about how people who had guns in their homes and saved themselves are nice for NRA propaganda but the facts and/or reality (once again, something neocons have trouble with) don't support this claim.

In other words, the boogeyman is not a comin' to get ya...it is your dad or your mom or your older brother that is the bad guy which is the truly sad thing about all of this.

Friday, October 06, 2006

The Worst Idea Ever

With the recent spate of school shootings, there has been a call from neocons and other psychos to arm principals and custodians in our nation's schools.

This is the dumbest fucking idea I have ever heard and it really demonstrates the level of sheer stupidity on the part of some conservatives.

Talk about a knee jerk, fear mongering based reaction. Yes, it is sad and horrible that some students have been recently shot at school. It is also extremely sad and horrible that 40,000 people will lose their lives in automobile accidents this year...and next year...and the year after that. Where is the drastic reaction on auto accidents? Put it in perspective, people...c'mon!

Putting guns in schools is NOT the answer to this problem. The chances of it being used or stolen once it's in there is more than likely going to increase the level of violence in schools. This issue demonstrates the problem with gun advocates: having a gun does not automatically mean your safe. It is an illusion. In fact, I bet if every school was armed to the teeth there would still be the same amount of school shootings or more. It is not going to solve anything. It will not be a deterrent. Guns do not protect you from anything. We do not live in Darfur. There are not hoards of psychos gunning for our women and children.

Most kids will go their whole school careers and not get shot at. There are plenty of other things to worry about, believe me. The media takes stories like these and blows them so far out of proportion that soon all of us will believe that our children are constantly in jeopardy from being shot. In the case of Fox News, their wall to wall coverage of the Amish shootings is a hilariously veiled attempt to distract its viewers from the Foley scandal and drum fear into them as way to energize their disenchanted base.

Don't give in to the fear, folks. Stop listening to these mouth breathers that are part of the problem and not part of the solution. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Fair and Balanced?

You gotta love Fox News. They just can't admit that a Republican could be capable of doing anything wrong. So, in an effort to blame the Democrats....again.....they listed Mark Foley, the disgraced congressmen who exchanged dirty emails and instant messages with a minor, as a DEMOCRAT. They say it was just an error but it happened at least twice last Tuesday.

Fair and balanced my ass.

Monday, October 02, 2006

The Bird's Eye View

In the cinema classic, Citizen Kane, the character of Charles Foster Kane (left) makes a statement to the characters of Jedediah Leland and Mr. Bernstein. He calls it his Declaration of Principles in which he promises the readers of his newspapers that his will be THE source of the reality of the world. In that same spirit, I would to make that pledge to all of you.


And, to also tell you, Notes From The Front is going to change.

All of you may have noticed some evidence of this already. First, the tag line now reads "where politics, sex, and religion are always polite to discuss." I want to officially announce that this is a place where you can freely talk about these three subjects without being muzzled by uptight assholes. It drives me loony when people say that it is "impolite" to talk about this stuff. To me, they are probably the most important and interesting things to discuss. So, since people in our culture (particularly my intensely rigid home state of Minnesota) aren't allowed to have passionate opinions anymore (without being accused of being loony), this blog is now officially open for all who wish to shout to the highest mountain tops. Please feel free to let it all hang out, if you will, in these key subject areas.

In addition, starting this week I am going to write shorter columns in the hopes that more people will leave comments and we can have a more interactive discussion. I want to try this for a few weeks and see how it goes. If you have ever wanted to leave a comment, now is the time. It can be as short or as long as you want. You do NOT have to use your real name. Have fun with it and make up a fake name! This is your big chance, guys, you can pretend to be a woman! And ladies...well...most of you that I know act like men most of the time anyway so it won't be much of a difference.

I also want to keep the columns shorter because they can then stay more current. There are many interesting things that happen in the news everyday so it might not be uncommon to see 2 or 3 short pieces a week. I won't be sending out that many email announcements so check back to the blog frequently and, as always, forward the web site address to any friends that you might think would like to join in. There are also going to be guest columnists so if you ever want to write something, send it to me and, more than likely, I will put it up.

In the coming weeks, I will be talking a lot about the 2006 election. This is going to be a big one, folks, and you can rely on Notes From The Front to give you all of the latest poop. And believe me, there is going to be a lot of poop in the next few weeks that is going to be flying around and Notes will be a great locale to watch it soar.

So, all of that being said let's dive in with this week's topic. Looking down on our country from a bird's eye view, it seems like a pretty fucked up place right now. We are sharply divided into three categories: conservatives, liberals, and apolitical. It is unfortunate that the last category of people make up the bulk of the population. Since around 50 percent of eligible voters actually vote, that leaves 50 percent of our public that doesn't care, sits around on their ass, takes the time to vote for American Idol, and watches NASCAR....never caring a wit about how their world is being shaped.

Lately, I have received much flack from conservatives regarding my "condescending" opinion. I suppose the last sentence in the above paragraph could be viewed as elitist but what is with the "I don't want no fancy book learning" trend that has swept the country in the last few years? Don't people want to make themselves smarter? Better through knowledge? I don't think it is condescending to point that out to people.

To me what IS condescending is a bunch of rich white men sitting around in a room figuring out which is the largest most easily manipulated group of people in the country to help them win elections and thus, remain in control of our country's wealth and power. They have chosen the religious right and small business owners. The first group is the easiest to manipulate. Conservative leaders throw out various moral "wedge" issues, act as God passing judgment on the rest of us heathens, and bam!....you have 20 million or so voters. You hit the second group with the fear that their livelihood is going to be taken away (as if it isn't already with conservative leaders controlling all the wealth anyway) and now you have a decent base. Throw in the group of people that don't care and guess what you have? 75 percent of the United States of America in the year 2006!

There is so much information out there that I think many people go into overload and just shut down. There are also people, the majority of which are conservatives and their vast media network, that just flat out lie. Call them on that lie and you are condescending. Whatever. I don't have time for that irresponsible bullshit anymore or more importantly, WE should not take the time to listen to that irresponsible bullshit anymore. When I hear someone say that don't care about politics and they never vote (as a young woman did in my class last week), I cringe. Don't they realize how important voting is? Especially at a local level, elections shape the way we live our lives and our children's futures. What possible way is there to get through to these people? There has to be a way, that is not condescending, that can wake people up and get them involved even if it is just at a local level.

So, the question is...what is that way? There isn't much time left, folks, and we need all the help we can get to stop our country from going in the wrong direction and get it back on track.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Conspiracies A Go Go

Last week, I wrote about the 9-11 attacks from a very emotional and personal point of view. This week, I thought it would be interesting if we took a look at some of the conspiracy theories that are out there regarding the 9-11 attacks and see if any of them have any credence. There have been some interesting remarks in the comments section about some of these theories so I thought I would dive in with some of my own and open up the forum to an official discussion to all of the information that is out there. Let's start with an overall discussion of conspiracies.

Most of you who know me know that I believe the following to be true:

1. The United States government has been hiding the truth about UFOs from us, in particular the crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. This has been done out of concern that we would panic and because the truth about ETs goes along with the truth about human origins, our place in the universe, and how these facts represent a total loss of control of the government's authority over us. If you doubt the veracity of my statements or are now laughing hysterically, I would suggest you buy The Day After Roswell by Colonel Phillip J Corso and Alien Agenda by Jim Marrs. I don't think there will be much laughing after you read these two books.




2. On November 22, 1963 a coup d'etat occurred in our country much like the ones we see around the world everyday. The perpetrators were members of our own government and military who essentially saw President Kennedy as a threat to their way of life i.e. the money and power they had accumulated. The subsequent assassinations of Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy and John Lennon (all threats as well) cemented their power base and their stranglehold over us. These same people have been running the show, more or less, for the last 40 + years although these days they use scandal (mostly sexually based to freak out the neocons) to oust people from power. Assassination is employed only if someone is really going to change things for the better.

Over the years and throughout history there have been many other conspiracies but I chose these two because I believe they represent a fundamental American reality regarding how our culture works and what we have become. Part of how that culture works is the reaction that the word "conspiracy" brings when it is brought up in our culture. The next word that usually goes along with it is "paranoia," thus discrediting any notion that ANY part of conspiracy is true. It must be all imagined! And then, of course, Elvis invariably comes into the mix and the "loony" picture is painted for all to see. If you think I am kidding, check out how the media covers UFOs. They always put everyone in the same box: the loony one. It does a tremendous disservice to the serious researchers and scientists out there are who have accumulated volumes of evidence. People like Stanton Friedman, who have accumulated volumes of photos and piles of trace evidence are laughed at because.....don't you know?....there's no such thing as UFOS!

This same "loony" label is applied to those people who believe in 9-11 conspiracies. Some Americans have a difficult time believing that cover-ups happen here. We hear about assassinations, coups, murders, conspiracies and all sorts of crazy shit happening in other countries and we believe all of them. America is different. That could never happen here, right? We are perfect. We are all honest and we are superior. People in virtually every other country believe a conspiracy first and tend to think that any simple explanation (i.e. lone nut, evil doers a-comin' to get us, swamp gas) is what is really crazy.

The official claim is often the story that seems too ridiculous to believe. In the case of the JFK assassination, the Zapruder film (see above frame) clear shows Kennedy being shot from a position to the right and front of him. Yet somehow we are expected to believe that Lee Harvey Oswald was the one guy above and behind the president that fired that shot.

If one decides to take the time to research these claims in a serious fashion, the amount of evidence is often overwhelming. So, it is with this spirit that we will dive into 9-11 and take a look at what is likely, what is possible, and what is utterly silly.

LIKELY

1. People in our government knew 9-11 was going to happen and they let it happen to further their own goals.
2. Key elements of security were stripped away to allow 9-11 to take place.
3. Several distractions and "red herrings" were thrown out there to further confuse the public




POSSIBLE
1. Explosive charges were place inside the towers ahead of time, including Tower 7.
2. The crash into the Pentagon was not a plane but a missile.
3. United 93 (below) was shot down, not bravely brought down.
4. People, who knew in advance of the attacks, sold stocks to gain and not lose money.



UNLIKELY
1. The planes were flown by remote control.
2. All of the hijackers were actually CIA agents
3. Israel was behind the attacks.
4. President Bush knew ahead of time about the attacks.

These are the basic theories that are out there. There are others but they are all subsets of these so I just picked these eleven. Let's start with the unlikely theories and work our way backwards.

Some researchers believe that the planes were flown by remote control and that passengers were killed at a later point. I find this hard to believe as many family members received cel phone calls from the people on the planes. They all described Muslims as the hijackers so I think the Israeli and CIA deal is just plain stupid. I also think that George Bush knew nothing of the attacks ahead of time. His reaction (or non-reaction as was the case) showed me he had no idea what was going on. His role is to be the figure head and cheerleader. If people in our government knew ahead of time that there was going to be an attack, they would have left President Bush out of the loop for the reason of plausible deniability. Don't get me wrong. I still think Bush is a bad dude but he is more of a follower of evil and not an 0riginator of evil.

Now we get to the theories that are possible. I find it extremely odd that both of the towers fell exactly into a hole. The official explanation seems incomplete. How did the buildings fall so precisely? Then again, I am not an architect or a metallurgist so maybe I don't know what I am talking about. But Steven E Jones, a physicist at Brigham Young University, does and argued that a "gravity driven collapse" without demolition charges would defy the laws of physics. And the collapse of Tower 7 still remains a mystery as all official reports offer no conclusive explanation for the collapse. FEMA released the following findings:

The specifics of the fires in WTC 7 and how they caused the building to collapse remain unknown at this time. Although the total diesel fuel on the premises contained massive potential energy, the best hypothesis has only a low probability of occurrence. Further research, investigation, and analyses are needed to resolve this issue.

Several interviews with local firefighters on the scene that day said that WTC 7 had to be "brought down" for safety. When did people have time to plant charges (which normally takes weeks) and blow up a building when chaos was everywhere and the attacks had just occurred hours before?

The Pentagon crash also bothers me. First of all, why is the only witness I have ever seen interviewed a reporter (Mike Walter from USA Today)? And he said that a missile-like object", not a plane, flew into the building. He later recanted and said he misspoke. I find it odd that all of the people that were on the highway have not come forward to discuss what they saw that day. No one really even talks about the Pentagon crash. The only video we have is some blurry time lapse stuff. You can't really see anything. I went into Target the other day and was on 30 high definition cameras every where I went in the store. Am I to believe that the nerve center of our armed forces only has cameras that are 30 years old and cover the building only from distance of a half mile? And why can't we see the camera footage from the gas station across the street? That tape has been confiscated for national security.

The United 93 flight also bothers me. The photos that I have seen of the wreckage suggest a break up in the air as debris is strewn about for a half mile or more. Look closely at the picture on your left that is from FEMA. Click on it to blow it up if you have to. There also seems to be a lack of debris which also suggest a shoot down. And what happened to the bodies? Any crash should have bodies but there wasn't anything but a small amount of remains. We do know that President Bush gave the order for a shootdown so I guess I am wondering, if that did happen, why won't they tell us? I think most of us would understand, given the gravity of the situation, that it would've been necessary.

There are also reports of people that sold stock in advance of the 9-11 attacks. According to the 9-11 Steering Committee ( a group made up of 9-11 widows and independentt researchers), "Never before on the Chicago Exchange were such large amounts of United and American Airlines options traded. These investors netted a profit of at least $5 million after the September 11th attacks. Interestingly, the names of the investors remain undisclosed and the $5 million remains unclaimed in the Chicago Exchange account."

Which brings us to what I believe really happened on 9-11. The 9-11 commission report details that several government officials knew that Al Qaeda was going to attack inside of the United States. The official explanation has always been "bureaucratic entanglements" but then National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice stated that she had received a report entitled "Bin Laden determined to attack in the United States." So, I guess my question is, why didn't they do anything?

In October of 1999 the Pentagon created Able Danger, a group specifically designed to track terrorists. In recently declassified documents, this group had identified Mohammed Atta (as a dangerous terrorist determined to attack inside the US) and three of the other 9-11 hijackers a full year and a half before the attacks! This contradicts the White House's version which has always said they knew nothing of Atta until after the attacks. Able Danger was effetively shut down in May of 2001. The White House's own terrorism task force, headed by Dick Cheney was created in May of 2001. It never met a single time. So, the program that was making progress, identified Atta, and was actually fighting terror was.....shut down and at the same time a new one, in the White House, was created that did nothing and never convened.

Hmmm......

In addition, I found the complete lack of response by our military to be troubling. Jets were scrambled, flew around, and did nothing. The official explanation is that no combat ready jets were close to the target sites. Yet, Andrews Air Force base is 15 miles away from the Pentagon and you know what? I hear they have some planes there. They had plenty of time, after the second plane hit the South Tower, to get in the air and protect potential targets in Washington. I also find it extremely hard to believe that the FAA basically decided to throw out their rule book on tracking planes on September 11th. When a plane's transponder goes offline and a plane changes course on a normal day, alarm bells go off. Yet, most of the testimonies contain vague notions of what was going on and bizarre comments along the lines of "We had no idea what was happening. We were too much in shock to figure it out." Huh? Don't these people train for potentially crazy catastrophes all the time?

Even more strange are all of the military exercises happening around the East Coast on September 11th. According to Wikipedia:

The following war games and training events were being conducted by USAF, NORAD, CIA, NRO, FAA and FEMA:

1. Northern Vigilance: a yearly Air Force drill simulating a Russian attack, in which defense aircraft normally patrolling the Northeast are re-deployed to Canada and Alaska.

2. Vigilant Guardian: a NORAD exercise posing an imaginary crisis to North American Air Defense outposts nationwide with a simulated air war and an air defense exercise simulating an attack on the United States.

3. On the morning of 9/11, 50 minutes before Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, the National Reconnaissance Office, who are responsible for operating US reconnaissance satellites, had scheduled an exercise simulating the crashing of an aircraft into their building, four miles from Dulles airport.

4. Tripod II, a FEMA drill simulating a biowarfare attack in New York City, was to take place on September 12th. FEMA set up a command post for this exercise at Pier 29 on September 10th.


It is theorized that with these multiple training scenarios being carried out that NORAD, FAA and other military personnel would have been confused in the event of a real attack.

What the...? You mean our government, which had no idea at all that hijackers were going to fly planes into buildings, was actually drilling for a response to that very scenario on the same day that it actually happened? This is the part of all of the conspiracy theories that really sticks out as beyond suspicious to me. And it shows how our government has been flat out lying to us.

All of these theories I have discussed are covered extremely well in a new book by Jim Marrs entitled The Terror Conspiracy. I urge all of you to read this book as it contains some startling information about what happened on that day. It is very well researched, resourceful book for all things related to 9-11 conspiracies and if your first reaction is to dismiss these theories as "loony," read this book and then come talk to me. As one reviewer on Amazon put it:

"If you aren't convinced by the obvious, then I recommend you put down this book and get back to the flock; I'm sure they miss you....If you read this book and still wholeheartedly believe the 9/11 Commission Report, then I'd like to discuss with you a proposition wherein you transfer all of the money in your savings account over to my savings account. "


It's pretty clear to me, given the direction our country has taken in the last five years, that several key people in our government and in our corporations benefited greatly from the 9-11 attacks. After the attacks, a frightened population gave our leaders a green light to do whatever they wanted. I myself fell into it, as many of you will remember, being a proponent of the invasion of Iraq. I think the picture at left sums up about how well the Iraq thing is going and I consider myself to be partly responsible for this. The 9-11 attacks provided Bush Co with the political capital to go after the resources in Iraq, which at the time, were going into Europe. And we all know how important money is to Americans.

I believe that key people in our leadership knew what was coming on September 11th and they let it happen to further their own plans for power and domination. We like to think of America as a benevolent place but we are really no different than any other empire in history. The people in power, particularly the folks running the show now, have one goal: the accumulation of wealth through whatever means necessary. That wealth brings them power and control to lord over us. Sometimes that means trying to control chaos to achieve even more power and reap more financial rewards. That is what happened on 9-11. They are not interesed in protecting us in any way. If they did, the leadership of Al Qaeda would have been in custody a long time ago rather than dangling in the wind...serving the purpose of fear and paranoia thus making us submissive. If they did, they wouldn't have let 3000 people die needlessly on 9-11 and thousands more since then in Iraq.

I have no idea for certain who these men are that allowed this to happen. It would be silly for me to accuse anyone, without any real proof, of knowing about the attacks ahead of time. I do, however, have a pretty good idea who knew and so do all of you.

Maybe someday they will be brought to justice.

Monday, September 11, 2006

Five Years

Five years ago,today, our country was attacked by Islamic extremists. Shortly after this attack, I started writing; first in email form and then on this blog. I wanted to work out my anger, my aggression, and my sadness at what was, in my opinion, the worst day in our country's history. The journey from there to here has been filled with many comments, arguments, and discussions.


Everything written in my column or in the comments section has made us better people in my opinion. Some of the arguments have been petty but in the end I think we have all benefited from an online "town hall" meeting that has gone on for virtually five years. I know that your writings have helped me and I have grown beyond what I started out as....an angry person who hated virtually every male Muslim in the world......to someone who is more understanding of the majority of citizens in that part of the world. Recently, however, the questions I find I am asking myself over and over again is: how could we, as a nation, be so off target now? And how can I, as a lone voice in the cyber-wilderness, help? I think I'll answer the last question first.

Five years ago I began a journey that has brought me to a crossroads in my life. Today is a watershed moment for me as this evening, around 5:30 pm, I will begin my Masters program in Education. I honestly believe that if the attacks did not happen, I would not have considered becoming a teacher or even a writer. Chances are pretty good that a Notes from the Front blog would not have existed. After the election of 2000, I felt so apathetic about politics that I found it hard to engage anyone in any sort of discussion of current events or international affairs. I really started to tune out during the whole O-J debacle and lost complete interest when two candidates were presented to me that were just plain awful. I was disengaged. After 9-11, I decided to put my virulent feelings to work in a positive way, become engaged, and attempted to share my point of view in the hopes that this blog would be a gateway for someone to ask more questions....to learn more......to somehow improve, in a small way, our current condition. It is my hope that this has been my way to help out in some sort of small fashion.

After the attacks, I really felt that America would come together. For a time, we did. People seemed to cared more about each other and there was a thirst for knowledge about the Middle East. Most of our citizens were engaged in world events for the first time in decades and we had the love of the rest of the world. I recall the scenes from Tehran of people holding candles and holding American flags in honor of the fallen. All of that good will is gone now...spoiled by the greedy men that have pretty much been running (or ruining) our country, in one form or another, since November 22, 1963. A coup d'etat occurred on that day and it has been the same people (or like minded people) that have been in charge ever since.

Any person that has come along like Jack Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy, or John Lennon who has tried to unite people and make the world a more equal or better place has been eliminated. An event like 9-11 is no different. In the end, something that should have brought us together was tarnished, twisted and has ended up dividing our nation even more. I lay the blame for this squarely at the feet of our current leadership who have hijacked that awful day for their own tyrannical needs.

Some of you might not know this but not all of the 3000 victims were American. Many were British and others hailed from countries around the world including Iran. To me, it was an attack upon civilization by a group of uncivilized, insane men who have no regard for human life and a high regard for human suffering.

Which brings me to my other question: where did it all go wrong? Specifically, in regards to bringing those responsible to justice? While it's true that Khalid Sheik Mohammed, one of the men responsible for 9-11, is in custody, the other two, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahari are still at large. The simple fact that the United States, the most powerful nation on the planet, can't find these two men enrages me to the point of insanity. It seems so simple a task given our technology and our intelligence. Vexing me further still are the people in this country who think that Bush Co has done a great job in the War on Terror.

Over the last few weeks, CNN has been airing a documentary entitled "In The Footsteps of Bin Laden," put together by Christiane Amanpour. Just in time for the fifth anniversary of 9-11, the two hour report summarizes what happened leading up to 9-11, what happened immediately after, and what the future holds. I highly recommend watching this program as it demonstrates the completely apathetic attitude of this administration as well as an utter lack of planning in key moments in the War on Terror. Much of the report contained information that I already knew and have talked about extensively on this blog. It did, however, contain two pieces of information, one factual and one conjecture, that were truly horrifying.

Before I go any further, for those of you who loathe Bush Co, please remove all objects from your desk and anything around your personage that could cause you or someone else physical damage. Any outrage you have felt up this point will be small compared to how you will feel after you read the next few paragraphs. For those of you who are still in love with Bush Co, please open another Internet Explorer window and begin searching through your government approved websites and propaganda to calm yourself from my "bias" and "evil liberalism." Everyone ready? Good.

In December 2001, Gary Berntsen was the CIA field commander in charge of capturing and killing Osama bin Laden in the Tora Bora mountain region (left) in Afghanistan. According to Berntsen, they had intercepted bin Laden's radio transmissions and had him cornered. American forces combined with Afghan and Pakistani forces had forced him into an area that was somewhat large and needed to be more thoroughly searched. Up to this point, Berntsen had felt somewhat uncomfortable relying so heavily on non-US forces so he sent a request to CENTCOM (Central Command for US Forces) for more troops.


They never came.

And his request was never answered because, you see, dear readers, our beloved president, our vice president and our warm, wonderful defense secretary must have thought that 50 men were enough to find Osama bin Laden.

50 men.

50 men to search an area that was (and still is) hundreds of square miles. 50 men to dig through the massive complex of caves that had been in place, well known by bin Laden, since the 1980s during the Soviet occupation.

Berntsen had requested 600-1000 army rangers be sent in to help find bin Laden. His request did not even elicit a response. Nothing. Silence. And somehow (gosh, wonder how?) bin Laden managed to slip away through the "net" that Pakistani forces had set up. Since that time, the searches for bin Laden have been half hearted at best and the real focus has been Iraq. This year, command of security and the search for Al Qaeda has been turned over to NATO. Mr. Berntsen has written a book on this called Jawbreaker and it can be purchased here.

What happened at Tora Bora and the "search" since then has always perplexed me. How could we let the man (or men if you count Zawahari) escape? The person most directly responsible for the worst attack on American soil? What happened? And why is NATO now running the show?

Well, now I know. And it pretty much confirms everything I have ever said about Bush Co. Basically it boils down to three possible reasons or perhaps some combination of all three.

1. Our current leadership is inept.
2. Our current leadership doesn't care.
3. Our current leadership was complicit.

I think the way our federal government (and by that I mean both Democrats and Republicans) has handled the War on Terror, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, and Hurricane Katrina goes a long way to proving the first reason to be accurate. But stupidity only goes so far and then you have to look at what they value and that has always been Iraq. The 9-11 attacks provided this administration with the popular support it needed to invade Iraq. As early as Thanksgiving 2001, according to Bob Woodward in his book "Plan of Attack", plans were under way to invade Iraq. That is what they have always cared about. They could've cared less about Afghanistan. There's no money there! That's one of the main reasons why Tora Bora was such a fiasco. The leadership in our Armed Forces was under orders, by the president, to focus on Iraq during that same time period, December 2001. Woodward, by the way, had complete access to President Bush and his staff and actually received approval by the president to quote him directly!

The balls on our president.....I'll tell ya. Woodward's book, which you can purchase here, is a stunning, step by step look at a complete loss of focus on our true enemies and, ultimately, the breakdown of our democracy. We (that includes me) gave the president carte blanche to go after somebody...anybody....to right the wrong that was done to us. We were all duped into thinking that it was part of the War on Terror and that somehow it would help us in our fight against bin Laden. I know I let my anger cloud my judgment and that will never happen again.

All of this makes me wonder if it was really "just bureaucracy" that prevented us from stopping the 9-11 hijackers. Did people in our government know ahead of time that an attack was coming? Did they let it happen? It's very possible. Heck, Don Rumsfeld told talk show host Larry King that at eight o'clock on the morning of the 9-11 attacks he was meeting with Congressmen and told them that "sometime in the next two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve months there would be an event that would occur in the world that would be sufficiently shocking that it would remind people again how important it is to have a strong healthy defense department." We have all seen the countless documents and testimonies that detail how much we knew before the attacks. Yet nothing was done. People like counter-terrorism expert John O'Neill (who died in the 9-11 attacks by the way) and Coleen Rowley were screaming their heads off about Al Qaeda in the United States. No one did anything. Why? Stupidity and apathy only go so far and then you have to look at other motives which bring us back to Iraq.

We went into Iraq for a multitude of reasons which are now mostly untrue or outright lies. Even Bush himself has said that Iraq had nothing to do with the 9-11 attacks and that bin Laden was responsible. Bush has said that every effort has been made to find him. Yet, what do you think it says to bin Laden, when we basically showed him that he can commit the worst attack on our soil in our country's history and Saddam Hussein is still more important? I guess bin Laden is, as President Bush has said, "insignificant."

And the CNN report confirms what is coming next. Now, bear in mind, what follows is partly conjecture. According to the documentary, odd as it may seem, many in Al Qaeda felt the 9-11 attacks were wrong. It was too big a blow. Bin Laden's own son left him quickly after the attacks because he felt that his father had ruined their little paradise in Afghanistan. There was much in-fighting and some in Al Qaeda felt that bin Laden didn't give us infidels enough of a chance to convert to Islam before attacking. Many in Al Qaeda felt that it was wrong to kill thousands of us if we might come over to their side.

This fits perfectly with much of what we are seeing from him and his followers lately: audio and video recordings of bin Laden and Zawahari reaching out to us and saying that it is not too late to convert. Too late for what I have always wondered. According to CNN and several other sources, bin Laden and Zawahari have recently received a "blessing" from religious leaders around the Middle East to kill ten million Americans if we don't convert. This comes as no great shock to most of us, I suppose, as this is what their goal has seemingly always been. Of course, saying it and doing it are two different things. Can they do it? Or more importantly, can we trust Bush Co to protect us? Their track record so far gives me no hope so my answer to the last question is a resounding NO!

To answer the first question, though, one need only turn to the sale of 4 Agosta submarines, by the French (d'oh, not them again!) to Pakistan. Here is some information I found, on a naval technology site about these subs:

Three Agosta 90Bs were ordered by the Pakistan Navy in September 1994. The first, Khalid (S137), was built at DCN's Cherbourg yard and was commissioned in 1999. The second, Saad, assembled at Karachi Naval Dockyard, was launched in August 2002 and was commissioned in December 2003. The third, Hamza, which is being constructed and assembled in Karachi, is to launch before the end of 2006 and commission in 2007. Work on the vessel was halted following a terrorist attack in May 2002, which killed 11 French engineers in Karachi, but has since restarted. The third submarine is being fitted with the MESMA air independent propulsion system, which will be retrofitted to the first two. The MESMA AIP has successfully completed Pakistan Navy acceptance trials.

Pakistan has been given a license by DCN to offer commercial production of the submarines to potential customers.


Potential customers? Hmm....Oh, and by the way, all of these submarines are capable of carrying nuclear weapons. They are all currently in Karachi, Pakistan, a hotbed of anti-American sentiment and less than 100 miles from where Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahari are supposedly hiding. I don't think it would be real difficult for a few hundred lunatics to take over one of these subs and launch an attack against us. Heck, they already tried it once! Why go to the trouble of smuggling in a suitcase bomb when you can stay near the comforts of home? Remember, too, that most Islamic extremists don't care if we launch a counter strike. They view this life as transitory and if a few hundred thousand innocent Muslims die...well, it is the way of Allah.....as long as several infidels also die.

Now, with all of this information I have just shared with you, how confident do YOU feel that our current leadership is on top of all of this? I guess I feel about as confident as them finding out who the anthrax killer was. Hey, by the way, whatever happened to that whole deal? Last I heard, the anthrax came from a military lab somewhere and then suddenly.....no stories anymore. And weren't all the letters containing the anthrax mailed to either Democrats or the "liberal" media? Hmmm....oh well, there I go again...I probably should just be a good little American, trust my government, and not think to hard. It might hurt.

Anyway, clearly what we are doing now is not working. None of it. We need new leaders. As in, right now. It's too bad we can't do a recall in the national election like they did in California. So I guess that leaves the 2006 midterms. It's up to all of you to look seriously at what each candidate is saying on how best to defend and fight for this country. To me, there is no other issue that is more important. We are talking about the future of our civilization here, people! And the same old, tired line about "cutting and running" or "fight em there so we don't have to fight em here" insults my intelligence. Can't Bush Co come up with something better than this drivel? How about a new plan for Iraq? Something that does not contain grade school level rhetoric and jingoistic fear.

We need smart, strong people who have one goal: protect our nation. I would begin with all seven of my "Profiles in Courage" subjects. They would be a good start. Can we please have a leader who really cares about unifying this world while at the same time is a bad ass mofo that can kick some serious tail?

So, my promise to all of you is to continue to provide you with information and talking points to help you understand what is going on. Don't completely take my word for it, however. Go out and see for yourself if what I am saying is true. If you think I am wrong, find a better way. A new way. Share it with me. There is certainly room for improvement in anything any one of us does.

Most importantly, don't be afraid. Arm yourself with knowledge and any apprehension you feel will slip away. These are dark, dark times my friends and all of us need to start talking.

And listening as well.

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy" -James Madison, 4th President of the United States and father of the Constitution.