I'MMA LET YOU FINISH
c'mon, it's not that bad. look at the positive side.
The Hell ought to be broadcast 24/7, live and in colour.
The people in this country ought to taste the blood that is being spilled in their name.
I am sickened by it all.
Sickened.
This piece caused me to finally become a Salon subscriber. (Well, that and the free Jon Stewart book.)
He... judged it was not safe for him to live in a country where everyone spoke of liberty without daring to speak freely; where they lived tranquilly, moreover under the paternal surveillance of the police; tranquil as one is on the eve of going to prison.
$250 is the street price for an rpg?
sweeeet...
Am I the only one who read that and wished it were Kerry's opening statement at the upcoming debate?
Holy shit ,Atrios.You have gone and done it.
You told the whole truth in a short post.
How is it you can do that adn the press takes all day and cant tell even a fraction of it.
Our world is crumbling all around us.What we call America is not what it seems from the insideand all we can do is stumble around trying to find out what truth is,instead of finding what the truth is.
How frightening it is to be aware today.
Honest question here: can anyone mentally envision Bush and Cheney voluntarily giving up power if they lose the election, because I'm having a hard time figuring that.
Am I the only one thinking they're incapable of that?
President Bush got it exactly right when he said today: "You know, these people cannot beat us militarily".
Problem is, that's not the question he should be asking...
So I'm not the only one convinced that the Bush administration is the worst internal threat to the United States since the 1860s. Is anybody else starting to wonder if it will come to open civil war in the US if Bush is re-selected?
Brrr. . . I felt a chill. Is it cold in here?
Aaron Brown/CNN tonight had a couple experts who said insurrections usually last about 30 (THATS 3 0) years: Vietnam, and Chehnya or so (Afghanistan as well).
Anyone want to guess what the inside-the-BushCo estimate is?
Or when they are really gonna cut and run.
Such a disgrace. The problem is NONE of the BushCo creeps learned anything from Vietnam cause they 'had more important issues' at the time.
Ah, W, the king with the fecal touch. The dirty motherfucker has never touched anything in his whole shitty life that hasn't turned to total shit. I warned four years ago that it might take a decade to clean up the mess he might make if he was elected. Goddamnit was I wrong. I don't believe it is even possible anymore.
But it is a useful fiction because it is a happy one. All we need to know, according to the administration, is that America is a good country, full of good people and therefore cannot make bloody mistakes when it comes to its own security.
Wait until Johnny Qaeda seriously blows some shit up, then let's see if The People start asking themselves cold, hard questions about this country's leadership.
President Bush got it exactly right when he said today: "You know, these people cannot beat us militarily".
jane fonda and this General Westmoreland comment from Saigon all in the same day: wowza, now who keeps bringing up Vietnam day after day???
Bush is like the dumb and dumber version of the anti-christ.
I think lots of reporters are getting fed up. Walter Rodgers sounded pretty disgusted and frightened earlier tonight.
I just can't believe they've created this atrocity in our name. It's sickening.
shirty, I was pondering that my own self, because I'm optimistic today about Kerry's chances. I can see Bush chaining himself to the desk. I can see Cheney going into the undisclosed location and hiding out there with an Uzi.
Everybody else, though, I think senses which way the wind's blowing.
Fuck 'em if they do decide to dig in. As of Inauguration Day, the Secret Service works for Kerry.
A.
But I just heard on the news that some Iraqi women visited California and told Gov. Meat Puppet that things in Iraq are good. People have jobs, money to buy things like refrigerators and cars...
Here you are free and you have pride
(Long as you stay on your own side!)
Everyone has fridge by GE
(But there is no 'lectricity!)
I like to be in Bush's Iraq
OK by me in Bush's Iraq
Everyone free in Bush's Iraq
(bombs are for free in Bush's Iraq)
EVERYONE DANCE ON THE ROOFTOP!
Thanks, Athenae, I needed that.
I feel about ready to start hunkering down with an Uzi myself.
Goddamnit was I wrong. I don't believe it is even possible anymore.
The Republicrats are two factions of the same party. There's no difference between Bush and Gore. Tweedledee and Tweedledum...
Perhaps finally the people will get a chance to vote on the Iraq war.
If you think we are safer and war was worth what have paid in life and treasure, vote Bush.
If you think the war in Iraq was one of the worst mistakes ever made by our country, vote Kerry.
Through the fog of election 2004, it all comes down to one question.
would it be too much to pray for a victory for kerry AND the chimperor and his remote control cheney to be hung up in the plaza like mussolini at the end of the italian campaign in Milan????
Sieg heil !
shirty,
You make a good point. Well, I am not sure if it will come to Bush and Cheney barricading themselves in the White House defying the will of the people, but make no mistake about it - this election will be contested in every state that Kerry wins by 1% or less. They will do everything they can to push the decision into the House of Representatives. They will not leave quietly.
Four more years of bitching about the Bush administration here at Atrios is a frightening thought.
jane fonda--
ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
The President needs a few couple of extra initials:
George W.T.F. Bush
Is anybody else starting to wonder if it will come to open civil war in the US if Bush is re-selected?
A friend of my tells me this all the time...If Dubya stays in office, civil war will break out...he also says he's not staying for it. I'm joining the breakway New England Republic.
Oh yeah, the Mussolini treatment, that would seem quite appropriate about now.
I have a ribbon on my bumper that says FREEDOM ISN'T FREE.
We have arrived at a moment of national crisis.
Repeat it.
Jim -
They won't cut and run. That's the disturbing thing about a Bush re-election. They'll institute a draft and send more Americans over there to defeat the insurgency in order to protect Israel's and Halliburton's interests. Cut and run is not in their plans one tiny bit.
That oughta scare the pants off of anyone 18-25, or anyone with a child in that age range.
Through the fog of election 2004, it all comes down to one question.
Anna Clare
tweety is banging the rethugs two nights in a row over this very subject -- do americans get a vote in this iraq war?? this first debate is high stakes poker, and I'm glad Carville is doing the prep work for the challenger -- he needs a short mean streak and a bunch of good comebacks that smack the bitch down once and for all
even the rethugs admit that if kerry comes out unscathed, he looks like he's running away with this
I just expect the single nastiest campaign in history to begin any day now. The 9-11 ads are due to come up, and Kerry being a traitor, and then the debates. And election day! Oh the litigation that will spawn. It will be a monthlong fight, at least.
And then if Kerry wins, the Freepers form an armed militia, and the SCLM goes into impeach Kerry mode. We really have to steel ourselves for this onslaught.
The Republicrats are two factions of the same party. There's no difference between Bush and Gore. Tweedledee and Tweedledum...
So wahts your plan?You let the junior stay the course by wasting your vote?
GOddam I cant stand the "genle Naderites".THey are as crazy as the junior boys and girls.
But then again this one is probably another rove troll,just using the nader argument.
I doubt strongly it would come to civil war if Bush got re-elected, though I do plan to arm myself if he wins another term. What is more likely is massive civil unrest for his entire second term, resulting in an increased police state.
I really don't wish the shitpile cleanup on John Kerry or anyone else. But someone's gotta do it.
And the guy that made the shitpile must be held responsible, even after inaguration day.
No pardons.
smalfish, meet irony.
Irony, smalfish.
What's more sickening (if that's possible) is that roughly half the country STILL thinks that Bush's reasons for invading Iraq were just. They continue to view Iraq as ground zero in the war on terror.
How DO we combat such ignorance?
There are going to be mobs outside your florida and nantucket homes 24/7.
How DO we combat such ignorance?
Pitchfork and torch CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, ABC...
Juan Cole's latest is a must-read:
If America were Iraq, What would it be Like?
President Bush said Tuesday that the Iraqis are refuting the pessimists and implied that things are improving in that country.
What would America look like if it were in Iraq's current situation? The population of the US is over 11 times that of Iraq, so a lot of statistics would have to be multiplied by that number.
Thus, violence killed 300 Iraqis last week, the equivalent proportionately of 3,300 Americans. What if 3,300 Americans had died in car bombings, grenade and rocket attacks, machine gun spray, and aerial bombardment in the last week? That is a number greater than the deaths on September 11, and if America were Iraq, it would be an ongoing, weekly or monthly toll.
there's more...go read.
Sadly, Anne and nur, civil war could also result from a Kerry election. This country is deeply divided on an emotional level.
All Americans should read this. I sent it to everyone in my address book... why don't you?
You have to see the front pages of thursday's newspapers in the UK, it's horrific
go to the bottom of this page, on the left to find the link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
Le monde est barbare.
Just think if we have 8 or 10 states with election recounts and contests.
Any one or more of these could lead to civil disorder in that state. Would the Nat. Guard and military enforce martial law?
Just saying....
Why has the Bush administration now decided to release one of the female Iraqi prisoners?
After allowing two Americans hostages to be slaughtered they now decide to release Dr. Germ.
Was there some arm twisting done by Blair? All Blair had to do is threaten to remove even more troops than already planned. Every decision made by the Bush admin. is political. Bush doesn't give a damn about our soldiers and civilians in Iraq, only about maintaining power.
Bush needs to be called out hard about his hypocrisy! He could have saved two lives!
That just blows my beautiful mind.
yes the bushy boys are the blame, but so were the corporate media that cheerlead this who criminal enterprise.
If there are recounts in that many states, we should begin thinking about a general strike in the event of Republican fraud. I've long felt a general strike would be an excellent way to use peaceful people power to stand up to the right wing.
I think I go back to Tehran
(I know a tank you can get on! Bye Bye! Ta-ta!)
Everyone there will give me kiss
(But Iran's next Evil Axis!)
I like to be in Bush's Iraq
OK by me in Bush's Iraq
Everything free in Bush's Iraq
Death is for free in Bush's Iraq
Sadly, Anne and nur, civil war could also result from a Kerry election. This country is deeply divided on an emotional level.
I don't think so... Clinton was a president of all americans... also i see a strange look of "fear of winning" on the faces of some of the bushies i encounter...especially the mothers.
I can't believe that short man bitch has never been called to task for that "beautiful mind" comment. It sickens me.
VIVSECTION IN THE STREETS FOR IL DUCE! WE WILL GARLAND BRIDGES IN LONDON AND BUDAPEST AND BAGHDAD WITH HIS GUT!
Would the Nat. Guard and military enforce martial law?
Yes Junior would most certainly call out the troops on American civilians.
His excuse would be "we must sustain democracy so that is why I am ordering the National guard troops to do away with this uprising,my authority cannot be denied".
I have a ribbon on my bumper that says FREEDOM ISN'T FREE.
I have one on mine that says "I LET MY BUMPER STICKERS THINK FOR ME."
A.
The Republicrats are two factions of the same party. There's no difference between Bush and Gore. Tweedledee and Tweedledum... Naderite, ca. 2000
on many fronts you are absolutely correct in your assessment, but that doesn't mean you are right in the idea that there are not solid differences in these two candidates - there are some hugely stark differences, even if they come from the same political orgy of greed
just like it was cool to vote Jesse and the Rainbow coalition or run to Perot or even that other Jesse in Minnesota for a while, the game of politics is not proving you are right against a bunch of wrong people - the wrong will resent you for being right, and the right will get corrupt in the satisfaction of being recognized
the game of politics, no matter how it's financed and sold, whether it's local or national, is the art of building community behind someone who can speak for those who cannot speak alone. the naderites say ralphie boy speak for them, and to an extent he does - but where nader went wrong is that he enjoys the underdog role so much he has never considered what he would do if he won; if nader had the real nuts that his supporters think he has, he would develop a new party and a new base that does not have to find loopholes in state ballot initiatives - in one state he's the independent, in others he's the populist candidate; if nader spent half of his time speaking to what he could do "tangibly" to improve the life of average people, he could do far more than running for president in a campaign that mounts to nothing more than pat paulsen with a brain. if nader could only recognize that his gift is advocacy and not politics, both his movement and his voters would be better off for the effort
vote as you must naderites, but the novelty has already worn out from 2000 and soon you will be relegated to the same trash heap occupied by john anderson -- i threw away my vote on anderson in 1980 and I still scratch my head and chalk it up to youthful indecision, only because I thought carter became a cartoon
focus, Clinton was a president for all Americans, outside the VRWC.
But, as they say, 9-11 changed everything. The democrats are manically trying to take down the only man in this entire nation between us and nuclear distruction at the hands of al Qaeda.
I don't think this will be polite.
WHEN the draft comes next year, will it only be men? Couldn't the Bush twins or Paris Hilton be drafted? Please say yes!
I mean, of course freedom isn't free, asshole. Halliburton's charging us $87 billion for it right now.
A.
I have a bumper sticker on my truck that says
John Kerry for president.
So there!
The Republicrats are two factions of the same party. There's no difference between Bush and Gore. Tweedledee and Tweedledum... Naderite, ca. 2000
Satire, folks....
Who the fuck woke U up, liberal?
Moore embarrasses new CIA chief
President Bush said Mr Goss was the "right man" for the job
US Congressman Porter Goss, nominated to be the new director of the CIA, may be talking himself out of the job, according to film-maker Michael Moore.
Moore, who directed the film Fahrenheit 9/11, has released an interview with Mr Goss in which he says he lacks the qualifications for the top spy post.
"I couldn't get a job with CIA today. I am not qualified," Mr Goss told Moore's production company in March.
The White House has dismissed the interview as "ridiculous hearsay".
The interview did not make it into the final edit of the film, which criticises President George W Bush's policy on Iraq.
But following Mr Goss's nomination by the president, Moore has released the transcript and video excerpt on his website.
"I don't have the language skills. I, you know, my language skills were romance languages and stuff. We're looking for Arabists today. I don't have the cultural background probably," Mr Goss says on the video.
"And I certainly don't have the technical skills, as my children remind me every day: 'Dad, you got to get better on your computer.'
"So, the things that you need to have, I don't have."
Say it with me PRESIDENT BUSH!
Who the fuck woke U up, liberal?
Orwell was only off by 20 year
who are you calling a liberal?
"How DO we combat such ignorance?"
We don't. Half of the country consists of complete morons. This is a group that places it's racial, gender and religious bigotry above it's check-book. We just have to accept it. These people have made an unconscious choice. The truth can't get through. The layers of bitterness are too thick. The bitterness at minorities and title 9 athletes who killed their pro. sports dreams; the bitterness at liberals who want to take away the weapons that let them feel like the mythical soldiers they never met and could never become; the bitterness at those who say that in a small world you have to grow beyond a pampered white-male-centric view of life. They love their pampered, no-skills, bitter pResident, because he is truly one of them.
Small-minded insecurity and a wish for being seven years old, watching baseball and having Mom cut the crusts off their white bread and bologna sandwiches will keep these dead-enders firmly red until they're dead.
syntallic, I think you're just a little late. I believe he was confirmed already.
The Mussolini treatment requires an a couple of US infantry divisions and trained assassins hot on his heels as Bush tries to make a getaway to Mexico with Condi. The Rio Grande valley is crawling with the Resistenza hell-bent on revenge. Bush encounters a rebel checkpoint and gets the Fallujah mercenary treatment...
that's too ugly...just put him in the slammer.
"So I'm not the only one convinced that the Bush administration is the worst internal threat to the United States since the 1860s. Is anybody else starting to wonder if it will come to open civil war in the US if Bush is re-selected?
Brrr. . . I felt a chill. Is it cold in here?"- Anne in WI
Funny, that you bring that up. One of my best friends thinks that Bush will be elected, (by nefarious means), and that we will deserve what we get- not enough folks get it i.e. an overwhelming majority do not understand that Bush is a tool for the neocons. He actually believes that things will get worse before they get better, and that revolution will be the means. Really, it's weird, he's a Quaker, very sensitive, mild mannered, against war,- almost impossible to piss off, really- but believes armed revolution, in the end, is what it will come down to. He's even wondered about what violent actions it would take to bring this regime down. I find this telling, even disconcerting, because he is not an advocate of violence. If a quaker, non violent guy is thinking these thoughts, I have to wonder.
thanks for the tip, Vinnie, vote kerry
"Couldn't the Bush twins or Paris Hilton be drafted?"
No, they will be used to raise War Bonds. And hopefully they will be used the hard way ... you know what I am saying wink wink
Do we need to totally redouble our efforts to take as much of the House as possible to take that option away from the GOP? re: presidential election
shirty: "The democrats are manically trying to take down the only man in this entire nation between us and nuclear distruction at the hands of al Qaeda."
Are you talking about self-loathing, defeatist Dems/libs.? I agree, shame on them. Kerry's the only option who'll decrease the amount of loose fissile materiel in the world.
Take Douglas Adams' immortal advice:
DON'T PANIC!
The fucking Dems didn't even put up a squack. They just rolled over again and rubber stamped another Bushie. Jesus, there is no hope.
The National Guard and military won't be around to enforce martial law because they are all already engaged. Now where was it we sent them? Oh, yeah...
OOOH, A squack??? sigh........
no imagination, I try to convince my gullible friends that this regime is bad for our country; that we are being ruled by a bunch of gangsters. They think I'm nuts. The only redeeming value to a Kerry loss in November will be the validation I will feel when these people come to me and tell me they wished they'd listened to me.
Woah! Holy crap. This poster is not a parody. It is NOT a PARODY.
http://www.wonkette.com/archives...here-
021748.php
It is not... a parody... (ingests tranquilizer)
WE'RE GOING TO WIN!
http://www.andrewtobias.com/newc...mns/
040917.html
now this:
North Korea May Be Preparing Missile Launch
TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States and Japan have detected signs that North Korea (news - web sites) is preparing to launch a ballistic missile capable of reaching almost anywhere in Japan, Japanese government sources said on Thursday.
The preparations were detected after the reclusive communist state refused to take part in a fourth round of six-party talks on ending its nuclear ambitions and said it would never give up its nuclear deterrent.
Tokyo and Washington had detected the signs after analyzing data from reconnaissance satellites and radio traffic, the Japanese government sources said. (etc)
"no imagination, I try to convince my gullible friends that this regime is bad for our country; that we are being ruled by a bunch of gangsters. They think I'm nuts. The only redeeming value to a Kerry loss in November will be the validation I will feel when these people come to me and tell me they wished they'd listened to me."- pol
Sadly, that's a hollow victory. However, my buddy feels the same way. He's very depressed- he just can't understand how people can be so gullible and stupid. Ergo, I imagine, why he thinks people's faces must be shoved into the crap that this admin has produced and that revolution will be the means for change. Me, I still have hopes that the election will not be stolen, and that the majority will vote these asshats out- afterall, Gore won the popular vote.
wtfwjd already said so, but it's worth repeating: Juan Cole's latest is a must read. Here's the link again in case you missed it upthread.
If America were Iraq, What would it be Like?
If you didn't already go read, do it now.
WE'RE GOING TO WIN!
http://www.andrewtobias.com/newc...mns/
040917.html
"The U.S. has the most powerful armed presence, its own military, but as an interest group, it represents the smallest number of Iraqis, possibly only those it directly supports."
That line for some reason raised the hair on the back of my neck.
Then I read on to the end.
"We don't. Half of the country consists of complete morons. This is a group that places it's racial, gender and religious bigotry above it's check-book. We just have to accept it. These people have made an unconscious choice. The truth can't get through. The layers of bitterness are too thick."
_____________________________________
Hate is a powerful drug, highly addictive! Bush and Co. has managed to tap into our predudices, which are simply fears rationalized. So we can pretty much estimate that approx. 50% of our population still has serious problems with the "isms." I still believe Gore selecting a Jewish running mate scared the shit out of many of us, but no one is willing to admit it.
Juan Cole's latest is brilliant.
What would America look like if it were in Iraq's current situation? The population of the US is over 11 times that of Iraq, so a lot of statistics would have to be multiplied by that number.
Thus, violence killed 300 Iraqis last week, the equivalent proportionately of 3,300 Americans. What if 3,300 Americans had died in car bombings, grenade and rocket attacks, machine gun spray, and aerial bombardment in the last week? That is a number greater than the deaths on September 11, and if America were Iraq, it would be an ongoing, weekly or monthly toll.
...
What if, during the past year, the Secretary of State (Aqilah Hashemi), the President (Izzedine Salim), and the Attorney General (Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim) had all been assassinated?
What if all the cities in the US were wracked by a crime wave, with thousands of murders, kidnappings, burglaries, and carjackings in every major city every year?
Go read the rest.
LOL... I wasn't even close to quick enough to post that.
shirty, that's a scary link. Tell me it isn't so. These people are monsters, no respect for human life- oh, but every sperm is sacred, yet anything beyond the womb is fair game for cannon fodder. Bastards.
It's interesting that the right itself would draw a soldier as a ghoul. I mean... so, like, it's fair game to have the troops be portrayed as orcs or inhuman creatures of destruction? That's totally okay?
Bizarre.
wtfwjd already said so, but it's worth repeating: Juan Cole's latest is a must read. Here's the link again in case you missed it upthread.
If America were Iraq, What would it be Like?
If you didn't already go read, do it now.
Bizarre.-shirty
No, sick. That poster is horrible.
so, like, it's fair game to have the troops be portrayed as orcs or inhuman creatures of destruction? That's totally okay?
Have you checked out the insignia of AC-130U Spectre (Spooky) gunship?
Atrios should post a link to that. Really, it reveals the true mind of the so called compassionate conservatives.
nur al cubicle, do you have a link?
if the stupid little prick and his pals hadn't been coked up during vietnam, he'd have learned that OCCUPATIONS NEVER WORK. NEVER.
Look, youse guys, panic and doubt and spinning elaborate what-ifs does no one any good. Tell the end-of-the-worldists to stop daydreaming and get to work. All of us. Let's work to make Kerry's victory big enough that it's undeniable. Come on, get out there and register some voters. Get out there and call ACT or MoveOn or someone and help them out. Get out there and write some letters to the editor. Don't just stand there wringing your hands and dreaming up dystopian fantasies of Bush not leaving the White House!
Here's what I'm doing. I'm helping my local League of Women Voters get out the vote, and I got sworn in as a deputy registrar this week. Doesn't cost anything but some time and some commitment. If I can do that much, you can do more.
I don't want to wake up on November 3, see a headline featuring the words "Bush" and "Wins," and think that I personally didn't do everything in my power to stop that.
What about you?
and there have been posters accusing me of excessive pessimism.
18 more years, 18 more years.
if we're lucky.
got your kneepads folks?
the dnc is braindead. that they let porter goss become confirmed is proof positive that there is no dnc opposition to the right wing fascist bastids.
republican fascist bastids = democrat fascist bastids.
this election: political wwf. don't invest your money in this sewer.
go take a nice vacation. and look for a new place to establish residency.
amerika is going to cease being a hospitable place within weeks. and you can thank ke and the dnc for that development.
sic semper tyrannis....
strawhat, it depends what state you live in. some of us bluestaters are benched.
Good point, strawhat. Like the Moby quote. I'm shifting into higher gear and think everyone should as well.
"Corporations like Halliburton, with close ties to government officials, are profiting greatly from the war ..."
Profit Margin (ttm): 1.48%
Operating Margin (ttm): 3.27%
Stupid leftists bobbleheads think that saying something loudly enough and often enough makes it true.
Yawn. Next?
albert, while on the one hand you're right, on another you're wrong. Democrats are just fascist enablers. They wouldn't come up with this shit on their own.
Plus, I'd feel bad if people better than I were going to stay and fight and I left the country.
I run into people all the time that think Iraq was a great (not good) idea, and they seem unable to grasp that it is possible to create a worse situation than previously existed.
strawhat, actually, as a Quaker who comes from a long line of activists, my friend is very active, though depressed. The guy even paid someone to put Kerry/Edwards posters in their cars- really. Myself, I have more optimism. I'm just pointing this out to Anne in WI and pol, so they won't feel so alone- a lot of rational people have their doubts- and that's okay because the neocons are really as bad as we think they are. I'm just not convinced that the electorate is as stupid as many think they are.
man albert, I hope you're not right but you sure as hell could be. I gotta believe Kerry in a landslide.
no imagination you'll find the insignia if you google the spooky. in fact, have a look at US military insignia. Death heads galore.
God bless him, but if Kerry wins he inherits a tragic and catastrophic mess, and a republican congress who will be anxious to transfer the blame away from their poster boy. Why the heck would any sane person want the job now?
nur (love the 'nym, by the way) I'm in Illinois. I'm in Cook County. Doesn't get much bluer than that. Even us blue-state backbenchers can get to work. We can run up the score here at home. We can write letters to the editor at papers in red states. We can volunteer for phone banks that call red states. We can write to the cable news shows and tell them to quit being so stupid.
We can all do something, and if we all do what we can, it'll get done!
Corny, I know -- but I *really* don't want to see that headline on the morning of November 3.
"Why the heck would any sane person want the job now?"
That is an excellent point. As a politcian, Kerry may be able to scrape a meager day dream together of being the conquering hero by fixing the ills of this administration. But as a realist he simply must know that his chances of fully bringing this ship back on keel are limited.
So a strange thing for a politician, when put through sieve bears out the idea that Kerry actually believes in what he is doing come hell or high water. Spooky eh, a politician with a soul.
Hat - You dumb fuck.
You are looking at Halliburtons consolidated results, not the results of the B&R division. Halliburton has been writing off asbesto's claims against earnings for years. If you bother to break out B&R's earnings, you will see they are quite healthy, and it is the other divisions that are bringing down the overall results.
But you knew that, right?
the us press hasn't informed me much lately on the presidentials and i've been relying on the observations of foreign reporters.
the paris paper le monde has a superbe reporter covering the campaign and a few things have happened to make me feel better.
1) In his acceptance speech, Bush ignored the undecideds. Didn't even give them chickenfeed. Kerry focused his entire speech on the undecideds.
2) Bush's speech to the UN did nothing to push the members into implementing resolution 1546. This cost Bush the Dem Senate hawks and some old-school Republicans like Lugar.
3) Bush keeps repeating that stupid lie that Kerry 'said the world was better off with Saddam in power.' Nobody's buying this.
Offshore press says it's neck-and-neck for the prize. They said the timing of Allawi's address to Congress is calculated to show Dems applauding on national TV with the implication they are applauding Bush's policies.
A long 5 weeks.
Good point, ol pointy hat. We should let a corporation that can't even make a profit when they get an oily no bid sweetheart deal to run operations in Iraq. It goes a long way to explain why Iraq is such a clusterfuck. Thanks for enlightening us, now go back out and play with with your little soldier. Try not to get any on your face.
"Spooky eh, a politician with a soul."
That's why I said "God bless him" and I'm not even religious.
But you knew that, right?
chris/tx | Email | Homepage | 09.23.04 - 1:57 am | #
Remember who we're talking to, here, hoss. I doubt that gutless yeller turd can tie his shoelaces without getting dizzy.
Ohhh! Can I preemptively just give a virtual yawn and say "next" and win an argument! That'll show them damned smartass professors! I'm on to them.
Yes, it is an *illegal* war. Unless you listen to Matthew Yglesias, who seems to dispute that fact.
I know that our first concrern is the election and John Kerry, and this is perhaps a distraction.
However, how is it that we still allow Mr. Yglesias in our realm when he continues to deny that the war on Iraq was illegal? He was a warmonger before it started, and continues to deny his error despite the clearly written international law.
If he is to deny that the international law is somehow invalid, that is one thing, but, inasmuch as I can tell, he has not. He is simply waving the flag of American supremecy and going from there... We somehow had the authority to kill Arabs because of previous UN resoulutions that condemned Iraq's behavior. Nowhere is there an authorization of force.
Are we too chicken to correct him?
Well Backslider, the gutless yeller turd throws shit around like papertiger.
Both scan some headline talking point and throw it out there like we are some naive virgins. Reminds me of these polls lately that do not include the methodology. Kinda like, "Hey baby, don't worry, I'm going to pull out". Right.
Ummm. Matt can take us to war? At his whim?
You know I thought the Chiefs were going to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of last year.
Shun Me!
If he is to deny that the international law is somehow invalid
Typo, should be "If he is to argue that the international law is somehow invalie."
valid, that is.
Great summation of the freakish "fair is foul, foul is fair" world we're in.
Please pardon me as a newbie here, but I've turned some of my rage into a short movie your readers might enjoy. Please check it out at http://www.bushfocusgroup.com
Great summation of the freakish "fair is foul, foul is fair" world we're in.
Please pardon me as a newbie here, but I've turned some of my rage into a short movie your readers might enjoy. Please check it out at http://www.bushfocusgroup.com
Well if matt thinks the war was legal, well shit that means I hafta...
Wait, what does that mean I hafta?
Okay, it's the SF Chronicle, but somebody in the media has finally stated the facts flat out...
Flip-flopping charge unsupported by facts
Kerry always pushed global cooperation, war as last resort
Marc Sandalow, Washington Bureau Chief
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Washington -- No argument is more central to the Republican attack on Sen. John Kerry than the assertion that the Democrat has flip-flopped on Iraq.
President Bush, seated beside Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Tuesday: "My opponent has taken so many different positions on Iraq that his statements are hardly credible at all.''
The allegation is the basis of a new Bush campaign TV ad that shows the Democratic senator from Massachusetts windsurfing to the strains of a Strauss waltz as a narrator intones: "Kerry voted for the Iraq war, opposed it, supported it and now opposes it again.''
Yet an examination of Kerry's words in more than 200 speeches and statements, comments during candidate forums and answers to reporters' questions does not support the accusation.
As foreign policy emerged as a dominant issue in the Democratic primaries and later in the general election, Kerry clung to a nuanced, middle-of-the road -- yet largely consistent -- approach to Iraq. Over and over, Kerry enthusiastically supported a confrontation with Saddam Hussein even as he aggressively criticized Bush for the manner in which he did so.
Kerry repeatedly described Hussein as a dangerous menace who must be disarmed or eliminated, demanded that the U.S. build broad international support for any action in Iraq and insisted that the nation had better plan for the post-war peace.
There were times when Kerry's emphasis shifted for what appear to be political reasons, such as the fall of 2003 when former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean surged to the top of Democratic polls based on an anti-war platform and Kerry's criticism of the president grew stronger. There are many instances in which clumsy phrases and tortuously long explanations make Kerry difficult to follow. And there are periods, such as last week, when the sharpness of Kerry's words restating old positions seem to suggest a change.
Yet taken as a whole, Kerry has offered the same message ever since talk of attacking Iraq became a national conversation more than two years ago.
"Let there be no doubt or confusion about where we stand on this. I will support a multilateral effort to disarm (Hussein) by force, if we ever exhaust ... other options,'' Kerry said 23 months ago on the Senate floor before voting to authorize the force, imploring Bush to take the matter to the United Nations.
"If we do wind up going to war with Iraq, it is imperative that we do so with others in the international community," Kerry said, insisting that Bush work with the United Nations. "If he fails to do so, I will be among the first to speak out,'' Kerry said.
Eric, seriously, shun Mr Yglesias at your whim. Otherwise, who gives a fuck.
I'm not going to apologize or even explain any of his beliefs or positions because, you know what, I can't. I really don't know what they are, more than generically.
But you, I can reject your reccomendation out of hand. Why?
Because it is stupid. That's why. Shun a liberal, because he doen't meet your standards? Sure!
The Iraqmire only seems bad if you...look at it and ...think about it...
...
Why bother? Really? After all, is thinking about all that hard stuff you pay Bush to think about going to get that big-screen and its broadband tide of Porn-ucopia paid for?
No, it isn't. So just lie back and listen to the soothing twang of your preznit's nasal gibberish as he tells you again that it's all good.
All of it. Is good. Very, very good.
All...
...
Gooood...
.
President Bush got it exactly right when he said today: "You know, these people cannot beat us militarily".
But that of course is not the concern.
Colonel Harry G. Summers had the truth pointed out to him when he told a North Vietnamese Colonel, "You know, you never defeated us on the battlefield." To which his Communist counterpart replied, "That may be so, but it is also irrelevant."
I swear, if I knew then what I know now about what I didn't know... everything different!
i understand it. no one wants to hear such negative jive as i dish out.
and i have been dishing it our for over 30 years. and as much as i hate to say it, reality tops my negative predictions.
this confirmation of porter goss should be the final straw for all of you out there who think that the dnc is really opposed to the rnc.
porter goss was a member of the 40 committee. a firm assassin. along with barry seal. and a host of others. go see danny hopsicker's revelations at madcow morning news.
did you see any supposedly legit medium discuss the history of porter goss?
even worse, did you see any well-attended blogsite discuss porter goss?
makes me wonder about who really runs blogs.
i told you all before, porter goss was a blond ghost acolyte. ran death squads all over latin america. was a party to the phoenix ops in indochina.
i have often considered him as the triggerman that offed salvador allende.
that death was not a suicide.
the dementia afflicting purported anti-fascists in amerika troubles me. troubles me, hell. is forcing me to cosider becoming an ex-pat.
imagine, without a whimper. without any strident opposition, the dnc acquiesced to the appointment of a company assassin as dci.
the dnc gave the bushit the gift of a hitman as the director of central intelligence. and some dems, jane harmon[sic], in particular welcomed this confirmation.
i called her a fascist cunt then. i call her one today.
folks, wake up. the confirmation of porter goss, facilitated by the demthugs, will assure no free and fair elections for some cycles.
and i read no blogs or other posts opposing this development. dementia overwhelms this republic.
some years from now, when, and if, you try to take this country back from the fascist bastids, i want you to consider this...the effort will be tantamount to the iraqi patriotic efforts to eliminate the amerikan invaders.
that is the future i think that you have now bequeathed your children and their children.
how could so many be so fucking demented?
personally, i am putting my business up for sale and escaping this country that will become the most astonishing gulag the world will have ever known.
will be making stalinist russia seem benign.
i know, you think i'm getting it wrong. well, you don't know the half of what is in store for this country. even if kerry-edwards wins.
boner versus boner = fascist bastid running the country.
and on that happy note, i'm outta here.
ps: acquire your assault weapons and all the rounds you can within the next few weeks. unless you relish manacles and those cubicles that hamzi lived in for the last 3 years.
sic semper tyrannis.....
Since Bush actually did not finish his National Guard duty , that means that when he loses the election we can send him to Iraq to fight ..and we might as well have Cheany drive a truck for Halliburton
telltale - I think the kids in this attaurk post have taken your comments to (telltale) heart.
"You know, these people cannot beat us militarily"
Discussion w/HS students today:.
"You realize that US policy in Iraq now amounts to 'We're going to have to keep killing you until you love us'?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, they like us less every month -- at what point do you stop trying to make them love you by killing them?"
"When they're all dead".
"All of them? 20-odd million people?"
"Yeah. At that point, they'll see we were right."
Good little centurions.
Well trained.
Meds, Albert, meds....
I have worked on/off in Iraq now for over 13 years, usually 6 to 12 weeks at a time. I’m a US civilian not connected in any way to US government/military. I have many friends here in Baghdad (where I am right now). At the end of major combat, Mission Accomplished, last year the US military enjoyed its highest ratings among the Iraqi populous. I estimate 80 per cent of Iraqis approved of Saddam’s ouster and were happy to see that G.W. Bush had “liberated” their country. Within days however it became apparent to everyone that Bush had sent his troops to protect the oil supply and not liberate Iraqis. Soldiers stood idly by while looters ravaged the cities, only the Ministry of Oil was protected. Ambassador Bremer appears on the scene and disbands the Iraqi Army, the biggest single mistake of the occupation. Suddenly 500,000 hungry, armed angry men were out of work. Under Saddam all the good jobs went to Baath Party members. The only way to get a good education and job in Saddam’s Iraq was to join the party. Bremer was played for a fool by Ahmed Chalabi who convinced him to remove all Baathists from positions of power compounding the mistake of firing the army. Ten’s of thousands of educated Iraqis that had the expertise necessary to resurrect the country and restore commerce and public services were suddenly without a job. How smart is it to put all the people who have the abilities to run the country effectively out on the street without the means to support their families. Under Saddam there was at least a rationing system that prevented starvation for the families of the unemployed. Bremer dismantled that system cutting holes in the social security net that had existed under Saddam further fueling unrest. It was months before the US realized these mistakes had greatly damaged the country, but by that time it was too late.
The US military is undoubtedly the world’s best fighting force but is woefully lacking in peacekeeping skills. There were too few Arabic translators and the troops were completely unprepared as to how to deal with Iraqi culture. They basically did everything wrong. The US soldiers accidentally killed hundreds of Iraqis when they mistook the Iraqi’s intentions as hostile when in fact the Iraqi’s simply misunderstood shouted instructions in English. Hundreds of lives were lost at checkpoints simply for this reason (miscommunication) and no other. For every person killed, scores of family members turned against our troops, each vowing revenge. Lack of training with how to deal with Iraqi customs and cultural values turned even more Iraqis against us. For example, US troops in their effort to locate former regime members raided private homes in the middle of the night. US soldiers are not trained to be gentle when conducting these raids. They have to be aggressive when entering homes for their own self- preservation. So they broke down doors and damaged people’s homes in heavy-handed attempts to c
(continued) So they broke down doors and damaged people’s homes in heavy-handed attempts to catch the bad guys. In many cases the wrong homes were raided. Moslem cultural prohibits non-family men from seeing Iraqi women in their night clothes and when they forced Iraqi men and boys to the ground with boots on their necks it was one of the greatest humiliations an Iraqi man can have forced upon him. Every raid whether or not it was successful resulted in more enemies being made. Put the shoe on the other foot folks, how who would you feel if foreign soldiers, who didn’t speak English, were to break your front door down in the middle of the night, waving automatic weapons in your face, forcing your wife and daughter out of their beds in their night clothes to raise their hands and march outside to the front lawn where they will be seen by the neighbors. You and your teenaged son are thrown to the ground because you don’t understand what they are screaming at you. One of the soldiers places his muddy boots on your neck while another wrenches your arms behind you and puts cuffs tightly around your wrists. Your son is treated as harshly as you are. Just what would you do after you were released without so much as a “I’m sorry, we made a mistake, wrong house.” ?
I’m not saying that I don’t support our troops, in fact, my own son is one of those troops (a US Marine) in Iraq right now. At this point we’ve gone too far, made too many enemies. I fear for my son’s life. Some Iraqi that has lost his own son in this unjust war wants to kill my son and will try to do so at the first opportunity he gets. I would do the same if my son were killed by foreign invaders or occupying army.
We’ve lost this war. There’s no way to reverse what we’ve done. We have become the bad guys. We are the invaders, the foreign occupiers.
I’ve heard over and over on this site and others like it “we can’t just leave now, it would be a disaster, civil war would result.” It’s too late at this point to go back and fix Iraq. The damage has been done. The only difference between leaving now and leaving later is the number of soldiers that die needlessly on Iraqi soil. If we go now there will be civil war. If we leave next year, there will be civil war. If we leave 10 years from now, there will be civil war. Pandora’s Box has been opened and there’s no closing it. We can’t even replace Saddam with another dictator like him. Saddam had total control over the Iraqi people, control that took generations to master. It would be both impossible and immoral to go back now, impossible because the Iraqis have tasted freedom from their dictator. The majority of Iraqis don’t want democracy either. We can’t force democracy, American style or otherwise, on them. They want us out, the sooner the better. Had we not invaded their country and deposed Saddam they would have done it themselves eventually. After he was removed there would have been a civil war. Civ
(continued) Civil war in Iraq is inevitable. The three different groups of people in Iraq will never again co-exist under any type of government. The ethnic, tribal and religious differences between these groups will always prevent them from uniting. All attempts to unite the country in the past have failed in the long term. The only sensible thing to do is leave and let the Iraqis sort it out for themselves. The UN should take whatever measures that are necessary to prevent outside forces from determining the outcome but basically let the Iraqis fight it out among themselves as they should have been allowed to do after the Ottoman Empire collapse nearly a hundred years ago. I predict that once the dust has settled the Shiites will control southern Iraq, the Sunni central Iraq, and the Kurds northern Iraq.
I say, get out now and let the cards fall were they may. We will be no worse off as long as the conflict can be confined inside the present Iraqi borders. President’s Bush’s policy of “staying the course” will only worsen our situation. When we’re going the wrong way the longer we stay the course the further away from where we want to be is the result. Nothing good can result from this shameful detour our country has taken. Declare victory now and bring our troops home.
Sorry to be so long-winded. I won't do it again.
But Bush did promise us he wouldn't be a '"Nation Builder'...so maybe all this chaos and hell that the poor Iraqi people are enduring was actually part of the neo-con plan? I remember reading in the IHT, way back before the war started, some State Dept Under Secretary of Something promising that they would bring chaos to that part of the Mid East. Since these are, at least, academically, bright people, we must take them at their word and, assume, that the horror of present-day Iraq, IS THEIR PLAN....if this assumption is true, then, what is their real goal?
Boldton, was that State Dept guy's name...
I'm not sure if our nation will come to open civil war, but the 50/50 split in the country , and the raging dispute over its direction , seem to be spiraling downward.
It really all started with the Republican Revolution in 1994- shutting down the government, impeaching Clinton, Florida 2000, Iraq.
It looks like the reactionaries are setting up every possible mechanism to steal the election...shutting down web-sites of overseas non-military voter forms, Nader in Florida, police action against black activists in Florida, Diebold etc.
The election will come down to Florida again. I can't see Kerry picking up enough small states..he needs Florida. A bad omen.
I could be way off but for some reason, the only thing that came to mind when I read this post was "manifest destiny".
I could be way off but for some reason, the only thing that came to mind when I read this post was "manifest destiny".
I could be way off but for some reason, the only thing that came to mind when I read this post was "manifest destiny".
I could be way off but for some reason, the only thing that came to mind when I read this post was "manifest destiny".
Nattering nabobs of negativity?
Seriously; could America be on a track to oblivion? As a 64 year old white male following things pretty closely for the last 50 years, one has to wonder if this countries glory is long past. Sure, we continue to make technological advances, but it means nothing, as millions are left behind and not sharing in the success. Truly sad= And what is more telling is the fact that half of America believes in this fraud in the White House.
While he's quite eloquent, I don't see why his "tribal" Iraq is so much different from the way Americans would react if they were occupied. Does anyone really think Americans, with our supposedly gapingly different "Western" values, would just chill out if the U.S. were occupied by a foreign invader, whose helicopters were killing off our family members?
Maybe the blood feud tradition is more formalized there. But it seems kinda like the sort of exoticism that allows Americans to be cool with killing thousands of Iraqis in the first place.
Did I hear him right?
Bush, on NPR just a minute ago, speaking to a campaign rally yesterday:
"The only thing they can do is behead people, and try to shake our will."
I know there are people cold and callous enough to say: "Yup. That's straight talk. That's tough. That's steadfast."
But all I can think is: you heartless SOB. You haven't the first clue as to what you have done, and what your "will" is doing in the world, and you not only don't care, you can't care. The only thing they can do is behead people? What, like that's no big deal? Like that shows how pathetic they are, how weak? And how we are winning?
The man is so lacking in human understanding he sounds psychotic.
the amazing (and depressing) thing is that Kerry is not leading in all polls by at least 20 points, and that the Bushliar hasn't been thrashed and run out of town already. Anything less than a massive landslide for Kerry is a major defeat for sanity.
-
Independent voters: How many people have to die for the Republican Party before you vote for John Kerry and for a Democratic representative and Senator?
The 14 astronauts who died in Reagan and Bush administrations appear enough?
The thousands of people who died in the Ford Explorers with faulty Firestone tires that Republicans would not regulate appear enough?
Would the thousands of people who lost pensions at Enron or the millions of people who lost part of their portfolios of Enron stock appear enough?
Would the millions of people who lost their jobs during the Bush administration appear enough?
Would the 2,750 people in the towers, pentagon and planes who died because Bush provoked the 9-11 attacks and failed to defend against them appear enough?
Would the over 1,000 soldiers who died in Iraq because Bush lied about the reasons for going to war appear enoough?
How many people have to die, lose their pensions, or their jobs for the Republican Party before you vote for John Kerry and a democratic representative and Senator?
George W Bush failed to defend America on Sept 11, 2001. If he came up for election in Nov 2001, he would have met a similar fate of the conservative Spanish government. The people in Spain voted out the conservatives not because the terrorists influenced the election but because the conservatives could not defend their country. George W Bush deserves to get voted out for the reason he could not defend America on Sept 11, 2001.
George W Bush did not consider the Taliban a serious threat because he had his administration negotiate with them from February 2001 until August 2001 for an oil pipeline deal. Do the members of the press investigate this? No, the press ignores this and remains a group of cowards. This negotiation between the Bush administration and the Taliban led nowhere which led the Bush administration to threaten to invade Afghanistan before 9-11. Retired US diplomats conveyed this message to Pakistani diplomats in Germany in July 2001. A Pakistani diplomat, Mr. Naik said this invasion threat indeed get made, and that the Pakistanis told the Taliban of this threat. The Taliban told Al Qaeda, who got Al Qaeda cells in the United States to attack and kill 2,750 people. I would say that the Bush administration provoked the 9-11 attacks. If the Bush administration had not interested itself in oil deals instead of defending against terrorists, the 9-11 attacks probably would not have happened and 2,750 people probably not have died. Osama Bin Laden has blood on his hands and George W Bush has bloody oil on his hands.
George W Bush not only failed to defend America on Sept 11, 2001 but his commercial oil based foreign policy with Afghanistan provoked terrorists to attack us and he did not take terrorists associated with the Taliban seriously. We should vote him out on Nov 4, 2004 and we should strongly criticize the press for not doing much about these two important issues. 2,7
Call Walmart at 1-800-966-6546 and demand they help extend unemployment benefits and increase the minimum wage to 9 dollars an hour or you will not buy from them until they get the Republicans in Washington DC to extend unemployment benefits for those whose benefits ran out as far back as August
2003 and increase the minimum wage to 9 dollars an hour.
Call Eckerd Pharmacy Corporate Headquarters at 800 325 3737, Call CVS Pharmacy Corporate headquarters at 888 607 4287 and Call Walgreens Pharmacy Corporate headquarters at 800 289 2273 and tell them we will not purchase any products from their drug stores but will patronize them in the future if they can get the congress to pass a prescription drug benefit as described in the petition at
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/t...ction/
383366962
Please read and sign the petition.
Thank you.
''A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep'' - Saul Bellow
And what has John Kerry done to try and set the record straight, pathetic, eneffectual, and compromised candidate that he is?
Shit, it isn't as if Bush isn't vulnerable to the truth on Iraq. But for whatever reason, Kerry has done JACK SHIT TO TRY AND REMIND THE American public what a mess Iraq is and what a major, major fuck up it is for the Bush Administration.
But what can one expect from a spineless, cautious, privileged, and well-heeled carreer pol who voted for a war he knew was bullshit?
Fucking John Kerry. Fucking Democratic Party.
Perhaps America DESERVES TO SUFFER BECAUSE THE STATE OF THE NATION AND ITS POPULACE IS SO GODDAMNED PATHETIC THAT IT LETS ITSELF BE MANEUVERED INTO A SPOT WHERE ITS ONLY CHOICES ARE BETWEEN Kerry and Bush.
I guess it's gonna take REALITY to set the record straight. And when that reality hits, the goddamned American public will once again be asking, "Why do they hate us so much?"
Oh, by the way, when hat isn't on this site trolling, he's lusting after young boys that he can bugger.
Like an errant Catholic priest, his existential raisan d'etre is finding young boys he can fuck up the ass.
Fuck you, hat. Go immolate yourself, or do something else constructive.
I guess it's gonna take REALITY to set the record straight. And when that reality hits, the goddamned American public will once again be asking, "Why do they hate us so much?"
Doesn't sound like reality will solve it, either, then.
Let us not forget it was Dems in the early primaries who decided only Kerry could win against Bush, and who "dumped" Dean.
Were they right? Or did the media decide Dean had "peaked," and Kerry, being a fresher face than any of the others, took the prize?
Either way, we're stuck with him now. But don't discount the power of denial. It took decades for people to decide Vietnam was a debacle. No leader ever went out of business by being too tough on his country's enemies, whether those enemies were real or imagined. A common threat is a tremendously powerful rallying point.
You and I may think Bush created this fiasco, but it's a battle cry for others that Bush is "fighting the terrorists over there so we don't have to fight them over here." And if soldiers die, well...that's why they're soldiers. I find that incredibly callous. Bush supporters consider me incredibly naive. Of course, I understand that they are, that power is never what it seems, and can never be wielded to gain absolute control. It is, in fact, inherently destabilizing. But people who have never known the position of power, or who have no hint of the strength of humility, do not and never will understand that. And the future will always, to some extent, be their hostage.
And yet, despite that, Bush is running for his political life. The electoral vote count continues to teeter back and forth between he and Kerry. Perhaps its actually amazing Bush isn't winning, despite trying to run as a "war president."
"The only thing they can do is behead people, and try to shake our will." - G.W. Bush
Robt. Jeffers, I heard it too. I am constantly amazed at the utter CRAVENESS of this man and this administration.
"Bring it on!" said George, and having sown the seeds of hate, we now harvest the whirlwind of destruction.
Governing in the Land of Make Believe
The Fourth Estate has relinquished its watchdog role and that has been co-opted by corporate and government powers. George Bush is unfit for another four years in the White House. In spite of all the mistakes he has made, George Bush refuses to hold himself accountable and stubbornly clings to failed policies that have taken the country in the wrong direction.
FACT: The US mainstream media has been derelict in its duties and obligations to the American electorate by FAILING to ask the hard questions to challenge Bush and provide more objective reporting.
FACT: In Election 2000 Bush claimed to be a compassionate conservative but in practice has been the complete opposite proving that he is DISHONEST, UNTRUSTWORTHY, and NOT CREDIBILE.
FACT: For past 4 years Bush has violated TRUST to the American electorate by distorting the truth with deceptive wizardry in misleading the public, distorting fact, and contriving false realities on virtually every major issue to disguise his FAILURES on the economy, jobs, healthcare, education, the environment, Iraq, the war on terror.
America doesn’t need a president who governs the land of make believe.
George W. Bush has NOT earned our TRUST, has NO CREDIBILITY, is a FAILURE, and should be FIRED on Nov 2.
Maybe we need to reframe the metaphor of Iraq. Not hell (although certainly it is), but locusts.
Locusts, as I understand, are "created" by conditions of drought and insect overcrowding. The "grasshoppers" metamorph into swarms of devouring creatures, destroying everything in their path. But it is the conditions that create them. They are not "born" a plague. They become one.
As is happening in Iraq now. Men and women are not born killers. They become killers. The conditions create them. As the Salon article says, the desperately poor join the police (how desperate would you have to be now, when police stations are targets of suicide bombers. The police can't protect themselves, how do they protect others?). The others, the angry, the frustrated, the "mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore," become "insurgents." We have created the breeding ground for monsters.
Locusts. A plague.
So much for the "flypaper" theory. We aren't controlling the actions of the terrorists. We are creating them.
But that's all right. Bush has assured us, now, that all they can do is behead people. Nothing to worry about. The President will remain stubborn...er, I mean, strong.
The locusts will not break our will.
What if America were Iraq? (Juan Cole). Very sobering insight. Kerry should have him craft the same essay into a speech and give it post haste.
http://tinyurl.com/5vv9x
sorry, I see up thread others have already refernced Cole's piece
I have always ridiculed gun nuts about their fear of our government, now I don't think that they are so nutty...
Bush and Cheney are indeed capable of not surrending power post election, and if they still have the Rethug congress and the SC I put nothing past them. They truly have no souls.
We are on a path to a melt down in Iraq and the Islamic word no matter who wins in Nov, Bush has created a monster that will not go back into the bottle, and he delights in lying to hide the truth from the American sheeple.
I think that we are at the lowest point in our nation's history and are in extreme danger of losing our democracy and possibly the Bush and America will be known as the catalyst for world instability and WWIII.
And yet he leads in the polls?
And yes, this should be Kerry's stump speech.
why so glum, chums? after all,we built a bridge!
whooptie-fuckin'-do.
Juan Cole should be part of the Kerry administration.
The chickhawks should be part of Leavenworth.
Bush is a cult leader not a politician. The people will arise and vote him out, way out, and end the corruption now.
All the members of the house ethics committee that support Tom DeLay must be given ultimatums right now, they represent the people, or they get voted out. No more bushit!
I've believed all along that the fix is in come Nov 2. I suggest eveyone go and read what Palast has to say here -http://www.liberaloasis.com/palast3.htm
Oh my. Juan Cole says Cat Stevens did engage in Coulter-style 'death to the treasonous bastard' rhetoric over Rushdie.
I don't know if this showed up earlier on the thread, but the Bushies just supplied Israel with LARGE quantities of JDAM equipped bunker-busters, 500 and 2000 lb. bombs. The general consensus is that it is not something for a pinpoint strike but a large bombing campaign.
Israel is openly discussing attacking Iran. Bush is nodding with approval.
The Pentagon is saying that it would unleash a world-wide assault on America and Israel via terrorist attacks from Iran, not to mention the immediate escalation of conflict in the Iraq as Iranian militants flooded across the borders.
WWIII is closer than ever. Will it be before or after Nov. 2? This may be what happens between Nov. 2 and Jan 21 if Kerry wins.
Got to learn the words to "O Canada!"
Ok, what a way to start the day - one long defeatist whine topped off by the Palast interview saying there's nothing we can do.
Cut it out. The only thing that will defeat us utterly is this kind of shit - it seems almost guaranteed to have that affect. Get up and do something. This is still our country and we have to believe that and keep fighting to get rid of these assholes. 'Cause if we decide "it's over," then it is. But if we decide it's a long way from over, then it is. Don't fool yourselves, you have the ability to take this country back and you also have the ability to cause us to fail. Just keep thinking we will fail and you will make it happen.
So just don't.
Anti-Bush:
Thanks for your insights.
Just one question. If Bush is the Antichrist, and you're the Anti-Bush, well, um... If that works out the way it seems, I'd just like to say we're honored to have you posting here and we should have expected you to be doing good works in the Middle East.
Bush has created Orwell's Oceania, and his policies are slowly allowing for the creation of Eastasia and Eurasia, the other two super powers of 1984. Anyone who has read the book remembers that these three countries are engaged in perpetual battle over resources and labor, but none ever expect to be victorious. I mention this for two reasons: 1) a second Bush presidency would almost certainly lead to the creation of Orwell's nightmarish world order; and 2) If Kerry wins (and I hope he does) we are going to have to keep our eye on him as well. Bush's trangressions are out in the open and so we comment on them quite frequently, did we do the same when we were happily obeying Clinton, who waited until his final days in office to sign treaties and executive orders that Bush cancelled, much to our chagrin? To paraphrase one of Winston's memories in 1984: We shouldn't ought to have trusted them.
Regime change begins at home . . .and democracy requires our constant attention.
"You told the whole truth in a short post."
Wow, smalfish, that's not true at all! This bullshit about Bush thinking he's infallible-- that misses as wide as Michael Moore's thesis.
Bush doesn't think he's infallible -- he takes malicious pleasure in being NEGLIGENT.
Bush isn't making mistakes, he's MAKING civil war.
How else to keep those polymer-cement airfields and facilities in the middle of the Axis of Enron's sphere of influence.
Paging Dr. Mengele, your torture victim is ready for you in the Merc Wing.
Dr. Mengele, the President on line #5.
--
I've been reading the comments above and those making fun of the picture of Bush kissing that Finnish woman and it's great to see that Americans are still a very caustic and very funny group. Some of the jokes have had me laughing like a hyena.
"ucking John Kerry. ucking Democratic Party."
What, do you live in a cave, Jeremiah?
Kerry was just on Letterman, and killed, he was on NPR today, an radio interview that killed, he just gave a major speech which killed, and Bush's credibility is crashing and burning.
Yep, that's right, some people were still uninformed. As they realize they've been had, their confusion turns to anger. I've seen a lot of this, and more and more Rs are saying, wow, we were told Kerry is a clown, and instead when we heard him discuss his policies, we realized it was Eisenhower, and Bush isn't. Kerry will get A LOT of military votes. He has proposed standing down some troops by next summer, IF Bush follows his advice in the Lame Duck period.
If Israel attacks Iran, the Brits will pull out entirely. It's about to be a Coalition of 1.
--
Regarding the text above, I think the most important element of the Bush dereliction is its abandonment of Reason. "The sleep of Reason breeds monsters."
You cannot rule by wishes.
"one long defeatist whine topped off by the Palast interview saying there's nothing we can do."
Tena-
You can only do so much on your local level. Unless you don't work,or are independently wealthy, and have the time to go help the voting process in other states then there is NOTHING you can do, except to continue watching MSNBC and CNN and yell and swear at the Blitzers of the cable world. The Dem Party exemplified by assholes like McAuliffe are hopeless. If Florida, NM and Colorado are going to be stolen on Nov 2 then Dems in those states can only act with the short time left. Don't count on Terry M and the DLC people to bail you out.
"You cannot rule by wishes.
Jeffrey Davis"
It isn't Freudian, either. It's conscious, intentional NEGLIGENCE. It is not a complex, the poor fellow.
He's a sociopath, and he has expressed his hatred, not just for Iraqis, Muslims, (and the countries of the world), but for the military, the military families, the victims of 911, and all of us.
He's certifiable, but it's not some complex. It's not irrational -- it is goal related, but cruel at its core.
--
"Unless you don't work,or are independently wealthy, and have the time to go help the voting process in other states then there is NOTHING you can do, except to continue watching MSNBC and CNN and yell and swear at the Blitzers of the cable world."
"one long defeatist whine with rationales for doing nothing."
--
stop daydreaming and get to work. All of us. Let's work to make Kerry's victory big enough that it's undeniable. - We need a fifty state sweep to send the undeniable message that GWB and his gang have no place in our current politics. Hopefully it will also blow the Rethug party to smithereens.
GET TO WORK!
Volunteer - and none of us should wake up November 3 and ask what more we could have done to beat GWB.
Hey Paul -
Why don't you provide us with all the civic spirited things you're doing to see to it that the Moral Coward is defeated.
Paul - couldn't agree more. The more people say "It's rigged, we can't win," the more it validates their doing nothing.
What are you doing, Chi Bob?
Bush lies about Kerry encourage increased attacks on our troops in Iraq.
Pass it on.
"Hey Paul - Why don't you provide us with all the civic spirited things you're doing to see to it that the Moral Coward is defeated. Chi Bob"
Others here have already heard it plenty. Three years of protest pretty much every 3 or 4 days. Three major campaigns, including the current I BLAME BUSH bumper sticker campaign (we've passed out 4,500 so far; we're seeking donations for a reprinting, $500), and the previous impeachment effort "Bush Lied...Impeach Now!" which generated a lot of letters to Conyers, who regrettably eventually decided to wait for the election. Banner drops over one of the busiest freeways in the world, pretty much every week for the last year. I've been maced in the face point blank, I've been attacked by a long list of thugs. I've nearly been busted over and over, been in handcuffs once. I have denounced racism and the racist invasion in post offices, supermarkets, department stores, and whenever ANYONE expressed such views, and I plan on continuing for the duration.
I've also coordinated protests with local CodePink, and did some political outreach to supermarket strikers. I have protested at almost every major march in Los Angeles, and at several regular neighborhood vigils.
There's more, but the other thing I have done is blogged as much little-heard information as comes my way. I'm on the line -- where's YOUR ass?
--
Thanks Anti-Bush for your post. This plus the Salon Article gives a good description of hell. I spent 1969-1970 in Vietnam. My Vietnam was safer than Iraq is right now.
We hate to look into the abyss. But, the US is lead by a true believer sociopath. His thoughts and beliefs have no grounding in reality. His National Security Advisor is incompetent. His Secretary of Defense has earned the enmity of soldiers about to return for their third tour in Iraq or were pulled out jobs and homes while in the Inactive Reserve. His chief advisors are in Israeli Agents who still believe “democracy” can be forced on society at the point of a infidel’s bayonet.
This Administration of incompetents has been aided by the consolidation of media which is only interested in profits and spreading tabloid propaganda. I still hope that the cliche about the common sense of the American people is true. When a peoples fears and prejudices are stroked by politicians and media, can truth and reality overcome our most basic instincts and hatreds? This is the crucible for the 2004 election.
Iraq is already lost and people are beginning to get the bad news about it. That bad news isn't going away because of a US election, the Bush administration or the lapdog media. Even we Americans have to face reality every now and then. No matter who wins in November, Iraq is a total failure: no WMDs, no democracy, no stability, no support from the Iraqi people, and more jihadis being created by this war than before we began it.
I'm going to make phone calls tonight for Kerry to Dems and independents. I think many of them are completely disgusted with Bush. There also the new majority in my county.
Paul -
I came up during the 60s and went through a lot of what you've been through more recently- more power to you. I just think a lot of talk on this board is cheap. It's followed up with very little action. Trying to run my own business and help raise a family I do what I can. I've helped here (Chicago burbs) with voter registration, and will make it a point to make sure days before Nov 2 that those Dem voters and Dem leaners make it to the polls, and help them get there if they need the help. I'm not worried about the results in this solidly Blue state, but I think the GOP is doing all they can in precincts in the toss up states to steal this thing.
Chi Bob,
Are people worried about touchscreen voting in your area? Are they choosing to vote absentee ballot instead?
Scarysota -
In the last number of elections Cook County uses the punch cards. Then they are run through a machine to let you know whether you undervoted. I don't sense, from anything I've heard or read, that there is going to be a bigger absentee vote in this state than usual. I know that absentee balloting seems to be a big thing in Iowa and other closely contested states. Most of the new ballots being asked for In Iowa are by registered Dems, which is a good sign. Kerry is going to win Illinois by a good margin, which will help in the popular vote. I'm still very nervous about the Electoral College. I wish we could get rid of the damn thing.
Chi Bob - well good on you. Keep up the good work.
I joined a Democratic PAC in Dallas that is working to try to ensure that the vote there is fair. I'm going to be a poll watcher. We also have an entire structure in place to address any voting problems that come up on the 2d. And a voter registration drive.
My problem with people who continue to insist that there is nothing we can do to overcome the Bushites is that that can become a self-fulfilling prophecy and I'm highly suspicious of those who continue to push this idea. It breeds defeatism and I don't know why it is that some liberals seem to be afraid of success. We are not helpless. Unless we convince ourselves that we are.
Tell it Atrios,
Iraq and US are on the cusp of being FUBAR. I'm very afraid of Kerry losing his voice.
Fuck 'em if they do decide to dig in. As of Inauguration Day, the Secret Service works for Kerry. --09.23.04 12:22am
Athenae, are you sure about that?
Tena -
You're residing in the belly of the beast. Since you're going to be a poll watcher I hope you have your Louisville Slugger and your brass knucks - you may need them. Since Texas is as solidly for the Moral Coward as Illinois is for Kerry, all you can hope for is a large Dem vote that will add to Kerry's national totals.
Thank you, Tena.
Chi Bob - well, you can just never tell what might happen. The Dallas paper hasn't been very kind to Bush over the last year and there are still a whole lot of Democrats in Texas. Voter turnout is key and I intend to do my part on that. I'm not alone - I've talked to a lot of people in Dallas who are determined to make a really big Democratic showing on the 2d.
Tena -
How the local paper treats a candidate is not an indicator of regional sentiment. If that were the case the Chi. Tribune would endorse every Dem Prez candidate. It will be fun to once again see them go through a particular form of illogic and wishful thinking to endorese the Coward once again. Frankly, I'm of the opinion that people really don't care who a newspaper endorses. They are about as worthless as a political bumper sticker in changing people's opinions.
Thanks Anti-Bush for the stirring, informed post. Have you considered writing as a hobby or career?
And we all wish the best for your son in Iraq. Peace be with you all.
horrible...hell. iraq...crawford texas....
Call it what it is; FASCISM!
The Bushites are fanatics of the worst kind; God help us all.!
I'm not worried about Bush/Cheney not vacating the White House on Inauguration Day. I'm worried about them committing the US to courses of action which will completely destroy the nation between Election Day and the Inauguration.
The Second amendment will not trump the government. But, to quote a wormholed version of the Encyclopedia Galactica, cable "journalists" are "a bunch of mindless jerks who'll be the first up against the wall." Not that I believe in that sort of thing--but it'd happen.
Thanks to all of you for the kind words. This was my first ever post on this or any other blog. I've been a faithfull reader for the past 6 months of Atrios, DU, and Kos. I finally decided I had to speak out. Bush has got to go before this country literally goes to hell.
Each time I return to Iraq since April of last year (this is my 4th time since then) the situation has deteriorated even further. As late as Feb I could still travel with armed escorts to northern Iraq. Since April it has become impossible to travel outside of Baghdad without a heavy military escorts. Now even travel inside Baghdad is extremely risky. We have had to resort to discretly armored vehicles that appear to be local. We have local Iraqi guards and drivers that are armed. I hid in the back seat and try not to be seen behind tinted glass. Our hotel comes under rocket and mortar fire several times a week. The Iraqi police are mostly simpathic to the resistance and are as likely as not to assist in kidnapping westerners. I believe that real Iraqi police were the ones that kidnapped those Italian women more than a week ago not impersonators as suggested in the media.
"Iraq today bears no resemblance to the president's vision of a fledgling democracy."
Does anyone actually believe thtat Bush gives a shit about democracy? Anywhere? Of course not. In the United States? Please.
The "presiden'ts vision" consists of endless military bases and a few hundred air conditioned golf courses patrolled by fascist robots.
We all still feel safer using pabulum like homilies like "fledgling democracy" instead of using more accurate epithets which sound like the language of the extremist left.
"Corporations like Halliburton, with close ties to government officials, are profiting greatly from the war while thousands of American soldiers undertake the dangerous work of patrolling the streets of Iraqi cities. We have arrived at a moment of national crisis."
Yes. National crisis. It's called fascism:
Corporatism seamlessly blended with militarism is as near a textbook definition as any. Bush is just distilling the innate tendencies and trajectories of American Capitalism. Soon he will be able to dispense with any illusions. He has already cut to the chase.
Imagine invading California, imagine a swift military defeat and a well armed poulace. 3 archtypal groups might arise to resist the occupation:
-Christian Militias, because God is on our side;
-Gangs, three strikes and one invasion, and you're out; and
-National Guard Irregulars, no tanks, but plenty of bazookas.
Now, Iraq. What 3 groups arise?
Personally, I'd be fighting. Anyone read the Sartre "Road to Freedom trilogy? He lived through occupation, and has a way with fiction which is considerably more accesssible than his massive works.
Iraq is not the worlds oldest country it was created in the 1920's by the British Empire
"Paul -I came up during the 60s and went through a lot of what you've been through more recently- more power to you."
You're mistaken if you think I'm a youngster. I protested in the late 60s. Vietnam ruined my life, and I have sworn NEVER AGAIN.
We're not all 'just words' over here in the fight to stop fascism.
--
Well, more accurately I should say that Vietnam ruined my youth, spoiled the good American dream. That deeply affected my life, and millions of my fellow Americans.
--
"I believe that real Iraqi police were the ones that kidnapped those Italian women more than a week ago not impersonators as suggested in the media.
Anti-Bush"
No, you need to open your eyes and realize that it is USPNAC MERCENARIES who are doing a lot of this kidnapping and killing.
They are hired to START civil war. They are 'contractors'...they are building swimming pools of blood.
--
Jim in Portland says this:
"Aaron Brown/CNN tonight had a couple experts who said insurrections usually last about 30 (THATS 3 0) years: Vietnam, and Chehnya or so (Afghanistan as well).
"Anyone want to guess what the inside-the-BushCo estimate is?"
30 years is a nice little locked-in market for selling guns, isn't it? It's also a nice little locked-in psychic sink-hole for foreign policy, too. Imagine a couple years from now when Iran is an 'imminent threat' to Iraq's nascent democracy. Who will protect Iraq? Who? *wrings hands*
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