29th JANUARY 2006

You want annoyingly hypocritical?

"I don't understand how you can be a partner in peace if you refuse to denounce violent aims."  clueless george  [hand to God (and gun to temple), I saw and heard him say it, myself...Rb]

You want annoyingly Stalinesque?

The top climate scientist at NASA says the Bush administration has tried to stop him from speaking out since he gave a lecture last month calling for prompt reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases linked to global warming. Officials at NASA headquarters ordered the public affairs staff to review his coming lectures, papers, postings on the Goddard Web site and requests for interviews from journalists. Dr. Hansen said he would ignore the restrictions. "They feel their job is to be this censor of information going out to the public."

How about annoyingly predictable:

When we went to the page for the photograph of Bush and Abramoff, the page had disappeared. Amos very straightforwardly told me the photographs had been removed because they showed Abramoff and the resident in the same picture. The photos were, she told me, "not relevant." So, here the president of Reflections admits that she removed photos of Abramoff and Bush from their online database. Her employee told me the photos were also deleted from the CDs they keep on file in their own archives. So the scrub seems to have been pretty thorough.

So, imagine what a pleasant surprise this was:

Joel Stein is a columnist for the LA Times. He recently caused a stir when he uttered something almost unspeakable: he doesn't support the troops. Well neither do I, and here's why. The troops want to kill people, and I want them to not. They want to overthrow other people's governments, and I want them to mind their own business. They want to be career soldiers, and I want them to get real jobs. They want a government paycheck, and I want them to work in private industry. Is it any wonder that I don't support the troops? Do you?

No, I do not [see: Warriors and Wusses (below)]! Bless you for asking, John DeHope.  Rb

And, here, a seemingly annoyed Scott Meredith knocks it out of the park:

We recently had a certain James Frey, supposed drug addict and petty criminal, now author of the best-selling book in America, caught out in that his book exaggerates and falsifies his criminal record - making him look badder-ass than he really is. Now I don't care about Mr. Frey or his book in the least. He can kill himself with heroin or take his book money to Brazil or do whatever he wants. What interests me is the media response. Last week, one single private citizen with a website phoned a few sheriffs in Tennessee or somewhere, got some hard facts and police reports about Mr. Frey's actual antics, and proceeded to "expose" Mr. Frey on his website. The result?

Well you be the judge; within DAYS we had the following (a fractional sample) trumpeting these trivial revelations to the skies:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/25/books/25frey.html   http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Entertainment/story?id=1528377   http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060110/ennew_afp/afpentertainmentus   http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1979573,00.html   http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2006-01-11-frey-larry-king_x.htm   http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/books/01/11/arts.frey.reut/   http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1148128,00.html   http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5152066

Every major news outlet covered this in a front-page or sectional front-page feature piece. Every single one. Within about ONE WEEK of ONE SINGLE PRIVATE CITIZEN using his private single website to point out a few discrepancies in Mr. Frey's story.

Now bear with me. David Ray Griffin has written TWO BOOKS, detailing thousands of outright lies in the US milgov story of 9-11 and the Kean Commission novelisation thereof. Griffin's books run to hundreds of pages with thousands of media citations. The crime killed 3000 Americans and launched two wars that have killed thousands of soldiers, blown off the jaws, legs, and arms of tens of thousands of others, slaughtered women and children in the thousands, and nearly bankrupted the country. All that action was driven by the emotional engine of "Boxcutter 9-11" the crime that "changed everything" and launched Perpetual Orwellian War. TWO BOOKS have existed for almost three years now, along with hundreds of websites and articles and at least a dozen other related books.

Result ==> There has been NOT ONE SINGLE mainstream story or article or appearance taking David Ray Griffin, or the expose in general, seriously.

To me this coverup is as interesting as the original crime. It means the rabbit hole of criminal collusion in the USA runs really, really deep.

Scott Meredith
AlasBabylon list owner

28th JANUARY 2006

A strong bipartisan majority believes Bush should disclose contacts between disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and White House staff despite administration assertions that media requests for details about those contacts amount to a "fishing expedition." Three in four -- 76% -- of Americans said Bush should release lists of all meetings between aides and Abramoff; 18% disagreed. Two in three Republicans joined with eight in 10 Democrats and political independents in favoring disclosure. The resident declined to discuss those meetings but said federal investigators are "welcome" to look into them.

Resident George W. Bush sought to distance himself from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff on Thursday, saying "I don't know him," and refused to release photographs in which he appeared with Abramoff. Bush said release of photographs that show him and Abramoff together would be used for "pure political purposes" by Democrats seeking to tie the lobbyist to the White House. "I, frankly, don't even remember having my picture taken with the guy. I don't know him," Bush said at his first solo news conference since December 19. "I did not. have. financial. relations. with this. man."

It's not the premeditated murder and mayhem. It's the lies! We need someone who will restore integrity to the White House. Look at the disgusting stains on those blue suits. I've heard there are tapes of Bush giving no-bid contract jobs in the Oval Office. The most annoying thing about the tanking of America is that we, the people sit back and let him pretend we're buying the lies even he can't believe he's getting away with, and one can see it in his face ["for real? I can just keep on goin'? 'Cause I will. Seriously. If someone doesn't stop me, I can do this all day"]...Rb  [Got bilk?]

27th JANUARY 2006

A strong bipartisan majority believes Bush should disclose contacts between disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and White House staff despite administration assertions that media requests for details about those contacts amount to a "fishing expedition." Three in four -- 76% -- of Americans said Bush should release lists of all meetings between aides and Abramoff; 18% disagreed. Two in three Republicans joined with eight in 10 Democrats and political independents in favoring disclosure. The resident declined to discuss those meetings but said federal investigators are "welcome" to look into them.

Resident George W. Bush sought to distance himself from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff on Thursday, saying "I don't know him," and refused to release photographs in which he appeared with Abramoff. Bush said release of photographs that show him and Abramoff together would be used for "pure political purposes" by Democrats seeking to tie the lobbyist to the White House. "I, frankly, don't even remember having my picture taken with the guy. I don't know him," Bush said at his first solo news conference since December 19. "I did not. have. financial. relations. with this. man."

It's not the premeditated murder and mayhem. It's the lies! We need someone who will restore integrity to the White House. Look at the disgusting stains on those blue suits. I've heard there are tapes of Bush giving no-bid contract jobs in the Oval Office. The most annoying thing about the tanking of America is that we, the people sit back and let him pretend we're buying the lies even he can't believe he's getting away with, and one can see it in his face ["for real? I can just keep on goin'? 'Cause I will. Seriously. If someone doesn't stop me, swear t'God, I can do this all day"]...Rb  [Got bilk?]

25th JANUARY 2006

Good evening. I live in "the reality-based community" and I've got plenty of company. I can feel it! As long as I don't think about it. Or write about it. George who? Neo what? Coup when? Occupiers where? Change, why? [Denial, much?]

Difficult to detect and very subtle, the mind seizes whatever it wants; so let a wise man guard his mind, for a guarded mind brings happiness.

Ommmmm[not exactly what the Buddha had in mind I'm sure but]mmmmmmmmmmm...Rb  [Joy intact!]

24th JANUARY 2006

Though headed for the arms of Morpheus, each morn, reconvinced that we humans do not deserve [and may well not see] another sunset, every afternoon, for some unGodly reason, I awaken refreshed, absolutely certain that the world is filled with intelligent and caring people, our problems are emminently surmountable, life is good, and all will be well. Upon completion of first rounds, I prepare a small vat of watered-down and raw-cocoaed up espresso, step sprightly to my computer, boot with a song in my heart, ready to face -- incoming! Today was no different than any other.

Experts Say bin Laden Tape Is a Fake:  As a Ph.D. Islamologist and Arabist I really hate to say this, but I'll say it anyway. 9/11 had nothing to do with Islam. The war on terror is as phony as the latest "bin Laden tape." It's a tough thing to admit, because I know on which side my bread is buttered, and dropping Islam from the 9/11 equation is dropping my slice of bread butter-side-down. The myth that 9/11 had something to do with Muslims has poured millions, if not billions, into Arabic and Islamic studies. I finished my Ph.D. last year, so all I have to do is keep my eyes in my pocket and my nose on the ground, parrot the party line, and I'll be on the fast track to tenure track. The trouble is, it's all based on a Big Lie. Take the recent "bin Laden" tape, please! That voice was no more bin Laden than it was Rodney Dangerfield channeling my late Aunt Corinne from Peoria. I recently helped translate a previously unknown bin Laden tape, a real one from the early 90s, back when he was still alive. I know the guy's flowery religious rhetoric. The recent tape wasn't him...

Stop! I feel your pain. Here. Have some of my butter. Take my napkin. But I can't read any further. Too reminiscent of mine own academic career [and I'm determined. Today's the day I hit the pillow with my joy intact. You don't really want tenure, anyway. You just think you do. Something more exciting will come along. Good luck. Gotta go, now].

Onward and upward! I'm living in "the reality-based community" and I've got plenty of company. Even George W. Bush might come to his senses [or what remains of them], today. I can feel it!

Hillary Clinton, War Goddess, wants permanent bases in Iraq and threatens war with Iran. As the war in Iraq metastasizes into what General Odom calls "the greatest strategic disaster in United States history," and the cost in lives and treasure continues to escalate, we are already being set up for Act II of the neocons' Middle East war scenario - with the Democrats taking up where the Republicans left off. Hillary Rodham Clinton is taking on the Bushies for supposedly ignoring the alleged threat from Iran. Speaking at Princeton University, Clinton aligned herself with such Republican hawks as Sen. John McCain and the editorial board of the Weekly Standard, calling for sanctions and implicitly threatening war...

What th' -- fffffffffffffffffuh? Is she on the testosterone patch or something?! I have got to get an email program with an idiocy filter. Basta! But, thanks for the reminder -- DRAFT IVINS & ELLERBEE in '08! [Petitions are at the printers. Bumper stickers will be available, shortly.] Shame on you, Hillary. Shame on you. And you've already ruined too many days, for me. I had such high hopes, all those years ago. Even after Bill began caving on his promises. Even after he embarrassed himself and us, the people, by firing Dr. Joycelyn Elders for using the word "masturbation" at an aids conference. Yes, even after all of that [and so much more], I still trusted you. Nope! Fooled me once, shame on me...I won't get fooled again. And you will not steal my joy. Not today. Basta, indeed...

Onward and upward! I'm living in "the reality-based community" and I've got plenty of company. Even Dick Cheney might come to his senses [without requiring life-support], today. I can feel it!

I've studied Judge Alito's legal record. I met with him one-on-one. After all this, I am left with one simple conclusion: if Judge Alito becomes Supreme Court Justice Alito, he will move the Court backwards. I will vote against Judge Alito's confirmation, and I hope a majority of Senators choose to join us on the Senate floor, voting and speaking out against him. I know we face tough odds, but this is an important fight. The bottom line is Judge Alito cannot be trusted on the Supreme Court. We can't trust him to stand up to government abuse of power. We can't trust him to ensure all citizens enjoy equal protection under the law. We can't trust him to protect our right to privacy. We can't trust him to defend mainstream American values...

BwaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa. That zany John Kerry. Once I stopped letting him annoy me, he became the perfect palate cleanser. The guy's a buffoon! I love it when he furrows that Adderesque brow and goes all stern and manly and warns us about people we can't trust to stand up to government abuse of power or to ensure all our citizens enjoy equal protection under the law and blah blah blah, you can't help but thank him for the laughs and think he missed his calling [even though his humor is so 2004]. Your father's Guido Sarducci, that one...and, now that I've got the taste of Hillary out of my mouth...

Onward and upward! I'm living in "the reality-based community" and I've got plenty of company. Even Tom Delay might come to his senses [and come clean], today. I can feel it!

Warriors and Wusses. [Okay, let's see what Joel Stein has to say.]  "I don't support our troops. This is a particularly difficult opinion to have, especially if you are the kind of person who likes to put bumper stickers on his car. Supporting the troops is a position that even Calvin is unwilling to urinate on."

OMG. Did I really just read that? [blink blink] Where did this...the LA Times?! No way. I don't believe it. What, are they turning into a real newspaper, all of a sudden? Whoa. What light through yon monitor breaks? You go, Joelfriend! It's about time we were treated to a bit of critical thinking by the corporati, but. Who knew the LA Times would have the guts!?

And, y'know what, Joel. You are not alone. I don't support the troops, either. As a matter of fact, I pity the poor, misguided fools. They're getting screwed six ways from Sunday, and, of those who manage to make it out of there alive, few will ever really live, again. But, what do you say to people who think "hey, I: needed a job, wanted money for college, was looking for excitement, dreamed of travelling, my friends were doing it [and, um...911, yeah (etc., ad nauseam)]" are "noble reasons" to participate in state-sponsored killing sprees? And if I start thinking about all the "yee-haw"s and "I love the rush"es and "those people"s and "ragheads" and the rock 'n roll blasting from cockpits and obscenities [or Jesus' name] stenciled on bombs and the wondering where grunts shop for dog collars and leashes in war zones, and, well...let's just not go there, okay? Because today's the day. Joy, joy, joy. I can feel it. Change is in the air!

I'm sure I'd like the troops. They seem gutsy, young and up for anything. If you're wandering into a recruiter's office and signing up for eight years of unknown danger, I want to hang with you in Vegas.

OMG. Did I really just read that? [blink blink] Do you see what he just did? "I'm brave enough to say what needs to be said...not like those wusses who hide behind yellow ribbons and cliches. I do not support the troops. But don't get me wrong! I like them. I really like them." Equivocate, much, Joel? Maybe I'll just skim the rest...see if you can pull this one out.

I'm not for the war. And being against the war and saying you support the troops is one of the wussiest positions the pacifists have ever taken — and they're wussy by definition.

Say what? You honestly believe that to bleat with the sheeple requires more courage and strength than to leave the flock and confront the wolves, directly? And you would be a big, strong man [by definition]. You're not for the war, you don't mindlessly support the troops, and you're not afraid to say it -- just as long as we understand you still consider our troops "gutsy, young and up for anything." And you're sure you'd like them. Did I get that right? It's:  Against the war, support the troops, wussy. Against the war, don't support the troops, like the troops and want to hang with them in Vegas, totally brave [though, you have to admit, at least slightly homoerotic (blink blink)].

But blaming the resident is a little too easy. The truth is that people who pull triggers are ultimately responsible, whether they're following orders or not. An army of people making individual moral choices may be inefficient, but an army of people ignoring their morality is horrifying.

Wait! I thought it was "gutsy! Young! Up for anything!" You just got through saying you want to hang with them in Vegas! What a roller-coaster ride. My head is spinning.

I'm not advocating that we spit on returning veterans like they did after the Vietnam War...

Okay, that's quite enough. There isn't a single verifiable account of "them" spitting on a soldier returning from Viet Nam, and that little "talking point" was debunked, long ago. We gave flowers to returning soldiers, remember? And plenty of "hippie chicks" felt it was their mission to entertain the troops, one at a time.

The bulk of verbal intimidation comes from pro-war advocates, mostly Republicans, using variations on that party's long tradition of McCarthyism that has destroyed the reputations of countless American citizens and poisoned political debate in this country for more than half a century.  [snip]

This ploy is based on the unsubstantiated myth that Vietnam-era protesters "spat upon" returning combat veterans. Several letters appeared in the Ithaca media during the past two months chastising present-day protesters not to spit upon the troops, like earlier protesters.

One pro-war Vietnam-vet claimed he was spat upon in uniform, though he didn't specify the circumstances of the incident. While there's little doubt that some Vietnam vets in uniform were spat upon during those turbulent years, no proof exists that antiwar protesters were the spitters.

I'd ask "what the hell is wrong with Joel Stein [and has he always been a tool]?" But a more obvious, relevant, and productive question might be, "what the hell is wrong with me?" I should have known the moment I saw the "LA Times" bit. Joy on my pillow. Hope for Humanity. I was askin' for it! No more ridiculously unattainable goals for this gullible gal! Not until tomorrow, anyway...Rb

23rd JANUARY 2006

How disappointing that Martin Sheen, when asked of which work he is most proud, neglected to mention [or consciously chose not to mention] his finest hour: The Execution of Private Slovik [one of the most profoundly moving films I've ever seen]:

In 1945, private Eddie Slovik, a "born loser" who made no secret of his desire to escape the army in any way possible, became the first American to be executed for desertion since the Civil War.

The US military reluctantly agreed to okay the film on the proviso that Slovik would not be portrayed sympathetically. Albert Maltz, upset [by the] strict "no villains" policy, washed his hands of the whole affair. Martin Sheen was selected to play Slovik, though for a while Dustin Hoffman was seriously considering taking a cut in salary to essay the role.

It is made clear throughout the film that no one, neither the military brass nor Slovik himself, truly believed that the private would ever face a firing squad; the usual custom was to postpone the execution until after the war, then reduce the sentence to a long prison term.

Thanks to an unfortunate chain of misunderstandings and snafus, Slovik ended up dying by gunfire in a lonely French courtyard -- a fact long withheld from the public (Slovik's wife Antoinette learned of her husband's true fate for the first time from author Huie).

The film's most famous scene, in which Slovik nervously repeats his "Hail Marys" as the hood is being fitted over his head, was Martin Sheen's own idea. Filmed on location in California and Canada, The Execution of Private Slovik won a Peabody award for the NBC television network. Originally running a full 120 minutes, it was re-edited into a 97 minute version for theatrical release overseas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide.

Run. Don't walk...Rb

In the frozen Selkirk Mountains near the Canadian border, the last tiny herd of caribou in the Lower 48 states is fighting for survival. The less than three dozen remaining animals struggle with starvation, an increase of predators and, more recently, powerful snowmobiles that roar through their winter range. Modern snowmobiles have a wider range, allowing them to go deeper into caribou backcountry. Snowmobiler Tom Holman says the economic boost provided by snowmobilers to the tourist-dependent region should not be sacrificed.

Ever notice what a "Can Do" people we Americans are, unless there's something we could actually be doing? Then it's, "there's nothing I can do. I'm only one person!" Why should any one individual attempt to leave as small a footprint as possible when, "I don't want to, and no one else is doing it." But one of the reasons we're going down with the Joneses.

Extraordinarily annoying is that, for every minute of American television programming there seems to be one minute of advertising, 98% of which is for cars and trucks. Anyone paying attention will quickly notice that, apparently, if one wants to sell a vehicle to the average American, one's ads must scream, "Get behind the wheel of this baby and Gaia is your bitch!"

Dangerously and destructively inappropriate speeds, scarifyingly aggressive driving, large vehicles tearing up and into previously pristine wilderness areas -- symptomatic of a pathologically adolescent need to say, "I was here!" We are also to believe that women are insanely attracted to and throw themselves at men who drive recklessly and then behave arrogantly towards the valets who will be parking these viagra placebos on wheels. They would additionally have us believe that teenage boys are "hot" when they don't look where they're going, causing accidents in their wakes. And I'm fairly certain it's supposed to be "funny" when young studs run over cats. Yes, I want one of those cars.

You see, this works for us. It wouldn't be happening if it didn't move product. Which means that we, the people see these ads...on television, in magazines, on billboards, online, and everywhere else we look...and we think, "That could be me!" And we, the people have come to believe that "living in 'a free country'" means, "I'm free to do whatever the hell I please. I'm free to think of no one and nothing but myself. [Is this the greatest freakin' country, or what?!]"

It cracks me up that we pretend, as a nation [of individuals], to be so "emotionally devastated" after "911" that we couldn't rest until we started doing some devastating of our own. Really, it's hilarious. Millions of us who had absolutely no connection to anyone in the state [let alone the city] of New York responded as though our mothers and children had died in the twin towers. And the Truth of the matter is [for those of you who've never been to America], for the most part, we, the people spend most of our waking hours treating each other as we, the people would never wish to be treated, ourselves. And if we, the people had ever crossed paths under more "normal" circumstances with those who died on [our] September 11th, we would have flipped them off and told them to "go fuck" themselves for any number of perceived infractions, major or minor. It's what we do [when we're not actually going after each other with weapons].

And, please allow me a most heartfelt and sincere apology to the world at large. You have mourned with us, often, and paid your respects with respect. Have we, the people mourned "as a nation" for anyone but Princess Diana? We didn't have a national moment of silence and remembrance when we mistakenly sank the Japanese students. We didn't mourn with Iran when we accidentally shot their fully-loaded passenger plane out of the skies and into the sea. We didn't mourn with Spain, nor even with our best friends forever, the British, when "the terrorists" struck their "homelands." Because that's not what we do. And by this, I am thoroughly embarrassed and shamed. Forgive us [for we know what we do, we simply don't care].

But we're going to milk this 911 thing for all it's worth. Mark my words, our children's children will still be dining out on the "wound." Unless, of course, our children manage to accomplish what we couldn't, and completely do away with each other. We would if we could, you know. The amount of literal hatred we, the people are able to conjure towards "our fellow Americans," over trivialities, is shocking to the uninitiated observer. We're quite happy to kill each other over parking spaces and "sporting differences." Yet, had the world not mourned for us, we would have united in our outrage. It's what we, the people do. Because "respect" is our due, not our duty! None shall dismiss nor ignore our pain. By virtue and sheer happenstance of our births within arbitrary and man-made borders, we are owed by those who were not so clever and foresighted.

So! How, did we go from discussing a people under the impression that "it's a free country" means "we are entitled to do whatever we want, to whomever we choose (including each other), whenever we wish," to speaking of people who seem to believe "freedom" means "never having to say you're sorry for killing whomever, whenever (whatever!)?"

Fuck you. I don't have to explain shit. I'm an American...Rb  [who has long insisted that "men view life the way they view basketball. There's real basketball, and then there's women's basketball. There's real life, and then there are women's lives." This seemingly genetic arrogance may also be applied to many Americans' attitude regarding "foreigners." There are real lives, and then there are the lives of, well, foreigners. There is real pain and suffering, and then there is the pain and suffering of foreigners. Not even in the same league!]

22nd JANUARY 2006

"Annoying" is awakening on a Sunday [Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and/or Saturday], looking forward to the remains of the day, only to discover absolutely nothing has changed, while you were sleeping...

Democrats warned resident Bush, top leaders of his administration and officials of the National Security Agency that if the political climate changes they could face criminal prosecution for ordering and carrying out warrantless domestic eavesdropping. "These are clearly crimes and the statute of limitations extends beyond this president's term,'' which will end in January 2009, said Rep. Jerry Nadler D-N.Y.

If the political climate changes? They might face criminal charges for criminal behavior?! Having no children [that I know of], and never having been a child, myself, I do not claim fluency in Childish. But I am quite certain the above can be only a] you just wait'll my dad finds out! or b] one day you'll be sorry!

Another member, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, said, "I hope the administration ceases and desists, at least out of respect for their own liability.''

Notice that respect for the Constitution, respect for us, the people, and respect for Jesus' holy skirts [behind which the neo-cons hide] are never mentioned as "possible options on the table." Click the link if you think I'm making this up. Go ahead. I double-dog dare you.

Please forgive the emotionalism, but this entire situation hits a little too close to home. My next door neighbor had to follow his bliss back to California, last year, and rented his house to a serial-killing bank-robber. Seems like every freakin' time, the idiot leaves his piano wire in the girls' dorm, or he gets caught on the security cameras knocking over a local branch, and then the police are out here, jumpin' up and down and hollerin' at the top of their lungs, warning him that he is going to be in so much trouble when his lease is up...Rb  [who cannot wait until this guy moves.]

21st JANUARY 2006

And the only question is, "what took them so long?!"

MATTHEWS: Why is [bin Laden] doing it? Why is he trying to track what he picks up in the internet and from the media as the lingo of the left in America, like Moore? Why would he start to talk like Moore? People misunderstood what I said last night. I think he’s getting some advice from people, he’s getting some lingo, some wordage that he hears working in the United States about this thing for war profiteers and he’s jumping on every opportunity. Is that what you are saying Joe?

SCARBOROUGH: Listen, if somebody can’t look at the words that Bin Laden said last night and match them up with what Michael Moore said, with what John Kerry said on Face the Nation with he said Americans were terrorizing Iraqi women and children in their homes hat night, which is what Bin Laden in effect said. What Ted Kennedy has been saying. Remember he said after Abu Ghraib that Saddam’s torture came bers were turned over to — chambers were turned over to new management, U.S. troops, that’s the same thing Bin Laden hit on.

Although it would've been nice to see the annoyingly-alleged "opposition party" democrats jumping on board, first. How refreshing to hear chris matthews and joe scarborough finally admit that even bin Laden is more truthful than bush et cie! Will wonders never cease...Rb

20th JANUARY 2006

Today, I'm going to let Molly be annoyed for all of us [and then I've got a suggestion].

MOLLY IVINS:  Not. backing. Hillary.

I'd like to make it clear to the people who run the Democratic Party that I will not support Hillary Clinton for president.

Enough. Enough triangulation, calculation and equivocation. Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone This is not a Dick Morris election. Sen. Clinton is apparently incapable of taking a clear stand on the war in Iraq, and that alone is enough to disqualify her. Her failure to speak out on Terri Schiavo, not to mention that gross pandering on flag-burning, are just contemptible little dodges.

The recent death of Gene McCarthy reminded me of a lesson I spent a long, long time unlearning, so now I have to re-learn it. It's about political courage and heroes, and when a country is desperate for leadership. There are times when regular politics will not do, and this is one of those times. There are times a country is so tired of bull that only the truth can provide relief.

If no one in conventional-wisdom politics has the courage to speak up and say what needs to be said, then you go out and find some obscure junior senator from Minnesota with the guts to do it. In 1968, Gene McCarthy was the little boy who said out loud, "Look, the emperor isn't wearing any clothes." Bobby Kennedy -- rough, tough Bobby Kennedy -- didn't do it. Just this quiet man trained by Benedictines who liked to quote poetry.

What kind of courage does it take, for mercy's sake? The majority of the American people (55 percent) think the war in Iraq is a mistake and that we should get out. The majority (65 percent) of the American people want single-payer health care and are willing to pay more taxes to get it. The majority (86 percent) of the American people favor raising the minimum wage. The majority of the American people (60 percent) favor repealing Bush's tax cuts, or at least those that go only to the rich. The majority (66 percent) wants to reduce the deficit not by cutting domestic spending, but by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes.

The majority (77 percent) thinks we should do "whatever it takes" to protect the environment. The majority (87 percent) thinks big oil companies are gouging consumers and would support a windfall profits tax. That is the center, you fools. WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

I listen to people like Rahm Emanuel superciliously explaining elementary politics to us clueless naifs outside the Beltway ("First, you have to win elections"). Can't you even read the damn polls?

Here's a prize example by someone named Barry Casselman, who writes, "There is an invisible civil war in the Democratic Party, and it is between those who are attempting to satisfy the defeatist and pacifist left base of the party and those who are attempting to prepare the party for successful elections in 2006 and 2008."

This supposedly pits Howard Dean, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, emboldened by "a string of bad new from the Middle East ... into calling for premature retreat from Iraq," versus those pragmatic folk like Steny Hoyer, Rahm Emmanuel, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Joe Lieberman.

Oh come on, people -- get a grip on the concept of leadership. Look at this war -- from the lies that led us into it, to the lies they continue to dump on us daily.

You sit there in Washington so frightened of the big, bad Republican machine you have no idea what people are thinking. I'm telling you right now, Tom DeLay is going to lose in his district. If Democrats in Washington haven't got enough sense to OWN the issue of political reform, I give up on them entirely.

Do it all, go long, go for public campaign financing for Congress. I'm serious as a stroke about this -- that is the only reform that will work, and you know it, as well as everyone else who's ever studied this. Do all the goo-goo stuff everybody has made fun of all these years: embrace redistricting reform, electoral reform, House rules changes, the whole package. Put up, or shut up. Own this issue, or let Jack Abramoff politics continue to run your town.

Bush, Cheney and Co. will continue to play the patriotic bully card just as long as you let them. I've said it before: War brings out the patriotic bullies. In World War I, they went around kicking dachshunds on the grounds that dachshunds were "German dogs." They did not, however, go around kicking German shepherds. The MINUTE someone impugns your patriotism for opposing this war, turn on them like a snarling dog and explain what loving your country really means. That, or you could just piss on them elegantly, as Rep. John Murtha did. Or eviscerate them with wit (look up Mark Twain on the war in the Philippines). Or point out the latest in the endless "string of bad news."

Do not sit there cowering and pretending the only way to win is as Republican-lite. If the Washington-based party can't get up and fight, we'll find someone who can.

How 'bout you, Molly? You and Linda Ellerbee. That's my dream ticket...Rb

JANUARY 20th: the SEQUEL

Here you shouldn't have any problem getting annoyed all by yourselves:

RICE APPOINTS BUSH IDEOLOGUE TO HEAD U.S. FOREIGN AID EFFORTS

Imperial Consort Condoleeza Rice announced a controversial restructuring of US foreign aid efforts "to serve its foreign policy goals better," merging USAID into the State Department. USAID "will lose some of its independence, and development will become purely politicized." Rice appointed Randall Tobias as administrator.

Tobias, a former pharmaceutical executive and Bush campaign donor, has consistently put the administration's agenda before science and facts in the fight against global AIDS.

Tobias's HIV-prevention policies focus on "abstinence-only until marriage" leaving "large segments of the population at immediate risk of HIV infection."

Tobias has also made inaccurate public statements on the effectiveness of condoms in AIDS prevention; organizations lacking in technical competency in HIV prevention have received support from Tobias and Bush.

19th JANUARY 2006

U.S. and Europe won't press for immediate U.N. sanctions against Iran

Well, as me mither is wont to say. "Mighty white of us!" [Personally, I'll stick with "what a piece of work is man."]

The United States and its European allies will not seek immediate U.N. sanctions on Iran, but will gradually step up pressure on the Islamic republic to refreeze uranium enrichment work and resume talks on its nuclear program.

The international effort to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons appears to reflect Iran's importance as the world's fourth-largest oil supplier; its extensive commercial ties with China [and] Russia; the U.S. military's preoccupation with Iraq; [and] the absence of any attractive military option in Iran.

Translation:  Damn, how can they still have so much oil after we used all ours up. And why couldn't they be the Bahamas or something. Who'd try to stop us if we went after the Bahamas. Cruise ship captains? Tour directors? Lifeguards? Russia and China think they're so big...Rb

SON of JANUARY the 18th

This isn't annoying. It's criminal. It's unconscionable. And, it's business as usual [always annoying].

Paul Craig Roberts: Former vice president Al Gore gave what I believe to be the most important political speech in my lifetime, and the New York Times, "the newspaper of record," did not report it. Not even excerpts.

For the New York Times, it was a nonevent that a former vice president and president denied the presidency by one vote of the Supreme Court challenged the Bush administration for its illegalities, rending of the Constitution and disrespect for the separation of powers. So much for "the liberal press" that right-wingers rant about.

Gore's address is the first sign of leadership from the Democratic party in six years. This alone makes it a major news event. Not even his own party took notice. Lack of an opposition party makes media vulnerable to intimidation by a dictatorial-minded administration.

Gore challenged the American people to step up to the task of defending the Constitution, a task abandoned by the media, the law schools, and the Democratic and Republican parties. If we fail, darkness will close around us.

JANUARY the 18th: Part II

The second most annoying thing about today's "good Christians" is their seeming belief that a] the act of declaring oneself a Christian releases one from any and all obligation to behave according to Christian principles; and b] God fears there's been a terrible mistake, and [being laid up with the omnipresence] needs Christians to act as divinely deputized repo men and women on a mission to take back the Free Will of non-Christians.

Christian groups launched a furious campaign against Hollywood, claiming the Golden Globes promote films with gay or "leftist" themes to serve a political agenda. "Once again media elites are proving that their pet projects are more
important than profit," Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America said.

Blasphemy! Our Heavenly Father would have us put nothing above profit ['cept maybe America]! And until God's over the omnipresence, it's our duty to insist that everyone else walks our talk.

The singlemost annoying thing about today's "good Christians?" Probably the fact that, once one has accepted Jesus Christ as one's personal Lord & Saviour, one seems encouraged to think of "God's only begotten son" as a much beloved but mentally-impaired child who'd never get anything right were one not watching Him like a hawk.

"Jesus said, 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'"

"Well, in Romans it says 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'"

"But Jesus said, 'if you believe in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth you are wrong, for when a man smiteth you, you must turn the other cheek.'"

"Well, in the Bible there were lots of wars!"

According to most "Christians," Jesus is the very last person to whom one should turn for advice. No matter what Jesus says, if one can find a contradiction anywhere else in the Bible...and I do mean anywhere else in the Bible...go with the other guy. And they do mean any other guy. Leave Jesus alone for five minutes and next thing you know the sweet fool is throwing the money-changers out of the temples!  Rb  [who wishes that she, rather than Linda Lavin, were the author of the divinely inspired, "The Bible contains six admonitions to homosexuals and three hundred and sixty two to heterosexuals. This does not mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. He just feels they need more supervision."]

18th JANUARY 2006

What's annoying is not so much that our government gets away with thing like this [on a regular basis]:

The Pentagon reneged on its offer to pay a $15,000 bonus to members of the National Guard and Army Reserve who agree to extend their enlistments by six years. Lt. Col. Krenke said some soldiers had been paid the re-enlistment bonuses, but she was unsure how many or whether the money would have to be repaid. Sen. Murray’s office said that as far as it knew, no active Guard or Reserve members had received the bonuses.

No. What's annoying is that, after decades of dirty-dealing veterans, there are still those willing to fall for things like this [and on a regular basis!]:

Army hopes higher bonuses will attract recruits. Active duty soldiers could receive up to $90,000 for re-enlisting. After falling well short of its recruiting goals last year, the Army has set even higher monthly targets for this summer, hoping that bonuses as high as $90,000 will encourage soldiers to re-enlist and recent graduates to join. The new financial incentives aim to attract new recruits in the face of mounting deaths in Iraq.

Most annoying, however, is that we, the people will do nothing which requires more than another ribbon. We, the people will find recruits denied bonuses promised or having to repay bonuses paid about as interesting as Haliburton not being required to return billions in overcharges. But this week's episode of Lost had better be new or the network's going to get an earful!  Rb

Thirty-eight years ago, I was shot and paralyzed from my mid-chest down during my second tour of duty in Vietnam. It was to change my life forever. Each year as the anniversary of my wounding approached I would become extremely restless, experiencing terrible bouts of insomnia, depression, anxiety attacks and horrifying nightmares. I dreaded that day, always fearing that the terrible trauma of my wounding might repeat itself all over again. It was a difficult day for me for decades.

As I contemplate another January 20th I cannot help but think of the young men and women who have been wounded in Iraq. They have been coming home now for almost three years, flooding Walter Reed, Bethesda, Brooke Army Medical Center and veterans hospitals across the country. Paraplegics, amputees, burn victims, the blinded and maimed, shocked and stunned, brain-damaged and psychologically stressed, over 16,000 of them, a whole new generation of severely maimed is returning from Iraq, young men and women who were not even born when I came home wounded in 1968.

17th JANUARY 2006

For exactly which "freedoms" are we "hated?" For which "freedoms" are "we" fighting? [And for exercising which "freedoms" will we be "fried?"] To which "freedoms" do we Americans refer when we boast of having more of them than anyone else on earth?

Supreme Court rejects Bush administration's challenge to the nation's only right-to-die law. Neandercroft exceeded his power by trying to punish doctors who dispensed lethal drugs. Roberts joined dissenters Scalia and Thomas. But ruling leaves open the possibility that the Republican-controlled Congress could amend federal drug control laws and forbid physicians from prescribing lethal medications. Congress also could pass laws explicitly banning doctor-assisted suicide, as it tried to do in 1999. **

Forgetting that bush et cie are staunch supporters of states' rights, except when they're adamantly opposed to them; rabid defenders of the Constitution, as long as it's not binding; strong believers in democracy, unless there's more money in autocracy, etc. And ignoring that [surprise!] roberts joined dissenters scalia and thomas. How long can we, the people pretend that we're hated for our freedom to be treated like orphaned and institutionalized children who will never reach the age of majority, and whose eternal guardians use the television as our babysitter. How long will we, the people continue imagining that we're hated for our freedom to play election on special occasions before going down for our nap. How long will we, the people insist upon believing our own hype.

When Americans talk about being "the freest" [and it's the national non-sequitur], it helps to ask for specifics. "Which freedom do you most value? Which freedom do you most use?" That sort of thing. "The average American" has usually given no thought to the specifics. As a matter of fact, even when posed nicely and sincerely, "the Average American" tends to find such questions extremely annoying.

Why is it that when soldiers go voluntarily to their deaths we can say, "that's war," but when civilians volunteer for death we can't just say, "that's life!" Rb  [who's always found it curious that self-proclaimed Christians cling to this mortal coil with far more desperation than one might expect from those who insist God is saving a special place for them in "the Hereafter." Is it possible they're not as confident as they'd have us believe? Doth they profess, too much?]

P.S.   Are you an American who wants to die in peace? Contact your local clinics, hospitals, and emergency services. Tell them you're terminally ill, but have neither money nor health insurance. Beg for assistance. You choose life! This process is called "severing all ties to the medical establishment." You will then find yourself blissfully free to cease marching to the beat of your own drummer.

16th JANUARY 2006

Chi mighi-toh, toulehsag a'man?!

Iran banned CNN journalists after the broadcaster misquoted President Ahmadinejad as saying Iran wanted nuclear weapons. CNN's simultaneous translation of Ahmadinejad's lengthy news conference on Saturday included the phrase "the use of nuclear weapons is Iran's right." In fact, what the Iranian president said was that "Iran has the right to nuclear energy." **

Talk about "reactionary!" One can't help but view the Iranians' hair-trigger sensitivity and subsequently unreasonable censorship as an unwillingness to coexist peacefully with the rest of humanity. Before they pull something "pre-emptive," they need to be taught a good lesson. Me and which army? Funny you should ask...

It's a wonder [and a powerful testament to young men's inability to Think when under the influence of testosterone] that the military has ever managed to find warm bodies, but. Where the hell were these kids' parents when it counted:

Dragon Skin became an item of contention between proponents of OTV body armor and its growing legion of critics [who] say it is ineffective and inferior to Dragon Skin, as well as other commercially available body armor systems on the market. A secret report determined that 80% of the Marines killed in Iraq might have been saved if OTV body armor was more effective. The Army has declined to comment on the report because doing so could aid the enemy, an Army spokesman repeatedly said.

A commander told [soldiers] if they were [killed when] wearing Dragon Skin beneficiaries might not receive death benefits from SGLI insurance policies. Soldiers were ordered to leave privately purchased body armor at home or face the possibility of losing life insurance benefits and facing disciplinary action.

Caring for wounded military personnel is going to be a far bigger and more expensive job than previously thought. The Veterans Benefits Administration originally projected 23,553 veterans returning from Iraq would seek medical care last year, but it revised this number to 103,000. It also is responsible for providing care to an estimated 90,000 National Guard personnel, previously not eligible for its services. The VBA is likely to face a shortfall of $2.6 billion in 2006. "I wish we had thought about this before we got into this mess."