"It's as close as it could conceivably be. Closer than I've ever seen before. Close here and several other states. We may not know the outcome until mid-November,"said Eric Rademacher, who directs the University of Cincinnati's Ohio Poll
I wonder, with a race as tight at the pollsters are calling it (not like I agree with the statistical cheats), how could Bush really think his record is any good? Don't you think, if he is as good as he says he is, that it should be a blow out! Well, it has to suck to think that your entire political carreer rests on the voters judgement on your record on Tuesday and not have a lock on it.
Thus, I am calling it for Kerry - across the board and a sweep in the swing states. This guy bush can't be overly confident with no margin to speak of, and a strategy that rests on decietful practices such as blocking voters. Bush is Done and we will be singing when it happens.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Four more years with Bush is like Four more years of syphilis!
You got to love an author with the chutzpa to make statements like this...and Hunter S. Thompson has balls the size of D.C.:
"Four more years of George Bush will be like four more years of syphilis," the famed author said yesterday at a hastily called press conference near his home in Woody Creek, Colorado. "Only a fool or a sucker would vote for a dangerous loser like Bush," Dr. Thompson warned. "He hates everything we stand for, and he knows we will vote against him in November."
"...Bush is a natural-born loser with a filthy-rich daddy who pimped his son out to rich oil-mongers. He hates music, football and sex, in no particular order, and he is no fun at all...."
Any blogger would love to write this well. Check out the full article in Rolling Stone.
"Four more years of George Bush will be like four more years of syphilis," the famed author said yesterday at a hastily called press conference near his home in Woody Creek, Colorado. "Only a fool or a sucker would vote for a dangerous loser like Bush," Dr. Thompson warned. "He hates everything we stand for, and he knows we will vote against him in November."
"...Bush is a natural-born loser with a filthy-rich daddy who pimped his son out to rich oil-mongers. He hates music, football and sex, in no particular order, and he is no fun at all...."
Any blogger would love to write this well. Check out the full article in Rolling Stone.
Armageddon came early for GW Bush - Hunter S. Thompson is getting on Kerry's Side
Okay, former drug totting, tripping aging hippies even are not for GWB, not like you would be surprised, but this is an excellent article from Rolling Stone. Found it from a link on Barlow's blog.
Slice:
"Armageddon came early for George Bush this year, and he was not ready for it. His long-awaited showdowns with my man John Kerry turned into a series of horrible embarrassments that cracked his nerve and demoralized his closest campaign advisers. They knew he would never recover, no matter how many votes they could steal for him in Florida, where the presidential debates were closely watched and widely celebrated by millions of Kerry supporters who suddenly had reason to feel like winners.
Kerry came into October as a five-point underdog with almost no chance of winning three out of three rigged confrontations with a treacherous little freak like George Bush. But the debates are over now, and the victor was clearly John Kerry every time. He steamrollered Bush and left him for roadkill..."
End of slice:
You got to love the flat out power writing from Thompson, showing once again, anyone with half a wit can still run circles around our dim bulb in the whitehouse.
Slice:
"Armageddon came early for George Bush this year, and he was not ready for it. His long-awaited showdowns with my man John Kerry turned into a series of horrible embarrassments that cracked his nerve and demoralized his closest campaign advisers. They knew he would never recover, no matter how many votes they could steal for him in Florida, where the presidential debates were closely watched and widely celebrated by millions of Kerry supporters who suddenly had reason to feel like winners.
Kerry came into October as a five-point underdog with almost no chance of winning three out of three rigged confrontations with a treacherous little freak like George Bush. But the debates are over now, and the victor was clearly John Kerry every time. He steamrollered Bush and left him for roadkill..."
End of slice:
You got to love the flat out power writing from Thompson, showing once again, anyone with half a wit can still run circles around our dim bulb in the whitehouse.
You expect more from capitalist pigs at Halliburton?
Check this out:
slice:
Greenhouse has had problems with the $2 billion contract at least since January 2002, when she wrote, "There is little or no incentive for the contractor to reduce or keep cost down."
slice:
Greenhouse has had problems with the $2 billion contract at least since January 2002, when she wrote, "There is little or no incentive for the contractor to reduce or keep cost down."
Saturday, October 30, 2004
More evidence of deceitful practice by Republicans
Check this out from Today's NYTimes:
Slice:
With little notice or discussion, Senator Christopher Bond of Missouri allowed a provision into a Senate appropriations bill that could ban even nonpartisan voter registration efforts in public housing developments all over the country. This is an example of the unfortunate impulse now afflicting some parts of the Republican Party: a desire to suppress voting in poor and minority neighborhoods.
End slice:
I had talked about this in an earlier posting (see the "Highlights in deceit by republicans - voter blocking" post earlier in Oct.). Low down and despicable are people who stoop to such tactics.
Slice:
With little notice or discussion, Senator Christopher Bond of Missouri allowed a provision into a Senate appropriations bill that could ban even nonpartisan voter registration efforts in public housing developments all over the country. This is an example of the unfortunate impulse now afflicting some parts of the Republican Party: a desire to suppress voting in poor and minority neighborhoods.
End slice:
I had talked about this in an earlier posting (see the "Highlights in deceit by republicans - voter blocking" post earlier in Oct.). Low down and despicable are people who stoop to such tactics.
No Connection to 9/11 for Saddam, but Osama says he did it!
Why haven't we caught this puppy? He can make video, looks clean and happy, well rested, and is obviously alive and well in a place where videos can be picked up and aired....
Check this out from another blogger.
Check this out from another blogger.
Bush can't even get his verbal cues right
Check this out. This guy is so bad, he can't even make the confetti rain at the right time.
Oh, looks like I am also voting with John Hall, the person who wrote "Still the one," whom, it seems didn't like Bushie using his great song to rouse the troops. So, he has to pull it.
Slice:
...NewsCenter 5's Janet Wu reported that the Sox star wound up being a scratch, and that wasn't the only sour note for the president. The composer of the 70s pop hit "Still the One" demanded the president stop using the song at his campaign rallies. John Hall said that he's a Kerry supporter... Schilling may have been a no-show, but Kerry supporters snuck through the usually tight security and disrupted the president's speech several times. Then, Bush himself inadvertently delivered verbal cues prematurely, releasing bags of confetti in the middle of his speech. The gaffes almost overshadowed his closing, patriotic, positive message -- laced with frequent references to his opponent.
The latest poll shows Bush trailing Kerry by 4 points in the Granite State. ...
Oh, looks like I am also voting with John Hall, the person who wrote "Still the one," whom, it seems didn't like Bushie using his great song to rouse the troops. So, he has to pull it.
Slice:
...NewsCenter 5's Janet Wu reported that the Sox star wound up being a scratch, and that wasn't the only sour note for the president. The composer of the 70s pop hit "Still the One" demanded the president stop using the song at his campaign rallies. John Hall said that he's a Kerry supporter... Schilling may have been a no-show, but Kerry supporters snuck through the usually tight security and disrupted the president's speech several times. Then, Bush himself inadvertently delivered verbal cues prematurely, releasing bags of confetti in the middle of his speech. The gaffes almost overshadowed his closing, patriotic, positive message -- laced with frequent references to his opponent.
The latest poll shows Bush trailing Kerry by 4 points in the Granite State. ...
Our Cat makes a Calendar
From what I can tell, our cat's pic has made it to an DateWorks calendar, which you can find in a variety of locations.
I found it on line for about 12 bucks. We don't make any cash on it, but our cat gets bragging rights for the year with 364 others. Her name is Michigan Winter. See if you can find her amidst the pages.
The product is a DateWorks 2005 Kittens & Cats Day-at-a-Time calendar. Now I think it is this one, but I am not 100% sure since you can see all the pages to see if you really want it.
I found it on line for about 12 bucks. We don't make any cash on it, but our cat gets bragging rights for the year with 364 others. Her name is Michigan Winter. See if you can find her amidst the pages.
The product is a DateWorks 2005 Kittens & Cats Day-at-a-Time calendar. Now I think it is this one, but I am not 100% sure since you can see all the pages to see if you really want it.
Friday, October 29, 2004
Another reason to Oust Bush!
Even Bin Laden can see through the veil of Bush's crafty lies (and he lives on the other side of the globe)...Promises more events like the 9/11 catastrophe if we re-elect the beast.
Quick Snip from my brother on the Iraqi Frontlines
Just thought I would let you know my brother's reply to my most recent email to him:
Thanks for the great photos. The kids are growing fast. On occasion, I'm able
to get into my Yahoo accounts. From there, I'm able to link to your Ofoto account and view photos, but the connection is very slow on this end. Slower than my dial up at home.
All is going well here. We still get the one or two rocket attacks almost daily, but it isn't really a big deal. As I told ..., the base's landmass is bigger than our home town so most of the time the rockets hit where they do no harm.
Off base, the risk factor goes way up. Roadside bombings seem to be a daily occurrence throughout Iraq. Throw in some small arms fire and a RPG or two and you have a trilling day/night. Not sure when we will see a lull in this activity. The bad guys are keeping us busy in this department. To bad, most of the locals would really like to get on with their lives.
Well, say hello to your wife and the kids for me. I'm doing well on this end. So don't worry about me.
Take care,
Love,
your brother
Thanks for the great photos. The kids are growing fast. On occasion, I'm able
to get into my Yahoo accounts. From there, I'm able to link to your Ofoto account and view photos, but the connection is very slow on this end. Slower than my dial up at home.
All is going well here. We still get the one or two rocket attacks almost daily, but it isn't really a big deal. As I told ..., the base's landmass is bigger than our home town so most of the time the rockets hit where they do no harm.
Off base, the risk factor goes way up. Roadside bombings seem to be a daily occurrence throughout Iraq. Throw in some small arms fire and a RPG or two and you have a trilling day/night. Not sure when we will see a lull in this activity. The bad guys are keeping us busy in this department. To bad, most of the locals would really like to get on with their lives.
Well, say hello to your wife and the kids for me. I'm doing well on this end. So don't worry about me.
Take care,
Love,
your brother
Tracking the outdated, and needing to be disolved Electoral Collage
This is an interesting location the web. Tracking what way the states will go if the local popular votes swing toward the trends in the polls. Remember one trick, pollsters get to poll whomever they want, and they never tell you who they called up or who answered them or who refused to answer them....
Another Reason to Love Bruce Springsteen
You got to love this story: A star who is not above the proletariat.
Slice:
"The residents of 508 W. Washington Ave. were already pretty psyched when they realized that a massive rally with Sen. John F. Kerry and Bruce Springsteen would take place on their street Thursday afternoon.
When the rock star's trailer parked in front of their house, 21-year-old Danya Bader-Natal — one of the seven University of Wisconsin seniors who live in the gray wooden house — scrawled a message in green marker on a flattened box and hung it from their second-story balcony: "Bruce come up for a beer."
On his way back to his trailer after playing a short set for a crowd of 80,000 people, the singer pointed at the sign with a grin. And, much to their shock, he took the students up on their invitation..."
End of slice
You have got to know that this is an important election when Springsteen steps into the fray as he has never done that before, Ever! Moreover, I would much rather be voting for someone that Springsteen supports than anyone else. Rock on Bruce!
Slice:
"The residents of 508 W. Washington Ave. were already pretty psyched when they realized that a massive rally with Sen. John F. Kerry and Bruce Springsteen would take place on their street Thursday afternoon.
When the rock star's trailer parked in front of their house, 21-year-old Danya Bader-Natal — one of the seven University of Wisconsin seniors who live in the gray wooden house — scrawled a message in green marker on a flattened box and hung it from their second-story balcony: "Bruce come up for a beer."
On his way back to his trailer after playing a short set for a crowd of 80,000 people, the singer pointed at the sign with a grin. And, much to their shock, he took the students up on their invitation..."
End of slice
You have got to know that this is an important election when Springsteen steps into the fray as he has never done that before, Ever! Moreover, I would much rather be voting for someone that Springsteen supports than anyone else. Rock on Bruce!
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Another Soldier Tells his Story - He's not for Bush either
Check out this blog posting from a guy who got the scoop directly from one of our boots on the ground.
Snip:
According to him, 75% of all soldiers want Bush defeated in the election and don't care who defeats him; anger and resentment are high. He says that 90% of the officers remain far out of harm's way. From lietenants all the way up, there is general understanding that the officers are hiding in holes, or holding back in well-defended buildings and quite cavalier about sending troops out for assignments and errands that are frequently stupid, poorly planned, and dangerous.
Snip:
According to him, 75% of all soldiers want Bush defeated in the election and don't care who defeats him; anger and resentment are high. He says that 90% of the officers remain far out of harm's way. From lietenants all the way up, there is general understanding that the officers are hiding in holes, or holding back in well-defended buildings and quite cavalier about sending troops out for assignments and errands that are frequently stupid, poorly planned, and dangerous.
Lying with Statistics
Interesting bit from the MoveOn folks. As a person with a diploma in Mathematics, I have always known that one of the single best ways to lie to the public is to use statistics. No one checks up on numbers.
Not only that, but the media is expert at confusing people with statistics. Just in case you think you are getting an unbiased report from the media, check out the MoveOn.org front page and click on the "who runs fox news media" link. No surprises there, but talk about unbiased. Yes, it is old, but I still think Al Frankin's book is a wonderful bit about these right wing media types. Click on the listen to option and you can hear Frankin read his first pages.
Not only that, but the media is expert at confusing people with statistics. Just in case you think you are getting an unbiased report from the media, check out the MoveOn.org front page and click on the "who runs fox news media" link. No surprises there, but talk about unbiased. Yes, it is old, but I still think Al Frankin's book is a wonderful bit about these right wing media types. Click on the listen to option and you can hear Frankin read his first pages.
Deception is Status Quo for the Bush Administration
This just in from a faithful set of bloggers - deciet is a wonderful campaign strategy but not something you want from a person who actually aspires to be truly elected rather than selected for president.
This was the original doctored photo and they pulled bush out? What for? YIKES
All images copyright A.D.A.
This was the original doctored photo and they pulled bush out? What for? YIKES
All images copyright A.D.A.
How about a National Holiday for 2 November !
Incidentially, don't you think it would be great if people had the day off to cast their votes in a national election? A holiday to vote, and then celebrate of commiserate with your friends. If you really value the voter, a National Holiday for Voting in November would work to get people to the polls, no?
But then again, the Republicans are not interested in getting people to the polls becuase they usually loose if the people turn out.
But then again, the Republicans are not interested in getting people to the polls becuase they usually loose if the people turn out.
Electoral College Should be Disbanded - Disenfranchised voters in non-"battleground" states
I agree with my father on this point. He sent along a nice, no reply to email message with the following commentary.
"On the Election - 28Oct04 Rove's rule: when you're explaining, you're losing. Which is why Karl Rove likes attack ads. ''The political candidate who jumps to conclusions without having the facts is not a person you want as commander in chief.'' - GWB, on the campaign trail 27Oct04. GWB was speaking to Kerry's attack that GWB should have secured 380 tons of now-missing high explosives in Iraq, when Kerry' spokesman admit that it is unknown *when* the explosives disappeared. GWB also said that Kerry was denigrating the performance of the troops (by putting forward the idea that the explosives should have been secured). Kerry said that GWB was hiding behind the troops rather than leading them, 'He (GWB) didn't do his job.' GWB's statement was live on each of several newscasts last night, and during NewsHour an on-screen reader printed the quote-text for those who may otherwise have missed it. (PBS has to be Republican enemy #1.) They also carried Kerry's reply. Like the carrier landing, ''Mission Accomplished,'' (which had Michael Dukakis, tank commander, written all over it) someone on the political side of the Bush campaign should have known not to argue the presence or absence of facts. GWB didn't have the facts on WMDs. This is the same mistake made in Cheney's attacks, that a Kerry victory would make the country less safe from terrorist attack (proposing the terrorist WMD scenario). 911 occurred on the Bush/Cheney watch. ''We're horrible, but the other guys might be worse.'' If GWB loses, I'm not sure that he will, I think that the major mistake the Repubican team made was to restrict the President to appearances before cheerleaders. They didn't have to do that. GWB is better than that, and even if he wasn't good at first he would have gotten better over time. He didn't need that kind of ''help.'' Whatever it did for GWB's ego and confidence, it made him appear like he wasn't up to the challenge, that he was weak. Kerry continually scored points off this. The Republicans seemed not to notice. They never changed their audience vetting tactic. If Kerry loses, I'm not sure that he will, I think it will because he failed to capitalize on Republican gaffes. ''A President who is afraid to face a critical audience, This is the leader who is going to win the war on terror?'' He could have forced the President on the defensive sooner. See: Rove's rule. -- On presidential voting reform Eliminate the electoral college and go with the popular vote. Because there are only a handful of states in play in the electoral college, it disenfranchises major portions of the electorate. No presidential candidate cares what a voter in a ''safe'' Republican or Democratic state thinks. Their votes don't count. If candidates were elected by popular vote, then candidates would campaign (or send surrogates) to turn out the vote in states currently considered ''safe.'' No voter could afford to be neglected. Since a candidate can't pander to every voter's whim, they would have to run on platforms that appealed to the majority of voters. A candidate, because he had to run everwhere, couldn't run on corn-to-alcohol in Nebraska and lower gasoline prices in New England. [If the fact checkers were doing their job. It takes more oil to produce corn than the alcohol returns in fuel, 2 gallons of alcohol equal one gallon of gas, alcohol has half the BTU content. Since only Nebraska is in play in the electoral college race, New England's objection to gasahol gets no consideration, New England is mostly Democratic in presidental politics.] Now, because of the electoral college, a ''safe'' state's candidate getting 100% of that state's vote counts for no more than the same candidate getting 50.01% of the vote. That missmatch disenfranchises 49.99% of the voters in that state. Once the tipping point for their candidate is reached they have no more support to give. Over 50.01%? sorry, your vote has no ability to elect your candidate. The argument can be made that where candidates run, turnout increases. And forcing candidates to run everywhere could produce candidates more in the mainstream of voter opinion. But the real reason that the electoral college should be eliminated is that direct voting makes all voters equal."
"On the Election - 28Oct04 Rove's rule: when you're explaining, you're losing. Which is why Karl Rove likes attack ads. ''The political candidate who jumps to conclusions without having the facts is not a person you want as commander in chief.'' - GWB, on the campaign trail 27Oct04. GWB was speaking to Kerry's attack that GWB should have secured 380 tons of now-missing high explosives in Iraq, when Kerry' spokesman admit that it is unknown *when* the explosives disappeared. GWB also said that Kerry was denigrating the performance of the troops (by putting forward the idea that the explosives should have been secured). Kerry said that GWB was hiding behind the troops rather than leading them, 'He (GWB) didn't do his job.' GWB's statement was live on each of several newscasts last night, and during NewsHour an on-screen reader printed the quote-text for those who may otherwise have missed it. (PBS has to be Republican enemy #1.) They also carried Kerry's reply. Like the carrier landing, ''Mission Accomplished,'' (which had Michael Dukakis, tank commander, written all over it) someone on the political side of the Bush campaign should have known not to argue the presence or absence of facts. GWB didn't have the facts on WMDs. This is the same mistake made in Cheney's attacks, that a Kerry victory would make the country less safe from terrorist attack (proposing the terrorist WMD scenario). 911 occurred on the Bush/Cheney watch. ''We're horrible, but the other guys might be worse.'' If GWB loses, I'm not sure that he will, I think that the major mistake the Repubican team made was to restrict the President to appearances before cheerleaders. They didn't have to do that. GWB is better than that, and even if he wasn't good at first he would have gotten better over time. He didn't need that kind of ''help.'' Whatever it did for GWB's ego and confidence, it made him appear like he wasn't up to the challenge, that he was weak. Kerry continually scored points off this. The Republicans seemed not to notice. They never changed their audience vetting tactic. If Kerry loses, I'm not sure that he will, I think it will because he failed to capitalize on Republican gaffes. ''A President who is afraid to face a critical audience, This is the leader who is going to win the war on terror?'' He could have forced the President on the defensive sooner. See: Rove's rule. -- On presidential voting reform Eliminate the electoral college and go with the popular vote. Because there are only a handful of states in play in the electoral college, it disenfranchises major portions of the electorate. No presidential candidate cares what a voter in a ''safe'' Republican or Democratic state thinks. Their votes don't count. If candidates were elected by popular vote, then candidates would campaign (or send surrogates) to turn out the vote in states currently considered ''safe.'' No voter could afford to be neglected. Since a candidate can't pander to every voter's whim, they would have to run on platforms that appealed to the majority of voters. A candidate, because he had to run everwhere, couldn't run on corn-to-alcohol in Nebraska and lower gasoline prices in New England. [If the fact checkers were doing their job. It takes more oil to produce corn than the alcohol returns in fuel, 2 gallons of alcohol equal one gallon of gas, alcohol has half the BTU content. Since only Nebraska is in play in the electoral college race, New England's objection to gasahol gets no consideration, New England is mostly Democratic in presidental politics.] Now, because of the electoral college, a ''safe'' state's candidate getting 100% of that state's vote counts for no more than the same candidate getting 50.01% of the vote. That missmatch disenfranchises 49.99% of the voters in that state. Once the tipping point for their candidate is reached they have no more support to give. Over 50.01%? sorry, your vote has no ability to elect your candidate. The argument can be made that where candidates run, turnout increases. And forcing candidates to run everywhere could produce candidates more in the mainstream of voter opinion. But the real reason that the electoral college should be eliminated is that direct voting makes all voters equal."
More BAD News from Baghdad - De facto Draft Evidence
I was at home yesterday with my son and watching some video clips from the past two years of his cousins...my brother's sons...and my son said, "hey, can we go visit today?" Well, as it turns out that would have involved a small fourtune for the plane trip. So we settled for a phone call. Got my brother's wife on the horn and chatted for a bit. As it turns out, she had just recieved a call from my brother in Iraq and he said, "Bad News, looks like my tour of duty will be extended until March."
This sucks! He was supposed to be home for the New Year Holiday. Thanks to Bush and his wack job cronies and their de facto draft is still in effect. Why can't they get our troops home as promised rather than extending their stay?
The big difference between Iraq and Vietnam is that people were allowed to make their own decisions about extending their tours of duty. Then again, the draft was overt and took place at the front end of enlistment. This time around, folks in Iraq, are required to extend, and some of the Nat'l Guard folks end up staying for 1.5 years instead of the 4 months promised. Now, if you ask me, that is not fair, and there is nothing voluntary about that. Another rouse by the president to keep our people over there to protect their oil interests. Why don't the Cheney's and The Bush's send their children over to fight and let my brother come home and be the father he is supposed to be. Instead, again the folks who talk about family values, don't practice policy that supports and values familys...just their own.
This sucks! He was supposed to be home for the New Year Holiday. Thanks to Bush and his wack job cronies and their de facto draft is still in effect. Why can't they get our troops home as promised rather than extending their stay?
The big difference between Iraq and Vietnam is that people were allowed to make their own decisions about extending their tours of duty. Then again, the draft was overt and took place at the front end of enlistment. This time around, folks in Iraq, are required to extend, and some of the Nat'l Guard folks end up staying for 1.5 years instead of the 4 months promised. Now, if you ask me, that is not fair, and there is nothing voluntary about that. Another rouse by the president to keep our people over there to protect their oil interests. Why don't the Cheney's and The Bush's send their children over to fight and let my brother come home and be the father he is supposed to be. Instead, again the folks who talk about family values, don't practice policy that supports and values familys...just their own.
Stepping up and accepting responsiblity
Interestingly enough, rock city points us to a wonderful article on Kerry using Bush's own rhetoric to stab him a fatal blow. However, the slice he gives us leaves out a few important points: "Can you imagine President Kennedy ... standing up and telling the American people he couldn't think of a single mistake that he had made? When the Bay of Pigs went sour, John Kennedy had the courage to look America in the eye and say to America 'I take responsibility, it is my fault."'
"Mr. President, it is long since time for you to start taking responsibility for the mistakes that you've made."
"...About a year ago, when things weren't going so well in my campaign, somebody called a radio talk show and they said, thinking they were just cutting me right to the quick, they said 'John Kerry won't be the president until the Red Sox win.' Well, we're on our way."
What about the house of cards that was supposed to fall in the Abu Ghraib scandal? Why hasn't the media pushed the admistration to toss the man responsible for the military action? Ooppss wouldn't that be Rummy and Wolfie??
These guys need to get the boot. Check out this article from the NYTimes on the prison scandal. Another case of the media letting the President slip on the issues and fail to take responsilbity for his poor handling and superb job misleading the citizens of our fair USA.
Slice:
When the Abu Ghraib prison scandal first broke, the Bush administration struck a pose of righteous indignation. It assured the world that the problem was limited to one block of one prison, that the United States would never condone the atrocities we saw in those terrible photos, that it would punish those responsible for any abuse - regardless of their rank - and that it was committed to defending the Geneva Conventions and the rights of prisoners.
None of this appears to be true. The Army has prosecuted a few low-ranking soldiers and rebuked a Reserve officer or two, but exonerated the top generals. No political leader is being held accountable for the policies set in Washington that led to the abuses at Abu Ghraib and at other prison camps operated by the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency in Iraq and Afghanistan, and at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where prisoner abuse was systemic. And we've learned that the administration's respect for the Geneva Conventions, which some senior officials openly disdain as an antiquated nuisance, is highly conditional.
End of slice:
It would be out of character for our sitting president to stand up and say anything of the sort like Kennedy did for the Bay of Pigs concern. This guy, the Bushmaster, is an expert obfuscator, obstructionist, and out right fabricator of the truth...Unfortunately for us and for him, I think he really thinks he didn't do anytyhing wrong. YIKES! talk about hiding your light under a bushel...
"Mr. President, it is long since time for you to start taking responsibility for the mistakes that you've made."
"...About a year ago, when things weren't going so well in my campaign, somebody called a radio talk show and they said, thinking they were just cutting me right to the quick, they said 'John Kerry won't be the president until the Red Sox win.' Well, we're on our way."
What about the house of cards that was supposed to fall in the Abu Ghraib scandal? Why hasn't the media pushed the admistration to toss the man responsible for the military action? Ooppss wouldn't that be Rummy and Wolfie??
These guys need to get the boot. Check out this article from the NYTimes on the prison scandal. Another case of the media letting the President slip on the issues and fail to take responsilbity for his poor handling and superb job misleading the citizens of our fair USA.
Slice:
When the Abu Ghraib prison scandal first broke, the Bush administration struck a pose of righteous indignation. It assured the world that the problem was limited to one block of one prison, that the United States would never condone the atrocities we saw in those terrible photos, that it would punish those responsible for any abuse - regardless of their rank - and that it was committed to defending the Geneva Conventions and the rights of prisoners.
None of this appears to be true. The Army has prosecuted a few low-ranking soldiers and rebuked a Reserve officer or two, but exonerated the top generals. No political leader is being held accountable for the policies set in Washington that led to the abuses at Abu Ghraib and at other prison camps operated by the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency in Iraq and Afghanistan, and at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where prisoner abuse was systemic. And we've learned that the administration's respect for the Geneva Conventions, which some senior officials openly disdain as an antiquated nuisance, is highly conditional.
End of slice:
It would be out of character for our sitting president to stand up and say anything of the sort like Kennedy did for the Bay of Pigs concern. This guy, the Bushmaster, is an expert obfuscator, obstructionist, and out right fabricator of the truth...Unfortunately for us and for him, I think he really thinks he didn't do anytyhing wrong. YIKES! talk about hiding your light under a bushel...
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Something Positive out of Iraq
Found a nice link for something postive out of Iraq. Check out some Iraqi Music here.
Also, Cassandra gave me the tip on another link for a blogger in Iraq. Nice to hear her perspective. Check her out.
Also, Cassandra gave me the tip on another link for a blogger in Iraq. Nice to hear her perspective. Check her out.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Another Reason to Hate This Iraq War
Hummm, and we thought Saddam was dangerous. Take a look at this NYTimes article by their editorial staff:
Slice:
"President Bush's misbegotten invasion of Iraq appears to have achieved what Saddam Hussein did not: putting dangerous weapons in the hands of terrorists and creating an offshoot of Al Qaeda in Iraq.
The murder of dozens of Iraqi Army recruits over the weekend is being attributed to the forces of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who has been identified by the Bush administration as a leading terrorist and a supposed link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. That was not true before the war - as multiple investigations have shown. But the breakdown of order since the invasion has changed all that. This terrorist, who has claimed many attacks on occupation forces and the barbaric murder of hostages, recently swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden and renamed his group Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia..."
End Slice:
How nice! Bush is better at arming terrorist than Saddam...At least he is good at something - Ha! Perhaps we should invade Washington DC.
Slice:
"President Bush's misbegotten invasion of Iraq appears to have achieved what Saddam Hussein did not: putting dangerous weapons in the hands of terrorists and creating an offshoot of Al Qaeda in Iraq.
The murder of dozens of Iraqi Army recruits over the weekend is being attributed to the forces of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who has been identified by the Bush administration as a leading terrorist and a supposed link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. That was not true before the war - as multiple investigations have shown. But the breakdown of order since the invasion has changed all that. This terrorist, who has claimed many attacks on occupation forces and the barbaric murder of hostages, recently swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden and renamed his group Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia..."
End Slice:
How nice! Bush is better at arming terrorist than Saddam...At least he is good at something - Ha! Perhaps we should invade Washington DC.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Counting Dead Bodies
While the military says they don't track these numbers, they keep growing. Bodies dead, don't become alive again. Check out the numbers at the following web locations:
US Military Dead and Wounded
Iraqi People Killed and Wounded
A list of names of Iraqi's Killed
Dear Mr. Misquided and Lying President Bush,
At what time does the cost of doing business in Iraq exceed our nations' capacity to pay back what we owe the country, our citizens, and the population of the world for generating more reasons for terrorists to recruit and sign up more and increasingly zealous perpetrators of the violence you say you are going to protect us from?
It is time for you to exit, Mr. Bush. Get out!
I encourage all who call for the immediate resignation of the current administration please do so as a comment to this posting. AND, DON'T FORGET TO DO YOUR DUTY AND VOTE ON 2 NOVEMBER.
US Military Dead and Wounded
Iraqi People Killed and Wounded
A list of names of Iraqi's Killed
Dear Mr. Misquided and Lying President Bush,
At what time does the cost of doing business in Iraq exceed our nations' capacity to pay back what we owe the country, our citizens, and the population of the world for generating more reasons for terrorists to recruit and sign up more and increasingly zealous perpetrators of the violence you say you are going to protect us from?
It is time for you to exit, Mr. Bush. Get out!
I encourage all who call for the immediate resignation of the current administration please do so as a comment to this posting. AND, DON'T FORGET TO DO YOUR DUTY AND VOTE ON 2 NOVEMBER.
Who really should be President?
I think that the editors of the NYTimes say it best:
Slice:
Snator John Kerry goes toward the election with a base that is built more on opposition to George W. Bush than loyalty to his own candidacy. But over the last year we have come to know Mr. Kerry as more than just an alternative to the status quo. We like what we've seen. He has qualities that could be the basis for a great chief executive, not just a modest improvement on the incumbent.
We have been impressed with Mr. Kerry's wide knowledge and clear thinking - something that became more apparent once he was reined in by that two-minute debate light. He is blessedly willing to re-evaluate decisions when conditions change. And while Mr. Kerry's service in Vietnam was first over-promoted and then over-pilloried, his entire life has been devoted to public service, from the war to a series of elected offices. He strikes us, above all, as a man with a strong moral core.
There is no denying that this race is mainly about Mr. Bush's disastrous tenure. Nearly four years ago, after the Supreme Court awarded him the presidency, Mr. Bush came into office amid popular expectation that he would acknowledge his lack of a mandate by sticking close to the center. Instead, he turned the government over to the radical right...
...The Bush White House has always given us the worst aspects of the American right without any of the advantages. We get the radical goals but not the efficient management. The Department of Education's handling of the No Child Left Behind Act has been heavily politicized and inept. The Department of Homeland Security is famous for its useless alerts and its inability to distribute antiterrorism aid according to actual threats. Without providing enough troops to properly secure Iraq, the administration has managed to so strain the resources of our armed forces that the nation is unprepared to respond to a crisis anywhere else in the world.
Mr. Kerry has the capacity to do far, far better....We look back on the past four years with hearts nearly breaking, both for the lives unnecessarily lost and for the opportunities so casually wasted. Time and again, history invited George W. Bush to play a heroic role, and time and again he chose the wrong course. We believe that with John Kerry as president, the nation will do better.
Voting for president is a leap of faith. A candidate can explain his positions in minute detail and wind up governing with a hostile Congress that refuses to let him deliver. A disaster can upend the best-laid plans. All citizens can do is mix guesswork and hope, examining what the candidates have done in the past, their apparent priorities and their general character. It's on those three grounds that we enthusiastically endorse John Kerry for president.
Slice:
Snator John Kerry goes toward the election with a base that is built more on opposition to George W. Bush than loyalty to his own candidacy. But over the last year we have come to know Mr. Kerry as more than just an alternative to the status quo. We like what we've seen. He has qualities that could be the basis for a great chief executive, not just a modest improvement on the incumbent.
We have been impressed with Mr. Kerry's wide knowledge and clear thinking - something that became more apparent once he was reined in by that two-minute debate light. He is blessedly willing to re-evaluate decisions when conditions change. And while Mr. Kerry's service in Vietnam was first over-promoted and then over-pilloried, his entire life has been devoted to public service, from the war to a series of elected offices. He strikes us, above all, as a man with a strong moral core.
There is no denying that this race is mainly about Mr. Bush's disastrous tenure. Nearly four years ago, after the Supreme Court awarded him the presidency, Mr. Bush came into office amid popular expectation that he would acknowledge his lack of a mandate by sticking close to the center. Instead, he turned the government over to the radical right...
...The Bush White House has always given us the worst aspects of the American right without any of the advantages. We get the radical goals but not the efficient management. The Department of Education's handling of the No Child Left Behind Act has been heavily politicized and inept. The Department of Homeland Security is famous for its useless alerts and its inability to distribute antiterrorism aid according to actual threats. Without providing enough troops to properly secure Iraq, the administration has managed to so strain the resources of our armed forces that the nation is unprepared to respond to a crisis anywhere else in the world.
Mr. Kerry has the capacity to do far, far better....We look back on the past four years with hearts nearly breaking, both for the lives unnecessarily lost and for the opportunities so casually wasted. Time and again, history invited George W. Bush to play a heroic role, and time and again he chose the wrong course. We believe that with John Kerry as president, the nation will do better.
Voting for president is a leap of faith. A candidate can explain his positions in minute detail and wind up governing with a hostile Congress that refuses to let him deliver. A disaster can upend the best-laid plans. All citizens can do is mix guesswork and hope, examining what the candidates have done in the past, their apparent priorities and their general character. It's on those three grounds that we enthusiastically endorse John Kerry for president.
How many graves must we dig on George W.'s watch?
This one is not by me, but an AP photog - Scary how many graves Bush has had dug on our behalf and yet manages to slip out of the label of mass murderer. How many catastrophes must one president lead us to before we take away his privledges?
Highlights in deceit by republicans - voter blocking
Not like we didn't know they did this in the first place, but here is an interesting piece from the NyTimes op ed...by Bob Herbert:
Snip:
"...Election officials in Ohio said they'd never seen such a large drive mounted to challenge voters on Election Day.
Voter suppression is a reprehensible practice. It's a bullet aimed at the very heart of democracy. But the G.O.P. evidently considers it an essential strategy in an environment with so little positive news."
Snip:
"...Election officials in Ohio said they'd never seen such a large drive mounted to challenge voters on Election Day.
Voter suppression is a reprehensible practice. It's a bullet aimed at the very heart of democracy. But the G.O.P. evidently considers it an essential strategy in an environment with so little positive news."
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Here's another interesting report on really good moms/lesbians raising good kids
Okay, so now the NYTimes is getting on the bandwagon. I happen to have two lesbian mother-in-laws - so, I do know first hand that Lesbian partners raise great kids since I married the daughter of two wonderful women. I am still mystified what people are afraid of when they say that gay people can't be great parents.
Check out this story by Susan Dominus in the NYTims Sunday Mag.
Snip:
Ry Russo-Young, a 22-year-old filmmaker and performer, has a lot to explain, starting with her name. It's Ry, just Ry, not short for Ryan, or a misspelling of Ray, or a nickname someone gave her as a child or a pretension she took on in her teens. Ry is simply a name that her mothers liked the sound of when they named her, an act of creativity as novel and yet, to their minds, as natural as the conception of Ry herself, a feat that involved the sperm of a gay man, the egg of a lesbian in love and one very clean glass syringe.
Earlier this year, over dinner at a small restaurant in the West Village, a few blocks from where she was raised, Ry was offering me a short lecture that she has been called on to deliver dozens of times, politely solving the puzzle that is her family for other people. She was explaining her name, explaining her mothers' relationship, explaining her older sister, whose name, Cade, also demands clarification. She was explaining how it is that she has no father, and when pressed further -- after all, everyone has a father -- she raised her eyebrows, dark and thick and finely shaped, just a little. ''You mean who's my sperm donor?'' she asked. I apologized -- ''father'' can be a loaded word for children of lesbian mothers -- but she shrugged it off with a small wave of her hand, her dark red nails flashing by. ''It's O.K.,'' she said. ''I'm not fussy about stuff like that...''
Check out this story by Susan Dominus in the NYTims Sunday Mag.
Snip:
Ry Russo-Young, a 22-year-old filmmaker and performer, has a lot to explain, starting with her name. It's Ry, just Ry, not short for Ryan, or a misspelling of Ray, or a nickname someone gave her as a child or a pretension she took on in her teens. Ry is simply a name that her mothers liked the sound of when they named her, an act of creativity as novel and yet, to their minds, as natural as the conception of Ry herself, a feat that involved the sperm of a gay man, the egg of a lesbian in love and one very clean glass syringe.
Earlier this year, over dinner at a small restaurant in the West Village, a few blocks from where she was raised, Ry was offering me a short lecture that she has been called on to deliver dozens of times, politely solving the puzzle that is her family for other people. She was explaining her name, explaining her mothers' relationship, explaining her older sister, whose name, Cade, also demands clarification. She was explaining how it is that she has no father, and when pressed further -- after all, everyone has a father -- she raised her eyebrows, dark and thick and finely shaped, just a little. ''You mean who's my sperm donor?'' she asked. I apologized -- ''father'' can be a loaded word for children of lesbian mothers -- but she shrugged it off with a small wave of her hand, her dark red nails flashing by. ''It's O.K.,'' she said. ''I'm not fussy about stuff like that...''
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Here's a report from earlier in the year on Bush's Military record...since the media is neglecting to report on this now
Just thought I would point this article out as we seem to have forgotten about the subject of Bush's failure in military survice and spurious allegations that he satisfactory completed his obligation.
This is from Gerald A. Lechliter copy right 2004:
Slice:
Summary -The following analysis of President Bush’s (“Bush”) military records and the controlling legal authorities shows the following beyond any reasonable doubt:
1. The pay records released by the White House this past winter prove Bush received unauthorized, i.e., fraudulent, payments for inactive duty training, even if he did show up for duty.
2. The memorandum from Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Albert C. Lloyd, who affirmed for the White House that Bush met his retention/retirement year point requirement, is an obfuscation, or outright deception, that disregarded Bush’s failure to meet the statutory and regulatory fiscal year satisfactory participation requirement.
3. Bush’s superiors in the Texas Air National Guard failed to take required regulatory actions when Bushed missed required training and failed to take his flight physical.
4. Despite seemingly laudatory comments, Bush’s May 1972 officer performance report was a clear and unmistakable indication that his performance had declined from the annual 1971 report. The report was the kiss of death before he left for Alabama that year.
5. Bush did not meet the requirements for satisfactory participation from 1972 to 1973.
end of slice -
This report may take you longer than a sound bite to read, but hey, it the conclusions are enough to prove Bush an out right devious and misleading person...is this someone you want to be leading our brave troops? I say, simply, NO!
This is from Gerald A. Lechliter copy right 2004:
Slice:
Summary -The following analysis of President Bush’s (“Bush”) military records and the controlling legal authorities shows the following beyond any reasonable doubt:
1. The pay records released by the White House this past winter prove Bush received unauthorized, i.e., fraudulent, payments for inactive duty training, even if he did show up for duty.
2. The memorandum from Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Albert C. Lloyd, who affirmed for the White House that Bush met his retention/retirement year point requirement, is an obfuscation, or outright deception, that disregarded Bush’s failure to meet the statutory and regulatory fiscal year satisfactory participation requirement.
3. Bush’s superiors in the Texas Air National Guard failed to take required regulatory actions when Bushed missed required training and failed to take his flight physical.
4. Despite seemingly laudatory comments, Bush’s May 1972 officer performance report was a clear and unmistakable indication that his performance had declined from the annual 1971 report. The report was the kiss of death before he left for Alabama that year.
5. Bush did not meet the requirements for satisfactory participation from 1972 to 1973.
end of slice -
This report may take you longer than a sound bite to read, but hey, it the conclusions are enough to prove Bush an out right devious and misleading person...is this someone you want to be leading our brave troops? I say, simply, NO!
Friday, October 22, 2004
Our president turns his back on reality
Nice op-ed article from the NYTimes today by Bob Herbert:
Snip:
...During the past year Iraq has become a major distraction from the global war on terrorism. Iraq has now become a convenient arena for jihad, which has helped Al Qaeda to recover from the setback it suffered as a result of the war in Afghanistan. With the growing phenomenon of suicide bombing, the U.S. presence in Iraq now demands more and more assets that might have otherwise been deployed against various dimensions of the global terrorist threat.."
...Dr. Gene Bolles spent two years as the chief of neurosurgery at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, which is where most of the soldiers wounded in Iraq are taken. Among his patients was Pfc. Jessica Lynch. In an interview posted this week on the Web site AlterNet.org, Dr. Bolles was asked: "What kind of cases did you treat in Landstuhl? And these were mostly kids, right?"
He said: "Well, I call them that since I'm 62 years old. And they were 18, 19, maybe 21. They all seemed young. Certainly younger than my children. As a neurosurgeon I mostly dealt with injuries to the brain, the spinal cord, or the spine itself. The injuries were all fairly horrific, anywhere from the loss of extremities, multiple extremities, to severe burns. It just goes on and on and on. ... As a doctor myself who has seen trauma throughout his career, I've never seen it to this degree. The numbers, the degree of injuries. It really kind of caught me off guard."
If you're the president and you're contemplating a war in which thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of these kinds of injuries will take place, you have an obligation to seek out the best sources of information and the wisest advice from the widest possible array of counselors. And you have an absolute obligation to exercise sound judgment based upon facts, and not simply faith.
Snip:
...During the past year Iraq has become a major distraction from the global war on terrorism. Iraq has now become a convenient arena for jihad, which has helped Al Qaeda to recover from the setback it suffered as a result of the war in Afghanistan. With the growing phenomenon of suicide bombing, the U.S. presence in Iraq now demands more and more assets that might have otherwise been deployed against various dimensions of the global terrorist threat.."
...Dr. Gene Bolles spent two years as the chief of neurosurgery at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, which is where most of the soldiers wounded in Iraq are taken. Among his patients was Pfc. Jessica Lynch. In an interview posted this week on the Web site AlterNet.org, Dr. Bolles was asked: "What kind of cases did you treat in Landstuhl? And these were mostly kids, right?"
He said: "Well, I call them that since I'm 62 years old. And they were 18, 19, maybe 21. They all seemed young. Certainly younger than my children. As a neurosurgeon I mostly dealt with injuries to the brain, the spinal cord, or the spine itself. The injuries were all fairly horrific, anywhere from the loss of extremities, multiple extremities, to severe burns. It just goes on and on and on. ... As a doctor myself who has seen trauma throughout his career, I've never seen it to this degree. The numbers, the degree of injuries. It really kind of caught me off guard."
If you're the president and you're contemplating a war in which thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of these kinds of injuries will take place, you have an obligation to seek out the best sources of information and the wisest advice from the widest possible array of counselors. And you have an absolute obligation to exercise sound judgment based upon facts, and not simply faith.
Love this video
If you haven't seen the spinmiester video clip from the RNC, you should check it out. It's all in good fun and there is actually some vid of Karl Rove - whom, is of course, on the public rolls to support Bush's covert spin ops.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Lots of people dying in Iraq's dirty litter box
Unlike the usual comic line people use when passing a cemetery, "lots of people dying to get in there," yuk, yuk, yuk...unfortunately, lots of people are dying to get out of Iraq - with our fair president's defacto draft, that seems to be the only way out of the big litter box for our service men and women:
From PFC Samuel Daniels by way of the NYTimes: "You know, a lot of people are dying around here. We got bigger things on our mind to worry about than who wants to be president."
From PFC Samuel Daniels by way of the NYTimes: "You know, a lot of people are dying around here. We got bigger things on our mind to worry about than who wants to be president."
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Gay parents have great children and straight parents can concieve gay children
This just in from the NYTimes today:
A quote from JOHN CHANE, Episcopal bishop of Washington.
"It remains puzzling to me that no one objects to my baptizing the children of gay parents, blessing their home, their car and their dog, yet I cannot bless the loving relationship which makes this family's life possible without upsetting so many of our Anglican brothers and sisters."
A quote from JOHN CHANE, Episcopal bishop of Washington.
"It remains puzzling to me that no one objects to my baptizing the children of gay parents, blessing their home, their car and their dog, yet I cannot bless the loving relationship which makes this family's life possible without upsetting so many of our Anglican brothers and sisters."
Monday, October 18, 2004
A note to Mom from my brother
This just in today from my bro. Sounds like he is getting a little homesick. I'll post the pic in the next posting.
Hi Mom,
Funny, as I type, my laptop has photos that come up and change every few seconds. Several of the pictures that come up are from the trip to .... . Nice to read your e-mail and by coincidence see photos of the very place I'm reading about. I truly enjoyed that day. Lots of good memories. While I'm thinking about it (after seeing the view from ...), I would love to take a jetski up the river. That would be a lovely/scenic ride.
Well Mom, I don't have the scenery you have, but it is neat to see the local area around here. The base seems more like a desert than it does off base. Being close to a river, the area off base is pretty green... lush in some places. Not what I expected. Then again, most of Iraq is a desert and can not be farmed. We just happened to be in a wet/green zone (see attached photo).
Not much happening here today. Getting ready to eat lunch at one of the dinning facilities. We have at least four on this base and for a change; we will hit a different one every now and then. Each facility has its good and bad points. Pretty bad when you get enjoyment just by switching dinning facilities. I guess change is good considering at times, it is a lot like Groundhog Day around here.
That is all for now. Say hello to Dad for me.
Love,
Hi Mom,
Funny, as I type, my laptop has photos that come up and change every few seconds. Several of the pictures that come up are from the trip to .... . Nice to read your e-mail and by coincidence see photos of the very place I'm reading about. I truly enjoyed that day. Lots of good memories. While I'm thinking about it (after seeing the view from ...), I would love to take a jetski up the river. That would be a lovely/scenic ride.
Well Mom, I don't have the scenery you have, but it is neat to see the local area around here. The base seems more like a desert than it does off base. Being close to a river, the area off base is pretty green... lush in some places. Not what I expected. Then again, most of Iraq is a desert and can not be farmed. We just happened to be in a wet/green zone (see attached photo).
Not much happening here today. Getting ready to eat lunch at one of the dinning facilities. We have at least four on this base and for a change; we will hit a different one every now and then. Each facility has its good and bad points. Pretty bad when you get enjoyment just by switching dinning facilities. I guess change is good considering at times, it is a lot like Groundhog Day around here.
That is all for now. Say hello to Dad for me.
Love,
Imagine the USA if Bush gets to appoint Supreme Court Justices
If this isn't a scary enough prospect to get you out to vote, take a look at this article by Adam Cohen:
Snip:
Abortion might be a crime in most states. Gay people could be thrown in prison for having sex in their homes. States might be free to become mini-theocracies, endorsing Christianity and using tax money to help spread the gospel. The Constitution might no longer protect inmates from being brutalized by prison guards. Family and medical leave and environmental protections could disappear.
It hardly sounds like a winning platform, and of course President Bush isn't openly espousing these positions. But he did say in his last campaign that his favorite Supreme Court justices were Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, and the nominations he has made to the lower courts bear that out. Justices Scalia and Thomas are often called "conservative," but that does not begin to capture their philosophies. Both vehemently reject many of the core tenets of modern constitutional law...
Snip:
Abortion might be a crime in most states. Gay people could be thrown in prison for having sex in their homes. States might be free to become mini-theocracies, endorsing Christianity and using tax money to help spread the gospel. The Constitution might no longer protect inmates from being brutalized by prison guards. Family and medical leave and environmental protections could disappear.
It hardly sounds like a winning platform, and of course President Bush isn't openly espousing these positions. But he did say in his last campaign that his favorite Supreme Court justices were Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, and the nominations he has made to the lower courts bear that out. Justices Scalia and Thomas are often called "conservative," but that does not begin to capture their philosophies. Both vehemently reject many of the core tenets of modern constitutional law...
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Interesting on the ground reports
Found this on yahoo. Thought you all would like to take a look at operation truth. They are, theoretically, supposed to be getting the word out about the real world realities of being on the ground in the big litter box called Iraq.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
More tails from the front near Baghdad
This one is from a reporter on location. Thought you would like a eyewitness account of a bomb defusement:
Snip:
Outside Baghdad, a close encounter with a roadside bomb
Marines setting out at night to engage Iraqi insurgents get waylaid by a hidden explosive and call in back up to defuse it.
By Scott Peterson | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
HASWAH, IRAQ – Attacked four nights in a row while on patrol in this hostile town, US marines rolled out late Tuesday, deliberately preparing to pick a fight.
But instead of targeting the Americans with bullets and grenades, Iraqi insurgents laid another surprise: A softly blinking blue cellphone hidden in a bush, wired and taped as a detonator, and linked to a long red detonation cord that disappeared into the cab of a burned-out oil tanker on the side of the road...
Snip:
Outside Baghdad, a close encounter with a roadside bomb
Marines setting out at night to engage Iraqi insurgents get waylaid by a hidden explosive and call in back up to defuse it.
By Scott Peterson | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
HASWAH, IRAQ – Attacked four nights in a row while on patrol in this hostile town, US marines rolled out late Tuesday, deliberately preparing to pick a fight.
But instead of targeting the Americans with bullets and grenades, Iraqi insurgents laid another surprise: A softly blinking blue cellphone hidden in a bush, wired and taped as a detonator, and linked to a long red detonation cord that disappeared into the cab of a burned-out oil tanker on the side of the road...
Monday, October 11, 2004
Quick October Update from my Bro in Baghdad
I sent a quick email to my brother in Baghdad after watching Farenheit 911 the other night on DVD. Asked him if he saw it and what he thought and also who he might be voting for in the coming election. I think that he must have already voted given that it takes a while to get the absentee ballots back to the proper US precincts...anyway, here is his reply:
I'm sure one of these days I will get to see it. As to who I'm voting for, I'll keep that to myself. I don't even tell my wife who I voted for... even if I know we voted the same. There are to things I'm not fond of talking about, politics and religion. The only thing I will say is I can't stand when the two are in bed together.
Well, today was a nice day here. Lots of sun. No rocket attacks. I did respond to an off base call. Unfortunately I can't go into much detail on it. We don't want the bad guys learning what we learned about them. Anyway, we did our job and all our customers were happy.
The local kids (our customers too) like the show as well. Afterward, two of the kids asked for chocolate. I opened one of my MREs and gave the M&Ms to them. They asked for more "chocolate," but I didn't have any more. I offered the main course (chicken something) and they made a face and wouldn't take it. They countered with "cheese." I asked "you want the cheese package?" They repeated the request "Cheese." So I gave them the cheese package. Off they went, cheese and M&Ms in hand.I got a good laugh out of their request. I think they know our MREs better than a lot of our folks.
Well, give your kids a hug and kiss for me. Putting the fact that I'm in a war zone aside, and the fact that I miss my wife and kids, I'm doing great on this end. The time is still flying by.
Take care
I'm sure one of these days I will get to see it. As to who I'm voting for, I'll keep that to myself. I don't even tell my wife who I voted for... even if I know we voted the same. There are to things I'm not fond of talking about, politics and religion. The only thing I will say is I can't stand when the two are in bed together.
Well, today was a nice day here. Lots of sun. No rocket attacks. I did respond to an off base call. Unfortunately I can't go into much detail on it. We don't want the bad guys learning what we learned about them. Anyway, we did our job and all our customers were happy.
The local kids (our customers too) like the show as well. Afterward, two of the kids asked for chocolate. I opened one of my MREs and gave the M&Ms to them. They asked for more "chocolate," but I didn't have any more. I offered the main course (chicken something) and they made a face and wouldn't take it. They countered with "cheese." I asked "you want the cheese package?" They repeated the request "Cheese." So I gave them the cheese package. Off they went, cheese and M&Ms in hand.I got a good laugh out of their request. I think they know our MREs better than a lot of our folks.
Well, give your kids a hug and kiss for me. Putting the fact that I'm in a war zone aside, and the fact that I miss my wife and kids, I'm doing great on this end. The time is still flying by.
Take care
Sunday, October 10, 2004
Wisdom from Johnny Kelly - The Elder
Found this on Joe Henderson's Web location. From Johnny Kelly - who recently passed on at 97 years young: "I don't judge success by what I once did, but by what I keep doing."
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Sad Day for Marathoning
Found out via the Boston Post, John A. Kelly "The Elder" passed away yesterday. He was 97. I met him 1986, and he was still running. A fantastic man, and a fantastic runner.
We will all miss him. See the article:
We will all miss him. See the article:
Monday, October 04, 2004
More Wisdom from Doc Sheehan
On answering the question as to whether running is a religion, Doc Sheehan has said:
"Running...a monastery-a retreat, a place to commune with God and yourself, a place for psychological and spiritual renewal."
Shut off your computer and go for a run!
Remember as Sheehan would say, "Fitness has to be fun. If it is not play, there will be no fitness. Play, you see, is the process. Fitness is merely the product."
"Running...a monastery-a retreat, a place to commune with God and yourself, a place for psychological and spiritual renewal."
Shut off your computer and go for a run!
Remember as Sheehan would say, "Fitness has to be fun. If it is not play, there will be no fitness. Play, you see, is the process. Fitness is merely the product."
Rededicating Educational Whisper
Regular visitors to this blog should notice that I have substantially paired the sucker down. I decided to bail on the election debate and the urge to publish my thoughts on the political folly that is washington dc. There are so many people writing in this genre that I was merely redundant, not insightful, nor positive.
In an effort to rededicate this blog, I pulled out most of the political nonsense and left in the postings from my brother - who incidentally, is still alive and well in the big sandbox called Iraq. In doing so, I hope to remain different enough and interesting enough to attract and keep readers and not bore them to tears by adding to the proliferating discourse on the subject of the genuine incompetence of our selected leaders.
Enjoy and blog on.
In an effort to rededicate this blog, I pulled out most of the political nonsense and left in the postings from my brother - who incidentally, is still alive and well in the big sandbox called Iraq. In doing so, I hope to remain different enough and interesting enough to attract and keep readers and not bore them to tears by adding to the proliferating discourse on the subject of the genuine incompetence of our selected leaders.
Enjoy and blog on.
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