Monday, February 08, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Friday, December 25, 2009
I woke up this morning and checked in on Huffington Post to find Christoper Dodd's rant reported by the Hill in which Dodd ripped into the Senate's newest members for "ruining the civility" of the Senate.
"Civility" of the Senate? Unless his definition of "civility" means endless bloviating by a bunch of gasbags I don't see much civility. Our government ceases to function when these guys start talking. He obviously did not like Al Franken shutting up his buddy Lie-berman when he did. I didn't hear Dodd shooting his mouth off several years ago when his other buddy McCain did the same thing during the Iraqi War "debate".
What Chris Dodd seems to forget is that the Senators and the Representatives are elected by citizens to do the business of the people; NOT to showboat in their private club. There are people hurting out here and the Senators (especially members of the GOP) don't seem to care. The GOP shut up when they wanted to go home for Christmas. They could have shut up a month ago and gone on to other business.
It appears to me that the U.S. Senate has given us nothing but endless war through the years. Our form of government, though it has seemingly worked ok through a couple of centuries, is designed basically to do nothing. Any one Senator is able to throw a screeching halt to business. I only wish that our founders had put in place a Parliamentary form of government.
If we had that form, when a party such as the Democrats, is elected with a mandate for change, change can almost immediately happen because they hold a majority in the governing body. What happened with the Democratic majority? Very little. The Democrats do not have the killer instinct that the Republican Party has developed. Do I want the Democrats to do exactly what the Republicans did for almost eight years under Bush? No, but I do believe that the Republicans need to be kicked while they are down so they don't get up again for a long, long time.
The lies the Republicans have told for over a year now are echoed by Faux News so loudly that the gullible in this country have started believing them. What happened to Truth, Justice, and the American Way? Was that just a lead in to a fifties television show, or is it what our Constitution stands for?
It is truly time for the elected Democratic officials to forget the buddy-buddy attitudes of the past and work towards helping the people of this country. Remember the old saying "you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette"? Well I is say it is time for the Democrats to start breaking some eggs and bring this country the change it voted for:
- health care for all
- worker's right to organize
- curtail influence of lobbyists
- re-regulate all financial services
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
I have a healthcare plan with a $10,000.00 deductible that pays nothing for prescriptions. The premiums are killing me.
Recently I went online to apply for a different more affordable plan. I entered all the information required and sent it off. Yesterday I received a phone call from one of Blu Cross Blue Shield "nurses" needing more information. She read off the questions that the computer spit out. She even had no idea what some of the conditions are that were referenced. Today I called back to give the additional information that was requested. I was told that it would go to underwriting and I would here something in seven to ten days.
At 4:45 pm I get an email generated by their fucking computer rejecting me. Rejected by a fucking computer. BCBS did not even have time to get my doctors files showing that I am healthy even with sleep apnea.
If the Republicans in Congress had to apply for insurance like we the citizens do, HCR would have been passes months ago.
Screw the GOP - Medicare for all NOW. No more rections by computer because we do not fit in their crappy algorithm.
Recently I went online to apply for a different more affordable plan. I entered all the information required and sent it off. Yesterday I received a phone call from one of Blu Cross Blue Shield "nurses" needing more information. She read off the questions that the computer spit out. She even had no idea what some of the conditions are that were referenced. Today I called back to give the additional information that was requested. I was told that it would go to underwriting and I would here something in seven to ten days.
At 4:45 pm I get an email generated by their fucking computer rejecting me. Rejected by a fucking computer. BCBS did not even have time to get my doctors files showing that I am healthy even with sleep apnea.
If the Republicans in Congress had to apply for insurance like we the citizens do, HCR would have been passes months ago.
Screw the GOP - Medicare for all NOW. No more rections by computer because we do not fit in their crappy algorithm.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
I have been thinking a lot about our country's obsession with "me". The me I am talking about is the concept of I've got mine, screw you. That is what is the main problem with all this health reform crap that the Republicans have been screwing up.
I firmly believe that the the Republicans have become the party of "me" and the Democrats are the party of "ours". With the Republicans it is all about money and win/lose. They think that they are the only ones that work. Remember the bumper stickers that read "on my way to work, someone has to"? Do they ever think about the woman they hire to clean their toilets, or the men they hire to mow their grass? Don't they think that those people are working as hard or harder than they are?
When did all of this selfishness start? We of the Kennedy generation accepted JFK's dream that we could do anything we wanted and that we would give back to our society to make it better. Of course, "those people" didn't like Kennedy and killed him. They killed him, but they could not kill the vision that he had. Many of us kept that dream alive and did what we could. Some of us joined the Peace Corps; others volunteered in Appalachia. But we did try to work for a better society.
Then came the bugaboo of Vietnam. It split our country down the middle. The unfortunate were drafted and sent to die in a war that should not have been. Yes, I know many volunteered because of the patriotism that is drummed into us from childhood. They still died in a war that was never supposed to be.
Did the military lie to LBJ; or did LBJ lie to us? We know now that the Vietnamese were not stupid enough to attack the U.S. Navy in small gunboats, but we did not then. Remember how Bush tried to tell us the Iranians were attacking us in "gunboats"? Luckily we did not fall for it again. I guess it was a good thing that W was to stupid to study history. He might have tried something that would have worked.
We muddled through Vietnam, got a lot of good men and women killed, but we finally pulled out. The damage was done; hatred was sewn in our society between right and left and the politicians learned how to yank our chains. The left moved forward and became "community activists" and tried to bring equality and justice to our communities. The right cannot move on they are stuck in the past. The "good ole days" that never were. Their ideal life is "Leave it to Beaver" and "Father Knows Best". Unfortunately their reality came from a glowing picture tube, not the reality of the hardships of our people.
What is our reality? The institutional government lies to us. The tell us only the evil communist governments abuse their citizens. Sure, anyone remember Kent State? Will we ever find the truth and give those dead and injured students justice?
We persevered and got Nixon out of office showing that YES, he was a crook. Then we got poor old Jerry Ford, such a team player, that he would not allow Nixon to be tried for his crimes. I am sure that Ford believed that he was bringing peace and love to the country by not trying Nixon. He screwed up royally. If Nixon had been tried, along with his henchmen we would never have had the Bush Crime Family take over our government.
Jimmy Carter came along and proved that the country could not stand having a good honest man that speaks the truth. He was abused by the rightwing as a do nothing president. We should have realized that was the beginning of the vast right wing conspiracy.
Then the right wing brought us Ronald Raygun, their god of all gods; a senile B-grade actor who could spout everything his rich boy handlers wanted to hear. That bastard was so dumb his wife had to become a ventriloquist so he could answer any questions. Because of his idiocy the moneyed boys took over. Greed became the norm. Regulation of industry? Yeah right. Worry about the environment? Nah, their mansions were big enough to have their own micro environments. They could afford bottled purified water, why should they worry about the rest of us? We were just cannon fodder and social security numbers.
PATCO strike? Perfect chance to destry the unions (and the families of the traffic controllers). Who gives a damn if the workers have enough money to send their kids to school? Why should they worry if the employees can't afford to pay their rent and buy groceries. It doesn't affect the moneyed boys. We will just hire some other schmuck for less money.
I figure "they" thought that it worked so well with PATCO they might as well try it on the other unions. The minute workers ask for a larger share of the pie, they got slapped down and became afraid to speak up for their rights. Because of that "they"began to realize that even cheaper workers could be found overseas; so "they" started having laws written that would even allow "them" to write off the costs of moving jobs overseas.
Those Americans who were not caught up in the layoffs decided that they were "smarter" and "better" that those damn union members; so they aligned with the moneyed boys, thus creating the current Republican party. The "smarter" Americans never speak out and do what they are told to do because they might lose what they have; becoming like "us". Oh, heaven forbid they look around and realize what the greed has done to our country.
Now whenever someone speaks out about helping the poor, they are labeled "socialists". I laugh when the old rightwingers scream about keeping government away from their Medicare, the most "socialist" program we have; they just prove that they were hiding behind the barn when brains were handed out. It is too bad the Republicans gutted public education in this country. At least a few of these rednecks might have read our "Declaration of Independence" and our Constitution and realized what this country is all about. We do have a history of individualism in our country, but it is not the individualism that sacrifices society.
Barack Obama, my beloved President, has his work cut out for him.
I firmly believe that the the Republicans have become the party of "me" and the Democrats are the party of "ours". With the Republicans it is all about money and win/lose. They think that they are the only ones that work. Remember the bumper stickers that read "on my way to work, someone has to"? Do they ever think about the woman they hire to clean their toilets, or the men they hire to mow their grass? Don't they think that those people are working as hard or harder than they are?
When did all of this selfishness start? We of the Kennedy generation accepted JFK's dream that we could do anything we wanted and that we would give back to our society to make it better. Of course, "those people" didn't like Kennedy and killed him. They killed him, but they could not kill the vision that he had. Many of us kept that dream alive and did what we could. Some of us joined the Peace Corps; others volunteered in Appalachia. But we did try to work for a better society.
Then came the bugaboo of Vietnam. It split our country down the middle. The unfortunate were drafted and sent to die in a war that should not have been. Yes, I know many volunteered because of the patriotism that is drummed into us from childhood. They still died in a war that was never supposed to be.
Did the military lie to LBJ; or did LBJ lie to us? We know now that the Vietnamese were not stupid enough to attack the U.S. Navy in small gunboats, but we did not then. Remember how Bush tried to tell us the Iranians were attacking us in "gunboats"? Luckily we did not fall for it again. I guess it was a good thing that W was to stupid to study history. He might have tried something that would have worked.
We muddled through Vietnam, got a lot of good men and women killed, but we finally pulled out. The damage was done; hatred was sewn in our society between right and left and the politicians learned how to yank our chains. The left moved forward and became "community activists" and tried to bring equality and justice to our communities. The right cannot move on they are stuck in the past. The "good ole days" that never were. Their ideal life is "Leave it to Beaver" and "Father Knows Best". Unfortunately their reality came from a glowing picture tube, not the reality of the hardships of our people.
What is our reality? The institutional government lies to us. The tell us only the evil communist governments abuse their citizens. Sure, anyone remember Kent State? Will we ever find the truth and give those dead and injured students justice?
We persevered and got Nixon out of office showing that YES, he was a crook. Then we got poor old Jerry Ford, such a team player, that he would not allow Nixon to be tried for his crimes. I am sure that Ford believed that he was bringing peace and love to the country by not trying Nixon. He screwed up royally. If Nixon had been tried, along with his henchmen we would never have had the Bush Crime Family take over our government.
Jimmy Carter came along and proved that the country could not stand having a good honest man that speaks the truth. He was abused by the rightwing as a do nothing president. We should have realized that was the beginning of the vast right wing conspiracy.
Then the right wing brought us Ronald Raygun, their god of all gods; a senile B-grade actor who could spout everything his rich boy handlers wanted to hear. That bastard was so dumb his wife had to become a ventriloquist so he could answer any questions. Because of his idiocy the moneyed boys took over. Greed became the norm. Regulation of industry? Yeah right. Worry about the environment? Nah, their mansions were big enough to have their own micro environments. They could afford bottled purified water, why should they worry about the rest of us? We were just cannon fodder and social security numbers.
PATCO strike? Perfect chance to destry the unions (and the families of the traffic controllers). Who gives a damn if the workers have enough money to send their kids to school? Why should they worry if the employees can't afford to pay their rent and buy groceries. It doesn't affect the moneyed boys. We will just hire some other schmuck for less money.
I figure "they" thought that it worked so well with PATCO they might as well try it on the other unions. The minute workers ask for a larger share of the pie, they got slapped down and became afraid to speak up for their rights. Because of that "they"began to realize that even cheaper workers could be found overseas; so "they" started having laws written that would even allow "them" to write off the costs of moving jobs overseas.
Those Americans who were not caught up in the layoffs decided that they were "smarter" and "better" that those damn union members; so they aligned with the moneyed boys, thus creating the current Republican party. The "smarter" Americans never speak out and do what they are told to do because they might lose what they have; becoming like "us". Oh, heaven forbid they look around and realize what the greed has done to our country.
Now whenever someone speaks out about helping the poor, they are labeled "socialists". I laugh when the old rightwingers scream about keeping government away from their Medicare, the most "socialist" program we have; they just prove that they were hiding behind the barn when brains were handed out. It is too bad the Republicans gutted public education in this country. At least a few of these rednecks might have read our "Declaration of Independence" and our Constitution and realized what this country is all about. We do have a history of individualism in our country, but it is not the individualism that sacrifices society.
Barack Obama, my beloved President, has his work cut out for him.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
From 02/02/08
McCain's endless war speech.
I think we have a definite difference between the remaining four major candidates for the presidency. The Republicans have become a joke. Both McCain and Romney are running FROM George Bush; and fighting to see who can embrace the war the most. It is very difficult to do both things.
On the Democratic side we have Obama who made the right decision when he voted against giving the Moron in Chief the power to invade Iraq; and Hillary who is now saying that she really didn't mean to vote for the invasion, she thought she was voting for something else. Come on Hillary, admit you screwed up and apologize for your vote. I think a bunch of people would forgive you for that. If you do not, the only choice for those ofus who oppose this f*cking war is to vote for Obama.
I came home the other night and was going through some of my older music. I have a vinyl album called "The Headliners" that I received for my birthday in 1960. One of the cuts is "The Battle", by Johnny Cash. I think it is very timely. Here are the lyrics (and I think John McCain should chill out):
I think sir the battle is over, and the young soldier laid down his gun; I'm tired of running for cover, I'm certain the battle is done.
For see over there where we fought them, it's quiet for they've all gone away; All left is the dead and the dying the Blue laying long side the Gray.
So you think the battle is over, and you even lay down your gun; You carelessly rise from your cover for you think the battle is done.
Now boy hit the dirt listen to me for I'm still the one in command; Get flat on the ground here beside me and lay your ear hard to the sand.
Can you hear the deafening rumble; can you feel the trembling ground? It's not just the horses and wagons that make such a deafening sound.
For every shot fired had an echo, and every man killed wanted life. There lies your friend Jim McKinney can you take the news to his wife?
No son the battle's not over; the battle has only begun. The rest of the battle will cover the part that has blackened the sun.
The fight yet to come's not with cannon; nor will the fight be hand to hand. No one will regroup the forces no charge will a general command.
The battle will rage in the bosom of mother and sweetheart and wife; Brother and sister and daughter will grieve for the rest of their lives.
Now go ahead rise from your cover be thankful that God let you live . Go fight the rest of the battle for those who gave all they could give.
I see sir the battle's not over, the battle has only begun. The rest of the battle will cover this part that has blackened the sun.
For though there's no sound of the cannon and though there's no smoke in the sky; I'm dropping the gun and the sabre and ready for battle am I.
McCain's endless war speech.
I think we have a definite difference between the remaining four major candidates for the presidency. The Republicans have become a joke. Both McCain and Romney are running FROM George Bush; and fighting to see who can embrace the war the most. It is very difficult to do both things.
On the Democratic side we have Obama who made the right decision when he voted against giving the Moron in Chief the power to invade Iraq; and Hillary who is now saying that she really didn't mean to vote for the invasion, she thought she was voting for something else. Come on Hillary, admit you screwed up and apologize for your vote. I think a bunch of people would forgive you for that. If you do not, the only choice for those ofus who oppose this f*cking war is to vote for Obama.
I came home the other night and was going through some of my older music. I have a vinyl album called "The Headliners" that I received for my birthday in 1960. One of the cuts is "The Battle", by Johnny Cash. I think it is very timely. Here are the lyrics (and I think John McCain should chill out):
I think sir the battle is over, and the young soldier laid down his gun; I'm tired of running for cover, I'm certain the battle is done.
For see over there where we fought them, it's quiet for they've all gone away; All left is the dead and the dying the Blue laying long side the Gray.
So you think the battle is over, and you even lay down your gun; You carelessly rise from your cover for you think the battle is done.
Now boy hit the dirt listen to me for I'm still the one in command; Get flat on the ground here beside me and lay your ear hard to the sand.
Can you hear the deafening rumble; can you feel the trembling ground? It's not just the horses and wagons that make such a deafening sound.
For every shot fired had an echo, and every man killed wanted life. There lies your friend Jim McKinney can you take the news to his wife?
No son the battle's not over; the battle has only begun. The rest of the battle will cover the part that has blackened the sun.
The fight yet to come's not with cannon; nor will the fight be hand to hand. No one will regroup the forces no charge will a general command.
The battle will rage in the bosom of mother and sweetheart and wife; Brother and sister and daughter will grieve for the rest of their lives.
Now go ahead rise from your cover be thankful that God let you live . Go fight the rest of the battle for those who gave all they could give.
I see sir the battle's not over, the battle has only begun. The rest of the battle will cover this part that has blackened the sun.
For though there's no sound of the cannon and though there's no smoke in the sky; I'm dropping the gun and the sabre and ready for battle am I.
From 12/30/07
Governing from a Cowards point of view.
I have been doing a lot of thinking about our moron in chief lately. The last six years have been terrible for our country. I think back on the day of the terrorist attacks in New York and one thing sticks out in my mind. Our glorious leader sitting in the classroom, petrified beyond belief with no concept of what was happening around him.
From this moment on because of his own fear he has bullied his way to show us how macho he is. His comments are always how "he is going to protect us"; and "his job is to protect the people of the United States". Wrong!
His job if he has any remembrance of the oath of office he took is to "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America".
Of course, he has never read it because it is beyond his comprehension. He and his cronies have done everything they can do to terrify the citizens of this country. Because of him the "terrorists" have won. If our country had been allowed to pursue the criminals behind the attacks, we would have used the power and intelligence we have to bring them to justice.
What did Moron & co. do? they used the attacks to justify an attack on Iraq, a country that was a pain in the ass, but at the time no problem for the U.S. Now we have a major problem with Iraq and they are clueless on how to get out.
Not only are they clueless, the are setting the stage for our continued presence. Just listen to the Republican candidates for the presidency. They are all running for president of 9/11. They have seen how the fear card has worked for the moron, and they want to keep Americans scared of their shadows.
We do not need scare mongers; we need a leader who will give courage to our citizens to stand up to fear. Did Franklin Roosevelt develop a color code to tell how afraid Americans should be during their time of crisis? Hell no! He got on the radio and told Americans that the only thing they have to fear is fear itself.
Bush's attitude is that we need to run and hide so he can "take care of us" which means simply that he will turn everything over to the corporations.
Rudy is running for "mayor" of 9/11; and Huckabee is running for president of Jesusland. What a bunch of jokers. McCain wants to be the leader of the reactionary forces of the country. Mitt lives in fantasyland. Give me a break. Is this the best the GOP can come up with.
Where are we going as a country? Backwards????
(edited 12-31-07; I shouldn't write late at night :-) )
Governing from a Cowards point of view.
I have been doing a lot of thinking about our moron in chief lately. The last six years have been terrible for our country. I think back on the day of the terrorist attacks in New York and one thing sticks out in my mind. Our glorious leader sitting in the classroom, petrified beyond belief with no concept of what was happening around him.
From this moment on because of his own fear he has bullied his way to show us how macho he is. His comments are always how "he is going to protect us"; and "his job is to protect the people of the United States". Wrong!
His job if he has any remembrance of the oath of office he took is to "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America".
Of course, he has never read it because it is beyond his comprehension. He and his cronies have done everything they can do to terrify the citizens of this country. Because of him the "terrorists" have won. If our country had been allowed to pursue the criminals behind the attacks, we would have used the power and intelligence we have to bring them to justice.
What did Moron & co. do? they used the attacks to justify an attack on Iraq, a country that was a pain in the ass, but at the time no problem for the U.S. Now we have a major problem with Iraq and they are clueless on how to get out.
Not only are they clueless, the are setting the stage for our continued presence. Just listen to the Republican candidates for the presidency. They are all running for president of 9/11. They have seen how the fear card has worked for the moron, and they want to keep Americans scared of their shadows.
We do not need scare mongers; we need a leader who will give courage to our citizens to stand up to fear. Did Franklin Roosevelt develop a color code to tell how afraid Americans should be during their time of crisis? Hell no! He got on the radio and told Americans that the only thing they have to fear is fear itself.
Bush's attitude is that we need to run and hide so he can "take care of us" which means simply that he will turn everything over to the corporations.
Rudy is running for "mayor" of 9/11; and Huckabee is running for president of Jesusland. What a bunch of jokers. McCain wants to be the leader of the reactionary forces of the country. Mitt lives in fantasyland. Give me a break. Is this the best the GOP can come up with.
Where are we going as a country? Backwards????
(edited 12-31-07; I shouldn't write late at night :-) )
From 8/26/07
Memories
In June of this year I went to a reunion of college friends. It wasn't one of those class reunions celebrating the umpteenth year of graduation, it was totally different. I will explain the background and how we all got there.I attended Sul Ross State University in little ole Alpine, Texas. Alpine is located on Hiway 90, north of the Big Bend area of Texas, almost exactly half way between Del Rio and El Paso. Alpine thinks of itself as the gateway to the Big Bend; but, so do Marathon (30 miles east on 90) as does Marfa (25 miles west on 90). Of course I guess all three have the right to be THE gateway, depending on which of the three highways you take to get to the Big Bend.In previous posts on this blog I have discussed what made Alpine and Sul Ross different from other places where I have lived, in case you care to read them look at the first posts to my blog.Anyway, in early 2006, some of the members of the Sul Ross Phi Mu Fraternity for Women decided they wanted to have a reunion, so one of the members started banging away on her keyboard, searching day and night for their lost members. As she starting bringing them back into the fold the excitement started growing. The Phi Mus wanted to bring their husbands and the husbands wanted to bring their friends. Anyway the group grew fairly large and we wound up having a reunion in San Antonio in the summer of 2006. It was such fun that everyone wanted to do it again.Having a full year to look for people, many others got into the act and we wound up finding almost 500 people (wanting to be contacted) that attended Sul Ross from the late 1960's to the mid 1970's. Many others decided that they did not want to be contacted for one reason or another. Anyway, we now claim around 500 members of the "Kickers and Cat-Daddies Baby Boomers of Sul Ross".The 2007 reunion was held at the Holiday Inn El Tropicano Hotel in San Antonio with about 300 people in attendance. I can use only one word for the get together, and that is FANTABULOUS!It made me realize just how wonderful the people were that I attended Sul Ross with. Through the years I had always wondered what my life would have been like if I could have afforded to go to one of the larger, big name, universities. At the time I thought a college was a college, but as I grew older I realized that when asked where I went to college the reaction was always Sul What????? Now I am old enough to understand that the name of the college is not important. It is what you learn there that makes your life different. It might be academics, or it just might be life experiences that make the difference.At the time we were all just trying to get through school and get on with life. We failed to understand that what we were doing then was living life, and that anything after that would never measure up. If only I had slowed down and spent more time getting to know more people and making a larger circle of friends .The years I spent there were full of important happenings in the world (1968 to 1972). The draft lottery was put in place and I remember a classmate groaning and lying prostrate on the floor when he realized his birth date was lottery number one. During that period the U.S. invaded Cambodia with the resulting killing of the students at Kent State. We placed a man on the moon. Demonstrations were held nationwide against the war. The first Earth Day was held. There was a nationwide moratorium against the war. While the world was spinning almost out of control, there we were in Alpine being touched oh so slightly by the whirlwind. I spent my four years taking care of the Lobo Wolf mascot, being a cheerleader for two years and Student Government President.I worked hard in attempting to bring the students together to work towards getting more student rights on campus. I knew everyone, yet I truly knew no one. We all had our little group of friends that we traveled with. If only I had widened that circle.When I walked into that reunion in San Antonio, and saw those "kids" I had not seen in 37 years I felt like I was in a time warp. The hair was grayer, waistlines had mostly expanded and there were some wrinkles I did not remember, but the smiles were the same, and the voices were the same. Most of all the hearts were the same, so full of love and friendship.Many of my fraternity brothers from Alpha Kappa Lambda were there and it was good to be back with them. I never realized just how much I missed all those folks from Sul Ross; and I suddenly knew that if I had gone to one of those big name schools, I would have only know between 5 and 10 people and we would never have had those sweet times in our memories.Because Alpine was stuck so far out in the middle of nowhere, we all had to pull together and because of that there is a bonding unlike anything I have ever seen.I have to relate two stories from that reunion. I know that many people have by now heard this first one. One of the guys that played football for Sul Ross when I was there, had been asked to leave the school after getting into one too many fights. Mike Flynt had always regretted that and grieved over not being able to play his senior year. During this reunion his football buddies were talking about how the team had a really bad season after he left. That is when he admitted his grief for letting the team down. One of his team mates suggested that he probably had eligibility left and he was in such great shape he should check it out. Long story short, he did check, he fas one year left to use only at Sul Ross.Mike Flynt went back to Sul Ross, tried out for the team and made it. The first game is Saturday, September1, in Seguin, Texas, against Texas Lutheran. Check the story here.The second story is about sitting down and talking to one of the fellows who was a few years older than me and several classes ahead of me... He is the one who made me realize how I should have slowed down the process of getting through school and spent more time living the moment. I knew RJ as being witty and quite the ladies man, but I did not know he was literate, eloquent and one hell of a philosopher. During our process of finding our friends through the internet we discovered that he had written a book a couple of years ago called The Coon Dog Chronicles. If you want to read a wonderful book of poems and remembrances you can order the book here.
Memories
In June of this year I went to a reunion of college friends. It wasn't one of those class reunions celebrating the umpteenth year of graduation, it was totally different. I will explain the background and how we all got there.I attended Sul Ross State University in little ole Alpine, Texas. Alpine is located on Hiway 90, north of the Big Bend area of Texas, almost exactly half way between Del Rio and El Paso. Alpine thinks of itself as the gateway to the Big Bend; but, so do Marathon (30 miles east on 90) as does Marfa (25 miles west on 90). Of course I guess all three have the right to be THE gateway, depending on which of the three highways you take to get to the Big Bend.In previous posts on this blog I have discussed what made Alpine and Sul Ross different from other places where I have lived, in case you care to read them look at the first posts to my blog.Anyway, in early 2006, some of the members of the Sul Ross Phi Mu Fraternity for Women decided they wanted to have a reunion, so one of the members started banging away on her keyboard, searching day and night for their lost members. As she starting bringing them back into the fold the excitement started growing. The Phi Mus wanted to bring their husbands and the husbands wanted to bring their friends. Anyway the group grew fairly large and we wound up having a reunion in San Antonio in the summer of 2006. It was such fun that everyone wanted to do it again.Having a full year to look for people, many others got into the act and we wound up finding almost 500 people (wanting to be contacted) that attended Sul Ross from the late 1960's to the mid 1970's. Many others decided that they did not want to be contacted for one reason or another. Anyway, we now claim around 500 members of the "Kickers and Cat-Daddies Baby Boomers of Sul Ross".The 2007 reunion was held at the Holiday Inn El Tropicano Hotel in San Antonio with about 300 people in attendance. I can use only one word for the get together, and that is FANTABULOUS!It made me realize just how wonderful the people were that I attended Sul Ross with. Through the years I had always wondered what my life would have been like if I could have afforded to go to one of the larger, big name, universities. At the time I thought a college was a college, but as I grew older I realized that when asked where I went to college the reaction was always Sul What????? Now I am old enough to understand that the name of the college is not important. It is what you learn there that makes your life different. It might be academics, or it just might be life experiences that make the difference.At the time we were all just trying to get through school and get on with life. We failed to understand that what we were doing then was living life, and that anything after that would never measure up. If only I had slowed down and spent more time getting to know more people and making a larger circle of friends .The years I spent there were full of important happenings in the world (1968 to 1972). The draft lottery was put in place and I remember a classmate groaning and lying prostrate on the floor when he realized his birth date was lottery number one. During that period the U.S. invaded Cambodia with the resulting killing of the students at Kent State. We placed a man on the moon. Demonstrations were held nationwide against the war. The first Earth Day was held. There was a nationwide moratorium against the war. While the world was spinning almost out of control, there we were in Alpine being touched oh so slightly by the whirlwind. I spent my four years taking care of the Lobo Wolf mascot, being a cheerleader for two years and Student Government President.I worked hard in attempting to bring the students together to work towards getting more student rights on campus. I knew everyone, yet I truly knew no one. We all had our little group of friends that we traveled with. If only I had widened that circle.When I walked into that reunion in San Antonio, and saw those "kids" I had not seen in 37 years I felt like I was in a time warp. The hair was grayer, waistlines had mostly expanded and there were some wrinkles I did not remember, but the smiles were the same, and the voices were the same. Most of all the hearts were the same, so full of love and friendship.Many of my fraternity brothers from Alpha Kappa Lambda were there and it was good to be back with them. I never realized just how much I missed all those folks from Sul Ross; and I suddenly knew that if I had gone to one of those big name schools, I would have only know between 5 and 10 people and we would never have had those sweet times in our memories.Because Alpine was stuck so far out in the middle of nowhere, we all had to pull together and because of that there is a bonding unlike anything I have ever seen.I have to relate two stories from that reunion. I know that many people have by now heard this first one. One of the guys that played football for Sul Ross when I was there, had been asked to leave the school after getting into one too many fights. Mike Flynt had always regretted that and grieved over not being able to play his senior year. During this reunion his football buddies were talking about how the team had a really bad season after he left. That is when he admitted his grief for letting the team down. One of his team mates suggested that he probably had eligibility left and he was in such great shape he should check it out. Long story short, he did check, he fas one year left to use only at Sul Ross.Mike Flynt went back to Sul Ross, tried out for the team and made it. The first game is Saturday, September1, in Seguin, Texas, against Texas Lutheran. Check the story here.The second story is about sitting down and talking to one of the fellows who was a few years older than me and several classes ahead of me... He is the one who made me realize how I should have slowed down the process of getting through school and spent more time living the moment. I knew RJ as being witty and quite the ladies man, but I did not know he was literate, eloquent and one hell of a philosopher. During our process of finding our friends through the internet we discovered that he had written a book a couple of years ago called The Coon Dog Chronicles. If you want to read a wonderful book of poems and remembrances you can order the book here.
From 5/19/07
Killing Hope
I have been reading William Blum's book Killing Hope for about a week now. I thought I was well versed in our interventions overseas. I now realize I know only the bare essentials of our failure to support democracy and freedom. I urge every American to read this book. You will find that the crap going on now in Iraq is just more of the same that we have been pulling for a hundred years.
Corporate America is going to destroy the freedoms that we know if we do not step in now and elect representatives who will take the power away from the corporatists/fascists. It will take grass roots efforts and fund raising through the internet.
That is why we need to keep the internet "free" and out of the total control of the corporations.
Read the book, you will freak.
Killing Hope
I have been reading William Blum's book Killing Hope for about a week now. I thought I was well versed in our interventions overseas. I now realize I know only the bare essentials of our failure to support democracy and freedom. I urge every American to read this book. You will find that the crap going on now in Iraq is just more of the same that we have been pulling for a hundred years.
Corporate America is going to destroy the freedoms that we know if we do not step in now and elect representatives who will take the power away from the corporatists/fascists. It will take grass roots efforts and fund raising through the internet.
That is why we need to keep the internet "free" and out of the total control of the corporations.
Read the book, you will freak.
From 5/15/07
One Down Robertson to go
My mother always said that if you can't say anything nice about someone not to say anything. Well I never did listen to her so here goes.
It looks like Jerry Falwell's god called him home, and I say good-riddance. If his god truly preached hatred and bigotry, we don't need him or his god. Evidently Falwell worshipped the same corporate, diamond mining, cash grabbing god that Pat Robertson worships. Maybe he will be called home soon also.
Oh, you say this is evil and I should not wish anyone death. Hell, it was Falwell who said that it was the "queers and other sodomites" that caused "God" to allow the attack on New York. It was Pat Robertson that called for the U.S. to assassinate Hugo Chavez.
Screw 'em both. They will not be missed.
P.S. I waited 20 years to dance on Nixons grave as well.
One Down Robertson to go
My mother always said that if you can't say anything nice about someone not to say anything. Well I never did listen to her so here goes.
It looks like Jerry Falwell's god called him home, and I say good-riddance. If his god truly preached hatred and bigotry, we don't need him or his god. Evidently Falwell worshipped the same corporate, diamond mining, cash grabbing god that Pat Robertson worships. Maybe he will be called home soon also.
Oh, you say this is evil and I should not wish anyone death. Hell, it was Falwell who said that it was the "queers and other sodomites" that caused "God" to allow the attack on New York. It was Pat Robertson that called for the U.S. to assassinate Hugo Chavez.
Screw 'em both. They will not be missed.
P.S. I waited 20 years to dance on Nixons grave as well.
From 5/8/07
USA frees a terrorist!
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08205245.htm
Obviously the fix is in. Georgie Porgie made sure that the truth of his father's involvement as CIA director did not come out in a trial. When is this counry going to stop lying about its involvement in international terrorism? Innocent people were killed by this murderer and we are going to let him go free.
USA frees a terrorist!
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08205245.htm
Obviously the fix is in. Georgie Porgie made sure that the truth of his father's involvement as CIA director did not come out in a trial. When is this counry going to stop lying about its involvement in international terrorism? Innocent people were killed by this murderer and we are going to let him go free.
From 2/17/07
And I Love Her
I wonder if The Beatles knew they were writing the most beautiful rhumba dance tune ever heard. When I was taking ballroom dancing several years ago the teachers put on a melody that everyone knew and we all started dancing. The tune was "And I Love Her"
I give her all my loveThat’s all I doAnd if you saw my loveYou’d love her tooI love herShe gives me ev’rythingAnd tenderlyThe kiss my lover bringsShe brings to meAnd I love herA love like oursCould never dieAs long as IHave you near meBright are the stars that shineDark is the skyI know this love of mineWill never dieAnd I love herBright are the stars that shineDark is the skyI know this love of mineWill never dieAnd I love her
I guess what got me on this was sitting around on a lazy Sunday afternoon knowing that I had chores to do, but I had my feet up listening to my ipod when the tune came on. It is one of those tunes that causes your mind to immediately harken to the past and remember when things were simpler. Most of us who remember this tune were either in high school or college at the time.
Just where does the time go? Lost loves, friends that we have no idea where they are, jobs come and go, missed opportunities, paths taken that have brought us to where we are now.
I think that we all look for "a love that will never die". Maybe we had it in the past and did not know it. Or maybe it was that love of 30 years ago that for what ever reason could not happen.
Anyway back to the tune. I have been able to find the original by the Beatles, and versions by Santo & Johnny, Jose Felciano, George Martins Orchestra, Hawaiian Guitars, Mexican guitars, and Julie London.
If anyone has a different version I would like to hear it.
And I Love Her
I wonder if The Beatles knew they were writing the most beautiful rhumba dance tune ever heard. When I was taking ballroom dancing several years ago the teachers put on a melody that everyone knew and we all started dancing. The tune was "And I Love Her"
I give her all my loveThat’s all I doAnd if you saw my loveYou’d love her tooI love herShe gives me ev’rythingAnd tenderlyThe kiss my lover bringsShe brings to meAnd I love herA love like oursCould never dieAs long as IHave you near meBright are the stars that shineDark is the skyI know this love of mineWill never dieAnd I love herBright are the stars that shineDark is the skyI know this love of mineWill never dieAnd I love her
I guess what got me on this was sitting around on a lazy Sunday afternoon knowing that I had chores to do, but I had my feet up listening to my ipod when the tune came on. It is one of those tunes that causes your mind to immediately harken to the past and remember when things were simpler. Most of us who remember this tune were either in high school or college at the time.
Just where does the time go? Lost loves, friends that we have no idea where they are, jobs come and go, missed opportunities, paths taken that have brought us to where we are now.
I think that we all look for "a love that will never die". Maybe we had it in the past and did not know it. Or maybe it was that love of 30 years ago that for what ever reason could not happen.
Anyway back to the tune. I have been able to find the original by the Beatles, and versions by Santo & Johnny, Jose Felciano, George Martins Orchestra, Hawaiian Guitars, Mexican guitars, and Julie London.
If anyone has a different version I would like to hear it.
From 2/14/07
Republicans are worthless cowards
Senate Republicans along with slimeball Lieberman are cowards and refused to debate the war in Iraq so the Gentlelady from California picked up the ball and demanded that they debate in the House of Representatives. I attempted to watch the debate on C-Span yesterday and the comments by the Republicans made me nauseous. For the life of me I could not figure out why the goobers seemed like they had no idea what has been going on for the past three years.
Today we find out thanks to Representative Steny Hoyer that the Republicans sent out a letter telling their member to avoid the issue. Now it all makes sense. They are still cowards. Check out the letter from this thinkprogress.org post:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/13/conservative-letter/
They must think that the American public does not deserve to hear a true debate about this war of choice that our moron-in-chief brought us. Daily we are hearing that the Bush administration cooked the intelligence that they used to start the war.
Now with the Scooter Libbey trial we are finding that the Dick Cheney is truly the president. One pundit said that Cheney's true wizardry is in allowing Shrub to wake up each morning still thinking that he is the president.
Tonight on the Rachel Maddow show a guest stated that everyone in the U.S. except the close members of the Bush family realize that Cheney is the president. It is time to impeach Cheney and then go after Bush.
The Democrats have to stop with these idiotic non-binding resolutions and take real action to end this national nightmare.
Republicans are worthless cowards
Senate Republicans along with slimeball Lieberman are cowards and refused to debate the war in Iraq so the Gentlelady from California picked up the ball and demanded that they debate in the House of Representatives. I attempted to watch the debate on C-Span yesterday and the comments by the Republicans made me nauseous. For the life of me I could not figure out why the goobers seemed like they had no idea what has been going on for the past three years.
Today we find out thanks to Representative Steny Hoyer that the Republicans sent out a letter telling their member to avoid the issue. Now it all makes sense. They are still cowards. Check out the letter from this thinkprogress.org post:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/13/conservative-letter/
They must think that the American public does not deserve to hear a true debate about this war of choice that our moron-in-chief brought us. Daily we are hearing that the Bush administration cooked the intelligence that they used to start the war.
Now with the Scooter Libbey trial we are finding that the Dick Cheney is truly the president. One pundit said that Cheney's true wizardry is in allowing Shrub to wake up each morning still thinking that he is the president.
Tonight on the Rachel Maddow show a guest stated that everyone in the U.S. except the close members of the Bush family realize that Cheney is the president. It is time to impeach Cheney and then go after Bush.
The Democrats have to stop with these idiotic non-binding resolutions and take real action to end this national nightmare.
From 1/15/07
Bush Is the Uniter for sure.
Yessiree, the moron is uniting the whole freaking world against us. Today the new president of Ecuador was inaugurated, and of course, the media refers to him as "leftist". What the hell?
Couldn't they just get by with saying that he is an American educated economist? (Mr. Correa received a doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois. He has been a critic of U.S.-backed free trade agreements in the region.) Hell no, they tag him with leftist so the masses in the U.S. will know that he "is not one of us".
Haven't we done enough to screw up South and Central America that we have to continue calling them names? Let's see the evil Hugo Chavez, the coca chewing Evo Morales and the madman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were on hand for young Mr. Rafael Correa's swearing in ceremony.
Isn't it funny that each of the countries represented by their leaders have something in common? What is that you say? Well, how about the CIA screwing around with their governments and people. In 1953 the CIA worked to overthrow the legally elected government of Iran, putting the Shah back in power, and you can see how well that worked out. Phillip Agee showed in his book Inside The Company how the CIA was screwing around with political parties and labor unions in Ecuador. The U.S. government/CIA backed a right-wing government in Bolivia that did everything it could to destroy popular movements. The U.S. has always been butting into Venezuelan affairs. Check out this link http://venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1403 to see how we are messing around with Venezuela now. (Thanks to Mr. Agee again, as he is quoted in the article.)
Does anyone else think that the longer the chimp stays as our president the longer it is going to take for us to be accepted by the world community again?
Bush Is the Uniter for sure.
Yessiree, the moron is uniting the whole freaking world against us. Today the new president of Ecuador was inaugurated, and of course, the media refers to him as "leftist". What the hell?
Couldn't they just get by with saying that he is an American educated economist? (Mr. Correa received a doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois. He has been a critic of U.S.-backed free trade agreements in the region.) Hell no, they tag him with leftist so the masses in the U.S. will know that he "is not one of us".
Haven't we done enough to screw up South and Central America that we have to continue calling them names? Let's see the evil Hugo Chavez, the coca chewing Evo Morales and the madman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were on hand for young Mr. Rafael Correa's swearing in ceremony.
Isn't it funny that each of the countries represented by their leaders have something in common? What is that you say? Well, how about the CIA screwing around with their governments and people. In 1953 the CIA worked to overthrow the legally elected government of Iran, putting the Shah back in power, and you can see how well that worked out. Phillip Agee showed in his book Inside The Company how the CIA was screwing around with political parties and labor unions in Ecuador. The U.S. government/CIA backed a right-wing government in Bolivia that did everything it could to destroy popular movements. The U.S. has always been butting into Venezuelan affairs. Check out this link http://venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1403 to see how we are messing around with Venezuela now. (Thanks to Mr. Agee again, as he is quoted in the article.)
Does anyone else think that the longer the chimp stays as our president the longer it is going to take for us to be accepted by the world community again?
Petulant Moronic Imbecile
Pat Oliphant is a master at condensing tons of verbiage to one image. He has done it again http://www.gocomics.com/patoliphant/. George W. Bush is nuts. A report in thinkprogress.org ( http://thinkprogress.org/2006/12/09/bush-v-harry-truman/ ) states:
Bush v. Harry Truman.
McClatchy describes Friday’s meeting between Bush and congressional leaders:
Bush began his talk by comparing himself to President Harry S Truman, who launched the Truman Doctrine to fight communism, got bogged down in the Korean War and left office unpopular.
Bush said that “in years to come they realized he was right and then his doctrine became the standard for America,” recalled Senate Majority Whip-elect Richard Durbin, D-Ill. “He’s trying to position himself in history and to justify those who continue to stand by him, saying sometimes if you’re right you’re unpopular, and be prepared for criticism.”
Durbin said he challenged Bush’s analogy, reminding him that Truman had the NATO alliance behind him and negotiated with his enemies at the United Nations. Durbin said that’s what the Iraq Study Group is recommending that Bush do now - work more with allies and negotiate with adversaries on Iraq.
Bush, Durbin said, “reacted very strongly. He got very animated in his response” and emphasized that he is “the commander in chief.”
(Via Washington Monthly) December 9, 2006 1:11 pm
Pat Oliphant is a master at condensing tons of verbiage to one image. He has done it again http://www.gocomics.com/patoliphant/. George W. Bush is nuts. A report in thinkprogress.org ( http://thinkprogress.org/2006/12/09/bush-v-harry-truman/ ) states:
Bush v. Harry Truman.
McClatchy describes Friday’s meeting between Bush and congressional leaders:
Bush began his talk by comparing himself to President Harry S Truman, who launched the Truman Doctrine to fight communism, got bogged down in the Korean War and left office unpopular.
Bush said that “in years to come they realized he was right and then his doctrine became the standard for America,” recalled Senate Majority Whip-elect Richard Durbin, D-Ill. “He’s trying to position himself in history and to justify those who continue to stand by him, saying sometimes if you’re right you’re unpopular, and be prepared for criticism.”
Durbin said he challenged Bush’s analogy, reminding him that Truman had the NATO alliance behind him and negotiated with his enemies at the United Nations. Durbin said that’s what the Iraq Study Group is recommending that Bush do now - work more with allies and negotiate with adversaries on Iraq.
Bush, Durbin said, “reacted very strongly. He got very animated in his response” and emphasized that he is “the commander in chief.”
(Via Washington Monthly) December 9, 2006 1:11 pm
From 11/04/06
Back from Cancun
My doctor recently gave me two choices: either get away from work and relax, or have a stroke. I chose the first option. Admitedly the run-up to the November election was part of what was raising my blood pressure. I have never in my years seen such a bunch of lying morons as the current crop of Republican candidates. Does the RNCC actively recruit sniveling lying suckups as their candidates? I have not seen one of them that has an I.Q. higher than that of a pissant.Anyway, I decided to go where I would be away from all the crap for 10 days, and not have to put up with Bush's lying, grinning, hyena like face. (Apologies to hyenas I mean them no disrespect.)I decided to go to Cancun because airfare from Texas is pretty cheap. After researching hotels on the internet I found that if I stayed away from the hotel strip, I could stay in Cancun fairly cheaply. I packed my bag, grabbed my trusty guidebook and took off for my adventure.It is strange walking out of the Cancun airport. You are surrounded by tiny, cramped, leased compartments manned by "travel service experts". The hotel booking service books ONLY hotels in their resort pool and the taxi services offer a private taxi for $40.00 or shuttle service for $9.00. One guess as to which I took. The interesting thing about the shuttle services is that once they get your name and destination, they immediately want to schedule another branch of their service to meet with you to sell tours.Talking about a tourist trap. Wow. I have traveled a lot, but never seen anything like this. I will give them credit for one thing. They do attempt to treat the visitor well, and at least one of the services has an ISO 9001 rating. At least everything is clean and well organized.Anyway, back to the shuttle. Because I was staying in downtown Cancun I was the last to be dropped off after traveling the length of the hotel strip. Everything looks like time shares instead of standard hotels so I am not sure what is going on. One thing I did notice is that every brand name of crappy fast food American restaurants is there. I hate that the only thing the United States exports as "culture" is crappy fast food. The other thing I hate is that the mass transit tourist goes to Cancun, stays on the strip, and thinks they went to Mexico.Ok, back to my trip to the hotel. I had picked one particular small inexpensive hotel and the driver of the shuttle kept insisting that I stay at a different hotel. I am pretty stubborn so I kept resisting. Finally he pulled out a map and showed me that the hotel I had chosed was off the beaten path, and that the hotel he suggested was on the main street, was cheaper, and was nicer. I relented and he hand delivered me to the front desk of the hotel. I was pleasantly surprised. The Hotel Colonial (C. Tulipanes 22 x Av Tulum S.M. 22 Mz. 3 Centro, telephone <01> 884-1535) is set back off the main street on one of the pedestrian walkways that cuts through to the area known as Palapa Park. It was spotlessly clean and had I think, about 30 rooms. You have a choice of a room with air conditioner, or fan, so I chose the a/c. It was only $35.00 per night so it was a dream. The room was spotless and had a bed that was more comfortable than many $150.00 per night hotels that I have stayed in. The a/c was nice and cool so I was set. The picture at the lead to this entry is of the central "lobby" which has a nice fountain and tropical garden setting. The hotel is within walking distance of several restaurants and many other shopping places. They offer tour services for those who want to sample the typical tourist adventures. Since all I wanted to do was read and rest it was perfect.Since my vacation was totally uneventful, on purpose, I would like to relate some conversations I had with another Cancun visitor I ran into.This traveler shall remain nameless because she DARED to defy the travel embargo that we have had on Cuba for decades. I will do my best to remember the highlights of her story.
She had been in Cuba for 10 days staying mostly in Havana studying the architecture of the city. She showed me photos of various areas of Havana and I was mightily impressed with the looks of the city. The United Nations has declared Havana some type of special conservatory, and has devoted millions of dollars to help restore the older buildings, many of them dating back to the Spanish Colonial era. Of course, many of the areas are newer since Cuba had a building boom right after World War II and into the 1950's. Many of the buildings that are now residences look like some of the Miami Beach hotels.Havana was home to an architectural school that turned out many famous architects, who left their impressions on the buildings they created. Buildings run the gamut from Art Moderne to Art Deco and beyond. She gave me pictures of the Edificio Bacardi that I believe was opened in the late 30's and is one of the finest samples of Art Deco construction in this hemisphere.After we discussed her purpose for being there we talked a lot about the people and their relationship to the government. As I figured everything that we hear from our government about Cuba is 99% bullshit. The people of Cuba love Americans but hate our government. That does not surprise me. The people are very protective of the revolution even though they obviously want more freedoms than they have now.One thing that our government needs to realize, is that even after Castro goes, there is no way in hell that the Miami right wing Cubans are going to be accepted in Cuba. The Miami Cubans have caused way too much havoc with their funding of various attacks through the years on Cuba. We need to get over our sucking up to Miami Cubans, and start talking to the Castro government, so that there can me a peaceful transition of power.Our embargo does very little to hurt the government of Cuba, but it deepens the poverty of the people. My new friend pointed out in her pictures all the new investment that the Europeans are putting into Cuba. There are Spanish hotels going up everywhere. Canadian, German, French, Norwegian, Polish, and Russion tourists are running around all over the island spending money. There are French and Japanese car dealerships opening. The U.S. is the only country losing out on this because of our stupid policy of sucking up to the Miami Cubans for a few votes.Cuba is no enemy of ours. We do more trading with Communist China than we should, and China is one hell of an enemy, as far as their human rights policies.She told me of a recent Cuban government program to save the country energy. The leadership decided that Cuba was spending way too much of its foreign exchange to buy fuel to burn for electricity generation. They decided that they could save lots of energy by switching to flourescent bulbs. Students were recruited to go house to house and ask the residents how many incandescent bulbs they used. Depending on the type of fixture they then TRADED OUT FLOURSCENT BULBS ONE FOR ONE FREE OF CHARGE! Now that is an energy policy. What was Cheney's energy policy? Invade Iraq and enrich the oil companies.
Who is our enemy, Cheney or Castro? I will relate more of my conversation tomorrow.
Back from Cancun
My doctor recently gave me two choices: either get away from work and relax, or have a stroke. I chose the first option. Admitedly the run-up to the November election was part of what was raising my blood pressure. I have never in my years seen such a bunch of lying morons as the current crop of Republican candidates. Does the RNCC actively recruit sniveling lying suckups as their candidates? I have not seen one of them that has an I.Q. higher than that of a pissant.Anyway, I decided to go where I would be away from all the crap for 10 days, and not have to put up with Bush's lying, grinning, hyena like face. (Apologies to hyenas I mean them no disrespect.)I decided to go to Cancun because airfare from Texas is pretty cheap. After researching hotels on the internet I found that if I stayed away from the hotel strip, I could stay in Cancun fairly cheaply. I packed my bag, grabbed my trusty guidebook and took off for my adventure.It is strange walking out of the Cancun airport. You are surrounded by tiny, cramped, leased compartments manned by "travel service experts". The hotel booking service books ONLY hotels in their resort pool and the taxi services offer a private taxi for $40.00 or shuttle service for $9.00. One guess as to which I took. The interesting thing about the shuttle services is that once they get your name and destination, they immediately want to schedule another branch of their service to meet with you to sell tours.Talking about a tourist trap. Wow. I have traveled a lot, but never seen anything like this. I will give them credit for one thing. They do attempt to treat the visitor well, and at least one of the services has an ISO 9001 rating. At least everything is clean and well organized.Anyway, back to the shuttle. Because I was staying in downtown Cancun I was the last to be dropped off after traveling the length of the hotel strip. Everything looks like time shares instead of standard hotels so I am not sure what is going on. One thing I did notice is that every brand name of crappy fast food American restaurants is there. I hate that the only thing the United States exports as "culture" is crappy fast food. The other thing I hate is that the mass transit tourist goes to Cancun, stays on the strip, and thinks they went to Mexico.Ok, back to my trip to the hotel. I had picked one particular small inexpensive hotel and the driver of the shuttle kept insisting that I stay at a different hotel. I am pretty stubborn so I kept resisting. Finally he pulled out a map and showed me that the hotel I had chosed was off the beaten path, and that the hotel he suggested was on the main street, was cheaper, and was nicer. I relented and he hand delivered me to the front desk of the hotel. I was pleasantly surprised. The Hotel Colonial (C. Tulipanes 22 x Av Tulum S.M. 22 Mz. 3 Centro, telephone <01> 884-1535) is set back off the main street on one of the pedestrian walkways that cuts through to the area known as Palapa Park. It was spotlessly clean and had I think, about 30 rooms. You have a choice of a room with air conditioner, or fan, so I chose the a/c. It was only $35.00 per night so it was a dream. The room was spotless and had a bed that was more comfortable than many $150.00 per night hotels that I have stayed in. The a/c was nice and cool so I was set. The picture at the lead to this entry is of the central "lobby" which has a nice fountain and tropical garden setting. The hotel is within walking distance of several restaurants and many other shopping places. They offer tour services for those who want to sample the typical tourist adventures. Since all I wanted to do was read and rest it was perfect.Since my vacation was totally uneventful, on purpose, I would like to relate some conversations I had with another Cancun visitor I ran into.This traveler shall remain nameless because she DARED to defy the travel embargo that we have had on Cuba for decades. I will do my best to remember the highlights of her story.
She had been in Cuba for 10 days staying mostly in Havana studying the architecture of the city. She showed me photos of various areas of Havana and I was mightily impressed with the looks of the city. The United Nations has declared Havana some type of special conservatory, and has devoted millions of dollars to help restore the older buildings, many of them dating back to the Spanish Colonial era. Of course, many of the areas are newer since Cuba had a building boom right after World War II and into the 1950's. Many of the buildings that are now residences look like some of the Miami Beach hotels.Havana was home to an architectural school that turned out many famous architects, who left their impressions on the buildings they created. Buildings run the gamut from Art Moderne to Art Deco and beyond. She gave me pictures of the Edificio Bacardi that I believe was opened in the late 30's and is one of the finest samples of Art Deco construction in this hemisphere.After we discussed her purpose for being there we talked a lot about the people and their relationship to the government. As I figured everything that we hear from our government about Cuba is 99% bullshit. The people of Cuba love Americans but hate our government. That does not surprise me. The people are very protective of the revolution even though they obviously want more freedoms than they have now.One thing that our government needs to realize, is that even after Castro goes, there is no way in hell that the Miami right wing Cubans are going to be accepted in Cuba. The Miami Cubans have caused way too much havoc with their funding of various attacks through the years on Cuba. We need to get over our sucking up to Miami Cubans, and start talking to the Castro government, so that there can me a peaceful transition of power.Our embargo does very little to hurt the government of Cuba, but it deepens the poverty of the people. My new friend pointed out in her pictures all the new investment that the Europeans are putting into Cuba. There are Spanish hotels going up everywhere. Canadian, German, French, Norwegian, Polish, and Russion tourists are running around all over the island spending money. There are French and Japanese car dealerships opening. The U.S. is the only country losing out on this because of our stupid policy of sucking up to the Miami Cubans for a few votes.Cuba is no enemy of ours. We do more trading with Communist China than we should, and China is one hell of an enemy, as far as their human rights policies.She told me of a recent Cuban government program to save the country energy. The leadership decided that Cuba was spending way too much of its foreign exchange to buy fuel to burn for electricity generation. They decided that they could save lots of energy by switching to flourescent bulbs. Students were recruited to go house to house and ask the residents how many incandescent bulbs they used. Depending on the type of fixture they then TRADED OUT FLOURSCENT BULBS ONE FOR ONE FREE OF CHARGE! Now that is an energy policy. What was Cheney's energy policy? Invade Iraq and enrich the oil companies.
Who is our enemy, Cheney or Castro? I will relate more of my conversation tomorrow.
From 10/16/06
Plans for the Bush retirement years.
There is another email flying around that I thought was pretty good, so I decided to post it tonight. There are some very good points. This was supposedly written by Bill Ferguson and appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune or the Macon, GA Telegraph (or not):
Every great career eventually comes to an end, and when you're the president of these United States, you only get eight years (at most) to accomplish everything you set out to do. Then you're an ex-president for the rest of your life. I'll bet that ex-presidents, like most retired people, find it to be something of a shock to have all that time on their hands when they leave the working world. So they find things to do. They work on their memoirs. They build libraries. They give speeches. They support their favorite charitable causes. But what about our current president? His term will be up before he knows it, and then it's back to private life. I'm afraid the transition will be especially difficult for Dubya. He is a man of action, and I worry about how he'll adjust to a life out of the spotlight.
I think that we, as a nation, owe Bush more than the customary parting gifts of an enormous pension and round-the-clock Secret Service protection when he leaves office. I think we can do better for him. I think we should put him to work, and I know just where he ought to go.
Iraq. There is no question that Iraq will be the legacy of President Bush's tenure, and there is also no doubt that there will still be a lot of work to do there when he leaves office. I believe we should allow Bush an opportunity to stick with the job even after his term expires. The next president should appoint George W. Bush to be a special envoy to Iraq and charge him with the responsibility to oversee all American interests there, advise the new Iraqi government, and maintain the morale of American troops who are carrying out the war effort. The position should be a permanent one, and he would not leave until the "hard work" of helping Iraq to establish a working democratic government has been accomplished. Or until he leaves this mortal coil.
Whichever comes first. But I do not believe Bush should go to Iraq alone. He needs some trusted advisors by his side at all times, and the first two names that mmediately spring to mind are Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld. These men have been instrumental in the planning and execution of the Iraq campaign from the beginning, and I can only imagine how much more effective their work could be if they were onsite 24/7 right where the action is, getting their hands dirty in the cause of spreading freedom to that dark corner of the world.
I know this assignment would be dangerous. The three senior freedom fighters would be huge targets for the forces of evil in Iraq, and there is a real possibility that one or more of them might meet with an untimely demise in that chaotic environment. But as Bush has reminded us time and again, the price is high but our cause is just. Freedom is not free. I expect that all three men would be ready and willing to undertake their assignments in the battle zone despite the extreme danger they would face. This would be a chance to show the world that they are willing to put their own lives, and not just the lives of others, on the line for what they know to be right. So let's start a campaign to send the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld team to Iraq in 2008. They deserve the opportunity to "finish the job" in Iraq, and I think that the sight of the three of them tooling around the streets of Baghdad in a lightly armored Humvee would do a lot to improve the morale of all Americans. Bill Ferguson is a columnist for the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph.
Personally I dig this idea and hope his retirement comes shortly after we retake the Congress and they remember the term "impeachment".
Plans for the Bush retirement years.
There is another email flying around that I thought was pretty good, so I decided to post it tonight. There are some very good points. This was supposedly written by Bill Ferguson and appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune or the Macon, GA Telegraph (or not):
Every great career eventually comes to an end, and when you're the president of these United States, you only get eight years (at most) to accomplish everything you set out to do. Then you're an ex-president for the rest of your life. I'll bet that ex-presidents, like most retired people, find it to be something of a shock to have all that time on their hands when they leave the working world. So they find things to do. They work on their memoirs. They build libraries. They give speeches. They support their favorite charitable causes. But what about our current president? His term will be up before he knows it, and then it's back to private life. I'm afraid the transition will be especially difficult for Dubya. He is a man of action, and I worry about how he'll adjust to a life out of the spotlight.
I think that we, as a nation, owe Bush more than the customary parting gifts of an enormous pension and round-the-clock Secret Service protection when he leaves office. I think we can do better for him. I think we should put him to work, and I know just where he ought to go.
Iraq. There is no question that Iraq will be the legacy of President Bush's tenure, and there is also no doubt that there will still be a lot of work to do there when he leaves office. I believe we should allow Bush an opportunity to stick with the job even after his term expires. The next president should appoint George W. Bush to be a special envoy to Iraq and charge him with the responsibility to oversee all American interests there, advise the new Iraqi government, and maintain the morale of American troops who are carrying out the war effort. The position should be a permanent one, and he would not leave until the "hard work" of helping Iraq to establish a working democratic government has been accomplished. Or until he leaves this mortal coil.
Whichever comes first. But I do not believe Bush should go to Iraq alone. He needs some trusted advisors by his side at all times, and the first two names that mmediately spring to mind are Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld. These men have been instrumental in the planning and execution of the Iraq campaign from the beginning, and I can only imagine how much more effective their work could be if they were onsite 24/7 right where the action is, getting their hands dirty in the cause of spreading freedom to that dark corner of the world.
I know this assignment would be dangerous. The three senior freedom fighters would be huge targets for the forces of evil in Iraq, and there is a real possibility that one or more of them might meet with an untimely demise in that chaotic environment. But as Bush has reminded us time and again, the price is high but our cause is just. Freedom is not free. I expect that all three men would be ready and willing to undertake their assignments in the battle zone despite the extreme danger they would face. This would be a chance to show the world that they are willing to put their own lives, and not just the lives of others, on the line for what they know to be right. So let's start a campaign to send the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld team to Iraq in 2008. They deserve the opportunity to "finish the job" in Iraq, and I think that the sight of the three of them tooling around the streets of Baghdad in a lightly armored Humvee would do a lot to improve the morale of all Americans. Bill Ferguson is a columnist for the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph.
Personally I dig this idea and hope his retirement comes shortly after we retake the Congress and they remember the term "impeachment".
From 10/06/06
A Terrible Anniversary but one that must be remembered...
Today I received my daily email from the National Security Archives.
http://www.nsarchive.org
It reminded me that we, the people of the United States of America, are harboring a terrorist wanted for acts of terror and murder.
Washington, DC, October 5, 2006 - On the 30th anniversary of the first and only mid-air bombing of a civilian airliner in the Western Hemisphere, the National Security Archive today posted on the Web new investigative records that further implicate Luis Posada Carriles in that crime of international terrorism. Among the documents posted is an annotated list of four volumes of still-secret records on Posada's career with the CIA, his acts of violence, and his suspected involvement in the bombing of Cubana flight 455 on October 6, 1976, which took the lives of all 73 people on board, many of them teenagers.
The National Security Archive, which has sought the declassification of the Posada files through the Freedom of Information Act, today called on the U.S. government to release all intelligence files on Posada. "Now is the time for the government to come clean on Posada's covert past and his involvement in international terrorism," said Peter Kornbluh, who directs the Archive's Cuba Documentation Project. "His victims, the public, and the courts have a right to know."
Posada has been in detention in El Paso, Texas, for illegal entry into the United States, but a magistrate has recommended that he be released this week because the Bush administration has not certified that he is a terrorist.
Among the documents posted today are four sworn affidavits by police officials in Trinidad and Tobago, who were the first to interrogate the two Venezuelans--Hernan Ricardo Lozano and Freddy Lugo--who were arrested for placing the bomb on flight 455. (Their statements were turned over as evidence to a special investigative commission in Barbados after the crime.) Information derived from the interrogations suggested that the first call the bombers placed after the attack was to the office of Luis Posada's security company ICI, which employed Ricardo. Ricardo claimed to have been a CIA agent (but later retracted that claim). He said that he had been paid $16,000 to sabotage the plane and that Lugo was paid $8,000.
The interrogations revealed that a tube of Colgate toothpaste had been used to disguise plastic explosives that were set off with a "pencil-type"
detonator on a timer after Ricardo and Lugo got off the plane during a stopover in Barbados. Ricardo "in his own handwriting recorded the steps to be taken before a bomb was placed in an aircraft and how a plastic bomb is detonated," deputy commissioner of police Dennis Elliott Ramdwar testified in his affidavit.
These and other documents on this case can be found on the Web site of the National Security Archive:
http://www.nsarchive.org
I urge you to read more about this. We are supposedly in a war against terrorism, yet we hide this slimeball.
A Terrible Anniversary but one that must be remembered...
Today I received my daily email from the National Security Archives.
http://www.nsarchive.org
It reminded me that we, the people of the United States of America, are harboring a terrorist wanted for acts of terror and murder.
Washington, DC, October 5, 2006 - On the 30th anniversary of the first and only mid-air bombing of a civilian airliner in the Western Hemisphere, the National Security Archive today posted on the Web new investigative records that further implicate Luis Posada Carriles in that crime of international terrorism. Among the documents posted is an annotated list of four volumes of still-secret records on Posada's career with the CIA, his acts of violence, and his suspected involvement in the bombing of Cubana flight 455 on October 6, 1976, which took the lives of all 73 people on board, many of them teenagers.
The National Security Archive, which has sought the declassification of the Posada files through the Freedom of Information Act, today called on the U.S. government to release all intelligence files on Posada. "Now is the time for the government to come clean on Posada's covert past and his involvement in international terrorism," said Peter Kornbluh, who directs the Archive's Cuba Documentation Project. "His victims, the public, and the courts have a right to know."
Posada has been in detention in El Paso, Texas, for illegal entry into the United States, but a magistrate has recommended that he be released this week because the Bush administration has not certified that he is a terrorist.
Among the documents posted today are four sworn affidavits by police officials in Trinidad and Tobago, who were the first to interrogate the two Venezuelans--Hernan Ricardo Lozano and Freddy Lugo--who were arrested for placing the bomb on flight 455. (Their statements were turned over as evidence to a special investigative commission in Barbados after the crime.) Information derived from the interrogations suggested that the first call the bombers placed after the attack was to the office of Luis Posada's security company ICI, which employed Ricardo. Ricardo claimed to have been a CIA agent (but later retracted that claim). He said that he had been paid $16,000 to sabotage the plane and that Lugo was paid $8,000.
The interrogations revealed that a tube of Colgate toothpaste had been used to disguise plastic explosives that were set off with a "pencil-type"
detonator on a timer after Ricardo and Lugo got off the plane during a stopover in Barbados. Ricardo "in his own handwriting recorded the steps to be taken before a bomb was placed in an aircraft and how a plastic bomb is detonated," deputy commissioner of police Dennis Elliott Ramdwar testified in his affidavit.
These and other documents on this case can be found on the Web site of the National Security Archive:
http://www.nsarchive.org
I urge you to read more about this. We are supposedly in a war against terrorism, yet we hide this slimeball.
From 10/02/06
Isn't it strange that the Good Ole Pedophile Party Doesn't know the difference between...
Well it looks like the family values party is really just a bunch of good ole boys that think that sexual harrassment of minors is the same as homosexuality. They "didn't want to be accused of gay bashing" for reporting Mark Foley's proclivities of leching after teen boys.
Give me a break. Are they trying to tell us they don't know the difference? Holy Crap! and THEY are running the country? No wonder the country has gone to hell in a handbasket.
I cannot wait to see how deep this scandal goes. Even the right-wing is demanding that Fatboy Hastert resign... not bad for a coverup, Denny boy!
I guess their buddies in the private prison business will be building more cells just for them. I wonder if they will get to pick out which stainless steel crappers that will be installed.
Let's see. Duke Cunningham - jail. Bob Ney convicted and going to jail. Delay on trial, hee-hee damn crook is going up the river. Mark Foley being investigated now by the FBI. It just keeps getting better and better.
Isn't it strange that the Good Ole Pedophile Party Doesn't know the difference between...
Well it looks like the family values party is really just a bunch of good ole boys that think that sexual harrassment of minors is the same as homosexuality. They "didn't want to be accused of gay bashing" for reporting Mark Foley's proclivities of leching after teen boys.
Give me a break. Are they trying to tell us they don't know the difference? Holy Crap! and THEY are running the country? No wonder the country has gone to hell in a handbasket.
I cannot wait to see how deep this scandal goes. Even the right-wing is demanding that Fatboy Hastert resign... not bad for a coverup, Denny boy!
I guess their buddies in the private prison business will be building more cells just for them. I wonder if they will get to pick out which stainless steel crappers that will be installed.
Let's see. Duke Cunningham - jail. Bob Ney convicted and going to jail. Delay on trial, hee-hee damn crook is going up the river. Mark Foley being investigated now by the FBI. It just keeps getting better and better.
From 9/29/06
Dumb Asses
First of all for those of you who did not catch Keith Olbermann's comments the other night check this out on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70wOzCkWN5g
I thought Bush was the dumbest s.o.b. around, but he has a close second with Trent Lott's latest comments:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/28/lott-iraq/
I sent the information on Trent's bullcrap to a number of people and I heard back from a few of them. My favorite reply is from one of my attorney friends "John". It is one of the best things he has written and I thought anyone reading this might like to review his thoughts:
Dear Jack,
Why does it surprise you, if it does, that these pricks say things like that. The sons of Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt served in WWI and WWII. One of Theodore's sons, Quentin, was killed while flying in France in WWI. Another was an assistant division commander in the D-Day invasion. He went in with first wave. Franklin's sons all served, but with less prominence.
Ever notice how the arm chair warriors only have daughters. That is not to ignore the women in armed forces now, but the point is that the chicken shit politicians running this and most country don't give a rat's ass about anything except the next election and staying in office. That includes a willingness to sacrifice the lives of incredibly brave and heroic young people from middle class American families.
Viet Nam never would have happened if Johnson could have found a politically acceptable way out. He couldn't stand the fire and we lost 60,000 young Americans and two million Viet Namese. All for political reasons.
I can't wait, in a perverse sense, until I hear good old bad ass George II add "peace with honor" to the other silly ass slogans he remembers through his alcohol induced intellectual haze during the Reagan years, such as "Stay the course" and so on.
Some day some one somewhere will notice that it is very difficult to distinguish one politician who is willing to send people to die for purely political reasons from another. That is what Trent Lott's comment really should be compared against. The bastards are all alike. All national level politicians have a propensity to be completely self-serving and the result is obvious.
Under what other circumstances could the so -called war on terror be considered successful when as of now more Americans have died in Iraq then on September 11th. How many sons of VPs of Halliburton are in Iraq right now on the ground in the Army carrying a gun? How do you spell zero?
That's what President Shrub's rating would be now if we had an educated thinking fair minded populace in this country now. Do you think fat boy Fallwell's kids are in the army?
I now know why, among other reasons, Cheney counldn't join the army--that dumb ass shoots his own friends because he is so careless. That crock of crap story he gave is just that. Most guys who swing a shot gun in a 270 degree arc over the heads of other hunters are promptly thrown off the ranch altogether.
Apparently good ole Dick couldn't spare time from his activities in Young Nazis'(Republican) club of Wyoming to participate in Boy Scouts and get some firearm safety training when he was a teenager. If he freaks out like he did tryiing to shoot a harmless bird think what the wuss might do if he had an AR-15(?) with a full clip and got excited.
Take care and see you soon.
Your friend,
John
Yesterday the Republican controlled Congress of the United States of America threw away the writ of habeas corpus, and made it legal for us to torture. Doesn't that make you proud as hell to be an American?
Listening to the radio today I heard a comment about a refrigerator magnet that the speaker purchased. It states "God Bless America doesn't mean God Damn Everyone Else".
Dumb Asses
First of all for those of you who did not catch Keith Olbermann's comments the other night check this out on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70wOzCkWN5g
I thought Bush was the dumbest s.o.b. around, but he has a close second with Trent Lott's latest comments:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/28/lott-iraq/
I sent the information on Trent's bullcrap to a number of people and I heard back from a few of them. My favorite reply is from one of my attorney friends "John". It is one of the best things he has written and I thought anyone reading this might like to review his thoughts:
Dear Jack,
Why does it surprise you, if it does, that these pricks say things like that. The sons of Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt served in WWI and WWII. One of Theodore's sons, Quentin, was killed while flying in France in WWI. Another was an assistant division commander in the D-Day invasion. He went in with first wave. Franklin's sons all served, but with less prominence.
Ever notice how the arm chair warriors only have daughters. That is not to ignore the women in armed forces now, but the point is that the chicken shit politicians running this and most country don't give a rat's ass about anything except the next election and staying in office. That includes a willingness to sacrifice the lives of incredibly brave and heroic young people from middle class American families.
Viet Nam never would have happened if Johnson could have found a politically acceptable way out. He couldn't stand the fire and we lost 60,000 young Americans and two million Viet Namese. All for political reasons.
I can't wait, in a perverse sense, until I hear good old bad ass George II add "peace with honor" to the other silly ass slogans he remembers through his alcohol induced intellectual haze during the Reagan years, such as "Stay the course" and so on.
Some day some one somewhere will notice that it is very difficult to distinguish one politician who is willing to send people to die for purely political reasons from another. That is what Trent Lott's comment really should be compared against. The bastards are all alike. All national level politicians have a propensity to be completely self-serving and the result is obvious.
Under what other circumstances could the so -called war on terror be considered successful when as of now more Americans have died in Iraq then on September 11th. How many sons of VPs of Halliburton are in Iraq right now on the ground in the Army carrying a gun? How do you spell zero?
That's what President Shrub's rating would be now if we had an educated thinking fair minded populace in this country now. Do you think fat boy Fallwell's kids are in the army?
I now know why, among other reasons, Cheney counldn't join the army--that dumb ass shoots his own friends because he is so careless. That crock of crap story he gave is just that. Most guys who swing a shot gun in a 270 degree arc over the heads of other hunters are promptly thrown off the ranch altogether.
Apparently good ole Dick couldn't spare time from his activities in Young Nazis'(Republican) club of Wyoming to participate in Boy Scouts and get some firearm safety training when he was a teenager. If he freaks out like he did tryiing to shoot a harmless bird think what the wuss might do if he had an AR-15(?) with a full clip and got excited.
Take care and see you soon.
Your friend,
John
Yesterday the Republican controlled Congress of the United States of America threw away the writ of habeas corpus, and made it legal for us to torture. Doesn't that make you proud as hell to be an American?
Listening to the radio today I heard a comment about a refrigerator magnet that the speaker purchased. It states "God Bless America doesn't mean God Damn Everyone Else".
From 9/28/06
Iraq Profiteering
I recently purchased five copies of Robert Greenwalds new movie Iraq For Sale to make sure that my friends see it.
Today supporters of Mr. Greenwald received an email letting us know that the film is really making waves and scaring the war profiteers. This is that email.
Dear activists, colleagues, and friends,
In the months of work on IRAQ FOR SALE, one of the most shocking and troubling discoveries was how CACI INTERNATIONAL profiteered by torturing Iraqis at Abu Ghraib. Specifically, J.P. (Jack) London, the head of CACI, took home over $22 million!
The film has former employees, military interrogators, and reporters tell this infuriating story. CACI sent us a nasty 'cease and desist' letter trying to stop word of their involvement in this obscenity from spreading.
Of course, we're not stopping anything, and put together a short film you can pass around in your emails and blogs instead. Be warned, it's about torture and not suitable for children. (or our country for that matter)
http://iraqforsale.org/video_caci.php
This story and others moved and affected people all over the country. As I went from DC to Philly, St. Louis, Denver and Portland, I was truly overwhelmed by people's response to the film and the outpouring of energy to get the word out and take action.
There is a great deal to be done NOW. Only 10 days remain until the Patriotism Over Profit week of screenings start. This is our opportunity to mobilize, activate and energize as many people as possible around the issue of profiteering. We had an impact on Wal-Mart with all our efforts, and we can do the same here.
Host a house party, buy a dvd, buy one for friends, give a dvd to a school, library or community center. But most importantly, get involved.
Buy DVDs: http://iraqforsale.org/buy.php Host Screening: http://iraqforsale.org/screenings.php
Most of the screenings listed on the website are filling up very quickly and this will only intensify, so please help make sure there are plenty of screenings available to meet the demand.
As we have learned with each film, this is an opportunity to get up in the morning and do something, not just be pissed off. And with the election only 40 days away, there has never been a better time to reach people, to make sure we help stop this obscene profiting by letting those in Washington know they can't keep protecting the profiteers who fill their campaign coffers.
We don't have Paramount or Universal Studios, and we certainly don't have Fox Studios, but we have all of you and it's worth so much more. Your energy and smarts are what have made every brave new film a success, and we turn once again to the best.
See you at a screening,
Robert Greenwald
I urge everyone to buy this movie, view it, and pass it around to everyone you know. It is very important.
Iraq Profiteering
I recently purchased five copies of Robert Greenwalds new movie Iraq For Sale to make sure that my friends see it.
Today supporters of Mr. Greenwald received an email letting us know that the film is really making waves and scaring the war profiteers. This is that email.
Dear activists, colleagues, and friends,
In the months of work on IRAQ FOR SALE, one of the most shocking and troubling discoveries was how CACI INTERNATIONAL profiteered by torturing Iraqis at Abu Ghraib. Specifically, J.P. (Jack) London, the head of CACI, took home over $22 million!
The film has former employees, military interrogators, and reporters tell this infuriating story. CACI sent us a nasty 'cease and desist' letter trying to stop word of their involvement in this obscenity from spreading.
Of course, we're not stopping anything, and put together a short film you can pass around in your emails and blogs instead. Be warned, it's about torture and not suitable for children. (or our country for that matter)
http://iraqforsale.org/video_caci.php
This story and others moved and affected people all over the country. As I went from DC to Philly, St. Louis, Denver and Portland, I was truly overwhelmed by people's response to the film and the outpouring of energy to get the word out and take action.
There is a great deal to be done NOW. Only 10 days remain until the Patriotism Over Profit week of screenings start. This is our opportunity to mobilize, activate and energize as many people as possible around the issue of profiteering. We had an impact on Wal-Mart with all our efforts, and we can do the same here.
Host a house party, buy a dvd, buy one for friends, give a dvd to a school, library or community center. But most importantly, get involved.
Buy DVDs: http://iraqforsale.org/buy.php Host Screening: http://iraqforsale.org/screenings.php
Most of the screenings listed on the website are filling up very quickly and this will only intensify, so please help make sure there are plenty of screenings available to meet the demand.
As we have learned with each film, this is an opportunity to get up in the morning and do something, not just be pissed off. And with the election only 40 days away, there has never been a better time to reach people, to make sure we help stop this obscene profiting by letting those in Washington know they can't keep protecting the profiteers who fill their campaign coffers.
We don't have Paramount or Universal Studios, and we certainly don't have Fox Studios, but we have all of you and it's worth so much more. Your energy and smarts are what have made every brave new film a success, and we turn once again to the best.
See you at a screening,
Robert Greenwald
I urge everyone to buy this movie, view it, and pass it around to everyone you know. It is very important.
From Thursday 9/21/06
Nancy calls Hugo a thug
Can someone please tell me why Nancy Pelosi and Charlie Rangel are coming to Bush's defence? Why can't Democrats focus on issues that concern the American people and work to kick the hell out of the Republicans in November.
Every time I turn around the Democrats are floating new slogans as trial balloons to see if it gets anyones attention. Hell Paul Hackett came back from Iraq, ran for office and called Bush an idiot and people responded. A young Democratic congressman by the name of Ryan was raising hell on the floor of the House today about the cost in lives and treasure of this stupid Iraqi war. Why wasn't Pelosi in the floor backing him up? Where the hell is Harry Reid? Why isn't he raising hell in the Senate. Does everything have to fall back on the shoulders of Teddy Kennedy?
Where are the firebrands of the Democratic Party? How are we going to take back the Congress if everyone is hiding behind the trees waiting for the latest poll to come out? Does Murtha have to carry the load? If he does why the hell isn't he the minority leader?
Bush gives his standard 9/11 stump speech in which he threatens the world and Chavez is a thug. How many countries has Chavez invaded on the basis of lies? Hmmmm, makes me wonder if we will take back Congress or not.
Tags: Edit Tags
Thursday September 21, 2006 - 08:11pm (CDT) Edit Delete
Nancy calls Hugo a thug
Can someone please tell me why Nancy Pelosi and Charlie Rangel are coming to Bush's defence? Why can't Democrats focus on issues that concern the American people and work to kick the hell out of the Republicans in November.
Every time I turn around the Democrats are floating new slogans as trial balloons to see if it gets anyones attention. Hell Paul Hackett came back from Iraq, ran for office and called Bush an idiot and people responded. A young Democratic congressman by the name of Ryan was raising hell on the floor of the House today about the cost in lives and treasure of this stupid Iraqi war. Why wasn't Pelosi in the floor backing him up? Where the hell is Harry Reid? Why isn't he raising hell in the Senate. Does everything have to fall back on the shoulders of Teddy Kennedy?
Where are the firebrands of the Democratic Party? How are we going to take back the Congress if everyone is hiding behind the trees waiting for the latest poll to come out? Does Murtha have to carry the load? If he does why the hell isn't he the minority leader?
Bush gives his standard 9/11 stump speech in which he threatens the world and Chavez is a thug. How many countries has Chavez invaded on the basis of lies? Hmmmm, makes me wonder if we will take back Congress or not.
Tags: Edit Tags
Thursday September 21, 2006 - 08:11pm (CDT) Edit Delete
Perhaps you have seen this email.
I take no credit for this. It appeared in my inbox today and I thought it was too good to pass up. Seems that it was supposedly written by someones grandmother. If so, I want to meet that lady.
Another one from my grandmother (age 94 and previously life-long republican). go granny go!
Some of you may not like this - too bad.!!!What You Need To Believe To Be A Republican 1. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton. 2. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion. 3. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.4. The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.5 A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.6. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay. 7. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.8. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.9. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing health care to all Americans is socialism. HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart. 10. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools. 11. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy. 12. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.13. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business. 14. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery. 15. Supporting "Executive Privilege" for every Republican ever born, who will be born or who might be born (in perpetuity.) 16. What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.17. Support for hunters who shoot their friends and blame them for wearing orange vests similar to those worn by the quail. If you don't send it to at least 10 other people, we're likely to be stuck with more Republicans in '06 and '08. Friends don't let friends vote Republican.
I take no credit for this. It appeared in my inbox today and I thought it was too good to pass up. Seems that it was supposedly written by someones grandmother. If so, I want to meet that lady.
Another one from my grandmother (age 94 and previously life-long republican). go granny go!
Some of you may not like this - too bad.!!!What You Need To Believe To Be A Republican 1. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton. 2. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion. 3. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.4. The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.5 A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.6. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay. 7. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.8. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.9. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing health care to all Americans is socialism. HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart. 10. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools. 11. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy. 12. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.13. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business. 14. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery. 15. Supporting "Executive Privilege" for every Republican ever born, who will be born or who might be born (in perpetuity.) 16. What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.17. Support for hunters who shoot their friends and blame them for wearing orange vests similar to those worn by the quail. If you don't send it to at least 10 other people, we're likely to be stuck with more Republicans in '06 and '08. Friends don't let friends vote Republican.
Entry for September 17, 2006
Sometimes I think the most productive thing I do is clean the catbox.
It is much like looking into the political mindset of the Republican Party. You see it is simple. You take a scoop and start shuffling around all the bits of clay which are the things that the Republicans say outright. Once you sift enough of their worthless comments (the dry bits of clay) you get to the things they truly mean ... you know the stinky turds of Rethuglican laws ;such as the tax cuts for the rich and tax breaks for the oil companies. I think we need to have a major catbox cleaning come November. We will have to have very big scoops, but I think if we all get together we can clean the turds out of Washington
Sometimes I think the most productive thing I do is clean the catbox.
It is much like looking into the political mindset of the Republican Party. You see it is simple. You take a scoop and start shuffling around all the bits of clay which are the things that the Republicans say outright. Once you sift enough of their worthless comments (the dry bits of clay) you get to the things they truly mean ... you know the stinky turds of Rethuglican laws ;such as the tax cuts for the rich and tax breaks for the oil companies. I think we need to have a major catbox cleaning come November. We will have to have very big scoops, but I think if we all get together we can clean the turds out of Washington
Why I Hate Bush, Neocons and Democrat Enablers (pt 2)
I am not clinically qualified to diagnose our current President as a certified Moron. However, if he walks like a moron, talks like a moron, and looks like he was separated at birth from Alfred E. Newman, I will assume he is a moron. For further analysis of the man’s personal problems I urge you to read Bush On the Couch – Inside the Mind of the President by Justin A. Frank, M.D., ( http://www.powells.com/biblio/7-0060736712-1 ) you will be asking yourself how this country "chose a “leader” so poorly equipped for the role of leader of our country and the free world".
It is obvious that the man’s policies are moronic. He has bankrupted our nation both economically and morally. Our infrastructure was crumbling when he took over and his tax policies are making it impossible for our cities to rebuild. He lied us into a war to prove his penis is bigger than his fathers and now the moron has no idea how to get us out.
It is a reasonable question to ask why I detest this man so much, so I will answer it now before I proceed. This buffoon is the progeny of one of the country’s ruling class families dating back to the early 1900’s. It is not his family’s position that pisses me off, that is just the chance meeting of lucky sperm and ovum. My reasons for detesting little Georgie and his whole family are because of what they have done with their money and position. Have these members of the noblesse “non” oblige done anything with their money and position to help their country or its people? No. They have spent their lives and careers sucking up money like vacuum cleaners lining their own pockets and those of their closest compadres with as much money as they can carry. They have used their position and connections in and out of government to wheel and deal and grab as much cash as they can wherever they can. Volumes have been written on the history of the Bush clan’s dealings with Nazi Germany and other choice cultures. The reader can do his own Google or Yahoo search to find more reading material there. Georgie’s brother Neal was involved with the looting of the Silverado Savings and Loan back in the glorious days of the Savings and Loan debacle of the 1980’s. Lots of good reading there. Just recently with the Katrina disaster, stories are swirling around brother Jeb’s lobbying for Carnival Cruise Lines big contracts to put cruise ships under fat overpaid FEMA contracts for temporary housing for emergency workers.
Look at Shrub’s history himself, the boy was given the chance at a great education. What did he do? Pissed it off. Went to the best schools in the country and partied. After his school days every time he tried a business deal it fell through and his daddy’s buddies had to bail him out. Yet, he really thinks he got to where he is because of his own hard work. What a putz.
I, like millions of other people in this country do not have “daddy’s buddies” to bail us out on a daily basis. We have to work long hours on a daily basis to make our businesses succeed and to make our payrolls. We have employees who depend on us to make proper decisions. If we make the wrong decisions not only do we suffer, but others who depend on us suffer. Daily I get up, shower, go to breakfast, and go to work realizing that everything I do makes the difference not only in my life but in the lives of 18 other people. Those people being my employees and their families. I work hard to pay my employees well over minimum wage. They are worth it. Without them my business would not succeed. We are a team. If I screw up and make the wrong decisions I cannot stand up in front of a press conference, giggle and pretend that what I did never happened. I have to face my employees. This fucking moron has had to face no one for his blundering idiocy that has cost the lives of over 2500 young men and women and is bankrupting the country. That is why I hate the man, his compadres, and his neocon policies.
What has our media been doing while all of this has been going on? Playing tiddly winks and “finding the missing white woman”. No, Cute Katie, your finest bit of journalism was not the expose on the runaway bride. Who gives a rat’s ass about some spoiled broad who got cold feet?
JEEZ! America! Get real people! Get a clue. Yes, I am sorry that your beautiful 18 year old daughter is missing and probably dead. It is tragic and I feel your loss, but goddamnit don’t let her go to a foreign country on a school outing, and if she does, teach her to have enough common sense not to get in a car with people she doesn’t even know. Holy shit, have we as Americans lost all of our brain power?
By the way, all you women who are living with abusive men, when he hits you the first time, call the police. Do not wait. If he is cheating on you, move out. Don’t wait because if he is violent, he probably will kill you and you won’t be able to see yourself on television. Oh, and sorry, because the networks are ratings driven, if you aren’t white and beautiful you won’t make the news anyway, so take your kids if you have any, and get out while you can. You do not have to have a man to survive.
Face it, the main stream media sucks. If there ever was a reason to bring back the Fairness Doctrine, Fox News is it. Growing up, my parents taught me that if I told a lie I would get my butt beat. Obviously Roger Ailes searched the country and found the people whose parents did not believe in corporal punishment… either that or they flat out rewarded their punk children for lying. That probably is it. They more than likely helped their rich old man cover up all the illicit affairs he was having. Fits in with their pattern of lies today.
We do not need to fear Avian Flu nearly as much as we need to fear Faux Flu; and I am afraid the pandemic has spread quickly through CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, and I am afraid the symptoms have been seen at CBS. We must find an effective vaccine. The anti-virus called “internet blogging” has shown much promise and probably will prove to be a major factor in the defeat of the illness.
But I digress…
I must get back to our Moron-in-Chief. If any one is interested in how truly conflicted the guy is read Maureen Dowd’s Bushworld. ( http://www.powells.com/biblio/17-0425202763-0 ) She has gone to great lengths (excuse the pun) to show how Bush the lesser has always attempted to measure his manhood against that of his father.
I was truly shocked when this packaged nincompoop ran against and beat Ann Richards, one of the best governors Texas ever had. When that happened I knew that the propaganda machine was running full blast and was afraid of what was next. When the Republicans packaged this fool as a “Compassionate Conservative” I figured we were all in trouble because he was neither. (Hey fool, just how macho did you feel when you signed all those death warrants in Texas? Didn’t you have a great time making fun of that woman you had executed? Did it feel as good as when you blew up those frogs with fire crackers when you were a kid?)
I never could figure out why they picked this dimwit instead of his brother Jeb, who at least can speak a complete sentence. (Oh, maybe I just did figure it out. Jeb was smart enough to tell that the lies they were feeding him would not work as policy.)
This guy grew up in a bubble. He never questioned anything. He never traveled anywhere. He never wanted to know anything. How on earth did this guy fool voters into believing he could be Presidential material? For over two hundred years we have elected men that at least have led men on the field of battle, have been intellectual leaders, or at least have held elected political office long enough to know how government works. This guy cannot even open a door without his nanny. He has surrounded himself with caretaker women because his mother didn’t even like him. He has admitted to being a drunk. He was a failure in every business enterprise he tried. How did he fool the voters? Are the American voters that suckered by advertising?
So, anyway, there we were in 2000 having an election with Bubble Boy Bush running for President and Vice President Gore running away from Bill Clinton. Lo and behold the American voters didn’t know what they wanted and were split down the middle. It came down to a confused ballot in Florida and the Republicans sent in a bunch of people yelling stop the counting! (Funny how they didn’t want the votes counted in Florida in 2000 but it is real important to them to count the votes in Iraq now.) So they pushed the issue to the Supreme Court and Bubble Boy’s daddy’s judge’s appointed him president. It seems like that would have gotten him over being pissed at daddy, but probably just made him madder because he could not do it on his own.
Of course, the boy never could do anything on his own. Just look at the oil company failures, the baseball deal and everything else he has failed at. You know the kid has to see “LOSER” on his forehead every time he looks in the mirror to shave.
Ok, so Bubble Boy is sworn in and it looks like the Republic might survive another big mistake. The one day the moron goes down to Florida for some photo ops and to read a book about a pet goat… the rest, as they say, is history.
No, I do not believe the conspiracy theory that Bubble Boy knew that the Saudis were going to attack us, but I do believe that he and his neocon buddies used the attack as an excuse to implement some of the most idiotic pieces ever imposed on the citizens of our country that would not have been passed in other times. His war on terror has been nothing but a war of propaganda on the citizens of this country. He and the neocons went into office looking for any excuse to attack Iraq. The 9-11 attacks were their excuse.
(Again I urge you to do some investigating for yourself. Check out http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2023320890224991194&q=loose+change+v... and http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8260059923762628848&q=loose+change+v... )
For some reason the neocons think that our democracy can be exported and implemented from above. What a bunch of idiots. John Adams said that our country can be an example for others to follow but we cannot attempt to force others to follow our example. Perhaps if Bubble Boy had paid attention in those expensive schools that his parents spent all that money on, he would have realized that our democracy is rooted in the Magna Carta dating back to 1519. (No Frat Boy, that has nothing to do with Carta Blanca).
For those idiots to lie us into a war to topple Saddam Hussein to install “democracy” in a society that has absolutely to tradition of self rule is fantasy.
This is another example of American soldiers dying to clean up another of our foreign policy screw-ups. Saddam was our tyrant for two decades. We armed him, we supplied him with everything he needed to fight the Iranians to keep his war going for 20 years, Donald Rumsfield even flew to Baghdad to pat him on the head and tell him what a good boy he was. Why do we allow our so-called “elected” leaders to go crap on all these sidewalks of the world then send our 19 year olds to die when we have to clean up their messes?
Since our Moron-in-Chief didn’t pay any more attention in American History than he did in World History, I am sure he would not remember that the British didn’t just decide one day to give us our independence. We had what Bubble Boy would call a “rev-oh-looshn”. That means we had to want our democracy enough that we had to fight the army that was “occupying” our country. Hey boy! Is that starting to ring a bell?
You see part of this mess we are cleaning up dates back to 1953 when Iran actually had a democratically elected government. Now, I’ll bet Bubble Boy never knew that and I’ll bet even more that the neocons never told him because even a moron might ask what happened. What did happen, you might ask? Well, seems that the DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRIME MINISTER named Mohammed Mossadeq decided that the oil companies that were sucking the oil out of Iran needed to pay Iran a fair price for the oil they were getting instead of the pittance that they had been paying. Ha! He actually thought that because he was the DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED head of state of a sovereign nation that he could do that. What a joke. The CIA decided that it would be better to have one of those buy-me-off kinds of governments instead of a democratically elected government. So, sure enough, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi suddenly was installed on the throne of Iran. Yeah, Shah of Iran sure had a much nicer ring to it than democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran. Fits the area better. At least the oil companies thought so. The people of Iran sure did not think so. They got all pissed off and started organizing. So of course the Shah and his CIA handlers claimed that everyone that opposed him were Communists! Oh heavens to Betsy. Of course the red blooded American Congress could not have Communists bothering our handpicked dictator, so we armed the Shah and told him to start kicking some Communist ass. The CIA and American forces trained the Shah’s secret police, the SAVAK, to spy on and torture the Iranian people which of course made the Shah even more popular with the Iranians. This went on for several years with no one except the religious leaders standing up to the Shah, which brings our old friend Ayatollah Khomeini into the picture; which really got everybody stirred up. So you see how we crapped on the Iranians sidewalk too. If we had just left their damn DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT ALONE we would have paid a little more for gasoline, oil company shareholders would have had fewer dividends but we would have had a damn peaceful middle east.
Hey Bubble Boy did they tell you those plans they showed you were NEW? Sound familiar now? Think it sounds like Déjà vu? Not as easy this time was it? I hope you are not getting bananas and nukes confused next.
The CIA was pretty proud of itself with its first successful overthrow of a foreign government and was obviously itching to do it again. In 1954 the DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF GUATAMALA Jacobo Arbenz created an agrarian reform program in which unworked land would be expropriated at the VALUE ON THE GOVERNMENT TAX ROLLS and given to landless peasants. It seems that for years the United Fruit Company had rendered the value of their land in Guatemala at only $2.99 per acre, which is what the Guatemalan government offered them. (Seems like a fair offer to me since they had been screwing the government out of taxes for like 80 years or so.) However the United Fruit Company got all pissed off, went crying to John Foster Dulles, the US Secretary of State (whose brother Allen was the Director of the CIA) whining about how they were having their land stolen, and it gave the CIA another chance. Of course, the U. S. government claims that all the trouble is caused by Communists! The CIA sets about setting up another covert army killing hundreds of civilians and overthrowing another DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT under the guise of saving the people from themselves. (Isn’t it getting a little confusing by now that whenever the workers and poor people are about to get helped that the U.S. government starts screaming about Communists?)
When Jacobo Arbenz resigned and was forced to leave the country we established one of the most ruthless dictatorships in Central America. The U.S. has kept it armed for decades and has said nothing throughout its continuing efforts to eradicate the indigenous peoples of Guatemala, especially since it was under the guise of fighting communism.
Leave it to the CIA to cover their tracks while they are doing their deeds though. Everybody knows they are doing it but truth takes a while to come out. They can usually pay some whores to help cover up what they are doing. One of their biggest whores was the dictator of Nicaragua, Anastasio Somoza, which the U. S. had been propping up since setting him up in 1936. Somoza conveniently sent in some troops to help overthrow the “socialist” Arbenz as a thank you to his CIA puppet masters.
Just how many times have we armed the rich families in Central America against the poor? Let’s see. Remember when Reagan and his henchmen traded drugs for arms and the CIA created the Contras to kill teachers and farmers in Nicaragua? Never did the Contra “army” attack the Sandinista army. They attacked farming cooperatives, health care clinics, schools, and power supplies. They were “terrorists” that we funded in an effort to destabilize a government that we did not like because they were helping the poor people of Nicaragua. What did the Sandinistas do? They overthrew a bloodthirsty dictatorship that had enslaved the peasants and refused to liberalize the agrarian laws of Nicaragua. They nationalized unused land and gave it to peasants. They instituted literacy programs and healthcare programs nationwide. These are the targets that the brave Contras attacked. The Contras were so ineffective the CIA had to use their own pilots to bomb and mine the Nicaraguan harbors. What chutzpah we have. We do this to a country that we have not even declared war against. We should be very proud of our support of these “terrists”, oh, excuse me freedom fighters against Communists.
Let us not forget the wonderful government in El Salvador that we supported not only with arms, but with forged CIA documents in an effort to link the FMLN (the Salvadoran Rebels) with the evil Sandinistas that were planted in Salvadoran newspapers. By this time we were experts in funding propaganda in local newspapers. Unfortunately it keeps getting picked up and printed in U.S. newspapers because U.S. reporters are too lazy to do their own reporting. Seems that the death squads that the CIA funded got a little carried away and raped and killed some American nuns. (Kind of makes me think back to when I was working on that boat when I thought it was the Communists that did that sort of thing.) That got to be a little much even for the U.S Congress to stomach so we had to back off their funding for awhile. At least until the media forgot about it and the gory pictures of the nuns bodies disappeared from our collective memory. I guess that took about two weeks. We did not even care about the rotting bodies of the hundreds of Salvadorans that the death squads dumped on the garbage heaps daily in an effort to quell the rebellion. We even ignored it when Archbishop Oscar Romero was gunned down while giving a mass in which he called for the oligarchy of El Salvador to stop killing its own people.
Guess who the U.S. Ambassador to Honduras was when this was going on. John Negroponte! His job was to co-ordinate all the funding and supplies for the contras. Journalists at the time found that he also was involved with supplying the DEATH SQUADS. Yes, the same guy that has shown up being appointed to all those great jobs in Iraq, and is now in charge of intelligence for Homeland Security. Isn’t it great how these guys keep popping up like bad nickels? Is it just coincidence that suddenly there are death squads in Iraq with bodies showing up on garbage dumps? Isn’t it strange that just recently Iraqi officials discovered that death squads have been operating out of the Interior and Justice Ministries? Wonder how that happened?
Yep, we should be real proud of our history of supporting democracy.
We are in all this mess because we put the welfare of the multinational corporations before the welfare of the people. That is because the bastards own our government. Look at this shit with Cheney and Halliburton. No bid contracts on everything and when whistleblowers start hollering they get fired. That is bullshit. If my little company wants a job with the government I have to bid on any five dollar pissant spec they have. Who blew Cheney to get that deal?
The only problem with our government is the people in charge of our government. Some of my best friends are Republicans but I would not want my sister to marry one, and I sure do not want them in charge of government. You see, they think that government cannot work, so the first thing they do is hire more people that think like them, who hire more people that think like them, and so on, then everyone is pulling down fat salaries for doing nothing and, voila, government does not work. For example, the major fuck-up that was Katrina. You know, “you’re do’in a heckuva job, Brownie!”
Now, if you remember, Bubble Boy was going to bring, hold on, I am about to choke on laughter here, COMPETENCE, RESPONSIBILITY, and MORALITY back to the White House after the “immoral irresponsible” prosperity ridden eight years of the Clinton White House. Funny how I don’t remember bodies floating in any American cities during Clinton’s tenure. I also don’t remember efforts being organized in the Vice Presidents office to betray covert agents’ identities. Funny how cabinet members from Bubble Boy’s own first term are blowing the whistle on his idiocy and members of his father’s administration are trying to stop the idiocy of the neocons running the show in this Moronic Administration.
No one has had to take any responsibility for any of the disasters that have taken place under this man’s watch – no one! Nada. Zilch. Zero. No one has walked the plank. No one has had stripes ripped off his uniform. We have had several jackasses get the Medal of “Me-no-tell-u-no-tell”.
At least there is one Republican with honor left in this country, Patrick Fitzgerald. He has honored the country by running his office of special council properly. He has told his staff and grand jurors that if they leak information they will be prosecuted like those they are investigating. This man is a patriot. Perhaps he will get to the truth at the bottom of the bubble.
Where are all the Democrats during all of this? Other than the old bear Teddy Kennedy, John Murtha and Russ Feingold I have no idea. All I see is fund raising appeals.
Who is Harry Reid and why is he bothering me for money? He sure as hell has not stood up for any of my values. Where was he when this son of a bitch sent these kids to war? Where was Harry Reid when the Republicans gutted the attempt to raise the minimum wage? Teddy was there raising hell, was Harry? Where the hell was Hillary during all of this? I sure as hell hope she doesn’t plan to run for President in 2008. If she hasn’t stood up for us during all this crap she sure as hell won’t be worth a damn then. I am sure disappointed in that woman. She is the one person with the national recognition that could have put the brakes on this crap and she did not do it. She wasn’t even visible. She sure has not shown the courage of Cindy Sheehan. Now that is one woman with more cojones than most men. We need that little lady to run for public office. We had Paul Hacket running for Senate in Ohio until some Democratic Party hacks stabbed him in the back. That young man stepped off the plane fresh from Iraq and ran a race against a Republican hack in an area of Ohio that has never gone Democratic and came within 1.5% of winning. How did he do it? He stood up to the idiocy of the Bubble Boy and called Bush a stupid son-of-a-bitch and the people responded. The working people of this country know he is a stupid son-of-a-bitch and they will get behind anyone who is brave enough to stand up and speak out. It is time to stop being a bunch of lily livered wussy whipped pc media whores and speak the truth to the American people. WE need political leaders who know what is going on and can lead. We don’t need stupid pretty boys that are run by staff. We need people that can think on their feet like Wes Clark, who have been in leadership positions and have faced fire and can take fire and give it back. We need new people, not the same old song and dances that we are tired of.
The Democratic Party must rebuild itself to again represent the working people and small business of this country. We must have a plan to create jobs for everyone in this country that wants a job.
If it takes another Works Progress Administration, so be it. It worked once, why can it not work again? We have too many people on welfare with no hope. Give people hope. No more no bid contracts for Halliburton. Give the no bid contracts to government agencies to hire people so that the money goes to the people. The people buy food, clothes, cars, consumer goods. Screw Halliburton, they can find their own work. No more contracts to corporations who hide their offices offshore and pay no taxes on income. There are too many law abiding companies in this country who do pay taxes here that can do the same work as these scofflaws. Give the work to small business that will treat their employees fairly.
Rebuild the infrastructure of our country, rebuild our cities. Put money into circulation in our cities and small businesses. The multinationals will take care of themselves. With our cities rebuilding the tax bases will come alive again. Schools can reopen and we can educate our children again.
Roll back the Bush tax cuts. Pay down the massive debts his idiocy has built up; make our country a place where people are no longer afraid to invest. Republicans are supposed to be such great business people. None of them run their businesses the way they have screwed up our country. If they did they would be fired or would go bankrupt. They just would not have the taxpayers to bail them out. Put the inheritance tax back in place. That is the one thing that kept our country from being another oligarchy like Mexico or some other Central American Country. We do not need all the money in this country ending up in the hands of ten families. It is bad enough that the Walton family thinks it is their right to put everybody out of business as it is. Bringing it back affects only the richest of the rich and they will still have enough money after they fork over a few million. How much money do they really have to have anyway?
The Democratic Party must bring forth a plan to instill the concept of public service to the country. John Kennedy first gave us the idea, it is our party’s heritage. We must push the idea again. For our country to be strong again we must know what it means to be Americans again. It means that along with all these rights we have we have responsibilities to give back to our country.
Now for those young Americans who agree to give back, we have to make them a deal – a free college education. Whether it is academic or trade school, no matter which. That is right, free. For those that agree to give two years of public service with a written contract, they get two years of college; four year written contract, four years of college, and a six year contract, six years of college. This can be military service, teaching in rural or inner city, or other public service. Details can be worked out. It is a fair deal. Remember, FREE, none of these bogus loan programs, we have allowed colleges to price themselves out of the range of the average American student’s ability to pay; and we seriously wonder why the world is kicking our collective ass on test scores? Give me a break! For twenty years the Republican Party has been destroying public education in this country to create their dream of a cheap labor force. Their idea has always been to keep the workforce dumb and drugged up. That keeps everyone compliant. Well, it is time to end that. If we can spend billions of dollars to rebuild Iraq we can damn sure spend billions of dollars to educate our own citizens. If we don't have the money we can damn sure find it. If we have to we can look in Halliburton’s, Exxon’s, Chevron’s, Pfizer’s, and Merck’s bank accounts for the money that they have screwed us out of over the past eight years.
Americans are not dumb. Sometimes we are naïve and slow to catch on to the fact that we are getting screwed. I think by now most people are catching on to the fact that the oil companies have been doing the biggest screw job ever. Oh yeah, we have heard all about the lack of refining capacity and all the rest of the propaganda about how all the drilling rigs were shut down in the Gulf of Mexico because of the hurricanes. Isn’t it amazing that after Exxon announced the $9.9 billion dollar third quarter profit that gas prices started coming down even though refining capacity didn’t increase and the drilling rigs didn’t start producing again? Does the term LIE come to mind? Remember when Big DICK Cheney got all the oil companies together to write new legislation when the Bubble Boy first got elected then said he didn’t have to tell anyone who was there and what they talked about? Think maybe those chickens are coming home to roost?
The Democratic Party has to become the new energy party, not the old energy party. WE have to create new tax laws that will be innovative in crating new development of alternate energy sources. If we had followed Jimmy Carter's wishes during the first oil embargo of the 1970’s we would be not be fighting over oil in Iraq now; and the Bush crime family wouldn’t have their own bedrooms in King Fahd’s palace.
We need to become the world leaders in clean energy using fuel cells, wind energy, solar energy any kind of renew ale energy we can come up with. When we do this, the Arabs can take their oil and shove it. WE have made the Arabs rich in Petrodollars and it has come back to haunt us. We are reaping the harvest of the seeds we have sown through the years trying to always have cheap energy.
We must do what the Europeans do. Tax fuel inefficiency and give tax breaks to fuel efficiency. We have it backwards. We give tax breaks to people who are driving around in their toy hummers, while our children are being blown up in their real hummers fighting for Bubble Boy’s oil that the bastard won’t even pay to put armor on.
Another thing the Democrats must do when Detroit comes wanting tax breaks because their workers are costing them too much money is to tell them to stop blaming the workers. Detroit’s cars just plain suck. They pay their executives way too much money for building cars that nobody wants to buy. Have you looked at a US made car lately? Your grandmother wouldn’t drive one. Hire some designers with creativity. If Detroit would build cars that people want to buy, that get decent gas mileage people will buy them whatever the cost is. Americans love their cars, but they have to be an extension of their personality and nobody thinks of themselves as a box on wheels. If they want tax breaks that include cuts in workers pay and benefits they also have to include cuts in executive pay and bonuses. Fair is far. No more gutting the little guy while the big guys walk away with the gold.
Quit letting the Republicans throw up straw men and issues like “illegal immigrants”. Hell they are the ones that keep hiring the illegals so that they can drive wages into the basement. Force American companies to pay market wages. If workers are paid what the job is worth, Americans will take those jobs. Why is it that “free market” arguments are ok for the oil companies? They can price their gasoline at whatever level they can squeeze out of people, but when American workers try to price their labor at appropriate levels the corporations and government work together to destroy them?
Enforce the laws against hiring illegals and employers will stop hiring them. They will be forced to pay what jobs are worth. Sure prices may go up, but American workers will then have money to spend. We will rebuild the American Middle Class and the American dream will no longer be the American nightmare. Corporate executives always scream about welfare for people, but they have no objections for welfare for corporations. They are always looking to Washington for corporate bailouts.
Write the tax laws that will force corporations who are making billions of dollars in profit to offer benefits to their employees. Stop companies like Wal-Mart from having unfair cost advantages by using state Medicaid funds as their employees’ hospital plans. Change the tax laws that allow corporations to write off their expenses of shutting down their factories and plants to ship jobs overseas. Write the tax laws so that Americans will benefit. Multinational corporations have no loyalty to anyone except themselves. American workers must be protected by our government, because there is no one else to do it. We must take back the government, so that it represents our citizens again, not the lobbyists.
No more government contracts for companies who hide their offices overseas. If they are not willing to pay American taxes on American earnings screw’em. There are plenty of American companies that are. Make it easier for companies to do business with the government. Allow agencies to shop on the open market for product. Empower government employees to use their own judgment in saving the government money. Change the concept of government that if you don’t spend it you lose it. Allow government savings to be carried over to the next budget year. Allow innovation. Force change in the bureauracracy. Hire people who believe that government has a purpose in bringing relief to the suffering in our society. Government can be and should be a referee between the rich and powerful and the not so rich and powerful. It should not be the tool of the powerful and the religious fanatics that it has become.
Our government worked well for 200 years with the separation of church and state. Things started falling apart when Reagan started inviting the crazies like Falwell and Robertson into the White house. It is time to put those crazy uncles back in the attics where you hide all the other erelatives you are embarrassed about. You definitely don’t let them set your foreign policy. Shit when you let them get away with calling for the assassination of the heads of foreign states you know things are out of hand.
It is time to start enforcing laws concerning tax exempt status and getting involved in politics. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot tithe on Sunday then use that money tax fee to buy politicians. If it is being done, and we know it is, it is time to stop it. It is time for main stream churches to stand up and be counted. This disastrous war in Iraq has got us running on three cylinders. All of our military experts have said that Rumsfeld is in the process of destroying our military.
We have dispatched our children to war without the tools and defenses that they needed because the chickenshit republicans wouldn’t pay for it. Their tax breaks were more important to them than the safety of the working class soldiers. You can bet that if it was the children of the rich there would have been no expense spared in getting the armor that was needed. You didn’t see Rummy riding around in unarmored Humvees did you? Hell no!
Now we have the idiot in chief saying that as long as he is President we will remain in Iraq, Rumsfeld has done a wonderful job running the war and revamping the army. Just what planet is this guy from? Does he have any grip on reality left? I want to harm to come to this man but I want his ass impeached immediately.
The Neocons now admit he is incompetent. Even they admit he is no longer useful as a puppet. They are beginning to look for another fool to put in his place to mouth their lies. Only 29 percent of the die-hards even think that being in Iraq is worth it.
Now is the time for the Democrats to strike and they are all standing around wringing their hands stabbing each other in the back.
I call on every person who remembers the real Democratic Party to call, write, email, scream, or do whatever it takes to demand that the Democratic Party get some guts to take on these Republican bastards.
Call the liars what they are. When Bush lies say he is lying, don’t say that the record shows that is not true.
Stop pussy footing around. Use words that mean something. Use words that the American public want to hear. Use words that leaders use. Stop being losers. Stop smiling for the cameras.
Start showing that you care more for the country than you care about being re-elected.
Stop being afraid of losing.
I am not clinically qualified to diagnose our current President as a certified Moron. However, if he walks like a moron, talks like a moron, and looks like he was separated at birth from Alfred E. Newman, I will assume he is a moron. For further analysis of the man’s personal problems I urge you to read Bush On the Couch – Inside the Mind of the President by Justin A. Frank, M.D., ( http://www.powells.com/biblio/7-0060736712-1 ) you will be asking yourself how this country "chose a “leader” so poorly equipped for the role of leader of our country and the free world".
It is obvious that the man’s policies are moronic. He has bankrupted our nation both economically and morally. Our infrastructure was crumbling when he took over and his tax policies are making it impossible for our cities to rebuild. He lied us into a war to prove his penis is bigger than his fathers and now the moron has no idea how to get us out.
It is a reasonable question to ask why I detest this man so much, so I will answer it now before I proceed. This buffoon is the progeny of one of the country’s ruling class families dating back to the early 1900’s. It is not his family’s position that pisses me off, that is just the chance meeting of lucky sperm and ovum. My reasons for detesting little Georgie and his whole family are because of what they have done with their money and position. Have these members of the noblesse “non” oblige done anything with their money and position to help their country or its people? No. They have spent their lives and careers sucking up money like vacuum cleaners lining their own pockets and those of their closest compadres with as much money as they can carry. They have used their position and connections in and out of government to wheel and deal and grab as much cash as they can wherever they can. Volumes have been written on the history of the Bush clan’s dealings with Nazi Germany and other choice cultures. The reader can do his own Google or Yahoo search to find more reading material there. Georgie’s brother Neal was involved with the looting of the Silverado Savings and Loan back in the glorious days of the Savings and Loan debacle of the 1980’s. Lots of good reading there. Just recently with the Katrina disaster, stories are swirling around brother Jeb’s lobbying for Carnival Cruise Lines big contracts to put cruise ships under fat overpaid FEMA contracts for temporary housing for emergency workers.
Look at Shrub’s history himself, the boy was given the chance at a great education. What did he do? Pissed it off. Went to the best schools in the country and partied. After his school days every time he tried a business deal it fell through and his daddy’s buddies had to bail him out. Yet, he really thinks he got to where he is because of his own hard work. What a putz.
I, like millions of other people in this country do not have “daddy’s buddies” to bail us out on a daily basis. We have to work long hours on a daily basis to make our businesses succeed and to make our payrolls. We have employees who depend on us to make proper decisions. If we make the wrong decisions not only do we suffer, but others who depend on us suffer. Daily I get up, shower, go to breakfast, and go to work realizing that everything I do makes the difference not only in my life but in the lives of 18 other people. Those people being my employees and their families. I work hard to pay my employees well over minimum wage. They are worth it. Without them my business would not succeed. We are a team. If I screw up and make the wrong decisions I cannot stand up in front of a press conference, giggle and pretend that what I did never happened. I have to face my employees. This fucking moron has had to face no one for his blundering idiocy that has cost the lives of over 2500 young men and women and is bankrupting the country. That is why I hate the man, his compadres, and his neocon policies.
What has our media been doing while all of this has been going on? Playing tiddly winks and “finding the missing white woman”. No, Cute Katie, your finest bit of journalism was not the expose on the runaway bride. Who gives a rat’s ass about some spoiled broad who got cold feet?
JEEZ! America! Get real people! Get a clue. Yes, I am sorry that your beautiful 18 year old daughter is missing and probably dead. It is tragic and I feel your loss, but goddamnit don’t let her go to a foreign country on a school outing, and if she does, teach her to have enough common sense not to get in a car with people she doesn’t even know. Holy shit, have we as Americans lost all of our brain power?
By the way, all you women who are living with abusive men, when he hits you the first time, call the police. Do not wait. If he is cheating on you, move out. Don’t wait because if he is violent, he probably will kill you and you won’t be able to see yourself on television. Oh, and sorry, because the networks are ratings driven, if you aren’t white and beautiful you won’t make the news anyway, so take your kids if you have any, and get out while you can. You do not have to have a man to survive.
Face it, the main stream media sucks. If there ever was a reason to bring back the Fairness Doctrine, Fox News is it. Growing up, my parents taught me that if I told a lie I would get my butt beat. Obviously Roger Ailes searched the country and found the people whose parents did not believe in corporal punishment… either that or they flat out rewarded their punk children for lying. That probably is it. They more than likely helped their rich old man cover up all the illicit affairs he was having. Fits in with their pattern of lies today.
We do not need to fear Avian Flu nearly as much as we need to fear Faux Flu; and I am afraid the pandemic has spread quickly through CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, and I am afraid the symptoms have been seen at CBS. We must find an effective vaccine. The anti-virus called “internet blogging” has shown much promise and probably will prove to be a major factor in the defeat of the illness.
But I digress…
I must get back to our Moron-in-Chief. If any one is interested in how truly conflicted the guy is read Maureen Dowd’s Bushworld. ( http://www.powells.com/biblio/17-0425202763-0 ) She has gone to great lengths (excuse the pun) to show how Bush the lesser has always attempted to measure his manhood against that of his father.
I was truly shocked when this packaged nincompoop ran against and beat Ann Richards, one of the best governors Texas ever had. When that happened I knew that the propaganda machine was running full blast and was afraid of what was next. When the Republicans packaged this fool as a “Compassionate Conservative” I figured we were all in trouble because he was neither. (Hey fool, just how macho did you feel when you signed all those death warrants in Texas? Didn’t you have a great time making fun of that woman you had executed? Did it feel as good as when you blew up those frogs with fire crackers when you were a kid?)
I never could figure out why they picked this dimwit instead of his brother Jeb, who at least can speak a complete sentence. (Oh, maybe I just did figure it out. Jeb was smart enough to tell that the lies they were feeding him would not work as policy.)
This guy grew up in a bubble. He never questioned anything. He never traveled anywhere. He never wanted to know anything. How on earth did this guy fool voters into believing he could be Presidential material? For over two hundred years we have elected men that at least have led men on the field of battle, have been intellectual leaders, or at least have held elected political office long enough to know how government works. This guy cannot even open a door without his nanny. He has surrounded himself with caretaker women because his mother didn’t even like him. He has admitted to being a drunk. He was a failure in every business enterprise he tried. How did he fool the voters? Are the American voters that suckered by advertising?
So, anyway, there we were in 2000 having an election with Bubble Boy Bush running for President and Vice President Gore running away from Bill Clinton. Lo and behold the American voters didn’t know what they wanted and were split down the middle. It came down to a confused ballot in Florida and the Republicans sent in a bunch of people yelling stop the counting! (Funny how they didn’t want the votes counted in Florida in 2000 but it is real important to them to count the votes in Iraq now.) So they pushed the issue to the Supreme Court and Bubble Boy’s daddy’s judge’s appointed him president. It seems like that would have gotten him over being pissed at daddy, but probably just made him madder because he could not do it on his own.
Of course, the boy never could do anything on his own. Just look at the oil company failures, the baseball deal and everything else he has failed at. You know the kid has to see “LOSER” on his forehead every time he looks in the mirror to shave.
Ok, so Bubble Boy is sworn in and it looks like the Republic might survive another big mistake. The one day the moron goes down to Florida for some photo ops and to read a book about a pet goat… the rest, as they say, is history.
No, I do not believe the conspiracy theory that Bubble Boy knew that the Saudis were going to attack us, but I do believe that he and his neocon buddies used the attack as an excuse to implement some of the most idiotic pieces ever imposed on the citizens of our country that would not have been passed in other times. His war on terror has been nothing but a war of propaganda on the citizens of this country. He and the neocons went into office looking for any excuse to attack Iraq. The 9-11 attacks were their excuse.
(Again I urge you to do some investigating for yourself. Check out http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2023320890224991194&q=loose+change+v... and http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8260059923762628848&q=loose+change+v... )
For some reason the neocons think that our democracy can be exported and implemented from above. What a bunch of idiots. John Adams said that our country can be an example for others to follow but we cannot attempt to force others to follow our example. Perhaps if Bubble Boy had paid attention in those expensive schools that his parents spent all that money on, he would have realized that our democracy is rooted in the Magna Carta dating back to 1519. (No Frat Boy, that has nothing to do with Carta Blanca).
For those idiots to lie us into a war to topple Saddam Hussein to install “democracy” in a society that has absolutely to tradition of self rule is fantasy.
This is another example of American soldiers dying to clean up another of our foreign policy screw-ups. Saddam was our tyrant for two decades. We armed him, we supplied him with everything he needed to fight the Iranians to keep his war going for 20 years, Donald Rumsfield even flew to Baghdad to pat him on the head and tell him what a good boy he was. Why do we allow our so-called “elected” leaders to go crap on all these sidewalks of the world then send our 19 year olds to die when we have to clean up their messes?
Since our Moron-in-Chief didn’t pay any more attention in American History than he did in World History, I am sure he would not remember that the British didn’t just decide one day to give us our independence. We had what Bubble Boy would call a “rev-oh-looshn”. That means we had to want our democracy enough that we had to fight the army that was “occupying” our country. Hey boy! Is that starting to ring a bell?
You see part of this mess we are cleaning up dates back to 1953 when Iran actually had a democratically elected government. Now, I’ll bet Bubble Boy never knew that and I’ll bet even more that the neocons never told him because even a moron might ask what happened. What did happen, you might ask? Well, seems that the DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRIME MINISTER named Mohammed Mossadeq decided that the oil companies that were sucking the oil out of Iran needed to pay Iran a fair price for the oil they were getting instead of the pittance that they had been paying. Ha! He actually thought that because he was the DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED head of state of a sovereign nation that he could do that. What a joke. The CIA decided that it would be better to have one of those buy-me-off kinds of governments instead of a democratically elected government. So, sure enough, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi suddenly was installed on the throne of Iran. Yeah, Shah of Iran sure had a much nicer ring to it than democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran. Fits the area better. At least the oil companies thought so. The people of Iran sure did not think so. They got all pissed off and started organizing. So of course the Shah and his CIA handlers claimed that everyone that opposed him were Communists! Oh heavens to Betsy. Of course the red blooded American Congress could not have Communists bothering our handpicked dictator, so we armed the Shah and told him to start kicking some Communist ass. The CIA and American forces trained the Shah’s secret police, the SAVAK, to spy on and torture the Iranian people which of course made the Shah even more popular with the Iranians. This went on for several years with no one except the religious leaders standing up to the Shah, which brings our old friend Ayatollah Khomeini into the picture; which really got everybody stirred up. So you see how we crapped on the Iranians sidewalk too. If we had just left their damn DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT ALONE we would have paid a little more for gasoline, oil company shareholders would have had fewer dividends but we would have had a damn peaceful middle east.
Hey Bubble Boy did they tell you those plans they showed you were NEW? Sound familiar now? Think it sounds like Déjà vu? Not as easy this time was it? I hope you are not getting bananas and nukes confused next.
The CIA was pretty proud of itself with its first successful overthrow of a foreign government and was obviously itching to do it again. In 1954 the DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF GUATAMALA Jacobo Arbenz created an agrarian reform program in which unworked land would be expropriated at the VALUE ON THE GOVERNMENT TAX ROLLS and given to landless peasants. It seems that for years the United Fruit Company had rendered the value of their land in Guatemala at only $2.99 per acre, which is what the Guatemalan government offered them. (Seems like a fair offer to me since they had been screwing the government out of taxes for like 80 years or so.) However the United Fruit Company got all pissed off, went crying to John Foster Dulles, the US Secretary of State (whose brother Allen was the Director of the CIA) whining about how they were having their land stolen, and it gave the CIA another chance. Of course, the U. S. government claims that all the trouble is caused by Communists! The CIA sets about setting up another covert army killing hundreds of civilians and overthrowing another DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT under the guise of saving the people from themselves. (Isn’t it getting a little confusing by now that whenever the workers and poor people are about to get helped that the U.S. government starts screaming about Communists?)
When Jacobo Arbenz resigned and was forced to leave the country we established one of the most ruthless dictatorships in Central America. The U.S. has kept it armed for decades and has said nothing throughout its continuing efforts to eradicate the indigenous peoples of Guatemala, especially since it was under the guise of fighting communism.
Leave it to the CIA to cover their tracks while they are doing their deeds though. Everybody knows they are doing it but truth takes a while to come out. They can usually pay some whores to help cover up what they are doing. One of their biggest whores was the dictator of Nicaragua, Anastasio Somoza, which the U. S. had been propping up since setting him up in 1936. Somoza conveniently sent in some troops to help overthrow the “socialist” Arbenz as a thank you to his CIA puppet masters.
Just how many times have we armed the rich families in Central America against the poor? Let’s see. Remember when Reagan and his henchmen traded drugs for arms and the CIA created the Contras to kill teachers and farmers in Nicaragua? Never did the Contra “army” attack the Sandinista army. They attacked farming cooperatives, health care clinics, schools, and power supplies. They were “terrorists” that we funded in an effort to destabilize a government that we did not like because they were helping the poor people of Nicaragua. What did the Sandinistas do? They overthrew a bloodthirsty dictatorship that had enslaved the peasants and refused to liberalize the agrarian laws of Nicaragua. They nationalized unused land and gave it to peasants. They instituted literacy programs and healthcare programs nationwide. These are the targets that the brave Contras attacked. The Contras were so ineffective the CIA had to use their own pilots to bomb and mine the Nicaraguan harbors. What chutzpah we have. We do this to a country that we have not even declared war against. We should be very proud of our support of these “terrists”, oh, excuse me freedom fighters against Communists.
Let us not forget the wonderful government in El Salvador that we supported not only with arms, but with forged CIA documents in an effort to link the FMLN (the Salvadoran Rebels) with the evil Sandinistas that were planted in Salvadoran newspapers. By this time we were experts in funding propaganda in local newspapers. Unfortunately it keeps getting picked up and printed in U.S. newspapers because U.S. reporters are too lazy to do their own reporting. Seems that the death squads that the CIA funded got a little carried away and raped and killed some American nuns. (Kind of makes me think back to when I was working on that boat when I thought it was the Communists that did that sort of thing.) That got to be a little much even for the U.S Congress to stomach so we had to back off their funding for awhile. At least until the media forgot about it and the gory pictures of the nuns bodies disappeared from our collective memory. I guess that took about two weeks. We did not even care about the rotting bodies of the hundreds of Salvadorans that the death squads dumped on the garbage heaps daily in an effort to quell the rebellion. We even ignored it when Archbishop Oscar Romero was gunned down while giving a mass in which he called for the oligarchy of El Salvador to stop killing its own people.
Guess who the U.S. Ambassador to Honduras was when this was going on. John Negroponte! His job was to co-ordinate all the funding and supplies for the contras. Journalists at the time found that he also was involved with supplying the DEATH SQUADS. Yes, the same guy that has shown up being appointed to all those great jobs in Iraq, and is now in charge of intelligence for Homeland Security. Isn’t it great how these guys keep popping up like bad nickels? Is it just coincidence that suddenly there are death squads in Iraq with bodies showing up on garbage dumps? Isn’t it strange that just recently Iraqi officials discovered that death squads have been operating out of the Interior and Justice Ministries? Wonder how that happened?
Yep, we should be real proud of our history of supporting democracy.
We are in all this mess because we put the welfare of the multinational corporations before the welfare of the people. That is because the bastards own our government. Look at this shit with Cheney and Halliburton. No bid contracts on everything and when whistleblowers start hollering they get fired. That is bullshit. If my little company wants a job with the government I have to bid on any five dollar pissant spec they have. Who blew Cheney to get that deal?
The only problem with our government is the people in charge of our government. Some of my best friends are Republicans but I would not want my sister to marry one, and I sure do not want them in charge of government. You see, they think that government cannot work, so the first thing they do is hire more people that think like them, who hire more people that think like them, and so on, then everyone is pulling down fat salaries for doing nothing and, voila, government does not work. For example, the major fuck-up that was Katrina. You know, “you’re do’in a heckuva job, Brownie!”
Now, if you remember, Bubble Boy was going to bring, hold on, I am about to choke on laughter here, COMPETENCE, RESPONSIBILITY, and MORALITY back to the White House after the “immoral irresponsible” prosperity ridden eight years of the Clinton White House. Funny how I don’t remember bodies floating in any American cities during Clinton’s tenure. I also don’t remember efforts being organized in the Vice Presidents office to betray covert agents’ identities. Funny how cabinet members from Bubble Boy’s own first term are blowing the whistle on his idiocy and members of his father’s administration are trying to stop the idiocy of the neocons running the show in this Moronic Administration.
No one has had to take any responsibility for any of the disasters that have taken place under this man’s watch – no one! Nada. Zilch. Zero. No one has walked the plank. No one has had stripes ripped off his uniform. We have had several jackasses get the Medal of “Me-no-tell-u-no-tell”.
At least there is one Republican with honor left in this country, Patrick Fitzgerald. He has honored the country by running his office of special council properly. He has told his staff and grand jurors that if they leak information they will be prosecuted like those they are investigating. This man is a patriot. Perhaps he will get to the truth at the bottom of the bubble.
Where are all the Democrats during all of this? Other than the old bear Teddy Kennedy, John Murtha and Russ Feingold I have no idea. All I see is fund raising appeals.
Who is Harry Reid and why is he bothering me for money? He sure as hell has not stood up for any of my values. Where was he when this son of a bitch sent these kids to war? Where was Harry Reid when the Republicans gutted the attempt to raise the minimum wage? Teddy was there raising hell, was Harry? Where the hell was Hillary during all of this? I sure as hell hope she doesn’t plan to run for President in 2008. If she hasn’t stood up for us during all this crap she sure as hell won’t be worth a damn then. I am sure disappointed in that woman. She is the one person with the national recognition that could have put the brakes on this crap and she did not do it. She wasn’t even visible. She sure has not shown the courage of Cindy Sheehan. Now that is one woman with more cojones than most men. We need that little lady to run for public office. We had Paul Hacket running for Senate in Ohio until some Democratic Party hacks stabbed him in the back. That young man stepped off the plane fresh from Iraq and ran a race against a Republican hack in an area of Ohio that has never gone Democratic and came within 1.5% of winning. How did he do it? He stood up to the idiocy of the Bubble Boy and called Bush a stupid son-of-a-bitch and the people responded. The working people of this country know he is a stupid son-of-a-bitch and they will get behind anyone who is brave enough to stand up and speak out. It is time to stop being a bunch of lily livered wussy whipped pc media whores and speak the truth to the American people. WE need political leaders who know what is going on and can lead. We don’t need stupid pretty boys that are run by staff. We need people that can think on their feet like Wes Clark, who have been in leadership positions and have faced fire and can take fire and give it back. We need new people, not the same old song and dances that we are tired of.
The Democratic Party must rebuild itself to again represent the working people and small business of this country. We must have a plan to create jobs for everyone in this country that wants a job.
If it takes another Works Progress Administration, so be it. It worked once, why can it not work again? We have too many people on welfare with no hope. Give people hope. No more no bid contracts for Halliburton. Give the no bid contracts to government agencies to hire people so that the money goes to the people. The people buy food, clothes, cars, consumer goods. Screw Halliburton, they can find their own work. No more contracts to corporations who hide their offices offshore and pay no taxes on income. There are too many law abiding companies in this country who do pay taxes here that can do the same work as these scofflaws. Give the work to small business that will treat their employees fairly.
Rebuild the infrastructure of our country, rebuild our cities. Put money into circulation in our cities and small businesses. The multinationals will take care of themselves. With our cities rebuilding the tax bases will come alive again. Schools can reopen and we can educate our children again.
Roll back the Bush tax cuts. Pay down the massive debts his idiocy has built up; make our country a place where people are no longer afraid to invest. Republicans are supposed to be such great business people. None of them run their businesses the way they have screwed up our country. If they did they would be fired or would go bankrupt. They just would not have the taxpayers to bail them out. Put the inheritance tax back in place. That is the one thing that kept our country from being another oligarchy like Mexico or some other Central American Country. We do not need all the money in this country ending up in the hands of ten families. It is bad enough that the Walton family thinks it is their right to put everybody out of business as it is. Bringing it back affects only the richest of the rich and they will still have enough money after they fork over a few million. How much money do they really have to have anyway?
The Democratic Party must bring forth a plan to instill the concept of public service to the country. John Kennedy first gave us the idea, it is our party’s heritage. We must push the idea again. For our country to be strong again we must know what it means to be Americans again. It means that along with all these rights we have we have responsibilities to give back to our country.
Now for those young Americans who agree to give back, we have to make them a deal – a free college education. Whether it is academic or trade school, no matter which. That is right, free. For those that agree to give two years of public service with a written contract, they get two years of college; four year written contract, four years of college, and a six year contract, six years of college. This can be military service, teaching in rural or inner city, or other public service. Details can be worked out. It is a fair deal. Remember, FREE, none of these bogus loan programs, we have allowed colleges to price themselves out of the range of the average American student’s ability to pay; and we seriously wonder why the world is kicking our collective ass on test scores? Give me a break! For twenty years the Republican Party has been destroying public education in this country to create their dream of a cheap labor force. Their idea has always been to keep the workforce dumb and drugged up. That keeps everyone compliant. Well, it is time to end that. If we can spend billions of dollars to rebuild Iraq we can damn sure spend billions of dollars to educate our own citizens. If we don't have the money we can damn sure find it. If we have to we can look in Halliburton’s, Exxon’s, Chevron’s, Pfizer’s, and Merck’s bank accounts for the money that they have screwed us out of over the past eight years.
Americans are not dumb. Sometimes we are naïve and slow to catch on to the fact that we are getting screwed. I think by now most people are catching on to the fact that the oil companies have been doing the biggest screw job ever. Oh yeah, we have heard all about the lack of refining capacity and all the rest of the propaganda about how all the drilling rigs were shut down in the Gulf of Mexico because of the hurricanes. Isn’t it amazing that after Exxon announced the $9.9 billion dollar third quarter profit that gas prices started coming down even though refining capacity didn’t increase and the drilling rigs didn’t start producing again? Does the term LIE come to mind? Remember when Big DICK Cheney got all the oil companies together to write new legislation when the Bubble Boy first got elected then said he didn’t have to tell anyone who was there and what they talked about? Think maybe those chickens are coming home to roost?
The Democratic Party has to become the new energy party, not the old energy party. WE have to create new tax laws that will be innovative in crating new development of alternate energy sources. If we had followed Jimmy Carter's wishes during the first oil embargo of the 1970’s we would be not be fighting over oil in Iraq now; and the Bush crime family wouldn’t have their own bedrooms in King Fahd’s palace.
We need to become the world leaders in clean energy using fuel cells, wind energy, solar energy any kind of renew ale energy we can come up with. When we do this, the Arabs can take their oil and shove it. WE have made the Arabs rich in Petrodollars and it has come back to haunt us. We are reaping the harvest of the seeds we have sown through the years trying to always have cheap energy.
We must do what the Europeans do. Tax fuel inefficiency and give tax breaks to fuel efficiency. We have it backwards. We give tax breaks to people who are driving around in their toy hummers, while our children are being blown up in their real hummers fighting for Bubble Boy’s oil that the bastard won’t even pay to put armor on.
Another thing the Democrats must do when Detroit comes wanting tax breaks because their workers are costing them too much money is to tell them to stop blaming the workers. Detroit’s cars just plain suck. They pay their executives way too much money for building cars that nobody wants to buy. Have you looked at a US made car lately? Your grandmother wouldn’t drive one. Hire some designers with creativity. If Detroit would build cars that people want to buy, that get decent gas mileage people will buy them whatever the cost is. Americans love their cars, but they have to be an extension of their personality and nobody thinks of themselves as a box on wheels. If they want tax breaks that include cuts in workers pay and benefits they also have to include cuts in executive pay and bonuses. Fair is far. No more gutting the little guy while the big guys walk away with the gold.
Quit letting the Republicans throw up straw men and issues like “illegal immigrants”. Hell they are the ones that keep hiring the illegals so that they can drive wages into the basement. Force American companies to pay market wages. If workers are paid what the job is worth, Americans will take those jobs. Why is it that “free market” arguments are ok for the oil companies? They can price their gasoline at whatever level they can squeeze out of people, but when American workers try to price their labor at appropriate levels the corporations and government work together to destroy them?
Enforce the laws against hiring illegals and employers will stop hiring them. They will be forced to pay what jobs are worth. Sure prices may go up, but American workers will then have money to spend. We will rebuild the American Middle Class and the American dream will no longer be the American nightmare. Corporate executives always scream about welfare for people, but they have no objections for welfare for corporations. They are always looking to Washington for corporate bailouts.
Write the tax laws that will force corporations who are making billions of dollars in profit to offer benefits to their employees. Stop companies like Wal-Mart from having unfair cost advantages by using state Medicaid funds as their employees’ hospital plans. Change the tax laws that allow corporations to write off their expenses of shutting down their factories and plants to ship jobs overseas. Write the tax laws so that Americans will benefit. Multinational corporations have no loyalty to anyone except themselves. American workers must be protected by our government, because there is no one else to do it. We must take back the government, so that it represents our citizens again, not the lobbyists.
No more government contracts for companies who hide their offices overseas. If they are not willing to pay American taxes on American earnings screw’em. There are plenty of American companies that are. Make it easier for companies to do business with the government. Allow agencies to shop on the open market for product. Empower government employees to use their own judgment in saving the government money. Change the concept of government that if you don’t spend it you lose it. Allow government savings to be carried over to the next budget year. Allow innovation. Force change in the bureauracracy. Hire people who believe that government has a purpose in bringing relief to the suffering in our society. Government can be and should be a referee between the rich and powerful and the not so rich and powerful. It should not be the tool of the powerful and the religious fanatics that it has become.
Our government worked well for 200 years with the separation of church and state. Things started falling apart when Reagan started inviting the crazies like Falwell and Robertson into the White house. It is time to put those crazy uncles back in the attics where you hide all the other erelatives you are embarrassed about. You definitely don’t let them set your foreign policy. Shit when you let them get away with calling for the assassination of the heads of foreign states you know things are out of hand.
It is time to start enforcing laws concerning tax exempt status and getting involved in politics. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot tithe on Sunday then use that money tax fee to buy politicians. If it is being done, and we know it is, it is time to stop it. It is time for main stream churches to stand up and be counted. This disastrous war in Iraq has got us running on three cylinders. All of our military experts have said that Rumsfeld is in the process of destroying our military.
We have dispatched our children to war without the tools and defenses that they needed because the chickenshit republicans wouldn’t pay for it. Their tax breaks were more important to them than the safety of the working class soldiers. You can bet that if it was the children of the rich there would have been no expense spared in getting the armor that was needed. You didn’t see Rummy riding around in unarmored Humvees did you? Hell no!
Now we have the idiot in chief saying that as long as he is President we will remain in Iraq, Rumsfeld has done a wonderful job running the war and revamping the army. Just what planet is this guy from? Does he have any grip on reality left? I want to harm to come to this man but I want his ass impeached immediately.
The Neocons now admit he is incompetent. Even they admit he is no longer useful as a puppet. They are beginning to look for another fool to put in his place to mouth their lies. Only 29 percent of the die-hards even think that being in Iraq is worth it.
Now is the time for the Democrats to strike and they are all standing around wringing their hands stabbing each other in the back.
I call on every person who remembers the real Democratic Party to call, write, email, scream, or do whatever it takes to demand that the Democratic Party get some guts to take on these Republican bastards.
Call the liars what they are. When Bush lies say he is lying, don’t say that the record shows that is not true.
Stop pussy footing around. Use words that mean something. Use words that the American public want to hear. Use words that leaders use. Stop being losers. Stop smiling for the cameras.
Start showing that you care more for the country than you care about being re-elected.
Stop being afraid of losing.
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