6. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.

I must pass on Watertiger's words of wisdom: such as: Thought for the day: Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic. The commentors have delicious additions!

Listen to Keith Olbermann's stunning attack on Rumsfeld.

This man needs a medal of valor!

One of these things is not like the others.

Katherine Harris is rewriting our Constitution. We are a Christian Nation after all... aren't we?

Here is what one Christian is doing, questioning the Bush administration and its involvement in 9/11. David Ray Griffin is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Theology at Claremont School of Theology, Professor of Religion Emeritus at Claremont Graduate University, and Codirector of the Center for Process Studies. He is the author of numerous books, including the popular bestsellers The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions about the Bush Administration and 9/11 and The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions. Wonder how the wingnuts handle this one?

Here is what one atheist is doing, questioning the mindless acceptance of faith: In his book, Harris sets out to shame, embarrass, stun and reason the religious-minded people of the world into abandoning faith-based belief systems, which he argues could soon lead us to apocalypse.

Oh what a lovely war.

Lovely. Disaster for profit. We did so well with Katrina and Iraq with corporations....

The War On Terror focuses on Iran. Or phrased another way: Cheney throws a fit thinking he's just THIS close to the neocon dream of destroying all governments in the Middle East. Bill Frist resents the Democrats' spotlight on Iraq, that's so yesterday. Don't look at Afghanistan and Iraq in ruins! Look, a shiny new war!

Carter shows what should be actually happening.

From the top to the bottom.

The top ten.

Standing on top of the ruins of the neocon Project for a New American Century agenda, Rumsfeld goes on the attack against critics of his glorious war in Iraq. Harry Reid responds.

Could they be thinking the wind is changing? Ohio officials are getting ready to destroy the votes from 2004. Update: why destroying data is important to politicians.

One year ago we lost an American city. People are still suffering. Bush thinks the beaches are all pretty and shit.

How do they know when to stop digging for Cheney's bunker?

Answer: When the walls start glowing red hot. He likes it warm.

One of the secret super duper real underground bunkers that would have let our governmental officials survive a nuclear blast. Here's another. Which one is Cheney's and why are they being upgraded, please?

Japanese neocons forcing a return to obedient unquestioning allegiance to the government.

What steps to watch for as US neocons try to stay in power.

Bush is no Republican and definitely no conservative.

"The Bush administration’s ability to engage in extraordinary and radical behavior has not occurred in a vacuum. The administration is radical and can act seemingly without limits because its supporters and followers are radical and limitless in their allegiance to its abuses. Understanding the disturbing and dangerous human dynamic which fuels that movement is critical to understanding the movement itself, and ultimately, to defeating it." John Dean discusses the dynamics of the Bush administration.

Joining the third world nations.

The losing of an American city. Heckuvajob, Bush.
Even the insurance companies joined in the Great Screwing of New Orleans. Update: Wait! The federal government has decided New Orleans can handle a hurricane. But based on past record, let's see how a Bush family member will handle Ernesto.

L'etat, c'est moi? Bush attempts to commandeer the entire federal government. Thank god there is the Constitution...or what's left of it.

The US as a third world nation.

Can't Govern and Can't Protect

Deep in some undisclosed secret location, Cheney is trying to mash a square peg into a round hole.

A British soldier takes the quick way out of the war.

Racists are worming out of the woodwork.

Amazingly happening on Fox News, Ann Coulter does not like it when she gets hit rudely with facts. In fact, she tries to take her marbles and go home.

A war widow speaks the truth to Bush's face.

Katherine Harris' death drop in the polls makes her toss out the Christians or Sin card. (I don't think it will work, dearie.)

Pretending to read.

My pet goat's ass. Bush pretending to be a man of letters at this point is too little, too late, and too laughable.

Attaturk takes Bush's recent statement that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 and shows statements made BEFORE the neocons forced us into Iraq.

As Randi Rhodes was saying on Air America: Where are you (Cheney and the neocons) going to get more military personnel (for Iran) and are you going to bring back the draft?: (from a letter from Brent Budowsky):
Warning Sign

The forced recall of 3,500 Marines is a clarion call warning to all Americans, and along with other distortions of deployment practices, is now, in effect, a form of reviving the draft.

Listening to the President, Vice President Cheney, the various neoconservative policy pushers, their vision appears to be a vision of endless and permanent world war, with expanding and ever more dangerous fields
of combat, when we do not even have the troops strength to meet our commitments today.

Having been involved in intelligence and military matters for more than two decades, this much is clear: we cannot sustain our commitments today; with any additional wars to fight, we will be left with only two choices: either inadequate forces creating more Iraqs, or adequate forces that can only be maintained through a revival of the draft, no matter what it is called. That is the fact.

When these neoconservative voices rush to the airwaves to proclaim the wars they would like (others) to fight, Democrats, Republicans and all in the media should ask:

If you want war with Iran, where will you get the troops, and will you bring back the draft?

If you want war with Syria, where will you get the troops, and will you bring back the draft?

If you want war with North Korea, where will you get the troops, and will you bring back the draft?

It is high time and long overdue that the United States resumes its role of world diplomatic and political leadership and brings in people of world-wide credibility and stature to at least test the waters for game-changing diplomacy.

For those who prefer the course of war, we must all ask, on every occasion: for the wars you would like to fight, where will you get the troops, and are you prepared to bring back the draft?

It looks like two Irishmen will be saving the world from itself. Limitless energy? Or is this good Irish beer talking?

Votes, Dopes, and Clothes Falling Off.

Will we ever be able to vote and trust that our choice has been properly counted?

Is Bush easing Rumsfeld out the door?

Don't talk too freely about exploding, bombing, destroying, taking out anything ...in a public meeting ....that is discussing channeling fish over a dam ....because the FBI will be calling you.

Compare Bush 10 years ago to today, and tell me that preztel attack wasn't really a stroke or a drug-induced collapse.

Very important update: Patrick Stewart writes a script.

From farting to the end of the world. A logical progression.

Our preznit loves fart jokes, whadda guy! Doesn't matter he doesn't speak in complete sentences nor make a lot of sense, you still wanna beer with him! Right? Right?!

Well....take a look at what might have happened if Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz, and Rumsfeld had been a high school gang.

Cheney is stove-piping intelligence on Iran..... Update: even though experts are saying Iran is NOT A CRISIS, Cheney has a death-grip on the neocon agenda. Get that man away from the red button please!

Apparently today is supposed to be the beginning of the end of the world.

When wingnuts go wild!!

Watch the wingnuts go bonkers poohpoohing the judge's ruling on the warrantless wiretapping, smearing the judge and the way the legal opinion was written, rather than addressing this:
the fact that we have a President who breaks the law at will because his administration has adopted the theory that he has the power to do so is surely of far greater importance. Only those with profoundly skewed priorities, or those seeking to find ways to defend the President’s law-breaking, would view that as a close call. Glen Greenwald and 'Harvard Law Professor and constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe' rise in her defense, and also in defense of the legal opinion no matter how it was written. It is the same technique used by Rovian followers. Make enough noise over the details that you can ignore the substance.

Could making people afraid no longer work for Rove? Could it be that people are finally waking up to the true nightmare in the Middle East/ Iraq/ Afghanistan/ Iran/ North Korea/ New Orleans/ economy/ international relations/ civil rights/ environment/ election process/ freedom of=from religion/ medical research?

Gee. Bush says Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Why are we there?

The top ten.

Spies, lies, cries, and oops.

Could this be connected to the NSA wiretapping? European investigators are tracking the mysterious deaths of two security experts who had uncovered extensive spyware in their telecommunications firms.

US soldiers are beginning to resist the war.

Jill Carroll's hostage story.

Bush's promises to Katrina victims are being fulfilled just like his magnificent manly macho mighty eternal War on Terra! That is: not just zero but negative results.

Sit down, shut up, and hold on!

Can anyone tell me HOW George Allen could have even become a senator when he obviously needs years of therapy? Another racist bully who likes power. Maybe Virginians will do the right thing and vote him out.

Turkey gangs up with Iran to take down Kurdistan. Israel's soldiers are critical of the war handling. China tells the US to shut up.

Was this leak about the foiled Liquids On A Plane(!) ignored, purposeful, or just misinformation?

Bush resents being told he is not king. He can spy on anybody he wants to, so there! Apparently Cheney thinks he can bomb anyone he wants to. I mean, it worked before!

Swiftboating without the manual

Strange, the Marine who is filing suit against Murtha (incredible timing to the elections, don'cha think?): The Marine's lawyer Zaid said the filing is designed partly to force Murtha to disclose what information he received from the Defense Department and the Marine Corps commandant to form his opinion, essentially trying to speed up the discovery process in a potential criminal trial.
But: It says that the logbook, which was meant to be a daily record of major incidents the marines’ company encountered, had all the pages missing for Nov. 19, the day of the killings, and that those portions had not been found, the officials said. You can't swiftboat someone until you've cleaned up all the paperwork.

We're doing so well, Iran is next!

Resurgent Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan, failed war in Iraq, failed Israeli war on Hezbollah .... so next up is WAR with IRAN!

If you are afraid of these things....

...vote Republican. They will save you! Um... no, they will feed your fears and make yout think that Democrats are terrorists, vaseline is a WMD, and lynching your neighbor is a good way to deal with fence issues.

And NO, Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. It wasn't a central part of fighting terrorism until Bush unleashed the dogs of war. So why does the media continue to parrot White House talking points? And a muslim held for FIVE years after 9/11 is released without charges. And the five guys who bought a pile of cell phones? Two are released, and the others have no proven terrorist ties.

Why on earth would Bush read Camus? It's by a FRENCH man for gawd's sakes! This is a more important question: Is Bush an Idiot?

Update: Yes.

Somebody read the memo to Bush!

Staying the course right off the fucking cliff straight into a Vietnamese quagmire is no longer the talking point. Adapting to win is the new uh... black.

And the winner is.....

Israel is soul-searching, not over the Lebanese dead, but over why they didn't do better attacking Hezbollah. Israel's war has pushed the usually tolerant Lebanese to become supporters of Hezbollah. The Lebanese are ignoring Israel's warning not to return to their homes.

An Egyptian blogger mocks her government's frantic balancing act on the world stage, another wonders what it will take to activate the Egyptian people's outrage.

Iran and Syria are pleased with Hezbollah and the rest of the Islamic world watches.

Hannity denies he suggested nuking Hezbollah...but then agrees with the idea.

Update: Greenwald discusses why bombing away terrorism will not work:
...George Will makes a critical (if not obvious) point about all of that: namely, despite the fact that Bush followers spent the week crowing about the U.K. terror plot as though it validates their views of the world, it actually does the opposite. We can't rid the world of Islamic extremism (a belief system) or terrorism by bombing it away. Will thus points out that the way in which the plot was thwarted demonstrates the foolishness of warmongering as a solution to terrorism, and the correctness of the anti-terrorist approach advocated by Democrats...

Lie, cheat, and deny racism

Telecom industries go subversive to try and tilt the move for net neutrality.

The California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act (Proposition 89) has a website up now.

Robert Scheer reminds us how hard the Bush administration worked to subvert the 9/11 investigation and how it has handicapped us in the eternal War on a Noun. "Thus, the lie that Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, irreconcilable enemies, were in cahoots was shamelessly sold to the American public. Now we are told that Israel’s fight against Hezbollah is simply a battle in the larger war on terrorism, rather than what it is: the playing out of a historically rooted regional drama. All global narratives are subservient to the goal of posturing Bush as a “war president,” unaccountable and irreproachable."

Senator George Allen exposes his racist views in a joke. Maybe he thought he could drop in a coded message to his racist buddies. This guy wants to be president. Update: He continues to blame the victim.

Hot dogs of death....and the top ten.

Dammit! I liked eating hot dogs!


The top ten.

George is a blustering, bumbling, assholic bully.

The preznit truly is a bully. (Some go as far as saying he's the antichrist.)

Do you remember the shot in Fahrenheit 9/11 where Bush is talking to several excited middle aged women? He drapes his arm around one woman then ignores her while he talks to another. The lady stands awkwardly in this casual embrace, embarrassed and delighted. He was smirking with glee.

In Kitty Kelley's The Family: The Real Story of The Bush Dynasty, she touches on the warped childhood. Bush On The Couch by Justin A. Frank also talked about his immaturity and bluster. The stories about his treatment of neighborhood kids, the blowing up of frogs, the branding of newcomers to the Skull and Bones, the mocking of Karla Faye Tucker's plea for life, the need for torture, Abu Ghraib, Gitmo, the bizarre presentation of his manliness by flinging his legs wide open when greeting visiting heads of state, the groping of Chancellor Merkel ...besides the horrifically obvious: the Iraq war, his refusal to acknowledge the dead soldiers or go to their funerals.

And I've just covered what comes to mind. The man is insane. And we have two plus more years to go....

So... the White House apparently was pushing for an early capture of the would-be terrorists, the British were trying to let the plot spool out so they could catch more perpetrators. Trying to have a terror alert and capture before the Connecticut primary? How Rovian!

Liquid Red Alert

If all liquids are being banned from carry-ons on airplanes because they might be explosive....do you think a really good place to get rid of them is in a trash bin IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AIRPORT TERMINAL surrounded by hundreds of people in line?

And if they are dangerous, why would the airport consider giving the bottles of lotion/hairgel/shampoo to the homeless or selling it to eBay?

It's been suggested that we will have to travel nude in the future, bound in bubble wrap ... so those evil doers who eat huge quantities of beans will not be able to reach for a match.

All we have is fear itself

Firedoglake exposes the Bush administration's use of fear to control poll numbers and keep the populace cowed and compliant. The post links to Kung Fu Monkey's article which is hilarious and worth reading. Juan Cole shows that there were leads to Pakistan and the British have been watching the group since 2005 and only just now told the White House. (If you remember, Bush forced their hand a few years ago by exposing their covert operations when he blabbed to the press.)

What ever happened to the focused gaze, the rolling up of sleeves, the we-can-do-it attitude of WWII? All Bush has told us to do in this eternal War On Terror is go shopping.

How many members of the Bush administration does it take to change a light bulb?

1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed;
2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to be changed;
3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb;
4. One to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret stockpile of light bulbs;
5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for the new light bulb;
6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a step ladder under the banner: Light Bulb Change Accomplished;
7. One administration insider to resign and write a book documenting in detail how Bush was literally in the dark;
8. One to viciously smear #7;
9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along;
10. And finally one to confuse Americans about the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the country.

(stolen from pie in the Eschaton comments.)

The week that was.

A wonderfully snarky overview of this last week and the madness therein.

Josh Marshall says goodbye to Joe.

Lieberman, the worst kind of Republican.

Can the Democrats hang on to the wave of anger at the GOP?

The Democrats are riding a high over the disgust about Iraq, but we're warned to watch the gap close.

Update: NTodd points out if the Democrats cannot make use of the dissatisfaction with the GOP, we are really sunk.

How useful this red alert would be for the White House....hmmmm.

Surprising how some Republicans feel gleeful that this thwarted terror attack will help them look tough and the Democrats look weak. But how manipulated was the timing to expose this plot? Did Bush again blow the Brits' cover and force their hand? At least Cheney got in an unusual speech about the wimpy flaccid white-flag waving Democrats before the alert was activated.

The blogosphere begins to sift through the reports and wonder if this is a 'cock-up' because things don't seem to add up.

Haven't we been here before?

Update: Keith Olbermann points out a tv article talking about liquid explosives in March.

Update: Beginning to string together the timeline. The White House has admitted the capture of the wouldbe terrorists is all British.

Update: White House wanted 6 million pulled out of homeland explosives detection. Tell me again how Republicans are strong on terrorism?

The Decider stays on his usual red alert vacation

The 'ohmygodwe'regoingtodie' red alert allows manly superhero 'The Deciderer...er' to hitch up his spandex and .... STAY ON VACATION!

And the flaming crimson red alert isn't really so red after all. We apparently knew all about liquid explosives during Clinton's era. So why suddenly right now? Could it be Bush's 33%? Or his failed vanity war in Iraq? Or Lieberman's loss threatens Cheney's grip on power? The lack of diplomacy as they encourage Israel to bomb Hezbollah?

Contentment

Blissed out lion cub. Check out its expression!

OH Good Grief!

Big Oil is being deceptive over Proposition 87: Specifically, the initiative creates an alternative energy fund by making oil companies pay extraction fees for drilling in California, much like they do in Louisiana, Alaska, and Texas.

How sympathetic do you think people will be to the oil companies right now?

From Iraq to Nigerian scammers to the top ten!

Bush's reaction to a 'possible' civil war in Iraq: Huh?


The war tapes: a video from the perspective of three soldiers in Iraq.


Helpful hints on how to deal with Nigerian bankers and other scammers.


The US delegation to the UN in action.

The top ten.

Won't spam your mailboxes anymore!

I thought I'd finally try blogging my rants instead of clogging up my friends and family's mailboxes with my collections of daily outrage. All of you on the receiving end have been exceedingly patient....or else I've been dropped into bulk mail and cause only flickers of guilt as you hit delete.

Either way, I'm going to see if I can manage more than a few incoherent cries of 'OH MY GOD!!' and 'Did you see what they just did??'

Here we go....