Kenny's Bunk Port

The road to impeachment starts with Cheney

2006-11-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

Dick Cheney is like a loose thread in the tapestry of criminality that is the Bush administration.

Pull the thread and it all unravels.

First we need to investigate Cheney. He's a crook and we all know it.

Once the skeletons from that closet are let out the media will start asking the question they love to ask, "What did the President know and when did he know it".

That will be a license to investigate Bush in every Americans mind. Once the evidence for Bush's criminal behavior is uncovered the American people will demand impeachment.

Howard Dean's 50 State Victory

2006-11-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

Last nights Democratic victory in the House and Senate can, in part be credited to Howard Deans 50 State vision.

Who would have thought 4 or even 2 years ago that Democrats would pick up house seats in Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, and other redder then red states? Howard Dean did.

Dean put money and organizations into red states and took a lot of heat for it. Democratic leaders in Washington chastised him for wasting resources. But, Dean persisted. He claimed that the Democratic party must be a 50 state party in order to compete with the Republican machine.

Dean was right and he deserves his props. Vision has been a hard thing to come by in our party. Howard Dean is a man of vision.

Our failure to bring security to Iraq emboldens our enemies

2006-11-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

Not sending enough troops, failing to understand the culture, being blind to the security problems. These are the things that embolden our enemies.

The blind stupidity of his follower aside. The American people can stomach a lot. But, they will not stomach being led into a disaster.

Our President has been warned by everyone under the sun. Security first, democracy second. He's a fool, his followers are blind. Every step of the way smart people have been saying, "you don't have enough troops", "don't ignore the looting", "deal with the security problem".

No amount of blind allegiance is going to save GWB from his responsibility and the blame for his disaster.

How is your family neocon handling things?

2006-10-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

Every family has at least one. You know the loud mouth who ruins family gatherings by calling all those who don't slobber over Rush's every word a communist. The "your against America" if you don't follow Bush with mechanical hero worship mantra you heard at the Labor day barbeque.

Just how is yours doing these days?

Mine...well mine is in a state of anger, bordering on panic, bordering on self delusion.

"stay the course" is over now. The catch phrase gap has begun. It's a lot like the cold war missile gap except this one is real. Without a catch phrase to rally around our followers, our Bush worshippers, don't have anything to say exactly. They have their marching order, but didn't get their talking points.

The argument has broken down. My neocon parrot has taken to bringing up the bumper stickers of old in a futile, but scripted, attempt at coming up with some argument, any argument.

"The weapons are in Syria", "Saddam gave money to terrorists", "freedom on the march", anything.....

It's a little sad to see their hope die, their undying love falter, their once proud idol turn to stone.

However, in their self pity and their, "it will get better", hope against hope. They are happy to continue to sacrifice the lives on innocent Americans. Day after day the bodies roll in, day after day it's more "it will get better".

How many dead Americans will make it better?

Oh right..."I'm against America" because I want to know the answer to a simple questions.

How many dead Americans are worth the installation of a Shiite dominated Islamic government in Iraq? I really want to know that answer. My neocon won't answer, he just attacks with, "you want the terrorists to win".

News flash, the terrorists are winning. WTF are you going to do about it?

"Stay the course". Oh right that's over now.

Kenny's Guide to Arguing With Wingnuts About North Korea

2006-10-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

when arguing with ditto heads about Bush and NK simply follow the following script.

1.) Ask politely; so, what is Bush's North Korea plan anyway?

-They will spew some talking point about the 6 party talks and the reliance on China and the rest.
-Or, they will shut up right there because they don't even know that much.
(At which time they will blame Clinton and you have to start over.)

2.)Then ask, How are those 6 party talks going anyway?

-North Korea isn't going to them and no one seems to be able to get them too.
(At which time they will blame Clinton and you have to start over.)

3.)So ask, How are we going to make them go to the 6 party talks?

-China is supposed to make them go according to wingnut theory. Sooo it begs the question #4.
(At which time they will blame Clinton and you have to start over.)

4.)Why are we outsourcing our national security to China?

(At which time they will blame Clinton and you have to start over.)

What is Bush's plan for North Korea anyway?

2006-10-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

While conservatives are busy trying to blame everything on the guy who was President 7 years ago, the American people are firmly placing the blame for today's reality where it belongs, on Bush.

Now, I agree Clinton did fuck up and made a pretty crappy deal with NK. But, at least he did something. Allowing NK to do what it wants for 7 years without even trying to do anything is stupid and it hasn't worked at all.

There is not big stick to hit them with. China cannot be trusted to negotiate in our best interests and anyone who thought they would is ignorant and naive.

It's time for the current leader to do something.....something more then talk and pointing fingers.

What is Bush's plan for NK?

A simple truth about Republicans and the election

2006-10-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

Republicans got so used to talking to themselves they didn't realize the rest of the country stopped listening long ago.

This election is going to be won on turn out. Bet on their 30% or so going to the polls. The only way to win is get all your friends, family, and people you don't even know to vote.

This is ours to win now. If we don't it's not going to be the parties fault, it's going to be our fault.

Remember, "Subpoenas, investigations, impeachment". None of these things will every happen if they win.

What the problems with the Democratic Party are and why there is hope for the future

2006-10-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

For years the Democratic Party has been using Union workers for their troops. Much like the Republican party uses Christian conservatives to man the phones, lick the envelopes, and the like.

The Union workers do a good job and all, but all the while some elements of the party undercut the Unions, in favor of money from big business. Votes for NAFTA and Union busting for big business decimated Union member numbers and clout.

During this whole period the party got further and further away from it's ideals and it's base. The base felt disaffected and the party began to deteriorate. The party began concentrating only in some states and abandoned others to the Republicans.

However, in recent years there has been resurgence in the Democratic base. Led primarily by net roots activism and old fashioned grass roots, the party is beginning to become revived. The Unions are also beginning to wake up and demand more from the candidates they support. The DNC has a real leader in Howard Dean who has organized around small donations from real people. Further Dean has begun to reorganize the party in the states that where previously abandoned.

The party has a chance now. Our continued activism counts for something. We are changing the way the party works. It is taking notice. There is hope.

The Republican leadership covered up the Foley scandal for the last election

2006-10-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

By now the entire country has heard of Republican Representative Mark Foley's dirty messages to underage House pages. Well, the Republican leadership in the house heard about it two years ago. They failed to protect the children under their care by choosing to cover the scandal up rather then investigate it properly. They were so worried about damage to their power that they let Mark Foley continue his behavior for years.

Now, as this scandal is breaking just over a month before the election, they Republican leadership is claiming Democrats set the scandal up blah blah blah.

However, if they had done their jobs this scandal would have been settled long ago. There would have been a political price to pay for the Republican party in the last election. Instead they chose to cover this up and are now paying the price in this election. This is a scandal completely of their making. Cover ups are never worth the price. Will they ever learn?

Spotlight CA-50: Busby Demands Hastert Resignation, Moral Leadership From Bilbray

2006-10-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

San Diego, CA, October 2, 2006 – Francine Busby, California’s 50th Congressional District candidate, demanded today that House Speaker Dennis Hastert resign. Busby also called on Congress and incumbent Brian Bilbray (R-CA-50) to show moral leadership by calling for Hastert’s immediate removal, and giving political contributions from disgraced Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL-16) to charity.

Numerous concerns continue to plague Bilbray, including serious charges of misconduct and campaign contributions from Representative Foley’s "Florida Republican Leadership PAC" in past elections.

According to Busby, “In light of all the scandals and corruption in Washington, D.C., we have a moral duty to change the direction of this country. It’s time for Bilbray to stand up for the people of the 50th District. Failing to stand up in the face of corruption indicates a lack of a moral compass.”

Busby continued, “Enough is enough. The House leadership must resign. They sat idly by as teenagers were pursued by a pedophile in the House of Representatives. This is just another example of how Bilbray and his cronies in Congress are incapable of leading this country.”

Support Francine

Noam Chomsky on 911 conspiracy

2006-10-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

For me, the biggest reason why I suspect much of the conspiracy theory stuff is false, is the anger I get thrown at me when I question it.

I've had people just come unhinged over this stuff. The only beliefs that come with that kind of anger and venom are religious beliefs. In other words faith based beliefs.

These conspiracy theories require a leap of faith. And they require overlooking evidence that is contrary to the belief.

Why Bush Can't Face Reality In Iraq

2006-10-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

Bush believes that his Presidency is ordained by God. He believes he is carrying out God's will. As such he is unable to accept anything remotely resembling the reality of his failure. This is why President Bush continually refers to the war in Iraq as a long term struggle. He believes that God acts in mysterious ways and therefore everything will turn out OK in the end. He repeatedly says this.

Take a moment to view this video of an exchange between President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Bush is acting on faith. He believes his vision is God's vision and because of that he believes he will eventually have success in Iraq.

The man is unable to accept reality because it undermines his entire self image. If his policies are ordained by God, how then can they fail? For him to accept reality is tantamount to him accepting that he is not God's man on earth. That he is in fact failing because God is against him.

A faith based Presidency can only see things two ways. Either you are succeeding according to God's will, or you are failing because you are not with God. Bush cannot accept the fact that he is failing.

How the terrorists win when we turn our back on our ideals

2006-09-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

The battle is for the hearts and minds of the Muslim world. They see us turning our back on our ideals. We can now detain them for life, or put them to death, without due process.

They see us giving up the high ground. They see us torturing, detaining for life, executing, and having show trials and they say to themselves, "what's the difference between them and Osama".

They both kill Muslims, they both torture, they both execute without due process.

So then they say, "well at least Osama is one of us". And, boom they "win" legitimacy.

Look at Hezbollah and Israel. Hezbollah has managed to win legitimacy.

Legitimacy is the first step in the transition from a terrorist movement to a mass movement. A mass movement has a political and a military wing. It's seen as legitimate by the people. It has won hearts and minds and it then turns to more conventional methods.

Once legitimacy is won, terrorism is validated, and we lose.

We are on the verge of that now.

It's not what we think that counts here. Did you hear Musharraf the last few weeks? He said the Taliban is more dangerous then Al Quida because "it has roots in the people".

Bush and his supporters are stupid. Everytime someone tries to tell them this, they say "there's no moral equivalency between us and the terrorists".

There doesn't have to be. It only has to be perceived that way.

The way to win this war is by holding true to our ideals. To prove we are better then them. To show that our way of life produces justice, freedom, and prosperity.

If we can't convince them of that we lose.

Try or die. That's it. That is the only choice we have.

2006-09-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

We have no choices now. Shit we didn't have them before either.

The only choice is to win this election. If we can't win our democracy is over. At least if we can win one house of congress we can do something.

We only have one choice, fight for it.

We must get Democrats into power for oversight and then we must push them to repeal this assault on our democracy.

The time for defeatism is over. Try or die. That's it.

On the Constitution

2006-09-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

The Constitution defines this country and it's system of Government. Therefore you cannot be a patriot unless you accept the Constitution. To love the USA is to love the Constitution and the democracy it defines. Either you love democracy and the Constitution or you are not a patriot. You can't have it both ways.

In other words you can't defend American freedom without defending the Constitution.

The Kenny Manifesto

2006-09-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

I came up in the school of realism.

Basically the view is that nations act in their own perceived self interest on an international stage of near complete anarchy.

I honestly believe that in order to be a powerful nation and benefit your people a leader must look at the world this way because all the other leaders are. Advantage will be taken when advantage can be taken.

Our "President" is an idealist. He is not a realist. He sees what he wants to see, and therefore he cannot be trusted to impartially look out for our interests and our country. Regardless of whether you look at our nation through the prism of right or left, we are weaker and less able to defend our interests in the world. In a world full of hungry dogs running in packs with no real rules, this is very dangerous.

Article 3: Read it, know it, quote it, It's not vague, it's not long, it's not what Bush says

2006-09-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

Article 3

In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:

1. Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.

To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:

(a) Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;

(b) Taking of hostages;

(c) Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment;

(d) The passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.

2. The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for.

An impartial humanitarian body, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict.

The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of the present Convention.

The application of the preceding provisions shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict.

Via pissedonpolitics.com

Spotlight CA-50 It's about Iraq and Francine Busby gets it

2006-09-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

Brain Bilbray, one of the poster boy GOP money changers, will not stand and face his challenger in a debate. Francine Busby, Bilbray's opponent, believes the issue of the day is the war in Iraq. According to Busby, “Voters deserve to hear from all the Congressional candidates in a manner that encourages accountability and open discussion. I stand ready, willing and able to address their concerns and serve their needs.”

Bilbray, like many of the GOP's robotic rubber stampers wants to abdicate his congressional responsibilities and allow "President" Bush carte blanche in the Iraq war. This approach has left the United States military weak, as well as failed to produce any of the promised results in Iraq. According to Busby, “Americans are tired of having our brave men and women killed and wounded in a conflict that tragically and quite predictably has become a civil war. It’s time to listen to the many American generals who are telling us to set an aggressive timetable for exiting Iraq.”

Brain Bilbray does not want to face San Diegans on this issue. He is a cutting and running from the debates as fast as he can. Perhaps if he can't face the voters knowing his rubber stamp has lead to the deaths of thousands of American troops. Or perhaps he just doesn't care what the voters think.

Support Busby: Click Here

Tell Bilbray to debate:
Washington,202 225-5452
Escondido, 760 737-8438

2006-09-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

Powell opposes Bush plan for harsh interrogations

Is Powell on the path to redemption?

Bravo Neocon idiots. You have created your doomsday scenario.

2006-09-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

We find ourselves between a Shiite ascendancy and a Sunni panic. Iran has increased it's influence in Southern Iraq and likely obtain a nuclear weapon as well. Our worst nightmare is coming true before our eyes.

Our Sunni secular non-democratic allies are scared out of their minds. Our Sunni Islamic fundamentalist enemies are salivating at their chance to seize power in these dictatorships and Afghanistan, and our Shiite fundamentalist enemies are climbing the ladder of power on the backs of dead Americans.

Could things in get worse?

You bet your ass they can. The Sunni Islamic fundamentalists have secured sanctuary in Pakistan and are fighting a determined insurgency in Afghanistan. NATO is unable to respond. It's Generals in Afghanistan have been calling for more troops. These calls have so far gone unanswered.

Our "leaders" are not playing to win. They tell us that this war is the "calling of our generation". But, they will not commit to fighting it. There are only 13,000 American troops in Afghanistan and only 8,000 NATO troops.

The situation in Iraq is worse. Only 130,000 American troops are deployed in this "central front in the war on terror".

Perhaps our "leaders" take their rhetoric far more seriously then they do the actual war. If this war is indeed the "calling of our generation", let's man up and get the job done. Otherwise, let's shut up and take our lumps.

China is moving toward Asian hegemony

2006-09-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

With the only global superpower fighting two increasingly hot wars in the Middle East, the increasing apathy toward global security in Europe, and the use of North Korea as a lighting rod, China is moving toward Asian hegemony.

The United States is squandering our deterrence and our influence in Asia. We have already reduced troops strength in Japan and South Korea. We have already stepped back from our pledge to defend Taiwan.

China has begun moving and there is not much we are doing to counter her.

In the most recent find, users spotted an underwater submarine tunnel off China's Hainan Island. They've also found a mock-up of a Taiwanese air base in China's remote western desert. In a bizarre discovery, a computer technician in Germany noticed a huge and startlingly accurate terrain model in northwest China that replicates a sensitive border area with India.

Washington's preoccupation with terrorism and it's blunders in the Middle East have opened the door for China both militarily and economically.

The politically sensitive deficit with China did decline slightly in July to $19.6 billion but is still on track to far exceed last year's $202 billion deficit, the highest ever recorded with a single country.

Fighting terrorists is important. But, it is as important as killing ticks on a dog with lung cancer. It needs to be done, but not at the expense of the animals life. We must face the real threat and the real threat is China.

Hey, you gotta see how low this "President" sinks for a photo op

2006-09-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

Check it out:

Bush May Declare War on Wide Angle Lenses

The hardest parts of Bush's job, now this is leadership

2006-09-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

In a recent interview "President" Bush told Katie Couric:

"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror."

Not fighting it, not getting it right, not making sure the war in Iraq is a success. No, none of these things matter to this "President". All he cares about is connecting Iraq to the war on terror for political reasons.

Is this leadership?

hat tip: http://pissedonpolitics.com/

2006-09-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

Lifelong conservative Marine assails Bush policies

What is wisdom? Is it right or left? Or is it just American, like this guy.

2006-09-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

Afghanistan now as deadly for troops as Iraq

WTF happened to Bush's last vestige of "success".

This is pathetic.

Why Bush "owned up to secret CIA prisons"

2006-09-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

Here's the transcript if you haven't read it yet:

Transcript: President Bush explains how CIA secret prison program 'saved lives'

It's very simple why he did this now:

He needs this Congress to pass amendments to the War Crimes Act now. The Congress is only going to meet for a short time before the elections. The next Congress may impeach him on the War Crimes Act. He wants this Congress to cover his ass.

Don't take my word for it, listen to Bush himself:

"And some believe our military and intelligence personnel involved in capturing and questioning terrorists could now be at risk of prosecution under the War Crimes Act simply for doing their jobs in a thorough and professional way."

The personnel he's taking about is him.

Why the Iraq war has made us less safe and less able to deal with Iran

2006-09-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

This is the issue as I see it:

There is only one port city in Iraq, Basra. Basra is a Shiite city. The highway runs north from Basra through Shiite territory up into Baghdad and the rest of Iraq.

I believe, and I'm sure many military strategists believe, any attack on Iran will result in a Shiite uprising. Iran has been infiltrating Iraq and it's Shiite political parties for years, this is well known.

If the Shiites squeeze or close that highway we are in real trouble.

We have 130.000 troops spread out all over Iraq. Think how much they eat everyday, how many bullets, spare parts, uniforms, medical supplies etc... they need everyday. Re-supply from air will not work for long.

We put ourselves between a rock and a ran place and it isn't good.

I'm afraid the simple fact is, the people who run Iran are smarter then the people who run the USA.

Update:

Yes, it is indeed possible to re-supply through Kuwait as some have pointed out to me. However, supplies coming through Kuwait must travel up the same highway as those unloaded in Basra. The strategic situation is unchanged. Also, I believe Turkey is out because Turkey is currently shelling the Kurdish region of Iraq and is massing troops on the border there. Jordan may be a possibility. But, that would bring our supplies through the already hostile Sunni region.

Apparently Our President Doesn't Know What Fascism Is

2006-08-31T23:02:00.000-07:00

I hate to break it to you Mr. President. The terrorists are Theocrats. They want to institute Islamic rule on the Iranian model. Iran is a theocracy ruled by the clergy with a layman President as a front man.

Why would Bush not want to call a spade a spade? Perhaps because he's a spade.

BTW if you haven't seen this video now is a good time to check it out:

Keith Olbermann Delivers One Hell Of a Commentary on Rumsfeld

2006-08-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

Ramadi, Iraq is safe haven for terrorists, insurgents

God help our people in this hell.

2006-08-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

Corrupt Republican incumbents escaping voters wrath

Why don't Republicans have to answer for their crimes?

Because the people don't want to hear about it.

2006-08-23T14:40:00.000-07:00

President Bush Fact-Checks Rick Santorum

OMG! Bush telling the truth.

Wal-Mart front group member compares Democrats to Hezbollah

2006-08-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Herman Cain, a member of the Wal-Mart advocacy group Working Families for Wal-Mart, is under fire for a column that compares prominent Democrats to Hezbollah guerillas.
Cain, an African-American businessman and radio show host, yesterday posted a column at the opinion website Townhall.com in which he tagged potential 2008 Democratic presidential candidates, among them Sens. Hilary Clinton (D-NY) and Joe Biden (D-DE), as "Hezbocrats ... determined to take down Wal-Mart." Cain uses the expression "Hezbocrats" a dozen times throughout the column.
Wal-Mart front group member compares Democrats to Hezbollah

THE HELL WITH WAL-MART AND IT'S PHONY LITTLE FRONT GROUPS. CALL THESE FOLKS, EMAIL THEM, TELL THEM YOU DON'T LIKE BEING COMPARED TO TERRORISTS.

E-mail us at info@forwalmart.com

Or call 866-380-WFWM

http://www.walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=221

Take action: Help force the MSM to be fair.

2006-08-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

Remember CNNs Chuck Roberts?

Chuck Roberts Apologizes For Calling Lamont The ‘Al Qaeda Candidate’

Roberts apologized because thousands of us called and emailed CNN. The pressure got high and he backed down. Now we have another MSM parrot who needs a lesson in how to do his job.

John Kerry has Showdown with Reporter, Hits Raw Nerve that Reporter Reveals to Bloggers After Conference Call

A recurring theme in the liberal blogosphere is to note the propensity of the MSM to allow the Republican Noise Machine to control the message in the media. In Lapdogs, Eric Boehlert demonstrated clearly that “the news media have utterly failed in their duty as watchdog for the public.”

An instance of this was seen clearly during the conference call with John Kerry and Patrick Murphy, a week ago Friday, when Jonathan Kaplan of The Hill asked Patrick Murphy, “Do you think Ned Lamont’s victory in Connecticut hurts or helps your chances of defeating the GOP incumbent?”

Murphy responded and Kaplan pushed the meme again, that perhaps Lamont’s victory was a gain for the GOP.

After Murphy’s second response to Kaplan, John Kerry interjected his thoughts on Kaplan’s question and made it very clear to Kaplan that the press “should not allow them [the GOP] to be able to try to transform failure into an offensive policy to suggest that someone is weak because they have an alternative that works.”

Kaplan snidely responded to Kerry saying, “Isn’t that your job not ours?”

John Kerry proceed to give Jonathan Kaplan a quick lesson in what the role of the media really is — “We communicate through you,” Kerry said. “We need to invite you to hold them accountable… We speak but if it doesn’t get out there, the American people don’t hear it.”

So many of us watched in utter dismay during the ‘04 election cycle as the media suppressed the message from our presidential nominee, John Kerry. Kerry was right when he told Kaplan, “if it doesn’t get out there, the American people don’t hear it.”

Listen here to Jonathan Kaplan’s questions to Patrick Murphy and John Kerry’s response to Kaplan on the role of media.

When John Kerry and Patrick Murphy signed off of the conference call, a few reporters and bloggers hung on and that’s when Jonathan Kaplan revealed that John Kerry had hit a raw nerve with him…

After a brief interchange about Mike Conallen hacking into the conference call (see earlier post here), Jonathan Kaplan responded, “Hey if you’re going to blog about… and rip Fitzpatrick, why don’t you rip Kerry for blaming the media for how he can’t communicate with the American people.”

A blogger responded to Kaplan, saying “…the media does not put the Kerry message out…”

Kaplan responded, “Screw that and Screw him!! For Him to criticize us, it’s his own fault.”

Contact Jonathan Kaplan and tell him what you think:

Phone: (202) 628-8529
jkaplan@thehill.com

2006-08-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

Dick Cheney : Ultrahawk, Neocon, Traitor

This video speaks for itself.

Fox News Negotiates With Terrorists

2006-08-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

For all its bluster, Fox News has found itself in the tenious position of having to negotiate with terrorists. For years we have heard the Foxperts tell us that we just can't negotiate with terrorists; you just can't. Can't be done. Nope. Never. Never ever negotiate with terrorists. If you negotiate with terrorists then the terrorists win...at least according to Fox News....

Fox News IS negotiating with terrorists

That settles it, we must invade England

2006-08-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

It is clear from current events that a grave threat to the United States of America exists in England. The terrorists have demonstrated a willingness to hide among innocent English civilians while plotting the destruction lf the US.

Our doctrine of "fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them over here" is more than relevant in this case. Sure there will be some collateral damage, but we must root out the terrorists hiding among innocent English civilians.

Round the clock bombing of London and the surrounding countryside should begin immediately. We must win the hearts and minds of the English people while we destroy the terrorist elements hiding among them. We are certain to be greeted as liberators.

Man Pigs

2006-08-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

Rush Takes the Islamofascist Line

"Until civilians -- frankly, I'm not sure how many of them are actually just innocent little civilians running around versus active Hezbo types, particularly the men -- but until those civilians start paying a price for propping up these kinds of regimes, it's not going to end, folks. What do you mean, civilians start paying a price? I just ask you to consult history for the answer to that.”

Rush Limbaugh
On the Qana Massacre
July 31, 2006

"We declared jihad against the US government, because the US government is unjust, criminal and tyrannical. It has committed acts that are extremely unjust, hideous and criminal . . . As for what you asked regarding the American people, they are not exonerated from responsibility, because they chose this government and voted for it despite their knowledge of its crimes in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and in other places."

Osama bin Laden
On His Fatwa Against America
March 1997

From Wiskey Bar

War Pigs

2006-07-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

Generals gathered in their masses,
just like witches at black masses.
Evil minds that plot destruction,
sorcerers of death's construction.
In the fields the bodies burning,
as the war machine keeps turning.
Death and hatred to mankind,
poisoning their brainwashed minds.
Oh lord, yeah!

Politicians hide themselves away.
They only started the war.
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor, yeah.

Time will tell on their power minds,
making war just for fun.
Treating people just like pawns in chess,
wait till their judgement day comes, yeah.

Now in darkness world stops turning,
ashes where the bodies burning.
No more War Pigs have the power,
Hand of God has struck the hour.
Day of judgement, God is calling,
on their knees the war pigs crawling.
Begging mercies for their sins,
Satan, laughing, spreads his wings.

- War Pigs by Black Sabbath

Via http://pissedonpolitics.com/

Don't Cry For Joe

2006-07-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

Fuck Lieberman. We are doing the right thing supporting Lamont.

If it were just that Lieberman supported the war I wouldn't care that much.

But, Lieberman is part of the right wing spin machine. He whored himself out at our expense. He gave them ammunition against us.

For that I think he must go down.

The right is against the Constitution. Call them what they are!

2006-07-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Right wing pundits who attack the court are subversive. Right wing pundits who call for unchecked executive powers are seditious, and right wing pundits who call for the assassination of Supreme Court Judges are treasonous.

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. IF YOU ARE AGAINST IT YOU ARE AGAINST THE USA.

Redemption day

2006-06-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

SCOTUS may have saved our Democracy today.

Supreme Court rules against Bush over Guantanamo tribunals

Army bumps enlistment age up to 42

2006-06-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

All I see on the right is a bunch of cowards shooting their mouths off.

Now many of you have no excuse at all.

Put up or shut up.

If you believe in the war as much as your mouth does, go fight it!

Why would a giant douche take Viagra to the Dominican Republic?

2006-06-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

A sex vacation perhaps?

There is a whole generation of men in this country who thinks it's ok to go to other countries to abuse child sex slaves.

I know of one who goes to the Dominican. Is that why Rush was there?

I think so.

He took the Viagra with him to the Dominican. The prescription was written in Florida.

The Republican attack on the Voter Rights Act must be shown to the public

2006-06-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

This is the single most important issue going into the midterms.

Failure to renew the voting rights act is a slap in the face to minority voters.

We must push this issue to the forefront. It's time to show any minority voters who are on the fence that Republicans don't even want their vote, let alone want their vote to count.

Are we winning this war in Iraq?

2006-06-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

Forget what that idiot President of ours might say. Forget the right wing spun up douche bag "news" you might have heard on the radio.

War is the pursuit of aims by the use of arms.

Losing a war is defined as not achieving the aims.

If you define the United States of America's aims in Iraq as bringing that country freedom and democracy we are most certainly losing this war.

If you define the United States of America's aims in Iraq as chocking the production of oil in one of the worlds most oil rich nations, thereby driving the price of oil up and enabling American oil companies to make record profits. We are most certainly winning.

It's just a question of perspective.

Something Man Coulter said that needs further sunlight

2006-06-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

"Because then if we respond, oh you are questioning their authenticity".

All the right knows how to do is attack peoples authenticity. Kerry isn't a real war hero, Sheehan isn't a real mother, the 9/11 widows don't really care about their loss.

The right never argues the actual issue, they always attack the persons authenticity.

I know we all know this, but we have to use her words to show the rest of America.

Why Busby lost

2006-06-07T06:02:00.000-07:00

I'm a pretty well informed San Diegan.

Where does Busby stand on Iraq? I don't know.
Where does Busby stand on health care? I don't know.
Where does Busby stand on wire taps? I don't know.
Where does Busby stand on gay marriage? I don't know.

Why do our candidates follow these stupid consultants instead of leading us to victory? I don't know.

What I do know is that Democrats didn't turn out to vote in the numbers needed to win. Why? Because they had no reason to.

The oaths they take and the oaths they break

2006-05-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

Someone needs to show this to our Democratic "leadership". We expect the Republicans to break their oaths. But, I find it hard to stomach when Democrats forsake the Constitution.

"Mellow Journalism"

2006-05-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

"The tendency to go along to get along". "I'll scratch your back if you give me access". "I'll print your lies if you answer my questions".

"I'll give you a free ride because you have power".

Welcome to Barter Town Raggedy Man

2006-04-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

With the Bush foreign policy it total shambles. Absolutely not one success anyone can point to. They have to go and beg forgiveness from the rest of the world.

Look at the sweetheart deal Russia is about it get if it helps us with Iran:

First look at Russia's public taunt.

Putin keeps Russia's options open on Iran

Then look at the bribe.

US mulls nuclear cooperation agreement with Russia

Bush has literally put the Worlds greatest superpower in the position of bartering for our policy goals.

From the archive: A Kenny predicted it moment

2006-04-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I posted about the NSA wiretaps and the possible ripple effects in the information technology field. Here is the gist of that post:

Securing company information against spies from outside and malcontents within the company occupies a great deal of the average American IT workers time.

All of a sudden a threat has appeared that no amount of diligence or dedication can counter.

The biggest threat to corporate information security just became the federal government.

They are listening to and recording all cell, email, and other electronic traffic. This fact is no longer conjecture or conspiracy theory. Recent disclosures have confirmed this reality. There are no encryption algorithms publicly available that they do not have the keys to and they can do it all with complete secrecy.

Today I read an article that confirmed my original thought.

Five civil rights groups, business leaders join suit seeking to stop wiretaps

Here is what the business leaders had to say about warrantless illegal wiretapping:

In their own brief, leaders in the business community pushed the importance of confidential and secure communications and trust in democratic values to economic growth. They contend that the NSA is also engaging in wholesale datamining by sifting through millions of calls and e-mails of ordinary Americans. International trade, the business signers argue, requires trading partners' trust in the security of electronic communication.

One day left for CA-50 special election

2006-04-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

If you live in the district...VOTE!

If you know someone who lives in the district...call them and try to make sure they vote.

This is a real possibility folks. It is highly likely that Francine Busby will face a runoff in June against one of the Republican candidates.

But, it is also very possible that Francine will get 50% or more of the vote tomorrow and win the seat outright.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS!

Bush thinks he's Lincoln, let's play along

2006-04-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

Lincoln saved the Union from rebel axes. Bush saved Exxon Billions in taxes.

Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address. Bush made Iraq a mess.

Lincoln freed the slaves. Bush let's Osama hide in caves.

Lincoln's wife was Mary Todd. Bush's wife gags on knob.

Lincoln was a thoughtfull man. Bush is just a friggin scam.

Lincoln won the civil war. Bush got drunk and drove a car.

Lincoln served his country in battle. Bush is all hat and very little cattle.

Lincoln was shot by john Wilkes Booth. Bush fell off his bike and broke a tooth.

Lincoln will forever be a hero. Bush is just a total zero.

The Impeachment Project

2006-04-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

www.freewayblogger.com

theimpeachproject.com

Pathetic Republican Douche Bag Uses Fake Photo Of Iraq On Campaign Website

2006-03-29T09:35:00.000-08:00

Can you spot the mistakes in this photo?

This is a picture that Howard Kaloogian, a conservative Republican candidate in San Diego's upcoming congressional special election to replace disgraced GOPer Duke Cunningham, has placed on his Web site. It is billed as a photo that Kaloogian and his party took on a recent trip to Iraq. Here's his provocative caption:

We took this photo of dowtown Baghdad while we were in Iraq. Iraq (including Baghdad) is much more calm and stable than what many people believe it to be. But, each day the news media finds any violence occurring in the country and screams and shouts about it - in part because many journalists are opposed to the U.S. effort to fight terrorism.

Howard Kaloogian is one of these Republican candidates for the 50th special election in San Diego. He won't admit he's a republican. But, he's a lying sack of shit anyway.

Give him a piece of your mind:

Kaloogian for Congress Campaign Headquarters
1409 Schoolhouse Way
San Marcos, CA 92078
(760) 736-4042
www.kaloogianforcongress.com
howard@kaloogianforcongress.com

Bush reminds me of my dog.

2006-03-21T19:51:00.000-08:00

This one time I made a casserole in one of those Pyrex glass baking pans. I left it on the counter and went outside for a while.

My dog knocked it off the counter while it was smoking hot, he broke the dish, ate the whole thing and cut and burned his mouth so bad I had to take him to the vet.

Bush is just like that. In his mad rush to raid the present and future treasury of the United States of America he damaged himself.

Just how ignorant the right is on Iraq, an example from fox news.

2006-03-21T09:02:00.000-08:00

The insurgents in Iraq are SUNNI!

The Iranians are Shiitte. The Iranians are funding and arming the Shiite militias, you know the guys who run the government in Iraq.

The Shiite Iranians are not funding the Sunni insurgency. In fact they are funding the death squads on the other side.

http://204.120.182.142/polls/poll_results/bg_results_business.jpg__repeatvote_1523.htm

Why Bush is an idiot, In simple language even righties can get

2006-03-19T12:22:00.000-08:00

Bush and his supporters spend all their time arguing about what we call things.

Is it a civil war, no it's sectarian violence. It's not a quagmire, it's a long struggle and so and so on till infinity.

Everything, but solve the problem. Anything, but solve the problem. The crazy thing is he's been doing this since before there was a problem.

All this guy can do is politik. He can't get the job done.

It's pathetic.

Just admit to reality so you can move on to the business of solving problems.

The 800 pound Gorilla in Iraq

2006-03-15T15:16:00.000-08:00

Saddam Hussein trial in Iraq is an outright farce.

There, I said it.

I in no way wish for Saddam to go free, nor do I think he is innocent. But, I don't feel this is productive.

There is no way this trial has any credibility as long as the future of Iraq is unpredictable.

They have not yet constituted a government, the parliament has not met, the streets are not controlled by any one group and any one time.

How can proceedings taking place in an Iraqi court be legitimate at this time?
How can a court system represent a Government that is not in fact in power?

I'm not sure I understand what logic these proceedings are established under. However, even a casual observer can see the paradox here.

Operation Rubber Stamp

2006-03-07T16:49:00.000-08:00

Senator Rockefeller had this to say after the committee's vote:

"This committee is basically under control of the White House,'' Rockefeller told reporters after the two-hour meeting today in Washington. "It's an unprecedented bout of political pressure from the White House.''

Spineless

South Dakota abortion law

2006-03-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

Because I'm a contrarian I am going to put a wrench in this.

Isn't this the fight we want?

I realize that we are in danger of losing the Court and all. But, this battle is multi generational. Even if we weren't losing the Court now, the political winds would come around in the future anyway.

This fight is inevitable, it's pre-destined, it's fundamental. It doesn't matter when it happens, but at some point in our national history it will have to be resolved.

Just like slavery was resolved once and for all. So this issue must also be resolved. Let's all just pray we can keep it from becoming a civil war.

"Angst, the new patriotism"

2006-03-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

If what's happening doesn't piss you off, you probably don't care about this country anyway.

World hostage. Bush admin the sleeper cell.

C'mon.
Let's face it folks.
What I see on CSPAN 2.
The Conyers Impeachment organization.
Beautiful, yes, listened to by the nation, not quite.
Many zombies, many yes-men, silk sheets and downpillows, who wants to wake up?
Fess up.

The idea I've chosen to ride is this:
If so and so's sleeper cell did what they did.
Who's to say the current admin was not a
faith based sleeper cell
schemes and dreams of power at the head of the cell...

and here we are
headlines tell the tale of division and drug-
induced or 'power' induced corruption...
etc.

In my humble opinion we've been hijacked
since MLK was killed. Or Malcom X.
Or, JFK, or...
seriously
the supposed leadership does work with the same
tactic of the quote unqote terrorists...
ask the folks that have been shafted all over this nation.

Too bad they don't show what the crucifix did to the native Americans. But oh boy did they get their revenge by exploiting the stupid fkn' whiteman's weakness. Gambling, smoking, drinking and T&A.

Boy, hope after all the abuse comes home to roost there's those that are willing to give...

yeah right
nobody cares
about the victims
which will be you and I
sure enough

take to the streets like they do all over
and not with your vehicle mind you
on foot
like Jesus! LOL, sigh....

woe is the U.S. of Anarchy
on the way
day by day
lung cancer for those that never smoked
c'mon

Earth does not lie. Damage. Damage.

"Be all that you can be" (no matter who dies)
just another trick that's up their sleeve...

Clear Fascist Channel sucks.

And what else? Nothing but more love on the way.
It's my right, so far.

PS
the internet was hijacked by thugs and crime as well; I've been though the biz and it's the biggest
MSN money laundering scheme next to convenient viruses they LET happen...
like the WTC demolition they LET happen...

failure of imagination
failuer of the human spirit, CHECK!
total tyranny, CHECK!
yep that's who's up there on the hill dismantling
a system that could have worked to the benefit of
all citizens

COULD HAVE.

Courtesy of JimInBroward on the Ed Schultz Message Board.

Kenny Predicts: Huge Repug Error, Cheney resigns, Condi takes over as VP

2006-03-04T09:38:00.000-08:00

I believe this is the plan. Condi is being groomed to carry the Neocon mantle in the 2008 election.

The underestimation of the pervasive racism in the Republican party will cost the next Neocon candidate the nomination in the Republican primary.

I predict a black woman will split the Republican party by shaving off at least 20% of eligible Republican voters.

In such a senerio, a nice white Candidate like John McCain will clinch the nomination with ease.

I can't even deal with these pigs anymore

2006-02-28T10:36:00.000-08:00

People who have defended everything this administration does without regard for the lives of their fellow citizens do not deserve my time.

I am no longer acknowledging the existence of the apologists. Acknowledging them and participating in their inane cheerleading exercises gives far more credence to their positions then is deserved.

Lemmings are not worth my time.

Question for Conservatives

2006-02-26T09:59:00.000-08:00

Why have you spent the last 3 years defending Administration policy in Iraq?

The tip of the spear

2006-02-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

Look what Jimmy did.

Jimmy Carter Backs Dubai Ports Deal

Many of us are asking why. I love carter why would he do this blah blah blah.

Because it drives a wedge into the Republican party. This is what we have been waiting for, this is a defining moment.

Carter made himself the tip of the spear knowing there is hardly anyone Republicans hate more then him.

He's a old fox and we should thank him.

Operation Rubber Stamp; Republican Held Congress Licks Bush Boot

2006-02-17T09:10:00.000-08:00

Senate plans no probe of NSA spy program

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For now, the Senate Intelligence Committee won't investigate the Bush administration's domestic surveillance program, its chairman said.

"An investigation at this point basically would be detrimental to this highly classified program and our efforts to reach some accommodation with the administration," said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas.

You may Remember Pat Roberts from such rubber stamp hits as the Plame leak investigation white wash. Or, you may remember him from the stalling of the second stage of the Iraq war intelligence investigation. Regardless, Pat is one of Operation Rubber Stamp's biggest stars.

USS Pueblo Incident. Americans were not tortured, GOP rewrites history to cover Bush.

2006-02-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

*sarcasm*

North Vietnamese declare torture of Americans a "prank". Not to be taken serious, no permanent damage done. They argue the context of the descriptions of torture overblown. Blame media for hype.

*sarcasm*

We have lost the moral high ground.

This is what McCain is talking about. How can we say the North Vietnamese are wrong when we do the same things?

About the Pueblo:

http://web.mit.edu/ssp/fall02/lerner.htm

"The prisoner was forced to sit on the floor with his legs straightened out in from of him and an iron bar was secured to the ankles. Arms, straightened and behind the prisoner, were secured by ropes or straps which had been laced tightly from the armpits to just below the elbows. The prisoner's head was then pushed down towards his feet, producing not only severe pain but also causing difficulty with respiration and, in many, a feeling of claustrophobia. If a prisoner failed to respond, an interrogator would slowly tighten the ropes while standing on the prisoner's back. This procedure, which cut off the circulation in the arms, resulted in swelling and excruciating pain."

Initial torturing sessions lasted from several hours to several days, depending on the individual's stamina. Eventually all American prisoners were persuaded to answer questions and many were tortured to write "confessions." Wounded men were tortured as severely as the others but, unlike the non-wounded, the promise of medical attention was held out to them as a further inducement to cooperate -- a promise which, in some cases, was never realized.

Prisoners were held in solo cells that were small, filthy, and neither ventilated or heated. Beds consisted of wooden pallets or cement slabs with one blanket and a mosquito net provided for each of the prisoners. A container for human excreta was placed in the cell and emptied once a day. Prisoners were frequently reminded that they were criminals and were forbidden to communicate with fellow prisoners. Severe beatings or prolonged periods of isolation were given to those prisoners caught communicating covertly. Yet, in spite of the prison rules, the men organized themselves and followed a chain of command which issued their resistance orders.

The supply of food given to each man was inadequate; it consisted of two meals a day and varied in quality and quantity from one prison to the next. At first, weight loss among these men were pronounced. After October 1969 the food supply was increased and prisoners actually gained back some of their lost weight. To keep the body in shape, most prisoners developed an intensive program of daily exercise for themselves within the confines of their small cells.

Eventually, as greater numbers of prisoners of war were brought to Hanoi, some had to be housed together. In 1970, the numbers had grown to such proportions that larger rooms had to be constructed to house perhaps 40 men. However, even after 1970, the more senior prisoners remained isolated from the majority of the others.

Generally, then, the incarceration of the Pueblo crew was not as prolonged as that of the RPWs from Vietnam, nor was the treatment as physically, psychologically or environmentally as severe. The Pueblo crew was encouraged to function as a group, whereas the RPWs from Vietnam were hindered in any attempts at group functioning. Isolated from their leaders, the RPWs from Vietnam were able to organize only through sheer determination, ingenuity, and military experience.

The two faces of Bush.

2006-02-01T08:52:00.000-08:00

The right has lost it's moral compass. They no longer care for freedom in America. They are happy to push it on the rest of the world, but not here.

Sheehan wore a t-shirt, that's it. She was arrested.

What's wrong with our party?

2006-01-31T10:14:00.000-08:00

1.) Lack of leadership and principled elected officials.

Our democratic party is full of opportunists, strategic players, and self protectionists. Americans admire people with convictions...people who stand for something. The conservative charge that democrats don't stand for anything sticks...because it's true. Not us...not us in the grass roots. Our leaders don't stand for anything.

2.) We are identified by the fringe.

In the vacuum created by our elected officials lack of leadership we look to anyone who will stand on principle. Often these folks stand on the fringe of American political life. In itself there is nothing wrong with this, but it won't attract moderates to the party.

Unless Democrats address these problems we are going to continue to spin our wheels.

On family values

2006-01-24T19:26:00.000-08:00

Unhappy bitter people spend all their time focusing on how others live.

Happy people focus on living.

Republicans have lost their way. What do they stand for now?

2006-01-24T11:44:00.000-08:00

This isn't directed at individual Republicans, it's directed at the leadership. The Republican leadership is not doing what they said they would do.

Smaller government....nope.
Reign in spending....nope.
Limiting Federal power...nope.
The Constitution...nope.
Border Security...nope.
Marriage amendment...nope.

Anti Choice...yep

Is that the only issue Republicans haven't changed course on?

Thoughts on the future

2006-01-22T12:50:00.000-08:00

It's absolutely clear to me now that the conservative base is smaller then our base. They are a small minority of America, but they are marching in lock step.

We can't do that and we never will be able to. No two democrats agree on everything and that's good. That should be our strength...not our weakness.

The fact is we are real people...they are stepford people.

What we have to do is convince our fellow dems to embrace their own views and express them publicly.

We have to convince ourselves that emailing, calling and writing letters is a duty...not just something you do when enraged.

LOOK HOW QUICK TWEETY BACKPEDALED WHEN WE GOT ENRAGED.

We need to be proud of our ideas and express them to the media, our politicians, and each other.

It's about intimidation.

2006-01-20T18:53:00.000-08:00

Think about this:

They now have all your emails on disk, all the packets you ever send or receive online are being captured and stored. Now they want to have search records too.

Say you are running for congress, or your a news reporter, or your a blogger. Say you are expressing views against the administration.

Now they can data mine and swift boat your ass with everything you ever did online. So like every other adult in the US you looked at a little porn, you might have bought a bong, maybe you cheated on your wife and you sent your girl friend emails.

They want total power of people, they are close to getting it.

Only cowards and old women

2006-01-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

Did Lincoln tell the American people to fear the South? Did he tell them that Southerners were coming to their town to kill them? Did he try to make them afraid?

Did Washington tell his men the Brits were everywhere. Did he tell them how powerful the British are, that they could come and kill them any second.

FDR told us, "there is nothing to fear, but fear itself".

GWB's fear mongering is getting old. Americans don't like feeling powerless. It's backfiring. Americans don't want to hear how powerful and scary the enemy is. They want to hear about Osama dead.

A note to the Information Technology community

2006-01-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

One of the most important missions of IT professionals is information security.

Securing company information against spies from outside and malcontents within the company occupies a great deal of the average American IT workers time.

All of a sudden a threat has appeared that no amount of diligence or dedication can counter.

The biggest threat to corporate information security just became the federal government.

They are listening to and recording all cell, email, and other electronic traffic. This fact is no longer conjecture or conspiracy theory. Recent disclosures have confirmed this reality. There are no encryption algorithms publicly available that they do not have the keys to and they can do it all with complete secrecy.

The Executive branch of the United States Government now has the power to make or break any company in the country, to sell or trade their secrets and to do it with complete impunity.

How Bush has squandered our national leverage and allowed Iran to walk all over us

2006-01-14T12:32:00.000-08:00

By lying us into, and then completely mismanaging, the Iraq war Bush has weakened our nation and allowed it's long standing enemies to laugh in our faces.

Iran knows full well we are a paper tiger. They may be crazy, but they aren't dumb. They have calculated the worst we can do and decided they can take it. A few bombs, a few sanctions, they don't care. They know we can't invade their country and they have weighed the benefits of nukes against our weakness and decided to go for it.

With 150,000 of our best troops tied down in Iraq, countless others in support of them, our exposed supply lines, and our President's stupid refusal to increase the size of the regular army, we are totally incapable of threatening Iran in a meaningful way.

Sure we can bomb them, sure we can put them under sanctions, but we can't stop them and they know it.

Democrats must force the Republican Senate's hand and filibuster Alito

2006-01-10T10:06:00.000-08:00

Repost:

The Republican Senate is built on one last house of cards. The nuclear option. The idea is dead, but Democrats haven't figured it out yet. The Nuclear option is built on the premise that a popular President is being obstructed by an unpopular minority party.

The truth on the ground is far from that. The vast majority of the public wants President Bush's hands tied. We think he's incompetent. He gets no more free rides.

Now, we want to show the American people that the Republicans in the Senate are a "rubber stamp" right. What a better way is there then forcing them to try and change the Senate rules to give themselves more power?

This is the biggest weapon we have right now. We need to make sure our people use it. Call your Democratic Senators today. Do it.

Al Qaeda is on it's last leg in Iraq

2006-01-06T09:57:00.000-08:00

A civil war among the sectarian groups is not the outcome Al Qaeda wanted, they want to fight us. They only thrive in Iraq if we are there. Once the war turns from Iraqis against the US to Iraqis against Iraqis Al Qaeda loses it's focus and it's reason for being there.

The latest Al Qaeda video is a desperate attempt to berate Bush into staying in Iraq.

Snow wants to borrow even more from China

2005-12-29T19:11:00.000-08:00

Conservatives don't seam to care they will slap a debt burden on their kids do they? This money has to be paid back with tax dollars. Our kids will be paying for the services we are using now and the war these douche bags are so in love with.

Snow: Congress Needs to Help U.S. Pay Bills

WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary John Snow on Thursday said the United States could face the prospect of not being able to pay its bills early next year unless Congress raises the government's borrowing authority, now capped at $8.18 trillion. more...

What recovery?

2005-12-27T16:26:00.000-08:00

Dow Jones Industrial Average One Decade Chart:

Ok folks, tax cuts didn't do crap. The stock market has not gained value. They move a lot of money around, but the market isn't gaining. The market has not gained value since 2000. In simple terms businesses in the United States are not gaining value.

Only Energy companies are actually worth more now then they were in 2000.

Why The Rightys Still Believe King George, From Pissed On Politics

2005-12-22T10:30:00.000-08:00

Critical thinkers prefer analysis of facts and figures from reputable sources. They always question the motives of the persuader. They apply logic and examine the validity of the information being presented. They are suspect of strong emotional ploys and probe them for relevance, reliability, and validity.

Non-critical thinkers don’t have a lot of use for facts and figures. They are not likely to take the time to analyze or apply sound logical principals. They are addicted to the emotional rush of the sensational sound-bite and are not likely to question that validity of what makes them feel good. They accept information that reinforces their emotional commitment to an issue, no matter how inconsistent or illogical.

Which kind of “thinkers” do you think still believe the bull shit King George is using to push his ratings up?

How many Rightys will take the time to read and understand this post?

http://pissedonpolitics.blogspot.com/

The country need a new term for Conservative, the old term is inoperative at this time

2005-12-21T09:50:00.000-08:00

In my entire life I have never, until now, heard conservatives argue for more federal power.

The one thing about conservative thinking that I have always respected is their dogged conviction that the federal government should be limited in it's power and scope.

Those days are over. Conservatives now gleefully argue for more federal power without a thought to their previous convictions.

I believe the new term should be "Regurgatives".

What are the liars spewing now?

2005-12-20T17:36:00.000-08:00

Prominent right-wing bloggers – including Michelle Malkin, the Corner, Wizbang and Free Republic — are pushing the argument that President Bush’s warrantless domestic spying program isn’t news because the Clinton administration did the same thing.

The right-wing outlet NewsMax sums up the basic argument:

During the 1990’s under President Clinton, the National Security Agency monitored millions of private phone calls placed by U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries under a super secret program code-named Echelon…all of it done without a court order, let alone a catalyst like the 9/11 attacks.

That’s flatly false. The Clinton administration program, code-named Echelon, complied with FISA. Before any conversations of U.S. persons were targeted, a FISA warrant was obtained. CIA director George Tenet testified to this before Congress on 4/12/00:

I’m here today to discuss specific issues about and allegations regarding Signals Intelligence activities and the so-called Echelon Program of the National Security Agency…

There is a rigorous regime of checks and balances which we, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency and the FBI scrupulously adhere to whenever conversations of U.S. persons are involved, whether directly or indirectly. We do not collect against U.S. persons unless they are agents of a foreign power as that term is defined in the law. We do not target their conversations for collection in the United States unless a FISA warrant has been obtained from the FISA court by the Justice Department.

Meanwhile, the position of the Bush administration is that they can bypass the FISA court and every other court, even when they are monitoring the communications of U.S. persons. It is the difference between following the law and breaking it.

The Echelon Myth

Thanks to thinkprogress.org for getting this out.

Right wing fear mongering leads to surrender.

2005-12-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

"Conservatives",

Why are you so willing to surrender your rights to terrorist? I'm scared too, but I am not going to sacrifice my core beliefs on the alter of fear. I am a civil libertarian like any real conservative. I respect conservative thought even though I don't subscribe to much of it. I have no respect for people who claim to be conservative, yet are willing to toss out the constitution the second they feel a tinge of fear.

We cannot win against the terrorists by giving up our core principles. If we do so they win without firing a shot.

With fading respect,

Kenny

All 2002 FISA Court requests for wire taps were approved

2005-12-18T09:26:00.000-08:00

FISA court approved all wire tap requests made in 2002. So why did they need to act outside the law?

There is a secret FISA court. Here is a document from the Attorney Generals office. Read it and you will be more puzzled then before:

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court

Mr. L. Ralph Mecham
Director, Administrative Office
of the United States Courts
Washington, D.C. 20544

Dear Mr. Mecham:

This report is submitted pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, Title 50, United States Code, Section 1807, as amended.

During calendar year 2002, 1228 applications were made to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for electronic surveillance and physical search. The Court initially approved 1226 applications in 2002. Two applications were "approved as modified," and the United States appealed these applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, as applications having been denied in part. On November 18, 2002, the Court of Review issued a judgment that "ordered and adjudged that the motions for review be granted, the challenged portions of the orders on review be reversed, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court's Rule 11 be vacated, and the cases be remanded with instructions to grant the United States' applications as submitted..." Accordingly, all 1228 applications presented to the Foreign Intelligene Surveillance Court in 2002 were approved.

Sincerely,

John Ashcroft

Message to Righties: we are coming for your guns, and you're giving us the power.

2005-12-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

One day there will be a Democratic President. And, some day those 50 guns in your safe may be illegal.

If Conservatives care about the 2nd amendment, or the 4th, or any other amendment they would stand with us against the usurpation of Congressional power by the Executive Branch.

Allowing the precedent of Presidential power to spy on Americans without a court order could hurt you more then us.

Spying on Americans without a warrant is an Impeachable offense

2005-12-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

Bush did not ask Congress to authorize his actions. He does not have the executive power to set aside the constitution.

He did not ask for a declaration of war, he does not have war powers. He is a criminal.

This is the smoking gun!

Democracy in Iraq. Bleeding heart pipe dream

2005-12-15T19:03:00.000-08:00

It's refreshing to hear Republicans talk like Democrats about spreading democracy and nation building, but in all honesty I thought it was silly when Dems did it too.

Unless our nations interests are directly served by this war then the expense in treasure, blood and prestige isn't worth it.

Victory is defined by either money or power or both. Anything short of that is some bleeding heart pipe dream.

What if that stable democracy in Iraq is allied with Iran. Is that victory? What if they sell all their oil to the Chinese or the Europeans. Is that victory?

It's time to think. The time for knee jerk partisan reactions is over. Our country must come first, not some third world sand pit.

Follow up on the Iraqi election coverage

2005-12-14T21:40:00.000-08:00

CNN reporters are in the polling places, talking to real Iraqis. Fox's reporters are behind fences and barriers. They report with no Iraqis visible in the shot. CNN is amongst the people.

Just like Katrina. Fox is pathetic.

Riddle me this Batman

2005-12-14T20:33:00.000-08:00

How is it that CNN has Anderson Cooper on the ground in Iraq, live from actual polling places, covering this election while Fox news has minor reporters on the top of buildings?

Fox should be ashamed of not covering actual good news in Iraq. It's pathetic.

This is NOT a war time President and we are NOT at war

2005-12-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

Only the U.S. Congress has the right to declare war as enumerated in the Constitution:

Article I

Section 8.

The Congress shall have power....

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;

http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/co...i.html#section8

A resolution allowing the use of force is not a decleration of war.

The right wing have usurped the power of the Congress in effect making the Republican party the defacto legislative branch on this issue.

It's repugnant.

Why the rights attack on Labor Unions is Un-American

2005-12-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

1st Amendment US Constitution

Every American has the right to associate, assemble and speak. Labor Unions are an association of Americans who assemble in order to use their freedom of speech. Just like the NRA the Christian Coalition, or any other group.

No other citizen, in this case business (since corporations now have citizen status), can legally infringe on these rights.

It's as simple as that.

Ok can I put this to rest?

2005-12-06T22:24:00.000-08:00

Yes, I coined the phrase "Happy Man God Day". Yes, I regret it. Yes, I hope people don't start using it. And, yes even though it's true in the literal sense I don't feel it was appropriate.

Sorry to those Christians I offended. Thanks to all those who think it's funny, but I'd like to walk away from it now.

The Kenny Pledge, I encourage others to consider it

2005-12-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

I won't vote for any Democratic primary candidate that:

Voted for the war.
Voted for CAFTA.
Or voted for the bankruptcy bill.

These things fly in the face of my values and beliefs.

The general election is another issue.

The good news from Iraq myth. Where is it?

2005-12-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

I watch Fox news.

Where is it?

If anyone is going to cover this so called "good news" out of Iraq it would be them. Right? I watch Hannity, Oriely, Gibson......

Where is it?

The truth is that American reporters rarely leave the Green Zone. I'll leave the why up to the readers to guess....but I'll give you a hint....people die in Iraq.

Gunsmoke

2005-11-22T17:50:00.000-08:00

Key Bush Intelligence Briefing Kept From Hill Panel

By Murray Waas, special to National Journal
© National Journal Group Inc.
Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2005

Ten days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, President Bush was told in a highly classified briefing that the U.S. intelligence community had no evidence linking the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein to the attacks and that there was scant credible evidence that Iraq had any significant collaborative ties with Al Qaeda, according to government records and current and former officials with firsthand knowledge of the matter.

The information was provided to Bush on September 21, 2001 during the "President's Daily Brief," a 30- to 45-minute early-morning national security briefing. Information for PDBs has routinely been derived from electronic intercepts, human agents, and reports from foreign intelligence services, as well as more mundane sources such as news reports and public statements by foreign leaders.

See the rest at the National Journal

Oath of enlistment. Defend the Constitution, Not the President

2005-11-21T10:10:00.000-08:00

I, ___________________________________, do solemly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed overme, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

The troops have to follow Bush's orders, but they don't have to agree with him and neither do we.

In fact they are sworn to defend our right to disagree, speak out, and assemble in protest. The Constitution explicitly grants us those rights and our troops take an oath to defend those rights.

The Republicans don't have a leg to stand on with this attack on the Constitution. Shame on them.

Demanding that we not criticize the President is an attack on our rights as granted by the constitution. And, as such is an attack on the mission of the United States Military.

Their mission is to defend the Constitution.

Exporting Democracy to Iraq is a Major Mistake

2005-11-19T13:15:00.000-08:00

Noble as it may sound, a representative democracy in Iraq runs a major risk of being anti-American.

If we can't trust that the future Iraqi government will act in our national interest then installing it is a mistake. We have spent to much blood and treasure to come out of this war with an unfriendly Iraqi government. Or worse, a Government friendly to Iran.

If Iraq is not a US client State the war will have been for nothing.

Now Repugs can rant all they want about how cynical this is and how high they hold the ideals of democracy and all that might be well and good. But, if we don't get direct and tangible economic, strategic, or diplomatic gains out of this it's a waste.

I say to the Repugs, grow up. If our national interest is not advanced clearly and tangibly you will never convince the majority of the American people to support this war. Your rhetoric is empty.

Read my lips, "no new tactics"

2005-11-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

The Republican message to the troops is clear.

You aren't coming home, we aren't sending help, we aren't changing the plan.

Make it work.

This Republican message is aimed at the Generals. The Republicans know the Generals are looking for a way out of this. The message is, "shut the hell up and make it work".

They don't want to hear the truth, they don't even want to consider it. These people made bad decisions and continue to make others pay for them.