Politicizing the War(s)???

August 30, 2006 - Nashville, TN - President George W. Bush at a fundraiser for Republican candidates, gave speeches which he characterized as "not political speeches."

The same day at another fundraiser in Little Rock, AR, Bush said, "These are important times, and I seriously hope people wouldn’t politicize these issues I’m going to talk about."

What issues is he talking about? The safety of the nation. According to the New York Times, "The president urged an audience to vote for a Republican Senate candidate to help keep the nation safe...Mr. Bush said he needed colleagues on Capitol Hill who understood the importance of tools like the USA Patriot Act and domestic surveillance to help stop terrorism."

So Bush gives a non-political speech urging voters to vote Republican because they will protect the nation better than Democrats, and he doesn't consider that "politicizing" the issues? And sadly, many of his sheep believe this even though it defies all logic.

While Bush is touting his "message of optimism," Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is bringing up images of "the greatest generation" and World War II by explaining how we are fighting a "new type of fascism," also describing critics of the Bush administration as appeasers, comparing the current situation to the attempted appeasement of Hitler. He says that Bush administration critics suffer from "moral or intellectual confusion" about national security.

Rumsfeld goes on to say, "But some seem not to have learned history’s lessons," adding his feelings that part of the problem is the news media emphasizing the negative rather than the Bush-approved positive.

It's really easy to blame the news media when things aren't going your way. The same thing happened in the days after hurricane Katrina last year. The media actually goes to New Orleans with cameras, showing the devastation and destruction, showing the pats on the back given to "Brownie" by the president, showing the "refugees" in their own country - but according to spokespeople in Washington who never set foot in or near New Orleans, the news media is focusing on the negative.

So Bush is out campaigning for Republican candidates, giving speeches implying that Republicans keep us safer, and Rumsfeld is giving speeches bringing up Hitler and saying that critics of the Iraq war are appeasers - yet no one is supposed to "politicize" their already-politicized comments?!

All this while neoconservative spin experts like newsmax.com are writing articles titled "First Priority for Democrats: Politicize War on Terror."

And this is what it boils down to: Americans are starting to realize that Saddam Hussein did not attack us on 9/11. They are starting to realize that the Iraq War is not the same things as the "War on Terror." They are starting to get angry at "conservatives" who don't act "conservative." They are growing weary of troop deaths, higher energy costs, rising oil prices, massive deficits, war-mongering and fear-mongering.

We'll see if the majority are still sick of these issues come November 7.

more info:
Rumsfeld: War critics have ‘moral ... confusion’
Bush Shifting Public Focus to Terrorism and Iraq War
First Priority for Democrats: Politicize War on Terror

Profit, Profit, Profit......

From Newsweek, August 28, 2006 "Perspectives" section:

"We can't explain it."
-Ronnie Chappell, spokesman for BP, on the cause of corrosiion in an Alaskan pipeline. The damage caused the company to shut down a large portion of the biggest U.S. oilfield.

Mr. Chappell, I can explain it. After making billions and billions in profit last year, especially after you were able to jack up prices using hurricane Katrina as an excuse, you forgot to actually invest some of that money back into your company for "improvements" - "improvements" that don't include things like a new pool or renovated carpet for the CEO's mansion (or maybe even high-priced hookers and blow, if that's how he gets down.)

Ben over, America. The gas corporations are taking full advantage of the overturn of the Texas sodomy law.

Gwen Kennedy for Alabama Supreme Court, place 2

Gwendolyn Thomas Kennedy is running for place 2 on the Alabama Supreme Court, and unlike many of the current Supreme Court justices, she does not reside in any corporation's pocket.

I can say this because I know her personally, and have known her and her family for well over a decade. She has been practicing law in Montgomery for 20 years, and has the experience needed for the Supreme Court.

You can get more information at her web site: www.kennedyforsupremecourt.com

Responsibility starts at the top....

My new column, "All politics aside, what ever happened to responsibility?" is online at the Capital City Free Press.

Excerpt:

"Responsibility is lying on its deathbed and the "Credit Card" Congress is helping the Executive Branch pull the plug."

Read the entire article here.

NASA gets a verbal facelift

2002 - mid 2006: NASA's mission statement - "To understand and protect our home planet; to explore the universe and search for life; to inspire the next generation of explorers ... as only NASA can."

2006: NASA's new mission statement - "To pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research."

Why the change?

According to NASA spokesman David E. Steitz, "to square the statement with President Bush’s goal of pursuing human spaceflight to the Moon and Mars."

The original mission statement said, "to explore the universe" which apparently, to the President, means "except for human spaceflight to the Moon and Mars" because the moon and Mars are not part of the "universe" but rather just background objects of the universe we call "earth." Kind of our own little back yard or just another acre attached to the ranch in Texas.

NASA's new job is no longer to understand the planet, and many NASA scientists are not happy about the mission statement makeover. Many of those scientists say that "the 'understand and protect' phrase was not merely window dressing but actively influenced the shaping and execution of research priorities," adding that without the phrase, "there will be far less incentive to pursue projects to improve understanding of terrestrial problems like climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions."

What have we learned here?

To the President, climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions is not as much fun as flying to the Moon or to Mars.

more info:
NASA’s Goals Delete Mention of Home Planet

Unfortunately, the article linked above did not go into any detail about the phrase "to explore the universe and search for life" in the old mission statement, but alas, in this huge universe, there could not be any other life except for earth....I mean, someone would have had to go to another galaxy to die for their sins, right?

The ACLU: What Bill O'Reilly never tells you......and more

"The ACLU: What Bill O'Reilly never tells you" is up at the Capital City Free Press.

See what you've been missing by only watching Fox News Channel, where "fair and balanced" really means "we'll give you our right-wing point of view and claim it's both sides of the story."

Click here for the article.

And also, if you didn't hear, Ken Lay died of a heart attack. A heart attack! Mr. Enron himself, a guy who was recently convicted of corporate crimes, a guy who bilked his employees out of their retirement funds, a guy who was finally brought to justice and was going to spend the rest of his life in jail....dies of a heart attack. Where is the justice in that? If only someone could have hooked him up on life support and let his body lie in San Quentin long enough for Tom Delay to come to his defense when they try take away the feeding tube....oh, justice.

An Open Letter to Roy Moore

So I did some research, and I found that Roy Moore was saying one thing in 2003, but in 2006, when he gets back into politics, he says something completely different. I think it's only right for him to explain himself, so the Capital City Free Press has published the open letter, including his direct quotes. The subject of his "flip-flop," if you will, is the separation of church and state.

Click here to read the letter in its entirety.

The face behind the immigration debate - at the Capital City Free Press

May's column is live at the Capital City Free Press.

Excerpt:

"The easiest part of the immigration problem to look at is the security aspect. Of course, if random people can easily sneak into a country, that poses a security problem. If a Mexican citizen can sneak across for a better life, what is stopping someone with terrorist motives from doing the same?"

Read the entire article here.

Bob Riley, Taxes and an explanation....

"Could somebody please explain this to the people of Alabama" is my newest column at the Capital City Free Press.

Excerpt:

"USA Today ran a story during the Amendment One days, stating, 'Bob Riley was a tax-hating, God-loving, conservative Republican congressman. Then he got himself elected governor of Alabama...'"

Read the entire article here.

"Cartoons, riots and Freedom of Expression" up at the Capital City Free Press....and has been for a while now....yes, this is late

Here's an excerpt:

"Because we live in a world of 30-second soundbites, most people think that this story began this past January with the publication of 12 cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, but it actually started earlier."

"So in the image that shows Mohammed wearing a bomb-turban, Muslims see a depiction of Muslims as terrorists... and so to stop people from believing that Muslims are terrorists, Muslim extremists set buildings on fire and commit other terrorist acts???"

Read the entire article here.

Vice President Cheney actually shot somebody!

You thought the war was in Iraq, but oh no, you would be wrong. Vice President Dick Cheney is now shooting people in the state of Texas.

This past weekend, Cheney was on a hunting trip back in Texas with his friend Harry Whittington, a 78 year old attorney from Austin, Texas. They were hunting quail, and Cheney turned to shoot a bird, and Whittington got "sprayed" with some shotgun pellets.

Whittington is said to be "alert and doing fine," although one must wonder how it feels to get shot by your friend....that's gotta sting.

more info:
Cheney Accidentally Shoots Fellow Hunter

The Latest Source of "Infotainment"......at the Capital City Free Press

"The latest source of 'infotainment'" is up at the Capital City Free Press.

Excerpt:

"Taking notes from the Fox News Channel's playbook, CNN "Headline News" is continuing a national trend to blur the line between real news and commentary/entertainment by adding conservative talk-show host Glenn Beck to its roster. "

Read the entire article by clicking here.

We Love Democracy......when it's convenient

Yes, we are lovers of democracy. According to our President, we want to spread democracy around the world. I am told we are currently bringing democracy to Iraq.

But alas, our love affair with democracy seems to have limits, because democracy is a lot like history - sometimes you gotta take the good with the bad.

The last two Presidential elections have had allegations of voter fraud. Even the recent Iraq elections had some fraud allegations, but I have yet to hear or read about any fraud in the recent Palestinian election.

If you have not been keeping up, Hamas, a Palestinian group who is recognized by the United States and the United Nations as a terrorist organization, recently won a majority of seats in their new government. Yes, the people have spoken, but they have not spoken what the U.S., the U.N. and Israel wanted them to say.

Hamas has said that it does not recognize Israel as a nation, and have basically said that they want to wipe Israel off the map. And of course, like in almost every aspect of politics, there is money involved.

The U.S., the U.N. and even Israel have been giving money to the Palestinian government, which before the elections was run by the Palestinian Authority (P.A.). The P.A. has been working with Israel on a peace process, which had a big boost from the recent Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The problem now is this: the U.S. and the U.N. do not negotiate or do business with those deemed to be terrorists, and of course, Israel would not want to do business with someone intent on wiping them off the map. The Palestinians have been dependent on the money that has been given to them for their economy. So now what?

Time will tell. It will depend mostly on the new Palestinian government and the way Hamas leads it. It will depend on whether or not Hamas will change its mind about Israel. But with all the variables in this scenario, one thing seems certain: Democracy has its ups and downs.

So I ask, do we support democracy in general or just when it's convenient?

more info:
Palestinians Appeal for Continued Aid (AP)

In regards to yesterday's post about Clinton...

Check out what ThinkProgress.org has to say about the "blame Clinton" defense that I was talking about yesterday.

They start off talking about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales going on Larry King Live. Here's what Gonzales had to say:

"I would say that with respect to comments by the former vice president it’s my understanding that during the Clinton administration there was activity regarding the physical searches without warrants, Aldrich Ames as an example.

"I can also say that it’s my understanding that the deputy attorney general testified before Congress that the president does have the inherent authority under the Constitution to engage in physical searches without a warrant and so those would certainly seem to be inconsistent with what the former vice president was saying today."

And here is what ThinkProgress.org has to say:

"The issue with the Bush’s warrantless domestic wiretapping program is that it violates a federal criminal law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Despite what Gonzales is implying, the Clinton administration never violated FISA and never claimed they could violate FISA. Here’s why:

"1. Prior to 1995, FISA did not cover physical searches. (With Clinton’s signature, the law was expanded to cover physical searches in 1995.) The search of Aldrich Ames home occurred in 1993. It did not violate FISA.

"2. Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick testified in 1994 that the President could conduct warrantless physical searches, before FISA required physical searches to be conducted pursuant to a warrant. Gorelick was arguing that the President could conduct warrantless physical searches in the absence of Congressional action. At no time did she suggest that, after Congress required the President to obtain a warrant, the executive branch could ignore the law, nor is there any evidence the Clinton administration failed to comply with FISA."

And one reader pointed out in a comment under the ThinkProgress.org post that Gonzales kept saying "it's my understanding." That phrase is great lawyer-speak for really saying, "I'm going to give this statement as 'my opinion' because I know I'm wrong, and when I'm called out for it, I can say I was stating opinion and not fact, so that I don't look like a bigger liar than I already am."

more info:
In Desperation, Gonzales Smears Gore (ThinkProgress.org)

I guess the ol' "blame Clinton" defense never gets old...

Listening to the Kevin Elkins radio show this morning on am 1440, a caller was talking about Bush's wiretaps being illegal, and Elkins jumped to Bush's defense with the question, "What about Clinton?"

Next caller calls in with some information she got from Fox "News" about Al Gore's speech in which he blasted George W for using illegal wiretaps, with Fox "News" saying that in a previous speech during the Clinton administration, he was defending those same wiretaps.

The point was that everybody does it, both Republican and Democrat, and if Clinton did it, then how can anyone complain when Bush does it?

So if both parties have done it, the question must be asked, "Does that make it right?"

If a president breaks the law, how is the best defense "Well, Clinton did it?" That does not magically make the law 'unbroken.' That does not excuse Bush from breaking the law. Hell, when Bush ran in 2000, wasn't his theme something about "restoring dignity to the White House" or some such nonsense? Shouldn't he be holding himself to a higher standard? Shouldn't his defense be more like, "Clinton did this, so I'm NOT going to do the same?"

I guess not.

And really, when it comes down to it, if Clinton really did break the law by using illegal wiretaps, then maybe the impeachment process would have been more successful for the Republicans if they had used that instead of who was blowing him.

more info:
Kevin Elkins

Why does anyone still take Pat Robertson seriously?

Comedian Lewis Black asked a similar question about Jerry Falwell in one of his comedy specials, right before encouraging Falwell's followers to wear tinfoil so we could pick them out. The same should apply to Pat Robertson. It seems he is in the news at least once a month regarding some new crazy and moronic quote.

Here he is on his TV show "The 700 Club" talking about Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon soon after Sharon's stroke: "He was dividing God's land, and I would say woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the EU, the United Nations or United States of America." Then Robertson goes on to quote God: "This land belongs to me, you better leave it alone."

Now of course, because Robertson supports the theory of Intelligent Design, which was seen when he threatened God's wrath on the city of Dover, PA, he believes that there is a 'Designer' or 'Creator' who created the earth from nothing, in fact, created the entire universe from nothing. And even though the 'Creator' formed the entire universe, including the earth and all the land masses on earth....well dammit, he wants that piece of land that sits between Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea or he's just not gonna be happy. And he won't stop handing out strokes to prime ministers over the age of 50 until Israel reneges on the deal with the Palestinians and gets renamed "Jesus Land."

During a recent interview, when asked about the recent remarks by Pat Robertson, God was quoted as saying, "Who is Pat Robertson?"

more info:
Robertson Links Sharon Stroke, God's Wrath (AP story)
Robertson blamed Sharon stroke on policy of "dividing God's land" (Media Matters)

Local News: Alabama sues gas stations for price gouging and Porn wants its money from the City of Montgomery

Stop N Go Express at 4714 Mobile Highway and the Cannon Kwik Stop at 1111 Perry Hill Road are being taken to court by Alabama Attorney General Troy King. The civil suit sites price gouging, which they say occurred in the days after Hurricane Katrina.

According to the Montgomery Advertiser, "In the days following Hurricane Katrina gas prices shot up across the nation, in many cases to more than $3 per gallon, prompting 45 attorneys general to investigate."

King says most businesses who have been accused of price gouging did not break the law, however some investigations are still ongoing.


...and in other news...Montgomery's newest adults-only store wants $500,000 from Montgomery...

X-Mart, located at 3500 Birmingham Highway in Montgomery, wants $500,000 from the City of Montgomery for lost income.

Apparently, X-Mart opened its doors without a business license, so naturally, the city shut it down, as if the City of Montgomery wasn't already looking for a reason to shut down a 24-hour porn shop. When X-Mart applied for a business license, the city denied the license.

X-Mart then fought the City of Montgomery in federal court and won on First Amendment free speech grounds.

The City of Montgomery caused X-Mart to be closed a total of 275 days, which Mayor Bobby Bright says was not because of the materials they sold (yeah, right) but because they initially operated without a business license.

City lawyers say that, as of now, a settlement has not been reached.

More info:
Montgomery gas stations sued for price gouging (Montgomery Advertiser article)
Adult store wants Montgomery's money (Montgomery Advertiser article)

What I learned in 2005...at the Capital City Free Press

See "What I learned in 2005," my new column in the Capital City Free Press.

Excerpt:

"In George W. Bush's America, dissent equals treason, and this fact is voiced by members of the 'liberal media' like Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly."

and...

"When a hurricane hits land, you can rest assured that the president will take charge of the situation within six business days."

Read the entire article here.

Read the January issue of the Capital City Free Press here.

Pat Robertson....do I really need to elaborate?....honestly?...this could be an on-going series...

Pat Robertson of the 700 Club and Christian Coalition has done and said many strange and moronic things during his life, and alas, we come across a brand spankin' new one.

This man has called for the assasination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, threatened the wrath of "God" on a town whose schoolboard rejected the teaching of the theory of "Intelligent Design" in its science classes, said that "God" told him to run for President a few years ago (although apparently the Supreme Being couldn't deliver the votes), attempted to "pray" hurricanes away (although Katrina seemed immune), and really, must I go on?

Now Pat Robertson has continued on his path of hypocrisy by calling Democratic war criticism "treason." Using a page right out of Ann Coulter's blathering rants, Robertson said on the December 7 edition of his 700 Club:

"We've won the war already, and for the Democrats to say we can't win it -- what kind of a statement is that? And furthermore, one of the fundamental principles we have in America is that the president is the commander in chief of the armed forces and attempts to undermine the commander in chief during time of war amounts to treason. I know we have an opportunity to express our points of view, but there is a time when we're engaged in a combat situation that carping criticism against the commander in chief just doesn't cut it. And I think that yes, we have freedom of speech -- of course we do -- but this has gone over the top and I think the Republicans are -- well, they've taken advantage."

See, if you excercise your First Amendment rights, you are a traitor. If you disagree with the Bush Administration, you are a traitor. If you dissent, you are a traitor. If you speak your opinion, and your opinion differs from the Bush Administration's opinion, you are a traitor. If you say "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas," you are a traitor. If you think the First Amendment applies to you, you are a traitor.....or if you are Pat Robertson, you are a pitiful man who manipulates your religion to further divide the people of this country.

And look at the very beginning of his tirade: "We've won the war already..." Isn't that nice to know. We have already won, yet somehow I, the American people, the media, and hell, even the Bush Administration missed the memo. I had no idea that our troops were back home. I had no idea that Iraqis were protecting themselves. I had no idea that there were no more roadside bombs, no more IED's, no more suicide bombers.

Congratulations, America. Pat Robertson said we've already won the war. It's over. It's time to celebrate....but not too much, I mean, after all, there's still some war on Christmas, right?

more info:
Robertson called Democratic war criticism "treason"

The battle of Montgomery: the newest battle in the War on Christmas

In response to more of the ridiculousness of the War on Christmas that's been touted by some of our nation's most ignorant talking heads, I wrote a satire piece that is published in the Capital City Free Press, and, as of yesterday, read aloud on 'The Greg Show' on WACV 1170 AM.

Here is an excerpt:

"Many citizens have reported that their outdoor Christmas decorations have been stolen or vandalized. City Councilman Charles Jinright complained that his reindeer decorations were 'violated,' saying, 'Someone took one of my plastic reindeer and posed it as if it were sexually mounting the other reindeer, and the plastic Santa was holding the mistletoe. What is this city coming to?'"

Read the entire piece in all its satirical glory HERE.