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.

Christian Fundamentalists Angry at the Born-Again Christian President's "Christmas" Card

Take that! Bill O'Reilly!

Many Christian groups and media talking heads have organized boycotts of businesses that say "Happy Holidays" or sell "Holiday Trees" because they are "taking the Christ out of Christmas."

President Bush has always been one to pander to the religious right, but what has outraged many fundamentalist Christians this year was the official White House Christmas Card of 2005 is missing something.....oh yeah, the word "Christmas."

The editor of the conservative Web site, WorldNetDaily.com, Joseph Farah, said that Bush claims to be a born-again, evangelical Christian. But he sure doesn't act like one," adding, "I threw out my White House card as soon as I got it."

Luckily, Mr. Farah himself is such a strong believer in the Bible that when it says in Matthew chapter 7, verse 1, "Judge not, that ye be not judged," he knows that the translators forgot to add "unless you are Joseph Farah" to the end. We'll call that Matthew chapter 7, verse 1-A.

Susan Whitson, Laura Bush's press secretary, said, "Their cards in recent years have included best wishes for a holiday season, rather than Christmas wishes, because they are sent to people of all faiths." Imagine that. Is that "politically correct," or just respectful?

Most major retailers take the same stance as the "compassionate-conservative-born-again-Christian-God-put-me-in-office" President Bush, including such groups as the National Council of Churches.

What is really interesting is how few people know where the Christmas traditions came from. How the traditions were started by Pagans. How most theologians say that there is no way that Jesus was born in December. How most religions celebrated someone's death rather than birth. How many churches encouraged their congregations not to celebrate Christmas because of it being pagan.

Yet, somehow, people want to put the "Christ" back in "Christmas," which will be difficult since he wasn't there to start with.

more info:
Fundamentalists mad at Bush for wording of holiday card
'Christmas' appears nowhere on White House greeting
This Season's War Cry: Commercialize Christmas, or Else
The True Origin of Christmas

Is George W. Bush the worst president....ever?

A story appearing in the Yahoo! News section asks the question, "Is George Bush the Worst President -- Ever?"

The worst President so far was listed as James Buchanan, the 15th President, but some historians are saying that the current commander-in-chief may be able to take that prize in history, edging Buchanan up a notch.

The historians look at Bush's record:

"He has taken the country into an unwinnable war and alienated friend and foe alike in the process;


"He is bankrupting the country with a combination of aggressive military spending and reduced taxation of the rich;


"He has deliberately and dangerously attacked separation of church and state;


"He has repeatedly "misled," to use a kind word, the American people on affairs domestic and foreign;


"He has proved to be incompetent in affairs domestic (New Orleans) and foreign ( Iraq and the battle against al-Qaida);


"He has sacrificed American employment (including the toleration of pension and benefit elimination) to increase overall productivity;


"He is ignorantly hostile to science and technological progress;


"He has tolerated or ignored one of the republic's oldest problems, corporate cheating in supplying the military in wartime."

Read the entire article here.

Erosion of Support: Are Times Changing? - Capital City Free Press

"Erosion of Support: Are Times Changing?" is now up at the Capital City Free Press.

excerpt:

"Maybe some senators were voting because of the upcoming elections rather than for reasons of conscience, but if it means that some pressure is finally being put on the White House, then so be it. The White House's plan for this war is long overdue, and we, as the American public, have a right to know what it will be."

Read the entire article here.

Knight-Ridder Newspapers show how Bush and Co. "tinkers with truth"

This is very interesting, and the link below will take you to the entire article, which is very informative on the "tinkering"....or, hell, lying.

"ASSERTION: In his speech, Bush noted that "more than a hundred Democrats in the House and the Senate - who had access to the same intelligence - voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power."

"CONTEXT: This isn't true.


"The Congress didn't have access to the President's Daily Brief, a top-secret compendium of intelligence on the most pressing national security issues that was sent to the president every morning by former CIA Director George Tenet.


"As for prewar intelligence on Iraq, senior administration officials had access to other information and sources that weren't available to lawmakers.


"Cheney and his aides visited the CIA and other intelligence agencies to view raw intelligence reports, received briefings and engaged in highly unusual give-and-take sessions with analysts."

And there's lots more here: "In challenging war's critics, administration tinkers with truth"

Preview of the 2006 Alabama Governor's Race

"One year for possible change" is my new column in November's edition of the Capital City Free Press.

So far, there are mainly four people who are in the race:

Bob Riley (incumbent)
Roy Moore (former Alabama Chief Justice)
Don Siegelman (former Alabama Governor)
Lucy Baxley (current Lt. Governor)

Get a preview of the race here, and check out the rest of the Capital City Free Press here.

Insanity......A Compilation

Ran across this link on a message board.
It's just a page of quotes by people like Bush 41, Bush 43, (The always insane) Pat Robertson, Jimmy "I love hookers" Swaggert, Roy "The 10 Commandments Publicity Whore" Moore, and many other Ann-Coulter-like "leaders" of the extreme right-wing movement.

Here are some samples:

"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war"
-Ann Coulter

"I don't know that atheists should be considered citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
-George H. W. Bush (And you'd figure a President would have more respect for the First Amendment.)

"This crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while."
-George W. Bush

"State Universities are breeding grounds, quite literally, for sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV), homosexual behavior, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, alcoholism, and drug abuse."
-James Dobson of Focus on the Family

"If you're not a born-again Christian, you're a failure as a human being."
-Jerry "Does anyone still take him seriously?" Falwell

"The Islamic people, the Arabs, were the ones who captured Africans, put them in slavery, and sent them to America as slaves. Why would the people in America want to embrace the religion of slavers?"
-Pat Robertson, whom I would like to ask, "If Americans bought and owned slaves, didn't that make them 'slavers' too?"

Anyway, there's a whole list of people under the heading "Quotes from the American Taliban."

Read all the insanity for youself HERE.

"Where do we go from here?" - at the Capital City Free Press

"Where do we go from here?" is my new column at the Capital City Free Press.

Here is an excerpt:

"[Regarding Hurricane Katrina.]As the fingers get pointed and the blame gets handed out, some will miss the bigger picture that has been exposed by Katrina - the face of poverty. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) said recently on the floor of the Senate, 'I hope we realize that the people of New Orleans weren't just abandoned during the hurricane. They were abandoned long ago - to murder and mayhem in the streets, to substandard schools, to dilapidated housing, to inadequate health care, to a pervasive sense of hopelessness.'"

more info:
Capital City Free Press

Official Announcement: Senator Jeff Sessions is an Idiot.

"The group who spoke here the other day did not represent the American ideals of freedom, liberty and spreading that around the world," Sen. Jeff Sessions, an Alabama Republican, told the crowd. "I frankly don't know what they represent, other than to blame America first."

This statement was made on Sunday, Sept. 25, at a pro-war rally in Washington, D.C., and of course, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions was right in the middle of it, proudly proclaiming the "ideals" not of America, but of the pro-war movement.

See, in America, there are different political parties (at least by name), and there are different opinions, and there is this thing we like to call the First Amendment, which gives us a freedom of speech, which can be used as a freedom to dissent.

Using this American freedom angers the pro-war movement, as can by seen by signs at the rally stating, "Arrest the Traitors," with a list of names like "Cindy Sheehan."

So by using an American right to free speech to dissent a war and attempt to bring our troops home - alive - this is seen by Sessions and the pro-war movement as a form of treason.

Sessions' statement was in response to an anti-war protest that occurred the day before, in which Cindy Sheehan was one of the speakers. And the reason that I referred to Sessions as an "idiot" in the title is because of the part where he said, "I frankly don't know what they represent, other than to blame America first."

Using phrases like "blame America first" make him sound more like a political pundit rather than a US Senator. The "blame America first" phrase has been the slogan of talking heads like Sean Hannity for quite a while now,and for a US Senator to start using the phrase automatically lowers his respect level, and makes him look foolish. It is as if he is in Washington, getting first-hand information on what is really going on at the highest levels of government,but he still has to take his talking points from Fox News. It is rather pathetic.

He also said, "I frankly don't know what they represent..." It was an anti-war protest. They represent the anti-war movement. They represent peace. They represent the support of our troops. Senator Sessions may be able to sleep at night
knowing that he helped and continues to help send troops off to war to die, but some of us don't like to see our troops die. Some of us feel that putting a yellow ribbon on your car does not make it all right for our young people to die.

I have heard people try to justify this war by saying things like "they hate us because of our freedoms," but it sounds like the pro-war movement hates America's freedom of speech. Maybe Sessions and his followers should think long and hard before calling others "traitors."

more info:
Sessions: Anti-war demonstrators 'Blame America First'