The grass is greener...

...on the other side.

If only the author of this article knew what really goes on in the land of the free and the home of the brave...

Classic Pic of the Week

Any surprise that this baby would be crying? Bush's expression here is just too funny... like "Duh, I don't know, I didn't do it..."

People v. Insurance companies

What a day for court cases...

Many people whose houses were devastated due to Hurricane Katrina soon learned that the insurance companies were out to screw them. Most of the insurance companies' "excuses" revolve around the differentiation of wind and flood damage. There have been differing reports on just how they screwed people. For example, some people were assured by agents that they didn't need additional flood coverage to protect their property from hurricane damage, only to find their claims largely rejected because their insurance company claimed the damage was actually flood damage.

Some of these homeowners are screwing back.

Best line from the insurance company spokesman: Lawyers for the plaintiffs are “trying to muddy the waters with a great deal of information."

Right. As if you were not muddying the waters with disinformation.

Stand up to the man...

The Russian government can do what it will with oil under its ground, thankyouverymuch.

Who are we (we being the U.S. and some other G-8 members) to tell the Russians how best to make money off of something that is THEIRS?

Free enterprise is a bitch, ain't it?

Perhaps, were the U.S. were not acting like other imperial conquerors of the past, other countries would be more conducive to working with us. Now, we're "talking to the hand" when we come around with our hands extended. Serves the Bush administration right...

Wilson v. Cheney, Rove, Libby, et al.

You go, Valerie Plame!!!

Something tells me, though, that this case will not make it to trial. I don't think there will be a settlement or anything; I fear more that it will be rejected/dismissed at some point. Of course, Patrick Fitzgerald may still have information to weigh in on this as Libby's trial goes on.

I'll never shake the feeling, though, that the White House is operating under a "you crack, you take the rap" policy on this case. Regardless of the fact that we now know Rove told Novak that "Joe Wilson's wife is CIA," I think Libby is the only one who will face legal wrath over this. The other guys seem to have lied themselves into truth by denying all involvement, at whatever cost.

Israel v. Lebanon, Day 3

Israel's bombing of Lebanon continues... mainly targeting transportation targets (airport runways, routes leaving the country, etc.), I'm guessing it is their way of "reducing" civilian deaths.

The problem is, Lebanon is not attacking Israel; Hezbollah is, using Lebanon to do so.

In one sense, Lebanon should be expected to "get its act together" and come down on organizations like Hezbollah. However, how would we expect Lebanon to go about such a task? Like members of Hezbollah will admit to it when the government comes knocking on their doors?

Israel has a right to security, no doubt, and there is no disputing that there are organizations that want to destroy Israel. However, Israel's response is awfully steep. If Detroit were to, one day, for themselves, decide to invade Canada, should Canada bomb Washington, D.C. to "make the U.S. make Detroit stop"? It's an overreaction, veiled in the "we're very serious, don't mess with us" rhetoric that it seems the U.S. itself is playing out in Iraq. Would it surprise you to know that Israel's prime minister AND defense secretary have "the kind of long military experience previous holders of their positions have had"? Admittedly, not quite as bad as the no-service authoritarian, imperialist regime in Washington...

Schoolyard politics as always. Peace is a dream when humanity is still collectively immature.

News Flash! Children's behinds left...

... and amongst those are the neediest.

New evidence shows that, more and more, older children are struggling with reading. Only 51% of students taking the ACT college entrance exam demonstrated a preparedness for college-level reading.

No Child Left Behind? Sure, if you believe that, I have a bridge in Wyoming to sell you.

This explains it ALL...

Leave it to a political underling to give away the secret sauce of the authoritarian wing of the Republican party...

"The President is always right." - Steven Bradbury, head of the Justice Department’s office of legal counsel

This was said in response to a line of questioning regarding Bush's interpretation of the Hamdan case (regarding Geneva Conventions applying to detainees in Guantanamo).

Read and see it here.

Behold, the "Statue of Liberation through Christ"

Even though this is "old news," I just have to hit upon this travesty.

It seems that just saying America is a "Christian nation" is not enough for some people. Apostle Alton R. Williams, pastor of a "mega-church" in Memphis (note - I don't think Jesus would have approved of a house of worship also being a house of bowling and roller-skating, amongst other things...) has gone one step further, and spent $260,000 on a replica of the Statue of Liberty - replacing her book with tablets representing the Ten Commandments, and the torch with a cross. He justifies such a lavish expenditure by saying, "I personally feel that the answer for the poor is Jesus Christ."

Right.

Why did he do this? What is his purpose? "This statue proves that Jesus Christ is Lord over America, he is Lord over Tennessee, he is Lord over Memphis."

Again... Right...

Behold, the "Statue of Liberation through Christ":

Keep an eye on this...

The Republicans know eliminating the Voting Rights Act is against their future political interests. So they will try to neuter it as much as possible.

Call your Congressman, and remind him that democracy works best when every citizen has an equal voice.

Destabilization, ongoing...

First... a correction to my "Extra Edit" yesterday: Apparently, both of the captured soldiers are alive.

In any case, this Israel-Lebanon issue is sad, on both sides. Leaders on all sides are so unwilling to compromise even a shred of their positions that it can only lead to violence.

Bush, of course, is calling for an end to the conflict... but Bush's idea of an "end to the conflict" is for everyone who doesn't like Israel to shut up and let Israel have whatever Israel wants.

When did Israel become the United States' spoiled-rotten child?

On a personal note, my thoughts are with a Lebanese family that lives in my building who are spending the summer in Lebanon. My hopes are for your safe and speedy return to the United States...

You can't always get what you want...

... but if you try to push Congress into giving you what you want, they'll try and give it to you.

Apparently, that's the version Bush listens to.

Even though the Supreme Court said, "No, Mr. Bush, you MUST treat Guantanamo detainees in a manner that respects the Geneva Conventions," he doesn't want to listen. He insists on subjecting these people to military tribunals - "courts" in which the defendant, nor his counsel, are allowed to be present for... much less given an opportunity to answer charges that are levied against a human being. And he's willing to subvert, by any means necessary, any "authority" that will tell him otherwise.

The only bright side? His position on these tribunals does not have enough support in Congress. However, the Republicans will try to give him as much as they can - Constitution, Geneva, or conscience be damned.

Fire Chertoff NOW!

I am speechless. So you'll just have to read this, and be speechless yourselves.

Funny that we hear about this the week after a plot to bomb the Holland Tunnel was "uncovered"... Never mind that the dreams of the "plotters" to flood lower Manhattan that way would never have worked; even IF they were able to rupture the tunnel, the resulting flood would come nowhere near lower Manhattan.

I suspect this, and the supposed "Miami Seven" plot that was "more aspirational than operational," are part of the Tom Ridge-less DHS's substitute for the color-coded "terror alert" system. Better that then this crap we're getting now. But the intended effect is the same: scare us into re-electing the authoritarian Christian dominionists who promise to protect us while leaving us defenseless...

Trust your local mathematician...

... before you take the words of the Dumbo-in-Chief at all seriously regarding the effect of his fiscal policies on the deficit.

We may have been given the worst-case scenario forecast, just so, when the actual numbers come out, Bush can say, "Hey, my plan works!" As I typed that, I could only shake my head. This is still the FOURTH. WORST. DEFICIT. EVER. Only incompetence could have turned budget surpluses to budget deficits so quickly. Incompetence... or tax cuts for the rich.

Bush's fiscal policies. Great for 593,000. OK for 14,232,000. BAD FOR 281,675,000.

I think we can ALL do the math there.

Congressional Time-Wasting Today

The first nail in the coffin of online poker...

...and another nail in the coffin of personal freedom.

Gay marriage, abortion, flag burning, and now online gambling... Republican policy is all about LIMITING our freedoms.

Programming note

I'll be going daily (at least Mon-Fri) with the blog starting today. The radio room is, well, sort of looking the part. We are doing at least one private show/test of the room (tomorrow), and I'll certainly post updates on the show's status as they become available.

I haven't forgotten Part 4...

Iraq.

Pleasant place. Things are going great, if you like civil war.

Read the linked article thoroughly. The Sunnis and the Shiites just love killing each other's civilians so much... It's not a civil war, no...

Part 3 - "Wait a minute here..."

You know, I am a fool. I was under the impression that we defeated the Taliban in 2002 and installed democracy in Afghanistan.

So, you could imagine my surprise when I read this.

Because we didn't stay in Afghanistan after toppling the Taliban in enough numbers to stabilize their democracy - instead rushing off to sweep Saddam out of power in Iraq - we allowed the resurgence of the Taliban. Now we have to stop them again.

The U.S. will ALWAYS be at war, as long as this administration and its political adherents remain in power.

And now, Part 2.

Israel and Lebanon are at it again.

Since Israel left Lebanon six years ago, armies stationed at the border have had minor skirmishes. This morning, Hezbollah got on the aggressive, raiding an Israeli border position, killing seven Israeli soldiers and capturing two. Israel responds by bombing a house where Hamas leaders were suspected to be staying in Gaza.

OK... Hezbollah attacks Israel, so Israel attacks Hamas. Regardless of ties between Hezbollah and Hamas, it just seems like misplaced anger to me. "You hurt us, so we'll hurt your buddies..."? Right.

It's like America going to war with Iraq to scare Iran and North Ko... oh, right. Not the same, but eerily similar.

So the best we can do for world peace is to turn every dispute into a schoolyard fight? Well, I guess this pleases the American military/industrial complex... Not pleasing to the rest of us. We should be moving towards less violence, not more.

By the by, does Israel take these Hamas guys for complete fools? The bombing killed nine people, including one Hamas leader (the resident of the targeted house) - and SEVEN of his underage children. The Hamas leader targeted, as well as other Hamas leaders, escaped injured. Good shot, Israel, good shot... like Hamas isn't smart enough to always be ready to avoid your "random" attacks. Civilians die while bad guys go free when you do stupid crap like this.

Extra Edit: One of the captured soldiers is reported dead.

International Destabilization, Part 1

Lots of crazy things happening on the international front...

Last Tuesday, North Korea had their missile tests. Just this past Monday, India tested its OWN missile. Remember all those "Indian mangoes" that Dumbo-in-Chief proudly exclaimed that America was looking forward to eating? Well, we gave them nuclear technology for MANGOES, and now India is testing missiles.

Hmm.

Now, we have the train bombings in Mumbai. Apparently, the Kashmiri group Lashkar-e-Toiba, who are the main suspects, and have "connections" to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, are loudly proclaiming they had nothing to do with it, saying, through a spokesman, "Islam does not permit the killing of innocent people." However, this group has been tied to other terrorism incidents (attacking Indian government facilities and murdering Kashmiri non-Muslims), so the spokesman's words ring a little hollow.

This couldn't have anything to do with India's dispute with Pakistan over the (presently) Indian state of Kashmir... right? Many Muslims live there; Pakistan claims it "belongs" to their state, and, in fact, has "occupied" part of it.

There is more to this than meets the eye. It would not surprise me if there were some state-sponsorship behind an attack like this. The question is... which state?
Certainly, the U.S. has a lot to gain in supplying India with weapons for a war with Pakistan...

Hmm, indeed.