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Sorry Sean Hannity, I had to co-opt your line because Bill Mahr is more of a Great American than you or your mindless listeners and viewers will ever be. Sit back, relax and enjoy this clip from Mahr’s show on Friday, October 27th.
New Rules - America Must Stop Bragging That It Is No. 1
I just want to give a shout out to Robert Fitzgerald the independence party candidate for the Minnesota senate race. Last night the League of women voters held a debate betwixt him, Amy Klobuchar and Mark Kennedy and I have to say that Robert did a spectacular job. His strongest issues are the occupation of Iraq and Economics (corporate welfare, tax system bullshit) which are the best issues to be strong in. Additionally, I couldn’t agree more with his stance on immigration, both Klobuchar and Kennedy are for the fence between us and Mexico, which is a colossal waste of money. About this Robert said: “Show me a 50 ft fence and I’ll show you a person with a 51 ft ladder”.
It was his rhetoric style that I really liked. He did use some lame political clichés (the fence line is one of them—although I agreed with it) at least he didn’t repeat them over and over again like Kennedy, and he sounded far less forced when he used them than Klobuchar. He also used them more sparingly than the other two candidates (continue this practice).
Ultimately he sounded very knowledgeable and very professional, sure he seemed a bit nervous at some points—and he caught himself saying “terribly effective” when he wanted to say “extremely effective” towards the end. In my opinion terribly would have worked fine. He only made those little screw ups when he got nervous which is understandable. The other candidates didn’t seem as nervous but they made screw-ups like that way more often and also repeated themselves quite a bit more. So the nervousness just made Robert look human and justified his speech foibles (which were very few) whereas when the other candidate screwed up they just looked dumb—especially Mark Kennedy who is a whiny bastard that seemed to ignore everything going on and just repeat the same attacks that were complete lies (obvious to the viewers as well). He even linked Iraq and al qaeda a couple of times…. HEY MARK!! EVEN BUSH DOESN’T DO THAT ANYMORE! YOU’RE A WHINY IDIOT!
One of the highlights of the debate had to be when Kennedy challenged Amy to a debate just about Iraq and Robert came back and said that he would love to and then didn’t drop it and Mark had to just ignore him. It was great, and I hope that debate happens because Robert obviously knows more facts about the situation and is able to articulate them better than either of the other candidates. In addition the war in Iraq is a big loser for republicans and Mark Kennedy is terrible at debating the issue. Amy really needs to accept this challenge because Kennedy will be left bloody.
If you’re reading this Robert please clarify your stance on Campaign finance reform. I understand that your afraid of stepping on free speech but there has to be some way to get the big corporate money (or bribery as I like to call it) out of politics, or at least diminish it… throw me some kind of bone here. I think that the money in politics is perhaps the single most damaging thing we have happening now, what will you do to fix it if finance reform isn’t the way? Also start talking about the instant runoff voting initiative. This needs to pass and no one is talking about it, you have the platform and your party stands to benefit most.
Now that I’m talking to you Robert I want to say one last thing: keep it up! Your style is becoming more natural and you seem far more in control than you have in debates in the past. Relax and continue to do what you did last night. You’ll go far.
Right now, according to this article, five countries are sending military ships to the Persian Gulf for some exercises. According to the article it is to flex a little muscle and demonstrate to Iran that it will not be able to ship nuclear material from its ports.
I’ll put on my conspiracy theory hat right now. The Vietnam war started in a gulf, too. The Gulf of Tonkin. In the middle of the night, according to reports at the time, the USS Maddox was attacked by a North Vietnamese torpedo boat during questionable circumstances. Two days later, another report of an “unprovoked” attack on another ship was reported. That was all it took to spark the war. Documents unearthed decades later prove the second story was a fabrication.
Let’s just play the conspiracy out. (more…)
Well check this out: 300+ U.S.casulties:Forward Base Falcon “Coverup”!
So the explosion that Czech Air said looked like a tactical nuke that supposedy didn’t have casualties appears to actually have some. Here’s a link to some other stories via google news. Even if this 300 number isn’t completly accurate there is a lot of evidence for massive US casualties. I expect this will hit the news sometime after the election. Anyone know how to effectively get a story on the news? I would love to make some phone calls, I’m going to start with congressmen and then move to the media. This needs to come out before the election.
The prosperity of the 1990s created a perfect climate for Americans and other industrialized nations around the world. People were so prosperous they flocked to see movies like Titanic and American Beauty where they could fantasize about being even more rich or more self-gratified than they really were.
The side-effect of eight years of peace and prosperity under Democratic rule led people around the world to feeling of guilt. Can things REALLY be this good? Can we REALLY have it all?
The digital revolution of the Dot-Com era had the GDP of nations around the world booming. The trickle-down economic theory espoused by Republicans in the 1980s started to actually seem like a reality. People were buying and selling houses like hotcakes. This spurred even more houses to be built at ever higher prices, thus driving the economy up even faster!
But there had to be a problem somewhere. It wasn’t really possible for a government controlled by Democrats to actually be good for business AND good for the people, was it?
Fortunately, for the Republican party, they found a problem. In the middle of a backwoods real estate deal over a podunk piece of land in Arkansas referred to as Whitewater. This trail of apparently shadowy dealings eventually led to a semen-stained dress. Exactly what the Republicans needed to crash the Democrat party and begin to unravel the economic good times that were delivered by Papa Clinton and his merry band of policy wonks.
It isn’t rocket science really. They want you to think it is. But Clinton and Co. did a few simple thing throughout the 1990s: Encourage business and consumer spending, curb government spending. Does this sound fanciful? There are certainly neocons out there who will claim this is revisionist history. If they tell you this, they are lying. The facts are on-line on the government’s own website. The percent changes of GDP from 1959 through 2006 are available for free to anyone with an internet connection. Download Spreadsheet B4 and check out Column B and Column N. Column B shows us that as our GDP increased slightly, our government spent less money – as displayed by Column N.
Why does this not make sense to the neocons? Bush and his Goon Squad of neocon thugs profess to be looking out for our country’s best interests, yet the only lessons they have learned from history involve attacking nations without the means to defend themselves from the military might of the United States.
How about, “Remember Papa Bill!”
If America can remember the days of prosperity and wealth enjoyed by everyone in the last days of the 20th century and wonder where the hell it all went…then there is a chance on Novermber 7th, 2006 that the people of the United States will pull the plug on the neocons. It’s time to vote the Republican neocons out of office and save the sinking ship that will be forever stained with the “Bush Legacy”.
Donald Rumsfeld is old. He was born in 1932, which makes him (carry the five, subtract two, add three) 74. At the beginning of the Iraq war, Rumsfeld was 71 years old. I had his age in mind while watching his performance on Keith Olbermann’s Countdown Thursday night. Especially when he dodged the question: “Is Baghdad safer now than it was six months ago.”
Why was his age in mind? Robert Strange McNamara. McNamara was the architect of the Vietnam war, but he was 48 when Vietnam started and, four years later when he resigned to become president of the World Bank, he was 52. And when the documentary “Fog of War” was filmed he was 87.
Old age does a lot to people. Some become crotchety. (more…)
I am sure I’m not the only one who is going to blog about this, but what the hell just happened at Bush’s press conference yesterday? Did he just set a timetable for Iraq? Oh, wait, since he called it a benchmark, I guess the “timetable” the Defeatocrats was wrong for American troops, right?
The funny thing is when Bush said, “Iraqi Forces should be able to stand-up in 12 to 18 months,” he wasn’t saying anything we haven’t heard for the past three years. The magic “12 to 18″ is now the magic 8 Ball. Shall we set the way-back machine, Sherman?
October 2003: “Over the next 12 to 18 months will be the lion’s share of what’s needed in Iraq,” said Paul Bremer, former director of reconstruction and humanitarian assistance in Iraq.
May 2004: Then-Deputy Secretary of Defense, Paul Wolfowitz, comments in a Senate hearing that it may take “12 to 18 months” to get Iraqi forces “fully trained.”
May 2005: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani says Iraqi Security Forces will be “Well trained” and ready to fight terrorism in “12-18 months.”
August 2006: General Casey says Iraqi Forces will need “12-18 months” before they can take over from coalition troops.
(more…)
I was late today. Again. I really detest working in a giant company with different local business names all over the country. It drives me to do crazy things like connect to random printers and clear all print jobs. Just to be a dick.
My giant company purchased another company earlier this year.
My role in my giant company is being redefined. Usually this means bad things. Especially if you like to pay your mortgage. I have been preparing for this. My resume is current. I got some shit up on Monster.com. All my bills are current. I have been researching a home equity loan in the event I have to do a job search.
I got pulled aside today.
My boss and someone I didn’t recognize sat me down.
I think I was still drunk.
I was definitely hung-over.
I smelled like malted hops and barley. Possibly rum. Well…probably rum.
They told me things in the company are changing. My team was changing. My services would no longer be required in the new team structure.
I thought, “This is it. This is what being laid off feels like.” I prepared to bitch-slap them both. I figured, “Fuck it. If I go down, I am going down swinging. I’ll show these fuckos not to mess with a mentally unstable war veteran!”
Then they told me they needed me to move into the Wireless Technologies group. They said the manager in that group likes me and that they want me to stay with the company and hoped it would be acceptable to me since they knew I was no longer challenged by the current tasks I am routinely required to perform.
So it is kind of a lateral move title-wise, but I will get to do things more exciting that will look much better on a resume.
And I still get to pay my mortgage.
Yay!
Billy Bragg’s “The Price of Oil”
Voices on the radio
tell us that we’re going to war
those brave men and women in uniform
they want to know what they’re fighting for.
The generals want to hear the end game
the allies won’t approve the plan
but the oil men in the white house
they just don’t give a damn.
It’s all about the price of oil
it’s all about the price of oil
don’t give me no shit
about blood, sweat, tears and toil
it’s all about the price of oil
Now I ain’t no fan of Saddam Hussein
oh, please don’t get me wrong
if it’s freeing the Iraqi people you’re after
then why have we waited so long.
Why didn’t we sort this out last time
was he less evil than he is now
the stock market holds the answer
to why him, why here, why now.
Saddam killed his own people
just like general Pinochet
and once upon a time both these evil men
were supported by the U.S.A.
And whisper it, even Bin Laden
once drank from America’s cup
just like that election down in Florida
this shit doesn’t all add up.
It’s all about the price of oil
‘cause it’s all about the price of oil
don’t give me no shit
about blood, sweat, tears and toil
it’s all about the price of oil.
Written and performed by Billy Bragg
Produced by Billy Bragg & Simon Edwards
(previously unreleased)
© 2002 Billy Bragg
Anyone catch ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday? There was a good interview between George Bush and George Stephanopoulos. Not good from the perspective of how the once-respected Stephanopoulos’s interview of Bush was no better than Bill O’Reily’s recent interview, but good in how it exposed Bush.
In the course of the interview, Stephanopoulos brings up the fact that in a previous show, a former Sec. of State, James Baker, said there needs to be a plan in Iraq that is somewhere between “Stay the Course” and “Cut and Run.”
What does Chimpy say? He says he’s never been about “Stay the Course”! What?! Seriously, this guy is delusional. Perhaps Rove and Cheney forgot to add a bit of code to this cyborg version of Bush? I couldn’t believe it.
The best part was how Stephanopoulos let him get away with saying it and moved on to the next point. For analysis on the pass Setphanopolos gave Bush, visit this linkat Media Matters. Watch the entire clip at Media Matters because it is quite revealing on how sheltered Bush is by his advisors. Also, in the final seconds of the clip, Media Matters includes John Kerry pointing out how Bush is misleading the public. Finally someone points out Bush’s flip-flopping on “Stay the Course”.
I suggest watching Bush’s eyes. It is quite clear when he knows he is lying and doesn’t know what he is talking about. He can’t look Stephanopoulos in the eyes. The only time he can look him in the eyes is when he is spouting one of his tired clichés.
I especially like how he is reading a book that he admits is about revisionist history! Yep, Gerogie ol’ boy, that is your only hope in the history books.
Chimpy Proves He Is Delusional
If I had married Tea Leoni and starred in film and TV with Gillian Anderson, I would have the exact same problem. How many love children do you have David? - #
An 8n5 August Superbowl dream prediction: Packers vs. Jets, the Heir Apparent vs. the Air up There! - #
LCDs are getting cheaper, but this is a top-rated 22" monitor and is a sweet deal available at General Nanosystems in Minneapolis. I picked one up yesterday. (8/5) The sale is over! - #
World's first Tesla crash? Maybe... - #
This Wired commentary pretty much sums up the grind of an MMORPG. For me, the grind is a love/hate relationship. - #
The King is Dead. Maybe JT can bring spam back next! - #
