The war comes home

Six years into the nightmare, it is so refreshing to see signs of hope. That the Plamegate affair is being seriously investigated (it ain't over, folks -- Scooter's likely to have company) is a very good sign. We can only hope that it leads into the open exposure of what most Americans have pretty much realized: Bush used September 11 to mislead our country into the wrong fight. And in case you're wondering, Afghanistan was only a red herring -- Saddam was always the one Bush wanted to crush, and damn all to anybody in the way. Including those humans that they shrug their shoulders about and call 'collateral damage'. As Rumsfeld said, 'stuff happens'.

But their are further signs of hope. More and more Iraq veterans are stepping up to offer additional service to our country. By running for Congress. Most, at this point, are doing so as Democrats; there is at least one fellow from Texas running on the Republican ticket. They all have one thing in common -- they've had their damn boots on the ground, and understand how wrong the direction of the war on terror has gone.

I, for one, am extremely glad to see some fresh blood in the Republican ranks. For far too long the Grand Old Party has been carjacked by moneygrubbers wrapped in religious robes. Imagine if Jesus himself actually showed up at the White House...I seem to remember something along the line of physically chucking the moneychangers out on their butts in ancient Israel. Not to mention his habit of spending much of his valuable time with the poorest folks. No wonder the ruling powers killed him. Silver Spoon Shrub claims to be a born-again Christian? They are going to have a hard time shoving that camel thru the eye of a needle.

Not that the Dems deserve much better; they at least occasionally manage to throw a few sops to Americans who are struggling. But they, too, need to be rousted from the slavish chase of the Almighty Dollar. Remember the bankruptcy reform that recently went into effect? Every gol-durned Democrat who voted for that should be deeply ashamed of themselves (if not tarred and feathered) for being in the pocket of the credit scam banks. Myself, I'm glad I'm so poor I buy everything with cash (if I ain't got the money, means I can't afford it). I pity the fool that steals my identity!

I look forward to what the veterans have to offer -- I think whether they run Dem or Repub, we can finally have some more progressive, common sense leadership that this country so desperately needs. These guys know what it means to serve unselfishly, they know how valuable and vulnerable America's families are, and they have seen first-hand some of the most corrupt contracting and under-equipping that our government has ever stooped to. Way to go, Haliburton -- all those rotten chicken sandwiches you sold the military may soon come home to roost.

Hooray and godspeed these vets -- they swore to uphold the Constitution, and dag-nabbit, looks like they're determined to do it.

That's what I call staying the course.

Coward?

After watching the response to Murtha, I gotta tell ya. It is finally reaching the nth degree of silliness.

He himself said it best in his response to Unca Cheney's comments. I think there are a lot of folks are starting to come around, and I bet they would agree with a lot of the following sentiments:

• Supporting the troops -- I'm all for paying the folks better, supplying them better, and not squandering their lives in misbegotten wars. And by folks, I mean the men and women in the military, the ones who put their necks on the line for their country, who shed their blood and lose their limbs, many of whose minds are shattered by the reality you see when you have your boots on the ground. Meanwhile the civilian contractors are being paid 10 times the amount the troops are. It's no wonder Bush's buddies have done such a lame job of rebuilding Iraq. They can't keep infrastructure maintained at home.
• Fighting terrorism -- This idea has been modified to 'opposing violent extremism'. Whatever. Everybody is starting to realize that going into Iraq hasn't had the effect of reducing terrorism, it's just been an exercise of throwing gasoline on the fire. Speaking of gas, have you noticed it's about twice as much as it used to be? Glad the supply lines have been 'secured'.
• No Child Left Behind -- and your school gets a pittance of federal funding as long as they turn over student records to the DoD, for recruiting purposes. Incidently, I noticed quite a few people under 18 sitting in at the Superdome for a week; quite a few of their grandparents (and great-grand) as well. I might seem a bit disingenious, bringing up Katrina along with school funding, but while I'm indulging in mixed metaphor, I'd like to remind you that those folks you saw stranded in the Big Easy are a good picture of what happens to ordinary folks in the Bush Dream. The people stranded were not only the indigent; they were also the waitresses, the garbagemen, the mailroom clerks, the construction workers, basically from every underpaid but overworked sector. There were 100,000 people stranded in downtown -- you think as hard as it is to get social help they were all welfare queens? They are a good picture of the exact kind of folks that are useless to the Current Admin. And rest assured, it's the folks that get dirt at work on their hands, black or white, that are still doing without, down on the coast. Bush can fly back to DC in the middle of the night to 'save' Terri Shaivo, but can't get anything going on for live functioning folks down in Louisiana. Mmm, mm mmm.

The majority of the National Guard troops from Louisiana (along with a lot of their equipment -- why you need high-water vehicles in the desert is beyond me), are deployed overseas. The very people armed with the knowledge, skills, and equipment to deal with a natural disaster in their own backyard down in the bayou, were on the other side of the planet. Not mentioned much in the press, the wrong-headed policies of rebuilding Iraq are being practiced on our own soil. In Bush's America, those that have should get.

And that is repeated again and again in his tax cuts. And in the folks who get the gummint contracts. And the companies that pollute, and et cetera. Anybody who's seen that old movie Network can refer to Ned Beatty's speech to Howard if they want to understand Bush's goal for the world.

Three more years of this? Next time you see our Petulant Pansy Bush or any of his combat dodging scum calling people like you with common sense a coward, tell 'em to look in a fuckin' mirror.

Word.

Kickoff

It's here...the holiday season. This year, I'm opting out of the stress. I had a couple of friends over Wednesday night, and we ordered a pizza, drank a bit too much, and had a lovely evening sharing stories. I woke up today, had a couple of coldcut turkey sandwiches, and was Thankful.

I have many things to be thankful for -- family love (members of which range from the intelligent to dog-ignorant; thank god most have a good sense of humor), a great set of friends, and a home place of my own I love. It's small, but Lord, it's comfy. I am truly thankful for it, and everybody who's helped me get here.

I just put in Dances With Wolves, an appropriate choice to wind down this day. If the durn Injuns hadn't fed the Pilgrims...well, nobody would have got hit on the head with a streetlamp watching the Macy's parade. Makes me remember a prehistoric butterfly.

Hope everybody else has a 4-day weekend to enjoy; I be back soon full of piss and vinegar about the politics. Until then, eat too much, give a dollar or two to the homeless fella you run across, and be well.

Peace out.

Slow news day

Well, other than that idiot who decided to shoot up Tacoma Mall. Moron should have stayed home and watched football -- the Seahawks pulled out a squeaker in San Francisco.

But anyhow, I wanted to comment on some things I found in my online meandering. First of which is this photo I happened upon of Machu Picchu, taken at sunrise, that actually took my breath away. I think it speaks for itself.

And on to other issues...

As an old Chinese curse says, we live in interesting times. It is hard not to get completely bogged down in cynicism these days, but I'm taking a bit of a day off (it is Sunday, after all), and turning my attention away from the current scandals, crises, and irritations. I've been indulging in some sheerly fun 'net surfing; for example, reading up on John Dillinger (one of my favorite outlaws). Did you know there is a John Dillinger Died For You Society? It was started back in (I think) the '70s, and has apparently been revived. Membership includes credentials stating that the member is an official Assistant Treasurer, authorized to collect membership fees from new members of the Society, and keep them. Because that's the way John would have wanted it.

Then I've also come across some articles about the current troubles facing unions in this country. While I understand there has traditionally been some corruption in the higher levels of trade unions, I feel, after giving much thought to the research I've done on the subject, that unions as a whole have been painted with a much darker brush than they have ever deserved. Don't forget, these are the guys in the early part of the last century who fought and literally died to give us some basic workplace rights. I support the unions because they gave us the weekend.

I must sign off for now...I'm fixing me a nice dinner of yakisoba, with seasoned rice and shrimp on the side. Should be ready in time for "Desperate Housewives". Sunday is my day of happy guilty pleasures -- I'll probably have a big bowl of ice cream before I go to bed!

Because John would have wanted it that way.

Those wacky Texans!

Oh boy, it's been almost a month since I posted, and lawdy, lawdy, where to start?!

I remember an old saying my Mom always used; "Strain at a gnat, swallow a camel". The following, from the Mother Jones blog, is priceless:

Did Texas Just Ban Marriage?

HJR No. 6 passed in Texas yesterday, supposedly to ban gay marriage. But read the text closely.

Sec. 32
(a) Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.
(b) This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.

Is it egg-heady coastal elitism to point out that Texas just defined marriage and then made it illegal for everybody, even heteros? I wonder if "family values" include literacy.

It is (hee hee) to laugh (ha ha).

Other than getting a snide giggle at the expense of the Knotheads for the Sanctity of Marriage, be aware that this measure was intended to do away with county municipal ordinances, especially those that provide for benefits to domestic partners of local government workers in enlightened places such as Austin or Dallas. Ain't that neat? All wound up trying to keep those Godless Homos in their place (the hair salon, interior decorating, you know the drill), this also affects Lord knows how many straight couples, many of which have been happily cohabitating for years, and are raising families to boot. Geez Louise.

There was some encouraging news out of the November elections. Hurrah! to the great folks in Pennsylvania for turning out that Flat Earth schoolboard...even if a portion of the vote was simply a call for the Intelligent Design folks to "sit DOWN and shut UP". I suspect many Americans would prefer the Intelligent Design folks to educate their little kupcakes at home, and quit screwing up the schoolday for the rest of the students, some of which are actually planning to major in biology in college. That's what I don't like these fundies; they don't really care about civil rights -- just that everybody agree with them. There's a fine place for Intelligent Design -- in a theology course. That I wouldn't have a problem with in public schools.

Not too big of a problem, anyway.

And Pat needs to stick to faith healing, the big gooberhead.

Speaking of gooberheads, did you know that Mike Heckava Job Drownie is still on the FEMA payroll even though he resigned several weeks ago. At no reduction of pay, mind you. I guess when you're such a Fashion God, you need to continue your Nordstrom shopping sprees. Besides, it would be so cruel to cut off his money with the holidays right around the corner.

Meanwhile, the run-of-the-mill, un-self-deified folks displaced by Katrina, get their FEMA emergency housing funds cut off on December 1. Merry Christmas, y'all.

Bush must have been happy last week, when he got to come home to a country where at least 36 percent of the population still likes him. But I bet he was pissed that Pickles got into his stash while the Brits were in town. Tell me that woman isn't tweaking.

This week, Dubya is on another junket, to Asia this time. And his idea of diplomacy is to verbally spank China for not being as democratic as Taiwan. I swan, the man must have a target on both his cowboy boots, because he is quite efficient at shooting himself in the foot. China considers Taiwan to be a wayward PART of China itself. I can't think of anyway to offend the Chinese leaders and diplomats quicker.

The time is quickly coming that the longer the people of America let these idiot savants remain in office, the more shameful in the face of the world we are as a nation. I agree with Al Franken; the campaign slogan for the Democrats come 2006 should "Subpoena Power".

Like another old saying goes, it seems to be about time to give government of the people, for the people, and by the people back TO the people.

Cheers, and keep the faith, people!