The Bunker

....And Like that,

2005-06-02T13:43:00.000-04:00

He's Gone.

Underground. No one has ever seen him again. He becomes a myth, a spook story that criminals tell their kids at night. "If you rat on your pop, Bunk will get you." And nobody really ever believes.

You May be Brainwashed by Corporate Media.....

2005-06-01T17:54:00.000-04:00

....If you...

... believe the 5 corporations who own almost all of the media in the U.S. are liberal.
... believe $300 billion of U.S. tax money, allocated for the war and reconstruction in Iraq is actually going to Iraq .
... are unaware Iraq had 650 million barrels of oil in reserve just before the war in Iraq .
... are unaware at least $8.8 billion is known to be missing in Iraqi oil revenue from the period the U.S. was in control of Iraq .
... are unaware 198 million in Iraqi dollars is missing from the Iraq treasury from the period the U.S. was in control of Iraq .
... are unaware that war is exceptionally profitable for a small number of investors.
... believe Halliburton's no-bid contracts have nothing to do with former CEO, now Vice President Dick Cheney.
... are unaware that the Iraq war is the biggest case of war profiteering in human history.
... believe Saddam Hussein or Iraq had anything to do with 9/11, Al Qaeda or Osama bin Laden.
... are unaware the U.S. has killed more than 10,000 innocent women and children in Iraq with cluster bombs and depleted uranium munitions.
... believe depleted uranium weapons are not radioactive or deadly weapons of mass destruction (they are 12% less radioactive than nuclear weapons grade uranium and very deadly).
... believe wealthy, warmongers can also be true Christians.
... are unaware stem cell research threatens the pharmaceutical industry by curing and preventing diseases which drug companies profit from by treating with drugs.
... are unaware the pharmaceutical industry is based entirely on treatment and is threatened by cures and prevention.
... are unaware the Food and Drug Administration does NO testing of food or drugs. They only set guidelines and review the testing corporations do of their own products.
... are unaware the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act has been 're- estimated' to cost U.S. taxpayers $1.3 Trillion (not the original $243 billion or the 'adjusted' $400 billion), and only pharmaceutical corporations and HMOs benefit from the increase.
... are unaware the Boston Tea party was a protest against corporate corruption (East India Company).
... are unaware our founding fathers intentionally made sure that corporations had no power over people or our government.
... are unaware corporations have fought aggressively and systematically over the past 200 years to increase their power and influence over our government.
... are unaware U.S. corporations are now protected under the 14th amendment as a legal 'person.'
... are unaware the definition of fascism is: 'The marriage of corporation and state' -- Benito Mussolini.
... are unaware well known U.S. corporate interests attempted a military coup against Franklin Roosevelt in 1933.
... are unaware most corrupt and wasteful government projects are run primarily by corporate contractors.
... are unaware 'less government' means paying corporate contractors three times what we pay government workers to do the same work.
... are unaware American corporations behave very differently in other countries.
... are unaware Enron and others were NOT investigated until they collapsed under the weight of their own greed.
... are unaware Bush's massive tax cuts were invested overseas to build sweat shops, factories and other facilities, where our jobs have been outsourced.
... are unaware outsourcing American jobs weakens labor unions and keeps wages low and corporate profits high .
... are unaware weak enforcement of immigration laws lowers wages in the U.S. and increases corporate profits.
... are unaware 'Free Trade' means 'Slave Wages' to poor people in Honduras, Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, Burma, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal, El Salvador, Guatemala, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and others.
... believe America is hated all over the world because of our freedom.
... believe the massive U.S. national debt (now $7,786,000,000,000) created by Republican presidents Reagan, Bush and Bush does not seriously threaten the future of our children and grandchildren.
... are unaware massive national debt ensures the expansion of poverty, which keeps wages low, which increases corporate profits.
... are unaware widespread poverty keeps wages low and corporate profits high.
... are unaware weak gun control laws perpetuate violence in poor neighborhoods which expands poverty, reduces wages and increases corporate profits.
... are unaware abortions go down only when we reduce poverty, expand healthcare and improve education.
... are unaware that making abortion illegal expands poverty which reduces wages and increases corporate profits.
... believe the Michael Jackson trial deserved more news coverage than the genocide of 400,000 people in Darfur , Sudan.
... believe Social Security is the biggest priority in America .
... are unaware privatizing Social Security would be a massive give away to experienced Wall Street investors that would also destabilize Social Security.
... are unaware that NOT funding 'No Child Left Behind' is dismantling funding for schools in poor neighborhoods, which expands poverty, lowers wages and increases corporate profits.
... are unaware the Healthy Forests Initiative has led to massive clear cutting of prime lumber and almost none of the forest fire prevention that it was sold on.
... are unaware the Clear Skies Initiative has increased pollution.
... are unaware Tort Reform will absolve corporations of massive negligent liabilities for things like asbestos exposure, pollution, mercury poisoning, hazardous waste, mad cow disease and all sorts of dangerous products and practices.
... are unaware mercury pollution (mostly from coal fired power plants and medical vaccines) has caused an epidemic of Autism, ADD and ADHD in the U.S.
... are unaware the Bush administration is dismantling three decades of US environmental protection.
... believe global warming is a rumor or conspiracy.
... are unaware 'Global Warming' is causing colder weather because the melting ice caps are cooling the gulf stream.
... believe the science of evolution is less valid than literal fundamentalist interpretation of creationism.
... believe the UN scandals could have taken place without the largest, most influential member and host nation being involved.
... believe making a war monger ambassador to the UN will help prevent more wars.
... are unaware that expanding equal rights to any segment of the population (including gay people) also expands economic opportunity and puts pressure on wages, which would reduce corporate profits.
If you believe Fox News is fair and balanced, you have been brainwashed by corporate owned media.

Scotty doesnt know.

2005-05-26T11:39:00.000-04:00

Im too busy to be posting often these days..So excuse me if this seems to becoming a roast of Scott Mclellan, but he just makes it so.....easy.

this week, Scott claims we were "Invited" into Iraq, and press room legend Helen Thomas lets him have it.

Wire Queen Helen Thomas today ripped into White House spokesman Scott McClellan over his claims the United States is in Afghanistan and Iraq -- by invitation. Joined in progess...
Q The other day -- in fact, this week, you said that we, the United States, is in Afghanistan and Iraq by invitation. Would you like to correct that incredible distortion of American history --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, we are -- that's where we currently --

Q -- in view of your credibility is already mired? How can you say that?

MR. McCLELLAN: Helen, I think everyone in this room knows that you're taking that comment out of context. There are two democratically-elected governments in Iraq and --

Q Were we invited into Iraq?

MR. McCLELLAN: There are two democratically-elected governments now in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we are there at their invitation. They are sovereign governments, and we are there today --

Q You mean if they had asked us out, that we would have left?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, Helen, I'm talking about today. We are there at their invitation. They are sovereign governments --

Q I'm talking about today, too.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- and we are doing all we can to train and equip their security forces so that they can provide for their own security as they move forward on a free and democratic future.

Q Did we invade those countries?

MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead, Steve. END

Wow. Avoiding the question, and never admitting a screw up. Truly a Bush boy. All he needs is a daiper and a rattle, and the uniform is complete....

Irony. Its like goldie, and bronzie, only its made of iron.

2005-05-15T19:25:00.000-04:00

Press Briefing by Scott McClellan

We have had concerns about human rights in Uzbekistan, but we are concerned about the outbreak of violence, particularly by some members of a terrorist organization that were freed from prison. And we urge both the government and the demonstrators to exercise restraint at this time. The people of Uzbekistan want to see a more representative and democratic government, but that should come through peaceful means, not through violence. And that's what our message is.


Um, Did I say that? Oh, bugger.

I know I dont update too often anymore......

2005-05-13T11:34:00.000-04:00

.....but DAMN!. These local boys have dropped off the map. Too bad, I miss Ryans posting. Dont miss the "other" guy for some reason....

Doons does it.

2005-05-12T17:02:00.000-04:00

Robertson affirmed his belief that Democratic judges are a greater threat to the U.S. than Al Qaeda, Nazi Germany or Civil War

2005-05-04T18:21:00.000-04:00

Up for a good laugh? Or maybe a spine tingling look at how these extreme right wing kooks really think.

On ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Pat Robertson, founder of Christian Coalition of America and host of the Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club, defended his comments in his latest book, Courting Disaster, that Democratic judicial appointments are the most serious threat America has faced in nearly 400 years. Robertson also recently announced that God told him, "I will remove judges from the Supreme Court quickly, and their successors will refuse to sanction the attacks on religious faith."
From the May 1 broadcast of This Week:
STEPHANOPOULOS: But, sir, you have described this in pretty -- this whole battle in pretty apocalyptic terms. You've said that liberals are engaged in an all-out assault on Christianity, that Democrats will appoint judges who don't share our Christian values and will dismantle Christian culture. And that the out-of-control judiciary -- and this was in your last book, Courting Disaster -- is the most serious threat America has faced in nearly 400 years of history, more serious than Al Qaeda, more serious than Nazi Germany and Japan, more serious than the Civil War?
ROBERTSON: George, I really believe that. I think they are destroying the fabric that holds our nation together. There is an assault on marriage. There's an assault on human sexuality, as [U.S. Supreme Court] Judge [Antonin] Scalia said, they've taken sides in the culture war. And on top of that, if we have a democracy, the democratic processes should be that we can elect representatives who will share our point of view and vote those things into law.

Something we should know, Mr. President?

2005-04-20T14:59:00.000-04:00

"I'm going to spend a lot of time on Social Security. I enjoy it. I enjoy taking on the issue. I guess, it's the Mother in me."—Washington D.C., April 14, 2005

Mini Hiatus

2005-04-18T11:25:00.000-04:00

As you have noticed.....

With the arrival of Spring and a ton of other obligations at hand, things are slow around here. Look for an update later this week, and thanks to those who emailed me to get my butt in gear.

Alphabet Soup....

2005-04-07T19:38:00.000-04:00

....or "Eating Words"

From the great Kos.

Thu Apr 7th, 2005 at 08:57:34 PDTThey won't apologize, because being wrong and lying aren't impeachable offenses if you're Republican and are guided by Divine Providence. But we can still have fun at the expense of the blowhards who just made shit up. Aravosis found most of these:
Sen. Bennet: Sen. Robert F. Bennett, Utah Republican, said the issue "stinks" of a news fabrication similar to the one that engulfed CBS anchorman Dan Rather during the 2004 presidential campaign, after he reported that President Bush did not fulfill his duties while in the National Guard, citing documents that CBS later admitted could not be authenticated.

Tucker Carlson:
"Last week a memo surfaced, reportedly written by the Republican members of Congress explaining how to make hay with the Terri Schiavo case, the Talking Points Memo, Ah, I think within a week or two it will become clear that that memo was a forgery, possibly written by Democrats on the hill in an effort to discredit Republicans. Bloggers are saying that now and it sounds like they may be right."

Fred Barnes:
"So rather than an example of aggressive reporting, the memo story turns out to be yet another instance of crude liberal bias, in this case against both Republicans and those who fought to have Schiavo's feeding tube restored. Naturally, the memo had a second life when the story was picked up by other news outlets, pundits, and columnists. How did ABC and others get wind of the memo in the first place? It came from 'Democratic aides,' according to the New York Times, who 'said it had been distributed to Senate Republicans.' Not exactly a disinterested source."

Newsmax:
There was just one problem: Closer examination by The American Spectator, talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, The Weekly Standard, and Accuracy in Media (AIM) indicates that the memo is a fraud - a political dirty trick, if you will, specifically aimed at causing public revulsion at Republicans.

Rush Limbaugh:
"Truth Detector: Supposed GOP Schiavo Memo Forged by Democrats."

Michelle Malkin:
I suspect that no one at the Post or ABC News still believes the amateurish, unsigned, misspelled memo was circulated by Republican Party leaders.

Accuracy in Media:
Accuracy in Media today questioned the authenticity of the much-publicized "GOP Talking Points" memo on the Terri Schiavo case.

In the Agora:
On Friday four staffers accused a renegade aide to Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) of distributing forged "talking points" to members of the media and claiming Republican authorship. In the Agora's extensive investigations in the alleged "GOP" Schiavo talking points memo reveal possible tricks from low level Democratic aides. Two of the four GOP staffers tell ITA they were eyewitnesses to the exchange.

Ass Rocket:
In the meantime, there is not a bit of evidence connecting the memo to any Republican, and, for all of the reasons we have repeatedly spelled out on this site, there are excellent reasons to believe it is a hoax perpetrated by still-unidentified Democrats.

Fun fun fun. Eat it.

Medal of Honor awarded.

2005-04-04T19:02:00.000-04:00

Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith has been awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest honor for valor, for actions in combat on April 4, 2003, at the Baghdad International Airport.

From CNN

Smith is credited with protecting the lives of scores of lightly armed American soldiers who were beyond his position in the battle, on April 4, 2003, near the gates of Baghdad International Airport.
On Monday, exactly two years after Smith's death, President Bush awarded him the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest honor for valor.
"We are here to pay tribute to a soldier whose service illustrates the highest ideals of leadership and love of our country," Bush said in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

This honor has only been bestowed on two other soldeirs since Vietnam. Army Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon and Army Sgt. 1st Class Randall D. Shughart received the award posthumously after defending the crew of a helicopter that was shot down in Mogadishu, Somalia in the now infamous battle for mogodishu that spawned the book, and the movie "Black Hawk Down"

A new addition to the survival kit.

2005-04-04T14:43:00.000-04:00

I, _________________________ (fill in the blank), being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept alive indefinitely by artificial means.Under no circumstances should my fate be put in the hands of peckerwood ethically challenged politicians who couldn't pass ninth-grade biology if their lives depended on it.If a reasonable amount of time passes and I fail to sit up and ask for a Tanqueray on the rocks; cold beer etc.( substitute your choice), it should be presumed that I won't ever get better. When such a determination is reached, I hereby instruct my spouse, children and attending physicians to pull the plug, reel in the tubes and call it a day.Under no circumstances shall the hypocritical members of the Legislature (State or Federal) enact a special law to keep me on life-support machinery. It is my wish that these boneheads mind their own damn business, and pay attention instead to the health, education and future of the millions of Americans who aren't in a permanent coma.Under no circumstances shall any politicians butt into this case.I don't care how many fundamentalist votes they're trying to scrounge for their run for the presidency, it is my wish that they play politics with someone else's life and leave me alone to die in peace.I couldn't care less if a hundred religious zealots send e-mails to legislators in which they pretend to care about me. I don't know these people, and I certainly haven't authorized them to preach and crusade on my behalf.They should mind their own business, too.If any of my family goes against my wishes and turns my case into a political cause, I hereby promise to come back from the grave and make his or her existence a living hell.

Signature

Witness

DATE__________
DATE__________

Ugly.

2005-04-04T01:29:00.000-04:00

If you were near a TV tuned to a "news" network this past weekend as the Pope's health declined, You know how downright ugly it was. The mainstream media never fails to make me blush. Highlighted of course by some major jumping of the gun and calling the Pope "Dead" before he actually was. Slate has the run down...

"If it weren't for the death of Terri Schiavo yesterday, and the nation's recent obsessive conversation about the definition and meaning of the end of life, would the coverage of this pope's demise have such a relentlessly grisly, medicalized tone? It's as if the 24-hour networks, primed by the last few weeks of eagle-eyed vigil, have developed a taste for the gory details of infection and uremia, feeding tubes and EEGs. On shows like the Discovery Health Channel's Birth Day Live!, you can now watch babies being born; maybe soon, there'll be a channel devoted to watching old people die."

The wisdom of Bill O'Reilly = Confused as always...

2005-04-04T01:12:00.000-04:00

Via Kos.

O’Reilly on the Pope recently:

"But I do know that I’ve studied this pope as well as I’ve studied anybody. And I can’t find anything, anything that this guy didn’t walk the walk. You know, right down the line. Nobody’s perfect, but this guy was close in his personal behavior and the way he conducted himself."

O’Reilly March 12, 2003:

"But as I’ve said before, I believe also that John Paul is naive and detached from reality. If America does not lead an attack on Iraq, once again, Saddam remains in power and is free to use his anthrax and other terrible weapons as he chooses.
So the pope does not seem to be concerned about that or about Saddam’s behavior in general. Once again, he must know Saddam is a killer. He must know he’s oppressed his own people using murder and torture. He must know that [...]
Summing up, Jacques Chirac is our enemy, and the pope, well, I don’t know what to think."

Then, theres this......

O'REILLY: All right, this hour's devoted to the most intense threat to your freedom in the world. It's not Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is not the most intense threat to your freedom -- it's the American Civil Liberties Union. And I will back up what I say.

2005-03-26T03:16:00.000-05:00

Ouch.

2005-03-25T17:07:00.000-05:00

CBS Poll....

Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Approve 45 (52)Disapprove 49 (44)

Wonder what caused the drop? (I cant get my tongue out of my cheek...)

Bushism of the day.

2005-03-21T12:18:00.000-05:00

Via Slate...

"I repeat, personal accounts do not permanently fix the solution."
—Washington, D.C., March 16, 2005

Click here to see video of Bush's comments. The Bushism is at 24:11.

"We're gonna need a bigger boat...."

2005-03-20T15:36:00.000-05:00

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Authorities were hunting Sunday for a six-meter (20-foot) shark that tore a man in half as he snorkeled off Australia's west coast, an official said.

Geoffrey Brazier, the skipper of a pleasure cruiser, was snorkeling with two tourists when he was attacked Saturday. He died instantly off the Abrolhos Islands, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of the Western Australia state capital, Perth, police said. No one else was injured.

"The 26-year-old man was bitten in half by the six-meter animal and death seemed to be instantaneous," police Inspector George Putland said.

Spot the extremely bad comparison.

2005-03-20T15:30:00.000-05:00

This photo was on CNN's main page as a part of the Terri Schiavo case. The sign held up by the man in the background caught my eye.

Does this man even know where he is or what he is protesting?

*-Update-*

Reading more on this story....I have no "side" to take in this story. But this quote from Michael Schiavo Says it best in my opinion...

"I'm outraged, and I think that every American in this country should also be outraged that this government is trampling all over a personal family matter that has been adjudicated in the courts for seven years," he told CNN. "I think that the Congress has more important things to discuss."

But Mary Schindler pleaded for parents nationwide to call their congressional representatives and pressure them to vote for a bill to prolong her daughter's life.

"There are some congressmen that are trying to stop this bill," she said outside her daughter's hospice. "Please don't use my daughter's suffering for your own personal agenda."

We thought we had it bad.....

2005-03-15T22:30:00.000-05:00

Alot of attention has recently been centered on the crime problem in Wilmington. It seems they have it pretty bad up in Philly, too.

Within the past eight days there have been 21 homicides in Philadelphia, including three in the late-night and early morning hours after the prosecutor made her appeal Monday.

Now, CBS 3’s Walt Hunter reports that Mayor Street said under certain circumstances he would consider help from the Pennsylvania State Police and even the National Guard.

Street has declared the violence throughout the city a crisis and as a result has ordered the full review of police department policies and has suggested a full moratorium on the issuing of gun permits.

Inquiry into dishonest or insane assertions ....

2005-03-15T18:27:00.000-05:00

A fun chunk of Fleischer watching via Slate.... and more here. The latter being Slate's review of Fleischer's new book, which could have been summed up in 2 pages from what I saw...
Chapter 1 = Bush is my hero, and the best boss in the world!
Chapter 2= The media is liberal!

Two astonishing admissions from a Bush staff member....
onwards:

The Fleischer WatchIntroducing an ongoing inquiry into dishonest or insane assertions buried inside Ari Fleischer's White House memoir.

By Timothy NoahPosted Tuesday, March 15, 2005, at 2:09 PM PT

In his new book, Taking Heat: The President, the Press, and My Years in the White House, Ari Fleischer, the former White House press secretary, lays out various "biases and predilections" of "the liberal press." Among these is its 'belief that government is a mechanism to solve the nation's problems," its insistence that "emotional examples of suffering … are good ways to illustrate economic statistic stories," and its tendency to stay "fixated on the unemployment rate." Fleischer might just as well have complained that the press believes the Earth revolves around the sun.
At risk of belaboring the obvious:
1. If the government doesn't exist to solve problems, what the hell do we have it for? We can argue about the particular problems government should solve, and about how successfully government addresses them at any given time, but not, I think, about whether government should be in the problem-solving business.

2. Un-picturesque though they may be, people do tend to suffer when the economy is faltering, as it did throughout the period covered in Fleischer's memoir. If a lagging economy didn't cause people to suffer, there would be no great reason to keep track of the economy at all. Anecdotes about individual sufferers help the public understand in a concrete way what it means to have a weak economy.

3. The principal way people suffer when economic growth is weak or nonexistent is by losing their jobs. The statistic that keeps track of the people who lose their jobs is the unemployment rate (at the moment a so-so 5.4 percent). Fleischer doesn't want the press to focus on the "micro" story of individual suffering, but neither does he want the press to focus on the "macro" story of economic statistics. In effect, Fleischer is saying that it's unfair for the press to cover the economy at all.

Timothy Noah writes "Chatterbox" for Slate.

BONUS! I couldnt resist....

someone recently sent me the link to the video of old Ari getting laughed out of the press room...one of his more entertaining moments...

Trust me, watch the whole thing....

2005-03-15T16:05:00.000-05:00

A lesson in gun safety from a police officer.

Duh.

2005-03-15T14:39:00.000-05:00

More from DanNation..who apparently, is on a roll....

He points out right wing hack and Dave Huber dream girl Michelle Malkin's most recent entry into pure cluelessness.

*An interesting side note..... (update)

I took a jab at Huber in this post, mostly out of fun, because Dave has never attempted to hide his fondness and....lust?.. for Miss Malkin in his blog entries. turns out that love must really be blind...as Dave rushes to Malkins defense on Dan's blog....

Dan: I've seen Malkin on TV only a couple times -- once was on Hardball, where she wouldn't deny her assertion that John Kerry shot himself on purpose in Vietnam. She thoroughly embarassed herself.

Hube:Despite the character assassination going on here, it would be nice if dan correctly described Malkin's appearance on "Hardball."She was relaying another's assertion that Kerry had shot himself on purpose. It was Matthews who embarrassed himself by screaming and yelling at Malkin when she was trying to clearly state her position. Matthews' demeanor at that moment was on par with Lawrence O'Donnell's that time on "Scarborough Country."

Dan: I just re-read the transcript and there is absolutely NO WAY to read it other than that she agreed with these guys and was trying to avoid saying so. I'm stunned that you're defending her. From just the tail end of the transcript:
MALKIN: Have you tried to ask -- have you tried ask John Kerry these questions?

MATTHEWS: If he shot himself on purpose. No. I have not asked him that.

MALKIN: Don't you wonder?

MATTHEWS: No, I don't. It's never occurred to me.

Stick to "She's cute" Dave....At least it has substance to it.

Well, he must be some kind of covert robo android liberal bot-judge then.

2005-03-15T14:37:00.000-05:00

From DanNation....

"Whenever there's a court ruling that's anything other than ultraconservative, we always hear that it's because the judge is a "liberal" who's substituting his own beliefs for the rule of law.Well, folks, let's watch 'em tear this poor judge to shreds who upheld the legality of gay marriage in California yesterday. Should be extremely interesting, as he's not only a highly respected fellow, but a a Catholic and a registered Republican."

More Criminal Propagnada

2005-03-15T14:13:00.000-05:00

Emphasis mine...

The Bush administration, rejecting an opinion from the Government Accountability Office, said last week that it is legal for federal agencies to feed TV stations prepackaged news stories that do not disclose the government's role in producing them.

That message, in memos sent Friday to federal agency heads and general counsels, contradicts a Feb. 17 memo from Comptroller General David M. Walker. Walker wrote that such stories -- designed to resemble independently reported broadcast news stories so that TV stations can run them without editing -- violate provisions in annual appropriations laws that ban covert propaganda.

"Whether in the form of a payment to an actual journalist, or through the creation of a fake one, it is wrong to deceive the public with the creation of phony news stories," the lawmakers wrote.

So, once again...this administration insists on using tax payer money to fund its covert propagnda aimed at pushing its policy. Paying off reporters, buying fake news spots, buying columns, ...all on the american Joe's dime. Dont expect to see this run on those major liberal media networks.

Hate mongers @ USA Next also turn out to be theiving bastards.

2005-03-09T14:14:00.000-05:00

Via Kos

"A $25 million lawsuit was filed today against right-wing front group USA Next and political consulting firm Mark Montini International for stealing an Oregon couple's wedding photo and using it without permission in a high-profile gay-bashing ad designed to drum up support for social security privatization.

Following an admission of photo theft by the creator, advertiser and publisher of the ad, the couple whose image was stolen - Rick Raymen and Steve Hansen of Portland, Oregon - today filed a four-count lawsuit in federal court in Washington, DC. The suit alleges that the use of the couple's image without permission constituted an invasion of privacy, was libelous, violated their right of publicity and constituted an intentional infliction of emotional distress [...]

"Our privacy and personal integrity were violated when our wedding photo was stolen and used to portray us as treasonous, unpatriotic, and a threat to American troops," Rick Raymen said. "We have been harassed and humiliated by this hateful ad campaign and by the bigotry and anger it has generated against us nationwide."

"Our lawsuit is intended to make USA Next and Mark Montini pay for the harm they have caused and to send a message to them that they cannot recklessly play with peoples' reputations and make them targets of hate, as they have done with us," Raymen said. "When we get our judgment, we intend to donate to those who fight the kind of hate and homophobia that USA Next and Montini have demonstrated."

Bringing Justice to evil doers. Now thats American.

A letter from the combat zone.

2005-03-09T14:02:00.000-05:00

Via Altercation....

Name: Maj. Robert Bateman
Dateline: Baghdad, Iraq

Happy Groundhog's Day

That’s the common refrain ‘round here, as each day blends into the next. Though I doubt that any of us will end our tours with a scene in which we get to kiss Andi McDowell. A generation ago the same sentiment was expressed through a joke which said that at the beginning of any “war story” told by a veteran one must start with the words, “It was a Wednesday...it’s always Wednesday in combat…” Some days, however, are different.

A few days ago an Italian journalist, recently freed by a ransom paid (to people who are, not to be too delicate about it, trying to kill Mrs. Bateman’s son), came under fire at an American checkpoint along “Route Irish.” The name, “Irish” means nothing, it’s just another title, randomly selected. But to us who use it that name means danger. It means stomach clenching fear. It means checking your oil, your vehicle, your ammunition, your armor, and only then moving out. It means you might die. One does not move casually along Route Irish. One coordinates, clears the route, stays in radio contact, and works within the rules, because to do otherwise is idiocy. The number of IEDs and Vehicle Borne IEDs detonated along that seven mile stretch between downtown Baghdad and the American base camp at the airport is approaching, and has possibly surpassed, triple digits. Before the IEDs it was direct-fire ambushes. I’ve driven that road, flown over it, and gone beside it, and in each case I can tell you, my ‘pucker factor’ was extreme.

International opinion, especially that of the Italians, currently waivers. I won’t go into the politics. That is not my lane. But I note that it may indeed be the status of the current Coalition which hangs in the balance. I leave thoughts on that to you and yours. But because of the high profile, it is not my place to be too explicit about my opinions about what happened. (This is also wise because although I live, literally, at one end of the route, I was not there at that time, in that place. And the first thing you learn as a solider is that second-guessing is a poor practice in combat.) That being said, I can make some observations.

American soldiers, despite the hullabaloo, are very disciplined. Suggestions such as that I read in the New York Times recently (that we ought to follow the example of the British, who have such extensive Northern Ireland experience) are bullocks. Our British allies never faced IEDs in Northern Ireland. Or anywhere. We, more than any other force, actually do have the most experience in this particular issue. The “problem,” as in all conflicts, is that the enemy learns, and adapts, forcing you to learn, and adapt, etc. We’re about six cycles into this in some areas. It’s not simple.
When we set up a check point, it is really obvious. A standing checkpoint (and I don’t know if this was a standing, or a “rolling” checkpoint, has large signs, well in front of them. These signs all say STOP. From the STOP point, one is waved forward, one vehicle at a time, to be searched. The appropriate speed at a stop sign, here as at home, is zero. At home, however, the penalty for blowing through a stop sign is not the same as when one does it in combat. Did I mention that this is a combat zone?
The signs say, STOP, in English and Arabic. They also say, “The use of deadly force is authorized if you disobey.” (Wording in the last varies.)
Rolling checkpoints are similar. Tactics vary as we adapt and they adapt. See “item 1.” A rolling checkpoint is a temporary one. Like a police DUI checkpoint. Similar signage.

Once again, because it bears repeating, the “normal” speed at a stop sign is exactly zero.

Other than that, all’s well. Trying to stay on top of things.

Eric adds: Hey Altercators, Major Bob said nothing about it in his filing for Altercation, but he needs our help. As another of his friends/admirers noted in Romenesko’s letters, being in Baghdad can be a pain in the ass. Here’s a few things he and his fellow soldiers can use:

Things that I cannot get here: Coffeemate or some other appropriate creamer. Powder, obviously. I prefer French Vanilla. We have hordes of coffee sufficient to wire the entire city of New York for a month, but we're damned short on creamer. Also a significant dearth of decent periodicals. Maxim and Stuff and other "lad" magazines abound, but I'm damned if I can find copies (even old ones) of the New Yorker, let alone The Economist. Everyone must be hoarding their copies and it seems that the local PX must sell out every day, as I never see them on the shelves of the magazine racks here. If you have spares laying about, please do send them along when you're done with them. Same with Esquire.

His address:
Maj. Robert Bateman
MNSTC-I, J5
Baghdad, Iraq
APO AE 09316

Hail to the Theif.

2005-03-04T15:06:00.000-05:00

David Corn has a great peice on the Bush administration's bogus budget....and how the numbers are going unchecked....

It's pointless. That is, expecting George W. Bush to be honest about his budget numbers. Any serious person, regardless of political persuasion, knows that Bush has been pushing a budget that is an outright fraud. It does not include big-ticket items (such as the war in Iraq). It does not, as Bush disingenuously claims, outline a path toward cutting the deficit in half within five years. It is a transparent con job put out by cynical and irresponsible politicians--jackals, Hunter Thompson would say--who are exploiting the public's low expectations regarding truth in government (especially when it comes to figures). Where's the outrage? Not anywhere--other than a couple of editorial pages. Conservatives in general have been silent, smothering principle for political gain.
But there is anger within the Office of Management and Budget--not among the political appointees running the White House budget office, but among the career professionals in the shop. According to a former OMB employee, who frequently meets with career staffers there, the OMB professionals are upset. "Somebody is supposed to care about the numbers," the former OMBer says, "and in the past that has been the OMB director. He's supposed to be there telling the White House what you can and can't do."

Continue the article here.....

Marketing at its finest.

2005-03-02T01:44:00.000-05:00

Saddam Judge Assasinated

2005-03-01T19:18:00.000-05:00

JIM MIKLASZEWSKI REPORTING: "Good evening Brian. NBC News has learned that the judge, 35 year old Raid Juhi was apparently gunned down today as he left his home in Baghdad. Now Juhi was seen on video but just barely last July during the initial court appearances of Saddam Hussein. The young judge at the time gained widespread respect and admiration when he stood his ground against the belligerent former dictator who launched into a lecture during the proceedings.Juhi had already been the target of several assassination attempts, and was forced to move into a walled compound with his wife and three small boys behind concrete walls that could withstand bombs.He normally traveled with armed escorts, but the details around his assassination today remain unclear. He was a former prosecutor under the former Saddam Hussein regime -- and as an investigative judge was handling 12 high profile cases, including Saddam Hussein and the infamous Chemical Ali."

Terrible thing to happen to such a brave man. Of course, im sure it didnt help when Robert Fisk, foreign correspondent of The Independent, published this mans identity last year. Next thing you know, American "journalists" will be outing CIA agents!

Oh,....wait...

Bush's numbers slipping again?

2005-03-01T15:35:00.000-05:00

Just asking...

Classified bulletin warns of 'nonspecific' al Qaeda threat to U.S.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. intelligence has intercepted a communication from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq that "reiterates the desire by al Qaeda to target the homeland," U.S. officials have said.

A classified bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security, issued Friday, warns state homeland security advisers and other authorities of "credible but nonspecific threat information" reaffirming al Qaeda's intent to strike the United States.

Neighborhood Air Defense

2005-03-01T15:28:00.000-05:00

A large, drab green missile launcher aimed vigilantly skyward has become one of the more distinctive landmarks in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, Md. The launcher claims a commanding position on the lawn at the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center's Carderock facility, a science and engineering center overlooking the Potomac River, the WASHINGTON POST will report on Tuesday. The six non-nuclear missiles in the launcher could ``counter an inbound threat.''

Headlines

2005-03-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

The Ironic Times has become popular here at The Bunker. Its kind of like another version of The Onion, another Bunker favorite, minus the circulation in print. Here are todays headlines, for your chuckling pleasure.

BUSH TAPE REVEALS HE USED MARIJUANA
Not the kind used by convicted criminals rotting in Texas jails; the other, youthful- experiment kind.

Canada Won't Join Missile
Defense Shield
Says it's too expensive, doesn't work, will lead to new arms race, but real reasons for decision unknown.

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth Join Fight to Promote Bush Agenda
Swift Boat Veterans for Privatizing Social Security, Swift Boat Veterans for Banning Same-Sex Marriage, Swift Boat Veterans for Permanent Tax Cuts, Swift Boat Veterans for Prayer in Public Schools, Swift Boat Veterans for Ban on Assisted Suicide will all spend millions attacking administration's critics.

PBS Censors Bad Language
From “Frontline” Documentary
On U.S. Troops in Iraq
Changes title to “War is Heck.”

How far we have come.

2005-02-25T16:30:00.000-05:00

From MSNBC

Casting Will Smith’s love interest in “Hitch” was not a simple black or white decision.
Eva Mendes was given the role opposite Smith because the moviemakers were worried about the public’s reaction if the part was given to a white or an African American actress, according to Smith. The actor is saying that it was feared that a black couple would have put off worldwide audiences whereas a white/African American combo would have offended viewers in the U.S.
“There’s sort of an accepted myth that if you have two black actors, a male and a female, in the lead of a romantic comedy, that people around the world don’t want to see it,” Smith told the British paper, the Birmingham Post while promoting the flick overseas. “We spend $50-something million making this movie and the studio would think that was tough on their investment. So the idea of a black actor and a white actress comes up — that’ll work around the world, but it’s a problem in the U.S.”
Eva Mendes — who is of Cuban descent — was seen as a solution because apparently, the black/Latina combination is not considered taboo.
Sony didn’t return calls for comment.

Never suprising, always disapointing....

You have to think of the mindset here. An interracial leading couple = movie fails. Are we getting anywhere???

Let us not speak of Paris Hilton again

2005-02-24T20:35:00.000-05:00

The Bunker endorses the following message, from Low Culture.

In the elevated, sanctimonious tradition of the inestimable Lloyd Grove, we issue this call to arms to pundits, writers, tastemakers, and (dare we say it) bloggers far and wide: Let us not speak of Paris Hilton again. Let us disregard those antics that would otherwise warrant so much fleeting press from so many fleeting media outlets. Let us divorce ourselves from her poisonous presence in American popular culture. Let us focus on more enriching enterprises, like rigorous discussions of the 17th season of The Apprentice, or Roger Avary's screenwriting, or the career of Ben Stiller. Let us speak of steroids, of baseball, of horse racing. Let us embrace the Kentucky Derby with renewed vigor.
Let us look past Ms. Hilton's three seasons of moronic reality-television output. Let us salivate no longer on the entity known as Paris Hilton: her casually-flouted nudity, her vapid imbecility, her patented pronunciations of "That's hot." Paris? Hot? You're not.
Let us look forward to a day when this name will be synonymous with an endgame in the turning point of American culture, a utopian point at which we will have foregone such asinine documentation of these characters: the intellectually frail, the idiotically fulsome, and the irritatingly frivolous. Let us collectively embrace an era when we, the pundit class, can transcend such vile antics, and shall no longer forcibly parlay in matters of such juvenalia, such loathsome simplemindedness.
Paris? Ms. Hilton? We shall never speak of thee again. We are so much better than that.

Brat!

2005-02-24T11:32:00.000-05:00

Accident? Doubt it. Suspect picture cropping in USA Today....

Lets hope Scott Ritter is wrong, or full of it.

2005-02-23T11:24:00.000-05:00

Scott Ritter, appearing with journalist Dahr Jamail yesterday in Washington State, dropped two shocking bombshells in a talk delivered to a packed house in Olympia’s Capitol Theater. The ex-Marine turned UNSCOM weapons inspector said that George W. Bush has "signed off" on plans to bomb Iran in June 2005, and claimed the U.S. manipulated the results of the recent Jan. 30 elections in Iraq.

Olympians like to call the Capitol Theater "historic," but it's doubtful whether the eighty-year-old edifice has ever been the scene of more portentous revelations.

The principal theme of Scott Ritter's talk was Americans’ duty to protect the U.S. Constitution by taking action to bring an end to the illegal war in Iraq. But in passing, the former UNSCOM weapons inspector stunned his listeners with two pronouncements. Ritter said plans for a June attack on Iran have been submitted to President George W. Bush, and that the president has approved them. He also asserted that knowledgeable sources say U.S. officials "cooked" the results of the Jan. 30 elections in Iraq.

-Update-

How could Scott Ritter know what Bush plans to do? I am not sure there is one American more hated and dismissed by the administration than Ritter. I doubt he has any contacts in the pentagon these days. Ritter apparently is basing his conclusion not on any insiders, but on The New Yorker. He is running with the carefully chosen words of Seymour Hersh, yet choosing them less carefully. Hersh noted that U.S. covert teams are in Iran. That's probably true, and Hersh has the best possible sources in both the Pentagon and the CIA. But that is probably nothing new. We have probably had teams there since Khatami's government lost its teeth about three years ago. It would not surprise me if we had covert teams on-and-off in Iran since 1979. The real big news of Hersh's article was that the Pentagon is now doing all the important intelligence work. For some reason, most accounts of Hersh's article missed that. Anyway, it makes sense for Bush to have plans drawn up in the event that Iran melts down or freaks out. It's only good policy for the president to order up plans to attack many states. But just because there are plans on the table does not mean that anyone PLANS to attack. We use the same word, but they carry very different meanings: tactics vs. intentions.

Ritter is rather undependable and unstable. The Clinton administration had serious problems with his behavior, even investigating him for espionage. I have never been able to make sense of Ritter. One month he seems brilliant and principled. The next he seems frenetic and vindictive. Ritter was right both in 1998 and 2002 about the lack of weapons in Iraq. But so were a lot of people. Broken clocks and Scott Ritter can be right twice a day. Of course, Ritter had many good sources in Iraq. So it's not surprising that he knows a few things about it. But he never served in Iran. So besides picking up The New Yorker, how would he know stuff?

I don't think that if current conditions continue, the United States will attack Iran. Here are three reasons why the United States will NOT attack Iran (even if it wants Iran to think it will):

No soldiers left.
No money left.
The Pentagon does not see any way to take that country (and its nuclear facilities are spread out and defended) and understands that Iran has many ways to strike back in places like Beruit, Tel Aviv, and all of Iraq.

There are many big differences between Iran and Iraq: Iraq had no significant weapons or army. So the first few weeks in Iraq were a rout. Iran has nuclear weapons (or something very close) and a significant air force and army. Remember, Iran won a war against Iraq back when Iraq had one of the strongest armies in the world. Iran is not as ethnically or religiously diverse as Iraq. We could not divide and conquer the way we did (and everyone has done for centuries) Iraq.

Everyone knows it's a war we can't win, if winning means minimum casualties, quick control of the region, and the establishment of a stable government that has the support of the people.

That does not mean that Iran has no reason to fear the United States. It is surrounded by U.S. troops and bases on all sides. And Bush keeps fumbling every opportunity to diffuse tensions with Iran. Iran does not fear an invasion or a bombing run. It does fear isolation and starvation. Sound like any other part of the world that Bush is making more dangerous every day?

Look, we have enough real evidence that George W. Bush can't negotiate his way out of a paper bag and that he can't plan or execute a war even against an unarmed country. He betrays the trust of the brave soldiers who serve under him by donning a flight suit even though he failed to serve while proposing cuts to veterans' benefits. With all the real incompetence, we don't need to speculate about the next big mistake.

Pope: Gay marraige = Evil.

2005-02-23T10:04:00.000-05:00

Greeeat. Hatred spewed by world leaders. Gotta love it. You have to wonder if the Pope is even writing his own books these days.....

ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- Homosexual marriages are part of "a new ideology of evil" that is insidiously threatening society, Pope John Paul says in his newly published book.

"It is legitimate and necessary to ask oneself if this is not perhaps part of a new ideology of evil, perhaps more insidious and hidden, which attempts to pit human rights against the family and against man," he writes.

I always liked this exchange from an episode of The West Wing, between president Barlett and a talk radio host named Dr. Jenna Jacobs...it says it all.

BARTLET
Good. I like your show. I like how you call homosexuality an abomination.

JENNA JACOBS
I don't say homosexuality is an abomination, Mr. President. The Bible does.

BARTLET
Yes, it does. Leviticus.

JENNA JACOBS
18:22

BARTLET
Chapter and verse. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions while I had you here.
I'm interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7.
(small chuckles from the guests) She's a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, and
always clears the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be? While
thinking about that, can I ask another? My Chief of Staff, LeoO McGarry, insists on working
on the Sabbath, Exodus 35:2, clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated
to kill him myself or is it okay to call the police? Here's one that's really important,
'cause we've got a lot of sports fans in this town. Touching the skin of a dead pig makes
us unclean, Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins
still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point? Does the whole town really have to be
together to stone my brother, John, for planting different crops side by side? Can I burn
my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads?

Think about those questions, would you? One last thing, while you may be mistaking this
for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tightass Club, in this building, when the President
stands, nobody sits.

Bush assasination plot.

2005-02-22T18:42:00.000-05:00

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (CNN) -- An American citizen who had been detained in Saudi Arabia was charged Tuesday in U.S. District Court with conspiracy and supporting terrorists in an alleged plot to assassinate President Bush.

"Abu Ali and co-conspirator No. 2 discussed two options for assassinating President Bush: An operation in which Abu Ali would get close enough to the president to shoot him on the street; and, an operation in which Abu Ali would detonate a car bomb."
When the charges were read in court, his supporters and family members laughed"

Laughed? At the charges of terrorist activity towards the president!? This is an American courtroom!??

"At this time, Abu Ali was in Saudi Arabia, where, the government alleges, he met with two co-conspirators and told them of his interest in joining al Qaeda."

...Our "friends" in Saudi Arabia get mentioned an awful lot in this terrorist talk, dont they.

DC & Marine One

2005-02-22T13:20:00.000-05:00

Reflecting pools at Lincoln Memorial

Visited Washington DC this past weekend. Got to see the new WWII memorial which was impressive, and visited the Natural history museum, which unfortunatly is not so impressive. Well, maybe it is, but I wouldnt know because I spent my day dodging kids in strollers and screaming toddlers. Im sure its great otherwise. Must go back on a week day....

I had a hotel room on the top floor near the Pentagon. I noticed that throughout the day while looking from the window, Marine One could be seen flying patterns around the city. I was very impressed with how quickly and how steep it could make its 180 degree turns, and appeared to be practicing the maneuver. Sikorsky, which began manufacturing the current VH-3D presidential helicopters seen below in 1962, has recently lost a bidding war to build the next presidential helicopter to Lockheed.

The US101 is set to begin transporting the president in 2009.

The future "oval office in the sky"

The current Marine One

The underbelly of the right.

2005-02-22T12:22:00.000-05:00

Below is an image/advertisement from USA Nex t, the laughable conservative attempt at the AARP.

So, the AARP endorses gays and hates the military. Of course, there is no discussion or validity to the claim, once you click on the shock value ad, there is nor more speak or text of such an accusation.

Now the swift boat boys have a new job to do. Because when you need innacurate slander for political gain, these here dirt bags is where ya go.

*update*

According to Talking Points the ad has been pulled.

If you cant stand the heat.......

See no evil.....

2005-02-17T18:06:00.001-05:00

Good for you, Senator.

2005-02-17T17:55:00.000-05:00

From CNN.com

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld steadfastly declined Thursday to give Congress a public estimate of the size of the Iraqi insurgency.

Under persistent question from Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, Rumsfeld said the disorganized nature of the insurgency makes it difficult to pin down a reliable, specific estimate.

"They're not static. The numbers change," he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Still, McCain pressed for numbers.

"Shouldn't the American people also know the size and shape and nature of the enemy that we're facing, since it's their sons and daughters who are going to serve?" he asked. Rumsfeld said it was not his place to declassify the estimates provided to him by intelligence services.

ts small, but I'll take anything from McCain when it comes to challenging this administration. Its a downright shame how they treated this man over the years. But who knows. Maybe when Cheney steps down as VP due to his health, they will reward him with the Vice Presidency. That being siad, the Bunker approves this photo. Cos its funny.

Couple-a-Pick-ups

2005-02-17T17:23:00.000-05:00

Made some good pick ups recently, thought id share. Click on the titles to view.


The Fog of War

A documentary by Errol Morris, this DVD is as much great film making as it is an artifact of history. 107 minutes of Robert McNamara speaking directly into the camera, offering insight into such events as the bombing of Tokyo, the Cuban missile crisis, and of course Vietnam. It is edited alongside footage of the various moments in time, an incredible yet haunting soundtrack, and the highlight for me, real life recordings of the conversations involving presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and other ranking officials in those administrations. McNamara is suprisingly candid, and there are plenty of memorable moments, such as Macnamara's reffering to himself as "acting as a war criminal" during the fire bombings of Tokyo. One of the best films ive seen in years.

Standing Next to History

I havent quite finished this yet, but it wont be long. its the kind you cant put down. Joseph Petro served for twenty-three years as a special agent in the United States Secret Service. He was lead agent for the Presidential detail of the Secret Service during the Reagan administration. He also recounts protecting various other presidents, veeps and world leaders. Often funny, always fascinating. The stories of sneaking the first lady in and out of the White House, the preparation for a presidential over seas trip, every aspect is covered well, and in as much detail as is allowed. Also a very insightful look inside the Reagan adminsiration.

War By Numbers.

2005-02-16T20:51:00.000-05:00

Sobering...

As of Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2005, at least 1,470 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq (news - web sites) war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,113 died as a result of hostile action, according to the Defense Department. The figures include four military civilians.

The AP count is 11 higher than the Defense Department's tally, last updated at 10 a.m. EST Wednesday.
The British military has reported 86 deaths; Italy, 20; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 16; Spain, 11; Bulgaria, seven; Slovakia, three; Estonia, Thailand and the Netherlands, two each; and Denmark, El Salvador (news - web sites), Hungary, Latvia and Kazakhstan one death each.
Since May 1, 2003, when President Bush (news - web sites) declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 1,332 U.S. military members have died, according to AP's count. That includes at least 1,004 deaths resulting from hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
___
The latest deaths reported by the military:
_ Two soldiers died in a vehicle accident Wednesday in Iraq's Babil province.
_ A soldier died of a non-combat injury Wednesday at a base near Tikrit.
_ A soldier died in a vehicle accident Wednesday in Iraq's Diyala province.
_ A soldier died in a vehicle accident Wednesday near Balad.
_ A soldier was killed Tuesday during security operations in Iraq's Anbar province.

...Worth a thousand words.

2005-02-16T16:12:00.000-05:00

There is an old picture of former secretary of defense Robert Mcnamara that I always found very telling. You can see it below. In it you can see the stress, fear, and uncertainty through his body language. Stress from the thousands of dead American soldiers, an unpopular war, and the heavy criticism and media scrutiny.

I instantly thought of this picture when i saw the recent picture posted below of current secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Clueless Coulter.

2005-02-16T13:42:00.000-05:00

Normally I dont pay this wing nut any attention. I dont have much time or respect for a person like little Annie, who lies, even to the very people who buy her books, in order to sell more. However, when I read this delightful exchange on jossip.com, I felt it worth sharing just for the pure humor of it. (video and transcript included at link)

"The conservative talking head was being interviewed by Bob McKeown on Fifth Estate on Canada's CBC in that low droaning voice we're huge fans of when she got her facts terribly, terribly wrong about the Vietnam war."

Coulter: "Canada used to be one of our most loyal friends and vice-versa. I mean Canada sent troops to Vietnam - was Vietnam less containable and more of a threat than Saddam Hussein?"
McKeown interrupts: "Canada didn't send troops to Vietnam."
Coulter: "I don't think that's right."
McKeown: "Canada did not send troops to Vietnam."
Coulter (looking desperate): "Indochina?"
McKeown: "Uh no. Canada ...second World War of course. Korea. Yes. Vietnam No."
Coulter: "I think you're wrong."
McKeown: "No, took a pass on Vietnam."
Coulter: "I think you're wrong."
McKeown: "No, Australia was there, not Canada."
Coulter: "I think Canada sent troops."
McKeown: "No."
Coulter: "Well. I'll get back to you on that."
McKeown tags out in script: "Coulter never got back to us -- but for the record, like Iraq, Canada sent no troops to Vietnam."

Iranian Bloggers Jailed.

2005-02-16T13:13:00.000-05:00

Via Reporters Without Borders...

The sentence of three years and 10 months that was upheld on appeal was originally imposed on Lotfi, a theology student from the holy city of Qom, by a lower court on 14 August. But he was allowed to remain free at the time after paying bail of 650 million rial (55,000 euros).
Lotfi used to be a journalist with the pro-reform daily Khordad, which the authorities closed in 2000. He was arrested for the first time in May 2004 and imprisoned in Qom after posting an article entitled "Respect for human rights in cases involving the clergy" on www.naqshineh.com, a news site about Qom. Naqshineh is also being prosecuted, above all because of its articles on the last legislative elections, and it has been blocked since March 2004 on the orders of the Qom authorities.

Kids these days.

2005-02-14T20:45:00.000-05:00

Just took a peek at the Delawareonline.com police report for today.....And this got my attention.

TEEN PARTY BUSTED: New Castle County police said a "Sweet 16" birthday party in Ogletown grew so disorderly that four teens were arrested. County police spokesman Cpl. Trinidad Navarro said police learned about the party at Prides Court through a flier. When police officers arrived about 10:30 p.m. Friday, they found 25 to 30 people in a one-bedroom apartment. The host, Bertram Hodges, 19, was charged with offensive touching for allegedly shoving a police officer, as well as disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and menacing, police said. A 16-year-old girl was charged with three counts of offensive touching, as well as disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, police said. A 17-year-old female from New Castle was charged with three counts of terroristic threatening for allegedly threatening to shoot police officers, officials said, as well as resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and offensive touching. Her 14-year-old sister was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and menacing, police said. Navarro said Hodges was released after posting $4,000 secured bond. The other three were released to their parents.

14,16, 17 years old....

Now in my day...and we are talking a whopping 11 years ago when I was the same age as these kids, the procedure followed after the man shows up was to drop your drink, and run. To me, back then, it seemed daring, and probably very wrong, and lots and lots of fun. Apparently my generation has been out done. After all, I never saw a "sweet 16" year old threaten to kill a police officer while his friends pushed his partner around. Nuthin "sweet" about these kids.

Ahhhh, Valentines day.....

2005-02-14T20:06:00.000-05:00

...Chocolate and Diamonds.

The Wilmington Connection

2005-02-14T19:15:00.000-05:00

CNN spoke with "Jeff Gannon" recently.

So did some others, apparently.

If you are up to date on the whole "Jeff Gannon" thing...this will interest you. If you are from Delaware, this might interest you further.

This is unverified as far as I know. There is also some graphic images that some readers may object to. Use your better judgement. Link as at bottom.

Here is a touch of the text to get you interested....the rest is at the link below.
(emphasis mine)
In 1999, Paul Leddy, a Web designer and photographer, says he received an email from a man named Jeff from Wilmington, Delaware. Jeff wanted Paul to build him a new Web site for his business. Paul accepted the job, provided Jeff mailed him a check with half the money up front (Jeff had not provided a last name, and Paul wanted to make sure he was for real). Jeff sent the check, it cleared, and Paul built the site and launched it online for Jeff.Paul didn’t think about Jeff much until last week when he heard about a breaking scandal involving a man named Jeff who owned several military escort service Web addresses. “I saw the name Jeff Gannon, knew our Jeff, saw the militarystud.com Web address, and thought ‘hmmm, everything was military, that sounds like Jeff who we did the site for.’”Paul searched the Internet WhoIs director for militarystud.com and saw that the owner was Bedrock Corp of Wilmington, Delaware. “That’s definitely him,” Paul said. (Paul and a second source both recall Jeff paying with a check in the name of Bedrock Corp. The name stuck in their heads at the time because they asked Jeff why “Bedrock”? He replied something about the Flintstones, they recall.)Paul then went and checked his files. He found five invoices to Jeff from August 31, 1999 to March 30, 2000. (The file properties say they were created on those dates by Paul Leddy.)

The invoices are from BELDesigns for “Website Design”and “hosting.” The billing address?

Bedrock Corp
Kennett Pike
Centreville, DE 19807

*-LINK-*

I aint one to gossip, so you didnt hear it from me....

Israel downed 2 Syrian MiGs

2005-02-11T16:24:00.000-05:00

Interesting story.

Diplomatic sources said Israel Air Force F-16 multi-role fighters intercepted and downed two Syrian MiG-29 fighter-jets last year. The sources said the dogfight took place in September 2004 over the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

This was the first engagement between Israeli and Syrian fighter-jets since the 1980s. The sources said the air battle took place when Israel Air Force fighter-jets buzzed the Syrian city of Latakia, a port used by Iran for the shipment of weapons to Hizbullah.

The Washington-based Reform Party of Syria first provided details of the Israeli-Syrian dogfight. RPS said the air battle took place on Sept. 14, 2004, adding that both downed pilots were rescued by Syrian military helicopters, Middle East Newsline reported.

(above caption not related to this story.)

Mig-29 (Russian)

Bush's Idea of the American Way.

2005-02-08T19:22:00.000-05:00

No explenation needed, here it is.

Last Friday when promoting social security reform with 'regular' citizens in Omaha, Nebraska, President Bush walked into an awkward unscripted moment in which he stated that carrying three jobs at a time is 'uniquely American.' While talking with audience participants, the president met Mary Mornin, a woman in her late fifties who told the president she was a divorced mother of three, including a 'mentally challenged' son. The President comforted Mornin on the security of social security stating that 'the promises made will be kept by the government.' But without prompting Mornin began to elaborate on her life circumstances.

Begin transcript:

MS. MORNIN: That's good, because I work three jobs and I feel like I contribute.

THE PRESIDENT: You work three jobs?

MS. MORNIN: Three jobs, yes.

THE PRESIDENT: Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that.....Get any sleep? (Laughter.)

There you have it, folks.

Hey "Big" Spender....and the return of big government.

2005-02-08T16:40:00.000-05:00

From LA Times here.

And, from Dr. Alterman....

Previous to this year, George W. Bush increased the size of the federal budget by 27 percent, if I’m not mistaken, busting a budget that had been in surplus when he inherited it and making him the biggest of big government spenders since Lyndon Johnson. Within that context, he has still managed to cut—or is trying to, almost all payments going to the most vulnerable members of society, children, students, the poor, the working poor and even (particularly) veterans (and here), while vastly increasing the amount given to the very rich and to the military. Five years ago Bush told us he was something different; a “compassionate conservative.” We now know he is neither compassionate, nor by any imaginable definition an economic conservative. Rather he is merely dishonest; effectively so, perhaps, but no less dishonest for being so.

"Anna! Save me!"

2005-02-08T14:28:00.000-05:00

Dude, I got so busted.

Dubya invades DE.

2005-02-08T13:53:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON -- President Bush promised a leaner, meaner federal budget this year, but the cuts he has proposed may cut too close to home for some in Delaware.
Amtrak funding would be virtually eliminated in the $2.57 trillion budget proposal the president sent to Congress on Monday. So would $8 million in federal grants for law enforcement programs in Delaware. Replenishment of the beaches at Rehoboth and Dewey that began just last week would grind to a halt, zeroed out of the Army Corps of Engineers budget plan for 2006.
Federal clean water grants, which fund wastewater treatment projects in Wilmington and Laurel, would be cut by one-quarter. Delaware would lose an estimated $108 million in Medicaid funding over the next decade.

The good news is that Congress has to decide how to spend this money, so it is still likely our beach and enviromental programs will be saved.

"I support his effort to scrub every federal program for waste and abuse to generate savings," Castle said. "[But] programs like Amtrak, beach replenishment and education funding have so much support in Congress that I believe the funding will be restored. I believe it's a question of manageable control versus total elimination."

"President Bush's 2006 budget is an anti-family and anti-community budget plan," said Angela Walker, state executive board president of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, a community organization of low- and moderate-income families.

Bush loves cops and Firefighters.

Among the programs now targeted for elimination are community policing efforts like the COPS program. Biden estimates that the budget cuts would cost the state $8 million in grants it now uses to hire extra patrol officers and to support juvenile crime prevention efforts. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., said the president's budget would cut first-responder aid to states in half and would eliminate a provision in the law that guarantees small states like Delaware a share of funds to prepare for potential terrorist attacks.
The town of Laurel used a community policing grant to hire a new police officer three years ago. The town had hoped to use the program to hire two new officers for its 12-person force, but without a COPS grant, Town Manager Glenn Steckman said the city might not be able to afford the $50,000 in salary, benefits, training and equipment for a new officer. "This is going to have a serious impact on the town of Laurel, doing away with this program," Steckman said.

I can just imagine the conversation.

"Okay, on to Delaware Mr. President....."

"Delawhere?"

"Its south of Philly, north of DC, sir."

"they got a major league baseball team? Oil?"

"No sir."

"brush to clear?"

"No, sir."

"Hmm. Do we need it?"

"No, sir. Well, we could use that one air base. we like to do advanced medical testing on unsuspecting Airmen down there"

"Hmm. Well, keep that, and cut them off from everything else. They dont need cops. theres no crime in DE. No beaches either when im done! Yeehaw! yuck! yuck! ...Its hard work."

Seeing Double.

2005-02-08T13:48:00.000-05:00

Great. Now maybe I can get some Clone-o-shmuck to go to work for me so I can sit home and complain.

"The British government on Tuesday gave the creator of Dolly the Sheep a human cloning license for medical research.
It is the second such license approved since Britain became the first country to legalize research cloning in 2001.
The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, which regulates such research, approved the license for Ian Wilmut, who led the team that created Dolly at Scotland's Roslin Institute in 1996."

Scary, yall.

Theatrical Moment, like it or not.

2005-02-04T17:43:00.000-05:00

During the State of the Union speech, we met an Iraqi activist named Safia Taleb al-Suhail, who held her purple fingers aloft in a peace sign (until clearly told by someone off camera to hold up one finger instead of a peace symbol...being that Bush isnt exactly known for peace.. ), and the parents of Byron Norwood, a 25-year-old Marine killed in Fallujah. The soldier's mother, Janet Norwood, was the lady cluthcing her dead sons dog tags. This article from Slate pointed me to a comment i hadnt noticed that night....and i just had to bring it up.

"Later on MSNBC, Joe Scarborough and Ron Reagan wrangled over the extent to which the hug itself was staged, with Reagan claiming that he was "uncomfortable with using people that are in such obvious pain as a political prop." Scarborough lit into him: "To look at that picture, to look at these two people in this historic moment, and to suggest that somebody cynically said, let's put these people together ... that's just the height of cynicism."

You know, I always found Joe likeable. I rarely agree with him, but I like the guy. That being said, this is one of the most bone headed things I have ever heard. No one said "Lets put these people together" !!?? THEY WERE SITTING NEXT TO THE PRESIDENTS WIFE!! how do you think they got there!? Won tickets on the Howard Stern show? How jaded can you get....

It was a moving moment. Simply to see a Mother clutching the tags of a dead American soldier is naturally moving. But to suggest these events were some spontanious act of luck...!?

Geez, Joe.

Superbowl Weekend

2005-02-04T15:10:00.000-05:00

Go Patriots. (Actually, Im not sure I care. I just want a damn good game, and I think im gonna get it...) I happen to be a NY Giants fan, so, Eagles winning is never good. Makes me very popular around here, let me tell you.

Some Friday fun in honor of the big game weekend.

First up, Just when you thought half time snack couldnt get any more disgusting....I give you the Cool Dog. Half hot dog, half sundae, all disgusting.

Snopes.com ruins the fun for everyone by de-bunking Superbowl urban myths.

"I'll start. No I wont. I'll Play. No I wont. Yes I will." ...Just shut up please. you would think theres going to be one guy running around out there on Sunday. The Patriots are quiet. Its dangerous when its quiet.

Chuck Bednarik wants the Birds to lose!!!

Ryan of Pulp Culture is covering the Superbowl in Jacksonville for the WNJ, and his blog. Interesting reading so far, including:

"On a side note, the Eagle has landed. Eagles fans are suddenly everywhere. My Applebee's was empty last night. Tonight, 15 guys were screaming out a drunken version of "Fly Eagles Fly." I asked the manager what she thought. She said he hated them and hoped they'd go home already. "I'd rather have college fans in here," she said."

Enjoy the game and the weekend. See you Monday.

Government TV.

2005-02-04T14:24:00.000-05:00

No, not C-Span.

As if paying so called "journalists" to pedal Bush policies in their respective publications, on the hush no less, wasnt enough.....

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Department of Defense plans to add more sites on the Internet to provide information to a global audience

The sites are run by U.S. military troops trained in "information warfare," a specialty than can include battlefield deception.
Pentagon officials say the goal is to counter "misinformation" about the United States in overseas media.
At first glance, the Web pages appear to be independent news sites. To find out who is actually behind the content, a visitor would have to click on a small link -- at the bottom of the page -- to a disclaimer, which says, in part, that the site is "sponsored by" the U.S. Department of Defense.

"There is an element of deception," said Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism.

Ya think? Lets cut through the BS. The Dept of Defense is running web sites clearly made to look like a news/information site, but you have to dig through fine print to find that out. Which, in effect, is "news" produced, edited, and designed to influence, by the US Department of Defense. To top it all off, they are using the "Information warfare" branch and operations of our military. I can assure you, these guys dont specialize in reporting the the time, traffic and weather every hour, on the hour.

"Our agenda ought to be able to stand on its own two feet."

I agree. So when does that start?

Imperfect Union.

2005-02-04T13:41:00.000-05:00

From The Nation....

The claims, and the reality.

** Imperfect Union I: "In Iraq, 28 countries have troops on the ground, the United Nations and the European Union provide technical assistance for the elections, and NATO is leading a mission to train Iraqi officers."

Where to start? The 45 countries present at the beginning of the invasion shrunk to 28, and will further decrease when Ukraine, Hungary, the Netherlands and Portugal withdraw troops this year. Moreover, these 28 countries account for a meager 15 percent of the 180,000 total troops in Iraq, of which 150,000 (83 percent) are American. Subtract Britain's 12,500 soldiers and the international contribution falls to less than 9 percent. Meanwhile, many of the major European powers in NATO--France, Germany, Belgium and Spain--declined to train Iraqi soldiers. A coalition of the disappearing is what we're left with.

** Imperfect Union II: "The great and proud nation of Egypt, which showed the way toward peace in the Middle East, can now show the way toward democracy in the Middle East."

Around the same time Iraqis voted, the great and proud nation of Egypt, which receives $2 billion in US aid per year, arrested a key opposition member of parliament and three democracy activists who called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak--ruler since 1980--to step down at the end of his term. "Egypt isn't even remotely democratizing," Joshua Stacher, an Egypt expert at Scotland's St. Andrews University, told the Christian Science Monitor. "There's a huge disconnect between [Bush's] freedom rhetoric and substantial policy change."

** Imperfect Union III: "To keep our economy growing, we also need reliable supplies of affordable, environmentally responsible energy...Four years of debate is enough: I urge Congress to pass legislation that makes America more secure and less dependent on foreign energy."

Call us crazy, but we don't see how an energy bill drafted in secret by the energy industry, with $20 billion in tax breaks for big oil, gas and coal polluters helps save the environment. Or how cutting $277 million for renewable energy research and giving a $100,000 tax write-off to Hummer owners reduces American energy dependency. The Natural Resources Defense Council documented 150 destructive environmental policy actions authorized by the Bush Administration over the past year alone. (Republican Applause.)

** Imperfect Union IV: "Because HIV/AIDS brings suffering and fear into so many lives, I ask you to reauthorize the Ryan White Act to encourage prevention, and provide care and treatment to victims of disease."

Another admirable compassionate conservative initiative whose lofty rhetoric is laid bare by reality. While consistently reauthorized by Congress, under the Bush Administration Ryan White funding has failed to keep up with need. As funding continues to erode, local and state budgets have become strained with increasing caseloads and high demand for HIV/AIDS medication and care. Patients in dire need of treatment have even died after being placed on lengthy waiting lists. Facts like these should put a damper on Bush's self-serving triumphalism.

** Imperfect Union V: After watching Bush's State of the Union Address on CNN and MSNBC (and untold other networks), an unassuming viewer may have thought Republicans were the only party present for Bush's State of the Union. That's because the TV cameras focused almost exclusively on the Republican side of the aisle, rendering Democrats virtually invisible. When Bush invoked an imaginary Social Security crisis, you could hear, but not see, the Democrats boo, whereas the GOP and their obnoxious stained-ink fingers were visible after every applause. Surely this isn't indicative of the media's acquiescence to Republican Washington?

-*Update*-

Factcheck.org was also nice enough to shoot me the following email...

Bush's State of the Union: Social Security "Bankruptcy?"
Summary
In his State of the Union Address, President Bush said again that the Social Security system is headed for "bankruptcy," a term that could give the wrong idea. Actually, even if it goes "bankrupt" a few decades from now, the system would still be able to pay about three-quarters of the benefits now promised.
Bush also made his proposed private Social Security accounts sound like a sure thing, which they are not. He said they "will" grow fast enough to provide a better return than the present system. History suggests that will be so, but nobody can predict what stock and bond markets will do in the future.
Bush left out any mention of what workers would have to give up to get those private acounts -- a proportional reduction or offset in guaranteed Social Security retirement benefits. He also glossed over the fact that money in private accounts would be "owned" by workers only in a very limited sense -- under strict conditions which the President referred to as "guidelines." Many retirees, and possibly the vast majority, wouldn't be able to touch their Social Security nest egg directly, even after retirement, because the government would take some or all of it back and convert it to a stream of payments guaranteed for life.
Click the link below for the full article:

http://www.factcheck.org/article305m.html

STOMP....and the town so nice they named it twice.

2005-02-04T13:32:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, I visited New York City to see Stomp. All I will say on the subject, is go see it. I cant imagine anyone being disapointed.

New York is everything I want it to be every time I go. Such a pleasure. Visited in the lobby of the Empire State Building, (there was a 45 minute wait for the observation deck)...Walked 5th Ave, Then cruised to the West Village for the finest fish n' chips this side of the atlantic.

I guess the Bush Soc. Security plan would be fine...

2005-02-04T13:13:00.000-05:00

....If the kids didnt live to see it.

The Environmental Protection Agency ignored scientific evidence and agency protocols in order to set limits on mercury pollution that would line up with the Bush administration's free-market approaches to power plant pollution, according to a report released yesterday by the agency's inspector general.
Staff at the EPA were instructed by administrators to set modest limits on mercury pollution, and then had to work backward from the predetermined goal to justify the proposal, according to a report by Inspector General Nikki Tinsley.

Mercury is a toxic metal released as a byproduct by coal-burning power plants and other industries, and it is known to have a range of harmful health effects, especially on young children and pregnant women.

"I don't think anyone has ever seen as much political influence in the development of a rule as we saw in this rule," said one EPA staff member, who attended meetings between administrators and staff. "Everything about this rule was decided at a political level. . . . The political level made the decisions, and the staff did what they were told."

Rumsfeld twice offered to resign

2005-02-03T19:08:00.000-05:00

From CNN.com....(emphasis mine)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says he twice offered President Bush his resignation during the height of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, but the president refused to accept it.
In an interview to be aired Thursday night on CNN's "Larry King Live," Rumsfeld says: "I submitted my resignation to President Bush twice during that period and told him that ... I felt that he ought to make the decision as to whether or not I stayed on. And he made that decision and said he did want me to stay on."
Last April, photos surfaced showing U.S. troops abusing Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, sparking a furor internationally and on Capitol Hill.
In the middle of the controversy, Rumsfeld appeared before Congress and said he took "full responsibility" for what had happened, and he said he would step down from his post if he thought he could no longer be effective.
Bush then publicly expressed confidence in Rumsfeld.
After Bush was re-elected in November, he asked Rumsfeld to remain at the helm of the Defense Department.

does this mean that Rummy though he could "no longer be effective"??

Another bad choice, Mr President. And a clear indication of the thought process in this administration. We are never wrong, so no one resigns, no one apologizes, and no one, ...EVER admits a mistake, despite all evidence indicating such mistakes and errors are plentiful.

When production deadlines turn bad.

2005-02-03T13:36:00.000-05:00

From the February/March issue of Complex magazine:

Maldives in Monsoon Season:

"Some of the best surfing in the world takes place on this small island off the coast of India as winter comes to its stormy end. "

"The Complex Dozen: Things that matter in February and March"

Whoooops.

The Sorry Ass State of the Union

2005-02-02T13:53:00.000-05:00

From Siva, Via Altercation.

"I spent the day reflecting on previous W States of the Union. Hey, Mr. Prez, is that Axis of Evil any less evil now? Is North Korea any more cooperative? Is Iran any less belligerent? How is that battle against AIDS in Africa going? Did you find all that yellowcake from Niger? How about all those caches of chemical and biological weapons in Iraq? Are we still leaving children behind? Have we nabbed Bin Laden? Can I start planning my trip to Mars now?
Is there one major plan or goal expressed by Bush in a State of the Union that has worked? Where are the standards of judgment? Where is the scorecard?
We should start a pool on which of the big whoppers we are likely to hear tonight will reveal itself to be ridiculous first. Wait. That might not work. Everyone knew that he was not going to do anything about AIDS in Africa as soon as it came out of his mouth.
It has struck me as troubling that the Washington press corps has already started giving Bush a pass on truth and candor, just a week into his second term. Harry Reid called for a clear exit strategy for Iraq, so we know what success means. Seems reasonable. Scott McLellan responded that the president will not issue a "timetable" on withdrawal because terrorists will just wait through the timetable. Reporters shrugged. That makes sense, no?
Problem is, a strategy is not a timetable and a timetable is not a strategy. Reid wants to hear a list of goals or measurements. He did not ask for a timetable. He does not want to hear that troops will be home by December. He wants to hear that a few units will come home when, say, the Iraqi security forces have secured the road between Baghdad and the Baghdad airport. Reid wants the reasonable. Bush claims Reid wants the unreasonable. Reporters don't discern between these two things. And so we move on into the morass.
What would happen if all that energy spent on trying to get John Kerry to clarify his plans for Iraq were now spent on the guy who actually has responsibility for that mess? Can't we have a national conversation about accountability?"

Indeed.
I'll be making a list tonite. I will refer back to it in 4 years, and im guessing the check boxes will still be empty. More of the same. More of the same. More of the same.

Here is a handy little lie detector to have nearby during the upcoming speech. The Center for Amercian Progress has been good enough to compile a list of Bush's 2002, 2003 and 2004 speeches and all his claims, promises and proposals.

Some advice for a fun checklist from Alterman:

"Watch to see which Democrats get a presidential pat (or hug) on the way in. (If any...)

Watch to see if the White House puts anything in the speech that can compete with Social Security for lede status.

See if the axis of evil tonight (at least implicitly) will be "the status quo," "the do-nothings," and Howard Dean. (Just kidding.)

Tally applause if you want. (But you will lose count during the Iraq election section.)

Watch how often the pool director chooses Sen. Clinton as the reaction cut-away.

Look for the grudging Charlie Rangel-style forced clapping by some. (That is when the hands say "clap" but the eyes say "shrug.")

Determine which lines are for "the room," which lines are for the citizenry watching on TV, and which for the world audience.

Strain to see who is in the First Lady's box besides the pre-announced Iraqis.

Note well the new ABC News/Washington Post poll that shows President Bush going into the first State of the Union of his second term with a 50 percent job approval rating; 87 percent of Republicans give him a thumbs up, compared to just 14 percent of Democrats who agree, according to ABC News Polling Director Gary Langer. LINK

Watch to see if there are any insta-polls of repute.

And be sure to tune in to ABC News for live blah, Blah, blah…"

Finally, The Bunker is proud to link the 2005 State of the Union Drinking Game.

Hey, some of us need it to get through.

Encouraging.....

2005-01-31T02:06:00.000-05:00

Link.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Millions of Iraqis cast ballots Sunday in the nation's first free election in half a century -- a vote hailed by officials as a success despite sporadic violence that killed more than two dozen people.

"This is the greatest day in the history of this country," Iraqi national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie told CNN.

We shall watch closely as events unfold....An election is an important step in getting our people home asap. The success of the election process has become vital, and this is good news. Hats off to all the folks who had the guts to go vote.

U.S.S San Francisco

2005-01-28T14:40:00.000-05:00

Ryan of Politicaltracker.com has this post concerning the U.S.S San Francisco's collision with a submerged mountain recently. Respect to Ryan for his research and an interesting read....

Good for you, Pops.

2005-01-28T13:58:00.000-05:00

With the rash of home break-ins in Newark recently, the NPD have come up short on clues to who is commiting the crimes. So its a good thing we have 95 year old men to hand out a little senior citizen justice.

Vincent "Winnie" Mayer, 95, hadn't played on a football field in more than 70 years, but that made little difference to the former University of Delaware football star who fought off a burglar in his home just outside of Newark.

The intruder managed to escape with some money, but not before Mayer smacked him with his wife's walking cane.

"I bopped him three or four times," said Mayer, who suffered scratches during the scuffle and was treated at the scene by paramedics. "I got some good whacks in, but I had trouble keeping my balance."

Mayer - who played defensive end for the Blue Hens from 1930 to 1932 and later became a co-founder of the Newark Touchdown Club - grabbed his wife's walking cane and began hitting the intruder. But the assailant forced his way past Mayer and demanded money, Aviola said.

Mayer said his football experience came in handy. He was honored in 1989 as part of UD's all-time football team and was awarded the university's Medal of Distinction in 2001.

"I would've taken him down on the football field," he said.

Bad ass.

One of these things is not like the others.

2005-01-28T13:40:00.000-05:00

From The Washington Post

At yesterday's gathering of world leaders in southern Poland to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the United States was represented by Vice President Cheney. The ceremony at the Nazi death camp was outdoors, so those in attendance, such as French President Jacques Chirac and Russian President Vladimir Putin, were wearing dark, formal overcoats and dress shoes or boots. Because it was cold and snowing, they were also wearing gentlemen's hats. In short, they were dressed for the inclement weather as well as the sobriety and dignity of the event.

The vice president, however, was dressed in the kind of attire one typically wears to operate a snow blower.

At least he didn't tell the other dignitaries to "go f--- themselves."

Insult to Injury....

2005-01-28T02:32:00.000-05:00

As if coming up cheap on protective armor wasnt enough......

Most patients at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington have a lot on their minds: the war they just fought, the injuries they came home with, the future that lies ahead. The last thing a wounded soldier needs to worry about is where the next meal is coming from. But for hundreds of Walter Reed patients, that's a real concern. Starting this month, the Army has started making some wounded soldiers pay for the food they eat at the hospital. Paying out of pocket for hospital meals can impose a serious financial burden, costing hundreds of dollars every month. That can be a lot of money to a military family. But perhaps worse, the meal charge feels like an ungrateful slap in the face to some soldiers. "I think it sucks," said a soldier from West Virginia who broke his neck in Iraq after falling off a roof. "I think that people should be able to eat. They get us over there, get us wounded and shot up and then tell us: Fend for yourself. You are all heroes, but here you go."

"Journalism"

2005-01-28T02:22:00.000-05:00

....Im calling for resignations.

One day after President Bush ordered his Cabinet secretaries to stop hiring commentators to help promote administration initiatives, and one day after the second high-profile conservative pundit was found to be on the federal payroll, a third embarrassing hire has emerged. Salon has confirmed that Michael McManus, a marriage advocate whose syndicated column, "Ethics & Religion," appears in 50 newspapers, was hired as a subcontractor by the Department of Health and Human Services to foster a Bush-approved marriage initiative. McManus championed the plan in his columns without disclosing to readers he was being paid to help it succeed.



How many other "journalists" are receiving Bush Bucks?

The Honor Roll

2005-01-28T02:14:00.000-05:00

From Altercation:

Who had the courage to vote against the first African-American female nominee for secretary of state merely because she has proven to be profoundly incompetent, incorrigibly dishonest, and absolutely unwilling to recognize, much less admit her many, many mistakes?

The Honor Roll:

Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.
Robert Byrd, D-W.Va.
Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.
John Kerry, D-Mass.
Carl Levin, D-Mich.
James Jeffords, I-Vt.
Jack Reed, D-R.I.
Mark Dayton, D-Minn.
Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii
Evan Bayh, D-Ind.
Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.
Tom Harkin, D-Iowa
Richard Durbin, D-Ill.

Q: How many Bush Administration officials does it take to screw in a light bulb?

2005-01-25T15:57:00.000-05:00

A: None. There is nothing wrong with the light bulb; its conditions are improving every day. Any reports of its lack of incandescence are a delusional spin from the liberal media. That light bulb has served honorably, and anything you say undermines the lighting effect. Why do you hate freedom?

VW against terrorism

2005-01-21T20:43:00.000-05:00

This has been proven a hoax, none the less, worth watching.

More Liberal Bias in the Media

2005-01-21T20:35:00.000-05:00

...It's all right here to see from Mediamatters.org

Media Matters for America inventoried all guests who appeared on FOX News, CNN, and MSNBC during the channels' January 20 inauguration coverage. Between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Republican and conservative guests and commentators outnumbered Democrats and progressives 19 to 7 on FOX, 10 to 1 on CNN (not including a Republican-skewed panel featuring Ohio voters), and 13 to 2 on MSNBC. Moreover, the rare Democrat or progressive guest usually appeared opposite conservatives, whereas most Republican and conservative guests and commentators appeared solo or alongside fellow conservatives.

Bill Gates, old school style.

2005-01-21T13:59:00.000-05:00

Just look at this.



What is he, Ricky Gervais?

While we are on the subject, I'll take a moment to follow in the foot steps of the great Sneaking Suspicions in suggesting you purchase "the Office" on DVD. Funniest show on TV. Well, on TV's with BBC anyway.

More drivel.

2005-01-21T13:47:00.000-05:00

Kos points out the irony of Bush's statements in his speech yesterday.

Washington Post has it here.

President Bush's soaring rhetoric yesterday that the United States will promote the growth of democratic movements and institutions worldwide is at odds with the administration's increasingly close relations with repressive governments in every corner of the world.

Some of the administration's allies in the war against terrorism -- including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Uzbekistan -- are ranked by the State Department as among the worst human rights abusers. The president has proudly proclaimed his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin while remaining largely silent about Putin's dismantling of democratic institutions in the past four years. The administration, eager to enlist China as an ally in the effort to restrain North Korea's nuclear ambitions, has played down human rights concerns there, as well.

Here is what the State Department says about our good friends Saudi Arabia

The Government's human rights record remained poor; although there were positive improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained. Citizens did not have the right to change their government. There were credible reports that security forces continued to torture and abuse detainees and prisoners, arbitrarily arrest and detain persons, and hold them in incommunicado detention. There were cases in which Mutawwa'in continued to intimidate, abuse, and detain citizens and foreigners. There was no evidence that violators were held accountable for abuses. Most trials were closed, and defendants usually appeared before judges without legal counsel. There were reports that the Government infringed on individuals' privacy rights. The Government continued to restrict freedom of speech and press, although there has been an increase in press freedom over a series of years. The Government restricted freedom of assembly, association, religion, and movement. Violence and discrimination against women, violence against children, discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, and strict limitations on worker rights continued [...]

The Mutawwa'in reportedly detained young men for offenses that included eating in restaurants with young women, making lewd remarks to women in the shopping malls, or walking in groups through family-only sections of shopping centers. Women of many nationalities were detained for actions such as riding in a taxi with a man who was not their relative, appearing with their heads uncovered in shopping malls, and eating in restaurants with males who were not their relatives. Many such prisoners were held for days, sometimes weeks, without officials notifying their families or, in the case of foreigners, their embassies.

Pakistan

The Government's human rights record remained poor; although there were some improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained. In 2002, citizens participated in national government elections; however, many observers found serious flaws in the legal framework for the election. Security forces used excessive force, at some times resulting in death, and committed or failed to prevent extrajudicial killings of suspected militants and civilians. The Government enacted measures to improve the discipline and training of security forces and punished some security forces officials who were guilty of abuses; however, abuses by security forces remained a problem.

Killings between rival political factions and sectarian groups continued to be a problem. Police abused and raped citizens. Prison conditions remained extremely poor and life threatening, and police arbitrarily arrested and detained citizens. Several political leaders remained in detention or exile abroad at year's end. Case backlogs led to long delays in trials, and lengthy pretrial detention was common. The judiciary was subject to executive and other outside influences and corruption, inefficiency, and lack of resources remained severe problems. The Government has taken steps to control the judiciary and to remove itself from judicial oversight. Some aspects of the Government's implementation of its anti-corruption campaign violated due process. The Government infringed on citizens' privacy rights.

We going after these guys when we "Stomp out tyranny" in the world" ???

Gonzales, not so speedy.

2005-01-20T13:58:00.000-05:00

From this Slate article......

(Bunker emphasis)

"While the LAT's lead notices that Democrats are ticked about Gonzales' evasions, it doesn't really detail them. The Post's Dana Milbank, writing inside the paper, does, pointing out that stonewalling is the latest most fabulous trend among Cabinet nominees. Asked about some pre-war briefings on Iraq's weapons programs, Rice said, "I'm sorry, I just don't remember." And asked to detail his role in the memo that build the legal framework for torture, which the papers have reported that Gonzales requested, Gonzales wrote to senators, "I have no present knowledge of any such notes, memoranda, e-mails or other documents and I have not conducted a search." Milbank even counts up Gonzales' written evasions: "I am not at liberty to disclose" at least 10 times; "I do not recall" or "I have no recollection" six times; I did not "conduct a search" seven times; "I am not at liberty [to discuss certain matters]" 10 times; and "I have no present knowledge" seven times. "It's a little bit appalling," said one Reagan administration official. "A conservative should want greater congressional scrutiny—it limits government."

Ummm....what DO you "recall/recollect"? What CAN we "discuss"? All your Knowledge is "Past" knowledge? What do you do for the President and the country again? Whats that? You dont recall? Me neither.

Presidential inauguration day

2005-01-20T07:26:00.000-05:00

...And Jenna loves metal. Rock!

People who say I have nothing nice to say about Bush are dead wrong. He has a good looking daughter.

-*UPDATE*-

Eric Alterman sums it up, as usual, perfectly. 
"What is one to say about today? To the horror of its well-wishers across the world, the United States—once the “last, best hope of mankind”- is re-inaugurating the worst president in its history; one who has exploited an attack, the success of which its own incompetence helped enable, in order to execute an extremist agenda that is killing thousands, costing trillions and leaving all of us far more insecure than when it began. Before November 2, we could argue it was all a mistake; the guy ran as a “compassionate conservative,” misrepresented his record, Nader screwed everything up, and we actually voted for Gore anyway. It took the Republicans on the Supreme Court—two of whom were appointed by the guy’s dad—to stick the country with this regime filled with ideological fanatics and corrupt incompetents. Now, what are we to say? Fifty-nine million members of our nation do not mind that we were deliberately misled into a war that has drained our blood and treasure to create nothing but hatred and chaos; and that the very people who were at fault have been rewarded and promoted, encouraged to look for new targets to spread their hubristic malevolence. It defies all logic and truthfully, my ability to explain or even fully understand it. One thing is for certain: Based on an virtually unanimous unwillingness to consider its past mistakes and learn from them, things are going to get far, far worse before they get better. Thousands more will die. (Twenty six yesterday.) Trillions more will be squandered. Millions more will grow to hate and revile the name of the United States of America and prepare to attack us in ways for which our government is resolutely unwilling to prepare. Avoidable catastrophe awaits this nation and its victims during the next four years as we will undoubtedly reap what we have sown.

One thing’s for certain, none of this would have been possible without the enthusiastic cooperation—if not cheerleading—of the nation’s mainstream media. Thomas Friedman, considered a liberal opponent of the Bush administration who nevertheless advocated for its mendacious arguments vis-à-vis Iraq and then explicitly excused its willingness to lie because, after all, Hussein was a vicious dictator, cannot help but recognize the damage the administration has done to the nation’s good name the world over. Still, he once again chooses to empower its worst instincts vis-à-vis yet another abominable adventure in Iran by finding what? A single Oxford student in Paris. And pronouncing on the basis of this intrepid bit of investigative reporting that Iran is a “Red state” by extension, would welcome an American invasion of the type outlined by Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker. Four years from now we will be assessing the fallout from that catastrophe undoubtedly in dead Americans, Iranians and additional hatred—and terrorists—bred the world over. God Bless America. We are going to need all the help we can get."

New paint job.

2005-01-19T02:38:00.000-05:00



Lookin' good.

Bush backs off on "Bring 'em on" comment

2005-01-14T14:56:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush says he now sees that tough talk can have an "unintended consequence."

During a round-table interview with reporters from 14 newspapers, the president, who not long ago declined to identify any mistakes he'd made during his first term, expressed misgivings for two of his most famous expressions: "Bring 'em on," in reference to Iraqis attacking U.S. troops, and his vow to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive."

"Sometimes, words have consequences you don't intend them to mean," Bush said Thursday.

"'Bring 'em on' is the classic example, when I was really trying to rally the troops and make it clear to them that I fully understood, you know, what a great job they were doing. And those words had an unintended consequence. It kind of, some interpreted it to be defiance in the face of danger. That certainly wasn't the case."

Oh, yes. Well worth it.

2005-01-13T13:33:00.000-05:00

Dear God, Mr. President.

"The invasion of Iraq, which ousted Saddam Hussein and has cost the lives of some 1,300 U.S. military personnel and billions of dollars, was "absolutely" worth it, despite the absence of any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, President Bush told ABC News' Barbara Walters in an exclusive interview that will air this Friday."

Bush told Walters, "I felt like we'd find weapons of mass destruction — like many here in the United States, many around the world. The United Nations thought he had weapons of mass destruction. So, therefore: one, we need to find out what went wrong in the intelligence gathering. … Saddam was dangerous and the world is safer without him in power."

The above translates into: "blah blah blah blah...*insert typical Bush administration catch phrase here*"

Worth it?

"Absolutly worth it"?!

You have to imagine the 1300+ families of dead American soldiers will disagree. Is the world a better place without Saddam? Of course. Would I trade billions of dollars and the lives of over 1000 Americans to take out a guy who posed no direct threat to America's shores, did not have WMD's nor the readiness or capability of constructing them, in the name of "a better place"? Absolutly not. I think the world will be a better place without Bush, but im not about to get all pre-emptive on his ass.

A better choice of words is required here, Mr. President. The results of the Iraq war to date are simple. Dead Americans, Dead people from many countries, tons of money spent, the break down and alienation of other countries, the creation of a terrorist insurgency, and, the breeding of future terrorists. Worth it?

2005-01-12T17:12:00.000-05:00

President Bush said yesterday that he doesn't "see how you can be president without a relationship with the Lord," but that he is always mindful to protect the right of others to worship or not worship.

We appreciate the President not revoking religeous freedom. How thoughtful. However, The Presidency/White House is for Christians only?

He's a uniter, you know....

*-Update-*

Andrew Sullivan:

"So, out of his beneficence, he won't trample on others' religious freedom. But the White House? That's for Christians only. No Jews? Or atheists? Notice also the evangelical notion of a personal "relationship" with the Lord. That also indicates suspicion of those Christians with different approaches to the divine. I must say this is a new level of religio-political fusion in this administration. To restrict the presidency to a particular religious faith is anathema to this country's traditions and to the task of toleration. The president surely needs to retract the statement. "

Right on. Will he retract the statement? Hell no. If the president cant think of one mistake he has made in the past 4 years, he certainly wont admit to making one in the last 48 hours...

U.S. calls off search for Iraqi WMDs

2005-01-12T16:56:00.000-05:00

The Bush administration have stopped pretending to look for WMD's.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. inspectors have ended their search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in recent weeks, a U.S. intelligence official told CNN.
The United States is taking steps to determine how it received erroneous intelligence that deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was developing and stockpiling nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Wednesday.

I didnt catch the press conference by the president on this matter. Did you?

O.J simpson beleives the WMD's are with Nicole's "real killers".

Coble suggests pullout in Iraq

2005-01-10T07:10:00.000-05:00

Here.

U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, dean of the state's congressional delegation and an avowedly strong supporter of President Bush, says it's time for the United States to consider withdrawing from war-ravaged Iraq.

Coble, a Republican from Greensboro, is one of the first members of Congress -- Republican or Democrat -- to say publicly that the United States should consider a pullout.

The 10-term congressman, head of the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, said he is "fed up with picking up the newspaper and reading that we've lost another five or 10 of our young men and women in Iraq."

Nailing Down Gonzales.

2005-01-10T06:45:00.000-05:00

Since Al Gonzales did more side stepping, bobbing n' weaving & juking and jiving than Barry Sanders in his prime when he sat at his hearing last week, Chris Suellentrop of Slate asks the question...again.

"By late afternoon, Leahy had become so frustrated with Gonzales' refusal to give clear answers to questions from him and other Democrats that he held aloft a bulky file that he said was filled with unanswered letters and queries addressed to Gonzales, President Bush's nominee for attorney general. "If he's confirmed, I'm sure he'll feel that he never has any duty to answer them," Leahy said. Leahy's file may have been bursting with questions, but for most of Thursday's nearly nine-hour hearing the committee's Democrats wanted an answer to just one question: Does Gonzales think the president has the power to authorize torture by immunizing American personnel from prosecution for it?"

A good read, and a persuasive case....

F-9/11 wins "Best Film"....

2005-01-10T06:32:00.000-05:00

...Via Peoples Choice Awards.

Now, I found the movie entertaining, and didnt view it as a historical document. I could take it or leave it. I just find it interesting that despite the campaign from the right to smear Moore as un-American, un-patricotic, and all the other things right wing hard liners call people who speak out against Bush, the man is awarded a "mandate" by "the people"

Mike Moore has Capital.

Jeb begins his run for Prez in '08.

2005-01-04T18:38:00.000-05:00

Ohhhh, yes. Dont be fooled.

As if Jeb Bush is really positioned here because he "has overseen Florida's recovery from hurricanes".

Siva says:

"He is not part of the government of any nation affected by the earthquake or tsunami, or any foreign aid agency, and doesn't have any special knowledge of or connection to these countries, or understanding of the native political or physical infrastructures. If left alone in say, Sri Lanka, could he even take care of himself, no less assist anyone else? This is simply a gigantic, exploitive PR ploy, to position him to ascend to the Bush throne in 2008."

Damn skippy.

Happy New Year!

2004-12-31T17:19:00.000-05:00

I'll quit bitching until 2005. Everyone have a safe and happy new year, and remeber to open your wallets and "buy yourself some good karma"

www.redcross.org

2004 Falsies Awards

2004-12-31T17:14:00.000-05:00

...From Alternet.
(Emphasis mine, the text in bold are my favesm with the exception of headers.)

This year marks the beginning of a new tradition for the Center for Media and Democracy. To remember the people and players responsible for polluting our information environment, we are issuing a new year-end prize that we call the "Falsies Awards." The top ten finalists will each receive a million bucks worth of free coupons, a lifetime supply of non-fattening ice cream, an expenses-paid vacation in Fallujah, and our promise to respect them in the morning. The winners of the Falsies Awards for 2004 are:

1. I'm Karen Ryan, reporting
Let's hear it for video news releases finally getting a smattering of the public scrutiny they deserve. A video news release or VNR is a simulated TV news story. Video clips paid for by corporations, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations are commonly passed off as legitimate news segments on local newscasts throughout the United States. VNRs are designed to be indistinguishable from traditional TV news and are often aired without the original producers and sponsors being identified and sometimes without any local editing.
When a VNR touting the controversial Medicare reform law ended with "In Washington, I'm Karen Ryan, reporting," Senate Democrats called foul. The VNR, which aired on 40 stations between January 22 and February 12, 2004, was paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Ryan, the "reporter," was in fact employed by a production company contracted by the Ketchum PR firm to create the VNR for HHS. An investigation by the U.S. General Accounting Office concluded that the VNR had violated a ban on government funded "publicity and propaganda." According to The Hill, a newspaper based in Washington, D.C., "VNRs are standard practice in the public-relations industry and local news reports often rely on them. ... However, the GAO said in its decision, 'our analysis of the proper use of appropriated funds is not based upon the norms in the public relations and media industry.'"
Karen Ryan was back in the news in October, when the liberal-leaning People for the American Way identified another Ryan VNR. This time Ryan "reported" on the Bush Administration's No Child Left Behind law. A Freedom of Information Act investigation revealed that the U.S. Education Department paid $700,000 to the PR firm to produce two VNRs as well as to rate newspaper coverage according to how favorably reporters described No Child Left Behind. "A number of local stations ran the VNR as is, and added a local twist by simply having their own reporter read the script," reported CampaignDesk.org, a journalist watchdog website. "The stations that took the time to have their own reporters record the script of the No Child Left Behind VNR had to have been fully aware of what they were doing: knowingly deceiving their viewers about the origins of the story – not to mention committing plagiarism – by passing off as their own original reporting words actually written by a PR company hired by the Bush administration."

2. War Is Sell
The formerly exiled Iraqi Ahmed Chalabi and his Iraqi National Congress were exposed as hucksters who befriended powerful men in Washington and played an instrumental role in selling the Iraq War. The U.S. major media finally examined the extent to which the INC and Chalabi used funding provided by the U.S. Congress to position themselves as a central source for much of the now-discredited "intelligence information" that the Bush administration used to justify the March 2003 invasion.
“The former Iraqi exile group that gave the Bush administration exaggerated and fabricated intelligence on Iraq also fed much of the same information to newspapers, news agencies and magazines in the United States, Britain and Australia," Knight Ridder reported in March 2004. "A June 26, 2002, letter from the Iraqi National Congress to the Senate Appropriations Committee listed 108 articles based on information provided by the Iraqi National Congress's Information Collection Program, a U.S.-funded effort to collect intelligence in Iraq. The Information Collection Program was financed out of the at least $18 million that the U.S. Congress approved for the Iraqi National Congress, led by Ahmed Chalabi from 1999 to 2003."
"Chalabi appears to have recognized that the neocons, while ruthless, realistic and effective in bureaucratic politics, were remarkably ignorant about the situation in Iraq, and willing to buy a fantasy of how the country's politics worked. So he sold it to them," John Dizard wrote for Salon.com in May 2004. In a detailed profile of Chalabi and the INC, the New Yorker's Jane Mayer included some fairly candid admissions by Francis Brooke, the INC's PR guru. Without Chalabi, he said, "This war would not have been fought." Beginning in the late 1990s, Chalabi and Brooke had designed a campaign to influence "only a couple of hundred people" in Washington with the ability to shape Iraq policy – people like Trent Lott, Newt Gingrich, Richard Perle and Dick Cheney. Following 9/11, their marketing strategy switched to terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. Brooke claimed, "I sent out an all-points bulletin to our network, saying, 'Look, guys, get me a terrorist, or someone who works with terrorists. And, if you can get stuff on WMD, send it!'"
Following the toppling of Saddam Hussein, the U.S. gave Chalabi one of the 25 seats on its hand-picked new Iraqi Governing Council. The Pentagon's $335,000 monthly payments to the INC's intelligence program continued until May 2004, when U.S. intelligence agencies began reporting that Chalabi may have actually been a double agent working for Iran. American troops raided Chalabi's headquarters and home in Baghdad, arrested two of his aides, and seized documents. "Only five months ago," observed Andrew Cockburn, "Chalabi was a guest of honor sitting right behind Laura Bush at the State of the Union. What brought about this astonishing fall from grace of the man who helped provide the faked intelligence that justified last year's war?" According to Newsweek, "Bush administration officials say the latest intelligence indicates [Chalabi] may have been supplying the Iranians with information on U.S. security operations in Iraq that could 'get people killed.'"
Chalabi responded by demanding that the U.S. leave Iraq. "Let my people go," he said, adding, "It is time for the Iraqi people to run their affairs." More recently he has aligned himself with Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric whose militia battled U.S. troops in August in the Iraqi city of Najaf.

3. The Hidden (in Plain Sight) Persuaders
Stories of so-called "guerrilla marketing" abounded in 2004. From martinis to cell phones to TV programs, this stealthy form of advertising usually features paid agents subtly promoting a product to an unsuspecting audience. According to Shawn Prez of the marketing agency Power Moves, stealth techniques are especially effective with teens. "By the time the message gets out, they don't even know they've been hit; they don't know that theyve been marketed to. All they know is that their interest has been piqued," Prez said. Our favorite examples of guerilla marketing include the following:
In New York, attractive men and women flashed their underwear at strangers outside Grand Central Terminal to promote a local health club. The underwear featured the logo of the club along with the words "Booty Call" to promote an exercise class that works the butt muscles. (We swear we're not making this up.)
A fictional blogger, invented by an ad agency, posted blog entries claiming that a new Sega video game caused him to suffer blackouts and uncontrollable fits of violence.
At Fourth of July cookouts throughout the United States, guests brought Al Fresco chicken sausages to throw on the grill, without telling the other guests that they were actually working to earn premiums from a PR firm that was hired to promote sales of the product.
"This idea – the commercialization of chitchat – resembles a scenario from a paranoid science-fiction novel about a future in which corporations have become so powerful that they can bribe whole armies of flunkies to infiltrate the family barbecue," observed Rob Walker in the New York Times.

4. Food Industry Foxes Guard the FDA Hen House
Food industry lobbyists met repeatedly and privately with Bush administration officials while the administration was drafting rules to protect the nation's food supply from bioterrorism. "The resulting regulations don't fully protect the public interest," stated the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The Grocery Manufacturers of America, Altria Group (formerly Philip Morris) and others lobbied to weaken proposed regulations requiring importers to notify the Food and Drug Administration before food shipments arrive from overseas. One GMA lobbyist explained, "We all want regulations to protect against bioterrorism, but in a way to achieve the goals and allow the business to operate in an efficient manner." The Bush administration's Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson had nothing to say about the problem until after the 2004 presidential election, when he announced his resignation plans. In his departure speech in December, Thompson warned of possible health-related terrorist attacks. "For the life of me, I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply because it is so easy to do," he said.

5. Shell Game With Human Rights
Corporate lobby groups such as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) launched a fierce counter-campaign against the proposed Norms on Business and Human Rights, which were developed by a subcommission of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. The Norms require businesses internationally to refrain from activities that violate human rights, coonstraints that have been vigorously opposed by the ICC and a the Royal Dutch/Shell oil company, a self-proclaimed leader in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement. "Is this not the kind of campaign one could expect only from companies lagging behind and from free-riders refusing to adapt to social and environmental concerns?" asked the Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO). The motive behind Shell's opposition, CEO suggested, is that "the company generally gets away easily with its inflated claims concerning its social responsibility record." A 2004 report by Christian Aid documented that Shell's operations in the Niger Delta (Nigeria) are still causing serious problems for local communities. The report also found that most of the community development projects presented in various glossy Shell reports on CSR are in fact failing. "Hospitals, schools and water supply systems are built but never start working, and roads are mainly used to boost oil production," reported CEO. "But beyond the debate about the extent to which Shell's CSR claims are actually greenwash and poor-wash, it is clear that the company is determined to prevent the emergence of international mechanisms through which communities could hold it accountable to its pledges."

6. Ghostwriters for Bush
In August, the Daily Kos weblog uncovered an astroturf (fake grassroots) initiative by the George W. Bush reelection campaign, which generated ghostwritten letters to the editor that found their way into at least 60 newspapers. This wasn't the first time that the Bush administration tried this trick, as we've reported in the past. According to Editor and Publisher, however, the National Conference of Editorial Writers (NCEW) is now taking the issue seriously. "On its NCEW e-mail listserv, some 600 subscribers who are mostly editorial page writers and editors, can alert one another of suspicious letters," writes Charles Geraci. "In fact, this is the most consistent topic on the listserv."

7. Frank Talk
A leaked memo by Republican advisor Frank Luntz advised GOP politicians to avoid the words "preemption" and "war in Iraq" when talking about the Bush administration's pre-emptive war in Iraq. "To do so is to undermine your message from the start," he advised. "Your efforts are about 'the principles of prevention and protection' in the greater 'War on Terror.'" According to the June 2004 Washington Post story, Luntz also recommended that "No speech about homeland security or Iraq should begin without a reference to 9/11."

8. Not-So-Democratic Convention
"One cannot conceive of other elements [that could be] put in place to create a space that's more of an affront to the idea of free expression," said U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock, after touring the Democratic National Convention's "free speech" protest zone in Boston. The zone is "bordered by cement barriers, a double row of chain-line fencing, heavy black netting, and tightly woven plastic mesh," with "coils of razor wire" along elevated train tracks, the Boston Globe reported. A lawyer for activists challenging the zone compared it to "a maximum security prison, Guantanamo Bay, or a zoo" – comparisons Woodlock called "an understatement," although he upheld the zone for security reasons. That's not to say the Republican National Convention in New York City was a celebration of civil liberties. The New York Police Department engaged in pre-emptive arrest tactics to stop activities planned by demonstrators.

9. Iraq War Supporters Profit From Reconstruction
Several key advocates for the invasion of Iraq are now profiting from Iraq's reconstruction. "As lobbyists, public relations counselors and confidential advisors to senior federal officials, they warned against Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, praised exiled leader Ahmad Chalabi, and argued that toppling Saddam Hussein was a matter of national security and moral duty," reported Walter F. Roche Jr. and Ken Silverstein in the Los Angeles Times. "Now, as fighting continues in Iraq, they are collecting tens of thousands of dollars in fees for helping business clients pursue federal contracts and other financial opportunities in Iraq." Among the profiteers are:
former CIA Director R. James Woolsey, Jr., a founding member of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (CLI) who used his Pentagon connections to help arrange for a debriefing of a Iraqi defector provided by the Iraqi National Congress who gave false information about Iraqi biological warfare laboratories (see award-winner #2 above);
Randy Scheunemann, founding president of the CLI; and
Washington lobbyist K. Riva Levinson, who while at Burson-Marsteller's BKSH & Associates did PR work for the INC on the U.S. State Department's tab.

10. Wal-Mart Gets PR Help From Hill & Knowlton
"Wal-Mart is working with Hill & Knowlton on a PR campaign designed to rehabilitate the much-maligned company's reputation in California and pave the way for 40 new Wal-Mart Supercenters in the state in the next few years," PR Week reported in October. The world's largest retailer published an "open letter to California residents" in 15 California newspapers on September 23. "As the company has grown, we've become a target for negative comments from certain elected officials, competitors and powerful special interest groups," Wal-Mart wrote. PR Week reported that several of H&K's California offices had been working with Wal-Mart for several months on the PR effort, "primarily handling media relations tasks." Wal-Mart has announced plans to increase retail space by 8 percent. The company, which is also facing a class action suit for sex discrimination, had a record setting in net sales for the six months ended July 31, 2004.

Dishonorable Mentions
PR and advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather tied Fleishman-Hillard, another global PR firm, for sheer audacity at draining the public well.
The U.S. indicted executives from Ogilvy and Mather for participating in an "extensive scheme to defraud the U.S. Government by falsely and fraudulently inflating the labor costs that Ogilvy incurred" for its work on a media campaign for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. According to O'Dwyer's PR Daily, O&M's anti-drug media campaign work was part of a five-year $684 million dollar project. The government said it was overcharged by O&M from May 1999 to April 2000.
Several former employees of Fleishman-Hillard say F-H routinely overbilled the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power some $30,000 a month. According to the Los Angeles Times, one described F-H's attitude as, "Get as much as you can because these accounts may dry up tomorrow." Questionable charges include $50 for leaving a phone message and $850 for a two-hour business lunch (not including the cost of the meal).

Honorable Mentions
The Center for Media and Democracy would also like to recognize the following efforts to expose and counter spin in 2004:
The post-debate media feeding frenzy where campaign officials talk up their candidates has come to be called Spin Alley. Comedian Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" appeared on CNN's Crossfire in October, calling it as he saw it. "You go to Spin Alley, the place called Spin Alley," he said. "Now, don't you think that, for people watching at home, that's kind of a drag, that you're literally walking to a place called deception lane?" On Jay Rosen's PressThink weblog, Lisa Stone offered an illuminating history of Spin Alley. Stewart, she wrote, "was hitting on a practice that had grown more and more disreputable. As a designated spot for the practice of spin, the Alley only fell from legitimacy when an alternative practice rose up and called out to conscience of the press. It was one lesson of Campaign 2004: Forget about spinning the outcome, just fact check the debates."
Tami Silicio and the Seattle Times brought the first images of U.S. military casualties to the American mass media in April 2004. Silicio, a Kuwait-based cargo worker whose photograph of flag-draped coffins of fallen U.S. soldiers was published in the Times, was fired along with her husband. Her employer, a private contractor, said it decided to fire her after receiving a complaint from the military about her violation of the Pentagon's ban on images of soldiers' caskets.

Rewarding Incompetence

2004-12-31T14:25:00.000-05:00

Cindy Sheehan is the mother of Spc. Casey Sheehan, who was killed in Iraq on 04/04/04. Below is a letter she wrote to Time magazine, and printed by TomPaine.com, after seeing the president named as Time's "Man of the Year".

Dear Time Editors:
My son, Spc. Casey Sheehan was killed in Iraq on 04/04/04. This has been an extraordinary couple of weeks of "slaps in the faces" to us families of fallen heroes.
First, the Secretary of Defense—Donald Rumsfeld—admits to the world something that we as military families already know: The United States was not prepared for nor had any plan for the assault on Iraq. Our children were sent to fight an ill-conceived and badly prosecuted war. Our troops were sent with the wrong type of training, bad equipment, inferior protection and thin supply lines. Our children have been killed and we have made the ultimate sacrifice for this fiasco of a war, then we find out this week that Rumsfeld doesn't even have the courtesy or compassion to sign the "death letters"—as they are so callously called. Besides the upcoming holidays and the fact we miss our children desperately, what else can go wrong this holiday season?
Well let's see. Oh yes. George W. Bush awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to three more architects of the quagmire that is Iraq. Thousands of people are dead and Bremer, Tenet and Franks are given our country's highest civilian award. What's next?
To top everything off—after it has been proven that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, there were no ties between Saddam and 9/11 and over 1,300 brave young people in this country are dead and Iraq lies in ruins— what does Time Magazine do? Names George W. Bush as its "Man of the Year." The person who betrayed this country into a needless war and whom I hold ultimately responsible for my son's death and who was questionably elected, again, to a second term, is honored this way by your magazine.
I hope we finally find peace in our world and that our troops who remain in Iraq are brought home speedily—after all, there was no reason for our troops to be there in the first place. No reason for my son and over 1,300 others to have been taken from their families. No reason for the infrastructure of Iraq to be demolished and thousands of Iraqis being killed. No reason for the notion of a "happy" holiday to be robbed from my family forever. I hope that our "leaders" don't invade any other countries which pose no serious threat to the United States. I hope there is no draft. I hope that the five people mentioned here (and many others) will finally be held responsible for the horrible mistake they got our country into. I hope that competence is finally rewarded and incompetence is appropriately punished. These are my wishes for 2005.
This isn't the first time your magazine has selected a questionable man for this honor—but it's the first time it affected my family so personally and so sorrowfully.
Cindy Sheehan

The Good.

2004-12-31T10:30:00.000-05:00

US citizens have donated over $40 million out of their own checking accounts.

Britons have donated £23 million in 24 hours.

Google's Tsunami releif page.

Tsunami help blog

Tsunami Relief: Charity Efficiency and Transparency Ratings

American Red Cross (Via Amazon)

Doctors without Borders

Oxfam

Let's continue to do all we can.

US to up aid to Tsunami victims.

2004-12-31T09:52:00.000-05:00

Back pedle, back peddle...."Wait, umm, no! We are not done! Heres another drop for your bucket!"

Whatever, Prez. Do you realize Phizer has matched your contribution? You know what they do, dont you? One of the largest natural disasters in modern history, and you are "clearing brush" on that "ranch" movie set. which sounds alot like "not running the country" ...AGAIN. You know what? It's getting old. And it's embarrassing.

Eric Alterman sums it up better than I can.

How is it that the U.S. can find 300+ billion dollars for War in Iraq, but cannot muster 1% of that amount to help out in SouthEast Asia?
Isn't Karl Rove supposed to be this PR genius? How did he blow this opportunity? Put aside for a minute the simple motivation to do what's right, and look at this the way he looks at everything else -- as a PR opportunity. For a billion or so dollars, the Mayberry Machiavelli could have reaped a PR windfall for his boy and the U.S., whose rep in the world has never been lower than it's been the past few years.
I guess if it don't help your guy get elected, it don't matter all that much...
Oh, well, another missed opportunity, brought to you by the Crawford gang that can't shoot straight -- unless it's at Democrats.

Speaking of shooting at Democrats, how about this? (see below for quote)
Any oppurtunity to take pot shots at Clinton.

Earlier yesterday, White House spokesman Trent Duffy said the president was confident he could monitor events effectively without returning to Washington or making public statements in Crawford, where he spent part of the day clearing brush and bicycling. Explaining the about-face, a White House official said: "The president wanted to be fully briefed on our efforts. He didn't want to make a symbolic statement about 'We feel your pain.' "
Many Bush aides believe Clinton was too quick to head for the cameras to hold forth on tragedies with his trademark empathy. "Actions speak louder than words," a top Bush aide said, describing the president's view of his appropriate role.

Actions? Anyone?

Goood greif, Charlie Brown.

Oh, well, everything must be ok then.

2004-12-27T13:52:00.000-05:00

A headline from CNN in connection with the Tsunami....

Regular guest on 'Oprah' safe, but friend missing in Sri Lanka

Phew! That was close. Almost had a catastrophe on our hands.

Flight 93 "shot down"??

2004-12-27T13:31:00.000-05:00

During Donald Rumsfeld's suprise trip to Iraq last week, he referred to flight 93 being "shot down" over PA on 9/11.

"I think all of us have a sense if we imagine the kind of world we would face if the people who bombed the mess hall in Mosul, or the people who did the bombing in Spain, or the people who attacked the United States in New York, shot down the plane over Pennsylvania and attacked the Pentagon, the people who cut off peoples' heads on television to intimidate, to frighten – indeed the word 'terrorized' is just that. Its purpose is to terrorize, to alter behavior, to make people be something other than that which they want to be."

Does Rumsfeld know something we dont? The cockpit voice recordings seem to reflect a suicide by the terrorists in control of the aircraft in response to passengers rushing the flight deck, as they rolled the plane on its back and towards earth. Shooting the aircraft down would still have been the right decision in my opinion, especially if it is heading for the White House/downtown DC. We also know that the president had authorized the splashing of any civilian aircraft that was determined to be hijacked and hostile.

Russert: "So if the United States government became aware that a hijacked commercial airline[r] was destined for the White House or the Capitol, we would take the plane down?"
Cheney: "Yes. The president made the decision ... that if the plane would not divert ... as a last resort, our pilots were authorized to take them out. Now, people say, you know, that's a horrendous decision to make. Well, it is. You've got an airplane full of American citizens, civilians, captured by ... terrorists, headed and are you going to, in fact, shoot it down, obviously, and kill all those Americans on board?
"... It's a presidential-level decision, and the president made, I think, exactly the right call in this case, to say, I wished we'd had combat air patrol up over New York.'"

So, slip of the tongue by Donny R? Or just bad choice of words? I doubt if we will ever know for sure.

USA Today response....

2004-12-24T09:29:00.000-05:00

USA Today founder Al Neuharth wrote a column on Thursday suggesting that U.S forces withdraw from Iraq. Below is a list of responses to the column. Makes for an interesting read.

P. Oliver, commander USN (ret.): “To withdraw troops from Iraq would qualify as the greatest surrender in history and invite direct attacks here in this country and ultimately drastically change the way we live. No respectful American could agree with your illogical conclusion.”

J. Boke, Titusville, FL: “Al Neuharth's war experience crippled his brain, or he's just too old to have much left. War experience doesn't necessarily make one wise. It CAN have a negative effect on one's judgement. It sounds like Mr. Neuharth, as well John McCain, both suffered mentally via their strong emotional suffering.”

Douglas Wickenheiser: "My son served one tour at the time of the Iraq invasion and is slated to return for a 2nd tour in May after only 13 months back in the U.S. This war should never have happened. My son has a deep distrust of all in the goverment. As part of the 101st airborne he will have to serve up to 1 yr longer than he enlisted for due to the stop-loss program. A full and quick withdrawal is the only answer to this gross misuse of presidential power."

Michael Bustamente, Sterling Height, MI: “Tell you what. We leave and the sanctimonious jerks like you and your Free Press, you go there and stay after we leave.”

Richard C. Fairchild: “Al, thanks for your willingness to express your view that we should bring our troops home sooner rather than later, which I as a veteran of service both in the army and Marine Corps also hold. To me, in this case, sooner means right away. I applaud your courage, you will take heat.”

Henry Yang: “Did he really serve in France, Germany and Philippines? Where was he when our tanks were ill-equipped to deal with the hedge rows in France after the Normandy landing? Do we need to count the number of unnecessary casualties because we were not properly armed and equipped in WW II? By the way, how could we send soldiers to fight the Battle of the Bulge with not properly clothed for the winter and does he know how many soldiers froze to death?”

William Billingsley: “There already are way too many without arms and legs. Withdraw. Do it now. I hope we the people have learned from this but we didn't learn from Vietnam. So I guess just more of the same.”

Cliff Hair: “Never heard of Al Neuharth! What makes him so special and who gives a damn what he thinks?”

Dan Conrad: "It is profoundly tragic that the legacy of Vietnam, it appears, was to validate the practice of wishing military failure on America to satisfy someperverse need for political vindication. The left leaning press and all their lapdogs can go straight to hell."

Brenden O'Hanlon, New York, N.Y.: "I couldn't agree more with Al Neuharth's opinions. The war in Iraq was a humongous blunder that was decided upon at around 11:00 am on 9/11. The Bush administration should be ashamed of themselves. Those who financed and planned 9/11 are STILL financing and planning terrorism. What a slap in the face of the families of 9/11 victims."

Alec Jones, Hoover, AL: "As far as I am concerned, Mr. Neuharth's opinion represents the very worst attitude possible in today's geopolitical climate. Nothing more than a unilateral withdrawal would encourage those who are our enemies and wish to do us harm. With all due respect to Mr. Neuharth's past service for this country, he is sadly out of date with respect to patriotism."

Edward L. McClendon: "Finally, a newspaper leader who says what every thinking person in America is saying. Thank you, Al. I am ashamed at how the rest of the civilized world perceives us."

Bob Armstrong, Clayton, CA: "Tell Al that my Pop served on Guadalcanal and they sure as hell were not properly equipped. The First Marine Division stormed ashore with WW I rifles and had to eat captured Jap food for 3 months. War is hell and every war has shortfalls. The M16 first sent to Vietnam was a joke. When the Iraqi elections are held and they demostrate a willingness to fight for freedom this will all worth it. If we fail it will be an Iraqi failure not ours."

Monica Palacios, Wales, MA: "Please let Mr. Neuharth know that he is absolutely right about his views re: the Iraq war. More people in the media should show his integrity and courage. If you all had, we might not be looking at another 4 years of an impossible war."

Galen Heslet, Hemet, CA: “Al Neuharth should butt out. Nobody elected him to run things in this country. His liberal-leftist negativity isn't doing the troops in Iraq any good with this kind of tripe.”

Bill Rollins: “Al, I want to thank you for your bravery and you pegged it correctly, we went into an un-moral preemptive strike that was ill-conceived. We should have at least 500,000 to 750,000 troops well equipped to keep it a moral war. Now we have split our britches and put our men in harm’s way.”

Pat Giuffra: "I have asked the hotels to not deliver USA Today any more to my room because of this type of distorted news reporting that it is putting out these days."

Robert E. Buhts, Maj. USA (Ret.): "Mr. Neuharth is right on with his call to get our troops out of Iraq. I have nothing but contempt for the GOP draft dodgers and their spineless lackeys that got us into this. A bigger mistake I have never seen in my lifetime. What is the goal for 2005? An equal number of dead soldiers?"

Rand Oertle: "If he fought in WW II, which his conclusions make me doubt, he is actively twisting the truths of that conflict. Of course, twisting the truth for Mr. Neuharth is his committed modus operandi. We didn't get out of WW II until the job was finished. The defeat of Germany and Japan took years. Now they are our allies."

David Roberts: "I agree entirely with Al Neuharth. So does Lt. General William Odom (ret.), former head of the National Security Agency under President Reagan, who has said: 'We have already failed. Staying in longer makes us fail worse.' It's time to get out of Iraq."

Al Fowler, Malcolm, NE: "Hero in '44 and traitor in '04. I will never even ACCEPT a free USA Today from a hotel, and will make it a point to say why when staying."

Tracy Dixon: "I am an active duty soldier and I agree that we should have a clear cut goal and set a date to begin pulling out of Iraq. Our goal should be training the Iraqi and pulling out. That country will never be stable as long as the U.S. troops are there."

Travis Snyder: "He dishonors those who died by inviting American surrender. This is no Vietnam. We can never have another Vietnam."

Ken Smith: "I am also a WW II vet who served in all three theaters. After eliminating all the false reasons put forward for invading a small and defenseless country the only one that stands is that George Bush had a personal dislike for Saddam Hussein. In short Americans and Iraqis are dying because our President had been given the power to use our military at his own pleasure."

John Andrew Prime, Military Affairs Reporter, The Times At Shreveport, La.: "With all due respect to Mr. Neuharth, who once led the chain for which I now work, I must say his remarks regarding World War II are off the mark. As for being well-equipped and well-prepared in (WW II) ...that is hogwash. Our soldiers entered it using tin helmets from World War I, 1903 Springfield rifles and in many cases uniforms that still had leggings....Does Mr. Neuharth recall the botched mass bombing in France in July 1944 where our own air forces bombed friendly troops, killing thousands, including Lt. Gen. Leslie McNair, one of the highest-ranking Allied general officer casualties of the war? I am sorry, but as a military reporter and the father of a soldier now over in Iraq, I have to say Mr. Neuharth is talking nonsense."

Phil Miller: “Bush and the Republican congress will do more to defeat Bush and the Republican congress throughthis invasion than ANYTHING the Democrats could do. If Iraq actually gets a free election it will demand U.S occupation troops leave asap, and then what will Bush say?”

War Crimes?

2004-12-23T17:55:00.000-05:00

Read this Washington Post article:

(emphasis mine)

THANKS TO a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union and other human rights groups, thousands of pages of government documents released this month have confirmed some of the painful truths about the abuse of foreign detainees by the U.S. military and the CIA -- truths the Bush administration implacably has refused to acknowledge. Since the publication of photographs of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison in the spring the administration's whitewashers -- led by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld -- have contended that the crimes were carried out by a few low-ranking reservists, that they were limited to the night shift during a few chaotic months at Abu Ghraib in 2003, that they were unrelated to the interrogation of prisoners and that no torture occurred at the Guantanamo Bay prison where hundreds of terrorism suspects are held. The new documents establish beyond any doubt that every part of this cover story is false.
Though they represent only part of the record that lies in government files, the documents show that the abuse of prisoners was already occurring at Guantanamo in 2002 and continued in Iraq even after the outcry over the Abu Ghraib photographs. FBI agents reported in internal e-mails and memos about systematic abuses by military interrogators at the base in Cuba, including beatings, chokings, prolonged sleep deprivation and humiliations such as being wrapped in an Israeli flag. "On a couple of occasions I entered interview rooms to find a detainee chained hand and foot in a fetal position to the floor, with no chair, food or water," an unidentified FBI agent wrote on Aug. 2, 2004. "Most times they had urinated or defecated on themselves, and had been left there for 18 to 24 hours or more." Two defense intelligence officials reported seeing prisoners severely beaten in Baghdad by members of a special operations unit, Task Force 6-26, in June. When they protested they were threatened and pictures they took were confiscated.

Other documents detail abuses by Marines in Iraq, including mock executions and the torture of detainees by burning and electric shock. Several dozen detainees have died in U.S. custody. In many cases, Army investigations of these crimes were shockingly shoddy: Officials lost records, failed to conduct autopsies after suspicious deaths and allowed evidence to be contaminated. Soldiers found to have committed war crimes were excused with noncriminal punishments. The summary of one suspicious death of a detainee at the Abu Ghraib prison reads: "No crime scene exam was conducted, no autopsy conducted, no copy of medical file obtained for investigation because copy machine broken in medical office."
Some of the abuses can be attributed to lack of discipline in some military units -- though the broad extent of the problem suggests, at best, that senior commanders made little effort to prevent or control wrongdoing. But the documents also confirm that interrogators at Guantanamo believed they were following orders from Mr. Rumsfeld. One FBI agent reported on May 10 about a conversation he had with Guantanamo's commander, Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, who defended the use of interrogation techniques the FBI regarded as illegal on the grounds that the military "has their marching orders from the Sec Def." Gen. Miller has testified under oath that dogs were never used to intimidate prisoners at Guantanamo, as authorized by Mr. Rumsfeld in December 2002; the FBI papers show otherwise.
The Bush administration refused to release these records to the human rights groups under the Freedom of Information Act until it was ordered to do so by a judge. Now it has responded to their publication with bland promises by spokesmen that any wrongdoing will be investigated. The record of the past few months suggests that the administration will neither hold any senior official accountable nor change the policies that have produced this shameful record. Congress, too, has abdicated its responsibility under its Republican leadership: It has been nearly four months since the last hearing on prisoner abuse. Perhaps intervention by the courts will eventually stem the violations of human rights that appear to be ongoing in Guantanamo, Iraq and Afghanistan. For now the appalling truth is that there has been no remedy for the documented torture and killing of foreign prisoners by this American government.

Alarming. Even more so when you realize that, as the L.A Times states, "Many Held at Guantanamo Not Likely Terrorists".

"WASHINGTON — The United States is holding dozens of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay who have no meaningful connection to Al Qaeda or the Taliban, and were sent to the maximum-security facility over the objections of intelligence officers in Afghanistan who had recommended them for release, according to military sources with direct knowledge of the matter.At least 59 detainees -- nearly 10% of the prison population at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- were deemed to be of no intelligence value after repeated interrogations in Afghanistan. All were placed on "recommended for repatriation" lists well before they were transferred to Guantanamo Bay, a facility intended to hold the most hardened terrorists and Taliban suspects."

Another in the long list of examples of how Rumsfeld, and this administration have lied to the American people, refused any responsibility, and continue to create an anti American climate throughout the world. Its interesting to think back to when the WMD's didnt show up, and the adminstration has to switch its talking points, or blatant lies, depending on how in touch with reality you are,.. to things like "Saddam tortures and kills people! he must go!"

"Will any single prisoner be treated humanely? You bet. Will they be restrained in a way so that they are less likely to be able to kill an American soldier? You bet. Is it inhumane to do that? No. Would it be stupid to do anything else? Yes." -Donald Rumsfeld.

Airline scurity, and hiding the salami.

2004-12-23T17:34:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month, baggage screeners at Newark Liberty International Airport spotted -- and then proceeded to lose track of -- a fake bomb planted in luggage by a supervisor during a training exercise.

Despite an hours-long search Tuesday night, the bag, containing a fake bomb complete with wires, a detonator and a clock, made it onto an Amsterdam-bound flight. It was recovered by airport security officials in Amsterdam when the flight landed several hours later.
"This really underscores the importance of the TSA's ongoing training exercises," said Ann Davis, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, the agency responsible for screening passengers and baggage for weapons and explosives. "At no time did the bag pose a threat and at no time was anyone in danger."

Lovely. But clearly, it could pose a threat. You know, if it was...real.

Tag team New Jersey Senators got on the case of the TSA shortly afterwards....

"We find this incident to be alarming and believe it merits the immediate attention of your office," the senators wrote.

The bomb had sounded the alarm at the airport checkpoint, but then, the bag was -amazingly-"lost".

This story crossed my mind again today when I read this story.

A Swiss national discovered that when he was caught at Perth International Airport trying to smuggle a salami in his luggage. Dylan Pascal Graves, who was studying English in Western Australia state, was fined $3,057 at the Perth Magistrates Court.
Australia has strict quarantine laws, and customs officials inspect all incoming flights for agricultural pests and food that could carry diseases. Sniffer dogs patrol airport terminals and luggage is passed through X-ray machines.
Graves twice told customs officials in November that he was not carrying any food, but an X-ray revealed salami meat concealed in his luggage. When asked why he had not declared the salami, Graves said he had planned to eat it.
Graves was charged with making a misleading statement to an officer and knowingly importing prohibited food into the country.

Well, as long as we can find the salami, I guess its ok to fly! Either that, or Newark Airport needs to start hiring luggage screeners in Australia.

As a late entry to the "Headline of the year" Bunker award, I beleive "Hiding the Salami Costs Traveler"wins 1st prize.

Talking Presidents.

2004-12-17T13:50:00.000-05:00

Check these bad boys out. Talking President dolls. sweet.

Personally, I like "Turkey dinner Bush" the best.

I Insist on a Michael Moore doll, or a Susan Sarandon doll to counter the Ann coulter and Dennis Miller doll.

Here is a hilarious interview with the doll master.