* Patriotic sadism ~ if at first you don’t succeed… - Former VP Dick Cheney and his chain gang claim that waterboarding works. That being the case one would think that after one or two or three or even unbelievably ten waterboardings a suspect would provide the information sought. Okay, it wasn’t a lucky interrogation for the inquisitors. Let’s try it 20 times on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. How about 30 or 40 or 50 times? That should cover it. But then again, maybe the guy is an encyclopedia of information. Let’s try waterboarding him 80 or 90 or 100 times. Nah, this is America with a documented work ethic and a penchant for going for the gold. Let’s waterboard the SOB 183 times. Maybe the interrogations ceased because they ran out of water.

* The Ticking Bomb ~ The Catastrophic Fallout – Defenders of torture generally begin the debate by saying, “Torture methods are necessary to get information from a detainee who has information about a bomb about to go off that will take American lives.” Seemingly compelling, one wonders whether this scenario applied to any of the hundreds (or more) of detainees “harshly” interrogated at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and untold secret sites? Even more telling of this blanket reasoning is the recently released report by the Senate that abusive techniques were used to try to produce evidence of ties between al Qaeda and Iraq. To summarize: detainees were abused to extract evidence of a relationship that never existed, except in the necon planet of the Bush administration. This may be the greatest lesson to be learned from the Bush years: the dangerous and self-defeating consequences of believing your own lies.

* Bombastic rhetoric – I find it interesting that those folks defending the actions of the Bush administration at Guantanamo et al reply that critics of such behavior can only be found in the political far left. I guess this means that citizens on the near left, moderates and conservatives (near and far) believe that torture is acceptable. Except for the majority of conservatives the majority of Americans are against the use of torture. Look at the polling. For as long as I have been on this planet, at least until seven years ago, I was under the impression that AMERICA AND AMERICANS DO NOT TORTURE. That being said, Defenders of the Bush Administration would have us believe that what took place at Guantanamo et al was not torture. John McCain strongly disagrees with his fellow conservatives and stated on Face the Nation that under George W. Bush the U.S. violated the Geneva Convention. FBI director Robert Mueller told his agents who had observed and reported back CIA enhanced interrogation techniques, "No, you can't do that. That violates our own rules. That violates our understanding of the law. You have to step back." Both the inquiries yet to take place and history will condemn this period and note that torture, even when wrapped in the Stars and Stripes, is still torture.

* Two misunderstandings have gained widespread attention concerning Barack Obama and his approach to dealing with the torture issue. Contrary to many media pundits, it is not Obama’s decision to seek or not seek investigations into the commitment of torture. It is the decision of the Attorney General, the person designated to oversee the legal interests of the American people (contrary to how Alberto Gonzales interpreted this position).

The second area that requires further thought is when Obama said that he was immunizing CIA personnel from possible prosecution for committing torture. Recall that we function under the laws of the U.S. AND international law that our country has signed on to. From Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com: “After President Obama announced last week that he opposes prosecutions of CIA officials who tortured detainees in reliance on OLC memos purporting to legalize that conduct the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, announced that Obama's policy of immunizing CIA torturers violates international law and, specifically, the clear obligations of the U.S. under the Convention Against Torture (signed by Ronald Reagan in 1988).”

For those macho guys (and gals) who want to treat waterboarding as a day at Wet N Wild, they should be reminded that, “After World War II, we convicted several Japanese soldiers for waterboarding American and Allied prisoners of war.” They were hanged or sentenced to 15 years in prison. Apparently the Bush lawyers who wrote justifications for the use of waterboarding were ignorant of or ignored history and the law.

If you have the stomach the LA Times offers 10 just-released photos depicting treatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib. We may never know to what extent abusive American actions contributed to the further recruitment of terrorists but it is safe to say that what are known as “enhanced techniques” did little or anything to make us or our troops in Iraq safer. If anything, such actions increased the threat to American troops and citizens.

And let us not forget the complicity of some Democrats, if the claim is correct that a small number were informed of the program. And let us not forget the pathetic lack of opposition by the Democratic Party as the enhanced techniques became publicly know. This is not a political party issue. It is a humane issue, a legal issue and strikes at the heart of what this country stands for. It matters not to me, and hopefully other citizens, whether an individual politically affiliates with an R or a D. If they knowingly enabled or did not vociferously oppose the use of torture, the light of shame should be shone upon them.

For the record, a new poll out today by the New York Times and CBS found that 71% of Americans consider waterboarding to be a form of torture. It is interesting to note that 26% said it was not torture, about the same percentage of Americans that approved of George W. Bush as he left office. I will leave it to the political scientists to draw conclusions.

* The Party of smaller government ~ until government is needed – The recent outbreak of Swine Flu is a reminder that we are susceptible to pathogens that result in widespread illness or worse. Rightfully so, Obama’s original stimulus packaging contained $870 million for flu pandemic preparedness. In order to gain the support in the Senate needed to pass the stimulus bill, Republicans Susan Collin and Arlen Specter demanded that this money be cut from the spending bill. Perhaps these esteemed Senators did not feel it necessary to prepare for viral outbreaks since they benefit from an excellent government-sponsored health plan. For the rest of the citizenry, let them eat cake.

Last week tough-as-a-longhorn Rick Perry, Governor of Texas, stood on a soapbox and suggested that Texas could secede from the union. It is a good thing that secession takes time because this week, “Gov. Rick Perry has asked for 37,430 courses of anti-viral medicine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because of the swine flu outbreak.” It reminds one of the child who runs away from home but returns in two hours because it is getting cold and dark.

* Swine Flu conundrum – The Center for Disease Control says, “If you have a fever and you're sick or your children are sick, don’t go to work and don't go to school." The National Partnership points out: “nearly half of private sector workers in the United States don't have a single paid sick day. It's even worse for low wage workers. And nearly 100 million workers don’t have a paid sick day they can use to care for a sick child. “

* “The layman's constitutional view is that what he likes is constitutional and that which he doesn't like is unconstitutional.”
Justice Hugo L. Black (1886 – 1971) Associate Justice of the Supreme Court 1937 to 1971

* Belief in One’s Nation ~ my letter to the Phila. Inquirer - Kevin Ferris’ column “Holding fast to values, ideas” extensively quotes former Australian Prime Minister John Howard. In opposing Islamist extremists “the West must keep a steadfast belief in itself” and at the same time determine, “What is expendable? And what stays? What are the anchors, the guiding values and ideas that help a nation and its people endure?” It is the answer to these questions where the Bush administration has miserably failed our nation. The response to 9/11 demonstrated that the fear mongering that is constantly on George Bush’s lips is also in his heart. This fear obliterated any belief he held in American values and system of government as demonstrated by: a contrived justification for the debilitating Iraq war; excessive secrecy; spying and wiretapping outside of the law; the justification of torture; abandonment of habeas corpus; interminable imprisonment without proof of guilt; extraordinary rendition (kidnapping); signing statements to negate the intent of legislation. If only Mr. Bush had believed in his country.

* A stunning upset ~ that bodes well for Democrats in the November congressional elections – A special election was held in a northern Illinois district last weekend to replace former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, who had resigned. The district is heavily Republican, the Republican candidate Jim Oberweis was well known, Bush took this district in 2004 with 56% of the vote, the National Republican Congressional Committee spent $1.2 million (one-fifth of its cash on hand) to secure this seat, John McCain endorsed and raised funds for Oberweis and Oberweis spent a great deal of his own money to fund extremely negative ads against his opponent. Little-known Democrat Bill Foster won the election.

* The Republican playbook of smears and misdirection ~ meet Rep. Steve King (R-IW) – Referring to the prospect of Barack Obama as President of the U.S. King said, “They (al Qaeda) will be dancing in the streets if he's elected president...(because of) Obama's pledge to pull troops out of Iraq, his Kenyan heritage and his middle name, Hussein.” Apparently Mr. King failed to notice that while Republicans have been in charge al Qaeda is stronger than ever, terrorism is more widespread than ever (in large part due to U.S. policy), our country is bankrupt and our military is depleted. The al Qaeda Dance of Doom has been on tour for the last 7 years to the orchestration of Georgie Bush and the Republican Merrymakers. I look forward to adults running our country.

* Good news on ethics reform – Overcoming very strong Republican opposition as well as some from Democrats the House on Wednesday passed ethics reforms that are the most significant in decades. “The six members of the new Office of Congressional Ethics would have the authority to initiate preliminary reviews of allegations against House members, conduct investigations and refer their findings to the House ethics committee along with a public report.” Congratulations to the House of Representatives for starting to clean their house. The Senate remains deaf, dumb and blind to ethics reform and little will change until some of the good ole boys (and girls) are replaced.
Update: House Republicans are demanding an investigation of parliamentary rules used in passing this bill in an attempt to sideline the legislation. You certainly have to admire their passion to defeat the ogre of ethics.

* McCain trolls for support – Mr. Straight Talk McBush addressed the Council of National Policy (CNP) last Saturday seeking their support for his presidential bid. CNP sounds like a think tank of intellectuals formulating policy for a better America. What it is, in fact, is a septic tank of religious-right extremists denigrating what the concept of Jesus Christ embodies. The founding duo of this hate-laden group are Rev. Tim LaHaye (Catholicism is a “false religion” and popes are “antichrists.”) and Paul Weyrich (claimed that CNP is a group of “radicals working to overturn the present power structure in this country.”). In Afghanistan such groups would be called Taliban as they seek to impose their convoluted sense of the almighty upon us. Selling his soul to this group demonstrates McCain’s lack of principles and a Bush-like penchant to take situational ethics to new depths. Thanks to thinkprogress.org for exposing the “faith” of John McCain.

* Speaking of untreated effluence (link is 3/10/08) – “KBR, until last year a subsidiary of Halliburton, began its work for the Bush administration in Iraq with no-bid contracts to rebuild Iraq’s oil infrastructure. Today the company has $16 billion in contracts, employs over 54,000 people in Iraq and in the fourth quarter of 2007 reported profits of $71 million. One would think that it has the resources to do a respectable job. One would think. The list of KBR’s incompetence and malfeasance is beyond the scope of this entry but one example of their pathetic performance involves clean water for the American troops. “According to a new report from the Pentagon Inspector General, dozens of American troops in Iraq fell sick at bases using "unmonitored and potentially unsafe" water supplied by KBR. The Associated Press writes that the medical records for troops at one KBR-run site indicated "38 cases of illnesses commonly attributed to problem water. These include skin abscesses, cellulitis, skin infections and diarrhea. Doctors diagnosed 24 of the cases in January and February 2006, the same period when medical officials warned of a rise in bacterial infections at the base." In water supplied to a Marine base in Ramadi, "The level of contamination was roughly 2x the normal contamination of untreated water from the Euphrates River."

Perhaps KBR is distracted from doing their job because they are so busy avoiding U.S. taxes. “According to a detailed investigation by the Boston Globe, KBR has "avoided paying hundreds of millions of dollars in federal Medicare and Social Security taxes by hiring workers through shell companies" based in the Cayman Islands -- a scheme established by Halliburton under (Dick) Cheney's tenure. In doing so, the firm deprived KBR employees of guaranteed future retirement benefits and unemployment insurance should they lose their jobs.” The parasitic chain of Bush-Cheyney-Halliburton-KBR symbolizes today’s American political and corporate leadership.

* Run for cover! ~ exploding homosexual is approaching – A not-likely member of MENSA Sally Kern, Republican (what else?) Representative from Oklahoma said, “Homosexuality poses a greater danger than terrorism”. If the military had available troops, at Ms. Kern’s insistence they would probably be invading Provincetown, Fire Island and Key West. Perhaps we could use the National Guard. No, they are also depleted. Maybe we can mobilize the Ku Klux Klan and half of McCain’s supporters who can be issued defective protective vests, vehicles that do not resist explosives and rations supplied by KBR and “protect” them the same way we protect our military. The medical team can be made up of dermatologists.
Update: I’ll leave the analysis to the psychologists but the web site queerty.com cites information that Sally Kern and her Baptist preacher husband’s disowned son Jesse is gay. On March 4th mention of her two sons was removed from her official website. Move over Dr. Spock and make room for closet parenting.

* Good news in Australia ~ inclusive church leaders – The Sydney Morning Herald reports that “up to 100 reverends, ministers and pastors will march in the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras to apologize to those rejected by churches because of their sexuality.” The clergy are from the Anglican, Baptist, Pentecostal and Uniting churches. Pastor Mike Hercock said, "Church has been a hostile place for a number of people, including the homosexual community. It's really trying to get away from the ideology of throwing rocks." I look forward to some of this brotherhood reaching American shores. Thanks to Sue Katz at Consenting Adult for noting this story.

* Birds of a feather – Rick Renzi (R-AZ) is your somewhat typical Republican politician - conservative Bush enabler, anti-abortion advocate and under federal indictment on umpteen charges. What is particularly interesting about this crook-of-the-week is that some of the charges involve his stealing money from pro-life organizations. As a freshman U.S. representative in 2003 he said, "The sanctity of human life should always be upheld, and I will continue to fight for the rights of the unborn in Congress." It is alleged that his insurance brokerage business, Renzi and Company, embezzled insurance premiums from approximately 50 pro-life organizations by collecting premiums and not submitting them to insurance companies. The funds were allegedly used to fund his campaign for Congress. Other charges against him include illegally using his influence on land deals that netted him substantial funds. Did I mention that he was the co-chair in Arizona for the McCain presidential campaign? To date Mr. McBush has not called for Renzi to resign from Congress.

* The torturous question about torture – If you have been drinking the Bush-flavored Kool Aide that in a convoluting manner justifies torture I suggest a visit to the web site Washington Monthly. Here you will find 37 short essays by people from across the political spectrum explaining why the use of torture is wrong. “They include a former president, the speaker of the House, two former White House chiefs of staff, current and former senators, generals, admirals, intelligence officials, interrogators, and religious leaders. Some are Republicans, others are Democrats, and still others are neither.” The title is “No More, No Torture, No Exceptions”.

* Question of the week – Both are bad but which is worse - lying to your country to initiate a debilitating and immoral war in Iraq or overpaying a hooker (NY Governor Eliot Spitzer)? I guess the answer is hiring a prostitute for $5500 per hour since that news dominated the headlines this week.

* Quote of the week – On Wednesday President Bush said, "I think when people take a look back at this moment in our economic history, they'll recognize tax cuts work." I cannot speak to the future but the tax cuts have not helped about 92% (270,000,000) of the people living in this country at the present time.

* Policy folly - The Center for Disease Control says that 1 in 4 teenage girls in America (3 million) have a sexually transmitted disease (STD). The Bush administration, under the influence of the religious right, initiated federal programs that stressed abstinence in place of intelligent sex education and they have opposed for young women a vaccine that prevents cervical cancer stemming from STD. This is another legacy builder and another reason why the separation of church and state is so important to the health of a democracy and its citizens.

* Mind-numbing statistic of the week – A survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that only 28% of the American people know that almost 4000 U.S. personnel have died in Iraq. “Related Pew surveys have found that the number of news stories devoted to the war has sharply declined this year, along with professed public interest.” I am guessing that more than 28% of Americans know the name of Eliot Spitzer’s prostitution service.

* “It is part of the general pattern of misguided policy that our country is now geared to an arms economy which was bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria and nurtured upon an incessant propaganda of fear.” The comment was made about six decades ago, yet apropos today, by General Douglas MacArthur (1880 – 1964)

*Celebrating Women – Today is International Women’s Day (IWD) and thousands of events are being held around the world. It is a united action for global equality and change inspiring women to achieve their full potential. The movement began in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. Sue Katz at the website Consenting Adult offers a history of this movement and the IWD link provides specifics of the international scope this movement has attained.

* Kleptomaniacs, reprobates and self-policing – I had to smile this week when I received an email from Common Cause titled “Can Congress Police Itself?” The answer to the question and the point of the email is NO. House Resolution 895 would create an independent Office of Congressional Ethics but a number of Representatives killed a planned vote on the measure. Lack of ethics and ethics oversight in Congress is more than well-documented. Only you and I have the possibility of affecting a change. It will only occur by us demanding reform. Common Cause crafted a letter that individuals can send to editors and it also gives one a good background prior to communicating with one’s Representative. Contact information for your congressman can be found at VoteSmart.org.
Update – Late this week we learned that a revised ethics bill is being proposed. Among its many weaknesses the “independent” oversight panel would have to get approval from the Ethics Committee before it could take action. This is the same committee that has done nothing over the last several years while covering the southern ends of congressional members. When Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House she emphatically promised that the Democrats would create meaningful ethics oversight of representatives. What we are emphatically getting was sourced at the southern end of a bull.

* Gunfight at the OK Corral ~ sis, boom, ba – I have read several articles suggesting that the massacres at Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech would have been avoided if students and teachers were allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus. As I picture such a scenario a nut walks into the classroom with weapons and starts shooting. Five or ten or twenty people in the classroom draw their weapons and in panic start firing. Would anyone be left standing? Did anyone stop to “think” about the consequences on college campuses of so many individuals carrying weapons and the deaths and injuries that would result from this cowboy “solution”? I suggest that for fraternity rush week bulletproof vests be issued along with beanies. School colors and logos would be optional. For an adult approach to guns on campus I recommend The Brady Campaign position on the subject titled “No Gun Left Behind”. Because guns are prohibited on campuses, colleges are actually safer than the communities that surround them. Perhaps a better approach to minimizing violent psycho behavior would be to make it more difficult for individuals, especially those with criminal or mental illness history, to obtain guns.

* Drive-through mastectomies ~ drive-by health plans – The time is now for congress to change health insurance company policies that result in women who have had mastectomies being forced to leave the hospital before they and their doctors feel they are ready. MyLifetime.com has already generated 20 million signatures urging congress to pass the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2007 (S.459/H.R 758) which includes no mandates but allows a woman and her doctor to decide if she is best off going home or staying in the hospital for at least 48 hours after having a mastectomy. You can sign the petition for this important and humane legislation at the above link.

* Iraq cost update – When we see figures for the cost of the Iraq war there are so many zeroes involved that few can relate to the magnitude of treasure that George W. Bush is flushing into this quagmire. Democratic Caucus's Senate Journal breaks the cost down so that even I can relate to the numbers. The war is currently costing: $332,258,064 Per Day; $13,844,086 Per Hour; $230,734 Per Minute; $3,845 Per Second. In the time it takes to read this paragraph almost $100,000 will be spent. AND, this is not even the greatest cost. U.S. military lives lost total 3,972. U.S. military casualties total 29,080 and as I noted in a previous post this does not include most of the service men and women suffering mental injuries which would probably double the casualty figure. When the President says that we are fighting them over there so we won’t have to fight them here appropriate questions would be, “What the hell are you talking about?” and “Why do you hate America?”

* Bush protégé ~ lessons in leadership - In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, House Oversight and Reform Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) requested documents relating to an order issued in April 2007 by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki’s office that effectively immunizes the Iraqi president, the Council of Ministers, and any current or former ministers from being prosecuted for corruption without the Prime Minister’s consent. George and Nouri sure know how to issue signing statements and keep themselves and their administrations above the law. In a related story two former high-ranking Shiite officials in the Iraqi government have had charges against them dropped. They are accused of kidnapping and murdering scores of Sunnis. It is reported that there is extensive evidence against them. It tells the Sunnis and Kurds that the Shia can do anything and there are no repercussions. It does not bode well for reconciliation. In the Waxman letter it is noted that corruption in Iraq continues to worsen and is responsible for stopping the process of reconstruction. George may have not been very successful exporting democracy but he is an international icon for exporting criminality.

* Derriere Orifice of the Week ~ Co-Winners John McCain and his supporter, Pastor John Hagee - Hagee receives this recognition for virulent remarks about Catholics (they worship a whore), gays (they are responsible for Katrina) and Jews (if interested read the link, I am getting nauseous). McCain earns extra special mention for his refusal to denounce the comments and renounce the endorsement of this soulless miscreant and panderer of hate. Obama had the scruples to renounce Louis Farrakhan’s endorsement. Shame on Mr. McStraight Talk. The Carpet Bagger Report has more on Hagee the Horrible.

* Strengthening democracy in America - Not long ago I commented on the Federal Communications Commission adopting new rules that would allow current media conglomerates to further acquire and consolidate their dominance of the news. We know that a democracy relies on the free exchange of ideas and independent reporting. Rupert Murdoch’s FOX News is an example of the abuse of media power for political ends. This week the Senate introduced legislation that would reverse the FCC’s recent decision. You can sign a petition to your senators supporting this legislation at Stop Big Media. Democracy is a participation sport. Here is an opportunity to get in the game.

*Can you hear me now? ~ you can be heard – Cell phone companies have set the rules in their favor and it costs us a great deal of money – non-pro-rated termination fees, hidden charges, blocking services that a competitor may have available, cell phone locking (if you switch providers you phone is worthless). Congress is currently investigating the wireless market place. Hear Us Now is a project of Consumers Union and they have a petition you can sign urging Congress to mandate reform in this industry. Cell phones can work better for less money as demonstrated in Europe. Until now Congress has only heard from wireless lobbyists. The telephone utility industry spent at least $31.4 million lobbying in 2007. That is a lot of clout to overcome. Speak up.

* Your gasoline dollars at work ~ The Heartland Institute just concluded its international conference of global warming deniers. Their main objective appears to be “proof” that recent climate change stems from natural causes – an assertion in conflict with the overwhelming majority of scientists around the world. What is especially interesting about Heartland is that it is funded by ExxonMobil and right-wing foundations. I am puzzled by those who devote so many resources to deny climate/environmental problems. Regardless of whether the problem is human or natural influence we share a world that is degrading. Why not contribute to alleviating the problem? I just don’t get it!

* The silence is deafening - For several years I have wondered privately and in this blog where is the outrage from the unknowable but huge number of federal employees whose work and reputation have been trashed by the political appointees, flunkies and drones of the Bush administration. Take your pick - EPA, FDA, FEMA, Dept. of Agriculture, Consumer Products Safety Commission, Dept. of the Interior, the military, Dept. of the Treasury, Dept. of Justice... dedicated workers, experts, scientists and professionals who have been ignored and overridden. Their missions neutered. At last, and in my opinion too little too late, one can sense a heart beat. “In a stinging rebuke, unions representing the vast majority of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientists, attorneys and other specialists have vowed to cut off future discussions with embattled Administrator Stephen Johnson, according to a letter released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).” Among their complaints with Johnson; “Refusing to enforce the agency’s “Principles of Scientific Integrity” involving “fluoride drinking water standards, organophosphate pesticide registration, control of mercury emissions from power plants, and “the California waiver decision where the unions contend Johnson has allowed outside influences to preclude “good science in [EPA] decision making”; and “Using in-house legal staff to retaliate against whistleblowers and union officers.” I expect that once we have a new president it will take much time and effort to rehabilitate the many federal departments that have been compromised by the Bush Administration.

* The politicization is debilitating – An example of the point made above: Senior scientists at the Center for Disease Control and outside experts asserted this week that the leadership of Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the CDC, is responsible (poor management and politicization) for the loss of the agency's top scientists and demoralizing many of the CDC's 7,000 employees.

* The self-interest is blinding – In television ads this week (americablog has the details) Hillary Clinton endorses John McCain for president over Barack Obama. I commented recently that I personally have had enough of the Bushes and the Clintons – it is approaching 20 years. Although I would take Hillary over McCain she makes the choice almost difficult. That was an overstatement but reflects my problems with her and her low-road campaign. Call me an idealist but I prefer that the party I support not operate from the gutter most recently dominated by the Republicans. They wave the flag to dissipate the stench of their actions. I know that I have had enough of it and I believe that the vast majority of Americans are equally satiated. It has been too long since one could have pride in their political leaders and especially their President.

*No pleiad to be found – My home page offers the definition of a new word each day. On Thursday the word was “pleiad” – a group of usually seven illustrious or brilliant persons or things. As I survey the seven years of the Bush administration I find no evidence that this word would be applicable. When I have time I will look up the word “maladroit”.

* Speaking of maladroit – The Senate is close to approving “the most far-reaching changes to the nation's product safety system in a generation”. Under the Bush administration the Consumer Product Safety Commission has functioned with antiquated testing facilities and fewer than half the employees it had in 1980. Few among us believe that industry can police itself and even fewer believe that as our imports from mainly unregulated countries grows exponentially that there should be less testing. The George Bush formula has proven to be a George Bush formula.

* The fragility of democracy ~ the power of fear – David T. Z. Mindich has written a provocative article at alternet.com titled “Could Our Democracy Withstand Another 9/11?” I believe it is worth a read as he discusses the rise to dictator by Hitler in 1933 and conditions we find in our society today. The burning of the Reichstag enabled Hitler to go from Chancellor to dictator in an amazingly brief period, all predicated upon fear of Communists. “Within 60 days, Hitler had begun the process of arbitrary arrests, warrantless surveillance and searches, incarceration without charges, suspension of habeas corpus, the implementation of torture, the mustering of a private army, and was pushing through the passage of the "Enabling Act," which gave Hitler and his henchmen the power to ignore the legislative branch and write laws themselves.” If some of these occurrences have not caught your attention perhaps you have been watching too many reruns of American Idol. No one is accusing America of being a fascist state but the argument can be made that we are in a fascist shift. Mr. Mindich notes, “Germans made a decision that can be summed up by words from Benjamin Franklin's 18th century aphorism: they chose to "give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety" and they received neither.”

* "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." Sinclair Lewis (1885 – 1951)

10/28/07

*Sleeping with the Enemy – First Kuwaiti General Trading & Contracting Co is the contractor building the massive U.S. embassy in Iraq. As reported by McClatchy, “massive construction defects, allegations of criminal misconduct, forced labor, and cost overruns in the Baghdad project, the Kuwaiti company is run by a Lebanese businessman who is an ally of Syria and the Iranian-backed Islamic militant group Hezbollah.” Typical of the Bush administration ignoring and covering up corruption and incompetence of its contractors and then rewarding them, First Kuwaiti has just been awarded a $122 million State Department contract to build a U.S. consulate in Saudi Arabia. ALLY OF SYRIA, CONNECTIONS TO HEZBOLLAH, FORCED LABOR, AND, NO ONE DOES ANYTHING ABOUT IT. The President of the United States has become Emperor of Bizarro World!

*Clear and Present Danger ~ State Department Yoga – ABC news is reporting that internal State Department e-mails, “Show top officials were extensively briefed about repeated incidents of Blackwater security guards killing innocent civilians (in Iraq) more than two years ago.” How many more Iraqi civilians have been killed by these mercenary soldiers since this cover up? Our own government did nothing, allowing more innocents to be murdered. With their heads breaching their own sphincter this administration has the unmitigated gall to lecture the world about the Bush/Cheyney perverted version of democracy, freedom, justice and morality.

*The Greatest Show on Earth ~ Obama balancing act – After receiving strong criticism for inviting a gay-bashing preacher to his gospel/attract Black people of faith tour/presidential campaign Barack Obama decisively addressed the situation. He added an openly gay minister to the tour. One wonders if Obama and his advisors are ready for prime time? I think that any presidential candidate who tries to be all things to all people jeopardizes being anything to anyone. A spinning moral compass leads nowhere.

*The American President ~ Triaging the future - I agree with John Bruhns’ commentary at americablog.com. Although he has not advocated an impeachment of President Bush he feels that Speaker Nancy Pelosi erred when she went on record that impeachment is not on the table. All that did, says Bruhns, “was send a message to President Bush that he can operate however he wishes without facing any consequences.” I would suggest that what is off the table should be put back on. It will take decades for America to recover from the G.W. Bush presidency. With 15 months remaining, how many generations of recovery are still to be tacked on?

*Dumb and Dumber ~ Glaucoma of the brain – Rudy Giuliani told a town hall meeting in New Hampshire that blind people have the Second Amendment right to carry a gun. No doubt this will nail down the “blind vote” for Rudy in the primaries. I imagine that under his leadership new provisions in the Americans with Disabilities Act will include bullet caliber must be marked in Braille. I am guessing that Mr. Giuliani is hoping that “blind” voters will not notice that on his staff is a former priest and personal friend guilty of pedophilia and a staffer in Florida convicted of wife beating. Next week the Giuliani campaign will be targeting the hearing impaired – at least those deafened from firing weapons.

*Marathon Man ~ Glaucoma of the mouth – At a town hall meeting in Iowa Giuliani was asked if he thought that waterboarding was torture. He replied, “It depends on how it’s done. It depends on the circumstances. It depends on who does it.” He went on to say that the way it is defined by the “liberal media” it should not be done. Listening to Giuliani is torturous.

*1984 ~ past, present and future– The success of democracy depends upon the free exchange of diverse ideas and opinions. Over the last decade the consolidation of all segments of the media has strained this idea. Independent voices have been lost to acquisitions and drowned out by what is now called mega media corporations who often express the views of its self-interested mega owners. And the situation looks to get worse. Where once our country stood guard against monopoly in most industries that has not been the case in recent years. As noted by the public watchdog Common Cause, “In case you haven't heard, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is threatening to vote, as soon as mid-December, to allow massive consolidation of media outlets. These new media ownership rules are likely to give a single company the right to own multiple television stations, numerous radio stations and the biggest newspaper in your town - effectively controlling almost all of your local news! Worse, the FCC wants to approve the new rules without giving the public a fair chance to voice their concerns.” You can sign a petition to your congressmen opposing this FCC action at Common Cause – Take Action. I certainly do not want the opportunists, manipulators and principle-challenged people such as Rupert Murdoch controlling my news and information. Much of what has taken place in our country is a direct result of our decision, as a society, not to fight city hall. The result is elected leaders operating in the shadows with impunity. Concurrently, the light that the fourth estate once shone brightly is fading. Both of these developments do not bode well for a democracy.

*Dr. Strangelove – NY Times political writer David Brooks was appearing on PBS. The discussion concerned whether Bush will bomb Iran. Brooks commented that he is a member of a group of conservative journalists that meet regularly with the president. Brooks said, “But if you look, read his language, if you look at his body language, you see a man that's totally different than before Iraq. He is preparing the way for the next administration to have some means to deal with the situation. He believes in the diplomacy. But unless I totally misread him, I think he has no inclination to launch a military action.” We can all rest easier now. Brooks the soothsayer reads the body language of an instigator of unprovoked war and disastrous foreign policy and sees a man of diplomacy and strategic planning. I see the same journalist talking heads that did not do their investigative jobs in the lead up to the Iraq invasion.

*The Great Escape – Col. David Hunt writing at Fox News on line, “We know, with a 70 percent level of certainty — which is huge in the world of intelligence — that in August of 2007, bin Laden was in a convoy headed south from Tora Bora. We had his butt, on camera, on satellite. We were listening to his conversations. We had the world’s best hunters/killers — Seal Team 6 — nearby. We had the world class Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) coordinating with the CIA and other agencies. We had unmanned drones overhead with missiles on their wings; we had the best Air Force on the planet, begging to drop one on the terrorist. …Our government, the current administration and yes, our military leaders included, failed to kill bin Laden for no other reason than incompetence.” As we shake our heads in unison, again.

*Dracula and other blood suckers – Bush appointee William Winkenwerder Jr. was secretary of Defense for health affairs from 2001 until April 2007. He then went to work for Logistics Health Inc. as a director and consultant. In June Logistics was awarded a Defense Department medical services contract worth up to $790 million. The firm beat out two other bidders with proposals that ranged from $80 million to $100 million less, records show. The lower bidders have filed a complaint with the Government Accounting Office. Is it any wonder that Bush feels the country cannot afford healthcare insurance for children? Republican ideology historically served this country well calling for smaller government and eliminating wasteful spending. Republicans over the past 15 years are extremely knowledgeable in the “wasteful” category. Graft and cronyism have been symbolic of their tenure.

*Wag The Dog - Vice Admiral Harvey E. Johnson, the deputy administrator of FEMA held a press briefing last week on the government’s response to the California wildfires. As Fox News and MSNBC ran their cameras Johnson took questions from the press, or so we were lead to believe. Johnson actually took questions from FEMA staff members pretending to be members of the press corps. Understandably, he did not have to field any tough questions. In Bizarro World up is down, pretend is the norm, and the hair missing from the top of my head is returning.

*It’s a Wonderful Life – Recall the TV commercials that BP has been running. Squeaky clean people are romping across a pristine and sun-dappled green landscape. Life is good and BP is helping to make it that way. The only thing missing in the commercial is the “truth”. “The British energy company BP, tarnished by a string of costly legal problems, is preparing to settle accusations that it was criminally indifferent to worker safety and that it manipulated energy prices… BP had agreed to a settlement to end criminal investigations stemming from an explosion at a giant BP oil refinery in Texas two years ago… Officials said that the case would not resolve accusations against BP executives who may have failed to take steps to make the refinery safer and that those investigations would continue.” The “accident” killed 15 people and injured 180. “BP is also preparing to settle accusations that its energy trading unit was involved in manipulating prices in the propane market three years ago…The paradox for BP is that it has long promoted itself as an environmentally friendly company that takes its civic responsibilities seriously.” Perhaps mendacity and greed best characterize BP.

*The Gang that Couldn’t Shoot Straight - During Condoleezza Rice’s testimony at a Senate hearing it was learned that the Bush administration official responsible for tough-as-nails anti-corruption in Baghdad is not a diplomat or trained anti-corruption official but a paralegal. Dudley Do-Right to the rescue!

*The Pink Panther – A new government report says that the government’s terrorist watch list now exceeds 755,000 names. A policy of throwing enough crap against the wall hoping that some will stick is not meaningful or productive “anti-terrorism”. Tim Sparapani of the American Civil Liberties Union says the list is “approaching absolutely useless”. Inspector Clouseau to the rescue!

*Mississippi Burning - The Georgia Supreme Court dismissed the sentence of Genarlow Wilson - the young Black man serving a ten-year prison sentence for having consensual oral sex with a 15 year old when he was 17. He was released after spending over 2 years in prison. From thecolorofchange.org “The sad truth is that Genarlow's case is one of many. Black youth, and in particular young Black men, are unfairly criminalized on a routine basis; it becomes clear when you look at arrest rates, prosecution rates, and the sentences they're given. Unfortunately, most cases don't end up like Genarlow's. They get little attention and our young people spend far too much time in jail. Our hope is that by taking action on cases like Genarlow's we can keep the focus on the systemic injustices we face and begin to correct them.”

*Edward Scissorhands – Last week Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. She was reporting about how climate change affected public health. It has been learned that the White House cut whole sections from her report on global warming: “heat stress on vulnerable populations; the likelihood of respiratory illnesses from increased air pollution; the spread of waterborne infectious diseases; food and water scarcity; and more injuries from severe weather events such as wildfires.” The Bush flunkies claimed that they redacted the report because it conflicted with findings by a U.N. scientific panel. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) then compared the two reports and found them to be strikingly similar. She said, “Time and time again this administration has changed scientific reports that do not align with their position.” I have run out of adjectives to describe these injurious morons. But, with dictionary in hand, I will keep on trying.

*All the President’s Men - At the site tpmmuckraker.com there is an article, “The Bush Administration; What You Don’t Know Can’t Hurt Us”. It identifies about 30 ways the Bush Administration has tried to hide once-public information sources from the public record. For example: After the Bureau of Labor Statistics uncovered discouraging data about factory closings in the U.S., the administration announced it would stop publishing information about factory closings; When Bush’s Department of Education found that charter schools were underperforming, the administration said it would sharply cut back on the information it collects about charter schools; The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced plans to close several libraries which were used by researchers and scientists. The agency called its decision a cost-cutting measure, but a 2004 report showed that the facilities actually brought the EPA a $7.5 million surplus annually. I recommend visiting the article to learn more about what they want hidden – Bush’s “state secrets”.

*An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises.
Mae West, actress, 1893 - 1980