Without DeLay!

Tom ‘the despicable’ DeLay couldn’t let the passing of Mrs. Terri Schiavo go by without once again exercising his vitriolic, hate filled mouth. In the following quote, notice that the expressions of sympathy (which don’t include Michael Schiavo) are secondary to his bombastic accusations and not-so-veiled threats.

This vermin, who operates in an ethics-free-zone, has the temerity to threaten all those who served in good conscience throughout this extremely difficult case.

DeLay’s remarks are as follows:

“Mrs. Schiavo’s death is a moral poverty and a legal tragedy. This loss happened because our legal system did not protect the people who need protection most, and that will change. The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior, but not today. Today we grieve, we pray, and we hope to God this fate never befalls another. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Schindlers and with Terri Schiavo's friends in this time of deep sorrow. ”

Please take a few minutes and stop by the Public Action Campaign Fund and sign the petition calling for this thug to resign.

Theresa Marie Schiavo may you rest in peace!

It's the Cameras Stupid!

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

That’s all you really have to know to be able to judge one’s own participation in the death watch for Mrs. Terri Schiavo.

Already there are the somber conversations about what’s appropriate and how to get the news that people have a right to without trampling everyone’s rights in the process. I thought I’d weigh in early on this one. I’m going to keep it simple ‘cause I don’t think some of the people responsible think very deeply.

I’ts the cameras stupid!

The circus goes wherever you point the damn things!

You chose to set up right in front of a hospice. Inside are around 70 other patients, and their families, going through a sad, somber, inevitable, difficult, PRIVATE experience.

By setting up right in front of the hospice, you chose to trample on that process for all of those families as well as Michael and Terri Schiavo and their families.

There is no possible reason that we need to see the front of the hospice as a background for these shots. You could just as easily have put the cameras and the microphones and the satellite trucks and the Porta-Potty’s and the tents and the cars and the cables and the noise and the signs and the cops and the fences and the hazard tape and the noise and the protesters and the noise . . . . . . . .

. . . . . somewhere else!

How about a strip mall parking lot or a sports facility parking lot or a vacant lot or a field outside of town? Yes, you probably would need to pay some rent but your profits would surely cover it. And, you could have performed a public service at the same time.

How did we come to accept your presence in the middle of any and everything you deem ‘newsworthy? Your presence outside the Woodside Hospice House in Pinellas Park has been an obscenity and an affront to the entire hospice movement.

No amount of post-production de-briefing or on-air breast-beating will absolve you from this ugly, ugly incident.

Shame on you all!

Useful Information

I have decided to migrate this blog to a different host which should give me more control over it and should make it more responsive. The current host, while free and a great way to get started, seems overloaded. And I really wanted to have my url match the blog name. I now have my own domain now at www.againstmadness.com. I will be posting in both places for a while until I’m surer of the new setup. I’ll try to make it real clear when I stop using this space.

Click on over to www.againstmadness.com and take a look at my new digs. I am pleased with how they are coming along.

Thanks to all of you who read.

It Really is a Club

The National Press Club is sponsoring an event, in April, where “journalists and bloggers will debate whether there’s a difference between them . . . “ At first glance, it looks like a pretty good idea. Perhaps it’s time that bloggers got some recognition for the efforts they’ve made in of delivering the news, frequently broadening the scope of the main stream in the process. Remember in the saga of Jeff Gannon/Jim Guckert how the blogs reported new information that proved to be true time after time.

Ah, sweet recognition! But wait, there’s more. According to the National Press Club’s website, this event, called “Blogger? Journalist?” will include several bloggers on the panel. And who, might you ask, are they? Why, one of them is none other than Jeff Gannon. That’s right, that Jeff Gannon ( or is it Jim Guckert?). Gannon/Guckert will be joined by Ana Maria Cox of “Wonkette” and John Stanton of “Congress Daily”.

Allow me to dissect in reverse order. “Congress Daily” is not a blog so the inclusion of Stanton must be under the heading of journalist. Cox’s “Wonkette” is a beltway gossip blog specializing in sexual humor. “Wonkette” proudly displays reviews on it’s front page such as:

“Gossipy, raunchy, potty-mouthed." [New York Times]

and

"Wonkette's arrival on the steps of the Capitol is a quiet victory for creeping National Enquirer values." [Christian Science Monitor]

So that leaves Gannon/Guckert as the so called blogger on the panel. Many of you may remember that when his run as a phony White House correspondent fell apart, due in large part to the efforts of blogs like John Aravosis’ Americablog, Gannon/Guckert disappeared for around a week and them returned calling himself a blogger. His jeffgannon.com is a marginally clever attempt to blend into a landscape that is completely foreign to him. There are several things that betray how contrived this site is. First, if you look back through the entries you find that they are all one sentence references to other writer’s work. Rather than a blog, this site serves as a directory of conservative writing and there is no way to tell if Gannon/Guckert even participates. The one thing that appears to be his work is the “Current Column”, so proudly displayed on the front page. But today’s “Current Column is the same hubris filled nonsense that I wrote about in my Feb. 25, Gannon/Guckert Update. So Guckert/Gannon’s sole participation in the blogosphere so far is one column!

The National Press Club is undeterred. Mike Madden, a member of the Press Club’s Professional Affairs Committee told Editor and Publisher, "The panel came together because we wanted to discuss some issues that came about from the Gannon case, “ "The idea was talking about these issues and who should be allowed to set up shop [as a legitimate journalist],"

So apparently, unbiased journalism, exploring the serious question of “who should be allowed to set up shop” is best explored by the most questionable person available along with a gossip columnist.

Perhaps the National Press Club is playing the role of any other cultural dinosaur nearing the end of it’s reign. Create events wherein one’s own legitimacy is confirmed merely by holding the event. Or perhaps they’ve been asked to contribute to Gannon/Guckert’s legitimacy. Gannon himself suggested such to Editor & Publisher when he said that he sees himself as a legitimate journalist and "perhaps their invitation is recognition of that."

If this group of over-comfortable, under-achievers were seriously interested in exploring newer forms of journalism, there is a wealth of choices available to them. There is a “Crooks and Liars” project entitled “Mike’s Blog Roundup”, which gives one the chance to read individual columns from many progressive blogs. There is Dr. Laniac’s list of Indy Weblogs. There are even ‘legitimate journalists’ like MSNBC’s Keith Olberman who also writes a blog called Bloggerman. Coincidentally, Olberman did extensive coverage of Gannon/Guckert when the story was fresh and was the only voice giving it real prominence in the main stream.

The only conclusion I can draw is that the National Press Club is just that, a club. A good-old-boys-club that doesn’t want to relinquish any turf. Bloggers are not welcome. This event is carefully planned to pretend to study the question of blogging as journalism while actually presenting bloggers as light-weights, fools and buffoons .

Bloggers will have to continue to prove their ‘legitimacy’ in the same way they have thus far, find and publish information not covered by the main stream, provide lots of sourcing to quash the ‘legitimacy’ argument and continue to support each other’s work.

Perhaps we should form a “National Bloggers Club”.

DeLay DeeSappears!

Tom DeLay is one of the most disingenuous and despicable excuses for a human being ever to rise to the top of the US congress. And just for the sake of clarity I add that the competition is fierce. Although a number of prominent politicians got their faces in front of the cameras on the subject of Terri Schiavo last week, DeLay was by far the most prominent and the most inflammatory.

For a grand total of 5 days, he made a number of statements implying that Ms. Schiavo’s fate was the most important issue before the nation. A look at the Majority Leader website reveals that the first public statement made or posted by DeLay occurred on Friday, March 18, 2005. In a press release DeLay talked of “murder committed against a defenseless American . . .” and “an act of medical terrorism”. In remarks to the press, the same day, DeLay said: “To friends, family, and millions of people praying around the world this Palm Sunday weekend: do not be afraid. Terri Schiavo will not be forsaken.”

DeLay continued with his rhetorical assaults on March 19, March 20 and March 22.

Since March 22, there have been at least 6 judicial reviews of the facts in this case and all of them have come down firmly on the side of Michael Schiavo’s contention that he is his wife’s legal guardian and is following her wishes.

But where is big Tom ‘the hammer’ now? He seems to have disappeared.

Perhaps that has to do with the poll numbers that popped up all over the place last week.

An ABC news poll found that:: ” The public, by 63 percent-28 percent, supports the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube, and by a 25-point margin opposes a law mandating federal review of her case.” A CBS news poll found: “An overwhelming 82 percent of the public believes the Congress and President should stay out of the matter.” A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll “found that 61% would have a spouse's feeding tube removed under similar circumstances.”

Since March 22, Tom DeLay has been silent. Over the weekend, on the talking head news programs, DeLay was absent. Apparently, “judicial homicide” and “medical terrorism” are only important if the polls show support for your position.

To be fair, I must point out that Bill Frist, who diagnoses by video tape and George Bush who interrupted a vacation for the first time in his presidency over this case have also disappeared. In Bush’s radio address on Saturday, a vague mention of a “culture that affirms life”, is a close to this issue as he got. Apparently Bush, who stated in a Social Security discussion on March 21 that “it is wise to always err on the side of life”, has decided to join DeLay and Frist and err on the side of the poll numbers.

In fact, the only politician still speaking about this situation is Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who narrowly avoided a showdown between his Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents and the local police in Pinellas Park. Jeb doesn’t have the luxury of an entire nation to hide in. He’s on the ground in Florida. Since narrowly escaping a constitutional crisis on Thursday, the Governor, has been heard repeatedly saying that he has exhausted his authority in the situation. On Sunday, in response to calls from the Schindler family and their spokespeople to intervene, Jeb, seemingly devoid of outrage, said: "I can't. I'd love to, but I can't."

Meanwhile, the ‘boy king’, the ‘video doctor’ and ‘the hammer’ are all silent.

Make Them Stop

There is something going on right now that is so perverse, so disgusting, so out of control, so prurient, so selfish and so self-centered as to nearly defy description.

On the front page of the CNN website is a picture of a demonstrator at the hospice in Florida holding a sign that reads “Terri’s nose and lips are bleeding”.

According to Brian Schiavo, Michaels’ brother and according to many hospice and health professionals and according to me, because I’ve seen this process first-hand, that is not true. The process is about slow fading that reaches a point where it stops. Hospice workers are well trained and scrupulously careful about the comfort of the patient. With pain management, the process is peaceful. It’s not the most pleasant thing to watch, especially if you have a relationship with the person. It should be given space, both physical and psychological for people to feel and process and adjust. It should be given quiet and peace. The only thing ‘horrible’ about Mrs. Schiavo’s condition is the way it’s being played on high-definition, multi-channel TV 24 hours a day. Instead of a death with dignity, this sick culture is giving this woman a circus sideshow sendoff like none ever seen before.

Meanwhile, hundreds of greasy manipulators spin the truth this way and that way with no regard for where it lands. Some are in it for the profit, others for the rush. Some are there for power and some have no idea why they're there at all. Many think they have God on their side. But all of them want to be on TV. And none of them have given any thought to the people who are going through this. They're much too busy being fodder for the gluttonous news market.

I’ve often had discussions on the responsibility of the media, especially TV. The TV media constantly absolve themselves of any responsibility because they say they only show what we want to see. They say the fact that we watch proves it.

To them I say this. If one is driving on a highway and comes upon an accident, for most people, it’s really difficult not to look. It seems to be an almost instinctive curiosity that we have. Now using the logic of the media managers, our highway departments would be looking for ways to make roads more dangerous, because we obviously want to see wrecks. The fact that we look proves it.

Now for the ‘catch 22’. We are the ones who have to pressure the media companies to be more responsible. The only way to do that is to affect their bottom line. That’s where their looking so that’s where you have to communicate with them.

If you’re really sickened by the coverage of this situation – don’t watch it. If you want to stay informed – read. An hour spent online or in a library will give you more knowledge than 24 hours of cable news. Also, take 5 minutes and let a couple of networks know how your really feel.

What's in the Words?

I was sitting here tonight wondering why the Republicans seem to be marching in lockstep off of a cliff. With poll numbers, like those from CBS, showing as high as 82% agreement that Congress and the White House should not be involved in the Schiavo case, why do they seem to be escalating?

I was listening to the tapes of Tom DeLay and Bill Frist speaking to the “Family Research Council”, when I suddenly got a chill. It sounded to me that, rather than leaving themselves some wiggle room, in case the courts did not back them, these guys were “throwing down”.

"One thing that God has brought to us is Terri Schiavo, to help elevate the visibility of what is going on in America,", said DeLay, He went on to claim that his recent ethical and threatened legal problems were the result of attacks by a “syndicate” that is participating in "a huge nationwide concerted effort to destroy everything we believe in." "This is exactly the issue that is going on in America, of attacks against the conservative movement, against me and against many others," said ‘the hammer’. He went on to claim that “the other side” had figured out a way “to defeat the conservative movement.” Would that it were so!

As I listened, visions of confrontations between fundamentalists and civil authority began to play in my head. After the past week of inflammatory rhetoric are these people going to accept an unfavorable court ruling? Listen to some of the things that Mr. DeLay has had to say in the last week:

On Friday, March 18, 2005. In this press release he says:

“Right now, murder is being committed against a defenseless American citizen in Florida,”

“Mrs. Schiavo’s life is not slipping away – it is being violently wrenched from her body in an act of medical terrorism,” DeLay said. “Mr. Schiavo’s attorney’s characterization of the premeditated starvation and dehydration of a helpless woman as ‘her dying process’ is as disturbing as it is unacceptable. What is happening to her is not compassion – it is homicide. She doesn’t need to die, and as long as Terri Schiavo can breathe and her supporters can pray, we will not rest.”

In remarks to the press on Friday, March 18, DeLay said:

“Terri Schiavo is alive. She is not ‘barely alive.’ She is not ‘being kept alive.’ She is as alive as you or I, and as such we have a moral obligation to protect and defend her from the fate premeditated by the Florida courts.”

In remarks to the press on Sunday, March 20, Delay said:

“The few, objecting House Democrats have so far cost Mrs. Schiavo two meals already today, and we’re working now to resolve this in time for her to get some food and water tonight.”

“Mrs. Schiavo’s condition, I believe, has been at times misrepresented by the media, but far more often has simply gone unreported all together. Terri Schiavo is not on a respirator; she can breathe on her own. Terri Schiavo is not brain-dead; she talks and she laughs, and she expresses happiness and discomfort. Terri Schiavo is not on life-support. ““She’s not being ‘kept alive’; she is alive. It won’t take a miracle to help Terri Schiavo; it will only take the medical care and therapy that all patients deserve. Mrs. Schiavo is not being denied heroic measures; she’s being denied basic, basic, basic medical and personal care.”

In an interview with ABC news on Saturday, March 19, DeLay said:

"A death row inmate has more of a process to go through than Terri Schiavo does," DeLay said earlier on ABC News' "Good Morning America" on Saturday. "All we're doing in Congress is giving Terri Schiavo an opportunity to come to the federal courts and review what this judge in Florida has been doing, and he's been trying to kill Terri for 4 1/2 years."

The inflammatory nature of these statements is profoundly disturbing. Rather than a passionate statement of position, these seem much more like a call to war – a holy war. The use of language like “homicide”, “premeditated starvation” and “medical terrorism” is no accident. It is designed to aggravate the already raw emotions of the fundamentalist Christian zealots. It sounds to me a lot like an English-speaking/Christian version of an Iranian Ayatollah or an Iraqi mullah. The language is being chosen for it’s emotional content, not to further the cause of truth, justice or peaceful coexistence.

Much as Rush Limbaugh’s oft repeated “America held hostage” may have contributed to the twisted logic of Timothy McVeigh, phrases like “the death Democrats” are being employed right now, to stir up a visceral hatred of us and all we stand for. I am as sure as I’m sitting here that violence will come out of all this.

Early this morning I ran across this piece by Dave Johnson at “Seeing the Forest”. Dave is right on in this piece. As he says, we need to be “arguing the larger narrative”.

After so many years of being ‘herded’ by the right-wing, I’m not sure we know how to do that. I am sure that people like DeLay and Frist would have no qualms about presiding over the death of our democratic system. And, if that meant a minor civil war to help it along – so be it! These people have proven their ruthlessness and irresponsibility once and for all.

They are fostering fundamentalism and hatred, which always seem to go hand in hand.

Make More Noise

"The Republicans in Congress do not like the results that the Florida courts have reached and they are going to this extraordinary remedy of now stripping the Florida court of its jurisdiction so that maybe there can be another outcome,"

Florida Congressman Robert Wexler

For most of my life, I have taken comfort in the fact that the US was, fundamentally, a nation of laws not of men. That, however cumbersome and convoluted, the process was a constant.

That is no longer the case.

The intervention of congress into the life and death of Terri Shiavo clearly marks the end of allowing the law to decide what is right and what will happen.

The imposition, by a special bill "For the relief of the parents of Theresa Marie Schiavo", of another layer of legal process after the fact is nothing more than men deciding these crucial questions rather than the law. The pre-existing processes have been exhausted. The result is not to the liking of the majority party. They have chosen to interfere with that result.

These interventionist, obstructionist lawmakers are hoping that by shrouding their outrageous meddling in legal terms they can escape being seen for what they are.

Make no mistake about it, these people, led by Frist, DeLay and Hastert, are imposing their own personal and political agendas onto the unfortunate human beings involved in this case. Their attempts to disguise same by involving another level of the courts fools no one.

The larger danger here is that it sets a precedent. In the future, decisions of great import will not be decided by the courts directly. They will be decided by whoever holds the reins of power.

Meanwhile, many of us sit and watch as if this were a movie. If we do not take a firm stand now and express it to these lawmakers then some of the foundation of our entire system has disappeared.

Write, call, visit in person – but do not allow this to pass without your comment.

Let's Make Noise!

Tonight I’m hearing that our elected representatives are planning to write a special law which will change the federal jurisdiction over state courts in order to give Terri Shiavo’s parents another avenue of appeal.

In the midst of searching for something this morning, I came upon The Terri Shiavo Information Page. Done by a Florida legal blogger, it seems to be a fairly complete compilation of the factual evidence in the case, much if it in the form of court documents. Browsing through this site, I learned a couple of things that added to my conviction that this case is a tragedy being used by cynical politicians for their own purposes.

One of the things I learned was that this woman’s cerebral cortex is gone.
The Second District Court of Appeals stated the following:

"By mid 1996, the CAT scans of her brain showed a severely abnormal structure. At this point, much of her cerebral cortex is simply gone and has been replaced by cerebral spinal fluid. "

The cerebral cortex is the part of the brain we use to think. This is absolute, scientific proof that this woman cannot recover. Keeping her alive is akin to a science project - It’s immoral! We don’t allow animals to be treated this way.

Tonight, on talk radio, I heard yet another liberal/progressive/democrat say “Where are the democrats? Why haven’t we heard them saying anything. I think it’s time to get realistic about this.

If we want our Senators and Representatives to speak for our positions, we have to tell them and tell them and tell them.

The Social Security issue has shown us this. Enough people contact them and they stand right up. Even the mainstream media carry things that get noisy.

We need to get in the habit of making noise – weekly? every issue we care about? every day? The more the merrier.

We don’t need to be vitriolic or offensive – just clear about the positions we want them to take and why.

I’ve written to both my Senators and my Representative tonight – I ask that you do the same. Feel free to borrow from my letter below if you want to.

Senator,

I am writing to ask that you take a firm stand against any congressional or legislative involvement in the Terri Schiavo case.

I oppose this for a number of reasons including the absolute violation of privacy, and personal sovereignty that these intrusions create. We have legal processes in place to handle these kinds of situations and we should accept their results. If we start creating new law for every case who’s outcome we dislike, we will soon have total chaos.

The republicans are using this issue as a political tool. These people who pretend to be compassionate and family oriented are using this family at the most painful time in their lives. They are using them as if they were made of clay. There is not one ounce of compassion in any of this grandstanding.

I believe that a person has the right to decide how long they would want their life prolonged. I believe that the courts have determined that Terri Shiavo expressed that wish. Those decisions have been affirmed something like 7 times by other courts. Enough is enough!

Please take a firm, public stand against any involvement of congress in any individual case – this one or any other one.

Thank You,

A Wolf in Wonderland

At first, the nomination of Paul Wolfowitz to head the World Bank seemed like just another in the series of bizarre appointments from the Bush Administration. A look at Wofie’s biography shows very little that would lead one to conclude he would make a great banker. Bush’s own words do nothing to clarify what makes this guy the ideal choice for the job.

“I've said he's a man of good experiences. He helped manage a large organization. The World Bank is a large organization; the Pentagon is a large organization -- he's been involved in the management of that organization. He's a skilled diplomat, worked at the State Department in high positions. He was Ambassador to Indonesia where he did a very good job representing our country. And Paul is committed to development. He's a compassionate, decent man who will do a fine job in the World Bank. And that's why I called leaders of countries and that's why I put him up.”

Nothing in that endorsement says to me: “obvious choice for World Bank President”. There is, however, other information that may help us to understand this appointment.

John Perkins has written a book entitled, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man: How the U.S. Uses Globalization to Cheat Poor Countries Out of Trillions. Although I have not read his book, I have heard several extensive interviews with Perkins. One of those was with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now. In these interviews, Perkins laid out a clear and convincing case for his own involvement in a number of these economic “hits”.

Put simply, an economic hit consists of enticing poor countries to borrow vast sums of money for development projects which is then handed to huge U.S. contractors in payment for that development work. The contractors would typically be in the Bechtel and Halliburton league. Later, the poor country discovers that they are disastrously over-extended and it is then that the “hit” part of the plan takes place. According to Perkins, at the point where the victim realizes it can’t pay the enormous debts, the U.S., through this network of “hit men” moves to take over industries such as oil or demands favors such as U.N. votes. The whole operation works much like a simple extortion scam. In the end, U.S. interests pocket most of the money and gain control over foreign interests.

In his interview with Goodman, Perkins described dealings in South and Central America, especially in Panama and Ecuador. He describes, in detail, the financial maneuvers and also the mysterious deaths of politicians who resisted the pressure, namely Omar Torrijos of Panama and Jaime Roldos, the first democratically elected President of Ecuador.

Now for the connection to Wolfowitz. Remember, Wolfie is one of the charter participants in the Project for a New American Century, a thinly veiled plan for U.S. global domination. Wolfowitz is widely considered the architect of U.S. policy in Iraq. But that still doesn’t tell us why the World Bank.

Perkins, in his Democracy Now interview, gives us the link.

“And we do this, typically -- well, there are many ways to do it, but a typical one is that we identify a third-world country that has resources, which we covet. And often these days that's oil, or might be the canal in the case of Panama. In any case, we go to that third-world country and we arrange a huge loan from the international lending community; usually the World Bank leads that process.” (emphasis added)

If you connect Wolfie’s interest in global domination, as expressed through PNAC, with Perkin’s allegations about the World Bank’s activities in international extortion, suddenly it all seems clearer. And of course, in true neo-con fashion, Bush has cleverly sown some of the truth into his obfuscations. All one needs is an ‘Orwellian decoder’ to make sense of Bush’s comment:

“And Paul is committed to development.”

Indeed, I’m sure he is!

At Least 10 Minutes from Normal

If anything, George Bush’s need to surround himself with characters that sing his praises has intensified of late. This has led to a ‘rabbit-hole’ view of the world that would leave our old friend Alice struggling for balance.

While the appointment of Condoleeza seemed a stretch at the time, she at least had some experience that could arguably apply to the position. Even though the cold war ended 15 years ago, her experience as a Sovietologist at least pointed to some knowledge of life outside the U.S., however slanted and outdated.

But, the recent appointments of Laura Bush to spearhead the “Helping America’s Youth Intiiative” and Karen Hughes to serve as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy are truly bizarre.

Can you imagine the appeal that Laura must have to inner-city, minority youth who are engaging in what Mrs. Bush calls "Risky behaviors -- including illegal-drug use, alcohol and tobacco use, violence and early sexual activities . . . “ The youth of America have not had such a clear and engaging role model since Nancy Reagan infamously declared: “Just say no!” Of course we now know that millions of kids heard that declaration and immediately said to themselves: “Why didn’t I think of that?” Mrs. Reagan’s effect on drug usage is now legendary.

But the absurdity of Laura’s appointment pales in comparison to the image of Karen Hughes as our cultural face to the Muslim world. You just know that in Baghdad, Tehran, Beirut and Riyadh, people are truly encouraged by the thought of being cared for and understood by the author of “Ten Minutes from Normal”. Hughes brings here extensive background as a T.V. reporter, white Texas housewife and chief “spin doctor” for Bush to her new post. I admit there is probably some similarity between putting the best face on the boy-king and doing the same for the U.S. Both jobs require a very loose relationship with the truth (a qualification shared by Rice) and the ability to completely ignore the obvious. Hughes’ past endeavors prove she has both these essential skills.

But seriously, does anyone really believe that Hughes has been brought back to interface with the world? Isn’t her real position the same one she has filled ever since she gave up the T.V. camera? Isn’t her real job the care and feeding of W’s ego, stroking and fawning over him, both in person and through the media?

Perhaps, rather than a truly bizarre type of diplomacy, Hughes appointment represents damage control on the S.S. Bushit. Perhaps, resistance to Social Security privatization, recurring revelations about government sponsored propaganda, Jeff Gannon and a Middle East that is careening out of control have caused the ‘boy-in-the-bubble’ to feel some discomfort. Recently, protesters have greeted Bush at each of his Social Security road show events. Perhaps the real reason Hughes is back from ‘spending more time with her family’, is that she is the only one who can talk the boy up when he really gets down.

Propaganda

The Repuglican-Neo-Fascist propaganda machine is finally beginning to gather some main stream attention.

The N.Y. Times published a lengthy look at this massive misuse of the “press”, which is supposed to be the ultimate check and balance in our democracy.

It is well worth your time to read this article.

Iran Still on the Table

I heard Scott Ritter on the Ed Schultz radio show a little while ago. He repeated his warning that Bush and his crime family have already been briefed on a plan for an aerial invasion of Iran scheduled for June. This is part of the neo-con, Project for a New American Century agenda – regime change for Iran. Ritter also said that Bush is “hyping” a non-existent threat, just like he did pre-Iraq invasion. Ritter said that under the most exaggerated timetable, Iran could not have a nuclear weapon for at least 2 years. He said that projection was based on their having technology perfected that we know for a fact they don’t have. So in reality, their possible production of a weapon is farther away than 2 years.

Remember, Ritter was the one who stated categorically that the US would find no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. He was correct!

Bush, speaking at the National Defense University on March 8, said:

“Freedom has determined enemies, who show no mercy for the innocent, and no respect for the rules of warfare.”

Freedom has no greater enemy than George W. Bush and his gang of fascist killers. The invasion of Iraq was clearly illegal under international law. The fact that Bush ignores international law does not change that. If he were not the leader of a nuclear super-power, I have no doubt that other nations would have moved against him already.

The only hope I see at this point of stopping this un-provoked and illegal invasion of Iran is in the anti war movement. Ritter thinks the movement has a chance. Let’s not blow it!

Arrogance of Power

"We found no link between approved interrogation techniques and detainee abuse,"

Vice Adm. Albert T. Church – reporting to the Senate Armed Services Committee – March 10, 2005

Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee this morning, Adm. Church effectively excused all military and civilian leadership from any organizing role in the abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan or Iraq. Church further defended the Administration’s decision to exempt Taliban prisoners from the Geneva Conventions.

So we are left to conclude that the amount of culturally specific, targeted abuse that we have heard about from Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo is merely the result of some giant coincidence. Apparently our ‘all volunteer’ military is so well educated on Muslim sensibilities as to inherently understand what would be most offensive to these people. Further, we are to conclude that spontaneously, all over he world, U.S. soldiers have taken it upon themselves to act on this knowledge in an attempt to force information from prisoners.

What a crock!

Many years ago, the concept of plausible deniability was developed by U.S. leaders to be used by the CIA. Wikipedia provides this definition: “Plausible deniability involves the creation of power structures and chains of command loose and informal enough to be denied if necessary.”

Plausible deniability became a major feature in the Watergate investigations of the 1970s. Although Nixon and his people tried to use this as a defense, the public and the press of that day saw through it. Through the Watergate years and beyond, the meaning of the concept shifted somewhat to indicate a situation where those in leadership positions are not told some things about what is really going on so that they may deny it. This can also include unwritten, and even unspoken, understandings between leaders and subordinates about activities that skirt the edges of legality.

I am no mathematician. However, I would hazard a guess that the odds against several diverse, unconnected incidents of prisoner abuse occurring simultaneously and bearing this level of resemblance would be astronomical. Put differently, if it looks like a duck . . .

I agree fully with Senator Carl Levin:

"I can only conclude that the Defense Department is not able to assess accountability at senior levels, particularly when investigators are in the chain of command of the officials whose policies and actions they are investigating,"

Duh!

Not My God!

“God hates people, he hates the majority of the human race and will send them to hell.”

Jael Phelps, granddaughter of Fred Phelps, pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church. Jael was speaking on the Al Franken radio program, March 9, 2005.

The Westboro Baptist Church is known for picketing the funerals of AIDs victims and victims of anti-gay hate crimes such as Matthew Shepard.

The Westboro Baptist Church has a website entitled “God Hates Fags”.

Whatever God these people invoke, I want nothing to do with it!

One way to help in the struggle to overcome this kind of insanity is to support organizations like The Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC has named the Westboro Baptist Church a hate group.

Drop them a small contribution to help in the struggle against hate.

Wall of Shame

With Democrats like these, who needs Republicans? These 14 Democrats, for whatever reason, voted to invoke cloture, which effectively stops debate, on the grossly misnamed Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 yesterday, virtually ensuring it’s passage later this week.

SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!

Biden – Delaware
Byrd – West Virginia
Carper – Delaware
Conrad – North Dakota
Johnson – South Dakota
Kohl – Wisconsin
Landrieu – Louisiana
Lieberman – Connecticut
Lincoln – Arkansas
Nelson – Florida
Nelson – Nebraska
Pryor – Arkansas
Salazar – Colorado
Stabenow – Michigan

So, why would these people sell us out like this? The argument that is frequently brought forth is that the Democrats are “keeping their powder dry”, in other words, saving real resistance and the power of the filibuster for some really ‘serious’ battle.

Well, I’m here to tell you that every battle in this legislative environment is ‘serious’.

I wrote recently about the move to kill the filibuster itself in “Shoes & Nazis”. On March 1, Senator Byrd gave a detailed historical look at the filibuster and the reasons for it in a speech on the floor of the Senate. Some say that it is fear of this ‘nuclear option’ that is keeping the Democrats from pushing the envelope.

If that is their reason, they couldn’t be more wrong!

First of all, the fight over the filibuster itself will come. As soon as Democrats find an issue they feel is ‘serious’ enough, the Repuglicans will try to use the ‘nuclear option’, so the Dems might as well fight them now.

Second, while the Dems hide out and wait for a ‘serious’ enough reason to fight, the lives of ordinary citizens of this country are being seriously devalued on a daily basis.

Please contact any or all of these sorry excuses for opposition and let them know how much you disapprove.

More Bushit!

Quotes are all from Bush at the National Defense University on March 8, 2005

“The people of Afghanistan have embraced free government, after suffering under one of the most backward tyrannies on earth.”

Actually, the government of Hamid Karzai has recently appointed General Abdul Rashid Dostum as his military chief of staff. General Dostum, who is one of the more powerful of the warlords that have ruled Afghanistan since the Taliban were removed, is the subject of numerous human rights complaints for over 25 years. Dostum’s forces have repeatedly contributed to the instability of Karzai’s regime. Including this warlord/terrorist in the official governing structure was done with the praise of the U.S. government.

“The voters in Iraq defied threats of murder, and have set their country on a path to full democracy. “

Actually, while freedom rings through Iraq, each day brings another atrocity. Yesterday, in addition to another suicide bombing in Baghdad, at least 35 headless corpses were found outside the city. For women, life in Iraq is much worse now. Also worth noting is Iraqi leader , Iyad Alawi has ties to the CIA and big oil. Coincidentally, so does Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan.

“The people of the Palestinian Territories cast their ballots against violence and corruption of the past.”

Actually, Yasser Arafat, who lead the Palestinian people for decades was elected leader of the Palestine Authority in 1996 in elections that independent international observers called “free and fair”. Elections in 2000 were postponed due to unrest in the region. It is worth noting that Arafat was also the co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994. Although Arafat has been accused of widespread financial corruption that hardly differentiates him from many other powerful leaders. The newly elected leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, has a background in the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Fatah, both of which have had involvement in terrorism.

“And any who doubt the appeal of freedom in the Middle East can look to Lebanon, where the Lebanese people are demanding a free and independent nation. In the words of one Lebanese observer, "Democracy is knocking at the door of this country and, if it's successful in Lebanon, it is going to ring the doors of every Arab regime."

Actually, almost simultaneously as Bush spoke, as many as 500,000 demonstrators gathered in Beirut to support a continued role for Syria in Lebanon. This was a sharp contrast to the estimated 70,000 who participated in the anti-Syrian demonstrations referred to by Bush.

As usual, the man is full of Bushit!

Can We Ever Quit Campaigning?

“Can we ever quit campaigning? There is not going to be another election until November of '06. What we ought to do is quit running ads and sit down and start figuring out how to solve this problem.”

Senator Mitch McConnell on Meet the Press – March 6 2005

Instead of complaining about Senator Durbin and the Democrats, McConnell should direct his comments to the Campaigner in Chief who’s leading an administration ‘barnstorming’ tour of the U.S. called “60 stops in 60 days”. The purpose of this non-election campaigning is to ‘educate’ the public about Social Security.

How much is this foolish obsession with killing Social Security costing us taxpayers?

Wouldn’t it seem that if there really was a crisis in Social Security, that the public would have ‘gotten it’ by now?

And what about those things that are either not being attended to or those that are being attended quietly in the shadows of the Social Security ‘crisis”.

How about the Bankruptcy Bill – which will most likely pass this week. Molly Ivins calls the origins of this bill “a gift to big bankers and credit card companies.” The two leading causes of bankruptcy are job loss and medical catastrophe. Bankruptcies brought on by medical catastrophe have risen by 2200% for the period 1981 to 2001, according to a study authored by two Harvard medical professors. According to the same study, 90% of medical bankruptcies occur in the middle class. Despite the rhetoric of Repuglican supporters of this bill, families that file for medical bankruptcy have undergone severe hardship previous to filing.

The thrust of this bill, which has been a priority for the credit card industry for at least 7 years, is to make it much more difficult to escape crushing debt through bankruptcy, regardless of the cause. Someone with severe medical problems, a catastrophic accident or job loss would be treated the same as someone who amassed huge gambling losses. Democratic amendments that would have protected home equity for the elderly or added protection for military veterans have been defeated. Even victims of identity theft would be more vulnerable under the new law.

Bush is Such a Liar

Bush is such a liar:

“One of the myths of Social Security is that your money is going into it and the government is holding it and saving it for you. That's not the way it works. Your money is going into the system and it's getting spent -- some of it on retirement benefits, other parts on just general government. And there's an IOU, a paper IOU accumulating. But it's not just sitting there. There's not an account with your name that's saying, on behalf of you, the government has now got your money. That's not the way it works. So it's a pay-as-you-go. It goes in and goes out.”

First of all, I don’t know anyone who thinks that Social Security saves ones own contribution in an account with their name on it.

Second, the Social Security Trust Fund was created to save part of the money until it was needed due to the baby boomer population bulge.

Third – on this Bush tells the truth – the Trust Fund has been used for other purposes. That should never have happened.

Fourth – Bush, and his buddies who misappropriated the Trust Fund, now want us to think that the system is “pay as you go” and “in crisis” so they won’t have to pay back what they stole. He says it himself, there are IOUs accumulating. Now is the time to call in those IOUs not overhaul the system.

Do we respond to a bank robbery by remodeling the bank building and lowering the interest rate on savings?

Shoes & Nazis

Senator Robert Byrd who in turn quotes Alan Bullock:

“But witness how men with motives and a majority can manipulate law to cruel and unjust ends. Historian Alan Bullock writes that Hitler’s dictatorship rested on the constitutional foundation of a single law, the Enabling Law. Hitler needed a two-thirds vote to pass that law, and he cajoled his opposition in the Reichstag to support it. Bullock writes that “Hitler was prepared to promise anything to get his bill through, with the appearances of legality preserved intact.” And he succeeded.

“Hitler’s originality lay in his realization that effective revolutions, in modern conditions, are carried out with, and not against, the power of the State: the correct order of events was first to secure access to that power and then begin his revolution. Hitler never abandoned the cloak of legality; he recognized the enormous psychological value of having the law on his side. Instead, he turned the law inside out and made illegality legal.”

And that is what the nuclear option seeks to do to Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate.”

Byrd gave one of the most significant speeches I’ve read or heard in a long time on Tuesday. If you’ve heard about it at all, it’s probably been from the main stream who fixated on the outrage of the right who say that Byrd called them Nazis.

Having read the entire speech, which I highly encourage you to do by clicking here, I can say that Byrd did not call the Republicans Nazis. He did however outline a series of tactics used by the Nazis to seize power. His warning is against the use of a similar tactic by the Republicans.

To any Republicans that find that warning engenders uncomfortable feelings, I quote my departed mother: “If the shoe fits, wear it!”

What Would You Do?

I got involved this morning in a poignant and interesting conversation on the LiberalPatriots blog.

I think it is worth your time to check it out as the general subject is of importance to any of us who have children or grandchildren.

The particular message thread I refer to is available here.

"Liberal Media" Liars

Yesterday I talked about how Bob Novak had completely twisted remarks made by Howard Dean at Cornell University last week.

Referring to Dean, Novak said on the Feb. 28 edition of Inside Politics:

“He spoke at Cornell University last week, and the only paper that covered this was "The Cornell Daily" student paper, and he said, yes, Social Security has a big problem. Over the years it's going to lose about 80 percent of the benefits. That, Judy, is not the Democratic line.”

Judy Woodruff attempted to cover for Novak on the March 1 edition of Inside Politics when she said:

“Bob Novak misquoted Governor Dean, it turns out. Bob tells us that he intended to report that Governor Dean said that in 30 years, if nothing changed, Social Security would be reduced to 80 percent of its current benefits. We apologize for the mistake and we're happy to set the record straight.”

However, both Woodruff’s apology and Novaks supposed intentions are belied by Novaks own words during the Feb 26 edition of The Capital Gang

“Howard Dean gave a speech at Cornell on Thursday of this week in which he said that 80 percent of the -- over the years, 80 percent of the Social Security benefits will lost. There is a problem. So Howard sometimes tells the truth.”

It’s quite obvious that Novak intended to mischaracterize and smear Dean and that Woodruff was attempting to smooth over it for him.

The mere fact that Novak is still allowed to appear on CNN tells us everything we need to know about both CNN’s character requirements and their political bias.

Just in Case

Just in case you didn't click on the link to the Repuglican National Committee Website in my previous post , Theives and Liars, the RNC has removed all trace of the Novak mischaracterization from their site. You can still read Novak's original lie here.

I think a little blog pressure has succeeded again.

Thieves & Liars

The Repuglican National Committee is perpetuating a lie told over the weekend by that old faithful servant of the fascist ruling class, Bob Novak on Inside Politics on CNN.

At a recent appearance at Cornell, newly elected Democratic Party Chair Howard Dean talked about the administrations’ drive to privatize Social Security. According to the Cornell Daily Sun:

Dean pointed out that, while he would not endorse this, if Social Security were left alone for 30 years, its benefits would be reduced to 80 percent of what it is now. He acknowledged that while there were indeed problems with the program, turning to Wall Street was not the answer.

But by the time Bob Novak finished reporting on the same appearance, he had Dean’s message completely switched around:

"[T]hey've got to really get Howard under control. He spoke at Cornell University last week, and the only paper that covered this was "The Cornell Daily" student paper, and he said, yes, Social Security has a big problem. Over the years it's going to lose about 80 percent of the benefits. That, Judy, is not the Democratic line. The Democratic line is there is no problem."

There is a huge difference between paying 80% of benefits and 80% of benefits lost.

The Repuglican National Committee is running Novak’s lie on their website, “In Case You Missed It.” Never mind the fact that the actual quote is available. Never mind the fact that the administration shill Novak has proven himself untrustworthy over and over again.

Apparently, it’s important for everyone to hear even as easily disproved a lie as this one.

Of course, the Repuglicans know that their base has no use for facts.

Zombies (really!)

Another further eruption of the obsessed relative has cost another pile of time and dollars. It’s truly amazing how much havoc one person of bad will can wreak. This week there will be courts involved so I’m a bit distracted.

On the other hand, it’s so easy to find other people who are having a worse time. Take the High School junior in Kentucky that was arrested and charged with a felony for a story he wrote in which zombies attack a fictional high school. According to Steven Caudill, a police detective in Winchester Kenucky, "Anytime you make any threat or possess matter involving a school or function it's a felony in the state of Kentucky,"

Eighteen year old William Poole remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center on a $5000 bond. Chances are, that’s enough to keep him there.