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I heard the President's speech today at the Navel Academy about a so-called plan for victory in Iraq. And I hate to admit it but I actually agreed with the main premise of his speech that we can't just pull out now. The simple obvious reason is the Iraqi's can't defend themselves against these "scum of the earth" maniacs, the media has labeled as insurgents. This opposition to human decency that has filled the power void we created in Iraq by disposing of Sadaam (even though he's still kicking) is possibily a greater threat with their killing of innocent civilians than Sadaam was.
But what infuriates me and I'm sure every other person that gets their information about the world and politics from any other source than Republican propaganda or "Rapture" seeking preachers is we are in this mess (we can't just pull out of ) because this President and his cohorts, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the other neo con advisors were dead wrong, dis-honest, and thoroughly incompetent in their justification and management of this war of choice.
What infuriates me is this war has not made us safer. It has not lessened the threat of world wide terrorism, and instead it has increased it by creating more terrorists and more people world wide that distrust and dislike the US. This initially, unnecessary war has killed over 2,000 US soldiers and countless innocent Iraqi people. It has cost the US taxpayer over $250 billion so far, while we are burdened with defecits and lack of funds for basic needs at home. It has opened up Iraq to unbelievable corruption and dishonesty by the administration's hand picked
corporate cronies assigned the lucrative re-building process. It has strengthened our real enemy, Al Qeada, and sadly and stupidly diverted our attention from eliminating them. It has strengthened the Taliban's dangerous re-positioning in Afghanistan, because of our lack of focus on the real enemies. It has strengthened the repressive theocracy of Iran and their hatred of America and it has given these Mullahs and their poisonous anti-American, anti freedom repression a very strong foothold in the new government being formed in Iraq. And it has created a new threat in Iraq suicide bombing of innocent men, women and children.
The most infuriating part of all of this mind boggling incompetence and abuse of political power by the President and his men in waging this war on terror on the wrong battlefield is we have to wait three more years to hold them accountable for this mess they've got us into with no exit strategy.

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Black Friday came and went, but not without some startling revelations about this culture of affluence and false needs we've created for oursleves in the good old USA. People actually camped in lines Thanksgiving, I guess bypassing the family holiday, to be the first in the stores the next day to get the retail values. One can only wonder if they ate turkey in line? Perhaps this is the start of a new tradition: Tailgating Thanksgiving dinner in line to get a bargain the next day. When you observe this dumbing down of our culture and family values, it's easy to see how Bush and the Republican propaganda machine can win elections selling Republican voters policies that harm rather than help them.
Longs Drugs wins the award for the first disposable TV set for a Black Friday bargain. They ran a 5" Curtis brand black and white TV with a radio for $6.99 after a on pack rebate. There is a significant social and economic statement here, that I'm having trouble defining, but a TV set should not cost less than deluxe burger at a fast food joint. Maybe it's because the burger is bio-degradable and the TV set is plastic made of oil, and eventually ends up in some junk pile littering the earth. But on the other end some poor Chinese worker probably made .02 cents making the TV, which bought his family some greens to eat. All part of the global consumer economy.
Most of the really rich Republicans that benefit from Bush's tax cuts made their money selling something. And even if they didn't get their money from some sort of sales, their revenue base flourishes when consumers drive our consumption based economy by buying stuff and lots of stuff such as on Black Friday. So why don't they get it with these tax cuts? It seems like it would dawn on these Republicans that in the short run they are going to get a little richer with the tax cuts, but in the long run they are going to get a whole lot richer if this $80 plus billion in tax cuts found it's way into the pockets of all those not in the top 1% or even 10% of income earners in this country. This $80 billion plus needs to get in the hands of those people standing in line Thanksgiving night waiting to buy and buy on Friday morning, not the super rich who according to Bush are going to drive the economy by trickling down their riches. The recepients of Bush's tax cuts don't stand in line Thanksgiving night to save a couple of bucks.

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John Fogarty, the former lead singer of Creedance Clearwater Revival, on his last solo CD that came out about two years ago had a anti Iraq war song (boy was he a prophet) he wrote titled "Deja Vu all over again". I mention this because it keeps ringing in my ears as I read and hear the Bushies go on the attack to defend their "war of choice" in Vietnam.....oh I mean Iraq. It's almost the same rhetoric word for word 30 plus years later only from a Republican President and VP this time rather than LBJ then.
But the same old crap that any criticism of this mess the Bushie's got us into is undermining the troops and supporting the enemy. What really is undermining the troops is that they are there in the first place and they got there by one of the biggest deliberate con jobs by a President and his men to take us into a unnecessary war. What really is supporting the enemy is the unmistakeable, and unprecedented incompetence of the Bushie's in waging this war, and the unbelievable partisan propaganda overkill in support of the war.
The criticism of the Vietnam war was different because it was led by courageous and principled patriots in the Democratic party, Eugene McCarthy, Bobby Kennedy, George McGovern and even a reluctant Hubert Humphry. Unlike this current crop of Republican goose stepping partisan politicians these Democrats put their party support aside for the troops and what was best for their country and went after a fellow Democrat LBJ because the war was a mistake.
It is just astonishing that a guy like John McCain could withstand being tortured for many years as a prisoner and not have the guts to take on Bush and Cheney and Rove because they are all fellow Republicans. How and when did Republican partisanship become more important than doing what is best for the country? This is the biggest corruption of the Republican party. They have managed to politicize right versus wrong. Forget about the criminal indictments, Delay, and Libby, forget about all the investigations, Rove and Cheney and the intelligence these are small time compared to the raw arrogance and partisan propaganda that support of the party right or wrong is more important than support of your country.

Way to go Bill, too little too late, as usual. Former President Bill Clinton finally came out and criticized Bush's incompetent handling of the war speaking to American students in Dubai.
One can only wonder when Hillary will get the courage to speak up?

Isn't it amazing that some of Clinton's harshest critics and supposedly pillars of Republican moral values have published fictional books loaded with sexual scenes bordering on porn.Bill OReilly depicts a aging pimp having sex with two 15 year old crack "hos". In Scooter Libby's book "The Apprentice" he begs for a new definition of perversion when he describes a 10 year old prostitute in training being forced to couple with a equally trained grizzley bear in a cage. What kind of demented mind (remember he was the chief of staff for the Vice President) comes up with this sickening and disgusting sexual fiction. How do all these Christian value phoneys like James Dobson and Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, and their brain dead followers deal with this perversion in their political heroes. There sure ain't nothing like this in the Bible.

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I will never buy another Toyota and I will never say another good thing about them , even if they are a leader in hybrid technology with their Prius.....oops, never again:
They removed their advertising from one of the best shows on TV "Nip/Tuck", because they got a lot of letters from "the parents television council". Another one of these evangelical christian groups trying to tell us what to watch and how to think and how to vote. I can't stand these people. I wish I could tell them to mind their own damn business and if they don't like a cable TV show (you have to pay for cable) don't watch it. If these religious fascists ever get any more power we are going back to Scarlet letters and witch burnings.
Don't you get it Toyota? This is censorship by econimic extortion. These fanatical christian goose steppers are not going to buy more of your cars than the people like me who appreciate your hybrid leadership, but will never, never, never, buy one of your stinking cars again, even if it runs on air instead of gas, as long as you give in to this un-American censorship.

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What is the Christian Broadcasting Network? What is the "700 Club? Who's spokesperson Pat Robertson is a raving screwball who cloaks his evangelical Fascism under the guise of being religious. Robertson is an American version of the fanatical mullahs in the middle East that program the suicide bombers and honor the ends justify the means of their followers self destruction. Robertson's latest mouthful of intolerant phony, God talk was that "disaster might strike Dover Pa." because they voted out board of education members that wanted their schools to teach "intelligent design". He continues to get away with this crap, even calling for the asassination of a South american President. He is not held accountable by the Bushies who count him as part of their base, nor his followers in the 700 club, who prove without a doubt that these kind of Republicans define ignorance.
These same people who accept Robertson as a religious spokesperson also get their political education from the likes of drug addict, Limbaugh and the biggest hypocritical coward in the media Bill OReilly. OReilly who writes novels with characters that sexually abuse under age women. And who in his real life got caught sexually abusing one of his ex-staff members, has the nerve to preach to his listeners if Al Qaeda attacks San Francisco "were not going to do anything about it". I guess he means the Republicans in power, who he and his Fox news network are the media pimps for. People who count intolerant talking heads such as OReilly as credible spokespersons for their political values are either undeniably stupid or undeniably un-American.

The Republicans running Congress breathe new life into every old cliche. The latest "you don't bite the hand that feeds you", was never more apparent when they refused to ask the oilmen testifying before them the other day about their excessive profits, to do it under oath. Of course they had no problem putting baseball players testifying a while back under oath. I wonder who donated more to their campaigns and PACs?
What a joke this whole media event was. After the oil companies report record breaking profits from outrageous retail gas prices during the summer (when everybody drives more), they are marched before Congress to say "we didn't do it on purpose, it just happened", and "don't worry we will use these excess profits (after we pay ourselves big bonuses) for more research and development"....wink wink.
Even "tricky dick" Nixon went after the oil companies with price ceilings. But not the Bush family. Who owe their whole family history of financial success and political power to oil pay offs and bail outs. Especially the President, who was bailed out of every financial failure (every business he was involved in) prior to becomming Texas Governor by his dad's middleastern oil buddies. If anybody is surprised by the sheer incompetence of this Bush Presidency in every thing from Iraq to Katrina they weren't paying attention to George W's perfect record of failures in every business he was in before becomming Governor.
Where can I buy a bumper sticker.....I didn't vote for these fools!

For all those veterans who died in Vietnam and now Iraq, rest in peace.

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A majority, 6 memebers, of the Kansas state board of education proved without a doubt they were lacking in "Intelligent design" when they voted to flunk the real scientifc evidence in evolution and put it on an equal level with religious faith in their school systems. What's next ascension to heaven on an equal basis with gravity. Or the world is flat because you can see it ends at the horizon? In India and China they're pumping out scientists to understand the future and control it. Here in America, if it's up to Kansas and the religious right pulling the Republican's strings these days, I guess we will be left to praying our future turns out OK?

How have we regressed this far in just 5 years of Bush/Rove's bullshit political policies pandering to their base while they open up the US financial pantry to the rich and conservative corporate interests that paid to put them in power? What's happening in France right now with the rioting could be our future if the Republican's keep stealing from the middle class and the poor to give to the rich in this country.
Aren't most of these French rioters Muslims? I don't get it, I thought Islam was a peaceful religion, except for the terrorists,? I know economic need often trumps religion, but come on maybe this gives an explanation why there are not many Muslim democracys, and another reason why our policy in Iraq is a fools game.

You get what you pay for and you get what you vote for and in California we got Arnold. When a whole lot of Republican and corporate money turned the voters in California into movie star groupies and they voted this clown into the Governor's office it was almost as bad as those fools in Minn. who voted in even a bigger clown Jesse Ventura. But I guess this is what politics has become these days, with enough dollars and dirty tricks and lies any dummy can even become President. Ventura was an embarrasment and they dumped him quickly but he never pulled a costly stunt like Arnold just did with this needless and expensive special election. In a nearly bankrupt state this cigar smoking buffoon who got into office on the claim he would take a bi-partisan approach to solving the state's financial woes; Just pissed away about $60 million tax dollars to hold a special election to give him more power to push his once covert Republican/Bush agenda. In true Republican style he attacked the middle class and the poor, teachers, nurses, firemen and their safety net unions to sell his Republican partisan politics.
Thank goodness the groupie voters came to their senses and realized what a fraud and con man this two bit movie star is and soundly defeated his costly and unethical power grab. But unfortunately for the Democrats and the unions, fighting off this unecessary, ruthless Republican power grab cost them millions of dollars from their campaign coffers and will put them in bad financial straits fighting off the next Republican power grab financed by a bottemless well of right wing and corporate campaign funds. What you won't read in the mainstream media is how Arnold "took one for the Republican team" but ultimately hurt the Demos and unions severely by sucking all the money out they could use for future campaigns and issues. Maybe even his re-election campaign........politics Republican style is dirty, dirty business.

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Steve Martin, the actor, comedian and now best selling novelist seems to be about as likable as a celebrity can be? Yet in the new movie version of his book "Shopgirl" he plays an inexplicable cad. The film is beautifully shot and acted, but the story, although cinematically well told, is totally improbable. Jason Schwartzman is so badly cast as a leading man it almost makes his scenes unwatchable. Yet, Claire Danes rescues the film and makes it thoroughly engrossing with as hearfelt and empathetic a performance as one is likely to see this year. Martin certainly deserves credit for inventing her character in his book; but if they gave an Oscar for casting Ms. Danes as the shopgirl, this movie deserves it.

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Prior to the Bush administration's pre-emptive, mostly uni-lateral invasion of Iraq, there were some serious investigative media reports about the Bushies fine tuning the intelligence they were getting about Iraq to support their rush to invasion. the best article was by Seymour Hersch in "The New Yorker" a couple of months before the war. Mr. Hersch is a pretty credible source having been the one to discover the slaughter of Vietnamese women and children led by a Lt. Calley in Mai Lai during the Vietnam War. He's a Pulitzer prize winning journalist and investigative reporter.
However his warnings about the neocons " stovepiping" the intelligence reports (only sending to the media and the President, the intelligence that supported the rush to war and disregarding the facts that didn't support the invasion) got easily buried in the Republican propaganda machine in full voice including Judith Miller and even the New York Times leading the pack.
So now two years into this bungled war, over 2,000 Americans dead, and billions of tax dollars squandered, some Democratic Rip Van Winkle congress people have awakened to the facts screamed at them by Scooter Libby's indictment, that the Bushies doctored the intelligence reports on Iraq and went after anybody that didn't support their position.
When the history of the Bush Presidency is written, unless the Republicans take over the Universities, it will surely state this was the most corrupt and dishonest Presidency ever, and hopefully it will include the mainstream media's, and the opposition party's leaderless complicity in this blatent abuse of political power.

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Today this once great country and specifically the criminal justice system in Texas hit an all time low. Political mafioso, Tom Delay, and his high priced partisan whore of an attorney Dick DeGeurin, got senior judge C.W. Bud Duncan to set a precedent sending the Texas criminal justice system back to the days of good ole boys in white hoods, and wink and a nod trials.
Duncan recused judge Bob Perkins from presiding over Tom Delay's trial because Perkins is a Democrat and contributed in the past to Democratic candidates and organizations.
Of course after C.W. ruled he had no comments. But district attorney Ronnie Earle said two very important things: "There is no precedent for recusing a justice based on political contributions" and "we cannot afford to make integrity a partisan issue".
"Witnesses on both sides testified to Perkins reputation as a fair and honest judge".
So, doesn't this raise some compelling questions? Now, your honor, senior judge C.W. Bud Duncan, are you a Republican or a Democrat? Did you ever donate to either party? did you ever receive campaign funds (judges are elected in Texas) from Delay or Dick DeGuerin or any of their Republican pacs or friends?
Now lets take this precedent a bit higher, Mr. Scalia and Mr. Thomas aren't you card carrying Republicans? What candidates and organizations did you contribute to in the past? Uh, Mr Scalia didn't you go duck hunting with your buddy, Republican Vice President, Dick Cheney.
I just don't get it? How does this corrupt bastard, Delay (former pest exterminator) get away with this stuff? First he changes the rules on the Congressional ethics committe and removes members who don't support him which results in shutting down the ethics committee, so he is never held accountable for his political corruption. And now he flips a senior judge in Texas to set a precedent so far reaching it could dismantle the criminal justice system, just to cover his ass.
And you know what? If he's not in jail, he will probably get re-elected by those dumb shit Texas Republicans whose whole political education comes from Limbaugh, Hannity and their Republican preachers. Hell, even if he's in jail, they probably will still vote for him.