Why not a billion?

There is talk now of raising the reward for the capture of Osama bin Laden from a mere 25 million to 50 million. Is there any reason to believe this would be a good idea? The 25 million reward has been offered for two or three years and no one has stepped forward to claim it. Is the assumption that 25 million is just not enough to motivate someone to rat on him? You mean all those Middle-Easterners are just turning up their noses at a reward so niggardly? Does anyone believe they will change their minds now because instead of having far more money than they could ever spend they might now have double that amount? Frankly, it sounds to me like another stupid idea from an Administration that has been and continues to be a veritable hotbed of stupid ideas – like invading Iraq instead of concentrating on Afghanistan and bin Laden. Actually, like invading Iraq at all. But what do I know? What’s a few hundred thousand innocent lives here and there in the Blush/Cheney scheme of things?

Barbara Boxer and Richard Byrd are apparently going to hold Condi’s feet to the fire again tomorrow, along with a few other Democrats, or so I am led to believe. I can’t imagine that ultimately this will make much difference as she will almost certainly be confirmed. Republicans think she is perfectly well qualified to be Secretary of State and should be automatically confirmed. I guess they believe that a record of lying, incompetence, and slavish mindless hero worship are the only qualifications one needs for such a position. Wouldn’t it be great if every Democrat voted against her? Fat chance. But it would be even nicer and far more important if every Democrat voted against Gonzales. That would make it clear to the world that Democrats, at least, do not sanction torture, and also do not want a king instead of a president. I can dream can’t I?

Someone suggested to me the other day that George W. Bush is basically a good man who is simply being led astray by others. Other people have suggested that as well. Personally, I don’t believe it. There is nothing in Bush’s background that would lead me to conclude that he is a “good man.” As a youngster he blew up live frogs just for fun. As Governor of Texas he executed more people than any other Governor in history, and all of them with no more than a cursory and inadequate review of their cases. He even mocked one women who pleaded with him for mercy. Now he has personally authorized a totally unnecessary, illegal, unconstitutional, and totally immoral “war.” In addition to all this he was a drunkard, quite probably arranged for an abortion earlier in his life, failed to complete his National Guard duties and lied about it, was involved in very questionable business practices, and has, as near as I can determine, never told the truth about anything since his time in office. I fail to see how this qualifies him as a good man. Of course he claims to be a “born again.” I think he was born again to continue his evil, greedy, thoughtless, and completely uncaring ways. Am I prejudiced? You bet!