He's done it again!

Wisconsin man gets
30 months probation
for stealing dirty diapers.

Bubbblehead: I guess you are one of those who believe that anyone critical of Israel must be anti-Semitic. I have been very careful never to even use the word “Jew,” when commenting on the terrible Israeli/Palestinian problem. You have consistently used the term even though I have not (if I ever did it must have been exceedingly rare and unusual). I did not say Emanuel was in the Israeli military, I said he served with it, and as you acknowledge he does have at least the right to Israeli citizenship. I stick with what I said, he was a poor choice if Obama is to act as a neutral peacemaker between Israel and the Palestinians. I can’t stand Pat Buchanan, first of all he’s a Republican, and second he’s a terrible bigot. Even so I don’t think Israel is without fault, in fact a lot of fault, when it comes to the situation in the Middle East. Take your simple-minded anti-Semitic accusations somewhere else.

He’s done it again! Ex President George W. Bush admitted once again in public that he waterboarded Khalid Sheik Mohammed, and added that he would do it again if it would save lives. Leave aside for the moment the question of whether it saved lives (it apparently did not), and leaving aside the issue of whether torture even potentially can save lives (experts think not), waterboarding has been regarded for many years as torture. Torture is illegal according to U.S. law and a war crime in International law. So…Bush has admitted once again to being a war criminal. There is no doubt about the war crimes committed by Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice/and others. They should all be standing trial in the Hague or here in the U.S., but apparently Obama and Holder either don’t pay attention or simply don’t care. This means to me that confessed war criminals in the U.S. will not be held accountable either to morality, ethics, or law. It also suggests to me that when Holder now insists he will hold BP fully accountable for their actions he has no credibility. Personally, I don’t believe the Obama administration has much credibility when it comes to their desire for peace in the Middle East, their desire for an efficient and decent system of health care, confronting the Banks and Insurance Companies, ending the “war” in Afghanistan, stopping oil drilling, or even instigating meaningful change in any important way whatsoever. Things change but stay the same: more “war,” more secrecy, more debt, more huge mergers, more oil drilling, more environmental damage, more neglect of education, superstructure, poverty, immigration, foreclosures, more gifts to the corporations, more defense of the Israeli criminals, more war profiteering, and what have you. This is not to say Obama has done nothing, he has, but given what he is up against (corporate power, the party of NO, conservative Democrats, two “wars,” national debt, oil spill disaster, etc., etc., it is a wonder he has managed to do anything at all).

I realize what a crisis would be created if Bush/Cheney were to be tried for war crimes. I know that it has always been the practice of an incoming administration to not investigate the previous administration, but when have we ever previously had an administration that not only admits to war crimes but actually boasts about them? Perhaps this is a confrontation long overdue in U.S. politics. Obviously Obama’s critics would immediately complain that it was just politics, but it would not be about politics but about war crimes. Anyway it’s not going to happen. It’s just like good ol’ Joe Stalin said: “The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic.”

And speaking of unprecedented matters, when have we ever had a minority party that simply refuses to perform the duties they were elected to perform, refuse to cooperate in any way, and just say NO to everything that needs to be done for the country? Once the Republicans announced their pride in being the party of NO their pay should have been suspended until such time as they agreed to do their duty (I do not believe saying NO automatically to everything is doing their duty). What is worse, they have made no secret of wanting the Obama administration to fail. I see only a thin line between this attitude and outright treason.

As far as the lunatic fringe is concerned I doubt they will have much permanent effect upon much of anything, in spite of Chris Matthew’s attempt to make them more threatening than they really are. There has always been a lunatic fringe, it may be a bit larger at the moment than usual, and it may be more hostile than usual, but as they have no clear cut goals that make any sense, or any leaders that make much much sense either, I can’t see how they can succeed at anything (I am often wrong but I doubt I’m wrong about this). Who is going to lead them, Sarah, who is nothing but mouth? Romney the lying Mormon? Huckabee, a religious nut case, Gingrich, the pontificating hypocrite, McCain the senile loser, maybe Jeb Bush, another Bush? It seems to me this jolly band of teabaggers is intent on destroying whatever is left of the Republican Party, a party I have never liked or respected, but at least a party that once consisted of relatively sane, serious politicians (with perhaps honest but terribly misguided and false beliefs about government).

LKBIQ:
I think we agree, the past is over.
George W. Bush

TILT:
Spitting cobras do not actually spit their venom.