Karl who?

I find it completely amazing that Karl Rove seems to have disappeared from view, at least in the media. He was supposed to be indicted some time ago but so far has not been so indicted. So what's going on? Has Fitzgerald concluded he has no case? Is he still negotiating some kind of deal? Does no one care one way or the other, which appears to be the case? I hate suspense so either do something or give it up.

It is interesting to note that precisely one year after Dick the Slimy said the resistance was in "its last throes," we are now committing more troops into Iraq. At least 2500 troops stationed in Kuwait are now on their way to Anbar Province, an area in Iraq that is apparently completely out of control. Will 2500 more troops make any difference. Doubtful. But they will make it possible I guess for us to commit ever more war crimes.

Speaking of war crimes, it seems we have piled war crimes upon war crimes, upon war crimes and there is no let up in sight. Haditha, it turns out, is nothing but just one more example of what has been going on since the illegal war crime invasion of Iraq. And, according to some who profess to have been there, is not even the most egregious example.

The House, which reacted initially with great anger because the FBI searched the office of a Congressman suspected of taking bribes, has had to simmer down a bit and acknowledge that even Congressmen are not above the law. The issue now seems to be not what the FBI did but, rather, the arrogant storm trooper way they went about it. So it turns out no one is above the law except Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld and Rice and, and...

Another General with first-hand knowledge of the Iraq "war" and Rumsfeld has now come out and accused Rummy of unnecessarily killing American troops because of his arrogance and failure to listen to anyone. Imagine, Rummy arrogant! Seems unbelievable. I haven't worried enough about his arrogance, being too concerned over his total incompetence. He has never been anything except a senile old know-it-all. Will Bush ever get rid of him? Of course not. He has bigger problems on his mind.

Like gay marriage. The Republicans, doing the bidding of their lunatic religious bigots, are resurrecting the problem of gay marriage. Never mind Iraq, Iran, immigration, the national debt, torture, war crimes, corruption, and whatever, we need to worry about gay marriage. Once they get some attention on this total non- problem they will start in again on abortion and flag burning. Why not, it worked for them before, and they certainly can't try to run on anything else as they have totally screwed up everything else beyond belief. Just watch, they're going to let a Democrat win the next election, try and fail to clean up the horrendous mess they have made and then return to power once again. No one is going to be able to clean up this mess and re-establish the U.S. as a credible bastion of anything but corruption and greed. Bush/Cheney have done their job. They and theirs can take the money and run. Indeed, this is what Bush has been saying all along - the "war" on terror will continue after I am gone (he doesn't actually thumb his nose at us in public).

At least we won't have gay marriages and abortions and flag burnings destroying the very fabric of our society. Heavenly days.

Things continue to go well

In case you are not watching or paying attention, you should be advised that things in the Middle East are going well. In Kabul there were large anti-American riots sparked by an accident by our military that killed a number of civilians. It was so bad Kabul is now under lockdown. As most of Afghanistan is under the control of warlords and drug dealers, as it was in the beginning, it is probably fair to conclude that we aren't having much success there. Even so, CNN, after reporting on the anti-American riots had to tell us that things were not really so bad - schools were being built, children were in school, and etc. How many schools? Where? I assume mostly in Kabul and even that capital city is beginning to erupt.

Iraq had another particularly bloody day with several car bombings and deaths. I guess you might say this is pretty typical. The Iraqis are apparently upset because we are constructing a billion dollar 104 acre embassy, the largest anywhere in the world. This is because we are planning to withdraw our troops as soon as possible (except for those who will have to stay to defend the embassy and the other permanent bases). As in Afghanistan, outside of the "green zone," we don't appear to control much of anything

In Guantanamo 75 prisoners have gone on a hunger strike in sympathy with two others who have been on such a strike for a long time. I guess conditions must be improving there. I wonder if any of the 60 children being held there are engaged in the hunger strike. Probably not, children might still have some remote hope.

An article on Buzzflash says that Bush's act of contrition when he held his Press Conference with Blair was not genuine but carefully choreographed. Buzzflash sometimes thinks we are all kind of stupid. Of coure it was choregraphed. When in the hell has he ever done anything that wasn't carefully choreographed to a selected audience? It's true there were British reporter there as well as American, but they, too, didn't really press him on anything. Mustn't irritate the Emperor. I'm surprised that Steven Colbert is still walking around on two unbroken legs.

Barry Bonds finally hit one more home run that Babe Ruth so he is now second on the all time list. Anyone think he has another 40 left in him? I doubt it but there are wonder drugs these days, especially for old guys like me.

Bonners Ferry held its annual Memorial Day Parade. If you have never seen a small town Memorial Day Parade you just haven't lived. Man, there are horses, horses and buggies, bands, classic cars, fire trucks, antique tractors, beauty contestants, politicians, boy scouts, and this year, for the first time, boats pulled on trailers. A big crowd and nothing but excitement for about half an hour. There weren't any logging trucks this year. I thought that was strange.

I think there will be no immigration bill this year. And if there is, you'll wish there wasn't. I'm not a praying person, but if I was I'd be praying every night that we won't have Hillary running againt McCain, two fakes in search of the unholy pot at the end of the rainbow. I'm holding out for David Duke vs Alan Keyes.

Winning hearts and minds

I don't know who first brought up the slogan "winning hearts and minds." But is there any reason to believe this was a goal of the U.S. even from the very beginning of this obscene illegal "war?" It was all "shock and awe" from the start. The massive bombing that killed civilians indiscriminately, the brutal searches of Iraqi households and arrests of innocent people, the trigger-happy shooting of cars and people, Abu Ghraib, renditions, and now the Habitha massacre. Way to go, Bush/Cheney, this is certainly the way to win over hearts and minds.

Given the facts it is impossible to believe that winning hearts and minds was a goal of this administration - ever. Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice and the other neocons obviously didn't give a damn for Iraqi hearts and minds. It was all oil and control of the Middle East (which it still is). It is amusing that people, even people presumably in high level positions, still talk about when U.S. troops will come home, want a deadline, dream of a White Christmas, and other fantasies. I will repeat it for the nth time: Bush/Cheney/et al have no intention of bringing troops home from Iraq. They refuse to give a deadline, refuse to admit they are building permanent bases, say only when "Iraqis stand up, we will stand down." Crap! We will stay militarily in Iraq until we are forced out by someone (an unlikely scenario at the moment). Of course the Iraqi disaster will eventually collapse just as we collapsed in Vietnam. It probably would have by now if we had a draftee army instead of an all volunteer army (that hardly anyone cares about except the families of the volunteers). This is like a "war" taking place in a galaxy far away. The mainstream press and television mostly ignore it in favor of American Idol and car chases. It has long since passed being front page news. War? What war? The idea of a 24 hour news channel might have been a good idea - if they would actually give us any news. They spend hours on a car chase, days on a missing girl, weeks on topics that are so inconsequential as to be pathetic, all the while ignoring everything else going on in the entire world. The basic idea seems to be that U.S. citizens don't really need or want any news, what they want is entertainment. And they even fail at that, offering programs so miserably awful that no one with an IQ of more than 50 will even watch them, except the 15 year-old children for whom they are made and who by now don't know any better.

There is no way the United States is going to spin its way out of this mess. Bush/Cheney and the neocons are criminals, and what is worse, war criminals. They are guilty of the most heinous crimes against humanity. The U.S. will never regain any standing in the international community again until these thugs are held accountable for what they have done. Don't even think of impeachment. That would be far too mild a punishment for their mass murder and torture.

Reflections on toilets - essay

As usual there is very little more to say about the criminal behavior of the Bush/Cheney Administration. Nothing they do should surprise anyone anymore. They are an out of control criminal gang that so far no one seems willing to curb. Indeed, as near as I can tell, most of our elected representatives seem bent on supporting their criminal activities no matter how egregious. I am tired of having to dwell on the sewers of Republican politics so I intend to raise the discussion to a higher level. Thus I offer some comments on toilets.

When I was a boy, quite some time ago now, I spent every summer on my grandparent’s farm. There was no indoor plumbing in those days. We had an outhouse. It was about 50 yards from the house. A two-holer. It was very common for outhouses to have two, and sometimes even more places to rest your bottom. People were not shy or embarrassed about this and it seemed not to inhibit your bodily functions at all. For nightime, especially for wintertime needs, we had chamber pots. Once plumbing moved indoors you never saw this anymore. We just assumed that a bathroom was a private space with one toilet where you went to perform your daily tasks. I have never seen a bathroom in a home with more than one toilet in it. Somehow this became associated in my mind with modesty. Now I realize that modesty had nothing to do with it. It was all economics. It is just too expensive to have more than one toilet. But you still see multiple toilets in places like army barracks often with no separating partitions. But even this is growing more rare and single stalls are certainly the rule in public bathrooms. This is too bad in a way. My cousins and I used to sit in the outhouse for long periods of time, secretly smoking, and having conversations we would not want heard by adults. Ah, nostalgia.

Another interesting thing about toilets is the variation you find in them. In the United States toilets are pretty standard. Indeed, the common toilet is called the American Standard. Not so in the rest of the world. I won’t go into the horrors of toilets in parts of France, or even worse arrangements I have encountered in places like Tonga or New Guinea. Here I am interested only in the variation you can find in quite ordinary, perfectly respectable toilets. Consider flushing, for example. On a recent trip to Europe the first toilet I encountered was flushed by simply pushing a button on top of the water cabinet. The next toilet, however, flushed by pulling up on a button on top of the cabinet. You only had to lift the button about half an inch. But then I encountered a similar arrangement where you had to pull the button out a full five inches to make it work. Another one had a button installed in the wall next to the cabinet and still another had a highly polished chrome circle the size of a basketball on the wall above the cabinet. In the center of this was a button, easily the size of a softball, that you pushed. You wondered if what they really wanted was your fingerprints. I have also encountered toilets that you flushed by stepping on a pedal on the floor. Fortunately, (I guess its fortunate), the older toilets with the water cabinet high above and a chain to pull, are about as dead as the dodo bird.
This creativity in flushing methods pales in comparison with the problem of toilet paper. I am convinced that whoever it is that designs toilets pays no attention whatsoever to human anatomy when it comes to placing the toilet paper. They must think we are all contortionists of one kind or another. In many, if not most bathrooms, the toilet paper is held on a convenient kind of spool that is within easy reach of a normal human. However, sometimes they place the paper down low on the wall either some distance to the right or the left. To reach it you have to contort your body into a most uncomfortable position. In one bathroom the toilet paper was on a roll immediately in front of your eyes, except that it was so far away you could not easily reach it without arising from the throne. In another you had to remember to remove the paper before you showered or it would immediately become soaking wet (more about showers at some other time). One bathroom in a rather expensive hotel had no place for toilet paper at all except simply on the back of the water cabinet. So you had to reach back over your head and hope to encounter it when needed. Still another arrangement, that I am still pondering, had the toilet paper on a kind of metal hook-like thing mounted underneath a shelf. It was not stationary but moved so that if you tried to get it with one hand it would move back against the shelf and the paper would not unroll. It was mounted in such a place that using both hands was virtually impossible. I finally found a toilet that was a dream. There was one roll of paper on the wall to the left and within reach. There was another roll on the wall on the left within ten inches of your head and still a third roll on the right within eight inches of your head. A wonderful arrangement that was, in its way, every bit as ridiculous as all of the others, but highly functional.
I’m not one concerned much with standardization. I admire creativity wherever found. But when it comes to toilets and toilet paper I do wish they’d pay a little more attention to what they are supposed to be doing. They obviously build the bathroom, install the toilets and sinks, and only then consider the question as to where they might place the paper. This is all wrong. They should build the bathrooms around the paper.

"Stuff happens"

In the immortal words of our brain dead Secretary of Defense, when told that looting was out of control in Iraq, "stuff happens."

So, yes, stuff happens. And just as Rummy did in Iraq to prevent stuff from happening so it is that the Bush/Cheney Administration does stuff to keep things from happening - that is, nothing. So what stuff is happening at the moment?

First, the Senate passed a "Comprehensive Immigration Bill" that is so absurdly ridiculous I thought Lou Dobbs might have a heart attack right in the middle of his program. This is a bill obviously bought and paid for by the Corporations who want a continual supply of semi-slave labor. You might not realize this when you consider there are supposed penalties for those who hire illegal aliens. But it is a bill that contains provisions for amnesty (although they don't call it that), a guest worker program, and other provisions to help illegal aliens to become citizens. But you have to realize there is no funding provided for this, no way it can ever be enforced, and so ultimately it will ensure the status quo (which, of course, is what the Corporations and our President want). And oh, yes, I forgot, at the very last minute an amendment was added to the effect that the U.S. cannot build a wall without first consulting with Mexico! Now, before you conclude that our Senators are completely stupid (arguably) consider that they know full well this bill will never pass in the House of Representatives (who claim to be totally opposed to amnesty in any form). Does this mean the House and Senate will eventually agree on an immigration bill? Of course not.

Members of the House are just as much interested in their Corporate "nooky" as our Senators. They know that by taking an impossible position like insisting on closed borders first the whole project will fail. No bill will pass. The status quo will be preserved and House members can bask in all their patriotic glory (we tried, but the democrats and liberals just wouldn't give in). Corporate power will have won once again and illegal aliens will continue to stream across the border unfettered by any realistic opposition (just as they do now).

No one in either the House or the Senate is apparently giving any attention whatsoever to the impossible costs and virtual impossibility of doing anything about illegal immigration, they are paying no attention to the will of the American people, and they continue to shamelessly aid and abet Corporate fascism.

Other stuff happened today as well. After only four short years of trying, and millions of dollars spent, Skilling and Lay were convicted of fraud, basically on all counts (Skilling was acquitted of insider trading). Prosecutors were quick to point out that this does not mean anyone who lost their job or retirment will benefit - but it will prove that Corporate fraud will not go unpunished. With the deep pockets Skilling and Lay have from all the money they fraudulently obtained they can no doubt appeal this conviction endlessly. This means that in my lifetime (which is getting shorter day by day) they will probably never go to jail. I hope I am very wrong about this and that they do serve some time (like 25 or more years each).

Other stuff happened. At least two more American troops were killed in Iraq, bringing the total deaths now to 2,400. How many wounded is probably unknowable. Some 330 people have died in Afghanistan in the past few days, including women and children, mostly do to our indiscriminate bombing. But we no longer bother much with trivia like that. Iraq and Afghanistan have long since disappeared from the front pages of our major newspapers. But if it is any consolation consider that 94.3 million people voted last night on American Idol, more votes than any President has ever received in the history of the United States. I guess we know where our priorities are.

The Iraq government (such as it is) has requested a timetable for the withdrawal of American and British troops. Blair and Bush have refused, saying, as usual, it will depend upon conditions on the ground in Iraq. This means we have no intention of withdrawing troops from Iraq, have never had any such intentions, and quite likely never will (until perhaps there is no longer any oil to be had). Do not forget, we are building a billion dollar Embassy compound and at least four permanent bases in Iraq. Perhaps the Iraqis can turn them into kindergartens, if there are any children left in that unfortunate beneficiary of American benevolence.

WAR CRIMINALS BELONG IN JAIL, NOT IN THE WHITE HOUSE!

What more is there to say?

Everything that might be said about the miserable Bush/Cheney Administration has been said hundreds of times over by now. But nothing happens. They just go on blissfully giving their speeches, pretending to "lead," lying and cheating all the way to the bank, pushing policies so stupid as to be beyond belief. The current immigration reform is a good case in point. Bush's plan to send 6000 National Guard troops to the borders is so pathetic and transparentely useless as to be undeserving of comment.

More importantly, his support of Olmert's plan to unilaterally define the borders of Israel is even more ridiculous. You want to guarantee centuries of violence? Ignore the Palestinians and arbitrarily define your own borders. I think every country should be able to do this. I'm certain that many countries are not completely satisfied with their borders so why should they just not change them arbitrarily, unilaterally. What a terrific idea. Kashmir would be a good place to start, there's been a lot of trouble about the border there. I think Japan and Russia still have some problems over control of certain islands. This could be solved by Japan just deciding where they want the borders. There is just no end to border problems that could be solved in this way. Way to go Olmert and Bush, way to go!

Iran has been making all kinds of overtures to the U.S. about face-to-face discussions of mutual problems. The Bush/Cheney Administration, true to form, refuses. What's the point of having discussions about your problems when you can just continue to threaten and escalate and eventually have another "war." Actually, I think they won't enter into talks with Iran because they know their position is totally without foundation. And they also probably worry that Bush will make an even worse fool of himself. Diplomacy does not seem to be his strong point. Does he have a strong point? If so, please advise me as to what it is.

Dennis Hastert, ex wrestling coach, is now apparently being investigated by the FBI for bribery and corruption. Ho-hum. Rove remains unindicted. Rice continues to prattle on, Cheney has been kind of quiet of late, Rumsfeld, well Rummy just continues to be his usual senile incompetent self. And, of yes, as usual, progress is being made in Iraq. Things are going very well. Our billion dollar embassy and permanent bases are almost complete. Whee!

I almost forgot. You can "cure" homosexuality by having them beat on a pillow with a tennis racket. CNN seems to think this is newsworthy.

Meddling

meddle - to interest oneself in what is not one's concern. Webster's.

There is a lot of talk these days, on the part of various U.S. dignitaries, about meddling. Condi Rice, for example, has warned repeatedly that Iran should not meddle in Iraq. She has also warned Russia that they should not meddle in the affairs of their former satellites. Bush, just yesterday I think it was, warned of "an erosion of democracy in Venezuela and Boliva" (ignore the unbelievable stupidity of this remark) and consider the rest of his statement, they should not meddle in the affairs of other countries. Similarly, Bush/Cheney/Rice/Rumsfeld are concerned that Arab countries should not meddle in Palestine, China should not meddle in Taiwan, and, in general, no other country should meddle in the affairs of the United States, and so on and on.

Is this not carrying hubris a bit too far? What, for example, is the U.S. doing in Iraq if not meddling? What were we doing when we meddled in Iran and installed the Shah? When we meddled in Venezuela, Peru, Columbia, Bolivia, Afghanistan, and so many other countries? Indeed, it is fair to say we are the most persistent and troublesome meddlers of all time.

If I were an Iranian, knowing that Iraq was occupied by a hostile U.S. I would certainly regard it with "concern." I should think the Iranians have a lot more business meddling in Iraq than we do. If I were in Venezuela I would certainly be concerned with U.S. meddling in Bolivia and other countries. Likewise, if I was Russia I would certainly be concerned with what is going on in the Ukraine. So how is it that we can warn all the rest of the world about meddling when we are constantly, incessantly, brutally and militarily meddling all around the world?

Does this not imply that everything that goes on in the world is our concern? And does not that imply that we believe we should control events everywhere? And does that, not in turn, imply that we regard outselves as an empire. THE empire! Thus it is that we don't meddle whereas everyone else does.

The fact is, meddling is hardly descriptive of what we do. Meddling sort of implies a kind of busybodiness, a sticking your nose in where you don't belong, something like the neighbors telling you how to treat your lawn. We don't meddle. We attack and destroy, murder and pillage, overwhelm with military force, demand obedience, threaten and starve, replace entire regimes, expect to be obeyed or else. I guess you can't call that just meddling. But it certainly is amusing to listen to Condi and Bush and Rumsfeld try to tell Russia and China and Iran to stop meddling. American hypocrisy truly knows no bounds. Think of it. It would be hysterically funny if it were not for the fact that we have lunatics sitting on the most powerful weapons on earth.

Don't f... with the Lone Ranger!

Anyone remember Karl Rove?

You know, Karl Rove, the evil brain behind the no-brained George W. Bush. The guy who looks like a marshmallow with glasses but inside is a seething mass of vicious unprincipled hatred for all things democratic. It was announced some time ago that he was to be indicted for his involvement in the Valerie Plame affair. Leopold assured us this was a done deal and it was only a question of a few days. My wife and others insisted Rove would be indicted soon. I said I'd believe it when I saw it on some kind of national news (even the ass-kissing major media presumably couldn't ignore this). So...I haven't seen it. Now it appears perhaps I won't ever see it.

So what is going on? I find it impossible to believe that Rove is entirely innocent of being involved in the outing of Plame. Is he perhaps striking a deal with Fitzgerald to rat on Bush/Cheney in return for leniency? Is the prosecutor's case so weak he doesn't think it will win? Is Fitzgerald biding his time going for bigger game (think Cheney)? Is Rove not cooperating because he knows Bush will pardon him anyway? Do liars and cheats thrive in the Bush/Cheney era? Do bears do it in the woods?

I have no idea what is going on with respect to Herr Rove. I do believe that Rove, Libby, and others were intimately involved in outing Plame and the impetus to do so came from Cheney. This seems to me to be so obvious as to not be much of a problem for a superprosecutor like Fitzgerald. But hey, like I say, what do I know?

In the meanwhile we continue to deal with the two problems designed to keep our attention away from the real problems: immigration (a problem totally without any quick solution) and gay marriage (a total non-problem but sure to keep out minds occupied with trivia instead of Iraq, the national debt, health care, etc.). We'll probably find flag burning back on the agenda soon - especially now that Hillary has joined the chorus (I guess she likes the company of idiots).

A very wild and premature prediction: Al Gore will be the next President and Bill Clinton will become Secretary of State. Keep your eyes on global warming and the environment - winners in 2008. The wheels are already turning.

There is no here, here

No doubt you all remember Gertrude Stein's statement, "there's no there, there." Why this was regarded as profound escapes me. This, I think, is in the same category of adored prose as Fitzgerald's (or was it Hemingway's), "the rich are different. Yes, they have more money." I could never understand why either of these was ever considered anything other than rather stupid things to say, but said by famous people. What do I know?

When it comes to here, however, I think there is no here, here, at least not anymore. I was born here, raised here, and still try to live here. But the "here" of my life and experience did (does) not consist of endless war, endless lies, endless secrecy, endless war crimes, endless debt, endless incompetence, endless stupidity, endless graft, endless warprofiteering, endless greed, endless corruption, and endless support of the status-quo. So, the here I have experienced no longer exists. There is no here, here, as far as I can tell. Confused? So am I.

I know nothing of economics (which is, as far as I can tell, truly a "dismal" science). I also know nothing about business, especially big, huge, corporate business. So will someone please explain to me how it is that Toyota, Honda, and now Kia, can build billion dollar plants to manufacture cars in the United States when American businesses claim they have to outsource or move overseas? And, on a more inconsequential matter, how can furniture stores sell furniture with nothing down and no payments or interest for X months? I have wondered about this for a long time. I once saw some graffiti that said, "please help Peter Rabbit, please." That's the way I feel about this. So please?

As there is never any real news on weekends or CNN let me close with this gem from our handicapped fake President. He has apparently signed something or other designating May 29th (Memorial Day) as "a day of prayer for permanent peace." As the so-called Bush doctrine calls for permanent war, and as Bush/Cheney's military-industrial complex expects, even requires, permanent war, this would seem somewhat hypocritical. Actually, this goes beyond the bounds of just the normally hypocritical Bush/Cheney crap, reaching up into the stratosphere of hypocrisy, the apex, so to speak, of hypocrisy, indeed, even the super-duper of hypocrisy. This is the hyper-arrogant, "when you're slapped you'll take it and like it" hypocrisy.

Remember, though, he might be a little slow, but he's a regular guy just like us. The kind of guy you'd like to have a beer with. People like him. May the Great Mystery have mercy on all our souls.

People like him?

Karl Rove, evil Rasputin of the Bush/Cheney Administration, claims that in spite of his low poll ratings, "people like him" (Bush, that is). I guess it depends upon what "people" is. Certainly I don't like him. I don't actually know anyone who likes him. Of course I live in the reddest of red states but even here I've never heard anyone claim to like him (of course I don't move in circles where that might occur). At the same time Rove makes this claim there is a piece on Buzzflash that claims people are fed up with Bush's "personality." I don't know how you reconcile these claims. It does seem to me that with a favorable rating of 29% and apparently sinking there can't be too many people who like him. What do I know.

In an effort to keep morialekafa from sinking even further into a darker funk of despair, depression and hopelessness, let me try a joke. If you have heard this before, forgive me. If you are put off buy mild bathroom humor, forgive me. If you are sick to death of the "nightmare years," forgive me. I did what I could to keep him from getting elected. I did what I could to stop his insane and unnecessary "war," I marched, I wrote letters, I did my puny best. Anyway:

There was this man who became upset because his farts went "honda." This wasn't really too bad but it was very irritating and he could not understand it. So he went to his doctor.
The doctor examined him, and interviewed him, and concluded he had no idea why his farts went "honda."
He sought a second opinion, and then a third, and no one could come up with an explanation.
Finally, in desperation, he went to a Chinese doctor. This venerable old soul examined his behind with great care and then announced, "abscess!"
Abscess?
Yes, "abscess make de fart go honda."

Yeah, I know. I apologize. I am desperate. I think I first heard this from some folk singer.

It seems the fighting in Afghanistan is now worse than it was in 2001. Another Bush/Cheney success.

Iraq now has a new cabinet - except for two or three of the most important and controversial positions. Progress? Bush/Blair will try to use this as an excuse to exit if they can. As in Vietnam we can claim victory and leave (except, of course, for the billion dollar embassy and the permanent bases).

Ethnic cleansing is now going on in earnest in Iraq. People who can afford it are leaving the country. In areas where there are minorities they are being forced out under penalty of death. The country is breaking up, predictably, into three separate groups, Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiites. Civil war continues. Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice continue their "winning ways." Progress, Bush insists, is being made. I guess it depends upon what progress "is."

Six thousand National Guard troops to the Mexican border is being exposed for the utter nonsense it is. Sensenbrenner and his lunatic supporters apparently will not give in to any form of humanitarianism, preferring to label 11 million or more hispanics as felons to be sent back to Mexico (the effect of this on the Mexican economy would be disastrous but who cares about stuff like that).

There is at least some reason to believe that Al Gore may consider running once again for President. Personally, I think he is the only viable Democratic candidate. I hope he does it, even though I think he would be crazy to do so. If he does he will be making the greatest personal sacrifice for his country probably in history. Who would want to have to clean up after this disastrous Bush/Cheney debacle? He (or she) would have to do everything that would be virtually impossible to do - raise taxes, somehow reduce the obscene national debt, curb corporate power and control, restore America's standing in the International community, do something important about global warming, stop warrantless spying, deal with rampant corruption, prosecute war profiteers and criminals, a corrupt Supreme Court, and etc. In order to do this he/she would obviously be seen as a failure no matter how successful they were (because, of course, it would be an impossible task). It will involve a personal sacrifice so profound as to be virtually unthinkable. If Gore would agree to take this on we would have to swear allegiance and support no matter what agents of destruction attempted to stop him. If not Gore, who? Think about it. Hillary? McCain? Frist? Biden? Kerry? Edwards? Lieberman? Jeb? Oh, I know, just the person - Rice (try not to throw up).

I like Al Gore. I believe he is most probably our only hope. I think he would be crazy to do it. I hope he does it. After all, he was legally elected President in the first place.

Abandon all hope, Ye who live here

It has been obvious for quite some time now (certainly since 9/11) that the inmates are in charge of the asylum. How else can you explain the hopeless mess Bush/Cheney have gotten us into? There is no point in reviewing all this: the lies that led us into an unnecessary "war," the completely mindless tax breaks for the obscenely wealthy, the attacks on the environment, the denial of global warming, the scandals upon scandals upon scandals, treason, war crimes, lies upon lies upon lies, endless unjustified claims of secrecy, warrantless spying on U.S. citizens, and on and on. Even though all this is perfectly obvious by now to anyone with even a partial brain nothing happens to curb it or even to seriously investigate it. It has become so bad I think we may, indeed, have to abandon all hope.

Consider what is going on at the moment. Forget Iraq. Forget Afghanistan. Forget North Korea, Iran, whatever. The problem is immigration (no one seemed to worry much about this until a couple of weeks ago even though it has been a problem for years and years). Suddenly it has become urgent. The response (thoughtless and basically useless) is to build a billion plus dollar fence for three or four hundred miles (this will leave an even longer fence to built eventually). Why do they want to build this useless, stupid, provocative three tiered fence? Why, because they don't want to just enforce the laws that already exist about hiring illegals (a much more sensible and far cheaper solution). Why don't they want to enforce the laws? Because the corporations and agribusinesses that thrive on this primitive system of near slavery might have to pay a little more for their help). Why will the fence help (if, indeed, it even will help), because we will also instigate a "guest worker" program, an idea even more stupid than the fence and one that has proven in Europe to be an abject failure. Happily, it appears there cannot possibly be an immigration bill this year.

Now, if this immigration farce isn't enough to distract you from Iraq and Afghanistan (where things are much worse now than they were a year ago), involve yourself in the attempt (again) to make marriage strictly a business between one man and one woman (a constitutional amendment). This is, of course, a complete waste of time as it is already known that it can never pass in the Senate. But it does keep one focused on utter nonsense instead of anything meaningful, like "war," starvation, war crimes, the national debt, illegal wiretapping, the best Senators and Representatives money can buy, the obscene and out of control national debt, treasonous "outings," intelligence failures, and scandals as far as the eye can see. (and even farther).

There is no knight in shining armor mounted on a great white stallion waiting in the wings to rescue us. Hillary Clinton has reduced herself to a hopeless buffoon, McCain is even worse. Frist, Santorum, Biden, Lieberman, Kerry, Edwards, and others collectively don't seem to have the wherewithal to get elected god gave a horse's ass. The Republican party is in big trouble but the Democrats don't seem to care much. They are even going out of their way to prove just how toothless and cowardly they really are.

Of course from the Bush/Cheney point of view the useless fence isn't useless at all. Who is this one billion plus dollar fiasco going to benefit? Why, those very same defense and other contractors who ripped off billions in Iraq and New Orleans,who else? And just think, this will be a never-ending source of taxpayer dollars because there will still be hundreds of miles of fence remaining to be built along the Mexican border (miles to go while you still reap) and then (mana from heaven) even more miles to be built to keep out those dangerous Canadians with their high-powered marijuana. When we are finished building the fences we can consider thoroughly mining both coasts. Then finally, in one unprecedented technological American innovation, we can build a dome over the entire U.S. (that certainly ought to keep us safe from those terrorists with their shoe bombs and box cutters). The future looks secure if you are a greedy, unprincipled, warmongering, Republican corporate whore, with no more regard for your fellow citizens than for cannon fodder.

I am still waiting for Rove to actually be indicted. I will only believe it when I see it on national tv or in a major newspaper (not that they could be trusted to get it right, or even report it at all). Man, these are happy times.

A Passion for Liverwurst - short story

Watch 'n Wait: I sooo hope you are right. In the meanwhile:



Lady Brownsville-Fox was a large and imposing woman. She could not fairly be described as fat, but was just plump enough to be sensitive about her weight. She was often on whatever diet fancied her at the moment. Of course none of them lasted for more than two or three days, but she always felt better for having made an effort. Recognizing she was not beautiful, she dressed fashionably in expensive clothing, attended carefully to her hair and jewelry, and used makeup intelligently to emphasize her complexion, by far her best asset. If one were called upon to describe Lady Brownsville-Fox in a single word it would have to be as “dignified.” Dignity was the most outstanding feature of her personality and was immediately recognized by all. She was one of those British ladies who would much prefer to die than give up her dignity. Paradoxically, she professed to like best those individuals who were honest about their vices. She did not apply this standard to herself.
Lady Brownsville-Fox had a secret vice, a passion for liverwurst. When desire overcame her she went secretly to a Jewish Delicatessen and ordered a liverwurst sandwich. She pretended it was for her husband and her personal distaste was communicated by holding the package at arm’s length until she left the Deli. Of course she always consumed her sandwich in private, as it certainly would not do to allow anyone to see her eating such a questionable “lower-class” delicacy. Similarly, while she had been carrying half a liverwurst sandwich in her purse for part of the morning, she realized she would have to dispose of it before boarding the plane. Furtively, with regret, she took a huge bite out of the very center and casually tossed the remainder into a convenient garbage disposal before taking a seat in the waiting area.
Lady Brownsville-Fox was returning to London after visiting her mother in Miami. After her father died, her mother had rather startlingly, in fact, shockingly, remarried too quickly to be entirely respectable. Not only that, she married a handsome but decaying American that, in his retirement, was little more than an expensive beach bum. After several years Lady Brownsville-Fox barely recognized her mother, now burned dark by much too much sun and wrinkled like a raisin. She thought her mother was completely, as they say, “dotty.” Nonetheless she felt duty bound to visit occasionally even though she did not like the United States, especially Florida.
Lady Brownsville-Fox was proud of her independence, symbolized most importantly by the fact she had demanded to keep her own name when she married, even though her husband bore a much more renowned name. Of course she kept a separate bedroom, bank account, and even a small and private vacation cottage. Likewise, she did not always accompany her husband on his many diplomatic trips abroad. Thus she did not understand her mother’s subservience to her husband, especially as she knew they must exist primarily on her mother’s money. How else could they afford the large elegant house on the beach and the yacht moored nearby? She also knew, or at least thought she knew, that her mother constantly nourished her mate’s fragile ego. Lady Brownsville-Fox believed she had a gift for understanding people. She could just look at a couple, even for the first time, and understand what motivated each of them and what their lives were like. She thought this ability came from the Brownsville side and was infallible.
It was while she was indulging in such thoughts the dog first appeared. A large and quite handsome German shepherd on a leash. A man in uniform was on the other end of the leash. The dog went directly to her handbag and began sniffing excitedly. The Officer looked carefully at Lady Brownsville-Fox and tried to lead the dog away. The dog persisted until the officer was forced to ask, “Ma’am, what do you have in that bag? This dog is trained to find drugs and he sure seems to think he has found some.”
“I beg your pardon,” Lady Brownsville-Fox replied. “Do I look like the kind of person that would be carrying drugs?”
“No Ma’am, but why else would the dog be so interested in your bag? Would you mind if I just have a look?”
“Yes, I do mind, but go ahead and look. And be careful, there are important papers in there.” She angrily handed over her bag.
The officer looked carefully, and finding nothing suspicious, returned the handbag. “Sorry, but I had to know.” He forcibly removed the dog and the pair moved on.
Lady Brownsville-Fox was not stupid. She realized immediately what it was the dog smelled. But of course she could never admit to carrying a liverwurst sandwich in her handbag, no matter what. She breathed a sigh of relief, a sigh that was unfortunately premature as a few minutes later, as she moved through security, the same dog attached himself vigorously once again to her elegant handbag. The checker searched the bag and found nothing while Officer Sampson watched with interest.
“Do you have any explanation for why the dog would be so interested in your handbag,” Officer Sampson asked. “Might you at one time have carried drugs or something in there the dog could be smelling?”
“Of course not,” Lady Brownsville-Fox snapped. “I have no idea why the stupid dog might be interested in my bag. There must be something wrong with him. I think this is outrageous. Perhaps the dog was not well trained. Does he never make a mistake?”
The Officer, knowing the dog was extremely well trained, and also experienced, was suspicious. “I’m sorry Ma’am, but you’ll have to come with me.”
“Come with you? Where? Why should I come with you?”
“I want to have you examined by one of the women. It will only take a short time and perhaps we can clear this up.”
“Clear what up? This is absolutely outrageous,” Lady Brownsville-Fox spoke in a loud and agitated voice. “I am to be examined like a common criminal? This is quite unthinkable. I refuse.” She was so angry she began to sputter and search around for sympathy.
“If you refuse I will have to place you under arrest,” the Officer said firmly. “Come along now.” He took her by the arm and began moving her toward a nearby door. She acquiesced as she could not resist without making a scene.
“Officer Gannon, please search this woman thoroughly,” he instructed a large uniformed black woman . “I think she may be concealing something.” He closed the door to what appeared to be a large dressing room.
“Now just take it easy. This won’t hurt a bit,” the black woman said kindly. ” I’ll have to ask you to remove your clothing. You can hang your things there.” She motioned to some hooks on one wall.
“Remove my clothes!” Lady Brownsville-Fox exclaimed. “Never! Do you know who I am?” she demanded.
“It doesn’t matter to me who you are,” the Officer said calmly. “This is my job. If you refuse to cooperate we will have no recourse but to arrest you. Please cooperate. It will only take a couple of minutes and there’s nothing to it.” She looked carefully at Lady Brownsville-Fox and, having been raised in the streets, knew intuitively this was a mistake. There could be no way such a person would be, or even could be, concealing drugs or anything else. Nonetheless she had her orders. “Please ma’am, just take off your clothes and let me have a look.”
Lady Brownsville-Fox was so upset she began to turn red. “I’ll have you know my husband is the Earl of Sandhill! He is presently the British Ambassador to Luxembourg.” In spite of her much cherished independence Lady Brownsville-Fox was not adverse to appealing to her husband’s name and authority when it was needed. “He will complain to the Airline. You won’t have a job much longer.”
Officer Gannon looked directly into Lady Brownsville-Fox’s eyes. “You are not cooperating,” she said. “And you are now threatening me. Do you know how much trouble you could be in? You could go to jail for this. I suggest you calm down and do as you are told. I could, you know, ask for assistance, and we can forcibly remove your things and search you.”
Lady Brownsville-Fox suddenly realized the seriousness of her situation. No matter what her husband might be able to do she did not want to go to jail. She removed her expensive travel jacket and wriggled out of the skirt, hanging both items carefully on the hooks provided. She stood there in her overly feminine lingerie, now just a somewhat dumpy, frightened, middle-aged woman.
Officer Gannon looked her over carefully. She felt her initial appraisal was right. There was no way this pathetic woman could possibly be hiding anything. She felt sorry for her. “Okay, put your things back on.”
“She’s clean,” Officer Gannon reported. “There’s nothing.”
Seated on the plane at last, Lady Brownsville-Fox observed a ripe middle-aged man being very oversolicitous to the fading beauty that was obviously his wife.
He’s not in love with her, Lady Brownsville-Fox concluded. He has a mistress or a lover. She knows it but is enjoying the attention.
She leaned back into her comfortable first-class seat, a humorless but triumphant smile of victory on her face, her guilty secret secure.

Can reality be denied?

A very interesting confrontation is beginning to take form. As you may know, Al Gore is touring the country with a documentary called An Inconvenient Truth. This is, I am told, a fine discussion of global warming (I have not yet seen it). Big Oil, however, is paying big bucks to something called The Competitive (Comparative?) Enterprise Institute to produce at least two ads suggesting that Gore and others are merely alarmists and there really is no global warming. As every respectable scientist in the world believes human activity is, in fact, causing the dangerous warming of the planet, it will be interesting to see if the oil giants manage to totally contradict reality. The fact that they are even trying is shameless beyond belief. This is not a case in which people are arguing which is the best way to cut up a chicken. This is a serious business which will affect everyone living on this little planet of ours. The oil barons apparently don't care what happens to us eventually as long as they can continue to make their obscene profits (I guess they think they can take them along on the rapture). Al Gore should have been our President in 2000. Does anyone really think we'd be in this complete mess if justice had prevailed? Only in America, I think, could the most qualified person ever running for President be passed over for an utter fool.

Former Admiral Bobby Ray Inman, also former head of NSA, has come out and said there is no legal justification for what Bush/Cheney are doing with respect to illegally spying on American citizens. Interesting that no one seems to be much concerned about it. Democrats are just as bad or worse when it comes to such things. We seem to have developed an entire race of do-nothing Representatives and Senators. Oh, wrong, the Senate did something. They voted for the most stupid quick fix for the immigration problem they could find. Build a big fence (they probably won't fund it so perhaps it doesn't matter). I can only repeat: INCUMBENTS OUT! No matter who replaces them it can't possibly be as bad as it is now.

There is a documentary out called Bagdad E.R. Excerpts were shown on Democracy Now. I confess I cannot watch it. I tried but there is no way I will watch it. The Pentagon, which apparently gave it its blessing initially has now come out against it. They fear it will cause veterans to relapse into post-traumatic stress and even make people not want to serve at all. Wouldn't the latter be a blessing? It just makes me sick and more opposed to Bush/Cheney and their horrific "war" than ever. I sincerely hope I can live long enough to see them pay the consequences for their unbelievable murderous reign. I cannot understand how they can sleep at night. They clearly lack some basic human qualities that most other people have - like empathy, compassion, reason, decency, conscience, shame, guilt, and so on.

Well, maybe he isn't

I'm sorry but I just cannot keep up with the Rove story. First it is reported that he is going be indicted. Then it is suggested that he might not be. Then it's on again and now it's questionable once again. What the hell is going on? What I want to think is that Rove is being offered a deal - rat on Bush/Cheney and go free, refuse and go to jail. But what do I know. Nothing. I'm from Wallace, Idaho. Speaking of Idaho, there is a list of states on Buzzflash that purports to tell you how they feel about Bush. Idaho is the only state that doesn't even appear on the list. So much for Idaho.

Karl Rove seems to think that people really like Bush even though his ratings are somewhere approaching below zero. Rove thinks it's just the Iraq "war" that is bringing him down. Rove apparently moves in precisely the same circles as Laura (somewhere in the misty light). I guess Rove thinks the American public is too stupid to understand that Bush is a pathological liar and a generally disgusting human being, to say nothing of a war criminal.

One of my readers (I think I only have two or three, but they are really good ones)suggested that I conider the Army Civilian Inmate Labor Program (which I was only very dimly aware of). So I googled it. I didn't have time to pursue it in depth but I can tell you that it frightened me no end. It's true, there is an official policy that allows the Army to set up "camps" on Army bases where prisoners (from prisons and jails) can be held to perform labor services for the Army. Apparently at least 12 of these "camps" actually exist and vary in size from pretty small to pretty large. I saw no indication that these were somehow voluntary possibilities for prisoners (but honestly I haven't had time to really look into it). What is even more frightening is the fact that there exists a possibility for other than prisoners to end up in one of these camps (like, perhaps, anyone who doesn't agree with Bush/Cheney?). When you also remember back a few months (or maybe longer) that Halliburton (or some subsidiary) was awarded big contracts to build huge facilies for housing people (in case of national emergencies) it does make you wonder. One of these, I believe, is being built nearby in the Okanaugan.

I hate to be an alarmist or unnecessarily paranoid but I can't help it. I was opposed to an all volunteer army to begin with as such an army is not beholden to the nation but, rather, only to whoever pays them. I didn't think this was a good idea (although I don't think the draft is a good idea either). I don't like the fact that the U.S. has also been hiring mercenaries in Iraq and even here in New Orleans. I don't like the fact that the Bush/Cheney Administration has been trying to use the military for various domestic reasons. And I don't like sending National Guard troops to our southern border, thereby militarizing the border with Mexico. As I don't believe a single thing this Administration says I cannot be comforted by their contiually insistence that we should somehow "trust them." I don't. I think they are the worst bunch of liars and hypocrites, to say nothing of greedy bloodsucking war criminals that ever existed (at least in the U.S.) and I WANT THEM GONE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. EVEN SOONER.

What Iraq "war?" What national debt? What scandals after scandals after scandals? The critical and urgent problem is immigration reform. But we can't leave our Corporate masters without their mass of cheap labor. They might have to raise the minimum wage. My god!

Bush on Immigration

For the first time in six years I actually watched a speech by George W. Bush. I confess I only watched it because I thought he would fall flat on his face. It was a tricky subject. For days this speech was touted as an important speech on the problem of immigration, especially Mexican immigration. How would Bush handle it? How could he please his ultra-right base that wants all illegal immigrants labeled as felons while at the same time pleasing the more sane members of the United States? What would he say? Would he take a genuine leadership role? Would he continue to insist on a guest worker program? Amnesty? Whatever. Actually, I thought he did pretty well, everything considered:
He appeared to be very clean. He must have had a recent shower.
He wore a nice suit (one of his $2000 jobs, no doubt).
His makeup was fine
His tie was nicely knotted (Laura?)
He read his 17 minute speech flawlessly off the teleprompter (he has really improved at this over the years).
He even seemed, for a change, to understand what he was reading (I found this a pleasant surprise).

So what did he say? Did he demonstrate the leadership that everyone said we needed on this monumental issue? Well:
He said immigration was a problem
He said it was imperative to act (why this is imperative is not clear as it has been going on for decades with nothing but benign neglect)
I guess it is now imperative because it has become a viable political issue and, as a political issue, cannot be ignored.
As a response to this (now suddenly emergency issue) we will send 6000 National Guard troops to the Mexican border.
It is not very clear what they will do, but they will not be actively engaged in actually arresting anyone, detaining anyone, or otherwise acting as law-enforcement personnel. They will simply offer "support" to the border patrols. And yes, we have enough National Guardsmen to do this without negatively affecting other duties, such as getting murdered in Iraq, dealing with floods and national disasters, and so on.
And, this is to be simply a temporary measure, until another 6000 border patrolsmen (or women) can be trained and funded (where the money is coming from to do this has not been discussed. No doubt we will just borrow another billion or so from China).

Having now effectively gained control of our border:
How to deal with the millions of illegal aliens already here without labeling them and all who support them as felons subject to deportation (how you might arrest and deport eleven or more million individuals when you are stone broke is not too clear).
Furthermore, if you were to deport them all who would provide the cheap labor necessary to keep a lid on decent wages? We'd have to have a guest worker program (as far as I know all guest worker programs have failed dismally).
But what about those aliens who have been here for a long time, have families, homes, pay taxes, and so on? Well, if they qualify, and if they pay a $2000 fine for having entered illegally, and if they learn to speak English, and whatever, they can eventually "earn" citizenship.
But this would constitute "amnesty" critics say. No it wouldn't say Bush and his supporters (all three of them).
Except for a very brief mention of it he said nothing about enforcing the laws against hiring illegal aliens (can't upset the corporate masters).

In other words, Bush said nothing that has not been said for days on end. He provided no leadership, no new or viable ideas, no solution other than a temporary band aid that probably won't even be funded. He will not even have satisfied his racist, fundamentalist "base." He will have, for the moment, done nothing at all. But, hey, things could be worse (maybe).

On another front, have you noticed that nothing can be investigated anymore? Not Libby, not NSA, not 9/11, not anything, because anything you want to investigate these days involves sensitive national security secrets that cannot be compromised. How convenient. I guess this means we will never be able to investigate Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, or anyone else in this Administration. How wonderful for them. But don't you feel that maybe you might be just a bit "short-changed?"

Hillary and McCain, I fear, in their quest for power, have both gone completely "off the dead end." Can't someone tell them, politely or not, they have already "flunked out?" If they haven't the American electorate has - again.

I guess he is

Today is Independence Day in Paraguay, for those of you who need reminding.

My wife informs me that Rove is definitely indicted as it was apparently announced on Friday. Why something like this would be announced Friday afternoon, which is when bad news is usually announced, I cannot say. I will believe he is indicted when I see it reported in a major newspaper or news broadcast. Some think Rove will now break down and spill the beans over the whole rotten mess. I hope so but won't believe it until I see it.

Laura Bush says she does not believe the American Public despises her husband in spite of the polls. She claims that where she travels people continue to say "stay the course," and praise Bush. So where does she travel and who does she talk with? Obviously the few loonies that would support our moronic President even if he were caught having sex with a goat on the White House Steps. They would no doubt argue it would be good for the economy - you know, a fertility rite. I guess when you have a total imbecile for President you can't expect much more from his wife. I must admit, he has learned to read by now at about a 7th grade level. And he reads, with pretend sincerity, any kind of outrageous trash they put in front of him.

According to something I read today some 91% of Democrats can be said to be unhappy with the Democratic leadership. So what does Hilary do? She joins in against flag burning, tries to compromise on abortion, joins forces with Rupert Murdoch and in general turns to the the extreme right. I guess she thinks the unhappy Democrats want the leadership to be more like Republicans. I'm sorry to say it, but Bill and Hilary have completely sold out to the right. I guess those huge book advances put them into a different frame of mind (so to speak). When I see Bill hugging former President Bush it makes me sick.

Of course this is bad, but nothing compared to McCain's sell-out to the far right. His commencement address at Falwell's "University" was mostly a defense of the Iraq "war" (a totally indefensible event). McCain is a hypocrite and an opportunist of the worst kind, to say nothing of a genuine warmonger.

So they found handwritten comments by Dick the Slimy on a New York Times article published days before the Plame scandal broke. So what? It was obvious from the very beginning, even to the less astute like me, that Cheney would be behind it. I cannot believe what seems to surprise people these days: Bush/Cheney lied us into "war," they lied about WMD's, they lied about torture, about the connection between Osama and Sadam, and etc., etc., etc. Why any of this should continue to surprise anyone is totally beyond my primitive comprehension. These guys, from Bush/Cheney to Rumsfeld/Rice, and all the rest of them are, and have been, liars and war criminals from the very beginning. So, Nancy, by all means let us not impeach them or censure them or make them accountable for their murderous illegal, immoral, unconstitutional, unconscionable, horrific deeds. Let them move to Paraguay with the blood on their hands and their ill-gotten fortunes.

Our country and political system is sick and beyond redemption until we are rid of this miserable cabal. Where is a Washington, Lincoln, or FDR to save us now?

Is he or isn't he?

One article I saw claims that Rove has told Bush/etc. that he is going to be indicted. But another article seems to indicate this is not definitive and that Fitzpatrick has so far only requested an indictment. So what is it? Will he be indicted or not? What I want to know is what difference does it make? Rove is at the moment only a political advisor. So unless they put him in solitary confinment what would keep him from continuing to do the same thing? This would seem to be the case whether he resigns or not. Or am I missing something important here?

The Iranian President (or whatever he is) sent a long letter to Bush suggesting they get together and talk about their differences. Bush, predictably, refused. After all, why whould you try to discuss your problems when you can just continue to threaten to bomb them if they don't do exactly what you want? This is a classic case of Bush/Cheney "diplomacy."

Condi Rice and Donald Rumstupid have refused to allow the Red Cross access to our various prisoners hidden here and there in torture chambers around the globe. Hiding prisoners from the Red Cross is a war crime. Oh well, this is the Bush/Cheney Administration. What do they care about war crimes. One more, more or less, can't make much difference.

The White House is criticizing the Chinese for their military spending. Can you believe this? An administration that is spending more on the military than all of the rest of the world combined is criticizing another country for military spending? Chutzpa doesn't even begin to describe this. Neither does arrogance and stupidity. In fact, I don't know if a term even exists to describe something so intrinsically insane.

McCain/Falwell. Hilary/Murdock. What does that tell you about the condition of American politics? Sadly, it tells me much more than I really want to know. If it comes down to a choice between Hilary and McCain you can count me out.

This brings me to Nancy Pelosi, who, if the Democrats would happen to actually win back the House, would be the majority leader. She has promised the corporations there will be no attempt to impeach Bush/Cheney. You get that: SHE HAS PROMISED NOT TO ATTEMPT TO IMPEACH BUSH/CHENEY!!! What in the hell is this all about? Even if she does become leader what gives her the right or the power to decide for all the rest of us what might happen to Bush/Cheney? Personally, I don't think they ought to be impeached either. They should be immediately arrested for war crimes, sent to the Haig, and tried by the International Court. In case you haven't noticed by now, there is something rotten in Denmark (and above all in the United States).

I have a suggestion for the elections in 2006 and 2008: VOTE ALL INCUMBENTS OUT! NO EXCEPTIONS! Our political system has become so corrupt, so overcontrolled by corporate interests, so beholden to special interests, there is simply no other alternative - unless, of course, you are partial to fascism and dictatorships.

Oh, yeah. The Israelis are going to unilaterally decide the borders of Israel and Palestine (no doubt with the collaboration and blessings of the U.S.). I bet that is going to work just fine. Just continue to keep your heads up there where the sun don't shine and all will be well.

God, it's great to be home.

Why all the fuss?

So....it turns out that NSA has been collecting a huge data base consisting of virtually all phone calls made in the U.S. Some profess to be outraged at this blatant violation of law and constitution. Remember, Bush told us that they only illegally wiretapped phone calls between suspected terrorists, not phone calls between U.S. citizens. Now we know this is not true. They wiretap illegally everyone. So, ho hum. Bush admitted previously he was illegally wiretapping. No one did anything about it. There is no reason to suppose anyone will do anything about this latest escalation of illegal wiretapping. Oh, yeah, Arlen Spector will make noises about doing something but he won't actually do anything. And Democrats will express some outrage but they, too, won't do anything. I mean, after all, what is this, the seven hundred fifty seventh scandal of the Bush/Cheney Administration? We have now apparently reached the point where nothing, absolutely nothing, is going to surprise anyone and there is simply no point in trying to do anything about it. As Democrats are powerless (but don't really seem concerned to do anything anyway) and Republicans control everything and have no intention of giving up power no matter how corrupt their administration, we can only expect more expressions of outrage and more meek surrender to incompetence and criminality. The big four, Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice, continue to screw up everything they can while demanding the rest of the world do everything they can to be not like us (be democratic, moral, upstanding, etc., etc.).

The Palestinians had a democratic election. No one has suggested it was anything but legitimate. Hamas won. The U.S. and virtually everyone else has now refused to support them. So much for democracy. We are witholding aid, including medical aid, to punish them for democratically electing their own candidates. While I am not certain of this, I believe using medical aid as a weapon is most probably another war crime. Oh, well, what's another war crime to this administration? Sanctions, that's the ticket. We all know how successful sanctions were against Iraq (some 500,000 innocent children dead) so now we will use them against the Palestinians and perhaps against the Iranians as well. Who cares if a bunch of children die, after all, we know from our own genocidal experience that "nits make lice."

One of the absolutely worst movies ever made was Waiting for Mr. Goodbar, starring one of the worst actresses ever, Diane Keaton. The interesting thing about this movie was that there was not one single character with any redeeming virtue whatsoever. This seems to be the case now with respect to our political situation. There is no Mr. (or Ms.) Goodbar. I fear my depression may be changing into hopelessness (and hopelessness is what we must fear above all). God, these are wonderful times, the first years of the 21st century, the NIGHTMARE YEARS.

No final straw?

Well, morialekafa is back from his time in Norway. It turns out he has many more relatives there than he ever dreamed. It was wonderful but we are very tired.

I must say I am amazed to learn that nothing much has happened in my absence. You know the sayings, "the straw that broke the camel's back," and "that is the last straw," and etc. Apparently when it comes to the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice Administration there is no such thing as the last straw. One might argue that after the Republican brownshirts disrupted the vote count in Florida and the Supreme Court gave the election to Bush that was the last straw. I guess it was only no straw. Then there was the invasion of Iraq, against the wishes of virtually the entire world, still not the last straw, then torture, then Katrina, the out of control national debt, outing Plame, the medicare fiasco, prostitute in the White House, Abramoff, DeLay, Frist, etc., etc., etc., and still no final straw. If each of these had occurred in any other administration it would have been finished long ago - but not this one. Talk about teflon!

So now we have Bush still pretending to be Presidential, Cheney pretending to be Vice-Presidential, Rumsfeld pretending to be Secretary of Defense, and Rice pretending to be Secretary of State, all ignoring the obvious fact that virtually no one but the apparently totally demented has any faith anymore in anything they do. Talk about surreal, this is surreality carried to a previously unknown dimension. Even Rove remains unindicted. Republicans, I guess, have a true soft spot in their hearts for war criminals and liars.

Pelosi, I read, has said no impeachment (democrats assume they will actually win something for a change). I agree. No impeachment. Why bother with anything so time-consuming when they could simply be arrested and tried for war crimes as they ought to be?

You cannot believe how wonderful it was to be away from all this nonsense (read horror) for three weeks; no television, no news, nothing but scenery and relaxation. At least we haven't bombed Iran as yet. But the elections are drawing near and the Republican war criminals are becoming more and more desperate. I am too tired to deal with all this at the moment. But I am very happy to be back. This is truly an unbelievable moment in American history. It may even be the last moment unless something happens soon to turn things around. Happy days are not here again - yet.

In Bergen I noticed there is an inordinate number of bald headed men. There is also an inordinate number of infants. Does this mean the old claim that bald headed men are more virile might be true? In Oslo I observed an unusual amount of long-legged women. What, if anything, does that mean (I am finally losing "it")?