The local newspaper here in Victorville, CA (your typical small town, conservative rag), spittled forth a really lame, juvenile editorial defending George W. Bush's right to unilaterally spy on American citizens without Congressional or Judicial oversight.
This crayon-scribbled editorial contains your typical neo-con amateurish blatherings about Bush's right to make up laws or to defy existing laws and do whatever he damn well pleases in order to save the Brooklyn Bridge from being dismantled by some low IQ nutjob with a blow-torch. However it piqued my annoyance as it also belches out an ad-hominem attack on the patriotism and motives of the Democratic political leadership simply because they are, and rightly so, requesting a Congressional probe of King George's self-imposed divine right to unlimited executive power (by any reputable dictionary definition -- tyranny).
Here's a link to the Victorville Daily Press editorial I speaketh not fondly of: CLICK HERE.
And here is my response to the moron editorialist who had the nerve to shat this crapola opinion into the pages of a public media outlet:
Re: Steve Williams' op-ed on Dec. 20, 2005 - Our Opinion: We're the target
Once again the editor(s) of the Victorville Daily Press demonstrate what a bush-league (pardon the pun) rag they are in their deeply uncritical and quite inept attempt to shrug off the Bush Administration's newly discovered (and quite likely illegal) domestic spying activities.
Aside from the glaring level of naivete shown in the matter, I believe your blithe dismissal of the core Constitutional transgressions involved here reveals to your local readership constituency that you people are either rank cowards, unabashed Bush apologists or if my hunch is correct - both.
As you duly noted in pointing out George Will's column, a number of conservative scholars and journos are weighing in on this matter, and many of them are siding with reputable Constitutional experts in deciding that George W. Bush has some serious explaining to do to the American people.
Bruce Fein who is a constitutional scholar and a former Deputy AG in the Reagan Administration was asked on The Diane Rehm radio program yesterday "Is spying on the American people as impeachable an offense as lying about having sex with an intern?" Mr. Fein answered thus:
"I think the answer requires at least in part considering what the occupant of the presidency says in the aftermath of wrongdoing or rectification. On its face, if President Bush is totally unapologetic and says I continue to maintain that as a war-time President I can do anything I want – I don’t need to consult any other branches – that is an impeachable offense. It’s more dangerous than Clinton’s lying under oath because it jeopardizes our democratic dispensation and civil liberties for the ages. It would set a precedent that … would lie around like a loaded gun, able to be used indefinitely for any future occupant."
Norman Ornstein is a scholar at the conservative think tank the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He was on the same radio program as Mr. Fein and was asked the same question. His answer:
"I think if we’re going to be intellectually honest here, this really is the kind of thing that Alexander Hamilton was referring to when impeachment was discussed."
So who would you think is more credible, a small-minded, small-town editorial hack like Steve Williams or a couple of conservative icons and scholars who've spent their lives studying the document which is the heart and soul of American Democracy - our noble Constitution??
Before we answer that question (and boy it sure is a tough one to contemplate), let's touch on a couple of things Mr. Williams stated in his driveling rant.
Mr. Williams -- you haughtily make the claim that "Americans and residents of America . . ." don't share in the concerns being expressed about Bush's unprecedented and secretive executive power-grab and "that a majority of Americans support safety first, and because of that will tolerate the use of tactics that help insure that safety . . ." On what evidence do you base these statements sir? Have you conducted your own scientific poll that conclusively supports these assertions? If so, could you please publish it? Somehow I doubt we'll see the results of such a poll anytime soon.
There's a quite famous political saying - "...how's it playing in Peoria?" - meaning as it always has, how does conservative, middle-America feel about the matter? Well, Mr. Williams, here's a brief excerpt from the editorial in today's (Tuesday 12/20/2005) Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star:
"Look, Sept. 11, 2001, upset all of us. No one wants a repeat. But a disturbing pattern has emerged, ranging from the administration's defense of certain torture practices to secret CIA prisons in eastern Europe, from the suggestion that the Geneva Conventions don't apply to POWs the U.S. holds to the president's ability to unilaterally declare someone an "enemy combatant." It took the White House 18 months to abide by the Supreme Court's ruling that "a state of war is not a blank check for the president when it comes to the rights of the nation's citizens. Is this a balance of powers issue? You bet it is. Perhaps the president's heart is in the right place. He says he just wants to protect Americans. Who doesn't? It's really quite simple: The Founders were clear that threats to the republic could come from inside as well as out. No president, of any party, under any circumstance, should be permitted to act like a king. This is troubling."
Doesn't sound like the folks in Peoria are entirely thrilled with King George and his "my way or the hiway" approach to Constitutional law Mr. Williams.
Mr. Williams - you also appear to question the patriotism (gee - why does that not surprise me) of the Democratic party leaders Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Howard Dean, because, quite justifiably, they happen to also oppose the equally insidious and Stalinesque Patriot Act. You baselessly state, " . . .they seem to have concluded that the safety of America and Americans must take a back seat to the defeat of the President." Boy if that isn't a charge old Joe McCarthy could be proud of, I don't know what is. Pretty pathetic and quite likely copied and pasted directly from the day's GOP talking points fax.
Lastly Mr. Williams - I'll leave you with a famous quote, often attributed to a great American patriot Benjamin Franklin, which says, "They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
And with that prescient quote drifting lazily off to the dark recesses of your timorous consciousness, I'm quite certain that if a Hillary Clinton or a Howard Dean Presidency were to ever come to pass, you'll remember that quote right quickly enough and without a doubt be one of the first screaming it from the hilltops until you were blue in the face.
Concerned Citizen (krazeeinjun)
Victorville, CA
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Lying media whores continue their war on the truth. . .
I'm back in the saddle again!! . . . the blogger saddle that is . . . been busy lately, but I came across a Yahoo news article today that prompted me to hit the keyboard with a renewed ambition of exposing the lying media bastards in our midst.
Take a look at this AP (Associated Press) article. It's an otherwise straighforward story about the effort of Michael Schiavo, the husband of Terri Schiavo, who waged a decade-long battle to allow his brain-dead wife to die with dignity, to start a Political Action Committee that will challenge candidates based on where they stand on government's reach into American's private lives.
However, in the very first paragraph of this article you will find a subtle, but blatantly dishonest example of why this country's media can no longer be trusted to tell the basic truth to the American people.
The article begins - "Michael Schiavo, whose effort to end life support for his brain-damaged wife divided a nation, is launching a political action committee..."
I've purposely highlighted the phrase "divided a nation" because that is simply a bald-faced lie by the Associated Press. The truth of the issue is that during the media's obscene hyping of this tragic private family matter, which by the way was simply one of many that playout every single day in this country, every reputable public opinion poll showed that Americans overwhelmingly supported Michael Schiavo's right to make life-or-death decisions on his wife's behalf.
Additionally, and despite all their high-flung rhetoric, the morally bankrupt Republicans in Congress and their hypocritical religious whacko followers willfully ignored the fact that 87% of Americans ( according to an ABC News and Washington Post poll at the time) said they would want their feeding tubes removed if they were in Terri Schiavo's condition.
The absolute truth (which appears to be a foreign concept to the Associated Press and most of the U.S. media today) is that the country was not divided on this issue. Quite simply put, a commanding MAJORITY of Americans favored removing Terry Schiavo's feeding tube and allowing her to expire with whatever scrap of dignity she still posessed. But the black-hearted religious, political and media vultures would have no part of such common sense and decency and instead picked at the poor woman's lifeless carcass with unhinged fervor.
Click here and here and here and here for supporting articles showing that the Associated Press is lying to your face when they make the claim that America was divided on the Terry Schiavo issue.
Then contact the AP and ask them why they feel the need to lie to you and the rest of America, especially when the simple truth is obvious to those of us without a political, ideological or religious axe to grind.
----krazee
Take a look at this AP (Associated Press) article. It's an otherwise straighforward story about the effort of Michael Schiavo, the husband of Terri Schiavo, who waged a decade-long battle to allow his brain-dead wife to die with dignity, to start a Political Action Committee that will challenge candidates based on where they stand on government's reach into American's private lives.
However, in the very first paragraph of this article you will find a subtle, but blatantly dishonest example of why this country's media can no longer be trusted to tell the basic truth to the American people.
The article begins - "Michael Schiavo, whose effort to end life support for his brain-damaged wife divided a nation, is launching a political action committee..."
I've purposely highlighted the phrase "divided a nation" because that is simply a bald-faced lie by the Associated Press. The truth of the issue is that during the media's obscene hyping of this tragic private family matter, which by the way was simply one of many that playout every single day in this country, every reputable public opinion poll showed that Americans overwhelmingly supported Michael Schiavo's right to make life-or-death decisions on his wife's behalf.
Additionally, and despite all their high-flung rhetoric, the morally bankrupt Republicans in Congress and their hypocritical religious whacko followers willfully ignored the fact that 87% of Americans ( according to an ABC News and Washington Post poll at the time) said they would want their feeding tubes removed if they were in Terri Schiavo's condition.
The absolute truth (which appears to be a foreign concept to the Associated Press and most of the U.S. media today) is that the country was not divided on this issue. Quite simply put, a commanding MAJORITY of Americans favored removing Terry Schiavo's feeding tube and allowing her to expire with whatever scrap of dignity she still posessed. But the black-hearted religious, political and media vultures would have no part of such common sense and decency and instead picked at the poor woman's lifeless carcass with unhinged fervor.
Click here and here and here and here for supporting articles showing that the Associated Press is lying to your face when they make the claim that America was divided on the Terry Schiavo issue.
Then contact the AP and ask them why they feel the need to lie to you and the rest of America, especially when the simple truth is obvious to those of us without a political, ideological or religious axe to grind.
----krazee
Monday, November 07, 2005
Fear not ... Bush's prayer police are on the job . . .
Hmmmmmm . . . a socially progressive (evil libruls) church is being threatened by Bush's IRS of losing it's tax-exempt status. It's crime? A former pastor gave a sermon to the church's faithful congregants criticizing George W. Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq prior to the 2004 election.
Here we have right-wing religious asswipes like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and a host of other faux-Christian leaders constantly promoting George W. Bush and right-wing GOP candidates and right-wing policies from their faux-religious pulpits, and are they being harassed by the IRS for their overtly partisan political activities???? No!! Yet a single sermon, by a pastor at a liberal Episcopal church critical of Der BushFueherer results in the dogs of government power being unleashed.
A little here, a little there . . . and thus begins the slow extermination of freedom of speech in this country. The Bush/Nazi crowd is a true danger to us all --- wake up folks.
Click here for story.
Here we have right-wing religious asswipes like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and a host of other faux-Christian leaders constantly promoting George W. Bush and right-wing GOP candidates and right-wing policies from their faux-religious pulpits, and are they being harassed by the IRS for their overtly partisan political activities???? No!! Yet a single sermon, by a pastor at a liberal Episcopal church critical of Der BushFueherer results in the dogs of government power being unleashed.
A little here, a little there . . . and thus begins the slow extermination of freedom of speech in this country. The Bush/Nazi crowd is a true danger to us all --- wake up folks.
Click here for story.
Dick Cheney -- Vice Dirtbag extraordinairre . . .
Providing the monkey-fuck insane neo-cons don't start WWWIII and blow the whole planet to kingdom come, Dick Cheney will go down in history as a self-serving traitorous thug.
The damage this one individual has caused to America, not to mention mankind in general, puts him right up there in the pantheon of human scum.
Click here. And here.
----krazee
The damage this one individual has caused to America, not to mention mankind in general, puts him right up there in the pantheon of human scum.
Click here. And here.
----krazee
Friday, October 21, 2005
. . . And I bet they're God-fearin' Republicans too . . .
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
G.O.P.S. -- new reality tv show.... Lol !
HA! HA!!
I have a feeling, even with the predicted record increases (aka -- consumer price gouging) of home heating costs this winter, it's going to be a good Christmas.
I'd gladly pay a few hundred dollars more to heat my house this year, if in return I was able to watch the GOP and the Bush administration slowly implode with the end result being some serious legal issues followed by jail time for the top GOP'ers and Bushies.
Here's a little cyber-toon that mischievously and hilariously puts it all into a perspective that even the moron-American crowd should be able to understand.
Just click here and have a good hearty laugh.
----krazee
I have a feeling, even with the predicted record increases (aka -- consumer price gouging) of home heating costs this winter, it's going to be a good Christmas.
I'd gladly pay a few hundred dollars more to heat my house this year, if in return I was able to watch the GOP and the Bush administration slowly implode with the end result being some serious legal issues followed by jail time for the top GOP'ers and Bushies.
Here's a little cyber-toon that mischievously and hilariously puts it all into a perspective that even the moron-American crowd should be able to understand.
Just click here and have a good hearty laugh.
----krazee
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Pat Tillman: A hero abused and misused
"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad."
~ Aldous Huxley
Here's an article full of truth which ought to make those of you who care about virtues such as honesty and decency absolutely furious.
Everyone now knows how the Bushistas and their media puppets hyped the Jessica Lynch story, tranforming the petite, pretty, young blonde girl from West Virginia into a modern-day Ramboette. The lies were numerous and of course the whores in the media were falling all over themselves to see who could print them first. In the end it turned out to be nothing more than another Karl Rove Goebbels-like propaganda scheme that had managed to sink about as low as low could get.
Fast Forward - - - And now we have the truth finally coming out about the tragic Pat Tillman episode. Remember Pat Tillman?? NFL superstar, handsome, buff, boy-next-door, who turned down a multi-million dollar contract to play pro football for the Arizona Cardinals so that he could join the Army and defend his country . . . remember?
Turns out the All-American, uber-patriot, super-macho, GOP whitebread image that was foisted upon an all-too gullible public by the Bush war toadies happens to have been . . . guess? P.R. bullshit -- as only the Bushies can do!! Pat Tillman was actually an intelligent, liberal-minded individual who's ability to critically think for himself, led him to be an avid reader and a fan of leftist writer Noam Chomsky. Tillman was also strongly of the opinion that the Iraq war was illegal and he vocally expressed that along with his dislike for dear leader G.W. Bush to his fellow soldiers.
Upon notice of his death, the macabre Bushistas immediately saw an opportunity to use his death as a rallying cry for their ineptly managed war in Iraq as well as a military recruitment tool to draw more young kids into their deadly web of lies, death and destruction. They along with their lackeys at upper levels in the Army covered up the truth about Tillman's death (his own squadmates accidentally killed him). How these assholes thought they could get away with a whitewash of that magnitude is absolutely stunning and quite frankly pure evil.
So there you are Bush supporters --- more lies propping up your phony boy King. When will it end? When will you finally acknowledge that Bush and his people are pathological liars who truly don't give a shit about you, your children or this country?? When???
Click here to read all about the whole Tillman sordid mess.
----krazee
~ Aldous Huxley
Here's an article full of truth which ought to make those of you who care about virtues such as honesty and decency absolutely furious.
Everyone now knows how the Bushistas and their media puppets hyped the Jessica Lynch story, tranforming the petite, pretty, young blonde girl from West Virginia into a modern-day Ramboette. The lies were numerous and of course the whores in the media were falling all over themselves to see who could print them first. In the end it turned out to be nothing more than another Karl Rove Goebbels-like propaganda scheme that had managed to sink about as low as low could get.
Fast Forward - - - And now we have the truth finally coming out about the tragic Pat Tillman episode. Remember Pat Tillman?? NFL superstar, handsome, buff, boy-next-door, who turned down a multi-million dollar contract to play pro football for the Arizona Cardinals so that he could join the Army and defend his country . . . remember?
Turns out the All-American, uber-patriot, super-macho, GOP whitebread image that was foisted upon an all-too gullible public by the Bush war toadies happens to have been . . . guess? P.R. bullshit -- as only the Bushies can do!! Pat Tillman was actually an intelligent, liberal-minded individual who's ability to critically think for himself, led him to be an avid reader and a fan of leftist writer Noam Chomsky. Tillman was also strongly of the opinion that the Iraq war was illegal and he vocally expressed that along with his dislike for dear leader G.W. Bush to his fellow soldiers.
Upon notice of his death, the macabre Bushistas immediately saw an opportunity to use his death as a rallying cry for their ineptly managed war in Iraq as well as a military recruitment tool to draw more young kids into their deadly web of lies, death and destruction. They along with their lackeys at upper levels in the Army covered up the truth about Tillman's death (his own squadmates accidentally killed him). How these assholes thought they could get away with a whitewash of that magnitude is absolutely stunning and quite frankly pure evil.
So there you are Bush supporters --- more lies propping up your phony boy King. When will it end? When will you finally acknowledge that Bush and his people are pathological liars who truly don't give a shit about you, your children or this country?? When???
Click here to read all about the whole Tillman sordid mess.
----krazee
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Scandal! Thy name is Bush!! . . .
This is a long post, but it's well worth the time to read and inform yourself.
On the heels of the conspiracy indictment of GOP House Majority Leader Tom Delay, the insider stock trading probe of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, the ongoing money for favors corruption investigation of GOP super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and the rampant cronyism and incompetence which contributed to the horror of the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, methinks it's a good time to analyze the corruption factor differences between the previous administration and the current one.
The Republican right-wing lie machine is fond of mouthing the easy to disprove lie that the Clinton administration was the most corrupt administration in history. If you ever have a wingnut in your face screaming about how "corrupt" Clinton was, just ask them to name how many Clinton administration officials were indicted and convicted of crimes they committed while in office. The answer is ZERO.
It might be argued that Clinton's lying about getting a blow job from Monica was a corrupt act. However, if that's all the right wing shit-for-brains folks have against Clinton, I'll put his administration's ethics record up against the Bush Monkey's record any day.
Salon.com has an article which I've decided to print in it's entirety. It's a nice little compendium of the putrid shit-smelling-like scandals that have oozed forth from Dear Leader's ditto-monkey administration since they seized power in the coup of 2000.
This list is limited to events of the past four years, or those coming to light in that time. It covers both the executive branch and the Congress, since the latter, especially the Senate, is increasingly a mere adjunct to the White House. However, the items are not arranged in terms of moral or historical gravity. Abu Ghraib might create years of anti-American hatred abroad, but it and some other headline-generating events appear near the end of the list, to help familiarize readers first with lesser-known or now-overlooked scandals. Recall how John Ashcroft broke the law? Know why Dick Cheney wants to keep those energy task force documents secret? Read on.
1. Memogate: The Senate Computer Theft
The scandal: From 2001 to 2003, Republican staffers on the Senate Judiciary Committee illicitly accessed nearly 5,000 computer files containing confidential Democratic strategy memos about President Bush's judicial nominees. The GOP used the memos to shape their own plans and leaked some to the media.
The problem: The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act states it is illegal to obtain confidential information from a government computer.
The outcome: Unresolved. The Justice Department has assigned a prosecutor to the case. The staff member at the heart of the matter, Manuel Miranda, has attempted to brazen it out, filing suit in September 2004 against the DOJ to end the investigation. "A grand jury will indict a ham sandwich," Miranda complained. Some jokes just write themselves.
2. Doctor Detroit: The DOJ's Bungled Terrorism Case
The scandal: The Department of Justice completely botched the nation's first post-9/11 terrorism trial, as seen when the convictions of three Detroit men allegedly linked to al-Qaida were overturned in September 2004. Former Attorney General John Ashcroft had claimed their June 2003 sentencing sent "a clear message" that the government would "detect, disrupt and dismantle the activities of terrorist cells."
The problem: The DOJ's lead prosecutor in the case, Richard Convertino, withheld key information from the defense and distorted supposed pieces of evidence -- like a Las Vegas vacation video purported to be a surveillance tape. But that's not the half of it. Convertino says he was unfairly scapegoated because he testified before the Senate, against DOJ wishes, about terrorist financing. Justice's reconsideration of the case began soon thereafter. Convertino has since sued the DOJ, which has also placed him under investigation.
The outcome: Let's see: Overturned convictions, lawsuits and feuding about a Kafkaesque case. Nobody looks good here.
3. Dark Matter: The Energy Task Force
The scandal: A lawsuit has claimed it is illegal for Dick Cheney to keep the composition of his 2001 energy-policy task force secret. What's the big deal? The New Yorker's Jane Mayer has suggested an explosive aspect of the story, citing a National Security Council memo from February 2001, which "directed the N.S.C. staff to cooperate fully with the Energy Task Force as it considered the 'melding' of ... 'operational policies towards rogue states,' such as Iraq, and 'actions regarding the capture of new and existing oil and gas fields.'" In short, the task force's activities could shed light on the administration's pre-9/11 Iraq aims.
The problem: The Federal Advisory Committee Act says the government must disclose the work of groups that include non-federal employees; the suit claims energy industry executives were effectively task force members. Oh, and the Bush administration has portrayed the Iraq war as a response to 9/11, not something it was already considering.
The outcome: Unresolved. In June 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court sent the case back to an appellate court.
4. The Indian Gaming Scandal
The scandal: Potential influence peddling to the tune of $82 million, for starters. Jack Abramoff, a GOP lobbyist and major Bush fundraiser, and Michael Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), received that amount from several Indian tribes, while offering access to lawmakers. For instance, Texas' Tigua tribe, which wanted its closed El Paso casino reopened, gave millions to the pair and $33,000 to Rep. Robert Ney (R-Ohio) in hopes of favorable legislation (Ney came up empty). And get this: The Tiguas were unaware that Abramoff, Scanlon and conservative activist Ralph Reed had earned millions lobbying to have the same casino shut in 2002.
The problem: Federal officials want to know if Abramoff and Scanlon provided real services for the $82 million, and if they broke laws while backing candidates in numerous Indian tribe elections.
The outcome: Everybody into the cesspool! The Senate Indian Affairs Committee and five federal agencies, including the FBI, IRS, and Justice Department, are investigating.
5. Halliburton's No-Bid Bonanza
The scandal: In February 2003, Halliburton received a five-year, $7 billion no-bid contract for services in Iraq.
The problem: The Army Corps of Engineers' top contracting officer, Bunnatine Greenhouse, objected to the deal, saying the contract should be the standard one-year length, and that a Halliburton official should not have been present during the discussions.
The outcome: The FBI is investigating. The $7 billion contract was halved and Halliburton won one of the parts in a public bid. For her troubles, Greenhouse has been forced into whistle-blower protection.
6. Halliburton: Pumping Up Prices
The scandal: In 2003, Halliburton overcharged the army for fuel in Iraq. Specifically, Halliburton's subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root hired a Kuwaiti company, Altanmia, to supply fuel at about twice the going rate, then added a markup, for an overcharge of at least $61 million, according to a December 2003 Pentagon audit.
The problem: That's not the government's $61 million, it's our $61 million.
The outcome: The FBI is investigating.
7. Halliburton's Vanishing Iraq Money
The scandal: In mid-2004, Pentagon auditors determined that $1.8 billion of Halliburton's charges to the government, about 40 percent of the total, had not been adequately documented.
The problem: That's not the government's $1.8 billion, it's our $1.8 billion.
The outcome: The Defense Contract Audit Agency has "strongly" asked the Army to withhold about $60 million a month from its Halliburton payments until the documentation is provided.
8. The Halliburton Bribe-apalooza
The scandal: This may not surprise you, but an international consortium of companies, including Halliburton, is alleged to have paid more than $100 million in bribes to Nigerian officials, from 1995 to 2002, to facilitate a natural-gas-plant deal. (Cheney was Halliburton's CEO from 1995 to 2000.)
The problem: The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act prohibits U.S. companies from bribing foreign officials.
The outcome: A veritable coalition of the willing is investigating the deal, including the Justice Department, the SEC, the Nigerian government and a French magistrate. In June, Halliburton fired two implicated executives.
9. Halliburton: One Fine Company
The scandal: In 1998 and 1999, Halliburton counted money recovered from project overruns as revenue, before settling the charges with clients.
The problem: Doing so made the company's income appear larger, but Halliburton did not explain this to investors. The SEC ruled this accounting practice was "materially misleading."
The outcome: In August 2004, Halliburton agreed to pay a $7.5 million fine to settle SEC charges. One Halliburton executive has paid a fine and another is settling civil charges. Now imagine the right-wing rhetoric if, say, Al Gore had once headed a firm fined for fudging income statements.
10. Halliburton's Iran End Run
The scandal: Halliburton may have been doing business with Iran while Cheney was CEO.
The problem: Federal sanctions have banned U.S. companies from dealing directly with Iran. To operate in Iran legally, U.S. companies have been required to set up independent subsidiaries registered abroad. Halliburton thus set up a new entity, Halliburton Products and Services Ltd., to do business in Iran, but while the subsidiary was registered in the Cayman Islands, it may not have had operations totally independent of the parent company.
The outcome: Unresolved. The Treasury Department has referred the case to the U.S. attorney in Houston, who convened a grand jury in July 2004.
11. Money Order: Afghanistan's Missing $700 Million Turns Up in Iraq
The scandal: According to Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack," the Bush administration diverted $700 million in funds from the war in Afghanistan, among other places, to prepare for the Iraq invasion.
The problem: Article I, Section 8, Clause 12 of the U.S. Constitution specifically gives Congress the power "to raise and support armies." And the emergency spending bill passed after Sept. 11, 2001, requires the administration to notify Congress before changing war spending plans. That did not happen.
The outcome: The Republican-controlled Congress declined to investigate. The Bush administration's main justification for its decision has been to claim the funds were still used for, one might say, Middle East anti-tyrant-related program activities.
12. Iraq: More Loose Change
The scandal: The inspector general of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq released a series of reports in July 2004 finding that a significant portion of CPA assets had gone missing -- 34 percent of the materiel controlled by Kellogg, Brown & Root -- and that the CPA's method of disbursing $600 million in Iraq reconstruction funds "did not establish effective controls and left accountability open to fraud, waste and abuse."
The problem: As much as $50 million of that money was disbursed without proper receipts.
The outcome: The CPA has disbanded, but individual government investigations into the handling of Iraq's reconstruction continue.
13. The Pentagon-Israel Spy Case
The scandal: A Pentagon official, Larry Franklin, may have passed classified United States documents about Iran to Israel, possibly via the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a Washington lobbying group.
The problem: To do so could be espionage or could constitute the mishandling of classified documents.
The outcome: A grand jury is investigating. In December 2004, the FBI searched AIPAC's offices. A Senate committee has also been investigating the apparently unauthorized activities of the Near East and South Asia Affairs group in the Pentagon, where Franklin works.
14. Gone to Taiwan
The scandal: Missed this one? A high-ranking State Department official, Donald Keyser, was arrested and charged in September with making a secret trip to Taiwan and was observed by the FBI passing documents to Taiwanese intelligence agents in Washington-area meetings.
The problem: Such unauthorized trips are illegal. And we don't have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
The outcome: The case is in the courts.
15. Wiretapping the United Nations
The scandal: Before the United Nations' vote on the Iraq war, the United States and Great Britain developed an eavesdropping operation targeting diplomats from several countries.
The problem: U.N. officials say the practice is illegal and undermines honest diplomacy, although some observers claim it is business as usual on East 42nd Street.
The outcome: Little fuss here, but a major British scandal erupted after U.K. intelligence translator Katherine Gun leaked a U.S. National Security Agency memo requesting British help in the spying scheme, in early 2003. Initially charged under Britain's Official Secrets Act for leaking classified information, Gun was cleared in 2004 -- seemingly to avoid hearings questioning the legality of Britain's war participation.
16. The Boeing Boondoggle
The scandal: In 2003, the Air Force contracted with Boeing to lease a fleet of refueling tanker planes at an inflated price: $23 billion.
The problem: The deal was put together by a government procurement official, Darleen Druyun, who promptly joined Boeing. Beats using a headhunter.
The outcome: In November 2003, Boeing fired both Druyun and CFO Michael Sears. In April 2004, Druyun pled guilty to a conspiracy charge in the case. In November 2004, Sears copped to a conflict-of-interest charge, and company CEO Phil Condit resigned. The government is reviewing its need for the tankers.
17. The Medicare Bribe Scandal
The scandal: According to former Rep. Nick Smith (R-Mich.), on Nov. 21, 2003, with the vote on the administration's Medicare bill hanging in the balance, someone offered to contribute $100,000 to his son's forthcoming congressional campaign, if Smith would support the bill.
The problem: Federal law prohibits the bribery of elected officials.
The outcome: In September 2004, the House Ethics Committee concluded an inquiry by fingering House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), saying he deserved "public admonishment" for offering to endorse Smith's son in return for Smith's vote. DeLay has claimed Smith initiated talks about a quid pro quo. The matter of the $100,000 is unresolved; soon after his original allegations, Smith suddenly claimed he had not been offered any money. Smith's son Brad lost his GOP primary in August 2004.
18. Tom DeLay's PAC Problems
The scandal: One of DeLay's political action committees, Texans for a Republican Majority, apparently reaped illegal corporate contributions for the campaigns of Republicans running for the Texas Legislature in 2002. Given a Republican majority, the Legislature then re-drew Texas' U.S. congressional districts to help the GOP.
The problem: Texas law bans the use of corporate money for political purposes.
The outcome: Unresolved. Three DeLay aides and associates -- Jim Ellis, John Colyandro and Warren RoBold -- were charged in September 2004 with crimes including money laundering and unlawful acceptance of corporate contributions. **UPDATE**: On Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2005 House Majority leader and Republican Tom DeLay was indicted in Travis County, Texas on a single count of felony criminal conspiracy involving an exchange of money that made corporate cash available to Republican Texas House candidates in 2002.
19. Tom DeLay's FAA: Following Americans Anywhere
The scandal: In May 2003, DeLay's office persuaded the Federal Aviation Administration to find the plane carrying a Texas Democratic legislator, who was leaving the state in an attempt to thwart the GOP's nearly unprecedented congressional redistricting plan.
The problem: According to the House Ethics Committee, the "invocation of federal executive branch resources in a partisan dispute before a state legislative body" is wrong.
The outcome: In October 2004, the committee rebuked DeLay for his actions.
20. In the Rough: Tom DeLay's Golf Fundraiser
The scandal: DeLay appeared at a golf fundraiser that Westar Energy held for one of his political action committees, Americans for a Republican Majority, while energy legislation was pending in the House.
The problem: It's one of these "appearance of impropriety" situations.
The outcome: The House Ethics Committee tossed the matter into its Oct. 6 rebuke. "Take a lap, Tom."
21. Busy, Busy, Busy in New Hampshire
The scandal: In 2002, with a tight Senate race in New Hampshire, Republican Party officials paid a Virginia-based firm, GOP Marketplace, to enact an Election Day scheme meant to depress Democratic turnout by "jamming" the Democratic Party phone bank with continuous calls for 90 minutes.
The problem: Federal law prohibits the use of telephones to "annoy or harass" anyone.
The outcome: Chuck McGee, the former executive director of the New Hampshire GOP, pleaded guilty in July 2004 to a felony charge, while Allen Raymond, former head of GOP Marketplace, pleaded guilty to a similar charge in June. In December, James Tobin, former New England campaign chairman of Bush-Cheney '04, was indicted for conspiracy in the case.
22. The Medicare Money Scandal
The scandal: Thomas Scully, Medicare's former administrator, supposedly threatened to fire chief Medicare actuary Richard Foster to prevent him from disclosing the true cost of the 2003 Medicare bill.
The problem: Congress voted on the bill believing it would cost $400 billion over 10 years. The program is more likely to cost $550 billion.
The outcome: Scully denies threatening to fire Foster, as Foster has charged, but admits telling Foster to withhold the higher estimate from Congress. In September 2004, the Government Accountability Office recommended Scully return half his salary from 2003. Inevitably, Scully is now a lobbyist for drug companies helped by the bill.
23. The Bogus Medicare "Video News Release"
The scandal: To promote its Medicare bill, the Bush administration produced imitation news-report videos touting the legislation. About 40 television stations aired the videos. More recently, similar videos promoting the administration's education policy have come to light.
The problem: The administration broke two laws: One forbidding the use of federal money for propaganda, and another forbidding the unauthorized use of federal funds.
The outcome: In May 2004, the GAO concluded the administration acted illegally, but the agency lacks enforcement power.
24. Pundits on the Payroll: The Armstrong Williams Case
The scandal: The Department of Education paid conservative commentator Armstrong Williams $240,000 to promote its educational law, No Child Left Behind.
The problem: Williams did not disclose that his support was government funded until the deal was exposed in January 2005.
The outcome: The House and FCC are considering inquiries, while Williams' syndicated newspaper column has been terminated.
25. Ground Zero's Unsafe Air
The scandal: Government officials publicly minimized the health risks stemming from the World Trade Center attack. In September 2001, for example, Environmental Protection Agency head Christine Todd Whitman said New York's "air is safe to breathe and [the] water is safe to drink."
The problem: Research showed serious dangers or was incomplete. The EPA used outdated techniques that failed to detect tiny asbestos particles. EPA data also showed high levels of lead and benzene, which causes cancer. A Sierra Club report claims the government ignored alarming data. A GAO report says no adequate study of 9/11's health effects has been organized.
The outcome: The long-term health effects of the disaster will likely not be apparent for years or decades and may never be definitively known. Already, hundreds of 9/11 rescue workers have quit their jobs because of acute illnesses.
26. John Ashcroft's Illegal Campaign Contributions
The scandal: Ashcroft's exploratory committee for his short-lived 2000 presidential bid transferred $110,000 to his unsuccessful 2000 reelection campaign for the Senate.
The problem: The maximum for such a transfer is $10,000.
The outcome: The Federal Election Commission fined Ashcroft's campaign treasurer, Garrett Lott, $37,000 for the transgression.
27. Intel Inside ... The White House
The scandal: In early 2001, chief White House political strategist Karl Rove held meetings with numerous companies while maintaining six-figure holdings of their stock -- including Intel, whose executives were seeking government approval of a merger. "Washington hadn't seen a clearer example of a conflict of interest in years," wrote Paul Glastris in the Washington Monthly.
The problem: The Code of Federal Regulations says government employees should not participate in matters in which they have a personal financial interest.
The outcome: Then White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, spurning precedent, did not refer the case to the Justice Department.
28. Duck! Antonin Scalia's Legal Conflicts
The scandal: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia refused to recuse himself from the Cheney energy task force case, despite taking a duck-hunting trip with the vice president after the court agreed to weigh the matter.
The problem: Federal law requires a justice to "disqualify himself from any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned."
The outcome: Scalia stayed on, arguing no conflict existed because Cheney was party to the case in a professional, not personal, capacity. Nothing new for Scalia, who in 2002 was part of a Mississippi redistricting ruling favorable to GOP Rep. Chip Pickering -- son of Judge Charles Pickering, a Scalia turkey-hunting pal. In 2001, Scalia went pheasant hunting with Kansas Gov. Bill Graves when that state had cases pending before the Supreme Court.
29. AWOL
The scandal: George W. Bush, self-described "war president," did not fulfill his National Guard duty, and Bush and his aides have made misleading statements about it. Salon's Eric Boehlert wrote the best recent summary of the issue.
The problem: Military absenteeism is a punishable offense, although Bush received an honorable discharge.
The outcome: No longer a campaign issue. But what was Bush doing in 1972?
30. Iraq: The Case for War
The scandal: Bush and many officials in his administration made false statements about Iraq's military capabilities, in the months before the United States' March 2003 invasion of the country.
The problem: For one thing, it is a crime to lie to Congress, although Bush backers claim the president did not knowingly make false assertions.
The outcome: A war spun out of control with unknowable long-term consequences. The Iraq Survey Group has stopped looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
31. Niger Forgeries: Whodunit?
The scandal: In his January 2003 State of the Union address, Bush said, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
The problem: The statement was untrue. By March 2003, the International Atomic Energy Agency showed the claim, that Iraq sought materials from Niger, was based on easily discernible forgeries.
The outcome: The identity of the forger(s) remains under wraps. Journalist Josh Marshall has implied the FBI is oddly uninterested in interviewing Rocco Martino, the former Italian intelligence agent who apparently first shopped the documents in intelligence and journalistic circles and would presumably be able to shed light on their origin.
32. In Plame Sight
The scandal: In July 2003, administration officials disclosed the identity of Valerie Plame, a CIA operative working on counterterrorism efforts, to multiple journalists, and columnist Robert Novak made Plame's identity public. Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had just written a New York Times opinion piece stating he had investigated the Niger uranium-production allegations, at the CIA's behest, and reported them to be untrue, before Bush's 2003 State of the Union address.
The problem: Under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act it is illegal to disclose, knowingly, the name of an undercover agent.
The outcome: Unresolved. The Justice Department appointed special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to the case in December 2003. While this might seem a simple matter, Fitzgerald could be unable to prove the leakers knew Plame was a covert agent.
33. Abu Ghraib
The scandal: American soldiers physically tortured prisoners in Iraq and kept undocumented "ghost detainees" in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
The problem: The United States is party to the Geneva Conventions, which state that "No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever."
The outcome: Unresolved. A Pentagon internal inquiry found a lack of oversight at Abu Ghraib, while independent inquiries have linked the events to the administration's desire to use aggressive interrogation methods globally. Notoriously, Gonzales has advocated an approach which "renders obsolete Geneva's strict limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners and renders quaint some of its provisions." More recently, Gonzales issued qualified support for the Geneva Conventions in January 2005 Senate testimony after being nominated for attorney general. Army reservist Charles Graner was convicted in January 2005 for abusing prisoners, while a few other soldiers await trial.
34. Guantánamo Bay Torture?
The scandal: The U.S. military is also alleged to have abused prisoners at the U.S. Navy's base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. FBI agents witnessing interrogations there have reported use of growling dogs to frighten prisoners and the chaining of prisoners in the fetal position while depriving them of food or water for extended periods.
The problem: More potential violations of the Geneva Conventions.
The outcome: An internal military investigation was launched in January 2005.
On the heels of the conspiracy indictment of GOP House Majority Leader Tom Delay, the insider stock trading probe of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, the ongoing money for favors corruption investigation of GOP super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and the rampant cronyism and incompetence which contributed to the horror of the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, methinks it's a good time to analyze the corruption factor differences between the previous administration and the current one.
The Republican right-wing lie machine is fond of mouthing the easy to disprove lie that the Clinton administration was the most corrupt administration in history. If you ever have a wingnut in your face screaming about how "corrupt" Clinton was, just ask them to name how many Clinton administration officials were indicted and convicted of crimes they committed while in office. The answer is ZERO.
It might be argued that Clinton's lying about getting a blow job from Monica was a corrupt act. However, if that's all the right wing shit-for-brains folks have against Clinton, I'll put his administration's ethics record up against the Bush Monkey's record any day.
Salon.com has an article which I've decided to print in it's entirety. It's a nice little compendium of the putrid shit-smelling-like scandals that have oozed forth from Dear Leader's ditto-monkey administration since they seized power in the coup of 2000.
This list is limited to events of the past four years, or those coming to light in that time. It covers both the executive branch and the Congress, since the latter, especially the Senate, is increasingly a mere adjunct to the White House. However, the items are not arranged in terms of moral or historical gravity. Abu Ghraib might create years of anti-American hatred abroad, but it and some other headline-generating events appear near the end of the list, to help familiarize readers first with lesser-known or now-overlooked scandals. Recall how John Ashcroft broke the law? Know why Dick Cheney wants to keep those energy task force documents secret? Read on.
1. Memogate: The Senate Computer Theft
The scandal: From 2001 to 2003, Republican staffers on the Senate Judiciary Committee illicitly accessed nearly 5,000 computer files containing confidential Democratic strategy memos about President Bush's judicial nominees. The GOP used the memos to shape their own plans and leaked some to the media.
The problem: The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act states it is illegal to obtain confidential information from a government computer.
The outcome: Unresolved. The Justice Department has assigned a prosecutor to the case. The staff member at the heart of the matter, Manuel Miranda, has attempted to brazen it out, filing suit in September 2004 against the DOJ to end the investigation. "A grand jury will indict a ham sandwich," Miranda complained. Some jokes just write themselves.
2. Doctor Detroit: The DOJ's Bungled Terrorism Case
The scandal: The Department of Justice completely botched the nation's first post-9/11 terrorism trial, as seen when the convictions of three Detroit men allegedly linked to al-Qaida were overturned in September 2004. Former Attorney General John Ashcroft had claimed their June 2003 sentencing sent "a clear message" that the government would "detect, disrupt and dismantle the activities of terrorist cells."
The problem: The DOJ's lead prosecutor in the case, Richard Convertino, withheld key information from the defense and distorted supposed pieces of evidence -- like a Las Vegas vacation video purported to be a surveillance tape. But that's not the half of it. Convertino says he was unfairly scapegoated because he testified before the Senate, against DOJ wishes, about terrorist financing. Justice's reconsideration of the case began soon thereafter. Convertino has since sued the DOJ, which has also placed him under investigation.
The outcome: Let's see: Overturned convictions, lawsuits and feuding about a Kafkaesque case. Nobody looks good here.
3. Dark Matter: The Energy Task Force
The scandal: A lawsuit has claimed it is illegal for Dick Cheney to keep the composition of his 2001 energy-policy task force secret. What's the big deal? The New Yorker's Jane Mayer has suggested an explosive aspect of the story, citing a National Security Council memo from February 2001, which "directed the N.S.C. staff to cooperate fully with the Energy Task Force as it considered the 'melding' of ... 'operational policies towards rogue states,' such as Iraq, and 'actions regarding the capture of new and existing oil and gas fields.'" In short, the task force's activities could shed light on the administration's pre-9/11 Iraq aims.
The problem: The Federal Advisory Committee Act says the government must disclose the work of groups that include non-federal employees; the suit claims energy industry executives were effectively task force members. Oh, and the Bush administration has portrayed the Iraq war as a response to 9/11, not something it was already considering.
The outcome: Unresolved. In June 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court sent the case back to an appellate court.
4. The Indian Gaming Scandal
The scandal: Potential influence peddling to the tune of $82 million, for starters. Jack Abramoff, a GOP lobbyist and major Bush fundraiser, and Michael Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), received that amount from several Indian tribes, while offering access to lawmakers. For instance, Texas' Tigua tribe, which wanted its closed El Paso casino reopened, gave millions to the pair and $33,000 to Rep. Robert Ney (R-Ohio) in hopes of favorable legislation (Ney came up empty). And get this: The Tiguas were unaware that Abramoff, Scanlon and conservative activist Ralph Reed had earned millions lobbying to have the same casino shut in 2002.
The problem: Federal officials want to know if Abramoff and Scanlon provided real services for the $82 million, and if they broke laws while backing candidates in numerous Indian tribe elections.
The outcome: Everybody into the cesspool! The Senate Indian Affairs Committee and five federal agencies, including the FBI, IRS, and Justice Department, are investigating.
5. Halliburton's No-Bid Bonanza
The scandal: In February 2003, Halliburton received a five-year, $7 billion no-bid contract for services in Iraq.
The problem: The Army Corps of Engineers' top contracting officer, Bunnatine Greenhouse, objected to the deal, saying the contract should be the standard one-year length, and that a Halliburton official should not have been present during the discussions.
The outcome: The FBI is investigating. The $7 billion contract was halved and Halliburton won one of the parts in a public bid. For her troubles, Greenhouse has been forced into whistle-blower protection.
6. Halliburton: Pumping Up Prices
The scandal: In 2003, Halliburton overcharged the army for fuel in Iraq. Specifically, Halliburton's subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root hired a Kuwaiti company, Altanmia, to supply fuel at about twice the going rate, then added a markup, for an overcharge of at least $61 million, according to a December 2003 Pentagon audit.
The problem: That's not the government's $61 million, it's our $61 million.
The outcome: The FBI is investigating.
7. Halliburton's Vanishing Iraq Money
The scandal: In mid-2004, Pentagon auditors determined that $1.8 billion of Halliburton's charges to the government, about 40 percent of the total, had not been adequately documented.
The problem: That's not the government's $1.8 billion, it's our $1.8 billion.
The outcome: The Defense Contract Audit Agency has "strongly" asked the Army to withhold about $60 million a month from its Halliburton payments until the documentation is provided.
8. The Halliburton Bribe-apalooza
The scandal: This may not surprise you, but an international consortium of companies, including Halliburton, is alleged to have paid more than $100 million in bribes to Nigerian officials, from 1995 to 2002, to facilitate a natural-gas-plant deal. (Cheney was Halliburton's CEO from 1995 to 2000.)
The problem: The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act prohibits U.S. companies from bribing foreign officials.
The outcome: A veritable coalition of the willing is investigating the deal, including the Justice Department, the SEC, the Nigerian government and a French magistrate. In June, Halliburton fired two implicated executives.
9. Halliburton: One Fine Company
The scandal: In 1998 and 1999, Halliburton counted money recovered from project overruns as revenue, before settling the charges with clients.
The problem: Doing so made the company's income appear larger, but Halliburton did not explain this to investors. The SEC ruled this accounting practice was "materially misleading."
The outcome: In August 2004, Halliburton agreed to pay a $7.5 million fine to settle SEC charges. One Halliburton executive has paid a fine and another is settling civil charges. Now imagine the right-wing rhetoric if, say, Al Gore had once headed a firm fined for fudging income statements.
10. Halliburton's Iran End Run
The scandal: Halliburton may have been doing business with Iran while Cheney was CEO.
The problem: Federal sanctions have banned U.S. companies from dealing directly with Iran. To operate in Iran legally, U.S. companies have been required to set up independent subsidiaries registered abroad. Halliburton thus set up a new entity, Halliburton Products and Services Ltd., to do business in Iran, but while the subsidiary was registered in the Cayman Islands, it may not have had operations totally independent of the parent company.
The outcome: Unresolved. The Treasury Department has referred the case to the U.S. attorney in Houston, who convened a grand jury in July 2004.
11. Money Order: Afghanistan's Missing $700 Million Turns Up in Iraq
The scandal: According to Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack," the Bush administration diverted $700 million in funds from the war in Afghanistan, among other places, to prepare for the Iraq invasion.
The problem: Article I, Section 8, Clause 12 of the U.S. Constitution specifically gives Congress the power "to raise and support armies." And the emergency spending bill passed after Sept. 11, 2001, requires the administration to notify Congress before changing war spending plans. That did not happen.
The outcome: The Republican-controlled Congress declined to investigate. The Bush administration's main justification for its decision has been to claim the funds were still used for, one might say, Middle East anti-tyrant-related program activities.
12. Iraq: More Loose Change
The scandal: The inspector general of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq released a series of reports in July 2004 finding that a significant portion of CPA assets had gone missing -- 34 percent of the materiel controlled by Kellogg, Brown & Root -- and that the CPA's method of disbursing $600 million in Iraq reconstruction funds "did not establish effective controls and left accountability open to fraud, waste and abuse."
The problem: As much as $50 million of that money was disbursed without proper receipts.
The outcome: The CPA has disbanded, but individual government investigations into the handling of Iraq's reconstruction continue.
13. The Pentagon-Israel Spy Case
The scandal: A Pentagon official, Larry Franklin, may have passed classified United States documents about Iran to Israel, possibly via the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a Washington lobbying group.
The problem: To do so could be espionage or could constitute the mishandling of classified documents.
The outcome: A grand jury is investigating. In December 2004, the FBI searched AIPAC's offices. A Senate committee has also been investigating the apparently unauthorized activities of the Near East and South Asia Affairs group in the Pentagon, where Franklin works.
14. Gone to Taiwan
The scandal: Missed this one? A high-ranking State Department official, Donald Keyser, was arrested and charged in September with making a secret trip to Taiwan and was observed by the FBI passing documents to Taiwanese intelligence agents in Washington-area meetings.
The problem: Such unauthorized trips are illegal. And we don't have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
The outcome: The case is in the courts.
15. Wiretapping the United Nations
The scandal: Before the United Nations' vote on the Iraq war, the United States and Great Britain developed an eavesdropping operation targeting diplomats from several countries.
The problem: U.N. officials say the practice is illegal and undermines honest diplomacy, although some observers claim it is business as usual on East 42nd Street.
The outcome: Little fuss here, but a major British scandal erupted after U.K. intelligence translator Katherine Gun leaked a U.S. National Security Agency memo requesting British help in the spying scheme, in early 2003. Initially charged under Britain's Official Secrets Act for leaking classified information, Gun was cleared in 2004 -- seemingly to avoid hearings questioning the legality of Britain's war participation.
16. The Boeing Boondoggle
The scandal: In 2003, the Air Force contracted with Boeing to lease a fleet of refueling tanker planes at an inflated price: $23 billion.
The problem: The deal was put together by a government procurement official, Darleen Druyun, who promptly joined Boeing. Beats using a headhunter.
The outcome: In November 2003, Boeing fired both Druyun and CFO Michael Sears. In April 2004, Druyun pled guilty to a conspiracy charge in the case. In November 2004, Sears copped to a conflict-of-interest charge, and company CEO Phil Condit resigned. The government is reviewing its need for the tankers.
17. The Medicare Bribe Scandal
The scandal: According to former Rep. Nick Smith (R-Mich.), on Nov. 21, 2003, with the vote on the administration's Medicare bill hanging in the balance, someone offered to contribute $100,000 to his son's forthcoming congressional campaign, if Smith would support the bill.
The problem: Federal law prohibits the bribery of elected officials.
The outcome: In September 2004, the House Ethics Committee concluded an inquiry by fingering House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), saying he deserved "public admonishment" for offering to endorse Smith's son in return for Smith's vote. DeLay has claimed Smith initiated talks about a quid pro quo. The matter of the $100,000 is unresolved; soon after his original allegations, Smith suddenly claimed he had not been offered any money. Smith's son Brad lost his GOP primary in August 2004.
18. Tom DeLay's PAC Problems
The scandal: One of DeLay's political action committees, Texans for a Republican Majority, apparently reaped illegal corporate contributions for the campaigns of Republicans running for the Texas Legislature in 2002. Given a Republican majority, the Legislature then re-drew Texas' U.S. congressional districts to help the GOP.
The problem: Texas law bans the use of corporate money for political purposes.
The outcome: Unresolved. Three DeLay aides and associates -- Jim Ellis, John Colyandro and Warren RoBold -- were charged in September 2004 with crimes including money laundering and unlawful acceptance of corporate contributions. **UPDATE**: On Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2005 House Majority leader and Republican Tom DeLay was indicted in Travis County, Texas on a single count of felony criminal conspiracy involving an exchange of money that made corporate cash available to Republican Texas House candidates in 2002.
19. Tom DeLay's FAA: Following Americans Anywhere
The scandal: In May 2003, DeLay's office persuaded the Federal Aviation Administration to find the plane carrying a Texas Democratic legislator, who was leaving the state in an attempt to thwart the GOP's nearly unprecedented congressional redistricting plan.
The problem: According to the House Ethics Committee, the "invocation of federal executive branch resources in a partisan dispute before a state legislative body" is wrong.
The outcome: In October 2004, the committee rebuked DeLay for his actions.
20. In the Rough: Tom DeLay's Golf Fundraiser
The scandal: DeLay appeared at a golf fundraiser that Westar Energy held for one of his political action committees, Americans for a Republican Majority, while energy legislation was pending in the House.
The problem: It's one of these "appearance of impropriety" situations.
The outcome: The House Ethics Committee tossed the matter into its Oct. 6 rebuke. "Take a lap, Tom."
21. Busy, Busy, Busy in New Hampshire
The scandal: In 2002, with a tight Senate race in New Hampshire, Republican Party officials paid a Virginia-based firm, GOP Marketplace, to enact an Election Day scheme meant to depress Democratic turnout by "jamming" the Democratic Party phone bank with continuous calls for 90 minutes.
The problem: Federal law prohibits the use of telephones to "annoy or harass" anyone.
The outcome: Chuck McGee, the former executive director of the New Hampshire GOP, pleaded guilty in July 2004 to a felony charge, while Allen Raymond, former head of GOP Marketplace, pleaded guilty to a similar charge in June. In December, James Tobin, former New England campaign chairman of Bush-Cheney '04, was indicted for conspiracy in the case.
22. The Medicare Money Scandal
The scandal: Thomas Scully, Medicare's former administrator, supposedly threatened to fire chief Medicare actuary Richard Foster to prevent him from disclosing the true cost of the 2003 Medicare bill.
The problem: Congress voted on the bill believing it would cost $400 billion over 10 years. The program is more likely to cost $550 billion.
The outcome: Scully denies threatening to fire Foster, as Foster has charged, but admits telling Foster to withhold the higher estimate from Congress. In September 2004, the Government Accountability Office recommended Scully return half his salary from 2003. Inevitably, Scully is now a lobbyist for drug companies helped by the bill.
23. The Bogus Medicare "Video News Release"
The scandal: To promote its Medicare bill, the Bush administration produced imitation news-report videos touting the legislation. About 40 television stations aired the videos. More recently, similar videos promoting the administration's education policy have come to light.
The problem: The administration broke two laws: One forbidding the use of federal money for propaganda, and another forbidding the unauthorized use of federal funds.
The outcome: In May 2004, the GAO concluded the administration acted illegally, but the agency lacks enforcement power.
24. Pundits on the Payroll: The Armstrong Williams Case
The scandal: The Department of Education paid conservative commentator Armstrong Williams $240,000 to promote its educational law, No Child Left Behind.
The problem: Williams did not disclose that his support was government funded until the deal was exposed in January 2005.
The outcome: The House and FCC are considering inquiries, while Williams' syndicated newspaper column has been terminated.
25. Ground Zero's Unsafe Air
The scandal: Government officials publicly minimized the health risks stemming from the World Trade Center attack. In September 2001, for example, Environmental Protection Agency head Christine Todd Whitman said New York's "air is safe to breathe and [the] water is safe to drink."
The problem: Research showed serious dangers or was incomplete. The EPA used outdated techniques that failed to detect tiny asbestos particles. EPA data also showed high levels of lead and benzene, which causes cancer. A Sierra Club report claims the government ignored alarming data. A GAO report says no adequate study of 9/11's health effects has been organized.
The outcome: The long-term health effects of the disaster will likely not be apparent for years or decades and may never be definitively known. Already, hundreds of 9/11 rescue workers have quit their jobs because of acute illnesses.
26. John Ashcroft's Illegal Campaign Contributions
The scandal: Ashcroft's exploratory committee for his short-lived 2000 presidential bid transferred $110,000 to his unsuccessful 2000 reelection campaign for the Senate.
The problem: The maximum for such a transfer is $10,000.
The outcome: The Federal Election Commission fined Ashcroft's campaign treasurer, Garrett Lott, $37,000 for the transgression.
27. Intel Inside ... The White House
The scandal: In early 2001, chief White House political strategist Karl Rove held meetings with numerous companies while maintaining six-figure holdings of their stock -- including Intel, whose executives were seeking government approval of a merger. "Washington hadn't seen a clearer example of a conflict of interest in years," wrote Paul Glastris in the Washington Monthly.
The problem: The Code of Federal Regulations says government employees should not participate in matters in which they have a personal financial interest.
The outcome: Then White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, spurning precedent, did not refer the case to the Justice Department.
28. Duck! Antonin Scalia's Legal Conflicts
The scandal: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia refused to recuse himself from the Cheney energy task force case, despite taking a duck-hunting trip with the vice president after the court agreed to weigh the matter.
The problem: Federal law requires a justice to "disqualify himself from any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned."
The outcome: Scalia stayed on, arguing no conflict existed because Cheney was party to the case in a professional, not personal, capacity. Nothing new for Scalia, who in 2002 was part of a Mississippi redistricting ruling favorable to GOP Rep. Chip Pickering -- son of Judge Charles Pickering, a Scalia turkey-hunting pal. In 2001, Scalia went pheasant hunting with Kansas Gov. Bill Graves when that state had cases pending before the Supreme Court.
29. AWOL
The scandal: George W. Bush, self-described "war president," did not fulfill his National Guard duty, and Bush and his aides have made misleading statements about it. Salon's Eric Boehlert wrote the best recent summary of the issue.
The problem: Military absenteeism is a punishable offense, although Bush received an honorable discharge.
The outcome: No longer a campaign issue. But what was Bush doing in 1972?
30. Iraq: The Case for War
The scandal: Bush and many officials in his administration made false statements about Iraq's military capabilities, in the months before the United States' March 2003 invasion of the country.
The problem: For one thing, it is a crime to lie to Congress, although Bush backers claim the president did not knowingly make false assertions.
The outcome: A war spun out of control with unknowable long-term consequences. The Iraq Survey Group has stopped looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
31. Niger Forgeries: Whodunit?
The scandal: In his January 2003 State of the Union address, Bush said, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
The problem: The statement was untrue. By March 2003, the International Atomic Energy Agency showed the claim, that Iraq sought materials from Niger, was based on easily discernible forgeries.
The outcome: The identity of the forger(s) remains under wraps. Journalist Josh Marshall has implied the FBI is oddly uninterested in interviewing Rocco Martino, the former Italian intelligence agent who apparently first shopped the documents in intelligence and journalistic circles and would presumably be able to shed light on their origin.
32. In Plame Sight
The scandal: In July 2003, administration officials disclosed the identity of Valerie Plame, a CIA operative working on counterterrorism efforts, to multiple journalists, and columnist Robert Novak made Plame's identity public. Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had just written a New York Times opinion piece stating he had investigated the Niger uranium-production allegations, at the CIA's behest, and reported them to be untrue, before Bush's 2003 State of the Union address.
The problem: Under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act it is illegal to disclose, knowingly, the name of an undercover agent.
The outcome: Unresolved. The Justice Department appointed special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to the case in December 2003. While this might seem a simple matter, Fitzgerald could be unable to prove the leakers knew Plame was a covert agent.
33. Abu Ghraib
The scandal: American soldiers physically tortured prisoners in Iraq and kept undocumented "ghost detainees" in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
The problem: The United States is party to the Geneva Conventions, which state that "No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever."
The outcome: Unresolved. A Pentagon internal inquiry found a lack of oversight at Abu Ghraib, while independent inquiries have linked the events to the administration's desire to use aggressive interrogation methods globally. Notoriously, Gonzales has advocated an approach which "renders obsolete Geneva's strict limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners and renders quaint some of its provisions." More recently, Gonzales issued qualified support for the Geneva Conventions in January 2005 Senate testimony after being nominated for attorney general. Army reservist Charles Graner was convicted in January 2005 for abusing prisoners, while a few other soldiers await trial.
34. Guantánamo Bay Torture?
The scandal: The U.S. military is also alleged to have abused prisoners at the U.S. Navy's base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. FBI agents witnessing interrogations there have reported use of growling dogs to frighten prisoners and the chaining of prisoners in the fetal position while depriving them of food or water for extended periods.
The problem: More potential violations of the Geneva Conventions.
The outcome: An internal military investigation was launched in January 2005.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
The case of the Phantom Popularity Syndrome...
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Sunday, September 25, 2005
Republican war supporters throw a party -- nobody shows up!!
The day after nearly 300,000 patriotic Americans petitioned their despotic government for redress for it's illegal, mid-east oil war, the pro-war crowd decides to hold a counter demonstration.
Problem is -- nobody showed up!! Pro-war protest organizers were boasting of bringing in at least 20,000 people to wave flags, chant "war is good" gobble-dee-gook, and engage in some good old fashioned character smearing of their fellow-countrymen -- the anti-war people. Barely 400 people showed up for the event.
Now, at some point, you'd think that common sense would emerge from the dark recesses of their tiny right-wing brains and these hard-core war lovers would stop their frothing-at-the-mouth war mongering just long enough to take a moment and take stock of their present situation.
The premise that the invasion of Iraq, and the present quagmire it's created, was necessary because Iraq was harboring weapons of mass destruction and therefore a threat to the United States, or, that the Iraqi regime was in cahoots with Osama Bin Laden on the September 11th attacks on this country, has long, long since been exposed for the fraud it is and duly dismissed.
The pro-war crowd has nothing to cling to other than their childish "support the troops" mantra, which they feverishly chant with an ever increasing level of rank desperation. And of course they do so purposefully ignoring the fact that the vast majority of anti-war folks support the individual men and women of our armed forces and love this country just as much or more as they themselves do.
The bottom line is this --- George W. Bush and the cabal of neo-con assklowns that he's surrounded himself with, have bungled this country into an unwinnable conflict. They did so by lying to the American people for the reasons as why it was necessary to invade Iraq and they had absolutely no workable plans as to how to handle the peace after the bombs stopped being dropped. As a result, and as many smarter people have predicted, Iraq is now teetering on the brink of full-blown civil war and the level of violence against coalition (mostly U.S. troops) and innocent Iraqi's has risen steadily.
I remember a time when the right-wing nuts screamed about holding a certain President accountable for his actions. That President had engaged in a private sexual affair with a woman other than his wife in the oval office. That President was subsequently impeached by a bunch of hypocritical Republicans -- and you know they were hypocritical, because the folks heading up that lynch mob were themselves documented adulterers (Henry Hyde, Newt Gingrich, Bob Livingston, Helen Chenoweth, etc...) and corrupt politicians (Tom Delay, Dennis Hastert, Dan Burton, Bob Barr, etc...)
When are they going to hold George W. Bush accountable for his actions? Does anyone with an ounce of sanity truly believe that Clinton's lying about a personal sex affair has caused more harm to America than Bush's lies which have resulted in the deaths of 2000 American soldiers, 100,000 Iraqi civilians, a bankrupted national treasury, a decimated economy, and on the international front -- incurred the enmity of the entire civilized world, including many long-time allies?? Good God!! How much more death and destruction have to occur before these people realize that they are just plain fucking wrong????
So anyhow, the right wingnuts throw a pro-war party and nobody shows up. Alabama wingnut Republican Senator Jeff Sessions lamely addressed the crowd (if it could even be called a "crowd"), and said, "I frankly don't know what they (anti-war Americans) represent, other than to blame America first." Another war supporter carried a sign which read, "Arrest the traitors."
Well, I think that sign says just about everything one needs to know about these desperate people. Like the Nazi regime and it's war supporters in 1930's Germany believed, if anyone dared dissent against their leader (Der Fuehrer) and his bloody imperialistic plans, they ought to be thrown into prison, stand trial as traitors and summarily executed.
With people like that on your side, is there any wonder you can't get your fellow countrymen to support you and show up at your rallys???
----krazee
Problem is -- nobody showed up!! Pro-war protest organizers were boasting of bringing in at least 20,000 people to wave flags, chant "war is good" gobble-dee-gook, and engage in some good old fashioned character smearing of their fellow-countrymen -- the anti-war people. Barely 400 people showed up for the event.
Now, at some point, you'd think that common sense would emerge from the dark recesses of their tiny right-wing brains and these hard-core war lovers would stop their frothing-at-the-mouth war mongering just long enough to take a moment and take stock of their present situation.
The premise that the invasion of Iraq, and the present quagmire it's created, was necessary because Iraq was harboring weapons of mass destruction and therefore a threat to the United States, or, that the Iraqi regime was in cahoots with Osama Bin Laden on the September 11th attacks on this country, has long, long since been exposed for the fraud it is and duly dismissed.
The pro-war crowd has nothing to cling to other than their childish "support the troops" mantra, which they feverishly chant with an ever increasing level of rank desperation. And of course they do so purposefully ignoring the fact that the vast majority of anti-war folks support the individual men and women of our armed forces and love this country just as much or more as they themselves do.
The bottom line is this --- George W. Bush and the cabal of neo-con assklowns that he's surrounded himself with, have bungled this country into an unwinnable conflict. They did so by lying to the American people for the reasons as why it was necessary to invade Iraq and they had absolutely no workable plans as to how to handle the peace after the bombs stopped being dropped. As a result, and as many smarter people have predicted, Iraq is now teetering on the brink of full-blown civil war and the level of violence against coalition (mostly U.S. troops) and innocent Iraqi's has risen steadily.
I remember a time when the right-wing nuts screamed about holding a certain President accountable for his actions. That President had engaged in a private sexual affair with a woman other than his wife in the oval office. That President was subsequently impeached by a bunch of hypocritical Republicans -- and you know they were hypocritical, because the folks heading up that lynch mob were themselves documented adulterers (Henry Hyde, Newt Gingrich, Bob Livingston, Helen Chenoweth, etc...) and corrupt politicians (Tom Delay, Dennis Hastert, Dan Burton, Bob Barr, etc...)
When are they going to hold George W. Bush accountable for his actions? Does anyone with an ounce of sanity truly believe that Clinton's lying about a personal sex affair has caused more harm to America than Bush's lies which have resulted in the deaths of 2000 American soldiers, 100,000 Iraqi civilians, a bankrupted national treasury, a decimated economy, and on the international front -- incurred the enmity of the entire civilized world, including many long-time allies?? Good God!! How much more death and destruction have to occur before these people realize that they are just plain fucking wrong????
So anyhow, the right wingnuts throw a pro-war party and nobody shows up. Alabama wingnut Republican Senator Jeff Sessions lamely addressed the crowd (if it could even be called a "crowd"), and said, "I frankly don't know what they (anti-war Americans) represent, other than to blame America first." Another war supporter carried a sign which read, "Arrest the traitors."
Well, I think that sign says just about everything one needs to know about these desperate people. Like the Nazi regime and it's war supporters in 1930's Germany believed, if anyone dared dissent against their leader (Der Fuehrer) and his bloody imperialistic plans, they ought to be thrown into prison, stand trial as traitors and summarily executed.
With people like that on your side, is there any wonder you can't get your fellow countrymen to support you and show up at your rallys???
----krazee
Thursday, September 22, 2005
GOP shafts military and our soldiers once again....
Here's another issue for the reason-challenged moron-American crowd to ponder. Giving tax-breaks to the already well-off in exchange for --- cutting military benefits?? Gee -- I wonder why Republicans hate the military so much??
It is a fact, undisputable (regardless of the lies propagated by the millionaire pundit serial liars on Fox News), that of the approximately $1.6 trillion in tax cuts passed and being proposed by Bush and the GOP, 90% of those cuts go to people making $200,000 or more a year. Of course it's nothing more than a tired, dishonest rerun of Ronald Reagan's economy and social-fabric destroying trickle-down economic theories of the 1980's.
You can choose to believe the bullshit spoonfed to you by the likes of hillbilly heroin addict Rush Limbaugh. You can choose to bend over and take a good ass-reaming from the rich-elite asslickers at National Review Online (NRO). And you are free to choose to be bamboozled and taken to the proverbial truth cleaners by benign and official sounding organizations like the NTU (National Taxpayers Union), which is nothing but a right-wing front group bankrolled by the likes of billionaire scumbag and uber-fascist Richard Mellon-Scaife and other radical right moneychangers.
But if you want the truth, click here and here and here and here and .... oh never mind!!
If you haven't figured out by now that Uncle Sam Bush is raping you and your family's financial sphincters, what good will my truth crusade do you??
Of course it is all the more obscene when it's shown (in the first linked article) that the Republicans prefer to shower themselves and their rich-elite supporters with more tax cuts at the expense of health benefits for our military people.
I ask the important question again --- Why do Republicans hate our military and soldiers?
----krazee
It is a fact, undisputable (regardless of the lies propagated by the millionaire pundit serial liars on Fox News), that of the approximately $1.6 trillion in tax cuts passed and being proposed by Bush and the GOP, 90% of those cuts go to people making $200,000 or more a year. Of course it's nothing more than a tired, dishonest rerun of Ronald Reagan's economy and social-fabric destroying trickle-down economic theories of the 1980's.
You can choose to believe the bullshit spoonfed to you by the likes of hillbilly heroin addict Rush Limbaugh. You can choose to bend over and take a good ass-reaming from the rich-elite asslickers at National Review Online (NRO). And you are free to choose to be bamboozled and taken to the proverbial truth cleaners by benign and official sounding organizations like the NTU (National Taxpayers Union), which is nothing but a right-wing front group bankrolled by the likes of billionaire scumbag and uber-fascist Richard Mellon-Scaife and other radical right moneychangers.
But if you want the truth, click here and here and here and here and .... oh never mind!!
If you haven't figured out by now that Uncle Sam Bush is raping you and your family's financial sphincters, what good will my truth crusade do you??
Of course it is all the more obscene when it's shown (in the first linked article) that the Republicans prefer to shower themselves and their rich-elite supporters with more tax cuts at the expense of health benefits for our military people.
I ask the important question again --- Why do Republicans hate our military and soldiers?
----krazee
The GOP greed machine is hitting on all cylinders...
GOP Senate Majority leader Bill Frist dumps tens of millions of dollars in HCA stock, a for-profit hospital chain started by his father and currently run by his brother, a couple of weeks before the stock value plummets on reports of depressed profits in the 2nd quarter of this year.
'Mere coincidence!!', the rightwing greedmongers will scream.
'A stroke of luck!!' the whore media will unflinchingly opine.
How many times does the moron American crowd have to read this same sleazy story to fucking get it thru their knucklehead skullcaps that this is business as usual for the Republicans??
It's the same goddamn insider trading story of how Bush monkey Jr. made his fortune dumping stock in his phony company Harken Energy back in his cocaine using and boozing days.
Of course don't expect your yellow-bellied "liberal media" to shine the obvious spotlight on the fact that what Frist has done is not one iota different from what long-time Democratic supporter Martha Stewart did and was imprisoned for this past year.
What in the fucking world has happened to this country??
Crime and lies and deceipt are ok as long as it's being done by someone you agree with on political issues???
I say to those of you who believe that -- you all are the real traitors to this country --- you value your idiotic ideology more than you do the law, more than you do honesty and integrity, more than you do what is right for this country as a whole.
Go ahead --- defend Dr. Fristenstein. Shove your dull, rusty shank deeper into the heart of decency and truthfulness. Stomp on the already beaten, bloodied and crumpled body of Democracy.
Look in your mirrors moron Americans! --- see the real traitors staring back at you.
----krazee
'Mere coincidence!!', the rightwing greedmongers will scream.
'A stroke of luck!!' the whore media will unflinchingly opine.
How many times does the moron American crowd have to read this same sleazy story to fucking get it thru their knucklehead skullcaps that this is business as usual for the Republicans??
It's the same goddamn insider trading story of how Bush monkey Jr. made his fortune dumping stock in his phony company Harken Energy back in his cocaine using and boozing days.
Of course don't expect your yellow-bellied "liberal media" to shine the obvious spotlight on the fact that what Frist has done is not one iota different from what long-time Democratic supporter Martha Stewart did and was imprisoned for this past year.
What in the fucking world has happened to this country??
Crime and lies and deceipt are ok as long as it's being done by someone you agree with on political issues???
I say to those of you who believe that -- you all are the real traitors to this country --- you value your idiotic ideology more than you do the law, more than you do honesty and integrity, more than you do what is right for this country as a whole.
Go ahead --- defend Dr. Fristenstein. Shove your dull, rusty shank deeper into the heart of decency and truthfulness. Stomp on the already beaten, bloodied and crumpled body of Democracy.
Look in your mirrors moron Americans! --- see the real traitors staring back at you.
----krazee
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Wing-nuts doth protesteth too much....Indeed...
Ok --- even though the non-partisan Congressional Research Service issued a report today asserting that Louisiana governor Katherine Blanco took the necessary and timely steps needed to secure disaster relief from the federal government, don't expect the lying onslaught of GOP media hacks to ease up in their contemptible bid to shift blame from the Feds to the local Louisiana authorities -- primarily Democratic Governor Blanco and Democratic New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin.
The Bush apologists, screaming red-faced on every cable news show they can get their ugly faces on, have twisted themselves into pretzeled knots trying to run interference for their dear leader and shield him and his bumbling cronies from any scrutiny or culpability in the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
But the truth always prevails in the end and the unvarnished conclusions of the CRS report shed a glaring spotlight on the Bushista wing-nuts and their shameless lying in the face of that god-awful truth.
I just hope that most Americans, in the shadow of this latest Bush debacle, will, at long last, come to realize what a nasty, brutish, deceitful bunch of ass-klowns they have running their country. However, if what I fear is the case -- that a good portion of the American electorate has the mental capacity of a fucking doorknob -- then I suspect not much will change and the Bush mafia will continue on their merry way, destroying the last remnants of our democratic republic.
Anyhow, CLICK HERE for the entire article.
----krazee
The Bush apologists, screaming red-faced on every cable news show they can get their ugly faces on, have twisted themselves into pretzeled knots trying to run interference for their dear leader and shield him and his bumbling cronies from any scrutiny or culpability in the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
But the truth always prevails in the end and the unvarnished conclusions of the CRS report shed a glaring spotlight on the Bushista wing-nuts and their shameless lying in the face of that god-awful truth.
I just hope that most Americans, in the shadow of this latest Bush debacle, will, at long last, come to realize what a nasty, brutish, deceitful bunch of ass-klowns they have running their country. However, if what I fear is the case -- that a good portion of the American electorate has the mental capacity of a fucking doorknob -- then I suspect not much will change and the Bush mafia will continue on their merry way, destroying the last remnants of our democratic republic.
Anyhow, CLICK HERE for the entire article.
----krazee
Top Ten Conservative Idiots . . . the truth hurts edition...
Time for a healthy dose of progressive humor and insight into the vacuous wasteland of intellectuality that comprises the collective conservative mindset.
This weeks edition of Democratic Underground's -- The Top Ten Conservative Idiots, as usual, puts the crass, imbecilic activities of the Republican party and their parasitic supporters into the proper perspective.
Enjoy.
----krazee
This weeks edition of Democratic Underground's -- The Top Ten Conservative Idiots, as usual, puts the crass, imbecilic activities of the Republican party and their parasitic supporters into the proper perspective.
Enjoy.
----krazee
The GOP's phantom bus defense . . . pathetic...
The right-wing nuttisphere is spinning itself into a tizzy trying to defend their beloved emperor George Bush from facing any scrutiny or being assigned any level of culpability for the lethally slow federal response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
Their desperation has reached near comical heights . . . and as usual the lies are being flung about with unbridled rigor and fury.
Read this article and see how low these people will sink in their efforts to prop up their boy king and deflect attention away from his obvious incompetency and unfitness to lead this great country of ours.
It has become crystalline clear that the GOP and their wing-nut brigades value blind loyalty to a single individual, regardless of their fitness to lead, more than to the country, to it's people and to the truth.
---- krazee
Their desperation has reached near comical heights . . . and as usual the lies are being flung about with unbridled rigor and fury.
Read this article and see how low these people will sink in their efforts to prop up their boy king and deflect attention away from his obvious incompetency and unfitness to lead this great country of ours.
It has become crystalline clear that the GOP and their wing-nut brigades value blind loyalty to a single individual, regardless of their fitness to lead, more than to the country, to it's people and to the truth.
---- krazee
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Oh yeah --- Fuck the Democrats too.....
The preceding post which found the krazee one hurling invective and everlasting gobs of hate toward those, whom at first glance appear to be the most culpable for the Hurricane Katrina relief effort fuckup, falls a tad short in one respect.
Acknowledgement also must be heaved on to that organized body of spineless jellyfish, knee-pad wearing, afraid of their own shadow - or Karl Rove's shadow, insipidly timid bunch of pussies known as the Democratic Party.
I'm so sick of an opposition party that fucking has not clue one as to the true meaning of opposition. Half of these Democratic Senators and Congressman are really nothing more than closet Republicans --- the other half are too busy trying not piss of Karl Rove for fear of, not onlyt wetting their pants, but perhaps getting a dose of Rove-style swift-boating. Bunch of gutless bastards. It really says volumes about the Democratic party that I can, probably, count on one hand the number of Democrats that have any balls whatsoever and actually do stand up to the Repukelican bullies and the Bush, Cheney, Rove criminal enterprise.
One Democrat in particular really gets my gonads in a bunch --- Connecticut Senator and the standard-bearer for Democratic Eunuchs --- Joe Lieberman. Al Gore did indeed make a stunning mistake in selecting this ass-klown for a running mate in 2000. Gore, to his credit, now readily admits to this judgement mistake.
Lieberman is nothing more than an appeaser and enabler of the Republican slash and burn agenda which is causing massive harm to this country's middle-class and poor citizenry. He's too willing to back down from principles and kiss his enemy's ass all in a "quixotic" bid to "compromise" with people (Repukelicans) who would shove a shank between his shoulder blades in a minute if he turned his back on them.
He, along with many others of his ilk in the Democratic party, need to be jettisoned. They are dead fucking weight on the party.
Read this article and you'll see a prime example of what I'm talking about. The Democrats had best stop acting like a bunch of scared bunnys and start acting like a true opposition party or they are going to lose the peoples support -- which is already wavering as it is.
----krazee
Acknowledgement also must be heaved on to that organized body of spineless jellyfish, knee-pad wearing, afraid of their own shadow - or Karl Rove's shadow, insipidly timid bunch of pussies known as the Democratic Party.
I'm so sick of an opposition party that fucking has not clue one as to the true meaning of opposition. Half of these Democratic Senators and Congressman are really nothing more than closet Republicans --- the other half are too busy trying not piss of Karl Rove for fear of, not onlyt wetting their pants, but perhaps getting a dose of Rove-style swift-boating. Bunch of gutless bastards. It really says volumes about the Democratic party that I can, probably, count on one hand the number of Democrats that have any balls whatsoever and actually do stand up to the Repukelican bullies and the Bush, Cheney, Rove criminal enterprise.
One Democrat in particular really gets my gonads in a bunch --- Connecticut Senator and the standard-bearer for Democratic Eunuchs --- Joe Lieberman. Al Gore did indeed make a stunning mistake in selecting this ass-klown for a running mate in 2000. Gore, to his credit, now readily admits to this judgement mistake.
Lieberman is nothing more than an appeaser and enabler of the Republican slash and burn agenda which is causing massive harm to this country's middle-class and poor citizenry. He's too willing to back down from principles and kiss his enemy's ass all in a "quixotic" bid to "compromise" with people (Repukelicans) who would shove a shank between his shoulder blades in a minute if he turned his back on them.
He, along with many others of his ilk in the Democratic party, need to be jettisoned. They are dead fucking weight on the party.
Read this article and you'll see a prime example of what I'm talking about. The Democrats had best stop acting like a bunch of scared bunnys and start acting like a true opposition party or they are going to lose the peoples support -- which is already wavering as it is.
----krazee
Friday, September 09, 2005
The Culture of Life -- Bull Fucking Shit!! . . .
Yes -- I've met people like this in my lifetime and yes, they vividly remind me why it is that I'm not a Christian. These faux-religious hypocrites with their"we've got ours, screw the rest of you" mindset aren't worth the spit I shine my shoes with. They love bludgeoning others over the head with their phony "culture of life" belief system and their juvenile "what would Jesus do?" proclamations --- but the God-awful truth of the matter is that they are pungently rotten human beings who suck up way too much oxygen on this planet.
As much as I deplore violence as a solution to conflict, I must admit that I do occasionally daydream about getting hold of one of these pricks in a dark alley and just kicking the living shit out of them. These people do not deserve to live in a freedom-loving Democracy --- actually, it's quite likely that they'd flourish in a totalitarian society not unlike Hitler's Nazi Germany in the 1930's and 1940's. Maybe that's why they keep putting monsters like George W. Bush in power -- in the hope of some day realizing their pent-up dreams of transforming America into a modern day Third Reich that would make Der Fuehrer the happiest demon in Hades.
Anyhow, click here and read the article to find out what I'm talking about. Beware -- it's a stomach turner.
----krazee
As much as I deplore violence as a solution to conflict, I must admit that I do occasionally daydream about getting hold of one of these pricks in a dark alley and just kicking the living shit out of them. These people do not deserve to live in a freedom-loving Democracy --- actually, it's quite likely that they'd flourish in a totalitarian society not unlike Hitler's Nazi Germany in the 1930's and 1940's. Maybe that's why they keep putting monsters like George W. Bush in power -- in the hope of some day realizing their pent-up dreams of transforming America into a modern day Third Reich that would make Der Fuehrer the happiest demon in Hades.
Anyhow, click here and read the article to find out what I'm talking about. Beware -- it's a stomach turner.
----krazee
Sunday, September 04, 2005
George W. Bush -- Menace to America . . .
I can't fucking take it anymore --- I got to vent.
This post is a direct plea to every one of you insane shit-4-brains ass klowns that voted to re-elect the boy idiot George W. Bush to the Presidency in 2004.
What the fuck was on your bat-shit insane minds??
This past weeks events along the once beautiful, proud, ethereal and majestic Gulf Coast of the United States of America have cemented the goddamn fact that George W. Bush and his hapless group of circus clown cabinet officers will be the catalyst which pummels America's once sterling reputation of being the greatest country in the world into the fucking dirt.
Imagine THIS taking place in America to-fucking-day!
I'm so goddamned mad I can't even cry. These fucking pricks --- every one of them ALLOWED this to happen. They knew it was coming -- they played with their dicks, and now they are lying about their own culpability.
My own mother who came from a very poor (white thank u) background in the upper midwest is beside herself with anger and utter disgust with the way her government has failed these poor souls. She realizes the truth --- our government failed us and they failed us because they don't give a goddamn rat's ass about anyone that isn't tithing a portion of their paycheck to the Republican National Committee or robotically pulling levers for every stepford, bible-thumping Republican candidate churned out of their corrupt system.
To heap insult onto injury we now have the yellow-bellied right wing apologists and their sidekicks, the fundamentalist religious nematoads, on the offensive insinuating that the victims in New Orleans are deserving of their suffering. Fox Nazi News is carrying alot of their nauseous bile. Dare to watch it if you can stomach it. If you ask me, Fox ought to simply replace the letter x in their name with the Nazi swastika --- that's how fucking evil and extreme those bastards are.
Fuckers.... If I had one grantable genie wish it would be to see human-scum Nazi pricks like Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Brit Hume, Fred Barnes, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and all of their brain-fucking-dead supporters mass herded into cattle cars, transported down to New Orleans, stripped naked and thrown directly into the toxic muck that the rest of that city's citizens are suffering and dying in as we speak.
Read this exerpt from a fellow blogger -- he shares my passion of disgust for the Bush mafia, their dirtbag capos and all of their brain-dead enablers and supporters:
"Watching the horror that is New Orleans unfold has left me even more depressed and saddened about my country. Even more depressing than the wholesale rape and looting of my country by the powers-that-be are the Americans who have enabled this train wreck on two legs to unleash yet another four years of death and destruction on the world - even after they'd witnessed the first four. They don't just enable, they excuse and try to deflect any and all criticism of their Dear Leader. To those people who have supported this President and his policies, especially the so-called "Pro-Life Christians" who support a "Culture of Life" I'd like to ask Dr. Phil style, "How's that working out for you?" You fucking shameless, self-righteous, heartless bastards. You have every bit as much blood on your hands as the disaster team that you elected. Fuck you and fuck your merciful, all-powerful, all-loving God. If this past five years hasn't proved to you that "He" doesn't exist then what the fuck will it take?"
Click here to read the whole article.
Do I have hate in my heart? You're goddamn right I do -- and boy does it feel refreshing.
You know -- I'd almost sloughed off my interest in seeing Bush impeached for his ignoring warnings in early 2001 of an impending Al-Qaeda attack on U.S. soil.
I'd almost forgotten about his and his administration's lies (here and here) linking the 9/11 terror attacks to Iraq and Hussein in order to sucker Congress and the American people into supporting their ill-advised (Bush's own father explains why it would not be a good idea to invade Iraq -- Jr. didn't listen) and unprepared for war.
I'd almost forgotten about Bush's cozying up to and kissing the asses of the terror-supporting, oil-drenched Saudis, knowing full-well that 15 of the 19 September 11th hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.
I'd almost forgotten about Bush's deception in passing Medicare legislation which ended up hurting more seniors than helping them.
I'd almost forgotten about Bush signing the Bankruptcy legislation bill which makes it harder for Americans who've experienced catastrophic financial situations to recover and make good on their debts.
I'd almost forgotten about Bush and his Republican rich-fuck cronies on-going war against Social Security and their desire to hand this precious program over to their criminal pals on Wall Street.
I'd almost forgotten that George W. Bush is a greedy cock-sucking Oil industry puppet who would sell his own goddamn mother (the nasty bitch she is) if it meant he and "Oil Slick" Dick Cheney could stuff few dollars more their Swiss bank accounts next quarter.
So here we are --- under George W. Bush's "leadership", we have a major American city turned into a an apocalyptic wasteland of poisonous soup and abandoned corpses. Osama Bin Laden (another evil prick) is sitting somewhere in a cave laughing his ass off -- knowing that he himself couldn't have done a better job at causing mass destruction on American soil.
The Bushistas are hard at work trying to demonize "the blame game" and protect their blue-blooded boy king from having to face any scrutiny or accountability for his incompetence. That is an outrage! Thousands of people are dead because of these assholes. The American people deserve answers and they deserve to see the people responsible prosecuted for their contemptible and deadly ineptitude.
THIS IS WHAT THESE FUCKS HAVE GIVEN YOU AMERICA!
Are you sorry-ass people happy now? ? ?
Bastards.
----krazee
This post is a direct plea to every one of you insane shit-4-brains ass klowns that voted to re-elect the boy idiot George W. Bush to the Presidency in 2004.
What the fuck was on your bat-shit insane minds??
This past weeks events along the once beautiful, proud, ethereal and majestic Gulf Coast of the United States of America have cemented the goddamn fact that George W. Bush and his hapless group of circus clown cabinet officers will be the catalyst which pummels America's once sterling reputation of being the greatest country in the world into the fucking dirt.
Imagine THIS taking place in America to-fucking-day!
I'm so goddamned mad I can't even cry. These fucking pricks --- every one of them ALLOWED this to happen. They knew it was coming -- they played with their dicks, and now they are lying about their own culpability.
My own mother who came from a very poor (white thank u) background in the upper midwest is beside herself with anger and utter disgust with the way her government has failed these poor souls. She realizes the truth --- our government failed us and they failed us because they don't give a goddamn rat's ass about anyone that isn't tithing a portion of their paycheck to the Republican National Committee or robotically pulling levers for every stepford, bible-thumping Republican candidate churned out of their corrupt system.
To heap insult onto injury we now have the yellow-bellied right wing apologists and their sidekicks, the fundamentalist religious nematoads, on the offensive insinuating that the victims in New Orleans are deserving of their suffering. Fox Nazi News is carrying alot of their nauseous bile. Dare to watch it if you can stomach it. If you ask me, Fox ought to simply replace the letter x in their name with the Nazi swastika --- that's how fucking evil and extreme those bastards are.
Fuckers.... If I had one grantable genie wish it would be to see human-scum Nazi pricks like Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Brit Hume, Fred Barnes, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and all of their brain-fucking-dead supporters mass herded into cattle cars, transported down to New Orleans, stripped naked and thrown directly into the toxic muck that the rest of that city's citizens are suffering and dying in as we speak.
Read this exerpt from a fellow blogger -- he shares my passion of disgust for the Bush mafia, their dirtbag capos and all of their brain-dead enablers and supporters:
"Watching the horror that is New Orleans unfold has left me even more depressed and saddened about my country. Even more depressing than the wholesale rape and looting of my country by the powers-that-be are the Americans who have enabled this train wreck on two legs to unleash yet another four years of death and destruction on the world - even after they'd witnessed the first four. They don't just enable, they excuse and try to deflect any and all criticism of their Dear Leader. To those people who have supported this President and his policies, especially the so-called "Pro-Life Christians" who support a "Culture of Life" I'd like to ask Dr. Phil style, "How's that working out for you?" You fucking shameless, self-righteous, heartless bastards. You have every bit as much blood on your hands as the disaster team that you elected. Fuck you and fuck your merciful, all-powerful, all-loving God. If this past five years hasn't proved to you that "He" doesn't exist then what the fuck will it take?"
Click here to read the whole article.
Do I have hate in my heart? You're goddamn right I do -- and boy does it feel refreshing.
You know -- I'd almost sloughed off my interest in seeing Bush impeached for his ignoring warnings in early 2001 of an impending Al-Qaeda attack on U.S. soil.
I'd almost forgotten about his and his administration's lies (here and here) linking the 9/11 terror attacks to Iraq and Hussein in order to sucker Congress and the American people into supporting their ill-advised (Bush's own father explains why it would not be a good idea to invade Iraq -- Jr. didn't listen) and unprepared for war.
I'd almost forgotten about Bush's cozying up to and kissing the asses of the terror-supporting, oil-drenched Saudis, knowing full-well that 15 of the 19 September 11th hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.
I'd almost forgotten about Bush's deception in passing Medicare legislation which ended up hurting more seniors than helping them.
I'd almost forgotten about Bush signing the Bankruptcy legislation bill which makes it harder for Americans who've experienced catastrophic financial situations to recover and make good on their debts.
I'd almost forgotten about Bush and his Republican rich-fuck cronies on-going war against Social Security and their desire to hand this precious program over to their criminal pals on Wall Street.
I'd almost forgotten that George W. Bush is a greedy cock-sucking Oil industry puppet who would sell his own goddamn mother (the nasty bitch she is) if it meant he and "Oil Slick" Dick Cheney could stuff few dollars more their Swiss bank accounts next quarter.
So here we are --- under George W. Bush's "leadership", we have a major American city turned into a an apocalyptic wasteland of poisonous soup and abandoned corpses. Osama Bin Laden (another evil prick) is sitting somewhere in a cave laughing his ass off -- knowing that he himself couldn't have done a better job at causing mass destruction on American soil.
The Bushistas are hard at work trying to demonize "the blame game" and protect their blue-blooded boy king from having to face any scrutiny or accountability for his incompetence. That is an outrage! Thousands of people are dead because of these assholes. The American people deserve answers and they deserve to see the people responsible prosecuted for their contemptible and deadly ineptitude.
THIS IS WHAT THESE FUCKS HAVE GIVEN YOU AMERICA!
Are you sorry-ass people happy now? ? ?
Bastards.
----krazee
Thursday, August 25, 2005
The Pizza Man Cometh . . . and sucketh . . .
Reason 13,669 as to why krazee is not a Christian . . .
Read this article and pray tell me what's wrong with this picture:
Domino's pizza founder, billionaire and, it appears, right-wing, fundamentalist religious nut, Tom Monaghan, is planning to build a new town in Florida just for Orthodox (code word for fundamentalist whackjob) Catholics. This new town purportedly will be free from the devilish sins which presently plague America such as birth control, pornography (let your mind wander there), and R-rated cinema in addition to other as-yet-to-be-named satanic deeds.
After you normal people have recovered from your fit of giggling at the pure absurdity of it all, stop for a moment and think of the underlying meaning of what it is that Saint Monaghan has in mind.
According to published reports, "the $240 million first phase of the campus plans to be centered around the 'Oratory of Ave Maria,' a 60,000 square-foot church with aluminum and glass arches, and will include the nation's largest crucifix in stained glass with a 60' high bleeding Jesus. Officials say the church would be the largest fixed-seating Catholic Church in the nation, with room for 3,333 to 3,500 worshipers"
Imagine that!! How wonderful it must be for someone to have a quarter of a billion dollars at their ready disposal to spend on a fucking building!! What kind of stony-hearted, pea-soup for brains, twisted fuck of a human being would ignore the dire needs of their fellow countrymen suffering from homelessness, hunger, lack of medical care, lack of JOBS!, and generally chronic poverty, to build a goddamned luxurious designer building which will only be used once or twice a week to allow a few thousand lemming-like followers to worship their particular invisible magic cloud goblin??? This is the future of America?? Oh-my Oh-my Oh-my . . .
Aside from the glaring moral obnoxiousness of this plan, what kind of message is this sending the rest of Americans (and for that matter all those countries we've blown up or are blowing up in the name of Democracy), who for the most part, seem to be living rather peacefully in pluralistic society? Isn't it bad enough that many of the rich fucks in this country barricade themselves in their own little rich-fuck communities, cowering behind gates and walls designed entirely to separate them from the middle-class shmucks and the poor working-class dregs (in other words -- you and me)?? Now we have people who want to separate us even further based upon narrow interprative religious belief systems??
The article makes mention of the fact that Monaghan has given millions to charity over the years (albeit most of it to religious-themed organizations).
Who gives a shit?? As if that alone atones for the crass stupidity and callousness of his current enterprise.
But don't be fooled by the "he's given millions to charity" chant.
Here's an example of Monaghans true character and heartlessness which completely trumps his charity-giving charade ----
---- "after an earthquake devastated Nicaragua, Monaghan decided -- against the wishes of aid workers on the ground --that spending $3 million dollars to rebuild a church in Managua was more important than aiding the victims of the quake. . . " ----
Only a diseased mind and soul would turn a blind eye to the nightmarish sufferings of human beings devastated by a natural disaster and instead of providing life-saving commodities like food, water, medicines, shelter, clothing, etc... unflinchingly demand that the local church be rebuilt instead. I suppose in Monaghan's whacked out way of thinking, by reconstructing the church he was providing the victims of the quake a place where they could come and pray to god to miraculously whip up tons of relief supplies to aid the victims and relieve their anguish. I wonder how many people died as a result of that money being so unfeelingly spent on bricks, mortar and gold-plated crucifixes??
I have a suggestion for Saint Monaghan --- you want to separate yourself and your believers from our Democratic, pluralistic society?? Fine by me!! Fine by me!! More power to you man!! Now all you have to do is take that other $750 million of your fortune and go buy a fucking island in the middle of the South Pacific where you all can leave this great country and go live happily and theocratically forever after!!
Why do these people hate America and Democracy so much??
----krazee
Read this article and pray tell me what's wrong with this picture:
Domino's pizza founder, billionaire and, it appears, right-wing, fundamentalist religious nut, Tom Monaghan, is planning to build a new town in Florida just for Orthodox (code word for fundamentalist whackjob) Catholics. This new town purportedly will be free from the devilish sins which presently plague America such as birth control, pornography (let your mind wander there), and R-rated cinema in addition to other as-yet-to-be-named satanic deeds.
After you normal people have recovered from your fit of giggling at the pure absurdity of it all, stop for a moment and think of the underlying meaning of what it is that Saint Monaghan has in mind.
According to published reports, "the $240 million first phase of the campus plans to be centered around the 'Oratory of Ave Maria,' a 60,000 square-foot church with aluminum and glass arches, and will include the nation's largest crucifix in stained glass with a 60' high bleeding Jesus. Officials say the church would be the largest fixed-seating Catholic Church in the nation, with room for 3,333 to 3,500 worshipers"
Imagine that!! How wonderful it must be for someone to have a quarter of a billion dollars at their ready disposal to spend on a fucking building!! What kind of stony-hearted, pea-soup for brains, twisted fuck of a human being would ignore the dire needs of their fellow countrymen suffering from homelessness, hunger, lack of medical care, lack of JOBS!, and generally chronic poverty, to build a goddamned luxurious designer building which will only be used once or twice a week to allow a few thousand lemming-like followers to worship their particular invisible magic cloud goblin??? This is the future of America?? Oh-my Oh-my Oh-my . . .
Aside from the glaring moral obnoxiousness of this plan, what kind of message is this sending the rest of Americans (and for that matter all those countries we've blown up or are blowing up in the name of Democracy), who for the most part, seem to be living rather peacefully in pluralistic society? Isn't it bad enough that many of the rich fucks in this country barricade themselves in their own little rich-fuck communities, cowering behind gates and walls designed entirely to separate them from the middle-class shmucks and the poor working-class dregs (in other words -- you and me)?? Now we have people who want to separate us even further based upon narrow interprative religious belief systems??
The article makes mention of the fact that Monaghan has given millions to charity over the years (albeit most of it to religious-themed organizations).
Who gives a shit?? As if that alone atones for the crass stupidity and callousness of his current enterprise.
But don't be fooled by the "he's given millions to charity" chant.
Here's an example of Monaghans true character and heartlessness which completely trumps his charity-giving charade ----
---- "after an earthquake devastated Nicaragua, Monaghan decided -- against the wishes of aid workers on the ground --that spending $3 million dollars to rebuild a church in Managua was more important than aiding the victims of the quake. . . " ----
Only a diseased mind and soul would turn a blind eye to the nightmarish sufferings of human beings devastated by a natural disaster and instead of providing life-saving commodities like food, water, medicines, shelter, clothing, etc... unflinchingly demand that the local church be rebuilt instead. I suppose in Monaghan's whacked out way of thinking, by reconstructing the church he was providing the victims of the quake a place where they could come and pray to god to miraculously whip up tons of relief supplies to aid the victims and relieve their anguish. I wonder how many people died as a result of that money being so unfeelingly spent on bricks, mortar and gold-plated crucifixes??
I have a suggestion for Saint Monaghan --- you want to separate yourself and your believers from our Democratic, pluralistic society?? Fine by me!! Fine by me!! More power to you man!! Now all you have to do is take that other $750 million of your fortune and go buy a fucking island in the middle of the South Pacific where you all can leave this great country and go live happily and theocratically forever after!!
Why do these people hate America and Democracy so much??
----krazee
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Pop Quiz Answers . . . .
All of the quotes in the previous post were said about Bill Clinton and his administration as it related to the then foreign policy of dealing with the Kosovo conflict --- you remember --- the one where an evil madman by the name of Slobodan Milosevic thought he'd implement a mini-holocaust of his very own. Milosevic and his Serbian goons called it "ethnic cleansing" -- how cute! Whenever I hear that term I'm reminded of GWBush and his "compassionate conservative" oxymoronism.
So of course the world now knows that not only was Clinton's policy effective -- Milosevic was overthrown, captured and put on trial, reparations made to the victims and not a single U.S. soldier came home in a casket -- the region has enjoyed relative peace for the past several years.
So -- therefore kiddies -- the below numbered list corresponds to the numbered quotes in the previous post. If after reading all of this, you still have an ounce of faith in and respect for the Repukelican Party, I strongly advise you to go take a flying leap into Lake "HOLY SHIT I'M A FUCKING MORON."
1. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA)
2. Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/5/99
3. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX)
4. Karen Hughes speaking on behalf of then Presidential candidate George W. Bush
5. Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)
6. Tony Snow, Fox News, 3/24/99
7. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK)
8. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX)
9. Senator Don Nickles (R-OK)
10. Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99
11. Then Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)
12. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN)
13. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK)
14. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX)
15. Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)
16. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX)
17. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX)
18. Senator Don Nickles (R-OK)
19. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX)
20. Pat Buchanan (Republican hack)
21. Then Representative Joe Scarborough (R-FL)
22. Bob Djurdjevic - founder of right wing media watchdog group Truth In Media
----krazee
So of course the world now knows that not only was Clinton's policy effective -- Milosevic was overthrown, captured and put on trial, reparations made to the victims and not a single U.S. soldier came home in a casket -- the region has enjoyed relative peace for the past several years.
So -- therefore kiddies -- the below numbered list corresponds to the numbered quotes in the previous post. If after reading all of this, you still have an ounce of faith in and respect for the Repukelican Party, I strongly advise you to go take a flying leap into Lake "HOLY SHIT I'M A FUCKING MORON."
1. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA)
2. Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/5/99
3. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX)
4. Karen Hughes speaking on behalf of then Presidential candidate George W. Bush
5. Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)
6. Tony Snow, Fox News, 3/24/99
7. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK)
8. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX)
9. Senator Don Nickles (R-OK)
10. Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99
11. Then Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)
12. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN)
13. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK)
14. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX)
15. Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)
16. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX)
17. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX)
18. Senator Don Nickles (R-OK)
19. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX)
20. Pat Buchanan (Republican hack)
21. Then Representative Joe Scarborough (R-FL)
22. Bob Djurdjevic - founder of right wing media watchdog group Truth In Media
----krazee
What comes around goes around -- The GOP and the karma of Hypocrisy . . .
Pop Quiz time kiddies!!
Read the following quotes and guess who said them . . . . (Jeopardy theme music plays now) . . .
----krazee
Read the following quotes and guess who said them . . . . (Jeopardy theme music plays now) . . .
- "This President is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will beaway from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy."
- "No goal, no objective, not until we have those things and a compelling case is made, then I say, back out of it, because innocent people are going to die for nothing. That's why I'm against it."
- "American foreign policy is now one huge big mystery. Simply put, the administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign policy."
- "If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy."
- "I had doubts about the bombing campaign from the beginning...I didn't think we had done enough in the diplomatic area."
- "You think Vietnam was bad? Vietnam is nothing next to this."
- "I'm on the Senate Intelligence Committee, so you can trust me and believe me when I say we're running out of cruise missles. I can't tell you exactly how many we have left, for security reasons, but we're almost out of cruise missles."
- "I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later, these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarifiedrules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our overextended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today"
- "I don't know that the enemy will ever raise a white flag"
- "Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?"
- "Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."
- "This is this President's war, and when he falls flat on his face, that's his problem."
- "The two powers that have ICBMs that can reach the United States are Russia and China. Here we go in. We're taking on not just this enemy. We can't just say, 'that little guy, we can whip him.' We have these two other powers that have missiles that can reach us, and we have zero defense thanks to this president."
- "You can support the troops but not the president."
- "My job as a Congressman is be supportive of our troops, try to have input as decisions are made and to look at those decisions after they're made ... not to march in lock step with everything the president decides to do."
- "For us to call this a victory and to commend the President of the United States as the Commander in Chief showing great leadership in this Operation is a farce"
- "Bombing a sovereign nation for ill-defined reasons with vague objectives undermines the American stature in the world. The international respect and trust for America has diminished every time we casually let the bombs fly."
- "Once the bombing commenced, I think then they unleashed their forces, and then that's when the slaughtering and the massive ethnic cleansing really started"
- "This President's bombing campaign has caused all of these problems to explode"
- "America has no vital interest in whose flag flies over this country's capital, and no right to attack and kill their soldiers fighting on their own soil to preserve the territorial integrity of their own country"
- "This has been an unmitigated disaster ... Ask all the people in this country that we've killed."
- "By the order to launch air strikes against this nation, NATO and this President have entered uncharted territory in mankind's history. Not even Hitler's grab of the Sudetenland in the 1930s, which eventually led to WW II, ranks as a comparable travesty. For, there are no American interests whatsoever that the NATO bombing willeither help, or protect; only needless risks to which it exposes the American soldiers and assets, not to mention the victims on the ground in this country."
----krazee
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