The news hasn't been so hot for Us.

The news hasn't been so hot for Us lately (and by Us i mean them). Retesting rumsfeld in the public waters seems to have been about as successful as Our multi-billion dollar missile defense system. Seems Ol' rummy has more than just the left pissed off. Our soldiers (with a little help from a local journalist) asked him questions about their "hilly billy armor" and when their over extended National Guard duty will finally suffice at a photo op town hall meeting with the soldiers in kuwait. To which donald replied "You go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you might want or wish to have." Administration foe/ally/foe john mccain reiterated that he has "no confidence" in the vice president's once mentor, don rumsfeld. It's not like cabinet appointment mistakes haven't been made over the past four years. Why, just a couple of weeks ago the boys were rallyin around New York's own bernie kerik. We all know by this point what happened to him. Ah New Yorkers, they really can get the dirt out quick on their own. I wonder if their are any Texan reporters out there that have any stories from say the early to mid 90's on the dimwit in chief.

Foreign news hasn't been to friendly either. Our only Arab ally Pakistani president pervez musharraf told Tony Blair the world is "less safe" since the invasion of Iraq. And remember when the wiseacre in chief "looked in the eye" of vladimir putin and got a "sense of his soul" , finding putin to be "very straight forward and trustworthy". Well now junior's Camp David pal is out there saying the United States of America seeks a "dictatorship of international affairs". Not good. Well at least he, pervez, and vlad still have the death penalty in common.

And now a new bin laden tape comes out. Bin laden, probably still celebrating pakistan's decision to withdraw from the search we left them to continue, has come out to praise the American embassy bombing in Saudi Arabia. Re-enforcing one of his main agendas, to disconnect his homeland, Saudi Arabia, from Ours.

So as we ride this monstrous wave of "political capital" that seems to get less and less support at home or abroad, all we can do is hope that Santa or Yo La Tengo can bring us enough cheer during this holiday season. Shop responsibly.

dave

Show me what democracy looks like

The Ukraine has shown us what democracy looks like. A questionable election day outcome, where only 1-3% of the popular vote separated the candidates, and the results were at odds with exit polling, has brought tens of thousands of citizens out to protest. The protestors have been camped out in the capital of the Ukraine, Kiev, for some 10+ days. I wonder if they got the appropriate permits. Influenced by the public outcry, the Ukrainian Parliament has voted "no confidence" in the election of Viktor Yanukovych, the man backed by eastern Europe and Russia, over the EU backed "liberal reformist" Viktor Yushchenko, who is seeking a new election. Mr. Yushchenko is also backed by the US, though it's getting harder and harder to follow who Our allies are when even the "American" success story wal-mart is getting 70% of their commodities made in communist China. Not to mention Our newest ally, Afghanistan, overtaking Columbia as drug producer #1. Can you really blame our old friends for being stand off-ish? With the NY Times piece on a report issued back in July by the International Red Cross to Our government saying our abuse of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay was "tantamount to torture". I guess we don't need to lease Gulfstream 5 for flights to torture friendly nations anymore.

In other news hidden beneath the peterson trial, on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, the Pentagon released a report saying our enemies "hate our policies, not our freedom". Really?!?! Then there was the appropriations bill the republicans in Congress pushed through attaching riders having nothing to do with the budget and allowing no time for debate or review before the vote which of course passed. We are talking about riders affecting policies from Yellowstone National Park to abortion! Not to mention the eye witness reports saying the We used "unusual weapons" in Falluja, weapons resembling napalm. It's no wonder the people of Canada protested the man clear channel(the ministry of propaganda) billboards in Florida refer to as "our leader". It makes you want to abstain from the whole discussion. Otherwise leaving myself open to contracting AIDS from sweat and tears. Isn’t that right federally funded faith based teachers of abstinence?

It's no wonder 40% of Us are on prescription drugs.

dave

"We... owe it to mankind as well as to ourselves to restrain wrong by resistance and to defeat those calculations of which justice is not the basis." --Thomas Jefferson: 7th Annual Message, 1807