Right Wing Wackos, Leadership, and Our vacationer and chief

Pat robertson LIED when he first tried to back away from his statements on assassinating the democratically elected leader of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. Mr. Chavez recently made the buried news for giving land titles to 6, of an eventual 15, indigenous tribes, who had rightful claim to their land. No wonder robertson was pissed off, that was down right christian of Chavez, don't you think? Chavez, who's now thinking of taking legal action against robertson, first responded with a "who is pat robertson?" Well Mr. Chavez, aside from inciting violence against you, robertson is an evangelist that has the ear of the president of the United States; much like an astrologer once had the ear of a former first lady. He also runs a "school of law" which I'm sure has been "intelligently designed" to make it illegal for anyone but him and his friends to yell fire in a crowded theater.

And speaking of conservative wackos speaking out, how about former dead head ann coulter saying "the residents [of New York] would immediately surrender" if attacked by terrorists. I guess there is still one person that needs the president to remind them of what happened on and right after September 11, 2001. Where's rudy guiliani with the rebuttal on this? How about some "Leadership" rudy?

Speaking of leadership, at least two Democrats seem to be stepping up. Wesley Clark, who is guest blogging at TPMCafe, had an excellent conversation starting piece on a real strategy for Iraq in the Washington Post last week. Senator Russell Feingold has also taken to the plate and the stump, speaking out for a target date for withdrawing troops. It is not a "cut and run" policy. It's called an "exit strategy". Something the reds, junior included, were in favor of before getting us into their quagmire in Iraq. That is one question I would like to see asked of this president and his administration, war mongers in particular, "Did Operation Iraqi Freedom have a clearly identified exit strategy before it began?" Of course Our president doesn't answer questions of those who oppose his views. His response to questions regarding the parent of fallen serviceman, Casey Sheehan, was "I think it's also important for me to go on with my life". That says a lot about this vacationer in chief, a spoiled man/child that has been handed everything his entire life, by daddy and his friends. That explains Our country's the rich get richer and the poor grow in number economy.

Yellow Chicken Hawks... the lott of them.

Operation Yellow Elephant
I was recently re-emailed this list of politicians and pundits. It makes me sick to see the red "chicken hawks" support the president's War of Choice and Aggression in Iraq, sending of the sons and daughters of others to fight for their political and material spoils.

Democrats:
Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.
Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.
Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, Purple Hearts.
Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam.
Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53.
Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons.
Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars, and Soldier's Medal.
Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit.
Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V.
Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.
Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57
Chuck Robb: Vietnam
Howell Heflin: Silver Star
George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII.
Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but received #311.
Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy.
Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 Clusters.
Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg.

Republicans:
George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard; got assigned to Alabama so he could campaign for family friend running for U.S. Senate; failed to show up for required medical exam, disappeared from duty.
Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
Tom Delay: did not serve.
Roy Blunt: did not serve.
Bill Frist: did not serve.
Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
Rick Santorum: did not serve.
Trent Lott: did not serve.
John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
Jeb Bush: did not serve.
Karl Rove: did not serve.
Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." The man who attacked Max Cleland's patriotism.
Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
Vin Weber: did not serve.
Richard Perle: did not serve.
Douglas Feith: did not serve.
Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
Richard Shelby: did not serve.
Jon Kyl: did not serve.
Tim Hutchison: did not serve.
Christopher Cox: did not serve.
Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor.
B-1 Bob Dornan: Consciously enlisted after fighting was over in Korea.
Phil Gramm: did not serve.
John McCain: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.
Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve.
John M. McHugh: did not serve.
JC Watts: did not serve.
Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem," although continued in NFL for 8 years.
Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard.
Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
George Pataki: did not serve.
Spencer Abraham: did not serve.
John Engler: did not serve.
Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base.
Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role making movies.

Pundits & Preachers
Sean Hannity: did not serve.
Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst.')
Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.
Michael Savage: did not serve.
George Will: did not serve.
Chris Matthews: did not serve.
Paul Gigot: did not serve.
Bill Bennett: did not serve.
Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
Bill Kristol: did not serve.
Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
Clarence Thomas: did not serve.
Ralph Reed: did not serve.
Michael Medved: did not serve.
Charlie Daniels: did not serve.
Ted Nugent: did not serve. (He only shoots at things that don't shoot back.)
John Wayne: did not serve.


"From that day to this, our country has always counted on the bravest among us to answer the call of duty."
-Cheney

Dr. Hunter S. Thompson's final farewell.

Our Doctor
Remains blast to the heavens
Hallowed be thy name
Our kingdom was dumb
When this War was begun
For fear that they'd be dubbed Ex-patriots
Give us this day to speak our rage
And forgive us our restrained dissent
As we sit and fear those that will rise up against us
Those who slander and mislead Our nation
And preach not the end of terror
But to displace Ours onto Them.

Forgive the US good doctor for buying the ticket to this ridiculous ride. For being bamboozled by a swine infested white house, spewing oil at every pore. For listening to the fear mongers and the corporate shark propagandists. Grant us peace and unity in our day. Let us offer each other a sign of peace.

Hunter S. Thomson's last wish was granted last Sunday, the first televised day on the 2005 football season. Coincidence? Though in hindsight, maybe the hilarious first Sunday (Go Simpsons!)of the new fall season on FOX would have fit nicely too. Way to remember September 11th, Rupert. Thompson's ashes were shot out of a 150 foot tall "Gonzo" cannon during a zambelli fireworks. Johny Depp, who paid for most of it, was there along with Ed Bradley, Senator John Kerry, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and about 250 other invited guests. The vacuum created by the loss of our icons seems to be growing. Who will wear the next set of shoes so impossible to fill. We'll miss you Dr. Thompson.

"I am a war president."

The vacationer in chief has officially broken the record for days off from Our White House. Imagine if he had to punch a clock or fill out a time sheet like so many of us have to.

Support the Troops, Oppose the War!

Yesterday (8/9/5) a man dressed in military blues looked me in the eye with incredible disdain and said "Fuck You Faggot!" as he spit at my feet. True story. I can only assume it was the peace sign on my bag that the man didn't like. Perhaps he had fought for Our freedom or more recently Iraq's freedom. I can understand his frustration with seeing an able bodied American male in shorts and a Jersey Fresh shirt running a community farmers' market. Not only was I not putting my life on the line for Iraq's freedom, but I was flaunting my opposition to both the war and the president by affixing a NO-W button and peace button to the bag on my back, not to mention the audacity of placing an American flag pin complete with red, white, and blue ribbon between them.

I think of Our troops everytime I pick up the newspaper. Everytime I read that more soldiers have been killed or injured by increasingly sophisticated roadside bombs or ambushes it gives me a sick feeling deep in my stomach. I am against bush's War of choice in Iraq, but I am not against Our troops. Soon to be "medically retired" US Army private Terry Rodgers said it best while lying in a Walter Reed hospital bed. A nurse had asked him if he would like to meet president bush He responded "I don't want anything to do with him," "My belief is that his ego is getting people killed and mutilated for no reason -- just his ego and his reputation. If we really wanted to, we could pull out of Iraq. Maybe not completely but enough that we wouldn't be losing people -- at least not at this rate. So I think he himself is responsible for quite a few American deaths." Mr. Rodgers's story is hard to read, but is certainly important. A friend of mine, whose son is currently fighting in Baghdad, tells me that we don't know the real story of what's going on over there. And, unfortunately, she is not refering to the rosy picture the administration and their friends say the "liberal media" is not covering.

War is hell. War is horror. War is violence unfathomable to me, as I'm sure it is to many. That is why it should be the "last resort". There should be no other choice. That was not the case with this war. We heard "urgent", "unique", "mushroom cloud", "Threat", "weapons of mass destruction". All of which were false. We told the inspectors to leave. This was a predetermined plan thrust upon a nation engulfed in feelings of fear and national vulnerability. A war that's only remaining rationale is humantarian, despite the fact that it is killing thousands.

Terry Rodgers is not the only military personnel speaking out against this war. I can't imagine what it's like to wake up, pick up a gun, and face an enemy willing to take their own life so that one more American or American sympathizer is killed. It takes bravery and discipline that should only be employed when the threat against the United States is clear, present, and dare I say it, imminent.

The bush administration needs to be held accountable for the selling of this War.

"After eleven years during which we have tried containment, sanctions, inspections, even selected military action, the end result is that Saddam Hussein still has chemical and biological weapons and is increasing his capabilities to make more. And he is moving ever closer to developing a nuclear weapon."
-the president October 7, 2002

WRONG!!!!

Support the Troops! Bring them home!

I think that is Bullsh*t!!!!!!

Did Mr. self righteous, james dobson, really say "In World War II, the Nazis experimented on human beings in horrible ways in the concentration camps, and I imagine, if you wanted to take the time to read about it, there would have been some discoveries there that benefited mankind."

Something done at a nazi concentration camp could have "benefited mankind"? WOW!

To quote bob novak "I think that's bullshit."

And do you know what else is "bullshit"? Our Commander in Chief telling us that "we are at war" while he's off to his vacation home in Texas. Maybe he'll sign the "energy bill" surrounded by all his old (and future) oil buddies. They're sure celebrating this latest corporate give away. Who knew the United States would further subsidize an industry that's already swimming in profit? Oh wait... we all did.

My favorite piece of dung flung this week came from the President's statements on "intelligent design" in our schools. "I think that part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought. You’re asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, the answer is yes."

You're right, Mr. President, people should be exposed to different ideas in school. The native american point of view of Our country's early history, for instance. That our "founding fathers" were human. That homosexuality exists and some people think that's just fine. How about the school of thought that there is no god? Now that would be a good class for a sixth grader, wouldn't it Mr. President? There is no evidence of creationism ("intelligent design"). It is strictly faith based, and religous faith should not be taught in Our Public schools.