Madam Speaker--Do It Now!--IMPEACH

A friend of mine, someone who appreciates the importance of the U.S. Constitution, sent me a copy of a letter he had sent to Nancy Pelosi, urging her to begin impeachment proceedings against George Bush and Dick Cheney. Shamed by his activism (hint hint), I was compelled to send Speaker Pelosi a similar missive, and am printing both letters here.

ACTIVISM matters--flood her office with letters . She has to know where we stand. Make 'em long or make 'em short, but make 'em to the point--We MUST impeach to save our country. Use these as templates if you want, or you may have a better way of expressing yourself. Either way, do something today.

My friend's letter:

Dear Madam Speaker, First let me congratulate you on your position, and more importantly on the job you are doing for the Congress and our Country.
I'm not one of the 75% who thinks the Congress is doing a poor job. I'm one of the 25% who knows how to count to 60 or 67 as the case may be. We know who the obstructionists are.
I also know that my Congresswoman (Jean Schmidt) will be one of the last hold outs who thinks that the Current Occupant can do no wrong. My calls and letters are responded to with so much blather. She probably thinks that Congressman Murtha is still "a cut and run coward".
Which brings me to my message. It's time to stop ignoring the "I" word and instead of keeping it "off the table", put it front and center where 45% (Bush) and 54% (Cheney) of the American bi-partisan public want it. IMPEACHMENT is NOT a four letter word, and we're ready to start hearing more of it in the news and in the Gallery.
Inside the beltway, you folks are way behind what's going on out here. We want, NO, we demand that you our elected officials stand up for the accountability that this administration has evaded, stonewalled, and dismissed as so much pap, unbecoming to the sitting MONARCHY.
Oh yes, there are grounds-let me count the ways. You know them better than I Madam Speaker. Let's go for a TWOFER, Cheney first then the Current Occupant.
IMPEACHMENT, it's a concept whose time has come! Let's stand with a rising tide of folks who hold with the framers and still have faith in the Constitution that promotes impeachment as the cure for an administration who believes the document to be nothing more than something to be abused for their own political agendas.
Best wishes Madam Speaker and may God bless you in your endeavour.
"You shall not side with the great against the powerless".
Sincerely,
Dick Manoukian

And my letter:

Dear Madam Speaker:

An oft-heard fallacy these days is that impeachment would create a constitutional crisis. I was recently reminded that the truth is something quite different.

Our founding fathers specified impeachment as the sole means by which constitutional crises can be remedied,crises such as the one we are in right now.

The illegal, unconstitutional usurpation by the Executive branch of powers rightfully belonging to the Legislative branch are well-documented, and if those powers are not restored through impeachment, it could spell the demise of our democracy.

It is vital not only that impeachment proceedings begin, but that they begin immediately, for if the powers taken from the Legislative branch are not restored before the next election, you will likely never get them back. No future President will relinquish them voluntarily, and the checks and balances so necessary to a functioning democracy will be effectively eliminated. The concept of "separate but equal" branches of government will have been destroyed.

The citizens of this country are restive, sensing if not knowing the danger we face, and we are becoming increasingly desperate for someone to "don the mantle of statesmanship", putting aside petty political considerations for the greater good.

Madam Speaker, surely you recognize that this is an issue of paramount importance. I'm sure that when you consider your oath to "protect and defend", you will do what must be done.

With sincere appreciation,

John D Wood Sr


YOU MAY E-MAIL NANCY PELOSI HERE:http://speaker.house.gov/contact/

Senate vote shows Republicans DON'T care about troops

There are 56 Republican Senators (including Joe Lieberman) who can no longer lay claim to "supporting our troops" in Iraq. They proved their lie by voting down an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill that would have required that are troops be "rotated" home from their duty assignments for twice as long as they were overseas, as set in historical precedent.

The time stateside is considered necessary so that combat soldiers can repair the stress damage caused by their deployments, rebuild their lives and relationships, and heal. They also are supposed to get up-to-date training while at home, so they are better able to perform their duties when they go back. This is basic stuff we're talking about, not some radical new concept. If you want an effective fighting force you have to take care of the troops.

BUT NO--the Republicans shot that notion to little bloody pieces with their vote. I'm linking to two articles from Bob Geiger.com to give you the details--

http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/2007/07/webb-stepping-up-on-excessive-troop.html
http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/2007/07/republicans-kill-webbs-troop-protection.html

Here is a list from Geiger of the frauds who insist that our troops stay in Iraq until they are crazy, maimed, or dead. My own Senator Voinovich is on this list. Is yours?


Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Thune (R-SD)
Voinovich (R-OH)

Michael Moore-kickin' some serious butt

Michael Moore recently appeared on CNN to discuss his new health care documentary "SiCKO" which details the inhumanity and inequity of the profit-driven system we "enjoy" in the U.S. Moore should have been a surgeon, the way he carved new assholes for both Wolf Blitzer and his resident medical "expert", Dr. Sanjay Gupta. I can only give you links to the videos (and to Moore's website), but they are very entertaining. Follow and watch!

First, Guptas distortions--
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/09/cnn-reality-check-that-got-michael-moore-fired-up/

Moore fires back at Blitzer--this is better than a prize fight--
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/09/michael-moore-demands-apology-from-wolf-blitzer/

As promised , Moore rebuts every one of the falsehoods on his website--
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10017

Here's the continuation of Moore's interview with Blitzer, which aired the next night-
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/10/michael-moore-vs-wolf-blitzer-round-ii/

Last but not least, Moore squares off with Gupta on Larry King Live--
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Moores_spat_with_CNN_correspondent_continues_0711.html

Moore deserves a medal for carrying this fight and refusing to allow any of the industry-backed bullshit to go unchallenged. It's only going to get worse, the right-wing hacks and flacks are out in force, with lies and even personal attacks against Moore.

They do fight dirty, the bastards, because they can't win fairly. Like terrorism, their methods are a tactic, and like terrorism, it takes many innocent lives.

Iraqi's meet a $282 million benchmark

No, silly-not one of the stupid benchmarks the U.S. established to measure"progress" in Iraq. I'm talking about one of the benchmarks the Iraqi's set for themselves. From Alissa Rubin's article in the International Herald Tribune, this is how they measure success:

BAGHDAD: In an astonishing heist, guards at a bank here made off with more than a quarter-billion dollars on Wednesday, according to an official at the Interior Ministry.
The robbery, of $282 million from the Dar Es Salaam bank, a private financial institution, raised more questions than it answered, and officials were tight-lipped about the crime. The local police said two guards engineered the robbery, but an official at the Interior Ministry said three guards were involved.
Both confirmed that the stolen money was in American dollars, not Iraqi dinars. It was unclear why the bank had that much money on hand in dollars, or how the robbers managed to move such a large amount without being detected.
Several officials speculated that the robbers had connections to the militias, because it would be difficult for them to move without being searched through many checkpoints in Baghdad. ...

Assuming that the robbers don't intend to purchase A-Rod's baseball contract, I think that our troops will recover this money, although slowly.One truck bomb and I.E.D. at a time.

Whoinhell is running their security--Michael Chertoff???

I'm no expert, but I know INTEGRITY when I see it

What is integrity? I see it as the courage to do what's right regardless of personal consequences. Integrity is an attribute too few people possess, especially in politics and government.

Here are a few examples of how the lack of integrity displayed by some members of the Executive branch led us into the Iraq war/occupation/genocide, and also covered up a blatantly illegal act by our President, who instituted an illegal wiretapping program over the strong objections of the Department of Justice. Lastly, I will show you an example of real courage- an op-ed piece by a still-employed attorney in the DOJ.

Let's start with Colin Powell, Bush's former Secretary of State. He said recently that he spent a solid 2.5 hours(!) trying to dissuade Bush from invading Iraq.

From Times Online July 08,2007
Sarah Baxter, Washington
THE former American secretary of state Colin Powell has revealed that he spent 2½ hours vainly trying to persuade President George W Bush not to invade Iraq and believes today’s conflict cannot be resolved by US forces.
“I tried to avoid this war,” Powell said at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado. “I took him through the consequences of going into an Arab country and becoming the occupiers.”
Powell has become increasingly outspoken about the level of violence in Iraq, which he believes is in a state of civil war. “The civil war will ultimately be resolved by a test of arms,” he said. “It’s not going to be pretty to watch, but I don’t know any way to avoid it. It is happening now.
Link to full article here:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2042072.ece

This really sounds great, but Powell was the guy who helped sell this freaking invasion by appearing in front of the United Nations and presenting "evidence" that Saddam Hussein had an active nuclear weapons program, possessed stocks of bio-terror weapons such as anthrax, and had missles hidden and ready to deliver death and destruction on a moments notice. All the while he KNEW he was spouting lies, and told an aide immediately afterward that it was all "bullshit".

So why did he do it? Because he was more loyal to the President than to the truth. He was so used to saying "YES, SIR" and following orders unquestioningly throughout his whole career in the military that it was much easier to go along and lie with a straight face than to show disloyalty to a "superior officer" by immediately resigning his position in protest, and possibly stopping the Iraq disaster in its tracks. He proved himself a weak man with no integrity at all, and just look what happened. Thanks, Colin, for speaking out when it could have done some good.


Next up- James B. Comey,Deputy Attorney General, then Attorney General John Ashcroft, Ashcrofts chief of staff David Ayres, and others. In a nutshell, these men were aware that President Bush OK'd a secret wiretapping program that the DOJ refused to certify was legal and NEARLY resigned in protest, but didn't. You really HAVE TO READ the Washington Post article linked below to get an idea of how vile the people in the White House are. This is a story that should be made into a movie.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051500864.html

Here's my problem- Comey, Ashcroft and the others SHOULD have resigned in loud protest because they knew that Bush instituted an illegal program. How could they NOT, if they had any integrity. The crime had been committed! The fact that Bush relented after the fact should have made no difference. Those men were working for a man who was so intent on doing what he wanted that legality didn't matter. Those cowards stayed put and stayed silent, and the clearly impeachable offense by Bush stayed secret until a few months ago. In the interval, the destruction of our Constitutional rights proceeded unabated, and the DOJ has become so politicized that true justice is not being served and citizens across the nation have lost faith in our entire legal system. Another disaster that a display of integrity could have avoided.


Lastly, I offer an example of true integrity, a display of courage by John S. Koppel, a still-employed career attorney in the DOJ, who wrote an opinion piece published July 05,2007 in The Denver Post. Mr Koppel tells it like he sees it, and boy is he pissed.

Bush justice is a national disgrace
By John S. Koppel
Article Last Updated: 07/05/2007 11:48:30 PM MDT

"As a longtime attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, I can honestly say that I have never been as ashamed of the department and government that I serve as I am at this time.
The public record now plainly demonstrates that both the DOJ and the government as a whole have been thoroughly politicized in a manner that is inappropriate, unethical and indeed unlawful. The unconscionable commutation of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's sentence, the misuse of warrantless investigative powers under the Patriot Act and the deplorable treatment of U.S. attorneys all point to an unmistakable pattern of abuse.

In the course of its tenure since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Bush administration has turned the entire government (and the DOJ in particular) into a veritable Augean stable on issues such as civil rights, civil liberties, international law and basic human rights, as well as criminal prosecution and federal employment and contracting practices. It has systematically undermined the rule of law in the name of fighting terrorism, and it has sought to insulate its actions from legislative or judicial scrutiny and accountability by invoking national security at every turn, engaging in persistent fearmongering, routinely impugning the integrity and/or patriotism of its critics, and protecting its own lawbreakers. This is neither normal government conduct nor "politics as usual," but a national disgrace of a magnitude unseen since the days of Watergate - which, in fact, I believe it eclipses.

In more than a quarter of a century at the DOJ, I have never before seen such consistent and marked disrespect on the part of the highest ranking government policymakers for both law and ethics. It is especially unheard of for U.S. attorneys to be targeted and removed on the basis of pressure and complaints from political figures dissatisfied with their handling of politically sensitive investigations and their unwillingness to "play ball." Enough information has already been disclosed to support the conclusion that this is exactly what happened here, at least in the case of former U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias of New Mexico (and quite possibly in several others as well). Law enforcement is not supposed to be a political team sport, and prosecutorial independence and integrity are not "performance problems."

In his long-awaited but uninformative testimony concerning the extraordinary firings of U.S. attorneys, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales did not allay these concerns. Indeed, he faced a no-win situation. If he testified falsely regarding his alleged lack of recollection and lack of involvement, he perjured himself and lied to both Congress and the American people. On the other hand, if he told the truth, he clearly has been derelict in the performance of his duties and is not up to the job. Either way, his fitness to serve is now in doubt.

Tellingly, in his congressional testimony, D. Kyle Sampson (the junior aide to whom the attorney general delegated vast authority) expressed the view that the distinction between "performance" considerations and "political" considerations was "largely artificial." This attitude, however, is precisely the problem. The administration that Sampson served has elided the distinction between government performance and politics to an unparalleled extent (just as it has blurred the boundaries between the White House counsel's office and the attorney general's office). And it is no answer to say that U.S. attorneys are political appointees who serve at the pleasure of the president. The point that is lost on those who make this argument is that U.S. attorneys must not serve partisan purposes or advance a partisan agenda - which has nothing to do with requiring them to promote an administration's legitimate policy priorities.

As usual, the administration has attempted to minimize the significance of its malfeasance and misfeasance, reciting its now-customary "mistakes were made" mantra, accepting purely abstract responsibility without consequences for its actions, and making hollow vows to do better. However, the DOJ Inspector General's Patriot Act report (which would not even have existed if the administration had not been forced to grudgingly accept a very modest legislative reporting requirement, instead of being allowed to operate in its preferred secrecy), the White House-DOJ e-mails, and now the Libby commutation merely highlight yet again the lawlessness, incompetence and dishonesty of the present executive branch leadership.

They also underscore Congress' lack of wisdom in blindly trusting the administration, largely rubber-stamping its legislative proposals, and essentially abandoning the congressional oversight function for most of the last six years. These are, after all, the same leaders who brought us the WMD fiasco, the unnecessary and disastrous Iraq war, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, warrantless domestic NSA surveillance, the Valerie Wilson leak, the arrest of Brandon Mayfield, and the Katrina response failure. The last thing they deserve is trust.

The sweeping, judicially unchecked powers granted under the Patriot Act should neither have been created in the first place nor permanently renewed thereafter, and the Act - which also contributed to the ongoing contretemps regarding the replacement of U.S. attorneys, by changing the appointment process to invite political abuse - should be substantially modified, if not scrapped outright. And real, rather than symbolic, responsibility should be assigned for the manifold abuses. The public trust has been flagrantly violated, and meaningful accountability is long overdue. Officials who have brought into disrepute both the Department of Justice and the administration of justice as a whole should finally have to answer for it - and the misdeeds at issue involve not merely garden-variety misconduct, but multiple "high crimes and misdemeanors," including war crimes and crimes against humanity.

I realize that this constitutionally protected statement subjects me to a substantial risk of unlawful reprisal from extremely ruthless people who have repeatedly taken such action in the past. But I am confident that I am speaking on behalf of countless thousands of honorable public servants, at Justice and elsewhere, who take their responsibilities seriously and share these views. And some things must be said, whatever the risk. "



Re-read Mr Koppel's last paragraph-That's INTEGRITY.

FTC OK's U.S. TAKEOVER

Today, in a long-awaited move, the Federal Trade Commission gave formal approval to the largest leveraged buyout in United States history when it OK'd the corporate takeover of the U.S. Government.

As you know, the U.S. Government paid for its takeover with a combination of tax cuts, no-bid contracts and privatization of government jobs, using tax money paid into the Treasury by working and middle class citizens.

FTC Chairman Nevile Bush Chamberlain acknowledged that the approval is largely symbolic, as the takeover, begun in earnest during Ronald Reagan's presidency, has progressed so far it would be pointless to object.

But, he pointed out, the FTC could find no potential violations of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act because "No one has trusted the United States for many years now".

Chamberlain also said he has received strong assurances that the completion of the takeover in a "seamless transition" would cause minimal disruption in the lives of peaceful citizens and that "no one who co-operates will be hurt".

"I'm very pleased", he said in closing, "for they are honorable men, and we can trust them to keep their word".

SICKO--RIPPLE OR TSUNAMI?

Michael Moore's just-released movie SICKO, is playing to large audiences across the nation, and is really pissing people off-both the viewers and the health care providers who have been exposed as the greedy uncaring frauds they are. Moore does a masterful job comparing our profit-driven health care system to the government-run, single-payer universal health care offered in virtually every other developed country. The indisputable consensus is that our system sucks-sucks bad, sucks hard, and sucks your money into the pockets of the companies that routinely deny coverage for people who they deem to be "at risk", and deny payments for specious reasons for people who ARE covered. They even reward employees who deny the most claims!

Not to mention the 46 MILLION people in this country who aren't covered at all because they can't afford it! All men may be created equal, but after that?

The pharmaceutical companies are every bit as bad as the insurance companies that Moore concentrates on, and because they give so much money to OUR legislators, there are no controls over the prices they charge, and any attempt to mitigate the crushing financial burden they impose is automatically shot down in Washington.

Moore is opening some eyes with SICKO and people are realizing how rotten and unfair our health care system really is, and the industry is mounting a full-fledged propaganda campaign of mis-information, distortions, and outright lies to counter the mounting outrage of our citizens.
Their bullshit, now that millions of people are able to see it for what it is, may not work this time around, especially if you make sure that your Senators and Representatives know EXACTLY how you feel about this subject. They need to understand that their careers are in peril, so SPEAK OUT.

The battle is being joined, in the streets, in the boardrooms, and the media. Follow these links:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/05/texas-screening-of-sicko-inspires-health-care-activism/

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/06/michael-moore-releases-secret-hmo-memo-on-sicko/

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/05/fox-news-universal-health-care-breeds-terrorists/

That last one is such a stretch that "Plastic Man" would be jealous, but it points up the lengths to which industry apologists will go when they have no defense for their despicable practices.

Will the industry prevail? Will they be successful in keeping a call for change only a ripple , barely noticed by the scum floating on the top of the health care pond, or will our concerted action develop into a tsumani that will send them to the bottom?

SICKO--SEEN IT YET???

I WANNA KNOW SOMETHIN'

If President Bush believes that excessive sentences should be commuted, then WHY ARE OUR TROOPS STILL SERVING TIME IN IRAQ?

Laura Bush linked to DC Madam (kinda)

Here's some background, and a link to a Think Progress article with a video of Laura Bush in a CNN interview.

In 2003, George Walker (a commuter by foot?)) Bush, to look like someone who gave a damn, mounted a PR campaign announcing that the U.S. would take the lead in fighting AIDS in 15 countries (think poor African nations) where the disease is epidemic. Congress dutifully appropriated scads of money for this worthwhile effort, but included a provision that 1/3 of the prevention $$$ be spent on abstinence-only programs instead of rational real-world preventative measures that actually work, like condoms.That blatant bribe to the far, far religious(?) right resulted in much of the available funding being made unavailable to countries as well as in-country relief organizations that would not or could not agree to drop basic methods of prevention. As a result, AIDS continues to ravage whole populations while the self-righteous religious(?) conservatives smugly rejoice over their influence.

Well, in June this Congress passed legislation to overturn the abominable abstinence-only provision of the AIDS bill, and now George Bush is threatening to veto it. Laura Bush basically called him an asshole on CNN, saying flatly that condoms are necessary for AIDS prevention, and implying (to my mind, at least), that a lot of lives would have been saved if her husband's parents had used them.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/04/laura-bush-abstinence/

I'm thinking that maybe Laura has reached her breaking point. With this idiotic AIDS obstinancy, alcoholism, and the obvious corruption that she can't not be aware of, including the Libby shit, she may be about to throw him under the "scooter" and clear out. Boy, could she ever write a book if she got mad enough.

But I digress. The guy who ran this program pushing this abstinence crap was Randall Tobias, a man much admired in some circles for his government service (you know-like Libby). After he moved on to his next post as Deputy Secretary of State, he had occasion to use an "escort service" several times. Unfortunately for him, they kept good records.

The owner of the "escort service" was charged in April with running a prostitution ring, and instantly became known as the DC Madam. Considering what she did for a living, I feel she should be called "Ms. Hooker T. Washington", just because it's punny.

Anyway, Hooker T. (yes, I bet she drives old MGs) had the records for over 10,000 customers, most from the DC area, and threatened to cost a helluva lot of highly placed people their careers if they didn't squash the charges against her. She busted Randall "Mr. Abstinence" Tobias to prove she meant business. Tobias of course claimed hilariously that he used the escort service only to get massages, and then resigned his job the next day. Serves his hypocritical ass right.

So there you have the connection. Laura Bush to George Bush to Randall Tobias and a "killer" AIDS program to the DC Madam. This is the kind of thing that has the makings of a really good PBS series. I'll pitch the idea to them tomorrow.

LIBBY SENTENCE COMMUTED--CRIMES UPON CRIMES

Mere hours after a court decided that Scooter Libby would have to begin his 30 month jail term while his conviction for obstruction of justice is being appealed, President Bush commuted his sentence so that he will NEVER have to spend a day behind bars.

It is not a full pardon, and Libby will still have to serve two years probation and pay $250,000 in fines, UNTIL his appeal is upheld by a blatantly partisan Appeals Court, and his conviction overturned.
http://carpebaloney.blogspot.com/2007/03/libby-appeal-fix-is-in.html

Bush's only comment was that he felt the 30 month sentence was "excessive", although it fell well within the sentencing guidelines. What Bush didn't say is that now Libby has no incentive to tell the truth about his former bosses complicity in criminal acts, the investigation of which he obstructed. That would be Cheney and Bush, the"co-godfathers" of the crime family running this country.

The commutation of Libby's sentence is indicative of our Presidents unbounded arrogance and total disdain for the rule of law, and is every bit as damaging to the concept of "equal justice" as what Bush and Rove have done by politicizing the Department of Justice.

Common people no longer have any faith that our system is fair, and rightly perceive that you can get away with anything if you're well-connected or rich. If you're neither of those, you are in trouble.

What Bush did- commuting the sentence of HIS FORMER EMPLOYEE in order to keep the law away from himself-should be grounds for immediate impeachment, followed by a first degree felony conviction.

A clear majority of the American public wants Bush to be gone, and the outrage continues to build. I expect that soon a clear majority will want him gone by any means necessary. Bush claims he speaks to God. That is not true-he talks to himself and thinks he's God. A face-to-face meeting with the real God, in His place, would be a good thing.

Typical morning meetings at the Executive branch

A private meeting in Cheney's bunker:

Federal investigator--"Mr Vice President, why did you order the destruction of your visitor logs?"
Cheney--"I'll tell you why, you fucking idiot! Cuz I need HEARTS, and YOU WERE NEVER HERE! GET 'IM BOYS!"
*******
A CIA briefing in the Oval Office:

Briefer--"It's all set, Mr President. Iran's government will be overthrown next month.We've arranged a coup."
Bush--"Gesundheit!. What'd we arrange?"
Briefer--"A coup."
Bush--"Man, you gotta have an allergery. Talk to me when yer feelin' better."
*******
Ann Coulter meets with Karl Rove:

Rove--"You know, if I was gay I'd put some moves on you."
Coulter--"Karl, I'm getting nervous about all those checks from the RNC. I want cash from now on."
Rove--" No problem-I'll make a call."
Coulter--"Thanks, that's mighty white of you."
Rove--"Ooh, that's good, but save it for the idiots."
*******
Bush in a meeting with some attorneys:

Bush--"OK guys-I don't have to pardon Libby if the Appeals Court overturns his conviction. They asked for some ideas."
Gonzalez--"We've hashed this out, Mr. President, and I think this one'll work."
David Addington--"Here's the deal, Mr. President. I'll keep it simple for you. The U.S. Criminal Code covers all 50 states. But, since the District of Columbia isn't a state, any crimes committed here do not fall under the purview of the statutes and cannot be prosecuted under U.S. laws. The conviction is therefore nullified."
Bush--"That's some tortured logic. Sounds like something John Yoo came up with."
John Yoo--"'Torture' is my middle name, Mr president."
Tim Griffin--" Very cagy--I like it."
Bush--"Hey! This saves ALL our asses, don't it? Oh,hot damn, this is great!
Bush--"Gonzo, commute over to the Court an' tell our boys to run with it. And score some blow on the way back-I feel like celebratin'."
*******

Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace--A yardstick dipstick

General Peter Pace, outgoing(thank God) Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is a total dipstick about the Iraqi "success" yardstick. Excerpted here is an article from Think Progress.


Pace: Success In Iraq Based On Whether Iraqis ‘Feel Better Today Than They Did Yesterday’

During a press conference last week, outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace said that “the recent rise in U.S. troop deaths in Iraq is the ‘wrong metric‘ to use in assessing the effectiveness” of the U.S. military in Iraq. “So it’s not about levels of violence,” he explained. “It’s about progress … in the minds of the Iraqi people.”
Today, Pace made similar remarks. He called the measuring the level of violence in Iraq a “self-defeating approach to tracking results” and added, “What’s most important is do the Iraqi people feel better about today than they did about yesterday, and do they think tomorrow’s going to be better than today?” When asked if he actually knew how the Iraqi people currently feel about the U.S. occupation of Iraq he conceded, “I do not have that in my head.”

If Pace did consult the Iraqis about whether they “feel better about today than they did about yesterday,” the answer would be a resounding “no.” As a recent ABC News/BBC News poll found, “The optimism that helped sustain Iraqis during the first few years of the war has dissolved into widespread fear, anger and distress amid unrelenting violence“:

- 39 percent of Iraqis said they feel their lives are “going well,” compared to 71 percent in November 2005.”
- 40 percent of Iraqis said the situation in Iraq will be “somewhat or much better” a year from now, compared to 69 percent in November 2005.
- 26 percent of Iraqis said they feel “very safe” in their neighborhoods, compared to 63 percent in November 2005.
- 82 percent of Iraqis said they “lack confidence” in coalition forces.
- 69 percent of Iraqis said coalition forces make “the security situation worse.”
Whether one measures results in Iraq based on “how the Iraqi people believe they are today,” or on the increasing levels of violence, it is clear the United States is not succeeding in the war.
– Ryan Powers


So Pace is now saying success should not be measured by the amount of death and violence in Iraq, nor by the amount of money squandered, nor by the failure of the Iraqi forces to "stand up", nor by destruction of anything resembling a normal life for the Iraqi citizens, nor by the dramatically lowered life expectancies of the Iraqi's, nor by the elimination of AlQaeda in Iraq, but should be measured by how much the Iraqi's LIKE what's happening to them!!!!

What idiocy! Pace is spouting this garbage at a time (and I'm not kidding) when Iraqi's are reduced to celebrating whenever a family member is fortunate enough to die a natural death. They won't even eat fish from the Tigris river any longer because so many of their murdered fellows are dumped into it every night.

By Pace's insane logic, all we have to do to "succeed" is convince those poor bastards that what has and is happening to them is for their own good. Can you hear it?--"You should rejoice! This is exactly what American democracy is becoming!".. "Don't Stop-Thinkin' About Tomorrow".."Don't Worry-Be Happy".."Success is Just a Smile Away".."Way to go,kid-now you're the head of the family!".."It's always darkest before the dawn"

And of course, the surest way to get the "happiness" quotient into positive numbers is simply to kill all the pessimists. At least, I'll bet that's what Pace is advocating, brilliant strategist that he is. Shouldn't take more than fifty years or so.

PROTECT THE GOOD NAME OF MAMMOTH CAVE

Dear readers,

Write or phone the Democratic leadership of the House and Senate today and let them know how dissatisfied you are with their ill-conceived attempt to claim Mammoth Cave as the name future historians will use to describe the Democratic efforts in the 110th Congress.

Here is a sample letter you can personalize for greater impact:

Mammoth Cave is a jewel of our National Park system, beloved as a symbol of America's natural beauty, and is cherished by millions. Democrats control both the House and Senate.You MUST change course so that chroniclers of these times don't sully the greatness of a true national treasure by name association. Force them to use another name! Do not let it apply to you!

When the Republicans attempt to obstruct needed legislation-DON"T CAVE!
When they threaten to tie up the senate with filibusters, let 'em-DON'T CAVE!
When the Executive branch ignores subpoenas-DON'T CAVE!
When you need to stand up for America-DON'T CAVE!

In other words, if you just do what we elected to do, the name MAMMOTH CAVE will remain untarnished.

Thank you.

Cheney--The ultimate VP

VP, as it applies to Dick Cheney, means "Vicious Prick".

The Washington Post just published the last installment in a four part series on Cheney, a piece of investigative journalism all too rare for a major newspaper these days, that is an eye-opener for those people who were not already aware of Cheneys egregious abuses of power, his paranoid secrecy, and Stalin-like methods. Read the WaPo series carefully. This IS your government.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/chapters/chapter_1/
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/chapters/pushing_the_envelope_on_presi/
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/chapters/a_strong_push_from_back_stage/index.html
l
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/chapters/leaving_no_tracks/

There is no law he won't break, no regulation he won't ignore, no agency he won't compromise, no secret document he won't leak, no report he won't have altered, no lie he won't tell, no Cabinet member he won't sidestep, and no bullying tactic he won't use to get what he wants for his neo-con and corporate friends.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

It is entirely fair to say that Dick Cheney is NOT the Vice President of the United States. That position is un-filled, and the Executive budget intended to fund the office of VP has been mis-appropriated. Those funds are instead being used to run a FOURTH branch of the Government, the six year old SUBVERSIVE branch, which Cheney heads.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Events may catch up with this evil dirty man. Maybe he'll be impeached. Maybe the Congressional Republicans, who moved in lockstep to carry out his policies, will throw him under the bus to save their own careers. Or maybe he'll just die when his doctors can no longer keep his heart pumping that black sludge through his body. When he does pass away, his pallbearers will need HAZMAT suits and his burial place will have to be declared a toxic waste dump.

I won't miss him.

New Orleans--"THE BIG IFFY"

New stuff is coming out all the time about Katrina and the Federal government's mis-handling of that disaster. Think Progress has an article detailing the latest revelations, namely that FEMA had a very comprehensive plan in placeway before the hurricane hit, but never used it. Key personnel didn't even have copies of the plan. Also, they awarded $2.4 billion in cost plus contracts, which are basically a license for the contractors to steal. Also, the EPA waited 8 months to warn residents of the dangers of exposure to asbestos resulting from the demolition of damaged housing. Here are links to the Think Progress article, the report from CREW (Citizens for Responsibilty and Ethics in Washington) detailing the FEMA plan and what went wrong, and a report from The Center for Public Integrity on the contracts. I'm also including a link to my last post on this freakin' genocide.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/27/katrina-investigations/
http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/29201
http://www.publicintegrity.org/Katrina/report.aspx?aid=882
http://carpebaloney.blogspot.com/2007/06/new-orleans-link-dump.html

Between all of the links, there is enough evidence of incompetence, waste, fraud, and criminal disregard for the people of New Orleans, to bring felony indictments for an awful lot of people, and grounds for mass firings of hundreds more. As you see the way Katrina has been handled, and look at the current dismal conditions in New Orleans, you have to wonder--What if?

What if the Republican Congress hadn't cut the funding from Bill Clinton's budget that was supposed to go to the Corps of Engineers so they could finish rebuilding the levees?
What if the Bush administration hadn't replaced highly trained and competent experts heading various agencies (i.e. FEMA,EPA) with political appointees who had no training or real experience?
What if FEMA had not abandoned the disaster plan they had prepared? If they had even distributed it?
What if FEMA hadn't been folded into the Department of Homeland Security and lost much of its ability to act independently?
What if the executives in those agencies even gave a damn about their responsibilities?
What if FEMA had immediately notified the governments of Louisiana and New Orleans that Katrina had breached the levees, instead of waiting over a full day?
What if FEMA had any idea how to distribute all of the relief supplies that poured into the area?
What if the Federal Government had spent more than of the fraction of aid money they had promised?
What if the contracts that Fema awarded to their well-connected friends actually required accountability and performance?
What if the Federal Goverment had accepted the approx. $800 million in foreign aid offered in the aftermath of Katrina?

The list goes on and on, but my fingers are cramping.There's enough here to give you the idea.
If our government had done one damned thing right, New Orleans inhabitants would have been spared much of the pain and agony they have been forced to endure, and New Orleans would be well on the way to reclaiming its place as on of America's greatest cities.

Remember!

Griles,J Steven--prisoner # 69572

This man used to be the 2nd in command at the Department of the Interior, but like so many other officials in the crime-based Bush Administration, is going to jail for being a crook. Griles pled guilty to accepting payoffs from Jack Abramoff and lying to Senate about his relationship with the former lobbyist. Too damn bad, J Steven.
There are a series of links in this Think Progress article that you really should follow to get a better understanding of how all these bastards are connected. This one connects peripherally all the way to Disney Corp. Mickey must be ashamed to be associated with people who treat laws and fair dealing with such callous disregard, but it shows you that even such a venerable icon as he can be tarnished by association.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/26/breaking-abramoff-linked-bush-official-sent-to-prison/

Lobbyists, and Abramoff is just an example, represent the shadow government that really controls our nation, peddling influence, money, favors, and jobs to the venal crew who seem to be in power to make sure that the rich get richer at our expense.

There are now 25 registered lobbyists for every member of Congress. With so few, it's a wonder they have time to corrupt anybody in the Executive branch, but they do!

Griles' conviction is a good thing, but there are hundreds , if not thousands, more who have yet to be brought to justice in this most crooked administration in our history.

Demand a ban for Ann "the man"

Ann Coulter, the most famous in the troika of right-wing hate hags (the others being Michelle Malkin and "Dr" Laura Schlessinger), is given more airtime on tv than even a human being can get. She is a manure spreader, specializing in the dissemination of baseless, inflammatory, hate-filled slander, and why she is given mantle of respectability by supposedly reputable media outlets is beyond my understanding, Hell, I can't figure out why this bitch hasn't been kneecapped, at least sued for a billion dollars, over of her hate speech. I'm guessing it's all because she's a right-winger, and thus immune to prosecution or lawsuits.

Anyway, She has recently been on "Good Morning America" where she said that she wished John Edwards had been killed in a terrorist plot. She has a long record of such statements about Edwards, some worse than that one . On MSNBC yesterday, in an hour-long interview with Chris Matthews, she was called out by Elizabeth Edwards, who called in to the show and kicked Coulter right in the balls.

Was Coulter properly chastened? Nope. After a minute, she went right on with her slanders as if nothing had happened. She is one of millions of people in this country, predominately on the far right, who are not going to enjoy their afterlife.

Here's the link to a Think Progress article on the Coulter flap, and which also links to a video of Chris Matthews' interview:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/26/edwards-coulter/

At least Paris Hilton is relatively harmless compared to Coulter and her ilk.

DC Lobbyists- Too bad this shit's legal

Ken Silverstein, an editor for Harpers magazine, approached two of Washingtons largest lobbying firms a few months ago, and presented himself as representing someone with business interests in Turkmenistan, which is governed by one of the worlds most repressive dictatorships. He asked for the help of these firms to gain access to people within our government and to mount a public relations campaign to improve the image of the Turkmenistan regime.

The firms were only too happy to help, as you can see by watching Silverstein's 25 minute interview with Bill Moyers, here:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/06222007/watch.html

Silverstein also wrote of his excellent adventure in Harpers, which is mentioned in this link to AlterNet:
http://www.alternet.org/story/54985/?page=1

If you want to read the Harpers piece, you have to suscribe, so just watch and pay close attention to the free Bill Moyers Journal video.

The lobbying firms, infesting DC like so many plague-carrying fleas on a rat, own access to nearly all of our elected and appointed government personnel, and unashamedly wield their influence and "good ol' boy" connections to help the worst dictatorships on the planet.

The Silverstein investigative work involved lobbyists who work on behalf of foreign governments. Can you imagine that those firms peddling favors and campaign contributions for domestic corporations and special interests are any less competent at their jobs, or have fewer connections, or have any more integrity? (think Jack Abramoff here)

Lobbyists are nothing but pimps, touting their client whores throughout the halls of power, getting what they want with impugnity ( and for a LOT of money), but it's always us that gets the clap. The day that I become emperor, lobbying will become a capital offense. This is one issue of social significance where I heartily endorse "abstinence only".

"World Awaits Paris Hilton's Return"

The title of this post is actually the headline of an Associated Press article released last night.

CNN (Cranium Numbing News), has scored a real coup by scheduling an interview with the divine Miss Hilton for Wednesday night, when she will appear on Larry King live for the full hour. I can't wait to hear the pearls of wisdom sure to roll from her lips as she gives us her expert insights on the meaning of life and the quality of prison food. Larry King has no equal when it comes to getting the most out of a guest, and I'm sure that all of America will tune in for what will prove to be the best interview of the year.

Oh, I forgot to mention that in order to schedule the important Hilton interview, CNN cancelled Larry King's scheduled interview with Michael Moore, whose documentary on health care, SICKO, has received rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival and at sneak previews held at several dozen theaters last weekend. By all accounts, Moore's film is his best to date, full of humor and pathos, details the quality of the profit-driven health care system in the United States, and shows just how it compares to the health care systems of other industrialized countries. (The film opens nationally this weekend.)

The comparison isn't pretty. The health care industry has already begun spending millions of dollars to smear Moore, and to blunt the rising tide of outrage from the majority of people in this country, who are beginning to call for real reform, such as a single payer system and universal, portable health care coverage--something that won't ever happen unless the legislators in Washington become afraid for their electoral lives.

Anyway, after the Iraq war, health care is the issue of most concern to the American people,but CNN apparently thinks otherwise. They will play to the bottom feeders for rating points, because rating points affect their advertising rates, which affect their profits, which affect their stockholders and corporate bonuses, and what could be more important than that? I can just imagine the CNN producers deciding what to do-" Paris Hilton doesn't get out of jail every day, ya know, but we'll always have lousy health care to fill in when there's no real news ".

In fairness, I should point out that there really is a tie-in (sorta) between Hilton and health care. The health care in Paris, France is the best in the world.

Let's face it, CNN is in a race down the journalism/news ladder, hoping to knock Fox off of the bottom rung. With the Hilton interview, it looks as if they might just get there.

GEORGE BUSH TO DELIVER THE GREATEST SPEECH EVER!!

YES--IT'S CONFIRMED!!
In an exclusive chat today with Ms. Wanda, a representative from the Psychic Hotline, I learned that George Bush will deliver a farewell speech in the near future that will take its rightful place in the front rank of great Presidential speeches, a speech signifying a joyous renewal and healing of the American spirit that will last for a hundred years, and am pleased to quote it here, verbatim.

"HEY!- CAN'T DICK AND ME AT LEAST HAVE BLINDFOLDS?"

Warning--don't start celebrating in earnest until you see "film at 11".

Gen. Petraeus spinnin' like a top

General David Petraeus, the Bush shill running things on the ground in Iraq, has offered an observation that is so goddam insane that I can't wrap my little brain around it.
The following is reprinted from Think Progress, which published it on 6/21/07.


Petraeus: U.S. Has Occupied Iraq Long Enough That We Have ‘Become Liberators Again’

In an interview with the Times Online (UK), U.S. Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus was asked whether the troop escalation could mitigate the rising sectarian violence in Iraq.
Petraeus argued there was a “golden hour” of “omnipotence” in the early stages of the war where the U.S. was “viewed as a liberator.” He then claimed the U.S. is being perceived as “liberators” once again in Iraq, this time freeing them from the bloody civil war instigated as a result of the U.S. occupation:
Q: Is it not too late to halt the violence?
PETRAEUS: There is a period of omnipotence. There was a period in the beginning when there was a ‘golden hour’. Inevitably, it does not matter how much you were viewed as a liberator, over time you will be seen as an occupier. The interesting dynamic here is that we have been here long enough to become liberators again for certain sectors of the population, those that are affected by extremism.
Prior to the war, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and other administration officials claimed the U.S. would be welcomed as liberators in Iraq. Petraeus appears to be pandering to those fantasies.
In fact, the great majority of Iraqis do not perceive the U.S. as liberators. A poll taken in September 2006 revealed that seven in 10 Iraqis “want U.S-led forces to commit to withdraw within a year.” Furthermore, six in 10 approved of attacks on U.S. forces.
That was nearly four months before the escalation. Since the escalation officially began in February, violence “has increased in most provinces,” “[s]uicide attacks more than doubled across Iraq,” and civilian casualties rose to “more than 100 a day,” according to a recent Pentagon report. Recently, the Iraqi parliament passed a resolution to try to force an end to the occupation.
Filed under: Iraq
Posted by Satyam at 3:40 pm

Did you read what that nutty bastard said? Here it as again--

PETRAEUS: There is a period of omnipotence. There was a period in the beginning when there was a ‘golden hour’. Inevitably, it does not matter how much you were viewed as a liberator, over time you will be seen as an occupier. The interesting dynamic here is that we have been here long enough to become liberators again for certain sectors of the population, those that are affected by extremism.

YES, General Goodspin actually said that we have occupied Iraq for so long that we're seen as liberators AGAIN! Gee whiz-I guess now we have to stay until we've liberated every last one of them from the pain of living. When we're done , Iraq will be the freest unpopulated democracy in the entire Middle East.

When the U.S. first invaded we were told that our troops would be greeted with flowers. Now , with all the flowers decorating graves of Iraqi's that have been killed, the survivors can only show their immense gratitude by painting flowers on the roadside bombs they plant for our soldiers. I guess they're doing the best they can, and I'm sure General Betrayus is appreciative of their efforts.

Bush must have plucked this S.O.B. right out of Alice in Wonderland. What a freaking nutcase.

How the religious right "love bombs" the suckers

Here is a "must read" article by Chris Hedges posted on TruthDig on 4/23/07. He describes in nauseating detail how the "caring" religious right frauds lie through their teeth to gain converts. Their pragmatic "whatever works" attitude could have been lifted right out of the Republican playbook, or the Nazi playbook, but certainly not from the "Good Book".
***

There is a false, but effective, fiction that one has to be born again to be a Christian. The Christian right refuses to acknowledge the worth of anyone’s religious experience unless—in the words of the tired and opaque cliché—one has accepted “Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.”
The meltdown, often skillfully manipulated by preachers and teams of evangelists, is one of the most pernicious tools of the movement. Through conversion one surrenders to a higher authority. And the higher authority, rather than God, is the preacher who steps in to take over your life. Being born again, and the process it entails, is more often about submission and the surrender of moral responsibility than genuine belief.
I attended a five-day seminar at Coral Ridge in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where I was taught, often by D. James Kennedy, the techniques of conversion. The callousness of these techniques—targeting the vulnerable, building false friendships with the lonely or troubled, promising to relieve people of the most fundamental dreads of human existence from the fear of mortality to the numbing pain of grief—gave to the process an awful cruelty and dishonesty. I attended the seminar as part of the research for my book “American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America.” Kennedy openly called converts “recruits” and spoke about them joining a new political force sweeping across the country to reshape and reform America into a Christian state.
“I would always go in first, introduce myself, Jim Kennedy,” he told us. “I’m checking the lay of the land and I will look around the living room and see if there’s something there that I can comment about. Frequently, there will be a large picture somewhere and where did they put it, this picture ... why would they put it over the fireplace? Significant.”
“In Fort Lauderdale you don’t find too many fireplaces,” he added, smiling, “but there’s some kind of central focus. Maybe ... golf trophies ... I’m over here looking at these golf trophies ... painting ... I say… beautiful painting, did you paint that? The first rule about looking at trophies, don’t touch them ... did you win all those trophies? So we have a little conversation about golf, but I know enough about golf to have this conversation ... now what have I done? I’m making a friend.”
“Compliment them on whatever you can,” Kennedy said, “discuss what they do, you’re going to find out what are their hobbies, maybe right there in the living room. Then you’re going to ask them about what they do, where they’re from, how long they’ve been there ... something to discuss with them ... in doing this, you have made a friend.”
We are told to “emphasize the positive” and “identify with your prospect.” We are encouraged in the green “Evangelism Explosion” instruction manual to use sentences such as “It is wonderful to know when I lay my head on my pillow tonight that if I do not awaken in bed in the morning, I will awaken in paradise with God.” We are told to paint graphic pictures of personal tragedy that God has helped solve, such as: “I had a Christian son killed in Vietnam, yet my heart is filled with peace because I know he has eternal life. Even though he was killed by an enemy mortar, he has a home now in heaven, and one day we’ll be reunited there.” We are instructed to pepper our testimonies with words like love, peace, faithfulness, forgiveness, hope, purpose and obedience and remember to talk about how we have found, in our own conversion, “courage in the face of death.”
Kennedy warns us not to carry a large Bible, but to keep a small one hidden in our pocket, saying “don’t show your gun until you’re ready to shoot it.”
The conversion, at first, is euphoric. It is about new, loving friends, about the conquering of human anxieties, fears and addictions, about attainment through God of wealth, power, success and happiness. For those who have known personal and economic despair, it feels like a new life, a new beginning. The new church friends repeatedly call them, invite them to dinner, listen to their troubles and answer their questions. Kennedy told us that we must keep in touch in the days after conversion. He encouraged us to keep detailed files on those we proselytize. We must be sure the converts are never left standing alone at church. We must care when no one else seems to care. The converts are assigned a “discipler” or prayer partner, a new friend, who is wiser than they are in the ways of the Lord and able to instruct them in their new life.
The intense interest by a group of three or four evangelists in a potential convert, an essential part of the conversion process, the flattery and feigned affection, the rapt attention to those being recruited and the flurry of “sincere” compliments are a form of “love bombing.” It is the same technique employed by most cults, such as the Unification Church or “Moonies,” to attract prospects. It was a well-developed tactic of the Russian and Chinese communist parties, which share many of the communal and repressive characteristics of the Christian right.
“Love bombing is a coordinated effort, usually under the direction of leadership, that involves long-term members flooding recruits and newer members with flattery, verbal seduction, affectionate but usually nonsexual touching, and lots of attention to their every remark,” the psychiatrist Margaret Thaler Singer wrote. “Love bombing—or the offer of instant companionship—is a deceptive ploy accounting for many successful recruitment drives.”
The convert is gradually drawn into a host of church activities by his or her new friends, leaving little time for outside socializing. But the warmth soon brings with it new rules. When you violate the rules, you sin, you flirt with rebellion, with becoming a “backslider,” someone who was converted but has fallen and is once again on the wrong side of God. And as the new converts are increasingly invested in the church community, as they cut ties with their old community, it is harder to dismiss the mounting demands of the “discipler” and church leaders. The only proper relationship is submission to those above you, the abandonment of critical thought and the mouthing of thought-terminating clichés that are morally charged. “Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior” or “the wages of sin are death” is used to end all discussion.
Rules are incorporated slowly and deliberately into the convert’s belief system. These include blind obedience to church leaders, the teaching of an exclusive, spiritual elitism that demonizes all other ways of being and believing, and a persecution complex that keeps followers mobilized and distrustful of outsiders. The result is the destruction of old communities, old friendships and the independent ability to make moral choices. Believers are soon encased in the church community. They are taught to emphasize personal experience rather than reasoning, and to reject the reality-based world. For those who defy the system, who walk away, there is a collective banishment.
There is a gradual establishment of new standards for every aspect of life. Those who choose spouses must choose Christian spouses. Families and friends are divided into groups of “saved” and “unsaved.” The movement, while it purports to be about families, is the great divider of families, friends and communities. It competes with the family and those outside its structure for loyalty. It seeks to place itself above the family, either drawing all family members into its embrace or pushing those who resist aside. There were frequent prayers during the seminar I attended for relatives who were “unsaved,” those who remained beyond the control of the movement. Many of these prayers, including one by a grandmother for her unsaved grandchildren, were filled with tears and wrenching pain over the damnation of those they loved.
The new ideology gives the believers a sense of purpose, feelings of superiority and a way to justify and sanctify their hatreds. For many, the rewards of cleaning up their lives, of repairing their damaged self-esteem, of joining an elite and blessed group are worth the cost of submission. They know how to define themselves. They do not have to make moral choice. It is made for them. They submerge their individual personas into the single persona of the Christian crowd. Their hope lies not in the real world, but in this new world of magic and miracles. For most, the conformity, the flight away from themselves, the dismissal of facts and logic, the destruction of personal autonomy, even with its latent totalitarianism, is a welcome and joyous relief. The flight into the arms of the religious right, into blind acceptance of a holy cause, compensates for the convert’s despair and lack of faith in himself or herself. And the more corrupted and soiled the converts feel, the more profound their despair, the more militant they become, shouting, organizing and agitating to create a pure and sanctified Christian nation, a purity they believe will offset their own feelings of shame and guilt. Many want to be deceived and directed. It makes life easier to bear.
Freedom from fear, especially the fear of death, is what is being sold. It is a lie, as everyone has to know on some level, even while they write and rewrite their testimonies to conform to the instructors’ demands. But admitting this in front of other believers is impossible. Such an admission would be interpreted as a lack of faith. And this too is part of the process, for it fosters a dread of being found out, a morbid guilt that we are not as good or as Christian as those around us. This dread does not go away with conversion or blind obedience or submission. This unachievable ideal forces the convert to repress and lose touch with the uncertainties, ambiguities and contradictions that make up human existence.
We were instructed to inform potential converts that Jesus came to Earth and died “to pay the penalty for our sins and to purchase a place in heaven for us” and that “to receive eternal life you must transfer your trust from yourself to Jesus Christ alone for eternal life.” We were told to ask the convert if he or she is willing “to turn from what you have been doing that is not pleasing to Him and follow Him as He reveals His will to you in His Word.” If the covert agrees to accept a new way of life we are to bow our heads and pray, with the convert repeating each line after us.
“Lord Jesus, I want You to come in and take over my life right now. I am a sinner. I have been trusting in myself and my own good works. But now I place my trust in You. I accept You as my own personal Savior. I believe you died for me. I receive You as Lord and Master of my life. Help me to turn from my sins and to follow You. I accept the free gift of eternal life. I am not worthy of it, but I thank You for it. Amen.”
And when it is over the new believers are told “Welcome to the family of God.” They are told to read a chapter a day in the Gospel of John and that they will be visited again in a week to talk about the Bible. They are encouraged to pray, because God “promised to hear and answer our prayers.” They are told to find “a good Bible-believing church and become a part of it.” They are told to join a Christian fellowship group. They are told to witness to those in their family. With this, the process of deconstructing an individual and building a submissive follower, one who no longer has any allegiance to the values of the open society, begins.
***
Chris Hedges, who graduated from seminary at Harvard Divinity School, is the author of “American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America.” He is a senior fellow at The Nation Institute and a Lannan Literary Fellow.
***

Jim Jones, the "Kool-Aid King", must be smiling in Hell, knowing that others are still using his techniques.

BILL RICHARDSON REALLY NAILS IT

Richardson, currently Governor of New Mexico, and a Democratic Presidential candidate who has a very impressive record from his years in Government service, has flat out adopted the views of Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel, and has stated that as President, he will withdraw every one of our troops from Iraq. That, assuming our present Congress hasn't done it first(a safe assumption).

The following is excerpted from a press release. Thanks to Crooks and Liars.com--


New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today drew a sharp distinction between his views on the war in Iraq and the views of the other major candidates running for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. Governor Richardson addressed the Take Back America Conference in Washington, DC, and clearly showed why his plan to end the Iraq is bold and the best course of action.
“I applaud my fellow Democratic candidates for taking on President Bush in the Congress,” said Governor Richardson.”But there is a fundamental difference in this campaign — and that’s how many troops each of us would leave behind. I would leave zero troops. Not a single one.”
Governor Richardson reiterated his call for Congress to use its constitutional authority to de-authorize the war and bring all American troops home by the end of this calendar year."
(end)

With this unequivocal stand, Richardson, who is far more electable than Kucinich or Gravel, sounds like a savior to me, and I'm sure to many progressives and others who are sick to death of the carnage we are sponsoring in Iraq. We elected the Democrats in 2006 to do this job for us, but it looks like "no dice" from those wimpy weasels. Richardson will have my vote unless Jesus Christ leaves the Republican party and runs as an Independent.

For those of you who are too lazy to check out Richardson's bona fides, watch this short campaign video for a good synopsis of his record:
http://action.richardsonforpresident.com/page/s/jobinterview

All he needs is money and media recognition, because he can walk all over the field of candidates based on his accomplishments. Care to join me with a show of support?

"Special ops" forces requested for work in the U.S.

All in the name of homeland security, of course.

This is an article written by Rowan Scarborough for Examiner .com, posted on 6/21/08


WASHINGTON - The U.S. military command in charge of protecting the homeland asked the Pentagon earlier this year for a contingent of special operations officers to help with domestic anti-terrorism missions.
Military sources told The Examiner that U.S. Northern Command, established at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado in 2002, requested its own special operations command similar to ones assigned to overseas war-fighting commands, such as U.S. Central Command.
A spokeswoman for NorthCom this week issued a statement to The Examiner saying, "This capability resides in every other geographical combatant command and would allow the commander of U.S. Northern Command to deploy these unique capabilities for homeland defense and civil support operations."
The request was approved six months ago by the then-commander of NorthCom, Adm. Timothy Keating, who has since moved to U.S. Pacific Command.
But now, the new NorthCom commander, Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, is reviewing Keating's decision.
On Wednesday, Lt. Col. John Cornelio, a NorthCom spokesman, told The Examiner:
"U.S. Northern Command is currently reassessing our requirement for special operations forces to accomplish our homeland defense and civil support missions. While the initial request for a small element of SOF staff for planning and command and control purposes was requested under the previous commander, the new commander ... has not made a decision on this issue."
Keating's request to the Pentagon raised some eyebrows because of the sensitivity of deploying commandos domestically. Under U.S. Special Operations Command, covert warriors are playing a key role in fighting terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere overseas.
"The possibility for military operations in the U.S. is something that we have to plan for in the age of international terrorism," said Daniel Gallington, a former policy adviser to former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
The Bush administration created NorthCom, one of the military's nine war-fighting commands, after the Sept. 11 attacks revealed deep flaws in the military's procedures for repelling an attack on American soil.
The idea of giving NorthCom a commando unit shows how the military increasingly looks at the U.S. homeland as a target for more terrorist attacks and how it may need elite counter-terrorism forces to deal with the threat.
(end)

The military is now re-considering this proposal, but whether or not it ends up being approved, the mere fact that the request was made indicates that some people are perfectly willing to turn our own military against us. Goodbye freedom, damn but we're gonna miss ya. U.S.A.-R.I.P.

This whole idea is a waste of time and money. If the aim of having Special ops commandos operating within our borders is really to fight terrorism, I am perfectly willing to donate my expertise in this area and point them to the White House and to Cheney's bunker.

Stem cell veto--Bush just loves pain and suffering

Pain,suffering, misery, death-Bush is really gettin' off on this stuff. This is something he thrives on and he embraces visions of "Bush the God King" in the deepest recesses of his psyche like a boa constrictor with a potential meal. Holding the power of life and death over millions of people must give him enough of a head rush to turn his smirk into a rictus-like grin. This stem cell stuff is just like war for him, the only difference being that he's dealing death on behalf of the religious far right instead of the war profiteers.

Over 2/3 of the American people support embryonic stem cell research, and the bill he just vetoed was passed by a vote of 247-176 in the House. Even the director of the National Institute of Health testified in support of this bill, but Bush "The Death God" decided it was far more important to bow to the will of his only remaining voting bloc than to allow funding for research with the potential to save millions of lives, and to alleviate the suffering of millions more. The bill very carefully spelled out that new stem cell lines could only be developed from embryos already stored by the millions in fertility clinics across the country, and that would never be used for implantation. In other words, they would otherwise be thrown out like so many provisional ballots.

Here's a CNN video discussing different type of stem cell lines, and how they differ.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/20/cnn-discusses-what-stem-cell-research-is/

This is a video of Bush's staged (think "Mission Accomplished") "dog and phony" show announcing his veto.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/20/bush-vetos-stem-cell-bill-video/

Here is a very good fact-check on Bush's lies from the Dems.
http://democrats.senate.gov/journal/entry.cfm?id=277367&

If you are so inclined, you might want to take a look at the House roll call on the stem cell bill, so you can update your "friends and enemies" list.
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll443.xml

And lastly, a video of Tony Snow's press conference defending the veto. In a stunning bit of hypocrisy, even better than usual from this shameless mouthpiece, he turns truth on its head and claims that "This is a case of the President putting science before ideology."
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/20/snow-veto-ii/

LEARN AND REMEMBER. SOONER OR LATER,MR PRESIDENT,PEOPLE ARE GOING TO PISS BACK.

Bush names himself "Emperor"-no kidding!

This happened five weeks ago, and I've been sitting on this for a month, but I have yet to see any mention in the mainstream media. Yes folks, in what may be the ultimate power grab in our nations history, George Bush on 5/09/07 issued two Presidential Directives stating that His Royal Eminence Himself will take over the entire government in a" catastrophic" emergency. I am absolutely not making this up. Read this article--
http://progressive.org/mag_wx051807

Here is how the directives define "catastrophic" emergency"--
It defines a “catastrophic emergency” as “any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government function.”
This could mean another 9/11, or another Katrina, or a major earthquake in California, I imagine, since it says it would include “localized acts of nature, accidents, and technological or attack-related emergencies.”
The document emphasizes the need to ensure “the continued function of our form of government under the Constitution, including the functioning of the three separate branches of government,” it states.
But it says flat out: “The President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government.”

A slightly careful read of this section makes it plain that with such broad and nebulous parameters in the definition of "catastrophic" emergency, Bush can pretty much choose for himself when his directives take effect.

A hurricane, tornado, forest fire, bridge collapse, drought, an extra-inning loss by the Texas Rangers? Crop failure, more indictments aimed at his criminal enterprise? People starting to tell the truth under oath? An election coming up? Any of these things could qualify as an emergency in the eyes of The Supreme God of The U.S. of A.

I really wonder why this has gotten no notice. Is everyone so used to his illegal unconstitutional power grabs that they pass it off as nothing new? This isn't "just George doing his thing", but everybody just sits there like frogs in a kettle while the water heats to boiling. You should be out building a guillotine for this bastard.

RNC-- Real Nasty Criminals

You just thought RNC stood for the Republican National Committee, but you thought WRONG. For months, the House and Senate committees investigating the politicization of the Department of Justice have been after e-mails sent to and from White House employees using RNC servers instead of the authorized government e-mail accounts. The Bushies claimed that they were inadvertantly lost. Now they have them, but have refused to turn them over to the committees.

Meanwhile, the Office of Special Counsel, in an entirely separate investigation into violations of the Hatch Act, which prohibits political activity on government propery or time, has ordered 18 Federal agencies to retain all documents, phone records, hard drives, and e-mails back to 2001. Both investigations lead straight to Karl Rove.

Now, House investigators have confirmed that the RNC has destroyed many thousands of these e-mails.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/16/counsel-hatch-probe/

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/18/emails-waxman/

First, the government denied that any servers other than authorized by law to conduct government business were ever used, then said that sometimes they used RNC accounts by mistake, then said that only about 20 people had access to those accounts, then revised that to 55 people.Now we know that 88 people had access. Now we know that the RNC has destroyed the e-mail records of at least 51 government employees from RNC servers, and God only knows how many more.

The use of RNC e-mail servers is a clear violation of the Presidential Records Act, which is meant to ensure that government records are open and transparent, and can be recovered at need for investigations such as the ones now going on.

Given the blatant disregard for nuisances such as laws that the Bush Administration has demonstrated, and the stated aim of the RNC that they were working to ensure a "George Bush empire", can you have any doubt that the Bush team and the RNC have colluded in destroying damning evidence?

The RNC and the Bush administration are partners in what is, by any definition, an ongoing criminal enterprise, and should be prosecuted en masse under the RICO statutes, and then tried for sedition. Or am I being too soft?

6/19/07--just found this one.
This is good! Keith Olbermann's Countdown segment from 6/18/07 regarding this .
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/18/countdown-white-house-rnc-e-mail-scandal-bigger-than-originally-thought/

What did Tony Blair see when he looked into Bush's eyes?

Here's a scary little article that quotes the former British ambassador to Washington as stating that Britain joined the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan because Tony Blair was afraid that George Bush was going to nuke the Taliban unless someone was able to stop him.

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Britain_feared_US_would_nuke_Afghan_06172007.html

Given the way that the Bush Armageddon Machine has acted and spoken ever since 9/11, I have no reason whatsoever to doubt the accuracy of this allegation. Wasn't it Bush who said "There's nothin' purtier than watchin' the sun settin' behind a cloud of radioactive ash"? Wasn't it Bush who named H-Bomb Ferguson as his top advisor? Just asking.

Anyway, if this story is true, I will definitely change my opinion of Mr. Blair.

GAY BOMB?-Sheer genius at work

In 1994, the Department of Defense requested $7.5 million to develop a "gay bomb", a chemical weapon loaded with aphrodisiacs, designed to be dispersed over enemy troops and cause uncontrollable homosexual behavior among those who came in contact with it. The idea was that an army thus attacked would be unable to function as a cohesive fighting force, and would be easy pickings for our own soldiers.

The Pentagon has said that the idea was rejected immediately, but in fact it was still being considered as recently as 2002. The "gay bomb" project had one good result--The Pentagon's own research proved that sexual orientation is determined biologically and is not a lifestyle choice.

http://www.pensitoreview.com/2007/06/18/pentagon-planned-to-turn-enemy-troops-gay/

I truly don't know what was running through the minds of the people who thought this one up, but I imagine that they envisioned a kind of "Brokeback Army"scenario, where insatiable homosexual lust would lead to an enemy army attacking our defensive positions stuck together, pee-pee to butt cheek in a sinuous conga line and singing "YMCA" as a battle cry. The next step in this misguided atrocity would have been the development of a "homophobe bomb" for use on our troops, so that they didn't die of laughter at what they saw.

Our military strategists and planners leave no stern untoned in their never-ending quest to refine the art of warfare, do they?

FBI-defending our freedom from privacy

The Federal Bureau of Total Intrusion is requesting $12 million in fiscal year 2008 to establish a data mining operation to "fight terrorism", which they estimate will have 6 BILLION records by fiscal year 2012. This amount of data is enough for 20 records for every person in the U.S., and it's fairly safe to assume, given the FBI's predilection for exceeding their mandate, that every person in the U.S. WILL be included. So much for privacy rights. This information gathering system is just another in a long string of similar programs whose aim is to know virtually everything about you, whether or not you're guilty of any wrongdoing. Building dossiers on the citizenry is one of the hallmarks of a totalitarian state, and is done so that the government can gain total control over you. Such dossiers include personal information , gossip about you, unfounded allegations and rumor. An easy way to illustrate the dangers of this government effort is simply to think of the former East Germany and their secret police, the Stasi. That's exactly where we're heading in this country. We will live our lives under the constant threat of imprisonment for any reason, if we aren't "good citizens" and do the bidding of our government masters without complaint.

Follow the links in this article for more information:

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/13/fbi-database/

I would suggest that you read our Constitution while it is still legal to do so, and decide if you're really OK with the fact that it's being dismantled before your very eyes.The Constitution?--You know-that's that old document that George Bush called "just a goddamned piece of paper".

Oh, and just to give you an idea of how efficiently our Federal BIG EYE uses the data it collects, here is an article about the infamous Terrorist Watch List used by airport screeners, who as you know, have already stopped billions of terrorists from boarding planes .

http://www.pensitoreview.com/2007/06/13/are-you-on-the-terror-list-509000-people-are/

Remember that plaque inside the Statue of Liberty that has the line about "huddled masses yearning to breathe free"? IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO APPLY TO US!!

IRAQ--The lowdown on the runup

I have found, and am providing here for your edification, a marvelously well-written timeline , offered without opinion by Professor David Michael Green, that details the events leading up to the preemptive invasion of Iraq. Commit this to memory (quiz tomorrow!) so you aren't fooled by the lies and deceptions that are still being peddled as fact.

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/8128

Using this timeline, you can easily judge the worth of anyone in the media who spouts the neocon lies.

New Orleans link dump

No comments, no rants, no satire. Just some links here to articles that I've been saving like old magazines. Do your own homework. There are threads here that tell a tale of cronyism, corruption, mis/non/mal/feasance, criminality,bribery,greed, ineptitude, gross negligence, incompetence, collusion, callous disregard for life, and what amounts to the sanctioned murder of an American city and its inhabitants by our Federal government. This is by no means all of the ongoing story, but it's enough for now.

http://www.gregpalast.com/18-missing-inches-in-new-orleans/

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/07/us/07levees.html?ex=1336190400&en=51f2200b88b3940c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070506-orleans-levees.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/13/national/main2564674_page2.shtml

http://fixthepumps.blogspot.com/2007/06/bombshell.html

http://www.sunherald.com/218/story/77475.html

http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/06/fema_may_have_authorized_flood.html

Bush and Gonzo deliver another rousing "fuck you" to Congress

They are BASTARDS with no regard for even a veto-proof majority of lawmakers. They will do exactly what they want, when they want, to whom they want, for whatever reasons they have, and dare you to do something about it. This latest example is so over the top that I'm sputtering with rage and trying my best not to call them cocksucking motherfucking traitorous criminals who should be stuffed into a gasoline filled earthmover tire and lit off. I can't say things like that no matter how much I want to, because I'm a better person than that.

On June 4, after being passed by an overwhelming bi-partisan majority in the House and Senate, a bill was sent to Bush for his signature. The bill specifically repealed a provision of the Patriot Act reauthorization in 2006 that allowed the appointment of U.S. Attorneys indefinitely, on an interim basis, to avoid the Senate confirmation process.

Bush sat on this bill since receiving it without either signing it into law or vetoing it. Yesterday, Gonzalez announced the appointment of an acting U.S. Attorney in California to the position on an interim basis, once again pulling an "end around" on the Senate.
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Gonzales_uses_Attorney_appointment_power_that_0614.html

That having been accomplished, Bush found the time to sign the bill into law today,6/14/07.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/15/bush-law/

I truly can't believe the fucking gall of these sons-of-bitches. They just don't give a shit about anything. What in the name of God will it take to get these people impeached? Will the Republicans who have supported this criminal enterprise for so long ever give it up and do the right thing? How much more of this shit do we have to take? Did Bush intentionally gut the EPA so that we have to keep taking this shit with no recourse?

Libby has some justice doled out

Oh, happy day! Judge Reggie Walton has ordered Scooter Libby to start his jail term within 6 to 8 weeks while his planned appeal is pending. He considered every one of the arguments presented by the defense why Libby should remain free and rightly was not swayed by their bullshit rationalizations. Libby is to start serving his 30 month sentence for obstruction of justice as soon as they figure out which country-club prison he'll go to.
http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/20070614_jail_looms_for_scooter_libby/

Judge Walton received a ton of letters written on Libby's behalf from every well-connected neocon scumbag power-broker, all attesting to what a truly fine person Libby is, but decided to actually give more weight to the gravity of Libby's offense. He lied repeatedly to both Federal investigators and the Grand Jury and effectively stopped an investigation into the illegal (possibly treasonous) outing of Valerie Plame, a covert CIA operative. He took the fall for both Karl Rove and Dick Cheney. Whether it was done out of loyalty or promises of financial rewards, or both, who knows, but his bosses have yet to be charged in this case.
Judge Walton also received several letters threatening he and his family if he sent Libby to prison. Typical right-wing hate tactics. Walton has turned them over to the authorities.

Nearly the entire right wing is calling for a pardon for Libby, but Dear Leader Bush as yet is resisting. The following is a link from Editor and Publisher with a little more detail on the pardon chances.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003594429

As I have stated before, I do not believe that Bush has to trouble himself with a pardon, because the Appeals Court is stacked with partisan Republicans. See my blog post from 3/08/07 here:
http://carpebaloney.blogspot.com/2007/03/libby-appeal-fix-is-in.html

There will be more coming in this case and I'll update as necessary, but make no mistake--The outing of Valerie Plame along with all the lies , distortions, obfuscations and denials, and the absolute failure to admit guilt or show the slightest bit of remorse for what they did proves once more that the Bush/Cheney administration is a dangerous malignant tumor that if not excised quickly and completely will mean a sure death sentence to every ideal we ever laid claim to as a nation, and indeed to our democratic republic itself.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!! (6/16/07)
Here's an article by John Dean in Findlaw.com, in which he explains the bullying tactics of the Libby defense team and the right-wingers, and explains his concerns about the partisan appeals court. (Really, I taught him everything he knows).
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20070615.html

Dirty deeds Doan mean much anymore

Back in March, I posted about Lurita Doan, head of the General Services Administration, who is being investigated for violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits political activity by government employees on government time or on government property. Here's the link:
http://carpebaloney.blogspot.com/2007/03/waxmanhatches-another-investigation.html

While hearings have been held by Rep. Henry Waxman(D-CA), Doan was also being investigated by an independent Federal agency, and guess what? Guilty,guilty, guilty!, and they have sent a letter to George Bush recommending that Doan be fired.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/12/special-counsel-calls-for-firing-lurita-doan/#comments

Since Doan serves "to pleasure the President", it's doubtful that he will fire her, as it's well known that Bush is fiercely loyal to those who pleasure him(i.e.-Gonzo and Rover). He might though, to protect Rove, who is involved in this up to his eyeballs.

Even if Bush doesn't act the House can impeach her, but the House and Senate have so many Republicans who do exactly as they're told that an impeachment is unlikely to succeed despite the evidence.

So, is this all a pointless exercise? Probably, and that's the saddest thing about the state of government these days.

Addendum: Waxman held another hearing yesterday starring the lovely Lurita, and flat out suggested that she resign. Here are some video clips from the hearing.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/13/waxman-tells-doan-to-resign/

Unfortunately, it's up to Bush to give the "heave" to this "ho", and he's no more likely to do that than the House is to start impeachment proceedings against her. I hope they surprise me.

Jerry Falwell dead at 73-See ya-wouldn't want to be ya!

My comments can only be construed as un-Christian and certainly uncharitable, but too, too bad. "Reverend" Falwell passed away today of an apparent heart attack. Falwell, who founded the Moral Majority, did as much as anyone to turn right-wing Christianity into a hate-filled perversion of Christ's teachings in a successful effort to gain political power.He can best be remembered as a pimple on a boil on the asshole of decency, who made his living blaming disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on gays, pornography, liberals, and abortions. He was a scum who worked tirelessly spreading hate and fear among his followers, and labored mightily to establish a theocracy in the United States by overturning the First Amendment protections against the establishment of a national religion.

The man was a traitor to both God and the United States, and I'm glad he's gone on to his just reward.I'm not sure what his just reward is, but I have a mind-picture of Falwell turning slowly on a spit for eternity, fat dripping and feeding the fires burning him, while his sensitized skin crackles like an oversized pork rind.

Do I really feel this way? Yeah, I think I do, and yes, I feel guilty about it, but I do know the world is a better place for his passing.

One down, many more to go. That special place in Hell, reserved for anti-Christian hypocritical lying frauds claiming to speak with Gods voice, will fill up one of these years, and Falwell will be reunited with his friends. Crackle, crackle, drip, crackle.