Headed for eternity and destined for nothing

That's it, I give up. Mr. President, you want to own 9/11? Well, you can have it.

Here's your prize:

• Disregarding Richard Clark's warning to Condoleeza Rice on Al Qaeda
• Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.
• Reading The Pet Goat to Florida children like a scared 5 year old.
• Flying to Nebraska on 9/11 like a scared 5 year old.
• Hiding until 9/14, then staging a photo op at Ground Zero (I hate that term).
• Lying about the air quality in lower Manhattan, so responders now have lung disease.
• Pulling troops chasing Bin Laden from Afghanistan, sending them into Iraq.
• Conflating 9/11 with Iraq.
• Closing the CIA unit assigned to find Bin Laden.
• Outing the secret identity of the leader of the CIA's Joint Task Force on Iraq.
• Over 2600 American's dead in Iraq.
• Little progress in FBI probes of Anthrax attacks.
• Lots of torture at Guantanamo.
• But no convictions of evil doers held at Guantanamo, or released from there.
• Refusal to follow the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.
  

Surely that's enough of a gift, Mr. President.

You now own 9/11. It's all yours. Every stinking part of it. Every death from lies, from idiotic attacks on Iraq. Every human tragedy. Every mention in history books will forever carry your name:

"Bush, who was President when 9/11 occured, failed to bring the perpetrators to justice, and instead invaded Iraq, igniting greater terrorist and insurgent activities in the already volatile Middle East. For this reason, and others, he has come to be known as an extremely unpopular President whose two terms are considered by historians to be a low point in American politics."

Let me tell you that it hurts so good

GWBushCo loves him some torture. Acccording to ABC News, though, the military is now prohibited from:

--Interrogators may not force a detainee to be naked, perform sexual acts or pose in a sexual manner.

--They cannot use hoods or place sacks over a detainee's head or use duct tape over his eyes.

--They cannot beat or electrically shock or burn him or inflict other forms of physical pain, any form of physical pain.

--They may not use hypothermia or treatment which will lead to heat injury.

--They may not perform mock executions.

--They may not deprive detainees of the necessary food, water and medical care.

--They may not use dogs in any aspect of interrogations.

Cute. The military is only NOW being told not to do these things? The Supreme Court (liberal bunch they are) issued a ruling in June about this. From CNN:

The High Court also ruled that al Qaeda operatives were protected by the Geneva Conventions, which ban "humiliating and degrading treatment." Bush called that mandate "vague."

Vague. As in, the Republican owned Supreme Court interpreting the Geneva Conventions is "vague." (Note to wingers, arm-chair fighters, and WATBs: The "wearing a uniform" deal was covered in Protocol I. Have any of these wankers actually read any of the Geneva Conventions? I doubt it.)

And note that the CIA still is not constrained from doing these things. From the ABC piece:

The officers told ABC News there was a list of six progressively harsher techniques that were authorized, with the prisoner always handcuffed.

The first -- the attention grab, involving the rough shaking of a prisoner.

Second -- the attention slap, an open-handed slap to the face.

Third -- belly slap, meant to cause temporary pain, but no internal injuries.

Fourth -- long-term standing and sleep deprivation, 40 hours at least, described as the most effective technique.

Fifth -- the cold room. Prisoners left naked in cells kept in the 50s and frequently doused with cold water.

The CIA sources say the sixth, and harshest, technique was called "water boarding," in which a prisoner's face was covered with cellophane, and water is poured over it (pictured above) -- meant to trigger an unbearable gag reflex.

Look, if the Supreme Courts says don't torture, then I think the CIA probably has a legal obligation to, you know, don't torture. If the CIA was on clear legal footing, why were they using the once-denied, now-admitted "black prisons": (CNN again)

The Washington Post first reported in November that the CIA was holding terror suspects in secret prisons overseas, including in former Soviet satellites in eastern Europe.

The White House would not confirm the report, but an investigation by the Council of Europe found evidence of a "global system of secret detentions and unlawful transfers."

The wingers, arm-chair fighters, and WATBs always bring up the Ticking Time Bomb scenario. To me, it's a combination of fear allowing an underlying layer of innate cruelty to appear, and wanting to be "macho", tough.

My friend Kevin Drum has what I feel is the Gold Standard question on this issue. Never mind the what-ifs, the ticking time bombs, the gung ho kick ass mentality of so many, especially on the right. The question is:

Is this torture? There's an easy question that provides some moral clarity here: If someone else did this to American prisoners, would you consider it torture? If you would, then it's torture when we do it too.

Word. (As the kids say)

Help me I think I'm falling

With 9/11 two days away, and mid-term elections in a few weeks, GWBushCo is in All Terror-All The Time-mode. And the most terrorized are the right wing bloggers and pundits, the "101st Fighting Keyboarders". Most of them previously were anti-big government conservatarians. But now, sadly, they have become what Duncan "Atrios" Black calls WATB. Here are just 2 examples:

RightWingNuthouse: But in the face of this kind of evil, this monstrous darkness that is descending over the west largely as a result of our own stupidity and reckless disregard for our own safety, I’m tempted to gather all the Juan Coles, the Billmons, the Kossacks, and the whole lot of morally timid, incredibly myopic liberals who cannot see the horrific danger we are in from the scourge if Islamic fundamentalism and send them packing to Iran so that they can glimpse our future.

RiehlWorldView: One need only watch the video to see the real goal of our Islamo-fascist enemies and understand that, in this case, kidnapping was simply another means to an end - an end every move Islamo-fascists make is designed to achieve. If Americans don't come to understand that, they had better get ready to start removing their shoes five times a day before they bow down in prayer while facing the Qibla.

You know the drill, stand up for America while sitting down, typing furiously on a Cheeto-stained keyboard, fearful that if we don't kill the Islam-o-fascists over there, they'll kill us over here.

This type of authoritarian idolatry coupled with extreme fear of "The Enemy" is exactly what GWBushCo is trying to foster. As a form of rebuttal, I posted recently about the BBC-produced 3 part video series from 2004: The Power Of Nightmares.

In the past our politicians offered us dreams of a better world. Now they promise to protect us from nightmares.

The most frightening of these is the threat of an international terror network. But just as the dreams were not true, neither are these nightmares.

In a new series, the Power of Nightmares explores how the idea that we are threatened by a hidden and organised terrorist network is an illusion.

My friend Swim at Deep Confusion reminded me of this series, and her comments are better than anything I could come up with, so here is the link to her post:

http://deepconfusion.blogspot.com/2006/09/politics-of-fear.html

It's not my fault, It was the voices in my head

Some of the guys at the Backroom email list I receive still bristle at any criticism of GWBush, even though they pay lip service to thinking he's a bad President. Here's one response to a critique of "Path To 9/11":

The bottom line is, like the boy who persistently cried WOLF, when you have proven yourself to have been a pathological liar, you then become the easy target to blame even on the off chance you had nothing to do with it.

It's entirely possible had Clinton been a responsible, respectable leader, 9/11 would have happened anyway. But he wasn't, and so, because the possibility exists we failed to discover the problem when the entire country was distracted with his other nonsense, he gets blamed just as a drunk driver who wrecks is presumed guilty of negligence even if a perfectly sober driver might have wrecked in those conditions as well.

Bill Clinton WAS responsible for the massive debacle his pathology engineered, even though sane people agree whether or not he was getting blown by a fat intern was no one's business. Had he behaved responsibly in Arkansas, the Paula Jones affair would never have gone anywhere, and by not dealing with it the Lewinsky affair became fair game.

Unhinged? I think so. I call this the Blame Clinton First response.

So in comparison, how is GWBush working out as a leader?

From Kos:

Link--Months before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld forbade military strategists from developing plans for securing a post-war Iraq ...In fact, said Brig. Gen. Mark Scheid, Rumsfeld said "he would fire the next person" who talked about the need for a post-war plan.

Link--There was no evidence of a link between former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, according to a report released Friday by the U.S. Senate.

Link--US president Bush on Thursday cautiously endorsed a truce between Gen Musharraf and pro-Taliban militants in Pakistan even as terrorist violence soared in Afghanistan and Al Qaida sent a sharp reminder of 9/11 with a video message ahead of the anniversary.

Link--A NATO military chief asked yesterday for another 2,500 troops to be sent to southern Afghanistan to reinforce the Canadian and British battlegroups that have been under fierce attack by the Taleban for the past two months.

Still, somewhere, somehow, it's always Clinton's fault.

Bastards.

We got to move into the future maybe, And think about a new tomorrow

I'm 57 tears old, have been a political junky since watching the '56 Election coverage, considered supporting AuH20 briefly, but became a Kennedy Dem. I was a peace protester all during Viet Nam, marched with black friends here in SoCal in '66 against racist rental practices, and believed in Gene McCarthy, who was the most conservative of all the candidates in '72, because he was against the war.

I've been aware, at all time, of sleazy backroom deals by both major parties, as well as similar misdeeds and idiocies by minor parties as well, so I'm no niaf lost in the wilderness.

I'm aware of some of the bad sides of "The New Deal", as well as its good sides. So I feel that while coming from a definitely leftist opinion, I have a pretty clear understanding of all political views, the true conservative, the Randian libertarian, and the extremists on all sides.

With that as a background, I'm scared shitless by the far right in this country, more so than at any time in my life, including when my lottery number (I was in the very first one) came back as 13. If Cheney, Abu Gonzales, Alito, et al have their way, we will end up a 3rd world land mass, with a plutocratic theocracy running all aspects of government, no middle class, and most of us working service jobs for below poverty wages. The "investor class" will do well, while those of us who actually do work, like me in the music industry, will be out on the streets.

And if China & Japan call in their markers, even the investor class will be on the streets. Only the oil families will be left, living on St. Barts, with Swiss bank accounts. Abortion will be illegal in all circumstances, and so will be all forms of contraception. A constitutional amendment mandating prayer in schools, fundamentalist protestant Christian prayer, that is, will have passed. Federal minimum wage & overtime laws will be struck down. OSHA, & EPA will be dissolved. Fair Housing laws will be overturned. All limits on media ownership will be struck down. Current limits on church political activities will be struck down.

The IRS has already, in case some of you don't know, disbanded the section which audits and chases down fraud by high income earners, and is gearing up to go after those alleged cheats whose incomes are middle class and on down, and is outsourcing collection tasks at very high cost. US adherence to the Geneva Conventions will be rescinded.

Corporations will be given even greater "personhood" protection, and will be protected from most lawsuits and litigation. More and more government functions will be outsourced, at considerably greater expense. Blackwater and other security firms will be given greater power to act as police and military, including here on US soil. More prisons will be built to house the poor and debtors since the Bankruptcy reform law passed last year, and as the usurious ARMs begin to fail and foreclose, and as more people who had pensions wiped away begin to retire, often forced to by health conditions (see: Delta Pilots.)

2nd & 3rd strike offenders will be given the "option" of joining the military, for extended tours of duty to fight in Iraq, Syria, and Palestine. Stop-Loss practices will be codified, allowing the military to keep enlistees for as long as they see fit. Pre-crime laws will be passed (see: Philip K. Dick) and political dissent will be forbidden. Gerrymandering will be more frequent, and overtly biased and often racist. Racial profiling will be written into Federal law regarding public transportation and jobs. States will soon follow. Election laws will disappear, and poll taxes, Picture IDs, and maybe even property ownership will be required to vote. Indentured servitude for debt payback will again become commonplace.

Education will shift to vocational training, starting with middle school. No liberal arts classes at these schools, just basics: Reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic, along with job skills such as manual labor training. Advanced students will be given training such as retail clerk and food service. State and Federal funding for all levels of schools will drop. More private middle and high schools will appear, with costs such that only the investor classes can afford them. More and more help desk, clerical, and data processing will be outsourced, to India, and increasingly to China. The only remaining middle class jobs in the US will be IT related, along with other skilled service jobs like auto repair, electrical, AC, and building contractors. And most of that work will be given to "visiting workers" who live in projects built to house them. And more and more teaching will be done in computer labs, just like language labs except that all classes will be taught this way, drastically reducing the need for skilled teachers.

A constitutional amendment allowing unlimited Presidential terms will be passed, as will amendments dissolving Congress's "advise and consent" duties, allowing unchallenged Presidential appointments. Congressional rights and duties will be amended even further, making both bodies largely ceremonial, and lobbyists will be allowed to hold office.

Or we can fight. How about it? They haven't won yet.


Update: Links added, more to come.

But baby, it's cold outside: Terror terror everywhere

From the BBC: The Power of Nightmares: Baby It's Cold Outside:

Should we be worried about the threat from organised terrorism or is it simply a phantom menace being used to stop society from falling apart?

In the past our politicians offered us dreams of a better world. Now they promise to protect us from nightmares.

The most frightening of these is the threat of an international terror network. But just as the dreams were not true, neither are these nightmares.

In a new series, the Power of Nightmares explores how the idea that we are threatened by a hidden and organised terrorist network is an illusion.

It is a myth that has spread unquestioned through politics, the security services and the international media.

This came to my attention from my friend Swim, at Deep Confusion. I can't improve on her thoughts, so go read them, and follow the link to the BBC documentary there. Baby It's Cold Outside is Part 1.

Away above the chimney tops, That's where you'll find me

In re: my previous post about songs not needing to be recorded again, Somewhere, Over The Rainbow, commentor Old Dave left this:

IZ Kamakawiwo`ole video, including live performances and (sadly) his funeral. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5...h? v=5neuWiAlpm4

Here is his link, please go watch it, the video makes it so much more clear what a treasure this man was:



Thanks, Old Dave.

Like a rubber ball I come bouncing back to you

I've mentioned before that I participate in an email list that, while starting from an affinity for older Ampex recording equipment, has morphed into an 'anything goes' place, where some pretty tough political disagreements take place.

From one member the other day:

You Might Be a Democrat If...

* You own something that says, "Dukakis for President, " and still display it.

* You've tried to argue in favor of anything based on, "Well, they're gonna do it anyway so..."

* You've ever said, "We really should call the ACLU about this."

* You believe that a few hundred loggers can find another career, but the defenseless spotted owl must live in its preferred tree.

* You ever based an argument on the phrase, "But they can afford a tax hike because..."

* You've ever argued that with just one more year of welfare people might turn it around and get off drugs and get a job.

* You think Lennon was a brilliant social commentator.

* You keep count of how many people you know in each racial or ethnic category.

* You believe our government must do it because every country in Europe does.

* After looking at your pay stub you can still say, "America is undertaxed."

* Electric cars are the answer to our dependence on oil.

* Just because Mars and Neptune are warming too does not mean humans are NOT causing global warming.

* We just need to talk with Iran/North Korea/__________ and understand what they really want.

In other words, the usual crap.

The site owner responded this way:

I suspect that it's some stupid fear mongering propaganda put out by Karl Rove and is wacko neo-con swift-boat idiot stooges to try to goad unthinking voters into voting for the Republican Police State "fascista" again to keep it going for yet another six years. Shrub should be proud.

As P.T. Barnum said, there's one born every minute. And the Republican are making good use of every one they can round up.

I responded to him thusly:

Oh ****, haven't you learned by now?

1. It's Clinton's fault.
2. The Dems, if they were in power, would have done worse.
3. Look over there, shiny objects!
4. It's the Mexicans' fault.
5. Liberalism is anti-American and morally bankrupt.
6. The Free Market will take care of itself.
7. If you don't support the war, you don't support the troops.
8. Only Repubs can protect us from terrorists.
8a. The Nanny State federal government is bad.
9. It's the Islamofascists' fault.
10. Unions are taking America down.

Get with the program, dude. Sheesh!

And one of the more vocal members of the community came back with this:

1. It's Clinton's fault.
It's not, but he's a turd anyway.

2. The Dems, if they were in power, would have done worse.
It's worse than that. They would have done about the same.

3. Look over there, shiny objects!

4. It's the Mexicans' fault.
I don't blame the Mexicans. I blame the people who won't enforce the law.

5. Liberalism is anti-American and morally bankrupt.
This much, is true. However, the modern version of consservatism is worse.

6. The Free Market will take care of itself.
Only for those who actually control it.

7. If you don't support the war, you don't support the troops.

8. Only Repubs can protect us from terrorists.
ROTFLMAO

8a. The Nanny State federal government is bad.
Yes, it is.
9. It's the Islamofascists' fault.
See #4.

10. Unions are taking America down.

That was years ago. They took themselves down with it.

Sadly lacking in irony, and missing several of my points. Like the Nanny State being exactly what the wingers want these days:

FISA is too restrictive:

• Unlimited ability to tap phones and monitor emails.
• No-knock warrants at any time

Civil liberties doesn't matter if you're dead

Freedom of the press is bad

The thing is, it's clear that some conservatarians really want Big Brother Bush to take manly charge of everything, just so they can keep wetting the bed.

And clearly I didn't respond to other things my colleague took issue with. I don't have the energy to debate a bouncing rubber ball.

Johnny show me that you care, really care for me.

From the department of It Had To Happen: Stewart08.com.



Sign the online petition here.


I have no idea who the site owner is. But let's face it, there's no way Stewart could be worse than GWBush, and literally thousands of ways he would be better.

Update: I also found this on the web: http://jonstewartforpresident.com/

(Cross-posted at HuffPo).

War means tears to thousands of mothers eyes

Warhawks everywhere! Israel screwed up the war on Hezbollah, and in light of that, they now are seriously considering aggression against Syria and/or Iran. From the UK TimesOnLine:

THREATENED by a potentially nuclear-armed Tehran, Israel is preparing for a possible war with both Iran and Syria, according to Israeli political and military sources.

The conflict with Hezbollah has led to a strategic rethink in Israel. A key conclusion is that too much attention has been paid to Palestinian militants in Gaza and the West Bank instead of the two biggest state sponsors of terrorism in the region, who pose a far greater danger to Israel’s existence, defence insiders say.

“The challenge from Iran and Syria is now top of the Israeli defence agenda, higher than the Palestinian one,” said an Israeli defence source. Shortly before the war in Lebanon Major-General Eliezer Shkedi, the commander of the air force, was placed in charge of the “Iranian front”, a new position in the Israeli Defence Forces. His job will be to command any future strikes on Iran and Syria.

Go read, it's pretty sad. But what's even more craptacular is who is cheering on from the U.S.:

In Washington, the military hawks believe that an airstrike against Iranian nuclear bunkers remains a more straightforward, if risky, operation than chasing Hezbollah fighters and their mobile rocket launchers in Lebanon.

“Fixed targets are hopelessly vulnerable to precision bombing, and with stealth bombers even a robust air defence system doesn’t make much difference,” said Richard Perle, a leading neoconservative.

Bastard!