Posts from — November 2006

The Bart Simpson Award for Pathetic Excuses goes to neocons Richard Perle, Kenneth Adelman, and David Frum and their absurd claim that they had nothing to do with the Iraq War. As Mustang Bobby explains: it was the Shrubbery’s fault, because the Iraq War we wanted would have been a piece of cake, and cheap, and we would have been greeted as liberators, and we didn’t do it, and we weren’t there, and the dog ate our plans.

These people did their utmost to get the US involved in a country they knew nothing about, and they made no attempt to learn. The fact that they thought the Shrubbery’s team was the best assembled since Harry Truman shows the level of total ignorance these people possess.

Dr. Juan Cole of Informed Comment presents his list: Top Ten Ways We Know We Have Lost In Iraq.

From CNN: U.S. yanks Web site with reported nuclear secrets

In a statement Thursday night, a spokesman for National Intelligence Director John Negroponte said his office has suspended public access to the Web site “pending a review to ensure its content is appropriate for public viewing.”

The action came after The New York Times raised questions about the contents of the government site, called the “Operation Iraqi Freedom Document Portal.” The Times‘ Web site reported Thursday night that weapons experts say documents posted on the government site in recent weeks provide dangerous detail about Iraq’s covert nuclear research before the 1991 Persian Gulf war.

“While strict criteria had already been established to govern posted documents, the material currently on the Web site, as well as the procedures used to post new documents, will be carefully reviewed before the site becomes available again,” said Negroponte’s spokesman, Chad Kolton.

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According to LiveJournal Status Report: LiveJournal has lost power to its servers and is working to correct the situation.

This has nothing to do with the Blogger problems, or the elections. There is nothing to see here citizens. So, move along and take your stainless steel colanders™^Anya with you.

Update: At least some of LiveJournal is back.

I went to see why I couldn’t leave a comment at Rants from the Rookery and saw:

Friday, November 03, 2006

Blogger will go down for maintenance on Sunday 4pm PDT. This maintenance will last 45 minutes.

Posted by asdf at 18:17 PST

It has become the norm to have problems with Blogger on the weekend.

When I read this article, General: Abu Ghraib scandal forced me out of Army, I was ready to puke. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez feels put upon because he was forced to retire with the full pension and benefits of a three-star general officer after the mess at Abu Ghraib. He’s lucky not to be on trial.

He violated regulations and the Geneva Conventions in approving “special techniques” for dealing with prisoners and the whole thing blew up in a major scandal. Of course, nothing of any importance was learned by the use of the “special techniques”, so his services had no value to his masters.

Sanchez should have looked at Specialist Alyssa Peterson and learned what honor and duty are all about.

“Peterson, a devout Mormon, had graduated from Flagstaff High School and earned a psychology degree from Northern Arizona University on a military scholarship. She was trained in interrogation techniques at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, and was sent to the Middle East in 2003.”

She graduated from the Arabic course at my alma mater, the Defense Language Institute on the Presidio of Monterey in California.

Specialist Peterson refused to participate in what she knew, based on her training as an interrogator, to be illegal procedures and she ended her life when the situation became too much for her.

I’m not saying that General Sanchez should have eaten a 9MM, but he could have resigned in protest of illegal orders. Generals are expected to lead.

It is helpful to know that the Baker Act is the Florida law, Chapter 394 of Florida Statutes, that covers both voluntary and involuntary treatment at mental health facilities.

This aids in understanding some of the references in the Weekend Edition of All Hat and No Cattle.

[Lisa lived among the Republicans and evangelicals on the Florida Panhandle too long.]

From CNN: Evangelical leader says he bought meth but ‘never used it’

The Rev. Ted Haggard, who resigned as one of the nation’s top evangelical leaders, admitted Friday he had contacted male prostitute Mike Jones for a massage and bought drugs from him.

Haggard said he never had sex with Jones and never used the methamphetamine drug he bought.

He was one of a group of religious leaders who regularly participated in conference calls with White House aides.

Haggard told reporters earlier this week that he did not know Jones, who claims to have had a three-year sex-for-money relationship with the pastor.

Yeah, right, except in the state of Colorado possession of methamphetamine is a felony, so there goes his voter’s ID card [in several states, including Florida] and NRA membership card [convicted felons can’t have guns].

Colorado has a problem with meth labs, so Rev Ted shouldn’t expect a free ride on that one.

I have a feeling that there are quite a few certified massage therapists in the Denver phone book, and I have seen nothing about Mike Jones being one of them.

Rev Ted needs to get up in front of the flock and testify. He needs to cleanse his soul and bear witness to the forgiveness. Jimmy Swaggart can help him with the process, or sell him a tape of his apology. Oh, he shouldn’t forget to have the choir sing Amazing Grace, it’s a tradition at these services.

No Trust At All

One more step and I launch.

[Editor: This is Tip Two, a juvenile with a white tip at the end of her tail. She doesn’t trust me as far as she could throw me and the flash going off doesn’t help.]

Friday Ark

I don’t like the concept of corporations for the very simple reason that I am, and always have been, a confirmed capitalist and corporations violate the very core of capitalism, risk. If you are in business as an individual and mess up you can lose everything you own, be forced into bankruptcy, and end up in prison. If a corporation messes up its liability is limited to the value of the stock, most states have limits to prevent awards that would force a corporation into bankruptcy, and there is no possibility of prison.

Individual are citizens of nations, and owe allegiance to those nations, but corporations have no such restrictions.

While corporations can’t vote, they are afforded a sterling opportunity to influence votes and elected officials.

Karen at Peripetia has more information on the Legal Fictions that are corporations, and Dave Johnson at Seeing The Forest has an article on corporations in elections: Phony Mailers From Tobacco and Oil Companies.

If you compare a corporation with a communist country, there isn’t a lot of difference between a stock certificate and a party membership card…well, the communists do tend to have funnier hats.

Echidne has a great piece of snark: On Elections and Why I am Not a Political Blogger.

Too much of what passes as political commentary in the world is about process and personality, not about policy. I foolishly think it is more important to know what someone intends to do if elected, than if s/he is collecting enough money at the proper times and making the proper ad buys in the most effective markets.

The only segment of a candidate’s personality I’m interested in is their personal integrity – is their word good? There’s no point in reviewing their policies and ads, if the candidates don’t intend to follow through on them.

I don’t expect people to remain locked in to a position forever, but if they change their minds I would like to feel some confidence that it was because of sober consideration and new information, not because it will be easier to get elected if they adopt a new position.

Elections are not games; they are very serious business and should be treated as such.

One other thing for Charlie Crist, the Republican running for governor of Florida: Charley do you intend to do anything? I ask because all of your ads are about your opponent. I’m sure Jim Davis appreciates all of the name recognition you are providing him up this way, but don’t you think you should spend a little money on yourself?

Video available at Crooks and Liars in Windows Media and QuickTime formats.

This time it’s the Kerry verbal error, which isn’t really an error when it’s in the context of the speech. Most of those reporting on the issue omit the bit about Bush going from the state of Texas to the state of denial. There’s no way to to miss the fact that he was slamming the Shrubbery when the comment is put in context.

Olbermann has another great commentary, and his “Sir” and “Mr. President” are ripening into terms of real disgust. Reminds me of a 30-year First Sergeant talking to a Second Lieutenant who has forgotten his place and given him an order.

While Kommander Kos and Duncan haven’t sent me instructions on this, I think I can respond.

From John Amato at Crooks and Liars this excerpt from an article by Chuck Todd of National Journal at MSNBC: “For some reason Pelosi has a terrible relationship with the liberal blogs. There’s a pretty decent chance liberal bloggers could start a grassroots effort to get behind Emanuel for speaker.”

Mr. Todd, FYI: on the “liberal” blogs “wanker”, “douche bag”, and “toady for the DLC” are not terms of endearment. The “netroots” have been raising money for people that Rahm Emanuel refused to help. The “netroots” like Dr. Dean’s 50-state strategy. We know that Emanuel talks tough, but so does the Shrubbery. He has triangulated himself into a corner and we can just ignore him, like he ignores people in districts that don’t “lean Democratic”.

Bill Clinton won his elections because he is a hell of a politician, not because of the policies of the DLC or the tough talk of Emanuel. The reason the Republicans haven’t tried to dump the 22nd Amendment is because Bill Clinton would run again and win.

Going around the world on speaking engagements the former president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, stopped in Britain:

Speaking at Chatham House, a foreign policy think-tank in London, Mr Khatami said Iran was supporting efforts to build strong governments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But he said the near neighbours of both countries should be in charge of solving the problems of insecurity, and that “foreign alien forces” should leave the region as soon as possible.

“This has been a terrible idea. You know, the Americans are suffering, and you will see the result of this mistake in the upcoming polls in the United States.”

The idea that Western-style democracy could be “exported” to the Middle East was flawed from the beginning, Mr Khatami said.

“It’s a great joke – the greatest joke that Mr Bush said, that he would like to export democracy to the Middle East.

“Democracy is not something to get exported.”

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