McClatchy has finished its five part series: Guantanamo: Beyond the Law, explaining how badly the Hedgemony has messed up the search for terror suspects and the lawless tactics they have employed in their monumental failure.

Added to that mix is the recent report by Major General Antonio Taguba, USA (retired), who probed Abu Ghraib, saying Bush officials committed war crimes:

“After years of disclosures by government investigations, media accounts and reports from human rights organizations, there is no longer any doubt as to whether the current administration has committed war crimes,” Taguba wrote. “The only question that remains to be answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held to account.”

No General, they won’t because Nancy Pelosi has other priorities than holding criminals responsible for their actions. They will be pardoned by the criminal in chief, and find themselves hiding from the International Criminal Court for the rest of their lives.

What people don’t understand is that the ICC doesn’t get involved unless a nation shows itself unwilling or unable to deal with war crimes on its own. Well, the US has joined that list of rogue nations.

Republicans, especially Reagan, liked to talk about the waste represented by “welfare queens”, mythical urban dwellers in “liberal” states who were soaking the Federal budget dry. Of course this ignores what a truly tiny portion of the Federal budget is spent on assistance and the the fact that the largest group that receives the aid are rural white children, but they continued to put out their lie.

If you take the trouble the Tax Foundation does to see where Federal money goes, you will notice a pattern: the money goes to states with senior Senators on certain important committees, like Appropriations.

It’s amazing, most people probably wouldn’t picture Pete Domenici, Trent Lott [this is from 2005], and Ted Stevens when you say “welfare queen”.

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