Well, a new comprehensive 600+ page report was released on why the intelligence on Iraq's WMDs was so off. shrub reluctantly agreed to create this commission to look into it. Well today that report was released.

Bush Panel: Spies in Dark About Threats

"A damning report by a presidential commission concluded Thursday that the United States knows 'disturbingly little' about nuclear and biological threats from dangerous adversaries, years after the Sept. 11 attacks and the nation's intelligence missteps on Iraqi weapons.

Urging dramatic changes in the U.S. spy agencies, the commission called crucial intelligence judgments on Iraq 'dead wrong' and said the flaws it found 'are still all too common.'"

So now the question is, where does that leave us now? If we can't rely on our intelligence how in the WORLD can shrub's policy of preemption be the United States's ongoing policy?

"Robb and Silberman [Commisioners] said they found no evidence that senior Bush administration officials sought to change the prewar intelligence in Iraq. The report was silent on whether the administration manipulated the data for political purposes, as Democrats have contended, with commission members saying they were not empowered to examine that."

Well WHY weren't they empowered to examine whether this administration manipulated the intelligence for political purposes?! Seems that is the central question to me. And I think most of us know the answer to that one. Even some of my republican friends. See the problem here folks is the Republicans are in OVERWHELMING power right now. Yes I said it, overwhelming power. They are dictating everything. Tomorrow I will address this further.

I'll leave this discussion with one final chilling quote from the report:

"'Across the board, the intelligence community knows disturbingly little about the nuclear programs of many of the world's most dangerous actors,' the report said. 'In some cases, it knows less now than it did five or ten years ago.'"

WAKE UP!!! As the quite simple Rage Against the Machine lyric goes, WAKE UP!!! People we are being too complacent. This is not right, I don't CARE what any of you right-wingnuts say, this is not right!

Daily Kos :: Suppressing free speech

"the Secret Service called three everyday people into their offices to discuss why we were kicked out of a presidential event in Denver last week where Bush promoted his plan to privatize Social Security...

...three people who had personally picked up tickets from Republican Congressman Bob Beauprez's office and went to a presidential event. But as we entered, we were told that we had been 'ID'ed' and were warned that any disruption would get us arrested.

After being seated in the audience we were forcibly removed before the President arrived, even though we had not been disruptive. We were shocked when told that this presidential event was a 'private event' and were commanded to leave....

...The Secret Service revealed that we were 'ID'ed' when local Republican staffers saw a bumper sticker on the car we drove which said 'No More Blood For Oil.'...

...The Secret Service also revealed that ticket distribution and staffing of the Social Security event was run by the local Republican Party....

...After allowing taxpayers to finance his privatization events (let's call them what they really are after all,) and after using the White House communications apparatus to set them up, Bush is privatizing the ticket distribution and security staffing at his events to the Republican Party."

Ok so for all who don't see the problem here, let me make this clear. What is happening here is Democrats are being singled out and basically thrown out of presidential PUBLIC events paid for by the TAXPAYERS, who last time I checked were NOT solely Republican.

This is not a presidential campaign event, which even then I don't think people should be kept out of, but I can almost understand their view. BUT to do this for a presidential visit to tout a proposed program is W-R-O-N-G.

Man oh man! If this were a Democratic administration and Republicans were thrown out of a presidential event on some social program for no reason, I would fell EXACTLY the same way. So NO this is not a partisan attack, this is simply a scary slide I am seeing our country going in, and more disturbing, no one seems to care.

We either accept the status quo as it exists today, or we take a stand and say, enough is enough, and stop this tide from eroding our freedoms.

WAKE UP!!!

Just for a second I think we all need to step back and take a wide angle look at what is going on here. I am referring to what has become a circus in front of the hospice where Terri Schiavo is. This from the AP.

Protests Outside Schiavo Hospice Chaotic

"Jennifer Johnson, barefoot and in her pajamas, ran to her grandfather's bedside once a hospice worker said his death was moments away.

She got there - one minute too late.

Johnson said the chaos outside the hospice where Terri Schiavo is dying kept her from saying goodbye. When Johnson arrived, a police officer demanded identification; she had none. And after a hospice employee cleared her, another officer halted her for a search with a metal detector.

The delays lasted three to four minutes - the last of her grandfather's life.

'It's a terrible, extra obstacle to put in front of a family. ... Everything is about Schiavo,' Johnson said. 'It's all about her and in my family's case, it cost us dearly.'"

This really sucks. Having been in a similar situation, I would be livid if this happened to me.

Nothing was more important to me than being there when my grandfather passed away. I can't explain how important that was to me. And my heart goes out to Jennifer Johnson, who is a similar age to me.

I am now going to say something that some might not like. But what are the protestors outside of the hospice accomplishing? The answer is nothing. All they are accomplishing is gravely disrupting a family's last moments with their loved ones. Think about this. These protestors can show their opinions, in a place that does not inconvenience family members of critically ill patients of the hospice. Everyone deserves to die in dignity, and the residents of this hospice are being robbed of that by the very people who claim to care about the dignity of life.

That is all I have to say.

What? No. We aren't marketing junk food to kids. Preposterous!


Credit

Well after 15 years of craving it, Pakistan has finally gotten the green light from the U.S. and will be receiving F-16 fighter jets.

U.S. to Sell Jets to Pakistan; India Upset

Ok, now let me speak as the true war resisting liberal I am. I really don't think this is a good idea. Did we not learn from our past? Did we not learn that when we give a country that is predominantly of a Muslim fundamentalist nature, weapons that someday those very same weapons may be turned against us. Think Afghanistan.

Now I am not saying that Pakistan will turn against us. What I am saying is that Pakistan has a history. First of all the current President, Musharraf was and is a general, and came to power in a coup. Granted it was a bloodless coup. He has been to the brink of nuclear war with Pakistan's neighbor, India. And Pakistan had the closest relations to the Taliban of Afghanistan, and Al Quada. In fact some say that Musharref has personally known Bin Laden.

So to me I just don't think that selling F-16s to Pakistan is the smart thing to do. And ok, it was also announced that apparently we are going to also sell India some weapons, though it was not announced what those weapons would be.

Seeing the history of aggression between Pakistan and India, one has to wonder if it is wise to further arm both sides. Smacks of the Iran-Iraq war. In which we provided numerous arms to Iraq, and also, secretly, to Iran.

But ah the weapons manufacturing corporations must make money. Oh sorry was that too cynical? Ah well. Have a good weekend.

Mark my words. His days are numbered.

DeLay Goes on Offense in Ethics Battle

This man is dirty, I'm sorry. He is not what he pretends to be. He has serious ethical issues.

"House Majority Leader Tom DeLay often plays defense in public in his fight against allegations of ethical misconduct, saying he didn't know about specific fund-raising practices under investigation in Texas or groups in Washington that paid for his travel.

Behind the scenes, though, he has gone on offense like few public figures before him. With his blessing, Republican leaders remade House ethics rules and the committee that reprimanded him last year, inserting allies and policies more favorable to his circumstances.

He also has devised a blame-the-Democrats strategy, portraying his accusers as politically motivated while saying, 'I have yet to be found breaking any House rules.'"

Yeah that's it. The Dems are doing it. No coincidence that you have been admonished, what twice last year? And you say "yet to be found" breaking rules? Sheesh.

You are dirty, dirty, dirty. I will elaborate when I have some more time.

Since we're on the topic of the Schiavo case in the last few days, I came across this story, and frankly it disturbed me. And no this has no underlying political commentary, even though the president will come into play here.

HoustonChronicle.com - Baby dies after hospital removes breathing tube



This I don't understand. All of this is very hard to talk about. But let me start by quoting the newspaper.

"The baby wore a cute blue outfit with a teddy bear covering his bottom. The 17-pound, nearly 6-month-old boy wiggled with eyes open, his mother said, and smacked his lips.

Then at 2 p.m. Tuesday, a medical staffer at Texas Children's Hospital gently removed the breathing tube that had kept Sun Hudson alive since his birth Sept. 25. Cradled by his mother, he took a few breaths, and died."

This may sound like the story at any hospital any day of the year. But the thing that bothers me here, is that in this case the legal guardian in this case, the mother of this child did not consent to removing this child from life support.

The hospital decided to do this, and were given permission to do so by the courts.

"Sun's death marks the first time a U.S. judge has allowed a hospital to discontinue an infant's life-sustaining care against a parent's wishes, according to bioethical experts."

To make matters worse in my opinion the hospital refused to allow media, invited by the mother, to see the baby's condition.

"The hospital's description of Sun - that he was motionless and sedated for comfort - has differed sharply from the mother's. Since February, the hospital has blocked the media from Hudson's invitation to see the baby, citing privacy concerns.

'I wanted y'all to see my son for yourself,' Hudson told reporters. 'So you could see he was actually moving around. He was conscious.'"

A little background. The boy was born with a form of dwarfism that included short limbs and small lungs.

Now here is where I really question the morality of the law.

"Texas law allows hospitals to discontinue life-sustaining care, even if a patient's family members disagree. A doctor's recommendation must be approved by a hospital's ethics committee, and the family must be given 10 days from written notice of the decision to try and locate another facility for the patient.

Texas Children's said it contacted 40 facilities with newborn intensive care units, but none would accept Sun."

And yes, this law was signed into law by Governor George W. Bush in 1999¹. I really am not attacking here, but I don't understand the contradiction (see I didn't use the h word) here between his stance in the Schiavo case, and him signing this law.

I really don't think this law is right. It seems to me that as a patient has the right to refuse treatment, or refuse it through a legal guardian, they also should have the right to demand treatment, even when it may seem that it will be futile. But hey what is the harm in trying? Ok now I know that money is an issue, and I believe that in this case that this family could not afford to pay for Sun's treatment. But you know what, I think everyone has the right to life saving medical treatment even if they have no money what so ever. It's just the humane thing to do in my opinion.

Ok I am spent now.


No Life Support for You

From the Onion:

"WASHINGTON, DC—Days after unveiling new power-plant pollution regulations that rely on an industry-favored market-trading approach to cutting mercury emissions, EPA Acting Administrator Stephen Johnson announced that the agency will remove the "E" and "P" from its name. "We're not really 'environmental' anymore, and we certainly aren't 'protecting' anything," Johnson said. "'The Agency' is a name that reflects our current agenda and encapsulates our new function as a government-funded body devoted to handling documents, scheduling meetings, and fielding phone calls." The change comes on the heels of the Department of Health and Human Services' January decision to shorten its name to the Department of Services."

Ok I really hate to have to say this. And I am not sure that if you ask me 5 years from now if I will have the same opinion. But having said all that, and after seeing the CT scan of Terri Schiavo's brain, and listening to the sounds she makes, I just don't think there is anything there besides a body.

If you look at the CT scan there are two dark, completely black, areas where the cerebral cortex should be. The cerebral cortex is what gives us the ability to think, to walk, to talk, to do most of the things that make us human. The image shows that this area of the brain basically was, I'm sorry to be graphic, but basically was liquefied.

Now watching Nightline last night, I heard them play audio of the sounds that Terri makes. I can't tell you how haunting those sounds are. Especially knowing what her brain condition is, to me it seemed grotesque, or of a monster quality. I'm sorry I know how this sounds, but I am being as honest as I can. This all leads me to this.

I think the only answer, and I know what you said NsA, about how the problem with saying that this is a family matter is that the family disagrees, BUT I think that in this case the legal guardian, is the legal guardian, and gets to make the decisions in this case. I don't know, I know that sounds cold. But I guess all we have left is the rule of law, if all else is stripped away. And I know some of you will say that all we have left is our faith, but my rational mind does not go that route.

These horrible decisions are made every day and they truly are horrible and the worst positions that we as caring human beings can be in.

Well Air Force One touched down in Albuquerque tonight. shrub is here to try to sell his Social Security plan. Problem is, no one really knows what the plan is. Well besides these private accounts that he has mentioned. Once again, this is NOT a solution.

Oh and on the Schiavo case.

Poll: Congress Should Sit Out Schiavo Case

I am not going to say that I know what should be done. In fact I don't think this should be a political issue. To me it is a tragedy, and a personal family matter. Having said that, I think that we should err on the side of life, because death is final. If there is any question or debate, and I am not sure that there is at this point, then we should save the life while this is debated. I know it has already been debated by many over 12 years. So I guess I am saying, I don't know.

I do know that I really don't think I like the Congress taking this up. I just think it is overstepping their bounds. But you know what, I honestly can't say that if there was some issue that I really thought was life and death, and everything had been exhausted, that I wouldn't want Congress to step in.

BUT... For a political party whose talking points used to also contain the mantra of States Rights, I think it is interesting that these people are now calling for the federal government to basically overrule the state of Florida in this case.

Apparently many people in our country agree that Congress overstepped its bounds too, in polling done this weekend

"About seven in 10 Americans say Congress inappropriately intervened in the case of a brain-damaged woman whose relatives disagree over whether she should be allowed to die, according to a new poll.

About six in 10 said they agreed with the decision by a Florida judge to remove the feeding tube from 41-year-old Terri Schiavo, according to two polls out Monday."

Its unfortunate that this issue has been politicized, but it is. Anyways, I hope that this can be resolved in some way, I just don't know what that way is going to be.

In other news. Palestinians regained control of another West Bank city today.

Palestinians Regain Second West Bank City

So that is good news I think. Hopefully things can continue on this path to peace. However, it is not a good sign that the same day that control of Tulkarm is returned to the Palestinians, that it is announced that a new Israeli settlement will be created in the West Bank. Already there is some discontent in the Palestinians, I just hope that no one breaks the tenuous cease fire.

Oh and apparently a good dentist is hard to find here. I had to get a cavity filled last year and apparently he chipped the edge of my tooth, and now I have a big whole there because the filling fell out. I know you all needed to know that. But oh well now you do.

Oh wait, no he's not. He's a wolf in wolf's clothing.

Paul Wolfowitz was nominated to be the next head of the World Bank. For those not familiar, the World Bank, is supposed to be an international organization that's duty is to help poor and developing countries with financial aide. They have come under alot of heat for not being as successful as many would like.

Well shrub has nominated his deputy Secretary of Defense, who many believe is the major architect of the invasion of Iraq. Now how much he had to do with the post war Iraq, I do not know, but if that is any indication of whether or not a person can be successful at aiding developing countries, then I think Paul Wolfowitz truly is the worst man for the job.

But worse than that, its a kick in the teeth to Europe, who shrub tried to reassure in his tour of Europe a few months ago. So how about some reactions across the world. I know, I know, who the f--- cares?! All that matters is the U.S.. Well just bear with me.

"Clare Short, the former international development secretary, described the nomination of the Bush administration's leading neoconservative hawk as the equivalent of sticking up 'two fingers to the world'. 'This is really shocking,' she told Channel 4 News. 'It's as though they are trying to wreck our international systems.'

Caroline Lucas, a British Green and member of the European Parliament, described the nomination as 'an insult to the world's poor'. 'As a leader of the neoconservative movement,' she added, '[Wolfowitz's] belief in unfettered free markets and a philosophy that what is in the US's interest is thereby in the interest of the entire world spells disaster for many countries in the developing world.'

Much of the criticism of Mr Wolfowitz is focused on his lack of direct experience of the financial sector and his limited exposure to development issues - for much of his life he has been an academic and a diplomat focused on military and strategic questions. Many experts and government officials also found it troubling that the Bush administration, in nominating someone for a job dependent on consensus-building, would pick someone who has become a symbol of US resistance to that very consensus."

Yes I question the intelligence of nominating someone who seems to be mostly against international cooperation, for something such as the head of the World Bank. But oh well, anyways, lets brace ourselves for the next nose thumbing.

And now for the "Funny Quote of the Week". Got a better name? Let me know.

From Clark Plans to Stay at Forefront of Debate:

Ok a little set up. Former Presidential candidate Wesley Clark, has revamped his website. Some have said that this indicates that he is eyeing running for President again in 2008. So an aide of Clark's said the following.

"To think that this means Wes Clark is running for president is ridiculous," said Erick Mullen. "Having said that, all options are on the table."

For those of you who don't follow the absurd things that come out of the mouth of georgie shrub,

"Mullen was paraphrasing President Bush's comments about having no plans to invade Iran."

Ok so this is an insider joke, but oh well. Get over it.

Anyways the original quote was quite ridiculous. And as with most quotes by shrub, are contradictory.

"This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. Having said that, all options are on the table,"

Uh... so uh which is it? Right, kind of like appointing a U.N. critic (that is being charitable) as the new ambassador to the U.N. after traveling europe to reassure Europe that the U.S. understands the need to fix our relationships with Europe.

The Al Franken Show came to Albuquerque today. And even though we had the snowstorm of the decade for us here in Albuquerque, I made it down to the National Hispanic Cultural Center. After waiting for several hours of delay. The snow delayed Al's flight. I got to sit in the fourth row right in the middle. Usually I am on the left. I know hilarious.


Al came out and did some comedy to warm up the crowd, literally.


Then Al introduced his co-host Katherine Lanpher, and they sat down at their seats and prepared for the show.


They had several guests, including former U.S. Senator Fred Harris, who now teaches at the University of NM

After the show, Al signed autographs, and I waited at the end of the line for awhile. By the time I got to the front the GM was telling everyone to hurry up. So I handed my camera to one of the helpers, and asked him to take our picture.


Ok that guy looking like a weeping camel is me, wow, what a craning neck, great picture mr. helper. Oh and the guy on the left signing my book is Al Franken. I hoped for a side by side shot, but oh well.

So here is the autograph.


"To Jay, Best Wishes, Al Franken"

He made some comment about how my name sounded like a catholic name. I don't know, I always thought it was the lack of creativity of my parents. Oh well.

Tomorrow back to regular programming.

Ok, this is way overdue, as I saw this movie at least a month ago, but I just wanted to recommend to all of you that you go see Hotel Rwanda.



It's important to see because it is close history, and it has parallels to today's crisis in Sudan.

The movie shows the strengths and weaknesses of the international community, of the U.N. and of our world media, more interested in salacious stories, and entertainment than truly covering horrible acts of inhumanity.

Please go see this movie if you can.

Look out! The non-partisan Government Accountability Office Comptroller General David Walker testified before the congress. What did he have to say? Well alot, but since I am obviously biased, I will pick out the parts I like.

GAO: Personal accounts could hasten Social Security shortfall

"Private investment accounts such as those President Bush endorses not only will not save Social Security, but they also could accelerate the retirement system's financial problems, a nonpartisan government official told Congress Wednesday.
...
They [private accounts] wouldn't shore up the system, he said, if they were financed, or 'carved out,' from current Social Security taxes, as Bush proposes, and accompanied by no other changes. By themselves, he said, such private accounts would 'exacerbate' the system's problems and accelerate the date for when it would start spending more on pension benefits than it receives in annual revenue."

Hello!! Is anyone home? Is anyone listening? Ok just in case. These private accounts, if carved out of the current SS taxes, will ACCELERATE the date when Social Security pays out more than it receives. Hello?!

This proves that el presidente's plan really is much motivated to gut the system that democrats created, a mostly successful SOCIAL program. OOOOOOOO!! The BAD word!

How many of you knew that today was International Women's Day? Me either until I read a memo from a reporter who is leaving the Newsday newspaper. Anyways, that is all irrelevant. I don't know what International Women's Day is all about, and I don't have the time to find out tonight, sorry ladies, nothing against you, but the memo is what I really want to talk about.

This reporter officially separates from Newsday today. I didn't know much about her before reading this memo, but what she has to say in this memo is worth mentioning here, as the original goal of this blog was to hold the media up to a magnifying glass and see what we can see.

Ok this memo was largely ignored by the mainstream press and soon enough you will know why. Having said that, the only place where I could find this memo in its entirety is here. However you will have to scroll down to the heading: "Laurie Garrett's memo to Newsday colleagues".

Please forgive me, as I am going to quote mostly verbatim, and it will be lengthy.

" Dear Newsday Friends and Colleagues, On March 8th -- International Women's Day -- my leave of absence from Newsday ends... ...I don't want to disappear from the Newsday scene without saying a few words. Indulge me.

Ever since the Chandler Family plucked Mark Willes from General Foods, placing him at the helm of Times Mirror with a mandate to destroy the institutions in ways that would boost dividends, journalism has suffered at Newsday. The pain of the last year actually began a decade ago: the sad arc of greed has finally hit bottom. The leaders of Times Mirror and Tribune have proven to be mirrors of a general trend in the media world: They serve their stockholders first, Wall St. second and somewhere far down the list comes service to newspaper readerships. In 1996 I personally confronted Willes on that point, and he publicly confirmed that the new regime was one in which even the number of newspapers sold was irrelevant, so long as stock returns continued to rise.

The deterioration we experienced at Newsday was hardly unique. All across America news organizations have been devoured by massive corporations, and allegiance to stockholders, the drive for higher share prices, and push for larger dividend returns trumps everything that the grunts in the newsrooms consider their missions. Long gone are the days of fast-talking, whiskey-swilling Murray Kempton peers eloquently filling columns with daily dish on government scandals, mobsters and police corruption. The sort of in-your-face challenge that the Fourth Estate once posed for politicians has been replaced by mud-slinging, lies and, where it ought not be, timidity.[Emphasis added] When I started out in journalism the newsrooms were still full of old guys with blue collar backgrounds who got genuinely indignant when the Governor lied or somebody turned off the heat on a poor person's apartment in mid-January. They cussed and yelled their ways through the day, took an occasional sly snort from a bottle in the bottom drawer of their desk and bit into news stories like packs of wild dogs, never letting go until they'd found and told the truth. If they hadn't been reporters most of those guys would have been cops or firefighters. It was just that way."

Ok, breather. I know its alot of long paragraphs. The point I want to highlight is that stock prices and corporate profits have become more important than actual journalism, or even newspaper circulation. And the idea of a 4th Estate of government is gone. And this should alarm us all. Right, left, Republican, Democrat, Green, Libertarian, smurf, etc.

"Now the blue collar has been fully replaced by white ones in America's newsrooms, everybody has college degrees. The 'His Girl Friday' romance of the newshound is gone. All too many journalists seem to mistake scandal mongering for tenacious investigation, and far too many aspire to make themselves the story...

...Honesty and tenacity (and for that matter, the working class) seem to have taken backseats to the sort of 'snappy news', sensationalism, scandal-for-the-sake of scandal crap that sells. This is not a uniquely Tribune or even newspaper industry problem: this is true from the Atlanta mixing rooms of CNN to Sulzberger's offices in Times Square. Profits: that's what it's all about now. But you just can't realize annual profit returns of more than 30 percent by methodically laying out the truth in a dignified, accessible manner...

...This is terrible for democracy. I have been in 47 states of the USA since 9/11, and I can attest to the horrible impact the deterioration of journalism has had on the national psyche. I have found America a place of great and confused fearfulness, in which cynically placed bits of misinformation (e.g. Cheney's, 'If John Kerry had been President during the Cold War we would have had thermonuclear war.') fall on ears that absorb all, without filtration or fact-checking."

Ok, that is enough, read the rest if you want. I of course strongly agree that our media is broken, and it needs to be fixed if we are going to preserve our democracy as we know it. Yes you may think I am being dramatic, but I really think this is what is happening. We need to wake up as a society and deal with this. Enough said, this post is already way too long.

So what do you do when there is an opening in a position in an international institution that you think is irrelevant? Well you appoint a man who has basically worked to render the institution irrelevant.

Bolton Tapped to Be Next U.N. Ambassador

Ah yes Mr. Bolton, no not the "no talent ass-clown" (Office Space), but rather the man who made these comments:

"there is no such thing as the United Nations."

"If the U.N. secretary building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference,"¹

Ah yes our new U.N. Ambassador Nominee. Well I believe the U.N. can do good things in our world community, but as in all huge institutions there will be problems. I believe that working closely with our allies, is of utmost importance in the current world climate. And I believe the only real way to be able to win the "war on terrorism".

Talk about mixed messages from our dear prez. First he embarks on a European vacation (tour, whatever) and seems to reach out to many world leaders. And then he appoints someone to the U.N. who seems to want to destroy the U.N., or at least render them obsolete. Hmmmm.

Analyst: Bush Budget Would Yield Deficit

"President Bush's budget would keep federal deficits over $200 billion annually over the next decade, Congress' top budget analyst said Friday in a report raising doubts about White House efforts to contain the shortfalls.

The analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Bush's plans for spending and taxes would yield deficits through the decade ending in 2015 totaling $2.58 trillion. That is $1.6 trillion worse than they would be if none of the president's fiscal plans become law, the budget office said, the chief factor being his plan to make already enacted tax cuts permanent."

Come little children, let me tell you a story about America. It was back at the turn of the century when we had a conservative president that was anything but. He was what we would come to call a Neo-conservative, or just neo-con for short, or Neo-conman for long. But oh, I digress.

This Neo-con did not think it was very important to try to contain budget deficits and slow the accumulation of national debt. No he thought it was more important to look like the good guy, and give people token tax breaks. But see he was the classic bait and switch salesman. Worse than Sears, oh wait, there is no Sears anymore, right, worse than Wal-Mart High Tech Appliance Division, or even Wal-Mart Electronics Division, or oh oh, I got it, worse than Wal-Mart Computer Division sales(wo)men.

Ok so the bait and switch, was that at the same time he plied us with a tax refund check, he was busy moving the tax burden off of the rich, off of his friends and on to our backs.

How did he pay for those tax breaks you ask? Well see it was a two pronged approach. First he would use the lack of money as an excuse to eliminate programs he didn't think his base liked, like that pesky Social Security program. Eh nothing but a socialist money pit anyways, we didn't need that crap. His other approach, and this is what really hurt kids, his other approach was to simply borrow from the future. Well the future came, and that is how we are where we are today. A shadow of our former glory, wholly owned by China and India, and Wal-Mart High Tech Appliance Division.

See our national debt got so high that we could no longer honor our commitments, and default was the new word of the age. All because one neo-con (and his cronies) thought he could hide the true cost of his scheme from us all long enough to exit stage-right.

He did it, he did it kids, and the moral of the story is, never be so greedy and selfish that you lose sight of your MORALS.

Well I'll try not to be too reactionary, like all liberals are, but the man who was found guilty of "'evil conspiracy' to commit the Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people" was sentenced to only 30 months in prison in a court decision in Indonesia.

Indonesia Urges Respect for Court Decision on Bashir

"Indonesia urged foreign critics on Friday to respect a court decision sentencing a radical Muslim cleric to just 30 months in jail for involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings and acquitting him of more serious terrorism charges.

The United States and its key ally Australia, who see Abu Bakar Bashir as the head of the al Qaeda-linked regional militant network Jemaah Islamiah, have criticized the verdict and sentence delivered on Thursday as too lenient."

I think this is just a travesty. I don't know any of the details so I guess I will hold my tongue, but come on.

I think we need to find out what is going on in Indonesia. Put them on our radar screen and lets see what pops up.

We got out eyes on you.

Ok real quick point. I was reading about what went on in the Senate the past couple of days and I came across this short blurb.

Senate Rejects Softer Bankruptcy Law

"By another 59-40 tally, the Senate defeated a Democratic proposal to require that credit card statements show how long it would take the consumer to pay off his or her debt by making only the minimum monthly payment, and what the total interest charges would be."

Not sure what else might have been in that proposal, but I think what is quoted here is one of the smartest things dealing with credit issues, that I have seen in a long time, probably since actual APR disclosure statement uniformity in credit offers was established awhile ago.

I really hope that this comes up again somewhere down the line, because people need to know how harmful, or shall I say, how much it will actually cost you to carry so much debt on a card. I can attest from frustrating experience that it is sometimes hard to quantify just how much, over months and years this debt is costing me.

Yes, I know, it may seem cruel, but that activist panel of judges called the Supreme Court (actually 5 out of 9) has outlawed the death penalty for juveniles! What next?! First they outlaw killing retards, now we can't kill children? Dammit, next thing you know we won't be able to kill black people, just because they are black! Oh, no and you KNOW what comes after that, we won't be able to kill gay people because they are gay, and they don't know what they are doing... obviously.

High Court Ends Death Penalty for Youths

"A closely divided Supreme Court outlawed the death penalty for juvenile criminals on Tuesday, declaring there was a national consensus such executions were unconstitutionally cruel and ending a practice that had brought international condemnation.
....
The United States has stood almost alone in the world in officially sanctioning juvenile executions, a 'stark reality' that can't be ignored, [Justice] Kennedy wrote. Juvenile offenders have been put to death in recent years in only a few other countries, including Iran, Pakistan, China and Saudi Arabia.

'It is proper that we acknowledge the overwhelming weight of international opinion against the juvenile death penalty, resting in large part on the understanding that the instability and emotional imbalance of young people may often be a factor in the crime,' Kennedy wrote."

Oh so now we are listening to f---ing "Old Europe"?! What is Kerry president or something? What the hell is this? Tell him Justice Scalia!

"In an angry dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia disputed that a 'national consensus' exists and said the majority opinion was based on the 'flimsiest of grounds.' The appropriateness of capital punishment should be determined by individual states, not 'the subjective views of five members of this court and like-minded foreigners,' he wrote."

YEAH!!! You tell those goddamn foreigners to stay out of our business! Isn't it about time that we get rid of those five activist judges on the Supreme Court and put in some good "fair" judges? Yeah!

"Dianne Clements, president of the Houston-based Justice for All victims' advocacy group, criticized the decision and said she hopes that when there is a Supreme Court vacancy a strong death penalty supporter is nominated.

'The Supreme Court has opened the door for more innocent people to suffer by 16- and 17-year-olds,' she said. 'I can't wait for the Supreme Court to have judges more concerned with American values, American statutes and American law than what the Europeans think.'"

OH SNAPPP!!!! That's sssright!! So guess what you activist Supreme Court justices you better watch out, because we will keep our eyes on you sons!! You better be making the right decisions from now on, or you are through!!