John "Hypocrite" McCain

John “The Tri-Bomber” McCain has said that waterboarding is torture and that it is illegal. Last Wednesday, however he voted against Democratic-sponsored legislation supported by anti-torture advocates that sought to ban waterboarding and other coercive tactics by the CIA.

From the WashingtonPost.com website:

McCain's vote prompted disappointment among civil liberties and human rights advocates, who have frequently been allied with McCain on detention and interrogation issues. "It's not as if the Bush administration has given us any new reason to trust them on this issue," said Elisa Massimino, Washington director for Human Rights First. "The only thing that seems to have changed is that an election is looming closer."

George "Hypocrite" Bush

From a talk he gave at Harvard way back in February 2002 called Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror? Noam Chomsky gives good advice on how we should view the character of George W. Bush:

…when George Bush tells us that he is the most devoted Christian since the Apostles, we should believe him, take him at his word and we should therefore conclude that he certainly has memorized, over and over again, in his Bible reading classes and in church, the famous definition of "hypocrite" that's given in the gospels. Namely, the hypocrite is the person who applies to others standards that he refuses to apply to himself. So if you are not a hypocrite you assume that if something is right for us then it's right for them and if it is wrong when they do it, it is wrong when we do it. That is really elementary and I assume that the President would agree and all of his admirers as well.

I believe that what Mr. Chomsky is saying is that George W. Bush is as much a terrorist as Osama bin Laden, and I think that I agree with him. What is a terrorist? What is terrorism? Here is Noam Chomsky again:

Well, to begin with, what is terrorism? Got to say something about that. That is supposed to be a really tough question. Academic seminars and graduate philosophy programs and so on -- a very vexing and complex question. However, in accordance with the guidelines that I mentioned, I think there is a simple answer, namely, we just take the official U.S. definition of terrorism. Since we are accepting the pronouncements of our leaders literally, let's take their definition. In fact, that is what I have always done. I have been writing about terrorism for the last twenty years or so, just accepting the official definition. So, for example, a simple and important case is in the U.S. army manual in 1984 which defines terrorism as the calculated use of violence or the threat of violence to attain goals that are political, religious or ideological in nature.

Isn’t this what George W. Bush has done to the Iraqi and Afghani people?

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What Happens When Bribery Stops Working?

In this case, at least, the bribers stop bribing.

The National Association of Home Builders, one of the top 10 corporate donors to politicians, has stopped contributing to congressional candidates after it failed to get what it wanted in recent anti-recession legislation.

It’s all the Land of Make-Believe on K Street:

Election experts said the lobby's move illustrated how closely interest groups tie their donations to the decisions they hope lawmakers will take on their behalf -- a connection that usually goes unspoken.

Let’s all just keep pretending that it’s all legal, nobody is breaking any laws and that our politicians aren’t bought and paid for:

Ethics lawyers routinely warn interest groups to avoid saying or implying that the money they provide to candidates compensates them for taking a position on a particular piece of legislation. Such quid pro quos could be considered illegal gratuities or bribes.

But lawmakers do not like to be reminded in public that lobbyists offer them money in hopes of receiving favorable treatment.

It would be a good thing if this withdrawal of bribery by the Homebuilders does draw attention to this situation:

"Lobbies like to pretend that congressional action and their donations aren't tied, " said Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "But the home builders just confirmed that they are."

The home builders' announcement also explodes the oft-repeated assertion by politicians that lobbyists deal with them only at arm's length. "How many members of Congress have you heard say, 'People donate to me, but it has no effect at all'?" Sloan said. "What the home builders have done is expose the underbelly of the connection between money and politics."

Will this end all the bribery that is undermining our democracy? I’m not holding my breath.

Karl Rove And Stink, Part Three

Yesterday I posted about Karl Rove and what he had to say about the economy. I’m going to revisit what he said on Fox News once again today. By way of ThinkProgress.org this is what Mr. Rove said:

Last night on Fox News, former Bush aide Karl Rove claimed that the economy is partly responsible for his former boss’s record low approval ratings. But according to Rove, the media — not Bush’s disastrous policies — are to blame:

O’REILLY: The negativity toward President Bush is Iraq driven?

ROVE: I think it’s principally. I think the economy — the media has been beating the drum for years and years and years that the economy stinks. And after a while, that begins to color people’s attitudes.

Today while reading the news I found out that Ben Bernanke is saying that the economic outlook is worse.

Yo Karl, Ben Bernanke works for the U.S. government, not the news media! His drum beating might be coloring people’s attitudes too.

Don't Vote For John McCain

Straight Talk = Lies.

John “The Tri-Bomber” McCain displays all of the worst qualities of politicians. He will say and do anything to get elected. He claims to be against torture, but his actions don’t line up with his rhetoric.

It's a mighty fine line to walk. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) opposes torture. But when the Senate held a vote yesterday that would effectively prevent the CIA from employing torture by restricting interrogation techniques to those under the Army Field Manual, he voted against it.

That’s from Paul Kiel over at TPM Muckraker. Read the entire article by Mr. Kiel over at TPM Muckraker.

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Karl Rove And Stink, Part Two

Sheryl Crow recounts her encounter with Karl Rove:

I’m shaking even talking about it again. I feel like I got his stink on me.

Karl must really know how to impress the ladies.

Karl Rove And Stink, Part One

So Karl Rove thinks that we wouldn’t notice on our own how bad the economy is. We wouldn’t see the foreclosure signs all over our neighborhood, or the price of gas at the pump, or how tough it is to get a mortgage at the bank, or that our stocks, mutual funds, and 401k’s are down, or what our credit card statement says, etc, etc, etc…

Last night on Fox News, former Bush aide Karl Rove claimed that the economy is partly responsible for his former boss’s record low approval ratings. But according to Rove, the media — not Bush’s disastrous policies — are to blame:

O’REILLY: The negativity toward President Bush is Iraq driven?

ROVE: I think it’s principally. I think the economy — the media has been beating the drum for years and years and years that the economy stinks. And after a while, that begins to color people’s attitudes.

It’s only because the media tells us, because Karl thinks we’re too stupid to notice on our own. Hey Karl! You’ve hung out with that idiot president of ours for too long. Not all of the American people are as stupid as he is.

Also, I’m going on the record here and saying DON’T VOTE FOR JOHN MCCAIN unless you like getting screwed:

Yet the right wing continues to downplay the faltering economy. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) recently blamed it all on the American people, saying that it’s just “psychological.”

Bush Just Keeps Catapulting The Propaganda

Lots of cuss words come to mind upon reading the New York Sun headline that says: “Senate Okays Telecom Immunity in Secret Surveillance”. How can George W. Bush say this with a straight face:

"This good bill passed by the Senate provides a long-term foundation for our intelligence community to monitor the communications of foreign terrorists in ways that are timely and effective and that also protect the liberties of Americans," Mr. Bush said.

Oh, I forgot, he probably said it with that asinine smirk of his. Only Bush can call a bad bill a “good bill” and only Bush can describe a bill that strips away more of our civil liberties as one that “protects the liberties of Americans”.

How Stupid Are Republicans?

Stupid enough to vote for George W. Bush twice. Yes, that’s the obvious answer. However, let me ask you this: Did Ronald Reagan ever raise taxes during his presidency? If you answered “no”, you are wrong. If you answered “a little bit”, you are wrong. If you answered “yes, in fact, he is responsible for the biggest peacetime tax increase in American history, you are absolutely correct! Did Reagan raise taxes more than once? Again if you answered “yes”, you get a gold star. Take a look at this excerpt from The Wages of War by Steve H. Hanke published in Forbes on December 8, 2003:

Just look at what happened to President Reagan's supply-side tax cut of 1981. Less than a year later the Gipper put his pen to another tax law that raised taxes by almost 1% of GDP, making it the biggest peacetime tax increase in American history. And that was not all. In every subsequent year of Reagan's presidency, with the exception of 1988, Congress passed and Reagan signed tax increases.

I know what you’re saying: “Hey Paul, I can’t believe something published in that leftist Forbes magazine!” Well, let’s take it even further to the left with the New York Times and Paul Krugman:

But Ronald Reagan does hold a special place in the annals of tax policy, and not just as the patron saint of tax cuts. To his credit, he was more pragmatic and responsible than that; he followed his huge 1981 tax cut with two large tax increases. In fact, no peacetime president has raised taxes so much on so many people.

I know, I know, we can’t believe everything we read. Especially in lefty, communist magazines and newspapers. How about what we read in studies done by lefty, communist governments, like ours. Here is FactCheck.org referring to a study done by the U.S. Department of the Treasury:

In the period since 1968, the study said, "the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 was the biggest increase." That was the tax increase signed by Ronald Reagan, rescinding some of the effects of his huge tax cut passed the year before.

What about George H. W. Bush? “Read my lips, no new taxes”. Nope, he raised taxes too. George W. Bush? As far as I know he has not raised taxes, he’s just dug us into a huge financial hole that no one seems to be happy with, and left it for some other president to raise taxes to dig us out of.

Why does the myth persist that Republicans will lower taxes? They are very good at lying about it and telling us they won’t raise taxes. They aren’t so good at putting it into practice. Could it possibly be that we need taxes? To, you know, PAY FOR STUFF!

How stupid are Republicans? Very stupid, if they keep falling for the tired campaign slogan of “no new taxes”, or “tax cuts”, over and over again. Let’s put an end to this nonsense and cast our votes based on something other than the issue of lowering taxes.

Missouri State University And The One True God

I wonder who is sending the hate mail? Didn’t Jesus say something about loving your enemies?

I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus

Actually it is just all of our so-called “leaders” who are the Bozos and they are sending the bus toward the tallest cliff at full speed.

Here is Colin Powell speaking to Wolf Blitzer on CNN:

Frankly, we've lost a lot in recent years. I am going to be looking for the candidate that seems to me to be leading a party that is fully in sync with the candidate, and a party that will also reflect America's goodness and America's vision.

Obviously, Colin Powell has never heard of “First do no harm”. How could he possibly have aligned himself with Bush and Cheney if he believes in “America’s goodness and America’s vision”.

And what does this say about Colin Powell:

And I will be looking for the candidate that I think will be the most competent candidate. The one who can deal with problems and bring the government together with the Congress to solve these problems. And so I know them all. I am a Republican, but I am keeping my options open at the moment.

Is he talking about the government of Mars here? The last time I checked the Congress was part of our government. This man scares me. Why didn’t he look for the most competent candidate the last time around? Yet another incompetent buffoon from the Bush administration and the Republican Right-wing who, like Tom Delay, STILL manages to get on television to be asked for his words of “wisdom”.

When will we ever learn?

Catapult That Propaganda

Actually it’s more like they’re using cannons:

For the first time in human history, there is a concerted strategy to manipulate global perception. And the mass media are operating as its compliant assistants, failing both to resist it and to expose it.

The sheer ease with which this machinery has been able to do its work reflects a creeping structural weakness which now afflicts the production of our news.

Perhaps there really is a vast right-wing conspiracy, or at least a conspiracy of the powerful:

So, who exactly is producing fiction for the media? Who wrote the Zarqawi letters? Who created the fantasy story about Osama bin Laden using a network of subterranean bases in Afghanistan, complete with offices, dormitories, arms depots, electricity and ventilation systems? Who fed the media with tales of the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, suffering brain seizures and sitting in stationery cars turning the wheel and making a noise like an engine? Who came up with the idea that Iranian ayatollahs have been encouraging sex with animals and girls of only nine?

Some of this comes from freelance political agitators. It was an Iranian opposition group, for example, which was behind the story that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was jailing people for texting each other jokes about him. And notoriously it was Iraqi exiles who supplied the global media with a dirty stream of disinformation about Saddam Hussein.

But clearly a great deal of this carries the fingerprints of officialdom. The Pentagon has now designated "information operations" as its fifth "core competency" alongside land, sea, air and special forces. Since October 2006, every brigade, division and corps in the US military has had its own "psyop" element producing output for local media. This military activity is linked to the State Department's campaign of "public diplomacy" which includes funding radio stations and news websites. In Britain, the Directorate of Targeting and Information Operations in the Ministry of Defence works with specialists from 15 UK psyops, based at the Defence Intelligence and Security School at Chicksands in Bedfordshire.

Musician Of Note-Chris Smither

I recently caught a program on PBS called The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. Out of all the great performers on the show the one that I enjoyed the most was Chris Smither. Definitely a talent deserving of wider recognition. He performed the title cut from his album called Leave the Light On. Great guitar playing, great singing, great lyrics, great melody and great miked feet. Lo and behold there is a clip of it on YouTube.com. Sorry that I couldn’t just embed the video here on my site.

I can embed this one though. From the same album here is Origin Of Species:

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The Law As Quickstep Will Doom Us All

Equality. Isn’t that what America is all about? The rule of law should be the same for all of us. It’s not, and it never has been. But, it is getting worse and worse under the Bush administration. Thanks to Dahlia Lithwick for writing such an excellent article over at Slate called Anybody's Guess.

It's been a banner week for water-boarding. This centuries-old practice of simulated drowning to extract false confessions and false testimony has really benefited of late from a good old legal reassessment and a smoking-hot PR campaign. In the course of a few short years, water-boarding has morphed from torture that unquestionably violates both federal and international law to an indispensable tool in the fight against terror.

We as Americans are doomed if this continues. The threat is not from terrorists, but from our own government. Laws don’t mean anything anymore to the rich and powerful. If you want to you can go ahead and break the law. Then just follow these easy steps:

First, the administration breaks the law in secret. Then it denies breaking the law. Then it admits to the conduct but asserts that settled law is not in fact settled anymore because some lawyer was willing to unsettle it. Then the administration insists that the basis for unsettling the law is secret but that there are now two equally valid sides to the question. And then the administration gets Congress to rewrite the old law by insisting it prevents the president from thwarting terror attacks and warning that terrorists will strike tomorrow unless Congress ratifies the new law. Then it immunizes the law breakers from prosecution.

We are doomed if this attack on the rule of law continues unchecked in the future. Congress bears as much responsibility for this as the Executive branch.

This is not MY America:

Enter the new attorney general, Michael Mukasey, with the promise that he would neither investigate nor prosecute the people who tortured, since they relied on (secret) Justice Department authorization to do so. The second was to establish clearly and unequivocally that the question of whether water-boarding was illegal in 1968, legal in 2002, illegal again in 2006, and perhaps legal again tomorrow will be determined by the president and nobody else. In secret.

No one should be above the law, and that includes the FBI, CIA, and the Executive branch of the government.

We are little scaredy-cats, we are blind and we are doomed:

This is not simply the theory of a unitary executive at work; this isn't the notion that the president makes the law, and acts of Congress are legal elevator music. This vision of executive power is that the law not only emanates from the president but also ebbs and flows with his hunches, hopes, and speculations, on a moment-to-moment basis. What we are hearing now from senior Bush administration officials is that if the president thinks someone looks kinda like a terrorist and the information sought from him seems kinda worth getting, it will be legal to torture him. And it's legal no matter who justified it, regardless of the supporting legal doctrine, because, well, the president just had a feeling that the information would prove valuable.

The first step we should take is to stop calling the situation in Iraq a war. The phrase “The War on Terror” should be abolished. The situation in Iraq is an occupation by U.S. armed forces. If Bush is no longer a “wartime president” he will lose some of his power. We need for that to happen.

I'm sure there's some law professor out there who can make the legal argument that executive power in wartime encompasses even the reckless guesses and impressionistic whims of a single man, as they arise. At which point, that too will become an "open question" on which "reasonable people will differ." And the dance will begin again.

We are doomed as long as this dance continues. Somebody stop the music.

More Republican Strong-arm Tactics

Some of us don’t want endless war. Some of us try to put a stop to endless war:

One giant sign said, "No Military Predators in Our Town." Another message on a pink placard read, "Join the Marines. Travel to Exotic Lands. Meet Exciting and Unusual People -- And Kill Them."

However, the Republicans will not stand for it. How dare anyone support peace during fake wartime:

Republican lawmakers in Washington fired back this week, threatening to take back more than $2 million of federal funding to the city as well as money designated for the University of California-Berkeley, the campus that became a haven of protests during the Vietnam War.

In Washington, a group of Republican lawmakers have introduced the Semper Fi Act of 2008 -- named after the Marine motto -- to rescind more than $2 million of funds for Berkeley and transfer it to the Marine Corps.

"Like most Americans, I really get disturbed when taxpayer money goes to institutions which proceed to take votes, make policy or make statements that really denigrate the military," said Sen. David Vitter, R-Louisiana, a co-sponsor of the bill.

The bill's co-sponsor, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina, said in a written statement, "Berkeley needs to learn that their actions have consequences."

Bogus "Real-Life"

However, the torture is real:

The scenario was like a real-life episode of "24," the official said. Ultimately, the nuclear threat proved bogus.

Let's Waterboard Tony Fratto, Too!

After all, it’s not really torture, we don’t do no stinking torture. Waterboarding is A-OK:

Fratto also apparently used the administration's it's not torture because "we do not torture" line. And "torture is illegal" and this was deemed legal therefore it's not torture.