"It is against Stupidity in every shape and form that we have to wage our eternal battle. But how can we wonder at the want of sense on the part of those who have had no advantages, when we see such plentiful absence of that commodity on the part of those who have had all the advantages?" --William Booth (1829–1912; a British evangelist and founder of the Salvation Army.)
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Saturday, January 06, 2007
Thursday, December 14, 2006
No Rational Iraq Policy to be Proposed by Bush
The White House on Thursday defended President George W. Bush's rare use of a body count to describe Iraqi insurgent deaths as a way to show Americans that U.S. troops are fighting hard in Iraq.
Bush said on Wednesday on a visit to the Pentagon that U.S. and Iraqi forces had killed or captured 5,900 of the enemy during the months of October, November and early December. It was a rare use of a body count by the president and came after public opinion polls said many Americans are concerned about rising U.S. casualties and believe the United States is losing the war in Iraq.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said one reason Bush gave the body count number was to offset concern about U.S. casualties and deaths that included 103 in October alone.
(Presidents have shied away from giving body count numbers ever since the practice was discredited during the Vietnam war. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military publicized Vietnam body counts as a way to show progress, but it led to inflated numbers which damaged the Pentagon's credibility. Bush has not learned this lesson and seems intent on making it his part of his 'new' policy.)
But Bush is eager to show signs of progress at a time when Americans have become disenchanted with the Iraq war, and wants to demonstrate that his policy has not been stalled by his plans to change Iraq strategy early next year.
Bush is considering options ranging from a short-term increase in U.S. troop strength in Iraq to changing the mission there from fighting insurgents to supporting Iraqi forces.
----------------------------------------------
The Washington Post reported that the Joint Chiefs of Staff do not favor adding significant numbers of troops to Iraq. It is an option pushed by Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain. They instead want to strengthen the Iraqi army, somehow???
Their position is more in line with a recommendation from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group that proposed adding more U.S. trainers to Iraqi units and put the United States in position of withdrawing most combat troops from Iraq by early 2008. This is the position that the confused White House has badmouthed repeatedly over the last week- through 'strategic' leaks, of course.
Bush has refused to set a timetable for having U.S. troops out of Iraq, and it looks like he will continue to do so. Nixon redux!
A senior White House official said that while Bush knows the general strategic outlines of his policy, there are a lot of decisions with "significant strategic ramifications" yet to be made. Bush this week delayed announcing his new strategy from next week to early January. Obviously, the administration doesn't not have a clue- again!
(heavily edited from Reuters of Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006)
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Bush said on Wednesday on a visit to the Pentagon that U.S. and Iraqi forces had killed or captured 5,900 of the enemy during the months of October, November and early December. It was a rare use of a body count by the president and came after public opinion polls said many Americans are concerned about rising U.S. casualties and believe the United States is losing the war in Iraq.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said one reason Bush gave the body count number was to offset concern about U.S. casualties and deaths that included 103 in October alone.
(Presidents have shied away from giving body count numbers ever since the practice was discredited during the Vietnam war. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military publicized Vietnam body counts as a way to show progress, but it led to inflated numbers which damaged the Pentagon's credibility. Bush has not learned this lesson and seems intent on making it his part of his 'new' policy.)
But Bush is eager to show signs of progress at a time when Americans have become disenchanted with the Iraq war, and wants to demonstrate that his policy has not been stalled by his plans to change Iraq strategy early next year.
Bush is considering options ranging from a short-term increase in U.S. troop strength in Iraq to changing the mission there from fighting insurgents to supporting Iraqi forces.
----------------------------------------------
The Washington Post reported that the Joint Chiefs of Staff do not favor adding significant numbers of troops to Iraq. It is an option pushed by Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain. They instead want to strengthen the Iraqi army, somehow???
Their position is more in line with a recommendation from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group that proposed adding more U.S. trainers to Iraqi units and put the United States in position of withdrawing most combat troops from Iraq by early 2008. This is the position that the confused White House has badmouthed repeatedly over the last week- through 'strategic' leaks, of course.
Bush has refused to set a timetable for having U.S. troops out of Iraq, and it looks like he will continue to do so. Nixon redux!
A senior White House official said that while Bush knows the general strategic outlines of his policy, there are a lot of decisions with "significant strategic ramifications" yet to be made. Bush this week delayed announcing his new strategy from next week to early January. Obviously, the administration doesn't not have a clue- again!
(heavily edited from Reuters of Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006)
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Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Another Great Quote
"America owes most of its social prejudices to the exaggerated religious opinions of the different sects which were so instrumental in establishing the colonies."--- James Fenimore Cooper
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Sunday, November 12, 2006
A Quote for Thought
"Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind."--- John F. Kennedy
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Friday, November 10, 2006
New L I B E R A L Media. . .
Check it out on the Sidebar Now!
-A post election, hilarious new animation by Mark Fiore entitled:
Midterm Comedy
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-A post election, hilarious new animation by Mark Fiore entitled:
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Thursday, November 09, 2006
An Open Letter to Rep. John Mica (r-Florida):
Mr. Mica,
What a Failure You Are!
You serve on the House Committee on Transportation and Infranstructure as the Aviation Subcommittee Chairman-
You have done nothing to improve in reality airline baggage screening and explosive detection systems, other than to make Americans more afraid. You are largely responsible for Americans being less safe from terrorists today than since 9/11.
You serve on the House Subcommittee on Highways, Transit and Pipelines-
While you have supported giving away billions to republican porkbarrel projects in this area, you have supported nothing meaningful to secure our highways and pipelines from terrorist attacks.
You serve on the House Subcommittee on Railroads-
You have done nothing to meaningfully secure our commercial railroad and passenger services other than to gut funding to that end.
You serve on the House Committee on Govt Reform-
This is one of your grievest failures, since you have done nothing to help prevent the corruption and perversion of your fellow republican members.
You serve on the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources-
You have done nothing to support meaningful reform or prevent a single crime. Particularly, the crime rate in Florida continues to soar.
You serve on the Subcommitte on Civil Service and Agency Organization-
You have done nothing other than to help create a monstrously ineffective new government secretariat, while you gutted the rights of the workers who serve in it.
Is there any need to go on. . .
You are a disgrace to my country and the great body in which you serve. What are the people of your district thinking by reelecting someone with your record? I am afraid they do not now what it is you have NOT done for them!
Disgusted,
A Palm Coast, FL Resident
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(This post, perhaps of untypically local interest, is also printed at OpEdNews.com- click on the title link.)
What a Failure You Are!
You serve on the House Committee on Transportation and Infranstructure as the Aviation Subcommittee Chairman-
You have done nothing to improve in reality airline baggage screening and explosive detection systems, other than to make Americans more afraid. You are largely responsible for Americans being less safe from terrorists today than since 9/11.
You serve on the House Subcommittee on Highways, Transit and Pipelines-
While you have supported giving away billions to republican porkbarrel projects in this area, you have supported nothing meaningful to secure our highways and pipelines from terrorist attacks.
You serve on the House Subcommittee on Railroads-
You have done nothing to meaningfully secure our commercial railroad and passenger services other than to gut funding to that end.
You serve on the House Committee on Govt Reform-
This is one of your grievest failures, since you have done nothing to help prevent the corruption and perversion of your fellow republican members.
You serve on the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources-
You have done nothing to support meaningful reform or prevent a single crime. Particularly, the crime rate in Florida continues to soar.
You serve on the Subcommitte on Civil Service and Agency Organization-
You have done nothing other than to help create a monstrously ineffective new government secretariat, while you gutted the rights of the workers who serve in it.
Is there any need to go on. . .
You are a disgrace to my country and the great body in which you serve. What are the people of your district thinking by reelecting someone with your record? I am afraid they do not now what it is you have NOT done for them!
Disgusted,
A Palm Coast, FL Resident
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(This post, perhaps of untypically local interest, is also printed at OpEdNews.com- click on the title link.)
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Blue Day in America
Well, not a moment too soon. . .
After six years of marching towards mirages while lost in the desert wilderness of delusional Bush administration policies, the American people have finally seen the reality of a new promised land. Bush, his neo-con warmongering advisors and corporate mentors may have been at least on the surface, relegated to the sand dunes of history- it seems.
It was a long, glorious night of counting votes and rearranging the political map of the U.S (see http://www.electoral-vote.com). Let's hope that it means real change. Yet, it may be too late for any substantive progress in ending the bloodshed and chaos in Iraq, or the incompetent management of government and the economy at home- at least until all vestiges of the Bush administration are gone from the scene.
We shall see. Best of luck to the new Democratic majority in the houses of Congress!
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After six years of marching towards mirages while lost in the desert wilderness of delusional Bush administration policies, the American people have finally seen the reality of a new promised land. Bush, his neo-con warmongering advisors and corporate mentors may have been at least on the surface, relegated to the sand dunes of history- it seems.
It was a long, glorious night of counting votes and rearranging the political map of the U.S (see http://www.electoral-vote.com). Let's hope that it means real change. Yet, it may be too late for any substantive progress in ending the bloodshed and chaos in Iraq, or the incompetent management of government and the economy at home- at least until all vestiges of the Bush administration are gone from the scene.
We shall see. Best of luck to the new Democratic majority in the houses of Congress!
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Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Repugs Losing Senate Contests
Most of us know, Democrats must gain six seats to capture control of the Senate this Nov. 7. . .
Now it seems, recapturing the Senate will probably be the more difficult challenge for the repugs. So, reports are now coming in that the RSCC (Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee) and the RNC (Republican National Committee) are revving up their slimeball, negative ad machine, prepared to back it up with tons of money in the final days of the campaign.
These ads will be produced overwhelmingly for the flailing Sen. George Allen in a re-election race that is far tougher than expected, for foot-in-mouth disease ridden Sen. Conrad Burns in Montana and trailing badly Sen. Lincoln Chafee in in Rhode Island. It appears the other closely contested senatorial races aren't even worthy of support anymore, because they are no longer winnable- lol. How things change.
These formerly 'safe' seats are a good indication of the likely outcome of the political races across the country in favor of the Democrats next week.
On to Victory!!!
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Now it seems, recapturing the Senate will probably be the more difficult challenge for the repugs. So, reports are now coming in that the RSCC (Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee) and the RNC (Republican National Committee) are revving up their slimeball, negative ad machine, prepared to back it up with tons of money in the final days of the campaign.
These ads will be produced overwhelmingly for the flailing Sen. George Allen in a re-election race that is far tougher than expected, for foot-in-mouth disease ridden Sen. Conrad Burns in Montana and trailing badly Sen. Lincoln Chafee in in Rhode Island. It appears the other closely contested senatorial races aren't even worthy of support anymore, because they are no longer winnable- lol. How things change.
These formerly 'safe' seats are a good indication of the likely outcome of the political races across the country in favor of the Democrats next week.
On to Victory!!!
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New Entry at Huffpo. . .
. . .everyone please check out the flash animated entry by PLANET REVOLUTION at Huffington Post's Contagious Festival for November. Just click on the link below:
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Thursday, October 26, 2006
Iraq Reality for American Soldiers
This is the reality for American soldiers day after day in exotic Iraq:
-It is a place most of them have not seen, nor like any other desert, including those in the American Southwest and Mexico of which some of them may be cursorily familiar.
-It is the place of a language most of them do not speak, nor have before heard. For fear, it is not like anything one may hear even in Detroit these days.
-It is the place of a social order most of them do not understand. The politics of revenge there is not what even those from the meanest streets of our biggest cities know.
American Soldiers on a Mission from Hell in Iraq
The Muslim fanatics there have already won this 'war', just as surely as the Christian fanatics here have lost it. Hopefully, it won't take more than a century for these deluded adherents to figure this out, as was true in the Middle Ages.
So why are we there? It is because of the arrogance of greedy, warmongering American psuedo-intellectual advocates of hegemony, and the hubris and stupidity of those who have enthusiatically waged this faraway war for them. Sadly, those too have been persuaded to insidiously and calculatingly wage war as well on their own people's 'notion of democracy'. . .
(Click on the Title Link to see a reprint of this post as an article at OpEdNews.com. An edited version of this article with a specific Halloween twist can be found in my diary at OpEdNews.com at this url: http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=2097&submit=Back . Thanks!)
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-It is a place most of them have not seen, nor like any other desert, including those in the American Southwest and Mexico of which some of them may be cursorily familiar.
-It is the place of a language most of them do not speak, nor have before heard. For fear, it is not like anything one may hear even in Detroit these days.
-It is the place of a social order most of them do not understand. The politics of revenge there is not what even those from the meanest streets of our biggest cities know.
The Muslim fanatics there have already won this 'war', just as surely as the Christian fanatics here have lost it. Hopefully, it won't take more than a century for these deluded adherents to figure this out, as was true in the Middle Ages.
**********
So, be damned the attempt to impose some 'notion of democracy' on the Iraqis', and they are not even sure that's who they are. They work against America at every turn. They hate us. They kill our soldiers because our soldiers kill them. They just plain don't want us there!So why are we there? It is because of the arrogance of greedy, warmongering American psuedo-intellectual advocates of hegemony, and the hubris and stupidity of those who have enthusiatically waged this faraway war for them. Sadly, those too have been persuaded to insidiously and calculatingly wage war as well on their own people's 'notion of democracy'. . .
(Click on the Title Link to see a reprint of this post as an article at OpEdNews.com. An edited version of this article with a specific Halloween twist can be found in my diary at OpEdNews.com at this url: http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=2097&submit=Back . Thanks!)
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See Article at OpEdNews.com
Click on the title link to read an article by this author at OpEdNews.com!
-It is a summary of the latest data on poverty in America by the Census Bureau (and also an edited reprint of a past post at PLANET REVOLUTION).blog on
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