Saturday, January 13, 2007

A brief, thoughtful essay

about income inequality. Not a tirade, a reflection.

Crybaby

If you're so broken up about it, send the twins.

Come to think of it, I wonder what lever this fellow moved to create the tearing effect? View the terrific video.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Apology?

This is the single line from Bush's speech last night that could be called an apology:

"Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me."

And this is what the MSM is touting as an apology? Imagine trying to get away with that weak statement to the victim after causing a drunk-driving accident, which is, to be charitable to Bush, analagous to what he has wrought in Iraq. The judge would enhance the sentence due to lack of contrition, as should we.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Now, really!

A US Air Force gunship--that's a big mutha transport plane bristling with weapons--has apparently attacked and killed some folks in the nation of Somalia, the rationale for the attack being that among them was a member of al-Qaida. Now, I'm no expert in constitutional law, nor in international law--although I've studied both extensively--but I don't recall learning that our armed forces are permitted to roam the planet, including within the borders of other nations, to kill anyone who's thought to oppose our national interest, even if they're suspected of being militarily opposed.

There's no mention of such authority in this article, except for this sentence near the end of the piece:

"The Bush administration has long claimed the right to launch discrete military attacks in other countries when terrorist targets have been identified."

Has it come to this: that if Bush "claims the right" it's his? Is there any counter-assessment of such a right? Am I missing something?

What do you think?

Is Bush's "surge and splurge" (that's my phrase, BTW, to cover the troop increase in Iraq, coupled with a massive aid campaign to repair the damage the troops cause--which I understand is what Bush will announce in tonight's speech) but a feint to disguise his real purpose: to fight Iran after Iran attacks Israel as well as the US Navy buildup in the Persian Gulf in response to Israel's imminent strike on Iran's nuclear plants? This writer thinks so, and his case is strong.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

I admit it, I'm a hypocrite

I oppose the "surge" for all the right reasons: it is illegal and immoral and illegal; it will cause more deaths of humans (US and others'), more wasted US treasure, more antagonism to the US around the world, all with no possibility of "victory" (whatever that means).

But at the same time, I deep-down want Bush to go forward with the escalation over the objections of me and my ilk, because we will then be given the opportunity to call it the Bush/Cheney/McCain doctrine; and when it fails miserably over the next few months, there will be no viable opposition to a landslide election of progressive Democrats to positions of power in Congress and the White House.

It seems like I'm suggesting the use of our youngsters in the armed service as pawns in a greater political spectrum; and my answer is, You Bet I Am. Just like everybody else is, including, most notably, Bush/Cheney/McCain.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Unfair and imbalanced

Faux News has apparently given up on even the semblance of sanity.

If you've got the time

check out this site (I've mentioned it before) for in-depth reporting of what's going on in Iraq. The postings for today (1/7) are exhaustive and range from the mundane listings of killings and such around the country (not just Baghdad); to amazing revelations about our soldiers' conduct (videotaping their executions of innocent Iraqis and then posting the videos on their websites, including, the report says, the video of one US soldier pissing on a dead Iraqi); to the disclosure that a recently-enacted federal law requires that civilian contractors in Iraq (and elsewhere) who're involved in military settings are no longer immune from prosecution for crimes, but are to be subject to US military law; to the report (about which I blogged earlier) that the puppet-masters in Iraq are about to close a deal that will allow their major oil companies to have access to Iraq's oil resources on an inordinately favorable basis.

The site (just for this one day) has extensive additional articles, so you've got to be an Iraq-war junkie like me to keep on scrolling. Otherwise your head will explode.

Makes you wonder...

The daily poll of Americans' approval of Bush's presidency that's conducted by Rasmussen showed a distinct mini-bounce in Bush's favor (from the high 30's to the mid-40's) just after January 1. (The figure has now declined to 40%.) Rasmussen, as well as the coincidence, suggested this bounce was due to the execution of Saddam Hussein.

Is it possible Americans (even a small percentage of them) think like that? Don't you wish Sweden or Canada had a better climate (and would accept American refugees?)