...from a fan of Democracy

A Blind Eye to Irony

2008-08-16T13:08:00.010-05:00

Can it be possible Bush doesn't see any irony in his statements to Russia about Georgia?

With its actions in recent days, Russia has damaged its credibility and its relations with the nations of the free world... Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century.

Putting aside for the moment that the people of Georgia have the same right to self-determination as any people, including the Iraqis, how can our Mis-Leader's throat grunt forth words so antithetical to his actions? HE is the one who set HIS country on an aggressive foreign policy, for dubious reasons. HIS foreign policy has killed far more people than Russia's action and probably wrecked more cities than even exist in Georgia. HE is the one who savaged this country's reputation, and HE is the one who made stomping on another country's sovereignty an acceptable foreign policy course for Russia. And don't suppose for a moment that other countries, China in particular, haven't also taken notice.

He is, as my sainted mother would say, a pure-dee hypocrite.

Fortunately for those of us with enough snap to be thoroughly disgusted by the Bush administration, he left us with this quote, in which I invite you to substitute the word "America" for "Russia"...

Only Russia can now decide whether it will now put itself back on the path of responsible nations or continue to pursue a policy that promises only confrontation.

And in America, unlike Russia, it is the People who make that decision.

Second tier...

Russia’s aggression towards Georgia is also noteworthy for what preceded it. It is now known that prior to its military attack, Russia launched what was probably the world’s first cyber-attack in advance of military action. (here) Let us hope administration officials took more notice of this than they did warnings of attacks on 9/11.

Care to rephrase?

2008-04-12T10:02:00.002-05:00

Buried on page A7, and available here, the Houston Chronicle reported today that President Bush has admitted he knew of meetings approving torture and that he himself approved those methods.

There are a couple of concerns here.

First, Shrub might want to rephrase or (at least) recall his statements that America does not torture.

Second, this is why it is important to read the papers on Saturday and Sunday. Government has long used the tactic of releasing sensitive news on Friday, knowing that most people pay little attention to the news on the weekend.

Sunrise Regulator...

2008-04-09T17:49:00.010-05:00

These are from a recent PS contest on Fark. The original was the Yamaha drum machine. I thought of the ad first, then thought it would be cool to show The Sunrise Regulator at work. I first thought of putting it in a "Heavenly Office" with a sign saying, "Attention visitors! Please do not fuck with the Sunrise Machine. Thank you! God", but I never got around to putting it all together. I came across the picture of Coco the gorilla for another contest and kept it because I like the amused look on her face. I'm still playing around with the second image... Email me if you want a larger file.

War on the installment plan...

2008-04-09T17:02:00.003-05:00

At the risk of becoming a (liberal) dittohead, here's a link to MoveOn's latest video. This one highlights how we've been told success in Iraq is nigh on top of us, sometime in the next six months... and if not then, the next six months... and if not then, well, soon... maybe after the next evaluation in six months...

Bottom line... Bush will be successful in keeping the Iraq war going as long as he is president. Just when I thought he was incapable of telling the truth...

America has a problem. It's current incarnation is called George Bush.

Delusions of Grandeur...

2008-03-25T12:42:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, President Bush declared “One day people will look back at this moment in history and say ‘Thank God there were courageous people willing to serve, because they laid the foundations for peace for generations to come.’”

While it is certainly true that our soldiers have acted courageously, even against all reason, given the condition of the Middle East for the last 4000 years, it is insanely optimistic to declare that any sort of foundation for generations of peace has been laid.

But unrealistic expectations are what we’ve come to expect from this worst of all possible presidents. The only foundation he has laid has been a foundation of wealth for, as he put it while running for his first term, the “haves and the have-mores.”

While it is true that deaths have declined during his much-vaunted “surge”, it is also true that a lot of the reduction can be attributed to the seven month old cease-fire declared by Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi army. This cease-fire, by the way, is in trouble and may not last much longer.

Fortunately for Bush, he has a fall-back position... after all, by his (and McCain’s) double-sided reasoning it makes no sense to leave Iraq when things are bad, and it makes no sense to leave Iraq when things are “good”.

So when he pops his October surprise, I guess we should sit by complacently and let him declare martial law and suspend the elections, because you know, it makes no sense to change when things are bad...

At the risk of beating a dead horse, again, here is the bottom line on the Bush presidency: America is weaker by military and economic standards, more hated in the world, and no more safe, than when he began his reign of error. The Constitution has been weakened, with the result that Americans are less free and more threatened by their government. The average price of gasoline has gone from around $1.73 to $3.09, and there is no credible push to make alternative energy sources economically viable. The middle class continues to shrink while the “have-mores” wallow in even more. Iraq is, in fact, worse off than under Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi army is nowhere near able to take charge of its own country. One reason given for the decline in Iraqi deaths is that so many millions have left their home country that there is “no one left to kill.” Bush’s actions have given power and legitimacy to Iran, made the Chinese look like good guys in South America, and have left the Middle East even less stable than it has historically been.

Yet, he has the audacity to claim “the foundations for peace for generations to come”.

01/20/01... Never Forget!

Hope for the future...

2008-03-21T15:24:00.003-05:00

CNN reports that "most Americans" are confident of a turnaround in 2009. This seems like a no-brainer to me, given that on 1/20/09, no matter what happens in the November elections,
EVERYBODY wins!

The Audacity of Hypocrisy...

2008-03-21T14:57:00.004-05:00

In a news conference last Thursday, Bush had this to say about the soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

I must say, I'm a little envious. If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed. It must be exciting for you ... in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks.

This from a guy who, along with most of the members of his cabinet, did everything he could do to stay out of Viet Nam. If he feels so strongly about it there is nothing to stop him from suggesting that one or both his daughters enlist in the service.

And of course, Cheney gets off no easier, famously saying he "had other priorities" during Viet Nam.

I hate to make this comparison, I really do. But isn't this just a bit like Osama Bin Laden urging his followers to commit suicide bombings while he hides out in a cave?

It's more and more obvious that Bush's true feelings about service people is a lot like a kid on Christmas morning with a new bag of plastic army men.

And here he had the audacity to flash a peace sign...

"Drug War" news...

2008-03-18T11:24:00.006-05:00

Montgomery County DA Michael McDougal has admitted using money from his drug forfeiture account to buy "tequila, rum and kegs" for an annual city and county employees barbecue. Also included in the purchase were beer taps and
a keg tub.

What do you suppose the chances were of drunk employees hitting the streets during or after said barbecue? Are we to assume McDougal's forfeiture account also paid for taxi rides?

This is yet another example of the hypocrisy of the "War on Drugs", now in its umpteenth year of failure. How can marijuana, for instance, be considered dangerous,
but it's perfectly hunky-dory to ply county and city employees with tequila and send them out on the roads?

I would love to hear Dean Becker's "Cultural Baggage" show on KPFT bring more
attention to this...

Recent Crappy Photoshop Submissions...

2008-03-18T11:04:00.001-05:00

All is well...

2008-03-18T10:15:00.006-05:00

President Bush assures us that we have nothing to worry about with the economy tanking, continuing his tap dance while America burns.

According to an article in today's Houston Chronicle, Bush said, "One thing is for certain: We're in challenging times," Bush told TV cameras just as stock trading opened Monday morning. "But another thing is for certain: that we've taken strong and decisive action."

That doesn't make me feel any better, considering he said similar things about his biggest failure, Iraq, and his second biggest failure, the Katrina mess.

It's getting harder to keep after this guy, knowing he'll be gone in "only" 307 days, but it is even more important to keep an eye on his antics now because he'll be desperate to get in a last few favors for his friends and to make last ditch efforts to burnish his legacy.

Incidentally, I don't think he has to worry about his "legacy", which, to this liberal, is as secure as the legacy of Nixon. He will be known as the worst, most corrupt, misled, misleading, lying president in American history, including Nixon!

How bad is it? So bad that he already has an escape plan... I've commented on his apparent plan to escape to Paraguay when things get too hot, but it bears repeating. This jerk should be watched even after he leaves office. Unfortunately, the threat to him will likely not come from an American court. More likely he will be forced to flee when it becomes apparent that he can't travel anywhere BUT America, and finally some President will be forced by international concerns to quietly advise Bush to get out of Dodge. This is one reason McCain can't be allowed to win the presidency.

I do plan to visit his presidential library when it opens, for two reasons. To spit somewhere appropriate, and to make sure there is a copy of "The Pet Goat" on the shelves. I urge all true Americans to do this. Can you imagine if there were dozens, or even hundreds of copies of the book on "his" shelves? It would certainly keep alive the debate over who is responsible for the situation in America. There will be no forgetting, as time crawls by, exactly who is responsible for the
state of America.

Crappy Fark Photoshop Submission

2008-03-04T14:15:00.005-06:00

W's Retirement Party

You can see a larger version of this crappy Photoshop I did at this link ... you'll be able to see his sad and lonely little face, and while you're there you can check out my other crappy photoshop work, a few of which poke fun at our inglorious misLeader. I'm particularly proud of this one...

And again...

2008-03-04T13:52:00.005-06:00

Once again showing its' disdain for democracy, the Bush administration, as reported by Guardian.co.uk, approved a secret plan to overthrow the duly
elected Hamas government in Gaza.

According to the article, the plan would have funneled arms and salaries to Fatah fighters who "would lead a rising against Hamas."

The Bushies wanted a democracy in the Middle East, but apparently they aren't so crazy about democracy as to actually allow it, if it conflicts with their own grubby interests.

Officials who signed off on this latest fiasco are Bush, Condoleeza Rice, and Elliott Abrams.

Three hundred twenty two days of this left. Will democracy survive?

Will AMERICA survive?

Endorsement...

2008-02-29T22:26:00.002-06:00

Barack Obama for the Democratic nominee for President. I decline to endorse a Republican.

Enough of this silliness...

2008-02-07T10:56:00.000-06:00

Friends of mine, who really should know better, have asserted that Barack Obama is (a) a Muslim and (2) "refuses" to say the Pledge of Allegiance. So on the Pledge question, here are the results of a Google video search. On the question of his being a Muslim, here is a link to his statement during a Democratic debate. And finally here is a Snopes.com assessment of the subjects.

Full disclosure: For many years, I have refused to sing the Star-Spangled Banner, simply because it is a war song and I believe America can do better. This only becomes an issue when I attend baseball games. To avoid sensitive feelings I generally wait till the anthem is sung before going to my seat. During the times I have been at my seat during the singing of the Anthem I have not noticed a whole lot of people singing it anyway. I do stand and remove my hat out of respect for my country.

More disclosure: As of this time I have not made a decision on which candidate I will support in the upcoming Texas primary or the November general election. I can promise you it will not be a Republican candidate. As to the Democrats I'm still waiting to hear from the Libertarian and Green parties.

And then there were four...

2008-01-31T12:26:00.000-06:00

To the surprise of few and the dismay of many, including your intrepid commenter, John Edwards has quit the race for the Democratic nomination for president. It is widely determined that the reason is that his concern for poverty just wasn't a deal-maker with the American people.

The big question, then, going forward is which way does a liberal populist swing his/her support?

If one believes in the power of inspiration, the direction is to Barack Obama. If the inclination is towards political experience and sheerpolitical assholery, the obvious choice is Hillary Clinton.

Both candidates will have to refine their positions to appeal to the 15% Edwards drew. For a decent analysis, read Ron Klain's blog here.

That being said, Edwards' voice of reason in the campaign will be missed. Rudy Giuliani, on the other hand won't be missed, save by those who looked to continue the Bush Doctrine of Fear.

Though the Democratic contest will (perhaps) be decided in next Tuesday's mass nominating frenzy, I will wait till the Texas contest is imminent to make an endorsement... though I have to say that if Texas was among the Super Tuesday states, I would have gone with Edwards.

Let them eat cake...

2008-01-31T12:16:00.001-06:00

In keeping with his State of the Union pledge to get the country to a budget surplus by 2012, Bush's 2009 budget will include cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.

The begged comment here is obvious... if not for his ill-advised and illegal war in Iraq, there would likely not be a budget deficit to begin with. Various sources put the cost of the Iraq war at as much as 1 TRILLION DOLLARS. Once again, how many better ways could the money
have been spent?

Fortunately, it is true that Congress is not likely to cut the popular programs in an election, but this is yet more proof of the President's anti-compassion. Compassionate conservatism, my ass.

What else do you need to know?

2008-01-30T16:16:00.000-06:00

George Bush and King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud

As if there were any doubt...

2008-01-28T22:41:00.000-06:00

Click for bigger...

What he should have said...

2008-01-28T22:32:00.000-06:00

Madam Speaker, Vice President, members of the Supreme Court, members of Congress, esteemed guests,

The State of our Union is dire. My administration has failed our people, ignored and defiled the Constitution, and condemned our troops to die in an ill-advised and illegal war. We have consistently placed the greedy desires of a privileged few above the needs of the suffering majority of Americans. We have pursued policies that have contributed to the ruination of our environment, ignoring the solutions that are right in front of us. We have alienated our allies and increased the number and ferocity of the enemies of the United States. We have sullied the concept of government by, of and for the people. As an example of my gross ineptitude I will point out that I did not even give my staunchest supporters one thing I promised to do for them.

This will not be a long speech, because this august Congress will need some sleep as they have many long days and nights of work ahead to repair the damage my administration has done to America and American ideals.

(hands folder to Speaker Pelosi)

In short, I stand before you as truly the Worst President Ever, worse even than Nixon or Fillmore, guilty of international war crimes, treason, high crimes and misdemeanors. I have just given Speaker Pelosi a folder containing handcuffs and leg irons to slap on me without delay, as well as a document detailing my transgressions, naming all my co-conspirators in both government and business, and I humbly await whatever punishment this esteemed body wishes to dole out to me and co-traitor Cheney.

I cannot ask forgiveness of the American people, but I hope to someday stand before God and beg His forgiveness.

In the meantime, may Almighty God bless America and I pray that my future cellmates have at least some mercy on my pooper.

Boiling in oil...

2008-01-02T18:24:00.000-06:00

According to the Times, oil briefly reached a high of $100 a barrel today. While it is true that $100 is "just" a number, it is also true that once it's crossed the price is unlikely to fall back to anything a consumer would reasonably want to deal with.

Energy is, and will get, more expensive.

And so far, no presidential candidate has taken a real aggressive approach to the problem. While they have all blustered to some extent, no one is really offering the hard facts, the inconvenient truths, if you will, that consumers are going to have to face.

There are a few ways out of the energy mess, a carbon tax being the one with the most immediate returns. But as yet no candidate has offered what I have always felt was the only real solution to the problem: a Manhattan Project-style coordinated effort to improve the efficiency of, among other things, car mileage, battery life, solar energy, wind energy, and yes, nuclear energy.

(It goes without saying, but bears repeating, that the money and human capital we have wasted in Iraq could easily have bought the country energy independence.)

Until we, as a society, and as voter/taxpayers, really attack this issue, results, well, there will be no results, and we will end up boiling, if not in oil, in the sun...

That is, if we're not brought to our knees by the countries we give our energy money to, enemies and allies both. Incidentally, I use the term allies here with some trepidation. The fact is that Saudi Arabia, which the government has called "friend" for the last 50 years or so, is NOT our friend. We share little with that country other than our need for oil and their willingness to sell it to us at market price, which price is determined, for the most part, by other players, those we call enemies.

It takes a certain amount of guts to stand, as Barack Obama did, before a group of automakers and promise that if you're elected as president, the automakers WILL raise the efficiency of their cars. He may have written off the votes of Detroit and even Michigan as a whole in that speech.

But it takes more guts, and more than guts, for a people to stand up before its government and say, we demand solutions and we demand them now, without kowtowing to special interests and erstwhile allies. We demand INDEPENDENCE!

It is the only solution for America, and the truth is, it's the only solution for the world. Whether the world's oil lasts another 5 years or another 50, we do know that it is running out and it is causing damage to the Earth.

The Earth and The People deserve better from the politicians running for president.

Amended NYE Resolution

2007-12-31T12:13:00.000-06:00

In 2008, I resolve not to respond to (IMHO) inflammatory emails sent by well-meaning though (again IMHO) politically erroneous friends. I further resolve not to send or forward political emails to those friends I know disagree with the content.

The New Year and beyond...

2007-12-31T11:36:00.000-06:00

My New Year’s Resolution, which will only be made public here, is to not send or respond to any political emails. I can often get VERY intense in my writing and wondering how it will affect my friendships causes me too much personal stress. In face to face discussions there is immediate feedback and I can live with that. Anyone who wants to know my electronic opinion will have to read it here.

Will I keep this rather high-minded resolution? Time will tell...

In that vein, Wonkette recently posted this, detailing Bush’s possible escape plan to Paraguay. While I try to view everything with a large grain of salt, I think, based on his track record, it is just as likely as not that Wonkette's post is viable. Again, time will tell...

What Would Lennon Do?

2007-12-13T01:01:00.000-06:00

December 8, 1980, Minneapolis, Minnesota

On this day so many years ago, my girlfriend at the time, Seattle Kathy, and I, were enjoying dinner with a friend of hers, Paul, who was and is a stained glass artist. We ate well, and laughed often. At one point in the meal, Paul turned to me and told me to ask how business was. I dutifully asked, “How’s business?” To which he replied, “Business is fine.” When I asked him why he’d made the request he told me that, now, he could deduct the cost of our fine repast.

So we had another fine laugh at the irony of these three former would-be hippies enjoying a meal on the taxpayers’ dime. Kathy and I went home to our basement apartment stuffed and satisfied.

As was our custom as soon as we got home we turned on the radio, which was playing a song by John Lennon... and another... and another... and another. After our curiosity was aroused, the deejay finally came on with the news that John Lennon, our hero, had been gunned down by a “deranged fan” earlier that evening as he and Yoko Ono returned to their apartment in the Dakota Lofts.

And our lives were changed forever.

After I got over the initial shock I went to a nearby late night record store and along with a few other quietly sad people, I purchased a copy of “Double Fantasy,” the last record Lennon would ever make.

In one of the many inevitable tributes to Lennon, the local rock radio station began playing a Lennon song at the top of every hour. I was working as a pinball machine mechanic at the time and the station played over the speaker system in the warehouse we worked in. So, once an hour, for weeks, it seemed, I would find myself almost at the point of tears, or at the very least, profoundly saddened at the death of one of the few human beings I regard as a hero, albeit flawed.

Many times over the intervening years since I’ve listened to Lennon’s work and drawn inspiration from his music and lyrics. I’ve been to exhibits of his art and been amazed at the diversity of his life and interests. And always, there’s been an element of sadness.

And in these turbulent and often scary times, I’ve asked the inevitable question that titles this post: What would Lennon do?

I can’t say for sure, of course, but I feel in my heart of hearts that Lennon would have hated this war, this administration, this Britney-oriented pop culture we live in. I believe he would have written music decrying the mess America has become thanks to the Bush administration. I believe he would have joined his contemporaries Neil Young and John Fogerty, among others, in denouncing the oil companies’ excessive profits and disregard for humanity. I believe he would have joined should-be-President Al Gore in calling for care for the fragile planet we live on.

But most of all, I believe John Lennon would have told us that there is always hope. I believe he would have continued to tell us simply to:

Imagine.

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Signs of future life...

2007-12-12T22:36:00.001-06:00

The LA Times reported recently that humans are still evolving and evolving at 100 times the rate of historic levels, beginning with the advent of the agricultural revolution.

Which brings me to one of my favorite wacky theories... that of the indigo children, about which more than you could want to know can be found here.

I truly believe that the human species is on the cusp of something quite incredible. Considering that people in general, and particularly in the First World, are eating better and enjoying better health care than at any time in history, it makes sense that the species is near an evolutionary jump of some sort. I believe that this jump will include greater empathy even unto something that may well pass for telepathy, longer life span and greater intelligence.

Sometime in the middle late seventies I saw Timothy Leary give one of his rock-star-like performances at the University of Houston. Waxing eloquently as only he could he regaled us with the inevitability of mankind’s move into space, vastly improved intelligence through genetics and computer assistance, and the lengthening of lifespan through improvements in sanitation and medicine. Speaking in advanced hyperbolic mode he told the cheering crowd that “this is the first generation that need not die.” He summed this all up with an acronym: SMI2LE (please imagine the “2” in superscript).

SMI2LE, he told us, stood for Space Migration, Increased Intelligence and Life Extension. The first, he charged, was made inevitable by the other two factors, which are the direct result of, computer assistance aside, advances in health, nutrition and medicine.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

The logical genetic result of the incredible advances in health care, nutrition and medicine, particularly neonatal medicine, is going to be an ever increasing rate of human evolution. Hence, phenomena such as the indigo children, which are characterized by, among other things, empathy bordering on telepathy, intuitive power, a strong sense of entitlement and self-definition and a propensity to be drawn to spiritual matters and mysteries, the paranormal and the occult.

To be sure, as critics have pointed out, many of the characteristics associated with indigo children are applicable to children as a whole. But I think that is belaboring the point. Proponents of the theory of the indigo children say many have been “misdiagnosed” as having Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and also Autism.

The question I have there is, isn’t it just possible that medical and mental science is not seeing these children for what they may well be... signs of the future?

Signs of life...

2007-12-12T20:27:00.000-06:00

On Monday the 11th, New Jersey moved closer to becoming the 14th state to abolish the death penalty, the first state to do so since 1964. It's a simple issue really, and should be no problem for right-to-lifers in particular, as the bottom line on both the death penalty and abortion is, put simply, life is either sacred or it's not.

Before the death penalty proponents jump on me, there are a couple things they should consider.

How much deterrence does the death penalty provide? If a miscreant KNOWS s/he is going to die fro his/her crimes, where is the incentive to hold back? If you've already killed one Texas Ranger, and God help you if you do, what's to stop you from killing another or anyone else that gets in your way? Life in prison is a far worse and more real punishment than being strapped to a gurney and ushered out of everyone's pain.

Am I saying that a full-bore Texas Ranger killer is the same as an embryo? Of course not. I am saying that criminals deserve real punishment, not a free lift into whatever afterlife exists.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to point out that I am pro-choice.

So, how do I justify my pro-choice stance with my belief that life is sacred?

Like it or not, an embryo is, to use incendiary language, a parasite. It is NOT a living breathing choice-making entity.

In further disclosure, I will say that while I am pro-choice, meaning I believe women should have control over what happens to their bodies, I am anti-abortion, meaning if the choice is mine a baby will be born. It goes without saying I hope never to be confronted with the choice.

But this entry is about signs of life. Here's another:

Al Gore and a boatload of scientists have been officially given the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of their work bringing the issue of global warming to the forefront of human consciousness... where it would have been years ago had Bush and the neoconservative mob not stolen the 2000 election.

At this point, it is unrealistic to expect Gore to run for the presidency in 2008. The country and the world are worse off for that fact. Gore apparently thinks he can do more for the cause as a private citizen than as president... which I find hard to believe. I'm fairly sure a President Al Gore would have been at the United Nations Framework Convention on Global Warming this week in Bali.

The sitting President, meanwhile, continues to deny that global warming is real, and continues to thwart any efforts to combat it. It doesn't take much of a leap to know he's doing so at the behest of the oil lobby.

Images of our Prez from Fark.com...

2007-11-27T22:10:00.001-06:00

Posted by depressing_gerbil

(receiving his orders from on high)
Posted by broadcastdave

Barry Bonds... the truth we all knew...

2007-11-16T10:09:00.000-06:00

The San Francisco Chronicle reported today that "slugger" Barry Bonds is under indictment for four counts of perjury and obstruction of justice. This is, of course, due to his lying about being on steroids during his climb to the top of the home run list.

As the record stands now, Bonds is the home run king with 762 home runs, a number that, due to the indictments, is liable to be as far as he goes. It is unlikely he'll play again, and even if he does, he'll be greeted with even more boos and giant syringes that he has in the past.

And that's as it should be, because Barry Bonds (and others, to be sure) has tainted an entire generation of baseball statistics, first with using the steroids to bulk up to freakish size, and second, simply by lying about it and arrogantly refusing to acknowledge what everyone could see was as plain as the muscles on his arms, so to speak.

Arrogance is no crime, and the history of baseball is full of unsavory characters, starting even before the Sultan of Swat himself. So, as offensive as Bonds is personally, that doesn't disqualify him for the Hall. Cheating, which is precisely what the use of steroids is, IS grounds for disqualification.

Meanwhile, in what I deem a bigger tragedy, Pete Rose, whose reputation for hustle and his lifetime hit total of 4256 inspired a generation, perhaps including Bonds, remains ineligible for the Hall of Fame. Sure, Rose bet on baseball, but the question is now as it has always been, did he bet against his team? If so, he doesn't deserve to be in the Hall.

The difference in Rose and Bonds is clear, though. You just KNOW Pete Rose never bet against the Reds (or his other teams) with the same certainly that you KNOW Bonds used steroids.

This is what baseball is about...

Not this...

First the Dixie Chicks... now bridge players???

2007-11-14T14:02:00.000-06:00

The New York Times reported today that a team of bridge players face a year long ban from competition for voicing their opposition to President Bush. In a free speech issue reminiscent of the Dixie Chicks' problem in 2003, the team held up a sign saying "We did not vote for Bush" at an awards dinner.

Jan Martel, president of the US Bridge Federation said, "This is not a free speech issue. There isn't any question that private organizations can control the speech of people who represent them."

The team's non-playing captain, Gail Greenburg, said the team was stunned by what they consider an act done in a "moment of levity." The proposed sanctions have the potential of hurting some of the team members financially, as they some or make part of their living by playing bridge in high-level tournaments.

Professional bridge player, teacher and columnist Danny Kleinman took issue with the USBF, saying via email, "If the U.S.B.F. wants to impose conditions of membership that involve curtailment of free speech, then it cannot claim to represent our country in international competition.”

Well said. Any organization that represents the United States simply must endorse the principles of the United States, which, the last time I checked, include free speech.

Remember this... just in case...

2007-11-13T14:18:00.000-06:00

The New York Times reported today that the US will send a special envoy to Pakistan to inform President Musharraf that the US will not be satisfied with his plan to hold elections in January unless he ends martial law first.

“The president thinks we need to lift the emergency rule in order to have free and fair elections,” said Dana Perino, the White House spokeswoman. A senior administration official said that it remained an open question whether free elections could be held that reflected the true wishes of the Pakistani people if General Musharraf continued to jail or otherwise detain the opposition.

I only post this in the event the Bush administration finds some trumped-up reason to postpone the 2008 elections...

How alarming are these times?

2007-11-12T18:12:00.000-06:00

Professors are being denied tenure for voicing political views.

Companies are spying on American people at the behest of the government.

Habeas Corpus, an important instrument for the safeguarding of individual freedom against arbitrary state action, has been abrogated.

This administration is THE most secretive in American history, their secrecy paling against even the Nixon administration’s crimes.

Control of the airwaves, which by law belong to the American people, is being consolidated into fewer voices than ever.

Our government is performing torture, and Congress has refused to do anything about it.

Our government is planning yet another war, while being engaged in one war that has never been completed and another that has been a fiasco from the start. Neither of the wars, and one suspects the third as well, were authorized by the Congress, which has the sole responsibility to do so, as per the Constitution.

Dissent, an essential characteristic of American democracy, and which, many would argue, is the essence of patriotism, has been stifled by the media and ridiculed by the government.

The facts of global warming have been censured and/or denigrated by government officials.

Fear is an essential tool of control used by this administration.

Separation of church and state is swiftly becoming a thing of the past.

America has more people imprisoned per capita than most, if not all, “First World” countries.

Our government is an open ally of countries who act against the interests of the American people.

This administration has regularly rewarded officials for job performance that can only be called abysmal, and continues to operate with cronies with no other qualifications than loyalty.

The American people are so distrustful of the veracity of election results that they are voting in numbers that can only be called embarrassing.

The times are so alarming that, despite this blog being possibly the least-read blog on the internet, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next knock on mydoor turned out to be the prelude to my disappearance.

I don’t WANT to be a martyr, mind you, but if saving America for Americans takes my disappearance for such relatively mundane ramblings... well, in the words of our Mis-Leader-in-Chief, “Bring 'em on!”

Bhutto to be detained... and you're next.

2007-11-12T16:43:00.000-06:00

The New York Times reported today from Islamabad, Pakistan that former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto will be detained at her home if she tries to lead a planned protest march next Friday.

This is an important development, not only for the people of Pakistan, who President Bush should be rallying behind in their bid for true democracy, IF he means what he says about fighting for freedom and democracy, but also for the American people, who should keep a close watch on this situation lest it be one we have to deal with ourselves.

I don't WANT to be an alarmist, but these are in fact alarming times.

That being said, here's a scenario which I feel is plausible given the attitude of the present administration.

Come November 2008, and despite the best efforts of the Republican smear machine, John Edwards, Barack Obama or (Lord forbid) Hillary Clinton wins the presidency. A national crisis of some sort causes (they'll say "forces") the Bush administration to declare martial law. The President-in-waiting issues the expected complaint at the top of his/her lungs, calling for the American people to rally to the defense of (what else) democracy. George "the Puppet" Bush, at the backstage command of Lord Cheney, calls for the Army, or even the National Guard, which astute readers will remember is now under the direct control of the Department of Homeland Security (read: the President), to prevent the next President from leading or speaking at a demonstration.

Why do I bring up such an admittedly unlikely scenario? Because, if we've learned nothing else in the past seven years, it is that this administration has NO respect for the Constitution or the wishes of the American people. Therefore, it behooves us to be aware of ANY possibility of shenanigans from these fascists-in-masquerade.

After all,

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. -- Wendell Phillips, (1811-1884), abolitionist, orator and columnist for The Liberator, in a speech before the Massachusetts Antislavery Society in 1852.

And with that I add a new reference website to my list on the side of this blog: Freedom Keys.

Continue to watch what you're thinking there, comrade...

2007-11-12T16:24:00.000-06:00

Just when I thought we were free of Ari Fleischer and his admonition that "all Americans... need to watch what they say, watch what they do", along comes Donald Kerr, the principal deputy director of national intelligence.

His take on American civil rights is that Americans can no longer
expect anonymity, and instead should expect that government and
businesses will "properly watch over" America's private communications
and financial information.

The sheer cheek of the man is unbelievable in context of what we've seen lately with the acknowledgement that AT&T was and is helping the government by dredging up billions of emails and private conversations. Add to that the fact that the administration now wants to retroactively forgive those companies that previously infringed on American's rights by handing over information without due course.

This is just more evidence that this administration is corrupt to the core and does not have the interests of the American people at heart, but is instead totally focused on maintaining the power of government and the power of business.

Lest we forget... Lord Acton in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887 said,

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.

These people must be stopped, and if they can't be stopped by the next election, it will be time and past time for the American people to take to the streets and take back their government, just as we did in America in the sixties and just as the Pakistani people are attempting to do now.

Let's masticate conspicuously.....

2007-11-08T16:19:00.000-06:00

DISCLAIMER: Monday I went to Houston’s venerable Last Concert Café, where I feasted on Mama’s Little Dinner. After the usual complimentary corn tortillas and what I consider the best salsa in the city, it starts with a beef taco and a delicious ensalada tipica, which is made with corn and black beans. The salad is followed by enchiladas (I splurged a buck for the beef) smothered in chili gravy, and refrieds and Mexican-style rice. I also splurged for a side of their fine guacamole. Along with a bottomless glass of ice tea, the total cost was $18, including a generous tip, and I left feeling like a combination of Fat Elvis and the King of Texas. Take THAT, rich people...

Here's a pic of the place... if you live in Houston, you owe it to your palate to visit... and for that matter you owe it to your ears to visit in the evening...

And now, to the silliness...

I'm bored with Bling H2O. At $24 a bottle it just doesn't speak to my need to consume the best of the best.

So for breakfast tomorrow I'm having the "Zillion Dollar Frittata" at Le Parker Meridien. This delight is a mixture of eggs, lobster and 10 ounces of sevruga caviar. On the side I'll have a bagel topped with white truffle cream cheese and goji berry infused Riesling jelly with golden leaves from chef Frank Tujague of The Westin New York hotel at Times Square. Breakast, without juice and coffee, is $2000.

Well, heck, now it's almost lunchtime.

I'm torn... should I go for a Philly Cheeseteak from Philadelphia steakhouse Barclay Prime? It's Kobe beef with butter poached lobster and shaved French black truffles. The cheese is melted Taleggio imported from Italy, a far cry from the standard provolone. The sandwich is served on a homemade brioche bun finished with house-made mustard, along with a small bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne. A steal at $100.

Or would I be happier with a burger from Celebrity chef Daniel Bouloud? His burger is stuffed with red wine-braised short ribs (off the bone), foie gras, a mix of root vegetables and preserved black truffle. Hold the ketchup though, the pièce de résistance is a double helping of fresh black truffles on top. This humble gnosh is served on a homemade toasted parmesan and poppy seed bun with a touch of fresh horseradish, oven roasted tomato confit, fresh tomato, red onions and frisée lettuce.

Foodies should note that the Royale, as it's called, is only served at DB Bistro Moderne in New York City and at the Daniel Boulud Brasserie in Las Vegas during the black truffle season, which usually runs from late December through the end of March. And it's a tad more expensive than the cheesesteak at $120.

Either way, hold the fries because I'm going with the macaroni and cheese at LA's Mélisse restaurant. Chef Josiah Citrin spares no expense grating a hefty portion of white truffles over his fresh tagliatelle, smothered in parmesan cheese and brown butter truffle froth. It's $95.

Fortunately, as you are NO DOUBT aware, white truffle season overlaps black truffle season in December.

I haven't made my dinner choices yet, but for dessert I definitely want a slice of $1.65 million Diamond Fruit cake. It boasts 223 diamonds. I'm not sure what's IN it, but it MUST be good... right???

I'll wash it down with a glass of Domaine Romanee Conti (DRC) Romanee Conti Red Burgundy, France (Pinot Noir). The 2002 Vintage is currently fetching upwards of $6,000 USD per bottle. The 2005 vintage is expected to top that, so if the 2005 is available, do have the somellier fetch it.

And a stogie... preferably a 5 1/2 inch, 42 ring gauge La Corona made in 1937. Each cigar will set me back $1,000, but the purveyor throws in a bottle of Prohibition-era whiskey (labeled "For Medicinal Purposes Only.") Sorry, no photo is available...

Ahhh, now I feel better. Take that, poor people...

GAO speaks... will Bush listen?

2007-11-08T13:11:00.000-06:00

The Houston Chronicle reported today that government inspectors guarding the nation's ports are understaffed, fatigued from overtime, poorly trained and "frequently fail to question visitors entering the country".

While I applaud the GAO in getting to the bottom of the problem, so to speak, it is a case of stating the obvious. Since 9/11/2001, next to nothing has been done by this administration to secure what surely must be one of the most porous borders in the world.

And EVERYONE, including God knows how many terrorists, knows it.

According to Wikipedia, the Port of Houston handled over 215 million tons of cargo in 2005, second in the United States only to the port in south Louisiana. It is the 10th busiest port in the world.

At the risk of belaboring a point, how easy would it be to smuggle, say, a nuclear or chemical weapon through the Port?

How long will it take before the government cracks down on the Port? What will it take for the Bush administration to secure the borders of the country?

This is something that should have been taken care of beginning the morning of 9/12/2001. The Bushies are very fond of pointing out, in defense of their policies, that there hasn't been an attack on the US since 9/11, but their actions contradict their words. Chemical and nuclear facilities, along with the ports, are KNOWN to be lax in inspections and security.

The GAO report is not news; it is common knowledge.

If it wasn't just so hard to believe, I would think the administration WANTS another attack on the US. This blank-eyed image of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States of America on the morning of 9/11 comes to mind. The time stamp is significant in that the first plane hit the World Trade Center at 9:00, an event HE VIEWED on a television set outside the classroom..

Less than ONE MINUTE LATER Andrew Card informs the President that a second plane has hit the World Trade Center, an event that was witnessed live by millions, a cataclysm that appeared not to concern the "Defender of Freedom".

It was obvious to many, if not all, observers that this was no accident. But Bush SAT THERE for another 10 minutes. He later explained his actions by saying he did not want to alarm the children. How hard would it have actually been for him to say, "Children, it is not easy being the President and sometimes I get called away at a moment's notice to take care of important business. Thank you for having me here today. Goodbye."

In the vernacular of the day, I call "shenanigans". In my heart of hearts, I call it complicity and treason.

So, will Bush listen to and act on the GAO report?

Not bloody likely.

A bold yet doomed move...

2007-11-05T13:14:00.000-06:00

The Washington Post reported today that Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich has introduced articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney. Read the full transcript of his announcement here, in which, interestingly enough, he began by quoting one of my favorite, and one of the most powerful statements, in the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that, among these, are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the government; and, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it.

As much as I'd like to see Dick Cheney slapped in irons and given a room with some of his partners in fiendishness, namely serial murderers, I don't see anything coming from Kucinich's article of impeachment. There are few in Congress with the guts to stand up to Cheney's incredible disregard for the Constitution.

One thing I think we can count on, much like his friend in crime, Donald Rumsfeld, Cheney may well find it difficult to travel in Europe when his term is up. Rumsfeld reportedly "fled" France after being faced with possible arrest over American policies regarding torture and Abu Ghraib prison.

Here's hoping he gives international travel a shot and the France does what America lacks the fortitude to do, lock up the wretched scumbag. I'm pretty sure I can collect enough for a nice trip to Paris for him... and if Bush will accompany him, hell, I'll consider mortgaging my house to pay for the trip. The French will apparently pick up their room and board...

In a poignant statement, activist Tanguy Richard said:

Rumsfeld must be feeling how Saddam Hussein felt when US forces were hunting him down. He may never end up being hanged like his old friend, but he must learn that in the civilized world, war crime doesn’t pay.

A toast of the bubbly to activist Richard... Here's a link to his blog "Why Travel to France?"

A harbinger in Pakistan...

2007-11-05T12:53:00.000-06:00

Thank Pakistan for giving us a small taste of what we can possibly expect from the Bush/Cheney junta in the next year.

As a reaction to the arrival and popularity of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the attacks on her caravan leaving 158 dead and hundreds maimed, President Musharaff has clamped down on civil demonstrations, declared martial law, suspending the "Constitution" and refusing help from the FBI and Scotland Yard to investigate the bombing.

Remember, Musharraf is the chosen "friend" of the Bush administration, who originally seized power in a coup in 1999. It was Musharraf first in line to receive bribes, excuse me, aid payments when Bush cobbled together his coalition of the killing to fight terrorism. And how much help has Musharraf been? Well, for one thing, Osama bin Laden is still reportedly hiding out in the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan...

One has to wonder why Bush feels his "hands are tied" in dealing with Pakistan. Could it be because in his dark twisted heart of hearts he knows he may have to resort to some of the same tactics Musharaff is using?

As I've asked before in this space, is it really to much to believe that, in the event of political or social unrest, the Bush administration would suspend the next election and declare martial law?

In an invited commentary on CNN.com Bhutto raised several issues of a nature we may find ourselves dealing with in the months to come. The issues have to do with peaceful assembly, free political expression. I encourage my readers to check out the entire article, but here is an interesting excerpt:

On my return to Pakistan last month, throngs of people turned out to welcome me back home. The demand to ban grassroots political activity is a suspicious prelude to what could be an overt attempt to rig the upcoming elections. All people who believe in the process of democracy should reject this attempt to undermine public participation in the campaign and set the table for what I believe would simply be a fraudulent election.

Note that fraudulent elections, which we have certainly had a taste of in the United States, are one of the 14 Points of Fascism.

The Cheney lips move, and having moved, lie on...

2007-11-03T13:20:00.000-05:00

Vice President Dick Cheney spoke Friday at the World Affairs Council of Dallas/ Fort Worth on the possibility of America attacking Iran:

Nobody wants to resolve this in any means other than peacefully, if it's at all possible. But in the final analysis, the worse outcome would be a situation in which Iran is sort of let loose, if you will, in that part of the world with an inventory of nuclear weapons prepared to be used against other nations in that region or to dominate that part of the globe and to threaten not only the United States, but many of our friends and allies out there as well.

Well, based on his track record, what on God's green earth could convince me that he is doing anything BUT chomping at the bit to attack Iran?

The man has proven time and again that he just cannot be trusted, and that his stated objectives are hardly, if ever, his real objectives. As he is (thankfully and finally) a lame duck it makes little sense for WE THE PEOPLE to allow him to set an even more destructive course for the US than he has already set us on.

Ooooga Boooooga!!!

Hillary gets the big head... again...

2007-11-03T13:03:00.000-05:00

Responding to complaints her opponents were piling on her because she is a woman, Hillary Clinton said:

I don't think they're piling on me because I'm a woman. I think they were piling on me because I'm winning... I anticipate it's going to get even hotter, and if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen. I'm very much at home in the kitchen.

She's right, of course. I have no dispute with her assessment, or her ability to handle "the heat." I do have a problem with her in general. Her attitude, especially at this early point of the race, is just too smug for me.

And the last thing the country needs after eight years of "yer either fer us or agin us"
is an attitude that says "I am the winner, so deal with it," because it's just one step from there to what we already have, a sense of American world entitlement.

Don't misunderstand me. I do feel that America is "the greatest country on earth," but that doesn't mean it is the right way to behave. It reminds me a bit of the valedictorian of my high school graduating class. Bob B. was smart as a whip but so stuck on himself that no one wanted to deal with him. At our ten year reunion, you'd have thought he was holding court, and I realized that as much as I admired his intelligence and accomplishments I disliked him for his arrogance.

And that is not the sort of person I want representing the United States going froward.

Hillary may be electable, but is this what we really want, Argentinian style dynastic leadership?

Politics as usual got us into the mess we are now in and it's time for politics as unusual to get us out of it.

Edwards dumps on Clinton...

2007-10-30T13:01:00.000-05:00

The Houston Chronicle reported today that Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards believes Hillary Clinton is part of the problem, not a solution.

"This corruption did not begin yesterday — and it did not even begin with George Bush, although Lord knows it's been present while George Bush has been president. It has been building for decades until it now threatens literally the life of our democracy."

Voicing the concerns of many thinking, non-deluded Americans, Edwards went on to say:

"Down one path, we trade corporate Republicans for corporate Democrats; our cronies for their cronies; one political dynasty for another dynasty, and all we are left with is a Democratic version of the Republican corruption machine."

Edwards is speaking to the people who have long opined that there's not much difference between the Dems and the Reps. Whether this tactic will work for him is another story. As William Buckley pointed out recently it is rarely a good idea to denigrate the leaders of one's own party.

Still, one would hope that reason prevails. Hillary is not the best choice to run the country. She takes money from the health-care industry, refuses to back down from her pro-war stance, and would likely bring to America a big dose of more-of-the-same. Hillary's only positive is that, like Bill, she is very adept at gauging the politically expedient path to take.

Enough with run-of-the-mill politics. Let's start electing PEOPLE to represent America.

Caption fun!

2007-10-30T12:45:00.000-05:00

1. Condi loves this thing.
2. President Bush discovers a new, more efficient way to screw the American people.
3. Pew! Pew! Pew!
4. How do you plug this thing in?
5. 447 days from now I'm going to use this thing to mix me up some 'ritas... ooo wee, gonna be so drunk...
6. Hold it right there, sidewinder!

Bottled water gets even sillier...

2007-10-27T18:26:00.001-05:00

Do you cringe at the idea of drinking tap water? Are Ozarka, Perrier, Fiji, Evian, Volvic just too blase? Try new Bling H2O, guaranteed to give you more of what you drink a bottled water for... class, exclusivity, pretentiousness... you'll have it all.

Bling H2O comes in Limited Edition, corked, 750 ml, reusable, frosted glass bottles, "exquisitely crafted with Swarovski crystals."

I really can't say it better than the website, so here it is:

Bling H2O is the inspiration of Kevin G. Boyd, Hollywood writer-producer. While working on various studio lots where image is of the utmost importance he noticed that you could tell a lot about a person by the bottled water they carried.

In Hollywood it seemed as if people flaunted their bottled water like it was part of their presentation. Whether the bottles had a cool shape or came from an exotic island, none truly made that defining statement. Bling H2O was fashioned to make that defining statement. The mission was to offer a product with an exquisite face to match exquisite taste. The product is strategically positioned to target the expanding super-luxury consumer market.

Wait... "reusable"??? So, this conversation is possible:

Jeeves: And what, madam, shall I do with this empty water bottle?
Paris: Well, it's much too pretty to be thrown out. Do put some lilies in it.
Jeeves: Yes, ma'am!
Paris: Better still. Just fill it with cocaine and I'll take it with me.

It's pop culture in a bottle, so they say. MY thought is that if you find yourself drinking this stuff, well, it's just God's way of telling you're making too damn much money.

But how could you resist? It's a STEAL at only $24 a bottle...

I shudder to think what's next...

Wacky, but possibly credible news of the day...

2007-10-25T13:34:00.000-05:00

Pravda.ru reports that humans and dolphins once lived side by side in Atlantis...

As Douglas Adams said in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

It is an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem. For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much -- the wheel, New York, wars and so on -- whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man -- for precisely the same reasons.

It's the kind of nutty thing I find myself wanting to believe, just because it would make the world a more interesting place.

A tale of three Iraqs...

2007-10-25T12:17:00.000-05:00

The Kurds control northern Iraq to the extent that they will not allow the Iraqi national army in their area. The coalition forces are working with the Shiites in the south and the Sunnis in the center. All that remains is for the three factions to get together and divvy up the oil profits.

Former US ambassador to Coatia, Peter W. Galbraith, has written an excellent editorial on the subject.

It's a great, sensible and rather obvious idea, but one the Bush administration will not likely embrace, because the Iraq war was never really about oil (or democracy or stability or Al-Qaida or Saddam Hussein); the Iraq war was/is about oil profits.

Hope floats... behind your eyes...

2007-10-25T12:08:00.000-05:00

Scientists have discovered the area of the brain that controls optimism... how long will it be before Big Pharma gives us a drug that targets that area?

Bring it on, America needs a large dose, and hopefully in time to avoid Bush's '08 October surprise...

Article here...

Yet another reason Iraq is a quagmire...

2007-10-23T20:22:00.000-05:00

Turkey wants to attack rebels in Kurdish Iraq... wait, I thought Turkey was on OUR side...

Our ally then, wants to attack the country we're "liberating."

To which I can only respond, WTF???

World Series Prediction...

2007-10-23T20:10:00.000-05:00

The Colorado Rockies will slip by the Boston Red Sox in seven games.

Drug money...

2007-10-23T18:59:00.000-05:00

Forget, for the moment, the 46 billion dollars more that Bush wants to fight his ill-considered war in Iraq. Tied to that proposal is a "request" for 1.4 billion to fight the "War on Drugs," the lion's share of which will go to Mexico, 550 million.

The American government has been fighting, and I use the term loosely, the WOD for as long as I can remember, certainly before long I smoked my first doobie more moons ago than I care to remember. If America is (finally) upset about how much money and how many lives have been wasted in Iraq imagine how much more incensed they must be at the even larger sum in blood and treasure, that has been wasted in the War on Drugs.

At least one would think so...

But I can sit down and smoke a relatively harmless, yet highly illegal substance with a good (conservative) friend of mine and we can argue point and counterpoint about the War on Terror till the troops come home, neither of us ever really snapping to the fact that we have a common enemy, our own government would bust BOTH of us, regardless of whether we think W is the Anti-Christ or simply the village idiot, the chief irony being that conservatives are supposedly all about taking personal responsibility...

At least that's what they tell us. Truth is, we're free to do whatever we want to do as long as they approve of it... first.

And what do you think happens to the money that's sent to Mexico and Central and South America? Sure, some of it is spent eradicating crops set by farmers who aren't in on the criminal game, giving them little choice but to join up with the criminal factions simply to make a living by producing what to them is merely a marketable crop. But I think we can rest assured that a large portion, if not most, of the money goes to the ones who know how to game the system, and inevitably, those will be the criminal element. With the end result that very little progress is made in the government's War on Drugs.

Imagine, for a moment, if tobacco was made illegal (and don't laugh, because, well, would you really put it past this current pack of yahoos?) and suddenly farmers in Virginia are criminals, and millions of smokers are jonesing BAD.

Next thing you know the government is busting illegal growers and smugglers with pipe tobacco, and the only place those jonesing smokers can go for their fix is, you guessed it, their friendly neighborhood... criminals. And the price of your illegal tobacco? Well, since the suppliers now have to factor the cost of guns, guards and high-tech smuggling techniques, the price will skyrocket. That 5 dollar pack that Texas smokers now complain
about would go to, well, around 500.

All of which would go to the criminal element, the very people you most DON'T want involved in a product people like. Crack whores? Hell, make way for cigar whores...

Which of course, is exactly what has happened to the price of marijuana over my lifetime. What I used to buy for 10 dollars would now cost me well over $400, dang near as much as gold. And where is the sense in that?

This is so basic I almost hate to say it, but the amount we spend on "fighting" the "war on drugs", added to the amount of taxes pot smokers would GLADLY pay, could change the nation. (Just as the amount we could save by fighting a more sane "war on terror" would cure cancer, homelessness and well, take your choice of curable ills, but we're forgetting that for the nonce.)

At the bottom line, who profits from the War on Drugs? Criminals and the people who make military hardware.

Let's all recite the lesson we should have learned during the prohibition of alcohol... YOU CANNOT LEGISLATE PUBLIC MORALITY!!!

So what's my solution? Legalize it, regulate it and tax it, just like tobacco, alcohol, and firearms. For more information contact the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), the Drug Truth Network, or Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). The latter is an organization of law enforcement officials who have realized what a sham the War on Drugs is.

Disclaimer: this post was NOT written "under the influence", but in a freest of all possible Americas (and isn't that what we all really want?), it would be.

Buy this song...

2007-10-19T23:02:00.000-05:00

Conservative, Christian, Right-Wing Republican, Straight, White, American Males
by Todd Snider

Conservative Christian, right wing Republican, straight, white, American male.
Gay bashin’, black fearin’, poor fightin’, tree killin’, regional leaders of sales
Frat housin’, keg tappin’, shirt tuckin’, back slappin’ haters of hippies like me.
Tree huggin’, peace lovin’, pot smokin’, porn watchin’ lazyass hippies like me.
Tree huggin’, love makin’, pro choicen, gay weddin’, widespread diggin’ hippies like me.
Skin color-blinded, conspiracy-minded, protestors of corporate greed,
We who have nothing and most likely will ‘till we all wind up locked up in jails
By conservative Christian, right wing Republican, straight, white, American males,.

Diamonds and dogs, boys and girls, living together in two separate worlds
Following leaders of mountains of shame, looking for someone to blame.

Diamonds and dogs, boys and girls, living together in two separate worlds
Following leaders of mountains of shame, looking for someone to blame.
I know who I like to blame:

Conservative Christian, right wing Republican, straight, white, American males,
Soul savin’, flag wavin’, Rush lovin’, land pavin’ personal friends to the Quayles
Quite diligently workin’ so hard to keep the free reins of this Democracy
From tree huggin’, peace lovin’, pot smokin’, barefootin’ folk-singin’ hippies like me.
Tree huggin’, peace lovin’, pot smokin’, porn watchin’ lazyass hippies like me.

W does something right...

2007-10-18T11:04:00.001-05:00

14 Points Alert

2007-10-18T10:44:00.000-05:00

In a Wednesday news conference, Bush raised the spectre of fear, saying that a nuclear-armed Iran might raise the risk of "World War III". Bush said that he has told people "that if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon".

Of course, this is a lot like his rhetoric in the run-up to the Iraq war. The problem is, if it's true, if Iran really does want nukes and really does want to take out Israel, how can we believe Bush who has almost willfully squandered his credibility?

Short answer: we can't. We, the people of the United States of America cannot trust our president to tell the truth. I cannot stress this enough. We all know we can't trust politicians in general, but we can't trust this guy AT ALL!

Unfortunately, there are ditto-heads who will take him at face value and pass on the ignorance. I predict that within a week I will get a mass-forwarded email from a conservative friend pointing out that Iran must be stopped, quoting Bush.

This, on the same day he and the Congress finally give the Dalai Lama some due recognition...

Maybe the military knows something...

2007-10-18T10:18:00.000-05:00

A Houston Chronicle analysis of campaign contributions from January through September reveals that donors identifying themselves as affiliated with the military have donated more to the Obama and Paul campaigns than other campaigns. Obama and Texas lawmaker Ron Paul are both critics of the Iraq war.

While the amounts involved are miniscule ($53968 and $63440, respectively), analysts say the donations may suggest "unease" with the situation in Iraq.

Texas A&M political science professor George C. Edwards III said Obama's military affiliated donations may also be due to the proportionately larger number of African-Americans serving in the military.

One of Paul's contributors is retired Army chaplain Lindell Anderson, who said, "As a Christian, I think (Paul) speaks to a theme that the United States shouldn't be the policeman of the world." Anderson donated $100.

An American Legion spokeswoman was rather condescending about the Paul donations, saying "I don't know the rhyme or reason behind it. It's America. Anybody can throw their money at who they want." The AL has endorsed Paul in the past because of his stance on veterans' issues, though the organization is obviously pro-war.

This information speaks for itself, but to speak to the point, this information, along with recent reports that the military brass is less than thrilled about progress in Iraq, says that the military may be the people to listen to here. After all, it is the military that knows firsthand the human costs of war.

In historical perspective, as wrong as America's involvement in Viet Nam was, it has long been held that the outcome would have been
different if the military had been given free rein. Similarly, if the military bigs
had been more closely consulted about Iraq I'm certain their recommendations
would have been to either not go in or to go in full bore.

Full disclosure: I have donated $10 to the Draft Gore '08 campaign.

...from a Fark Photoshop Contest

2007-10-15T00:27:00.001-05:00

Posted by Yodacat

A meeting of the mind and a half...

2007-10-12T23:33:00.000-05:00

Owing to some strange confluence of good and evil, President Bush will soon be the first sitting president to appear with the Dalai Lama in public when the latter receives the Congressional Gold Medal, that body's highest civilian honor... and about damn time both happened...

I can't imagine their private meeting will be very long or much help. The Prez will report that he "looked in the man's eyes and saw his soul" or some such nonsense. The Dalai Lama will smile and not report that he looked in the president's eyes and saw nothing.

China, as always, is in a snit about the exiled leader's visit...

Here's the full story.

And here's a Congressional Gold Medal...

Run, Al... save us from boring politics...

2007-10-12T21:16:00.000-05:00

If you're into the sport of politics at all, you want Al Gore to run...
the mad stampede to the next presidential election started out wide open and would be even with Gore in the mix. How hard
do you think Hillary would fight Al for her right to party pink in the White House
for the first time in history? To my eye, she's already getting a little cocky about
the nomination. How much more brilliant and charming do you think Obama could make himself with a challenger as at ease with the camera (and the camera's ease with him) as Al Gore?

The state of the environment and America's responsibility (and liability) in it may well be the
issue that decides the fate of man on the planet and so far the issue has gotten,
to be charitable, short shrift from the contenders. Let's call in someone who knows the subject and has ideas about it.

There would also be a fine aroma of a bare-knucks grudge match in Al's entry as well. Fact is, Papa Clinton's indiscretions were a big part of why Gore had trouble in 2000. If Clinton had handled his personal life with some maturity for a measly eight years, he could have walked onstage at the Staples Center in LA, given Al a metaphorical clap on the back and a hearty "Al's our man" and left the stage a kingmaker... and the Gore/Edwards ticket could have waltzed in 16 years of Democratic domination of the executive branch... and who knows, maybe later Bill would have won his own Nobel...

But never mind Bill, let him share a Nobel with his pal Poppy Bush.

I predict that the Gore-Giuliani presidential debates would break viewer records, if for no other reason than to see cool, experienced nice groomed Al use
words like blunt instruments in savaging Rudy, who looks like nothing so much as a light bulb... you want big stakes reality teevee? Here it is!

Al Gore's won a nice little accolade in the Nobel Peace Prize; it will look nice next to his Emmy. If all he wants to do is line up trophies, he's got a nice start, though the Nobel is "only" a medal. The question Gore has to ask himself, how do you follow up two once-in-a-lifetime achievements?

How could you not want this guy to at least run for president? Here he is hanging out with his pals Tom and Jon...

So yeah, Al Gore isn't perfect, as we'll see when the swift boats are inevitably launched, but at least he espouses a positive vision for the future... I can't state categorically that I would endorse him for president, hoping as I am for the emergence of a viable third party, but his entry into the fray would bring a welcome issues injection...

Carter Talks Sense... Again...

2007-10-11T12:17:00.000-05:00

Adding to his May interview in which Jimmy Carter called the Bush administration the "worst" in American history, Carter has denounced Dick Cheney as a "disaster" for our country and holds undue sway over the President.

"He's a militant who avoided any service of his own in the military and he has been most forceful in the last 10 years or more in fulfilling some of his more ancient commitments that the United States has a right to inject its power through military means in other parts of the world," Carter said. Read it all here.

In another interview with CNN, Carter said, " Our country for the first time in my lifetime has abandoned the basic principle of human rights. We've said that the Geneva Conventions do not apply to those people in Abu Ghraib prison and Guantanamo, and we've said we can torture prisoners and deprive them of an accusation of a crime."

Would that more former Presidents would speak truth to power... are you listening, Bill?

Cool Fark Contest...

2007-10-11T10:33:00.000-05:00

Here's a Fark.com contest to design a new logo for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul...

My personal favorite, posted by Total Farker ElectronChaser

America to Dem Frontrunners: Hey! We're talking here!

2007-10-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

"I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than are governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of their way and let them have it."
(Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1959)

The Congressional elections in 2006, we were told, were a referendum on the Iraq war. So why have NONE of the three Democratic frontrunners pledged to have our troops out of Iraq by the end of their first term? Could none of them give at least lip service to the stated desires of the American people?

Do we need any more evidence that the American government as it exists today does NOT have the interests of the country foremost in mind?

The Democans and Republicrats shouldn't be surprised if a viable third party appears and turns them all out of office...

Caption fun!!!

2007-10-10T20:50:00.000-05:00

1. Did you hear the one about the vegetarian priest? The only meat he would eat was NUN!!! Ah ha ha ha!!!
2. Please forgive me for all the boys I've murdered.
3. You'll be pleased to know that under Patriot Act 3 spankings with rulers will again be allowed... in fact, spankings OF rulers WITH rulers will be allowed.
4. So what are you girls up to later? Whyncha drop by the frat house for a few brewskis?
5. Married? Well, pucker up, babe, cuz He ain't here now...
6. Yes, Sister, every sperm IS sacred.
7. Saaaay, where can I get one of them outfits? Condi'd look right nice in that getup.

Coming soon... retroactive virginity!!!

2007-10-10T18:15:00.000-05:00

Today George Bush said he will not sign a government surveillance bill unless it contains language granting retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies
who cooperated with the administration's illegal wiretapping efforts, because, he says, they "are facing multi-billion-dollar lawsuits only because they are believed to have assisted in the efforts to defend our nation following the 9/11 attacks."

Putting aside yet another demonstration of W pulling 9/11 into every single argument he can, and setting aside for this moment the FACT that they DID cooperate (as opposed to W's slippery "believed to have assisted") what he is really saying is that it was okay that these companies cooperated with the illegal wiretaps, nicely invoking points number 7 and 9 of the 14 points of fascism, which, as always, you can read on the right side of the first page of my blog.

If he wants to retroactively forgive those companies who did comply with the illegal wiretaps, is he going to retroactively
punish the companies who declined to help the government spy on the American people?

Or perhaps he's setting up the precedent so he can proclaim himself retroactively innocent of crapping on the Constitution...

Anyway, in the same spirit, I hereby proclaim myself innocent of quite a number of things I did in the past. No need to name them, of course, since I was/am now innocent...

Only 467 days of this left...

Now, more than ever, "Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom." (Thomas Jefferson)

Bush's brain has been found... a nation rejoices!!!

2007-10-09T16:09:00.000-05:00

And here's the story...

George W was right!!!

2007-10-08T10:17:00.000-05:00

George Washington, that is... in his farewell address, the original George W warned Americans against "ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burdens we ourselves ought to bear."

So why does the Bush administration think it's "fiscally irresponsible" to levy a tax to pay for their misguided war?

When asked recently about a proposal by Congressional Democrats to enact a surtax to pay for the Iraq war, the White House press secretary Dana Perino responded, "We've always known that Democrats seem to revert to type, and they are willing to raise taxes on just about anything." Then she added, "I just think it's fiscally irresponsible."

Who does Ms. Perino think she's kidding? Just as adding a tax on oil is the MOST fiscally responsible thing to do to reduce dependence on Middle East oil and fund the development of renewable energy sources, so is a war tax the most fiscally responsible way to pay for war. Otherwise, we leave it to our children (nieces and nephew, in my case) to pay for the war.

And the next generation is going to have enough to pay for as it is.

Perhaps NYTimes columnist Thomas Friedman is right when he says, sarcasm oozing off the page, THESE DEMOCRATS JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND: THE TOOTH FAIRY PAYS FOR WARS.

Your Sailboat belongs to the Department of Homeland Security

2007-10-07T19:02:00.001-05:00

Well, not yet... but here's the situation as clearly as I can put it together.

When you register your boat, be it sailboat, yacht, tugboat, or ocean liner, it is registered through the United States Coast Guard, which has traditionally been a civilian service, under the Department of Transportation. After 9/11, when the Department of Homeland Security was cobbled together, control of the Coast Guard was moved to the DHS.

What this means is that if, for instance, you are found operating your sailboat while intoxicated, your private vessel can be seized by the government, and you, a non-military citizen of the US, will be tried in a military court under the jurisdiction of a Judge Advocate General.

If you go to the Coast Guard's website it now acknowledges that it is a branch of the US military, meaning that the USCG is a military branch under the direct control of, guess who, the President of the United States. And it goes further than that, this puts ALL maritime endeavors, including the quasi-unions where seaman sign up for the Merchant Marines under the control of the President.

The full story can be found at martiallaw911.com.

The last thing I want to be seen as is a conspiracy theory alarmist wacko, but folks, this is getting serious... unfortunately, this all ties into the North American Union, which is supposed to happen by 2010. Here's a You Tube CNN story.

Do not be distracted!!! There are more important things going on than the lives of
Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

The Sunday Monitor radio show, which is broadcast on Houston's KPFT, and the Monitor's website are always a good place to start.

Buy your Quid before there's a run on the Ferengi Intergalactic Bank

2007-10-05T16:23:00.000-05:00

In a bold move to meet the currency needs of the next generation, worldwide money changers Travelex is introducing the Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination, or Quid.

This looks like one of the coolest things this Texas boy has ever seen.

I called the Travelex office in Houston, and they were not aware of it yet, but they were very interested, and figure it must be a real thing because, well, the BBC wouldn't LIE, would they?

My contact at Travelex promised to let me know when/where they are available. Check back with me...

Read the article here.

Bush says America doesn't torture

2007-10-05T15:20:00.000-05:00

CNN reported today that Bush says "This government does not torture people." Read it here.

He went on to say " The techniques that we use have been fully disclosed to appropriate members of the United States Congress." Which of course means nothing. Members of Congress are complicit in Bush's crimes, by neglect if not actual intent.

My question on our interrogation "techniques" is, do they hurt? More to the point, do they hurt over and over??? If so, guess what, buddy, that's torture.

How long will it be before we find out that he's lying this time?

And now, an old riddle...

How can you tell George Bush is lying?

His lips are moving.

Now I know some of you knee jerk reactionaries are going to say the same thing W does... it's all about protecting America. And I understand that. But how can we expect to take the moral high ground when we are detaining people in isolation, and waterboarding them... the theory of mission creep says that eventually he'll justify pulling people's fingernails the same way.

And then we will be no better than savage criminals... and I say "we" because every American that doesn't stand up against this sort of thing is just as guilty as the guy giving a suspected terrorist a super-swirly.

W was right, if we are not for him we're against him.

Newb

2007-10-05T01:09:00.000-05:00

I notice that some of these entries chopped off the edge of the "page." I'll figure out what the problem is... eventually...

All I'm saying

2007-10-04T23:03:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm definitely not saying America is fascist. Author Naomi Wolf has written a sort of history of fascism called End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Democracy. She lays out a historical pattern of ten steps in which democracies have been usurped by fascism. Here they are, without comment, from her Guardian article, which I encourage you to read in its entirety

here.

1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy

2. Create a gulag

3. Develop a thug caste

4. Set up an internal surveillance system

5. Harass citizens' groups

6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release

7. Target key individuals

8. Control the press

9. Dissent equals treason

10. Suspend the rule of law

It's easy to see that we are experiencing a troubling number of these characteristics. The Bush administration is clearly guilty of numbers 1, 2, 9, and 10. To number 3 it is only necessary to know that the first entity to respond to Hurricane Katrina was Blackwater, and it was Blackwater that was accused of "shooting looters." Key individuals have been targeted as well: there are university professors who have been denied tenure or had tenure stripped for their political views. What of author Judith Miller and diplomat Joseph C. Wilson?

This easily leads to number 8, control of the press. As I see it this happens through self-censorship in ways large and small.

Bush's use of signing statements alone show his contempt for the rule of law, satisfying number 10.

I'm just saying America COULD be fascist. The good news is that people are starting to stand up for
themselves. Thanks primarily to the internet people are able to communicate. I truly believe that in the
final scheme of things that the "truth will out."

After all...

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness . Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.

That's all I'm saying.

The 14 points of fascism

2007-10-04T17:12:00.000-05:00

These have been posted elsewhere and often, but they seem an appropriate place to start my blog. I was and am still stunned when I read them and note how the Bush administration has applied them in America. Though I have always considered myself a Texan before an American, I do consider myself "patriotic" and often wonder what happened to the ideas and ideals I was taught in my early days. Comments follow some, perhaps all of the points...

1.) Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

I am all for patriotic displays, but the American flag, as all flags, is not "sacred" nor should it be hailed as such. The redneck truck I saw circling parking lots on 9/12/01 with a large American flag flying did nothing save assuage the drivers' own sorrow. How much better if he had traded that truck that very day for something that got better gas mileage. If we keep drinking oil like water, well, the terrorists win.

2.) Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

Habeas corpus, a fundamental basis of democracy has been denied to American citizens. Sure, they are the "bad guys" locked up at Guantanamo, but how long is it before dissenting voices are declared terrorists? Dissent is a hallmark of America and American freedom.

3.) Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

This happens in many ways. How often do we see news items about this or that "terrorist plot" being broken up, and trumpeted across the front pages, when weeks or months later the plots are determined to be nothing, news that is buried in the back pages, if noted at all.

America has always needed a scapegoat, an enemy. Stalin, Hitler, Kruschev, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot, Qaddafi, bin Laden, Saddam Hussein... and waiting in the
wings... Ahmadinejad.

4.) Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

The question liberals ask often, what else could be done with that money, is always a good one. I submit that the money spent bombing Afghanistan and Iraq could have solved "the problem" without bombs and bullets.

5.) Rampant Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

A blatant example of this is the Jessica Lynch affair. How often was she portrayed as a waif, or tiny or other diminuitives. The subtext is that we must protect our "wimmenfolk" from "evildoers". This goes back to at least the American Civil War and the rise of the KKK, whose major premise was to "protect our women" from the evil "darkies," who were, of course, just scapegoats to further white male dominance.

6.) Controlled Mass Media
Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

The censorship we're seeing today is the most insidious of all, the self-censorship of the mainstream media in their reluctance to go after the truth, no matter where it lies. The Lynch affair is evidence again. If not for European journalists we might not have known the truth. Some of those truths, incidentally, were the facts that (a) she was not raped, (b) she was not held against her will, and (c) the "daring rescue" lasted six minutes and no one was injured, and no shotrs were fired. Again, this was all uncovered by European journalists.

7.) Obsession with National Security
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses

"We must stop them over there before they attack us here."
To which I respond, a very wise and esteemed man once said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Fear, as any psychologist will tell you, is the ultimate unreasonable motivator. The human animal will do things out of fear he would never do otherwise.

8.) Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

When, in his 2003 State of the Union speech, Bush used the phrase "power, wonder working power", Christian ditto-heads could be heard singing the old hymn across the country.

What would Jesus do? A more pertinent question is indeed, who would Jesus bomb?

9.) Corporate Power is Protected
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

This has been a theme of the Bush administration since the very early days, pre 9/11, when Dick Cheney convened his still secret energy council. One wonders if that is in fact where the Iraq war really began.

10.) Labor Power is Suppressed
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

I haven't actually seen any examples of this... which is not to say it doesn't happen. Unions today have almost no power.

11.) Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free _expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

Professors with dissenting voices have already lost or been denied their tenure. And when you have a president who says things like "Our childrens does learn", ignorance becomes acceptable. And when people will accept ignorance, they will accept anything.

12.) Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations

Blackwater didn't just come up in Iraq. They were dispatched after Hurricane Katrina, and those were the people accused of shooting looters.

13.) Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

This one is so obvious I deign to address it.

14. Fraudulent Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

The very least that can be said about the last two presidential elections is that they were suspect.