elemental visions

The President's New Enemy

2007-02-18T20:37:00.000-05:00

This blog provides some startling insight on the President's newest favorite group - The Qods Brigade.

Watch out lawyers, they're coming for you now

2007-01-13T12:57:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 — The senior Pentagon official in charge of military detainees suspected of terrorism said in an interview this week that he was dismayed that lawyers at many of the nation’s top firms were representing prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and that the firms’ corporate clients should consider ending their business ties.

Yeah because it's way un-American to give people fair trials.

The comments by Charles D. Stimson, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs, produced an instant torrent of anger from lawyers, legal ethics specialists and bar association officials, who said Friday that his comments were repellent and displayed an ignorance of the duties of lawyers to represent people in legal trouble.

She seems shocked, apparently she doesn't know too many wingnuts.

The same point appeared Friday on the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal, where Robert L. Pollock, a member of the newspaper’s editorial board, cited the list of law firms...

We're blacklisting people again. This time though it's for acting in the belief that as Americans, we actually want to see justice, not just make it a talking point.

...and quoted an unnamed “senior U.S. official” as saying, “Corporate C.E.O.’s seeing this should ask firms to choose between lucrative retainers and representing terrorists.”

If they're terrorists, then why not just give them a fair trial where that can be easily proven?
Oh..

In his radio interview, Mr. Stimson said: “I think the news story that you’re really going to start seeing in the next couple of weeks is this: As a result of a FOIA request through a major news organization, somebody asked, ‘Who are the lawyers around this country representing detainees down there?’ and you know what, it’s shocking.” The F.O.I.A. reference was to a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by Monica Crowley, a conservative syndicated talk show host, asking for the names of all the lawyers and law firms representing Guantánamo detainees in federal court cases.

Ah yes, count on wingnut radio to try an undermine one of the most basic principles of American justice.

Karen J. Mathis, a Denver lawyer who is president of the American Bar Association, said: “Lawyers represent people in criminal cases to fulfill a core American value: the treatment of all people equally before the law. To impugn those who are doing this critical work — and doing it on a volunteer basis — is deeply offensive to members of the legal profession, and we hope to all Americans.”

What does the White House and/or Pentagon think of this?

Neither the White House nor the Pentagon had any official comment, but officials sought to distance themselves from Mr. Stimson’s view. His comments “do not represent the views of the Defense Department or the thinking of its leadership,” a senior Pentagon official said.

Yeah right

He would not allow his name to be used, seemingly to lessen the force of his rebuke.

Actually, it's to keep from getting thrown into Gitmo himself.

When asked in the radio interview who was paying for the legal representation, Mr. Stimson replied: “It’s not clear, is it? Some will maintain that they are doing it out of the goodness of their heart, that they’re doing it pro bono, and I suspect they are; others are receiving moneys from who knows where, and I’d be curious to have them explain that.”

If he's so curious about money trails maybe he should start at the White House and ask the Bush family how much money they've received from the Bin Ladens over the years.

Lawyers expressed outrage at that, asserting that they are not being paid and that Mr. Stimson had tried to suggest they were by innuendo. Of the approximately 500 lawyers coordinated by the Center for Constitutional Rights, no one is being paid, Mr. Ratner said. One Washington law firm, Shearman & Sterling, which has represented Kuwaiti detainees, has received money from the families of the prisoners, but Thomas Wilner, a lawyer there, said they had donated all of it to charities related to the September 2001 terrorist attacks.

A wingnut, wrong again?

Inconceivable!

And you thought Michelle Malkin was dumb.

2007-01-12T19:36:00.000-05:00

While she pretends to be doing something in Iraq, her guest posters step in to make her appear sane (of course not really).

First this guy plays architectural historian:

The Athens embassy, which started operating in 1960, was designed by famous architect Walter Gropius, which is supposed to resemble the nearby Parthenon and which evokes "transparency" with its large glass walls.

Reeks of plagiarism to me.

It was confusing though to think of a wingnut actually paying some respect to artistry of architecture (rather than accusing it of being a secret Islamic batsignal)

Don't worry, the Mankin comes around:

One of the basic functions of good architecture is defense.

Actually that depends on the intended use of the structure. This building was designed as an embassy - where diplomats work, you know diplomats, diplomacy - any of you wingnuts know what that word means?.

Oh right, nevermind

Today, trendy "modern" design failed in that function.

How fitting for a wingnut to degrade the work of one of the most important architects of the 20th century to something out of the latest Abercrombie catalog.

And because wingnuts are stupid AND pompous, he makes sure to call the structure a failure.

The Gropius building, however important from the standpoint of architectural history, placed the symbolism of transparency over the substance of protection.

Gropius' liberal use of windows does not take into account the Islamofacist threat we face today.

No one wants brutal, ominous citadels symbolizing America abroad. But they all are targets and we can't afford to pretend otherwise.

Apparently we also can't afford to make people stop hating us too. Instead of thinking, "hmmm, just 50 years ago, nobody would think America could be so hated around the world that an embassy in Greece would be a target - maybe we should work on our image," a wingnut will just shrug off hatred of America as jealousy (yes, apparently even people living on the Greek Isles are jealous of America) and demand we insulate and segregate ourselves further.

The most telling thing about the story? The bombers weren't Muslims, so put aside the shrieking hysteria and inane platitudes we've come to expect from this crowd, the bombing of an embassy by westerners warrants a discussion on architecture. I repeat, a wingnut trying to discuss art. Oh the humanity!

Michelle also has Mary Catherine Ham posting. I don't think I need to elaborate any further.

I know he has too much class

2007-01-01T14:48:00.002-05:00

But I would love to see Keith Ellison beat the shit out of Vernon Goode on the floor of the House - now that would be some good CSPAN.

Of course Ellison, in his typically classy way, chooses to be above the fray (and scumbags like Goode) with this, very under-reported reply:

Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, said Thursday that Goode and others had nothing to fear about Muslims. "They are our nurses, doctors, husbands, wives, kids, who just want to live and prosper in the American way."
Asked whether he thought Goode was a bigot, Ellison said, "I don't know the fellow, and I'd rather just say that he has a lot to learn about Islam. ... I don't want to start any name-calling."

All you need to know about the state of the Bush admin and the Republican party can be known by the amount of invective directed at minorities and immigrants. The more they lose, the worse they behave. It's only a matter of time before they are too much of an embarrasment to let out into public.

Apparantly, most of Goode's constituents agree with him. CNN doesn't seem to think there is anything wrong with that, frequently making excuses for their intolerance and ignorance, but I think it's just another reason to let the South go.

Update:

On his first day in Congress, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota, the first Muslim elected to Congress, finally met the Republican who criticized him for his decision to use the Koran at his ceremonial swearing in.

Ellison asked another Democratic member to introduce him to Rep Virgil Goode, R-Virgina, who spoke out against Ellison in a letter to constituents last month. Ellison told CNN that he approached Goode on the House floor and the brief meeting went well.

"I shook his hand and shook mine. We greeted each other." Ellison asked Goode to grab a cup of coffee with him soon and Goode accepted.

Asked if he was felt singled out as the first Muslim member, Ellison said no and added, "By reaching out to Congressman Goode I'm not trying to be accepted, I'm trying to build bridges. In this world there are too many misunderstandings. I want to put a human face on things."

via Liberty Street

Yep, way more class than Goode deserves.

You know what it means when he repeats things...

2007-01-01T14:48:00.000-05:00

He's catapulting the propaganda.

El Presidente Morono:

Today, Saddam Hussein was executed after receiving a fair trial -- the kind of justice he denied the victims of his brutal regime. Fair trials were unimaginable under Saddam Hussein's tyrannical rule. It is a testament to the Iraqi people's resolve to move forward after decades of oppression that, despite his terrible crimes against his own people, Saddam Hussein received a fair trial. This would not have been possible without the Iraqi people's determination to create a society governed by the rule of law.

i.e., His trial was a joke and they hanged the POS before he could rat out Ronnie, Rummy and the rest.

Words mean things?

2006-08-16T18:24:00.000-04:00

The worst part of Senator Allen's wanton racism and filthy comments towards an American of Indian decent is not that he hides his vinegary corpse behind PR flacks who keep trying to come up with the word he really meant to say. It's not that he obviously knows what "Macaca" means because his mother is French. It's not that he hasn't already shown signs of being a white supremecist or using such phrases to appeal to white suprmecists and those too cowardly to identify a such. It's not that major media doesn't care. I think the worst part is that he used the phrase "Welcome to America" to a fucking American because he had darker skin than him. This should serve notice to EVERY non white person in this country that the Republican party and the slimy right-wing cheerleaders who support these people do not think of us as Americans. Got that? Good.

2006-08-02T17:21:00.000-04:00

Why is it that people who post images like this:

are the first to bitch about how they are unfairly persecuted for being war mongers?

Pammykins - either you're for the cowardly slaughter of inncent kids from the skies above, both Lebanese and Israelis, or you're not.

Gaza forgotten? Business as usual. Media still licks Bush (and not in the good way)

2006-07-26T22:11:00.000-04:00

23 Palestinians killed in IDF raids in the northern Gaza Strip

I think it's sort of shocking to those of us who actually think there are 2 sides to every conflict that news coverage of the recent events in Lebabnon and Israel actually are somewhat balanced.

Sure there is the usual blathering from the usual susupects, AIPAC and the spineless Dems they own, on how Lebanon supports the terrorists and how the bombing of a UN post was an accident despite the UN asking them to stop bombing them 10 or 20 times and how Israel regrets every dead Lebanese child while Hezbollah celebrates every dead Israeli child. But for the most part, the coverage has been sort of fair (in the same way that we would all love to see $2.50 gasoline).

But how come the Palestinians can't get attention from American media? Sure they aren't as good looking as the Lebanese, and less Christian, but do they really deserve complete media blackout in the U.S.?

The media is allowed to cover the Lebanese plight because the Bush admin used the Lebanese situation last year as an example of their democracy spreading. So note to the Palestinians - if you do what the Bush administration wants, the media will give a shit about your deaths too!

Isn't it sad that despite being less popular that genital warts, the media still begs for the administration's permission?

Republicans treat American public like 10 dollar hookers. . .again!

2006-04-27T18:30:00.000-04:00

Ok well maybe not $10, more like $100 - don't you feel special?

Senators to push for $100 gas rebate checks

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Most American taxpayers would get $100 rebate checks to offset the pain of higher pump prices for gasoline, under an amendment Senate Republicans hope to bring to a vote Thursday.

What's the catch?

However, the GOP energy package may face tough sledding because it also includes a controversial proposal to open part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil exploration

Of course. Congratulations America, the people you voted into office think you can be bought for $100 bucks.

And does anyone remember way back before the Earth changed on 9-11-01 when President buy-my-love sent everyone $3-500 smackers because having a surplus of cash was such a bad thing?

How did that turn out?

The Outstanding Public Debt as of 27 Apr 2006 at 10:32:26 PM GMT is:

I don't even know what that number is.

And where is the golden goose crapping out all this money? The city of New Orleans is running out of rebuilding money (all the better for private investors to come in and steal public lands for nothing) and the war in Iraq costs about a billion a month or something and this is thier big idea to help us out?

Sorry senators, buying off the American people with a few bucks so your oil executive buddies can continue to make the highest profits ever recorded isn't going to work. Shit your base of half-ton pickup truck with gunracks drivers will barely be able to get a tank and half out of your c-note.

People will buy that about as much as the crazy Wall Street Journal lady (not Peggy Noonan, another one) on Jon Stewart's show last night that tried to tell people the high price of oil was due to ethanol!

What's next for the WSJ - Hybrids most popular vehicle for child molesters?

At what point do we get to say "Who cares?"

2006-04-26T21:28:00.000-04:00

Over at Gilliard's blog I stumbled upon another story in the same vein as the Danish Cartoon controversy - sort of.

Faculty members and administrators at Nova Southeastern University, in Davie, Fla., got more than they bargained for when they invited author Salman Rushdie to give this year’s commencement speech at the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences on May 7. They got controversy. Some student members of the International Muslim Association are protesting the invitation, presumably because they agree with those who regard Mr. Rushdie’s 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses” as a blasphemy against Islam and the Prophet Mohammed. (It’s the Danish cartoons all over again, only this time with an additional twist provided by the literary quality of the offending document.)

Like usual, Gilliard does a rational, intelligent analysis of the facts and explains how this situation is not like cartoon issue.

This isn't the same as the Danish cartoons for a couple of reasons. The first was that Rushie's "crime" was offending the Iranians, who had no possible justification to punish the British subject.

The cartoons was a direct insult from Danes to other Danes of another religion. It was designed to denigrate them. Most American papers treated them a culturally offensive and wouldn't run them, as they wouldn't for any other religion

Rushdie was not denigrating Islam. Also, no one sent hit teams to kill the cartoonists, most people simply protested, some rioted and died. Rushie's life was in real, verifiable danger and most importantly, state sanctioned. That is a world of difference than some ginned up mobs. The Iranian state wanted him dead, a person they had no control or contact over. It's called terrorism.

To think in 2006, people could be offended by him speaking is sad. But so what. Don't fucking go.

His partner Jen makes some typically ridiculous statements based on her typical knee-jerk reaction to what she refers to as "extremists" but what she actually means to say is "Muslims" (despite her ridiculous protests to the contrary).

Gilly, you have it wrong. The SAME sorts of people with the SAME interests and SAME insane sense of intolerance called for (and where necessary fabricated the materials) for both the Danish riots and the fatwah against Rushdie.

You can't pander to extremists, period.

. . .

I'll say it again: If your religion preaches the destruction of nonbelievers and nontheocratic systems of government, please stay the fuck out of Western civilization. Strawmen to the contrary be damned.

As of yet I've never heard her comment on, let alone get hysterical on every mention of, war criminals like Ariel Sharon, George Bush and countless other radicals that are born and bred in "Western civilization" but I'll leave it to you to decide what she really means when she criticizes "extremists."

But here's the real problem. So some students don't want to hear Rushdie because they believe he insulted their religion? So fucking what? That doesn't make them radicals. In my opinion they are stupid and should stay in school longer, but I think that about many religious people (though not most). But that doesn't make them radicals or terrorists or even a threat to democracy or free speech. Every time someone gets upset about something, there doesn't need to be news articles and blog posts and hand wringing and expletive laced comments made about it.

You think they shouldn't care about who speaks at their graduation? Fine, but I know I sure as hell wouldn't go to my graduation if Ann Coulter had been the key note speaker and she's an author too. Hell, George Bush was the keynote at Ohio State a couple of years ago and if I graduated that quarter I wouldn't have gone because of him either. That doesn't make me a radical or a hater of free speech, it just means I don't want to listen to someone I think is an asshole speak for an hour on a day I'm supposed to enjoy. Yeah the students may have "protested" the choice a little (there were no riots that I'm aware of) but they should be able to do that too, even if you think that makes them assholes. Lots of people protest stuff and look like assholes - that doesn't mean they shouldn't do it. Here's what people shouldn't do - they shouldn't pretend their not bigots when it's pretty obvious to anyone who can read critically that they are. Jen, you're a bigot just like Charlesmalkinschlusseljohnson and just because you hitch yourself to a liberal blog written by a black man doesn't mean you're not.

Consequences, Schmonsequences

2006-04-19T17:44:00.000-04:00

Scotty stepped down today after a long and sweaty journey.

The exchange was eerily similar to Looney Tunes: Back in Action:

~~Kate Houghton~~ Karl Rove: I need you to eject this duck.
~~DJ Drake~~ George Bush: Lady, this is ~~Daffy Duck~~ Scooter McDuck.
~~Kate Houghton~~ Rove: Not anymore; we own the name.
~~Daffy Duck~~ Scooter McDuck: Oh yeah? Well, you can't stop ME from calling myself D-(gasp)... D-(gasp)... well, whatayaknow.

Rest in Peace

2006-04-13T18:01:00.000-04:00

A great American died today.

American social activist Reverend William Sloane Coffin, known for for his fight against segregation and the Vietnam War, has died at the age of 81.

The major "news" outlets are too busy covering the shocking stories of a terrorist who wants to kill people and a blond girl who probably got stoned and walked into the ocean months ago, but the rest of us will take a moment to reflect on a life well served.

Yes I really am that bitter.

Gee, a terrorist wants to kill people?

2006-04-13T17:56:00.000-04:00

What's this world coming to?

This bit of sarcasm is brought to you by the folks at cnn who have been hanging on Zacarias Moussaoui's every word today.

Earlier it was BREAKING NEWS! Mousaoui wants to kill Americans!

No Shit?

Next up, a hard hitting story on how the sky is blue. Followed by an update on the Natalie Holloway case — she's still missing.

Iraq pt. II

2006-04-12T21:31:00.000-04:00

They aren't even going to bother changing the script even a little bit.

Iran Could Produce Nuclear Bomb in 16 Days, U.S. Says (Update1)

Of course the good news for the administration is that at least Iran admits it's enriching Uranium, unlike Saddam who was slightly more honest than Resident Evil when it comes to WMD.

From the Mailbox

2006-04-05T18:28:00.000-04:00

Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld are flying on the Air Force One to a gathering in San Francisco when Bush turns to Cheney and says, chuckling, "You know, I could throw a $1000 bill out the window right now and make someone very happy."

Cheney shrugs and replies, "Well, I could throw ten $100 bills out the window and make ten people Happy."

Not to be outdone, Rumsfeld says, "Well I could throw a hundred $10 bills out the window and make a hundred people happy." The pilot rolls his eyes and says to his co-pilot, "Such arrogant asses back there. Hell, I could throw all three of them out the window and make 132 million people happy."

I know, you saw it coming, me too.

Outrageous

2006-04-05T18:05:00.000-04:00

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military on Wednesday called a video posted on the Internet purportedly showing the dragging of a U.S. flier's remains from a downed copter's wreckage "despicable."

We are outraged that anyone would create and publish such a despicable video for public exposure," military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington said in a statement. "The terrorists continue to demonstrate their immoral disregard for human dignity and life."

Yeah whatever.

Let's see, how did this shit start?

and then we had some of this

and about 150,000 of these

Oh yes - what they did to those soldiers was reprehensible and rotten. But Jonathan Withington and the U.S. Military ought to start taking a long hard look at why they are there in the first place.

Pantsload Syndrome

2006-04-02T22:23:00.000-04:00

Jonah then:

But Jill Carroll is increasingly starting to bug me. The details are still murky and it's hard to appreciate what she's been through. And maybe JPod's right about Stockholm syndrome.

Think Progress then called out Jonah on his obtuseness and he, predictably, squealed like a stuck piglet.

But come on. Does anyone in their right mind think that Think Progress would be rallying to this woman's side if she emerged from her captivity saying George W. Bush was right and the people who kidnapped her were terrorist animals? Please. They'd be prattling on about how she lost her mind.

Jill Carroll after being safe and sound away from her kidnappers:

"During my last night in captivity, my captors forced me to participate in a propaganda video," she wrote. "They told me they would let me go if I cooperated. I was living in a threatening environment, under their control, and wanted to go home alive. I agreed.

"Things that I was forced to say while captive are now being taken by some as an accurate reflection of my personal views. They are not."

She even lambasted her captors, who allegedly killed her interpreter, Alan Enwiya, when they abducted her in western Baghdad in January.

Jonah's ridiculous strawman just turned into real boy - would Think Progress suddenly turn on Jill Carroll like he predicted they would?

Of course not.

But could Jonah possibly rise above his own mendacious filthiness?

Of course not.

The same name-calling screachers who insisted that I was an ass for not taking everything Jill Carroll said at face value, are now emailing me to call me an ass because it now looks like I was right to be skeptical. They insist I should apologize for "judging" her. This strikes me as absurd. If you go back and read what I've posted, I said that Carroll's statements didn't scan.

Sure Jonah, you and your colleagues just made her out to be a mental patient - you meant no ill will at all. You were just concerned for her well-being. The fact that she didn't verbally felate the President and scream about Islamo-facists while still in the kidnappers custody had nothing to do with you, J-Pod, and KJ getting apoplectic about a woman who was just freed after 3 months in captivity.

And just to really drive home the point that he's a bland and caviling shithead:

In all sincereity: good for her. I take Carroll at her word and hope nothing but the best for her. I'm sure it was a terrible ordeal and I think, barring some major revelation, this should put an end to the criticism of her. Leave her be. I'm sorry for suggesting that she might have believed what she said. I hope there will be some apologies coming from those who did believe what she said.

Speaking of mental cases, Jonah needs to look up projection:

"A defense mechanism in which the individual attributes to other people impulses and traits that he himself has but cannot accept. It is especially likely to occur when the person lacks insight into his own impulses and traits."

2006-04-02T22:17:00.000-04:00

Jill Carroll Released

2006-03-30T10:29:00.000-05:00

WaPo

BAGHDAD, March 30 -- American journalist Jill Carroll, abducted in early January by gunmen in Baghdad, was released to a Sunni Arab political party in the capital Thursday morning after 82 days in captivity.

"I was treated very well. That's important for people to know," she said in an interview with an Arabic-speaking questioner at the headquarters of the Iraqi Islamic Party. "They never hit me, they never even threatened to hit me. I'm just happy to be free, and I want to be with my family."

The usual whiners can add this to their list of the good news that never gets reported from Iraq.

Low Tide

2006-03-29T15:54:00.000-05:00

A commenter on Steve Gilliard's blog directed me to Michelle Malkin's sewer to see pictures of seething immigrant rage and unprovoked anti-Americanism.

Well there was one picture of a Mexican flag above an upside down American flag. Let's ignore the fact that an unpside down American flag means distress and let's imagine that the it was meant to carry some anti-American connotation. The flag was hung by high school students and it is ONE FUCKING IMAGE of a few people's actions out hundreds of thousands of marchers and protestors. The rest of the pictures show people at a rally, some holding foreign flags, others with American flags (carried respectfully). I guess carrying flags of other countries is un-American so want to help Michelle be as vigilant in denigrating ungrateful people like these haters on St. Patricks day.

And check out this Islamofacist waving his Italian flag on Columbus day.

Apparantly, Michelle sees a few assholes out of a crowd of 500K and decide that's what most of the people were really like (but remember - she's not a racist, even if she argues in favor of Japanese internment and racial profiling). I wonder how much she would appreciate it if other people based their perceptions of Americans based on the actions of a few people.

Uh, bad example.

Anyhow, it's getting a bit ugly watching people slag the very people they use, both here and abroad, to have one of the highest standards of living in the world.

How long until we start tagging immigrants and shipping them off in cattle cars? Diane Feinstien and others are ready to grant legal status to farm workers! Gee Senators, sorry about that whole 13th amendmentthing, but Pedro here will pick your cotton.

If they really cared about immigration issues they would stop whining about immigrants using our health care system or sending their kids to school and take issue with the people here who hire them. But of course it's much easier to pick on the new guy.

The Minutemen, Lou Dobbs, Tancreepo - all chickshit xenophobes too frightened to actually admit they're the neo-nazis of our day. Blaming all the problems of our country on the people with the least amount of influence - how sad, but how familiar.

My brief comment on illegal immigration

2006-03-29T15:46:00.000-05:00

Americans can't face the fact that they fucked their own country by voting for the same monkey twice so now's a good time to pull out the immigrant bashing stick.

Lou Dobbs has been blathering on like this for years. No responsibility for insane fiscal policy - it's all about the greedy forners coming here to steal our lucrative grape picking and toilet scrubbing jobs.

Quasi-human Minutemen write a few letters, get blown off by the people they voted into office, then decide they need to play war buddy for a few days.

Americans need to address far more important problems than illegal immigration. We can start by changing foreign policy initiatives that effectively bankrupt South American countries.

Confederacy of Dunces

2006-03-27T17:30:00.000-05:00

US rebuffs Bin Laden 'truce call'

Osama Bin Laden:

"We do not mind offering you a truce that is fair and long-term... so we can build Iraq and Afghanistan... there is no shame in this solution because it prevents wasting of billions of dollars.

I admit, not the most trustworthy source. Of course this guy isn't much better:

US Vice-President Dick Cheney rejected an apparent offer of a "long-term truce", describing it as a "ploy".

First of all, does anyone still give a fuck about what Dick Cheney thinks?

Speaking on the Fox News TV network, Mr Cheney said it was too early to draw firm conclusions about the tape, but added that al-Qaeda was "unlikely" ever to sit down and sign a truce.

"I think you have to destroy them. It's the only way with them," the vice-president said.

And we're doing an awesome job of it. Granted it is sort of hard when everything you do seems to send more and more people into the waiting arms of the very people you're fighting.

On Fox News, Mr Cheney said: "Obviously no-one can guarantee that we won't be hit again. But our nation has been protected by more than luck."

Barely. Nothing this administration has done has protected anyone in anyway. In fact it's the exact opposite. That Al Queda hasn't reaped mass havoc on this country with Bushco in charge is either a testament to Al Queda's incompetence or laziness.

Or maybe it's something else

The speaker on the tape said the reason there had not been an attack in the US since 11 September 2001 was not because of superior US security, but because the group had been engaged in activities in Iraq

Hey they should put Bin on the payroll (as if he's not already) and trot him out to make the talking head rounds because he's really pulling the administrations "we fight them there so we don't have to fight them here" line. They work so well together. Remember when they trotted him out to make his Michael Moore style speech right before the election? Terrorist mastermind/RNC schill - good work if you can get it.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan quickly dismissed the truce offer saying: "We do not negotiate with terrorists. We put them out of business".

God it's hilarious when pudgy duckmen try to talk tough.

The west frequently negotiates with "terrorists" and other assorted troublemakers with successfull results. To dismiss any peace talks out of hand is an act of perfidy and pride at the expense of innocent people.

The whole "we don't negotiate with terrorists" thing is nearsighted and imbecilic. We no longer have any moral high ground to decide who terrorists are. We use first strike, pre-emptive violence (against civilians) as much as any terrorist does to assert power, gain control and effect political change. But what this really comes down to is that the neo-con agenda won't allow for negotiatoins with terrorists because peace isn't part of their plan and they will never have another an enemy this well suited for their Straussian fantasy world. The negotiations have already taken place and Bin Laden is their man. They aren't letting him go anywhere.

The Agony and Apostasy

2006-03-24T17:16:00.000-05:00

It's good that this story is getting so much attention:

KABUL, Afghanistan, March 24 — Afghan clerics used Friday Prayers at mosques across the capital to call for death for an Afghan man who converted to Christianity, despite widespread protest in the West.

Granted, if this guy hadn't converted to Christianity, and was going to be executed for say, being gay, it's doubtful it would have received much attention at all. Ok, it's not actually doubtful, it's certain not to have received any attention whatsoever unless Iran is involved, in which case you can be sure that the neo-con hawks and their dippy cheerleaders will be ~~using it to promote their agenda~~ all over it.

Now beyond the Christian aspect is the obvious P.R. issue for an Administration who frequently boasts of bringing freedom to the previously archaic Afghanistan. That their first democratic experiment is producing, well, no less barbaric results is somewhat embarrasing.

But to be fair to the administration, this isn't their fault. These allegedly moderate religious leaders make Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell (two men who also repeatedly call for executions and mass murder, by the way) look like hippies.

Check out this asshole:

Dr. Mohammad Ayaz Niyazi, an Egyptian educated in Islamic law, who attended one of the gatherings today, said, "There have been serial attacks on the Islamic world recently, starting with insulting the Holy Quran, insulting the prophet of Islam, and now converting to Christianity by an Afghan."

You know, I can understand the outrage over the Koran toilet thing because it happened during a war and was a larger symbol of western imperialism and cultural hegemony. I can understand the cartoons because it was a blatant attempt to smear an entire religion under the guise of an intellectual argument. But when one (1) guy converting to another religion shakes the foundation of your beliefs, your religion sucks and you should kill yourself for being such an unbelievable bane on humanity.

Condi's spinning her ass off being in the unenviable position of trying to stop a highly publicized human rights offense while still respecting the soveriegnty of the new country they just helped create. Now I know the though Afghani sovereignty is a joke and the U.S. caring about their autonomy even more laughable, but the fact is that it is important for Afghanistan to have the illusion of independance, even if its not accurate. To be too heavy handed in these cases reinforces the accurate perception that when we spread democracy what we really mean is we're making you our puppet. Yes the problem is the way we spread democracy and not the issues we choose to flex our muscles over, but its too late to debate that in this case - damage done, time for someone else to clean up the mess.

It's too bad Condi and the rest of the administration can't get off their asses a little more frequently to speak about the myriad of human rights violations, many which they support and helped create.

more to come...

Great News

2006-03-23T08:10:00.000-05:00

Peace group hostages freed in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. and British forces have freed three Christian aid workers held hostage in Iraq, ending a four-month ordeal in which an American captive was found dead on a Baghdad street.

No shots were fired and no captors were present when the hostages -- Briton Norman Kember, 74 and Canadians James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32 -- were freed early Thursday, officials said.

I would have liked to post without comment, but you know this is going to ruffle the usual chickhawk feathers:

Christian Peacemaker Teams posted a statement on its Web site expressing joy in the hostages' release but also criticizing the U.S.-led operation in Iraq.

"We believe that the illegal occupation of Iraq by Multinational Forces is the root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and suffering in Iraq," the statement said. "The occupation must end.

"Harmeet, Jim and Norman and Tom were in Iraq to learn of the struggles facing the people in that country. They went, motivated by a passion for justice and peace to live out a nonviolent alternative in a nation wracked by armed conflict.

LGF hasn't mentioned this yet, he's still too busy reporting on the Danish Cartoon controversy (yes, still).

Michelle Malkin didn't waste any time before showing her indignance over the hostages beliefs. Er, well at least copying and pasting the indignance of one of her readers.

Not once do they thank or even reference the fact that a Special Forces team rescued these guys. In fact, the only reference to military at all is blaming them for the kidnapping in the first place. Nice!

Also on their home page is a long statement about how terribly treated terrorists are when detained by evil soldiers.

While I agree that the soldiers did a great thing by finding these guys, the fact is that this is another example of right wing jackasses trying to wash their hands of any responsibility for the cluster-fuck they helped to create.

I'm sure the Pentagon is pissed because the story reports that there were no captors present and no shots fired which means they can't spin this into some epic, Jessica Lynch style struggle for freedom. Combined with the lack of hero worship for their brave rescuers I can't see this getting much attention at all other than giving troglodytes like Michelle something else to get churlish about.

The good news is that these brave men, and yes right wing fucks, going into a war zone unarmed to help the people being brutally invaded (not liberated) is brave (see also Marla Ruzicka), are free to continue their work.

Things That Will Never Happen

2006-03-22T09:13:00.000-05:00

Grow Your Own Oil, U.S.

Researchers hoping to ease America's oil addiction are turning sawdust and wood chips into bio-oil, a thick black liquid that could become a green substitute for many petroleum products.

Great idea, we should get started on this right away!

Yeah Right