Mad Cows And Idiot Presidents

And they're both named Bush.

I'm from Texas (They're not); therefore, news that BushCo kept at least one case of Texas Mad Cow Disease under wraps really stinks to high heaven!

Second Case of Mad Cow Traced to Texas

WASHINGTON - The second U.S. case of mad cow disease was a cow from Texas killed last November, two government officials said Wednesday.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Agriculture Department planned an announcement later, said USDA officials traced the infected cow to a rendering plant for animals unfit for human consumption.

The Agriculture Department confirmed the case on Friday but had to wait for DNA analysis to confirm the cow's origin. Tracing the cow proved difficult the animal's breed was mislabeled and its tissues got mixed with parts from other cows. It was killed at a pet food plant.

Officials suspected last November that the cow was infected because initial screening had indicated the presence of the disease. LINK

Now you know just how much the people, pets, and livestock in Texas really mean to the Bushes.

I don't give a Good Gawd Damn if said ca-ow (Texas requires 'cow' to be two syllables) was scheduled for Alpo cans or not, I'm having one over this sorry-assed cover up!

The next time a Bush tells you to look up, you'd better look down.

Gawd Damn Son-Of-A-Barbara!

Addiction Has Many Faces

I'm adding this link to my sidebar's "Kill Some Time" section.

Warning!
This site is seriously addicting!

Hint: When she gets stuck, drop & drag her out of the crevices.


The Physics Of Falling
(tetka.swf)

I warned you!

Now, get back to work, damn it!

One Word Answer

From CNN...

Which word best describes President Bush's speech?


Reassuring

15%


Uplifting

7%


Worrying

79%

Read the speech.

George W. Speaks Tonight

The incomparable Radical Fringe has found a draft of tonight's pResidential LIE FEST address to the nation on the war in Iraq...

The Tit Of Justice Returns!

Remember when John A$$KKKroft installed $8000 worth of blue drapes to cover that "offensive" statue (The Spirit Of Justice) with the gigantic aluminum tit?

It's BAAAAAACK!

John A$$KKKroft, 2002
(It's a wonder he could concentrate
on the lies, what with that
giant tit taunting him!)

Drapes removed from Justice Department statue

WASHINGTON (AP) — With barely a word about it, workers at the Justice Department Friday removed the blue drapes that have famously covered two scantily clad statues for the past 3 1/2 years. LINK

Now, all we need is someone to remove the blinders from Republican wingnut BushCo supporters.

That would really be something to celebrate.

Today's Sermon: 18.7%

That's the percentage of Americans who actually attend church regularly.

Did you attend church last Sunday?

Hell, yes! Of course you did!

Even if you really didn't.

In survey after survey, 38-44% of American Christians claim to attend church regularly.

National Opinion Research Center: 38%;

Institute for Social Research’s World Values: 44%;

Barna: 41%;

National Election Studies: 40%;

Gallup: 41%

But what about Stanley Presser's “Data Collection Mode and Social Desirability Bias in Self-Reported Religious Attendance,” American Sociological Review (with L. Stinson)?

Comparing diaries with actual attendance, Presser and Stinson estimated that the actual percentage of Americans attending church was about 26%.

Presser's definitive study pointed out the differences in survey responses between the question asked by the the above listed survey groups ("Did you attend church last week?) and his question (What did you do last weekend?).

Hm.

Christians Lie?

Survey conductors know that respondents almost always offer the answer they believe the questioner wants to hear; therefore, when C. Kirk Hadaway and P.L. Marler studied individual counties in the US and Canada, they found that church attendance was about half the rate indicated by research polls. In fact, the actual number was 20%.

20%.

Identity Transformation.

As long as Christians believe that no one will check to see if they're lying, they'll lie to survey conductors every Gawd-forsaken time.

What does a growing gap between saying and doing mean? The issue is one of self-identity at a couple of levels. First, a "churched" identity, once established, seems remarkably resilient and long-lasting. Second, whereas "churched" behavior might be important for establishing such an identity, continued frequent attendance does not seem necessary for people to maintain it.

Meet Dave Olson!

Dave Olson, director of church planting (trans. new church start ups) for the Evangelical Covenant Church, surveyed only Christian churches (i.e., evangelical, mainline, and Catholic) and compared respondents' survey answers to their actual church attendance. The percentage of Americans regularly attending church is 18.7%.

18.7%

That's right. Olson actually checked the answers for truthfulness.

Sneaky?

Perhaps.

Eye opening?

Hell, yes!

THUS ENDETH TODAY'S SERMON.

Go forth and tell survey conductors the truth...




Or suffer the consequence when fascist fundies rule the schools, the workplaces, and the airwaves... and persecute your asses by falsely claiming that they're being persecuted.

I mean it, damn it!

Pistol Packin' Great-Granny

Jeezus Gawd Almighty!

4 shots to the head at close range because he broke up with her.

And she's out on bond?

Great-grandmother accused in shooting death granted bond

By BETH WARREN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/24/05

Great-grandmother Lena Driskell is charged with firing four shots into her boyfriend's head after he broke up with her, but a judge allowed her to walk out of jail after a hearing Friday.

Fulton prosecutor Jack Barrs had urged the judge to keep the 78-year-old woman behind bars because he fears she could still pose a threat. Police believe Driskell decided to kill Herman Winslow, 85, after he halted their yearlong romance and began dating someone else at their Atlanta retirement home.

Here's the really scary part...

Driskell kept her hand behind her back, concealing the gun, while the unarmed guard tried to get her to accept the breakup, the detective testified.

But Driskell walked over to the victim and fired as the horrified guard ran for cover and called 911.

The judge asked Driskell's attorney: "What's she doing with a gun in an old folks home?" LINK

Neil Sedaka was right!

Breaking up IS hard to do...



Random Grannies With Guns
(Google Image Search Results)
Especially if your current retirement home babe is packin' heat!

If You See This Guy On Your TV Set...

THANK THE DEMOCRATS!

By the way...

Eighty-seven Republicans joined 196 Democrats and the House's only independent in voting to restore the proposed cut, and 140 GOP members voted to sustain it. LINK

140 Republicans voted to "sustain" THE PROPOSED CUT.

What an asswipe way to describe it! This is what 140 Republicans voted to do...



Some of the more memorable Republican quotes:

"This (PBS) was created at a time we didn't have the huge variety of programming that is available today," said Rep. Ralph Regula, R-Ohio, chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that oversees public broadcasting's budget. "And we have limited amounts of money."

"Big Bird is a billionaire," she (Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla) said, referring to the marketing deals. She said the average income of public broadcasting viewers and listeners is $75,000. "This means affluent people are getting their news for free," she said.

HUH? It's obviously way past your medication time, Hyphen Lady!

What's that smell? Regula and Brown Hyphen Waite need a...



Big Bird is safe...

For the moment.

Republicans will try it again, though. When we least expect it.

Heavy, publicly broadcast sigh.

This Week's Backside Of The Bell CurveWinners!

Our Own
"We may be Nazis, but don't call us Nazis!"
Modern Mengeles
"Brought to you by BushCo, Inc."

Detainees prepare for arrival at
Guantanamo Bay's Lovely Camp Delta

Whatever happened to First Do No Harm?

Interrogators Cite Doctors' Aid at Guantánamo

By NEIL A. LEWIS

WASHINGTON, June 23 - Military doctors at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have aided interrogators in conducting and refining coercive interrogations of detainees, including providing advice on how to increase stress levels and exploit fears, according to new, detailed accounts given by former interrogators.

The accounts, in interviews with The New York Times, come as mental health professionals are debating whether psychiatrists and psychologists at the prison camp have violated professional ethics codes. The Pentagon and mental health professionals have been examining the ethical issues involved.

The former interrogators said the military doctors' role was to advise them and their fellow interrogators on ways of increasing psychological duress on detainees, sometimes by exploiting their fears, in the hopes of making them more cooperative and willing to provide information. In one example, interrogators were told that a detainee's medical files showed he had a severe phobia of the dark and suggested ways in which that could be manipulated to induce him to cooperate.

In addition, the authors of an article published by The New England Journal of Medicine this week said their interviews with doctors who helped devise and supervise the interrogation regimen at Guantánamo showed that the program was explicitly designed to increase fear and distress among detainees as a means to obtaining intelligence.

The accounts shed light on how interrogations were conducted and raise new questions about the boundaries of medical ethics in the nation's fight against terrorism.

Here's my favorite part...

Bryan Whitman, a senior Pentagon spokesman, declined to address the specifics in the accounts. But he suggested that the doctors advising interrogators were not covered by ethics strictures because they were not treating patients but rather were acting as behavioral scientists.

He said that while some health care personnel are responsible for "humane treatment of detainees," some medical professionals "may have other roles," like serving as behavioral scientists assessing the character of interrogation subjects. --snip--

Pentagon officials said in interviews that the practices at Guantánamo violated no ethics guidelines, and they disputed the conclusions of the medical journal's article, which was posted on the journal's Web site on Wednesday. NYTimes LINK

Nazis.

Fledgling Nazis.

A Nazi is as a Nazi does.

Nazis called dissenters traitors.

Nazis rounded up suspects and ignored due process.

Nazis tortured prisoners.

Nazis claimed that their actions were not only just, but vital.

Nazis were...

Nazis are...

Nazis.

I'm sure we'll hear the Nuremberg Defense cited...

"I was only following orders."

After all, the Abu Ghraib torturers have already used it.

I hope that we also hear (from The Nuremberg Charter)...

Article 8

The fact that the Defendant acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior shall not free him from responsibility, but may be considered in mitigation of punishment if the Tribunal determines that justice so requires.

If not, we won't be fledglings anymore, will we?

Pension = Deferred Salary, People!

In the world of work, health insurance and pension benefits aren't given freely by employers out of the goodness of their hearts. The costs of insurance and pensions are the workplace equivalent of Wimpy's famous promise, "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."

Ahem.

A "pension plan" or "retirement plan" is an arrangement by which an employer (for example, a corporation, labor union, government agency) provides income to its employees after retirement. Pension plans are a form of "deferred compensation" and became popular in the United States during World War II, when wage freezes prohibited outright increases in workers' pay. LINK

The promise of health insurance coverage (or a portion of the cost) and the availability of future retirement funds is the price American workers pay for accepting salaries that don't (for the most part) allow most workers to control their own destinies. Owing your soul to the company's metaphorical "store" isn't far-fetched, when the company controls your access to health care and your retirement options until the day you die.

So, when I read that companies are "freezing" or eliminating pensions altogether, I shudder to think why no one (I mean, NO ONE) mentions that benefits are actually deferred salary.

For example...

Study: More Companies Terminate Pensions

By ADAM GELLER
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Big employers sharply accelerated freezes and terminations of pension plans last year, steering away from the increasing expense and uncertainty of paying for workers' retirement, a new study says.

About 11 percent of the big companies offering traditional pensions terminated their plans or froze accrual of new benefits to workers, according to a study by consulting firm Watson Wyatt Worldwide, released Wednesday. That is up from 2003, when 7 percent of the nation's 1,000 largest companies capped pension plans.

That trend, long in the making, has continued into this year, most notably with UAL Corp.'s United Airlines defaulting on its severely underfunded pension plans. Whether it continues could hinge on how lawmakers resolve a number of difficult questions swirling around pensions, experts say.

About half of the companies that froze pension accruals or terminated plans last year are financially troubled businesses, the study found.

But even many healthy companies are rethinking pensions, partly because of the uncertain legal status of some pension plans. Many companies that, for years, were able to get by making minimal contributions to their pension plans are now faced with massive increases in required payments. Congress is debating whether to jack up the premiums companies pay the federal government to insure their pension plans.

That could lead even more companies to abandon pensions. LINK

Of course, "even many healthy companies are rethinking pensions." If you were a high-powered CEO, and you wanted to guarantee your own multi-million dollar salary and healthy, inflation-safe investment returns for your major stockholders, you'd be considering new & improved ways to screw your workers, too!

All you have to do is make sure that no one ever mentions that "pension" is just another word for "deferred salary." Keeping workers stupid and scared is "job one" for fat cats!

Truly heavy, 16 ton sigh.

You're A Mo-Fo!

You don't feel insulted, do you?

Of course not! Who in the world would feel insulted after being called a Mo-Fo?

Leave it to Texas Governor Rick Perry to explain that one for us.

Remember when he signed anti-gay marriage legislation in a church?

Well, this time he showed his true colors on TV...

Watch the video.

Buy the Tee Shirt.

Gov. Perry caught in embarrassing faux pas with open microphone

Gov. Perry admits he said something embarrassing while his microphone was still on, but he says it was not meant as an insult.

By Ted Oberg

We were trying to get the governor to give us details about his education plan. He's releasing it today, and he didn't want to give out details a day early.

"You'll have to wait until tomorrow. I hate to let you guys in on it and no one else," Gov. Perry insisted.

So we said goodbye, thank you and thought the interview was over.

"You're welcome," Gov. Perry signed off. "So long."

Our questions were not recorded on tape, but in saying goodbye I told the governor, "Try as I may, Governor, I guess I can't win this one."

Eleven seconds after he said goodbye, the camera crew was getting ready for the next interview with another station. That's when Gov. Perry repeated what he thought I'd said, and added a few words of his own with his microphone on and tape still rolling.

"Try as I may, Governor, I'm not going to wait that long," Gov. Perry said. "Adios, Mofo."

Those last words aren't exactly part of the seven dirty words, but it isn't something you want to say to your mother or use in good company. Tuesday morning, Governor Perry called me personally. He apologized and said his comment wasn't directed at us. LINK

From The Urban Dictionary...

1. mo-fo

short for mother-fucker

"damn ur mums a mo-fo!"

2. Mo-fo

The way a cockbite, or other wimpy-type person would say MOTHER FUCKER. See word motherfucker.

Get back here with my computer you mo-fo!

3. Mo-Fo

Short for mother fucker

You stupid Mo-Fo

And the final Jeopardy answer is...

The last time you called someone a Mo-Fo
without intending it as an insult.

(Cue the Jeopardy theme song!)

Time's up. Pens down.

When is Never, Alex?

Perry's explanation might work on Planet OH RIGHT SURE...

And in some parts of my home state, Texas...

But my mother sure as hell wouldn't like it!

Would yours?

Adventures In Drudging

Here's how Matt Drudge (The Sludge) faked the Clinton pic...



Here's how I did it:

Open the photo file in Photoshop.
Use the LASSO tool to cut out the pieces parts of images.
Use the ROTATE tool to adjust the pieces parts.
GROUP the pieces parts together.
ADJUST the color to GRAYSCALE.
ADJUST the CONTRAST to 40%.
Add matching FILL COLOR to the background.
Save the new image as a JPEG image & upload
to your website.

Even if the Drudged image looks plausible at first glance, look closer.

Look at the woman's right shoulder.

She'd have to be a contortion queen (or Linda Blair) to suck face at that angle.

Speaking of sucking...

Matt Drudge Sucks!

By the way, I created the Bolton Temp Job graphic (in the post below) in Photoshop.

Our (Temp) Man, Bolton

How pathetic!

Revoltin' John Bolton's only hope of becoming our ambassador to the United Nations is through a temporary presidential recess appointment.

Democrats Block Attempt to Confirm Bolton

By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Democrats blocked another attempt Monday by the Senate to confirm John Bolton to become U.N. ambassador, delivering a second-straight setback to President Bush even as he left the door open to temporarily installing Bolton on his own.

The Republican-run chamber fell six votes short of the 60 it needed to end Democratic delays that have prevented a roll call on confirming the tough-talking conservative. The vote was 54-38 in favor of ending the delays. LINK

The world hates John Bolton.

The reasons for that hatred are legion.

Leave it to a seriously unpopular president to damage our global standing even further by ramming the likes of John Bolton through the back door...

Even if it's only temporary.

Heavy sigh.

This Is A Test

This test has only one question.

Which of these two photos did Matt Drudge photoshop to make it look like former President Bill Clinton was secretly meeting a lover at night... in front of some random silver-haired passerby?


A.


Philadelphia Rally
October 27, 2004


B.



Pencils down.

Heavy sigh.

Saddam Likes Doritos!

You think I'm kidding?

It's the headline story right now on the MSNBC website.

Saddam guards describe his Doritos habit

Ex-leader hates Froot Loops, loves Raisin Bran

The Associated Press

NEW YORK - Thrust unexpectedly into the role of prison guards for Saddam Hussein, several young American soldiers found the deposed Iraqi leader to be a friendly, talkative “clean freak” who loved Raisin Bran for breakfast, could down a large bag of Doritos in 10 minutes and insisted he was still president of Iraq, the men said in an interview published Monday and in comments on NBC's "Today" show.

Slow news day?

Except for that crap about Porter Goss supposedly knowing where bin Laden is hiding, but we can't go after him because the US respects sovereignty.

I think I'll see what's on HBO.

Respect For Sovereign Nations?Since When?

Let me get this straight...

BushCo can't capture Bin Laden today because the US is concerned about respecting sovereign nations?

Didn't BushCo attack Afghanistan because Afghanistan was "harboring" the Dread Terrorist, bin Laden?

Ahem.

From the testimony of Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld...

In short order:

The Taliban regime was driven from power;

Al-Qaeda's sanctuary in Afghanistan was removed;

Nearly two-thirds of their known leaders have now been captured or killed;

Today a transitional government is in power in Afghanistan, which is transforming the country from a safe haven for terrorists to a coalition ally in the war against terrorism.

And a clear message was sent: henceforth there will be a price to pay for harboring terrorists.

From the New York Times...
(written by ** gag me** Richard Perle)

WASHINGTON -- Within hours of the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush said, "We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them." From that first statement, Mr. Bush shaped a grand strategy for the war on terrorism that is as transforming of American policy as was Ronald Reagan's pledge to consign an "evil empire" to the "ash heap of history." It breaks with the past by taking aim at states harboring terrorists as well as at terrorists themselves. It is why we have destroyed the Taliban regime in Afghanistan even as we hunt down Osama bin Laden himself. It is why the war against terrorism cannot be won if Saddam Hussein continues to rule Iraq.

So...

The justification for attacking Iraq was based on this "States that harbor terrorists" deal, which was the basis for attacking Afghanistan.

Got that, kids?

Fast forward to today...

Where is bin Laden hiding?

CIA chief Goss says he has "excellent idea"

NEW YORK - The director of the CIA says he has an "excellent idea" where Osama bin Laden is hiding, but that the United States' respect for sovereign nations makes it more difficult to capture the al-Qaida chief.

In an interview with Time for the magazine's June 27 issue, Porter Goss was asked about the progress of the hunt for bin Laden.

When you go to the question of dealing with sanctuaries in sovereign states, you're dealing with a problem of our sense of international obligation, fair play, Goss said. We have to find a way to work in a conventional world in unconventional ways. --snip--

Goss did not say where he thinks bin Laden is, nor did he specify what country or countries he was referring to when he spoke of foreign sanctuaries. LINK

And now, a message from BushCo...




Translation of the "sovereign states" crap...

Bin Laden is probably inside Pakistan.

Pakistan has probably denied BushCo access to roam freely inside its borders, and they've probably threatened retaliatory action against US forces if BushCo doesn't respect Pakistan's sovereignty.

Enough said.

Today's Sermon: Devil Babies & Crucified Nuns

Holy Shades of Loudun!

What's up with the Romanian Orthodox Church?

First, some random nuns label a newborn "the work of Satan."

Later, a totally whacked priest (aided by some more random nuns) exorcises a young nun, gags her, and crucifies her.

Yes, crucifixion.

Yes, this is the year 2005 in the Common Era.

Your child is the work of the devil, Church tells world's oldest mother

By Monica Petrescu in Bucharest
(Filed: 12/06/2005)

She looked wan and weary and needed the physical support of two friends as she stood for the hour-long service, enduring the words of the nuns who told her that giving birth at the age of 66 was the "work of Satan".

Adriana Iliescu, who became the world's oldest mother in January after fertility treatment, drew the wrath of critics as her baby daughter, Eliza, was baptised into the Romanian Orthodox church last week. The private ceremony took place at the Convent of the Archangels Mihail and Gavril, just outside the capital, Bucharest.

Adriana Iliescu became a mother at the age of 66

A spokesman for the convent said: "We could not refuse to baptise this child - she needs to be baptised and it is the duty of the Church. But what the mother did was Satan's work." --snip--

The retired university professor and author of children's books became pregnant last year using donor eggs and sperm after nine years of fertility treatment. LINK

So why are the nuns ragging on the new mom?

Ahem.

Mrs Iliescu says that Eliza doesn't need a father; nor does she herself need a man.

Get the picture?

As for that crucified nun...

Crucified nun dies in 'exorcism'

A Romanian nun has died after being bound to a cross, gagged and left alone for three days in a cold room in a convent, Romanian police have said.

Members of the convent in north-west Romania claim Maricica Irina Cornici was possessed and that the crucifixion had been part of an exorcism ritual.

Cornici was found dead on the cross on Wednesday after fellow nuns called an ambulance, according to police.

A priest and four nuns were charged with imprisonment leading to death. --snip--

Father Daniel who is accused of orchestrating the crime is said to be unrepentant.

"God has performed a miracle for her, finally Irina is delivered from evil," AFP quoted the priest as saying.

"I don't understand why journalists are making such a fuss about this. Exorcism is a common practise in the heart of the Romanian Orthodox church and my methods are not at all unknown to other priests," Father Daniel added. LINK

Father Daniel doesn't understand the fuss over this?

Confinement. Torture. Murder.

No big deal for the likes of Father Daniel.

My advice to women with epilepsy, schizophrenia, psoriasis and/or planned pregnancies...

Stay as far away from the Romanian Orthodox Church as humanly possible!

Those Orthodox Fascist Fundies have big-assed wooden crosses, and they know how to use them!

THUS ENDETH TODAY'S SERMON.

Go forth and learn as much as you can about the Romanian Orthodox Church.

There might be one in your state, in your town, even in your neighborhood.

And watch out for the Father Daniels of this world.

I mean it, damn it!

Coming Soon: Freepers Attack Tom Hanks!

Your scrivener predicts...





"Tom Hanks Is The Poster Child Of The Dreaded Liberal Hollywood Elite!"

"Tom Hanks Hates America!"

"Tom Hanks Hates You For Your Freedoms!"

"Tom Hanks Is French!"

Book And Movie Deal For Deepthroat

SAN FRANCISCO There's a book and movie deal for the life story of The Washington Post Watergate source known as "Deep Throat."

His publisher and agent says Mark Felt and his family have made a deal with PublicAffairs Books. The tentative title: "A G-man's Life: The FBI, Being `Deep Throat' And the Struggle for Honor in Washington." --snip--

The publisher also says Universal Pictures has optioned the story for a movie to be developed by Tom Hanks' production company.

Felt's agent says the story will expand "the picture of this man's life." LINK

Your scrivener also predicts...

If Tom Hanks stars in the "Deepthroat" movie, he'll make a friggin' fortune, he'll be nominated for another Academy Award, and the Fascist Fundie Freeper attacks on his patriotism will just make the film more successful.

Here's to you, Mr. Hanks!

Big Bird: Color Me...

... NOT Surprised!

Big Bird explains it all for you.

House panel cuts funding
for public television

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House Appropriations Committee approved a bill on Thursday that would cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by $100 million, or 25 percent, starting in October. --snip--

Regula's original bill would have eliminated funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 2008, but a Democratic amendment earmarked $400 million so that public broadcasting could use the money in the future. LINK

Newt Gingrich got his ass kicked royally (by millions of little kids) when he tried this in 1995.

It's time for another ass kicking, kids!

By the way, if you love "Sesame Street," thank the Democrats!

What? You Don't LoveThe Smell Of NapalmIn The Morning?

Remember this?




Why is it that anti-war protesters (worldwide) knew in 2003 that BushCo was dropping napalm on Iraqis, but the British government (BlairCo) didn't?

I'm not buying this piss poor "The US lied to us" crap, either. BlairCo knew exactly what BushCo was doing every step of the way.

Substitute the word BushCo for US in this news story...

US lied to Britain over use of napalm in Iraq war

By Colin Brown, Deputy Political Editor
17 June 2005

American officials lied to British ministers over the use of "internationally reviled" napalm-type firebombs in Iraq.

Yesterday's disclosure led to calls by MPs for a full statement to the Commons and opened ministers to allegations that they held back the facts until after the general election.

Despite persistent rumours of injuries among Iraqis consistent with the use of incendiary weapons such as napalm, Adam Ingram, the Defence minister, assured Labour MPs in January that US forces had not used a new generation of incendiary weapons, codenamed MK77, in Iraq.

But Mr Ingram admitted to the Labour MP Harry Cohen in a private letter obtained by The Independent that he had inadvertently misled Parliament because he had been misinformed by the US. "The US confirmed to my officials that they had not used MK77s in Iraq at any time and this was the basis of my response to you," he told Mr Cohen. "I regret to say that I have since discovered that this is not the case and must now correct the position." LINK

Ahem.

The United States officially destroyed its last container of napalm in a public ceremony in 1991, however it had reportedly been using napalm-like incendiaries in the 2003 invasion of Iraq (http://tinyurl.com/7wiu). In August 2003, the Pentagon confirmed the use of Mark 77 firebombs.

"We napalmed both those [bridge] approaches," said Colonel James Alles, commander of Marine Air Group 11. "Unfortunately there were people there ... you could see them in the cockpit video. They were Iraqi soldiers. It's no great way to die. The generals love napalm. It has a big psychological effect."

These bombs contain a substance "remarkably similar" to napalm. This substance is made with kerosene, a polystyrene derivative, and other additives. LINK

If you believe that BlairCo doesn't read every statement made by BushCo's Pentagon, there's nothing I can write to change your mind about the motives of the Grade A Asswipes in both governments.

Question everything.

And don't believe BlairCo's "The US lied" or BushCo's "British intelligence has learned that Saddam tried to buy yellowcake" crap, either.

This is not a grade school playground.

This is the very planet we inhabit.

Frankly, I love the smell of accountability in the morning.

This Week'sBackside Of The Bell CurveWinners!

The 15 Republican
"We Love Lynching!"
Asswipes US Senators

Alexander (R-TN) Bennett (R-UT) Cochran (R-MS) Cornyn (R-TX) Enzi (R-WY)

Grassley (R-IA) Gregg (R-NH) Hatch (R-UT) Hutchison (R-TX) Kyl (R-AZ)

Lott (R-MS) Shelby (R-AL) Smith (R-OR) Sununu (R-NH) Thomas (R-WY)

From Online-Athens (Georgia)
Bugmenot registration
(online666athens; user1234)...

Senate shouldn't be too proud of anti-lynching vote

The U.S. Senate did the right thing Monday in approving a resolution apologizing for the body's failure to pass anti-lynching laws during the first half of this century. But senators need not congratulate themselves too heartily.

While 80 of the Senate's 100 members, including Georgia senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, signed on as co-sponsors of the resolution, the world's greatest deliberative body was looking for all the cover it could find in executing the vote. The issue was debated at night and resolved with a voice vote.

In a voice vote, senators indicate support for, or opposition to, a measure in unison, meaning there is no individual accountability. --snip--

Asked why the debate was held at night and the vote on the resolution was a voice vote, (Dem sponsor, Mary) Landrieu said both were the result of her acceptance of conditions offered by the Senate's leadership. --snip--

So, with the blood of 4,743 lynching victims crying out from the ground for some measure of justice - however delayed it might be - the U.S. Senate used the cover of night, and the more despicable cover of a voice vote, to take not a bold and courageous stand, but a lukewarm acceptance of responsibility for one of the most heinous chapters in American history. Much more...

Why doesn't this turn of events surprise me? I know from experience that each of these 15 asswipes obviously has internal poll data showing his/her (That's you, Kay Bailey Hutchinson!) constituents' lack of support for denouncing lynching.

If you live in one of those Backside Of The Bell Curve states listed above, ring your reps:

TOLL FREE Capitol Hill Switchboard Number
1 (800) 839 - 5276
They'll transfer you to any House/Senate office you need!

As the carpenter said, it's the least you can do for the least of your brothers.

Heaviest of heavy sighs.

Phillip Cooney's New Ride

Another Golden Parachute

Remember Phil Cooney? The guy who was editing government environmental docs while George W. was claiming to care about global warming?

Phil didn't get fired. He left his job to pursue other avenues and spend more time with the fam.

Ahem.

Ex-White House Official
to Join Fuel Co.

By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer Tue Jun 14, 7:29 PM ET

WASHINGTON - A former White House official and one-time oil industry lobbyist whose editing of government reports on climate change prompted criticism from environmentalists will join Exxon Mobil Corp., the oil company said Tuesday.

The White House announced over the weekend that Philip Cooney, chief of staff of its Council on Environmental Quality, had resigned, calling it a long-planned departure. He had been head of the climate program at the American Petroleum Institute, the trade group for large oil companies.

Cooney will join Exxon Mobile in the fall, company spokesman Russ Roberts told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from its Dallas headquarters. He declined to described Cooney's job.

Cooney could not be reached through the White House for comment. LINK

So much for integrity.

Heavy sigh.

Blogging The Watergate: Update

In an earlier post (Scroll down this page), I described the 1980's level in-room TV fare.

As for the hotel gift shop...

Deepthroat fans will find slim pickins (Note the use of the lower case... Not the deceased actor) in the tiny (less than 200 sq feet) shop, located to your right when you enter the lobby from Virginia Ave.

There are Watergate Hotel Tee Shirts, sweatshirts, coffee cups, and ashtrays. The rest of the items are your typical DC tourist crap items.

Yes, ashtrays.

When was the last time you saw ashtrays in a hotel lobby waiting area?

When was the last time you were greeted by L'air du Cigar when you entered a hotel lobby?

Welcome to The Watergate...

Advice: Try not to run into the slew of random Secret Service guys (They're the ones with the tiny beige 1950's coiled phone cords traveling from their ears to an undisclosed location... under their matching off-the-rack suits). They give you a look that can only translate as "You don't see me."

The funny thing about SS agents: They all look like ex-Marines (the haircut & posture) in uncomfortable civilian clothing, trying to blend in.

Blending in used to be much easier, though, when real men wore suits. Most of today's male Watergate guests arrive in DC Casual Attire: Polo shirts, Khakis, and Brogans.

Hey, SS guys! You blend about as well as Pesci in "My Cousin Vinny."

The funniest part about staying at The Watergate...

The clandestine activities of the guests.

So far, I've observed guests posing for Kodak Moments at the main entrance, discussing plans to tip the bellmen for directions to the duct-taped burglar entrance, and wondering how to locate the former Democratic National HQ office.



Hint: The Dem office isn't here...
But Bob Dole isn't home.
What a riot!

The hotel could easily cash in on these people's curiosity...

But they wouldn't want to alienate the rightwingers (They look like more comfortable-in-their clothing variations of the SS guys).

By the way, I have no idea who the SS guys were "protecting" yesterday. They were gone when I got back from dinner in Georgetown last night.



No Homeless in sight...
But I've watched them fish
and bathe in The Potomac
(Not The Pool)
every afternoon.


I'm sure, though, that the SS guys weren't concerned about the homeless living in the cardboard Hooverville under the overpass a block away from the hotel.

Heavy sigh.

Michael Jackson Show Cancelled!

In a stunning turn of events today, The Cable News Networks' highest rated domestic offering , The Michael Jackson Show, has been cancelled due to the popularity of, er, CSI-related evidence.





Stay tuned for previews of the Cable News Networks' upcoming smash hit, The Saddam Show, followed by highlights of the wildly popular Missing Suburban White Girl!

Blogging The Watergate Hotel

I'm staying at the Watergate. Upper floor. Potomac view.

I'll post pics later today. In the meantime, visit the website.

Big surprises await you at The Watergate...

First of all, it took longer to check in than it took the "third rate burglars" to get caught.

You'd think that phoning ahead on check-in day and confirming credit card info, room location, and other details would translate into a simple arrival.

But, no.

Follow The Clues.

Clue #1: When you phone The Watergate prior to arrival to confirm details, and they have no idea who you are (even though you booked the room weeks earlier), chances are that organization isn't the hotel's strong suit.

When was the last time you had to fill in a detailed paper form upon arrival at a hotel?

Where does that paper go, anyway?

To report that The Watergate is technologically-challenged would be an understatement.

Clue #2: No WiFi, and they charge $9.95 per day for internet access.

But they're oh, so proud that there's a fax machine in every room.

Remember hotel TV of the 1980's?

Clue #3: No HBO. For $12.99, though, you can watch one of 10 pay-per-view movies already available for about $1.50 from NetFlix.

Need ice?

Clue #4: No ice bucket in the room. Ice is free, of course, (except for the tip) and delivered to your room with a smile.

But, Hey! It's The Watergate.

Marble bathroom, a wall of windows overlooking the Potomac (and a view of Bob Dole's apartment balcony), comfy club chairs and really good room service food. I mean, really good.

More later...

Cleavage Happens

AFP/Philippe Desmazes

Today's Sermon: Holy Toledo!

What's Jesus doing inside this woman's womb?

Doesn't He have anything better to do?

Guess not.




From WTVG-ABC TOLEDO, OHIO...

Jesus Spotted in Ultrasound

She gave birth to her first child Friday, but this story begins with an ultrasound with a heavenly twist.

At 5lbs. 1oz., 3-day-old Aaliyah is a big blessing to her mom and dad. The proud parents say they received a sign she is special in an ultrasound photo taken about a month ago. After taking a closer look at the ultrasound they say there's an image of Jesus Christ in it. It's an image mom and dad say they can see in two of the ultrasound images taken that day.

Oh, right. Sure.

Christian deities must be incredibly bored.

Why else would they show up on tacos, underpasses, and inside the wombs of random pregnant women?

Hm.

Hey, Deities!

How about a little "loaves & Fishes" action, catastrophic weather control, or even a little star-in-the-night spotlight on your corrupt Ohio Republicans?

Oh, yeah. I forgot.

That "mysterious ways" clause in your contract sure does come in handy, doesn't it?

"Taunting the faithful" must be your favorite pastime.

Frankly, I'd like to see your Ohio governor's arm rammed down the Mouth Of Truth...




Oh, well.

I guess your followers are satisfied by polariods, oils stains, and Masa Harina burn spots.

THUS ENDETH TODAY'S SERMON.

Go forth and feed the poor in the name of your chosen unavailable deity. And stop studying tacos and other crap for signs that your gods are real. If you need signs, you obviously have serious doubts.


I mean it, damn it!

Another Claude Rains Moment

... Brought to You By BushCo, makers of The War On Terror!

I'm shocked! Shocked, I tell you, to find the Bush administration passing totally bogus information to the press!

Terror allegations disappear from court filing

Different affidavit in Lodi father-son case given to media than used for court.

By Tom Regan | csmonitor.com

The Los Angeles Times reports that the Federal Bureau of investigation apparently gave the media a different, far more damaging version of an affidavit against a Lodi, California father and son charged with lying to federal officials than the one that was finally given to a court in Sacramento Thursday.

The affidavit filed Thursday did not contain any of the sensation material from earlier in the week which said the son's "potential terrorist targets included hospitals and groceries, and contained names of key individuals and statements about the international origins of 'hundreds' of participants in alleged Al Qaeda terrorist training camps in Pakistan." --snip--

The FBI said the different versions were the result of "unfortunate oversight due to miscommunication."

I knew something was up when Cable Snooze Networks didn't suspend either their Jackson Jury or their Missing White Girl In Aruba round-the-clock reports .

Relax, Toad Suck Ferry, Arkansas.

And don't ask any questions, Why, Arizona.

It's safe to shop at your Piggly Wiggly.

Swarthy terrorists aren't casing your local Bailey Savings & Loan.

It's your local Old Man Potter (Republican Party Chair) you should be keeping a watchful eye on.

Besides, if CNN stopped to report corrections every friggin' time BushCo got caught lying, we'd never know what happened to Michael Jackson or the white girl who got into a car with strangers in a strange land.

Will this heavy, heavy sigh never end?

This Week's Backside Of The Bell CurveWinner!

Your (NOT SO) Friendly
Neighborhood
"No Whore Pills For You, Slut!"
Albertsons
Stores

Tons of Fascist Fundies have filed lawsuits in Illinois because the good governor there actually believes that ALL citizens have a right to LEGALLY PRESCRIBED medications... including all forms of birth control.

Cue The Fundie Pharmacist!

David Scimio is a pharmacist at Albertsons, a grocery store in Chicago, and a Christian. Mr. Scimio believes that human life is sacred, that life begins at the moment of conception, and that the destruction of a fertilized human ovum ends a human life. Mr. Scimio, consistent with his Christian beliefs, does not dispense emergency contraceptives, such as the "Morning After Pill" or "Plan B." Albertsons accommodated Mr. Scimio's religious beliefs until it was required to order Scimio to comply with Governor Blagojevich's "emergency rule" earlier this month. Under that accommodation, Mr. Scimio would refer patients seeking "Plan B" to another pharmacy less than five hundred yards from his store.

No more Albertsons for me. Ever. "Plan B" is absurd!

The fact that Albertsons CHOSE to deny a single person a legally prescribed prescription drug is way over the line in my book.

Oh, and then there's this, too...

This James Dobson (Infamous Fascist Fundie) email has been making the rounds lately...

Albertsons Agrees to Respect Pharmacists' Right of Conscience

Albertsons Corporation agreed to accommodate its pharmacists' right to refuse to fill prescriptions that violate their religious or moral beliefs. The accommodation came on the heels of a lawsuit filed by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) and the Christian Legal Society (CLS) against Albertsons and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on behalf of pharmacist David Scimio.

Blagojevich imposed an "emergency rule" stating that a pharmacist "must dispense . . . without delay" contraceptives, including so-called emergency contraceptives such as the "morning after" pill, despite the state's right-of-conscience act.

Steven H. Aden, chief litigation counsel of CLS's Center for Law and Religious Freedom, said the right of conscience is an important component of religious liberty. "Pharmacists should not be forced to fill prescriptions for the 'morning after' abortion pill," he said, "if it violates their conscience."

Shortly after ADF and CLS filed suit, Albertsons distributed a memo to all its Illinois pharmacists stating it would accommodate their right of conscience by permitting them to refer prescriptions to which they conscientiously object to another Albertsons pharmacist or to a competitor.

"We applaud the decision by Albertsons to restore to Mr. Scimio and other Albertsons pharmacists the same rights they had prior to the governor's action," Aden said, "and allow them to be true to their beliefs about the sanctity of human life."

Here's the actionable part...

After moving higher most of the session, Albertsons Inc. slipped 5 cents to $21.45 as the nation's second-largest grocery store chain tripled its quarterly earnings from a year ago. Albertsons credited the addition of the Shaw's chain as well as continued recovery in southern California from last year's grocery worker strike.

I want to see Albertsons' quarterly earnings this time next year... after bloggers spread this story far and wide.

There are a lot more of us than there are of them, Albertsons.

We just don't let you know what we're up to.

Maybe we should.

By the way, my friend Laurel sent me this link:

The New Blacklist
Corporate America is bowing to anti-gay Christian groups'’ boycott demands

by DOUG IRELAND

Spurred on by a biblical injunction evangelicals call "The Great Commission,"” and emboldened by George W. Bush's re-election, which is perceived as a "“mandate from God,"” the Christian right has launched a series of boycotts and pressure campaigns aimed at corporate America and at its sponsorship of entertainment, programs and activities the Christers don'’t like. LINK

Christers.

Scary Fascist Fundies.

Whatever you call them, they're destroying this country, and they're too damned pig ignorant to know it.

As for Albertsons, let them know that they're not living up to their "commitment to diversity."

#7. Build a strong commitment to diversity... constantly striving to build an associate population at every level that mirrors our customer base, while also developing formats and products that meet the diverse needs of our society.

It's time for all people on the Front Side Of The Bell Curve to take action. We ignore the actions of the vocal minority at our own peril.

Make a difference today.

Tell Albertsons what you think... And while you're at it, ask them what's up with their name. Are they just apostrophe-challenged, or is the family name really "Albertsons?"

albertsonscustomercare@albertsons.com