President George W. 34% And Vice President Dick 18% Are Not At Home

I live inside the White House No Fly Zone in Washington DC, and the only sounds in the air above my house signal the daily helicopter comings and goings of Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, and whoever else is important enough to depart and land on the White House lawn.

As the Cheerleader-In-Chief scurries to and from Marine One, almost on a daily basis, I have to wonder if he has any idea how hated he is. Who would tell him? Condi Exxon Rice? Dick Halliburton Cheney? Donald Pentagon Waste Rumsfeld? One of the flying monkeys in their entourages?

Maybe I should stand outside the White House fence, holding a sign with George Dubai Bush's current approval numbers.

Poll: Bush Ratings At All-Time Low

NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2006
(CBS/AP)

(CBS) The latest CBS News poll finds President Bush's approval rating has fallen to an all-time low of 34 percent, while pessimism about the Iraq war has risen to a new high. --snip--

Mr. Bush's overall job rating has fallen to 34 percent, down from 42 percent last month. Fifty-nine percent disapprove of the job the president is doing.

Just 30 percent approve of how Mr. Bush is handling the Iraq war, another all-time low.

By two to one, the poll finds Americans think U.S. efforts to bring stability to Iraq are going badly – the worst assessment yet of progress in Iraq.

Just 18 percent said they had a favorable view of the vice president, down from 23 percent in January.

Quick! BushCo needs a diversion!

A diversion, indeed. There have been so many diversions during this administration's tenure that the diversions, themselves, have added to the approval ratings steep dive.

Should New Orleans celebrate Mardi Gras this year? was the number 1 corporate-owned media story yesterday. The Dubail Ports scandal was number 2.

The hairdo and puffy-lipped cable news bimbos might as well have asked: Should the Whos in Whoville celebrate Christmas this year?

That little New Orleans "diversion" actually reminded America of Bush's failed leadership during a natural disaster, which also made them wonder if he has ever really responded adequately (even at a gentlemen's C level) to any issue of national importance. The people in New Orleans still don't have jobs, they still don't have housing, and they still don't have an answer as to why their dead haven't all been identified.

What will be this week's BushCo diversion? Unfortunately for America, it'll have to be a really big one. Brace yourselves.

So you think you know Delilah?
Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Would You Rather Be Beloved Or Reviled?

George Dubai Bush and his wife won't be visiting the Taj Mahal during their trip to India this week. President Dubya Dubai blames the omission on a "scheduler."

"I am disappointed with that (not visiting Taj). People who have seen the Taj Mahal say that pictures don't do justice. It's one of the great magnificent sites of the world," the US President said in an interaction with two Indian journalists here.

In a lighter vein, Bush blamed the miss on the scheduler. "And look, if I were the scheduler, perhaps I would be doing things differently. But you want me doing one thing. I'll be the President, we've got the scheduler being the scheduler," he said.

In other news from Planet OH RIGHT SURE, Bush will be protected by 5,000 guards during his trip.

The stated reason: "Bush is a VVIP."

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - About 5,000 personnel including snipers, commandos and U.S. marines using helicopters, bomb detectors and electronic jammers will protect President George W. Bush during his visit to India this week, officials said on Monday.

The personnel would be part of a three-ring security cordon around the U.S. president and First Lady Laura Bush who are due to arrive in New Delhi for their maiden visit to the subcontinent on Wednesday, they said.

"He is a much-threatened VVIP. We are fully geared," Manish Agarwal, a top Delhi police officer involved in security operations, told Reuters.

VVIP? Does that stand for "Vacuously Vile Irresponsible Prick?"

Is that why his head is on fire?



India obviously doesn't want George to visit.

Beloved or reviled? When it comes to George Dubai Bush, that's not a difficult question to answer, is it?

So you think you know Delilah?
Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Snarky Sermon on the Blog: Gay Persecution Based On Lies

Preachers of Truth, Justice, and Amway have cited falsified "academic studies" in order to vilify gays for decades.

I know. I know. Real shocker.

David Holthouse (at The Southern Poverty Law Center) has written the definitive debunker article on Paul Cameron-- the discredited, disgraced, and humiliated six ways to Sunday-- Granddaddy of falsified sociological studies in homosexual behavior.

It's about time. Governors, state and national legislators, and religious snake oil salesmen hoping to curry favor with voters and tithers have turned to Cameron for "facts" to use in their war on gays, and their constant repetition of his lies has caused irreparable harm to society-at-large.

Under the guise of chairman of the Family Research Institute, his statistical chop shop in Colorado Springs, Colo., Cameron has published dozens upon dozens of research studies that offer homophobes a supposedly scientific justification for their prejudices by invariably concluding that gays and lesbians are dangerous and diseased perverts.

"Homosexuality is an infectious appetite with personal and social consequences," is how Cameron describes the phenomenon he studies. "It is like the dog that gets a taste for blood after killing its first victim and desires to get more victims thereafter with a ravenous hunger."

$27.50 a Page
While he makes no attempt to disguise his personal bias, Cameron dresses up his studies with footnotes, bibliographies and charts, and then publishes them in bogus "academic" journals. His work is propaganda masquerading as science and has been repeatedly unmasked as such by many legitimate scientists. Cameron himself has been cast out of both the American Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association. The ASA declared that, "Dr. Cameron has consistently misinterpreted and misrepresented sociological research on sexuality, homosexuality, and lesbianism."

But no matter how low his professional reputation sinks or how patently ludicrous his findings become (one recent Cameron study concluded that lesbians are 300 times more likely to die in car accidents than heterosexual women), the social impact of Cameron's so-called research far exceeds that of all but a few genuine research psychologists. Cameron's findings are repeated ad nauseam by lawmakers, radio talk show hosts, preachers and anti-gay activists across the country. In 2003, his research was cited by dissenting justices on the Massachusetts Supreme Court in the case that led to legalizing same-sex marriage in that state. In 2004, a majority decision by the Florida Supreme Court that upheld a law banning adoption by same-sex couples specifically cited Cameron's research as being "consonant with the notion that children raised by homosexuals disproportionately experience emotional disturbance and sexual victimization." --snip--

Not one of Cameron's anti-gay studies has been published in a respected scientific journal with rigorous content review standards. Instead, Cameron props up his façade of credibility by publishing his studies in Psychological Reports, a Montana-based vanity magazine that advertises itself as "The Scientific Manifestation of Free Speech" and will publish practically anything for $27.50 per page.

This election year won't be the year of anti-gay marriage; it will be the year of anti-gay adoption. Haven't you already started hearing the new & improved drum beat? If not, you will.

Read the entire Holthouse article and arm yourself for the civil rights v hatefest debate ahead of the November election. Now is the time for all good men and women to recognize the Cameron Lies when they hear them tossed about as "facts."

Thus Endeth Today's Sermon.

Go forth today, armed with facts instead of fears.

And know the Paul Camerons of this world for what they really are: Dangerous Liars.

I mean it, damn it!

So you think you know Delilah?
Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Rita Cosby's Deep-throated Racist Remarks

MSNBC won't fire her like FOX did. And don't expect her story lineup to change, either.

Stories Rita is currently working on:

• Convict escapes from Kansas prison
• Murdered or missing?
• A violation behind prison walls?
• 'MS-13' gang threatens nation's security
• Caught in the dangers of WEB
• Puppy drug ring busted

In fact, after last night, FOX probably wishes they had her back.




Lovely Rita (not), in an "Oh, yeah? I can top that" moment during Chris Matthews' Reichwing Talk Fest last night, denounced Democrats for "going after the hoodlum vote..the African-American vote."


Watch the video.
But don't expect Rita to be reprimanded.
MSNBC's ratings are so low that
they'll take all of the Rita-throated
sensationalism they can get.

Good job, Rita! You'll probably get a raise for being the racist, pig ignorant pie hole that you exposed on national TV last night.

Tell MSNBC what you think of Rita Racist Cosby:

MSNBC
One MSNBC Plaza
Secaucus, NJ 07094
Phone: (201) 583-5000
Fax: (201) 583-5453
Email: world@msnbc.com
Or
hardball@msnbc.com
Or
mailto:viewerservices@msnbc.com

Better yet, let Rita know personally that you have a few "tips" for her:

1-877-TIP-RITA

I've got a tip for you, Rita...

You're disgraceful!

So you think you know Delilah?
Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

This Week's Backside Of The Bell CurveWinner!

Remorseful Neocon Architect
Francis Fukuyama

Too little. Too late, Mr. Fukuyama. You can't suddenly become the innocent lamb now, after being part of a living, breathing, evolving monster, just because your mea culpa has been published in The Scotsman. You'll need to broadcast your change of heart directly to the American people, name names, and propose some serious consequences.

Neocon architect says: 'Pull it down'
ALEX MASSIE
IN WASHINGTON

NEOCONSERVATISM has failed the United States and needs to be replaced by a more realistic foreign policy agenda, according to one of its prime architects.

Francis Fukuyama, who wrote the best-selling book The End of History and was a member of the neoconservative project, now says that, both as a political symbol and a body of thought, it has "evolved into something I can no longer support". He says it should be discarded on to history's pile of discredited ideologies. In an extract from his forthcoming book, America at the Crossroads, Mr Fukuyama declares that the doctrine "is now in shambles" and that its failure has demonstrated "the danger of good intentions carried to extremes".

In its narrowest form, neoconservatism advocates the use of military force, unilaterally if necessary, to replace autocratic regimes with democratic ones. Mr Fukuyama once supported regime change in Iraq and was a signatory to a 1998 letter sent by the Project for a New American Century to the then president, Bill Clinton, urging the US to step up its efforts to remove Saddam Hussein from power. It was also signed by neoconservative intellectuals, such as Bill Kristol and Robert Kagan, and political figures Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle and the current defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld. --snip--

Mr Fukuyama, one of the US's most influential public intellectuals, concludes that "it seems very unlikely that history will judge either the intervention itself or the ideas animating it kindly". Going further, he says the movements' advocates are Leninists who "believed that history can be pushed along with the right application of power and will. Leninism was a tragedy in its Bolshevik version, and it has returned as farce when practised by the United States".

Way too little. Way too late, Asswipe. Where were you while the rest of us were studying Blake? Look in the mirror, Mr. F.

You're not the lamb. You're the tyger.


So you think you know Delilah?
Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Bush Just Blinked

KKKarl Rove got sent to the Hill today...

Bush 'willing to accept' delay in Dubai deal

By Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Holly Yeager in Washington
Updated: 4:43 p.m. ET Feb. 23, 2006

The Bush administration on Thursday signalled that it would be willing to give lawmakers more time to review Dubai Ports World's controversial takeover of US terminals following an intense backlash against the deal in Congress.

National security concerns raised by lawmakers, including Republican leaders in the House and Senate, were "entirely appropriate", Karl Rove, adviser to President George W Bush, said. It was important that "members of Congress have the time to get fully briefed on this".

Looks like that whole "BushCo ignored the law" part was the deal's undoing.

So you think you know Delilah?
Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

What Rice & Bush Won't Tell You About Port Security & What They Hope You Won't Find Out

First of all, what Rice & Bush know about port security might start to fill a thimble, but that's just me being kind to them. (I need to stop that, don't I?)

Here's what Rice is saying:

Rice to soothe fears over ports row on UAE visit

By Saul Hudson

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hailed the United Arab Emirates as a key ally on Thursday as she tried to soften U.S. lawmakers' opposition to a deal that would let a firm from the Gulf state manage some American ports.

Speaking to reporters hours before she was due in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, Rice said the U.S. administration had spent three months vetting the deal, dismissing concerns by several Congress members that it could be a threat to national security.

Here's what Bush is saying:

Bush Says Ports Deal Not a Security Threat

By TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer 6 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Thursday sought to calm an uproar over an Arab company taking over operations at six major American ports, saying "people don't need to worry about security."

Under a secretive agreement with the administration, a company in the United Arab Emirates promised to cooperate with U.S. investigations as a condition of its takeover of operations at six major American ports, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The U.S. government chose not to impose other, routine restrictions.

I was saving the following facts on port security issues ( from a retired Coast Guard source) for my weekly column tomorrow (The Blog Box), but they need as much exposure as possible. Coastie for truth (his online screen name) has the facts and the background to back them up:

The Dubai Ports World Deal - Through a Coast Guard Veteran's Eyes

The "Port Service Company" receives, manifests, loads, offloads, and transfers the containers. Normally, this is monitored for drugs -- but there are "holes." The "Port Service Company" has the "expertise" (in a "perverse kind of way") to know where the holes are.

Second, the "Port Service Company" frequently prepares the manifest. This is the legal document enumerating what the ship is carrying, shipper, recipient, port on loaded, port to be off loaded. This guides (or misguides) the inspection.

Third, frequently the "Port Service Company" performs "ship chandlering" - that's the sale of consumables and low level spare parts. This is not inventoried or manifested.

Fourth, merchant mariners' documents. It is fairly easy to enter a country on "Merchant Mariner's Documents" (functions like a mini-passport). No visa requirements if you stay within some distance of the port. This is popular with drug dealers - and could be a route for terrorists. In many countries a "Port Service Company" can issue "documents" (note - these are not Master, Mate, Pilot, Engineer, Radio Officer licenses or "Competency Documents") which are good enough to get you off of the ship while it's in port.

Gee, a terrorist (of whom I'm supposed to be afraid at all times) could dock in Baltimore, walk a few short blocks to the Inner Harbor, and wreak some havoc... all thanks to Bush & Rice. Didn't they tell us that we had to be right all of the time, but the terrorists only had to be right once?

Fully vetted? Bush didn't even know this deal had been made, for crying out loud! When the White House says "fully vetted," two words spring to mind: Harriet Miers. Of course, there are many more: WMD; Michael Brown; Prisoner Torture; and the beat goes on...


So you think you know Delilah?

Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

UAE Royals Saved Bin Laden From US Bombing

No wonder BushCo wants to curb the public's access to the internet. Look what's out there in cyberspace, just waiting to be cited:

UAE royals, bin Laden's saviours

March 25, 2004 12:04 IST

The Central Intelligence Agency did not target Al Qaeda chief Osama bin laden once as he had the royal family of the United Arab Emirates with him in Afghanistan, the agency's director, George Tenet, told the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States on Thursday.

Had the CIA targeted bin Laden, half the royal family would have been wiped out as well, he said.

George "Slam Dunk" Tenet is a first-class FUBARer.


So you think you know Delilah?

Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Uh, That's Not A Bong, Mr. President.

Bush Blames Cuts at Energy Lab on Mix-Up

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer Tue Feb 21, 8:47 PM ET

GOLDEN, Colo. -
President Bush, on a three-state trip to promote his energy policy, said Tuesday that a budgeting mix-up was the reason 32 workers at one of the nation's premier renewable energy labs were laid off and then reinstated just before his visit.

Before holding a panel discussion with lab, business and other officials, Bush toured a "mini brewery" where the lab makes ethanol — a replacement for gasoline — from the stalks and other nonfood parts of corn, said George Douglas, media relations manager at the lab. --snip--

During a panel discussion, Dan Arvizu, director of the lab, explained in scientific terms how the process is done. Bush interrupted to translate for the layman: "I think what he's saying is that one of these days we're going to take wood chips, put them through a factory, and there's going to be fuel you can put in your car."

Naturally, Bush was displeased when he realized that it wasn't a bong...




Just kidding.

Sort of.


So you think you know Delilah?

Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

The BushCo/ Carlyle Cabal Will Make Billions On This Dubai Port Deal!

There are several possible explanations for the Bush administration even considering turning our American ports over to a company now owned by The United Arab Emirates, and none of which is very pretty:

1. It's an election year, Stupid! This kind of "Republican v Republican Stand Off" usually happens on the state level just before November elections. An out-going Republican governor presents some truly lame idea, and members of his own party "stand up to him," get enough votes to override a veto, and get re-elected (or elected for the first time) because of their "bravery."

This happened in Michigan's Republican controlled state government just before Jennifer Granholm was elected governor in 2002. In fact, it worked so well that I've forgotten which lame idea the state Republicans used to "stand up to their own party's governor." (I think it was a bogus tax increase threat, which everyone knew wouldn't fly in an election year.)

2. An even scarier reason: BushCo is really serious about this deal, which would allow a foreign government with ties to Osama Bin Laden (and I'm talking about ties to the guy in the form of support. They even supplied 2 of the 9/11 hijackers).

The cast of characters involved in this deal reads like a demon's list of résumé references:

Dubai, 24 January 2006: - Global ports operator DP World today welcomed news that one of its senior executives, Dave Sanborn, has been nominated by US President George W. Bush to serve as Maritime Administrator a key transportation appointment reporting directly to Norman Mineta the Secretary of Transportation and Cabinet Member. --snip--

Mr Sanborn currently holds the position of Director of Operations for Europe and Latin America for the Dubai-based company. --snip--

Mr Sanborn, a graduate of The United States Merchant Maritime Academy, joined DP World in 2005. He previously held senior roles with shipping lines CMA-CGM (Americas), APL Ltd and Sea-Land and has been based, besides the US, in Brazil, Europe, Hong Kong and Dubai during his career. He has also served in the US Naval Reserve.

Mr Sanborn is due to take up his new role based in Washington DC later in 2006.

Wait! There's more!

CSX Lines’ sale to Carlyle Group now final for $300 million

CSX Lines LLC’s sale to the Carlyle Group has been finalized with a $300 million payment to former parent company CSX Corp.: $240 million in cash and $60 million in securities. --snip--

The Carlyle Group is a Washington-based global private equity firm with more than $14 billion under management. It has invested $7.2 billion since 1987, achieving a 36% realized internal rate of return in buyouts, real estate, high yield, and venture in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

Still not sure this is isn't a cozy little Carlyle Group/ Bush Family Evil Empire plot to make another fortune at the expense of The United States Of America? How would The Carlyle Group and the Dubai-based company track all of those shipments?

Horizon Lines was formed in 2003 when the ocean-going sector of international transportation company CSX Lines was purchased by global private equity firm The Carlyle Group. Raymond, who was serving as an executive officer with CSX, led the initiative to sell the ocean-going sector of CSX. --snip--

Horizon Lines will also look to increase efficiencies in 2006 with an investment in RFID tracking and a major vessel replacement initiative. According to Raymond, the new vessels will help increase capacity, lower costs, and pave a path for growth in 2008 and beyond. In December, the company added new personnel and underwent a management realignment to tackle the growth plan.

Growth plan?

Sounds like they've been planning this deal for quite a while, doesn't it?

Most notably, Horizon Lines appointed John Handy as executive vice president. Handy brings a breadth of experience to the growing company as a retired four-star Air Force general who most recently served as Commander of USTRANSCOM, the single manager for air, land, and sea transportation for the US Department of Defense.

There's also a much creepier rationale for BushCo to force this Dubai port deal:

3. The Bush/ Carlyle Cabal makes billions of dollars off this deal, and George W. rides (Oops! Sorry. he's afraid of horses!) drives his pickup into the sunset.

A Democrat gets elected president in 2008.

Just in time for a terrorist attack on one of our UAE-controlled ports.

Republicans scream, "See! We told you so!"

Whatever the reason, it sure looks like The BushCo/ Carlyle Cabal is trying to get out of the oil business and into a future Waterworld-based industry: controlling the entire world's shipments of goods.

Now that's power.


So you think you know Delilah?

Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

The Windmills Of George W.'s Mind

Round.
Like a circle in a spiral.
Like a wheel within a wheel.

Usually, I don't pay much attention to George W.Potemkin's little private-audience photo ops; however, yesterday's handpicked audience included some laid-off workers who were hurriedly rehired with suddenly "found" money from the US Energy Dept.

Why, what good fortune, BushBots shout.

Hm. Nice way to avoid embarrassing the president, I reply.

As alternatives to oil, Mr. Bush promoted battery-powered cars at the stop in Wisconsin and solar power at a later stop in Michigan. He ended the day in Colorado, where some three dozen workers at the federal National Renewable Energy Laboratory were rehired after being laid off soon after Mr. Bush's State of the Union address promoting renewable energy.

A statement released Monday by the Energy Department said that Samuel W. Bodman, the energy secretary, ordered the transfer of $5 million over the weekend to immediately restore the jobs, which had been eliminated because of past budget cuts, thereby avoiding a political embarrassment for the president. Mr. Bush is to visit the laboratory, in Golden, Colo., on Tuesday morning.

----snip---

Mr. Bush proposed in his State of the Union address that the United States replace 75 percent of oil imports from the Middle East with alternative sources of energy by 2025. The next day, Mr. Bodman said that the president should not be taken literally and that the Middle East goal was "merely an example" of what might be done.

When George W. starts calling for NASCAR battery-operated race cars...

When George W. calls for Exxon Mobil to change its name to Sun-Powers-Я-Us...

I might stop making fun of the windmills of George W. Potemkin's mind.


So you think you know Delilah?

Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

For Reasons Of National Security

It's Presidents' Day (all of them, you know). What a perfect day to commence a new mantra reason for everything I do or say that might incriminate me in any way hence forth:

"I can't elaborate for reasons of national security."

That should suffice in any iffy situation, don't you think?

After all, it worked when the deputy tried to interview "President Vice" Cheney shortly after he shot a man in the face, heart and liver:

Then there was (Mary) Matalin's claim that the reason the local authorities were turned away from interviewing Cheney was because of "national security" considerations. Really? The Secret Service was worried that the sheriff's deputy interviewing Cheney would harm our national security?

And now Bush W. Cheney plans to use my new mantra to defend the administration's decision to turn our ports over to the United Arab Emirates:

The administration will emphasise two points in response to claims by Washington lawmakers and local officials – both Republican and Democratic – that the deal, which will give Dubai-owned DP World five terminals along the east coast of the US, compromises national security.

A Treasury official said the White House would call on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to assure critics on Capitol Hill that the deal was thoroughly investigated by the interagency committee that vets foreign takeovers of US assets on national security grounds and that DP World had a long standing relationship with DHS.

I'd love to give you more examples, but I can't. For reasons of national security, of course.


So you think you know Delilah?

Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Snarky Sermon on the Blog

Did you hear the one about the pastor (Doyle Davison of the Water Of Life Church in McKinney, TX) who believes that "mental illness is possession by demons and only God can cure it"?

Pastor Doyle testified (Yea, verily he testified!) in court that he believes that. I guess he must also believe that God allows demons to possess his parishioners, like Dena Schlosser, and allows them to make the possessees chop off their baby's arms with a kitchen knife.

According to Dena's jail counselor, Schlosser suffered from hallucinations (blood in the streets turned into apostles)... until she received treatment while in custody.

Here's Caesar's dilemma: Now that Dena has begun medical treatment (including anti-psychotic drugs), she's deemed competent to stand trial for a crime she committed while not under treatment.

I know. I know. Law & Order has covered this plot six ways to Sunday, but how many times will this same issue be "ripped from the headlines" before our court system devises a consistent policy for dealing with the Dena Schlossers of this world?

Now that Dena is "sane," she faces life in prison if convicted of a crime or hospitalization if she's found not guilty by reason of insanity. Either way, Dena is still under the influence of Pastor Doyle, and that little fact might affect Dena's long-term prospects for sanity more than any judge or jury in Caesar's court system.

Thus Endeth Today's Sermon.

Go forth today and decide for yourself whether or not demons commit crimes via possession. Decide for yourself whether or not people like Dena Schlosser, who respond to treatment, should be sentenced to life in Caesar's prison or hospitalized.

And decide for yourself whether or not pastors like Doyle Davison are either men of God or just plain dangerous.


I mean it, damn it!


So you think you know Delilah?

Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

President George W. Cheney

As the kids would say, "The Twofer Presidency is for real, Dude." Of course, we all knew it. It's no big surprise that Vice President Dick "29% approval" Cheney is really in charge; President George W. "39% approval" Bush is just the executive cheerleader and presidential seal stamper-in-chief. Evidence to that effect, however, has been lacking-- mainly due to our corporate-owned media's boot-lickingly astounding dereliction of duty to investigate the George W. Cheney administration and inform the public of ts findings.

Evidence of President George W. Cheney's self-proclaimed super secret executive power surfaced this week under most unusual circumstances: While lamenting his terrible, horrible, very bad "I shot a man in the face" weekend (in a taped FOX News interview), President Cheney allowed one question about Scooter Libby's Nürembergish nonsense defense, namely that Cheney ordered him to rat out CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity.

President Cheney alluded to Executive Order 13292, issued by President Bush on March 25, 2003, which dealt with the handling of classified material.

Wait! There's More!

This executive order was not a brand-spanking new one. BushCo took President William Jefferson Clinton's EO 12958 (from April 17, 1995) and added the words, "and, in the performance of executive duties, the Vice President."

Here's how it looked and how it now looks:

Clinton's EO:

Classification Authority.
(a) The authority to classify information originally may be exercised only by:
(1) the President;
(2) agency heads and officials designated by the President in the Federal Register...

George W. Cheney's EO:

Classification Authority.
(a) The authority to classify information originally may be exercised only by:
(1) the President and, in the performance of executive duties, the Vice President;
(2) agency heads and officials designated by the President in the Federal Register...

Here's where I ask myself: If, in March of 2003 when George W. Cheney was giving the Pentagon the green light to attack Iraq, why on earth would he/they suddenly need to amend President Clinton's EO pertaining to classified information?

And here's where I answer my own question: Ambassador Joseph Wilson, Stupid!

Legitimate legal scholars (not the fascist fundie types, please) will have to decide whether the executive order concerning classification also covers the undocumented power to declassify.

At any rate, it's now obvious that President George W. "34%*" Cheney's administration can never be called proactive.

Retroactive, yes. Reactive, yes. Radioactive, to be sure.


* Average approval rating for our co-presidents BEFORE Cheney shot a man in the face.


So you think you know Delilah?

Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

This Week's Backside Of The Bell CurveWinners!

Those Who Don't Understand
A Texan's Apology

When a Texan "is sorry" for the wrong you've done to him, he's telling the world: I'm the bigger man, and don't you forget it. I'm being magnanimous here because I'm holding all the aces. Who'll be remembered as the good guy: Shooter Cheney or me?

Shot friend 'sorry' for Cheney
From correspondents in Corpus Christi
18feb06

HARRY Whittington, the hunting companion accidentally shot by Vice President Dick Cheney, has expressed regret at the storm of publicity caused by the shooting.

The 78-year-old lawyer, who was to leave hospital overnight, said he was "deeply sorry for all Vice President Cheney and his family have had to go through this week."

Dick Cheney will forever be remembered as the humiliated hunter.

Harry Whittington will be remembered as the bigger-than-life Texan who forgave Cheney... and felt sorry for him.

Who's the real power player?





So you think you know Delilah?

Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Vice President Dick Cheney Is A Coward

That's the only possible explanation for his behavior after shooting his hunting partner in the face last Saturday.

Forget the spin, and just think about it for a minute.

Dick Cheney didn't grab a cell phone and call 911, and he didn't order anyone else to do it, either. Instead, either he or one of his minions decided to wait at least 20 minutes for Cheney's personal ambulance crew to arrive on the scene and assess the old man's wounds.

Why? Dick Cheney's reputation (such as it, er, isn't) was obviously Priority 1. Since Mr. Whittington had the bad manners not to get up and continue hunting-- or at least die on the spot so The Armstrongs could handle the whole affair in-house, Dick Cheney had no other option than to spirit the old man as far away from the scene as possible.

Dick Cheney didn't call for his victim to be airlifted to a Trauma I center immediately, either. Instead, he treated Whittington to a bumpy ride to an obscure Kingsville hospital-- farther away than Christus Spohn in Corpus Christi.

Why was Whittington's care not Priority 1? Dick Cheney is a coward.

Nor did Dick Cheney travel with his victim to the Kingsville hospital. According to reports, Dick Cheney went back to the main house and poured himself a cocktail.

Why? Dick Cheney admits that he had "a beer" at lunch. "Lunch" was a picnic that ended sometime between 3:00 and 4:00, when the hunting party recommenced. So Dick Cheney knew he had alcohol in his system. Not wanting the world to know that he shot a man in the face after consuming alcohol, Dick Cheney consumed some more, knowing full well that "I had a drink to calm my nerves, officer" would explain a positive blood alcohol test-- if it came to that.

Also, if Vice President Dick Cheney had been seen accompanying Whittington, the story would've hit the wires like an irresponsible trigger finger. Again, Whittington's condidtion was not Priority 1.

By 7:00, President George W. Bush knew what had happened, and he did nothing to inform the public. Dick Cheney did nothing to inform the public. Mrs. Armstrong did nothing to inform the public. Local law enforcement did nothing to inform the public. The Kingsville hospital did nothing to inform the public, and still Whittington had the bad manners not to get up and go home-- or die.

Dick Cheney spent Saturday evening at the Armstrong Ranch thusly: at a dinner party; in bed by 10:00. Harry Whittington spent the evening traveling by ambulance to Kingsville (where his condition was deemed too serious for the doctors to handle) and finally being airlifted to Corpus Christi (much closer to the ranch), where he was immediately rushed to the intensive care unit.

Why? The dinner party was obviously a strategy session: Mrs. Armstrong kept local law enforcement at bay and soothed Whittington's family while Andrew Card, Karl Rove, and other unnamed co-conspirators concocted a new events timeline and explanation-- just in case Dick Cheney needed them. Cheney was again Priority 1.

Here's the part that we Texans all understand, y'all: non-lethal hunting accidents are usually no more than a three-sentence blurb in the local fishwrap's sports section. Thus, the intended fate of Mr. Whittington's injury report. Thus, the decision for Mrs. Armstrong to call a trusted local reporter to write said three-sentence blurb. Also, the decision was made to shift the blame to the victim, himself. Thus, Dick Cheney was again Priority 1.

Why? If the story doesn't get out that Vice President Dick Cheney shot a man in the face, did it really happen? Hell, no.

And here's where the whole ball of wax melted, y'all: Dick Cheney trusted Mrs. Armstrong not to screw up.

Big mistake.

Mrs. Armstrong's story changed like the Texas wind every time she opened her ranch-sized mouth: first, she "saw" what happened, and it was Whittington's fault; next, she was sitting in the car when she saw the Secret Service running, and she thought Cheney had had a heart attack.

Why? Lies will out when the liar enjoys the spotlight. Yes, Cheney was Priority 1, but Mrs. Armstrong just couldn't help herself.

Another big mistake.

Mrs. Armstrong owns Kenedy County the same way Pollyanna's Aunt Polly owned her town. By limiting law enforcement's access to the scene, the vice president, and all other witnesses, justice was quashed, and but good, y'all.

Why? Justice in podunk Texas has nothing to do with "speaking for the victim." And Dick Cheney was Priority 1. That's like an ace up a podunk deputy's sleeve, y'all.

On Sunday, Dick Cheney shook the local law guy's hand and calmly explained that it was nothing more than a hunting accident, he packed his bags, he visited Whittington for a few minutes, and he left the state. Case closed. Mrs. Armstrong spent all morning trying to find her favorite in-the-pocket-reporter (while the Sunday talk shows were in progress) and finally gave the story to the sports/ entertainment/ whatever reporter was pulling weekend news desk duty. Dick Cheney was Priority 1.

Why? Mrs. Armstrong thought the story would end then and there after law enforcement agreed to look the other way, and a newbie reporter got a story from the Ranch Queen of the County.

But Mrs. Armstrong never thought the newbie reporter would actually follow the rules of journalism school and call the White House for confirmation.

Oops. Then, the cat was out of the bag and running for the hills.

But that turned out OK. By then, the Sunday talk shows were wrapping up. Dick Cheney was Priority 1, after all.

What about Mr. Whittington?

Doing the right thing was the last thing on Dick Cheney's mind when he watched 78-year-old Harry Whittington fall. Doing the right thing was the last thing on Mrs. Armstrong's mind when she lied about what happened. Doing the right thing was the last thing the Secret Service detail had in mind when they allowed several laws to be broken during this botched cover up. Doing the right thing was not even considered when local law enforcement closed the case without investigating thoroughly on behalf of the victim.

Doing the right thing was also dumped with the day's trash when hospital staff allowed White House doctors and communications personnel to control both the medical and information treatment. The lies are legion: Mr. Whittington didn't have a heart attack (as reported); Mr. Whittington was shot in the heart muscle.

Unintended consequences abound, though: President George W. Bush looks like a fool; Mrs. Armstrong looks like a fool; Kenedy County law enforcement looks foolish; and Christus Spohn Hospital looks foolish.

Dick Cheney just looks like a coward.

This was not an isolated incident, handled poorly by a group of concerned friends. This was just another in a long list of decisions by Bush administration/ Texas Big Oil/ Corporation Cronies NOT to do the right thing. The right thing was not Priority 1.

Vice President Dick Cheney is a coward. A Pure-D coward. Mr. Whittington should have been Priority 1. Period.




So you think you know Delilah?

Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Field Day

So you think you know Delilah?

Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

10 Ways Dick Cheney Can Kill You

So you think you know Delilah?

Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Ken Starr: Even Sleazier After All These Years

If you missed my original post on Ken Starr's use of forged letters, supposedly written by jurors in support of a convicted killer's plea for leniency in his death penalty sentencing hearing, the saga continues.

Too bad it's being reported by a British newspaper.

Ken Starr Withdraws Death Row Case Papers

Tuesday February 14, 2006 12:01 AM

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Former Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth Starr and another attorney said Monday they were withdrawing sworn statements submitted in a bid to spare a man from execution.

Prosecutors had denounced the letters from jurors, which asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to spare the man's life, as forgeries, and the defense team initially stood by them.

But in a letter to Attorney General Bill Lockyer, attorney David Senior said he and Starr were "withdrawing any and all reliance on any exhibits generated'' by one of their investigators. The defense said it would withdraw five of the six statements.

A statement purportedly taken from Michael Morales' former roommate and submitted to the California Supreme Court also requires further investigation, Senior wrote.

Keith Borjon, a state prosecutor, told the justices that Senior's letter appeared to acknowledge the documents were forged.

Ken Starr is a coward. I have to wonder how he convinced his law partner to write and sign this mea culpa letter all by himself. Starr's name may not be on the letter, but his sleaze is all over it.

Collateral Damage: Pepperdine University really thought they were getting a gem of a law school dean when they hired him, didn't they? Of course, they had to know how sleazy he was, and they had to have some inkling as to how low he would be willing to go to make himself look... if not good, at least detached from the original crime.


So you think you know Delilah? Judges 16:19-- And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Cheney Shoots Friend in a Post-CSI World

Cheney: "So what?"

Other sentiments NOT uttered by the vice president but certainly implied by his lack of candor immediately after shooting 1 out of only 2 others in his hunting party on a 50,000 acre plot of land:

"What are you gonna do about it?"

"You and what army?"

"I can shoot you and get away with it."

"I was so concerned with the victim's the doddering old fart's medical condition that I only called the president's Chief of Staff within the hour, not the police."

"I was so concerned with the victim's the doddering old fart's medical condition-- and not with the fact that I was spending the weekend with 2 women and 1 man, none of whose spouses and/or significant others was present-- that it never occurred to me (or anyone in my medical team, my aides, or my Secret Service detail) to call the police."

"I was so concerned with the victim's the doddering old fart's medical condition that I had to hide from the police the rest of the night and only agree to an 'interview' the next morning."

"I was so concerned with the victim's the doddering old fart's medical condition that it never occurred to me that the police might want to test my blood for alcohol content right away."

"I'm so convinced that I did nothing wrong that I skipped out on my scheduled press conference with the president on Monday."

Here's what happens to regular people (like you and me) when we accidentally shoot another hunter:

A hunter who critically wounded another hunter in November after mistaking him for a deer was sentenced to 20 days on the sheriff's road crew.

Lane County Circuit Judge Doug Mitchell also banned Trevor Kory Foster, 20, of Eugene from hunting during two years of probation and ordered him to pay $865 in attorney's fees and court costs.

He was convicted of misdemeanor assault and negligently wounding another.

Wait! There's more!

Here are a few 2006 VIOLATIONS (Note: It's only the middle of February):

Man enters plea in hunting attack - 9 Feb 2006
Guide loses hunting rights - 8 Feb 2006
Man can't sway judge of innocence in deer hunting case - 28 Jan 2006
Hagerstown man charged with hunting violations - 25 Jan 2006
Drunken hunting alleged - 23 Jan 2006
Wisconsin men facing hunting-related charges in North Dakota - 19 Jan 2006
Pastor fined, loses hunting license in Wisconsin trip incident - 12 Jan 2006
Three men admit to hunting violations - 7 Jan 2006
Georgia guide loses hunting privileges for 12 years - 4 Jan 2006

If you're still wondering why so many of us want the real story on Cheney's "hunting accident," the answer is simple:

This is no longer a pre-CSI world.




In our post-CSI world, we know when the facts and evidence don't add up. We know when a cover up is obvious. And we know that the first few minutes and hours are critical for evidence collection, witness interviews, and suspect interrogation.

CSI is the most popular television show around the world. Because of a CBS TV show, we are a smarter, more demanding public when it comes to crime scene investigation.

Take that, Dick!

File this under: Who's next on Cheney's list of hunting buddies?

Cheney: Shoot the Quail or the Lawyer? Hmmm...

You can't make this stuff up.

The Vice President of the United States shot a man in the face and neck on Saturday.

No police report was issued.

The VP's office issued no public statement.

The Vice President's personal ambulance crew was there, of course... in case the gun-toting VP had another of his numerous heart attacks and/or heart-related "episodes."

No police report was issued.

The VP's office issued no public statement.

The victim, a 78-year-old Funeralgate lawyer, was airlifted to Corpus Christi's intensive care unit.

No police report was issued.

The VP's office issued no public statement.

The owner of the ranch notified her favorite reporter Sunday afternoon, who wrote the story and tried to get a public statement from the VP's office.

The police did not answer the phone when reporters started calling.

Editor & Publisher has the details.

Don't hospitals have to file official accident reports or face prosecution?

Don't the police have to file gun-related accident reports or face prosecution?

What country are we living in? The United States of Dick Cheney?

File this under: Who's next on Cheney's list of- hunting buddies?

Not So Snarky Sermon on the Blog

Today is Evolution Sunday. You'd think I'd have plenty to snark about, but the 10,000+ Christian congregations supporting and celebrating this symbiosis of science and religion leave little to ridicule.

The Clergy Letter Project:

For too long, the misperception that science and religion are inevitably in conflict has created unnecessary division and confusion, especially concerning the teaching of evolution. I wanted to let the public know that numerous clergy from most denominations have tremendous respect for evolutionary theory and have embraced it as a core component of human knowledge, fully harmonious with religious faith.

In the fall of 2004, I worked with clergy throughout Wisconsin to prepare a statement in support of teaching evolution. We were called to action by a series of anti-evolution policies passed by the school board in Grantsburg, WI. The response was overwhelming. In a few weeks, nearly 200 clergy signed the statement, which we sent to the Grantsburg school board on December 16, 2004. Additionally, groups of educators and scientists sent letters to the Grantsburg School Board and to the Superintendent of Schools protesting these policies. In response to all of this attention, as well as the efforts of others, the Grantsburg School Board retracted their policies.

The outpouring of support from clergy around the country encouraged me to make this a nationwide project. If you want to read more about it or join us in sharing this important perspective, click here. Encourage your clergy to consider signing the statement and please feel free to link to these webpages. And, while the current focus is on Christian clergy, please let me know if you are willing to write and/or host a statement from other religions.


Sincerely,

Michael Zimmerman
Dean
College of Letters and Sciences
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

The Letter:

Within the community of Christian believers there are areas of dispute and disagreement, including the proper way to interpret Holy Scripture. While virtually all Christians take the Bible seriously and hold it to be authoritative in matters of faith and practice, the overwhelming majority do not read the Bible literally, as they would a science textbook. Many of the beloved stories found in the Bible – the Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah and the ark – convey timeless truths about God, human beings, and the proper relationship between Creator and creation expressed in the only form capable of transmitting these truths from generation to generation. Religious truth is of a different order from scientific truth. Its purpose is not to convey scientific information but to transform hearts.

We the undersigned, Christian clergy from many different traditions, believe that the timeless truths of the Bible and the discoveries of modern science may comfortably coexist. We believe that the theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests. To reject this truth or to treat it as “one theory among others” is to deliberately embrace scientific ignorance and transmit such ignorance to our children. We believe that among God’s good gifts are human minds capable of critical thought and that the failure to fully employ this gift is a rejection of the will of our Creator. To argue that God’s loving plan of salvation for humanity precludes the full employment of the God-given faculty of reason is to attempt to limit God, an act of hubris. We urge school board members to preserve the integrity of the science curriculum by affirming the teaching of the theory of evolution as a core component of human knowledge. We ask that science remain science and that religion remain religion, two very different, but complementary, forms of truth.

Thus Endeth Today's Sermon.

Go forth today, armed with all forms of this keyword: hubris.

And pay no attention to zealots worldwide who would, in their infinite ignorance, suck the scientific method out of the world entire.

I mean it, damn it!

Just remember: Ignorance can be fixed; stupidity is forever.

Kenneth Starr: Still Sleazy After All These Years

Where's Ken Starr today? Why, he's the dean of the Pepperdine University Law School. I know. I know. A fascist fundie witch hunter now heading a fascist fundie law school isn't exactly earth-shattering news; however, I'm sure Ken's Starry-eyed minions law students are burning the midnight oil this weekend trying to figure out a way to blame this on Bill Clinton's penis:

Starr accused of sending fake clemency pleas
Prosecutors: Ex-independent counsel fabricated letters on inmate’s behalf

Updated: 12:49 a.m. ET Feb. 11, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO - Lawyers for a death row inmate, including former Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth Starr, sent fake letters from jurors asking California’s governor to spare the man’s life, prosecutors said Friday.

The jurors denied they thought Michael Morales deserved clemency because some of the testimony at his trial may have been fabricated, said Nathan Barankin, spokesman for Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

“We showed each person the declaration on their behalf and they all said they didn’t say that,” Barankin said.

-snip-

On Friday, the San Joaquin District Attorney’s office sent Schwarzenegger a new batch of sworn statements from five of those jurors saying they not only still supported capital punishment for Morales, but had never spoken with the defense investigator who claimed to have secured their signatures.

The mere thought of Ken Starr being prosecuted warms the, er, cockles, doesn't it?

Welcome to the US of Irony!

File this under: Starr Lying about jurors' sworn statements in clemency letters- Priceless! Ken!

This Week's Backside Of The Bell CurveWinners!

Anyone Stupid Enough To Believe The Bush That Cried Wolf
Los Angeles Terror Threat

At some point, all you can do is laugh. George W. Bush (R- Way Worse Than Nixon) has had a really bad week:

Ex-CIA Official Faults Use of Data on Iraq
Intelligence 'Misused' to Justify War, He Says

Bush faces Congress revolt over spying

Congressional Republicans are threatening to force a legal showdown with President George W. Bush over his claim that he has the constitutional power to order domestic surveillance of Americans in the name of national security.

Error may snag $39 bln US spending-cut bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A typographical error in a $39 billion domestic spending-cut bill signed into law by President Bush on Wednesday could mean another vote on the measure that passed only after Vice President Dick Cheney intervened with a tie-breaking vote.
The law, which sparked fury among Democrats and strong opposition from some Republicans in an election year, cuts funds for health care, student loan and other programs.

Soldier pays for armor
Army demanded $700 from city man who was wounded

The last time 1st Lt. William “Eddie” Rebrook IV saw his body armor, he was lying on a stretcher in Iraq, his arm shattered and covered in blood.

A field medic tied a tourniquet around Rebrook’s right arm to stanch the bleeding from shrapnel wounds. Soldiers yanked off his blood-soaked body armor. He never saw it again.

Conservatives Say Cut AARP's Federal Funds

WASHINGTON - Conservative groups urged Congress on Tuesday to end all federal funds to AARP, saying it was wrong for the seniors group to be receiving tens of millions in taxpayer dollars at the same time it was campaigning against administration policies.

Tax break on religious texts struck down
State law unconstitutional, federal judge rules

A federal judge in Atlanta has struck down a state law that grants sales tax exemptions for purchases of the Bible and other works pertaining to the Holy Scriptures.

In a ruling issued Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Story found the sales tax exemption unconstitutional in that it violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

There's so much more that went wrong with the Bush regime's fascist machine this week, including Heckuvajob Brown's damning Hurricane Katrina senate testimony today...

But the idea that anyone besides the usual Kool-Aid drinkers would actually believe that a plane full of people post 9/11 would let another plane plow into a building is in serious need of therapy... Especially since the would-be terrorist plot involved using a shoe bomb to open a cockpit door.

Just because a few people wish they could take out another US building (like that tall one in Los Angeles that the aliens blasted in "Independence Day"-- Oh, Yeah! That's the one Bush called the Liberty Building instead of the Library Building) doesn't mean it's going to happen. And if it does happen again, America will arrive on the doorsteps of the airline executives, armed with pitchforks and torches.

Americans aren't stupid, Mr. Bush. And they're sick and tired of being afraid all of the time. You're obviously not up to the job; otherwise, your fear mongering wouldn't be necessary.

File this under: We have nothing to fear but Bush's fear, itself.

This Week in the Blogosphere

Good Friday Morning, everyone! Check out my weekly column on blogs, The Blog Box, and check back here later today for This Week's Backside of the Bell Curve Winner.

If you need a silly little diversion today, I've started a new blog:

Future Curb Ornaments Of America

Fear The Manimals!

George W.'s little "Let's ban human-animal hybrids" tangent during the 2006 SOTU last week (Golly! Was it only last week? Seems like a lifetime ago) may have some merit, after all.

Not because insulin is a human-animal hybrid concoction necessary for millions of people to survive from one day to the next, and not because scientists may unlock the secret of Down Syndrome by studying human blood coursing through mouse veins...

Perhaps we should consider a limited man-hybrid (manimal) ban...







I fully support banning Mancoulter and Manmalkin!

File this under: If you trust an idiot to ban grandma's insulin, don't blame the undertaker.

Whose Funeral Is It, Anyway?

Coretta Scott King, the first lady of the American civil rights movement, was laid to rest yesterday after a funeral befitting her life's work.

However, our corporate-owned media (after failing to make the announcement of her death last week all about the differences in her children's beliefs as to how their family's work should continue) decided to Wellstone the great lady by focusing on the "behavior" of those who dared celebrate Mrs. King's life and work.

How's this for "behavior?"



How about this?



Hey, Republicans! Whose funeral is it, anyway? And just who do you think you are?

You don't get to control the funeral "behavior" of civil rights proponents.

Hm. Now would be a good time to review the...

Toddler Republican Rules Of Ownership

1. If I like it, it's mine.

2. If it's in my hand, it's mine.

3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.

4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.

5. If it's mine, it must NEVER appear to be yours in anyway.

6. If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.

7. If it looks just like mine, it is mine.

8. If I saw it first, it's mine.

9. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.

10. If it's broken, it's yours.

Grow up, Republicans.

Your ignorance and stupidity are showing!

File this under: Just remember: Ignorance can be fixed; stupidity is forever. German Proverb.

Why Is George Bush So Awesome?

That was rocketboom.com's question of the day on Jan. 20, 2006.




Crank up the volume
and watch the video.
Psst! If the video doesn't start immediately, click the small arrow at the bottom of the screen.

File this under: The wise are instructed by reason, average minds by experience, the stupid by necessity and the brute by instinct. Marcus Tulius Cicero

Crying Out For A Caption: Do George & Laura Speak In Tongues?

Just asking.


File this under: I'm sure this has absolutely nothing to do with speaking in tongues. The Bushes don't speak in tongues, and I don't know how these vicious rumors get started.

Snarky Sermon on the Blog: Cartoon Wars

Demonstrations, embassy burnings, cartoonists in hiding.

The message I'm getting from the Muslim community's reaction to some editorial cartoons is: "Too Much Freedom, Y'all!"

Haven't seen those offensive Muhammed cartoons yet?



Here's the deal with freedom: you have to be willing to put up with the most offensive statements and images you can ever imagine in order to preserve your freedom to express your own equally offensive statements and images. Otherwise, no one is free.

Besides, it's not like US Christians aren't also involved in these cartoon wars...

From Hal Lindsey Oracle Cartoons (a distinctly fundamentalist Christian, right wing political site):

There are lots more of these 'toons!

The enemy of my enemy is now my enemy, but the god of my enemy (in whose name a holy war against me has begun) is my... er, friend?

Of course. Makes perfect sense in Bushville.

Especially if you've invaded, destroyed and occupied the cradle of civilization by lying to your country and initially calling your actions a crusade.

Especially if you've rounded up Muslim Americans and disappeared them for months or years, and you'll now take any good PR you can get.

Especially if you want to send a message to your own fundamental religious political base and slam "old Europe" at the same time.

US backs Muslims in cartoon dispute

By Saul Hudson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States backed Muslims on Friday against European newspapers that printed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in a move that could help America's battered image in the Islamic world.

Inserting itself into a dispute that has become a lightning rod for anti-European sentiment across the Muslim world, the United States sided with Muslims outraged that the publications put press freedom over respect for religion.

"These cartoons are indeed offensive to the belief of Muslims," State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said in answer to a question.

"We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable."

Hey, Republican-controlled US State Department!

Will you hold our homegrown zealots accountable, too? If "old Europe" is to blame, how about the Egyptian press?


"Offensive" has many faces and tongues. Who decides what's offensive or not?
Where do you draw the line?

Thus Endeth Today's Sermon.

Go forth today, armed with this fact instead of a simple, gut reaction when someone picks on your deity:

Editorial cartoons are on the opinion pages of newspapers. They do not represent the political or religious beliefs of entire countries

And pay no attention to zealots worldwide who would suck freedom of expression out of the entire world.

I mean it, damn it!


File this under: He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself. ~ Thomas Paine