TOE NAILS FISHING LINES AND SKEETER

Uncle Phil (one of my dad’s brothers or maybe one of my dad's dad's brothers)(was this last grammatically correct?) used to take me fishing with him.
We went to Berkeley Lake (the same lake where my high school cross-country team ran.)

Uncle Phil and I always sat on the same little pier.
I remember that this lake had mostly fish called crappies.
“Boy”, I’d say to myself, “Who would want to eat fish called crappies?”And so I never ate any.
I just remember that they had a lot of shiny and slimy scales.
Uncle Phil didn’t catch very many.

It seemed like most of the time I was untangling Uncle Phil’s fishing line.
Dozens and dozens of little knots.
I took pride in my detangling dexterity.
Uncle Phil always gave me a big smile when I had finished untying those nasty knots.

Uncle Phil had long and yellow toenails.

It looked as if he smoked with his feet.
When I looked at Uncle Phil's lengthy toe nails, I wondered whether they would continue to grow when he passed away.

Uncle Phil had a Chihuahua named Skeeter.
He was big and friendly, but his hair was everywhere.

Aunt Marge was Uncle Phil’s wife.
She cooked plump, fruit-filled pastries.
I have never eaten any as delicious as these.
Aunt Marge always had some for us kids to eat.

My parents didn’t visit Uncle Phil and Aunt Marge very often, so our visits became that much more meaningful.

I had a happy childhood.

IT'S ABOUT RENEWABLE RESOURCES AND OIL! 

CONSPIRACY?

"By way of deception, thou shalt do war"

Motto of the Mossad

"Let us never tolerate outrageous conspiracy theories concerning the attacks of September the 11th; malicious lies that attempt to shift the blame away from the terrorists, themselves, away from the guilty."

George W. Bush
At the United Nations

November 11, 2001

Why there is no mention of 9/11 on Bin Laden’s Most Wanted web page?
"The reason why 9/11 is not mentioned on Usama Bin Laden’s Most Wanted page is because the FBI has no hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11."
Rex Tomb, Chief of Investigative Publicity for the FBI

"I was not involved in the September 11 attacks in the United States nor did I have knowledge of the attacks. There exists a government within a government within the United States. The United States should try to trace the perpetrators of these attacks within itself; to the people who want to make the present century a century of conflict between Islam and Christianity. That secret government must be asked as to who carried out the attacks. ... The American system is totally in control of the Jews, whose first priority is Israel, not the United States."
Bin Laden

On the day of the 9-11 attacks, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked what the attacks would mean for US-Israeli relations. His quick reply was:

"It's very good…….Well, it's not good, but it will generate immediate sympathy (for Israel)"

A Mossad surveillance team made quite a public spectacle of themselves on 9-11:
The New York Times reported Thursday that a group of five men had set up video cameras aimed at the Twin Towers prior to the attack on Tuesday, and were seen congratulating one another afterwards.

White, 2000 Chevrolet van with 'Urban Moving Systems' sign on back seen at Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ, at the time of first impact of jetliner into World Trade Center Three individuals with van were seen celebrating after initial impact and subsequent explosion. FBI Newark Field Office requests that, if the van is located, hold for prints and detain individuals.


"We are Israelis. We are not your problem. Your problems are our problems. The Palestinians are your problem."
Sivan Kurzberg/THE DRIVER OF THE VAN


The police and FBI field agents became very suspicious when they found maps of the city with certain places highlighted, box cutters (the same items that the hijackers supposedly used), $4700 cash stuffed in a sock, and foreign passports. Police also told the Bergen Record that bomb sniffing dogs were brought to the van and that they reacted as if they had smelled explosives.

The Jewish weekly The Forward reported that the FBI finally concluded that at least two of the detained Israelis were agents working for the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, and that Urban Moving Systems, the ostensible employer of the five Israelis, was a front operation. This was confirmed by two former CIA officers, and they noted that movers' vans are a common intelligence cover. The Israelis were held in custody for 71 days before being quietly released.
"There was no question but that [the order to close down the investigation] came from the White House. It was immediately assumed at CIA headquarters that this basically was going to be a cover-up so that the Israelis would not be implicated in any way in 9/11."


"I think there is very compelling evidence that at least some of the terrorists were assisted not just in financing -- although that was part of it -- by a sovereign foreign government ... It will become public at some point when it's turned over to the archives, but that's 20 or 30 years from now."
Senator Bob Graham.

IT'S THE OIL STUPID!

LIES LIARS AND ZOMBIES

If we must begin a military campaign, it will be directed against the lawless men who rule your country and not against you. As our coalition takes away their power, we will deliver the food and medicine you need. We will tear down the apparatus of terror and we will help you to build a new Iraq that is prosperous and free. In a free Iraq, there will be no more wars of aggression against your neighbors, no more poison factories, no more executions of dissidents, no more torture chambers and rape rooms. The tyrant will soon be gone. The day of your liberation is near.
George W. Bush/March 17, 2003

The question in my mind is: How many additional American casualties is Saddam worth? And the answer is: Not very damned many.
Dick Cheney/1992

Saddam Hussein has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors.
Colin Powell/February 2001

Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.

Dick Cheney/ speech to VFW National Convention/Aug. 26, 2002

We are able to keep his [Saddam Hussein's] arms from him. His military forces have not been rebuilt.
Condoleezza Rice/July 2001

I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.

Donald Rumsfeld/Senate appropriations subcommittee on defense hearing/May 14, 2003

We believe [Saddam Hussein] has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons.

Dick Cheney/NBC's Meet the Press/March 16, 2003

We never believed that we’d just tumble over weapons of mass destruction.
Donald Rumsfeld

The danger to our country is grave. The danger to our country is growing.
George W. Bush/October 5, 2002

With a heavy dose of fear and violence, and a lot of money for projects, I think we can convince these people that we are here to help.
Colonel Nathan Sassaman/December 6, 2003

I wouldn’t be happy if I were occupied either.
George W. Bush/April 13, 2004

I know what I’m doing when it comes to winning this war.

George W. Bush/August 11, 2004


IT'S THE OIL STUPID!

Q & A

How will President Bush's support affect John McCain's candidacy?


The Liar-in-Chief's support of John McCain will infect McCain's candidacy.
That's how it will affect it.
The Iraq War surge was an excuse to continue the American occupation.
The American people are fed up with this war, fed up with this War president, and the very last thing that they want is ANOTHER WAR PRESIDENT.
McCain is not going to win, and Bush's support will make sure of that.


IT'S THE OIL STUPID!

What a total crock of ignorance and deception the Bush regime represents. Bush, defeated in Iraq, defeated in Afghanistan, with Pakistan crumbling in front of his eyes, is now reduced to begging the French, whom it was such grand sport for his neocon officials to denigrate, to send soldiers to save his ass in Afghanistan.
What a laughing stock Bush has made of America. What ruination this utter idiot and his supporters have brought to America. What total traitors the neoconservatives are. Every last one of them should be immediately arrested for high treason. Neonconservatives are America's greatest enemies, and they control our government! All Americans have to show for six years of Bush's "war on terror" is an incipient police state.
Now standing in the wings is mad John "hundred year war" McCain. Will the American electorate wipe out the Republican Party before this insane party wipes out America?

[From http://counterpunch.com/

Bush Calls on France for Help
War Without End

2/11/08
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS]

Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury during President Reagan's first term. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal. He has held numerous academic appointments, including the William E. Simon Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Georgetown University, and Senior Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He was awarded the Legion of Honor by French President Francois Mitterrand. He can be reached at: PaulCraigRoberts@yahoo.com

CHEESEBURGERS DOOMSDAY AND GLOBAL WARMING

I just did my part to advance Global Warming.

I had a big dinner at a giant Chinese buffet.

I got there by spewing Carbon (and whatever else) out of my six-cylinder Ford truck.

I am back home now and watching (mostly listening to) Six Degrees Could Change the World on the National Geographic channel.

I don’t know how much pollution my flat-screen TV is producing, or for that matter how much stinking carbon my computer is producing.

Nor do I have too many pangs of guilt.

It’s been a mild winter here in the Southwest where I live.

Fine and dandy, but I don’t look forward to the high temperatures which may occur this summer.

Some people believe that humans are producing Global Warming;

Others (like that extraterrestrial Tom Delay) don’t think so.

But the proof, it seems to me, will be in the pudding---

Or in this case---

In the pyrotechnics.

Doomsday is a damn big word to use, whether in speech or writing.

People seem to be enhancing themselves when they say it.

So we munch our scrumptious cheeseburgers, which in the United States produces 200 million tons of carbon per year.

That much carbon could make a super-duper diamond.

We don’t worry too much (I started to write sweat) about Global Warming…

YET.

 

 

 

IT'S ABOUT RENEWABLE RESOURCES AND OIL!

 

 

The Sun Also Sets
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY Posted Thursday, February 07, 2008 4:20 PM PT

Climate Change: Not every scientist is part of Al Gore's mythical "consensus." Scientists worried about a new ice age seek funding to better observe something bigger than your SUV — the sun.
Back in 1991, before Al Gore first shouted that the Earth was in the balance, the Danish Meteorological Institute released a study using data that went back centuries that showed that global temperatures closely tracked solar cycles.
To many, those data were convincing. Now, Canadian scientists are seeking additional funding for more and better "eyes" with which to observe our sun, which has a bigger impact on Earth's climate than all the tailpipes and smokestacks on our planet combined.
And they're worried about global cooling, not warming.
Kenneth Tapping, a solar researcher and project director for Canada's National Research Council, is among those looking at the sun for evidence of an increase in sunspot activity.
Solar activity fluctuates in an 11-year cycle. But so far in this cycle, the sun has been disturbingly quiet. The lack of increased activity could signal the beginning of what is known as a Maunder Minimum, an event which occurs every couple of centuries and can last as long as a century.
Such an event occurred in the 17th century. The observation of sunspots showed extraordinarily low levels of magnetism on the sun, with little or no 11-year cycle.
This solar hibernation corresponded with a period of bitter cold that began around 1650 and lasted, with intermittent spikes of warming, until 1715. Frigid winters and cold summers during that period led to massive crop failures, famine and death in Northern Europe.
Tapping reports no change in the sun's magnetic field so far this cycle and warns that if the sun remains quiet for another year or two, it may indicate a repeat of that period of drastic cooling of the Earth, bringing massive snowfall and severe weather to the Northern Hemisphere.
Tapping oversees the operation of a 60-year-old radio telescope that he calls a "stethoscope for the sun." But he and his colleagues need better equipment.
In Canada, where radio-telescopic monitoring of the sun has been conducted since the end of World War II, a new instrument, the next-generation solar flux monitor, could measure the sun's emissions more rapidly and accurately.
As we have noted many times, perhaps the biggest impact on the Earth's climate over time has been the sun.
For instance, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Solar Research in Germany report the sun has been burning more brightly over the last 60 years, accounting for the 1 degree Celsius increase in Earth's temperature over the last 100 years.
R. Timothy Patterson, professor of geology and director of the Ottawa-Carleton Geoscience Center of Canada's Carleton University, says that "CO2 variations show little correlation with our planet's climate on long, medium and even short time scales."
Rather, he says, "I and the first-class scientists I work with are consistently finding excellent correlations between the regular fluctuations of the sun and earthly climate. This is not surprising. The sun and the stars are the ultimate source of energy on this planet."
Patterson, sharing Tapping's concern, says: "Solar scientists predict that, by 2020, the sun will be starting into its weakest Schwabe cycle of the past two centuries, likely leading to unusually cool conditions on Earth."
"Solar activity has overpowered any effect that CO2 has had before, and it most likely will again," Patterson says. "If we were to have even a medium-sized solar minimum, we could be looking at a lot more bad effects than 'global warming' would have had."
In 2005, Russian astronomer Khabibullo Abdusamatov made some waves — and not a few enemies in the global warming "community" — by predicting that the sun would reach a peak of activity about three years from now, to be accompanied by "dramatic changes" in temperatures.
A Hoover Institution Study a few years back examined historical data and came to a similar conclusion.
"The effects of solar activity and volcanoes are impossible to miss. Temperatures fluctuated exactly as expected, and the pattern was so clear that, statistically, the odds of the correlation existing by chance were one in 100," according to Hoover fellow Bruce Berkowitz.
The study says that "try as we might, we simply could not find any relationship between industrial activity, energy consumption and changes in global temperatures."
The study concludes that if you shut down all the world's power plants and factories, "there would not be much effect on temperatures."
But if the sun shuts down, we've got a problem. It is the sun, not the Earth, that's hanging in the balance.

WAR OR PEACE?

HAS John McCain FLIPPED HIS WIG?

Only the most deluded of us could doubt the necessity of this war.

Jonn McCain

Our armed forces will fight for peace in Iraq, a peace built on more secure foundations than are found today in the Middle East.

John McCain

Q: President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years---

(cut off by McCain)

McCain: Make it a hundred.

"..so long as American forces are tied down in an unwinnable war in Iraq, there is little hope of winning in Afghanistan."
THE NEW YORK TIMES
February 12, 2008

It will be up to the American people (and electronic voting machines) whether a hawkish Bush clone will be elected as the next U.S. president---
Or a more diplomatic statesman who doesn't want to sing Bomb, bomb Iran or dance to the tunes of the powerful Pentagon, Corporate Masters, and Lobbyists.
McCain like the Long War Decider President believes that Iraq must continue to be occupied until there is...
VICTORY?

IT'S THE OIL STUPID!

READING BETWEEN THE LINES

I know that President Bush has many extremely competent speech writers but I would like to volunteer for the job myself. I propose the following short address which he can make on television to the nation. I see him grave, hair carefully combed, serious, winning, sincere, often beguiling, sometimes employing a wry smile, curiously attractive, a man's man.
'God is good. God is great. God is good. My God is good. Bin Laden's God is bad. His is a bad God. Saddam's God was bad, except he didn't have one. He was a barbarian. We are not barbarians. We don't chop people's heads off. We believe in freedom. So does God. I am not a barbarian. I am the democratically elected leader of a freedom-loving democracy. We are a compassionate society. We give compassionate electrocution and compassionate lethal injection. We are a great nation. I am not a dictator. He is. I am not a barbarian. He is. And he is. They all are. I possess moral authority. You see this fist? This is my moral authority. And don't you forget it.'

Harold Pinter

Madame Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, distinguished guests and fellow citizens:Seven years have passed since I first stood before you at this rostrum.
[AND SEVEN YEARS HAVE BEEN PISSED]

In that time, our country has been tested in ways none of us could have imagined. We have faced hard decisions about peace and war [BUT MY WAR DECISION WAS EASY], rising competition in the world economy and the health and welfare of our citizens. These issues call for vigorous debate, and I think it's fair to say we've answered that call.
[THOUGH THE CALL WAS ANSWERED QUITE LATE
SINCE THERE WAS LITTLE DEBATE ABOUT MY DECISION TO START AN UNNECESSARY PRE-EMPTIVE WAR IN IRAQ THAT WAS BASED UPON A NEST OF LIES]

Yet history will record that amid our differences, we acted with purpose.
[AND I BOMBED IRAQ ON PURPOSE EVEN WHEN MANY, MANY VOICES DISAGREED WITH ME]

And together, we showed the world the power and resilience of American self-government.
[A SELF-GOVERNMENT WHERE NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT MY WAR IN IRAQ WAS WRONG AND THAT SOLDIERS SHOULD NOW COME HOME]

All of us were sent to Washington to carry out the people's business. That is the purpose of this body. It is the meaning of our oath. And it remains our charge to keep.
[DON'T ASK IF IT WAS IN THE PEOPLE'S INTEREST OR THE PEOPLE’S BUSINESS TO INVADE IRAQ]

In the work ahead, we must be guided by the philosophy that made our nation great. As Americans, we believe in the power of individuals to determine their destiny and shape the course of history. We believe that the most reliable guide for our country is the collective wisdom of ordinary citizens.
[AND NOT THE HUBRIS AND IGNORANCE OF ONE MAN WHO CALLS HIMSELF THE DECIDER]

So in all we do, we must trust in the ability of free people to make wise decisions, and empower them to improve their lives and their futures.
[YOU ARE CALLED FREE PEOPLE BUT I MAKE THE DECISIONS FOR YOU]

Wages are up, but so are prices for food and gas. Exports are rising, but the housing market has declined. And at kitchen tables across our country, there is concern about our economic future.
[AND QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT’S FOR DINNER]

In the long run, Americans can be confident about our economic growth.
[AND BE CONFIDENT ABOUT THE GROWTH OF THE NATIONAL DEBT THAT I’VE ALREADY DOUBLED DURING MY ADMINISTRATION]

We have other work to do on taxes. Unless the Congress acts, most of the tax relief we have delivered over the past 7 years will be taken away.
[THE VERY RICH WOULD LOSE THEIR FREE RIDE AND HAVE TO PAY THEIR SHARE ONCE AGAIN]

Others have said they would personally be happy to pay higher taxes.
[BUT THE FILTHY RICH ARE NOT SAYING THIS. FOR THEM IT ISN’T A TAX INCREASE, BUT WOULD BE A ROLLBACK TO WHAT THEY WERE PAYING BEFORE I GAVE THEM THEIR RELIEF]

I welcome their enthusiasm, and I am pleased to report that the IRS accepts both checks and money orders.
[I SHOULD HAVE SKIPPED THIS LAST SARCASTIC REMARK]

Most Americans think their taxes are high enough. With all the other pressures on their finances, American families should not have to worry about the federal government taking a bigger bite out of their paychecks.
[AS MY RABID IRAQ WAR IS DOING]

There is only one way to eliminate this uncertainty: make the tax relief permanent. And members of Congress should know: If any bill raising taxes reaches my desk, I will veto it.
[I WON’T LET MY RICH FRIENDS DOWN]

Just as we trust Americans with their own money, we need to earn their trust by spending their tax dollars wisely.
[STOP: DON’T MAKE A PEEP ABOUT MY DESTRUCTIVE AND DECEPTIVE IRAQ OCCUPATION]

Next week, I will send you a budget that terminates or substantially reduces 151 wasteful or bloated programs totaling more than $18 billion. And this budget will keep America on track for a surplus in 2012. American families have to balance their budgets, and so should their government.
[SOMETIMES IT TAKES SEVEN YEARS TO GET AROUND TO DOING IT]

The people's trust in their government is undermined by congressional earmarks---
[AND BY A UNITARY PRESIDENT WHO HAS SIGNED HUNDREDS OF SIGNING STATEMENTS]---special interest projects that are often snuck in at the last minute, without discussion or debate.
[JUST LIKE THE PATRIOT ACT]

On education, we must trust students to learn if given the chance [WHEN THEY ARE NOT BEING TAUGHT THE TEST] and empower parents to demand results from our schools. Six years ago, we came together to pass the No Child Left Behind Act [NOT THE NO CHILD LEFT WITH A BEHIND ACT] and today no one can deny its results. Reading scores are on the rise. And African-American and Hispanic students posted all-time highs.
[NOT JUST DRUG HIGHS]

On trade, we must trust American workers to compete with anyone in the world and empower them by opening up new markets overseas.
[WHAT ABOUT OPENING MARKETS RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA?]

Today, our economic growth increasingly depends on our ability to sell American goods, crops and services all over the world. So we are working to break down barriers to trade and investment wherever we can.
[ALLOWING CORPORATIONS TO ELIMINATE MANY JOBS HERE AT HOME SO THAT THEY CAN MOVE OUT OF THE COUNTRY TO PAY LOWER WAGES AND AVOID PAYING FEDERAL TAXES ]

Trade brings better jobs, better choices and better prices. Yet for some Americans, trade can mean losing a job, and the federal government has a responsibility to help. I ask the Congress to reauthorize and reform trade adjustment assistance, so we can help these displaced workers learn new skills and find new jobs.
[WHY NOT JUST CALL TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE WHAT IT REALLY IS: UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS]

To build a future of energy security, we must trust in the creative genius of American researchers and entrepreneurs and empower them to pioneer a new generation of clean energy technology.
[I CAN SAY THIS NOW THAT I AM LEAVING OFFICE AND NO LONGER HAVE TO KOWTOW TO MY PETROLEUM CRONIES]

On matters of justice, we must trust in the wisdom of our founders and empower judges who understand that the Constitution means what it says.
[EVEN IF IT IS JUST A GODDAMNED PIECE OF PAPER]

I have submitted judicial nominees who will rule by the letter of the law, not the whim of the gavel.
[OR THE NAVEL]

Many of these nominees are being unfairly delayed. They are worthy of confirmation, and the Senate should give each of them a prompt up-or-down vote.Tonight the armies of compassion continue the march to a new day in the Gulf Coast.
[THIS HAS A MILITARY SOUND TO IT]

America honors the strength and resilience of the people of this region.
[THE SAME STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE THEY HAD WHEN I IGNORED THEIR PLIGHT BEFORE AND AFTER KATRINA HIT THEM]

Every member in this chamber knows that spending on entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is growing faster than we can afford. And we all know the painful choices ahead if America stays on this path: massive tax increases, sudden and drastic cuts in benefits, or crippling deficits. I have laid out proposals to reform these programs. Now I ask members of Congress to offer your proposals and come up with a bipartisan solution to save these vital programs for our children and grandchildren.
[IN THE MEANTIME I MUST CUT COSTS AND REDUCE SPENDING ON THESE DOMESTIC PROGRAMS SO THAT I CAN PAY FOR MY BLUNDERING OCCUPATION OF IRAQ]

The other pressing challenge is immigration. America needs to secure our borders -- and with your help, my administration is taking steps to do so.
[CALL THEM BABY STEPS BECAUSE NOT MUCH HAS BEEN DONE IN SEVEN YEARS OF MY REIGN]

Our foreign policy is based on a clear premise: We trust that people, when given the chance, will choose a future of freedom and peace.
[THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ STILL AWAIT THIS FUTURE]

In the last seven years, we have witnessed stirring moments in the history of liberty.
[AND BLOODY AND BRUTAL MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF WAR]

Since September 11, we have taken the fight to these terrorists and extremists.
[WHO ARE MAINLY IRAQI CITIZENS AND NOT FOREIGNERS]

We will stay on the offense, we will keep up the pressure, and we will deliver justice to the enemies of America.
[AND THEY WILL CONTINUE TO DELIVER THEIR BOMBS AS OUR JUSTICE IS DELIVERED. YOU CAN CALL ME THE DECIDER AND THE DELIVERER]

The terrorists oppose every principle of humanity and decency that we hold dear. Yet in this war on terror, there is one thing we and our enemies agree on: In the long run, men and women who are free to determine their own destinies will reject terror and refuse to live in tyranny.
[EVEN IF THAT TYRANNY IS THE TYRANNY OF FOREIGN OCCUPATION]

That is why the terrorists are fighting to deny this choice to people in Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Palestinian Territories.
[WHO WANT TO KICK THE INVADER OUT]

And that is why, for the security of America and the peace of the world, we are spreading the hope of freedom
[FOREIGN OCCUPATION, MILITARY BASES AND REFUGEES].

In Iraq, the terrorists and extremists are fighting to deny a proud people their liberty and to establish safe havens for attacks across the world. One year ago, our enemies were succeeding in their efforts to plunge Iraq into chaos.
[IT WAS ALREADY CHAOS BUT NOW IT’S A MORE SUCCESSFUL CHAOS.]

The Iraqi people quickly realized that something dramatic had happened. Those who had worried that America was preparing to abandon them instead saw tens of thousands of American forces flowing into their country.
[AS FOUR MILLION OF THEM LEFT THEIR COUNTRY]

American troops are shifting from leading operations, to partnering with Iraqi forces, and, eventually, to a protective overwatch mission.
[SOUNDS LIKE EXTRATERRESTRIALS]

The mission in Iraq has been difficult and trying for our nation.
[AND A PILLAGING OF OUR NATIONAL TREASURY]

But it is in the vital interest of the United States that we succeed.
[SUCCESS DOESN’T MEAN ORPHANING MILLIONS OF IRAQIS AND IRRADIATING THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION]

A free Iraq will deny al-Qaida a safe haven. A free Iraq will show millions across the Middle East that a future of liberty is possible. And a free Iraq will be a friend of America, a partner in fighting terror and a source of stability in a dangerous part of the world.
[A FREE IRAQ WITH NO IRAQIS OR ENEMIES LEFT]

We will not rest until this enemy has been defeated. We must do the difficult work today, so that years from now people will look back and say that this generation rose to the moment, prevailed in a tough fight, and left behind a more hopeful region and a safer America.
[OR MAYBE NOT]

We are also standing against the forces of extremism [I DON’T MEAN ISRAEL] in the Holy Land, where we have new cause for hope. Palestinians have elected a president who recognizes that confronting terror is essential to achieving a state where his people can live in dignity and at peace with Israel. Israelis have leaders who recognize that a peaceful, democratic Palestinian state will be a source of lasting security.
[IT WOULD ALSO HELP IF PALESTINIANS HAD ENOUGH FOOD AND WATER, ETC.]

This month in Ramallah and Jerusalem, I assured leaders from both sides that America will do, and I will do, everything we can to help them achieve a peace agreement that defines a Palestinian state by the end of this year.
[BUT DEFINITIONS ARE NOT STATES]

The time has come for a Holy Land where a democratic Israel and a democratic Palestine live side-by-side in peace.
[IT’S BEEN THAT TIME FOR A VERY LONG TIME]

Our message to the people of Iran is clear: We have no quarrel with you, we respect your traditions and your history, and we look forward to the day when you have your freedom.
[DIDN’T I SAY THIS TO THE IRAQIS BEFORE I BOMBED THEM?]

Our message to the leaders of Iran is also clear: Verifiably suspend your nuclear enrichment, so negotiations can begin. And to rejoin the community of nations, come clean about your nuclear intentions and past actions, stop your oppression at home and cease your support for terror abroad. But above all, know this: America will confront those who threaten our troops, we will stand by our allies and we will defend our vital interests in the Persian Gulf.
[AND WE’LL AGAIN DO SO AT THE TIME OF OUR OWN CHOOSING]

On the home front, we will continue to take every lawful and effective measure to protect our country.
[AND LAWYERS WILL MAKE SURE THAT I AM PROTECTED FROM PROSECUTION FOR EVERY LAW THAT I BREAK]

The secret of our strength, the miracle of America, is that our greatness lies not in our government, but in the spirit and determination of our people.
[THE MIRACLE IS THAT OUR GOVERNMENT CAN TELL GREAT LIES AND DETERMINED PEOPLE CAN’T STOP THOSE LIES OR PROSECUTE US FOR TELLING THEM]

By trusting the people, succeeding generations transformed our fragile young democracy into the most powerful nation on earth and a beacon of hope for millions. And so long as we continue to trust the people, our nation will prosper, our liberty will be secure and the state of our union will remain strong. So tonight, with confidence in freedom's power, and trust in the people, let us set forth to do their business.
[TOO BAD I DIDN’T FOLLOW THESE SOLEMN WORDS IN MY OWN REGIME WHEN I DID MY BUSINESS AND THAT OF THE NEW AMERICAN CENTURY]

God Bless America.

IT'S THE OIL STUPID!

VOTE FOR OBAMA

The Iraq occupation will continue with McCain or Romney as president.
Hillary would also waltz to the tunes of CORPORATIONS and the PENTAGON.
Obama would not.
Listening to Hillary for four years as president would be painful.
Obama's sonorous and succinct speaking style is preferable.
As an Independent my vote is going to Obama.
The Final Four.
It's not basketball.
It's not a game.
It's nothing less than the future of America.
VOTE FOR OBAMA!

NAME-DROPPING AND A FEW BRUSHES WITH GREATNESS

It (and All) is Vanity I suppose.
Here are a few pieces of Vanity.
They are my brushes with greatness and some name-dropping.
First, a short preamble of ramble.

I've had the good fortune to meet some interesting non-great (i.e. non-famous) persons in my life.
I have also been quite fortunate not to have died in the many scenes of my life where I have played a part and encountered:
Danger.
Adventure.
Romance.
Amazement.
A few peak experiences.

After I had gone to college for four years, I finally picked my major (I had been a distributed studies major...well, really just a lost liberal arts major).
If my philosophy professor Dr. Weir had not been walking down the steps of the university's library just as I was coming up them, I might not have become a teacher.
With his pure white beard, Dr. Weir glided down the stone steps with his usual nonchalant manner and inquired:
"What are you going to do?"
"What do you mean?", I asked.
Professor Weir replied,
"What are you going to do when you graduate?"
"I don't know", I said.
"Why don't you get paid to read books?"
And so in my fifth year I loaded up on Education and English courses.

Now to some name-dropping and brushes with greatness.

I met Anais Nin.
She was an aging but still beautiful woman when I met her.
She was dressed completely in white.
Either way she seemed a goddess in my eyes.
I had read her Diaries.
I told her that I had had a dream with her in it.
I think she said something like "I hope it was a good dream."

I went on a date with a girl named Joan Bliss to listen to Allen Ginsberg read his poems (and play his little harmonium).
When he was finished I walked with Joan Bliss to say hello to him.
I extended my hand to shake Mr. Ginsberg's hand, but he kissed it instead.
That was an embarrassing brush with greatness.

I got hit on my right knee with John Prine's guitar when he walked by me on his way to the stage.
That brush didn't hurt my knee.
That same year I went to hear Leonard Cohen in the same small nightclub.
He didn't hit my knee, but I still felt that I had been brushed by some greatness.

At a concert in Denver I bought one red rose for Bob Dylan.
I gave it (in its vase) to the person who accepted such things to forward to Mr. Dylan.
When I handed this person the rose (with a card) I asked,
"Will he be sure to get this?"
And I was assured that he would.
Years later Dylan's Shot Of Love album came out.
On the back cover is a photograph of Dylan smelling a rose.
My rose?
Not quite a brush;
not quite a bouquet;
just one red rose.ALL IS VANITY.

Postcript:

I actually met Allen Ginsberg three times.

Once while walking down Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado.

I wrote about this encounter and a publication called The Straight Creek Journal published it.

I have tried to locate my letter in archives without success. Maybe when I'm famous others will do it. In the letter I wrote how I was treated by this (in my humble opinion) not so great poet.

He accused me of having scrambled brains and of being just one more hungry fish who wanted his poetry to be recognized (and famous I guess) like Mr. Ginsberg's.

The other enounter was more mundane.

I had him sign a couple of his paperbacks. 


 IT'S ABOUT RENEWABLE RESOURCES

LINES AND LINES OF LIES

The invasion of Iraq was a bandit act, an act of blatant state terrorism, demonstrating absolute contempt for the concept of international law. The invasion was an arbitrary military action inspired by a series of lies upon lies and gross manipulation of the media and therefore of the public; an act intended to consolidate American military and economic control of the Middle East masquerading - as a last resort - all other justifications having failed to justify themselves - as liberation. A formidable assertion of military force responsible for the death and mutilation of thousands and thousands of innocent people.
We have brought torture, cluster bombs, depleted uranium, innumerable acts of random murder, misery, degradation and death to the Iraqi people and call it 'bringing freedom and democracy to the Middle East'.

Harold Pinter

It's getting harder and harder for me to read (and write) between the lines.
I am referring to the latest (and last) STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS by George W. Bush.

The catch phrases and buzz words were coming fast and furious.
More of the same propaganda got catapulted.
And the scariest part is that it sounded good.
Quite good.
Who wrote this speech?

Americans in their chronic state of amnesia must also have felt that Bush's last stand was a good one.
A big lie is sounding better and better.

A big lie is forgotten when the propaganda continues to get catapulted; when the cliches and catch phrases are repeated...
when the lies are dismissed and forgotten.

Bringing enemies to justice.
Spreading democracy and freedom.

I am writing this before I again read and write between Bush's lines (or lies).
But it is getting harder and harder.


IT'S THE OIL STUPID!

SYMBOLS & SIGNS

The happy face.

A cross.

The Golden Arches.

The heart.

The peace sign (the geometric and digital kind).

Astrological signs.

Pronunciation symbols.

Highway signs.

Proofreader's marks.

At a meeting last week I saw two women wearing circle pins.

I almost opened my big mouth to tell them that when I was in junior high school a circle pen was a symbol for virginity.

This world is full of signs and symbols.

The age of computers has increased the quantity of them.

Emoticons are not my own cup of tea.

I prefer words.

What effects does this plethora of signs and symbols have?

Do we communicate less?

Is what we communicate less meaningful?

Are we humans becoming just symbols of ourselves?

Maybe I am taking this too seriously.

I still want a ♥ on Valentine’s Day.

IT'S THE OIL STUPID!

THE RAGE AND RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE

Some Presidential Choices:

1. Handsome-intelligent young black man

2. Intelligent-cranky older woman

3. Honest-intelligent young white man

SUMMARY:

1. *BLACK MAN

2. *CRANKY WOMAN

3. *WHITE MAN

*INTELLIGENT

I will now describe the Republican presidential candidates by giving a general summary.

What follows applies to all of the Republican candidates except Ron Paul:

George W. Bush **c*ed up in Iraq, but we will continue to *uc* up some more.

George W. Bush was (and is a liar), but he did the right thing when he lied and invaded Iraq.

We will stay in Iraq until the job is done;

We will stay in Iraq until the war is won;

We will not leave Iraq until there is

VICTORY!

In short, we will continue to be

LYING F***-UPS!

IT'S THE OIL STUPID!

MEAT HEADS CARROT TOPS AND GLOBAL WARMING

Paul McCartney is recommending that we become vegetarians.

Don’t tell McDonalds or Burger King this.

I suppose we will still eat our Whoppers and Big Macs until Global Warming has melted all of the glaciers and ice caps; until the deserts have become seas once again; until our eyeballs are popping out of our dumb heads from the sizzling temperatures.

We died while having fun; we died while eating our burgers.

I tried to be a semi-vegetarian one year.

I was actually a lacto-vegetarian.

I ate cheese (without any enzymes), usually on whole wheat bread that I sometimes baked, but otherwise bought at the health-foods stores.

I occasionally drank low-fat dry milk.

I ATE TONS OF BAKED POTATOES (showered with a lot of sea salt!).

I lost my urge to eat hamburgers.

I didn’t eat any fish or chicken.

Paul McCartney claims that global warming can be slowed down if cows produce less methane gas; and so, by becoming vegetarians, we can reduce the number of cows belching and breaking wind.

I don’t know if all of this is scientifically accurate, but I will look into it.

I had a cheeseburger for lunch today.

It was cold outside.

No sign of global warming yet.

Moo.

IT'S THE OIL STUPID!

A TAX REBATE TO REBAIT AND STIMULATE AMERICANS TO CONTINUE SWALLOWING HOOK AND SINKER THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ

“War is a poor chisel to carve out tomorrow.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Can’t buy me love...no, no, no.”

Beatles

End George W. Bush’s gratuitous imperial occupation of Iraq if you want to stimulate the American economy.

Right now that occupation chiefly stimulates its corporate investors and the Pentagon.

Stop the death machines from destroying more and more life.

End the occupation of Iraq.

The occupation has killed and injured too many Iraqi civilians and American soldiers.

The invasion and occupation have caused millions of Iraqi citizens to lose their homes.

The occupation has destroyed far more than Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship ever did.

The pre-emptive war was a lie.

The pre-emptive war and occupation have bred more terrorism.

George W. Bush was a cheerleader at Yale.

Now he’s a cheerleader for Osama bin Laden.

George W. Bush has propagated millions of Muslims to become "terrorists".

But the military-industrial complex is a big business.

It needs its perpetual customers.

Terrorists are good for its business.

The people of Iraq who resist are called radicals, insurgents and terrorists.

But they die from the bombs of both Al-Qaeda and America.

The occupation is wrong.

Do you want to stimulate the economy?

GET

OUT

OF

IRAQ!

IT'S THE OIL STUPID!

Informed Comment

Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion

Juan Cole is President of the Global Americana Institute

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Iraq is Still a Bad Bargain

Andrew Bacevich eviscerates the Iraq War party with this passionate and clear-sighted essay on 'the Surge to Nowhere' in WaPo. He points out that the real motivation behind last year's troop escalation was to avoid popular outrage building in the US electorate to the point where the troops were pulled out. He observes that the argument for the 'success' of the 'surge' is purely a tactical one. When viewed from the vantage point of grand strategy, the Iraq War is as much a failure as it has always been.

If someone came to you six years ago and said that for only $2 trillion, you could have for your colony a burned out country, a failed state, and a semi-permanent incubator of terrorism and hatred against the US, would you have ponied up the money? That's what you've got, and that is what it cost you. Detroit could have used some of that money. New Orleans could have used some of that money. Appalachia has lots of schools that need to be painted.

The argument could be made that Israel is safer with Saddam Hussein out of power. But that argument does not hold water. Current Iraqi leaders such as Muqtada al-Sadr and Adnan Dulaimi are not less anti-Israel than Saddam, and it turns out he did not have WMD with which to attack Israel anyway. The Shiites of Iraq will certainly side with Hizbullah against Israel, which may actually mean that Israel is less secure now than before. Moreover, to have substantial turmoil on their doorstep just cannot be good for the Israelis.

You could argue that US petroleum corporations are now well placed to bid on Iraqi oil development. But what with doomsday cults planning a takeover of the petroleum facilities, it will be some time before it is safe for US corporations to operate in Iraq. China and Holland (Shell) are being looked upon favorably by the Iraqi government as investors.

And anyway, if the US government had thrown the $2 trillion and more that Iraq will end up costing at green energy development, both we and the earth would have been far better off. At a time when the US military is paying 60,000 Sunni Arab Iraqis $300 a month each not to fight us, it is pretty hard to justify letting the US working class sink, without any government help, into penury and homelessness in the face of the mortgage crisis and the recession. The Iraq War may or may not be good for Houston. It is certainly bad for Iraq and for everyone else.

The current round of optimism about Iraq in the Washington press corps will eventually falter against the country's hard realities, just as have previous such rounds. Or maybe worrying about Iraq and continued US troop deaths there is so yesterday for the punditocracy in DC.

The optimism is a planted story, a sleight of hand produced by looking at tactics rather than at strategy, or by making comparative statements (Iraq has less violence today than it did in the volcanic period a year ago) which obscure absolute reality (Iraq is very unstable and dangerous).

What the snake oil merchants like Fred Kagan and Bill Kristol (both of them hard right Zionists) are really saying is that if you just give them $2 trillion more, boy do they have a deal on a neo-colony for you.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice-- can't get fooled again.

BRAVE NEW WORLD REDUX

I could swear that I was reading Aldous Huxley's Brave New World when I read this:

"British scientists will try to create human-animal embryos for the first time after receiving the go-ahead from the government's fertility regulator yesterday. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority said it had offered year-long licences to two teams of scientists."

[Human-animal embryos get the go-ahead

The Guardian

January 18, 2008]

In the above I have put in Italics the jargon that made me think that I was reading Mr. Huxley's novel.

Clean and antiseptic words.

Words that can be trusted.

Fertility Regulator.

Someone who regulates fertility.

This is the bad news.

The good news is that nothing will go to waste!

The microscopic embryonic humans and their microscopic (potential) minds and bodies will not be wasted:

"Under existing laws, the embryos must be destroyed after 14 days when they are no bigger than a pinhead, and cannot be implanted into the womb. In a statement, the authority said its licensing committee had "determined that the applications satisfied all the requirements of the law"

Ah. Good. Now we can be confident all will be well. All is good. "...the applications satisfied all the requirements of the law."

You can't stop Progress.

You can't slow down the march of Time or stem the footprints of Science.

But will WHAT Science comes up with next be for the best?

We are doing what we're doing with good intentions.

We want to improve the human race and ease its suffering.

(And make billions while doing it!)

IT'S THE OIL STUPID!