On Sep 30, 2005, at 2:47 PM:
This was sent to me by a friends...Interesting and disgusting both.
Is it true???
And if so, does anybody see any hypocrisy here?
Democrats:
* Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
* David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.
* Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
* Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.
* Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
* Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
* John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, Purple Hearts.
* Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
* Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star &Bronze Star, Vietnam.
* Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53.
* Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
* Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
* Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons.
* Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars, and Sol dier's Medal.
* Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit.
* Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
* Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V.
* Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.
*! Pete St ark: Air Force 1955-57
* Chuck Robb: Vietnam
* Howell Heflin: Silver Star
* George McGovern: Silver Star &DFC during WWII.
* Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but received #311.
* Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy.
* Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
* John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 Clusters.
* Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg.
Republicans -- These are the guys sending people to war:
* Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
* Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
* Tom Delay: did not serve.
* Roy Blunt: did not serve.
* Bill Frist: did not serve.
* Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
* Rick Santorum: did not serve.
* Trent Lott: did not serve.
* John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
* Jeb Bush: did not serve.
* Karl Rove: did not serve.
* Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." The man who attacked Max Cleland's patriotism.
* Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
* Vin Weber: did not serve.
* Richard Perle: did not serve.
* Douglas Feith: did not serve.
* Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
* Richard Shelby: did not serve.
* Jon Kyl: did not serve.
* Tim Hutchison: did not serve.
* Christopher Cox: did not serve.
* Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
* Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor.
* George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard; got assigned to Alabama so he could campaign for family friend running for U.S. Senate; failed to show up for required medical exam, disappeared from duty.
* B-1 Bob Dornan: Consciously enlisted after fighting was over in Korea.
* Phil Gramm: did not serve.
* John McCain: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.
* Dana Rohrabacher: did not! serve.
* John M. McHugh: did not serve.
* JC Watts: did not serve.
* Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem," although continued in NFL for 8 years.
* Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard.
* Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
* George Pataki: did not serve.
* Spencer Abraham: did not serve.
* John Engler: did not serve.
* Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer.
* Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base.
* Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role making movies.
Pundits &Preachers:
* Sean Hannity: did not serve.
* Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst.')
* Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.
* Michael Savage: did not serve.
* George Will: did not serve.
* Chris Matthews: did not serve.
* Paul Gigot: did not serve.
* Bill Bennett: did not serve.
* Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
* Bill Kristol: did not serve.
* Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
* Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
* Clarence Thomas: did not serve.
* Ralph Reed: did not serve.
* Michael Medved: did not serve.
* Charlie Daniels: did not serve.
* Ted Nugent: did not serve. (He only shoots at things that don't shoot back.)
* John Wayne: did not serve.
Please keep this information circulating.
Sen. Howard W. Carroll
The above is true -
Many have been hollering about this since 2000, but few seem to pay attention. If you are prepared to really be disgusted, have a look at the campaign that Saxby Chambliss ran against Max Cleland in Georgia for US Senate in 2002 - and won. Saxby, who never served his country (had a "trick knee"), infamously ran campaign ads comparing Cleland (who lost three limbs in Vietnam) to Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden. Unfortunately and unbelievably, too many rednecks believed his hypocrisy to see thru the fraud:
In my opinion, our country is in grave danger and on the precipice (along with Britain) of becoming a totally fascist corporate state, dedicated to the unholy profits of the unaccountable, greedy few who are well on the way to enslaving the rest of us if they can get away with it. Try exercising your US citizen rights, guaranteed by the constitution in Washington (and many other places) to protest these days, and you may be hustled off to jail as Cindy Sheehan just was on some technicality or other. And, in Britain the other day, an 82 year old delegate to a Labour Party convention was grabbed by a couple of security 'toughies' after he had the unmitigated gall to shout the word 'nonsense' in protest as the British Foreign Secretary tried to justify the British presence in Iraq. He was then briefly and absurdly detained under the British "Terrorism Act". (Hint: Watch the video!)
The point is that the powers that be these days are desperate to hold onto control and stifle dissent any way they can, both here and in Britain. Unbelievably, we have become the draconian "Russia of the new millennium"! In other words:
" . . on this very ground, with small flags waving and tiny blasts of tiny trumpets, we have met the enemy, and not only may he be ours, he may be us."
- Pogo (by Walt Kelly)
To many, including sometimes myself, these words seem like some kind of polemical diatribe - but really, I am apolitical. I have never classified myself as "Democrat" or "Republican" - and never liked labels. And, if I tallied all my voting over the years (I've never missed even once, and always split my ticket - until recently), I am sure I would find that I have voted for more Republicans than Democrats.
But, I am for "truth, justice and the American Way", none of which seem to be much in evidence these days. Problem is, not many people take the trouble to seriously look into this hypocrisy, or "check under the rocks" - and many get all caught up in the flaming rhetoric pumped out by these lying, deceitful fraudulent bastards. The hope is now it has gotten so very bad that even the dummies are waking up. I have right many 'right wing' friends who are appalled at what is being done in our name, to our country by the people now in charge.
"It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry for blood, more vengeance. More desolation."
- William Tecumseh Sherman
Friday, September 30, 2005
George Orwell & 1984
I recently went back to re-read Orwell's 1949 novel "1984" in which he painted a picture of how things might be in certain societies in 1984. He was pretty amazingly right except for the year, which actually came about somewhat earlier.
Some things he described in the novel were:
“Big Brother” & “Thought Police” - government surveillance of people and the media, for example:
Wire-tapping citizens’ phones on ‘suspicion’;
Investigating citizen library & other personal records without their knowledge on ‘suspicion’:
Detaining and indefinitely imprisoning people without trial or charge on ‘suspicion” or as ‘Enemy Combatants”;
“Embedding” reporters and correspondents in the military, and then controlling their output.
Government funding of ‘documentaries’ to get a Neo-Con propaganda view across;
Jailing a reporter for 85 days for refusing to disclose her sources - in accordance with historically accepted journalistic ethics.
All “animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” - specifically the ‘pigs’ who gain political control, for example;
George W. Bush who sees no problem with outright lies - so long as the lies are Neo-Con lies;
Karl Rove who plots and schemes behind the scenes and violates national laws with impunity;
Tom Delay who has been cited for ethics violations, directly violated laws, and used his political position for pecuniary family gain, who claims that “I AM the government” and may never pay for his transgressions.
Bill Frist who piously claims innocence of violating laws on insider trading which is patently false;
The appointment of an egregiously unqualified political hack to a position of critical public responsibility, resulting in the most costly natural disaster in US history.
Revision of history to fit political views or inconvenient facts, for example;
Trials and execution of Nazi ‘war criminals’ after WWII while totally ignoring allied policies of saturation bombing of German cities exterminating German civilians in the millions. Only recently has it come to light how extensive was that campaign;
Falsifying historical data in order to justify an invasion, and ignoring other inconvenient data;
Justifying an illegal invasion of another country by reason of their possession of “Weapons of Mass Destruction” which are never found because they do not exist, then justifying the invasion as a “War against Terror” - (also qualifies under Newspeak & Doublespeak below).
“Newspeak” - the labeling of people and groups in order to control and direct propaganda attacks for or against them, for example
“American Patriot” or “True American” for someone who never troubled to serve his/her country so long as they are a Right Wing or Neo-Con supporter, even when they attack those who actually have sacrificed for the country;
“Conservative” for a Neo-Con, who is anything but;
“Left wing Democrat”, “Communist” or “Traitor” for any Democrat or non Neo-Con;
“Radical Liberal” for anyone who disagrees with Right Wing dogma, or objects to abdicating our entire country to Big Oil interests; (Not incidentally, but have you noticed gas prices at the pump are up 100% since the current group took control?)
“Diehard Socialist” for anyone who supports people programs.
“Extreme Environmentalist” for anyone who speaks up for environmental sanity;
"Left Leaning" for any political moderate;
“Whiner” for anyone who objects to the rape of their country.
“Doublespeak” - in essence, political propaganda, for example:
“Peacekeeping Forces” used to make war;
“Defense Strategy” to define an aggressive war;
“Defending Freedom and Democracy” by invading another country;
“Freedom Fighter” for any pro-Right Wing rebel such as a Contra in Nicaragua, or the Pol Pot in Cambodia, who ultimately killed millions;
“Terrorist” for any anti-Right Wing rebel or someone who disagrees;
“Bringing Dignity to the White House” by replacing a horny President with a “War President”, ultimately costing thousands of lives in the process;
and, perhaps silliest of all, renaming “French Fries” to “Freedom Fries” simply because France disagrees with your Neo-Con madness!
Some things he described in the novel were:
“Big Brother” & “Thought Police” - government surveillance of people and the media, for example:
Wire-tapping citizens’ phones on ‘suspicion’;
Investigating citizen library & other personal records without their knowledge on ‘suspicion’:
Detaining and indefinitely imprisoning people without trial or charge on ‘suspicion” or as ‘Enemy Combatants”;
“Embedding” reporters and correspondents in the military, and then controlling their output.
Government funding of ‘documentaries’ to get a Neo-Con propaganda view across;
Jailing a reporter for 85 days for refusing to disclose her sources - in accordance with historically accepted journalistic ethics.
All “animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” - specifically the ‘pigs’ who gain political control, for example;
George W. Bush who sees no problem with outright lies - so long as the lies are Neo-Con lies;
Karl Rove who plots and schemes behind the scenes and violates national laws with impunity;
Tom Delay who has been cited for ethics violations, directly violated laws, and used his political position for pecuniary family gain, who claims that “I AM the government” and may never pay for his transgressions.
Bill Frist who piously claims innocence of violating laws on insider trading which is patently false;
The appointment of an egregiously unqualified political hack to a position of critical public responsibility, resulting in the most costly natural disaster in US history.
Revision of history to fit political views or inconvenient facts, for example;
Trials and execution of Nazi ‘war criminals’ after WWII while totally ignoring allied policies of saturation bombing of German cities exterminating German civilians in the millions. Only recently has it come to light how extensive was that campaign;
Falsifying historical data in order to justify an invasion, and ignoring other inconvenient data;
Justifying an illegal invasion of another country by reason of their possession of “Weapons of Mass Destruction” which are never found because they do not exist, then justifying the invasion as a “War against Terror” - (also qualifies under Newspeak & Doublespeak below).
“Newspeak” - the labeling of people and groups in order to control and direct propaganda attacks for or against them, for example
“American Patriot” or “True American” for someone who never troubled to serve his/her country so long as they are a Right Wing or Neo-Con supporter, even when they attack those who actually have sacrificed for the country;
“Conservative” for a Neo-Con, who is anything but;
“Left wing Democrat”, “Communist” or “Traitor” for any Democrat or non Neo-Con;
“Radical Liberal” for anyone who disagrees with Right Wing dogma, or objects to abdicating our entire country to Big Oil interests; (Not incidentally, but have you noticed gas prices at the pump are up 100% since the current group took control?)
“Diehard Socialist” for anyone who supports people programs.
“Extreme Environmentalist” for anyone who speaks up for environmental sanity;
"Left Leaning" for any political moderate;
“Whiner” for anyone who objects to the rape of their country.
“Doublespeak” - in essence, political propaganda, for example:
“Peacekeeping Forces” used to make war;
“Defense Strategy” to define an aggressive war;
“Defending Freedom and Democracy” by invading another country;
“Freedom Fighter” for any pro-Right Wing rebel such as a Contra in Nicaragua, or the Pol Pot in Cambodia, who ultimately killed millions;
“Terrorist” for any anti-Right Wing rebel or someone who disagrees;
“Bringing Dignity to the White House” by replacing a horny President with a “War President”, ultimately costing thousands of lives in the process;
and, perhaps silliest of all, renaming “French Fries” to “Freedom Fries” simply because France disagrees with your Neo-Con madness!
Thursday, September 29, 2005
"Ethics" are captured by Republicans
Well Tom Delay, that fat-assed bug killer and Republican Congressman from Texas has finally been indicted for *'criminal conspiracy', though I wouldn't want to make book on whether he will be convicted, nor what his sentence would be if so. Here's what he's had to say:Claim:
“I have done nothing wrong . . .charges against me are a sham . . .this is one of the weakest, most baseless indictments in American history . . .”
- ex-Speaker of the House , Texas Republican Congressman Tom Delay
Reality:
The US Congress’ House Ethics Committee (officially, “Committee on Standards of Official Conduct”) has three times censured Delay for ethics violations, and Delay has been under fire countless times for outrageous and illegal behaviour.
Claim:
“I am the victim of a partisan political hack who happens to be a Texas prosecutor . . and a runaway Grand Jury . . .“
- ex-Speaker of the House , Texas Republican Congressman Tom Delay
Reality:
District Attorney & prosecutor Ronnie Earle of Travis County, Texas has brought charges against 13 Democrats and 2 Republicans in his prosecutorial career - and that is a TEXAS grand jury for Christ's sake!
Remember that Delay is the Congressman who wanted to throw the book at judges (arrest them!) for their legal decisions in the Terry Schiavo case;
Remember too that Delay is the Congressman who famously once retorted in a Washington restaurant when told that government rules prevented his smoking there,
“I AM the government!” (Doesn't that arrogant asshole statement remind you of “Let them eat cake!” somehow?
Remember too, that Delay is the Congressman who tried mightily as House Majority Leader to overturn house rules (put in place at the insistence of Republicans!) requiring leaders to step down if indicted - and was only narrowly prevented by wide public outcry.
Speaking of that ethics committee, do you find it odd that TWO members of that House committee actually contributed to Tom Delay’s legal defense fund? ((Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas and Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma).
Not only that, but Representative Smith CO-HOSTED a 2002 fundraising breakfast to benefit the DeLay-founded political action committee that is now the subject of the grand jury investigation in Texas, and the basis of Delay’s current indictment! Whoo Boy! Talk about being judged by your peers!
That PAC is the “Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee” (TRMPAC) about which Rep. Smith once said: “ "When someone joins this committee, they make a solemn vow to protect the integrity of the House of Representatives. That means that every decision has to be based on the merits, not partisanship."
(That absurd statement should make a serious reason for pause, as a ridiculously obvious oxymoron if nothing else!)
And or course, Roy Blount, Delay’s replacement as House Majority Leader says, "Tom Delay has always had, and continues to have, the strong support of the (Republican) party."
So, do Republicans actually support ‘ethics’ and by connotation the American people, or are they just strictly partisan Republicans and nothing else? I suppose we shall soon see . . . I have written my sole Congressman (Republican) to ask about this and await his reply.
*(Republicans must be so proud!)
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Failure, Redefined
The word 'failure' has now been redefined! Try this: Put the word "failure" into a Google search. It doesn't matter whether you enclose it in quotes or not. The NUMBER ONE hit that comes up is this:
And, that's out of TWO HUNDRED AND ELEVEN MILLION results as of this morning!
'Struth! Try it for yourself!
Other search engines bring up the identical entry as follows:
As a first result: Dogpile, Metacrawler, Webcrawler;
As a second result: Internet Explorer, MSN
As a sixth result: Yahoo
Even the search engines are waking up to the truth . . . .
And, that's out of TWO HUNDRED AND ELEVEN MILLION results as of this morning!'Struth! Try it for yourself!
Other search engines bring up the identical entry as follows:
As a first result: Dogpile, Metacrawler, Webcrawler;
As a second result: Internet Explorer, MSN
As a sixth result: Yahoo
Even the search engines are waking up to the truth . . . .
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Who's Running Things Anyway?
When George W. Bush took office in January, 2001 gas prices at the pump were $1.53 per gallon. Today, they are at and above $3.00 per gallon.
No matter what happens, oil companies are gonna get theirs - it’s like taxation, except they don’t have to bother with a bunch of tax returns & such nonsense. They just raise prices.
When crude prices go up - oil companies raise the price to the consumer;
When crude prices go down - the price to the consumer stays up;
Whenever there is any change or disturbance whatever to be used as an excuse - oil companies raise prices.
Oil companies raise prices during war due to ‘war time demand’;
Oil companies raise prices after a hurricane or earthquake due to ‘damage to infrastructure and shortages”;
Oil companies raise prices during summer because there’s ‘more travel’.
Oil companies raise prices in winter due to ‘heating oil demand’.
Excessive demand is defined as anything over what the refineries can provide - and no US oil company has invested in a new refinery in OVER THIRTY YEARS!
Essentially, oil companies raise prices any time they can get away with it.
Oil companies do these things because they have so many politicians bought and paid for and in their pockets to be pulled out whenever needed.
Exxon for example, made record profits last quarter - more than any corporation or entity in the history of the world, ever.
Exxon raised prices after the Exxon-Valdez spill due to their ‘projected outlay for damage awards’. (which they still haven’t paid these sixteen yeas later by the way, even though found ‘criminally negligent’ in court {besides having a drunken pilot on board - who was in his cabin sleeping it off, the ship was being run by the third mate who wasn’t using a radar which might have prevented the grounding because it was too expensive to operate!}. And, the actual damages they were forced kicking and screaming to pay were reimbursed by insurance anyway!
Exxon continues today to realize $2 million PER DAY in interest on the fine while they appeal the award.
Exxon actually INCREASED PROFITS as a result of the Exxon-Valdez spill due to their criminal negligence. On a personal level, it’s a lot like having an endless supply of ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ cards along with tons of hundred dollar bills you can grab armfuls of anytime you wish.
YET, our government in it’s infinite wisdom, has under this *administration given Oil companies (including Exxon) even more tax breaks - pure pork to them, coming directly out of the US treasury.
*Not to be discriminatory, ALL recent administrations have eagerly handed over largesse to the oil companies, indicating that greedy corporate immorality (and lavish campaign contributions) really does pay when it comes to politics in the US. It is just that this particular administration, and all Republican administrations in general, are invariably especially eager to accommodate energy companies - unless they are the kind that wishes to develop alternate sources.
This interesting study (1995) might give you some idea of the real, and hidden subsidies enjoyed by the big oil companies. And, three guesses as to who is actually paying for these subsidies . . . .
Here's an interesting idea just sent to me a few days ago by a Canadian friend of mine:
Take a look, we have started this in Canada, your turn in the US maybe.
It is rumoured that we are going to hit close to a $1.42 a Litre by the winter. Want gasoline prices to come down? We need to take some intelligent, united action. Someone offered this good idea:This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the don't buy gas on a certain day campaign that was going around last April or May! The oil companies just laughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to hurt ourselves by refusing to buy gas. It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a problem for them. BUT, this is a plan that can really work. Please read it and join.
We all know that we're being controlled by the oil companies. Does everyone remember how they drove up the prices and got the gas prices to where they wanted them, claiming there was a shortage of oil. Well, there isn't any shortage now, and the oil is more abundant than it was 35 years ago when the price of a gallon of gas was 29 cents!!!
Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to think that the cost of a litre of gas is CHEAP at $0.78-$0.85, we need to take aggressive action to teach them that BUYERS control the marketplace....not sellers. With the price of gasoline going up more each day, we consumers need to take action... The only way we are going to see the price of gas come down is if we hit someone in the pocketbook by not purchasing their gas! And we can do that WITHOUT hurting ourselves. How? Since we all rely on our cars we cant just stop buying gas.. But we CAN have an impact on gas prices if we all act together to force a price war.
Here's the idea:
PAY ATTENTION HERE
For the rest of this year, DON'T purchase ANY gasoline from the two biggest companies (which now are one), PETRO CANADA, SHELL. If they are not selling any gas, they will be inclined to reduce their prices. If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to follow suit. But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of PETRO CANADA and SHELL buyers. Its really simple to do! ! Now, don't whimp out on me at this point...keep reading and Ill explain how simple it is to reach millions of people!!
(In the US we probably want to substitute EXXON)
Again, all You have to do is send this to 10 people. That's all. How long would all that take? If each of us sends this email out to ten more people within one day of receipt, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!! I'll bet you I didn't think you and I had that much potential, did you! Acting together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on.
No matter what happens, oil companies are gonna get theirs - it’s like taxation, except they don’t have to bother with a bunch of tax returns & such nonsense. They just raise prices.
When crude prices go up - oil companies raise the price to the consumer;
When crude prices go down - the price to the consumer stays up;
Whenever there is any change or disturbance whatever to be used as an excuse - oil companies raise prices.
Oil companies raise prices during war due to ‘war time demand’;
Oil companies raise prices after a hurricane or earthquake due to ‘damage to infrastructure and shortages”;
Oil companies raise prices during summer because there’s ‘more travel’.
Oil companies raise prices in winter due to ‘heating oil demand’.
Excessive demand is defined as anything over what the refineries can provide - and no US oil company has invested in a new refinery in OVER THIRTY YEARS!
Essentially, oil companies raise prices any time they can get away with it.
Oil companies do these things because they have so many politicians bought and paid for and in their pockets to be pulled out whenever needed.
Exxon for example, made record profits last quarter - more than any corporation or entity in the history of the world, ever.
Exxon raised prices after the Exxon-Valdez spill due to their ‘projected outlay for damage awards’. (which they still haven’t paid these sixteen yeas later by the way, even though found ‘criminally negligent’ in court {besides having a drunken pilot on board - who was in his cabin sleeping it off, the ship was being run by the third mate who wasn’t using a radar which might have prevented the grounding because it was too expensive to operate!}. And, the actual damages they were forced kicking and screaming to pay were reimbursed by insurance anyway!
Exxon continues today to realize $2 million PER DAY in interest on the fine while they appeal the award.
Exxon actually INCREASED PROFITS as a result of the Exxon-Valdez spill due to their criminal negligence. On a personal level, it’s a lot like having an endless supply of ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ cards along with tons of hundred dollar bills you can grab armfuls of anytime you wish.
YET, our government in it’s infinite wisdom, has under this *administration given Oil companies (including Exxon) even more tax breaks - pure pork to them, coming directly out of the US treasury.
*Not to be discriminatory, ALL recent administrations have eagerly handed over largesse to the oil companies, indicating that greedy corporate immorality (and lavish campaign contributions) really does pay when it comes to politics in the US. It is just that this particular administration, and all Republican administrations in general, are invariably especially eager to accommodate energy companies - unless they are the kind that wishes to develop alternate sources.
This interesting study (1995) might give you some idea of the real, and hidden subsidies enjoyed by the big oil companies. And, three guesses as to who is actually paying for these subsidies . . . .
Here's an interesting idea just sent to me a few days ago by a Canadian friend of mine:
Take a look, we have started this in Canada, your turn in the US maybe.
It is rumoured that we are going to hit close to a $1.42 a Litre by the winter. Want gasoline prices to come down? We need to take some intelligent, united action. Someone offered this good idea:This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the don't buy gas on a certain day campaign that was going around last April or May! The oil companies just laughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to hurt ourselves by refusing to buy gas. It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a problem for them. BUT, this is a plan that can really work. Please read it and join.
We all know that we're being controlled by the oil companies. Does everyone remember how they drove up the prices and got the gas prices to where they wanted them, claiming there was a shortage of oil. Well, there isn't any shortage now, and the oil is more abundant than it was 35 years ago when the price of a gallon of gas was 29 cents!!!
Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to think that the cost of a litre of gas is CHEAP at $0.78-$0.85, we need to take aggressive action to teach them that BUYERS control the marketplace....not sellers. With the price of gasoline going up more each day, we consumers need to take action... The only way we are going to see the price of gas come down is if we hit someone in the pocketbook by not purchasing their gas! And we can do that WITHOUT hurting ourselves. How? Since we all rely on our cars we cant just stop buying gas.. But we CAN have an impact on gas prices if we all act together to force a price war.
Here's the idea:
PAY ATTENTION HERE
For the rest of this year, DON'T purchase ANY gasoline from the two biggest companies (which now are one), PETRO CANADA, SHELL. If they are not selling any gas, they will be inclined to reduce their prices. If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to follow suit. But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of PETRO CANADA and SHELL buyers. Its really simple to do! ! Now, don't whimp out on me at this point...keep reading and Ill explain how simple it is to reach millions of people!!
(In the US we probably want to substitute EXXON)
Again, all You have to do is send this to 10 people. That's all. How long would all that take? If each of us sends this email out to ten more people within one day of receipt, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!! I'll bet you I didn't think you and I had that much potential, did you! Acting together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Whose God is that?
A Federal district court judge in Sacramento, California has ruled that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in school is unconstitutional.
Why?
Because the pledge contains the two word-phrase "Under God". This phrase was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 during the Eisenhower administration, the result of a successful campaign by the lay group *"Knights of Columbus".
* And just who are the Knights of Columbus for those who may not know? The following quote from their web site may help you understand:
"Knights are Catholic men, 18 years of age and older, who are committed to making their community a better place, while supporting their Church"
(I don't particularly have anything against the Catholic Church or the Knights of Columbus - I just don't want them dictating who we. and most particularly I, 'pledge allegiance to'!)
Lest there be any further doubt as to the religious connotation of adding those two words, here's what President Eisenhower said when they were added to the Pledge:
"In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; In this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most power resource in peace and war."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower on Flag Day, June 14, 1954
This pretty well establishes that at least in those folks' minds, our country is beholden to 'God' and likewise it's citizens, whether everyone feels that way or not. That conclusion is inescapable.
By reciting the Pledge of Allegiance you are doing the following - all pretty freely acknowledged by supporters of the Pledge:
1-Promise your loyalty to the Flag itself;
2-Promise your loyalty to your own and all the other 49 states;
3-Promise your loyalty to the Government that 'unites' us all;
4-Recognize that we are one nation, UNDER GOD;
5-That we can not nor should not be divided or alone;
6-That Liberty and Justice belongs to ALL of us
(1- Speaking only for myself, I am having some internal problems proclaiming loyalty to some strips of colored cloth - as heretical as that may sound);
(2- I’m not too sure about all those states either, particularly Alabama & Mississippi & West By God Virginia);
(3- Promise 'loyalty to a Government' which is the most divisive in US history since the Civil War, and which feels free to unilaterally invade other countries? I don’t think so!);
(4- UNDER GOD? I have a news flash for the folks who want to shove this down our throats: This country was founded on FREEDOM OF RELIGION, including NO STINKING GOD if I so choose - and I most certainly do!);
(5- Better talk to my ex-wife about this one);
(6- Amen brother. This one I go for, if only it could be true. But, alas in the good old U.S. of A, Liberty and Justice almost always goes to the highest bidder).
And, whose god are all those bible thumpers talking about anyway?
Catholic God? Jewish God? Jehovah? Bhudda? Muhammad? Hinduism and reincarnation? The Baptist God? The Snake Handlers God? Pentecostals? Holy Rollers? Shinto's? (or one of the other 2600 some-odd sectarian beliefs and gods?)
Or, maybe this one I have just learned about?:
(I'm gonna send for their minister's kit!)
Why?
Because the pledge contains the two word-phrase "Under God". This phrase was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 during the Eisenhower administration, the result of a successful campaign by the lay group *"Knights of Columbus".
* And just who are the Knights of Columbus for those who may not know? The following quote from their web site may help you understand:
"Knights are Catholic men, 18 years of age and older, who are committed to making their community a better place, while supporting their Church"
(I don't particularly have anything against the Catholic Church or the Knights of Columbus - I just don't want them dictating who we. and most particularly I, 'pledge allegiance to'!)
Lest there be any further doubt as to the religious connotation of adding those two words, here's what President Eisenhower said when they were added to the Pledge:
"In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; In this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most power resource in peace and war."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower on Flag Day, June 14, 1954
This pretty well establishes that at least in those folks' minds, our country is beholden to 'God' and likewise it's citizens, whether everyone feels that way or not. That conclusion is inescapable.
By reciting the Pledge of Allegiance you are doing the following - all pretty freely acknowledged by supporters of the Pledge:
1-Promise your loyalty to the Flag itself;
2-Promise your loyalty to your own and all the other 49 states;
3-Promise your loyalty to the Government that 'unites' us all;
4-Recognize that we are one nation, UNDER GOD;
5-That we can not nor should not be divided or alone;
6-That Liberty and Justice belongs to ALL of us
(1- Speaking only for myself, I am having some internal problems proclaiming loyalty to some strips of colored cloth - as heretical as that may sound);
(2- I’m not too sure about all those states either, particularly Alabama & Mississippi & West By God Virginia);
(3- Promise 'loyalty to a Government' which is the most divisive in US history since the Civil War, and which feels free to unilaterally invade other countries? I don’t think so!);
(4- UNDER GOD? I have a news flash for the folks who want to shove this down our throats: This country was founded on FREEDOM OF RELIGION, including NO STINKING GOD if I so choose - and I most certainly do!);
(5- Better talk to my ex-wife about this one);
(6- Amen brother. This one I go for, if only it could be true. But, alas in the good old U.S. of A, Liberty and Justice almost always goes to the highest bidder).
And, whose god are all those bible thumpers talking about anyway?
Catholic God? Jewish God? Jehovah? Bhudda? Muhammad? Hinduism and reincarnation? The Baptist God? The Snake Handlers God? Pentecostals? Holy Rollers? Shinto's? (or one of the other 2600 some-odd sectarian beliefs and gods?)
Or, maybe this one I have just learned about?:
(I'm gonna send for their minister's kit!)
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Bullshit Translator
I’ve recently purchased a digital, high-tech bullshit translator. I put it to work for the first time on some statements made today and was amazed at the results. Have a look:
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"I take responsibility" for failures in dealing with Hurricane Katrina”
-GW Bush, 9/13/05
TRANSLATION:
“It will be the first time in my life I’ve ever accepted responsibility for anything, so it’s all new to me. That’s why it’s taken me nearly two weeks to step up to the plate on this one.”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government"
- GW Bush, 9/13/05
TRANSLATION:
“It’s pretty God-damned obvious to the whole world that we were in no way prepared, but we sure as shit are gonna blame this problem on anyone else we can. Turd Blossom is staying up late nights working to make this happen right now.”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"To the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility,"
- GW Bush, 9/13/05
TRANSLATION:
“Turd Blossom is gonna spin this so there’s NO EXTENT to which my administration didn’t do their jobs - so, I WON’T BE responsible at all. TB’s a master at that stuff you know.”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"Are we capable of dealing with a severe attack? That's a very important question and it's in the national interest that we find out what went on so we can better respond,"
- GW Bush, 9/13/05
TRANSLATION:
“How the &*$#@&&* should I know?”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"I'm not going to defend the process going in, I am going to defend the people saving lives."
-GW Bush, 9/13/05
TRANSLATION:
"What’s to defend? It’s not like we actually went in until a week later, and then weak as a tubercular whore. Anyway, who gives a damn about a bunch of blacks and obvious Democrats?”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"I want people in America to understand how hard people worked to save lives down there"
-GW Bush, 9/13/05
TRANSLATION:
"Heh, heh. Yeah, but nobody in my administration! That’s for God-damned sure!”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"We're going to get those people out of the shelters, and we're going to move and get them the help they need."
- R David Paulison, the new acting director of FEMA
TRANSLATION:
“Those black bastards are costing us an arm and a leg. Christ, we’ve had to give ‘em $2000 apiece already and nobody knows where this will end.”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"The world is not going to stop moving because we are very focused on Katrina,"
- Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security Director
TRANSLATION:
"The whole world is so focused on Katrina we’re having absolutely no problem getting Halliburton positioned to profit big time with a whole shitpot full of sweet, no-bid contract deals. There oughta be kickbacks enough to go all around!"
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"President Bush thanked me for coming on board and promised I would have the full support of the federal government"
- R David Paulison, the new acting director of FEMA
TRANSLATION:
“Dubya and Dick Cheney are each gonna give me some more fellatio tonight - I just have to promise to pull their cookies out of this fire on this one. Hot damn!”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"I’m very busy getting brought up to speed."
- R David Paulison, the new acting director of FEMA
TRANSLATION:
“I’ve very busy getting all my orders straight from Dick Cheney and Halliburton”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"And then ultimately at the end of the day, we have to reconstitute the communities that have been devastated,"
- Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security Director
TRANSLATION:
“Make that “re-constipate” - this fiasco has sure given me the shits and devastated my public-tit sucking ass!”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"The federal government can't drive permanent solutions down the throats of state and local officials. I don't think anyone should envision a situation in which they're going to take a back seat. They're going to take a front seat,"
- Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security Director
TRANSLATION:
“But, we can sure blame the living hell out of them, and if the bastards are Democrats, we’ll make damned sure they’re gonna get the fricking ‘Hot Seat’ !”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"We want to get aid to people who need it quickly, but we also don't want to lose sight of the importance of preserving the integrity of the process and our responsibility as stewards of the public money,"
- Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security Director
TRANSLATION:
“We’ve not spending one damned red cent on those poor bastards more than we are absolutely forced to.”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"We're going to cut through red tape, but we're not going to cut through laws and rules that govern ethics."
- Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security Director
TRANSLATION:
“Ethics, shmethics. Red tape won’t even be on the radar screeen for Halliburton and folks like them - and we’ll go on ignoring those picky laws and ethics if they bcome a problem for us - just like we’ve always done since we took office.”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"We've got to the point where most if not all of the search and rescue is completed. Some helicopters can undoubtedly be moved out over the period ahead."
- Donald Rumsfeld, US Secretary fof Defense
TRANSLATION:
“Anybody left there now is welcome to go ahead and die. We gotta get those choppers back to Iraq. God-damn! There goes my secure line cell phone again! Gotta go. I’m the freaking defense secretary in TIME OF WAR by God!”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
“We aren’t finding very many sick or diseased people in the area.”
-US Centers for Disease Control
TRANSLATION:
“The only ones who are left are pretty much all fricking dead by now!”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"I take responsibility" for failures in dealing with Hurricane Katrina”
-GW Bush, 9/13/05
TRANSLATION:
“It will be the first time in my life I’ve ever accepted responsibility for anything, so it’s all new to me. That’s why it’s taken me nearly two weeks to step up to the plate on this one.”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government"
- GW Bush, 9/13/05
TRANSLATION:
“It’s pretty God-damned obvious to the whole world that we were in no way prepared, but we sure as shit are gonna blame this problem on anyone else we can. Turd Blossom is staying up late nights working to make this happen right now.”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"To the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility,"
- GW Bush, 9/13/05
TRANSLATION:
“Turd Blossom is gonna spin this so there’s NO EXTENT to which my administration didn’t do their jobs - so, I WON’T BE responsible at all. TB’s a master at that stuff you know.”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"Are we capable of dealing with a severe attack? That's a very important question and it's in the national interest that we find out what went on so we can better respond,"
- GW Bush, 9/13/05
TRANSLATION:
“How the &*$#@&&* should I know?”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"I'm not going to defend the process going in, I am going to defend the people saving lives."
-GW Bush, 9/13/05
TRANSLATION:
"What’s to defend? It’s not like we actually went in until a week later, and then weak as a tubercular whore. Anyway, who gives a damn about a bunch of blacks and obvious Democrats?”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"I want people in America to understand how hard people worked to save lives down there"
-GW Bush, 9/13/05
TRANSLATION:
"Heh, heh. Yeah, but nobody in my administration! That’s for God-damned sure!”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"We're going to get those people out of the shelters, and we're going to move and get them the help they need."
- R David Paulison, the new acting director of FEMA
TRANSLATION:
“Those black bastards are costing us an arm and a leg. Christ, we’ve had to give ‘em $2000 apiece already and nobody knows where this will end.”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"The world is not going to stop moving because we are very focused on Katrina,"
- Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security Director
TRANSLATION:
"The whole world is so focused on Katrina we’re having absolutely no problem getting Halliburton positioned to profit big time with a whole shitpot full of sweet, no-bid contract deals. There oughta be kickbacks enough to go all around!"
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"President Bush thanked me for coming on board and promised I would have the full support of the federal government"
- R David Paulison, the new acting director of FEMA
TRANSLATION:
“Dubya and Dick Cheney are each gonna give me some more fellatio tonight - I just have to promise to pull their cookies out of this fire on this one. Hot damn!”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"I’m very busy getting brought up to speed."
- R David Paulison, the new acting director of FEMA
TRANSLATION:
“I’ve very busy getting all my orders straight from Dick Cheney and Halliburton”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"And then ultimately at the end of the day, we have to reconstitute the communities that have been devastated,"
- Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security Director
TRANSLATION:
“Make that “re-constipate” - this fiasco has sure given me the shits and devastated my public-tit sucking ass!”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"The federal government can't drive permanent solutions down the throats of state and local officials. I don't think anyone should envision a situation in which they're going to take a back seat. They're going to take a front seat,"
- Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security Director
TRANSLATION:
“But, we can sure blame the living hell out of them, and if the bastards are Democrats, we’ll make damned sure they’re gonna get the fricking ‘Hot Seat’ !”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"We want to get aid to people who need it quickly, but we also don't want to lose sight of the importance of preserving the integrity of the process and our responsibility as stewards of the public money,"
- Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security Director
TRANSLATION:
“We’ve not spending one damned red cent on those poor bastards more than we are absolutely forced to.”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"We're going to cut through red tape, but we're not going to cut through laws and rules that govern ethics."
- Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security Director
TRANSLATION:
“Ethics, shmethics. Red tape won’t even be on the radar screeen for Halliburton and folks like them - and we’ll go on ignoring those picky laws and ethics if they bcome a problem for us - just like we’ve always done since we took office.”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
"We've got to the point where most if not all of the search and rescue is completed. Some helicopters can undoubtedly be moved out over the period ahead."
- Donald Rumsfeld, US Secretary fof Defense
TRANSLATION:
“Anybody left there now is welcome to go ahead and die. We gotta get those choppers back to Iraq. God-damn! There goes my secure line cell phone again! Gotta go. I’m the freaking defense secretary in TIME OF WAR by God!”
BULLSHIT STATEMENT:
“We aren’t finding very many sick or diseased people in the area.”
-US Centers for Disease Control
TRANSLATION:
“The only ones who are left are pretty much all fricking dead by now!”
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Complete & Unmitigated Disaster
Partisan doctrine under the present failed administration has now authored a *SECOND complete and unmitigated disaster in America counting 9/11. Americans are now hanging their heads in shame before the rest of the world over over the almost complete collapse and lack of preparedness before, during & after Hurricane Katrina.
You can bet on the victims of this catastrophe not only suffering the shockingly appalling consequences, but being blamed for it as well. Such is the sleaze factor typifying this administration . . . which has never allowed "The buck to Stop Here" unless it went into one of their pockets. (Don't you just love the way administration supporters are saying, "Now is not the time to lay blame; Now is the time to come together to repair the damages."?)
But the American public - at least those not blinded by political dogma - are learning the truth. And yes, it is right and proper that the perpetrators be called to account, and the sooner the better lest we are witness to yet another catastrophe.
The following is a chronological timeline of the development of this disaster written by a Stanford University Professor. As he says, "Read it and weep":
CHRONOLOGY....
Here's a timeline that outlines the fate of both FEMA and flood control projects in New Orleans under the Bush administration. Read it and weep:
January 2001:
Bush appoints Joe Allbaugh, a crony from Texas, as head of FEMA. Allbaugh has no previous experience in disaster management.
April 2001:
Budget Director Mitch Daniels announces the Bush administration's goal of privatizing much of FEMA's work. In May, Allbaugh confirms that FEMA will be downsized: "Many are oncerned that federal disaster assistance may have evolved into both an oversized entitlement program...." he said. "Expectations of when the federal government should be involved and the degree of involvement may have ballooned beyond what is an appropriate level."
2001:
FEMA designates a major hurricane hitting New Orleans as one of the three "likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing this country."
*(Blogger's Note: FEMA also identified a major terrorist attack as one of the three likeliest catastrophies - well in advance of 9/11)
December 2002:
After less than two years at FEMA, Allbaugh announces he is leaving to start up a consulting firm that advises companies seeking to do business in Iraq. He is succeeded by his deputy, Michael Brown, who, like Allbaugh, has no previous experience in disaster management.
March 2003:
FEMA is downgraded from a cabinet level position and folded into the Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is refocused on fighting acts of terrorism.
2003:
Under its new organization chart within DHS, FEMA's preparation and planning functions are reassigned to a new Office of Preparedness and Response. FEMA will henceforth focus only on response and recovery.
Summer 2004:
FEMA denies Louisiana's pre-disaster mitigation funding requests. Says Jefferson Parish flood zone manager Tom Rodrigue: "You would think we would get maximum consideration....This is what the grant program called for. We were more than qualified for it."
June 2004:
The Army Corps of Engineers budget for levee construction in New Orleans is slashed. Jefferson Parish emergency management chiefs Walter Maestri comments: "It appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay."
June 2005:
Funding for the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is cut by a record $71.2 million. One of the hardest-hit areas is the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, which was created after the May 1995 flood to improve drainage in Jefferson, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes.
August 2005:
While New Orleans is undergoing a slow motion catastrophe, Bush mugs for the cameras, cuts a cake for John McCain, plays the guitar for Mark Wills, delivers an address about V-J day, and continues with his vacation. When he finally gets around to acknowledging the scope of the unfolding disaster, he delivers only a photo op on Air Force One and a flat, defensive, laundry list speech in the Rose Garden.
A crony with no relevant experience was installed as head of FEMA. Mitigation budgets for New Orleans were slashed even though it was known to be one of the top three risks in the country. FEMA was deliberately downsized as part of the Bush administration's conservative agenda to reduce the role of government. After DHS was created, FEMA's preparation and planning functions were taken away.
Actions have consequences. No one could predict that a hurricane the size of Katrina would hit this year, but the slow federal response when it did happen was no accident. It was the result of four years of deliberate Republican policy and budget choices that favor ideology and partisan loyalty at the expense of operational competence. It's the Bush administration in a nutshell.
--
Henry Breitrose
Professor of Communication
Department of Communication
Stanford University
Stanford, California USA 94305-2050
650-723-4700
You can bet on the victims of this catastrophe not only suffering the shockingly appalling consequences, but being blamed for it as well. Such is the sleaze factor typifying this administration . . . which has never allowed "The buck to Stop Here" unless it went into one of their pockets. (Don't you just love the way administration supporters are saying, "Now is not the time to lay blame; Now is the time to come together to repair the damages."?)
But the American public - at least those not blinded by political dogma - are learning the truth. And yes, it is right and proper that the perpetrators be called to account, and the sooner the better lest we are witness to yet another catastrophe.
The following is a chronological timeline of the development of this disaster written by a Stanford University Professor. As he says, "Read it and weep":
CHRONOLOGY....
Here's a timeline that outlines the fate of both FEMA and flood control projects in New Orleans under the Bush administration. Read it and weep:
January 2001:
Bush appoints Joe Allbaugh, a crony from Texas, as head of FEMA. Allbaugh has no previous experience in disaster management.
April 2001:
Budget Director Mitch Daniels announces the Bush administration's goal of privatizing much of FEMA's work. In May, Allbaugh confirms that FEMA will be downsized: "Many are oncerned that federal disaster assistance may have evolved into both an oversized entitlement program...." he said. "Expectations of when the federal government should be involved and the degree of involvement may have ballooned beyond what is an appropriate level."
2001:
FEMA designates a major hurricane hitting New Orleans as one of the three "likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing this country."
*(Blogger's Note: FEMA also identified a major terrorist attack as one of the three likeliest catastrophies - well in advance of 9/11)
December 2002:
After less than two years at FEMA, Allbaugh announces he is leaving to start up a consulting firm that advises companies seeking to do business in Iraq. He is succeeded by his deputy, Michael Brown, who, like Allbaugh, has no previous experience in disaster management.
March 2003:
FEMA is downgraded from a cabinet level position and folded into the Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is refocused on fighting acts of terrorism.
2003:
Under its new organization chart within DHS, FEMA's preparation and planning functions are reassigned to a new Office of Preparedness and Response. FEMA will henceforth focus only on response and recovery.
Summer 2004:
FEMA denies Louisiana's pre-disaster mitigation funding requests. Says Jefferson Parish flood zone manager Tom Rodrigue: "You would think we would get maximum consideration....This is what the grant program called for. We were more than qualified for it."
June 2004:
The Army Corps of Engineers budget for levee construction in New Orleans is slashed. Jefferson Parish emergency management chiefs Walter Maestri comments: "It appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay."
June 2005:
Funding for the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is cut by a record $71.2 million. One of the hardest-hit areas is the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, which was created after the May 1995 flood to improve drainage in Jefferson, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes.
August 2005:
While New Orleans is undergoing a slow motion catastrophe, Bush mugs for the cameras, cuts a cake for John McCain, plays the guitar for Mark Wills, delivers an address about V-J day, and continues with his vacation. When he finally gets around to acknowledging the scope of the unfolding disaster, he delivers only a photo op on Air Force One and a flat, defensive, laundry list speech in the Rose Garden.
A crony with no relevant experience was installed as head of FEMA. Mitigation budgets for New Orleans were slashed even though it was known to be one of the top three risks in the country. FEMA was deliberately downsized as part of the Bush administration's conservative agenda to reduce the role of government. After DHS was created, FEMA's preparation and planning functions were taken away.
Actions have consequences. No one could predict that a hurricane the size of Katrina would hit this year, but the slow federal response when it did happen was no accident. It was the result of four years of deliberate Republican policy and budget choices that favor ideology and partisan loyalty at the expense of operational competence. It's the Bush administration in a nutshell.
--
Henry Breitrose
Professor of Communication
Department of Communication
Stanford University
Stanford, California USA 94305-2050
650-723-4700
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Actual Intelligent Thought vs. Fantasy
Why would some lousy Democrat from Oregon know more about the danger faced by New Orleans from any hurrricane than the entire Bush Administration and the responsible people on the ground in Lousiana?
Well, maybe and probably because he took the time to actually THINK ABOUT IT!
From: "The Hill" ("The Newspaper for and about the US Congress")
"Oregon lawmaker warned of danger faced by New Orleans:
For years, Louisiana lawmakers have warned of a possible flooding disaster in New Orleans.
But one of the most outspoken legislators on preparing the city for a storm like Hurricane Katrina was a Democrat from Oregon.
Earlier this year, Rep. Earl Blumenauer delivered a speech on the House floor that drew parallels between the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia and the vulnerability of New Orleans.
Blumenauer’s predictions of a catastrophe came true as Katrina flooded New Orleans, leading to a death toll that is expected to climb into the thousands.
On Jan. 26, Blumenauer said a hurricane hitting New Orleans would lead to a “30-foot wall of water hitting the city, causing thousands of deaths and $100 billion in damage.”
He added, “The experience of Southeast Asia should convince us all of the urgent need for congressional action. … Prevention and planning will pay off. Maybe the devastation will encourage us to act before disaster strikes.”
* In a Sept. 15, 2004, floor speech, Blumenauer said damage inflicted by a hurricane “might represent the loss of the city of New Orleans. … Now is the time to deal with policies that will make a difference protecting people.”
- Bob Cusack
* And that was almost exactly ONE FULL YEAR AGO!
This administration doesn't deserve the honor of being 'IMPEACHED' - the ones responsible, and most especially those politically appointed FEMA idiots, should simply be drawn & quartered - along with all their bosses. Simpler, vastly more justified, satisfying, and infinitely cheaper - and that should make the Neo-Cons happy anyway! That is, unless they are part of the problem . . .
Well, maybe and probably because he took the time to actually THINK ABOUT IT!
From: "The Hill" ("The Newspaper for and about the US Congress")
"Oregon lawmaker warned of danger faced by New Orleans:
For years, Louisiana lawmakers have warned of a possible flooding disaster in New Orleans.
But one of the most outspoken legislators on preparing the city for a storm like Hurricane Katrina was a Democrat from Oregon.
Earlier this year, Rep. Earl Blumenauer delivered a speech on the House floor that drew parallels between the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia and the vulnerability of New Orleans.
Blumenauer’s predictions of a catastrophe came true as Katrina flooded New Orleans, leading to a death toll that is expected to climb into the thousands.
On Jan. 26, Blumenauer said a hurricane hitting New Orleans would lead to a “30-foot wall of water hitting the city, causing thousands of deaths and $100 billion in damage.”
He added, “The experience of Southeast Asia should convince us all of the urgent need for congressional action. … Prevention and planning will pay off. Maybe the devastation will encourage us to act before disaster strikes.”
* In a Sept. 15, 2004, floor speech, Blumenauer said damage inflicted by a hurricane “might represent the loss of the city of New Orleans. … Now is the time to deal with policies that will make a difference protecting people.”
- Bob Cusack
* And that was almost exactly ONE FULL YEAR AGO!
This administration doesn't deserve the honor of being 'IMPEACHED' - the ones responsible, and most especially those politically appointed FEMA idiots, should simply be drawn & quartered - along with all their bosses. Simpler, vastly more justified, satisfying, and infinitely cheaper - and that should make the Neo-Cons happy anyway! That is, unless they are part of the problem . . .
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Shameful National Debacle
The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina now being played out on the Gulf Coast of the United States is a grim reminder of the inevitable result of what happens when gold and dollars take priority over the welfare and protection of humankind. Here's what newspapers around the world are saying about George W. Bush and our country as a result of the US' shameful debacle in dealing with Hurricane Katrina and it's aftermath:
"Katrina has shown that the emperor has no clothes. The world's superpower is powerless when confronted with nature's fury." - France's Le Progres
"Katrina had more than the power of the wind and water, because, now, when they have subsided, it can still reveal the emptiness of an era, one that is represented by President George W Bush more than anyone." - Argentina's Clarin
"Up until Monday, Bush was the president of the war in Iraq and 9/11. Today there are few doubts that he will also pass into history as the president who didn't know how to prevent the destruction of New Orleans and who abandoned its inhabitants to their fate for days. And the worst is yet to come." - Spain's El Pais
"The slowness with which the USA's federal emergency services have joined the rescue operation has already generated great political tension... There is no doubt that the lack of well-timed responses to assist the population will have political costs for President Bush's Republican Party in the next federal elections." -Mexico's El Universal
"It is now urgent that the world's leaders take heed of nature's warning, look at the evidence and realise that the climate, on a global scale, is changing. This is already known from scientific reports, but they continue to ignore it, to play it down, or not to care about it." -Colombia's El Colombiano
"Proving that even the gods are mortal, it is clear that the USA's international image is being damaged in a way that it has never known before. The country will probably be able to recuperate from the destruction, but its pride has already been profoundly wounded." - Spain's La Razon
"Bush had already been slow to react when the World Trade Center collapsed. Four years later, he was no quicker to get the measure of Katrina - a cruel lack of leadership at a time when this second major shock for 21st century America is adding to the crisis of confidence for the world's leading power and to international disorder. As happened with 9/11, the country is displaying its vulnerability to the eyes of the world." - France's Liberation
"The sea walls would not have burst in New Orleans if the funds meant for strengthening them had not been cut to help the war effort in Iraq and the war on terror... And rescue work would have been more effective if a section of National Guard from the areas affected had not been sent to Baghdad and Kabul... And would George Bush have left his holiday ranch more quickly if the disaster had not first struck the most disadvantaged populations of the black south?" - Switzerland's Le Temps
"This is a defining moment for Mr Bush, just as much as 9/11 was. So far his reputation for prompt and firm crisis management has fallen far short of what is required." - Ireland's The Irish Times
"About 10,000 US National Guard troops were deployed [in New Orleans] and were granted the authority to fire at and kill whom they wanted, upon the pretext of restoring order. This decision is an indication of the US administration's militarist mentality, which regards killing as the only way to control even its own citizens." - Musib Na'imi in Iran's Al-Vefagh
"The destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina... has proved that even the No 1 superpower in the world is helpless in facing nature's 'terrorism' ". - Samih Sa'ab in Lebanon's Al-Nahar
"This disaster is a heavy blow to the United States, and a lesson which deserves deep thought... [It] is a warning to the Bush administration that the United States must clear its head and truly assume its responsibility to protect nature and the environment in which humankind lives." - Hong Kong's Wen Wei Po
"My first reaction when television images of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans came through the channels was that the producers must be showing the wrong clip. The images, and even the disproportionately high number of visibly impoverished blacks among the refugees, could easily have been a re-enactment of a scene from the pigeonholed African continent." - Ambrose Murunga in Kenya's Daily Nation
And, in my opinion, this one says it best: Friday, September 02, 2005
Chickenhawk Super Patriots
"We have this lying bastard, George Bush, taking a five-week vacation in a time of war. You know what? I'm never going to get to enjoy another vacation, because of him....I said to my son not to go. I said, 'You know it's wrong, you know you're going over there. You know your unit might have to kill innocent people, you know you might die.' And he said, 'My buddies are going, I have to go. If I don't go someone's going to have to do my job, and my buddies will be in danger.' So what really gets me is these chickenhawks, who sent our kids to die, without ever serving in a war themselves. They don't know what it's all about." - Cindy Sheehan, August 4, 2005
Cindy calls this like she sees it. Straight talk always fits no matter who the subject is. The real criminal is our deceitful, lying fraudulent "War President". Bad mouthing this travesty foisted on America is a patriotic duty. To do less is to lend support to the Dark Side which our country is terribly threatened by today.
The biggest enemy our country ever had, and the enemy which is doing our country the most damage is the present fraud of a "War President" and his administration. More and more people are coming to realize this dreadful fact. Hopefully it is not too late.
The truth in Cindy's quote is:
This "War President" & his friends lied to the American people to 'lead' our country into this war;This "War President" IS taking a five week vacation in time of war.
This "War President" has taken more vacation time than any president in history, bar none;
This war is dead wrong - being an illegal war based on lies, fraud and deceptions, against a country which had nothing whatever to do with 9/11;
Our military HAS been illegally and improperly tasked with killing many thousands of innocents - the toll is unknown and likely uncountable;
And, or course no one can argue with the fact that Cindy lost her beloved son to this fraudulent war - a son who was the epitome of an honorable American patriot.
And, Cindy is spot on when she says the Chickenhawk 'super patriots' and their hyper-clamor sent our kids off to die in this war. Most Neo-Cons never served themselves but think it is their right to demand our kids go. They have shamefully and disgracefully denigrated critics of this war, including many bona fide military hero veterans - including even those of their own party like John McCain.
If you were in Cindy's place could you NOT be implacably angry with this deceitful fraud of a "War President"?
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