Join The GOP get an IPOD

The Republicans are so desperate to get poll workers they are offering high tech incentives


A new form of recruiting for the modern day pirates that currently control our government.

No one expected the Spanish Inquisition

Now we take lessons on interrogation from the Spanish Inquisition. Maybe we can learn to build prison caps from the Nazis too?

Shut up and sing

Free speech isn't always popular but it is what makes us the country we are. NBC's latest refusal to advertise a movie about a performer's right to free speech is shameful.

Criticizing the president isn't anything new on television. Certainly Norman Lear's All in the family lambasted Mr. Nixon often enough. So much so that

The then-current US President Richard Nixon can be heard discussing the show on one of the infamous White House tapes; not surprisingly, he was not a fan

Were we that much more open minded in the 70's than we are today?

Space the next battlefield

President Bush argues that we must have flexibility in space to protect American interests.
In another Friday afternoon release the White house disclosed the latest American Space Policy:
"The document, released earlier this month with no public announcement, emphasizes security issues, the Washington Post reported".

Bush's top goals, as stated in the document, are to "strengthen the nation's space leadership and ensure that space capabilities are available in time to further U.S. national security, homeland security, and foreign policy objectives" and to "enable unhindered U.S. operation in and through space to defend our interest there,"

Space exploration has always held the double edged sword of orbiting weapons platforms. Because of this fear during the cold war weapons platforms were always the talk of treaties, this lead to the creation of the Outer Space Treaty, which the US ratified in 1967.

This treaty ratified by 98 countries. Clearly states that Nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction may not be deployed in space or on any celestial bodies.

It also clearly states "outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means". Would defending our right to pursue space activities count as an attempt to claim sovereignty in space against nations we deem unacceptable?

Are we once again turning our back on a treaty ratified by a previous administration?

12 Angry Men

Mr. Bush now has the power to deliver Justice to terrorists by allowing the secret CIA system of prisons and torture to continue:

I was curious about what justice means Dictionary.com defines justice as follows:

jus‧tice  [juhs-tis]
–noun 1. the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause.
2. rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim or title; justness of ground or reason: to complain with justice.
3. the moral principle determining just conduct.
4. conformity to this principle, as manifested in conduct; just conduct, dealing, or treatment.
5. the administering of deserved punishment or reward.
6. the maintenance or administration of what is just by law, as by judicial or other proceedings: a court of justice.
7. judgment of persons or causes by judicial process: to administer justice in a community.
8. a judicial officer; a judge or magistrate.
9. (initial capital letter) Also called Justice Department. the Department of Justice.
—Idioms10. bring to justice, to cause to come before a court for trial or to receive punishment for one's misdeeds: The murderer was brought to justice.


Clearly if you make the rules you can ensure that you meet the definition as detailed in example 6. Of course America has long presented itself as a beacon of human rights and access to courts, this law does nothing but limit the access of these defendants to the courts and enable the government to practice questionable methods of interogation. (the removal of habeas corpus)

Mr. Bush explains that this law makes his previously illegal military commisions legal since they are now authorized by congress. Of course the defendants must first survive the justice of the CIA's prison system. But hey we are America we don't torture prisoners, or kill them in the name of freedom.

For Mr. Bush's complete speech at the signing click here

Condi and Laura Acknowledge Gay marriage

Last week Laura Bush and Condoleeza Rice officiated at the swearing in ceremony for Mark Dybul, the new Global Aids Coordinator.

Present at the event were Mr. Dybul , his parents, his partner Jason and Jason's mother.

Condi's opening remarks:

SECRETARY RICE: Thank you. Thank you very much. I am truly honored and delighted to have the opportunity to swear in Mark Dybul as our next Global AIDS Coordinator. I am pleased to do that in the presence of Mark's parents, Claire and Richard; his partner, Jason; and his mother-in-law, Marilyn. You have wonderful family to support you, Mark, and I know that's always important to us. Welcome.

By referring to Jason's mom as Mark's mother in-law she is tacitly acknowledging gay Marriage. You can't have a mother in-law without a marriage can you?

Yet another example of how the White House plays lip service to the religious right.

Full text of the speeches can be found here.

Resistance is futile

Quick call Jean Luc Picard apparently the Borg have taken over in Iraq:



The latest fashion in the Green Zone in Baghdad: A polo shirt that is white with a diplomatic security badge on it and stitching below that says "Resistance Is Futile."

George will have to wait to sit on Trent's porch

During the failure that was the federal response to hurricane Katrina Mr. Bush, shortly after his "Brownie" comments, remarked that Trent Lott had a house that was damaged and he was looking forward to sitting on the porch soon.

Apparently being a high ranking politician and a friend of the president doesn't keep you from being rejected by your insurance company .


Maybe it wasn't about race after all.

Deja View

5 years and 1 month later - This type of scene still gives one chills



Small plane crashes into apartment building in NY-

Update:
Yankee Brass can't be happy:

Corey Lidle now a part of Yankee history.

No Fly list

CBS news got a copy of Homeland Securities vaunted no fly list and was able to identify the following oddities:

On the list

Saddam Hussein - Don't we know where he is and wouldn't we know if he were getting on a plane?

Evo Morales: president of Bolivia -- Heads of state frequently opt for commercial airlines when traveling

14 of the 19 9/11 hijackers -- Unless they have been resurrected, they aren't flying again anytime soon.

Every one in the world named Gary Smith, John Williams and Robert Johnson.

Not on the list and this truly defies logic:

The 11 men arrested in Britain last month for suspicion of plotting to blow up airplanes with liquid explosives.

Apparently, we didn't have time to update the list during the year the British government had them under surveillance.

Sadly, we have spent $114 million dollars to parse this data base, and this is what we have come up with.

An , active duty reservist on his way home from Iraq, found out first hand how effective the No fly list is.

I now feel terror

When a group of low tech thugs flew airplanes into buildings, I was horrified, saddened at the loss of friends and business acquaintances and angry at my inability to change the situation but I didn't feel fear or terror. I lived in the United States and I knew that given an opportunity our government would put down "My pet goat" get off their collective rears and find those responsible.

5 years later I am starting to feel terror not as a result of a gathering storm of despicable acts carried out by our proclaimed enemies. No I feel terror at scenes like
this:

The American president looking confused and unsure, yet championing his need to abuse prisoners-- calling the Geneva convention vague.

I checked the definition of vague on dictionary.com :
1. Not clearly or explicitly stated or expressed: vague promises.
2. Indefinite or indistinct in nature or character, as ideas or feelings: a vague premonition of disaster.
3. Not clear or distinct to the sight or any other sense; perceptible or recognizable only in an indefinite way: vague shapes in the dark; vague murmurs behind a door.
4. Not definitely established, determined, confirmed, or known; uncertain: a vague rumor; The date of his birth is vague.
5. (of persons) not clear or definite in thought, understanding, or expression: vague about his motives; a vague person.
6. (of the eyes, expression, etc.) showing lack of clear perception or understanding: a vague stare.

I then looked up Article 3 of the Geneva Convention:

Article 3

In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:

1. Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.

To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:

(a) Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;

(b) Taking of hostages;

(c) Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment;

(d) The passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.

2. The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for.

An impartial humanitarian body, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict.

The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of the present Convention.

The application of the preceding provisions shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict.

For those interested in reading the entire Geneva Convention click here.

It doesn't seem that any of the definitions of vague apply to this document.

The concept of my President arguing that we need to clarify rules designed and agreed to by multiple nations after the last world war was what frightened me. He was talking about a set of rules that codified civilized behavior; these are the same rules that we have held aloft as an ideal for the treatment of prisoners for over 50 years and prior under the rules in a previous agreement. The notion that these rules were vague and required redefinition or reinterpretation scared me. What was it that was unclear?

The president seemed especially baffled by the definition of what torture was and how it should be defined. It was during these discussions and the phase that passed for opposition from the McCain camp that led me to feel terror.

Can we, the United States of America, really believe that torture can serve a noble purpose? That information gleaned from someone through coercive means can be valuable or accurate? Will we begin the deep and inevitable descent that can and must follow legalization of brutal and anti social policies against our supposed enemies? The Nazis tortured prisoners; so did the Japanese and the Khmer Rouge.
Are these the governments we wish to learn from? Or perhaps our affection with the water board stems from our desire to be like the Apartheid government of South Africa who used this device on Stephen Biko, Nelson Mandela and others?

Our soldiers who suffered in Vietnamese prison camps understood what torture was. I remember the news footage when the "last" prisoners finally came home in 1973, the pictures of broken men barely able or unable to walk as result of their imprisonment in tiger cages for extended periods of time.

Then I saw this
clip and began to shake in terror. After all, it's apparent that he is the "Decider" and with that title will decide all things of importance and all interpretations of events.

Like many of my fellow Americans, I look forward to this November when we may finally rise up as a nation and shake off the shackles of fear that have bound us for 5 years. We can as a people say: No More. No more will we allow you to subvert the values and reputation of this great country for the sake of power and profit. No more will we let you use our own fear to bind us into passivity rather than protest. No more Mr. President will we sit calmly by while you reinvent this country in your own (neocon)image and destroy the freedoms that true Americans hold so dear.

Such as the right to free speech, because with that right comes the necessary right to free thought, something that you are evidently uncomfortable with Mr. Bush.

Please Mr. Bush don't torture anyone on my behalf.