My Advice to the President

The extremists in the 9/11 attacks and in the global terrorism fight gain followers when they can make our actions look like a war on Islam itself. My advice is to avoid statements that make it look as if our actions were NOT part of a holy war. For example, Don't say that you are doing god's will by attacking countries. This plays into their notions of religious war and, in fact evokes some of the same rationale that THEY THEMSELEVES use in pandering to the zealotry in their own nations.

In particular, don't say things like this:

"President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, "George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan." And I did, and then God would tell me, "George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq …" And I did."

to the Palestinian Ministers with BBC tapes rolling. not good.

Bob Cesca: During War Speech, Bush Slammed... Himself

Some things are just worth repeating in their entirety. Here Bob Cesca looks at Bush's 'War on Terror' speech today and finds lots of spots where the president seems to be speaking of himself:

Bush on his six week vacation: "There's always a temptation in the middle of a long struggle to seek the quiet life, to escape the duties and problems of the world and to hope the enemy grows weary of fanaticism..." He's referring to opponents of the war, but he's actually talking about his own desire to escape from the day-to-day onslaught of bad news.

Bush on his domestic and international policy: "...a radical ideology with immeasurable objectives to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world." Bush knows a lot about intimidating the world. And his single-minded re-alignment of international policy and diplomacy can very easily be defined as radical and ideological -- if not downright insane.

Bush on his exploitation of Christianity to suit his party's political goals: "The time has come for all responsible [Christian] leaders to join in denouncing an ideology that exploits [Christianity] for political ends, and defiles a noble faith."

Bush discussing more of his own penchant for exploitation -- but also, his inability to accept blame and his policy of war over diplomacy: "The radicals exploit local conflicts to build a culture of victimization, in which someone else is always to blame and violence is always the solution."

Bush discussing what he doesn't like about democracy: "But that's the essence of democracy: making your case, debating with those who you disagree -- who disagree, building consensus by persuasion, and answering to the will of the people." Bush likes to make his own case, but tends to fail even with favorable audiences. Bush NEVER debates those who disagree and hates hearing bad news and dissent from his own staff. His town hall meetings are stacked with ringers and the presidential debates last year underscored his disgust with the process. And the "will of the people?" This after yesterday's press conference in which he pissed* all over a reporter who asked him about a new poll -- which measures the will of the people.

Bush on the immoral killing of civilians, including Western journalists and children, in his war: "When 25 Iraqi children are killed in a bombing, or Iraqi teachers are executed at their school, or hospital workers are killed caring for the wounded, this is murder, pure and simple -- the total rejection of justice and honor and morality and religion." Emphasis mine.

Bush on his "unspoken" policy of torturing prisoners: "[We're] unconstrained by any notion of our common humanity, or by the rules of warfare."

And finally, Bush defining himself as a tyrant: "Throughout history, tyrants and would-be tyrants have always claimed that murder is justified to serve their grand vision..." The war on terror's murder of thousands of civilians has served Bush and the right's grand vision. ",,,and they end up alienating decent people across the globe." Bush's war in Iraq has alienated us from many peaceful nations. "Tyrants and would-be tyrants have always claimed that regimented societies are strong and pure..." Regimented societies? Like those that desire the regimented laws of the Bible to infiltrate secular democracy? "...until those societies collapse in corruption and decay." Corruption is the GOP's middle name right now. "Tyrants and would-be tyrants have always claimed that free men and women are weak and decadent..." Bush has used the phrase "if it feels good, do it" to blast his political opponents and the Clinton administration.

I'd like to end with a startling admission by the president regarding the war. He admitted today that his folly in Iraq has resulted in Bin Laden taking control of that nation. In other words, he liberated Iraq from Saddam and handed it over to Bin Laden. Winston Churchill once chastised Roosevelt for liberating eastern Europe from the Nazis and handing it over to the communists. You tell me, is this president creating more problems than he's solving? Your president: "Would the United States and other free nations be more safe, or less safe, with Zarqawi and bin Laden in control of Iraq, its people, and its resources? Having removed a dictator who hated free peoples, we will not stand by as a new set of killers, dedicated to the destruction of our own country, seizes control of Iraq by violence."

full text here if you have a strong stomach.

Federalist #76 and the New Supreme Court Nominee

From Federalist #76:

[The President] would be both ashamed and afraid to bring forward, for the most distinguished or lucrative stations, candidates who had no other merit than that of coming from the same State to which he particularly belonged, or of being in some way or other personally allied to him, or of possessing the necessary insignificance and pliancy to render them the obsequious instruments of his pleasure.

--

Now, after that appeal to authority, I have to say that I support the nomination of Harriet E. Miers. She is not particularly qualified or incompetent. Her resume includes 2 main highlights: President of the Texas Bar Association and Attorney to George W. Bush.

What I know about her work for Bush: She handled a land dispute for him regarding a fishing camp he owns and she got him out of Jury duty in order to hide his DUI from the public in his run-up to the Texas Governor's race.

The other thing I know about her is that she is, at best, making conservatives say 'we'll wait and see'. They aren't happy with her at all. Cheney was called on Rush Limbaugh's show a few hours after her nomination to do damage control. Rush was already decrying the decision. When you have the party faithful THAT upset, its a big deal. Trent Lott says he's not that impressed with her so far.

Earlier this week i heard a joke that he picked her by grabbing the first person he ran into in the hall that morning. that is perhaps not far from the mark. She has never been a judge, professor, or litigator (working in trial in front of a judge). she's not written any body of academic work. She reeks of cronyism.

I sill like her. Know why?

Because if she doesn't get in, Bush will pick a real fire breathing zealot and that judge will be confirmed. he cannot handle the heat of doing this again. looking weak by picking someone approved/suggested by the Democratic Leadership of the Senate. For all the reasons someone might not like her now, I can't help but think that she's as good as we're going to get right now and we ought to be happy. it could be a MUCH worse. Let's keep the crony for now. she's certainly the lesser of about a million evils.

CNN.com - Iraq reverses vote rule change - Oct 5, 2005

This was wise. previously, in order to insure the new constitution was approved, the election was rigged to get that result. Under the old rules, the constitution would be approved, no matter what, unless 2/3 of the REGISTERED VOTERS (not just the ones that showed up that day) had to vote "No" to derail the process. That would virtually ensure any dissent would be muted. In light of the violence there in Iraq, it seems likely that such an election could be a tipping point into chaos.

The Pentagon Doesn't Want You to Know...

...but inside their secret report you would find this: "major factor in the delayed response to the hurricane aftermath was that the bulk of the Louisiana and Mississippi National Guard was deployed in Iraq."

on Sept. 6, Rumsfeld was asked about this, to which he sharply answered that the notion is "just flat wrong...Anyone who's saying that doesn't understand the situation."

yup. EXACTLY like that.

I love MP3's SOOO MUCH I'm going to Join the Army!!

the US Army National Guard is now given THREE WHOLE mp3 downloads from itunes for their new recruits. good lord! you could get that for buying 3 whoppers not too long ago! ...ah well, the budget is tight. I guess i don't want my tax dollars going to TOO many Slipknot downloads.

Eschaton Hits it on the Head

I read this earlier today and it deserves a full quote here. The Right Wingers have, at best, a wait and see view of the new Bush nominee for the Supreme Court. MANY others have come out either ANGRY about it or simply not pleased. the Democrats have noted that she's not been particularly bad or good or interesting in her professional life. Most have been pretty reserved. Anyway, here is an EXCELLENT view of just why the Right is so Upset with Bush's nominee:

I have no idea what kind of judge Miers will be and nor probably does anyone else in the commentariat. We probably won't know for a few years either way (assuming for the moment that she's confirmed) unless the nice people in the press do some digging to try to find out. All we do know is she's a reliable Bush fixer.

Wingnuttia is rather angry at the choice. I don't think this is because they're really concerned that she's not conservative enough for their tastes, although that's part of it. They're angry because this was supposed to be their nomination. This is was their moment. They didn't just want a stealth victory, they wanted parades and fireworks. They wanted Bush to find the wingnuttiest wingnut on the planet, fully clothed and accessorized in all the latest wingnut fashions, not just to give them their desired Court rulings, but also to publicly validate their influence and power. They didn't just want substantive results, what they wanted even more were symbolic ones. They wanted Bush to extend a giant middle finger to everyone to the left of John Ashcroft. They wanted to watch Democrats howl and scream and then ultimately lose a nasty confirmation battle. They wanted this to be their 'WE RUN THE COUNTRY AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT' moment.

Whatever kind of judge she would be, she doesn't provide them with that.

DeLay Indicted AGAIN!

I guess this is what happens when you spin a few hours not watching the news. you miss something! Seems DeLay has now been indicted for Money Laundering. i wonder how much more we have to go??

Seems SNL is on the Ball Again...

SNL Weekend Update:

Horatio Sanz: "While appearing before a Senate committee investigating the Katrina disaster, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco said, 'We are looking forward not backward,' at which point she was hit from behind by a hurricane. ... President Bush is a genius. Every time Bush screws up, he gets people off his back by doing something even more screwed up. I mean, I tried this Bush technique this past week and it was very useful. On Wednesday I showed up two hours late for rehearsal, so to distract people from that, I was also drunk. And then, when somebody asked me if I was drunk, I punched Rachel Dratch in the neck. When they were putting her in the ambulance I said, 'Hey everybody I'm gonna buy lunch!' And then I ordered 50 pizzas and left without paying" ("SNL," NBC, 10/1).

Amy Poehler: "In the wake of newly-alleged prisoner abuse this week, Senator John McCain said that continued mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners is hurting the nation's image. Also hurting the nation's image: letting people drown when it rains" ("SNL," NBC, 10/1).

OH MY GOODNESS

A conservative group is opposing the newest Bush Nomination. my pal swirly pointed out this press release:

Conservative Group Opposes 'Bush Packing' Appointment of Miers
Mon Oct 03 2005 09:52:34 ET

To National Desk

Contact: Jesse Binnall of the Public Advocate

FALLS CHURCH, Va., Oct. 3 /Christian Wire Service/ -- Public Advocate President Eugene Delgaudio has issued the following statement following the appointment of Harriet Miers to serve on the Supreme Court.

"The President's nomination of Miers is a betrayal of the conservative, pro-family voters whose support put Bush in the White House in both the 2000 and 2004 elections and who were promised Supreme Court appointments in the mold of Thomas and Scalia. Instead we were given 'stealth nominees,' who have never ruled on controversial issues, more in the mold of the disastrous choice of David Souter by this President's father.

"When there are so many proven judges in the mix, it is unacceptable this President has appointed a political crony with no conservative credentials. This attempt at 'Bush Packing' the Supreme Court must not be allowed to pass the Senate and we will forcefully oppose this nomination."

END

Swirly added:

Do you think they could have shortened this to just say… “ she’s single, probably a lesbian, and has no children thus she is unfit to help our families…for god’s sake..she actually HAD a career!”

It would have been more honest than this

Mississippi Elects Another Proud Democrat

We're batting 1.000 here in Mississippi when it comes to electing Democrats in special elections to the State House of Representatives. one more race to go. Newly Elected David Norquist makes it official!

Rep. David Norquist declares himself a member of the Democratic Party

Rep. David Norquist of Cleveland officially declared himself a Democrat today after winning a special election to replace retired Democrat Charlie Capps Jr.

"I am proud to represent District 28 as a Democrat, the same party as Charlie Capps when he held this office for more than three decades," Norquist said. "The Mississippi Democratic Party shares the values, ideals and principles of the people in my home district."

Thank God we got a New Court Nominee

Because everything else is getting a bit on the 'juicy' side in scandal-ville. Salon does a nice capsule of what ABC, the NYTimes and the Post have found over the weekend:

Maybe Bush planned all along to announce Miers' nomination this morning. But the Plamegate revelations over the weekend gave him plenty of reason to move quickly. After New York Times reporter Judith Miller broke her silence and testified before Patrick Fitzgerald's grand jury Friday, the Times posted a story suggesting that Vice President Dick Cheney played a direct role in deciding how the White House would respond to Joseph Wilson's damaging op-ed piece about Iraq. Relying on a source familiar with the testimony of Scooter Libby, who is Cheney's chief of staff and the man identified as Miller's source, the Times says that Bush administration "efforts to limit the damage from Mr. Wilson's criticism extended as high as Mr. Cheney."

Libby and Miller discussed the Wilson op-ed on July 8, 2003. Four days later, the Times' source says, Libby "consulted with Mr. Cheney about how to handle inquiries from journalists about the vice president's role in sending Mr. Wilson to Africa in early 2002 to investigate reports that Iraq was trying acquire nuclear material there for its weapons program." Cheney's advice: Libby should "direct reporters to a statement released the previous day by George J. Tenet, director of central intelligence." In that statement, Tenet said that Wilson had been sent to Niger by CIA counter-proliferation officers "on their own initiative."

On Sunday, there was word that Plamegate could extend to the president himself. During ABC's "This Week," George Stephanopoulos said that a source told him "that President Bush and Vice President Cheney were actually involved in some of [the] discussions" about how to respond to Wilson's op-ed piece.

Holy Mother of God!!

Alex Ross does Super Grover

Bill Bennett a Moral Rock...or Compass...OR maybe it was a ROCK that went THROUGH his Moral Compass!?!

Bill Bennett, Conservative Champion and author of such books as THE BOOK OF VIRTUES, Moral Compass, and THE CHILDREN'S BOOK OF VIRTUES has a radio show. A couple days ago a conversation came up with a guest about the loss of social security revenue because so many abortions have taken place in the last 30 or so years. Not to be left out or out done in shallow, de-humanizing arguments on his own show, Mr. Bennett had this to say:

"But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down,"
...
[that is]"an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky."

He has since claimed his comments were "mis-characterized". Actually, I think (regardless of the meaning of the sentences he uttered) we all have a pretty good understanding of him. Pretty pathetic for someone someone who's career is about lecturing others on morality.

New Panda to be Named

He seems to be doing ok.

the BK Boat

The Storm surge of Katrina pulled this boat out of the water and dropped it off here.

Survey: Number of millionaires hits record

Sadly, we've seen an increase of people living in poverty. thanks W.

Dozen buildings damaged when twister rakes MSU

It seems Hurricane/Tropical Storm Rita ripped more than a little havoc on the campus of Mississippi State. A tornado went through campus hitting buildings, trees, and cars. Fortunately no one was hurt. Classes have been cancelle for the time being.

Insider Trading - Bill Frist Cliff's Notes Version

• If you're Bill Frist (GOP Senate Leader and Presidential hopful), people are likely gonna watch what you are doing.
• If you're a billionaire (BiiiLLLL), don't break the law to save a few million. It'll be ok if you lose a few on investments like normal people. (i promise).
• If you want to call your investments a "Blind Trust" that means you can't OK the sales or get updates on the status of the assets.
• If you get such information early before the general public, and then sell off your stock to avoid losses...that's called insider trading.
  
• Ask Martha Stewart about it.

• Oh, and DON'T ask George W. Bush about it. His daddy was President at the time and the guy in charge of 'investigating' for the SEC was a family friend. Your daddy ain't President.
• Finally, in the weeks before you sell of the stock on the inside tip, don't get 2 dozen status reports on the stocks prior to the sell off and pretend you didn't know anything (or that the trust of yours is, in fact, blind).

OH, and finally...Senator Bill...I don't usually take Criminal Cases, but i can refer you to somebody. you might need an attorney...I hope.
--you crooked ass.

Telegraph | News | Stairway to Heaven

This, the space 'elevator', is probably the most fantastic thing i've ever heard in the way of space travel.amazing and it sems to open up remarkable possibilities for exploration (and tourism).