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Thursday, December 30, 2004

Republicans Are So Predictable 
Rossi wants a do over. Just like I said.

Funny how Republicans worry about the legitimacy of a Democratic governor who won a manual recount of paper ballots but they don't question the legitimacy of Ohio's recount which was closed to the public and where one county had 4000 more Bush votes than voters.

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Raise Your Voice Against Torture 
Torture of prisoners is not an American value. First Draft is urging you to contact your Senator. Find the senators from your state and use the web form on their site to contact them.

US Mad About Being Called Cheap 
An official from the UN remarked how $15 million from the US for the tsunami disaster was kind of paltry. The US protested this remark. In other news, the US guaranteed mortgage corporation Fannie Mae awarded an $8 million dollar retirement package to its outgoing CEO amid admissions of accounting irregularities.

Nope, the US is not cheap at all. If Southeast Asia wants billions for reconstruction they need to ask for a senseless US military quagmire. Oh, wait, been there; done that. They could avoid the death and destruction if they just said accepting US aid was contigent on being able to give Halliburton no-bid, cost plus contracts.

Speaking of finances - how is the prosecution of Bush's friend and financier Ken Lay coming?

Friday, December 24, 2004

Electrical Engineers Face Lower Salaries 
For the first time since they started keeping track, EE's average salary dropped. Thank you, Mr. Bush. When is your pay cut?

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Republicans want a "Do Over" 
Now that Gregoire leads in Washington state Republicans want to
a: challenge it in court
b: have another election
c: a and b

You want a do-over? Okay we will re-run Washington Governor's race if we can re-run the Presidential race in Ohio.

Of course, I expect Democratic "leadership" to fold in Washington and not ask for a do-over in Ohio.

Things Are Going So Well In Iraq 
Major US contractor withdraws from Iraq reconstruction effort. I guess this means things are going well and the insurgents are getting desperate. Too bad, if they had their former CEO in the Bush administration then they could get cost plus contracts like Halliburton does.

Aromatherapy Debunks Medical "Science" 
The AMA has their hall of quackery. A while ago they removed acupuncture needles. Now the people who thought thalidomide and putting mercury in infants' vaccines were great ideas are going to have their nose out of joint. Smelling Citrus Oils Prevents Asthma in Rats. Hmmm. Of course, the AMA will conduct experiments that use petroleum distillate with artificial orange scent added to prove it doesn't work.

Monday, December 20, 2004

Now, Really, Was This A Good Idea? 
Michael Jackson had hundreds of children to his house:
Jackson, who faces trial next year on child molestation charges, appeared happy during the few minutes he spoke to the arriving throng.

One of the youngsters shouted, "We love you!"

"I love you more," Jackson replied before putting an umbrella over his head and walking back toward his house.


Time's Man of the Year 
Time's Man of the Year Hey! What do you know? Yet another Bush/Hitler comparison!

Sunday, December 19, 2004

Another Sign of Market Tops 
Throwing Social Security money at the stock market is one sign of a market top. Another sign shows up. The return of Day trading is another sign.

Florida Declares Open Season on Disabled Students 
A special needs student who attacked another special needs student was tasered. The police said it was a-ok.

Saturday, December 18, 2004

Pope Decries Gay Marriage 
No statement on priests who molest children.

Friday, December 17, 2004

Qaddafi Discovers the Curse of the Bush Photo-Op 
In the NY Times:
He told Giovanni Minoli of Italian state television's investigative news program "We Are History" that he was still waiting for the United States to reward him for giving up prohibited weapons.
I think the only interaction Bush and Qaddafi will have is Bush will ask for the name of the tailor Qaddafi uses for his uniforms. No one laughs at Qaddafi when he wears uniforms in public.

Stock Market Junkies Beware 
The last bubble burst came while there was a serious attempt to have Social Security enter the Wall Street casino. This time it looks like it will become law. If there ever was a gauge of bull mania that says the market can only go up - this is it. You are considered crazy if you don't want to put all your retirement money into the next Enron or Tyco.

Thursday, December 16, 2004

Deja Vu All Over Again 
David Blunkett, Britain's home secretary and its chief law-and-order official, resigned Wednesday, after acknowledging that his department had speeded the visa application for his former lover's nanny

Of course, Kerik's problem might not have been a nanny. Perhaps "nanny" was code for something more sinister?

Another Viet Nam Parallel 
An Army study shows that about one in six soldiers in Iraq report symptoms of major depression, serious anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, a proportion that some experts believe could eventually climb to one in three, the rate ultimately found in Vietnam veterans. I wonder what the Bush team is going to do? Will it urge us to buy more yellow ribbons?

Miserable Failure Strikes Again 
Defense Missile for U.S. System Fails to Launch Here's a radical idea. Let's use all the money we are spending to protect us on a system that doesn't work from a country that no longer exists on Social Security.

Bush Photo-Op Disease About To Strike 
Bush Puts Social Security at Top of Economic Conference
White House officials said they are planning a major public campaign to sell the nation on Mr. Bush's agenda, which also includes overhauling the income tax, reducing regulation of business and restricting lawsuits brought against corporations.

Social Security recipients and people injured by Bush's friends' rapacious corporations, you have been warned.

Numbers Charter School Proponents Won't Brag About 
A Second Report Shows Charter School Students Not Performing as Well as Other Students
The analysis, released Wednesday, largely confirms an earlier report on the same statistics by the American Federation of Teachers.
So to paraphrase the Pretzelnut, "Rarely is the question asked, 'Is our legislators learning?'"

What Did He Say? 
The author of the bill that hoodwinked senior citizens into thinking Bush has done something about prescription drug benefits has been hired by the drug companies!
What did Mr. "Ethical" Republican say about it:
"This industry understands that it's got a problem," Mr. Tauzin, a Louisiana lawmaker who is retiring from Congress, said in an interview. "It has to earn the trust and confidence of consumers again."
How exactly is hiring the author of the bill that screwed seniors supposed to do that?


Wednesday, December 15, 2004

Truthout with scoop 
Proof of Ohio Election Fraud Exposed In addition to Diebold, apparently Triad was another fox in charge of the hen house.

Alabama Half-Wit News 
Judge wears Ten Commandments on Robe.

Fox Hires Zell Miller 
TV Show Naming Contest!
I suggest "Dueling Half-Wits"

When Scissors Are Outlawed 
Only Outlaws will have scissors! 10-year old girl arrested for taking scissors to school. Luckily, she didn't have an almanac or it would have been straight to Gitmo!

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

The Million Email March 
Rep Conyers wants an 1,000,000,000 emails requesting a recount. Go Ukrainian here.
My message:
The 2004 election casts huge doubts on the legitimacy of the American government. The only way to address this issue is to find out why there was so much election fraud and why it all seemed to favor Bush.

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

Pot Calls Black Kettle 
CBS smears one of its critics - super-blogger Duncan Black aka Atrios. Viacom aka CBS accuses Atrios of having ethical problems. I repost my comments here:
Ethical problems? It seems you drew some blood with your post about their denying their stockholders some mammon by denying a church group wanting to pay American dollars to advertise peace and love.

A corporation that makes a shitload of money off of the Iraq invasion that refuses to ask Cheney about Halliburton and Rumsfeld about Bechtel thinks you have ethical problems?

I hope your lawyer settles for nothing less than a ten year contract for a half hour show every Sunday morning for this scurrilous, malicious and outright false smear of your good name.


CBS, the former home of Edward R. Murrow. has done a great disservice to Americans and the world. They, a mighty multi-billion corporation, is bringing the weight of their wealth and power to bear against an American whose only crime is to question the wisdom of George W. Bush.

Intelligence "Reform" 
The failure in intelligence leading up to 9/11 wasn't how our spooks were organized. The failure was in the White House. Richard Clarke has explained in detail. The FBI agent who quit the FBI to work at the World Trade Center was ignored. How does anyone expect George "Clear Skies" W. "Healthy Forests" Bush to actually have anything to do with intelligence reform that makes things better? My guess is the upshot of this will be the CIA will be allowed to practice within the United States. One of the CIA's major charters is making elections turn out "right."

The New York Time reports:
Jeffrey H. Smith, a former general counsel of the C.I.A., said he had found considerable "confusion and contradiction" within the intelligence bill. "Lawyers across the intelligence community will be arguing about what these provisions mean for many months to come," Mr. Smith said.



Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Accoona Hopes To Beat Google 
Bill Clinton Helps Launch Search Engine :
Former president Bill Clinton on Monday helped launch a new Internet search company backed by the Chinese government which says its technology uses artificial intelligence to produce better results than Google Inc.
I tried it. They have some work to do. It is slow, it crashed and when it finally did work it came up with the wrong answer for the miserable failure search. Their sponsored links are not easily discernible from what they think are the relevant results.

Monday, December 06, 2004

Hats Off to Stranger! 
Same as it ever was.

Bush Steals Another Election 
Why else would Bush supporter in Ohio engineer the process the way he did? George W. Bush’s political allies appear to be slow-rolling a requested recount in Ohio, leaving so little time that even if widespread voting fraud is discovered, the finding will come too late to derail Bush’s second term.

Iran Gives Up Nuclear Bombs and Starts Googlebombs Instead 
The BBC reports Google users who type "Arabian Gulf" get a page scolding them to use "Persian Gulf" instead. Wars have been fought for less. Apparently a bunch of Iranian bloggers promoted this page for Arabian Gulf. This is a much better way to handle the situation.

Sunday, December 05, 2004

Washington Post to Change Name to Purple Prose Post 
Washington Post's "news" story could win the Bulwer-Lytton contest for bad writing:
A Tough Cop Tempered by 9/11 and Iraq
By Michael Powell and Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, December 4, 2004; Page A01
NEW YORK, Dec. 3 -- Mustachioed, plain-spoken and built like a .45 bullet, Bernard B. Kerik brings a cop's street savvy to the job of the nation's secretary of homeland security.

Saturday, December 04, 2004

Good Question 
The Rude Pundit asks (scroll down from link):
As we watch the legal wrangling over Ohio's suspicious voting irregularities, as well as debates about statistics and e-voting, and on and on, the Rude Pundit has one question: can anyone give an example cited in "mainstream" press sources of an electronic voting machine overtallying in John Kerry's favor?

VLWC Tears Wingnuts a New One 
SMD says. "And forget about me being afraid to debate you--one does not debate a parrot, and that's exactly what you silly wingnuts are."

Friday, December 03, 2004

Sen. Coleman Attacks UN Secretary General 
Sen. Coleman rants:
While many questions concerning Oil-for-Food remain unanswered, one conclusion has become abundantly clear: Kofi Annan should resign. The decision to call for his resignation does not come easily, but I have arrived at this conclusion because the most extensive fraud in the history of the U.N. occurred on his watch. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, as long as Mr. Annan remains in charge, the world will never be able to learn the full extent of the bribes, kickbacks and under-the-table payments that took place under the U.N.'s collective nose.
I wonder why Sen. Coleman(R) makes no mention of Halliburton's role in the Oil for Food scandal? When Dick Cheney was head of Halliburton they broke the UN sanctions in addition to being one of the "French companies" (it was Halliburton's French subsidiary that was involved) in the Oil for Food scandal.

2004 Weblog Awards 
Yawnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

It seems the major criteria for making the short lists was having links to Little Green Snotballs and InstaCrazies. One or two liberal blogs were included in each list for "balance".

Prediction #2 For 2005 
The falling dollar and rising anti-American sentiment fueled boycotts in the world will lead to reduced exports for the U.S. next year.

Reality Is What It Is Reported To Be 
The Lone Star Times tells us
The anti-Bush, anti-war, and anti-good personal hygiene movement has launched an embarassingly under-attended protest to mark Bush's trip to Canada. We're talking a new low, here -- the were actually more journalists there to cover the protest than there were protestors


Whatever.
Handful of protestors?

Thursday, December 02, 2004

Prediction #1 for 2005 
The Iraqi "elections" will be held in January. America's hand picked puppet will "win" the election. Stealing elections is the only thing Bush and Company are good at. Like all kleptomaniacs they can't stop while they are ahead. The result of having their puppet "win" will be catastrophic. When the American 2004 election was stolen Americans tuned into "Desperate Housewives". When the Ukrainian election was stolen they took to the streets. What will the Iraqi election aftermath be? Expect Sistani and Sadr supporters and Sunnis "beaten" by Allawi to go Ukrainian except with AK-47s instead of banners.

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Pennsylvania Votes Away Democracy 
If a city's voters approve a wi-fi network and tax themselves to build it they have to ask Verizon's permission first. One person - one vote but a company that unleashes its telemarketers to call people during dinner gets veto power over the people's government?

Rumsfeld's Make Work Bombing 
Cheney's Halliburton connections are well known. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's Bechtel connections to Bechtel are less well known. Today's New York Times writes:
Within two or three months, Marine officials say, bigger projects will be set in motion: a new $35 million wastewater treatment plant, four new school buildings, several new health clinics.


Targeting wastewater plants is against the Geneva Convention why would Rumsfeld do it? The New York Times offers a clue -
Reconstruction projects undertaken in Najaf since the fighting there in August, for instance, have been plagued by corruption, overpayment and shoddy work, relief officials said. After an American corporation there began rebuilding a wastewater treatment plant, they found a lack of local people with the training to operate it, said Lt. Cmdr. Michael Woltz, a member of the team of Navy Seabees helping rebuild Falluja.


Why is the New York Times afraid to mention the American company's name? Is it because it is Bechtel? Does having Rumsfeld destroy people's towns so his company can rebuild them spark any level of outrage?

Lessons in Democracy 
The election was falsified," Mr. Yushchenko said in televised remarks on Tuesday. "As long as this problem is not solved, all the other problems are secondary."

Where is the outrage here? America can't afford four more years of Bush.

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