court fool

Ouch

2006-01-12T01:59:00.000-08:00

High-ranking British Officer gives ush Administration Sound paddling.

This is just stupid, if you want to collect more money for the Potentate, go after the people who have money -- the rich guys who pay expensive lawyers a lot of money to weasel out of their fair share of the common tab. To pick on the poor, and the middle class, the more vulnerable is thuggish and bullying behavior.

Interesting reaction from Unexpected Source on the Mining Disaster.

Not Enough Christ in Christmas?

2005-12-19T19:15:00.000-08:00

Read what Nina Burleigh has to say about it on the Huffington Post.

Thanks to Sparkle for the tip-off.

Save The Rich

2005-10-16T23:18:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable. Well, Neil, we could have an official policy to save the rich first in the event of a national catastrophe, but I expect it's more likely we'll eat them instead.

Corporate Slavery?

2005-10-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

This, from the Chicago Tribune, is very scary:

"I am done for."

Before he could explain, before his brother could come to the phone, the line went dead. It was the last message he left for his family.

They had no way to know, but Bishnu Hari would soon be on his way to a war zone--not the job he had been promised at a luxury hotel in Jordan..

After leaving Nepal, Bishnu Hari would become entangled in the illicit system delivering cheap labor from impoverished countries to U.S. military bases throughout Iraq..

On Aug. 19, 2004, about three weeks after he tried to phone his brother, Bishnu Hari would be among 12 Nepalis kidnapped from an unprotected caravan in Iraq. They were on their way to work for a major subcontractor of KBR, the Halliburton subsidiary that runs military support operations in Iraq.

Thanks to 100 Monkeys Typing for this link.

The Nexus of Politics and Terror

2005-10-12T23:12:00.000-07:00

U.S. terror alerts seem to come whenever the Bush administration is in trouble. Coincidence? Keith Olbermann takes a look at all the 'coincidences."

Republican Activist on Electoral Fraud

2005-10-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

Pamela de Maigret, a lifelong Republican activist, talks to IWT News about why she doesn't support the Bush administration, and the problems she discovered as an independent poll scrutineer during the last election.

Harriet Miers Blog

2005-10-04T00:02:00.000-07:00

Silly . . . and really, really funny.

Meet the Third Bush Twin, Flora

2005-10-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

She's the white sheep of the family.

Watch her video.

Rude.

But not as rude as torture, stupidly fought wars, tax cuts for the rich, obscene budget and trade deficits, corporate cronyism and corruption, all delivered with a warm smile and brainwashing charm.

2005-09-27T02:27:00.000-07:00

"The woman who exposed Blair as a wretched, self-serving liar is under arrest for her civic-mindedness" in the case of an innocent Brazlian man shot dead by British police not long after the tube bombings. From King of Zembia.

Newt goes after Bush

2005-09-11T23:10:00.000-07:00

First Colin Powell took his (more diplomatic) shots at the Bush administration, now Andrew Sullivan reports on a scathing Newt Gingrich memo.

In Their Own Words

2005-09-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

"There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. This is a time when we need firm resolve, clear vision and a deep faith in the values that make us a great nation. (Applause.)

"None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers. It's a day I will never forget. There were workers in hard hats there, yelling, "Whatever it takes." I was trying to do my best to thank and comfort the firefighters and policemen and the rescuers. A guy grabbed me by the arm, and he said, "Do not let me down." (Applause.) Ever since that day, I wake up every morning thinking about how to better protect our country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever it takes." George W. Bush, on the election trail in 2004

"There comes a time when deceit and defiance must be seen for what they are. At that point, a gathering danger must be directly confronted. At that point, we must show that beyond our resolutions is actual resolve." V.P. Dick Cheney, post 9/11

Their era is over.

Why Some Won't Leave

2005-09-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

... they refuse to leave their pets behind. Thank you to Homo Ludens for this link, as well as for this thoughtful collection of New Orleans quotes.

Hurricane Charley vs. Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-08T01:41:00.000-07:00

Contrast The Bush administration's preparations for and response to Hurricane Charley, in the key electoral state of Florida two months before the 2004 election, to its preparations for and response to Hurricane Katrina.

"As part of the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to coordinate emergency response activities along with other federal departments and respective state agencies. Prior to Hurricane Charley's arrival, FEMA pre-positioned emergency response teams and disaster relief supplies throughout the southeast region in preparation for anticipated response operations with additional equipment and resources being deployed throughout the weekend from stockpiles nationwide.

Folks, they only care about the country and the people when their own self-interest is involved too. Yes, local and state official share some of the blame. But they were laboring under federal cutbacks, as well as increased responsibility for services dumped on them by the federal government.

More from Sisyphus Shrugged.

Only So Much a President Can Do

2005-09-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

Over at the Fafblog, the Medium Lobster defends President Bush, as only the Medium Lobster can.

Many People Saw it Coming

2005-09-02T00:25:00.000-07:00

... but the nation's leaders didn't listen. As far back as 2001, pre-9/11, FEMA warned a hurricane hitting New Orleans was one of three catastrophes the U.S. was at risk of seeing in the foreseeable future (they also warned of a terrorist attack in New York).

When are our leaders going to start listening to the smart people, instead of those who tell them what they want to hear, which neatly fits into their preconceived agenda?

This horribly prescient article comes from National Geographic, October 2004. What's to blame for the New Orleans disaster, aside from mother nature? According to this, global warming, careless petroleum exploration, and an Iraq war that diverted funds from needed infrastructure projects.

After the fact, one would have to add to that list troops and guardsmen being diverted for the Iraq war and government bungling/criminal negligence in not preparing for this disaster.

That Bush tax cut, which went mainly to wealthy Americans, probably wasn't a very good idea either.

100 Monkeys Typing

2005-09-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

100 Monkeys have extensive commentary and links on the unfolding catastrophe on the Gulf Coast.

IMPEACH

2005-08-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

This President has got to go.

This June 2005 article on how the Bush administration cut funds to ACE and FEMA is one reason:

In fiscal year 2006, the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is bracing for a record $71.2 million reduction in federal funding.

It would be the largest single-year funding loss ever for the New Orleans district, Corps officials said.

I've been here over 30 years and I've never seen this level of reduction, said Al Naomi, project manager for the New Orleans district. I think part of the problem is it's not so much the reduction, it's the drastic reduction in one fiscal year. It's the immediacy of the reduction that I think is the hardest thing to adapt to.

There is an economic ripple effect, too. The cuts mean major hurricane and flood protection projects will not be awarded to local engineering firms. Also, a study to determine ways to protect the region from a Category 5 hurricane has been shelved for now. June 6, 2005 New Orleans City Business

Iraq is another.

Price gouging by oil companies in the wake of these two disasters is another.

Red Cross.

Those Nutty Feminists

2005-08-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

Wow. Who knew the right wing was so full of concern about the civil rights of women. This women's libber says:

Those who think this war is not worth fighting chose to ignore the fate of hundreds of millions of Muslim women. Shame on them.

More of those noble feminists here.

Says a friend in Canada:

The latest draft of the Iraqi constitution is going to set women's rights back decades. I know you'll want to get on that bandwagon right quick, being women's libbers and all. Those of us who have been fighting for women's rights at home and abroad OUR WHOLE DAMNED LIVES welcome you to the cause. Please supply an accurate email address so we can send you information about more women's issues that we're fighting for.

(Better watch out, Pat Robertson says feminism will turn you to witchcraft!)

The last time this many clowns jumped into the little feminist car was just before the bombing of Afghanistan. Even Dick Cheney turned out to be a supporter of the sisterhood. IIRC, just after that bombing,the administration tried to roll back the already meager provisions for women seeking refugee status because of gender persecution, like being at risk of execution for the crime of being raped. And the situation for women in most of Afghanistan is as bad now as it was under the Taliban, though at least in Afghanistan we went in with most of that country, and the world, on our side, unlike Iraq.

Iraq

2005-08-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

It doesn't look like things are getting better there. . .

Especially if you're a woman . . .

And American soldiers aren't doing well either, since they now have to continue fighting and dying simply to justify those who have already died, according to the president's latest war rationale.

How badly do you have to fuck up to make the country even worse than it was under Saddam Hussein?

Impeachment is the word of the day.

Props to these humans for the last two links.

Don't know where we got this link, so thanks to the gods for it, Operation Yellow Elephant. Watch the video, featuring blogger Neat Things.

Shiny, Happy

2005-08-24T14:51:00.000-07:00

... and very, very scary people.

World running out of time for oil alternatives

2005-08-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

Story from breitbart.com.

"Stubbornly high oil prices have renewed worldwide interest in sustainable energy sources, such as solar, wind and biomass as well as biofuels. But the world currently covers just some two percent of its energy needs with renewables as high costs and mixed policy initiatives hinder a wide-spread usage."

Weird Science on the Religious Right

2005-08-12T03:03:00.000-07:00

From Red jenny comes this link to a roundup of popular scientific myths of the moment, such as that noted study on the power of remote prayer, which is still cited by credible-seeming authority figures in tghe media, despite being discredited. Just last week, I heard Dr. Sanjay Gupta's, CNN's medical correspondent, cite this study as fact.

Elsewhere in the theological chatter, Fafblog discovers the Godtrino, and Cerulean Blue proselytizes for Leprechaunism.

Pakistan, Our Great Ally

2005-08-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

Read this and this.

Then, please, write to Joseph Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Ottawa,
Ontario K1A 1L1, Canada. he can do something,despite what the Canadian government claims, to helpthis woman and her husband. You can send e-mail to Minister@cic.gc.ca.

The DEW Line

2005-07-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

A new blog from Canada.

IWT

2005-06-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

Independent World Television.

Watch Their Video.

I Read it Daily, Sometimes Twice Daily

2005-06-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

I just can't get enough of 100 Monkeys Typing.

There Once was a Man named Dave...

2005-06-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

Topical limericks from the Limerick Savant.

My Favorite New Blog

2005-06-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

Red Jenny.

When Rimbaud Meets rambo

2005-06-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

The Gulf between The Bush Administration and the new French Prime Minister.

Leave My Child Alone

2005-06-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

Read here.

Questioning Authority

2005-06-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

Or even ignoring it outright could save your life, according to studies of the World Trade Center disaster.

The Grduate: 2005

2005-06-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

U.S. Grads Lag in Math and Science.

Farewell Speeches

2005-06-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

While googling for U.S. President Eisenhower’s legendary farewell speech, I stumbled across the following ‘farewell speech’ links:

Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech

Vaclav Havel’s farewell speech

Queen Elizabeth the First's farewell.

Need to say goodbye to someone? Why think for yourself? Buy a farewell speech online:

here

here

or

here.

For the Ultimate farewell...

famous last words

more famous last words

... And the world’s most succinct suicide note, from the 18th century, long before zippers simplified life:

“All this buttoning and unbuttoning.”

Galloway Fires Back

2005-05-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

... impressively.

Was Newsweek Right?

2005-05-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

Insight from Dadahead and Blogenlust.

WTF

2005-05-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

Are the Bushes selling out their hardline support? Or is this all a carefully designed ploy to win the middle by appearing to, so they can continue picking everyone's pockets? It's not like the Christian Right is going to switch to the democrats because of a few jokes.

Man, these guys are slippery and manipulative...

Zing

2005-05-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

Eschaton takes on the orwellian Mr.Tierney at the NYT. Excellent.

Your Security Counts to the Guv'mint...... Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight

2005-05-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

... but not as much as 37 kids in bible college, according to this.

The Huffington Post

2005-05-10T00:06:00.000-07:00

Read it here.

Ha

2005-05-05T22:19:00.000-07:00

Love Letter to Condi from a Submissive Partner.

Weird John Brown

2005-05-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

Adam Gopnik on the complex arguments around the legendary odd abolitionist.

Killer Trees

2005-04-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

Click here to download the Quicktime movie. Features an original score by a twelve year old girl.

Cat and Girl

2005-04-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

Been busy, but here's a bit of fun -- from Red Jenny comes this link.

Your Friday Feel-Good Story

2005-04-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

-- or two, thanks to Homo Ludens.

Terrorists Come from Canada: Gingrich

2005-04-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

That's right, Newt. They come from here.

Watch out. They'll make you eat strange food and kill you with kindness.

Ha

2005-04-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

Here.

Phoenix Group

2005-04-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

Reports from the meeting.

Prangstgrup

2005-04-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

A friend sends this bit of brilliance.

Wes Clark Speech

2005-04-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Video available here.

Email From Canada

2005-04-17T17:39:00.000-07:00

A writer friend in exile emails:

"When Bush landed on that aircraft carrier in his flight suit,
did he look like a war hero to you, or like the lost sixth member of the Village People? Does your gaydar ping when you look at Falwell? Ralph Reed? Pat Buchanan? Ding ding ding. My faghag gaydar pings like a pachinko machine when I look at Frist and Tom DeLay. They seem so LATENT and FRUSTRATED to me. It's like a homoerotic cartoon of 'hetero' manhood.

"In other news, get this: I am going to meet the Queen of England and her pompous consort end of May when they are touring the colonies, because my dad wants me to go with him to this event he's invited to and we would be presented to their Royal Minuses at it. How insane is that? I hope I can keep a straight face. I have to wear gloves, as she of course will, because not only can her delicate blue flesh not touch my foul mortal flesh, but apparently, my flesh can't even make contact with her glove fabric. How insane is that? I think I have to curtsey too. Some official government types are sending over a protocol packet so I don't commit any enormous faux pas. (It's futile, like teaching Tarzan table manners.) Any message you want me to pass along to them? Presumably, I'll get about ten seconds to speak to them, (but only if they speak to me first, as I must not sully their tired blue ears with commoner prattle).

"Just sign me,
The Uncommon Commoner"

Evangelicals are not all Whackos

2005-04-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

-- as 100 Monkeys Typing points out.

The Bachelors

2005-04-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

They should televise the Papal selection process, have the various popes perform mass, take confession, debate Marian dogma live on worldwide television, then let Catholics vote out the losers until one shining Prince of peace emerged. It would be like The Bachelor, but all the contestants would be bachelors, and afterwards, voters could hold up their purple fingers to show how democracy came to this ancient dictatorship. This is the guy I'd vote for, if I was Roman Catholic.

(It took the Vatican over 300 years to forgive Galileo, without actually admitting he was right. Wonder how long it would take them to forgive me for this blasphemy?)

The Next Pope?

2005-04-04T04:34:00.000-07:00

The Homo Ludens and Dadahead seem to have come up with a nomination for the next pope. This is one the Fool can get behind too.

Religious Loony Watch

2005-04-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

This site provides a dandy summary of the nuts who want to rule every aspect of your personal life. If Jesus showed up on any of their doorsteps tomorrow, they'd call him a fruity longhair, tell him to get a job, and kick him down the stairs.

Your Friday Feel-Good Story

2005-03-31T14:38:00.000-08:00

here.

I Cried Because I Had No Shoes.....

2005-03-30T01:57:00.000-08:00

... then I bought myself a pair of V1 Blackspots, made of organic and recycled materials by union workers, these are affordable and they are great shoes. Each pair you buy is a kick in the ass of the sweatshop-wage paying, windfall profit making corporations.

Help Stop Government Censorship

2005-03-25T00:55:00.000-08:00

Sign the Petition to the FCC, courtesy, WesPac.

What Happened to --

2005-03-23T00:04:00.000-08:00

Real Republicans? Link from here.

Brain Dead? You Must Live. Can't Pay? Pull the Plug...

2005-03-22T23:57:00.000-08:00

Blogenlust and Digby on the Schiavo case. Evidently, George W. Bush signed a law that allows Texas Hospitals to turn off life support for patients who cannot pay, and since then the administration has, as we know, championed legislation that makes it harder for people to pay medical expenses. These and other mind-blowing facts on the case here.

Schiavo

2005-03-22T13:06:00.000-08:00

The American Street has a thoughtful analysis of the Schiavo case, looking at the case on legal and consitutional grounds.

Securing America

2005-03-20T00:58:00.000-08:00

Supporters of Wesley Clark have started a website with an eye towards 2008.

Blogunderground.net

2005-03-17T22:36:00.000-08:00

Blogunderground is going on hiatus from blogging to make time for other activism. Happy trails.

Our Orwellian Dreamscape and other good links

2005-03-17T00:57:00.000-08:00

(Reposted with cleaned-up language so as not to offend the delicate sensitivities of the new, more-aggressive-on-"indecency" FCC. )

Maureen Dowd on the latest bald-faced propaganda from the White House.

More of the same kind of BS from the Bush administration.

Why Jesus wept to see a woman kick a soccer ball.

Bush to world: FU.

Bush to arctic wildlife: FU too.

Once again, it's important to check in with Fafblog every day to keep from putting a gun in your mouth and blowing your brains out.

Torture is Good

2005-03-14T20:16:00.000-08:00

The Medium Lobster takes on torture and Giblets looks at China over on the Fafblog.

"Attention Lunatic Atheists"

2005-03-14T19:51:00.000-08:00

WTF?

Ha

2005-03-12T21:36:00.000-08:00

Imagine. An oldie re-imagined courtesy The Party Party.

Dark Wraith explains a few things, link from this site.

Stockton & Tweed & Schiavo.

Agree and Disagree with This But...

2005-03-11T18:37:00.000-08:00

-- it's an interesting article to say the least , by Lillian Rubin from Dissent Magazine, on the state of Progressive politics. Excerpt:

In his intriguing book What's the Matter with Kansas?, Thomas Frank argues that culture now trumps economics in the political sphere and offers as explanation yet another, if more sophisticated, version of false consciousness. "People getting their fundamental interests wrong is what American political life is all about," he writes on the very first page. "This species of derangement is the bedrock of our civic order; it is the foundation on which all else rests." American politics is, he insists,

a panorama of madness and delusion worthy of Hieronymous Bosch: of sturdy blue-collar patriots reciting the Pledge while they strangle their own life chances; of small farmers proudly voting themselves off the land; of devoted family men carefully seeing to it that their children will never be able to afford college or proper health care; of working-class guys in Midwestern cities cheering as they deliver up a landslide for a candidate whose policies will end their way of life . . .:
:

Back to the Schoolyard

2005-03-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

-- which is where GOP Tactics take us. And America has fallen for it. As messy as politics get in other western "democracies," it rarely gets to this low level, except perhaps in Italy.

In the words of the late great Bitish actress Beryl Reid, "Politicians, sack the lot of 'em, and replace them with one good, Scottish Nanny." Thanks to the playful people here for the Reid quote.

Without a Windfall Profit Motive....

2005-03-10T21:54:00.000-08:00

Great things can happen, as Crooked Timber notes about a possible cure for diabetes pioneered thanks to "socialized" medicine and higher motives.

More on Clark

2005-03-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

Shakespeare’s Sister wants to know more about Wesley Clark:

Here are the reasons for the Fool’s interest in a Clark movement. His stands on the issues are close to mine, closer than anyone else I see emerging on the horizon. (I am more pro-choice and less pro-military.) He has clearly articulated plans to deal with family income, education, child poverty, women’s issues, the environment , and health care.

Pragmatically speaking, he could win. The man is a genuine war hero, unlike Bush, and his demonstrated concern for the troops and their families should have greater appeal to red state voters. He also excels at peace negotiations and led the military negotiations at the Dayton Peace Talks. He is intelligent (a Rhodes scholar). He is a proven leader. He has already braved and weathered the mud-throwing storm, controversies real and created, and false charges of American politics in his 2004 bid for office. Friends who worked on his campaign also say he is as sincere as he seems, and that he is a true patriot, whose love for America is based on the ideals enshrined in the constitution. He is a uniter who has earned praise from people as diverse as Alexander Haig, Colin Powell, and George McGovern. His mistakes in judgment have been far fewer and far less egregious than those of the President, the administration and Bush's congressional supporters, not to mention most of the Democratic names being bandied about for '08. He appears to learn from mistakes, not compound them, as Bush does. I believe the experiences of 2004 and since have made him wiser and stronger as a candidate and clarified his views on murky issues (as they have for many of us).

More here, here, here and here.

At the very least, this is a voice we need in the public debate now to help shape the 2006 and 2008 elections. Watch this blog for more of the growing dialogue on Wesley Clark.

Watch out Venezuela!

2005-03-10T13:52:00.000-08:00

Some on the right warn that Venezuela may be next on the U.S. hit list if it doesn't give us cheap and easy access to "our" oil (which, to paraphrase Jon Stewart, is inconveniently located under their land and sea).

Wesley Clark in 2008?

2005-03-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

Dogfight suggests Wesley Clark should make a run again in 2008, and the people should draft him if necessary. Others concur. The Court Fool’s roommate says, “He’s the closest thing to Atticus Finch we have in American politics.” In other words, a real man.

Linkapolooza

2005-03-10T04:31:00.000-08:00

From Blogenlust comes this link to the latest way the Bush administration and congress have joined forces with wealthy corporations to screw the people. Big surprise.

From those busy primates... no not the dumb ones in Washington... the smart ones here, comes the link to this story about coerced conversions to born-again Christianity. If a Muslim company benefitting from millions in public bucks made its employees convert to Islam in order to keep their jobs, the right wing bloggers would be in a spitting froth about it.

Did the U.S. government know Italian journalist Sgrena was freed and on her way to the airport? CNN reports that the Italian prime minister says so.

Self-explanatory: Sweet Jesus, I hate Bill O'Reilly and the Sweet Jesus, I hate Bill O'Reilly Blog.

Wag the Dog?

2005-03-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

What is real, and what is fiction these days?

Good Point

2005-03-09T17:58:00.000-08:00

"Do you think it ever occurs to President Bush that the only weapons of mass destruction to be found in Iraq are the ones we brought with us?"

Quote from Shakespeare's Sister on the subject of depleted uranium ammunition used by U.S. troops. More DU here, and here's a very graphic and disturbing flash animation on the effects.

The Fifties are Back

2005-03-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

It took a real asshole to write this retrogressive bit of lame "satire." Calling it satire doesn't do anything to lessen the smug, classist, condescending and sexist attitude towards both sexes in this piece, as others in the blogosphere are noting today.

The Purple Finger of Democracy

2005-03-09T05:59:00.000-08:00

These are strange times. I see people fall into line behind the Bush doctrine because, after all, the Iraq war brought us that moving purple finger of democracy that has inspired democratic-minded people in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon. Is it actual democracy, or a democracy flavored product that will fill the people’s stomachs, without providing much nutrition, to keep them from asking for real food for as long as possible? (See: lame and limited local elections in Saudi Arabia recently.) Or it may just be the pitting of rival religious sects against each other and against the true indigenous democrats in order to keep the region in constant civil war. That seems a messy way to do business.

Embracing the Bush doctrine means embracing the idea that the ends justify the means -- the murder of innocents, torture, sexual humiliation, not to mention debt, lies and other more mundane evils most of us are guilty of -- are all justified as long as one provides something good, like a bit of democracy and freedom and control of another country’s oil supply. What kind of message is this to send the kids? Forget Janet Jackson’s nipple. Kids already know about nipples. They have nipples. What the poor tykes have learned in the last few years from the Bush administration is much scarier. (Ironically, while the Right Wing Christian Republicans oppose the teaching of Darwin in schools, the social and political lessons they are teaching are mighty Darwinian.)

That purple finger was a powerful symbol. Was there anyone who wasn’t moved in the days around the election? The Iraqi people were brave and determined. But if the Bush administration had its way, Iraqis would not have had the chance. The U.S. government initially opposed the idea of direct, democratic elections, preferring regional caucuses -- and those fears are understandable. It could have been a logistical nightmare given the violence and volatility in Iraq and of course, caucuses would be easier to control. It was that kooky, unpredictable Ayatollah Sistani who fought, through peaceful means and negotiation, for direct voting. What the elections will create in Iraq is anybody’s guess at the moment. Judging by the blogs and the news reports, Iraqi women are worried about a new government implementing Shariah law.

Could it have happened without the Iraqi invasion? Not under the Bush administration, since its members lack the diplomatic skills and imagination to develop new ideas and bring skeptical others aboard the bandwagon. But if the Iraq war was the only way to spark the flag-waving mobs, and if it does, by some miracle, bring about real and lasting democracy and peace, it certainly could have been handled differently, without rushing in and without fucking up so much, killing so many and angering so many others, making us look like thugs to much of the world.

Maybe I am suspicious of the true democratic intentions here because on every count, it seems like the Bush administration and its friends are the only ones who really benefit from these costly policies, and the regular people are the only ones who really pay for them, with the lives of their children as well as in other ways.

Think about it. How many sons and daughters of the war’s most hawkish supporters in government and media are off risking their young skins in Iraq? If sacrificing your child for Iraqi elections is a good thing, why haven’t the Bush twins enlisted? Are any members of that patriotic clan in the military? But nobody seems to expect them to go fight. Their class is needed to rule those of us in the cannon fodder classes below. The wealthiest people also benefit most from the Bush tax cuts but believe me, they are not the ones who are going to suffer when it comes time to pay up for that insane national debt.

Beware. They dazzle us with emotionally charged photo ops and coded language, frighten us with orange alerts, and while we’re distracted they pick our pockets, curb our liberties and suck our power away in order to enrich and further empower themselves.

Will Durst

2005-03-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

The political comedian's latest column is archived on his website. Soon, the new one, drawing an analogy between frog soup and the erosion of civil liberties will be posted. Watch for it, or join his mailing list and receive his columns before they hit the rest of the net.

Ha

2005-03-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

Like the writer of this article on lefty humor, The Court Fool is a fan of the left-side links at The Angry Arab News Service.

There's no better place to get an alternative view of the Arab news, with a bonus side of Chicken McNuggets trivia and Mother Teresa miracle news. Even when the Fool doesn't agree with the Angry Arab, the Fool often laughs. (I am much more pro-Israel than the Angry Arab. Even though I often disagree with the Israeli government and its policies and believe the Palestinains have a LOT of legitimate issues, I feel Israel has a right -- a need -- to exist.)

I would have to disagree with the East Bay Express writer's assertion that left-leaning blogs aren't funny.Has the writer not read this, an Orwellian fairy tale about sweet woodland (and sea) creatures in Bushworld? No other site so perfectly matches the absurdity of the, ahem, real world.

And don't mess with with the witty woman at Mousewords, who today is taking her rapier to anti-feminist comments by another woman. Or try this site for a laugh, or this, or any of the Fool's right side links, carefully chosen for wit as well as acuity of analysis.

And Whitehouse.org takes no prisoners. You'll laugh, you'll cry.

White Hats, Black Hats

2005-03-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

From all those monkeys, comes this link. Might be just the cowboy we need to take on that imitation cowboy in Dodge... er, Washington.

Pavlov's Dogs.. Ring a Bell, and They Laugh and Applaud

2005-03-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

From the New York Times, some unfunny lines, and the laughter and applause they generate among the brainwashed, mind-blunted faithful.

Buy Blue

2005-03-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

A Few Good Corporations.

More on Sgrena Incident

2005-03-07T16:24:00.000-08:00

From The New York Times.

And, via A Logical Voice, a story from The Guardian.

I wonder if we will ever know the truth about this one. The truth is there, but how will we recognize it? It's a war zone, people are tense and accidents happen. Italy purportedly did not inform American authorities that Sgrena had been released (but then, shouldn't the CIA be on these things?) I don't think most indivdual soldiers would target journalists, which is how the Bush administration likes to spin any questions about the war, as an attack on all the troops, all those young people who are risking and often losing their lives, ostensibly on our behalf. There may well be a few doctrinaire, hardcore nuts and sadists who might target them but, as with Abu Ghraib, the truly guilty parties would probably be higher up the food chain.

There have been so many very suspicious killings of journalists in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Sgrena was a beloved reporter and an antagonist of Bush and Berlusconi policies. A mystery writer said to me recently, about the unrelated murder of a friend, "if you want to commit the perfect murder, do it in a war zone."

Italy's James Bond

2005-03-06T23:27:00.000-08:00

The Italian intelligence officer killed in Iraq, Nicola Calipari, was known as Italy's James Bond. Hmm. Where is Eason Jordan these days? What Danny Schecter had to say about the Jordan affair on February 28th. And here's Democracy Now's take on the Iraq shooting. Click here for an Air America report via GNN. The world media, outside of the U.S., seems to suspect it was a botched hit because the reporter, Giuliana Sgrena, was investigating the use of illegal weapons such as napalm in Iraq, and was also allegedly on Silvio Berlusconi's enemies' list. Developing.....

Abuse of Iraqi Detainees? You Must be Crazy...

2005-03-06T01:02:00.000-08:00

From The Washington Post.

Nuclear Weapons in Iraq

2005-03-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

From 100 Monkeys Typing comes a link to this flash animation on the use of depleted uranium ammunition and the reported consequences. Warning: graphic images.

A BBC story on the same subject. Quote:

A United States defence official has said moves to ban depleted uranium ammunition are just an attempt by America's enemies to blunt its military might.

Apocamon

2005-03-03T16:26:00.000-08:00

Apocamon, the amazing, true, animated adventures of pokeman-like characters during the apocalypse. Start with the two free episodes and just keep clicking the NEXT button. Big thanks to World O' Crap for this one.

Bad Vernacular

2005-03-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

Bad Vernacular moves like a butterfly and stings like a bee. Just the right kind of acid wit to singe the whiskers of the pseudodemocratic fashos running the world these days. Get to know Stockton & Tweed.

Unfucking (no pun intended) Believable

2005-03-03T00:19:00.000-08:00

What do right wing Christians and fundy muslims have in common? Among other things, they both fear the freedom of women. Mousewords has some acid commentary on the move designed to force us back into the past and other people who want to limit our freedom.

The Latest from Lebanon

2005-03-01T13:44:00.000-08:00

-- from Shlonkom Bakazay and The Angry Arab News Service.

From the New York Times, an op-ed on Qatar, the progressive Gulf state.

Ill informed or... Ignorant? It's a judgment call...

2005-03-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

What America Believes, courtesy The Liberal Streetfighter.

The Founding Fathers and God

2005-02-26T16:45:00.000-08:00

Quite secular they were. Read here.

Excerpt:

“In 1797 our government concluded a "Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the United States of America and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli, or Barbary," now known simply as the Treaty of Tripoli. Article 11 of the treaty contains these words:
As the Government of the United States...is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion--as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity of Musselmen--and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”

The Good Nuclear Reactor

2005-02-26T15:43:00.000-08:00

The Pebble-bed reactor could be an important part of any alternative energy program, along with solar, wind, hydrogen and biomass.

A Page from Jerry Falwell's book

2005-02-24T16:40:00.000-08:00

Ian Frazier, a "court fool" of the highest calibre, takes on Falwell's definition of what "borders" on cruelty.

The GOP Pit Bulls vs. AARP

2005-02-24T11:39:00.000-08:00

Maureen Dowd on the vicious campaign against the AARP.

Those Tapes

2005-02-23T18:12:00.000-08:00

The New York Times on the tapes.

Books

2005-02-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

They Marched Into Sunlight by David Maraniss.

Who gets Credit for the Purple Finger?

2005-02-22T18:31:00.000-08:00

The people who voted... the troops, American, Iraqi and other, who protected them, and This Guy.

The Bush administration was quick to crow about their role in bringing about the democratic elections in iraq. But according to the Washington Post, it was this mysterious and unpredictable mullah, Ayatollah Sistani, who fought (peacefully) the Bush administration for direct, democratic elections. The Bush admin wanted regional caucuses. Sistani is an interesting fellow, to say the least.

World O'Crap Blog

2005-02-22T10:30:00.000-08:00

Read it here.

Our Unnecessary Insecurity

2005-02-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

How the government has failed to take real steps to protect Americans for fear of pissing off wealthy supporters and political allies, and what needs to be done, urgently.