Traveling in the Aftermath of 9/11/01

My father, who travels extensively for work, wrote this piece about flying immediately after the airspace over the United States was opened in the aftermath of September 11th, 2001. I thought it was an interesting perspective about how much things have changed in 10 years:

It is the sixth day after the world changed. I am holding tickets for a flight bound for Pittsburgh, then on to LA. It seems funny to say that destination out loud, as if people would look at me and wonder why I would do such a thing.

Portland Jetport looks like a ghost town. Like a Sunday morning in February when no one wants to come to Maine, and everyone who is smart is in a warmer part of the world. I am driven to the airport today by choice; I didn’t want to park my car in what seems like New Hampshire. I am often challenged by inconvenience when I travel, I thought it had reached its height, I am afraid I have seen nothing yet, and that I will finally learn to “care-less” about convenience and be more patient, which is a lesson that has eluded me. Inconvenience and aggravation seem like nothing when I look at the firefighters still picking through the rubble trying to stay hopeful.



Myself, Dad, and my brother John, father's day 2006



I wonder if the hijackers last Tuesday who went through Portland stood in line where I stand this morning. I wonder how they answered the security questions about packed luggage being in their possession at all times. I wonder if the ticket agent smiled at them, or said “good morning”, or “ have a nice day.” Did they put their luggage on the conveyor belt? Did they worry at all that they might be detected? Did they think at all that a “mechanical” could occur and they might not get to fulfill their mission in the coordinated planned way they intended? I have boarded that flight (maybe even the very plane) that carried them to Boston. I could have been on that plane, I wonder if I would have noticed them? I wonder how many times I brush across people who can commit such horrendous acts, perhaps narrowly escape my fate at the hands of people like them. I wonder how lucky I am sometimes to travel this much and keep returning home, frustrated and annoyed with the hassles of travel, but safe and sound to join the people who I love and love me.

We have taken off. I once asked a man sitting next to me on a flight how he was. He replied, “well, so far in my life, the number of take-offs has equaled the number of landings, so I guess I am ok” I hope my equation holds out this trip. I am glad today I am meeting Fred my colleague in Pittsburgh, to travel the rest of the distance to LA. I don’t want to be alone out here. Lately I have been reaching out for connections with others more, and today the need to that is very important and a source of comfort. It feels scary and unsafe away from my home and from Maine. Meeting someone when I get off this plane feels comforting.

We are over the Hudson River now. I look toward Manhattan, to see if I can catch a telltale sign of the destruction. I can see almost to New York City. While Maine is in my soul, New York is in my blood. I am sad about the people who are going through so much pain and tragedy. I am sad about those that died. I may know some of them. I may have gone to school with some, or if not with them, their fathers or mothers, cousins, spouses, co-workers, lovers or friends. I am sure of it. The odds are in my favor. As we cross the Adirondacks I recall that American Flight 11 made a turn here, perhaps in this exact air space, on its new flight path to destruction. There are about as many people on this smaller 737 that were on those larger planes. I wonder what I would have done if I were one of the passengers last Tuesday and been hijacked? Would I have been heroic, or a coward? Would I have acted with rage and anger or with passiveness, thinking a cooler head would help avert disaster? Would I have thought about calling my family, which seems like such an act of selfless love? Would I have prayed to a God I can hardly find these days? Would I have trembled? I hope I never have to find that out, but somehow all of this is possible now since last Tuesday.

I land in Pittsburgh and walk into an airport that seems empty. I check my watch – it is 3:10 P.M, not A.M. Where is everyone? Why am I here? I am often afraid in life, so is this another manifestation of my multiple mid-life crises – like diving with sharks? I have this sense that it can’t happen to me – but I thought that was true before being in the San Diego earthquake several years ago, or when I thought my father would not die. How often I walk around the world not knowing what will happen next – like those people who got on the hijacked planes or sat down at their desk in the World Trade Center last week before the Apocalypse. Why do I think I have so much time left, to do the things I want and need? Why do I continue to entertain meaningless activities even for 1 second? I have had this conversation with friends and in my head many times and although I am way better than I used to be at Seizing the Moment – I still act like it can’t happen to me and I have time to do all the things I want.

I see my colleague Fred at the gate. I am happy to see him and feel glad we are together. Fred had a dream he told me about once, that we were together during a nuclear war. In his dream we survived and hugged. I hug him now, that’s as much of his dream I want to come true.

We enter the empty plane to LA. I have NEVER been on flight that was so empty. Once again I wonder about the people who are not here – are they smart or scared? Am I dumb or brave? I still don’t know the answer.

Dinner is served with plastic knives, but with two forks. This makes no sense, forks – two of them- seem more able to inflict damage than a serrated butter knife. It makes no sense, but it makes us feel better that there are no knives on the plane. I reflect on all the tough talk of revenge and bombing and “leveling” Afghanistan. It makes no sense either, but it too makes us feel better. I hope the right questions get asked when our thirst for retaliation and striking out – which I understand – gets quenched. I hope “Where is Bin Laden” gets answered, so we can ask the more fundamental question “How have we as a country or a people become so hated in the world?”

“America should go back to work,” the President said. I don’t think the frequent fliers of the country heard him. The planes are empty, you can hear your shoes click on the airport floors, even at LAX; the hotel is 30% capacity. I fear we are in for a long difficult economic time. I wonder about the impact on our Firm and its business.

I sit at my first meeting with my client. I am back to work, President Bush. I work hard to put my heart in it. I think of all the people who have framed the work they do as “just a job”. It must be very difficult for them to “go back to work.” At least there is meaning for me in my work, and particularly now when the forces of hate and destruction seem to be winning – I find solace in the work we are doing with our client this morning. It is a direct challenge to the belief that there is only one “right way”, that there are no innocent people when I am waging a “holy war in the name of god”, that “what happened is god’s punishment for the abortionists, gays, and feminists”. It is good work even though sometimes I feel like it is futile. I feel sometimes like the firemen in NYC, searching, searching, hoping to find life...and not seeing enough of it as they pick through the debris.

We show a video about diversity to our client today in an education session. It is about diversity and made the point that diverse systems in the biological world like plants and ecosystems have a better chance of withstanding trauma and attack. I hope that is true of our country now and that we have a chance of withstanding the extraordinary violence done to us as a nation.

I am leaving LA now. They search my bag going through security and the guard removes a disposable razor. I haven’t cut myself in years with one of those. I know they are trying to make me feel secure – it’s not working.

I am landing in Maine now. My first of many trips with heightened anxiety. Each generation has defining moments in their lives. In my 58 years stunning world events have shaped how I see the world – assassinations of charismatic leaders, wars that made no sense, and now this. Maybe they are the events that will speed our evolution to a higher state of consciousness about what it means to be fully human. I hope so. I may even pray for it to be so.

Walking the Wrong Line

It didn’t take long before “moderate” Republican Governor Scott Walker proved once again, you can’t say “moderate” Republican without quotes or contorting your face. When we last left our hero, he was busting unions in Wisconsin, while leaving the other ones – the ones who kinda sorta supported him to begin with – completely unbusted. Now, he’d like to tell you who you can’t visit in the hospital.

First, some quick background. In 2009, the Democratically led WI legislature amended a law that allows same sex couples, once registered with the county, to secure some of the rights you and I get when we marry other straight people. The Wisconsin Family Action (again – family is right there in the title eh?) didn’t like this, and last year decided they would spend their time bringing a law suit alleging WI’s 2006 constitutional ban on gay marriage, was being violated by the 2009 legislative action allowing for some domestic benefits to be extended to gay couples. In other words when you ban gay marriage in your state, you give right wing groups a legal path to make all sorts of fun occur.

Don’t think it can happen? Meet Washington resident Janice Langbehn, who pays taxes and falls in love with other people, just like you and I do. When her partner Lisa of 18 years suddenly collapsed while on vacation to Florida, she was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s emergency room. Jackson has a policy of allowing only blood relatives and spouses to visit those in the trauma center, neither of which was Lisa’s partner Janice. Nevermind that they had been together for almost two decades. Nevermind that they were raising a family, and had adopted children together. No blood, no marriage, no visit. Now you know why people get upset when gay marriage laws are voted down.

Lisa died without Janice having a chance to see her partner, or to say goodbye. Picture yourself travelling out of state, being in the same hospital as your loved one who is dying just yards away, and being denied that final moment with them.

Now picture yourself voting for those who want to keep it this way. That’s right. The party of less government wants to stand between you and your loved one, as you both go through one of the hardest moments each of you may ever have to face together. Because nothing says family values like denying hospital visitation.

Let me recap: Conservatives, who lose their collective minds when judges find that state constitutions are being violated by denying marriage benefits to gays, are asking a judge to find that Wisconsin’s Contistution is being violated because when those same rights are granted. Put another way, the same groups that coined the phrase “activist judges” when it goes against their political beliefs, are indeed asking for some judicial activism in Wisconsin. Unless, you have a friend in government who can actually halt the state’s defense of the law suit? I mean, surely there isn’t anyone in a position of power who wouldn’t empathize with couples like Janice and Lisa right?

Enter Scott Walker. From Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinel:

Gov. Scott Walker believes a new law that gives gay couples hospital visitation rights violates the state constitution and has asked the state to stop defending it…

In case you're looking for more Scott Walkher accomplishments, you can find them here.

What I Learned From the May 21st-ers

Having lived in Maine for most of my life, usually I can quickly spot people who, as we say, “aren’t from around here.” Sort of like gaydar but for out of state people, and much less socially valuable. So I was having breakfast at the diner across the street from my condo a few weeks back when I spotted them – southern accents, suspiciously polite people with Krameresque shirts, and the kind of hair that is begging you to check your local sex offender registry for a match. They definitely stood out in a diner full of local lobsterman and seemed to be carrying a bunch of flyers. Before long I noticed they had gathered at the gas station across the street, where a caravan of professionally painted vehicles waited for them break the huddle and move on to their next stop. These were of course, the May 21st-ers.

Checking my email quickly while waiting for my own check, I saw a picture my parents, having coincidentally driven by that very gas station an hour earlier, had taken of the same vans. Because we share the same sense of humor (they are after all my parents), I paid my check as quickly as I could, and ran across the street so I could meet these people before they drove off, drank the kool aid, or whatever it was they were planning to do next.

There were about 12 of them standing in the gas station lot, speaking to each other in quiet tones disproportionate to the busy street of passers by, straining to make out the lettering on the vans before smiling once they did. About half of them were almost finished their post-diner cigarettes (give them a break – if the world is ending in a few weeks, huffing butts at a gas station doesn’t really seem so crazy, does it?), and all of them looked up excitedly when I greeted them with a cheery “hey guys!” I shook a few hands, told them I noticed their vans, and could I have my photo taken in front of one?
At this point I figured they would do one of two things: 

1). Be as genuinely friendly as they had seemed in the diner, jump at the opportunity to take my photo, hand me some fliers and wish me luck come May 21. Or  

2). Quickly figure out I wasn’t taking them seriously, and that I was there to indirectly mock them by having my photo taken in front of their vans as if I was at a cheap carnival side show, ready to plaster it all over Facebook and Twitter, where my friends and I would have a few good laughs at their ignorant expense...

 Guess which they chose? I thanked them for their time, collected a few flyers blaming this on gay people (who else?), went home, and the photo you see above has been on my Facebook profile ever since.

I had all but forgotten about this encounter until a week or so ago, I’ve started to see the May 21st group pop up all over twitter, and more traditional media outlets. While my first reaction was, “those are the bat shit people I met a few weeks ago!” I’ve read a few articles and watched a few interviews about them and their movement that morphed my instinctual point-and-laugh mentality into something a little more reflective. And then, I started to feel a bit guilty, and here’s why.

First, religious cults (which of course is a very subjective term) tend to attract the vulnerable, low hanging fruit of our culture. These people aren’t just gullible, but rather probably have had some kind of trauma or otherwise unpleasant lives that have brought them to a point where they have generally checked out from society, and have chosen some sort of message, not matter how strange, through which they can find community and peace. Like the Heaven’s Gate and Branch Davidians before them, they have not only been manipulated by a charismatic leader, they are vulnerable enough to follow him, which is infinitely more depressing to me. Think about where you have to be in your life to get on board with this kind of message.

Second, while you and I share the common sense, social capacity, and general understanding that the world, while probably in its final billion years, will not come to an end this Saturday, these people appear to range from mostly to fully invested in this philosophy. To them, this is real. They have their calendars marked, and not just in pencil. They believe, and they’re ready. And while there is a certain amount in “what’s the harm in believing” going on here, it’s the actions some of them are taking that should be alarming.

Take for example, Robert Fitzpatrick, who blew his entire life savings to help advertise the world’s end next Saturday, because naturally the larger effort you put into warning your fellow humans, the better chance you have at spending eternity with God (apparently this early warning stuff is a new philosophy of God’s since the 2007 Pacific Tsunami). What is this poor guy going to do on May 22nd, when his electric bill is due? Even worse than spending all your money, will see large groups of people take their own lives around this date?

The sad thing is, this will repeat itself next year for the widely misinterpreted Mayan Calendar, 2012 groups who are probably looking at the May 21st-ers like they’re nuts. We’ll have to watch these people all over again, on a much grander scale, as the May 21 2011 people are really a small minority when it comes to the doomsday groups.

So instead of being humored by these people as I initially was, I am not laughing anymore. It’s not because I’m worried their prediction might be true – I’m worried for them, because we all know it’s not, and May 22nd is just around the corner. It will be interesting to see where this woman will be next Sunday:

Clinton Bitch-Slaps Chris Wallace

As everyone has heard by now, former President Clinton did on Friday to Chris Wallace, what Democrats should be doing every single time they’re confronted with right-wing media bullshit: give the facts in no uncertain terms.

For those who haven’t had the chance to see it yet, I’m hosting the video below from C & L. Launch the video, and when enough of it downloads, forward to about 4 minutes in, when it starts to get good.

After watching I would ask everyone to ponder several different, yet equally important aspects of the interview.

1). Listen to the facts of which Clinton assertively speaks. If you have visited the Iraq section of this site, I have depicted verified information that clearly illustrates the differences in the significance and priority of Clinton’s counterterrorism actions, versus those of pre-9/11 Bush. Clinton raises some of these points in his interview, but didn’t name them all. Clinton mentioned that he left a comprehensive plan regarding Al Qaeda that was ignored, that the CIA refused to certify the attack on the Blackhawk in Somalia was bin Laden and the Republicans wanted no part of retaliation, that Richard Clarke was ignored and demoted by the White House, and that the right-wing Republicans accused him of Wag the Dog when going after bin Laden in Sudan. All of those are legit and should be considered. Other points he could have made were the following:

Dick Cheney, head of the counterterrorism task force for the Bush administration was urged by Richard Clarke to hold a series of meetings, and failed to hold a single one.

Then National Security Advisor Condi Rice had a speech slated to be delivered the morning of 9/11 that was obviously cancelled. Not anywhere in her speech did she mention Al Qaeda. Her topic that morning? Star wars. The public speech has since been classified.

While Clinton continued to ask for increases in spending regarding counterterrorism, he was continually shot down by Republicans in Congress including Orin Hatch. Want a good memory refresher? Read this archived CNN article.

But then again, Clinton lied about a blowjob, and I don’t know what threatens national security more than that.

2). For one second, try to imagine President Bush using the same terminology, sophistication and off-hand recollection of facts, and general humbleness that Clinton used during this interview. Bush’s continual use of vague “evil vs good,” intellectually empty view of the world reminds me that comparing the two presidents would be something like comparing a 3rd grade history paper to a college level dissertation. Further, Clinton also admits he made mistakes and failed to get bin Laden. He’s right, but at least he’s admitting it. He also urged the 9/11 Commission to make those mistakes public. I was quickly reminded of one of the presidential debates during 2004 in which Bush, when directly asked, could not name a single mistake, while Clinton wanted to make his public so we could learn from them. If that’s not an exercise in the amount of humility and level of arrogance on which these two men contrast, I’m not sure what is.

3). Over and over again conservatives on this blog and others try to tell the rest of us that there is a liberal media bias. While examples pile up each and every single day, I can’t think of a better example of the media’s coverage regarding Clinton’s interview, and the tantrums Bush throws almost weekly while answering questions posed to him. On every major news outlet, Clinton’s facts were ignored, and the sensationalist headlines of him “blowing a gasket” were shown the spotlight. The Daily Show has more on this (see below).

4). Mike Wallace is a squirming, lying, jackass. He and Fox get called on their conservative bullshit, and it’s fantastic. It makes Wallace look so bad and so biased, that I’m actually surprised they decided it air it uncensored. But then again, when choosing between money (in this case ratings) and ideology, conservatives will abandon their own principles (see: the Iraq war).

And now here is the video of the interview – an absolute MUST watch:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/09/26/daily-show-rips-cable-news-for-clinton-coverage/

And the coverage of the video. Go liberal media!
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/09/24/fox-clinton-interview-part-1-osama-bin-laden/

I'll Be Back

Check back often as Kenny Bloggins should return within the week.

Oh, and to the gentleman who wished me a happy birthday from the “Muslim Brotherhood," thanks for your thoughts. Because as anyone who has read this site knows, I’m a huge supporter of super-conservative, far-right religious ideology.

Discrimination Hurts National Security

Since the start of the Iraq war, and very public scandals about Bush/Rumsfeld's less than stellar administration of deploying troops to war (see: lack of equipment, over-extension, lack of support upon their return for post traumatic stress disorder, no clear mission, no real re-deployment plan, etc), the U.S. armed forces have had more than a difficult time meeting recruitment needs. In fact, 2005 was the worst in 26 years.

Specifically since we've been told how the battle has changed since 9/11, new strategies in terms of intelligence gathering have quickly emerged.

Agreed.

Obviously, this includes underscoring the importance of cultural and linguistic specialists who are incredibly crucial in terms of our ability to quickly translate information from Arabic and other common Middle Eastern language into usable data in good old fashioned English, and perhaps even further downsized into something Bush might be able to comprehend.

Given the fact that less than 1% of U.S. citizens raised in English-only households are bilingual, finding Americans who both speak Arabic or Farsi are willing to join the military these days is the intelligence gathering equivalent of a small jackpot.

So what have we done with over 800 of these linguistic gems? Threw their faggoty asses out of course!

A decorated sergeant and Arabic language specialist was dismissed from the U.S. Army under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, though he says he never told his superiors he was gay and his accuser was never identified. Bleu Copas, 30, told The Associated Press he is gay, but said he was "outed" by a stream of anonymous e-mails to his superiors in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.

An eight-month Army investigation culminated in Copas' honorable discharge on Jan. 30 -- less than four years after he enlisted, he said, out of a post-Sept. 11 sense of duty to his country. Copas now carries the discharge papers, which mention his awards and citations, so he can document his military service for prospective employers. But the papers also give the reason for his dismissal.

More than 11,000 service members have been dismissed under the policy, including 726 last year -- an 11 percent jump from 2004 and the first increase since 2001.

Read on...

It should be noted that one William J. Clinton shares as much blame for the military's ridiculous "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy as anyone else involved in its creation back in the early 90's, and while I support a lot of what Clinton did in terms of Civil Rights and for our country as a whole, this piece of legislation is beyond a black mark on his record as far as I'm concerned.

Considering the amount of military men and women we've lost to this policy in a time of acute need, I hope Clinton reflects back on his pen stroke for DADT with regret and shame.

The Paris Hilton Tax

For the very first time during his 6 year presidency, and just in time for the November mid-terms, Bush decided he would address the nation's oldest Civil Rights group.

The last time Bush address such a concentrated group of African Americans under one roof was the Coretta Scott King funeral, of which I have some video here.

Now, as a fellow blogger once published, "once in a while Bush has one of these, 'What the Fuck Did He Just Say?' moments during his speeches (see: Human-Animal Hybrids this year's State of the Union)." Bush's speech in front of the NAACP was no exception.

Sure, the speech had it's humorous moments (Listen here: ), and of course Bush got heckled a few times (while the White House transcript officially documented the major heckling incident as "applause"). But my favorite part of the NAACP speech was the What-the-Fuck-Did-He-Just-Say? moment that made me spit out my drink was Bush pushing the abolition of the Estate Tax to the audience.

Even though the liberals are the elitist rich crowd (according to Bush supporters), many Republicans and fighting tooth and nail to have the Estate Tax repealed. A tax for which only two tenths of one perenct of Americans are wealthy to qualify.

And, specifically pertaining to this audience, I thought I'd pass along the number of black Americans financially affected by the estate tax:

59.

Out of 38,000,000.

That's .000000015%. That's 1 in every 644,067.

That means if the entire city of Boston were comprised of black Americans, chances are not one single person would pay a tax on their estate if they passed away. By comparison, you have a .032% chance of getting hit by lightning.

Not that Bush has a record of being insensitive or out of touch...but perhaps he could have saved the Estate Tax part of the speech for this crowd -

Listen:

I think people should head over to Americablog to read what would gather a lot more steam in the liberal mainstream media - you know, if they weren't so busy covering the Mel Gibson story (who himself is a certified member of liberal Hollywood):

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/08/pentagon-may-have-criminally-misled.html

Air America has been reporting this and screaming about this for over 3 years, and again it appears they're way, way ahead of the curve (as they were with the Valerie Plame story, reported on daily for about 2 years before most of your friends had ever heard her name).

I think this story is starting to get picked up by the corporate media outlets, and its important to keep this in the headlines. I also think that if this turns out to be what it seems, we should keep this in mind each time those associated with this current Federal government insist on using 9/11 as a political crutch.

And Now Some More Maine Flavor...

This weekend was a beautiful one to be out on the Maine ocean. I thought I would post a link to some of the photos taken this weekend.

The first several photos are of some random coastal from Saturday. The remaining pics are from the annual lobter boat races in Harpswell (Pots Harbor).

There is nothing more uniquely Maine than a day at the lobster boat races. Its a chance for everyone around coastal Maine and the islands to gather, grill out, party, and enjoy a beautiful day of community boating and drunkeness - two of the most common experiences in coastal Maine. Enjoy the pics.

http://www.rageagainsttheright.com/lobster/

Today's New Verb: Murtharize

While I've always felt accusing someone of flip-flopping on political issues simply because the person who changed their opinion happens to have nuanced thinking (or was presented with new information to which they must react and change course) is childish, I can no longer resist the temptation.

Many Republicans, decorated military Generals, and even some infamous neocons themselves have flipped, flopped and waffled their way toward more reasonable thinking, while looking back on their colleagues hanging by their fingernails onto support for the war on Iraq with perplexing confusion.

The latest to join the cut-n-run crowd of American troop haters is Representative Gil Gutknecht of Minnesota:

Rep. Gil Gutknecht, R-Minn., once a strong supporter of the war, returned from Iraq this week declaring that conditions in Baghdad were far worse "than we'd been led to believe," and urging that troop withdrawals begin immediately.

"Essentially, what the White House is saying is, 'Stay the course, stay the course,' " Gutknecht said. "I don't think that course is politically sustainable."During a debate last month, Gutknecht intoned, "Members, now is not the time to go wobbly." This week, he conceded "I guess I didn't understand the situation," saying that a partial troop withdrawal now would "send a clear message to the Iraqis that the next step is up to you."

Read on.

Gutknecht his hardly alone, as Patrick McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina commented on seeing the reality of the situation:

"It's like after (Hurricane) Katrina, when the secretary of Homeland Security was saying all those people weren't really stranded (at the New Orleans civic center) when we were all watching it on TV," said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C. "I still hear about that. We can't look like we won't face reality."

It is fair to say these and the other Republicans stepping up to the plate of reality are wobbling on Iraq due to the fact that supporting the Iraq war before the upcoming mid-term elections is getting closer and closer to political suicide, as most Americans are now seeing Iraq for what it actually is.

However, two of the most prominent architects of Neo-conservatism, without public offices to lose, have expressed their own thoughts on the war in no uncertain terms, and I thought I’d recap what both of them said a few months ago before the death toll and increasing symptoms of civil war evolved to what they are today:

Francis Fukuyama

History:
Fukuyama is an author and is influential in American economics when it comes to Free Market Capitalism. Those are his virtuous qualities. He’s one the strongest voices for the inevitable collapse of non-Capitalist governments in favor of democracies, whether or not that is done at the barrel a gun or not. He is also one of the founding architects of neo-conservatism, and a key member of the Project for the New American Century and has close ties to other neo-conservatives in that group, such as Karl Rove and Scooter Libby. He signed a letter urging president Bush to invade and occupy Iraq, whether or not there was evidence that Saddam had anything to do with 9/11.

Fukuyama’s current views on Iraq:
“Neo-conservatism should be discarded on to history's pile of discredited ideologies….By invading Iraq, the Bush administration created a self-fulfilling prophecy: Iraq has now replaced Afghanistan as a magnet, a training ground and an operational base for jihadist terrorists, with plenty of American targets to shoot at… The so-called Bush Doctrine that set the framework for the administration's first term is now in shambles…successful pre-emption depends on the ability to predict the future accurately and on good intelligence, which was not forthcoming, while America's perceived unilateralism has isolated it as never before. The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood made a strong showing in Egypt's parliamentary elections in November and December. While the holding of elections in Iraq this past December was an achievement in itself, the vote led to the ascendance of a Shiite bloc with close ties to Iran (following on the election of the conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president of Iran in June). But the clincher was the decisive Hamas victory in the Palestinian election last month, which brought to power a movement overtly dedicated to the destruction of Israel…read on.
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William F. Buckley Jr.

History: With way too many qualifiers and surnames in his identification, William F. Buckley has been a major influential force in the conservative movement since the 1950’s, and is a much more recognized name to the American publican than Fukuyama. He founded the conservative National Review publication, but before doing so wrote “God and Man at Yale” which lashed out at Yale for straying from it’s original Christian, Capitalist mission. Once in a debate with Gore Vidal regarding the
situation at the Democratic Convention in Chicago during Vietnam, Buckley responded to being called a Nazi by saying, “Now listen, you queer, stop calling me a crypto-Nazi or I'll sock you in your goddamn face, and you'll stay plastered.” In 1991 he was awarded the Medal of Freedom by W’s father. He’s a classic conservative who comes from money, privilege and opportunity.

Buckley’s current views on Iraq:
"One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed… because Iraqi animosities have proved uncontainable by an invading army of 130,000 Americans... It would not be surprising to learn from an anonymously cited American soldier that he can understand why Saddam Hussein was needed to keep the Sunnis and the Shiites from each other's throats…

The administration has, now, to cope with failure… Mr. Bush has a very difficult internal problem here because to make the kind of concession that is strategically appropriate requires a mitigation of policies he has several times affirmed in high-flown pronouncements…(read the entire article here)."

Although it is easy to pounce on these men for their abrupt about-face, I certainly applaud them and welcome them to the world of reality with warm handshake and a “we’ve been expecting you” kind of greeting.

Additionally, I think perhaps the most important thing here is to expose the juvenile and destructive behavior of most Bush supporters that continues today, and can be observed on cable news talk shows, AM radio, and any other political forum (including the comments of this very web site). Said behavior involves accusing those who don’t support continued long tours of duty in Iraq or the philosophy of the war itself of being anti-American, not supporting the troops, and rooting for America to fail in the Middle East.

It occurs to me that most Bush voters hurling those insults will not do so to the men listed above, or the countless other Republican politicians and military experts will be spared this rhetoric, unlike the John Murthas, Senator Kerrys, and Howard Deans of the world.

Honestly, this kind of political smearing confuses me. I’ve never been able to fully understand how someone who observes that Iraq is a mess and calls it a mess, is somehow helping to cause Iraq to be a mess, rather than those who want to keep our troops in the middle of the mess in the first place. Nor can I comprehend how person A, who wants our troops home and out of harms way, is actually less troop-supporting than person B, who wishes to keep them there to die for a cause of which no one is quite sure.

And, I certainly don’t understand how those who have served, such as Murtha, Kerry, Kennedy, Clark, and Cleeland, are considered less patriotic and more war-ignorant than the civilians pushing the war, such as Bush, Limbaugh, Hannity, Cheney, Rove, O’Reilly etc, all of whom have more deferments and active military duty no-shows than the invite list to a cocktail party at Ann Coulter’s house (don’t make me use the list!)

Nevertheless, it doesn’t make this kind of language any less obnoxious, off-point, or infinitely worse, a total irrelevant and inaccurate distraction from an open-thought sponsored exchange of ideas. It is almost as if those taking this position are admitting political bankruptcy, and throwing sand in the eyes of those who would distract them with facts and reality.

However, if Bush supporters continue to use one of the key defining characteristics of fascism (creating scapegoats by accusing those against military action of being unpatriotic and aiding the enemy), at least have the courage and sense of balance to throw these same accusations at one of your own. The list seems to grow a little bit each month.

Chancellor Merkel: I Need an Adult!

Our president frat-boy massaging the Gernman leader. Our apologies to frat boys.

I realize this is a bit late, because by now most of heard or seen or rocketed milk out of their nose as they watched the video of Bush massaging the shoulders of one of the most powerful women in Europe.

However, as he always does, Mark Morford puts strange events into the hilarious words I could never find.

Mr. Morford, the stage is yours:

So now we know.

I mean, we sort of thought we knew, before, what kind of guy George W. Bush is, essentially our very own inept, inarticulate ex-alcoholic ex-frat-guy failed-businessman pseudo-leader who famously appeals to the most God-fearin' and least educated and least attuned among us because he is, well, one of them.

We thought we had him pegged: Just a casual and aw-shucks sort of walkin', talkin', war-happy embarrassment to the country who was rumored to be a Genuinely Nice Guy in person but who, when he traveled abroad, nevertheless caused the entire nation to pre-emptively cringe in preparation for all sorts of imminent humiliations and lots of hilarious-yet-excruciating new material for "The Complete Bushisms."

But every so often we get a glimpse of just a little more.

Or, rather, less. Of what lies just beneath that carefully controlled sheen of White House spin, what happens when Dubya is away from his handlers and his prefab scripts. We get a hint of just what fuels that clueless amble, that Chosen One bumble, that graceless and decidedly dorky sort of approach to everything from ordering a Diet Coke to comprehending Middle East chaos.

Witness, won't you, the latest in a huge pile of embarrassing Bush-on-tape moments. (Warning: Not for the faint of intellect.)

Here he is, the leader of the Free World, fresh off being caught on a live microphone at the Group of Eight summit meeting muttering to his favorite poodle Tony Blair, using his bestest Texas-boy shtick, that if them gul-dang Syrians would just tell Hezbollah to knock this s-- off, everything would be dandy ...

Here is the president of the most powerful nation on the planet, fresh from an awkward smackdown by Vladimir Putin on Bush's failed war in Iraq, muttering to Blair and Chinese President Hu Jintao, actually more amazed and confounded by the fact that Jintao's flight home takes about as long as Bush's to Washington ...
(Bush: "You eight hours? Me too. Russia's a big country and you're a big country. Takes him eight hours to fly home ... Russia's big and so is China. Yo Blair, what're
you doing? Are you leaving?" Ah, dumb-guy banter. Makes you feel proud all over,
no?)

And now, the icing on the giant cake o' domestic torture. Here is Dubya, strolling speedily into a G-8 summit meeting where powerful, intent world leaders are already gathered to discuss, presumably, serious issues of the day, walking straight up to a seated German Chancellor Angela Merkel and giving her a weird, unsolicited shoulder rub from behind, before dashing to his seat. Oh yes he did.

The pictures, the video reveal all. Merkel reacts accordingly, is instantly creeped out, cringes and shrugs Bush away with a look of surprised revulsion.

Dubya is, of course, oblivious. His expression is his classic blank "Who, me?" stare that recalls a child caught eating a live grasshopper. He looks right past Merkel and quickly dashes away as though nothing had happened, as if the powerful German leader didn't just recoil visibly at his very touch.

It all happens in about four seconds. It is merely, on the surface, a minor infraction, a stupid gesture, a "what-the-hell?" moment you want to forget immediately but is unfortunately burned into your retina like a flaming spear of oh-please-God-no. And it speaks volumes.

Let us imagine how it would be if, say, Jacques Chirac walked up behind Condi Rice and gave her a quick little noogie on the head, on camera, before a fancy state dinner. Or maybe if Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi snuck up behind Laura Bush and gave a hearty, unexpected smack on the ass before sitting down for a chat. How charming! Or, you know, not.

Some might argue that Merkel, despite the obvious recoil, actually smiles a little after Bush grabs her (it is a little difficult to tell if it's a wince or an awkward smirk
-- either way, she was more than a little shocked).

Some might even suggest that Merkel and Bush have a "special" sort of odd, chummy relationship that allows him to toy with her like a kid sister or a flirty high school buddy, the kind of relationship that Bush likes best of all: devoid of seriousness or deep respect or the crucial exchange of ideas, free of that kind of icky intellectual book-learnin' that just confuses Dubya and makes him all tired and sad. And hey, maybe they're right.

Then again, this was a G-8 summit. Israel and Lebanon are burning. Iraq is in tatters. North Korea is spitting on the world. Global leaders are gathered to discuss the most pressing and violent issues on the planet, many of which the Bush administration had a clammy hand in exacerbating. Might not be the best time for the leader of the free world to give a cheesy frat-guy neck rub to his German gal-pal in front of the world media. You think?

See, now we get it. This is the bottom line, the final truth, George W. Bush in a nutshell. Bush thinks he is That Guy. The one everybody just loves to have around, the one who sincerely thinks his goofy charm is so appealing and so innocuous and so licky-puppy friendly that he can get away with all sorts of casual infractions and weird gestures no one else would care to attempt lest they appear, you know, dorky as a pinwheel hat.

And you know what? Bush really is That Guy. Just not in the way he wants to think.

In other words, he is indeed That Guy, like the best man at the wedding party, the one standing out in the center of the room, casually and cluelessly telling off-color jokes that offend everyone but which he thinks are gul-dang hilarious and, hell, if you're offended then you're just some gul-dang hippie liberal. Haw.

He is That Guy. The one who thinks he is everybody's bestest pal, the guy everyone wants to kick back with and have a few brewskies and chat about baseball and lawn fertilizer and Jesus. After all, isn't that what we all desire of the man who decides some of the most difficult, deadly, complicated issues on the planet? Isn't that slacked, frat-guy goofiness exactly what you want trying to broker peace in the Middle East and understand global warming and stem-cell research? Sure it is.
And when it comes to women (or rather, "wimmin"), well, it's all taken one step further. Or, rather, downward.

It's like an awkward scene from "The Office," where Steve Carell's character Michael Scott, the smarmy manager everyone secretly loathes but who himself believes to be the funniest and most likable and naturally gifted guy in the room, walks up to one of his female employees and grabs a mango and cracks a grossly inappropriate joke about vaginas and laughs hard, slaps everyone on the back, and then takes a big, gross bite of the mango. What a kidder!

He does not, of course, realize no one else is laughing.

Ass, Cash or Grass - No One Gets Rescued for Free

Listen as an American family tries to get help from the government to leave Beirut:

Just like everyone else, I'm watching the events in Lebanon and Israel closely, hoping the voilence stops soon. The Middle East seems to have grown even more unstable since the Clinton years, despite promises from Dick Cheney that invading Iraq would help the region:

Listen here:

Perhaps because the “cut ‘N run” accusers are too busy issuing indictments for sub-patriotic behavior, they didn’t notice that the very government for which they magnet up their car was making some soldiers pay for their damaged body armor. Because after all, had those soldiers been a bit more IED-savvy, they wouldn’t have ruined a perfectly good bullet proof vest. Careless kids.

And with this same crowd gearing up for the really important issues facing the world this November (gay marriage, flag burning, preventing stem cell research, and demanding evolution and sex education be removed from classrooms) they will surely be far too distracted to realize that the American government is making evacuees from Lebanon issue promisary notes to pay back the money for cruise ship tickets out of the country.

I’ll say that again. The Bush administration has sent cruise ships over to Lebanon to rescue Americans residing in a war zone, but only those who buy a ticket can leave.

And to those Americans stuck in Beruit not doing so well financially? Well, you should have thought about that before Hezbollah kidnapped a couple of Israeli soliders, now should you.

From the US Embassy in Lebanon:

The Department of State reminds American citizens that the U.S. government does not provide no-cost transportation but does have the authority to provide repatriation loans to those in financial need. For the portion of your trip directly handled by the U.S. Government we will ask you to sign a promissory note and we will bill you at a later date. In a subsequent message, when we have specific details about the transporation arrangments, we will inform you about the costs you will incur. We will also work with commercial aircraft to ensure that they have adequate flights to help you depart Cyprus and connect to your final destination.

Let's just hope the exit strategy for Americans in Iraq is different.

Meanwhile, the Right has weighed in on Americans in Lebanon "crying" about a slow rescue:

Rush Limbaugh, 7/19:
"Even in the eyes of our ingrate, spoiled-rotten little children, brat-type ingrate citizens in Beirut, it’s our fault. (Crying.) 'It’s a war zone. It’s a war! How do I get out? (crying) We’re having to shield ourselves from the sun in cardboard.' (sobbing) That’s embarrassing.

Fox anchor Neil Cavuto, 7/20:
"The media is playing up a lot of whining, complaining Americans in this country who said there’s been no warning, no communication."

TownHall.com columnist Mike Gallagher, 7/21:
"Amazingly, we’re not even going to charge these ungrateful evacuees for the free trip home. … Their sense of outrage and entitlement is slowly but surely becoming the American way. And it’s positively disgusting."

Fox anchor Steve Doocy, 7/19:
"Shockingly, after they’ve been plucked out of Beirut, a lot of them are whining and complaining that, you know what, I had to sleep on the concrete and they didn’t have any food for me to eat."

Update: Much to the chagrin of those above (including Rush, War-zone Limbaugh), due in part to the embarrassing publicity, the fee to be rescued from the war zone has been waived. God Bless America!

More Good News From Iraq

Most Americans understand now that Iraq is a mess, has been a mess for years, and will probably be messy for years to come – on our dime, our watch, and with our lives in danger.

There are however some, “Iraq is going well,” or the “war is working” Bush supporters, who, albeit come in very small percentages, may be interested in reading the latest:

More than 14,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq in the first half of this year, an ominous figure reflecting the fact that "killings, kidnappings and torture remain widespread" in the war-torn country, a United Nations report says.

Killings of civilians are on "an upward trend," with more than 5,800 deaths and more than 5,700 injuries reported in May and June alone, it says.

The report, a bimonthly document produced by the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, covers May and June, and includes chilling casualty figures and ugly anecdotes from the insurgent and sectarian warfare that continues to rage despite the establishment of a national unity government and a security crackdown in Baghdad.

Read on...

However, this isn’t even the best part. You’ll of course remember that the previous justification du jour regarding the invasion of Iraq was the link to 9/11, terrorism, and threats from radical Islam in Iraq (all of which still have yet to build their case for war).

It turns out that the one-time secular, Sunni Muslim dominated counterbalance to Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, Iran, and other radical Islamic players in the region, is now itself moving toward a more radicalized, Shiite-ized state, progressing from a secular dictatorship style government to a radically Islamic state:

The U.N. agency says it has been made aware since last year of the targeting of
homosexuals, "increasingly threatened and extra-judicially executed by militias and 'death squads' because of their sexual orientation." The intolerance propelling the anti-gay prejudice extends to ethnic and religious minorities and others whose manner of dress doesn't meet the standards of religious extremists.

"On 28 May, an Iraqi tennis coach and two of his players were shot dead in Baghdad allegedly because they were wearing shorts. Similar threats are said to be made to induce men to conform to certain hair styles or rules regarding facial hair," the report says.Women face intolerance -- and violence -- as well.

"In some Baghdad neighborhoods, women are now prevented from going to the markets alone. In other cases, women have been warned not to drive cars or have faced harassment if they wear trousers. Women have also reported that wearing a headscarf is becoming not a matter of religious choice but one of survival in many parts of Iraq, a fact which is particularly resented by non-Muslim women."

The good news however, is that this report was issued by the United Nations, who along with college professors, the New York Times, and the entire city of San Francisco, is considered by the Right to be too irrelevant and full of hatred for America to amount to anything.

But for the rest of us not on planet Falwell keeping score at home…

Since the invasion of Iraq, you know, to combat global terrorism:

Global terrorism has increased threefold- Iran has started to develop nuclear weapons- Iran has also elected a hard-line radical Islamic president, who sympathizes with the former Ayatollah Khomeini

North Korea is conducting missile tests to see how close to California they can hurl their nuclear goodies

Iraq is heading toward civil war with unprecedented sectarian and religious violence, after electing a Shiite majority to its government, and re-writing its Constitution to move toward a more Islamic state

A recognized terrorist organization has won an election in Palestine to control its Parliament- Egypt’s parliamentary elections have further radicalized the nation via election of the Muslim Brotherhood to more representation

Iran is now encouraging and supporting Hezbollah as it attempts to start war with Israel

Without getting into body armor, back door drafts, mind-blowing spending, American casualties, missing money, alienating allies and forgetting about Afghanistan, I’d say we’re doing a heck of a job in Iraq.

From Not Finding Oil in Texas to Losing it in Iraq

Remember this?

TED KOPPEL: All right, this is the first. I mean, when you talk about 1.7, you're not suggesting that the rebuilding of Iraq is gonna be done for $1.7 billion?

ANDREW NATSIOS: (administration official in charge of rebuilding Iraq) Well, in terms of the American taxpayers contribution, I do, this is it for the US. The rest of the rebuilding of Iraq will be done by other countries…and Iraqi oil revenues…They're going to get in $20 billion a year in oil revenues. But the American part of this will be 1.7 billion. We have no plans for any further-on funding for this.

TED KOPPEL: And we're back once again with ANDREW NATSIOS, administrator for the Agency for International Development. I want to be sure that I understood you correctly. You're saying the, the top cost for the US taxpayer will be $1.7 billion. No more than that?

ANDREW NATSIOSF: or the reconstruction. And then there's 700 million in the supplemental budget for humanitarian relief, which we don't competitively bid 'cause its charities that get that money.

TED KOPPEL: I understand. But as far as reconstruction goes, the American taxpayer will not be hit for more than $1.7 billion no matter how long the process takes?

ANDREW NATSIOS: That is our plan and that is our intention. And these figures, outlandish figures I've seen, I have to say, there's a little bit of hoopla involved in this.


I remember watching the episode of Nightline live as it happened, almost pulling whatever the hell muscle it is that controls the sharp, upward movement of the eyebrows, which forms the unmistakable expression on one’s face that says, “are you fucking kidding me?”

If I had TIVO, I’d have probably played it back on a loop for everyone that visits my house, following it by holding up some cash and saying, “anyone care to make this interesting?”

Obviously that interview has famously come to symbolize yet another miscalculation intentionally misleading screw-up of the Bush administration in Iraq, all a product of politicizing and marketing the war two a country in which 40% of the people were willing to believe it.

Natsios wasn’t alone. There were things the Bush administration had to tell us in order to get the war they wanted, and considering oil revenues paying for the war and its aftermath was something etched in the minds of American public, I thought it would be appropriate to get an update on this from the Government Accountability Office:

S. Comptroller General David M. Walker told Congress last week that "massive corruption" and "a lot of theft going on" in Iraq's government-controlled oil industry is hampering the country's ability to govern itself.

"It took me about, you know, a second and a half to realize that, obviously, there was massive corruption going on, because the numbers just didn't add up," Walker said, referring to a trip he took to Iraq this year in which he was shown figures on oil production and revenue. He said about 10 percent of Iraq's refined fuels and 30 percent of its imported fuels are being stolen…

Read on.

Now, I had a few reactions when I read this.

The first was this: The same administration that promised to usher in an era of accountability in sharp contrast to how they felt the Clinton administration operated, is probably pretty god damn sick and tired of the Government Accountability Office (see: illegal propaganda).

Secondly, I thought to myself, “Republicans are going to be pissed when they hear about this,” and believe me, unless I see a gay pride march or read a new development about stem cell research providing hope to people, I don’t say that very often. I realize this is anecdotal, but the Republicans in my office aren’t necessarily concerned about the war in terms 10’s of thousands of lives lost, the price we’ve paid with our allies, the lack of body armor, the destabilization of the Middle East, or that international terrorism has tripled worldwide…or any of the other stuff with which rest of us are a little concerned. No – the ears of the Bush supporters in these parts perk up when the talk turns toward vanishing tax dollars – which of course isn’t a good thing, but compared to 18 year old kids getting ripped into pieces by IDEs, well, I guess Republicans and I have a bit of a different list of priorities.

Third, this reminded me of when the Coalition Provisional Authority couldn’t account for $8.8 billion, or when Halliburton was caught by the Pentagon overcharging millions in service (not for the dirty food they served our troops, but for gas and other services), or when Custer Battles, the Republican no-bid contract winners hired for security in Iraq, ripped off the government to a tune of more than $10 million.

Now mind you – there is not finite number that can be associated with the amount of oil lost. This type of financial loss is probably worse, but much different, because it wasn’t really lost, it was simply stolen. Good times.

Finally, the report from the GOA went on to say this:

The report concludes that neither the Defense Department nor Congress "can reliably determine the costs of the war, nor do they have details on how appropriated funds are being spent or historical data useful in considering future funding needs."

Finally, something other than gay adoption and flag burning to get the Republicans’ attention.

Back, Relaxed, and On Track!

Well, one out of the three anyway.

I'll be posting again within the next few days. Right now I'm just trying to get my mind back.

In the meantime - and yes, I realize this is like watching someone else's boring home movies - but if you'd like to see some vacation pics, click here.

PS - did Bush do anything stupid while I was gone?

Oops...

I've had a couple "where are you?!" emails...forgot to post this.

I'll be on vacation starting within hours - a bunch of friends and I have a house rented on an island off the coast of Maine. Fishing, boating, and drinking will be accomplished in nearly dangerous quantities, but of course only 2 of the 3 at the same time.

In the meantime, be sure to visit as many “fellow blogger” links on the right hand side of the page – it’s the only place you can actually get news these days.

Cheers.

Some Weekend Fun 'n Games

If you live near coastal New England, you know we’re about to endure our 6th completely rain-soaked washout in the past 8 weekends (yep, 75% of the weekends up here since May 1st have been completely useless…yay). So, I thought I’d queue up some fun and games for everyone through the end of the weekend:

First, listen to Bill O-Reallly? hurl personal insults at various people, groups, and nations – keeping in mind Bill swears up and down he doesn’t hurl personal insults (click here to view the video of O’Reilly not telling people to shut up). You can hear Al Franken in the background, commenting on which person or group Bill was insulting during the audio clip. Listen here:

Next, listen to a clip of John Stewart’s interview with Republican party chair Ken Mehlman, where Mehlman admits from the corruption in his party stems. Listen here:

Next, I have a clip from the Daily Show from the day Bush returned from Iraq and was a little over-excited in dealing with the press. I have NO idea why Crooks & Liars didn’t post this, so if anyone has the video please email me. Listen here:

Rounding out the audio is a clip of Randi Rhodes interviewing Justin Frank, the author of “Bush on the Couch,” where he tries to dissect where Bush’s twisted, strange, juvenile behavior comes from. Frank, a clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at George Washington University Medical Center and a teaching analyst at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute, and if anything else, provides an entertaining look into Bush’s brain (not Rove, his real brain). Listen here:

And finally – in order to test your own brain, Moxiegrrrl has posted a link to a quiz on her site, to see if you can tell if specific quotes were uttered by Adolf Hitler, or Ann Coulter. Good luck, and post your scores in the comments. I didn’t do so well. Go here for the quiz.

Report: Most of Hot Air Coming From Bush

More bad news for the Bush administration. They’re not big fans of the whole fancy book-learnin’ global warming evidence that just about which every single legitmate scientist has been warning us for well over a decade. Allow us to count the ways:

Well, we’ve pulled out of Kyoto (one of the only polluting nations in the world to do so).

We have actually hired members of the energy industry to re-write, edit and completely falsify reports released by scientists issued through the Environmental Protection Agency.

When asked the National Academy of Sciences to look into the issue and publish its findings, embarrassingly so for Bush, they agreed that yes the phenomenon is very real, very much a threat, and very much caused in large part by humans.

When the EPA did actually issue a reversal on the issue, Bush was asked why his administration flip-flopped: “I don’t think we have,” he said. (He obviously wasn’t aware of the report, and then when someone told him he responded, “Oh, OK, well, that's got to be true.")

The Bush administration has even gone out of its way to intimidate some of the leading NASA scientists on the issue, until those scientists went public with the allegations, while Faux news has actually put together Bush cheerleading documentaries dismissing the work of Al Gore and other leading Global Warming solution advocates (you may recall that Bush used to mock Al Gore around the debates when it came to alternative fuels for the country that’s “addicted to oil.”) Woops.

But honestly – ask yourselves how you’d expect anything different from an administration that is full of oil men, energy people, a Secretary of State with an oil tanker named for her, and a president who thinks the jury is out on evolution and sex education. Yep – this administration has the scientific progressiveness and depth of a grossed-out 6th grader dissecting their first frog in biology class.

Here’s the latest in Bush’s losing war on Global Warming awareness:

A panel convened by the National Research Council reached that conclusion in a broad review of scientific studies, reporting that the evidence indicates “recent warmth is unprecedented for at least the last 400 years.” The panel of top climate scientists told lawmakers that the Earth is running a fever and that “human activities are responsible for much of the recent warming.”

The report was requested last November by the chairman of the House Science Committee, Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., to address naysayers who question whether global warming is a major threat.

Last year, when the House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman, Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, launched an investigation of three climate scientists, Boehlert said Barton should try to learn from scientists, not intimidate them. Read on.

These top scientists however are omitting one obvious flaw in their studies. I believe it was newly minted Bush-supporter liberal Hollywood type Dennis Miller who said in all seriousness, that there is no way we could know the Earth’s temperature that far back due to the fact that we didn’t have thermometers.

By the same token, I honestly have Bush supporters at work citing the fact that it has been an unusually chilly May in Maine as their own counter to global warming evidence.

Sometimes the humor found in the line of reasoning from anti-evolutionists, anti-environmentalists, and the flat-Earthers is enough to offset the overwhelming urge to un-superglue their heads from their asses.

Iran? North Korea? Oil Prices? Nah, Flag Burning!

In the past, I’ve written about today’s Republican campaign and greater political strategies, and now that it’s in full swing, I thought I’d highlight the stupidity.

North Korea is officially poised to test a missile that is packed with enough boost and thrust to hit the United States. We’re currently engaged in one headline-starving, less prioritized war (Afghanistan), and another occupation where nearly 20,000 American soldiers have suffered injury, and to which another 2,500 have given their lives. We have incredible, gaping holes in our national security here at home, most notably at our nation’s ports, as well as an Iranian regime that is moving along quite nicely with its nuclear facilities – you know because the nation sitting on the 3rd largest oil reserve on the world needs to turn to nuclear power for its financial precedence. The national debt and federal government expansion, both led by the small-government, fiscally responsible Republicans, are the largest in American history, and those in the gulf and southeast coasts are wondering how well FEMA and local governments will respond during this, the start of Hurricane season.

So to what can we attribute the focus of the RepubliFear Congress? Gay marriage, and flag burning (priorities apparently listed in that order).

We all know the Gay marriage amendment, having been the first amendment in history to limit the freedom of a particular group rather than to broaden liberties for Americans, didn’t even make it to the floor for a Constitutional vote.

So, the Republicans have decided they’d take advantage of the national hyper-patriotic mood. They’re going to protect the actual symbol of the United States, instead of protecting the actual freedoms for which that symbol stands.

Now of course, Bush-supporters who read this site need thing broken down to a very simplistic, black and white level, so allow me to indulge them for just a second, and perhaps pre-emptively disarm these people of their obnoxious retorts ahead of time (this part isn’t for the progressives – you can simply skip down 2 paragraphs):

I’m not IN FAVOR of flag-burning. I’ve never burned an American flag, nor would I. When I see people burn the American flag, I’m not happy, proud or supportive – similar to when I see someone performing other unappealing, yet perfectly legal acts – say spanking their kid, or smoking while pregnant (both of which aren’t against the law, but actually affect another person physically, as opposed to flag desecration). What I am in favor of, as kooky as it sounds, is freedom of speech and expression, and to me, discarding a piece of cloth made in china, however vulgar the means, is much less destructive than discarding the freedoms, protections and history that particular cloth symbolizes. That cloth flag burned in San Francisco’s Haight district was not in the South Pacific sacrificing its life during WWII – my grandfather however was, so I’d rather honor him and the freedoms he helped secured, rather than that cloth sewn in 2005.

(Progressives and critical thinkers may now rejoin).

The Senate has projected it has 66 votes in favor of an anti-flag desecration amendment, which reads “The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." To those Senators, I would like to make the following points:

How exactly do you define desecration, and who holds the definition? Should we limit it just to burning the flag? What about taking the flag and tearing it in half? My grandmother wore a sweatshirt with an American flag on it this weekend – she didn’t wash it in the gentle cycle and some of the material ripped off. Technically, she ripped an American flag by her own actions. What should we do with her? What if I ripped it off intentionally, or if I had sewn a patch over it? What if I burned her sweatshirt while it still had a flag on it? What if I have a flag on my wall and spray pain a swastika on it? What if my flag outside my door gets old, worn, and is falling apart? That way I’m not desecrating it but I’m allowing it to be desecrated. Do you see where I’m going with this?

Again like the failed gay marriage amendment, this will be the first time in CENTURIES of Constitutional law, that the Bill of Rights will be infringed upon, and in essence scaled back.

The Supreme Court, in 1989 settled this debate and ruled that flag desecration is protected act under the First Amendment. Does that make the Senators trying to circumvent the law, “activist?”

Freedom of speech has never been curtailed based on the fact that it offends people. Flag burning may be offensive to only to some, but to most – however that doesn’t pass the First Amendment test of when specific speech should be censored.

Throughout history, the Constitution has been amended to expand freedoms and legally define pressing issues that need protections. Have we had a surge of flag burning in the past 30 years, and has that activity threatened our liberties in freedoms in any way? Conversely, can you think of some things President Bush has done to circumvent the law and threaten our liberties and freedoms?

I realize I’ve been accused by Bush supporters of not supporting the troops, so I’m a bad example – but explain for me again how this Amendment helps our troops in Iraq & Afghanistan? Could we perhaps be debating and expanding benefits for soldiers, talking about their pay, security, health care, and medical treatment, or doing more to help their families back home? Perhaps even advocate Rush’s brilliant idea to support our troops?

I have been criticized by some in the past of not hammering on the Democrats enough on this web site. Well, allow me to bask in the opportunity. I think the 13 Democrats that would support this bill are not only in the wrong, they should be ashamed of themselves. We have all come to expect this type of political maneuvering and pandering by Republicans. We knew this would be the summer of flag burning, gay marriage, fetal pain and any other bills that rally the conservative base. (After all, conservatives in this great nation have been ignored for too long! ) However, the Democrats should know better, and the fact that they are joining hands on this wedge issue, this non-issue and non-threat “during a time of war” is absolutely inexcusable.

So yes, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton et all, you’re a bunch of sellouts. Welcome to the wedge issue summer of ’06, and thanks for bowing down to political pressure before bowing to the Constitution. Reason #4,212 I will not support any kind of Hillary primary win is due to the fact that she’ll move more and more to the right like some sort of Sean Hannity cocktail party whore, and this will be on record with all of the other concessions she’s made.

Either way, with or without Democratic support, it’s predicted that this Amendment will at least past the Senate, and become the law of the land before too long, so perhaps it’s wise to ask, just as I did with the death penalty, which nations will be keeping us company philosophically speaking. Here are some of note:

Nazi Germany
China
The former Soviet Union
Iraq (under Saddam)
Iran
Cuba
North Korea

As you ponder joining that stellar group, consider a quote I saw somewhere: "I would rather someone was wrapped in the Constitution burning the flag than wrapped in the flag burning the Constitution."

Or, perhaps Title 1, Chapter 4, Section 8 of the U.S. Code ("Respect for flag") might shed some light on the subject:

"The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning."

Which Man is More Blind?

Welcome to the Bush Insensitivity Training and Humor Seminar -
Listen:

Bush's giddyness is now officially out of control. Of course the liberal media is touting the two recent Bush "victories."

1). The man that never really had much power, fame, or state support before we invaded Iraq, and subsequently gained all three after our invasion is now dead. That's right, we just killed one of the boogie men we in part, created. Sweet.

2). This is perhaps my favorite - Karl Rove will apparently NOT be indicted. Think about this for a second. It's a good week for the Bush administration when one of them NARROWLY ESCAPES INDICTMENT. Wow.

Still energized by drinks from the good news fountain, Bush held a press conference regarding his visit to Iraq. You remember, the one Rummy projected would last...well, I'll let him tell you:

Listen:

And of course, Bush went on to explain to us why he took such an important mission...to find out what the hell them little critters we're bombin' are thinkin' and what they're really like!

Listen:

And finally, the one that takes the cake...click the image, above/right, for the video. And then read here.

(Ok, so everyone has probably seen the video already, but I can't help myself - the more audio and video I stack on my server, the more we can all forward to that asshole Republican uncle of ours. )

Absolut Corruption

I wanted to take a minute and share my updated list of Republican corruption. The skeleton from which I worked can be found all over the web at progressive sites. Due to that fact, I cannot figure out who initially compiled the list, but they deserve an amazing amount of credit because keeping track of this kind of thing is very difficult and time consuming.

A few days ago, I addressed some comments from a couple of people, specifically one “anonymous” commenter who said that the “(Democrats)… (are)just as (corrupt),’ it's been proven so many times.”

I’m here to say that I truly believe that theory is invalid, on many different levels, and I’m using the list below to highlight my point.

DISCLAIMER:
Let me first start by making what I’m NOT saying crystal clear.

I am not saying there isn’t corruption in the Democratic, Green, Independent, Communist, Social, Libertarian, and (insert party here) camps.

I believe that the disdain and skepticism of American government has grown steadily over the past few decades, to the point where politicians share the same punch line with lawyers and Priests, and frankly many of them deserve it. One could easily rattle off some of the Kennedy antics from 30 years ago, and scream “Bill Clinton’s infidelity” until they’re blue in the face.

What I am highlighting here, however, is the absolutely noticeable, measurable and obvious imbalance of political corruption, hypocrisy, and indictments in the today’s Republican party, when compared to their Democratic counterparts. I will be the first to admit that it’s not necessary Republicanism that corrupts, but rather power, which makes both parties susceptible. However, I would ask that people keep two things in mind when reading the list:

1. Almost all of the indictments, investigations, and criminal probes have come during the time when the very party of these politicians is in absolute, total, unchecked control of the law. Had there been some sort of accountability and balance in government, I believe this list would be much, much more expansive.

2. Since the 1960’s and catalyzed during the Reagan era, Republicans have always tried to associate themselves with Christianity, the moral majority, the party of God, the family values group, and the ethical elite. They constantly seek wedge issues to rally their base of holier-than-thou constituents that have hijacked the right wing of their party. Do not forget this is the party of corrupt Christian conservatives such as James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Bob Jones, Gary Bauer, etc etc. For that alone, you shouldn’t need this, but hey, someone challenged me and I accepted.

Many of you with progressive web sites have seen this list and are well aware of its circulation, in its more condensed form. However, I have looked up each scandal, read a few articles to both learn and refresh my memory, added a lot more detailed description, additional information, and where possible, links to the stories that back the allegation. Feel free to circulate this version or any other you find helpful.

Put the kids to bed – here we go:

Alaska state Senator Ben Stevens: Investigated for accepting consulting fees from oil services firm Veco. Semco Energy, the corporation that owns Alaska's largest natural gas utility, gives $70,000 a year in cash and stock to sit on its board of directors and was undisclosed by Stevens. He may be subject to a recall vote.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: Ethics probe for accepting salary from two men’s fitness magazines while governor, possible kickback from American Media publisher to Schwarzenegger charity and silence money to a woman who had an extramarital affair with Schwarzenegger. There may be a criminal investigation. Arnold has also been in court for sexual harassment from one Rhonda Miller. The law suit alleges the Schwarzenegger "grabbed me, put me on his lap and started feeling my breasts, so I hit him in the head again. He got mad and pushed me away."

Bill O’Reilly: Settled sexual harassment suit out of court

Rush Limbaugh: Turned himself in for charges of committing fraud to obtain prescription drugs. Drugs include OxyContin, Hydrocodone, and Xanax. This of course occurred after Rush called Jerry Garcia a druggie stating that we are whackos for honoring a drug addict, and that drug users ought to be
convicted and they ought to be sent up.

California Rep Duke Cunningham: Faced bribery allegations regarding defense firm MZM, Inc, and was investigated by the Pentagon. Pleaded guilty to tax evasion, conspiracy, Nov. 28, 2005. In exchange for defense contracts, Cunningham received money and mortgage help on a few different mansions in California.

California Rep Dana Rohrabacher: Received trips to the Mariana Islands, the territory in which there has been rape and forced abortions tied heavily to Abramoff and Tom DeLay, from college friend Jack Abramoff, as well as free dinners at Abramoff’s restaurant.

Connecticut Gov. John Rowland: Accused, convicted, and imprisoned for accepting free renovations to his vacation cottage as well as charter flights and vacations from a state contractor, and of defrauding the IRS by not paying taxes on the free services. He was released from prison this past February after time served.

Delaware Atty General Jane Brady: Accused of helping MBNA Bank of Wilmington skirt campaign finance laws.

Jack Abramoff, GOP lobbyist, Bush Fund Raiser Pioneer, Bush/Cheney transition team member: Pleaded guilty to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials. Currently naming other Republicans coinciding with his indictment to reduce his prison sentence.

Adam Kidan: College Republican member with Abramoff, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and fraud in December of last year.

Michael Scanlon, Chief of Staff to Tom Delay: Indicted Nov. 18, 2005 for conspiracy to defraud Indian tribes. Pleaded guilty 3 days later. Scanlon's public relations firm, Capitol Campaign Strategies, received millions of dollars from tribes involved in gambling casinos, funneling the money to conservative causes and Republican Party organizations

Steve Rosen, (AIPAC): Indicted for the leak of classified Pentagon information.

Keith Weissman (AIPAC): Same as above, turned himself in for arrest last May.

Larry Franklin: Pentagon official who leaked classified information about Iraq to the above men.

Scooter Libby, aid to VP Dick Cheney: Probed for illegal disclosure of CIA classified information. Indicted on 5 charges including, obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury. Trial pending.

Karl Rove: Probed for illegal disclosure of CIA classified information. New Grand Jury investigating Rove, possible indictment pending. Back in Texas, Rove was accused of bugging his own office and blaming it on the Democrats. While the evidence shows this was probably the case, he was never arrested.

David H. Safavian, Head of Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget: Arrested for made repeated false statements to government officials and investigators about a golf trip with Abramoff to Scotland in 2002. The indictment also accuses him of concealed his efforts to help Jack Abramoff acquire control of two federally managed properties in Washington.

Kenneth Tomlinson, Broadcasting Board of Governors member: Member of PBS who tried to inject more conservative bias into public broadcasting, now under investigation for violating the Public Broadcasting Act. The investigation found that Tomlinson broke the law. He was also found to be exchanging emails with Karl Rove.

Patricia Harrison, President Corporation for Public Broadcasting: This former Republican Party co-chairwoman was under investigation with Tomlinson for the same violations, and is the person Tomlinson hired, which was part of the indictment.

Dick Cheney, Vice President: Part of investigation for the Valerie Plame leak. Arrested for DWI in the early 1960’s in Wyoming. Twice. In Two years.

George W. Bush, President: Arrested at age 30 in Kennebunkport for DWI.
Katherine Harris, Florida Congresswoman: Probed for receiving illegal donations from MZM Inc (see Duke Cunningham) totaling $10,000.

Tom Feeney, Florida Congressman: Probed for corporate ties to Yang Enterprises, involved in over-billing the state of Florida. Feeney was Jeb Bush’s 1994 running mate for Lt. Gov.

Ralph Reed, Southeast regional chairman of the Bush-Cheney '04 and former Christian Coalition Head: Arrested but not prosecuted for staging a protest outside of an abortion clinic, (where mock baby funerals were held), after bursting into front doors of the Fleming clinic. He was under investigation in 1997 for charges that stemmed from “marking up” the Coalition’s bills. He resigned in April of that year. He is also associated with Jack Abramoff in many of the Casino scandals, and accepted more than $1 million in fees from the lobbyist on behalf of American Indian casinos and prompted a federal investigation. He is considered one of the principle players in the Abramoff scandal.

Guam Gov. Felix Camacho: Probed for demoting Acting US Attorney for Guam Frederick Black. Black had been supervising a grand jury investigation into lobbyist Jack Abramoff's secret arrangement with Guam Superior Court officials to lobby against a court revision bill then pending in Congress. An ethics team is investigating under the assumption the demotion was done in retaliation for investigating Abramoff.

Dalton Tanonaka, former Lt. gubernatorial and congressional candidate (and former anchor for liberal CNN): Under FEC investigation for campaign contribution violations. Also investigated for possible illegal foreign funding from Hong Kong and Japan. He pleaded guilty in July to a series of charges stemming for the campaign fraud, and making false statement on a loan application. He was sentenced to three months in federal prison.

Galen Fox, Republican House Minority Leader, Hawaii: Convicted on federal charges in Los Angeles of sexual battery on a woman during a Honolulu to LAX flight. He resigned in November 2005.

Dennis Hastert, Republican House Speaker: Probed for having been the recipient of tens of thousands of dollars of secret payments from Turkish officials in exchange for political favors and information.

Bob Kjellander , Republican National Treasurer, headed President Bush's re-election campaign in three states: Under Federal probe for steering investment contracts, specifically one for 4.5 million to Illinois Teachers Retirement Fund.

Lee Daniels, Former Illinois Republican House Leader: Subpoenaed by a federal grand jury conducting a criminal investigation for misuse of state employees for political activity and state contract kickbacks.

Gov. Mitch Daniels, Indiana: Under investigation for violating the “open records law” in return for Indiana Dept. of Transportation contracts. The investigation also includes the following Republicans:

Thomas Sharp, INDOT Commissioner – See above

Jim Kittle, GOP state chairman - See above

Indiana Rep. Chris Chocola - See above

Adam Taff, Republican congressional candidate: Indicted last August for allegedly using campaign contributions to fraudulently obtain a loan for a $1.2 million home.

Gov. Ernie Fletcher, Kentucky: On May 11, 2006 a special grand jury indicted Fletcher on three misdemeanor charges for conspiracy, official misconduct and political discrimination. The following KY Republicans were indicted with him:

Transportation Commissioner Dan Druen: See above

Deputy Personnel Secretary Bob Wilson: See above

Darrell Brock, Chairman of Kentucky GOP: See above

Gov. Personnel Adviser Basil Turbyfill: See above

Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert: See above

Dick Murgatroyd, Gov. Deputy Chief of Staff: See above

Jim Adams, Deputy Transportation Secretary: See above

Cory Meadows, Executive Director, Transportation Dept.: See above

Kentucky GOP Treasurer Dave Disponett: Indicted on three counts of criminal conspiracy to commit political discrimination.

J. Marshall Hughes, Kentucky GOP party chairman: Indicted on two counts of the same conspiracy charge.

Senator David Vitter, Louisiana Senator: With lose ties to Abramoff, he inserted a provision into a Department of Interior spending bill for one of Abramoff's clients, the Coushatta tribe of Louisiana, which prevented a competing casino from opening. He initially lied when he claimed he never met the lobbyist, despite having used Abramoff's restaurant, Signatures, for a September 2003 fundraiser.

Joseph Steffen, aide to Republican Gov. Bob Ehrlich: Tasked by the governor to attend meetings in order to root people out not loyal to Ehrlich. He later resigned for writing e-mails and Web site postings that spread false rumors about the private life of Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley.

Mitt Romney, Mass governor: Awarded a $10,000 contract to a conservative Boston Herald op-ed columnist to promote the governor's environmental policies.

Lawrence Novak, Vice Chair, Mass GOP, Republican State Treasurer: Arrested in September ’05 after making a deposit in a Brockton bank, for money laundering.

Mike Cox, Michigan Atty General: Refused to investigate Graceland Fruit Inc. and its owner Don Nugent on potential felony pollution charges. He refused to say why.

Rep. Roy Blunt, Missouri House Majority Leader: Deeply connected to Abramoff, investigated for trading illegal PAC money with Tom DeLay through Blunt's Rely on Your Beliefs Fund.

Trent Lott, former Senate Majority Leader: In may of 2000, The Washington Post reported that Senate Majority Leader Lott may have pressured high-tech lobbyists for contributions to a non-profit organization, Americans for Job Security, to assist the re-election efforts of Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI), in exchange for legislative action on an immigration bill. Resigned from leadership post after making the comment that United States would be a better place if Strom Thurmond, who campaigned on a platform of racial segregation, was elected President.

Gene Chandler, NH Republican House Speaker: Stepped down from his post after being charged with violating the Legislature’s Ethics Guidelines. He failed to report $64,000 he received in gifts over a four year period, and pleaded guilty.

James Tobin, Northeast political director National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee: Indicted, conspiracy, orchestrated a plot to jam telephone lines set up by the Democratic party in New Hampshire on Election Day 2002. Convicted Dec. 15, on 2 telephone harassment charges. Sentenced to 7 months in federal prison. The presiding judge made the following statement on sentencing day: "I'm not sure you recognize that the nature of this offense is extraordinary. It was a direct assault on free and fair elections. ... Our democracy is fragile, it cannot afford assaults on the integrity of that process… We'll never know if the wrong people are sitting in government.” Other Republicans pleading guilty:

Chuck McGee, former Exec. Dir. New Hampshire Republican Party: See above

Allen Raymond, GOP Marketplace President: See above

Tom Wilson, New Jersey GOP State Chairman: Probed for his firm receiving $2.7 million from the Burlington County Bridge Commission.

Mike Furguson, Rep from NJ: A close friend of Jack Abramoff, Rep. Ferguson has accepted $54,413 directly from DeLay and his political action committee known as ARMPAC since 1998. The Ferguson campaign has also accepted close to $200,000 from fundraising programs run by former DeLay employees embroiled in corruption scandals.

Jeanine Pirro, Westchester County District Attorney and Republican US Senate candidate: Probed for campaign donations from mobsters. Signed joint tax returns for which her husband, Albert J. Pirro, was convicted. In 2000, he was convicted on 66 counts of federal tax fraud. Pirro had hidden $1 million in income from the Federal Government between 1988 and 1997, claiming dozens of personal luxuries as business expenses, including his $123,000 Ferrari and his wife's Mercedes-Benz. He served 17 months in prison.

Charles Taylor, Rep, NC: Investigation pending into Taylor’s investments, based on testimony in a criminal prosecution of three men involved with making fraudulent loans at Blue Ridge Savings Bank in Asheville, N.C, of which Taylor is the vice chairman.

Hayes Martin, Taylor’s Campaign Treasurer: Indicted for fraud and money laundering. He pleaded guilty last April and is currently on probation.

Ohio Gov. Bob Taft: Convicted, (pleaded no contest), and was the first Ohio governor convicted with a crime. $4000 fine and public apology, two Federal Grand Juries, one state Grand Jury still investigating Taft. Taft's conviction is grounds under the Ohio Constitution for impeachment and removal from office by the Ohio General Assembly. However, since both chambers are currently controlled by Republicans and impeachment is highly unlikely.

Thomas Noe, Bush-Cheney 04 campaign chair: Noe has been indicted by a Federal Grand Jury for laundering money into the Bush/Cheney 04 campaign. In February ’05, Noe was indicted on 53 felonies including money laundering, theft, tampering with records and forgery. $50 million was missing from the State Workers Pension Plan when all was said and done due to a risky rare coin investment scandal.

Bernadette Noe, wife of Tom Noe, chair of the Lucas County Republican Party: A report by Ken Blackwell found gross failures on the part of Ms. Noe’s board in preparation for the administration of Nov ’04 elections. She is accused of failing to lock and secure ballots and voting machines; manipulating the three percent hand recount; and failing to properly remove Ralph Nader from county ballots.

Ohio Rep Rep. Bob Ney: Strongly tied to the Abramoff scandal with Tom DeLay, and is expecting federal indictment based on financial transactions in the Abramoff scandal.

Ohio Rep Jean Schmidt: Cut-and-run Jean subject of a probe regarding financial ties to Games, Inc., and proposal to put Ohio State Lottery on the Internet.

Douglas Moormann, Gov. Taft's Executive Assistant for Business and Industry: Charged with failing to report a $5,000 loan from Noe in 2004, under criminal investigation.

Douglass Talbot, Aide to Gove Taft: Failed to report a $39,000 loan from Noe in 2002 and made illegal contributions of $1,000 each to three Ohio Supreme Court justices.

Walden W. O'Dell, Chairman & CEO of Diebold (Voting Machines), major Bush-Cheney campaign contributor: After promising to "deliver" Ohio to Bush in 2004, he resigned in late 2005 after initiation of a class action lawsuit against Diebold for securities fraud.

Oregon Rep. Dan Doyle: Convicted and sentenced to 10 months in jail in October 2005 for falsifying campaign-finance reports. Doyle also was fined $127,185.

Pennsylvania Rep. Don Sherwood: Investigated by DC police for assaulting and choking a 29-year old Maryland woman.

Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick: Closely linked to the Abramoff scandal. Federal Elections Commission records show that Fitzpatrick has received $15,000 from the DeLay controlled Americans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee (ARMPAC) since 2004. DeLay has been indicted in Texas for money laundering and accepting illegal contributions to one of his “leadership PACs.”

Mike Battles, 2002 Rhode Island House Candidate: Half of a firm called Custer Battles, disbarred from Iraq contracts after allegations of over charging and money laundering. Custer Battles LLC of Fairfax was paid approximately $15 million to provide security for civilian flights at Baghdad International Airport, even though no planes flew during the contract term. Custer Battles is one of the most underreported scandals in the current Iraq war. If you haven’t read about the firm, please look it up.

Vince Cianci Providence, RI Mayor: Indicted in April 2001 on federal criminal charges of racketeering, conspiracy, extortion, witness tampering, and mail fraud. Currently serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix. He is scheduled to be released in December of 2007. In August 2005, Cianci was denied a request for early release.

Bill Janklow, South Dakota Rep: In January ’02, convicted of second-degree manslaughter, speeding, running a stop sign and reckless driving.

Bill Frist, Senate majority leader: In September, ’05, SEC prosecutors issued a subpoena for documents HCA Inc believes may be related to the sale of its stock by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. He is accused of insider trading.

Former House Leader Tom Delay: Where to start? Admonished several times by the House Ethics committee, including bribery, threatening, misappropriation of tax dollars, money laundering, etc (click the link to read the list). Probed for campaign finance fraud, ties to Abramoff/Kidan, Saipan sweat shops. Grand Jury, Travis County prosecutor, and House Ethics Committee probing DeLay. Indicted by Travis County District Attorney for 1 count of criminal conspiracy and 2 counts of money laundering. Arrested and booked at Harris County jail October 20, 2005. One of the principal partners in the Jack Abramoff scandal. Conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering charges still stand after Texas Judge dropped the one count of criminal conspiracy on December 5, 2005. Also tied to Delay in terms of their indictments are the following:

Jim Ellis, Director Americans for a Republican Majority (ARMPAC) PAC tied to DeLay and Abramoff: Indicted, See above

John Colyandro, Texans for a Republican Majority (TRMPAC), DeLay associate: Indicted, See above

Warren RoBold, Lobbyist and DeLay associate: Indicted, See above

Tom Craddick, Texas Speaker of the House: Closely tied to Delay, Accepted $152,000 from Tom DeLay’s Texans for a Republican Majority PAC, which Craddick’s campaign aides then distributed to 14 Republican House candidates crucial to Craddick’s election as Speaker. He also spent more than $1,200 of his donors’ money on tickets to the 2004 Super Bowl.

Sam Walls, Republican Texas House Candidate: Has appeared in several photos dressed as a woman, and has acknowledged he is a cross-dresser (note: this in and of itself doesn’t make anyone corrupt in the least – however a Texas Republican cross-dresser is in and of itself a punch-line worthy of mentioning.)

Todd Baxter, Texas State Rep: Resigned from office after Baxter took $35,000 in illegal corporate cash from Tom DeLay during his first legislative campaign in 2002. That contribution is still being examined by a Travis Co. grand jury.

Kevin Brady, Texas Rep: Arrested for DWI the night he received an Alumni Achievement Award at the University of South Dakota.

Virgil Goode, Virginia Rep: Directly tied to the Duke Cunningham MZM scandal, as MZM was his top campaign contributor. $627,000 is tied to MZM and good in sweetheart deals.
Jim West, Spokane Mayor: A fervent anti-gay legislation Republican, admitted to luring what he thought was a young adult man to his office but denied allegations that he molested two young boys more than 20 years ago. West confirmed to The Spokesman-Review of Spokane that he offered gifts, favors and a City Hall internship during Internet chats with a man he believed was 18. He was recalled by a 2 to 1 margin.

Kenneth Lay, Enron Executive: Major Bush contributor and friend, Kenny-boy was recently convicted on all six counts against him, including conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud related to Enron. He faces a maximum of 45 years in prison. Lay also faces 120 years in prison in a separate case. Lay was quoted after his trial, saying “"I firmly believe I'm innocent of the charges against me. We believe that God in fact is in control and indeed he does work all things for good for those who love the lord." Hope your cell mate feels the same way Ken.

Jeffrey Skilling, Enron Executive: Convicted on 19 counts of conspiracy and fraud. Combined with his conviction on one count of insider trading, he faces a maximum of 185 years in prison. God has not commented on his case.