January 2003

Formally "leaked" today is a five page memo concerning the conversation between Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Bush. Contained and revealed in this memo is both countries' leaders determined war on Iraq, regardless of WMD's, UN resolutions, and general common sense.

A memo dated January 31 2003 has been reviewed by the New York Times and has been found to have President Bush stating that irregardless of UN resolutions and UN weapon inspectors, bombing would begin March 10 2003. War was inveitable. War was preferred.

To paraphase the President "The US would put its full weight behind efforts to get another resolution and would twist arms and even threaten,".....

"But he had to say that if we ultimately failed, military action would follow anyway."

The best part is the Bush and Blair acutally talked about ways to provoke a confrontation with Saddam in order to wage war on Iraq. The two men talked about three possible ways they could get a reaction out of him before March 10th. And they are quite cunning.

(Excerpt)

"The note cites Mr Bush suggesting three ways in which Iraq could be provoked into confrontation.

The US "was thinking of flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours", Mr Bush said.

If Saddam fired on them, the Iraqis would be in breach of UN resolutions, he suggested.

He also indicated the US "might be able to bring out a defector" to talk about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, and mentioned a proposal to assassinate the Iraqi leader."

But seriously none of this compares with Bush's belief that in Iraq there "was unlikely there would be internecine warfare between the different religious and ethnic groups".

Apparently President Bush and Minister Blair never took Middle Eastern Studies 101. Ever.

So tell me now Red America, where is your moral leadership now?

(Here's all the websites listed with today's news )

Jim Black Must Go

And I couldn't agree more.

This morning on my way to work I was listening to 101.1 FM. And on the said show was the creator of JimBlackMustGo.com. Now I'm not new to the whole Black Lottery scandal. As a voter, mainly democrat, this moral crisis in party leadership is particularly close to home. This is NC's own version of Tom Delay. Except it couldn't be any clearer that this man needs to resign.

And that's why I thought now would be a good time to bring it to your attention. I haven't harped on Black before this, because I honestly did not have the time to do the necessary homework on the scandal. However my finding , however random, of the website on his shady dealings and his apparent disregard for what is right can change that.

Please read up on your own and don't just believe this all but take in all this information for yourself.

Here's my take.

Here we have a fundamental disregard for democracy. Jim Black has become so comfortable in his power and his ability to enact change at his discresion that he has become as corrupt and untrustworthy as some Washington politicos. When you have a Democrat, a man of the supposed reformed corrupt big government party, pass through a special called session of the General Assembly a bill to enact a State Lottery. That after is all said and done information of his immoral links to lobbyists and businesses of lottery gaming industries arise. And that even after all that Black continues to stymie public investigation into his dealings, his manipulation of others, and his as if nothings wrong at all.

Measures need to be taken.
To quote the website "Many of my Democratic friends argue that we should wait and see if the federal grand jury reviewing the Speaker’s unsavory behavior indicts Black before calling for his resignation. I believe that is a morally bankrupt argument. Surely there has to be some standard below criminal indictment in which we can decide a politician has abused his office and demand his removal. Jim Black has crossed that line and we all know it."

We always say wait and see. Since when did "wait and see" become the motto of American morality?

Speaker Black, please come out, admit your wrongdoings and apologize to the people of North Carolina. Resign with whatever shread of diginity you have left in your office and be bigger than Washington politicos.

Do this before its too late. Not for you, but for the State of North Carolina.

Liar Liar..

The world is seriously on fire.

Just to finish off yesterday's comments, here's a link to President Bush's down home Cleveland Town Hall Meeting where supporters are druming it up as his leveling with the people. He's not doing scripted standup anymore. He's Live and On Stage.

But when you risk going live with President Bush you can get caught with your pants down. As it was yesterday when asked by a 70 yr old man why we went to war when none of his pre-war rhetotic turned out to be true: "the threat of WMD's; the claim that Saddam had sponsored the 9/11 terrorists; and that Saddam had purchased nuclear materials from Niger."

The President's response was " I was very careful never to say that Saddam Hussein ordered the attacks on America."

Now here's why I love Countdown with Kieth Olbermann. (Via DailyKos)
"Olbermann: Then that must have been a different George W. Bush who gave the State of the Union Address on January 28th, 2003.

Bush [from SOTU]: Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists... including members of al Qaeda.... Before September the 11th many in the world believed that Saddam Hussein could be contained.

Olbermann: Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda in the same sentence, separated by seven words. Two sentences later, September the 11th and Saddam Hussein, separated by six words.

In a moment, [we will] discuss the fundamental remaining question, who does the President think he's f'n kidding?"

its crazy. Dont you just love live politics Mr. President?

Meanwhile in the world today there was a great piece in the Chicago Trib recently about the new debtors prison. Its called being a 20-30something with a college degree. It is a must read for anyone concerned about their personal monetary welfare and that of the country's. (This piece is brought to you buy our friends at GenerationDebt.Org )

Was the NSA domestic spying program in the administrations head as early as 2002? maybe. maybe not.

I loathe Nancy Grace. Its probably becuase she looks like the anti-chirst yet has the remarkable ability to act just like a female Bill O'Reilly. For instance yesterday she had an a physocoligst for a recent case about a 30 yr old teacher sleeping with her 14 yr old student, and then years later married the kid. The doctor was trying to give Grace an insight into how the teacher justified her actions, and Grace railroaded the doctor the whole show for sticking up for the teacher. Now that is not journalism. That is news-vomit. [/end rant]

Ta ta.

All the news that's fit

Iraq, 3 years later.

Lets see hows it going shall we:
Bush: Iraq center of war on terror
After Three Years, Iraq War Far from Resolved
Bush focuses on Iraq improvements

From the looks of it, not too shabby. Then again when playing with the lives of millions and the future of an entire part of the world, "not too shabby" may not cut it.

But judge for yourself. Is the world safer today? Is America sounder and more secure today than 3 years ago?
Is Iraq the centerpiece of the war on terror? Or is it the hearts of every god-fearing American?

The trials and tribulations of the Iraqi War have been talked over, spat about, and frackin shoved down the throats of most the world for years now. The Bush Administration has shown, eventually, one of its many faces n its running of the Iraqi War thru the inepitude of multiple domestic screw ups.

Now are we the American people listening and watching? Or, after 3 long years, are just burnt out. And are willing to endure whatever more the government does as long as we don't have to get off our couches and get involved?

March Madness

Has got to be the most overly used cliche in modern broadcasting history. Alas I'll use it as a theme for this month anyway.

Here's a few choice madnesses of the day::

Does the law allow for gay parenting? Or is it common sense that dictates its usage?

Milosevic dead. Huh well thats not so crazy is it. The problem is that the Hague will not get to formally convict this man, thus setting back International Court rulings further into obscurity. It is however not a bad thing this creep bit it.

Censure on President Bush? Well Senator Russ Feingold, a Democrat from Wisconsin, would like to. Though it may come up against hardline opposition by the GOP in the Senate. Duh. Here's what Bill Frist, Senate Majority leader thinks of the move, " "a crazy political move" that would weaken the United States in time of war."

"The signal that it sends - that there is in any way a lack of support for our commander in chief who is leading us with a bold vision in a way that is making our homeland safer - is wrong,".
Senator John Warner, a Republican for Virginia, claims Fiengold is engaged in"political grandstanding. And it [the resoultion] tends to weaken our president."

Right. So when Democrats cry FOUL and try to hold this runaway administration accountable for countless misdeeds of lying and misleading actions and statements, its "crazy" " grandstanding".
But when the same GOP defending this President slams him for the Dubai Ports Deal and calls it a failure of leadership on his part to protect our homeland, its Congressional heroicy?

I told you political bullshit is everywhere.

Muslim-phobia

Here's part of what I've been trying to say about the Dubai World Ports Deal since it began summed up in a wonderul Op-Ed by David Ignatuis of the Washington Post.

"The ironic fact is that the UAE is precisely the kind of Arab ally the United States needs most now. But that clearly didn't matter to an election-year Congress, which responded to the Dubai deal with a frenzy of Muslim-bashing disguised as concern about terrorism. And we wonder why the rest of the world doesn't like us."

Perhaps more security measures would be required of them since they are from the Middle East. Perhaps Congress should have invesitgated a little more and briefed the general body.

Or perhaps Congress should level with the people and tell them our leaders are outsourcing whores. Perhaps they should tell them we need as many real Middle East allies like the UAE and not Syria and Lebanon.

For every one step we take forward after 9/11, we take 10 steps back.

You're doing a helluva a job Bushie

Latest from the AP says that El Presidente Bush has an all time low approval rating as of this week.
"he poll suggests that most Americans wonder whether Bush is up to the job. The survey, conducted Monday through Wednesday of 1,000 people, found that just 37 percent approve of his overall performance. That is the lowest of his presidency."

Now this comes as no surprise to those on the other side of the peaches and cream rainbow Republicans and Conservatives have lived under for the past 6 years. But apparently now even the happy terrorism run GOP rank and file are beginning to see GWB is not all he was promised to be.

However this break from the President is more political than ideological in my opinion. The Right still believes its mission to be the removal of abortion rights, civil liberties in exchange for safety, and the dumbing down of real education in favor of more spending of religious and moral "issues".


(A side house keeping note, I'm back after being away for what 2 weeks?. Sorry!)