It's time to name all Hurricanes "George" and to end "Bushwahr 3"
From now on, all hurricanes should be named "George." They can have different numbers. Rita needs to be renamed "George 05-18". The next one will be George 05-19. Next year's first will be George 06-01, etc.
And amidst increasingly huge mass protests to end it, the "War on Terror" also needs a more accurate moniker. It should be "Bushwahr 3."
Poppy Bush's four-day Desert Storm was Bushwahr 1; the attack on Afghanistan, Bushwahr 2. This senseless, hopeless assault on Iraq is thus the third in the series.
So we now mark this as the terrible time of Hurricane George05-18, Bushwahr3.
These disasters will thus bear the name of their perpetrators. Hurricane Rita has had multiple causes, but its extreme force has been enhanced by Bush's insane energy policies, as was Katrina's.
Rising ocean temperatures help power wind storms. The Bushlove for fossil/nukes put billions of dollars in Bushpork into the pockets of GOP cronies who own them. Meanwhile the administration Bushkills the conservation and efficiency measures that would cut global warming.
And amidst increasingly huge mass protests to end it, the "War on Terror" also needs a more accurate moniker. It should be "Bushwahr 3."
Poppy Bush's four-day Desert Storm was Bushwahr 1; the attack on Afghanistan, Bushwahr 2. This senseless, hopeless assault on Iraq is thus the third in the series.
So we now mark this as the terrible time of Hurricane George05-18, Bushwahr3.
These disasters will thus bear the name of their perpetrators. Hurricane Rita has had multiple causes, but its extreme force has been enhanced by Bush's insane energy policies, as was Katrina's.
Rising ocean temperatures help power wind storms. The Bushlove for fossil/nukes put billions of dollars in Bushpork into the pockets of GOP cronies who own them. Meanwhile the administration Bushkills the conservation and efficiency measures that would cut global warming.
The GOP’s fiscal policies turned a natural disaster into a man-made catastrophe
Republicans like to brag that, as a political party, they are more fiscally responsible than their Democratic counterparts. Well, thanks to President Bush’s four years in office that theory can now take up residence in the urban legend department.
If anything, Bush’s tenure as president proves that the Republican tax cuts (which everyone knows truly benefits the wealthiest one percent), drastically slashing funds in the federal budget for much needed improvements to the country’s aging infrastructure (a perfect example being the outdated power grid), and trying to get away with launching wars on the cheap, have cost taxpayers and their unborn grandchildren more money than anyone could have ever imagined.
If anything, Bush’s tenure as president proves that the Republican tax cuts (which everyone knows truly benefits the wealthiest one percent), drastically slashing funds in the federal budget for much needed improvements to the country’s aging infrastructure (a perfect example being the outdated power grid), and trying to get away with launching wars on the cheap, have cost taxpayers and their unborn grandchildren more money than anyone could have ever imagined.
The Devil in the Details: Carter-Baker, California, and the Integrity of American Elections
Most of the very correct objections to the Carter-Baker report appearing in the days since its release have focused on the deeply objectionable Voter ID recommendations. Less attention has been paid to the watershed significance of the Commission’s call to congress to establish a nationwide requirement for a voter verified paper record (VVPR) of every vote and the subtle, but devastating, flaws in the details of that recommendation.
A giant snit
AUSTIN, Texas -- So here are all the liberals going into a giant snit just because George W. Bush appointed a veterinarian to head the women's health section of the Food and Drug Administration. For Pete's sake, you whiners, the only reason he chose the vet is because Michael Brown wasn't available.
If you recall, Ol' Heckuva-Job Brownie had to go home, walk his dog and then hug his wife after exhausting himself in his triumphal handling of Hurricane Katrina. Otherwise, he'd have been Bush's first pick.
Now, even the veterinarian doesn't get the job -- just because those professional feminists raised such a stink. What's wrong with a vet? They know a lot about birth and udders and stuff. If the mother is having trouble giving birth, you grab the baby by the legs and pull it out -- it's not brain surgery. Then you worm 'em, you tag 'em and you spray for fleas. Why the fuss?
If you recall, Ol' Heckuva-Job Brownie had to go home, walk his dog and then hug his wife after exhausting himself in his triumphal handling of Hurricane Katrina. Otherwise, he'd have been Bush's first pick.
Now, even the veterinarian doesn't get the job -- just because those professional feminists raised such a stink. What's wrong with a vet? They know a lot about birth and udders and stuff. If the mother is having trouble giving birth, you grab the baby by the legs and pull it out -- it's not brain surgery. Then you worm 'em, you tag 'em and you spray for fleas. Why the fuss?
Hurricane Katrina-Our Experiences
Two days after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the Walgreen's
store at the corner of Royal and Iberville streets remained locked. The
dairy display case was clearly visible through the widows. It was now 48
hours without electricity, running water, plumbing. The milk, yogurt,
and cheeses were beginning to spoil in the 90-degree heat. The owners
and managers had locked up the food, water, pampers, and prescriptions
and fled the City. Outside Walgreen's windows, residents and tourists
grew increasingly thirsty and hungry.
The much-promised federal, state and local aid never materialized and the windows at Walgreen's gave way to the looters. There was an alternative. The cops could have broken one small window and distributed the nuts, fruit juices, and bottle water in an organized and systematic manner. But they did not. Instead they spent hours playing cat and mouse, temporarily chasing away the looters.
The much-promised federal, state and local aid never materialized and the windows at Walgreen's gave way to the looters. There was an alternative. The cops could have broken one small window and distributed the nuts, fruit juices, and bottle water in an organized and systematic manner. But they did not. Instead they spent hours playing cat and mouse, temporarily chasing away the looters.
Beyond the “Vietnam Syndrome”
“The specter of Vietnam has been buried forever in the desert sands of
the Arabian peninsula,” President George H. W. Bush said of the Gulf War
victory in early 1991. He told a gathering of state legislators, “It's a
proud day for America -- and, by God, we've kicked the Vietnam syndrome once
and for all.”
Often discussed by news media, the “Vietnam syndrome” usually has a negative connotation, implying knee-jerk opposition to military involvement. Yet public backing for a war has much to do with duration and justification. A year after the invasion of Iraq began, Noam Chomsky observed: “Polls have demonstrated time and time again that Americans are willing to accept a high death toll -- although they don't like it, they're willing to accept it -- if they think it's a just cause. There's never been anything like the so-called Vietnam syndrome: it's mostly a fabrication. And in this case too if they thought it was a just cause, the 500 or so [American] deaths would be mourned, but not considered a dominant reason for not continuing. No, the problem is the justice of the cause.”
Often discussed by news media, the “Vietnam syndrome” usually has a negative connotation, implying knee-jerk opposition to military involvement. Yet public backing for a war has much to do with duration and justification. A year after the invasion of Iraq began, Noam Chomsky observed: “Polls have demonstrated time and time again that Americans are willing to accept a high death toll -- although they don't like it, they're willing to accept it -- if they think it's a just cause. There's never been anything like the so-called Vietnam syndrome: it's mostly a fabrication. And in this case too if they thought it was a just cause, the 500 or so [American] deaths would be mourned, but not considered a dominant reason for not continuing. No, the problem is the justice of the cause.”
Rev. Jackson Recommends a 21st Century Marshall Plan That Reinvests in the Gulf Coast
CHICAGO – The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, issued the following statement regarding President Bush’s Recovery Plan for the Gulf Coast region:
The Bush Administration, Homeland Security and FEMA failed to provide the people of the Gulf Coast with needed rescue, evacuation and relief. As confidence in his administration fades and his poll ratings sink to record depths, the promises of his recovery plan are contradicted by his policies and practice.
The residents, communities and businesses deserve a Marshall Plan for the Gulf Coast that rebuilds industry, revitalizes farmland, repairs infrastructure, relocates residents, retrains and re-employs the victims of the hurricane. The disaster victims from the region deserve priority in the reconstruction effort, incentives to return home, and priority in the allocation of contracts and jobs so they can rebuild their lives and communities as they work to revitalize the Gulf Coast region.
The Bush Administration, Homeland Security and FEMA failed to provide the people of the Gulf Coast with needed rescue, evacuation and relief. As confidence in his administration fades and his poll ratings sink to record depths, the promises of his recovery plan are contradicted by his policies and practice.
The residents, communities and businesses deserve a Marshall Plan for the Gulf Coast that rebuilds industry, revitalizes farmland, repairs infrastructure, relocates residents, retrains and re-employs the victims of the hurricane. The disaster victims from the region deserve priority in the reconstruction effort, incentives to return home, and priority in the allocation of contracts and jobs so they can rebuild their lives and communities as they work to revitalize the Gulf Coast region.
Bring back New Orleans: the politics of disaster
NEW ORLEANS -- At a press conference yesterday afternoon, Mayor Ray Nagin of
New Orleans announced that the reentry initiated this morning would be
suspended and the city was going to be re-evacuated by Wednesday.
Nagin cites approaching Hurricane Rita as the reason for the evacuation; Rita is expected to reach at least Category 4 status by the time it makes landfall Thursday afternoon, with gale force winds whipping the Delta as early as Wednesday night.
Mayor Nagin stated that it would take only a mere nine inches of precipitation to compromise the levees, flooding New Orleans again for the second time in three weeks. When asked whether the temporary repairs made to the levees were expected to hold, he said that he “did not have that expectation”; adding that the pumps were “not yet operating at full capacity.”
Nagin cites approaching Hurricane Rita as the reason for the evacuation; Rita is expected to reach at least Category 4 status by the time it makes landfall Thursday afternoon, with gale force winds whipping the Delta as early as Wednesday night.
Mayor Nagin stated that it would take only a mere nine inches of precipitation to compromise the levees, flooding New Orleans again for the second time in three weeks. When asked whether the temporary repairs made to the levees were expected to hold, he said that he “did not have that expectation”; adding that the pumps were “not yet operating at full capacity.”
A Fraction of Democracy
Anyone who’s taken fractions in school knows that 5/3 is greater than 3/5. This is true in mathematics. It’s also true in democracy.
On Friday, September 9, the Camp Casey bus tour came to Cleveland, Ohio. The bus tour is an outgrowth of the encampment of Cindy Sheehan, mother of a killed US solider in the Iraq war, who attempted to meet personally with President George Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas in August.
Composed of family members of killed and current US troops in Iraq, among others, the Bring Them Home Now bus tour is making its way across the country calling attention to the human costs of the war and occupation. At every stop, they try to share their stories and perspectives with US Representatives or Senators. If they can’t, then with their aides. That was the case in Cleveland.
On September 9 a delegation of tour participants, along with local peace and anti-war activists, planned to meet with an aide to Ohio Senator George Voinovich. They would follow this visit with leaving material at the office (all aides were to be away for part of the afternoon) of Ohio Senator Mike DeWine.
On Friday, September 9, the Camp Casey bus tour came to Cleveland, Ohio. The bus tour is an outgrowth of the encampment of Cindy Sheehan, mother of a killed US solider in the Iraq war, who attempted to meet personally with President George Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas in August.
Composed of family members of killed and current US troops in Iraq, among others, the Bring Them Home Now bus tour is making its way across the country calling attention to the human costs of the war and occupation. At every stop, they try to share their stories and perspectives with US Representatives or Senators. If they can’t, then with their aides. That was the case in Cleveland.
On September 9 a delegation of tour participants, along with local peace and anti-war activists, planned to meet with an aide to Ohio Senator George Voinovich. They would follow this visit with leaving material at the office (all aides were to be away for part of the afternoon) of Ohio Senator Mike DeWine.
Carter/Baker Report can't face how the GOP stole America's 2004 election & is rigging 2008
The stolen elections of 2000, 2002 and 2004 are nowhere to be found in the milquetoast Carter-Baker Report now passing for wisdom on America's broken electoral system.
And unless the public is ready to face the reality that we no longer live in a nation with credible elections, the 2008 balloting is all but over.
As investigative reporters and registered voters living in central Ohio, we witnessed firsthand the outright theft of the 2004 election. We also endured the unwillingness of the Democratic Party to face up to a carefully choreographed "do everything" strategy that gave the presidency to George W. Bush for a second time, and which could make all elections to come virtually moot.
The just-issued report of a special commission headed by former President Jimmy Carter and Bush family consigliore Jim Baker is of little real value.
And unless the public is ready to face the reality that we no longer live in a nation with credible elections, the 2008 balloting is all but over.
As investigative reporters and registered voters living in central Ohio, we witnessed firsthand the outright theft of the 2004 election. We also endured the unwillingness of the Democratic Party to face up to a carefully choreographed "do everything" strategy that gave the presidency to George W. Bush for a second time, and which could make all elections to come virtually moot.
The just-issued report of a special commission headed by former President Jimmy Carter and Bush family consigliore Jim Baker is of little real value.