
So, Preznint DrunkUncle took his vaudeville act uptown to the UN today. Given this administration’s efforts to undermine and discredit the United Nations on so many levels, it’s hard to see this as much of anything besides another chance for him to preen in front of the cameras, except this time it’s a captive audience of international dignitaries and not a hand-picked crowd of kids from the Fox News day-care center or whatever. But given that he only ever makes one speech, does it really matter who he’s talking to?
TENSIONS WITH IRAN, SYRIA
The president, of whom many world leaders remain skeptical for starting a war in Iraq without U.N. backing, voiced support for Iraqis’ attempt at stability with sectarian violence leaving dozens dead every day, but said Iraqi leaders must "make difficult choices to bring security and prosperity."
How’s that for an utterly meaningless sound-byte? "You’re going to have to make some difficult choices" roughly translates from BushSpeak to Real-World English as "You can take this ass-fucking from my administration bent over or lying on your back. But you do have a choice."
Then he told a bunch of big fat lies (GASP!):
"My country desires peace."
But first we have to start a whole bunch of wars, kill your civilians, steal your oil, and leave behind a bunch of depleted uranium, see? Heh heh. But after that, it’ll be real peaceful. We guarantee it. Once the whole Middle East has been turned into a sheet of radioactive glass, you’ll be able to hear a pin drop!
"We respect Islam, but we will protect our people from those who pervert Islam to sow death and destruction."
Yeah, we’re the only country that’s allowed so sow death and destruction! And if you don’t like that, why, what’s that sound I hear? I believe it’s our sources in the CIA saying we have intelligence that you might be harboring weapons of mass destruction. And we’ve never once been wrong about that! Don’t make us invade your ass.
This is what kills me about his current rhetorical bent, by the way:
Peace! We want peace! But not for YOU BITCHEZ, Iran and Syria! By the way, nice countries you got over there. It’d be a shame if anything happened to ‘em, see? Heh, heh!
Bush, in an address to world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly, tried to advance his campaign for democracy in the Middle East against a backdrop of turmoil in Iraq, Afghanistan and other nations that have embraced the very changes he seeks for the region.
Can we just dispense with this bullshit right now? It is not a "campaign for democracy in the Middle East". It’s a campaign of lies, illegal renditions, civilian massacres, rape, torture, chaos, and corruption. In fact, it’s got nothing to do with "democracy" at all. It’s a unilateral power-grab, a craven attempt to install puppet regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq who will give us greater access to all that sweet, black, delicious oil. Oil, oil, oil. That’s what it’s been about from the very outset. So why not just come out and say it?
Bush said past stability in the Middle East has been achieved at the expense of freedom, and he disputed critics who claim his push for democracy has destabilized the region.
"The reality is that the stability we thought we saw in the Middle East was a mirage," Bush told the more than 80 prime ministers and presidents assembled in the cavernous hall of the U.N. headquarters.
"For decades, millions of men and women in the region have been trapped in oppression and hopelessness. And these conditions left a generation disillusioned and made this region a breeding ground for extremism."
Yeah, you silly Middle Easterners! You thought you had peace and freedom, but that was just a mirage. You only thought you could walk outside in Anbar Province without tripping over the corpses of tortured and murdered Shi’ites. But, see, Iraq is really a free country, now! Free of electricity, hospitals, schools, and clean water! Yay, us!! And soon it’ll be completely free of the rule of law! Whoo-hooo! I’m sure anyone left alive in Iraq when this is over will be lining up to thank us for generations. I know they’ll understand that we had to invade their country to stop the terrorists that weren’t there and didn’t help carry out 9/11! And if 100,000 or so Iraqi civilians ultimately get killed in the process, well, freedom’s messy! Ask Donny Rumsfeld. Stuff gets broke sometimes. Y’all understand, right?
How could Colin Powell possibly think that the world is starting to doubt our moral authority? Sometimes you have to destroy freedom in order to save it! Well, I’m sure that everything’s going to be fine now that the Preznint has explained it all to those damn foreigners at the UN. And if they still don’t get it, we’ll waterboard ‘em until they do! Yay, freedom rules!!



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Olberman!
FITZ
TRex!!!
LOTUS! TREX IS IN THE HOUSE!
Ann in AZ @
1
Olbermann
1) Happy Birthday to Tommy Yum, unless he’s Had Enough.
2.) And harrr for another hour (pronounced arrrr), ye lubbers.
3.) What to do about George?
HotFlash @ 6
You’ve got to wash that man right out of your harrrr . . .
(We’ve got another four hours out here on the left coast!)
Hey, you guys?
What does a pirate knit his sweater with?
YARRRRRRRRRRRN!!!
This just in: School Teacher Arrested:
In Texas , a public school teacher was arrested today at Bergstrom
International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in
possession of a ruler, a protractor, a slide rule, and a calculator.
At a morning press conference, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
said
he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement. He
did
not identify the man, who has been charged with carrying weapons of
math
instruction.
“Al-gebra is a problem for us”, Rumsfeld said. “They desire solutions
by
means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in a search of
absolute value. They use secret code names like x and y and refer to
themselves as unknowns, but we have determined they belong to a common
denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.
As
the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, there are three sides to
every triangle.”
When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, “If God had
wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, he would have
given
us more fingers and toes.” White House aides told reporters they could
not
recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the president
TRex @ 8
ARRRRRHARRRRRRHARRRRRHARRRRR
luvs me some Trex snark in the evening, I do….
Zoinks!
That had to hurt.
C’mon, George ( and Dick ) are transparent enough. I mean, Dick had his little fiasco over shooting a friend and supporter while playing at mass slaughter of penned animals.
I don’t think they’re prejudiced ( not about species, anyway ) : “Shake and Bake, Baby” !
Cleanup last thread – aisle 78.
AAArrrrrr…Where does a landlocked pirate buy his booze?
oooh Trex and a birthday for Tommy Yum! wow!
OT
Michelle Malkin has a new project. She simultaneously manages to be a total hypocrite while staying true to her racist self.
Glenn Greenwald’s post
Check it out.
The FOXNews daycare center.
Arrr. I bow to the better pirate. Scurvy scalawag Sharptooth.
larry @ 15
At a barrrrrrrr?
larry @ 15
AArrrrrrkansas
TRex @ 8
Yeah?
Who ruled Russia until 1721?
…The TsARRRRRRRRRRR!
‘Don’t turn around, uh oh, Der KommissARRRRRRR’s in town uh oh’
…And happy birthday, slight return, to Tommy Yum
;>)
If Trex was from Texas he would Trexas!!! Arrrrg!!!!
Yep…. everything is so much better… Baghdad with an estimated population of 5 million, reported 1500 deaths in August with a total for Iraq around 3000 for the month. This has been consistent every month for the summer.
This means they are having a 9/11 every month.
Put this in reference. The state of AZ has approx 5 million residents. What do you think Sheriff Joe would do if there was 1500 murders in a single month? Yee gad that Old Joe Tank would be on patrol.
And someone would wonder why they hate us?
I want to know if things are so great, where are the vacation tours, where are the cruises to the gulf, where are the greyline tours touring all the ruins?
katymine @ 23
Can Balrogs go SCUBA diving in Iraq? If so, I’ll go.
TRex –
Whatta post!
I’ve been playing around lately in some archives of old speeches, and your post made me think of Douglas MacArthur. Not exactly a bleeding heart liberal progressive. But in 1962, he was given the Thayer Award at West Point – a huge honor – and used the occasion of the award to talk about the code of “Duty – Honor – Country”.
Here’s a taste of General MacArthur’s address to the corps of cadets:
I’m guessing that Bush never connected with the whole “Duty-Honor-Country” thing in the Texas Air National Guard.
More from MacArthur:
Bush could learn a lot from listening to old, dead soldiers. It might help the living soldiers to stay that way a good while longer, and give their prayers for peace a much better chance of being realized.
katymine!
You know Sheriff Joe the Pile? An idiot with a mouth, has only cost the taxpayers in Maricopa County millions in wrongful deaths! He belongs in jail.
Bush could learn a lot from listening to old, dead soldiers.
Those may be the only ones he can’t Swiftboat.
Yo TRex.
Isn’t the title of this post coined by your friend (I’m sure) Mr. Stipe?
Peterr – did you check out Jim Wallis’ God’s Politics blog?
He had the masterdebater Ralph Reed guesting today.
I found the comments in good faith and varying quality (mostly high quality). It looks like a great forum for us to contribute to the religious left discourse.
Come to think of it TRex, your comments on that blog would be a welcomed leading voice.
If there is justice in the world, Junior and Dick and Rummy and Condi and Abu and Yoo too will be extraordinarily rendered to Abu Ghraib — on the condition that the former inmates turned jailers will not do anything to them that Commander Codpiece hasn’t already approved of.
Why couldn’t the pirate’s son get in to see the movie?
It was rated HARRRRRRRR!1!!!
I was so hoping that the international community, in the persons of the various ambassadors to the U.N., would walk out on GeeDub’s script-reading, or at least turn their backs on him.
But no, they seem to be much better mannered than that. Certainly better mannered than the BushCo administration and that nasty little fireplug-shaped Bolton person.
I’m sure that Bush is going to point to the uniting of the tribes in Anbar as a success on his part, but it seems like common sense to me. Anbar is a mostly Sunni region. Sadam was a Sunni. Sadam hated al Qaeda. Of course the people in Anbar aren’t going to want al Qaeda at there doorsteps. They’re the ones who had it good under Sadam and I’m sure they know that Sadam didn’t want them in Iraq.
Balrog @ 24
Actually this post outs me:
Are there any Deadhead SCUBA divers out there who like going on diving junkets that are hetero friendly that can afford big bucks diving tours that might blow a fatty while celebrating a Nudibranch spotting while still being ready for the night dive?
Come on, I know yer out there.
Howdy howdy howdy….
patrick is in the house, now too.
Just got home from Music Hates You practice, and boy is my id tired.
Went running earlier and almost stepped on one of these:
SNAKE!!!
Constant Reader @ 31
He didn’t get the standing ovation like he does in front of his pre-screened audiences though. There was very little response (if any).
T- @ 28
Hadn’t seen it – thanks for passing the link along. I don’t have a lot of time tonight, but I’ll have to dig into it later.
Sherriff Joe….. has his own TANK. THE Maricopa County Sherrif has his own tank. But boys will have their toys…
Actually we have quite a few winners here in AZ..
JD Hayworth the blowhard
Kyl of the false amicus brief
McCain the bush hugger
Russell Pierce … just plain wacko wingnut
How could Colin Powell possibly think that th’ world be startin’ t’ doubt our moral captainliness? Sometimes ye be havin’ t’ destroy freedom in order t’ save ‘t! Well, I’m sure that everything’s goin’ t’ be fine now that th’ Preznint has explained ‘t all t’ them damn foreigners at th’ UN. An’ if they still don’t get ‘t, we’ll waterboard ‘em until they do! Aye, freedom rules!!
ooo, Patrick! almost stepping on a SNAKE! like that will certainly get your attention! Yikes!
and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Tommy Yum!
Balrog @ 33
ifthethunder.etc…, you are on the short list. God I love ‘The Wheel’. Never forget my sister-in-law’s first show. ‘Bound to cover just a little more ground’ tipped her over the edge of glad.
Patrick @ 34
Next time you go running, carry a badger.
Anyone else think that Bush is off his meds lately?
It has not been fun dealing with the grumbling of my boyfriend since he found out Bush is going to make the New Orleans Monday Night Football game a political photo op next week.
OldCoastie @ 39
It was a copperhead and I fucking LEVITATED over it.
I let out a very manly yell, fortunately, instead of a girly screech, for which I am grateful. I have a running buddy who would have never have let me live that down.
Patrick
OT-
Do you know what the
bestleast expensive way to acquire a new Taylor acoustic is?katymine,
Have to agree, Arizona has more than its fair share of political whackos. When I came out here 15 years ago from California I thought I was going back in time as far as political attitudes. It was scary!
Did I hear rumor of a {{{Siun}}} siting?
Happy Day, Mr. Yum. What was that I read earlier about empty nut sacks?
Oh, lord, I hate a copperhead. Glad you didn’t step on him, Patrick. That would have been a very nasty way to spend your evening.
And yes, you should always carry a badger.
Badgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadger….
Patrick are you OK? You did validate there was no strike right?
It is when you see the rattlesnake sleeping on your diving board poolside….. you wonder why you had a doggie door installed!
Oh, and happy birthday, Tommy Yum!
News from Canada
Quite on-topic, and even sounding piratical: As you may have heard, the Canadian commission investigating the case of Maher Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian who was kidnapped from JFK Airport and sent to Syria where he was and tortured, released its final report today. The NYT covered it a bit, but what the commission released is very interesting. Apparently this is the ‘for public consumption’ report,apparently this is the ‘public’ version from which classified stuff has been scrubbed, although the commissioner says that the conclusions and recomendations section is the same in both versions.
The commissioner notes that the US, Jordan and Syria ‘declined’ his ‘invitation to give evidence or otherwise participate”.
Mr HotFlash and I are plowing through all 364 pages plus, we will report back but invite anyone who is inclined to look at it to so for yourself, esp if you are knowledgeable on the topic — which we are not, we just think that kidnapping and torture is bad.
twolf1-
do those badgers have tails or are they well hung?
katymine @ 48
ACK!
I would be hammering shut that doggie door. They can just come ask when they need to go out.
Hey, TRex, I’ve been waiting all day to point out this item from BBC’s “On This Day”:
AZ Matt @ 45
I grew up here and left just after Goldwaters 1964 Presidental run. It was more libertarian then. It has gotten more wingnut since then. And after living in Europe and then Oregon, it was pure culture shock.
katymine @ 42
I know some people that are going and when I told them that Bush would be there their eyes got real big and they said “He really is a bigger idiot than I thought.” It could be interesting…wish I could be there, just to see the look of surprise on Bush’s face when he doesn’t get a very welcoming reception.
levitating over a snake is always a good idea… cooperheads! not so nice! we got a lot of rattlers out here and I’ve stepped on one (it didn’t strike and I apologized profusely) and levitated over a few myself…
harrrrr! shivers me timbers just thinking about it!
katymine @ 54
You are a gutsy person to come back knowing what you were walking into!
Money quote…
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..ush_text_1
Hello? Iraq?
SO SPOT ON FDL post T-rex :-) That photo of
“rootin’ tootin’ COWBOY PRESIDENT DUMMY”
surely one for the HALL OF FAMOUS SHRUB PICS.
Bringing all that American Imperial
peace to the ME is hard work. And having
to watch Bush THE PEACEMAKER and worse
LISTEN to him on UN podium seeing how
his man J.Bolton is such a good fit at
UN had me in full lunging mode for the
remote. SHEESH. One minute of BUSH TV is
one minute over my tolerance for his
horrid public speaking, telling those
“BIG ONES” and that snickering smirk that
lurks just beneath the surface with him.
What a sad sight. THE DECIDER preaching
to United Nations about the virtues of
American Empire and our peace loving ways.
BTW IRAN you should count this as your big
and perhaps only cue that President “BRING
‘EM ON” is polishing his piece and gunnin’
for ya. Word to the wise, get real friendly
with Russia or China ASAP. With “GUNSLINGER
BUSH” on your trail count that as fair warnin’.
Hmmm, who does that picture remind me of…?
T- @ 44
GOOD LORD- I swear I had no idea that Taylors were so expensive. Jeeez.
I am glancing though ebay auctions right now looking for one that fits my definition of “least expensive” and I am coming up blank.
Depending on how far you live from Nashville, I have gone to Gruen Guitars before and said “I need a player. It has to be an electric and it has to be a Gibson, but it doesn’t have to be an ES-335 or a Les Paul. That’s how I got turned on to the Gibson Marauder, which is a great guitar, but not collected to death so that no one can afford one. You might check with Gruen and see if there is a non-Dreadnought Martin that would do the job.
Well I will report back from my Townhall Thursday with John Dean at an ACLU event.
I will try to sneaky reporting of the NOLA game if I can talk to the man….. At least I can try to report any of the juicy details :)
katymine @ 48
That snake wasn’t gonna bite me unless he could fucking FLY!
I did the most amazing airborne James Brown split you ever saw. Who knew an old guy like me could dance like that?
Patrick, where do you run? Trail? Street? And here’s some badgers for ya.
Redshift @ 53
Shhhhhhhh. That was supposed to be a surprise.
regarding the kidnapping and disappearing act… a few years ago (I really don’t remember the details) some kid just vanished from USC (coulda been UCLA, but I do believe it was USC)… poof! just gone! weird stuff, like he left his shoes and wallet in his dorm room…
this was before we knew we were disappearing people much… news stories for about a week, but they never found the kid – not one single sign of him… I’ve always wondered if he got picked up and renditioned somewhere… I don’t remember his nationality, but I don’t think he was a white kid…
terrible thing to wonder if your gov’t is making people vanish…
OldCoastie @ 56
He didn’t bite you? What a gentleman!
op99 @ 64
I am a hardcore trail runner. I’d rather do ten miles offroad than five on pavement.
Speaking of which, I gotta jump in the shower before the missus gets home. If she got downwind of me after six miles and a two hour practice, I think she’d walk right out again.
T- Me thinks Redshift @ 60
…and who does this mustached fellow remind you of?
Patrick @ 63
Um, I’ve got some bad news for you.
Redshift @
60
Wow, how did George Allen get up on Katherine Harris’s back like that?
Further news from Canada:
CBC: B.C. scientist booted over refusal to use ‘new government’
CBC: B.C. scientist reinstated by Ottawa after phrase flap
See how easy that was?
;>)
Thanks Patrick.
Yeah, I think Taylors are in vogue these days but the 614ce is singing to me.
Nashville is in the sales territory, so I’ll check out Gruen next time I’m there. I’ve refrained from ebay, cause buying a guitar is like proposing. Luckily I never had to resort to a mail order bride, although I’m sure it works great for some.
Gibson Marauder, I’ll have to check that out.
I’m still on my first Jap Strat. Got it in mid-80’s and now I hear some of them are collectibles…I have my doubts.
For those not fluent in REM here’s some background on World Leader Pretend.
I think Green is the first album after the IRS years which is where most Athenians would say they started heading south.
Peace out.
I have two college students(my daughter & her best friend) live with me. They are at ASU studying International Communications so they have many muslem friends. One ASU student when home during the summer break to visit his family, he is from Indonesia, and was not allowed to return. He was two semesters from graduation.
Another friend from Sri Lanka married and converted to Islam. She was in a store in Tempe wearing the scarf. Some redneck idiot walked right up to her and demanded that she take it off. He told her… “We won the war, you do not have to wear it anymore”. What a clueless SOB.
Great post, TRex.
Those plans to get into a small plane? Maybe not the best.
Meanwhile, tomorrow’s WaPo tells us that Frist is threatening a filibuster if McCain, Graham, and Warner don’t go along with the Dubya Program on the “backdated legalization of torture and prosecution of folks we already know are guilty as sin with secret evidence they can’t see in front of military courts from which there is no appeal” bill.
Who’d have thought it – Bill “I tortured cats while getting through med school” Frist, pulling out the big guns to get the republican troops in line for legalized and officially sanctioned torture . . .
Started to read the Canadian Commission Report on the extreme rendition of Maher Arar, a Syrian born Canadian citizen. http://www.ararcommission.ca/eng/index.htm
Arar was kidnapped in NYC while transferring flights. He was denied access to the Canadian Consulate, and was shipped to Syria for a year of torture.
The RCMP saw him have lunch with someone they were watching and put him on a list. They shared the list with the CIA. The RCMP did not actually have any reason to suspect Arar of anything illegal. The lunchtime topic was “cheap printer cartridges”.
In the first few pages The Honourable Dennis R. O’Connor, Associate Chief Justice of Ontario states that he requested the participation of the US, Jordan,and Syria – and got NO for an answer.
He then states that he did not actually interview Maher Arar – not wanting to confuse the issue with a personal viewpoint, I guess.
O’Connor still thinks that he has a real good idea of what happened.
Gosh, just like the 9/11 Commission.
AAAARgh.
sadly, talk like a pirate day has
walked the plankended here on the east coastPeterr @
76
Fucking Frist man. He’s willing to stand up for torture!
I hope he drowns in a 500 gallon vat of Kool-Aid.
headed home
will check back in from there
Looks like the trolls have lost interest in me.
Yay.
Georgie is just pissed because Syria let that Canadian Muslim we falsely and illegally “renditioned” get a reacharound during the waterboarding or something.
There really isn’t a word to describe the depths of Shrub’s hypocrisy. “But don’t you see, we have to torture to save the freedoms which I wanna shitcan so that we can torture”.
When did we turn into a country of whimpering simps for christ’s sake. “They wanna kill us, they wanna kill us, they want to slit our throat, behead us all!!!!” What the fuck happened to better dead than red. Where in the hell did our guts go. The Rethugs and the MSM want to blame liberals, but there hasn’t been a “liberal” in the WH since Carter, hell, probably since FDR, since I would call neither Clinton or Carter (at least at the time he was president, he’s become very progressive now) a liberal. So literally trillions into the military and “tough guy” Republican presidents and all we have to show for it are a bunch of sissy-marie citizens who wet their Depends every time they see a possible middle eastern.
OBL wants to cut my head off, come try it you lanky shit-eating fundamentalist shitheel, you better hope your knife arm is at least 500 yards long or you’ll be fucking virgins and I’ll be counting 25,000,000 duckets.
Conversely, try to take away my Constitution, Mr. Bush, and you better hope all of those nameless slack-asses who post at the Corner and your dwindling number of troops are brave enough (in regards to the former “Cornerites) and loyal enough (in regards to soldiers whose bravery I don’t question) to pull off many, many Tienamans (don’t know the spelling, I’m a dumbass) and to cordwood stack a lot of general strikers and protesters, let alone those who won’t wait around to be shot in the back trusting that the government won’t really hurt them.
Don’t get me wrong, WE ARE A LONG WAY AWAY FROM THAT SCENARIO, and I am not advocating any violence or even general strikes, although we will have to protest loudly against the whole Iranian adventure that I’m sure Bush will now push BEFORE the elections (just like with Iraq). But remember, the chains of totalitarian regimes are never thrown on all at once, but one link at a time. We might be the last truly constitutional generation, I really have no idea what this country will look like when my 12 year old niece in 36 like I am now. Jesus, I’ll be 60 (and hopefully still alive, gotta cut out the cancer sticks). If our democracy lasts that long.
Sorry, such a slow typist I’m sure that the thread has moved on to other things, but I’m still posting it. And I’m not quite as pessimistic as I sound, each generation has preached their own end, and well, we’re still here. (Of course, I’m talking the end of freedom, not all of humanity as in Revelations, which is what most people who preach the end preach. Too me though, the two ideas are intercangeable, for if I am not free to think, to dream, and most especially to speak, than a dead person am I.)
Raoul
What no Trolls for a snack before heading home TRex?
Then you can walk off the heartburn!
Tell us how you really feel, Raoul.
TRex @ 80
Or maybe they’ve just been waiting for your scaly back to be turned . . .
Meanwhile, a page from the TRex Frist Files: There’s Someone Here to See You, Dr. Frist.
TRex @ 71
LOL — I bow to your superior snark, sensei!
I heard a psychatrist on Sam Seder’s program talk about Frist and his cats (Frist the Cat!) and Bush blowing up frogs as a kid. Do you think that there just might be a connection?
hpschd @
77
Actually, considering he didn’t get any cooperation from the Americans or Syrians, it sounds like Mr. Justice O’Connor wrote a pretty good report. He certainly shreds the RCMP and Canadian consular officials and completely vindicates Mr. Arar.
HotFlash @
6
Hang ‘im from the yaaaard arrrrm, says I.
TRex @
47
Badgers…? Badgers?!
We doan need no steeeenkeeeng badgers…
Peterr @ 76
Yeah, I saw that. Frist has gotta be the most unqualified man to ever be put in charge of legislative strategy. Most people if they happen to shoot themselves in the foot can figure out they shouldn’t reload!
For once the Bush penchant for choosing loyalty over competence works in our favor…
On the advice of Arianna, I’m turning in. Nighters, firepirates.
Peterr @ 25
Yeah, it’s kinda like the Vision thing.
Yeah, clarity can be a real problem for me, op99. Maybe one day my rantings will have a coherent point, eh. :)
Just really, REALLY frustrated right now, these upcoming elections are SO important, we have to at least stem the tide of this stupidity.
BTW, why is everything in bold? Or is it only that way with my screen?
Raoul
The Nefarious Leslie @ 92
Runs in the family. Remember — his dad had a problem with that vision thing too.
Commented by John Casper for lotus.
Hey RGB! sooo good to see you!
I’m finally caught up with work and getting a bit of blog time again – phew!
And happy I made it back in time for Trex’s post tonight – phew!
How many heros wounded in his wars will W have to wrap himself in next Monday nite in New Orleans? He’ll inoculate himself somehow — I can’t imagine that hometown crowd being polite unless he brings his friend Jesus for the Second Coming.
Is this just Rove’s amp’d-up-for the-Midterms Coretta Scott King funeral moment? Is Kate O’Bierne already polishing her tirade about the “rudeness” of the crowd? I sure hope Dr. Marble is there, or that folks remember his shout-out to W’s boss last year, and repeat it. Loud and often.
Gotta wonder if W’s bringing his mom to the football game.
========
Had Enough?
========
Hey Siun!
Happy birthday, tommy yum!
hpschd at 77
I think that you have got it wrong. This enquiry was totally independent and non-political. The Commissioner did not permit Maher Arar to testify before the Commission because he would be subject to cross-examination by the government lawyers based on information that they had which they were not prepared to make public. The Commissioner determined that Mr Arar was totally innocent of any charges that he was in anyway associated with terrorism and that the RCMP was culpable for providing information to the USA which was inaccurate, incomplete and totally unfounded. One hopes that heads will roll at the RCMP.
Hey Nefarious!
(being nefarious sounds so great!)
oh, katymine, . . . they are having a 9/11 every month . . . that single line should be sufficient to stop it.
Hey Teddy,
I would say I’m shocked that Bush would have the you-knows to even show up in NOLA, but he probably does.
I doubt the NFL will let him screen the fans for political reliabity, so yeah, he’ll be booed allright, and yes, the smear machine will rev up, although, that that POS machine ever wear down? lol
BTW, do you like Uncle Bernie?
Raoul
Siun @ 100
It does have its advantages …
Further to the Maher Arar enquiry. One of the more interesting conclusions of Justice O’Connor was that, under Syrian torture, Arar confessed to going to a training camp in Afghanistan. Justice O’Connor concluded that Mr Arar had never been to Afghanistan showing just how reliable evidence obtained under torture really is.
op99 @ 70
um. holy shit???
Fern @ 87
I am confident that the RCMP and CSIS and the Canadian Consular teams will work hard to avoid any future problems of this nature. I am not worried about *them*. I want to hear the CIA side of it in the same depth of detail.
If the Canadian government is going to share intelligence information with the US, I think that the Canadian government should have a say in any action resulting from the sharing of that information. Mr. Arar could have been spared a great deal of pain if the CIA had given him access to the Canadian Consulate as is required by international law and treaties.
Hey, this blog has an “East Coast Bias”, not enough action for those of us in the west. Do we have to plan a coup?
“Westerners of the West UNITE! You have nothing to lose but empty comment threads!”
Just snarkin’, I know that Jane is lucky enough to live on the Oregon Coast (it’s a must trip for anyone, just beautifully rugged beaches). Meanwhile, I have to live in the “Channeled Scablands”, although they are a little more beautiful than the name implies, but it ain’t the Oregon coastline, that’s for sure.
Raoul
lurcher @ 104
So much for “if you’re innocent, then you don’t have anything to worry about.”
ECB, nobody is innocent, and even if you are, according to Bush’s favorite Justice Scalia, actual innocence is not a good enough reason to be set free from jail. I kid you not.
Raoul
Raoul Duke @ 107
Heck, I live in the Middle of th Universe! I am serious about that too! (It is in the West)
Raoul Duke @ 107
Notice, Raoul, that the timestamp at the Lake is on Pacific Time! I think folks are just laying back for a bit, waiting for TRex to get home.
T- @ 73
btw you and me, I still dig REM. I think that they’ve just gotten better. I know it’s heresy, but I have seen them live four times, each time in a small club in Athens during a “secret” gig. Each time has been better than the last.
Last Saturday I saw them play with Bill Berry again, and it was just fantastic.
What can I say? I am a fan, and a couple of them are friends of mine. I like the fact that they have gotten older without getting old and boring.
woodinit be funny if frist threw a filibuster and nobody came?
Not having a good night here, hate to say…spouse admitted to hospital with chest pains. So far nothing, but health history requires observation overnight. Add the stress of a work deadline and I’m probably in worse shape than him (seeing as he’s gotten a touch of morphine and seemed rather relaxed to the point of boredom before he got moved to a Blackberry-free zone).
ANYHOW…this has been bothering me all day, and I believe that the press has been pointedly avoiding it. Ask yourself this simple question:
WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but neither the McCain/Graham bill nor any proposal/counter offered by the President to date specifically:
1) bars the use of “alternative interrogation techniques” on any under-age persons;
2) bars the use of such to intimidate the parents or relatives of under-age persons.
Further, as currently written, McCain/Graham and the White House’s proposals/counters make any such actions retroactively legal to 9/11/06. The torture (”alternative interrogation techniques”) and rape/assault of teenagers (or any other under-age persons — CHILDREN) at Abu Ghraib could not therefore be prosecuted.
To my mind, this is completely revolting and unacceptable.
It’s also not clear to me at this point in time whether other known massacres of Iraqi citizens (like that of An Nasiryah, Fallujah, Haditha) might also be swept under the carpet if any of the actions taken there can be deemed part of “alternative interrogation techniques”.
McCain/Graham also does not provide a definition of terrorist — can an under-age person be a terrorist? This loosey-goosey terminology or lack thereof provides the vehicle for abuses to be ignored completely; the McCain/Graham and White House proposals/counters make the entire situation muddier, not clearer.
This is why Bush was so damned nasty on Friday during his speech; he is a cornered animal, one that ordered and/or authorized the inhumanity we know was perpetrated not only on adults, but on CHILDREN. The media is spinning hard about the efforts to reach a compromise, about the possibility of a filibuster, about all the other ya-ya…
But not one journalist is looking at the fact that CHILDREN were deliberately harmed by this administration — to what benefit?
What could possibly be so damnably important that we would harm CHILDREN?
How is this not My Lai all over, only retroactively protecting the Lieutenant Calleys of our day from prosecution and justice?
For one reason or another I wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight. Take your pick.
Redshift @
60
Is that Bucky Goldstein?
-GSD
Hey Matt,
AZ is too hot and too red to be truly in the West. Just teasing. The whole nation is set to East coast time, it sucks for the rest of us out here, especially when freakin’ football starts at 10 am. That’s just too early for me to get too jacked up about anything, although it is nice that the late games all get over by 9 or so, so you can have a full day of football and then still have some time in the evening.
Raoul
Here I am. I forgot that I had done dishes and straightened up the house before I left. It’s so nice in here! Allow me to kick off my giant shoes and stretch out to my full 60ft. tall.
Patrick Kennedy @
17
Check it out.
Whew! That’s quite a Greenwald post! It seems Miss MalKKKin is all exercised over the conviction of some religious extremists in Indonesia. Three guesses why she doesn’t think they deserve the death penalty.
Three more guesses who she’s urging her readers to appeal to about it. Unbelievable. I think she has officially swallowed her own tail. The irony alone may give you a nosebleed.
I had really sworn off her, but I may have to break my abstinence for tomorrow night’s post.
Frist is such a repellent toady….No wonder Rove wanted him instead of Trent Lott.
-GSD
GSD @ 115
Jewish cowboy?!
I love him!!
EEEEEEEEE!!
Wait. That isn’t Stephen Wright!
Rayne, so sorry to hear the burden you carry tonight is such a great one. I will be including you and your loved ones in my prayers.
Your comment about the children opened my eyes – I had not even thought about an age limitation. Silly me, I had just assumed there was one.
Dayamitalltohell!
Raoul Duke @ 116
Too true, Arizona is Red. But I live on the Hopi Reservation and this is the Fourth World of the Hopi and to them, the Center of the Universe. Through their prayers and ceremonies they keep the world in balance.
What exactly kind of crapass Majority Leader is Frist to threaten a filibuster? Majority Leaders are supposed to despise filibusters and (if Leaders in fact as well as name) avoid them, crapass! I’m sure I can’t recall in my lifetime that I’ve ever heard a Senate Majority Leader threaten a filibuster. It’s like Roberts Rules in Bizarro-World.
On the other hand, with Felix imploding and McCain getting all “maverick-y” again, maybe Frist sees this as his chance to inherit W’s oligarch support and perpetuate the Bush Legacy.
Raoul – I totally agree with your post (#81) about the whimpering simps. It’s totally frustrating to be surrounded by the kind of fear that would allow wiretapping and torture in the off chance that it might make one safer (yeah sure, until you’re the one tortured)
Quite by accident I ended up at a Montana blog, “A Chicken Is Not Pillage” He wrote a post (Yellow Elephants) and called the right “shivering fear junkies.” Most appropriate wouldn’t you say?
Here’s a link if you would like to read it.
http://wulfgar.typepad.com/a_c…..phant.html
Suzanne,
There were a handful of children that were in Gunatanimo Bay under incarceration.
I believe they have been released.
As to Afghanistan and Iraq–God knows….
-GSD
Not having a good night here, hate to say…spouse admitted to hospital with chest pains. So far nothing, but health history requires observation overnight. Add the stress of a work deadline and I’m probably in worse shape than him (seeing as he’s gotten a touch of morphine and seemed rather relaxed to the point of boredom before he got moved to a Blackberry-free zone).
Oh, Rayne!
*hugs you*
I’m lighting a candle and sending prayers your way. Keep us posted, please.
Suzanne @ 120
Need to e-mail the 4 Republican Senators(not a fan of theirs but they influencing this issue) and ask them if they are going to allow the torture of children.
TRex — “I had really sworn off her, but I may have to break my abstinence for tomorrow night’s post” — and well you might. Some vows are meant to be broken.
No mere mortal can resist that kind of temptation. It’s just too fetching.
Good point, Peterr. I’ve never noticed that. To be clear, I was just kidding, but I think you all know that.
One thing I’ve noticed, there’s a considerable lack of trolls here as compared to some other places (which is why I like to post here), are we a “hidden island” that the Cornerites and their ilk can’t see or what. I only mention this cause T-Rex mentioned a lack of trolls, and I’ve noticed that lack as well. Trust me, I don’t want that to change, it makes for a nice enviroment. Maybe the trolls are worse earlier in the day. Some places I don’t post anymore (like Newshounds-although I still faithfully read it) because of their (troll’s) overabundance.
Raoul
Rayne @ 114,
Prayers for your husband and you. Hope hope hope it’s just gastric in nature.
lurcher @
99
I was taken by the similarity to the 9/11 Report. In the 9/11 Commission Report, the prisoners were inaccessible and the interviewers (torturers) were not allowed to testify.
I refer to page 146 of the 9/11 Commission report.
I understand the reason for not including the testimony of Mr. Arar, who is free to make a statement regarding the report. I’m pissed off to hear “…information that they had which they were not prepared to make public…” yet again.
Perhaps I am being too cynical.
Rayne, thinking much here at my house about you and yours tonight.
TRex @
119
Yeah, one of his great streetjoke style bits.
OT.
The latest SUSA polls still have Bush with an above 50% in only 5 states…..George Bush is SURGING! Hardly.
-GSD
Jane Hamsher @ 127
Who’s gonna pay for TRex’s damn snark rehab after this new jag, though? Resist, dear theropod, resist. Call someone you love. Call your snark-sponsor. Look away!
Raoul Duke @ 128
Oh, they know we’re here. Believe me, they know. But comments around here are moderated, and those that trip the spam filters get caught automatically and the very human moderators often catch the rest. Some sneak through, but are quickly deleted. It’s not to stifle debate, but to allow it to happen freely.
Give thanks for the Mods, for they are good at swatting the trolls!
AZ Matt @ 121
Then you get a pass! lol In some ways, well in most ways, I wish we (as humanity)could go back a 1000 years and start again on this continent and make sure it was never found. I like the old days, until of course I warm something up in the micro and reach for a diet coke, then I realize I couldn’t hack it. lol
Raoul
Kewalo @ 123
Thanks for the link, Kewalo, I’ll check it out.
Raoul
RDuke — we are blessed with extraordinary moderators and a Golden Rule that trolls must not be fed. Sometimes, when the moderators stagger out from behind their magic curtain covered in the pixie dust they use to scatter the trolls, we realize how hard they toil on behalf of the lovely environment here.
Otherwise, it’s all rainbows and unicorns at the ‘lake. And for that we love it!
PS Who’s Uncle Bernie?
Raoul,
You just need a big bowl of nokquivi and some piki to go with it!
Rayne –
Your spouse has the morphine, and you’ve got the Lake. Kick back, and let the love hold you up. (Even if you’re up all night.)
Peace to you.
Good night, pups.
Kewalo—that’s one mighty fine link.
falling asleep, firedogs.
Gonna close my eyes. No snakes in here…
One thing I’ve noticed, there’s a considerable lack of trolls here as compared to some other places (which is why I like to post here), are we a “hidden island” that the Cornerites and their ilk can’t see or what. I only mention this cause T-Rex mentioned a lack of trolls, and I’ve noticed that lack as well. Trust me, I don’t want that to change, it makes for a nice enviroment. Maybe the trolls are worse earlier in the day. Some places I don’t post anymore (like Newshounds-although I still faithfully read it) because of their (troll’s) overabundance.
We just have very fast cleanup crews.
A friend of mine once described Athens as “Disneyland with real bullets”.
I said, “Disneyland has real bullets, they just have very fast cleanup crews.”
There, I gave away the punch line before the joke, but here’s the deal.
People complain in other sites’ comment threads that their dissenting posts get deleted here, but we’ve found that letting the trolls past the razor wire completely kills the environment for everybody else who actually comes here to read and not just start a fight. So, we zap them.
Last night was a case in point. I actually responded to a couple of people and all of our beloved regulars fled for the hills. There were tumbleweeds blowing through here. It just kills the conversation. If they want to spit and fume, they can do it on their own blogs.
Peterr @ 134
Again, good point, Peter. So I use this post to give a hearty thank you for the moderators for providing such a lovely place to conversate, it is as welcomed as an oasis in the desert. Besides, I have trouble not feeding trolls, I get too emotional and let them suck me in.
Rayne, I wish you and yours the very best.
Raoul
Hey by the way if anyone has a way to get the video of Dennis Hastert muffing the words of the Star Spangled Banner in front of the Capitol last 9/11, the John Laesch campaign would like it.
email to: info AT john06 DOT com
What Teddy said: Do not feed the trolls.
And I’ve found that to be a handy mantra when I’m dealing with folks face to face, too. They can get grumpy when you don’t feed them, but happily, they usually wander off to find someone else to bother.
TeddySanFran @ 137
Bernie Ward, KGO San Francisco, the Lionheart of the Left. Not that I think he is gospel (although he is a jesuit) but compared to most other talk radio he is manna from heaven. Comes on about now, 810 am on the dial.
Raoul
Raoul Duke @ 144
THe saying is, “The price f FDL is eternal vigilence,” and our mods are so good here that only the very occasional troll sneaks in. TRex was a bit disappointed earlier because he thinks they are *great* snacks.
Teddy,
I’ll send off that link now.
-GSD
So how’d this speech play in jolly old England? This is my favorite part (from http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran…..65,00.html)
He invoked the interests of “ordinary men and women free to determine their own destiny” and expressed his desire for a world in which “the extremists are marginalised by the peaceful majority“.
Boy…if he’s not talking about our Fall Mid-Term Elections here in America, well then I just don’t know what he’s talking about.
In the way of a very big favor if one of
the many posters here could drop a note at
achenblog site at WAPO for me just to give
update to poster there known as mostlylurking:
———————————————
Several attempts to submit comments at
the a-blog by me who posts here as “an
american in siam…” have been deep-sixed
into what is called “blog owners review”
for reason(s) unknown to me. Just to relay
that ais(me) am fine and events here are
not wholly surprising or unexpected.
———————————————-
Thailand is passing through a political
sticky spot, HIS MAJESTY THE KING remains
central to all exercise of power here.
Sadly the Thai PM underestimated the
political climate in Thailand. Within
a few days things should become more
clear as to how events will proceed.
Also…perhaps mostlylurking can drop a
note for me to Joel as to why I am
getting caught up in “blog owners” net.
To helpful poster(s) thank you very much.
Sent from Thailand WED 20/09/2006/12:05pm
TRex @ 143
As usual, you knock it out of the park with your explanation. If I am not provoked, I won’t get too overly emotional! :) Seriously, you do some great work, T-Rex, you have some scary ass talent.
(Sorry, bathroom and smoke break, and I have to get Bernie on my computer so I can have some liberal talking along with my liberal typing! BRB
Raoul
6 minutes belated – happy birthday Tommy Yum & here’s hoping you’ve never had enough!
(In honor of your birthday, I’m smiling again at the “these people are why basements were invented” paraphrased descript of Cheney & Co.)
RBG @ 141
Thanks RGB! I had been calling the right thumbsucking bedwetters. After I read the Yellow Elephants post I wrote the blogger (I have no idea what his name is) and told him I was going to borrow “shivering fear junkies.” LOL There are some mighty fine brains around the country.
Naturally, the best are right here at the lake.
I hope all is well with you tonight.
Very disturbing to think about children being tortured. It’s almost too much to consider. I actually went a fixed a drink after I read Rayne’s post. It’s given me the shudders.
BTW Rayne so sorry about Mr Rayne, I hope everything goes alright.
Rayne – will be thinking of you! and best to Mr Rayne! but good you and he have the sense to listen to medical advice and get the reassurance of observation.
hi rayne,
as red skelton used to say, “may god bless…).
i’ve been meaning to ask you if you know my sister. she works for the great lakes commission and has an office at MSU. she’s fairly active politically in a low key manner. her husband is an epsicopal priest and serves a couple of small churches south of lansing. just thought i’d ask…
The moderators here at the lake are the absolute best! Without a doubt.
I wrote my first diary today about Victoria Toensing. Didn’t get much attention,
I hope it is alright to post that here. I feel a little uncomforable bringing it up. If it’s not ok please let me know.
Rayne – sorry to hear about the spouse… wrote DiFi about the torture of children just now… perhaps that is an admendment the Dems can throw in… will call her office tomorrow..
Good night you guys!
Where’s Hopey, I wonder?
People can put up their own diaries here? I didn’t know that. Damn, maybe I better navigate the site a little better. I had no idea that you could write your own diary here. If i can ever string two sentences together in a coherent and entertaining fashion, I might have to explore that option.
Raoul
katymine @
42
Reggie Bush, si! George Walker Bush, not so much.
{{{{RAYNE}}}}}
Please don’t get to the point where they have you on the morphine too. Prayers and good thoughts ma’am.
Here’s my thought on the Bush v. McCain monstrosities. There is only a couple of weeks left until they are supposed to go into recess for campaigning. I am hoping that enough competing bills hit that everything gets held over until after the elections.
IMO – the Dems need to ask for a thorough investigation of incidents like Arar and el-Masri and the Uighars before making a determination on any legislation. While they are at it, they need to focus on the fact that innocent people are being tortured and the President wants COngressional amnesty for torturing innocent people and making foreign countries put us on a “pro-torture” list of countries to whom they must restrict their intelligence information.
They need to say that the PResident has all the power he could want or need to PARDON people who have committed crimes up until the legislation is in effect – so that the torture of the Canadian citizen, and the German citizen, and the Chinese Uighars – are his babies to suckle.
They can then go on with all the info that Canda did not feel had to be kept “ultra mega super duper secret” and yet we have claimed as “state secrets” in the Arar case here. Why are Americans supposed to be kept more in the dark than Canadians? Is there any reason other than cover up?
Take care and don’t worry. ANd get sleep! It’s a healer all by itself.
TRex – Hopie was around last night – haven’t seen her this evening…
We don’t actually have an attached diary feature, Raoul. I think Kewalo means over at Kos. Can we have a link, K?
I’m watching Robert Greenwald’s film. It’s incredible. You don’t know whether to scream or cry. I can’t believe the lid finally might be coming off this ugly, tragic mess.
Raoul Duke @ 160
No, I’m sorry I wasn’t more clear, I posted it at DailyKos. That’s why I feel a little odd bringing it up here. I thought about sending it to Jane, maybe I should have. Maybe I still will.
I don’t know, but I am most adament about outing Victoria.
Hey, everybody go watch this and report back. Oh, leave a comment. I just stumbled across this video today and it cracked me up.
Mary – I think you are right about delaying all this until after the election… frist fillibustering may be the best thing that ever happened…
fillibuster, counter-fillibuster…!
Rayne, just a gentle reminder not to overlook care for the caregiver. Just think EGBOK: Everything’s Gonna Be OK. Here’s wishing the best for you and your family and a request to notify the community here if there’s anything at all we can help with.
I can’t wait to see Greenwald’s latest Jane – he does such good work – and his spot on KO was brilliant.
Did folks see the story (found at Information Clearing House) about the 10 Nobel Peace Prize winners … very good comments and worth sharing with folks:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories…..2CO0.shtml
Rayne, all good thoughts to you and yours tonight.
Gotcha, TRex. I didn’t think that I had ever noticed that, and I’ve lurked awhile. I love Daily Kos, but it’s SO BIG, I prefer more intimate surrondings like this.
By all means, Kewalo, link us up. Light it, don’t hide it, man. :)
Raoul
Rayne — I hope for the best. We’re here for you.
I’m taking Ms. Redshift in way too early tomorrow for some biopsies, including an extra one they scheduled for something that showed up on the pre-op scans today. We are not happy, obviously, but hopefully it’ll turn out to be nothing. But it’s no fun either way. Wish us luck.
(And yeah, way too early tomorrow plus awake now on Eastern Time makes no sense. We’re incurable night owls, I’m afraid.)
Speaking of Mrs. Redshift, I haven’t forgotten the photo assignment. Just haven’t been up that way lately, but I’ll get there before long.
Good luck and be well to all the Redshift crew.
Kewalo @ 166
No problem, no biggie. I know a little about, well, I guess I have to call it her, and yes, that vile woman (not that her gender has to do with anything) has to be stopped as an influence in this country, so kudos and keep it up. Send it to Jane, she doesn’t seem like a mean type of person, the worst I’m sure she’ll say is “No, thank you”. You probably have done it already, but give us a link.
Raoul
Peterr @76 – the bestest most accurate summary of the bills I have seen.
Let them kill the time. Then more time. Then more…
Jane Hamsher @ 165
God, I hope so.
Trex – I love the cat squeaker … one of ours used to do that when we had a window that looked out on a roof where birds congregated …very fluent in bird lingo! and I like the other posts there … a nice little blog!
Jane Hamsher @ 165
God I hope so. We have quite a few returning military here and they are quite vocal. A couple of Vets started an hour radio show on our local Air America show on Sundays called “About Face”. They will be addressing the Iraq for Sale documentary next Sunday. They will be showing in here in Phoenix Nov 3rd.
The small clips I have seen makes me want to run out and start ripping those damn yellow ribbon magnets off of cars again.
TRex & Raoul -
Honest to God, I feel like I’m in the 5th grade. OK here is the link…
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/9/19/162955/956
Please let me know your thoughts. I hope this makes me a blogwhore, it’s been a long time…
Rayne,
What a frightening night you must be having. I wish you and your family well in this difficult time. I know I don’t comment too often, but your words of kindness and encouragment to me really helped. Keep your chin up.
Jane Hamsher @ 165
I saw him interviewed tonight on K.O. and they played a clip. Mr jmba and I were both crying, it is so fucking awful!!!
Old Coastie – at least that’s what I am hoping for – and Specter mentioned scheduling a hearing in Judiciary on the habeas aspects (sounds as if Levin learned from his last episode with Graham, he was in favor of judiciary hearings and concerned about habeas – I think that may be due in large chunks to {{{Rayne}}} ).
I just sent off some LTEs, but I cannot keep them short enough. There is so much that doesn’t get discussed in MSM, you feel like you have to give context. *s*
My theme is that Arar/el-Masri/Uighars are proof the President and Congress don’t want to torture terrorists in a ticking time bomb – they want to be able to kidnap and torture completely innocent people with no liability.
I’m waiting for someone in the press corps to ask Bush if Zubaydah isn’t nutsy – didn’t confess to all kinds of plots that were dead ends and only given up to make the torture stop, and even on Padilla where he did talk – he said Padilla thought he could make a dirty bomb by swinging a bucket around over his head to get reactive materials.
They let him say whatevef he feels like. Maybe it’s a good time to ask, too, why we have to say the name of the person who Arar spoke with is a state secret, while Canada publishes it openly in its report – why do Americans have to find out from other countries what our govt is doing?
katymine @ 180
Everyone sporting one of those ribbons should be required to watch this film.
TRex:
I believe money, money, money was what it’s been about from the beginning. Oil was only the vehicle that would pay for the war profiteering. And when that didn’t work out, the oil was replaced by the American taxpayer.
Money, money, money!!
al-Scooter @ 174
No rush, and thanks again.
Popping back in for a break from work and worry. Want to say thank you all for your kind thoughts and words. I’m trying to be blase about this; not the first firedrill with the spouse, will not be the last. I’m just thankful he overcame his stubbornness and pride and simply went to the ER to get checked rather than sit around and hem and haw about going. My mother is an ER nurse, has seen far too many folks show up too late after that bit of “indigestion” they couldn’t outwait; spouse must have heard enough of her shoptalk to take the hint and simply got himself checked out. Can’t leave to go to the hospital because of the kids, trusting him to tell me everything straight up; they’ve not found anything in the xrays, bloodwork so far, but he’s getting some nitro along with morphine. He’s only described this as “pleuritic pain” (in his engineer’s poor spelling) — can’t imagine how many different tests this is going to take to pin down especially since he’s diabetic, has a history of arrhythmia and a brother who dropped dead in his mid-40’s of a heart attack.
Blase. Yah. Sure. [sigh]
If you haven’t had a recently physical, don’t know your cholesterol level, haven’t had a baseline PSA level check, go get one, guys. Eat more fiber and fruits and vegetables, get more sleep. Please.
‘Cuz being here to explain all this to the kids by myself is no picnic and I’m sure somebody out there will feel the same way if you don’t take care of yourself.
The fact that they would serve tainted food and water to military in combat just makes me sick. Food that was shot up and had shapnel in it, water contaminated with sewage. I saw the part where the guy was crying….. geesh
I remember reading my Dad’s letters that my grandmother kept from WWII. He would tell them to save their ration coupons because he was getting fed well and all the smokes he wanted. It was the 1940’s where most supplies were shipped by boat… he was in the Pacific theater …
If they can’t provide the basics of food and water…. just makes me sick.
Kewalo @
181
Nice work, Kewalo. You know, we all have our betes noir, you should just do a fact check on everything that comes out of Victoria Toensing’s mouth until you become her nemesis. Every time she tells a lie, up you pop on Kos.
It would drive her crazy. (-er. Crazier.)
Redshift, good thoughts to you and Ms. Redshift as well.
TRex @ 190
Thanks TRex, LOL I have this vision of seeing her one last time on TV and she’s trying to explain how she wrote the Act while in Detroit.
Whoops, sorry kids. I was fixing some typos and I accidentally un-published the post!
Aheh.
*blushes*
wow… thought it was me… hit submit and poof it just missappeared….
so where did everyone go?
Damn ‘Matlock’!
(rapping on monitor) Is anybody home?
Well, I really need to go to bed…. have conference call hell again tomorrow… Gad it was just TRex fat fingers and not the big bolt from above that made everyone missappear…
We’re definetely NOT Republicans here. When something goes SNAFU on their watch, they blame Bill or Billary. Or anybody but themselves. They don’t wonder – ever – “did something I do have a consequence.”
Trust an Alaskan, firedoggies, it was a clog in the toobz………
katymine @ 195
Wow, that’s some button you’ve got TRex. Get’s rid of post and posters too. *g*
Hey ET, I got some spectacular pictures of the Childs Glacier with my new camera. Was able to get the layers of deep blue from the face of it.
katymine @ 198
*looks hurt*
My forelimbs are very delicate.
brainfaht @
9
707!
No my dear Trex… it is a computer data entry term…. instead of it being a bug….. it is a fat finger entry error…. Just like you are doing the audio board at the radio station…. oops … fat fingered that one…
I would never hurt the Trex feelings …. :(
Izzat love?
What I feel when you’re in my arms
..
When I dream that there’s no one else..
To forgive all those things you done?
……
If you’re cold, you know I’ll keep you warm
am I wrong? or izzat love?
……..
To conceal how it feels deep inside.
Deep inside I believe it’s alive
Am I wrong? Am I wrong? Am I wrong?
or izzat love?
Hey TRex, now if you lose your drivers license, you can still vote (altho the state of Georgia plans to appeal the activist judge’s decision.) Love this part of the opinion striking down Perdue’s “fraud” law: “This cannot be.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01382.html
We have our own lovely Prop 200 in AZ that requires picture ID to vote. The lovely people at the Election Board interpreted it pretty generously by allowing alternative ID such as your voter card, utility bills, Tribal ID but not your passport which goes through a FEDERAL security check. So since there are “free” ID forms it does not get judicial review… dang them.
katymine,
I’m glad the Childs Glacier pictures worked. You told us about the glorious day you spent there so well back in August. Memories….
Okay, kids. Now that the post is back, it’s time for me to take MY BIG FAT FINGERS off to bed.
*sniff*
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!
*storms off down the hall*
*slams bedroom door*
katymine @ 204
I can tell you’re making that up.
*sticks out tongue*
aww
hee
good night
:P
Trex #167 That cat has been listening to Trex lps. wouldn’t ya say. RAYNE-Best of thoughts to youz and yourz and thanks for the good advice. Had a 1st complete phyz. in 40 yrs. last month. Whoah!
Well ET, had lots of fun, ate lots of salmon, want to go back soon but during summer and love telling everyone how they had to get the bear off the tarmack at Cordova so the 737 could land.
I am heading off now…. still am on Alaska time it seems…
g’nite all, good thoughts dear Rayne….
Right, well, now that he’s gone, who knows Raw Ramp?
Kewalo @
181
LOL Kewalo
I know the “stand up and give the class your book report” feeling…except my huge anxiety was to get up and have to work math problems at the board. I died a thousand times in third grade alone. ;-)
Rayne, I hope you can get some sleep. You will have a lot to take care of tomorrow. Blessings to Mr. Rayne. Sunny tomorrow.
Redshift, take good care of Mrs. Redshift.
*ilbo — good for you, glad you finally had a physical. They can be eye-opening, can’t they?
Teddy — thanks, dear, and I’m off to bed myself to see if I can squeeze in 3 hours of sleep before I have to wrestle the 8-year-old out of bed and into his routine before school.
‘Niters, FirePups.
Mommybrain — heh. “Mr. Rayne”. He’s not going to be happy about the diet to which he will be coming home tomorrow.
Mmm…veggies.
Off to dream of low-fat chocolate zuchini bread…
Mommybrain @ 219
from our house too…
Good Morning… catching the tail end of th sweet goodnight blessings here and passing them along refreshed for the new morrow……..peace to all…….and light rain here…
Mornin’ OS. I am up way too early today.
Boeing wins border security contract
Multibillion-dollar plan calls for towers, cameras, sensors
Gar, errr, gee Twolfl, g’mornin to you. I suddenly feel so much more secure now that I know that Boing (sp) is going to protect us from our neigbors, especially to the north. But the beegquestion is, can they keep the wind out?
big wave to ya OS
Jiminy cricket, wolfie!! That is a big one!!
Toxic Train Derailment in Texas
President Bush’s ranch is several miles away from the town and was not near the area evacuated. Bush was not at the ranch at the time of the spill.
…and in other news, Crawford man derails democracy in the U.S.
I doubt that anyone can think less of President Bush than I do. But neither him nor anyone else in his administration is forcing the Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq to kill each other. When the driving force in your life is settling a 1,400-year-old feud over the rightful successor to your religion’s prophet, you aren’t playing with a full deck.
Good morning FDL, I’ve got the coffee brewing over here, and pumpkin muffins in the oven (should be done in about 20 more minutes)
Mornin’ beard5, seems poeple are sleepin’ in today
Phillyboy @ 230
When war comes to a region, all old unsettled wars come back to life. Iraq has been locked down for so many years, and while there was surely less widespread factional war during the intervening years of the Saddam rule among the people, the leader, not being freely elected nor caring about justice, nor left free from external meddling, continued to act on the credo that you can always get folks stirred up over religious differences as a means to maintaining one’s own hegemony. Chaos works well for top-down leadership (so to speak).
And if you want to wonder about 1400 yr old disagreements, how about land disputes in Palestine, which I guess must go back farther than that?
The truth of the matter right now is that in the face of issues of global warming, the fact that any government is trying to kill enough other people to get its own way about anything rather than trying to figure out how we can possibly take care of ourselves as a planet is insane in my book.
Hi Beard, I can almost smell those nice muffins!!
Rainy in NH today?
By the way, lazy me, can you link to your Joan book again so I can easily share it with DH? TIA
Royal Society tells Exxon: stop funding climate change denial
In an unprecedented step, the Royal Society, Britain’s premier scientific academy, has written to the oil giant to demand that the company withdraws support for dozens of groups that have “misrepresented the science of climate change by outright denial of the evidence”.
Phillyboy @ 230
We broke it, we own it.
OS, it was rainy last night, but it seems to be clearing up, and cooling off, this morning.
here’s the link to Joan
Joan of Arc
Good morning. It’s actually cool in New Orleans.
Mary @
184
A Frist filibuster against Warner-McCain-Graham would be a wonderful thing, but there’s no way in hell it’ll happen. IMHO Bush v. Warner-McCain-Graham is a pseudo-conflict, a red herring. The WH is in a big hurry to get this through and will not let the matter of show trials versus real trials hold things up.
So what is it that they are in a hurry for? I’m guessing that its the amnesty for “young professionals” and their bosses up the line. And WMH gives that to them.
More evidence that the world has taken an alarming tilt:
Biologists Stumped After Arctic Seals Found On Fla. Beaches
Hurricanes May Have Affected Seals
FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Biologists are stumped after two Arctic seals strayed about 2,500 miles from their native icy waters and ended up on beaches in Florida.
Local 6 News showed video of to two hooded seals that recently washed up in Martin and Palm Beach counties in South Florida.
http://www.rawstory.com/showar…..etail.html
Lindy, odd question, but do you know if Cafe Du Monde has internet access? (if so, I think I’m moving)I’d actually leave the house for Cafe Du Monde coffee and beignets.
beard5 @ 241
Good morning, beard5. Last time I was there, they did not. Of course, that was a couple of years ago. I’ll see if I can find out and get back to you on that.
beard5 @ 241
Of course, last time I checked, there was still free wifi in New Orleans. That may have changed also.
darkblack @
72
Why, heavens to Betsy, they have gone nuts up there, haven’t they?! Here I was feeling all good that the Arar report was coming out and all, and now they scare me nigh to quaking.
Thanks, beard. DH’s comment was that they didn’t use goatskin in the Middle Ages, more likely pigskin or vellum. Ever the particular, that DH. LOL.
I heard the report on Democracy Now about the Arar case. Made me so mad I could spit if my mouth weren’t so dry from being so mad I could spit about almost everything else.
Yes, a filibuster…every day, all day long, until BushCo gets out!!
LindyH @ 244
Dang, free wifi in N.O. …I’ve *got* to convince the rest of my family to move south.
beard5 @ 247
In a state of emergency, it’s pretty fast. When the emergency’s over, it is about half the speed. If you’re ever dealt with dial-up, should be no problem.
Old Sow @ 246
OS, actually I’m willing to rely on Randy’s research that goatskin, treated as vellum, is appropriate for the time frame of the work. He’s an amazing researcher as well as illuminator.
If I remember correctly (conversations with my Master/Baron Harold) Goatskin was used in specific areas and times, and not used in other areas and times. It depended on the animals in the area, and the religious authorities in the same area. (For example, you wouldn’t have seen pigskin, even newborn, used for manuscripts in Venice, because of the Moslem trade. But you’d come across it in England.)
beard5 @ 249
I’ll leave the details of “this” for you all to work your ways though……….people have always used the best materials available at the time and place and based on their budget, that’s for sure. That Moslems wouldn’t have traded in pigskin I wouldn’t doubt, that others might have brought goatskin from North Africa to Venice I wouldn’t doubt. That’s all I know…
OS, thank you and Mr OS’s question, you reminded me of something that I’ll need to research in a few months. I’ll need to track down info on what kind of vellum/parchment/skin would have been used for a vernacular Bible (Wycliffe translation, I know it’s heretical, but the language is beautiful) in the early 1400’s. (I’ll need to cite sources, etc.)
Great, great post, TRex!
This morning Nice Polite Republicans Morning Edition had Vichy Dem Peter Bienart on talking about the Dubai Ports Deal. According to ole Peter Democratic Party objection to the deal had nothing to do with security but was all politics to beat up on the boy king.
By the way, Beardy, there are halal/kosher Hassidic vellum merchants in NYC/Spring Valley.
What do you all know about Polling Point? I was looking over the survey, and it seems awfully personal…besides having questions like: Will the issue of global warming play an important or not important role in your decision to vote for a congressional candidate in November?
That question wouldn’t have seemed so strange, but it was a “yes or no” question.
Morning, all.
I see that the House is debating today a bill that would require all voters to show a photo ID before voting – this after a Georgia court ruled unconstitutional a Georgia law that required the same thing.
How long before we have national ID cards?
OS, Thank you for that, a friend just got a commission for a Jewish Wedding Scroll (there’s a term for that, but it escapes me)
As an aside, I think he’s tearing his hair out over this one, the whole way of holding the pen is different for Hebrew than it is in the European tradition. (At least if I’m understanding him right, that’s what he said…He can get a little obscure sometimes)
And on that note, I’ve had breakfast and taken a break, it’s time to get back to the calligraphy (I’m on page 28, approximately another 200 to go)
Anne @ 257
How long before they snap a little GPS chip into our arms or butts?
Betraying Barry Goldwater
new thread
Phillyboy @ 230
I’d say his incompetence did partially force it. To begin – he knew that was simmering and had been warned of catastrophic civil war, but did nada to make for a secure, peaceful situation. Instead, he went in gunning for the Sunnis.
De-Ba’athification, not working with any Sunni leaders, allowing Chalabi and Iranian elements to walk into control apparatus, setting up a Constitution and government that would leave Kurds with an oil rich area, Shiia with Baghdad and an oil rich area, and Sunnis with nonthing. Then allowing the formation of Shiia militia and the rise of al-Sadr and the work of the Badr brigades.
Someone with less effort and focus of resources could probably come close to provoking race riots in this country, for that matter. He handed out sharp pointy sticks and helped make sure the first pokes got going – like a parent who sets one child to beating the other. The fact that they have kept at it now that he’s gone for that cup of coffee you can drink (now that Sadaam’s not in power) doesn’t mean much, IMO. Lots of places in the ME with mixed Sunni/Shiia populations and resentments, but not where you wake up to headlines that 30 or so guys named Omar were all killed based on their name.
IMO
Way late to late night, but I just have to say that I read your post 3 times just now. You hit me, grabbed me and held me– the way a great writer does! I read a lot; this deserves to be in the hall of fame.
Thank you Trex.
it’s a great post trex
I want to clarigy one point
it’s to resrict the market so they can raise the price, it’s not having the oil, it’s being ablle to resrtict the oil
nice post…cut and pasting it with links to here I am
Munch a bunch of ‘trolitos’ for lunch.
“My country desires peace.” Isn’t that the hallmark quote of the Anti-Christ? Just saying…
For context, I am an Australian, living in Australia.
When I saw Bush on the TV saying “My country desires peace.” I could barely believe my ears!
This bald faced lying fuck has got to be joking right?
I took it as an insult and I believe that many people across the US and the world will also.
Of all the things to say, surely, his handlers (Rove et al) and his speech writers know, that having him say this will just make him look worse than he already is?
Such Lies as this are so blatant and so obvious he might as well have said…Fuck You all…I am the King and I will do whatever the fuck I want to do.
George W. Bush, the President of the United States of America, is…
a habitual Liar, an Competent, an Idiot and is making the world a very dangerous place.
What he is not…
He is NOT a Christian, he is not the King with unlimited powers and he is not an honourable man.