Vote!

Everyone vote today. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent. Exercise your right to vote. Bush left his polling place today and said that we have a privilege to vote. Wrong!We have the RIGHT to vote!

As for me, I voted this morning using a touch-screen Deibold machine. Went smoothly for me. But you have to wonder what is going on in that electronic box that holds your vote. Personally, I don't see why we just don't go back to a piece of paper and a ballot box. Not a punch card, not a levered voting booth, not an optical scanner. Just a piece of paper. Counted by people with other people watching those people, may be some people watching those people.

I just don't trust voting machines.

There Ain't Gonna Be No Election

With all of the bad news for Republicans we have seen this year and especially the last couple of months, I believe the October-November suprise will be the suspension of the election on November 7th.

Why do I believe that? Because the President will do anything to keep Congress from going to the Democratic Party. With subpoena power the majority party will hold hearings. Witnesses will be under oath as they brought before these committees.

Congress has been manipulated to get to this point in our nation's history. The final manipulation came with the passing of the Military Commissions Act. I would be willing to bet dollars to donuts that Rove and his minions promised all the incumbents that if they voted for this heinous legislation, the GOP would pull out all the stops to see they they are rewarded with re-election.

What other choice does the president have but to find a way to stop the election until he can be guaranteed a GOP lead Congress? His back is against the wall and he knows it.

It's all very scarry. But it is Halloween.

No One Can Stop Dear Leader

From Digby's Hullabaloo:

"The truth is that the United States government is presently holding, torturing, and even murdering countless numbers of people who have no chance in hell of obtaining a lawyer, let alone anything resembling a trial. The government is doing this under the direct orders of George W. Bush. There is no law, no bill, and no legislature who can stop him. If Congress were to pass a law unequivocably banning torture and send it to him, he'd use it for toilet paper. If the Supreme Court were to rule against Bush in the harshest and bluntest language, he'd yawn. The truth is that there is a rogue presidency and there has been, since January, 2001 (earlier, if you count the stolen election). Certainly, everyone in Washington knows it, but no one dares to admit it. The bill legalizing torture merely enables Congress to pretend they still have some influence over an executive that from day one was governing, not as if they had a mandate, but as if Bush was a dictator. If, for some miracle, the bill didn't pass, every congress-critter knows Bush would keep on torturing. Better to vote to pass and preserve the appearance of a working American government, the thinking goes. For the very thought that the US government is seriously broken - that the Executive is beyond the control of anyone and everyone in the world - is such a truly awesome and terrifying thought that it can never be publicly acknowledged. If ever it is, if the American crisis gets outed and Congress and the Supremes openly assert that the Executive has run completely amok and is beyond control, the world consequences are staggering. It is the stuff of doomsday novels. And this brings up the dilemma of a post Nov. 7 world. Apparently, one if not both houses of Congress may be controlled by Democrats. Now what? You think Bush is gonna get impeached? Put on trial for war crimes? Forget it. You think they're gonna repeal the pro-torture law they're about to pass? You can almost certainly forget that, too. Remember: it is crucial to maintain the illusion that Congress still has some say, as it was in November of 2002 about the Bush/Iraq war.If, for some reason, Congress does decide to move against Bush in some substantive way, there will be hell to pay. Those of us who well remember Watergate remember that while it was genuinely thrilling to have Nixon caught, disgraced, and removed, it was also a time of extreme tension. Would Nixon tough the impeachment trial out, causing the country incalculable harm? It looked for quite a long time that he would. About Bush, there is no doubt. Since the day after the 2000 election, Bush and his goons have been playing chicken with the very structure of the United States Government, double-daring anyone to try and stop them. If Congress does try - and I'm not talking little things like wrecking Social Security, that'll happen and a dictator can afford to let things like that wait a while, I'm talking atomic bang bang and thumbscrews - he will force the private Constitutional crisis into the open. And there is no guarantee that Bush will lose.And that is the truth. The Congress has been given an awful choice: Vote to approve torture and the suspension of habeas or show the world that yes, you really do have no genuine power to check Bush. Of course, all of Congress should vote against the bill anyway. But they won't. And to themselves, they will justify the vote as saying they made a hard choice but made the best one they could for their country. Me, well...I've gone on record numerous times about how much I dread radicalism and serious national crises (which are two reasons Bush scares the hell out of me). The prospect of an open Constitutional confrontation, Bush vs. the Congress plus the Supremes...Jesus Christ. Perhaps I should understand the Congress had no real choice?Absolutely not. The time truly is long overdue where there simply is no choice but to say "enough." It should have been enough over the stolen election, or the neglect that led to 9/11, or Schiavo, or the filibuster.* But voting to permit the US government to sidestep Geneva? To suspend habeas? What the fuck is Congress thinking, for crissakes??? Has fascism moved so slowly that only a few bloggers can perceive the inevitable progression? I don't think so.There's no question about it. Any person in Congress who votes for this - listening, Hillary? - will never get my vote again. Ever, not even for dogcatcher, let alone president. If there is going to be a public Constitutional crisis over Bush's rogue presidency - and there will be sooner or later, guaranteed - bring it on now."

Nuke 'Em

I believe that President Bush is going to use tactical nukes on Iran. At first I thought this was just crazy talk. But now I think our president is crazy. He wants to attack Iran, but we don't have the troops on station to do it. Nuking them is a cost effective way of doing it.

I can't believe anyone, let alone the President of the United States, would ever consider this option. But when I read that Bush told conservative reporters in the Oval Office that he sees a "third awakening" on the horizon, I started to shit my pants.

This is what I want everyone who reads this to do: Write your local newspaper editor, your mayor, your congressman, your senator and anyone else you can think of. Tell them that you have every reason to believe that President Bush is going to use nuclear weapons! Get the message out there. Let everyone know that we know what this administration is up to and that we, the people of the United States, are not going to stand for it.

We have to stop this mad man before it's too late.

Here's a New Perspective

I have to agree with the writer.

I'm sick of the pussy GOP.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/8/14/65537/7743

The Honest Truth

For the life of me I cannot fathom why 30% of this country still thinks our President is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

EVERYTHING GEORGE W. BUSH TOUCHES TURNS TO SHIT!!!!!

Always has, always will.

You would think he would have grown into the job after being in it for 6 years, but he has not. As a matter of fact, you can tell that from his statement yesterday reguarding the foiled airline plot. It was a half-hearted attempt to express the dangers that lay before us. Blah, blah, blah, al Qaeda, blah, blah, blah, 9/11, blah blah... Just let me get this out so I can get back to my fundraising, my vacation and my bicycle.

Please, leave him in Crawford. Keep him sequestered. I'm sure he wouldn't mind sitting the rest of his term out at the house.

I'm Afraid Billmon is Right

I haven't blogged in quite a while. Health problems in the family. But I had to post this from Billmon concerning the mid-term elections and I have the sickening feeling he is right.

"More and more, I've come to believe the Dems are insane for even wanting a share of the responsibility for running this out-of-control madhouse of a country. It's like being invited to grab hold of a downed high-voltage power line.

So here's my confession: At this point I really don't give a flying fuck whether the Democrats take the House or the Senate back. No, wait, that's not true. The truth is I hope they don't. It wouldn't save us from what's coming down the road, in the Middle East and elsewhere. It wouldn't force President Psychopath to change course or seek therapy. But it would make sure that the "left" (ha ha ha) gets more than its fair share of blame for the approaching debacle.
That may well be the natural role of the Democratic Party in our one-and-a-half party system, but I don't want any part of it any more. Which means that when I say it's a bad sign (consensus opinion always being wrong) that Charlie Cook now thinks the Republicans are likely to lose their House and/or Senate majorities in November, I just mean that it's a bad sign for the Democratic Party and its professional hangers on.For the rest of us, and for whatever is left of this country's soul, it doesn't really matter. We've already lost."

Read this and other posts: http://www.billmon.org/

Another Photo-Op For Prez

I haven't posted in a while and there is so much going on in the world of politics. Karl Rove looks to have escaped the noose of the Special Procecuter, the king of terror in Iraq has been killed and President Bush snuck into Baghdad for a meet and greet with the Prime Minister.

Does it mean that G.W. is finally putting his nose to the grind stone to get this ugly mess of his fixed? I doubt it. It is only for political expediancy that this president is doing anything that relates to his job. You know, he's a campainer. That's all he knows how to do. He can't govern worth spit.

If photo-ops could get the problems of this country fixed, we'd all be shittin' in high cotton.

Karl Rove is a Dummy

I don't agree with everything Andrew Sullivan writes ,but I always consider most of it a friendly difference of opinion.

On this point he is oh, so right:

http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/05/how_stupid_is_k.html

A Must Read

Everyone should read Glenn Greenwald's blog. He always seems to nail it down on whatever subject.

http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/

The Right Always Frames the Question

Appoval ratings for both President Bush and Congress are lower each time a Poll comes out. No matter that the Republican Party controls the White House, both Houses of Congress and for the most part the Judiciary, they are the victims. They play that part soooo well. "Don't blame us, it's those damn liberals". You know, that kind of shit.

I don't know why I keep watching the MSM on tv. It just makes my blood boil. When the MSM reports bad news for the President and the Republican Congress, the next thing out of their mouths is "but the Democrats have no plan, no ideas" without stating the fact that whoever controls the Congress controls the agenda, the ideas and the plans. Even that old bastard Tom Brokow was hauled out of retirement to be on Imus this morning to state that very fact. I grew up watching Tom on the Today show and I always thought he had integrity. But ever since the election of 2000, he has been toting Bush's water.

Oh, Yea, Another Thing

President Bush's approval rating has a lot to do with the price of gasoline too. Most pundits say that the administration has nothing to do with gas prices. But the people of America see a president and a vice-president who come from the oil industry. And gas prices are higher than they have EVER paid for them. You can talk about adjusting for inflation and all that stuff you want. When we reach into our pockets to pay for that tank of gas, we are pulling out more MONEY! More than we paid last year. More than we paid the year before that. More than we paid the year before that. And on and on. When our wages don't keep up with those price increases, that is a net loss for us working class folks. There is just so much our net income to go around. Add to that the additional increases in the costs of home heating and electricity, you get a highly volatile mix of voter anger and resentment.

The President's Approval Rating

President Bush's approval rating hit the skids and on one is doubting the numbers now. So, it is not too surprising that the largest military action in Iraq since 2003 was launched the day after those polls were released. It makes one wonder why there has not been a change in the threat level of the country since the presidental election in November '04.

It absolutely makes me sick to my stomach to think that this administration is using our troops to help them politically. I can't stand a bunch of chicken-hawks talking about how they support the troops. If you really support the troops, bring 'um home! Let's get together and fix this shit!!!

Can't Get Much Better Than This

Got about an inch of frozen precipitation this last weekend. I was looking out the kitchen window making cornbread to go with my potato soup, drinking a cold beer (I muti-task) and I thought "it doesn't get much better than this."

George Will is an Elitist Douchbag

I never could stand that bow tie wearing dickhead George Will. In today's paper I see he has written that former President Jimmy Carter is "a worse former President than he was a President" for his work to insure free and fair elections thoughout the world. Now I am pissed. What pray tell, Mr. Will has been your contribution to the world? Your constant sniping at anything regarding the Democratic Party? Your cowtowing to George W. Bush?

What an asshole!

Hamas Election Victory

It's amazing to me that President Bush and his Administration are "shocked,.. shocked" by the Hamas election victory. It just goes to show you how wrong they are about EVERYTHING!!! I wish someone would just tell me one thing they have gotten right.

Tax Time Again?

I've read that President Bush is making the economy the main topic of his SOTU message next Tuesday. I don't see how he can make that subject a winner with this economy. Every business news report declares that our economy is STRONG, RUBUST, FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS...

But everyone I know views this economy with tribidation. They see their buying power falling, their wages shrinking and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. They know it's bad and getting worse. It's too bad the folks in Washington can't see it.

And now it's tax season again!

The Politics of Treason

Politicians of all persuasions are falling all over each other on the national talk shows today to say to the Administration, "Hey, if you would just come to us and tell us what you want we will give it to you." Really?? You would give THIS President whatever he wants? A man with documented proof that he is devoid of any intellectual thought? You would give HIM absolute power? What will his crown look like? I bet someone has already picked it out.

The media is the last hope for our democracy. I'm afraid it is already lost.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/stories/2006/01/21/whyTheChrisMatthewsSmearMatters.html

Where is the Mark Twain of our time?

Mark Twain wrote during the Gilded Age. Robber Barons and politicos ruled the nation. The upper crust lived the good life and the rest suffered. His distain for polititians was evident in his writing. He called Congress "That grand benevolent asylum for the helpless" and "It can be proved by facts and figures that there is no native American criminal class except Congress." In today's America, great corporations and a single political party rule, and I ask, "Where is the Mark Twain of our time?"