Suicidal Insanity

Insanity is defined in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous as "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

Since 2000, Bush and Co. have been able to implement their destructive and illegal agenda with no opposition. They have yet to be held accountable for anything they have done, starting with their usurping of the White House and continuing from there into pre-emptive war, the emptying of our Treasury from the public coffers into the greedy, grasping hands of the Bush corporate cronies, staggering corruption, politicization of the entire government en route to a one-party permanent majority and the dismantling of what we used to assume were our most basic Constitutional rights - separation of powers, separation of church and state, privacy, habeas corpus, freedom of speech. And our tax dollars have gone to pay for all of this.

Some of us have been screeching about this from the get-go, only to be ridiculed first as 'sore losers' and then, after 9/11, castigated as 'terrorist-loving, America-Hating Traitors'. But as the Bush Administration grows bolder with every success - notwithstanding the 2006 elections and the ostensible Democratic majority - more and more people are beginning to question the wisdom of setting the whole world on fire. Many conservatives are beginning to back away from the excesses of this power-mad cabal, rightly seeing it as a departure from 'conservative values' - the rule of law, fiscal responsibility, smaller government, avoiding 'nation-building'. Yet there seems to be no way to stop the Administration on its drunken bender.

But is it only Bush that fits this definition of insanity?

The Democrats in Congress, who after the 2006 elections seemed to hold out hope for arresting the headlong flight of democracy and the voice of the people, have simply rolled over and are continuing to enable these thugs, like the battered wife who says, "If I behave myself, try to get along with him better, and not make him mad, he won't hit me anymore." And the Alcoholic-in-Chief goes along his merry way down the path of total destruction, seemingly oblivious to the damage he and his Administration's fearmongering, world-intimidating neoconservative policies are inflicting on not only Iraq, but the United States and the rest of the world as well.

Then, when we have the temerity, the gall, to ask to be told what's going on, we're slapped down with a 'None of your damn business, woman! I'll do whatever I want - I'm the man of the house! My job is to make the decisions and your job is to do as I tell you and not ask questions! Or do you want another fat lip?" And we whimper and cower and get him another beer out of the fridge, hoping to take the edge off his anger.

When someone asks us why we let him get away with treating us like that, we say, "He really loves me - he's not mean on purpose! It's only when he gets frustrated that he acts that way, and if I was a better wife he wouldn't do it. It's only because he loves me so much and wants to protect me! And he's taken all my money and credit cards, and my passport, so I don't have any way to get out, and nowhere to go that he can't find me. He listens in on all my calls and opens my mail. He's cut me off from all of our friends. And I don't know where he goes and what he does when he's not home - he won't tell me. Everyone tells me I should divorce him, but I don't want to break up my family. Besides, I can't stop him - he's so big and strong, and I'm afraid I'll end up in the hospital or dead if I get him mad. He's already given me a black eye and broken my jaw. If I just try harder to get along with him, he'll be sweet again, like when we were first dating. He was so much fun to have a beer with!"

Insanity is defined in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous as "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

Why do we think that placating Bush and giving him everything he asks for is the way to get him to behave? Over and over again, he breaks the law, and we wring our hands, but no one ever stops him. Talk about 'emboldening the terrorists'!

My husband thinks that there's no way Bush will attack Iran. He thinks Americans wouldn't stand for it. I wish I could believe that, but we've stood for everything else. Why would he not think he could do it? He has no reason to think otherwise, based on what has happened over the last 7 years. We have done the same thing, over and over.

And now, like many alcoholics, we're on a suicide track. When there's a drunk driver at the wheel, eventually there will be a fatal crash. Power is the ultimate intoxicant, and the Cheney/Bush cabal are hooked through the bag. Attacking Iran is insane, but when you're an alcoholic, the consequences of your decisions don't matter to you. All that matters is getting your fix, your high, your buzz. When you have a partner that enables you, it's a family disease that affects not only the alcoholic, but everyone you are in contact with.

If Bush succeeds in attacking Iran, there is a high likelihood that World War III will ensue (if it hasn't already). We are talking suicide here. But that doesn't seem to register on the neocon radar, or if it does, it is of no consequence. Common sense and logic would tell Americans to rise up and put a stop to this, but the co-dependent electorate so far has been incapable of standing up for itself.

Insanity is defined in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous as "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

While You're At It, Why Not Pardon Padilla?

Hey Dubya...

You've certainly shown me what 'compassionate conservatism' is all about. Now that you're the 'Commuter-of-Scooter', I think I finally get what you've been saying all along. You really do have a big, soft, wet, warm, squishy ol' heart in that manly, puffed-up chest of yours.

For the longest time, I thought you were just kidding us about that 'compassionate conservative' stuff you were so on about in the debates when you were first running for office. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't believe you at first. I doubted your bona fides. In fact, I must confess that I doubted you at every turn. When, after your ascension to the Presidency, the 'compassionate conservative' talk seemed to turn off faster than Dead-Eye Dick's trigger-finger after a few brewskis, I began to despair of any real compassion coming from the direction of the White House. In vain I watched and waited, and hoped for a glimpse of that famously big heart of yours - the one that showed so much kindness and mercy when confronted with the awesome power of the death-penalty that you so reluctantly wielded in Texas as governor, when you showed such Christian compassion for your sister in Christ, Karla Faye....oh, wait - never mind.

Anyhow, these last 7 years I've been eagerly awaiting the real George W. Bush - the one my friends told me didn't exist. Oh, sure, I got a little preview when Terri Schiavo needed your help, and you were right there without a moment's hesitation - flying out in the middle of the night and signing special legislation to see that justice was done. And then, when Hurricane Katrina hit, and you dropped everything - right in the middle of your hard-earned vacation, no less - and rushed to the rescue of that unfortunate city, and....oh, wait - never mind.

And the way that you comforted and supported the grieving families of the soldiers that you sent off to die so very nobly, and went to each and every funeral, weeping right along with...oh, wait - never mind.

And the way that you're dedicated to making sure that the soldiers that come back, having given their limbs, their families, their sanity - everything that makes life worth living - have the best medical care, benefits, education, and support in picking up the pieces of their lives after returning to a country they no longer...oh, wait - never mind.

Anyhow, you get my point. I had almost given up hope for your 'compassionate conservatism'. I thought it was just empty rhetoric, designed to trick the unwitting into voting for you.

O, me of little faith.

And then, you showed me who you really are. How wrong I was. Why, when you commuted the sentence of Scooter Libby, that's what showed me the real you. You knew that he'd suffered enough. The annoyance, the disruption of his schedule, the nagging demands for truth. Having to give up several weeks' pay. The embarrassment. The irritation. The prolonged aggravation. And, like the compassionate conservative you are, you stepped up and made it all go away. You just waved that clemency wand and - poof! - two years' worth of justice - gone!

So it is with joyful anticipation that I await your next step - pardoning José Padilla! You've shown how understanding you can be. So, naturally, you'll be anxious to alleviate the suffering of this man who was held without a lawyer and tortured for 3 years before he got the trial he was entitled to under the Constitution, and then convicted of something entirely different than what he was ostensibly held for. Heck, you hold onto somebody long enough, you're bound to come up with something to hang on him! But don't let me keep you, sir. I know you've already got pen in hand, ready to make things right. That's how you roll.

If Padilla had a mind left, he'd probably really appreciate it!

Shut Up, Newt. Just Shut Up. Please, For the Love of God, STFU.

(update - many thanks to Blue Gal and to Mike at Crooks and Liars for the mentions!)

Why the f*** does anybody give a rat's ass about anything that overstuffed, festering pustule, that pathetic, bloated bag of helium has to say? I use the Google and this is what comes up:

Who cares about what that pompous, self-worshipping blowhole thinks? "Gingrich rips Bush"? Are you kidding me? Gingrich "sickened"? Yeah, Newtie, me too - sickened by hearing your name and seeing your roly-poly squeak-toy of a face on TV and the 'news'. "Gingrich prescribes change for GOP"? Dr. Alicia has got a prescription for you, Newt - take a fistful of Thorazine and STFU in the morning. One of the most ridiculous articles is "Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich Addresses Investors on Winning the Future Under the Next Administration" - chock-full of tasty little Newt-nuggets such as:

--"If you are thinking about the next 20-30 years, barring a major war,the human race is going to continue to get richer at somewhere between 3-5 percent a year unless politicians screw it up."
-- "We are in a genuine world market, whether we want to be or not, and the only thing we're deciding is whether the jobs are in the US or the jobs are overseas. But we are not deciding whether or not there are jobs."
-- "You should calculate on a 4 to 7 fold increase in scientific knowledge over the next 25 years ... that is, we should have 4 times as much science in the next 25 years as we had in the last 25 years."

Come on, now, Professor Newt - did you really say "4 times as much science"? For realz? As if the phrase 'calculate on a 4 to 7 fold increase in scientific knowledge over the next 25 years' is too difficult for the morons you're addressing to understand? "The human race is going to get richer"? Yeah, you mean you and your buddies. "Whether or not there are jobs"? Wow, Newtie, that's deep. Real deep.

By the way, if you haven't picked up on that nifty little catch-phrase 'Winning the Future', don't worry; you'll be hearing it enough soon. That's his exciting new Luntzified™mantra that he eagerly anticipates shoving down our throats. Incredibly, he believes that the electorate will come clamoring to his door, begging for the leadership and wisdom that only Newt, the erudite and far-sighted Newt, can give.

Gee, Newt, haven't you done enough with your "Contract on America"? Do you have to come around stinkin' up the joint again? Aren't you satisfied with pissing in the well of bipartisanship, and destroying any modicum of civility across the aisle? Aren't you content to be a walking, talking sack of moral and ethical hypocrisy? A pudgy, putrid pile of pseudo-pious pontificating? I thought we were finally done with you and your excrescence.

But, noooooooo! Like a cur inexorably drawn to the site of his spew, ol' Newtie is slithering back, slavering for sloppy seconds at the trough. And, even worse, the press is egging him on, giving his ludicrous blather the patina of respectability, encouraging his ridiculous belief that he, and only he, is the American people's choice to lead them in 2008.

Although ordinarily, I'd be saying, "Run, Newtie, run!" just for the kicks of watching him make a complete and total ass out of himself, I wonder...what if, just what if...the fix is in for a Republican victory?

In my nightmares, I see Newt at the swearing-in ceremony - pink, sweaty and smiling that gecko smirk of his, with his hand on a Bible (which immediately dissolves into a smoking pile of goo), while standing next to him is the only man fit to serve as his second-in-command...

Tom DeLay.

I wake up screaming.

"Winning the Future"? You forgot to put the 'Ru' in front of it, Newt.

Please, I beg you - go back to Bizarro-World, where black is white, up is down, good is bad, and you're brilliant, handsome and beloved. We'll all be happy then.

But leave us Americans in Reality-World alone. There's no room for you here.

Update: There's actually a site called 'draftnewt.org'. I think that's an excellent idea. A few months in the desert heat in camos will do wonders for his figure.

All Over For Rover? Looking Back: A Photographic Retrospective

Personally speaking, I'd rather have him in the White House where we can keep an eye on him. He's bad enough with a veneer of 'accountability' - imagine him unfettered, in the shadows...

Hey Dems - Why Can't You Be More Like Bush?

Don't bother refreshing your page. You heard me right.

These are words I would have bet my last nickel that you would never hear from my lips (or fingertips), but here I am, and here they are.

We'd be a whole lot better off, it seems to me, if the Dems in Congress could pick up some of the Kowboy-in-Chief's sterling traits. If the Dems had some of that mule-stubborn intractability - uh, I mean, strength of character - they would still be sending him that spending bill until he agreed to start bringing troops home.

If the Dems in Congress believed in the rightness of what they were doing like God's Best Li'l Buddy does, they would not have rolled over on that grotesque mockery of the Constitution that is the 'new and improved'® FISA bill (now with more scrubbing bubbles!)

If they had the sense of superiority and entitlement that allowed them to utilize the power inherent in their office with impunity, Samuel Alito would not be on the Supreme Court, and John Roberts would not be Chief Justice.

If they had one fraction of the stones of this arrogant, pig-ignorant, swaggering, self-aggrandizing, strutting banty-rooster, Harriet Miers would be cooling her heels in the clink along with Scooter Libby, closely followed by Abu 'No Pain, No Gain' Gonzales, and Karl Rove would be on the witness stand, squealing like the pink, plump porker that he is.

If the Dems didn't care what the Republicans might say about them as much as George W. Bush doesn't care what the American people say about him, we might be able to do something with our congressional majorities.

If the Dems were more like George W. Bush, he and his henchmen would be long gone.

So, how 'bout it, Dems - why not 'cowboy up' and be more like Bush? It certainly hasn't impeded his agenda any!

No New Taxes.

I'm just sayin'.

Gen. Petraeus - Bush's 'Main Man'

Breathe!

Lately I have been so busy and stressed that everything I do has been less than my best. Trying to juggle kids (home on vacation), a teaching job, various gigs, and my book, I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to be everything to everyone. This results in everything I do being, well, half-baked and unsatisfactory. And hovering over all is the fear that I wouldn't be able to finish my book in time.

I was optimistic that I would be able to write my book quickly because when I was doing the majority of it I was in Tampa visiting my dad, where I had no day-to-day responsibilities. I was able to write 4 chapters in a couple of weeks. But at home, everything is different. I found that I needed at least 4 or 5 uninterrupted hours to 'cogitate' about my subject matter before I could produce any output.

I'm ADD - not in the 'oops, I forgot' sense that so many people mistake for ADD, but the 'can't go to college or hold down a regular job' sense. Things that most people take for granted, organization-wise, are incomprehensible to me. Once I was diagnosed, I was able to structure my environment so that I could be productive, working with the way my brain works instead of against it, and now I see it as an asset, not a liability. I love being ADD because I can approach things in ways most people can't; I can learn (or teach myself) in ways most people can't. I'm not complaining about my ADD. It takes me to the places I want to go.

But one thing I don't have is a set of filters. I can't have music or TV on as 'background noise'. I almost never listen to music for enjoyment, because it sucks up every bit of my attention and prevents me from doing or thinking about anything else. It's a deep, dark pit I fall into that I can only climb out of with great difficulty. The only way I can work productively is in complete silence and isolation. For me (and I guess for a lot of other writers) it is analogous to building a house of cards. I have to place one idea on top of another to get a structure going, and the slightest interruption causes the whole thing to collapse and I have to start all over again.

The way my life is when I'm home is, as you might guess, not exactly conducive to this style of working. I can't just do a half-hour here, 45 minutes there, 2 hours in the afternoon and an hour before bed. It doesn't work that way for me. So I began to despair of being able to finish the book when my publisher wanted it, which was somewhere in the middle of August. And the crazy-making thing about it was that I knew I could finish it in 2 weeks if I was isolated for those two weeks. However, my husband has been going in and out of town for work and my own teaching schedule has its demands, as do my kids. I can't just ignore them, nor would I want to. So it might as well be a year on a private island for all the possibility of that happening.

My publisher, though, has given me a reprieve! Now I have till January to go to press, using this time to finish up, flesh it out the way I'd like to with more interviews, and ramping up my platform so that the time the book is out in March people might know who I am :-). The company has a new distributor that they are excited about and who is very familiar with this kind of book.

Needless to say, this has taken the weight of the world off of my shoulders. I've been able to relax for the first time in 6 months without thinking "I'm supposed to be doing something and I'm way behind!" Now I can give what I need to give to my kids and my job without that sense of impending doom - the kind you feel at 5 in the morning when you can't sleep and the alarm clock is going to go off in another hour. And I can work on mt book without feeling that I have to rush through it and just get it done, but give each chapter the attention it deserves.

I can breathe again. Maybe even blog again!

Cintra Wilson - King Dick’s Brave Conquering Of California

Cintra Wilson is the funniest person alive. I read her book "A Massive Swelling - Celebrity Re-Examined As A Grotesque Crippling Disease" and laughed until I peed myself. Then, I went to her blog and found this awesome post:

This story happened six long years ago, so nobody remembers, except for old wise elves like Jason Leopold, ex-LA bureau chief for Dow Jones Newswire, who just did an investigative report for Truthout.org.

ONCE there was a Thomas Cruickshank, who, in the 1960’s, was the Vice President of an oil-field services company called Halliburton.

When Mr. Cruickshank stepped down, he handed his golden Halliburton crown to his good friend, Mr. Dick Cheney.

Mr. Cheney went on, in the year 2000, to become Vice President of the Entire World, with Dominion Over All Powers and Energies both Temporal and Thermonuclear.

In 2001, King President Bush, an oil man, told his Vice King Cheney to create an Energy Task Force which would help dictate energy policy throughout the land. Cheney and his friend, Ken Lay, King of Enron, had secret meetings with all the Kings of Energy from all over the world: Exxon Mobil Corp., Conoco, Shell Oil Co., BP America Inc., Chevron, and others, according to the Washington Post. “Nearly 300 people and organizations….Virtually every major oil and diversified energy company,” said the New York Times on Thursday.

Go here to read the rest. You'll thank me.

Live Blogging the Debate At 'Comments From Left Field'

Getting a late start, but inviting y'all over to Comments From Left Field to the live-blog going on in the comments.

Join me, my blogfather* Kyle E. Moore (the former 'Mr. M' who is now 'out and proud' with his own name) and a bunch of other folks to armchair-quarterback the YouTube debate on CNN!

*it drives him crazy when I call him that!

Check Out Blue Gal's Kucinich Video!

Go visit Blue Gal to see the latest Kucinich video, featuring the lovely and talented Blue Gal!

Kucinich - in your heart, you know he's right.

How Tammy Faye Changed My Mind

Like many of you, I find Christian hypocrisy horrifying. As a Christian, I have a hard time reconciling the Jesus of love, compassion, and poverty with the 'religion' that celebrates worldly wealth and condemnation of others. The excesses of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker during the 'PTL' days seemed to be the prime example of everything that was wrong with that particular style of Christianity - the constant begging for money on the air, soliciting (one might even say strong-arming) the donations of the poor, the elderly, the lonely and gullible, who often sent what they could not afford to send in the hopes that God would bless them for it, all the while using those donations to live high on the hog. The idea that God shows His favor by conferring earthly riches upon His followers is antithetical to everything that the Christ taught us.

I'm sorry to have to say I found a certain amount of satisfaction in the fall of Jim and Tammy Faye - an embarrassing bit of schadenfreude which is un-Christian in itself. But the idea of manipulating people for money in God's name repelled me, and I was glad to see someone actually have to pay in some way. That whole group of holier-than-thou evangelists - Oral Roberts, Jerry Falwell, Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard and the like - often are found to be unholier-than-thou, excoriating others for behavior that they are later discovered to be involved in, often far more than those they chastise.

So imagine my consternation, years after the PTL scandal, to find myself sharing the green room of the Roseanne show (where my husband and I were in the house band that played on taping day to keep the studio audience amused between takes) with none other than Tammy Faye - now Mrs. Roe Messner. I was about 8 months pregnant with my second child, so I was spending a lot of time sitting down and eating, when we weren't playing in between takes. Tammy Faye was a guest star. It was the last season of Roseanne, where she wins the lottery and the story line went wild, and there were all sorts of unusual guest stars (Arianna Huffington, for one) so it was always fascinating.

Anyway, sitting there by ourselves in the green room, I couldn't imagine that Tammy Faye and I would have anything to talk about, but she broke the ice by asking me about my kids, and talking about being pregnant. From then on, we talked about husbands (she adored hers, as do I), and Palm Springs (she hated it - she thought that palm trees looked like 'upside-down brooms') and Burbank and Florida and North Carolina and babies. Every once in a while someone would come in and gush over her (usually someone gay, with a picture for her to autograph) and she was always friendly and funny and totally charming.

Tammy Faye and I chatted for about 3 hours in that room, and I left a little bit different than I went in. I met someone who broke the stereotype I had formed in my mind about 'that type' of Christian. She survived one of the most publicly humiliating scandals a person can imagine, and came to embrace the gay community - which her particular denomination considered hellbound - while managing to keep her real faith intact. She learned what it's like to be hated and despised by strangers, and was loved by a community who understood that, and understood her, and she understood and loved them back.

It takes a lot of gumption and courage - and faith - to come back from something as devastating as that with an open heart and head held high, but Tammy Faye did it, and I became one of her fans that night. My wedding anniversary was coming up that week, and Tammy Faye asked me what we were going to do. I told her that we usually went to Chadney's, a steak restaurant in Burbank that we considered 'our place', but which had recently closed, so we hadn't decided yet.

"Oh, then you should go to the Smokehouse," she declared. "It's Roe's and my favorite place. It's all wood paneling and big comfy booths. You'll love it."

We did go to the Smokehouse for that anniversary, and we did love it. It has now become 'our place', thanks to Tammy Faye.

This week, my husband and I will go to the Smokehouse - this time in honor of Tammy Faye. Thank you, Tammy Faye, for helping me to be more open-minded and less judgmental. That's the kind of Christian I want to be.

Update - there are so many people who have written about Tammy Faye and/or linked here that I want to share them with you all too. As I find more, I'll add them. Interesting to see all the different takes on Tammy Faye.

Blue GalYikes!
The Omnipotent Poobah
Mock, Paper, Scissors
Shakesville


I don't know if you all ever saw the episode she was on (I don't watch TV much myself) but Roseanne and her sister were at some posh spa, in reclining chairs facing the audience, and the makeup artist had her back to the audience and was talking to them about subtlety and the 'natural look' and 'less is more' and how the goal of makeup is to look like you don't have any on, etc., etc. - and then, of course, she turns around and it's Tammy Faye.

I think her saving grace was that she could laugh at herself. We should all be so fortunate.

Update II - Princess Sparkle Pony has Tammy Faye audio and album covers!

Why Impeachment?

My friend Dr. Zaius raises a point that deserves discussion. Here is his comment from the Avalanche! post:

You need a 2/3rds majority in the senate to impeach, and either Chief Justice John Roberts (Bush appointed) or Dick Cheney will act as judge.

I am not sure that is the best short term solution.

A valid point. Here's my take on it:

You are right, zaius, that we don't have the votes. Perhaps you are even right in that it would be unsuccessful. And you may be right in that it is not a short-term solution.

But I believe that we must attempt it nonetheless, for the long-term health of our Constitution. Otherwise, you might as well strike out the possibility of impeachment at all, for any reason. Just save some ink and take it out of the Constitution.

What could be more of an impeachable offense than lying our country into war? If that is not an impeachable offense, then what is?

If the President (and if Bush) gets away with this without a mark, a precedent is set that may never be undone. Precedent is an onerous burden to overcome, even if accidental. Especially if accidental.

In the decision that gave corporations legal personhood - possessing rights rather than privileges, as other artificial legal constructs such as churches, unions, and civic clubs, even governments have - Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad , the actual decision by the Supreme Court mentioned no such rights for corporations. The court reporter, J.C. Bancroft Davis – a former railroad president – added a commentary called a headnote (which has no legal status) which stated: "The defendant Corporations are persons within the intent of the clause in section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which forbids a State to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." There has been much speculation ever since as to whether the Waite court actually agreed with the idea of corporate personhood – it might have - but the bottom line is that corporate personhood was not addressed in the decision itself. The headnote was immediately seized on by corporate lawyers, who used it at every opportunity, and once the Supreme Court quoted it in subsequent cases, the doctrine of corporate personhood became law.

Even if something is not codified into law originally, precedent can make it so.

We as a democracy cannot afford to let this stand without challenge.

We seem to be approaching this as if we should only take action if we are assured of a successful outcome.

I believe we should take action regardless of whether we are guaranteed success, simply because it's right.

Our Founding Fathers risked everything - their fortunes, their families, their lives - to create a nation of laws, rather than men. We rightfully deride the chicken-hawks who cheerlead for the 'war' but would never dream of fighting it themselves. Yet we are unwilling as a party to risk what we have - our slender majority, our 'power' or influence; money, comfort, our perceived 'approval' - to do the right thing and check these megalomaniacs before they destroy our democracy.

We have been told by this administration in so many words that what we do or say will have no influence on the decisions made by the Decider. Why don't we believe him? He's telling us, "Scream all you want to - I'm still doing it my way."

We should take him at his word. In this, for once, he's telling the truth. And we should respond appropriately, and take the steps that the Constitution demands that we take in this situation. Otherwise we are giving our tacit approval and support to what these criminals are doing to us and the rest of the world. We would be establishing a precedent that may be impossible to overcome.

Impeachment is all that's left. The Founding Fathers did not say, "We'll break away from King George, if he'll let us, and not get too mad at us, and agrees with us that independence would be best for everyone."

We shouldn't say that either.

For the 2½ Hours Cheney is 'Officially' President Tomorrow...

...as opposed to his usual unofficial Presidency, I will be wearing a black armband.

God help us all.

Avalanche! We're Being Buried Alive

Whoa Nelly!

Is it just me, or do things seem as if they are sliding downhill at an accelerated pace? Is it just getting crazier and crazier? Each offense more egregious than the next, as if, when you pile one on top of another, you don't notice each one individually as much?

As the end of the Bush regime looms over the horizon, it seems as if they are scrambling to do as much damage as they can to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights before they are ushered out - if, that is, they indeed will be ushered out, or if they plan on extending their reign of terror by some kind of false-flag, Gulf-of-Tonkin maneuver. At this point, the tin-foil hat is perched smartly atop my head, and it looks like it's going to be a staple of my wardrobe for a while.

This last week has been filled with the most shocking, arrogant power-grabs imaginable.

First, Bush slithers out an Executive Order calling for "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq". This order says that "I, George W. Bush" can seize the assets of anyone accused of:

(i) committ(ing), or pos(ing) a significant risk of committing, an act or acts of violence that have the purpose or effect of:

(A) threatening the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq; or

(B) undermining efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq or to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people;

(ii) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technical support for, or goods or services in support of, such an act or acts of violence or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; or

(iii) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.

Furthermore, he doesn't have to tell anyone he's doing it, and anyone who tells that he's doing it will suffer the same consequences.

What does 'promoting economic reconstruction and political reform' mean?

(hint: whenever you see the word 'reform' associated with the Bush Crime Family, you know that it means utter destruction in some form or other.)

Translated into English from Bush-gibber, it means "I'm gonna git my grubby paws on all o' that Eye-racky oll, and ain't none o' y'all gonna stop me." The increasingly desperate attempts by the Bush-whackers to steal the oil in Iraq can be seen for the naked theft that it is. All the talk about 'benchmarks' merely means that Pirate Cap'n Bush ain't quittin' till the Iraqis give up the booty - the majority of their oil revenue - the only asset they have. 'Stabilization' my ass.

Bush is acting as if the Iraqis are at fault - as if they owe us! Remember, at the start of this shameful attack, the American people were promised that the 'war' wouldn't cost us a dime, because the Iraqis were swimmin' in oil! They could 'pay for their own reconstruction'! In February 2003, White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer said that in the event that there is a war to oust Saddam Hussein,

"Iraq, unlike Afghanistan, is a rather wealthy country. Iraq has tremendous resources that belong to the Iraqi people. And so there are a variety of means that Iraq has to be able to shoulder much of the burden for their own reconstruction,"

Imagine the gall!

Saying, "We can destroy a sovereign nation who did not threaten us, and then make them pay for it!" Like the thief that breaks into your house, steals everything you have, murders your family, and then sues you for breaking his arm while on your property, Bush even has the unbelievable, unmitigated grapes to accuse Iraq of being 'ungrateful'!

Ungrateful.

Ungrateful.

This is the kind of insane and delusional thinking (and acting) that has destroyed America's reputation and any shred of moral authority we once were able to claim on the world stage. This is what has created more terrorism, emboldened our enemies, and made us less safe than ever. And the thugs in charge are dismantling, brick by brick, any recourse we have of stopping them.

Next on this week's Hit Parade Countdown, BushCo pushes on with its dictum of omnipotence, according to the Washington Post:

Bush administration officials unveiled a bold new assertion of executive authority yesterday in the dispute over the firing of nine U.S. attorneys, saying that the Justice Department will never be allowed to pursue contempt charges initiated by Congress against White House officials once the president has invoked executive privilege.

Under federal law, a statutory contempt citation by the House or Senate must be submitted to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, "whose duty it shall be to bring the matter before the grand jury for its action." But administration officials argued yesterday that Congress has no power to force a U.S. attorney to pursue contempt charges in cases, such as the prosecutor firings, in which the president has declared that testimony or documents are protected from release by executive privilege.

Officials pointed to a Justice Department legal opinion during the Reagan administration, which made the same argument in a case that was never resolved by the courts."A U.S. attorney would not be permitted to bring contempt charges or convene a grand jury in an executive privilege case," said a senior official, who said his remarks reflect a consensus within the administration. "And a U.S. attorney wouldn't be permitted to argue against the reasoned legal opinion that the Justice Department provided. No one should expect that to happen."

A 'bold new assertion'? Is that what the kids are calling it these days? Every time The Kowboy Koward of Krawford shoves his boot up the rectum of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the media fawningly calls it 'bold' or 'steadfast' or 'strong' or some other flattering term. 'Executive privilege' is Bush-squawk for "L'état, c'est moi".

And in a not-unrelated story, Valerie Plame's suit has been thrown out of court. According to the Associated Press,

A federal judge dismissed former CIA operative Valerie Plame's lawsuit against members of the Bush administration Thursday, eliminating one of the last courtroom remnants of the leak scandal. Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had accused Vice President Dick Cheney and others of conspiring to leak her identity in 2003. Plame said that violated her privacy rights and was illegal retribution for her husband's criticism of the administration.U.S. District Judge John D. Bates dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds and said he would not express an opinion on the constitutional arguments. Bates dismissed the case against all defendants: Cheney, White House political adviser Karl Rove, former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

And who is this impartial pillar of jurisprudence who threw out the suit? Bob Fertik at Democrats.com tells us:

So who is Judge John D. Bates, the judge who threw out Valerie Plame's lawsuit against Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, and Richard Armitage? A "loyal Bushie," of course.

• Deputy Independent Counsel for the Whitewater investigation from 1995 to mid-1997, where he forced the White House to release thousands of documents related to Hillary Clinton's conversations about Whitewater.
• Appointed as Federal judge in December 2001 by George W. Bush
• In December 2002, he dismissed a lawsuit filed by the GAO against Cheney over access to his energy task force documents, claiming the GAO lacked authority to sue the VP.
• In February 2006, he was appointed by Chief Justice Roberts to serve as a judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court - replacing a judge who resigned in protest over the illegal NSA wiretapping. It's a safe bet Bates has been a reliable rubber stamp allowing Bush's NSA to spy on millions of Americans without a warrant.
• In August 2006, Bates declared it acceptable for Bush to sign a bill that had not been passed by Congress.

"The alleged means by which defendants chose to rebut Mr. Wilson's comments and attack his credibility may have been highly unsavory, " Bates wrote. "But there can be no serious dispute that the act of rebutting public criticism, such as that levied by Mr. Wilson against the Bush administration's handling of prewar foreign intelligence, by speaking with members of the press is within the scope of defendants' duties as high-level Executive Branch officials."

Even if it's treason.

So much for the Department of 'Justice', Like Rupert Murdoch, they solve their problems by buying or taking over any organization that can impede their vision.

So, here we sit, taking hit after hit after hit from these disgusting criminals, and we're being buried alive.

But we have to ask ourselves, is it any wonder these guys are getting more aggressively dictatorial every day?

After all, every time they try something and get away with it, the message we send is "We're not going to stop you." Like Neville Chamberlain appeasing Hitler, attempting to persuade this President to act rationally and legally and in the interest of the American people by 'taking the high road' and going through the congressional channels merely tells Bush and Cheney that we're weaklings. They chortle and give us the finger, and instruct us to go Cheney ourselves while they continue to rape and pillage and loot and fatten themselves and their cronies. And we'd better not complain about it, either, or we may find our assets seized and ourselves 'disappeared'.

Please understand that we are past the point of rationality here. We are past the point of being able to expect these criminals to obey the law. And up to now we have given them every assurance that we aren't going to stop them.

Nothing else but impeachment will do.

The Dems claim that, instead of impeachment, we should concentrate on trying to make some much-needed changes in policy, blah blah blah.

But how do they think they're going to make any changes or pass a Democratic agenda when they can't even deal with a filibustering Repub Senate - the same ones, incredibly, who shoved through these horrible judges by threatening Democrats who even talked about considering a filibuster with the 'nuclear option'. Somehow, Dems who filibuster are 'obstructionists' but not Repubs. (Remember the howls for an 'up or down vote'? No? I didn't think so. Neither do the Repubs .)

The definition of insanity, in the Big Book, is taking the same action over and over and expecting different results.

Al Wilson, an artist who I was fortunate to have played with when I was very young, had a hit song that described this situation perfectly. It's the story of a 'tender-hearted woman and a poor half-frozen snake'. The snake begs to be taken in and taken care of, and the tender-hearted woman complies, and brings him back to life. The lyrics go on to say:

Now she clutched him to her bosom, "You're so beautiful," she cried
"But if I hadn't brought you in by now you might have died"
Now she stroked his pretty skin and then she kissed and held him tight
But instead of saying thanks, that snake gave her a vicious bite.

"I saved you," cried that woman
"And you've bit me even, why?
You know your bite is poisonous and now I'm going to die"
"Oh shut up, silly woman," said the reptile with a grin
"You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in."

Sorry, kiddies, but playtime is over. These snakes are not going to change their natures.

We must impeach now - while there is still hope that we can.

I don't want to be buried alive.

My Impressions of Camp Casey

My ambitious plans before leaving for Camp Casey included much blogging and regular updating. I found out right away that this was a ridiculous idea. We were so busy and there was so much going on that I had to use every minute to do what I came to do - take pictures, record peoples' stories, and help Bree get up to speed on who's who and what's what here in Crawford, so that she can begin to develop a game plan for this next phase of Camp Casey. As it was, I was up till at least 4 or 5 in the morning every day we were there.

As of now, I'm on the train back to LA from San Diego, and my brain is still spinning from information overload, so I'll try to start from the beginning and sort out my impressions.

Day One - Thursday, July 5

Bree and I leave from the San Diego airport in the morning, heading to Dallas/Fort Worth and from there on to Waco, the closest airport to Crawford. Bree is on the no-fly list (big surprise there!) so there is no convenient check-in at the kiosk. Fortunately we both travel light, so we don't have to deal with checking bags.

We take a small prop plane from DFW to Waco. When we arrive, we are greeted in the terminal by a contingent of the Camp Casey regulars, waving ands holding up "Welcome Home Bree" signs. I don't know anyone yet, but I recognize Cindy Sheehan, who has come to pick us up in her RV, newly dubbed "Jezebel", which she bought with the proceeds of the Camp Casey property. Jezebel will be taking her on her next road trip, which will begin Tuesday the 10th and end up in New York on the 29th.

After she and Bree greet each other, she comes up to me, says, "Hi, I'm Cindy" and gives me a big hug. She's taller than I expected, and looks younger and prettier in person than the news pictures of her indicate. Bree and I climb aboard Jezebel. Cindy is going to take us to Camp Casey first before we go to the hotel we're staying at in nearby McGregor. I have my camera out, and I get some pictures of some of the flooded areas. By the side of the road, you can see trees here and there that look like they're coming out of the water like mangroves in a swamp.

As we get into Crawford we see the 'downtown' area, with the famous Yellow Rose store, which proudly proclaims its allegiance to all things Bush. On the opposite corner is a restaurant/ gift shop/gas station, also featuring a plethora of Bush swag. There is a dilapidated barber shop, several antique shops, and a lonely-looking barbecue joint (which I hoped to sample but didn't get a chance to) and Crawford City Hall, which is not a stand-alone building but a storefront a couple of doors down from the Yellow Rose. We continue on past the town area and soon we can see the driveway to Camp Casey on our right.

We turn into the driveway through the open gate with its 'Camp Casey' sign. To our immediate left on the driveway is a picture of Casey Sheehan amid a bed of sunflowers - the most prevalent flowers we see. The property is grassy and greener than I expected, most likely due to the extra rain and flooding. Next on our left is what appears to be a wooden pallet stood on end, with a sign saying 'Blessed Are the Peacemakers", and after that a large circle of white stones enclosing rows and rows of small markers - mostly white crosses with a flower on each one, although there are some black crosses and also a Star of David or two. In the midst of the markers is an American flag at half-mast. There is a pile of stones with scattered flowers surrounding a sign which asks "For What Noble Cause" and lists the number of American dead and wounded. It is updated daily by one of the vets who take care of the property day-to-day. Although these are poignant reminders of loss, there is a calm and peaceful energy which is almost palpable from the minute you enter the property.

It is indeed 'hallowed ground'.

Look Out Crawford, Here We Come!

Hi folks - just a short note from Dallas while we wait for our plane change to Waco, and then on to Crawford!

I'll be updating y'all on what goes on this weekend - as it is, right now I have no idea what we'll be doing or what to expect! It's going to be interesting, that much I know.

More news this evening. Hope to see some of you Texas progressives here!

Every Day Is Independence Day - When You're the Decider!

Did anyone else notice the admiring way that the 'critics' described the Kowboy Koward of Krawford's shockingly cavalier disregard for the rule of law and the American electorate? The slap in the face to the justice system?

On the talk-shows, the chattering monkeys were going wild. That Bush! What a macho, two-fisted guy! He doesn't care what the people think - he's da man! He just goes ahead and imposes his will regardless of pesky distractions like the justice system, the Bill of Rights, the irritating gnats that the public has become. Lesser men and women - those weak and craven bootlickers who actually pay attention to judges and the decisions of juries - may be swayed this way and that by the incessant whining of the rabble, but not The Commander Guy! They described Bush's pissing on the Constitution in the awestruck tones usually sounded by Geraldo Rivera when he's in the throes of an especially intense man-crush on Bill O'Reilly.

Make no mistake about it - the more the Decider tromps all over us and kicks us in our collective groins with his oversized hob-nailed, steel-toed jackboots, the more impressed these babblers are. Even as they enumerate his blatant offenses against democracy , against justice and against America, you can hear that tinge of - is it envy? Or the groveling of the cowardly at the feet of the meanest bully on the playground? How cool is it to just be able to do whatever you feel like, and spit in the face of your irrelevant and impotent detractors at the same time? To chortle gleefully, because you know no one is going to be able to do anything to stop you?

Yep, let's fire up the barbecue and throw another Democrat on the grill. When you're the Decider, every day is Independence Day!

War - What Is It Good For?

My Blogfather, Mr. M over at Comments From Left Field (who is a Navy veteran, by the way) sent me a couple of thought-provoking posts about war, military service in general, and also information on a fantastic organization that I hope I can help to get some interest in.

Mr. M, being anything but anti-troop, asks the questions we should all be asking, which is - why? Why throw away precious lives - our own soldiers and those in other lands, who are no less precious - unless there is no other alternative? So often it seems to be regarded as some kind of football game, with winners and losers, coaches and star players, cheerleaders and fans and sponsors - instead of death, blood, pain, and shattered families.

Lydia Cornell posts an extremely poignant letter from a serviceman that touched my heart and opened my eyes. If you have chosen to serve your country, you should not be forced into making a judgment call about whether your mission is honorable or not. Soldiers need to be able to count on the integrity of the people who are putting them in harm's way.

Mr. M also pointed me towards Fisher House and Beauty For The Brave, an organization that raises funds to build housing for family members of wounded soldiers to stay at that are within walking distance of military and VA hospitals across the country and overseas in Germany.

Beauty For The Brave says:

Our idea is wonderfully simple. What if every American woman donated the cost of her favorite beauty treat to benefit wounded troops? Think of your favorite - whether a manicure, a facial, a massage, or a new lipstick - and consider donating its cost to benefit our wounded. It's not how much each woman gives, but the fact that we are all contributing. And the symbolism of sacrificing something related to our own beauty is beautiful in itself. It hearkens back to the unique sacrifices our mothers and grandmothers on the home front made during past wars in our country's history.

The donations go to a wonderful organization called Fisher House that has been in existence for 17 years. They build houses right near military hospitals all across the country. It's a "home away from home" where the family of wounded service men and women can stay for free until their loved one is treated and released.

Because the ratio of wounded to killed is now so much higher thanks to medical advances, our obligation to these people who come home physically or emotionally damaged has grown exponentially. I hope you'll check out Fisher House and Beauty For The Brave!

Why Is Repub Proprietary Software Used For Public Elections?

This from ArsTechnica.com:

A Florida appeals court has upheld a lower court decision that denies requests for an independent source code audit of voting machines used by Florida's 13th district, which suffered election irregularities in a highly controversial congressional race. The appeals court has chosen to support a lower court decision which asserts that forcing voting machine maker Election Systems and Software (ES&S) to provide source code access to independent security auditors would amount to "gutting the protections afforded those who own trade secrets."

Are you mother-f***ing kidding me? This is making me pig-biting mad. I'm about to blow a gasket here. All this talk about 'trade secrets' is just so much heaping, steaming horsesh**. Trade secrets my big fat lily-white ass.

The question is why is Republican, partisan-owned proprietary software being used for public elections?!?

Let me say it again:

Why is Republican, partisan-owned proprietary software being used for public elections?!?

Let me say it just one more time:

Why is Republican, partisan-owned proprietary software being used for public elections?!?

Christ on a crutch, y'all - that's the issue here!

In case anyone has forgotten, Chuck Hagel, former right-wing radio talk-show host and current Senator from Nebraska, was chairman of ES&S, and as of 2005, according to personal financial disclosure reports, continues to be a stakeholder in the company which counted the votes for his own campaign, resulting in the largest margin of victory in the history of Nebraska!

In January 2003, The Hill reported that "In a disclosure form filed in 1996, covering the previous year, Chuck Hagel, then a Senate candidate, did not report that he was still chairman of AIS for the first 10 weeks of the year, as he was required to do."

"Hagel's unrecorded stake in the voting systems company poses an apparent conflict of interest on election reform issues. Three companies, including ES&S, stand to make a large profits from election reform legislation enacted last year by Congress," Alexander Bolton reported.

But wait - there's more!

ES&S (originally DataMark) was originally financed and renamed AIS (American Information Systems) by the Ahmansons of California - a far-right fundamentalist evangelical family, whose money comes from a savings and loan fortune. Heir Howard Ahmanson, Jr. is a political donor in the mold of Richard Mellon Scaife. Ahmanson is a chief contributor to the Chalcedon Institute that supports the Christian reconstruction movement. The movement’s philosophy advocates, among other things, “mandating the death penalty for homosexuals and drunkards.” The Ahmanson family sold their shares in AIS to the McCarthy Group, of which Chuck Hagel is a former owner and CEO and still holds between $1 and 5 million in stock.

Now, does any of this matter? Who cares about the political and religious affiliations of the owners of corporations? Not me -

UNLESS THEY ARE COUNTING (OR NOT COUNTING) MY VOTE!

It shouldn't matter, because our vote is the cornerstone of our democracy and as such has no business being privatized AT ALL - by anyone - much less by rabid unabashed wealthy political and religious partisans!!!!!

Please, let's quit talking about the software and who can or can't look at it and whether the machines have been hacked or are unreliable. This is a smoke screen that we've fallen for.

Any voting system must be owned by the people of the United States of America!

So, once again I ask:


Why is Republican, partisan-owned proprietary software being used for public elections?!?

More People Believe In Saddam-9/11 Tie - It's Ba-a-a-aa-d!

(original pic from allfunnypictures.com)

This from Raw Story -

A new Newsweek poll out this weekend exposed "gaps" in America's knowledge of history and current events.

Perhaps most alarmingly, 41% of Americans answered 'Yes' to the question "Do you think Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq was directly involved in planning, financing, or carrying out the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001?"

That total is actually up 5 points since September 2004.

Who's Got Ideas For Camp Casey?

This Saturday on the Bree Walker Show they're going to be discussing ideas about plans for Camp Casey. Bree has thought about building a playground for Crawford - apparently the town in which the President makes his 'home' does not have one. Dr. Zaius of Zaius Nation has suggested a skunk farm, to sweeten the stench from its nearest neighbor.

Bree is looking for all kinds of suggestions and ideas, and you can add your 2 cents by calling in to the program at 1-877-520-1150, comment on the Bree Walker Show Blog, or send an e-mail to bree at breewalker dot com.

This Saturday, June 23, from 2-4 Pacific time! You can stream it from the KTLK website.

Message From Bree Walker re: Camp Casey

(cross-posted at the Bree Walker Show blog)

What Next? by Bree Walker

Buying that plot of land in Crawford, Texas was the easy part.

Important because it prevented that symbolic soil from being tainted by right wing nut poison, but keeping Camp Casey alive as a peace movement as well as a memorial site will mean lots of hard work ahead for this career broadcaster turned anti-war resister. I will be praying my fellow media take their best shots and then stay open to the possibility that this patriot is up to the task. I welcome the learning curve. Anyone who has watched me reinvent myself to embrace a purpose in which I believe should not doubt me...yet.

I am the first to admit I will need lots of help.

So here is my call to arms for anyone who believes in the cause of peace-building and vocal anti-war resistance; please come forward to help with fundraising, assistant work, and advice on how to be most effective in the trenches in order to keep momentum building.

(from Alicia - I'll add my 2 cents and just say that this is a tremendous opportunity to do more than talk and write - this is where you can make a difference personally. We're starting from scratch here; there's no big money, no national organization, no lawyers or PR people - just some folks who are dedicated to keeping the peace movement alive. You can get in on the ground floor here! For now, go to Bree's blog and comment there if you'd like to be part of this, and we'll have an e-mail address up soon.)

I'm Baa-aa-aack!

Hi friends - I'm back, kind of!

I am getting ready for the final push to finish my book before July 14. My school is almost over except for one test I have to give next week, and starting tomorrow I'm locking myself in the studio and will be doing nothing but writing, so I will be posting to Hooterville as well as working on the book. A lot has been going on - not the least of is I will be doing some work with Bree Walker!

My old friend Robert Walker (Bree's ex and the producer of her radio show on KTLK 1150 AM) and Bree have been very supportive and helpful with my book, and Robert asked me if I'd be interested in doing some website work for Bree - now that she's bought Camp Casey, she needs a web presence to coördinate the efforts to do something wonderful with it. So I set her up with a blog to get going while they get the domain set up, and they invited me down to the show to sort of 'live-blog' and put up links to and info about the people interviewed on the show, such as Cindy Sheehan, Greg Palast, and Mikey Weinstein, and links to documents such as NSPD 51, so there are references for everything Bree talks about. It worked out nicely, so I will be doing that every Saturday, and I'm also going to be a musical guest next week!

I hope you will tune in next Saturday (2-4 PM Pacific) if you can - you can stream it on the internet, (we'll be working on podcasting also) and also check out Bree's new blog - I like the way it turned out. It's so incredibly cool to be a small part of what Bree is doing with Camp Casey, and keeping Cindy Sheehan's peace legacy alive.

Bree Walker - New Owner of Camp Casey! A BradBlog Exclusive

Exclusive from Brad Friedman at the BradBlog:

Former TV News Anchor Bree Walker to Purchase 5-Acre 'Camp Casey' Property Near Bush Ranch

Will Keep Property Open to Public as 'Legacy for Peace'; Sheehan to Appear Live in Studio on Walker's Program Saturday...

A former Los Angles newscaster turned progressive talk radio host, Bree Walker, will be purchasing Cindy Sheehan's 5-acre property near the Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas, The BRAD BLOG has learned.

Walker, currently a resident of San Diego, was previously a television news anchor in Los Angles and New York. She confirmed the news to us moments ago, in an exclusive interview, that she intends to keep the property "as a ground for freedom and peace" and is considering erecting a memorial there for troops killed in Iraq. She hopes to create a meditation garden on the grounds and to keep it open to the public.

"I'm cashing out my capitalist corporate stocks and buying into a legacy of peace," she told The BRAD BLOG moments ago. Sheehan will be selling the property for the same price she purchased it for so as not to be seen as profiting from the sale, Walker explained.

Walker is the host of the The Bree Walker Show on the Los Angeles Air America affiliate station KTLK AM1150 on Saturdays from 2-4pm PT.

Sheehan will appear in studio with Walker for the entirety of tomorrow's broadcast where, Walker says, she'll "give Cindy the check, and Cindy will give me the deed to the property."

She tells us that she'll be taking calls from listeners during tomorrow's show as she wants "listener input on what should be done with the land."

The BRAD BLOG's creator and publisher, Brad Friedman, is scheduled to appear on Walker's show Saturday as well, at 3:00pm PT, by phone.

In a Memorial Day posting, Sheehan announced that she would be stepping away from her leadership role in the Peace Movement and planned to sell the Crawford property. Originally she had announced the property would be sold on Ebay, but shortly afterwards a group of Bush supporters announced their intentions to try and purchase the land.

That group, "Moving America Forward," had staged protests during Sheehan's original attempt, in the summer of 2005, to meet with Bush in hopes that he would explain the "noble cause" that he had claimed her son, and others, had died for in Iraq.

Bush refused to meet with Sheehan, whose son Casey, an Army Specialist, was killed in an April 2004 rescue mission in Sadr City, Iraq. Thousands of supporters gathered from around the nation to hold a vigil along with Sheehan in 2005 near Bush's ranch during his summer vacation. A national peace movement grew out of her stand that summer. The area where the protests were held was dubbed "Camp Casey."

After the city created new ordinances to keep protesters from occupying public property during protests, Sheehan bought the land where protest gatherings have been held at various times since whenever Bush was to be on vacation.

Ours was the only organization doing regular full-length daily radio broadcasts from the protest grounds that summer. Highlights from The BRAD SHOW's more than 50 hours of special "Operation Noble Cause" radio broadcasts may be heard online here.

UPDATE 6/9/07: Sheehan hands deed to Walker during in-studio appearance on Walker's show. Details, audio, now posted here...

I See Dead People. Does Anyone Else?

I haven't blogged in almost a month. I can't imagine I have any readers left at this point, considering how little I've given them lately. It's okay, I guess, since I have a book deadline to meet, a job to hold down and a family to take care of. We're aiming for July 14 as a due date, so I spend every second I have trying to get this done.

In addition, this morning I woke up sick with the stomach flu, and haven't been able to get out of bed all day. Blogging was not particularly on my agenda. But I'm sick with more than the stomach flu.

It hurt my heart to watch the Dems fold today. We elected them last November on one issue - get us out of the war. Nancy Pelosi promised "No more blank check for Bush!"

What happened today? Blank check for Bush.

My problem is, I see dead people.

Every single day, I see dead people, and read about dead people, and think about dead people. With each passing day, I see more dead people. Dead Americans. Dead Iraqis. Dead soldiers. Dead bystanders. Dead women. Dead children.

Does anyone else?

If they do, I wish they'd act like it.

I'll tell you who doesn't see dead people, though. The Kowboy Koward of Krawford. Swingin' Dick. Halliburton. Blackwater.

What exactly do they see when they look in the mirror? Probably not much. A vampire has no reflection.

In Which I Spend The Evening With Greg Palast!

This is the third time I've been to see Greg Palast speak and he did not disappoint. I went to see him at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church, a beautiful old church that hosted him last time he was in LA. He's doing a book tour to promote the paperback edition of "Armed Madhouse", complete with updated material about the plan to steal 08 - and what we can do to steal it back!

The evening started out with a showing of his documentary about New Orleans, "Big Easy To Big Empty". Although we were in a smaller part of the church than when Armed Madhouse was first released, the place was packed - standing room only. This was the film that got Palast and his crew arrested by Homeland Security (is it just me, or does that term smack of "Der Vaterland" or "Deutschland Über Alles"?) for 'violating the anti-terror laws'. Yes - Palast and company committed the heinous, seditious offense of filming the evacuees in "Guantánamo - Platinum Edition" in their cheap little trailers surrounded by razor wire a hundred miles from New Orleans, while including the lovely, scenic backdrop of Exxon' Baton Rouge refinery, and the surrounding neighborhood affectionately known as 'Cancer Alley'. That is strictly verboten as the refinery is a CAVIP, “Critical Asset and Vulnerable Infrastructure Point.” Apparently, you can’t film a CAVIP. Tell that to Google Earth.

One of the more shocking but not surprising aspects of the New Orleans debacle was the fact that they were closing off the public housing, adjacent to that commercialized tourist mecca, the French Quarter, to the former residents, who were not even allowed back in to get their belongings - even though the buildings were not damaged by Katrina! That's right, they have decided that the land is far too valuable for poor black folk to live in, and are taking this golden opportunity to do what they've wanted to do for years - get rid of the public housing there and develop it so that rich folks could be close to the entertainment!

After the movie, he talked about the connection between the fired US attorneys and the election fraud that the Rove-bots (as he calls them) are continuing to perpetrate. He is always inspiring because, although he pulls no punches as he lays out the facts, he believes that if we take action, we can stop these thugs and take our democracy back if we choose to do so. If he didn't think that, he wouldn't be writing and speaking out.

When he signed my book, he remembered me and Hooterville from the other times I've been to see him and told me he'd send me another copy to review for the blog. The copy he signed to Hooterville I am going to give away in another "Habitat for Hooterville" Katrina relief fundraiser, so stay tuned! They still need us down there, friends! The Bush Administration sure as sh** isn't going to do anything worth talking about.

I also met Bree Walker, who introduced Greg Palast. She has a Saturday afternoon show on our progressive station KTLK. Her ex-husband is an old friend from the club my band has played at for 10 years, and he produces her show. He had talked to me about coming on the show, but I hadn't met Bree. I introduced myself, and we had a great conversation. It turns out she had come to see my old band the Scarletts, who her ex had raved about. She is amazing - really intelligent, sharp and well-informed, and just as sweet as she could be. I told her what the book was about, and she was way enthusiastic and said, "Come on the show, and let's get your book out there!"

All in all, it was a very fine evening. I'm looking forward to posting more about Greg Palast's book, and doing another "Habitat For Hooterville".

(The picture's kind of blurry, but it was taken by a kind passerby and there wasn't time to focus.)

Friday Night Thoughts

Still not so good with keeping up the posting. So much is happening so quickly! A couple of weeks ago I went to Phoenix to the Nova M Radio anniversary party. It was a wonderful gathering, and it was great to meet so many interesting, smart progressives (Bill, if you're reading this, please e-mail me! I lost your address!). I finally got to meet Mike Malloy in person, and was able to thank him for helping me get a book contract by reading my posts on the air. He was just as nice in person as he is on radio (unless you are a member of or fellow-traveler of the Bush Crime Family, that is!). He has agreed to write a blurb for me. I also got to see Thom Hartmann, who I became aware of when I was diagnosed with ADD 7 years ago - his "A Different Perception - the Hunter/Farmer book" changed my life. He's also offered to write me a blurb!

Tomorrow night I am going to see Greg Palast speak - this will be my 3rd time seeing him. He makes me want to be an investigative journalist. I am just in awe of what he does, and the way he digs for the information and puts it together for us. I will try to get pictures, and fill you in on Greg's latest - he's always a couple of years ahead of the pack.

Mañana!

Cool New Blog - Check It Out!

There's a new kid in town - actually a few of them. However, they are anything but kids - they are teens and young adults who have started a fabulous new progressive blog called YOUTHinkLeft. I found out about them from a new commenter on FDL named FrecklesCassie, a very smart and well-informed teen - actually, more well-informed and smart than most of the adults I know. According to their 'about' statement, "YOUTHinkLeft is a revolutionary community of teen-young adult liberal-progressive bloggers." Their new blog is extremely well-designed and put together, but what sets them apart is the quality of the writing, their sharp analysis and the passion they have for making their voices heard.

I would urge anyone who visits here to please do yourself a favor and check out YOUTHinkLeft.

What's In A Word? The Power of Hate Speech and the Big Lie

In the process of working on my book and examining the reasons why people vote the way they do, I've been reading a lot of Dr. Bob Altemeyer, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Manitoba. He has written extensively on authoritarianism, and was a major source of material for John Dean's book Conservatives Without Conscience. In the interests of finding out as much as I can about the authoritarian personality, I bought his textbook, The Authoritarian Specter, from Harvard Press, and came across some interesting data.

Most people have heard of the Milgram experiment, which measured the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts that conflicted with their personal conscience. When told to administer 'electric shocks' (which were not real - the 'victims' were in on the experiment) to people behind a one-way glass if they flubbed 'test questions', there were many subjects who, after being assured complete anonymity , administered horrific 'shocks' to the 'victims' after being given stern orders to do so by the 'experimenter'. If you haven't heard of this study, I urge you to look into it. It was one of many studies undertaken since WW II to find out if what happened in Nazi Germany could happen here.

Dr. Altemeyer, as a psychology professor, has done many, many studies on authoritarian behavior to assess people' s tendencies toward or against what he calls 'Right-Wing Authoritarian' thinking (he uses the terms 'High RWA' and 'Low RWA' instead of 'conservative' and 'liberal' to de-politicize it) and the book is fascinating reading. The chapter that I found the most disturbing, however, was one entitled "The Effects of Hate Literature". It puts forth an unsettling question about freedom of speech (which, for the record, both Dr. Altemeyer and I believe in, whether it's convenient or not.)

This chapter focused on tests of how subjects responded to questions about whether the Holocaust actually happened before and after they read an article 'debunking' the Holocaust, written by an ex-SS officer who was stationed at Auschwitz. In this article, Thiess Christopherson asserts that there were no gassings, that the prisoners there were treated kindly, fed well and were allowed to walk around freely. There were movies. There were church services and a theater group. The medical experiments were 'humane and beneficial'. Along with the article were many photographs of him and his wife strolling about the grounds of Auschwitz on a 'second honeymoon', having dinner, women inmates contentedly working in the fields. He claimed that there could not possibly have been a Holocaust because there were supposedly 'more Jews in Germany after the war than before'.

What were the results of this test, before and after reading the article? I was astounded to find that the number of people who believed that the Holocaust had occurred was cut in half after reading that article!

Cut in half.

Just stop and think about that for a minute.

One short and ridiculously fabricated article.

Not only was it cut in half, but, what's even more disturbing to me, it was cut in half in High RWAs and Low RWAs equally! This means that liberals and conservatives were equally susceptible to the Big Lie.

Next, Altemeyer chose an article containing the confession of Rudolf Hoess, the Commandant of Auschwitz, detailing at great length the atrocities committed there. He divided the study group into three groups - one which received Hoess' confession, one which received the Christopherson denial, and one which received both. The group who received the confession remained relatively unchanged in their belief in the Holocaust. The second group, who recieved the denial piece, dropped significantly in their belief. And the third group, who received both, believed Christopherson; even having read Hoess' confession, their belief dropped only slightly less than the group who read the Christopherson account only.

Altemeyer also conducted some studies of the same type regarding attitudes toward feminism and homosexuality. Hostility toward both increased with the reading of articles attacking them. Even when coupled with a statement by the professor administering the test denouncing the articles, both High RWAs and Low RWAs were distinctly less likely to support women's and gay rights after reading these articles.

This is a frightening statement. It shows that, when confronted with two opposing ideas (one false and one true) many people will believe what they are already prone to believe or wish to believe, rather that what is factually accurate. And it's not just conservatives, either, as these studies show.

Dr. Altemeyer concludes, and I have to agree, that the Big Lie works. Even when put forth alongside the truth! I was aware, as many of us are, that a lie repeated enough times will be viewed as the truth. But I was not aware that a lie, next to the truth, can beat the truth, if people have some need to believe the lie. Whether it's fear, or greed, or a combination of both, this has been shown to have a devastating effect on our society.

So, how to combat this? For one thing, we can't let the Big Lies go unchallenged. The truth will have an effect on some people, and we cannot let these lies have the final word. For another thing, we need to examine how our students are being taught to think. Dr. Altemeyer says. at the end of this chapter (from his point of view as an educator):

"We have to do a much, much better job teaching people to think critically. If the students we have taught fall for absurd arguments, ridiculous reasoning and ersatz evidence - including even the Low RWAs - then we should have to give back part of our salaries. For we have failed worse than they. I think we have to make strenuous, positive efforts to tell the truth. if we do not, we leave the field to those who would destroy all we have struggled to accomplish, while they tell the Big Lie that they are trying to protect democracy."

Pretty sobering when you think about it - especially since this book was published in 1996, before the Kowboy Koward of Krawford and his murderous posse trampled over our democracy to lasso and hogtie our government, without a peep from the sheep.

Yee haw.

For more up-to-date work from Dr. Altemeyer, check out his new online book, The Authoritarians.

Sweet Jesus, I Hate Bill Donohoe!

This is the second time this creepy Bill Donohoe person has intruded into my thought-space. I first heard of him when the story came out about the bloggers who were hired by John Edwards, and subsequently attacked by said Donohoe, the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, for hiring bloggers who had written anti-Catholic posts on their own blogs. In doing so, there has been a legal question raised about his using his position in the Catholic League, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, to attempt to intervene in a political campaign.

From what I can tell, the Donohoe creature is a media ho extraordinaire. As Jeffrey Feldman of Frameshop has pointed out, he "has made a career by claiming that even the most trivial mention of Christianity should be treated as a violent hate crime or genocidal atrocity." In fact, he once condemned an onion-dip ad as an anti-Catholic 'atrocity'. He's a busy guy. And for some unfathomable reason, he's treated by the media as a person whose opinion carries weight. Could it be because of the other people on the board of advisors of this wing-nut organization? People like Brent Bozell III, Linda Chavez, Dinesh D’Souza, Alan Keyes, Kate O’Beirne? It's fairly clear that if you look closely at this organization, it is more like a far-right Republican political organization wearing a thin, shabby cloak of 'religion'.

So, what's the latest with Wild Bill? Apparently he's got his panties in a wad about a sculpture. Artist Cosimo Cavallaro, who often uses food as a medium, has created a work of art entitled "My Sweet Lord" - a life-sized sculpture of an anatomically-correct crucified Jesus made of milk chocolate. It was scheduled to be shown at the Lab art gallery housed in the The Roger Smith Hotel in midtown Manhattan, which decided to cancel the exhibition after Bill Donohoe and the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights called for a boycott. When interviewed or questioned by someone who doesn't drink the Kool-Aid, he falls back on schoolyard-bully rhetoric, at one point crowing, "I got a job, and you don't!" at Cavallero, who very ably called him on his crap.

Apparently it was the idea that Jesus could actually have a penis that has thrown these people into conniptions.

In another vein, Michelle Malkin, in an attempt to secure a spot at the top of the right-wing slag heap, has called for a fatwa against furriners - a special club for those who are itching to alert the authorities about any suspicious characters they may see who look like they might be out to 'hurt America'. To this end she has composed a Manifesto, along with a secret handshake, pinkie swear and decoder ring.

What's the connection?

The razor-sharp claws of TRex from Firedoglake have taken a swipe at the controversy, and he has started his own Kool Klub, complete with the "Chocolate Jesus Manifesto":

Dear Talibangelical Christian Terrorist/Censor/Supporter/Apologist,

You do not know me, but I am on the lookout for you. I am your enemy. And you are mine.

I am Chocolate Jesus.

I am in your homeowners' association, I am on your plane, I am writing for your magazine, I am a parent at your childrens' school, I am on your editorial board, and I am your coworker.

I am Chocolate Jesus.

I will never forget that this nation was founded on religious and personal freedom, that the United States is not a theocracy, and that we have no monolithic national faith.

I will never forget your attempts to force your religious superstitions into the public sphere. I will always remember your crusades to pollute our government with a bunch of moralistic hogwash, and the billions of dollars every year that go uncollected in taxes on corporate christianity, not to mention the thousands of legislative hours that have been wasted as you have sought to impose your Medieval prejudices on American law.

I am Chocolate Jesus.

I will never forget the humiliating defeats you have suffered in your efforts to subvert science and teach fairy tales as fact in public schools. I will fight you to see that my childrens' education is untainted by religionist dogma. I will fight your attempts to burn books, silence oppositon, and reduce the choices of every person in America.

I will never forget your murder of abortion providers, I will never forgive your gay-bashing, your race-hating, and your assaults on the reproductive freedoms of women. I will never falter in this fight. I will never make the mistake of thinking that you are rational, reasoning, or worth listening to at all. You are ideological poison, and it is my duty as a conscientious citizen to fight your brainwashing, ridicule your distortions, and counter your violent threats.

You are my country's real terrorists. You are American jihadi. You are my sworn enemies and I will fight you for my rights and for equal protection under the law until the day I die. If you want to try to silence me, then you better plan on killing me, because as long as I have a voice, I will be using it to fight you. This is my country, founded by a bunch of people who didn't want to be told how to worship God.

And we're going to keep it that way. I will resist all attempts to impose faux-Christian law in my schools, at my church, at work, on the Internet, at the public pool, and in all the areas of my town. You can do whatever you want in your church, but I will fight until my knuckles bleed to make sure your church stays at church and out of my government and for fuck's sake, out of my bedroom.

I am Chocolate Jesus.

I will not submit to your will. I will not be intimidated.

I.

Am.

Chocolate.

Jesus.

Eat me.

Sweet! Sounds good to me. I can sink my teeth into that!