Can I add this site to my wish list? Go before the suits force it offline.
A hat tip to Misha's astute readers
Amid all the pissing, moaning and whining from the Nine Dwarves and General Ripper, a little truth from the front thanks to Southern California Law Blog.
Via Judicious Asinity comes a dose of perspective: Front Line Voices, a website with letters from the front as to what is really happening in Iraq (as opposed to the mainstream media's "gloom and doom" presentation of a Vietnam-style quagmire.) As one soldier who submitted a letter to the website states: "The news you watch on TV is exaggerated, sensationalized and selective. Good news doesn't sell." Here is the full letter:
Editor's Note: This is an open letter from U.S. Army Maj. Eric Rydbom in Iraq to the First Lutheran Church of Richmond Beach in Shoreline, Wash. Rydbom is Deputy Division Engineer of the 4th Infantry Division.
It has been a while since I have written to my friends at First Lutheran Church about what's really going on here in Iraq. The news you watch on TV is exaggerated, sensationalized and selective. Good news doesn't sell.
The stuff you don't hear about on CNN?
Let's start with electrical power production in Iraq. The day after the war was declared over, there was nearly 0 power being generated in Iraq. Just 45 days later, in a partnership between the Army, the Iraqi people and some private companies, there are now 3200 megawatts (Mw) of power being produced daily, 1/3 of the total national potential of 8000 Mw. Downed power lines (big stuff, 400 Kilovolt (Kv) and 132 Kv) are being repaired and are about 70 percent complete.
Then there is water purification. In central Iraq between Baghdad and Mosul, home of the 4th Infantry Division, water treatment was spotty at best. The facilities existed, but the controls were never implemented. Simple chemicals like Chlorine for purification and Alum (Aluminum Sulfate) for sediment settling (the Tigris River is about as clear as the Mississippi River) were in very short supply or not used at all. When chlorine was used, it was metered by the scientific method of guessing.
So some people got pool water to drink and some people got water with lots of little things floating around in it. We are slowly but surely solving that. Contracts for repairs to facilities that are only 50 percent or less operational are being let, chemicals are being delivered, although we don't have the metering problem solved yet (...but again, it's only been 45 days).
How about oil and fuel? Well the war was all about oil wasn't it? You bet it was. It was all about oil for the Iraqi people! They have no other income. They produce nothing else. Oil is 95 percent of the Iraqi GNP. For this nation to survive, it must sell oil.
The Refinery at Bayji is [operating] at 75 percent of capacity producing gasoline. The crude pipeline between Kirkuk (Oil Central) and Bayji will be repaired by tomorrow (2 June). LPG, what all Iraqis use to cook and heat with, is at 103 percent of normal production and we, the U.S. Army, are ensuring it is being distributed fairly to all Iraqis.
You have to remember that only three months ago, all these things were used by the Saddam regime as weapons against the population to keep them in line. If your town misbehaved, gasoline shipments stopped, LPG pipelines and trucks stopped, water was turned off, power was turned off.
Now, until exports start, every drop of gasoline produced goes to the Iraqi people. Crude oil is being stored and the country is at 75 percent capacity right now. They need to export or stop pumping soon, so thank the U.N. for the delay.
All LPG goes to the Iraqi people everywhere. Water is being purified as best it can be, but at least its running all the time to everyone.
Are we still getting shot at? Yep.
Are American soldiers still dying? Yep, about one a day from my outfit, the 4th Infantry Division, most in accidents, but dead is dead.
If we are doing all this for the Iraqis, why are they shooting at us?
The general Iraqi population isn't shooting at us. There are still bad guys who won't let go of the old regime. They are Ba'ath party members (Read Nazi Party, but not as nice) who have known nothing but and supported nothing but the regime all of their lives. These are the thugs for the regime who caused many to disappear in the night. They have no other skills. At least the Nazis [in Germany] had jobs and a semblance of a national infrastructure that they could go back to after the war, as plumbers, managers, engineers, etc. These people have no skills but terror. They are simply applying their skills ... and we are applying ours.
There is no Christian way to say this, but they must be eliminated and we are doing so with all the efficiency we can muster. Our troops are shot at literally everyday by small arms and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs). We respond. One hundred percent of the time, the Ba''ath party guys come out with the short end of the stick.
The most amazing thing to me is that they don't realize that if they stopped shooting at us, we would focus on fixing things more quickly and then leave back to the land of the Big PX. The more they shoot at us, the longer we will have to stay.
Lastly, all of you please realize that 90 percent of the damage you see on TV was caused by Iraqis, not by us and not by the war. Sure, we took out a few bridges from military necessity, we took out a few power and phone lines to disrupt communications, sure we drilled a few palaces and government headquarters buildings with 2000 lb. laser guided bombs (I work 100 yards from where two hit the Tikrit Palace), [but] he had plenty to spare.
But, any damage you see to schools, hospitals, power generation facilities, refineries, pipelines, was all caused either by the Iraqi Army in its death throes or from much of the Iraqi civilians looting the places.
Could we have prevented it? Nope.
We can and do now, but 45 days ago, the average soldier was fighting for his own survival and trying to get to his objectives as fast as possible. He was lucky to know what town he was in much less be informed enough to know who owned what or have the power to stop 1,000 people from looting and burning a building by himself.
The United States and our allies, especially Great Britain, are doing a very noble thing here. We stuck our necks out on the world's chopping block to free an entire people from the grip of a horrible terror that was beyond belief.
I've already talked the weapons of mass destruction thing to death - bottom line, who cares? This country was one big conventional weapons ammo dump anyway.. We have probably destroyed more weapons and ammo in the last 30 days than the U.S. Army has ever fired in the last 30 years (remember, this is a country the size of Texas), so drop the WMD argument as the reason we came here. If we find it great if we don't, so what?
I'm living in a "guest palace" on a 500-acre palace compound with 20 palaces with like facilities built in half a dozen towns all over Iraq that were built for one man. Drive down the street and out into the countryside five miles away like I have and see all the families of 10 or more, all living in mud huts and herding the two dozen sheep on which their very existence depends ....then tell me why you think we are here.
Respectfully,
ERIC RYDBOM
MAJOR, ENGINEER
Deputy Division Engineer
4th Infantry Division
Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante really doesn't have a clue as to why average Californians are fed up with the current crop of Solons in Sacramento.
Bustamante announces support for Huffington's campaign finance plan.
Hoping to neutralize concerns about his campaign support from tribal casinos, Democratic candidate Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante is endorsing a competitor's plan to diminish the influence of special interest groups by publicly financing campaigns.
Instead of simply running a clean campaign or giving the money back when caught red-handed illegally using funds, his solution? Public financing of campaigns.
How about a little ethical behavior Mr. Bustamante, instead of tapping my already strained wallet?
TV stations won't help him meet court order, he says.
HUNTINGTON PARK - Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, told by a judge to prove that he cannot cancel television advertising time purchased with improper campaign contributions, said Saturday that television stations are refusing to refund money for ad time not yet used.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Loren McMaster ruled last week that Bustamante violated campaign rules by accepting millions in contributions from tribal gambling interests and labor unions into an old campaign account, although the judge noted that the state Fair Political Practices Commission had "provided often conflicting advice" on the subject.
Bustamante was ordered to return any remaining portion of the $3.8 million that McMaster deemed was gathered inappropriately and that had not already been spent. On Friday, McMaster said Bustamante must prove that he could not cancel the ads and obtain refunds.
General Clark says he'd relieve Rumsfeld of his command.
Being relieved of command is something about which General Clark knows personally. While Spoons correctly ponders the fairness of General Shelton's vague remarks about Clark's character and speculation is bandied about in the media concerning Clark's sudden departure from NATO, this article offers a peek behind the curtain of Pentagon silence around Clark and his departure from Europe.
"Recounting the episode Thursday to a Senate committee, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Henry Shelton, offered a glimpse of the decision-making process at the highest levels that rarely surfaces on either side of the Atlantic.""Backed by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, General Clark initially asked General Jackson to send a joint British-French airborne force. French officials have subsequently said their government endorsed the plan and then withdrew at London's request.
..."Later in the same day, General Clark sought a U.S.-led force to get to Pristina ahead of the Russians, but was told that they lacked the regulation quantity of ammunition for the mission. European officials maintain that General Shelton also refused to provide Pentagon backing for U.S. involvement, apparently because of concern about possible casualties."
A whiff of General Ripper emanates from what we know of Clark's command during the Kosovo war that is not reassuring. That Cohen cashiered Clark is troubling, voters are entitled to the truth. This is not bean ball, does Clark possess the temperment to command the US military and foreign policy unchecked?
His waffling on Iraq is also troubling, he appears to be pettily vindictive when things do not work out his way. The General should clear the air and release his service records, just as we expect a civilian candidate to provide transparency regarding his past, so should General Clark.
What technological marvel shall we next expect from the the French? Air Conditioning? Le Car Deux? A reliable power grid?!
European rocket places lunar explorer, two satellites into orbit
SMART-1 will help scientists to solve certain enigmas concerning the formation of the moon, its exact mineralogical composition, and whether it contains water and if so in what quantities.
Well that explains this story:
French Researchers Overcome Quirk to Clone Rat
Scrappleface's report and his reader's comments are better than the Sunday Funnies...so go already.
Italy Grinds to Halt in Nationwide Blackout
ROME (Reuters) - A nationwide power blackout struck Italy in the dead of night on Sunday, unleashing chaos, stalling lifts, stranding travelers, but causing no known disasters.
Practically all the country's 57 million people were hit, a failure similar in scale to last month's collapse in the U.S. Northeast and Canada -- though, coming on a weekend night, its initial impact was less dramatic and less economically damaging.
"It's chaos, and until the electricity comes back on it will continue to be chaos," said policeman Fabio Bragazzi, 21, at Rome's main Termini train station where passengers, among some 30,000 stranded across the country, slept on the ground.
Disbelief was heightened by uncanny coincidence -- it was the fourth major Western blackout in two months, after cuts in North America, parts of London, and Scandinavia.
CROSS-BORDER CUTS
Officials first blamed it on the breakdown of two big lines from France, which provides critical supplies and up to a fifth of Italy's needs at night, during severe storms.
But they later said lines from Switzerland and Austria also failed, apparently helping to trigger the blackout, which also hit an adjacent Swiss region.
"It was an exceptional, extraordinary event," Andrea Bollino, chairman of Italy's grid operator GRTN, told Reuters.
France's grid operator RTE said the blackout started with four successive line failures between Switzerland and Italy.
Heh.
There was a mighty Leader, The Clinton, who rose to power through guile and cleverness at a time when a great dictator strode the Balkans and threatened to encompass all of Europe in a fiery war once more. A great quaking and wailing arose from Brussels and woe was upon the EU. The Clinton summoned a fearless General, The Clark, who had a box of thunderbolts and that all he had to do was drop a thunderbolt on the dictator and blow him up. When he did that, the accolades flowed, and Europe was safe once more, and The Clark said, "What a great man am I."
So, thinking, "What a great man am I," The Clark decides that he is worthy of ruling the world and announces that he will become President of all men and transmogrifies into a Democrat. Immediately upon hearing The Clark's announcement speech, a great yelp of joy is heard from the Media Running Dogs and The Clark becomes The Leading Candidate, much to the chargrin of The Nine Lesser Candidates of the Left.
The Head Flack of the deposed Clintonistas, Fabiani, goes to work, and in very quick order he gets the campaign into pretty good condition. But every time The Leading Candidate gives a speech, he has bigger ideas about how splendid and grandiose his rule should be. Finally, Fabiani The Flack says, "My god, there is no end to his desires. I am caught for the duration of the campaign." So he goes to The Clinton, self-annointed leader of Democrats, and complains.
The Clinton sits on the throne of the poor, the symbol of his divine energy and divine grace. It is said that the poor grows from the navel of the Great Cuomo, who is the One True God of Liberalism, whose dream is a New World Order wherein there will be only poor. So Fabiani The Flack tells his story to The Clinton. The Clinton says, "You go home. I will fix this up." The Clinton casts aside his concubine and rushes to kneel before The Cuomo, seeking aid. The Cuomo just makes a lordly gesture and says something like, "Listen, I shall send a message forth upon The Blackberry and something will happen."
Next morning, at door of The Leading Candidate’s campaign headquarters, there appears one of The Nine Lesser Candidates of the Left, known as Dean Sage of the Northeast, with a pack of Media Running Dogs about him, lapping up his wisdom. Fabiani The Flack goes running to The Leading Candidate, and The Leading Candidate says, "Well, bring in the sage." Dean Sage of the Northeast is brought in, and The Leading Candidate, who would be president, sitting behind his desk, says, "My good man, welcome. And what brings you to my office?" "Well," says Dean Sage of the Northeast with a voice like thunder rolling on the horizon, "I have been told that you are building such a plan to rule the world such as no Leading Candidate, not even the august FDR, before you ever built." And The Leading Candidate says, “Leading Candidates before me — what are you talking about?"
Dean Sage of the Northeast says, “Leading Candidates before you. I have seen them come and go, come and go. Many Candidates flowed from the navel of Liberalism, The Ivory Tower of Knowledge. Just think, The Cuomo sleeps in the Northeast, under the Ivory Tower and the power of Liberalism grows from his navel. Atop the Tower sits Carville, the creator of hubris. Carville opens his eyes, and a campaign comes into being, led by a Leading Candidate. Carville closes his eyes, and a race is lost. The life of a Leading Candidate is short. When he dies, Liberalism retreats back into its ivory tower, and another campaign is formed, and another Leading Candidate. Then think of the galaxies beyond galaxies in infinite space, each a tower, with a Carville sitting on it, opening his eyes, closing his eyes. And Leading Candidates? There may be wise men in your employ who would volunteer to count the drops of water in the oceans or the grains of sand on the beaches, but no one would count those Leading Candidates."
While Dean Sage of the Northeast was talking, an army of ants parades across the floor. Dean Sage of the Northeast laughs when he sees them, and The Leading Candidate’s hair stands on end, and he says to the sage, "Why do you laugh?"
Dean Sage of the Northeast points to the ants and says, "Former Leading Candidates all.
~the end
(A hat tip in memory of Joseph Campbell's marvelous stories that never cease to amuse, amaze and enlighten. The parable of “Indra’s Lesson” from the Upanishads may be found here.)
President Bush’s $87 billion request for Iraq and Afghanistan has Donk panties in bunch.
In a bristling exchange, Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., challenged Rumsfeld on the $20.3 billion part of Bush’s plan that would go toward rebuilding Iraq and establishing a democratic government.
Consider this from the FY 2004 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill:
On the Senate Floor, the following amendments were passed by voice vote: Senator Feinstein (D-CA) proposed $25 million to reduce the threat to human safety arising from the threat of catastrophic fire in dead and dying trees; Senator Reid (D-NV) proposed $20 million for the suppression and control of Mormon cricket infestations
And this:
The figure includes 45 billion dollars for the value of the ruined buildings and the loss of tax revenue derived from those people killed, and 45 billion to 60 billion dollars for ongoing costs, such as lost economic activity over the next two fiscal years, he said in a report.
There is not enough space in Manhattan for all the firms displaced from the WTC, he said, "some are moving out of the city, some may return when there is new space, others may not. The impact on the city economy in fiscal 2003 could range from 3 billion to 18 billion dollars.
Let's take a look at how we Americans spend our disposable income:
I am not suggesting that we shouldn't enjoy a movie, burger or a Slurpee, install a dishwasher or have fresh breath and squeaky clean hair, but we need to get our fucking priorities in order.
We spend billions a year to prevent crab grass in our lawns and millions to eliminate crickets. How can we not spend $20.3 Billion to prevent Islamofacism from taking root in Iraq?
True to form Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) piled on:
Daschle said Cheney "needs to explain how he reconciles the claim that he has 'no financial interest in Halliburton of any kind' with the hundreds of thousands of dollars in deferred salary payments he receives from Halliburton."
Senator Daschle needs to explain how he managed to leverage a $2 million home purchase with an annual gross income of $154,700.00?
Tom Daschle's new $2 million house on Washington's ritzy Foxhall Road. It's a great place to entertain Hollywood liberals, politicians and lobbyists."
Daschle and his wife, Linda H. Daschle, a corporate lobbyist, bought the home earlier this year.
A corporate lobbyist? Let's Google Mrs. Daschel shall we?
I'm Linda, Fly me
The real reason Tom Daschle didn’t run for president
by Doug Ireland
"Right after then-Congressman Tom Daschle dumped his first wife for a younger, prettier one, the former Miss Kansas Linda Daschle went to work as chief lobbyist for the Air Transport Association, the airline industry’s main lobby; she then became the senior vice president of the American Association of Airport Executives; and these days hangs her hat at the pricey top Washington law/lobby shop Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell, headed by former GOP Senate leader and ex–Reagan chief of staff Howard Baker — where she peddles influence on behalf of a long list of lucrative aviation clients. The clients for whom Linda lobbied brought more than $5.86 million into Baker, Donelson in one three-year period, including Northwest Airlines ($870,000 from 1997 through 2001) and American Airlines ($1.26 million in fees). Northwest was already teetering on the edge of bankruptcy even before 9/11. American, which has had six fatal crashes since 1994 (not counting 9/11) and has been repeatedly fined by the FAA for a skein of safety violations, had the reputation as the most unsafe major U.S. carrier."
..."Before 9/11, Senator Daschle pushed through the sleazy deal in the backrooms of Capitol Hill that forced the FAA to buy defective baggage scanners from one of Linda’s other clients, L-3 International (from which Linda’s firm raked in $440,000 in the ’97–’01 period). Under a provision Linda’s husband had slipped into the 2000 budget for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the FAA was required to buy one of L-3’s scanners for every one it purchased from the company’s competitors. The L-3 scanners were found to be substandard by DOT’s inspector general; FAA tests of the scanners showed high failure rates; and most have not yet been installed because of their defects (the one at the Dallas–Fort Worth airport — another of Linda’s clients — leaked radiation), which is a major reason DOT says it won’t be able to screen all luggage for explosives for years to come."
..."In one of those corporate-coddling moves for which the Clinton administration became infamous, President Bubba appointed Linda Daschle deputy administrator of the FAA, putting her in charge of regulating her once-and-future clients; and she wound up running the agency as acting administrator. This, of course, significantly boosted the Daschle family income by hyping the amount Linda could charge her clients when she left government service."
..."Linda Daschle has tried to pooh-pooh her obvious conflicts of interest as an influence peddler, telling The New York Times last August that the staff members she lobbies “are pretty junior and may or may not know who I am” — a mind-boggling, risible assertion. But her senator/leader husband has always refused to make public his and his wife’s tax returns, despite repeated press requests."
A list of Linda Daschle's clients all of whom have business and regulatory issues before Congress:
These are the companies and groups represented by Linda Daschle:
• American Airlines.
• American Association of Airport Executives.
• American Concrete Pavement Association.
• American Trucking Associations.
• Boeing.
• Centennial Airport, Englewood, Colo.
• Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland.
• L-3 Communications, makers of cockpit technology.
• Loral Space and Communications.
• Northwest Airlines.
• Schering-Plough, a pharmaceutical company.
• United Technologies, a defense contractor.
Schering-Ploug holds the parent on Claritin and sought an extension. Would Lynn Cheney receive a pass in similar circumstances? I think not.
The good senator should STFU as he couldn't recognise a conflict of interest if it were in bed with him.
The Donk flack drumbeat reverbs through the media as Cheney's ties to Halliburton are probed in an ongoing effort to drive the administrations numbers down. It's working...the small lies are repeated and amplified by a sympathic media until they are seen as truths.
Aides Back Cheney on Lack of Halliburton Ties
By Mike Allen and Dana Milbank
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, September 17, 2003; Page A16
Aides to Vice President Cheney yesterday defended his assertion this weekend that he has no financial ties to the Halliburton Co., even though he still receives deferred compensation from the Houston-based energy conglomerate.
Cheney was chairman and chief executive of Halliburton until he joined George W. Bush's ticket. The firm has won Iraqi reconstruction contracts worth more than $1.7 billion and stands to make hundreds of millions of dollars more under a no-bid contract awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
However a little Googling turns up an article with an interesting timeline regarding KR&B's contracts:
Peacekeeping Helped Cheney Company
By Karen Gullo
Associated Press Writer
Monday, Aug. 28, 2000; 3:25 p.m. EDT
"A big chunk of the business came in 1995 when troops were sent to Bosnia. The Army paid Brown & Root $546 million to provide logistical support for over 20,000 American soldiers in Bosnia, Croatia and Hungary. The company had already earned $269 million on the contract.Two years later (1997) Brown & Root received a sole-source contract worth $405 million to continue support services in Bosnia. Last year the company beat out one other bidder to win a five-year Army contract to support U.S. peacekeeping troops in the Balkans region. Originally awarded for $900 million, work under that contract has now reached $730 million and could go to more than double that figure because more troops were sent to Kosovo last year (1999). "
Some major contracts won by Halliburton Co.'s Brown & Root Services subsidiary to provide logistic support services for U.S. troops overseas:
1992-1997
Missions supported: Somalia, Zaire (Rwanda refugee crisis), Haiti, Southwest Asia, Italy (troops patrolling no-fly zone over Bosnia out of Aviano air base), Bosnia. Value: $815 million.
1997-1999
Missions supported: Bosnia, Hungary, Croatia. $405 million.
1999-2004
Missions supported: Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Hungary. $1.8 billion
Is Ms Gullo saying that the DOD and Pentagon under Les Aspin (author of the failed two-theater military plan and Mogadeshu debaucle) and William Cohen were in Cheney's pocket?
Pathetic Earthlings marches out this week's Carnival of the Vanities with a snappy poster theme.
Check out PE's ruminations on space, politics and have a virtual Lagavulin on me.
What if you sponsored a race and no one knew. One would think the Uber-hipsters at the Chronicle would have a little info on BIG environmental doings in Sonoma...given the journalistic opportunity to kiss French arse and sample hospitality tent food, wine & show babes.
More Than 100 Vehicles, 15 Manufacturers, Head to Sonoma for 2003 Challenge Bibendum
Largest Environmental Vehicle Event on the Planet Set to Begin Sept. 23 GREENVILLE, S.C., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- One week from tomorrow, more than 100 of the cleanest running advanced technology vehicles on the planet will roll into Sonoma, Calif., to kick off Michelin's fifth annual environmental vehicle competition, Challenge Bibendum(TM). The event, centered at Sonoma's Infineon Raceway, will run Sept. 23-25, and will feature environmentally positive vehicles from the world's major automakers. This is only the second time that Challenge Bibendum has visited North America.The 2003 Challenge Bibendum is the largest ever. Participating automakers include: Audi, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Freightliner, General Motors, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu Truck, Nissan, Peugeot, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo, and Volvo Truck. Some of the most advanced vehicles in the world will be joined by more than 35 Learning Center technology displays, top industry speakers from Europe, China and the United States, as well as more than 1,000 attendees from 30 countries.
Nada...zip..zero at SF Gate...not even a mention when a home town corp makes a break thought in fleet emissions.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company to Drag Race Environmentally Superior Heavy-Duty Crew Truck in The 2003 Challenge Bibendum This is the First-Ever Heavy-Duty Competition in Michelin's Annual EventSAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 22 -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company today announced that one of it's technologically advanced and environmentally superior heavy-duty compressed natural gas crew trucks is competing in Michelin's 2003 Challenge Bibendum which takes place in Sonoma and San Francisco and runs September 23-25, 2003. The new technology of this natural gas-powered truck significantly reduces harmful air emissions -- approximately 50 percent nitrogen oxide (NOx), 80 percent particulates, and nearly 90 percent carbon monoxide (CO) -- when compared to diesel trucks. "PG&E's innovative compressed natural gas crew truck will leave the heavy-duty diesel competition in the dust," said Norm Stone, PG&E's manager of clean air transportation.
The PG&E PR numbskulls didn't think to include a photo or a company link...in fact Michelin hasn't released any photos to the public yet either. D'OH!!
As a world class contrarian, I offer you the antithesis of the Greenie shindig in Sonoma...
Gale Banks's Sidewinder pickup passed through the speed traps of the Bonneville Salt Flats at 222.139 mph
UPDATE: Michelin's 2004 Challenge Bibendum will be held in Shanghai, China.
Bush seeks Annan ass to implant lips.
This speech and appearance speech will only provide comfort to America's enemies...little more than an pre-election sop to the bleeding hearts who would hand our soverignity over to the likes of the EU weasels.
The WaPo bleats:
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, in an unusually impassioned and sharp condemnation of U.S. policy, said "unilateralism" was an assault on the "collective action" envisioned by the late president Franklin D. Roosevelt and the other U.N. founders.
"This logic represents a fundamental challenge to the principles on which, however imperfectly, world peace and stability have rested for the last 58 years," the secretary general said.
As usual, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle expresses regret and disappointment:
Bullshit
The reason the world has been relatively at peace for the past 58 years is that the US defeated Germany and Japan, rebuilt Europe and stood between Soviet expansionsim and the free world.
That the world has not been engulfed in flames AGAIN isn't the product of feckless French "diplomacy", Donk appeasement or UN blathering and ass-kissing of tin-pot dictators. It is a direct result of the US building the strongest military and maintaining our stance that we are the world's policemen, like it or not. We make the rules because we bear the costs in blood and treasure.
The colonial flag that preceded Betsy Ross' Old Glory bore the image of a coiled snake and the words "Don't Tread on Me." Those who trod on us in in the past and on 9/11 have discovered that those words apply with a vengeance.
Fucking A.
"I observed on one of the drums belonging to the marines now raising, there was painted a Rattle-Snake, with this modest motto under it, 'Don't tread on me.' As I know it is the custom to have some device on the arms of every country, I supposed this may have been intended for the arms of America."
This anonymous writer, having "nothing to do with public affairs" and "in order to divert an idle hour," speculated on why a snake might be chosen as a symbol for America.
First, it occurred to him that "the Rattle-Snake is found in no other quarter of the world besides America."
The rattlesnake also has sharp eyes, and "may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance." Furthermore,
"She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage. ... she never wounds 'till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her."
Finally,
"I confess I was wholly at a loss what to make of the rattles, 'till I went back and counted them and found them just thirteen, exactly the number of the Colonies united in America; and I recollected too that this was the only part of the Snake which increased in numbers. ...
"'Tis curious and amazing to observe how distinct and independent of each other the rattles of this animal are, and yet how firmly they are united together, so as never to be separated but by breaking them to pieces. One of those rattles singly, is incapable of producing sound, but the ringing of thirteen together, is sufficient to alarm the boldest man living."
Many scholars now agree that this "American Guesser" was Benjamin Franklin.
Davis begins preparations for holding California election results hostage as ACLU weasels lose 9th Circuit decision and Oct 7th election resumes.
Unless the U.S. Supreme Court steps in quickly, the decision means Election Day is two weeks away.
The 11-member panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an earlier decision of a three-judge panel from the same circuit.
The original panel postponed the election on whether to recall Gov. Gray Davis because six counties would use outdated punch-card ballots that were the subject of the "hanging chads" battle in the 2000 presidential election in Florida.
The decision clears the way for a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which could be asked to revisit its Bush v. Gore decision in the 2000 election.
As if.
Hat tip to Beaker for the photo reference...Davis online photo archives are rich with "Dukakis Moments" to mine...check out his "Taxinator" parody [Ed: Warning! possible beverage spew. ]
Bob Novak offers a bit more background on General Clark:
“The Clark Rule: whenever the general is found talking alone to a Serb, Croat or Muslim, make sure an American civilian official rushes to his side.”U.S. diplomats warned Clark not to go to Bosnian Serb military headquarters to meet Mladic, considered by U.S. intelligence as the mastermind of the Srebrenica massacre of Muslim civilians (and still at large, sought by NATO peacekeeping forces). Besides the exchange of hats, they drank wine together, and Mladic gave Clark a bottle of brandy and a pistol.
This was what U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke's team seeking peace in Yugoslavia tried to avoid by instituting the "Clark Rule": whenever the general is found talking alone to a Serb, Croat or Muslim, make sure an American civilian official rushes to his side. It produced some comic opera dashes by diplomats.
After Clark's meeting with Mladic, the State Department cabled embassies throughout Europe that there was no change in policy toward the Bosnian Serbs. The incident cost Victor Jackovich his job as U.S. ambassador to Bosnia, even though he protested Clark's course. The upshot came months later, when Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic, in bitter negotiations with Holbrooke, handed Clark back his Army hat.
Bill Safire offers another look at Clark's lack of consistancy:
Worse, as his Clinton handlers cringed, he blew his antiwar appeal by telling reporters "I probably would have voted for" the Congressional resolution authorizing Bush to invade Iraq. Next day, the chastised candidate flip-flopped, claiming "I would never have voted for war."
Fineman removes his lips from the General's posterior long enough to reveal an insight into the General's character or lack thereof:
“I would have been a Republican,” Clark told them, “if Karl Rove had returned my phone calls.”
It appears that General Clark not only doesn't know who he is or what he believes...he is willing to join whomever will have him.
Karl Rove may indeed be as smart as the Left fears.
With a jazz band playing in the background and more than a thousand glasses raised, Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists and engineers said goodbye to one of their own Sunday, toasting the veteran spacecraft Galileo as it performed a dramatic suicide plunge into the giant planet Jupiter.
With Galileo's gas tank empty after a 14-year space mission, NASA officials decided to destroy the spacecraft to prevent it from accidentally crashing into and contaminating any of Jupiter's moons.
"We haven't lost a spacecraft, we've gained a steppingstone into the future of space exploration,"
The stalwart craft had already outlasted its warranty by six years, but surprised its keepers to the end by refusing to go into "safe mode." It kept doggedly studying Jupiter until it was torn apart and vaporized at approximately noon Pacific time by the intense frictional forces and heat in Jupiter's violent atmosphere.
See spectacular mission images: Galileo's Legacy at Jupiter
Looks like it's dumb-down season again... as the Donks crank up the Carville-Begala nasty machine to whip up a Jew hating, Bush bashing, gun-grabbing, Illegal alien-hugging, anti-military frenzy known in DNC circles as voter education.
DarthVOB joyfully informs us that the Donks have a new blog: Kicking Ass
[ED:Clever name....those wacky dems!]
It sucks. BIG time. You must register to comment *snicker* [ Donks are fragile creatures...they must only be fed the approved Donk food.] Go see for yourself and as DarthVOB sums up:
So the DNC is only two clicks away from making a major policy announcement that in fact, Bush is a Nazi. At least that's what they heard.
Buwhahahahaha!
The Donks are a spent political force...bereft of ideas or solutions, shorn of ethics by Clinton and ideals by their death embrace of socialism. IMHO-They need an agenda not a blog.
Kim Du Toit 'splains a few things that may not be apparant to a thoughful conservative Democrat email correspondent.
..."Let me tell you something.
If you read all the above, disagree with most of the first list, and acknowledge the facts of the second, and still vote Democrat, there's nothing I can say anymore.
I grant you, the Republicans have not covered themselves with glory in recent years, either (Ronald Reagan being the notable exception). Compared to the Democrats, however, the Stupid Party look like shining angels.
When morons like Pat Buchanan and Pat Robertson tried to hijack the Republican Party, they were shunned, and only the most paranoid loony would argue that either has any traction in the Republican Party anymore. David Duke is just a bad memory. But the Democrats continue, despite the insanity of such activity, to kowtow to insane hustlers like Al Sharpton.
Al Sharpton gets a respectful hearing when he runs for President? In what universe are Democrats living?"
"...Let me tell you one last thing. If the Republican Party had moved as far to the right as the Democrat Party has to the left, there is no way in the world that I would consider myself a Republican anything, except perhaps "opponent".
You may want to reconsider your party affiliation, because you seem to have all the right ideas about guns and concepts like self-defense, and your choice of Internet reading matter is excellent.
In fact, as a conservative Democrat, you probably have more in common with today's Republicans, unfortunately"
It is almost impossible to do justice to Kim's piece by pulling a graf or two...there are simply too many good points from which to choose.
This story begs the question why the Left considers the French a shining beacon of civility and freedom to be emulated and admired. One can only imagine the media outrage if a Bushie made such a statement, even in casual conversation.
France warns mosques to avoid extremism
Interior minister says he'll expel anyone preaching 'radical sermons'
Paris -- France's interior minister has threatened to close any mosque in the country that is considered extremist and expel any Muslim prayer leader who preaches a radical message.
In an interview in Le Figaro published on Thursday, the minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, also pledged to deny visas to Muslim participants in conferences who do not respect the values of the French state.
Here's the really delicious part, wherein France hoists their much touted tolerance and idealism on the petard of self-interest:
Ah...I see, when the New York Times disapproves, semantic Ju-Jitsu is applied transforming Chirac's government into right-wingers. Hilarious. I thought they were visionaries and giants among men...eclipsing Cowboy George with a chic sophisication and civilte.
But I digress...
Egads, Has John Ashcroft bolted for France? So much for Liberté
"Personally, I favor a law banning the ostentatious wearing of all religious symbols," Fillon told members of the commission. He added, "We must get rid of this ambiguity, otherwise all the barriers will disappear."
We know which schools will be forced to remove religious symbols post haste, don't we? Ambiguity? A Jewish school in a Paris suburb was burned down. A synagogue in Marseille spontaneously combusts; Jews have been physically attacked; threatening letters sent to community leaders; Stars of David scrawled on Jewish businesses, and cemeteries defaced. These acts of racism and hatred were not clear enough signals that religious fanaticism was out of control and sanctioned by government inaction? How about this video Got a clue now? Jacques? Dominique??
France finally woke up and smelled the Turkish roast. Given France's perfidy and betrayal at the UN, most Americans don't give a rat's ass if and when Paris burns...been there, done that, got the graves.
Trop petit, trop tardif, mon ami.
His Royal Highness, My Liege, Misha I, bestows Imperial Linkage upon an excellent blog:
His cogent history of Israel is a must read for those a little fuzzy on how the Mid-East situation evolved...although my readers don't need no stinkin' history lesson...it's a great site...with maps! Doesn't get any better than that, does it?
Go.
[ Ed:warning: it's on Slugspot...but worth the wait and a slot on your blogroll. ]
I was grazing over at Fragments this morning...as usual Fred emparted tasty tidbits, wonderful photos and thoughtful links...then I clicked on the link in this entry:
Then listen! All about bedbugs (coming soon to a interstate motel near you!) and an interview with Salam Pax, the Baghdad Blogger and called the "the Anne Frank of this war."
I composed and discarded several comment entries, no, I thought leave Fred to his own devices...shout not in his gentle space...use the blog.
The comparison between 13-yr old Anne Frank's diary, and 29-yr old Iraqi blogger Salam is beyond the pale...the Elvis reference is simply bizarre. Has the journalistic world gone mad? Is their moral compass so skewed that they have abandoned common sense?
The comparison to a family hiding and fearing for their very lives every second of every day is an affront to decency and the memory of 6 million murdered Jews.
Salam's own words reveal how little his life resembled Anne's:
:: Wednesday, December 25, 2002 ::
The good news first. We are going to celebrate New Year's at my parents place, they are throwing a party and since the house will be a mess anyway I am occupying the upper floor for my partying purposes. Everyone is invited bring a friend, a bottle of whatever you drink and a candle. Make that lots of candles. The electricity situation is getting out of hand.
An excerpt from Anne Frank's diary:
Peter Maass writes:
I needed a new interpreter to fill the gap for two weeks or so, and the colleague mentioned that he had just met a smart and friendly guy named Salam. I quickly traced Salam to the Sheraton Hotel. Salam—this is his real first name—was sitting in a chair in the lobby, reading Philip K. Dick's "The Man in the High Castle".
How very hip of the trendy Salam, wonder what they were reading in the prisons under Baghdad while Salam was blogging?
There was no escape or choice for Anne Frank only a brutish internment and death.
Anne Frank was sent to Bergen-Belsen after being evacuated from Auschwitz in October, 1944. As starvation. cold and disease swept through the camp's population, Margot, Anne's sister, developed typhus and died. A few days later, Anne herself, in April, 1945, succumbed to the disease a few weeks before the camp was liberated by the British. She was 15 years old.
Salam however seems to be holding up well in spite of his victimization by American right-wing extremists:
My life has taken a sharp turn towards the surreal.
it starts with this [The Baghdad Blog].
did you see the promo, it is so scary it freaked me out the first time I saw it. do turn up the volume, the track is by the Aphex Twin and when Intro contacted Warp records they said that they can choose any track they want by the Aphex Twin and it's for free. Warp even has the promo linked from its site.
Then there is the today show on BBC Radio 4 later followed by a web chat.
a radio interview with Late Night Live in *australia*.
A daily telegraph piece (needs registration).
A web page on the Guardian site.
A million other interviews by people who are nice enough to bring me books as presents.
What an admirable man our Salam is, living large, American style. Will anyone remember Salam Pax in 20 years? I think not.
Whereas, Anne Frank will live on until the end of recorded history as an example of what happens when men such as Salam do not stand up against evil.
Iraqi's bear moral responsiblity and condemnation for the bad acts of the Ba'athist Party as much as any German who joined the Nazi party to get along and live comfortably off the misery and murder of their fellow countrymen. The fact that the media elite doesn't support the current administration and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein doesn't excuse Iraqis from culpability for children's prisons and mass graves.
Sorry, but as Elvis once remarked "That dog won't hunt."
Davis admits he had lost touch with voters in remarks made before attending a hall meeting at Sacramento's Memorial Auditorium. A crowd of supporters, including SF Mayor Willy Brown and an unidentified state election official gathered in front of the Governor's alternate fuel limosine to hear the Governor's vision for California.
"Yes, there is no question about it, contrary to the nasty smear campaign waged against me by right-wing extremists seeking to steal another election from the working poor and people of color, I have five fingers on each hand. See?" Davis told reporters, raising his left hand.
"My vision is to make the most diverse state on earth, and we have people from every planet on the earth in this state. We have the sons and daughters of every, of people from every planet, of every country on earth," he said.
The same unnamed state election official later appeared in Monterey County with Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) at the unveiling of the new RoboVotomatic machines. It is reported that the Ninth Circuit appointed said official in order to insure voter fairness throughout the known Universe.
The new RoboVotomatics promise to be very popular as they do not require actual voters, they can be pre-set by the majority party in any given election, thereby saving taxpayers a great deal of time and expense.
The lack of response to General Clark's announcement from the anti-war Left is deafening. One only needs to Google the Left's online archives to find damning facts and details the American media glossed over or ignored in 1999.
General Wesley Clark, Jr (Ret.) commanded the NATO Kosovo campaign...will he and Clinton be held to the same standards as the Bush Adminstration and General Franks?
One seriously doubts they will receive a nanosecond of criticism from the likes of the New York Times, "Not In Our Name" and Hollywood elites.
NATO under Clark's command and IN OUR NAME did this:
A NATO airstrike hit a bus Saturday near Luzane north of Pristina,
killing at least 34 people, including 15 children, and injuring five.
and this:
BOMBING OF CIVILIAN TARGETS IN KURSUMLIJA, 04/11/99.
[Ed. Yes, this link is jingoistic, but no less than the Palestinian agit prop that the Left laps up.]
Residential areas in towns of Novi Sad, Pancevo, Nis, Cuprija, Aleksinac, Kragujevac, Valjevo, Surdulica, Kraljevo, Jagodina were hit too.
UPDATE: This link was sent in email...the Lies & Denials page is a must read...however this one, if true, is especially interesting given the recent outing of the BBC's anti-war bias in reportage from Iraq.[Warning:slow loading pages]
The Left becried the destruction of Iraq's historical sites. Where were they when NATO (we) bombed monasteries?:
E. CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL MONUMENTS AND MUSEUMSCultural and historical monuments have been hit directly or as so-called "collateral damage". The list comprises:
- Monastery Gracanica from 14th century (24 March - 6 April 1999);
- Monastery Rakovica from 17th century (29 March 1999);
- Patriarchate of Pec (1 April 1999);
- Church in Jelasnica near Surdulica (4 April 1999);
- Monastery of the Church of St. Juraj (built in 1714) in Petrovaradin (1 April 1999);
- Monastery of Holy Mother (12th century) at the estuary of the Kosanica in the Toplica - territory of municipality of Kursumlija (4 April 1999);
- Monastery of St. Nicholas (12th century) in the territory of the municipality of Kursumlija (4 April 1999);
- Monastery of St. Archangel Gabriel in Zemun (5 April 1999);
- Roman Catholic Church St. Antonio in Djakovica (29 March 1999);
- Orthodox cemetery in Gnjilane (30 March 1999);
- Monuments destroyed in Bogutovac (8 April 1999);
- Kadinjaca" memorial complex (8 April 1999);
- Vojlovica monastery near Pancevo (12 April 1999);
- Hopovo monastery, iconostasis damaged (12 April 1999);
- Orthodox Christian cemetery in Pristina (12 April 1999);
- Monastery church St, Archangel Michael in Rakovica (16 April 1999);
- Orthodox church St. Marco in Belgrade (24 April 1999);
- Russian Orthodox church Holly Trinity in Belgrade (24 April 1999);
- Severe damage to the roof structure of the Fortress of Petrovaradin (1 April 1999);
- Heavy damage to "Tabacki bridge", four centuries old, in Djakovica (5 April 1999);
- Substantial damage to the building in Stara Carsija (Old street) in Djakovica (5 April 1999);
- Destroyed archives housed in one of the Government buildings in Belgrade (3 April 1999);
- Memorial complex in Gucevo (Loznica);
- Memorial complex "Sumarice" in Kragujevac;
- Vojvodina Museum in Novi Sad;
- Old Military Barracks in Kragujevac - under the protection of the state (16 April 1999);
- Memorial complex Crveni Krst in Nis (21 April 1999);
Quite a nice job, General, your party should be proud.
''We are drawing the attention of the international community to the fact that the NATO aggression on Yugoslavia represents an act of brutal retaliation against an entire nation and not a punishment of Milosevic's war machinery,'' the group added.
According to statistics released by the Yugoslav government, 517 civilians have been killed all over Serbia since the NATO air campaign began. The report did not specify how many of them were ethnic Albanians.
The direct damage inflicted on industrial, commercial and civil facilities and structure exceeds 10 billion US dollars, while indirect war damage can be put at several dozen billion US dollars, as more than 500.000 people have lost their workplaces , official and independent experts coincide.
According to a suppressed Air Force report obtained by NEWSWEEK, the number of targets verifiably destroyed was a tiny fraction of those claimed: 14 tanks, not 120; 18 armored personnel carriers, not 220; 20 artillery pieces, not 450. Out of the 744 "confirmed" strikes by NATO pilots during the war, the Air Force investigators, who spent weeks combing Kosovo by helicopter and by foot, found evidence of just 58." -- From "The Kosovo Cover-up" by John Barry And Evan Thomas, May 15, 2000.
Another anti-Bush canard exposed:
Chemical Warfare by NATO -- Illegal Use of Depleted Uranium, again
Note that in 1996 the United Nations Human Rights Tribunal called upon states to "to curb the production and the spread of weapons of mass destruction or with indiscriminate effect, in particular nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, fuel-air bombs, napalm, cluster bombs, biological weaponry and weaponry containing depleted uranium;"
March 2000, about 9 months after the bombing ended, finally NATO admitted to the UN that it used depleted uranium. NATO said they dropped 10 tonnes of depleted uranium in shells.
However, NATO is still holding back critical data on how depleted Uranium was used, while being urged by the UN to clean up its uranium debris in Kosovo, as reported by the Guardian.
The EU Weasels did not support Clinton's war either.
Restive Allies:
"Throughout Europe, but especially in Germany, Italy, and France, on both the left and the right, the conviction has been growing that the Kosovo war is essentially an Anglo-American "war against Europe". Britain, which refused to adopt the common European currency, is pursuing its traditional policy of keeping the continent divided as it urges the United States on in a war for which Europe risks paying a heavy price, not only economically but politically and morally as well."
This is the point we lost the Russians as well:
Russia saw NATO attacks on Yugoslavia as a direct threat to itself. In fact apparently some polls showed that 92 percent of Russians condemned the
bombings while 70,000 young Russians had even registered as would-be volunteers for Yugoslavia.
Our infamous Newspaper of Record is caught in another lie:
An article in the April 14 New York Times stated that Yugoslavian President Milosevic "has absolutely refused to entertain an outside force in Kosovo, arguing that the province is sovereign territory of Serbia and Yugoslavia."
Negotiations between the Serb and Albanian delegations at the Rambouillet meeting in France ended with Yugoslavia's rejection of the document that had been adopted, after much prodding, by the Kosovo Albanian party.
But is that the whole story?
No, it appears not.
[From the same source:]On February 20, the Russian ITAR-TASS news agency reported from Rambouillet that unnamed "Contact Group members may offer, as a compromise, Milosevic an option under which a multinational force will be deployed under the U.N. or the OSCE flag rather than the NATO flag as was planned before."
Agence France Presse reported the same day that the Serb delegation "showed signs that it might accept international peacekeepers on condition that they not be placed under NATO command" and added that the head of the Serb delegation "insisted that the peacekeepers answer to a non-military body such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe…or the United Nations." A U.S. official confirmed this to AFP: "The discussions are
on whether it should be a UN or OSCE force," the official said.
Did Clinton and Albright have other motives? Was Rambouillet Another Tonkin Gulf? Could it have been about Caspian Sea Oil?
[Ed: For those of you in Arcata and Santa Cruz: Oooiiiillllll!!!!!]
As the link also points out, a leaked version of the Pentagon's 1994-1999 Defense Planning Guidance report advises that the United States "must seek to prevent the emergence of European-only security arrangements which would undermine NATO. Therefore, it is of fundamental importance to preserve NATO as the primary instrument of Western defense and security, as well as the channel for U.S. influence and participation in European security affairs.". This is setting a pretty serious precedent -- even though perhaps there may have
been better options available, the US did not want to consider them, because it wanted to have a (leading) role in Europe's security affairs and keep Europe dependent on it.
According to this media advisory, "New evidence has emerged confirming that the U.S. deliberately set out to thwart the Rambouillet peace talks in France in order to provide a 'trigger' for NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia." This has serious ramifications all over -- from the role of the media to the intentions of NATO.
A senior US State Department official has admitted that the US "set the bar too high" for the Serbs and that they needed some bombing and yet the mainstream media has ignored this. It is also remarkable that NATO has achieved a peace treaty that is almost the same as what was proposed before the bombing began except that it has been very costly to human life and the environment. In fact, both NATO and Milosevic have actually given up some aspects of what the original Rambouillet accord demanded (not that the Rambouillet accord was very fair anyway, but it shows that even some of those demands were lost). Even the Ethnic Albanians have also lost out as the latest peace initiative and resolution does not discuss even the Kosovo Autonomy that the Rambouillet accord suggested. For a nicely summarized table of who gave up and gained what from this conflict, see this link. The mainstream media again has not really analyzed this.
Finally...the so called "success" claimed by Clinton's *snicker*New World Order *snicker* needs to be weighed against the enormous human costs, such as:
Was the ill-advised massive bombing of Yugoslava and the unintended consequences that set our European Allies against us?
"Acid rains" Over Romania
BUKUREST - Rumunian experts accused NATO that, by bombing Yugoslav chemical factories, caused "acid rains", which were spotted in the south, southwest and west of Romania, in past days.
They underlined that enviroment in the border areas of Romania is seriusly imperilled. In that areas, value of "ph" factor was decreased from normal 7 on 5 units, and that is the reason that caused "acid rains".
"Acid rains came as the concequences of NATO`s bombing on Yugoslav chemical factories", said Ilie Cincea, the director of APE, and added that the experts made such conclusion after the thorough exhamination that led to an elimination of all other causes.
How would General Clark heal the ever widening gulf between the EU's economic interests and our national security interests when he is preceived as a warrior? I do not understand the logic of electing a military leader when the Left is opposed to any use of the military...but then most of the Left's reasoning escapes me.
This was almost too easy to be satisfying.
Sid places final touches on the first anniversary edition of Carnival of the Vanities. Get thee into thy finery and harken forth! Delights await.
The end of Summer is long, hot and lovely in the Bay Area...no sudden change or flashly foilage...summer simply trails away into winter. A small sample from my garden ...a medley of clematis, penstemon and tomatoes entertwined on a twig trellis... fairy-like gaura dancing above white damask roses...burnished stripey patterns projected onto a cat enjoying the sunset...dew clinging to blossoms eagerly awaiting the sun...a whiskered black and white cat gingerly picking her way over a wet path.
Life is good.
Now the dawn is breaking through a gray tomorrow, But the memories we share are there to borrow,
Vaya con Dios...
A Gray Dawn, indeed, of course one can't actually use the phrase "Vaya Con Dios" in public since God was driven from California along with common sense.
Appeals court blocks Oct. 7 recall election
09-15) 11:21 PDT -- A federal appeals court blocked California's Oct. 7 recall election Monday, throwing the fate of the unprecedented election into question.
The Ninth U.S. Court or Appeals ruled that the vote cannot take place because almost half of the votes will be cast on unreliable problematic punch-card machines. The decision was granted an immediate 7-day stay to give the losing sides to appeal.
That the raving loonies on the 9th Circuit would rule in favor of the ACLU is not shocking inof itself, Dems are no longer capable of winning an election at the ballot box or with ideas, they must resort to legal manuvuering, but that fellow Californians are eating the Clinton/Davis dog food is appalling.
Clinton on recall: 'Don't do this'
Ex-president joins governor in fighting GOP 'power grab'
Los Angeles -- Former President Bill Clinton, speaking at an African American church where Democrats have found comfort in the past, made his most forceful public indictment of the California recall Sunday, calling it a Republican power grab that goes beyond just the career of Gov. Gray Davis.
With his familiar raspy voice and a Southern twang made a little more prominent as he addressed parishioners, Clinton said the recall election is threatening to turn California into a laughingstock and a carnival.
Later, he told reporters the campaign to oust Davis isn't a right-wing "conspiracy" but an out-in-the-open attempt to "shred the Constitution."
I hope they acquire a taste for it, because that's what's for dinner once the recall is defeated. Californians holding real estate equity are about to receive a rude awakening as employers flee for friendlier business climes in the wake of Davis's latest health benefit mandate. That employers with fewer than 20 employees are exempt is often not reported. A loophole which will force illegals onto the Medi-Cal rolls in ever increasing numbers until a Federal bailout is required.
Another cynical move by ruthless, self-serving Pols and their media minions disguised as "fairness" and compassion for the Poor.
Oh, and the slight upwardtick in the economy that signalled the beginnings of a recovery next year?
Fuggetaboutit.
Another raving moonbat enclave joins Santa Cruz in pressing to impeach Bush.
Arcata working on bigger recall
Left-leaning North Coast city says Bush, not Davis, needs to be ousted
Arcata, Humboldt County -- There's nothing particularly wrong with kicking out the governor, say many of the good folks of Arcata, but it's not nearly as important as kicking out someone who really deserves getting kicked out.
Someone like, say, the president.
Arcata, which is hard at work these days pondering a municipal resolution favoring the impeachment of George Bush, is not known as the Berkeley of the North Coast for nothing.
Dayna Cryder, who sells amulets and incense at Moonrise Herbs, says she hasn't made up her mind on the recall but is surrounded by people who have.
"People here tend to lean pretty far to the left," she said. "Way over to the left. They lean so far over they had to hang on or they'll fall down. They all say they're peaceful, but they yell at you if your idea of peace isn't the same as theirs."
Sounds as if Dayna may be smarter than the average Arcatian. This sort bong-fed delirium is what makes California a laughingstock, not a voter recall.
...At fifteen seconds after 9:41 a.m., on September 11, 2001, a photographer named Richard Drew took a picture of a man falling through the sky -- falling through time as well as through space. The picture went all around the world, and then disappeared, as if we willed it away. One of the most famous photographs in human history became an unmarked grave, and the man buried inside its frame -- the Falling Man-- became the Unknown Soldier in a war whose end we have not yet seen. Richard Drew's photograph is all we know of him, and yet all we know of him becomes a measure of what we know of ourselves. The picture is his cenotaph, and like the monuments dedicated to the memory of unknown soldiers everywhere, it asks that we look at it, and make one simple acknowledgment.That we have known who the Falling Man is all along.
I struggled to post today, several edits later...nothing jelled. I visited my favorite bloggers for a clue, all said it far more eloquently. John Cox and Allen Forkum, however, touched a deep cord of anger.
When the media, foreign policy appeasers and opportunistic politicans whine about the cost of fighting the war on terrorism, loss of our freedoms or claim we are failing... remember these words:
"Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! "-Patrick Henry, 1736-1799
and these: "Are you ready? Let's roll." -Todd Beamer, UAL Flt 93
Go, read, comment.
Cox & Forkum
E Pluribus Unum
American Digest
Voices: Stories From 9-11 and Beyond
Little Green Footballs: 9-11 Stories
Laurence Simon's rant
Black Tuesday
Stephen Green
James Lileks
Juan Gato
The Dissident Frogman
Charles Austin
Forgotten Heroes of 9/11
American Airlines Flight 11
FDNY and NYPD Tributes
During the day I updated links as I moved through the blogosphere...reading, cursing, commenting, grieving. I leave you with these words:
"The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disentrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country."-- December 1, 1862 - Lincoln's Second Annual Message to Congress
If the previous posting is any indication of the shallowness of Davis's support, Ms. Gonzalez is not going to be a happy camper for long.
Former State Controller Kathleen Connell (D) penned an article for the SF Chronicle's Insight section that points out a few problems the Governor seems to have forgotten last Friday when made this remark:
Davis also attacked Schwarzenegger's claim in a new TV ad that California spends $29 million more each day than it is taking in. State officials say that under the new budget, which includes heavy borrowing, the state is bringing in about $6 million more each day than it spends."Arnold needs to take a refresher course in math," Davis said at the town hall.
Connell, who was State Controller from 1998-2003 is very familiar with the math Davis and his cronies used to cook the books, she wrote:
The state budget features at least $18 billion in borrowing this year. And since California's credit rating is the second-worst in the nation's history, taxpayers will pay enormous interest rates on the state's looming credit card charges. But if that's not enough, some of the borrowing may actually be illegal.
The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has a Sept. 17 court date to challenge the state's use of $2 billion in bonds to pay its contribution to the retirement system. Other groups are considering lawsuits to block the sale of more than $10 billion in deficit bonds because Californians did not vote on the bonds, as required by the constitution
It gets worse, much worse:
If courts do block California from selling the bonds, things will get very ugly, very quickly, because there isn't a backup plan [ed: my emphasis]and there isn't much cash on hand. Schools, Medicare, law enforcement, recreation activities, and just about everything else -- will be immediately reduced, and the quality of such services will predictably suffer.
If the state does manage to sell the bonds, the recall winner will inherit a budget with an estimated deficit of $10 billion to $20 billion next year, plus all the debt the state has already piled up.
Connell believes:
But there is an answer. As first proposed by Reason Foundation and Performance Institute, the day after the election the winner should appoint a Budget Oversight Commission composed of 10 people, with two members appointed by each of the "Big Five" (the governor and each of the four legislative majority and minority leaders) in Sacramento.
Unlike the recent announcement by Gov. Gray Davis of a commission to be headed by former President Bill Clinton's chief of staff Leon Panetta, this broader commission would insist on the vital dialogue that must occur between the legislative and executive branches of state government if real reforms are to be agreed upon.
Fat freeling chance if Davis isn't recalled and/or Bustamante elected in his place. At this point it doesn't matter who is elected, the fiscal trainwreck is inevitable. Unless Sacramento gets a wakeup call, the outcome will be the same;a budgetary meltdown and social unrest.
Oh and one last thought for non-Californians who may be smuggly enjoying California's recall circus...it's your wallet Sacramento will be mining next. Can you say Federal Bailout?
Gov. Gray Davis took the fight for his job to the streets of the city's Latino neighborhoods Sunday, warning a festive crowd at a Mexican Independence Day celebration that a recall that ousts him could cost them politically.
"There are people who want to take away your rights," he said before boarding a double-decker bus that would carry him, Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn and other elected Democrats in the annual parade. "You know who they are, and remember that when you go to the polls Oct. 7."
What a shocker! Davis plays the race card. Although the governor told reporters that he had attended Mexican Independence Day parade eight years in a row, Davis ducked the event last year as he prepared to veto a similar driver's license bill. A number of Latino legislators had refused to endorse Davis' re-election effort, and people along the parade route had held up anti- Davis signs and urged him to sign the bill.
Davis seems to think voters have impaired memory or are unable to Google Davis's press releases to find previous statements, as he tells lie after lie. In 2002 Davis vetoed the illegal driver's license legislation for the second time, with the following explanation:
''Steve Maviglio, another spokesman for Davis, said the governor wanted to exclude illegal immigrants with criminal convictions from getting a license and require applicants to provide proof of a job.''
Excuse me, but wouldn't they be working illegally? How could they obtain proof of employement if their employer knew they were illegals? So another flack was rolled out to 'splain further:
Another spokesman for Davis, Salazar said,
''Latinos are not one-issue voters and understand Davis had legitimate reasons to veto the driver's license bill, which would have allowed illegal immigrants applying for citizenship or other legal documentation to get a license.''
Who's zoomin' who?
'Gracias Davis' rings at parade*
The governor gets a hero's welcome at independence celebration.
From the prow of a red double-decker bus, the man himself - Gov. Gray Davis - waved back at her and thousands of others armed with the same flags and signs who lined Cesar Chavez Boulevard on Sunday for the annual Mexican Independence Day parade.
Gov. Gray Davis waves from the top of a bus in the Mexican Independence Day parade in Los Angeles on Sunday.
With her left hand, Evelyn Gonzalez waved a Mexican flag. In her right, she clutched a sign that read, "Gracias Davis. No Recall."
"So far, he's doing a good job," Gonzalez said as the bus carrying Davis and host of fellow federal, state and local politicians passed by. "So I think let him finish his term."
*article requires registration
Ah...Davis engaña a todas las personas, todo el tiempo.
Warren Zevon 1947-2003
"The Wind" may not have been his best, but it is his last...which is a typical Zevon headtrip.
What better swan song for a musican of his generation than a hit tip to Bobby,
whom Zevon acknowledged was one of his early influences. Lair, also
a Zevonista, gave it a thumbs down. I think it's fine...give it a spin.
Davis reversed his former position (twice vetoing) to sign SB60 once the recall was certified. This letter and Davis's announcement clearly shows his motives in that the Spanish Language media were expressly targeted for the ceremony.
Davis is making outrageously poor decisions in a effort to remain in office. Even if we rid ourselves of him, his appointments and hastily signed legislation will continue to impact our laws and pick our pockets for years.
To:
From: David.Galaviz@sen.ca.gov
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2003 10:26:25 -0700
Subject: SB 60 New Amendments Fact Sheet & Confirmed Legislative Timeline & Vote Targets
CA SB 60 Update:
August 19, 2003
As you all may know, last week the Governor agreed to sign SB 60 before
many members of the Spanish Language press. He agreed to sign the bill
provided that we promote public safety and protect all drivers from
identity theft.
Attached is the fact sheet for the new amendments. You should all know
that these new amendments apply to all California Driver's not just
immigrant drivers.
Also, under the new provisions of SB 60, all immigrant drivers will be
able to apply for a driver's license. In addition, all conditions that
the Governor wanted last year -- background check, live and work
requirement, etc. are not a part of this bill.
SB60BiometricsFactSheet.doc
Attached is the confirmed legislative timeline for the remainder of
this week (August 20-22). Speaker Wesson, Assemblymember Steinberg
and their staffs have been very helpful in moving this bill forward.
Senator Burton has also been very helpful. Sacramento lobbyists are
in the process of securing all votes. If you or your organization is
working on a member in their district, please let us know the status
as soon as possible.
First Hearing/Assembly Appropriations:
Wednesday, August 20th, at 9:00 a.m., in Room 4202; SB 60 will be
removed from the Assembly Appropriations Suspense File. Sacramento
lobbyists will be needed. Other organizations/individuals are
welcome to attend.
Second Hearing/Assembly Floor:
Thursday, August 21st, beginning at 8:30 a.m. and lasting until
session is over. Assemblymember Fabian Nunez will present the bill
on the Assembly Floor.
The following Assemblymembers are the targets:
DEMOCRATS:
- Joe Canciamilla (Pittsburgh)
- Lou Correa (Anaheim) * Should be fine, but we are going to check
to be on the safe side.
- Jerome Horton (Inglewood) * Should be fine, but we are going to
check to be on the safe side.
- Hannah Beth Jackson (Santa Barbara)
- Barbara Mathews (Stockton/Tracy)
- Louis Wolk (Davis)
REPUBLICANS:
- Ken Maddox (Garden Grove)
- Tony Strickland (Thousand Oaks)
- Bonnie Garcia (Cathedral City)
- Lynn Daucher (Brea)
- Dave Cox, Minority Leader, (Sacramento)
- Shirley Horton (Chula Vista)
- Abel Maldonado (Santa Maria)
- Todd Spitzer (Orange)
Third Hearing/Senate Floor
This hearing could take place as early as this Thursday afternoon,
August 21st. If the vote is not this Thursday, then it will be on
Monday, August 25th. We will let everyone know as soon as we know.
Senate Targets:
DEMOCRATS --
- Senator Alpert (San Diego)
- Debra Bowen (Marina Del Rey)
- Betty Karnette (Long Beach)
- Jackie Speier (Hillsbourough)
- Byron Sher (Stanford)
- John Vasconcellos (San Jose)
REPUBLICANS:
- Jeff Denham (Salinas)
- Bruce McPherson (Santa Cruz)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PROMOTING PUBLIC SAFETY, PROTECTING IDENTITY THEFT BY
EXPANDING ACCESS TO DRIVERS’ LICENSES
Beginning January 1, 2004, all California residents will be
eligible for a driver’s license.
SB 60 protects and promotes highway safety by allowing drivers
to be trained, tested, and insured.
SB 60 also protects all Californians from possible identity
theft. The bill implements new technology to guarantee that
applicants cannot use another identity to fraudulently receive
more than one driver’s license.
This new technology, called a biometrics system, uses a
digital fingerprinting system to ensure that applicants have
not previously been issued a driver’s license.
The DMV biometrics system will utilize the latest technological
advances to protect applicants’ privacy and unauthorized use of
the information.
SB 60 continues to be supported by a diverse coalition of
unions, community and faith based organizations, state and
local elected officials, law enforcement, employers, and
insurers.
Los Angeles Police Chief Bratton and Police Chiefs and
Sheriffs throughout the state support SB 60.
Any questions, let us know.
David Galaviz
Legislative Director
Senator Gilbert Cedillo
916/445-3456
Wait a minute...all California residents? Illegal immigrants are not California residents they Mexican residents. This is so bogus. SB 60 has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with the Motor Voter law.
How will we identify illegals with a CADL at the polls? Californians who are not on the rolls but have ID can demand Provisionary Ballots on the spot. Wonder how many will make it into the system before the Sept 22nd registration deadline? This is very convenient timing. One can only hope the DMV in it's usual inefficient mode takes months to issue the flood of new licenses.
How will they enforce the insurance requirement? One can easily get a policy with 30 days terms and let it expire the month after the CADL is issued.
The Feds require either a valid driver's license or a Green card to issue a taxpayer's ID # to a new hire. How will employers know if the person presenting the license is an illegal and not a legal hire? This bill is nothing more than a state amnesty that flies in the face of federal immigration law.
If the DOJ has the jurisdiction to enforce federal Marijuana laws even though the voters passed a referendum making medical MJ legal in California...will the feds continue to enforce immigration law? How will they enforce document requirements that are contrary to a state issued ID document?
SB 60 and it's effects have not been thought out, it is going to be a disaster for entry level hires without employment history as employers become skitterish about the CADL as ID.
SB60 also strengthens the case for a national ID card...it's difficult to protest a national ID card in the face of such state sponsored stupidity placing our national security and interests at risk.
Letter via Res Ipsa Loquitur
Today's little rant began as a reply to a comment from a regular reader who shares my low opinion of France about the Statue of Liberty post:
Maybe we should let the Lady rust a little more. After all, it was a gift from France.
Actually the Statue of Liberty wasn't a gift from France (the French Govt.) or the French people. It was two Frenchmen, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (the sculptor) and Edouard Rene Lefebvre de Laboulaye (a scholar, jurist, abolitionist and a leader of the "liberals," the political group dedicated to establishing a French republican government modeled on America's constitution) who conceived and implemented the idea. They envisioned that the moneyed classes would fund the statue as an intellectual statement.
At a dinner party Laboulaye commented, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if people in France gave the United States a great monument as a lasting memorial to independence and thereby showed that the French government was also dedicated to the idea of human liberty?"
Key phrase is people in France not the French or France.
Elaborate fundraising events were staged: a banquet at the Grand Hotel de Louvre in November 1875 a gala benefit performance of a new Liberty Cantata by French composer Charles Gounod at the Paris Opera. But money was slow in coming. Since very few contributions for building the statue were coming from France's moneyed elite, a public lottery was conceived. The prizes were substantial: a silver plate set worth 20,000 francs (about $20,000); jewelry fashioned from pearls and gems, worth 5,000 francs; plus two works by Bartholdi.
Additional funds were raised with creative merchandising: a signed and numbered collection of clay models entitled "Models of the Committee," bearing the Franco-American Union's seal, were sold for 1,000 francs each in France and for $3,000 each in America. The buyer's name could be engraved in the clay before the statue was baked.
By the end of 1879, about 250,000 francs had been raised for the statue's construction. Enough to complete the work and the French press soon forgot about the statue. In June 1884, French Prime Minister Jules Ferry and Ambassador Morton dedicated Liberty with much pomp and circumstance. But when Bartholdi invited the celebrating party to join him in climbing the statue's steps, few accepted.
Until the spring of 1885, when she was dismantled for the long voyage to America, Liberty remained in Paris, a tourist attraction drawing thousands of French visitors. Only Bartholdi’s drive and passion for the project kept it alive, the statue would have languished in Paris as public interest waned. The Statue of Liberty reflects one man's vision more than his nation's attitude about America.
France's leftist government, socialism, and ensuing anti-Americanism were not in play when the Statue of Liberty was envisioned, the French were still a people willing to fight for and/or defend liberty. Liberty doesn't represent the France of today and for me at least, carries none of the stigma of France's perfidy in recent world events.
As much as I dislike the French as they now purport themselves, in fairness, one must add that the French lost the will to fight in WWI where they sacrificed a generation in a futile war.
It is not helpful that their government engages in puffery as if they were still a world power and one day we will most likely be called upon to haul their bacon from the fire again. We'll do it, because that's the sort of people we are and what the French have become.
The Statue of Liberty is a monument to the sort of people the French once were...when the concepts on which we based our country still excited and inspired others; it also reminds us of what can be lost.
We don't want to be the next France. Men such as Howard Dean would see that we are indeed by accommodating, equivocating and retreating from the role that has been thrust upon us by our very success as a society. We made the decisions and sacrifices that have brought us to this point and now we must carry the burden of that success by defending ourselves and much of the world from it's avowed enemies.
In keeping the Statue of Liberty open and we deliver a strong rebuke to the French and a statement about our resolve in the war we now face and must win.
Lileks is in fine fettle today...and you might ask, when isn't Lileks fettling fine?
"I’ll feel that horrible feeling in my stomach you get when you’ve gone over to the Dark Side. But I’ll be fine. That’s the good thing about the Dark Side.Eventually, your eyes adjust."
Priceless.
WHOA! We just had a short, sharp earthquake...they're saying it was just southeast of us in Piedmont...only a 3.9 but we got a good jolt.
Zowie...you do not adjust to the earth moving under your feet.
Bad hair day in Walnut Creek blamed on politics
Debate snarls traffic, shutters bars, beauty shops
Now this is serious...one does not mess with the gentle ladies of Contra Costa County. One can just image the angst when tennis was played with less than perfect manicures or lunch enjoined without a blow out.
Jeebus....this is the best one can say about the "debate"... it was pure made-for-TV-by-flacks drivel. Anyone making a decision from this dog & pony show shouldn't be allowed outside without a minder, let alone vote.
This graf is a little disturbing given the times in which we live:
Outside, milling on the corner in front of the auditorium, were several of the lesser-known recall candidates, including a clown in blue hair and a bounty hunter in a black hat. Nearby were dozens of cops from Walnut Creek and surrounding towns, many of them on overtime. There were so many cops that a sergeant did not know exactly how many.
"More than 70," he said. "Less than 100, I think. Not really sure."
Hmmm...either he was reluctant to discuss security or overwhelmed...the latter thought is not comforting given WC's proximity to the Lawence Livermore Labs and the Concord Naval Weapons Station.
California took a step in the right direction today. In spite of homophobic ranting by a few, this bill is not sanctioning gay marriage but defining the rights and responsibilities of same-sex and heterosexual elderly couples. While the media emphasis is on gay couples, elderly couples often do not remarry in order to preserve their pension and healthcare benefits. People have the right to self-determination about with whom they live and civil law should not exclude them as a class because society doesn't agree or approve approve of their choices.
Lawmakers OK Domestic Partner Bill
Bill Would Grant Partners Many Rights Of Married Couples
Scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2005, the bill, would give domestic partners the ability to ask for child support and alimony, the right to health coverage under a partner's plan and the ability to make funeral arrangements for a partner.
Other provisions would give domestic partners access to family student housing, bereavement and family care leave and exemptions from estate and gift taxes, and in the event of a partner's death, the authority to consent to an autopsy, donate organs and to make funeral arrangements.
It also would prevent courts from forcing a domestic partner to testify against the other partner in a trial, and it would give domestic partners the ability to apply for absentee ballots on a partner's behalf.
The bill, by Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles, would place greater legal responsibilities on domestic partners as well. They would be responsible for their partner's debts, would have their income factored into their partner's eligibility for public assistance benefits, and would be required to disclose their relationships to avoid nepotism and conflicts of interest.
I see no reason why established domestic partners should not have the right to arrange a funeral, or take sole possession of community property. This is not about marriage, but treating people as equal under the civil statues governing the minutae of people's lives. It is not unusual for gay or elderly partners to have the heartbreak of the death of a loved one compounded by angry parents or selfish children excluding them from agreed upon health care decisions, funerals and/or being evicted from their home.
That's just wrong.
Perhaps you are not aware, but as a consequence of terrorism and concerns for public safety, the Statue of Liberty was shutdown on the morning of September 11, 2001 and is still closed to the public. Although the island is again open for visitation, you can no longer go inside the monument.
Over the following months, security for her has been significantly heightened, for her safety and the safety of the many people who would visit her, now and in the future.
A number of critical improvements need to be made to the Statue before she can reopen her doors to the pubic, including:
The National Park Service has once again turned to The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. – the organization that was responsible for the restoration of Lady Liberty for her centennial in 1986 as well as the historic restoration of Ellis Island -- to raise the funds to get this important work accomplished.
Lady Liberty’s message of hope, freedom and dignity is truly an inspiration to us all, now more than ever.
You can help Re-Open Lady Liberty by making an online contribution today – it’s easy, secure and fully tax-deductible.
Just go do it. K?
