More Illegal Spying

Bushie is monitoring legal financial transactions. The Attorney General again says it is legal. Supposedly it is just wire transfers between Americans and foreigners, but I am sure we will soon find out that it is also domestic banking transactions.

More illegal behavior that Congress will just look the other way on.

Bushies Crying Wolf Again

This is just a pathetic story. The 7 guys in Miami that are supposedly part of some grand scheme to blow up the Sears Tower is just a joke of a story. It is just another sad example to whip up fear in the American public. They allegedly wanted to get in touch with al Qaeda, but had not actually done so.

The indictment is woefully thin. As near as I can tell, the guys didn't actually do anything, but had some bad thoughts. They had no weapons and no money to actually commit a crime. The plot was described by Deputy FBI leader John Pistole as "aspirational" rather than "operational".

We will see what penalties these guys face, but given all of the fuss the AG made about this very minor case you would think they stopped another impending 9/11. The Bushies are just a joke and this further shows how ridiculous they are.

Cheney, Cheney, Cheney

He still believes the insurgency is "in its last throes" and is now saying that leaving Iraq would be "the worst possible thing we could do." Halliburton stock would crash and all of his remaining stock options would crater.

Just look at how Halliburton's stock has fared since 2003 when we invaded Iraq. Not bad if you are a shareholder. Of course, Cheney has significant stock options in Halliburton (433,000 option shares) which are a direct conflict of interest.

My last post shows how well he is profitting by being the VP and having ties to Halliburton.

Rise of Corporatism and Cheney Profiteering

Bushie is rewarding his cronies with taxpayer-funded contracts at a record pace. Our Republican government is borrowing record amounts of money so that the wealthiest Americans can get their tax cuts and corporations can feed at the public trough.

You also gotta love Cheney. It certainly appears that he has used Iraq to build his personal wealth.

In 2002, before the Iraq invasion, Cheney owed $341,114 in federal taxes on a taxable income of $945,051 (36.1 percent). The Cheneys' gross income for 2002 was $1.2 million.

In 2005, Cheney owed $529,636 on taxable income of $1,961,157 (27 percent). The Cheneys' adjusted gross income in 2005 was $8,819,006 - a nice chunk of change and a great federal tax rate.

Cheney's no idiot (except when he drinks and shoots his friend in the face). He is betting on a rise in inflation and interest rates and on a decline in the value of the dollar. So much for the great American economy.

Another Reason to Leave Iraq . . .

as if we need one. Our soldiers are being shot and killed by Iraqi Security Forces. What is the point?

Day 1745!

Republican Support for Troops

As the new Iraqi government comes together there is talk of giving amnesty to Iraqis who have attacked American troops. Yesterday there was a vote in the Senate on the following: "To express the sense of Congress that the Government of Iraq should not grant amnesty to persons known to have attacked, killed, or wounded members of the Armed Forces of the United States."

19 Senators voted against it. See if you notice something similar about all of the Senators who voted against it.

Allard (R-CO), Bond (R-MO), Bunning (R-KY), Burns (R-MT), Coburn (R-OK), Cochran (R-MS), Cornyn (R-TX), DeMint (R-SC), Enzi (R-WY), Graham (R-SC), Hagel (R-NE), Inhofe (R-OK), Kyl (R-AZ), Lott (R-MS), McCain (R-AZ), Sessions (R-AL), Stevens (R-AK), Thomas (R-WY), Warner (R-VA)

Miami Heat

Based on his play and his demeanor, Wade was the clearly the superstar on the court.

The best part about the Miami Heat winning the NBA Championship is that Shaq won and by default stuck it to Kobe. All of those L.A. fans who sided with Kobe over Shaq have to be wondering now.

North Korean Missile Launch

There is a story that the U.S. is considering shooting down the North Korean missile that is about to be tested. Not going to happen because of the possibility of a major embarrassment by not hitting the missile. Bushie has spent $91 billion over the last two years on interceptor missile technology. It would further make Bushie look like an incompetent idiot if the missile were not shot down.

Day 1744!

What is the Mission?

Bushie has repeatedly said that our troops will leave Iraq when the "job is done." Just what is the mission and when will we know that the job is done? I am still trying to figure that out because THE DECIDER has changed the mission so many times that I don't know what the current objectives are.

Former Head of OMB Convicted

Bushie's former chief procurement officer at the OMB was convicted today. More corruption rooted out.

POWs Killed

Add two more soldiers to the list of dead Americans who were killed in Iraq.

It looks like they were tortured. We can expect more of the same in the future given that Bushie has dispensed with the Geneva Conventions and thumbed his nose at Congress' ban on torture (he asserted his right to torture prisoners in his signing statement). We have no moral ground to stand on to assert that "the enemy" should not torture our POWs.

Kidnap Victims, POWs, or Hostages?

If we are truly in a war in Iraq, then the two missing soldiers who were ambushed and captured are POWs. When I hear people say that they have been kidnapped or are hostages, it demonstrates the fact that many people do not recognize we are not truly in a war.

What I find truly amazing is that Commander-in-Chief Bushie does not seem to be too concerned. He has not gotten out front of this issue and called for their return. In fact, if their fate is the same as Matt Maupin (who has been missing since 2004), I don't think we will see much out of this president.

Iraq - How Will it End?

We have now lost over 2500 soldiers, have spent $300 billion, and continue to spend about $8 billion/month in Iraq.

A majority of Americans now believe the war was a mistake and disapprove of how Bushie is handling it.

Our troops want to come home this year.

The Iraqi people want a timetable for us to get out and nearly half support attacks on our troops. Iraq's VP asked Bushie for a timetable for us to get out. Bushie came back from Iraq and lied about the Iraqi government position on a timetable for an end to the occupation.

In addition, Bushie continues to lie to the American people about the progress (or lack thereof) in Iraq. Our Ambassador to Iraq sent the following cable to Bushie detailing the deteriorating conditions in Iraq just before Bushie's five hour visit to a heavily-fortified Green Zone in Baghdad.

Why do we continue to spill blood and taxpayer money there?

Day 1743!

Oops!

Bushie poked fun at a reporter's sunglasses, only to find out that he was wearing them because of vision loss.

Katrina Fraud

$1.4 billion in taxpayer money was wasted by FEMA's debit cards issued out to victims of Hurricane Katrina. The money was used to pay for porn, vacations, divorce lawyers, etc. In the first year in Iraq, $9 billion taxpayer dollars were simply lost and unaccounted for. It is quite likely that some of that money has fueled the insurgency against our troops.

Republicans love to blast the U.N. for the $1 billion food-for-oil scandal which happened over many years. In just one year Bushie's folks allowed $1.4 billion to be wasted on hurricane relief and $9 billion was lost in Iraq. Will we see hearings and an investigation - no, not with this do-nothing Congress.

Democratic Politics

It was good to see ex-Republican-turned-Democrat James Webb win the nomination to take on Senator George Allen in Virginia. Allen is a buffoon, much in the mold of Bushie. Webb may not win but at least he offers Democrats a chance in Virginia.

Hillary was booed for her position on Iraq when she spoke in front of liberal activists at a conference in DC. She refused to call for a timetable which was not a popular position.

Give the President Some Credit

I don't do it often, but I will commend President Bush (note that I am not referring to him as "Bushie" in this post). His surprise trip to Baghdad was a good move to try to encourage and stabilize the new government. I am not sure that it will make much difference, but it did show presidential leadership.

How Much is You House Worth?

This is a great website/resource if you are considering buying or selling a home. Let me know what you think.

More Good Economic Numbers

Bushie and his folks will tell you the economy is great. Gas prices are providing significant inflationary pressure and the national debt hit an all-time high of $8.38 trillion yesterday. We are just moving slowly to a train wreck.

Debt and Trade Deficit

The trade gap widened last month and the debt is at another high. Thanks Bushie!

Bushie's trade policies have killed American manufacturing and if you look at the GAO's long-term financial projections you can see that interest on the debt is the fastest growing cost item. It is going to absorb a greater portion of our tax dollars as time passes. Remember the days of Clinton when we were actually paying down debt?

Bi-Partisan Agreement

Ann Coulter is a soul-less ______ (fill in the blank with whatever negative term you choose).

In case you missed it, the conservative author appeared on the Today show to promote her latest book in which she criticized 9/11 widows as nothing more than "self obsessed" and celebrity-seeking "broads" who are "enjoying" their husbands' deaths "so much." Coulter also refers to the widows as "witches" and asks, "how do we know their husbands weren't planning to divorce these harpies"?

But, Coulter's book is #1 on Amazon. I guess hate sells.

More on Ohio Election Fraud

More info on the fact that Kerry won Ohio (and New Mexico). Every vote in America should count. If there is a systematic effort to eliminate votes from any racial group then we no longer live in a democracy.

Day 1731!

Baghdad Burning

May was the deadliest month for Iraqis in Baghdad since the U.S. invasion - freedom is marching right over top of the people.

Day 1729!

Nice!

9 severed heads found in Baghdad. At least they have freedom!

Happy Birthday Sly!

60 and going strong.

Iran Thoughts

The stock market is down in early trading because Iran is threatening to cut oil production if sanctions are imposed.

As I said a few weeks ago, we have no real military options for Iran. We are not going to disrupt oil supplies from the second largest oil producer in OPEC. All of the tough talk was abandoned last week when Condi announced that we would work with our European allies on a diplomatic solution. Basically it was an admission that all of the tough talk from a few weeks ago was just bluster. In fact, it looks like now the U.S. is sweetening its deal with Iran in an effort to beg them to stop nuclear enrichment. It is all about leverage and the U.S. has none because of Iraq, our alienation of allies, and how we have dealt with North Korea.

Religion in Moderation is Best

This nut lowered himself into a lion's cage and believed God would protect him. I guess not. Faith is a wonderful thing, but there is a natural order to the world and there is a reason that lions and humans don't interact in complete harmony.

9/11 Videos

Some of you have requested it, so here it is, the links to 9/11 videos. I would recommend the first video (Loose Change, 2nd edition) - it raises interesting points and questions.

There is little question in my mind that there is more to the story than what we have been told. However, I seriously doubt that the entire U.S. government is behind an insidious plot that would attempt to dupe the American people. Hopefully we will learn the full truth one day.

Election Fraud

Great piece by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in this month's Rolling Stone. Basically he explains how the 2004 election was rigged in Ohio and other states to ensure a Bush victory. I am convinced that Bushie lost Florida in 2000 and lost Ohio in 2004 and never should have been president, but there is little point in looking back. The only value in looking back is to ensure that future elections are conducted fairly.

As I have said before, electronic/computer voting machines that do not allow for hand recounts need to go. There are a number of lawsuits right now that are trying to remove these machines from use. On top of that, efforts to suppress certain racial groups (blacks and Hispanics) from voting have got to be stopped. Every citizen should have the right to vote and to have their vote counted. If you are African-American or Hispanic you are 900% and 500% more likely to have your vote thrown out than if you are white.

Bushie Foreign Policy

Let's see:

1. Osama has not been caught, Afghanistan is flooding the world with cheap heroin, and the Taliban is returning. But they are free!

2. Iraq is a cesspool of violence and civil war. But they are free!

3. Hamas is now in charge of Palestine.

4. Iran is developing nuclear weapons and has little to fear because we are tied down in Iraq.

5. North Korea still causing trouble.

Nice work Bushie. Can we promote Condi? She is also doing a bang up job.

Haditha et al.

War is Hell and it should not be surprising that Marines have killed innocent civilians (I should say "allegedly," but it is looking bad). Ultimately, the individuals who are involved will/should be punished. But, I am sure this happens with regularity, but let's consider the incident in a broader context.

1. Many soldiers and Marines are working on their 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th tours. They have seen some of their buddies killed or injured by a largely unseen enemy.

2. Insurgents do not wear uniforms so they look like civilians.

3. We sent over too few troops that were not well equipped for an insurgency - unarmored Humvees, a shortage of body armor, etc.

4. Typical job of a Marine - go into town (Falluja, Ramadi, Basra, Samarra, Haditha, take your pick) and clean out the insurgents. They do battle for a couple of days/weeks and clean out the city, but they cannot stay because there are too few troops in Iraq and too many hot spots with growing insurgencies. So after taking dozens of casualties and cleaning out a city they move on to the next city. Six months later they have to return to the town they cleared out and do it again because the insurgents just move back in when the Marines leave.

5. Bushie has no plan for winning other than "Freedom is on the March." On top of that he has authorized torture, suspended the Geneva Conventions, and in the process sent the message that there is no governing law.

6. There is no improvement in Iraq - just the opposite - it continues to worsen. A growing civil war that is resulting in more death, mayhem, destruction, and hopelessness. That is why middle class and upper class Iraqis are leaving. You need these folks to build a democracy but anyone with means is leaving.

What we have left is a ridiculously bad situation for 20-year old American troops. It seems to me that Bushie will not be happy until every American soldier comes back in a flag-draped coffin, or without a limb or two. or having committed atrocities such that they will have to face criminal charges and jail time.

Why are people surprised that some Marines and soldiers do not have the respect for life and innocent civilians? The Commander-in-Chief doesn't because if he did he would actually put in a plan that could actually lead to success.

We have FUBAR'd Iraq thanks to THE DECIDER. And in the process we have shattered the lives of thousands of American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.

Gay Marriage Amendment

What an incredible waste of resources. The President and the Senate are just wasting time on this nonsense with all of the other more serious issues at hand. Frist actually setting aside a week to "debate" this issue is just stupid. Obviously it is an effort to whip up the Republican base.

Bushie is fighting to give amnesty to millions of illegals, he believes in secret detentions and torture, and he wants to fight gay Americans who want to get married. Pretty odd.

Day 1725!