« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 31, 2004

Have a SAFE HOLIDAY and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 30, 2004

For any registered independent voter out there still hoping that Bush Jr. and his Republicans don’t really mean what they say about Roe v. Wade, just look at the new U.S. Senate.

Tom Coburn, the new Republican U.S. Senator from Oklahoma (and an obstetrician) has just been put on the Senate Judiciary Committee where all the Federal Judge nominations go to.

Coburn, who use to brag that he performed operations on teenage girls (without their parents’ permission) so they could never become pregnant, is advocating the death penalty for any doctor who performs an abortion.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 29, 2004

Bush Jr. responded to the press recently, when asked about his deregulation of our 70-year successful Social Security system, said that he wasn’t going to negotiate with himself, meaning he wouldn’t answer questions.

But Bush Jr. said he would negotiate with Congress. Well, Congress is controlled by Republicans and Bush Jr. never mentioned the American people being part of the negotiations.

It must be stopped!

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

The latest Zogby national poll reports that 55 percent of Americans are against the Bush Jr. proposal to drill for oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge.

And 80 percent of Americans believe conservation, better fuel efficiency and renewable energy are the best ways to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

But Bush Jr. and the oil companies will go full speed ahead on drilling in the Arctic even with the recent ship there breaking in half with 500,000 gallons of heavy oil.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

Actually, Nevada and California share the precious jewel of Lake Tahoe.

A new study reports that Lake Tahoe is warming up quicker than the ocean waters.

But Bush Jr. continues to claim: “I don’t see a problem with global warming.”

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

After two weeks of meetings in Buenas Aires about the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, Bush Jr. ordered the U.S. representative to slow it down.

Putin (and Russia), Blair (an ally Bush says) and Great Britain and dozens of countries demanded to start substantive discussions on global warming.

But like fighting terrorism pre-9/11, Bush Jr. has put the Kyoto Protocol on the slow track.

One thing consistent about Bush Jr. – don’t rush him and don’t put scientific evidence in front of the Republican “facts.”

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 28, 2004

The biggest earthquake in 40 years, over 50,000 dead and climbing, millions left homeless, and how does Bush Jr. respond?

Bush Jr. decides the U.S. will contribute $15 million, including a measly $4 million to the International Red Cross.

Bush Jr. will spend $50 million on his Inaugural (he sees it as a Coronation!) and the Swift Boat Liars spent $30 million attacking John Kerry on behalf of their “AWOL in Alabama” candidate.

Besides being the right thing to do, helping our neighbors would have demonstrated good diplomacy by showing the non-Christian world that the U.S. would do everything possible to help.

The American people as individuals donate more than $90 billion a year to charity.

Bush Jr. once again shows he’s a fool’s diplomat and is no Mother Teresa.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

Spin today, spin tomorrow and spin forever seems to be the only thing Bush Jr. knows.

As the Kerik soap opera continues, Bush Jr. continues to claim that Kerik would have done an outstanding job as Homeland Security Chief.

Really? Stories continue to come out about Kerik and his ties to the mob.

According to the New York Daily News, emails from Kerik to one of his "best" men (had three marriages) talk about him tipping off a mob- controlled company about an ongoing city investigation into its mob links.

Gifts, women, overnight stock conversions, nannies, mob connections– this is a script for a Hollywood movie.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 27, 2004

The latest Pew poll reports that 56 percent of Americans support keeping U.S. troops in Iraq until the country is stabilized.

At the same time in a Washington Post poll, 57 percent disapprove of Bush Jr.’s handling of Iraq.

In other words, most Americans believe Bush Jr. is a fool, but he’s America’s fool, so follow his policies even if he takes us straight off a cliff.

History (i.e. Vietnam War) shows that if this Iraq mess continues for years the majority of Americans most likely would still “support” keeping the troops there. Most people find it hard to “take” the responsibility of the Commander-in-Chief, even if he is a fool.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 25, 2004

Let's remember our troops who are away from their families, some for the second or third time. We all know why!

Now, at least, the parents of those troops killed in the cul-de-sac of Iraq will get a letter personally signed by the moron Rumsfeld - the "Bob McNamara" of the Bush Jr. administration.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 24, 2004

Before the presidential election, Bush Jr. claimed success in training the Iraqi troops to replace American troops with security needs.

That was before the election. Now Bush says it is unacceptable that Iraqi troops flee when the first shot is fired.

The same happened in Vietnam; when the locals see foreigners as occupiers they tend to side against the occupiers. But Bush Jr. didn’t pay any attention to the Vietnam War, so he wouldn’t understand this

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 23, 2004

Because of Bush Jr.’s record deficits and huge tax giveaways, the U.S. dollar continues to decline in value against other currencies. Try traveling abroad!

As a result, American mutual funds are now outsourcing their U.S. investment dollars.

These American funds in the first 10 months of this year invested $80 billion in foreign stock (that’s right, not American stocks) versus $42 billion in the same period in 2003. So not only has Bush Jr.’s policies been sending American jobs overseas, but his policies now have U.S. investment dollars following the jobs to create even more foreign jobs.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 22, 2004

As the world watches Putin move Russia more toward a KGB type of operation, we should remember the dumb statements Bush Jr. made in the past.

“I looked the man (Putin) in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy.” (Bush Jr. AP 6/16/01)

“You’re (Putin) the kind of guy I like to have in a foxhole with me.” (Bush Jr. AP 11/14/01)

First of all, when was Bush Jr. in a foxhole? On his military form he checked off the box that he didn’t want to go to a foreign country (i.e. stay home with mommy).

Secondly, Putin had spent his whole adult life in the KGB – look in his eyes and know I could trust Putin, Bush, Jr. says! Really? This explains the Iraq mess – Bush Jr. can’t read.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

Over 70 marines were killed in Fallujah and several hundred wounded plus hundreds of Iraqis killed and wounded.

Bush Jr. called it a huge success (another “mission accomplished!”).

Civilians still cannot go back – the bullets continue to fly.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

The cousin of Saddam Hussein, otherwise known as “Chemical Ali” for his main role in the gassing and killing of the Kurds, is moving closer to trial.

When Rumsfeld went to Baghdad in 1983 as Special Envoy to the Mideast for President Reagan, Rumsfeld spent 90 minutes with Saddam Hussein and staff.

Rumsfeld was so pleased with Saddam Hussein that he authorized tons of weapons to be shipped to Iraq – some of the weapons were later used against the Kurds, but who remembers, Bush Jr. says Rumsfeld is doing a “really good job.”

Hopefully, the trial of Chemical Ali will bring out his relationship with Rumsfeld and the discussions they had in 1983 and later.

After all, if Rumsfeld helped arm Iraq and now is sending American troops into Iraq without armor, shouldn’t the American people know that?

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 21, 2004

Two dozen killed, at least 19 of them American troops, and over 60 wounded in an attack on a mess hall at lunch in Mosul.

Why in the year of 2004 are American troops being told to sit together in large groups at a noon lunch time in a war zone?

It happened sometimes in Vietnam – with the same disastrous results.

Are our military leaders this stupid? What did they learn at the “War Colleges?”

Typically a local person on the U.S. payroll on site is actually part of the enemy and radios the details needed for a rocket or mortar attack or an inside explosion.

I myself was wounded by a mortar attack during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. If Rumsfeld doesn’t have the time to sign letters of condolences to parents of troops killed in Iraq – then why doesn’t he use the time to make sure the military follows some simple rules?

The rules: plenty of sandbags, small groups only and vary the schedules.

The commander of that base in Mosul should be court-martialed, but ultimately the blame is on Bush Jr. (he ran as the “Commander-in-Chief,” didn’t he?), and Rumsfeld.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

When Schwarzenegger announced a year ago that Donna Arduin (former Jeb Bush staffer) would become his Finance Director and said she would weed out waste and balance the budget, some people believed him.

Evidently, she was incompetent and was gone in less than a year. So Schwarzenegger hired a new Finance Director, Tom Campbell, who announced Friday that Schwarzenegger now is facing a deficit of $8.1 billion in the next budget?

Campbell called this proposed budget an “honest” budget (I guess meaning Schwarzenegger’s present budget is dishonest).

Schwarzenegger inherited a deficit of about $6 billion from Gov. Davis. Schwarzenegger then borrowed $15 billion but still has a projected deficit of $8.1 billion.

So Schwarzenegger has inherited a deficit larger from himself than he did from Davis.

And when Schwarzenegger hired Marybel Batjer to be his Cabinet Secretary he went on about how “fantastic” she was, etc.

Well, Batjer got caught up in a bank ethics scandal and was forced to leave a couple months ago.

Now Batjer was just hired to be the communications director for Harrah’s gambling empire in Nevada, where a bank scandal is not really a scandal, I guess.

No wonder Schwarzenegger has a dysfunctional budget – his cabinet has been dysfunctional.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

Almost 70 people were killed in Iraq on Sunday, the very day Bush Jr. was named by Time magazine as “Person of the Year.”

Time names their Person of the Year, not for doing “good,” but for having a big impact on news.

And Bush Jr. has created a lot of news – record deficits, a military recruitment crisis, highest gasoline prices, Afghanistan exporting heroin at a record levels, prescription drugs by highest bidder, Rumsfeld’s lies and failures and more lies, the chaos of Iraq, etc. So Bush Jr. got the recognition not for solving problems but for creating disasters.

Hitler, who started WWII which left about 70 million people dead, was Man of the Year in 1938.

Stalin, another brutal killer, was Time’s Man of the Year in 1939.

Richard Nixon was Time’s “Boy” in 1971 and 1972. Nixon resigned in August of 1974 right before he was impeached and indicted!

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 20, 2004

Despite all the spin Bush Jr. put out in the campaign, that everyone was happy in the military and re-enlistments and recruitments are meeting goals, it is actually getting worse.

A typical story – a three year-old girl named Jessica asked her daddy when mommy would come home from Iraq.

Daddy told Jessica that mommy will be home for Christmas because President Bush told the American people that there are enough troops in Iraq and since mommy’s National Guard unit has been in Iraq for a year, they will be home by Christmas.

Jessica, the next morning sees her daddy crying. He has a newspaper in his hands with the headline “Bush orders National Guard to extend tours in Iraq.”

Jessica, the President lied to the American people and now it is getting harder and harder to recruit people for the National Guard and your mommy will be in Iraq over the holidays.

Meanwhile, Bush Jr. and Karl Rove have one Christmas party after another in the White House.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

The people in the states of New York and New Jersey were the closest to the 9/11 attacks.

Both states voted overwhelmingly for Kerry because they saw first hand what a hypocrite Bush Jr. is – he lied to the firefighters and exploited 9/11 for his political campaign.

New York State voted 58 percent for Kerry while New Jersey voted 53 percent for Kerry.

That’s an indictment of Bush Jr. and his policies!

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

Bush Jr. in the beginning of 2004 promised 2.6 million new jobs this year. Now Bush Jr. says “actually, I meant only 1.4 million” – a 46 percent lie.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 17, 2004

For 70 years, Social Security has been the only income for tens of millions of Americans. Bush Jr. and the Republican Party are committed to destroying it

Prior to Social Security, 90 percent of America’s seniors were under the poverty level. Now it is only 10 percent.

Additionally, Social Security is an insurance program for workers disabled or family members of an American killed in Iraq to give them monthly checks.

Social Security is the only government program that is solvent.

Bush Jr. who is bankrupting the U.S. Treasury ($410 billion annual deficits) is now preaching he has a perfect deregulation plan for Social Security, like Enron had for California.

Bush Jr. must be stopped!

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

Bernie Kerik, Guiliani and Bush Jr.’s choice for Homeland Security could face federal prosecution.

As the press reports, the very day Kerik was telling Bush Jr.’s lawyer (and nominee for Attorney General) Alberto Gonzales that he had no nanny problem, Kerik was on another phone line organizing a transportation plan to get the nanny out of the U.S.

If the nanny was not in the U.S. legally, that would be breaking federal law. It is also a federal crime to transport such a person across state lines.

Did Kerik drive the nanny from New York to his new home in New Jersey?

And when Kerik decided he needed the nanny out of the country, did Kerik arrange a plane ticket for her or even worse hire a plane to get her out of the U.S.? And did the nanny go back across state lines into New York to get to the plane?

Kerik owes it to the American people to come clean. After all, Homeland Security is a big issue.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

“This country should never settle with mediocrity.” (Bush Jr. 12/16/04 at alleged Economic Summit.)

Meanwhile, across town Republican Senator Susan Collins said “I think there are increasing concerns about the secretary’s leadership on the war, the repeated failures to predict the strengths of the insurgency …”

And down in Mississippi, Republican Senator Trent Lott said Rumsfeld “should be replaced.”

And the Republican magazine Weekly Standard’s publisher Bill Kristol in a Washington Post piece called for Rumsfeld’s resignation. Fox owner, Rupert Murdoch is the financer behind the Weekly Standard.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 16, 2004

Bush Jr.’s White House lawyer, Alberto Gonzales, who acts more like a defense lawyer for Bush Jr. than a professional legal advisor, supervised the Kerik interview process.

Evidently, Gonzales didn’t have a Google search button in his office to find out about Kerik’s legal and personal problems.

But Gonzales did such a “good job,” Bush Jr. believes he should be the Attorney General. Incompetence gets rewarded by Bush Jr.

Speaking of Kerik, the latest (it doesn’t stop) is that his affairs started unraveling when his two mistresses found out about each other.

Both mistresses were shocked to find out Kerik was cheating on them!

That’s Republicans!

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

The Tet Offensive (started January 31, 1968) was so massive and went on for so many weeks that convoys with supplies were impossible to get through.

So we had to bring supplies (ammunition, fuel, food, etc.) in by C-130 cargo planes.

In Iraq, the U.S. military has announced that C-130 cargo planes will now be flying in more of the supplies since too many of our convoys are being ambushed.

But Bush Jr. continues to insist that Iraq is getting better and they can hold elections on January 30th.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

While our troops are scrounging in garbage dumps to find armor, Bush Jr. gave Medals of Freedom to Franks, Tenet and Bremer for their “great work” in Iraq. I wonder if the medals have any armor in them?

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 15, 2004

“Bernie Kerik is one of the most accomplished and effective leaders of law enforcement in America. I call on the Senate to promptly confirm his nomination as the Secretary of Homeland Security.” (Bush Jr., December 3, 2004)

Bush Jr. pays little attention to details like who should be in charge of Homeland Security or do our troops really need all that armor?

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

Can Karl Rove, Bush Jr. and Rumsfeld be this stupid?

The only thing they were paying attention to in the last two years was the campaign. The L.A. Times has the story of a Russian arms trafficker (the Russian version of the mob) getting millions of dollars from the U.S. for transporting goods in Iraq.

The guy use to fly weapons for the Taliban and he was placed on a blacklist by the U.S. Treasury (next door to the White House) last July, but Bush Jr.’s operation continues to hire him even as of last week.

Apparently, Rove, Bush Jr. and Rumsfeld can be that stupid.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

In October alone, the U.S. had a record trade deficit of $55.5 billion.

The U.S. now imports more food than we export – I guess Bush Jr. has decided to outsource our agriculture industry too.

The trade deficit with China was $17 billion for one month. That works out to $200 billion a year the U.S. is sending to the Chinese Communist government.

What do they do with the money? Loan it to Bush Jr. to finance his budget deficits and buy weapons, putting the U.S. in weaker and weaker position

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 14, 2004

The New York Times broke the story on Tuesday morning that Bush Jr.’s former Homeland Security nominee Bernie Kerik had a social relationship with the mob – that’s right, organized crime.

The article reports that in 2000, Kerik came under investigation for his relationship with a construction company that law enforcement believed was connected to the mob.

In fact, in 2000, the company’s Security Director (yes, security) had just been charged for stock fraud.

Mr. Kerik this week told the NY Times that he questioned whether the firm had mob connections. He didn’t say they didn’t, just that he “questioned” it.

And now new stories are breaking that the married Kerik kept an apartment which he maintained for affairs with two different women.

And this is who Bush Jr. and Karl Rove thought should be in charge of Homeland Security.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

Rudolph Giuliani looks in the mirror and sees God’s chosen man to be the next president.

Many of us Democrats and now most of those in the White House see Giuliani as a moron and an egomaniac.

Giuliani was in business with Bernard Kerik. That’s right - giving advice about security to foreign governments and corporations on how to make sure you have the right “top notch” people working security in government or for a firm, etc.

Now Giuliani told the White House on Sunday that he wished he had known about all of Kerik’s legal problems – didn’t know about the bankruptcies, the bench warrants, etc. And foreign and corporations hire Giuliani for advice!

No one should forget that as Mayor of New York, Giuliani conspired with Bush Jr. to tell all the Ground Zero workers (firefighters, police officers, construction and health care workers, etc.) that tests confirmed the air was safe to work in.

It was a complete lie and Giuliani was in on the conspiracy to cover it up but the truth did not come out for two years.

Let’s also not forget that even Bush Jr. had reservations about Giuliani in 2000, when Rudy went on national TV to say he had prostate cancer and then introduced his mistress as the one who would help him get through it. Bush Jr. was appalled that Giuliani would use TV to let wife number two know that she would soon be gone.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

California’s Democratic Electors cast all 55 votes for Kerry-Edwards on Monday. The 55 represent 22 percent of Kerry’s total of 252 Electoral votes won in America on election day.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 13, 2004

Bernard Kerik, Bush Jr.’s nominee for Homeland Security Chief, had to withdraw because he got caught committing “perjury” about his nanny.

Kerik is politically corrupt but he is not unique amongst Bush Jr.’s people. The White House is full of them.

The irony of Kerik is Bush Jr. made the intellectual decision that Kerik should be in charge of America’s security.

Now we know Kerik had employed someone who successfully evaded U.S. Homeland Security to get into the U.S. and work for none other than Bush Jr.’s nominee for security.

Kerik has many other problems – declared bankruptcy years ago; recently had a bench warrant issued for him; was trading his political connections to Giuliani to make $6.2 million overnight in stock options with Taser, which was making millions - you guessed it – selling items to all levels of government.

The very same week Bush Jr. nominated Kerik, someone flew the nanny out of the U.S., i.e. fleeing the scene of a crime, and maybe she is in a CIA “safe house” now.

Did this woman have a phony driver’s license or passport? So besides committing perjury (“no, I don’t have a nanny”), not paying taxes and Social Security, Kerik was also involved in a conspiracy to get a fugitive out of the U.S.

Aren’t these federal crimes under the Patriot Act? Shouldn’t Giuliani and Kerik be brought in for questioning without lawyers?

Would Giuliani and Kerik then plead the Fifth for these federal crimes?

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

Fewer than 9,000 new jobs were created in California in November.

Schwarzenegger’s job promises are proving to be a lot like his steroid muscles – getting flabby.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 10, 2004

In 1990, Kuwait was invaded by Iraq. In 1991, the Allied Coalition, led by the U.S., drove Iraq out of Kuwait.

On Thursday, the Kuwait Oil Minister happily announced that OPEC will cut oil production. Kuwait and other members are concerned about the “drop” in oil prices. Let’s see, $2 a gallon -- that’s a drop?

Bush Jr. is doing such a great job working with “friends” on the war and on the U.S. economy.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

After years of trying the deregulation of public pension funds and after substantial financial losses, despite what Republicans’ friend British Prime Minster Maggie Thatcher promised in the 1980’s, the British are going back to what worked.

The British government is now urging people back into the government system.

There are too many corrupt individuals and uncertainty in the market. That’s why the Republicans want deregulation of America’s Social Security system -- to get billions of dollars from unsuspecting young people.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

In the State Capitols throughout America and in the District of Columbia the Electoral College will meet. (C-SPAN will cover). In California, John Kerry’s 55 electors will meet in the Assembly Chambers at 2 p.m.

If Nader had not run in 2000, Al Gore would have been re-elected on Nov 2. Instead Kerry will receive 252 Electoral Votes and Bush Jr. will get 286 (270 needed to get the White House keys)

(Visit www.cadem.org for details: Go to “Election 2004” and then click to “Top 10 Questions About the Electoral College You’ve Always Wanted to Ask”).

(enter link to electoral college)

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 09, 2004

When asked, “why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to up-armor our vehicles,” a flustered Donald Rumsfeld replied, “you go to war with the Army you have.”

The question, by the way, was greeted with cheers from the 2,300 troops present in the hangar in Camp Buehring, Kuwait.

Rumsfeld should be court-martialed for putting Americans in combat without armor.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

After being condemned by many for his insensitive attack on California nurses, Schwarzenegger keeps his foot in his mouth and refuses to apologize.

His remarks were offensive, outrageous, despicable, appalling and juvenile, but most were not surprised by them.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

That’s what Bush Jr. said after winning with only 286 Electoral votes. President Clinton won 370 Electoral votes in his first election and 379 in his re-election in 1996.

While the Intelligence bill passed in the U.S. House (336-75), 10 of the 20 California Republican House members voted ‘No.’

That’s right – 50 percent of Bush Jr.’s own Congressmembers in California gave him the finger.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 08, 2004

”He didn’t stay and listen to me. What’s up with that?” (Maria Shriver, S.F. Chronicle, 12/8/04)

At the Annual Women’s Conference in Long Beach on Tuesday, not only did Schwarzenegger attack nurses with a very offensive remark, but he walked out on his wife.

Schwarzenegger spoke, then Shriver came to the podium and Schwarzenegger walked off the stage to meet with big campaign donors in a back room.

Then Shriver very politely made the remark above.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

While Bush Jr. continues to spin that the situation is getting better in Iraq, the CIA’s station chief in Baghdad defined the situation in Iraq as getting worse.

And according to the New York Times (12/7/04), the top U.S. General in Iraq, George Casey Jr., agreed.

Karl Rove will make someone pay for these honest assessments.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

While Bush Jr. talks about his coalition to fight the war on terrorism, OPEC has announced plans to cut oil production, which will hurt the U.S. economy.

This is what Bush Jr.’s real “allies” – the oil companies want. With a cut in oil production, oil prices will go up again, giving bigger profits to his real "allies".

Meanwhile, American troops will be spending the holidays in Iraq, but Rumsfeld just announced he hopes American troops can be out of Iraq within four years. I guess some of our troops will be on their fourth tour of duty by 2008.

During the campaign, Bush Jr. said his team would not announce any arbitrary dates to withdraw because it would give the wrong signal to our enemies. I guess that was more campaign spin or maybe Rumsfeld doesn’t read newspapers as well.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

The oil companies are against the Kyoto agreement. At the last major conference (Buenos Aires) before the accord takes effect in February, the United States representatives continued to make Bush Jr.’s silly arguments that we need more research on global warming.

The United States and Australia are holding out for God to stop global warming.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 07, 2004

In a Tuesday morning interview from Afghanistan on NBC, Cheney had a different spin!

Since 9/11, Cheney has always connected Saddam Hussein to those attacks.

In this NBC interview Cheney went on and on about the Taliban and Afghanistan’s connections to 9/11. Not once did Cheney mention Saddam Hussein and Iraq.

I guess it was all campaign spin and about 40 percent of Americans still believe it.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

In 2000, Bush Jr. had a cousin placed at Fox News and after a convenient phone call from the Bush Jr. people, on election night, Fox News pulled back their call of Florida for Gore.

This time the ‘cousin’ must have been inside the exit poll operation.

The day after the November 2, 2004 the Bush Jr people and their friends at the networks were claiming Bush Jr. got 44 percent of the Hispanic vote nationally and only 53 percent for Kerry (a 9-point margin). Over the last few days the exit poll people admitted they were mistaken (sure), that actually Kerry received 58 percent of the Hispanic vote and Bush Jr. got only 40 percent (an 18-point margin).

Very convenient – Bush Jr. has a month of phony spin!

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

Let’s see - Bush Jr. has been in the White House almost four years.

After three years of talking about how important democracy is to people throughout the world (even though 50 to 80 percent of Americans typically don’t vote) Bush Jr has a new thought.

Over the weekend the Bush Jr. people said maybe a strong economy is more important than a democracy for most people in the world.

Anyone who has traveled or has studied foreign policy knows this. In fact, several months ago, a poll of people in South America reported that most would give up their democracy for a better economy.

The old rule -- most people first want a “chicken” in every pot before getting the right to walk several miles to vote.

So after years going on Middleast TV talking about democracy, Bush Jr. has finally learned a lesson – the one he slept through at Yale.

Meanwhile people throughout the world are paying for his mistakes.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 06, 2004

NATO Commander General James Jones (a Bush Jr. appointee) was in Iraq recently.

Jones told reporters how surprised he was at the slow pace of restoring security. Jones had believed that the insurgency would have been brought under control faster in Iraq than it was in Afghanistan.

This is in December 2004 – Jones, the top General for NATO and he is surprised! Does any of Bush Jr.’s team read newspapers?

These are the people sending our troops into ambushes!

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

If you put a frog in a pot of water and slowly heat it up, you can kill the frog before it knows what happened.

During the campaign, Bush Jr. promised Social Security benefits would not be cut.

Bush Jr.’s top economic advisor N. Gregory Mankiw (a wealthy man) and the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, now says “there are no free lunches” (people worked for their Social Security benefits), and now these benefits will have to be cut.

Another Bush Jr. flip flop or just another one of his lies?

Next Bush Jr. will spin again that benefits will not be cut for those on Social Security now but eventually the truth will come out – the Republicans want to cut Social Security. The “frog in the pot” is the American people.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

It turns out the Republican sneaked a couple of lines in the big federal budget bill to turn over all legal power about citing liquefied natural gas terminals off California’s coast to Bush Jr. thus eliminating any California control. Schwarzenegger once again sells out California’s interests. He does what Karl Rove tells him.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 03, 2004

It was May 1, 2003 when Bush Jr. declared “Mission Accomplished” in Iraq.

As we all know, Bush Jr., not being a reader, ignored what was going on in Vietnam, and he ended up believing Karl Rove, that the Iraq job was complete.

Besides the almost 1,300 American that have died there, there are now over 9,500 Americans who have been wounded – many of whom will never walk again and some who will not be able to hug their spouse or have a child.

Karl Rove, who made the decision to go into Iraq, was too scared as a young man to join the military. Today, he drives a Jaguar and soon will be making millions of dollars giving speeches and in book deals.

And thirty years from now, there will be other Karl Roves making the same tragic mistakes of going to into wars with the belief it will all be over in a few days.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

Republican Senate Leader and medical doctor Bill Frist is a big advocate, like Bush Jr., of deregulating the Social Security fund to allow unlicensed scoundrels to invest part of people’s money.

In 2000, Frist put part of his campaign committee money into Wall Street (i.e. he put his money where his mouth is).

Well, Frist got taken to the cleaners and his fund has almost declared bankruptcy. He has lost $460,000 in stock market investments so far and now can’t even cover a sizable bank loan.

Frist is a medical doctor and a U.S. Senator and still had his investments fractured. What would some criminals be able to do with 21-year olds and their Social Security money?

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

Bush Jr. has decided to give the nation’s highest civilian honor – the Presidential Medal of Freedom – to General Franks, George Tenet and Paul Bremer.

What the hell is wrong with this picture – Tenent and Bremer getting awards for their Iraq contribution?

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 02, 2004

I wonder who will color code Tom Ridge’s ties at whatever new job he gets.

Many speculate that he raised the flag of possible attacks after a call from Karl Rove, not the FBI or CIA.

So, I say good riddance to another member of Bush Jr.’s inept cabinet. Three years after 9/11 over 95 percent of the shipping containers coming into the U.S. are still not checked.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

As Bush Jr. is about to send elements of the 82nd Airborne to Iraq, more and more talk among U.S. military leaders is that the training of Iraqis is not working.

One anonymous source told reporters that at the present rate, U.S. combat troops will be stuck in Iraq for 10 more years.

Iraq needs a comprehensive political solution and one well beyond Iraq.

Meanwhile, November ended up almost tying April 2004 as the deadliest month for American troops in Iraq with 134 dead.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

Despite claims by Bush Jr. and the rest of his team, Social Security is actually a very successful government program – it is solvent!

Everything else Bush Jr. is doing is running deficits.

Social Security without changing a thing has enough money for the next two decades. A reminder: Social Security is a combination insurance and retirement fund. Someone who is 22 who gets disabled for life is on Social Security for life.

An American is killed in Iraq leaving a spouse and two kids – they get Social Security through college.

In fact, 40 percent of Social Security recipients are not retirees.

Bush Jr. wants to deregulate Social Security for one purpose – his Republican base (many recipients of generous handouts themselves) are “against” government programs.

The Bush Jr. people were advocates of energy deregulation and Enron was the result. Hopefully the deregulators of Social Security get stopped this time.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

December 01, 2004

One of Bush Jr.’s big donors, Brad Freeman, admitted in a New York Times story that those who contribute financially do get rewarded by Bush Jr.

“People are going to get rewarded for what they’ve done.” (Brad Freeman, New York Times 11/29/04)

Freeman, like the other millionaire Republican donors, has stayed overnight at Camp David, the White House and at the Ranch in Crawford, Texas. Remember when Republicans attacked President Clinton for having guests stay at the White House?

Interesting point about the White House – the Reagans never once invited Vice President George Bush and Barbara upstairs to the residence over eight years – not once! Barbara later commented that the Reagans considered them “downstairs help.”

And LBJ never once had his Vice President Herbert Humphrey stay overnight at Camp David.

I guess the rules are different for Republican millionaire donors.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

Renquist is severely ill and most likely in a lot of pain. Wouldn’t it be ironic if his doctor suggested marijuana as one option to ease his pain and suffering?

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

According to a new report from the U.S. Justice Department, crime in the nation’s schools fell sharply from 1992-2002 (i.e. under President Clinton Jan. 1993 – Jan. 2001).

I recall when some major violence happened at schools in the 1990’s, the Republicans claimed it was because of Clinton policies and it would continue to increase. Well, now the Bush Jr. administration documents that President Clinton actually reduced crime in schools once he took over for none other than Bush Sr.

« November 2004 | Archives | January 2005 »

An AP poll found that 59 percent of Americans believe Bush Jr. should appoint pro Roe v. Wade justices to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bush Jr. won’t -- and I predict sadly that Roe v. Wade will be overturned in three years.

Young women will be forced back to alleys again -- but not Bush Jr.’s daughters.