« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 30, 2005

At last year’s Republican National Convention, Schwarzenegger talked about his mentor Richard Nixon – almost brought the old delegates to tears.

Nixon was a deceitful and hateful man who spent most of his days ordering his staff to destroy his opponents.

On Thursday, Nixon would have been proud of his boy Schwarzenegger when he vetoed two bills – raising the California minimum wage from $6.75 to $7.75 (what happened to the Republican tears from seeing all those working poor in New Orleans) and the gay marriage bill.

History will put Schwarzenegger in the same chapter as the thugs who violently opposed ending segregation.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

House Republican Tom DeLay, who has been indicted for money laundering, is acting so confident he’s committed no criminal acts, I’m sure he will not take the Fifth Amendment when the Texas Rangers meet with him for some Q and A.

And we have to assume DeLay will take the stand in his own defense to testify at his criminal trial.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Bush Jr.’s poll numbers in America are at their lowest levels ever. In the Arab or Muslim world, they are probably in the single digits.

And who does Bush Jr. send into the Muslim world to explain his policies? Political hack Karen Hughes – the same Karen Hughes who told the press in 2000 that Bush Jr. had never been convicted of a crime.

Hughes is seen in the Muslim world as an apologist for Bush Jr. who can’t seem to tell the truth. Her talks this past week in Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been ridiculed by the local press there, only making matters worse.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 29, 2005

The latest PPIC Poll (Public Policy Institute of California) shows the No votes for Schwarzenegger’s propositions continue to go up.

Proposition 74, Teacher Tenure is 47 percent No vs. 43 percent Yes.

Proposition 76, State Spending has a No vote at 63 percent, vs. only 26 percent Yes.

Proposition 77, Redistricting has a 50 percent No vote vs. 33 percent Yes.

Click here for further details.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Soon after Tom DeLay was indicted on Wednesday (is Bill Frist next?), Fox News, which is run by Roger Ailes, Bush Sr.’s TV guy in 1988, went on overdrive to defend DeLay.

I guess when it comes to Republicans, Fox News takes the U.S. Supreme Court decision very seriously -- every defendant is entitled to a lawyer.

I just had no idea that meant their own cable news outlet.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

So how does Bush Jr. look in the mirror and believe he’s here as the result of intelligent design?

Intelligence designed Bush Jr.? Now that’s an oxymoron!

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 28, 2005

"Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job." Bush Jr. gave this praise a few days before Brownie resigned and or was fired.

Time magazine’s October 3 issue has a piece about Bush Jr.’s appointees. Bush Jr. has put hundreds of his political hacks into government jobs (the same guys who ran political campaigns railing against government jobs).

Brownie thought his Cub Scout crossing guard job was enough experience to run FEMA -- and he was responsible for coordinating the entire national response to disasters! All Bush Jr. and Brownie did was create a second disaster leading to the unnecessary deaths of many as they drowned or ran out of food.

Has Bush Jr. moved to replace the rest of his political flunkies? Heck no!

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

U.S. Senate Leader Republican Bill Frist is under investigation from two separate government agencies for alleged inside stock trading.

Frist claimed he just happened to sell the stock two weeks before a big drop in price. Evidently, Frist’s "blind trust" wasn’t exactly blind.

So now Bush Jr. has his two best Congressional friends (DeLay and Frist) under criminal investigation. Maybe they could put in for the criminal defense bulk rate discount.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

The September 26 Time magazine had a good article by Joe Klein about Iraq. The consensus by U.S. military analysts is there are no military solutions to Iraq.

Ironic that Bush Sr. (a former CIA Director) who was President in 1991, concluded it would be a big mistake to go into Iraq, after driving the Iraq military out of Kuwait.

But since his son, Bush Jr., doesn’t read newspapers or intelligence memos and just let’s Karl Rove tell him what’s going on, he invaded Iraq with not enough equipment for our troops or a plan, post driving into Baghdad.

In fact, the Klein piece reports that General Tommy Franks had no interest in any plan beyond sitting in one of Saddam’s palaces. Franks just wanted a "victory" like General Norman Schwarzkopf from the first Gulf War, who went on to write a book and make millions out on the speaking circuit.

And that’s what Franks is doing while American troops are stuck in Iraq.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 27, 2005

Last week, Republican Mike Murphy (Schwarzenegger’s so-called strategist) said that all four of Arnold’s propositions (74, 75, 76, and 77) will win.

One has to wonder if Murphy and Schwarzenegger have those funhouse type mirrors at home. It’s clear that over the years, Murphy has had his twisted spin mirror with him wherever he goes.

Back in 2000, Murphy predicted that Rick Lazio would defeat Hillary Clinton (NY Daily News 5/31/00), Lazio was completely humiliated, then Murphy left him $3 million in debt.

Murphy also predicted McCain would beat Bush Jr. in the 2000 California Primary and had McCain take a bus tour through the Bush Jr. territory of the Central Valley, instead of the coast. McCain lost by ten points or 400,000 votes.

And should I mention that in December 1995, Murphy predicted that Lamar Alexander would win the Republican presidential nomination, and in September 1999 he predicted that Bill Bradley would beat Al Gore for the Democratic nomination.

I guess that’s why Schwarzenegger hired Murphy – they can spin together.

On November 8, 2005, Californians need to send a strong message to Arnold by voting No on his Propositions 74, 75, 76 and 77.

The Democratic Party is also urging a No vote on Propositions 73 and 78, and Yes votes for Propositions 79 and 80.

Click here to go to our Special Election section for more information on the Propositions.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Last Friday, Schwarzenegger made it official (to the surprise of no one), that he was in favor of Proposition 73 which would even require a 17 year-old who became pregnant, due to being raped by a family member, to notify her parents of her decision to choose an abortion.

Earlier last week Schwarzenegger said he would kill (yes kill) anyone who helped a daughter of his get an abortion.

The word "kill" is significant in this issue because it’s a major problem in the situation of rape and incest. I’m told by the experts that in most of these situations, for the safety of the young women, it is better to not to force her to notify a parent. Dysfunctional families don’t become rational and functional just because their 17 year-old daughters are pregnant.

In fact, some fathers, when told their daughter is pregnant, may react by saying, "I’m going to kill you."

Experts also say that over 65 percent of women under the age of 18 who seek an abortion end up having a parent or legal guardian included in the decision.

Remember, the proponents of Proposition 73 are so anti-choice that their ultimate goal is to criminalize choice and send anyone who gets an abortion to jail, including a 35-year old woman. Many Republicans still argue that America’s youth should not receive sex education.

Make no mistake – the Proposition 73 proponents and their supporters, including Schwarzenegger have dirty hands when it comes to their motivation.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 26, 2005

Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal was in DC last week.

He warned Bush Jr. that Iraq was hurtling toward disintegration and it could drag the entire region into a war.

Bush Jr. responded by telling staff at the Pentagon that he's very optimistic about Iraq.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Some Native American tribes are suing the Bush Jr. administration and the federal government for unpaid royalties.

Some of the documents, some dating back to the 1950’s, were discovered in a trash bin behind the National Archives Building near the U.S. Capitol. The Inspector General had the documents recovered.

The tribes’ lawyers responded by saying this action by the Bush Jr. people represents more of "the same repugnant, desperate actions we’ve come to expect."

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

In 1870 Joseph Rainey (from South Carolina) became the first African-American elected to the U.S. House.

This month on oil painting of Rainey was hung in the U.S. House.

Rainey’s portrait is the first of a person of color to be hung in the U.S. House -- and here it is the year 2005!

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 23, 2005

California’s Democratic U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein said a few weeks ago that she could not vote to confirm Judge Roberts if she was not assured he would vote to uphold privacy rights, especially those guaranteed by Roe v. Wade, which gives a woman the right to choose an abortion.

On September 22, 2005, Senator Dianne Feinstein – the only woman on the Senate Judiciary Committee – kept her promise. Feinstein voted No on Roberts because he did not give her or the American people the assurance that is needed.

Thank you to Senator Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer, who has announced that she will cast a ‘No’ vote on Roberts on the Senate floor. California can be proud of its two Democratic U.S. Senators.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

House Republicans are proposing a way to pay for some of Katrina’s costs – cut military programs, including health care and eliminating schools for their kids.

The Republicans could ask Texas millionaires to help pay for Katrina and the war in Iraq, but no -- they propose to cut benefits for the ones serving in the war.

Republicans are cold!

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Is there a cover up going on by the so-called Special Prosecutor? How long could it take to talk to a few suspects?

Someone committed treason in the White House by disclosing the name of a covert CIA agent. In fact, New York Times reporter Judith Miller is still jail for refusing to talk.

I swear Bush Jr. said he would get to the bottom of this, only to cover it up, I guess.

And Karl Rove still refuses to take a lie detector test.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Duh! As usual with Bush Jr. and Karl Rove, they are "shocked" to find out that the insurgents are part of the Iraq security force.

It’s Guerilla War 101 and it is exactly what the enemy did in Vietnam – they had infiltrated the South Vietnamese government and military as well as most levels of the U.S. military operations.

A U.S. colonel would decide on an attack and the enemy in Vietnam knew about it before an American grunt even knew that he was going out on a combat mission.

Does anyone read military history in the Bush Jr. administration?

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 22, 2005

Eight governors sent a letter to Bush Jr. and Congress calling for an investigation into oil company profits after Hurricane Katrina.

Gasoline prices in California are among the highest in the nation. So where is Arnold? Not signing anything asking for legislation that would require big oil to refund their excess profits, that’s for sure.

He wouldn’t do that to his friends in the oil business, or to his friend in the White House.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

"Any way I can help him [Bush Jr.], I will help him." (Schwarzenegger, quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle, 9/21/05)

As Warren Beatty said last May at his commencement address at U.C. Berkeley, "It’s become time to define a Schwarzenegger Republican. A Schwarzenegger Republican is a Bush Republican who says he’s a Schwarzenegger Republican." (San Francisco Chronicle, 5/22/05)

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

"When a storm hits, the best place to be is out of the path of the storm." (Michael Chertoff, Deputy of Homeland Security, appearing on Good Morning America, 9/21/05)

Remember -- Chertoff is in charge of America’s security. And who did Bush Jr. decide was the right guy for Mike Brown’s job at FEMA? A guy who two years ago urged us all to buy duct tape!

So the "best and brightest" of the Bush Jr. team can only come up with telling us to buy duct tape and stay out of the path of the storm?

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 21, 2005

Simon Wiesenthal passed away on Tuesday at his home in Vienna, Austria at the age of 96.

A survivor of the Nazi holocaust, Wiesenthal spent the rest of his life helping track down several hundred Nazis who played a role in the killings of so many in the concentration camps.

I have been to the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles and the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., as well as to Dachau, Germany and Auschwitz in Poland.

I have also visited some of the Khmer Rouge Pol Pot death camps in Cambodia.

All the visits were frightening, as you can imagine the tens of thousands of human beings tortured and then killed - all done by other human beings, evidently while the “creative designer God” watched.

Simon Wiesenthal was liberated from the Nazi Mauthausen camp in Austria in May 1945.

I never met Simon Wiesenthal, but perhaps my father saw him when he was serving in the Army's 11th Armored Division as they marched across Europe to defeat the Nazis and entered the Mauthausen camp where Wiesenthal was one of several thousand still alive.

I don’t recall my father talking to me about the camp, but as a young boy I came across a box of photos he had from his World War II days. I could not believe the horror of those photos -- bodies piled in ditches and "skeletons" still standing at Mauthausen.

Wiesenthal made sure the world would not forget what happened in World War II.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Without a word of acknowledgement from Bush Jr., the number of American troops killed in Iraq moved past 1,900.

I remember thinking when it hit 500 that Bush Jr. can’t let this war of chaos and folly continue. Yet he does, without losing a minute of sleep. And a whole generation of "patriotic" Republicans -- like Bush Jr.'s daughters and Karl Rove’s son -- still refuse to join the military.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

David H. Safavian, a senior aide to Bush Jr., was indicted for lying and obstructing a federal investigation of Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a close friend of Tom Delay.

It’s unknown if Safavian he was placed in handcuffs or if he’ll blow the whistle on Bush Jr. and other aides who may be involved.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 20, 2005

On September 11, 2001 Bush Jr. was in a Florida school classroom. Even after being told that a second plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, Bush Jr. sat there in a stupor.

In fact, Bush Jr. sat there (knees shaking) for seven minutes reading "My Pet Goat."

Katrina hit the Gulf States on August 29. It took Bush Jr., 17 days to finally give a nationwide speech.

More proof that Bush Jr. is not what you call a quick thinker.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Bush Jr.’s typical spin continues.

The voter turnout in Afghanistan was somewhere between 35-50 percent on Sunday. That’s a big drop from last year’s election with a 76 percent turnout.

Bush Jr. announced he is happy with the voting in Afghanistan. Georgie, it dropped in half!

Ronald Neumann, Bush Jr.’s Ambassador in Afghanistan, had this to say about the low turnout – "If people are getting a little more used to elections, then maybe Afghanistan is turning into a normal country."

These are the boys and girls responsible for Afghanistan, Iraq, the war on terror, and the Katrina problems.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 19, 2005

I attended the California Republican Party Convention on Saturday in Anaheim. There was a lot of hot air flying there, especially at the lunch with Arnie.

Schwarzenegger sounded like the old Soviet bosses when he attacked public employees’ unions.

Back in the 1980’s, the Soviet bosses cracked down hard on the Polish public employees’ union (Solidarity) when it stood up to the government and demanded rights such as better wages and working conditions for people.

The irony of it – Schwarzenegger was born behind the Iron Curtain and now he sounds like a Soviet boss attacking public employees, like the ones who respond to 911 emergency calls.

But that’s Republicans.

Let’s defeat all of Arnie’s four Propositions -- 74, 75, 76, and 77 on November 8th – so Arnie’s Hummer will have four matching flats on election night.

By the way Arnie, the Soviet bosses lost that fight with Solidarity and the Soviet bloc soon collapsed. Now all those people in Eastern Europe have the legal right to join a union.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Last week, in his Thursday night speech, Bush Jr. said the federal government will pour billions of dollars into the Gulf States. Then on Friday, Bush Jr. announced he wants the money to come from other programs, and not ask America’s wealthiest to help pay for it.

Isn’t that just another tax on the middle class?!

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Most political people in DC (and everyone in the White House) know that away from the cameras, Bush Jr. is just like his mother – a junkyard pit bull with his staff.

Newsweek broke a story that as a result of Bush Jr. being so snappish with his staff, no one likes to deliver any bad news to him.

As Katrina was destroying much of the Gulf States, one of his staff members drew the short straw and had to tell Bush Jr. the bad news (he doesn’t read newspaper nor watch TV news): that tens of thousands of people’s lives were wrecked and he would have to shorten his vacation a few days in Texas.

So his staff put all the TV news coverage on a DVD so he could watch it on Air Force One (on the ride back to DC) and that way he yelled at the TV instead of them.

The tragedies of the Republicans in the White House and Congress continues.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 17, 2005

On Friday, Schwarzenegger announced he will run for another term – the only people happy with that are the big corporate interests.

Deep down under all that make-up, Schwarzenegger is a Nixon Republican – out to get everyone!

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 16, 2005

One was wooden and unfeeling, a recitation of facts and figures carried out without the barest hint of emotion or caring.

The other was delivered as though it was a rallying cry to invade another planet, acted out with carefully scripted lines that included over the top scare tactics and conflicting declarations.

One was "dressed down" and stood in front of a New Orleans landmark to address his "captive" TV audience; the other assembled a fake "town hall" and filled it with invitation-only "average citizens" who asked prepared questions.

But in the end, both Bush Jr. and Arnold Schwarzenegger only managed to show their total lack of connection to the real world. Instead of turning around their poll numbers (both have approval ratings in the 30’s), these two speeches only showcased the weaknesses that caused their meager numbers in the first place.

Bush Jr. and Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Incompetent and The Incoherent.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Bush has his photos, for Arnold, the signs tell the story.

Click here for details.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

We all understand that Bush Jr. knows the truth and the guilt of Karl Rove with that illegal act of treason for releasing the name of a covert CIA agent.

A new story is out that reporters using the Freedom of Information Act (instituted post Nixon’s crimes) to obtain information about the deadly chemical spills, leaks, and fires in the aftermath of Katrina are being blocked by the Bush Jr. administration.

The cover-ups continue.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

In a BBC interview, Afghanistan President Howard Karzai admitted there must be change to deal with all the violence. Karzai said Bush Jr. must "reconsider and rethink whether the approach to the defeat of terrorism that we have taken is the right one."

Over 1,000 people have been killed so far this year and the Tailiban is getting stronger.

Karzai wants Bush Jr. to get to the sources of where terrorists are trained. Isn’t that what Bush Jr. says this is why U.S. troops are in Iraq? By the way, Karzai was actually referring to Pakistan.

Karzai also criticized Bush Jr. and other governments for not sending all the aid they promised to Afghanistan.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 15, 2005

On Thursday night Bush Jr. spoke to the nation.

He sounded more like a staff person than a president - just more incompetence.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Another telling photo of Bush Jr. "hard at work."

Now we understand why Condi referred to Bush Jr. as her "husband" back in 2004.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

As Bush Jr. was saying: "I take responsibility" for the post-Katrina disaster (who believes he really means that?), Iraq was blowing up.

Several suicide bombers took the lives of over 150 people and wounded hundreds more.

Bush Jr. still has no plan for stability in Iraq. When will he take responsibility for Iraq (Bush Jr.'s "March of Folly")?

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

He’s a medical doctor elected to the U.S. Senate in Okalahoma last November, and he’s an extreme right-winger.

Senator Tom Coburn sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee and he told judicial nominee Judge John Roberts on Wednesday that you can detect a heart beat 16 days after conception.

Coburn wants to pass a constitutional amendment that would overturn Roe vs. Wade so women and doctors can be charged and sentenced to prison if an abortion is performed.

But Coburn admitted last year that while he was a practicing physician he sterilized lots of girls without getting written permission or without parental consent for teenage girls.

Funny how Republicans demand parental notification or consent for abortions, but when this Republican had underage girls on the operating table, he didn’t think twice about sterilizing them just because they were having babies.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Clean air and clean forests are the buzz words for Bush Jr. to spout at the same time he’s rolling back environmental regulations. He has issued orders to basically allow clear cutting of forests across America. After all, tourists going through national parks only need a path to walk on – they don’t need the trees, Bush Jr. believes.

On Monday, a Federal Judge halted Bush Jr. efforts to allow logging on 2,000 acres in the Giant Sequoias (i.e. Redwoods) National Monument. The judge called into question the "scientific analysis" Bush Jr. used to justify devastating an area that contains two-thirds of the world’s largest trees.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 14, 2005

On Monday, after FEMA head Mike Brown announced he was resigning, Bush Jr. was asked by a reporter in New Orleans, "Mr President have you accepted the resignation of Mike Brown? Have you heard about it?" Bush Jr. responded, "I haven’t... you know, maybe you know something I don't know."

Another case where Karl Rove didn’t include Bush Jr. in White House decisions.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

In an interview with a British newspaper, some doctors in New Orleans have admitted that in some hospitals they were forced to make decisions they did not want on their hands.

With no FEMA help, without power, and some gangs coming into the hospitals looking for drugs, they made the heartbreaking decision to overdose some of the critically ill patients, most of them elderly, in order to allow them to die peacefully.

As one person summarized the situation, the doctor would inject the patient, and nurses would stay at their side until they passed on.

Meanwhile, at the request of the California Nurses Association, hundreds of California nurses are flying to the Gulf States to help thousands of people who are still in desperate need.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

More than $700 million has been donated so far (mostly to the Red Cross) to help the Katrina victims.

Americans open their wallets when asked. And those at the highest income level would be more than happy to pay more in taxes to help this country balance its books ($300 billion for Iraq), but Bush Jr. and Cheney are Neanderthals.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 13, 2005

More on the John Roberts confirmation hearings which started on Monday: The Senate Judiciary Committee is comprised of 17 Anglo males and one female – California’s Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Senator Feinstein used her 10 minutes to talk about the "right to privacy," especially in regards to Roe vs. Wade and those terrible days pre-1973 when women were forced into back alley abortions.

Dianne laid the marker down on Roberts, on the issue of a woman’s legal right to abortion.

Unfortunately, Roberts comes from the wealthy Republican class where they sent their girlfriends to Europe to have abortions, so Senator Feinstein’s remarks may have been new to him.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

The whole world realizes that even after five years in office, Bush Jr. still does not have America prepared for disasters, and it was his incompetence that made Katrina worse for tens of thousands of people.

Does Bush Jr. fire anyone? No! Instead, he transferred FEMA head Mike Brown back to D.C. where Brown told the media he would have a Margarita -- then on Monday he quietly turned in his resignation.

Bush Jr. has gone to the Gulf States three times. This last time he tied up hundreds of relief and rescue personnel so they could join him in his phony "meet and greet" photo-ops.

Bush Jr. also tied up Navy personnel so he could stay in the captain’s quarters on the U.S. Iwo Jima. Can I tuck you in now Georgie?

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 12, 2005

"As the only woman on the Committee, I believe I have an additional role in evaluating nominees for the Supreme Court... For me, one of the most important issues that needs to be addressed by Judge Roberts is the constitutional right to privacy... It would be very difficult for me to vote to confirm someone to the Supreme Court whom I knew would overturn Roe v. Wade."

[U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, in her opening statement on the John Roberts confirmation hearing, September 12, 2005]

Click here to read her entire opening statement.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Mr. "Showman" himself – Schwarzenegger bragged about the $100,000 seats with him at a Rolling Stones concert in Boston – he would raise millions for his campaigns. The reports are now in – only $10,000 raised there.

As Mick Jagger said at the concert – Schwarzenegger could have just raised money by selling T-shirts outside Fenway Park.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

The companies with huge defense contracts had their CEO’s salaries going up 200 percent from 2001 – 2004.

In the same period, CEO’s nationally had salary increases of only seven percent. No wonder the big boys gave big checks to Bush Jr. and the Republican Party – good for "business" and none of their kids had to go to Iraq, except as highly paid contactors.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Homeowner exemptions are a property tax credit for people who own and reside in their home.

Karl Rove got caught by the authorities last week for claiming a homeowner exemption for a place in Texas, where neighbors have never seen him, and for his residence in Washington D.C.

Rove said he didn’t know the law. Sure, Karl. What did you need the money for -- perhaps those monthly payments for the Jaguar?

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 11, 2005

It’s now been four years since our nation woke up to the terror and devastation of 9/11, a date which has become part of our American lexicon.

Many things happened on that day – citizens were shocked to their core, the world watched in horror, heroes were born, and a nation began to mourn. Ultimately, that day marked a beginning of the process that would bring our country to war – a war we are still fighting today, despite Bush Jr.'s "Mission Accomplished” banner, the Medals of Freedom he bestowed upon men who were absolute failures, and the numerous proclamations of "aw shucks, everything’s just fine."

The official death toll for 9/11 was 2,986, but let us also remember the more than 2,100 men and women who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the thousands of Iraqi citizens who have also lost their lives, and our brave troops still fighting this war.

We pause on this fourth anniversary to think of the men and women who died on that fateful day – innocent people just going about their daily lives, doing quite ordinary things, and also we remember the many who did the extraordinary that day – the brave firefighters, police, and medical personnel who risked their lives in order to save others.

And now in the wake of the Katrina aftermath we see many brave and giving Americans working 24/7, public servants and average citizens alike - countless numbers of them stepping up to the plate because they saw the Bush administration was doing nothing.

Men like Bush Jr. -- who made a point to publicly defend his handpicked failures first and the men and women actually in the trenches last, and Schwarzenegger, who boasts of kicking nurses' butts and fights against their salaries, benefits and pensions – they do not understand or appreciate the real contribution that these workers make each and every day.

On this 9/11 anniversary, let's think of the families of the victims from that day in 2001, and let us also remember that today we have families who are separated from their loved ones, people who are struggling to get their lives put back together, and we have – as we always do – thousands of citizens who are doing what is right to help a neighbor in need.

That’s the American spirit that no act of terrorism, no act of God, and no heartless and uncaring administration can destroy.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 10, 2005

Time magazine made a few phone calls about Mike Brown.

Bush Jr. appointed Brown in 2003 as head of FEMA, and as usual, Bush Jr. lied to the American people. It turns out Mike Brown is not only incompetent, but his resume was sexed up by Bush Jr., similar to what he did with the Iraq "intelligence."

Bush Jr. and Brown had claimed he had worked as an emergency services director in Oklahoma – completely false – he was an INTERN there.

Bush Jr. claimed he was a college professor – completely false – he was a college STUDENT.

Bush Jr. and Brown claimed he had been the Director of the Oklahoma Christian Home, a nursing home in Oklahoma – completely false – they never even heard of him.

Yet Bush Jr. still has the nerve to proclaim, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Colin Powell, who was never caught shopping for shoes in the middle of a crisis, told reporters he fails to understand why better preparations were not made by Bush Jr. before Katrina hit.

Powell warned Bush Jr. about going into Iraq without being prepared, so he’s not really surprised about this latest incompetence.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 09, 2005

A Texas Grand Jury has indicted Tom DeLay’s PAC for five felonies.

Tommy - that’s five new indictments.

I predict one of his staff will ultimately blow the whistle on Tommy and he will be seeing the "I" word as well.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

All the Republican patriotic millionaires who wave flags on behalf of the middle-class family members going to Iraq, then check their bank account to see if their latest IRS check (money borrowed from Chinese Communist banks) arrived, are not hiring veterans returning from Iraq.

A new story out reports that these returning veterans are not getting jobs, or jobs that pay well.

But Bush Jr. never promised them anything, like no body armor and little help when returning.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Well, not exactly, but in 1999 Bush Jr. did say, "Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the president (Clinton) to explain to us what the exit strategy is." Bush Jr., quoted in the Houston Chronicle, 4/9/1999).

Bush Jr. should look in the mirror and ask himself, "Where’s your exit strategy?"

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 08, 2005

Harrah’s Casino, which lost several casinos to Katrina, will continue to pay their employees for 90 days and also pay their medical premiums. Many of their employees have lost their homes, as well as their jobs.

McDonalds announced they will pay their employees for two weeks.

The biggest and most profitable corporation in the world, Wal-Mart, announced they will pay their displaced employees for three days.

Yes, only three days.

Former Senator John Edwards was right – there are two Americas.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Let’s face it – Cheney is only there to scout new contract possibilities for Halliburton.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

The Bushes look at low income families as just hired help. So Barbara Bush’s comment should come as no surprise:

"Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality [in Houston]. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this, this is working very well for them."

Let’s see, many of them have family members who have died, many have lost their home and job, and the Bushes think things are working out very well for them, living in a big "barn."

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Last November, while I was in Little Rock, Arkansas for the President Clinton Library opening, I stopped by to see the Little Rock Central High School.

It was mid-afternoon and high school kids were walking out hand-in-hand, white and African-American kids together. They were going to sports training sessions or to school buses to go home.

In 1957, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus called out the National Guard to prevent African-American kids to enter the school.

Last week, those "kids" – the Little Rock Nine – stood at the State Capitol as statues of themselves were unveiled. Ultimately Democrats (President Lyndon Johnson and Congress) ended segregation and Southern Anglo voters have voted overwhelmingly Republican ever since.

I am proud to be a Democrat. Unfortunately, Republicans in the South continue to run for office on "saving" the Confederate flag. Bush Jr. did it in South Carolina primary in 2000.

Little Rock Nine return to unveil statues of themselves integrating Central High in 1957

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 07, 2005

On Wednesday, new Field Poll numbers are out on Schwarzenegger.

An overwhelmingly number of Californians don’t want to reelect him. Californians want Schwarzenegger to get off their stage - tired of his spin.

Click here for poll details.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Last week, as TV and radio were reporting around the clock that tens of thousands of people were in trouble (dying or pleading for help), Condi Rice was shopping for shoes on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Someone spotted Rice and confronted her – "people are dying and you’re shopping."

She’s busy buying thousand dollar shoes – she could care less about the people in Katrina’s wake. Remember Rice thinks Iraq is going well. Of course under Iraq’s current draft Constitution, Rice would be wearing a Burka – and forget about the Ferragamo shoes.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

On Tuesday, Bush Jr. said he will investigate what went wrong with the response to Katrina.

So Bush Jr. will basically be investigating himself.

There sure have been a lot of Bush Jr. investigations about "what went wrong" – 9/11, Iraq, lack of border control, and now Katrina.

Georgie: look in the mirror – it’s you! You’re incompetent!

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

FEMA head Mike Brown’s former job was commissioner of judges and stewards for the International Arabian Horse Association. Brown was fired from that job – he couldn’t even run a barn full of horse manure.

Bush Jr. thinks "he’s a good man."

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 06, 2005

Rumors around the Capitol are that Schwarzenegger’s Chief of Staff, Patricia Clarey, will be forced to walk the plank, right after the November 8, 2005 statewide election.

Schwarzenegger has privately acknowledged to his staff that the voters will reject his Propositions (74, 76, and 77) and he’s blaming Clarey and his Communications Director Rob Stutzman (otherwise known as his "foot-in-mouth" spokesperson) for his political troubles.

Let’s hope that Clarey and Stutzman stay right where they’re at.

For details on all eight Propositions (no to the first six and yes on the last two, 79 and 80), click here.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Bush Jr. and his boys are even opposed to having the morning after pill available for women.

On top of that, we now find out that 2005 has been a terrible year for Americans, especially women, due to a record number of anti-choice bills across America, aimed at restricting access to abortions, as well as contraceptives. The Bush Jr. Republican legislators are apparently opposed to both preventing pregnancies and offering choice.

And Judge John Roberts wants to be on the U.S. Supreme Court.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

More evidence that those serving in the military have concluded Bush Jr. is an incompetent leader. More captains are walking the plank -- and not re-enlisting.

Lawrence J. Korb, Reagan’s Assistant Secretary of Defense, said "I think it’s going to get worse."

Doug Macgregor, a retired Army colonel and defense analyst, said "They offered all sorts of deals during the Vietnam War. They’re desperately trying to keep captains in the service. I don’t think it’s going to work."

And the main reason for so many captains leaving – "To me the big factor is the prospect of endless deployment." -- Retired Army General (2 stars) Robert H. Scales Jr.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 04, 2005

On Monday, September 5, many Americans will enjoy a day off to commemorate Labor Day, a holiday which differs in many respects from other holidays. As Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor, said, "All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."

Simply put – Labor Day celebrates the day to day endeavors of Americans as they strive to earn a good day’s pay for a good day’s work, enabling them to provide for their families and enjoy a good quality of life.

Because of the utter devastation Hurricane Katrina has wrought upon the Gulf Coast, this Labor Day most of us will think a little more about that good quality of life and how it can all be taken away in the blink of an eye. There, but for the grace of God . . .

But we also need to think about the fact that many of our neighbors work day in and day out, and still don’t enjoy a safe home, enough to eat, a good education for their kids, health care for their families – and these are just the basics.

So this Labor Day, take a moment to say a prayer for the thousands of lives and the communities destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, but also take a minute to think about those closer to home – some of those "uniquely American" people who are working two to three jobs and still barely making ends meet: the person who takes your order at your favorite restaurant, delivers your daily newspaper, the men and women hammering away on a construction site.

Especially here in California, where the cost of living is so high, we must do the right thing to make sure that our minimum wage is a living wage so that anyone holding down a full time job enjoys a good quality of life as the fruit of their labor. Now THAT would be uniquely American!

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 03, 2005

The federal minimum wage is currently only $5.15 - the same rate it was when President Bill Clinton signed an increase into law eight years ago (9/1/1997).

Bush Jr. and Schwarzenegger, who vetoed a California increase, both think the minimum wage is too high and that raising it would be a burden for their special interest contributors.

California, under Bush Jr. and Schwarzenegger, now has 4.7 million people (mostly kids) living at the level. California voters passed a Democratic initiative to raise our state's minimum wage to $6.75 in 1996.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 02, 2005

Can you imagine what Iraqis are thinking, as they see and hear about the incompetence of Bush Jr. in response to Katrina?

And he's in charge of building a new Iraq - no hope for us!

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Moore tells it like it is, with his usual biting humor.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

The new Field Poll numbers came out this morning, and it's not good news for Schwarzenegger - just the same dismal low numbers that the PPIC poll had last week. His approval rating is a feeble 36 percent

Will Arnold once again order his people to put out more spin about their "private" polls that show California in love with Arnold -- and does he really think anyone believes that?

Click here to read the poll.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

We all know that Bush Jr. had no plan for Iraq, other than, "start your engines and drive north."

Well, it turns out FEMA had warned Bush Jr. that New Orleans was a likely place for a big natural disaster.

What did Bush Jr. do – cut the funding for New Orleans to get ready, and just like he did right before 9/11, Bush went fishing.

You have to ask – does Bush Jr. have his tray in the upright position?

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

At least 84 American troops were killed in Iraq in August – the highest month total since January.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

September 01, 2005

Hurricane Katrina may be the worst natural disaster to hit modern America.

Millions of people have been hit hard – many will have lost everything and it may take years to recover.

Bush Jr. should have moved within hours, to send thousands of regular U.S. troops with all their equipment to rescue people and provide security. He didn’t – maybe as usual he didn’t read the newspapers.

Instead, he waited three days before even ordering the National Guard in from other states.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

They only wanted to participate in an annual religious festival. As they crossed the bridge over the Tigris River in Baghdad, panic set in.

More than 1,000 dead! The people of Iraq never have a good day.

« August 2005 | Archives | October 2005 »

Now the people of Austria have come to the same conclusion as Californians.

The Schwarzenegger museum in Graz, Austria will be closed – lack of interest and funding.