Saturday, December 30, 2006
















Saddam Hangs, Rumsfeld Doesn't

"But perhaps most importantly, the missing pages contain information that could potentially make a case for war crimes against officials within the Reagan and the Bush Sr. administrations. This includes the current Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld — for his collaboration with Saddam Hussein leading up to the massacres of Iraqi Kurds and acting as liaison for U.S. military aid during the war between Iraq and Iran."

If you read this blog you probably already know that Rummy and Reagan gave Saddam all of the chemical weapons he used against the Kurds and Iranians. You may not know that the Bush administration removed 8,000 pages from a UN report that not only said the same thing, but detailed how many U.S. corporations helped in the dirty work.

The story of the edited UN document was among the Project Censored top 25 stories of 2002. It is a righteous but sad list. By their nature all of the stories are important, but if they made the list it means that few know about them.

I will have more in next week's Black Agenda Report.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Colin Powell's Pants are on Fire

Colin Powell, the ultimate political survivor, is back in the news. In response to recent suggestions that troop levels in Iraq should be increased, he replied that the U.S. army is "about broken."

No one should thank Powell for telling us what has been obvious for a long time. Any ideas of increasing the numbers of troops in Iraq are pure fantasy, unless of course the Bushies go along with Congressman Charles Rangel's proposal to bring back the draft.

Anyway, Powell is a gigantic liar. Sam Husseini, who you probably never heard of, was the only member of the press to ask Powell hard questions after a Face the Nation appearance last week.
Sam Husseini: Do you know that Hussein Kamel said that there were no WMDs? Did you know that?
Colin Powell: What’s that?
Husseini: You cited Hussein Kamel in your UN testimony. Did you know that he said that there were no WMDs, did you know that at the time?
Powell: I only knew what the intelligence community told me.
Husseini: But did you know that fact?
Powell: Of course not!
Husseini: You didn’t know that he said that, even though it was reported?
Powell: I -
Husseini: You didn’t know -
Powell: I’ve answered your question.
Husseini: You didn’t know that he said there were no WMDs.


As Powell attempts to resurrect himself from the ashes of the Bush team, he should be asked these questions again and again. He lied and those lies had horrific consequences. Maybe Husseini can do us all a favor and clone himself. Any puncturing of the American bubble of ignorance is a good thing.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Jimmy Carter vs. Israeli Apartheid

At long last the New York Times (registration required) has decided to mention that former president Jimmy Carter has written a new book that is on the Times bestseller list. For some strange reason, the only mention is in the Arts section and only the book's critics are quoted.

The book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, has gotten little attention in the print media. The American media routinely ignore or excoriate critics of Israeli government policy. It is a little harder to do if the critic is a former president and prolific author. So the Times finally covers a book that deals with a critical national and foreign policy issue but only in the Arts section.

Carter has done the American people a great service by writing this book and by adamantly and unapologetically using the word apartheid. My two cents is in this weeks Black Agenda Report.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Christmas in Seattle

"Threatening a lawsuit, I feel, violates the Jewish principle known in Hebrew as Kiddush HaShem, interpreted in the Talmud, part of ancient Jewish wisdom, as an action that encourages people to admire Jews. One need only read the comments on the Internet following the news accounts of the tree removal, to know that most people are feeling indignant and hurt. They certainly are not feeling more warmly toward Jews as a result of this mess."
Rabbi Daniel Lapin

Lapin hits the nail on the head. When Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky threatened to sue Seattle's airport if they didn't add a menorah to its holiday display, he in effect asked for the Christmas trees to be removed. As Lapin said, ". . . when one throws a punch (which is what bringing a lawyer and threatening to sue is equivalent to) and one gets decked in return, one cannot plead that one didn’t intend that outcome."

Sea-Tac airport should have told the litigious clergyman, "See you in court," and waited for a judge to instruct them on how to respond. Instead they took the wimpy way out and caused great resentment among Christians, whose opinions apparently don't count for much.

Because of vociferous complaints, the trees are back up, but what will happen next December? I don't really care if there is a menorah at Sea-Tac, but knowing how it came to be there will leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Black people are always told to accept our status as a minority. When we are outnumbered at election time and can't get black officials in office, well it is just too bad. If Jews chafe in December because theirs is the minority religion, it is just too bad. What is good for the goose should be good for the gander too.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Jews Against Israel

" . . .'the underlying cause of strife and bloodshed in the Middle East, namely the state known as Israel, [should] be totally and peacefully dissolved'. "
Rabbi Aharon Cohen

Yes, there are anti-Zionist Jews. They are such anti-Zionists that they will show up in Iran and participate in President Ahmedinajad's Holocaust Conference. They don't question that the Jewish holocaust took place, but that it has been used as a "tool of commercial, military and media power". Ouch! Sounds like they read The Holocaust Industry by Norman Finkelstein. If you haven't read this or other Finkelstein works, you should.

Of course, I don't deny that the Jewish holocaust happened, I do deny that it gives Israel the right to commit a holocaust against the people of Iran. Unfortunately, inviting David Duke to a conference is not a way to win friends or influence people. It makes it easy for stupid and/or blood thirsty Americans to advocate killing.
Gay Fundies

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Fundies are busting out of the closet. This article appeared in today's New York Times, but I have linked to the International Herald Tribune because there is no registration required.

The article tells us what we already knew, that gay people follow every religious, political and ideological belief system on earth. The individuals profiled in this story don't believe that the earth is 4 billion years old. They take the bible literally, except for what it says about them.

Hopefully, they will become more open minded in their religious world view too. If they don't believe what the bible says about homosexuality, they should consider that humans evolved and that the earth is older than the bible says it is.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Iraq Study Group

The title sounds like a group of college kids studying for a test, but it is far more serious. Today Bush's baby sitter, James Baker, essentially said that occupying Iraq was a very bad idea.

Occupying Iraq was morally wrong and without justification. More than 600,000 people are dead and the rest of world hates America more than ever.

The Study Group proposals don't really amount to much. A plan for withdrawal is the only way to save lives. A plan to compensate the Iraqi people for their suffering is the only moral thing to do.

By the way, the American media has said little about what the Iraqis want. CNN actually took a step towards behaving like a news organization when it reported that Iraqis say, "Get the hell out of our country." Only 1 out of 20 believe that security is better now than under Saddam Hussein, 9 out of 10 are afraid of American troops and 2 out of 3 will feel better when U.S. troops get out. Too bad the press isn't hanging on to their every word. It is the only opinion that ought to count.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Apartheid

"But there‘s no doubt that within the Occupied Territories—Palestinian land—that there is a horrendous example of apartheid. The occupation of Palestinian land, the confiscation of that land that doesn‘t belong to Israel, the building of settlements on it, the colonization of that land, and then the connection of those isolated but multiple settlements—more than 200 of them—with each other by highways, on which Palestinians can‘t travel and quite often where Palestinians cannot even cross."
Jimmy Carter

When a former president of the United States writes a book, it gets attention. Well, not if the book criticizes Israel. Jimmy Carter's latest work, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, has received no attention from the national print media. The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times have all ignored the book.

The Israeli government was one of the few governments on earth that advocated for the occupation of Iraq. It is the only other nation on earth that wants nuclear war against Iran. Unless full and open debate about Israeli policies are permitted to take place, this country will suffer. If New York or another city is attacked it will be because of hatred of America's unqualified support of Israel.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Bring It On

Virginia Senator-elect Jim Webb wanted to punch Dubya's lights out after the two had this exchange.

At a private reception held at the White House with newly elected lawmakers shortly after the election, Bush asked Webb how his son, a Marine lance corporal serving in Iraq, was doing.

Webb responded that he really wanted to see his son brought back home, said a person who heard about the exchange from Webb.


“I didn’t ask you that, I asked how he’s doing,” Bush retorted, according to the source.

Well, aren't we testy. This moment reveals so very much about the president. He doesn't like to be questioned, he doesn't like to hear any disagreement, and he doesn't give a damn about the soldiers he gets misty eyed over. Hitler was like that too.

He is a self-centered, narcissistic, SOB. He has no empathy, and he certainly has no charm or sense of diplomacy. As he said, being president means you can do what you want. You can open a can of whoop ass without fear of an ass whooping.













Black Agenda Report

It's Hump Day, and that means it is also Black Agenda Report day. As usual, you will get a take on the news that you won't get anywhere else. Obamamania? Not at BAR, thank goodness.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Jesse, Jesse, Jesse

"I can't speak for the television industry."
Michael Richards

"We are all racists."
Dr. Brenda Wade

I'm trying to give Jesse Jackson the benefit of the doubt, but I have to go with my gut instinct. When I read that Jackson would interview Richards on his radio program, I could only ask, "What the f**k for?"

Jackson says he wants to talk about the chance for healing, and discuss the dearth of black images on television. I'm all for healing and I want to see more black people on the tube, but it was frankly a waste for Jackson to ask Richards about it. Maybe he had a brilliant reason for this program, but it eludes me.

As for this Dr. Wade, I don't know what is up with her. She said that racism was subconscious, but it certainly isn't for the KKK and it wasn't for Richards. There is nothing subconscios about his hatred. It was front, center and very present in his brain.

There is nothing to be gained from engaging the likes of Michael Richards. He is a bigot, he is only sorry because he got caught. There has to be a clear expression of outrage directed at him, and that can't happen if Howard Rubenstein calls Jesse and says, "Please put my client on your show." That helps Rubenstein, Richards and Jackson but it certainly doesn't help anyone else.
Michael Richards is Jewish

For the last week the Michael Richards racism controversy has generated another one, or rather a question. Is Michael Richards Jewish? Jew, not a Jew. Some said no, he is Catholic. Some said his mother is Jewish and that settles the question. Others said he is a Mason and that means he can't be Jewish.

His flack, Howard Rubenstein, answers the question.

"As for reports that Richards shouted out anti-Semitic remarks during another standup comedy routine in April, Rubenstein confirmed his client did, but that he was only role-playing. 'He's Jewish. He's not anti-Semitic at all.'

Well, Rubenstein should know how his client identifies himself. If his flack says Richards is Jewish, then he is. Case closed.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

I Lied, So Did Michael Richards

OK, so I am posting before Monday. I really had intended to take off for the weekend, but that was before a friend told me that Michael Richards was never heckled by anyone before he spewed his sick tirade last week. Kyle Doss and Frank McBride, victims of the hate filled routine, were interviewed on the Today Show today. Watch the video.

Both men report that Richards attacked them from the moment they walked in with a group of friends. As soon as he saw them Richards made a comment about “stupid blacks and Mexicans.” Someone in their group responded, “You’re not funny,” but only after Richards flipped the bird and used the word nigger numerous times.

Now that the truth is out, damage control has gone into high gear. Richards is calling Al and Jesse and any other famous black person he can find to take his calls.

I had Richards pegged as a racist from day one. If he had been heckled, so what? Comedians have to deal with rowdy patrons all the time. Richards evocation of lynching revealed a sick, hateful mind. End of story.

OK, now I’m finished until Monday. I think.
Happy Thanksgiving

Sorry about causing heart burn the day before we all chow down, but Black Agenda Report always keeps it real. You will never think of Thanksiving the same way again. If you want a more light hearted approach to the same theme, check out the Onion. It may help the stuffing go down a bit easier.

Thanks to Smirking Chimp for posting my work again. Torture anyone? Not to worry if your white, even if you are a terrorist.

Eat well, don't drink and drive, and whatever else you do, don't shop on Friday. I'm taking the weekend off, next post on Monday.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Seinfeld Damage Control

Poor Jerry Seinfeld. He is sitting on a pile of cash from his days of Seinfeld success. The show is in endless reruns and DVDs of the first six seasons are on sale. Just when the latest DVDs are set for release, and more cash is flowing in, Michael Richards ruins it for everyone.

What is Seinfeld to do? There he is going on Letterman to hawk a must have Christmas gift but he knows that he will have to talk about his friend's sick, racist rant.

Voila. Have him on satellite and tell him to apologize but quick. Better for Seinfeld, Richards, and better for Letterman's ratings.

What is a black person to do? As I noted in yesterday's post, it is hard to know what to do about white celebrities. Should we like them? Who knows if they are closet racists? Well, you never know, but that sums up life for black people in a variety of ways. We don't know what to expect on job interviews, when we are stopped by police or if we go shopping in a store.

Richard doesn't have much of a career, so he can't even be boycotted. It doesn't make much sense to avoid all television and movies with white stars. We wouldn't have much to watch.

I guess I'll have to go with the shows on WB and UPN that I used to make fun of. Some of them aren't so bad, and I won't have to wonder if I'm feeding the hand that will bite me.

We should do what we always do. Enjoy life as much as possible, but be ready for the worst. Well, there is a depressing thought. I guess I'll go watch a sitcom and relieve my stress.
Obama Speaks with Forked Tongue

"The first part of this strategy begins by exerting the greatest leverage we have on the Iraqi government – a phased redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq on a timetable that would begin in four to six months."
Barack Obama, November 21, 2006

"What is needed is a blueprint for an expeditious yet responsible exit from Iraq. A hard and fast, arbitrary deadline for withdrawal offers our commanders in the field, and our diplomats in the region, insufficient flexibility to implement that strategy."
Barack Obama, June 21, 2006

Like any good politician, Mr. Audacious minces words. Five months ago he very carefully distinguished between phased withdrawals without definite dates and total withdrawals with dates attached. However, it is clear if you read both speeches that Obama stuck his pinkie in the wind two weeks ago. He knows that voters made their feelings clear and want a troop withdrawal now. The DNC and DLC talking points that said, "Don't mention Iraq," went into file G in Obama's office.

He is still talking out of both sides of his mouth on this issue. He was against it, but thinks we can't leave. How very convenient. The celebrity Senator gets to have it both ways and look good to his ever more fawning fan club.

The truth is that the U.S. presence has created all of Iraq's problems. Some 600,000 Iraqis are dead, a fact that Obama thinks is unimportant. He certainly doesn't mention it in any of his brilliant, terribly thoughtful speeches.

No one else does either. Even those Senators who had the courage to vote against war, now advocate leaving Iraq because of American losses only. The thousands of dead Iraqis are never an issue for any of them.

Obama was conveniently not in the Senate in 2003. If he had been he would have voted for war and occupation. In reality he isn't audacious at all. He is a standard politician with presidential ambitions, and that means his thoughtfulness and intelligence are no where to be seen.

Obama would be a great Senator if he didn't also want to be president. If he can survive his case of Potomac Fever we may begin to see someone who is truly audacious and worthy of admiration. Until then, don't believe any of the hype.

Monday, November 20, 2006

"Kramer" Loves White Supremacy

"Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f***ing fork up your ass."
Michael Richards

When comedians get lots of laugh they say they "killed" their audience. I thought that was just an expression. Michael Richards takes the word literally and uses it when he isn't making such a good impression.

What is a thinking black person to do? Can we watch tv and movies and enjoy white performers or should we just forget about it? My father has said that he wouldn't have spent his money at Saturday matinees watching so many westerns if he had known that John Wayne was a racist.

I regularly watched the old Seinfeld series for several years and loved the character Kramer, the wacky next door neighbor that no sitcom can do without. Like my dad, I now wish I had known better.

Michael Richards, the actor who portrayed Kramer, was performing a stand up routine at the Laugh Factory comedy club in Los Angeles when he was heckled. The hecklers were black, and that was simply too much for Richards to take.

He not only pined for the days when black people were tortured and murdered on any white person's whim, but he continued using the word nigger over and over. Thankfully it was all caught on video.

"You can talk, you can talk, you're brave now motherf**ker. Throw his ass out. He's a nigger! He's a nigger! He's a nigger! A nigger, look, there's a nigger!"

The rules haven't changed very much in the 21st century. White people do not like it when black people challenge them. They feel entitled, to say or do as they wish while we are entitled to nothing, except punishment. If we step out of line, we are immediately reminded that we can and should be killed. Notice that Richards used the first person in his blood lust fantasy. He clearly fantasizes about the good old days for white people and sees himself in the gruesome lynching picture.

I don't know if Richards will flee to rehab or cry and beg forgiveness. His words should not be forgotten and and he shouldn't be hired to perform anywhere ever again.

The only thing positive about this situation is that it will have what I call a smokeout effect. Anyone who expresses sympathy for Richards, or doesn't understand the outrage, or says we are being too PC or overly sensitive is not to be trusted. Some of those people may be black, but the rules don't change. They are not to be trusted either.

Randall Kennedy is such a person. The black Harvard professor makes a very good living defending the use of the word nigger and the white people who use it. He even took the trouble to testify in court on behalf of a white man, Nicholas Minucci, who was on trial for committing a hate crime against a black person. The jurors had better sense than Kennedy and convicted Minucci.

Kennedy has been joined by John Ridley, the newest kid on the block who beats up on black people for personal gain. Ridley not only says there is nothing wrong with the word nigger but uses it to disparage all black people he says have created their own problems. In Ridley's world every black person on public assistance or in jail or on the unemployment line is responsible for their own problems and is a nigger too.

We will learn a lot more as this story unfolds. The next few days will tell us a lot. We will know who would stick forks up our asses if they got the chance. We shouldn't be surprised if some of those people look like the victims in the lynching photos.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Why Harold Ford Lost

"It was this combination of hostility, immaturity, and poor character that I believe cost Ford a significant amount of votes from liberals - and therefore the election. Considering that Corker only won with a margin of less than 50,000 votes, that breaks down to about 21 votes per precinct."

According to the Crusader at Daily Kos, Ford lost his race for the Tennessee Senate seat because he is an ass. I'm not quoting Crusader, but that is what it boils down to. Ford went out of his way to emphasize his anti-abortion, anti-immigrant, pro-war credentials, making little distinction between himself and Corker.

Ford is a menace, but as we have seen with Carville's idiotic musings, the DLC loves him and will find some way to prop him up. Hopefully more intelligent minds will prevail and the stake will stay firmly implanted in his heart.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Carville is a Jack Ass

I seem to recall that Terry McAuliffe never won anything. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee before Howard Dean, the Howard Dean who won last week.

McAuliffe raised tons of cash, but could never manage to use it to win. Anything. Ever. Not an off year election for dog catcher in Podunk, not anything. Republicans were in the House majority from 1994 until last week, a twelve year period of time.

Someone needs to bring these little factoids to the attention of James Carville. Carville makes a fortune on CNN because he was a top Clinton campaign staffer. He is now compromised by the theology of triangulation and his marriage to a top Dick Cheney staffer, Mary Matalin.

He is furious that Howard Dean worked a winning strategy. Carville's partner in crime, Paul Begala, dismissed Dean's people as "nose pickers" who were wasting money. Only Carville and Begala could manage to find fault with success.

They are angry because they are terrified of real Democrats. Dean is a Democrat, a real one, and Carville and Begala hate him because of it. They are also afraid of losing their hold on the title "head Democrats in charge" among professional pundits.

By the way, Rahm Emanuel, another Clinton accolyte, is not the boy genius that the media make him out to be. Thirteen of22 House candidates hand picked by Emanuel lost.

"The Dems have picked up 28 seats so far, maybe more. So out of that 28, Rahm's choices accounted for 8! Since the Dems only needed 15 seats to win the House, Rahm's efforts were completely unnecessary. Had the campaign rested on Rahm's choices, there would have been only 8 or 9 new seats, and the Dems would have lost."

Of course the media are showing their allegiance to corporate power and not to accurately reporting the news. The New York Times (registration required) tells us that the Democrats are fighting among themselves. Not true. The Clinton gang are the only sore winners fighting against other Democrats.

Carville didn't say jack when McAuliffe lost again and again. Why? Because McAuliffe was Clinton's boy. Dean isn't, so Dean can't win for winning.

Get used to it. James Carville, Paul Begala and Rahm Emanuel will be in rare form between now and 2008. The boss's wife needs their help.













Bye-Bye Harold

We can thank Black Agenda Report for this great image and for its great reporting. If you don't know why the Harold Fords of the world are so dangerous, you have to check out BAR.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Don't Blame Black People

O.J. Simpson is back, worse than the proverbial bad penny. Not content to have gotten away with murder he has written a book to tell us how he would have killed two people. Mind you he didn't, he just spends his time thinking about how he would have done it.

I don't want to hear anything about black people loving him. Black people have no sway at Fox News, the purveyor of not one, but two nights of insanity featuring the aforesaid Simpson. Judith Regan got Simpson his book deal and two evenings on Fox. What do you expect from someone who would bang Bernard Kerik?

We can only hope that no one watches this nonsense or reads Simpson's book. I for one wouldn't watch for 30 seconds, much less two nights straight.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Mehlman Outed from Closet and Job

Yesterday Republican National Committee Chairman,Ken Mehlman, announced that he is stepping down. Not coincidentally, they day before that Bill Maher announced on Larry King Live that Mehlman is gay.

CNN censored those comments from the rebroadcast program. Thank God it is Larry King Live. Maher had already done his duty as a citizen before the corporate media could shut him up.

Will that same corporate media dare ask Mehlman what everyone else is asking? Did he leave as quickly as he did because he would be asked if Maher spoke the truth?

Mehlman's homosexuality has been an open secret for a long time. I often wondered if the gay prostitute (2/15/05 post) in the White House press room was his special friend. We will never know the truth of that either.

It has come to this. Stand up comics are now doing the work of the press.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

"We'll Keep Killing" - Ehud Olmert, Israeli Prime Minister

I admit it, I'm parphrasing. Although I'm not off by much. Israel keeps killing Palestinians in Gaza. Eighteen women and children were killed by IDF shells yesterday. Olmert can call their deaths a "technical error" if he wants, but that isn't how the rest of the world sees it.

Israeli soldiers shot and killed two Palestinian women last week. The women were part of group acting as human shields. They were helping men holed up in a mosque escape from the soldiers. The men had guns and they were shooting, but they didn't kill any Israelis. The women, the ones who got shot, were unarmed.

By the way, every shot fired, every shell that falls, has Uncle Sam's name on it. Israel insists on putting a bulls eye on every American's back.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Good News and Bad

Good News

Democrats win control of House
Deval Patrick wins
Harold Ford defeated (see earlier post)
Michael Steele defeated
Lynn Swann defeated
Ken Blackwell defeated
South Dakota abortion ban defeated
Missouri approves stem cell research

Bad News

Affirmative action outlawed in Michigan
Joe Lieberman won
Dem. control of Senate depends not only on votes in Virginia, but on turncoat Lieberman
Nancy Pelosi, new House Speaker, refuses to discuss impeaching Bush
Rahm Emanuel and other Clintonian triangulators in charge (see refusal to impeach)

Forget the Hype, Doesn't Really Matter

Rumsfeld resigns
He Lost (Thank God)














Harold Ford lost. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! You get the point.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Little Rebel Harold Ford











Reuters

I never liked Harold Ford. He is an opportunistic, lying little suck up who throws black people under the bus when he thinks he can get ahead by doing it. As I pointed out back on March 21st, this is a guy who claimed his black grandmother was white. I kid you not.

I can't stand the guy. If I had liked him before the thrill would now be gone upon seeing this 1,000 word picture. Ford is doing some last minute flesh pressing at the Little Rebels Club, yes the real name, in his last day of campaigning for the Tennessee Senate seat.

How can you trust a guy who spent months proclaiming that he loves George Bush? To add insult to injury he just looks pathetic. He has taken off his tie and plopped an Elmer Fuddish redneckesque cap on his head, but he just looks like an Uncle Tom pleading for kindness from the local branch of the KKK.

This picture shows why Ford never had a chance. Tennessee is red neck, and no matter what they tell pollsters, white people in red neck states won't vote for anyone black. Black politicians are often placed in untenable positions when running for state wide office. It is a difficult conundrum, but if the state requires singing kumbayah with goold old boys then it just isn't worth it. Ford in the Senate would be a menace to black people.

Bye bye Harold and good riddance.


Blonde, Blue Eyed White People Prevented from Voting

I predicted this would happen in my Black Agenda Report column entitled, How to Steal an Election. It is clear that voter ID requirements are preventing eligible voters from casting their ballots. So much so, that very well known white people are having problems voting too.

Robin Carnahan is Missouri's Secretary of State. She is the official in charge of that state's voting regulations. Her father was Governor and her mother was a Senator. As you can see from her official photo she is very, very white. The last point was probably the only thing that allowed her to vote by absentee ballot last week.

A Missouri law mandating photo ID was struck down by a federal court, but a poll worker insisted that Carnahan could not submit her absentee ballot without an ID. Carnahan persisted and was eventually allowed to vote without photo identification. "To have that experience personally was very troubling," said Carnahan. Now there is an under statement.

Steve Chabot is an Ohio Republican Congressman. He submitted his driver's license as ID but it displays his office address and not the home address listed on the rolls. The Congressman was forced to return home to retrieve additional identification.

Unlike Carnahan, Chabot didn't complain. "I guess this just shows the poll workers are really doing their job." Actually the incident showed just the opposite. As a state of Ohio website clearly states, "You may also use your Ohio driver's license or Ohio photo ID, even if it shows a previous address."

If well known very white people are having trouble at the polls, what hope do poor people have who don't have the luxury of time or the wherewithal to argue or the positive assumptions that come with having white skin. If the results tomorrow show another Republican victory, don't be surprised. Remember you heard it here first.

Sunday, November 05, 2006


Israel Slaughters Palestinians

Here is a nice little factoid to think about as the week begins. As you can see on the chart above, there have been 76 Palestinians deaths for every Israeli death since July 1. It is a slaughter, not a conflict.

Thursday, November 02, 2006











Rev. Ted Haggard, A Hateful Little Man

"I offer a deep tissue and swedish style massage with the pleasure of the man in mind. If you like a strong muscle man to bring pleasure to you then please call me." - Mike Jones, drug dealing prostitute and friend to down low, right wing, evangelicals

Imagine Mike Jones' surprise. The sex worker was in a gym, watching tv when he saw a regular customer on the tube. It turned out that the man he knew as "Art" was in fact Rev. Ted Haggard, pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs and president of the National Association of Evangelicals. What did Jones say to himself at the moment? "Hey, I get high with that guy and I lick his balls!" Well, something to that effect.

Preacher Ted Haggard is the latest closeted conservative in the hot seat. When Jones first claimed to have both had sex with and used methamphetamines with Haggard, Haggard called him a liar. He said he didn't know him at all. Period. End of story.

Well, that version of events lasted for about one day. Everything changed when Jones produced taped voice mail messages left by Haggard. Not only did they talk, but they talked about buying methamphetamines. Finally Haggard cracked and owned up to knowing Jones, getting a massage from him, and buying meth from him, but only to throw it away and not use it. The New Life Church was as unconvinced as everyone else and fired Haggard, who now cops to being a "deceiver and a liar."

I first lost any inclination to be compassionate towards Haggard when gave an interview in his car with the wife and kiddies by his side. A reporter asked him if he would step out so they could talk in private, but the lying deceiver had clearly lost any vestige of common sense decision making and dug himself in deeper with his family in tow.

Jones did the public a great service when he revealed Haggard's hypocrisy. I admit to not knowing anything about the guybefore the scandal, but a 2005 Harper's article is an eye opening and frightening revelation about the evangelical movement.

"In America the descendants of the Protestants, the Puritan descendants, we want to create a better future, and our speakers say that sort of thing. But with the influx of people from Mexico, they don't tend to be the ones that go to universities and become our research-and-development people. And so in that way I see a little clash of civilizations.”

“I teach a strong ideology of the use of power,” he says, “of military might, as a public service.”

Haggard is a pro-war fascist cult leader. He spreads hate and promotes American wars of aggression. I hope he won't be missed, but the sickness that gave him followers will not disappear. In the fine American tradition of religious hucksterism, he will be followed by others who are equally vile.

posted 11/05/06

Black Agenda Report

I have been seriously remiss in not mentioning last week's debut of Black Agenda Report, of which I am a columnist and editor. BAR will tell you what the corporate media will not. While they carry water for the GOP and make John Kerry's lame remarks a front page story, BAR will tell you how to keep an eye on Congress, even in Dems are back in control, and the history of an American genocide.

In this week's issue, my column covers the ever present threat of election theft by the Republicans. National elections were stolen in 2000, 2002 and 2004. Don't be surprised if polls showing Democratic victories are once again mysteriously wrong.

Whatever the outcome, Black Agenda Report will explain it all for you.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Barack Obama Disappoints

No, I'm not crazy about Mr. Wonderful and I don't care if everyone else has fallen under his spell. No, I don't care if he runs for president or not. He has proven himself to be no better than other Democrats, so I see no reason for the hyperventilation. Anyone promoted by right wing columnist David Brooks is no friend of mine.

My lack of love for Barack Obama is a result of both my cynicism in general and his failure to do what any Democrat ought to do. Support for Ned Lamont in his Connecticut Senate race should be a litmus test for all Democrats and the celebrity of the moment has failed that test.

In August Connecticut Democrats made their feelings clear. They were sick of Joe Lieberman and gave him the back of their hands as soon as they had someone else to vote for. Lieberman felt entitled to hold onto his seat and decided to run as an independent. His biggest supporters are Republicans, so the independent label is a very sick joke.

Obama endorsed Lieberman before the primary and made a public appearance with the rat bastard to make good on his endorsement. He was shrewd enough to support Lamont after the primary but has avoided being seen in public with him. Hillary Clinton has done the same thing. She loaned Lamont her fund raiser and has met with him privately, but it was Lieberman who got Clinton face time and a photo op.

Senator celeb is criss crossing the country raising money for Democrats and promoting his book. Yet he can't seem to find his way to Connecticut and Ned Lamont, the party nominee in that state. Maybe he has a one visit per state rule.

Lieberman may well help the GOP retain Senate control. He may take a job with the Bush administration and let the Republican governor choose a successor. Or he may just switch teams and hand the Senate over to the Republicans.

If that happens Obama lovers must then ask their idol and other Democrats some hard questions. Where were you when Dems needed you?

It isn't really hard to figure out. Obama is playing it safe. Whether he wants to run for president or settle for veep with Hillary, he has to loe the line. If he has to toe the line, why get excited about him? Clintonian triangulation in black face is no cause for celebration.

Monday, September 11, 2006

Forget 9/11

Here we go again with candlelight, bag pipes, poems, and George and Laura. It can only mean one thing. It is September 11th.

I hate the way September 11th is remembered. It is the day of the year when Americans are most encouraged to stay in their bubble of ignorance about the rest of the world and think that their suffering is more significant than anyone else's.

The Americans who died on September 11, 2006 are not more worthy of mourning than the thousands of Iraqis killed by U.S. government terror. If we are going to engage in this display of grief every year, we should at least include memorials to other people.

How many Afghans were killed so that the U.S. could "save" their country? How many Iraqis? Let us acknowledge that governments sponsor terror every time they drop bombs. We should also acknowledge that other families mourn their dead. Iraqi families don't cry more than American families do. Dead is dead. Death by violence is always terrible. We might spend time remembering the Americans killed by random violence.

Are their families ever made whole? How do they spend the anniversaries of their loved one's death? What can we learn about the universality of human suffering if we think of them too?

September 11th should be a day of mourning for the families and friends of those who perished that awful day. It is their thoughts and feelings that count the most. Do they really want to publicly grieve? Anniversaries of deaths are hard enough, how does it feel to be constantly reminded of one's pain? I wish someone would ask them, all of them, and not just the self-appointed few we see most often who are said to represent 3,000 people.

So let us remember the victims of terror, all the victims, all over the world.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Krikey!

Has it been more than a month since I last posted? Yes it has. Let's see, what has transpired? Photos of celebrity spawn fetch millions, Joe Lieberman thinks he has a God given right to his Senate seat, the Katrina anniversary has come and gone with half of New Orleans population still displaced, al-Qaeda has more #2s than a toilet seat, and Katie Couric began receiving her $25 million salary for reading the news. Her debut included showing said photos of celebrity spawn, but that's not all. A man who made a name for himself by getting way too close to wild animals finally died because of his actions. His homeland must have a serious inferiority complex because their government offered a state funeral for a man who died for lack of common sense.

More tomorrow, just wanted you to know I am still here.












Thursday, August 03, 2006

CNN Keeps Americans Stupid

I wish the American media could be tried for war crimes. I don't exaggerate. They have wilfully kept Americans in a bubble of ignorance about the rest of the world. Even those of us who are dedicated to speaking truth to the powerful are hamstrung by the need to constantly seek out reliable news sources.

Take CNN, please. In this link you can see that CNN international will take an Israeli government spokesperson to task for its lies about the bombing at Qana which killed dozens of civilians. Americans got an edited version that gave Israel the last word and thus the benefit of the doubt.

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Mel Gibson

"What do you think you're looking at, sugar tits?"- drunk Mel Gibson to female cop

Mel, Mel, Mel. It is better to be thought an anti-Semite and a lout than to open your mouth and prove it. When I read that Mel Gibson was arrested for DUI in Malibu, California I didn't think twice about it. Drunk celebrity arrests seem to take place every day. Boring!

Well, Gibson's arrest has proven to be far from ordinary. It seems that not only was the actor/director wasted out of his mind, but he blamed Jews for "all the wars in the world." When I first saw a headline about his rantings I thought it must have been April Fools Day.

I wrote about The Passion of the Christ back on March 2, 2004. At the time, the film directed by Gibson was a box office hit and the cause of a controversy that lasted for months. Most of the controversy was the result of Jewish complaints of anti-Semitism in the film.

I thought that Gibson made the Jewish religious leadership greater villains than Pilate, but so it was in the gospels. I also felt that Christians received a bum rap, considered incapable of seeing this film without starting pogroms at the local multiplex.

Christians were as annoying as some of their Jewish brethren, treating Gibson as if he were their church pastor. There was nothing in the movie that Christians didn't know, yet the movie was treated as divine revelation.

Gibson sucked up to the Christian and political right to market his movie. He certainly needed the political muscle because his father's history as a holocaust denier certainly didn't help him.

I was willing to give Gibson fils the benefit of the doubt about his own beliefs. He couldn't very well publicly condemn his own father. Well, I should have followed my own dictum and been cynical about him.

He apologized for his behavior and the comments made during his arrest. He admitted to being an alcoholic.

"I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything I said."
One can only hope.
Bring on Armageddon!

I am not making this up. You are not reading the Onion. You are not reading a transcript from Saturday Night Live. This interchange actually took place on Good Morning America between Robin Roberts and Tim LaHaye.

ROBERTS: As my mom often says, you better get right -- better get right in these times that we're living in.
LaHAYE: Amen.
ROBERTS: You see what's going on: the bombing in Haifa and Israel, and it's so close to the valley of Armageddon. And when you think about that and people see this and think about -- is it indeed Armageddon?
JENKINS: Well, we feel Armageddon comes later.

Too bad. When Armageddon comes we'll be rid of Good Morning America.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

George Bush, Sex Harasser

"In other words, he is indeed That Guy, like the best man at the wedding party, the one standing out in the center of the room, casually and cluelessly telling off-color jokes that offend everyone but which he thinks are gul-dang hilarious and, hell, if you're offended then you're just some gul-dang hippie liberal. Haw." Mark Morford

That G8 meeting certainly created a hostile work environment for German Chancellor Angela Merkel. See for yourself.

I feel your pain Angela, Bush creeps me out too. A leader of one of the world's most powerful nations was treated like a secretary working for a moronic, sexist, clueless boss.

The scary thing is that Bush thinks he is just swell, as Mark Morford points out.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Israeli Genocide of Palestinians

The Death March, as the Palestinians call it, along with the massacre at Deir Yassin, represent two of the central traumas that form the Palestinian catastrophe. Countless thousands fled from their villages, many because of "whispering campaigns" by Israeli military intelligence agents, which, following Deir Yassin, were designed to spark Arab fears of another massacre. Tens of thousands more were driven from their homes by force.
The Palestinian Catastrophe, Then and Now

Did you know that the Israelis sent thousands of Arab men, women and children on a death march through the desert? Don't be ashamed, I didn't know about it either. Read the above link and then weep.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Father Michael Jude Fay is Gay

"Jude was always chasing after him."

Today's New York Times has an article about a Catholic priest who was fired from his Connecticut parish for stealing money. Father Michael Jude Fay had highlights in his hair, directed musical productions, and owned property with a male friend.

In other words, he was gay. The New York Times seems to be coy about saying so, however. I copied the article below. (You will have to pay for it if you look it up on the Times site.) Decide for yourself about Fay, and why the Times won't state the obvious.


July 9, 2006
Before the Downfall of a Priest, a Fondness for the Good Life
By
ALISON LEIGH COWAN
DARIEN, Conn., July 8 — The Rev. Michael Jude Fay had his hair highlighted each spring at a local salon at prices of $85 or more, his hairdresser said. His vacation getaway was an ocean-view condominium in Florida that he owned with a close friend from Philadelphia. And he repeatedly spent thousands of dollars on luggage, jewelry and designer clothes, even though his salary was a modest $28,000 a year.

To many of his parishioners at St. John
Roman Catholic Church in Darien, Father Fay's lavish ways came as a shock nearly two months ago when the Diocese of Bridgeport demanded his resignation because of questions about his suitability for the priesthood, his lifestyle and his financial stewardship of the church.

To those parishioners, he was the dutiful son of a New Jersey police officer and an advocate for the poor in wealthy Fairfield County. At times aloof, he was also sensitive in dealing with grief-stricken parishioners and showed flair in producing Broadway-style plays with local talent.
"People loved him," said Richard Manegio, a Darien businessman whose ex-wife relied on Father Fay when she was battling cancer.

But a handful of parishioners, current and former employees and local merchants had nursed suspicions for years about the longtime pastor. In interviews, they — and investigators, lawyers and church officials who came into the case more recently — said Father Fay's taste for the gilded life seemed to have spun out of control in recent years.

"He was the most high-class priest I've ever seen," said Frank Colandro, the owner of a deli across the street from the church, mentioning Father Fay's expensive-looking shoes and watches. And the more Father Fay spent, his critics say, the more autocratic and secretive he became about the church's finances.
Parishioners say there were warning signs about his spending, such as a black-tie bash he threw for himself at the Pierre Hotel, one of the premier hotels in Manhattan, in May 2003 to commemorate his 25th anniversary in the priesthood. But the Bridgeport Diocese did not pressure him to step aside until this year, after private investigators hired by the parish's bookkeeper and associate pastor documented at least $200,000 in questionable spending by Father Fay.

Now,
F.B.I. agents are investigating his case, and parish officials have been passing the plate at services with extra pleas for offerings to ease the parish's debt load. The diocese, which violated its own policy by not auditing the parish's finances for more than five years, has said it will not comment on Father Fay until its own investigation is done.

Father Fay has not commented publicly, nor have the two lawyers who have told investigators they represent him. Attempts to obtain a comment from Father Fay were unsuccessful. His 85-year-old mother, Mildred Fay, said in a brief interview, "He's a wonderful person, and he's been wrongly accused."

Even people who thought they knew him well now say Father Fay, 55, has become a riddle to them. "This is a shock," said Ken Bruno, a building inspector in Palisades Park, N.J., whose children were confirmed by Father Fay about eight years ago. "I'm still trying to make sense of it."

Father Fay's story begins in Palisades Park, a tight-knit, working-class town that barely covers one square mile. His father, Martin Terrance Fay, was a co-captain of the football team at St. Cecilia High School in Englewood, N.J., just as a new assistant coach, Vince Lombardi, was taking the team to new heights.
Martin Fay served in the Marine Corps during World War II and played minor-league football briefly until an injury sidelined him. Joining the Palisades Park police force in 1946, he ultimately became its chief. And when he died 10 years ago, the borough mourned, according to Frank A. Patti, a mortician who doubled until recently as the town historian. Father Fay "comes from good stock," Mr. Patti said.
Michael James Fay, the third of the Fays' five children, attended the local parish school, was active in Catholic youth organizations and appeared in a school play.

None of Father Fay's siblings responded to requests for interviews. After a stint at St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa., he earned a degree from St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore in 1977, adopted the middle name Jude and earned a Master of Arts degree in 1986 from
Manhattan College, according to school records.
After being ordained in 1978, he worked as parochial vicar at some of
Connecticut's most prosperous parishes, including St. Paul in Greenwich and St. Aloysius in New Canaan.

In 1991, he was put in charge of another wealthy parish, St. John, Darien's oldest Roman Catholic church. Parishioners say he urged them to show compassion to the needy, and they obliged by putting $10,000 or more a week into the church's collection baskets.

Parishioners also appreciated the spirited theatrical productions he helped direct at the church, including "Nunsense," "Guys and Dolls" and "Fiddler on the Roof." Starting in 2000, Father Fay's star seemed to rise. Sacred Heart University honored him for community service in 2002, and the Bridgeport Diocese appointed him to a sexual misconduct review board that year.

For all his outward success, it was evident that Father Fay had an appetite for little luxuries, such as the blond highlights his Darien hairdresser said he put in his hair. A small bridal shower he threw for a Sunday school teacher had a three-piece combo and jaw-dropping flower arrangements, a person who attended said.
Parishioners said he spent thousands of dollars sprucing up the church and expanding the house where the priests lived. When one parent questioned the cost of a tapestry, Father Fay cut her off by saying, "What makes you think it wasn't a gift?" said Regina Damanti, a parishioner who heard the exchange.

Investigators say that friends and family of Father Fay seemed to receive special privileges or favors from the parish. For instance, the church paid last fall to fly another priest from Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where Father Fay owns a condominium, parish records show.

Father Fay also asked the church's caretaker to paint his mother's home in New Jersey and to repair the bungalow he once owned in western Connecticut, on church time, the investigators said.
Ellen Patafio, who was the parish's secretary from November 2004 until she quit in February, said Father Fay "really changed a lot over the time I worked there."

Parishioners would call the office, wanting to discuss their problems with the priest, she said, and "every time Jude would get on the phone, he'd roll his eyes." Over time, she and others said, they noticed that he left more of the pastoral work to his parochial vicar, the Rev. Michael J. Madden.

Father Fay learned he had prostate cancer, but Ms. Patafio and other parishioners said he cited problems from the cancer to avoid duties he disliked. He called it playing his "cancer card," they said.
Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport told a recent gathering of parishioners that he may have given Father Fay latitude because he assumed the priest was in dire health. The severity of Father Fay's cancer problems is not known.

Father Fay did not relinquish his tight control over the church's finances, however, according to accounts provided by Ms. Patafio; the church's bookkeeper, Bethany D'Erario; her lawyer, Mickey Sherman; and the investigators she and Father Madden hired in May to look into possible improprieties at the church.
Father Fay typically kept donations to the church in his desk drawer instead of promptly depositing them in the church's bank account, making it difficult to track how the funds were used, said Vito Colucci Jr., one of the investigators hired by Father Madden.

In recent years, Father Fay also picked the members of the church's lay boards rather than let parishioners cast ballots, as they once did. None of the members of the parish's finance council returned calls seeking comment.

At least one member of the finance council, William Besgen, attended the black-tie event that Father Fay had at the Pierre Hotel in 2003, according to a seating list and Mr. Besgen's lawyer. In the spring of 2005, Father Fay and his friend from Philadelphia, Cliff Fantini, a wedding consultant, jointly bought a $449,100 condo in Fort Lauderdale, property records show. Furnishings and monthly cable bills were charged to the parish, church records show.

The two men are also listed as tenants of a luxury apartment on East 63rd Street in Manhattan, the building's staff said. Mr. Fantini, known professionally as Cliff Martell, also stayed at the rectory for extended periods, Ms. Patafio said. Ms. Patafio said Father Fay showered gifts, meals and trips on Mr. Fantini. "Jude was always chasing after him," she said. Mr. Fantini did not respond to multiple messages left at his home.

In April, the bookkeeper and Father Madden took their concerns to the diocese. Father Fay appeared before the bishop on May 9 to respond to the allegations but left without being relieved of his duties. Frustrated, the bookkeeper and Father Madden asked Mr. Colucci and Wendy Kleinknecht, another investigator, to review records the bookkeeper had copied. On May 17, the investigators took their findings to the Darien police. The bishop asked Father Fay to resign and to leave the premises that same day.

Parishioners say they have not seen him since, although his sister Kathleen showed up recently to retrieve his personal belongings, including a cabinet full of Waterford crystal he left behind.

Alain Delaquérière and Nate Schweber contributed reporting for this article.

Chat Room Terror

First there were terrorists in Miami who plotted to blow up the Sears Tower. OK, they hadn't been to Chicago, they had no explosives, and the only witness against them is a government informant.

Now we have terrorists plotting to blow up either the Holland Tunnel or a PATH train tunnel, no one is sure, but a big deal is being made out of it anyway. The would be terrorists were caught because they hatched their top secret plot in an internet chat room. None of the men had ever met one another, and all were captured abroad.

Here we go again. It is just 4 months before the elections and we are all being scared to help the Republicans stay in power. We haven't had any terror alerts since the last election. What a coincidence. Those terrorists certainly know when to scare us.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Ken Lay Checks Out

Ken Lay died of a heart attack yesterday. Life is hard enough, so don't swindle thousands of people, the state of California, the state of Rhode Island and the state of Connecticut. You may get caught, get convicted and start worrying. Stress is a killer you know.
Bush Homie Commits Rape and Murder

". . . conspired to rape a woman, and instructed SOI1 to monitor the radio while they went to the house . . ."
United States v. Steven D. Green

Steven D. Green is from George Bush's home town, Midland, Texas. He raped an Iraqi teenager and then shot her in the head.

He and his friends saw a young woman they thought was hot and decided to rape her. In the best tradition of thugs everywhere, they got liquored up first. They took off their uniforms and went to the girls home, raped and killed her and killed the rest of her family too. So much for Iraqi freedom and spreading democracy.

Green was arrested last week, but there has been no comment from the "stay the course" crowd or the "Iraqis need to get their act together" group either. Silence isn't golden in this case.

Iraqi PM Maliki hasn't been silent. He has spoken very eloquently against the immunity that the U.S. gave itself for crimes committed in Iraq. Sweet deal for Uncle Sam, hell for Iraq.

So, why do they hate us?

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Rush and "Viagra"

Americablog is on the same wavelength with me. Rush's pills labeled viagra probably were not.
Rush Limbaugh: Still an Addict

Viagra? Yeah right. Rush Limbaugh was detained at the Palm Beach International Airport when customs agents confiscated a bottle labeled viagra that did not have his name on it. Instead it had the names of two physicians.

Why would anyone hide having viagra? There is no shame in it, Bob Dole ended that. I will bet money that the pills confiscated were not viagra. Rush is probably popping vicodin, percocet, and/or oxycontin again.

Way back on October 2, 2003, I opined on the irony of Limbaugh causing his own deafness because of vicodin abuse. He knows the expression, "Pay back is a bitch," all too well.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Rachel Corrie Play Comes to New York

The Israeli lobby is powerful, but every now and again someone emerges who just doesn't give a damn.

There will be a New York production of My Name is Rachel Corrie after all. A previous production was scuttled because of well, pressure. Hammerstein productions say they won't be cowed by the controversy, that is to say the pressure. I hope not.

Corrie was crushed to death by a Caterpillar tractor in 2003 while trying to stop the destruction of a Palestinian home. She has been demonized as a terrorist when she was in fact a non-violent activist for peace.

I hope that the show does go on. I would like to see a performance, if only to piss Israel off.
Presbyterian Punk Out

"If we discovered that the boys in the village had jury-rigged a roadblock during the night, we'd grab some nearby civilians and order them to dismantle it. This was partly an act of collective punishment, but there was also a safety factor. If the roadblock was booby-trapped, they'd get hurt instead of us. "
Haim Watzman

Is the pro-Israel lobby powerful? Is the Pope Catholic? I won't even ask about the bathroom habits of bears.

The Israeli lobby is now telling Christian churches what to do. Two years ago the Presbyterian Church USA took a very righteous stance and voted to divest itself of financial interests in corporations that supported the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Yesterday they backed off from that courageous stance. After two years of pressure and guilt whipping they caved. Jewish groups complained that they weren't consulted first. So what, no one consulted me before the occupation. They said that Israel was being singled out. Well, there is no lobbying equivalent to AIPAC for any other country. There is no other country that brazenly and publicly tells the United States when and where to wage war. There is no other country whose lobbyists determine who does or doesn't raise campaign funds.

No, all neo-cons aren't Jews, but they all believe that Israel should be the only military power in the Middle East. They all believe that Iranians should be killed to make sure that Israel remains the only nuclear kid on the block.

The Presbyterians wimped out by saying that relations with Jews were damaged. Well, if Jews insist on equating opposition to Israeli policy with anti-Semitism, then their feelings will always be hurt by those who refuse to toe the line. Too bad for them.

American Christians should not follow the Presbyterian example. We are not Cossacks or brown shirts and we shouldn't be cowed because of unfair accusations of anti-Semitism. The Presbyterians have proved to be a great disappointment to the fight for human rights.

What will they say about the Israeli army using civilians as human shields? What will they say about bull dozed homes? Of course they will say nothing. The namby pamby statement to "invest only in peaceful pursuits" is a cop out. Israel's abuse of human rights is not unique, but its role in American government and civic life is unique, and that makes it reasonable for the Presbyterian church or any other organization to single out its actions.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Bill O'Reilly and Saddam Hussein

"Shoot them on sight. That’s me… President O’Reilly… Curfew in Ramadi, seven o’clock at night. You’re on the street? You’re dead. I shoot you right between the eyes. Ok? That’s how I run that country. Just like Saddam ran it."
Bill O'Reilly, June 19, 2006

“I don't care about the people of Fallujah. You're not going to win their hearts and minds. They're going to kill you to the very end. They've proven that. So let's knock this place down. . . we know what the final solution should be.” —Bill O’Reilly, March 31, 2004

“Because look ... when 2 percent of the population feels that you're doing them a favor, just forget it, you're not going to win. You're not going to win. And I don't have any respect by and large for the Iraqi people at all. I have no respect for them. I think that they're a prehistoric group that is -- yeah, there's excuses. . . . And this teaches us a big lesson, that we cannot intervene in the Muslim world ever again. What we can do is bomb the living daylights out of them, just like we did in the Balkans. - Bill O'Reilly, June 17, 2004

O'Reilly ought to be happy. Iraq is being run just the way he wants. American soldiers act like occupiers have throughout history. They shoot people on sight all the time, and yes they are acting just like Saddam. We have bombed the living daylights out of them, so what is his complaint? Not enough dead people, too little infrastructure destroyed? You just can't please some people.

Bill O'Reilly is a sick, freakish man who makes dirty phone calls to young women. Check out the Smoking Gun to relive Bill's juvenile fantasies directed at a colleague. Fox News settled with her to make Bill's phone sex fantasies go away.

But I digress. Back to Iraq. O'Reilly is the honest voice of the war monger. The Democratic party is filled with opportunists and wimps who know the occupation was wrong but wouldn't stand up to fight it. O'Reilly truly believes in brutality and death. He should be condemned for his statements, but the finger in the wind pro-war crowd should not be let off the hook. They support O'Reilly's sick ravings, even if they claim not to.

Friday, June 16, 2006

Tony Snow Proves Cynthia McKinney Right

A few months back Cynthia McKinney was called everything but a child of God. She struck a capital hill cop who grabbed her (armed and dangerous with a cell phone) and was raked over the coals for days on end because of the incident.

Someone should have known that something was amiss when White House press secretary Tony Snow praised her. Snow quoted a "McKinney" statement during a meeting with Bush.

"Cynthia McKinney made the point yesterday in the meeting with the president that the one thing they had gotten from generals there were thorough and honest assessments of what's going on."

There was just one little problem. McKinney wasn't at the meeting.

"I apologize for being an idiot. I misidentified Representative Sheila Jackson Lee as Cynthia McKinney."

Seen one colored woman at the White House, seen 'em all.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006














Israelis Kill Civilians, Again

When I saw this photo in today's paper I immediately noticed that a child had been killed. For the second time in the past week Israel has killed Palestinian civilians. The first group of dead included seven members of one family. Now they have killed again, claiming to target a missile maker. Hmmm. The goal is to spread terror and let no one forget who has the power to kill.
Take the Pledge

"I will not vote for or support any candidate for Congress or President who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq, and preventing any future war of aggression, a public position in his or her campaign."
Voters for Peace

Sign the online petition and pass it on.
More Money for Slaughter

"Gentle reader, are you getting enough vicarious pleasure from the slaughter of Iraqi women and children to justify this price tag? Is murdering 'ragheads' that important to you? If so, you are one sick person, just like every member of the Bush administration." Paul Craig Roberts

Congress has decided to keep spending your money to fund terror around the world. What's another $50 billion when so much has gone into Halliburton's coffers already? While more money is spent to kill people the Bush administration has decided to make sure that even fewer people have the opportunity to tell us about it. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld has ordered all reporters to leave Guantanamo. When the next suicide takes place there, we probably won't be told about it.

The suicides of three prisoners there capped off a week of glee and gloating over death. So much for the GOP "culture of life" which only applies to embryos and Floridians in vegetative states.

While politicians and newspapers out did one another dancing on Zarqawi's grave, the U.S. government dismissed the suicides of desperate prisoners held without charge as a "p.r. move." Even the Bushies had to take back that disgraceful remark, but only as a "p.r. move." The State Department spokesperson who first uttered those awful words knew what she was saying. Bush and his team are all uncivilized barbarians, and what comes out of their mouths first is exactly what they mean.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Zarqawi Schmarqawi, Part II

"I don't think that Zarqawi is himself responsible for the killings of hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq. I think George Bush is. - Michael Berg

Michael Berg's son, Chris, was kidnapped and beheaded in Iraq last year. Zarqawi was fingered as the killer, but Michael Berg is unconvinced. He is a man after my own heart. Once you lie to him he has problems with trust.

Berg is correct when he says that the biggest killer in Iraq is Bush. The blood of thousands is on his hands, and by extension on ours as well. Of course, if we could just stop giving our government permission to be barbaric, our hands would be clean again.
Zarqawi Schmarqawi

I really can't take yet another turning point in Iraq. Zarqawi's death is just the latest in a long line. Check this laundry list from Alternet.

The truth is really quite simple. No one likes being occupied. Even if Zarqawi was the mastermind they claimed, there will be other masterminds until the U.S. leaves.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Black Commentator

Thursday is Black Commentator day. Glen Ford has a great piece on Radio BC about a truly diabolical plan to implant microchips in immigrants. Well, they will start with immigrants. Prisoners will be next, anyone who questions Bush will be next. You get the picture.

In my column I take on reporting of the Haditha killings. It is all to the good that this story has been reported, but the killings should not be treated as some sort of anomaly. There have been many Hadithas in Iraq and they are the inevitable result of military occupation.
George and Laura Split

As I reported back on May 26th, the tabloids are saying that George and Laura are in serious trouble. George is hitting the bottle and Laura wants him to seek counseling. Now comes word that Laura has moved out of the White House and is staying at Washington's Mayflower Hotel. The Mayflower will neither confirm nor deny.

Let's see if the New York Times finds this news fit to print. They defended their voyeurism of the Clinton's marriage, but they have yet to print anything negative about the Bush family.

Now comes word that the rift is caused by Condi Rice, Secretary of State and rumored home wrecker. She did have a slip of the tongue a few years back and call Bush her husband, maybe she is finally turning her fantasy into reality.

I actually hope that if the corporate media ever has the guts to report on George and Laura that they leave Condi out of it. There are enough indications that George never stopped drinking and that he is in serious need of mental health care. They have to play catch up by reporting on him the way they should have been all along.

Who am I kidding? The media protects him and defends his policies from the occupation of Iraq to the elimination of the estate tax. They certainly won't touch his private life.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Ann Coulter's Hate

It is good that Ann Coulter's hate filled screed against 9/11 families has been universally condemned. I do wish that her other hate filled screeds were condemned with the same degree of vehemence. In a lecture at UCLA Coulter said she supported Israel for the same reason she supported apartheid South Africa. Both countries were "surrounded by savages." Here is more of Ann's hit parade of fascism and bigotry.

"I don't really care about the electorate."

"I think our motto should be, post-9-11: 'Raghead talks tough, raghead faces consequences.'"

"My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building."

Conservatives love her. In her "raghead" speech at the Conservative Political Action Caucus she received enthusiastic applause. The 9/11 widows are the recipients of Coulter's wrath because they dared question Dubya and they are right to be angry with Coulter, but everyone should be angry with her. Coulter should be condemned for her ethnic slurs and eliminationist rhetoric, not just for attacking icons of America's suffering.

By the way, Coulter is under investigation for vote fraud in Florida. She truly does not care about the electorate.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Is Michelle Malkin an Anchor Baby?

Who is Michelle Malkin? She is a self-hating Filipino-American who lives and breathes for white supremacy. Malkin believes that the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II was a good thing. I kid you not. She even wrote a book about it, In Defense of Internment.

The first time I saw her on Fox news I asked myself, "Who is this sister?" It turns out she is no sister of mine, not racially, politically, philosophically or otherwise. She is just very dark skinned. This fact has to have caused her much grief in life. Like Ramesh Ponnoru and Dinesh D'Souza, the other white supremacy loving, right wing haters of other dark skinned people, she must have been called nigger many, many times.

At any rate, Michelle is currently foaming at the mouth because immigrants sometimes reproduce. To hear her tell it, their offspring, "anchor babies," are a threat to civilization. The anti-immigrant zealots want all of us to have our pants in a twist because immigrants sometimes have babies after they arrive in the U.S. Those children are American citizens. The nativists are alarmed because these babies can grow up and petition for their parents and othe relatives to immigrate legally.

It turns out that Malkin may be an anchor baby herself. Her father is a physician who came to the U.S. on a work visa sometime in 1970. Michelle was born in October 1970. Unless he arrived in January 1970 and impregnated his wife immediately upon arrival, he and the missus had already created their little anchor baby jackpot before they left the Phillippines.

Her father did come here legally, but Malkin makes no such distinction between legal and illegal pregnant foreigners.

At East Coast hospitals, tales of South Korean "obstetric tourists" abound. (An estimated 5,000 South Korean anchor babies are born in the US every year). And, of course, there's a terrorism angle...The time is ripe to reassess drive-by citizenship and what it means to be an American.

The obstetric tourists are here legally, just like Malkin's dad. Time is up Michelle. If mom was pregnant when she arrived, you should give up your "drive by citizenship." Keep it moving and don't come back.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Kerry Won, Ohio was Stolen

"We should have put more money behind it. I take responsibility for it; it was my mistake. They spent something like $30 million, and we didn't. That's just a terrible imbalance when somebody's lying about you." - John Kerry

What an idiot. All Kerry had to do was call them, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, liars. That is it. That is all. He should have called them liars and sued them for slander. He didn't need money to call them liars, he just should have said so, often.

Wimping out to right wing smears was the least of Kerry's crimes. The election was stolen from him, it is provable, but he still straddles the fence. The current issue of Rolling Stone has an exhaustive report from Robert Kennedy, Jr. on the subject.

Ohio was the key part of the theft that sent Bush back to the White House. Kerry had an opportunity to expose the theft and delegitimize Bush, but being Kerry, he did nothing. He still says nothing about it. What a loser.

Kerry is now rebutting the Swift Boat chargers. Talk about a day late and a dollar short. In general I hate the fact that Hillary Clinton is already the democratic establishment choice for 2008. There is a bright side, however. I won't have to hear about Kerry anymore.

Friday, May 26, 2006

George and Laura Split!

The Globe seems to think so anyway. Will the New York Times write about the marriage of the current White House occupants? Frankly, I don't care about the state of the Bush marriage, but if the Times is going to use 2,000 words worth of newsprint to tell us how often Bill and Hillary see each other, they can tell us that George and Laura may not be speaking and that he may be hitting the bottle once again. Actually, I never thought that he ever stopped drinking, but that is another story.

Thanks to Media Matters for the scoop. At times like this I am reminded of the running joke in the Men in Black movies. The New York Times can't be trusted, but the tabloids can.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Satan is Pro Abortion

Who knew? According to the web site Christian Shirts, the God of this World, Beelzebub, Prince of Darkness, Lord of the Flies, the Devil, is pro-choice and canvassing for votes.

I thought the Evil One was pro Bush. In any case, I have come up with another t-shirt slogan.

"Vote for War" - Satan

That is a shir every Christian should own.
Thanks for the Shout Out

Every one wants a little validation every now and again. Common Dreams gave me a pat on the back today when they linked to my latest commentary in Black Commentator. My subject was Tony Snow and his "tar baby" remark. Thanks very much Common Dreams.














Racism in Anti-Immigrant Debate

What nobody seems to ask, though, is why they [Minutemen] have to "weed out the racists" in the first place. If the core of their appeal isn't racial in nature, then why do they draw so many people for whom it is?
David Niewert, Orcinus

I never thought of the CCC as being a white supremacist organization in the mode of say "Stormfront" or something like that. It's a neo-confederate group which is certainly racist but organized explicitly around hatred of African-Americans. The fact that they are touting the ridiculous Aztlan "threat" puts the lie to any claims that this immigration debate isn't being fueled by racism.
Digby

CNN has a lot to answer for. Recently Lou Dobbs used a graphic supplied by the Concerned Citizens Council, the new name for the old white citizens councils that ruled in the days of segregation. Dobbs is helping peddle the idiotic notion that Mexicans immigrate to the U.S. in order to concur the southwest. It is nonsense, but if it were true that means the old adage is true. Payback is a bitch.

The map does show how much of Mexico's territory was stolen by the United States in the 1840s. Look at it this way, Mexicans are just coming back to their old neighborhoods.

It is high time that the racism inherent in the anti-immigrant argument was called what it really is. It doesn't matter if CNN and the rest of the corporate media want to normalize and validate hate speech.
Throw the Key Away

Former Enron chieftains Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling are guilty. Actually, we have known that for some years now, but a jury made it official. Thank goodness for a little justice. On second thought, let's wait until they are sentenced before we rejoice.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Why Bush Will Nuke Iran

People like Senator Byrd now are talking about impeachment. But Bush is too fast for us -- he will nuke Iran before any hearings on his high crimes and misdemeanors can take place.
Dr. Justin Frank

Dr. Justin Frank is a psychiatrist and author of "Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President." Frank has studied Bush's life, his words and most importantly his deeds and reached terrifying conclusions.

Our president is a deeply disturbed man, a dry dunk who is incapable of feeling empathy. According to Frank, Bush needs to have limits set on his behavior, but no one has done that. The president will conduct a nuclear test in Nevada on June 2nd and the press and the Congress have said little if anything about it.

As his approval ratings tank and talk of impeachment grows, Bush will become more dangerous, not less so. Frank predicts, and I have long believed, that he will attack Iran as opposition to his administration grows and becomes more coordinated.

I missed the march in New York City on Saturday, but I was able to attend an interfaith service sponsored by Clergy and Laity Concerned About Iraq. Poet Drew Dellinger was among the speakers. In one of his poem Hieroglyphic Stairway Dellinger says that his descendants come to him in dreams and ask him these questions.

what did you do while the planet was plundered? what did you do when the earth was unraveling?

One of the things we should all do is set limits on the insane people who will bring this country to destruction if we fail to act.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Si Se Puede

"The British, the French, the Spanish and the Dutch didn't get green cards when they showed up on Indian lands. "
Black Commentator

Power to the people. Yesterday more than 1 million people marched across the nation to demand citizenship rights for immigrants. It isn't surprising that rallies took place in Washington, San Diego and New York. You do have to take notice when 3,000 march in Garden City, Kansas, a town with only 30,000 residents.

I digress, but did anyone wonder why the Chappaquiddick Band of Wampanoag spoke shortly after Sen. Ted Kennedy? For a moment my imagination got the best of me and I thought the Republicans were behind it. Maybe living in the Bush age has made me too paranoid.