Thursday, February 24, 2005

Blame Canada

No wonder people are fleeing north across the border. The Canadians said no to the useless missile defense system. Not content to be hated by most of the world, the Bush administration gave a hearty "Screw you," in response. U.S. ambassador Paul Cellucci had these words of comfort for our neighbors to the north.

“We simply cannot understand why Canada would in effect give up its sovereignty – its seat at the table – to decide what to do about a missile that might be coming towards Canada.”

Hmm. Who said anything about Canada giving up its sovereignty? As Bush said, you're either with us or against us.
Gay Sex and Bad Breath

I haven't posted in nearly one week, so I thought I had better have something good. Thank goodness for friends who send little gems of information.

Ten years ago the U.S. military had nothing better to do with your tax dollars than find ways to encourage homosexuality and halitosis. I kid you not. The Pentagon 'fessed up that they spent time, money and mental energy thinking of ways to demoralize enemy soldiers and they came up with gay sex and bad breath.

"One distasteful but completely non-lethal example would be strong aphrodisiacs, especially if the chemical also caused homosexual behavior."

Read all about it here.

Friday, February 18, 2005

Gannon in a Nutshell

The Rude Pundit says it best.

"Warning-do not try to diagram this sentence: a cocksucker for hire with a fake name and no news organization affiliation, whose only journalistic "experience" is a two-day right-wing "Institute," is given a daily press pass to the White House, which denies such passes to established and legitimate journalists, and is called on to ask blatantly pro-Bush questions, who eventually is placed into a fake news front for a conservative website (that apparently hires a high school student as one of its main reporters) and becomes a regular at DC press events, as well as the daily briefing, quizzing Scott McLellan, the President's press secretary whose been seen going to gay bars in Texas but who recently married, receiving a congratulations card from said cocksucker for hire, who eventually gets to ask the anti-gay President a question at one of the anti-gay President's rare news conferences, where reporters from major news organizations go begging, at the same time that the White House the cocksucker so gracelessly praises is paying off other conservative commentators to push its proposals to the public."

I have nothing to add, except that the silence from the mainstream media on the Gannon issue is proof that they have no journalistic ethics left. Gannongate is the nail in the coffin. It is now official. Gannon was a whore among whores. Birds of a feather do flock together.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

White Supremacy and the Washington Times

The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that the Washington Times makes a habit of publishing white supremacist screeds, not terribly surprising. Many of these articles are written by Marion Kester Coombs, wife of managing editor Francis Booth Coombs. The Times does not acknowledge their relationship in Mrs. Coombs' bylines.

Mrs. Coombs and others who write for the Times are also regular contributors for racist publications such as Occidental Quarterly. President Bush was interviewed by Coombs and others in the January 12th edition of the Times. Maybe someone in the White House press corps can ask if their philosophy is in sync with Bush's. Then again, if they don't investigate the Gannon/Guckert story, they aren't going to delve into anything they ought to.

Thanks to Yellow Doggerel Democrat for the Washington Times heads up.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Whores in the White House Press Room

So in the end, why does this matter? Why does it matter that Jeff Gannon may have been a gay hooker named James Guckert with a $20,000 defaulted court judgment against him? So he somehow got a job lobbing softball questions to the White House. Big deal. If he was already a prostitute, why not be one in the White House briefing room as well?

Why not indeed. Our nation's press corps has sunk so low they may as well have a gay prostitute for marines and porn website star among them. You decide. It is all here, including pornographic photos. The kids, the prudish and the faint of heart shouldn't look at the links.

Salon gives good background on what ought to be a scandal. All of this began when a man named Gannon or Guckert worked as a reporter, I use the word loosely, for an outfit called Talon news service. Talon doesn't exist as most other news services do, it is a shill for gopusa.com. Anyway, Gannon/Guckert did his job well, lobbing soft ball questions at press conferences. He may also have been given access to classified documents in the Valeria Plame outing. Gannon/Guckert gave an interview to Editor and Publisher in an attempt to defend himself. As always happens when wrongdoers try to expain themselves, he didn't really help himself any. He refused to say if he had or had not seen any classified documents relating to Plame.

The only question I have is whether or not the corporate media will report on this story the way they should. If they don't we know we are doomed. Bush can get away with anything.
Bag Men

Baghdad has no running water, despite billions of dollars being paid to U.S. contractors to rebuild Iraq. Of course it was always about the money, money and the military. It was all about making cash and getting bases.

It was so bad that millions of dollars were paid to contractors in sacks of money. Thanks to Senate Democrats like Byron Dorgan, we are now finding out how much of our tax dollars have been stolen. The BBC has part of the story.

Monday, February 14, 2005

Name That Photo

On February 4th I asked readers to write a caption for this photo.

Jacqueline Larma/AP

D.T. Cooper, M.D. has this suggestion for what he calls "Gangsta Rapture." "I see your shirt has red and blue stripes on it. Does that mean you belong to the Crips and the Bloods?"

Dr. Cooper has done no harm.

Friday, February 11, 2005

Should Ward Churchill Be Fired?

University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill is in very hot water. Did he kill people to help his friends make money? No. Is he destroying the only safety net Americans have? No.

His crime is calling 9/11 victims "Little Eichmans." Mind you, he shouldn't have said it, but an offensive statement doesn't rate when we compare it to murder for hire. At any rate, there are people who want him fired. I am not one of them. In Black Commentator I tell you why I am of that opinion.

Sunday, February 06, 2005

Israel Discriminates

So says its attorney general. Israel's attorney general, Menachem Mazuz, ruled that the government may no longer market land purchased by the Jewish National Fund if only Jews will be allowed as tenants. The Forward has the story.

Friday, February 04, 2005

Mommmmy!



Jacqueline Larma, AP

"No, I don't want to be in your photo op." "Geez, this lady scares me." You pick the caption. Maybe you will win a prize.

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Fascism

As I said in two Black Commentator columns, "The F Word" and "Election 2004: The Vote Theft Begins," America is taking on more and more of the characteristics of fascism.

Just in case you thought I exaggerated, take note of this story from Denver, where a woman was threatened with arrest because she had an anti-Bush bumper sticker on her car.

It can happen here.
No Honor Among Thieves

One US company is accused of massively inflating its profits by setting up sham companies to send fake invoices which the coalition paid.

What a surprise. Cash is missing in Iraq. Billions of dollars have gone to Halliburton, Bechtel and other corporations to "reconstruct" Iraq. Needless to say, Iraq is still a mess and as late as last week Baghdad had no running water. The BBC has part of the story, the Australian has more details of theft.