"If we don't find these guys by the election, they are going to stick this whole nuclear mess up our asshole."
Anonymous Pakistani General

The murmurs of crazy conspiracy theorists may not be so crazy after all. An article in The New Republic claims that Pakistan is being pressured to produce Bin Laden and other HVTs (High Value Targets) before the November election but not at any time before the election. A capture would be ever so much better if it took place during the Democratic convention.

a White House aide told ul-Haq last spring that "it would be best if the arrest or killing of [any] HVT were announced on twenty-six, twenty-seven, or twenty-eight July"--the first three days of the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

It seems that a week of Democrats in the news is too much for a scared White House. Of course, two days of Democrats in the news brings another terror threat from Tom Ridge.

It is clear that Bush has messed up enough that Kerry might win. I don't mind that. I just wish that Kerry were able to seize the day and win on his own. Depending on Bush to lose is a dangerous strategy.

The Toppling of Saddam

Remember when Saddam's statue came tumbling down? Of course it was all staged, one more nail in the coffin of American democracy. David Neiwert tells us why we should be very, very afraid.

"The role of the media in this manipulation cannot be understated. The abdication of the media's role as an independent watchdog and its whole subsumation as a propaganda organ bodes ill for any democracy, because a well-informed public is vital to its functioning.

But the fact that the military establishment, in the context of the "war on terror," clearly views the American public as the subject of a psychological combat operation should give us all pause regarding the ability of democracy to withstand this kind of assault."

David Neiwert, Orcinus, July 6, 2004

Georgia's state flag, according to The Onion.

Reagan Pyramid

Bad Day for Democrats

John Edwards is Kerry's running mate. Yawn. I think he is a safe choice, he is known to the press so there won't be any surprises a la Eagleton and McGovern in 1972. Otherwise I think that the value of running mates is over sold. Edwards will be OK.

I am more concerned about the Democratic party decision to be Republican light. Democracy Now reports that the platform committee is too chicken to call for support of the Kyoto Treaty on global warming.

I know that Kerry is better than Bush, but isn't that too low a standard? How hard is it to be better than Bush? I prefer Kerry judicial appointees to Bush judicial appointees, assuming Orin Hatch allows any appointments. I have decided to go with the convictionless Democrat who doesn't know how to give anyone a reason to vote for him.

I do expect Kerry to walk the walk should Bush mess up enough to help him get elected. In 2000 Bush pretended to be a moderate and promptly came out of the closet as the most right wing president in American history. If Kerry lives up to his current lame approach progressives must not take it lying down. I think we will have to fight in January no matter who wins.

The biggest fight on our hands is going to be over the Middle East. If Kerry believes that "Israel's fight is America's" then Israeli oppression of Palestine will only worsen and Arab and Muslim world opinion of the U.S. will also sink even further. Kerry's plan for Iraq is Bush's plan for Iraq. Edwards also voted in favor of the occupation.

A Kerry administration will be better domestically but if we don't speak up about the Israeli elephant in the living room then the deaths of Afghans, Iraqis and American troops will have been for naught. Our country will be as susceptible to terror as it was on 9/11 and millions of people around the world will hate us even more than they do now.

By the way, Democracy Now also has good information on the phony Saddam statue toppling and the erosion of our right to speak with an attorney confidentially.

Fahrenheit 9/11

Last night I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 with a friend. The theater was packed on a beautiful summer week night. I don't know if the film's popularity can help get rid of Bush, but we have to take our victories where we find them.

I have always been a fan of Michael Moore. I enjoyed Roger and Me and Bowling for Columbine. In general I liked Fahrenheit also. It gave an up close and frightening look at our President. The prolonged close up of his face the moment he was told that planes struck the World Trade Center was terrifying. He looked frightened, vacant and confused. It was the perfect moment for a psychic reading.

Unfortunately I was put off by a very significant omission. Moore didn't say one word about Israel's role in pushing for war against Iraq. The neo-con hawks in the Bush administration are pro-Israel. These Sharonists give Israel carte blanche to build walls in Palestine, shoot unarmed protesters, take more land for settlers or do anything else they want. Israel wanted this war and the pro-Bush Christian Zionists and just plain Zionists pushed right along on this side of the Atlantic.

Why did Moore leave Israel untouched? It is a question that our journalists, the few we have, need to ask him. Bob Dreyfuss raises the question for Tom Paine. Israel is so untouchable that even leftists remain silent when they have the change to speak up. Then again, Moore supported General Wesley Clark for president. Perhaps he isn't such a leftist after all.

Our media is so skewed to the right that 90% of the country can be considered left wing. That doesn't mean that the rest of us have to buy into the drumbeat.

It doesn't hurt Moore that the increasingly right wing mainstream media have joined the Bushies in the attack. Bob Somerby at Daily Howler tells us more.

The Demons of Manifest Destiny

Reagan, as you mentioned just a few minutes ago, was known as the great communicator, and I believe that that is true only if one believes that to be a great communicator means to be a good liar. That he was for sure. He could proclaim the biggest lies without even as much as blinking an eyelash. Hearing him talk about how we were supposedly persecuting Jews and burning down non-existent synagogues, I was led to believe really, that Reagan was possessed by demons. Frankly, I do believe Reagan at that time as much as Bush today was indeed possessed by the demons of manifest destiny.

Miguel D'Escoto, former Foreign Minister of Nicaragua

The pro-Reagan propaganda continues, so it is only fair that Reagan bashing continue. It is more truthful after all. Father Miguel D'Escoto's comments about Reagan should have been heard by the entire country. In the same Democracy Now interview he said that Reagan succeeded in making Americans the most ignorant people in the world. Today we are told that sovereignty has been returned to Iraq. I'm not sure that any nation can be sovereign when 150,000 foreign troops are still based there. Like the man said, we have been made ignorant.

There is so much to talk about that I am finding it difficult to keep up. So I won't even try. I will let Democracy Now do the talking for me. Today the program addressed the phony Iraq hand over, human rights abuses against Aristide supporters in Haiti, nukes in Israel, human rights abuses in Israel's occupied territories and protests against Bush in Turkey. The demons of manifest destiny have created all of these problems, but we don't have to take it lying down. We have Democracy Now to help us.

Size Does Matter

Why does George W. Bush keep Saddam Hussein's pistol? According to psychoanalyst Stanley Renshon, "It's the phallic equivalent of a scalp -- I mean that quite seriously." OK. Now I am very, very afraid. However, military historian Michael Sherry puts it more simply. "I'm left feeling that it sounds kind of childish." Read about it all here.

The Beheading of Paul Johnson

Have the Saudis found Paul Johnson's body? Why did they capture the perpetrators so quickly? Have Saudi security forces been infiltrated by al-qaeda? Talk Left raises questions about the speed of capture and Archy raises a host of issues about news reports. Some discrepancies are to be expected in a fast breaking news story, but we still don't know how many kidnappers were killed or if Johnson's body has been recovered. Will the media finally do its job and ask real questions? Don't hold your breath?

Et tu Mother Jones?

Even Mother Jones has lost its mind. Mother Jones blogger Bradford Plumer is running the discredited line that the U.S. must stay in Iraq to maintain stability.

Earth to Plumer. Iraq has high unemployment because of the contracts given to Halliburton et al. Subcontractors have hired workers from south Asia while Iraqis are desperate for work. Iraqi engineers who were able to keep the lights on after the first Gulf War are now unable to do so because Bush decided to punish France and other nations who wouldn't go along with the occupation. France helped build much of Iraq's infrastructure and could have helped the Iraqis reconstruct. Instead they are on the side lines and Iraqis suffer.

The privatization of Iraq has wasted billions of American tax payer dollars and ruined the Iraqi economy. Plumer can read about it here.

It is time to cut and run. Our presence is causing instability and blood shed. Unrest is directed at American forces because Iraqis are fighting to get the U.S. out of their country. If we want to see a stable Iraq the U.S. military and U.S. corporations have to go and soon.

Abu Ghraib in the USA

Black Commentator is always on point. This week BC has the definitive article on prison abuse in America. America has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Even dictatorships and police states have fewer citizens behind bars. The implications of this oppression are enormous and devastating to thousands of communities. As usual BC leads the way for all thinking people.

George W. Bush: Paranoid Megalomaniac

I always thought Bush was unstable. Now I have been backed up by a shrink. Dr. Justin Frank is a psychiatrist who calls bush a "paranoid megalomaniac" and an "untreated alcoholic" who is dangerous because he stopped drinking without the benefit of a treatment program. Read it all here.

Adolf Reagan

Ouch! Writer and GMHC founder, Larry Kramer, compares Ronald Reagan to Adolf Hitler. Kramer quite rightly points out that shameful Reagan policies allowed thousands of Americans to die of AIDS before he uttered a single word about the disease.

After a week of media butt kissing it is truly refreshing to hear someone fearlessly tell the truth about this man. Democracy Now has also done a terrific job of reminding us that Reagan gave aid and comfort to Saddam Hussein's WMD program, to the mujahadeen (read Bin Laden) in Afghanistan, increased homelessness and nearly destroyed the labor movement.

Ronald Reagan and His Friend Saddam Hussein

December 20, 1983 was a date that will live in infamy. The Reagan administration special Middle East envoy, Donald Rumsfeld, met with the evil dictator, Saddam Hussein. When Saddam Hussein had WMDs and was using them on Iranians he was a friend of the Reagan White House. Common Dreams has the story and as always, a picture is worth 1,000 words.

"Is it news that some fellow out in South Succotash someplace has just been laid off, that he should be interviewed nationwide?"
Ronald Reagan, 1982

Ronald Reagan, the Bonzo Years, is a great site for anyone who was less than admiring of Ronald Reagan's reign of error and terror. Scroll down and you will see a treasure trove of Reagan memorabilia for every year of his presidency.

Ronald Reagan

The conservative cult of personality has begun. Reagan won the cold war, blah, blah, blah.

Reagan raised the deficit, backed dictators in Central America and Angola who killed thousands of civilians, and institutionalized the transfer of government dollars to the wealthiest Americans, a trend that has continued until today. Reagan ignored the threat of AIDS until thousands had died. I am also convinced that Reagan was responsible for keeping the hostages in Iran to prevent Carter from winning. I hope that the truth about that is told some day.

Let's see if the conservatives who allegedly love him so much will help Nancy Reagan in her efforts to find a cure for Alzheimers through stem cell research. I wouldn't bet on it. They love to protect embryos, not anyone who has actually been born, not even their supposed icon.

Christ or Brutality

"The Christian in me says it's wrong, but the corrections officer in me says, `I love to make a grown man piss himself.' "
Cpl. Charles Graner, Abu Ghraib

That is a quote from one of the "few bad apples" at Abu Ghraib. I guess the voice of Christ wasn't loud enough to be heard. I wonder if there are any photos of what he did as a prison guard in America.

Can't Buy a House? Blame the Patriot Act

Thanks to 99 craven Senators who supported the Patriot Act, only Russ Feingold had any guts, Americans purchasing homes have to prove a lack of affiliation with Osama bin Laden. The average person has now been defined, thanks to Ashcroft, as a financial institution. Financial institutions have to prove that they are not laundering money for terrorists. Read the sad news here.

Torture in Iraq

G. Simon Harak, SJ, anti-militarism coordinator of the War Resisters League gives us a truly comprehensive study of Torture in Iraq. Harak proves that torture doesn't take place because of just a few "bad apples." The U.S. has made torture an integral part of its foreign policy. Many thanks to Simon. :)

Christian Fascism

In my latest Black Commentator column I lament the decline of the black church as an advocate for social justice and its acquiescence to the right wing in the search of cold hard cash from the faith based initiative.

Rev. Richard Lang of Trinity United Methodist Church in Seattle has outdone me. He lets us know in no uncertain terms that George W. Bush is not content to be fascistic in his economic and foreign policy. He has now co-opted the church and given rise to Christian fascism as well.

Amen, Rev. Lang!

War is All Hell

General William Tecumseh Sherman said, "War is all hell." Not only is war hell, but so is the attempt to remember it. I had this feeling as I channel surfed between a History Channel segment of "Save Our History," which focused on the new World War II memorial, and the PBS Memorial Day concert.

The memorial is "vaguely totalitarian" at best. It looks like every Hitler and Mussolini public art project I ever saw. I don't know who had the brilliant idea to make it evoke the fascist ideology that more than 400,000 Americans died to defeat. Of course, it is difficult to criticize the memorial that so many veterans waited years to see. I understand their love for it, but I think they deserved better.

I am also more than a little miffed that the memorial was erected at all. I never felt that WWII vets were insufficiently honored. That war was known as the good war. It is the last conflict that was almost universally supported. The drive to build the memorial got a boost from the film Saving Private Ryan and its star Tom Hanks, who suddenly became an expert on veterans issues. As I switched from channel to channel I kept seeing Hanks face. When all else fails in America, bring in a celebrity.

Unfortunately, we have not learned how to remember the war dead without exalting war itself. The PBS concert featured amputee vets just back from Iraq sitting in the front row. Emcee Ossie Davis, known for his progressive views, narrated a short video showing among other things the bodies of the mercenary contractors killed at Fallujah. It also spoke of insurgents "killing innocent civilians" and asseting that "no one is safe" from them. I am very tired of Iraqis fighting against an occupation of their country being called "insurgents" and "terrorists." I could only say, et tu Ossie.

Today's New York Times had the coup de grace, a story about the difficulty some Iraq war vets have in readjusting to civilian life. This news story is not news at all. It is the same situation that arises from every war ever fought. Soldiers are sent to kill or be killed, and watch as others are killed. They are then expected to come home to changed families and get over it all.

Timothy McVeigh didn't get over it. John Muhammad didn't get over it. The 4 Fort Bragg soldiers who returned from Afghanistan and killed their wives didn't get over it. These are the most extreme examples of post traumatic stress, but we would do well to remember them too.

During the Memorial Day concert actor Charles Durning shared his harrowing story of nearly drowning at Normandy when he and his compatriots went ashore not on the beach but in 50 feet of water. We need to hear his story of seeing his sergeant's body torn apart or of seeing another soldier who lay dying and wondered aloud how his intestines would be placed back into his body.

Perhaps we can celebrate soldiers by advocating against war. Maybe we should think a little longer before we "finish the job" or "take out Saddam." It is the height of hypocrisy to say yes to war and then respond to its aftermath with monumental ugliness on the Washington Mall. It isn't just the memorial that was ugly, but the use of elderly veterans and their suffering to exalt the horror inflicted in every military conflict. We should have said no thank you to Tom Hanks and Bob Dole. Today we should think about the families who are left to suffer the loss of their loved ones. Let's have a memorial to those who grieve, which probably wouldn't bring any politicians to the podium. The more I think of that idea, the better it sounds.

A Draft of Former Soldiers

What is a ready reservist? Unbeknownst to me, the military "owns" enlistees for 8 years. Anyone who finishes their 3 year term of enlistment still owes Uncle Sam 5 more years.

Over 100,000 ready reservists were recently called up and ordered to report to Guard and Reserve units. It seems that Rumsfeld and others were wrong. We did need more soldiers in order to invade and occupy Iraq.

So all those poor slobs who joined the service to earn money for college have been pulled out of classes. Read all about it here and here.

Bush, the Rapture and Why They Hate Us

When will Christians speak up? How long will we stand by and allow religious fanatics to destroy our faith, our country and the world?

I don't mind if people believe in the rapture, that is to say that when Jesus returns the righteous will disappear on the spot and be on the right hand of God. I do mind very much when people with this belief have access to the White House and think that Ariel Sharon will bring about the second coming if he is allowed to kill more Palestinians at Rafah.

New York Times Must 'Fess Up

When Jayson Blair gave NY Times readers news that was not fit to print the Gray Lady did an extensive mea culpa. When will they reveal to readers the degree to which they were in bed with Iraqi con man Ahmed Chalabi? Chalabi used NY Times scribe Judith Miller to whip up the frenzied but hollow case for war with "exclusive" information on non-existent WMDs. The Times helped make a bogus case for war. I am hoping for an apology, but I'm not holding my breath.

Florida Vote Theft

How was Florida stolen in 2000? It wasn't with hanging chads and butterfly ballots. Over 94,000 Floridians who were eligible to vote were removed from the rolls as part of a purge of "felons". Some of the felonies took place in 2007. I guess Katherine Harris and Jeb Bush helped Spielberg write Minority Report.

It is all about to happen again. John Kerry, who has more to lose than anyone, hasn't said a word. One of many reasons to be pessimistic about his chances.

Nick Berg Killing

Was Nick Berg beheaded after he was already dead? Was he killed by Americans? It sounds like bad television but the questions are quite relevant. Al-Jazeera gives a summary of the most worthy theories.

Where is Kerry?

"This is entirely unacceptable. I think it is a total washout."
Richard Lugar

"I don't feel good at all about what I'm finding out about who didn't know what."
Trent Lott

"That's unacceptable."
Pat Roberts

"It's abysmal; it's criminal." [And if allegations are proved true] "somebody needs to go to jail."
Orrin Hatch

"Let me just assure you that if I were president, we'd have a very different set of activities going on in Iraq today."
John Kerry

Why is John Kerry only even with a man who didn't really win, who lost 2 million jobs, and who lied to get us into a disastrous war? Perhaps it is because while GOP Senators are at least pretending to be outraged about Abu Ghraib and their lack of information about it, Kerry can't seem to find anything to say. He called Bush's response to the Abu Ghraib scandal "slow and inappropriate." It takes one to know one Senator.

White Supremacy in Iraq

The current issue of Black Commentator tells you all you need to know about U.S. involvement in Iraq. America is unfit to run Iraq or any other country while we are infected with the evil of white supremacy.

Leftists for Rummy



When in doubt, scapegoat. The warmongers have egg on their face after the Abu Ghraib torture was made public. There are even more photos of Iraqi humiliation caused by Pfc. Lynndie England's very bad case of American jungle fever.

Warmonger in Chief, Thomas Friedman of the NY Times, says that Rumsfeld should be fired. Friedman is a joke. For months he told us that the U.S. could remake the Middle East, bring democracy and yada, yada, yada. Rather than admit he was wrong he says that Rumsfeld should go. Let Friedman lose his job. Rumsfeld was at least honest. Who can forget this quote, "Are people going to die? You bet!" If Bush loses his job then Rumsfeld is out too. Let's just leave it there.

Let Them Eat Dirt

photo - Ruth Fremson, New York Times
A woman in Fort Dimanche laying out biscuits to dry, biscuits made of butter, salt, water and dirt.

Haiti was the poorest country in this hemisphere before the U.S. overthrew the Aristide government. Now it is even worse. The Haitian people exist by making biscuits made from dirt. If you don't believe it, the New York Times, not a liberal publication at all, tells the story.

Torture at Abu Ghraib Prison

"They were trying to humiliate us, break our pride. We are men. It's OK if they beat me. Beatings don't hurt us, it's just a blow. But no one would want their manhood to be shattered," he said.

"They wanted us to feel as though we were women, the way women feel and this is the worst insult, to feel like a woman," al-Shweiri said.

Dhia al-Shweiri, former prisoner





These authenticated photos appeared in a New Yorker article detailing the story of humiliation, torture and death at Abu Ghraib prison.

Removed post

It seems that some of the Iraq prison photos may be frauds from a porn site. I have removed a previous post showing some of the pictures. I will give more information if I get it.

Bill Maher Kicks Chris Matthews' Butt

Chris Matthews is up to his old tricks. He has declared that voters don't like Kerry. In 2000 he said that voters didn't like Gore. I guess Matthews is on the GOP payroll. But Bill Maher has his number and showed it on the 7th anniversary of Hardball. I don't think it is a good thing that Hardball has been on for 7 years, but there are many other things wrong with America. Here is an excerpt from the transcript.

MATTHEWS: Bill Maher, what do you make of this fight over whether he threw ribbons or medals in 1971, a third of a century ago?

BILL MAHER, HOST, “REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER”: Why are you covering this? Why are you taking this bait, seriously? Why are you even letting them bait you into covering this complete nonissue? This guy has medals. This guy has ribbons. The other guy didn‘t go. That‘s the whole story.

The other guy is a draft dodger. They were both rich kids in the ‘60s. One of them went to where the bullets were flying and one of them found a way not to go and then he lied about that. Stop covering the medals.

MATTHEWS: All right, I did have to cover it because he had a lot to say last night. Apparently, John Kerry wanted to go on and make clear something where he—maybe he should have shut up about it, but he wanted to make clear that he was being truthful because he said medals and ribbons mean the same to a guy who actually served in the military.

MAHER: Look, one guy went into the National Guard, which back then was a way of getting out of it. On top of that, he had the nerve to say to Tim Russert, and, you know, if my Guard unit had been called up, I would have gone. How very brave, Mr. President, considering that only 8,700 out of 2.5 million men and women who went to Vietnam, only 8,700 Guard people were ever called up there, 0.03 percent. So there was no chance he would have been called up.

That‘s George Bush for you. Hold me back, hold me back.

MATTHEWS: Well, he did say in a recent press conference with everyone watching—apparently, 30 million people watched this press conference recently—the president was asked if he ever made any mistakes, and he said he hadn‘t made any.

MAHER: He was drunk until he was 40. That‘s not a mistake?

(LAUGHTER)

MAHER: And what about Iraq? What about the fact that he

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: I‘m talking about his four years as president, Bill.

MAHER: Oh.

Well, what about Iraq? I mean, and I‘m not even talking about the decision to go into Iraq, which, you know, doesn‘t look so good nowadays. But what about the fact that as of today—I‘m looking at this news about Fallujah, and I hear what President Bush is saying. Do you remember Baghdad Bob, the guy we all laughed at because he was saying things that were completely crazy?

(CROSSTALK)

MAHER: OK. Well, President Bush sounds like Washington Bob right now. I swear to God. He‘s saying, it‘s only a few troublemakers. It‘s a few rotten eggs that we‘re fighting over there.

Are you kidding? Is he joking?

MATTHEWS: Well, why is he going up in the polls? We got a Pew Research poll. We could show you any poll. They all show him moving up, where he was behind.

So what is President Bush doing the last month that‘s so good and what‘s so bad, I guess you would have to say, about John Kerry‘s performance the last month or so? What‘s going on?

MAHER: Well, for one thing, he‘s getting the media to cover this nonsense about John Kerry‘s medals. So Joe public, as President Bush would call him, sits home and goes, well, gosh, there was a controversy with Bush‘s military history and now there‘s a controversy with John Kerry‘s military history. I don‘t know who to vote for. It‘s nonsense. It is nonsense.

One guy actually has honor and integrity, although I will admit that John Kerry certainly is not burdened with charisma, and the other guy only has the words honor and integrity. He‘s never connected them to anything.

And he never connects anything

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: What can John Kerry do? Life is unfair, as Jack Kennedy once said, but what happens when you have got a guy like George Bush who may be a swell, who may have gotten breaks to get into Yale, breaks certainly to get into the National Guard, all his life were breaks, maybe to make a ton of money with a baseball team?

But he comes off, fairly or not, as sort of a regular guy, whereas John Kerry, who was the balls-out guy, went to war, did the job for the country, won the three—earned, you would have to say, the three Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, saved lives, killed the enemy, he comes off as kind of cold. And then the American people are like thermometers. If the guy is warm, they like him. If he‘s cold, they don‘t. Is that fair?

MAHER: And, also, this is something I said before, but I think it bears repeating in this instance to your question. The true axis of evil in America is the brilliance of our marketing combined with the stupidity of our people.

George Bush has $180 million to spend. With that kind of money, he could convince Americans to drink paint, and he probably will.

MATTHEWS: Is that your prediction?

MAHER: In fact, I believe that‘s his environmental policy.

MATTHEWS: Is that your prediction for November, November 2, that the American people eat paint?

(LAUGHTER)

MAHER: Vanilla paint, Chris.

MATTHEWS: I‘m beginning to think like Jonestown here. I‘m getting worried. It‘s one thing to drink the Kool-Aid, but to drink the lead-based paint?

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

MAHER: I‘m just saying, with enough money, you can convince people of anything. And that is what George Bush does. He is one of the most cynical presidents we‘ve ever had, I believe, because with that kind of money, he plays on people‘s fears, he plays on people‘s ignorance, and he plays on people‘s shortsightedness.

MATTHEWS: If you were one of those guys in a boxing ring, the guy with the towel over his shoulder and the bucket next to the contender, John Kerry—you know those guys, usually names like Bud or something like that, Andy, would you know how to warm the guy up for these national appearance? Would you know how to tweak him and pinch him and punch him and get him to come out there a little more—a little red-meaty?

MAHER: No, you can‘t do that. John Kerry‘s campaign slogan should be, do not resuscitate. I‘m sorry. That‘s just who he is.

(LAUGHTER)

MAHER: But you know what? That‘s who he is. Why do people have to like the guy? Why do they have—I hear people say, I don‘t know if I‘m comfortable with John Kerry. You know what? You don‘t have to go to bed with him. Just vote for him.

We‘re such babies about it. We don‘t—you know, in the days before television, people didn‘t judge presidents on whether he was sunny or warm or likable. They judged on whether he was the best man for the job. I would like to bring that criteria back now that we‘re at war.

MATTHEWS: It must be great not to have to be fair and balanced, Bill.

Thank you very much, Bill Maher. Good luck.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Huh?

MAHER: Speaking of fair and balanced, on your anniversary, I just—

I got some statistics. In seven years, for you, Chris, 1,841 interrupted responses, 3,621 guest bullied into crying, and 2,974 unfairly rephrased positions. That‘s quite a record, Chris. Congratulations.

MATTHEWS: What a toter you are. Thank you very much, Bill Maher.

Good luck with the show, 11:00 HBO. It‘s dynamite, “Real Time.”

MAHER: All right.

MATTHEWS: HARDBALL‘s seventh anniversary continues after this

"How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"

John Kerry has to find a way to speak out against the war in Iraq. Yes, he did vote in favor of it, but he is a smart guy, an Ivy Leaguer. He had better figure out a way to question the mess that Bush has gotten us into or he will be the last man to lose because he couldn't give people a reason to vote for him.

Why they hate us

"Sometimes a guy will go down, and I'll let him scream a bit to destroy the morale of his buddies. Then I'll use a second shot."

"To take a bad guy out," he explains, "is an incomparable "adrenaline rush."

I guess it never occurred to this genius that the victim's buddies are motivated to fight back when their guy is suffering. Then again, it isn't surprising that he wouldn't consider the possibility that Iraqis think and feel the way he does. Iraqis aren't human beings after all. Read it here. The Pentagon is now acting like a slumlord, helping U.S. troops to fight and kill better in cities. Be all that you can be.

Why do they hate us?

Why do they hate us? It isn't very complicated. U.S. forces have fired on ambulances in Fallujah and we have further humiliated the Iraqis by choosing a new flag when even anti-Hussein Iraqis liked their old flag.

By the way, the U.S. ambassador designate to Iraq, John Negroponte, was death squad friendly when he served as ambassador to Honduras. Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd shamed himself when he kissed Negroponte's butt during confirmation hearings.

"Whatever differences I've had years ago with John Negroponte, I happen to feel he's a very fine Foreign Service officer and has done a tremendous job in many places."

Congressional Democrats are proving themselves to be more and more useless to the American people.

Mordechai Vanunu

Mordechai Vanunu was released from an Israeli prison this week. Vanunu was a technician at the Dimona nuclear facility. In 1985 he confirmed that Israeli was building nuclear weapons. After his story appeared in the Sunday Times he was lured to Rome by a female Mossad agent where he was drugged, kidnapped and taken to Israel for trial. Vanunu wrote this information on the palm of his hand and held it up to a car window so that the international press would know what had happened to him.

Mordechai Vanunu is still not free. He is not allowed to meet with foreigners, or the media, nor is he allowed to leave Israel. Sounds like "banning" in apartheid era South Africa. Democracy Now has great reporting on the story. You can express support for Vanunu here.

Thanks Ariel, America Needed Another Bulls Eye on Its Back

Juan Cole made this statement in a 4/18 post.

Rantisi and Najaf

The Sunday Herald correctly points out that the Israeli murder of Abdul Aziz Rantisi, the head of the political wing of the Hamas party, on Saturday, will cause further trouble in Iraq.

With al-Anbar province tense and US troops surrounding Najaf, one could not imagine a worse time for Bush to give a green light to Sharon for further provocations. One can only conclude that neither Ariel Sharon nor Bush and his Neocon advisers give a fig about the lives of US and Coalition servicemen in Iraq. Otherwise, they'd stop with the theatrics. If the Israelis had wanted to arrest Rantisi, they could have. They pulled off Entebbe. This extra-judicial murder of political opponents is just showing off, and it is of course ethically despicable and a war crime for which one only wishes Sharon could be made to stand trial in the Hague. If Rantisi could have been proved to have committed an act of terrorism, he should have been arrested and tried in Gaza for murder. I condemn violence by Palestinian leaders just as I do that done by Israeli ones, and do not have a problem with terrorists being punished for killing innocent people. I do have a problem with political rivals whacking one another unnecessarily, especially when it is likely to get some of my friends killed.

I feel like something of a fool for bothering to say all this, since it is obvious that Sharon is behaving like a Mafia don--Arik Soprano--not a head of state. But the commentary I saw on US cable television was all about who could fall over themselves more quickly to praise this 'decisive action against terrorism.' The state of public discourse in the US (and Israel) is deplorable when it is not even possible publicly to criticize extra-judicial killing in the mass media.

Bush Changes the Subject

You have to give credit where it is due. Bush and his cronies know that Iraq is looking worse by the minute so they change the subject. We are back to the evil dictator. Today the Iraqi Governing Council announced a war crimes tribunal. How convenient. U.S. troops are fighting house to house in Fallujah, which anti-war critics predicted, U.S. mercenaries and other contractors are being kidnapped and killed, and Spain says adios. What a perfect time to talk about the evil Saddam.

Because Bremer and company make the situation worse with every decision (closing al-Sadr's newspaper) I am sure that there is some unintended consequence of trying Saddam in court. Even Iraqis who hated Saddam now hate us. We are the ones who can't keep the lights on, drop bombs on their houses, shoot cilinians during cease fires, and keep 12,000 Iraqis in detention without charging them with crimes or giving them access to attorneys or their families. Saddam is now a memory. You know what that means. Selective amnesia will set in. People in an honor based culture will be angry that their former leader is being humiliated. Putting Saddam on trial changes the subject in the U.S., but it will only make things worse for us in the Arab world.

I wonder if the tribunal will discuss the Reagan era alliance with Saddam. When Hussein was killing Kurds and Iranians with chemical weapons he was our friend. He and Donald Rumsfeld, then special envoy for Reagan, had a great meeting 20 years ago. Remember this photo when you hear about the evil dictator.

Kerry Does Know How to Win

A controversial 30-second TV spot for Kerry that aired throughout the Midwest Monday blamed the country's ills not on Bush's policies, but on the "sheer stupidity" of America's voters.

"In the past four years, America's national debt has reached an all-time high," the ad's narrator said. "And who's responsible? You are. You're sitting there eating a big bowl of Fritos, watching TV, and getting fatter as the country goes to hell. You ought to be ashamed of yourself."

I would love an ad like that. Of course it isn't for real. It comes to us courtesy of the Onion. Who else?

Does Kerry Know How to Win?

The U.S. had a surplus before Bush was president. The U.S. had good relations with its allies before Bush was president. The U.S. wasn't making enemies in the Arab and Muslim world before Bush was president. Why do polls show him even or closely behind Kerry? Get your answer from Freedom Rider in Black Commentator.

The Thinker



"John, I'm sure historians will look back and say, gosh, he could have done it better this way, or that way. You know, I just -- I'm sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, with all the pressure of trying to come up with an answer, but it hadn't yet. " - George W. Bush, press conference on 4/13/04

Fishing with George W. Bush

You already know that Dubya was AWOL while Iraqi civilians were being killed and U.S. GIs were being killed and memos surfaced telling us that Bin Laden was determined to attack in America. The President was at his ranch pretending to be a farmer when he is in fact an east coast, Ivy League, old money, blue blood.

He was not just relaxing at Easter. He was locking up the Nascar Dad vote by taping an appearance on the television show Fishing with Roland Martin. You wouldn't know it unless you read the Daily Howler (scroll down). The NY Times and Washington Post didn't want you to worry your little head about it all. Only the LA Times had the guts to be honest. Why the big secret? The President who spends vacations "clearing brush" should be happy to let us know that he is fishing with a good old boy.

Death in Fallujah and Haiti


An estimated 125 people are buried in this sports field, turned cemetery. Up to 600 people have been killed in the six-day siege of Falluja.

Iraqi civilians are being killed in the so-called Fallujah cease fire. Listen to or watch Democracy Now. Also, Democracy Now has disturbing news from Haiti. Hundreds of Aristide supporters have been murdered. The unclaimed dead that stay in the morgue are lucky. Some dead bodies have been dumped and left for pigs to eat.

Picture of the Day


An American soldier thinks he is funny

Quote of the Day

"I train my son to kill Americans. That is one reason I am grateful to Saddam Hussein. All Iraqis know how to use weapons."

"They searched my house. They kicked my Koran. They speak to me so poorly in front of my children. It's not that I encourage my son to hate Americans. It's not that I make him want to join the resistance. Americans do that for me."

New York Times, April 11, 2004

"He wanted to stop when he saw the naked women and the bikinis."

Taking a cue from Attorney General Ashcroft, the G&L Garden Center is Hartsville, Tennessee has covered up nude statues with velvet sarongs.

Of course, customers who wouldn't have noticed otherwise are now peeking under the sarongs, hoping to see what I don't know. Sales of the statues have increased, proving that sex sells, even in the Bible Belt.

Happy Easter

I wish all my Christian brothers and sisters a very happy Easter, oops, I mean Resurrection Sunday. You can't say Easter anymore. That's right. If you are a good member of the American Taliban it is a sin to think of bonnets and bunnies any more. It is such a terrible sin that the Easter bunny must be whipped. You read correctly. A group of capital C Christians from the Glassport Assembly of God church in Glassport, Pennsylvania broke eggs and flogged an Easter bunny character to impress upon the faithful the folly of the pagan origins of Easter. I guess they saw The Passion one time too many.

Here is an article from the Dallas Morning News (registration is required to read anything, so I have copied it here).

It's Easter, but some prefer to use a more sacred name

The Resurrection, not bunnies and eggs, should take center stage, many churches say

04:23 PM CDT on Friday, April 9, 2004

By BERTA DELGADO / The Dallas Morning News

For most of the world's Christians, tomorrow is Easter Sunday. But a growing number prefer what they consider a more appropriate name: Resurrection Day.

The reasons stem from the past and from the present.

Because of "the commercialization and the background of the word Easter" – including its association with spring and fertility – "many churches choose to emphasize the Resurrection," said Dr. Mark Bailey, president of Dallas Theological Seminary.

The holiday, he said, "is not about eggs, it's not about rabbits."

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"Easter" is derived from the names Germanic tribes used for their goddess of fertility.

"Churches want to make clear that this isn't a holdover of a pagan holiday," Dr. Bailey said. "It's the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus as the Son of God."

The Rev. Ralph Holland is senior pastor of Mundo de Fe, a Spanish-language church started by Covenant Church in Carrollton. Both churches, he said, prefer to call the celebration "Resurrection Sunday."

"The background of the word Easter speaks of fertility, but for us, the Resurrection speaks of life," Dr. Holland said. "Christ gave us new life. We're born again."

Some churches say they don't want society's trappings to get in the way of worship. St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Grand Prairie sometimes declares Easter a "dress down day."

"We want to take the focus off the commercialization," said Paul Jones, a spokesman for the 12,000-member church.

"Our purpose is not to celebrate corporate America at this time, but the Resurrection Day. So we say come in T-shirts, jeans, whatever.

"The focus is not on wearing a fancy Easter bonnet and new patent leather shoes."

Not everyone sees the distinction as a big deal. "Easter" doesn't bother the Rev. Jeff Jones.

"I don't get bent out of shape with people celebrating with Easter bunnies," said the senior pastor of Fellowship Bible Church North in Plano. "It's up to parents, if they know Christ, to make sure that it's more than that."

E-mail bdelgado@dallasnews.com

My fellow Christians, let's give it a rest. I do think that Christians can wear bonnets or dye eggs and still know the importance of the life and death of Jesus.

Happy Easter. Put on your bonnet and don't flog any bunnies.

Re: Israeli Company

I am told that the story from Ha'aretz is old news. The original story was written a few days after 9/11 but the web site always shows the current date. That makes it even more interesting. What were the results of the investigation, assuming it was ever conducted.

Israeli Company Warned about 9/11 Attacks

According to Ha'aretz, an Israeli newspaper, employees of Odigo, an Israeli company located in New York, were warned about the attacks two hours before the first plane struck. Thanks to Progressive Review for the link.

Too Stupid for Words

What is too stupid for words? Killing people at worship is so stupid that I am at a loss for words, other than these. The next time American bodies are strung up from a bridge, don't bother asking why they hate us.

Wal-Mart: Always Low Wages, Always

Would you want to give an employer a city within your city? Would you want an employer that locks employees in the store all night? Suppose this employer paid low wages and provided few benefits? If you said no to these questions you are like the voters in Inglewood, California, who told Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, to get lost.

Last year the City Council told Wal-Mart they were not welcome in those parts and should leave town before sundown. Wal-Mart didn't get to be the largest retailer on earth by taking no for an answer. They responded by spending over $1 million on a ballot initiative. Wal-Mart wanted to take over a 60 acre site that would not have to follow zoning or any other ordinances in Inglewood. They wanted it so badly that they even paid the people getting signatures for the ballot initiative more than they pay their own workers. But they lost anyway. After Schwarzenegger became Governor I despaired of that state. It seem that at least one town has common sense. Viva Inglewood!

Shut up Colin!

Waaaay back on November 11, 2003 the Freedom Rider poked a little fun at Colin Powell when he admitted using the prescription sleep aid ambien. At the time I said that the entire administration seemed to be drugged, so it all made sense.

Now I know why Colin can't sleep at night. He is a no good, low down, lying snake in the grass. Not content to kidnap President Aristide and install thugs to replace him, Colin personally returned to the scene of the crime yesterday. He even said that the U.S. would help prosecute Aristide, whose only crime was standing up to the U.S. This prosecution threat is meant to keep Aristide from returning to Haiti. I hope that someone prosecutes the U.S. for what it did in Haiti and for what it is doing in Iraq.

As for Iraq, Powell is now trying to weasle out of the statements he made last February at the United Nations. He told the most obvious lies about weapons of mass destruction. Even I, an internet surfing news junkie, knew that he was making it all up. One of his former staff people 'fessed up to 60 Minutes on that score. Now Powell is saying that the evidence of Iraqi mobile labs of death were "not solid." No s_ _t Sherlock.

One would think that Powell had embarrassed himself enough for one week. But noooo. Now he has taken on Ted Kennedy. Kennedy had the nerve to say that Iraq is like Vietnam. I don't know if there is an exact parallel, but we are at the beginning stages of a major butt whipping by people who want us out of their country. Sounds like 'Nam to me.

I digress. Patriotism is indeed the last refuge of scoundrels. Powell has told Kennedy to shut up, well, in so many words. He said that the Senator should remember that "we are at war."

I don't know what Powell has to do in order to receive the disdain he so richly deserves. It is way past time to stop defending him. Denial is not a river in Egypt. Colin Powell is a lying dog like everyone else in the Bush administration and he knows it. That is why he can't sleep at night.

Life is Tough When You're Stupid

One would think that closing down a newspaper and creating massive demonstrations would be enough dumb decision making for one week. However, we are talking about the Bush administration. Now they want to arrest Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The warrant was issued months ago but now is the perfect moment to go get him? Let's pour more gasoline on the fire. But wait, there's more. Now U.S. forces have surrounded Fallujah to root out the terrorists and stay the course. It is also platitude week at the White House. At any rate, all of these events indicate the beginning of the butt whipping that the U.S. has been headed for since the beginning of the occupation.

You Talkin' to Me?

The Bush White House is like the old Soviet Union. Trotsky was removed from Soviet history books when he fell out of favor. If the Bushies say or do something they later regret it disappears from the record. Read the latest Bush press conference quickly or it will be gone. Just in case you don't move quickly enough, here is a very telling portion. Make note of the incoherent speech, grammatical errors, cutesy nicknames with reporters, and crankiness from Bush and obsequiousness from the press. Also, his use of the word "will" is kind of spooky, don't you think?

"Let me ask you a couple of questions. Who is the AP person?

Q I am.

THE PRESIDENT: You are?

Q Sir, in regard to --

THE PRESIDENT: Who are you talking to?

Q Mr. President, in regard to the June 30th deadline, is there a chance that that would be moved back?

THE PRESIDENT: No, the intention is to make sure the deadline remains the same. I believe we can transfer authority by June 30th. We're working toward that day. We're, obviously, constantly in touch with Jerry Bremer on the transfer of sovereignty. The United Nations is over there now. The United Nations representative is there now to work on the -- on a -- on to whom we transfer sovereignty. I mean, in other words, it's one thing to decide to transfer. We're now in the process of deciding what the entity will look like to whom we will transfer sovereignty. But, no, the date remains firm.

Stretch.

Q Mr. President, are you concerned at all that events like we've seen over the last week in Iraq are going to make it tougher to meet that deadline, or increase pressure from the U.N. or anyone else?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think there's -- my judgment is, is that the closer we come to the deadline, the more likely it is people will challenge our will. In other words, it provides a convenient excuse to attack. In this particular incident, with Sadr, this is one person who is deciding that rather than allow democracy to flourish, he's going to exercise force. And we just can't let it stand. As I understand, the CPA today announced a warrant for his arrest. This is one person -- this is a person, and followers, who are trying to say, we don't want democracy -- as a matter of fact, we'll decide the course of democracy by the use of force. And that is the opposite of democracy. And it's -- that's why the CPA issued the statement they issued.

But, Stretch, I think throughout this period there's going to be tests. We were tested in Fallujah. And the desire for those who do not want there to be a free and democratic Iraq is to shake our will through acts of violence and terror. It's not only our will, it's the will of other coalition forces and it's the will of the Iraqi people. As you know, that many Iraqis have been targeted. As a matter of fact, the al Qaeda affiliate Zarqawi made it clear that part of the strategy was to turn Shia on Sunni by killing innocent Iraqis.

And we've got to stay the course, and we will stay the course. The message to the Iraqi citizens is, they don't have to fear that America will turn and run. And that's an important message for them to hear. If they think that we're not sincere about staying the course, many people will not continue to take a risk toward -- take the risk toward freedom and democracy.

Yes, Tamara.

Q Mr. President, can you tell us a little bit about your decision-making for the next ambassador to Iraq, and what you're looking for in the person who would represent the administration?

THE PRESIDENT: Good question. I am looking for somebody who can run a big embassy, somebody who understands the relationship between an embassy and the military. Because one of the things that's going to be very important for the next ambassador to Iraq -- this will be the person that takes Jerry Bremer's place -- will be the willingness and capability of working with a very strong -- a country in which there's a very strong U.S. military presence, as well as a coalition presence. This person is going to need to have enough experience to basically start an embassy from the ground up, and also be willing to transfer certain people and authorities from the CPA to the embassy itself. In other words, it's a very complex task that's going to require a skilled soul. And we're in the process of searching it out now.

Q Mr. President, can you just tell me -- the 9/11 Commission, the Chairman yesterday, Governor Kean, said a date had been set, I think, for your testimony and the Vice President's. Is that --

THE PRESIDENT: I would call it a meeting.

Q A meeting, I'm sorry.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you."

Is it any wonder that we depend on David Letterman and John Stewart to stand up to the White House?

CNN and David Letterman

What did they know and when did they know it? Paul Krugman sets the record straight in today's New York Times.

"On Monday, Mr. Letterman ran a video clip of a boy yawning and fidgeting during a speech by George Bush. It was harmless stuff; a White House that thinks it's cute to have Mr. Bush make jokes about missing W.M.D. should be able to handle a little ribbing about boring speeches.

CNN ran the Letterman clip on Tuesday, just before a commercial. Then the CNN anchor Daryn Kagan came back to inform viewers that the clip was a fake: "We're being told by the White House that the kid, as funny as he was, was edited into that video." Later in the day, another anchor amended that: the boy was at the rally, but not where he was shown in the video.

On his Tuesday night show, Mr. Letterman was not amused: "That is an out and out 100 percent absolute lie. The kid absolutely was there, and he absolutely was doing everything we pictured via the videotape."

But here's the really interesting part: CNN backed down, but it told Mr. Letterman that Ms. Kagan "misspoke," that the White House was not the source of the false claim. (So who was? And if the claim didn't come from the White House, why did CNN run with it without checking?)

In short, CNN passed along a smear that it attributed to the White House. When the smear backfired, it declared its previous statements inoperative and said the White House wasn't responsible. Sound familiar?"

Is CNN lying now, or were they lying before? Did the White House really call them or not? If they didn't call, why would they say they did? If they did call, why are they now claiming that they didn't? The Freedom Rider bets that the White House called. Krugman's column addresses a far more serious issue, Bush administration efforts to smear Richard Clarke with the help of the compliant media. (You must register to read Times stories, but registration is free.) While seemingly less trivial, the CNN incident tells us quite a bit about the appalling lack of journalistic standards. Wolf Blitzer, CNN anchor, passed along a smear about Clarke and then backed down when Krugman called him on it. The Daily Howler gives us more examples of the media taking their cues from the White House on the subject of Richard Clarke.

Why Fallujah

"The inciden happened in Fallujah where two days before that, the American army shot many many people, women and children, on the streets, and -- in a bizarre shooting incident that was unjustified, killing many people."
Ghazwan al-Mukhtar, Iraqi engineer

Democracy Now! tells us why the residents of Fallujah are glad to see Americans dead.

CNN

If you think CNN is wimpy about Iraq, they won't even stand up to the White House where David Letterman is concerned. Letterman showed footage of a kid standing next to President Bush who was obviously growing bored with Dubya. CNN picked up the footage but got a call from the White House claiming that the footage was edited. They immediately gave the White House line on the story. I would have thought they would call Letterman to confirm, but when Karl Rove said jump they replied, "How high?" It is all pretty pathetic. David Letterman stands up for the truth and CNN caves.

The Last to Know

As usual the rest of the world saw different versions of the killings of Americans in Fallujah. The U.S. media felt the need to protect us all from the violent scenes when we needed to see them more than anyone else in the world.



Americans have also missed images of Iraqi dead. Between 8,799 and 10,649 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the occupation began last year. One brave media source, CNN, had a policy of not reporting on Iraqi civilian dead without also mentioning American casualties. Wimps! Let's look at what the rest of the world has seen.

"Fallujah is the Cemetery for Americans" - Iraqi protesters

Today in Fallujah, Iraq four American civilians were killed when their vehicle was attacked by small arms fire. The charred corpses were pulled from the wreckage, dragged through the streets and hung from a bridge. Five American soldiers were also killed today by a road side bomb.


The response from the White House is the standard line that we must "stay the course" and fight "Saddam's remnants." What else can they say? Taking Iraq did not go as planned and violence is increasing as the June 30th hand over date approaches. I should say so-called hand over. We plan to keep bases in Iraq for years to come. Iraqis want us out of their country and they want us out yesterday. When millions of people all over the world protested this invasion and occupation we were called dupes, appeasers, or traitors. Whatever. We knew what we were talking about. I never thought I would hear myself say this, but retired CIA agents agreed with me. I guess they are traitors and appeasers too.

Mike Barnicle

Mike Barnicle was fired by the Boston Globe in 1998 when he was busted for making up a story. Barnicle was accused of plagiarism by the late Mike Royko, stole lines from George Carlin and fudged a quote from Alan Dershowitz.

Now he is making racist remarks about an interracial couple, William Cohen, former Senator and Secretary of Defense, and Janet Langhart, a former colleague of Barnicle's. The Globe reports that Barnicle said they were, "Like Mandingo." In his lame explanation he said he didn't remember the plot of the 1970s flick. Apparently he remembered that there was interracial sex.

As a rule I don't think it pays to express outrage about the Barnicle's of the world. The only demand ought to be that black people should be able to say anything without fear of being fired. When black reporters make up stories or give offense they are never seen or heard from again. I said it all in Black Commentator a few weeks back.

My mother always said that if you live wrong it shows on your face. She was right.

Poor Colin Powell


Arab journalists boycotted Colin Powell press conference.

Colin Powell has had a rough week. Arab journalists walked out of his press conference in Baghdad and he was kept waiting for 30 minutes by Spain's new Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Their meeting only lasted for 15 minutes, maybe Colin's nose was out of joint.

I find it hard to feel any sympathy for Colin Powell. At least the Spanish didn't put him on a plane and send him to the Central African Republic. Black Americans and white liberals have been making excuses for him for far too long. Powell threw Aristide out of the country he was elected to lead. If the only pay back is waiting to meet a Prime Minister he has gotten off easily. Powell plays the good cop, and his performance is starting to look stale. He is no different from Rice, Cheney or Rumsfeld and he should be judged accordingly.

By the way, the Arab journalists who walked out of the press conference showed more courage than their American counterparts have in over a year of reporting the invasion of Iraq. Two Iraqi reporters were killed by American soldiers. What did Powell have to say? Only some gobbledygook about "freedoms to Iraqis of the kind they have never enjoyed before, as you just saw exercised a few moments ago." They also have the freedom to be killed by jumpy U.S. soldiers.

Kerry and Venezuela

In retrospect, I realize I should have linked directly to Kerry's comments on Venezuela. He is vague about whether he wants Chavez to go. Here are his comments, judge for yourself.

Is Kerry pursuing a losing strategy?

I should have my fill of predicting Kerry's demise. I said just a few months ago that Dean was headed for the nomination and Kerry was history. I must not have learned my lesson because I am predicting once again that Kerry will lose, unless he changes tactics.

I was appalled when I read that the Democratic nominee is backing Bush efforts to unseat a democratically elected leader. Hugo Chavez is the President of Venezuela but he is too far to the left to suit the Bushies. The will of the Venezuelan people be damned. The administration has been trying to unseat Chavez, a la Aristide, for some time now. What does Kerry have to say? He has called Bush "soft on Chavez."

John Kerry is making a terrible mistake in this misguided attempt to appeal to Cubans in Florida. Kerry should talk about how Florida was really lost. As I point out in my latest Black Commentator column, Florida was stolen when over 50,000 eligible voters were purged from the rolls in May of 2000. John Kerry has yet to publicly discuss the true theft of democracy in that state. Instead he has chosen to be defensive and in the process deny the most basic beliefs of the democratic party and put Florida back in the red state column.

If this latest strategy is a predictor of the way Kerry will run for the presidency, we should all prepare for the next Bush inaugural.

Only on Staten Island

"New York City without Staten Island would be like the Marx Brothers without Gummo." - Anonymous

Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro dismissed his representative on the New York City Panel for Educational Policy after she refused to go along with the discredited idea of holding back third graders based on test scores.

Mr. Molinaro's replacement was Joan Correale, a lingerie shop owner who does not have a college degree. Mrs. Correale is the mother of an autistic child and she has been active in her PTA. Her commitment is laudable but she does not have the credentials needed for her new position. It was bad enough that the Mayor engineered the implementation of a policy that has already failed in New York and in cities across the nation. Now we have unqualified but compliant people setting educational policy for New York children.

It is not surprising that Molinaro would appoint a woman without a college degree. Molinaro does not have a college degree or even a high school diploma. He never attended high school at all. His education ended in the eighth grade.

I am not suggesting that junior high school dropouts should not be given the opportunity to succeed. Mr. Molinaro was elected after all. His employers, the residents of Staten Island, hired him knowing his background. It must be pointed out however, that it could happen only on Staten Island, and nowhere else in the City of New York.

Vote Theft in 2004

The outlook for a fair election in November is not good. Media misreporting of the Florida voting fiasco has led to so-called improvements in the voting process. The result may well be that more Americans are deprived of their constitutional right to vote. See my current Black Commentator column.

The Pope Says Thumbs Up

You don't need an Oscar when you portray Christ and the Pope gives a blessing.

James Caviezel gets a thumbs up from the Pontiff.

Soft on Terror

Bill Clinton was soft on terror. Get used to seeing and hearing those words because Bush and the lap dog media will repeat them over and over again until Election Day.

NBC is giving us the earth shattering news that bin Laden was in Afghanistan during the Clinton years. We all knew that. How is this information significant? It isn't of course, but the CIA just happened to find this video during an election year and just happened to give it to NBC. The purpose of all this is to make Americans think that all Democrats are soft on terror, Kerry included.

Do the Democrats know how to make the argument that we could have captured Osama if we hadn't diverted resources to Iraq? If they can't then we will see another Bush inaugural in January. By the way, has NBC reported the Bush administration efforts to stonewall the 9/11 commission? Have they done a 3 part report on the Bin Ladens and other Saudis leaving the U.S. in the days following 9/11? Can they tell us why the Bushies haven't been interested in getting him until election year? Only 3 years have passed since 9/11.

Speaking of pro-Bush media bias, have you noticed that the approaching anniversary of the Iraq war has produced a bevy of administration talking heads and few if any anti-war voices? Fair.org gives the Sunday talk show breakdown and tells us how to respond to this blatant bias. Anyone watching the networks last Sunday would think that there isn't any anti-war sentiment or that if it does exist it can't be very important. Howard Dean was on Meet the Press, but his presence was too much for NBC because they decided to spend the rest of the week telling us that Democrats are soft on terror.

Spain

When I first heard about bombs aboard Spanish trains I immediatly assumed that the Basque separatist organization, ETA, was responsible. However, the more I heard the more convinced I became that al-Quaeda or an associated organization had committed the attacks. I also had a terrible fear that it was all preparation for a similar attack in New York, a city that depends heavily on its subways and four other commuter rail systems, Metronorth, the Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit and PATH. Bridges and tunnels, some of which go under water, are used by all of them. Strategically placed bombs on subways and trains in the New York area might cause even more loss of life than on 9/11.

We should think about how a similar event will effect the U.S. If reactions to Spain are any indication, we are unprepared to speak honestly about the prospect of another terror attack on American soil. Immediately Governor Pataki went to Grand Central station and told us not to worry. Mayor Bloomberg told us to go about our lives. Everyone said that to do otherwise would mean that the terrorists had won.

I have news for all of them. The terrorists already won. They won back on September 11, 2001 and no amount of denial can change that fact. We know we are vulnerable and we know that a determined person who is willing to die can kill thousands of people.

Our denial and our politicians' stupidity have put us all in grave danger. When Connecticut Republican Congressman Christopher Shays recommended cancelling New Year's celebrations in Times Square he was immediately attacked as being insufficiently brave by our Mayor. Having used Shoshana Johnson as a prop Bloomberg suggested asking her about courage. Flag waiving nonsense is not what we need right now.

Shays raised an important question. Are we in danger or not? If yes, we can't cram people into Times Square and make it an inviting target. Bloomberg's true feelings became evident when he wept at midnight. I can imagine his thoughts. "Thank God we didn't get blown up."

The truth is that we can never be completely protected. We can't have bomb sniffing dogs at every rail and subway station in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. That means it can happen here. That means we should be spending as much money as we need to make us safer. That means not getting bogged down in an Iraq side show that only benefits corporations that are using it as a cash cow. That means being honest with the public about the likelihood of another attack.

Already the right wing are criticizing the Spanish people for throwing out the party who went against their wishes and participated in the Iraq invasion. I thought Spain was a democracy. I thought its citizens could elect whomever they like. Apparently I was wrong. They have to check with the American right wing before they can make a decision about their own nation.

New Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is a man after my own heart. He called Bush and Blair liars, diplomatically of course, and repeated his intention to remove Spain's troops from Iraq. Do the American people have the courage to throw out a lying leader? I don't think so.

Black Republicans: A Bad Idea


Alphonso Jackson, acting Secretary of HUD, with President Bush during Faith Based Initiative conference in Los Angeles.

Saudi Prince Knew Attacks Would Occur on 9/11

The President has cynically used the 9/11 attacks in campaign ads. His response to the criticism is that he will talk about 9/11 whenever possible. OK Mr. President. Let's talk.

Maybe the President can start by talking about the Bin Laden relatives and other Saudis who left the U.S. in the days immediately following 9/11. All aircraft were grounded, except for these flights whisking Saudi royals and Bin Ladens out of the country.

Salon has the story of links between the Saudis and the Bushes and how two of Osama Bin Laden's siblings were among those allowed to leave the country without being interrogated. It also tells the story of Saudi Prince Ahmed. An al-Qaeda source says that the now deceased prince knew that America would be attacked on 9/11.

I agree with the President. He needs to talk about 9/11.

Godless Americans

If they had asked my advice I would have suggested a different name, but the Godless Americans Political Action Committee is a reality.

At first I was put off by a group who would announce themselves to be God less. On the other hand, let's look at those who call themselves people of God. Rev. Pat Robertson has twice advocated the bombing of the U.S. State Department. John Ashcroft holds prayer meetings in his office but will hold secret trials of terror suspects. President Bush says the Jesus is his favorite philosopher but wages war based on lies and over throws a democratically elected leader. Haiti should be called Iraq II. We are sending more troops and shooting innocent civilians.

Maybe the "Godless" aren't the ones we should worry about.

Remember Florida

How did Bush steal Florida in 2000? It wasn't with hanging chads or butterfly ballots. Florida was stolen months before election day when his brother Jeb and Katherine Harris purged 50,000 eligible voters from the rolls under the guise of keeping felons from voting. Almost all of the 50,000 were black and nearly all were in fact eligible to vote.

If you read the NY Times, Salon or listened to John Kerry speak you wouldn't know the true story in Florida. It is extremely troubling that even liberals don't mention how the election was stolen.

If Kerry has any common sense he knows that Dean was hammered for speaking a little bit of the truth, so I understand why he won't say that the president's brother helped steal the election. The press corps will hammer him before the campaign even begins. Even if he won't say so publicly I hope that privately he is working to insure that all eligible voters are able to cast their ballots.

More Freedom Rider

Get my take on Haiti, via TomPaine.com.

Jesus Demands Creative Control Over Next Movie

The Onion never disappoints.

John Kerry

Having predicted several months ago that Kerry was toast, I should probably avoid any more prognostication. But I think this is a no brainer.

If Kerry looks like he can beat Bush the press will come down on him like a ton of bricks. As Black Commentator points out in another brilliant piece on Haiti, the American media has become an agent of the Bush administration and corporate interests.

“Agents” is the most accurate term we can think of, although we invite other suggestions. The corporate media act as agents for the corporate consensus on the way the world should work. Far from being “stooges” or “lackeys,” corporate media frame reality in ways that leave the people few options but to accept the corporate consensus. Like an army, they dominate and overwhelm the national conversation. In addition, as a social force – possibly the most important social force in the American cultural “bubble” – corporate media are profoundly racist, upholding collective white privilege as well as corporate dominance.

I don't know how to fight against this onslaught but I do not have confidence that Democrats know what they are up against. I was a Dean supporter and I was dismayed when liberal pundits decided that dems shouldn't take a chance with Dean because of harsh press coverage. What will they say when Kerry is treated the same way?

My biggest disappointment with Kerry is his support of the Iraq war. He has already pledged to increase the number of U.S. troops in this colossal misadventure. However, the right wing ascendancy in the Republican party means that a Democrat is truly the lesser of two evils. I don't think that a Kerry Attorney General will demand patient records from abortion clinics.

If Kerry is able to circumvent his party's wimpiness and the pernicious influence of corporate media I will be a little relieved on the morning of November 3rd. But I am under no illusions. When the inevitable happens and he forgets what Democrats stand for I will take him to task too. The Freedom Ride will continue no matter what happens in this election.

France

Last year the French were villified by the right for refusing to support the war in Iraq. Now they are villified by the left because of their shameful role in the ouster and reverse middle passage exodus of President Aristide.

The French have now performed the amazing feat of being hated by everyone in the United States.

Gay Marriage and Black Politicians

In my March 1st post I wondered if Black opposition to gay marriage would translate into support for a constitutional amendment banning it. If Georgia is any indication the answer is probably no. Black legislators there voted against amending the state constitution to ban gay marriage. The right wing effort to use Blacks as a wedge in this issue may be a failure. We can only hope.

Braveheart: The Passion of the Christ

I was one of those who helped give the The Passion a thumbs up in box office receipts on its opening weekend. I know what you are thinking. Do we really need another review of this movie? No we don't, but if you have already read 100 opinions then reading 101 won't hurt.

I first wrote about this movie back on September 19, 2003. My focus at that time was Mel Gibson's shrewd use of the Christian right to deflect criticism of his film. Since then he has used the Pope to deflect criticism, which is funny considering that Gibson is a traditionalist Catholic who supposedly disavows Vatican authority. At any rate, he knew that it didn't hurt to claim the Holy Father was on his side.

We have since learned that Mel's dad is a holocaust denying anti-Semite, and Mel thinks non-Catholics, including his own wife, are bound for hell and damnation. Of course this Protestant bashing hasn't kept conservative Christians from continuing the big suck up to their new hero. The controversy surrounding this film has certainly created a hypocrisy fest.

The Passion is very well made. I can understand why most movie goers liked it. I appreciated the artistry and the successful telling of a gripping story in dramatic fashion. Gibson knows how to make an epic that holds the viewers attention. Who would have guessed that Americans would line up to see a film with dialogue in Latin and Aramaic?

However, I am uncomfortable with a story about Jesus that concentrates on his death. The Passion was a lost opportunity to tell us how Christ lived and how he expected the rest of us to live. There are a few flash backs to tell us that his ministry taught love and forgiveness, but the emphasis is on the brutalized Christ. He is like the protagonist of another Mel Gibson movie. William Wallace, Braveheart, spits out his pain killer and takes being drawn and quartered like a macho action hero.

One of the ways Gibson defended himself was by claiming that the film was faithful to the Gospels. If you don't like the movie well then you don't like the Gospels either. Of course he gets the basic information right but the description of Christ's arrest, trial, torture and crucifixion is brief. You can't make a two hour film about the Passion without some degree of creative license. I suppose that is why we have a Satan figure hovering in the background who resembles a bad drag queen.

The violence in the movie is excessive. At one point I had to close my eyes. Every time I thought the beating had stopped it went on and on and on. The Gospels say "They scourged him." They don't say how many lashes and how long it took to deliver them. Again we have Mel Gibson's imagination at work under the guise of accuracy to biblical text. We also have one of the film's flaws. Anyone beaten that much would have been dead before he was crucified. When we finally get to the crucifixion the torture still hasn't ended. We see both nails driven into his flesh in graphic detail, then we see the nailing of his feet, then the Roman soldiers turn the cross upside down to beat down the nails even more. Dear Mel, we get it already!

In this story the villains are Jewish and their victim is God on earth. Well, we can see how anti-Semitism began. Gibson gives Pilate more credit than the Gospels do for being angst ridden about condemning Jesus. It is true that a Roman proconsul in that situation would have stuck his finger in the air to see which way the wind was blowing. If the local authorities, in this case Jewish high priests, wanted an execution and if relenting wouldn't cause an uprising he would let them have their execution.

Unfortunately, the overly sympathetic portrait of Pilate does give credence to the anti-Semitism charge. The blame for the death of the majority culture deity has been a cause of persecution committed against Jews throughout Christian history. Jews were in a no-win situation in talking about this movie. If they say nothing they are Uncle Toms. If they speak up they are accused of denying Christians the story of their faith.

I understand Jewish discomfort with the subject matter, but at times I have felt that gentiles were deemed guilty until proven innocent. There was an implication that while we may not all be anti-Semites we can't be trusted to see a depiction of Jews condemning Jesus. One would have thought that Christians would leave the multiplex and start pogroms on the way home.

Most American Christians in the 21st century do not spend time blaming Jews for the death of Christ. We are not medieval Germans at Oberramagau and we are capable of pondering the significance of the crucifixion without turning into anti-Semites. I don't know if Caiaphas or Pilate was more responsible for the death of Jesus and neither does anyone else. We also shouldn't care who was more responsible. We only need to remember that Jesus chose death and he forgave his killers. The debate should be over, but Americans love to be outraged. What happens if the movie is nominated for Oscars next year? What happens if it isn't? I would prefer going through Lent next year without reading the words Mel and Gibson every time I pick up a newspaper.

By the way, which outrage of 2004 was the least edifying, Janet's breast or The Passion? It seems we can never have enough controversy in America and the year is still young.

Aristide Speaks

The news about Aristide is coming fast and furious. He spoke to the press by phone and repeated that he was forced out of Haiti by U.S. troops.

"I was Kidnapped. Tell the World It is a Coup."

Haiti's democratically elected president, Jean Bertrand Aristide, was removed from power by the United States. He was able to speak with Randall Robinson and Rep. Maxine Waters. He wanted the world to know that he did not leave Haiti voluntary. He was kidnapped and taken to Africa, probably to the Central African Republic. Read about it here.

We should not be surprised. The Iraq war is not described as a coup, but it should be. If we pulled it off with Iraq we can do it to a small nation with a weak and struggling democracy. We should protest the coup against Aristide as vociferously as we protested against the war in Iraq.

I am very discouraged that anything can stop this power mad administration. The public are disengaged and the American media are in the pocket of the powerful. Even when we make an effort to find the truth we are confronted by the New York Times which suddenly thinks we need to know more details of Saddam Hussein's corruption. The first anniversary of the war is on March 20th. The Bushies can't take a chance that they will be questioned. If we don't have more evil dictator news the public may actually think for themselves.

Of course, there are vehement denials that Aristide was kidnapped, but as I have said before, we should believe the worst about this administration and not be cowed by charges of conspiracy theories. Now is the time for all good people to be as paranoid as possible. God help Aristide and the rest of us too. There is only one super power on earth and it is always up to no good.

Gay Marriage, the Klan and Black America

Today's New York Times sort of gets it right on the topic of the black church and gay marriage. The paper of record is usually lacking when it writes about black America. Unfortunately whenever low expectations are exceeded, a little credit must be given.

Black people make very conservative statements on the issue of sex, but those beliefs don't necessarily translate into conservative action. The disproportionate numbers of HIV cases in our community are proof of that. In addition, we tend not to be active on issues outside of race and civil rights. We have opinions on other topics just like the rest of America, but don't actively participate in the public sphere. I don't think you will find many of us at a conference on global warming, but black people have been accusing "them" of "changing the weather" since the 70s.

This contradiction makes it hard to figure out how black people feel about gay marriage and what if anything we will do about it. Most blacks are opposed to gay marriage but would most support a constitutional amendment to ban it? I don't think so. At the same time we are very reluctant to consider gay rights a civil rights issue.

Unfortunately, many of our clergy have spoken out so strongly against gay marriage they must have lost brain cells in the process. The Times gives us this quote that is stunning in its ignorance and stupidity.

"If the K.K.K. opposes gay marriage, I would ride with them."

This gem comes from a Rev. Gregory Daniels. Some people let hyperbole take over when they get near a microphone or perhaps it is a case of a neurological disease. If someone out there knows Rev. Daniels and has an explanation for his bizarre statement please get in touch with me.

I first wrote on the issue last fall in Black Commentator. I was concerned that white conservatives who are rarely concerned about problems in the black community were suddenly finding black people to join them in hand wringing over gay rights. I doubt that many of us will fall for it. At the end of the day, we know that our interests are not those of the right wing of the republican party.