Cowardly Lions on the Yellow Brick Road

Watching the pathetic congressional debate over a "non-binding" opposition statement to Bush’s warmongering, reminds me of the old saw about a gentleman farmer and his mule.

The city farmer could not get the mule to pull the plow no matter how he tugged, cajoled or switched the animal. Finally a leathery neighbor farmer walked up with a length of two by four and whacked the mule between the eyes. Aghast, the city farmer said, "Why did you do that?" The crusty old neighbor replied, "Son, in order to get a mule to do anything, you first have to get its attention!"

It seems to me that if the Democrats had the gumption of a Sloth they would take congressional purse strings, tie a knot around the Iraq money bag and metaphorically slug Mr. Dense between his beady eyes. Then launch an informational campaign to inform the public that they (along with several Republicans) have taken the first step in saving US troops from gradual slaughter on the alter of Bush’s incompetence and hubris.

They could then announce that the billions in savings would go to immediate "spare- no- expense" rehabilitation and financial support for the thousands of young men and women who left severed arms, legs and psyches along the path of Bush lies justifying the invasion of Iraq. The rest could go to national health care and education.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict the "aiding al Quaida" tar bucket is at the ready to smear such action. So what else is new? The tar bucket is already in use. The Democratic ninnies have to decide whether they are going to stand for what is right or what they construe to be politically safe. What is it about 70% of public opinion being with them that they don’t understand?

Don’t let the Bushites frame the question. Don’t let more Americans die for Bush’s mistakes and lies.

Bush Foreign Policy

Or else what?

The Decider Defies Gravity

Fantasy Island 

Bush in Fantasyland again!

During the presidential campaign Senator John Kerry alluded to the Bush administration’s mistakes in their handling of the war in Iraq. He was bluntly asked, on national television, if he thought American troops were dying “for a mistake”. Kerry weaseled his answer.

We now know the answer is yes. President Bush admitted on national television that American soldiers are dying in Iraq for his mistakes. The only people who don’t understand that are the twenty or so percent of our population who blindly salute to the stirring strains of Hail To Our Serial Liar Commander-in-Chief.

The tattered remains of “ cakewalks , mission accomplished, weapons of mass destruction, al Qaida-Iraq-9/11 connections” drifted out of sight in the wake of Bush’s ever changing rational for abandoning the fight against terrorists to invade Iraq.

In his address to the nation he told us we need another 20,000 troops to correct his “mistakes” for which he “takes responsibility” while pointing out the deadly chaos is not really his fault.

He told us there were two reasons for the violence. One, there “were not enough troops to secure the neighborhoods” and two, “there were too many restrictions on the troops we did have.”

Really? Let me see if I understand this. We, the most powerful nation in the world invaded Iraq! We occupy Iraq! We own Iraq! Who, pray tell, placed “too many restrictions” on the way we have used our troops in Iraq?

Reports by the General Accountability Office and by the Iraq Study Group agree that repeated deployments to Iraq have strained the U.S. military to the point where training is being shorted, equipment is in disrepair and the force is increasingly unready to fight other conflicts and homeland defense missions. Yet, our President stands there with a straight face and talks of sending warships to the area and threatens military action against Syria and Iran.

The speech was not about the state of our nation. It was about the state of his fantasies. By the way, whatever happened to the”great job” Rumsfeld did managing the troops in Iraq?

Crow, well done! 

"New 'surge' uniform---one each---sign here." 

Bush contemplates Iraq critics 

No caption needed 

Brothers 

The Age of Un-Accountabililty

An axiom of human relationships in a civilized, democratic society is that one should be held accountable for one’s actions. There are exceptions, of course, but being President of the United States is not, per se, one of them.

At our government level we do that by the elective process or by impeachment.
Throwing the "rascals" out is a time honored (if not timely) tradition. Impeachment is a more drastic and cumbersome tool, rarely used and occasionally vulnerable to petty politics and venal agendas.

Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution charts the grounds for impeachment: "the President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

Representative Nancy Palosi is quoted as saying "impeachment is not on the table" for the new democratic majority when it comes to dealing with the actions of President Bush over the past six years. Why not?? Look at the record!!

Abuse of Power -U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor declares Bush’s domestic spying program unconstitutional. In a stinging indictment of Constitutional abuse by the Bush Administration, she ruled the program violates the Administrative Procedures Act, the doctrine of separation of powers and the First and Fourth amendments of the Constitution.

"There are no hereditary Kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution. So all ‘inherent powers’ must derive from the Constitution," Taylor wrote in her opinion.

Jonathan Turley, law professor at George Washington University points out that if the judges ruling is upheld on appeal, the President will be guilty of violating federal law at least 30 times and that could provide grounds for impeachment.

High Crimes-- Bush has declared the Geneva Convention does not apply to his "war on terrorism" and therefore especially aggressive interrogation techniques are ok. The Geneva Convention standards have been followed for more than a half-century by almost 190 countries, including the United States.

The War Crimes Act of 1996, passed by a Republican Congress, makes it a felony to violate the Geneva Conventions. Bush has authorized techniques such as prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures long periods in stress positions, strapping prisoners to metal contraptions and force feeding to mention a few.

While Bush payed lip service to "we do not torture," he authorized a secret "rendition" program that transfers detainees to facilitate torture such as beatings with hands and sticks and being hung up for falaqa—beatings on the sole of the foot.

Former director the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, Vincent Cannistraro, told Newsday newspaper in February 2003, that a senior al-Quaeda detainee had been sent from Guantanamo Bay to Egypt because he was refusing to cooperate with his interrogators. In Egypt, Cannistraro said, "they promptly tore his fingernails out" to get him talking. Referring to the "franchising" out, he said Syria is a country , like Iraq, where they torture people. They use electrodes, and water torture. They take torture to the point of death, like the Egyptians.

Obstruction of Justice--Bush refused to provide testimony and evidence demanded by the Senate Intelligence Committee and by the 9-11 Commission. He refused to testify under an oath or with any record being made of his answers and had members of his administration lie to both bodies. His obstruction assured that we will never know exactly what went wrong before those attacks and adds an uncomfortable element of jeopardy to our prevention efforts

Abuse of Power--Bush declared that he has the power to detain and imprison anyone, indefinitely, by designating them as "enemy combatants" or "terrorists." He sponsored legislation to codify indefinite detention and denial of habeas corpus rights.

High Crimes and Misdemeanors--Serious misconduct in office comes under this umbrella. When Katrina roared into New Orleans, the president had a duty and obligation to protect its citizens by initiating drastic emergency action that only he was authorized to undertake in the face of a potential disaster. (President Eisenhower ordering the national guard to protect the integration process in Mississippi) Instead he flew to California to campaign and was three days behind the curve while more than a thousand Americans died and New Orleans was decimated.

The underlying question is where would we be today without the actions of President George Bush of diverting U.S. troops from Afghanistan and invading Iraq?

There are several no-brainer answers:
More than 2,900 American servicemen and women would be alive!
More than 22,000 American servicemen and women would not be wounded!
Roughly 600,000 Iraqis would not be dead as result of the invasion
Iraq would not be the rallying point of Islamic radicals!
Incidents of worldwide terrorist activity likely would not have doubled!
The U.S. would have had $400 billion for other purposes!
The Taliban would not be making a comeback in Afghanistan!
Osama Bin Laden might have been captured! (Speaking of accountability)
Our Constitutional rights would not be in jeopardy due to the hysteria engendered by Bush’s fear mongering!

So what are we to do with a President who has wrought such havoc abroad and at home—just watch him ride off to Texas and await the judgement of history? What lesson will future presidents learn from the way those with responsibility deal with Mr. Bush? Can anyone seriously suggest that Bush’s lies about Iraq do not rise to the level of impeachability as Clinton’s lie about having extramarital sex in the White House?

After 9-11, President Bush issued a stirring call to arms to right the wrongs of that attack. Patrick R. McCaffery, a Silicone Valley auto-body-shop manager with two children joined the National Guard to do his part for homeland security. Instead, he was sent to Iraq as Bush consistently linked the attack on the New York Trade Center with Saddam Hussein’s government. There, McCaffery died. His mother reported that her son "said we had no business in Iraq and should not be there."

Belatedly, Bush admitted that Iraq had "nothing" to do with 9-11, too late for Patrick McCaffery. And we can’t bring ourselves to hold Bush accountable? How sad for our country!

Bill Sanders

T'was The Night Before Christmas

T'was the night before Christmas, when at the White House
Big brother was watching by using his mouse.
Money bags were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes Abramoff would again be there.

Chaney and Rummy were snug in their beds.
While visions of cakewalks danced in their heads.
Condi and Powell in their statesmen caps
Practiced explaining their memory lapse.

When out in Iraq, there arose such clatter
The Decider decided that none of that mattered.
He and Chaney to the window did dash
To denounce their critics as "traitorous trash!!"

The moon on the crest of the fallen dictator
Gave an open invitation to the nuts of Al Quaeta
More rapid than eagles, the terrorist came!
Where they once feared to tread, they strutted with out shame!

Meanwhile, out at Abu Graib,
Interrogators plied the tools of their trade
Prisoners were herded into permanent detention,
Where no one has heard of the Geneva Convention.

As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly
Detainees disappeared, like clouds in the sky.
Quantanamo Bay took four hundred or so,
The black hole of retention took the rest, don’t you know?

Then, in a twinkling, on the White House roof
Came the prancing and pawing of a fancy Texas boot.
George looked down as we waved our vote
He shouted, "Too late, you missed the boat!

He was dressed in his flight gear, from head to boot,
Victory Accomplished his whistle did toot.
"No democratic Iraq?", we defiantly said.
Clearly the irony was over his head.

His eyes how they squinted-- an attempt to be merry.
He said, Stay the course or you might end up buried. .
He spoke with a mouth that was full of food!
(Where he comes from in Texas that’s not considered rude.)

He held the constitution. With his knife he did whack
And neatly carved out the Patriot Act
Now the laws of this country, he can decree,
No longer apply to you or to me.

With money and tax breaks, he went right to work
Filling silk stockings, then turned like a jerk
And laying his fingers in front of his nose,
He called down the chimney for his Texas clothes.

He sprang to his copter. Gave the pilot a sign
And they all flew away, leaving us behind.
But I heard him exclaim since he did not linger,
"Happy Christmas to all!" Then he gave us the finger.

Bill Sanders

Now, impeach the King! 

Help Wanted: Articulate Politician

The current flap about John Kerry’s remarks to students in California proves that you can never overestimate the venal desperation of Bushites nor underestimate the hyper-cautious spinelessness of democrats.

After several one liners, including a joke that President Bush has lived in Texas but now lives "in the state of denial"—Kerry said "Education, you know, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq."

In the written version of his speech the text read: "Do you know where you end up if you don’t study, if you aren’t smart, if you’re intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush." For the sake of debate let’s ignore the prepared text and deal with what he actually said.

The Bushites claim his remark was an insult to the troops risking their lives in Iraq. The feckless democrats flopped onto their back and proclaimed his remark inappropriate. Television’s faux-journalist talking heads did their usual shallow job of dealing with the issue. (I won’t dignify dimwits like Rush Limbaugh by quoting them)

Taking Kerry’s actual remarks literally, did he imply troops in Iraq were stupid? No. What his literal remark implies is what anyone knows to be true unless one has been living under a rock. That is, generally, those with less economic fortune and those with less formal education, have been fighting our wars for us. And we–-most certainly those wealthy republicans—-would not have it any other way.

Most of the young men and women who were drafted and died in Vietnam did not have college degrees. Nor were they young men and women of lush financial means. The same is true of the war in Korea. The same is true of the troops in Iraq today.

Yes, there is no draft today. Yes, we do have a professional military today—and yes, its core is made up of officers with degrees. However, the vast majority of those bearing the brunt of this war-—as with past wars—-are young, less educated (not stupid) and of modest means. My guess is that a survey of our national guard (some serving their second and third tour in Iraq) reflect similar demographics.

John Kerry should apologize, all right---–for speaking at George Bush’s level of articulation. Then he should take a leave of absence from the political scene and enroll in a refresher course in political astuteness.

George Bush should apologize to the planet for his unjustified war in Iraq and the chaos that has resulted from it!

Wizard of Hubris

When Dorothy finally follows the yellow brink road to the Palace of the Wizard of Oz, she, her little dog Toto and three companions are confronted by a larger than life image surrounded by vapors of smoke. "I am the great and powerful Oz," declares the booming voice of the image.

As Dorothy and her entourage quake with fear, little Toto tugs at a nearby curtain, revealing a less than awesome figure speaking into a microphone while frantically pulling and tugging on various levers to maintain the illusion of the larger than life image among the vapors.

That is about where we are in this country with King George, the Wizard of Hubris.

The curtain of reality has finally been pulled back to reveal a small minded, arrogant Wizard of deception and lies whose ego is continually fed by the equal arrogance of his retinue of venal, incompetent, neo-con advisors.

Yet they still man their post before their custom control board, yanking on levers marked Iraq- WMDs, Iraq-Al Quaida, Iraq-enemy combatants, Iraq-fear, Iraq-defeatists, Iraq-unpatriotic, Iraq- denial, and that old favorite, God is on Our Side!

However, it is interesting to note that they are no longer yanking the levers of "Wanted, Dead or Alive" and "Bring Em On," as the "axis of evil"—North Korea and Iran tread down the path toward Nuclear viability.

Meanwhile, the Wizard’s trail of incompetence is littered with the bodies of more than 600,000 Iraqis and 2,700 Americans —not to mention more than 8,000 severely wounded U.S. troops.

But the Wizard remains in power while the Democratic Dwarfs scurry around still trying to find the Yellow Brick Road.

We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore, Toto! –Bill Sanders

GOP Values at work 

Attention Florida citizens! 

"Amazing progress"--W 

No capton--tobacco greed