Blog

It’s been over a week now since the release of the Iraq Study Group report. The basis of the report is that the situation in Iraq is “grave and deteriorating,” and that there is no workable military solution. The report states that the only path with some potential for success is a joint diplomatic/political venture involving Iraq’s neighbors. Iraq Study Group Report

The bipartisan panel includes heavy-hitters from both sides of the aisle: a former Supreme Court Justice, two former Secretary of States, a former Attorney General, a former Defense Secretary, a former White House Chief of Staff.

Study Group CompositionAccording to recent polls, the public is firmly behind the findings of the report.

In the results of a Washington Post/ABC News poll released today, 46% of all Americans support the findings of the report, while 22% oppose it. 52% of Americans believe we’re losing the war in Iraq, and 79% favor putting American troops in support, not combat roles. And most importantly, 69% of all Americans believe all US troops should be withdrawn from Iraq by early 2008. Poll Results

Continue reading “Let’s Fire George Bush”

“Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles.
From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“”Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!”” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

“The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus

I’ve been watching the whole immigration saga that’s been in the news recently with a lot of interest.

There have been marches in every city – with hundreds of thousands of people in Los Angeles and Chicago participating – all protesting the Republican party’s proposed immigration reform bill. That bill would make it a felony to enter the country illegally.

Now, the Republican’s proposal to so-called “criminalize” illegal aliens is on its face, ludicrous at best. It’s like we didn’t already have enough problems with the federal budget, so now the Republicans want to spend millions if not billions locking up illegal aliens – “punishing” them for slipping into the country without a visa.

It’s not the very stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of, but it’s close.

Continue reading “Land of Promise Denied”

Our hypocrite of the decade award goes to none other than George W. Bush.

Mr. Bush, the world’s premier champion of the democratic form of government, has made spreading democracy Job Number One for the good ol’ US of A.

This mantle of good-natured philanthropy surfaced, as you’ll no doubt recall, after it finally became apparent that there were no actual Weapons of mass Destruction in Iraq, and further, that Iraq and Saddam Hussein posed no threat to anyone at all beyond Iraq’s borders.

Without the threat of WMD’s as a justification for the invasion, Mr. Bush obviously needed something else to use for the rationale.

Mr. Bush was observed to state, “Well heck, even if there weren’t any WMD’s, we still need to let these godless heathen, goat-lovers choose their own form of government, so the invasion was still necessary – I promise you that. We did it to protect them, so they can have a government of the people, by the people and for the people, just like us. So as soon as they elect a democratic government and are able to govern themselves, we’ll pick up our guns and leave.”

So now the Spread Of Democracy – what a grand, noble cause – is job one!

Continue reading “Hypocrite of the Decade”

In defense of his domestic spying program, George Bush said today, “When terrorist operatives are here in America communicating with someone overseas, we must understand what’s going on if we’re going to do our job to protect the people. The safety and security of the American people depend on our ability to find out who the terrorists are talking to, and what they’re planning.”

He went on, “Federal courts have consistently ruled that a president has authority under the Constitution to conduct foreign intelligence surveillance against our enemies. My predecessors have used the same constitutional authority on numerous occasions. And the Supreme Court has ruled that Congress gave the president additional authority to use the traditional tools — or ‘fundamental incidents’ — of war in the fight against terror when Congress passed the authorization for the use of military force in 2001.”

To examine the validity of the President’s statements, you have to look at the resolution he referenced.

In the War Powers Resolution of 2001, it stated that the President “…has authority under the Constitution to take action to deter and prevent acts of international terrorism against the United States…” and that “… the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.” Emphasis added.

This clearly delineates the President’s authority as that which is specifically granted under the Constitution.

In the constitution, the Fourth Amendment guarantees Americans “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.” This right includes protections against warrantless wiretaps.

Continue reading “Our First Step Towards a Totalitarian Dictatorship”

There you are, you’re George W. Bush, you’re trailing badly in the polls, you’ve got this nasty little problem with domestic spying making headline news all over the place, your war in Iraq is continuing to go sour, and all your best buddies are getting indicted for corruption and bribery. So what do you do?

You call out the heavy artillery, that’s what!

Last week, after a year’s absence, George W. Bush’s biggest supporter, Osama bin Laden made a rare appearance, via an audiotape mailed to Aljazeera TV.
In the tape, bin Laden alternately threatened to bring the war back home to America, and then offered a truce.

Continue reading “George Orwell Would Be Proud…”