The Other Real World

"New" Counterinsurgency Tactic In Iraq: Don't kill the civilians, provide for them!

2006-10-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

This article (Subscription Required) in the NY Times today should be filed under the heading, "Well, Duhhhhhh!"

We just got married here in The Other Real World, and frankly so dismayed at the state of GOP Politricks, the War in Iraq and the general state of affairs that we took a break from blogging to enjoy the sweeter things in life and love.

The Foley email-perv-cover-up-gate notwithstanding (for the moment), today's NY Times has an article about that pesky old war in Iraq. Rove may be hi-5'ing Bush right now (dude, Foley's controlling the news cycle!) but Iraq still slogs on, a war looking for a strategy, an Army busted by our leaders.

But, never fear, They've come up with a solution...

Right now the Yes Men of the Respectable US Army and Marines have devised a brilliant new strategy. Don't kill the civilians, provide for their safety and welfare first. Friggin' DUH!!! They're just now figuring this out?!?! Who is in charge of this whole shooting match anyway?

Oh Yeah... Oh Crap.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 — The United States Army and Marines are finishing work on a new counterinsurgency doctrine that draws on the hard-learned lessons from Iraq and makes the welfare and protection of civilians a bedrock element of military
strategy. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/05/washington/05doctrine.html

5 years and they've figured out Democracy can't be forced at the end of a gun, and that civility starts with humanity. Someone deserves a medal.

Or the boot.

Short Tempers Flair in Iraq

2006-05-28T00:34:00.000-07:00

No american wants the U.S. to fail in Iraq, no matter what side of the political fence you mow your lawn. But as our leaders proclaim political success by baby steps, the news is filled with images of horror, outrage, despair. As bad as things were under Saddam - it's becoming harder and harder to believe that what exists now is any better.

BAGHDAD, Iraq May 28, 2006 (AP)— An Iraqi tennis coach and two of his players were shot to death this week in Baghdad because they were wearing shorts, authorities said Saturday, reporting the latest in a series of recent attacks attributed to Islamic extremists.
A U.S. Marine AH-1 Cobra helicopter, meanwhile, crashed Saturday and its two crew members were missing in Anbar province, a volatile area west of the capital where insurgents are active.
Hostile fire was not suspected as the cause of the crash, the U.S. military said. A pair of bombs ripped through central Baghdad just after dawn Sunday, killing three people and injuring 21, police said. Link (AP-ABC News)

If it's not in their constitution now, they need to add an amendment: the right of people to wear shorts in the dessert. Democracy without shorts is a long-legged form of fascism if you ask me.

It gets worse.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military is bracing for a major scandal over the alleged slaying of Iraqi civilians by Marines in Haditha — charges so serious they could threaten President Bush's effort to rally support at home for an increasingly unpopular war.
And while the case has attracted little attention so far in Iraq, it still could enflame hostility to the U.S. presence just as Iraq's new government is getting established, and complicate efforts by moderate Sunni Arab leaders to reach out to their community — the bedrock of the insurgency.
U.S. lawmakers have been told the criminal investigation will be finished in about 30 days. But a Pentagon official said investigators believe Marines committed unprovoked murder in the deaths of about two dozen people at Haditha in November. (Yahoo - AP)

Is it too late to ask for a do-over?

Leopold Scoop - De-Scoopified?

2006-05-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

Update: Since our last post, we've done some more reading about Jason Leopold. While his reporting and writing style are intriguing, upon further reflection (and research), it seems that there may be cause to suspect some of his reporting methods and practices. Apparently Mr. Leopold has a history of reporting things that can not be verified, and in some cases, he has reported things that have later turned out to be factually incorrect.

Salon's article on the subject is worth reading.

Mea Culpa readers. Those of us living in The Other Real World agree with most Americans (69%) who say that this country is headed in the wrong direction - and a big part of that is because of Karl Rove and George W. Bush. Perhaps we're a little too eager to see Rove and the BFEE finally be brought to task in the clear light of the justice system; so eager that we forget to run all the juicy political tidbits through the BDD (Bullshit Detection Device) that separates the real cynics from the amateurs.

We're not going to delete the previous post about Leopold's "Scoop" - as much as we'd like to - but let it remain as a humbling reminder that wishing things to be true doesn't make it so. (Hey: Bushbots, that goes for Iraq too.)

As far as Karl Rove's possible indictment - at this point it's just wait-and-see/trust-but-verify.

Truthout Scoop: Rove to Bush, "I'm gettiing indicted"

2006-05-12T16:50:00.000-07:00

Jason Leopold is reporting on TRUTHOUT that Karl Rove has informed Bush and his new chief of staff, Josh "shake up" Bolten, that he's getting indicted and will resign as soon as it becomes public.

By Jason Leopold
t r u t h o u t Report
"Within the last week, Karl Rove told President Bush and Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten, as well as a few other high level administration officials, that he will be indicted in the CIA leak case and will immediately resign his White House job when the special counsel publicly announces the charges against him, according to sources.
Details of Rove's discussions with the president and Bolten have spread through the corridors of the White House where low-level staffers and senior officials were trying to determine how the indictment would impact an administration that has been mired in a number of high-profile political scandals for nearly a year, said a half-dozen White House aides and two senior officials who work at the Republican National Committee." Read on..

Much of what Leopold has published on this topic in the past has been right on the money. Could this be the real start of the 12 days of Fitzmas for Rove? It's all pins and needles here in The Other Real World.

Here's why. If Rove is indicted, the White House may finally have to answer some very tough questions. Why did the White House say Rove and Libby were not involved in the the leak, even while they both were allegedly lying to the grand jury and obstructing justice? Did the president ask Rove and Libby if they were lying? WDTPKAWDHKI: What did the president know, and when did he know it, a question that's brought down at least one republican president already.

Fox News White House transplant, Tony Snow, is going to have his hands full answering those questions. Scott Mclellan will be watching with a smirk the size of Texas. Talk about getting out while the gettin's good. Bush can't quit when the excrement hits the cooling device, he's staying right where he is, until Congress says otherwise.

Tony Snow is a tough guy; to his credit he beat cancer , the hardest personal battle any of us may ever have to face. Cancer, as it turns out, was a winning battle for Snow. Saving the Bush Administration from itself will probably be even harder than that. If he loses that one, his job will be waiting for him at FauxNews.

GOP Screw-you-nomics: $20 for Middle Class, $82K for the Rich

2006-05-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

If you ever needed evidence of how today's "Conservative" holds the middle-class in contempt, all you need do is take a look at the latest round of tax cuts. Not only do these cuts benefit the most fortunate amongst us (top 1%), they are a clear message to America during wartime: we're getting richer; your children get to pay for this war.

Here's how the cuts break down: If you earn between $27,000 and $47,000 a year, which is middle income, your tax savings will average $20.
If you earn $47,000 to $82,000, you save $115.
Those with an average income of $82,000 and over will receive savings of roughly $2,099.
But the biggest savings go to the biggest earners. The top 1 percent of wage earners will receive a $13,849, and the top 0.1 percent will save an average of $82,000, which is why this bill was so controversial. [emphasis added - obscenity revealed] ABC News: Link - ABC News

So, why did they free up all that money for the super rich? To invest in the American economy? Not bloody likely... Investors are increasingly moving their money to foreign markets as the dollar loses strength. Guess again.

The real reason they're giving back money to the super rich is because the GOP is gearing up for another war - the final battle against the middle-class. It's going to take a lot of money to fool America into voting GOP again after the mess they've made of America, Civil Liberties, the economy, Iraq, Immigration, FEMA, the CIA, Congress and everything else they've undertaken in the last 6 years. The super-rich have some huge political bills to pay.

If you earn less than $200k a year and you still vote GOP, you're a fool. They've got you duped with "gay marriage" and "abortions on demand" and "your with us or you're for the terrorists" crap while they rob you blind. Halliburton, Big Oil and other favored industries get your money while you hug your bible, wave your flag and say, thank you, sirs, may I have another!

You can keep your bible and your flag, nobody is going to take them away from you. Reconsider your voting choice next November, and you might just get your country back. Otherwise, get ready for the next trillion-dollar war, kiss the middle-class goodbye and start learning a second language for your new job in India.

CIA #1 and #3 Gone - #2 and #4 Losing Sleep

2006-05-08T17:59:00.001-07:00

Looks like the latest casualty of the CIA Shakeup/Hookergate scandal is the number three guy, Kyle Foggo. With the number one and number three guys gone, numbers two and four won't be sleeping easy tonight.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The third-highest official at the CIA, under investigation over ties to a defense contractor linked to a Capitol Hill bribery inquiry, has decided to step down, intelligence sources told CNN Monday.

Kyle "Dusty" Foggo was plucked from relative obscurity by CIA Director Porter Goss to become the CIA's executive director, the agency's No. 3 position. As such, Foggo was in charge of day-to-day operations at the spy agency. Link

Um... exactly how does this make our country safer? It's coming up on five years since 9/11 and the CIA is in shambles.

Stock up on duct tape and tuna, you're on your own.

107 Court Martials, Another 170 Torture Investigations

2006-05-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm not making this up. According to US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Charles Stimson, there have been 107 courts martials and an additional 170 investigations of torture by US troops and agents of our country. The party line from the Kool Aid bunch is that incidents of torture represent "a few bad apples." It doesn't take a genius to figure out that 277 incidents were not isolated, but rather indicative of a policy handed down from the White House, through Rumsfeld on down through the ranks.

GENEVA (AFP) - US officials told the UN's anti-torture body that the United States had held 103 courts martial for mistreatment of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan under a broad clampdown against ill treatment.

Another 170 investigations are still under way, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Charles Stimson said during Washington's first appearance before the UN Committee on Torture since President George W. Bush unleashed a "war on terrorism". Link

These were not 277 isolated incidents. 277 soldiers did not just coincidentally and simultaneously pull torture out of their asses. They were following orders founded in bad policy.

Credit where credit is due. The investigations and reporting are testaments to the American ideals of justice and humanity. The incidents themselves show America at its lowest point - when fear trumped the rule of law.

Good luck to the 277 scapegoats, I hope they learned their lessons. As to the commanders who set the policy and gave the orders, America's shame belongs to you.

Conservative Founder of USA TODAY: Bush Supporters "In Denial"

2006-05-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

Al Neuhart, known conservative and founder of the USA Today newspaper answers a question on a lot of people's minds. Whayt's up with the 34% of Americans who still support President Bush's worst presidencey ever?

According to Neuharth (USA-Today link) Bush's remaining supporters are in denial. In his own words:

How low can Bush's approval rating go? My hunch is it's at or near the bottom. That 34% represents mostly unshakable far-right wingers. Like Bush, Vice President Cheney and company, they are in denial. As were the 24% in the polls who still approved of President Richard Nixon before he resigned in disgrace.

What happened to the 37% who have switched from pro-Bush to anti-Bush? They finally realized they were suckered by Bush and his buddies back then about Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction, his tie to terrorists and his threat to the USA. [emphasis mine]

Denial didn't help Nixon's supporters. Perhaps the Bushbots with koolaid running hot in their veins could learn from the 24% who still supported Nixon - get out now while the getting is good. Your leaders let you down, it's not your fault.

Goss Resigns Suddenly - CIA In Disarray

Another one bites the dust. This time it's Porter Goss head of the CIA. His resignation was unexpected - despite what the BushBot pundits are selling - and comes only days after it was announced that the #3 person at the CIA is being investigated in connection with the Duke Cunningham Bribery/Watergate Hooker scandal.

"Director Porter Goss resigned suddenly Friday, nudged out after a turmoil-filled 18 months at the spy agency as it struggled to forge a new identity in an era of intelligence blunders and government overhauls...."

"...It was not entirely clear why Goss resigned so unexpectedly. An intelligence official, speaking only on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of his position, said Goss had stood up for the agency when there were differences with National Intelligence Director John Negroponte's office, which was created about a year ago...." (AP-Yahoo)

Even if there were differences between Goss and Negroponte, that does not explain why he resigned so unexpectedly. As this story unfolds, it won't look good for anybody.

Bottom line, we're less safe today than we were before 9/11 because Bush keeps appointing the wrong people. Being "the decider" isn't much of a strength if you keep making the wrong decisions. That makes him the "bad decision-er."

Rumsfeld "Faced" by ex-CIA McGovern in Atlanta

2006-05-04T17:32:00.001-07:00

How the Truth Got its Groove Back

Wow, first Stephen Colbert offers stinging criticism of the press and the Bush Administration, and now we have another unscripted moment; Donald Rumsfeld was called to task for comments made in the lead up to the Iraq war that proved not to be true. I must admit, lately I've been worrying about right to free speech in this country. Colbert's performance and today's truth moment courtesy of tough questions by CIA-veteran Ray McGovern give rise to hope.

At least our comedians, ex-generals and ex-CIA directors can speak out. More power to them.

McGovern: "Why did you lie to get us into a war that was not necessary, that has cause these kinds of casualties?"

Rumsfeld: "Well, first of all, I haven't lied. I did not lie then...."

McGovern: "You said you knew where they were."

Rumsfeld: "I did not. I said I knew where suspect sites were."

McGovern: You said you knew where they were, near Tikrit, near Baghdad and north, east, south and west of there. Those are your words..." (Read more of the transcript here - VOA Spin at no extra charge - and watch the video at cooksandliars)

So, Let's take a look at what Rumsfeld did say on ABC's This Week, March 30, 2003

MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Finally, weapons of mass destruction. Key goal of the military campaign is finding those weapons of mass destruction. None have been found yet. There was a raid on the Answar Al-Islam Camp up in the north last night. A lot of people expected to find ricin there. None was found. How big of a problem is that? And is it curious to you that given how much control U.S. and coalition forces now have in the country, they haven't found any weapons of mass destruction?
SEC. RUMSFELD: Not at all. If you think -- let me take that, both pieces -- the area in the south and the west and the north that coalition forces control is substantial. It happens not to be the area where weapons of mass destruction were dispersed. We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat. Link

Sounds pretty much like Rumsfeld was either lying, spining or just plain making the shit up. Gee whiz, Henny-Penny, it's time for Rumsfeld to leave the Defense Department.

It's also interesting to note that McGovern and the other protesters at the event were all forcefully removed from the premises. So, while free speech may still get your ass dragged out of an event, at least those willing to face arrest and strong-arm tactics can still get their message out there. A small price to pay if that's what it's going to take for our leaders to start telling us the truth, the whole truth and nothing but - you guessed it - the truth.

La Cucaracha, Zacarias Moussaoui, Spared Death Penalty

2006-05-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

La Cucaracha, la cucaracha,
ya no puede caminar,
Couple of items today: Not that he deserves the energy spent typing his vile name, but Al-Quaida wanna-be Zacarias Moussaoui will serve the rest of his life in federal prison. No Martyrdom for him – we win. As much as it would please any American to see this guy fry (pay-per-view on Fox?), it’s probably better that he spend the rest of his life living like a cockroach, surviving on scraps of stale prison food in solitary confinement rather than die a martyr for a twisted cause.

porque no tiene, porque le falta,
marijuana que fumar.
Next Item: Our Mexican neighbors are in the process of decriminalizing small amounts of pot, cocaine, smack, meth, ludes, uppers and downers. Their politicians argue that they want to spend their time and resources going after the king pins, smugglers, commercial growers, etc.. Yeah, right.

The Bush administration has so weakened our position in the world, Mexico is just thumbing its nose at us. “Come to Mexico on Spring Break, Gringos, blow your mind south of the boarder! Forget Amsterdam, come to Tijuana!” Given the security and well-known corruption issues in Mexico, it’s hard to imagine that they have the will or ability to actually follow up with the back end of their plan.

Come to think about it, the well-known corruption in our country these days doesn't really give us much room to talk either. Oh well, this is America, hypocrisy is part of what makes us special.

We hope we're wrong on this one and the strength and integrity of the average Mexican citizen makes its way to the country’s leadership. Hasn't worked for the republicans in America, but you never know.

If, however, the legalization of drugs in Mexico is more a sign of drug lords influencing policy, the end result will be more American addicts in boarder states. I’m sure the already overburdened methadone clinics in San Diego are just thrilled to know that Mexico is making heroin legal and therefore easier to obtain.

Actually, decriminalization of some drugs could be part of the solution to the “drug problem.” If people want to smoke pot, let them. Tax marijuana and use the money for education, rehabilitation and enforcement of laws that go after serious drugs like cocaine, meth and smack.

In the meantime, The Other Real World will be applying for a business license to teach Spanish to stoners. “Yo quiero marijuana!”

UPDATE: Looks like the US does have some influence on Mexico. The Associated Press is reporting that Mexican President Vincente Fox is backing off - for now at least - and sending the bill back for modifications.

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Mexican President Vicente Fox refused to sign a drug decriminalization bill Wednesday, hours after U.S. officials warned the plan could encourage "drug tourism."

Fox sent the measure back to Congress for changes, but his office did not mention the U.S. criticism... Link

Iraq: The Big Lie... Finally, Real Hardball from Tweety Bird

2006-05-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

There is definitely one thing we share with Chris Matthews, and that's his nerdy enthusiasm for politics. The similarities end there, though, because Matthews has long since sold his soul to the ruling elites, and therefore lacks the journalistic animal instinct to really go for the jugular and take down even the weakest of the political herd. Most of the time, what he tries to pass off as objectivity comes off as sicophantic pandering.
Please, Mr. Politician, don't hate me. I don't want to ask you these tough questions because - gosh golly - I still want to be invited to all the parties and hang out with the cool kids. But I have to ask you because "they're" making me....
Once in a while Matthews really does play hardball. Today, he hit one out of the park. With any luck, he'll get to like the feeling and start playing big league ball all the time.

Today Chris had Tyler Drumheller, the "CIA’s chief of operations in Europe until he retired last year" and Gary Berntsen "a former CIA field officer who served on the ground in Afghanistan." You can read the article, transcript and watch the video here from MSNBC.

Suffice it to say, the transcript speaks for itself. The adminstration knew the Iraq nuke intel was wrong. They knew the Iraq WMD intel was weak, but they used it because they knew Americans would not support the pie-in-the sky regime change/middle-east democracy dominoe reasons for invading Iraq. I don't want to spoil the whole interview for you, but here's a few choice quotes:

On yellowcake and Niger:

DRUMHELLER: That’s the way it appears. You’re certainly right on the fact that the information that was in the State of the Union Address was inaccurate, and that the yellowcake reporting from Niger, the reports that had come in on the issue of yellowcake were well-known to have been discredited as far back as September and October.

On the likelihood that Vice President Cheney did know about Joe Wilson's trip to Niger, and that he did receive his report, something denied by this administration.

MATTHEWS: What did [George Tenet] mean when I asked him "why didn’t the vice president get a report back from the trip to Africa by Joe Wilson?" That would have cleared this whole thing up. He said to ask him. What does that mean?
DRUMHELLER: I think it means that George didn’t want to answer because he knew what the answer was.
MATTHEWS: Which was he got a report....

Watch the segment. If you're a political junkie, this is your crack. If you're a lingering BushBot, this is your wake-up call.

Well done Tweety Bird - you get a cracker and a provisional vote of confidence from The Other Real World. Don't blow it.

May Day - Marching in the Streets

2006-05-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Looking down on the sea of immigrants and their supporters from my workplace vantage point, 32 floors above Market street in San Francisco, two thoughts occurred to me. The first thought was "holy crap, now that's a demonstration." The second thought came a millisecond after the first, "where the hell is my camera?"

What in the name of blogfarts do we think about the immigration question in The Other Real World anyway?

Good question, with no simple answer. But we'll take a "two worlds" stab at it - let's see if we can manage to over-simplify and/or confuse the issue any more than it has been in recent months.

In the "real world" America is a country governed by the rule of law (in theory at least) and built by immigrants from every corner of the earth. Follow the law, work hard, you can live the dream. Fair enough. Break the law and lady justice will kick you in the nuts and throw you out the door. Call if tough love American style. Now go home and come back legally like our grandparents did. Sounds simple, right?

Wrong. In The Other Real World, America is a country owned by Big Business and built on the back of cheap labor and lower wages for the American middle class. As long as government looks the other way while Big Business hires illegals, we we will continue to see immigrants flooding over our boarders for wages the American worker won't accept. In The Other Real World, immigrants - legal and otherwise - are people too and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Come out of the shadows and get in line. We'll support your path to citizenship if you obey the laws of our land (from now on) and help us in our struggle for dignified wages and honest work for everyone.

As long as we're still in the other real world, let's talk about public election financing, shall we? Because that's where the problem begins and ends. Big Business owns congress, the whitehouse, the media and most of the really cool office equipment . Get Big Business money out of politics and you'll start getting polticians who represent the people's interest, not Exxon's, Enron's and Walmart's.

Colbert Drops a Truthiness Bomb - Bush Shocked and Awed

2006-04-30T19:28:00.001-07:00

Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central's in-your-face answer to Bill "Loofah" O'Reilly hosted this year's White House Correspondents dinner. True to form and in character, Colbert delivered a performance sure to be remembered as the bit heard 'round the liberal world. A revolutionary comedy shot fired across the bow of SS Uniter Dicider.

All Hams on Deck. A few quotes from Editor and Publisher:

...He attacked those in the press who claim that the shake-up at the White House was merely re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. “This administration is soaring, not sinking,” he said. “If anything, they are re-arranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg...”
...Turning to the war, he declared, "I believe that the government that governs best is a government that governs least, and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq...."
...Colbert also made biting cracks about missing WMDs, “photo ops” on aircraft carriers and at hurricane disasters, melting glaciers and Vice President Cheney shooting people in the face.
...He advised the crowd, "if anybody needs anything at their tables, speak slowly and clearly on into your table numbers and somebody from the N.S.A. will be right over with a cocktail..."
...“This was anti-Bush,” said one attendee. “Usually they go back and forth between us and him.” Another noted that Bush quickly turned unhappy. “You could see he stopped smiling about halfway through Colbert,” he reported....
As Colbert walked from the podium, when it was over, the president and First Lady gave him quick nods, unsmiling. The president shook his hand and tapped his elbow, and left immediately...."

Oh to be a fly on the wall when Mr. and Mrs. Dubya were alone on the limo ride home. I'm thinking either dead silence or open sobbing.

They've got the video here where you can also send a thank you to Stephen for speaking Truthiness to power.

During next year's event, the Decider will be ordering takeout.

The Other Real World... Out of hiding!

2006-04-29T00:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a while folks, and I must admit I feel somewhat ashamed at the reason for our hiatus. Big scandal, you ask? Not really, we hope.

Here's the short version. I've been trying to get my fiancee here from Jamaica since November, 2005. We've been together for 3 years, we're ready to make this real for keeps. At first, I seemed to be getting quite a bit of push-back from the Department of Homeland Security. First, they sent a check back, wasn't filled out to their satisfaction. I wrote them a new check but they sent that back saying the fee had increased $5.00 in the ten days between my receiving the returned check and mailing a new one to them. (would have been nice if they told me the fee would be going up, you think?)

Grrrr. Someone at DHS trying to mess with me? I sent them another check.

Then they write me back saying I needed my fiance's Birth Certificate translated into English. Problem is, her birth certificate was in English, every single word. I wrote them back, having been informed that if I didn't reply my application would be denied, no refund, have a nice life.

Something is going on here, I thought. For some reason the Department of Homeland Security was giving me the run around... Couldn't have anything to do with this Blog, could it?

Paranoia in the post 9/11 world - underground grumblings that the NSA is doing more than just wiretapping suspected terrorists calls - drove me to make a choice. Passionate political speech or a chance at love. In a free country, there'd be no reason for such a choice. Things such as they are (are you still reading DHS?), I wimped out and erred on the side of caution (paranoia) and love.

3 weeks ago I got a letter. My application has been approved by DHS and INS. Her case is now going from the National Visa Center to the Embassy in Kingston. Once they get the file, she passes her medical tests, pays some more fees, gives them a copy of her empty police record, and then she'll be on her way to the USA.

So, was there a connection between ceasing my political anti-Bush/pro-America truth speech and DHS moving forward with the approval of her application? For the sake of us all, I really hope not. But if there was, some day we'll have an interesting story to tell our kids... How I managed to get her to this once great country during its dark ages, when silence was golden.

So, that's my story. I'm still on top of the issues, and I'm ready to come back to the blogosphere.

Are you ready?

Bush Withdrawing MORE troops from Iraq. Thank you Rep. Murtha!

2005-12-22T23:18:00.000-08:00

Recently, Democratic Congressman Jack Murtha was called every name in the book for demanding change of course and troop withdrawal from Iraq. A few weeks later and - Abracadabra - Bush has reversed his stance and is now bringing home more troops than expected:

Bush Authorizes New Cuts in Troops in Iraq (By ROBERT BURNS, APMilitary Writer (via LaTimes: link)

FALUJAH, Iraq -- President Bush has authorized new cuts in U.S. combat troops in Iraq, below the 138,000 level that prevailed for most of this year, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Friday. Addressing U.S. troops at this former insurgent stronghold,

Rumsfeld did not reveal the exact size of the troop cut, but Pentagon officials have said it could be as much as 7,000 combat troops.

It's the same old story. When Democrats call for strategic withdrawal and a change of strategy, we're called cowards. But then they do the very things for which they've called us cowards! (Caution, thinking about this too much may cause your head to explode).

It's just like when Bush says we don't torture, when we have. Like when he said all wiretaps require a warrant, when under his rule, apparently they really don't. Like when Bush said we would take care of Gulf Coast Katrina victims, and FEMA continues to fall short.

...and we're Back to Iraq....

Murtha threw himself on the Iraq war grenade for the the Dems, our troops, our country and, yes, even Iraq. If anyone deserves a medal, it's him. Then again, he has plenty of his own.

Happy Winter Solstice! Holiday Greetings!

2005-12-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season.

Is that enough to get me on Bill O'Reilly's list? I hope so. I could use the publicity.

If you're an O'Reilly fan, please let him know that The Other Real World is a central front in the War on Jesusmas. I want all Americans of every faith to enjoy whatever holiday they celebrate in late December, but there will be no more Red and Green in The Other Real World.

Now put me on your list O'Reilly! What are you, chicken?

Bok, bok, bok, bok....

Reality Check: Plastic Explosives On The Loose!

2005-12-20T16:26:00.000-08:00

As king Dubya tries to convince the nation that checks and balances are for suckers, and that only he can protect us from danger in a time of war, the cold hard news of reality sets in to remind us that he can't even protect us against ourselves...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Authorities are asking for the public's help after 150 pounds of commercial plastic explosives turned up missing from a private storage site, along with 2,500 blasting caps and 20,000 feet of explosive detonation cord. (FoxNews....G-d forgive me for using them as a reference).

This should scare the stuffing out of anyone with two active brain cells. How can it be, that "after 9/11" (forgive me for that, too), our Government allows 150 pounds lethal plastic explosives to justdisappearr? Read the article. It says that they were storing these explosives at a "private" site. There's a big difference between "private" and "secure." I wonder if this "private" facility is owned by another GOP donor, or if anyone even suggested that it might be a good idea to guard the facility to ensure that plastic explosives don't end up in the hands of evil-dooers. If this "war on terror" is a serious enough to suspend our civil rights, it stands to reason that securing lethal explosives in the homeland is just as critical to winning, if not moreso...

If our Government spent as much time actually protecting American citizens as it does defending the questionable policies of King George, those explosives would be safe under lock and key. It's time to cut the chord on Dubya's political life support and start protecting Americans.

Iraqis Vote In Droves - U.S. Spying on US

2005-12-15T22:37:00.000-08:00

The staggering turnout in yesterday's elections in Iraq by all factions - Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds - gives rise to perhaps a glimmer of hope in the face of violence, uncertainty and confusion. The three steps forward, two steps back and one step sideways situation in Iraq inched forward yesterday, and even if their new found unity was fueled by the common goal of kicking our asses out, at least we had one day of hope amidst years of bad news.

Nothing wrong with hope.

Reality is something different. From today's Washington Post:

For President Bush, the strong turnout for Iraq's election yesterday may represent the best day since the fall of Baghdad 32 months ago because all major factions participated in the political process, according to U.S. and Middle East analysts. But the sobering reality, they added, is that the vote by itself did not resolve Iraq's lingering political disputes.

Sobering reality, proving pesky "analysts" right since 2,000 B.C.*

*not including the analytical dark ages, circa 2000 - 2,005.

* * *

Meanwhile back in the good old U.S.A,, where voter turnouts are considerably less staggering, almost embarrassing really, our Government is showing the rest of the world just how Democracy is supposed to work.... in Bizarro World! The U.S. is spying on its most feared adversary, the U.S.A. That's right, the Government is spying on you and me. Isn't that cool! Thanks BushClause... you're the best!

Also from the WaPo:

President Bush signed a secret order in 2002 authorizing the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on U.S. citizens and foreign nationals in the United States, despite previous legal prohibitions against such domestic spying, sources with knowledge of the program said last night.

Bush has seen the enemy, and he is us!

Read the article if you dare. Who knows who's watching websites you visit, the articles you read, what you may post to a message board, or what you write on a cocktail napkin. Before you know it, we won't be able to write, think or say any---- [Censored by Uncle Sam - Now go to FoxNews.com or we're coming after you!]

Republican Politics "Delay" Katrina Aid

2005-12-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

Will this be enough to turn these red states blue? Perhaps now people will realize that voting for today's republican is a vote against your own interest. With the GOP, business and sleaze-ball politics win over the little guy every time. All it takes is a little slight of hand and the smoke and mirrors of "God, Gays and Guns" and millions of good Americans vote against their self-interests come election time.

But now, as the wrath of Katrina has uncovered the very real effects of republican "small government" policies, perhaps we'll begin to see a change next November.

If Opinion pieces like this keep showing up on the editorial pages of red state newspapers, the rest of America may finally wake up and smell the stench. From the opinion page of Mississippi's Clarion Ledger:

As Mississippians on the Coast huddle in tents and burn what is left of their homes to keep warm over the holiday retail season, we should have comfort in the knowledge that our needs will be on the back burner while the House figures out what to do about its leadership — or lack of it.

We have a Republican governor, and in Washington we have a Republican House, a Republican Senate and a Republican president. And a state that voted Republican is getting shafted over Republican politics.

It gets worse:

No citizen of the United States deserves this. No matter his or her political affiliation.

Indeed, we all deserve better. We drop billions every month in Iraq without so much as a guffaw from the Republican leadership. But when it comes to helping real, salt of the earth working Americans devastated by the worst natural disaster in American history, the GOP has shown its true shameful colors. No congressional representative, red state or blue, should be able to go home for the holidays until hurricane relief funding is passed.

While Delay and Hastert are opening gifts with their families this HOLIDAY season, Katrina's victims will be looking for the meager gift of hope. This year, in the name of preserving Tom Delay's political future, the GOP has left nothing under the tree.

Fa la, fricking la - a stocking full of vouchers and empty promises.

At least Tom Delay will have a pleasant holiday at your expense. You can make The Hammer's Xmas even jollier by contributing to his defense fund here. Or, if you've had your fill of being dumped on and duped by the GOP, you can learn more about the other guys here.

While Bush Says We Can't Pull Out, Rumsfeld Says We Can

2005-12-08T16:45:00.000-08:00

Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, said on Thursday that he expects 20,000 troops to come home after the December 18 elections and more of the remaining 137,000 over the next year. Didn't he get the memo from "Stay the Course" Bush?

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday he expects some 20,000 U.S. troops to return home from Iraq after next week's elections, and he suggested that some of the remaining 137,000 forces could pull out next year. (Yahoo/AP)

So, when Democrats call for bringing troops home as soon as possible, we're called "cut and run cowards." Any talk of troop withdrawals by Democrats is high treason, they shout over the neo-con airwaves. Then, before they can draw in their next breath of stale air, their own Secretary of Defense says the US is starting to bring troops home as soon as December 18th of this year.

What's the deal neocons? Are you cutting and running? Is this "mission accomplished?" It is for Representative Murtha. He said what our generals were thinking but couldn't say because of their respect for the Commander in Chief. Whether you want to believe it or not, the Bush Administration is listening to Murtha, Generals and other Democrats' reasoning that our troops are actually making things worse by their mere presence, and are viewed by the majority of Iraq as occupiers.

Bush would have you believe that we can't pull out until we declare victory. But that's just so Republicans can use such a victory for political gain. The fact is, we can't declare victory until we pull out. That has more to do with the truth on the ground in Iraq. Because as soon as we leave, the insurgency won't be able to hide behind the excuse that "we are only fighting the occupiers." As ends the occupation, so begins the birth of a Nation. Perhaps not the nation we would have hoped for, but at this point, we don't have a choice. Do we?

U.S. Pulling Out of New Orleans, Staying in Iraq

2005-12-03T18:06:00.000-08:00

We're back in the other real world with some weird real world news. While Mr. Bush spent most of the last week telling hand-picked captive military and government audiences that the U.S. can and must stay in Iraq, for better and worse, his "heck of a job" FEMA agency is pulling out of New Orleans Ninth Ward. Looks like Bush is prepared to face danger in Iraq, but not in the U.S.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency pulled all its workers out of New Orleans's Lower Ninth Ward yesterday after threats of violence and planned to request additional police or National Guard support, a FEMA spokeswoman said. [Washington Post, FEMA Pulls Out of Lower Ninth]

The message here is clear. Poor, frustrated Iraqis are number one on Bush's list - spare no expense and protect freedom in Iraq. On the other hand, America's poor and victims of Katrina's wrath aren't worth protecting. Doesn't America have the resources to protect its own relief workers and citizens on U.S. soil?

He won't set a time table in Iraq and yet he has already cut and run from the war on poverty and Katrina relief in New Orleans. What's wrong with this picture besides everything?

Unfair and Biased Faux News Refuses to Air Anti-Alito Ad

2005-11-22T17:12:00.000-08:00

Saying Fox news is "Fair and Balanced" is like saying Tom Cruise is sane and compassionate. So it comes as no surprise that Fox is refusing to air an advertisement that would dare use hyperbole in a political advertisement. Actually, to be fair, Fox isn't against hyperbole. Without it, they would be broadcasting dead air. But a political ad that goes against their "fair and balanced" GOP agenda?

Hell no!

(AP) (CBSNews) Fox News is refusing to air an advertisement critical of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, citing its lawyers' contention that the spot is factually incorrect. Link

Fair? Not from the network that gives airtime to every swift-boating political hack and their inbred brother. No sirree. Balanced? From the network that airs a show proclaiming to be a "no spin zone" whose host calls for the bombing of an American city? Not a chance.

If you want neo-con fundamentalist vitriol then, by all means, keep on filling your head with Faux News. If, however, you're looking for fact-based, balanced reporting, you might just want to put down the kool aid and change the chanel.

Iraqi Leaders Call For US Withdrawal Timetable

2005-11-21T16:57:00.000-08:00

It's true. Iraqi and Arab leaders meeting in Cairo to discuss Iraqi reconciliation finally found some common ground. Although they continue to disagree on how to share power and resources in Iraq, they do agree on one thing. They want US troops out of Iraq.

Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Iraqi leaders, meeting at a reconciliation conference in Cairo, urged an end to violence in the country and demanded a timetable for the withdrawal of coalition troops from Iraq (link).

So, while congressmen Murtha (my hero) and Democrats are called every name under the sun for wanting a correction of course and a clear exit strategy, the GOP leadership remains silent about Iraqi leaders who are now calling for a US exit timetable.
A timetable only emboldens the terrorists, they reason. Those who dare call for an exit strategy are helping the enemy.

Clearly, Iraq's political leaders have aligned themselves with Michael Moore, the A.C.L.U. and Moveon.org.

Here's the GOP logic (it's a stretch, I know, but go with me on this): if Iraqi leaders call for an exit timetable, they are helping the enemy. Those bastards! Let's bomb the crap out of their country. Wait, didn't we already do that?

Back to the drawing board.

Bombshell, Shmomshell - Libby Leak Spin Doesn't Fly

2005-11-16T22:04:00.000-08:00

The latest tidbit out of the Plamegate scandal vortex is that Bob Woodward admits to being told by another "senior bush administration official" about a Wilson-Plame-CIA connection.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA leak probe on Wednesday ensnared Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, who disclosed that he was told about CIA operative Valerie Plame nearly a month before her secret identity was revealed and apologised to his editor for keeping him in the dark. Reuters

Libby's attorneys and other felony sympathisers say this is a "Bombshell" that will help exonerate Scooter. Hey, everyone was blabbing about Plame. Scooter was just passing on gossip that everyone in the administration was talking about anyway.

From the same article:

Woodward's disclosure cast doubt on Fitzgerald's assertion that Libby was the
first government official to have told a reporter about Plame

Big hairy deal. First of all, what Fitzgerald actually said in his press conference, was that Libby was the first known government official to pass Plame's status at the CIA on to reporters. When Fitzgerald made his statement, he did not know about the other Bush Administration official's conversation with Woodword. He didn't know this information 1) because Libby participated in obstruction of justice; and 2) because Bob Woodward withheld that information from everyone.

The Woodward conversation has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Libby lied to the Grand Jury and the FBI. Period. Nice try slime-balls.

What this does seem to suggest is that just about everyone with security clearance and involved with the Whitehouse Iraq Group was peddling information on Valerie Plame's CIA status. Woodward's revelation shows just how widespread the effort to discredit Wilson was throughout Bush's administration. So add another "Senior Bush Administration Official" to the list: Karl Rove (Discussed Plame with Novak and Cooper), Scooter Libby (who discussed Plame with Miller and Russert), and door number three, Stephen Hadley, Bush's National Security adviser.

If it is Hadley, as reported by RawStory, that means the guy advising our president on national security actually undermined national security by outing Valerie Plame. Why does everyone in this administration seem to care more about political security than actual security?

got irony?

Today they unleashed Vice Pitbull Cheney on those who would dare challenge the premise of the Iraq War or the prosecution thereof; he called such critisism "dishonest and reprehensible." Once again, instead of properly and effectively going after our enemy, this Administration chooses spend valuable time and resources attacking their fellow Americans.

If they put half as much energy into effectively fighting this war, we'd be pulling troops out by now and Osama Bin Laden's head would be on a stick. Who knows, maybe we could have prevented the London and Madrid attacks.

Message to Cheney, all the time you spend attacking war critics is hurting our troops. Start fighting for success in Iraq. Leave the rest of us alone.

Bush Prods China - O'Reilly Loses Grip - Be Afraid

2005-11-15T18:53:00.000-08:00

First it's been a couple of days since my last post, but that's for good reason. Out of respect for veterans past, present and future I decided lay down the political sword and give it a rest for a few days. Watching Dubya play politics with war as he told 60% of America that we are aiding the enemy on a day dedicated to honoring veterans was enough to make everyone in The Other Real World lose interest in politics for a while.

But that's the point for Bush, isn't it? War is politics. It has been all along. It got him reelected, didn't it? With the Iraq War dividing America and drawing our attention, Dubya and his minions have run wild with no-bid contracts, medicare cuts, the dismantling of FEMA, the fusion of religion and government, and another thousand cuts in the flesh of the middle class and poor.

* * *

In case you haven't heard, Bill O'Reilly has officially gone off the deep end. He's creating a list of enemies and posting it on his website. He's worked himself up into a McCarthyesque froth, because San Francisco voted to "discourage" military recruitment on public campuses. The message: everyone in San Francisco can just die.

"Listen, citizens of San Francisco, if you vote against military recruiting, you're not going to get another nickel in federal funds. Fine. You want to be your own country? Go right ahead."
And if Al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you, except San Francisco. You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead." (MediaMatters)

I don't know about you, but I've already written the FCC, Fox News and several of Bill O'Reilly's sponsors. If encouraging terrorist attacks against your fellow Americans isn't yelling "fire" in a crowded movie house, I don't know what is.

* * *

With his approval numbers hovering in the mid thirties, Bush took his show on the road. God help us all. He's talking about "Freedom" in China.

KYOTO, Japan - President Bush prodded China on Wednesday to grant more political freedom to its 1.3 billion people and held up arch rival Taiwan as a society that successfully moved from repression to democracy as it opened its
economy.

In remarks sure to rile Beijing, Bush suggested China should follow Taiwan’s path. (Newsday)

That's right. Piss off China. Gotta love Bush's bull-in-a-china-shop foreign policy.

We've got to get him back to the ranch in Crawford before he unleashes his fury on India.