"Homecoming"

Mr. Santorum. This was taken at a homecoming for U.S. Marines returning from Afghanistan. I thought you might be interested in who was putting their life on the line, defending your right to be a homophobe and bigot.

"The Year Of The Tree"

Mitt, I love California. The trees here are just the right height.

"Not The Best Or The Brightest"

Huffington Post: Santorum Calls Obama a Snob

Rick Santorum says President Obama is a snob because "he wants everybody in America to go to college." Rick . . you are a hopelessly ignorant neanderthal. Only you could try to twist wanting the best for this country's youth into something sinister and evil.

"Twin Caddys"

"Ann drives a couple of Cadillacs actually." -- Mitt Romney

"Seven Seinfeld Quotes That Apply to Mitt Romney!"

George Costanza: “I lie every second of the day. My whole life is a sham!”

Jerry Seinfeld: “You're going to really see me being a phony, now. I hope you can take this. Maybe you should go in the other room.”

George Costanza: “Just remember. It's not a lie if you believe it.”

Jerry Seinfeld: “If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right."

George Costanza: “We're just trying to come up with the best possible lie. That's what this is all about.”

Jerry Seinfeld: “I think I'm pretty much like you, only successful.”

Morty Seinfeld: "I'll tell you what I'm looking at: the next condo president of Del Boca Vista, Phase Three.”

PALIN REJECTS EVOLUTION

Is it really too late for her to run? I recently came across this captivating lunacy from the Palin memoirs. According to her ever so scintillating intellect, Sarah mused that evolution just doesn't pass muster as far as she is concerned. Well this isn't much of a surprise is it? Is this just further proof of the dumbing down of Sarah, or is she pandering to the wing-nut base with an eye on 2016? Take your pick. (Pretty talented isn't she though, eyes on Putin and political opportunism at the same time). On page bla-bla, she talks about creationism, saying she,

"...didn't believe in the theory that human beings -- thinking, loving beings -- originated from fish that sprouted legs and crawled out of the sea, or from monkeys who eventually swung down from the trees."

And how about this gem from a debate she had with her old pal McCain campaign guru Steve Schmidt. I mean, when you're that far to the right of him, wow!

"But your dad's a science teacher," Schmidt objected. "Yes." "Then you know that science proves evolution," added Schmidt. "Parts of evolution," I said. "But I believe that God created us and also that he can create an evolutionary process that allows species to change and adapt." Schmidt winced and raised his eyebrows. In the dim light, his sunglasses shifted atop his hear. I had just dared to mention the C-word, creationism. But I felt I was on solid factual ground."

Palin, astoundngly, uses religion in an attempt to disprove science. And her talking-in-tongues faith, that earth is five thousand years old faith, appears to give her that internal certitude. I think I'm supporting her in 2016. I wish she had run in 2012. We can't let something so intrinsically valuable disappear from the political landscape. Run Sarah run!

Suicide Watch On For Democrats

Well it looks like they’re at it again. This time, the masters of looking a gift horse in the mouth are taking it up a notch and kicking it square in the teeth. Only the Democrats could be so politically inept as to have both of their candidates down in the polls to John McCain in this politicial environment. A Rasmussen poll shows that McCain leads Barack Obama 49% to 41% and Hillary Clinton 50% to 42%. It's relatively early, but it looks like the Democrats, if they don't wake up fast, might actually blow this one . . . again.

This from Frank Rich in the New York Times:

Unless Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton find a way to come together for the good of their country as well as their party, no speech by either of them may prevent Mr. McCain from making his second unlikely resurrection in a single political year.

There is no way this election should be this close. The worst president in history, a five-year old unpopular war, $4 gas prices, a devastating recession, thousands losing their homes, the current state of affairs in this country courtesy of the GOP couldn’t be much worse. Yet, McCain, clone of the current lunatic in the White House is poised to compete and maybe to win. It’s almost seems politically impossible, or is it. For months now, the Democrats have been ignoring the warnings of many while they continued their vicious inter-party mud slinging with both Obama and Clinton resorting to such childish name calling that it's tearing the party apart. Both the Obama and Clinton campaigns are equally to blame, both of them, as is the ridiculously inept leadership of Howard Dean who has almost become a caricature of incompetence. But so are the Democratic rank and file themselves, who whatever kool-aid they are drinking seem unwilling or incapable of pragmatically looking at the ramifications of the words they utter and the big picture; the possibility of a John McCain presidency. So instead of worrying about more Scalia/Roberts clones on the Supreme Court and an endless war, they choose to fight over Michigan and Florida, call each other racists and vilify President Bill Clinton who until recently was loved and admired by most Democrats, even going so far as to compare him to Joe McCarthy. There is a very real possibility that the results of this primary pain will be millions of disillusioned Democrats, supporters of the losing candidate who may just stay home come November. John McCain and the GOP hierarchy are doing nothing less than laughing smugly at this pathetic side show as McCain starts to push back to the center and reaches out to the only people that really matter, the small group of moderates and independents who will decide this election. We’ve seen this routine before haven’t we.

Rally At The White House

Is that a white guy wearing a white robe with a Confederate flag behind him? Under ordinary circumstances and another administration this might be written off as just a bad camera angle of a state flag. Maybe that's all it is. But the reason this image has disturbed so many has more to do with the two head's of state in the photo and the horrific policies they espouse. It's an image that won't fade quickly.

Obama's Problem With Bill Ayers

Not even close to being a member of the vast right-wing conspiracy, esteemed writer and social/political commentator John Ridley offers a perspective in the Huffington Post that many Obama supporters seem unwilling to face up to. Namely, that unlike other straw-man issues the Bill Ayers controversy is a very real problem which will not go away and it could very well be Obama's Willie Horton moment come general election time.

Election Turnout More Bad News For GOP

Perhaps the real headline Tuesday night, was that once again Democrat's enthusiasm for their two inspirational candidates won out in a landslide over tired old Republican apathy. Even in Dubya's own back yard.

According to CNN election results, the Democrats garnered a record 4.3 million votes last night in Texas, Ohio, Maryland and Vermont, to the Republican's paltry 2.3. This included a 500,000 Democratic edge in the blood red Lone Star State.

The Democrats have consistently set records for turnout this year, voting in substantially more numbers than the Republicans. Gary Jacobson, a political scientist at the University of California made this comment about the primary season,

Turnout and various poll data suggest Democrats are more eager to vote and happier with their choice set than Republicans. I think it reflects an eagerness to get the Bush administration behind them.

It seems as if the winds of change are indeed blowing.

The Gaza Bombshell

An amazing read by David Rosen at Vanity Fair detailing yet another abysmal Bush Administration adventure and it's disastrous results. Here's the lead-in.

After failing to anticipate Hamas’s victory over Fatah in the 2006 Palestinian election, the White House cooked up yet another scandalously covert and self-defeating Middle East debacle: part Iran-contra, part Bay of Pigs. With confidential documents, corroborated by outraged former and current U.S. officials, David Rose reveals how President Bush, Condoleezza Rice, and Deputy National-Security Adviser Elliott Abrams backed an armed force under Fatah strongman Muhammad Dahlan, touching off a bloody civil war in Gaza and leaving Hamas stronger than ever.

FOX Anchor Ignores Dead Women And Children While Reporting Somalia Missile Attack

Watch the FOX anchor ignore reports of women and children being killed while reporting today's missile attack today near Dhoobley, Somalia. Dhoobley's District Commissioner Ali Nur Ali Dherre told CNN the AP and other sources that the raid destroyed two homes and resulted in the deaths of three women, three children while wounding twenty others.

The attack provides yet another reminder as to why we are so despised by so many worldwide. Predictably, a U.S. military official said the attack was on a "known terrorist target" with precision missiles. Precision? Fatuma Abdullahi, a resident of the town, gave the following account of the strike to The Associated Press.

We woke up with a loud and big bang and when we came out we found our neighbor's house completely obliterated as if no house existed here. We are taking shelter under trees. Three planes were flying over our heads.

Ali Dherre said the remains of the missiles were marked 'US K'. Having all seen the images of children walking through the rubble of a U.S. missile attack, is it any wonder that they grow up harboring such hatred for us?

Hillary Gets Back At Bill

Like William Congreve penned so eloquently in Act III Scene Vlll of The Mourning Bride, . . . "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned". All set to the romantic, mellifluous wailing of Jessica Simpson as Blitzer cringed and the whole world watched. So sorry Bill.

Inflation Soars With Stagflation At Doorstep

Confirming something that the majority of working class Americans already knew, courtesy of the Bush presidency, we are now on the doorstep of a much more serious economic downturn than economists had envisioned.

Today, the Labor Department reported that inflation at the wholesale level soared in January by one percent, the fastest pace in 16 years. This was more than double the 0.4 percent increase that economists had been expecting. This combination of rising inflation and weaker growth raises the threat of "stagflation," the economic plague that battered the country in the 1970s, when a series of oil price increases left Americans battered by stagnant growth and rising prices. This is when those least capable of withstanding an economic downturn really feel immense pain and suffering, often being forced to choose between paying for their medication, rent or utilities.

With the January jump; wholesale prices have risen over the past 12 months by 7.5 percent, the fastest increase since the fall of 1981, when the country was in a deep recession. This gain was led by a 1.5 percent spike in the cost of prescription and non-prescription drugs, which will hit the poor and elderly hardest of all.

If anything was ever deserving of political analysis and the assignation of blame this is it. The Bush administration's abominable economic policies have finally burst the dam. Their foundation of tax cuts for the wealthy, a soaring deficit, spending billions on an endless war, outsourcing of quality jobs and the enabling of corporate greed and malfeasance at the expense of the American public is beyond the pale.

One can expect nothing but more of the same from a McCain administration; maybe even worse as he will inevitably try to reduce the deficit on the backs of needed social programs. That's the GOP way, spend billions on war and tax breaks for the wealthy, then make the poor and middle class pay.

John McCain Lies About Clinton And Obama's Position On NAFTA

At a town-hall meeting in Texas on Friday, corporate lobbyists best friend John McCain decided to emphasize his support for NAFTA. That's fine John, that’s certainly your right to embrace a treaty that has cost thousands of American jobs. But do you have to lie when you do so? McCain said in his comments that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama would renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement which would jeopardize crucial military support from Canada.

We need our Canadian friends, and we need their continued support in Afghanistan. So what do we do? The two Democratic candidates for president say they're going to unilaterally abrogate NAFTA.

What happened to that straight talk John, you’re in danger of losing your street cred. Too many martinis with the K street boys? Or perhaps lingering senior naps in the sweltering Arizona sun haved dulled your senses. The truth, is that neither Clinton or Obama said they would abrogate NAFTA. You see, the word abrogate means to abolish or repeal and they never said such a thing. What Obama and Clinton actually said, was that they would "renegotiate" NAFTA and would threaten to opt out of the agreement unless Canada and Mexico come to the negotiating table. Here are their exact quotes. Clinton then Obama.

I will say we will opt out of NAFTA unless we renegotiate it, and we renegotiate on terms that are favorable to all of America.

I will make sure that we renegotiate. I think we should use the hammer of a potential opt-out as leverage to ensure that we actually get labor and environmental standards that are enforced.

Tell the truth John and while you're at it, tell the people of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas why you don't give a damn about them losing their jobs.

Chief Justice Roberts Sides With Exxon On Alaskan Oil Spill

Yesterday, the Supreme Court finally heard arguments on what ExxonMobil should have to pay for the Exxon Valdez oil spill of nineteen years ago. Yes, that’s right, Exxon still hasn’t forked over what the appeals court's judgment had ordered them to, as their cadre of attorneys have been fighting it tooth and nail in the courts for years. Fighting, paying the equivalent of a lousy three weeks worth of profits. During oral arguments, Bush appointee and Chief Justice John Roberts was predictably disturbed by the judgment against Exxon. The $2.5 billion in punitive damages that Exxon had been ordered to pay, was to provide restitution for the devastating spill that polluted a large coastal area of Alaska, destroying wildlife, pristine wilderness and the livelihoods of thousands of mostly indigenous, poor fisherman. The 32,000 fishermen and business owners affected stood to receive about $75,000 apiece and they have been waiting for justice for almost two decades now. Yet, Roberts astoundingly asked the following,

What can a corporation do to protect itself against punitive-damages awards such as this?

Jeffrey Fisher the lawyer arguing for the Alaska fishermen whose ability to make a living was harmed by the spill, and clearly referring to Exxon’s negligence in allowing a known alcoholic Captain Hazlewood to pilot it’s tanker said this in response,

Well, it can hire fit and competent people.

If you ever want to understand clearly why elections make such a difference, this should do it. In 2000 and 2004, progressive voices cried out in vain, warning about the effect of a Bush victory in the context of his ability to make Supreme Court nominations that would be critical in moving the Court far to the right. They largely fell upon deaf ears and Samuel Alito and John Roberts are the result. So think about that when John McCain speaks about appointing strict constructionists to the Supreme Court. It’s not just about upholding Roe v. Wade; it’s also about being able to legally challenge corporate America’s stranglehold on the working people of this country; like the fisherman of Alaska. A couple of more conservative appointments to the high court and the judicial battle will be irrevocably lost for a generation, with utterly disastrous consequences as a result.

Animal Rights Activist Treated as Terrorist

After you tuck your kids in tonight, say a prayer and give thanks that George Bush and his intrepid band of warriors are tirelessly fighting the war on terror and defending our homeland. For thanks to their efforts, another dangerous terrorist no longer walks the streets among us. For months the FBI clandestinely tracked the dangerous suspect, watching his every move and those of his friends. They tapped his phone, intercepting and recording more than eight thousand calls. They read his e-mails, they bagged his garbage, and they followed him everywhere he went. Finally, in May of 2004, the authorities felt they had enough and the suspect was indicted by a grand jury on federal charges of orchestrating an interstate campaign of terrorism and intimidation. A conviction would mean a $1,250,000 in fines and 23 years in prison. Warrants were issued, clips were loaded, and soon it was go time. One cold, foggy morning a squad of hardened agents in black moved in on the terror suspect’s hideout near San Francisco as an agency helicopter flew cover overhead. Equipped with a battering ram and heavily armed, the agents easily secured the premises, the terror suspect was taken into custody and the country exhaled a collective sigh of relief. Then the questions started. Who was this terrorist that the government spent so many millions of dollars pursuing? In what country was he trained? How did he get here? What God does such an evil man worship? The average American would be shocked to know the answer.

It turns out that the suspect was not a terrorist at all. His name was Kevin Kjonaas, a born in the USA, twenty-something, Catholic school grad who worked at a doggy daycare. His crime? Being president of SHAC USA, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty an animal rights group dedicated to shutting down Huntingdon Life Sciences, the New Jersey based British company who tests products on animals. Every year HLS kills about 180,000 beagle dogs, mice, primates, rabbits, cats, farm animals like goats, chickens, sheep, guinea pigs, and rats to test a range of products from diet drugs, toothpastes, tanning lotions, food supplements like Splenda, adhesives and pesticides. The animals in the testing process, endure weeks, months, and sometimes years of isolation, poisoning, and violently invasive experiments. What were the specifics that warranted Kjonaas to be labeled a terrorist? Surely to be labeled a terrorist and to be facing most of his life in prison, he must have done something pretty evil. Not even close. Kjonaas, and six other animal rights activists were convicted on March 2, 2006, under the controversial Federal Animal Enterprise Protection Act. The Act punishes anyone who "physically disrupts" an animal enterprise. Kjonaas and his colleagues fought to stop the torturing and live dissection of animals, many of which were household pets. He posted the home addresses and telephone numbers of Huntingdon employees on the group’s website and sometimes Kjonaas helped organize protests in front of workers’ homes. When he couldn’t make it to a demonstration, he posted other people’s accounts of the event, seeing himself as a conduit for information. The bottom-line, these activists are alleged to have operated a website that reported on and expressed ideological support for protest activity against Huntingdon. That was it. Support the SHAC 7! Their prosecution and incarceration is just another example of the Bush administration's relentless pursuit of their corporate agenda and their defense of those pursuing wealth at the expense of others. Let no one be fooled, this is not fighting terrorism; this is an assault on freedoms accorded all Americans by the constitution and a way to silence them using the fraudulent war on terror as an excuse. Kevin Kjonaas is not only not a terrorist, he is an American hero and it’s critical that all social and political progressives and activists support people like Kevin. Please spread the word, contribute to his defense fund and take a moment to send him a letter in prison.

Checks and money orders can be made out and sent to: The SHAC7 Support Fund
 740A 14th St
#237
San Francisco, CA 94114 Here’s how to write to Kevin and the others in prison: www.shac7.com

Remembering Your Neo-Cons

Warning! What follows may cause nausea, headaches, panic attacks, temporary blindness, impotency and a sudden burst of anger.

The celebrious philosopher, poet and cultural critic George Santayana was known to appreciate multiple perfections in humanity, but I am certain he never imagined such multiple imperfections as those pictured above. He once prophetically mused,

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Along those lines, thanks to thinkprogress.org for this insightful look back at the detestable neo-cons who were the architects of the Iraq War. See what these immoral degenerates are doing now and how they have been rewarded and not held to account for their despotic behavior and total ineptitude. It's an enlightening re-cap, if you can stomach it.

Terrorism

What happens as a result of terrorist acts is horrific. People going to work, kids going to school; their lives ended tragically in mere seconds. Most human beings, myself included feel so personally devastated and emotionally distraught when individuals and their families have to experience such physical pain and terror.

It's so hard to understand and a sad commentary on this world that the human race hasn't risen above terror as a tool to better address grievances and defend a particular way of life. George Bush, said the war against terror in Iraq was going well.

I wonder if he meant it was going well for all the soldiers and their families killed this week in Iraq. I wonder if he meant it was going well for all the civilian's killed in Iraq; more than 125,000 by the most conservative of estimates. Killed in a war that was justified by lies, for the benefit of American oil companies and defense contractors. I wonder if he feels for all those that die? Or don't Iraqi men, women and children count or feel pain? Perhaps only Americans and British citizens count and feel pain. The war on terror is not going to be won by military might.

The war on terror is not going to be won by additional military forays into sovereign Moslem countries. The war on terror is not going to be won by fulfilling the prophecies of the most radical Islam clerics and guaranteeing more generations of disenfranchised Islamic youth who see a Jihad against the oppressor as their only resort. The war on terror is not going to be won by the United States support of the corrupt governments in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, continuing to man military bases in Islam's holiest lands. The war on terror is not going to be won by the United States continued support of Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands and their oppression of the Palestinian people. The war on terror is not going to be won until the United States and other wealthy countries address the root causes of poverty, disease, starvation and hopelessness.

A Lesson Learned

I wonder if we have l learned anything. I recall post election , when the Bush family court awarded the presidency to the fair haired boy wonder of Yale fraternity drink fests and executions. My initial despair and nausea at that profound moment soon gave way to a more selfish but beneficial calmness; perhaps akin to what someone feels when strapped to the gurney as the first numbing drops are felt. Not dead yet but heading in that direction. Blazing profundity soon followed, "the American people got what they deserve". We did didn't we? It's our collective responsibility after all isn't it, rigged election aside. It shouldn't have even been close. The con man is to blame of course for flunking morality 101A but the persons conned were at best colossally stupid. I wonder which is worse and wonder even more if a lesson was learned.