The Worst President in History...

...won't be realized as such until well after 2008. Knowing how well the Reaganites marketed their man can only mean that it will take longer for the effects of Rove's machine of deception and double-speak to wear off in the eyes of the bulk of Americans. The entire Republican "Revolution" that began with Reagan (really by B. Goldwater) will eventually (measured in decades) be seen for what it really was: smoke and mirrors. Through the powers (e.g. marketing) gleaned from the actual constituents they represent (i.e. the upper business crust) Republicans have been able to support the latter by bringing along voters that are easily duped into believing they care about other things: "values", "country", "honor", "life", etc.

I can see Rove laughing his ass off at the "suckers" who cast their votes to protect the unborn while he and his cronies hand out favors to the rich and prepare their own diamond-studded path into the private sector once their "public service" has completed. Does any intelligent person actually believe that Carl Rove sheds even a single tear for the unborn child of some "trailer-trash" (the words in his mind) woman who got "knocked up" (again, his likely words) by another barely educated low-life (again, the probable stereotype in his evil mind)? Of course not. It is so easy for him, along with his fellow porcine political pals, to claim to pray for those whose "gift of life has been stolen" while actively giving to those who are in on the scam. One could say they are Reverse Robin Hoods: they steal from the poor to give to the rich.

These assholes are no different than countless others over the course of history. The difference is the blatant and professional nature of these goons' techniques. "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" was valid in ancient Egypt and is true today. It is just so painful to watch...

Scientific Cronies

More cronies have been found...in NASA.

More on cartoons...

The well written editorial in today's Washington Post summarizes the issue in the best way I've seen to date.

Domestic Spinning

Spin v Truth: Domestic Spying

The latest flash point in the Spin Wars, where "spin" clashes with demands for "truth", involves the usual opponents: the Dark Forces (the administration), cranking out spin like there's no tomorrow, and the rebellion (liberty-loving free peoples of the U.S.), dying of thirst for transparency and truth. Bush and his fellow Sith Lords have turned up the volume on their spin boxes that blast out claims of legality of the NSA domestic spying program. We are decibel'd to deafness listening to the claims of doing all that's necessary in the war on terror; that a "few" calls of an international origin are targeted; that the executive was granted the authority by the congress already in 2001. In point of fact, thousands of calls and emails have been targeted, the executive was NOT granted, and in actuality, explicitly denied (per former Minority Leader Tom Daschle) the right to perform warrantless wiretaps, and it is yet to be determined the extent to which intra- and inter- national communications were and are being listened in on.
The administration broke the law. Mr. Bush, and all those involved, must be impeached and then indicted and then tried in a federal court of law for their extremely prejudicial contempt toward it. The "trust me, I'm president" rationale that our executive-in-chief has provided is patronizing, arrogant, and contemptuous. I doubt Mr. Bush, a stuttering intellectual shrimp, even realizes that he broke the law. His bazooka-Joe level of comprehension of history and political science is no excuse. To the gallows, Mr. President.
You see, it is all about principles. This president proclaimed to run on this mantra. What a joke! He can spin it into a silk suit for all I care; the bare, spinless truth is that he acted in direct contradiction to the spirit of the balance of powers. It is no constitutional mystery that his cronies (for the president himself is likely to dim-witted to grasp the concept) desire a monolithic executive (at least while they're in power).
Mr. Gonzales, a wind-up toy, was put on the stage today to spin it up. Unshakeable, he regurgitated the shpeak he was trained to. No surprises here; he is a dolt. Thankfully, some senators did seem to be founded in principle (on both sides of the aisle). However, I am growing weary of this Congress. Republicans unite with party before country. Democrats unite with seemingly nobody before, during and after country. The sole independent isn't enough (Sen. Jeffords). Hopefully, reason can somehow prevail, even if the public (according to polls) doesn't seem to give a rip about this issue (no surprise there...but that is another issue).

Clash of Civilizations

Samuel P. Huntington's book Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order has eerily been taking form ever since he wrote it in the 1990's. The latest cartoon scandal has highlighted this only too well. The heart of the West is liberal democracy (LD). To govern and be governed in such a construct entails more than voting. In fact the latter pales in comparison to the real core of LD: a secular government (i.e. separations of church and state), the individual's liberty and rights, and the rule of law. Islamic civilization (IC) holds closely to its heart, Sharia, Islamic law based on the Quran and the Sunna. In IC, the rights of the individual pale to the well-being of greater society and certainly are subservient to considerations/requirements of any and all paths to God. The government at its core is the church.

Freedom of individual expression is, hence, at the core of LD, and thusly, central to Western civilization. It is clearly NOT at the core of IC's core principles. The latest cartoon scandal illustrates this point extremely well. In the West we may abhor someone's message but we cherish their right to produce it. In IC, someone's message can lead to their death, often sanctified and/or called upon by those in authority (e.g. Imams). The fact that (an) image(s) could lead to the current international response--exemplified by mass protests, gunfire, flag burning, leader-effigy burning, calls for severing of heads, calls for severing of hands, demands for national apologies (more on this later), among other violent expressions--makes it clear that LD is not compatible with IC. One interesting part of the response from within IC has been calls for the government of Denmark to apologize (among more violent demands expressed). But in the West, governments CANNOT control the press (central to LD); in IC, the opposite is not only possible but is the NORM. It is no wonder that demands are directed to the Danish leaders rather than the actual responsible entity: a privately held news organization.

It will be interesting to see how the administration responds to this issue. I predict that it will be a blunted response (as opposed to many European democracies) unless it really boils up (certainly possible). If one connects the dots, it is very clear: the road to a real LD in IC is contradictory on the levels mentioned above (voting sure, individual freedoms unlikely, separation of church and state almost impossible--but there's Turkey you say...we'll see how long that lasts (especially if final.ly refused entry into the EU)...Islamic parties on are the rise there). In short, the reason (the latest reason, which seems to have changed as Bush and the Cronies see fit) for being in Iraq is a joke. You can't have it both ways: LD and IC. There is a way that this could occur: a Luther-type in Islam could arise and lead to major reformation (there are those who indeed call for such a thing). But that will not occur in the McDonald's drive-thru pace that Bush and the mostly unrealistic (and amazingly ignorant) American people expect. The best thing to do is to: get the Hell out of the Middle East, let Israel fend for itself (they do pretty damn well on their own), and develop alternative energy sources PRONTO. Come on, people, the only and I mean ONLY reason we have hung on to the ties to Middle East (including Israel) and risked ALL on the war in Iraq has been OIL. Let Islam find out itself the form of government(s) it needs. We can still trade with them but absolutely must NOT rule them or DEPEND ON THEM.

Goss -- Another Brownie...

The recent testimony given by the relatively new director of the CIA, Porter Goss, clearly reflect his origins: a former long-time politician. His comments that intelligence has been "severely" negatively affected due to the public disclosure (i.e. leak) of the secret domestic spying program were clearly exaggerated. According to multiple reports that followed this program has yielded little if any useful leads. In fact, it has been reported that the FBI feels that it more of a nuisance than a helpful resource in the WOT. Mr. Goss' comments reveal his true identity: yet another crony put in a position of authority. Just like any other politician he plays for his team and NOT his country first. As such he is just another unprincipled coward at the beckon-call of the Rove-rooted spin machine housed in the white house.