MantraBlog

Enron Era

2006-05-26T11:19:00.000-04:00

The guilty verdict of Lay and Skilling announced yesterday represents more than the judgement and punishment of two men. Fraud and insider trading were the legally relevant actions; greed and hubris were the broader crimes against society.

2006-04-13T08:10:00.000-04:00

It is finally happening. Those in power are realizing the error(s). Recent calls for Rumsfeld's resignation now ring true. At least in the sense that there are some serious players backing up the base that is doing the calling. I am guessing that this time ti will lead to his departure. The Iraq debacle will be remebered as a "marketing" horror. When governments "market" we call it propaganda. But this latter term is overused and implies many distracting (from looking at ourselves as the propagandists) things. "Spin" also is a term entirely overused. Our CEO-in-chief seems better wed to marketing. He sold us the Brooklyn Bridge.

The Worst President in History...

2006-02-10T07:39:00.000-05:00

...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

2006-02-09T11:22:00.000-05:00

More cronies have been found...in NASA.

More on cartoons...

2006-02-07T08:13:00.000-05:00

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

Domestic Spinning

2006-02-06T19:17:00.000-05:00

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

2006-02-05T08:33:00.000-05:00

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...

2006-02-05T08:24:00.000-05:00

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.

Achilles Heel

2004-12-31T09:03:00.000-05:00

I hope the definitive unraveling has begun. The otherwise seemingly impervious Bush White House (BWH) is showing signs of losing the iron clad discipline that made the BWH first term so notorious. Condi's State Department is going down the toilet. Scowcroft is getting the boot. Apparently he rebuked Bush about Iraq and the latter (not surprisingly) didn't receive it very well. Bush is continuing his dissent squashing with Condi (his "unsticker") running State and through Cheney's command is purifying that department. "On The Couch" is relevant here: Bush is rejecting his Father's political loyal guard and forming his own neocon A team. Baker is now apparently fuming. That clinches the situation: old and new Rebulicans are beginning to separate; the fracturing has begun. Hopefully, the Bush half will fall into the veritable Sea of Political Has-beens.

Egan

Some Christian

2004-12-29T17:51:00.000-05:00

Bush claims he is a Christian. Given his (lack of) response to the Indian Ocean disaster it strikes me as being consistent with my theory that he is a Christian only in campaigns. His religiosity is only for show. Only after being shamed into a response to the crisis does he give one. And the amount of financial aid is a joke compared to what we dole out for the self-made disaster in Iraq. Further, we tragically lost 3000 people on our 9-11 which pales in comparison to the numbers in Southeast Asia may surpass 100,000. It is now being called the largest relief effort in the world's history. Yet this idiot can't leave vacation to be a real leader (but Shroeder DID). Bill Clinton seemed to be able to play the statesman when our fool-in-chief could not and cannot. Bush is a vapid political opportunist. I guess that what Americans wanted. Embarrassing.

Egan

The tide is turning

2004-12-20T20:54:00.000-05:00

Finally, the American population is waking up. Anyone with half a brain has known for some time where this whole thing was going to end up. The apathetic, Fox-loving, spoon-fed US citizenry is thawing to the idea that the Iraq war was "not worth it" in the first place. Not surprisingly only a third of people in the latter reference support the neocon crusty Rummie given the last few weeks of classically flippant remarks coming from this Nixon-era cro-magnon. The next figure to fall will be the majority figure that indicates most Americans feel that we should keep troops in Iraq. Expect that to start falling around the time of the election in Iraq. Don't expect Rumsfeld to leave until that number is sub-50. Even then breaking the iron triangle (Rumsfeld, Cheney, Wolfowitz) ain't going to be easy.

Egan

Rummie

2004-12-19T08:51:00.000-05:00

Don't be surprised if Rummie sticks it out for awhile. He and Cheney go way back. Rumsfeld is one pillar in the neocon triad: Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz. Cheney is such a strong force and he really doesn't give a damn what others think. Also, it would be a major loss of face to let him go; it would be admitting failure, something Bush cannot do.

I expect the heat will have to be at an extreme before he goes. It won't be until the Iraqi elections either way. I hope that it creates a schism in the GOP. We need to peel off these neocon freaks from the classical conservatives. A divided GOP can only be a good thing. The wimpy democrats don't provide a check or balance anyway; we'll need two halves of the GOP to provide balance. Sadly, this ensures the right of center leaning of the country.

It is time for a REAL third party!

Egan

Arrogance in the second term

2004-12-16T09:19:00.000-05:00

Second terms are often characterized by arrogance. Bush’s obnoxious swagger and smirk are nothing new. In fact, this administration’s arrogance in the first term, taken in the context of actually losing the popular vote, was amazing in itself. With The Mandate in play in the second term watch out! We will see some seriously arrogant moves…but with arrogance can come sloppiness. Kerik’s botched nomination may be an example of the latter. Keep posted.

Egan

The Dolt is a Commie

2004-12-09T11:13:00.000-05:00

"Political criticism is our enemies' best friend"
-- Bernard Kerik, 2004

This is an anti-american statement; Stalin would have said as much. This guy is a fricking idiot. He will now be in charge of Homeland Security but is little more qualified to supervise a shopping mall security guard detail let alone the country's security against fundamentalist groups who employ terror as a tactic.

Dissent is woven into the fabric of our American experiment. Even in World War II, a time when we reflect on coutry unity, there were dissenters. We celebrate our country by airing dissenting views not stifling them. Anyone who says otherwise is NOT someone who understands the principles upon which are country was founded, fought and died for.

Egan

Dolt in chief

2004-12-03T10:35:00.000-05:00

The new dolt in the 3-ring circus otherwise known as The Bush Administration.

What a doof! It is clear that this president values loyalty over substance. In fact this guy, who barely has a track-record in serious management, is known has a ruthless hot head; a one-time bully, son of a prostitute, turned cop. Great cop story. Ain't the best pedigree for a presidential cabinet post. But then again we have quite the mutt leading the show! What it really means is that this administration doesn't give a crap about homeland security; so why not put a loyal dork in the post to render it useless?

Egan

Deja Vu

2004-11-19T08:51:00.000-05:00

The next point on the axis of evil is now appearing on the radar. What a sinking feeling--we haven't even fully realized, as a nation, the disaster we have sown in Iraq and now attention seems to be shifting toward Iran. According to James Fallows (see "To govern is to choose" post) we had a much better chance during Bush's lost year to address this more important threat. Don't get me wrong, Iran is a threat to our interests, the interests of our allies and to the stability of the region. Somehow, call me crazy if you wish, I don't feel very confident with the administration handling this one.

Egan

"To govern is to choose"

2004-11-18T22:37:00.000-05:00

An amazing article. It must be read by all.

Egan

The Goss Memo

2004-11-18T16:33:00.000-05:00

http://www.warandpiece.com/blogdirs/001407.html

Egan

Orgy Think

2004-11-18T10:51:00.000-05:00

It looks like Bush continues to "purify" his administration. Suskind's aptly titled book, The Price of Loyalty, gave insight into the degree to which loyalty played, and clearly plays, in the Bush administration. It is one thing to have key advisors and/or a few cabinet members as close confidants but to have ALL of them as "Yes" men and women is frankly terrifying. If Bush were a genious that would be one thing. It is quite another when he is a simpleton.
This country was founded on dissent. It appropriately follows that good presidents have incorporated dissenting opinions into the proccess through which policies are created and administered. A president who is told what he wants to hear, or worse, one who avoids being told much at all by design, and/or one who can't or won't redirect when needed is a president who better be right ALL the time. This is impossible.
Given this president's poor track record to date a more unified administration in the context of a highly obedient and organized congressional majority of the same party spells trouble. We ain't seen nothin' yet: "group think", hah! Try Orgy think!!!

Egan

SOP

2004-11-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

The current professional con-men in the republican leadership hold many "truths" to be self-evident. Here are some of the biggies from the Republican Party Platform and how they are the source for snake-oil proliferation (SOP):

1. Freedom for all. God Himself has given mankind the gift of freedom...meant even for you ignorant sand-dwellers o'er there in the Middle East. Though you know not what you are missing we must forgive you, as only a good God-ferrin' Christian would do...and jam freedom down your throats. Let's just look at it like giving castor oil to a child...or maybe ...let's NOT look at it like giving castor oil to a child....Instead, let's look at it like giving Zymaxa-(tm-copyright-2004-use this name and fry in coroporate Hell, for we will hunt you down with our bastion of coroporate lawyers and burn you alive for using our trademark without permission...and without lots of money) to a child (after all we want to help our coroporate friends and supporters...I mean funders). The child will thank us when s/he is well but may find the medicine a wee bit bitter; just like the Iraqis will have to endure a wee bit of death and destruction and such to reach that wonderful place called Freedom (enduring Freedom, anybody???). Yes, democracy ain't easy. Especially when you are fully ignorant of what it is. When you have a WalMart you will understand. (We must make the world safe for Democracy...I mean...WalMart). When our corporations can hire you as cheap labor to support OUR way of life you will understand. Just ignore the fact that we consort with scum-filled regimes that scoff at democracy, like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Pakistan, you are missing the point, o' ignorant one. You see, Freedom really means Freedom to choose between being our [economic] friend and being our [military-but-only-if-we-can-easily-woop-you] foe. There is really no other choice. There really is NO choice (especially w.r.t reproductive rights, but I digress...). Yes, Freedom means No Choice...Let No Choice Ring!

2. As W so profoundly said, "We will preserve the peace by building good relations among the great powers." Just who are these "great powers" you ask (scroll down):

Iraq Troop numbers March 2004
Coalition of the Willing
	Country	Troops	Per 100000 population	Per 1000 military

1	USA	130,000	47.7	94.8
2	United Kingdom	9,000	15.2	42.4
3	Italy	3,000	5.3	11.3
4	Poland	2,460	6.7	10.2
5	Ukraine	1,600	3.2	5.1
6	Spain *	1,300	3.3	7.0
7	Netherlands	1,100	7.0	19.5
8	Australia	800	4.3	14.5
9	Romania	700	3.1	3.4
10	Bulgaria	480	5.9	5.9

11	Thailand	440	0.7	1.4
12	Denmark	420	7.8	17.3
13	Honduras *	368	6.1	5.4
14	El Salvador	361	6.2	14.7
15	Dominican Republic	302	3.7	12.3
16	Hungary	300	2.9	6.9
17	Japan	240	0.2	1.0
18	Norway	179	4.0	5.8
19	Mongolia	160	6.1	17.6
20	Azerbaijan	150	1.9	2.1
21	Portugal	128	1.3	2.6
22	Latvia	120	5.1	20.9
23	Lithuania	118	3.3	9.7
24	Slovakia	102	1.9	2.3
25	Czech Republic	80	0.8	1.4
26	Philippines	80	0.1	0.7
27	Albania	70	2.1	7.0 **
28	Georgia	70	1.4	2.7
29	New Zealand	61	1.7	6.4
30	Moldova	50	1.1	4.7
31	Macedonia	37	1.8	2.3
32	Estonia	31	2.2	6.5
33	Canada ^	31^
34	Kazakhstan	25	0.1	0.4
Sources: The Australian, 17^th March 2004. SBS World Guide, ninth edition, 2001.

The mighty likes of Moldova! Let me tell ya'! They sent their sharp-shootin' mightiest I guarantee you; all fifty of 'em.

3. "We confront big challenges instead of passing them on to future generations." So says the RNC platform. [They have got to be kidding. With the deficit at stratospheric levels these cheap car salesmen (no offense to car salesmen mind you) must be laughing all the way to the federal reserve. P.T. Barnum would be proud ("There's a sucker born every minute")]. I bet they have a secret plan...a money tree. Yeah, we'll grow our money. Hey, the dollar is dropping like a 10-ton petrified elephant turd on currency markets so what foreigner would want a green-back these days anyway. Mr. Snow rev that baby right up [money press] and print to your heart's content!

4. Dignity for all life, at all stages of it...but not ALL places for it. After all, we are taking the war on terror out of our backyard and fighting it in someone else's so their people die and our people don't....but the Iraqis and Afghanistanis will thank us some day (see #1). At least we can sit in our SUVs, shop at Wal-Mart, sip our 3$ coffee, own three TVs and take Prozac to deal with our massive stressors while those sadly naive Iraqis have their teency weency inconveniences o'er there. Hell, most Americans can't pick out Canada on a map let alone Iraq or Afghanistan. And why the Hell should they?! We are number one! Screw everybody else! Bring it on!

5. Freedom is worth fighting for, dying for and sacrificing for. But we have already done our fighting, dying and sacrificing in history. Now it is somebody else's turn. Freedom rocks! Gettin' there sucks! I just want another tax cut dammit! Number one! Number one! Number one!

6. "As the Party of Lincoln, we stand for freedom..." but not for those damn minorities and foreigners!

Red State Joe

CIA Woes

2004-11-15T10:51:00.000-05:00

Not good

No surprise! Porter Goss brought along his Cronies into the CIA and they are all partisan. The senate did a crappy job sending this group of back-room boys into a hurting agency. Rumsfeld has been trying to subvert it during his tenure. Now he won't have to; he can leave that to Goss now.

Egan

Checks and balances?

2004-11-14T18:50:00.000-05:00

Hah!

I thought congress and the white house represented two of the three branches of government. I guess there are only two branches and they are the democrats and republicans!

The message to the next possible chairman of the senate judiciary committee, Sen. Arlen Specter was clear from the "republican leadership": "tow the line or else". What that meant was to actively support, without question, ALL of the justice nominees put forth by the white house. This effectively puts a litmus test on the senate! It gives ONE voice from federal government: the republican majority. There is also talk of changing congressional rules so that a democratic filibuster, to halt or slow down extreme nominees, would be unconstitutional.

The Mandate it seems has energized the highly organized and zealous republicans. The "Constructionists", or in Reagan-era terms the "Originalists", are to be the focus for bench replacement(s). And W said he would not have a litmus test. What a fricking joke!

Again, people voted based on vacuous "values", but got something else along with it. You might call it a sugar-coated dingleberry.

Egan

Occidentalism

2004-11-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Frontline last night, "The Persuaders", featured the current state of marketing in America.

Very interesting stuff. Experience-based shopping. Amazing. The emphasis on earthly things to the extent that these people exert must make occidentalists crazy. (see Occidentalism by Ivan Buruma and Avishai Margalit reviwed at). This is at the heart of why these terrorists hate us so much; and why they are willing to die in the fight against us. We must understand this if we are to prevent terrorist acts in the future.

Egan

Some Good News

2004-11-10T08:51:00.000-05:00

Aschcroft and Evans are out! The problem? Who will replace them. I am sure the Croney list is long and will be examined in the context of "The Mandate". Ashcroft will go down as one of the worst AGs in history. Let's face it he lost his senate seat to a dead man prior to coming into the AG position. Like so many republicans, though, he'll surely follow suit and go into a mega-salary earning private sector job and mingle with the upper crust(ies). (What a good Christian! I am sure he'll be true to Jesus and love his fellow man). Evans on the other hand is a zealot simpleton--I guess you could say that about most of Bush's croniministration...

Egan

Bait and Switch

2004-11-06T09:28:00.000-05:00

With the new "mandate" we can expect the Grand Bait and Switch to now occur.

Given the "moral" victory is now complete the Bush administration can now work on the real substance of their agenda:

1. Energy policy - watch out Alaska. Big Oil, pay-back time for you
2. Making tax cuts permanent; personal and corporate
3. Federal courts, including the Supreme Court, will now be scarred for a generation
4. Iran, you're next
5. Continue battle against science
6. Continue erosion of Church and State
7. Another brick in the wall...of secrecy
8. Here comes the draft
9. The civil rights dartboard just got bigger

The average dingbat who voted for Bush because of "moral" issues, which translates to NOTHING in terms of policy, unwittingly (because they are so blinded by ignorance) voted for a package deal that includes multiple stink-bombs set to explode flatus as far as the nose can smell. The "security" Moms, bible-pounders, "God, guns and guts"-belt-buckle-buying bone heads, smarty-pants-hating miscreants, sound-bite-only microcephalic dimwits and closet-racist gay-bashers got their "feel good" man in office paving the way for the real core minority (the ultra-rich) to get their way in the aforementioned categories. The former groups were in essence human shields for the latter.

Hail to the pOOpulous.

Egan

Wedge Issues

2004-11-04T10:51:00.000-05:00

Some analysis on NPR this morning boiled down the election to moral wedge issues:

1. Gay marriage
2. Abortion

The heavily motivated and organized christian right won the election for Bush. Chalk one up for Karl Rove. In many ways Bush is his "discovery", i.e. creation; he set his site on him in the 1990s as fitting the bill for the white house. According to exit polling data, although with some flaws, "morals" were a supriringly high priority for voters.

It is amazing that wedge issues can be such an overwhelming force. I suppose one cannot expect much more from human nature. People are simple; they have a couple of core beliefs; when those beliefs are met/reinforced other issues in a platform become accepted in a series of rationalization dominos. Karl Rove certainly understood this aspect of human nature.

"So what if Iraq has been fucked up. My man W is a God-ferring Christian. He fights for the unborn and is against those heathenous rump rangers!"

What is glossed over: forget the fact that the really important issues (to W as a person; and to his croney supporters) are business regulatory ones (ranging from environmental, entitlement, taxation and others). These issues directly affect them. We know Republicans frequently go from government ("service", what a joke) to the private sector and Democrats go from government to different public service. Does anyone really believe that abortion means anything to W personally? school prayer? stem-cell research? Does anyone think that W will feel racism directed towards him? Or care whether some spotted owl gets killed off somewhere in Oregon? Or if Joe-loser who turns a wrench loses his job? But you better believe that an estate tax, income tax, capital gains tax, oil drilling regulation, campaign finance reform sure as hell personally affects him.

The problem with campaigns are the fact that slogans, not evaluation of deeds or of conflicts of interest/personal gain, rule the day. But then that is human nature. The former is easy and the latter is difficult.

Egan

11-2

2004-11-04T09:39:00.000-05:00

The loss of Kerry is in some ways worse than 9-11. The ENTIRE nation grieved together. Now only HALF of the nation will grieve. To make matters worse those who supported Kerry will not be able to talk about it for fear of the other half being offended or simply be unable to empathize.

This will lead to maladaptive grieving.

So, I call it "11-2".

Egan

Mourning Morning

2004-11-03T08:48:00.000-05:00

It is pretty much a sure thing for Bush at this point (8:48 AM, 11-3-2004). The votes in Ohio are not yet final; 90% of the remaining votes would have to go to Kerry in order for him to win.

I, like many other ABB people out there, will be mourning this morning. We are a nation divided. Here are some talking points:

1. The degree of hatred for Bush is not small; this cannot be good for the country.
2. Church-state separation will be at risk.
3. The democrats will undergo some intense reorganization. This election should have been a slam dunk yet they couldn't do it. What went wrong?
4. A casualty of this has been Justice.
5. Intellectuals, "fancy pants", are to be disdained.
6. Our country's standing in the world has hit a new low.
7. Osama is a happy man: more recruits acomin'.
8. The Republicans by and large serve the minority wealthy; they need religious followers to make their numbers more competetive. The agenda is clear: more for the rich, less for the challenged. As long as "God" gets painted on the package the American sucker will buy it. I suspect many Republican politicians in private could really give a crap about abortion, for example, just as long as Pork goes to their pet industry or private financial interest.
9. Transparency in government has suffered a severe blow.
10. Campaign finance reform has been made into a joke.
11. (Something positive!) Voter turnout was astounding!
12. Arrogance and ignorance has prevailed.

More to come...

Egan

Predicitons

2004-10-31T19:25:00.000-05:00

I predict that Sen. Kerry will win the 2004 presidential election because of minority voter/unpolled voter turnout in key battleground states
In fact, the popular vote will be in favor of the president and the electoral college will vote for Kerry
The final result will NOT be available on Nov. 3rd
The lawyer-phase will follow the general election
Ugliness in the form of lawsuits, demonstrations, some violent, will prevail
The win by Kerry will switch the tables on the Repuclicans in terms of electoral college woes; a serious constitutional debate will follow regarding the electoral college
Kerry will be an ineffectual president; the grid-lock that will follow will be unprecendented; he'll get no serious legislation through the congress, even the house let alone the senate
The sorry seeds sown by Bush will yield pustular crops that Kerry will be forced to harvest; naturally his administration will take the blame and guarantee a one-term presidency
The baby-boom "pig in the python" phenomenon will be tangible by 2008 and this will weigh heavily in the 2008 campaign
The loss by Bush will lead to civil war in the republican party; the conservative bible-pounding far right will battle with the more centrist fiscally conservative and secular faction
The civil war will yield a Guiliani to run on the "new" Republican ticket against Kerry and perhaps a splinter born-again-sponsored freak to make it a real three-party race for the first time since Bush-Clinton-Perot
Iraq will fungate; the real heat will calm down slightly after spring 2005; Kerry will succeed in getting France and/or Germany into the fray in exchange for more oil-revenue-based contracts; we'll ooze out and remain in Bosnia-like proportions (in terms of military involvement) for another decade; the neocons will be relegated to the lacky-corners of the Pentagon in due course

One-fingered victory salute

2004-10-28T00:05:00.000-04:00

Way to go 'W'...

BushUncensored.mov

Egan

Iraqi Government

2004-10-26T10:50:00.000-04:00

According to Sy Hirsch, in his book Chain of Command, Allawi has a shady background. It seems he is quite a thug. He has been reported to have been a former Baath party member, prior to Sadam's coming to power in 1979, and lost favor (for murky reasons)--actually he had a price put on his head when he was a European Baath party liaison. In Europe he had "blood on his hands"--apparently his job was to manage the getting rid of Baath party members who had fallen out of favor. Leave it to our amateur "nation builders" in the CIA, Executive Branch and Pentagon to pick another scumbag....And Chalabi was "their man in Baghdad" until then...ha ha ha ha...

Egan

War Prisoner Fiasco

2004-10-24T18:53:00.000-04:00

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6590721

McCain (http://mccain.senate.gov/)
Biden (http://biden.senate.gov/)

Good senators. Bad problem: looks like we secretly transferred out some Iraqi prisoners in the past 6 months. At least this is according to Dana Priest from the Washington Post who got her hands on a confidential memo (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57363-2004Oct23.html). Turns out it violates international treaties. Can't we do anything right?

Sen. McCain has it right: "The thing that separates us from the enemy is our respect for human rights."

Sen. Biden does too: "I think we should also need new leadership at the Justice Department too..."

Expect more of the same, I say. The situation in Iraq is deteriorating by the day. That means the stakes are high within the military machine to get results. This leads to "stretching" of the rules that create, govern and carry out protocol. With asses on the line all over the place it is no surprise that all levels will have individuals that venture into the land of the illegal.

WwWpWt (Wrong War at the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time)
Egan

2004-09-28T17:11:00.000-04:00

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