They're fucking my boys too

You hear all about the Army troopers and Marines having their deployments extended. Well they're doing the same to the Air Expeditionary Forces. This is from Stars and Stripes:

The permanent change to the deployment length starts with airmen in AEF cycle five, who will deploy for 120 days instead of 90 days, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper wrote in his “Sight Picture” policy letter released Friday. That means most airmen in the first cycle will spend the Christmas holidays in the field.

. . .

Master Sgt. Malik Sultan of the 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base will be among the first airmen to deploy in September under the new rotation schedule.

“It’s not surprising to me,” Sultan, 38, of Compton, Calif., said Tuesday. “Our force size is getting smaller and our responsibility is getting larger." [Emphasis mine]

. . .

Senior Airman Mauricio Leon of Ramstein’s 568th Security Forces Squadron is in one of the stressed career fields. Leon said he expects that the 120-day rotation length won’t affect him. Leon, 24, of San Diego, deployed last year to the Middle East for eight months, including four months at Tallil Air Base, Iraq.

“The orders always say 90 days to 120 days, but usually we go for up to 180 days,” Leon said. “You never know when you’re gonna go home.”

Read the whole thing here.

As I've been yelling about since we went to Iraq, WE'RE STRETCHED TOO THIN. Fucking civilian geniuses in the White House and at the Pentagon think they know better than the generals how to run an army. They act like little boys. I'll bet Bush has said more than once, "But it worked on TV." Fucking assholes.

It can happen to you

I know you give a shit about some lowlife like Jose Padilla, but he is an American citizen and should be accorded all the rights due a citizen, whether he is suspected of being Al Qaeda or not. Eschaton dives a little deeper into it.

I think it's time to recognize the following things.

1) It isn't clear "how bad" Padilla was or would've been.
2) The administration has no real evidence about how bad his ongoing associations were.
3) They had no evidence that he had any specific plans. The confessions he's made since may or may not have any basis in reality.
4) Even if Padilla was "bad," putting him on 24/7 surveillance and using that to track down his connections would have been much more productive from an intelligence standpoint than holding him for 2 years.
5) If they can do it to Padilla, they can do it to you.

And don't forget, it's John Kerry Thursday.

Melanie at Just a Bump in the Beltway looks at the Padilla thing too.

Ugh

Turned my stomach to see Cheney up there eulogizing Reagan last night. Just looking at that man turns my stomach.

Anyway, weather nitwit says we're gonna have thunderstorms by noon and it's already fucking humid. Well, I'm off to the mines.

All day?

Is fucking Chris Matthews going to be on MSNBC all fucking day long? Oy! I sorta like Matthews but he gets annoying after a while. I usually click to him when my Star Trek reruns are at commercial. Just an observation but I think MSNBC has the best looking newsbabes. I don't watch Fox at all so I wouldn't know about theirs, but MSNBC tops CNN hands down. The only way I would watch Fox is if they were showing Sean Hannity's execution.

Well, gotta take a shower and get Mrs. F so I'll say good night.

Pleasant dreams.

The King of the Jews

The King of the Jews is coming for a visit from California! A very dear friend of mine and Mrs. F's will be in on business for a while and it'll be good to see him. One of his missions in life is to make people laugh and he does a great job of it. It'll be a night of eating and drinking and storytelling and I can't wait.

Questions, questions

From the St. Petersburg (Florida) Times by way of Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo. Seems 142 Saudis were allowed to leave the U.S. just after 9/11 without being questioned by law enforcement officers. If you'll remember this was the time when every other fucking plane in the country was grounded. Oh, did I mention that the last name of some of the passengers on those private jets was Bin Laden?

Okay, I'm not one of the tinfoil hat crowd, but what if Bush knew 9/11 was going to happen? If it were true I'd bust his ass personally. Go read and see if you come away thinking the same thing.

Oh, and while you're at TPM, read this. See what I mean about these fucking Jesus freaks taking over the government? Here's another look at it from the Pandagon boys.

Magazines

Both print and electronic are to be taken with a grain of salt when it comes to car stuff. Every time these clowns on TV or in all the hotrodding magazines tell you something is great and it's the best thing for your car, remember they are being paid for it.

I won't mention names (because they aren't worth doing 8 1/2 to 12 after I go ballistic on them when they sue me), but they populate the newsstands and the so-called men's TV cable channels. Pick one. They'll tell you your car would run better on dogshit if one of their sponsors paid them to.

And all of them have their 'project cars' that they build over five or six issues or episodes. They are paid to use all of the products involved and, most of all, to tell you to use them.

My advice is this. When it comes to hotrodding your car, check the state and local emissions laws first, before you go buying what these nitwits tell you to. You don't need to spend thousands bolting all this shit to your car to find out it won't pass an emissions test. All you'll have is an expensive shed.

Next, the rule of thumb is 'Less is More'. If you're not doing major machine work to your engine, basically keeping it stock, it can only flow so much air and fuel. Superchargers and turbos provide great power gains, but a stock engine not built for it will disassemble itself after a year. There is always a payback for bolt-on horsepower.

Yes, I can beat my little Subaru around the block and smoke the tires, but the higher cylinder pressures and temperatures increase the rate of wear exponentially. If you're engine is all aluminum, you have more to worry about. If you're not beefing up the crank, pistons and rods, you're going to have a lower end failure sooner than later, especially if you like to rev the shit out of your little four cylinder. If you're not opening your valves longer or wider, you're wasting all that extra pressurized air because you're not getting it into the cylinder fast enough before the valves close. What's the point?

Besides, unless you teach the computer to deal with the increase in pressures and volumes, you're cheating yourself again becasue the car's brain wants to make everything normal. Now that we've done all this fucking around, we run up against the wall of emissions regulations. In New York, our machine wants to know the vehicle's emissions calibration code. It also measures airflow out the exhaust at varying road speeds. Yeah, try to fool the computer legally. I'm sure as hell not breaking the law for your little piece of shit.

My point is, before you buy anything, talk to people, call a race shop or a guy who builds hotrods for a living. Those guys know what works and what doesn't. Don't want something just because you saw it on MC Fuck Me or whatever that fat brother's name is. And remember this, if anything, DO NOT HOTROD YOUR DAILY TRANSPORTATION. Always have an unfucked-with car to get you around, to go to work, to get food and beer, to get laid, whatever. If the hotrod breaks, which it will, you need a reliable backup.

Heed my words, Lugnut.

Hot town, summer in the city

Was 103 in the shop today and humid as hell. Where did spring go? The bright spot is that I don't need that fucking Atkins diet. I sweat off 5 lbs. on a day like this. The bad part is that we were just getting our heads above water with the delayed inspections. Amazingly, the machine hasn't broken this week but the shop gets hot when you run cars on the dyno. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of our loyal customers who knowingly broke the law, driving with an expired inspection sticker, in order to give us the work even though we asked them to get it done somewhere else to avoid problems with the police. 90% of the folks waited until we got our machine fixed because they didn't want anyone else fucking with their shit. I guess we're doing something right, eh? That's what I mean about finding a guy you can trust.

Not So Dead Ed stopped in today for a couple hours, looking better than he did Monday. He conned the doctors into giving him an excuse for another couple weeks, but I'm going up to the hospital and bribe them to recind it. I'm sick of answering the fucking phone. It makes me irritable.

Hopefully, the Benzmeister will have my car for me at the end of the week. He wants to look it over once more before he gives it to me. Mrs. F is concerned about me driving her car so much and with the way I drive, I don't blame her.

Speaking of my driving, I've been seeing commercials for this General Motors 24-hour test drive. I wonder if they'd give me a 'Vette to beat on . . .er, test drive for 24 hours? I wonder if I'd be liable for repairs? And you know I'd burn off the rear tires within the first hour. I guess they don't want to see me at the local Chevy dealer. I could ply them with a case of Budweiser . . .

Again

This article by Capitol Hill Blue surfaces again, this time from the boys at Pandagon. I talked about this not long ago, that Bush is losing it and the seams are stretching at the White House.

In interviews with a number of White House staffers who were willing to talk off the record, a picture of an administration under siege has emerged, led by a man who declares his decisions to be “God’s will” and then tells aides to “fuck over” anyone they consider to be an opponent of the administration.

“We’re at war, there’s no doubt about it. What I don’t know anymore is just who the enemy might be,” says one troubled White House aide. “We seem to spend more time trying to destroy John Kerry than al Qaeda and our enemies list just keeps growing and growing.”

Aides say the President gets “hung up on minor details,” micromanaging to the extreme while ignoring the bigger picture. He will spend hours personally reviewing and approving every attack ad against his Democratic opponent and then kiss off a meeting on economic issues.

Wait until some of these people start talking on the record. Hopefully they'll do it before the election. Like some squid said to me once about an Annapolis grad we couldn't stand, 'you can't polish a turd'.

Inside the U.N. Iraq resolution

Liberal Oasis looks it over and decides it's thin cover for Bush and the unanimous vote can destroy the U.N.'s image and credibility in the Islamic world.

And you thought I got fired up

Democratic Veteran is just about as angry as I am at President Adolf and his Brownshirts.

Now I'm off. Later.

I called it

Bill at Whiskey Bar sees the same thing that I did the other day. I said so a couple times. They're trying to cast Dubya as Reagan - The Second Coming.

To quote Ron Reagan (the son) in Salon.

"My father was a man - that's the difference between him and Bush. To paraphrase Jack Palance, my father crapped bigger ones than George Bush."

Go read the whole thing. This made my day. Can't wait for the debates, when Kerry says, "Dubya, you're no Ronald Reagan."

Gonna be a scorcher in NY today, but it beats winter. Well, off to the mines.

It passes

Breaking news; 17:11: The resolution on Iraqi sovereignty was just passed by the U.N Security Council. Let's hope this actually does something constructive over there. This is really, really it for tonight. More on this tomorrow.

The chicken

Xan over at Corrente has a why did the chicken cross the road joke here. Worth a giggle.

Good night . . . for real this time.

The right spot

Does your dog have to find the right spot to pee or take a dump? Mine, or should I say Mrs. F's little princess, has to find the exact spot to leave a deposit. I mean, I see dogs all day long, walking down the street they just pull over and water the hydrant or do their business and the owner picks it up. No thought, no hesitation, just put on the turn signal and pull over, bam, done, let's move on. If my dog had thumbs she'd be using a ruler to figure just where to go, down to the millimeter. Incredible. Once, I was standing where she had to go. She bonked me with her head so I'd move. I took two steps to the right and bam, that was the spot. Dog's got a whole yard and gotta take a dump where I'm standing. Oy!

Anyway, Mrs. F's on the early train so I gotta go. Have a good evening.

Pleasant dreams.

I'm just like him

President Dicknose is already on TV comparing himself with Ronnie 'a man with core principles who did not deviate . . .' Ol' Ronnie knew when to change his mind, dipstick, remember the tax cuts? They became tax increases, twice.

And my man, Senator Joe Biden tore SS Chief . . . er, Attorney General John Ashcroft a new one over Torturegate. He explained the rationale behind the Geneva Conventions to Herr Himmler (something the AG should already know). It was nice to watch and I would have liked to have seen Biden come down and punch that Jesus feak right in the fucking nose. But Joe's a better man than I, although you could see he was holding himself back.

For those who don't know, we are signatories to the Conventions to assure that our people don't get tortured when they are captured by the enemy. It doesn't work perfectly, but it does work. Well, not any more, not after Abu Ghraib. Wait until they start to do more than behead our people. How can intelligent people support these motherfuckers in the White House?

Have I mentioned that I hate Peggy Noonan? She's on MSNBC with Lester Holt right now. Lester's asking her about her memories of Reagan so she'll never shut up. The affected bitch. Have I mentioned I hate her? Click, CNN.

Okay, I've had it

I've reached my limit of 'All Ronnie, All The Time'. I'm waiting for one of these talking heads to say, 'you know, no other President wiped his own ass as well as Reagan did. Never, ever, a skidmark. And you know, his shit didn't stink either'.

Oy!

Summer's here

91 and fucking humid in NYC today. We were dying but the work got done. Then, on my way home, some genius decides to cut off a tractor-trailer hauling 80,000 lbs of construction debris. Well, they had to shut the Expressway down at the county line, I think every Nassau and Suffolk PD unit within 20 miles was there, HazMat too, and they were guiding a chopper in for the guy in the Toyota (I think it was a Toyota) wedged under the front of the semi. Fucking asshole, took me forever to get home and he's probably dead.

Let this be a lesson for all you assholes who like to dart in and out of traffic. Weight wins, dickhead. Your little shitbag Jap car may handle like a dream and stop on a dime, but a Kenworth doesn't. Cut one off at 65 and slam on the brakes. See what happens, moron. They'll be hosing you out your good-handling, great-stopping coffin.

Idiots.

Gaza

The Head Heeb looks at several scenarios but believes the Israeli disengagement in the Gaza Strip is a done deal even though Sharon's government is starting to come apart.

While any separation of IDF units and the Palestinians is welcome, hopefully reducing the flashpoint, there are still big issues to deal with; the West Bank Settlements, Jerusalem, Palestinian Right of Return, and others. Without any active U.S. engagement, not only with Sharon and Arafat, but with the moderate Arabs; Hussein's kid in Jordan, that cutthroat Mubarak in Egypt, and those in the Emirates. This shit's gotta get fixed before we can ever expect an end to the terror problem. The U.S. has to take the lead and get other nations in the region engaged, not just shrug our shoulders every time the IDF decides to kick over a refugee camp.

Who flip-flops?

Ah yes, they call John Kerry a flip-flopper, but as South Knox Bubba points out, Ol' Don Rummy made a big one.

Update 17:05: Democratic Veteran has another case of flip-floppery, this time by President Dicknose himself. Since we were on the subject.

God and Country

I've been reading too much lately about how God has infiltrated the government. Every Republican politician I hear (unfortunately McCain and other similar voices are drowned out, and you won't hear that Jesus shit from a New York Republican) has declared his love for Jesus and expounds on the part God and Jesus play in their decision making processes. Now, I don't have a problem with anyone of great faith but goddammit, this is getting way out of hand.

How can supposedly intelligent people become Biblical Literalists? Do folks who go through countless years of college, lean about life sciences, quantum physics, and the rest of the curriculum, suddenly disavow all they've learned and put their faith in a literal interpretation of the Bible? Look at that nut in Alabama, Judge Roy Moore and his 10 Commandments monument in the courthouse. This guy is like the biggest judge in the state, shit, he must be an educated man, and he talks like he takes the Bible as literal fact, verbatim. Remember that dickhead Jerry Falwell saying that 9/11 was God's punishment for us being decadent? Jerry, let me show you Fixer-man's punishment for being an asshole, you motherfucker.

Now, I'm a big supporter of the 10 Commandments, good rules to live by, but Jesus H. Christ, do you really think the entity that created the vastness of the Universe cares if I'm fucking my neighbor's wife? I don't because I'm a faithful husband and I love my wife more than anything in the world, not because I'm afraid of going to Hell.

We are in the beginning of the 21st Century, people. Hello, McFly! How can you interpret something literally when it was written at a time where running water was science fiction? Why do you think these books, the Bible, the Koran, etc. were written when they were? Why do you think there are all these rules against certain types of food and certain types of sex? Because it offended God? I doubt that. I'm pretty sure that a bunch of smart guys at the time figured out that sodomy was an easy way to transmit deadly disease (venerial diseases, hepatitis that sort of shit), and they knew certain foods carried disease as well. Do you think they could go before the masses and say, 'using scientific principles, I have determined that something too small to see is making you sick from this type of activity or eating this type of food'? They would probably have been killed out of hand. Instead, they say 'the Lord High Holy Person in the Sky spoke to me and said he would strike you down blah, blah, blah' because people would believe it far more readily. I mean really, with the evolution of society since those books were written, why hasn't God showed up? Why hasn't he said 'well boys, you've grown since my last visit and here's the new Bible, 10 Commandments, whatever, updated for the modern world'? Or, 'hey, you assholes were wrong, you fucked up and went against my will, Rapture time!'

Whose standard do we use for God's will? The Popes of the Middle Ages? Our values now? If I'm to be judged to get into Heaven, let me know the standard I'm being judged against. Does it disqualify me because I didn't kill Heathens in His name. (I've killed a couple Communists, do they count?) Hello, McFly, we've evolved! Remember the Rennaissance? Do you Fundies want us to go back to that the way the Islamists have?

We have medicine; cures, vaccines, and techniques evolving daily, and we have technology. We can do and see things now that required a leap of faith 2 milennia ago. I love this bunch in charge who say the Islamic Fundamentalists want to return to the 12th Century. So do the Christian Fundamentalists in this country.

They turn their backs on science, except when it comes to building weapons or making a buck from it, and see everything they do as some sort of Crusade, always with Divine inspiration. I'm pretty sure the Catholic Chruch outgrew that phase a couple centuries ago. Not that I'm fond of the Pope and Catholicism Inc., but they used to do their own dirty work when it came to killing Moslems, onward Christian soldiers and all that. These fucking Protestants who've suborned the United States and it's children to fight in their Crusade have just as much blood on their hands as the Imperial Popes and the Fundamentalist Islamists.

It's time to ensure the true separation of church and state. Any nitwit politician who says 'I'm doing this in God's name' should be jailed. And I'll be damed if I put up with one who talks about faith-based initiatives. My tax money better not go to anything faith-based, espcially not some born again Fundamentalist bullshit. God is good, in your personal life, but don't expect me to agree with your version of God and you'd better not try and ram it down my throat because I'll put my foot up your ass. This is America, goddammit.

Off to the mines

Dog's empty and I'm late because I was working on a post for this afternoon. Off to the mines.

Okay, one more

Das 1000 Jahre Reich. You know how I compare President Balless Wonder and his minions to the Nazis. Well, Bill at Whiskey Bar does too. Read it here.

Arrivederci

Mrs. F called and said she'll be on the early train. She also hinted that drinks on the patio would be a good thing this evening. Sounds good to me. Have a good evening, my friends.

Pleasant dreams.

Presidential powers and covering your ass

Bill over at Whiskey Bar looks at how the White House legal eagles justified the use of torture at Abu Ghraib Prison. It's long but you can read it here. I stole one paragraph from Bill.

Now I have to admit: The idea of using the Nuremberg trial as a field guide for committing war crimes and getting away with it has never occurred to me before. But then, I'm not a Bush administration legal appointee. It's probably worth remembering, though, that the Nuremberg Tribunal wasn't particularly impressed by the "I was only following orders" routine: 12 defendents hanged, 3 sentenced to life, 4 given long prison sentences, only 3 acquitted. If I were Donald Rumsfeld, I don't think I'd like those odds.

And you wonder why I call the Bush Administration a bunch of Nazis? Rat bastids.

Update 16:50: Meteor Blades at Daily Kos looks at this too here.

Reminder

Go here to see the trailer for the new Michael Moore movie, 'Fahrenheit 9/11'. And go see it when it comes out.

Now that summer is here (sort of)

Okay, I know we have limited summers here in NY. And I know you want to make the most of every weekend. Fine. But do all of you pretentious 'I weekend in the Hamptons' people have to come home during Monday morning rush hour? You're fucking up the Expressway for us regulars. You're already late for work, can't you leave Westhampton after 9? Do you have to ball things up for the rest of us? Better yet, leave Sunday night. I'm tired of putting up with you hungover, half-drunk morons who can't get a grip on driving at 7 a.m. I got shit to do.

Speaking of that, our fucking inspection machine finally got fixed Friday evening. Guess what we did all day? That's not counting 3 idiots who had shit towed in because they broke it on the weekend. Oy, just another Monday in the car business. Of course, we rose to the occasion as we always do.

Ed Update: Not So Dead Ed stopped in for a couple hours today and we even got his lazy ass to answer the phone. He's almost back to his usual belligerent self. He told me to go fuck myself a couple times so I know he's feeling better. He still can't drive (it's only a fucking pacemaker for Christ's sake), but I'm looking into a bus ticket for him. I'm tired of doing paperwork.

Honor Roll

Is every fucking kid in my town on the honor roll? Well it sure looks like it judging from the number of bumper stickers going around. Are they grading on a curve? Man, when I was in school, there were 2 kids on the honor roll, a Chinese kid and an Indian kid, and the school didn't waste my fucking tax money printing up bumper stickers for their parents' cars.

My Juvenile Delinguent got your honor roll daughter drunk and then knocked her up.

My moron sold your prodigy crack last night.

My kid beat the shit out of your poindexter.

Those are bumper stickers I'd like to see. And what's with the college shit on the back window? Does it mean a shit to me that your kid goes to Harvard? Not hardly. I giggle my motherfucking ass off when I realize how much you're paying. Aw shucks, that's why I'm retiring to the Loire and you're going to work until you're 80. I know a guy who sent his kid to one of those hoity-toity schools for four years. Kid gets done, looks for a job, and a couple months later tells his dad, 'you know, I want to go to law school'. There ya go, another future bottom-feeder bankrupting his folks. Like we need another fucking lawyer in New York. I got one for my car.

I got no kids, my wife and I are having fun, and I get far more sex than you do.

Yeah, no diapers, braces, teen pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, car, college, and then having them live with me afterward. I can take off at a moment's notice, all I have to do is call the Hound Hotel and tell them they'll be getting the Princess for a while. I pack Mrs. F's bag and we're off. Oh, by the way, you'd better change that diaper on your rugrat. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.

They're already doing it

Condoliezza Rice was on TV already, drawing parallels between Reagan's defeat of the Soviet system and Bush's 'War on Terror'. I hate this woman in general. What did she get her doctorate in? Fellatio? From the look of the teeth I'd say she was gnawing on something. She's a fucking idiot and a bad liar, even worse than her boss.

The only woman I hate more is Peggy Noonan. What an affected bitch with her head stuck up her ass. She's another lying sack of shit.

Let's fuck the troops some more

From Just a Bump in the Beltway. Melanie posted an article by AP quoting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Richard Myers.

By Panos Kakaviatos Associated Press Writer
Published: Jun 7, 2004

WIESBADEN, Germany (AP) - Gen. Richard Myers, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday he could not rule out keeping soldiers from the 1st Armored Division in Iraq beyond a previously announced three-month extension.

"I think it is unlikely, but in the end we are going to have to do what is needed to be done - never say never," Myers told reporters during a visit to Wiesbaden, where the 1st Armored Division is based.

It chaps my ass that this motherfucker is Air Force, but I guess every service has their assholes. Read the whole article here.

NASCAR

The points standings are out and I ain't happy. Only 10 drivers are within the 400 point range and there are still 13 races left before the 'playoffs'. If they keep driving as shitty as they did yesterday, they'll only have 3 cars chasing the title. The more I see of Nextel and their stewardship of the sport, the more I dislike them. Bring back Winston, Nextel sucks.

Kurt Busch sucks too. Is there anyone he hasn't run into this year? Fucking guy caused two accidents yesterday. Time to sit him down for a race or two. And speaking of the high hard one, why can't Jeff Burton get sponsorship? He's one of the best drivers on the circuit and the 99 car is a blank canvas. Have I said that Nextel sucks? Well, off to the mines.

Worth a giggle

Jesus' General looks at the GOP's political dividend of Ronnie kicking the bucket and has an idea of his own.

Enough Already

Eschaton and Daily Kos have siezed upon everybody saying that Reagan was the most popular president ever and they show proof here and here that Bill Clinton was actually more popular. Fine. Now shut the fuck up already. You sound like a couple whiny bitches. Much as I love these guys, Reagan isn't the problem, Numbnuts Bush is. I don't care that Bill was more popular than Ronnie, neither of them are making decisions at this point. Just get off it, let the GOP have their period of mourning, and concentrate on getting the current asshole out of office.

Good night

Work tomorrow. Pleasant dreams.

Dover

Well the Dover race is over and Mark Martin brought the #6 Viagara car to victory. It's about time, Ol' Mark ain't won in a couple years. My boy Rusty Wallace finished 14th, one lap down. Respectable, but with this new fucking points system it ain't good. Only those within 400 points of the leader will be able to compete for the championship in the last 10 races.

I'm one of those guys who think NASCAR is getting too commercialized. Yes, it was commercial before, but Winston, when they sponsored the Cup Series, kept their hands off. Nextel, the nitwits who took over when all of you fucking anti-smoking idiots compliained cigarette sponsorship was setting a bad example for your kids (can you all abdicate any MORE of your parental responsibilities?), has fucked with every aspect of the sport and it's starting to suck. I've been a fan since I can remember, we're talking close to 40 years, and Winston helped guide the sport to this point over 25 years. Until this season, the sport revolved around the fan. Now, it revolves around Nextel.

Disengagement

The Israeli Knesset just approved Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan for disengaging from the Gaza Strip. The Head Heeb tells us why this is a bad thing and what the consequences could be.

Bill and Hil

Got this from Josh Marshall over at Talking Points Memo. I posted the whole thing so you won't have to chase after it.

The Clintons on Reagan...

Statement of Former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Hillary and I will always remember President Ronald Reagan for the way he personified the indomitable optimism of the American people, and for keeping America at the forefront of the fight for freedom for people everywhere. It is fitting that a piece of the Berlin Wall adorns the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington.

President Reagan demonstrated his strength and resolve after leaving office when he shared his struggle with Alzheimer's Disease with the world. We will always remember his tremendous capacity to inspire and comfort us in times of tragedy, as he did after the loss of the space shuttle Challenger. Now he, too, has "slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God," and we can rest assured that, as joyous a place as Heaven is, his wit and sunny disposition are making it an even brighter place to be.

Hillary and I send our prayers to Nancy, their children and their many friends and family, as well as our gratitude for the life of a true American original.

Do you think President Laura-still-wipes-my-ass would be as charitable were Ol' Slick Willie the one pushing up daisies? I don't.

France

Well, Mrs. F and I have been planning for our retirement for a few years now and I think we're set upon becoming expats when we do. From our conversations over the past few years, we've found that we love Paris more than just about anyplace in the world. We've fallen in love over and over again on the Left Bank of the Siene and an aprtment in the 7th Arrondissment would be just the place to grow old together. This isn't about patriotism, or our love for the U.S., it's about where we will feel the most comfortable in our waning years. (Sounds so final, doesn't it?)

Unlike the uberpatriots in this country, I don't have anything bad to say about the French people, I have yet to have a bad experience during my interactions with them. We love Europe and we feel at home there. Isn't that what retirement is supposed to be all about?

So now we just have to decide if we actually do want an apartment in Paris or a house out in the country. Well, we have 10 or 15 years to figure it out. Hopefully by then, I'll be able to get Mrs. F out of Manhattan.

Another survey

Found this via Matt Yglesias. As he says, good questions. The answers are mine.

Thirty-One Questions

I’m dying to hear your opinions on approximately thirty-one items. That’s why I’ve devised this gallimaufry survey. Please oblige by listing your responses in the comments section. Feel free to qualify, explain, or elaborate upon your answers.

I’ll post my answers first. Happy opining!


1. Gasoline should cost more than $2/gallon. (T/F)

A-F

2. Democracy is:
a) a worthy but unattainable ideal.
b) in need of redefinition.
c) a crock.
d) presently exemplified in one or more nations (U.S. or not-U.S.).
e) other: _____________________________.

A-D

3. (Non-human) “nature” is worthy of moral consideration, independent of its role in human health. (T/F)

A-T

4. I am racist (which does not imply that I want to be racist). (T/F)

A-F (I hate EVERYBODY.)

5. It is a good idea to book Elton John as the surprise headliner at the finale concert for Harley-Davidson’s 100-year celebration in Milwaukee. (T/F)

A-T (I'd love to see that.)

6. Christianity:
a) embodies truth better than any other religion.
b) is still vital.
c) both a and b.
d) has neglected to continue to develop its myth throughout the ongoing transformation of consciousness (also known as deep changes in zeitgeist)—and has therefore lost its vitality for modern/postmodern humanity.
e) other: ______________________________.

A-D

7. The state of ecosystems is a primary concern of mine. (T/F)

A-T

8. I am probably well-informed about U.S. activity in the world. (T/F)

A-T

9. When a cat stands on its hind legs to lean on a sliding screen door with its front legs, but instead falls forward because the screen door is open and there is only air to support the cat when it leans, the cat:
a) makes a mistake.
b) is involved in an accident.
c) sins.
d) commits a crime.
e) other: _________________.

A-A (Tell me people choose other answers)

10. It is important to be a consumer of mainstream culture. (T/F)

A-F (It's not important to die with the most toys.)

11. Environmentalists tend to hold unrealistic views. (T/F)

A-T (Not that I disagree, but they seem naive in the way the world works)

12. Life is hard. (T/F)

A-T

13. I love life. (T/F)

A-T

14. The world is basically ruled by rich men. (T/F)

A-T

15. Educated females who want and can support children (and have partners in child-raising, if I prefer) should reproduce. (T/F)

A-T

16. “Cool” is a meaningful and useful concept. (T/F)

A-F

17. Most of the world needs greater economic growth. (T/F)

A-T

18. I like root beer. (T/F)

A-T

19. “Sexual orientation” is a meaningful and useful concept. (T/F)

A-T (But it shouldn't be a defining concept.)

20. If I were to ride a bicycle, I would wear a helmet. (T/F)

A-F (So, I'm an idiot, big deal.)

21. It is better to be a “well-rounded” person than to do one or two things extremely well. (T/F)

A-T (Well rounded as opposed to idiot savant?)

22. It is important to remain unemotional in discussions about power and justice. (T/F)

A-I can't remain unemotional in those circumstances.

23. I watch at least five movies per month. (T/F)

A-F

24. I like horror movies. (T/F)

A-F (I can scare the shit out of me better than they can.)

25. Feminism is needed. (T/F)

A-T

26. I am uncomfortable with the word “feminism.” (T/F)

A-F (If I were, I wouldn't be married to Mrs. F.)

27. The life of a man in this age is difficult, in a special way. (T/F)

A-Huh?

28. Psychological awareness is a project/process of primary importance and relevance. (T/F)

A-F (Although I'll admit I'm slightly nuts.)

29a. I am:
a) a citizen of the U.S.
b) a citizen of a country other than the U.S.
c) a citizen of the world.
d) other: _________________________.

A-A first, then C

29b. (If I answered “a” to question 29a) I:
a) regularly feel guilty about my complicity in the exploitation/oppression of many people around the world.
b) feel grateful for my wealth and opportunities.
c) both a and b.
d) think “oppressive” is the wrong word to describe U.S. activity and influence.
e) both b and d.

A-C

30. I think I should do something different or more to “make the world better.” (T/F)

A-T

31. I am directly seeking happiness. (T/F)

A-Already have it, but I want MORE than enough.


Read more here.

Bush takes Normandy

The American Street takes a poke at President I-was-a-real-soldier-once's performance at the D-Day Ceremonies.

Caption contest

Over at Philocrites. Create a caption for this picture. The Fixer-man added his 2 cents.

D-Day

Take a moment today to remember. If it weren't for those brave American, British, Canadian, and French soldiers and resistance fighters, most of Europe and maybe parts of this nation would be speaking German today.

Reagan revisited

Well, cruising around the Blogosphere this morning (Mrs. F's monster woke me up at 4) only South Knox Bubba shares similar respect for Reagan as mine. He also recommends Nancy Reagan for sainthood, and I agree. He wouldn't have been half the man he was without her. Mrs. F (never a Republican) pointed out the love between Ronnie and Nancy and the genuine affection they had for each other. I wish I could write love letters the way he did. No great man (myself included) could go as far without the companionship and love of a great woman.

Say what you will about the old man, about our (mis)adventures in South America. I know about them because I was in on most of them, but he did restore our pride in country at a time it was sorely lacking. So, say what you will about Ronnie's policies, but he came along at the right time. Of all the Republicans who'd held the office in the past thirty-odd years, he was still the best.

Cashing in the chips

Well, Ronnie Reagan's dead, and I say this with the utmost respect, it's about time. That poor bastard lingering so long with that horrible disease. Alzheimers not only robs people of their minds but of their dignity as well. I hope Mrs. F or somebody does me the favor of pulling the plug if I get that way someday and not let me lie there until my body gives out.

I voted for Reagan the first time I was eligible in a presidential election. I was in the Air Force in 1980 and turned 18 the month before and I voted for Ronnie boy. I was proud of myself that I helped affect change in this country. From my military perspective at the time, the difference between Reagan and Carter was night and day.

No longer did we operate on a shoestring, thanks to the budget-cutting days after Vietnam. We got equipment, state of the art stuff, and pay raises, and more entitlements. We could do what we signed up to do and I was proud that my vote was placed with others of the same and we elected this guy. I heard him speak once at a base I was stationed at and I knew I'd cast the right one. I voted for him again in '84, because I was still in and by that time I'd tasted combat. I'd used that good equipment and training to do what my Commander in Chief ordered. Yeah, I liked Ronnie and I was proud to follow where he led. I admit all of it. I was proud to be a Republican.

I guess it's good he lost his wits, I don't know if he would have liked the path the Republican Party has taken over the past decade. Maybe he knew it would come to this, maybe he facilitated some of it, I don't know, but I can't help feeling that if there were more like him the GOP wouldn't be the Party of the Christ. If there were more like him, I'd probably still be a Republican. Sorry to see you go, old boy. And . . . well . . . sorry about all the jokes I made since you got sick, but that's the kind of guy I am. Just remember to push the up button. Ha, but I kid. Rest in peace, Ronnie.

This'll be it for tonight. Have a good evening.

Pleasant dreams.

Michael Moore

The trailer is out for his latest effort, 'Fahrenheit 9/11'. You can watch it here. I'm actually gonna catch it when it comes out in theaters and maybe I can talk Mrs. F into going too. I haven't seen a movie in a theater since we took our 9 year old niece to see Disney's 'Hercules'. She's 18 now and in college. Unfortunately, probably none of the people who need to see the film will go. Probably the same reason I didn't go to Mel Gibson's gorefest, 'Let's kick the shit out of Jesus' or whatever it was.

I know this guy with an office on K Street

Via Corrente. Bush and Cheney are both lawyering up in the face of the Valerie Plame affair. You know, she's the CIA agent who someone in the White House outed to that weasel Robert Novak. Lambert looks over an article by John Dean (of Watergate fame) as to the reasons why.

I know I shouldn't be happy about this, becasue a good agent's life was put in danger as well as the lives of those in her network. But what was done is a federal felony and if President Puppet and Vice President Puppeteer went down on a felony count, I'd be a happy fucking camper.

Mrs. F's new phone

New phone for Mrs. F and she's sitting next to me moving all her contacts over from her old phone. My wife with a phone in each hand is scary. I hate talking on the phone; I look at it as a tool to convey information. I don't have long, deep conversations with people on the phone. If you want to shoot the shit with me, come on over and we'll do it over a drink. My phone calls are 30 seconds or less, just conveying the pertinent information and boom, I'm done. While I'm at work, I don't want to be bothered, don't call me unless you're on fire. (Mrs. F is exempt from that rule.) I have too much shit to do at work to sit there and bullshit with you. If you are really bent on talking to me on the phone, wait until I'm home so I can have a drink while I talk to you. If in doubt, hold that thought until the next time you see me. I'll be more receptive. I'd rather you emailed. If you're calling to talk to Mrs. F, have a nut. She loves people and talking to them and can go on for hours. (Note to Mrs. F's friends, you're damn lucky I'm not paying for incoming calls on my landlines or you'd never hear from her.) Note to everyone else, don't call my house after 8 p.m. unless you won't live until morning. You wake me up for stupid bullshit, I'm coming to get you.

Are you surprised?

Tom over at The American Street about an umbrella and its role in the Bush Administration.

The next Speaker

I hope. A great article on Nancy Pelosi in The American Prospect. I know I'm harping about her, but with Stephanie Herseth's win in South Dakota this week, and the wheels coming off the Dubya wagon, retaking the House of Representatives seems suddenly plausible come November. And why not? The Nazi . . . er, Republican Party has controlled the Congress and the Executive for three years and they've fucked this country all to Hell. It looks like people are waking up to that fact.

Nuclear option

That young smarty Matt Yglesias looks at what it will take to dramatically lessen our dependence on foreign oil. He speaks of the nuclear option in a TAPPED article.

I am one of almost 2 million people who will pay LIPA (Long Island Power Authority, formerly LILCO) for that white elephant known as Shoreham. This is classic NIMBY thinking, everybody freaked out after Three Mile Island and wondered how we could ever evacuate Long Island should bad shit happen at Shoreham. So we built the fucking thing and were afraid to light it, but we have to pay for it anyway. (Far be it that LILCO/LIPA absorb the costs incurred thanks to their bad planning) But I say, if I'm paying for it, fire that motherfucker up. If she blows, we'd never get off the Island in time, even if we could evacuate everybody. We wouldn't know the difference after the initial boom.

LIPA is now opening up all these little fucking turbines everywhere someone will let them, oil fired 5 & 8 MW units. Why not light the atomic fire and get rid of these little pieces of shit? We need large plants that can power whole cities, not little crap turbines that are nothing more than a band aid.

Reagan near death?

This is from the Drudge nitwit, so take it for what it's worth until a more credible source confirms it.

Hollywood sources tell LA Weekly columnist Nikki Finke that former President Ronald Reagan's medical condition has suddenly worsened. "He really took a downslide today," the insider told Finke Friday evening. "Doctors are at the house. Things aren't good." At the start of the day, several news organizations chased down a rumor that the ex-president had died, but it wasn't true... Family members gathered at the Reagan's Bel Air home late Friday... Developing...

If Ronnie goes under, how quickly do you think Bush/Cheney '04 will try to use it for political gain? You know they'll wrap themselves in Reagan's aura to bring the real Conservatives back into the fold.

Update 08:45: MSNBC confirms Reagan's health deteriorating rapidly.

Weather

You know, weather people on TV have got a good gig. I'd love to make 75 grand to tell people bullshit. Now, I watch the local ABC affiliate out of NYC, and they're pretty good most of the time, but they still suck. This Thursday, they swore that the weekend would nice. They started hedging on Friday morning and today the truth is known. This weekend is gonna suck, weatherwise that is. I guess forecasting has gotten better over the past 40 years but it doesn't seem so, does it? I tell you, if I diagnosed cars with the same succes rate as the local weathermen, Harry would toss me so fast heads would spin. They have a local Long Island station but I can't watch it. It looks like it was produced in someone's basement and the staff is made up of inexperienced kids just out of school or has-beens who can't find a job at one of the 'bigs'. We can turn Mars into a used car lot (don't get me started on NASA) yet we can't forecast the weather accurately here. Sheesh.

I've had all I can stands

And I can't stands no more! Dude went nuts in Colorado with an armored bulldozer. Not that I condone what he did, but it sure looked cool. Fucking guy was taking out houses, trees, and cars, even Town Hall because of a zoning dispute. Fortunately no one was hurt and the bulldozer ran out of gas.

Update 09:00: Seems the nut in the bulldozer ended up dead from the experience. No word yet as to why.

Update 13:50: Looks like the nitwit shot himself before the cops could get to him.

'Contractors' and how it became a dirty word

Seems like Rumsfeld and Cheney began selling their offices for favors during the Nixon Administration. They've turned it into an art form over the last thirty years. From Mother Jones, how Dick 'n Don started the trend toward using 'civilian contractors' instead of government employees.

Now, I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but why does it seem this whole Neocon, Christo-Fascist effort to mold the U. S. into a Christian theocracy rose from the ashes of Watergate? It looks as if these guys sat down in the late seventies and drafted a plan to sieze control of the government with the financial help of big business patrons. Fortunately, Reagan wasn't a devout 'true-believer' in the cause. The claims by some on the far left that the Bush Administration will figure out a way to cancel the elections this November in order to retain power are becoming more plausible. Okay, I'll take off my tinfoil hat now.

But where are the strawberries?

If you remember 'The Caine Mutiny' with Humphrey Bogart, you'll know what I mean. Spotted this via WTF Is It Now? According to Capitol Hill Blue, President Queeg is losing it.

Bush's Erratic Behavior Worries White House Aides
By DOUG THOMPSON
Publisher, Capitol Hill Blue
Jun 4, 2004, 06:15



President George W. Bush’s increasingly erratic behavior and wide mood swings has the halls of the West Wing buzzing lately as aides privately express growing concern over their leader’s state of mind.

In meetings with top aides and administration officials, the President goes from quoting the Bible in one breath to obscene tantrums against the media, Democrats and others that he classifies as “enemies of the state.”

I stole the first two paragraphs. Read the rest here. I normally don't read CHB but it's worth a stop there.

O.J.

This is really the last one, but O.J. Simpson should just shut the fuck up and die.

Real Conservatives speak

This is the last one today, I promise, but when one of President I'm-Cheney's-hand-puppet's core constituencies turns on him, the first Wednesday in November might be a very good day. Via High Desert Skeptic. The American Conservative has this treatise from Paul W. Schroeder:

Paul W. Schroeder is professor emeritus of history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of The Transformation of European Politics, 1765-1848.

This is the last paragraph of Schroeder's article. You have to read the whole thing though.

The 19th century Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote in an essay that a sign of malfunctioning of the digestive system was the inability to become nauseated or to vomit upon eating spoiled food, and that the remedy was to take an emetic. The disorder that offended him then was spiritual, the failure of Danish Lutherans to share his revulsion at a complacent established church that he believed was betraying real Christianity. His analysis and advice apply in a different way to Americans today. Anyone who does not feel revulsion against this administration for what it is doing and has done in Iraq and elsewhere has something seriously wrong with his political digestive system.

This is what I mean about the difference between real Conservatives vs. Republican Christo-Fascist morons.

Au revior

I'm done for the day. Mrs. F is on the early train and I have shit to do besides sit in front of the beige box. Have a good evening. Just an aside, my boy Rusty Wallace is starting fourth in the NASCAR race on Sunday. I'm psyched.

Pleasant dreams.

Ford ruling

A bunch of bleeding hearts awarded a paralyzed woman over $370 million because her Explorer rolled over and fucked her up. I'm sorry, but she had to be doing something wrong or is just an inept driver. I've been driving Explorers since '96 (We're on our third one) and if I haven't rolled one, well . . . Our '99 even had the recalled Firestone Wilderness tires on it and I never had a problem because I kept them properly inflated. I know I sound like the President, but these lawsuits are getting out of hand and the judgments are even worse. We're paying for all these lawsuits, people, with higher prices on cars, tires, and everything else. Don't tell me this woman would have contributed $370 million to her family's income would she not be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Yes, she should get something, but not a windfall like this just because she was a bad driver or the car was poorly maintained. Let's just say I have some insight into the Firestone mess and in most instances the tires weren't to blame, it was the loose nut behind the wheel.

The Pope and the Dope

President No Nuts met with the Pope this morning and Matt Yglesias makes a lot of sense. He's another smart kid like the Pandagon boys. I done stole the whole post from Matt.

The Pope

What's the deal with non-Catholic leaders holding these respectful meetings with the Pope. I mean, as I see it, there are roughly two possibilities on the table here. Maybe the Pope really is the head of the One True Church outside of which no salvation is possible. If you believe that, then clearly you ought to treat the man with a great deal of respect. But then again, if you believe that, then you really ought to join his church. If you don't believe that -- because you're an atheist, Protestant, Jew, what have you -- then the Pope is kind of just an eccentric old man surrounded by strangely deluded toadies.

Anything for votes, I guess. But really, to sit around and listen to the Pope critiquing your foreign policy is just absurd, and it doesn't get any less absurd just because your foreign policy is terrible.

Maybe Mel Gibson can put in a good word for President Off-flying-status with the Pope. I heard the old guy liked Mel's film where they beat the shit out of Jesus. What was it, "The Mugging of the Christ"?

Results

Atrios over at Eschaton is happy with the results of the latest John Kerry Thursday. If you went there from here, thanks.

Good wives

I got one, so does John Kerry. Theresa Heinz Kerry talks over at Kicking Ass. Go read. I got a thing for ladies who don't depend on their husbands to tell them what to think.

Belmont Stakes update

120,000 reserved seats were sold out before I got to work so if you planned to go and don't have tickets yet, well, you're fucked. Belmont Park is open for something like nine or ten months out of the year, I think. (I don't follow the ponies like my mom did and if you really want to know, Google it.) It's a beautiful park and it's a nice outing for a day. Just not tomorrow. You can picnic and take a tour through the stables (best to do that on a cool, breezy day, trust me), and have a nice time. If you have business anywhere near the park tomorrow, unrelated to the race, well, it sucks to be you. Traffic's gonna be insane around there. Good luck!

Update: I stuck the link in there anyway, cause that's the kinda guy I am.

Someone worth remembering

Daily Kos introduces us to Paul Rieckhoff. He's a local boy (Peekskill-just north of NYC.) come back from Iraq and he ain't happy. This is the guy who gave the Democratic response to President Nitwit's propaganda . . . er, radio address one Saturday last month. See Kos or go to Paul's website.

Oy!!!

Just one of those days. The inspection machine is still down and the morning was filled with Harry's dulcet tones screaming at the company over the phone.

I, on the other hand, began the teardown of this fucking 3.8L V-6 Taurus. Not only did the customer overheat it, the automatic transmission is shot. Now, I tried talking him out of doing the job, the car's 10 years old and was rapped in the front as it is. I know, because aside from the busted bumper cover, the fan is pushed back to the spark plugs on the front head. This car should be tossed, or stripped for parts, but it ain't worth the money he's putting into it. He's adamant about getting it back on the road. I warned him that he'll probably need new cylinder heads. The 3.8 has aluminum heads and when they overheat badly they crack between the valves. If he needs new ones, he's mortaging the house. The car ain't worth a set of heads, let alone a transmission. But hey, it's his money and it's my paycheck. I've known this guy for a long time and he always buys these crap cars and sinks millions into them. With all the money he's sunk into old cars, he could be driving around in something nice.

Speaking of nice, Indian brought his hotrod in today, a '23 T-roadster with a 302 Ford motor 'tween the rails. (Got a set of Fixerman-ported, polished, and matched to the intake, cylinder heads on it.) Stopped traffic per usual on the Avenue.

My car ordeal. A visit to the Benzmeister proved fruitful. I'm going to get the '91 S-Class that I looked at first. Fixer man's gonna be riding in style.

A note on this D-Day weekend. Grab yourself a book about WW II, sit down and read it, and try to get the mindset of the people at the time. How they knew what they were doing was right, how they knew they were fighting a just war against a group of tyrants bent on domination of the known world. Then ask yourself if this mess in Iraq feels right, if there is a clear cut enemy, a reason for us to go to war there to waste the lives of our children and our treasure. Was Saddam Hussein the type of threat as Hitler, Mussolini, or Tojo were? And what about the real threat? What about that group who attacked this country, who nearly killed my wife? Something to think about this weekend as we honor the men and women who saved the world from the Nazis.

With that, I have to take a shower and make myself pretty before Mrs. F gets home.

TGIF

Well, Mrs. F and I put one on last night and we're both a little fuzzy this morning. But it's Friday and that's a good thing.

President Nitwit is already in Europe for the D-Day memorials this weekend. Hope he doesn't embarrass us too badly. I'm sure I'll be hearing from my cousin in Germany this weekend. They like Bush even less than I do.

I also have to stop at the Benzmeister this afternoon. He has another car for me to look at.

And the Belmont Stakes is tomorrow. Were my mom still alive, we would be there. She loved the ponies and she was a great handicapper. She was more right than wrong over thirty years. I remember the last time the Triple Crown was at stake. The woman was out of her mind. Anyway, if you're in the NY Metro Area and you're so inclined, head out to Belmont Park. It's a beautiful place and the excitement of the Stakes is electrifying. It's right off the Cross Island Parkway at Hempstead Turnpike, but get there early. The crowds are murder.

And then there's NASCAR. They're at the Monster Mile in Dover on Sunday at 1 pm(FX). My boy, Rusty Wallace, is 13th in points, let's hope for a good showing. Well, I'm off to the mines.

I'm done

Done for the day. Mrs. F called from Penn Station to tell me she missed the early train. She's also good with the idea of going out for a few tonight so I'll see you in the morning. As I always say, don't do anything I'd do. This Enron thing has me pissed off, but that's a post for another time. If I wrote it now, it would just be filled with a bunch of cursing.

Pleasant dreams.

The soldiers know

This will be the last political post today because now I'm really pissed off. In fact, I'm gonna take Mrs. F out for a few beers tonight. This is from Corrente. I was pissed off when President I'm-hiding-in-the-Guard created a single campaign medal covering the entire "War on Terror", meaning the Afghanistan and Iraq operations would be considered as one action. The troops let their idea of that be known. I stole the whole thing insead of just linking to it.

Thursday, June 03, 2004
Troops know Bush equation of Iraq, Afghanistan, and "war on terror [sic]" is bogus, demand new medal
And Bush agrees—but very very quietly:

After pressure from troops who wanted recognition for fighting in Iraq and in Afghanistan -- and not just in one all-encompassing "Global War on Terrorism" -- President Bush quietly signed legislation Friday night establishing separate new medals for their service.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes called the "Global War on Terrorism" medal a "purely political" device. A week before launching the Iraq invasion in March 2003, Bush established a single "Global War on Terrorism" medal that later proved unpopular in the ranks. But before recessing last month, the House and Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation to create Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom medals, giving troops specific recognition for the campaigns in which they served.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Tex.), a Vietnam combat vet who was among the bill's original sponsors, called the Global medal a "purely political" device that sought to more closely connect the Iraq war to the fight against al Qaeda. [Reyes] criticized Bush's decision to sign the law without fanfare: "In Texas we would call it chicken[poop]," he told us yesterday. "We call it thumbing his nose at something he doesn't like."
(via WaPo)

Hey, funny thing! "Supporting the troops" includes telling them the truth about when, where, why, and how they are fighting! Who knew?

The thing I can't believe is the support Bush gets from veterans after the regular fucking he gives them and our active duty troops.

Sir, the Stupidometer is pegged

Jesus H. Christ, what is it about rain that makes the normally sane drivers turn into idiots and the idiots turn into fucking maniacs? I was in traffic for an hour because two idiots decided that it was race day. Seems they used the entrance/exit lane to pass traffic at a high rate of speed. Too bad neither of the fucking idiots saw the propane gas truck that was trying to enter the Expressway. Assholes. So now we have an entrance/exit from a major artery closed as well as two lanes on the Long Island Expressway. Top speed is 15 and it's grin and bear it. So why do I have some guy so far up my ass in bumper to bumper traffic that I can't see anything but his roof rack? Fucking asshole stayed behind me all the way, going nowhere but with the nose of his little piece of shit Honda under my back bumper. Oy! I swear, if he would have hit Mrs. F's car, I'd have thrown him a beating. So I got to work 45 minutes late because of two nitwits and their prick-waving contest and guess what? The fucking inspection machine is still down. Needless to say, it wasn't a good day for some blowhard salesman to show up about five minutes later. He left quickly and I felt better. (No I didn't blow him up.)

I love New York and I hate New York.

He's loose!

I'm just about to pull out of the shop and a car pulls up to block my way. It was a guy we know but, more importantly, Almost Dead Ed was in the passenger seat. Yup, he was responding so well that the hospital sprung him this morning. Either that or they couldn't stand him anymore. He's looking good and feels a lot better. They won't let him drive for a month (I don't see the problem, we can make something that hooks up to the cigarette lighter and gives him a zap if he needs it), but that's a minor technicality. Harry's giving him tomorrow and the weekend and then he has to be at work. Don't forget to pick up that bus ticket, Ed. And remember, work's piling up, don't try to push it until Tuesday.

P.S. For those of you who said a prayer. Thanks.

George Tenet resigns

The Director of Central Intelligence resigned today and the consensus of the blogosphere is that he was forced out. Tenet claims he resigned for personal reasons (wink, wink), but so did every other cabinet secretary who's left the Bush Administration, O'Niell, Whitman, et. al.

Others feel the Senate Intelligence Committee report that will come out shortly leaves him no choice. Others say he's the Administration's fall guy for 9/11 and the shitty intelligence about Iraq. After dealing with spooks for four years, I kinda liked the DCI. Sure, he was a politician, everybody who gets that far is, but he seemed to have the respect of his people and was able to get things done within the Intelligence Community. We'll probably hear more before long, especially if he writes a book.

John Kerry Thursday

Don't forget, it's John Kerry Thursday at Eschaton.

Nancy Pelosi

You know how I get aroused at the thought of her becoming Speaker of the House in the next Congress? Well Glen at A Brooklyn Bridge feels the same way, and he takes it one step further.

And, like me, he likes touching himself.

Before I go

This one stolen from Daily Kos. Looks like the wheels are coming off the Republican wagon. Not only will President Who, Me? have to retain counsel in the Valerie Plame (outed CIA officer) crap, but now House and Senate Democrats are calling for investigation into VP Ventriloquist's Halliburton dealings.

When Democrats attack
by kos
Thu Jun 3rd, 2004 at 03:39:23 EDT

More of this, please.

House Democrats urged a special counsel on Wednesday to probe whether Vice President Dick Cheney broke the law through any involvement in the award of a government contract in Iraq to his old company, Halliburton Co.
For the second day running, Democrats demanded more answers to questions raised by a newly unearthed Army e-mail that said Cheney's office "coordinated" action on a contract to rebuild Iraq's oil infrastructure that was awarded to Halliburton.

Both Senate and House Dems are in on the action.

About fucking time. Now I'm off.

Cracker Jack

Cracker Jack is back at Yankee Stadium. Personally, I'm not a Yankee fan, I choose to masochistically suffer with the Mets and have done so for close to 40 years. A month or so ago, Daddy Warbucks Steinbrenner inked a deal to replace CJ with some other shit. Now, I hate CJ, never liked it, never liked sticky shit on my popcorn, but by golly, you can't not have it at the ballpark. I know baseball, like everything else, revolves around money, but this is a matter of tradition. In the days of obscenely huge contracts for the players and obscenely high ticket prices, it's nice to see one tradition remain in place, although you'll probably have to pay more for your Cracker Jack at the Stadium. Well, that's my rant for the morning. I'm off to the mines.

Later

Mrs. F's on the early train and I have to get some shit done. I'm done for the night unless something hits the fan.

Pleasant dreams.

Last one

Okay, okay, this is the last political post for the day. Via Corrente. The new stop-loss order. Stop-loss in GI-speak means that even though your enlistment is up, you're staying in becasue we have a shortage in your speacialty. Which means fuck you, GI.

I understand the need for stop-loss, that's what got me sent to the Strategic Air Command (B-52s) from SOCOM (Calling in airstrikes and blowing shit up), but there was no need for this . . . had we not gone into Iraq. We're stretched so thin it's pathetic and it's gonna bite us in the ass.

Little boys playing with toy soldiers in their backyard. It would be funny if people weren't really dying. Assholes.

I'm done with the politics for today.

G.I. Graffiti

Via Today in Iraq. Interesting graffiti on the bathroom walls in the combat zone. Read the story here.

Aaaarrrggghhh!

The New York State Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program SUCKS OUT LOUD!!!!!

(Deep Breath) Do I feel better? (Thinking.) Fuck no!

I don't want to go into all the details, but our inspection machine went down again night before last , the fourth time in ten days. It took two days for the repair guy to get there (two days is good, one time it was twelve), butt boy looks at it and says one component was getting an over voltage (no shit, we shut it down when the smoke began pouring out the fucking thing). "Okay, fine, can you fix it?" Harry asks. (Keeping in mind that Harry pays $4000 a year for the maintenance contract.) "Yeah, but I don't have parts," butt boy replies. "I'll be back tomorrow with some used parts I have to scavenge from one of the other techs."

This is also keeping in mind that Harry has paid the State of New York and ESP (the equipment manufacturer) over $50,000 in costs to be a part of the program over the last 20 years. (In the State of New York, you don't stay open long if you don't do inspections.) Oh, by the way, the stickers cost $1800 for a three month supply. Guess how much we make from each inspection? $2.50. If we inspect a car that passes both safety and emissions tests, we make $2.50. Ain't that a kick in the ass? We make our money with the tires and other shit we can sell when the car doesn't pass for one reason or another. With the current wave of leasing over the last few years, people get rid of their cars before major shit breaks or wears out.

So this is the deal. Maybe we can do inspections tomorrow so we can call all the customers and tell them the machine is fixed and they can bring their cars back. That's if they didn't go somewhere else because their sticker was expired and they didn't want a ticket. Maybe the used parts butt boy will bring will work for more than three days before the fucking thing breaks again. Is some idiot in Albany going to reimburse Harry for the work that we lost because of their piece of shit machine? Doubtful. And the company that makes the machine under contract to New York, what are they doing with their money that their technicians can't get new parts? You know somebody is making big money from this inspection thing, but it sure isn't us.

Welcome to New York, have a nice day.

Fundraising

Generally, I don't link to other sites' fundraising things, but the boys at Pandagon need your help. These are two really insightful kids doing this on a shoestring and they've incurred some expenses from their hosting company. Help if you can by clicking here. Thank you.

Bionic Ed

Talked to Almost Dead Ed this morning and he came through the pacemaker procedure with flying colors, the stubborn old bastid. He sounds great and I reminded him that work is piling up. Now that he's got bionic parts, he has one more day to rest and he'd better be in Friday, the slacker. Indian, Harry, and I think that he is getting sexual favors from the nurses and that's why he's been lying around in the hospital for a couple weeks now. Hey, it's only speculation, but I don't think a terminal disease has anything to do with it. Seriously, Not So Almost Dead Ed is one of the worst patients and the doctors and nurses at St. Francis Hospital deserve a big hand. If I had to care for him, I'd have probably smothered him with a pillow by now. Anyway, this is good news and we wish him a speedy return. Like I said, work's piling up.

Good news from the Holy Land

Too bad you don't hear more of this. From The Head Heeb.

More quiet cooperation

Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Jordan's first private university, wants to open a branch in Israel. Maher Hurani, the university's owner, evidently hopes that an influx of Israeli Arab students - and possibly Jews as well - will make up for the 500 Syrians who have threatened to resign if the Israel branch is built.

Details here.

I'm pissed off

I'm pissed off at Bush, even more so than before. This from Democratic Veteran. I stole the whole thing so you don't have to chase for it.

Crap, utter Crap
From a readers e-mail:

I have just returned from accompanying my father-in-law to the Memorial Dedication.

I will not take much of your time. But you should know that almost every vet we spoke with over the weekend was upset by the (p)Resident having had his name etched in the granite above the name of the architect. It is on the right hand entrance as you face the gold star wall/Lincoln Memorial.

Someone should speak out loudly about this abuse of power.
I would have placed AWOL letters on the granite but I did not wish to detract from the real purpose of the weekend.
Who knew that the Coward-in-Chief, that most ignoble of leaders would have his name inscribed on the same walls with folks who served truly honorably and not by technicality.

I know it's sort of traditional for mayors and governors to have their names engraved in sites that they pork-barrel into existance, but this is the WWII Memorial, a National Treasure for the generations, not freaking statuary in city park.

What gives with this, and can it be removed ... ever?

He's a rat-fucking-bastid, period.

What's that smell?

What's that smell coming from the GOP? Could it be the stench of hypocrisy? Glen at A Broooklyn Bridge says so, so does Nancy Pelosi's spokeswoman.

Jen Crider, Nancy Pelosi's spokeswoman, nailed it nicely, "It’s interesting that Republicans — now that they’ve created a 521-billion deficit — want to balance the budget ... It had appeared to Republicans that deficits didn't matter anymore."

Fucking assholes. Read Glen's post here.

Rheingold's back in Brooklyn!

This will mean shit to anyone who's under 35 and not from the NYC Metro Area. Rheingold Beer is moving back to Ft. Greene in Brooklyn. Now Rheingold was THE major sponsor of NY Mets games when I was growing up. It was my dad's beer of choice and was more popular than Budweiser in the NYC area. They went out of business in the mid-'70s and came back about 5 years ago. It's being made in Utica (Upstate NY) right now, but in a couple weeks they're coming home. In my book, it's horrible beer, but it's like welcoming an old friend back home. Welcome back, Rheingold!

Well, off to the mines.

Another House seat on our side

Daily Kos gives us the lowdown. In short, Democrat Stephanie Herseth beat the Republican incumbent in the special election in her predominantly Republican district yesterday. The Fixer congratulates Rep. Herseth of South Dakota on her stunning win. Do you think people are waking up? We're one step closer to taking back the House of Representatives. Could 'Speaker Pelosi' be far behind, no longer just one of the Fixer-man's fantasies?

Update 14:15: According to Kos, Ms. Herseth won by grabbing a majority of Native American votes over 8 counties. I guess we know what side the 'real' Americans are on.

The Chalabi File

Bill over at Whiskey Bar gives us the goods about the man who was President Nitwit's Great White Hope for Iraq. Well, that was until they found out he was working for the Iranians too. Too bad Bush, Cheney, and Condi didn't realize he was a rotten, low-down, lying, piece-of-shit, rat bastid before he was their special guest at the last State of the Union address. He sat right behind Laura in the balcony. This was the man who gave us the famous WMD intelligence that proved to be BULLSHIT.

Auf wiedersehen

Anyway, gotta get Mrs. Fixer at the station.

Remember when I talked about the DIY crowd and how they think they know more than they do? Back when I lived next to the Indian, the guy on the other side of me was a Do-It-Yourself nut. Well, he was cheap, still is. Now, this guy attempted a brake job and valve cover gasket change on his car this past weekend. You think he would have gone over to the Indian's house and say, "Mr. Indian, is there anything special I need to know about doing this job on my car?" And do you think he would do it before he started taking shit apart? If you don't know what you're doing and you have a resource like the Indian two doors down, well . . . His car is still up on blocks because he's shopping around for the cheapest calipers because he blew the pistons out the old ones. "Are they supposed to be like that?" He asks Indian after all the brake fluid is running down his driveway. Dipshit. Don't be a dipshit yourself. Deflate your weenie and ask.

With that, I bid you a fond adieu and auf wiedersehen.

Pleasant dreams.

This is good

From WTF Is It Now?

The lying game

A is for Atta, who just wasn't there
B is for Bush and his leg-humper Blair...

- Bush's failed Iraq war, from A to Z.

Read it all here.

Another Conservative I like

Jim Pinkerton over at Newsday is one of those level-headed Conservatives, who believes in less government spending and all the good, responsible shit you like about Conservatives without the Christo-Fascist baggage added on.

James P. Pinkerton has been a columnist for Newsday since 1993. Prior to that, he worked in the White House under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and also in the 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992 Republican presidential campaigns.

Pinkerton is the author of What Comes Next: The End of Big Government--And the New Paradigm Ahead (Hyperion: 1995). He is also a contributor to the Fox News Channel and a Fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington DC. He is a graduate of Stanford University.-Newsday

I don't always agree with him, but his arguments are well thought out and not all bluster.

Indians, well one in particular

For anyone this matters to. My dear friend and colleague in auto repair, the Indian I speak of frequently and fondly, is a Native-American Indian, Cherokee to be exact. He's also part Polish so that explains a few things too. Oh, and for those it matters to, fuck you, it shouldn't matter at all.

Ed Update: Almost Dead Ed went into surgery around noon and I haven't heard anything since. If you're the praying type, say a little one for him.

Harry wants to wire a dial into Ed's chest so we can kick up the pacemaker when we need some entertainment. Shit, I figure we save the trouble and zap him with the battery charger. "Come on, Ed, breakdance!" Zzzzzt! Don't look at me like that, Ed's a tough guy, he can take it. Shit, if I had a pacemaker I'd be trying make it do cool stuff. "Hey, baby, watch this!" Zzzzzt and shoot sparks out of my ass. I'm sure Mrs. F would get a kick out of it. Maybe use house current and try to get me one of them 4-hour erections you get with Cialis. Zzzzzt, and not only can I service Mrs. F but also hammer in the loose nails on the deck.

Ah well, enough stupidity. Talk to you later.

70 mph ain't bad, but . . .

Man, this morning I got behind a woman in one of those little Ford Escapes. She's in the left lane doing 70, not bad for rush hour on the Long Island Expressway, so I ain't bitching, but she was driving erratically. Fine, don't feel like seeing what it feels like to smash my face into an airbag, so I back off a foot or two to give me some room to swerve or stop should I have to. What's she doing? Her fucking makeup. Oy!

Fine, 70 mph and after a while I'm getting used her driving, okay this is still better than most mornings out here. The middle and right lanes are full of trucks and slow assholes, I'm doing pretty good. And then I wonder, honey, I've been behind you for 20 miles and you're still putting on makeup. She was doing it when I got up behind her and she's continuing to do it, nonstop, for 20 fucking miles.

I'm thinking, honey, you must be fucking ugly. As my exit came up, I pulled right and shot past her and took a good look. Woof! Man, she was so ugly that when she was born they slapped her mama. She fell out an ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. I recommend her setting the alarm clock an hour earlier in the mornings. For all the work she has to do, she shouldn't be doing it at 70.

You have control of your bodies again, ladies

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MSNBC Breaking News
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U.S. judge blocks partial-birth abortion ban.

From the AP.

By DAVID KRAVETS, Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal judge Tuesday declared the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act unconstitutional, saying the measure infringes on a woman's right to choose.

The ruling applies to the nation's 900 or so Planned Parenthood clinics and their doctors, who perform roughly half of all abortions in the United States.

U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton's ruling came in one of three lawsuits challenging the legislation President Bush signed last year.

"The act poses an undue burden on a woman's right to choose an abortion," she wrote.

Federal judges in New York and Nebraska also heard challenges to the law earlier this year but have yet to rule.

Read the full story here. I'm not for using abortion as a remedy for chronic pregnancy, if you know what I mean, but the choices are between the woman, the baby's father, and her doctor. No one else.

Czechs to pull out of Coalition

At least according to Al-Jazeera. Read it here. What's the matter Mr. Bush? Did the Czechs decide their honor wasn't worth the trade deal, or the arms deal, or whatever the fuck you promised them to squander their lives in Iraq? Or is it that they know the real War on Terror is in Afghanistan? At least, that's where Osama bin Forgotten is supposed to be, right? Bush is such a dickhead.

From the Holy Land

The Head Heeb says the Israeli Defense Forces' rules of engagement regarding Palestinians came under judicial review in the Israeli courts. It looks for once, that the IDF will have to consider the consequences of their heavy-handed raids on the infrastructure in the Occupied Territories and lessen the impact on the local population. 'Bout time. Read the whole story here.

A good Bush joke

Stolen directly from South Knox Bubba.

A joke

from reader Peter Jung. Stop me if you've heard it...

George W. Bush is out jogging one morning, and notices a little boy on the corner with a box. Curious, he runs over to the child and says, "What's in the box kid?"

The little boy says, "Kittens, they're brand new kittens."

George W. laughs and says, "What kind of kittens are they?"

"Republicans," the child says.

"Oh that's cute," George W. says and he runs off.

A couple of days later George is running with his buddy Dick Cheney and he spies the same boy with his box just ahead. George W. says to Dick, "You gotta check this out" and they both jog over to the boy with the box. George W. says, "Look in the box, Dick, isn't that cute? Look at those little kittens. Hey kid tell my friend Dick what kind of kittens they are."

The boy replies, "They're Democrats."

"Whoa!", George W. says, "I came by here the other day and you said they were Republicans. What's up?"

"Well," the kid says, "Their eyes are open now"

Yes indeed.

3-Day weekends vs. 4-day weeks

I love 3-day weekends. I get to spend time with Mrs. Fixer and our little monster and just decompress. The problem with long weekends is the 4-day week that follows.

You might say, "you're an asshole, Fixer-man. One less day of work is a good thing." Not in the car business. A 3-day weekend gives people an extra day to break shit, especially with all the partying associated with 'The First Weekend of Summer'. We have a saying. 'Instant Moron: Just add alcohol.' (I myself have proven it doing extensive field research.) You drove your car over what? And where did those feathers come from?

Also, the week is compressed, all the work, less time. As I said before, we're a small shop. It's not like there's 10 mechanics working constantly. There are three of us turning wrenches and that means one of us has to work outside today. Did I mention it's raining? I guess it beats snow.

And speaking of doing shit in the rain, I just put gas in Mrs. F's Explorer this morning and I paid $2.30 for regular. Between gas and cigarettes, it'd be cheaper to have a cocaine habit. Did you know that 70% of the price of a pack of smokes in New York is taxes? You know, rather than turning smokers into pariahs, we should be elevated to an exalted position in society. We're killing ourselves so you non-smoking crazies can have your city services. Instead of bitching at me for smoking within 50 ft. of the front door of your building (it's an NYC law, thank you Mayor Bloomberg, you little troll) you should thank me for sacrificing my lungs to shoulder such a large tax burden. Thankfully now, I buy mine from the sovereign American-Indian Nation of the Poospatuck. Fuck you, Mayor Bloomberg, fuck you, Governor Pataki. And most of all, fuck you, President Tax-cut-for-the-wealthy. Look at it as the White Man (half-white in my case) giving something back to the people whose shit we stole in the first place.

Boy, that turned into a rant, didn't it? Well, dog's empty and I'm off to the mines. See you later.

Update 15:50: I'm watching MSNBC and these fucking busybodies in California are enacting no smoking laws on the BEACH. Hello, assholes, the beach is outside. Outside! Out-fucking-side! And don't worry about your kids eating cigarette butts, I did it when I was a kid and look at me! Yeesh, soon we won't be able to smoke in our own houses.