Republican Jesus

From Jesus' General. General J.C. Christian, Patriot is the creator of a cartoon called Republican Jesus. If you want a laugh, go browse the RJ Archives.

Good

From Lambert at Corrente:

Good for Oregon! 

Wierd that the state's rights Republicans can't get their heads around this, isn't it?

Oregon became the second state to register same-sex marriage licenses Friday after a state appeals court upheld a lower court order directing officials to record more than 3,000 marriage licenses issued to gay couples in Multnomah County.
(via AP)

Again, winning battles like this is a testimony to the courage of the gay community in "coming out" over the last decade. Gack... Marriage.... Family values... Pretty soon all the married gays are going to become Republicans . . .

Criminal

From The Smirking Chimp via Glen at A Brooklyn Bridge:

[. . .]

Last week saw a flurry of stories (largely ignored, naturally) indicating that the pervasive corruption of America's colonial enterprise has risen to new heights. Reports by scrupulously nonpartisan institutions, including Christian Aid and the General Accounting Office, the independent investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, revealed that in the final weeks of its "formal" occupation of Iraq -- before handing over nominal control of the client state to CIA-backed terrorist leader and ex-Baathist enforcer Iyad Allawi -- the Bush Regime plunged into an orgy of graft that stripped Iraq's treasury bare. Most of this loot was divvied up in no-bid contracts to Regime lardbuckets like Halliburton -- but up to $3 billion of it simply "disappeared" into pockets yet unknown, The Baltimore Sun reports.

Like their Baathist predecessors, the Bushist overlords were given control of the UN-established Development Fund, which was supposed to guarantee that Iraq's oil revenues were spent on the needs of the Iraqi people. But like Saddam Hussein, Bush instead used the fund as a barrel of personal pork to reward cronies and buy local political support with bribes. By the time Bush viceroy Paul Bremer made his hugger-mugger handover of "sovereignty" to CIA man Allawi, there was less than $1 billion left in the $20 billion fund -- with more than $6 billion of this siphoned off in just the last two months of direct U.S. rule, The Guardian reports.

Where did it all go? Half went to "Iraqi ministries" staffed with local frontmen like Allawi and his cousin, convicted fraudster and intelligence forger Ahmad Chalabi, and with Bush partisans from back home, many of them young right-wing zealots with no administrative experience whatsoever. Another chunk went to military units for use in rebuilding buildings they'd blasted down, paying compensation to the families of innocent people they'd killed, and buying intelligence and informants to help meet Bushist quotas for filling the torturous interrogation rooms in Abu Ghraib and its gulag satellites -- where the Red Cross says up to 90 percent of all the captives were innocent. Money well spent, obviously.

[. . .]

But the scam gets even sweeter. During the 14 months of direct rule, Bush -- an old oilman -- somehow failed to have the Iraqi oil under his charge properly metered. That means there was simply no way on Earth to keep legitimate accounts on the oil revenue that was supposed to go into the Development Fund. Trying to make some sense of these well-cooked books, Christian Aid and international auditors compared the best production and pricing figures available from oil industry experts -- and found a discrepancy of between $1.8 billion and $3 billion from the Bushists' claims of total oil revenues given to the fund.

[. . .]

Indeed. Halliburton, under Cheney, once did a paltry $23 million in backdoor business with Hussein; now, cutting out the middleman (and more than 10,000 innocent lives, as well), the company has $18 billion in Iraqi war contracts, thanks to its White House rainmakers. And no doubt that $3 billion unmetered skim will be bankrolling some fancy Houston mansions and choice Texas scrub brush in the years to come.

The question of war -- its causes and consequences -- is always a multi-headed hydra, defeating easy analysis. But for the thieves of Baghdad, one simple fact holds true: Crime pays.

Full story.

This is absolutely criminal. Why do you think I don't just want Bush and his cronies out of the White House? I want them in jail.

A prediction

So you can say you heard it here first.

How much you wanna bet that if President Wasn't Me loses in November, he's going to blame Cheney's Halliburton, and other, baggage. This guy doesn't take responsibility for anything. That's probably why he didn't get Cheney off the ticket now, so he's got someone to blame if he loses.

World Court ruling

From Al-Jazeera:

The World Court has ruled that Israel must immediately stop its construction of the West Bank barrier, saying it is tantamount to annexation and in violation of international humanitarian law.

The Hague-based court ruled on Friday that parts encroaching on Palestinian territory should be dismantled and Israel must pay compensation for damage caused by the West Bank wall.

"The wall … cannot be justified by military exigencies or by the requirements of national security or public order," said Judge Shi Jiuyong of China

"The construction of such a wall accordingly constitutes breaches by Israel of its obligations under the applicable international humanitarian law."

[. . .]

Israel has said it will not accept a ruling from the ICJ on the network of fences, ditches and concrete wall it says it is building to keep out bombers. Palestinians call it a land grab that destroys their hopes of a viable state.

[. . .]

Egyptian international law specialist Abd Allah Asha'al told Aljazeera that the ruling was the biggest defeat for Israel internationally.

The ruling was a great victory for the Palestinians, Asha'al said.

Asha'al denied that the court ruling was non-binding. He cited the case of Namibia where the court's opinion had an impact on its eventual independence from South Africa.

Ash'al said the UN was committed to the court's ruling.

I've commented on this before. My first reaction to the ruling is 'good'. But after talking with The Head Heeb, I can understand the need for the wall. It is probably the only way to curtail the border incursions into Israeli settlements and cities. I just wish they'd build it within the Green Line [Israeli Territory] instead of cutting through Palestinian towns. Moving out of the West Bank after the fence is finished would also go a long way to ease tensions. I mean, you know the Israelis aren't going to comply with the Court's decree.

I'm probably done for the night. Alter X over at The Alternate Brain is going home to Jersey to visit mommy and daddy and little sister, so I guess I'll be posting over there too this weekend. Got my fingers crossed for the internship X is trying to get.

NASCAR this weekend. The Tropicana 400 in Chicago. Sunday, 3:30 Eastern on NBC. I'm done, have a good night.

Pleasant dreams.

Light afternoon

I'll be light this afternoon. Gotta go get the Mrs. at the airport in a couple hours and I got a lot of shit to do. Yay!!!!!

It figures

------------------------------------------------------
MSNBC Breaking News
------------------------------------------------------

Senate report cites CIA for 'failures' on Iraq -
A key Senate Intelligence Committee report on Friday sharply criticized the CIA for 'mischaracterization' of pre-war intelligence on Iraq's weapons programs.

Figures the Agency would be splattered with all the shit when it hit the fan. Now you know why Tenet retired a month or so ago. He knew he'd be the one taking it in the ass and he wasn't going to give President I Didn't Do It the satisfaction or the political capital of firing him. Now, ain't NOBODY gonna pay for the failures before 9/11 or Iraq. The civilians in the Administration aren't going anywhere, not if President Suck Up wants to keep his base. Fucking asshole.

So it's true

I said this when Nader entered the race. The Republicans are supporting him hoping to provoke a replay of 2000. I guess the logic is that if Nader can take 3-5% of the votes from Kerry, President Rule by Decree can work a victory in the courts if the gap is close and there are any discrepancies.

From Jesse at Pandagon.

Officially Sold Out

Now, the Michigan GOP is getting Ralph Nader's name on the ballot.

Wouldn't anyone with an ounce of common sense and a microgram of shame confront these people? You can only hide behind Nader's critique of the parties for so long before you have to admit that, from his perspective, not only is he becoming part and parcel of one of the major, morally bankrupt parties' plans, but it's also the worse one.

The man is no longer running an independent campaign. He's the second Republican candidate.

I'm off to the mines. It's FRIDAY and Mrs. F comes home this afternoon. YAY!!!

Ooops

What I posted 2 weeks ago:

What I said the other day:

Remember when Slick Willie got all funny about the definition of 'is' and the Republicans broke his balls? Well, seems President Bullshit Artist has a different idea of what 'all' means than the rest of us, especially regarding his military records.

Via Lambert at Corrente. Seems the Associated Press is suing to get the complete record from the Department of Defense. Full story.

There are questions as to whether the file provided to the news media earlier this year is complete, says the lawsuit, adding that these questions could possibly be answered by reviewing a copy of the microfilm of Bush's personnel file in the Texas archives.

I really don't care, but there's one document that I haven't seen that would put this all to rest. It's called a DD Form 214. Ask any veteran about it and he (or she, you PC busybodies) will explain it.

Today, Melanie at Just a Bump in the Beltway has this:

By Joe Strupp
Published: June 24, 2004 12:01 AM EST

NEW YORK The Associated Press has sued the Pentagon and Air Force, seeking access to all records of President George W. Bush's military service, but the news agency wonders why it has come to this.

"It seems a little curious because the president made a pretty forceful presentation that he had nothing to hide," said AP General Counsel Dave Tomlin, when asked for his reaction to what the AP considers government stonewalling. "But we are not surprised."

[. . .]

The Air National Guard has control of the microfilm, which should be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act, the lawsuit claims. AP says the records "are being unlawfully withheld from the public." The lawsuit adds that no one has looked at any of the Bush military records at the state archives since 1996.

Wonder what he's trying to hide?

Where there's smoke, there's usually fire. It's starting to get hot in the White House kitchen. Rat bastids.

And today Corrente has this:

Goodness gracious! If I didn't have so much faith in the integrity of the Bush administration, I'd say there was some sort of cover-up going on. Remember Nixon's secretary, Rosemary Woods, and the famous 18 1/2 minute gap, where she somehow accidentally erased the tapes of her boss was incriminating himself? History does repeat itself, doesn't it?

Military records that could help establish President Bush's whereabouts during his disputed service in the Texas Air National Guard more than 30 years ago have been inadvertently destroyed, according to the Pentagon.
(via, amazingly enough, the Times)

[. . .]

Gee. So, with no inventory and no chain of custody, why we are sure the "inadvertant destruction"—love the phrase!—happened in 1997, under the Clinton administration? (You know, given everything else The Clenis™has been accused of, it's funny he wouldn't guard those records as the appple of his eye...)

There was no mention of the loss, for example, when White House officials released hundreds of pages of the President's military records last February in an effort to stem Democratic accusations that he was "AWOL" for a time during his commitment to fly at home in the Air National Guard during the Vietnam War.

Gee. I wonder why not? The WhiteWash House said "all" the records at the time. So how did they know they released "all" the records without cross-checking against the microfilm?


[. . .]

Among the issues still disputed is why, according to released records, Mr. Bush was suspended from flying on Aug. 1, 1972. The reason cited in the records is "failure to accomplish annual medical examination."

So, here, at least, things are very simple, just as they always have been.

Maybe we can't resolve, through payroll records, whether Bush did, in fact, fulfill his legal obligations to serve.

But perhaps we can resolve why he was grounded. And to resolve this, Bush just needs to authorize the release of the sixty pages that have been withheld, so far. Why on earth would Bush let this issue fester? I just can't understand....

Can President Lying Sack of Shit do anything in the light of day? These people lie and cheat so much that it's become habit, even when they don't have to. First they release 'all' of the records. Then they release more, getting closer to the definition of 'all'. And now, when a major news organization sues for them, the rest of the records have been 'inadvertantly destroyed'. Not recently, but seven years ago. So, the lying bastids knew the records were destroyed when they put together the first package of all President AWOL's military records.

Read the whole thing here. This SO pisses me off.

I miss the Mrs.

I really do, and so does the Monster. It's my wife's dog and she checks around occasionally, just to see if mom has come home yet. I know she's coming home tomorrow afternoon and I can't wait. I miss ya, baby. Have a good evening everyone.

Pleasant dreams.

Oh, X? How 'bout my Mets?

I like this

I like how this blog and The Alternate Brain have been working out, both separately and when X and I both get a hold of something and comment on it back and forth. Ol' X has a lot of comments regarding my personality, but that's okay. I learned to laugh at myself long ago. (Either that or I'd cry) X is doing good work and if you haven't been there yet, you should. Besides, X stays up later than I do. Shit, children stay up later than I do. Anyway, give a visit over there.

I'm also debating starting another with the same conditions. I'd play with the HTML and I'd turn the majority of the content over to someone like The X. Of course I'd put my two cents in too. I don't know if I have the time, but I'll let you folks know if I do. I'll probably hold 'auditions' or something to find someone with a slightly different point of view than The X and me. No Jesus freak, Neocon, Republican, Right to Life assholes, but I'd consider a REAL Conservative. Ah, let me think about it. And thanks to everyone for stopping by.

I got a question

Okay, all you fucking pundits out there are exploring every possible scenario for the outcome of the election in November, right? Did any of you smart guys think about what would happen if Islamic 'martyrs' started blowing themselves up in polling places?

Ever think about that? Who'd win? Would it be good for Bush or Kerry? Would that be the excuse Bush needed to declare martial law? And if the elections were postponed, what happens to Kerry/Edwards? Can they maintain their momentum? Will Bush declare them terrorists and send them to Gitmo?

Somebody answer those questions for me. I'm just an idiot mechanic.

Ken Lay=Lying Asshole

Man, I haven't seen more finger pointing since the panty raid on my 7th Grade Junior High trip. I won't go into details about that, but did you see that dickhead Ken Lay's press conference after he was indicted. Oh yeah, I was in charge, and it was my responsibility that Enron went under, but I did nothing illegal.

He said Fastow, the architect of Enron’s financial house of cards, was largely to blame for the company’s troubles.

“At our core, regrettably, we had a chief financial officer and a few other people who, in fact, mismanaged the company’s balance sheet and finances and enriched themselves in a way that once we got into a stressful environment in the marketplace, the company collapsed,” Lay told the Times.

[. . .]

“When you’re talking about transactions of tens of millions of dollars, you’d expect the CEO to know about it,” said Chris Caldwell, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice in Los Angeles.

You low-life lying sack of shit. If you hadn't done anything illegal, Enron would still be in business, you motherfucker. Now I see where President Untruth learned how to lie. You both suck at it.

Sudan, again . . . again

Remember what I said last week when Colon, er, Colin Powell was there?

I didn't comment on Colin Powell's quick pass through there this past week, but I guess I should. Cruising around the blogosphere I noticed others putting in their two cents about how disingenuous the visit was. That he was just paying lip service to the problems there. I've made my opinion on the subject well known here and here. Today, I proffer this:

Colin Powell was in the Sudan scouting the area of the next U.S. Theater of Operations. I get the feeling the Administration knows their original plan for Iraq is generally blown and the best they can hope for is a good PR moment if the place doesn't descend into civil war. They won't have control of Iraq's oil production and they probably won't have the ability to conduct operations in other parts of the region (Iran) from within Iraq.

Sudan has OIL, ladies and gentlemen, a government in chaos, and all the characteristics the Bush Administration fancies when deciding to attack someone. Connections to terrorism. Sudan has those, and that is not disputed. I say it is ripe for the picking for President AWOL and VP Halliburton in their never-ending war on terror. If Bush/Cheney is reelected, prepare to see Marines and Kellogg, Brown, and Root trucks rolling through Khartoum in a couple years.

And then X over at TAB had this:

When I read the F-man's post about Colin Powell's trip to Sudan, I thought he'd put on his tinfoil hat:

. . .

Colin Powell was in the Sudan scouting the area of the next U.S. Theater of Operations. I get the feeling the Administration knows their original plan for Iraq is generally blown and the best they can hope for is a good PR moment if the place doesn't descend into civil war. They won't have control of Iraq's oil production and they probably won't have the ability to conduct operations in other parts of the region (Iran) from within Iraq.

After catching this via The Agonist, he doesn't seem that crazy anymore:

LAGOS June 4 - A US navy battlegroup is to make a ``show of force'' in the oil-rich waters of the Gulf of Guinea, off west Africa, diplomats said Friday, as Washington hones plans to escape its dependence on unstable Middle Eastern supplies by securing more African crude.

The foray by a heavily armed carrier group into the waters off Nigeria, Sao Tome, Equatorial Guinea and other African oil producers, comes at a time when fuel prices are topping the US political agenda and security crises in the Gulf region are pushing demands for greater diversification in energy supplies.

Hmmm . . .

Okay, so today I see this at MSNBC:

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday the Sudanese government has yet to follow through on promises to help those in the Darfur region who are “imperiled by violence, starvation and disease.”

“We need immediate improvement,” Powell said, warning that a Sudanese failure to act could lead to tough U.N. Security Council sanctions against the country’s Islamic government.

[. . .]

A U.S. draft resolution calls on Sudan to immediately fulfill all its commitments to end violence in the western Sudanese region and to give access to aid workers. The resolution also urges the warring parties in Sudan to conclude a political agreement without delay and it commits all states to target sanctions against the government-backed militias held responsible for the crisis.

“The government of Sudan bears the greatest responsibility to face up to this catastrophe, rein in those who are committing this ethnic cleansing and save the lives of its own citizens,” Powell said.

Okay, so doesn't this sound like the bullshit Powell et. al. was peddling when we were looking for an excuse to go into Iraq? Mark my words, we'll be in Sudan or somewhere else in Africa that has oil soon enough. Motherfuckers.

Security threat

From MSNBC:

WASHINGTON - There is an increased risk of a large-scale terrorist attack against the United States by al-Qaida prior to the Nov. 2 election “in an effort to disrupt our democratic process,” Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Thursday, citing “credible” but non-specific intelligence.

[. . .]

Despite the new information, the government is not raising its color-coded terror alert status because of the lack of specificity about possible targets, he said, adding that there is no evidence that terrorists are targeting the Democratic or Republican conventions.

[. . .]

Okay, let me get this straight. You have 'credible evidence' but you're not raising the color code? Why the fuck not? Will it bite too deeply into your corporate cronies' bottom line? Fucking assholes. Like I said before, if my wife gets hurt because of this type of ineptitude, I'm gonna take it out of someone's ass.

Update 15:10: I listened to that nitwit Ridge saying how these supposed terror attacks in the works will be designed to 'disrupt the election in November'. I said this two weeks ago:

. . . Bush will declare martial law and suspend the elections "to ensure order at this time of emergency". Guys like this don't give up just because a majority of the population wants them to.

They're warming us up for it. The thing about declaring an emergency or martial law, you need National Guard troops to enforce it. Guess what? They're all in fucking Iraq. Ha. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.

I didn't think of this

From Democratic Veteran. This is something I hadn't thought of.

Wanna bet there's a Marc Rich style pardon waiting in the West Wing for Kenny-boy, cause Preznit Mattress Back always pays his debts...and settles his scores.

Read it all here.

The head liar

At least when it comes to Iraq. X at TAB introduces us to Kevin Kellems. Read it.

Cheney's top spokesperson, Kevin Kellems, tried to spin the Commission's rebuke into a statement that supported Cheney's position. He said, "We are pleased with today's statement from the 9-11 commission which puts to rest a non-story."

Yeesh.


I'm off to the mines. Later.

At least they know

So the Republicans know they're assholes and they're doing their best to hide it. Via Kos from Chris at MyDD:

. . .

The decision to showcase rogue elephants as representatives of the modern Republican party is not the mark of a self-confident party establishment. If the lineup is intended to make an overwhelmingly conservative party attractive to swing voters, it does so by pretending to be something it's not. The Republican party seems to habitually internalize the criticisms of its opponents. When the only Reagan Republican to enjoy a prominent supporting role at the party's convention is a Democrat[turncoat Zell Miller, Georgia], the GOP has a serious identity problem. The Kerry-Edwards ticket is liberal. The Boston convention will not be featuring Louisiana senator John Breaux in an attempt to pretend otherwise.

. . .

Remember what I said about cracks starting to form? Well we're beginning to see microfractures here too, Cap'n. The Christo-Fascist ship is beginning to break up in the high seas.

Yummy

Halle Berry as 'Catwoman'. I haven't seen it, but even if it had a bad script and worse acting, Halle Berry in a catsuit can't be bad.

This is good

But meaningless now. It's nice to see though.

From MSNBC:

According to the poll, which was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, a Kerry-Edwards ticket gets support from 49 percent of registered voters, while President Bush and Vice President Cheney get 41 percent, and independent Ralph Nader and running mate Peter Camejo get 4 percent. In a two-way race, Kerry-Edwards leads Bush-Cheney, 54 percent to 43 percent.

Good night

I'm done for the day. Mrs. F is in Charlotte and I gotta cook for myself and the monster. I also gotta sleep alone and that's the real bummer. Good night, baby. Good night, all.

Pleasant dreams.


Oh, go see this over at TAB. It's worth it.

The Generals, again

What else do I always say? "Let the Generals run the fucking war." From Reuters. General Richard Cody before Congress today. I'd like to point out that he doesn't call himself Dick.

[. . .]

Gen. Richard Cody, the Army's vice chief of staff, said active and reserve forces were "stretched thin," but the Army was "rapidly trying to rebuild the surge capability" it would need to deal with another contingency.

Full Story.

From the Fixer-man a month ago:

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.

Maybe if ONE of the morons in civilian leadership positions at the Pentagon had done a little time in the fucking military, it might be bloody obvious to them too. Jesus H. Christ.

Attorneys

MSNBC says thousands of attorneys are on their way to Iraq to get in on Saddam's defense. I'd love to call in that airstrike once they all get there. Could you imagine getting rid of so many lawyers in one shot?

Already there are pretrial negotiations over permitting Saddam's foreign legal team to work in Iraq, whether to televise the proceedings and whether to reinstate the harshest penalty in Iraq's legal code: hanging by the neck until dead.

If he loses, will his lawyers hang with him?

NK

Remember my standard bitch, the one I used yesterday on The X over at TAB?

For somebody who was a gleam in their daddy's eye the time I was killing Communists . . .

Well, some of those Communists I'd dispatched were from north of the DMZ. The North Koreans were trying to get nukes as far back as 1980, back then, trying to get them from one of the Soviet Republics. That's about as far as I'll go, the shit we did there is probably still classified, but my point is that we knew they were after nukes 25 years ago. Reagan knew it, Bush 41 knew it, Clinton knew it, and now President Axis of Evil knows it. But, as my chohort over at TAB, The X points out:

So what do we do about this? From Reuters via MSNBC.

Reuters-July 7, 2004 - Communist North Korea has been building and deploying intermediate range ballistic missiles capable of reaching U.S. military targets in Hawaii and Guam, South Korean newspapers reported Wednesday.

Here is a nation who actually does have nuclear weapons which, unlike Saddam's fictional WMDs, can actually strike U.S. soil. What have we done? Next to nothing, but the Republicans are getting rich in Iraq.

It's been over 20 years since I chased those little bastards through the tunnels under the DMZ, over 20 years since we knew of NK's desire for nukes, and what do we do? We attack Iraq when North Korea can blow Hawaii out of the water. Motherfucking, low-life, stupid, lying bastids. I need a drink now.

Exactly, my boy

I've been yelling about this for a while. Jesse at Pandagon says abstinence-only sex education is not only stupid it's dangerous.

I could understand the push for abstinence-only education in a backhanded way if we were dealing with an either-or situation. If abstinence-only were a stunt designed to get abstinence included in a full spectrum of sexual education, then sure, okay - yell about it, get it included, everyone's happy and safer.

But seeing as how it's a serious movement, it's just a dangerous, disturbing method of consigning a generation of kids to a series of ill-advised behaviors if and when they do have sex.

[. . .]

This from L.A. Weekly

Lethal new regulations from President Bush’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, quietly issued with no fanfare last week, complete the right-wing Republicans’ goal of gutting HIV-prevention education in the United States. In place of effective, disease-preventing safe-sex education, little will soon remain except failed programs that denounce condom use, while teaching abstinence as the only way to prevent the spread of AIDS. And those abstinence-only programs, researchers say, actually increase the risk of contracting AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

[. . .]

Now, if just the Jesus freak, Christo-Fascist, Neocon, Republicans followed this advice, I'd call it throwing a skimmer in the gene pool. Unfortunately, they're allowed to teach this shit to our fucking kids too.

Careful, dude

Ah, yesterday. Picture it, Sicily, 1942 . . . I'm watching too fucking many of the Mrs. Golden Girls reruns on TV Land.

Anyway, last week, some guy drops his car for an inspection. He parks it on the Avenue in front of the shop and brings the key in, and then splits. Fine. Couple hours later, Indian gets in the car to bring it into the shop. As soon as he gets in it, he sees the windshield cracked in front of the driver's position. He gets out and comes back inside to tell Harry about the crack. Since he's not a good customer, we see him every couple years when he can't get his car inspected anywhere else and that's it, Harry calls him and says we can't inspect it with a busted windshield and should we get a new one for him. If he were a regular, we would have inspected it and got a windshield in it when it wasn't so crazy. Well, this guy tells Harry he'll be right up and slams the phone down.

He gets there about an hour later and accuses Harry, and the Indian and me in turn, of breaking it. Harry told him we didn't even start the fucking thing, let alone move it. The car was in the same place he left it that morning. The guy says he knows someone who'll replace the windshield cheap and he makes an appointment for a re-inspect yesterday. Fine, it's all good.

Yesterday he shows up. He parks in the lot this time and brings the key in. Harry takes it and tells him we'll call when it's done. Guy should have left it there. Instead, he tells Harry that the guy who fixed his glass cheap said the glass was broken from the inside. It went like this:

Harry: We didn't break it.

Guy: One of your workers did then.

Harry: If my guys would have broken it, they would have told me and it would have been replaced. (A guy who used to work with us broke someone's window with a rock tossed up from a weed whacker. The owner was parked on the street while he took care of business in the Post Office next door. Harry waited by the car until the guy came out and told him what happened and paid for the window. The guy wouldn't have known, but that's the way we work.)

Guy: This is the only place it could have broken.

Harry: Are you calling me a liar?

Guy: Maybe one of your guys broke it and didn't tell you?

Harry: Are you calling them liars?

Me: Are you calling me a liar?

Indian: Are you calling me a liar?

Guy: All I know is that it was done here.

Harry: (Throws the key at the guy) Why don't you take your piece of shit Volvo the fuck out of here.

Guy: But my inspection . . .

Harry: Get in your car and get the fuck out of here before I break every fucking window in it.

Guy: Just calm down . . .

Harry: Don't ever tell me to calm down! Get the fuck out!!! Where's my hammer?

Guy runs for his car, gets in, locks the doors, and tears out of the lot like his head was on fire and his ass was catching. Indian and I were giggling our fucking asses off.

The moral? Never question Harry's integrity. Never. But it was a good entertaining interlude in a rather hectic day.

Work

Heading off to the mines. I got a good story about what went down between Harry and a customer yesterday. I would have posted it yesterday, but I was all excited about the VP announcement and I had to touch myself, and got distracted. Later.

And so it begins . . .

It seems as if a whole boatload of New Jerseyans who'd served honorably, done their time, and then got out, are now being recalled to active duty. Can they fuck these folks any more?

Buddy of mine just got a letter from the Army. They want him back too, but he's not going. He's willing to do time in Leavenworth than become cannon fodder. Don't know if I agree but I can't blame him for his sentiment. He's been out 2 years, met a lovely girl, and they're getting married next month, looking to start a family. The kid's got his whole life ahead of him and I can understand his motivation. Bill over at Whiskey Bar put it best a couple weeks ago.

This is 'Vietnam on crack'.

Now this pisses me off

From Corrente.

Bush botches loose nukes yet again

Really unbelievable even for these guys.

In a secret operation, the United States last month removed from Iraq nearly two tons of uranium and hundreds of highly radioactive items that could have been used in a so-called dirty bomb, the Energy Department disclosed Tuesday.
(via AP)

1. "Last month"?! What took them so long?

2. How do we know that we got all of it? The answer is, that we don't, because one of the many things that Bush botched in the occupation was leaving nuclear sites unguarded, so that they could be looted.

It's crystal clear that this is a cover-your-ass, election year gimmick, with no substantive impact whatever.

If these clowns were serious about loose nukes, this would have been the first thing that they took care of. Instead, they waited many months. Guess they finally figured out that even though Manhattan and Boston are Blue, it would look really bad if we lost one during a convention. So they cook up this transparent piece of flummery.

Where's the outrage?

You want outrage, Lambert? Well I got enough for 10 people. Stupid motherfuckers.

Mrs. F has all the fun

Although the Mrs. has to be there on business, I'm gonna bug her to be an official correspondent for this blog and TAB while she's in Charlotte, NC for the next few days. After the Edwards announcement, the place should be a party. Well gotta get her to the airport. Back later.

Outta here

Been carrying the water for The X over at The Alternate Brain, who's down with computer problems. X will be back tomorrow and I'll spend more time over here. Have a good night.

Pleasant dreams.

No shit?

The UPC barcode is 30 years old! Go figure. Didn't seem that long ago. Via South Knox Bubba:

[. . .]

It was met with more criticism than even Michael Moore could have mustered.

Union representatives said it would steal American jobs. Conspiracy theorists believed it was intrusively "Big Brother." Some Christians thought it hid the number 666, representing the Antichrist. Television talk-show host Phil Donahue claimed it was a corporate plot against consumers.

[. . .][My emphasis]

See what I mean about . . . you know . . . them.

Yeah, I know. Read the whole story here. And Happy Birthday to the Universal Product Code!


And it wouldn't be right if I didn't lift this either:

Other technologies, such as radio-frequency identification tags, may one day replace it, but the lowly UPC improved efficiency and supply-chain control almost invisibly. One of the few times it gained media notice at all was in 1992 when President George H.W. Bush marveled at it during a campaign visit to a grocers' convention in Florida. His reaction added to a perception that he was out of touch with the public, because many people were by then well acquainted with the technology.

The UPC code is a Democrat.

This is REALLY good

Tgirsch at Lean Left turned me on to this and, being a dog person, I think it's the greatest thing. Had to share!

The George Bush Dog Chew Toy.

They have a Kerry one too.

Morons

Stole this from Just a Bump in the Beltway.

Ill-Serving Those Who Serve

Published: July 6, 2004

Although it has long been obvious that American ground forces would be overstretched by commitments in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea and elsewhere, the administration has resisted Congressional efforts to enlarge the Army permanently to cover projected needs — by most estimates, that means 20,000 to 40,000 more people. Such an expansion would cost as much as $10 billion and would need to be accounted for in the more than $400 billion military budget. To date, most of the cost of the Iraq war has not been paid from the military budget, but from nearly $100 billion in so-called supplemental funds. An additional "supplemental" of at least $25 billion is expected for fiscal year 2005. This type of accounting ensures that politicians' pet weapons projects do not have to compete for funds with the cost of more soldiers. Just slowing down the deployment of the Rube Goldberg ballistic-missile defense system would pay for a lot of soldiers.

In the meantime, overworked soldiers get orders for extended and multiple tours, even as new evidence shows that one in six soldiers who returned home from earlier tours in Iraq is showing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or other severe emotional difficulties. If the Army persists in these extended tours and rapid-fire redeployments, the cost could be a drop in morale and in recruitment and re-enlistment rates. In general, Americans are made more vulnerable as soldiers are pulled out of the nuclear-armed Korean peninsula to serve in Iraq and are diverted from a real war against terrorism in Afghanistan.

The military argues that while the need for more soldiers is immediate, staffing and equipping new permanent divisions would take nearly two years — and that by then, they might not be needed. That is the same type of hope-for-the-best planning that caused this disaster.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The leadership at the Pentagon is a bunch of amateurs. And I'm talking the leadership at the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff too. I'm ashamed to admit that Dick Myers is Air Force. What a fucking moron. Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz are even worse. At least Myers is a general, even though he's played the Washington game too long. Hint to Kerry: Replace the assholes at OJCS with flag officers who have tried to avoid Washington all their lives. You know them John, you served with them, the guys you'd walk willingly into Hell with because you know they'd do their best to get you back out the other side. Not these guys, whose priority is the Georgetown party circuit.

Jesus freaks

Now I bitch about Jesus freaks with good reason, but I've been accosted by a bunch of politically correct busybodies lately who are saying I'm generalizing. Fine, I am, fuck you.

The Jesus freaks I have a problem with are the ones who try to convert me, or the ones who tell me I'm un-American because I don't worship God the way they do. Fuck them too. I give a shit what you do, but when you do it all over me, I got a problem. If I have a problem, you will too in a little while.

Ever hear the song? "This land is your land, this land is my land"? Well this God is my God and this God is your God. We all worship the same fucking guy, assholes, and until the day he comes down here and tells me I'm doing it wrong, I'm doing it my way. Don't tell me that I'm un-American because I don't go to your Holy Roller Church or take Communion. Don't tell my wife she's un-American because she's Jewish. Worship of your God is done with deeds, you fucking nitwits, not by closing abortion clinics or taking away a woman's right to choose. If I want to watch porn, I will, because I'm not a pedophile, not a deviant, and I've seen some of the things that you claim will cause the downfall of Humanity. Didn't fuck me up none. (I was born this grouchy) If you don't like what's on TV, change the fucking channel, don't tell me that I can't see it too.

Since you people like to bandy Jesus' name around all the time, answer me this. What did Jesus preach above all else? What was the theme of his life, so to speak? Fucking TOLERANCE, you pea-brained fucking idiots. One of his best friends was actually a fucking HOOKER. You'd better tolerate me, because I'm doing my best to tolerate you without wrapping my fingers around your neck and squeezing for all I'm worth. Keep your religion to yourself and stop trying to make Jesus freakishness the national spirituality. If you impose yourself on me, I'll . . . well, you know.

I feel better now.

It's Edwards!!!!

------------------------------------------------------
MSNBC Breaking News
------------------------------------------------------

Sen. John Kerry names John Edwards vice presidential running mate - NBC -

I called it. Mrs. F is a happy camper. More over at TAB.

Update 14:30: High Destert Skeptic has a pic of John Edwards showing everyone how big Dick Cheney's dick really is.

Excitement

Well, entertainment anyway. The dumpy grocery store across the tracks from the train station was on fire when I dropped Mrs. F off this morning. While some may call this a bad thing, I call it urban renewal. The place has been a piece of shit for 30 years.

Pay attention today, all the pundits are saying Kerry will pick his VP this afternoon. I'm going with The X and calling it for Edwards. Mrs. F likes him too. Well, off to the mines.

Hot dog recipie

South Knox Bubba's grilled hot dogs:

Stop me if you've heard it.

1. Get some fat, all beef hotdogs. Normally I like Hebrew National hotdogs (they answer to a Higher Authority) but for this recipe the fatter Nathan's hotdogs worked great. Bratwurst would probably be good, too, although they might be a little too rich.

2. Get a can of shredded sauerkraut.

3. Get some bacon.

4. Slit the hotdogs lengthwise without cutting all the way through.

5. Stuff each hotdog with liberal helping of sauerkraut.

6. Wrap one strip of bacon around each stuffed hotdog in a spiral fashion. Secure with toothpicks at each end.

7. Grill until bacon is crispy done.

Enjoy with your favorite sides and cold beer. Mmm, mmm, good.

Mrs. F's gonna be making these next weekend.

I'm gone

Mrs. F. is making an early dinner on the grill, in between the raindrops so I'm done for today. Tomorrow's a school day. Have a good evening.

Pleasant dreams.

Ugh

Mrs. F and I were productive this morning and now we're goofing off. Unfortunately, one of her favorite channels is TV Land. I'm not a big fan of sitcoms, but the Mrs. was raised on them. It wouldn't be bad if they reran good sitcoms, I always dig The Golden Girls, but jeez . . . Happy Days? The Brady Bunch?

If I ever catch the guy who thought this up I'm gonna assault his nether regions with something blunt and metallic.

Good choice

I made a good choice going with The X when I needed someone to contribute to TAB. Go read this and laugh your ass off.

The National Liars Hall of Fame

From Democratic Veteran:

A visit to this tiny central Nebraska town will squelch any suspicions that the National Liars' Hall of Fame is just a tall tale. It really exists. Honest.

Dem Vet is thinking about setting up a dontation site for them because of all the Bush memorabilia that will be on display there.

The VP thing

Alter X becomes a pundit.

Call me a pundit, but I'm thinking Edwards or Gephart, probably Edwards because he's better looking. Read Joshua's whole post and you decide.

All I say is, anybody but Vilsak. I don't want a Veep whose last name rhymes with nutsack, or ballsack, see what I mean. We just don't need me making up names for him for 4 years.

Do you know these men?

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

If you don't, you'd better bone up on your American history. If you do, you'd better thank them every day, dammit.

Thanks to Today in Iraq for the list.

This says it all

From Kos:

I'm glad I live in the U.S., and unlike most people, I have lived elsewhere and can compare. This country, while far from perfect, is the best in the world (with apologies to our international friends).
That U.S. flag belongs to me as much as the chickenhawk wingnuts who wrap themselves in it. Those wingnuts can go fuck themselves (if I may quote their beloved Cheney).

I'm glad Im here with you guys helping make this place a better one for us and our children. Together we will work for a government that can help the United States live up to its full potential, as a true champion for domestic and global liberty, justice, and the pursuit of happiness.

Couldn't have said it any better. And I'm glad there are guys like Kos and his merry band, doing what they do.

America=Nazi Germany

From Lambert at Corrente:

Two Bush opponents, taken out of the crowd in restraints by police, said they were told they couldn't be there [at a Bush campaign event] because they were wearing shirts that said they opposed the president.

Were the police wearing brown shirts at least? Fuckers.

We're having a problem here in NYC too. There are a bunch of groups trying to obtain permits to protest during the Republican Convention. The smaller groups have received them, but the protests will be scattered throughout the city, none near Madison Square Garden (where any of the politicians might see them). The largest group, possibly 250,000 strong, has still not receieved a permit from that little troll's (Mayor Bloomberg) office. As Lambert says:

Gee, the Declaration of Independence (thanks, Xan) might have some relevance here

We have to get these assholes out in November before they orchestrate the American Putsch. I'm just waiting to see what the GOPers do at Ground Zero to exploit our honored dead. I picture Bush standing there, giving a speech before thousands, all swearing their allegiance to him. "Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil!" Well, maybe I'm getting a little carried away but you know what I mean.

Sweep?

Might the Mets sweep the Yankees this weekend? Looks that way. 4-1 Mets inn the 5th right now. Why can't they play like this when it counts, like in the 2000 Series?

Well, I'm done for the day. Hope yours is safe and fun.

Pleasant dreams.

The Flag

Alter X at The Alternate Brain robbed it from Melanie at Just a Bump in the Beltway who stole it from Eschaton. I'm just gonna link you to it. It's long but go read it.

The reasons

We threw another George out once. Xan at Corrente gives us the reasons why we did. Go read the Declaration of Independence.

"When in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands . . ."

Yowza

Mrs. F came home with a couple new bathing suits. And she looks damn good in 'em. Time to go chase her around.

Later . . . much!

Born on the 4th of July

I started a new blog this morning. As I've been saying for a while, my HTML programming skills are for shit, so I started another blog that I don't mind fucking up if something goes wrong. Since this blog is my main concern, I invited someone else to take care of the content over there.

Go visit The Alternate Brain and say hello to Alter X. This person doesn't want their identity revealed and that's cool with me, so long as I see the page filling up. From what I gather, it'll probably be political and Left-leaning, just the way I like it. Hey, what else could it be, born on this day? I'll be posting there too, as if you can stand any more of my crap.

Last night

I was so fired up about NASCAR that I forgot to say that Mrs. F and I had a wonderful time at dinner. The food was excellent (as usual), the company was the best it could have been (I can't think of anyone else I'd rather share a dinner with than the Mrs.), and we celebrated her promotion.

I'm pretty hungover this morning but she's out with my cousin . . . shopping. Go figure. So it's just the dog and me hanging out, goofing off. At least I have adult supervision. Ha!

South Knox 4th

Bubba has a letter from Thomas Jefferson up on his site. It is in reply to being invited to Washington on the occasion of our nation's 50th Birthday. It's not long, go read it here, dammit.

More about the 4th

From Daily Kos, contributor DemFromCT hits the nail on the head:

Thoughts About Our Standing In the World (On This July 4th Weekend)
by DemFromCT
Sun Jul 4th, 2004 at 07:53:03 EDT

Birthdays are often a time for reflection as well as celebration. As proud as we are of this country, there's a case to be made for attempting to see us as others see us, warts and all. And one of the disturbing items is how our friends and allies have come to see us and act towards us these days (and with it and because of it, how we see them).

The question across the Old Continent is not the oft-asked, "Why do they hate us?" In fact, not that many Europeans do. More thoughtful Americans ask, "Why have they lost respect for us?"

Iraq is the obvious short answer. In polls and conversations, a clear majority of Europeans excoriate President Bush for charging on alone into a widening quagmire that is reshaping the world around them.

Fortunately, America has a choice coming and there is an alternative to present to the world and to ourselves. It'll take voting a President out of office, an event many Americans are loath to do. But to everything, there is a season.

Celebrate America's birthday today. Think about what's gone right. Americans love their country, and with good reason. Relax and enjoy family and friends. And when the holiday's over, roll up your sleeves; we've still got work to do to keep America proud.

Swiped the whole thing, links 'n all. I don't have anything to add.

NASCAR

I've just about had it with NASCAR. What the fuck were they thinking last night? There was a 3 hour rain delay and they ran the race anyway, started around 10. Personally, I didn't stay up to see it, and it ended afer midnight. They couldn't have posponed it and run it today when more people would see it? It's gotten ridiculous since Nextel took over from Winston this year. There have been rule changes, confusion, and the level of profssionalism has dropped considerably.

My boy, Rusty Wallace, on the points changes Nextel instituted when they took over:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Add Rusty Wallace to the growing list of drivers critical of NASCAR's new system for crowning the Nextel Cup champion.

Under the system adopted this season, only the top 10 in the standings and anyone else within 400 points of the leader will be eligible to race for the championship over the final 10 events.

"I don't like the way it makes the people out of the top 10 feel," Wallace said. "If you're out of the top 10 this time it's going to make you feel like a loser, and I don't think that's good for the sport."

Nextel acts like a kid just out of college on his first job, or the Bush Administration after taking over from Clinton. Anything that came before is wrong and it's our way or the highway. Fucking assholes. They're gonna lose fans quickly. I've been watching Stock Car racing for close to 40 years, and if I've had it, so have a bunch of other long-time fans.

The Freedom Tower

The Cornerstone ceremony is today at Ground Zero and that's a good thing. The tower will be the tallest building in the world and most New Yorkers feel the same way I do. Make it big, put it up there so you can see it for miles. Know why? Because it's New York's way of saying fuck you to the terrorists. That's right, you knocked our buildings down and killed a whole bunch of us, but you didn't scare us and we're not cowering. Fuck you, we're gonna rebuild and it'll be bigger than before. Fuck you all, you Fundamentalist assholes. New Yorkers scared? Fuhgeddaboutit.

Now, about some of the families of the victims of 9/11 who are bitching about building another tower there. I'm talking about the people who believe the entire 16-acre complex should be a memorial. Shut the fuck up and go home. There will be a beautiful memorial on the site, but we're talking about the most expensive real estate in the world. Do you realize what the City and State of New York made from WTC in taxes, fees, and the dollars spent in the local community? Yes, it's a bad thing that happened there, but you people need a fucking life. A building HAS to go up there, just the way we're doing it (the fuck you factor), so just shut the fuck up.

Independence Day!

Gonna be home today with Mrs. F and the Monster. One of our traditions is to watch '1776' together. Now, I'm not big on Broadway, musicals specifically (the Mrs. is so we go semi-regularly), but I first saw '1776' when I was about 10 years old on a school trip. It made a lasting impression on me, made me think about patriotism and what these men did that had never been done before. The birth of this great nation was a feat of statesmanship and a goodly amount of luck. The United States is a unique experiment in governance and has been the blueprint for others since. We should be proud of this country, even though we have had some dismal leadership over the last 200-odd years (present Administration included) but we overcome that and make ourselves better. As you get drunk and stupid at your barbecue today, stop and think about what this day really means and explain it to your kids. Americans are living proof that the impossible really isn't. Happy 4th from the Fixer family!

That's right

Glen at A Brooklyn Bridge gets it EXACTLY right, so I robbed his whole post once again:

Red, White, and Blue City in an Orange State

It's July 4th weekend, and the powers-that-be are trying hard to make jittery people jitterier. Gothamites are being told by the good folks in D.C. to be on the lookout for people with some of the following characteristics: bulky clothing, won't show his/her hands, mumbling prayers....

Mumbling prayers?

Have any of these bright lights ever ridden a New York City subway??? "Mumbling" would be a relief. On my one-stop commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan, I get "saved" once a week.

Yup, we got 'em all in NYC. If you go around reporting strange behavior here, you'd be calling 911 all fucking day. But that's part of what makes this city so great.

I'm outta here

Mrs. F and I are going to dinner at this little French place we love. I so want to give them a plug, but I'm worried that if everybody knows about this place, I won't be able to get a reservation when I want. I'll just say that I never had French food this good outside Paris. See you tomorrow.

Pleasant dreams.

Marlon Brando

I suppose I should say something about Marlon Brando.

Something.

Sorry, I've seen all of his movies, good and bad, and he never did much for me. I'm sorry he's dead, but I don't feel as if we lost a movie legend. He was a nutty, brooding man and played brooding characters. I've seen better character actors.

Sudan, again

I didn't comment on Colin Powell's quick pass through there this past week, but I guess I should. Cruising around the blogosphere I noticed others putting in their two cents about how disingenuous the visit was. That he was just paying lip service to the problems there. I've made my opinion on the subject well known here and here. Today, I proffer this:

Colin Powell was in the Sudan scouting the area of the next U.S. Theater of Operations. I get the feeling the Administration knows their original plan for Iraq is generally blown and the best they can hope for is a good PR moment if the place doesn't descend into civil war. They won't have control of Iraq's oil production and they probably won't have the ability to conduct operations in other parts of the region (Iran) from within Iraq.

Sudan has OIL, ladies and gentlemen, a government in chaos, and all the characteristics the Bush Administration fancies when deciding to attack someone. Connections to terrorism. Sudan has those, and that is not disputed. I say it is ripe for the picking for President AWOL and VP Halliburton in their never-ending war on terror. If Bush/Cheney is reelected, prepare to see Marines and Kellogg, Brown, and Root trucks rolling through Khartoum in a couple years.

Yo, cracka

Well, Bill Cosby has finally said what a lot of folks have been thinking for years now. From CNN:

Cosby made headlines in May when he upbraided some poor blacks for their grammar and accused them of squandering opportunities the civil rights movement gave them.

He shot back Thursday, saying his detractors were trying in vain to hide the black community's "dirty laundry."

[. . .]

"I can't even talk the way these people talk, 'Why you ain't,' 'Where you is' ... and I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk," Cosby said then. "And then I heard the father talk ... Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth."

[. . .]

"When you put on a record and that record is yelling 'n----- this and n----- that' and you've got your little 6-year-old, 7-year-old sitting in the back seat of the car, those children hear that," he said.

Okay, before I get all the bullshit saying I'm a racist for making a deal about this, let me just tell you that my dad looked more like Bill Cosby than like me. Yes, I'm of mixed race, but I'm taken for a lily white boy. Well, that's until I spend any time in the sun. I know what it's like to grow up mixed-race in the 1960s and I'm glad those days will never return. However, American Blacks have come to find race as a handy excuse for underachievement. It's about time a real leader of the black community (not Jesse or Reverend Al) finally spoke up.

It's about time the black youth (and I hate speaking in generalizations) of America got another set of role models. Gangsta rappers are not people to look up to as Bill so eloquently points out. Dr. King is probably spinning in his grave and I can imagine what he thinks of the casual use of 'nigga'. If black youth will not respect themselves and their race, they will not receive any respect from other races. If black youth see the lack of education as a good thing, then they will always be 'stupid niggas' to racist whites.

Yes, racism is very prevalent in certain areas of this country, I won't deny that, but the lack of education, the adaptation of degrading slang, and the desire to be like these hoodlum assholes on MTV only gives the crackas more ammunition, playing into the long established stereotypes. Yes, Affirmative Action leveled the playing field, but now it's time for young blacks to be the best they can be, using the tools they've been given. There can be no excuse given to those who would seek to return to the days before Brown vs. Board and other significant rulings. If the sterotypes that 'blacks are stupid' or 'blacks are lazy' become mainstream once again, all the gains over the last 40 years will have been lost.

Register

If you haven't registered to vote, do it. I give a shit if you're a Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Liberal, Libertarian, Green, or Commie, just vote. It's part of being an American. And remember, if you don't vote, you can't bitch.

Now this, from Today in Iraq:

This is how to kick Lieutenant AWOL's ass back to Texas.

Yesterday, I went to a a matinee showing of Fahrenheit 911 at the Capitol Mall in Olympia, WA. There were about 70 people in the theater.

When I left the theater, I saw some enterprising Democrats had set up a voter registration table directly in front of the theater exit. About 10 people went directly from the theater to the voter registration table.

Later, I came back and talked to the people manning the table. There were no campaign materials on display and nothing to associate the table with the Democratic Party. The folks told me they had registered about 50 people today alone and they were sure everybody they registered planned to vote against Bush.

I grabbed a handful of voter registration forms because I know at least five people who don't usually vote and hate Bush.

If more people across the country are taking advantage of Fahrenheit 911 to register pissed-off Americans who don't normally vote, I think we're going to kick some Republican ass in November.

Exploit the opportunity.

Joe Biden

Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo has the first part of an interview with Senator Joe Biden of Delaware. Now, I think old Joe should run for President but that ain't gonna happen. Josh will have the second part up in the coming week and I'll link to it when it's posted.

Biden might be a little nutty, but he knows policy and foreign affairs better than most within the Beltway. Go read Part 1.

And just one more

Because I thought of it. As I've told you, Mrs. F has to be on an EARLY train in the morning, so me and the mutt are up with her at 4 a.m. That means we go to bed early. We usually fall asleep to Star Trek reruns on Spike TV. Now, we have a timer on the TV and it shuts off long after we're asleep. Okay, you got it so far?

So, the TV usually turns off, still tuned to Spike TV. I know this because when I turn it on in the morning at 4, they have infomercials playing. Fine. You know they're for 'male enhancement products', right? Okay. Now I'm thinking, when I wake up, . . . frisky, shall we say, in the morning, is that some sort of subliminal shit? Do those informercials come on before the TV shuts off? Because I'm thinking as I lay there . . . frisky, 'man, I don't need that shit.' Have a nice weekend.

See ya

I'm done. Mrs. F is on a new train, since she started the new job, and it gets in earlier than the early train did before. Hey, if you are, or are the significant other of, a commuter on the LIRR, that would be perfectly clear.

Anyway, I'm outta here. If you're outta here for the weekend, once again, please be safe on the road as well as with explosives. Don't get too drunk and stupid and think you're an artillery officer. If you don't hurt yourself, you'll probably hurt someone you love. Later.

Pleasant dreams.

Thanks

I'd just like to say a hearty thank you to South Knox Bubba for adding this humble space to his links list. He has us under the category of Mighty Moonbats, which is one of the nicest compliments ever paid me. Stop by there regularly, dammit. I do.

John Kerry Thursdays

They've been a success over at Eschaton but they're coming to an end. Congratulations to Atrios. I'll let him tell you about it:

Fundraising

So, it should go without saying that the fact that people have donated almost a quarter million through this site to John Kerry has gone beyond my highest expectations. My rather modest goal when I started JK Thursday was to raise a thousand per week until the convention. IIRC that would've been less than $25,000 total. We're at ten times that.

But, I'm thinking that once we hit 250K it's time to shut it down -- I don't mean pulling down all the links or anything, but rather to focus my begging for Senate and House races, more along the lines of what Kos is doing. Obviously I'm focusing on Hoeffel, and I'm thinking of choosing 3 House races to add to that...

Well, anyway, I'm open to thoughts from people. It isn't my money (mostly), it's yours, and it's about maximizing the expression of the community here.

Good for him and good for John Kerry.

4th of July

Independence Day means a bit more this year, in light of the coming elections. I'm sure the Founding Fathers never envisioned an asshole like President AWOL No Nuts Coward to hold the office. I'm sure Mr. Adams (the father, sound familiar) is rolling over in his grave. We have to throw this clown out, just as we tossed King George way back when.

Anyway, be safe and have a happy holiday. Read what I said about blowing shit up and remember that I know what I'm doing. Try not to lose any body parts.

NASCAR this weekend. They're in Daytona and it's a Saturday night race. I'm gonna tape it 'cause I'm going out to dinner with Mrs. F to celebrate her promotion, which took effect yesterday. Have I mentioned I'm proud of her? Well I am, damn it.

You gotta be shitting me 2

From Glen at A Brooklyn Bridge. I lifted the whole fucking thing:

Let's Do the Time Warp

Credit where it's due: this one's from Andrew. Kerry is being sued for heresy.

A Catholic lawyer has filed heresy charges against Sen. John Kerry with the Archdiocese of Boston, accusing the Democratic presidential candidate of bringing "most serious scandal to the American public" by receiving Holy Communion as a pro-choice Catholic.
[...]

Mr. Balestrieri said he filed the heresy charge — plus an additional complaint charging "harm" to himself as a result of Mr. Kerry's pronouncements on abortion and related issues — because canon law entitles Catholics to "possession of the faith unharmed."

"By spreading heresy, he is endangering not just mine by every Catholic's possession of the faith," he said.

"I am inviting all baptized Catholics who feel injured by Kerry to join the suit as third parties" by reading the document on the Web site and then sending a certified letter of agreement to the Boston Archdiocese.



My calendar just burst into flames.

Will Pataki and Giuliani be next? No, I didn't think so, either.

I thought the high-ranking Catholics had to be educated. Heresy? Has anyone been charged with heresy since the Inquisition? Fucking asshole.

From the source

As you know, The Head Heeb has been indulging me in a discussion about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the wall, and possible solutions. For me it's like playing chess with someone better than you. You learn things you never would playing against someone of your own or lesser ability. Today, he wrote this and I think he's right on point:

Then again, if measured purely from the East German standpoint, the Berlin Wall _worked_ - it stopped mass emigration to the West. It fell when the political system that supported it fell. If the I-P conflict ever reaches a negotiated settlement, the West Bank wall might also fall.

Your point about an economic solution can't be denied. I also think that a Palestinian state - even an interim one - will have to be viable, with sufficient infrastructure and trade outlets to allow an economic life. You may be interested in what I've written on water infrastructure in Gaza:

http://headheeb.blogmosis.com/archives/024511.html

The thing is that for any of this to happen, Israel has to get the hell out first, and the wall is both a real defense and an important psychological factor that will enable withdrawal. I'm not thrilled about the wall - no sane person would be thrilled about the need for such measures - but I think it will ultimately do more good than harm. A period of separation is
necessary before there can be peace, and a physical barrier like the wall(preferably built along the green line) is the only thing that can provide this.

We basically agree that the wall is needed, but my German side still has a phobia of them. Discussion of the Berlin Wall was a regular topic at the dinner table when I was growing up. I would like to see a political and economic solution without the wall, but in lieu of some sort of demilitarized zone with some sort of foreign force separating Israelis and Palestinians, it's the next best thing. But you know what, if they manage to work a peace, I don't care how they do it at this point. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the seed of modern terrorism and we will not get a handle on the problem unless we have peace in the Holy Land. The infrastructure of the Palestinian lands has to be rebuilt and that will only come with investment, and there will be no investment until there is peace.

Yeah, what he said

From Jesse at Pandagon:

Utterly Disappointing
Focus on the Family gives out Michael Moore's home address and phone number.

I don't know if I'm more offended by the people who think that it's wrong and go find James Dobson's home address and phone number, or the people who think that it's justified because other people have done things like it in the past.

It's intimidation, you fuckers. It is wrong. You DON'T DO IT. How goddamn hard is this to understand?

Doing this to anyone is wrong, period.

Fuck you very much

Mrs F. is not happy about this:

(New York-WABC, July 1, 2004) — If you are one of the hundreds of thousands of commuters who use Penn[sylvania] Station, be prepared for a serious inconvenience the week of the Republican Convention.

For security reasons, six of the eight exits will be closed -- causing major pedestrian back ups.

[. . .]

This means all commuters will have to enter and exit through the Seventh Avenue side under the [Madison Square] Garden marquee, or the Long Island Railroad entrance on 34th Street.

Thousands of Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, LIRR and subway riders -- bottlenecked through two exits.

Jim McGovern, LIRR [Long Island Rail Road] Commuters Council: "People are going to have to behave themselves. It's going to be hot, it's going to be crowded. Other than that I think people are just going to have to suck it up."

Thanks a lot. As if it's not hard enough for the Mrs. to get to work with the normal crowds. And you know the only reason the Republican Convention is in NYC is so they can exploit Ground Zero. We sure as hell don't want 'em here. Motherfuckers.

Off to the mines. Friday-Friday-Fri-day!

History repeats

Yes indeed. Here's what I said a couple weeks ago:

First off, have you ever noticed that most of our problems in that part of the world can be directly traced to the British Empire and it's resultant fall? The Holy Land and the surrounding area Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Kasmir, Israel and Palestine, all of these places were once British territories. It reminds me of another place Imperial powers had marched in search of treasure and land, with the same amount of success. Russia.

Here's what Democratic Veteran says today:

And it is. It always was. Until there's either an asteroid hitting the earth or a volcano in Baghdad it always will be. The Brits learned it the hard way back in the early 20th Century as their Empire was imploding, and well, we're just breaking that code now. Not like there aren't history books or anything...not like fearless leader wasn't a (what?) major (besides Drunken Stupor) at Yale. Well, I guess that the PNAC Neocons were a lot smarter than those stupid ol' Brits, eh?

And we both agree that President C-minus never stayed awake or sober in history class. Fucking assholes. You'd think the Brits would be smart enough to opt out of going back to Baghdad.

And I had to add this

Via WTF Is It Now??

From that miserable woman, Lisa Myers at MSNBC:

By Lisa Myers
Senior investigative correspondent
NBC News
Updated: 9:57 a.m. ET July 01, 2004The Pentagon has already awarded Halliburton Co., the controversial military contractor, deals worth up to $18 billion for its work in Iraq. But now former Halliburton insiders have come forward with new allegations of massive waste of taxpayer money.

[. . .]

DeYoung audited accounts for Halliburton’s subsidiary KBR. She claims there was no effort to hold down costs because all costs were passed on directly to taxpayers. She repeatedly complained to superiors of waste and fraud. The company's response, according to deYoung was: "We can be as dumb and stupid as we want in the first year of a war, nobody’s going to care."

DeYoung produced documents detailing alleged waste even on routine services: $50,000 a month for soda, at $45 a case; $1 million a month to clean clothes — or $100 for each 15-pound bag of laundry.

[. . .]

DeYoung also claims people were paid to do nothing. Mike West says he was one of them. Paid $82,000 a year to be a labor foreman in Iraq, West claims he never had any laborers to supervise. "They said just log 12 hours a day and walk around and look busy," he said. "OK, so we did."

Read about the entire rip-off and get mad. Full story.

Wonder how much of those overcharges are going into Dick Cheney's pocket?

Just this

That nitwit in Connecticut is out and Lt. Governor Jodi Rell takes over today. Word is, she's cleaning house, getting all of Rowland's old cronies out of the State House. Good for her, hope she runs a tight ship. I lived in Connecticut for a couple years, way back when I was pulling my Reserve duty with the 59th APS at Westover AFB, Mass., and those folks don't deserve someone who'll sell them out for a hot tub.

The end

Shit, I'm done for the day. Hope you all have a good evening. Tomorrow's FRIDAY!

Pleasant dreams.

Texas speaks

From the always sharp-tongued Molly Ivins:

AUSTIN, Texas -- When it comes to religion, I've always believed it's more important to walk the walk than to talk the talk. I come from a tradition (Episcopal) that considers it rather in bad taste to wear your religion on your sleeve, presumably from Matthew, Chapter 6, Verses 5 and 6:

[. . .]

Back in the 1950s, when the late Rep. Bob Eckhardt was still in the Texas Legislature, a bill to cut off all state aid to illegitimate children was under debate. After listening to some of his "Christian" colleagues explain why illegitimate children should be left to starve, Eckhardt rose and said, "I am not so much concerned about the natural bastards as I am about the self-made ones." I consider that one of the most Christian things I've ever heard said during legislative debate.

[. . .]

To the extent that politics should be based on moral and ethical considerations, of course it has religious foundations. But dragging God into partisan politics is, in my view, a sin.

[. . .]

As regular readers know, I call upon the Lord rather frequently myself, often for patience in dealing with those who presume to speak in His name. To whatever extent each of us is affected by religion, I suppose we inevitably bring that into the public sphere. But I seriously question the wisdom of doing so in any organized or deliberate fashion. Drag God into politics, and you'll ruin His reputation in no time.

Ya hear that, you fucking Jesus freak hypocrites? Go read the whole thing here.

She wrote to me

Well, me and a couple million other Democrats, but I'm still going to print this out and keep it under my pillow. From Nancy Pelosi herself:

Dear Friend,

When my Democratic colleagues in the House elected me as Democratic Leader after the 2002 elections, I vowed to them and to you that never again will the Democrats go into a campaign where the public doesn't know who we are, what we stand for and how different we are from the extremist Republicans who currently control our government. I believed then, as I do today, that standing up and speaking out against the Bush/Cheney Administration and their reckless method of governing was our only hope.

A majority of my Democratic House colleagues joined me in this fight. Despite the withering abuse heaped on us by Republican leaders and their right-wing allies, we stood up and spoke out against the war in Iraq. We challenged the radical policies being driven by George W. Bush, John Ashcroft, Tom Delay and their cohorts -- policies too often substituting fear and terror for the need to identify workable solutions to the challenges that confronted our nation. However, the fact remains that as hard as we fight everyday to block the GOP and pass our common sense agenda, we are 11 seats short of a majority in the House. To put our country back on track, we must elect more Democrats in November and end the reign of Republican tyranny.

https://www.democraticaction.org/getinvolved/donations/q2end

And I am counting on you to help us. You have brought us to the verge of victory in so many ways:

YOU have spoken out against the radical policies of the Administration and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

YOU have spoken out against the War in Iraq.

YOU have stood up to call for affordable health care.

YOU have worked to elect new Democratic Members of Congress in heavily Republican districts in Kentucky and South Dakota.

And YOU have re-ignited the Democratic Party.

https://www.democraticaction.org/getinvolved/donations/q2end

Now we must work together to cross the finish line -- to elect Members of Congress who represent Americans, not corporate special interests or extreme right-wing ideology. I ask you today to continue your help and support of Democratic House Candidates. $100 today, small to some, and everything to others, will make the difference.

We must have the funds to provide resources to our candidates. We must have YOU. With your continued voice, we can move forward our Campaign for a New Majority - a Majority of progressive representation of all Americans. Contribute to our cause today.

https://www.democraticaction.org/getinvolved/donations/q2end

And after you give, send this on to your friends and colleagues. The House of Representatives has for too long been under the control of right-wing ideologues. Like the White House, the House - once known as the "People's House" - has forgotten the very people that it is supposed to represent.

Thank you for standing up. Keep up the fight.



Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
House Democratic Leader

Okay, she doesn't know who I am from a hole in the ground, but she's one of the best leaders the Democratic Party has had in a long time. Do what she says and give if you can. We have to make America run the way it was supposed to, before the Christo-Fascists took over. Speaker Pelosi in November? Maybe, with your help.

About Ground Zero

Mrs. F bitches to me about this and I've been remiss about reporting it. Listen to me carefully.

When you come to New York and visit Ground Zero, SHOW SOME FUCKING RESPECT. We welcome all tourists here, it's a good part of what makes the New York economy tick, but Ground Zero isn't fucking Six Flags. Don't be hanging on the fences, climbing up like you're in some exhibit at the fucking zoo, getting Uncle Joe to take a picture of you to show to your fucking moron friends back home. The people who all live and work in the area don't need to see you acting like an asshole because they have all lost friends and family there. You don't see me coming to Mt. Rushmore and climbing up on Lincoln's head so my wife can get a picture of me picking his nose, do you? No, so show some fucking respect for the 3000 folks who died at WTC. And have some fucking respect for the people who are reminded every day about the friends they lost. If you don't, I'll find out where your relatives are buried and piss on their graves in front of you. How's that, asshole?

The Heeb and the wall

You see, this is why I send you over to see The Head Heeb when I comment on something newsworthy of his. It's because he says things so much more clearly than I do. And with a lot less profanity too. My post from yesterday:

From The Head Heeb:

The Israeli government is planning further adjustments to the route of the wall in the wake of a Supreme Court decision upholding the right to build it but ordering changes to "30 kilometers of the route so as to minimize hardship to Palestinians." The section that will be changed is northwest of Jerusalem, in one of the most densely populated areas through which the fence will pass:

It looks like the Israeli Supreme Court is trying to do the right thing. Read the whole post here.

My deal is that the fucking wall shouldn't be built in the first place. Walls don't work (China, Berlin, The Maginot Line, etc.), especially when they cut neighborhoods and towns in half, separating friends and family, and restrict access by the Palestinians to the water supply.

So, today he writes in my comments section:

You say "walls don't work." That's true against conventional armies, which can overwhelm the wall, outflank it or mass their forces and punch through it. Against unconventional forces whose success depends on proximity and ability to infiltrate, however, fixed defenses combined with patrols are much more effective. From a purely military standpoint, the "berm" in Morocco effectively ended the war against Polisario, and the WB wall has already reduced infiltration into Israel to nearly nothing.

I've compared the I-P conflict to Algeria in the past, and I think the state of affairs now strongly resembles the final stages of the Algerian war of independence. The difference is that, in the Algerian case, France could safely retreat across the Med, while in the I-P case there is no such natural barrier. In the absence of a sea or other natural boundary, an artificial one has to be created in order to enable a safe disengagement. That's why I step off the leftist reservation in supporting the wall, although I think it should be built on the Green Line.

And he is absolutely correct, though I failed to make the point as well. This is what I replied:

Ah, but Jon, the wall in Berlin did not fall to a conventional army either. I agree with you about the I-P wall in theory, but if it were built within the borders of Israel (within the Green Line as you offer), I would have less problem with it as you do.

My deal is the hopelessness on the part of the Palestinians. I'd much rather see an economic solution to the problem. A working man is not a bomb-throwing man. After all, don't we all want a better life for our children than we had?

And thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog. I'm honored.

The lesson is that when I quote him, go read him. In fact, make him a daily stop as you surf the blogosphere. I wish I had the depth of knowledge of the region that he does.

Thursday

Ah, Little Friday is here once again. Traffic's gonna seriously suck for me this morning. They're moving the Freedom Stone (the keystone for the new building at Ground Zero) from where it was carved (spitting distance from my house) to Ground Zero using the same route I take for work. Oy, it's gonna suck, but I'll gladly sit in traffic for it. It means that soon a building will begin to grow out of the dusty pit and I'm happy about that. You can't keep New Yorkers down and we're proving it once again. The Freedom Stone is made from Adirondack granite, which is also the bedrock that NYC sits on, and what most native New Yorkers are made of. One in particular, my lovely wife, will be able to watch the ceremony from her building. She too is happy to see the circle completed.

Have a good day, I'm off to the mines.