Slashed again

Slashed again, by the Keen edge of your corruscating wit!

Toles

Jepardy, or 110,000 new Jobs...78,000 of them bad

This United States President created the most jobs during his Presidency...

Reagan
Ford
Carter
Clinton
Bush41
Bush43

(doodahdoodahdoodahdump...doopdahdoopdahdoopdoopdump...brdadeep!)

Ok, times up...(Even though he only had a Four year Presidency) Who was President

James Earl Carter

Here's a look at the current numbers and why they are so freakin' miserable!

Watching the Dog

Tennessee Congressman Jim Cooper wants to take away the President's power to fire Federal Agency watchdogs (OK... Federal Inspectors) and give it to Congress.

Gee, I wonder why? Just because President Bush has made a mockery of what a Federal Inspector is supposed to do? Aren't they supposed to fire anybody who causes problems for Republicans and hire political hacks as replacements?

Geez, Cooper!

A Butterfly

Robert Byrd has metamorphosized from a small time petty local politician worm into one of America's great statesmen. Here he warns his colleagues about being led by the nose down a path they should absolutely be wary of:

"Every foreign adversary is not the devil incarnate. We know now that Saddam Hussein was militarily a paper tiger. The intelligence that suggested he was an imminent threat was flat wrong. Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein had not attacked our country. Saddam Hussein was a ruthless tyrant, but he was not an imminent threat to U.S. national security. And now we hear the same scare tactics and simple analogies trotted out again,this time with Iran. Analogies can be dangerous things; they risk oversimplifying complicated situations, and can lead to erroneous conclusions. While there may be some superficial similarities between Hitler and Ahmadinejad, it does not mean that our only option is to start World War III.

We are now more than four years into a war that was launched by false fears and scary hyperbole, and here we are again, being led down a path by chest-pounding rhetoric, without a clear idea of where that path is taking us.

As the philosopher George Santayana once said, "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

"Are we condemned...?"

Senator Robert Byrd

Easy Pickings

Last week GOP Senator from my home state of Georgia ranted and railed against an ad run by MoveOn.org that asked a question. about whether General Betreaus was lying in his testimony before Congress. These ads were shameful and a disgrace, said Senator Chambliss.

How dare they besmirch the character of the only general Bush could find who would lie for him! A dozen or so United States Generals have resigned rather than serve George Bush in Iraq, by the way. General Petreaus makes me think about an old saying I just invented..."Turn over enough compost and eventually you'll find a worm big enough to fish with."

Senator Saxby avoided military service, claiming an old football injury, and he ran the most disgusting ads ever against a true war hero, Max Cleland, who had lost an arm and both legs to a grenade dropped by one of his fellow soldiers as they got out of a helicopter.

Saxby's ads said Senator Cleland was drunk and fell on his own grenade, which later testimonials proved to be totally fabricated by Saxby and his people. Senator Saxby Chanmbliss is a prominent example of why folks should detest the current leaders of the GOP.

Nearly everything they say is a lie...And did I mention what bigots they are?

"We need better intelligence. If we had better intelligence in the Civil War
we'd be quoting Jefferson Davis, not Lincoln."

...Saxby Chandliss... An easy pick for Hypocrite of the week.

The Now or Never date is soon

Millions of people in the USA are trying their best to get Al Gore to run for President.

The current polls show a strange mix in the electorate that makes a Gore run viable but will he, or won't he? We've been asking ourselves that same question for years now.

In nationwide polls Hillary is ahead of the othe Democratic candidates until you throw Al Gore into the mix. Another strange quirk of this years race is that, while Hillary leads the other Dems, in a head to head match up against any of the Republicans, John Edwards does the best, Obama, second, and Hillary third, although EVERY Dem frontrunner beats ALL of the Republican frontrunners by a handy margin at this point.

It appears that even in spite of owning the American Corporate media, America just doesn't like what Republicans have done to their country. Now all we need is for Democrats to take over their own political party again.

Howard Dean...Please tell Al Gore... The time is NOW!

A "Phony Soldier" Calls out Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh said any soldier who disagrees with the Iraq War is a "phony soldier."

In order to hide this monumental travesty from the American public, Rush has altered the transcripts of his show and removed the podcast. Then he claims Liberals are lying about what he said. Unlike the Democrats who are too cowardly to support their best ally, MoveOn.org, Republicans have circled the wagons around Rush in what may become Rush's Little Bighorn.

I think it won't be enough. Republicans know that Rush is an important ally in spreading misinformation but that may come to an end.

Wesley Clark has called for Rush's removal from Armed Forces Radio, as have a lot of "phony soldiers". I agree with this move. Rush is a documented liar and a foaming shill for the worst of the Republican party.


Digby has it:

"You're a pompous coward and it's about time someone called you out on it and
that someone is me...My name is Eric Massa
...and you know where to find me."

I stood in the sand, snow, dirt, mud and dust of both Afghanistan and Iraq.
I spent over a week on a side of a mountain in Afghanistan during Operation
Anaconda. I received The Bronze Star medal for my actions during that battle. I
crossed the border into Iraq with the first wave of the 101st Airborne. I
sustained an open head injury on the streets of Mosul after a vehicle borne IED
exploded next to the vehicle I was riding in. I have seen the aftermath of a
real suicide bomber. I had loved ones who died in the 9/11 attacks.

I have friends and colleagues who returned from the war in body bags.How dare you call someone like me a phony soldier and a suicide bomber?

In the commercial I just taped, I told you unless you had the guts to say something to my face, stop telling lies about my service. Well you haven’t had the guts to say it to my face, but I am waiting and the offer is still on the table...

So Rush is a coward who avoided military service but still feels the right to criticize anyone who dares to speak the truth about Iraq.

I hope he gets what he deserves but in order for that to happen, National Democrats will have to grow a spine.

Peace,

Steve

Peace, Love, and Understanding the Terms of Service

Will Al Gore win the Nobel Peace Prize? The winner will be announced October 12 and we will soon know. If that happens...What next?

Just so you guys know...Al Gore is a consummate gentleman and would never say so out loud, but he's just not a Hillary fan.

The "Draft Gore" movement is picking up steam. Will he run?


AT&T's New Logo

Fincher Cracks me up!

Betrayed Us...22 Democratic Senators

So what choice do Americans have?

The United State Senate voted to condemn MoveOn.org for an ad that called General Petreaus the same name used by the troops serving under him., "General Betray-Us"

We should use that name for the 22 Democratic Senators who voted for this incredibly cynical resolution generated by the party of a President who retained undeserved power, in part through the actions of the most offensive ad campaign in presidential history.

A moral observer must watch these proceedings and think, "This is the same group of people who refuse to condemn the Swift Boat ads which, far from just offering opinion, told plain out lies to attack John Kerry."

Where is the resolution condemning lies of that nature?

How about a resolution calling for truth in campaign ads?

How about a resolution condemning lies spoken before Congress?

How about a resolution condemning abject the abject hypocrisy of 49 Republican Senators and the moral cowardice of the 22 Democratic Senators who cravenly supported this idiotic and blatently pandering piece of dung thrown in the face of the American people?

Be Strong, America!

Steve

MoveOn responds

Webb Kingston Girl's Soccer

General Betray-us got the name from his Troops!

That sort of puts the mock outrage of republicans in perspective, doesn't it?

Bad Move-on.org! How dare they speak they truth about one of Bush's lackeys?

And he's had it for a fairly long time, courtesy of those who served under him:


From Daily Kos

Oh Yeah...Alberto left at 3 pm today...

John McCain has now called for an end to the First Amendment and for me personally to be thrown out of America.

I used to think well of him but now, John McCain is just a crazy old man...and who holds a seat in the Senate of the United States of America. The fine folks in Arizona might have to deal with that one.

Alberto Gonzalez has left the building. The Justice Department is now in the hands of...Well, nobody.

I feel better, actually.

Steve

The Question of the Day?

In his speech last night President Bush told a few whoppers. The Associated Press has done a little fact checking and has a long piece with details of what Bush twisted in his statements but some of them are pretty much out and out prevarications like this:

Bush: "Anbar province is a good example of how our strategy is working," Bush said, noting that just last year U.S. intelligence analysts had written off the Sunni area as "lost to al-Qaida."


Associated Press: "Anbar is not secure, accounting for 18 percent of the U.S. deaths in Iraq so far this year - making it the second deadliest province after Baghdad."

Finally, our Corporate Media are even starting to lose control of their commentators, with fewer of them seemingly willing to outright lie...Repeat spin, yes, though, so be careful. For every Jack Cafferty there are still two Sean Hannity's.

We're finally seeing the more honest of our TV Talking Heads openly turn against the Bush administration. Watching CNN before the speech last night, you would have thought Moveon.Org had written the entire thing. The sense of what was said is that there is no question that we should leave Iraq...The question is...

"How do we leave Iraq?"

That is much more complicated than it seems.

Peace,

Steve

Pix from last nights hike

The water is the "blue hole" on Whites Creek looking back toward the house, which is hidden from the creek itself. The left side of the picture is Roane County...the right is Rhea County.

I hiked up to the high rim and took this shot of the Laurel Branch cut which comes in from the Rheas county side..

Quote of the Day

The Quote of the day is from General Petreaus testifying before Congress. When asked, "Is the Iraq War making us safer?"

His answer?

"I don't know."

Here's another answer to that question:
(By way of Lisa)

http://www.allhatnocattle.net/91107bet.gif

The Bottom Line...(nothing to do with Brittney)

Yeah, It's the anniversary of 9-11, and we are now having to listen to the Bush Administration's mouth piece of the moment talk about how swimmingly things are going in Iraq and why we should keep marching American Troops off a cliff.

Before I give you the bottom line about Iraq, let me point you toward a review of lies we have been told and a taste of the incompetency that got us in the sorry state which America finds itself:

Via Kos:

Most of the 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, yet that country has paid no price for producing and harboring terrorists. Neither has Pakistan, the country in which Osama bin Laden is now hiding.

The PDB said: Bin Laden determined to Strike in U.S.

Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. 9/11 had nothing to do with Iraq.

Sitting in a classroom for seven minutes after being told "America is under attack" is a poor display of leadership, especially if you're America's president.

If the administration had tried to sell the Iraq war based on anything other than the fear of weapons of mass destruction, we never would have invaded.

Colin Powell, the most trusted man in the administration, said: "My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we're giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence."

There were no WMDs. Not "in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat," and not even in the Oval Office "somewhere."

Four and a half years after declaring that "major combat operations have ended," major combat operations have not ended.

Taunting the insurgents by sneering "Bring 'em on" was really dumb because the insurgents brought it on.

The insurgency wasn't "in its last throes" then, and it isn’t in its last throes now.
The Taliban has bounced back in Afghanistan. The Maliki government has flatlined in Iraq.

Osama bin Laden has not been caught, either dead or alive. He is still making videos.

Ok, here's the deal...While General Petreaus was at Congress, I listened to the BBC interview the former British Ambassador to Iraq and a host of Iraqis who have escaped their country and a larger number of Iraqi citizens who are still there. The consensus is that America has transformed Iraq from a slightly crazy but stable Middle Eastern Dictatorship sitting on a huge load of oil, into a cluster-disaster on a biblical scale.

George W. Bush and his republican enablers have created a hole in Iraq into which a stable government must be inserted and that government is probably going to be Iran as things now stand...And there is very little hope of any better outcome, unless you consider region wide armed conflict and chaos, in the guise of a civil war with no predictable result, a better outcome than having the Iranians in possession of the mother load of what is currently the most monetarily precious resource on this planet.

In a showdown between the Iranians and the Saudis, I'm betting on Iran, because they are much more crazy, having years ago, summarily executed the last rational human being who dared to speak out loud. ( a couple of hundred thousand of hangings is a serious demand on rope, by the way)

What President Bush has managed to achieve is an entire country that hates not only us...but most of it's own people. What Bush is having General Petreaus ask us to do is to allow the little Dutch boy to hold his finger in the Dike until Bush and Cheney can get out of town. (Karl Rove has already left.)

Is it any wonder why the Bush family has bought 100,000 acres in a South American country?

Bush Boy Petreaus is asking Congress to let him run out the clock so that the Middle Eastern Armageddon will actually come down on the next President's watch. He's also lying his ass off and we all know it.

Iraq is in a civil war that can only be ended with brutal outside aggression and takeover by some powerful entity that speaks "desert", or a fight to the death among internal factions. Neither bodes well for us, and there is nothing we can do about it because of the massive F.U.'s of George W. Bush and his masters.

I say, Work the best deal with the powers in the region to attempt an armed standoff between the Iranians, the Saudi's, and anybody else we can sucker into that mess....

And bring our people home.

That's the bottom line.

Peace,

Steve

Tennessee Stud

I think that's going to be the slogan for the Freddie Thompson Campaign for President.

It's a lot better than the one under his picture in his high scholl yearbook:

"The lazier a man is, the more he plans to do tomorrow."

Freddie has trouble managing his money and his women. As Senator he wrote a note to Bill Clinton's Chief of Staff stating that he "shares the President's taste in cigars."

Apparently "cigars" is code for something else.

Freddie has taken a look at the Bush Presidency and decided he can read lines better than that, so why not? Reagan and Bush have proven conclusively that you don't have to pay attention or even stay awake to be a Republican President.

Only Democratis Presidents actually try to govern the country... Who needs that?

Peace,

Steve

More

Now Playing...Osama's Greatest Hits

Word from the Middle East is that Osama Bin Laden will release his video tapes from prior to 9-11.

Boy! America is really got the terrorists on the run, right?


Ok...I write a "lefty blog" and I admit that. I feel like I can be labelled a "lefty" because I insist on the facts instead of the republican administration's marketing phrase of the day.

"Mission Accomplished"

"They hate our freedoms"

"The Surge is working"

"Weapons of mass destruction, Saddam, Al Queda, Blah. blah, blah..."

Whatever. Speaking and demanding that others speak the truth. An obvious "lefty" tendency.

If you believe anything the Bush Adminstration says, you need help, but I'm a lefty because I want the truth.

Now I find out that I'm helping Osama...and now, I'm the same as Osama...

How the Hell does David Brooks come up with something as stupid as that?

Actually, I think David Brooks is a creep and a liar. (he's the PBS commentator who said that lefty bloggers are the same as Osama)

PBS has been headed by a Bush appointee for five years now and it shows. We used to be able to trust what was said on PBS...even if it was said in the most incredibly boring manner possible...It was the truth. Now we have to be careful.

Osama Bin Laden is the mastermind responsible for the 9-11 tragedy, the younger brother of George W. Bush's first business partner, and the enemy of every patriotic American. George Bush should be fired for severe incompetence in not apprehending Bin Laden and David Brooks should be fired for lying on national TV.

Lefty Blogs, such as this one, demand the truth...facts...Justice, and the American way.

Peace,

Steve

Meteor Blades got me started!

Catholic @ Kingston Girls Soccer