Ten Years After
Donald Rumsfeld
Wish I'd said that. But seriously, folks....
They had most of us believing that it would be like shooting a school of half-witted fish in a leaky barrel. Clueless George thought that the illegal invasion of the sovereign nation of Iraq would be as seemingly effortless as when his father forced Saddam Hussein's military out of Kuwait a decade earlier. They told us that the whole thing wouldn't cost the US taxpayers a dime, that Iraqi oil revenues would cover the cost of everything. The deceptions were arrogant and - to anyone bothering to pay attention - quite laughable. For over a year before the incursion, at every opportunity that presented itself, they implied that Saddam was somehow complicit in the catastrophe of September 11, 2001. None of what they told us was true; nothing - not a fucking word of it.
Wish I'd said that. But seriously, folks....
 |
| George W. Babybrains |
On Saturday, December 30, 2006, Saddam Hussein was hanged for his crimes against humanity. On Tuesday, April 2, 2013, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld live in comfortable retirement. Isn't life strange?
March 20 of last month marked the tenth anniversary of what was, beyond any shadow of any doubt, the stupidest military blunder since Adolf Hitler invaded Russia in 1941. It was too depressing a milestone to think about at the time. Waging two unnecessary wars simultaneously for so long a period - along with massive tax cuts for a class of people who have more money than they know what to do with - have decimated the economy. The American Century is over and done with, baby! Anyone who believes otherwise is in jabbering denial. This is a nation liquidated by incompetence. This is a nation in ruins. Get used to the new reality. But look on the bright side of things: We still have the best reality shows on the planet.
WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!
I feel better already.
The passing of a decade has me thinking about things I would much prefer to put out of my mind. The very image of George W. Bush with any kind of electoral power is not too pleasant a reflection on the American electorate. It was obvious from the moment he made his first statement as candidate that the guy had the IQ of a bag of rocks. We may console ourselves in the comforting thought that the disgusting little thug didn't really win on Election Day 2000. The Supreme Court - and his brother, Governor Jeb Bush of Florida - stole it for him; a fact which should surprise no one. In the Bush Crime Family, blood is thicker than ethics, you know what I mean? These are the folks who put the nasty in "dynasty".
Jeb has every intention of going for the GOP nomination in 2016. He may very well end up as standard bearer three years from now. Don't you dare ever forget his role in handing the office of the president over to his dimwitted older brother. As I said on this site a number of weeks ago, if the American people are ever again idiotic enough to send another member of that disgusting family to the White House, they'll deserve everything that happens to them.
There is also this little bit of tender consolation: Those of you who were silly enough to vote for Dubya on that long ago Election Day can just flat out deny you ever cast your precious ballot for the contemptible little freak. You can simply say that you were mad for Gore in 2000. You were crazy for Kerry in 2004. Just deny you voted for Bush. Whose ever gonna know?
While the campaign of 2000 was in full swing, I was producing a political radio program called "The Kirk Grantham Show" (Hello, Kirk, wherever you are). Every Thursday I would appear on the show for fifteen minutes. On too many occasions to count, I told the listening audience, "Folks, if you elect this jackass from Crawford, Texas to the the office of the presidency of the United States, you'll regret it for generations." At the time I took a mountain of derision for my stand - but I am as proud of that as anything I've done in my life. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Bush's stupid little war is over now. For the most part Barack Obama has gotten American troops the hell out of the place. The other senseless war in Afghanistan seems to be thankfully winding down at long last. What boggles the mind is the spectacle of the main instigators of the war on Iraq - with the benefit of 20/20 historical hindsight - expressing not-so-much-as-a goddamned molecule of regret for the disaster they brought upon us. Dick Cheney didn't bat an eye when he recently told an interviewer that he would do it again in a heartbeat. Bush still says that it was the right thing to do. Jeb Bush tells us - with a face as straight as a two-by-four - that history will be kind to his brother. It kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?
George W. Bush is gone now. At present he resides inside of his fortified bunker just outside of Dallas, Texas. Today the man who is in serious competition with James Buchanan for being remembered as the worst, most incompetent chief-executive in the annals of human stupidity has the title of - GET THIS! - "elder statesman". Isn't that funny?
Since he mercifully left the White House four years ago he has developed a previously unknown talent for painting. Who among us would have dreamed that the hideous twit was an aspiring artist? He paints dogs - nothing but dogs - lots 'n' lots of doggies. I love dogs. I was thinking just this morning that dogs are proof of the existence of God - which is "dog" spelled backwards. There must be a connection. But there must also be a connection to Dubya's apparent aversion to painting the human face. Might he be horrified to encounter, if only in his mind, the face of even one of the hundreds of thousands of people who today lie lifeless and decomposing for no other reason than the naivete of the American voters? I wouldn't doubt it for an instant.
How does he sleep?
Tom Degan
Goshen NY
tomdegan@frontiernet.net
SUGGESTED VIEWING:
Hijacking Catastrophe
a film by Robert Greenwald.
Greenwald's excellent documentary about the Bush Mob's invasion and occupation of Iraq - and the war crimes committed as a result - should be seen by everybody. Here's a link where you can pick it up (very inexpensively) on Amazon.com:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2051337.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0&_nkw=Hijacking+Catastrophe&_sacat=11232&_from=R40
Watch it.
March 20 of last month marked the tenth anniversary of what was, beyond any shadow of any doubt, the stupidest military blunder since Adolf Hitler invaded Russia in 1941. It was too depressing a milestone to think about at the time. Waging two unnecessary wars simultaneously for so long a period - along with massive tax cuts for a class of people who have more money than they know what to do with - have decimated the economy. The American Century is over and done with, baby! Anyone who believes otherwise is in jabbering denial. This is a nation liquidated by incompetence. This is a nation in ruins. Get used to the new reality. But look on the bright side of things: We still have the best reality shows on the planet. WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!
I feel better already.
 |
| Rumsfeld |
Jeb has every intention of going for the GOP nomination in 2016. He may very well end up as standard bearer three years from now. Don't you dare ever forget his role in handing the office of the president over to his dimwitted older brother. As I said on this site a number of weeks ago, if the American people are ever again idiotic enough to send another member of that disgusting family to the White House, they'll deserve everything that happens to them.
There is also this little bit of tender consolation: Those of you who were silly enough to vote for Dubya on that long ago Election Day can just flat out deny you ever cast your precious ballot for the contemptible little freak. You can simply say that you were mad for Gore in 2000. You were crazy for Kerry in 2004. Just deny you voted for Bush. Whose ever gonna know?
While the campaign of 2000 was in full swing, I was producing a political radio program called "The Kirk Grantham Show" (Hello, Kirk, wherever you are). Every Thursday I would appear on the show for fifteen minutes. On too many occasions to count, I told the listening audience, "Folks, if you elect this jackass from Crawford, Texas to the the office of the presidency of the United States, you'll regret it for generations." At the time I took a mountain of derision for my stand - but I am as proud of that as anything I've done in my life. Don't say I didn't warn you.
 |
| The Dickster |
George W. Bush is gone now. At present he resides inside of his fortified bunker just outside of Dallas, Texas. Today the man who is in serious competition with James Buchanan for being remembered as the worst, most incompetent chief-executive in the annals of human stupidity has the title of - GET THIS! - "elder statesman". Isn't that funny?
Since he mercifully left the White House four years ago he has developed a previously unknown talent for painting. Who among us would have dreamed that the hideous twit was an aspiring artist? He paints dogs - nothing but dogs - lots 'n' lots of doggies. I love dogs. I was thinking just this morning that dogs are proof of the existence of God - which is "dog" spelled backwards. There must be a connection. But there must also be a connection to Dubya's apparent aversion to painting the human face. Might he be horrified to encounter, if only in his mind, the face of even one of the hundreds of thousands of people who today lie lifeless and decomposing for no other reason than the naivete of the American voters? I wouldn't doubt it for an instant.
How does he sleep?
Tom Degan
Goshen NY
tomdegan@frontiernet.net
SUGGESTED VIEWING:
Hijacking Catastrophe
a film by Robert Greenwald.
Greenwald's excellent documentary about the Bush Mob's invasion and occupation of Iraq - and the war crimes committed as a result - should be seen by everybody. Here's a link where you can pick it up (very inexpensively) on Amazon.com:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2051337.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0&_nkw=Hijacking+Catastrophe&_sacat=11232&_from=R40
Watch it.
posted by Tom Degan @ 8:34 AM
62 comments
62 Comments:
The late Molly Ivins warned us about Dubya. The book was called Shrub. It came out two years before the election. It told the world everything we needed to know about the deep hole full of mushy dog poop we were about to step into.
And while the Supremes bear ultimate responsibility for Dubya's election, keep in mind the confusing Florida ballot (nevermind its mechanical fallibilities), the draining off of votes that otherwise would have gone Democratic by that arrogant nincompoop Ralph Nader, and the equally arrogant Gore who shunned help from the Clintons, rather like a little kid who says, "I can cross the street all by myself, Daddy" and then gets hit by a bus.
Very crankily yours,
The New York Crank
Thank you, Your Crankiness!
"I have been trying hard to round them up for years! It is time for the American so-called judicial system to take their job seriously! Why does the US think it can bloody drone, hang, assassinate people across the world without judicial hearing, but it refuses to take its own war criminals to a crimes court!"
"I really would like to see these men in a crimes court for the war crimes committed by them in Iraq and beyond. They have admitted to torture in their memoirs and still we all await some form of justice. At least, Tony Blair got a court hearing - not that he is in prison either!"
Two comments from Tamzin Jans on my Facebook page
And our corporate media are still puppets of the war mongers. The same wrongheaded neocon liars are featured as voices of authority on Iran and what to do about it.
"When will they ever learn?"
Hi, Tom,
Couldn't agree more. That they've received not even a tiny slap on the wrist infuriates me, and if Brother Jeb gets in, I hate to think what will happen.
One thing, in the paragraph starting 'March 20' you mention 'two necessary wars'. shouldn't that be 'unnecessary'?
Aloha from HI!
A war started by an ignorant, lazy, easily manipulated, Yale frat boy. A war championed behind the scenes by large economic interests. A war pushed by a wealthy elite who stood to make a great deal of money, while making damn sure they and their families stayed out of it. A war supported by right wing neocons who never served, but stood up, furiously waved the flag, and shouted patriotic slogans to convince the sons of coal miners and factory workers to sacrifice themselves on the alter of patriotism. A mainstream media that fell down on the job, not asking "Frat Boy" the tough questions that needed answers before we committed ourselves. And last but not least, a large gullible portion of the U.S. population who fell for the whole lie hook, line and sinker.
And then a new president who had the whole stinking mess dumped in his lap, and hadn't a clue how to get out of the quagmire. An inexperienced "Community Organizer" who lacked the backbone to say "Enough is enough" and dithered another four years adding hundreds of more deaths, thousands of more wounded, and billions of more dollars to the butcher's bill, all in the name of "finding an honorable exit".
So what do we have to show for it? A ruined economy. A dept we will be paying off for the next one hundred years or more. Thousands of young people with massive injuries and ruined lives.
All in all, a testimonial to the stupidity of the American public.
Great post Anon, I like the way you think. Most people are foolishly partisan and conveniently ignore uncomfortable facts.
KanaW from Hawaii....
You're absolutely right. Thank you so much for pointing out to me that most hideous typo. I type too damned fast!
All the best,
Tom Degan
Tom, another excellent article and I have to say that one of the most infuriating things is that not one person from the incompetent Bush regime has ever been held responsible or accountable for anything.
Anon at 2:17, I really agree with most of what you say, but before you come down too heavily on Obama, please remeber that the GOP has done nothing but obstruct and fight him every step of the way. Anything that has been accomplished during Obama's time in office has been accommplished IN SPITE of the GOP. Keep in mind that Lindsey Graham and John McCain would love to start another war.
"that the GOP has done nothing but obstruct and fight him every step of the way."
Keep in mind that the Democrats in the House and Senate voted for the war vs Iraq. And don't forget the Democrats controlled the House and Senate for Obama's first 2 years in office.
And don't forget that the Democrats have controlled the Senate before Obama was elected.
And don't forget that all of Obama's budgets were so bad that Democrat Leader of the Senate, Harry Reid, would not allow them to come out of committee and be voted on by the Senate.
Now these are non-partisan and often ignore uncomfortable facts.
Anon, Democrats voted for the war in Iraq because Bush and Co lied about the reasons. Remeber those "weapons of mass destruction"? Remember Condolezza Rice and Colin Powell assuring us they had weapons that would destroy us.
As for who has the majority of the Senate, keep in mind that it takes only ONE senator to stop everything.
Keep in mind that Mitch McConnell said that his main objective, his only objective was to see that Obama was a one term president.
As far as the Democrats controling the Senate before Obama's election, what does that have to do with anything?
Let's agree on one thing; You hate Obama and I hate Bush.
First thing first. Corpo-dems, blue dogs, conserva-dems, together with Republicans always have the majority in congress.
Keep in mind that the Democrats in the House and Senate voted for the war vs Iraq. And don't forget the Democrats controlled the House and Senate for Obama's first 2 years in office.
Not so fast there.
Depending upon which metric is used, Democrats had a super majority for roughly six months which includes the seven weeks between Franken’s swearing-in on July 8 to Ted Kennedy’s death on August 25 and the four months and nine days between Paul Kirk’s swearing-in on September 25, 2009 to his replacement by Scott Brown on February 4, 2010.
Iraq War Resolution support from Democrats:
House 82 Y – 126 N
Senate 29 Y -21 N
Total Dems supporting resolution - 111
Total Dems not supporting resolution - 147
Fun as it is to generalize, best to examine facts first.
Tom, Almost all good points - except for one aspect. The Bush policies were not at all a result of stupidity and incompetence. The violence and deaths were an expected result of their business decisions.
The lies and deception were known knowns, told by greedy and evil people with the intent of misleading the public.
No worries, Tom, you may type too fast sometimes :) but you always type brilliantly!
Wouldn't it be more non partisan to find out if someone lied to Bush?
I agree wit you Dave, the problem today is we have not really given liberalism a fighting chance to solve all problems. As long as corp America is running our govt instead of true liberals like Al Gore, Henry Waxman, Alan Grayson, we will have problems.
A true liberal would have never believed the lies they were told about 911. Every one knows it was an inside job.
Look at the results of this recent poll
- 13% of voters think Barack Obama is the anti-Christ, including 22% of Romney voters
- 7% of voters think the moon landing was faked
- 11% of voters believe the US government allowed 9/11 to happen, 78% do not agree
Prime example of the big corp media controlling the news to the benefit of the greedy rich.
Another example of Liberalism not being given a fair chance is the report that shows that nearly 50 million Americans are below the poverty line!
American will not prosper as long as it turn's its back on liberalism.
We must raise income taxes on by 20% on every person who earns unadjusted more than the current poverty level. We must end the mortgage interest loop hole as it is not fair to those who can not afford to buy a house. We must increase the number of people who are on food stamps.
Tom yo are spot on, as long as capitalism is our economic model we will have wars for profit. Look how peaceful the USSR was before it broke up, and North Korea, great examples of what happens when become socialism is you economic model.
The real problem is America is simply not liberal enough!
I am sure if liberalism was fully in play today, this would not be happening. Clearly this s the fault of the rich and conservatism.
In 2012, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official said that food stamp fraud totals $750 million each year – a number that more than doubles the cost of trafficking reported in a 2006- 2008 USDA study.
Kevin Concannon, U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services, told the Huffington Post last year that food stamp fraud totals around $750 million each year.
The $750 million number is more than double the amount in total dollars of fraud detected annually in a 2006-2008 study on trafficking – a type of fraud that involves selling Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to food retailers for cents on the dollar.
“This is $750 million that isn’t being used to provide food to individuals and families and that issue isn’t lost on us. We want to maintain the confidence of American taxpayers because everyone is challenged in this economy – the payers as well as the folks who are benefiting from the program,” Concannon said.
Anonymous S.W. Payne "In 2012, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official said that food stamp fraud totals $750 million each year – a number that more than doubles the cost of trafficking reported in a 2006- 2008 USDA study."
In the 2012 fiscal year, $74.6 billion in food assistance was distributed. 1%. Was 1% worth selling your soul to poor-baiting? Is that feeling inside you get from punching down pride or shame?
a type of fraud that involves selling Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to food retailers for cents on the dollar.
Let's see. Fraud was committed by businesses so let's cut the safety nets for the poor.
This is the logic that demands the poor suffer austerity for the wrongs committed by Wall Street swindlers.
Businessmen are committing fraud. Let's punish the poor!
How "Right" can it be?
Dave and Modusoperandi you are both correct, true liberalism would not allow for any business to operate in America and make a profit at the expense of those who are depending on the govt to take of them. No profits for anyone. Profits are wrong, people must be put before profits. What does American need profits for anyway?
Here's another fake liberal being outed after selling his soul to the lobbyist.
Immigration rights advocates are turning their fire on one of their own champions, Sen. Charles E. Schumer, demanding he stop taking donations from lobbyists for private prisons, which earn money by holding illegal immigrants for the U.S. government.
Advocates delivered petitions to Mr. Schumer’s New York City office on Tuesday and began walking the streets in heavily Hispanic neighborhoods in the city to raise the heat on the third-term Democratic senator, underscoring how worried they are that he will undercut them as he tries to negotiate a final immigration deal with seven other senators.
If we cant trust Chuck Schumer, who can we trust?
Money must be taken out of our society if we are going to be the place our forefathers dreamed of. Liberalism is the only thing that really works in providing a country's population it's needs. And that is the only real reason for have government, it is to provide for every body's needs and make sure every body has the same amount of everything. No classes in a liberal country, with every body equal under liberalism, there will be no more crime. No more desire to do better and embarrass someone who doesn't to try as hard. It's a shame liberalism hasn't hasn't been tried the right way. It would end that embarrassment for millions of people who suffer every day with under achieving and not getting as much as the person who does average of better work. It's just not fair.
That's the problem we need more liberal policy makers making more liberal policy's and enforcing them with a new liberal Cabinet position call the Department of Liberal Law Enforcement!
America would be a great nation if we would only get rid of conservatism and became and were really liberal.
"a type of fraud that involves selling Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to food retailers for cents on the dollar."
Instead of cutting SNAP assistance to the poor who desperately need it, why don't we try punishing the guilty with penalties hard enough to make a difference? No more slaps on the wrist.
Anyone, and his or her immediate family, caught trading food stamps for cash shall be immediately suspended from not only the food stamp program, but all types of public assistance. The suspension is for life. No public housing, cash assistance, heating assistance or any benefits whatsoever. No jail time, but immediate and permanent suspension from any welfare benefits whatsoever. For life! Draconian? Yeah, so what, cry me a river. Abuse it, and lose it.
Any business caught paying cash for food stamps is immediately and permanently shut down. The business assets shall be used to satisfy any civil judgements. Anyone complicit in the fraud is also permanently prohibited from receiving any welfare benefits. If they start work for any business that accepts welfare benefits, the business shall be disqualified as long as that person is an employee. For life. Draconian? Yeah, so what, cry me a river.
I can hear all the liberal cries of why we can't do that to people who only made a poor choice. But to me, it's far better to punish the few guilty than to cut these much needed programs for people who desperately need the assistance.
SW, there are plenty of lousy Democratic politicians but there are even more lousy Republican politicians. Pick out any problem we have in this country and there is almost a certainty that Republicans started it, enabled it or supported it.
It is telling that Obama's worst policies are always supported by them.
Why is it that Conservatives are petrified of discussing the failings of their party? I myself post criticisms of both parties even though I am a Liberal.
Try being brave like a Liberal, you will feel better about not bullshitting your self all the time.
Categorizing the Iraq war as merely a stupid military blunder seems to obfuscate the moral culpability of the elites who devised the strategy, which involved propaganda and treachery followed by violations of international and humanitarian law and death and destruction. Lee blundered at Gettysburg, Hooker blundered at Chancellorsville and so on.
The question of the morality of the war is the crux of it.
Parts of ObamaCare are starting to fray, even before full implementation. You want to know why, because it wasn't liberal enough, that's why. If the Affordable Health Care Plan had been really liberal and a single source health care plan, this would not have happened.
The Obama administration now says a special system of exchanges designed to make it easier for small businesses to provide insurance will be delayed an entire year -- to 2015.
And you know who I blame, the conservatives and Republicans who prevented it from being really liberal, then it would have been just perfect.
To quote Joe Klein from Time magazine "the Obama Administration has announced that it won’t have the exchanges ready in time, that small businesses will be offered one choice for the time being—for a year, at least. No doubt, small business owners will be skeptical of the Obama Administration’s belief in the efficacy of the market system to produce lower prices through competition. That was supposed to be the point of this plan."
It should have been single payer from the start, you know really liberal like they do in Cuba and other swell places that have universal govt paid health care. How can America be so stupid to not see the best deal for us is liberalism, 100% of the time, all the time!! Conservatives fought to prevent this health care plan from being the success it would have been if we had just read it and had known what was in it. It was the Republicans who prevented us from doing that.
James, you are 100% correct, the failed War on Poverty was started by Republicans in the 1960's. Here it is 50 plus years later and the war has yet to be won. In fact latest reports show poverty at an all time high since the War was started. And the failure to win this War is because of conservatives and the Republicans who started it. We still have Americans who are in poverty, War or no War. And its the Republican's fault. They refuse to fund enough money from the rich to win the War on Poverty.
Another example would be the Affordable Housing Act of 1992. It was the Republicans and their rich conservative banker friends who came up with the idea of lending money to people for houses they couldn't afford to make the payments. That way when the house was foreclosed, the filthy rich conservative Bank not only got the house back to resell, they got what every money the former owners were able to pay before they went bankrupt. Only a Conservative Republican would think of such a scam to screw the little guy which led to the housing bubble to burst, which forced the bailing out of banks and Wall Street with the not liberal enough big enough bail out and TARP.
Liberals would never have thought to do such stupid things, like these two examples. No, liberals would fight for the little guy and protect the middle class workers and the working poor by NOT allowing the Keystone Pipeline from Canada to go across the country. Liberals could see that the benefit of those good paying Union jobs were not worth the risk to the Caribou and the Snail Darter or some Owl. Plus liberals realized that reducing the cost of oil to Americans would not make us want clean Green Energy and the great jobs associated with it's development. Like those jobs at A123 Systems and Solyndra.
James you are spot on, about nearly all of our failed policy's belonging to the Republicans. To quote you James "It is telling that Obama's worst policies are ALWAYS supported by them(Republicans)" And Obama's biggest problem is he isn't liberal enough, cause if he was, the Republicans would not support him and his policy's would then be successful!! Man, I am so glad someone else has finally seen the light.
S.W.Payne,
Thank you for crediting me for signing the "Housing and Community Development Act of 1992" into law. You and I shall do everything we can for our rich conservative banker friends. Together we can protect the poor victims of liberalism, and give them all the tax breaks, trade agreements and corporate welfare they want.
Bless you for looking out for number one. As thanks from all us number ones, your reward will "trickle down".
That's a promise.
Kevin, is that you riding your bike while postin'?
Don't think about for a second GWH, just trying to show James that Republicans have made mistakes like he claimed they did.
This comment has been removed by the author.
S.W. Payne "Dave and Modusoperandi you are both correct, true liberalism would not allow for any business to operate in America and make a profit at the expense of those who are depending on the govt to take of them. No profits for anyone. Profits are wrong, people must be put before profits. What does American need profits for anyway?"
What? Let's recap:
1. You say "Fraud!"
2a. I say "Fraud tiny."
2b. Dave says "Two parties involved: businesses fraud, too."
3. You say "You both right. Profit bad!"
…
Are you from a parallel dimension; one that periodically crosses, partly, through our own, leaving you hearing others from your dimension, but replying to them in ours?
"And that is the only real reason for have government, it is to provide for every body's needs and make sure every body has the same amount of everything." etc
The liberal living in your imagination must be terrifying. And, no, government is for doing things together that we can't do individually, and dealing with market failures where the Free Market won’t, or can’t, deal with them itself (see: anti-trust laws, negative externalities, healthcare insurance rescission, Global Warming, etc).
"America would be a great nation if we would only get rid of conservatism and became and were really liberal."
No. Conservatism acts as a counterforce that, ideally, damps liberalism's idealism (“rose-colored glasses”), leading to pragmatic solutions to practical problems instead of, I don't know, whatever paranoid nightmare of liberalism the Right thinks Obama (or most Democrat politicians) is actually doing.
America would be better without the privileged, resentful, race-baiting, poor-baiting, gay-hating, misogynist, anti-science, anti-internationalist, Reactionary Conservativism that's spent the last few decades replacing the Mods from the GOP with cynical manipulators and apocalyptic fools.
It's not Edmund Burke. It's not William F Buckley. It's not even David Frum. It's Nixon and Limbaugh, with a special appearance by Jesus (played by Ayn Rand).
"The Obama administration now says a special system of exchanges designed to make it easier for small businesses to provide insurance will be delayed an entire year -- to 2015."
I know this is going to sound a little out there, crazy even, but the Obama administration thought that the states would be happy to set up and manage state-based insurance exchanges, instead of happily, metaphorically, cutting off the noses of some of their own population to spite Obama’s face.
"It should have been single payer from the start, you know really liberal like they do in Cuba and other swell places that have universal govt paid health care."
You do know that the US pays more per capita for healthcare while serving a small percentage of the population than the rest of the civilized world, without even getting proportionally better outcomes for the extra money spent, right?
"Conservatives fought to prevent this health care plan from being the success it would have been if we had just read it and had known what was in it. It was the Republicans who prevented us from doing that."
No. Some members of the GOP were involved in the conversation, where they weakened it, poisoned it, and then voted against it anyway.
Obamacare is a cobble built on an existing cobble built on an existing cobble. And his cobble is built of things the GOP pretended to be for back when they needed pretend they had a counter-plan to Hillarycare.
A Public Option was never really on the table. Single Payer wasn’t even in the room.
Cont’d
"Another example would be the Affordable Housing Act of 1992. It was the Republicans and their rich conservative banker friends who came up with the idea of lending money to people for houses they couldn't afford to make the payments."
Oh, you. You should know that the CRA (and its later modifications) set in place voluntary regulations (which said, essentially, "if you don't redline we won't stand in the way with mergers”) to encourage banks that "redlined" areas to cease doing so. You should also know that some of the biggest players in the mortgage bubble weren't under the CRA. Read the FCIC report (for example: pg 27, "Loans made by CRA-regulated lenders in the neighborhoods in which they were required to lend were half as likely to default as similar loans made in the same neighborhoods by independent mortgage originators not subject to the law.")
"...which forced the bailing out of banks and Wall Street with the not liberal enough big enough bail out and TARP."
Oh, you. You should know that the TARP pitch was "The sky is falling, and if we don't do something right this very instant we're all doomed!"
"No, liberals would fight for the little guy and protect the middle class workers and the working poor…"
Oh, and also the "to liberals" part of TARP's pitch was HAMP. And we both know how that worked out (thanks, Santelli and his "spontaneous" and "unscripted" outburst. Not that anybody was rushing to support it or carry it out before that…).
"...by NOT allowing the Keystone Pipeline from Canada to go across the country."
No. The Keystone pipeline from Canada already exists. And it leaks. Repeatedly. The Keystone XL pipeline is the planned extension, based on the one that leaks. And tar sands crude is unpredictable (examples: false positives in pressure sensors are so common that control room operators wait until leaks are reported to them from people who see the leaks themselves before shutting sections down, and we still don't know how the pressure and the additives to tar sands crude required to push it through the pipe react with the pipe; the latter of which is critical for assessing the long term reliability of something that's supposed to operate for decades, and the former of which is always critical).
"Liberals could see that the benefit of those good paying Union jobs were not worth the risk to the Caribou and the Snail Darter or some Owl."
It goes through watersheds and farmland. Try "your water" and "your food". You like water and food, don't you?
"Like those jobs at A123 Systems…"
Yeah, take that company that's screwed because the company it makes batteries for, Fisker, is stumbling badly!
"...and Solyndra."
Yeah, take that, timeline!
Wow Modusoperandi, Ive got to hang my head in shame. Here I thought I was doing the good work demanding more liberalism and you just out liberalized me! Great job.
Point is American needs to be 100% liberal in order to reach it's full potential. Like James correctly pointed out "Pick out any problem we have in this country and there is almost a certainty that Republicans started it, enabled it or supported it." Any failed American policy is all Republicans fault. Reason, they are not liberal enough.
Back to you Modusoperandi.
MO,
Are you from a parallel dimension; one that periodically crosses, partly, through our own, leaving you hearing others from your dimension, but replying to them in ours?
They do not answer questions, of course. But I do. They really do live in a parallel reality constructed by their authoritarian leaders.
The answer lies within their authoritarian follower personalities.
They are indoctrinated in a belief system that operates no differently from a cult. Facts are irrelevant. Only the beliefs they get from their authoritarian leaders(Limbaugh, FOX(R), etc.) are allowed into their brain. Their pronounced amygdala (primitive fear center of the brain) is conditioned, or programmed, to regard any information or views apart from their leaders as a threat.
This is why their understanding and perception of liberals and liberal thought is no different than that of commies. Their Orwellian cult thinking is simply "liberals are racist commies". Why should they listen to "racist commie facts", when their leaders have all the answers they need?
Is it purely coincidental that these beliefs happen to align perfectly with the interests of the Republican Party and the economic elites, as opposed to the public good and general welfare clause of our Constitution?
Cool, maybe you'll write a rant in 2014 called "Fifty Years After..." on the escalation of the Vietnam War and the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 2014. I'll be waiting.
You can count on that - trust me.
James "Modus...Why waste your time?"
Because I have three-to-five more years of nothing but free time. Say what you want about solitary confinement, but the wireless here is remarkable.
Woooh, James, I'm on your side, the problems of American lie at the feet of conservatives and Republicans like you said! I never called either you or Moe any names much less "subhuman commie racist scum".
It's very clear, Democrats are not liberal enough either.
Government and politics
The City of Lake Wales (FL) has a commission-manager form of government where the commission makes executive decisions and the city manager is charged with carrying them out. Lake Wales has 5 commissioners representing five different city districts, although they are elected at-large by all city voters.The commissioners are elected for 4 year terms. In 2008, Lake Wales caused somewhat of a stir by electing former Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan John Paul Rogers as District 5 city commissioner. Ironically, Rogers' campaign manager was an African-American who spearheaded a large absentee ballot drive among elderly blacks to vote for Rogers. (wilipedia)
What it fails to mention here is that both Rogers and his (Black) campaign manager, ARE DEMOCRATS, as is the bulk of the city government.
Tom,
If you are thinking about a Blog on how we were suckered in to Vietnam be sure to check out William Manchester's epic narrative history of America from 1932 to 1972, "The Glory and the Dream." Talk about lies and deception at the highest levels.
I have a huge one volume paperback of Manchester's narrative as well as a two-volume hardcover edition. William Manchester knew what war was all about. As a Marine in WW2 he was gravely wounded on Okinawa. He is a fine example of the Greatest Generation and his narrative describes the first 38 years of this old geezer's life.
And while you are talking about Vietnam let's not forget that Lyndon Johnson's "Guns and Butter" policy was the founding of the annual plunder of the surplus in the Social Security "Trust Fund." If that "Trust Fund" were still real, instead of worthless IOU's, we would have no talk of changing Social Security. Grrrr.
I never called either you or Moe any names much less "subhuman commie racist scum".
Maybe not, but the theme is always just under the surface if not plainly on top.
So let’s look at a couple accusations and implications:
When everyone is equally poor, that is social justice according to that underachiever Dave "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" Dubya!
If an accusation coming with a Marx quote doesn't imply "commie" I don't know what does:
And sure as day follows dawn, the cult’s implication that only Democrats are racists pops up:
both (Former Klansman) Rogers and his (Black) campaign manager, ARE DEMOCRATS
The person who got twice as many votes as Rogers is also a Democrat. Rogers and Carter are both Democrats.
So why isn’t this fact mentioned?
Hmm. Sounds like someone is trying to be “fair and balanced”.
This is what the winner said.
"I want to lead Lake Wales into the future with a progressive vision of all citizens working together in a community that has a responsible and sustainable plan for economic development; a community that respects diversity, and where community leaders respect and welcome citizen input. I will provide the leadership that will make these things happen. I understand the issues important to our citizens and businesses. Please support me with your vote on April 5." - Mike Carter
Democratic “progressive vision” wins over the guy with the racist “Dixiecrat” past.
See what happens when the whole story is revealed? The deceptions of the Right are exposed.
Rogers received 727 votes to his opponent Mike Carter, who received 1,405 votes in the non-partisan race.
Looks like the 727 who voted for Rogers were mostly Republicans. Or they were at the very least, opposed to the guy who embraced “progressive vision”.
The black man working for Rogers was the forgiving kind, apparently.
Young campaigned for Rogers, with the pair going door-to-door in the Northwest Area, which is predominantly black.
Young could not be reached for comment this week.
In the past, he has said he is aware of Rogers' Klan background, but he said Rogers has changed, will do a good job for the city and will treat everyone fairly.
So the question that shall not be answered is: Why is a black man’s forgiveness used as part of a dishonest attempt to portray Democrats as racist?
Oh, my goodness, could it be projection again?
If Obama had been a liberal, this would not be happening.
Let’s do the math: We have nearly 30 million uninsured people about to get medical coverage under the health care law come January. And we have a projected shortage of 45,000 primary care physicians by 2020. Add to that the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), with 43,000 members who say they can offer basic care if state laws would just let them set up an independent practice without doctor supervision.
And the answer is …
The nurse-practitioners, of course, say it’s a matter of simple addition: New laws are needed to give them more autonomy.
But doctors say it’s a miscalculation to think that patient safety won’t be compromised by not having a doctor overseeing things. Family physicians have more than four times as much education and training, accumulating an average of 21,700 hours, whereas nurse-practitioners receive 5,350 hours, the American Academy of Family Physicians points out.
Others question whether this is a situation of the health care industry looking for cheaper labor to provide services to patients. Pricier specialists have been providing 40 percent of primary care visits, studies show, although the number of medical-school graduates going into primary care is slowly rising, according to USA Today. AARP
My Dave, for being a liberal so long, you sure have thin skin..BTW, isn't socialism Liberal? And the Communist Party of America is claiming that socialism is the future of American on their website. I don't understand your being so upset, it's not like anyone call you a Nazi or anything.
I agree with you, American is not liberal enough. If we were, North Korea wouldn't be saber rattling at us, cause they would know that a liberal America is the best thing for them. Right?
Ok Dave, then I reject the your form of liberalism as it must equate to capitalism, correct?
Care to explain
Where and how does the Constitutional “general welfare” clause include public safety nets, expanded voter rights?
I read the Constitution as a list of things the federal govt can not do. In fact the Constitution's main purpose to to protect the liberty of the citizens of the States that make up the Union. It's there to protect citizens from an over reaching centralized federal government. The Constitution has no explicit definition of citizenship in it.
Voting rights are also not mentioned in the original Constitution. The 14th Amendment basically set the standard at all males 21 and over. The 15th guarantees voting regardless of race. The 19th guarantees voting to women. The 23rd gives citizens of Washington D.C. the right to vote for president. The 24th prohibits poll taxes in the voting for federal representatives. The 26th lowers the age to 18.
How much more do you want to expand the right to vote, to those who are not able to prove their citizenship? Neither the Constitution nor its Amendments address what a person has to do to be qualified to vote other than they must be over 18 and a citizen. It leaves it up to the States to figure out how to determine if a person meets those standards.
Here is a great link to an online copy of the Constitution and a FAQ section.
http://usconstitution.net/constfaq_con.html
then I reject the your form of liberalism as it must equate to capitalism, correct?
Care to explain
Yes I’m happy to explain. You don’t know what you’re talking about, let alone what I’m talking about.
And that’s the God’s-honest-truth as I see it.
“Where and how does the Constitutional “general welfare” clause include public safety nets, expanded voter rights?
That has been decided by the Supreme Court. This is why we have Social Security and other public safety nets that your side wants dismantled. Even Chief Justice Roberts supports this regarding Obamacare.
I read the Constitution as a list of things the federal govt can not do.
Then you have not read it. It also specifies duties and procedures of government.
Now, after I’ve answered two of your questions, I’m sure you’ll be considerate enough to answer my two.
Where does the cult indoctrination, aka your ideology, differ from the narrow exclusive agenda of the economic elites and the Republican Party?
Where does it support public safety nets, expanded voter rights, and the Constitutional “general welfare” clause?
Unless you respond sincerely as a basic courtesy, I’m done with you. My time is better spent without responding to your accusations and trollish distractions
Hi, Tom...
I recall that quote:
"There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know.
There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know.
But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know."
I think I had less of a problem than some seemed to have with that statement, but having been in the military, this observation is self evident...
So where in this is unknown knowns?
Those would be the things we think we know but DON'T?
I read Molly Ivins religiously, and her warnings about what "compassionate conservative" was going to mean......I can sum up her warning in one word: duck!
Tom, just some observations and a question. The question is have you found full employment yet?
The observations are:
15% of Americans Receive Food Stamps
The food Stamp program cost a record $80.4 billion last year.
Next week President Obama will release his budget plan which includes tax increases.
In March 663,000 Americans dropped out of the labor force.
The total who are now out of the labor force is 90 million.
The last time that many of us were not in the Labor force was in 1979 when President Carter was still in office.
I understand this is your blog, but I find it strange with these reports of a economy that hasn't been this bad since 1979 you have not mentioned it once. Strange for a person who is still looking for work.
Instead the subjects for the last ten of your posts on your blog have been:
2/7 Civil Rights History
2/14 The New Obama
2/20 Firearms
2/27 Random Thoughts
3/4 33 Years since FRD's 1933 Inaugural Address
3/11 Jeb Bush running for President
3/18 CPAC 2013
3/22 Gun Control
3/26 Tom about Tom (congrats to you Tom!)
4/2 Ten Years of War
Are you not aware of the state of our economy as I'm sure of you are of your own? Or are you just not bringing it up because you don't want to think about how awful it is? How you still are unemployed? How can that be with all the skills and training that you have?
While I think the issue of guns is important, don't you think the reliving of an event 80 years old, and wondering if a President's brother and a President's son was going to run for President is nothing more than a distraction from the really important issue of today?
Are you doing this on purpose or were you really blind to this?
Chuck, this story is probably the most important one in the world right now.
http://truth-out.org/news/item/15521-two-years-on-fukushima-raises-many-questions-provides-one-clear-answer
Read the comments for additional views.
To Chuck Moron:
1) The status of Tom's employment or lack therof is none of your fucking business.
2) The choice of subject matter for Tom's rants are also none of your fucking businesss. If you don't like them or disagree, then start your own blog (if you have the intelligence to do so) or ignore them and stop boring the rest of us with your childish comments.
3) Get yourself checked for an attention deficit issue as you can never manage to stay on topic.
Good one, Sam Hill! Way to go!
Well Sam Hill, I guess you told me.
Feel all better now?
topic WAR
POST: WAR ON WOMEN
Figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Friday show that 315,000 women dropped out of the labor force in March.
According to BLS, the number of women not in the labor force grew to 49 million in March, up from 48.7 million in February, continuing a trend of women leaving the labor force in every month of 2013.
White House chief economist Alan Krueger said that the March jobs report – which showed the lowest job creation in months was another sign that the economy continues to recover.
Could it be Republican policies mean women die earlier?
...female mortality rates increased in 42.8% of counties (male mortality rates increased in only 3.4%). The counties are mapped below: red means that female mortality worsened. You can see a strong regional pattern: just about every county showed had worsened female mortality in several southern states, while no county showed such decline in New England.
Cyprus is the most significant story in the world right now. It will directly affect us all within the next few years. I'd pay attention to it.
Could it be Feminists policies mean women die earlier?
Working more hours to make ends meet due to higher taxes.
More Stress.
Higher average blood pressure.
More women smokers.
Higher obesity levels in women than 30 years ago.
Sound like Republican policies to me for sure.
Why we need more liberalism, if for nothing else than to put an end to the War on our Young People.
22.9%: The unemployment rate for Americans under age 25, adjusting for the decline in the labor force since the start of the recession.
Perhaps no group has been hit harder by the recession and grinding recovery than the young. The official unemployment rate for those under age 25 is 16.2%, more than double the rate for the population as a whole. In percentage terms, unemployment has fallen far more slowly for young people than for the wider population.
Those figures actually understate the severity of the problem, however. The government only considers people “unemployed” if they’re actively looking for work. People who stop looking—whether they’re retired, in school, raising a family or living on friends’ couches — are instead considered “not in the labor force,” even if they would prefer to work given the opportunity.
Next it will the war on our retirement savings and pensions, like Harley bravely introduced with his last post.
Could it be Republican policies
Somebody didn’t go to the link and see how the problem is far more prevalent in the Republican South and other red areas.
Could it be Feminists policies mean women die earlier?
And of course, we see more “compassionate conservatism” desperately attempting to deflect from reality while typically blaming the victim.
Blame the victim. How Republican.
As I said, “This is the logic that demands the poor suffer austerity for the wrongs committed by Wall Street swindlers.”
Next it will the war on our retirement savings and pensions
Too late. Someone forgot the Republican crash of ’08 and Wall Street swindlers decimating our pensions. But don’t worry, none of Congress’s owners were held accountable. 99.9% of Republicans and half the Dems still work for their Wall Street bankster owners.
What a pathetic cult, so rabid in serving their elite masters, they scorn and blame over half their fellow Americans and ignore the influence of “divine right of wealth” they serve with such loyalty. So much distraction, yet still no answers to my questions.
Is it purely coincidental that these beliefs happen to align perfectly with the interests of the Republican Party and the economic elites, as opposed to the public good and general welfare clause of our Constitution?
Where does the cult indoctrination, aka their ideology, differ from the narrow exclusive agenda of the economic elites and the Republican Party?
Where does it support public safety nets, expanded voter rights, and the Constitutional “general welfare” clause?
For being so “Right” they really hate to answer questions, don’t they? Anybody wonder why they don’t answer questions?
I didn’t think so.
No, all we get is distractions, accusations and ‘blame the evil liberals” for everything....even in red states.
Yes, blame the liberals for what happens in the red South where they take more of our tax dollars than they pay in. Yes the real “takers” they love to hate, are Republican Southern voters. That kind dishonesty reflects a deep seated hatred for a lot of Americans who had nothing to do with Southern Republican policies. What to do with all that hate? Why, accuse liberals and blame victims, of course.
Reality is not a factor with those angry, hateful, self-deluded fanatics.
They do not answer questions. But watch, more accusations and distractions will follow.
Words that should be etched in stone, Dave Dubya. Now where the heck did I put my chisel....
Dave, Glad to see you have joined me in my call for more liberalism in America.
That is the only thing that is going to save us. This is the only thing that will stop the war on women! First steps,
Liberalism will outlaw foods that cause women health problems.
Liberalism will regulate the amount of fried foods a women can eat in a week.
Liberalism will not allow salt to sold to women to further protect their health.
Liberalism will control the size of the soft drink sold to a women, for their health of course.
Liberalism will forbid women from owning firearms to protect them selves after all, that's what the police are for.
Liberalism will require our armed forces place women on the front line in combat.
Dave, Tom, join with me in the battle to end the war on women, they must be protected from the ill's that males have caused, cause its a great tag line(War on Women) to use during election time. Then after the election and your sworn in, you can forget about adding women to your power circle like you promised. Just to protect them from the stress, its their health you know.
Yeah, Tom Degan! Liberals are so committed to abolishing Things That Are Bad For You that at restaurants I can't even reach across to the middle of the table, grab the shaker of salt that's there, and add salt to my own meal to make it as salty as I want it to be!
And that's all true, except for everything in the previous sentence.
Tom, explain the facts of life in NYC about salt and soda to MOE.
youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rv5t6rC6yvg#!
Yeah, Tom. Do everything an anonymous Right Winger tells you to do. That's called "freedom".
Liberals hate America, Obama is a Marxist anti-christ, and liberalism is communism too!
Why aren't you writing these things on your blog? Is it because you hate America and have no family values?
It's the only possible explanation.
Tom
I have not read the other comments posted here so pardon if I am repeating something already stated above.
You mention that Bush is painting pictures of dogs but have you seen the self-portraits of him in the shower and bathtub? They are hilarious and remind me of a quote from Shakespeare's MacBeth. "Out, out, damn spot!" Oh the irony.
I found it interesting that the Republican party could not bring their former Presidents on the campaign trail in the recent election nor could they cite any accomplishments under these Presidents. The thought of Jeb running for National office gives me the creeps! Dy-Nasty indeed.
Keep fighting the good fight!
Peace,
Jo in AZ
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