Bob's Links and Rants -- Fair and Balanced

Welcome to my rants page! You can contact me by e-mail: bob@goodsells.net. Be sure to check out my Post 9/11 website for links to lots of stuff I care about. I have put all of my 2002 rants into a single file.

Saturday, February 22, 2003

CBS: US "Intelligence" sending inspectors on "wild goose chases."


U.N. sources have told CBS News that American tips have lead to one dead end after another:

So frustrated have the inspectors become that one source has referred to the U.S. intelligence they've been getting as "garbage after garbage after garbage." In fact, Phillips says the source used another cruder word. The inspectors find themselves caught between the Iraqis, who are masters at the weapons-hiding shell game, and the United States, whose intelligence they've found to be circumstantial, outdated or just plain wrong.

Quel Moron!
The president, showing considerable impatience today, went beyond that argument and in essence said that at this point there was virtually nothing that Mr. Hussein could do to avoid action by the United States. "If Iraq decides to destroy the weapons that were long-range weapons, that's just the tip of the iceberg,'' he said, speaking in a helicopter hangar on the edge of his ranch.

Mr. Hussein, he said, "will say words that sound encouraging.''

"He's done so for 12 years,'' he added. "So the idea of destroying a rocket, or two rockets, or however many he's going to destroy, says to me he's got a lot more weapons to destroy, and why isn't he destroying them yet?''
-- NY Times.

Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I think a lot more people are beginning to see that war is his primary goal, not disarmament or regime change. Bush gets off on killing of people; the thrill of all that post 9/11 patriotic nonsense has left him wanting more.

Our despised president is quickly losing what little touch with reality he ever had. I do believe that if he doesn't get his war, he is actually going to cry. Maybe he'll even be born again again, and this time get it right?

Los Angeles passes anti-war resolution!


This makes a total of over 100 cities or other local governments! In addition, the State House in Hawaii and both houses of the Maine state legislature have passed resolutions.

Los Angeles, the second largest city in the US, is now the largest to have passed a resolution (c'mon, New York! You can do it!). Most other large cities have joined in: Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Atlanta, Detroit, Seattle, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and, of course, Ann Arbor!

CNN asks: "Do you believe a war against Iraq could be justified on moral grounds?"
To vote go here. (scroll down about half way)
Currently: NO 51%, YES 49%.

Friday, February 21, 2003

Blog Synergy!


Cyndy of mousemusings liked my link to the The Friends Committee on National Legislation web site (which I got from Carolyn off the AAACP listserv) so much that she's now got a cool "enter zip and click" form on her web site. I liked that so much that I copied it. It now resides in the right frame along with other cool links to actions you can take! Use it!

A great parody of Homeland Inanity's "ready.gov" web site!

From Steve Benson of the Arizona Republic.

From Slowpoke.

"Slutty Interns for Peace." Now that's a sign! Maybe we could also suggest that there's a cute little nine-year-old blond girl missing, or that it is rumored that the French are strongly opposed to our march and that we're doing it to spite them. We could turn a march into a reality show ("Bob thinks he's such a joe-cool peacenik, but I think he's just grandstanding trying to form an alliance with the older crowd--you know who I'm talking about--so I'm voting him out of the march.").

I don't want to get into trouble by posting too many Boondocks cartoons, so just go check out today's. It's okay--I'll wait for you to get back.

From the same NY Times article:
Powell told Russia's RTR Television before beginning a five-day trip to Asia, "the problem is he has shown no signs of leaving the country and he still shows no signs of complying. ...''

In Baghdad, meanwhile, Iraq allowed another flight by an American U-2 surveillance plane as Saddam's government sought to convince the world that it is cooperating with the weapons inspectors.

To say that Saddam is not cooperating fully is one thing; to say that he "shows no signs of complying" is a pitiful lie. Inspectors are in Iraq. They have been given quick access to many requested sites. The U2's are flying. Interviews are happening, albeit under strong mutual distrust.

Explosion Sparks Massive Fire at Refinery on Staten Island

The real Colin Powell. Similar to Henry Kissinger, an intelligent monster has charmed his way to be Secretary of State.

The Friends Committee on National Legislation has a wonderful web site which allows you to flood congress with your concerns about war and civil rights. It is much more comprehensive and up-to-date than either MoveOn or TrueMajority. So please, go here and get started jamming your representatives' fax machines and/or inboxes with your concerns about Iraq, Colombia, the Patriot II Act, and other Bushian abominations.

Great column from Paul Krugman!


Some excerpts:
Some observers also point out that the administration has turned the regular foreign aid budget into a tool of war diplomacy. Small countries that currently have seats on the U.N. Security Council have suddenly received favorable treatment for aid requests, in an obvious attempt to influence their votes. Cynics say that the "coalition of the willing" President Bush spoke of turns out to be a "coalition of the bought off" instead.
...
President Bush promised that our interest wouldn't end once the war was won; this time we wouldn't forget about Afghanistan, we would stay to help rebuild the country and secure the peace. So how much money for Afghan reconstruction did the administration put in its 2004 budget? None. The Bush team forgot about it.
...
So there you have it. This administration does martial plans, not Marshall Plans: billions for offense, not one cent for reconstruction.
...
Turkey has reportedly been offered the right to occupy much of Iraqi Kurdistan. Yes, that's right: as we move to liberate the Iraqis, our first step may be to deliver people who have been effectively independent since 1991 into the hands of a hated foreign overlord. Moral clarity!
...
If this all sounds incredibly callous and shortsighted, that's because it is. But then what did you expect? This administration doesn't worry about long-term consequences — just look at its fiscal policy. It wants its war; there's not the slightest indication that it's interested in the boring, expensive task of building a just and lasting peace.

White House Looking for Exit Strategy?


According to this article from Capitol Hill Blue, support for Bush's Iraq war is quickly eroding, even among Republicans in Congress and some advisors in the administration. I'm not sure how reliable Capitol Hill Blue is, but boy is that fun to read! Let's keep up the pressure and make it true!

Here's an excerpt:
"The President's war plans are in trouble, there's no doubt about that," says an advisor to House Speaker Dennis J. Hastert. "Some Republican members want a vote on military action and some of those say they would, at this point, vote against such action."

Once more, with feeling: Please call your congressional representatives, 800-839-5276, and ask them to support the Paul-DeFazio bill repealing October's authorization for use of force against Iraq. Time is running out.

Thursday, February 20, 2003

Here's a blog that's new to me: See the Forest. Plenty of interesting articles on voting machines, Iraq, Scalia, and other crimes past, present and future. Thanks to mousemusings for the link.

How do they lie to us? This guy counts the ways.

Ready for yet another Bush war? The war in Afghanistan hasn't officially ended, the war in Iraq hasn't officially begun, and now we're sending troops back to the Philippines to help the government there crush Islamic resistance. After a long and vigorous debate in Congress, of course--NOT. It's really scary that Congress seems neither willing nor able to pull the reins in on the maniac in the White House and his genociders.

I've suggested several times over the past year that you read Orwell's "1984" if you haven't already. It's getting too late--what's going on now IS 1984: endless multiple wars, surveillance and repression, cheap stupid slogans (United we stand, Let's roll, coalition of the willing), misinformation and deception, insistence on conformity. War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength. Double-plus ungood! We've got the Ministry of Truth: the state-controlled media of FoxNews, CNN, NBC, ClearChannel, etc., lying to us endlessly to serve Big Brother. We've got the Ministry of Peace in the Pentagon, planning and executing wars around the globe. We've got the Ministry of Plenty, cutting off social services to the poor, hungry and homeless. And, of course, we have John Ashcroft's and Tom Ridge's Ministry of Love, locking people away indefinitely and jacking up the fear week by week. Those who don't know their dystopian novels are doomed to create them.

Some old Dubya quotes, again thanks to Carol (or was that Sharon?):
Self-fulfilling prophecies: "I believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and democracy - but that could change." (5/22/98)

"People that are really very weird can get into sensitive positions and have a tremendous impact on history." (also as governor, no date given)

Heard around the cement pond:
Come and listen to my story 'bout a boy name Bush.
His IQ was zero and his head was up his tush.
He drank like a fish while he drove all about.
But that didn't matter 'cuz his daddy bailed him out.
DUI, that is. Criminal record. Cover-up.
-- the rest is here. Thanks to Sharon's twin sister Carol for that one. (Actually, I find them easy to tell apart--their e-mail addresses are different!)

Cracking Down: Eight people, including four US citizens, have been arrested for allegedly supporting an alleged Palestinian terrorist group.

By the way, today is my birthday, and I've only gotten a couple of e-mails so far...

I would consider donations to AAACP to be wonderful presents! (Button in the right frame -->)

Other February 20 birthdays: Ansel Adams, 101; Kelsey Grammer (Sideshow Bob!), 48; Cindy Crawford 37; Jennifer Love Hewitt, 24. If no one is throwing you a party, Cindy and Jennifer, you are welcome to come to mine! You too, Kelsey, but you must come dressed as Sideshow Bob. One more and we'll have a party of five!

Canada Trying to Bridge the Gap:
"It is obvious to him [Mr. Chrétien] that the UN is pretty damned divided and the consequences of this division, if it persists, is going to be very, very serious," a senior Canadian official said. "The only way we can bridge this 'bomb now or inspect forever' mentality is to say, 'Let's pick a date far enough in the future so we will know if the Iraqis are following through.' " -- from the Toronto Globe & Mail. As Michael Klare suggested, it is becoming obvious to those whose heads are not stuck in the sand that military considerations are driving the Bush timetable, not the degree of Iraqi cooperation or lack of it. This Canadian proposal should make this even clearer, although how far it will penetrate the sand is hard to tell.

Guest Rant!
The fear I felt of impending doom after 9/11 is materializing in a way I could never have imagined.....fear of the American government itself and its despicable, heinous, immoral, corrupt manipulating of the American people's emotions. And I simply could not live with myself if I sat idly by and let it happen. It's confusing to me that so many Americans are allowing themselves to be duped by the lies put forth in support of this war. I know a large percentage of people are brain-defficient, but the sheer numbers that are ignoring the cold, hard facts of the consequences of a war stagger me. I really can't believe this is happening. -- Blog reader Sharon from Nevada.

Colin Cancer:
It cannot be a satisfactory solution for inspections just to continue forever because some nations are afraid of stepping up to the responsibility of imposing the will of the international community. -- Secretary of State Colin Powell, quoted by Reuters. Some nations? Lots of nations! France, Germany, Russia! They certainly form a major part of the "international community," and by blocking a US war on Iraq they are attempting to express the will of the international community. Imposing the will of George W. Bush and Tony Blair is a responsibility? Opposing this is cowardice? Powell has gone completely off the deep end, through the looking glass, down the memory hole. He's in Cheney's basement now.

Arianna Huffington on Cheney's profiting from the wars he starts:
No one in the administration embodies this bottom line mentality more than Dick Cheney. The vice president is one of those ideological purists who never let little things like logic, morality, or mass murder interfere with the single-minded pursuit of profitability.

His on-again, off-again relationship with the Butcher of Baghdad is a textbook example of what modern moralists condemn as "situational ethics," an extremely convenient code that allows you to do what you want when you want and still feel good about it in the morning. In the Cheney White House (let's call it what it is), anything that can be rationalized is right.

The two were clearly on the outs back during the Gulf War, when Cheney was Secretary of Defense, and the first President Bush dubbed Saddam "Hitler revisited."

Then Cheney moved to the private sector and suddenly things between him and Saddam warmed up considerably. With Cheney in the CEO's seat, Halliburton helped Iraq reconstruct its war-torn oil industry with $73 million worth of equipment and services -- becoming Baghdad's biggest such supplier. Kinda nice how that worked out for the vice-president, really: oversee the destruction of an industry that you then profit from by rebuilding.
...
So his former cronies at Halliburton are now at the head of the line of companies expected to reap the estimated $2 billion it will take to rebuild Iraq's oil infrastructure following Saddam's ouster. This burn-and-build approach to business guarantees that there will be a market for Halliburton's services as long as it has a friend in high places to periodically carpet bomb a country for it.
...
Here's my bottom line: at a time of war, at what point does subverting our national security in the name of profitability turn from ugly business into high treason?


Just Getting Started:


U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton said in meetings with Israeli officials on Monday that he has no doubt America will attack Iraq, and that it will be necessary to deal with threats from Syria, Iran and North Korea afterwards. Bolton, who is undersecretary for arms control and international security, is in Israel for meetings about preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction. In a meeting with Bolton on Monday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that Israel is concerned about the security threat posed by Iran. It's important to deal with Iran even while American attention is turned toward Iraq, Sharon said. -- from Haaretz.

And it appears as though Iran may be being dealt with: 302 Killed in Crash of Iranian Military Plane. After Carnahan and Wellstone, it appears that our covert Predator controllers are after bigger planes now.

The crash today was the latest in a series of air disasters mostly involving Russian- and Ukrainian-built aircraft. A Ukrainian Antonov-140 crashed into the mountains last December near the central city of Isfahan. Forty-six people were killed. As I recall, those killed in that crash included Ukrainian aerospace experts.


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So Depressing. I attended a meeting of the Ann Arbor Area Committee for Peace tonight. We spent much of the time planning a "day the war starts" march, because every indication is that Bush intends to start bombing the crap out of Iraq within the next two weeks. I've been so excited recently, going to Washington for the big march on January 18, helping to organize our February 8 march, and then going to Lansing last Saturday. I've also been calling Congress, doing leafletting and "honk for peace," and, of course, blogging. But I sat through most of tonight's meeting without making any suggestions or volunteering for much (I finally volunteered to be media liason at the march, because that doesn't involve advance planning). I just kept thinking--we can't let this happen--this can't happen--must stop this!

Hundreds of thousands of people will die if this war happens. And that's an optimistic estimate, assuming that it doesn't start World War III. Repression at home and abroad will increase. There will be terrorist attacks here; it will be unsafe for Americans to travel abroad. We can't let this happen!

So, I'm not giving up, and I hope you are with me. Call Congress: 800-839-5276, and ask for Senator so-and-so or Representative such-and-such. Tell the staffer that you oppose the war. If there's a march, be in it. If not, organize it. Do leafletting (moveon.org has a leafletting campaign going). Do "honk for peace!" Get others to do these things. Make it politically impossible for Bush to continue on the road to destruction.

Because I really don't want to have a "day the war starts" march.

Wednesday, February 19, 2003

Price for Turkey Rises
If somebody offered you a ton of money to help him kill your neighbors, what would you say? "No", "okay", or "we want more"? The government of Turkey has apparently chosen door number three. But don't condemn them too harshly--it is the US government that is offering this sick deal. Having already been offered $26 billion, Turkey is looking for still more stuffing: $32 billion. That works out to about $115 from every man, woman, and child in the United States for the privilege of using Turkish bases to kill Iraqis by the thousands. Or, say, $16,000 for each of the 2 million or so homeless Americans, which could certainly pay for housing them through what's left of this brutal winter, and maybe the next one as well. But no, our government thinks that bribing foreign governments for the privilege of killing Iraqis is more important.

And don't forget, the vast majority of Turks are opposed to war, while control of the $26 or $32 billion will be in the hands of the few at the top and will be used, at least in part, to increase repression of Kurds and others within Turkey.

So, are you willing to pull $115 out of your pocket so your government can bribe another to destroy a country? Doesn't matter. George W. Bush has already picked your pocket.

Lots of cool protest pictures here.
Sample from Prague:

Terrorism forces us to make a choice. Don't be afraid...be ready.

-- from YOUR Department of Homeland Security (GESTAPO)
That's right. Probably fullfilling some campaign pledge to the duct tape and plastic sheet manufacturers of America (headquarters: Bermuda), Gestapo Chief Tom Ridge's first accomplishment as a cabinet member is something called the "Ready Campaign," giving us the information needed to live another 25 minutes in case of nuclear, chemical, or biological attacks. It features this Orwellian web site, and an 800 number to call for a free brochure.

So while Bush has failed to deliver on promises to state and local governments to provide additional funding for police, fire, and other emergency services, and Rummy is sending many of our existing police, firefighters, doctors, nurses and other first providers to the Middle East to take part in an exercise in destruction sure to increase the likelihood of terrorist attacks, the best ol' Tom can come up with is "Don't be afraid...be ready." Don't worry, be happy. How do you tell when your government is lying to you? Its lips are moving.


-- from Boondocks.

Tuesday, February 18, 2003

Police Brutality at the New York Rally: A sad story.

Lil' Johnny speaks Truth to poWer:
President George W Bush is visiting an elementary school. The 4th grade class is in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings.

The teacher asks the President if he would like to lead the class in the discussion of the word, "tragedy." So our illustrious leader asks the class for an example of a "tragedy."

One little boy stands up and offers, "If my best friend, who lives next door, is playing in the street and a car comes along and runs him over, that would be a tragedy."

"No," says Bush, "that would be an accident."

A little girl raises her hand: "If a school bus carrying 50 children drove off a cliff, killing everyone involved, that would be a tragedy."

"I'm afraid not," explains the President. "That's what we would call a GREAT LOSS."

The room goes silent. No other children volunteer. President Bush searches the room. "Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?"

Finally, way in the back of the room, Lil' Johnny raises his hand. In a quiet voice he says, "If Air Force One, carrying President Bush and Vice President Cheney, was struck by a missile and blown to smithereens, that would be a tragedy.

"Fantastic," exclaims Bush, "that's right. And can you tell me why that would be a tragedy?"

"Well," Lil' Johnny said, "because it wouldn't be an accident and it sure as hell wouldn't be a GREAT LOSS."
-- From Carolyn on our Listserv.

Let's hope President Bush learns from liberal mistakes and worries less about ideals and more about practical results. The world may not be able to afford much more of his idealism. -- from Nicholas Kristof in the NY Times. Excellent conclusion to a typically mediocre op-ed from Kristof--he gives W way too much credit (actually, any credit is too much to give W).

Rummy is prepared to blame Iraq for anything that happens there:
His list includes a "concern about Saddam Hussein using weapons of mass destruction against his own people and blaming it on us, which would fit a pattern," Mr. Rumsfeld said. He said the document also noted "that he could do what he did to the Kuwaiti oil fields and explode them, detonate, in a way that lost that important revenue for the Iraqi people." -- from the NY Times.

Blaming the victim: standard Republican ideology. The Bushies have been lying all along about war or peace being up to Saddam. If there is war in Iraq, it is solely because of George W. Bush and his group of "genociders." If hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Americans die, it is the fault of Bush and the genociders. Simple as that. Options abound--they aren't interested. Inspections are working--they don't care. The world is terrified of them, and they love it. The brutality of 9/11 and the senseless mostly unrelated brutality in Afghanistan were just a prelude--war in Iraq will kick off the 21st Century in its quest to surpass the 20th as the bloodiest ever.

Don't give up! Even though W sees himself as some unstoppable running back heading for a touchdown, many in Congress have seen the millions in the streets of this country and others and are starting to take notice. Keep calling your representatives: Members of both the House and the Senate can be reached toll-free through the Capitol switchboard: 800-839-5276. Ask them to stop Bush and to support our troops by bringing them home now. How often have you had the chance to take part in saving thousands, maybe millions of lives? Are you going to pass it up now?

Your tax dollars at work:

Recognizing that ignorance is the only basis for supporting Bush's war, MoveOn is organizing leafletting around the country this weekend. Go here to join in with others in your area.

Excellent slide show of Saturday's march from the Lansing State Journal.

I'm forming a new organization: The Organization of Repetitively Redundant Peaceniks for Peace Association (ORRPPA). To join, just laugh. Twice.

PS: Meetings are everyday at a minute past noon and 12:01 PM, wherever you happen to be. Or just stay where you are.

I HATE BUSH!!


After considering several options, that was the most accurate headline I could come up with for this:
Despite heavy opposition at the United Nations and protests around the world, the Bush administration appeared ready to push ahead this week for a new Security Council resolution that could open the way for war. Bush said that the size of the protests against a possible U.S.-led war against Iraq was irrelevant. "Size of protest, it's like deciding, 'Well I'm going to decide policy based up on a focus group.' The role of a leader is to decide policy based upon the security — in this case — security of the people." -- from the Washington Post.

Aside from the obvious duct-tape-lined fact that an Iraq war will clearly decrease our security, my focus group suggests that the "leader" IN A FRIGGIN' DEMOCRACY should decide policy based on the will of the people, ESPECIALLY if they didn't elect the STUPID MORON in the first place! What meager support the INSANE COWBOY has is based entirely on the LIES that his warmongering administration and the state-run media have been feeding the mentally-challenged population of this country.

Decent article about the Kucinich announcement on CNN.com. Just a small link under "Politics" on their main page, but still something. An announcement by the best candidate by far apparently doesn't rate at all at the NY Times, while the Washington Post's treatment is similar to CNN's. So far, the best coverage I've seen is RIGHT HERE!!!

A good anti-war song is available here, public domain. If you know anyone in radio, try to get them to play it!

Monday, February 17, 2003

Kucinich for President!!!!!


A real hope for the future, Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland has announced that he will run for president in 2004! He is far better than the warmongering pretender Democrats who have announced so far (with the possible exception of Dean, whom Kucinich may be only substantially better than). He voted against the USA Patriot Act; he voted against the Iraq war resolution last October.

Here's the speech Kucinich gave to the crowd in New York on Saturday. This guy is our hope for the future--please go to his web site and make a contribution and sign up as a volunteer. We don't need any more phoneys like Gephardt, Edwards, or, heaven forbid, Lieberman. We need a real progressive Democrat, and that is Dennis Kucinich.

Peace on the Beach


Santa Monica's Picasso-designed peace image:

Click here for larger image.

From Sunday's Simpsons Episode: Kent Brockman: In business news, 3M and M&M have merged to become, get this, Ultradyne Systems!

Author Michael Klare says that all of the UN resolutions, inspections, and debates have been a sham--the timetable for attacking Iraq has been solely based on military considerations. An excerpt:
The Pentagon's schedule for war will likely mean that the UN inspection process in Iraq is nearing its conclusion. As planned, the United States appears to moving steadily toward an invasion of that country aimed at removing Saddam Hussein and installing a new, more pliant government. The Bush administration argues that the timing of this move is a response to the imminent exhaustion of the inspection process. In fact, it is the other way around: The inspections were allowed to move forward by Washington only so long as they did not interfere with the pace of U.S. military preparations. Now that U.S. forces are ready to strike, the inspections can be dispensed with entirely.

Stay in touch with peace events in the Ann Arbor area! Subscribe to the AAACP's events list. Send a blank e-mail to peace-events-request@umich.edu with "subscribe" in the subject line (no quotes).

It was just Friday that I posted the "Big Brother" warning about Google on my Blogger-powered blog, and now I read that Google has purchased Blogger. Pretty scary, I'd say! Just as blogs are becoming more common and recognized as a valid alternative news source, somebody is out there grabbing up access to them. I've been thinking about buying one of the commercial blogging software packages like MoveableType or User Radioland--this might just push me over the edge. I'll know for sure if this post won't post!

Robert Fisk on the real agenda:
In the end, I think we are just tired of being lied to. Tired of being talked down to, of being bombarded with Second World War jingoism and scare stories and false information and student essays dressed up as "intelligence". We are sick of being insulted by little men, by Tony Blair and Jack Straw and the likes of George Bush and his cabal of neo-conservative henchmen who have plotted for years to change the map of the Middle East to their advantage. -- Read the whole article.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!
A Forum on Civil Rights
Monday, February 17 (tonight): Michigan Union, Ballroom, 7 PM
Learn About Your Civil Rights, Activist Rights, Patriot Act, Homeland Security Act, Immigration Issues, Labor Rights

SCHEDULE
7:00 Update on PATRIOT Act, detentions, and registration
7:40 Civil and Immigration Rights ? E.g., If the FBI approaches you, Activists' rights
8:20 Labor Rights ? For citizen and non-citizen labor union members
9:00 Open Discussion and Opportunity for Individual Consultation with
Attorneys

21 Die in Night Club Stampede in Chicago. A woman apparently sprayed mace or pepper spray at another, causing a rush towards doors that wouldn't open, causing many to be crushed and/or suffocated. I wonder if all the terror alert hype contributed to the panic. First casualties of Homeland Security?

And, for all of you out there putting plastic and duct tape on your windows, remember that you are putting yourselves at greater risk of gassing yourselves from a natural gas leak (or unlit pilot light) or other common household chemicals which can be lethal in sufficient amounts. If you are that scared of terrorist attacks, kindly ask our president to knock off all of the war talk!

From David Horsey, Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

From Steve Greenberg, Ventura County Star, CA.

I just called the White House Comment Line (202)-456-1111, hoping to give W a piece (peace) of my mind, but I got a recording saying the comment line was closed due to the Martin Luther King Holiday. It said the president encourages everyone to honor this day in an appropriate fashion.

Perhaps by recognizing that it's President's Day, and that the MLK holiday was LAST MONTH?

From Mike Keefe of the Denver Post.

Sunday, February 16, 2003

Amazing:
Ms. Rice warned that the rift between the United States and its Council allies was "playing into the hands" of Mr. Hussein and coming across as similar to the "appeasement" of Hitler in the 1930's. -- from the NY Times. Once again, I'm amazed that the Bushies continue to say things that reflect so clearly back on themselves, and are either totally oblivious, or worse, realize that it infuriates the informed, thinking people in the world. If anybody is being appeased, it is George W. Bush and his merry band of genociders (that's a pre-emptive use of a word W is sure to use at some point). The Bushies continue to threaten the world, and the world tries to make them happy without allowing them to destroy the world in the process. This is the same thing that happened at Munich in 1938. UN resolution 1441 and the fact that anyone in the world is still listening to the nonsense coming out of the White House is the evidence of appeasement. No matter how evil Saddam is, and I'm willing to grant that that's plenty evil, he and his ruined country pose no threat at all compared to our insane cowboy president and the world's largest ever military. Is it too late for a recount in the Supreme Court?

Condi's at it again: She says Bush won't back down in the face of worldwide opposition to his insane plans. Okay, I'm paraphrasing slightly. IMHO, the Bush administration is the most despicable and dangerous group of people since at least the Nazis. Meanwhile, those mean-faced middle-aged women and smug frat boys carrying pictures of W yesterday to protest our protest are probably the most pitiful group of people I've personally ever seen.

If you wonder what sort of people these "freepers" are, read this intro to their list of celebrities to boycott, with emphasis added by me:

We the undersigned American Citizens stand against Wealthy Hollywood Celebrities abusing their status to speak for us. We do not believe that they have a clear understanding of how we live, what we fear, and what we support. We believe that celebrities Martin Sheen, Mike Farrell, Tim Robbins, Rob Reiner, Barbara Streisand, and others with them are using their celebrity to interfere with the defense of our country. We believe that Hollywood Celebrities use their wealth to make their own personal issues known while Americans would never have the resources to speak out in this manner. We support President Bush in his efforts to defend our homeland, to defend democracy, and to take any measures to end the threat of terrorism. We do not claim to know more than anyone, especially President Bush. We elect a President who we can trust to make proper decisions based on facts available to him and not available to the rest of us. This is one reason trustworthiness and character is important in the people we elect into office. War is not easy, there are many before us who sacrificed their lives for freedom and if supporting citizens in other countries who cry out for democracy and freedom aids in the war against terrorism we support it.

In other words, we revel in our stupidity, we love our stupid leader (who by the way has more resources than anyone to speak out in any fool way he pleases--and does), we like it when he frightens us because it gives us cause to hate. And while we think the previous president, even though he actually got more votes than his opponents, wasn't trustworthy because of some sexual indiscretions (okay, the freepers probably don't know that word, since they don't know more than anyone), it doesn't bother us at all that the current president went AWOL from the national guard for a year, was an alcoholic for most of his life, and lied and cheated his way to wealth, since those things don't affect one's opinions of trustworthiness when one isn't smarter than anyone.

Another good quote from the Lansing State Journal article on yesterday's march:
Kim Thompson attended the march in support of her brother, a U.S. Marine helicopter pilot. "He doesn't want to be there and I don't want him to be there," said Thompson, a 37-year-old accountant from Manchester. "We agree this war is wrong."

Her brother, Cory DeKraai, was sent last month to a ship off the Ivory Coast. "He always dreamed of being a pilot so he joined the Marines," Thompson said. "He never wanted to kill anybody."


Good Old US Hospitality
A Canadian woman of Indian heritage was not allowed to finish her trip back to Toronto because she was harassed by INS officials at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Instead, she was put on a plane back to India (from where she had just returned after visiting her family) without being allowed to contact a Canadian consular office in Chicago. INS officials were overly suspicious and rude--read the whole article for all of the outrageous details. Our whole government is just plain sick.

Good Lansing State Journal article about yesterday's march in Lansing. they downplayed the numbers a bit, but had lots of excellent quotes from marchers. I especially liked this part:

Lisa Brewer marched with her three children. "I'm always telling them, 'If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything," she said. "So if I'm going to say that I'd better get out here and be heard."

Her daughter, 11-year-old E'lan, agreed. "Since I don't want a war, it's good for me to be out here."


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Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom on slowing the rush to war:
When good, smart Americans call for patience and UN support in this war, they are not being cowardly, weak or ultraliberal. On the contrary. They know the problem doesn't end the day Saddam Hussein goes away -- that, in fact, a bigger problem will then begin. By calling for caution, they are not being dovish. They are being militant: They are watching out for the long-term safety of America, this land, this people. You know what they call that? Patriotism.

Concluding paragraph from Mitch Albom's column today.